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katmaatui · 8 months

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Help, I can't find any good Hal reading lists, where do I go after Emerald Dawn??

Most important stories are bolded and my favorites are asterisked. General warning of racism (Tom is called Pieface for 60 years, its bad) and sexism. Otherwise have fun! I m

Origin Stories

Some of these repeat, not all are necessary but I advise reading at least Emerald Dawn/Emerald Dawn II or Secret Origins or Showcase #22

Emerald Dawn (1990), first appearance of the Martin Jordan backstory

Emerald Dawn II (1991)*, Hal is trained by Sinestro for the first time

Secret Origins (Green Lantern (2005) #29-35), Geoff Johns’ version of Hal’s backstory if reading modern Hal stuff, its important

Showcase #22*, what actually started it all

Superman: Man of Steel Annual #4*, Hal meets Clark for the first time

One Shots

Green Lantern Secret Files (2004) #1 “Flight”, three flights in Hal Jordan’s life*

Justice League: The Darkseid War - Green Lantern #1, Hal becomes a God and gives it up*

Green Lantern 80th Anniversary, a tribute to the Green Lanterns across the ages*

Skip Geoff’s story. You’ll thank me. "Four" should be read after Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #35.

Early Days

Green Lantern (1960) #6, first appearance of Tomar-Re*

Green Lantern (1960) #7, first appearance of Sinestro*

Green Lantern (1960) #8, introduction of the Solar Director of 5780 plot*

Green Lantern (1960) #9, second appearance of Sinestro + first appearance of Hal’s brothers*

Green Lantern (1960) #13, first team-up with The Flash (Barry Allen)

Green Lantern (1960) #16, first appearance of Star Sapphire

Green Lantern (1960) #26, second appearance of Star Sapphire

Green Lantern (1960) #30, first appearance of Katma Tui*

Green Lantern (1960) #36, Hal falls in love with an alien*

Green Lantern (1960) #45, Hal and Alan team up issue*

Green Lantern (1960) #49, Hal leaves Coast City

Wanderer

Green Lantern (1960) #51, conclusion of the Solar Director of 5871 arc

Green Lantern (1960) #53, family team up issue*

Green Lantern (1960) #57, an old enemy returns

Green Lantern (1960) #63, Hal saves the world from an alien who wants to destroy it*

Green Lantern (1960) #64, Hector Hammond returns*

Green Lantern (1960) #70, Hal gets a new job + first questioning of Guardians*

Green Lantern (1960) #73-74, Hal returns to Coast City and fights Sinestro and Star Sapphire* (note: there will be a panel that will make your jaw drop in how racist it is, there’s some good meat besides that panel but that panel…its bad)

Questioning and Politics

Green Lantern/Green Arrow

Green Lantern (1960) #76-#87, #89

The Flash (1959) backup stories: #217-#219, #226

Hal’s solo backups in The Flash (1959)

The Flash (1959) #220-#225

I have not read enough comics to rec any from the era between The Flash #226 to Green Lantern (1990).

The Return

At this point, Hal has been wandering and questioning for years. He’s a drifter, especially since the Guardians left the Universe to go make new Oans.

Green Lantern (1990) #1-8, the reintroduction of the Corps*

Green Lantern (1990) #25, Hal and Guy fight

Green Lantern: Ganthet’s Tale, Hal learns the Guardians have been lying to him*

Parallax

Superman (1987) #80, the Destruction of Coast City

Green Lantern (1990) #46, Hal fights against Mongol and speaks of hearing voices*

Green Lantern (1990) #47, Hal and Ollie team up

Green Lantern (1990) #48-50, Emerald Twilight* (if you read one thing on this list read this)

Guy Gardner: Warrior (1994) #18-21, Guy learns about the destruction of Coast City + what Hal did

Zero Hour (1994) #4-0, Hal destroys time*

Green Lantern (1990) #0, Hal and Kyle finish their fight from Zero Hour*

Green Arrow (1988) #96, Hal meets Ollie once again*

Green Lantern (1990) #61-63, Hal attempts to get Kyle’s ring back

Final Night (1996) #1-4, Hal dies to save the universe

Parallax: Emerald Night (1996) #1, read between issues #3 and #4 of Final Night, Hal looks over his life

Green Lantern (1990) #99-106, Kyle travels through time and meets Hal Jordan, in the middle of his first fight with Sinestro. Young!Hal returns to the present with Kyle.*

Read Green Arrow (1988) #136 inbetween #104 and #105

One of my favorite arcs of all time. Please read it 🥺

The Spectre

Day of Judgment (1999) #1-5, Hal becomes the Spectre

Day of Judgment: Secret Files #1, Hal gives others the way to kill him

Legends of the DC Universe #33-#36, Hal’s first mission as the Spectre*

Green Arrow (2001) #7, Hal reveals that he’s the reason why Ollie is alive*

The Spectre (2001) #1-27

Especially read

The Spectre (2001) #1,

The Spectre (2001) #5, Hal and Carol reunite*

The Spectre (2001) #15-17, Spectre but in Space!

The Spectre (2001) #21-23, the return of Sinestro*

Geoff Johns era Hal

Green Lantern: Rebirth #1-6, Hal comes back to life

Green Lantern (2005) #7-8, Hal and Ollie get stuck in Hal’s version of their perfect world*

Green Lantern (2005) #10-13, the lanterns Hal killed come back to life*

Green Lantern (2005) #14-17, Hal deals with his time as a POW and gets wanted in Russia*

Green Lantern (2005) #18-20, creation of the Star Sapphire corp (note: this is the most sexist set of issues I’ve ever had the misfortune of reading, I will tell you what happened if you want)

Green Lantern: Sinestro Corps War

You’ll be confused but the Hal portions are in Green Lantern (2005) #21-28

Blackest Night (2009) #1-8, the dead return

Green Lantern (2005) #43-52, Green Lantern tie in to blackest night

War of the Green Lanterns, the 4 Earth GLS must become members of the other corps to save the Green Lanterns*

Green Lantern: Emerald Warriors #7

Green Lantern Vol. 4 #63

Green Lantern Vol. 4 #64

Green Lantern Corps Vol. 2 #58

Green Lantern: Emerald Warriors #8

Green Lantern Vol. 4 #65

Green Lantern Corps Vol. 2 #59

Green Lantern: Emerald Warriors #9

Green Lantern Vol. 4#66

Green Lantern Corps Vol. 2 #60

Green Lantern: Emerald Warriors #10

Green Lantern Vol. 4 #67

War of the Green Lanterns: Aftermath #1 (2011)

War of the Green Lanterns: Aftermath #2

N52

Green Lantern (2011) #1-20, Sinestro is a Green Lantern and Hal Jordan isn’t!*

Conclusion of Geoff Johns’ run

Actually one of my favorites especially issue 20

Green Lantern (2011) #21-26, Annual #1, Hal is in charge of the GLC

You will regret your decisions to become a Hal Jordan stan here. Stay strong. It will get better but I can’t rec you Renegade without you knowing the context 😔.

Green Lantern (2011) #41-46, Annual #4, Hal steals Krona’s gauntlet and becomes a Renegade Green Lantern*

Convergence: Zero Hour #1-2, Parallax Hal returns!*

Green Lantern (2011) #47-52, Renegade!Hal meets Parallax Hal*

Rebirth

Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps: Rebirth #1, Hal makes his own Green Lantern ring*

Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #1-7, Hal fights the Yellow Lantern corps!

Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #8-12, Kyle helps revives Hal while Soranik and John try to work out the Sinestro Corps-Green Lantern Corps partnership

Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #14-17, Hal and Kyle attempt to revive the Blue Lantern Corps

You can read Prism of Time and Fracture (#18-#25) but also you can chew glass. So. Soranik is evil now and Tomar-Tu killed a Yellow Lantern from Xudar named Romat-Ru. Don’t read it, it took me three days to finish those issues at a point where I was reading more than 30 issues a day.

Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #30-31, Hal meets Parallax again, this time possessing Clark Kent*

Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #33-36, the Earth GLs work together to save the Guardians

Famous Quotes- “Four legs on a table, four walls on a house, and four seats in a mustang gt. We’re the four corpsmen. You don’t screw with what works.” (Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #35)

Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #37-41, Hal is captured by Zod*

Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #42-50: Rise of the Blackstars*

The Green Lantern (2018) #1-12, Morrison writes some very interesting Hal stories

Green Lantern: Blackstars #1-3, Hal creates a perfect world*

The Green Lantern Season Two (2020) #1-12, major stories include the multiversal Green Lanterns and Carol Jordan and Hal Ferris

Present

Green Lantern (2021) #1-12, more John and Jo focused but Hal has some fun moments.

Green Lantern (2023) is currently coming out. It exists!

#Ask Reply #Anon Reply #Hal Jordan #Red's Work #Reading List

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happyzyx · 10 months

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zhang yixing for basic stardom magazine, 21st issue 2023 – interview transcription

THE DREAMER FROM CHANGSHA: An Interview with Chinese Rapper and Performer Lay Zhang

Tagged the “King of China” by his fans in Asia, the highly-praised musician, dancer, actor, and author, Lay Zhang, is rising to glory as he continues to hone his craft and inspire the world with infinite ambition. Headlining MetaMoon last year, the inaugural New York-based music festival, as part of his first-ever solo global tour “Grand Line 2: Infinite Lands” and releasing into 2023 with a remarkable agenda.

While getting his start from the well known K-Pop boy group EXO, Zhang furthered his growth as an individual artist, accumulating over 70 million followers across all social media platforms and magnifying his career through evocative performances and stellar roles in both television and film. His captivating journey has not only forged him into an international superstar, but has also led him to become the highest-ranked Mando-pop star on the Billboard 200 chart in 2018, and the first Chinese artist to enter the iTunes Top 60 in the U.S. with his third solo album Namanana.

Q. You dove headfirst into the music industry after enrolling in the Star Academy talent show in 2005, where you unexpectedly became a finalist in the series. While you never thought you’d ever become an artist, what changed for you during this time in your life?

ZYX. While Star Academy, I was critiqued a few times on stage for not being professional enough. Hearing that gave me the motivation to prove them wrong and become better in all aspects. I like proving people wrong. It’s a good challenge. At the time, I wanted to prove to the judges and fans that I could be better. Becoming the artist I am today wasn’t what I originally had in mind. Looking back, I think I became an artist as I started to improve on my weaknesses. It was not a conscious choice, but rather the desire to prove that I could be better and show everyone that I could be professional.

Q. In 2008, you trained as a performer in South Korea, eventually debuting as a part of the K-pop group EXO. Talk to us about your journey and how you ended up here and now.

ZYX. Going to Korea and leaving both my hometown Changsha and my mother was scary. There were hours and hours of training in a completely foreign environment. Sometimes, after training, I would go downstairs to the practice room and learn how to produce music. It was unusual for a trainee to be that interested in producing music and I was not very good at it. Becoming a dancer for SHINee was a huge milestone for me. It showed me that I was on the right path. Then, when I made it into EXO, I was overjoyed. In the early days, we traveled a lot between China, Japan, and South Korea. There were a lot of happy memories going into the studio and practicing new songs with my members, but nothing could compare to performing with them live. I felt, and still feel, so proud to be an EXO member and to see everything that we accomplished together. When I started doing more solo activities, I found it challenging. All of a sudden I had to do things alone and without my members by my side. It was hard, but it made me grow and helped me to become the person I am today. Now, my schedule is always filled with commercial shoots, television shows, variety shows, recording music, and trying to be an entrepreneur.

Q. After 10 years with EXO, you finally decided to focus on your solo career. How did your experiences with EXO and in South Korea influence the artist, dancer, and businessman you are today?

ZYX. My brothers in EXO gave me so much strength and motivation to become the best artist and person I could be. I did a lot of training in Korea. While it was tough, it gave me the skills I needed to become an artist and dancer that I am today. I reflect on those days often when I help train my trainees. I want to make sure I give them everything I had and more. I met a lot of talented people who took the time to explain things and trained me. I have deep gratitude for that time in my life.

Q. How did you discover your individual sound and personal brand since venturing out on your own? Who and/or what have been some of your most prominent influences?

ZYX. I’m not sure that I have found my sound yet. I like making music and performing. I would love to spend all of my time on stage and in the studio, but I think it’s the same with my brand, where I’m still experimenting and in the process of discovering it. Now that I’m over 30, I have to figure out who I want to be in the next decade. In the past, I’ve taken inspiration from people who have been able to dance, sing, and perform. I also appreciate people who are kind and hardworking.

Q. Sharing your culture with the world is incredibly important to you. Talk to us about the process of merging languages, as well as Eastern and Western influences into your music.

ZYX. I am blessed to have many talented musician friends around the world. Normally, I’ll work with a producer and songwriter in Los Angeles. I’ll have about a week of song camp sessions where we are locked in the studio from noon to midnight. We’ll spend time making music, vibing and dancing nonstop. I also learn a lot of English and we eat a lot of cookies during these sessions. Once we’re done, I’ll take the recording back to China and talk to my team and other creative friends about how we can incorporate Chinese instruments and stories into the music.

Q. How does it feel to be named the “King of China” by your fans and community?

ZYX. I don’t know if I’m the “King of China”. That’s a strong statement. I am just Lay Zhang from Changsha, China. I am a man who loves the people of his country and making music. For me, music is my arena where I get to challenge myself and others. I want to experiment and make better music. Sometimes, I’m down to “battle” people when it comes to music, but it’s always in good spirits and fun.

Q. You are in the process of making new music to be released this year. Talk to us about your creative process. Is there something you do to get into a creative state of mind?

ZYX. Music gets me excited and making music gets me even more excited. I’m always looking for a reason to get into the studio. I don’t really need to put myself in a creative state of mind. I wait all day, sometimes weeks, to get into the studio and explore my ideas. and if I can’t wait any longer, I’ll just pull out my laptop and start making beats whenever I am. I always enjoy testing out my ideas and making music feels like the most natural medium for me to express them right now.

Q. How do you think your music is being experienced by others?

ZYX. I hope people are happy when they listen to my music. When they play songs like “Veil”, I hope they are dancing in a room with their friends and having a good time. I live seeing people so covers and reacting to my music in different ways.

Q. What kind of impact do you hope to achieve through your artistry and career as a whole?

ZYX. I hope that I can inspire to not only go after their dreams, but to also give it their all as they pursue them. Dreams are precious and beautiful. I want people to treat their dreams with the most respect. Respecting your own dreams will make them come true.

Q. In what ways do you ensure you are continuously evolving, both as an artist and the person you are away from the public eye?

ZYX. I have many teachers, mentors, and staff who give me a lot of advice. They’ll tell me the ways in which they think I should work on my vocals or how to handle certain meetings. I always want the people around me to be honest—all facts, no cap. If I’m not good, let me know so that I can get better.

Q. What message would you like to send to the world about who you are and what you stand for?

ZYX. Hi, it’s Lay. I’m a dreamer who hopes that everyone can achieve their dreams in this lifetime.

Q. Can you tell us about a project or piece of work that you’re particularly proud of?

ZYX. I live all my projects like they are my children. No child is better than the other and they all came at important stages of my life. My most recent project was West, and this was fun to release because “Veil”, the title song of the EP, was made almost five years ago, back in 2018. I normally make my records at least a year in advance, so it was great to hear “Veil” again. When I discussed it with my team, we all knew it needed to finally come out. With West, I even made “3 Wishes” on Zoom. We were in little boxes waving to each other and just hoping the internet was good enough so that we could hear all the sounds being made. Then, we’d go offline, do our own parts, and send them. There were times when someone would get knocked offline and then we’d have to wait even longer. The making of West was very fun and different project.

Q. How do you handle creative blocks or moments of self-doubt?

ZYX. To be honest, I don’t have many creative blocks, but that is probably because I’m constantly learning and doing something different. Self-doubt is tough, but I’m always reminded of all the people I have around me who depend on me. I also think about my fans who have supported me this entire time. It gives me the power to know I can’t let them down.

