this is a small page for things that left an impression on me, with a short description of the work and my thoughts.
they shouldn't be taken as measure of objective quality but rather subjective sentimental value. enjoy~ (09-11-20)
vague lust lover 
by: koyori/denpol-p
summary: "A kinda stupid love." - koyori
summary: "A kinda stupid love." - koyori
Like-Love Climaxitis
by: koyori/denpol-p
summary: "hurry, stuff your mouth with food." - koyori
summary: "hurry, stuff your mouth with food." - koyori
comment: another song by the same artist that i always really liked - moreso than the other one, even though they have a similar subject matter. i found the almost chaotic sounding guitar to play off extremely well with the lyrics, sung by gumi. the imagery of bad test scores and melting ice cream in the lyrics, combined with the unrealistically-colored skyline depicted in the cover art makes for an evocative combination.
you can listen to the original on nicovideo or youtube. also check out the fanmade music video!
you can listen to the original on nicovideo or youtube. also check out the fanmade music video!
air pressure
by: bentosmile
summary: Air Pressure is an unromantic visual novel. - bentosmile
summary: Air Pressure is an unromantic visual novel. - bentosmile
comment: i read this around 2011-2012 and it made me cry a lot! sure, i was a kid back then, but even though i wasn't old enough to fully understand what the story was going for it still got to me in a way that only a handful of stories have. saying more would spoil it but my personal favorite ending is the neutral ending. the dialogue and art can be unpolished depending on how you look at it, but it's a short VN (~15 minutes) and well worth reading.
download it here.
download it here.
platonic form
by: takashi ikeda
summary: Do you take the train on a regular basis? Compare your experiences with those of the characters peopling the nine shorts that make up Platonic Form, from a 9-to-5'er who struggles daily during rush hour, to someone suffering from unrequited love, to a busy homemaker, a stubborn boss, a diligent high school student. - mangaupdates
summary: Do you take the train on a regular basis? Compare your experiences with those of the characters peopling the nine shorts that make up Platonic Form, from a 9-to-5'er who struggles daily during rush hour, to someone suffering from unrequited love, to a busy homemaker, a stubborn boss, a diligent high school student. - mangaupdates
comment: sadly this book isn't translated (legally or scanlated) into english, but i managed to get a copy in my native language in 2012 and almost every story in this anthology gripped me. despite each short being only a few dozen pages at most and relatively subtle in their storytelling i felt they conveyed their intended message and atmosphere extremely well. i found some of them so poignant, despite most shorts having a little bit of sweet to go with the bitter.
schoolgirl
by: osamu dazai
summary: 'Schoolgirl' is the novella that first established Dazai as a member of Japan's literary elite. Essentially the start of Dazai's career, the 1933 work gained notoriety for its ironic and inventive use of language, and how it illuminated the prevalent social structures of a lost time. - goodreads
summary: 'Schoolgirl' is the novella that first established Dazai as a member of Japan's literary elite. Essentially the start of Dazai's career, the 1933 work gained notoriety for its ironic and inventive use of language, and how it illuminated the prevalent social structures of a lost time. - goodreads
comment: the protagonist's stream-of-consciousness narration can be hard to follow at times, but this story hits hard for me precisely because of it.
you can download it on archive.org.
you can download it on archive.org.
testament
by: Lynne Littman, Jane Alexander, William Devane
summary: The life of a suburban American family is scarred after a nuclear attack. - imdb
summary: The life of a suburban American family is scarred after a nuclear attack. - imdb
comment: it's not as well known as threads or the day after, but but i think it hits just as hard as them, if not arguably more so because of the more narrow focus of the characters involved. there's no explosions or special effects, just superb writing and acting. especially the final scene.
uninhabited planet survive
by: Shōji Yonemura, Yuichiro Yano, madhouse studio
summary: A group of teenagers from a deep space colony become lost when their shuttle is sucked into a gravity storm, and end up on a habitable, but, for some reason, uninhabited planet. - imdb
summary: A group of teenagers from a deep space colony become lost when their shuttle is sucked into a gravity storm, and end up on a habitable, but, for some reason, uninhabited planet. - imdb
comment: this is a fun show! it's definitely targeted towards kids in the 12-15 age range, but it doesn't feel dumbed down nor excessively moralizing. it's not the most realistic story in the world, but areas such as the character interactions and development is where the series really shines. it keeps an optimistic, lighthearted tone with some serious moments throughout.
you can listen to the original on nicovideo or my favorite cover by nayugoro on her youtube. there's also a fanmade music video.