I Am (Not) a Number: Decoding The Prisoner- Book Review

A short while ago, I finally saw the entire 17 episode run of The Prisoner. It was the first time I had seen the show and viewing it with no nostalgia attached, I could still see why the series had maintained a cult status. Like Twin Peaks, of which I am a huge fan of, the more one delves into the quirkiness, lore and theories, the more one appreciates what was done. It has clearly inspired many shows including Lost, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, The X Files and so many more.

It is a singular show and it's tight episode run has kept it evergreen by avoiding the bloat and repetition that plagues a lot of series.

The series is now seen as cult with its allegory of socio-politics, but it was a prime time show when it was initially released. I don't know how Patrick McGoohan managed to get funding for it as it is so ahead of its time yet of its time; the Cold War was alive and well and the fear permeates this singularly psychedelic and Kafka-esque show with some real world analogies. However, it also embraced the Summer of Love with its fashion, crazy carnival of colours and The Beatles' All You Need is Love.

The show sure goes to some odd places and it can be difficult to parse what you have just seen, so a book promising to explain the key takeaways sprinkled across the episodes as well as a grand theory intrigued me enough to buy it.

Alex Cox gives a brief overview of each episode (in the order in which they were shot) and dissects aspects of them which builds to his grand theory or decoding if you will.

The book is slight but it does capture the zaniness and kookiness of the show well, showing how McGoohan created a vibe without necessarily spoon-feeding the audience with an ending that neatly tied the solution in a bow. Instead, what we get are little clues dotted throughout, which, if considered as a whole, makes sense and is cohesive. I agree with Cox's final analysis and also agree that the ending is rather obtuse but decodable if you consider the show as a complete tapestry with a overarching design that takes in the geopolitical situation of the time as well as the space race confirms my views too.

The book is a good read and enjoyable as a companion piece whilst watching the show.

Gunsmith Cats- Cult Manga Review

I knew of Gunsmith Cats from seeing it on shelves at a premium price at my local comic shop as well as in Forbidden Planet in London. However, I had read the series in the pages of Manga Mania once its Akira run had finished. I never watched it at the time but recently had a chance to catch the entire 3-part OAV run, so with a couple of hours free, I watched it and had a blast!

The opening credits are stunning and remind me of the late 70s/ early 80s cop show credits with lots of pop art, triangles and rectangles floating across the screen slowly to jazzy music... très cool.

The show feels like a loving homage to police procedurals from the early 80s and captures the vibe of that genre very well.

There are three episodes, all covering the main story of a gun running gang and their shadowy superiors. In the first episode, Neutral Zone, the Gunsmith Cats are roped into helping the ATF (Bureau for Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms) break up a gun running racket. Rally and her friends, bomb expert Minnie May Hopkins and lawyer Becky Farrah, are caught up in a grander scheme that they know little about. This is a great introductory episode and the shootout is well choreographed, capturing the tone of the genre very well with scuzzy warehouses, badly dressed hired goons and lots of dramatic gunplay; it reminded me tonally of the best pulp crime fiction like The French Connection, with the fun staged set-pieces of Beverly Hills Cop and the  amazing kinetic gunplay of John Woo and Hong Kong action films.

The second episode, Swing High, sees an ex-KGB agent now assassin trying to collect the bounty placed on the Gunsmith Cats' heads. A riveting car chase follows as Rally tries to rescue May in a car chase reminiscent of The French Connection or Bullitt. It ends on a high as the assassin is seemingly killed but tis not to be.

The third, and final episode, High Speed Edge, sees the return of the assassin as she tries to finish off Rally and May. The conspiracy of the gun runners goes right to the top and it's an exciting finale with lots of explosions and huh stakes.

Throughout the series, the dynamic between Rally, May and Becky is great. It's like an all-female Lethal Weapon or Die Hard without a lot of the problematic casual misogyny that exists in many films from the era- don't get me wrong, some exists but it's not too egregious. The dynamic and rapport between these strong leads is palpable without sinking to the lowest common fan-service denominator. Sure, there is a break-in at night and the women are in their nightwear and a top is torn during a warehouse gunfight but it's not gratuitous in that there is no nudity and Rally takes it all in her stride.
Also, in episode 2 there is the threat of sexualised violence as a group of bad guys say, "Maybe we'll have a little fun before we kill you." However, considering the time it was created, it has not aged too badly at all as this was a common trope which been slowly phased out over time.

I know that there are a few more problematic elements in the graphic novels but the animated series does not seem to contain any of these from creator Kenichi Sonoda original manga. I vaguely remember the manga from Manga Mania and can't remember anything too troubling but I may be wrong, it has been 25 years or so!

Anyway, the level of detail and love shown towards Americana accoutrments, guns and cars is brilliant and, if that's your thing, it's very well represented here.

Overall, Gunsmith Cats is a brilliant anime and well deserving your time.

DIC: Series Of Our Childhood - Book Review (And Some Thoughts)

I have a huge amount of affection for the animation of the 80s, some of my most formative years in terms of developing my interests. I was (and still am) a huge Mysterious Cities of Gold fan, which I found out was a specific style of animation called anime, and that became a huge part of my life for the following 20 or so years. For me the series had it all; relatable characters, amazing adventures and a thrilling story line. I found out much later that the series was only 39 episodes long but back then it seemed to stretch on forever, like Dogtanian and Willie Fogg; all large sequential series that showed on BBC 1 and ITV weekly and then in large chunks in the morning during those looong summers. Other series I loved were Ulysses 31, Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors and Heathcliffe- all series produced by DIC. The name sticks because, well, it's DIC and in England it means something very different from Diffusion, Information and Communication.

Over the years, I've collected all these series on DVD and Bluray boxsets and have reviewed them right here on this website (links to all below). So when I heard that there was going to be a crowd funded hardbacked book on the history of DIC called The Series of Our Childhood I knew I had to get in on that. The book, which is written in French, by Maroin Elausti and Nordine Zemrak, is beautifully produced with good quality paper stock, excellent print quality and clear images, many of which I have never seen before. Now, my French is very GCSE from nearly 30 years ago so it is poor but I used Google Translate and read the entire book this way. It's not the most convenient way for sure but it worked well enough.

The book is pretty comprehensive as It looks at how DIC started out making short commercials for private companies and the French government before moving onto short form animation then moving on to longer animated series.

Ulysses 31

The first big ticket animation for them was Ulysses 31. I first came across the show when it was first shown in the mid 80s on the BBC but I saw it in my formative years again in the early 90s on Channel 4, where it was shown daily at 6:30, just before the Big Breakfast. I remember thinking how cool and ahead of it's time the animation was but the moody, evocative and exciting synthesizer soundtrack complemented the show well... heightening the sometimes very dark cartoon well. I had fond memories of the series as a child and rewatched it in my youth, collecting the DVD boxset when there was an 80s nostalgia fueled goldrush in the early 00s. Since then I've collected the soundtracks but have never really known much about the creative process behind the series; it's for partially for this reason that I purchased this book.

  • Creator, Jean Chalopin, decided to tap into the zietgiest created by Star Trek and Star Wars and wondered what the world would be like in the 31st century; would racism, classism or poverty still exist? By placing Ulysses, a hero known for his cunning and metis (the application of skills and knowledge in different situations) in to this futuristic world he could explore the cosmos and the different scenarios within.

  • Chalopin explains, "Our reasoning was as follows: during Antiquity, the Mediterranean Sea remained immense and partially unexplored for the Greeks. It was as mysterious as the Universe to us today. Means of transport were as limited as those we have today to explore the Universe. So, if we project the Odyssey into a Star Wars type universe, we obtain Ulysses transposed to the 31st century, lost in space... During Antiquity, the Greek hero was an extraordinary being, thanks to his exploits which elevated him to the rank of demi-God.'"

  • The idea that the ancient Mediterranean Sea was a wild and unexplored place, much like space, and thus created a wide canvas for Ulysses to adventure in is the insight I was looking for.

  • Additionally, learning that the cryosleep curse of the companions by Zeus in episode one was a choice made out of financial constraints makes sense. By having fewer characters to animate, it created the appropriate tone and focussed in the central conceit of saving his companions.

