9.29.25 banjo kazzoie | SlipsWorld

Hey, I'm a little late this week! That's because I have a job now where I'm required to work Saturdays, so I'm gonna have to move my monthly logpost to the last Sunday or Monday of every month just so I have enough time to write and post these things. With that out of the way, let's get to loggin'!

Within its short 26-episode run, there was always something interesting going on from episode to episode whether it be a self-contained villain of the week storyline or some sort of revelation involving one of the main characters. No matter what direction each episode took, the ongoing development of the Bebop crew and the worldbuilding of its alternate future were consistently fascinating to me, especially in regards to the show's positioning of the necessity of empathy and compassion amidst an increasingly cynical world as one of its major themes. It's a classic for a reason!

Fav Episodes: "Asteroid Blues", "Gateway Shuffle", "Sympathy for the Devil", "Waltz for Venus", "Jamming with Edward", "Toys in the Attic", "Bohemian Rhapsody", "My Funny Valentine", "Pierrot le Fou", "Cowboy Funk", "Brain Scratch", "Hard Luck Woman", "The Real Folk Blues"

Going from one animated show depicting space colonialism to another, I've only seen the first two episodes of Futurama so far this month, but so far, I'd say it gets off at a pretty promising start. While the pilot introduces each of the central characters pretty fast, it remains more focused on establishing how its depiction of the future is mostly an exaggerated approximation of the present. The cyclical nature of progress could easily be portrayed nihilistically by other satirical works, but Matt Groening's good-natured approach paves the way for a sharper focus on ways in which humanity can see past that regression and realize what really matters to them. I'm gonna stop this entry here before I get any more intellectual about the cartoon with the funny alcoholic robot.

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I had trouble getting into this game in the past mainly because of the more grindy nature of older RPGs, but now that I've gotten further into it, I'm able to appreciate its world and characters a lot more even if I still struggle with some of the battles. While some enemy spawns can be annoying to deal with and the inventory system could benefit from being sorted better, there's still a very powerful feeling of discovery that I get from entering each area for the first time that makes progressing through its rougher sections worth it. I also really appreciate the genuine warmth and groundedness present in each of the game's towns despite the cartoonish nature of their residents as they remind me of how those vibes are also present in the Light World sections of Deltarune. If you're gonna steal, steal from the best I'd say!

When I did my entry on Speak for Yourself by Imogen Heap, I described it as 'proto-Polachek' in that it felt like a clear inspiration for Caroline Polachek's solo work. In retrospect, that term would be more accurate in describing this album, which consists of regal self-produced ambient pop created by Polachek years before her proper solo career started. The vocal processing on here sounds a lot more rough than the pristine recordings that would define her work with Danny L Harle, though aspects of her emotive approach to electronic composition, texture and melody are very much present on this early endeavor. I might not come back to this that often, but it was still an engaging listen nonetheless.

Fav Tracks: Getaway Ride, Avenues, Izzit True What They Tell Me, Wings of the Parapets

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This EP consists entirely of ambient remixes of the Danny L Harle song "Starlight" with one track literally being a 30-minute Paulstretch edit of the original track. It's a neat idea for a side project and there's a lot of very cool instrumentation on here, though I don't really care that much for the original "Starlight" in the first place so this doesn't really impact me that much aside from being kind of a neat novelty.

Fav Tracks: Voil, Stardew, Someone Like You, Up in Flames

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I was compelled to get into Madonna's discography after watching Mic the Snare's Deep Discog Dive video about her and being intrigued by how her sound and direction evolved over time. I started with Like a Prayer mainly because of my soft spot for 80s pop and I'm very impressed by the variety on display here. This record switches between groovy dance-pop, emotive balladry and even to baroque pop very effortlessly while being consistently hooky throughout. Nothing too much else to say here except that it's a solid pop album! Another classic for a reason.

Fav Tracks: Like a Prayer, Till Death Do Us Part, Cherish, Dear Jessie, Oh Father, Keep It Together

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I'm an absolute sucker for films that incorporate different types of music as symbolic motifs and this film is very much propelled by its usage of both African-American blues and Irish folk music to illustrate the paranormal conflict at its center. While I do wish more musical symbolism could have been implemented throughout the film in its climax, the action on display here is still incredibly suspenseful and engaging to watch. I had a very fun time with this one!

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This is my first David Lynch film and probably one of his more straightforward plots story wise, though it remains fascinating in its evocation of monster movie tropes in order to subvert them to paint a genuinely sympathetic picture of John Merrick. I'd imagine that many audiences who have watched this film felt compelled to question the ways in which most horror depicts disability and how these films might have shaped their unconscious biases negatively towards disabled people in real life. I'm also impressed by how Lynch addresses the transformation of Merrick into a celebrity as being another form of a sideshow act, allowing the audience to shed any preconceived notion of him as a spectacle and look at him entirely as an empathetic human being. The amount of metatextual insight that could be gleaned from this film makes me excited to seek out Lynch's more experimental material for sure!

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The comedic stylings of Mel Brooks and the medium of silent cinema could not be a better pairing! While a lot of Brooks' comedy is usually very verbal, I feel like this film gives him a chance to simplify his approach and let the pure essence of his style and wit carry the film through more visual gags and slapstick. I also feel like he's one of very few Hollywood filmmakers who could effectively make self-aware critiques of the Hollywood system without it feeling overly cynical or nihilistic. The man's just got too much charisma! I'm surprised I don't see too many people talk about this one when bringing up Brooks' filmography. It's pretty fun!

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So it turns out they weren't in Iraq...

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While this film's more dry presentation may suggest its datedness, its commentary on bigotry's role in mass censorship remains important food for thought today even in the wake of information becoming increasingly more accessible to the public. I was also impressed by how well the prosthetic masks used for the apes in this film responded accurately to the actors' lip movements. I couldn't keep my eyes away from them whenever they were talking!

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My only prior experience with Satoshi Kon's work is Paprika, so a lot of my expectations for this film were shaped around it being a much darker and grittier take on that film's dreamy style. While that could be an apt description of Perfect Blue, I didn't expect its actual storytelling to blend reality, fiction and the subconscious mind together so seamlessly to the point where the viewer ends up questioning what's real or not as much as Mima does. I understand that the main draw of the film lies in its depiction of the subconscious mind while under the influence of trauma and an obsessive fanbase, but it would be interesting if the two main antagonists' fascination with Mima was more fleshed out aside from them just being mentally ill. Other than that minor complaint, watching this was an enjoyably thought-provoking experience that I can see myself returning to in the future.

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Even though a lot of it wasn't necessarily canon, the new content shown in this stream was such a fun treat and Toby Fox's reasoning behind it was especially meaningful in how he wanted to spark the imaginations of fans regarding what else could happen within the world of Undertale beyond what has already been established within the story. I recognize that fandoms in general can be home to a wealth of creativity, but I often see that a lot of them have a troubling habit of limiting their imaginations to strictly follow a limited number of widely accepted fanon ideas and theories without any further personal insight to make them truly meaningful or unique. While I believe that fan interpretations of works of fiction make for valid creative ventures, I tend to prefer the ones that are able to think outside the box and view the work in terms of what specifically makes it resonate with someone on a deeper level rather than just repackaging and reaffirming the general status quo around the work. Here's hoping for more fan innovation from the Undertale and Deltarune community in the next decade! (if it isn't too much to ask)

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That's all for this late edition of Logpost! See you in October for scary logs maybe... ooooOOOOoooo....