July Media Favourites/Recommendations

Hey everyone!

Another month is done, and so it's time for another one of these posts. Here's what I've been enjoying in July:

Higurashi Gou (manga)

If anybody isn't aware, the Gou anime was accompanied during its runtime by a serialised manga drawn by Tomato Akase which is still in progress. I checked in on it every now and then before it had been translated and it was obvious to me even with my limited Japanese that it included a great deal more detail than the anime, even significantly changing certain scenes. I recently happened across some translations of all the chapters that have been released and finally caught up properly. The story is currently up to Nekodamashi, and I was particularly intrigued to see the manga's extended version of Tataridamashi's climactic scene with Ooishi. I liked Gou, but this manga is obviously being used to flesh the story out in likely quite necessary ways the anime just couldn't, and it makes me wonder what revelations later chapters will deliver, particularly if it continues on into Sotsu (speaking of which, this post is about things I've been enjoying, so let's not go there). This is definitely a must-read for anybody following the new series.

Oxenfree

I picked up a few different games these last few weeks which I'll mostly save talking about for the next one of these posts, but Oxenfree was the one that unexpectedly ended up winning my attention and being seen through to completion. Oxenfree is, according to Wikipedia, a supernatural thriller graphic adventure game that has hovered on the edge of my radar more or less since it came out in 2016. I'll snap up just about any story-driven game that gets a good enough reception regardless of the premise, and by the time I finally picked Oxenfree up earlier this month during a sale on the Switch store, I couldn't really remember anything about it, which I think was the best way to go into it. The game is only five hours or so for a single playthrough, and follows a fractured group of teenagers over the course of one night spent on a recently-disinhabited nearby island. The plan is to drink, play truth or dare and try not to introduce further tension into what it quickly becomes apparent is a fairly complex and tense web of relationships. Naturally, things don't go quite as expected.

Oxenfree was a thoroughly unique and enjoyable experience in every way, from its dialogue mechanics to its distinct visual presentation, and it very quickly managed to hook me. I could certainly nitpick elements of it, but it was mostly a brilliant illustration of how impactful this kind of short-form storytelling can be, and I've really been enjoying playing these shorter games recently as somebody who often ends up overwhelmed by or eventually bored with more sprawling titles. Oxenfree is almost cinematic in how it presents its narrative, and is perhaps best described as evoking the feeling of being dropped into the middle of a very off-kilter teen movie. I can happily recommend it to anybody who wants a thoroughly atmospheric and engaging experience, provided you don't mind jump scares. If either the premise or the promise of an unsettling few hours don't sound like your kind of thing, I'd encourage you to consider giving the game a go all the same, as they aren't mine either and I was surprised by how much I ended up loving my time spent with this one.

Sound! Euphonium

I'm just wrapping up my rewatch of Eupho and its associated movies in preparation for this month's video and have really enjoyed revisiting what is undoubtedly one of my favourite anime of all time. I don't think Eupho is the kind of series that can be really be spoiled as its impact doesn't truly lie in its twists and big plot moments, but I wanted to drop this in here as a last call for anybody who hasn't seen it yet if they want to watch it ahead of the video. It's an extremely bingeable series and one I find enduringly uplifting, so please do check it out if you haven't!

Umineko When They Cry (Episode 1)

Yes, the mythical Umineko reread that would allow me to finally make videos on it which I've periodically mentioned since starting my channel is finally actually happening. To be honest, I technically started this reread almost a year ago and had mostly gotten through this arc before I picked it back up, but I feel like I'm finally ready to properly immerse myself in this story again and am hoping I can now begin to more steadily make my way through it, though I expect it will still take a few months. I haven't read the Umineko question arcs since 2013 or so, so in a lot of ways, it feels as though I'm getting to experience the story again for the first time. I've already read the first arc of the manga but nothing more, so I'm also going to try to read that as I go. We'll see how far I manage to get in August!

YouTube videos:

The failed utopia of the tiny house movement by Alice Cappelle (Alice's channel is a recent favourite of mine, she covers a really interesting range of topics pertaining to social issues and the points she makes in her videos are both insightful and always really resonate with me)

Meet Japan's Fastest Mochi Pounding Master by Asian Boss

How Layton Forever Changed Ace Attorney by Bowl of Lentils (as a big Ace Attorney fan, I found this video incredibly informative and generally fascinating, especially having just begun playing The Great Ace Attorney -- more on that next month!)

The Core Message of Oxenfree. by Dutchy (a great supplementary watch to my playthrough of Oxenfree, looking at how the game explores grief)

The Tranquility of Traversal by eurothug4000 (Maria is just one of those YouTubers who I get so excited to see a new upload from, she covers video games from such interesting angles and her videos are always an absolute delight to watch)

The Creator & Seiyuus reveal secrets from Higurashi: When They Cry – GOU & SOTSU by Funimation

Lies you're told about marriage in your twenties. by leena norms (a fascinating video from another of my recent favourite feminist content creators)

AMV - Higurashi Sotsu - Suicide by Lita3O2 (an incredibly creative and fun AMV)

Higurashi Gou - [My Religion] by LontanaDaScienza (an AMV focusing on Satoko and Rika's relationship that gave me actual chills. AMVs are by nature transformative pieces of artwork that, when at their best, can portray a story in a way that might allow it to resonate with viewers where it hadn't before, and I feel like this is the kind of AMV that could help people who don't understand or sympathise with Satoko to do so. An incredible piece of work)

Finally, hide and seek by thalassashells is a fic I found the other day focusing on Shion and Rena's dynamic that I really enjoyed. I still can't understand why such little Higurashi fanfiction gets written but it makes stories like this a real treat!

Enjoy digging around in this post for something fun to spend a few minutes or hours on and I'll speak to you all again soon!