  • Later we learn that the co-production between DIC and TMS, Japan was due to the stronger animation house infrastructure in place there that would allow the animation to be of a stronger standard and keep the costs significantly lower. TMS also wanted to build its reputation abroad as it often was outsourced for animation but had never co-produced a series. Rene Borg, who designed the original characters, didn't want to compromise his vision so refused to collaborate with his Japanese counterpart and so was replaced by Bernard Deyries who created the animation style we all know and love alongside Shingo Araki (designer of Saint Seiya and Goldorak). Sci-fi writer Philippe Adamov and François Allot were the world builders and created the machines and environments for the series. When fellow Chief Director Nagahama died, Bernard Deyries became the sole Chief Director.

  • We learn that the series had some teething issues, usually related to differences between the French and Japanese cultures. Ulysses is a key figure in the West and is proto-Heroes journey what in Japan he is an unknown figure. The push and pull between fights and wiles caused tension as the French wanted to show him being clever and philosophical whilst the Japanese wanted more action, battles and robots. It's more complex that thia sounds but these were the general divergence between the two studios. Shoji Kawamori, creator of the mechs and ships used in Macross, helped design the spaceships and fighters in Ulysses 31. Nono, was not his design but Borg's, however the design was tweaked to make it more childlike and cute.

  • The show was composed of between 9000 to 12000 cels as well as several computer techniques to add depth and layers like space and star fields. The show was a huge success in France but less so in Japan. The Odyssey book by Homer became a huge seller that year in France and revived an interest in the Classics amongst the French students.

  • Jean Chalopin met composers Ike Egan and Denny Crockett through the Osmond family over dinner. Over two weeks, he worked with them to create over 100 tracks and selected ones he wanted to use for the show. Haim Saban and Shuki Levy were asked to create the now iconic opening credit music.

  • DIC worked with Bandai to develop a toy range and the products were best sellers.

  • The series has a lasting legacy in the West and is affectionately remembered.

The Mysterious Cities of Gold

  • MCOG was first shown on the Antenna 2 channel in France on 28th September 1983 but the show started off following the success of Ulysses 31, Marco Polo and Belle and Sabastian. NHK wanted a story based on the conquest of the Americas but it wanted a literary foundation and to be able to create informative documentaries after the show. Mitsuru Kaneko (MK Production) found Scott O'Dell's The King's Fifth by chance and met him to secure licencing rights. They agreed that the story could be changed to make it more appealing to younger audiences.

  • NHK approached DIC and Jean Chalopin to collaborate with as they had a lot of credit with the release of Ulysses 31. Even though it was not a smash hit, it sent shock waves across Japan on how productions could be collaborative.

  • The first several months of production were spent on creating the Bible for the series. The series had been a more straightforward adventure story under the Japanese team but the mystical elements, such as the Hiva/ Mu civilisations, the Jade Mask, the solar power design of the Solaris and Golden Condor were placed in on insistence from the French team.

  • Mitsuki Nakamura was the lead background animator and produced the detailed backdrops that made the world come alive. There were sometimes more than 250 different backgrounds used in a single episode.

  • Studio Pierrot did the animation and was headed by Yuji Nunokawa, a Tatsunoko alumnus, and Mitsuru Kaneko, a journeyman who had worked for Toho, MGM and the MK Company.

  • Hisayuki Toriumi, the Art Supervisor, said that when she was developing the characters she wanted to create a group with no leader. Mendoza is the most complex and compelling as the audience don't know who's side he is on throughout. She wanted to keep audiences guessing until the end with Mendoza's moral ambiguity.

  • Toshiyasu Okada was the Lead Character Artist and worked with DIC to create an agreeable ensemble of characters. The character designs were altered to appeal to more Western sensibilities and animation styles so the eyes became rounder and the chins less pointy. They didn't want an issue selling to certain markets like they'd faces with Ulysses 31 and NHK agreed. Okada also worked alongside DIC to make the 'evil' characters look less evil, a sensibility that arose in manga where it is obvious who the bad guys are. This nuance was tricky but he understood how, 'A monks clothes do not make him a monk.'

  • A major sticking point between the French and Japanese was the soundtrack, they could not agree and so each did their own version. Deyries thought the soundtrack needed to breathe and add an air of wonder and mystery. He listened to Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds soundtrack and wanted that sense of drama and gravitas. He hired Haim Saban and Shuki Levy to produce tracks and, out of 60 to 70 pieces, chose 50 that would be used on the show.

Inspector Gadget
There follows an extensive Inspector Gadget piece which looks at the creation, based on an idea by Andy Heyward, who had previously worked at Hannah Barbara. Using Heyward's experience of the American animation marketplace, an area in turbulent times in the late 80 and early 90s, DIC were able to create the idea of the bumbling Inspector Gadget in pretty quick time.

  • The pilot was given a healthy budget and animated by TMS but the rest of the 65 series episodes were created by Nelvana, the Canadian animation company who had worked on the 10 minute Star Wars Holiday Special animation, TMS and a Korean company. It was up to the Japanese team to ensure consistency across all teams.

  • The series aired on 24th October 1983 and was a great success.

  • The second season of 21 episodes was not as successful as the budget was cut, Penny's role diminished and the Gadget jokes becoming more hack.

Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors
The next big piece for me was the Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors section which didn't reveal much new except that the toys were designed first and the cartoon after. Additionally, J. Michael Straczynski wrote on the show and even wrote a downbeat finale which was never produced as the toys didnt sell enough to warrant a 64 episode syndication run.

Overall, this book is essential for DIC fans as it gives a pretty good overview of their genesis to closure. I'm pleased with the book as it goes pretty deep into Ulysses 31 and MCOG and those were what I wanted to investigate. There are plenty of other series, all of which I read through too, but I’m glad that the series that were formative for me were covered in so much detail. Any classic animation fan should definitely get this book!

Robot Carnival- Cult Manga Review

I do love me a good old anthology series, they are short and if you get bored you only have to wait a few minutes for another episode to come on. Additionally, you avoid the bloat and filler as with each episode being self contained and everyone has their own opinion on what one is the best.

I had heard of Robot Carnival, it was described as a manga Fantasia which is very high praise indeed, but had never seen it. I sought to acquire a way to watch it and I finally managed to and I do have to say that it is indeed a tour de force of Japanese animation from the 80s.

There are 9 segments, each with their own story and director.

1: Opening by Atsuko Fukushima and Katsuhiro Otomo, has a barren post-apocalyptic village in the desert being barrage by the Robot Carnival. Fireworks, bombs and explosions ensure as the village is destroyed as the carnival makes its way onwards, ever oblivious to the suffering it has just caused.

2: Franken's Gears by Koji Morimoto has a scientist create a robot. He is pleased with his creation and teaches it to move only for it to turn and kill him.

3: Deprive by Hidetoshi Omori is like an awesome anime music video in which a young woman is taken by an attacking alien army. Her friend, a cybernetically enhanced boy, take the fight to the aliens and aims to rescue her against a backdrop of a large scale alien army.

4: Presence by Yasuomi Umetsu is about a married but unfulfilled inventor who creates an automaton. The automaton falls in love with the inventor but he destroys it as he can't love it back. Years later he regrets it as she still haunts his waking dreams.

5: Star Light Angel by Hiroyuki Kitazume is a tale of two friends who go to a robot themed amusement park. When one friend goes to meet her friends boyfriend she realises that he is a cad who gifted her a star necklace. Heartbroken she runs off, meets a robot who falls in love and tackles an evil robot. It all ends well as the girl and boy start to date. Totally weird but cool.

6: Cloud by Mao Lamdo is a beautiful short that features a robot boy walking and the background around him changing into wonderful surreal landscapes before he ascends to the skies.

7: Strange Tales of Meiji Machine Culture: The Westerner's Invasion by Hiroyuki Kitakubo takes us back to the early Meiji period and features two mechs fighting it out in their wood and cogs runs machines. It is a war of attrition as the mechs destoy that which they set out to protect.

8: Chicken Man and Redneck by Takashi Nakamura has a mech destroying the city by converting electrical machines into heinous machines which take over the land. It reminds me of A Night On Bald Mountain part of Fantasia in that the creatures all slowly march in time to the music and raise merry heck.

9: Ending by Atsuko Fukushima and Katsuhiro Otomo features the giant Robot Carnival coming to rest on the dunes and crumbling as the credits roll.

The music by the legendary Joe Hisaishi is sublime and adds much to panoply of creativity here. Some of the stories are fun and throwaway whilst others will haunt you long after you watch it. This is an amazing cultural artefact of a time when Japan's bubble economy was riding high and shows a confident and strident people making boundary pushing art. I'm glad to have seen it and I'm sure you will be too.