Q&A

Q. Who is your favorite designer?

ZYX. Pier Paolo Piccioli. He has been just a dear friend to me.

Q. What are the last three songs you played?

ZYX. “3 Wishes” by LAY, an unreleased demo I’ve been working on, and “God’s Plan” by Drake.

Q. How would you describe yourself in five words or less?

ZYX. Artistic, determined, passionate, a dreamer, and serious.

Q. What is the most challenging aspects of being and artist of your stature?

ZYX. There is a lot to do. My schedule has always been packed and full of activities. It’s a good thing because it means people still like me and want to see me. As I get older, I know I’ll get less popular, and fewer people will care about my music and career. It’s a big scary to be totally honest. It’s something that I will have to learn to deal with.

Q. What would be doing right now, if it wasn’t for your music career?

ZYX. If I wasn’t an artist today, I would probably be a music teacher. I would definitely still be doing something related to music.

Q. Who would you most like to collaborate with?

ZYX. I want to work with people who are innovating and pushing themselves creatively. I feel so inspired by people who are able to produce, write and sing. I really aspire to work with open-minded people.

Words by KIMBERLY HADDAD

©小羊扛起霸王龙就跑

#zhang yixing #yixing #lay #exo #basic stardom #text #long post

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kuroshirosb · 7 months

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ETHAN HIDAKA BEAM GO!! or maybe some fun facts about cheren. i know you like talking about cheren

HI MEL HIII thank u for the asks

ETHAN HIDAKA THE GUYY. I keep saying that he’s normal and he really is. The best way I can explain his role in the story is that he’s very much a vessel for the story to be told through.

He doesn’t have anything going on for him in his connections to the greater universe like Silver and Lyra, nor does he have any interesting backstory or problems like the gym leaders he helps work through, and just fumbles his way into the plot. But what makes him a main character is how much he continues to will himself into the plot and pursue other people’s problems once he comes across them. And because of how much he wants to help others, he finds greater meaning in the world as well as the supernatural.

Getting to be able to meet and help people gives him opportunities and a greater field of vision. He’s on a journey to become champion but a journey can be a quest of self discovery.

The fact that he’s kind of an every guy doesn’t mean he doesn’t have any own problems though. He lacks self any self preservation instincts and prioritizes everyone else over his own well being, when his problems and happiness are just as important as everyone else’s. Even if he doesn’t see it as that. For example he goes as far as to try and solo Team Rocket in Silver’s place because he believes it’d hurt Silver more than him. And when he finds out from Blue that is Red on the mountain, he doesn’t just go to maybe battle his idol, but to try and bring him down himself. (And it’s ultimately where he learns he can’t help everyone.)

If Lyra is like Ho-oh, and Kris is like Lugia, then he is like Celebi. Just like Celebi and the forests, Ethan protects and nourishes the people of Johto. And while he doesn’t travel through time, his touch on the world is seen across many different generations of lives he’s helped changed, including someone who isn’t of this time at all.

As for Cheren, my darling everything, some fun facts about him are:

His birthday is December 26th

He HATES Christmas because of it. Literally the grinch.

His favorite drink is an iced matcha latte.

He has a very low tolerance to the cold, it could be 60 degrees and he’ll say he’s freezing cold.

Had an anime phase during the events of BW. He’s embarrassed of it because he was an elitist. Nowadays he doesn’t have the time to watch shows because of how busy it is. But Kino’s Journey was his favorite.

Has autism. <- key fact

Got one ear pierced because he thought it looked cool. He didn’t know it was considered the gay ear but now that he knows he asks where’s the lie.

I’d call him a chuuni but he’s just barely not one.

I’ve mentioned this before but he’s missing a glove because he gave it to Hilbert. It was a way of challenging him/promise of a rivalry. He has it back in BW2 but he doesn’t want to talk about why he has it back.

Alder brought him, N, and Anthea and Concordia into his family unit after the events of BW, especially because the two of them had nowhere to go. He considers Alder and Drayden to be father figures, Iris to be his sister, Marshall to be his brother, Benga is also a brother, and of course N as a brother and Anthea and Concordia as sisters

#pokemashe #Ethan hidaka #cheren piper #they’re my everything’s #they’re so #shakes #Ethan may be johto’s number one therapist but where is HIS therapist hmm?

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osharenippon · 1 year

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70s Japan Trends Through the Music Charts (Part 2)

During the 1970s, the Japanese music industry was in the process of forming its identity. In addition to mirroring the musical preferences of the nation, the charts also served as a reflection of the prevailing societal trends and ambitions of that era. In this series, we chronicle the most significant musical trends of the decade.

70s Japan Trend Through the Music Charts (Part 1)

Trend #4: The Impact of Discover Japan

In 1970, Osaka hosted the World Expo, marking a significant milestone for post-war Japan following the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. To accommodate the influx of visitors, the government expanded the rail network, enabling over 60 million people—half of the nation's population—to journey to the World's Fair. However, as the Expo drew to a close after six months, concerns arose about the railways becoming obsolete. So, with the help of the ad agency Dentsu, they devised a campaign to stimulate domestic tourism by rail. The result was "DISCOVER JAPAN," one of the most iconic campaigns of the decade (which, curiously, was partially inspired by Ivy Fashion brand VAN).

"DISCOVER JAPAN" profoundly impacted Japanese society by popularizing solo travel and igniting domestic tourism, particularly among young women who ventured out on their own. This trend was further fueled by the launch of the first female fashion magazines, AnAn and Non-no, both of which extensively covered visits to charming cities across the country. Cities known as "Little Kyoto," which retained their Edo Period architecture and charm, were particularly attractive to these travelers.

Influenced by fashion magazines, these trend-conscious women journeyed to small cities throughout Japan, earning them the moniker "AnNon" (a fusion of AnAn and Non-no). Their impact during the 1970s was significant enough to be mentioned in a song by Sada Masashi, one of the decade's prominent folk singers.

"DISCOVER JAPAN," the print and TV campaign devised by Dentsu, is one of Japan's most successful and era-defining marketing campaigns.

Sada Masashi rose to fame in the early 1970s as part of the folk duo Grape before launching a successful solo career. In 1977, his song "Ehagakizaka," which paid tribute to his hometown of Nagasaki, mentioned identically dressed stylish young girls in denim, clutching AnAn and Non-no magazines while photographing their surroundings. This song vividly captured the aspirational girl culture of the 1970s, characterized by "healing" domestic trips in pursuit of tranquility and small pleasures, hippie and boho-inspired fashion, and folk music as the soundtrack.

Masashi Sada's song and the AnNon-zoku tribe aside, "DISCOVER JAPAN," had an immense impact on different layers of Japanese society. And that included the music charts. In 1971, the two best-selling singles, "Watashi no joka-machi" by Rumiko Koyanagi and "Shiretoko ryojou" by Tokiko Kato, surpassed 1 million copies sold. Both perfectly embodied the campaign's spirit in highlighting the hidden beauties of Japan.

"Watashi no jokamachi," or "My Castle Town," marked Koyanagi's explosive debut, selling over 1.3 million copies. This enka-infused kayokyoku ballad paid homage to cities with Edo-like architecture, often centered around a feudal lord's castle, evoking a peaceful, melancholic atmosphere in its lyrics. Rumiko continued to sing about regional Japan's charms the following year with another hit, "Seto no Hanayome" (The Bride of Seto). Meanwhile, the folk-inspired "Shiretoko ryoujou" (Shiretoko Journey) celebrated the unique beauty and culture of the Shiretoko peninsula on Hokkaido Island.

In the same year, other artists also succeeded by spotlighting provincial Japan. Enka superstar Shinichi Mori delved into this theme with "Boukyou" (Nostalgia). At the same time, Yuuko Nagisa found success with a Japanese rendition of The Ventures' "Kyoto Doll," titled "Kyoto no Koi" (Love in Kyoto). She would go on to have another top-selling single with her version of another Ventures song, "Reflection in Palace Lake," transformed into "Kyoto Bojo" (Kyoto Longing).

