#i couldn’t find the og artist who made the reference i used for this one?

[needlepointers]

[ask-the-ninjaverse]

Meet the Cast

Alright, so this post is out of character for a reason! I have to introduce several new characters and tag the few people who made this possible! Without much further ado, let’s get right to the point!

As you might already know, please call me Cecil or Ghost! If we’re close or you’re the OG’s, you can refer to me by Destiny! I hoard names like a dragon- almost any name is fine with me, so long as it’s not insulting! I’m also an adult! I use they/them pronouns.

One last thing: you are allowed to ask more mature asks on this blog, but don’t go too overboard!

Now, let’s meet our characters, shall we~?

(NOTE: The picrew is not a finalized design but I got tired of checking for the right one!)

📕 Name: Nomi Norisu

📕 Nicknames: Gloom and Loom, Con-a-Lot, Tall Dark and Mysterious

📕 Age: ???

📕 Pronouns: He/She/They

📕 Dimension: E-92B (subject to change)

📕 Timeline: ITNV Season 1, set sometime in OG! Randy’s Season 1

📕 Cold, Distant, Pragmatic Teacher (what is his story…?)

(NOT A SHIP!)

🌗 Name(s): Randy Cunningham (OG), First Ninja (E-616)

🌗 Nicknames: Randy - kid/kiddo (by Punk Oni! Spike and Finja), rascal (by Punk Oni! Spike), punk (by Punk Oni! Spike); First Ninja - Finja/Fin (by Spike and Randy), reckless bastard (by Punk Oni! Spike)

🌗 Ages: Randy - 14-15, First Ninja - presumed late 30’s?

🌗 Pronouns: Randy - He/They, First Ninja - He/Him?

🌗 Relationship Type: (Adoptive) Father-Son

🐓 Name: Howard Weinerman

🐓 Nicknames: PENDING

🐓 Age: 27

🐓 Pronouns: He/Him

🐓 Dimension: E-212 (original)

🐓 Not Sociable, Never Seems to bring up Randy…

🔥 Name: Randy Cunningham

🔥 Nicknames: Ninja, Little Terror

🔥 Age: 15-16

🔥 Pronouns: He/They/It

🔥 Dimension: ??? / PENDING

🔥 Corrupted! Randy

🔥 Timeline: Alt Canon to Winner Takes Ball

(I couldn’t find the artist so if anyone knows- please let me know so I can credit them!)

🌸 Name: Theresa Fowler

🌸 Nicknames: Ninja, Flower Girl (by Howard from her dimension)

🌸 Age: 15

🌸 Pronouns: She/Her

🌸 Dimension: E-14512

🌸 Friendly, Upbeat, Confident

NOTE: Original Characters Coming Soon! For now, the characters above are the current available muses! Now to quickly show our list of tags - most rules as the other blogs apply. Use common sense, people but if need be, I will write new rules!

Tag List;

📕 Nomi Replies

🧣 Ninja Replies (OG/canon universe)

🌑 Randy Replies (OG/canon universe)

🗡️ E-616 Finja Replies

🐓 E-212 Howard Replies

🔥 Corrupted! Randy Replies

🌸 Ninja! Theresa Replies

💫 Mun Replies

(Also a quick thanks to @thesoundofmadness and @woodershloomp for convincing me to make corrupted! Randy as part of ITNV)

[mattbflatt-loves-starset]

The Progression of Failed Love - A STARSET Playlist

Y’all ever make a playlist before? That shit is so much fun. Using the music by your favorite artists and ordering them in such a way that portrays your own idea or story... I love it, and I’ve only just started doing it. It’s a very unique way to creatively express yourself. Now that I’ve hyped my audience up, it’s time to break all of your hearts by sharing my playlist of STARSET songs called “The Progression of Failed Love” which follows the story of a typical young couple who just couldn’t make it work. Yes I know, this is a dumb movie trope told a million times and blah blah blah, but this is my blog so deal with it ya fuckin’ dorks… of course I’m kidding, and in all seriousness, this was the most genuine playlist I was able to make. I have my own personal connection to it, and if you’ve had a relationship before, you’ll most likely find a way to connect to it. I enjoy it, and I hope you do as well.

The playlist’s first three songs in order are “Satellite”, “DIE FOR YOU”, and “Starlight”, and they encompass the honeymoon stage of a budding relationship. Let’s call these songs Act I of this story. “Satellite” to me really embodies the feeling one gets when they first fall for someone. The energy is high and all you can think about is what you would do for this individual, with lyrics that support this idea greatly:

“Satellite! Shine on me tonight!

I will be your gravity, I will stay and never leave…

My satellite! Are you here tonight?

Shine your light and set me free.

Take the darkness out of me.

Shine on me!”

The relationship hasn’t started yet, but the interest is growing like crazy. These lyrics hit hard, check out the rest of them here:

STARSET – Satellite Lyrics 

“DIE FOR YOU” is just a more intense version of “Satellite” within the context of this story, but it makes sense because this song represents when the relationship is now official. Both parties have fallen for each other, and the love is starting to run deep. The whole vibe of the song is much more intimate, with a calmer kit part (hot damn Adam Gilbert you are smart with writing your kit parts), but yet the same exact key and even a similar tempo. The songs are so similar, yet so different, and it’s really smart. Kudos to STARSET for this, and as a personal benefit, it makes the story of this playlist flow really well.

Starset - Die For You (Official Audio) 

“Starlight” is a very specific moment in time, and marks the end of the honeymoon phase. The couple is stargazing, and the sky is just beautiful. I see many colors and galaxies in the night sky when listening to this song. The only thing is, they aren’t physically together. Their lives have picked up, and while they can’t be with each other at the moment, they still love each other very much, so they stargazed on a phone call. They are sad that they have to spend less time together, but they reassure each other that they love the other person very much, and that they are inseparable. This song has a very special place in my heart, as it’s just a beautiful song that makes me think a lot. I get a little heartsick listening to it, as it makes me think about memories that are dear to me, but it fits this spot perfectly in my playlist story.

Starset - Starlight (Official Lyric Video)

The honeymoon period has now concluded and we are moving into Act II of this story, where problems arise. This act starts with the song “Telepathic”, which has a frustrating feel to me. The song is from the perspective of only one of the characters, as they feel their significant other expects them to be a mind reader and won’t share emotions by just talking about them. As I’m sure a lot of people understand, this is infuriating to deal with, as it just makes people typically want to slam their head through a fuckin’ brick wall. At the same time, this character is very easily read by their significant other, as they wear their heart on their sleeve, making it seem like their lover is… well… “Telepathic”. This brings up insecurity, and arguments ensue. The lyrics support this idea well, for example:

“But you can read my mind

I feel it all the time.

Felt it all around you…

You had me under spell right from the start

I don’t have a telepathic heart.”

STARSET – Telepathic Lyrics 

The arguments get worse as we progress into the song “FAULTLINE”. This song has a lot to do with pointing fingers and blaming, as now both lovers in this story are outright arguing with each other a lot, and over stupid shit too. They aren’t handling being apart from each other well and are having a hard time with communication due to insecurity and distance. The vibe of this song fits this mood, as it’s got a sparse but tense groove, and the accompanying guitar/synth parts are rough and a bit grungy. Out of all the songs in this playlist, this one takes 3nd place for the lyrics fitting well into the story, with such snippets as:

“First you gotta know, how to play the victim

Hate to tell ya so, but you repeat the symptoms like an aftershock

And I only wanna make it stop…”

And also:

“Caught me shaking at the site, oh

Caught me quaking in my mind, oh

You’re tripping over every fault of mine

You’re breaking open every single time

It’s never black and white, no

Going seismic out of spite, oh

I never know if it’s your fault or mine

You’re breaking open every single time

Faultline.”

STARSET - FAULTLINE (Official Audio)

 Like damn, that entire second snippet is the whole ass chorus. This song fits super well here.

The last song in Act II has some intense, even lustful feelings tied to it, this song being “PERFECT MACHINE”. The couple is desperate to make things work, as they still love each other very much but are really struggling. When they see each other, they engage constantly in what people called “hate-fucking” which ultimately solves nothing, and then fighting after they are done. Yes I know this was a WILD turn out of left field, but this is the story I envision with this playlist, very intense and potentially very real. The song I feel is the entire progression of one… erm… let’s call it a “session” of what was described above. It starts with the lustful feelings I mentioned before, then about one third of the way through the song, the entire feeling changes, becoming very angry and desperate. This song takes 2nd place for lyrics best fitting the story, with the lyrics changing from this:

“Show me your insides, show me your secrets

Show me what you desire… I can fake it”

To this:

“Even you know… even you know, this was all for nothing…”

STARSET - PERFECT MACHINE (Official Audio)

STARSET – PERFECT MACHINE Lyrics 

Again, damn bro. I relate to this part of the story the least, as I’ve never experienced something like this, but holy shit that still cuts deep.

Finally, we reach Act III of this story, the end and the aftermath. This act opens up with “Let It Die”, which is the song that marks the inevitable end of this relationship. This song talks a lot about “breathing back life” into something and I feel that marks the end of a relationship very well. The feelings have been lost and it’s very possible that at least one party has moved on, so it needs to end. There’s not much to say about this song, except the one lyric that really made this song claim its spot on this playlist:

“But you told me, if you loved me, let it die”

Starset - Let It Die (Official Audio)

The relationship is now over, and one of the characters has left the narrative. We now enter the mind of the one who was still holding on to feelings. With this, the penultimate song to this playlist is the iconic “My Demons”. This song paints the image of inner demons attacking someone, and how they once had a significant other that would save them from these demons. The song references sickness, demons, needing help, and other color words that really paint the picture of someone mourning the death of love they once had. It is one of STARSET’s most emotionally impactful songs, and every single OG STARSET fan knows this song. This part of the story is the perfect spot for this song, and though I don’t want to copy another batch of lyrics for the purpose of finishing this story, I strongly encourage you to just listen to the song and pay attention to these lyrics. They’re very audible and very emotionally charged.

Starset - My Demons (Official Music Video)

We have finally reached the end, and the song that ends this whole story is “Ricochet”, another one of STARSET’s best songs. I know what I said about not copying another batch of lyrics to this post, but this song wins 1st place for lyrics relating to the story on this playlist, because this song is literally about reflection on a failed relationship and just wanting to see the other person:

“We were one in the same,

Running like moths to the flames,

You’d hang on every word I’d say 

But now they only ricochet…

We were falling away,

You left me with a bittersweet taste,

But when I send my heart your way,

It bounces off the walls you made,

Ricochet”

COME. ON. You CANNOT tell me this isn’t the best way to conclude this really sad story. This isn’t the only set of lyrics in the song that paints this picture well, THE WHOLE SONG DOES. Back to the story, time has passed and the remaining character still misses their ex-lover. They’ve tried really hard to rebuild some sort of relationship with them, but it just didn’t work. This song is the final stage of their mourning, and while they know very deep down that it will get better, they need this time to grieve.

