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sarsapar-ill-a-gorilla · 4 years

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5 24+25 20

Watching:

Matt McMuscles’ Wha Happun series

Galaxy Gas Sizzle Reel

King of the Hill - s6e7

Listening:

E705 Time Out - This American Life

Mad Max: Fury Road - Blank Check (ft. Emily Yoshida)

E260 The Joy of Cooking - The Omnibus

Playing:

Rocket League

If you don’t know me personally, just given the media I’ve discussed so far, you might surmise I’m not much of a sports fan. In fact to call me a sports fan ironically would even be pushing it. That’s why I found this specific moment of this week’s This American Life podcast to be particularly poignant. I doubt your average sports fan is this introspective about their hobby but maybe right now they’re getting the chance to ponder this or explore other pastimes. Sports are essentially another form of bread and circuses. A way to placate the masses drawing their attention away from things that actually matter. And while I understand that most escapist fare could be explained away similarly, sports just don’t speak to my sensibilities.

That said the first “sports” game that has really spoken to me since NFL Blitz (if you exclude the weekend my friend introduced me to Mario Strikers on the GameCube) is Rocket League. I snagged this for free back in 2015? And after going on a hiatus for several years I’ve picked it up again. The concept for the original game mode is fairly simple, what if soccer with cars. Matches are quick — clocking in at 5 minutes and there are a variety of options to display your originality by customizing your car. A rip roaring good time with friends that you can even play split screen coop online.

I haven’t had as much time to just chill and enjoy shows these past couple days as I spent time with friends and family but here’s what I’ve gotten into. Several weeks ago traditional animation had an interview with some of the creatives behind Galaxy Gas and this project looks interesting. Most major studios have moved away from hand drawn animation so this feature is a bit of a rarity. So much so that it won’t ever see the light of day... bummer.

The YouTuber Matt McMuscles has a top notch and well researched series called Wha Happun where he breaks down games and some films that were financial flops and the aftermath caused by them. This has got me pondering the possibility of a Blank Check style show where a game director’s gameography is analyzed in detail, blockbusters that lead to passion projects getting green lit and everything in between. The viability of a show like this would unfortunately be hampered by the shroud of secrecy that hangs over game budgets and sales.

The other podcasts I delved into the past couple days have opened my eyes to some things I hadn’t considered. The idea of a cook book with proper measurements or heck even a book with recipes is a fairly recent idea. As someone who has recently been trying to improve his cooking prowess these are incredibly important innovations towards consistency in the kitchen.

This weeks episode of Blank Check really got me jonesing for a rewatch of Fury Road. Might be worth snagging the iTunes version as it apparently has content that didn’t make it onto the the physical release. I hope George Miller gets the chance to make another even if it does lessen the impact of Fury Road’s ending.

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sarsapar-ill-a-gorilla · 4 years

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5 21 - 23 20

Watching:

5/21 Domestic Girlfriend s1e5 - s1e9

5/22 Domestic Girlfriend s1e10 - s1e12, Fire (Pozar), Pitch Black Panacea

5/23 King of the Hill s6e2 - s6e6

Listening:

Speedy Beet - RadioLab

E14 Trinyvale: Periphera Peril - NADDPOD / Short Rest

E313 Dolittle - The Flophouse ft. David Simms

Reading:

Naddpod Fan Comic

Quarter Killer Comic (comixology)

Playing:

Asura’s Wrath

Domestic Girlfriend finally hit that incestuous vibe that that I knew was coming along some awkward moments involving a suppository and workplace repercussions. It never reached the heights of the dumpster bonfire I was expecting but maybe my brain is broken after being exposed to things like A Serbian Film. This is yet another anime that the brotagonist (much like Re:Zero) pursues the wrong girl. Natsuo is obviously more similar to Rui than Hina but clearly logic isn’t his strong suit or otherwise he wouldn’t be trying to hook up with his sister. I got frustrated with some character decisions but the writing of the show is satisfactory. Going off the my anime list rating system I’d give this one a 7/10.

