Since then, a little over a week now, I’ve been having an absolute blast with this game. I started looking around on the internet, as ya do, to see what other people were saying about it, and found… not much of anything. It’s a weird feeling to be having so much fun with a new game and find that nobody else is talking about it. I feel the need to do something about that.

Worse yet, the top Google result at the time of this writing is this terrible impression from TGS on Polygon, wherein the author effectively says, “I don’t immediately understand this game, which is in a language I don’t speak, and since I didn’t ask anyone present at the booth to explain it to me, I’m forced to just declare it a broken mess.” Which is shockingly unfair, and frankly, pretty goddamn irresponsible journalism. Shame on Polygon for allowing it to stand published like that, but that isn’t what I’m here to talk about. I’m here to talk about this game, from the perspective of someone who does understand it, and has fallen in love with it.

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Gal Metal is the latest from Tak Fujii; a drum-focused heavy metal rhythm game for the Nintendo Switch, released in Japan on February 8th, 2018. Unlike the piles of other franchises that typically come to mind when the genre is mentioned, Gal Metal has no notes raining from the top of the screen, no circles to aim for, no button icons to match up with. There is in fact almost nothing in the way of on-screen prompts or visual guides to follow along with as you play. So WTF? Well, by the time you finish reading this, you will know exactly WTF, and hopefully have a much better idea of whether this game is up your alley.

Rather than restrain you to some rigid bout of musical Simon Says, Gal Metal uniquely gives the player freedom to do just about anything they want for the entire duration of each song. It’s perhaps because of this freedom that the game can come off as confusing, intimidating, or maybe even pointless the first time you swing your Joycon drumsticks. (Or don’t swing them. We’ll get to that.)

The game’s story mode is presented in the form of semi-animated manga panels, like a motion comic. As such, there’s no VO to speak of, so this is the part where I must mention that my Japanese reading skills are, at best, comparable to those of a first grader. I can make out the gist of it just fine, so I have a rudimentary understanding of the plot, but I can’t comment on any finer details like its sense of humor in dialogue or how seriously it takes itself. Given the silly and lighthearted general vibe of the manga panels, I’m guessing not very. Gal Metal’s simple art style works beautifully for its purposes, and I found myself really getting attached to the characters and enjoying the story portions, despite not fully understanding 100% of their content.

You start off as a male high school student, who, on his way home one night, is abducted by aliens. Your body is fused with that of your female classmate, Rinko, who happens to play drums for an all-girl metal band, K.M.G. As far as I can decipher it, these octopus-like aliens are furious with the heavy metal being pumped through space by a Voyager probe that somehow ended up with the wrong music on it, and mean to invade Earth in retaliation. The only way to defeat them is by rocking out, repelling their advances with the power of metal. So it’s K.M.G. to the rescue, except that your no-drumming ass is stuck in Rinko’s body, so she’s gonna have to school you on how to rock. Don’t disappoint her.

She means business.
 
 

Each section of story then leads into a smartphone group chat conversation with your bandmates, wherein the upcoming gig and activities surrounding it are discussed. The party is then moved to a map and menu screen, where you can view your stats, see what your friends are up to, and decide how you want to spend your time before the next battle with the aliens. You have a limited supply of 40 stamina points for each in-game day, which can be spent in any of several ways. You can opt to brush up on your rhythm patterns, or rigorously practice the next song. You can see where your friends are hanging out on the map, and join them to boost your relationship with that bandmate and/or increase your skill points in a given attribute. Increasing things like your cult status, guts, passion and so on will net you extra bonuses during story mode performances, which can give your score that extra little push to help clear a gig. Once you’ve spent all of your stamina points, the game either moves on to the next day, or right into the next battle with the aliens if it’s the day of the gig. So how do you make sure your big show will be a success?

The thumping heart of Gal Metal’s gameplay is the collection of 1-bar rhythm patterns you’ll learn and unlock as you progress through the story mode. With each new gig, you’ll be presented with a set of these micro rhythms that the game suggests would fit well with the upcoming song. They’re generally easy to learn and perform in the practice space, but remembering them and knowing when to use them is the key to scoring points.

Like any rhythm game, keeping the beat is obviously a vital component of playing. But performing the same rhythm over and over again, no matter how perfectly, no matter how complex the pattern, won’t get you anywhere. What the game really wants is for you to mix things up.

Think of each of those micro rhythms as its own Lego brick. Gal Metal offers its rewards based on your ability to take those bricks and build something diverse and interesting out of them. Alternate rhythms. Combine them in thoughtful ways to create structures. Group patterns from the same genre into sections, or mix them willy-nilly into a heavy metal salad. Do whatever you want, so long as it isn’t the same thing twice in a row.

The top left of the screen shows your “Metalgon” during a performance, letting you know what kind of points you’re presently racking up right at the moment. Your final score is then calculated at the end of the gig. Each time you play a rhythm that’s different from the one immediately before it, your combo chain increases, and thus your score. Lazy players can in fact simply pick two rhythms, alternate them, and scrape by with a reasonably decent score on a first playthrough, purely by chaining combos. Real points, however — serious points — come from bonuses that are awarded for things like structure, building coherent song sections, and generally creating a drumline that’s actually exciting to listen to. Nailing a solid Refrain Bonus alone will net you an astronomical 2 million points, which in early cases is well beyond the minimum needed to clear the current gig.

But are the Joycon really accurate enough to pull that off consistently? Yes, actually. After a bit of tweaking in the sensitivity settings, (the robot icon in the settings menu,) to adjust them to your liking, they do surprisingly well. But maaaan, that gets tiring after a while. Thankfully you do have two other very attractive options.

First, you can just play with the damn buttons. On a Pro Controller, even. This is actually my preferred way to play, not only because it’s easier and more accurate, but also because using the button layout gives you a full drum kit, complete with toms, cymbals and a second bass drum. Y’know. For metal.

Or, if you’re playing with the system undocked, you can use the full drum kit overlay to play right there on the touchscreen. Just tap and stab and poke your way to glorious metal valhalla. You don’t ever have to use the motion controls if you don’t want to, and while you should at least give it a try, I honestly think the game is much more fun with these other options. I’m really happy they’re available for people who want to experience the game but don’t want to waggle their arms off. Most of us, probably.

