This Is Beautiful: Re:Play a TWEWY Fan Zine

 So right before the holiday I was sent my copy of a The World Ends With You fanzine that I'd ordered MONTHS ago. I finally got my hands on my physical copy this week and it is GORGEOUS! You can find more information about the project on their Twitter account.

It's nice having a physical copy of fan art, which usually gets circulated online. It's cool to have it actually in my hands for once. And it's great to be supporting artists! I'm hoping that this year I'll be able to do more of this and put my money to good use. Plus since TWEWY things have slowed down since Neo came out, it's great to reflect on how much this game means to me.

This Is Beautiful: Neo: The World Ends With You

 I'm sure I'm going to be writing a lot about this game, but wow is it good! I have not finished it yet, but I already know that I adore this game. In a way I was going to love it no matter what, it's the long-awaited sequel to my favorite game of all time. Just the fact that it exists makes me happy.

There are a number of changes to the new game from the original one, like the fact that the streets are in 3D. I've talked about this previously when the demo came out. The art is certainly a glow-up. What's wildly different now about the game is that your opponents aren't so much the Reapers, the bad guys in the original, but the other Players in the Reaper's Game. I'm interested to see how much this one pits you against the others, because the original was a lot about teamwork. 

There's also been a couple references to Neku as a legendary Player that turned the game on its head. Of course there was going to be some sort of legend about him or whatever, but I'm also interested in seeing where this goes. I know he eventually appears, I'm fascinated to see how he changes over time.

Finally I've run into a pandemic reference, if in a roundabout way. I don't think the writers could fully avoid it, Rindo was designed before the pandemic and he wears a mask as a fashion statement. Essentially there's a reference to a pop group that is made up of germ-phobes that practice hand washing and social distancing. I think if that's all that it is, that's great and I'm actually amused by that. Hopefully that's all, I don't think I could handle the pandemic being in this game.

I am annoyed with some things about the game. You can't easily use HP restoring pins during battle, and battle in general I don't think is as great as the original. Might be a bit of a hot take, but I prefer the touch screen controls with the buttons that control your partner as well. In Neo, you control each pin with a different button. It's just less customizable to me, I'm just button mashing no matter what I equip. And the 3D fights make it harder for me to tell what's going on, which character I'm controlling. Maybe this'll change as I go through the game, we'll see.

Other nitpicky thing I'm complaining about is the shops. You can only eat within a restaurant now, and strangely enough you cannot sell pins in a restaurant? Only place you can sell pins is in a shop. So I continually have to leave the restaurant, head to a shop, and then return with money. It also means that you cannot buy food and save it for later. Which I'm finding increasingly annoying. And everyone has to eat in a restaurant. The details of this system I find pretty irritating, the original game's byte system worked just fine.

Anyways, this game is amazing and everyone should play it. I'm taking my time getting through it, but it'll for sure be back once I'm done with it.

TWEWY The Animation: Episodes 11 and 12

 Episode 11

So the last episode left off on Day 6 of Week 3, Neku and Beat heading into the Shibuya River. They run into Miniamoto, who reveals that Konishi’s in Beat’s shadow. Konishi lets him through the barrier up ahead to fight the Composer. She then takes on Beat and Neku.

The fight was pretty similar to the game! You’re up above the city battling Konishi and her red duplicates. Then Beat basically rips Rhyme out of Konishi, and they all team up together to take her out. I thought it was a super inventive way of portraying how they get the Rhyme pin in the game, and it was overall a pretty cool battle.

From there, Beat and Neku end up in an all white room. They find the defeated Miniamoto and the white room shatters to show the Room of Reckoning and Kitaniji. Shiki’s also there, Neku has a cute and awkward explanation of how she was made his entry fee. It’s adorable.

Then it’s boss fight #2 with Kitaniji turning into the red serpent and Shiki being mind controlled. It ends when Mr. Mew replicates himself and then Neku chains them all together to squash Kitaniji. Beat and Shiki are knocked out as a result of the battle, and Neku intends to go on alone. But Kitaniji reappears, reveals that he also has a countdown clock on his hand, and turns into the gold serpent.

Episode ends there, what a cliffhanger.

So it looks like we are still on Day 6, which confuses the hell out of me. The Game Master can’t attack until Day 7, so none of this should be able to happen. Not to mention that I have no idea if they’ll even be able to tie up this loose end with only one episode left. But let’s just move on from that.

Other difference is that the anime took out a battle. After defeating Konishi, Neku and Beat end up in the Dead God’s Pad, the bar area that Reapers have been shown talking in. There they fight human form Kitaniji and Possessed Shiki. After defeating them, Beat and Shiki are KO’d and Neku goes on alone. He gets to the Room of Reckoning and faces Kitaniji again. By then Beat and Shiki have caught up, and they all fight red serpent form of Kitaniji again. After that is when the gold serpent comes out, absorbs all of Neku’s past partners, and finally he fights Neku.

I have no idea how gold serpent is going to work here. I’ve suspected that the ending would be the hardest part for the anime writers to tackle and I guess we’re seeing some of that now. One thing for sure is that I’m so excited for next week, it’ll be strange watching the wrap-up but so cool!

Episode 12

The final episode was so good! I was actually super happy with it. It starts with the final fight with Kitaniji. Neku, Beat, and Shiki all team up to take him down. This all happens before the title sequence haha. 

After that, they end up in a corridor covered in CAT's graffiti. Neku yells for Mr. H to come out, but Joshua appears instead and reveals that he is the Composer (gasp). Joshua starts to explain things, he's the Composer and he's been playing a game with Kitaniji for the future of Shibuya. Also he killed Neku to get him into the game. He then asks Neku to play a game with him for Shibuya.

Neku is holding the gun and crying. He then drops it instead of shooting Joshua, saying that he trusts him. Joshua shoots him (again) in response.

