This Saturday marks 25 years from the creation of everyone’s favorite creature catching series, and the world’s largest media franchise.
Even though I am too young to remember the simpler times (as my best friend Carley and my favorite editor-dad Thanasis always remind me) of the Red and Green games, I am very much a fan of the latest Sword & Shield games. I want to join our EIC Eddie on his Twitch streams, but he says I am still too young. Can you please join his stream and tell him that I can totally ace a Dynamax adventure? Thank you. so. much.
Now, all we need is some Pokémon content, right? Expect some cool editorials and articles coming your way the following days, so don’t forget to check the OTAQUEST front page!
If you still want to talk Pokémon games and favorite pocket monsters that are not Pikachu, don’t forget to join our Discord channel. We are more than just anime and manga and games.
I am Ura, your can’t-really-catch-em-all tour guide in this amazing journey into Japanese pop, geek, and sub culture.
Thank you for joining us.
1
See you, space magnet.
Virtual YouTuber Jitomi Monoe was suddenly dropped from the VOMS Project last Friday, showing how transient this new form of online entertainment really is.
According to the official statement provided by founder GYARI, this was due to a ‘serious breach of contract’ and her suspension would be effective immediately. Of course, speculation was rife as to what this breach of contract could have actually been, but we don’t have any details beyond that.
In any case, the speed at which Jitomi Monoe was scrubbed from the face of the internet was surprising, to say the least. All of her videos have been deleted from her YouTube channel, her Twitter account remains open but inactive, and her profile has been removed from the front page of the VOMS Project website.
As Jacob Parker-Dalton explains, ‘Unless a particularly dedicated fan has managed to put together an archive of Monoe’s old videos, then this important piece of VTuber history might not be properly remembered: the VOMS Project was notable for its independent approach and use of GYARI’s distinctive art, and now it has lost a little piece of its soul.’
2
More than a distraction.
We checked out the mobile game NieR: Re[in]carnation over the weekend, newly released in Japan. As it turns out, it’s not just a way to pass time while waiting for that remaster.
Boasting unique visuals and an intriguing story, where Re[in]carnation falls down is its basic battle system, essentially consisting of automated attacks. Still, the feeling of traversing its beautiful, sparse world is one that Alicia Haddick couldn’t get enough of, saying, ‘it’s a superb incarnation into the world that will be worth returning to again and again as time goes on.’
In Japan, the game has had one of the largest mobile game launches since Dragon Quest TACT last year, and will be released in English sometime in the future. The gacha is obviously a thing, but doesn’t get in the way of the experience: you can pony up to get 2B for a character, but don’t feel compelled to!
3
And the AOTY is...
The results of the Crunchyroll Anime Awards rarely please everyone, and this year was no exception.
Taking home the coveted Anime of the Year prize was Jujutsu Kaisen, prompting debate about whether an ongoing show should be given such an accolade. Still, the other prizes it won, including Best Antagonist for Ryomen Sukuna and Best Ending for ‘LOST IN PARADISE’, were very well deserved.
Despite being the critics’ favorite, Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! only managed to take home Best Animation and Best Direction. This speaks to the event’s eternal problem of feeling ‘both out of touch and like a glorified popularity contest at the same time’ (Jacob’s words, not mine) due to its voting system.
Jacob was a judge, by the way.
4
Gunning for the Oscars.
The Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba movie Mugen Train is finally making its North American debut, and in a big way: for one week only in Miami to qualify it for the Oscars.
Mugen Train has already been selected as a nominee for this year’s Academy Awards, but it must screen for at least one week in the United States to actually qualify. Usually, the Academy requires that it run in either Los Angeles or New York, but the rules have changed this year to account for the pandemic.
‘For those who can’t quite make the trip to south Florida to see the film, don’t worry: a spokesperson has clarified that this screening is solely for the purpose of eligibility, and that a real, bonafide national release is still being planned.’ (Carley Garcia)
It’ll certainly be interesting to see if the film actually does pick up any awards.
5
I’m lovin’ it.
Alongside the likes of Pretty Cure, Demon Slayer is getting its own range of McDonald’s Happy Meal items.
If you’ve ever wanted to see Tanjiro clutching a quarter-pounder or Zenitsu serving up a McCafé, well, you’re in for a treat. Consisting of stickers depicting the characters working at the fast food restaurant, what’s quite surprising about this collaboration is that the series is actually quite violent, earning a TV-MA rating in North America. That just goes to show the differences in standards between different cultures.
