Over the Garden Wall and Cats of the Geriatric Variety

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I watch Over the Garden Well as an annual tradition, and it’s always a fun time returning to its haunting and whimsical world and reuniting with its eccentric characters. However, I find that I notice something new every time.

In the episode “Schooltown Follies,” Greg is hanging out with a bunch of wild animals, when he decides to teach them a game called “two old cat.” According to him, this involves trying to find two old cats—though the cats can’t be too old. For many years, I thought this was just some strange, arbitrary idea Greg came up with, but things changed with a rewatch of the penultimate episode, “Into the Unknown.”

Unlike the other parts of Over the Garden Wall, “Into the Unknown” is focused on the “real world” that Greg and his brother Wirt came from. During their shenanigans, the two end up at a house party, and they pass by two teens having a conversation about different stick ball games: 

“Yeah, man, there’s lots of bat-and-ball games besides baseball—one old cat, two old cat, stoolball, roundball…”

It turns out that “two old cat” is an actual game! But more importantly, it opens up a window into how Greg perceives and absorbs the things he hears. Somehow, despite it being a fleeting moment, the words “two old cat” buried themselves in his memories. Greg then proceeded to just come up with his own idea of what this mysterious game was about, using his childish imagination, and the world of the Unknown feeds into it by providing old cats.

I wonder what I’ll end up discovering in future watches.

Ro, Ro, Ro Your Bots: Ogiue Maniax Status Update for October 2026

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It’s that time again—the one where I go, “What the hell, there’s a new anime season out?!” But Fall 2026 feels extra special in the sense that it is chock full of giant robots. Not only is there a new Magic Rayearth, but also Good Smile’s new project Dandivine, Dark Machine, and whatever Vertex Force is. I’m not going to say any of them will necessarily be good (aside from Rayearth), but I really want to check all of them out. On top of that, we still have Oshii Mamoru’s new VOTOMS waiting in the wings, and the director of Godzilla Minus One apparently has a mecha-genre film due out in January.

I don’t know if this will be a new golden age or anything, but I’m hoping that at least one of the new original works shows promise. It’ll also be fun to see if any of them get into Super Robot Wars someday.

Thank you to my Patreon subscribers, especially these fine folks:

General:

Ko Ransom

Diogo Prado

Alex

Dsy

Sue Hopkins fans:

Serxeid

Hato Kenjirou fans:

Elizabeth

Yajima Mirei fans:

Machi-Kurada

Blog Highlights from September

Absence Makes the Heart Grow Weebier: Otakon 2026

My full convention report for Otakon 2026.

Crossing Dimensions: Skyline Serenade (and Seigetsu Stars)

A fun and beautiful event!

The VTuber with Super Robot Spirit: Tsukishiro Cecil
Calliope Mori, Beyond the “Rapping Reaper”

Some thoughts on Myth’s grim reaper on the group’s 6th anniversary.

Kio Shimoku

Spotted Flower Is Coming Back in a New Magazine!!

SPOTTED FLOWER! And I don’t know why, but the words “The babes are back!” keeps popping up in my head.

Kio Shimoku Twitter Highlights September 2026

Also some tweets.

Closing

Because so much of September was devoted to writing about the stuff I attended in August, it ended up being a very VTuber-heavy month as well. I think October will have more anime and manga reviews (as well as hopefully my second and final interview from Otakon 2026), so I expect the balance to not be so lopsided.

That all said, it’s been a wild time in that respect. Between Terra404’s and Amano Nene’s graduations, a new hololive unit, IRyS solo live, and the return of Saba, I’m having all sorts of feelings. So, really, who knows?

Kio Shimoku Twitter Highlights September 2026

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Spotted Flower is back, baby! That and more in this month’s tweets.

Kio finds that with age, the habits he’s developed when drawing can cause issues with balance and proportion, like the position of eyes and the size of the head. Since he does digital art now, he goes back and fixes stuff.

https://twitter.com/kioshimoku1/status/2096578369240641953

A poster from attending the How Do You Like Wednesday? anniversary show.

Spotted Flower is continuing! See this post for more info.

https://twitter.com/kioshimoku1/status/2100957128311841151

Kio ordered some manga at the same time: The Kinks Volume 4 and Under 3 Volumes and 4. However, only The Kinks arrived, which has him a little nervous about the other books.

Kio loves the viciousness of this character in Dekapai Kishi.