It changes to Neku at the Scramble Crossing, revealing that he's alive. He finds Beat, Rhyme, and original Shiki. It's super cute, they introduce themselves to each other again, and Neku removes his headphones. These scenes of them heading to Udagawa to look at some new graffiti and running into erased friends (Nao, Sota, the entirety of 777's band, etc) and interspersed with Mr. H and Joshua talking. It's different from the game because it doesn't have Neku's monologue anymore, and the focus is more on them than on Neku. It does make sense though because this is how they're incorporating the Secret Reports. 

Mr. H talks about how he makes graffiti that imprints on people which is more democratic than using pins like Kitaniji. And about how Joshua didn't destroy the town because Neku trusted him. It's a more clear cut ending than the game for sure, and it hits all of the important points. I do wish that the focus was more on Neku as the protagonist.

And that's the end! I still can't believe it's over. I'll be playing the demo of NEO: The World Ends With You all weekend if anyone needs me.

TWEWY The Animation Episodes 9 and 10

Episode 9 

So like I said this episode covers Days 2 and 3 of Week 3. There are some changes from the game, but it’s all mostly there. Day 2 starts of with the pair at Miyashita Park Underpass and Beat telling Neku how he and Rhyme died. In the game this occurs later when Kariya is giving them puzzles, but it does make sense for the anime to cut that since a puzzle wouldn’t translate over well.

From there they realize that the red skull pins are silencing the town, and free Eri from some Noise. I actually really like that they keep bringing Eri back, it keeps things in perspective with how Shiki is still basically a hostage of the game. The day ends as Uzuki and Kariya tell them that they have to do a mission from them to get Rhyme back.

Day 3 then is mostly Beat and Neku trying to take down Uzuki and Kariya. This was one of the coolest battles in the game, and I think they did an excellent job with it here! We get a Beat fusion as well! It’s then revealed that they weren’t given the real Rhyme, the Game Master played them all. Kariya hands them a keypin instead, and the episode ends with Uzuki and Kariya being taken over by the red skull pin while the Game Master melts into the shadows.

I am a little sad that they changed the mission that Uzuki and Kariya give them. Beat is still hilarious in the anime, but one of the funniest parts of the game is when Beat sneezes so loudly that Neku can’t hear the mission from Uzuki. And of course the mission from Kariya is cut in favor of Beat just telling Neku his backstory. The change makes sense, but still drops a fun scene.

Episode 10

Episode 10 was mostly Week 3 Day 5, plus the beginning of Day 6. Day 5 consisted of Beat and Neku figuring out that they have yet to check out Udagawa, and getting attacked by possessed Uzuki and Kariya. They defeat those two by removing the pins and realize that Mr. H messed with the Taboo Noise sigil on the ground. From there they head to Cat Street where they find the cafe trashed. They realize that Mr. H left a keypin there that'll get them into the Shibuya River. The day ends when they're attached by Taboo Miniamoto.

Day 6 is then just the two of them heading to the Shibuya River. Konishi materializes from the shadows briefly before disappearing.

I'm pretty confused by these changes from the game. In the game, going to Udagawa and going to Cat Street are two different days, so you don't head to the Shibuya River until Day 7. Which makes sense, that's where the big boss is, so that's where you go on the last day. What is the anime going to do with this extra day on their hands? It'd be pretty lame to just send Beat and Neku back to the Scramble Crossing after they get to the River. 

The other thing that they had to remove was in Cat Street Beat steals Neku's phone and takes random pictures of the past, one of them just happens to have Mr. H in it. It's a funny moment, and Beat is still hilarious in the anime, but I missed it.

Anyways, it'll be interesting to see what happens with the anime from here. I have no idea what to expect.

TWEWY The Animation Episodes 7 and 8

Episode 7 

I realized while watching this that my recap of the previous episode was incorrect haha, episode 6 of the anime is only 1 day: Week 2 Day 5. So this episode is Days 6 and 7 of Week 2.

It starts off with the first mission to be issued in days to Neku and Joshua. This is all very similar to the game, including them being unable to save Nao and Sota from being erased, and saving Uzuki and Kariya from Taboo noise. It’s all the same as the game, also with Miniamoto confronting those two at the end.

Watching Nao and Sota get erased was heartbreaking, similar to watching Rhyme die last week. Neku’s tantrum also highlights just how far he’s come connecting to other people. It’s great seeing this more fleshed out in an anime!

Then there’s Day 7, last day of Week 2. The writers changed it from Pork City to Mark City which amuses me to no end. It’s functionally the same, still the place where Shibuya’s emotions rise up above the city, but instead of pig noise it’s spider noise. Also Beat, Uzuki, and Kariya are all there as well?

Anyways Neku and Joshua get to the top and start fighting Miniamoto. They basically defeat him, but then Miniamoto send out his big ol flare. This scene is perfection as far as I’m concerned, Joshua then pushes Neku off of the building. We see Joshua turn back to the fight, and then sacrifice himself through the reflection in Neku’s eyes. It’s incredible.

Neku wakes up with the Conductor and learns that he’s about to do a third week of the Reapers Game. And that’s where we end.

The Joshua death scene was so gooooood, I really can’t get over that. I’m so excited for the last week and how they’re going to handle the end of the game!

Episode 8

First day of Week 3! Very exciting, it's the home stretch! This episode covered Days 1 and 2 and it was very similar to the game overall.

It starts with Neku getting cornered since there aren't any other Players this game. I kinda wish that they said outright that the other Players were his entry fee, but I think everyone could figure it out. Then Beat comes crashing in with Rhyme noise (finally get to see her!) and makes a pact with him to save his butt.

They clear the mission, and Beat shares his plan of becoming the Composer and bringing everyone back to life. Meanwhile the Reapers are chatting about this betrayal, and Kitaniji decides to put the Underground on Emergency Call. Konishi then goes to take Beat's entry fee, Rhyme's noise, and the first day ends there. Interestingly, Konishi absorbs Rhyme instead of turning her into a pin like in the game.

The next day starts with the UG being put on Emergency Call and Neku/Beat having to fight off Reapers. Also they get their mission, which is to defeat Konishi by the end of the week. They run into 777 while looking for Konishi in the concert space.

I really liked that 777 was wearing the sweatshirts of his former bandmates around his waist. I sorta suspected that those two were shown as being erased by Taboo Noise during Week 2, but wasn't sure since they're the generic Reaper type. It made a nice touch though.

They all fight, Neku and Beat win, and 777 gives them his keypin. The episode ends with 777 being erased by Konishi.

Overall I was super into this episode. It really sets the tone for the rest of the show and demonstrates that Konishi isn't kidding around here. Plus it had some hilarious Beat moments, I was dying when Neku found out his full name.

Onwards to the rest of the final week! Can't wait to see how this shakes out.

TWEWY The Animation: Episodes 5 and 6

Episode 5

Episode 5 covers Week 2 Days 3 and 4. Interestingly, they skip what is Day 3 in the game and go straight to game days 4 and 5. (Day 3 in the game is the Tin Pin Tournament that Nao and Sota win for you.)

Day 3 in the anime then is the day that Joshua tricks Neku into running to Cat Street with him to meet Mr. H and get their phones upgraded. I really like being able to see more of Mr. H, and see the cafe, but I still feel as though we don’t know much about him. Joshua makes one comment about him keeping Players safe from cheating Reapers, but that’s about it. Maybe that’s all we need for now, I’m not sure.

In the game, this day ends with Joshua and Neku checking out the new ramen store and catching up with Makoto and the Prince. But that’s skipped here in favor of them just noticing that there’s more red skull pins around.

The next day then is when the duo heads up to Udagawa. First they see the band members of Death March and Joshua quickly helps them find their mic with his phone. Interestingly, BJ and Tenho are both there and haven’t been replaced by the techie like I thought after episode 1. They then run into Nao and Sota who warn them about the Taboo noise. In the game, this is actually a really cute conversation where Neku tells them about how he’s playing the game again for Shiki, and the couple reassures him that it’s not his fault that she’s his entry fee. They’d play the game a million times for each other, it’s good that he cares about her so much. That’s all skipped here. I’m not sure why, maybe it’ll come back later. Here’s hoping anyways, I really like that interaction and I think it shows a lot about Neku’s guilt.

Joshua and Neku make it to Udagawa, where Neku seeing Joshua’s memory of Neku dying and realizes that he’s partnered to his killer. Episode ends there.

I know I just complained about a bunch of changes from the game, but I bet these decisions were made for time reasons. I do think that this was a super solid episode all around, I just hope that the conversation with Nao and Sota comes back, as well as the Tin Pin tournament mission. It’d be cool to see later on!

Episode 6

This episode covered Days 5 and 6 of Week 2. Interestingly, it looks like they took Day 6 from the game version and dragged it out into two days. In the game, they go see Mr. H, then head for the Shibuya River, Joshua demolishing some Taboo Noise along the way. Here they spend one day going to see Mr. H, and another to get to the river.

While at Cat Street, Neku runs into Nao and Sota again who finish their conversation from earlier and tell Neku that he didn't do anything wrong to get Shiki taken as his entry fee. I'm really happy that this was thrown in! Since we missed it last episode I was hoping that it'd come back in some form.

Joshua and Neku then head back through the park, where Joshua tells Neku that CAT is Mr. H. It's a really well done interaction actually, I was laughing at Neku's embarrassment and enthusiasm for having met CAT and explaining what CAT is to CAT. Beat attacks them again, and Neku grabs Rhyme's pendant after Beat drops it and the day ends there.

Next day Joshua and Neku head to the Shibuya River where they are jumped by Taboo Noise. Joshua does his super powerful thing and Kariya realizes that Joshua's alive. It's a pretty short day, and all in all, very similar to the game. 

What's interesting is that Day 6 in the game also involved a mission being issued to defeat some Noise. Miniamoto actually helps Neku and Joshua with their first fight so that they don't get erased, and as the person playing the game you can choose to help others along the way. This is actually the day that Nao and Sota get erased because you can't save them in time. I'm guessing the writers are leaving that important point for the next episode, it's going to be interesting to see how that turns out.

So Week 2 is basically over, and I guess the writers are completely ignoring Tin Pin haha. The next episode wraps up Joshua's week, we have the boss battle, probably multiple characters dying, and other fun things. Can't wait haha.

TWEWY The Animation: Episodes 3 and 4

Episode 3 

This episode covered Days 6 and 7 of the first week. Day 6 is now the day that Rhyme dies (in the game it’s Day 3). Overall though, this day is very true to the game and what happens there.

I love getting to see more of the characters, Beat’s antics and personality really shine through! And seeing it with the anime sound gags is really great. Rhyme’s death is brutal though here, you see her face as she’s erased by the Noise and it’s absolutely heart wrenching.

My only issue is that we don’t really know Hanekoma all that well by this point. Skipping the initial conversation with him means that we still have no idea who he is or what role he plays in the game. I hope that this gets added later, because at this point him dragging Beat off seems like a random thing to do. Also the “someday you’ll know” line when Neku asks him why he’s doing this is just a littttleeee heavy-handed.

Which brings us to Day 7, the boss battle. I thought the battle itself was pretty cool, really liked the way that Higashizawa’s powers are portrayed with his ability to suck in attacks from the Players. And big Mr. Mew for the win!

The other nice thing about this episode is getting to see our favorite Reapers again. I absolutely adored the scene of them inside Mexican Dog, doing normal friendship things. Surprised that it wasn’t ramen, but I love the hot dog fusion place so this is fine.

Neku and Shiki are absolutely adorable here as well, which is important because we don’t get a ton of time to really care about Shiki. I think the previous episode did a really good job, which is why them smiling at each other here as they win the game is so dang cute.

All that’s left now is the after game scene. I had a couple issues with it. First of all, I don’t understand why Beat is left out. Putting in that he survived and decides to become a Reaper wouldn’t have taken that much time. Unless they wanted it to be a cliff hanger? Hopefully that’ll just get tied up quickly the next episode.

Shiki looking like she’s in pain and reaching for Neku is pretty devastating, and it’s a big change from the game. In the game, she peacefully ascends while Neku watches and looks happy for her. Guess it’s a way to hammer home how much he cares for her now. And they don’t specify that Neku has his memory back. Again, might get taken care of in the next episode quickly, or maybe it’s a bigger change. Unclear at this point.

I can’t believe that this episode was basically the last we see of Shiki and Rhyme! But we get to meet Joshua next week, and what a trip that’s going to be!

Episode 4

Overall I thought that this episode was really good and a great way to show the transition between weeks. It starts with Neku at Hachiko thinking about how he’s keeping Shiki from going back to life, which is a great way to frame the episode.

Noise then pops up, Joshua grabs Neku and is just like “alright, I’ll be your partner.” I do like how it is in the game, where you just see Neku make a pact and have no idea who it’s with, but this does show Joshua’s personality really well. The mission mail is also perfectly done, with Sho basically screaming it through his megaphone. Excellent introduction to the new Game Master.

The two make it to 104 and this is where things get different. Sho says that it’s now Player vs. Player to survive, and Neku/Joshua try to rally the other Players to stick together and trust each other. Which is an interesting way to show Neku’s growth, I thought it was a little out of character for him to have made so much progress already. I mean he clearly doesn’t trust Joshua even though he knows that he should. It also is a strange way to portray Sho, in the game Sho’s really amusing to walk and interact with, but here he seems like a psycho loose cannon. 

Day 2 then starts, the mission is to defeat the bosses of route 3 (a street in Shibuya). Neku realizes that his memory’s back, tying up a loose end from last episode, and he and Joshua defeat some Taboo Noise together. The show also introduces the idea that Neku can scan Joshua and possibly is seeing how he died. Oh and they show the Reaper decals on places Players can shop! Doesn’t make sense really this late in the show, but it’s a nice touch to include.

The best addition though was the scene at the end with Eri. It’s super heartbreaking seeing Eri buy flowers for Shiki, with Neku looking on sadly. They writers really know what they’re doing with the relationship between Neku and Shiki, and clearly are trying to keep her in the viewers’ minds. 

And then finally, the episode ends with us learning that Beat has become a Reaper (again, tying up the loose end from last episode) and that he has been assigned to take Neku out. Nice lil hook for next week. Beat’s arc is one of the coolest in the game (probably second only to Neku) so I’m interested to see where this goes.

Very excited for next episode, looks like Hanekoma will be back and we all love some Mr. H!

This Is Beautiful: The World Ends With You

 Don't worry, it's not another post about this game and anime that I've been obsessed with. I'm just announcing that I made a tag for it! All of the old posts should be found now under the "The World Ends With You" tag on this blog. I have tags for everything else that I'm obsessed with, I might as well have one for this too. 

It's a little embarrassing, to me anyways, that this anime game has been such a big part of my life. But that's the thing, I think everyone who interacts with this game is changed with it. And I am working on embracing that and not being embarrassed by pieces of media that have had such an impact on me. Because that isn't embarrassing! It's great to have things in the world that have taught you lessons about life and others around you. So it's a tag on my blog now, haha.

TWEWY The Animation Episodes 1 and 2

Finally got around to typing up my reactions and thoughts to the first and second episodes! I’m hoping to do these every other week as the series develops.

Episode 1

Overall I was absolutely thrilled with it. I mean it’s finally a TWEWY anime, I’ve waited so long for this game to get the attention that it deserves, and that happiness is going to color everything else that I say about it. I will say though that it seems like the production team is being careful and doing this adaptation with love, and that really comes through and makes me happy.

First I’ll just go over the similarities and differences between this and the game. It starts off the same, the opening animation is incredibly similar to what you see when you power up the game for the first time. Neku wakes up in the middle of an intersection with no memory of who he is. He meets Shiki, pairs up with her, and learns that he’s in the middle of the Reaper’s Game, where if he doesn’t survive 7 days he will be erased.

The first day is pretty short, but it’s very similar to the game. I had to rewatch to catch the Joshua cameo in the shot where the first person is erased, but it’s wonderful that it’s there. I also adore the way that they’re showing pins visually, how they flash on the screen right before Neku uses them. And how Neku can use the uppercut to jump onto buildings and the flames to propel himself. It’s really cool what they did with the battle mechanics!

Second day is also pretty truncated, but this is where it gets interesting. We meet Beat and Rhyme (whose characters are perfect omg) and learn that today the Players must set the cursed statue free. So Neku dives in and destroys the Noise around Hachiko. Interesting thing about the anime is that Neku can attack on his own, which is important since it demonstrates that he isn’t a team player. In the game, it’s literally impossible to attack without your partner.

Also there’s the Noise possessing Neku in the choking scene. I’ll be honest, this is the one change I didn’t like, and I’ve read some opinions for and against it. He’s possessed by Noise before choking Shiki, and it just makes it seem like he had no autonomy or control over the situation while in the game he makes the conscious choice to try and kill Shiki. This is especially evident in how in the anime he says “I will” in response to being told to kill Shiki, while in the game he says “I have to.” Completely different connotation there. In the game he thinks about it, considers his options, and decides to kill her. In the anime, he obeys as if he’s taking orders.

