2023 Year Wrap-Up

2023 was incredibly difficult. Job loss, grief, and tons of unexpected medical needs (such as emergency room visits, random extreme pain & injuries, and that big-huge dental surgery I had to scrape up money for) are just a few things that made this year especially harsh... though even with the negatives, there were many positives which kept me going. My partner's constant support, seeing close friends for the first time in years (such as Spacey traveling to me + seeing several childhood friends), traveling to my hometown after 5 years to see someone dear to me get married, and other moments of joy are memories that I'll continue to reflect on. Streaming on Twitch brought connection to my life that I haven't gotten anywhere else; it meant a huge amount to me whenever friends would pop in to chat. There are some projects that I finished, but the thing that most kept me afloat was the amount of awesome media that I consumed, so buckle up and get ready for a bundle of big recommendations (as well as stuff to pass on)!!

Projects

2023 brought an immense burn-out for me and made it difficult to want to make anything at all. Most things I started remain unfinished for now, mostly due to the hard times I went through. However... there are still things I accomplished despite it all!

The biggest project, by far, was my Road to $5K push for my medical bills. This took a lot of time and energy - emotionally, mentally, and physically - to get off the ground, and it's honestly a huge miracle that I reached my goal. From conceptualizing a plan and putting it into action, to creating physical and digital art, making an Itch bundle, organizing streams, and developing lots of new merchandise, this was a gigantic creative endeavor for me. Thank you so, SO much to everyone who helped, be it sending me any amount of money or sharing my story on social media. I couldn't have done this without my friends!!

Another big "project" that I worked on were my Twitch streams, where I would coordinate backgrounds, viewer rewards, and even songs to whatever I'd be doing in the stream itself. My little VTuber would get costumes for some of the games I played, and overall I'd try to make it as immersive and fun to the viewer as possible. If you joined me in any of 2023's streams, I thank you from the bottom of my heart!

I had a blast editing my friend Spacey's 10 Tips for New Game Developers video; recording game footage, making key art and animations, and putting it all together to create something meaningful made me happy! I also loved editing her UNDERTALE highlights reel! In my 20 years of editing video professionally, these were by far the most fun projects I've been a part of.

It may not seem like a big project, but I almost gave up on finishing my Summer Foods Zine after a rough time with my art and overall depression... but I COMPLETED IT!!! Making art was a huge struggle this year, but I'm grateful I pushed myself to keep going so I could have at least one new thing to add to my Itch page. With full-color illustrations and my cooking process put into simple-to-follow writing, I hope others can enjoy this little zine (and the tasty recipes it provides)!

Okay, so this isn't something that I did, but I'm immensely proud of my partner Chris for creating his game within!!!! He spent a lot of time making a piece of media that is totally its own thing, and even months later I go back to it and enjoy how unique it is. His writing and ideas are so wonderful - I love it very much - plus, it's free or very inexpensive to unlock all the bonus content! Please play it!!

Video Games

They may not have all come out in 2023, but I experienced quite a few games that I loved this year! Quite a few of them were highly inspiring to me, or kept me going through particularly rough times. I highly recommend any and all of them!

There were some excellent action-oriented games that I indulged in, including the very charming FF7 Crisis Core Reunion and super cool Like a Dragon: Ishin!. My top action pick of '23 is the indie masterpiece Neon White, which has excellent writing with a unique premise, lovely characters presented in a beautiful artstyle, and snappy gameplay.

2023 saw many 1st-party Nintendo games that kept me playing for hours on-end. The release of Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom kept me engrossed (and offline) for nearly a month as I explored the deep crevices and sky-high platforms of the world, and even though I feel Breath of the Wild's writing was better, I utterly adored the story for TotK. I genuinely enjoyed Detective Pikachu Returns with its simple detective story and adorable Pokemon interactions, as well as Pokemon Violet's DLC (The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero) which continues to suck me back in even after finishing the main stories! As of Christmas, I've been playing lots of New Pokemon Snap - which is surprisingly dense and an utter delight - and thoroughly enjoying WarioWare Move It! - which is a great return to my favorite WarioWare formula.

This was a great year for indies, of which I indulged in many from across time. Some of my big favorites of multiple genres include the ultra-charming and nostalgic N64-style platformer Cavern of Dreams, phenomenal mysterious puzzler Void Stranger, and incredibly distinctive narrative puzzler Even the Ocean.

My partner started the Ys series, beginning with bumpslash bonanza Ys 1 & 2 Chronicles and moving into the gorgeous Ys 6: The Ark of Napishtim later in the year. I can't decide which of the games I like most - it's a tie between 2 and 6 - but I'll be grooving to these soundtracks for years to come!!

If you haven't yet, PLEASE play Ghost Trick!! I was psyched that it released on all platforms, it's a totally unique game with a fantastic story and tons of quirky characters. Despite having tricky timing on some of the parts of the game, I firmly believe it's something anyone can pick up and enjoy.

I played a great amount of visual novels this year - some with gameplay intertwined into the storytelling, and some purely a narrative experience. Stand-outs include the wonderful Butterfly Soup 1 & 2 which brought me back to my highschool days and reminded me of my cherished friend group, the decadent Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus & Butterfly which continued the awesome story of the first Coffee Talk with intriguing new characters and excellent music, the long awaited prelude of Soul of Sovereignty from one of my favorite storytellers GGDG, and the heart-wrenching yet beautiful The House in Fata Morgana which had my brain buzzing for weeks. There was also The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog, an April Fools Day surprise that was an astoundingly solid story and genuinely one of the best Sonic games in a very long time.

Anime

I tried to group everything into similar categories, so if you're looking for a type of show to check out I hope this format helps!