Girls und Panzer Episode 9 streamed for free on Youtube. Kio recalls that he liked the episode so much that he actually showed his recording to his editor at the time.

Kio sharing someone’s photos of Chuo University, the visual reference for the college in Genshiken.

Spotted Flower Is Coming Back in a New Magazine!!

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In February of this year, the manga magazine Rakuen: Le Paradis ended its run after seventeen years. With its seasonal schedule and experimental titles by an eclectic collection of authors, Rakuen stood out as a very unusual publication. Among these titles was Kio Shimoku’s Spotted Flower.

However, it was revealed this month that Rakuen is getting a successor! The new magazine, titled Souten: Le Ciel Azur, is retaining the authors published in Rakuen with a new thrice-annual publication schedule of physical issues, while also retaining the posting of supplemental web manga. 

And yes, this includes Spotted Flower! In a few previous Twitter posts, Kio has been talking about doing manuscripts for a mysterious something, and I have to wonder now if this was it.

Souten will be under LEED Publishing, which was founded in the 1970s as an off-shoot of Takao Production, the studio founded by late Golgo 13 author Saito Takao. The Twitter account is the same as the old Rakuen one but under a new name, though it seems old links work just fine.

Kio also commented on Twitter about the news, saying that he drew Chapter 51 expecting it to be the end of Spotted Flower, and put everything he had into it. The continuation can be considered the start of “Chapter 2,” and he’s mentioned that “the limiters are gone.” Given everything we’ve seen so far, this has me excited, nervous, and kind of scared. 

I’m looking forward to what he has in store, especially the saga of Ogino-sensei.

A Cheesy Whopper of a Joke

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In Japan, a double cheeseburger (especially from McDonald’s) is sometimes referred to as a dabuchi—short for daburu chiizubaagaa.

This abbreviation got me thinking recently: Doesn’t dabuchi sound a lot like duì bùqĭ—Mandarin Chinese for “sorry”?

I feel like someone could make a good pun out of this, like “duì bùqĭ, I only have dabuchi.”

Yes, I bothered dedicating a post to trying to form a multi-language pun.

Concerts at (and Around) Anime NYC 2026: Club Ironmouse, Big Apple Idol Fest, and Eclipsed Fates

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Anime NYC weekend for me was filled with music events big and small.

Club Ironmouse

I admire Ironmouse and the community she’s managed to foster, but I had yet to ever see one of her concerts in person. When tickets for her Anime NYC edition of Club Ironmouse went up for order, I decided to buy some tickets without any additional info available. I was confident that in addition to herself, she would feature some spectacular guests, and my prediction was rewarded. In particular, I’m a big fan of Michi Mochievee, and I’m glad I got to see the two perform together. The other main artists were Ünnamed (who is nonbinary and performed as both their male and female selves), a musician called CG5 (who used a chibi version of himself to participate in this VTuber experience), and Banzoin Hakka from Holostars. I’m surprised there were no jokes about Michi and Hakka being each other’s doppelgangers.

One problem with the event, through no fault of Ironmouse or her team, was that the Javits is just not a good space for concerts due to poor acoustics and a concrete floor that’s extremely unforgiving to feet. Another problem was one of my own making: Due to a conflict, I missed the pre-show and a bit of the main portion. I ended up having to deal with an unusually torrential Manhattan evening, and my feet were definitely not dry for any of it. Overall, I liked that things felt both casual and exciting, which is a different vibe than from a lot of the things I’ve experienced.

Club Ironmouse also did something amazing: They sent a discount code to give all live attendees the ability to watch the stream for free. This gave me a chance to catch those other parts and to revisit Michi and Mousey’s performances, as well as the others. I really wish other concerts follow suit, as it does feel like you get punished a bit for going to events like this in person. 

Big Apple Idol Fest

This was originally not on my radar, but my Sunday was fairly open. This event area held around 1,800 people and featured many more acts. They ranged from cosplayers doing dances and pantomimes, to more traditional idols who did both covers and original songs, to VTubers who will also perform live. I generally enjoyed the song-and-dance performances more than the dances, but I did appreciate that the latter included choreography from Oshi no Ko and Aikatsu! I also thought it was nice that a lot of the performers were from New York and surrounding areas.