Trend #5: The Legend of Momoe Yamaguchi

"Aidoru" or "idols" are cute girl/boy-next-door types who sing, dance, act, host TV shows, and star in countless commercials. They stand as one of the cornerstones of the thriving multi-billion yen Japanese entertainment industry. The 70s was an essential era for consolidating this type of star. And one idol, in particular, shone the brightest: Momoe Yamaguchi.

Momoe is a legendary star and an example of an "aidoru" who excelled at everything, exuding sophistication, talent, and sex appeal. The fact she retired from public life at the height of her fame cemented her mythical status.

Momoe Yamaguchi in her prime, the idol industry's gold standard.

In 1972, at the tender age of 13, Yamaguchi auditioned for the talent search TV show "Star Tanjou!" (A Star is Born). Her crisp singing voice and mature beauty immediately captured the industry's attention. Hori Production, the entertainment agency, and Sony CBS label swiftly recognized her potential and signed her. In May 1973, five months after her televised audition, she made her official debut with the single "Toshigoro" (Adolescence). Although Sony had a history of immediate success with newcomers, Momoe's first single received a tepid response, so her label decided to court a bit of controversy for her sophomore outing. "Aoi kajitsu" (Ripe Fruit) had the innocent-looking 14-year-old girl singing, "you can do whatever you want to me, even if they say I'm a bad girl." The racy lyrics worked, and the single was a success.

A few months later, Yamaguchi's backers repeated this formula with "Hito natsu no keiken" (One Summer Experience). The song began with a suggestive promise: "I'll give you the most precious thing a girl has." The lyrics were laden with double entendres, describing a "sweet trap of temptation" that can only be experienced once. She sang, "if the person I love is pleased, then I'm happy. I don't mind if you break it," which could be understood as a reference to a girl's hert or hymen.

The single was an explosive hit, propelling 15-year-old Yamaguchi into the A-list. For the remainder of her career, she was frequently asked about the "most precious thing a girl has," to which she'd always offer a stern-looking reply: "her devotion."

The young, mature-looking girl singing thinly veiled songs about sexual awakening with a dark, serious-looking image set her apart from the prevalent happy-go-lucky idol aesthetic. However, it wasn't merely reliance on gimmicks that transformed her into a legend. In 1976, after firmly establishing herself as a star, she parted ways with her frequent collaborators, lyricist Kazuya Senke and composer Shunichi Tokura. Beginning with the single "Yokosuka Story," she partnered with the husband-and-wife duo Yoko Aki and Ryudo Uzaki.

Ryudo Uzaki, the frontman of the popular enka rock band DOWNTOWN BOOGIE WOOGIE BAND, infused her kayokyoku tunes with a rock edge. Through her lyrics, Yoko Aki redefined Momoe's image as a confident, clear-eyed girl transitioning into womanhood. Initially, Sony opposed Momoe's desire to collaborate with Aki and Uzaki, but the partnership ultimately helped her reach her commercial peak.

"Yokosuka Story" was Momoe's first single to reach the number 1 spot on the weekly charts. The Aki-Uzaki duo penned several other hits for her, including "Playback Part 2" and "Sayonara no mukougawa" (The Other Side of Goodbye), and opened doors for her to collaborate with other luminaries of Japanese music. Two of her most memorable hits, "Cosmos" and "Ii hi tabidaichi" (Beautiful Day Departure), both released in 1978, were penned by folk superstars Masashi Sada and Shinji Tanimura of Arisu, respectively. The latter became the theme song for the iconic DISCOVER JAPAN TV commercials.

Speaking of commercials, idols worth their salt can't limit themselves to music. Momoe earned millions being the face for Toyota cars, Fujifilm photographic films, Casio watches, and Glico confectionary products, among others. She also starred in highly-rated TV dramas and ventured into the world of film.

Starting in 1974, she appeared in two romantic films per year, always paired with Tomokaza Miura as her co-star. While Momoe pursued various ventures, Miura's acting career primarily revolved around being her on-screen romantic partner. Their undeniable chemistry and the box-office success of their films led to them being known as the "golden combination."

In a concert at the end of 1979, Momoe stunned her audience by revealing that her on-screen partner, Miura, was her real-life boyfriend. In a subsequent press conference in March of the following year, she confirmed her intention to marry him and retire officially. In September, she released her autobiography, which sold over 1 million copies in a month. In October, she bid farewell through a series of TV specials and a concert at Nippon Budokan. Her farewell concert reportedly earned Hori Productions over 20 million dollars, according to figures provided by the agency to Billboard magazine at the time. Momoe's success allowed HoriPro to become one of the best-established entertainment agencies in Japan, a position it still holds today. Her final performance took place at HoriPro's 20th-anniversary event, where she sang "Ii hi tabidaichi." In November, she married Miura and disappeared from the media.

The Japanese public obsession with her never waned. Paparazzi tried to capture her at her son's kindergarten graduation ceremony and doing classes at a local driving school. Many speculated she'd eventually come out of retirement. She never did, which only helped feed the obsession around her.

During the 1970s, Yamaguchi enjoyed immense success, but she was one of many popular female idols. The narrative created by her retirement elevated her to the status of a larger-than-life legend. She became the gifted, beautiful young woman who succeeded as a singer, a TV actress, and a movie star before choosing the ultimate happy ending: marriage. By choosing love, Momoe Yamaguchi, the legendary idol, transformed into an ordinary woman—a real-life fairy tale that resonated deeply with Japanese society.

Her decision was driven by profound motivations. Momoe revealed in her autobiography that she was raised by a single mother, the product of an extramarital affair. Her challenging upbringing and her father's late appearance to capitalize on her fame instilled a deep desire for a traditional, happy family life. She also grew weary of the relentless demands of stardom and the repetitiveness of performing the same songs. Thus, she made a heartfelt choice to relinquish fame and public life to give her husband the most important thing a girl has: her devotion.

Trend #6: Idols' Rise

The term "idol" in the Japanese entertainment industry finds its origins in the French film "Cherchez l'idole" (1963), which enjoyed immense popularity in Japan. Initially, "Aidoru" was used to describe the film's star, Sylvie Vartan, before it evolved into a general term to describe youthful-looking triple-threat domestic stars.

Before the coining of the term, "idol-like" stars had already existed. In the 1930s, Machiko Ashita attracted crowds to the Moulin Rouge Shinjuku and served as the face of several brands. In the 1950s, rockabilly stars enjoyed massive popularity among the youth, and the 1960s saw the rise of manufactured "group sound" bands and the female duo The Peanuts, comprised of twin sisters. Legendary stars such as Hibari Misora, Sayuri Yoshinaga, Teruhiko Saigo, Yukio Hashi, and Kazuo Funaki thrived as both movie stars and successful singers.

However, the 70s marked the consolidation of the "idol" aesthetic and career path, paving the way for the "golden era of idols" in the next decade. Essential for it to happen was the widespread adoption of the medium where idols shine the brightest: television.

TV allowed entertainment agencies to aggressively push their young, fresh-faced talents in front of a broad audience. They populated music and variety shows, commercials, and dramas. They were immaculate, life-sized stars ready to play the part of the nation's sweethearts.

Although history has crowned Momoe Yamaguchi as the ultimate 70s idol, she was just one among many during most of that decade. A closer examination of the numbers reveals that Mari Amachi, a female idol, had the most significant short-term impact during that time.

Amachi was first introduced on the popular TBS TV drama "Jikan desu yo" (It's Time) in 1971, playing "Tonari no Mari-chan" (Next Door Mari-chan). She played the minor role of a cute girl who lived close to the show's primary setting, a family-run public bathhouse, and often appeared by her window, playing guitar and singing. By October, with the backing of the biggest entertainment agency of the era, Watanabe Production, and Sony CBS, 19-year-old Mari Amachi officially debuted with the single "Mizuiro no Koi" (Light Blue Love). It was a hit—the first of many. Mari would be 1972's best-selling act, achieving high sales with four albums and five singles.

