Oh, hey! It’s been a while. The last couple years have been busy for me, and unfortunately I haven’t been able to get much writing done. Not for lack of trying, either! My drafts folder has piled up with all sorts of pieces that I never quite finished. So, I thought it would be nice to tackle something a little less daunting. Here’s a brief rundown of what media I’ve been getting into in the last month or so.
Let’s start with the Spy x Family anime. This adaptation is something special. It takes a very fun and endearing manga and enhances it in so many ways. The way it translates the swift comedic timing and deadpan delivery to anime form is wonderful. The first season only adapts a very small chunk of the manga, but it manages to do a lot with it. Mainly because it understands what Spy x Family is. It understands the quirks and motivations of characters, and what makes them charming. So when it decides to stretch Anya’s dodgeball game into an entire episode, the end result is beautiful. Lots of great anime original scenes that enhance the silly drama and story arc of the episode. It feels huge and epic, which makes the sad little whimper of a climax that much funnier. On the whole, this adaptation captures all the humour and sweet sincerity of Spy x Family so well. Which is really the most you can hope for.
I’ve also fallen way down the VTuber rabbit hole, as you can probably tell from looking at my Twitter for five seconds. I’ve especially fallen in love with Nijisanji EN. The Niji EN streamers bounce off of each other so beautifully, as if they’ve been friends for much longer than they actually have. It’s like watching a really great slice of life anime. Out of the (as of June 2022) twenty streamers, it feels like you can put any combination of them together and get entertaining and unique dynamics.
My favourite among all of them – or my oshi as some folks might say – is Enna Alouette. She embodies so many of the things that I love about VTubers. Her phenomenal singing voice, her ability to entertain and talk for hours about her life, and maybe most of all her general weirdness. I mean that last point in the most loving way possible. As much as I enjoy VTubers who are able to play silly characters, my favourites are always the ones who are characters without trying to be. Mysta’s cooking struggles, Rosemi’s furniture-less house, Finana’s… egg-related tales. VTuber culture just happens to attract extremely talented weirdos, and I absolutely adore it for that. I’m anxious about the future of VTuber culture, but also excited. I can’t wait to be blessed with more insanely talented and funny streamers.
In other news, I finally finished Pokemon Legends: Arceus. It continued to be a great time to the end. Since Sword and Shield, it’s been fun seeing Game Freak edge towards the open world structure. The DLC areas for Sword and Shield expanded on the concept, and showed where they were going. But I didn’t expect them to go all in so suddenly with a game like Pokemon Legends. The world of Hisui is vast and stunning and a little scary at times. Knowing you’re one wrong step away from being decimated by an angry wild Pokemon makes you feel like you’re a part of what’s happening. You’re not just a spectator, sending your creatures out to do your bidding. You’re in there with the wild Pokemon, stepping into their territory and facing their wrath head-on.
I think a lot of us dreamed of a game like this, but never really expected it. A game that lives up to our childhood imaginations of how vast and complex the Pokemon world could be. The upcoming Pokemon Scarlet and Violet seem to be pushing the open world even further. Personally, I welcome it.
And that’s what I’ve been up to recently! This isn’t meant to be super polished, just something to get me back into the habit of posting. I hope I can do more of these in the coming weeks and months. Until then, may you be blessed by the great Rosemi-sama.
Too Many Words 