In my previous review of the Otakon Idolspace, I had mentioned that the kaigai (overseas) idol scene seems to want to extract the positive aspects of idol culture without also bringing in the more abusive and problematic parts. Big Apple Idol Fest clearly showed an embrace of different body types instead of having restrictive standards for height and weight and other aspects. It’s like the idols want it to be just as much for themselves as it is for their fans.

Yumemi and Phoebe Chan were two performers I had seen at multiple events this year like OshiUplink, Otakon 2026, and Skyline Serenade. Both had mentioned doing this for about 10 years, and I felt in their performances a level of refinement that reflected their levels of experience. I also lucked into being the perfect spot to buy a cheki from Phoebe and meet her in person. We talked about Macross!

I also later learned that multiple VTubers (some of whom I follow) were in the audience, enjoying a culture that interacts with and overlaps with theirs so thoroughly. It’s kind of funny to just think about the fact that they were secretly present, enjoying the advantage of relative anonymity.

Eclipsed Fates

I think it’s safe to say that there are more VTubers now than anyone can reasonably ever watch, which means that sometimes you find people you like and enjoy, but then they fall to the wayside. This happened to me with the girls of Variance Project, particularly Leia Memoria. When I saw that they were having their first ever concert for their first anniversary, and that it was during Anime NYC weekend, I decided to go.

Unlike the other events mentioned above (but like Skyline Serenade and Seigetsu Stars), Eclipsed Fates was not officially associated with Anime NYC. Rather than being held at the Javits, it was at a small bar in Park Slope, Brooklyn called Atolye NYC. Most of it was standing room, but there was some seating which I took advantage of. I was behind the camera the whole time, so you will not see me in the VOD.

Two things I noticed about Variance Project have been 1) True to its name, the girls are very different from one another, like you’re going from chocolate cake to straight vodka, and 2) they seem to enjoy reveling in their lore more than other groups. Eclipsed Fates was less of a straight concert and more of a concert-musical with a narrative underpinning everything. The sound could be hard to hear at times so I didn’t catch every detail, but the story was basically that the three girls of Equilibrium—Leia, Avaritia Hawthorne, and Katya Sable—were brought to a barren world where they were made to face off by an evil deity, with the winner getting to make a wish. Each of them was also accompanied by an ally (i.e. guests for the concert): Phoebe Chan (again!) in VTuber form, Vampirate Odessa, and Pengy. Eventually, they managed to work together to reject and defeat the god through the power of song, and they realized they make a pretty good team (though some were more reluctant to admit it than others). Overall, it was a neat idea that I wish I could have heard better at the venue. 

After the credits, there was a teaser trailer for their next generation. In the days since, Embyr Sparks and Cecilia Lent have debuted, and they indeed lean into their lore pretty hard. I particularly enjoy Embyr’s easy-going and familiar-feeling attitude (and does a good cover of “Skyfall”), but I also appreciate Cecilia’s character acting (and the fact that she’s selling sticks of wood for debut merch). 

Parton, Curry, Cullen, and Legacies

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When Dolly Parton died, I thought, “She was among the greatest musicians and most wonderful people to ever live, but my emotional connection to her doesn’t go very deep. I’m not exactly fit to write about her.”

When Tim Curry died, I thought, “I’ll always remember him as Kilokahn in Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad, but his career goes so much deeper. I’m not sure.”

When Peter Cullen died, I thought, “What the hell is going on? We even have to say goodbye to Optimus Prime?”

All of them were 80+ years old and had lived long lives. All of them made lasting impact on the arts and culture and the world at large. But while I know I’m at an age where I’d be losing a lot of my favorites and childhood heroes, to have it happen back to back to back just has me thinking about time—how much has passed and how much I and my loved ones have left—as well as the power of media to make people immortal, for better or for worse.

As we move farther away from their lifetimes, there will be a loss of context via lived experiences. At the same time, if future generations (or even current ones) become curious about their performances, we can point at the movies they made, the songs they sang, and the interviews they gave. This is already how a pair of twins can marvel at “Jolene” for the first time and see their own popularity skyrocket. This is how young boys unsure of how to behave as men can look to a heroic figure who emphasizes strength and kindness. This is how those who feel the pressure of growing up in a time of severe wealth inequality can find a like-minded spirit in the past and find levity in the notion of escaping to space.

More than anything, I hope to remember that these were human beings who liked to pay it forward. Should we surpass them in terms of talent, hard work, and love toward the world, we will be in better shape.

