#which is a shame because podcasts are great but. so is visual media

[astrangergivingthestrangewelcome]

It's also kind of crazy that when it comes to Dracula adaptations, movies and TV shows are so bad and yet we have a thriving array of podcasts and ballets that are excellent adaptations.

[measuringlife]

Measuring Me: Goal Setting

For as long as I can remember I’ve been a goal oriented person. However it wasn’t until last year when I was working with my life coach that I got into the habit of writing and reflecting on them. We had weekly and daily goal exercises, I’ve maintained the weekly goal setting and reflection practice. The great thing about writing and record your goals is that you can go back to read them! So here’s a look at my very first weekly goal writing session on July 1, 2018, prompts in bold and my reflection a year later in italics. 

Make a list of 10-15 goals you would like to achieve THIS WEEK. Make them positive, present tense, and specific. Remember these are goals for the week, not months from now. So think of these as the smallest action steps that will drive you FORWARD the quickest. This is about setting yourself up for a win. 1. Log my overtime work hours to prepare to present to my boss at the end of peak season - DID, having comp time in the fall helped me make myself, my goals, Measuring Life a priority 2. Add google analytics to my website - DID 3. Categorize tumblr blog posts - DID 4. Work out at least 4 times - Likely Did, still track workouts 5. Share my blog/instagram with 2 more people I know in real life - DID, still continue to share 6. Check in with my graphic designer friend regarding my new logo/visual brand - DID, launched the logo on NYE 7. Pick up new chromebook - DID, having a computer that isn’t my “work” computer has also helped give me separation 8. Buy and set paper planner and set up a google calendar for my personal life/side hustle - DID, this was a game changer more on that below 9. Buy a bulletin board, note books, office supplies for home office - DID, however only used the home office for a few months since we started using the guest room for AirBNB in October 10. Post 1 video of me on Measuring Life accounts - Did it in August, I post video on occasion, but despite my broadcast journalism degree I prefer writing when it comes to being vulnerable 11. Listen to at least 2 of Dan's podcast episodes - DID, still keeping current on his podcasts and other social media channels for continued inspiration and motivation 12. Rewatch the portion of last week's bonus call where I had my talk time with Dan - DID, watching myself dig and be vulnerable on a video call was odd, but also beautiful. I’ve re-watched a few recording video calls where I’ve gotten emotional and I learned to give myself some grace and understand that change happens when you stop doing the things you’ve always done - in my case being extremely guarded and private 13. Journal at least 3 times this week - Likely Did, I try and write in my paper journal weekly, but such is life sometimes it more often or less often, but there hasn’t been too much of a lapse between writing since I got back to my journaling practice

Which is the one goal that will help all of the others happen? Buy and set paper planner and set up a google calendar for my personal life/side hustle.

For too long I relied on my work outlook calendar to keep all my things, but I really need to separate work from home. As a long time paper journal person, I’ve come to find my paper planner as another type of journal, especially after I made the switch to a passion planner in January 2019. I still can’t get into google calendar, but I use google docs to track all my side hustles (pet sitting, AirBNB, fitness instructor) including dates and income generation to keep everything in order, but also to keep a catalog/record. 

What has to happen for these goals to be done? I need to make the time to get to the stores to pick up/purchase items. I need to make the time to set up a calendar as well as have focused time in my office to do so. 

Making time was the key, which really means making me a priority. I tend to make everything else a priority, work, other people, social media, television, etc. I still have to actively choose my goals and dreams when it comes to my time. My people pleasing/fixer tendencies will always be there, but for me the awareness is key.

Why are these goals so important to you? I want a public medium to share my story of trauma, failures, successes and connect with others with similar stories. I felt so much shame and isolation over the years for just being me and I'm learning how to break through that and I think the sooner people can push through the shame and isolation the better for them and for all. 

