A few years ago, I asked whether loving a genre was like supporting a local sports team. It was a question that sprung out of the realization that while I’d been quite critical of isekai for just being so full of samey works that follow the formula or “defy” it in the shallowest ways possible, I reveled in the weird and obscure mediocrity of giant robot anime throughout its history. I wondered whether this was an arbitrary bias that came from me simply choosing “mecha” as my team.
More recently, however, I’ve come to think there is a difference. Namely, I find there to be a major shortcoming of modern isekai in that it very consistently fails to scrutinize and investigate its own power fantasy. That’s not to say good isekai stories aren’t told or that one has to be self-critical; I can name plenty I’ve enjoyed and even consider myself a fan of. However, the most you often get is “reincarnation into a supposedly weak being that is actually secretly strong” or “the reincarnated are extra amazing but it comes with drawbacks” or “This is an excuse for a cozier title,” or at most maybe “What if reincarnated heroes affect the other world negatively?” When you compare isekai fare to what we get from giant robots, there’s such a stark contrast. Even if you set aside titles that are famous for presenting wrinkles to its characters’ vast abilities, there are also so many smaller mecha titles that at least try to be a little bit introspective, or if not, the giant robot is a power that must be learned and mastered over time.
Granted, all this was historically done in mecha while trying to sell viewers merch, and many of the works that did challenge tropes did so as a way to not fully succumb to that capitalist engine. G Gundam had staff that purposely tried to make robot designs that would be hard to adapt into model kits. Tomino Yoshiyuki directed works like Zambot 3, Gundam, and Ideon to “break patterns” set by previous series and to do more with the genre:
“In anime, you can only express drama through cinematic functions. But why do people think that when a robot shows up, it instantly becomes ‘robot anime’ and you’re not creating drama anymore? That’s my question. There are also people like that, who don’t get drama, among the sponsors. To them, robot anime is only about things like robots in action, docking, and new robots appearing. That’s why Gundam was canceled.”
The late Nagahama Tadao (Combattler V, Voltes V, Daimos) wasn’t quite so subversive, but he still wanted to make good stories for children. Tomino, speaking about what he learned from Nagahama in 2009, said:
“I worked with director Nagahama for several years before Gundam, and what I learned from him was the sense of right in stories aimed towards children. When creating works for children, it should not be biased in one way or another or leaning more in a political sense, but to provide a very pure and good story.”
Perhaps I’ve simply not been exposed enough to isekai creators and their thoughts, but I don’t feel this struggle against the profit engine or to break established patterns. In fact, in modern times, I get a greater sense that they want to just support the power fantasy thoroughly and play into the patterns completely, and much of what came before that is housed in titles that are shoujo or at least lean towards a female audience: Magic Knight Rayearth, Vision of Escaflowne, Twelve Kingdoms, etc.
To go back to the sports team analogy, it is notable that the New York Knicks won the 2026 NBA championships this year. I admittedly never followed basketball very closely, but I know how despite the 53-year drought that they managed to overcome, they also have gotten close to the top on a few occasions, providing glimmers of hope here and there before the big one. In the context of mecha, I feel like those bright spots—those works that take a deeper and more intelligent look at the inherent power fantasy of mecha—help to make the mediocre (and worse) titles more charming. I don’t expect a genre to be constantly undermining its own established rules, but I like to think of those rules as building blocks, and the less generic things get, the more potential there is for something to be done with—and to—these building blocks.
I hope that I can someday feel a similar way about isekai.
PS: Completely off-topic, but talking about the Knicks and giant robots, I feel obliged to post the classic Mango Sentinel:
On a previous trip to Japan, I visited a shop called Curry Land, which is dedicated to selling pre-packaged instant curry from all over the country. The plan is to eat and review every single one, and this time it’s WHALING SHIP CURRY.
What that means is the curry is the kind served on a particular whaling ship. It contains no actual whale meat.
