Following a recommendation from an article by @japanesetalk.bsky.social, I've started reading 「ずっと前から好きでした」and 20+ pages in, this is definitely looking like a fantastic text to bridge between manga and novels, and a good example of comprehensible input for anime/manga fans.

During some spring cleaning today, I stumbled upon some papers from my first semester of pre-Honours Japanese from the late 00s. It was a mixture of course paperwork, pre-exam notes and translations. For the longest time, I considered this my 'peak' with Japanese. My, how far I've come. 🧵

Felt like it was time to read some short stories for the spooky season, starting with Edogawa Rampo.

Finished Silent Hill f today (endings 1-4), and it's definitely been a fantastic exploration of the greater concepts of the franchise, with some fantastic atmosphere and writing. I will say though, the gauntlets and needing to finish the game 3.5 times to get the true ending does detract a little.

Techbro: Why bother learning a language when you can just get [mythical/magical machine-based translation service] to do it for you? Machine translation:

If you're ever in Kappa Yokocho in Umeda, Ramen Kotan was one of my go-to places. It's a nice, quiet corner in a busy area. Also, the rumble from the Hankyu line overhead is an added little bit of ambience.

Decided to dip into the entertainment budget during a sale of a particular label (Radiance). The last couple of months have been rough, but this is a hell of a Japanese cinema haul, particularly in the ghost/horror canon.

Simple answer: there's more wonderful books out there than there is to reasonably read them. So yeah, I'd go full Burgess Meredith in that particular Twilight Zone episode as a ghost, ironic ending withstanding.

I found more joy in life this way.

Read about a third of Eric Ozawa's translation of Days at the Morisaki Bookshop, and I'm definitely finding the book to be timely, muck like Wenders' Perfect Days. I also have a massive spot spot for Kanda and Jinbocho. I tried to pick up a Japanese copy last year, but it was out of print.

Spooky season viewing continues tonight. I'll be revisiting Ju-on (2002) for the first time in about 20 years.

Got inspired by a fellow Meathead artist, and I threw this one together on a day off. Decided to go more cartoony this time, but still working on the poster look. #meatpaint Happy spooky season people! Progress shots in reply.

Intermediate Japanese reading tip: There will be bumps in the road, and even sections of works that are generally accessible may prove challenging. At times like this, keep reading, get the gist, and verify afterwards. This is how literacy building works, and this is just part of the process.

"If we lose hope, we're doomed." We must continue Dr. Jane Goodall's mission and all fight for the future of the planet.

I must admit... I really looked up to Jane Goodall as a kid, so the news of her passing is hitting a little hard. I'm still fascinated by primates, and I'd like to think that my general love of animals was fuelled partially by this.

Honestly, if you're interested in making art, go for it. It's been one of the best decisions I made for myself in the past few years, and it's an interesting journey. Also, it's about time and practice. On the left is April 2024 (2nd drawing on a tablet) and on the right is September 2025.

Got inspired by a fellow Meathead artist, and I threw this one together on a day off. Decided to go more cartoony this time, but still working on the poster look. #meatpaint Happy spooky season people! Progress shots in reply.

It's a little staggering to think that in the span of just over a decade, we've gone from Yakuza 4/5 barely managing to be released in English, to a literal backlog of games in the franchise. Hell, I've got about 6-7 entries in the in-pile.

Intermediate Japanese learning tip: New verbs and their Kanji are a fantastic avenue for your vocabulary. For example, the verb 潜む (ひそむ), means to lurk, be hidden, concealed, or lie dormant. It's a verb you hear in sentences like: 『注意して、何かが潜んでいる。』 It's also a Kanji that opens up more words. (1/3)

This year may go down as one of my most turbulent ones, but... I've realised more than ever that learning/using/speaking Japanese is something that makes me happy. Likewise, I want to actually be able to read novels, history/folklore texts, and more as part of this in the coming decades.

Been having a ball with Silent Hill f, and I just got to the mid-game part that... let's just say makes some dramatic changes with the 'handling' of things. All I can say is, given that we're dealing with a kitsune... it tracks.

Curious about how Silent Hill f fits into the greater ideas of the franchise? I'm going to update this after finishing the game, but there is definitely a strong conceptual connection here.

Initial impressions of Silent Hill f after an hour: the combat is a little janky, but as a fan of survival horror in Japanese settings, this one is potentially an all-timer for me. It's also fits RIGHT in the cross section of my research interests and general love of horror.

What movie do you consider 'perfect'? Had to go for the full opening sequence, I mean... LOOK AT IT!

Spooky season viewing continues with Yokai Monsters: 100 Monsters (妖怪百物語), a major film in both the tokusatsu and youkai canon.

Just finished the last episode of Dandadan S2, and the series has been a treat, even if this last arc has felt a bit rushed. I think the series is often at its best when it takes the time to slow down and let characters develop, and bar these final episodes, this season has had this in spades.

