BaeDay 2024: The Unceasing Force of Hakos Baelz

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February 29 is the birthday of Hakos Baelz, the red-headed rat Virtual Youtuber. Because it falls on a leap year, 2024 is technically her first “official” birthday, and so Bae has turned this past month into an all-out celebration dubbed “Febaerary.” In the spirit of the occasion, I’ve decided to wax poetic about why she’s one of my favorite VTubers and just great in general.

Who is Hakos Baelz?

Hakos Baelz is an English VTuber who debuted in 2021 with the largest VTuber agency, hololive. According to her official backstory, she is the literal embodiment of primordial chaos in the form of a rat girl. On stream, among the things she’s known for are her Australian accent, her outstanding dancing ability, and her strong foreign language skills. Currently, she is a member of the English generation “hololive Promise,” along with four other VTubers.

The Talent of Hard Work

I think the best way to start talking about what makes Bae special is to describe a recent event in her life: She is the first member of hololive English to move to Japan after joining the company. While there are other members who live or have lived in Japan, they were there prior to starting in hololive. But Bae actually made the decision to move away from her caring family and venture out on her own after establishing herself. It’s a hell of a thing for anyone to do, and one that speaks to how serious she is about her VTuber career.

Bae has a ridiculously strong work ethic (to a somewhat concerning degree), and the sheer number of things she can do well often leaves me in awe. She’s an amazing dancer, easily top 3 or higher in all of hololive, with a level of dynamic, yet subtle body control that is literally the best in the company. When I watch her perform, it’s like she moves muscles most others don’t even know exist. 

In response to the prospect of Bae joining Hoshimatic Project—a hololive feature that follows a number of talents as they train for some big group routines—its founder (Hoshimachi Suisei) teased that Bae is “too good” and might be overqualified. Given that a few of the members who participated in Hoshimatic Project are generally considered some of hololive’s strongest dancers, this is high praise.

Bae’s singing, while not the very best in hololive, is still magnetic, and one of her original songs, “Psycho” is among my favorites. And when she brings song and dance together on stage, Bae is just captivating. Her 3D debut onstage at hololive 4th fes was a turning point for her popularity and visibility, as everyone (myself included) got to see her conquer the stage, and things have only increasingly looked up since. Between Bae’s 3D Showcase and numerous other virtual performances, she’s always one of the top highlights of hololive’s concerts.

Bae is also multilingual, being remarkably fluent in Japanese (she’s JLPT N1 and able to converse and banter with Japanese talents), good at Korean through study, and conversational in Cantonese thanks to her family’s background. If that’s not enough, she can even play guitar—and all this at a relatively young age! Multi-talented doesn’t adequately describe Hakos Baelz, and that’s partly because many of those “talents” are clearly born from hard work. 

While Bae doesn’t know any martial arts, I can’t help but think about the actual original meaning of kung fu, which is basically “continuous and sustained effort.” It fits her well.

Developing Her Approach

When it comes to finding the right on-screen persona, it can often take time for a VTuber to figure out what works best for them. In the case of Bae, she started off trying to lean into her lore as the embodiment of chaos by acting as frenetic as possible, but eventually mellowed out into a different and more sustainable approach. The early “character” has receded, and the result is a kind of subdued chaos with peaks and valleys. You never know when her relaxed Aussie accent will transition into a tense ramble or a thrilled squeal, and it makes those moments of excitement that much more special. She also used to hide her Cantonese background, but has more recently been more open about it, and that’s something I appreciate.

Bae is at her most dazzling performing in concerts, but she shines almost as brightly when collaborating with others. This is especially the case when it comes to her fellow Promise members, and doubly so with IRyS, with whom she jokingly goes through a constant cycle of marriage and divorce—a symbol of their close friendship and competitive rivalry. I once described their interactions as combining coffee and soda together, not only because those are Bae and IRyS’s favorite beverages respectively, but because watching and listening to them is akin to just piling on caffeine highs and crashes. 

