Microblog
June 9, 2023
I haven't binged a show in many years but Kaiji ended up being a whole binge. I completely understand why some people really dislike the Bog. That segment is probably better when not binged. I can't say I loved that segment, but I can't say I hated it either: the fact is, the Bog to me perfectly captures the highest highs, lowest lows, and deepest depths of insanity which gambling involves. It evokes the nightmarish ride perfectly, and I can't fault it for that. That being said, if I wanted to be stressed thinking about gambling, I would just be playing online low stakes non-cash mahjong instead because even that captures the rush for me lol...anyways, despite being somewhat slow, I do think the Bog was actually the most stressful arc of the anime for me...the all-or-nothing stakes actually really felt worse than the threat of death in earlier arcs, which I found impressive.
June 9, 2023
I liked the anime a lot though! I would like to plan on picking up the manga at some point as well. I already burned through all of Tonegawa Middle Management Blues (because as a once-middle-manager, who could resist), and ultimately, I genuinely do like FKMT's intense art style and its adaptations. I think a YouTube essay partially described it as "large beady eyes, fully drawn set of teeth, giant chin, giant nose, protruding forehead, protruding eyebrows" and honestly if that isn't what my teenage self was aspiring for back in the day then I would be lying to you.
June 9, 2023
Ultimately...selfishly...I'm happy to be delving deeper into media that genuinely resonates with me; to feel like I'm approaching visual languages that feel closer aligned to my own interests. I'm still in the process of exploring many different ideas and styles again in some manner of artistic renewal and desire for self-improvement, but at the same time, there is some comfort in that sort of external reflection.
June 6, 2023
I started watching Kaiji Ultimate Survivor instead of starting Akagi LOL... it's also already gearing up to be a series I'll be inordinately fond of. Apparently there's also a dub that is deeply unhinged, which I think...was also done by Sentai Filmworks (same studio that did Golgo 13's dubbing/localization) and...I mean...it has its own brand of specific "charm"... (charm in incredibly heavy air quotations)
June 6, 2023
Also the existence of a Kaiji pachinko machine...seems kind of cursed???
June 6, 2023
Unrelated to the events of the current episodes, Kaiji's mom...is adorable...
June 2, 2023
Gave the website a much needed style overhaul. I think this will satisfy me for the time being,
though there's a lot of stuff I still want to get to (namely the Gallery and SoundLounge, which my
continued neglect of is a tale as old as time at this point LOL)
June 3, 2023
There is a "valid reason" for it, and it's because I want to avoid using out-of-the-box CMS moving
forward, but I also want to avoid the pains of hand-coding every single entry. But I've been putting off
learning all the tools that could be useful for it...
June 2, 2023
Was filing through old PS files and I came upon one named "pretty-in-pink.psd" and wondered "What
the hell is this"?
...Ah.
June 2, 2023
The fact that Duke really seems to fancy white suits and pastels (particularly in manga
illustrations) never fails to make me stare directly into the camera. Is that what they call fashion
goals...the ability to rock pastels while still exuding homicidal energy?
June 2, 2023
This screenshot comes from an episode/chapter that also makes me laugh consistently, "The Unceasing
Night". It starts off with Golgo checking into a small hotel in a French village, and readers are likely
to assume he's here to kill someone as per usual. As it turns out, he is literally just there on
vacation. Said vacation proceeds to be ruined shortly after, as all Golgo-goes-on-vacation-episodes
typically end.
June 1, 2023
Truly feeling this bit from Atsuize Pen-chan today.
(I'm being a whiny baby, I've only hit 4th place 2 out of the 8 games I've played today, but I'm bitter because they were all major losses caused by greed and the fear of falling behind points wise...normally I try to be more cautious when I play but...today has been really sloppy...)
June 1, 2023
I think (through cultural osmosis) that Kaiji is probably everyone's beloved when it comes to FKMT's
works, but I want to pick up Akagi for the full mahjong suffering...
June 1, 2023
I've actually never read any of FKMT's works but I can severely appreciate how loyal studios are
with being faithful to an artist's style. You'd think that's a given, but I think Western culture is
more interested in a director or studio's own spin on an idea. They both have their upsides and
downsides, but with a style as goofy as FKMT's, I think that's rad.
May 24, 2023
I thought Hitman (the 2016 reboot) was difficult and stressful for a long time, so I barely played
it after finishing a few of the campaigns, but I've recently been having a lot more fun with it this
time around. Now that I've had a few runs under my belt, the game feels a lot more like...well, a game!
And that progression feels really good.
May 24, 2023
I haven't actually bought Hitman 3 (and by extension the World of Assassination full series
collection)...I actually hadn't planned on doing so when it first came out, but now that I actually
like playing Hitman...lol.