Action is a great genre (as long as it doesn't linger on constant fight-heavy conflict...) and this year introduced some great shows. Some of my favorites include Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, which has honestly become one of my favorite fantasy & adventure stories of all time, and the English dub of Sk8 the Infinity, which had me in stitches from its hilarious writing. Buddy Daddies kicked off the year with a sweet and funny story about two hitmen taking care of an adorable orphaned child, while the series remake/prelude Trigun Stampede was a fresh take on Trigun's story while being just as enjoyable as the original.

Looking for a touching, lighthearted story with well-rounded characters to tug at your heartstrings? Here are some standouts from this year! Insomniacs After School features gorgeous atmospheres and the budding of a beautiful relationship between friends, and Skip and Loafer featured some of the most relatable and real-feeling characters I've ever seen in a piece of media (which made it easy to get attached to them). Tamako Market is an adorable story about a marketplace connected through bonds with other shopkeeps and features a young sweets (mochi) maker, while Sugar Apple Fairy Tale also features a young sweets (sugar confections) maker in a fantasy world with relatable artist struggles (plus pretty fairies!)

I'm a big fan of "moody" media - things that make me ponder for awhile or have an intrinsically dark atmosphere - and this year I watched many shows that gave me pretty heavy emotions. Boogiepop Phantom has the most excellent vibes and an interesting way of connecting several stories together, and Haibane Renmei is a fantastical story with lots of fascinating ideas that make you wonder why its world is the way it is. Released this year, Pluto is an excellent retelling of the Astro Boy story with emotional beats that make your heart say "OW!!" If you seek something that's furthermore depressing, Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 is a great piece of natural disaster media weighted with consequences and realistic portrayals of a scary aftermath. If you enjoy a good mystery, Undead Girl Murder Farce is a fun and surprising adventure that features monster detectives and storybook characters solving problems, while The Apothecary Diaries takes a more realistic (and dramatic) avenue of solving its mysteries.

We experienced several video game adaptations this year, including the excellent (after its first episode) Nier Automata Ver1.1a, which I'd call the best video game adaptation in any form of media. The latest take on Pokemon - AKA no more Ash Ketchum - has been a breath of fresh air for the series with its dual protagonists thoughtful Liko and high-spirited Roy. A last-minute hit - Pokemon Concierge - melted my heart with beautiful stop motion animation and adorable depictions of Pokemon. I also finally got to see the Umineko no Naku Koro Ni anime, which - although unfinished - was very enjoyable as a fan of the series.

There were a bunch of particularly good second seasons of shows that ended up even more amazing than their previous counterparts. We experienced both seasons of Someday's Dreamers in 2023, but they're both SO different and I highly recommend S2 over S1 for its pacing, stories, and emotional impact. The heart-pounding drama and despair of Gundam Witch from Mercury S2 had me on the edge of my seat throughout every episode, and to cool down, we enjoyed the shorts of Nights with a Cat S2 for some kitty cuteness. Jujutsu Kaisen S2 went down a more Shounen-y route with extensive battle scenes - which I don't typically care for - but they were each so intricately animated with such cool music that I couldn't stop watching.

Movies

Have you even seen a spectacle that was so filled with colors and wonderful stylization that you're just immediately compelled to create art?? That was me immediately after watching the eye-candy extravaganza that is Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.

Created by one of my favorite artists - Masaaki Yuasa - you just HAVE to watch Inu-Oh to understand how extremely special it is!! I don't think I've ever experienced anything like it before; it's a genuinely one-of-a-kind movie, and for that I appreciate it very much.

Moomins and the Winter Wonderland was a surprise hit for Chris and I when looking for holiday-themed media this past month. I think most people might turn away from it for its very homemade-looking stop-motion animation, but I personally find it added to the charm. Definitely a good pick for when you want something a little slower and softer.

The story of Suzume was kinda scattered and it certainly had pacing issues, but I enjoyed the movie for its cute characters and colorful world. I appreciate how it wrapped up and really liked its supernatural touches.

Disappointments of 2023

I'll keep this brief since I don't like dwelling on the bad (and because I've mentioned most of these in previous blog entries). The biggest stinkers were Final Fantasy 16 and Silent Hill Ascension; FF16 was a time-waste of a game with atrocious characters/storytelling and a very small (and boring) soundtrack, and SH:A is utter garbage with confusing plots and terrible decisions all around. I'm sad to say Sonic Superstars was not a good experience and a total glitchfest - why it was promoted as a co-op game makes NO sense if you actually try to play it that way - and my feelings for Sonic Frontiers soured with its story update due to awful controls and frustrating time constraints (I saw they've changed a few things in the update to be more ... playable! ... so maybe I'll give it another shot in the future). If you personally enjoyed any of these I'm happy for you, but my own opinion probably won't be changing over time.

The Future

There's a lot that's going to need to change (mostly for finances' sake) so I'm honestly not sure what to expect this upcoming year. The industries I've been professionally involved in are all on fire - and have been for several years - so I'm doing my best to step forward without despairing too hard. Work nonsense aside, I'm hoping to rediscover how to love creating again; I'm still very worn out, so I'm doing my best to ease slowly back into making. My hope is to finish any projects I started in '23, and even act on some ideas I had been building up to. Twitch streaming is likely to happen as well, potentially at the same times as this past year (Mondays and/or Wednesdays at 9am PT). I'll be sure to post on social media whenever I decide to do that again - likely in January or February.

And with that...

Good riddance, 2023!

I wish everyone a comfortable and safe start to their new year; may 2024 bring us the much-needed hope and peace that many of us desire.