This is still true, I came into this my coaching program at a crossroads and a place of self-loathing. I’ve learned to love myself including all my flaws and defects of character (a line from my 12 step program). I still want to share what I’ve overcome, but now I’m more focused on the present and the future. Living in the present isn’t always something I’m very good at, but I’m trying to live less and less in the past. 

What would you gain by achieving these goals? I would be vulnerable, but living authentically and building connections with people - both the people I know, think I know, or have yet to know. 

This has been one of the highlights of the past year, developing deeper relationships with people and meeting new people who I have connected with on a deep level. I’ve also started to let go of the relationships that are no longer serving me.

What risks will you have to take by achieving these goals? Being vulnerable and open to judgment. Reducing my day job hours/stress levels. 

I did these things and no one died! If people are judging me that’s fine, but it hasn’t been something I’ve seen or heard and honestly at this point if I did read or hear something negative I know I’d be okay because I have enough people lifting me up. When it comes to work, the work never ends. It’s about priorities and focus. I know I’ve set more attainable work goals as opposed to pushing myself harder than what is expected which has been a previous pattern. I take my lunch hour, I leave at 5 unless there is a meeting or program that requires me to stay. I’ve taken my sick and vacation days on top of comp time. 

What will get in the way of these goals? Procrastination or trying to do too much too soon and therefore getting overwhelmed. Not managing my time or wasting time.

THIS, this still gets in my way. I am way more aware, but I still love the rush that comes with procrastination or being too ambitious. 

Why haven't you achieved these goals already? What stopped you before? Time - I tend to run full speed ahead doing 10,000 things at once and burning the candle at both ends or I'm laaaaaaaaaaazy and have the motivation to do anything. 

This is tied to the last one, I am still very much an all or nothing kind of person. My planner helps me see this a bit more, so I actually try to schedule in “nothing” time. Ultimately I aim for more balance and alignment in a week, but more likely than not in any given month I have 3 crazy busy weeks and then a really chill low key week. I’ve learned not to feel guilty for “lazy bones” weekends as I’ve called them.  

What will you do differently now? Since last September I began managing my time better: actually taking my 1 hour lunch break to workout/walk/meet someone for lunch, setting a Fitbit alarm at 4:40pm each work day so I could wind down for the day and actually leave the office at 5pm. I packed my gym clothes the night before and changed before leaving work so I could go right from the office to the gym. I really found my stride in doing this from January 2018-mid June 2018. Currently in my intense peak work season, but want to quickly get back on track as soon as mid-July gets here. 

Yes, all of these things I’ve kept up with these good habits and thankfully after my peak summer season last year I was able to get back on track. I’m looking forward to getting back on track after this summer’s peak season. 

Is there anything I can do now to make achieving these goals easier?  The biggest thing in my control is sleeping. I can't function off 5 hours of actual sleep and since I currently need to be up at 5:30am most days I need to make sure I'm in bed by 10pm. I also need to continue to journal/blog to stay accountable. 

Sleep hygiene has been such a priority for me this year. Starting in September I began charging my phone away from my bed. I first started charging it in another room - where I could still hear the alarm, but as I got better about not “needing” the phone next to the bed I now charge it across the bedroom, but still not next to the bed. I also keep it face down so I don’t see the screen light up from the bed. I strive for 8 hours of sleep each night, however, in January I stopped wearing my Fitbit to track my sleep because I found the data to no longer be helpful. I often would wake up feeling refreshed, but if the fitbit data didn’t back it up then I’d mentally feel less refreshed. As mentioned personal accountability also is really important for my goal setting and self-care. Writing my weekly goals and reflecting on them each week, managing my time with a paper planner, weigh-ins/measurements, budgeting and finances, etc all of this has made a huge difference and my momentum is only growing. 

I am thankful to be where I am today and excited to see where I’ll be a year from now!

[dropintomanga]

A State of the Manga Mind Address

For as long as I can remember, I preferred reading manga over watching anime. Mostly because of the lack of fillers and censorship. But now I may have a new reason to prefer manga. Earlier this year, Anime Feminist interviewed a former Aoikgahara (the infamous "suicide forest" in Japan) volunteer about coverage of mental illness in anime and manga. The interview opened up my eyes about why I don't enjoy as much anime as I used to and how manga continues to intrigue me.

