Category: Pop Culture

I Really Like This Thing, Ep. 4: The Lonely Island

July 31, 2020 / Winston

Musical shitposts with depth.

Welcome back to the I Really Like This Thing series, where I do my best to introduce something I, well, really like. They could be music, movies, games – anything, really. The point is for me to share. Worst case, you think my taste sucks. Best case, you learn about something cool.

For this fourth installment, I talk about the music/comedy trio The Lonely Island.

I’m really pretty lucky. I get to do what I like (writing) for a living, which means that the core experience of my job keeps me going even when projects pile up and deadlines start looming large.

But of course, at the end of the day these projects all involve serious and quote-unquote “normal” things. Not that that can’t be interesting – and I certainly have a few articles that I’m particularly proud of – but for someone who just wants to roll around in some mixture of music, movies, video games, and memes all day long, I enjoy myself the most when I’m writing about something I’m personally enthralled by.

That means that sometimes, there’s a shitpost itch to be scratched. The dad jokes I put up weekly go some way towards expressing the humour within me – albeit usually in a way more palatable to “normies” – but I probably wouldn’t get too far with the unadulterated madness that’s there in some form in my psyche.

Which is why I’m a big fan of The Lonely Island.

From L to R: Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone, Akiva Schaffer

Musical meme merchants

The Lonely Island is an American comedy trio, formed in California in 2001. Mainly known for their work on Saturday Night Live (and in Samberg’s case, Brooklyn Nine-Nine), I think I can sum up their general body of work as “musical shitposts”.

Guys always feel like this post-coitus, no exceptions. Believe me.

Getting paid to produce great music with joke lyrics, there’s not many things better than that.

Just about all their music is about making fun of musical tropes and themselves. I’m really no music expert, so I can’t comment properly on their musical influences or the music theory aspects of the tracks they produce, but they are generally catchy-as-hell hip hop numbers. They form the very solid foundation for the part that I *can* comment on with some insight – the lyrics.

The construction of the “stories” within each song is extremely well-thought-out for what are essentially three-minute vehicles for inappropriate, non-sequitur, and /or self-deprecating jokes. The words used work both musically (they rhyme!) and in conveying specific emotions, plus they sometimes aren’t just jokes in themselves, but also build toward another joke later in the song. As a writer, this multi-layer approach is extremely satisfying and makes for a bigger payoff.

I don’t think I’m explaining myself very well (that’s right, the writer can’t write), so I’ll just point out a few select lines from three of my favourite songs of theirs.

Top tracks

[With honorable mentions to Jizz In My Pants, Diaper Money, and We’ll Kill U, among others.]

Motherlover

We start this list off strong with a song about having sex with your best friend’s mother.

In this follow-up to Dick In A Box (a classic in itself), we learn that our protagonists’ mums are widows who don’t have anyone to, um, keep them company in the bedroom. And with Mother’s Day coming up, they come up with the genius idea to do the mum version of wife-swapping.

The best parts:

I’m callin’ on you cos I can’t do it myself / To me you’re like a brother, so be my mother lover (at the 1:24 mark)

This implies that, if it were legal/possible, they’d fuck their own mothers. Also, what about being “like a brother” makes it any more appropriate?!

We are so cool and thoughtful (1:41)

The sincerity in Timberlake’s statement kills me every time. This character’s such a narcissistic dumbass without a shred of self-awareness, and it actually comes across as endearing (and very funny).

My momma loves bubble bath with chamomile / Give it to my mom d-d-d-d-d-d-doggy style (yeah) (1:47)

I love the contrast here: One romantic, thoughtful piece of advice, followed by pure vulgarity that’s also funny because of how forced it sounds (all the Ds to fit the music structure).

IHOP Parking Lot

Firstly, apologies for the non-full nature of this video – there doesn’t seem to be an official video of this particular song.

This one comes from The Unauthorized Bash Brothers Experience, a 30-minute “visual rap album” about (but not really) Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire, two Major League Baseball stars of the 80s and 90s, who came to be known as the Bash Brothers because they… celebrated with forearm bashes instead of high fives.

(I’m not a baseball fan, don’t ask me.)

There’s also a lot of steroid controversy with the two of them, which will come up a bit more in the next song. But for this one, it’s just sheer silliness.

The best parts:

Ooh, welcome to the parking lot / Where there’s dancin’ all the time (Alright!) (0:22)

This satirizes the random locations that music videos or musical numbers are set in. “Yes this is the parking lot of an IHOP, we dance here all the time. It’s completely normal.”

Also, I absolutely love the “alright!” the guys respond with – it’s just so pure and sincere and out of place.

You, nasty boys / Keep shaking those nasty butts (We are!) (0:43)

The “we are!” gets me so good. It’s an example of a lyric that wouldn’t normally be used in ‘serious’ songs.

I said hey, you, nasty boys / Shake four halves of butt (Phrased weird) / It’s not phrased weird at all / Shake four halves of butt (Okay) (0:47)

“Four halves of butt” is one of the best examples of a Lonely Island comedic turn of phrase. And the women arguing back that it’s not phrased weird, all while keeping in tune and in song, is hilarious.

Uniform On

I like this one so much I’m gonna do a running commentary, verse by verse, of the full lyrics:

She said she wanna fuck me with my uniform on
She grabbed me by the bat, now it’s going, going, gone
I never finish sex cos I’m so juiced out
But she nutted three times then we bashed then I bounced

The usage of “going, going, gone” is inspired, and the thought of ‘bashing’ (like mentioned earlier, a hyper-macho equivalent of a high five) after sex is just amazing.

I reside in Blackhawk in a big fucking house
My community is gated cos I don’t strike out
Got a room with a chair, got a room with a couch
Got a framed photograph of the time I met Alf

“Got a room with a chair, got a room with a couch, got a framed photograph of the time I met Alf” is so stupid-funny and all the former line is there for is to set up a lackluster reference to Alf. This is super indulgent writing that I wish I could get away with sometimes. It’s funny exactly because it’s so stupid and meaningless.

You know I’m not a hamburger but they call me Big Mac
Got the one ton Jimmy and the itty-bitty sack
My ball shrinky-dinky cos the ‘roids so strong
But it makes the aforementioned Jimmy-jam look long

This might just be a writer thing, but the simple thought of using “aforementioned” in a rap song is the absolute best part of a verse that makes self-deprecating jokes about steroid use, shrunken testicles, and calling a penis a “Jimmy-jam”.

The name is Mark, and no I’m not Mork
And yes, I eat pork cos it’s tasty on my fork
And no, I’m not a jork but I’ll jork it out the pork
Cos Noah should have had the Bash Brothers on his Ork

This verse is the pure product of tortured pronunciation logic and I love every line. None of it makes sense except to establish the Bash Brothers as Noah’s Ark-worthy specimens.

