Monthly HapPENings: January

Oh . . . I guess the first month of 2020 has come and gone already. Craziness, I tell ya.

Life has been a bit interesting lately, not gonna lie. Work has had more than its fair share of challenges and stresses, but I'm trying to pull through. Really hope it'll ease up soon, though.

I've had a very active social life for the past while, which I quite enjoy. I've hung out with friends, gone out for coffee with one of my uncles, spent an evening with a cousin, etc. Other than that, I don't if anything terribly exciting has happened, life-wise. Oh yeah, one of my cousins got married, so that was also a thing.

Bookish HapPENings

I didn't finish any books this last month, due to those challenges that life has presented. Perhaps I'll do more reading in February. Fingers crossed . . . ?

HapPENings on the Screen

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I finally got around to watching Far From Home, and dang, was that a fantastic film! I can't decide if it's better than Homecoming or just as good. I loved the dynamic between Tom Holland and Jake Gyllenhaal. The plot was very intriguing and always kept me hooked. And the visuals for that one scene! Holy crap, was that incredible. It was like they were trying to beat Dr. Strange in terms of weird-but-cool CGI stuff. Also, the end credits scene was very unexpected. All in all, a stellar movie that I will definitely be watching again!

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Tomb Raider was another movie that took a while for me to finally watch. I definitely think it's one of the best video game films yet. You didn't need to know the source material to fully enjoy it (like the Assassin's Creed movie), while it still did throw some nods to the games. I always enjoy the Indiana Jones type of story, so I obviously enjoyed this one. It didn't go crazy with the supernatural elements in the end (like Kingdom of the Crystal Skull did), and it was an intense, action-packed ride that knew when to pause for breaths. The twist at the very end has me excited for the sequel. And Junkie XL's score was phenomenal, as per usual. You should definitely see this if you haven't yet!

So the second half of Once's fourth season is . . . decent. It's better than the first half, in some respects, but it's still not great. I have to wonder if the first half of S3 is going to remain my favorite part of the show. Which is kinda sad, considering it's seven seasons long. I suppose I'll have to reserve judgment until I see more.

I finished S4 of The Flash, and again, I really don't see why some people consider this an inferior season. I thought it was pretty amazing all-around. The very last part of the final battle didn't feel as intense as it maybe should've, and the twist at the end wasn't as great as the previous three seasons' . . . though that's probably because I'd had the twist spoiled beforehand without realizing it. Other than that and some aspects of the crossover, great season!

I'm really enjoying Avatar's second season! It's definitely taken things up a notch from S1, in every aspect from the plot to the stakes to even the humor. Seriously, there've been some times that I have laughed so hard, it's fantastic. ("No, Momo, shh.") Can't wait to keep watching and see where it goes!

I finished S1 of My Hero Academia, and OH MY GOSH, did it get incredibly intense at the end there! Seriously, I was not expecting it to go where it did. Some of the villains were so creepy/cool, especially the guy with a bunch of hands all over him. (Can't remember his name, because it's Japanese and difficult to memorize.) I can only imagine that things are gonna get crazier from here . . . which I love!

Also finished S1 of Attack on Titan. Man . . . what an ending. I'm left with a lot more questions than answers. Things did not go anywhere that I expected them to. And while the ending wasn't quite as intense as one of the other episodes in some regards, it was still great. I eagerly anticipate S2, once I've finished watching the OVAs.

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Yes, I am now watching the cult classic, Firefly. I've only seen three episodes so far, but it's been very enjoyable thus far. It's a shame that Fox did Joss and the rest of team dirty when the show originally aired, because it deserves all the recognition it can get. It surprisingly doesn't show its age all that much, and it has some very intriguing character dynamics. Still haven't decided who my favorite character is yet . . . I might just have to wait until the end before I can finalize my choice.

Gaming HapPENings

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So I completed the main storyline in Planet Robobot, and it was a thrilling conclusion. Kirby games never hold back when it comes to final bosses, and this was no exception. In fact, the final battle and its three phases might be the strongest reason for why Planet Robobot is one of my top favorite Kirby titles. It was really unique with epic music to boot, and had a nice callback to Super Star Ultra (my first-ever Kirby game). I don't want to spoil any of it, because you should play this game if you haven't. Well worth your time and money.

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I recently completed Katana Zero, and it just might be one of the greatest indie games that I've ever played. You take on the role of the Dragon, an assassin given assignments in a grim, dystopian city. But there's more to it than that: he is on a drug called Chronos, which allows him to manipulate time. You'll have to solve puzzle-action sequences, where you kill everyone in a room without being killed yourself; if you are, you have to retry that room. Some end up being pretty challenging; there's a lot of language, and things get bloody. But the story is gripping, with an ending that took me by surprise and had me mulling over the game and desperately wanting a sequel. The score is also extremely dope, by the way. So you should at least look into the game.

Writerly HapPENings

I didn't write anything this past month. What with how life has been, I just haven't been in the right headspace to do any--well, except for some blog posts. I hope to increase my writing time soon, but we'll have to see what happens over the course of the next month.

That was my January. How was yours? Did you do anything fun and exciting? Talk to me about your recent media consumption (books/movies/shows/games)!