This is why adding Calliope Mori to the mix to tone them down works so well for their three-person streams, the CHaDcast. Beyond those two, Bae’s banter with Kureiji Ollie (her “mom” due to their similar appearances), Yukoku Roberu (of holostars), and Miori Celesta (her non-hololive VTuber friend) are also memorable and hilarious.

For all her efforts to increase the spotlight on herself, she’ll put in just as much effort to draw attention to her fellow hololive members. After winning 1 million yen through a special hololive raffle, she put all that money towards commissioning the very first all–hololive EN cover song; that includes not only the music itself but also the accompanying artwork. 

Being a Fan

When I watch Bae, I feel a funny combination of admiration, envy, and desire to support. Her accomplishments and her goals make me want to better myself and also see what heights she will reach next. Bae makes her supporters feel like we’re all on a major voyage with her, and as she plants her roots in Japan, I hope we can see her grow and find happiness in her journey. 

Happy “thirteenth” birthday. Looking forward to your 3D Live.

The La+ Darknesss Solo Live, the hololive EN “Mind Craft” Cover, and Other Recent Music Events

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A lot of cool music-related things have happened in hololive land over the past few months, so I just wanted to give some brief, unorganized thoughts about them.

La+ Darknesss Solo Live: Waku Waku Nightmare

La+ had her first solo concert a few days ago, and the paid VOD (3300 yen)  is still available until March 1, JST. The event was sponsored by Nissin, the original instant noodle company, and La+ recently became a spokesperson for their U.F.O. brand of yakisoba. Note that the site is Japanese-only, and that when registering, you can put all 0s as your phone number. (Also, there’s a Koyori solo live on April 7, JST.)

As a La+ fan, I’d been hoping for something like this for a while now. While I could talk endlessly about this event (check out her final song, “Kurai”), I just want to highlight a couple things that stood out to me.

La+ actually started off with “Kamippoi Na,” which was her very first cover song back when she debuted, and she decided to sing with a deeper voice in contrast to the the whispiness of her recorded version. The choreography was also completely different from the time she covered it with Murasaki Shion. What’s really fascinating, though, is comparing her dance to that of Hakos Baelz. Both are among the very best dancers in hololive, and you can see how their respective styles come through on the same song: La+ is smooth, while Bae is dynamic.

Towards the end, La+ performed “Aien Jihen,” her first original song, and something she hadn’t pulled out since her original 3D debut. Back then, she had decided to perform the dance against a pre-recorded vocal track because of the challenging choreography. This time, however, La+ did both the song and dance, showing the progress she’s made, but also how she’s worked through a collarbone fracture from her COVID cough, a hiatus for her mental health, and throat issues, among other setbacks.

One thing I noticed during this performance of “Aien Jihen” is that the choreography has changed in some ways since she last showed it. These might be adjustments designed to make it easier to perform while singing, but I also suspect that she actually modifies her dances depending on whether or not she’s wearing her massive coat. Note in the above images (during the line “Nothing bad happened”) how La+ is leaning forward in her 3D debut but is leaning back during her solo live. I feel like the silhouette in the first image wouldn’t be quite as strong without the coat.

Ray (covered by Generation 0)

Recently, I was trying to decide which generation is the strongest musically…and then the Japan Generation 0 cover of “Ray” came out. Suisei, Sora, and AZKi are in the top echelon of Holo singers. Roboco’s sound has this haunting quality, and Miko pulls off “cute idol” while maintaining her signature voice. The closest second is probably Indonesia Gen 1.

Mind Craft (covered by hololive English)

Hakos Baelz organized a cover of “Mind Craft” with the entirety of hololive EN, and everything about it is amazing. The balance between giving the fans familiar combinations of individuals and unexpected ones really makes it a journey of a song. My highlights are IRyS + Nerissa, and how Bae herself is presented as a modest “leader” of the whole thing, both in how she has only a few solo parts but at pivotal moments, and her literal outfit looking like a ringmaster’s. Speaking of which, the character art is some of my favorite ever for hololive, and I hope there’s a way to own it someday.

