Joel, Felicity, and Fireflower Get Ready To See Captain Marvel

FADE IN:

INT. BRIAN'S HOUSE - NIGHT

A young woman with shoulder-length blond hair wearing a Captain Marvel costume is here. This is FELICITY. She is inspecting her image in a mirror. A few moments later, a woman with green skin and pointy ears walks into the room. This is FIREFLOWER.

F: Hey, nice Skrull get-up.
FF: It was not very difficult to achieve, seeing as how I already had the proper skin tone. I just had to make a few minor adjustments.
F: And that's where your shapeshifting cast came in handy.
FF: Correct.
F: It's perfect. Skrulls are shapeshifters too, you know?
FF: Yes, I became aware of that fact during my research for this film we about to view.
F: I'm so stoked. I've been looking forward to this for a while.
FF: Your costume is very impressive as well.
F: It'd better be. I put a ton of work into it. Not to mention racking up a huge bill on Brian's credit card for all the materials.

At that moment, a young man wearing a full-body cat costume walks in. This is JOEL.

J: Hello.
F (laughing hysterically): Oh, dude! That is hilarious.
J: This costume is very warm. I'm not sure I can make it through the whole movie with it on.
F: Oh, but you have to. I mean, what's Carol Danvers without her trusty Flerken sidekick?
FF: I thought the Flerken was a female.
F: Sure, yeah, but who cares, right? No law against guys dressing up as girl characters or vice versa. She also has a different name in the comics, so, you know, whatever.
J: I'm serious. I might get heatstroke.
F: You won't, trust me. I'll buy you an ice-cold diet soda or something.
J: Um, okay.

Then a middle-aged man in a regular T-shirt and jeans enters, carrying a mug of green tea. This is BRIAN.

B: Wow, you guys look great.
J: Thanks.
FF: Are you sure you do not want to view the motion picture with us?
B: Oh, I do. Like, really badly. I just don't have the time tonight.
F: Is this about your "projects," or whatever?
B: Yeah. The band and I are hard at work on the stuff I talked about in last week's post. It's kind of the priority right now. But I'm sure I'll catch the movie soon. It's on my required to-do list, along with Avengers: Endgame next month.
FF: Perhaps you can join us for that particular event.
B: Hopefully.
F: You'll need a costume.
B: Yeah, you know, I was going to start working on one - like maybe Ant-Man or Doctor Strange - but then all my cosplay supply purchases got declined and I discovered that my credit card had been maxed out. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?
F: About your credit card being maxed out?
B: Yeah.
F: Nope.

Joel and Fireflower exchange glances. Brian furrows his brow. Felicity grins.

F: All right, let's get going. Don't want to be late.
B: Have fun, you guys.
F: We will.

Felicity, Joel, and Fireflower exit the room. Brian takes a sip of his tea. Then a dark-haired, teenage goth girl walks in. This is DAMIENNE (from the spec script for Nobody's Hero II.)

D: Yo.
B: Oh, hey. So, were you able to find out who's been using my credit card?
D: Yeup.
B: Okay, who is it?
D: You're not gonna like this.

The camera pans in on Brian, and then on Damienne as they both give each other the "soap-opera cliffhanger stare." Finally, Damienne opens her mouth to say something and then we

SMASH CUT TO BLACK

Album Three Status Update

Earlier this week, my band - Second Player Score, for those of you who are new around here - finally wrapped up the tracking for our long-awaited third album, Glorified.

Glorified is a concept album (of course) that tells the story of a woman who, raised to be the best soldier of her generation, ends up fleeing her oppressive hometown and reluctantly helping people as she traverses a post-apocalyptic wasteland in search of answers about her past. The album is set up like the first season of a television series, with each of the twelve songs designed to go along with an episode of the show.

And said show is not purely hypothetical; we've actually written a script for the entire first episode ("Eye of the Needle") that, as we speak, is being turned into a 37-page manga-style comic/graphic novel by an amazing artist from San Jose. We've also hired a talented team of animators from Belgium to produce a one-minute-or-so proof-of-concept trailer for the show itself.

(By the way, even though Glorified takes place in the distant future, it shares the same universe as all of my other projects, including Joel Suzuki - in case you missed it, the major details about that universe are documented in this post.)

Anyway, the album, the comic, and the trailer are all scheduled to be released this coming June. So stay tuned for more updates!

