Not understanding the larger context or who any of the referenced characters are is what kept me away. I gave it one episode and couldn’t understand what was happening so I bailed. It needed more narrative training wheels for folks like me.

Sad to see Apocalypse Hotel not here, but happy to see Lazarus suffering from its narrative wheel-spinning and complete lack of character definition.

Heuristics are real things deserving of both respect and fear.

https://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=17%2F-27.990030%2F153.423950

Immediately using the radio to try to talk to her grandpa in the afterlife…

My heart…!

Appreciating the deep cuts referenced here. Both Lain and Haibane Ranme have been on my meaning-to-rewatch list for a while.

The notion that 45% approve of what’s actually happening is appalling.

I think everybody with eyes was doing the Leonardo DiCaprio meme at that guy in the encampment.

And +1 on both solid trans representation, and having old friends acting cool and supportive when they discover it. So good!

Cars made to be sold and driven in Japan (aka JDM vehicles, for Japanese Domestic Market) can not be imported into the US until they are over 25 years old. This is part of a series of import laws that American vehicle manufacturers lobbied for to keep foreign cars from dominating domestic marketplaces.

The US also has crash test safety standards that domestic cars must meet because a) safety is good, and b) people drive tanks like maniacs. Kei cars used to be pretty awful in crash tests, but have gotten a lot better in recent years.

I’m watching the subtitled version and don’t speak Japanese, but I get the sense that the rapid-fire dialogue may be serving some fun comedic timing that doesn’t translate via subtitles. The first episode had a frenetic energy that seemed to jive with that kind of tone.

But this second episode, oof. The charm wore off fast, and the entire purpose seemed to just be a dumping ground for Azu to treat everyone like a gigantic turd while the entire cast absorbed it and never reacted. That’s a lot of lost opportunities for character moments.

I will give the show at least one more episode purely to see where they’re going with this Azu plot twist.

Anime Feminist right now: 😬

yeeted by science

I believe so, but they’re going to use the public tweet to argue that the tip was public. “It’s not insider trading if it’s all out in the open.”

Mafioso shit.

Jack Reacher, the vanilla gorilla.

Not just a tool for monitoring, but a tool for propaganda delivery and indoctrination for anyone with a message and cash to burn.

Proper journalism costs money and requires focused attention to consume and metabolize. Propaganda is shiny, sweet, goes down easy and it’s always free.

Because they’re both directed by the same guy (Shinichirō Watanabe), written by the same guy (Dai Satō), and produced by the same studio (MAPPA).

Isn’t a lot of that just fancy chemistry?

“AMATEURS!” bellows the shadowy mathematician from the dark corner.

Column 5, after coming out: “I just want to be.”

Woke: Get illegally fired and act like you were fired illegally. Keep going to work. Let security block your entry. Argue that you still work there because the order to fire you was illegal. When you’re arrested, take the matter to court and get legal standing on the fact that your firing was illegal.

Broke: Get illegally fired and whine on social media about it.

Remember, there’s lots of bourbon from places that aren’t awful:

• https://distiller.com/lists/our-favorite-whiskeys-from-the-rocky-mountain-state
• https://distiller.com/lists/our-favorite-washington-state-whiskeys
• https://distiller.com/lists/the-top-whiskeys-from-oregon

the fink and the furher