Bae also did a stream where she talked in detail about getting the song and music video produced, and I think it’s worth a listen.

2023 to 2024 Countdown 

The New Year’s countdown was fun just like last year, and I’m glad to have seen new girls get in on the Shuffle Medley fun. Naturally, La+ as Kiara performing “Do U” stole the show for me.

But I wanted to look more at the fact that the hololive and holostars streams had different performances of the same songs, with distinct choreographies. Specifically, it was “Idol” from [Oshi no Ko] and “Dai Zero Kan” from The First Slam Dunk. 

The guy versions are more “masculine” in approach (like the basketball-themed dance moves in “Dai Zero Kan”), and it makes me think of something I read in the dance manga Wandance: It tends to be the case that guys don’t learn “girly” moves. Issues of heteronormativity aside, it’s still fun to see different interpretations of the same songs.

hololive KDA

I wrote about the Riot Games One 2023 KDA cover performances previously, but I’m bringing it up again because I’ve been thinking about something in particular: The hololive version shows some of the limits of the 3D technology, and where it has room to improve. 

Putting aside the skill difference between the hololive girls and full-on professional dancers, there are definitely moments where the 3D can’t quite capture certain subtleties, or where certain moves don’t quite read correctly. For example, during “POP/STARS,” one of the performers is supposed to be a bicep flex, but this just doesn’t get conveyed when La+ does it.

That’s it for now! Who knows if I’ll do one of these again?

Genshiken LINE Stickers Now on Sale

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Kio Shimoku just released a set of Genshiken LINE stickers! Best of all, they’re available outside of Japan (unlike so many others).

He recently went through a process of deciding which lines from the manga to include, and had even asked fans for suggestions. All of them are from the original series, rather than Nidaime.

Interestingly, rather than just using his old art, Kio actually drew them anew:

Note that there are certain words that have been censored, I assume to conform to LINE’s policies.

Do you have any favorite stickers? Naturally, mine are all the Ogiue ones. 

Shinkalion and Japan’s Railway Museum

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On my winter 2023 trip to Japan, I happened to do a good deal involving trains and train accessories. This is Part 1 of my experience, focused on the Railway Museum in Omiya, Saitama.

The Railway Museum

Owned and operated by Japan Railway, the museum features exhibits about the country’s trains, as well as actual decommissioned train cars. Getting to see and even sometimes walk through trains from throughout the history of Japanese rail is a blast that scratches two itches: a fondness for exploring cultural development and a love for large machines. Whether it was going inside the very first bullet train, seeing a train meant exclusively for the emperor, or learning about manually powered carts that utilized laid tracks, I got a lot out of simply being there. 

There was also a restaurant that served authentic train cafeteria foods from the olden days, but unfortunately, I already had lunch plans that prevented me from eating there. I did snag some microwaveable train curry to try at a later date, though (more on that in the future).

One highlight was seeing the kids who loved being there. Whereas some museums typically have adults dragging bored children there, this was not the case at all. These young train fans were captivated by everything they saw, and some even dressed up as conductors. It made me realize that the train otaku of Japan start young—a recurring theme that I saw throughout my trip.

Shinkalion Shorts

Speaking of kids stuff, I was delighted to find out that the Railway Museum has showings of two shorts from Shinkansen Henkei Robo Shinkalion: The Animation, the mecha anime about transforming bullet trains. Specifically, they’re Shinkalion: The Animation—360° The Movie and Shinkalion: The Animation—360° The Movie: The New Driver. Both cost a little extra—around 700 yen each—with each around five to eight minutes. The seating capacity was quite small (around 20 seats), but I did see some kids and parents watching as well. They also had showings throughout the day, so anyone curious could dip in at their own convenience.

Both shorts take place in the world of the anime, with the second taking place later in the story than the other and including the audience as the titular “new driver.” The main gimmick for these shorts is they’re shot in 3D and (as implied) in 360 degrees. When laser beams go flying, you can look over your shoulders to see it disappear in the distance. They’re fun little things that I’m glad to have experienced.

