Flashfall's recent activity

  1. Comment on What have you been watching / reading this week? (Anime/Manga) in ~anime

    Flashfall
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    Have you read the latest work by the author of Red Hood? It's called Otr of the Flame, currently serialized in weekly jump. Feels like it's got more lore and runtime than Red Hood while keeping...

    Have you read the latest work by the author of Red Hood? It's called Otr of the Flame, currently serialized in weekly jump. Feels like it's got more lore and runtime than Red Hood while keeping the author's narrative style, though it's still far from a long-running series.

    1 vote

  2. Comment on What video games would you say have the best stories? Feel free to suggest more than one. in ~games

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    Red Dead Redemption 2, especially if you get the high honor ending. Arthur Morgan might be one of the most well written characters in gaming, though the rest of the van der Linde gang aren't...
    • Exemplary

    Red Dead Redemption 2, especially if you get the high honor ending. Arthur Morgan might be one of the most well written characters in gaming, though the rest of the van der Linde gang aren't lazily written at all by any measure. It's a real emotional journey to follow a man who struggles to hold his dysfunctional found family together while knowing there's no longer a place where they belong in the current age.

    All of the mainline Yakuza/Like a Dragon games are also great. Kiryu's a legendary character at this point but Ichiban, the protagonist of the 2 most recent titles, is also fantastic. The plots can be somewhat contrived at times and there's goofy things going on especially in the side stories, but they all tell a solid and emotional story in one way or another.

    18 votes

  3. Comment on Anime: Your personal year in review for 2025 in ~anime

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    Medalist - It's cute, it's wholesome, it's very inspiring, and it's getting another season this winter. Also kind of a surprise, had never heard of it nor read the manga before, but this is some...

    Medalist - It's cute, it's wholesome, it's very inspiring, and it's getting another season this winter. Also kind of a surprise, had never heard of it nor read the manga before, but this is some gourmet stuff.

    Call of the Night Season 2 - Better than I expected, it starts off kinda slow but redeems itself in the last few episodes when everything finally comes together. Would still say the absolute banger of an opening is doing half the work though, Creepy Nuts are legends.

    To Be Hero X - I don't really follow donghua but this one was highly recommended to me. The story itself is alright but the animation's really good. Like, mixing multiple styles even within the same episode, good looking 3D CG characters and movement, and it's all clean as hell. A fun and easy watch.

    City the Animation - I love Kyoani. I love Keiichi Arawi's humor and art style. I love Nichijou. This show is so much fun. They really go all out with the creativity in it too, you can FEEL the love.

    Dan Da Dan Season 2 - It's great how wacky this show can get while somehow still telling a cute and unforced high school romance. You can tell the director and animators were going all out on this one too. It's wild it aired at the same time as City, man that was a reaaally good season.

    Lazarus - Worth mentioning just because of Shinichiro Watanabe. Is it anything close to Cowboy Bebop in terms of storytelling, character development, or vibes? No. Is it still a good show? Yes, just not super memorable.

    3 votes

  4. Comment on Anime: Your personal year in review for 2025 in ~anime

    Flashfall
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    Somebody else knows this show exists?? It's been a while since I saw this one, but Kakushigoto was kind of charming and sad at times. Note that it's a comedy first so it'll have a lot of gags, but...

    Somali to Mori no Kami-sama

    Somebody else knows this show exists??

    It's been a while since I saw this one, but Kakushigoto was kind of charming and sad at times. Note that it's a comedy first so it'll have a lot of gags, but it's still a sweet story.

    2 votes

  5. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

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    Hopped back on Monster Hunter: Wilds after a half-year break to check out the performance improvements and Gogmazios and here's my impressions after a dozen hours and a decent number of hunts:...

    Hopped back on Monster Hunter: Wilds after a half-year break to check out the performance improvements and Gogmazios and here's my impressions after a dozen hours and a decent number of hunts:

    • Performance is definitely a little better than before on my machine (5600x, 3070, 32gb RAM), especially in the camps where it used to sometimes tank to below 20. Now it'll usually sit pretty solidly between 50-70 on mostly medium settings, which still isn't ideal but it's acceptable.

