Dragon's Crown Elf Figure - Unboxing and Review

[@McSSJust]

Now if only figure reviewers of the Japanese Animes were half as good as you... all of your videos, so good.

[@munsihota1691]

I could just sit here and watch this man unbox and review for the rest of my life and I would die a happy and fulfilled man.

[@nanorider426]

Your articulate reviews are a fresh breath of air. I applaud you sir! ....I came for the humour and stayed for the reviews AND humour. :)

[@47drift]

This is actually one of the best figure reviews I've ever seen, and for a figure of one of my favorite game characters. Makes me even more upset I still don't own it. Great review.

[@archriel4668]

Woah, never heard you speak so positively on Elves, I agree entirely with your statements on "correct" characteristics of an Elf, it is for those characteristics that I warm to them as playable characters. Nice to know even if you do not admire them or their player-ship you still recognise their draw! Too many times have I simply been put down for favouring the elf because "they all look like a girls" or "they're gay", neither of which I find a problem with if true but it seems to emphasise the lack of such people's appreciation for the Elf's eternal majesty.

[@archriel4668]

And I get that they are often turned into "Mary-Sues" but that to me is often the case of poor writing not giving them a kryptonite. I love it when their own arrogance bites them in the ass -> said as an Elven player.

[@BardicBroadcasts]

Ah, I like elves overall. It is a myth that I do not. I DO hold them to the ancient grudges, and am obliged to speak against them publicly in accordance with the ancient oaths, but I like them plenty. As with dwarves, orcs, and halflings, they are in the inner-circle of high fantasy for very good reasons - not merely because they capture the imagination but why and how they do so.

[@Zeithri]

Honestly, I view this completely different. I really really _REALLY HATE_ when Elves are portrayed as some sort of Aliens from another world. If you have Elves, and they can breed with Humans, it is therefore not farfetched enough for them to also look human but with nicer traits. Having them look like some grey-hybrid is out of the question and just wrong in my opinion. Unless you make your own world of course and make them that way. But I do see a lot of Elf hate from people often times, yeah. Also; " _I love it when their own arrogance bites them in the ass_ " This sounds suspiciously more like Vulcan. It most of the time, to me, seem that in order to 'balance Elves', they always tend to be the race that either nearly destroyed the world long ago, or are too passive to make a move and therefor threatening to have the world end through inactivity and / or getting killed because they didn't prepare until the Enemy were already knocking down their doors. That and extreme Xenophobes.

[@v.emiltheii-nd.8094]

Whether the Elves are good (wise immortal beings) or bad (arrogant race haters) I still somehow deeply appreciate them. There's something to them that I cannot help but find extremely fascinating.

[@mattrobins2002]

I love the Bard. Please do more unboxings. Nobody does it like you. I would happily be a Patreon or subscribestar member to see more of your content.

[@MrMeatflaps]

Absolutely love the deep artistic critiques you give, they are highly regarded across the land as bloody great!

[@v.emiltheii-nd.8094]

Ah yes, the classic tabletop rivalries: Toreador vs Nosferatu Elf vs Dwarf Orc vs Human And another one that currently eludes me. Never getting tired of these however the RP goes.

[@derekbrown5384]

It truly warms my heart to know someone with such great taste as yourself shares such a strong affinity for Dragons Crown. It's one of only a couple games I own.. both for PS3 and Vita, I still play it a considerable amount and aim to keep it that way! In fact next to Diablo 1-3, it's the only video game I play these days. I need to acquire these immediately, amazing figures they are!

[@BardicBroadcasts]

Aye, Dragons Crown is a grand game. I fear I can't join you in a love for Diablo, though. I thought the first game was very good but by the time I got round to properly playing the sequel I had sat through hours of my friends grinding and grinding the same numbing junk forever - forsooth. The first act has great atmosphere, though.

[@derekbrown5384]

Alas I do agree.. Diablo 1, in my humble opinion has an atmosphere unparalleled by the sequels. I believe the grind of the sequels is the downfall as well.. 3 is honestly disappointing, 2 definitely had its moments, but 1 will always remain king of the castle. I suppose I'll give any game with Deckard Cain a fair shake. Now, off to slay some Wyverns with me long bow. Good talk

[@Mfdechami]

Dragons Crown is one of my favorite games of the last few years, that's for sure. Played it together couch-coop with a friend all the way trhough though (both on vitas) so that has something to do with it. Pretty much a flawless game for what it was trying to do.

[@BardicBroadcasts]

I played with friends too! It was so great. I also enjoyed playing on my own. And when I was done with it, I walked away happy.

[@Mfdechami]

BardicBroadcasts Playing solo was great as well of course, you just had to miss out on the best part - fighting over food!

[@joqqeman]

Very nice analysis of the elves. I also like the way you brought the link with romanticism without making it too heavy. I've been listening to your videos a lot today, very good work!

[@tiniesttraveler]

Just bought this figure in a bookoff without knowing the character and found your video while researching. I really love this review and it makes my purchase feel less impulsive 😅

[@rantanen1]

Dude AI really really love your channel. I hope you start making videos more frequently.

[@4oWhat]

man if I ever need to call someone on knowledge of the other worldly to be explained in detail I know now who to call, also I love the dept he goes to explain poses and meaning its great tips and knowledge for an artist

[@FaolanHart]

I have never in my life watched such an entertaining but also informative figure review. Well done sir, you have yourself a new subscriber. I've wanted this figure for a while but gotta be careful how I spend my money haha.

[@nicktalbot3310]

Hail Bard! Love your work!

[@OskarReyAllen]

Thank you for making this amazing review. I'm gonna get one.

[@EverlastingEcho]

How do you come by these deep analyses of mythos, fantasy, and like? Has there been literature that you've read? Written? Or are these thoughts reserved for unprecedented minds, beyond the reach of mere mortals?

[@effigytormented]

EverlastingEcho if you like the depth of folk lore you might enjoy take a five on folk lore websites on the internet

[@mathematics117]

That painting you showed with the man standing atop a cliff with waves crashing around is titled "die Wanderer" i believe. it's a lovely peice, :) love it's inclusion!

[@Garl_Vinland]

10:34 -10:59 had me in stitches.

[@markusfalk9459]

Hah! No 1000 again! Great video! Nice modulation of the voice also!

[@Killerrock501]

I love your videos. They make me happy! Thank you!

[@kjohn170]

This dude for sure has an art degree

[@Jetstoanywhere]

I am thinking about getting either this or a variant of it , thanks for the review

[@guhuslayer7393]

Hehehehe drwarves did slay it in the end xD. Well they should have insulted us in the first place!

[@pst5345]

I dont even care for collecting that stuff but I di care for whatever the Bard has to say about it.... You are missed Bard. I come daily to your channel in hope you have another crrrrracking unboxing video or tell us why the new Heroquest is so great.

[@robnewberry479]

I love your videos dude. I decided to pick up one of these after watching this review. So, that makes Sorceress, Amazon and Elf in my collection. Will probably get a Tiki if I can find a decent one from Japan...and debating the Fighter - it seems expensive and I haven't found any video reviews of it online at all. Keep up the great unboxings and videos.

[@seanjohnston2453]

Sir Bard! More unboxings.

[@ernestorodriguez3637]

"creepy uncle!" ha!

[@Ultr4l0f]

Hm... if you want to nitpick, check the sign(?) on the base. The paint from the floortiles has also been applied to the sign.

[@evansn79]

I see a reaper bones dragons don't share on that bookshelf. A full unboxing of a reaper kickstarter would be great.

[@BardicBroadcasts]

Ah yes. One of my great 'I'll start that tomorrow' projects. I love reaper minis, though. I have a whole box of them I swear I am going to paint one day.

[@evansn79]

I have a whole bookcase of minis I'll paint one day, if only I'd stop buying more to add to the leadpile!

[@matthewbrookeart]

bard have you ever seen record of the lodoss war ? i think you wold like it for its anime version of western fantasy traditions

[@D00M3R-SK8]

I always took the seemingly cold disposition of the elves to be a thing that was only perceived so by humans because of our need for facial expressions and body language, where as the elves were telepathic, so had no need for such things.

[@dlscorp]

Cool presentation and impressive chincloud. Have you ever played Dwarf Fortress? "An elf being a step towards a dwarf" ?? Shame on you sir!