Coincidentally, the makers of the series actually announced a new anime on Christmas called Shinkalion: Change the World. The characters look a bit more mature than in previous series, and I wonder if they’re aiming for a slightly older audience.

That’s all for now. Look forward to Part 2!

Ganbalance de Desk Job: “Power of Hope: Precure Full Bloom”

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With only a few exceptions, Precure has always been resistant to portraying its heroines when they’re older. If they’re middle schoolers, that’s all you’ll ever see them as; if they’re high schoolers, same deal. That’s why one of the 20th anniversary projects, which portrays some of them as adults, came as such a surprise. 

Power of Hope: Precure Full Bloom is a series that brings back the cast of 2007’s Yes! Pretty Cure 5 and 2006’s Futari wa Pretty Cure Splash Star in their 20s, clearly aimed at the original audience of young girls who have themselves grown up. Known as Kibou no Chikara: Adult Precure ’23 in Japan, the story centers on the eight former Precures as working adults. When mysterious shadow monsters start appearing all across town, they discover that they can age backwards to their old middle school selves and transform once again into combat-ready magical girls.

Thematically, one of the biggest things about Power of Hope is the way it portrays a messier and more complicated world than the actual main series of the franchise. In contrast to the generally rose-colored optimism of their youth, the girls are all running into challenges that can’t be solved by sunny dispositions alone. Even those who have basically achieved their childhood dreams see that joy crashing into reality. What’s worse, they are well aware of how little other adults care about their fellow human beings. Rather than concerning itself with girls who are trying to find themselves and what they want to do in life, the anime is more about confronting the cynicism of the “real world,” both locally in Japanese society and on a global scale. Among the topics brought up are overly conservative and sexist workplace bosses, climate change, fear that you peaked too early and that your life is all downhill now, unethical mining in Africa, rampant capitalism, and so on. 

It’s funny to me that this series would come out in the same season as Bullbuster, an anime also about working adults connected to a domain usually seen as kiddy (magical girls, mecha). Like Bullbuster, Power of Hope refuses to say that things will work out in the end—it just hopes we can reach that better outcome. 

The creators of the show clearly put a lot of thought and effort into aging up the girls. Where many series might just make them taller, change their hair a bit, and call it a day, Power of Hope really gives each of them a mature quality that is uniquely their own. In fact, I consider these adult designs to be some of the best I’ve ever seen. The only shame is that they decided not to give them grown-up versions of their magical girl forms. I suspect it was as much a time saver as anything else—it allows the anime to reuse stock footage from the original series they came from. Splash Star kind of gets shafted here just because it’s a digital-paint anime from before the transition to HD broadcasts in Japan, so it really shows its age. 

A number of characters make cameo appearances, and fans of those earliest Precure series are likely to get a kick out of their presence. Of particular interest are the hosts of the online video channel “Dark Night Light,” in which two familiar voices make for surprisingly hilarious comedians. My only real gripe about the guest characters is the fact that Masuko Mika—the old intrepid school journalist—is nowhere to be found.

While the mainline Precure titles touch on some serious topics, they also are not in the business of crushing children’s aspirations. The presence of adversity usually carries a message to not give up because things will look brighter on the other side. But now that those same kids are older, it wants to speak to them as adults. In Power of Hope, it’s more like “some people just suck, but you still gotta work for a better future for yourself and the world.”

Laughing It Off: Celebrating Dokibird and Selen Tatsuki

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A blonde, twin-tailed VTuber named Dokibird is smiling

I originally wanted to take my time writing about why I like Selen Tatsuki, but circumstances have dictated a change of plans.

(Content Warning: Brief discussion of attempted suicide)

In what is possibly the most notorious Virtual Youtuber firing ever, the purple dragon with the infectious cackle and 800,000+ subscribers is no more, her channel now devoid of all the videos that made her famous. In Selen’s place has risen a new—or rather old—alter-ego from the woman behind the digital mask: Dokibird.