    • Gogmazios is a cool fight, pretty straightforward once you learn the mechanics of it though it's not hard to cart on it if you're careless or underprepared, especially if you're using a ranged weapon. Last phase gets pretty cinematic, a little slinger-heavy though.

    • Gogma artian upgrading adds yet another layer of RNG for min-maxing. On the one hand, it gives people super rare god rolls to chase. On the other hand, all the monster weapons are totally left in the dust. Artian IS the endgame, and even when the expansion rolls around I expect they'll have some upgrade for artian there too.

    • I still hate flying wyverns (swaxe main). Stupid rathalos land you dumb lizard, I only have so many flashpods to knock your ass to the ground.

    Also picked up The Alters on sale and I've got about a dozen hours in that too, currently mostly through Act 2. I'm enjoying the writing so far, mostly the interactions between the alters themselves. It's an interesting thought experiment, seeing how you'd interact with different versions of yourself that went down different paths in life, and I think the game does a reasonably good job of portraying that. As for the gameplay outside of the narrative stuff, it's a pretty simple but polished resource management game with a little bit of exploration and some hazards. It's definitely not for everyone but having put a lot of hours into Frostpunk 1 and 2, it suits me just fine.

    4 votes

  6. Comment on Half way through the 2020's. What's your favorite games so far? in ~games

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    Not particular ranking and not at all comprehensive but here's a few off the top of my head that stood out as particularly fun or special: Inscryption - It was short and the gameplay itself wasn't...

    Not particular ranking and not at all comprehensive but here's a few off the top of my head that stood out as particularly fun or special:

    Inscryption - It was short and the gameplay itself wasn't particularly challenging, but I really love the atmosphere and storytelling in this one. Does quite a bit in a relatively small space and remarkably few characters.

    Helldivers 2 - One of the most fun co-op games I've played hands down. It's just so easy to hop in with friends and end up goofing around even when you're trying to play seriously due to how ridiculous things can get, and the over the top satire theme hasn't gotten old yet.

    Warhammer 40K: Darktide - I was only really aware of 40k through some memes before I played this but this got me considerably more into the lore and books (not the tabletop though, that's too much for me). This is like the polar opposite of Helldivers, when you want to knuckle down and test the limits of your mechanical skill while under considerable duress, and maybe there's a tiny bit of teamwork sometimes.

    Elden Ring - My first actual FromSoft game and damn was it worth the tough boss fights. Just a real work of art in so many aspects, the lore, the environments, the characters, what a complete package this is.

    5 votes

  7. Comment on What have you been watching / reading this week? (Anime/Manga) in ~anime

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    Started a rewatch of The Ancient Magus' Bride while I wait for the absolutely stacked Winter 2026 season to start. I really love how magic is portrayed in this world: it feels very natural, as...

    Started a rewatch of The Ancient Magus' Bride while I wait for the absolutely stacked Winter 2026 season to start. I really love how magic is portrayed in this world: it feels very natural, as magical creatures, phenomena, and spells never feel immersion-breaking, but also believably interwoven into a modern world and society. Magic exists everywhere, even in cities with modern technology, but is invisible to those without the gift or training to perceive it. Mages and sorcerers aren't constantly training to become stronger and battling each other or facing off existential threats, but rather just deal with small magic-related requests as part of their day-to-day work, and otherwise live normal lives alongside everyone else. Magical creatures themselves simply exist like any other living beings do - they don't have to serve any purpose to drive the story forward, though a number of them do have useful powers that do help the protagonist. The soundtrack also puts in a huge amount of work to enhance the atmosphere - it makes brilliant use of piano, woodwinds, and strings in most scenes to convey playful, gentle, and somber moods, but when they break out a flashier scene then the brass gets to show off, but still in tandem with the other instruments to maintain that magical theme. There's some vocal tracks made just for certain scenes as well and I can't really describe how they fit accurately, but they're beautiful tracks that'll stick around either in your head or your heart.