Fire (pozar) is a short by David Lynch. Like most of his work I have no clue what this was supposed to be about and frankly I found myself checking how much time was left multiple times on a 10 minute short film. If you’re looking for a more accessible way to get into David Lynch’s work I would strongly recommend looking into Twin Peaks or Wild at Heart. I’d say steer clear of this one unless you’re a completionist for Lynch’s filmography.

A short film that did work for me is Pitch Black Panacea. This was another short of the week recommended joint and it does some interesting things like shifting between live action and an animated world then when the characters are subjected to darkness. It’s a quick watch on vimeo and linked above if you’re intrigued.

I’ve been slowly working my way through King of the Hill over the last few months. I mainly put it on in the background while playing a game on my ipad but as a Texan this show has a special place in a heart.

Listening:

Per usual I was working on Saturday so I had the chance to burn through some of my podcasts. I listen to the flophouse every Saturday when it drops and I was enthused to hear that David Simms of the Blank Check podcast was going to be featured. I think the episode in which Griffin was featured a couple weeks ago came together better but I’m also drawn more to strong personalities like him and Elliott Kalan. Good to know Dolittle might have been as awful as I expected but I still don’t see it as worth my time to pursue.

It was nice of Caldwell to drop a Trinyvale recap before this episode since episodes of Trinyvale are usually few and far between those of the main campaign. This ‘sode was chock-full of references to short rest and apparently mixed bag. I upped my patreon tier recently so I’ll have to look back at those to get all the jokes.

This Radio Lab episode was really interesting. It’s about the tempo at which Beethoven’s pieces are performed. Late in his career he was given a metronome and apparently his markings indicate that his pieces ought to be performed faster. I usually listen to podcasts at 1.5X speed but this one should be listened to at normal speed in order to take in the music properly.

Reading:

Finally got around to checking out this fan comic. The comic is a visual rendering of the first episode of Not Another D & D podcast. It clearly takes inspiration from how Caldwell drew the characters and is quite competently made. My only complaint is occasional small spelling errors that occur. I’d love to see this continued but seeing as it was a labor a love that took a year to result in the 1st episode, we might be waiting awhile.

Snagged Quarter Killer since it is free via Amazon Prime reading. I really dig cyberpunk aesthetics so I decided to give it a shot. It’s got some interesting ideas, especially the virtual reality chapter. I typically gravitate towards more anime style visuals (as should be fairly obvious by now) so this is just okay in my book.

Playing:

Still working my way through Asura’s Wrath. Got the chance to play as another member of the seven, Yasha, who controlled very similarly to Asura. I’m still amazed by how well this PS3 game holds up visually. It probably helps that the game is extremely linear so they could more easily control how taxing the game would be on the hardware. I’ve only experienced a few minor issues like a cut scene slowing briefly and some shaky camera movements but nothing game breaking that would keep me from recommending it.

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sarsapar-ill-a-gorilla · 4 years

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5 19+20 20

Watching:

5/19 Detroit Metal City S1E11 & E12

5/20 Bob’s Burgers S10E22

Domestic Girlfriend S1E1 - E4

Listening:

E259: Love - Omnibus

Polly Platt, The Invisible Woman - You Must Remember This (new season teaser)

Articles of Interest #7-9 - 99% Invisible

Playing:

Asura’s Wrath PS3

Cooking:

Pesto Chicken Pasta

I could have finished Detroit Metal City on the 18th but it was already 12:30am and I’m trying to maintain some semblance of a normal sleep schedule. Pretty solid end to this short anime series. Since I spent part of the 19th sweating my ass off in my parent’s garage, I didn’t have as much downtime.That said I’ve clocked a couple of hours on Asura’s Wrath at this point and it feels like God of War but instead of Greek mythology it pulls from Hindu & Buddhist mythologies and combines them with science fiction technology. The presentation of this game strongly resembles an anime as its story is conveyed episodically featuring opening and closing credits (similar to MGS5) and relies heavily on quicktime events for a more cinematic experience. Another component of anime that makes an appearance in this game are commercial bumpers or eye catchers, the mid episode intermission still images that are usually displayed before and after commercial breaks when a show is airs on television (see below). Big ups to the team for directly crediting the artists on their illustrations (as seen above.)

