It was already late April by the time I finally sat down to write up March.
Structure
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Input
Reading: professional books, novels, or strong essays, basically anything that counts as reading
Anime: seasonal shows, older series, TV anime, films, just a record of what I watched
Others: films, TV dramas, and everything else -
Random Thoughts
Maybe I will write down whatever has been on my mind -
Output
Maybe blog posts. But my level is still too low, so there may be months where I produce almost nothing ( -
Travel
If I went anywhere, I will jot it down. If not, then there is nothing to say -
Misc
Odds and ends that do not fit anywhere else
Input
Reading
I have been a bit busy lately, and it feels like I barely have the energy to read. The only book I have really been working through is Matz’s World of Programming.
It is by Yukihiro Matsumoto, Ruby’s creator, and the quality is exactly what you would hope for. He walks through foundational programming concepts like object orientation and design patterns from a high enough vantage point that the overall shape becomes easier to see.
What I especially liked is that he does not stop at explaining what a concept is. He also reaches back into the history of the field and tries to answer why that concept appeared in the first place, and why people needed it.
For someone like me, who drifted into this field halfway through life instead of studying it from the beginning, that kind of overview is genuinely helpful.
After the first few chapters, I felt like I understood things like dynamic versus static languages, object orientation, and inheritance a little more deeply, even if I still could not explain them cleanly in my own words.
During March I only got through about half the book in scattered chunks. I did not finish one full pass until April, and once I got to the later chapters I had to admit that some parts were simply beyond me for now.
I may write a separate post later with reading notes and a proper reaction once the whole thing has had more time to settle.
Anime
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New shows I picked up in March
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迷宫饭/ダンジョン飯
I started it because the word of mouth was so good, and it really is as fun as people said.
It is not the usual dungeon-crawling battle adventure, and the main party is not built around brute force either.
Instead, the series uses the characters’ endless eating as a way to show off the dungeon’s ecosystem, so for long stretches it almost feels like a calm slice-of-life show set underground.
Then around episodes 11 and 12 the story suddenly shifts gears. I thought the red dragon encounter would be the climax, only to realize it was really the opening move of the next arc.
After checking, I found out it was a two-cour show. Great. That means I can keep watching next season. Trigger is handling it, the quality has been stable, and I would happily recommend it. -
药物少女的呢喃/薬屋少女のひとりごと
The reputation is excellent, and OP1 really sticks in your head.
The story itself is fun too. I normally have very little interest in anime built around an imperial-Chinese palace setting, but this one ended up working for me surprisingly well.
I finished the first season in two days. I still have not continued with season 2, but I will probably get to it sooner or later.
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Finished
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僕の心のヤバイやつ
Started last month and then kept up weekly. Excellent production, delicate emotions, and a good ending. Recommended. -
狩龙人拉格纳
Interesting story. Sadly the production quality in the second half (by Silver Link) dropped, but still recommendable. -
愚蠢天使与恶魔共舞
As a comedy, it’s solid. Not bad. -
事与愿违的不死冒险者（望まぬ不死の冒険者）
Has some plot. Fine. Finished it. -
治愈魔法的错误使用方法
Has some plot. Fine. Finished it.
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Dropped or left unfinished
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勇气爆发 Bang Bravern
The early absurdist energy was funny, but after four or five episodes I got tired of it and never went back. -
我独自升级
The animation is the only part that really works for me. I stopped after four or five episodes. -
反派大小姐等级99～我是隐藏BOSS但不是魔王～（悪役令嬢レベル99～私は裏ボスですが魔王ではありません～）
I watched seven or eight episodes and still do not feel any urge to pick it back up. -
金属口红
Script wasted the production.
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Want to watch but haven’t yet
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不死不幸
Added to the watchlist. -
葬送的芙莉莲
Added to the watchlist. -
SYNDUALITY Noir 第2クール
Heard the story isn’t great. Maybe I’ll watch, maybe not. -
佐佐木与文鸟小哔
Heard there’s nothing special. Might drop it.
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Others
Movies/TV I watched recently. I’ll try to avoid spoilers.
