Thankful

   There is too much to be grateful for to fit in one social media post, so I'm using my blog instead.

 

-I'm thankful for the new music this year, from Daughtry and Lzzy Hale's version of "Separate Ways," to Miley Cyrus and BabyMetal's output, to Jack Black singing "Peaches," to the two rock albums with Joel Hoekstra on guitar, to Brandi Carlile with Brandy Clark and Catherine Carlile, to The Beatles' "Now and Then" to Dolly Parton's "Rockstar," especially the collaborations with Ann Wilson, Stevie Nicks, Joan Jett, Miley Cyrus, Brandi Carlile and P!nk, Debbie Harry, Rob Halford, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, and Ronnie van Zant, Gary Rossington and Artimus Pyle.  I'm also thankful for finding YouTube clips of Stevie Nicks with Fleetwood Mac, Heart and Peter Frampton on the Midnight Special, Lynyrd Skynyrd at Winterland in 1975 and Black Sabbath on Don Kirshner's Rock Concert in 1975.

 

-I'm thankful for 3 new video games especially; Fire Emblem Engage, Stray Gods and Gigabash, the first due to the characters Alear (Laura Stahl), Marth (Yuri Lowenthal), Yunaka (Laura Post), Lapis (Kimberly Woods), Citrinne (Brittney Karbowski), Panette (Melissa Hutchison), Merrin (Cristina Vee), Veyle (Megan Harvey), Nel (Liz Morey), Madeline (Sarah Anne Williams), Lucina (Alexis Tipton), Micaiah (Veronica Taylor), Eirika (Kira Buckland), Lyn (Wendee Lee), Edelgard (Tara Platt) and Dimitri (Chris Hackney).  They have nice bonds and a compelling story against the dark dragon Sombron, fighting for justice against his darkness.  The next also has a nice cast in Grace (Laura Bailey), Freddie (Janina Gavankar), Calliope (Ashley Johnson), Pan (Khary Payton), Apollo (Troy Baker) and Persephone (Mary Elizabeth McGlynn).  The story is also nice, though bittersweet, but a good musical rendition of a point-and-click.  Gigabash is a giant monster fighting game that features ancient warring titans Gorongong, the giant protecting S-energy, Rohanna, the Amazon flower monarch, Woolley, a giant yeti, Pipijuras, an evil alien, and others, including DLC packs featuring Godzilla, Kiryu, Gigan and Destroyah and Ultraman, Ultraman Tiga, Camearra and Baltan.

 

-The Super Mario Bros. Movie was released and it was really great.  It didn't need to do much to beat the 1993 "in name only" movie, but I was impressed by how many power-ups made it into the film and that they nailed Bowser's characterization with Jack Black's goofy, yet fierce performance.  I also experienced some works by Hideaki Anno, such as Shin Ultraman and Evangelion episodes 9-11 and movie 2.22.  A YouTube user elaborated that Anno likes to show humanity's enduring, relentless spirit in his works by having the human characters persevere against impossible odds.  In Shin Godzilla, a chemical coagulant stops the monster within an hour of a nuclear weapon being launched in a last-ditch effort.  In Shin Ultraman, Ultraman teaches humanity a complex mathematical formula so they can avoid the death weapon, and while Ultraman easily beats two monsters early on, humanity is tempted by aliens to become "gods" like Ultraman.  Ultraman and humanity refuse, because this path would mean sacrificing themselves, their humanity, for power's sake.  In Evangelion, Shinji and Asuka are first forced to be roommates, then synchronize themselves against a monster that can divide.  The next one is in a volcanic core, making Asuka wear an inflatable suit that makes her look obese to withstand the heat and pressure.  When things go wrong, Shinji helps her.  The last episode sees Shinji, Asuka and Rei try to navigate headquarters with the power out and a monster on a rampage.  The film has Shinji fight alongside Asuka, try to keep her safe when a monster infects her mech, new character Mari turn that mech into a beast (something Asuka can apparently do herself based on the screaming Japanese in Godzilla; Battle Line), Rei almost get killed by the 10th Angel (also a unit in Godzilla; Battle Line) and Shinji apparently kill it, with Ritsuko voiced by Colleen Clinkenbeard so she sounds like Erza Scarlet.

 

 -I saw 2 great Major League baseball games, the Mariners beat the Blue Jays 3-2 with former Blue Jay Teoscar Hernandez scoring the winning run on a walk-off single, and the Mariners beat the Padres 2-0 with Julio Rodriguez robbing Fernando Tatis Jr. of a home run and Logan Gilbert pitching a personal record 12 strikeouts.

 

-I only saw one concert, but it was a good one, Carrie Underwood at the Climate Pledge Arena.  I don't know when my next concert will be, but I have tickets to see the Seattle Kraken play the San Jose Sharks and the Seattle Mariners play the Atlanta Braves in April. Next week I plan to buy tickets to see the Mariners play the Royals and the Phillies next season, I want to see Ronald Acuna Jr., Matt Olson, Bobby Witt Jr., Trea Turner and Bryce Harper against the Mariners, who will hopefully win.  Judas Priest and Artimus Pyle are also both releasing albums next year I'm looking forward to, these will be the last physical albums I will buy, going fully digital from here on out.