Mood Bored #3

RPGS for the middle-aged ppl, angry music for happy ppl, feel-y anime.

Wow a third edition, and even changed my publication name to this! It’s straightforward for me to get locked in when writing them as it’s the things that are constantly playing on my mind, so it flows smoothly. Anyways, this is where I talk about what I’m currently watching, listening to, playing, craving etc. I hope you enjoy this Spooktober version of the Mood Bored.

As always- If you found something you enjoy here please consider subscribing. Feel free to drop a blurb in the comments or chat me up if you want to geek out on these things I’ll mention! 

Playing - Yakuza: Like a Dragon

After completing Judgement (which I had a blast with!) I wanted to continue on the series, but this time with a more JRPG turn-based style. I am a big fan of Dragon Quest, so I love how the main hero is just obsessed with referring to everything that happens in those games. Ichinab, the MC, reminds me a lot of Luffy from One Piece. An honest, help-everyone attitude regardless of logic, plus his blunt honesty and humour. The rest of the cast, are middle-aged regular Japanese citizens and being an older gamer, this helped me relate a lot more to the characters as they talk about everyday adulthood. The sidequests are ridiculously hilarious and equally engaging as the main quest. 

Listening to - 156 Silence “People Watching” 

While I have been completely in a rabbit hole when it comes to city pop music the past 3 months, hardcore is very much alive in my veins since the drop of Knocked Loose’s latest album which is contented for my album of the year. During fall/winter, I start hitting the gym more, perfect for some high-energy tunes to get me motivated while lifting! 

156 Silence is this brooding, sorta creepy, but heavy-as-shit modern band reminiscent of Knocked Loose, Silent Planet & Converge. Plus that album cover, eerie AF! Songs I’d recommend to start are “Target Acquired” & “Better Written Villain”. 

Other things I’m listening to: 

• Fantasy of a broken heart “Feats of Engineering” - Neo-psychedelic/ Indie

• Origami Angel’s “feeling not found” - Midwestern emo/math rock

• Kimio Kasai “Toky Special” - City pop

• Vampire Weekend “Only God was Above Us” - indie/pop rock (one of my top 10 albums of this year) 

Watching - Your Lie in April

Do you like slice-of-life drama? Music anime? Beautiful animation with a polygon love interest? Well, don’t miss out on this. This is my 2nd time watching this classic and I must say, having a bit more appreciation for classical music today I can really see the nuances I missed the first time around. The performance scenes are so creatively done, from how they capture the live music to the imagery of every note being played. Just make sure you have the tissues ready as you get later onto the series, don’t say I didn’t warn you! 

Attended - Train of Terror (18+) 

This is an adults-only, Horror-themed train ride in 2 hours. And YES, the train is moving as you move through each cart with many different scares awaiting you, and only you (as they split you away from your group). This is the scariest “haunted attraction” experience I’ve had, and the funnest one at that where I’m screaming at the top of my lungs! The actors grab you, my hair, my legs, and one actor even ran off with my jacket. The experience of having a nice dinner on the train before it moved and having all the scares inside is what made it so unique. 

Film - A Different Man 

I’m a simple man, I see A24 and I go see it. I’ll save my appreciation for their approach to marketing and returning risk-taking into movies for another blog, but this movie was no different. While the premise seems very simple, an unattractive man due to medical conditions who’s extremely passive with low confidence gets a procedure done to make him more pretty, and so do his confidence and lifestyle changes. Meanwhile, another man comes midway into the movie with the same conditions he had, but one who chooses to embrace it and work on every other aspect of himself. 

In turn, he becomes the STAR and is adored by everyone. It’s an example of maxing out the intelligence and charisma perk on a custom video game character. With dark wit, a smart cast of characters, and a humour reminiscent of The Simpson’s “Frank Grimes” episode, this is one of my faves of the year! 

Ate - Black Garlic Ramen

I’m a sucker for garlic in my ramen and this is my go-to whenever I hit up a ramen spot, with a close Chili Goma as a second. I’ve recently discovered a new ramen shop near me called “Arashi Ramen” and it’s probably my new favourite in my city. Of course, the best ramen is in Japan, closer to me, Vancouver, but I feel they got the process right in here. The soup was rich with strong earthy pork broth, soft but thick Cha-sus, and an overall robust flavour perfect for the colder weather! 

1st Experience - Frisbee Golf

I’m going for plenty of walks with my cat in the starch, but one new thinking me and my friends did was frisbee golf. I didn’t even know there were parks dedicated to them, so we decided to buy these cheap ass frisbees from Amazon and give it a shot. There are different sets of frisbees, from putters to long-range, and the game required more strategy than I thought of just throwing a frisbee hoping to hit the goal post! 

Honestly fall is my favourite season and my favourite time to get take in some sunny weather in a hoodie. 

Hope everyone is having a great spooktober. Thank you for reading!

Cheers,