Mari's image, characterized by an innocent aura, a happy-go-lucky personality, and frilly dresses as stage outfits, became the prototype for female idols. Her short hair and chiseled smile earned her the nickname "Sony's Snow White," evoking the image of a fairytale princess. Unsurprisingly, she was particularly popular with children, leading Watanabe Pro to license her likeness for various goods, including the coveted "Do-Re-Mi Mari-chan" Bridgestone Cycle bicycle, highly sought after by young girls in the early 70s.

Despite her rapid rise to fame, Mari's time at the top was short-lived. By 1974, another Watanabe Pro idol, Agnes Chan, was already surpassing her in sales. In 1977, Mari's health deteriorated, and she took a lengthy hiatus, officially attributed to thyroid issues but later revealed to be depression triggered by her waning popularity. In 1979, she attempted a comeback, even bagging an endorsement deal for an ultrasonic facial device, one of the year's hit items for women. But her time had passed and she didn't find much success. Eventually, Mari's career took unconventional turns, including involvement in a softcore porn movie, the release of nude photobooks, and a transition to becoming a "fat" talento (TV personality), followed by a weight-loss book.

In 2015, in her last public interview, she revealed that, at 63, she was living in a retirement home in the Tokyo suburbs. Her fan club covered her expenses, while her daughter provided a modest weekly allowance. This marked a stark contrast to her glamorous peak years and serves as a reminder of the challenges idols face in the Japanese entertainment industry, particularly women, and how easily discardable idols can be. It also shows how wise Momoe Yamaguchi was, bowing out gracefully at the right time.

However, Momoe Yamaguchi and Mari Amachi represent two extremes within the realm of idols. While Mari achieved record profits for two years before facing decline and eventual obscurity, Momoe maintained relevance for nearly a decade before choosing to marry her on-screen partner, retire, and become a living legend. Most other 70s idols did not experience such remarkable destinies.

In 1971, two other young idols, Rumiko Koyanagi and Saori Minami, made their debut alongside Mari Amachi. The trio was collectively known as the "shin sannin musume," or the "three new girls." Their joint concert at the Budokan on Christmas of 1972 solidified their shared nickname.

The Shin San-nin Musume. Clockwise: Rumiko Koyanagi, Mari Amachi, and Saori Minami.

Rumiko Koyanagi had her skills honed at the Takarazuka Music School. Takarazuka is a very traditional, all-female theater group, and their training academy is known to be highly rigorous and selective. Koyanagi graduated top of her class but wanted something other than a musical theater career. Instead, her goal was to debut as a solo singer. So she left the Takarazuka Revue and signed with Watanabe Pro and Warner Pioneer label to fulfill her dream. Her first song, "Watashi no joka-machi" (My Castle Town), buoyed by the "Discover Japan" boom, surpassed 1 million copies sold, becoming the best-selling single of 1971.

Rumiko's repertoire predominantly featured enka-influenced kayokyoku. Her classical sound may not have been as appealing to the youth as some of her peers' slightly more modern tunes, but it ensured her stable sales throughout the decade. In her sixties, Rumiko has reinvented herself as a passionate soccer fan and a glamorous senior lady, sharing lifestyle tips and her love for Chanel and Lionel Messi on Instagram. She also conducts dinner shows, a lucrative type of intimate concert usually held at luxury hotels, where fans pay hefty prices to enjoy a multi-course dinner while listening to nostalgic hits.

The third "shin sanin musume" is Saori Minami. Minami didn't have a million-selling debut like Rumiko, nor did she become an instant sales behemoth like Mari. That didn't mean she was less impactful. Quite the opposite. Hailing from Okinawa, still under US occupation during her debut, Saori impressed Japan with her exotic beauty. In 1971 and 1972, she outsold every other female idol in bromide sales. Bromide is the local terminology for photographic portraits of celebrities, and historically, its sales are the best way to gauge how popular an idol is.

Her first single, "17-sai" (17 years old), became a classic and enjoyed enduring popularity, with several artists covering it over the decades. After retiring in 1978 upon her marriage to legendary photographer Kishin Shinoyama, Saori made a comeback in 1991 but has made only sporadic public appearances since then.

Two years after the emergence of the "shin sannin musume," a new trio of newcomers known as the "Hana no Chuusan Trio" or the "Chuusan's Flower Trio" (a reference to the fact all of them were in Chuusan, the third year of middle school) came into the spotlight. Masako Mori, Junko Sakurada, and Momoe Yamaguchi were all revealed in the talent search TV show "Star Tanjou" (A Star is Born). In 1975, by the time they were in their second year of high school (kou 2), they co-starred in the successful film "Hana no Kou 2 Trio."

The Hana no Chuushan Trio: Momoe Yamaguchi, Junko Sakurada and Masako Mori.

At 13 years old, Masako Mori secured her place as the inaugural "Star Tanjo" grand champion in 1971. The following year, she debuted under Hori Production and swiftly soared to success. Mori's music was deeply influenced by enka, and by the close of the decade, she had solidified her status as a fully-fledged enka star. In 1986, she tied the knot with enka superstar Shinichi Mori, leading her to retire from the entertainment scene. However, in 2005, following her divorce, the former idol made a comeback, embarking on tours and participating in TV dramas for a few years before ultimately deciding to bid farewell to her career once more on her 60th birthday in 2019. Notably, she shares three children with Shinichi Mori, including TAKA, the lead vocalist of the popular rock band ONE OK ROCK.

Junko Sakurada clinched victory at "Star Tanjo" in 1972 at 14. Subsequently, she signed with Sun Music agency and Victor Music, marking her official debut in February 1973 with the release of "Tenshi mo yumemiru" (Angels Also Have Dreams). Given their similar age, niche, and close debut dates, the industry and some fans pitted her against Momoe Yamaguchi despite their behind-the-scenes friendship. Both idols enjoyed substantial popularity, with Yamaguchi usually holding an edge in sales. The exception was in 1975 when Junpei, as fans affectionately knew her, dominated as the best-selling female idol in music and bromide sales.

In addition to her music career, Junko excelled as an actress. In 1983, she opted to conclude her singing career to dedicate herself solely to acting. A decade later, in 1993, the former idol shocked Japan by announcing her participation in a mass wedding ceremony organized by the controversial South Korean Unification Church at the Olympic Stadium in Seoul. Her husband had been chosen for her by the church.

Her association with the cult brought her career to an abrupt halt. With her image becoming closely linked to the church, TV networks and advertisers distanced themselves from her. Consequently, Junko relocated from Tokyo, devoting herself entirely to her faith and family. Since then, she has made a few comebacks. In 2006, she published a highly-publicized essay book, and in 2013, she celebrated the 40th anniversary of her debut with a special concert. In 2017 and 2018, she returned to the stage, coinciding with her musical comeback and the release of a new album, "My Ideology."

After this project, Junko has remained out of the spotlight, with an official return unlikely unless she completely renounces her ties with the United Church. The cult's controversial image became even more repellent following the murder of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in July, committed by a young man who attributed his family's financial and psychological turmoil to the church. Consequently, the cult's unethical financial practices and ties to the ruling Liberal Democratic Party have become widely discussed topics in the country. For Junko Sakurada, her affiliation with the cult has overshadowed her otherwise successful decades-long career.

Completing the trio alongside Junko and Masako was Momoe Yamaguchi. Although Yamaguchi's career has eclipsed that of almost every other idol of the 1970s, she initially experienced the least success among the three young girls. Unlike her peers, both of whom had claimed grand champion titles at "Star Tanjou!," Momoe secured second place at her final showcase. Moreover, her debut single was the poorest-selling among the trio. However, she would ultimately emerge as the definitive idol, and her retirement would serve as the perfect conclusion to an epoch-making career.

While Momoe, Junko, Masako, Mari, Agnes, Rumiko, and Saori, among others, collectively set an impressive precedent for future female idols, male idols also played a significant role in the era. In terms of profitability, male idols reigned supreme, thanks to the unwavering loyalty of their female fanbase. Johnny Kitagawa, the late founder of Johnny's Jimusho, would eventually become the most influential figure in the entertainment industry by monopolizing this niche for decades with his boybands.

