ShamedSalmon's recent activity
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Comment on What have you been watching / reading this week? (Anime/Manga) in ~anime
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Comment on What have you been watching / reading this week? (Anime/Manga) in ~anime
ShamedSalmon (edited )LinkJournal with Witch - It's about a novelist in her mid-thirties, Makio Koudai. A neurodivergent, introverted woman who balances her need for solace with a warm support network of close friends,...Journal with Witch - It's about a novelist in her mid-thirties, Makio Koudai. A neurodivergent, introverted woman who balances her need for solace with a warm support network of close friends, Makio is not the most traditional, and was never really understood by her mother and older sister. Avoiding the friction that characterized much of her late childhood, Makio has spent the majority of her adult life comfortably estranged from her family.
When Makio's sister dies in a car accident, her 15 year old niece Asa is left stunned and orphaned. Not wanting to see the girl passed around from one extended relative to the next, she decides to take Asa in. Now, Makio must adjust not only to living with someone else, but someone young, extroverted, impressionable, and in the midst of a somewhat relatable, muted grief.
There's no violence in this show, no shouting drama. It's a quiet, contemplative, heartwarming piece about how the pain and confusion of self-discovery is often juxtaposed with the joy and beauty of the small, everyday things in life. There's no moral lesson, per se, just a collection of character studies that play out like a diary written in a foreign land (ikoku nikki).
The melancholy of the end credits, especially seeing young Asa about to pull the veil back on the mother she struggled to understand only to look up and see the doves ascending to heaven, is the perfect example of the soft, nuanced approach to tragedy this series takes.
It's up to episode 9 so far, but seems like it's going to be a sleeper-hit of the year. It's definitely shaping up to be one of my most favorite series.
Sakura Quest - A college graduate, Yoshino Koharu, dreams of making it big in the city. Striking out on interview after interview, however, she accepts the first offer she finally gets from her recruiter, mistaking it for a short gig.
Now, Yoshino has a one year contract to serve as a rural town's idol mascot - their "queen" - to market and promote the area's dying tourist industry. It's... not going well. But she has a big heart and is making friends with locals who want to save their town, identity, and way of life, in the process giving Yoshino something to believe in.
This one's a slice-of-life comedy with a modest budget but great backgrounds. The story style is "problem of the week", so expect some setbacks as each episode balances between being self-contained while driving the overall character progression forward. Again, there's no real drama, just conversations and light comedy. I'm only a few episodes in, but so far it seems promising!
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Comment on What are you no longer a fan of? in ~talk
ShamedSalmon (edited )Link ParentI love the slice-of-life genre, but there's one show in particular that comes up in every recommendation list, which I've decided to avoid like the plague. Not because of anything that happens in...I love the slice-of-life genre, but there's one show in particular that comes up in every recommendation list, which I've decided to avoid like the plague. Not because of anything that happens in the show, but because of what apparently happens afterwards in the manga.
The series Usagi Drop is about a 30 year old man who takes in a 6 year old girl. The anime covers the first half of the manga. Apparently, it's really cute and sweet as the guy adjusts to being a dad and builds a support network with other adults his age to ensure that this young girl grows up in the life that she deserves. The two bond and build respectable boundaries and trust, sharing a found sense of family.
The second half of the manga occurs after the anime, following with a time-skip. Apparently the author either hit their head or just plain woke up one day and chose evil.
Anyway, after finding out that things get amorous like that, I decided that even the anime was tarnished by association and worth avoiding completely.
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Comment on What are you no longer a fan of? in ~talk
ShamedSalmon (edited )Link ParentUgh, SPY x FAMILY anyone? I was having the time of my life with that one until they brought Yor's creep of a brother into the mix. Yuck! Look, I want to see the Forger family live happily ever...When they say "Oh there's some fanservice but not a lot" you can bet there's sexual tension between brother and sister or some other ridiculous nonsense.
Ugh, SPY x FAMILY anyone? I was having the time of my life with that one until they brought Yor's creep of a brother into the mix. Yuck! Look, I want to see the Forger family live happily ever after as much as anybody else, but the whole "sistercon" nonsense is completely unnecessary. I feel like there are plenty of ways the writer could have approached the notion that her brother is protective and suspicious of Loid without him having to have a locker full of creepy photos.