However, what it does have as its first ingredient is actually thresher shark meat. I looked that up, and apparently it’s sustainable and not one of the ones that are over-fished. The meat had a chewy texture that’s different from something like tuna, and felt somewhere in the vein of fried dace or salmon jerky.
As soon as it touched my tongue, I could feel the hit of saltiness and spice. I would call it barely spicy at best, with maybe a slight lingering of peppery heat at the very end. Overall, it was nice and savory and didn’t have the overwhelming artificial taste of some instant curry.
Overall, the only really unusual thing about it is maybe the thresher shark, which gave a pretty decent curry a different texture than what I’m used to. I would probably eat it again, but would prioritize trying different curry styles.
A trip to Japan earlier this year put me in a great position to buy things I had put off because of the whole tariffs fiasco, and I came out of it with a Soul of Chogokin Shinkalion E5 Hayabusa. But I also had some extra luggage space and a favorable exchange rate, so after some serious deliberation, I came away with another robot: the Soul of Chogokin Godmars, or more specifically the 50th anniversary edition.
Rokushin Gattai Godmars is not one of my all-time favorite mecha series, but it is one whose role in history always intrigues me. As an early work that developed a large female following and was even a Comic Market doujin darling, it’s essentially the predecessor to shows like Gundam Wing. Granted, none of that factors into the robot merch, but another part of the legacy of Godmars is that its original toy sold very well—enough for the show itself to end up over 60 episodes.
While the Soul of Chogokin version sacrifices some of the ease of playability for a more pleasing visual aesthetic that tries to capture the heroic proportions of the anime version, one thing shines through: Godmars is an inherently entertaining design for hands-on play. While it’s infamously lacking in terms of animation quality—Godmars moves more like a slide show than a fighting hero—that goes out the window when you take in its simplicity and elegance. The six individual robots are fun, joining them together is satisfying, and the resulting combination just looks awesome. The fact that it manages to have such a nice aesthetic with virtually no sharp or angular parts jutting out is impressive in its own way. After getting jabbed over and over putting together the Shinkalion, this was a welcome change.
With a lot of combining giant robot toys and figures, you can tell that they prioritize either the separate robots or the unified robot assembled from them. In the case of Godmars, however, I find that it strikes a really strong balance between the constituent parts and the unified whole.
SoC Godmars came out in 2008, and there are aspects of the toy that show its age. The fists are awkward in that they are off-center on the forearm due to the way they fold into the robots that form Godmars’s arms. The legs also have very little articulation, and a lot of the techniques used in later years to allow things like kneeling positions and more dynamic posing just aren’t present here. I don’t consider those deal breakers, though, and I think the reason that it keeps getting reissued and updated is because the design holds up well even 18 years later.
This past week, reports came out that the original designer of Godmars, Murakami Katsushi, passed away on July 20. Not only was he the mind behind the Godmars design, but his influence extends heavily across Japanese pop culture in its anime, tokusatsu, and toys—so much so that he is called the “Father of Chogokin” and is one of the reasons anime has a “mecha designer” credit in the first place. Among his works are Leopardon from the Japanese Spider-Man, Gavan, Combattler V, Cy-Kill from Gobots, Dancouga, and Reideen. His mecha thrilled children and continue to fascinate adults as a visual and tactile experience. While this review is of the Soul of Chogokin version of one design, it’s clear that a lot of what makes it a success can be found in the original DNA provided by Murakami.
I recently remembered the Chinese Beaver meme, in which someone animated a beaver-like creature over a scene from John Woo’s A Better Tomorrow with actor Chow Yun-Fat. I ended up watching that animation over and over, both in Mandarin (as the short was first presented) and in Cantonese (the original language of the actual film).
Mandarin
Cantonese
There are interesting differences in the two versions of Chinese, not least of which is Chow Yun-Fat’s intensity. Part of it feels like the actor’s ability, and part of it feels like the contours of the Cantonese language itself.