We are the perfect pair to start a new society
Filled with home-run hitting gold glove Goliathes

[Interlude]
Here’s what I found on the web for “What is the plural of goliath?”: Goliaths

A deliberate misuse of language to come up with “Goliathes” for the sake of making a fourth-wall breaking joke (and for the words to rhyme), just to add a dash of meta to the humour.

Oh, we’re goliaths, baby boy
Kirk Gibson’s a pariah, baby boy
I work out with a tire, baby boy
I wonder who can lift it higher, baby boy

Ahh! Lift that tire, bitch
Put your back in it and lift it higher, bitch
Stab that needle in my ass till I am rich
Make me a god with the chemical sciences

As with “aforementioned”, the usage of “chemical sciences” in a rap song, especially one this aggressive, is *chef’s kiss*.

Ahh! Baseball, baseball, He-Man hit the baseball
By the power of Grayskull
Rip the skin off and eat the brains out the baseball
Gonna run a motherfuckin’ train on the baseball

Pure indulgence! The He-Man reference comes totally out of nowhere and is a joke for the sake of a joke – grade A purity in its usage and intention.

Ahh! Don’t tell me to be fucking calm
Whip out my dick on the Jumbotron
Rip out my bones cause my muscles so strong
Now the pain’s so bad that my motherfucking heart stop-

You’ll also notice that with Alf, Mork, and He-Man, the pop culture references are in abundance. Besides being good non-sequitur jokes, they also help to further drive home the time period that the whole show is set in, so there’s multiple points to it.

Coupled with an aggressive, driving beat, these silly lyrics stand out even more. There’s balance to be had in comedy, which is what separates this inspired, hilarious nonsense from the kind of ‘jokes’ you’d find on r/iamveryrandom.

The previous I Really Like This Thing pieces all ended on a somewhat somber or emotional note, for one reason or another. But this time there’s no reason for that – the trio hasn’t split up and their whole thing is comedy instead of drama or tragedy.

If you only know of Samberg from B99, I hope this post has introduced you to the fact that he does much funnier, more fucked up (in a good way) stuff. B99 is about as good as sitcoms get, but sitcoms are inherently unfunny (or less funny than they could be) in my opinion, due to the medium’s limits.

(I might explore that more in the future.)

I also didn’t touch too much on how the music videos themselves have some pretty good visual gags, but you can see those for yourself.

Anyway, for me, I’ll just try to keep finding ways to express my own humour. I really would like to get good with music or music production in some form to expand the repertoire I have at my disposal, but till then, I’ll enjoy these musical shitposts as a member of the audience.

I Really Like This Thing, mini Ep.: Hajime no Ippo’s Soundtrack

March 14, 2020 / Winston

Beats that awe and inspire.

Every now and then, I’ll do a mini follow-up to my I Really Like This Thing articles. This is usually when I feel like there’s something about it that I really want to talk about, but that didn’t fit – due to length or consistency concerns – in the original piece.

For this first one, I’ll be talking about the music of Hajime no Ippo, and its importance to the storytelling of the anime.

What makes for a good soundtrack?

The obvious first answer is that the songs themselves must be pretty awesome. Can’t make a delicious stew with rotten ingredients, right?

But what transforms a playlist of nice songs into a great soundtrack is how they simply make sense – to each other, to the subject matter, and even down to specific moments in the show or game.

It’s a matter of value adding and enhancing.

With that in mind, as a follow up to its original I Really Like This Thing post, I’d like to put the spotlight on the Hajime no Ippo soundtrack.

Openings

Of course, we’ve got to start with the first thing you see and hear.

Opening 1: Under Star

Artist: Shocking Lemon

We actually… do not begin with one that checks all the above criteria! What you’ll come to realize is that the series soundtrack suffers heavily from Engrish – there’s a fair amount of misused English words that don’t seem to make sense.

That said, I still feel that this song does well as the very first intro song to the series. Putting the lyrics aside, the emotion that the vocals convey is one of desperation. It’s the same desperation Ippo has to become strong. He’s been weak all his life, and after being rescued by Takamura, he sees a chance to finally leave that behind, and he’ll do whatever he can to not let that opportunity slip.

Opening 2: Inner Light

Artist: Shocking Lemon

MUCH better! Although the lyrics still don’t really fit all that well, this intro begins STRONG.

Ippo is clearly much stronger and much more confident now. This opening started being used just as the anime was gearing up to follow Ippo’s road to the Japan Featherweight Title.

He’s no newbie trying to shake off the loser tag anymore – he’s an up and coming contender.

The visuals are strong too – it shows the many opponents he faces along the journey, and that he might get knocked down, but he’s never giving up.

Without spoiling too much, the title of the song and the way Ippo’s eyes light up in green at the end hint towards (awesome) events to come.

Opening 3: Tumbling Dice

Artist: Tsuneo Imahori

Short but sweet, and without vocals. In my opinion, this works as a little bit of kick to add to the main course that was Opening 2.

Visuals-wise, we’re well into the action now. Opening 2 showed him getting ready to start on the path to national glory; here, he’s right in the thick of things.

A lot of emphasis is placed on his biggest rival, Sendo Takeshi, too.

(Sendo is amazing and is strongly-written enough to be a protagonist in his own right, but that’s a story for another day.)

Opening 4: 霹靂 (“Hekireki” / “Thunder”)

Artist: Last Alliance

The intro of the second season, Hekireki works well as a re-introduction to the world. The song paces a whirlwind refresher course of a video, eager to bring us right back to the action.

The visuals take us back to the basics of training – we see Ippo doing his roadwork and in the gym – before reminding us that he’s well and truly a professional now. We even get the privilege of being “knocked out” by him at the end, of all things.

We also get glimpses into the secondary storylines featuring other boxers, highlighted by the Takamura v. Hawk fight I mentioned in the first article.

Opening 5: 夜間飛行 (“Yakan Hikou” / “Night Flight”)

Artist: Wasureranneyo

My personal close-second favourite behind Inner Light, Yakan Hikou is the opening for the third (and thus far final) season of the anime.

Spoiler alert: Ippo is the Japan Featherweight champion now*. The challenge now lies in defending his title against opponents who have dissected and figured out his techniques and tactics.

(*Remember: knowing that he’s the champ isn’t the real spoiler. How he became the champ is more important, and something I won’t talk about.)

I love this song, as the chorus screams of a deep desire to soar and succeed, despite all the obstacles and difficulties to overcome:

飛んでいくんだ　飛んでいくんだ
I’m flying, I’m flying
ほら
See
一等星が　一等星が見えた
The first star, I saw the first star
泣いているんだ　泣いているんだ　ほら
I’m crying
一緒なんだ　一緒なんだ僕も
Together, together with me
夢のようなこの世界が
This dream-like world
僕らを待つんだ　僕らを待つんだ
Will wait for us

It speaks to Ippo’s neverending goal to get better, and his willingness to put every bit of him into doing so.