Starset - Ricochet (Official Music Video)

STARSET – Ricochet Lyrics

I don't relate to this entire story, but it was sure as hell fun to write. I apologize for any emotional pain that I have caused during the telling of this story, but this is what came to mind when I was creating the playlist. You’re a real one if you made it to the end, this being my longest post yet. I really hope you enjoyed.

Links Used (In Order):

https://genius.com/Starset-satellite-lyrics 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJxSNbAer9M 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tiCEp3K3Rs 

https://genius.com/Starset-telepathic-lyrics 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfqVlwetWfY 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=keMBtyjYUPQ 

https://genius.com/Starset-perfect-machine-lyrics 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJtBYAKBByk 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkll0StZJLA 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaC0YVaIMno

https://genius.com/Starset-ricochet-lyrics

[letterboxd]

How I Letterboxd #12: Joe Lynch.

Self-described cinedork and Mayhem filmmaker Joe Lynch tells Horrorville’s Brett Petersel about cinematic sausage, getting to direct Creepshow episodes and being a three-star starter on Letterboxd.

“Even when I watch what I would think is a real stinker, I also consider that there were many people involved in that film who didn’t walk on set going ‘okay people, let’s screw this up today!’” —Joe Lynch

It is always a pleasure to find film directors lurking on Letterboxd. Joe Lynch is a bona fide, OG member, having racked up more than 1,500 diary entries, giving half-star reviews to his own work, and creating lists of the movies that have influenced the making of his films.

There are the films that were in Lynch’s subconscious when he made Mayhem, a workplace splatter led by Steven Yeun and Samara Weaving. There are the movies he watched while researching the Salma Hayek-starring Everly. And this just in: films that influenced The Right Snuff, one of Lynch’s two episodes for the new Creepshow series—based on the 1982 horror-comedy classic and its sequels—which premieres on Shudder April 15.

Like so many of us, Lynch took time during the pandemic to catch up on films he had neglected to watch in spite of a previous career as a video-store clerk (a Criterion Channel subscription helped him get on top of the backlog). In this edition of ‘How I Letterboxd’, Lynch discusses how those classics have informed his craft, who his Letterboxd faves are, and why the horror genre is the future of the industry.

Steven Yeun and Samara Weaving in Joe Lynch’s ‘Mayhem’ (2017).

How long have you been on Letterboxd? Joe Lynch: I remember when Letterboxd was in its beta phase way back in good ol’ 2012 and I couldn’t wait to sign up, breathlessly waiting for an invite to the party. At the time, I had a digital database where I would log movies I’ve seen, but it was always subject to whatever laptop or device I had handy and would just be a mess of titles with no rhyme or reason.

When a member follows you, what should they expect? I put it right up top in my description: “I am not a critic”, just a lover of cinema. At first I didn’t want to write “reviews” in the description, especially since I first started using the service whilst in the throes of a horrible experience making a film that I thought would bury me and I’d never work again. I was like, and I still feel this way, “who am I to rip on a movie when someone can throw it right back at me? Like ‘dude, you directed Knights of Badassdom, sit down’.”

I’ve always had the highest regard for filmmakers who can get anything made. So even when I watch what I would think is a real stinker, I also consider that there were many people involved in that film who didn’t walk on set going “okay people, let’s screw this up today!” but instead were trying their best and circumstances just got in the way, which always happens. Having made a few films and TV now, I’m fully aware of the trials and tribulations that go into making a movie and have all the respect in the world for anyone who can steer that ship to completion. It’s hard making movies and even harder making one that is your original vision [and] that is widely embraced by an audience.

I have very weird tastes so don’t be shocked if you glance at my recent activity and you see Casablanca, The Silence of the Lambs or Bigger Than Life right next to The Legend of Billie Jean, Con Air or Candyman 3. I’m usually bouncing all over the place in terms of what kinds of movies I’m screening. From films recommended to me, to films that I may be watching for research, or even just how I’m feeling that day and maybe need a good laugh or a good cry or to be scared stiff. I like that kind of variety. There’s something out there for everyone and every emotion. If anything, I’d say expect the unexpected when it comes to my viewing habits.

What’s your favorite feature to use and why? One of the residual effects of working at video stores as a kid was my desire to siphon people’s tastes in movies and possibly recommend films to others as well, so my favorite feature is the ease of use in logging films and being able to quickly recall those films as well in the event someone asks me “what’s something I should watch?”. Getting older, the “employee’s picks” in my head is getting a little harder to cross-reference than usual so to have the ability to whip out my phone and say “oh man, I just watched Possession and it was awesome!” is exponentially helpful to a cinedork like myself.

‘Big Trouble in Little China’ (1986)—a five-star film says Joe Lynch.

How do you rate the films you watch? For example, what type of film is worthy of a five-star review? Funny, I always start out on three-stars mainly because I’m so proud of the filmmakers actually getting it completed! I’ve been there! I’m somewhat biased in my reflections because I’m always rooting for the artists and from there, it’s usually gauged on both an emotional level and a technical level. I always get made fun of while watching movies because I can point out hidden cuts or when a shot is reversed but [I’m] not trying to point out flaws, it's just how my brain is wired at this point. When you pull the curtain back enough to see how the cinematic sausage is made, it's harder and harder to objectively watch a movie without trying to dissect how it was done. I try so hard to shut that part of my brain off to just passively enjoy a movie but it’s tough. I usually skew towards the positive.

The films I’ve given five-stars are movies that have continually affected me over the years and have inspired me as a person and a filmmaker, which is everything from The Empire Strikes Back, Dawn of the Dead and When Harry Met Sally... to Big Trouble in Little China, The Blob, The Last of the Mohicans. I looked back at my five-stars and it’s mostly movies that made a significant impression on me from an early age and continue to do so, maybe even more so as I get older and I view these movies in a different light.

The anthology show Creepshow returns to Shudder this month. Tell us about the two episodes you directed for the series, ‘Pipe Screams’ and ‘The Right Snuff’. Both Creepshow and Creepshow 2 were important films in my youth and even today, they were some of the first movies I remember where I wasn’t quite sure if I was supposed to be scared or laugh. These films proclaimed we could do both! As a disciple of George A. Romero, Stephen King and Tom Savini, Creepshow really shaped how I watched movies and how I made them—consider the anthology I did a few years back, Chillerama, as a prime example. So when Shudder announced the show, I had to do everything on my part to convince them I could take the baton from these masters of the macabre and do them and the many fans proud.

To come to the table and say “I want ‘The Right Snuff’ to feel like 2001: A Space Odyssey crashed into The Andromeda Strain, and ‘Pipe Screams’ is my homage to The Blob and Delicatessen”—and then everyone just immediately getting it—was a dream. Between the casts I was lucky enough to work with and the amazing crew, especially the FX geniuses at KNB, it really was one of those dream jobs I’ll never forget. I hope audiences dig the madness we conjured up on those!

Season 2 of the Shudder series ‘Creepshow’ returns to the horror streamer this month. A third season has been ordered.

If you were to expand the Mayhem universe, what would it look like? We tried! I pitched the producers the idea of the ID-7 virus in other locations and situations because in essence the idea of being uninhibited by mental and emotional constraints is so ripe. My favorite was the idea that it would get loose in a Wal-Mart or a mall on Black Friday when consumers swarm to these department stores for the best deals. You’ve seen the videos, it’s just mass hysteria. The footage already out there would have been perfect to use already and those people aren’t even infected!

Sadly it didn’t come to pass, mainly because they asked “how do we get Steven and Samara back?” and I didn’t want to force those characters into that scenario, Die Hard 2 style. Plus they’re both huge stars now and likely unavailable for the next twelve years. But the ideas people have thrown out to me show that it was impactful enough to warrant variant scenarios in a “what if?” way that’s really exciting. Who knows, maybe the ID-7 virus could find its way onto the set of a movie production…

What excites you about the future of filmmaking, especially in horror films? The world is embracing new faces and voices more than ever and it means we’re getting stories that may not have ever had the chance to flourish and be seen and heard before. For the longest time the system was much more rigid because executives and producers thought that the audience was much less accepting of a wider world view in cinema and I think the last ten years has proven them wrong. There shouldn’t be any more “token” character or “strong [insert non-white-male] character” descriptions in development meetings. I hear it less and less, which is great because that’s not our world and since cinema—especially horror—is and always should be a reflection of our culture and times, it should reflect these evolutions as well.

When I made Wrong Turn 2: Dead End, the discussions over how one of the characters—a Black character played by Texas Battle—survived at the end was not in the original script but I pushed for it mainly because it was rare for the Black character to do so in a horror film. That shouldn’t be an anomaly! Why can’t there be a ‘final guy’ or have the survivors be LGBT+ or a POC and not the usual stereotypes?

I think now it’s more commonplace to see this and it excites me for the future of the genre that artists are being more welcome to express themselves without it feeling like it’s a gimmick or a twist on the norm.

I think generations of kids growing up with horror now are gonna see these strides in the storytelling—and who’s telling the stories—and push it even further. Places like Netflix and Shudder are willing to take chances with new voices more than the studio system, now more than ever, and that’s only going to produce some great stories now and in the future.

Erica Leehrsen and Texas Battle in a scene from ‘Wrong Turn 2: Dead End’ (2007).

How has the pandemic affected your creativity and influenced your work moving forward? Aside from losing a bunch of gigs due to the shutdown and being delayed on shooting Creepshow—which was a blessing in disguise considering the time we took to further develop the scripts and design of each episode—one of the main effects of the pandemic was how it gave many of us the time to catch up on a lot of films, mainly older ones. As you’d see from my diary entries on this very site, my viewing habits changed from a lot of modern films in that rat-race of catching up with the latest release, to mainly watching films I loved in the past and a lot of ’40s to ’70s films that I never got around to.

We have the tendency as film lovers to keep a mental list of films we’ll eventually get around to as if we have all the time in the world, but with the threat of the apocalypse and no real new content coming our way at the usual rapid clip, it was so gratifying to buy an annual subscription to Criterion Channel and start watching films like The Old Dark House, The Crimson Kimono, Contempt and many others.

All of these films impacted how I view film now and have bled into future projects I’m working on—especially on the technical side, when the world wasn’t influenced vicariously through MTV coverage and letting scenes play out in masters or longer takes, relishing in the performance or the mise-en-scéne. So, silver linings!

Before we go, who are some of your favorite follows on Letterboxd? I’m a big fan of Sean Baker, who I’ve known for almost 20 years now! We worked together in NYC and I was already a big Greg the Bunny fan but our mutual appreciation for fringe and exploitation films, especially international horror and genre films, seems to have bonded us for life. I love when he posts what he’s watching. Even if he’s just saying he screened something on Blu or streaming, his thoughts on cinema are always enjoyable and engaging.

In the same breath, filmmaker Jim Cummings has the best perspective on modern filmmaking and he’s clearly a big fan of using Letterboxd, so whenever I see peers like them using the app it makes me feel less like an obsessive movie dork myself, who should be getting back to work.

Some of the other follows I really enjoy are cineastes like Elric Kane and Brian Saur, who are the hosts of the New Beverly podcast Pure Cinema. Writers Anya Stanley, David Chen, Walter Chaw and Lindsay Blair Goeldner, musician and filmmaker Brendon Small, writer and critic Brian Tallerico, author Glenn Kenny, filmmaker Rodman Flender—just to name a few people who clearly love film and love sharing their thoughts on films in a very thoughtful way.

