May Media Favourites/Recommendations

Hi guys!

It's been an exceptionally busy month for me and I haven't had much time left over for other things after uni stuff and working on the video, but I still have a few recommendations!

Coffee Talk

Coffee Talk is a short visual novel by Indonesian indie studio Toge Productions--part of the influx of such titles in recent years, as mentioned in my video on VA-11 HALL-A. Also not unlike VA-11 HALL-A, Coffee Talk is set entirely within a coffee shop and focuses largely on the patrons' interactions with you and one another. I'm coming to the end of the game now and it isn't anything to write home about, but I can't deny I've come to look forward to picking it up for half an hour here and there when I need a little escape during what has been a very stressful month. It's something Coffee Talk has absolutely provided, and is exactly why I love these bitesize visual novels. If that sounds like something you could benefit from too, consider checking it out.

Genshiken/Genshiken Nidaime

I spoke about the Genshiken anime last month so see that post for fuller thoughts--this month, I moved onto its sort-of sequel anime Genshiken Nidaime and also purchased the entire manga, hence this entry. To briefly recap, the series follows a university otaku club and how the members' relationships with their interests and one another morph and develop over time. Genshiken is hilarious and heart-wrenching in equal measure through its tackling of the subject of self-acceptance through the journey into adulthood and has evidently become something of a new favourite of mine. I've only read the first volume of the manga, but the art is also gorgeously detailed and I particularly love the character designs. The series will be discussed further on the channel in the future!

Planetes

As with the above entry, Planetes is a series I picked up in anticipation of my eventual video on Satsuki Yukino--something you'll continue to hear about, but won't actually see for some time. Planetes is an anime from 2003, originally by the same mangaka behind Vinland Saga, surprisingly enough. Set in a near future where space travel has become the norm, the story follows a group of individuals on the lowest rungs of space corporation hierarchy--the people responsible for collecting debris floating around in the atmosphere that could be the cause of an accident for travelling spacecraft. If this job actually sounds really important, it's because it is--and yet you wouldn't know it from how the members of Technora Corporation's Space Debris Unit are treated by literally everyone.

I've been well-aware of Planetes' critical acclaim for a very long time, but it was one of those series where the synopsis made me picture something completely different from what it actually is--namely, a fairly dry, heavy series focusing on the technicalities of space... stuff. Planetes is anything but--it's incredibly human. I particularly like that the show uses its debris-of-the-week concept as a springboard to explore discussions around anything from classism and capitalism to war and pacifism, and I'm really looking forward to getting to know the cast better. I'm only a few episodes in, but I just know that I'm really going to enjoy this one. Still, expect further discussion, again, in that eventual Satsuki Yukino video!

Shiki

I wanted to throw in a quick mention specifically for the Shiki novels I've been reading in prep for the upcoming video. I've torn through Sinesspiel's translation (covering almost 3/5 of the volumes at present), and I really can't recommend it enough for any pre-existing fans of the series (or just anybody looking for a good read). The novels are paced very slowly, the series is unbelievably long in its original format (thousands of pages), and yet I haven't found reading them to be a drag in the slightest, even while already knowing (most of) what's going to happen (there are some changes made to the plot in the adaptations). The characters are painstakingly realised in ways the anime simply couldn't allow for, with particular focus on oft-narrator Junior Monk Seishin, while the anime opted to have Natsuno come to the fore as the protagonist. Needless to say, the details of how the novels have allowed me to better understand the series should come through in my video--but don't wait for that to pick them up if you feel so inclined.

And finally, the YouTube corner!

Alternative self help is brainwashing you. by Alice Cappelle (perhaps not the most compelling title if, like me, you don't actually read self-help books, but this is, deceptively, a really interesting video on what "self care" actually is that very much resonated with me)

Meet A Real Life Japanese Geisha by Asian Boss

The Golem and the Jewish Superhero by Jacob Geller (my favourite video essayist! Absolutely beautiful video that had me shedding more than a few tears by the end)

The Fall of Doctor Who by Jay Exci (I was a huge DW fan growing up and while I stopped following the series some years ago, this video completely stands on its own as a great and very entertaining deep-deep-dive into how to write a TV show)

Blue Period - The Dichotomy between Talent and Hard Work by lines in motion (one of AniTube's most exciting up-and-coming creators)

My Entire Manga Collection by ProZD (really great list of recommendations)

ProZD's NAME THAT ANIME OPENING FIRST videos (these are just very fun)

The English subbed videos RedEyed Serpent is doing for the Onikakushi Drama CD

The Healing Power of Yuru Camp by Under the Scope

And it's back to work on the video for me! Speak later!