Anime Roundup

Well, hey, look, it's time for another Anime Roundup! And it's only been eight weeks since the last one!

(Warning: may contain spoilers)

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End

I love this show. I love the premise, which is basically: after the Demon King is defeated and the day is saved, now what?* Especially if you're an overpowered elven mage with a lifespan that can last thousands of years. And so, the story follows Frieren, the aforementioned elven mage, as she navigates what is essentially post-retirement for adventurers: searching for novelty spells, doing cleanup and maintenance work on statues and leftover monsters, taking on an apprentice, traveling to a resting place for souls to pay respects to her former party member who passed away, and eventually undergoing an exam for first-class-mage certification (which she only needs as a formality, as she's already way more powerful than any other mage in the entire world, with one exception).

There are occasional moments of suspense and conflict, but all of them (except for one big-boss-battle near the end) are swiftly resolved by Frieren's overwhelming magical abilities, and the majority of the show consists of her reminiscing about the past and doing everyday things with her apprentice Fern and eventually a warrior named Stark. And I love it. It shouldn't work, but it does. I also love that Frieren presents as autistic (there is some debate about this on the internet, but I totally think she does), and I love how, despite her immense power, she still gets stuck in mimics (in D&D terms, these are monsters that look like treasure chests). During the second mage exam, I think - spoiler alert - they should have tried defeating her replica by simply bringing one of the mimics they found earlier into the final chamber.

I also love how the show says that magic is a function of imagination and visualization. Did I mention that I love this show? The first 28-episode season ended perfectly, but - spoiler alert - an end card said that the journey will continue, and sure enough, I've heard there will be a new season coming in January 2026. Yatta (yay!)

* This is similar to I'm Quitting Heroing, but the execution is much different.

Sakamoto Days

The greatest hit man on the planet retires from the underworld to spend time with his family and run a mom-and-pop store (while gaining weight from eating too much instant ramen), but is still able to bust out his old skills when his past tries to catch up with him. What a fun premise! Just like with Frieren, I enjoy seeing these overpowered characters at the pinnacle of their professions totally dismantle their opponents without breaking a sweat, or batting an eye, or whatever cliche you want to use there. Do I really have to wait until July for the next season, Netflix? (Netflix: yes, Brian. Yes, you do.)

Mashle: Magic and Muscles

In a world (yes, you have to say it in that voice) where mostly everyone has some level of magical power, a boy with no magic whatsoever has to enroll in a magic school and become a top student in order to maintain his peaceful life with his adoptive father. It's a good thing, thanks to a life of intensive training and workouts, that he has enough physical strength to essentially mimic magical abilities (e.g., he flies a broom by paddling his legs really hard). It's kind of like Black Clover-meets-One Punch Man-meets Harry Potter, the latter of which this show is either really influenced by, or trying to parody, or both (probably both).

Magilumiere Magical Girls Inc.

In a world (yes, you have to say it in that voice) where "magical girl" is a real and respected profession and magical girl companies abound, a recent college grad goes job hunting and has no luck until she's hired by a magical girl startup firm. It's a fun and lighthearted take on the magical girl subgenre that subverts it in a 180-degree-different way than Madoka Magica, which I talked about in this prior Anime Roundup post (and continues to traumatize me to this very day). Looking forward to Season 2!

Look Back

Speaking of trauma...oof. This is a one-hour film (not a series) that follows the lives of two artists who meet as elementary school students and go on to become best friends and mangaka (manga creators). It's a beautiful, bittersweet story with a slight sci-fi element and a (mild spoiler alert) gut punch twist that will leave you scarred. Drop everything you're doing and watch this amazing film right now. I'll be here.

Did you watch it? Good. You're welcome.

Until next time!

Takara Sushi Fundraiser

If you're a sushi lover (like yours truly), I have great news! This month, the awesome and generous folks at Takara Sushi in Portland are donating 20% of their sales every Wednesday to Autism Empowerment!

I've had their sushi, and trust me, it's terrific. Also, the restaurant itself is a beautiful space right on the bank of the Willamette River. It's perfect for group outings, family dinners, date nights, or even solo dining! 

The first Wednesday of April has already come and gone, but you still have four more chances (the 9th, 16th, 23rd, and 30th) to experience a delicious lunch or dinner while supporting a great cause during Autism Acceptance Month. Takara Sushi is located at 1264 NW Naito Pkwy, Portland, OR, 97209.

Hope to see you there!

Mmm, sushi...