My personal favourite detail of the visuals: when Coach Kamogawa slams his fists on the ring mat, I get chills every time. One can only dream of having someone so dedicated to your growth and well-being, who will make the hard decisions with you (and not just for you).

The best closers

夕空の紙飛行機 (“Yuuzora No Kami Hikouki” / “Evening Sky’s Paper Airplane”)

Artist: Mori Naoya

A song of hope and heart, and one that points to a better tomorrow to come.

ぶちこめ (“Buchikome” / “Beating”)

Artist: Shikuramen

I like the energy of this one, and it’s fun seeing more characters “joining” Ippo on his run as the song goes on.

(Note: I might be making a mistake with this translation – it might actually be 打ち込め, which means “driving”. I think both meanings still work though.)

Special mention theme song

Black and Blue

The Tiger of Naniwa

I mentioned Sendo Takeshi earlier. I won’t be able to do him justice in such a short blurb, but he is definitely one of the best characters in the whole series.

Unerringly one-minded in his quest to be the best, he is a ferocious competitor in the ring (hence his nickname, The Tiger of Naniwa) and a breath of honest fresh air outside of it.

His theme song encapsulates his approach: menacing to begin, before a complete eruption of almost-unhinged force and power that aims to kill.

The tone-setters

Most of the songs in this last video are used in “in-between” parts of the anime – pre-fight entrances, non-crucial moments within matches, and so on.

They might not be highlight pieces, but they play as strong a role as any in the storytelling of Hajime no Ippo. They convey the weight of the moment, build up to grander events, or set the tone.

Music and sound design play an absolutely crucial role in the overall experience of a show or video game, or anything else that incorporates them.

And that’s the key word: experience. Each part of a piece of content matters – visuals, gameplay, writing, music.

The truly special ones are those that mesh all these together in a way that makes sense, in a way that is complementary. It’s not just a television show or a video game anymore – it’s a whole-ass experience.

Hajime no Ippo is one of those special ones.

Give it a shot, you won’t regret it.

I Really Like This Thing, Ep. 3: Hajime no Ippo

March 10, 2020 / Winston

Timely reminders of the virtues of hard work and perseverance – and the importance of the details.

For the third installment, I talk about the long-running (30 years and counting!) manga/anime: Hajime no Ippo.

Life… kinda sucks, doesn’t it?

You can have all these plans; lose weight, work on your craft/career to open doors to more opportunities for yourself, be a good friend, etc. You can put in the time and energy to plan just how you want to do these things.

Then have it blow up in your face anyway because of factors outside your control.

Maybe it’s a difficult client, maybe it’s multiple bad days at work that leave you too checked out mentally to go for a run, maybe clashing schedules put months between opportunities to meet your friends.

Life is some real tough shit sometimes.

Control what you can

It’s a pretty common piece of advice that every over-thinker inevitably comes across – don’t let the things you can’t control overwhelm you. Just concentrate on the things that you can actually make a difference with, counting on no one but yourself.

Close the laptop at 6:30pm on the dot. Go for a run every evening. Lock down a date each month to meet your friends.

I’ve realized that sometimes not quitting just means not actually deciding to quit.
Kein Chua, co-founder of The pick and roll

It’s easier said than done, of course. But if you break it down to individual steps, it’s infinitely more doable.

And never has that principle been illustrated more poetically and accurately, both on a macro and micro level, than in Hajime no Ippo.

The very first issue. Ippo becomes much more swole over the course of the story.

The first step

Written by George Morikawa, Hajime no Ippo is a manga and anime about boxing. The title literally translates to “the first step”, which is a great tone setter for what the story is about.

It follows the growth and development of Makunouchi Ippo, who begins the story as a shy, socially-awkward but well-meaning high school student.

Dude straight up gets bodied.

He starts off with low self-confidence, but after being introduced to boxing (and finding out that he loves it), he starts on a path of passion and growth that comes to define his life.

Through it all, Ippo remains humble. Even after finding success, his dedication to his craft is still uppermost, not the fame or anything else. The author goes to great pains to show how Ippo obsesses over becoming a better boxer. He mumbles to himself incessantly, mulling over new concepts and techniques. He makes detailed notes – complete with anatomical diagrams – of how he and his opponents move and fight. He does his roadwork (aka, running) consistently and without complaint.

Every word he jots down, every footstep on each of his runs – they all matter.

Ippo’s gym mates – Takamura Mamoru, Kimura Tatsuya, Aoki Masaru – all have their own stories too. Same goes for Kamogawa Genji, owner and head coach of the Kamogawa Boxing Gym, which they are all members of.

Production value

Morikawa has a background in boxing, and his understanding of everything about the sport, from training to matches and even coming to terms with a loss, are all well-represented.

Nowhere is this more apparent than in the fights themselves, which are beautifully illustrated and animated so you can feel the weight behind every punch thrown. There are also inspired soundtrack and sound design choices, the latter of which I’ll talk a bit more about later.

An early fight in the series – Ippo vs. Ozuma

3-Step program

What’s a sports manga/anime without signature abilities, right? Here’re Ippo’s:

From a complete novice, he learns how to harness his innate ability to punch really hard to come up with the devastating Liver Blow.

The Liver Blow is basically a body blow that’s anime-d to the Nth degree, but you still feel its power.

This helps him win his first matches, but as you might expect, as he goes up the ranks he comes to realize that the “Liver Blow” alone isn’t enough. He meets an opponent that requires him to learn a new move – the Gazelle Punch.

It’s a pretty long video, but this is the level of emphasis the author puts on showing exactly how Ippo improves his craft.

From there, the next one is the highlight move of the whole manga/anime. Even if you’ve never watched or read Hajime no Ippo, you might have come across this term in passing: The Dempsey Roll.

Breathtaking.

Let’s go back to the sound design point from earlier. Listen to how the sheer power of the Dempsey Roll is represented by the sound of jet engines revving up and finally blasting off. Then, silence. Silence for just long enough to impress upon the viewer the weight of the moment.

And, the animation. You feel the weight behind every movement – how Ippo decides to step in, shift his weight and weave and bob faster, and finally, how he gets into the rhythm of the rolling sequence.

None of it is just for flash and pizzazz either. By engaging the viewer in every possible way – aurally, emotionally, physically – Hajime no Ippo establishes a connection with them that they can truly feel to the core of their being.

Trust the process

Let’s pause for a moment. I’m a writer, and a storyteller. Most of the games I play are RPGs, or otherwise have a strong story element to them. And, for the most part, after I’m done with a game or book or movie, I don’t go back to them.

All of which to say: spoilers are one of the biggest no-nos in my book. They affect my enjoyment of all of the above, sometimes ruining the experience entirely.