The Creative Gene by Hideo Kojima- Book Review

Hideo Kojima is a videogame auteur, famous for creating the Metal Gear series as well as Death Stranding. He is quite a singular voice and his games wear their influences on their sleeves, from Snake in Metal Gear being an homage to Snake Plissken from John Carpenter's Escape From New York to the Diamond Dogs being a link to David Bowie's alter ego to even more esoteric references from various pop culture influences. To have a series of short essays that has the man talk about his influences as well as they became a formative part of his oeuvre is fascinating.

I have only played a few of Kojima's games but he casts a long shadow so I know a lot more about the man and his works than I normally would any other creative in my area of interest, even if only peripherally.

What you get here is a series is well written, eloquent essays which act as short form reviews about what makes the work so fascinating and formative. A lot of these pieces were written in the wake of the 3/11 earthquakes that devastated Japan so are rather wistful and timestamped but the main themes Kojima covers remain ever potent. There are many pieces but I particularly enjoyed his thought on these few:
- Woman of the Dunes by Kobo Abe, which I read in my teens and found strangely compelling, had me thinking about what we value in freedom.
- Inherit the Stars by James P. Hogan makes it sound like an impressive sci-fi with a intriguing central puzzle-box murder mystery which I have placed on my 'Wish' list.
- The Drifting Classroom by Kazuo Umezz is a Lord of the Flies type book where an earthquake separates a school from the mainland. Teachers and students break into factions as the social bonds that bind us snap. Kojima compares this dystopian vision with what occured on 3/11.
- Columbo: Publish or Perish was a novelisation of an episode from the first season of the show. Young teen Kojima picked it up on the way home from tutoring and it was the book that ignited his passion for reading.
- 2001 Nights by Yukinobu Hoshino attracted Kojima as it was a hard sci-fi manga that made him feel brave and strong. I own and have read the comic run and loved it.
- Blade Runner was a formative film for Kojima and is one of his top 10 films. He saw it as a teen and it blew his mind. When there was a re-release in cinemas to celebrate its 30th anniversary he felt ecstatic to be surrounded by fellow fans.
- Space Battleship Yamato was a revelation in Japan at the time and when the movie was released on the day of Kojima's father's funeral, he saw it in memory of him (not on that day, I mean that would be a bit wrong probably).
- His favourite film is 2001: A Space Odyssey and his favourite band is Joy Division.

What I found surprising is that he does not mention John Carpenter or Escape From New York... an oversight, surely.

Overall, I enjoyed the book as it offered a fascinating look behind the curtain, now I'd like to see a similar book by Swery (creator of Deadly Premonition) and Suda 51 (Grasshopper Manufacture). I don't really fancy one about Ken Levine though as I think I've got his influences figured- Ayn Rand. Called it!

Anyway, my reading pile of shame has just become a lot bigger but that's no bad thing when what I am reading is so thought-provoking.

Monster City- Cult Manga Review

This is a bit of the throwback and was considered a bit of a classic back in the early days of manga in the UK. Alongside Yoshiaki Kawajiri’s Wicked City and Ninja Scroll, we had the Cyberpunk Collection, Dominion Tank Police, Vampire Hunter D, Crying Freeman and Doomed Megalopolis, these were everywhere wherever manga was available in the early 90s.

Monster City or Monster City Shinjuki as I knew it from advertising in the UK, is a pretty good showcase of 80s animation. The opening fight scene set the mood as good fights against evil, but good loses and an area of Tokyo is take over by the demons. The area goes to pot (and real estate prices tumble) as the demons seek to revive an elder demon god. The son of the hero, Kyoya, is called upon when the President's daughter, Sayaka Rama, to help defeat the forces of evil and save her President father by going to the heart of Demon City Shinjuku, defeat the 3 sub-bosses before facing the acolyte, Rebi Rah, who is aiming to resurrect the eldritch gods from the demon realm.

Overall, the plot is pretty simple and makes sense as it is very videogamey. The animation is gorgeous, fluid and has that Kawajiri sense of style which was very evocative of 'Japanimation' that looked head and shoulders above most other animation studios from the time. The character designs are excellent and have aged pretty well considering it is nearly 40 years old. An aspect I appreciate is that it isn't too fanservicey or cringy but it is the 80s so we still get classics like, "I'm gonna tear his head off and shove it up his a$$". This is one of the most edge lordy things in this manga but then, it was the late 80s so that 'tude fits with the times. More problematic is when our' hero' decides to sleep on the floor and share the bed otherwise he might not be able to help himself to attack the woman who is accompanying him on this mission.

However, I do appreciate that Sayaka has some agency and is determined to find out what is going on in order to save her father. This is tempered by the fact that she is incredibly gullible and almost  gets assaulted before she is saved, but she does get swindled out of cash.

Kyoya is the stereotypical slacker who is a chauvinist but has the potential for greatness through his sword fighting skills, if he inky applied himself. Their team up works as they save each other a couple of times and it all is sealed with a (consensual) kiss after the defeat of 3 henchbeaasts and a disciple before the Elder Demon God's are released into our realm.

The film has voice acting that is indicative of the quality for the time. The American President's daughter sounds Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom plummy British whilst the kid who helps them sounds like the dreadful Slow Poke Rodriguez who has a stereotypical Mexican accent that is from those banned old Tom and Jerry. The kids supposed to be a tween but sounds like an old man who's smoked 20 a day all his life. The dub is so bad but I love it; it is a creature of its time but my gosh is the animation and framing lush.

Overall, whilst definitely not amazing, Monster City is better than most anime from the 80s and isn't too problematic. It's worth the 80 mins or so of your time.

LINK- The Transportive Nature of Objects (And the Power of Mini Consoles)

LINK: Japan: My Journey to the East

LINK- The Last Guardian- Video Games As Art

LINK- Shadow of the Colossus- Book Review

LINK: Manga Exhibition at the British Museum

LINK- My One True Gaming Constant in Life- Nintendo

LINK- Akira Soundtrack Vinyl Review

LINK- The Midnight Library and the Idea That You Can’t Go Home Again

Manga Mania and Me

Over the new year, I planned on using my annual month long abstinence from gaming in January to catch up on the television shows, movies, comics and books I’d collated. Whilst visiting my family in Barking in December, I visited the local CEX and found the Haibane Renmei bluray set. I bought it as it is one of my favourite series ever. This lit a fire in me; I needed to get back on that manga train and reserve some space for retro anime and manga from the 80s and 90s. To help me compile a watch list I started to look through my old Manga Mania, Anime FX and Manga Max collections and this sent me down a rabbit-hole.

Manga Mania was an incredibly formative read for me in my early teen years as it published some great manga stories (including the entire run of Akira) whilst also talking about the wider manga and anime scene through informative articles. This was where I learned about Ghibli before it was a thing in the West as well as other series which would gain traction over time including Dragon Ball, Sailor Moon, Evangelion, Cowboy Bebop and many others.
Regular writers Helen McCarthy and Jonathan Clements were the arbiters of good taste, much like Kieron Gillen and Julian 'Jaz' Rignall were for videogames and Q magazine was for music (until that crazily overenthusiastic review of Oasis' Be Here Now which is a meh album at best). These enthusiasts spoke from experience and their longform essays became formative in my interest in Japan, turning me from a weeb to a full on Japanophile.

Manga Mania was cool but it went through a cringy phase with covers featuring badly cosplaying women and splash words that emphasised SEX! VIOLENCE! etc.... It was so edgy try-hard at a time. When I was trying to convince many people that manga wasn't all sex, violence, tentacles or mysogyny the biggest magazine on the matter was putting these key words on the cover! This was the time of lad's mags, frosted tips, 'largin' it' and Nu Metal so these were weird times indeed.

Luckily though, Manga Max came out a short while later and I appreciated its move back to the centre, more sensible ground. It was a more premium looking product and looked classy- think Edge videogames magazine rather than Games Master magazine (I loved Games Master magazine when I read it in WHSmiths so that’s not a knock but it was definitely a different vibe to Edge and has aged less well)

Looking back now, I can see where my interest in writing about my various interests comes from... It's from these magazines I consumed in my youth. I have less time now and so I only buy the 3 magazines each month, Edge (videogames), Retro Gamer (err, does was it says on the tin) and Infinity (Cult Retro Pop Culture).

I'm enjoying revisiting these various old manga magazines and am creating a list of manga and anime I will watch over the next year. I missed a lot in my youth due to lack of availability, time, constraints and generally just living my life and going out with friends to London and gigs. Now, I have a little more time set aside each evening and will watch what I missed.