Battle Ground Film House

For those of you in the Vancouver/Portland area, I will be the featured guest speaker tonight at the bimonthly (every other month) meeting of the Battle Ground Film House group!

I'll be talking about - what else? - Hold My Beer, along with how I went from writing novels and playing music to making films in the first place.

The Battle Ground Film House is a free, open-to-everyone collective of independent filmmakers and anyone else with an interest in the film industry. There's a virtual component of it on Facebook, and also these in-person gatherings where you can meet and connect with others face-to-face. I've attended every one since they first started last May, and I can attest that they are well worth it. I've met a lot of awesome people who have since become great friends.

The meeting goes from 6:30pm until about 8pm, and is at the SixEight Church, 606 NE 1st Street, Battle Ground, WA 98604. Hope to see you there!

4-D, The Card Game: Status Update

You thought I forgot about the 4-D card game, didn't you?

Well, I didn't. The test deck is right there, on the table where I keep my wallet and car keys, reminding me of its existence every time I leave the house.

"Brian! Briiiiiiaaaaan! Produce me! Produce me now! You know you want to!"

Ahem. Anyway, in case YOU forgot about the 4-D card game, let me back up a bit and refresh your memories.

The game is a simple, War- or Hana Fuda-meets-Pokemon-type of game, with a few embellishments, that is meant to be played without having to think too much (the original inspiration for the game came when I once attempted to play a complex card game while drunk, which did not go very well at all).

The last status update about the game, which was designed to accompany the album of the same name, was back in (checks notes, gasps) holy cow, August of 2021. At the time, I said, "If all goes well, the card game will be released simultaneously with the music album in Summer 2022."

Ha! Ha ha! Ha ha ha ha ha!

Obviously, that did not happen.

But, like I said, it's still there, um...patiently awaiting its production.

What's preventing it? Well, the usual suspects: time and money. Or, more accurately, the lack thereof.

The game design itself is ready. And we have all the base concept artwork done. See below for a sample:

Now, we just need to pull it all together.

Maybe, since Hold My Beer is in what is hopefully a short, temporary holding pattern, we can finally give 4-D, the card game, the attention it deserves?

Perhaps. We shall see. Stay tuned!

P.S. I noticed that there seems to be a lot of interest in last week's post about my possibly being neurodivergent. Well, I went for my main assessment yesterday, and I should know the results in around three weeks or so. Rest assured, I'll let you all know what happens!

Um...What If I'M Neurodivergent??

I've begun to wonder recently, "what if I'M autistic/on the spectrum/neurodivergent?"

I mean, it would make sense. Both of my kids have been officially diagnosed. My dad is self-diagnosed and, as detailed in this past blog post, is probably as much of a slam dunk as a self-diagnosed autistic person can be.

I've wondered about this before, but only in passing. But the production of Hold My Beer has really brought it to the forefront.

It kind of started when several of our actors did this interview with The Columbian newspaper back in January. During that interview, Lydia Pearl Pentz, who plays the character Shannon in the film, said (I'm quoting the article), "A lot of people in this industry, especially directors, are people with autism. To be a director you really do have to dive into it so deeply."

I thought, "Wait a minute, does she think I'm autistic?" Because I never said I was. But maybe I presented that way during filming?

I mean, it would make sense. I have sensory issues: I can't stand the feeling of soap between my fingers, so whenever I wash my hands, I have to scrub for two to three minutes until the sensation is gone. I don't like the tags in the collars of T-shirts. Speaking of collars, I can't sleep in a shirt that has a tight collar, or even a "normal" collar, because it makes me feel like I'm choking (my dad is the same way). I don't like the feeling of lotion on my palms, so whenever I apply lotion to my hands (which I have to do during the winter, or my skin will dry out and crack), I put it on the back of my hands and then wipe my palms with tissue.

I have OCD-like tendencies: before I go to bed at night, I have to check the locks on my door by physically touching them several times, even though I can obviously see that they're locked. When I leave the house, I have to stare at the garage door for longer than necessary to be sure that it's closed. I'll double- and triple-check that my car door is closed and locked even though I just set the alarm.

I often repeat things I say out loud back to myself in my head right after I say them, a form of echolalia (a condition in which people repeat vocalizations, sometimes associated with autism) called palilalia.

I get hyper-focused on things that interest me, and I can and will talk about them (very enthusiastically, mind you) for a very long time, even when it's apparent that the listener is getting bored.

I'm very detail-oriented, and I keep multiple spreadsheets of the projects I'm working on; for example, Hold My Beer has over 30 spreadsheets. I even keep a spreadsheet of the episodes of my band's podcast.

