月を見ていた (Moongazing)

米津玄師 (Kenshi Yonezu)

Moonlit, the willow trees sway; I’m a pebble by the roadside Like counting sheep, my thoughts were of you, so far away

If there’s meaning to this parting, Don’t mourn for it, at the very least Onwards to the unquiet sky, filled with unwavering love

No matter what the night brings, even through continued losses We lived together, though it was but fleeting

I was gazing at the moon, searching for something When I was frightened by the storm, I’m glad that it was you who appeared before me As though everything had never happened I know, surely, this flame will never die out

Should the wind beat upon the window, Leave it ajar Just one thing; yes, but one thing Cry out in a voice beyond words

Should I be reborn, should I not remember, I know I’ll find my way back to you

I was gazing at the moon, having set it all ablaze Even if some found it pitiful, I was happy as long as you were there Even if it were far from being right, It will not be extinguished

Call my name, just once more In the gentle embrace of your soft voice With the moon my guide, the bough I held on to was you It was you...

I was gazing at the moon, searching for something When I was frightened by the storm, I’m glad that it was you who appeared before me As though everything had never happened I know, surely, this flame will never die out

i'm having a blast playing ffxvi it's such a great game but man do i have conflicting feelings about jill's treatment in the story

Final Fantasy XVI Music

Want to know what the tracks for the upcoming crossover sound like? Once again, Masayoshi Soken & Team have given us some bangers, and the selection is nice.

I'll add them (mostly) in the FF16 OST's list order, along with lyrics for "Find the Flames", below the cut.

Starting us off with the menu music, 16's version of the FF Prelude.

An arrangement of Cidolfus Telamon's theme. Takafumi Imamura's done some of my favorite FF14 tracks too. The title translation is "Thunder in the Machine" since this Cid is not only a scientist/engineer, but also the Dominant of Ramuh.

Field music for one of the nations of Valisthea, the Holy Empire of Sanbreque.

Another field theme, this time for Clive's homeland, Rosaria.

An arrangement of Joshua/Phoenix's theme. The lyrics for the full version are good.

Clive's theme song, heard in the crossover trailer and pretty much everywhere else. Blood-pumping sound and lyrics.

An arrangement of Clive's theme, as he comes to terms with a hard truth.

World Map theme, an arrangement of the FF Prelude.

"Our Terms" is a Hideaway (home base) default theme, and while not one of the rewards, it is the music heard in the crossover trailer while riding Torgal, so it may be his mount up music.

"Before The Storm - Caer Norvent" (site of a significant confrontation) and "To Sail Forbidden Seas" (the battle theme against other Dominants and their Eikons) are too big for Tumblr's audio uploads, so I'll add links to those in the Replies. Caer Norvent will have some scenes, but nothing one can't see in the demo as it's a very early encounter, and it's mostly talking. The battle theme video has no gameplay.

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A little disappointed we get none of the many arrangements of "My Star", Jill Warrick's theme. The full song plays at the very end as the credits begin to roll, sung by Amanda Achen, music by Soken, arranged by Keiko, lyrics by Michael-Christopher Koji-Fox.

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Lyrics for "Find the Flame":

Dig, dig, dig, dig, deeper Dig, dig, dig, dig, deeper Delve, delve, delve, delve, deeper Weep, weep, weep, weep, weeper Dig, dig, dig, dig, deeper Dig, dig, dig, dig, deeper Wake, wake, wake, wake, sleeper Reap, reap, reap, reap, reaper

Raise thy lantern, pioneer Shine upon the far frontier Fingers cracked and body broken Mind adaze yet soul awoken

Diving into the...mire! Laid out upon the...pyre! Never this soul shall...tire! Running into the...fire!

Your bleary bloodshot eyes open wide in the dawn Let the light in and brighten the shades that sleep inside you

Find the flame, the flame, the flame Find the flame, the flame, the flame Let its light blind you

Delve in this dark abyss. Fathomless emptiness, Till the kiss of fire enfolds you!

