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Taking advantage of the @GundamPodcast hiatus to play some video games (mostly from the BLM Itch bundle) and finally listen to some other podcasts. Here's a thread!
First, I got a chance to listen to a few episodes of @GetInTheMecha: eschewing the watchalong and discussion formats to focus on specific topics, it's among the best anime analysis podcasts. The standout for me was ep. 40 on Absurdism in Evangelion. https://getinthemecha.home.blog/
For games, Last Word ( https://merlandese.itch.io/last-word ) by @Merlandese is a charming, sharply-written RPG with encounters that are more puzzle than combat - all wrapped around an intriguing mystery with a Clue-esque trapped-in-a-mansion-together setup. Highly recommended, needs a sequel.
Headliner: NoviNews ( https://unboundcreations.itch.io/headliner-novinews) from @UnboundCreation is outstanding. Atmospheric, moody, evocative - it captures the challenge of trying to do the right thing when you can't know the effects of your actions... and manages to be fun on top of that!
I finally tore through Titanfall 2 this past weekend. Yes, it is as good as everyone says. If you too have been sleeping on it, then awaken and go play it. The campaign is some of the hottest 4-5 hours of runningjumpingcloakingshooting giant robot smashing fun I've ever had.
On the other hand, I'm now 20 hours into the first Trails of Cold Steel and I haven't even caught up to the prologue sequence.
Back to podcasts: Gundam Sentinel is one of those early (1987!) side stories that cast a huge shadow over later Gundam stuff... but I know very little about it, and it's outside MSB's purview. So I'm thrilled to now be listening to the new @gundamsentinel2 covering the novel!
There's only one episode + a trailer so far, but it's a promising start - Gordon clearly loves this series and is committed to doing it justice. Very excited to follow along with this one! https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/gundam-sentinel/episode-1-prologue-the-guys-Ms3pmR_t1qk/
The plan for the hiatus was two weeks of rest, then two weeks of prep for @GundamPodcast Season 3. Prep starts today so this thread will also include books from my reading list:
Gundam was always a cross-media franchise, but changes in the ZZ era and beyond transformed it into a juggernaut. For a better theoretical understanding of that, I'm reading “Anime’s Media Mix: Franchising Toys and Characters in Japan” by @msteinbrg https://www.upress.umn.edu/book-division/books/animeas-media-mix