More times than not, I’m getting some great advice for what to watch next in my “new from friends” section! Because, like being at the video store, it’s casual conversations like the ones on Letterboxd that I love and always steering me to new films or revisiting old ones with a new perspective.

Related content

Joe’s film influences for ‘The Right Snuff’ Creepshow episode

The Video Store: Hollie Horror’s list of horror films with memorable scenes in video stores

Office Workplace Horror: J Cara’s list of office horror and workplace thrillers

Follow Brett on Letterboxd

Follow Horrorville—the home for horror on Letterboxd

[courage-a-word-of-justice]

Higurashi New 2 | Wandering Witch 2 | Moriarty 1 | Taiso Samurai 1 | Kamisama 1 | Munou na Nana 2 | Golden Kamuy 3 1 (25) | Yashahime 2

I’m trying a seasonal challenge this time...so that means I have to leave some Crunchyroll anime to the side. That’s why I’m putting in the tags now.

Higurashi New 2

Apparently, now this Higurashi is called “Gou”…I dunno what that means in the context of this series, but *Saitama face* OK.

Is this girl…Rika? Or this Hanyuu girl I heard of on ANN? Update: Wait a bit from that point. You’ll get your answer.

Do they ever examine why the girls in Higurashi are what they are? Rika seems to have something supernatural going on, but Rena…is just a psycho girl right now, so it’s hard to care.

LOL, I was wondering where this “nipah” Rika meme came from, but it is present in the dialogue.

I predicted that Gilligan cu-er, transition far too easily…

Why is that kid’s face so tanned (?) in comparison to the rest of him???

How did these girls get up the building so fast??? (LOL?)

Wow, the cicada noise was pretty loud there, so…props to the sound guys for making that sound stifling.

Can we really trust what Mion is saying about Tomitake…?

I thought we were going to see Watanagashi in ep 3, but…okay.

Satoko speaks rather formally. She says kochira de gozaimasuyo! instead of kocchi! or kochiradesuyo!.

Who’s that blonde lady? Someone from Umineko?

The bright colours really help to sell the ominous nature of this ED and anime. I don’t think I understand everything that’s happening in said ED, though…

Gonna pause it here because I heard you need to watch the OG and Rei to understand this, now that the new Higurashi is operating under its “proper” name.

Wandering Witch 2

…Elaina’s a bit full of herself still…

…what the heck was that instrument playing over the titlecard? Bagpipes…?

LOL, it’s the Attack on Titan world!

Did Elaina lose her hat when she fell? That must be a very stable hat indeed.

Ooh, particle effects! However…there’s CGI here, although it’s only kinda noticeable.

Have you never heard of money…?

Wait, witches get discounts???

It seems Saya comes from Japan.

LOL, this is basically Quidditch without a snitch!

I like mushrooms, so I don’t get why people kick up such a fuss about them.

Saya seems to act like this is yuri bait…*sigh*

Saya’s crying like her sister died…c’mon, it’s not that bad!

I’m hitting pause. If this is actually how the series is, then it’s primed for a drop, but I can’t help but keep it on for the spectacular visuals and the fact it’s basically anime Harry Potter.

Taiso Samurai 1

I keep swearing I’ll finish my old simulcasts…but then new ones pop up like daisies…(I guess it’s better than having no anime to finish, right?)

I just realised how pretty Jotaro’s eyes are…! The fact he just sort of splats and then doesn’t get up shows how weary he is, unlike Sakura from Moon Land, who would’ve probably gotten up and never tried doing gymnastics again if he were in the same position.

Just by glancing over the results when I google for this Montreal gold, it seems it was done by a Kouhei Uchimura, but I might be wrong on that front…oh wait, there are 3 golds, so it’s not necessarily just that one…

You can tell this is 2002 because of that flip phone.

Intai Zamurai…it’s constructed the same way as the anime’s title. Two characters and then “samurai”.

BB (Big Bird) on the side there is so goofy, he’s…kind of distracting. <- Note the official website refers to Big Bird as BB, hence my use of it.

I was wondering if Rei was the daughter or the wife…so it’s the former.

Kinugawa Ropeway…it rings a bell, somehow. Maybe the Boueibu crew went there as DVD/BD extras.

…does everyone know that a ryokan is like a mini hotel with a traditional set-up?

*snorts* LOL, Keanu (Reeves, obviously).

That montage was a bit worrying…maybe the CGI took out part of the budget? I was a bit worried when I could tell there was CGI in that one starting segment.

…LOL, wut. Agent Smith (from the Matrix)?

Yamakasi seems to be a parkour thing which has its own movie.

…I’m sort of wondering: was that ninja a woman? If Jotaro gets another wife…I dunno if I’ll like the anime as much. Things could become far too dramatic if he did. Update: You do find out later in this episode.

I think – from lip reading – the ninja used -de gozaimasu. I remember getting it drilled into me that people don’t use that these days, but in the time of ninja and samurai, they did.

…another anime set in Ikebukuro. I knew from the station, but…’bukuro must be a nice place if people are reppin’ it all of a sudden.

Was Tomoyo an actress…?

“Kinugawa, as in the river where ogres get mad?” – See, that’s the pun I made about Boueibu’s Atsushi years ago…

This Takizawa guy’s so expressive, LOL.

Gotta love a man in a suit, yes…

…they keep building up to this retirement, only for him to not retire??? Which is it?! (LOL) That declaration works better in Japanese because the -shimasen goes at the end of the sentence so the weird sentence structure in the English translation actually makes Jotaro look like he really messed up due to nervousness speaking in front of crowds. Update: He just sounds like he stopped in the middle of a sentence in Japanese, which he obviously did.

There’s no time travel for sure, but there are ninjas! Plus dudes in jumpsuits!...plus, of course, gymnastics! It could still work, but I keep swearing there’s something supernatural coming around the corner for this…Also, this “gymnast trying to retire” thing seems to be drawing me in because of my whole current lack of direction in basically everything, much like Rikuo of Sing Yesterday for Me.

Kamisama 1

Hmm…Kamisama ni Natta Hi…it doesn’t say the subject stating this became a god, so the pronoun could be “she” or “you” rather than “I”, which seems to be the current standard for it. Update: It says on the title card “I”, so it should have an I then…I guess(?)

There’s a fish on the logo.

…this girl, I already know her name is Hina. That’s the 2nd Odin this season (the first is in Sigdrifa…or however it’s spelt)…she’s gonna be annoying, isn’t she…?

What’s this about a date…?

There are two Izanamis this season, too. The second is Hifumi from HypMic.

Looks like there was an accident, according to one of the signs.

…This feels exactly like a visual novel. I’m surprised it’s an original.

I was wondering why “Key Ramen” (Kagi Ramen) sounded weird…then it hit me. Key! You motherf**kers!!! *shakes fist* You were hiding right under my nose all along!

Hey, Potato-kun! (I know his name is Youta, but…eh, aside from having a possible girlfriend candidate and being a Nice Guy, he’s still a Potato-kun.) Stop staring in disbelief and do something!

…Why Potato-kun, anyway? Is it because his name means “become god”???

…This Izanami is so emotionless…it’s hard to imagine her cheering, Youta was right on that front.

…that style in Hina’s background…I’m pretty sure I’ve seen it for Sailor Moon Crystal, but I’ve forgotten what the artist’s name is (the one that inspired that artstyle)…

I almost expected Hina to interrupt the confession, like Leo from Taiso Samurai.

I kinda just shrugged near the end of the episode and finished it just to see if the confession would be interrupted, so…big fat drop there. I must not like much Key beyond Angel Beats (and even then, it’s only okay because it’s the relic of a time gone by).

Moriarty 1

I’ve been picking up Sherlock-related things left and right ever since I was a fan of Detective Conan…not Sherlock, Elementary or that Robert Downey Jr. movie, but the stuff Conan Doyle had his hands in. (I’d also like to keep an eye out for that Miyazaki movie, but I don’t know if I can/should go out of my way for it.) Therefore, I was a pretty easy mark for a bishonen Moriarty.

Who’s this “El” guy anyway?

…That OP is basically Black Butler all over again. I admit I went, “Oh, stuff this” for a second when I saw Rasmus Faber’s name on credits – when I went to entire series for him, they always ended badly for me – but I couldn’t stop watching the episode (since I skipped forward to the actual episode due to background noise), so this might be the anime to change everything.

I’ll be real with you – aside from Japan, America and China (the former two of which I’ve gone to and the latter I’ve technically gone to Hong Kong, which I have stronger ties to anyway), I honestly don’t have anywhere on my bucket list. That said, anime (obviously, the London arc from DC was a big factor) and this one movie called What a Girl Wants have been pretty instrumental in making Great Britain…almost make the list of places I want to go to. Key word: almost.

…I want a dub. With accents like Princess Principal.

Also, I forgot Soma Saito was our Moriarty…LOL.

“…for Man of Standing” (sic).

Turn the other cheek, Mr. Tailor.

The eyes really tell you everything about a person in this anime.

Ooh, this has absolutely no holes in its logic. It’s a strong contender!

Yashahime 2

Holy s***, is that Kagome’s brother?(!) He kinda reminds me of Takagi from Detective Conan for some reason…

Come to think of it…writers like Takahashi don’t normally have androgynous leads like Towa, do they?

That was…not the best fight scene, man.

Ooh, naginata. I’ve read a bit about them, but I’ve never really seen one used in an anime before…not to my memory. Not even the naginata in Touken Ranbu (plural) can help with that.

…this Rainbow Pearl business reminds me of Sailor Moon’s…uh, whatever they’re called…Rainbow Crystals, that’s right.

There’s something oddly comfy about predicting the “it won’t be my crying face, it’s yours you’ll get!” line, as bad as that sign may be for predictability on the whole.

I’ve felt in the years leading up to now, the progressive nations are slowly causing the entire gender binary to unravel. The more I think about my own relationship with my concept of gender – I accept gender-neutral third-person pronouns because initially I wanted to be anonymous on the internet, but now I’m just generally fine with it, for instance – the more I can agree and yet also disagree because of the progress the LGBTIQ+ community has made in recent years.

Munou na Nana 2

Ah-hah! People were calling it that the enemies of humanity were actually the superpowered kids and this proves it.

Ah, I think this Shibusawa is Masuda. I was here for him, so here he is.

Nana just says konnichiwa, which is the most basic of Japanese greetings. I don’t think it was phrased as a question, so…why did the subbers go with that?

Nana keeps breaking her chopsticks by leaving a bit at the end.

Lemme guess…Shibusawa’s talent is actually reversing time, not stopping it.

Is…that Shibusawa Nana’s giving flowers to…?

Golden Kamuy 3 1 (25)

If this is episode 25, was this always planned as a split-cour with season 2? I wonder…

Lingonberries! Oh, lingonberries! They’re those berries Ikea puts into their jam, right? (I’ve never tasted a lingonberry, but…yeah. That’s how I know of them.)

