But why 'Mono' machines only?
Hey, I'm an old skool guy, a 'late adopter' in advertising parlance.
Something about the mechanics of these more manual machines, and their often animated centrepieces (or 'yakumono') are so attractive to me. Since the first time I saw the 1992 version of Kyoraku's hanemono machine, 'Tanuki-kun II' (seen at right) in a parlour in Chiba prefecture in Japan, I have been fascinated by them.
For a start, there is appreciably more skill involved in placing the balls in just the right holes, in just the right order, with hanemono and kenrimono machines. A criticism often aimed at pachinko machines in their more usual 'deji-pachi' guise is the lack of skill these machines involve (see the previous deji-pachi section). Much like Vegas slots, outcomes appear more pre-determined than not with those machines.
The visuals on the most modern deji-pachi machines are amazing though, there is no doubt - modern machines such as 'Cyborg 009', 'Neon Evangelion', and 'Julie Pinball' (to name just a few) are fun to just watch someone else play, without even participating in it yourself. It can be, these days, like watching entire episodes of animated manga series over someone else's shoulder!...and I guess you either love or hate that idea. Personally, I'd rather just watch real TV than wait for these interminable video reaches on a modern pachinko machine. <continue>
Hey, I'm an old skool guy, a 'late adopter' in advertising parlance.
Something about the mechanics of these more manual machines, and their often animated centrepieces (or 'yakumono') are so attractive to me. Since the first time I saw the 1992 version of Kyoraku's hanemono machine, 'Tanuki-kun II' (seen at right) in a parlour in Chiba prefecture in Japan, I have been fascinated by them.
For a start, there is appreciably more skill involved in placing the balls in just the right holes, in just the right order, with hanemono and kenrimono machines. A criticism often aimed at pachinko machines in their more usual 'deji-pachi' guise is the lack of skill these machines involve (see the previous deji-pachi section). Much like Vegas slots, outcomes appear more pre-determined than not with those machines.
The visuals on the most modern deji-pachi machines are amazing though, there is no doubt - modern machines such as 'Cyborg 009', 'Neon Evangelion', and 'Julie Pinball' (to name just a few) are fun to just watch someone else play, without even participating in it yourself. It can be, these days, like watching entire episodes of animated manga series over someone else's shoulder!...and I guess you either love or hate that idea. Personally, I'd rather just watch real TV than wait for these interminable video reaches on a modern pachinko machine. <continue>