Ultimately, I decided to actually watch the movie itself. And yeah, it really is a classic of Hong Kong cinema that explores a lot about different perspectives toward justice and redemption in the world of organized crime, all while providing the visceral thrill of gunfire and action scenes John Woo is famous for.
But one thing I noticed about A Better Tomorrow is how different the name of the movie is in Chinese: Ying Hung Bun Sik, or “True Colors of a Hero.” This is par for the course, as a lot of what makes a title aesthetically pleasing differs between the two languages. Most other releases in other languages are based on these two titles, but one notable exception is Japanese, which presents the film as Otoko-tachi no Banka, or “The Men’s Elegy.”
You have three different titles for the same movie that present it in somewhat different lights by focusing on different aspects. A Better Tomorrow sounds like the movie is about hope for redemption, whether unfulfilled or otherwise. True Colors of a Hero makes it seem like the movie is about getting to the cores of its men and what they’re really made of in hard times. The Men’s Elegy places the emphasis on the intersection between masculinity and tragedy in a kind of macho yet emotionally expressive fashion. And all of those things are in the film!
I’m not about to argue some kind of cultural essentialism, but I do wonder if this variation in titles comes from attempts to target the particular demographics that come with each language. Do they give the audience a different impression while viewing it, or does it ultimately not matter compared to the contents of the film?
July was the start of a new anime season, and what an incredible summer lineup. I’m actually worried that I don’t have enough time to watch everything I’d like, which includes Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongol, Ghost in the Shell (2026), Goodbye Lara, Young Ladies Don’t Play Fighting Games, and so on. And that’s not even mentioning how good Star Detective Precure! has been. I’ll have to pick and choose my battles, and have enough faith in myself that I’ll circle back around to watch what I couldn’t get to initially.
You may have noticed that the past month’s blog posts have been even more VTuber-tacular than normal. There just happened to be a number of concert streams I watched and wanted to review before their watch periods expired, and the result is my heaviest month in terms of that subject matter. I don’t expect the same will happen in August.
Here are this month’s special Patreon members, whom I thank for their support:
Kio gives some thoughts about new versions of old classics.
Closing
A new hololive mobile game came out, and while it’s pretty fun, I’m wary of the way these things try to monopolize all my attention. I actively have tried to avoid doing dailies because I know they’re an insidiously easy time sink. I’ll have to let you all know if I’ve fallen victim to its charms by September.
Also, by the time this goes out, Otakon will be wrapping up. Hope it was a good con for all attending!
Genderswap character art for Kio’s Star Wars parody, Sister Wars. Luke Skywalker was raised as a boy (father is Padmé, mother is Anakin), Han is basically Han, and Leia is an otoko no ko.
Kio explains that Sister Wars is not necessarily a “genderswap” alternate universe but one where only girls are allowed to become Jedi, and to defy that, some hide their gender.
After the World Cup finals, Kio gives his thoughts. He’s impressed by Messi as always. He also finds it interesting that what ultimately overcame Argentina was not the power, technique, and speed of France, but rather the way Spain evaded and made Argentina crumble. He also jokes that defeating Argentina meant engaging in duels rather than playing a game.
Showing off the photo spot for the Genshiken exhibit at the Afternoon 40th Anniversary exhibit. According to Kio, it’s the color spread from a particular chapter.
The 2026 Ghost in the Shell adapts the manga chapters “Revolt of the Robots” and “The Making of a Cyborg” in a pretty direct manner, which is pretty surprising to Kio. He thinks they worked well adapting to anime, and he likes the conversation between Batou and the Fuchikoma.
This is my very first review of the instant curry I bought from Curry Land! Up is Pink Curry, from Tottori. I mostly bought it because of the Rose of Versailles–style art.