Honestly, this was a 4-way toss-up between this, Rival Schools, Yakuza 4, and Soul Edge/Blade. Gotta go with an all-timer, though.

That people are in a constant rush to keep up what's trending or the algorithm is pushing, rather than taking the time to enjoy the things legitimately intrigue them, and at their own pace. We all have backlogs, so it's time to enjoy them.

IDK who needs to hear this today, but you do not need intimate knowledge of ANYTHING, not even fundamentals, to draw. You dont need to be an expert to just doodle and do your thing. No matter where you are on your journey - YOU ARE AN ARTIST.

Spooky season watching continues tonight. Fun fact, I've yet to see a full Chucky film and so tonight will feature Child's Play (1988).

A general reminder, please take the time to take care of yourself. 2025 has been a really rough year in a multitude of ways and for a litany of reasons. A lot of us are on edge, feeling burned out, and running on an empty tank. This makes this doubly important, particularly in the face of everything

Stumbled on this one today, and if you're somewhere the intermediate plateau or above, this is a fantastic listening piece for Japanese study. On top of that, it has some fantastic verb and sentence examples for talking about personal experiences, reflections and ruminations.

I've been working on getting some of the major films in the youkai/yuurei film canon, and this set arrived in the mail today.

Decided to play around with a FrankenMeathead design and try out the vintage poster design look again for #meatpaint

Now that I've had my morning coffee, it's clicked more than this is a full remake, rather than just a Ninja Gaiden 2 remaster-remake combo. I'm ecstatic for this. I'll definitely be getting in on PC, and I hope to see ports/remakes of FF1 and 3.

Here's some fantastic Japanese dictionary resources if anyone needs them: jisho.hlorenzi.com - Romaji search - Usage rates - JLPT level - General pitch accent - Example sentences www.japandict.com - Kana/Kanji only search - Full pitch-accent by character - Usage - Phrases - Examples w/ breakdowns

I suppose a newer #promosky is in order. This account can be a little erratic in its posting, but it's often a mixture of Japanese linguistics, the occasional art piece/sketching, and ongoing stuff about reading, horror, monsters and topics that catch my fancy.

The avenues for buying Japanese books without having to use proxy services or buying things at significant mark up have broadened significantly. While Book Off is still out of reach, and Honto dropped out, it's never been easier to get books overseas.

Current reading progress for manga in Japanese: One Piece - Volume 8 Naruto - Volume 5 Bleach - Volume 5 Shuumatsu Shoujo Ryokou - Volume 3 Full Metal Alchemist - Volume 1 Gegege No Kitarou - Volume 3 (bunko) Sailor Moon - Volume 3 (bunko) Dandadan - Volume 2 Slam Dunk - Volume 2 (new edition)

Decided it was time to read the very first volume of manga in Japanese I bought, way back in 2005 on a school trip. I could barely read it all at the time, but times certainly have changed. Hard to think that I've tackled a good 25+ volumes from a range of manga series in the past year.

If you see this, repost with a vampire that is not Dracula.

Small update post-viewing of Noroi: The Curse (2005). It's a still night, and I've definitely checked my peripheral vision a half dozen odd times while wrapping up before bed. As someone who doesn't get spooked easily (or often), this definitely a sign about this film.

The spooky season viewing continues tonight with Noroi: The Curse (2005), which will be the first in a series of Japanese horror films for this year.

The chatter about people having unrealistic expectations about rushing Japanese fluency has got me thinking. At my peak at uni, I was technically at intermediate level, but I couldn't hold fluid conversations and didn't quite have real-time decoding strategies. These are two of my strengths now.　🧵

Adding on from Dr. Robertson's video, this is something to always keep in mind. Also, speaking from experience, taking your time builds a depth/breadth of language ability. I tried to bullrush it just after university, and I burned out. I may not be at N1/2 yet, but I became versatile in due time.

Almost done with reading the 8th volume of One Piece in Japanese, and I'm officially at the start of the Arlong arc. Outside of some more complex vocabulary in monologues, exposition, and villain speeches, the series has been a great way to build up my Japanese reading confidence.

This has probably one of the absolute best pieces of advice you can get for learning Japanese: your own language journey will go its own way, and as long as you're making incremental progress at your own pace, you're doing well. Absolutely fantastic video by @scriptingjapan.bsky.social

Officially starting the spooky season tonight. Going to look at a range of things over September-October, ranging from an array of first-time film viewings, some reading, and potentially some art/writing. Tonight starts with a bad movie with reportedly great special effects: Spookies (1986).

Ordered copies of the six Shinobi films and I'm definitely keen to watch them. The Oda vs. Iga conflict is also an area I want to branch into with my research.

OK, hear me out... A LORD OF THE RINGS remake, but with these two taking the One Ring to Mordor