The sign says “Hurep Honpo” (backwards, as some older Japanese/Chinese things do), so it really just says “hurep” (since “honpo” = main shop). Update: Hurep actually means “lingonberry” and not the berry wine like I thought it did here, so it says “hurep wine” after all.

Thank goodness for 2D bears! (LOL)

Ratel?...uh, honey badger! That’s what they’re called in English!

…uh, and then it turns out to be a wolverine. I don’t know my Mustelidae, it seems.

There’s nothing like someone throwing a wolverine to know this is Golden Kamuy…(as weird as that sounds.)

…what was that random line about boobs about…? (Maybe it was just said to be random…?)

…ohhhhhhhh. These yellow eyes work much better than the standard red eyes you see in Munou na Nana or Moriarty. They’re so sinister.

Why did it suddenly change to an interview style…? Weren’t we waiting for a fight? Update: Seems the answer is “padding”. Not that I mind, I think it was interesting actually. Do more of that if you can.

[kenkamishiro]

zakki:re translations, Part 3, Vol. 6-9

In which Ishida passive-aggressively-albeit-jokingly rags on Goubaru-kun and reflects on his artistic choices.

The zakki:re and interview translations take a lot of time and effort, so if you enjoyed it please leave a like or reblog. Thank you!

If you would like to start from the beginning, please click here.

Associate Special Class. A protagonist whose hair changes colours a lot.

Weekly Young Jump 2016, Issue no. 4~5, Opening colour page

The cover of :re volume 6. Furuta and an apple. Regarding its contents, this volume was a turning point that slightly changed the course of the story up to volume 5 of :re. Shirazu died in the line of duty, and Haise was dyed in black… I drew the story about a staff member (Goubaru-kun), which was unusual content for a volume omake. During my serialization, I went from Fukuoka to Tokyo every year for the Shueisha New Year’s party. On the first day of the party I’d talk to the other authors, and on the second day it became a tradition to hang out with the staff members. I was looking forward to it as one of the biggest events of the year since I didn’t have much opportunity to play while writing my series, but because of Goubaru-kun...I mean, thanks to him, it ended up becoming a field trip to the hospital for half a day. So as revenge...I mean as gratitude, I drew about it in the manga in the form of an omake. My series has come to an end, but because Goubaru-kun was next to me...I mean, thanks to him, it also became an event where I got to witness my true character. It was his fault that I really learned a lot about myself. Thank you.

2016, Volume 6, Cover

[T/N: You can read said omake here.]

The cover of :re volume 7. Kaneki, to match with volume 7 of OG. The theme of this cover was, “Can I beat the strength of the OG volume 7’s art?” I drew this side-by-side with OG volume 7 Kaneki. When I look at it now, it’s lacking a certain kind of impact even though my drawing skills had improved a lot back then. At the time, I was heavily relying on the anatomy portion of my drawing skills, which was why I may have gone astray in various ways regarding the art’s intentions. In OG volume 7, I wasn’t led astray due to ignorance, but rather because I felt so energetic (and therefore also fragile). For :re volume 7, I get the impression that I was thinking about that in my head. It somehow gives off an air of trying to distract people with anatomy. Nevertheless, regarding the quality of the cover art I feel like I drew it to the best of my abilities in those days. I think it’d be interesting to look back at my other drawings and think about my mental state and the theme of the drawing for each one.

2016, Volume 7, Cover

Kaneki going for a walk #1 Named as “Kaneki going for a walk series” by Chika-neesan of L.S.D. who was asked to do the design for zakki:re. I’ll explain why in #2.

Movie adaptation - major decision It’d be better to call it a “major decision” rather than just a “decision”. The movie had all kinds of stuff too.

Weekly Young Jump 2016, Issue no. 30, Opening colour page

Uh, what was this for again? I know it was a cover for a YJ issue. Maybe I drew this illustration after I finished :re volume 7’s cover art? That one [volume 7 cover] took up too much of my strength, and this one [current illustration] makes me feel like I’m out of breath.

Weekly Young Jump 2016, Issue no. 30, Cover

[T/N: It was for the July 30, 2016 issue of Miracle Jump. Came with 4 other illustrations of Kaneki, including an alternate version of the illustration above, and the “Kaneki going for a walk #1″ illustration.]

The blurb sounds very cool. I also like the placement design.

Weekly Young Jump 2016, Issue no. 32, Centre colour illustration

[T/N: Blurb says, “I’ve only severed off one side of the scenery.]

I also like this design. Illustration-wise, this volume is of course, about Mucchan and Torso. I thought from the start that Torso would meet his end by becoming a torso (literally). I feel like my work doesn’t have many characters that smell of gender, but I can sense it from Mucchan, or rather I think it’s coiled around her. During my serialization, I always got the impression that she was very different from the other characters. I don’t really understand her well.

Weekly Young Jump 2016, Issue no. 42, Opening colour page

[T/N: Ishida refers to Mutsuki as 彼女 (kanojo = she/her) so I will refer to her as such unless he states otherwise.]

Volume 8 of :re. I like how this Arima looks. It feels like the art in this volume was also right at the height of my anatomy phase, and it feels like very crisp. But gradually you begin thinking about something different.  In the wrong direction.

2016, Volume 8, Cover

My thoughts about the colour spread I splashed on bold colours for the spread, I wonder if it was because I didn’t have time or something, I remember I was saved by L.S.D.’s design. I was bombarded by the obsessive idea of, “Do I always have to draw so much?” Because Jump authors’ colour spreads always have lots of characters on them, their colouring is meticulous, and they look splendid. In contrast to that, my spread gives off the feeling that I didn’t have time or any motivation. It’s not that I’m not motivated, it might just be that I’m not good at drawing a lot of characters at once. Sometimes I end up wondering if the concept of “One character only!” might be more powerful.

Weekly Young Jump 2016, Issue no. 50, Opening colour page

100 stickers The illustration of the stickers from the appendix of YJ magazine. There are a hundred of them. I wondered about how much the price of a sticker would cost, so I went to Incube (a general store) in Tenjin, Fukuoka, and bought a pack of clover stickers (30-40 pieces) and one gorilla sticker (why). Both cost around 300 yen, about the same price as Young Jump, so I thought, “Wouldn’t it be a good deal if reading a manga also came with stickers!?” Such a good deal. It was nice seeing readers use them to stick on top of a letter every once in a while.

Weekly Young Jump 2016, Issue no. 50, Special appendix

[T/N: Tenjin is the downtown area of Fukuoka. Also, these stickers were released with the YJ issue to celebrate the 100th chapter of :re. Ishida made comments about each one of the stickers in volume 9, if you want to read them go here and here.]

Cover of :re volume 9.

Transitioning from from full digital to half-digital From this point on, the idea of "How can I finish my manuscript quickly?" greatly occupied my mind. I think it was around this time that work for another series (the game) came in. If I remember correctly. I had been drawing fully digital this entire time, but for this volume I experimented by interweaving digital with analog. We live in an era crazy about speed. However, because I couldn't control the screen anymore, I had a rough time drawing this volume. I used a G pen to draw the characters. The line drawings were uploaded with the scanner, and I finished the final touches digitally. Since it doesn't take a lot of time to write the storyboard, during this period I could finish the manuscript in 2.5 days, and set aside 4 days for other work. Thinking about the manga now, it would've been better if I'd spent my extra time focusing on it, but back then I thought doing this would be the best. This volume is the only volume where the characters were entirely drawn in analog. Since then, it has changed to drawing in analog for quick things, and for things that need to be drawn with more skill, drawing it first in analog before going to digital.

2016, Volume 9, Cover

The Last Things There are a lot of arms entwined around Kaneki, such as Eto and Dragon Kaneki's arms.

2016, Volume 9, Cover sleeve

[T/N: The illustration above isn’t the full version, but the only one I could find. It was also used as the cover art for österreich’s song uploaded on SoundCloud, titled “Saigo no koto” or “The Last Things”.]

previous || next

[thetourguidebarbie]

The artist and his muse???

@lynyrdwrites have some og!kc fluff. 

“Okay, but does it spark joy?”

“Caroline...”

She shoved one of his tunics from their time in 15th century Italy into his hands and looked at him expectantly. “Does it?”

“It’s a tunic.”

“Right, and do you like it?”

“I wore it, didn’t I?”

“Yes, six hundred years ago. Do you still like it? If it doesn’t spark joy, it can go in the storage bag.”

“But what if I need it?” he asked, trying not to sound petulant. He probably failed.

“When would you need this?”

“Halloween?” he offered half-heartedly.

She snorted. “Niklaus, are you trying to tell me that you would use a plain tunic in scratchy fabric for a halloween costume?”

“I like my costumes to be authentic,” he muttered, letting her shove the tunic back into his hands.

“Joy?” she demanded. “We have been arguing about this one tunic that you will never wear again for five full minutes, and we still have like, four closets to go.”

“It does not spark joy,” he muttered finally, and she nodded, looking relieved at finally getting through the first piece of clothing in his pile.

“Good. Thank it and put it in the bag.”

“Thank you,” he said dryly before tossing it in the large bag they would send to a storage unit.

“Okay, how about this one?” she asked, handing him a nearly identical tunic from the giant pile of his clothing she’d stacked on the bed.

Neither that nor the next twenty items sparked joy, and he could see Caroline getting a touch more relaxed with every item that he deposited in the bag. He’d admit in the privacy of his own head that his hoarding tendencies may have gotten a tad out of hand in the years since Mikael had died, but he’d been justifying to himself that it was to be expected when one was used to leaving items behind on short notice. He’d never had the opportunity to build up a collection of objects on one place, but after they’d settled in New York for the foreseeable future they’d had the personal items in their other properties restored and sent over. That resulted in piles of memories with no set place to store them accumulating in every crevice of their three story house in the Upper East Side.

The novelty of being able to keep things that could at some point be useful in a very specific situation had worn off for Caroline much faster than it had for him, and not having any place to put her new dresses because of his ‘eighty bajillion tunics from dinosaur, B.C.’ when she returned from shopping the day before had apparently been the last straw.

“Okay, let’s do me now,” she said, yanking the drawstring of the bag containing his old clothes and shoving it into the hallway for a hybrid to collect.

“Gladly,” he teased, reaching to brush her waist and dodging her playful slap of his hand away from the hem of her stolen henley.

“You know that’s not what I mean,” she said exasperatedly. “Once we get through everything. We’ll call it motivation.”

“Or we could take a break,” he cajoled, grinning at the brief look of temptation on her face before she managed to stifle it. He knew full well that she wouldn’t take him up on it (yet), but it was fun to try.

“Breaks are for slackers. Can you help me get all of my clothes in a pile?”

“Why does it have to be in a pile?”

“So that you can see the amount of clutter you have. It’s part of the KonMari method,” Caroline said with forced patience. “I know you think this is stupid, but—“

“It’s not stupid if you care about it, love,” he said quickly. “I’m just curious.”

He was rewarded with a bright smile, her eyes lighting up as she started to explain the science behind mess’s effect on stress levels and the theory behind the specific strategy she’d insisted on using. Watching and listening to Caroline ramble about things that interested her had always been one of his favorite pastimes, even when it was just village gossip or strategy for dice games in their human years. Centuries together had been difficult at times, as he assumed it would be for any couple, but he knew he’d never tire of her exuberance, would never find any topic she loved to be less than fascinating just because of how happy it made her that he listened.

