Same. This factor basically killed the game for me.

I agree, I wish we could have had enough episodes to finish the trial arc but alas.

I have similar albeit conflicted feelings towards Ghost in the Shell (2026) which just concluded it's run. Now to be clear I greatly enjoyed this adaptation and have zero regrets experiencing it. I could gush about the raw style and animation for an hour.

Buuuuuut, if I'm being honest, I do get the impression that GitS and it's original source material is more interested in showing us cool set pieces and presenting philosophical arguments than it is about telling a particularly coherent story or character arc.

Again, I'm trying to find a middle ground here cause I liked it a lot. But it also ends super abruptly and made it abundantly clear that it had no interest in wrapping up any of the plots it had started, or even giving us a particularly strong in-character reason for why Motoko made the choice she made, other than "hey isn't this neat?"

Completely agree on Goodbye, Lara! It’s such a sweet and endearing show. I’m a little sad it’s almost over.

The Miyazaki comparison is so accurate. I’m particularly stuck by how things move, like the witch zooming around compared to No Face and other similar monsters.

Exactly, I know I’m being advertised to but I appreciate the effort and genuine humor that went into this. I couldn’t help but laugh.

Interesting. I haven't watched any speedruns personally but I don't doubt you on that.

I do think there is a subtle difference between "this game can be broken if you know the tricks" and "you can just walk around and explore the world if you want to", which at least in my experience felt more true of past entries.

Looks great! My one hope/ask is we get a little more openness and ability to explore compared to Dread, which felt somewhat on a rail at times. Otherwise I’m excited for this entry.

The framing of this is so funny. We haven’t found it yet but it isn’t off the table. You could say that’s true for a lot of things.

Making me want to replay control before the sequel comes out. If only there were more time in the day.

This season I have been watching....

Goodbye, Lara

Caught my attention initially when I saw people comparing Lara to Suletta Mercury, and honestly, the comparison ain't that far off. It's incredibly cute and endearing so far along with being an interesting twist on the story of The Little Mermaid.

Ghost in the Shell

I am absolutely in love with the aesthetic of this adaptation. I adore weird gremlin Motoko vs the more dead serious version we've seen in other incarnations. This won't be everyone's cup of tea but I am here for it.

The one thing that has surprised me is just how little a lot of the interweaving politics in each episode seems to matter; I started out expecting something of a building or recurring plot thread. I was concerned because the relationships between countries feels fairly complex and I thought I was falling behind. Who's platinum reserves are they and why do they matter, again? But what I've ultimately come to accept is that honestly very little of this actually matters. The platinum ain't coming back, we've moved on to something else. I'm enjoying this show on vibes and philosophy more than the exact nuts and bolts of political intrigue.

Young Ladies Don't Play Fighting Games

I posted in the past about loving last year's Rock is a Lady's Modesty, and Fighting Games is squarely up that alley. Although with fewer BDSM fantasies and the girls are not as foul mouthed when they get worked up. Anyway, I'm finding this show to be an absolute delight so far.

Chainsmoker Cat

Ok, this show has been... controversial, understandably. There's a ton of humor that is either gross or just kinda low bar. To be honest I'm not really one for fart jokes 99% of the time. But what I appreciate is how Yani Neko interweaves it's stupidity with moments of real biting commentary, or occasionally even something approaching beautiful. Moments that feel genuinely touching that are then swiftly undercut by the protagonist being kind of the worst. It's that emotional whiplash that keeps me intrigued because I feel like I never know what is going to happen at any time.

Honorable mention: I'm in the middle of probably the longest Serial Experiments Lain watch ever. I started back in March, fell off, and am working on it again when my other shows are on cooldown. I still don't really know what the hell is going on in the story. But I really like it especially as a sort of time capsule into what people thought the internet was or could become back in 1998. Also, I now more than ever wish I could lounge around my bedroom with a pair of cozy bear jammies and an old CRT computer screen.

My issues with 4 stemmed from the base crafting and defense systems. It felt like trend chasing at a time when every game had to have crafting. I’d be out exploring some cool area of the wasteland when suddenly my radio is blowing up asking me to come home and fend off raiders. Nah, I’m good.

God speed to you, hope your experience is better than mine! 🫡