To help track your progress, there’s an achievement-style badge system in place. You’ll unlock these for things like raising your stats, using new rhythms, becoming friendlier with your bandmates, and just about anything notable you end up doing. The game’s not shy about complimenting your improvement, and while these little pats on the head are satisfying, what really keeps you coming back to Gal Metal is when you finally start getting good at it. Once you’ve spent some quality time with this title, learning the songs and memorizing multiple rhythm patterns, it’s incredibly rewarding. Like any good rhythm game, Gal Metal is addictive, but in a different way. I often find myself sitting at work or in the car with one or more of the tracks stuck in my head, and I’ll think of new ways to style on certain sections or new rhythms to try in places I hadn’t before, and spend the rest of the day excited for my next play session so I could experiment with my ideas. It’s a beautiful thing when a game affects you like that.

It’s my hope that this thing I’m writing will provide a better understanding of what Gal Metal is really all about, and help open its doors for anyone who’s interested in the game but worried about navigating all that Japanese just in order to play it. Even if you could read every word on the screen, it can still seem perplexingly difficult upon your first venture. It throws you into open water and expects that you’ll figure out how to stay afloat on your own the more you play it. And you will, perhaps sooner than you’d think. Hopefully I’ve helped. Once you find traction within its gameplay, Gal Metal makes you feel like a rock goddess. But you won’t get there on day one.

It could be argued that the game needs a bit more in the way of tutorials and practice modes, and that’s a perfectly valid position. It could however also be said that not enough games these days are willing to let you explore their depths and workings without a GPS and a hard hat and a ducky innertube around your waist, and I think that’s equally valid. Gal Metal doesn’t bend over backward telling you how to do every little thing, because it wants you to learn it and then write those rules for yourself. It will be whatever you make it. What I made it was a game that, when understood, is one of the most rewarding, satisfying, and flat out fun as fuck rhythm games I’ve ever played. I hope some of you out there make it the same.

Chapter 15 of Mari’s stories. This one is about The Forest.

You can read it here.

Chapter 14 of Mari’s stories. This one is about a girl named Tomi, and her doll Tomoe.

You can read it here.

Chapter 13 of Mari’s stories. This one is about balance, and is told by Mrs. Beedog.

You can read it here.

Chapter 12 of Mari’s stories. This one is about videogames.

You can read it here.

Chapter 11 of Mari’s stories. This one is about making mistakes.

You can read it here.

Chapter 10 of Mari’s stories. This one is about Mama’s guitar, and Senor Perrito del Burrito.

You can read it here.

Chapter 9 of Mari’s stories. This one is about a horse named Hajuro.

You can read it here.

Chapter 8 of Mari’s stories. This one is about Earth Day.

You can read it here.

Chapter 7 of Mari’s stories. This one is about Music.

You can read it here.

Chapter 6 of Mari’s stories. This one is about Papa and the Inufantry.

You can read it here.

Chapter 5 of Mari’s stories. This one is about Taka and Aki.

You can read it here.

Chapter 4 of Mari’s stories. This one is about Eleanor.

You can read it here.

Chapter 3 of Mari’s stories. This one is about Dr. Patches.

You can read it here.

Chapter 2 of Mari’s stories. This one is about Joe the Roofcat.

You can read it here.

A little story about Mari, as told by Mari herself.

Read it here if you like

Submissions for the Rhythm Zinegoku project.

Hi there, friend. Here’s TJS7, the long-awaited premiere of Season 2.

For best viewing quality, click full screen and then click the little square icon to view at actual size.

I want to thank the Rockmelon Soda community, who has hung around here all throughout the terribly long time it’s taken to finish this episode. You can join that awesome community if you’d like. We mainly hang out in the Rockmelon Forums, the forum for people who don’t like forums.

I hope you enjoy this episode. If you like it, you can help support future episodes of TJS over at our Patreon page.

Greetings from 12th place (Made with Art Academy Sketchpad for Wii U)

For a while now I’ve had this idea rolling around in my head for a Zelda spinoff featuring Link’s little sister, Aryll.

After Wind Waker, with the world at peace, Link returns the Master Sword and the Hero’s clothes to his grandma. These are family heirlooms by right, after all. He then goes off with Tetra and her pirate friends, doing piratey things. Perhaps somewhere on the great sea they run into trouble, and to grandma’s chagrin, Aryll takes up the sword and clothes to go rescue her brother.

Being small, she would have some difficulty swinging that sword. Once she has some momentum going she can keep it up, but the initial motion needed for her to begin an attack takes some effort. In some cases it will be more efficient and effective to look for creative methods of neutralizing enemies, rather than relying on a blade to hack mindlessly through every obstacle. Of course you CAN use the sword, but doing so should be a last resort, as it will seldom be worth the energy and may even put you at risk.

Probably not worth fleshing out the concept too much, but it sure is fun to draw.

Click the image for the full size, or the Art tab for more Aryll.

The last half of 2014 hasn’t been the most opportune time to be into videogames. If you pay the slightest bit of attention to game “culture”, then you don’t need me to remind you of how some people saw fit to flip over the dumpster where we keep all the stupid and send a wave of it washing down the street. The stain’s still there, and I dunno if we’ll ever get the smell out, but at least we’ve still got the games, right? Luckily, all those “triple-A” titles so many people were looking forward to delivered on their promi…

…Oh.

“Nightmarishly broken trainwrecks”, you say. “Crippled heaps of unplayable garbage”, you say. “To shreds”, you say. Well then. That… yeah, that sucks. But hey, look around. There may be a blight on the garden and we do have a pretty serious case of weeds, but there are still a few flowers coming up. See? There’s a blue one. And there’s a nice yellow one. And there… oh wait, that’s a mushroom. Wearing a backpack.

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Though it was technically releaased at the end of 2013, Tearaway kicks off the list as one of the most brilliant games I played this year. So brilliant that I feel no remorse in having bought a Vita on a whim, even though I didn’t play much else on it. Not only do Media Molecule clearly know what they’re doing at this point, they’ve also pretty well developed their own voice that carries through across their IPs. Tearaway is a lovely example of that vibe, packing the same welcoming charm and hip, modern creativity present in the Little Big Planet series.