Suffice it to say, I’m a fan of Doki/Selen. And with this being the Lunar New Year season (a time she has mentioned being culturally important to her), I thought it more important than ever to explain what makes her one of my favorite VTubers.

Discovering the Dragon

I actually don’t quite remember how I discovered Selen. I might have watched her debut stream, but I can’t even check because the VOD is gone. Whatever the case, I think what made me really take notice (after her iconic laugh) is when she revealed herself to be Cantonese. She is one of the two biggest known Canto VTubers along with hololive’s Hakos Baelz, but while the latter took time getting comfortable sharing about her heritage, Selen embraced talking about it pretty immediately. That’s why I included a clip of her for my Otakon 2022 panel, Hong Kong in Anime and Manga. Her Cantonese (and sometimes Mandarin) streams were downright hilarious, and I think relatable for anyone who grew up in an immigrant household. 

From there, I quickly grew to appreciate Selen’s antics. For one, she is incredibly entertaining while teasing others, but also just as much so when she’s on the receiving end. During sessions of Apex Legends, Selen would use a combination of skill, cunning, and entertaining obnoxiousness to take heads and win games. At the same time, this combination would also sometimes land her in hot water, and the consequences were equally hilarious. The quick switch from her characteristic laugh to a loud “OH SHIT!” is delightful. She’d bring this attitude to everything she plays (even Pineapple on Pizza and Peppa Pig), but I focus on Apex not only because she’s famously strong at the game, but because I usually never watch first-person shooters. Selen actually made them fun for me.

On the topic of Apex Legends, it would be remiss of me to not mention the story of Team Snake Bite.

A Friend in Need

Team Snake Bite, the trio of Selen and holostars EN members Axel Syrios and Regis Altare, almost didn’t happen. Axel had been invited to a big VTuber-only Apex tournament, and he really wanted to bring Selen on board. The only problem: the tournament organizer, Shibuya Hal, thought Selen was too good. Unlike many other competitions, V-Saikyo is about bringing together veterans and newbies alike, and Selen potentially could make any team unstoppable: She had once reached Predator, a rank that positioned her as one of the 500 best players in the world. But Axel managed to convince Hal to let her in, with the caveat that she would be worth more points than anyone else. Regis would round out the team, arguably being underrated due to the fact that his experience with FPS balanced out his lack thereof in Apex specifically.

Part of the fun of team competitions such as this is getting to see the players practice while shooting the breeze, and in one fateful stream, Selen asked a pivotal question to her squad: If a poisonous snake bit your friend on the dick, would you be a homie and suck the venom out? This offhand bit of trolling would quickly evolve into a running gag, an official team name, and a slogan: Do not wallow, TSB is here to swallow. 

Watching Team Snake Bite is probably the most fun I’ve ever had following an FPS, and it’s all thanks to their collective antics. For example,　during scrims, they just couldn’t seem to win any games—until their coach, pro player Nocturnal, offered to buy them all pizza. Suddenly, a switch flipped, and they took not just one, but two victories. The banter, the teamwork, the chaos, and of course, Selen’s chuckles made things memorable.

Unfortunately for them, TSB underperformed in the actual event. They were possible favorites to win, but ended up in the bottom half of the results. Afterwards, Selen would describe herself as someone who gets really anxious in competition, and the skills she’s known for don’t come out as easily in a less casual setting. But this only made her more endearing: To know that Selen has an issue with nerves makes her a person of delightful contrasts. And even during the tournament, Nocturnal praised Selen for her situational awareness.

A few days after Selen’s termination and reemergence as Dokibird, Axel made a tweet:

A tweet from Axel Syrios saying TSB Forever, showing a snake emoji and a hug emoji

Take My Money

As fond as I’ve grown of the VTubing scene as a whole, I’m pretty judicious with where I spend my money. I might think the world of someone, but I always want to be cognizant of where my cash is going. That’s why it took me a while to support Selen monetarily, but it did happen eventually. 

