GlennMagusHarvey @ GlennMagusHarvey @mander.xyz

A person interested in nature, science, sustainability, music, and videogam

---

Read more

Posts

1

Comments

61

Joined

2 yr. ago

How many social credit points do I lose if I refer to bamboo products as "wood" outside of botany nerd circles?

Isn't that just "hosed"?

Talk about invasive species!

"Frickin' beautiful."

Time to post one of my favorite songs:

https://youtu.be/PKQPey6L42M

("Da Coconut Nut", by Ryan Cayabyab. This version is probably the one performed by his group, Smokey Mountain.)

This song reminds us that the coconut is not a nut; it is the fruit of the cocopalm.

Thanks for the encouragement to just jump in and do stuff, gaming and otherwise.

I've found myself having a hard time finding dedicated time to play games (i.e. without worrying about something else "over my shoulder") and I've also found myself seemingly unable to "learn" new genres of games despite my wanting to get into them (so I often end up playing genres I'm already familiar with). I suspect these are related, and I also suspect that just jumping in and doing stuff more spontaneously will probably help improve things.

Congratulations!

Math majors: "Duh."

Non-math majors: "And then a miracle occurs..."

Update: the city of Plantation has just added an event!

Project: City of Plantation note: only covers Plantation Preserve Linear Trail and Golf Course special event: September 9, 9am ~ 11am

Again, note that the project covers the whole month, even though the special event is on a particular day.

Oh, you might already know this but I just wanted to mention that there's City Nature Challenge in May, which is also a BioBlitz run in a bunch of different places (similar to the Parks for Pollinators event in that regard).

Yeah, there's a variety of BioBlitz events; this one just happens to be one of the bigger sets of events.

And thanks for the extra info!

oh snap, this is actually legit good

Yeah, N64/PS1 era was when the industry started pushing 3D games hard, and it really feels like the beginning of the modern era to me too.

Sorry I just spouted a lot about it by accident, haha.

To be clear, I don't mind if you don't like it. :)

Your reply made me go wiki-walk the fandom wiki for Yona of the Dawn...and remember some of the more dramatic moments, the memory of which nearly brought tears to my eyes. Indeed, it's excellent.

Cross Ange is...quite different an experience, to say the least. Its "fanservice" -- more like sexual elements, more generally -- is integrated into its plot, with at least some of it an intentional portrayal of the demeaning circumstances that horrible people force onto others. More generally, the show doesn't at all shy away from particularly harsh storytelling, themes, and social commentary. In stark contrast to the subtleties and elegance of Yona of the Dawn, Cross Ange's storytelling takes a more aggressive, uncompromising, and at times savage style. The result is a much more viscerally emotional experience, which I'll admit isn't everyone's cup of tea. Opinions on it vary between those that hate it, those that think it's hot garbage but ironically awesome, and those (like myself) that unironically think it's an excellent work.

I seem to just pick up things I'm curious about rather randomly -- usually my interest is inspired by some art or music I think seems neat, so then I later go check it out and if I don't mind the premise I throw it into my want-to-watch list.

For recommendations, I find recommendations from friends and with some description (what it is or why it's relevant to me) are the most effective.

Nowadays though my want-to-watch list is just so gigantic I am a little afraid to check out more stuff.

You got me thinking of what I'd put in such a list, drawing from what I've watched.

2010: Angel Beats
\ 2011: The iDOLM@STER
\ 2012: Rinne no Lagrange, probably
\ 2013: Tie between Arpeggio of Blue Steel and Beyond the Boundary, with a shout-out to Symphogear G
\ 2014: Tie between Yona of the Dawn and Cross Ange, with a shout-out to Chaika the Coffin Princess
\ 2015: Seraph of the End, probably
\ 2016: A Silent Voice, with shout-outs to Four Rhythm Across the Blue and ViVid Strike
\ 2017: Kemono Friends, with shout-outs to Gabriel DropOut and Maidragon
\ 2018: Tie between Beatless and Yuru Camp
\ 2019: The Price of Smiles

I don't watch stuff as it airs, and so these might change as I watch more stuff -- I've got a huge want-to-watch list with shows from this decade I've been reminded to watch. And also I noticed that I watched a lot of shows from the middle of this decade, but less from the beginning and end, for whatever reason.

I'll echo the recommendation of Neon Genesis Evangelion, particularly if you're looking for a story with insight into the psychological condition and experiences of the protagonist.

If you're in the mood to ponder other ideas philosophically, you may want to try Time of Eve (Eve no Jikan), Plastic Memories, and Beatless. All of them are stories involving androids, but they explore different concepts. Time of Eve explores issues of identity and presentation (in some ways that are surprisingly salient today), Plastic Memories explores end-of-life considerations, and Beatless explores the roles of AI in the future of human society.

For a couple series with dystopian futures, consider Coppelion and Planetarian. Coppelion is about people who venture into the highly radioactive ruins of Tokyo after a nuclear accident; its visual style deliberately makes use of washed-out colors. Planetarian is about a scrap collector who ventures into a ruined city only to encounter an android who seems oblivious of the ruins around her; her wordy and oblivious optimism contrasts sharply with his cynicism, in this relatively short and also somewhat philosophical anime series. (It's also available in the form of a visual novel.)

For something more action-packed, there's Guilty Crown and the Symphogear series. Guilty Crown seems to have some polarizing opinions, though not for lack of effort in the production -- it's quite a spectacle, visually and musically, and it was definitely meant to go big. On one hand I felt disappointed by it but on the other hand I also feel like I really wanted to like it. As with any show, though, you should be forming your opinion of things anyway.

For drama, I'd suggest The Price of Smiles (Egao no Daika) and StrAIn: Strategic Armored Infantry (Soukou no Strain). Both of them revolve around war and associated tragedies, but in settings with futuristic combat mechs and other technological advancements. The latter takes place in space.

For something with a brighter but still futuristic vibe, try Stellvia of the Universe (Uchuu no Stellvia). Here's a story about high school in space, with all the laughs, goofs, friendship, smiles, and even romance, as well as interpersonal drama and expectations -- particularly heavy expectations at that. As a point of trivia, it's pretty neat that the main character specializes in programming.

Edit: I wanted to throw in one more recommendation, the Nanoha series. This is a magical girl series that's renowned for incorporating Gundam-inspired magitech elements, particularly in the various magical abilities the characters use. It's also got both drama and positive vibes. Good for an affirmation of the power of friendship, backed up by a big stick!

Yona of the Dawn (Akatsuki no Yona) is fantastic. It's a two-cour adaptation of a fantasy story (with some inspiration from Korean history/myth I think?) with some coming-of-age undertones. While it didn't adapt the whole story, what it does have is still excellent.

IIRC it is a shoujo story, with the sorts of attractive male characters and suggestions of romance you might expect. But it's definitely appreciable even if you're not here for those things. There's the politics and intrigue, the drama and adventure of the journey, and the character development.

Incidentally, it actually aired during the same seasons as another two-cour series that partly shares its core premise -- Cross Ange. (And the composer for Cross Ange even wrote one of the theme songs for Yona, specifically ED2.) However, Cross Ange is a very different show, in tone, content, plot, and more. I also (unironically) consider it an excellent show with a gripping plot, but for rather different reasons. That said, if you specifically prefer to avoid sexual fanservice, this probably won't be your cup of tea, despite being a solid story in its own right.

I've generally found that avoiding the biggest crowds seems to also avoid some (though not all) of the worst behavior. More specialized subreddits, communities, and magazines tend to be more chill, and also more focused on their topics.