There definitely seems to be a rule that any trip to the beach/pool or the bathhouse requires a leering gaze for the camera. I was really enjoying Kamichu! until it got to the beach episode. These kids are 13, but even then, the animators were like "we better put a higher than elsewhere amount of detail on certain shots of their bathing suits in frames that crop their faces out."
I'm usually not looking for trash, but I do agree with what you're saying about shows that wear the bit on their sleeve. I can give Kaguya-sama: Love is War a pass so far (only two seasons in) because it's a romantic over-the-top bit comedy that explores different tropes, and the moments of fanservice are light, self-aware, and limited to the bit. Plus, there appears to be nothing creepy going on between anyone and their family members.
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Comment on What are you no longer a fan of? in ~talk
ShamedSalmon Link ParentAgreed! Nothing makes me nope out faster than gratuitous fan service. These days, even heavy violence is enough to turn me away.Agreed! Nothing makes me nope out faster than gratuitous fan service. These days, even heavy violence is enough to turn me away.
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Comment on What are you no longer a fan of? in ~talk
ShamedSalmon Link ParentIt sounds like you just have particular tastes. For my part, I haven't seen any of the three you listed, and the only one I might even consider is The Fable. People have different preferences, but...It sounds like you just have particular tastes. For my part, I haven't seen any of the three you listed, and the only one I might even consider is The Fable. People have different preferences, but I don't think anyone could fault you for that.
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Comment on Science fiction and cosmic horror storytelling in games in ~games
ShamedSalmon (edited )Link ParentThirding SOMA! It's first-person stealth horror. The more blind you go into its story, the better. However, here's a series of increasing spoilers, depending on how sure you might need to be about...Thirding SOMA! It's first-person stealth horror.
The more blind you go into its story, the better. However, here's a series of increasing spoilers, depending on how sure you might need to be about whether it's what you're looking for.
1. Initial Premise
You play as Simon, a man who is recovering from a car accident. The story begins with you going to the doctor for a deep brain scan. When you open your eyes after the scan, you find yourself in a diving suit, surrounded by the rusting walls of an under-sea laboratory that is falling into disrepair: Pathos-II. The only other person that seems to be alive down there is a woman over the radio, Catherine.
Any similarities to System/Bioshock begin to diverge here. This isn't a dream, and Catherine is not Fontaine or SHODAN. She's not really Alyx either, but nor are you Freeman. If you're at all willing to go in blind, I would recommend not reading ahead to see what this game does differently.
2. Developing Plot
When you meet up with Catherine, you discover that she is not really alive in the conventional sense. Catherine reveals that almost a century has passed since you had your brain scan done. Your real self has long since died, and the self you are experiencing is merely a digital copy which has been used as one of many templates in AI research for decades. (You signed the papers yourself to have your digital samples donated to medical research.)
A year prior to the now current events, a meteor hit the earth, killing off all life. The human race has already been exterminated. There are no living, breathing people left to save. Even the talking box before you, Catherine, is only a computer containing a brain scan of her own now dead self.
3. Main Objective
In their final days, the science team had constructed a hardened satellite within which they had uploaded as many human templates as they could, intending to launch it from the Pathos-II's railgun platform. Their hope was to send the last vestiges of humanity out among the stars in the hopes that they themselves, or some other miracle form of life, could solve the problem of this extinction. A desperate act, but the only option left given the pressure of their location beneath the ocean.
However, the science team was unable to launch it in time before the mixture of their deaths and the malfunction of the Pathos-II network and security system. As the last two echoes of autonomous humanity left, it's up to you and Catherine to upload yourselves into this ark and fire it into space before you or the research station collapses.
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Comment on I'm annoyed with mundane revisionist history in ~talk
ShamedSalmon Link ParentWhile that is true, the argument being made is that the PS2's DVD playback was not the primary factor in its success. DVD playback was a smart choice on Sony's part as it would allow for more...- Exemplary
While that is true, the argument being made is that the PS2's DVD playback was not the primary factor in its success. DVD playback was a smart choice on Sony's part as it would allow for more expansive game data. However, what investing in video playback added was further versatility in marketing the game system.
Sony marketed the PS2 as able to serve a slew of different functions, such as a Linux dev machine, a soon-to-be online console, a DVD player, an expanded PS1, and yes, a next-gen game console. But aside from being a next-gen console, none of the other factors in isolation were major components of the PS2's success. Rather, Sony threw a lot of ideas at the wall to show how their new device could serve as the center of one's home entertainment setup, which was significant to its competitive marketing against other game consoles of the time.