Anime Roundup: Have Patience, Because Everything Is Awesome Edition

I realize it's been only five weeks since the last Anime Roundup post. But! I've just been so blown away by a few series I've recently finished watching that not only do I feel compelled to talk about them now, I've decided to make a major change to the way these posts are written.

You may recall that I used to divide the shows up into Japanese-style ranking categories from S (my favorites) to B (couldn't really get into them). However, I now believe that all I really need to do with the B category shows is give them more of a chance. You see, the way I used to do this is I would usually watch two, maybe three episodes and then see if it hooked me or not, and then if it didn't, I would move on.

But now, after having watched or sampled over thirty anime series and movies, I'm noticing that most of them are actually slow burns, and that they seem to be purposely designed that way. It's like the show wants to bring you along gradually before it starts dropping all the amazing stuff as it ramps up to an epic finish.

So, as of this post, I'm doing away with the categories. I'm just going to offer you my random thoughts and opinions, and then you can decide for yourself if you want to check out these shows or not. But trust me, for the optimal viewing experience, you may want to play the long game (I know that for me, I will definitely now be revisiting everything that I formerly lumped into "Category B").

Here we go! Oh, and there will be some mild spoilers, so maybe instead of reading this post, go and watch these shows first and then come back so then we can geek out about them together.

Puella Magi Madoka Magica

I'll start with this one, since it really is the one that finally made me decide to stick around longer with every anime I check out. On the surface, it seems like your typical "magical girl" show in the vein of stuff like Sailor Moon; really, the only reason I decided to give it a chance was that I had heard good things about it. As it turned out, this show is kind of like the magical girl version of Doki Doki Literature Club - a dark and subversive take on a typically innocuous genre. It starts off pretty slowly, and even after pulling a Game of Thrones-ish move in the third episode (which I thought - incorrectly - was going to be quickly reversed), I kept wondering when the heck Madoka was finally going to become a magical girl. I mean, that's the title of the whole show! But then, once it hit episode 8 or so (there are 12 episodes in all), the show began landing one body blow after another, until finally I was shouting "OMG this is so amazing!!" every other minute. Sheer brilliance. Oh, and on top of that, the artwork - especially of the witches and their labyrinths - is trippy and fantastic.

High Score Girl

A wonderful semi-romantic-comedy-drama that is also a historically accurate period piece about video games in the '90s. What more could you possibly want? At first I kept wondering when Akira was going to talk, but then I realized that it's actually better that she doesn't. I loved the tender piano reprise version of the trippy (yes, I've said "trippy" twice in one post now) Zappa-ish opening theme song "New Stranger," and am desperately hoping for a Season 2. I mean, c'mon, showrunners, you can't leave us with that cliffhanger ending, now, can you?

Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online

I'm a huge fan of the original Sword Art Online and Sword Art Online II, so the moment I saw this one was available on Netflix I did a fist pump and said "yessss!" Seriously, I did. And then I proceeded to binge the heck out of it. I should've been able to guess Pitohui's real-life identity early on - I mean, the clues were all there - but the ending actually surprised me, so, good job, show.

Seven Deadly Sins

This is one I had previously lumped into Category B, but then when I revisited it, I ended up loving it! So, there you go. The only part that bugs me is Meliodas' occasional, um, pestering of Elizabeth, which I get is played for laughs, but really doesn't add much to the story or characters and could've easily been left out, as there's still plenty of humor to go along with some great action and a cool plot.

Gunnm (Battle Angel Alita)

You may have heard of the latest James Cameron movie Alita: Battle Angel. Well, this is the original source material from 29 years ago. It, too, starts off a little slow but then picks up pretty quickly. I dug it when Gally had her John Wick-ish "you shouldn't have killed my dog" moment (which I guess is actually John Wick having a Gally-ish moment, seeing as how she predates him in our actual timeline). If I ever manage to get out to the theaters again, then perhaps the film adaptation will show up in the next Movie Roundup post.

Well, that's it for now. I have a feeling these Anime Roundup posts may become even more frequent now that I've unlocked a whole back catalog of stuff to watch. Until next time, mata ne!

Snowpocalypse In Seattle

Last Saturday my band Second Player Score played our first-ever show in snowy Seattle at the Skylark Cafe with our friends SixTwoSeven. (actually, it was Friday, but I was going for the "S" alliteration there).

We had a great time and were fortunate enough to make it up there and back despite the onset of WINTERSTORM SNOWMAGGEDON 2019 OMG!!!11!!1! Also on the bill were a couple of other awesome bands: Girl George and Marble.