It made clever use of all the Vita’s hardware features without ever really feeling gimmicky, which can’t have been easy. It was also beautiful to look at, with its lovingly crafted papercraft world immediately becoming a place I loved to explore. But perhaps most impressive of all was how its characters, Iota and Atoi, were so lovable, in the way that makes you remember them as fondly as others who’ve been around many years longer. The warmth and charm of this game gets its hooks into you right from the start, and I can’t wait to play the next installment in the series. In the meantime, owning a Vita and not picking up Tearaway is a waste of a Vita.

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I’m down with just about anything that provides me with more Midna, and Hyrule Warriors obliged in spectacular fashion. While I wasn’t a very big fan of Twilight Princess as a Zelda game in itself, I did love the design choices made in it, and I adored the dark visual theme of its world. Most of all Midna, who I think is such an incredibly awesome character that it’s an injustice not to bring her back in some manner once in a while. Having only casually dabbled in the Dynasty Warriors series once or twice, I can’t speak on how this game compares with its ilk, but I do know that it was a ton of fun in its own right.

Swinging the Master Sword into a lake of Stalfos and sending a spray of bones clattering in every direction is SO satisfying, and the game does a very good job of mixing up the challenges and objectives in such a way that it never stales. Each playable character feels unique enough to make you want to try them all, and leveling everybody up is properly rewarded. There’s also been a steady stream of DLC for this game, so if you dig it enough to keep playing for months and months to come, you’ll have plenty of incentive to do so. And no one could blame you, as it’s a fantastic bit of action and a very gratifying way to unwind.

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It’s a bit difficult to describe Hohokum, but as its playable character snakes through its colorful worlds, it pulls along with it elements of games like Electroplankton, PixelJunk Eden, LocoRoco, and other unusual ventures some people might call “quirky”. I will not call it that because that’s a stupid word. But I will call it a lot of fun, and a very refreshing departure from most of the grit and gunfire you’ll find on the PS4. Hohokum is a welcome chance to just relax and screw around for a change in a videogame. No pressure, no necessary objective that must be completed upon penalty of death — just a chilled-out, pleasurable voyage for the eyes, ears and thumbs. If you have it on PS4, you can also download it for free to your Vita and play using a shared save file. If you own either system, Hohokum belongs on at least one of them. Bravo to Sony for keeping imaginative games like this one so well supported.

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I have to admit, I’d never been deeply into this franchise before the 3DS release. I’m really a Capcom man when it comes to fighters, and I guess the quarter-circle systems are so cemented in my cerebellum that anything else feels unnatural. But I had of course played Smash in the past and had some fun, so this time around I decided to open up and let it in. I’m glad I did.

The amount of content stuffed into the Wii U version of the game is just staggering. If you had a few friends who were equally into it, you could play this all the way up until the next release without getting bored, and I hold replay value in very high regard. It’s fun seeing each character’s signature moves, and I love watching Nintendo flex its historical brawn with all the references to its own past. Leveling up Amiibos and collecting trophies offline, mixing it up and laughing with friends online, and all those extras make this game easy to enjoy. But you didn’t need me to tell you that, did you?

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We finally got a new Mario Kart in 2014, along with the first batch of DLC additions that have officially changed the face of Nintendo’s beloved chaos racer forever. Link? F-Zero? It would seem the whole driving on walls and ceilings thing wasn’t the only way in which MK8 has turned this franchise upside-down. Did I mention I love that about it? I am fully prepared for Mario Kart to become a racing version of Smash Bros., with an ever-widening roster of old friends from Nintendo’s rich history, ramming me off a ledge or passing by displaying whatever will be their equivalent of Luigi’s now-infamous death stare.

Give me Animal Crossing. Give me Mr. Game & Watch driving one of the cars from Oil Panic. Let me hear Pikachu’s (adorable) cries of anguish as a red shell ruins his afternoon. This opening of the gate came as a pretty big surprise, but simultaneously, I can’t believe they hadn’t already done it. Same goes for the replay functionality and online multiplayer, both of which had long been itching to be checked off my wish list. As for all the action, new items and courses in MK8, it’s been the best one since the N64 version, and a higher compliment than that, no man can give it.

Er, well, I suppose there is a higher compliment, but that goes to something else…

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2014 Game of the Year

Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker

If this list had been for 2013, Super Mario 3D World might well have been in this spot. It was, by a pretty wide margin, the best Mario game I’ve played since Super Mario World on the SNES. It might also be the prettiest game this generation, and that gorgeous visual treatment has thankfully made it into its spinoff, Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker. I loved Captain Toad’s levels in 3D World so much that upon completing one, I almost looked forward to unlocking the next more than I did the main levels of the game. To say I was excited when it was announced there would be a full game made up of this stuff is putting it lightly.

When it finally arrived, Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker was everything I’d hoped it could be, plus a lot of fun new additions like the rail-shooter minecart levels, Mummy-Me chases and bonus stages. With no time limit, players are free to explore each diorama-like world at their own pace — one of my favorite things to do. This is further encouraged by the fact that everything in the game is Just. So. Pretty. The worlds are reminiscent of toys: LEGO playsets, smooth wooden blocks, shiny plastic buttons crying out to be pushed, velvety soft plush. You can look at any surface and know what it would feel like to touch it. And you want to touch it. You want to reach in and play with things. Even the Captain and Toadette themselves look like vinyl figures, and everything from their respective waddly walks to their adorable idle animations makes you love them more and more as you go on.

Stop for a moment on a ghost house level and your tracker will shiver with fright. Move a little too slowly with a Mummy-Me on your trail and they’ll exclaim their anxiety. There are so many finely polished little details in their behavior and mannerisms that the characters come right to life, and it wasn’t long before I thought of them as little friends. I really enjoyed being able to play as Toadette, who’s been my go-to Mario Kart favorite, and it’s about time we had the opportunity. Levels are distributed pretty evenly between the two characters, but I would have liked an option to choose between either one after finishing the game. Both were fun. I’ve always said that one of the most important things a developer can do in a game with playable characters is to make the characters playable. They should be fun to run around with no matter what you’re doing. Wind Waker got this very right, and Captain Toad does it just as well if not better. You could drop him or Toadette onto an empty white plane with no environment, and it would still be at least a little interesting and fun just to walk around being that character, watching how they behave.