Natalie.mu Moongazing Interview

Part one of a Kenshi Yonezu interview with Natalie.mu about Final Fantasy XVI theme song Moongazing, memories of the series, exchanges with Naoki Yoshida, and breaking the usual balance.

Hey you!

Are you like me and have a completely normal* relationship with video game OSTs and composers’ use of leitmotifs within them?

*not normal at all

GREAT NEWS!

I’ve gone through and catalogued almost the entire Final Fantasy XVI soundtrack by character/region/general interlude based on motif use alone!

(Basically in general if a motif shows up only once it’s not gonna be on this list. Also, some recurring motifs didn’t have a designated name or common title scheme so I classified them myself, such as Early Overworld, Disaster Strikes, Impending Doom, Interludes, and Mythos. If anyone is curious as to which songs those categories include, let me know!)

Without further ado, here’s the breakdown. Any numbers after a + indicate tracks from disc 8 of the Ultimate Edition, which are unused tracks or single-cutscene tracks. Spoilers abound under the cut as well.

Final Fantasy: 7

Crystal: 17-20, approximately

Joshua/Phoenix: 15 + 1

Clive/Ifrit: 13 + 3 (bro the unused Ifrit vs Ifrit is so funny to me, it’s basically Lo-Fi Beats To Face Your Inner Demons To)

Jill/Shiva: 9 + 2 (update: I still cry when My Star plays)

Cid/Ramuh: 7 + 1

Benedikta/Garuda: 7

Hugo/Titan: 6

Dion/Bahamut: 7

Barnabas/Odin: 5 + 2

Ultima: 19 + 1 (truly incredible how many times he shows up and how EARLY in the game, too. He was always watching!!)

Anabella: 2

Rosaria: 12 + 1

Sanbreque: 5

Republic of Dhalmekia: 8 + 1 (the unused theme and the actual theme are almost identical, the main motif is just ever so slightly different, which I find fascinating!)

Crystalline Dominion: 2

Ironholm: 5

Waloed: 5 + 2

Early Overworld: 4

Battle Theme: 5 + 1

Disaster Strikes: 3

Impending Doom: 1 (think I made this a category before I realized it only showed up once)

Eikonic: 3

Interludes: 2

Mythos: 5

This was honestly so much fun to do! If anyone’s curious about anything don’t hesitate to ask! Happy to elaborate for anyone curious or wondering about anything

Got tagged by @dying-suffering-french-stalkers to post five (5) songs I like :)

Melodies of Life from Final Fantasy IX - surprisingly not because I finally finished the game (FFIX is in backlog hell) but because the lyrics fit beautifully into my Final Fantasy XV headcanon/one day to be written fic maybe hopefully?

Who's Afraid of Little Old Me by Taylor Swift - my big obsession from the new album at least partially because uhm, this too fit way too good into the FFXV story in my head, oops

Valse di Fantastica by God Yoko Shimomura - speaking of FFXV :) I love this song and I am very excited that yesterday Distant Worlds announced they are premiering a new score of it at the Berlin concert I am going to in May!! (Last time I went to Distant Worlds they did a kinda shitty and very short performance of my beloved Apocalypsis Noctis as the FFXV rep which was incredibly disappointing so I am very glad about this redemption arc)

No Promises to Keep from Final Fantasy VII Rebirth by Nobuo Uematsu the other God and Loren Allred - This post is apparently brought to you by my Final Fantasy brainrot but at least this one isn't about XV I guess :) This song is so pretty omg. And from this one I actually do have the full emotional damage from having finished the game!

Away (Phoenix theme from Final Fantasy XVI) by Masayoshi Soken - I was gonna put some not Final Fantasy song here but this post is already derailed, might as well stick with the theme. I am once again asking Square Enix to release this ost on Spotify. Also yes, this has English lyrics which literally nobody realised until the offical lyrics were released. This song is so good I actually spend money on the FFXVI dlc for Theatrhytm.