What the ability to play DVDs brought was the opportunity to appeal to households who were looking to upgrade both their home entertainment system and their pre-existing game console. However, such a demographic would have been minor compared to those who were more motivated by the appeal of next-gen gaming, especially those who waited on the 1999 (western) release of the Dreamcast for the PS2 instead.
Given how popular the PSX had become over the prior five years, when it came to secondary features, buyers were more motivated by the fact that the PS2 featured hardware playback support of PS1 games, allowing them to sell their PS1s and offset the cost of a new console purchase without losing any access to their invested game library. No other game console could boast that. When one started assessing the other, more secondary features such as DVD playback, it only added to the PS2's main selling point as a versatile game console.
For some homes, the PS2 was their first DVD player, but for many more homes, it would be their second. In remembering the PS2's effect on DVD adoption, what people are forgetting is this more nuanced part. It was more often the way that DVD playback was expanded in the home than it was the outright introduction to the home.
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Comment on The Ghost in the Shell | First promotion video in ~anime
ShamedSalmon (edited )Link ParentMy personal recommendation for a watch order is: Ghost in the Shell (1995) Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (2002-03) Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd Gig (Season 2, 2004-05)...My personal recommendation for a watch order is:
- Ghost in the Shell (1995)
- Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (2002-03)
- Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd Gig (Season 2, 2004-05)
- Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (2004)
This captures the philosophical reflections of events in the mangas, albeit in a cyclical order, starting with the gospel of Kusanagi's ascension, followed by the legendary tales of her mortal actions, followed by more tales of her mortal actions, followed by her first divine acts.
What Oshii expresses in his films is precisely what Shirow presents in both series of his manga, albeit in his own manner: Motoko Kusanagi ascends into digital godhood. What is difficult to understand is Shirow's opaque, meandering story-telling style.
Man-Machine Interface, the canonical sequel to The Ghost in the Shell is meant as a connecting piece between The Ghost in the Shell and Shirow's other famous manga, Appleseed. Man-Machine Interface sets up the notion that the mainframe shrines in Appleseed serve as an evolution of the dwellings of the net-goddess Kusanagi.
In Shirow's world and timeline for GitS, Dominion: Tank Police, and Appleseed, Kusanagi/2501 is presumably the origin of the supercomputer Gaia, as well as the AIs Yoshino and Athena, within the shared universe.
Oshii's take is more personal, looking at humankind's ascension to godhood as similar to that of Māzǔ merging with Guānshìyīn. For more on the religious implications of GitS's story, especially Oshii's take, see this thread from last summer.
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Comment on The Ghost in the Shell | First promotion video in ~anime
ShamedSalmon Link ParentI think it's supposed to be reminiscent of the cover to volume 7 of GitS. Not sure, though.I think it's supposed to be reminiscent of the cover to volume 7 of GitS. Not sure, though.
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Comment on The Ghost in the Shell | First promotion video in ~anime
ShamedSalmon (edited )Link ParentI love the faithfulness to the original style, but the one thing I hope doesn't make it off the pages of the manga is the fan service. I understand Shirow's style, and while I don't need GitS to...I love the faithfulness to the original style, but the one thing I hope doesn't make it off the pages of the manga is the fan service. I understand Shirow's style, and while I don't need GitS to only be gritty realism—it can have the comic aspects of the original manga—I would still prefer it not to be as gross or pandering as the manga was. Based on some of the poster art though, I think I might be a little bummed in that area. But we'll see! I'm trying to keep an open mind as best I can.
Excellent music, though! Brings similar hype-vibes to the Stand Alone Complex trailer.
EDIT: Does anyone remember the FMV sequences from the PSX game?
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Comment on What's something you've moved on from? in ~talk
ShamedSalmon Link ParentDefinitely agreed! If I remember right, Fuyutsuki was a doctor aiding people in the aftermath of the Second Impact before going to work at Gehirn. He really stood out to me as sincerely sharing...Definitely agreed! If I remember right, Fuyutsuki was a doctor aiding people in the aftermath of the Second Impact before going to work at Gehirn. He really stood out to me as sincerely sharing Yui's philosophical value for human life, seeming to have total faith in her gambit with the Evas.