I really like Seattle, so it was nice to finally be able to get up there to perform some music (usually my trips up north are of a Mariners baseball- or Seahawks football-viewing nature). As readers of the Joel Suzuki series know, Joel himself lives in Seattle, having moved there from Hawaii when he was ten, and Felicity lives in nearby Bellevue after having moved there from good ol' Vancouver, WA.

The romantic comedy spec script involving baseball, anime, philosophy, and magic that I wrote last fall is also set in Seattle.

Anyway, I hope to be able to get back up there sometime soon (but preferably without having to drive through a foot of frozen precipitation)!

Volume Five Status Update

Can you believe we're talking about Volume Five already?

I've been working on it in between all the other stuff I've been doing, and as of this moment, the first draft stands at around 35,000 words, or 140 pages.

Sounds like good progress, right? Well, sort of. After my experience with the first four volumes of the Joel Suzuki series, I've learned that there inevitably comes a point in the whole process that I now call "Stop, Regroup, and Rewrite."

This happened with Volume Four around early 2017 after I had hit the 27-28,000 word mark. Usually what I run into is that the story begins to head in a direction that I'm not completely happy with, which forces me to retreat a bit to get everything back on track. In Volume Four's case, I ended up cutting around 5,000 words before I was able to move forward once more. You may recall that with Volume Two, I actually (for the most part) started over again from scratch!

The good news is that I recognize this as a necessary checkpoint that I always have to get past, and now that I'm there, I know that things are moving along exactly the way they should. Also, it doesn't mean that I'll fall behind schedule; as you may know, Volume Four actually came out earlier than expected.

Which raises the question - when is Volume Five's expected launch date? Well, right now, I'm looking at early 2021, in keeping with my original every-other-year plan (Volume Four was supposed to have come out in early 2019). As always, I'll be providing you with occasional status updates as we go along. So, onward!

TV Roundup: Black Mirror Edition

It's now been over a year since I signed up for Netflix. Since then, I've watched a whole bunch of stuff on the service, including all the Marvel shows (R.I.P.) and, as you know, a ton of anime. There's one show, however, that I started on last year (by watching two episodes) but didn't pick up again until just recently. That show is Black Mirror.

Why did I stop, you ask? I'm not really sure, to be honest. Probably just because there were so many other things to check out. I do know why I got back into it, however. The fourth Second Player Score album (which we're already writing, even though the third album isn't due out until June) is expected to be another concept album, but this time it would be a psychological horror sort of along the lines of Doki Doki Literature Club, Perfect Blue, and, yes, Black Mirror. So, having played the the first of those three and watched the second, I figured I needed to do my homework and finish up all available episodes of the third. And, as expected, it did not disappoint.

I know there are a lot of "best Black Mirror episodes" lists out there already (I even consulted a few of them when deciding which episodes to watch first) but I'm going to add mine to the list of lists. These are my favorites, with some random thoughts for each, in order from least to most. Warning: possible spoilers to follow.

#20: The Waldo Moment
My least favorite is still an entertaining 44 minutes of viewing. I kinda wanted to see Waldo win.

#19: Crocodile
Yay, guinea pigs!

#18: Fifteen Million Merits
I actually watched about half of this episode last year, and then finished up the other half this year.

#17: The National Anthem
Every time I watch an episode of Black Mirror - like this one, for example - there almost always comes a point when I say, out loud, "yeah, this will not end well."

#16: Shut Up and Dance
The troll face still creeps me out every time I think of it. I'd like to see Karin and Blue from "Hated in the Nation" catch those guys.

#15: Metalhead
As a nerd, I really wanted to know the backstory of what happened to the world and what the original purpose of the dogs was.

#14: Playtest
Yay, giant spiders!

#13: Men Against Fire
Like the Matrix within the Matrix.

#12: The Entire History of You
Look, it's the Doctor! Yeah, I always get distracted when my favorite genre actors show up in other stuff.

#11: Arkangel
Every parent's worst nightmare. There are just some things you're better off not knowing.

#10: Nosedive
The part about not having the right adapter for the electric car was hilarious.

#9: Be Right Back
Look, it's Bill Weasley/General Hux and Peggy Carter!

#8: Hang the DJ
My usual Black Mirror declaration of "yeah, this will not end well" didn't come true this time! Unless you were one of the digital clones, I guess.

#7: Hated in the Nation
Look, it's Helena Ravenclaw! And Shona, and Wong! And isn't that Rosa Parks? Oops, there I go again.