May 24, 2023
Speaking of things I've recently gotten back into, I've been listening to a few Noisia mixes
again...it's a lot of good fun. I want to make the Soundlounge 3.0...something that feels more like a
full library, vs blog? I haven't quite figured out what that's going to look like though. Might be time
to do some snooping on music websites LOL.
May 17, 2023
The recent artwork of Fanette reprising that illustration...!
May 17, 2023
It's one of my favorite pieces...so I'm happy to see it taking new life even thirty years later
(whoaugh).
May 17, 2023
After that, I went and bought Fanette's latest chapters like a chump LOL... It's a different flavor
but there's just a lot of charm to "I'm a healer schoolgirl, but *cocks gun*"
May 17, 2023
I really want to be careful about how many books I buy in a physical format, but I think I do want
to at least grab the first collected volume of Fanette...I'm also very excited that "The Serizawa Murder
Case" is getting its independent re-release (alongside "G Gene")...I'll never stop thinking about that
episode...
May 17, 2023
There are a lot of very compelling and cool origin theory stories, but "Serizawa" captures a very
particular atmosphere, and I think that has a lot to do with the framing of Shukiro and Goto, as well as
the semi-horror of the reader and Goto getting to watch his friend/colleague descend further and further
into a sort of sickness regarding the unsolved case.
"Forty kilograms from the butcher's shop...I figured that would have been about right." That sequence of
pages is immaculate.
May 17, 2023
(Also selfishly, if Golgo is Goro Serizawa, and if Fanette is related to him, I think it's a small
kindness (at least so far) that Fanette has (mostly) been able to live a normal life because that entire
origin story is...delightfully sinister.)
May 17, 2023
"The Serizawa Family Murders" is one of the only origin stories with an official
EN translation done by VIZ, so I recommend it a lot. I think people can enjoy it, even without knowing
much about the series... Anyways, I want to find time to start that Golgo 13 blog LOL.
May 15, 2023
After thinking I would take Monday off, I ended up having the most restful night of sleep in a long
time, so I ended up going to work anyways LOL. If the plan to take a day trip up north with some friends
goes through, maybe I'll take an extra day on that weekend. I'm pretty sure I know why I haven't been
sleeping well lately, and it isn't something that is so easily solved unfortunately, but I'll try to be
more proactive about listening to my gut instead of letting shit boil up like this lol.
May 14, 2023
The last few weekends haven't been relaxing at all, and I think I'm starting to reach a mental
breaking point because work has also been very slow...I'm half inclined to call in a half day, but when
I think about it, a full day would probably be much better...
May 13, 2023
Today is Golgo 13 day?! Let's talk about our favorite Golgo 13 chapters...
May 13, 2023
I will always want to endorse the masterpiece "Shadow of Death"/"Deadly Shadow of the Setting Sun"
[第105話：落日の死影], an episode that is blessedly adapted into anime form, and was also given an official
English translation/adaptation. It's a spy-vs-spy "East" vs "West" 70's action flick. Golgo 13's path
crosses with a rival professional with the same job, and their interactions are some of the coolest and
memorable to date. The art style of the 70's has a particularly heavy and magnificent touch, making for
a very cinematic and dramatic episode
May 13, 2023
The anime episode is also a very faithful and cool adaptation. AX-3's voice actor in both JP and EN
worked really well. The action sequences are grin-worthy, and it really demonstrates how much Mr Saito
was thinking about creating dramatic pictures and compositions when you see the direct parallels from
the original manga work. I will say the English adaptation is a bit embellished (and...dare I say,
touched with a vague hint of homoerotic energy? I don't know, I know it's just two men having an intense
showdown on the beach after one of them waxes poetic at the other...but...), so some story beats might
appear different in the anime if you didn't read the original JP.
May 13, 2023
I'd also like to recommend "Golden Dog" [第382話：黄金の犬], even though it's only in Japanese. It's an
episode that plays up the "man-and-his-dogs" story to eleven. I won't try to explain it as in-depth in
fear I may have missed pieces of key context, but it's a rare time you can see a fair bit of Golgo's
humanity in a heartwrenching ending.
May 13, 2023
Speaking of "human Golgo" episodes, "Golden Man" [第305話：黄金の男] (JP only) is a funny and heartwarming
episode where Golgo repays the kindness of a family that was under the pressure of a local drug
organization. Golgo...is (usually) kind to children (unless they make an attempt on his life, which in
that case they are dead but that's beside the point here)... Paco, a child who says, "Uncle is
invincible!" I wonder if Golgo dryly laughed to himself...