I know there's so much manga and anime out there but I miss the community that existed when I was younger. This sounds incredibly hipster and gatekeepery but it's not meant to; I'm just getting older so it's hard to connect with people my age on the matter. I've joined a couple of FB groups and that's on the older animations so that's good.

There is just so much content that we are constantly moving on, very few things are allowed to bed in and become part of the zeitgeist. We had limited funds and availability and so, when my group of friends and peers would share a VHS tape it became a water-cooler conversation situation... but in the playgrounds as we were young tweens. The cost of those old VHS tapes was prohibitively high so you'd watch and rewatch those same tapes, cherishing them... even if they were a bit crap sometime (I’m looking at you Legend of the Four Kings- which my best mate at the time owned). Like the odd duff videogame you'd buy based on screenshots at the back of the cassette tape, you'd have almost a Stockholm Syndrome level of affection even though everyone knew that it was inherently rubbish

When Channel 4 started showing manga and anime late at night, it became *THE* conversation for a lot of my friends and I. We would discuss plot points, art styles, music and all that went with the show. However, with the emergence of DVDs and the Internet there wasn't a monoculture anymore. It was great for access to a wider variety of content, but it also meant we lost that sense of community. No doubt, a lot of that is due to my age; I'm 43 years old and the cool stuff now is not stuff I've seen or I'm into and I get that. Also, there's just sooo much stuff out there so where to begin? I do like going to conventions and seeing the variety of costumes and merchandise out there- there really is stuff for everybody and I’m pleased that manga has become mainstream.

I'm not decrying options but the choice paralysis that hits when you have too many options is real. With Gamepass and PS + I could have access to thousands of games but sometimes it's exhausting so I go revisit an old favourite. That's what I'm doing now with manga. I haven't got time for a 1000+ episodes of One Piece but I can spare a few hours for GTO, Death Note or Future Boy Conan.

Manga Mania was a hugely formative part of my life and, even though it's not a big a part as it used to be, it still informs much of my interests nowadays. I’ve had a blast looking through the magazines and will endeavour to keep them forevermore.

Pixel Art Pops In Teignmouth

Invader is a pioneer of ceramic pixel art inspired street art and his Space Invader inspired creations can be found all around Paris. He seems to have an acolyte with a pixel art enthusiast who has dotted several videogame, animation and pop culture pieces in Teignmouth, Devon with his signature Pacman Ghost. There have been art pieces appearing next to street signs in the small coastal town. I've found 30 so far but am sure that there must be a lot more around. I'm gonna go on a hunt to find them all, Pokemon style.

If you like what you see, you can follow Ghost on Instagram as ghost_tq14 or Facebook as Teignmouth ghost.

Boneyard Arcade Brings Back the Memories

Arcades have changed a lot over time and, even though they are not as prevalent as they once were, there has been a steady rise in small centres where you pay an admission fee and get the machines on free play or a contactless pay system on the machines. Whatever model these arcades use, it's fine with me to be able to play original and refurbished machines which give the feel and create the atmosphere of the arcades of my youth.

Living in London, these arcades or barcades were easy enough to find but here, in the South West, the only machines I would find would be the odd ones here and there or ticket redemption spitting machines. The piers and coastal arcades around here would have the occasional arcade machine but that would be the more modern machines with the occasional Guitar Hero machine thrown in.

Boneyard Arcade in Exeter is different though. Run by two brothers with a love for gaming, it features original and refurbed machines. Importantly though, it contains many vintage and classic arcade and pinball machines including:
Tempest
Galaga
Centipede
Asteroids
Sega Rally
Ms. Pacman
Star Wars: Arcade
DDR
and various Mame enabled compilation machines.

I went with my daughters for the first time for my birthday and we had a blast. The atmosphere was family friendly (we did go at 2pm though) and the noise was a nostalgic rush of memories. The £5 contactless card for 20 credits system worked well and, with nearly all the games costing 1 credit, actually incredibly reasonably priced.

With £10 of credit to hand we played most of the machines but our favourites were Star Wars Arcade, Asteroids, Galaga and Tempest.

I've still got about 18 credits left on my card so will definitely visit again. I think this is going to become a part of my bi-monthly comic shop, videogame shopping and arcades routine. Boy, that kinda takes me back to my youth in Barking with the library, Cash Convertors and Rodney's comic shop trinity.

LINK- Vintage Arcade Machines in the Wild

LINK- The Golden Voyage of Sinbad- Cult Movie Review

LINK- The 7th Voyage of Sinbad- Cult Movie Review

LINK- Into the Unknown Exhibition Shines Bright at the Barbican

LINK- Ray Harryhausen: Titan of Cinema Virtual Exhibition Experience- Review

LINK- Children of the Stones: Cult TV Series Review

LINK- Tom’s Midnight Garden: Cult TV Review

LINK- On And On And Colston ( Or, How We Kinda Sort of Learned to Talk About the Legacy of Colonialism and the British Empire)

LINK: Japan: My Journey to the East

The Prisoner- Cult TV Series Review

I have been a film aficionado for a long time. My father brought me up on classics like David Lean's adaptations of Oliver Twist and Great Expectations as well as the various black and white classic comedies of Charlie Chaplin and Laurel and Hardy. However, I became interested in cult TV series and films whilst attending University. Our campus was media-centered and as a result it had a huge catalogue of videos to rent, free of charge. I ploughed through many often taking the maximum 8 out at a time and consumed them voraciously. As a result, I believe that I am quite literate in films and TV but the series that really attract me are the more offbeat curios that were before my time and appreciating them for what they were, whether that be Kolchak: The Night Stalker, Twin Peaks, Children of the Stones, Ghost Stories for Christmas, Tales of the Unexpected, The Twilight Zone (in my opinion, the pop culture lodestone for so much that followed) or the myriad of niche films and series of yesteryear.

There was one series that I kept hearing a lot about so I thought I'd right that wrong; I would watch The Prisoner. I knew of The Prisoner through The Simpsons parody but also from reading various publications and magazines that spoke of the series in reverential tones.

Viewing the show with no nostalgia attached, I could see why the series has maintained a cult status. Like Twin Peaks, of which I am a huge fan of, the more one delves into the quirkiness, the lore and the theories, the more one appreciates what was done. It has clearly inspired many shows including Lost, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, The X Files and so many more.

It is a singular show and it's tight 17 episode run keeps it evergreen by avoiding bloat and repetition... I mean, there's only so many ways you can attempt to escape by boat!

Patrick McGoohan is compelling in the role as 6.

The series is now seen as cult with its allegory of sociopolitics, but it was a prime time show when it was initially released. I don't know how Patrick McGoohan managed to get funding for it as it is so ahead of its time yet of its time; the Cold War was alive and well and the fear permeates this singularly psychedelic and Kafkaesque show with some real world analogies. However, it also embraced the Summer of Love with its fashion, crazy carnival of colours and The Beatles' All You Need is Love.

The show sure goes to some odd places, such as Once Upon a Time where 6 is brainwashed and regresses to certain points of his earlier life, or Free For All where he becomes a demagogue.  However, it does make a weird kind of sense and shows the hopelessness of it all. In the words of 2, it doesn't matter if it's East or West who control the Village, it is '... a perfect blueprint for World Order'.

In Free For All, which is a very disorienting episode that looks at electioneering, it examines democracy in a vapid society where there is the guise of free media and culture. It could be analogous for much of the world today.
In Chimes of Big Ben, a pretentious art competition sees 6 create a flat pack boat and sell it off as a chapel door with a cross. He wins the competition, after being heavily supported by 2, and wins. This sideways look at the pretentiousness and corporate interests in art is a very unsubtle thumb of the nose to the art work of the 60s.

Other episodes I particularly liked include Hammer into Anvil, which sees 6 do some outlandish things in order to confuse and befuddle 2 into thinking there is a conspiracy against him, and Checkmate, which sees 6 combine with other uncooperatives to escape from the island. But, who can he truly trust?

There were a few others that I didn't care for, generally amongst the latter half of the series, but they were still worth a watch as they added to the mythos of the show.

The finale, Fall Out, is an extraordinary piece of work. It is utterly incomprehensible at first viewing, at least for me, but by piecing ideas from various episodes you can make a kind of sense, much like Twin Peaks: The Returns episode 8. I don't get it all but think The Prisoner is all about the power of the individual which is supreme but also about how individuality affects the social fabric so it is oppressed by those in power. The reason 6 resigned and what he was involved in are not the important things here, nor is the question of who or what number 1 is. What matters more is the vibe of the show which looks at the surreal, psychedelic and counter-culture movements and how it is seemingly a threat to common society- a fear held by many Libertarians.