He’d had various acquaintances over the years who would complain about their wives or lovers wanting something that seemed ridiculous and small to them, and he’d never understood it. He didn’t particularly care if their house was cluttered, but she did, and spending an afternoon with his wife doing something important to her that required almost no effort on his part seemed to him to be an easy choice to make.

“She has a book,” Caroline continued, picking up a trunk containing neatly-folded sixteenth century dresses and dumping it out on the floor. “And a Netflix show, but the book is better.”

He nodded, having known that much. “The book is always better.”

“You’re such a snob, but you’re right,” she said, picking up the first dress in the pile. “Okay, let’s see...”

He watched her methodically pick up each piece of clothing and consider it. Some were thanked and discarded more quickly than others. After the first minute of watching her chew her lip and hum to herself, his fingers itched for a sketchbook and pen, but it wasn’t on the side table where he thought he’d put it.

“You left it in the library,” she said without looking at him before he’d even asked. “On the green chair.”

“Thank you, love.”

He was diverted from his task on the way back from the library by a spat with Kol in the hallway that made him wonder, not for the first time, whether they should get darker carpets to better conceal bloodstains, and by the time he got back, Caroline was halfway through her pile. He’d just settled on the bed and readied his pen when he realized what she was holding.

“That sparks joy for me,” he said firmly, gently tugging the blue silk gown from her hands when she began to turn towards the bag. She raised her eyebrows, her hands moving to her hips.

“For you? Do we need to get it re-sized?”

“Seeing you in it sparks joy, sweetheart.”

“Seeing me period sparks joy,” she pointed out. “I’m your wife. You think I’m delightful.”

“I do, and I think you look ravishing in this dress.”

“You think I look ravishing in all my dresses,” she teased. “And I’ll never wear it again. It’s almost four hundred years old.”

“I have fond memories of you in this dress,” he said, trying to keep his tone light, but he knew from the slight change in her posture that she could sense the change in his mood, and her expression softened when she looked up and saw his face.

“This isn’t a hoarding thing,” she observed, already grabbing a hanger to put the dress back in the closet. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing, sweetheart.”

Caroline’s eyes narrowed as she hung the dress up in the back of the rack, smoothing it out. “Seems like something.”

“Never could get anything past you, could I,” he said dryly, feeling his chest warm slightly at her returning affectionate eye roll.

“Not even when we were as young as we look. So? All I can remember about this dress is that it was one of my go-to party staples.”

“It was. Do you remember the banquet where Rebekah murdered all of the guests?”

“You say that like there aren’t multiple parties where that happened,” she pointed out, nudging some of the pile aside so that she could sit on the bed next to him.

“Well, at one such function you were in the mood to dance a bit more than usual, and I obliged, of course.”

“You say that like I had to talk you into it,” she teased. “I think I remember what you’re talking about and I’m pretty sure you were a willing participant.”

“I was,” he agreed, absently spinning the pen between his fingers, his other hand finding hers, his thumb brushing over her knuckles. “And there was a point late into the night...I don’t remember what I said to make you laugh, but I remember the moment vividly, how it felt, how nothing seemed to matter but you and the way you looked at me. The brightness of your smile in the candlelight as I spun you around and caught you in my arms. We’d been together for centuries, but that simple reminder of what you mean to me––what you’ve always meant to me––was special. I can’t explain it.”

“But the dress reminds you of it?”

“That, and it was just after the time canvas became a popular medium for painting. I’d bought supplies, but I hadn’t used them yet. They’d just been sitting in one of our empty rooms with the curtains drawn. But after we returned to the manor that night I was inspired. You were the first thing I ever painted. You in that dress.”

“But you didn’t start painting until we moved to London.”

“I didn’t show you my paintings,” he corrected. “They were rubbish at the beginning. Just like my sketches of you when we were human. I didn’t want anyone to see them.”

Caroline nodded, familiar enough with neurotic perfectionism to not debate the logic of that particular point. “Makes sense.”

“Yes. I’m sure we do have the painting in storage somewhere, if you’d really like to see it.”

“Now your hoarder tendencies are coming in handy,” she teased, bumping his shoulder with hers.

“I suppose so. I tried to repaint it a few decades later, but I couldn’t get the silhouette quite right, and by that time the dress was out of fashion, and it felt a bit silly to ask you to wear it for reference.”

“We can take a break and I can do it now,” she offered. “I don’t mind.”

“At the risk of ruining the moment, I thought breaks were for ‘slackers’.”

“I’ll make an exception. Just this once.”

[entergamingxp]

DualShockers’ Favorite Games of 2019 — Iyane’s Top 10

December 31, 2019 12:00 PM EST

2019 had a lot of cool mecha related games, but a lot of other great games from other genres too. Here are my top 10 from this year.

As 2019 comes to a close, DualShockers and our staff are reflecting on this year’s batch of games and what were their personal highlights within the last year. Unlike the official Game of the Year 2019 awards for DualShockers, there are little-to-no-rules on our individual Top 10 posts. For instance, any game — not just 2019 releases — can be considered.

I assume anyone who clicked on this wishes to read me talking about myself and my Unneeded Opinions (one of my favorite sentences of 2019), so I’ll do just that. 2019 was another year that went by in a flash. I’ve reached my first anniversary writing on DualShockers in September, and I’ve been pretty busy overall. As such, there are multiple games on this list I actually didn’t finish yet.

There are many games released in 2019 that I was really hyped about but didn’t have the time to try out yet either, and I’d like to start by listing some of them:

We first have games I’d consider mainstream, such as Devil May Cry 5, Judgment (I actually bought it in Japanese) Astral Chain. Then you’ve got more niche things, like Daemon X Machina (I’m waiting just in case a PC port gets announced), the Grandia remasters, SaGa Scarlet Grace, and Friends of Mineral Town Remake.

Lastly, we’ve got some visual novel games: Berubara Gakuen, Gnosia (Japanese outlets hyped up this game in a similar fashion that what happened with Disco Elysium in the US and Europe), Ciconia Phase 1 (the thing I was actually hyped for the most in 2019), Eve Rebirth Terror (idem), and the Yu-No remake.

I’m on a quest to play everything that Hiroyuki Kanno wrote after getting my mind blown by Eve Burst Error. Yu-No is one of these things, but the character design in the remake is bland as hell. Ryou Nagi is a great artist, and you can see that with Heavy Object or Ar Tonelico, but for some reason, everything remake-related he touches turn into the blandest thing ever. The same thing happened for the newest Langrisser I&II remake; it’s like some huge conspiracy. As such, I’ll probably grab the Yu-No remake in Japanese, as that version includes a port of the original.

Anyway, that was just a small intro to show my tastes and what to expect in this ranking. Here are the games I’ve enjoyed the most in 2019, and note that it’s not only games released in 2019. Also, note that the top 5 are all pretty much my top 1.

10. Cyber Troopers Virtual-On Masterpiece 1995-2001

I suck at Virtual-On. But I love it, especially Oratorio Tangram, and being able to play it remastered on PS4 is nice. The only thing these ports of the three Virtual-On games sadly lack is local multiplayer split-screen. Virtual-On is the originator of Gundam Vs like games and all the anime 3D arena battlers of varying quality releasing each year, and it’s the best one there is.

Other games I considered for this position were Destiny Connect, Shenmue 3 (which I didn’t play myself and watched an online friend’s playthrough), and Zanki Zero (I was supposed to review that but ended up never finding the time to finish said review). I picked Virtual-On because it didn’t require me to write 2000 words to explain my mixed feelings about it.

9. Space Engineers

According to Steam, I’ve played 47 hours of Space Engineers with my online friends. I’m pretty sure at least 20 hours of that was us trying to figure out how the game works and being annoyed and how counter-intuitive many elements are. This includes reading wikis and only to realize it’s outdated info, looking for Uranium only to realize you can’t find any on planets, or trying to design vehicles, copying blueprints and recreating them block by block. And a lot of other dumb stuff.

Besides all these frustrations, Space Engineers is my favorite multiplayer game I’ve tried out this year and I’ve made some great memories with it, as an online friend streamed some of our adventures too. I’ve tried making the Senegalese flag with wind turbines (too long to explain): we managed a trip to a moon and putting the Algerian flag on it (a French joke too long to explain) and we did a MASK opening sequence parody with a vehicle parade.

8. Ocarina of Time Randomizer Version 5.0

I actually put this on my list last year as well, but seeing that the game’s meta has changed since then, this is fine. Again, I don’t have the time to play this myself and enjoy watching races instead, This year, ZeldaSpeedRuns held the OoT Randomizer Season 2 tournament, which ended in June with the victory of Marco against WTHH.

Now, the Season 3 tournament bracket matches just started in early December, with the version 5.0 0f the mod, changing the meta. We’ve already got a surprising upset, with first tournament winner and 2nd qualifier ATZ losing against 31 qualifier Killerapp23. Getting into detail would take too long and be incomprehensible if you’re not already into OoT rando, so I’m just gonna say this is the most interesting esports thing to watch ever. And like I said last year, it’s incredibly fun.

7. Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom

Wing Commander IV is one of the many games I’ve played in my childhood which left me with a huge impression. Along with things like Shenmue 1 & 2, this is one of the games I used to regularly quote until my high school years or so. I’ve finally got the time to rediscover the game this year. I didn’t end up replaying it myself though and watched a full playthrough of it. It was really interesting; I remembered many iconic scenes from the game and some characters, but I had no idea what the overall story was about anymore.

It’s surprising how anime space opera the story is, and I wouldn’t be surprised if something Japanese inspired the story. It all comes to Japan. This also made me realize, in a sense, that Wing Commander IV is pretty much one of the first visual novels I played and what made me enjoy well-written stories and choices. This is also what made me both love and hate draconian choices, multiple routes and characters’ deaths. I hate not being able to save characters.

6. Romancing SaGa 3 Remaster

Back in my childhood I tried playing Romancing SaGa 3, as it was among the various SNES roms I had at disposal. I quickly realized that it’s completely different than most RPGs and unlike many games in Japanese such as Super Robot Wars 4: I couldn’t trial and error my way through.

Around 18 years later, Romancing SaGa 2 Remaster comes out in 2017; it’s awesome, and a masterpiece. And then in 2019, Romancing SaGa 3 Remaster is finally out and it’s even more awesome. I’m currently in the final area of the game after playing as Sarah, because she has a fluffy afro ponytail. I just wish the game had a turbo button.

Tie-in 6. Persona 5 Royal

This is a tie-in as that’s an enhanced version of a really recent game, which was my 2016 favorite. I purposely played through Persona 5 only once, only maxing the coops and not doing much of the other side content, in case such an enhanced version ever released.