The interview with the volunteer, whose name is Makoto Kageyama, goes in-depth over their experiences with mental health, volunteering at Aokigahara, Japan's views on mental health, and their concerns over how mental illness is portrayed in anime compared to manga. They talked about the ever-popular trope where love and friendship save the day.

“I will be honest, I don’t like the stories where the issue gets solved magically with the power of love and friendship, it’s like a lazy way to solve things. Usually in anime, they make the issues look light or don’t explain them properly. Most of the stuff is “X-chan is sad (when clearly depressed and with a mental issue), we will bake this cake and they will see they are not alone and they will be cured from the sadness.” 

And after that, the issue is never mentioned again and magically X-chan is cured. Also, in media where a character does get mental health care, they are shown as crazy and somehow that gives them a bad image like only crazy people go to get help for mental health.

That makes sad even though I’m an avid anime consumer. That’s why sometimes I stick more to manga in that sense.”

Kageyama later talks about hikikomori portrayals in anime versus real-life. They explain that even though hikikomori may get out of their shell, they still have trouble re-adjusting to people and it's a gradual process. Kageyama also points out that hikikomori being a "moe" trait in anime is a double-edged sword. They wonder about whether entertainment should triumph over information.

“I know anime is supposed to make you happy again; I mean, that’s the way it’s sold. But still, it could also be good for media to help others and there’s few anime that can do that. Like I said before, there’s more manga about mental health issues than anime.”

With that said, here’s some thoughts I have about some anime/manga series with regards to mental health coverage/inspiration.

----------

First off, I didn't enjoy the A Silent Voice anime movie's ending. It felt a bit too optimistic and summed up Kageyama's thoughts about anime sometimes. The movie ending was basically "Oh hey, there's friendship tension. But it's okay, with the power of love, we're all friends again!" The manga ending had all the characters on uncertain paths regarding their futures. They weren't as chummy with each other as before. It was much more realistic. Someone once mentioned to me that this is an effect of KyoAni making the movie. The ending was a "happy fantasy" that may have irked fans of the manga.

I don't want My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness and My Solo Exchange Diary to become anime. Both are great introductions into the mental instability of a young adult, but they are better suited for live-action. I'm sure fans would love anime adaptations of both memoirs. It's just that the messages the author wanted to bring out may be filtered in a way that doesn't do her works justice.

I have second thoughts about Takano Ichigo's orange. While I do like the series' approach to depression and suicide, I later realize that the series promotes love and friendship as the complete solution to all of one's inner trauma. Yes, teenagers are smarter than you think, but adults still have an edge due to wisdom gained from years of experience. 

I also find Naho being the "chosen one" to save Kakeru a bad lesson to teach young women interested in romance. It's impossible to cater to every demand and need of a person. After listening to a podcast about why marriage is harder in modern life, I want people to be realistic about love. People expecting partners to be everything (best friend/lover/life coach/etc.) to them end up becoming frustrated with life.

Shonen series are inspirational to many fans and I still think they are worth following. Friendship, hard work, and victory still matter to a certain extent. Shonen promotes social resilience, the ability to stay calm in times of adversity with help of role models along the way. Having meaningful social connections is an important part of becoming a mentally healthy individual. It's just that some fans may take lessons from shonen in the wrong way. 

They tend to like shonen (particularly anime adaptations of popular battle series) because of the focus on self-improvement and not making excuses in order to succeed. I feel as if the "friendship" aspect is ignored a great deal. In a way, shonen-style thinking can lead to a bad case of either victim blaming, deep shame, or both in the same time. Life doesn't have that element of "control" that shonen series incorporate well.

Speaking of the lack of control, Berserk and all of its cruel uncertainty makes it one of the most inspiring manga series despite its offensive nature. I will talk about this in a future post. It’s so unfortunate that the studio behind the new anime adaptations of the series overshadowed the richness of Guts’ continued journey with their obsession with CGI animation that looked awkward.