I read the essential I Am (Not) a Number: Decoding The Prisoner by Alex Cox and his theory is one that rings true for me. I can get behind his theory and, with the passing of time, it seems the most accurate in my understanding of what the series is about.

Overall, I loved the show and even thought the central mystery remains for me, like it does for my theories of Twin Peaks, it will remain long in my memory.

LINK- Children of the Stones: Cult TV Series Review

LINK- Dead of Night: Cult TV Review

LINK- The Stone Tapes: Cult TV Review

LINK- Tom’s Midnight Garden: Cult TV Review

LINK- Children of the Dogstar: Cult TV Series Review

LINK- How to be Perfect: The Correct Answer to Every Moral Question by Mike Schur- Book Review

LINK- The Good Place and Philosophy- Book Review

LINK- On And On And Colston ( Or, How We Kinda Sort of Learned to Talk About the Legacy of Colonialism and the British Empire)

LINK- ‘Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire’ LINK: Elden Ring- Videogames As Art

Stray- Videogames As Art

Stray gained a lot of hype before release as it was billed by many as a cat simulator game and the internet loves cats. I didn't play it upon release as I had so many other games I was working through but, when a window of time came up after finishing the RE 4 Remake, I bought this on sale to have a shorter experience.

The story, such as it is, is that you are a cat in a dystopian future. You need to survive against crazed robots and a violent world when you fall from the lush green overworked into the depths below. The game is gorgeous as the lush green world at the beginning contrasts heavily with the dark, damp pipe system and the sodium orange and neon hues of the decaying lower city.

I enjoyed the game just fine and, whilst some of the puzzles are obtuse and unclear, the artistry of world-building and graphics is stunning. Here are some screenshots of my playthrough.

Bramble: The Mountain King- Videogames As Art

Bramble: The Mountain King is a Scandinavian mythology game like Year Walk, Roki and Brothers: A Take of Two Sons but with the gameplay of Little Nightmares, Inside and Limbo. All good things in my humble opinion. The game, with its grotesque menagerie of characters, reminded me of 70s and early 80s eastern European puppet theatre with the artistic styling of Jan Švankmajer. Now, for some all these references will seem like hipster word salad but, for a few, this will be like mana from heaven *cue that Vince McMahon meme of him progressively losing his shizzle*

When purchasing the game, the young shop assistant said she was interested in playing it as she'd seen a few Tiktoks on it on it and it was really scary. A colleague then came over and waxed lyrical about Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons and we discussed the merits of that game for a short while.

With Bramble, the soundtrack is quite similar as there are the ululations of lament that formed the soundtrack of Brothers so it felt like putting on a pair of comfortably warm and slightly sinister feeling slippers.

The art style is similar to Jim Henson’s The Storyteller but a recent game it reminded me of was Moss. Even though Bramble is obviously not in VR the angle of the camera and the sense of gated freedom exists here. The scenery is beautifully realised with valleys, rivers and mountains all present and correct but you also get blood rivers, a murderous chefs kitchen and a dark fairy circle before reaching the ruined castle.

The storybooks that reveal the lore of the land are well drawn and narrated and get under your skin but it's the boss battles that really stand out. They are basic but the creativity in creature designs are excellent. The 4 or so hours it took for me were worthwhile and I know aspects from this game will stick with me for a long time yet.

LINK: Japan: My Journey to the East

LINK- The Last Guardian- Video Games As Art

LINK- Shadow of the Colossus- Book Review

LINK: Manga Exhibition at the British Museum

LINK- The Midnight Library and the Idea That You Can’t Go Home Again

LINK- The Transportive Nature of Objects (And the Power of Mini Consoles)

LINK- My One True Gaming Constant in Life- Nintendo

LINK- Akira Soundtrack Vinyl Review

Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre- Series Review

Junji Ito's Maniac: Japanese Tales of Macabre has an intriguing premise: an anthology series of some of his short stories. Rather than jump scares, Ito always goes for the unworldly and creeping dread, the horror of what is unknowable. It sounds like a solid premise for a series, but is it? I've created a synopsis and short review of each episode below.

The Strange Hikizuri Siblings
When a photographer and spiritualist meet a strange family they encounter possession and power plays.
This is a quirky story about an Addams Family/ Munsters style family. The siblings are all quite unique and they interact in socially awkward ways. It's not really scary but quite gross with the vomiting ectoplasm.

The Story of the Mysterious Tunnel
When a woman mysteriously vanishes in a train tunnel, years later her young son revisits it and finds that it seems to be drawing his family in.
This is a genuinely creepy story as it makes you question yourself about life after death and the spirit realm. It's a short 15 minute film but is effective.

Ice Cream Bus
When a father and son move into an appartment complex, they see the families send their children off with the ice cream man who appears each Saturday. When his kid starts to act weird the dad wants to find out why.
This is a weird episode. It clocks in at just under 10 mins but is a slight episode about obsession.

Hanging Balloon
When her idol singer friend is found hanged, her friends and family find it hard to deal with the fallout. However, when there is group hysteria stating that her floating face haunts the wooded area, people start to go crazy.
Once the phenomenon becomes a pandemic, the whole of society crumbles but there is one holdout.
This is an excellent episode as it looks at Japan's obsession with idols and the strange cults that can develop around them. It also looks at group hysteria and how it can take over a population as well as mass suicide. This is a very dark episode.

4 x 4 Walls
When a diligent student constantly keeps getting distracted by his younger brother a Home Alone style chase ensues across a quadruple protected room. However, the troublemaker does get his comeuppance.
It's a weird one this one and quite slight. Soichi, the troublemaker, comes across like a Loki type chaos character and it's easy to take a dislike to him.

The Sandman's Lair
When a fantasy writer, Yuji, asks his girlfriend to keep him awake to prevent his dream version from coming into the real world she doesn't believe him. What occurs is like a Nightmare on Elm Street.
This is a 10 minute animation and is so strange that it's hard to parse except maybe it's the literal form of 'follow your dreams'.

Intruder
When 4 mystery truth seekers hear about a creepy house nearby from a quiet fellow student they make a starling discovery there. Is their new friend a serial killer?
This tale of colleagiate pals, brought together in a Scooby Doo style mystery is funny but unsettling too.

Long Hair in the Attic
When a woman is unceremoniously dumped by her boyfriend after several years, she decides to cut her hair- new year, new me, right? Her hair has other ideas however.
This is a solid short film with a simple premise and vivid imagery. The visual of the head in the attic is something to behold and when it moves, crawling along the ground it'll make you... Well... hair stand on end.

Mold
When a successful student has to go overseas, he rents out his apartment to his former teacher. Upon his return he finds the teacher and his family gone and his home covered in mold.
This is a good overall premise as the mold grows and spreads, infecting the whole building and the grey scale of the art creates a discontenting feeling.

Library Vision
A young man has an extensive private library collection but when a few books seem to go missing he obsesses over them.
In contrast to its companion piece Mold, this is a vibrantly coloured episode and looks at what happens when obsession takes hold. The background and scenery animation is gorgeous and the story simple but effective enough.

Tomb Town
When a new driver goes on a road trip with his sister to visit her friend, they accidently hit and kills someone. They try to hide the body but encounter a strange town with tombstones scattered around. Can they get away with manslaughter?
This is one of the best episodes of the series as it builds up tension as the siblings try to hide their crime. The denouement is proper downbeat though.

Layers of Terror
When an archaeologist finds a strange skull little does he realise that it will have a curse that has repercussions for his family when they have a car accident 20 years later.
This is a pretty gross body horror short film as the petty sibling jealousies are at the centre of this sad tale.

The Thing That Drifted Ashore
A monstrous fish washes ashore and, whilst examining it, scientists see people living inside it.
This is a tale about the resilience and adaptability of the human body and spirit but Ito style so it's gross and scary.

Tomie-Photo
When a photography club member is reprimanded by the new transfer student for selling photos of popular boys, it becomes a fight for survival as things escalate.
This is a classic Ito tale and is one of his most well known works. It's condensed quite a bit but is still very effective.

Unendurable Labyrinth
A couple of students go for a mountain hike and end up getting lost. They come across an esoteric Buddhist sect and meditate for a few days but hear tell of a ritual.
This is a well told short tale with an intriguing central conceit. The ending is startling and jarring. Solid Ito work here.