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Comment on What's something you've moved on from? in ~talk
ShamedSalmon Link ParentWell, I mean, Yui entombed herself. That's the real tragedy of Gendo's romance. Don't get me wrong, Gendo did some truly deplorable things that make me like him as little as the next person, but...Well, I mean, Yui entombed herself. That's the real tragedy of Gendo's romance.
Don't get me wrong, Gendo did some truly deplorable things that make me like him as little as the next person, but the guy really did get the short end of the stick. Yui loved Gendo and she loved their son. Where this love gets all complicated is that she just plain understood the divine plan for the Eschaton better than Gendo did and she prioritized their child over him.
Yui Ikari and Kyoko Soryu gave themselves willingly to their Evas to become walking arks in protection of their respective children. Kyoko gave her mind while her body remained, and Yui dissolved entirely, as far as we know. But in so doing, they were seemingly able to affect fate and undermine SEELE by choosing the new Adam and Eve themselves. Thus, these two mothers were able to rescue their children from the end of the aeon.
By the time Gendo was wise to what Yui had done, there was little he could really do but tend to Gehirn/NERV and wait for fate to run its course, which it did. Though, he thought he could manipulate Lilith's part in blessing the new Adam and Eve by having her mitama occupy the vessels of Rei and favoring her, but it didn't work out the way he thought it would. The tricky bit is that Gendo didn't realize that this fate was set in stone before any of his own meddling. Lilith was always destined to bless the ones inside the Evas, but Rei, being a partial clone of Yui, was always going to choose Shinji over him.
So in that sense, Gendo's story is rather devastating.
A very similar tragedy plays out in the film Arrival, wherein it asks the following question of a mother: "if you knew how things were going to turn out, would you make those choices?" And ultimately she says yes, which devastates her partner but not before bringing their child to life.
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Comment on Anime: Your personal year in review for 2025 in ~anime
ShamedSalmon Link ParentYeah, I winced too. That's such a fair criticism! Not everything from back then is nostalgic, especially the homophobia. On a less related note, one particular design element I really liked was...Yeah, I winced too. That's such a fair criticism! Not everything from back then is nostalgic, especially the homophobia.
On a less related note, one particular design element I really liked was the way the episode continues through the credits. It's like getting bonus runtime every episode, haha.
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Comment on Anime: Your personal year in review for 2025 in ~anime
ShamedSalmon (edited )Link ParentFinally, someone else who saw Zenshū!! I needed a positive message like the one this show delivered. It's definitely one of my favs this year. Plus Natsuko's sass has made her one of my heroes,...Finally, someone else who saw Zenshū!! I needed a positive message like the one this show delivered. It's definitely one of my favs this year. Plus Natsuko's sass has made her one of my heroes, lol! I also watched Kowloon City Romance right around the same time, which seemed like the right way to go since the theme was nostalgia and a joy of anime tropes. But agreed, this is definitely one to go in blind on.
But I back you 110% that City: The Animation takes the crown for this year. What a fantastic show and I'm ever so hopeful for a season two! Thank you for having recommended it to me! I've been telling people left and right to watch it. Some people look it up and go, "ugh, from the creator of Nichijō?" while others go, "oooh, from the creator of Nichijō?!"
No joke, on the recommendation of a friend, I started May I Ask For One Final Thing? and it's a riot!
I didn't mind Fragrant Flower and thought it was pretty cute (and refreshingly free of fan service), but I can totally relate to the fact that it's still a show about kids, which makes it a bit harder to get into. I want a side story about Rintaro's parents running the bakery, though!
Of course, I'm also still catching up on all the big ones like Spy x Family, Frieren, and Apothecary Diaries. Plus 百妖譜 season 5 wrapped up not too long ago as well. I dunno how I'll have time for everything else coming in 2026, lol. 2025 was packed!!
Anyway, you have some great picks for this year!
EDIT: Also, as a kidding side note, I like the way this reads:
Please stop watching Isekai Generic Fantasy and watch Kowloon Generic Romance instead!
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Comment on Skate Story | Official launch trailer in ~games
ShamedSalmon Link ParentI just saw the trailer and I didn't even realize I was looking for a game like this! Gonna download the demo asap!I just saw the trailer and I didn't even realize I was looking for a game like this! Gonna download the demo asap!
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Comment on What have you been watching / reading this week? (Anime/Manga) in ~anime
ShamedSalmon LinkSummer Wars I watched it over the weekend. Oh my gosh, what a fun movie! I can't believe I had missed this one. Okay, so it's basically, "what if we take War Games, replace Matthew Broderick with...Summer Wars
I watched it over the weekend. Oh my gosh, what a fun movie! I can't believe I had missed this one.