Couple that with gorgeous, cleverly-designed, richly populated levels, and you have something magnificent that’s very hard to put down. Trekking through each little diorama is pure joy, and the whole of the environment cries out to be played with, poked, fussed over… interacted with. Satisfying your curiosity is always rewarded in some fashion — be it with coins, a hidden Luigi sprite, or even just something new to look at. When the next level is unlocked and presented to you it’s like looking upon a tower of candy and desserts. I never had the feeling that says “Ugh, look at this, this is gonna be tough.” Instead it was more along the lines of “Oh WOW, look what I get to do, let me in already.”

Maybe some AAA Rooty-Tooty-Hide-and-Shooty title makes somebody somewhere feel that way, but I doubt it. It’s too rare these days for a game to fill me with such unabashed joy. I’m hoping for lots of DLC, new challenges, and sequels. Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker was an absolute delight, and I’m sure I will be replaying it over and over for some time to come, even though I’ve completed everything there is to do. Which is exactly how great videogames of my youth used to feel, and is what any game should aspire to. I’m proud to name it Game of the Year.

Several people have asked about the updates I’ve been making to characters for TJS Season 2, so I figured I’d make a post to show what’s different and explain the logic behind some of the changes. The short version is that I’ve been fixing things that have always annoyed me and just generally making everyone prettier to look at and more versatile / easy to work with.

For the long version and a peek at Season 2, hit the jump.

Taka and Aki haven’t changed too dramatically, but they’ve both been completely redone. They’ve always been pretty fun and easy to work with, so they didn’t really need to be “fixed”. It’s mostly just a visual update to freshen them up for a new season.

Whether my artistic ability has improved any since I started this project is debatable, but I’ve certainly learned a lot. Most of the updates are just a case of me applying that new stuff to my asset library, which is long overdue. This was mostly why I put so much time between seasons rather than starting the new one immediately after ep6 — some of the characters were still using art from Episode 1, and really needed to be updated.

Mrs. Beedog was the most dramatic change, so we’ll get that out of the way. The simple truth is, all throughout Season 1, Mrs. Beedog was an absolute nightmare to work with. And to be completely honest, I’ve never been happy with the way she looked. I make fixes and change her up a little every time I do a new episode, and it has gotten a little easier, but it’s always sucked. I’m already very bad at drawing human beings, and having to make them movable compounds the problem several times over.

One of the things about symbol-based animation is that you’re basically working with drawn puppets a lot of the time instead of drawing everything anew each frame. This can save an immense amount of time, but it also has its disadvantages — one of which being, (at least for me), that you get lulled into working with something in a certain way for so long that it tends to numb your senses to the fact that it looks like shit, and that there’s probably a much better way to do it.

This was the case with Mrs. Beedog moreso than anything else. I spent a lot of time before and after each episode trying to fix things and make it easier to work with what I had, instead of taking a step back and really looking at her. I resolved to do this after Episode 6, and when I did it became very clear to me how awful she looked.

And when I got down to how she was constructed, it also became very clear that she was designed by a guy who’d never made a Flash animation before. The Kimiko on the left there is effectively just a heavily spit-shined version of what you saw in Episode 2. I’ve learned a lot since then, and for some reason I never applied any of that to Kimiko. I just got so used to her that I’d unconsciously convinced myself she’d always be a pain in the ass instead of trying to correct the underlying problems.

So instead of trying to further patch her up with more duct tape and bubblegum, I threw the whole thing out and started from scratch. The result is much cuter, I think, and it’s exponentially easier to work with. She’s far, far easier to move around and pose now, and much more versatile. I’ve done a couple of test animations with her, and it’s a whole lot easier to make her movement look smooth and natural instead of stiff and awkward.

Some people don’t like it, but haters gonna hate. There will be more Mrs. Beedog in the show now, and she’ll do more, because she’s no longer such a nightmare to animate. And more importantly, after all this time, I’m finally happy with how she looks. You may not know it, but I’ve never been able to say that. Now I feel like I can finally be somewhat proud of her.

Beedog really hasn’t changed much since the first episode, and I didn’t feel like he needed much work. I mostly just cleaned him up a little overall and fixed the things which have always bugged me, like his ears and eyes. His mouth annoyed me as well, so I fixed that and built something much more versatile that will allow him to make crazy faces and do some of the stuff he likes to do without me having to draw a bunch of 1-shot temporary pieces every time he wants a popsicle or something. His construction hasn’t changed much, but I’m much happier with how he looks now.

Patches got the same eye/mouth/nose makeover and some minor fixes, but he hasn’t changed too much either. It was mostly just a once-over to clean him up a little and try to fix some of my shitty art. Which is still pretty shitty, but like… less so. I guess. Hopefully.

Same with Eleanor. (S)he’s more recent, so it wasn’t that bad, but when I took a good look there were a lot of really bad lines and general roughness that i wasn’t happy with. ‘Sbetter now. You’ve probably noticed at this point that I’m getting away from black outlines, and that’s partly so I can get into doing some things with lighting, but also because I don’t like how stark and high-contrast everything was. Especially in the case of Eleanor, because (s)he’s basically made of squishy goo and it looks stupid when it’s in motion.

Marikon didn’t need to be fixed so much as she needed to be finished. She didn’t do anything in Episode 6, so she just needed to kinda be there. Season 2 is getting into the part of the story where she will definitely be doing some things, so it’s about time she had a real head. Like I mentioned before, with Flash characters you’re not drawing a picture so much as you’re building a 2D puppet, and she was really fun to build.

Her hair can sway and swish around, her clothes move, and she can even be held upside-down without looking too much like a paper cutout. I think she’s become my favorite character to work with, which is good because I’ll be working with her a lot over the next few episodes. Sugary violence incoming.

The Telecaster also needed a serious update, since it’s going to be showing up a lot and I hadn’t changed it since Episode 4. It’s been completely redone and can now be shown from different angles and close up without looking terrible. I also recently upgraded to CS5, which includes some new tools that will allow for much cleaner and better-looking effects when the Telecaster… does things. ¬.¬

And last but not least, here’s Joe! This is the more or less final version of him after the several drafts I’ve put out there. Joe makes his first appearance in Episode 7, so I can’t tell you much about him without spoiling anything. He’s a good dude, though, I think you’ll like him.