I think in pictures, which came in handy while writing the Joel Suzuki series.

So after wondering and thinking about it some more, I asked Karen and John Krejcha, the founders of Autism Empowerment, what they thought. We've known each other for many years, and they said that they've felt for a long time that I might be neurodivergent, but didn't want to say anything because they weren't sure how I would respond!

After that, Karen sent me some online tests. I started by taking something called the Autism Spectrum Quotient test. I scored a 15, which generally means that I'm likely not autistic. I also took the RAADS test, which is designed to assess autistic traits in adults. I scored a 47, which again means that I'm likely not autistic.

Still, I couldn't shake the feeling that I'm neurodivergent, and that I've just adopted scripts for social situations and have learned how to mask so well that I appear neurotypical - even to myself.

I mean, it would make sense.

So I took another test that Karen sent me, the CAT-Q (Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire), which measures how much someone masks their autistic traits. A score over 100 indicates that the test-taker probably camouflages to the point where it can influence other test results.

I got a 108. The average score for confirmed autistic males is 109.64.

Well, then!

Based on that result, I decided that I would take the next step and get a formal assessment. Fortunately, I know someone who performs such assessments: Dr. Anson Service, a fellow Autism Empowerment board member (who is neurodivergent himself). I went for my initial intake appointment this past Tuesday and will be doing the formal assessment tests next week.

So we shall see. Whichever way this turns out, it will have been an interesting and enlightening journey of personal self-discovery. Stay tuned!

Checking In With Joel And Felicity

INT. BRIAN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY

A young man and a young woman are here, sitting on a couch and playing Madden NFL 25 on Xbox. This is JOEL and FELICITY. There is a bowl of popcorn and a can of diet cola on a table in front of them. Felicity, playing as the Las Vegas Raiders, tackles the running back of Joel's team, the Seattle Seahawks.

F: Hah! Booyah!

J: Do people still say "booyah"?

F: I just did.

J: Yeah, but...

F: But what?

J: Never mind.

F: Heh. You're sounding more like me every day.

A middle-aged man enters the room. This is BRIAN.

B: Hey, folks.

F: Whoa! It's...it's...what's your name again?
J: It's Brian. Don't you remember him?

F: Dude, I was just kidding.

B: I know, you haven't seen me in a while. I've been busy.

J: Working on that film project?

B: Yeah.

F: What was it called? Something about beer?

B: "Hold My Beer."

F: That's right.

Felicity pauses the game, puts down her controller, and takes a sip of diet cola.

B: Anyway, how are you two doing? How's retirement?

J: We're not retired.

F: We're not old, like you.

B: Oh? Then what have you been up to?

F: Stuff.

J: Mostly playing video games, writing songs, and watching movies.

B: Umm...that sounds kind of like retirement to me.

F: Hey, we deserve a break, after everything we've been through.

B: You mean, the events of Joel Suzuki, Volume Seven: Vision of Virtuoso?

F: The what of what now?

B: Forget it. I'm just glad you're having fun.

J: Thanks. We are.

Felicity tosses some popcorn into her mouth.

F: (chewing) So why are you here? Is that beer film thingy done?

B: Kind of. We held a screening for it in January, and it just went live on YouTube last week.

J: Congratulations.

B: Thanks. But we're not really done yet. We're trying to get funding to turn it into a series. And also create a real-life pub. And also develop a video game.

F: Geez, ambitious much?

B: Yeah, we really want to turn it into something that will put Vancouver in the spotlight while providing entertainment industry opportunities to people in the autism and neurodivergent communities.

J: That sounds like a good mission.

B: It is. So I just wanted to check in on you two and see if maybe you'd be interested in participating in some fashion.

F: Dude, I'm retired.

B: I thought you said you weren't.

F: Joel said that. I just said that we're not old, like you.

J: She's right.

B: So you're not interested?
F: Eh, check back later.

B: Joel?

J: Um...I'm kind of busy at the moment.

B: Playing Madden?

J: Yeah.

B: Okay, fine.

Felicity picks her controller back up.

F: (to Joel) Ready for more beatdowns?

J: Sure.

Brian starts to leave the room.

B: (under his breath) Maybe I'll have to start working on Joel Suzuki, Volume Eight sooner than I thought.

F: What was that?

B: Nothing.

CUT TO BLACK

Hold My Beer - Worldwide Premiere!

Hold My Beer is now available to watch on YouTube!