However, during the 1970s, Kitagawa was just one among many. Although his agency achieved considerable success with the boyband Four Leaves, it was soloist Hiromi Go who briefly held the nation under his sway between 1973 and 1974. Unfortunately for Kitagawa, this period of dominance proved fleeting, as Go departed for another agency in 1976, signaling that Johnny Kitagawa still had much to accomplish to solidify his authority.

With Johnny's domination still on the horizon, Hideki Saijo emerged as the most influential male idol of the 1970s. Saijo enjoyed success with several hit singles, including the ballad "Chigireta Ai," released in 1973, and 1979's "Young Man," a cover of Village People's "Y.M.C.A." Demonstrating the power of devoted fangirls, Saijo became the first domestic solo artist to perform a concert at Nippon Budokan. His popularity quickly transcended the Budokan, propelling him to the status of a stadium headliner and solidifying his position as the decade's top concert ticket seller.

The loyalty of fangirls meant that male idols consistently outperformed any act in ticket sales. In the 1960s, The Tigers, considered one of the pioneers of the "group sound" movement and regarded by many as Japan's first idol group, became the first domestic act to hold a stadium concert. By the following decade, the "group sound" era had ended, but some former band members successfully transitioned into solo careers.

Kenji Sawada and Hideki Saijo, the two stadium-selling male idol superstars from the 80s.

Kenji Sawada, the former lead vocalist of The Tigers, remained a constant presence on the charts throughout the 1970s. Under the guidance of the influential Watanabe Pro agency, Sawada succeeded as a singer and actor. He brought a rockstar aura to his performances, incorporating impactful and extravagant visual elements and pioneering the use of makeup, drawing inspiration from David Bowie and glam rockers. In doing so, Sawada laid the groundwork for visual kei, a movement that would revolutionize Japanese rock in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Nicknamed "Julie" since his early days in the 1960s due to his admiration for Julie Andrews, Sawada continues to thrive as a prominent music figure in Japan, one of the few stars from that era still capable of selling out stadiums.

While girls' adoration often paves the way for male idols to enjoy lengthy careers, there are exceptions to this rule. In 1974, Finger 5 became one of the best-selling idol groups in the country. Comprising five young brothers from Okinawa, they were marketed as Japan's response to the Jackson 5 and consistently churned out hit singles. However, just two years later, their popularity took a nosedive. Several factors contributed to this decline, notably their heavy reliance on the two youngest members, aged only 10 and 12. These youngsters not only grappled with exhaustion from relentless work schedules but also faced the challenges of puberty, causing their voices to change and preventing them from hitting the right notes in their songs. Consequently, Finger 5 lost its appeal.

Finger 5's brief career underscores a crucial aspect of the idol industry: the importance of youthfulness. In Japan's gender-biased society, some male idols from the 1970s were granted the opportunity to age gracefully, evidenced by a few who maintained success well into their 60s and 70s. In contrast, female idols invariably confronted the pressures and inevitable decline associated with aging.

This brings us back to the quintessential idol of that era, Momoe Yamaguchi. By choosing to retire and steadfastly resisting any temptation to reenter the public eye, Yamaguchi effectively became frozen in time at 21 years old, her age at the moment she bid farewell to both showbiz and the public. This solidified her status as a legendary and unattainable icon—an idol who never aged.

70s Japan Trends Through the Music Charts (Part 3)

#enka #kayokyoku #momoe yamaguchi #70s japan #1970s #japanese music #jpop #discover japan #heibon punch #kenji sawada #hideki seiji #junko sakurada #70s idols #finger 5 #mari tenchi #rumiko koyanagi #saori minami #four leaves #hiromi go

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dojae-huh · 5 months

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aaah.....look who is here....huh nim ....I bet u missed a lot of ask of curious fans...haha...but seriously I was really waiting for u to ask about 2 things when they happened....but that's all resolved somehow...one was when dy proposed the no solo show on this concert....but it's ok..there is no point in asking y ppl got mad in that..coz everyone get either mad or happy for what he says...secondly it was about the ty nd some other idols controversy abt some anime or manga I guess...still I am not chilled after what happnd..

Firstly I am not ty biased...still I pitied him for having some foolish fans who hated him for nothing....I mean there are lot of dark anime nd mangas out there..nd ppl reading it..some ppl like the story nd others dont..in some story there is brutal murders, rapes nd lot worse things that happening to innocent ppl including womens nd childrens...but reading it nd recommending it doesnt mean that they enjoyed all the brutality nd like child abuse?? Does that make any sense. .....for eg..take AOT...there titan kills lot of ppl very brutally, including childrens...if recommend it does that mean I enjoyed all the killings?? My god...come on...r we living in 60s???

Fortunately Ty had the censord versions of manga so he got out of that shitty claim of enjoying child abuse...otherwise his career qould have ended before his enlistment..but he got lot of backlashes nd death threats. ..that's so unfair...

Isn't the time the best issue solver? Heh.

I'm actually thinking of reading the uncensored version of that manga even if the art style is not my cup of tea. The plot says it is about an orphaned girl who went to look for her mother and travels with a robot in a scary dangerous world called Abyss. I'd like to find out why it won awards, got animated movies and was translated into other langauges (censoring is a lot of work, the plot should be interesting and sellable for Korean editors to go through the trouble).

The antis who created the controversy in the first place and those who run with it are hypocrites. They try to destroy a person's life over a photograph and fictional story. Whatever is in the manga is fake, not real, printed in ink on paper, it is sold with a warning label. The antis act in real world, try to harm real people, bring distress to real fans of idols, they are the ones who do evil, not the readers of the manga.

Taeyong will go into the military soon. He will be taught how to fire guns and throw grenades. He will be trained for a potentional job of killing other people (in case North Korea attacks). And "fans" pretend that an adult reading gore manga in his leasure time is something to get nauseous about. No, it's just bullies bullying or narcissists thriving on making other people suffer emotionally.

Forget Japanese manga. Let's start with video games like shooters and super hero series, were the "good guys" kill left and right. Last time I checked, League of Legends had some child-looking champions that were to be maimed as everyone else. And wasn't Harry Potter a minor when he was tortured with Dark spells? This "Made in Abyss" thing is yet another case of antis and click-bait sites making a fuss over cooked up "problematic behavour" to gain some profit. Just stick some trigger words, point fingers, and the job is done. The fans will do the rest trying to "fix things", actually being the vectors of spreading the lies.

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barefootblogger-france · 1 year

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The Postman's Palace

The Postman's Palace is a true story about a rural French postman who created a masterpiece of naive art, made from found stones and objects, to honor his love for his ailing daughter.

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#american expat in Uzes #american living in france #European architecture #expat in Uzes #expat over 60 #female expat living in Uzes #female travel blog #female traveler #France #French cuisine #inspiring travel over 60 #live abroad over 60 #over 60 solo travel #visit france

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thecitizenseven · 1 year

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Tips to enjoy the best Tours for seniors travelling alone

The advantages of travel, whether it’s a refreshing end of the week or an extended trip to another destination, are undeniable. Furthermore, for retired people or seniors who have time and a travel financial plan, the potential opportunities are almost unending. The world and, surprisingly, their city, state, or nation are ready to be investigated.

#Tour company reviews #solo travel packages #travelling across the world #local tour companies #single travel groups over 60 #singles vacations packages

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gdmbrwiththerealcrew · 10 months

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Day 1 - Thursday, June 29th

5:15am. Jump out of bed, shower, wake up Diane, grab bite to eat, a cup of tea, and on our way out the door we texted the boys to see if they wanted us to pick up breakfast. Tim Hortons (McDonald’s & Duncan Donuts combination) was our first stop. Four “egg McMuffins”, four hash browns, four coffees, and a dozen donuts. Power breakfast for the upcoming event

We arrived at the AirBnB just before 7am to find everyone awake and busy. Jose had assembled David’s bike and was ready to pull Ed’s together. We worked for the next 2+ hours to get everything in order. Packed and ready to go by about 9:45am we had one more stop before we could get on the road.

Pulling it all together before we ride in an hour!

