And last up, everyone's favorite gentleman thief caps off the announcements... Lupin the 3rd: TV Specials Collection 2! The 5 Lupin TV specials from 1994-1998 are here in HD, subbed & dubbed! Plus galleries, liner notes, alternate versions of Twilight Gemini, & more!

This is potentially the first cool water starter since Oshawott 15 fucking years ago. I need the Gecqua line to be pure heat, I'm tired of choosing grass starters.

It's Pokémon Day, so here's a thread just to show my appreciation for this great series!

Currently playing through MGS 2, and this moment and the sequence that follows is just so fucking awesome. From a story perspective, Raiden fully figures out who Pliskin really is, and as the player, we finally get to see Solid Snake take up that mantle and break the dramatic tension.

Not his "best" movie (Apocalypse Now exists), but I love Robert Duvall's performance in Days of Thunder. Duvall brings so much to the Harry Hogge character, and every scene he's in is a standout. His performance is one of the reasons I think DoT is better than Top Gun.

Finally!

Finally got around to checking out this new Raphael fan animation, and holy shit. I loved Mutant Mayhem and can't wait for the sequel, but THIS is what I need out of a TMNT movie. Super cool. m.youtube.com/watch?v=FP77...

Up now on my Substack: my review of Fugazi's first show from 09/03/87. It's a show that's a little rough around the edges but introduces us to a band that's bound to be great. Read my full thoughts here: open.substack.com/pub/thepoint...

Finally! I love the Moro Arc. I honestly like it more than some OG Dragon Ball stuff like Red Ribbon Army. As someone whose favorite arc is probably the Buu Arc, Moro is a perfect continuation.

I'm replaying Pokémon Yellow, and I wish I knew how many hours of my life I've wasted hunting Abras to be able to do the Mew glitch each time I play a Gen 1 game. Mew is a Top 5 Gen 1 mon for me, I've gotta have him, but walking around Route 5 for hours trying to get an Abra is torture.

Awesome pick up today: Fugazi on the cover of the Japanese punk magazine Super Head Magazine Doll. It has 2 interviews with Ian where he talks about his favorite albums, running Dischord Records, and Fugazi's 1996 shows in Sapporo.

I'd mainly stopped reading ongoing comics at 13, but I was going back and reading some classic books. Of the stuff I was reading, V For Vendetta was my favorite at the time. Batman Year One is what I like the most these days.

I recently started a Substack that's centered on reviewing Fugazi's discography and live shows. If that's something you'd be interested in, I just posted my review for the band's 1988 debut! Feel free to check it out. open.substack.com/pub/thepoint...

New The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis album announced! I'm psyched that these guys are doing another record together. Their first album from 2024 is one of my favorites from the last couple years. Incredible jazz. It's a must listen.

I'm not following along with the whole DC KO storyline, but I really enjoyed Red Hood Vs. The Joker issue as a Jason Todd Fan. I thought the writing really captured what makes him a great character and maybe my favorite member of the Bat Family behind Dick Grayson.

“We demand to be briefed on your crimes” is such a pathetic excuse for leadership. I hate these infective morons.

Played a ton of Shredder's Revenge today, and it's just so perfect. Gorgeous sprites, incredible replayability, it's one of my favorite games of the last few years. The DLC with Usagi and Karai is pretty cool, too. Karai might be my favorite character to play as.

Christmas Eve watch: The Desolation of Smaug! I still really like this one. Doesn't have that grand adventure feel of the 1st film, but I love all of the locations they visit in this one. Biggest downsides: that last hour drags a bit which makes the non-defeat of Smaug kind of more annoying.

Watched The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey for the 1st time in maybe 11 years? 1st time watching the extended cut. Barring the issues of stretching The Hobbit across 3 films, I think this movie holds up well. It's a really good story of Bilbo learning to live outside of his maps and books.

This is a 90s Chapel Hill indie scene appreciation post. Archers of Loaf and Superchunk clear the majority of 90s bands from more well-known scenes (cough cough Seattle). Just killer stuff.

I'm gearing up for a reread, so I watched the Ralph Bakshi Lord of the Rings for the first time tonight, and this movie rules. It isn't perfect, but I really loved the part leading up to the Council of Elrond and the Mines of Moria section.