Therefore, don’t worry that I’m just putting Ippo’s three signature moves out there just like that. They’re spoilers, but actually no, not really.

Because, you see, that’s the best thing about Hajime no Ippo – its beauty lies in the process.

The story takes great pains to show him learning everything from scratch. It takes a while before he even knows how to throw a jab – the most basic punch in boxing – properly.

Additionally, in between learning each of these moves is a whole lot of story: about his training, about his friends and coach, about his opponents – and they all weave together beautifully to show how and why he comes to fight the way he does.

Ippo can punch really hard from the get-go. That doesn’t come from nowhere, it’s because he’s built up great upper body strength from helping his mother with the fishing boat family business. Takamura is a genius-level natural when it comes to boxing, and he’s cocky about it – what keeps him tied to this small gym? Everything has a really good explanation.

The details matter, sometimes in ways you don’t recognize at first.

And don’t worry – if you watch the anime, you’ll realize that all I’ve done by showing his three moves is merely foreplay.

The best fight

Keeping with my stance that spoilers essentially don’t matter for this series, I’ll finish with my absolute favourite fight of the whole series: Takamura vs. Bryan Hawk.

The joys of YouTube; full fight with English subs!

That’s right, my top pick of the numerous fights in the series doesn’t even involve the protagonist. That’s how well Morikawa fleshes out the key supporting characters.

It’s Takamura’s first world title challenge, having conquered Japan; Bryan Hawk is a detestable human being who, among other things, punches the elderly Kamogawa in the lead-up to the fight. During the fight, we see Takamura, who’s been largely unbeatable in all his matches so far, legitimately challenged and pushed to the brink. We find out about what keeps him going through everything.

We don’t follow Takamura’s journey from scratch the way we follow Ippo’s, and we definitely won’t be able to relate as easily to his natural talent as we would with Ippo’s hard work. And yet, this fight’s story, told through events before as well as during the match, leaves an emotional impact that I would argue is the deepest of the whole series.

We tend to remember life via the moments that stick out. That one time you got top in class, or your first breakup. It’s all the times you felt like the happiest person in the world, or when you wished you never existed.

However, these events don’t just come out of nowhere. Whether you realize it or not, there are many steps and factors that come together to make these highlight (or lowlight) moments happen.

And once you realize that, there’s nothing that can’t be overcome.

Whatever your goals are, no matter whether you’re in a good starting position or you just had your plans fall apart, it all begins with a single step.

Take that first step today.

I Really Like This Thing, Ep. 2: Super Best Friends Play

September 29, 2019 / Winston

Influential and entertaining because of – not in spite of – their flaws.

This time: the YouTube channel Super Best Friends Play.

What’s your definition of a friend?

For me, it’s someone who I can be around with zero stress or expectations. Someone who’ll call me out on my nonsense. A person I can shit on, and who can shit on me (all in good fun, of course). It’s someone whom I wish the very best for.

They’re imperfect yet always trying their best to be a better person. They don’t hide all the bad stuff – they own who they are, flaws and all – and can laugh at themselves about it all.

Screenship

Could you ever build that sort of relationship with someone you never actually meet, or talk to?

Well, I don’t know, but I think I got as close as I think is actually possible.

Say hello to the Super Best Friends.

The members of SBFP. From L to R (ignore the Pepsimen in the middle): Pat, Liam, Matt, Woolie

Before Twitch and streaming came around, there was only the humble Let’s Play (LP). Edited videos, usually no longer than 10 minutes or so, of games being played while the person(s) playing comments on things as they happen.

With SBFP, 10-minute videos became 30-minute ones over time. And over time, four random Canadians became fixtures of my day-to-day life.

Genesis

The channel started as Two Best Friends Play; it was just Matt and Pat initially. And it had rough beginnings:

Where it all started. Literally pointing a camera at the TV, not even joking.

This janky approach came to be a trademark of the channel. Their unofficial tagline was “We promise nothing and deliver less” – a self-deprecating joke very much in line with their “brand”.

Their video and presentation quality would improve markedly, but the largely-unfiltered and unplanned nature of their content persisted and is what I feel makes them so extremely enjoyable. It’s basically the same vibe as watching B-movies with friends at home.

As time went along, Woolie and then Liam came on board. All four of them each possess distinct characters, so things don’t go stale. Plus, the different combinations for different LPs – it could be any pair or trio (and sometimes, all four of them at once) taking on a particular game – helped.

They eventually started a podcast as well, which has been a staple of my week since it began.

Greatest hits

It’s really difficult to narrow it down to just five, and I’m doing a disservice to so many great ones, but here are my top five SBFP LPs:

Yakuza 4

The birth of something special.

When I started watching this LP, I had no idea whatsoever about the Yakuza games. It was an extremely niche series.

Now, I’m a lifelong devotee, and the franchise has grown leaps and bounds. The games speak for themselves, but it was through the push channels like SBFP (Pat, especially) gave that led to the series’ growth in popularity in the West. And what works there will find its way to Singapore.

This LP showcases pretty much everything Yakuza 4 has to offer, and is arguably one of the most influential series SBFP put out.

Rustlemania

Wrestling reference galore.

A month-long dive into wrestling games great and terrible, Rustlemania was one of the channel’s most enjoyable themed series.

While a part of my enjoyment likely came down to nostalgia from my childhood days of following the WWE, there are nevertheless some true laugh-out-loud moments in this series.

This includes one of THE best moments in all of SBFP history – it left me gasping for air from laughing too much when I first saw it.

Silent Hill 2

A rare serious LP

The Silent Hill 2 playthrough was really unique: most SBFP LPs are filled with jokes, but this was made to serve as an appreciation of one of the greatest horror video games of all time.

The respect with which Pat (who’s on the controls and who wanted to do this LP) approaches the whole game speaks for itself. If you’ve never heard of this game, or if you’ve heard of it but always wondered about its revered place in video game history, check this LP out.

Prison Break

Jank game gets new life

This is classic Matt-Pat at their very best – playing an objectively shitty game and losing their minds over it. The game is terrible, and the jokes simply present themselves.

It’s one of the most fun, easy watches, and I find myself going back to it every now and then.

Barkley, Shut Up and Jam: Gaiden

You don’t need to know basketball to enjoy this one.

This is another terrible-looking game. The difference is that it’s actually good, and extremely self-aware in its “badness”. The jokes and references in the game itself are already amazing, and Pat and Liam bring so much more.

This LP also has one of the few instances which left me quivering in silent laughter (you know the type). It’s essential viewing.

There are many more classics – Matt and Pat are particularly great with survival horror games – but I can’t list them all without turning this into a mini-archive of LPs.