Even then, and even considering how much of a masterpiece that Persona 5 is, clearing such a long game again is annoying. Most of the new scenes I’ve seen so far, most notably Kasumi’s and Takuto’s scenes, are all incredibly nice though. The renewed dungeons and bosses’ designs are fun, and Joker is even more Lupin The Third-like with the wire hook, but there’s nothing groundbreaking either. I’m far from reaching the new part at the original’s ending, as I’m just about to reach the Hawaii part. Hopefully, it’ll be a nice ride.

The five games below are all my actual number one.

5. 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim

I’ve been waiting for 13 Sentinels since when it got announced in 2015. I could even say since 2013, as I hoped a game related to the Vanillaware Happy New Year 2013 Geroge Kamitani artwork above would come out someday. I had incredibly high expectations for it and none of it were betrayed as of now.

It’s awesome. It’s fully-voiced. It’s got giant robots. It’s the most beautiful (2D) game since forever. It’s like if an old Japanese adventure game got made with current technology. It’s a shame the game bombed in Japan. If you’re interested, I’ve written more about the game, and I’m recording myself translating the game as I’m playing through it.

4. Ys IX: Monstrum Nox

Ys IX: Monstrum Nox is amazing on all points. I’ve rarely had so much fun walking around and exploring a city in a game. I think what makes the game the most amazing is how it’s pretty much the culmination of the Ys series since it switched to the party system, and as if one of the first versions of the first Ys games were transposed to 3D. The verticality of the environments is used so well you can still feel lost despite having a map. Falcom might pretty much be one of the smallest, penniless studios in Japan despite its longevity; they still make the best action RPGs ever. What I’ve seen of the story so far is particularly amazing too, and Toshihiro Kondo is a good writer along with being a good company president.

I’m currently taking a break from the game after reaching what I guess is around 1/3 of it. I was so hyped I had to play it at launch, but I want to do all the other Ys games I didn’t do yet first, even if it’s absolutely not necessary to understand the story. I like being able to understand every single reference in a series like this. I’m the kind of person who wishes to know exactly how many times Kazuya and Heihachi threw each other out of a volcano/mountain.

3. Super Robot Wars T

I didn’t play Super Robot Wars V nor SRW X as they initially didn’t release on Switch. If we don’t count SRW OG Moon Dwellers, which was on my top ten 2018 list, SRW T is my first SRW game since the SRW Z3 finale on PS3 in April 2015. It’s pretty great, be it the story, its cast list, or the animations. Everything about it is nice. Having things like Cowboy Bebop, Gunbuster, Rayearth, Gun x Sword, and Captain Harlock together feels incredible. It’s extremely sad that Captain Harlock’s seiyuu Makio Inoue passed away right after he finally got in SRW.

A new OG anime directed by Obari and a new OG game would be nice. I’m happy the series seemingly won’t get a new game in 2020, so the development teams can take their time.

2. Fire Emblem Fuukasetsugetsu / Three Houses

This game has my favorite cast of characters in a Fire Emblem game, along with Fire Emblem Seisen no Keifu/Genealogy of the Holy War, and I could write a 1000 word article on every single character on this picture (if I was paid adequately for it). This is only one of the many reasons why I like this game. In a nutshell, I’d say I love the fact that I find it very innovative and yet similar to the other Fire Emblem games I’ve played and liked so far, and how it’s true for every aspect of the game.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for Fire Emblem: Three Houses.

1. Project Sakura Wars/ Shin Sakura Taisen

This opening sequence has over 1.7 million views, and half of these are all me. While I’m not done with Shin Sakura Taisen yet, I fail to imagine how the game could even disappoint me so far, seeing how amazing it is. Before the game launched, I wasn’t concerned about the battle system change, but whether the new cast would be interesting or not. If there was a world Guinness record for most baseless worry of 2019, this would get it. This game got everything that makes Sakura Taisen so awesome. The strong female characters, the cool mecha, the great worldbuilding, the comedy. It’s a great new start in the series and I hope we’ll get more. I shared a few impressions on the game and just like 13 Sentinels, I’m recording myself playing the game, translating at the same time.

That’s it for my top ten.

If you’re wondering about my expectations for 2020, the game I’m looking forward to the most so far is the Seiken Densetsu 3 remake: Trials of Mana. Then we also have things like FF7R, Rune Factory 5, Space Channel 5 VR, Brigandine…I’m also eager to see KOF XV even if I won’t play it. Lastly, 2020 will also mark the tenth anniversary of the Pretty Series franchise. The Pretty Rhythm anime seasons and its King of Prism sequels were my favorite anime of the decade, so I’m looking forward to what Avex and Takara Tomy have in store for the anniversary, and if we might get some games other than arcade games out of it.

I’m planning to stay on DualShockers and keep writing about Japanese games in the new year. I don’t have the time nor the paycheck to cover every single news as fast as possible, but I always try to bring to the table as much info as I can, along with relevant translations and observations. Hoping you’ll keep reading us in 2020.

Check out the rest of the DualShockers staff Top 10 lists and our official Game of the Year Awards:

December 23: DualShockers Game of the Year Awards 2019 December 25: Lou Contaldi, Editor-in-Chief // Logan Moore, Managing Editor December 26: Tomas Franzese, News Editor // Ryan Meitzler, Features Editor  December 27: Mike Long, Community Manager // Scott White, Staff Writer December 28: Chris Compendio, Contributor // Mario Rivera, Video Manager // Kris Cornelisse, Staff Writer December 29: Scott Meaney, Community Director // Allisa James, Senior Staff Writer // Ben Bayliss, Senior Staff Writer December 30: Cameron Hawkins, Staff Writer // David Gill, Senior Staff Writer // Portia Lightfoot, Contributor December 31: Iyane Agossah, Senior Staff Writer // Michael Ruiz, Senior Staff Writer // Rachael Fiddis, Contributor January 1: Ricky Frech, Senior Staff Writer // Tanner Pierce, Staff Writer

December 31, 2019 12:00 PM EST

from EnterGamingXP https://entergamingxp.com/2019/12/dualshockers-favorite-games-of-2019-iyanes-top-10/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=dualshockers-favorite-games-of-2019-iyanes-top-10

[hrk297]

Jack Harlow Concert Recap

I’ve been pretty uninspired and overwhelmed the past few weeks and my constant input has definitely been affected because of it. I actually typed out a whole music review including albums by Anderson .Paak, Jaden Smith, and Lido but it unfortunately it got deleted before saving it as a draft/posting it. I tried to rewrite it but it sounded less passionate and more like I was trying to regurgitate what I had written originally- so I scraped it. 

I figured to catch me up on my weekly input I’d write a little review/recap of the last 2 concerts I attended which happen to align with the missing weeks of input. 

August, 2018: My best friend picked me up one day in August and played the song PICKYOURPHONEUP by Jack Harlow. I didn’t think much of it until it played again. And then again. I asked her “so, we’re just gonna keep listening to the same song huh?” because typically when this happens it just means she forgot to put her phone on shuffle. She remained unwavering as she said, “yeah”, in response before adding: “I love this song”. She played another song off his Loose album after that fourth play of PICKYOURPHONEUP and I immediately realized this kid was special. I got home and listened to almost nothing but his projects for the next 3 weeks. 3 weeks is a long time to listen to an artist without getting sick of their sound, at least for me. 

October 20, 2018: A couple weeks into October, Harlow posted a picture on instagram featuring his Loose Tour dates. I screenshotted it and sent it to my best friend and we spent the next 20 minutes deciding if I should go to Boston or if she should come to New York based on what days worked for us. Ultimately, we ended up getting tickets for his NY show on the 21st of November. The next month was filled with anticipation as we’d constantly share his posts with each other and talk endlessly about our personal desired set lists. I even ended up tweeting at him telling him we’d dress up as stewardesses as a reference to his lyric, “I got a crush on a stewardess, her outfit got something to do with it.” Now, my best friend and i have been to many concerts together, typically for more well established artists who have stronger fanbases so I think part of what was so thrilling about seeing him was that it meant we were catching a star before the hype. 

November 20, 2018: I had a Computer science exam at 12:30pm that I absolutely failed. I think I walked out of the room with a solid 14/100. Michelle (my best friend) had a 12 hour long period of interviews for her professional years. She hops on the 8pm bus from Boston to New York and arrives home around 2am as I fall asleep while decompressing from my headache of an exam. I know we are both still super excited for the day ahead of us despite the overwhelming days we just had.  

November 21, 2018: My alarm goes off at 9:30am. I consider hitting snooze and falling back asleep like i do every day of the week but I cant, this morning i actually have the drive to get up. I havent seen Michelle or been to a concert/show in over a month. So I get up, realize I dont know what to wear and facetime her. The next 40 minutes is spent cracking jokes about what we’re going to say to make him fall in love with us. We plan to leave our suburban town at 12:30 in hopes of being at the venue by 2pm. Doors open at 6:30pm. We’re a bit dramatic. We reach the venue and are the only ones in sight for the show, we realize its way too cold to stand outside for 4 more hours so we go to starbucks, insomnia cookies, marshalls (3 times, it was warm), and a couple other random stores before finally deciding to head back to the venue around 4:30. around 5, we see his sprinter van and a few members of his team are moving boxes of merch into the venue. We patiently wait, speaking softly while asking each other if we think he’s also in the van. Finally, after what feels like a half hour, we see a tall white boy with curly hair walk out of the van. We expect him to at the very least stop and greet us, but he walks straight into the venue, offering a weak, “sup y’all” with a hint of his Kentucky accent. We wait for the door to shut before looking at each other in shock. That was not the energy we expected out of an up and coming rapper. Its evident we’re both a bit discouraged and as we linger in the dissatisfying encounter, we see him and his best friend walking out again, not offering a single word this time. The next fans to join the line arrived around 5:30pm, they were a couple who immediately started a conversation with us despite their slightly standoffish demeanor. They tell us that they saw him live over the summer at a festival and after his set and they got the chance to speak to him. They said he was super sweet which restored some faith within us again. Maybe the Kentucky boy just really cant stand the cold and wanted to rush into the venue. 30 minutes prior to doors, Harlow and his friend come back, this time he has a girl under his arm who is not his girlfriend, the line which has accumulated has a moment of silence as they walk in. Once the clock finally hits 6:30, it begins to snow a little and the line passes comments about how annoyed we are that we arent being let in yet. His younger brother and a couple of his friends show up outside the venue and are immediately let in by his best friend. At this point, the overall experience is at a 6/10, max. Between the cold weather and energy we received from Harlow, the only redeeming things are the fact that I’m with my best friend and the company of the couple who joined us on line. 

