Psycho666Soldier

I didn't really get the chance to talk about the way Takauji has been portrayed in the last 20 or so chapters of Elusive Samurai. The one where he killed Tadayoshi was legit unsettling. Where the pages were talking about how he bowed to the will of his brother and the other members of the court before he starting eating the manga panel and changing history. Same thing with #223 where he's trying to convince us he's the good guy and keeps telling us to turn the page. Just incredible art direction and really plays on the way they had already been breaking the fourth wall since the early chapters. With #224, I think this is probably the actual end. And what a brutal kill if so. Either way, I feel like this has been one of the most satisfying final stretches of all the manga we've been reading lately. Funny how I went from having mixed feelings to becoming one of my Top 3.

Kurumizawa's Folly #7 This was a good chapter. I get the sense this will be a shorter form series, and I was curious how long they'd push off Hata finding out the truth. I low-key think he's gonna have some, "I don't care because I've never gotten this opportunity" response, but I hope it comes after he confronts Kurumizawa about it first Sakamoto Days is impressive in how it always finds a way to escalate the stakes. Something tells me they're still gonna have to bring Sakamoto to the JCC and deal with things there.

I've been curious about it just because the art looks cool and really good sports manga/anime tend to be incredible. I'll put it in my "must-read" pile Such a satisfying arc for Akane-banashi. They did a good job of instilling doubt and making you feel like Akane truly had to reach a new level of Rakugo to be able to overcome her rivals, what with her failing the first time she tried to win without making people laugh and wrecking herself in the process. Really enjoyed #180 with Karashi and Hikaru reflecting on where they're at in comparison to Akane, and actually getting to see all the rivals hanging out and enjoying it! I also absolutely love the way Karashi has developed, and felt his performance was my favorite of this competition. I'm caught up on the rest, will comment later

Been getting back on my X-Men chronological run. I had the Epic Collection volume for the Brood Saga for the better part of a year before I finally read it. Absolutely loved it. Maybe my favorite X-Men story so far, both in the existential themes and just some of the most stellar art. I think it was #162 where it's all Wolverine surviving the wilderness of The Brood's base planet and I was enthralled the whole time. This inspired me to watch X-Men '97 finally, which then inspired me to read the rest of my collection of comics (I've had 168-199 in individual issues just waiting for me to catch up) and am now up to 193. Kinda funny how that just so happened to be the run of comics that covers a lot of the stuff X-Men '97 does(Lifedeath, the introduction of Valerie Cooper and what I assume will eventually lead to Bastion, Madelyne Pryor). One of my favorite parts of Claremont's run has been Storm's introspective moments, and everything post-Brood up to Lifedeath is a goldmine for that stuff. Have really enjoyed Rogue's introduction. The way she's been thrust in situations to prove herself willing to put her life on the line for the team, her realizing she actually wants to save people, seeing the X-Men individually start to accept her. Finally seeing the follow-up to #173(Logan's wedding) after having that issue randomly for years. Also, the art evolution from Cockrum to Paul Smith to Romita Jr./Dan Green is incredible. No shade to John Byrne as I think his art style works for the horror-leaning stuff, but his faces always look off to me. Cockrum feels like he designed the true spirit of X-Men's art style, and then Smith and especially Romita Jr. soar with it.

Yeah, I haven't been really watching a LOT this year. Been keeping up with DanDaDan, Witch Watch, saw the Demon Slayer movie(fucking amazing), and...I think that's been about it? Oh, I think the newest Dr. Stone season was this year, wasn't it? Either that or late last year. Was a great season for sure. Still wanna finish Dragon Ball DAIMA at some point. I've heard mostly good things.

Funny, because my partner has been listening to a bunch of old school DEVO after seeing them open for My Chemical Romance recently.

I've been wanting to yap about manga for months now but you and I are like the only two that still post and follow most of the SJ stuff so I held a lot in. Yeah, Kaiju No. 8's ending was like not as disappointing as a cancelled series ending but felt like there could have maybe been more. Though to be fair the way that final Kaiju escalated I kinda wondered where they go from there. I was pretty happy with Show-Ha Shoten's ending and really happy we got to see a glimpse of what was going on after the competition. Also really enjoyed that Shijima got the girl morally but still had the growth moment of her having a boyfriend. Subverted the cliche some. I'm glad you've gotten into Witch Watch! I really liked the first 20 or so chapters and I assumed it would have been cancelled long ago, but it's still going strong! I've converted to watching the anime at this point, but it's such a treat. Elusive, Sakamoto, and Akane-banashi continue reigning as my Top 3 and have all had me hooked the last few months. I think Akane-banashi might be my #1, but these are the three I usually jump to read first. I'm anime-only on DanDaDan beyond the first couple issues so I'm still in the throes of quality. Guess I'll have to see if it peters out for me over time. I also keep having Chainsaw Man really behind and even though it's not a LOT of issues to catch up on with it's release schedule, I always completely forget what the fuck is going on before I go in, and then often am confused even when I do. Still can't help but love seeing whatever wacky shit goes on with it I've honestly been slacking on a lot of the newer series, but a good few of them (like Someone Hertz) look super appealing to me. I was curious about Otr of the Flame because it was the same artist as Hunter's Guild which we really liked, but the first chapter didn't really grab me the same

I'm just glad it was something like that and nothing like tragic Happy to see you back

Happy Birthday!!

Zau was a great game. Just long enough to feel satisfying and ended before it became a drag. The movement and the platforming(and the boss fights) were definitely the highlights for me gameplay wise. I found the combat zones to be tedious, though

Happy Birthday dude wherever you are. Hopefully just busy and still alive

Happy Birthday! Got any nerdy plans?

1. Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons 2. Disco Elysium 3. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth 4. :ps1: Final Fantasy VIII 5. Tales of Kenzera: Zau 6. Animal Well 7. Tunic 8. Dragon Ball Sparking Zero 9. Dark Cloud 10. Pseudoregalia 11. Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door 12. Teslagrad 2 Just rounding out the rest of the list I finished. I did my usual write-ups for Dark Cloud and Pseudoregalia on a different forum a while ago and just forgot to catch it up here. Dark Cloud 7.5/10 Pseudoregalia 8.5/10 Last two from the year. Pushed this off too long, so I'm not gonna go full review mode. TTYD is incredible and the remake does it wonderful justice. First time I beat it all the way through, absolutely love the story, the characters, the setting, the mechanics. This is peak Paper Mario. Peak Mario RPG tbh. Hoping it sold well and convinces Nintendo to make a proper faithful Paper Mario sequel with full RPG mechanics and FUCKING PARTNERS. 9/10 Teslagrad 2 felt like it maybe could have been a bit longer, and I wasn't as immersed in the setting the way I was with the first one. The main campaign is definitely way too short. But if you take the time to go through and do all the extra challenges and find the extra upgrades, there are some awesome uses of platforming in this game. Honestly, the platforming feels really smooth and clean and is just fun to move around once you get a few key upgrades. Hope the dev team keeps working on stuff and maybe makes something just a bit bigger next time. 8/10

And Undead Unluck finished a couple Sundays ago. Very satisfying ending. Doesn't try to do too much or be too confusing, so arguably safe, but honestly, it just feels so right after everything that happens. Loved this manga so much. It's dripping with charm and just pulls you into the emotions of the characters. And they did such a great job with the last couple chapters. I can't wait to see the rest of it animated.

Happy Birthday, Tassi!