My favorite media like games, tv, and movies that i've seen in the past and want to reccomend!
A comedy and slice of life manga and anime featuring the everday life of several highschool girls: Chiyo Mihama, child prodigy who has skipped middle school; absentminded, daydreaming Ayumu "Osaka" Kagusa; reserved Sakaki, who despite her cool demeanor is really a sensitive girl who adores cute things; energetic, competitive, Tomo Takino; Koyomi "Yomi" