This month, I feel incredibly fortunate to have a good life, and I wish to have a country that could provide good fortune to others, now more than ever. I don’t know how long it would take, but I hope we can someday live in a place where all the xenophobia, sexism, racism, and continuous trampling of the poor are no longer systemically baked into everything. I want people to love and thrive and not be so punished for things beyond their control.

Thank you to my Patreon members below for their generosity!

General:

Ko Ransom

Diogo Prado

Alex

Dsy

Sue Hopkins fans:

Serxeid

Hato Kenjirou fans:

Elizabeth

Yajima Mirei fans:

Machi-Kurada

Blog Highlights from June

Competitive Pokémon used to be one of my biggest loves in life, so revisiting it through Pokémon Champions has been a time.

My review of the second Gundam Hathaway movie. My review title is a little tongue-in-cheek, but I promise that it’s not a big joke.

Happy Birthday to Dooby.

Kio Shimoku

Kio hits some interesting topics this month…

Closing

There are a lot of VTuber concerts this month, including from hololive, so I get the feeling I’m going to be writing a lot about them. I don’t intend to make July nothing but those, but no guarantees!

Also, I watched the first episode of F.D Signifier’s Goon World, which is about the sheer unavoidable volume of pornographic material that people encounter these days, and the myriad complexities that come out of living in that world. It’s a topic I’ve been thinking a lot about myself in recent years (especially with how the internet encourages parasocial interactions), and I’m glad someone like F.D is tackling such a difficult topic.

This past month was lighter on anime and manga–specific content for that reason, which I hope to rectify.

My mind feels like it’s in a whirl. There are a lot of things I want to write about anime-wise, but I find myself unable to get everything out there in a timely fashion. On a personal level, I think I’m struggling with writing well and putting out insightful commentary. I’m shooting from the hip pretty often, for better or for worse.

June is actually a month I look forward to, though, as it’s an important time for me. I have many plans, and I look forward to some memorable experiences.

Thank you to my Patreon members below for their generosity!

General:

Ko Ransom

Diogo Prado

Alex

Dsy

Sue Hopkins fans:

Serxeid

Hato Kenjirou fans:

Elizabeth

Yajima Mirei fans:

Machi-Kurada

Blog Highlights from May

It was a great time, and I hope they come back for a second year

The hololive Gen concert I’d been waiting for.

The first of multiple planned reviews of curry restaurants in Japan, based on a trip from earlier this year.

Kio Shimoku

Kio gives his thoughts on Patlabor EZY, Ghost in the Shell, and more.

Closing

It’s also been a hell of a time as a VTuber fan, between a Haachama anniversary message that’s trying to bring hope after some serious turmoil, two graduations from V4Mirai, and more. Since Saturday, I find myself listening to the final cover from Komo Dokueki (the Mahoromatic opening) and Serina Maiko’s cover of “Secret Base.”

I continue to vacillate between feelings of hope and despair for humanity, and I really hope the former wins out. I’ve come to realize that many human beings have to touch the stove to learn their lesson, and I get the sense that a lot of people have put their hands on the flames at this point. I just wish it didn’t cost so many lives in the process. Innocent people are caught in the imperialist games of the world, and they should not be the ones to bear the cost.

Shout-out to my Patreon members, and a big, big thanks to the following:

General:

Ko Ransom

Diogo Prado

Alex

Dsy

Sue Hopkins fans:

Serxeid

Hato Kenjirou fans:

Elizabeth

Yajima Mirei fans:

Machi-Kurada

Blog Highlights from February

A new deluxe robot figure is coming out, but not everyone is a fan.

Introducing one of my favorite VTubers. By the way, her birthday merch is available for preorder until March 5!

A concluding review for one of my favorite sports series in recent memory.

Kio Shimoku

Lots of tweets leading up to the live drawing event that took place on February 21.

Closing

I actually happened to be in Japan for part of February! I plan on having lots of blog posts based on my experiences and (delightfully tariff-free) purchases.

While I don’t have a set schedule for what I will post and when, I hope you’ll enjoy the fruits of my travels.

I feel like all my hobbies have been very enjoyable lately. Great shows are airing, cool streams are happening, and creativity in all its forms needs to be cherished and fostered. At the same time, I feel like the world is falling apart, or at the very least revealed to be a house of cards encouraged to collapse at the whims and mania of the powerful. I think I have to remember that the arts alone do not change the world, but they can empower and inspire people to imagine a better world that we can all strive towards.

I feel incredibly proud of all the regular people who refuse to be bullied by people with the frailest egos imaginable.

On to the blog-specific things!

Thank you to my Patreon members, and a particularly big thanks to the folks below:

General:

Ko Ransom

Diogo Prado

Alex

Dsy

Sue Hopkins fans:

Serxeid

Hato Kenjirou fans:

Elizabeth

Yajima Mirei fans:

Machi-Kurada

Blog Highlights from January

Thoughts on the presentation of Jujutsu Kaisen and its fandom.

My review of a fantastic anime from last year!

I’ve been getting into coffee lately, so this feels like part of a larger journey.

Kio Shimoku

There’s a tweet about a live drawing event in Tokyo! (I’ll probably post about this again.)

Closing

I was thinking about Bruce Springsteen lately, and wouldn’t you know? He put out a new song.