[@Plankensen]

now they have to make something better. Like a dwarf.

[@Zeithri]

I read this in the voice of Christopher Walken. " _Shame, Shame on you.. Sir._ "

[@D00M3R-SK8]

Have you read the Gav Thorpe books about Dwarves? I guess that's probably a bit of a silly question. I got the re-issue named "Dwarves" about 8 or 9 years ago I think that has books by him and Nick Kyme. I have read "Grudge Bearer" and "Oathbreaker", but not read "Honourkeeper" yet as I started reading Gotrek and Felix from the start again after they started releasing those in Volumes as well. I'm not caught up on those though as I know they started releasing books again about the duo in about 2012/14 sort of time. So I take it you don't like Skaven then? ha ha. I love Skaven and Gobbo's as well. I think I have an affinity for everything that lives underground, or maybe it's just from reading books about Dwarves. Skaven were my first fantasy army as a kid though, like directly after Hero Quest (even though hero quest didn't have them. I think advanced might have done though) Night Goblins are just incredibly fun (at least from an outsiders perspective) Sguiggs are also great, and those guys go hand in hand so it's like the perfect Fantasy race for me. Little dudes in black robes, drinking mushroom brews and jumping around on angry space hoppers. I mean that does sound great. Sorry, I'm probs going in the book?

[@lordazn]

May I suggest you keep an eye on the series goblin slayer because it is the first time I saw an actual anime dwarf, not a lolita proxying as one, albeit more as Japanese monk than any traditional Western barbarian one. Who knows they might make a figure of him and I would crusade to hell and back to see an unboxing of him.

[@BardicBroadcasts]

I watched some of Goblin Slayer. It was alright! I didn't watch all of it though, I lost interest over the long term.

[@lordazn]

@@BardicBroadcasts yeah there is really nothing too exciting about it, though I do enjoy the manga. Still, at least the dwarf here is an actual dwarf and not some cutesy anime girl that just looks like a kid

[@HolisticCookie]

You sir are hilarious. Subscribed.

[@DrXanatos]

Nice unboxing with a side dish of elven history lesson. By the way, is that a picture of Peter Cushing you got there?

[@BardicBroadcasts]

DrXanatos That it is, Doctor. Peter Cushing is my favorite actor on account of his work for Hammer during the glory days before my birth. Still the best Van Helsing! The big framed one above my bookcase contains a signed letter by the man himself.

[@DrXanatos]

BardicBroadcasts Nice. Very nice indeed. I mostly know him from his work on Star Wars am aware of his many other works, which I should view in the future.

[@living-deadman-3421]

I do agree. Where is the Dwarf? He is my favorite.

[@D00M3R-SK8]

BTW, great game. I used to play the dwarf and the elf mainly, I thought the chest size of the other females was a tad bit absurd. I mean this probably just comes down to personal tastes as I tend to like smaller women in that regard. the art style always reminded me a lot of odins sphere, and in fact the game play too. Was it a spiritual successor? would make sense, I mean they are very similar games.

[@BardicBroadcasts]

Aye, I've been told that Odin's Sphere is by the same folk. I have never played that, though. The entire art style is shot through, wonderfully, with Absurdity. Amongst all that, I am surprised to hear you were warded off playing characters by whose breasts follow suit. Especially in reference to the Amazon whose bust is probably the least absurd thing about her.

[@D00M3R-SK8]

@@BardicBroadcasts ha ha, I guess you're right concerning the Amazonian. Just something about giant breasts. I always put it down to having been breast fed as a child, so didn't develop any kind of fascination in that regard :D I wouldn't say it put me off playing them entirely, but I definitely preferred the elf out of the 3 playable females.

[@flioink]

Excellent, do you plan on having the Amazon ?

[@BardicBroadcasts]

flioink I'd be more worried about the amazing having me!

[@flioink]

BardicBroadcasts lol, i really dig Kamitani's work but unfortunately so far only own Velvet from Odin's Sphere since those are quite pricey where i live.

[@kerbal666]

I know I'm 5 years late but they seem to have the figure of the dwarf now but he looks like Thor a bit.

[@kingofthehamsters]

Isn't dragons crown the one with a mage with enormous bosums?

