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I Am Thor

I recently watched this documentary on Netflix, about this guy – the titular Thor – who had a brief flash of fame in the 70s/80s as a hard rock/heavy metal singer, and who decides to try and make a comeback in the last decade (and is still trying). It’s not as interesting as the recent Twisted Sister documentary I watched. I think it would have been better to see more footage covering the period when he was at his height of popularity – instead, this focuses on the his decade-long “comeback,” which is well, modest if endearing. It is quite fascinating to see how far and long a person can devote energy to trying to capture something that probably isn’t capturable, and it does have a pretty nice (in an Anvil kinda way) ending.

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Ronia the Robber’s Daughter

I finally got around to watching the second half of Ghibli’s Ronia series, produced by Hayao Miyazaki’s son, Goro Miyazaki. The entire series is made up of 26 episodes, and I had really loved the first half. As I wrote back then, there are times where the cel shaded CG can feel a bit, well, CG, but overall it’s a gorgeous series, with lovely vibrant colors that make it a joy to watch. It gets pretty intense – in the sense that it’s not all fun and games – and watching the final 8 episodes in a one go really made me feel like I was experiencing an interesting and emotional journey for the main character. I really hope that Ghibli produces more TV series like this.

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Japan Indie Games Go, Go, Go

This is a post to celebrate the release of the Branching Paths documentary, which I just love so damn much.

Go buy it here.

So what’s this Branching Paths thing all about then? It’s a just-released documentary directed by Anne Ferrero that takes a look at the growing indie gaming scene in Japan. Unlike in the west, where indies have enjoyed quite a bit of success over the past 7-8 years, Japan is still in the early stages of an indie revolution, and Branching Paths does a fantastic job of illustrating what this nascent movement is looking like. Even better, it’s beautifully shot, and so also does a terrific job of acting as a visual tour of Japan from the perspective of games and the people who power that space.

But for me, it goes deeper. Seeing this now, after being back in Canada for close to a year and a half, it reminded me of a world I left behind. The film is packed to the gills with interviews of people I love and call friends, and so not only did it serve as a nostalgic reminder of all those people that I don’t get to hang out with anymore, but also of the spaces and events that I cared about when I was there (Picotachi, Tokyo Indies, BitSummit, Tokyo Game Show).

It even reminded me of PauseTalk, as the first time I heard about this project was from Anne, the director, who made a few visits to my events.

I love that the very early stages of an indie scene that I saw while I was in Tokyo has continued to grow, and is at a point now where I think there’s no turning back – we’re in for a lot of new and fun gaming experiences from Japan, directly from the minds of of a whole bunch of interesting creators. 

That’s something to be super happy and excited about.

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Branching Paths

I’ve been anxiously waiting for the release of this (you can buy it here), and finally got to watch it last night. It’s a documentary that tells the story of the growing Japanese indie gaming scene, something that’s been slow to develop, and isn’t anywhere near what we’ve seen in the west over the past 6-7 years. Not only is it beautifully shot, but it does a great job of revealing this movement as it’s happening. On a personal note, I loved seeing so many friends featured throughout (too many to name), and I also felt immense nostalgia at all of the spots and events (Picotachi, Tokyo Indies, BitSummit, Tokyo Game Show) that were part of my world when I lived in Japan. I’ve been following this project for quite a while – the director made a few appearances at my PauseTalk events – and I’m just so happy that not only has it finally come out, but that it’s as good and interesting as it is. If you have any interest in games and Japan, this is an absolute must-watch film.

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Mr. Robot (Season 1)

I’ve finally gotten around to watching this (something I’ve been meaning to do for what feels like forever), and binged almost all of it over the weekend (I’m on episode 9 now, of 10). I knew it was something I was going to like, based on everything I’d read about it, and it even surpassed my expectations. I’d unfortunately gotten spoiled on the big twist that happens in episode 8 – from a podcast I was listening to just last week – but I found that it didn’t really change my enjoyment of everything, and even let me look at some things more attentively to see if it all made sense. I’m also a big fan of the framing in the show, which I feel does a great job of supporting the feeling of intimidation and paranoia that the characters express throughout. Already looking forward to diving into season 2.

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Guardians of the Galaxy

Re-watched this last week when I saw it got added to Netflix. After a second viewing, it still feels just as fun to watch as it did the first time (despite slight annoyances like the stupid materializing/dematerializing helmet and the black gunk on Ronan’s face). I’d say it’s up there as one of my favorite Marvel movies, alongside the first Iron Man, and Ant-Man.