On the 20th I took my car to have it’s 60k mile maintenance and oil change performed. I also snagged some groceries hence why I finally tried the recipe linked above. It’s pretty solid, I think if I’d had some spinach to wilt or perhaps some crumbled pine nuts to add it would have been even better. On the media front I watched several episodes of Domestic Girlfriend at the recommendation of Gigguk. Given the seeming popularity of incestuous relationships in pron this show probably at least secretly appeals to a lot of deviants. Not my kink and not quite the dumpster fire I was expecting but I’m gonna keep watching this one anyway.

As for podcasts Articles of Interest is about clothing and while I’m no fashionista I still found these tales to be quite interesting. The omnibus focused on the work Robert Indiana is most famous for the pop art sculpture LOVE. Most mistakenly believe this to be fair game to copy given its ubiquity but it was originally done by Indiana in 1965. You Must Remember This is one of my favorite podcasts. I’ve had the pleasure of attending two screenings that the host, Karina Longworth, spoke at during the tour for her most recent book. So I might be a tad bit biased when saying, I’m psyched for this next series.

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sarsapar-ill-a-gorilla · 4 years

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5 17+18 20

Watching:

Immigrants (2008)

Detroit Metal City s1e1 - s1e10

Listening:

Happy Feet 2 - Blank Check

I don’t know the history of Immigrants. It just another of the four dvds that I mentioned before which I snagged on a whim. It interested me because it was made by Klasky Csupo the joint that put together Rugrats and Wild Thornberries. The wikipedia for Sunwoo Entertainment, the South Korean animators who do a lot of the work on many animated shows, says Immigrants was 5 episodes. The presentation felt very much like several episodes of a television show instead of a feature presentation like I’d expected. The 77 minute runtime should have cued me in though. It’s got some fun moments. Imagine what a more mature version of Rugrats would look like... and I’m not talking all grown up!.. Since this is an adult cartoon there’s jiggle physics and plenty of ladies to show them off (see above). It’s a comedic vision of the immigrant experience and coming to the US chasing the american dream. There might have been aspirations of this being a show, guess we’ll never know. Or I won’t at least cause I don’t care to research it any further.

The first episode of Detroit Metal City didn’t hook me but with 10 minute episodes I was willing to check out another and boy am I glad I did. My best comparison would be like an anime prequel to Metalocalypse. The short episodes are split into a couple parts and they don’t feel constrained to necessarily make them equal length. Its comic roots are exemplified by the frame size changes during episodes, with the added bonus of likely saving money on animation costs. I found myself laughing aloud several times and that’s saying something as I was watching it solo. I might just be a slow reader but heads up you might have to pause to catch all the jokes in the subtitles occasionally. Definite worth a watch, I heartily recommend it!

Wild to think that Happy Feet 2 was that film that George Miller made before Mad Max: Fury Road. Next weeks episode is gonna honk.

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sarsapar-ill-a-gorilla · 4 years

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Tomie Katana is best girl.