—

And there you have it. That’s what TJS Season 2 will look like. Episode 7 is currently about 1/3 finished overall, with most of the really difficult stuff already out of the way. Its release date will depend on whether or not I’m doing a panel at MAGFest again this year, but it’s coming along pretty smoothly. It’s a bit later than I originally planned it to be, but as I said above, most of these updates really desperately needed to be done, so hopefully it was worth pushing the episode back a little in order to improve the quality.

Anyway, thanks for checking things out, and as always, all the discussion and the truly interesting stuff around here is happening in the forums, so if you ever come around and wonder why this site is so rarely updated, it’s because you’re knocking on the front door while we’re all busy partying out back. Come join us if you want. <3

Hey handsome, want a TJS shirt? Sure you do. You should head over here and check out this swank selection of Tshirts and hoodies available for the grand opening of the official Rockmelon Soda merch shop. Put something cute on that chest of yours and show the ladies you’ve got a sensitive side.

And ladies, would YOU like a TJS shirt? Well, each of the designs is also available as a fitted ladies’ style tee, or a ladies’ hoodie! Rock some Mrs. Beedog or Marikon and show the fellas in the above paragraph that you’re not about to fall for that thing about sensitivity.

We also have stickers available. They’re outdoor-safe, so you can put ’em on your car, or vespa, or um… I dunno, boat? Whatever is outside right now that would be cooler with a sticker on it. Also, if you buy 6 or more, they’re 50% off. That’s pretty swell.

Also also, each purchase comes with a free hug if I see you in it. So there’s that, too.

Check it out. <3

The Journalism Show: Episode 06 from Topher Cantler on Vimeo.

I’m especially pleased to present this episode, as it’s the season finale. It’s also the first one to be available in HD, as all future episodes will also be. (You’ll have to view it on Vimeo to see it that way, though. Sorry.)

This marks the end of TJS Season 1, and it’s the Katamari episode. Couple of things:

1. If you’ve got some kind of photosensitive Epilepsy, you may want to rock some meds, or skip this one. There are a lot of very blinky things happening. Sorry. :(

2. If you’ve got an iOS device, Vimeo has recently released an app, so you can watch TJS on your phone or iPad if you want. It’s pretty neat. It also affords me the opportunity to stop bothering with Youtube, which is something I’m seriously considering, because Youtube sucks.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy it. You can click the image above or hit the Episodes page to watch it.

Most of all,thanks for watching TJS!! I won’t be taking too much time off between seasons — just enough to tidy up some things around the shop here and freshen up some character packs. TJS Season 2 will start in the Fall, and the Beedogs will be back, with new and improved visuals.

Episode discussion, like everything else around here, is in the Rockmelon Soda forums.

I’m pleased to announce that Story Builder Toys now has Geraldo Beedog plushies for sale on their website! These started as a limited run, mostly for our community here, but with the recent tragedy still unfolding in Japan, we’ve decided to make some more in an effort to help raise money for disaster relief.

When you purchase a Beedog plushie, 100% of Rockmelon Soda’s profit will be donated to Global Giving’s Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Fund. Each little Beedog sends $12 to help support emergency services and organizations like Save the Children and the International Medical Corps.

You can click on the picture above, or follow this link for photos and purchasing info.

I thought it would be fun and easy to write up a list of the albums I enjoyed most in 2010. Only one of those adjectives applied. (Hint: “easy” was not it.) But I did it anyway, so read on after the jump if you’d like to know what they are.

As fun as it is to finally have an opportunity to start doing one of these every year, this list was incredibly difficult to compile. 2010 unleashed so much high-quality music on us that it was hard enough just keeping up with it, let alone ranking it in any kind of coherent order. The fact that several of my absolute favorite bands released new material in 2010, and now had to compete, complicated things even further. So how is one supposed to create a top 10 list under those conditions in any kind of fairness?

The best solution I could come up with was to simply open iTunes and order the year’s new material by play count, then average it out with regard to release date to determine what got listened to the most. As such, this list does not necessarily represent which albums I thought were strongest,  most innovative, or “best.” Instead, it’s a list of albums released in 2010, in order of how much I enjoyed listening to them. Given the vast range of differing sounds and levels of experience some of these artists have, judging a top 10 list any other way seems… well, stupid.

So with that out of the way, I’m proud to bring you Rockmelon Soda’s 1st annual “stupid-free, honest-to-Memebon list of most-listened-to stuff” for 2010.

10. School Food Punishment: Amp-Reflection
Label: Sony
Release Date: 4.14
Purchase: CD Japan
Artist Homepage

I’m not sure I enjoyed Amp-Reflection quite as much as School Food Punishment’s previous three releases, but that still didn’t stop it from becoming one of my favorite albums of the year. Yumi Uchimura’s silky vocals glide through clouds of electronic bleeps and dance tempos to create the same hauntingly beautiful effect that never fails to lull me into a hypnotic state of bliss.

Like anything else the band has ever done, Amp-Reflection is one of those albums I can put on repeat and listen to until I fall asleep with my headphones on and dream in crisp, sparkling color. Maybe not my favorite of their albums, but as always, School Food Punishment shines and glows on this CD like only they can.

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9. Sambomaster: Kimi no Tame ni Tsuyoku Naritai
Label: Sony
Release Date: 4.21
Purchase: CD Japan
Artist Homepage

Pretty boys wish they rocked like Sambomaster. The dolled-up visual kei man-models and scruffy pop-punk ladymagnets? They cry themselves to sleep at night knowing they’ll never walk onstage and exude a fraction of the raw energy and explosive, unbridled soul of these three dorky bastards.

They look just as suited to be holding anime dakimakura as they do guitars, but when they pick up their instruments and step up to the mic, what happens? Motherfucking ROCK, that’s what. The kind that makes you proud to be human. The kind that refuses to let you sit still; that makes you choke up and think to yourself, “This… this is what they mean when they say ‘Rock & Roll.'”