The Bully
A girl befriends a younger boy but starts to bully him. Years later, they meet again, fall in love and have a child but has the bully really mended her ways.
This is a disconcerting episode as it shows how abuse can affect someone and have lasting effects. It ends of quite a chilling tone too.

Alley
A new lodger moves into an old house with an elderly lady and her daughter. When he hears strange noises coming from an alleyway he investigates and hears tell of ghosts.
This is a solid short with an intriguing premise which carries through to its startling conclusion.

Headless Statue
An art teacher prepares for an exhibition where his headless statues are to take centre stage. However, when he is murdered and his head is missing a student looks for the truth.
This is a fun spooky episode as there's always something disconcerting about mannequins, statues etc.

Whispering Woman
A young girl with hysteria is attended to by a quiet and calm woman. It is a successful relationship and the girl becomes more independent and happy. However, after the woman is killed the girl becomes restless.
This is a chilling episode about domestic abuse and ends in quite a gory way. It's an effective story well done.

Soichi's Beloved Pet
Soichi's family adopt a stray cat but the curse starts to turn him feral. What evil thing will it do next?
This is a funny episode and it leans a lot into the absurdity of it all.

Overall, I enjoyed the series just fine but with the exception of Hanging Balloons, Tomie, Unendurable Labyrinth and Headless Statues, quite forgettable. It's not that the stories are poor per se but the power of Ito's black and white images sears itself into your mind but when they are animated in colour and the pace moves at such a click it feels rushed with no sense of pacing. In this way, the payoff is poor and not worth the investment as you walk away shrugging your shoulder rather than shuddering in fear. Unlike a lot of his graphic novel work, nothing really from this animation series imprints itself.
Ito is a master storyteller and artist and this series is a primer of some of his works but his graphic novel work is where he shines. This is a disappointment and, even though I was mildly entertained, I was underwhelmed.

Future Boy Conan- Series Review

I'm a huge Mysterious Cities of Gold fan and had heard that it was part inspired by a series called Future Boy Conan. I'd never seen this series before, as it was never shown in the UK to my knowledge, but had heard that it was definitely worth a watch. When a Blu-ray was released, I jumped on it and ordered it on release day. However, it sat in my pile of shame for over a year until I finally got around to it earlier this month.

Even though the series is old and I have no personal attachment to it, I hoped that I was nuanced enough to overlook its nearly 50 plus year old production values in order to appreciate what many others saw in as it's inherent good qualities. I can honestly say that, after its 11 hour runtime, I was very impressed.

The show starts off very quickly, with a prologue about Earth being destroyed by man's folly in 2008 by using ultra-magnetic weapons that destabilised the Earth's poles, creating natural disaster and breaking up the landmasses.

Fast forward a few decades and one of the scientists, now an old man, takes care of a boy he helped raise on the island. When the boy, Conan, find a mysterious girl, Lana, washed up on their shore they help get her back to health.

When a military force from Industria take her and kill the old man, the boy travels across the world to rescue her. What follows is a heartfelt and adventurous tale of friendship, resilience and heart as Conan attempts to rescue Lana and finds out about the wider world.

After Lana is rescued, Conan and Jimsy get to experience life in her village of High Harbor. They get to understand what it is to be part of a community and the difficulties that arise during difficult times in a close community. The socio-political conversation is thoughtful as the people fight back against Industria.
After a tsunami nearly devastates High Harbor, Conan decides to go to Industria to help the people there after the consequences of the giant wave. His selflessness and empathy, even for those who want to harm him, is heartening to see and a good message for people of all ages to follow. I won't spoil the ending but the last 3 episodes are some of the most intense and we'll-paced episodes of any serial ever.

There are a lot of aspects of the show that probably wouldn't be allowed on children's TV nowadays, like underage drinking, smoking and physical abuse where the kids are smacked on the rump with planks and beaten up. This definitely IS your dad's animation. I haven't clutched my pearls this hard since Upin and Ipin were smacked across the face for lying! Additionally, there's difficult stuff to cover like branding, slavery and imperialism but it's all dealt with pretty sympathetically and no-one is presented as irredeemable. We get an insight into the imperial powers intentions through the actions of Monsley, a General of sorts who carry out most of Industria's orders without question. When we gain a flashback as to her origin story it offers insight into her motivation. Characters are well fleshed out and we understand them even if we don’t agree with them or their actions.

The animation, under the direction of the legendary future Ghibli animator Hayao Miyazaki, is brilliant and consistent throughout. The backgrounds are extremely detailed and create a believable world. The character designs are superb and have a timeless quality, belying it's age whilst the pacing is excellent throughout. The High Harbor episodes, where the characters get a taste of island life offers insight into society post-catastrophe, is thankfully well done. They do not overstay their welcome, unlike those in Nadia: Secret of Blue Water where island episodes killed the pacing for several episodes.

The Blu-ray transfer is excellent as the colours really pop and the animation is crystal clear with little to no blurring, colour bleeding, fuzz, scratching, artefacting or pop in. It's an excellent way to presents the show in the best possible way and I can see why the show is so highly regarded. In the West we had cheaply animated children's shows but rarely did they have the lavish production costs, focus on character and story that this has. The only thing that came close would be the Disney movies but a 26 part TV animated series aimed at kids didn't really take off until the 80s when we had DIC produced shows like Ulysses 31, Belle and Sabastian and MCOG as well as BRB’sWillie Fogg and Dogtanian.

Future Boy Conan is a remarkable piece of work and, whilst not the rosetta stone for many series, it is a landmark production that obviously affected the animation industry going forward. It is well worth your time!

LINK- Mysterious Cities of Gold Season 3 (English Dub) -Complete Series Review

LINK- MCOG Series 2 Review

LINK: Japan: My Journey to the East

LINK- The Last Guardian- Video Games As Art

LINK- Shadow of the Colossus- Book Review

LINK: Manga Exhibition at the British Museum

LINK- The Midnight Library and the Idea That You Can’t Go Home Again

LINK- The Transportive Nature of Objects (And the Power of Mini Consoles)

LINK- My One True Gaming Constant in Life- Nintendo

LINK- Akira Soundtrack Vinyl Review

Making Time for Gaming and Difficulty Modes

I probably won't get to play Starfield, Buldur's Gate 3, FF16 and many other games anytime soon, if ever. These games are being called genre-defining or ‘all-timers’ by many yet there's not a chance I'll play all of them because the time-sink would be too great. So, I’ve played the games that I know I didn’t want to miss like RE4 Remake, Zelda, Mario Wonder, Goodbye Volcano High and other quirky indie games that don't take tens of hours to complete. It's just such a shame as 2023 was one of the best years ever for videogames and 2024 could be looking pretty good too. Will I ever catch up? No. No, I won’t.

As a 43 year old married man, I only have a finite amount of time and I want to feel like I'm progressing. If it were my uni student days, where I had all that free time between lectures, then that would a different matter. For me, who completed Operation Wolf on the green monochrome screen of the Amstrad CPC 464 on the keyboard, the idea of challenge is nothing. No, facing enemy combatants in a jungle setting on a green screen was my #Legend moment. Additionally, as you get older your reaction times slow and, whilst they don't calcify, they are definitely significantly slower than they used to be- it's simple biology. Thus, some games become incredibly challenging but that doesn't mean I don't relish the fight. 

One of my greatest (and earliest) gaming achievements.

I've never understood the 'Git Good' tribalism that exists for some of these games. Life is hard enough so for many videogames are a leisurely escape in their downtime. I always start on the regular mode but, when there are unfair difficulty spikes or the need to resource farm to progress, I slide down to easy to progress before reverting to the regular mode again. I'm a child of the 80s and I did my time on incredibly hard or borderline unfair games in the arcades and on the home computers of the time. I've completed Katana Zero, Nier: Automata and many other recognisably 'hard' games but I can swallow my pride when needed and alter the challenge. For when I am feeling particularly hardcore, I play From Software games but I haven't completed any except Elden Ring, due to the farming needed when there is a huge difficulty spike. I only completed Elden Ring due to the fact that I could wander around a huge world when I met a creature that was too powerful and get OP-ed in the process.

Elden Ring is my most played game and took me over 160 hours to beat.

I am already saturated with so much media; if it's not games it's books, audiobook, magazines, podcasts, music albums, YouTube short and long form video essays, graphic novels etc without the added complication of playing all these videogames too. Gaming would dominate all my free time and, when you are a teacher with a young family, manage this level of gaming would be detrimental to my family life not to mention mental health.

My gaming pile is quite high and that’s before I account for digital games like Alan Wake 2, A Highland Song and a few others.