What’s also interesting is I don’t think in the game there are any instances of Noise possessing Players or Reapers, and in episode 1 we see both things happen. Food for thought.

Hanekoma’s role is massively truncated as well, we barely get to talk to him at all. I don’t think viewers even learn his name! I hope that there’s more of him in the future, because he’s an incredible character.

Day 3 also gets changed up a bit. Now the tech guy at O-East is a Reaper and can interact with the Players. I suspect this is because they took out BJ and Tenho, the other members of 777′s band, so they upgraded the techie. 777 also just hands over a keypin to them, which seems like an incredibly easy way to get something that the Players fight for in the game. Possibly the writers are just shortening up and condensing the story with that, but something to keep in mind for later. Also the boss fight is supposed to be Shiki/Neku take out the big bat, while Beat/Rhyme realize that the real boss is the little bat. So in that sense they literally couldn’t have completed it without Beat and Rhyme. Here it’s just Neku/Shiki kicking butt. I suppose that they’re emphasizing more the teamwork between Neku and Shiki rather than between the pairs, but it’s a detail that I liked better in the game.

RIP the “what’s a meme” scene, it’s iconic but I do see how it wouldn’t fit into the anime haha.

Episode 2

Episode 2 I think was a great improvement over the first episode! There's the improved opening animation and theme where they're using "Twister" instead of "Calling" and it's only 2 days so they can take their time with it more. As the opening should be, honestly. "Twister" is so ingrained in my head with the game that nothing else really makes sense. (I did like "Teenage City Riot" but it's just not the same.)

So the episode opens with Shiki, Neku, Beat, and Rhyme talking about Shibuya, from there we are introduced to Eji Oji, the Prince. Then it looks like the writers changed up the order of the missions, skipping Day 4 in the game for now. This is probably because they're saving Rhyme's sacrifice for later, so that she can be the emotional center of an episode. It's a little strange though since the last episode ended with the four players teaming up and now they are immediately separating again.

Shiki is now the center of the episode with her figuring out how to make Mina and Ai make up for the first mission, and seeing Eri again. It's handled really well in my opinion, you super feel for her as she sees Eri talking about how Shiki died. It's the second day, Day 5, where the mission is the red skull pins that we get a pretty big departure from the game. After the ad is shown at the Scramble Crossing, Kitoniji's noise sigil is shown in the sky and Players are blasted. Neku and Shiki dodge it, and then it looks like Joshua snaps his fingers and it stops. 

My primary issue is that Reapers can't directly attack Players, and this seems to be in direct violation of that. I guess they want to emphasize that there's barely any Players left, in the game, Day 4 where Rhyme is erased is what seriously narrows down the numbers and I guess they needed an equivalent. It's still strange to see though, no explanation for any of that has been given yet. And the episode ends with Neku learning that he's dead.

Other change that they make is that there's barely any Reapers in this episode, just one by a wall at Center St. In the game, the Game Master tries to use Shiki and her envy of Eri to bring her downfall before Neku talks her out of it. But here we don't see that at all, we've really only had one scene in the first episode with the Game Master. So next episode probably will have a lot of him since it'll be the end of Week 1.

Other thing I forgot to mention is that it's really cool how whenever they move to a new section of the town there's an image from the game that would pop up to indicate that you moved to a new place. It's a nice bit of continuity.

Anyways, I was super impressed with the improvement from Episode 1 to Episode 2, and I'm really excited (and scared) for next week's episode. End of the first week, here we come!

This Is Beautiful: This Podcast Ends With You

 ALRIGHT so the The World Ends With You (TWEWY) anime just started and I definitely will be writing about this a lot like constantly I'm not going to shut up about this. But I also wanted to take a second to appreciate a new podcast that I found, called "This Podcast Ends With You," which is of course about TWEWY.

It's run by three TWEWY fans who stream on Twitch and then post onto YouTube and all of the podcast places. You can check out more info here. The banter is cute, and they are all much more with the fandom than I typically am so the information is good. If nothing else, it is so nice to hear 3 people come together to talk about how this one piece of media positively impacted their lives, and how excited they are to finally see it get more appreciation. I think it's just so cool how everyone who played this game was impacted so powerfully by it.

This Is Beautiful: TWEWY Sequel!

 Alright the thing that is making my life right now is the fact that right before Thanksgiving, a sequel was finally announced for The World Ends With You (TWEWY). I've written about TWEWY before (here, here, and here), I think it was one of my first "This Is Beautiful" posts back in the day (also here). I'm honestly just shook. I cannot believe that we are getting a sequel finally. I've been waiting for this for literally a decade and it is here.

This was such a formative game for me. I played it for the first time back in eighth grade and its message about opening up to people had a big impact on me. I'm not totally sure why, it definitely wasn't like I was living in a lil hole and not talking to people, but I think watching these likable characters go from being sad and lonely to opening up and persevering forced me to reflect it back onto my life and what changes I could make. Not to mention that the world building, graphics, music, and mechanics were all incredible and addictive.

I hope this game is good and has the same impact on me that the original did. I hope that this isn't a huge letdown because honestly I need a win right now and therefore I am all in on this hype. I sure hope that this doesn't let me down because I am soooo excited!

This Is Beautiful: The World Ends With You

I discuss this game pretty heavily in these two blog posts, so this will mostly be an update on those. Just go back and read those first, I don't want to reiterate everything that's there.

So we are finally getting a kinda sorta sequel to TWEWY as a version is coming out for the Nintendo Switch this fall. I just pre-ordered it haha. And I can't really say how much this means to me, that we're getting another go at the game.