It comes in three flavors:

ORIGINAL

ENGLISH CAPTIONED

and

JAPANESE SUBTITLED

Please check it out and, if you enjoy it, consider liking, subscribing, and telling your friends and family! Doing so will show that Hold My Beer has an established audience of viewers who are interested in seeing more, helping our chances of getting it developed into a series.

Mahalo!

Second Player Score: Official Mission

Special announcement! Like a Pokemon, Second Player Score has evolved.

Having started out as a punk rock band, we are now as of this week a holistic arts and entertainment team, and our official mission has become to provide career opportunities within the entertainment and hospitality industries to people from the autism and neurodivergent communities. Same logo, new purpose.

Actually, not so new, when you think about it. We've already been doing it, like with Hold My Beer and our use of neurodivergent talent both in front of and behind the camera. But now, it's codified, and enhanced: not only will we have autistic and neurodivergent people working on our in-house projects (e.g., the SPS-Verse), but eventually we want to provide support to neurodivergent creators who have their OWN projects; i.e., serving as their record label ("Second Player Sounds"), publishing imprint ("Second Player Stories"), film and TV production house ("Second Player Scenes"), video game studio ("Second Player Software"), etc. Related to this will be a new, forthcoming program from Autism Empowerment that I'll be writing more about in a future post.

Exciting times! Stay tuned for updates...

Anime Roundup

We interrupt our wall-to-wall coverage of Hold My Beer-related posts with another Anime Roundup! (warning: mild spoilers)

Chainsaw Man

One part horror, ten parts action, this one is about...well, basically a devil-human hybrid who can turn into a dude with chainsaws for a head and arms. There's a lot more to it than that, but you'll just have to watch it yourself. It does a masterful job of balancing the raucous and gory action sequences with quiet, contemplative moments (like a character silently lighting up and smoking a cigarette for almost two whole minutes of runtime) that, thanks to the juxtaposition, are filled with a sense of dread and foreboding. It reminds me a little of Jujutsu Kaisen (which is produced by the same studio, MAPPA), and even employs a similar "magic trio"-of-protagonists formula (eventually, anyway). It was on my radar for a long time, so I was surprised when I finally got around to watching it only to discover that there's only one 12-episode season out so far. MAPPA, isoide (hurry up) and make more! P.S. - I love, love, love that each episode has a different ending song and visuals, which is what we've planned to do with Glorified when it finally gets made into a show.

Blue Box

A gentle, slice-of-life romantic dramedy about a high school badminton player who has a crush on his slightly older, basketball-playing schoolmate that mostly goes unrequited even as they're living under the same roof (for reasons too complicated to explain here) while, in a classic love-triangle-type of plot, his childhood friend has a mostly unrequited crush on him, Netflix has been slow drip-feeing this to me one episode per week, so I've been watching it for the past nineteen weeks now and there's still a ways to go ("mada mada desu").

I'm Quitting Heroing

This story starts off right after the "usual" ending, with the overpowered hero having triumphed over the evil Demon Queen. But when he finds his efforts unappreciated by the people he's saved, he decides to switch sides and applies for a job with the now-rebuilding demon army. At first, it's a goofball workplace comedy that makes you wonder where, exactly, this is going. But it eventually takes some - spoiler alert - surprising twists and turns that, frankly, become a little dark, before wrapping things up in an ultimately satisfying ending. Or does it? Yes, it does. Or does it??

Murai in Love

A rom-com about a high school student who is in love with his homeroom teacher and cuts/dyes his hair so that he looks exactly like said teacher's favorite video game character in an effort to win her heart (trust me, this is not as creepy as it sounds), this one was a lot of fun, with very Japanese-style deadpan humor and a lot of great voice acting (I lost count of how many times I said to my TV, "this voice actor who plays the homeroom teacher is THE BEST.")

Dandadan

Two high school students! Aliens! Ghosts! Psychic powers! Spiritual possession! A love triangle! A second love triangle! The most unique MacGuffins* I've ever come across! Combine these ingredients with a - spoiler alert - major cliffhanger ending to Season One, and you have the recipe for a show that, like a lot of anime, takes some getting used to, but gets more and more fun as you go along.

* An object, or objects, that the characters are trying to get/find/recover, thus driving the plot. Like the Songshell from Joel Suzuki, Volume One.

Hold My Beer, The Game!

Remember back in May of last year, when I said we were developing a tie-in video game for Hold My Beer? Well, it's here!