Honorable mentions: Toward Mt. Nibel (FF7 Rebirth) like the entire fucking soundtrack for this game is insane (put it on streaming Square) but this is the opening credits while running through a very beutiful valley towards the mountain and it is such a beautiful epic start to the game! Also I am once again asking y'all to listen to Songs from Final Fantasy XV by Florence and the Machine.

Tagging: @mister-e-muss @randomlygeneratedusername2 @elfje-8 @humongousfurybeard and who-ever else thinks this is fun just say I tagged you :)

song challenge.

share at least 5 songs that you associate with or remind you of your muse.

Away - Final Fantasy XVI OST (This is considered as Joshua's "Theme" in the game, and I just love this song so damn much! The entire soundtrack is amazing, but this one will always feel a bit more special to me because it's his song haha :3)

I See Fire - Ed Sheeran (Well, Joshua is the Dominant of the Phoenix so of course this song resonates with him! I feel like it can be a lot related to the events of the Night of Flames, but also to the way the Phoenix is considered by the people in general and especially by the people of Rosaria.)

it's time to go - Taylor Swift (This is pretty much how I see Joshua's relationship to the Undying. At first he was grateful, but the more he saw the real world during his journey, the more he realizes they messed him up in some ways, so he's distancing himself for them.)

Million Years Ago - Adele (This song can be related to Joshua in a way that his duties were thrown to his face very early in his life, and it never stopped until he reunited with Clive. He's nostalgic about these moments he could spend with his family in Rosalith before the Night of Flames. He already felt pressured back then, but not that much!)

Stand By Me - Florence + The Machine (I know this is a FFXV song but to me it suits Joshua so much too! I feel like he really finds his strength through his love for his loved ones. There really is a shift in his personality when he reunites with Clive and Jill and starts meeting the Hideaway crew, and I think this is very beautiful!)

Tagged by: @ofmoonlily, thank youuuu 🥰 Tagging: @creatrix-mea @phoenix-flamed @celestrahl (serah) @royalight @moonfurile & YOU ;D

Some very belated thoughts regarding Final Fantasy XVI (and Game of Thrones)

If you've ever had a conversation with me about A Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones, you would know that my exhaustion regarding it is endless. I read the first three books circa 2003, when I was in highschool.

There was the slow release of the books. There were the absolutely depressing things that happened to the characters. There was the show, which I initially viewed with enthusiasm but then I couldn't stand the mention of for reasons I couldn't articulate. I fell behind on the show, and then it caught up with the manga, and then the show was about to end, and I thought, well. If I ever want any closure on this story I had better finish watching the show, because god only knows whether or not GRRM is ever going to finish the books. So I watched every season so far in preparation for the last one, some 15 years, two college degrees, a marriage , a child, and several jobs later than when I first started this journey.

And we all know how that ended. D&D apparently had information regarding how GRRM is planning on ending the story, but I'm pretty sure they misunderstood the themes badly enough that GRRM, if he ever gets there, is going to take a very different route to those conclusions.

Meanwhile, Jon Snow is still at least mostly dead in the books.

I will never know peace regarding Westeros. It's fine. (It isn't).

Other than being left hanging, a major reason A Song of Ice and Fire absolutely exhausts me is the misery train. I remember seeing a gifset, early in the show days, with images of the Stark Family with the words "we are never ever ever getting back together." Nothing good ever happens here. No one is getting back together.

And this is where FFXVI departs from Game of Thrones. You'll get your childhood friend slash adopted sister back. You'll get your brother you thought you killed back. You'll get your dog back. You'll get your beloved chocobo back. (Reuniting with Ambrosia made me maybe the most emotional that anything in the game did, I so did not expect it.) You might die at the end (maybe, it's up to interpretation) but there will be some relief from your loss and misery.

Allegedly, early in development for FFXVI, Yoshida made the whole team watch the first four seasons of Game of Thrones. There's a kinship here, and it's intentional. As much as part of me groans at this, there's a precedent for this in Final Fantasy. Yoshida has long been an admirer of Matsuno, and Matsuno directed Final Fantasy Tactics, a game that was not influenced by Game of Thrones (I don't think it was translated into Japanese at the time), but that was influenced by The War of the Roses, especially as told by Shakespeare, something A Song of Ice and Fire was ALSO influenced by. Yoshi-P should have made the whole team watch Henry IV part 1, 2, and 3

Anyway! FFXVI has a kinship with GoT, especially early in the game. There are a lot of warring factions. There's a lot of moral dubiousness. There's sex and violence and swears. But somewhere in the middle it breaks down and becomes so extremely Final Fantasy. Perhaps (as someone who really loves Final Fantasy) TOO Final Fantasy.

Early in the game, you have human enemies. The ironblood, the empire, Benedikta and Kupka.

But pretty soon, you find out that there's something Beyond, gunning for you (Clive) specifically. Arranging his life in a certain way so that he will acquire certain powers.

Something Final Fantasy does Very often is a villain switcheroo. Either a henchman of the villain overthrows who you thought was the main villain and becomes the main villain, or some Dark Force was influencing the main villain this whole time. This is done sometimes well and sometimes poorly.

So, Ultima, he's some kind of ancient alien. He claims he's a god and probably isn't, exactly. He's going to suck up all the lifeblood of the planet and cast the spell that ends the world. He takes up all the light and air from any part of the plot that does not involve him.

He is playing Final Fantasy villain greatest hits, is what I'm saying. But he sucks. He sucks so bad. He is near the bottom in my ranking of Final Fantasy villains. If I had to choose villain rep from this game for a future Dissidia game, I would choose Barnabas Tharmr over him.

(I feel the Final Fantasies that don't have strong villains are that way because the real villain is organized religion, or time, or despair, or something like that, but that's another essay)

This kind of singular, definitely evil, otherworldly antagonist is the opposite of what makes the morally gray, messy, many factions storytelling of Game of Thrones work. So in the end all of the GoT stuff is set dressing. It means very little.

Part of me wants to see an FFXVI that didn't pull its punches, in which Joshua really died in the prologue, in which none of the dominants or their nations are really right or good. Where it's about power. Where we maybe focus on the messy liberation of the bearers.

But that story maybe ends more like A Song of Ice and Fire might end (if it ever ends), where most of our characters are dead, where the people left just barely survived because they banded together against the oncoming night or blight rather than fight each other over scraps.

And that story is... Exhausting.

Thank you Square Enix and Kenshi Yonezu, I'm in fuckin shambles

Final Fantasy XVI - State of Play 4K

THEME SONG “TSUKI WO MITEITA – MOONGAZING” TEASER VIDEO

Final Fantasy XVI producer Naoki Yoshida announced that the game’s main theme, “Tsuki Wo Miteita – Moongazing,” was written and performed by recording artist Kenshi Yonezu.

“Words cannot express the impact Final Fantasy has had on my life,” Yonezu said in a message. “I never thought or imagined that I would ever receive an opportunity like this. I wrote this song especially for this game. Thank you.”

Yoshida added, “When I found out that we’d be able to work with Yonezu-san, I was not only surprised, but overjoyed. I’m a big fan of Yonezu’s work, and I know that he has a passion for creating music that resonates across the generations, so I was sure that he’d be able to capture the world, the story, and the themes of Final Fantasy XVI. He’s not only an amazing artist, but also an avid gamer and Final Fantasy fan, so please look forward to hearing his theme song!”

latest details via PlayStation Blog

In just over two months, players will finally get their hands on Final Fantasy XVI, the next mainline installment of the Final Fantasy series. The game follows Clive Rosfield as he harnesses powerful Eikons to overcome his tragic destiny.

Today’s State of Play not only explores intricate details of the story and world lore, but also gives a first glimpse into the game’s party combat and colossal battles with new Eikons.

We hope today’s broadcast was exciting for everyone, both for fans keeping up with Final Fantasy XVI updates, and those who are hearing about the game for the first time. Some highlights from today’s show:

Clive’s Hideout

Clive’s Hideout, which serves as his base camp throughout the game, was revealed at State of Play. The footage showcased Clive preparing for upcoming battles by crafting items with gathered materials or tackling training modes.

Players can also complete a variety of side quests as well as Mob Hunts, that allows you to take on stronger enemies. Mob Hunts can be accepted from the Hunt Board where you’ll spot a familiar face from the series—Moogle!

Loresman Harpocrates and Vivian Ninetales

Loresman Harpocrates appears in Clive’s Hideout. He studies the history and customs of Valisthea, researching the local climate, folklore, religion, and traditions.

Harpocrates is very curious about Clive’s stories he takes home from his adventures. As Clive shares his past experiences, Harpocrates gains new knowledge as a researcher. And the Thousand Tomes in which he keeps records of his knowledge, will become more and more complete.

You can read up on everything about Valisthea if you visit Harpocrates and unravel the Thousand Tomes for yourself. Don’t forget to talk to Harpocrates when you stop by the Hideout during your travels.

Vivian the Military Scholar is well versed in the affairs of the countries of Valisthea and gives Clive lectures at various points in the story. You can talk to her in the Hideout as well.

Vivian is very knowledgeable about present day Valisthea, as well as its history. She will be happy to bestow you with knowledge of the past. With her help, you can explore the details of ever-changing character relationships and world affairs during specific time periods. Whenever you want to review the story so far or determine where Clive should go next, her knowledge will surely be of great help.

We hope you take advantage of their extensive knowledge to further immerse yourself in the story of Final Fantasy XVI!

New Combat Showcase

The latter half of the show was focused on combat. The show revealed new footage of Clive’s action gameplay, titanic clashes between the Eikons themselves, and epic Eikonic abilities.

—Clive strikes against multiple enemies during a gameplay action sequence.

—This time, Clive battles against numerous foes in a castle courtyard.

—A close up of the Eikon Ifrit’s face. A red glow pulses through his teeth, contrasting with the pale blue in his eyes.

—A figure floats in the skies above.

The show also unveiled many other details and characters for the very first time, so keep your eyes peeled!

Final Fantasy XVI will launch for PlayStation 5 on June 22, 2023.

Favorite Final Fantasy Music (FFI)

I've had this idea for a minute but have Struggled to start it so HAHA we're finally doing it Final Fantasy music is Really good and I want to share my favorite songs so I'm just gonna go by game and list like my top 5 FFI was hard to pick cause there's not a lot of songs? Also I wasn't sure if I wanted to exclude certain songs because they became series mainstays but i decided I don't care and if it stands out to me I'm doing it Linking the PS remake versions cause those are the easiest to find 5. Temple of Chaos Mysterious......... I like the melody in this one :) I think I like the original NES version more cause it sounds like, super heroic and final like you're a party of 4 warriors who traveled back in time to go kill the final evil (almost like you are???? wooooow) 4. Mount Gulg This is absolutely a case of I like this song more because of how it's used in later games (have you heard mythril mines from chocobo racing????? SLAPS) and again this is a fun melody; I like this PS version cause of the flutes it sounds like a volcano (I will not elaborate) 3. Final Battle Kill Chaos. This song is one of two reasons why I used the PS OST cause it exists there first, but my personal favorite version of this is the PR version cause of the guitars and drums in that one (i am a sucker for Rock Instruments), I think the beginning of this song is cool cause it has that evil build up vibe, then the little bit of piano, then GOES HAM; it rocks 2. Miniboss Battle I definitely attribute part of me liking this to DFFOO cause it's Garland's BT theme, but this is like, peak FFI music to me, this is what I think of when i think of FFI. I can picture in my mind Garland and the Warrior of Light battling it out relentlessly, swords swinging wildly and clashing; I am not going to continue to try to paint a picture because I cannot but I hope the vibe is created in your mind's eye too. This is the other PS OST original song, and again, I think the PR version is the best version because of its super loud orchestral hits. (I wish I could find an upload of it cause I'd use that instead) 1. Opening Theme You might be asking, Styrm, why did you say the miniboss theme was peak FFI music and then not put it at #1? Because I'm a Bitch and the opening theme that becomes the main theme of the whole series makes me cry like an idiot every time I hear it. Uematsu was COOKING when he made this. I'm probably not going to put this in future lists but this is the time where I say how good this song is; FFXI, XV, and XVI also have Really good versions of it. I'm sure there's some music theory term for notes that emotion you harder than others, whatever it is, this song does that (I am shit at writing and explaining but I like this song aaaaaaa)