It sure was pink! It reminded me of the blue Sonic the Hedgehog Curry, if it was themed after Amy Rose instead. The taste was all right but much saltier than I expected. The Ingredients include chicken meat, chicken bouillon, and chicken extract: triple chicken power.
Pretty unremarkable aside from the hue, but I felt like I knew that going in. It’s a fun gimmick, but I’m not sure I’d have it again over something more interesting.
For the past four years, I had been lucky enough to attend the first three hololive English concerts in person. This year, things did not pan out so favorably. Between the relatively late announcement and my having already gone out to California in February for Drawn to Dawn, it was inevitable that Serendipity would end up being an online experience for me.
hololive English 4th Concert Serendipity took place on July 3 and 4 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. It was the second full EN Concert held in LA, after the inaugural Connect the World back in 2022. This year’s special focus was on duos, with some being established fan favorites, others relatively new, and one inevitable trio (FUWAMOCO + Raora Panthera). To say that this was shipper fuel would be an understatement, but even setting that aside, it was still an opportunity to see some fun combinations mix things up a little. I for one was excited to finally see BaeRyS on stage together.
A part of me regrets not being able to witness those moments in person, but I’m also well aware that there are a lot of benefits to watching the stream, not least of which is the immersiveness. hololive has done a lot to improve the theater experience, but the flat screen can still compromise some viewing angles, and it can be hard to concentrate on the performances with everyone around cheering. Watching online is less a consolation and more an alternative, and I appreciate that.
Performances
I am not trying to sound like a cheerleader when I say that Serendipity was just packed with fantastic and memorable performances, whether it was the solos, the duets, or the bigger group numbers. Some went all out with recent originals, others paid beautiful homage to other members of hololive, and there was just a general sense that everyone had some real experience under their belts at this point and were ready to show how much they’ve improved.
Because there are so many talents involved, I try to think of the best way to discuss the concert within a reasonable length of space. To that end, I think focusing on the signature pairs makes sense.
BaeRyS
Hakos Baelz and IRyS were each in the free sections on separate days, and individually showed why they’re among the premier performers of hololive. “Snake Eyes” can truly be described as Bae’s biggest hit ever, and I found myself desperate to try to not miss a single moment of her exciting and challenging choreography while also admiring the increasing comfort with which she sings. IRyS’s “Be My Flame” saw her continue her Eurobeat journey, and it conveyed to me both her complete embrace of the genre and the way her deceptively powerful voice suits it so well.
Individually, the two are great. Together, they were one of the top acts across both days. I know they’re historically one of the most popular ships, but for me it goes beyond simply pretending that they’re in love or whatever. They have such a wonderful dynamic, and their strengths as performers have always complemented each other beautifully. Even their MC section came across as the unvarnished bantering of two close friends, the kind who finish the other’s sentences half the time, and then get it wildly wrong the other half.
AutoFister
Since their very first interactions, Cecilia Immergreen and Gigi Murin have been one of the best combos in hololive. Their chemistry comes from how they build on each other’s improvisational energy while also shoring up the other’s weak points, and this applies even to their abilities as idols. “CCGG Madness” is their first original song together, and its lyrics describe the way their joint efforts can quickly veer off whatever bare tracks they might have laid down. Cece also has a very controlled voice and a ladylike elegance to her movements, while the energetic and nimble Gigi has a voice that always feels like it’s on the edge of breaking but somehow never falls apart.
Gigi’s choice for her solo song, an original called “Enough,” spoke to the remarkable depth in her heart and mind that she often tries to hide by playing the buffoon. It was one of the few performances that utilized a projection of background dancers, and was the most creative among them by displaying the “outward” facade that masks her doubts. Cece meanwhile covered a song from hololive’s Nakiri Ayame, incorporating both a folding fan and her signature violin for a classy and elegant experience.