As Corey Prasek explains, you ‘shouldn’t be surprised that Demon Slayer is getting the Happy Meal treatment. After all, kids love Demon Slayer in Japan.... And I’m sure their love for Tanjiro and company will grow even more now that they can enjoy his stickers along with their Big Macs and golden-hot french fries.’
6
Triangle Strategy
During last week’s Nintendo Direct, Square Enix dropped a surprisingly beefy demo for Project Triangle Strategy. We have our thoughts.
As the next installment in the company’s HD-2D series, it appears to have learned all of the lessons of the past. Not only is the story more involved, major improvements to the engine make it into a cut above the likes of Octopath Traveller in terms of graphics. A full 360-degree camera is also a welcome addition, even if it moves in a bit of a clunky manner.
In terms of gameplay, Alicia says that ‘three hours passed before [she] noticed.’ There’s a surprising amount of content to get your hands on here, with elevation and environmental attacks adding an interesting dimension to the turn-based battles.
If this demo ends up being an accurate reflection of the final product, then it could become ‘one of the best games on Nintendo Switch.’ (Alicia)
7
Ueda into animation.
One Cut of the Dead director Shinichiro Ueda is making his first foray into anime with The Crocodile Who Lived for 100 Days, the movie based on the hit web manga.
For Ueda, this is a perfect fit. His films have always been a tad unusual and enjoy focusing on unusual subject matter, and there’s nothing more unusual than adapting a comic published entirely on Twitter exploring the final days of a green cartoon crocodile.
The title of the comic, however, has been changed for this anime film adaptation to suit the change in story: not only will it touch on the 100 days leading up to the crocodile’s death, but also the 100 days after, exploring how the friendship group falls apart due to the loss of their friend.
One has to also assume that at least some of the distributors didn’t want something as morbid as ‘Die’ in the title!
8
Counterfeiters gonna counterfeit.
Shueisha recently raised the alarm regarding a series of illegally-printed Demon Slayer volumes being sold on popular online shopping sites.
These include Mercari and Amazon Marketplace, where the counterfeits were sold as full 23-volume sets. The volumes in question have a slightly spinner spine than the official release, and don’t have the RRP contained within a white box. Alongside their statement, Shueisha included some images that should make it easier to figure out whether or not you’ve been duped.
Although times have changed since the early 2000s, it’s still true that ‘Whenever there is a popular media series, counterfeiters are gonna counterfeit.’ (Jacob Parker-Dalton) We’d encourage all of our readers to check their collection if they’ve recently purchased Demon Slayer volumes in Japanese, but be aware that the publisher isn’t offering any refunds!
9
A miracle collaboration.
Oshi no Ko and A Couple of Cuckoos have teamed up for a collaboration, transcending fate and publishers in the process.
Such a collaboration is unusual given that both series are published in different magazines from different publishers: Oshi in Weekly Young Jump (Shueisha) and Cuckoos in Weekly Shonen Magazine (Kodansha). They also ostensibly have different target audiences: Young Jump targets the seinen adult male demographic while Magazine skews older teen.
Nevertheless, there is a reasonable amount of thematic cohesion between the two series, given that they both explore questions of fate and destiny. Furthermore, their incredible sales success despite being relatively new most likely offers ‘a point of reconciliation for Shueisha and Kodansha to come together and endorse this collaboration.’ (Jacob)
Money talks, after all.
10
Tanaka’s lost tapes.
Legendary composer and chiptune pioneer Hirokazu ‘Chip’ Tanaka is releasing a new album next month, containing demo tapes of some of his most iconic tracks.
Out 23 March, this new album includes an early recording of the Pokémon anime’s first theme song in Japan ‘Aim to Be a Pokémon Master,’ as well as some more poetic titles such as ‘Tomorrow’s Sunset’ and ‘Fairy Wings.’ All in all, 25 tracks are included, mostly taken from video games produced during the 1980s and 1990s.
For those not in the know, Tanaka produced the soundtrack for many classic retro games, including Donkey Kong, Mario Bros., Metroid, and Mother. He’s now active as a solo musician, recently composing the soundtrack for Netflix’s documentary series High Score. As James says, ‘If you’re a fan of classic video games, you’d probably enjoy this new album.’
Video Corner
‘Putting aside the quality of the games, Kingdom Hearts is an accomplishment in that it even exists. Convincing Disney to let them use the characters and worlds of a whole bunch of characters, including their mascot himself was a huge gamble that could’ve been a disaster if not for the talents of its creators. Last year, the entire series was released on the Xbox One, and now, it’s all coming to the PC as well, exclusive to the Epic Games Store.’
See you next week!
Ura and the OTAQUEST team.
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