6:42pm: the doors to the Mercury Lounge open and we scan our tickets. We make our way to the dead center of “barricade” and wait while we defrost. We weren’t anticipating enjoying the opening acts as we couldn’t find their music on any streaming site prior to the show, and granted the first act was a bit messy as he constantly began inviting his friends on stage, goofing around more than they were really performing but nonetheless the energy was exciting. The second act was truly enjoyable and I’m sure I’ll be looking out for his releases on spotify. I checked my phone for the time and realized it was almost show time. The music started for his song SUNDOWN as he shimmied on stage with his signature intro. We knew every word. Behind him, his best friend was recording the whole thing on a camcorder, mouthing along the lyrics. Despite not having much to say inbetween songs, let alone allotting time to even say anything between songs, Harlow’s performance was exactly what we thought it would be. Aside from the random “louisviller” as she called herself, who kept asking me questions about my height during his set while sprinkling in the fact that she knows Jack from Kentucky, his stage presence and connection with the crowd brought the experience up to an 8/10. He sang some of his OG songs and painted his face with a smile as he listened to the crowd sing along to even his lesser known stuff. A sense of pride clearly overtaking him- and rightfully so. Although the encounter with him earlier left a bitter taste in my mouth, hearing his lyrics about struggle and work ethic live reminded me why i admire him, and why i was so quick to become a fan. Once the show was over and he came back out for another round of SUNDOWN as the encore, we made our way to the merch table where I complained about how much I hated the design of the hoodie and refused to give in and buy a matching one with Michelle. The show ended around 9:30pm and we got back to our hometown around 11pm before taking a drive to our favorite place to eat. There we ate and discussed our experiences, comparing opinions on his performance and admitting that we were both still in love with him despite our rough first encounter. A perfect end to an eventful day. 

[packernet]

New Post has been published on http://www.packernet.com/blog/2017/03/31/packers-7-round-mock-draft/

Packers 7 Round Mock Draft

I’ve done probably around a dozen 7 round mock drafts so far on my little excel spread sheet. It’s extremely hard to pick my favorite. Do you sacrifice on of the bigger needs in order to grab one of the few ILB’s that are worth anything? Should I wait on corner since they are so deep or do I grab a top corner in hopes of getting a true number 1?

I looked at the different mocks and was finally able to decide on one of them. Overall I’m pretty satisfied.

As for the rounds, I used CBS.com as a reference for when they expected players to be drafted. If you have an issue with the round I have some of these guys going in, feel free take it up with them.

Overall, if I didn’t agree with the round CBS had a player being drafted (Joe Mixon), I didn’t use him… So I suppose there is some culpability on my part.

Round 1, Pick 29 Marlon Humphrey, CB, Alabama

I have a hard time believing Humphrey isn’t gone by the time the Packers make their selection but there are only so many times you can say, “he’ll be gone” before you come to the realization that one of these guys will be there.

Corner makes sense as far as who we can expect to slide. There have been a dozen or more corners who’s names have been mentioned as first round prospects and the list changes daily.

With the poor performance by Tabor in the combine and even worse performance at his pro day I think I’m finally ready to admit Humphrey is a better corner making him my new top corner in the draft. Fortunately for me and the Packers, not a whole lot of people see it that way.

Grabbing him gives the Packers a true number one, and I think it’s important that the Packers do just that.

I’ve mentioned before that I don’t think corner is as dire as everyone makes it out to be but with that said, the issue is, they don’t have a guy that can match up with the top WR’s in the game. Grabbing another number 2 or three corner just adds to a deep list of players that can’t cover Julio Jones.

By drafting a guy like Humphrey they not only have a guy that can line up across the number 1 WR’s but they allow House, Gunter, Randall, and Rollins to move down the depth chart effectively making every single one of them better than last year.

For more info on Humphrey I did an in-depth series on him here.

Round 2, Pick 61 Dan Feeney, OG, Indiana

Guard is an extremely important issue for the Packers and fixing it is a top need, if not THE top need.

As it stands now the Packers have a top 3 tackle duo and a top 15 center. Sittin and Lang are both top 10 guards but unfortunately they now both play for different teams.

Lane Taylor isn’t a fantastic guard but he actually is pretty solid in pass protection so he isn’t a horrible left guard.

The issue is the right guard spot. As of now, the Packers legitimately have no good options and finding a quality guard is a must. If Forrest Lamp is available in the first it’s going to be hard to pick a corner but Dan Feeney in the second isn’t anything to be upset about.

Feeney is a far better run blocker than a pass blocker so he is a great fit for the right guard spot.

Round 3, Pick 93 JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR, USC

It seems like a strange pick but the Packers aren’t set at the position. Jordy is a stud but outside of that there isn’t a ton to love. Adams took a big step in year 3 but he’s still an average receiver.

Furthermore, as I’ve said before, the thing that killed the offense starting in 2015 was the ability of defenses to get physical with the Packers receivers and not allow them to get open.

What fixed the offense was getting Jared Cook to smash people in the mouth that tried to get physical with him. As a result, Cook won the battles on those crucial 3rd downs that would have otherwise killed the drive.

The Packers now have Bennett but they need more of that. Not every play needs to go down the field, not every play should be Rodgers scrambling around until a receiver finds a hole. They need guys that can claim territory, fight off corners, and get physical in contested throws. JuJu is that guy.

Round 4, Pick 134 Vince Biegel, OLB, Wisconsin

I tried pretty hard to get the other guy, Watt, but in the end I wasn’t able to make it work. Strangely, looking over the PFF rankings of edge rush prospects, Watt was ranked higher but I’m not sure why.

Biegel was given a higher overall grade (Not sure why grade and rank don’t correlate but…), a higher pass rush grade, and a higher run D grade.

If you factor in the cost of a 4th round pick compared to the cost of a first round pick, the value for Biegel far exceeds that of Watt.

Beyond comparing the two, there is no question Biegel was a major force on a very good defense. His production as well as his mean demeanor and respect from his teammates all point to him being a great player.

The knock on him is his size at 6’3 246. He’s seen as being too small but he is the spitting image of Clay Matthews. I doubt the Packers will care.

Round 5, Pick 174 James Conner, RB, Pittsburgh

I like Montgomery a lot. He’s a slippery runner and he makes you pay for poor tackling. That said, Montgomery lacks the thump that Lacy brought to the team. Although Ripkowski packs a punch he obviously isn’t a 3 down solution.

Enter James Conner. At 6’1 233 pounds, Conner lacks nothing in the size department and is able to pack a punch. His 4.65 40 isn’t blazing speed but it’s that same speed as Lacy.

With Conner the Packers add a 3 down option to compliment Montgomery and also add a little boom to the RB room.

Round 5, Pick 184 Donnel Pumphrey, RB, San Diego State

According to Corey Clement, running back for the Badgers, the Packers told him they may look to grab 2 running backs in the draft due to the lack of depth at the position.

Former Wisconsin RB Corey Clement said a #Packers scout told him the team may draft two tailbacks this year because they are so thin.

— Michael Cohen (@Michael_Cohen13) March 2, 2017

Although Clement was in the running for this pick I couldn’t pass up the lightning to Conner’s thunder.

Pumphrey is one of the more exciting backs in the entire class. He broke the Division I rushing record held by Ron Dane and runs a 4.48.

Why in the world would the Packers be able to grab him in the 5th round? Probably because he’s 5’8 176 pounds and put up 5 reps on the bench. He’s a small dude to be in the NFL.

Still, Pumphrey is elite in his ability to slip and slide between tackles and can cut on a dime. He’s a homerun hitter from anywhere on the field.

That said, he’s not a 3 down back and the Packers will have to look past that if this is in any way a possibility.

Round 6, Pick 214 Ejuan Price, OLB, Pittsburgh

For the second time I’m counting on the Packers to look at production over measurables.

At 5’11 Ejuan is 4 inches shorter than the next shortest OLB on the Packers roster. Possibly more troubling is his 4.84 40. To put that into perspective, Mike Daniels ran a 4.84.

With that said, Price is a sack artist. He’s been in the top 10 for sacks the last two years. With Perry holding down the strong side and with Matthews struggling to get after the quarterback, Price can be put in on passing situations and loosed on the quarterback.

The move also adds much needed depth and lethality to a critical position for the Packers defense.

Round 7, Pick 249 Calvin Munson, ILB, San Diego State

Inside linebacker isn’t a dire need but nobody on the roster is really scaring anyone. Jake Ryan made a huge leap from year 1 to year 2 and there’s no reason to believe Blake Martinez couldn’t do something similar.

Still, adding some help couldn’t hurt and Calvin Munson is an absolute steal in the 7th round.

PFF ranked him in their top 5 linebackers. TOP 5. How does a guy ranked in anyone’s top 5 make it to the 7th round? Well the answer can probably be found… at PFF.

Seems they’ve had a change of heart over there and feel that his speed could be a limiting factor. So much so they wonder if he can make it in the pros.

For the record, although I don’t see that he ran the 40 I did see an estimate of around 4.78. If that were the case he wouldn’t be much different than Blake Martinez.

Either way, the guy is a great linebacker and if he is able to hack it in the pros it could be a steal.

2017 Depth Chart

Quarterback

Aaron Rodgers

Brett Hundley Joe Callahan

Pretty obvious what the situation here is. No matter how much you like Hundley doesn’t matter. Rodgers makes the team go. With him the Packers are Super Bowl contenders. Without him… high draft pick.

Wide Receiver

Jordy Nelson JuJu Smith-Schuster Randall Cobb

Davante Adams Geronimo Allison Trevor Davis Jeff Janis

Maybe I’m being overly optimistic with JuJu but as I said, Davante graded out as average for the 2016 season. The Packers obviously love the guy so if JuJu does take his spot it won’t be week 1 but if he provides to the Packers what I think he can I don’t think it’s impossible that he takes Adams slot.

Half Back

Ty Montgomery

James Conner Donnel Pumphrey

I don’t expect the Packers to hang on to Christine Michael if they take 2 backs in the draft.

I think Ty will stay the starter but it’s entirely possible that James Conner takes his spot, especially given Ty’s ability to be used in other phases of the game.

Full Back

Aaron Ripkowski

Joe Kerridge

Nothing new here. Ripkowski saw his role increase with the lack of bodies in the RB room which I expect to decrease in 2017.

That said, Rip is a great full back and will see plenty of carries.

Tight End

Martellus Bennett

Richard Rodgers Lance Kendricks

I’m going to temper my expectations a bit. Although Bennett is considered heads and tails above Cook, Cook was putting up Jordy Nelson numbers in the post season. My hope is that Bennett can come in and be as good as Cook.

As for Kendricks, we’ll see. Again, tempered expectations.

Offensive Line

David Bakhtiari Lane Taylor Corey Linsley Dan Feeney Bryan Bulaga

Jason Spriggs Don Barclay Kyle Murphey Justin McCray

Although the depth is troubling, the line as it stands here is really exciting. Taylor struggles in the run game but otherwise there is a ton to be excited about.

Cornerback

Marlon Humphrey Quinton Rollins

LaDarius Gunter Davon House Josh Hawkins Demetri Goodson

The order here is impossible. Obviously I have Humphrey at the top, it’s the entire point of this. I put Rollins at number two because I think he’s the next best guy on the list, having actually played pretty well in 2015. The other option would be House or Gunter as the number two.

The Packers desperately want Randall to be a top guy but for two years he’s been pretty bad and last year he was abysmal. I don’t actually think it’s what will happen but I’m going to suggest a solution…

Safety

Morgan Burnett Ha Ha Clinton-Dix

Damarious Randall Kentrell Brice

The safeties are fantastic and in a base formation with no injuries there is no need to worry about anything. That said, in the dime package, for instance, the Packers routinely bring Burnett into the linebacker slot and put Brice at strong safety.