They’re the audio equivalent of tearing up a dance floor without the slightest care whether you look like an idiot and everyone laughs at you. They rock with wild abandon, straight from the heart. Kimi no Tame ni Tsuyoku Naritai is another welcome chapter in a book that must never be judged by its cover.

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8. Tokyo Jihen: Sports
Label: EMI Japan
Release Date: 2.24
Purchase: CD Japan
Artist Homepage

Shiina Ringo. Do I really need to say anything else? Tokyo Incidents’ latest starts off with a rousing a-capella chorus that eventually breaks into full-swing locomotive rocking and then carries you through a pristine display of musical skill and accomplished talent. There is fierce funk here, mingling with speedy rock beats and held together by Shiina’s deliciously raspy vocal stylings.

It makes you feel lucky to hear such a profoundly talented group of musicians that so obviously enjoy playing together. 能動的三分間 is an especially impressive track that serves as a great example of the band’s proficiency with its instruments and its ability to create instantly classic grooves. Sports is another fine entry in a truly impressive catalog of Tokyo Jihen albums.

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7. Zen Albatross: Masada Gestalt/The Absent Flesh EP
Release Date: 9.3
Free Download
Artist Homepage

When I first met Zen Albatross, he was this scrawny kid who was just beginning to learn how to make music with his Game Boy. Fast forward a few years and a few DMGs later, and Zen Albatross is a scrawny kid who’s tearing east coast venues apart with the likes of chip veterans Nullsleep and Bit Shifter, bringing nerds to their knees in awe at MAGfest, and, hey — finally putting out a CD.

If you’ve heard the chiptune BGM on The Journalism Show, you’ve heard Zen Albatross. His track titled April 10th is Beedog’s newsroom theme, and Masada Gestalt can be heard from time to time as well, usually in scenes where something accordingly badass is happening. (Incidentally, upon writing this, it’s just occurred to me that April 10th is also the day I founded Rockmelon Soda, which is some batshit serendipitous coincidence if I’ve ever witnessed it. I swear that was not on purpose.)

Anyway, it’s been crazy watching Zen Albatross grow as an artist and hearing the crowd’s reactions evolve from “Hey, that’s pretty good, Josh” to “HOLY SHIT THAT WAS INCREDIBLE.” He is a truly talented musician, and you can look forward to hearing more of his awesome original work appearing in the TJS. In the meantime, check out his homepage or catch him at any number of east coast chiptune haunts to hear it without the Beedogs talking over it.

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6. GO!GO!7188: Acoustic Daisakusen!!
Label: Victor Entertainment
Release Date: 9.22
Purchase: CD Japan
Artist Homepage

Shame on me. How is it that GO!GO!7188 is at #6? It’s a testament to how much great stuff there was this year that one of my favorite bands of all time is sitting in this position. I listened to so much great music in 2010 that being on this list at all is certainly saying something, but I expected this to come out higher. Still, I compiled the list based on what i listened to most, and this is where GOGO honestly ended up. Surprising.

Their most recent full-length, Go!!GO!GO!Go!! was also released this year, but its production quality just didn’t do justice to the amazing new songs that were on it, which is a damn shame. It really was an incredible CD, and the songwriting was a great followup to Antenna, but whoever recorded and mastered it needs to be spanked. I’m sorry. Whoever you are, you managed to make it difficult for me to fall head over heels in love with a new GOGO album, and I will never forgive you for it. Those songs deserved so much better.

Luckily, Acoustic Operation saved the day with its unplugged renditions of many of my favorite GOGO classics. Mushi ’98 is on there, which I greatly appreciated, and the version of Sakurajima that appears on this record is nothing short of incredible. Hearing Yuu and Akko belt out these tunes backed by classical acoustic guitar and strings is incredibly moving, and to hear this album from start to finish is an emotional experience.

It’s like seeing your cute punk rocker girlfriend dressed in an elegant silk gown to attend a ball. The GOGO you love is there, in its purest and simplest form, and the soul of this band just shimmers and sparkles with a blinding radiance. Despite all the great bands that continue to crop up every year and amaze me, GOGO unwaveringly remains high at the top of my favorites. Hearing these songs acoustically makes it very easy to remember why I adore GO!GO!7188 so very, very much.

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5. TsuShiMaMiRe: Sex on the Beach
Label: Victor / Good Charamel
Release Date: 5.12
Purchase: Good Charamel Records
Artist Homepage

Chi-chi-bow-do chi-chi-bow-do chi-bow. Oh, you girls. How I heart you. I heart you for not allowing me to outgrow punk rock. For preserving my faith in that sound, and showing me that, yes, you can still teach that old dog new tricks. Cute, amusing and wonderful new tricks.

TsuShiMaMiRe’s latest keeps the humor-laden surfpunk train rolling with another collection of songs that kept me nodding my head and smiling just like their previous albums did. I don’t have much else to say about it, except that it’s a new TsuShiMaMiRe album, and that’s a very, very good thing. I was thrilled to finally see them live when they played DC in November and give them each the well-deserved hugs they had coming to them.

Sex on the Beach, like any TsuShi album, is a party in your ears. They just keep rocking. They represent a very important thing that we must never forget: Music? It’s fun. This album? Fun. This band? Fun. Mari’s voice has such a coy, adorable sweetness to it, backed by Yayoi and Mizue’s rhythm section that forbids you to sit still, that you just want to reach out and hug this music. It’s impossible to hold back a smile once you press the play button.

Hearts for you, TsuShiMaMiRe. <3<3<3 Thank you for another amazing album.

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4. 0.8Syooogeki: Ethnofunkydostoyevskycomecomeclub
Label: Actwise
Release Date: 8.4
Purchase: Amazon MP3
Artist Homepage

It’s not often that I’ll describe an artist as “brilliant” and mean it with the kind of weight and literal seriousness that I do when describing 0.8Syooogeki. The songwriting here takes a number of rarely explored genres and braids them together to create such a powerful and captivating overall sound that it physically made my jaw drop when I heard the EP’s first single, Beatnik Killers.

I remember being very impressed with the clever creativity expressed in Postman John from the band’s first release, and much to my delight, this new EP, despite its unwieldy title, takes that ambitious sense of musical exploration even further. Syooogeki has managed to dig deep into the earth and catch hold of something truly original and exciting, then hone and refine it into something that just blows my mind. There’s really nothing else to compare them to.