As promised, it's an arcade-style minigame in which the player's job is to wash kegs before time runs out. It's meant to be only a small portion of a much larger, Zelda-style adventure game set in a village called "Vanwa," which is either a future, post-apocalyptic Vancouver, WA, or is in another world or dimension that has been influenced by the Hold My Beer film, Galaxy Quest-style.

The player starts out as an apprentice brewer at "Oowi Brewy" (based on Loowit Brewing Company) whose job is to wash kegs, but dreams of one day becoming a great brewmaster who owns their own brewpub, just like "Master Val" of the "Legend of H.M.B." (see what I did there). Their fellow apprentices ridicule their dream, saying that the "Legend of H.M.B." is just an old children's fairy tale. But then one day, fate intervenes, and the player is sent off on a quest that includes stops at locations like "Cafe Zetheba," based on Seize the Bagel, "Redab's Supply Store," based on Bader Beer & Wine Supply, and "Pear-Air Hall," based on the Pearson Air Museum's Historic Hangar. Our goal is to secure enough funding that we can develop this larger game concept and provide employment opportunities for autistic and neurodivergent people who want to work in the video game industry.

In the meantime, you can play the minigame on the official Hold My Beer website at this link!

Thank You! Mahalo! Arigatou! Gracias!

A huge thank you to everyone who attended the sold-out premiere screening of Hold My Beer last week!

Big thanks also go out to our sponsors, Sensory Tool House, LLC, Employers Overload, and Stephen's Place for helping make the evening possible, The Kiggins Theatre for being such gracious hosts, and Chris Martin Studios and Spry Social for documenting the proceedings.

There are a ton of cool photos and videos from the event that I don't have room to post here, but if you want to see them, you can follow Hold My Beer - Pilot Episode on Facebook and/or subscribe to the Hold My Beer YouTube channel (if you haven't done so already).

If you weren't able to attend the premiere, you can still watch the film when it is uploaded to YouTube on February 27!

P.S. Yes, the marquee says "Brian Tasmina." I later discovered that "Tasmina" is an Arabic name meaning "One Who Fulfills," which I actually like better than "Tashima," which is Japanese for "Rice Paddy Island." I'll take it!

Tonight!

The premiere screening of Hold My Beer is tonight!

And guess what - it is officially SOLD OUT.

But if you haven't reserved your tickets and you still want to attend, there's a chance there may be some no-shows (because, life), so come on down and the theatre will try to accommodate you if possible.

See you all there! It's going to be a lot of fun!

TV Interview For Hold My Beer

Look Ma, we're (going to be) on TV!

That's right - tomorrow morning, I and two of our young adult actors from Hold My Beer, Andrew York and Lydia Pearl Pentz, will be guests on the Everyday Northwest show on Portland's CW Channel 32!

If you're in the Vancouver/Portland area (or you're not but for some reason you have access to the Portland, OR market's TV broadcasts), tune in from 9am to 10am when we'll be appearing to talk about the film.

And if you still haven't reserved your FREE tickets to the screening next Thursday, you're running out of time! Get them here now while they last!

Meet The Cast Of Hold My Beer: Anne McEnerny-Ogle

This week, I'd like you to meet the final major cast member of Hold My Beer: Anne McEnerny-Ogle!

Anne is playing Amber, the vice president of a (fictional) Vancouver, WA-based investment firm called "Columbian Capital" (it was originally called "Columbia Capital," but then I discovered there's a real company with that name). Any more details would be a spoiler, so you'll just have to watch the film.

Fun fact: for those of you who don't know, Anne is the real-life mayor of Vancouver! When I was looking for someone to play Amber, I discovered that Mayor Anne had some prior acting experience, and I thought, "wouldn't it be cool if we could get her in the film, kind of like how Portlandia featured former Portland mayor Sam Adams?" So the stars aligned, and voila.

Here's her bio:

Anne became the first woman to serve as mayor of Vancouver, Washington in 2018, where she has since helped to lead efforts in economic development, regional community relations, and transportation. Her role in Hold My Beer is her second on-screen acting experience; she previously had a cameo in The Matahari Agency, another Vancouver, Washington-based short film.

Thanks for being part of our cast, Mayor Anne!

Much more to come...

Happy New Year! (Plus More Hold My Beer Hype)

Happy 2025, everyone!

Also, if you haven't done so already, check out this recent top story about Hold My Beer in the Vancouver Business Journal. Big thanks to James Presley for a great writeup!

And for another "if you haven't done so already," don't forget to reserve your free tickets for the premiere screening at Kiggins Theatre on January 23. They're going fast!