ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

"You found me and laughed. You were truly beautiful."


It’s a sad thing to hear of when a band has….. disbanded. Whether I’ve followed them for a long time (Daft Punk, The Preatures) or only just discovered them (sadly, there seem to be many examples of this particular instance), it’s always jarring and melancholic to see the past tense used on their Wikipedia page. There’s still so much joy to be had in the seemingly infinite world created by their music, and seeing new projects manifest as the individual artists go their own ways is always a joy, but an album made with the same dynamic of the past very rarely ever comes about again (unless the band gets back together). The result is a set series of music released under a name that’s rooted in the past; but creativity and memories are timeless, right? I don’t consider it ‘living in the past’ or anything. It’s just a fundamental part of my life that, like everything else in life, was subject to change. Difference here is that I choose not to forget all the good that I’ve had the fulfilment of experiencing.

I mentioned in my last post that I’d finished Yakuza Kiwami, and since then I’ve sped through Yakuza Kiwami 2 as well! Since the first game’s story length is largely untouched, it distinctly felt like a ps2 game as I was playing it, which gave it a unique charm by emphasising the humble beginnings of the series. Faith, morality, and loyalty to the ties that bind, all come together to form a cohesive and compelling series of events that are thrilling to behold. I only spent slightly more than 10 hours playing it from start to finish (I don’t currently have time for all the extra side stories), and I found myself heavily invested in the cast rich with personality. Every antagonist tends to be portrayed as being in the wrong, but within this story I even found myself empathising heavily with who Kiryu finds himself opposing. The final battle’s nothing short of agonising to witness, because of all the emotions it brings forth.



And the same applies for Kiwami 2, as well. A very different kind of story is built, with an even more unique cast of characters, and even though my full support is behind Kiryu all throughout the game I still can’t help but feel immense melancholy at the series of events that pits the core antagonist against him.



The jump from Kiwami 1 to 2 was jarring in the coolest way possible! While the first feels very much like a ps2 game, starting the second made me feel like I was playing a game on a PS5, in the way the combat was so much faster and EVERYTHING was just so much more seamless. Even going to stores to buy items becomes infinitely more convenient since there aren’t any more loading screens. I still don’t think I’ve gotten over how much more fun the experience is, as a result.


I don’t mean to make this post a full-on game review, though. I just wanted to go over the things I liked most which I could mention without obvious spoilers.

It was reading week for me this week, too. I couldn’t enjoy it to the fuuuuullest though, because of the deep cut I got on Friday last week. I still managed to get a decent amount of work done thankfully, and I didn’t realise how much I missed oversleeping until I was finally able to wake up at the most bizarre times this week. Sadly, tonight, I’ll (reluctantly) be returning to getting to bed at more normal times.

I’m so grateful to have made so many new music discoveries this week, too!!!!!!!! All these events come together to make for a most unforgettable reading week: recollection of this moment in time forever accompanying me through my life, like so many other memories.