Okay, so it's basically, "what if we take War Games, replace Matthew Broderick with Michael Cera, and have Ally Sheedy's character invite him over to her family estate for some rom-com hijinks?" It's actually pretty great!
Kenji Koiso is a high school kid and math genius who got a summer job moderating in the online space of a big Amazon/Google/Facebook amalgamation company called Oz. It's rigorous but will look great on his resume. However, his friend Natsuki Shinohara has invited him to come stay with her for a week at her family's countryside estate. The twist? She wants him to pretend to be her fiancé in order to appease her old-fashioned family, especially her ailing grandmother.
Kenji reluctantly agrees to Natsuki's ruse, but things don't go according to plan. When Kenji's Oz account is hacked and used to bypass that company's security, a major internet outage occurs, leading to chaos across the country. The authorities mistakenly believe Kenji to be involved in a terrorist plot, posting his picture all over the news... which just so happens to be on in the middle of Natsuki's family's living room.
Aside from the real-world setting, there's also some tropey battle scenes within Oz's virtual world, but I honestly felt that they added to the fun, rather than detracted. It's still a really sweet film and it has such a happy ending involving everyone coming together to support each other. Definitely one of my tops!
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Comment on What have you been watching / reading this week? (Anime/Manga) in ~anime
ShamedSalmon Link ParentFor the third point, if I had to guess, it probably has everything to do with complying with Standards and Practices on mainland China's TV and streaming networks. In a similar comedic scenario, I...For the third point, if I had to guess, it probably has everything to do with complying with Standards and Practices on mainland China's TV and streaming networks.
In a similar comedic scenario, I just watched the Toonami edit of Blue Submarine No. 6, which ran on US television twenty-five years ago this month.
Aside from the usual cell shading over exposed skin, one bit of censorship necessary for children's television was the removal of cigarettes. The main character, Hayami, is a big smoker. There's a couple scenes where he fishes into his pocket, pulls out nothing, touches his lips, and makes a weird expression. It's hilarious!
But I get the reasoning behind the edit. They wanted to get this OVA in the hands of as many viewers as they could, and that was the way to do it. Honestly, after not having seen it in a quarter century, I was surprised by how much I did remember of B-Sub 6. Its sci-fi plot and moral point about forging peace through cooperation really left a lasting impression, so the concessions made in the editing room seem perfectly acceptable to me in hindsight.
Of course, I've now strayed a little off topic, but I guess my point is that maybe the studio is just doing what they can to get their work out the door and into the homes of viewers.
(Oh, okay there's this other scene in B-Sub 6 where Hayami is leaning over a railing and he "sighs" into the wind, except his "breath" starts like two inches from his face. 🤣 Great OVA, tho!)
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Comment on Request for info: Is "Don't Toy With Me, Miss Nagatoro" respectful of it's child characters? in ~anime
ShamedSalmon Link ParentI just looked it up on a manga scan site, and after flipping through a few chapters, it definitely has lots of nudity and fan-servicey stuff. You know, towels slipping off accidentally, girls in...I just looked it up on a manga scan site, and after flipping through a few chapters, it definitely has lots of nudity and fan-servicey stuff. You know, towels slipping off accidentally, girls in bunny outfits, Three's Company-style mixups at the bathhouse where only hair is in the way of what is otherwise completely on display, girls getting locked out of the changing room and thus walking around naked to figure out what to do. That sort of stuff.
It's definitely not for me. But then, if I'm going to read a romance, I'm more into josei type mangas.
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Comment on What are some of your personal misheard lyrics? in ~music
ShamedSalmon LinkDo incomprehensible songs count, or is that cheating? The Black Crowes - Hard To HandleDo incomprehensible songs count, or is that cheating?
The Black Crowes - Hard To Handle
Poison things that come out the desert,
I ain't got a foot - touchdown, bruvHey little thing, lemme latch a candle
'Cuz a momma, I'm
Showa d'henna-naaw, mess aroundAww, d'henna-naaw (???)
Oh yay, good to know! I'm really liking the main cast so far, but it's fun finding out about some of the side characters little by little. I think the backgrounds are what's really shining for me. There's enough diversity in the settings so far that give the town a beautiful, lively feeling. I love the detail they've put in.