Vibe Check #1 (August 2023)

Welcome to the very first edition of our Vibe Check. At the end of each month, we will discuss anything and everything related to Japan, Japanese culture, anime, or anything else that comes to mind. I hope you enjoy our first edition!

Check #1: Anime Galore

I watched three anime series for the entire month of August. Two of them were complete newbies that just released and the third one's a nostalgic series that I remembered when I was a kid (although I don't watch it that much compared to other series from Toonami).

The first anime series I've finished watching was Zom 100. It was about a salaried worker being miserable in his dead-end job (crappy jobs, endless hours, his crush being the boss' girlfriend, things like that), but the zombie apocalypse made him spread his wings and go on an adventure to find the cure to end the zombie apocalypse.  It was a really fun anime series, and can't wait for the second season because it's touching on how the MC becomes more independent outside of his original self being a salaryman. 

The second anime series I've finished watching was the first half of Blue Lock. The anime series is about a striker who just lost a playoff game being invited to the program BLUE LOCK to find the best striker to represent Japan. The quest has one thing: the moment you lose the spot, you can never represent the Japanese national team again. I was really into the series since soccer is my favorite sport ever since I was a teenager. So seeing a high-stakes soccer anime series makes me interested in seeing the entire series come through. 

The third and final anime series I've watched was Fooly Cooly. I honestly was confused on how I describe the series because I just stumbled on it when it was in Toonami (Adult Swim for Saturday nights). Toonami was mainly home to the first glimpse of anime life for tons of people. However, it's just the basic fighting against a monster out of nowhere and it became a part of the city type of stuff. Out of all three of the series, this one isn't my cup of tea. 

Check #2: Magazines- Basketball and Cars

Ever since 2021, I had to buy Japanese magazines from the company named YesAsia to not only learn how to read Japanese but also what's going on in Japan. For this month, it was the first time getting something dealing with basketball named DUNK SHOOT. Their recent edition was the cover of one of my favorite NBA players, Rui Hachimura, and how he's making Los Angeles his home. I was amazed at how detailed DUNK SHOOT was when it comes to what's going on in the NBA (but then again it was the offseason...)

The second batch of magazines I tended to get was mainly cars since I am super into JDM cars. With both Car Top and Best Car, I mostly read about certain JDM cars that are exclusive in Japan (sadly...), and the recent information dealing with popular JDM car companies such as Nissan, Toyota, and Lexus. Plus, they do dabble in international cars such as Alfa Romero, Ford, Lamborghini, and among others. I get Car Top more because they have the best information that I can read in a monthly basis, plus... they do have some attractive female models. 

I tend to buy magazines for an average of $100 per order so that way I can get free express shipping, but I always have a great time reading them in Japanese because it's something new rather than just watching Friends. Hopefully, there will be other kinds of magazines I want to try out. Because learning about stuff from Nintendo is not a bad idea. 

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That's all we have for the first edition of Vibe Check. Tune in next month to see what's been going on when it comes to Japan, Japanese culture, anime, or anything that just happens from the top of our heads. Happy reading~~