Calliope Mori, Beyond the “Rapping Reaper”

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When Calliope Mori debuted as the first member of hololive English, she helped transform people’s perceptions of VTubing by showing that the music and personalities didn’t have to be limited to assumptions about idol culture and kawaii aesthetic. Over time, however, she has changed her approach to music, going from primarily rap to rock with occasional rap elements, and she even does some of the idol stuff. In fact, she now finds some of her earlier songs to be somewhat embarrassing, and it’s a transition that I find intriguing. 

It’s perfectly normal to cringe over one’s past artistic work, and genre changes also aren’t unfathomable. But I think in Calli’s case, the rapper + reaper combo has been a tricky thing to pull off because it requires two different and at times contradictory forms of kayfabe. That is to say, she has two create and maintain her act convincingly enough that the audience can suspend disbelief, and she has to do it twice over.

Before I dive in, I want to preface that neither music or rap (and its culture) are subjects I am an expert on. Everything I learn I basically pick up primarily from others, so if I come across as a tourist, then well, guilty as charged.

On an episode of Holomelo Radio with fellow hololive member Nerissa Ravencroft and musician Lotus Juice of Persona fame, Calli mentioned that she eased up on the rapping because she can’t bring the confidence expected of a dedicated rapper, especially in English. While her inspiration for getting into the genre was always Japanese rap (notably FAKE TYPE.) as opposed to American, the fact that her primary language is English means that any claims to be an amazing rapper puts her in contention with some real heavy hitters and a culture + fandom that isn’t afraid to let their criticisms be heard. Being a white Texan also complicates matters.

Black video essayist FD Signifier describes rap as having a form of kayfabe akin to pro wrestling. A lot of performers will talk about how dangerous they are, how much money they have, why they’re the greatest on the mic, etc., but in every case, it’s a persona with some truth blended into the fiction at best. The crucial part of this performative presentation is that the rapper has to make you believe that they believe they’re the best in the world. Calli appears to have trouble buying into her own hype, perhaps because rap is such a heavily scrutinized and competitive art form. Even an actual commercial and critical success like the subject of FD’s video above, J Cole, has gotten a lot of flack from some commenters. His apology and withdrawal from beefing with Kendrick Lamar was often seen not as a welcome example of humility but instead a marker of weakness and cowardice.

While most would have only one level of kayfabe, Calli has a second: her identity and lore as a VTuber, specifically her persona as an immortal grim reaper. While VTubers don’t necessarily have to go all in on the assumed persona, it becomes a point of connection for viewers and potential fans, and it makes a difference in presentation compared to other streamers and creators. However, trying to keep up a complete alter ego based on a single aspect becomes an increasingly difficult task over time, let alone two aspects.

It’d be like if Eminem had to be “Slim Shady” in most songs and public appearances, and also Slim Shady was a vampire for some reason. Or imagine if the Undertaker in pro wrestling was not just some kind of undead wizard (and occasional biker) but also a rap star. One of the reasons rapping worked for a young John Cena was because “Doctor of Thuganomics” was his primary gimmick at that point in his career was that he was supposed to be a normal-ish guy (albeit with freakish strength) otherwise. VTubing is also similar to wrestling in the way minor past accomplishments can become the entire basis of a performer’s identity, because of how they allow a performer to stand out in their respective spaces, and this can be both an asset and a limitation in both worlds.

What I think undergirds her stylistic switch is that Calli wants to be vulnerable in her music. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that one of her most beloved early songs is “End of a Life,” which is about guilt over becoming a massive success as a VTuber and leapfrogging over friends and mentors to whom she felt deep gratitude. In fact, Calli originally applied to hololive on a whim after her friends barely convinced her to try it out, and she beat them out despite taking it less seriously. While some of the most acclaimed rap songs express profound pain, rap is often about having that air of strength and swagger, and it feels like she increasingly gets away from that bravado with every album (such as in “Memento.”)

The current Mori is currently making what I find to be the best music of her career, like the opening she did for Patlabor EZY, “Reimei Compass.” She’s still honing her rap skills too, like on her cover of Gurren-Lagann’s “Libera Me from Hell” alongside Elizabeth Rose Bloodflame. Seeing the way she has morphed her identity as a performer is encouraging. It’s as if she’s saying that the image you’re given, or even the one created by your own hands, should not be a prison that keeps you from further discovering your potential or your passion. 

