These
pop culture products have been keeping me a good company for 2021
starter. If you are in the midst of healing from expectations, job
rejections, project failure, shocking news, or if you are still
struggling to do the things you believe in, I hope at least one of these
would help you get up every morning, out of your head when you need
distractions, and do what matters.
Games
I have been jumping back and forth between these two when I have the time:
- Genshin Impact: for
a sense of mission and leveling up. It has very nice graphics and
visuals, plus you can change the character's language into Japanese for a
cuter sound effect. By the time I posted this, I'm still on level 14.. *sigh* You can play it on mobile or PC too, and when I say the visual is great, it IS. Sometimes after beating some hilichurls,
I'd just put my char there standing looking up at the sunset, starry
sky, or the ocean horizon for a minute doing nothing. Friends from
office have been laughing at my quirks and I laughed too. Beautiful
scenery needs appreciation, period. See..mindfulness. XD
- Guitar Girl: for a more relaxed state of mind. Google Play's Best of Casual 2020. It has pleasant guitar instrumental songs and a calico cat's costume set. I love any game that let me have a cat and wear anything cat related. This is such a simple and pretty game, so I only have it on mobile. After daily mission or lots of random taps, sometimes I just lie down, put my phone in my hand near my head, and leave it idle for the sake of the comforting instruments. A beautiful strum of an acoustic guitar needs appreciation too. :3
Songs
This is completely preference-wise, but since I've been fond of Japanese songs, here goes my playlist:
- Tabun (たぶん) - Yoasobi. Roughly means Maybe/Probably.
- Homura (炎) - LiSA.
I know the kanji reads Hono for Flame, but I heard Homura also means
Flame, but more like, the burning flame in a human's heart (thanks Kenny
for explaining!). After watching Demon Slayer The Movie: Mugen Train,
it's quite impossibru not to listen to this.
- Haiiro To Ao (灰色と青) - Kenshi Yonezu. It literally means Grey and Blue! The cover by Harutya & Kobasolo is such an ear candy too.
- Eine Kleine (アイネクライネ) / Kenshi Yonezu and Sayonara Elegy (さよならエレジー) / Masaki Suda. The links lead you to the cover songs by Harutya and Kobasolo again, hehe.
- Betsu no hito no kanojo ni natta yo (別の人の彼女になったよ) - Aizawa & Kobasolo. Roughly translated into I've Become Someone Else's Girlfriend, originally by Wacci. Here is another cover by Konamilk for a male voice.
- Sokkenai (そっけない) / RADWIMPS - Aizawa & Kobasolo. Indifferent. This is one of my all-time favorites, despite the sad lyrics.
- Inochi ni Kirawarete iru (命に嫌われている) / Kanzaki Iori - Aizawa & Kobasolo. Hated by Life Itself. The lyrics shows that we might just a bunch of suicidal people telling each other to hang on (?) While scrolling on the comments, I found these gems:
There's
a quote from a book I read a long time ago. And it has stuck in my mind
since then. It said, "I don't want to die. I just want to live a better
life". I don't know why but it saved me from killing myself so many
times. -romio2703
“To
be born with no purpose is to be born without meaning in life. There’s
simply no reason to why you were born, it’s just simple as that. No
purpose. No reason. No excuse. that’s why your purpose is to find meaning in a life that has no meaning. I think that’s what makes life unknowingly so beautiful and meaningful.” -Ephode
The comment section of suicidal songs on YouTube are really the warmest place on earth.
- BeiGe Mellow 베이지멜로우 - 🌞The perfect warm sunshine music to listen to in the morning. This is a bonus recommendation. My favorite is in minutes [40:08]12.세레노-새벽 별과 소년의 노래. I usually play this on weekends while doing chores, cooking, applying for new job, or writing journals.
Asian Series
Since I'm skipping everything romance and going for more comedy or action (definitely not horror, nope nope), my recommendation would go to:
- Alice in Borderland:
A Netflix Japanese Sci-fi series. Don't expect Alice and a white
rabbit, but instead, expect a no-life guy named Arisu (starring Kento
Yamazaki. I know, if you watch Japanese movies, he's pretty much
everywhere) trapped in life-and-death games. To be honest, AIB is
brilliant but a bit too psycho for me, so I'm saving it for brighter
days. Psst, it's confirmed that there will be season 2.
- Mr. Queen:
A Korean drama series, but I assure you, this is pure comedy with a bit
of time-travel theme and twists here and there. It tells a story of a
proud self-absorbed modern guy (starring Choi Jinhyuk) trapped in the
body of a Joseon queen (starring Shin Hyesun). It's currently on going,
and if you watch this and not laugh one bit, I don't know what you're
made of.
- Great Pretender: A Netflix Original Anime Series about a Japanese con-artist being conned by a group of con-artists from LA to join them conning rich and corrupt people. Phew, a lot of cons there. Many things I like are in there. I really like how the language can switch from English to Japanese, Chinese, Korean, even French, because they are a multi-nation group. I also like how they put in Japanese warlords such as Mitsuhide, Date Masamune, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, etc, as a plastic gacha symbol reference in each case. Not to mention cats! Hehe.. Anyway, hearing "Edamame" never cracks me up this hard. Ah, it only has 23 short episodes in total :(
- Attack On Titan/Shingeki No Kyojin:
An anime series that has become a reference to vaccine-related meme a
lot. Politics, GoT vibes, dark secrets, deep plot and twists. We are all
waiting for the final season to end too.
Movie Animation
- I would positively recommend Soul from Disney Pixar! It is really heartwarming in many ways, especially for those who believe that everyone is born assigned to a purpose and that we have to follow our spark to reach our purpose. Many might think that not being able to live following our spark means failure in fulfilling our purpose. "I've always worried that maybe there's something wrong with me, you know? Maybe I'm not good enough for living," said 22 in the movie. I think "Soul" wanted to convey that if you are afraid to live because you're thinking you're not good enough, know that your spark isn't your purpose. Not living according to your big spark is okay. In fact, a spark is not always big. You're ready to live even if you're only good at jazzing or walking. Like 22 said again, "Maybe sky-watching can be my spark." Purpose can always be found along the way, even within small things in daily life.
- My
second recommendation would be Demon Slayer The Movie: Mugen Train.
It is reported to have surpassed Titanic, Kimi No Nawa, and Frozen at
the Japanese Box Office. Demon Slayer can appear a bit childish at some
parts, but the courage, morals, and feel train are real kickers. I'm
hooked because I want to see how an altruistic person can stay kind in a
world full of monsters. Well, my heart goes to Rengoku in this movie,
for the good values he instills to his young comrades, little brothers,
and filial piety for his mother and father too. Okay, I won't spoil
more, go watch it while it is still on XXI!
What do you usually play or listen to, or watch at the beginning of 2021? Let me know because I might like it too :3
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