Bloodraven
Of all the pairings in hololive, none have been as embraced on most fronts as that of Elizabeth Rose Bloodflame and Nerissa Ravencroft. It’s baked into their starcrossed VTuber lore as starcrossed rivals and songstresses, there’s always a steady stream of Bloodraven fanart, and the ladies themselves two love to play into it, whether it’s in audio dramas, streams, or other media. That was the case here too, as they did a shared MC with a Liz on bended knee at the start, a couple near kisses, and even a flustered exclamation of “I LOVE YOU!!” from Nerissa that felt like it came right from the depths of her soul. While their song of choice together wasn’t quite romantic, the classic “Cruel Angel’s Thesis” was fantastic coming from them. They just worked very well together while sporting similarly theatrical yet tonally different singing styles. It’s also fitting that their first cover together was also from a trippy anime of the 90s, Utena.
In terms of solos, Nerissa went with the English version of her original “Oyome Holic,” as opposed to the Japanese one she performed at 7th fes. The song was intentionally designed to have official lyrics in both languages, and I’m impressed that it manages to convey such a similar feel across both. Liz came in with a direct strike on my heartstrings by actually covering “ChikuTaku.” Amelia Watson is my favorite from Myth, and I was overjoyed to see members still celebrating her legacy. It was also cool to see a vocal powerhouse like Liz tackle a song that was made for a more limited range like Ame’s, and give it her own spin.
Rocku Wawa
Aside from a mutual love of the 6-7 meme, I see Koseki Bijou and Takanashi Kiara as being quite different from each other. Biboo first made a splash in hololive thanks to her gaming skills, but has really dedicated herself to grinding her singing and dancing. Her voice has become noticeably fuller and richer, whether she’s singing Hoshimachi Suisei’s “Ghost” or her parts in the Advent song “Rebellion.” Wawa, on the other hand, made her idol qualities known well before she ever got a 3D model to show them in full, and has grown only more comfortable and confident over time with her streaming and yapping while also pushing her singing and dancing to the next level. You could see the fruits of those efforts in her performance of “Martyr.”
I get the impression that both Biboo and Wawa have strove to become complete packages in VTubing, or at least develop skills they didn’t have before. Their performance of “Tententengokujigokugoku” is where they met in the middle, and their efforts resulted in something where both stand out while not necessarily outshining the other.
BFF
As the only designated Serendipity trio, BFF (Beeg, Fluffy, & Fuzzy) inherently brought a different experience. Their choice of song, “Inu Neko Seishun Massakari” by Wasuta, was clearly picked because of the matching dog and cat motif, but Raora Panthera, Fuwawa, and Mococo are all powerful otaku, albeit with different influences and nerd origins. The conventional poppy idol feel of the song was a nice way to sync up the bouncy energy they all possess.
FuwaMoco always perform at least twice together at every event, which gives them a bit more freedom. Here, between their tried-and-true introductory song “Born to be ‘BAU’dol” and their more recent and harder-sounding “Demon’s Residence,” they got to show off their range and versatility. Raora went with her second original, “Draw,” and gave a far different impression from her first (“Gacha Gacha Adventure”). The lyrics reference the way that making art has enriched her life, making for an emotional song that was even more touching on stage than in the official release.
Last Writes
Cool ladies and dorks are in no short supply in hololive, but two of the simultaneously coolest and dorkiest are Calli and Shiori. Both individually and collectively, they brought some of the most spirited performances of the concert, notably their unit cover of Man on a Mission’s “When My Devil Rises” from Jujutsu Kaisen. The song fit their respective images, and they maintained the intensity needed to make it work. Their closing transition, where they both ran past each other while disappearing, was a first for 3D live performances in the company.
Similar to Liz, Shiori also sang something from one of my favorite hololive talents: “Red Heart.” Haachama has had a difficult year, and while I don’t know if Shiori was sending a message specifically to the Worldwide Traveling (née Strongest) Idol, I still feel blessed to have witnessed two faves get their songs. Calli, who probably has the largest discography in all of EN, performed a medley that gave a taste of how extensive her ourney has been and how much she’s come into her own as a musician and songwriter.