With the move of Randall to back to safety (He was the top safety prospect in the draft), assuming he is a more natural fit there and can excel, the Packers could employ a dime package with HHCD, Burnett, Damarious Randall, Marlon Humphrey, Quinton Rollins, and House/Gunter. I honestly really like that.

Inside Linebacker

Jake Ryan Blake Martinez

Joe Thomas Calvin Munson

Ideally when you draft someone they become instant starters and do nothing but dominate. As a 7th round pick I’d say it’s a victory if he finds his way on the field.

With Jake and Blake holding down against the run and big Joe T. taking over on pass downs, I don’t see Calving getting a ton of time in the pass game.

Possibly he could come in with Blake Martinez in running situations (goal to go, etc.) and find a niche in that way.

Defensive Line

Mike Daniels Kenny Clark Ricky Jean Francois

Letroy Guion Dean Lowry Christian Ringo

The nose tackle spot is up in the air. More than likely Ricky will be holding it down. Letroy may or may not even be with the team come week 1 considering his off field issues.

Christian Ringo is the kind of guy that gives you hope for late rounders. Taken in the sixth round, Ringo found his way on the field 77 times and was graded as the 4th best D-lineman by PFF.

Lowry is another guy that improved a ton and slowly found more and time on the field.

Overall with so many guys having an arrow pointing straight up, it’s hard to really figure out how the depth chart will shake out.

Outside Linebackers

Nick Perry Clay Matthews

Vince Biegel Kyler Fackrell Ejuan Price

The layout here is strictly out of respect. Matthews is a monster of a man but serious, the guy was SO bad last year. As far as his PFF grade goes, Damarious Randall was the only player with a worse grade. The only one.

If there isn’t a massive improvement from last year, it’s very simple, move the man back to inside linebacker.

It’s a tough thing to do because it assumes Biegel, Fackrell, and Price can fill in. If they can handle it, though, I see zero reason not to do it. It will create two upgrades with one move.

[elevatedvistas]

10 of Our Favorite Verses from Dreamville's Latest Signee, J.I.D (So Far)

So, you're a huge fan of J. Cole, and have recently heard about his label, Dreamville's latest acquisition in Atlanta's J.I.D, but you don't know where to start? We've got you covered. Since following J.I.D (pronounced as spelled, or "Jid") in 2011, not only has he been one of our favorite acts since the first song we heard him on, but we've followed his music very closely and are self-dubbed J.I.D scholars. In no particular order, here are 10 songs and verses from the ATLien that you simply must hear to get a full feel for what you're in for when he releases his Dreamville debut, "The Never Story", whose release date is still pending: OG Maco - Who Came to Party ft. J.I.D (Prod. Archibald Slim) https://soundcloud.com/og-maco/who-came-to-party-ft-j-i-d Probably our favorite pound for pound JID verse. At the time, it was the latest in the start of a string of collaborations for JID. This one hosted by OG Maco, who more than held his own in what we, here at Ev, may credit as the first song that we actually heard OG Maco really float and spit on--the track was featured on Maco's brilliantly titled, I Made This Shit Before You Guessed It. We probably wouldn't appreciate Maco as much as we do now if it weren't for this track that we initially peeped specifically to hear JID. Isn't music amazing? J.I.D - Never (Prod. Christo + Childish Major) https://soundcloud.com/jidsv/never-prod-by-christo-x-childish-major Never could arguably be credited with the distinction of being the song that really took J.I.D into that, "Ok, you GOTTA hear this guy" category. With a beautifully nasty cadence, and witty bars like, "I crept on the steps where the demon sleeps/and yell, belch to my Lord what He means to me. Oh, my God. Don't be mean to me", the first round of Never is a display of pure skill as the Zone 6 spitter rips apart the Christo-produced banger. Don't double back. You read that correct: the first round. The second round of Never features a production switch--this time brought to you by Childish Major--that is so opposite the spectrum of its predecessor, it's sure to catch your ear, and by the first bar--"What you call a chick that don't suck dick?/ Ya don't"--JID is sure to have your attention. There is some debate on which round of Never is the best, but most of us are just glad that these beats and these verses were put together for an epic clash of the titans that is one artist: J.I.D. J.I.D - Letters ft. 6lack, Marian Mereba, & PELL (Prod. ThaOfficials) https://soundcloud.com/jidsv/letters-feat-6lack-marian-mereba-pell Letters is one of JID's furthest strays from his usual lyrical onslaught to deliver an actual record with a concrete message. Assisted by 6lack (who has had maybe the biggest 2017 of any underground artist thus far), Marian Mereba (If you've never heard of her, don't you dare scroll past this name without making note), and the one-of-a-kind PELL, JID delivers a somber ode that is probably the darkest song he has put out to date, but also a possible glimpse into what the Little Dragon fanatic wants to do more of. It's an impressive song that more often than not, goes unmentioned by even the most solid JIDiens. J.I.D - M.O.M ft. Quinten Miller (Prod. Zeon) https://soundcloud.com/spillage-village-am/mom-feat-quentin-miller-prod-by-zeon A recent gem that may be the standout track on a super effort by the Atlanta collective, Spillage Village (Earthgang, J.I.D, Hollywood JB, Jordxn Bryant) that features The WDNGCRSHRS' Quinten Miller. M.O.M is JID's most recent collaboration, and neither he nor Miller let's us down for even a second. With a hook that ends, "Since she started f***ing me, her ass got fatter", it's not hard to notice JID's effortless control and balance of cadence, wit, lyrics, and melodies. MOM was probably a top 3 track from JID in 2016. You'd earn yourself a year long favorite song by simply clicking play on this one. J.I.D - Yellow Snow Freestyle (Prod. Christo) https://soundcloud.com/spillage-village-am/yellow-snow-freestyle-prod-by-christo Another standout track from Spillage Village's Bears Like This Too Much project, this one is more of a flex of lyrical muscle for the 27-year old MC. And, if you've listened to any other cuts on this list, you can understand that songs like Yellow Snow is where JID really thrives. A minimal hook that's catchy as it is different, and usually includes some humorous lyrics wrapped in air tight cadences. "My lil n*ggaz got lil n*ggaz, so I'm a grand n*gga" is one of our favorite JID bars, and he delivers it and many more like it over jazzy production that sounds like James Bond making a clean getaway as the building explodes behind him. One of the most unique songs on our list also may be the most funky JID record to date. Earthgang, 6lack, & J.I.D - BatMan Smells (Prod. Ryan Mellow) https://soundcloud.com/earthganghbt/earthgang-x-6lack-x-jid-batman-smells-prod-by-ryan-mellow BatMan Smells came out in December of 2014, and features JID, 6lack, and Earthgang. As referenced in its title, Batman Smells (a reference to the old Jingle Bells spoof) is a Christmas song. And, it is quite possibly our favorite Hip Hop Christmas song of the last 10 years. One could argue there haven't been enough Christmas themed songs in that time period to compare it to--which is fair--but that's also the beauty of Batman Smells. It's also very subtle in being a Christmas song. Hints include jingle bells at the beginning of the song, references to eggnog, and JID getting drunk with his aunties. If that's not Christmas, what is? J.I.D - UnderWear (Prod. Christo) https://soundcloud.com/jidsv/underwear "Melancholy cool. Matthew McConaughey!" One of the most fun, always relevant lines JID has dropped on wax that we have access to, UnderWear was J.I.D's 'Never' of 2015. Christo's production matched with JID's complex wordplay and playful-but-deadass-serious lyrics is an underrated combo that we fully expect to have more light shed on in the coming months. UnderWear finds J.I.D solo, aside from a couple of The Wolf of Wall Street quotes from the aforementioned McConaughey, and it may very well be his best track, depending on who you talk to. A lyrical trapeze act, UnderWear served its purpose by guaranteeing that the revolution was underwear. I mean, under way. J.I.D - Jiddeth https://vimeo.com/49116270 Jiddeth was the first song we heard JID solo on. And, it was like a tidal wave of vibes. The beat was slow, with a lone, long horn serving as its lead. It's a fairly simplistic beat that is undeniable southern. On Jiddeth, JID boasts about not doing this and not doing that, only to flip the script ten-fold and claim all of his vices, his Zone, and his own position as a flat out monster behind the mic. He does all of this with very little effort, and by the song's end, your head is bobbing, and you're leaning up in your chain, wondering, "How did ppl miss out on this guy for so long?" That's J.I.D. Earthgang - The First Scoop ft. J.I.D https://soundcloud.com/thepromogorilla/the-first-scoop Holding the honorable distinction of being the first record we heard JID on, The First Scoop is as impressive now as it was when it was released in 2012. JID dropped on our Twitter timeline via Earthgang (the song's main artists) like a bomb, and we immediately followed him after hearing his verse, which opens the record. Specifically, the bar that made our timeline lose its mind was a clever use of "Bye, Felicia" popularized by the movie Friday, and the expounding of why, according to JID, she had to go. The opening bars of JID's verse on The First Scoop are still relevant: "I hear a lot of n*ggaz talking about they ballin'/You ain't ballin' if the bill collectors callin'/talkin' about you missed a payment, couple installments/they finna cut your shit off, you should come by the office." Again, that's circa 2011. J.I.D - Bruuuh (Prod. Willie B) https://soundcloud.com/jidsv/bruuuh-prod-by-willie-b JID's most recent release that we were amped to check out, as it features production by The Ichiban Don himself, Willie B. TDE fans may recognize Willie B's name for producing gems such as Kendrick Lamar's Ignorance is Bliss, Poe Man's Dreams, & Rigamortis, and Ab-Soul's Showin' Love. We're huge TDE fans, and particularly were at the height of our fandom when all of those productions dropped. So, Willie has been on our favorite producers list for years. That being the case, when we saw him tweet JID about a finished track, we couldn't help but be fans of the song right then and there. Appropriately titled "Bruuuh" for its ridiculous rhyme patterns and instrumentation (and for the collaboration, itself), the listener can insert a good, "Bruuuh" anywhere in the entire song, and it would be fitting. Once again, JID sprints a marathon and absolutely levels a Willie B production. To lovers of credits, this was probably JID's most important collaboration yet, as it was a sort of cosign that--even if not necessarily needed--aided and continues to aid in what we believe will be a stratospheric take off for one of the most talented MC's we've ever met, covered, or heard. Straight up. If you call yourself a Hip Hop head like we do, here at Elevated Vistas, and haven't heard JID, we're encouraging you to do so--and, soon. Because as with JID's signing to Dreamville, his explosion onto the Hip Hop scene by way of your television and radio is only a matter of time. Congratulations to Dreamville for signing one hell of an artist. And, most importantly, congratulations to JID--the latest example of an elite rapper getting the exposure and rewards that he is justly due. And, the best part? It's only just begun. Congratulations, JID. We're still rooting for you. Honorable Mention: J.I.D - Liverpool ft. Earthgang, J.I.D -October/3 Storms ft. Earthgang J.I.D - Sia, J.I.D - Pro-Verbs, Earthgang x J.I.D - Ten Ten Follow J.I.D on Twitter: @jidsv Follow us on Twitter: @ElevatedVistas Written by Ida Wonyaluv