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機動戦士ガンダム SEED FREEDOM
A new Gundam movie, after such a long delay that it felt like it was about to leave theaters before I got around to it.
More and more, I feel that 3D technology is a huge help for mecha anime. There are just too many edges and too much mechanical detail for hand-drawn animation to carry forever without suffering.
The film opens with a full mecha battle right out of the gate. The camera whips around constantly, and the machines stay rich in detail from every angle. Praise be to 3D-assisted mecha animation.
I do not have much to say about the plot itself. It goes all in on spectacle and near-fantasy logic, with Gundams and battleships blowing up one after another like dumplings going into boiling water. Still, it is a pretty fun kind of excess. -
狼と香辛料 先行上映会
The remake starts airing in April, and they stitched the first four episodes together into a theatrical screening. A completely obvious cash grab (
But“Look, there is a hole in the ground. Time to jump in.”
”Shut up and take my money!” -
デッドデッドデーモンズデデデデデストラクション 前章
Usually shortened toデデデデ. Invasion, apocalypse, UFOs, aliens, this thing is absolutely overflowing with ingredients.
The further it goes, the more mysteries it piles on. I am very curious to see how the second half handles all of that.
The worldbuilding is interesting, the character designs are charming, and the soundtrack helps a lot. It is exactly the kind of frequency I respond to. -
南極料理人
The characters eat pretty well in Antarctica. I just don’t understand the obsession with ramen. -
秒速5センチメートル
My first Shinkai film was Your Name. The strongest impression was: “love across time and space, so romantic.”
Compared to Your Name, 5 Centimeters per Second is much more plain: an ordinary life that anyone could experience. But that plainness hits the heart more easily.
If I hadn’t watched 5 Centimeters per Second, my favorite Shinkai work would probably still be Your Name. -
響け！ユーフォニアム 久美子2年生編
Hibike! Euphonium is famous, but I never watched it.
Watching the movies without knowing the story at all was kinda bold. I treated it as supporting Kyoto Animation.
This “reheated rice” was a double-feature: 『劇場版 響け！ユーフォニアム～誓いのフィナーレ～』＆『特別編 響け！ユーフォニアム～アンサンブルコンテスト～』
Over two hours total. Even without watching the TV series, I enjoyed it a lot. Quite interesting, not bad.
Thoughts
I had plenty of thoughts this month, but most of them do not feel like things I can put online. So all I can really do here is sigh a little and say: life is hard.
Output
Note: Setting Up a Keychron Keyboard
In March I at least managed to squeeze out one blog post, documenting the process of setting up a Keychron keyboard.
Travel
I ended up going out more than expected in March.
台场高达
I went to Odaiba to see the Gundam. It is huge, and it actually moves.
Unfortunately I went during the day. The performance only happens once every two or three hours, and the daytime version was basically just the transformation sequence and then it was over. The night performance sounds much richer, with the big screen involved too.
I have only watched SEED, and I could not even tell you this Gundam’s name. Embarrassing (
狼と香辛料 先行上映会
The early screening for Spice and Wolf in Ikebukuro came with a voice-actor greeting event, but you had to win a lottery to get in.
I only applied for fun and did not expect much, so I was genuinely surprised when I won.
So that Sunday I went all the way to Ikebukuro specifically for the event. It was my first time at this kind of screening, and the whole thing felt pleasantly novel.
樱花
If you mention spring in Japan, then of course cherry blossoms have to show up somewhere in the story.
But this year spring seemed a little cold. Even by late March, cherry trees in much of Tokyo had still not really opened.
There were a few places where they had started to look good, though, so I at least managed to take some photos.
散步
The weather was nice one weekend, so I went for a walk along the river.
Misc
花粉症
It’s said that Chinese people in Japan have three “must-haves”: an Alphard, a detached house, and… hay fever 😷
I didn’t expect to get hay fever after just one year in Japan, and the symptoms were pretty severe. I went to a doctor and got prescription meds.
From now on, every spring I’ll have to take meds on time just to barely pretend to be a normal person (
Closing
Next up should be the April recap, which is absurd to say right after finally finishing the March one.
My procrastination is getting ridiculous. I really need to figure out how to deal with it.
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