Before I get to that, we all want to say thanks to Diane for helping us get ready to go. It’s very much appreciated.

That one more stop was to a bike shop in Banff. Ed and I went ahead to get a potential issue with his shifting checked. All was good. Jose had done an excellent job of assembling the bikes! Ed and I rolled out to Main Street for a couple of pictures and off we went.

Departure from downtown Banff.

Our route took us through town over to the Banff Springs Hotel to the Spray Lake Trail. Of course we had to stop for pictures as we reached the trailhead. There, we met a couple that was going to ride the full route (2700 miles) on a tandem bike with their dog. They planned to blog the trip from the dog’s point of view! They also had a nun with them to bless their departure. She was good enough to do the same for us. Thanks to Jose for asking her for the blessing. It was good to start our trip on a positive note.

Thanks for the blessing sister!

The official starting point.

Our trail out, the Spray Lake Trail, was a 10 foot wide trail that went up and down through the woods along the Bow River. The riding surface varied from smooth, covered with pine needles to rocky and potholed.

spray Lake is really quite large but the mountains are larger.

We sensed that there was a view beyond the trees but, initially, the forest hide the mountains. Once we started getting clear views of the mountains around us we knew why we made this trip. Wow! was said by each of us with every new view.

The first of many great views.

About 10 miles down the road we stopped to talk to the first of many people riding the GDMBR. He was a New Zealander who was quite philosophical about the 2700 miles he just covered. He said he learned that “it’s bigger than him”. He was also amazed by the lighting, hail, and mud that he experienced. When asked about his thoughts on finishing in just an hour or so, he looked at as blankly and moved on.

Fifteen miles later we popped off the Spray Lake Trail and grabbed some lunch from out of our bags while we filtered drinking water. When we finished we got onto a well traveled gravel road that would make up most of our remaining 38 miles. Again the road surface was varied . We pedaled over smooth roads, over washboards, around potholes, and through clouds of dust put up by passing cars.

Jose with a gorgeous view!

The long and dusty road!

But along the way we met several riders going in our direction. The first, Dave, a guy in his 60s, had just started in Banff and was doing the full ride solo. He wanted to stop and camp on the west side of Spray Lake but couldn’t due to significant bear activity. We went on the cross paths a couple more times.

Around 20 miles into our day we met Dave and Brad, a carpenter and an avalanche remediation guy, respectively. They were going to spend the next 40 days or so doing the full ride.

As good a place as any to meet other riders!

A few hours later, we met them again as we all shared a privy for protection from a heavy rain and lightning that passed through the area.

Shelter from the storm

When we came off the gravel road we came into an area with several campgrounds. We checked into each to see if they had space but all were full for the upcoming Canada Day weekend. We were exhausted and wanted to stop.

We grabbed Gatorades in the C-store in the second campground. We desperately needed the electrolytes and something cold. The day was just getting too long.

We finally pulled into the campground where we had a reservation and found our spot. We went to work setting up our tents when the camp host pulled up to check us in. After a little negotiation over us having one too many tents on the site, we set out to eat dinner and then enjoy a little bourbon.

Looking back on the day, we worked hard for the views that we saw. Our overall mileage on day 1 was greater than 55 miles with almost 4k of climbing. We spent 8 hours riding with 11 hours on the road. Definitely a tough first day considering the airline delays and the time change.

The late start and the difficulty of the terrain sucked out all of our energy on Day 1. We will have to see how this day affects our first few days. Yes, the gent from New Zealand was right… it’s bigger than me!

Ride stats:

Miles ridden: 55.62

Elevation gain: 3,745 ft

Max elevation: 6,249 ft

Start time: 10:05am

Moving time: 6:33:34

Elapsed time: 10:04:15

Ave speed: 8.5 mph

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wandringaesthetic · 1 year

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A LOT OF WORDS REGARDING VANA’DIEL

How to talk about Final Fantasy XI.

How to start. I could go over my history with the Final Fantasy series (long, boring).

I could say why I didn’t play this game and its expansions at the time of their release (I was in high school and college and a) there was no way I was going to be able to talk my parents into letting me play a game that had a subscription fee and b) I know myself well enough to know that there was a real risk of me getting addicted to an MMO and flunking out of college).

I could say why I’m playing it now (after getting through the Extremely Daunting Task of every Final Fantasy XIV expansion, it’s the only main series Final Fantasy I haven’t beaten).

A key to understanding and enjoying any Final Fantasy game is to not expect it to play like any other Final Fantasy game. To take it on its own terms. I think some gamers and fans have trouble doing this with the weirder games in the series, which definitely includes XI. Yet. I don’t think I CAN play Final Fantasy XI on its own terms, because to truly play it on its own terms would mean to play it as it existed in the early 2000s.

The theme I hear over and over from people who played this game in its heyday is that because the game itself was so hostile to players, because it was so easy to die in the field, because directions for quests were so vague, the community within it was very strong. It was more or less impossible to play without help and guidance. Even making it beyond the first levels, or to the edge of the very first areas surrounding the starting towns, meant joining up with other adventurers.

Playing in 2022 and 2023, several quality of life improvements have been made. Or, well, attempted improvements. I don’t know exactly when any of these things came into being or WHEN any of them were added, and I’m probably unaware of or discounting the impact of some changes. The leveling curve is much less steep. There are “trusts,” summonable NPCs that you can use to assist you through nearly all content, so that you can solo all (or almost all—I’ve not hit a brick wall yet) of the main scenario solo. You can fast travel. Since I didn’t play in its heyday, I’m not clear if originally there was NO teleportation, or if there were only the crystal “home point” warps in towns and before major boss battles. In any case, an additional network of teleportation was added in Adventurers’ Guides – floating books in towns, some dungeons and some field areas. If you play a little ways into Rhapsodies of Vana’diel, warping between home points is made SIGNIFICANTLY cheaper, reduced from an original 5000 gil to a mere 200, and RoV also gives you several multipliers to EXP gained.

In summary FFXI used to have a VERY STEEP LEVEL GRIND and traveling in the game used to be a REAL PAIN IN THE ASS. TO THIS DAY the leveling curve still starts feeling kinda steep about level 60 or so even WITH all the boosts. And Travel is STILL a pain in the ass.

And. Oh gosh. Your inventory is TINY. You start off with 30 slots. Your equipment could be taking up as much as 16 of those slots. You get a little room in a little house with a personal moogle servant who stores your stuff pretty early on, and you can expand your inventory through a quest line that involves item collection and goblins. But that early limitation is brutal. Especially since, as I’ve found out, several randomly dropped items I’ve sold or discarded in order to keep them from jamming up my inventory have turned out to be necessary or useful for later questlines.

(FINAL FANTASY I. Had a 32 slot inventory. On the NES. Which didn’t include your equippable weapons and armor, which were in a different menu)

This game, by the way, is not interested in explaining anything to you. Make a character. Great! You’re a catgirl! Get adventuring.

Uh??

This was bad enough when the game was released. Over 20 years after its release, with several new design features with competing philosophies stacked on top of it, it’s incredibly overwhelming. There are multiple systems of points and currencies. The method for targeting, for speaking to an NPC or attacking an enemy (tab through every possible target in front of you) is not intuitive. In order to give an NPC an item, you have to initiate a trade with them. That’s in your menu, which there are two pages of, with important things on both pages. It’s not immediately obvious how to OPEN that menu.

In short, the first couple of hours of playing this game are going to be the worst time you have with it. In fact, the first time I played this game, I made a character, walked around town a little bit, couldn’t figure out how to so much as talk to an NPC, shut down the game and did not come back.

And this is without even MENTIONING the PlayOnline launcher, which is another (unnecessary) layer of complexity on top of all this nonsense.

I’ve been playing on Asura, which is in the year of our lord 2023 is Final Fantasy XI’s most populated majority English language server.

POPULATED BY BOTS I MEAN.