It truly is brilliant songwriting unlike anything out there. It fills me with wonder and makes me think hard about just how much is possible in the world of music. I can’t wait to hear where they take it from here, but in the meantime, I will continue to be fascinated by what the band has done on this CD.

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3. Mass of the Fermenting Dregs:  Zero Comma, Irotoridori no Sekai
Label: EMI Japan
Release Date: 8.4
Purchase: CD Japan
Artist Homepage

This entry is bittersweet. Intentional or not, the title of Masu Dore’s latest, (Zero comma, multi-colored world), is spot-on. When the ひきずるビート single was released earlier in the year, its B-side (まで) had a certain airiness about it that was not exactly typical of the band’s usual sound. Some of us began to wonder if the Masu Dore we knew was about to change. When the title track’s PV was released and the album art revealed, this seemed almost certain to be the case. Without warning, Masu Dore was suddenly upbeat and colorful. Zero comma, irotoridori no sekai.

But despite a few decidedly bright tracks, I was pleased to find the rest of the album was, for the most part, what I hoped it would be: the dark, murky, borderline scary-sounding Mass of the Fermenting Dregs I fell in love with in 2008. Truth be told, even the “happier” songs on the CD don’t entirely break free of that trademark gloom these girls are known for, and I might even venture to say that a couple of tracks represent some of the band’s finest material.

On tracks like 終わりのはじまり or the largely instrumental RAT, the ominous, ghostly atmosphere that was always present in Masu Dore’s earlier releases is fairly well preserved. The band may be stepping out toward the sunshine, but the familiar grey fog they’re emerging from hasn’t quite cleared just yet.

When news broke that Chiemi would be leaving the band, I couldn’t help but guess that she was responsible for that beautiful fog lingering as long as it  has. Alongside medical issues, Chiemi cited differences in creative direction as the reason for her departure. I take this to mean there’s a pretty good chance the “old” Mass of the Fermenting Dregs I’ve adored these past few years now takes its final breath in the form of this album. Luckily, it can be heard quite clearly, and it’s as hauntingly beautiful as it’s ever been.

It pains me to see Chiemi go, and i hope deeply that she will continue making music well into the future, in whatever way she decides. As for the “new” Masu Dore, I wouldn’t worry too much. As of this album, Yoshino is now officially a full-time member of the band, and holy shit he’s a great drummer. (Other long-time fans who’ve heard recent live recordings and how he reinvigorates the band’s older stuff will know what I’m talking about.) Put Natsuko Miyamoto’s sullen sweetness at the helm of that, and I’m sure whatever Masu Dore turns out to be on their next album, it will be absolutely wonderful.

But before they evolve into something possibly completely different, Zero Comma, Irotoridori no Sekai serves as a grey enough transition from black to white that I nonetheless thoroughly enjoyed the hell out of it. And still am.

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2. Molice: Catalystrock
Label: Wint / Good Charamel
Release Date: 3.24
Purchase: Good Charamel Records
Artist Homepage

Someone asked me for music recommendations a few weeks ago, and when I suggested Molice, I found myself stumped as to how to answer the following question of what they sound like. “Well, it’s kind of like if the Pixies got together with The Mamas & The Papas and played disco versions of unreleased Police songs. At a punk rock club. But, like, mod. Also, The Smiths… something.” What does Molice sound like? The only good answer is, they sound like the Molice.

For as much as the band will conjure memories of bygone jangle pop, new wave, disco, ’90s indie and countless other genres, the end result is something completely their own. Somehow, Molice sounds like everything, but nothing else sounds like Molice. It’s a bit like sucking on a multi-fruit smoothie and discerning a hint of banana, a whiff of strawberry, maybe some melon… is there vanilla in this? There is everything in this. Everything sweet and good in the world, blended together to create a delicious, unique fruit smoothie of sound that’s exponentially greater than the sum of its familiar ingredients. You know the flavors, but it’s unlike anything you’ve ever tasted.

Having been an absolutely massive fan of Chinachop, I knew Rinko and Yuzuru’s new band was going to be something great, and when Molice released Doctor Ray in 2008, it exceeded my expectations. What could they ever do to match this? Astoundingly, Catalystrock.

The album picks up right where Doctor Ray left off, maintaining the modish jangle and misty, dreamlike flow, but with the band’s increased prowess and skill shining through and strengthening an already solid foundation for greatness. I cannot imagine Molice going much longer without becoming one of the most popular and best-loved rock bands in Japan.

Personally, they’ve rocketed to the top among my very favorites over the past couple of years, thanks in no small part to the catchy yet ethereal genius presented on this album. it also doesn’t hurt that Rinko is high queen of all things adorable, and with all the PVs out there, she’s just as delightful to see as she is to hear.

If I didn’t already adore them, Catalystrock has sealed the deal, and I can safely say that Molice has become, unquestionably, one of my absolute favorite bands. I love, love, love Molice. By all rights, this record would have taken #1, had it not been for…

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1. Midori: Shinsekai
Label: Sony
Release Date: 5.19
Purchase: CD Japan
Artist Homepage

Midori’s final album. God, it hurt to type out those words.

When Shinsekai was released in May, it was evident that the title reflected a new outlook for the band. After years of (not) seeing Mariko Goto with her face hidden, her eyes scribbled out with a sharpie, always sarcastically dressed in her iconic sailor fuku, there she is. Up close, in plain clothes, for the world to see, right smack on the album cover. Hi, Mariko.

The band had alluded to “growing up” in interviews prior to Shinsekai‘s release, with Mariko stating she felt the sailor fuku had become a crutch; that her historically psychotic, often violent stage presence might have run its course. But you’d never know it listening to this album. This is still pure Midori, start to finish.

Pick a Midori album — any one — and observe a band doing with music what Tesla did with electricity. Strange things. Wonderful things. Scary things. Things you didn’t know it could do. Things that make you question the way everyone else does it.

Shinsekai is as prime an example as any of the band’s previous albums, of the way Midori tears up the rulebook, sets it on fire, and throws it in the face of convention. Their prowess behind their instruments is unquestionable, their skill inarguable, and yet rather than perform the high-level jazz or traditional music they are blatantly capable of, they beat the shit out of their instruments to paint a landscape of chaos and noise.