I have a huge backlog across all media forms and the Backlog Guilt Spectrum is real. I look at my 'to do' pile then inexplicably proceed to purchase more. I regularly go through massively productive periods where I make a dent in this backlog. Traditionally, I have a calm January where stay away from games and read or watch films and TV series. Usually, that is followed by the Summer holidays where I read prodigious amounts to make good on my promise to finish all the books I've purchased over the past year. I did that this year and felt immensely proud, before buying a load more books and feeling that tension rise again.

I have a real choice paralysis as I have always been quite informed about a lot of pop culture so not having experience of certain things seems anathema to me but that's what age, work and life does to you, it forces you to face your commitments to other things and realise that there is too much media to be consumed so slow down and enjoy the ride.

Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom- Videogames As Art

Nintendo has been a firm fixture in my gaming life since I was about 8 years old. Zelda: Ocarina of Time remained my favourite ever game until it was surpassed by Breath of the Wild just 6 years ago. It was with some high level of expectation that I was awaiting the release of Tears of the Kingdom and I have not been disappointed. I clocked in 121 hours on my Switch in 2023 and 83 hours was on TOTK.

This was by far my most played game this year across my PS5, PS4 and Switch.

It is an absolute masterpiece and, whilst I prefer Breath of the Wild due to its fresh approach to an openworld gaming, I appreciate the novelty of the Ultrahand power which led to some crazy builds and possibilities.

Here are screenshots of my playthrough.

The Year Ahead in Gaming

Okay, I've joined the fray- after the usual flurry of end of year gaming reflections there's the typical 'looking to the year ahead' SEO thing, and I'm no different so here's my version of that, strictly tongue in cheek mind. Now, no-one can predict exactly what is going to happen but why let that stand in the way of an article? Let me gird me loins and let's get cracking.

In January, I abstain from any form of videogaming and usually catch up on the books, comics, graphic novels, podcasts, films and TV series that I've been meaning to get to but haven't. It has been building up quite a lot after the Summer holidays last year, where I went on a massive reading binge whilst in Cape Verde for the week and inhaled a load of books.

I read through a lot but this January my plan is to go through this lot... I'm sure I'd have a good old go and finish a lot though so I've probably bought more by the end if the month and given myself another huge to do list... Anything to ignore the fact that life is entropy and we are all slowly one step closer to death. Ahem. Onwards!

So, February will see me hitting the games big time. Catching up on this sweet stash. Finally I'll finish Mario Wonder and pause to think what the mustachiod err wonder will do next. Also, I'd have bought the Another Code: Remake Collection, which would have come out on Jan 19th, and will lose my mind over how they translate *that* puzzle which used the reflective power of the DS screens.
Final Fantasy Rebirth will also come out at the end of the month but the £70 price tag won't sit right with me so I'll probably get it near the tail end of the year, after the hype and zeitgeist has worn off and get it at the second hand or sale price of about £30. That and I still have FF7: Crisis Core Reunion to finish off.

This is my ‘to do’ list.

I'm sure by the time March hits there'll be loads of games in my digital store and pile from the sales where I would have scooped them up. Heaven's Vault, a game I bought over 3 years ago on the Switch will have to wait, yet again... alas.

Summer will brig the release of Llamasoft: A Jeff Minter Joint-a film about the singular Jeff Minter. I love the games the guy makes and, with the exception of Tetsuya Mizuguchi, the only guy who really gets synaesthesia in the game space.

PlayStation Foamstars will come out, riding in the coattails of Splatoon but, like PlayStation All Stars compared to Smash Bros, will lack the charm, finesse and flair. I predict it will be short lived and by Winter, we will hear of a dwindling player base numbering in the tens.

By now, Switch 2 model predictions would have gone nuts. I'm guessing that it won't start too far from the current model but will be higher powered, more like a PS4, but it will have the ability to play a screen on the TV but have the pad play as the touch control screen like we had in the DS and 3DS- this would allow Nintendo to port over or virtual store hundreds of old DS and 3DS games onto the library.
I would have pre-ordered one as Nintendo casually announce it in a Direct whilst I'm teaching in class. Game will have one and I will reorder but the gits will let me down (yet again) as they can't fulfill the order... sods!

The Autumn season will see the release of the Elden Ring DLC and, as usual, the totally rational and not at least elitist Git Gud crew will discuss the merits of having a rock hard game which doesn't take into account accessibility needs. This conversation will be coherent, logical and not in any way excluding to those who are colour blind, have difficulties with gross motor control or are women. I will buy it of course and love it with all my heart as Elden Ring is my most played game ever with 168 hours of play.

To coincide with Halloween, Silent Hill 2 will be released to much disappointment as all that made the game a masterpiece will be removed. Fog? Gone as now we can see where we are going! Nuanced writing? Gone as AI made the whole endeavour cheaper and better! It will also have DLC where James can wear amazing hats and you can buy different shapes heads for Pyramid Head... Dodecahedron Head? Sign me up!

The year will be peppered with AI, NFT and Games As a Service nonsense and when it doesn't work out, executives will say targets have not been met, award themselves huge pay rises and deals and sack a lot of the workers who actually produce the work. The whole failing upwards trend will continue.

The next Ubi sandbox game is released and, in a surprise move that astounds everyone, has even more icon splooged nonsense it has an over and underworld as well as a usual map: that's three layers of icon filled definitely essential to story beats and not time wasting nonsense. They have played Zelda: TOTK and have learned the lessons built on from that Zelda-like Greek gods themed Immortals: Fenyx Rising.

Also, COD is announced by Activision and in no way consistent with real world politics features a story containing an entirely fictional country called Falestine where the evil women and children must be killed for some totally legit reasons. It will take into account complex legalese framework to sympathetically put geopolitical questions under a microscope… psych! It’ll be the usual ‘do this and shoot that POC.’

Overall, I'm looking forward to the year ahead and predict it will be amazing. I don't foresee Silksong and Metroid 4 coming out but look forward to all the Nintendo Directs and the other not-E3 shows getting blasted for the fact, even though no-one announced a date for either game.

Manga and Me

In Japan, manga has been a part of the culture for a long time. The origins of manga are debated and The Handscroll of Frolicking Animals by Kitazawa Rakuten is considered a major influence, but generally it gained prominence in the post World War 2 era where artists such as Osamu Tezuka brought some levity and lightness to proceedings with Mighty Atom or Astro Boy as he's known in the West. Tezuka was to manga what Will Eisner was to American comics; the medium existed before their arrival but they brought it to the fore and forever changed it.

There was a giant Astroboy figure at the Manga Exhibition at the British Museum.

As a young boy growing up in east London, England, I didn't know anything about manga or anime but I was consuming it unknowingly through shows such as The Mysterious Cities of Gold and Ulysses 31. One Saturday I went into my local WHSmith’s and saw issue 22 of a magazine called Manga Mania and was taken by the big eyes, spiky hair style and tiny mouth and nose of the cover star that reminded me so much of the animation style I liked. When I picked it up, from the top shelf next to the more salacious magazines, I felt a bit of a rebel but upon opening it the kinetic imagery and artistry blew me away. Flicking through it I saw a mention of The Mysterious Cities of Gold in the letter pages and knew I had found something special.

My uncle who was only slightly older than me, saw that I had an interest in manga and gave me Devilman and Akira to borrow on VHS- not bad for a 13 year old kid enthralled by this new genre. At the time Akira blew my mind, I didn't understand it then and don't even pretend to now but I knew that I was watching something special

My interest in manga peaked at the same time of the Marvel and DC comic boom in the early to mid 90's and I soon forged a group of friends who became Japanophiles and comic buddies, recording and swapping recordings off the Sci-fi Channel and Channel 4 late on Saturday nights. However, getting some cool or fresh manga was difficult as it was still pretty cult. I’d buy some items from my local comic store, Rodney’s Books and Comics but this was quite limited.

This was the local comic store in Barking and was legendary for those in the scene.

Later on, when I got my part time job at Peacock’s in Ilford, I had disposable income and so could afford to buy stuff from Forbidden Planet. It was amazing but came at a premium price. Here are a few of the soundtracks I still have which are in my collection.

I visited the Manga Exhibition at the British Museum and loved the scope of it!