Even in 2023 Vana’diel is by no means a ghost town. I don’t have a good idea of what most long-term players are doing here, but there are characters running around and standing around cities. There are people selling things at the auction house. Nearly everything I’ve looked for at the auction house I’ve managed to find, though not always for a price I wanted to pay for it. Further afield, it’s sparse, but one does encounter other players occasionally, especially in areas where one can spawn and fight NMs—"notorious monsters.”

But also, the /shout and /say channels in any city are so jammed by offers for real money transactions that I eventually just turned them off so they didn’t display. Catch me in Vana’diel and you’re going to have to whisper in my ear.

I’ve played almost 100% by myself. I joined up with another player just once while we were both doing the same quest (in which we had to dip an orb into various pools so that we could use it to pass through a magical barrier) and I’m not sure that we helped each other more than we hindered each other.

Which means I’m playing a very different game than the one those who played in its heyday did, to the extent that I wonder if I’m meaningfully playing it at all.

Occasionally someone says a Final Fantasy game “plays itself” or that it’s “press X to win.” That’s a common criticism of XII—where it’s somewhat true, but only after you’ve finely honed your characters’ programming with a complex string of if->then statements in the menus. It’s surface level true of XIII, where yes, the most efficient way to play is to let the game auto-select a set of actions, based on a set of roles, which, to play effectively, you’ll need to switch around multiple times in more challenging battles, finding useful combinations and adapting as the situation changes. There is certainly an element of strategy in both of these games.

If you’re playing FFXI with trusts we are veering very very close to “press X to win” for real, or at least “press tab and enter and wait a while to win.” As I understand it, much of the strategy of XI when playing with real people was in coordinating with each other and lining up skill chains. I won’t explain exactly how that works, but suffice it to say your trust NPCs do it automatically.

I’ve been playing XI as a tarutaru thief. I wanted something different—conceptually, mechanically, aesthetically--than my FFXIV elezen White Mage. While not a huge damage dealer, thief has been useful for the steal ability and abilities that enhance the rate of various item drops. Combat my trusts mostly handle for me. I’ve had a couple of hairy moments, like the segments of the original release’s final boss where it’s immune to either physical or magical damage. My trusts eventually took it out, but I’m certain real humans could have done it much faster. I’ve not yet met a challenge that wasn’t solved by leveling up a bit more.

Trusts are rather like XII’s characters except their programming is hardwired. In fact, XII is probably the non-online Final Fantasy installment that XI has the most kinship with. Like XII, it also has large, labyrinthine dungeons. Dungeons that sometimes connect to other large, labyrinthine dungeons that you will probably not be able to explore much of the first time the plot takes you there, because there will be monsters that will one shot KO you.

In most games, encountering aggressive monsters that can one-shot KO you would be a message to leave here and come back later. Not in FFXI, though! Avoiding monsters altogether is a big part of navigation in this game. If you’re around the same level as the monsters, you can fight them for EXP, but even in that felicitous case, you rarely want to fight your way through a whole (like I said, labyrinthine) dungeon. If you’re sufficiently well-leveled, monsters will ignore you. But in most cases you’re going to be casting spells or using items that make you invisible and silent.

But in order to go through a door or use a teleporter, you’re going to have to take those status effects off. So you better have a lot of those prism powders and silent oils on hand. In your tiny inventory.

At this point, every dungeon becomes a glorified maze. A maze with interesting wallpaper. A maze populated with monsters that don’t react to you. A series of rooms you have to track through in order to get to the next series of rooms.

Looking over my shoulder, my partner asked “Is this game just walking?”

Yeah! Pretty much!

As I’ve been playing FFXI, I’ve been meditating on what a game even IS. Especially on what an RPG is, in this case including things like tabletop RPGs and board games and collectable card games. Gacha games, even. What importance does the theming have? What importance do the numbers have? Is winning simply a matter of putting more time and/or money into the game? Wipe away Vana’diel. Wipe away the elvaan and the tarutaru and the beastmen. Wipe away Altana and Promathia. What is there left? Whence the game? What challenges am I facing? Who or what am I playing against?

I eventually reached the conclusion that I’m playing against the game itself. That I’m enduring past various infuriating time-wasting and awkward mechanics and the surfeit of currencies and key items and terms. I’m seeking help, like the players of the 2000s did, but instead of finding it in the other adventurers on the linkshell I’m finding it in the players that came before me and wrote the wiki articles. The game is seeking and finding the information I need in order to continue.

I occasionally wonder if I possess the context with which to judge this game. I’ve only played one other MMORPG and that’s FFXIV, its direct descendent. I don’t know how FFXI felt in the context of its time. I know GAMES of that era. I know Final Fantasy games of that era. I don’t know other MMORPGs. I don’t know if I’m being unfair. I know I’m playing something very different than what people played at this game’s peak, but from everything I’ve heard and understood, Final Fantasy XI at its peak is a game I would have liked even less than I like Final Fantasy XI in 2022 and 2023. It’s probably not a game I would have stuck with after the free trial.

So, listen. I don’t like this game. I think that’s clear. But I don’t want you to come away with the idea that I HATE this game. I feel a weird responsibility toward it. I am treading in places few fans of the series actually tread. I am treading in places I can’t in good conscience RECOMMEND anyone tread. I am treading in places it is cost prohibitive, in terms of both money and time, to tread.

Will you believe me if I tell you that Vana’diel is beautiful? The plot is just okay, but it’s enough to establish a plausible Fantasy Political Situation for the four nations and Beyond. Good backdrop to write your own adventure on.

But what is really here is Art Direction.

Ironically, with my disposition that overall Final Fantasy XI is A Giant Waste Of My Time, the times when it feels the best to me have been when I’m level grinding. Wandering just that little bit further afield. Seeing what’s on the next screen. Seeing whether I can take the monsters in the next area. Pushing the boundaries. Exploring.

The world was lovingly built and the structures within it show that. There’s a dungeon full of bird-type beastmen that looks like it’s made of terracotta. I feel like I know what the walls feel like. I feel like I know what it SMELLS like. Greatest of all is the Crystal Line, a giant set of conduits that span the world. An ancient civilization used it to harness the power of the world’s elemental crystals. The crystal line is not explained to the player until pretty deep in the plot (or if it was, I wasn’t paying attention), but the player sees it, out in the field. It stretches everywhere. The game says it’s made of cermet—a ceramic-metal composite, but I initially thought it was made of bone. The “crags” that form its endpoints look like alien teeth. It looks like the remains of the spine of some impossibly large creature. A dragon, perhaps. Ghost and “weapon” type enemies stalk near it in all of the maps where it appears, adding to the idea that it is somehow cursed. When you find that some of the beastmen have blasted their way through it to supercharge “magicite” within these conduits, even without actually knowing what the Crystal Line is, breaking into it by force feels like inviting the worst sort of bad juju. It all adds up to incredibly effective environmental storytelling.

In Rise of Zilart, Chains of Promathia, and beyond, the game becomes truly gorgeous. With the reminder that this game ran on the PS2, the expansions of FFXI are some of the best looking stuff on that console. The environments become more lush. The cutscenes become more cinematic. The outfits get more detailed. The monsters get more animated. The characters start looking like Luzaf, my beloved.

Something like a third of the way into Wings of the Goddess I am liking but not loving the plot, and ironically, the more the game Tries in terms of gameplay (go here! Go here! Find these items! Plant this tree in the past to harvest it in the future! Do this minigame!) the more irritating it becomes.

When will I consider myself Done with Final Fantasy XI? I once counted myself Done with Final Fantasy XIV when the credits rolled on A Realm Reborn (the first time). I was wrong.

I had the goal of finishing this game before this summer so that I will have Beaten Every Final Fantasy Game for at least a few minutes before FFXVI comes out this June. More importantly, I would like to stop paying the subscription fee.

Do I do Seekers of Adoulin? Abyssea? The mini scenarios? The main plot is arguably just ONE of the things there is to do in Final Fantasy XI. Not more or less important than several other pursuits.

I think I have to get to the credits of Rhapsodies of Vana’diel. The main guide I’m using is titled “Quickstart 1-119 Guide.” Perhaps when I get there I will have only just begun.

#final fantasy xi #I could have complained about things for about another 1000 words #final fantasy

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