[@squee-g1658]

Yes

[@DrStabkill]

Dude you are the shit lol instant subscription

[@YellowCookiexD]

love your voice !!!!!!

[@alaricdusk4984]

Dude you freaking rock

[@BatteryExhausted]

Please consider sprawling out into reviews/discussions of wider culture.

[@pvt.prinny759]

What did you think of the medusa boss?

[@BardicBroadcasts]

I loved it, but I have a pretty strong bias.

[@chadbartlett3565]

Bring back the Bard!

[@Jetstoanywhere]

one day I will get her ...one day

[@olenlotharjoo]

Did the day arrive already?

[@ernestorodriguez3637]

what color is your hair?

[@ernestorodriguez3637]

in ancient Norse myth the dwarves where dark elves!

[@francescospuntarelli7369]

Seen as duergar or what? I'm curious now

[@thusspakevespasian5587]

@@francescospuntarelli7369It wasn't just in Norse mythology, across the Germanic world there was no real distinction between elves and dwarves. Dwarves were just particularly short elves who make things, and the Norse idea is not so much Dark Elves, they called them the Svartalfr, which means Black Elves, and they called them this because they lived underground.

[@sndgamingchannel9279]

You thought about opening up a loot crate?

[@jlashombjr]

Isn't the seam intentional?

[@BardicBroadcasts]

jlashombjr Good question! It certainly isn't an awkward seam of the sort that can be found on some figures but it certainly stands out on the Elf who is otherwise seam-free. It is definitely not deliberate detailing. I have to assume its a concession to the manufacturing process, which is just how it goes sometimes.

[@ThatFeelBr0]

As far as I could find, some official images of the elf shows the same seam

[@dankmeemo3464]

I think the most "alien-like" elves i know are the viera from FF XII

[@MrCapzilla]

Elf is closer to dwarf than human to dwarf, no?

[@theundeadsculptor6635]

bloody youtube unsubscribed me from you. i only subscribed a week or so ago!

[@BardicBroadcasts]

By Grimnir's oath! Why would it do such a thing?

[@theundeadsculptor6635]

BardicBroadcasts youtube's been glitching a lot recently I've been unsubscribed from a few channels in the past couple of months

[@scottinbristol]

Have you recently changed your username, or unattached your youtube acccount from google plus? If you have, that messes up your subscriptions really badly.

[@theundeadsculptor6635]

SavedByTheBellend yeah. changed my username

[@scottinbristol]

That's why then. Sometimes you're still subscribed, but it'll say you're not as well.

[@chaotixtrekker5789]

I hope the Bard is still alive :/ been 6 long months... If not we must find his dwarven corpse and take it to Rivendale so he can rest next to lovely ELVES!!! Muhahahabah

[@BardicBroadcasts]

There are few elves in Rivendale but I hear there is plenty of moose.

[@kazemhaghighi7317]

WARRHAMMER

[@tokewarming]

Mister drawf pls come back

[@BardicBroadcasts]

Aye! I shall return as quickly as I can!

[@gloglablyn]

I think leina has around 47 wounds, give or take.

[@Werewolf_Korra]

I thought about what you said about Elves being almost alien from humanity. I wanted my version of High Elves to be more materialistic and imperialist than Tolkien, and I was thinking of how I could incorporate that in their design while maintaining the otherworldly quality of which you speak. What do you think of this: my version of High Elves are called Crown Elves. They are called such because their skin looks like precious metal, usually gold or silver, their eyes seem like precious stones, and their hair has a vibrancy unlike human hair. They look almost artificial, and yet completely natural. They're a tall and arrogant people, and worship knowledge above all else, and view other sentient life, especially humans, as little better than cattle.

[@BleepingRelics]

It's so pretty and sexy and I am not even into that game...

[@MoxkyBashwell]

i like her thigh high boots.

