2023 Media Consumption Record

Since 2021, The Indonesian Anime Times has been marking the end of the year by sharing the staff members’ favorite anime, characters, and music of the year on social media. Below are my contributions for the year 2023. They already include short comments, but I'll also add some additional comments:

Unlike last year, when every IAT staff member's list includes Bocchi the Rock, there isn't any one title that is as unanimously picked. Perhaps that's a testament to how well Bocchi bridged across different tastes?

There seems to be a general consensus among us who have seen Gold Kingdom and Water Kingdom, both women and men, that Naranbayar is the ideal dream guy of 2023. Kano Hisamichi only had little screentime since most of the Ōoku anime adapts the Iemitsu era of the story; but I like the way she has the cunning and fortitude to keep up with Yoshimune in supporting the latter's agenda as the new shōgun.

By the way, my current thoughts about Shinkai's modern films are like this:

  • Favorite film: Weathering with You
  • Favorite character: Suzume
  • Favorite ship: Mitsuha × Okudera-senpai

The way I see it, Setsuna no Chikai is basically A Thousand Years for shōnen romcom boys lol. As for the Hokkyoku Department Store theme, being a department store jingle of sorts, I consider it an important part for thinking about how the film narrates the service industry. Perhaps I could write more about that someday... .

Aside from seasonal watches, since a little over a year ago, I’ve been implementing some new means to balance watching new films and TV series with watching older ones as well as rewatching some previously seen once. I’ve been quite satisfied with the arrangements I have made. Here is the list of works I managed to see with it—blue text for the ones watched for the first time, green text for the ones rewatched:

Watching old silent films had been some fascinating experiences. The way written texts are used in between cuts to provide narration or to convey dialogues makes it feel like seeing a picture book, but with moving pictures. On the other hand, those old films (not just the silent ones) do, indeed, oftentimes feature racist stereotypes unabashedly.

Aside from that, rewatching Sound of the Sky has given me a new appreciation of its visual storytelling, which was posted as a thread on The Indonesian Anime Times' Twitter account last year:

Not just films and TV shows, I also tried to manage how I read manga in the past year. Here are the works I was able to read:

  • Nichijou vol. 1 – Arawi Keiichi (reread)
  • Sweetness and Lightning vol. 1 – Amagakure Gido (reread)
  • Miracle Girls vol. 1 – Akimoto Nami (reread)
  • Corpse Princess vol. 1 – Akahito Yoshiichi (reread)
  • A Town of Things Discarded and Forgotten (one shot) – Abe Marina
  • Tetsujin No. 28 vol. 1 – Yokoyama Mitsuteru
  • Look Forward to the Next Death Game vols. 1-2 – Perico
  • Boku no Shotaiken vol. 1 – Yuzuki Hikaru
  • Detective Conan vols. 1-2 – Aoyama Goshō (reread)
  • Atashi ni Tsuiterasshai Vol. 1 – Aihara Miki
  • Aqua vol. 1 – Amano Kozue (reread)
  • XBlade vol. 1 – story by Ida Tatsuhiko and art by Shiki Satoshi
  • Lost World vol. 1 – Tezuka Osamu
  • Impro vol. 1 – Sanada Ikki (reread)
  • Ben-To zero: Road to Witch – story by Asaura and art by Shibano Kaito (reread)
  • Silver Spoon vol. 1 – Arakawa Hiromu (reread)
  • 12-kyū de Tsukamaete vol. 1 – Andō Natsumi
  • A Million Pound Love – Shimizu Reiko
  • Golden Mosaic vol. 1 – Hara Yui (reread)
  • Prism Time vol. 1 – Takeuchi Naoko
  • Ojama Yūrei-kun vol. 1 – Yoshikawa Susumu
  • Bungo Stray Dogs vol. 1 – story by Asagiri Kafka and art by Harukawa35 (reread)
  • Mahō Shōnen Majorian vol. 1 – Ishida Atsuko (reread)
  • Detective Conan Special vol. 1 – Yamagishi Eiichi
  • Tsumikuibito – story by Nakamura Sachiko and art by Kawazoe Mariko
  • Yakitate!! Japan vol. 1 – Hashiguchi Takashi (reread)
  • Giant Robo vol. 1 – Yokoyama Mitsuteru
  • Hitoha-kun, Hitoribocchi? vol. 1 – Azuma Kohji (reread)
  • Azumanga Daioh vol. 1 – Azuma Kiyohiko (reread)
  • Gokkun! Pucho vol. 1 – Tōyama Ema
  • Fullmetal Alchemist vol. 1 – Arakawa Hiromu (reread)
  • Night Head vol. 1 – story by Iida George and art by Tateno Makoto
  • Fire Investigator Nanase vol. 1 – story by Hashimoto Izo and art by Ichikawa Tomoshige (reread)
  • Maria – Takeuchi Naoko
  • Zettai Karen Children vol. 1 – Shiina Takashi (reread)
  • Hiroin-kun vol. 1 – Yoshikawa Susumu
  • Yotsuba&! – Azuma Kiyohiko (reread)
  • Tsugumomo vol. 1 – Hamada Yoshikazu
  • Ichigo Mashimaro vol. 1 – Barasui
  • Desire vol. 1 – Kotani Kenichi
  • Yūreisen – Ishinomori Shōtarō
  • Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina vol. 1 – story by Shiraishi Jougi and art by Nanao Itsuki (reread)
  • Cardcaptor Sakura vol. 1 – CLAMP (reread)
  • Ashita no Nadja vol. 1 – story by Tōdō Izumi and art by Ayumi Yui (reread)
  • That Summer (one shot) – Matusmoto Tomo
  • Before Hayate the Combat Butler – Hata Kenjiro (reread)
  • Cotton vol. 1 – Minakami Hiroki
  • Kochikame vol. 1 – Akimoto Osamu
  • Yasashii Bangohan in Shōnen to Watashi no Jijō Anthology – Kamada Misato (reread)
  • Inochi no Katamari (one shot) – Cool-kyou Shinja
  • Lemon no Himegoto – Nakahara Migiwa
  • Hayate the Combat Butler vol. 1 – Hata Kenjirō (reread)
  • Masked Ninja Akakage – Yokoyama Mitsuteru
  • Masked Rider Spirits vol. 1 – Muraeda Kenichi (reread)
  • Madoromi Barmaid vol. 1 – Hayakawa Pao (reread)
  • Hana no Asukagumi! vol. 1 – Takaguchi Satosumi
  • Tonikaku Kawaii vol. 1 – Hata Kenjirō (reread)
  • Nurse Angel Ririka SOS vol. 1 – story by Akimoto Yasushi and art by Ikeno Koi
  • My Boy vol. 1 – Takano Hitomi (reread)
  • Flexible Kid vol. 1 – Youkihi
  • Natsu no Arashi vol. 1 – Kobayashi Jin (reread)
  • Rabuta – Cool-kyou Shinja
  • Kiss ni Jūzoku –Ikemi Runa
  • Obake no Q-Taro vol. 1 – Fujiko Fujio
  • Sailor Moon vol. 1 (Shinsōban) – Takeuchi Naoko (reread)
  • Mokke vol. 1 – Kumakura Takatoshi (reread)
  • Yoru wo Tomenaide – Harumi Chihiro
  • ½ Fairy! – Okano Fumika
  • My Hero Academia vol. 1 – Horikoshi Kohei (reread)
  • Money Idol Exchanger vol. 1 – Ōkura Masahiko
  • BIRDMEN vol. 1 – Tanabe Yellow (reread)
  • Sunroom Nite – Takemiya Keiko
  • Kino’s Journey vol. 1 – story by Shigsawa Keiichi and art by Shiomiya Iruka (reread)
  • ATM no Naka no Otoko – Hade na Kangofu
  • Rakuen Route vol. 1 – Tsukimiya An
  • Maa-chan no Nikkichō – Tezuka Osamu
  • Pluto vol. 1 – Urasawa Naoki (reread)
  • Witch Hat Atelier vol. 1 – Shirahama Kamome (reread)
  • Mouse vol. 1 – story by Akahori Satoru and art by Itaba Hiroshi
  • Baby and I vol. 1 – Ragawa Marimo
  • The Cherry Project vol. 1 – Takeuchi Naoko
  • Birdy the Mighty vol. 1 – Yūki Masami
  • Shinobazuno! – Takemiya Satoru (reread)
  • The Life of Ichabod vol. 1 – Shoji Hiroyuki
  • Yaban no Sono vol. 1 – Nishikawa Rosuke
  • Fūto PI vol. 1 – story by Sanjo Riku and art by Satō Masaki
  • Gegege no Kitarō vol. 7 – Mizuki Shigeru
  • Kekkaishi vol. 1 – Tanabe Yellow