I need to get into March Comes in Like a Lion because of the constant praise from mangaka and fans. Kageyama mentions that they were surprised it got animated, but liked how the anime didn't shy away from the heavy stuff. It gives Kageyama hope for future anime series that can portray mental illness in an effective manner. The fact that March Comes in Like a Lion captures thoughts and feelings I have is something that should be on my list after years of hearing about it.

----------

With that said, I did get a chance to speak to Kageyama on Twitter a short while after the interview. I asked them about anime and what anime studios can do better in portraying mental health in a realistic light. I also asked them about what would get more Western fans to read manga. This is what they told me.

“I think the problem is that Western audiences are more lazy when it comes to reading manga. Since in Japan, life is always on the move and manga/books are one of the best companions during your trips to work or school. Manga culture is kinda like your companion during mornings, while anime is your companion during afternoons.

If you think about it, most anime air during the afternoon. Mostly because people come back from work and school and they don’t feel like reading. So in a way, it’s more balanced out.

Meanwhile, life in the West is much different. People are more "social in a wrong way” if you don’t mind me adding. One thing I learned from living abroad is that people try to find more comfort in social media, games and anime. They then become lazy or disinterested in reading manga. I also realize that people tend to be more depressed because of the internet too.

I think that if manga was promoted better in the West, especially in a way that the possible reader could say “I can relate to this”, people would read more manga. Especially because of the so-called “risky topics” I keep mentioning, which are not risky. They are just human topics and nowadays people from both Japan and the West are afraid to talk and see humanity, but at the same time, they crave for it."

There’s so many responses I have towards toward this, but Kageyama is right to a certain extent. People in the West slowly gravitate away from books towards television as they get older. My boss said one of her New Year’s resolutions this year was to read a new book every month. I don’t know how far she’s gotten into it, but since most resolutions don’t end well, maybe she’s given up on it.

Reading for pleasure is such an anomaly in my part of the world since schools over here condition people when they are young that reading is supposed to be boring. While manga and graphic novel sales are making gains in the U.S., books are not selling well in general.

And regarding why people reject and crave humanity, that's because of the randomness and luck involved in getting it. People want to be sure that things will have a happy ending. That's what they expect, when there is no guarantee that life will go as planned. Anime, in a way, reduces randomness to ease the minds of fans. Manga is all about embracing randomness and the sheer amount of series and topics covered, when compared to anime, attest to that.

Yeah, randomness is bad, but it can lead to wonderful realizations such as appreciating manga for what it is - a medium for the kind of stories that need to be told and told in a way that shows people how human we really are. Learning about the interview with Kageyama was a random stroke of luck in my favor and i felt better for it. 

There are comics out there that talk about mental illness. Graphic novels are raw and gritty. They’re a great medium to visualize whatever thoughts anyone has. 

I’m not going to criticize anime fans for only sticking to anime because I like seeing characters in motion as much as anyone. I also think there’s a lot of low-quality manga out there. Reading is a big investment of one’s time and in some cases, a luxury. But if you have a favorite manga-to-anime adaptation that left you feeling disappointed and you never read the source material, the original manga can help alleviate your disappointment. The intimacy of reading a manga through the lens of the original creator is an experience that can move you because manga is almost like a personal journal of one’s thoughts, feelings, and ideals made larger through imagination.

For someone craving humanity, manga is a certain start that can lead to a better state of mind.

If you would like to talk to Kageyama about all things mental health-related in Japan, you can contact them on Twitter at @kurietachan.

[annbrighthaus-blog]

Social media is a huge motivator in the ecommerce industry. Whether your company is B2C or B2B, there’s room for all. The content you post online is significant to how internet users view your brand. Just as the words you speak carry meaning, the copy you write can paint a beautiful picture, or extend a cursory warning.