    Also, I always watch this Christmas scene from Ping Pong the Animation every year. Even out of context you can sorta feel what's going on, it's a great scene from a great show.

    Merry Christmas, watch Ping Pong and Ancient Magus' Bride.

    2 votes

  8. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

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    Put another dozen hours or so into the Fractured Utopias DLC for Frostpunk 2 and now that I've tried out each of the new hubs and skill trees for all the factions I gotta say 11-bit did a good job...

    Put another dozen hours or so into the Fractured Utopias DLC for Frostpunk 2 and now that I've tried out each of the new hubs and skill trees for all the factions I gotta say 11-bit did a good job with this one. Just one faction's hub and skill tree can drastically change city planning and policy, but the fact that you can also invest in the opposing faction's hub and skill tree at the same time adds a whole extra layer of options and complexity since investing deep in one faction will inevitably anger and stall progress with the other, but both have huge potential benefits to take advantage of. Out of all the factions, the one that I had the most fun with was probably the Venturers (libertarian hyper capitalists basically), where my personal goal was to create an economic bubble by artificially driving up goods demand as much as possible. My approach on the run very quickly went from "I have a heatstamps problem" to "How can I make this a heatstamps problem", and true to life, you CAN solve most problems with overwhelming amounts of capital.

    Think I'm done with FP2 again til the next DLC comes out though, I've gotten way too much mileage out of it already. Title update 4 for Monster Hunter: Wilds recently dropped and supposedly they fixed some of the devastating performance issues, so maybe I'll shake the rust off my artian switch axe. Can't believe they're adding even more layers of RNG to artian weapons though, Capcom really wants people to be rolling the monhun slot machine forever.

    4 votes

  9. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

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    Still playing Arc Raiders, I've settled into a rhythm of very casually looting or doing easy trials solo, and then throwing away actually good gear in duos/trios with friends where kill-on-sight...

    Still playing Arc Raiders, I've settled into a rhythm of very casually looting or doing easy trials solo, and then throwing away actually good gear in duos/trios with friends where kill-on-sight is more or less the norm now. The expedition to wipe progress in exchange for some minor permanent boosts is coming up but I quite like having some decent blueprints and don't play enough to justify needing to get lucky with them again. There's another update coming tomorrow which will introduce a snowy weather condition, and I love snowy maps in post-apocalyptic settings (I still miss you Division 1 Survival) so that should be a good time.

    Also played some of the content in the Fractured Utopias DLC for Frostpunk 2, which adds a fair bit of content to the endless Utopia mode of the game by giving every faction its own progression tree and hub building which can drastically alter the way you develop your city. I admit I wasn't expecting much since I went through the trouble of getting all the achievements prior to this update but it's actually pretty refreshing.

    3 votes

  10. Comment on Highguard | Official reveal trailer in ~games

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    Not gonna lie, I was initially a little excited when they were showcasing gunplay, movement, and abilities against PVE enemies. Was giving off some Destiny vibes, which wouldn't be an unwelcome...

    Not gonna lie, I was initially a little excited when they were showcasing gunplay, movement, and abilities against PVE enemies. Was giving off some Destiny vibes, which wouldn't be an unwelcome thing seeing as how Bungie is just unravelling right now. Then the arena shooter gameplay started and I instantly lost all interest. I hope they find some success in such a brutally competitive genre but I won't be following this one at all.

  11. Comment on Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 becomes first indie game to win Game of the Year at The Game Awards in ~games

    Flashfall
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    Hey, at least it won Best Action/Adventure game. KC:D2 didn't even have a chance since E33 was nominated for Best RPG too.

    Hey, at least it won Best Action/Adventure game. KC:D2 didn't even have a chance since E33 was nominated for Best RPG too.

    2 votes

  12. Comment on What have you been watching / reading this week? (Anime/Manga) in ~anime

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    Binged the entirety of the Medalist anime in 2 days and it's one of the more inspiring and wholesome stories I've watched lately, following a former ice dancer slightly past his prime coaching a...