There were some quite interesting shōjo manga that I got to read. Hana no Asukagumi! particularly made me think of how delinquent girl (sukeban) could be a suitable character type to disrupt hegemonic discourse on gender roles. The main character's style is also hella cool. Another highlight is seeing Ishinomori Shōtarō's exquisite paneling skills in Yūreisen. Meanwhile, Obake no Q-Taroactually have pretty similar pattern to Doraemon and Ninja Hattori-kun, where a character with unusual abilities coming to live in an ordinary boy's household and frequently helping the boy dealing with his everyday problems. Not surprising given that they are made by either both or one of the artists who made up the Fujiko Fujio duo. On the other hand, I found that among the Takeuchi Naoko's works that I have seen so far, I like The Cherry Project with its passionate portrayal of figure skating the most.

I’ve also been reading western comics in the past year. Here are some that I enjoyed the most or I consider interesting:

  • 5 Worlds Book 1 – Mark Siegel, Alexis Siegel, Xanthe Bouma, Matt Rockefeller, and Boya Sun
  • A Sparrow’s Roar – Written by C.R. Chua and illustrated by Paolo Chikiamco
  • After the Spring: A Story of Tunisian Youth – Hélène Aldeguer
  • Aion – Rio Ludovic
  • Aldebaran 1. The Catastrophe – Leo
  • Algeria is Beautiful Like America - written by Olivia Burton and illustrated by Mahi Grand
  • Alice on the Run: One Child's Journey Through the Rwandan Civil War – Gaspard Talamsse
  • Alice: from Dream to Dream – Giulio Macaione
  • Almost American Girl – Robin Ha

Some of them pretty exciting fantasies, some are thrilling SF, while some others are thought-provoking memoirs.

Furthermore, I’ve also read a bunch of books, both fiction and non-fiction:

  • Allison vol. 1 – story by Shigsawa Keiichi and illustrations by Kuroboshi Kohaku
  • 30 Kisah Teladan – Abdurrahman Arroisi
  • Eragon – Christopher Paolini (reread)
  • Percaya Kepada Taqdir – Abdul Rahim Nur
  • Biblia Koshodō no Jiken Techō vol. 1 – story by Mikami En and illustrations by Koshijima Hagu
  • The New Rich in Asia: Mobile Phones, McDonald's and Middle Class Revolution – edited By David Goodman and Richard Robison (reread)
  • The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams (reread)
  • Clotaku Club vol. 1 – story by Overjungwoogi and illustrations by Anmi
  • Millennial Monsters: Japanese Toys and the Global Imagination – Anne Allison
  • Di Kaki Bukit Cibalak – Ahmad Tohari
  • Dantalian no Shoka vol. 1 – story by Mikumo Gakuto and illustrations by G-Yuusuke
  • Mort – Terry Pratchett
  • Permitted And Prohibited Desires: Mothers, Comics, And Censorship In Japan – Anne Allison
  • Tionghoa di Batavia dan Huru Hara 1740 – Johannes Theodorus Vermeulen (translation by Gatot Triwira)
  • Fate/Apocrypha vol. 1 – story by Higashide Yuichirō and illustrations by Konoe Ototsugu
  • Rashomon: Kumpulan Cerita – Akutagawa Ryūnosuke (translation by Bambang Wirawarta) (reread)
  • Sharing a House with the Neverending Man: 15 Years at Studio Ghibli – Steve Alpert (reread)

I enjoyed Allison; it's a simple treasure hunt story. I imagine the material of volume 1 could be suitable to be turned into a feature film, like Castle in the Sky. Yet, the novel series was adapted into a TV series... .