The Art of Copywriting

Are copy writing and content writing two different things? They are and they aren’t. Copy writing can be content, but it’s also a style of writing unto its own. Copy signifies an advertisement or marketing purpose. In the past, copy was obvious; it told customers what it was and what to buy. Modern copy is a little more complex. It doesn’t necessarily hide what it is, but it’s a delicate balance between interesting reading material and suggestive selling.

Copywriting for Social Media

Now you know what copywriting is, but does it belong on social media? At first, it seemed like the social media forum was going to be mainly for personal chats and photo sharing. From early platforms like MySpace to current contenders like Facebook, it’s come a long way. Social media isn’t just for individuals anymore. There are business profiles, online shopping buttons, and even platforms designed specifically for business networking.

Despite social media being useful for businesses, the copy you write here is different than the copy you’d write on a billboard. It must stand out from the swarm of incoming memes and gifs. Funny, emotional, and engaging are the best ways to describe this content.

Still unsure what to write about? Here are 3 keys to successful copy on social media, every time:

1. Engaging Material to Entice Conversation: Advertising used to be more of a one-way street. You had a product or service, you explained that product or service in an interesting way, and then customers bought what you offered. Now, advertising is a two-way street. It provides the same information about what you’re selling, and then gives the customer a chance to ask questions, make comments, write reviews, send a private message, post a picture of themselves with your product, and more.

Something that’s becoming more and more apparent over the years is how much consumers love to see other consumers’ comments on a brand or product. Searches for product reviews and demos are through the roof. And most consumers aren’t looking for something directly from the company, they’re looking for others who’ve bought and loved or hated a product or service. They want the information direct from the source.

So, how can you get your customers to engage, share their knowledge and ask the questions that get you noticed? There are a few ways to get your customers talking. One is extremely basic, ask a question. Asking consumers what they think of something is like opening the floodgates of engagement on a subject. Of course, it’s important to prepare yourself for the answers because it might not always be what you want to hear.

2. Make it a Teaching Moment: There’s a reason webinars, eBooks, and podcasts are so important, they teach something. Customers love learning, that’s why they spend so much time researching products and reading reviews before they buy. The consumer is more informed nowadays, and if your content can tell them something they don’t already know, they’re more likely to stick around and read it.

Some tips for sharing educational content are to keep it relevant, factual, and knowledgeable. You want to appear as an authority in your field, sharing something worth knowing. Backing this up with statistics makes it believable and important.

Diversify Your Content with Visuals: Visual information is a huge advantage in any form of copy, but especially social media where videos and images are constant. If your post is the only one without some sort of visual stimulation it could get lost in the mix. A great way to add graphics without going overboard is to tie it into your textual content. Writing about a video you’ve seen, posting a contest about a video you’ve made, or integrating your own tag line into a meme are all great ways to express yourself with visuals.

Visuals don’t always have to display as photographs. You can use visual content which is textual but posted like a picture. These are called infographics and they’re great for delivering large amounts of factual information in a unique and interesting way. Bright font in varying sizes and shapes accompanied by graphs and charts help you share important information with your readers.

If you’re still feeling a bit frazzled by the idea of writing your own social media copy, there’s no shame in consulting an expert. Hiring an experienced copywriter, even just to get started, will help you build your brand until you feel confident taking over the writing yourself. You can also draw inspiration by reading what other leaders in your industry are writing. This isn’t to copy ideas but to review individual writing styles and see if there’s something you’ve been missing.

Your social media strategy should be unique to you but following some of these tips can help. Whatever you decide to write, always do it with your audience in mind. Remember that different customers are at different stages in the sales funnel and may require varying degrees of writing. So long as you’re true to your brand, professional but not stuffy, and write with emotional response as your outcome, you’ll strike gold.