May 11, 2023
Did a light read of the recent Big Comic episode 628...! Hey...Duke...you looked a little surprised
at the driver...did you realize something was up when a different person answered the phone? Laughs...
May 11, 2023
Rosaleen is an unusual character, but her upbeat personality was...well, it's a bizarrely cute foil
LOL. To some degree, I'd like to extrapolate that she has some pride in her grandfather's work, and
perhaps carried his pride to the name and service of black cabs. A child of the modern era, but a unique
character who demonstrated a level of carefree professionalism...it was really charming... "I saw the ghost of Bayston
Hill!" and I suppose he compensated you enough to continue college too, is that right
Rosaleen...?!
May 11, 2023
Ah...but even after all these years...I'm sure Lord Hume is glad to know Golgo 13 continues to take
requests for his nation, even years after he made his final request to Duke. (Hey...how old are you,
Golgo...)
May 11, 2023
Anyways, how about the charm of a man in a disheveled and bloodied suit? Golgo...you probably worked
really hard this episode, even if we didn't get to see it lol.
May 11, 2023
I think the tone has changed, as usual, but I want to imagine that future readers will look back on
each decade of Golgo and be happy to enjoy a different kind of Golgo, from sloppy and emotive, to
incredibly astringent and violently hardboiled, to a stoic but vaguely human touch, and...whatever this
currently is (surreal Golgo?)
May 11, 2023
When I compare the Golgo 13 stories from each decade, there are some large gaps in character even
though certain core principles stay the same. I think it's easy to fall into the trap of believing Golgo
is a completely static and near-robotic character, but even if not for the fact there are different
writers through the decades, I think Golgo always has had a human touch that comes and goes. It's easy
to look at the unchanging face and make an assumption. But while his principles do remain strong, he
does change from story to story, and I think that's also part of the charm LOL. Maybe the greatest
disservice you can make is assuming he's a stone-cold machine when there are many episodes that
demonstrate a swing between both sides (until it's revealed he's actually a machine LOL)
May 11, 2023
Anyhow, I had a lot of fun this chapter. A bit of a gag flavor, but I want to enjoy it
wholeheartedly... "A big fish probably jumped up..." Golgo lies without missing a beat, but even that
seems...Rosaleen, doesn't that seem...?! A cheery read that also leaves the readers of decades ago with
some sentimental feelings.
May 3, 2023
Unrelated to the manga or TV anime...Sometimes I remember John DiMaggio voices Duke in the Queen Bee
OVA (with the deepest baritone), which immediately leads to imagining the world's "Super-A Class Sniper"
leaping off a boat, saying "Bite my shiny metal ass"... anime dubs really are something, huh...
May 3, 2023
Sometimes I think it would be cool to start a JP Golgo 13 physical collection, but...that's 208
books and counting and I can't even begin to fathom what the shipping would look like...I keep up with
the latest chapters and tankobons in digital format, and I've been lucky enough to splurge on three of
the separate volumes, but...the black and gold bunko editions...are incredibly stylish and cool. I think
some of them had commentary in the back, at least, for some of the earlier volumes. I wonder if the
recent ones still have commentary?!
May 3, 2023
Did a light readthrough of Special Edition Episode 106『もうひとりのプロフェッショナル』 (Another Professional)
and...oi...oi...hey...
May 3, 2023
I'm grateful for the chapters that leave me with a heavy feeling in my chest, and...I can't help but
wonder what Duke was thinking about when he asked Arak about if Arak could really quit as a professional
(hunter, not assassin, in this case). I'm reminded a bit of the chapter where Golgo shoots a lookalike
someone made of him, with a strange, considering expression on his face. Regardless of a legendary
status, and being described as a "god of death", the shadow of mortality inevitably hangs over him,
anyhow.
May 3, 2023
The only way to "quit" as a "professional" in this "world" is death, isn't it...? It's despairing.
As a sort of cold comfort, I can't stop wondering which one of the origin stories, if any, are
true...but even if an origin were to be canonical, in the end, it still probably wouldn't make the
despair any less prominent.
May 3, 2023
More chapter thoughts. I'm thinking back a little about "＋ワンショット" and how a young man, Roy, who
tries to avenge his family, dies at the end -- not by the cartel members who killed his parents, but
because Duke gives him what's essentially a mercy killing before the cartel members torture him to
death... it's an episode that leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. Half the fun of Golgo 13 is to
overthink it. Did Duke wait to shoot because he wanted to give Roy the opportunity to shoot? Was it
something of a test of resolve? Was there some cold comfort in knowing he killed the cartel head after
Roy missed? Was he using Roy as a distraction for his own escape? Either way, Roy knew what he was
getting into when he decided on revenge, so there's not really any point to speculate, but...