    Binged the entirety of the Medalist anime in 2 days and it's one of the more inspiring and wholesome stories I've watched lately, following a former ice dancer slightly past his prime coaching a young girl who is determined to become a figure skater despite being several years past prime starting age (which apparently is 5 years old, that's crazy to me). There's even a very wholesome story with the creation of the anime itself - the mangaka, Tsurumaikada, is a big fan of the voice actor Natsumi Haruse and tweeted back in 2018, "I would also like to draw a figure skating manga that would someday be made into an anime, and have Natsumi Haruse play the main role!", and sure enough, she is the VA for the main role. On top of that, apparently the manga is also Kenshi Yonezu's favorite manga, so he offered to create the opening song for the anime, which is an absolute banger. ON TOP OF THAT, Yuzuru Hanyu, one of the greatest figure skaters of all time, is also both a long-time fan of Kenshi Yonezu and a fan of the manga, so he offered to skate in the MV for the song, and even created and skated a short program with it.

    Highly recommend this one, though there is some use of 3D CGI models during skating sequences. I personally think it's done well enough to not detract from the experience but some folks just have real high standards for that kinda thing. The second season is also going to start airing in January next year so you won't have to wait long to continue where season 1 leaves off.

    3 votes

  13. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    Flashfall
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    I think this has a lot more to do with the kinds of games each person actually looks for rather than the gaming landscape as a whole. For people looking for games with action and progression those...

    It made me think about the way games are being made these days. Why does every single game need to have talents and buildings and farming and all that?

    I think this has a lot more to do with the kinds of games each person actually looks for rather than the gaming landscape as a whole. For people looking for games with action and progression those elements are basically a given since they're very clear upgrades and goals for players to work towards. For someone that's interested in a completely different genre, like very casual cozy or puzzle games, these things rarely show up or if they do they're never the main focus.

    2 votes

  14. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    Flashfall
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    Oh yeah, the real peak "PVE" player experience is getting a solid loot run in, maybe teaming up with a few other friendlies, then surviving and escaping an ambush from other players during...

    Oh yeah, the real peak "PVE" player experience is getting a solid loot run in, maybe teaming up with a few other friendlies, then surviving and escaping an ambush from other players during extract. Gives you a taste of everything the game has to offer without anyone being scummy or toxic. I remember my trio sitting on top of the Dam control tower watching 2 squads team up to extract together and fight off a leaper, so once the doors opened we just started firing off our ferros at them for shits and giggles. Didn't down any of them and they all got away safely, and we got the achievement for hitting a target from 250m away, a good time for everybody.

    Embark also just dropped the trailer for the next major update which releases tomorrow, and it looks like there's going to be a community-wide event to unlock the new map, Stella Montis. Very exciting times to be a raider.

  15. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    Flashfall
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    I've also sunk quite a lot of time this week into Arc Raiders and I've reached a point where I'm basically comfortable playing it. I'm comfortable with going solo, actually much more so than in a...

    I've also sunk quite a lot of time this week into Arc Raiders and I've reached a point where I'm basically comfortable playing it. I'm comfortable with going solo, actually much more so than in a squad, which is already a huge plus for casual play and player retention in general. I could only play Hunt in short bursts since it was bloody stressful but I can just hop into Dam Battlegrounds and go for a nice stroll, kill a few drones, say hi to passing strangers and maybe get into a firefight now and then. Getting a very cheap but functional loadout is easy so I'm not constantly pressured to run free loadouts and put myself at a steep disadvantage, and it's usually no big deal if I do lose it, especially with the safe pocket. The atmosphere's also great and has only gotten even better with the introduction of the Electromagnetic Storm event, with the rain drowning out your footsteps and the very close lightning strikes keeping you on edge. Most solos are still fairly non-confrontational, if not outright friendly. Heck, I went to the launch tower in Spaceport and someone was already looting the place so I asked them if they found any cooling fans and they just gave me one for free. I'm cautiously optimistic now that when they add more very PVE-focused events, players will actually cooperate and not betray each other at the end. Though it's still important that you get shot by another raider now and then, can't have people getting TOO comfortable.