Integrity

Despite the group’s haphazard nature, they stuck by one rule: they finish every game they start (save for a few, due to extenuating circumstances), no matter how terrible or broken the game may be.

This has led to some classic LPs where part of the fun was seeing them suffer. Yes, I know that sounds sadistic and perverse, but they demanded it of themselves; as an audience member, you laughed both at and with them. You suffered alongside them.

The Ride to Hell LP is probably the most entertaining example of such a game, although the Omikron one isn’t far behind.

Why yes, I did sneak another video recommendation in.

They also collaborate with and support many other content creators, from hiring animators to do LP series’ opening animations, to simply introducing their audience to other great video creators.

In essence, they’re just all around decent folk.

Sharing truly is caring

Two 30-minute videos a day, every single day, extended my pop culture horizons. Through SBFP, I learned of Persona, of Cromartie High School. I learned of Hajime no Ippo, of Yakuza.

Each and every one of these, among many others, will likely be getting their own episodes of I Really Like This Thing. It’s special.

The Best Friends played as big a role as anything else in shaping me to be who I am today – if not directly, then through sharing the things they loved with their audience.

That’s actually one of the main reasons I have for setting up and maintaining this site: through the things they did and shared, I’ve learned and experienced so much.

Their recommendations have made me laugh and cry in the best of ways, helping me to recognize the depths of my emotions. They made me truly feel things, and helped me to accept, understand, and deal with my inner demons better.

If four regular dudes can do that just by shit-talking each other and getting unabashedly excited about video games and anime (and putting it all on YouTube), then maybe I could do the same. Maybe I can make someone’s day a little better just by sharing some music or video game that’s captured my imagination.

The end

If you’ve made it this far, and are wondering why I’ve written so emotionally about what essentially is just a group of jokers having fun, it’s because the group has broken up.

They separated in late 2018, and I can still remember where I was when I learned of the news, and how I felt. It sounds a little silly for me to say such things about a YouTube channel, but that’s how much they meant to me.

After all, they were there for me almost every day for nine years… which is more than I can say for most human beings.

They’ve all gone on to do their own things now. Matt has his own channel, Liam streams, Pat streams, Woolie still does LPs and some streaming.

A small consolation is that my two favourites, Pat and Woolie, still collaborate regularly. They still do the podcast, which has since been re-branded to Castle Super Beast, and they’ve done a few LPs together.

It’s not quite the same, and I do miss the old dynamics. Still, better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all, I guess.

Godspeed, you magnificent bastards. And thank you for everything.

I Really Like This Thing, Ep. 1: SHISHAMO

August 19, 2019 / Winston

Music that speaks to the core.

This is a new series where I do my best to introduce something I, well, really like. They could be music bands, games – anything, really; the point is for me to just share. Worst case, you think my taste sucks. Best case, you learn about something cool.

First up: the Japanese three-piece band known as SHISHAMO.

I’ve been studying Japanese since 2014.

My maiden trip to Japan was in 2013. Having entered with zero expectations, I left with a newfound love for the country and its culture.

I took Japanese as a breadth subject when I started university the following year, and it’s gone on ever since.

I consumed my fair share of anime and manga prior to learning Japanese, but doing so opened up new avenues of understanding and appreciation of the language and its nuances.

It’s an ongoing thing – I’m never far away from coming across a new, amusing turn of phrase. For example, “I want to borrow a cat’s paw” ( 猫の手も借りたい ) means to be so busy that you’d like to get a cat to help. It makes sense in a tortured logic way, and the cute imagery helps to reinforce the memorization of the phrase.

Anyway, being able to understand Japanese lyrics (a little bit, anyway) opened up a whole new world of aural delights to me. I find myself discovering a new artist every couple months.

This journey more or less began with Perfume (who I’ll get into in a future edition of this series), but my favourite Japanese group is definitely SHISHAMO.

The members of SHISHAMO. From L to R: Matsuoka Aya (bass), Miyazaki Asako (guitar, vocals), Yoshikawa Misaki (drums)

A brief bio: SHISHAMO is a three-piece rock outfit from Kawasaki, a city located in the Kanagawa prefecture in Japan. Miyazaki and Yoshikawa formed the band in high school in 2010, with original bassist Matsumoto Aya. Matsumoto eventually left due to a promise she made to herself that she would leave the band upon turning 20. She was replaced by Matsuoka Aya.

(I know, the two bassists have VERY similar names. Very confusing.)

Confessions

Here’s where I out myself as a “fake fan”: I don’t know a lot of their history, I don’t actually follow every single they put out, and it was only through some light research for this post that I found out they’ve released five albums (and one Best Of) so far.

The Japanese music industry does seem a little archaic and difficult for non-Japanese (and for those living outside of the country) to really keep up with. I mean, CD releases are still major events! The rest of the world has pretty much moved on to streaming!

Tower Records is still a thing!

Anyway, I’m no expert (and I’m happy to be corrected). But, coming from a lazy Singaporean’s point of view, it’s definitely not easy navigating the Japanese music maze.

Connections

What I DO know, however, is that most of what SHISHAMO has made readily available to worldwide audiences (through its YouTube channel) has carved out an indelible place in my heart.

Their sad songs align with the exact flavour of melancholy I experience every now and then, providing a sort of kinship and understanding that is difficult or impossible to find elsewhere.

As for their more aggressive tunes: the anger stems from a specific brand of spite and pettiness that’s evocative of the childish outbursts of a teenager. It’s a raw kind of hurt, expressed in a petulant-but-ultimately-ineffective lashing out.

And that’s what I think forms the emotional backbone of their music: they sing for, and from the perspective of, a high school student. Every song is laced with a dash of youthful brashness, a measure of (over)sensitivity, and a (insert measurement term here) of insecurity, even as they grow older (the members are all 24 years old).

That combination speaks to me, and works almost like a reflection – even though they largely come from the point of view of a teenage girl.

Top tracks

Here are my top three favourite songs of theirs:

[With honourable mentions to 「水色の日々」(“Mizuiro no Hibi” / “Light Blue Days”) and 「ねぇ、」(“Nee,” / “Hey,”)]

「BYE BYE」

「BYE BYE」 was the first song of theirs that I put on an indefinite loop; I don’t have many songs that I would ever listen to over and over again, back to back to back, but this was one of them. I still have a great time listening to this one every time, even after the freshness has long worn off.

It left an immediate impression due to it being the first song I heard from them that had any kind of edge to it – it was the first time I actually heard Miyazaki sing from a place of anger and defiance.

(I’m no expert on describing the music itself, but the driving bass line doesn’t hurt either.)

