Ichiko reaches level 3, Yuina will soon follow:

The start of the month refreshed a lot of cooldowns in Heaven Burns Red, so I was able to make use of the refreshes to limit break (base) Inori and (base) Ichiko.  The base Inori limit break doesn't help much, as one would be a fool to play base Inori instead of samurai Inori, since samurai Inori has the critical pierce ability and base Inori doesn't.

Base Ichiko is more important, though.  With this she has become extremely tough, getting a special ability that heightens her defenses 30% at the start of each turn until the end of that turn.  My only complaint is she can keep herself alive but most enemies do AoE attacks and she has no means to help her compatriots.  If only she had a protect ability like Final Fantasy paladins her build would make sense.

I also got the first half of swimsuit Yuina's level 3 limit break.  Swimsuit Yuina is gorgeous so I'm happy to wield her if I can.  At least by the end of the month I'll have enough protean shards to upgrade that 1/2 to one whole and reach level 3, whereupon she'll be useful in high-end fights.

My plan was to upgrade Isuzu next but Yuina takes priority, seeing as how she's in a swimsuit and all.  No but seriously Yuina is extremely versatile -- I have a light, dark and thunder SS version of her, so leveling Yuina is more rewarding overall.  All Memorias share level growth so getting any Yuina to max helps me across all elements.

The next anachrony I can't beat is vulnerable to ice and dark, so swimsuit Yuina will be necessary if I'm ever going to win that fight.  Certainly my current group can't handle it.

Currently I have 65 SS Memoria.  2 of those are level 4 (max level), magical girl Tama and swimsuit Sumomo.  6 are level 3 -- base Ichiko, base Chie (both defenders), yukata Yuki, swimsuit Tsukasa, shrine maiden Megumi (all from 31-A, the main characters of the game), and pajamas Hisame (with the best offensive abilities in the game).  I need 12 competent warriors to fight the toughest bosses these days, so as you can see there are still 4 open slots.  The game basically requires I use Erika due to her damage nullification ability, and she's currently at level 2 limit break.  That leaves 3 slots.  One has to go to a secondary healer because Tama on her own can't keep up with a tough boss' damage per turn.  So that would be Vritika, a level 2 defender, as my current best option.  Waiting in the wings are Muua (level 1), Mion (level 1) and Risa (level 0), all healers.  But already that leaves only 2 open slots.  Yuina and Isuzu are poised to take them, but I have a feeling I'd be better off with ninja Mari (currently level 2) or celestial Seika (currently level 0) for their amazing plus to critical skills.  Or samurai Inori (currently level 0) for her critical pierce skill.  Or base Yotsuha (currently level 1) for her up to fire crit skill.

I can't forget red riding hood Karen (level 2), who I've already given an eternal daphne and is a member of the main cast.  Plus I'd like to use Charlotta someday since I spent so much money to get her. . .  So two open slots and 11 people who would like to have them.  >.<.

For now I just need to power up everyone who seems like they'll be useful and choose the best 12 I've got on any given week.  Depending on the boss' vulnerability, the fighters I choose will also need to change.  A deep field will definitely come in handy someday.

I've got all my rings to properly high (3 or 4) item levels and am now working on my necklaces.  All my necklaces are at least level 4, but out of 6 that isn't so great, it means I'm only 2/3 of the way to where I should be.  My charms are at least level 2, mostly level 3 and some level 4, out of 4 maximum, so I consider the charm part done.  My bracelets are all max level 6.  Powerful accessories are almost as important as limit breaks.  It's a shame skill evolutions and necklaces require the same single resource, diamonds, though.  It means by working on one I lose out on the chance for the other.  But right now the clock tower isn't offering the higher floors so I can't do any skill evolutions anyway, which means I can concentrate my diamonds to an immediate power up instead of worrying about one in the far future.

The summer anime season begins today, but it's such a worthless season I don't even know if I'll make a first impressions post about it.  All that matters is Summer Pockets will continue airing during the summer so at least one great anime will be available for the next three months.  Thank God for small favors.

The bigger July news is SAO's latest volume releasing next week.  Hopefully a few mysteries will be resolved this time around.  So far Reki Kawahara has only piled on more and more mysteries while not answering any of the previous ones.  That pattern has to break eventually, right?