But the eruptions of feedback and screaming are dotted with butterflies and gumdrops. Midori is a massive, demonic beast with sugar seeping from its wounds. The hurricane is carefully orchestrated; with Mariko shifting from the growl of a woman possessed to the candy-coated squeak of a happy child without so much as a flinch. Hajime punctuates his gorgeous, classical piano sections with the throat-tearing screams of a man set on fire.

The chaos is deliberate and precise; and the more one listens the more apparent it becomes that Midori has, somehow, remarkably, hacked music itself. They’ve cracked a code. They’ve torn the guts out of something we thought we understood and rearranged the pieces to construct a Frankenstein’s monster to do their bidding. Midori has, effectively, made music its bitch.

So it was all the more crushing to see Mariko teary-eyed on Ustream this Christmas as she announced that Midori would be disbanding. I’ll leave it at that to spare you several more paragraphs of lamentations, but let no one say that Shinsekai wasn’t a triumphant end to their story. It’s as brilliant and astounding as any of their previous material, and worthy of representing their final album.

Truly, their work has been a gift to this world. They will be deeply mourned, but forever celebrated and adored. I am grateful to have known and loved Midori, and further grateful to have had an opportunity to name Shinsekai my #1 album of the year.

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Honorable Mentions

Albums I loved in 2010, but not quite enough to make it into the top 10:

Spangle Call Lilli Line: Forest at the head of a River

The Dillinger Escape Plan: Option Paralysis

Luminous Orange: Songs of Innocence

9mm Parabellum Bullet: Revolutionary

Oku Hanako: Utakata

The Telephones: We Love Telephones!!!

I can’t wait to see what 2011 will bring. If it’s anything like last year, I’ve got another difficult list in my future. Thanks for reading.

Here’s a thing. The Journalism Show is getting its very own panel at the 2011 Music and Gaming Festival, AKA MAGFest, AKA Better Than PAX. You can come to it if you want.

There’ll be an exclusive screening of the first 2 minutes (give or take) of TJS Episode 06, followed by a Q&A session where I will A your Qs about TJS and Rockmelon Soda.

If you’re attending MAGfest this year, please come join us. The panel starts at 10am on Sunday, which is a horrible time slot, but you should come anyway. It’ll be fun.

Finally.

Episode 05 is a tribute to Street Fighter, and features a guest appearance by Capcom’s own Seth Killian. Click the screenshot above to watch it on the Episodes page. I hope you like it.

Please excuse the shitty audio. Somewhere along the line certain parts came through quieter than others, because Flash sucks at everything. That was as good as I could get it without redoing the whole thing. (it’s also off by a frame, but let’s pretend not to notice, ne?)

Anyway, I hope you enjoy it. Sorry it took so long. <3

And as always, episode discussion and all the good stuff is happening in the forums.

Pinky swear, he says. Terrible.

Just thought I should update to let everyone know that episode 05 is indeed on the way soon. What’s taking so long? Well, there are a few reasons it’s not up yet.

Firstly, the whole “redoing the entire episode from scratch” thing, as outlined in the last update. Secondly, I’ve been working a new day job for the past few months which has been devouring a considerable amount of my time, so I don’t get to dedicate 80+ hours a week to TJS like I did for the first 4 episodes. Add to that the fact that this one is packed full of human characters that take much longer to draw and animate, and there you have it. The June episode becomes the September episode. Lateness. It’s dreadful and I’m sorry.

But the good news is that this second version of ep 05 is turning out better than the original, so it’s my hope that it will have been worth the wait. I’ve been grinding away at it every chance I get, and will have it finished for you as soon as humanly possible.

As for the front page here, it gets neglected due to a combination of my hatred for WordPress and ongoing consideration of redoing the site entirely, and the fact that – no, really – all the action around here takes place in the forums. The community here never ceases to amaze me with how awesome they are, and if you enjoy the show I invite you to come join us.

In the meantime, work continues and nears its completion on episode 05, and I hope everyone will enjoy it!

It occurred to me today that I spend so much time in the forum I forget to update the front page for my RSS friends and those of you who don’t do the whole forum thing. Whoops. I’ll be better about that from now on, pinky swear.

In any case, if you haven’t heard, I suffered a catastrophic hard drive failure last Friday in which I lost absolutely everything I had stored on it. Aside from all my music, software and 4 years’ worth of artwork, photos and personal stuff, that “everything” unfortunately also included Episode 05, which was already about half done.

Sometimes life gives you lemons. Other times it’s a fierce kick in the throat.

But the good news is, I had the first 4 episodes of TJS backed up, along with my character packs and everything I’d done up until about the first week of April. Now that I’ve picked up the pieces and gotten things relatively back to normal, I’m in the process of rebuilding the fifth episode. (Here’s a peek at the revamped show intro if you’re interested.)

So I just wanted to apologize for the hideous lateness of episode 05, and let everyone know that production is back on track. It’ll be a few weeks late, but it’s on the way. I hope you understand.

In the meantime, you can catch me on the new podcast Electric Hydra, or on Sega Addicts as per usual. And there’s still a ton of awesome stuff happening in the TJS forums, so if you dig The Journalism Show, drop in and hang out. If there’s anything else you’d like to see on Rockmelon just let me know. <3

Hi. Thanks for visiting my new site. Forgive me if things aren’t quite working yet, I’m still back here hanging drywall. Chances are you might even stumble in here late at night to find everything broken, and that’s always fun to watch. But in the meantime, feel free to browse around and see what will eventually be here.

You can also join our community forums, which have been so active already it actually scares me a little. We’ve got a bunch of awesome people hanging out in there, being awesome. There’s a collectible badge system in place, lots of fun discussion going on, a thread dedicated to pictures of pretty girls, and plenty more cool stuff on the way in the very near future. Hit the link at the top of the page and come hang out with us. You can get in on the ground floor and brag about how you were here before all the noobs showed up.

I’ll be getting things finished up around here over the next several days, so if there’s something you’d like to see that isn’t in place yet, check back soon and it’ll probably be there. If you have any questions, shoot an email to support@rockmelonsoda.com.

Thanks for visiting! <3