2023 Q3 Media Roundup

As discussed in my last one of these, I only watched the first Spiderverse film recently but absolutely loved it and was really happy to catch Across the Spider-Verse before it left cinemas. It was even more ambitious and creative than the first yet still airtight. I'm really enjoying Miles' journey as a character and he has easily become one of my favourite protagonists in fiction. I also particularly enjoyed the soundtrack in this one. Absolutely can't wait for the last entry! Recommended!


I wasn't planning to see Barbie – I didn't have strong feelings either way, I loved Greta Gerwig's Little Women and was curious about the premise but like others wasn't sure how much depth Barbie could have as a feminist film while ultimately being an advert. I did end up going to the cinema with my friend one Friday though and we couldn't find anything else to watch. I did have fun watching it but ultimately felt predictably conflicted. The film felt to me like style over substance, it made me laugh plenty but the story and characters lacked body. With any more meaningful statement also being (in my opinion) fundamentally impossible, it’s a film I have very lukewarm feelings towards. I can’t say I’ve thought about it again since watching it. Neither recommend nor don’t.


Harisugawa in Mirror World is a cancelled Shounen Jump romcom series I read for the episode of Shounen Flop that I featured as a guest on (thanks to the guys for the invite!), about a boy who becomes trapped in a cursed mirror having to work with his crush to free himself. Romcoms can go either way for me, if I’m not invested in the characters I can quickly become disinterested. Despite a premise with at least some potential for interesting developments, Harisugawa was unfortunately this sort of series and all around quite mediocre. But listen to the show if you want to hear more of my thoughts! Not recommended ):


I finally finished the Genshiken Second Season manga after a few years with the series slowly making my way through the anime and then the source material. Despite the anime’s slightly rocky start, Genshiken quickly became very close to my heart. It follows a university otaku culture club across multiple generations, and the relationships between its members.

Genshiken shines for so many reasons – it’s funny, it’s earnest and accurate in its depiction of its subject matter, and the characters are honest and relatable. I really enjoy series like these that celebrate fan culture, but what really makes Genshiken shine is how it uses the club and its focus as a very active setting within which the characters get to explore their identities and form these varied relationships because of their shared interests.

Some readers/watchers disliked Second Generation’s shift to an almost all-female cast and the Genshiken’s near-transformation into a club for BL fans, though more than anything because this later becomes the stage for a harem situation with some of the cast. I majorly respected Genshiken’s willingness to shapeshift in this way (and its ability to explore different facets of anime/manga etc. fandom as a result), but more than anything loved the arc the “hidden main character” Madarame followed over the two generations of the series. At risk of mild spoilers, Second Generation goes so far as to probe the possibility of a gay romance between Madarame and another male character in the club in one of the most disarmingly honest, expert and affecting explorations of this subject matter that I’ve seen in media. It’s hard to think of many series I can say that about, but it was particularly unexpected coming from this one, and it’s something I’ll always remember it for. Recommended!


I next finally got around to playing the visual novel Necrobarista after a few years of looking forward to it. It’s a shorter VN set in a coffee shop/bar whose patrons include spirits of the recently deceased who have a few days in the earthly realm before they need to pass on. I’d heard really good things about Necrobarista so had quite high expectations but was left with mixed feelings. There were moments of beautiful, poetic writing but I never became very invested in the loose plot or cast and found the inclusion of dense chunks of necessary exposition and additional storytelling via examining objects in the coffee shop between chapters really clunky and dull. The highlight of the VN was probably for me the two hour-ish-long largely-standalone short stories (included in the Final Pour expansion) which I found more engaging and affecting. Neither recommend nor don’t.


Another game I was really anticipating playing was Before Your Eyes, a short (best played in one sitting) game where you, as the POV character, reflect on your life from the River Styx. The game centres a novel mechanic - as you sort through your memories, scenes change as you blink (if you choose to let the game access your webcam, otherwise you use your mouse). I had considerable trouble configuring this mechanic on my laptop and never did manage to get it to work perfectly which unfortunately didn’t help immersion. Otherwise, I learnt about this game via Jacob Geller’s video, possibly my favourite video essay of all time, so I again had high expectations whilst simultaneously being sort of primed on what to expect. I did enjoy the game and found it thought-provoking and ambitious for its length but it hasn’t stayed with me as much as I’d hoped since playing. Neither recommend nor don’t.