    4 votes

  16. Comment on What makes a game, a game? in ~games

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    If I were to define it as broadly as possible, a game would have to be something where the participant is aware they are participating, they have to interact with the game somehow, and their...

    If I were to define it as broadly as possible, a game would have to be something where the participant is aware they are participating, they have to interact with the game somehow, and their interactions have to have some kind of effect. Everything else lends more structure to the game but isn't strictly necessary.

    For example, say you're taking a stroll without any particular destination. It's not actually a game until you consciously consider it to be a game and have made yourself a participant. In order to "play", you have to walk, and walking has the effect of moving your physical position. There aren't any rules other than "walk", there's no win or lose condition, you may not even be going on a stroll willingly or having fun. But, you are "playing" the game of "taking a stroll", and you're aware of what you must do to play.

    Another more extreme example would be one of the victims in a SAW movie. They're not playing a game until Jigsaw tells them he wants to play a game, and even then if they choose to not consider it a game but merely a struggle to survive, then they are technically not playing a game.

    Now let's consider another scenario where someone is interacting with a game but doesn't consider themself to be "playing". Say somebody is doing QA testing for a video game. They are technically "playing" the game, but if they consider that to be "working" and not "playing", are they really playing the game? If other people consider that person to be playing that game, are they playing the game anyway? Whose perspective actually matters here, the observer's, or the participant's?

  17. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    Flashfall
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    If it doesn't have to be multiplayer or robots, the STALKER games are some of the best when it comes to traversing and scavenging a very hostile post-apocalyptic environment that feels alive...

    If it doesn't have to be multiplayer or robots, the STALKER games are some of the best when it comes to traversing and scavenging a very hostile post-apocalyptic environment that feels alive rather than just reacting to you. They're not extraction shooters, just open world FPS, but the vibes of danger and uncertainty are definitely similar.

    2 votes

  18. Comment on What are some of your favorite stews/soups? in ~food

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    One of the very few things I can make without needing to look up the ingredients or recipes is New England clam chowder. It's kind of a hybrid between this recipe from allrecipes and this one from...

    One of the very few things I can make without needing to look up the ingredients or recipes is New England clam chowder. It's kind of a hybrid between this recipe from allrecipes and this one from NYT Cooking. I do a few substitutions, like leek instead of an onion, white pepper instead of black pepper, clam juice and chicken stock instead of water. I also add a bay leaf in during the simmering process. If I don't want to make it too thick, I skip making the roux and just pour the half and half or heavy cream straight in. The actual most important ingredient in this recipe is that red wine vinegar though, you want to add just a little. The tanginess magically cuts through all the other flavors and brightens the chowder immensely.

    2 votes

  19. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

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    Been putting a lot of time into ARC Raiders and it's immediately apparent that this is by far the most accessible proper extraction shooter currently available. Common-tier weapons are very...

    Been putting a lot of time into ARC Raiders and it's immediately apparent that this is by far the most accessible proper extraction shooter currently available.

    • Common-tier weapons are very effective for both PVE and PVP when used correctly (and slightly upgraded).
    • There's no limitation on choosing a randomized, free loadout to start a round with.
    • Decent loot and resources can show up at even the edges of the map, away from the high-value hot zones.
    • PVE enemies are an actual and sometimes extreme threat, which makes players overall a bit less bloodthirsty and even cooperative at times.
    • TTK is high enough where there are opportunities to escape or fight back even if you're ambushed.
    • The crafting system is comprehensive and lets you put a decent kit together from just common materials, and traders will offer essentials at a relatively reasonable price.
    • You have a pet chicken that will bring back common materials of all kinds every time you finish a round, and it can be trained multiple times to bring back even more.
    • There are no forced gear and skill resets, just an optional one that you actually have to contribute resources towards over a 60 day period, and you're granted some temporary bonuses based on how much you contributed.
    • When you get downed, the PVE enemies will no longer attack you, so you have a better chance of crawling to a safe spot to be revived by a teammate or kind stranger.
    • Even while you're downed, you're able to interact with the extraction panel, so you can still leave with your loot as long as you're not fully knocked out.