Back in middle school when I played this for the first time, it really affected me. It's message of reaching out to others and the philosophical undertones present and the humor found some part of me to latch on to, and it's been there ever since. I replayed it several times since then, and it's just as relevant as it was then.

I don't know why, I rarely get into video games this much. But the fact that the game is coming back as I am now an adult fills me with hope. Sometimes I feel as though I have lost track of the me just after playing the game who was so filled with the promise of getting to know others and expanding her world. That enthusiasm for life seems kind of far right now.

We're apparently being given a special ending with this new game, and while I have no idea what that entails, I'm just excited for new content. This game, from the graphics to the music, is really beautiful to me, and I'm just pumped to revisit it.

Variations on a Theme: Video Games

Game music tends to be very overlooked, but it affects how you feel as you play the game, adds to the atmosphere of the game, and the best games add fun bonuses like jukeboxes where you can listen to any song of your choice from the game. This is a playlist of the songs from (or about) video games that I like the best, put together into a playlist roughly 30 minutes long. Hopefully you find some new music here, and possibly a new game to play!

1. "Game Over" by Falling in Reverse 

Not from a video game, but comparing life to one. This is a great opener because it reminds us that it’s all “just a game” and even has some sound effects like classic Mario games. Don’t worry, we’ll get into actual gaming music next, but what I like about this song is that it is almost a commentary on both life and games. Listen to the lyrics and you’ll see what I mean. This is also the only pop punk song on here, so enjoy it!

2. "Twister" The World Ends With You 

This is the opening song to one of my favorite video games of all time, “The World Ends With You,” made by Square Enix back in 2007. The soundtrack in general is one of my favorite, but this is definitely the best song on there. It perfectly captures the mood of the game, which centers around a bunch of teens fighting for their lives through Shibuya, a Japanese city. There are several remixes available online since we keep getting teased with a sequel but never getting it (sigh) so check those out if you’re into this! (Speaking of being teased by a sequel, this game is coming out for the switch sometime this year, with a new epilogue attached to the end so we’ll see what that’s like.)

3. "City Escape" Sonic 

Yeah it’s a meme, no I don’t care. This song’s just fun to listen to, and it goes really well with “Twister” since they have the same vibe of running away from things, although Sonic is much more carefree about it.

4. “Rainbow Road” Mario 

A classic tune from a classic game, somehow the music always kept me from getting too stressed on this course. It just so upbeat and good to jam along to, even if you’re falling to your death off of the course.

5. “Cider Time” Dustforce 

Dustforce is a game with great 8-bit music in it, and this is my favorite from it. It makes great background music with its simple, but catchy, melody, and is a great segue from Rainbow Road into some more somber music coming up.

6. “Hopes and Dreams” Undertale 

If you haven’t heard about Undertale, you should probably change that. This indie game has been amazing people, and I would recommend it to anyone. The structure of the story makes you think about gaming itself, as well as how we treat others, both real and in the game. The soundtrack has quite a few gems in it, this one included. It’s got a great beat (yes I have heard it at parties) but also a simple these that keeps continually going through several permutations over the course of the song.

7. “Objection” Ace Attorney 

Ace Attorney is a video game series that I’ve played since middle school, and honestly I’ve loved every second of it. The music is a huge factor in this game, it determines how you feel about each of the characters you’re interacting with, and ups the ante when the defendant is on the line. This is a more triumphant tune, for when you have found a critical flaw in someone’s argument, and it captures that mood perfectly.

8. “Violet Sky” Hotel Dusk 

Hotel Dusk is a really unique game. It’s made for the DS, but you have to rotate the console ninety degrees so that the characters faces are displayed in portrait rather than landscape mode, if that makes sense. It’s also similar to Ace Attorney in that the music is a big factor in the mood and personality of the characters. However there’s also a jukebox in the bar area where you can play whatever song you want, and I usually pick this one. It sounds vaguely mysterious, fitting for a detective game, but also sounds like something you could jam to. More than just atmosphere, it’s a really cool piece of music.

9. “Great Fairy’s Fountain Theme” The Legend of Zelda 

It just would not be fitting if I didn’t talk about The Legend of Zelda at some point. Now the original fairy theme is rather simple and super repetitive, which can get annoying, but themes and variations are the basis of most classical works. So here the fairy theme is turned into a symphonic work, and very nicely at that. The theme sways through the different sections, never totally being lost but not becoming repetitious. The entire series of symphonic LoZ music is great, check it out if you are interested!

10. “I was born for this” Journey 

And finally we have music from the game “Journey.” I tried to have the music go from more upbeat tunes to slower and relaxing music, and this is the epitome of relaxing. The game involves the main character going on a journey (wow no one could have guessed that) and gaining help from anonymous players along the way. The music fosters a sense of independence throughout the solo quest, but also connection as you gain strength from others. The soundtrack in general is great for background music, but this is my favorite track. It’s so melodic and soothing, wonderful for studying or anything that needs a little noise.

Bonus: Toad Screaming 

You get a bonus track this month! My friend has a theory that any song is improved if you are also simultaneously playing a video of Toad (from Mario) screaming in the background. Try it for yourself and see what happens!

Stay tuned for next month when I’ll be discussing swing music! I love this genre, hopefully I can convince you to love it as well!

The World Ends With You: A Retrospective

So you may remember my earlier post about a Nintendo DS game from 2007 called “The World Ends With You.” Every once in a while I get the urge to replay that game, and this summer I went through the whole thing again. It’s still amazing, with a powerful message, unique gameplay, and memorable characters. There’s a reason why it has a dedicated (if small) fan base online.

This game dropped while I was on the verge of going from middle school to high school. Not exactly the easiest part of a person’s life. I picked up this game because I saw a ton of hype for it online, and thought that it looked interesting. Not exaggerating here, I think it was formative for me to be playing this game during these years.