First, I bought a voice pack or two; I wanted to show my support in small ways. Then came a very special costume reveal: a Moriarty/Arsene Lupin–inspired design to rival “Sherlock Poms,” a detective motif for fellow (now-former) Nijisanji member Pomu Rainpuff.

VTuber Selen Tatsuki dressed like Professor Moriarty
VTuber Pomu Rainpuff dressed like Sherlock Holmes

Not only did “Moritsuki” look amazing, but she even commissioned a video game based on that detective theme to go along with the costume!

Selen had already been known for being ambitious with projects. She was one of three to help bring about the VRChat mascots designed by Priichu, which are some of the best chibis I’ve ever seen: adorable, full of personality, and successful at capturing the spirit of their designs while consistent with one another. She helped expand the VRChat worlds, holding 3D concerts in lieu of actual official 3D models. Then there was WrestleSanji, basically a VTuber version of my old love, VGCW. Seeing how she went above and beyond with both the Moritsuki outfit and game, I knew I had to join her membership. 

I just didn’t expect it to last a mere six months.

One thing I regret is never getting any official physical Selen merch, especially of the Moritsuki look or her 2nd outfit (see above). Now that she’s returned to her original indie persona of Dokibird, I don’t plan on making this mistake again.

Final Thoughts

I often talk about the similarities between VTubing and pro wrestling, and in Dokibird’s situation I find another commonality: these worlds are the only two where you can have a dominant public identity, switch to a new one, and then revert back to your old self. In the case of wrestling, it literally happened just a few weeks ago. Unusual as it may be, though, I’m glad we have these opportunities to see the same person again, whatever form they take. No matter what her outer shell looks like, Doki’s charisma shines through.

Although she has plenty of strengths as a streamer, I think Dokibird’s appeal ultimately comes down to the fact that she’s just fun to be around. I have no delusions about seeing her as anything beyond an entertainer with a career that involves interacting heavily with fans, but she often comes across as just a really enthusiastic friend whose caring, yet sardonic attitude adds to her charm. Whether she’s playing her favorite games or ones that make her suffer, whether she’s just talking idly or giving insight into her own life behind the scenes, Doki is great. 

(She’s also a Transformers fan, which doesn’t hurt.)

A tweet from @dokibird stating: I will not be silenced anymore. On Dec, I was hospitalized for an attempt that was caused by a built up of bullying from within&being in a toxic&poor environment for numerous months that led to my breaking point. I requested to leave first but on more neutral terms on 26th Jan.

That’s why it still horrifies me that we almost lost her forever in the worst way possible. It would have been an absolute tragedy, and I’m grateful that she was able to come back from the brink. With her triumphant return to streaming (where she got over 120,000 concurrent viewers and over a million VOD views), I’m glad that her fans have a new opportunity to show their support. 

A pair of tweets from @dokibird saying the following: I want to say thank you everyone for all the support the last few days. After being in the darkest point of my life and silenced for so long, I honestly lost hope for my future when everything I've done was just gone. I hope I can repay all of you in the future 10 times more There's so many opportunities that opened up & so many friends I've made over the years that spoke out. Big companies still believing in me and offering to sponsor me. I've always loved supporting artists for years even before all of this so thank you for giving your voice

I don’t know if she’ll ever read this post, but that’s not the point. I hope that these words I’ve written can contribute to the collective love for her, and that they can help foster a positive environment where she can thrive.

Welcome back, Dokibird. Happy New Year.

Black Jack in the 22nd Century: Gene of AI

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My initial impression of the anime Gene of AI was that it reminded me of Urasawa Naoki, manga author of Pluto, 20th Century Boys, and more. Urasawa has a distinct way of drawing characters, and Gene of AI author Yamada Kyuri seems to follow many of his stylistic quirks. But it’s not just the aesthetics that are reminiscent— the robust examinations of humanity and culture are also of a similar vein.