MUNDAY QUESTIONS

⋆    what’s  your  phone’s  wallpaper?:  The  default  wallpaper  that  came  with  my  theme  but  will  have  to  change  it  soon  because  they’re  deleting  it  :(

⋆  the  last  song  you  listened  to?:  Smile  Like  You  Mean  It  by  The  Killers  

⋆  currently  reading?:  Uh  . . .  does  fanfic  count?

⋆  last  movie  you  saw?:  Love  and  Monsters  (watch  party  with  @stilesstylelinski to  make  @minimavampiress finally watch  it)

⋆  last  show  you  watched?:  Superman  &  Lois

⋆  what  are  you  wearing  right  now?:  Sweatpants,  a  long  sleeve  shirt,  and  a  jacket  (this  is  a  weird  question)

⋆  how  tall  are  you?:  5’4”

⋆  piercings  /  tattoos?:  Nope  

⋆  glasses  /  contacts?:  Nope,  got  my  eyes  corrected  five  years  ago (would recommend!)

⋆  last  thing  you  ate?:  Haribo Goldbears  

⋆  favorite  color(s)?:  Purple 

⋆  current  obsession?:  Final  Fantasy  XVI  

⋆  do  you  have  a  crush  right  now?:  Tyler  Hoechlin  –  even  more  gorgeous  in person  and  gives  great  hugs (and my wonderful husband, of course)

⋆  favorite  fictional  character?:  Derek  Hale  (shocking, I know)

tagged by : @minimavampiress

tagging : Anyone who wants to!

[Japanese->English] @reissuerecords 7:01 PM June 15th 2023 Tweet Translation

Link to original tweet

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米津玄師　月を見ていた

Kenshi Yonezu, Looking at the Moon

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FF16 テーマソングトレーラー公開

The FF16 theme song trailer is now public

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米津玄師「月を見ていた」1コーラスを初使用した　

Chorus 1 of Kenshi Yonezu’s “Looking at the Moon” has been used for the first time.

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#FF16　テーマソングトレーラーが公開

The FF16 theme song trailer is now public

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FINAL FANTASY XVI 体験版

FINAL FANTASY XVI Demo

—

Please correct me if I made a mistake

Translated October 2023

✧ ── 𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐋𝐋 𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐔𝐑𝐋 𝐔𝐒𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐈𝐓𝐋𝐄𝐒. -Triple gank edition

ft.- @witchcraftandburialdirt, @poisonflowrs, & @hemomania

"Remember, vision is the most important part of the game" - Idiot who didn't buy wards

>aquatic-hybrid - 13 letters, my favorite number

A.- [A Pirate's Freedom] - Kingdom Hearts 3 Q.- [The Seafarer's Skills Tame The Storm] - Bravely Default 2 U.- [Untitled] - Olly Steele A.- [A New Fear] - Dance With The Dead T.- [The Other Promise] - Kingdom Hearts 2 I.- [I Was The Sun (Before It Was Cool)] - Starbound C.- [Clive Theme - Find Your Flame] - Final Fantasy XVI H.- [Holding Out For A Hero] - SHREK 2 COVER BABYYY Y.- [Operation Blade] - Arknights B.- [Blueish Light] - Arknights (Aka. Akio's logging screen) R.- [Razormind] - Payday 2 I.- [I Got This] - Hi Fi Rush D.- [Dormant] - Transistor

Tagged Ganked by: the triple threat from earlier Also fuck finding songs for Q and Y, so have two actual Akio songs instead.

