Well. This is not exactly the post that I promised, but it is a post that needs to happen none the less.
So, let’s get the first thing out of the way: I will not be doing the Pax post as intended from henceforth since I have long missed that time-frame to both be relevant and helpful to any of the Devs I spoke with.
It’s on me for letting my own issues get in the way and not adhering to a set schedule for writing or any sort of content, so I will have to talk about the games at another point if I end up doing so at all. It’s not my finest hour, but I can only hang my head in shame and avoid my own site for so long before it gets ridiculous.
It’s gotten past that point really.
I’m not entirely sure what I will write about next, but I’ve been going back to my love of anime and figurines recently-not to mention Japanese fan comics- and am starting to study Japanese with the hope of moving my keester over there in the near future.
I will write again soon … I really will, I have to get better about that whole consistency thing.
It’s been a while since I last updated this site, though there’s been a bit of activity behind the scenes and more than a fair amount of stress. So, I figured trying out a new look would be helpful to start making this little corner of mine feel more like home! I also get to showcase my new avatar and logo a bit more with this theme I think. So, a win/win as it were!
I’m not sure if I mentioned this in a previous post, but I’ve been attempting to get a teaching job overseas in South Korea and am currently going through the TEFL certification process with a organization called CIEE that helps folks teach English abroad. We’re on week 6 of the program and I’m currently getting ready for an interview on the 23rd with an EPIK representative. Fingers crossed for a successful interview.
I do have to say that this course has opened my eyes to just how much I rely on an almost instinctive knowledge of my mother tongue. I mean, I can figure out when something is amiss and if I have to change something, but actually giving a thorough explanation as to why something is wrong has been surprisingly difficult. I’ve never been one to think it was easy for others to learn English in the past, but I think I’m developing a new appreciation for those who manage to master English in addition to their native tongue because I can now see how confusing English can be.
In other news, about two weeks ago, I was able to go into Boston for Penny Arcade’s Pax East convention with an old co-worker and had a great time! I not only got to escape Cape Cod and the retail world for a little bit to take in the sights(and delicious food of Boston) but also got to be surrounded fellow nerds who there to indulge in their passions.
Panorama attempt during lunch at the food court.
Of course, the entire weekend was a sea of people, but I have to say that Thursday has quickly become my favorite day of the event since they extended it to four days back in 2018. It feels less claustrophobic and like there is more of a chance to play a few games and mingle with vendors and developers. There was also no issue with lines getting on that day that I could remember; my buddy and I were able to just go through the security checkpoint without getting into a massive line that crossed a block.
If anyone is going next year, I would say give Thursday a try and see how you feel walking around. It may be a pleasant change if you’ve been used to conventions on the Friday and Saturday.
In terms of the games this year, there were actually a few that caught my eye and I’ll be writing up a few posts about them soon as I email some of the developers to ask for some clarifications on my own notes I tried taking while playing their games. It’s hard to write it all down when folks are watching you haha.
Until next post, I hope you all have a great evening and for any FFXIV players, please remember to properly attune to the Aetheryte – do not be like me haha.
In a time when anime has us going anywhere from a typical Japanese high school to a fantasy world where a Slime is the actual hero of a story -or where a high schooler reincarnated as a spider like the new book I found recently – it’s actually surprising that I have not seen an anime or manga involving a food truck yet.
In my last post, I mentioned some Kickstarter gems and while the other project was for a graphic novel release of the internet comic Before You Go (which made its funding goal and will be made into an official book!), this project is for an animation set in a food truck, by a food truck!
Photo from Okamoto Kitchen project page.
Okamoto Kitchen is being kickstarted by the wife and husband duo of Gerald Abraham and Chizuru who own and operate the real-life Okamoto Kitchen food truck out in Los Angeles. The story centers around the company’s mascot, Haru Umesaki, an avid gamer from Japan who has found herself stuck in the states after losing her passport while on a trip to reconnect with a childhood friend who has become a pro gamer in LA.
The Kickstarter has an “episode 0” posted on the project page, which has Haru telling us about her life growing up in Japan and how video games helped her through difficult times, along with the ominous “beast-mode” incident that cost her job at a maid café. All this exposition is wonderfully provided voice actress Cristina Vee, who has stared in a variety of titles such as Sailor Moon, Hunter X Hunter, and League of Legends, and I couldn’t stop myself from grinning as Haru attempted to give every detail about her circumstances while hawking curry rice.
In addition to a skill voice actress on the project, Okamoto Kitchen brings in a team of artists, writers, and musicians in what the creators describe as having a “very interesting flavor,” from mixing Japanese art styles with western writers. I was particularly surprised to see that one of the character designers who made Haru, Takuya Saitou, has worked on titles such as One Piece, Sailor Moon, and the new movie Dragon Ball Super:Broly.
While the project is not a full anime, rather an animated and dubbed comic, the Kickstarter hopes to create a series of 10 animated webtoons, which will run about 3-5 minutes, if the funding goal of $48,000 is met. The creators of Okamoto Kitchen have established stretch goals that include extending the series to 24 episodes at $98,000, extended episode length at $149,000, and the ultimate stretch goal at $340,000 that would have a 22-minute OVA anime pilot made. The idea of getting an anime pilot of this concept is exciting to me, so I can only hope they make it.
This project has a lot of potential to become a wonderful little anime with a female protagonist that is not only adorable, but is, according to the interview on the Kickstarter’s page, able to play games with the best of them, which I think we need more representation of in both anime and gaming.
The Kickstarter still has 37 days to go in order to reach its goal, so if you’re in the mood for delicious new fare with a hint of video games and anime spice, please consider donating and making Okamoto Kitchen a reality!
Disclaimer: I have donated to this Kickstarter myself and really want to see it made, so just putting that out there.
Well, now it’s time for the actual first post of the blog!
A part of me is surprised that I actually managed to get everything up and running on this site, especially after the shuffle of the fall semester and dealing with the family business, but a success; however minor, is still a success. So, I do hope any eyes that fall upon this page will indulge a newcomer to cyberspace who has before now only lurked and shuffled between message boards – oh, and YouTube comments, of course.
I can’t help but be a bit reflective at this time of year, even more so since I have entered my final ‘winter break’ as a student and will no longer experience that small elation when exams are over and the dorms expel us for a short time. It’s strange; coming back to college after my hiatus and tenure in ‘retail-hell,’ I would’ve thought I’d feel a reluctance to leave since I’ve willingly entered one final semester to bulk up my skills for the next leg of the journey, but now I just can’t wait to be gone. I’ve had my fill of university life, I suppose. I should probably switch from this topic to something far more pleasant – yes, let’s do that!
I have a tendency to peek at Kickstarter and see what folks are trying to bring into existence, usually while trying to keep my fingers away from my purse strings when it comes to the video games and board games. Those projects eat up storage space and funds like some antediluvian monster and I have very little of both those things at present. However, I have found a few projects that I think deserve some attention, but I’ll focus on just one for this post. I have found a comic! Here is the link, which has a nice little video too – always a bonus for Kickstarter campaigns I find.
“Before You Go,”is a lovely little story about two women falling in love during their daily commutes home. One of these lovely ladies, Sadie, is hoping to enter a musical college while working a retail job to save money(something I believe we can all relate to,) and is an adorable bundle of energy. Her counterpart, Robin, is more in line with that ‘oneesan’ character archetype you would see in Japanese comics; calm, cool, and beautiful with an adult-like demeanor that Sadie lacks. The bio on the page offers a better example of what awaits the duo since I have only started at the tip of their story, but I can say that its tender claws have managed to knead into my heart and demand my further attention.
Thomas Duda 