[@arttay1090]

Tracer \o\ /o/

[@Werewolf_Korra]

I must ask, oh mighty bard, as you enthrall me with your poetic waxings on the nature of elves, how to best convey the presence of an undead elf? One of my characters is an elven vampire, and whilst he is not an evil sort, has still seen millenia go by, even more so than his living kin, and it has left him scarred inside and out. Mostly, I refer to him as overly gaunt and skeletal, almost like he had been starved to emaciation (which he had, being locked in a crypt for a thousand years, unable to claw his way out of the spelled sarcophagus). And the whites of his eyes are a disgusting dark red like congealed blood, with pupils and irises a milky white as if he were blind. His skin a pale, corpsish yellow stretched oved his thin frame. These, of course, are purely physical descriptors. How may I convey the true loss of his Faye-hood, the absence of diminishment of an elf's ethereal qualities from his withered husk?

[@BardicBroadcasts]

Hail, sorry it took me so long to come to this. I've given it some thought. I think you have gone a bit too far. I don't really know what game he is for, mind, but I would regard a character like this as unplayable. This is mainly because one aspect of his history supersedes everything else: being imprisoned in a coffin for a thousand years. This kind of mind-bending experience would change any sentient character in such a way that their being an elf or a vampire is basically irrelevant to their character. It becomes the defining aspect. The deterioration of their personality and psyche would make them impossible to relate to on any human level, something I think is most important in a character you wish to play or that you with other players to engage with. Try Stephen King's short story 'The Jaunt' for a brief exploration of this idea. It is a solid origin for a threatening, insane monster, though. That said, there is a lot to be said about vampire elves. As I said the other day, being a vampire is a state of loss. Its a tragic state in which humanity erodes until there is none. It's very romantic, hence the appeal of games like Vampire the Masquerade where the premise is that you are a vampire clinging to its humanity in the face of an inhuman fate. You would find a lot of material to help you there, especially since your character is overtly monstrous. There is a whole breed of vampire that deals with that. The REAL problem you've got is that Vampire deals with humans and human values. You're playing an elf whose values are at least one step to the side of human. Their lived experience is very different, their worldview is very different. You essentially have double the creative workload in that you have to have a concept of elfhood and then conceive a romantically diminished or deteriorating version of that. It's tough! That's a serious roleplaying challenge. The method I would use is to identify a handful of key elven traits and then invert them. You've started that already by inverting elven beauty into hideousness. Here is a small lists of further suggestions: Elves are graceful so let there be no beauty to his movements. Elves are passionate so let him be confused by passion. Elves are lordly so let him be wretched. Elves are artistic so let him be a philistine. Elves are emotional so let him remember emotion. About the first one, one thing I would suggest is to remember to have your character not move. He's dead. He probably spends a great deal of time not breathing, twitching, or having any natural impulse at all. There are few things more unnerving than stillness. About the last two, some great depictions of vampires have had them remember and long for emotion or to be moved by art. Sometimes to the point they will act it out. But they can no longer feel emotion, or be moved. They are simply aware that they should be. And they are also aware that they should be saddened by this but they are not. This frustrates them. This is one of the more tragic and oddly sympathetic things: vampires are aware of what they lack. Eventually they stop caring. Then there is no frustration. Over centuries, inevitably, there is nothing. That's the appeal of early vampires: hanging on to humanity despite being doomed to lose it. This is another huge problem you face: your vampire is very old when, as with Vampire the Masquerade, early vampires are the most playable. Think of it like this: for a very ancient vampire, the time they were alive is only a tiny fraction of their existence. They probably barely remember it. It probably has no bearing on how they think, feel, or act. They have become inhuman with nothing for you to grasp on to help you understand what they would do or why. And if you can't understand them, you can't really play them. This is explored a little in the movie Shadow of the Vampire, where a vampire thinks it is laughable that Dracula is capable of setting a table for a guest after not eating food for centuries. But whatever, I hope there is something of use to you within this giant rant. Please let me know if it was of any benefit at all!

[@Werewolf_Korra]

@@BardicBroadcasts he's a written character, not an RPG character. Sorry for confusion.

[@BardicBroadcasts]

@@Werewolf_Korra You know, there isn't much difference in practice. I think most of that still applies :)

[@Werewolf_Korra]

@@BardicBroadcasts I do love the ideas you presented, though. No beauty in his movements, no culture in his mind.

[@eazye519]

This looks nothing like an elf.

[@philthepileable]

No interest whatsoever in the statue. Still can't stop watching.

[@setheus907]

those weebo anime eyes ruin it for me