#lastman #tomie katana

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sarsapar-ill-a-gorilla · 4 years

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5 15+16 20

Watching:

5/15-16 Lastman S1E6 - E26

5/15 Scoob (2020)

Listening:

Les Limbes

FH Mini 7 - missed that movie - GetEven - The Flophouse

E126 Snowrunner - Story Break

Octomom - Radiolab

Watched Scoob with some friends on Friday night. While it clocks in at just the right runtime for me, 93 minutes, it definitely needed more time. The film’s sense of humor was its strongest asset, especially at the bowling alley where the attendant takes a jab at classic Scooby Doo writing. Unfortunately it falls short of even the classic formula. There aren’t many gags and not much of a mystery for the team as they know who the villain is very early on. I did appreciate the inclusion of many other Hanna-Barbera characters but they should have focused more on the story than trying to figure out how to incorporate Captain Caveman. It has its moments but it’s not great. I’d give it a pass right now unless you’ve got kids begging to see it, as it isn’t worth the cost of admission. Stream or rent on the cheap, if you’re so inclined.

Lastman is one of my favorite shows now. I devoured it in just a few days. Always on the edge of your seat action, a crazy mix of magic, monsters, mobsters and more. It manages to combine so many disparate ideas successfully it’s insane. You’re doing yourself a disservice if you don’t check it out. I just wish I’d known about it sooner so I could have contributed to the kickstarter or bought the collector’s edition of the complete series when it was available. I’ll be posting some of my favorite screenshots from the show later.

Radiolab episode was about a deep-sea octopus that set the record for brooding time by protecting her eggs for nearly 4 and a half years. Nature is crazy.

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sarsapar-ill-a-gorilla · 4 years

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5 13+14 20

Watching:

5/13 - Yesterday (2002)

5/14 - Lastman S1E2 - E5

Listening:

5/14 - E258 The International Cable Protection Committee - Omnibus

I picked up this movie called Yesterday (2002) awhile back since the ebay store was running a buy 4 get 1 promo. It interested me since it’s a science fiction film set in 2020. If you decide you must see this film after reading this then do yourself a favor, watch it with subtitles. The dub is dogshit. It is set in a reunified Korea and feels like a fusion of Evangelion and The Island (2005) with some police procedural elements. Those comparisons give it too much credit though as the film is marginal at best. The one thing I will say is it had solid set design & some of the future tech that seemed plausible in a libertarian society. I’m legit intrigued by the idea of getting a illuminated night stand like the photo above. (sorry the quality is trash, came from a dvd)

I had to work yesterday (5/14) and then went to a restaurant with my family so I didn’t get much of a chance to indulge yesterday. That said I did stay up late to watch a couple more episodes of Lastman. This show is amazing. Episodes are short and hold your attention fast for the entire runtime.

During my commute I listened to that episode of the Omnibus listed above. Crazy to think that the internet has to pass through physical undersea cables to make it worldwide. Despite the internet basically being a utility at this point, some countries don’t have redundancies in place so these cables can be cut and shut the internet down for a whole country.

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sarsapar-ill-a-gorilla · 4 years

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5 12 20

Watching:

Snagged a vrv premium 30 day trial today. Finally checked out the first episode of Lastman. Since I’m a fan of Balak’s work and have been following him on IG for awhile now. It was listed in the “Inspired by anime” section.

An aside.

If I may get on my soap box for a second... France and Japan are both cultural powerhouses. Sharing art styles and taking inspiration from things that you like is part of the creative process. What is odd to me, however, is that being obsessed with France and it’s cultural is more acceptable than being into Japanese culture. There are people so obsessed with Paris that they experience extreme shock at finding out that Paris isn’t as beautiful as they had expected. This is known as Paris syndrome and its a culture shock.

Listening:

Two great things happened today.

Short Rest - EP. 100 Heart of the World (PT 1 & 2) + Aftershow

I had the joy of listening to the NADDPOD finale and short rest episode all in one sitting. 100 episodes of the main campaign came to a beautiful ending. Hope they keep touring in the future so I get the chance to see the Band of Boobs live.

MASTER BOOT RECORD - VirtuaVerse OST

Had my eye on this project for a long while. I got into several bands on the Blood Music label like Gost that are synth but also heavy. Super psyched that this finally came out. This music is perfect for visions of a cyberpunk future. I believe the price for the game is 14.99 and I’m considering it.

