Happy New Year!

Did you have a good year?

Since I have been documenting throughout this year by quarter already, I thought I would shift LookBack to be more about the things that really resonated with me this year, and how they relate to what I’m going to do going forward.

I started the year without a job, and now I’m ending the year at a job that I love. I had the opportunity to draw illustrations, do booth designs, motion graphics, websites, logos, user interfaces, and so much more! I could have said no to some of these, but I put myself out of my comfort zone and accomplished a lot that I never would have.

However sometimes I stretch myself too thin and don’t leave enough time for myself!

Speaking of all the creativity I’ve done at work, I have had a few chances outside of work to pursue all manner of creativity.

• I took part in a 6-week workshop at Little Canada to make a miniature diorama
• Runner up in the Digimon Card Competition
• Did a lot of creative coding with threejs and Unity
• And I practiced drawing more than I ever have

The great thing about having many creative interests is that I can switch directions whenever I hit a mental block. I particularly like the headspace I get in whenever I work on anything interactive.

I have loved manga since I was a kid. I think it’s my favourite form of media. I love when a manga page is drawn with intentionality in its panels. So naturally I want to draw my own mangas.

I went to Japan recently and was able to go to the Shueisha Manga Art Heritage Exhibition in Tokyo and loved seeing Eiichiro Oda’s work on display. I was also in Osaka when the Death Note Exhibition was available and saw the original manuscripts for the series. How inspiring!

I also now own a ton of reproduction manuscripts that cleverly mimic how the original drafts would look. These are my favourite purchases ever and I love looking at ever fine detail and brush stroke. I also love looking at rough drafts sketched by mangaka to see how they think about composition.

Media has been rather bland these past few years. Its fine to create entertainment but a lot of it becomes simple “content” rather than “art”. Recently I have been paying more attention to works of media that take effort to craft their story and characters with intention. What does the work have to say about society or humanity?

This year I watched/read Tengoku Daimakyou, Shin Godzilla, Godzilla Minus One, Pluto, Suzume, and plenty others. Each of these pieces of media all left an impression on me in some way or another that lasted well beyond the credits. These are the types of stories that can last a lifetime.

The funny thing about travelling is the culture shock you get from people just living their ordinary lives seperately from yours. There were so many aspects I loved about my visit to Japan, but it made me realize I’d enjoy it a lot more if I went further in my Japanese studies. Visiting also helped open my eyes to what I appreciate and want in a community or society.

After getting some news about potential health issues I might get down the line, it was apparently enough of a kick in the ass to eat better and work out a little bit more. I started this journey a little late into the year so to be down 5% body fat is quite the achievement for me!

Another Code Recollection

I was a huge fan of Another Code (Trace Memory in the US) for its storytelling and unique gameplay. They are now remaking it and the character designs look amazing! I played the demo and I’m so excited for this to come out!

Apollo Justice Trilogy

I think I own all these games already but I believe Dual Destinies and Spirit of Justice never saw physical releases in the US, so I’m excited to get a physical copy of this. And the Ace Attorney remasters have all been extremely well produced.

Persona 3 Reload

This is absolutely my most anticipated game coming in 2024. I was first introduced to the Persona series with Persona 3 on the PS2. To say it was rough around the edges is an understatement, though over time they have improved the battle system to where the series can now sell millions of units! I haven’t played through the Persona 3 story in several years so I am very excited to experience this with a new beatiful look!

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth

I haven’t seen much of this game as I have been purposefully avoiding spoilers in trailers. I loved the first game’s battle system so I will be excited to play this one as well!

Unicorn Overlord

Two game developers I really love come together to create an incredible looking JRPG. I am a huge fan of Atlus’ and Vanillaware’s games and to see that they are making a JRPG together is just so exciting.

Eiyuden Chronicle

I kickstarted this game a few years back simply on the basis that it is a sort of spiritual successor to Suikoden. How can I not get excited about it!

Post more to this blog!

I want to post more than just quarterlies and travel articles to this blog! I want to have more spontaneity to the content on here!

Return to playing piano and making music

I used to know how to play piano and I believe I have just forgotten everything! I want to play music again!

Downsize a little

If everything works out I will be moving soon but I’ve just got too much stuff! I want to give away or sell all the stuff I don’t actually need or makes me inspired!

Actually build [Redacted]

I have been planning a project over the past year and now I think it’s time to stop perpetually planning and start just building the thing!

Overall I’m very happy with how this year went. I pushed myself in directions I never thought I could and that is fantastic momentum going in to the new year.

Cheers!