Back in those days, I was starting to get into thinking about philosophy, and how I want to live my life. This isn’t the only piece of culture that influenced it, there was also Ishmael by David Quinn and other various works that turned me into more philosophy. But this game was influential because of its message about opening yourself up to other people.

“The world ends with you” is a sentence dropped by the archetypal teacher in the game, instructing the protagonist to quit holing himself in and talk to other people. It doesn’t refer to the end of the world or any of that dystopian stuff, it actually refers to the world inside of your head. To the literal world that ends with you. To grow and change you need to open up to people, talk to them, and expand your world bit by bit. If you stay stuck in your own world, it’ll never grow, and you’ll never learn or change. That’s not a way to live.

(Note: in Japan, the game’s name is “It’s a Wonderful World” which, to me, is less related to the message of the game and I don’t like it as much. But to each his own.)

This message is so important now, more than ever. People are being trapped inside their own way of thinking and ignoring everything that comes into conflict with it. People aren’t bothering to clash and learn from each other, they’d rather ignore it and continue down the path of ignorance. This isn’t going to solve anything, these problems are just going to fester and grow until we have a major problem on our hands. And I’m not immune to it either, we all need to seek out and talk to people that disagree with us and expand our world and theirs to solve any problem.

But there still isn’t a sequel to this game, even though it’s been nearly 10 years now. The signs are there, it could easily get one. The bonus chapter at the end alludes to it, and when they released the mobile version there was the image of a new character who could possibly be in another game. Specifically, in Another Day when you find Mr. H he says something along the lines of “you want to help me huh? Well that time could be sooner than you think.” Mr. H it’s been 10 years! I want to help you!

I hope that Square Enix doesn’t forget about this great game, or the fans that it has inspired over the years. Video games can create so much good in the world, as they are another way to consume stories and grow from them. It would be wonderful to see it get more attention and support, as it certainly deserves it. I know that I, personally, won’t be forgetting about this game anytime soon.

The World Ends With You Analysis

Part 2 of my TWEWY obsession. Spoilers below, you have been warned!

I’ll just explain the general physics/philosophy behind this game. So there are different planes of existence, each with it’s own vibe. By increasing or decreasing the vibe of a person, they can pass to different planes. More power generally means a higher vibe. That’s why the Angels are so powerful and therefore live on a higher plane. It’s also how Joshua travels around, as the Composer he has a lot of power on his hands and therefore can travel a lot. And that power is then restricted when he has to lower his vibe to get into the UG or the RG. The game also goes with the multi-verse theory which is that there isn’t one master storyline of events, each choice creates a new universe of events. So there’s a world where Shibuya really is destroyed, just as there’s one where Tin Pin Slammer reigns supreme. Then there’s Soul, or Imagination (I think the two are interchangeable). Soul is what makes each person unique and is their power. Neku has a lot of Soul, that’s why he can use all of the pins whereas Shiki only has Mr. Mew. Soul can be bound in different forms, like Rhyme’s was put into a pin and then her Noise called from it. Once you are erased, your Soul is then forced to roam free, you essentially become Noise. I think that’s all of the important points covered.

One pretty basic aspect of this game that I think is really intricate is how the different brands correspond to the animals of the zodiac. There’s D+B (which stands for Dangerous Buffalo) for the ox, Natural Puppy for the dog, Pavo Real (which means peacock in Spanish) for the rooster, Mus Rattus for the rat, Jupiter of the Monkey for the monkey, Hip Snake for the snake, Sheep Heavenly for the goat, Tigre Punks for the tiger, Dragon Couture for the dragon, Lapin Angelique (rabbit in French) for the rabbit, Pegaso for the horse, Wild Boar for the pig, and Gatito for the cat who was left out of the zodiac. (There are various stories about that.) Each brand also tries to capture the essence of the characteristics of the zodiac, which I think is pretty cool.

Another interesting tidbit is that the Gatito pins often have images of graffiti on them that can be seen around Shibuya. The Over the Top set (righty brainy lefty cat pins) can be seen at Udagawa and Towa Records. The Eden set is in a mural before the Room of Reckoning (looks like a cat). The Darklit Planets are in various places: Jupiter is in Udagawa in Joshua’s memory and before the Room of Reckoning, Venus and Saturn are in the Miyashita underpass. I haven’t been able to find the others or the Nexus Ray set (Big Bang and Crunch) or the Irregular Note set (wind wood flame mount). The Irregular Note set does portray see no evil, speak no evil, hear no evil, and do no evil though.

There’s a lot of symbolism in this game. One of the more obvious ones is that Joshua is a Jesus figure (which are always debatable). I mean he sacrifices himself for Neku, turns out to be running the whole show, and he way he fights has been nicknamed “Jesus beams”. In addition to all that, Jesus’ actual non-Anglican name is Joshua, so the writers were probably trying to evoke him in some way.

There’s also a ton of music parallels. Which I really like. The whole hierarchy of the Reapers is based on music and music production. The Composer is the top leader, he essentially makes all decisions. Then there’s the Conductor, who carries them out and does the real work. There’s also the Producer, who helps them both (not sure what his real duties include though…). In the Noise Report, the Reapers are also referred to as tenor, bari, bass, so they are the musicians performing the work. And then there’s the Noise, disrupting the music and needing to be taken care of. I really love this whole system, as a musician.