May 3, 2023
Also I'll never forget "Mouse" from "Sleep Inside the Cage", who, in the anime, begged Duke to take
him with him as Duke and Blue-Eyed Zaleth escaped prison...only to lead the warden to their location...
When the warden turns his gun on Duke, Mouse grabs the gun and fights against the warden, only to get
shot. Duke clocks the warden in the face immediately afterwards. It makes sense with regards to their
escape and survival, but Duke and Zaleth's collective shock at Mouse's sudden fight, and then Duke's
immediate reaction to punch the warden off the wall and to his death...Yes...it's only
natural...but...comeuppance...
May 3, 2023
I really do want to just start up an entire Golgo 13 blog for chapter thoughts...
April 26, 2023
Another reader pointed out that normally, if someone begins to meander in a conversation with Duke,
Duke will usually tell them to get to the point. But it's not so easy or possible with an AI assistant,
is it...
April 26, 2023
Having played around a lot with Chat GPT lately, I'm still amazed at how far this technology
continues to develop. Anyways, I want to sit down and do a proper translate-readthrough of the chapter,
but I can suspect it is once again (as always and rightfully so) within the Stone Cold Bummer territory
about family, whoof.
April 25, 2023
It's probably better for my own sanity to enjoy media that has an abysmally small EN fanbase, but at
the same time, sometimes I really wish I could turn to another G13 fan and go "What the heck was
that" because no series has made me think this on a consistent basis.
April 25, 2023
That said, every time a new piece of fanart somehow surfaces, I clap my hands in the air in joy...
It's probably (though hopefully not) tiresomely ubiquitous series in its home country, so I always get a
little sad thinking about how it might be too dated for people to consider making fanart for...
April 25, 2023
(I really can't speak though, because I've started and abandoned so many WIPs LOL...what can I say.
Fictional homicide with an extremely healthy dose of the absurd hits the brain right every time.)
April 24, 2023
Today I woke up early, so I ended up rewatching the 1983 Golgo 13 movie. It's excessive in every way
for good and absolutely for bad, but I'm biased, and I think it's really sincere and deliciously artsy.
One day I would like to write a full "review" about it ("review" in the loosest form possible). Anyways,
it's the cult classic in my heart LOL.
April 24, 2023
(I think Queen Bee is fun, but not as fun as The Professional. Well, there are some scenes in there
that are also excessive, but you know, the first one is always special).
April 6, 2023
Lately, I've had opportunities to dabble more and more into web development...corporate websites,
corporate intranet rebranding, and now...Vue applications?! I'm really happy... I never thought I'd have
the chances to utilize my informal hobby of webbuilding in a business capacity, and it's really
exciting...
April 6, 2023
Most of all, I'm happiest to be collaborating directly with developers again. At my last job,
working with the developers, learning bits and pieces about their work, and how to best integrate with
them was genuinely the most rewarding part of the job.
April 6, 2023
I have less and less time to draw these days, but I still want to try to fit in a few hours to chip
away at large pieces throughout the week. At any rate, I'd be happy if I finished even three
illustratons per year, if they were illustrations I could really be proud of ^^
April 3, 2023
I was aware that Takaya Kuroda voiced one of the antagonists in the G13 2008 anime in Episode 22,
but it only hit me today on a rewatch that Hidenari Ugaki also had a minor acting role in Episode
6...from what I read, the series had a lot of notable guest-stars, so it must have been a fun series for
people more familiar with JP voice actors to watch...Anyhow, his signature voice is impossible to
forget, so I'm a little embarassed I missed it on my first watches.
April 3, 2023
Episode 6 is a viscerally surreal episode where viewers can enjoy Duke Togo at the amusement park,
walking menacingly with balloons, and "regretting the violence of his actions" while clearly having a
homicidal expression. All in all, it's a slam dunk.
April 3, 2023
Actually, it was an episode that was very enjoyable because even though I had tried my best to guess
how he pulled off the job, it wasn't until the end that I understood. In that sense, it was a very fun
mystery to watch unfold. It's also an episode without any mature content (murdering aside) so I think
anyone curious about the anime adaptation can watch it comfortably.
April 3, 2023
I recently started having nightmares in Mandarin Chinese; it has been both an cool and bewildering
experience. Last night's dream was both incredibly political and incredibly brainless
(because the political aspect of it was a result of me making a pun/observation that made zero sense,
resulting in a large uproar on SNS. Utterly nonsensical, par for the course of dreams).
March 19, 2023
It's already March?!
The last few weeks have been spent settling back in. It'll be a while
until I have my normal workspace set up again, so I don't forsee any updates for a while.
