Sci-Fi is once again a great genre to explore social dynamics. In Planetes, that exploration is on full display. In a time where space travel is the norm and available to the general public, there is a team whose job is to clean up space from all the space junk that is stuck in orbit. On top of the beautiful atmosphere, there were topics I didn’t imagine would be discussed from the get-go. From the commercialization of space that is currently happening, I imagine that such a show is going to become even more relatable as we start to adapt to the new frontier of expansion. Not usually a fan of space, I was surprised by how much more there was than just exploring the outer atmosphere.
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A Past in the Future
Samurai stories are similar to westerns. It’s the good guys fighting for justice and bad guys being bad guys. Now, instead of a distant past that is featured in some samurai stories, we are in a future where samurai are probably not the good guys typically portrayed. What if Samurai traded their human limbs for mechanical parts in a society run by what should be considered theft? Instead of the total historical view expected from something called Samurai 7, mecha are fought against to liberate people. It was interesting to see a science-fiction, futuristic take on issues many may consider of the past. Instead of a clash between the two styles, they came together as a beautiful art piece that appreciated both. While I haven’t seen the original story this anime was based on, I am fascinated by the possible comparisons and whether the futuristic take added to or enhanced the story that was told. The show is fun, and the characters are fleshed out and engaging. I would recommend having this show for your next binge-watching weekend.
Worst Girl Next Door
In a probable English town in the supposed countryside, probably, lives probably the worst child I have ever had the displeasure of reading about. So bad, I would probably put her on par with Caillou. This girl is known as Pippi Longstocking from Astrid Lindgren’s books. While I know this is a beloved classic, Pippi is one of the most annoying children I’ve ever heard of. She is probably a child’s dream of never going to school, never learning to read, and never having to go to sleep at a reasonable time. In other words, a parent’s worst nightmare. I mean, what child wouldn’t enjoy living with a monkey and having more money than one could think of doing with? From an adult standpoint, I hated this and would probably never let a child hear or read this story until they were old enough to distinguish right from wrong and reason from unreasonable. It might give children the wrong idea, and I would have to pray for that poor adult’s soul.
Undercover Legend
Becoming a legend of the underworld can be a hassle. Especially when you are apparently too good for your job. That is the story behind The Fable. A hired assassin is forced to go into hiding for a year for being way too good at his job. I also wish there were more to say. Unfortunately, I wish this show were more than just a guy living his life, especially with the setup. Had it been told as more of a slice of life, I probably wouldn’t have been as disappointed. While there was action, nothing had consequences, as there was nothing to be gained or lost, as he is known to be the best, and that is not something questioned by anyone. There was one interesting plotline, but the longer it went on, the intrigue was lost. It was a decent anime to have play in the background, just not at all what I was expecting to happen.
New to Education
In my, albeit, short time in education and teaching, I’ve learned that the things I know and what I think others should not can be wildly varying. An example of this in action is Educated by Tara West, a memoir following the life of a girl from a fundamentalist Mormon sect. It was fascinating to me that what people know and don’t know is sometimes a matter of luck. Whether they are homeschooled or in the public school system. Even outside the context of this memoir, I have noticed a substantial difference in students’ knowledge. I will admit that when I was younger, I genuinely thought it was a lack of caring or a want of incompetence. Over my time, I’ve come to realize it isn’t that, just a lack of teaching that occurs, whether willingly or not. Either way, this was a fascinating read about an aspect that is not discussed outside of sensational reality shows.
Rocking That Online Life
To be fair, if I could spend all of my time online playing games, I might. Sure, I’ll do other things, but hiding from the world online sounds fun. Here, we follow the life of a NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) woman who spends her entire time playing an MMO. The only problem is that she is playing as a male avatar with a total crush on someone with a female avatar. In Recovery of an MMO Junkie, Moriko quits her job after 11 years to live out her NEET dreams, which I can honestly understand from time to time. The two timelines explored are heartwarming as we explore who our characters are on the outside and who they are behind the mask of an online persona, both of which are hilariously stupid. On top of the cute love story, it really made me want to get back into MMOs, even if I just play by myself and don’t talk with any of my fellow players.
Along That Yellow Brick Road Pt 12
We are back in the land of Oz to answer a question that everyone has been longing for an answer to: What happened to the Tin Man’s love interest? Yes, The Tin Woodman of Oz attempts to answer that question. Me, I completely forgot that there was a love interest for one of our original adventurers. Either way, it was a wild adventure for our wanderers as they found out what happened to the girl that Tin Man was supposed to marry so long ago. We can also determine whether the Tin Man’s heart is working like an actual heart, or if there is something else to it. It was an interesting journey when Dorothy and Ozma stayed out of the way with their magic, which make things uninteresting.
Building a Family Pt 1
Not all families start the same way. Sometimes they are built to a much bigger game: the spy game. That is where we are in Spy x Family. It is a cute little anime about a fake family living out their completely fake lives where everything is definitely normal, except for the fact that a war is on the brink of starting. Absolutely nothing to worry about except school grades, hiding all kinds of secrets from everyone, going on missions around the country, and living as a happy family. It’s all in a day’s work with our cute little trio of miscreants, though how they are not getting caught is getting more and more ridiculous. I’ve heard whispers from my friends that the story is probably going to heat up soon, with more drama and intrigue, and I cannot wait.
What a Bizarre Adventure Pt 4
I’m back after a long while from reading a part of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure with Diamond is Unbreakable. It continues with the concept of stands and introduces a lot more of them. Sometimes they evolve. Sometimes they test the limits of time. Either way, it was very interesting to continue along the adventure. One thing I did not like much about this arc was that there was no buildup to anything. It was very episodic. While it did leave some clues I suspect to be answered in the upcoming arc, it was a little disappointing that they were not resolved in the here and now. I really wanted the exploration to lead to something, but it seems there was just too much about the world we needed to learn first.
Testing the Past
Usually, I am skeptical of archaeology. It is either portrayed as grave robbing or as people making weird jumps of logic that make no sense to me. For those who hate the sense of archaeology, there is a book for you: Dinner with King Tut: How Rogue Archaeologists Are Re-creating the Sights, Sounds, Smells, and Tastes of Lost Civilizations by Sam Kean. It is not your typical archaeology book, but rather experimental archaeology.
Rather than just looking at artifacts, experimental archaeology is about actually living what is being studied. Interested in an old reason for doing something? Why not actually try that thing to see how it works? Interspersed with the trial-and-error of different ancient techniques are possible stories of what could happen. I really enjoyed that to stories swapped between genders and discussed the possible differences in gender roles based on what we’ve always been told. It was a very interesting way to present the information, actually showing what wouldn’t work.
Drabble Geeks 