One of the most symbolic parts is the path to the Room of Reckoning and the Shibuya River. It starts with the Trail of the Sinner, then the Rubicon where the Shibuya River actually is. The Rubicon is often referred to as the point of no return (it gets this from the river Ceasar crossed, but that’s unrelated) and is the last point to turn back in Beat, Day 7. In Another Day, Joshua compares it to the Styx or Archeron (which is from Dante’s Inferno) since it basically leads to the Underworld of Shibuya (which here means where souls are judged since dead people are all over Shibuya in the UG). It’s funny, Neku’s response to this is “Does this look like Greece to you?” and the real Rubicon river is in Italy. From there, it’s the Trail of the Bygone (I take to mean, past the point of return) and into the Dead God’s Pad. I’m not sure who the Dead God is, could be the Composer, or it’s also suggested that it’s CAT. I could see it going either way. People seem to assume that it’s Joshua, since he’s dead and the Composer is basically God (and the CAT comment could be part of that trail of red herrings saying the same thing). But I’m not so sure since it’s never confirmed either way. Then there’s Trail of the Judged, which has CAT art all over it. The name indicates that the judging took place in the Dead God’s pad, which means that the Reaper meetings to decide the end of the Game take place there. Then finally there’s the Room of Reckoning, where the Composer sits and rules Shibuya. Names indicate that this is where the punishment is handed out, and the end of the game rewards/punishment given (which is consistent with the scenes in the game). What I find interesting is that the Eden set of pins refer to a boy defeating 5 kings and a “chamber of reckoning” where a goddess rewards him with her Light. I guess this refers to Neku defeating the 3 Game Masters plus the Conductor and the Composer? But then who is this goddess? And does that make the Room of Reckoning Eden?

There’s so much complexity to this game that it can’t be summed up in a few blog posts. And there’s so many questions remaining about the world that it takes place in. What we really need is a sequel providing more answers to these questions!

The World Ends With You

So I’m not a huge video game fan, but there’s one game that I absolutely adore called “The World Ends With You” (TWEWY). I’m going to give a general review/explanation, then get into some analysis of it in another post.

TWEWY has a very complex storyline, so much so that after you finish the game you are encouraged to go back and look for secret reports that explain it more! But the basic story is that this teenager, Neku, wakes up in the middle of an intersection in Shibuya with no memory and no idea how he got there. He realizes that he’s in the middle of the Reaper’s Game, and losing means that he loses his life and getting erased. Neku is not a people person, and would rather hide behind his headphones than talk to people. Which is a bit of a disadvantage here. He partners up with a girl named Shiki, and they are quickly at odds with each other. Neku has to learn to open up and trust her, or risk getting erased. Beat and Rhyme are another pair, Beat is full of energy and eager to go, while Rhyme balances him out with her patience. Joshua is another character, he is a little obnoxious, but knows things about the Reaper’s Game that the rest don’t.

In addition to this main storyline, there are tons of little separate ones that you can follow while the game goes on. For example, one of the more minor characters is trying to be an entrepreneur, and you can follow his trials as he attempts to rule the trends of Shibuya. There’s also a pin that allows you to scan the area and read the thoughts of the people walking around, which change from day to day and week to week. With some sleuthing, you can tell the connections between the different weeks and how their stories are developing.

Gameplay here is really interesting, it’s a Nintendo DS game, and battle scenes involve Neku fighting on the bottom screen, with his partner on the top screen. Neku fights using various pins, each has its own activation, or psych. It could be touching the screen, slashing, or even blowing into the microphone. His partner fights using the arrow buttons or the ABXY buttons. And if it’s too complicated, his partner can fight on their own! However, using his partner successfully results in a bigger pin that unleashes their fusion power, refilling HP and dealing damage to all enemies.

You can also customize your pins that Neku has, equip all the characters with different clothes for different powers, eat food to gain power, and play a mini-game called Tin-Pin Slammer!

There’s a bunch of fun quirks to this game. It’s literally 99% sass, for example when you try to have a character wear two different clothes that go on the same body part, you get a message saying “why? Because you can’t. Deal with it.” Another interesting fact about clothes is that it takes more bravery (a stat that’s unique to all of the individual clothes as well as the characters, but you can improve this with eating) to wear female clothes, but they also have better powers that go along with them. And since most of the characters are male, yup, the game is encouraging you to send teenagers into battle cross-dressing. There’s also a few references to other games, notably Final Fantasy. I’m not a huge FF fan, so I can’t pick up on all of them, but they’re there. Also, after you finish the game you are introduced to “Another Day”, an alternative universe version of the game where all the characters have been exaggerated and it’s hilarious. I laugh every time I play it. You have to appreciate people who are willing to make fun of their own creation.

The game also provides you with a map of Shibuya. And there have been comparisons between the game’s graphics and the real thing, it’s very similar. The graphics overall are really good, the characters look unlike any other game. The music is also insanely good, the composers probably took inspiration from urban trends when they made this game because some of the songs have lyrics and everything.

The overall message of the game is also very unique. Of course, it involves Neku opening up and expanding his world a little. (Which is what the title is in reference too, not the world ending.) But it also involves trusting others and things like that. And my favorite aspect is that it turns out that the “bad guys” aren’t bad people, they’re just doing what they think is right at the time. There isn’t any “good” or “bad” it’s just people doing what they think is right and clashing. Which is essential for growth.

The characters have also shown up in Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance but I haven’t actually played that game, so I don’t know much about it.

And the most infuriating thing about this is that it’s been seven years since the game came out and there hasn’t been a sequel yet (but they have adapted it for iOS systems). What I would like to see in a sequel: familiar faces returning with more stories and explanation, particularly one about Neku’s friend who died a while ago; there’s a girl who shows up at the end of the iOS version, a completely new character, it’d be nice to know who she is; and finally in “Another Day” Mr. H comments on how you can see the Noise (enemies) in that world as well, then says that Neku could be able to help him sooner than he thinks, I want this to be developed on!

So that’s TWEWY in a nutshell. I can’t begin to explain how much this game means to me. It has been with me since middle school, and I would be lying if I said that I didn’t learn a few valuable things from it. I would highly recommend it to anyone and everyone.