February 26, 2023
看到一隻死掉的蟑螂……呃……壞處。
February 24, 2023
我的中文不是很好，但是現在在台灣，大部分人都能聽懂我的話。 我很高興...
February 24, 2023
弟弟帶我逛了台北，今天他要和媽媽一起去日本了...好嫉妒...他問我想不想去（我當然想！！！）但是我沒有時間...下次！下次！！！
February 24, 2023
在台灣可以看到很多東西。 希望我能在台北住幾個月...
February 23, 2023
All things considered, EN Golgo fans were pretty lucky. 中文就沒有... All the more reason to be thankful
for one diehard fan-turned-editor...
February 17, 2023
It's the first anniversary of this site's launch. I'm happy! I'm also nervous though, because I'm
only 98% sure the site won't suddenly crash following some renewals lol. Please bear with the dust, if
any.
February 14, 2023
I genuinely think the Microblog section might be better served as exclusively the place where I yell
into the void about Golgo 13...
February 14, 2023
Or maybe it's that, it would be better organized into categories (G13, Art, and Climbing)? Having it
be vague and unfocused doesn't feel right. I'll think about reorganizing it later.
February 13, 2023
Played two escape rooms recently, bringing my personal count up to seven. The rooms and puzzles were
fantastically designed. I'd like to do a lot more, in the future.
February 10, 2023
Same, except with a devastated and frustrated tone as this series continues to leave naught but a wake of destruction in my media consumption habits.
February 10, 2023
If I was a character in Golgo 13 I would 100% already be dead because I'd be Mandy Washington,
except unlike Mandy I would absolutely be too stupid and too stubborn to know when to quit.
February 10, 2023
Recently started doing pistol squats after the clinic to focus on improving leg strength. While they
have been very effective in training...there's no polite way of saying it: pistol squats suck.
February 10, 2023
Zero regrets about buying those G13 books...they were all really good...
February 10, 2023
No. 213 - I love that Fanette is an action girl while also perpetually going way out of her
depth. She's a teenager and a student, after all. But also, her grit and determination while performing
a hefty blood transfusion... *sobs*
February 10, 2023
No. 213 - Every time Duke looks Incredibly Done at an antagonist of the week and then shoots them
before they can mouth off any further, I gain back a year of my life. There's never any dialogue, but I
always insert a "You stupid motherfucker" in for a laugh...
February 10, 2023
No. 213 - That kind of dialogue would never happen, of course, but after all the harrows Duke
typically goes through in some chapters where the operation is less clean, I think he would deserve
it...
February 10, 2023
No. 215 - The volume that I hadn't planned to buy that came with one of the other books. But there
was a chapter with Dave in it! There's a funny moment after Dave hands his latest work to Duke. I can't
help but feel like Duke is actively messing with Dave sometimes.
February 10, 2023
No. 215 - Dave's Tired Energy is life-giving... Talking about how he stayed up all night to complete
the work, and how some words of gratitude would be nice... Dave...by now, you know what to expect, but
it's nice he feels he can speak so freely like that.
February 10, 2023
No. 218 - I...Ivanova!! Her enthusiasm and passion was even larger than I had thought it'd be... The
implication that Duke even looks at Facebook or any manner of SNS makes me laugh though...
February 10, 2023
No. 218 - When Ivanova grabs Duke after he dresses her wound and Duke lies there and says "I don't
feel like doing that right now"...The entire situation makes me laugh, because they just escaped "evil
spirits" and are now tangling with the potential of hypothermia.
February 10, 2023
No. 218 - Regardless of what Duke was thinking, I would say "life-and-death situations, combined
with the threat of spooky ghosts, would put anyone out of the mood".
February 10, 2023
No. 218 - Even though Ivanova struggles with a lack of romantic partners, I think it was better
avoided anyhow because she got to work with Duke as a comrade-in-arms instead...sentimentally, I think
that was more meaningful...emotionally, it was spicier LOL...
February 10, 2023
No. 218 - Also, I can't help it...the three times Ivanova hugs Duke while crying openly, and each
time you can't see Duke's face at all...and then at the end, his incredibly wry/bemused
expression when they part ways. It's surreal...?! I can't help but laugh and scream a little...
February 10, 2023
No. 218 - The greatest shock though: a chapter revolving around the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg?! I
read "RBG" as "Red blue green" like...lights... I didn't make the connection until I opened the page to
what was clearly politicians being politicians and then realized...
February 10, 2023
No. 218 - I haven't taken the time to read Silver-Winged Bride, but I don't think I'm ready for
it...something about the strong, intense, almost mindless feelings of people when they're feverishly in
love, and the descent into madness, etc etc...