Later on, with the advent of the internet, getting stuff became easier as I could always get things on ebay, usually bootleg copies of stuff that hadn't made its way West yet. I'd buy a series, usually for about £15 to £20 and consume it over the coming weeks. I found that the guy I was buying from lived just in the next town so I'd get on the bus, pop over to his house and buy a few series at a time. This was how I watched Haibane Renmei, Cowboy Bebop, Serial Experiment Lain, Vampire Princess Miyu TV series, 3x3 Eyes, The Big O, Giant Robo and many, many others.

With the onset of Bear Share, Limewire and Pirate Bay and other file sharing platforms I just bought a hard drive and got loads of stuff that way but the DVDs were the best for me as they felt real and looked impressive rather than ephemeral and disposable.

These are bootleg soundtracks I burnt in the early 00s.

I visited Japan over 10 years ago and love it.

I still have a lot of these bootleg series in the loft, alongside my real copies of stuff I bought, but these were halcyon days of anime and manga and I miss the camaraderie of a tight group sharing and discussing cult stuff. Manga was one of my first true loves and one that has survived to this day, at least to some lesser extent. Manga is in my lifeblood and even though it doesn't feature as prominently in my daily life as it once did for me, it was formative in my youth and for that I am still grateful.

LINK: Japan: My Journey to the East

LINK: Manga Exhibition at the British Museum

LINK- The Transportive Nature of Objects (And the Power of Mini Consoles)

LINK- My One True Gaming Constant in Life- Nintendo

LINK- Ulysses 31 Retro Soundtrack Review

LINK- The Mysterious Cities of Gold Retro Soundtrack Review

LINK- Akira Soundtrack Vinyl Review

Another Year Over, A New One Has Begun (Or, Reflections on a Challenging Year)

We’ve just gone through that time of year again where many of us reflect on the successes and failures of the past 365 days; we look back at the goals and targets we set ourselves this time last year and see if we have accomplished what we wanted to do, become what we wanted to become etc.

My resolution at the start of 2022 had been to meet and understand people better. By the end of 2022 I had definitely achieved much of that through my weekly football playing, going out with some local friends, reading lots of autobiographies and biographies and listening to a lot of podcasts. Now, I'm not saying I'd turned into some behavioural psychologist or anything but I had started to have a better understanding of folks.

I continued with this resolution in 2023 and read a lot more autobiographies including Spare (Prince Harry), I Might Regret This (Abbi Jacobson), Who I Am (Mel C), Crying in H Mart (Michelle Zauner), I'm Glad my Mom Died (Jennette McCurdy) and The Woman in Me (Britney Spears). I also listened to a lot of podcasts including all of This Cultural Life which has celebrities share their formative influences and, much like Desert Island Discs and People, Just People, offered an insight into the human condition. I learned a lot from this and, even though many of these people lived vastly different lives to mine, I found many shared the same worries, concerns and dreams as me and, I assume, many other people have.

Away from all this, it has been bittersweet year to be a gamer- there were many all-timer games released but this was undercut by thousands upon thousands of job losses. The executive class meanwhile seemed to be awarding themselves handsomely though at least someone is happy. I played a lot, working through my pile of shame and completing: God of War: Ragnarok, Horizon Zero Dawn: Forbidden West, The Excavation of Hob’s Barrow, Sackboy: A Big Adventure, Ghost of Tsushima, Last Stop, Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Goodbye Volcano High, Gley Lancer, Alba, Dordogne, Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, Road ‘96 and Resident Evil 4 Remake. Gaming took most of my free time this year but I still have a huge pile of shame which I will resume with in February.

This is my to do list for 2023. Add in Alan Wake 2 and a few other digital games and I’m stocked for a while.

My new resolution for 2023 was to know more about the condition of the world through consuming media on politics, world history and the world of entertainment. Retrospectively… what a year to do that in, eh? I read Amy Jeffs’ Lost History about the myths and legends of the British Isles, Lost Islamic History by Firas Alkhateeb, Femina by Janina Ramirez, Burn It Down (which looked at abuse and #Metoo in Hollywood) by Maureen Ryan and Babel by R.F. Kuang, a fictional story about colonialism and legacy which spoke many truths. On the podcast front, I listened to Things Fell Apart (Jon Ronson) and Marianna in Conspiracyland (BBC) which showed the complexity of the culture wars and the times we live in.

Things were complex enough with all the constant culture wars stoking tensions across the media landscape but then the Israel-Palestine conflict started and exacerbated the situation somewhat. It is clear that the West is struggling with an identity crisis as the metanarratives it has carefully curated for itself about democracy, human rights and equality have started to fall apart. For generations, there has been a politics of memory- a reframing of the past into some glorious halcyon but the youth of today are no longer putting up with the rose tinted past and they are calling out the injustices and inequalities as they see them. More people seem to be realizing that the world has been built on a flimsy foundation of sand; the 2008 financial crash, #BLM, the Covid-19 pandemic, the cost of living crisis and the various conflicts have shown the inequalities that exist within our systems. Many people are starting to see that they have nothing left to lose and are driven in creating a New World Order (no, not the Illuminati one) but one where equity exists for all.

Following the various news stories, my digital footprint must be quite confusing for algorithms as I read both the Left (The Guardian, Owen Jones, Novara Media), Right (Spiked, LBC’s Nick Ferrari, Piers Morgan- on occasion) and also the Centre (occasionally the BBC, and LBC’s James O’Brien) take on the unfolding situations- whatever they may be.

Social media has been the game changer, allowing people to shine a light on whatever they deem important. There have been some dreadful ‘hot takes’ from celebrities, TV personalities, influencers and places of education and learning that should know better. The absurdities of some of the claims and quick responses to live situations, as if they had been based on independently verified fact checkers, created a corrosive and toxic atmosphere from which has arisen racism in all its variants, transphobia and so much more. This benefits no-one and divides us. Consuming all this, sometimes, I felt that some people just needed to give their head a wobble to sort themselves out. However, a lot of people, especially the youth, know that nihilism is not the way. Videos like the one below went viral and, whilst I cannot verify all the information is accurate, it does show that the reach on social media has been a game changer with how people can get their message out- for good or ill.

I'm seeing change afoot with the youth who won't let us blindly sink into oblivion. The youth of today are challenging the accepted norms and it can seem like they care deeply about so much. Their earnestness can be cringe inducing for many but I believe it is their superpower; the willingness to be agents of change. Obviously, this enthusiasm has been weaponised by some who are creating weird cult like behaviours by creating a flock of followers for their own weird agenda (see Russell Brand, Andrew Tate, Logan and Jake Paul etc) and some even go down weird tangents (Letters to America from Bin Laden) but, for the most part, the youth are angry and are right to be so. They are hyperconnected through the internet, the voiceless can now find their tribe and challenge the previously unchallenged, be it governments, religious organisations, educational institutions or whatever.

We shall see what the future brings but one thing is for sure, the current situation is untenable and things will need to change, and quick. I wish peace and prosperity for all people, irrespective or race, religion, creed, colour or sexuality. Live and let live!

* Ahem* Anyways… this year I hope to continue to read, listen and watch more to know my fellow man, be mindful of the politics in Britain as we are in election year and continue to talk about freedom for the oppressed. As it is January, I’m taking time away from gaming for the months and above are photos of what I hope to work my way through. Wish me luck!

LINK: On, And On And Colston (Or, How We Learned to Talk About the Legacy of Colonialism in GB)

LINK- Utopia for Realists- Book Review

LINK: Natives: Race and Class in the Ruin of Empire- Book Review

LINK: Why I No Longer Talk To White People About Race

LINK: Let’s All Create a ‘New Normal’.

LINK- Ms Marvel Can Change the World

Amano: Beyond the Fantasy- Book Review

I first became aware of Yoshitaka Amano through his character design on Vampire Hunter D. It was one of the first manga I watched back in the early 90s and the gothic horror stylings really stood out for me. Later on, I knew his work from the Final Fantasy games and the Neil Gaiman Sandman special Endless Dreams. His androgynous, pale faced figures with slight bodies makes his art style visually distinctive whilst his brushstrokes art in a painterly style touch upon the Japanese heritage.

This visual biography, Amano: Beyond the Fantasy, celebrates the life and art of the artist though 400 illustrations and in-depth interviews about his childhood, his rise at Tatsunoko and his move away to become an independent artist. The writing in the book is engaging without being too overwhelming with details. What you get is a good look at his childhood, growth as an artist, his process and his current practice including his quest to create his magnum opus.

The book is printed on quality thick paper stock and the images printed in excellent detail with no artefacting at all. The interviews by Florent Gorges are excellent as they offer flavour to Amano's life and help contextualise the artworks. For anyone interested in this singular artist, this book is a real boon!