I also think it’s important to mention Shiori’s MC sections, which were filled with ribald shenanigans. She seems to be collecting more and more kisses from her peers, and while she claims she’s going to stop, I feel like we might get something even more eye-popping in the future.
Octo Clock
Ninomae Ina’nis and Ouro Kronii are both members who did not specialize in singing but have put in the work to create a surprising amount of music during their time in hololive. Their choices thus reflected their respective journeys. Ina, coming hot off “Drawn to Dawn” challenged herself with a song from one of the company’s best former vocalists in Amane Kanata. Kronii performed “Way 2 U,” the main single from her EP, a pop song showing gratitude for her fans with a notable amount of unguarded sincerity.
Despite not being a “singer” duo like some others, their performance was one of the most memorable of the weekend: a cover of “Bad Apple.” The callback to a certain period of weeb culture, as well as the Touhou fandom that feels in many ways like a progenitor of VTubers. Truly they know ball.
Guests and Group Songs
The solos and units were not the only performances at Serendipity.
Four guests from outside of EN made appearances: Ookami Mio and Tsunomaki Watame from hololive Japan, as well as Vestia Zeta and Kobo Kanaeru from hololive Indonesia. All of them are well known for being excellent performers, and it was great seeing them included in group numbers for both their own songs as well as others. Zeta is the standout to me because I feel like she’s criminally underrated, and seeing her in both “Make It Break it” and “Break It Down” (naming coincidence?) really brought home how skilled she is on stage.
We also saw all four EN generations do current full-gen performances. Myth did a medley of some group songs (included a favorite of mine, “The Show Goes On!”), Promise had their own medley featuring original individual songs they sang as one, and both Advent and Serendipity sang group originals. The latter two also made a deep impression at the start of Day 2 by having an Advent performance of “Rebellion” immediately followed by Justice on “Above Below.” It was functionally just two songs done back to back, but the transition was so smooth and surprising that just watching that part alone is weirdly satisfying.
It’s also where, thanks to having so many prior performances of both songs, you can really hear the work all the girls have put into their singing: Biboo and CC especially brought new fire to their voices, while Shiori’s voice sounded more comfortable (and situation generally in the middle) compared to previous performances.
A few other interesting combos and some full-EN performances to close things rounded things out. All three ENigmatic Recollection songs were great, whether it was a new and mellower rendition of “Start Again,” an opportunity to bask in the classiness of “MOSNTER,” or a chance to see some really nice choreography thanks to “Freaky Deaky Love.” The concert’s namesake song is also impressive for the way it makes singing the word “serendipity” sound a lot less awkward than expected.
Miscellaneous Notes
Watching online and watching in person are significantly different experiences, and a big part of that is what you do (and don’t) get to see. At a live performance, the eyes are allowed to wander and observe things that aren’t necessarily the thing meant to be focused on. It’s a double-edged sword, as it then creates more missed opportunities that a dedicated camera can focus on. However, there are plenty of instances, including at Serendipity, where the camera actually missed something vital.
One change I saw to the online experience was the greater use of wide-angle POVs that can capture the entirety of a group performance without pulling the camera all the way back, though at the expense of some visual distortion. There are many examples I could find where having the camera on one person misses the cool moments of another, and this solves the issue in a fairly satisfying manner. It’s one of my favorite developments for hololive concerts.
Another thing I have to give kudos about is the graphics. Unlike all past concerts (including JP and ID), the girls popped on stage with their name logos appearing first, as opposed to a generic symbol or flash of light. This meant that you could easily identify who was coming next and figure out what you wanted to do in response to that information. Similarly, the special videos showing off the next guest performer or Serendipity duo were all really great for building hype and anticipation. I really hope they keep this idea going forward.
Final Thoughts
I said this last year too, but I really wouldn’t mind the concert being somewhere besides LA and NYC, if only to give more fans the opportunity to experience these without costing them an arm and a leg.