February 9, 2023
Takao Saito re-used AX-3 (Hans Jurgens) in another work he made?! Mr Jurgens!! What are you doing
here?! (Happy).
February 9, 2023
It's fun to recognize AX-3 was involved extensively in his own line of professional business and
escapades, until the day he meets his match against Duke...anyways, I'll have to look more deeply into
this.
February 9, 2023
The timeless experience of thinking a Golgo 13 chapter will be "fun" only to end with "stone cold
bummer"...
February 9, 2023
It's a good thing, because that's what should be expected by this point, but it doesn't change it
from being a gut punch every time. It's "fun" in its own way?!
February 9, 2023
A very recent chapter released in Big Comic sounded interesting, so I picked up the digital version
while it is still in publication. But wow...I guess I will never get tired of the concept of people
dying for their revenge ;_;
February 10, 2023
I can't lie that I'm a little nervous because I think pieces of the tone and style have changed a
bit since Takao Saito passed away, but at the same time, I also want to recognize that the series has
changed and evolved a lot over its 50+ year run.
February 10, 2023
Ultimately, what happens is what happens, so I only hope for the best.
February 8, 2023
Went climbing with the experienced climbing friend, their partner, and the typical climbing crew.
The plateau is slowly being overcome! The goal is for a baseline of 5.10b. Sometimes 5.10c can be
accomplished, but it varies.
February 8, 2023
Went over the usual limit of routes...think it was about seven routes, three 5.9 and below routes,
one 5.10a route, two 5.10b routes, and one 5.10c route. Normally I only do about four or five per
session with only one or two challenges, so everything hurts now, but it was great!
February 8, 2023
The unfinishable 5.10b during the clinic is now much easier to do. It's still not possible to
overcome the crux on the first go, but this third time it only took three attempts, unlike the second
time which was maybe six furious tries of floundering.
February 8, 2023
Still, there's the challenge of outdoor climbing, and recognizing the limitations and softer grading
in gym climbing, but it's been wonderful watching everyone's improvement and knowing we are climbing
with better form and technique than when we first started at all.
February 8, 2023
Going on vacation soon ^^ It's been a long time since going abroad. Getting to ride the various
transit systems again will be a big highlight of the trip. I'm also looking forward to breakfast, and
visiting the museums.
February 8, 2023
Going to the bookstores and department stores will be exciting, too. It's my first guilt-free
extended vacation since joining the workforce so I want to make the most of it ^^
February 6, 2023
The simultaneous feeling of glowing with joy and suffering under the unbearable weight of how much
Golgo 13 I still haven't had a chance to read through.
February 6, 2023
Finally at 4-star hunts in MHR...the fights are starting to get a little more harrowing! Apparently,
MHR is a lot easier and user-friendly than previous installations...having come off of 4U, I'm inclined
to agree (never even finished 4U...)
February 6, 2023
Eventually want to look into finishing it, but playing on a busted old 3DS makes it less
appealing...the rubber cover on the joystick fell off ages ago and I could never bother to buy a new
one...(my god, the 3DS came out over a decade ago...)
February 6, 2023
Hooray...the books I ordered came in quickly enough for me to use a coupon for significantly reduced
shipping...I'm excited...I'm excited...
February 6, 2023
One of the orders will come with a volume I hadn't planned on buying, but was bundled with the
volume I did want...I probably have just about a little space remaining on my bookshelf for all of
them...
February 2, 2023
It's been a long time (read: about over a year) since the pressure of a deadline crunch. It feels
nice to kick ass under the gun, but it's also a sort of bad form of dopamine that's led to burnout in
the past...
February 2, 2023
Namely, bad eating habits, broken sleep schedules, and coffee consumption habits tended to peak
during those times. This time, eating and sleeping habits will stay resolutely the same, but coffee...is
a vice I'll allow for a day or two...
February 2, 2023
There's always something fun about being fire-forged compatriots in a project...people who work with
you in a pinch, who pull their weight while also supporting you and being supported by you...it's a
little silly, but it's fun...
February 1, 2023
I tried to be strong and not import any more JP G13 books...I tried to tell myself I could wait
five-or-so years before a chapter I wanted to read was officially released in tankobon form...
February 1, 2023
But I was weak, and really wanted to see Ivanova, a buff woman who hires Duke to help her
exterminate the "evil spirits" in a forest...the heroine of the chapter whose larger-than-life
personality makes even the stone-faced Golgo smile wryly...?!
February 1, 2023
I want to read the chapters with Fanette... I'm also sorry to Mandy Washington, the reporter who
keeps being dragged back into the gravitational pull of Golgo, who I once called "some guy" because I
didn't realize he had appeared in many prior chapters. I want to read those too!