Tagging: Honestly man you are free to do this lmao good luck

Got tagged by @bettydice for this, and I’m doing it sleepy or else I’ll forget!

Last song: one of the boss themes from Final Fantasy XVI, but that’s cheating and also a spoiler, so I’ll say Baba Yetu, the original version from the Civilization IV opening. I find it optimistic and hopeful, and I needed that while I was finishing up my final for my summer math course!

Currently watching: the new one is about to come out so I’m rewatching the Mission Impossible series! Tom Cruise is a frontman for a dangerous cult and he bears a great deal of responsibility for their crimes, but by god those movies are all incredible! Yes, even the bad one!

Currently reading: Austin Walker currently has a book club podcast called Shelved by Genre, and as a result of wanting to hear his thoughts on basically anything, I’m reading the Book of the New Sun for the first time! It’s kind of incredible so far, a surreal mixture of medieval archaisms and distant future science-fantasy, but I’m really enjoying it so far. Lots of depth to this text, I can already tell!

Current obsession: at the moment? Final Fantasy XVI. It’s not perfect — even with my take that it’s good the side quests are boring actually, I do wish they were more mechanically involving, and there’s some visual customization and the lightest dusting of loot elements that I miss from the RPG stew. There’s also the issue of there being like… five female characters of note, and they’re all either supporting characters with zero plot agency, or unrelentingly evil, and I desperately wish there was a better balance between men and women in both major and minor ways, from cutscene direction to actual plot and writing for them. Especially in a series like Final Fantasy, which is usually better about spotlighting their women at the very least! And I haven’t even considered the diversity issue, which, while I now understand why they avoided it, does still reek of cowardice.

All of that being said… what a goddamn spectacle. I’m halfway through and each boss battle tops the last in terms of raw dollars-spent blockbuster status. The aesthetics both visual and aural are astonishing throughout the game but it’s in the major moments where it shines brightest. There are already moments I’ll never forget, and I’ve basically got to own this soundtrack the moment it’s available.

And the writing is good! With only a couple exceptions, it flows logically, tells its story well, carries a number of themes and touches on some cool subjects… it goes from Game of Thrones to Final Fantasy Standard pretty quick all things considered, but that GRRM flavor is still appreciated, as someone who also enjoyed FFXII and Tactics and has a thing for political intrigue and the movements of troops. It’s a hell of a thing they’ve done, corners cut where they’re least necessary and time spent where you feel it the most, and if any of what I’ve said has interested you (and you have a PS5) then you should check out FFXVI.

So yeah. I think that ranks as an obsession right now!

Kenshi Yonesu - Creator of Worlds

In our house we share music. While I have been immersing myself in the bands and singers of South Korea, my son has been imbibing deeply of J-pop. When JK sang Kick Back back in February, our musical worlds collided for a moment and I discovered the amazing artist Kenshi Yonesu.

This multi-talented musician, singer, songwriter, producer and illustrator has an huge back catalogue of music which is slowly infiltrating all of my playlists. He's been releasing music since 2009. First, it was Vocaloid music under the name Hachi and then in 2012 he started to release songs under his own name.

In 2013 he released Santa Maria which he wrote after he experienced burn out following the release of his first album Diorama. This was the first time he ever appeared in a video and he uses a book of his own illustrations to tell the story of the song. It set the tone for many of his subsequent videos where he combines art with his real world performance.

He has some excellent songs including: Peace Sign from Bootleg (2017) which is the theme to My Hero Academia.

Lemon and Flamingo from Stray Sheep (2020) - in fact, the whole album Stray Sheep is excellent.

Lady (2023)

Moongazing (2023) the theme to Final Fantasy XVI.

The combination of Kenshi Yonesu's voice (layered and caressing) with the imagery that he brings to his videos creates whole new worlds. His vision is weird, wonderful and utterly glorious.

Post Date: 31/07/2023