All this might sound like I’m accusing Yamada of being a pale imitation, but I’m not. Gene of AI stands on its own two legs as an interesting piece of science fiction that speculates about a world where artificially intelligent beings called humanoids live alongside humans. Humanoids have their own unique medical challenges, as well as moral and ethical quandaries. In the thick of it all is the main character, a fully human doctor of humanoids named Sudo Hikaru who also secretly performs extralegal treatments for those who can’t go through normal channels.

More than merely asking what it means to be human, Gene of AI examines the complexities that come from a world where equal human rights for sentient AI has long been the norm. The series presents a variety of intriguing problems, like how the artificial limits of humanoid capability and the unknown/volatile nature of human capability can create mutual envy, of how the distinction between humanoid and robot is blurry and imposed from the top down. In this way, Gene of AI bears some resemblance to Urasawa’s Pluto. However, while Pluto is a reimagining of a Tetsuwan Atom story by Tezuka Osamu, Yamada’s series is more like a futuristic Black Jack, all while maintaining its identity as a work of speculative fiction.

There’s more manga than what the anime covers, so I’m hoping we get the next part of the Gene of AI series. In an industry where science fiction is often just window dressing, this is one that challenges viewers to consider more about their world and the future that lies ahead.

Spectacle and Success: Spy x Family Code: White

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My winter trip to Japan last year gave me the opportunity to see Spy x Family Code: White, the very first Spy x Family movie. As a fan who has kept up with both the manga and the anime, I was curious to see how they would approach a theatrical release. I sat down with my buttered-potato-topped hot dog and my sour-cream-and-onion popcorn, ready to find out.

Spy x Family is the story of Twilight, an unrivaled master of espionage whose latest mission is to create a false family so that he can get close to a former prime minister, all with the goal of preventing another war from breaking out. To this end, he marries an office worker named Yor and adopts a girl named Anya. Unbeknownst to him, Yor is really one of the deadliest assassins alive. And while neither husband nor wife know the truth about the other, Anya certainly does because she’s actually a psychic. Despite all the secrets, though, the three manage to form a family that on the surface is the envy of all, yet also increasingly seems to be motivated by genuine love and affection.

The recent trend with some Jump series (such as Demon Slayer and Jujutsu Kaisen) has been to adapt an arc or major plot point into a feature-length work, and I wondered if Spy x Family would do the same. However, it turns out that the makers went with a different tack. Rather than going for something canonical, they created an original story. It’s the common choice for mega franchises, e.g. One Piece, Precure, Doraemon, Detective Conan.

In fact, Code: White is pretty much a Detective Conan movie with way less mystery solving and way more action. The story is all right, but spectacle is the name of the game: gorgeously animated chase scenes and fights, a story that takes the trio to ridiculous(ly cool) places, wild stunts, and plenty of explosions. The actual plot developments stretch the limits of what would plausibly keep Twilight and Yor from suspecting each other and wouldn’t be feasible if the movie wasn’t standalone. But given what it is, the makers are allowed to go ham, and they have enough for ten Christmas dinners. It’s a short but sweet popcorn flick.

I think the fact that Spy x Family Code: White is a non-canon entry says a lot about how the franchise is regarded in Japan. Basically, it’s a pop culture hit, almost on par with the heavy hitters. That much was clear even when discounting all the merch available in chains and other big stores to promote the movie. At one point, I stopped in a stationery store that barely sold five manga, and one of those titles just happened to be Spy x Family. 

It doesn’t look like the hype will be dying down anytime soon.

Bang Blog Bang Bloggern: Ogiue Maniax Status Update for February 2024

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It’s February, which means the day everyone with romance in their hearts looks forward to.

That’s right: It’s new Precure anime time. And with Precure Full Bloom and Soarin’ Sky Precure finished, I’m hoping to have reviews of both series done this month.

Of course, the must-watch show for me this season is Bang Brave Bang Bravern. The culture clash between a very super robot and a gritty realistic world is hilarious, and I want to see where it all goes.