February 1, 2023
Eventually, reading every chapter that Hume shows up would be good too... It's good that there
aren't too many recurring characters in the series, but those who do return are still quite beloved.
February 1, 2023
New Years Resolution #2: Learn how to draw suits well.
February 1, 2023
Went for a run to clear the head. It's weird how we come around on the most random of things.
January 31, 2023
Untranslated G13 chapters...can range from easy to understand, to incredibly difficult...I want to
work through more chapters when I can...
January 31, 2023
(Breaks into a smile every time I see my tiny EN media collection...at least I have 26 translated
chapters I can read whenever...for that, I'll be grateful.)
January 31, 2023
A lot of things are coming up (as per usual), and it's probably going to be hard to find time to
draw soon. I'd like to get better at using my iPad for the times on-the-go. It was abandoned pretty
quickly because screen drawing doesn't work well for me.
January 31, 2023
It's a little strange. Drawing on a screen tablet with a computer was fine for several years, until
all of a sudden it wasn't. Probably something to do with posture and age, ha ha.
January 27, 2023
Back in After Effects; feels good.
January 30, 2023
But the experience of being handed any one else's AE project is universal suffering...it doesn't
matter how skilled the other person is. It's suffering.
January 30, 2023
It was surprising how long it took before a first crash occurred, considering the low-end specs of
this work laptop is. Welp :P
January 31, 2023
Excited because this project is coming out so well. Normally I'd be a little uncertain about working
on a short project with another person (might seem superfluous), but in this case, we're both able to
shine in our individual areas. It's looking good!
January 27, 2023
I honestly shouldn't be playing video games much anymore (prioritizing free time for drawing for
fun) but I'm borrowing a Switch with Monster Hunter Rise and it's been highly addicting.
January 27, 2023
A while back I got an old copy of MH4U and really enjoyed it, sans the sticky buttons of my 3DS. The
new features in Rise make it all the more enjoyable though. Movement feels really powerful and intuitive
in this one.
January 27, 2023
The Japanese theme for this installment is incredibly charming...I miss the significantly goofier
energy of the Eating Food cutscene in 4U, but the inkwash painting style of the interstitial loading
screens are wonderful.
January 27, 2023
Recently enjoyed a porridge that was chock-full of garlic. It was amazing...
January 26, 2023
It would be nice to make a G13 fan book...
January 26, 2023
Normally I don't stick to one interest for a long enough time though...usually original stuff is on
the forefront... But it's something that's been on my mind lately.
January 27, 2023
I had a similar thought for another series I had gotten into briefly, but collecting the various
outfits Duke wears into a series of books...would be a enormous undertaking, but is something that would
be nice to see in the world...
January 27, 2023
The sailor getup from Melancholy Summer is a funny and notable disguise. There's also the time he
dressed as a priest, and the time he was disguised as a crew boy/bartender/waiter (I really don't know
what he was supposed to be) and it was totally unconvincing.
January 27, 2023
It's wonderful that the world's greatest sniper is absolute rubbish at disguise because his face and
presence just gives away the fact he's not a normal person lmfao...the anti Agent 47...
January 27, 2023
Speaking of memorable and funny, there's the time Duke is lifting weights in the gym and Jonathan
Earp starts checking him out (because he realizes Duke must work with guns) but the whole thing is
just...SO much in the English dub...
January 27, 2023
Something about a splendid body and just two guys enjoying a thick juicy steak...the dub is
terrible, but they clearly had very much fun with that segment.
January 26, 2023
Went climbing yesterday and was able to complete a route that completely stumped me last time.
Focusing on legwork and having a proper warm-up session helped significantly, so that was a nice win
too!
January 26, 2023
It's a stupid brag, but I smashed my arm on a boulder during one of my attempts to pass the crux and
tore off some skin, but didn't even notice until a later route because I was so focused on making it
past...
January 26, 2023
Again, TERRIBLE brag, but sometimes it just feels good to celebrate the moments you get to be a
meathead when you live an otherwise peaceful lifestyle lol.
January 26, 2023
I'm looking forward to our next climbs...we have all hit plateaus for a while now, but after a
recent clinic, it feels like there's a breakthrough coming up...
January 26, 2023
Presentation today went over surprisingly better than expected. Anticipating plenty of harsher
feedback later once folks have had time to digest (and honestly hoping for it), but it was a nice
feeling to get some positive reception and definitive action items to move forward on.
January 26, 2023
Things have still been difficult/busy, and it's been hard to find time to take care of personal
business so at least the day job has provided a few wins here and there...
January 25, 2023
Been having a lot of strange dreams lately. It's hard to get an uninterrupted night of sleep, so
I'll rely on coffee a little bit, even though I haven't had it for some time.