#6: White Bear
Brilliant twist ending.

#5: Black Museum
Hey, it's Shuri! Okay, okay, I'll stop.

#4: White Christmas
Look, it's - right, I promised to stop. Anyway, another episode with a brilliant twist ending.

#3: San Junipero
A great episode with very cool '80s imagery.

#2: Bandersnatch
I think I watched this one like six or seven times just to get to as many endings as I could. Loved the meta ending the most.

#1: USS Callister
After I finished this episode I said out loud (I talk to my TV a lot) "that was probably one of the finest hours of television I've ever seen." I know people say this one had more humor and was more upbeat than other Black Mirror episodes, but I think it still definitely had some edgy horror elements to it that made it a nice overall blend.

Okay, so that brings us to the end of five straight weeks of Roundup posts. Tune in next week when I'll be giving you a Volume Five(!) status update...

Band Roundup: Nippon Edition

One of the many things I love about anime shows is that they almost always have awesome theme songs. Not only that, but they usually have a different one for both the beginning and the end of the show, and then they change them for each season (and occasionally even mid-season). It's funny, because whenever Netflix tries to do me a favor by skipping the theme song, I'm, like, "No, go back! Play the song!" As a result, I've been introduced to a bunch of great bands from Japan, a few of which I'll share with you today.

Stereopony

This power trio - which, sadly, broke up in 2012 - has become one of my favorite bands of all time. Joel and Felicity talked about them in this post back in September of last year. I know this may sound cheesy, but it's like their music resonates at the same frequency as my inner Aura - possibly even more than my own music! They're just too perfect. Maybe they're a creation of the Matrix. Or, like Felicity suggested, maybe they're Wavemakers. I've listened to lead singer/guitarist Aimi Haraguni's subsequent solo projects as well as Draft King, the band that bassist Nohana Kitajima and drummer Shiho Yamanoha went on to form, and, as pleasant as those projects are, they're just not the same. It's like while Aimi (who I kind of think of as a long-lost younger sister) may have been the mind and soul of Stereopony, Nohana and Shiho were the heart, blood, and guts, and now that they're disconnected you just have two separate incomplete parts of a whole person. So please, please, ladies, if you're reading this, reunite.

Asian Kung-Fu Generation

I discovered these guys via their mega-awesome Naruto theme song, "Haruka Kanata." Singer/guitarist Masafumi Goto's tortured screams are simply epic (they sound like how I feel after the Seahawks lose a close game). And they're no one-hit wonder either; I followed them down the rabbit hole and discovered that they have a huge catalog of good stuff. If you like bands like Weezer, Teenage Fanclub, Supergrass, etc., I'd recommend checking them out.

Scandal

In contrast to Stereopony (who, to my knowledge, generally used to just wear jeans and random T-shirts on stage), this group adheres a bit more to the Japanese girl-band formula of flashy matching outfits. Doesn't matter, though, 'cause they rock pretty hard. My favorite tune of theirs is "Shunkan Sentimental," which was used as a theme song for FullMetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. Impressively, they formed in 2006 and are still going strong today with the same original lineup.

Stance Punks

The Soul Eater ending theme song "I Wanna Be" was my first introduction to these guys. And then I heard "No Boy No Cry," an opening theme song for Naruto. Awesome, catchy, edgy but totally listenable straight-up punk rock in the tradition of bands like The Clash and the Ramones.

Fruitpochette

This is not a band that I discovered through anime, but I just had to include them in this post anyway. I was actually introduced to them back in 2015, when a friend got me into what's known as "kawaii metal" (cute metal). This is when you take the sugary-sweet vocals and choreographed dance routines of J-pop (Japanese pop music) and forcibly graft it onto brutal, face-melting metal riffage. There are/were a number of acts in this particular genre, but I latched on to Fruitpochette the most. I ended up buying both their EP and full-length album, the latter of which I wrote a review that you can read here (my review has the headline "If this album was ice cream, I would have gained two hundred pounds by now"). Seriously, I listened to that thing over and over again, especially during the writing of Volume Two. Sad to hear that they broke up in 2017.

Wagakki Band

Another band that I didn't discover through anime, although I suppose you could say it was an indirect connection since I stumbled across them randomly while binge-listening to Stereopony. Basically, they combine modern rock and metal with traditional Japanese instruments, and let me tell you, the result is mind-blowing. Check them out for yourself here.

There are lots of other cool bands with great anime theme songs, of course, but these have been my standout favorites so far. What are some of yours?