[recentanimenews]

Luigi's Mansion 3 Provides A Ton of Charm, Variety, and Gooigi

October, Halloween, and the season of scares might be over this year, but that doesn’t mean it’s time to pack up all of your horror media. Nintendo has brought back everyone’s favorite ghost hunting Mario brother as Luigi’s Mansion 3 has hit the Switch and lets you take Luigi and all of these pesky ghosts everywhere. For the first time since the debut of the series on the GameCube, Luigi’s Mansion 3 returns to home consoles which brings with it new ways for Nintendo and Next Level Games to give you new kinds of puzzles, gameplay, multiplayer, and all sorts of detail on Gooigi. With all of that, does Luigi’s Mansion 3 provide the kind of charm and fun that is normally associated with first party Nintendo titles? How much enjoyment is there when you’re vacuuming up the hotel you’re in? Will busting make you feel good? Is Gooigi the best? Well, that last question has a fairly obvious answer, but let’s find out about the rest!

    One of the first things you’ll notice when playing the game is that Luigi’s Mansion 3 is a beautiful piece of visual fidelity. In fact, it’s easily one of the best looking games on the Switch currently. Which seems like a weird thing to write. It’s as if I need to constantly double check that, because this isn’t a mainline game starring Mario or Link, this is Luigi, the B-tier Nintendo protagonist. Sure, a Nintendo franchise taking full advantage of the hardware in their console makes sense, but who expected this from a game starring the usual butt of jokes in the Mushroom Kingdom?

  There’s just an incredible amount of detail on Luigi’s character model, all of the different environments you find yourself in, and with the enemy designs. It’s easy to see the stitching in Luigi’s hat and his clothing constantly. All of the different floors in the hotel have a distinct look from one another and the game is great with how it utilizes different kinds of lighting. Obviously there will be a lot of dark areas, which are used to be foreboding and spooky, but in areas that are lit up quite well, it’s vibrant and warm in the opposite way other sections of the game are. Again, Nintendo games are gonna look good, but I was anticipating this game to look good, but not great. Instead, this is one of the best looking games on the system, period.

    Unlike what the title suggests, you’re actually in “The Last Resort” hotel, not a mansion. No, you won’t have to cut your life into pieces to enter, but despite its initial cheery staff, things quickly turn scary for Luigi as everyone on this trip with him gets put into a painting. After that, you have to navigate each of the seventeen floors of the hotel to fight ghosts, bosses, and boos, while giving the place the deep cleaning it’s clearly needed for quite some time. There’s so much to blow around and suck up that you’ll probably wonder how Luigi is able to carry everything in his new Poltergust.

  It seems as if the hotel’s proprietor, Hellen Gravely, found the chief architect behind the castle in Symphony of the Night to make The Last Resort with how wild and bizarre some of the later floors get. The first few floors are what you’d expect in a hotel. There’s a lobby, a dining hall, and rooms where you’d stay. Then it gets weird where there’s enough space to have a museum, a giant body of water on one of the floors, a pyramid, and so much more ridiculousness. All of this variety that you get makes for many different kinds of puzzles and boss fights that will keep you on your toes throughout the entirety of the game. You’ll also find yourself using Gooigi a lot as bosses and puzzles will force you to utilize both Luigi and Gooigi in intriguing ways.

    One aspect of the game that was surprising was how much of a physics playhouse it becomes, pretty much immediately. Most things that you’ll see in rooms, hallways, or wherever you end up and be tossed around, manipulated in someway, or vacuumed up to truly clear things up. It gets to a point as well when at certain points, the game begins to be reminiscent of the Red Faction series with how much destruction you can cause to an area. Luigi might be scared of all the ghosts that he encounters in this hotel, but if one thing is for sure, he’s an agent of chaos.

  Luigi’s Mansion 3 also allows your friends to get into the action with a few different kinds of multiplayer modes. If you want to try and tackle the main story with a friend, that’s doable through local co-op with one person being Luigi and the other taking control of the fearless and tough Gooigi. What if you find yourself in a group of 8 people who want to play? Split them into teams of four for local Luigi vs. Gooigi competition. There’s also local and online co-op that sees you tackle randomly generated floors with different kinds of objectives such as capturing ghosts, acquiring money, making birds go away, or trying to escort some Toads to safety. The only downside is that I wish that the story co-op extended to being online as well, since playing this game with a friend throughout its entirety would be a blast.