Playing:

Rocket League. -- Got a few good matches in with my coworker.

Fate Grand Order -- Stupid mobile game I got hooked on because of the art style. It’s a decent way to kill time.

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sarsapar-ill-a-gorilla · 4 years

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5 10 11

Haven’t checked in for a couple days. My sister was in town for mother’s day so I spent lots of time with family but I did find some time for media. We broke out the PS2 and played coop games from when we both lived under the same roof.

Playing:

007 Nightfire just multiplayer deathmatch and capture the flag and a couple of levels in Dynasty Warriors 4.

Watching:

Bobs Burgers S10E21

Watched this one on my lunch break on one of the few days I’ll have to work in office. Don’t be down on where you’re from. This takes us to what I’ve been...

Reading:

Queen of the Dark Things - C. Robert Cargill

One of the characters in this book is a reflection of the city of Austin (where I was born and raised.) She describes herself as “extraordinary on the outside, but ordinary on the inside.” I’d say this is an apt description.

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sarsapar-ill-a-gorilla · 4 years

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Watching:

MOM

Props to short of the day for linking me to this one. I haven’t seen The Hunt, but if it looks something like this, it might be worth a watch. Think Most Dangerous Game but with the attackers dressed for a proper british fox hunt.

Listening:

Worked most of today so I spent a lot of that time listening to podcasts. I’ll just say the top 3 for times sake with my take away.

401 The Natural Experiment - 99% Invisible

312 Sonic the Hedgehog - The Flophouse

255 Etchings (Entry 428.GN3907) - Omnibus!

Learning:

It’s good to have it confirmed that humans have always been creeps or at least Rule 34 existed before the internet. Tijuana bibles were pornographic comic strips produced in the US between 1920 until the early 1960s.

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sarsapar-ill-a-gorilla · 4 years

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Watching:

S1E1 Scooby Doo Mystery Incorporated

I like the art style a lot. And how it pays tribute to the iconic designs of previous generations. It also has a Gravity Falls like set up, Velma’s family profits off of the mysteries of the town by running a spooky museum. Shaggy treating Velma like a moped when we know she’s a dumptruck. Will probably watch more of this one.

Listening:

Heaven Heist - the complete audio drama

The Story Break podcast has always been a trip to me. Getting to be the fly on the wall inside a writers room. I’d definitely be down to see this as a movie. Would even throw some money at a kickstarter, if they don’t decide to work within the system.

This American Life - 186 Prom

Re-run. Contains stories of a town who cared way too much about prom and a tornado wrecking another one. I’ve seen enough anime to know a thing or two about secondary education. But I didn’t appreciate my own high school experience and I went to prom with my ex. It was a great idea. Obviously.

Macross 82-99

music slaps. enough said.

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sarsapar-ill-a-gorilla · 4 years

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Always Consuming.

I’m putting on weight from sitting at home all day, eating out of boredom. But I’ve also been consuming media by the truckload. In the past I’ve tracked my media consumption on a calendar. However more recently I’ve carried a moleskin notebook and on a daily basis I’ve written what show I watched and how many episodes.A somewhat pointless endeavor I’ll admit.

With the calendar I was trying to keep a brief journal as I’ve got terrible memory. I probably had an alibi but without mementos I’d never recall. Plus I can point back and say that I saw Solo at the alamo drafthouse village on May 26, 2018. It wasn’t that bad of a movie.

The idea of consuming everything I’d ever want to in my life is a futile one. But I can’t help but want to try with my completionist tendencies. On her beta podcast Felicia Day mentions what she’s watched, read or played since the last one. So that’s my plan. Maybe some thoughts about what I’m watching or not. Maybe just an image I found compelling or funny. This is more of a writing exercise. I won’t update this every day since I’m lazy. I’ll break my happenings into categories: listening, watching, reading, playing, cooking, & learning.

This is the cover page of my diary. Keep reading only if you’re a creep.

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