January 25, 2023
Things have been a bit more stressful in different ways as of late, but I'll try to be grateful for
the little things.
January 23, 2023
Got more responsibilities at work (this is a good thing, I have been feeling slightly underutilized
and have been hoping to branch out a bit with regards to what I've been doing).
January 22, 2023
Trying to sit down and work through a piece that needs to be completed soon...it's unmotivational...
January 22, 2023
Used to put 30 Rock on in the background when I had deadlines to hit and needed to
concentrate...today, I'll try that with Golgo 13's subs (not dubs because that would make me laugh)...
January 22, 2023
But immediately I fear it's a mistake, because I randomly started at "Cold Hearted Catherine" and I
forgot "Love Moans on an Arctic Night" is an episode very shortly after...oh, it's a time for bummers
abound...
January 22, 2023
My kingdom for the settei and boards of "Love Moans on an Arctic Night" though...
January 20, 2023
I used to worry that Cigar's eyebrows were too big...but ever since reading G13, it's clear that
they weren't big enough...
January 20, 2023
It's a terrible and forbidden thought, but Dave has the eyes Tracey should have...
January 20, 2023
I want to eat pizza...
January 20, 2023
Finally feeling rested. Or maybe it's actually just a feeling of contentment, since there was time
to sit down and draw yesterday.
January 19, 2023
A big appeal of Golgo 13 is being able to pick up any book and enjoy a full story in a single
chapter! Long serial work is fine, but it's special to have something that can immerse and entertain in
a brief span of time. I really like it a lot...
January 19, 2023
(It's also fun to have a very reading-intensive comic. The reading pace is definitely a lot slower,
but it really plays up the cinematic nature of each panel. It's seriously master work...)
January 19, 2023
Having started with Vol 1, it was challenging at first to let moments land. Notably, in Ch 1, the
panels of Duke staring out the window in nothing but briefs is often referred for laughs. Seeing the
colored reproduction made it clear what Saito was trying to do, and it's amazing.
January 19, 2023
Duke's first noted rival, the blind assassin Ixion in Ch 9 - "Cote d'Azure", and the devastating
note upon which that storyline concluded...at that point, I was hopelessly hooked. The bleak emotions it
left me with were incredible...
January 19, 2023
onihei-fan.com has been the best resource for finding new
chapters of G13 to read, as well as a supplement to understanding chapters (especially for the more
political chapters). I'm thankful for the writers, and for the admin of that site.
January 19, 2023
I want to read Saito's adaptation of Onihei Hankachō too...
January 19, 2023
"Anyone can make art", but whether or not I can execute it well or perform consistently... Even when
it's a hobby, it's still something I want to work on being better at...
January 18, 2023
Flipped through "1万キロの狙撃" (10,000 km Sniper) again... It's heartwarming at the end, but the climax
is funny in how it seems like Golgo wants to take a stone cold dunk on his attackers by how he executes
them. (You can almost hear "Guilty" in the distance...)
January 19, 2023
Actually, 10,000 km Sniper is also a fun chapter because Golgo spends a great number of pages
looking deeply irate (well, in extreme pain too, but he makes the most bitter face at the drone
operators...)
January 19, 2023
Affectionately, 10,000 km Sniper could also be called "In which Duke Togo pulls an Edward Elric*
(*gets a pipe to the abdomen)". The alchemy he performs is bullying a random woman into driving him to a
hospital.
January 19, 2023
An accurate but understated summary of the chapter would be: "Duke Togo Is Genuinely Minding His Own
Business For Once And Just Happens To Be Driving The Wrong Car At The Wrong Time". It's a disturbing
coincidence.
January 19, 2023
(It's a stressful chapter. It's great that you have a protagonist who always gets out of a pinch,
but you still wonder how he'll survive this time. Also, there's a very cool line Duke has. Maybe it's
too cool for how close he is to dying.)
January 18, 2023
I'm always craving milk tea these days...but I want to be more frugal. *sadly puts tea bag into hot
water and tops off with milk*
January 18, 2023
The doujinshi "ゴルゴッコ" (The Golgo Play) co-authored by Kentaro Ueno and Keiichi Tanaka arrived recently. Even with simple
translation, it is extremely funny and surreal. (Golgo with kirakira eyes, Golgo trying to come up with
a good name...I feel like I need a stiff drink...)
January 18, 2023
Today, G13 volume 5 finally arrived in the mail! This one was probably the most expensive to buy
second hand, for some reason. With that, the VIZ EN collection is completed. I'm really happy.
January 18, 2023
Swimming right after climbing was a terrible idea. Today my body hurts even more than ever...even
sneezing hurts my abs...