Game:

Tales of Legendia (2005)

Duration: 6:14

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77

Jay has always been an interesting case in Legendia, a source of both good ideas and proof that the game could really benefit from being a little better (and more) fleshed out in a number of aspects.

In battle, Jay is an awesome mess. His fighting style, while unorthodox, is genuinely ninja-esque, more so than any main character before or after him (Descenders excluded). The main issue comes from implementing his eres pool into the gameplay itself. Trying to fit him into the basic base---arcane chain is pretty much pointless since none of his base eres can connect with his arcanes in a legit fashion. On that note, a number of his arcane eres either have a high chance of passing through the enemy halfway through (Silent Pyre/Lightning/etc) or not connecting properly at all (Hawk Talon, fukkkkkk recording Hawk Talon btw). Using Jay to the fullest typically requires ignoring a chunk of his move pool that either leaves him in bad positioning or could be done much better by something else. In that way, he's less like Senel and Chloe and more like Moses, especially when you consider that the TP rates for his eres are broken for him as well (the base eres Brutal Earth costs 18 TP, and its arcane eres Wraith Earth costs 17 TP. What.).
That being said, I use Jay equally as much as I do the other three, which is a good thing. As quirky as his style is and considering how a lot of his skills lack use, sometimes you just gotta break dance the enemy into oblivion sparrowhawkwhyhaveyouneverreturned. His compound eres are definitely the most interesting set out of everyone, and a lot of his artes (Silent Reaper, Shadow Blade, Dark Wind, etc) and even some compounds (Tragic Gale mostly) can be used in conjunction with normal attacks for VERY EASY self-infinites which can be as effective as Senel and Chloe are at holding the enemy back. If Jay at least turned around during some of his moves and had less attack inactivity during his complex movements, then he would be a lot more solid and pick-upable I imagine. When it comes down to it though, these problems aren't exclusive to Jay as they are the game's system. An ideal Jay, for me at least, would play something similar to [ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJ-QqVUj2cs#t=3m16s ]. Shameless plug or not, the fact that Hawk Talon, Dark Wind and the like actually connect in that game is a godsend to those who wished a bit more from Legendia's combatants. Again, success or failure of conveying a fighting style are a product of the character AND the system (s)he's in.

Battle gibberish aside, Jay's pretty cool as a character too. Keen-eyed like an experienced adult, but still holds on to childish competition and a cocky, sarcastic demeanor that a little rascal would sport. Steve Staley and Ryouko Shiraishi do excellent jobs at performing for both of those sides; though the difference in their performances is far from subtle, they both effectively get the character across. That being said, Jay definitely has a very interesting backstory that leaves behind more unresolved questions than most of the cast. Even with the character quests, everyone could've served to be a tad more fleshed out, and it's probably most apparent in Jay since he lacks a sense of closure that others like Norma or Moses got. Then again, I wouldn't be shy of saying that a lot of the charm of Legendia comes from the wonder of such unanswered and unexplored things like Jay's parents, the Mainland, etc. If one sees it that way, then it's probably better left to the imagination. Or Sword of Legen- *SHOT*

Anyway, yeah, here's Jay, a definite favorite of mine...though most of the Legendia cast could fit that bill. Fun Facts Round: this is my first exhibition done completely in Vegas, Silent Pyre/Silent Lightning/HAWK TALON were hard as marbles to record, the English clips were recorded back in May 2010, the Japanese in December 2012.... and never again will such a gap between recording and creating/uploading happen, ever. Except Grune.

BGM: "Circle of Transmigration" -Evan Awake/Breezewax

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