My biggest pet peeve is when someone calls a Kafka work "Kafkaesque". Yeah, no shit. It's literally fucking Kafka. There is no -esque about it.

Vinyl mail day all the way from DC. Gotta love Dischord 7"s.

It's the most important day of the year: Happy Console Gamer's Annual Christmas Special Day. This year's video was great, just like the 17 specials before it. m.youtube.com/watch?v=6ltH...

Moss Icon on the turntable

First time watching through the 22nd Tenkaichi Budokai, and the anime really makes some cool changes to Kuririn's farewell before his murder from how Toriyama did it in the manga.

Thanksgiving, aka "The Last Waltz and the Goku balloon on national TV" day.

Started Dragon Quest I HD-2D last night and immediately got hit with a huge amount of nostalgia of playing the original on an emulator on my phone during class in high school about 10 years ago. I paid attention in other classes, but DQ1 took precedent over anything in 9th grade Pre-AP Bio.

Did SH Figuarts just announce a new kid Gohan figure? Yes. Did I just buy the old one anyway? Yes.

Movie posters might have peaked with DBZ movie 3

Ah man, RIP Nakadai Tatsuya. One of the greatest of the great in everything from all-time classics by the likes of Kurosawa, Naruse, and Kobayashi to Peter Mak and Tsui Hark’s insane Wicked City adaptation.

Moving Mountains- Pruning of the Lower Limbs Album of the Year.

I know it's not, but when I'm listening to My Love Will Not Let You Down, it feels like the best song Bruce Springsteen wrote between 1982 and 1984. What a fucking masterpiece of a song. Especially reunion tour versions, the energy is off the charts.

Oh, it's PS2 North America's launch anniversary

Good day to spin Fugazi's End Hits. It's their album I like the least, but no other band's "worst" album is as good as End Hits. Guilford Fall, Recap Modotti, and Foreman's Dog are some of my favorite Fugazi tracks.

My copy of Nebraska '82 just arrived, can't wait to blast this thing.

"I'm goin' down there half, but I'm comin' back whole." Electric Nebraska rules.

LOUVRE ROBBED!?

I watched the 2007 TMNT for the first time tonight, despite being a lifelong Turtles fan and being a kid when this came out. It's a mixed bag. Decent banter between the turtles, awful human character designs, and really low resolution backgrounds. That Raph Vs Leo fight though...

The Seattle Mariners beat Tarik Skubal and the Detroit Tigers to win their first home postseason game since 2001!

Just finished listening to the iconic Fugazi gig from Olympia, Washington in '95. Obviously the performance of Shut The Door from this show is legendary, but the band puts on an outstanding performance from beginning to end. Brendan's drums in particular sound incredible on this recording.

I'm about 3 hours into Silent Hill f, and I'll be damned if this isn't the creepiest game I've ever played. The setting and vibe are just off the charts. Big recommendation from me.

Catching up on the Watters and Soy Nightwing run. This book absolutely kicks ass. Issue 124 in particular really blew me away.

Super hyped to dive back into the world of DQ VII. These have always been some of my favorite Toriyama character designs.

Shinkawa Yoji's art for Raiden might be my favorite video game character art ever. He's just so fucking cool looking.

And that's a wrap on MGS 1. It's still an amazing game. I played the Integral version this time just to have an easier time with the Ocelot torture sequence. Can't wait to jump into MGS 2 next. It's a game I've played a lot of, but I've never actually finished.

Today feels like a good day to remember what Guy Picciotto said when Fugazi played their Supreme Court protest show, that when the people in charge of justice in this country stop being just, you don't have to follow their fucking rules anymore.

This shot of Solid Snake at the end of the Sniper Wolf fight is so fucking good. MGS 1 is just a perfect game.

Started a replay of MGS 1 last night, and this game really is in the inner circle of great games to me. The characters, the premise, and the atmosphere all pull you in immediately. Maybe the best game of the 90s?

Finished MGS Delta. I highly recommend picking it up. Classic MGS gameplay but with some updates that make it feel a bit more modern. It still feels very much like MGS 3. I hope this is a sign that more Metal Gear is coming our way soon.