The lyrics speak of a person angrily imploring themselves to move on from a breakup, throwing barbs both at the ex and themselves. Pretty standard breakup song material, but the cherry on top is this part (I apologize in advance for any mistakes in translating, but I believe it’s generally correct):

あーあ　最後まで君はね
Ah, the you at the end
あーあ　知らないままだったよ
Ah, didn’t know
本当の私　知った気でいたでしょう？
Did you know the real me?
本当はいつも寂しかったし
I was always lonely
本当はもっと私笑えるし
I could really stand to smile more
空を飛んでる姿だって知らないでしょ？
You don’t know that you’re flying in the sky, do you?
なにも、知らないでしょ？
You don’t know anything at all, do you?

The drums and bass also cut out for this part, leaving just the guitar to howl out the greatest regret of the dead relationship – a lack of any real connection to begin with.

「私の夜明け」 (“Watashi no Yoake” / “My Dawn”)

「私の夜明け」

「私の夜明け」is more in line with most of their songs: soft, emotional, and containing a lot of self-criticism.

It’s perfect music for when you’re feeling sad and want to just dive deep into the gloom. That might not sound like it’s healthy, but I think it allows one to fully explore the misery and understand it. No feelings are buried and left to fester.

The song is basically a lamentation. Some unknown trigger brings about the self-hatred again, and every insecurity and dissatisfaction the author has with themselves is brought up:

もっと上手になりたいな
I want to be better
大切にしたりされたりとか
Or cherished
戦うことも逃げることも
Whether it’s fighting or running away
上手じゃないから後悔するんだろうな
I’ll regret it because I’m no good

As with 「BYE BYE」 , there is a highlight verse:

「なんで私ばかり」心のどこかでいつも思ってる
“Why is it only me,” I always think, somewhere in my heart
それでも人は言う　「辛いのはあなただけじゃない」
People say, “You’re not the only one who has it bad”
そんな言葉が聞きたいわけじゃない
I don’t want to hear such words
分かってるくせにな
Even though I know they’re true

Sometimes, who gives a shit that you’re not the only one who’s feeling down, or that there are people worse off. You’re unhappy, you need help; that’s all you care about in that moment.

But still, the song ends with a glimmer of hope:

それでも朝は来る
Still, when the morning comes
息をして、時々笑う
Breathe, laugh a little
ああ、まだ歩ける　歩いていける
I can still walk… I can still walk

Dive in, face your demons, and realize you can keep going after all.

「ほら、笑ってる」 (“Hora, Waratteru” / “Look, Laughing”)

「ほら、笑ってる」

We’ll end on a hopeful note.「ほら、笑ってる」is similar to 「私の夜明け」in that there are strong elements of insecurity and oversensitiveness. In this case however, they’re used as jumping off points to a more positive mindset.

いつもどこかで間違える
I’m always making mistakes somewhere
そんな自分が嫌だった
I hate that me
でも　こんな私でも
But even for the me that is like that
ほっといてくれない人がいて
There are people who won’t abandon me
そんな人のために
For the sake of those people
笑っていたくて　走っていたくて
I want to smile and carry on running

This song reminds you that even in the times when you can’t seem to do anything right, there are people who’ll stick by you. Your closest friends, your family, your significant other – whoever they may be, you’re never alone, and you have much to continue to fight for.

I suppose it’s a bit of a cliched and sappy idea, but I don’t think that makes it any less true. It’s especially important to remember that when you’re feeling really alone in the world.

Also, the chorus:

奇跡なんて起きない
Miracles don’t happen
そんなことはもう分かってる
I know that well
でも　悲しくなんてないよ
But I won’t be sad
小さな幸せ　あなたと数える
I’ll count all the small happiness with you
奇跡なんていらない
I don’t need miracles
そんなものよりキラキラしたもの
There are things that shine brighter than that
もう私はたくさん持ってる
I already have a lot
ほら、空も笑ってる
Look, the sky is smiling too

We shouldn’t always be looking for the next big break or a windfall of good luck. Miracles simply don’t happen; it’s more important to celebrate the blessings you already have.

What I like the most about SHISHAMO is that their songs don’t shy away from the selfish, petulant emotions we all feel when things aren’t going well. I think getting to understand those things about ourselves, rather than burying it deep inside, makes for better long term mental health.

As someone who’s always constantly dealing with loneliness, their music encourages me to see the bigger picture, but without invalidating or denying the emotions I feel, self-centered and narrow-minded as they may be.

They let me be me, while also helping me be better.

How do you spell that thing Keanu Reeves says?

June 24, 2019 / Winston

Whoa? Woah? Woa?

Keanu Reeves has been experiencing a resurgence in the public consciousness lately. From John Wick to Always Be My Maybe and even Toy Story 4, it seems his agent has been hard at work.

He even appeared on the E3 stage, presenting the latest trailer and the release date for the Cyberpunk 2077 (which I’m definitely getting), creating a new meme in the process.

Can you believe this guy is 54 years old? I can’t.

But before ‘breathtaking’, Keanu’s most memorable quote was another singular, exclamatory word:

Whoa.

… which is what this piece is really about. Not the incomparable Mr. Reeves. (Sorry.)

As you can see, I spell the word like so: ‘whoa’. The first time I read the word, it was spelled like this, and that’s now etched into my mind as the one true and right way to do so.

But today I came across an article that spelled it as ‘woah’. And at the risk of being meta (in a stupid way), my first reaction was: “Whoa. Why do people spell it that way?”

(To be clear: it’s not the first time I’ve seen it spelled ‘woah’. But it WAS the first time I stopped to think about it.)

It just looks… wrong to me. It is, without hyperbole, a crime against nature to spell it that way.

I stopped to consider its pronunciation, broken down into phonetic form – wouldn’t that sound like ‘wo-ah’? Which is so obviously wrong that I don’t even need to point it out, do I?

But then, ‘whoa’ broken down in the same way would be ‘wh-o-aye’, and suddenly: incoming existential crisis.

How SHOULD it be spelled then, to fit its pronunciation? The best I could come up with was ‘whoh’, but thinking and typing that out was so painfully unnatural. Look how they (I) massacred my boy.

via GIPHY

My bullshit aside, I think this exercise reminded me that first impressions tend to leave the deepest… impression.

(I write for a living, y’all.)

Another example, and another chance to laugh at me: I must’ve skimmed by really fast when I first read the word ‘abysmal’, because for many years, I thought it was spelled ‘absymal’. I even tried to correct a friend once.

So! While what you see at first might irrevocably colour the way you understand something or someone, sometimes it pays to go back and re-think those opinions.

You never really know something or someone until you give it a few months of active consideration, at least.

… except for words. Just double-check those more than none at all, and you should do better than me.

‘Stupid-Cool’ or: How I learned to stop worrying and love the weird stuff I do

June 21, 2019 / Winston

The best kind of people are smart and can poke fun at themselves. Turns out, it’s the same for games.

Have you ever heard of Metal Gear Solid? Broadly speaking, it’s the game series that revolutionized the cinematic possibilities of video games, and brought stealth gaming to a whole new level.