By the way, since I got a new phone a couple of months ago that already has YouTube Music installed on it, I've been using it to listen to music. When it made me recap stuff for the year, the result felt hilariousas I had only been using it for a couple of weeks. What the data really say is that I had been rewatching a Sakura Wars TV anime opening video on repeat a lot, that I had listened to Golden Ray often and had more Sangatsu no Phantasia songs recommended by the autoplay algorithm, and that I listened to the entire Age of Empires III Definitive Edition soundtrack album once and it was the only album I had listened to in full on the app.

In other news, I bought a new laptop last month and bought a couple of Age of Empires games in Steam Winter Sale. It’s so nice to not just play AoE III again, but also to see the laptop is capable of showing naval combat smoothly unlike my family’s old PC that I used to use in high school days.

Since high school, I've only been playing casually alone, goofing off in skirmish mode building and breaking things for an hour or so with several computer opponents and allies, aside from playing the campaign missions. And that's still what I do now. Playing AoE IV and AoE III DE back-to-back, though, has actually made me really aware how easier AoE III was among AoE games; there are various simplifications or supporting mechanics that allow players to grow their base and unit numbers fast. I could complete an AoE III DE skirmish game with the aforementioned set up in less than an hour, but haven't been able to achieve that with similar number of computer opponents and allies in AoE IV skirmish.

That’s all for 2023. For the first season of 2024, here are what I intend to watch:

I've actually been watching Gatchaman since last December. It's a fascinating historic show that made me think about how it has influenced shows that came after it (I'm thinking of how Voltes V and GoLion's pilot teams have similar composition of characters), and also what might have been its own sources of influences (I assume Thunderbirds was one of them?)

For the new shows, Metallic Rouge is my most anticipated show of the season. The moment I saw the announcement, I was like, "BONES is making an original SF henshin heroine show? That sounds cool." Let's see what the show has in store.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Monthly Log - October 2025

Image
If you're in the Greater Jakarta area, I'll be having a panel about manga categorization in the upcoming Comic Frontier 21 on Sunday (November 16) afternoon. In the meantime, here are some of the stuff I watched or read in the month of September. Watched Watched Miracle Girls episodes 23-40. After losing the first director for 12 episodes, they got Touch and Yawara 's director to take over by episode 30. The comedy gets noticably more slapstick in some places. But the story also gets into a pretty serious arc when an esper guy approaches the girls for his plot to take over the world with other espers. I like it that they give more screentime for the girls' mom in a couple of episodes, though. Watched Kimipre episodes 34-38. Making an episode that tie up to an IRL event is a pretty neat synergy. The reveal of Jogi's relation to Kaito also makes the direction of their character arcs more clear. Watched Princess-Session Orchestra episodes 25-27. I like tha...
Read more

Monthly Log - June 2025

Image
Still hasn't finished the memoir as I had been busy with work and has been having another project I'd like to finish soon. For now, here are some of the stuff I watched or read in the month of June. Watched Finished Aishite Knight . After a series of new hurdles to their relationship, the story kind of comes full circle by having Yakko's dad to be the 'final boss' to overcome in Yakko and Gō's path to marriage. In the end, I really enjoyed Hashiz ō and Yakko's friendship, end the 80s atmosphere is pretty neat too. Watched Aquarion Myth of Emotions . I think it's pretty decent. Episode four has an interesting development with Momohime being unsure about her feelings for Rimiya, taking the time to figure it out, and ends with a conclusion that does not treat other kinds of feelings as less than "ren'ai". Started watching Shinzō Ningen Casshern . It's the usual Tatsunoko hero goodness, with quite some future big names involved (To...
Read more

Some Thoughts on the "Superman" (2025) Film and the Jor-El Message

Image
I went to see the new Superman film at the end of last July. Since people like to praise things as 'absolute cinema' these days, I had kind of thought to disturb the implicit media hierarchy in such kind of praise by instead complimenting a theatrical live action film like this as 'absolute comics' or something. Though, maybe to really reach the 'absolute' territory, it would have taken more animetism at play. But it is one of the films that doesn't shy from being 'comic book-y', what with the hero making some SPIN TO WIN moves in the climatic fight, or the choice to take the setting where superhumans have already been a fact of life, or the extradimensional online troll monkey farm... . But there is something else I've also been thinking about regarding the film that I wish to talk about. This concerns the controversial Jor-El and Lara's recorded message for the son they sent to Earth to escape Krypton's destruction. Early in the fi...
Read more