Despite the odd timing of the concert and my inability to attend in person (as well as my struggle to stay awake during an eventful July 4 weekend), I consider Serendipity to be a real success in terms of performance and presentation. The pairings that made up this year’s “gimmick” worked in terms of both celebration and experimentation, and whenever the blu-ray for this comes out, I predict I will be watching certain performances over and over again. Also, a part of me felt that if I actually went this year, it would make me feel compelled to attend every concert in person from this point forward. My wallet thanks me, even if my FOMO does not.
The free sections are available for everyone to watch, and the paid VODs are still available for about another week. I, for one, think it’s worthwhile.
One of my most anticipated anime adaptations of the past few years was Witch Hat Atelier. The manga is, without exaggeration, one of the greatest masterpieces of comics and fiction in general for how wonderfully it weaves together great characters, a fascinating world, and a powerful story that both excites readers and challenges us to think about difficult philosophical and political questions.
But while production on an anime was officially confirmed back in April 2022, it only came out in April 2026 after multiple delays—including one that was declared to be “to present the charm of the project at an even higher quality.” That’s literally four years for this thing to get out in the world, and I would expect people to ask, “Does it even live up to the hype after so long?”
The answer is a resounding “hell yes.” If you haven’t ever read the manga, this is a fantastic opportunity to get into one of the best works of fiction you’ll ever see. And if you have read the original manga by Shirahama Kamome, this anime does such a fantastic job of bringing it to the screen that you will likely want to see how the characters and the world move, breathe, and live. Also, while it’s more or less a direct adaptation, it does add a few things here and there that help it work better in animation.
Over the decades, there have been so many anime based on gorgeously drawn manga that have utterly failed to capture what makes their art so exquisite, and there was always a fear in me that Witch Hat Atelier would suffer the same fate. Seeing it all in motion lifted a weight off my heart, and renewed some of my faith in the industry. I know not every manga will be this fortunate, but I’m glad we have such a great example of when things go right.
I never expected a crossover between the Taiwan-Japan puppet series Thunderbolt Fantasy and arts and culture VTuber Juufuutei Raden of hololive, but it seems the world favors me specifically.
Raden recently showed on stream a video of her trip to Taiwan and a visit to Pili: the studio behind Thunderbolt Fantasy with a long history of doing elaborate, action-packed puppet shows for TV and film. It’s a perfect fit for Raden, who not only has degrees in art and art history, but whose enthusiasm for the topics has helped drive traffic to galleries, and is even currently doing collaborations with museums around the world. They even made a special Raden puppet, based on the yandere princess Cháo Fěng.
I actually interviewed Pili last year at Anime Central, where they screened the finale of Thunderbolt Fantasy. (You’ll even see some of the same faces that appear in Raden’s video!) I got a lot of insight into their thought process and methods, but this video tour along with Raden’s own commentary provides some awesome new details that help give me an even better understanding. For example, there’s a lot of footage about puppet construction, including how they paint the faces and how they construct the weapons from acrylic. I didn’t know they use 3D printers to make the models either!
The video is only in Japanese, so unfortunately, not everyone is going to be able to understand what’s being said. However, there are a lot of visual details that I think it’s still a learning experience worth watching.
As part of this collab, the Raden puppet will be on display in Yurakucho, Tokyo July 25–August 9, where they’ll be selling limited edition merch! Right now, it looks like the only way to get anything, and I won’t lie when I say I’m really tempted to try, despite tariffs and all the other headaches right now. An exhibition will also follow in Taipei from September 12–October 12.
Incidentally, one of Pili’s other works was recently released officially in English on blu-ray: Legend of the Sacred Stone. I hope this opens up a path for a physical release of Thunderbolt Fantasy too, and the long-shot prospect of getting to see the Raden puppet in person as well.
OGIUE MANIAX 