Getting Along with Hopelessness: The Existential Joy of Girls’ Last Tour

Part 1: Zetsubou~, Zetsubou~, Zetsubou~

…So there was no hope after all. All those years, toiling away alone…. But well, now that I’ve failed…I feel so relaxed.
~Ishii, Chapter 16

Shoujo Shuumatsu Ryouko, localized as Girls’ Last Tour, is a series by Tsukumizu that focuses on Chito and Yuuri, two girls driving around a post-apocalyptic world in a Kettenkrad, continuously moving, scavenging for food, shelter, and fuel wherever they can find it. It’s a Sisyphean existence where nothing is gained or accomplished past being replenishing their reserves to keep moving. They have no purpose beyond continuing their own existence.

Most stories set in a post-apocalyptic, posthuman world  would focus on the existential despair and dread of being alone in the world, without purpose, and constantly confronted with mortality. However, when Girls’ Last Tour delves into these ideas, it does so in a way that I can only describe as “existential joy.”

Digicast 12: Kari’s KFC Adventures (Tri Part 5)

Most Digimon podcasts get their Tri episodes out in a timely manner. We are not most Digimon podcasts. Tom, Buggy, Chris, and Maddy growing increasingly frustrated with this episode of Tri until it goes from 0 to 60. And even then they’re still pretty frustrated with it. Also, this is the first episode Chris became editor for!

Juni Taisen, Battle Royales, and Survivor Edgic

Juni Taisen is, in my opinion, about the worst possible way you can write a battle royale storyline. It’s entirely predictable, and while many battle royales are, that’s because they usually have a clear protagonist, unlike the ensemble cast that Juni Taisen has. And yet, in spite of this very complaint, I actually find Juni Taisen incredibly interesting.

The Last of Us and the Importance of Player Agency

So I just recently finished The Last of Us (yes, yes, I’m years late to this party) and I am…upset about it. I was really enjoying the game until the ending, at which point everything completely fell apart for me. I’ve never been the type of person to think that something needs a good ending to be good, but at least in this case, The Last of Us’s ending ended up sullying the whole experience for me.

Obviously, spoilers are going to follow.

Deathnet Noteflix

Having just watched the Netflix live-action Death Note movie (while consuming apples, potato chips, and a little bit of rum), Buggy and his friend Jonathan sit down to give their impressions on the film.

Spiral Radio Episode 2 – Death Note

“How did you get into anime?” This is a question anime fans love asking each other, and in this episode, Andrew “Buggy” Koerner shares his story of getting into anime through Death Note, as well as searching for why its once-insane popularity seems to have waned so drastically.

Third Seat Special 3 – Monogatari Interview with Josh Dunham

Almost a year and a half ago, I had my first conversation with Josh Dunham, which I used as material in the first episode of Spiral Radio. It was heavily pared down and I didn’t want the conversation to just go unheard, so I’m releasing the unedited audio for all to listen to.

Digicast 11: Minami and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (The Tamers Movies)

Tamers was good, right? So the movies based off of Tamers are going to be good too, right? Tom, Buggy, Chris, and Maddy quickly realize that no, that’s not quite true as they discuss the Okinawa Board of Tourism, Minami’s Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day, half-vanished dubs, and daddy issues.

Bugshrugs: Crunchyroll Expo is Already a Shitshow

For better or worse, Crunchyroll is perhaps the biggest face of anime fandom in the English-speaking world. They currently have the largest catalogue of streaming anime, they provide news articles and blog features, and they have a heavy social media presence, to the point you could argue it’s much too heavy. They have their detractors, sure, but they’re unarguably one of the biggest players in the game. So when they announced they’d be holding their own convention, it was a logical step that plenty of people were excited about. But as I look through the guests they’ve announced to this point (the morning of August 8th), I’m worried that it’s going to be, as the title of this post implies, a fucking shitshow.

It Bugs Me: Fate/Still Confused

The Fate franchise is a fantastic and exciting one that I absolutely love. On paper, that is. In practice, it’s something I think I’d really be into, but it’s tied up in a whole bunch of convoluted bullshit that I’ve approached the wrong way, dipping my toes into only enough pools to gain a vague, incorrect understanding of what’s going on.