#will suffice.

[redsixwing]

For the Title Meme: dear Sixums, do tell us about the Hunter's Folio! Pretty please, tell us!

From the title meme! For years (uh, maybe since I started playing strongly narrative video games? I've found record of this idea re: Xenogears) I've thought how cool it would be to make a notebook as I go, recording my thoughts and reactions, finding the places I'm wrong and going back to annotate them as I play.

I wished I'd done that for Dark Souls, but that was 2020 and everything was fucked; I didn't do it for Dark Souls 2, because it was 2022 and everything was still fucked.

Now it's 2024 and I'm doing it for Bloodborne. :)

The Hunter's Folio is a sketchbook/notebook that contains in- and out-of-world observations, sketches, and a rough log of progress. If I have theories, I'll write them there (I will have theories, I can feel it percolating in the back of my head).

I'm deeply enjoying putting the effort in for what looks like a spectacularly good game.

[youreaclownnow]

This weekend's watch was Zaion: I Wish You Were Here (2001)

Gonzo did it once again, folks! Their original works continue to exceed my expectations.

While Zaion likely could've benefited from being just a bit longer, that gripe is so minor that it doesn't even matter - It's written and presented in such a way that feels as though i wasn't watching a laid out story, but rather gaining a look into someone else's life. Admittedly, this is how many of Gonzo's originals have felt to me, and some of their older adaptations of pre-existing works as well. It's a significant part of why i enjoy their anime as much as i do.

The character design, overall animation, and soundtrack were incredibly lovely.

Zaion tells you everything you need to know. However, it doesn't hold your hand or wait for you to process it. It gets extremely technical at times, but it's not the detailed science fiction aspect that grabbed me most about this show.

Rather, it was the way in which they presented a connection forming between people caught in peculiar and violent circumstance. Their bond blossoming to serve as a reason to live, to grow and to hope, not just for them, but everyone, that got me.

TLDR:

8/10

Wonderful mix of dreary, dark violence and gorgeous, hopeful imagery. Not a show for everyone, certainly. But at a mere 4 episodes long, it is well worth trying if it even slightly peaks your interest.