The opening of the first PS1 game was straight out of Hollywood:

The series has an anti-war message coursing through it. Some of the games in the franchise have themes: Gene (MGS1), Meme (MGS2), Scene (MGS3), Sense (MGS4), and Peace (MGS Peace Walker). They inform the overall story, and series creator Hideo Kojima tries to convey some very serious ideas through these games.

So the series has got to be really deep and meaningful, right? Well, yes and no. Because this series also has some crazy nonsense in it:

This Mad Hatter mix isn’t clearly demarcated between the serious and funny parts either, because you get comedic gameplay elements too:

And you know what? I love it. I love this insane juxtaposition. I love it so much. I dub these hi-jinks ‘stupid-cool’, because I can’t think of anything better (feel free to let me know if you have a better term!).

Here’s another example:

It’s a cyborg ninja, battling a giant robot that looks and acts like a dinosaur, with a sword known as a high-frequency blade (for visual purposes, it’s essentially a katana, which means Japanese sword), backed by an electro-metal (?) soundtrack that knows that holding back the vocal track until it kicks into the climax of the fight just makes things that much sicker, topped off with a cool sheathing-the-sword-with-my-back-to-the-explosions pose to close the scene.

(Run-on sentence? You’re goddamn right I’m using a run-on sentence. It’s the least I could do to describe… that.)

The key here is that it’s all presented straight. No nudge-nudge wink-wink “hehe it’s kinda wacky and kooky isn’t it hehe” awareness in the delivery. This allows the audience to make their own judgment call: take it straight, or choose to see the ridiculous elements.

The beauty of this is that it isn’t a mutually-exclusive choice. You can enjoy it both as a soooooo coooooool cyborg vs. giant robot fight, and as a hilarious commentary on cliched elements in Japanese pop culture narrative subtexts and you know what I’m just throwing words together but you get my point. And you can do both simultaneously.

The MGS series isn’t the only one that does this. The Devil May Cry and Yakuza series are also amazing at this balancing act.

Dunkey sums up the contrast good…

… he sums it up real good.

(But I don’t agree with his review; buy Yakuza 0 and try it for yourself, I guarantee you’ll be crying at the end, the story’s great)

To me, games like these are representative of life itself – neither 100% serious nor 100% fun, an amalgamation of emotions largely out of our control.

There’s another facet to all this too: there’s a certain dignity that comes with enjoying things to the fullest, in a very innocent, 10-year-old-kid way, even if they’re really niche, somewhat weird things.

Especially if they’re really niche, somewhat weird things.

It’s a form of honesty, which is refreshing in a world that judges you for everything from your clothes to the food you eat.

Of course, it helps that these are good games. But even if they weren’t, the fact that the humour and storytelling of these games come from a pure “I just want you to enjoy yourself” kind of place, means that you can’t help but be touched.

More than anything else, it’s real. And perhaps that’s what matters the most.

John Wick 3: A change of heart

May 21, 2019 / Winston

There was more here. It’s gone now.

(Note: this post contains spoilers for John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum)

It’s usually the ones you love that hurt you the most.

Alright, that’s an over-dramatic way to begin. Especially since I didn’t hate John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum by any means.

I was, however, disappointed.

(I’m miserable when it comes to movies, aren’t I?)

That said, I can’t bring myself to blame the movie too much for my disappointment, because I think it comes down to my expectations and how I managed them.

And I suppose I should have known the franchise was going towards the ‘violence for fun’ route when the marketing for this film included Keanu Reeves answering fan questions while playing with puppies:

Nothing wrong with Keanu Reeves. Nothing wrong with puppies. Nothing wrong with Keanu Reeves playing with puppies.

But everything’s wrong with having any marketing material have this tone leading up to the movie.

You see, my disappointment stems from this: I brought up the phrase ‘violence for fun’ earlier – and that, as a concept, is totally fine. Mortal Kombat has gone on for as long as it has with that as its main shtick.

The problem is, John Wick wasn’t about that when it started. It was about a man on a mission, doing only what was needed to get to his goal. The means didn’t matter, only the end. The first movie was so breathtaking and refreshing because it didn’t mess around with fun and games.

I’ll offer an example:

He’s been chasing Iosef the whole time, finally gets to the son of a bitch who took everything from him – and he just shoots him in the gut and finishes him off with a head shot. No torture, no sadistic glee, no triumphant monologue. Doesn’t even allow him to finish his last sentence.

That’s what John Wick used to be about.

Instead of ‘violence for fun’, the first movie was ‘violence as art’.

You might argue that this statement doesn’t jive with what I just mentioned about John being all about the results, but this art I speak of had more to do with how the fight scenes were filmed, and not what actually happened during the fights.

During the fights, John just did what he had to to get out of there alive and work towards his goal. It just so happened that the most effective way of going about things involved fancy judo flips and realistically-beautiful (beautifully-realistic?) gun kata.

Far and away my favourite action scene of all time

I felt a slight deviation from this formula in the second movie, but I based that more on a weaker motivation driving his actions. It wasn’t as good as the first, but I was still good with it.

This third one however… let me just quickly list the few ways (that I can remember off the top of my head) in which it went off the rails and tipped the scales too much in the fan service, ‘violence for fun’ direction:

1. Zero

This is the Japanese assassin guy played by Mark Dacascos. He jokes around way too much. Even though he’s obviously very proficient at his craft, the fact that every other sentence he utters is some kind of wisecrack just ruins him. Even his dying words were used to make jokes.

Ninjas are very, very serious people, not Deadpool wannabes. Have some pride.

2. Action movie one-liners

Speaking of Zero’s death, it was played for laughs, with John Wick himself providing the punchline:

Zero: “I’ll catch up to you.”

Wick: “… No, you won’t.”

Let me just state that I LOVE stupid action movie one-liners. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Commando is one of my favourite movies exactly because of its stupid one-liners.

COMEDY GOLD I TELLS YA

But, once again, this isn’t what John Wick is supposed to be about. What makes this point even sadder is that his one-liners weren’t even all that funny. *Price is Right sad horn sound*

3. Guest stars from The Raid

In case you didn’t know, the two Indonesian assassins John fights near the end are played by actors from The Raid and The Raid 2. I didn’t watch the second movie, but the first The Raid was an intense AF action movie with some amazing (and brutal!) fight scenes.

Watch it if you haven’t.

They’re popular movies, famous for their fight choreography. Well worth a gander.

Sadly, the fight scene in Parabellum with the two Indonesian assassins was fan service at its worst: at the expense of the integrity of the John Wick character and world. The fight featured two points where John got knocked down and should have been killed. Instead, the two assassins let him stand up in his own time, laughing and joking the whole way.

This was a friendly spar, not a life and death battle. And John didn’t even kill them in the end! What happened to shooting everyone in the head to make sure?