Happy 6th Anniversary to hololive Myth

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Crossing Dimensions: Skyline Serenade (and Seigetsu Stars)

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Skyline Serenade was an independent VTuber concert held on August 21, 2026 at the Beacon Theater during Anime NYC weekend but independent of the big convention. With its fairly even mix of both VTuber and IRL performers, it was emphatically a 2.5D (or perhaps 3.5D) show.

On the virtual side was the tapir nurse Nimi Nightmare, as well as the ghost maid Mint Fantôme of Densetsu.exe. There on stage in the flesh were Phoebe Chan—also of Densetsu.exe in both her VTuber and IRL forms—and the Austrian cosplayer/music artist Keekihime, who actually was part of an idol group Japan in the past. Rounding out the roster was a powerful guest list that included the recently returning vampire Kou Mariya, the cockroach starlet Matara Kan, and the elusive Shachi (who might not have counted as a VTuber but is willing to be on stage as a pink orca). Another very pleasant surprise was that Mint and Phoebe performed one song with the last Densetsu member, Victoria Roman, whom I absolutely adore.

I had previously seen Nimi, Mint, and Phoebe live at other concert events (Virtual Vacation 2025, Fantôme Thief’s Revenge, Otakon 2026), but Keeki would be a new experience for me. She actually made a US appearance last year during Otakon weekend, but that was actually the one year I couldn’t go to DC. Given that none of them have the explicit backing of a big industry player (and the Densetsu girls were set back by the unceremonious downfall of VShojo), I decided that this would be the biggest priority of my Anime NYC weekend, even if it meant having to miss out on a hololive karaoke event literally being held at the same time at the con proper.

There were a few issues at the venue off the bat. The line for bonus merch for the VIP and SVIP ticket holders was slow-moving to the point of pushing back the start time. The SVIP package also lacked the promised hand-signed postcards from Keeki, but that was because of a series of unfortunate incidents that had her travel visa come in late and freak storms preventing her from flying out until the day of. Fortunately, not only was the delay fairly minimal (about 30 minutes), but the organizers made it clear that Keeki’s autographs would be sent out via mail.

Once the concert itself kicked off, I had a wonderful time. Something I keenly felt was how much they wanted to emphasize that bridging between the virtual and real, doing every combination of girls possible and then some. 

  • Phoebe sang with a gigantic 2D Kou Mariya, as if to push the idea that nothing is set in stone. 
  • Keeki donned a Nimi cosplay to perform “Renai Circulation” with Nimi herself, creating a fun visual.
  • When Densetsu.exe performed together, the 2DLive model used by Vicky, the mocapped 3D model of Mint, and the physical presence of Phoebe made for a delightful contrast that accompanied their unique respective singing styles.

There were also a lot of nods to their shared history in various fandoms and with each other.

  • Nimi performed the emo pop-punk anthem “Still Into You” with Shachi (who sounded amazing), during which Nimi held the relatively small orca in her hands and moved her around as if Shachi was moving through the water. 
  • Mint and Matara, friends and veterans of the same disastrous situations, debuted a new song together titled “Set Me Free.” It was fun seeing Matara dance with her insectoid claw feet.
  • Keeki (wearing a look inspired by the Austrian National Football Team) and Phoebe (in a gorgeously detailed idol outfit) pointed to their long-time love of Japanese idols by covering a song from the group W, “Koi no Vacance.” 
  • Phoebe’s “Start Again” had her sing about continuous reinvention, accompanied by footage of her various VTuber designs (including Ami Amami from the defunct Prism Project), while her performance of “Seikan Hikou” called back to Ranka Lee, the Macross Frontier character who sparked her love of singing in the first place. (I was surprised she wasn’t part of the “Lion” performance.)

Overall, attending Skyline Serenade really made me aware of the strengths and limitations of VTuber vs. IRL performance. The anime-esque designs of the former can give performers impossibly perfect features and proportions, but the current technological limitations mean you can’t fully capture the rich subtlety of movement of actual people. Either way, everyone was beautiful in their own right both visually and aurally, and I don’t have any regrets except one: I didn’t know photos were okay! It would have helped make this review and report better, but alas.

PS: After the concert, I briefly attended a VTuber after party called Seigetsu Stars, foolishly forgetting that I don’t really have it in me to stay up all night anymore, especially in a club environment and especially when I planned to be up early the next day. I watched Hyuni and Amano Nene, and then had to tap out. I wish I could have stayed longer, but my body thanked me for not sticking around.