This month is also a momentous time for two of my favorite VTubers. La+ Darknesss, fresh off a new outfit reveal, will be having her first solo concert. It’s sponsored by Nissin UFO yakisoba, of all things. Meanwhile, Hakos Baelz will be celebrating her February 29 birthday with streams every day (and hopefully won’t collapse from overwork). After the string of unfortunate VTuber events recently, I am looking forward to some fun times.

Thank you to my Patreon subscribers!

General:

Ko Ransom

Diogo Prado

Alex

Dsy

Sue Hopkins fans:

Serxeid

Hato Kenjirou fans:

Elizabeth

Yajima Mirei fans:

Machi-Kurada

Blog highlights from January:

Comiket, at Long Last: Comic Market 103

After two decades of wanting to go to the largest doujin event of all, I finally made it.

In Search of Hanayo: My “Love Live!” GiGo Collabo Cafe Experience

Another highlight of my Japan trip!

Nico Nico Douga, Natsuiro Matsuri, and Nostalgia for Asynchronous Chat

Thoughts on the benefits of the Nico Nico comment system.

Kio Shimoku

Kio exploring making LINE stickers.

Closing

I definitely have more posts about my Japan trip on the way! They might even go past February.

Kio Shimoku Twitter Highlights January 2024

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Tweets for a new year, including the announcement of a planned set of Genshiken LINE stickers!

https://twitter.com/kioshimoku1/status/1741474307232989382

An Ohno from Genshiken drawing for 2024, the Year of the Dragon.

https://twitter.com/kioshimoku1/status/1741398801632641332

A Genshiken drawing used for the cover of a 2014 issue of Monthly Afternoon.

Kio considers making Genshiken LINE stickers, and then decides to do some investigating.

Kio discovers late that there was a Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei talk event and exhibition featuring the anime’s voice actors as well as the author Kumeta Kouji. Tsuchiyan, a person involved with Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei’s manuscripts replies to Kio and thanks him. Apparently they’ve met before, back when stuff was original airing.

https://twitter.com/kioshimoku1/status/1743866999820943422

Kio started wearing a haramaki, a stomach band for keeping warm. People in the replies love Sue.

Kio enjoys a Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei afternoon movie, and plans to watch the evening one as well. (I think this has to do with the SZS exhibit mentioned above?)

A person who is staff for anime radio shows realizes Kio follows her, and gets excited. They’re a big fan of Genshiken. Kio replies that he followed her on Twitter to make sure he doesn’t miss another event like the SZS stuff. 

https://twitter.com/kioshimoku1/status/1745109044707365027

Kio’s ideas for most of the Genshiken LINE stickers, with him asking for suggestions. I asked him if he was planning on having them available internationally, but he said he didn’t even know that was possible.

https://twitter.com/kioshimoku1/status/1746187068114628687

The final line-up for the LINE stickers. Many famous Genshiken quotes are in there.

Kio drew the belly band art for Volume 2 of the manga Oshibana. He’s a fan and retweets the author Shima Tokio’s work quite often. Shima thanks Kio, and Kio mentions really liking the main heroine and wanting to draw her.

Kio was smiling all the way while looking at Daydream Hour, the Delicious in Dungeon artbook.

https://twitter.com/kioshimoku1/status/1747269056967983162

A short comic about building the model kit for Our Treasure’s Magna Palace from The Five Star Stories. Kio also has the comic up on Pixiv.

Wishing Shima Tokio a happy birthday.

Kio saw the live-action Golden Kamuy movie. The bear was properly scary.

Kio read the final chapter of Kuma Miko, and feels a sense of release.

https://twitter.com/kioshimoku1/status/1750056599597772936

LINE sticker roughs. Kio never thought he’d be drawing Haraguchi in the Reiwa era.

Someone pleads with Kio to get all of Genshiken animated, but Kio mentions that as much as he’d like that, it’s not up to him but anime producers.

https://twitter.com/kioshimoku1/status/1752197492517794154

Kio got the new Panpanya manga collection, titled Yuriika. He wasn’t able to read the comics in it when they were first being published, but he still take his time and get through them now.