    I do have a few gripes though:

    • The skill tree only uses vague descriptions rather than specific numbers, so for now it's a matter of "vibes" and discovery. Meaning some people are discovering that some skills are practically worthless.
    • Some items can be much more valuable than the game tells you since they're used for chicken or crafting bench upgrades, so if you don't look it up beforehand you can easily accidentally recycle or sell something you need.
    • There is no punishment whatsoever for being toxic or engaging in lots of PVP. This isn't necessarily a bad thing but I think a lot of currently cooperative players are going to become much more trigger-happy once the honeymoon phase ends, and the game will ultimately devolve into the kill-on-sight pvp fests like in every other extraction shooter if nothing is done to even slightly discourage it at all.

    It's still a pretty good time overall though, and in solo queue you can actually find a good amount of people that aren't out to shoot you in the back and take all your stuff, which is a rarity in this genre. Again though, only time will tell if it lasts.

    9 votes

  20. Comment on What have you been watching / reading this week? (Anime/Manga) in ~anime

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    Took a break from gaming to clean out some of my backlog: Kaiju No. 8 Season 2 - It's good old shonen action, story isn't complex but engaging, characters aren't complex but relatable, the...

    Took a break from gaming to clean out some of my backlog:

    • Kaiju No. 8 Season 2 - It's good old shonen action, story isn't complex but engaging, characters aren't complex but relatable, the action's good, the tropes are all present, just an easy and enjoyable watch. Only 11 episodes and it ends on a massive cliffhanger though, so it does feel a little short.

    • My Dress-up Darling Season 2 - High school romcom but cosplay-flavored. Cute characters and a generally wholesome vibe, and thankfully none of the characters or voice acting are overdone to the point of being annoying, which happens too often in this genre. You get to learn a few things about cosplay culture in Tokyo too.

    • Lazarus - An action thriller made by none other than Shinichiro Watanabe of Cowboy Bebop fame, it's pretty solid overall. I think most people that were excited for this were expecting something on the level of Bebop but it's a completely different kind of story so comparing the two isn't fair. It tells a cohesive, linear story that's just as long as it needs to be, the action scenes are excellently choreographed (they got Chad Stahleski, the John Wick director, to direct them), the characters are all interesting enough, it's not really complex and there's not much subtlety. Probably won't be a timeless classic but it's still good.

    • Secrets of the Silent Witch - Didn't really expect much from this one but I ended up watching the whole thing because the main character is a socially awkward small animal that's animated as such and I'm a sucker for simple cute humor. It's got some Konosuba or Princess Connect vibes, that kinda thing. It's otherwise just fine, story, characters, and animation are all fine with nothing really standing out.

    Also finished some rewatches:

    • Delicious in Dungeon - Man I love this show. The character building and world building is just meshed together so well, and it's always great when the main party interacts or is mentioned by another more "normal" party because it highlights just how strange the main cast really is. I really respect Studio Trigger for having maybe the best standards for working hours and quality among all the big-name animation studios and only doing one project at a time, but I neeeed another season of this.

    • Hakumei and Mikochi - This might be my favorite show to just relax to. A lot of iyashikei shows I've watched end up being a little too slow paced or quiet and I end up getting sleepy going through those, or I just drop them altogether from boredom. This one hits it just right. There's no unnecessary forced drama, just people living their lives and sometimes going on small adventures. It's fantasy, but it's not fantastical. The characters feel real and relatable, even when they're animals or bugs. There is a notable appreciation of alcohol, one character even makes their own limoncello. The soundtrack is made by Evan Call (Violet Evergarden, Frieren) and it does a perfect job of capturing the energy of the show - sometimes calm, sometimes playful, sometimes nostalgic, always very wholesome.

    7 votes