Continuing the trend of getting through my backlog, I watched the film Before Sunrise (also mentioned in the Jacob Geller video). It follows a man and woman who meet on a train in Europe and decide to get off in Vienna and spend the rest of the day and night together before continuing their respective journeys. I enjoyed the film’s premise and simplicity in its approach, right down to the cinematography. I’m planning to watch the next two films and think their approaches to the subject matter will determine just how much I like the trilogy as a whole. Neither recommend nor don’t.


Next I went to see a stage adaptation of Makoto Shinkai’s The Garden of Words at a small theatre here in London. The story follows a boy and a woman who continually happen upon one another at the park they both frequent and form a relationship. The adaptation drew more from the novel than the film, but I wasn’t personally familiar with either. I found it to be a really elegantly done, beautiful and thought-provoking production incorporating a number of methods of storytelling (interpretive dance, puppetry etc.) and even a really lovely soundtrack. Overall a really enjoyable experience and one I would definitely recommend if it were still on! The cast also included Mark Takeshi Ota (Ryunosuke Naruhodo’s English dub voice in The Great Ace Attorney) who retweeted my tweet about the play afterwards, so that was a fun bonus.


I then played another short game, Florence. Florence is a mobile game you can get through in one sitting exploring the development of a relationship entirely through its gameplay. I have very little to say about it besides that it succeeds at what it tries to do, it didn’t affect me as much as I know it has others but I’d lean towards recommending it if it sounds like the sort of thing you’d be interested in.


My most recently finished anime series was ODDTAXI, a mystery/drama following a taxi driver, his passengers and the ways their lives intersect over an eventful few months. ODDTAXI took me a while to get through, and definitely shines most in its final few episodes when the answers to the mystery are revealed. It’s a very well-written and produced show, unique in its presentation and very satisfying in its conclusion and final reveals, a rarity for single-cour anime. While it’s not a personal favourite, it’s definitely worth a watch, particularly if you’re a fan of series like Durarara!!. Recommended.


I’ve been really enjoying going to the cinema alone recently and have found a few new favourites as a result. One is Rye Lane, a British romcom released earlier this year. Romcoms aren’t my go-to but this film gave me a whole new appreciation for the genre. It follows two 20-somethings who meet via a mutual friend and go on various escapades around South London over the course of a day, finding out along the way that they’ve both recently been through breakups. I laughed throughout and even cried at the end. A really joyous film that I really, really enjoyed my time with. Recommended!


As mentioned in previous posts, I’ve been making my way through Mieko Kawakami’s bibliography, most recently finishing Breasts and Eggs, a novel about a Japanese woman conscious that she is single and aging, trying to decide whether she wants to have a child alone. I feel like describing it just as that really sells the book short, as it delves comprehensively and expertly into so many elements of female identity across its whole cast characters. I was enthralled by this novel and continue to adore Kawakami’s literary style. Recommended.


I’m quite a slow reader these days, but I next breezed through Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie, a novel about a trio of British-Pakistani siblings and each’s relationship to their deceased father’s legacy as a jihadi. I had mixed feelings on Home Fire – the writing and characters at times felt weak, but I still found myself tearing through the book, and not just for all its twists and turns. Despite the areas where it lacked, it was ultimately engrossing, emotive and thought-provoking, most of all for its willingness to address Britain’s attitude to and particularly revoking of rights of citizens groomed by extremist groups. Recommended.


My last cinema trip of the summer was to see Past Lives, another 2023 film about a Korean woman whose family moves to Canada when she’s a child, and her experience reconnecting with her best friend from home as an adult. I feel like the less that’s said about this film the better, but it’s made me extremely excited for the future work of its director. It’s a beautifully, very thoughtfully-presented story and I loved every second of it. Recommended, just bring tissues.


Finally, I watched the new Sound! Euphonium OVA. There’s not much to say as it feels like a piece to bridge the last film and the upcoming third season more than anything, but needless to say it was an absolute joy to see the characters again and I’m overjoyed that we’re getting another whole season of Eupho, which I will undoubtedly have plenty to say about next year. Recommended!


Videos:

Literally everything on maigomika's channel

The White Gaze of Hairspray by Yhara zayd

asking strangers how many friends they have by Katherout

Feeling Cynical About Barbie by Broey Deschanel

The best show that no one talks about anymore by Drew Gooden

Also been binging Megan Wang's videos!