Small entry?
I imagine it'll be a small one today as I begin writing this, but who knows. I don't have an especially large amount of things to talk about, just a few things I'd like to log that have been on my mind recently.
EDIT: It wasn't, oops.
Angel's Egg
I watched the anime film Angel's Egg recently. I saw a trailer for it on youtube, as it is getting/has gotten? a 4k restoration. I am not sure about that, as I watched the original version. Either way, the film was remarkable. The visuals were staggering from start to finish. The shot composition, color usage, and just overall visual identity of the whole film were all sublime. Every single time there was a cut, I was immediately gripped by the new frame in front of me. The film is an absolute feast for the eyes, but also something of a feast for the mind. The imagery, while all gorgeous and haunting, also served to establish immense intrigue and mysitque. The world of this film is one that evokes questions and directly answers few of them, leaving the viewer to contemplate what they've seen, make their own conclusions, or even just take the sights in and accept them as obtuse. If you are a viewer who needs concrete narrative, distinct story beats, and a plentiful dialogue to enjoy a film, this film is not for you. If you are someone who can enjoy the abstract, revel in not fully and immediately understanding what is being presented to you, and engaging with surrealism, you will likely get a lot out of this film. I certainly did. Worst case scenario, you'll get a visually stunning experience, so I do recommend giving Angel's Egg a chance, even if you don't think it's for you.
Anime
In other regards to anime, I have continued watching the series that have been airing this season. One Piece, My Dress Up Darling, City the Animation, and Dandadan. Of these, the one I have been enjoying the least is certainly One Piece. This arc is grinding along ever so slowly. Second worst of these in my opinion has been Dandadan. I like a lot about the show, but I think the humor is not very good, and a lot of what I like about the series, namely the more serious, personal moments get much less screen time than the zany, crass humor. My favorite anime of all time is Mob Psycho 100, so Dandadan has quite a lot to live up to, so I can for sure recognize my bias. However, I do think it largely falls short of reaching its potential most of the time. Next up is My Dress Up Darling. This one, I think is rather solid, personally. I have heard a good deal of negativity about this series, but I have had basically nothing but a good time with it. I think the characters are endearing and the romance of the show is compelling. I don't have a ton to say about it, but have basically no complaints. Finally, City the Animation. This series is such a gift. As a massive Nichijou fan, I have been anticipating this one, and have been anything but disappointed. The show ranges from being a solid comedy anime to the heights of Nichijou's excellence with a decent success rate of really killer humor. I also LOVE that the show distinctly has its own identity and is not just Nichijou 2. The characters are largely different and so are a lot of the jokes. The sense of humor is very similar, so if you find Nichijou funny, I believe you'll enjoy this too. The art style is also gorgeous. My only complaint I could even muster is that Nichijou's iconic opening blows City's out of the water, but who could expect anything else. If you have seen Nichijou, you should watch City asap, and if you haven't, you should watch Nichijou asap. That's about it for anime I have watched recently. I have been meaning to finish Cowboy Bebop, so hopefully that'll be next now that this season is coming to a close.
Face like a Frog
I was watching Grayfruit's stream, as I am known to do, and someone asked him if he was familiar with an animator named Sally Cruikshank. He said yes, and that his favorite animation of hers was called "Face Like a Frog" and, as I was wholly unfamiliar with both her and her work, I decided to watch a few of her animations. Grayfruit was spot on. Face Like a Frog is one of the most enjoyable animated shorts I have had the pleasure of watching. Please watch it here. I have been thinking about it for days now and have watched it many times. Everything about it is so cool, I can't praise it enough. And oddly enough, in the comments when I scrolled down, I saw a name I recognized as someone I follow on Neocities, what a coincidence!
Ratatan
If you have ever played, or heard of the game Patapon, this game was developed by the same team, years later. It was crowdfunded on kickstarter and just released on Steam Early Access. Ratatan is a rhythm action strategy game where you control a group of little guys called Cobun, which you issue commands via rhythm game inputs. I have been stoked about this game for a long time so I am quite glad it is finally playable, even if it isn't fully finished yet. Check it out if you are interested in casual rhythm games. The rhythm aspect of the game is rather simple, so if you are looking for something challenging, I don't think you'll find it here.
Misc
A few more things I have experienced that I don't have enough to say about to have their own section. Some music I have veard recently includes the bands Shonen Knife, The Space Cossacks, and Halcali. I heard some of Halcali's music not too long ago and it was quite cool, and this music video just got uploaded yesterday. Quite cool for any Halcali fans. I got a similar treat with a recent Serani Poji video, check them out if you haven't heard of them.
The Scramble Heart City playtest was super cool. If you haven't heard of it, it's an upcoming fighting game by the Tough Love Arena devs. I played it with a friend of mine and had a great time with it so far. Looking forward to playing it again next month.
I have been thinking about streaming. I might do some Mosa Lina speedruns. I just hit 100 hours played, so maybe it's time to focus on a goal like sub 1:30. I'd also be interested in streaming a pikmin 2 playthrough if that's something anyone would be interested in.
I think that's all I have for you for today, which ended up being more than I expected.
-Jake Spondulio