    While there is fun to be had by vacuuming up rooms, flinging ghosts around, and being enamored with the games charm, it’s not always a smooth ride throughout. The overall movement of Luigi can take some time to get used to. It doesn’t quite have the same level of control that you’d expect from a third person action game. Moving and aiming the Poltergust feels just slightly off in a way that forces you to adjust to the games controls in the first few hours. This happens again later when you have to maneuver Luigi on an inner tube and you feel as if you’re fighting with the controls again. Luckily, this section isn’t too long, but it does correspond to a boss fight where the game hopes you’ve figured out the precise movement needed for the fight.

  When the game wants you to be precise with where you’re aiming, that also brings up a problem as the game really isn’t designed for that. There will be times when you grab something with your vacuum and can then shoot it out. Most of the time, this is inconsequential as you’ll be doing it to get money or to cause outrageous destruction. However, when the game forces you to do this against bosses, especially the final boss, the game’s precision really begins to let you down. The aiming reticle you get is not the easiest to see at times and trying to get it where you want can be difficult as the slightest movement can send it across the screen. There’s a reason this game wasn’t made to have you constantly picking things up and flinging them at enemies. It doesn’t work great. Which makes it a shame it’s one of the key components to the last fight in the game.

    The pacing at brief times does get dragged down by some padding as well. For the most part, you’ll be going from floor-to-floor trying to find elevator buttons to continue upward. However, a certain enemy will sometimes get in your way, causing you to chase after and backtrack a bit. These sections really hit you like a wall with how they halt your progress and don’t feel as if they’re necessary. Considering the rest of the game has a really good flow throughout, it’s strange this roadblock shows up not once, but twice. Instead of feeling like more progression, you’re instead hit with what's basically just filler.

  After playing through Luigi’s Mansion 3, if there’s one person who doesn’t deserve the flack he gets, it’s Luigi. Even if Gooigi is inherently cooler, Luigi is a tactician. He might be scared when making his way through the hotel, but he’s methodical, takes his time to think things through, and comes up with a plan. Unlike his hard charging, moving-forward-no-matter-what brother, Luigi makes sure he has options. Maybe if he had been in charge of all of the other games Nintendo puts out, the Mushroom Kingdom wouldn’t constantly have kidnapping issues. Although, there’d probably be much less games, which is probably a bad thing.

    The charm that Luigi’s Mansion 3 provides keeps going throughout the entirety of the game. It won’t take you a long time to get through the story. Without going and trying to collect all the gems or fight boos, you’d probably breeze through the game in about twelve hours. Of course, if you want to get a high ranking at the end, you’re probably be playing for much longer. I went into this game with basically zero expectations and was pleasantly surprised throughout. If you need something to play that’s fun and enjoyable throughout, this is certainly a game to pick up. And hey, who knows, maybe someday down the road, we'll get a Gooigi spinoff game.

  REVIEW ROUNDUP

+ Gorgeous visuals that rank among the best on the Switch

+ Hotel floors and bosses give a good amount of variety

+ A fun physics playground

+ Gooigi

+ Puzzles are fun and keep evolving throughout the game

+ Good multiplayer options

- Controls take some time to get used to

- Precise aiming isn’t the game’s strongest aspect

  Are you a newcomer to Luigi's Mansion or have you played the previous games? What sort of ridiculous locale would you like Luigi to be sent to next? Do you think Gooigi really tastes like coffee? Let us know down in the comments below!

  ---

Jared Clemons is a writer and podcaster for Seasonal Anime Checkup where he can be found always wanting to talk about Love Live! Sunshine!! or whatever else he's into at the moment. He can be found on Twitter @ragbag.

Do you love writing? Do you love anime? If you have an idea for a features story, pitch it to Crunchyroll Features!

By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com