Parabellum is still a really great film. The realistic gun usage and fight scenes are all still peerless, and although I have some minor gripes with the story, there’s nothing I really mind that much.

And despite all my criticisms, I am still looking forward to the next sequel (although I do hope it’s the last one – the story is ripe for ending, and dragging it out further would reek of desperation).

What makes me so sad is that by taking this turn towards fan service and just having fun, the franchise has thrown its heart and soul out the window.

I can have lots of fun with movies – they don’t all have to be some deep, life-changing thing to me. I’ll enjoy a fun Home Alone or Back to the Future romp any time. But John Wick – the first one specifically – inspired me and made me fall in love.

I went into the theater looking for fun, and left with art.

Unfortunately, this third installment took me on the return journey.

Detective Pikachu: Wasted potential

May 18, 2019 / Winston

Great look, blah story, potential springboard.

I’m not a massive Pokemon fan.

Sure, I still play Pokemon Go, and I’m always going to check out the new mainline games as they come out. But the franchise doesn’t hit the spot like it used to in my childhood.

The thing is, back then, it hit the spot so good. So good that I’ll have, at the very least, a mild interest in Pokemon for life.

(Pokemon Gold/Silver is still the best in the series, don’t @ me)

All of which to say: I knew I had to go watch Detective Pikachu as soon as I saw the trailer.

It was almost like a reflex. I didn’t know anything about the actors involved (aside from Ryan Reynolds and Ken Watanabe), and the trailers revealed close to zilch about the story, but I had to watch it anyway.

Reality is often disappointing

Unfortunately, the trailers represent the movie too accurately.

What do I mean by that? Well, the movie has barely any more story than the trailers. I thought that it was stellar trailer work at first – getting people hyped for the movie without spoiling anything – but it turns out… there’s pretty much nothing to spoil.

The plot was a vehicle to show more Pokemon and to set up jokes, nothing more. In that sense, the movie was disappointingly mediocre.

Coming to life

However, being like the trailers isn’t all bad. The movie delivered on its promise to show us a ‘live-action’ world where Pokemon and humans co-exist. They did it so well that I wish that was the whole movie.

A Pokemon ‘documentary’! Tell me I’m not the only one who thinks that would be a great follow-up.

And maybe that’s all this movie is really good for: setting up the ‘Pokemon Live-Action Universe’ (or whatever you want to call it). The story possibilities are virtually endless.

But they definitely could’ve made a stronger first impression.

At the end of the day, I don’t actually dislike this movie. In fact, I’d still (lightly) encourage people to spend the money to catch it in theaters. But this sentiment is heavily dependent on a lifetime of liking Pokemon, and the goodwill that the franchise has built up over time with me.

Still, as someone who is almost always story-first in my media consumption preferences, even all the good vibes and nostalgia in the world couldn’t save this movie from being a letdown for me.

Seeing Pokemon ‘in real life’ was really cool – let’s hope they do something better with it next time.

The 3.5 times I cried during Avengers: Endgame

May 13, 2019 / Winston

I shed tears. Well, almost did, anyway.

Avengers: Endgame is out, and the spoiler ban was lifted on 6 May. All the reviews and Easter egg hunts are done and over with, and now I think it’s time to look at it through more personal lenses.

Apparently many people shed tears watching Endgame. I mean, the Google results for ‘cried during avengers endgame’ speak for themselves:

I wasn’t too different – I didn’t straight up bawl, but my eyes did get watery at a few points, each of them for quite different reasons. Let’s get into them.

(Why am I trying to be clever by saying ‘3.5 times’? Well, you’ll see.)

1. Guardians of the Galaxy, Redux

The first instance… prompted happy tears. War Machine and Nebula’s trip back in time (and through space) to Morag gave us a different POV on Star-Lord’s little trip to get the Power Stone, and the opportunity to relive the beginning of what is probably the happiest corner of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The GotG are hands down the best part of the MCU for me, and I’m looking forward to a third movie for these goofballs, now with 100% more God of Thunder.

2. Iron Man and Spider-Man meeting again

This was the easy one. I bet everyone cried here.

I went back to watch Spider-Man: Homecoming after Endgame, and it was plain to see that their relationship and how it played out was planned out meticulously from the very beginning. Tony Stark was pretty clear in saying and showing that he was taking a huge bet on Peter Parker back then – it was a leap of faith for him that you could tell he was never 100% sure about. He was always worried for Spidey.

Peter was pretty much his biggest motivation in coming back to the Avengers after initially brushing them off. He had a family and a quiet life away from all of that business. He totally could have chosen to stay away and it would have been fine and completely understandable. But losing Peter was the one wrong he absolutely had to right.

Their relationship, from the overall arc and down to the littlest details like the hug, was very well done. Very neat, very *chef’s kiss*

2.5. The cavalry has arrived

Probably another easy one. When the Dr. Strange sparky circle thingies started appearing and all the various heroes and armies showed up at the final battle, that was just great timing, in terms of the ebb and flow of the fight.

I started tearing at this but caught myself, thinking ‘nah this is just cool, not emotional’ – that’s why it gets just 0.5. But yeah, still pretty sweet.

The ‘Avengers Assemble’ line was pretty much compulsory, but I always felt it to be a clunky line, so its impact is lost on me.

3. Thor is still worthy

This one. This one is the one I feel like only I really felt.

I’ll be the first to admit that I never found much of the Asgard stuff very interesting – I don’t think the Thor movies did a good job of showing why we should give a toss about the place. We only ever saw the ‘highlight’ characters (Thor, Loki, Odin, etc.), and we never got the chance to understand what life is like for the Asgardians. We never had the chance to relate to them, so there was no way we would feel too much for them even as their home world got destroyed.

They did a damn fine job with Thor though. Changing him from a serious, straight man into a joker goofball was a great decision, and they didn’t do it at the expense of the integrity of his character.

Anyway, I think the reason I felt most strongly about this scene was because I relate to it very much. As with everyone else, I’ve had my share of ups and downs; during the valleys, I sometimes wonder if the peaks were all just illusions – whether I deserved any of that happiness.

When you’re at the lowest of the low, getting affirmation that you’re still a person worthy of respect, of love, is the greatest pick-me-up you could hope for.

I’ve felt like Thor before; I’m sure I’ll feel it again. Keeping the faith that I’ll always be worthy as long as my heart doesn’t lose its way is sometimes all that keeps me going. Seeing Thor get affirmation via Mjolnir was the cinematic, fictional representation of that. I understood it.

I felt it.

***

I do, of course, have other thoughts on Endgame, but I doubt they’re too interesting to get into. Suffice to say, I enjoyed it, and I’m now curious about how they intend to continue the MCU.

Just give me more Guardians and I’ll be happy.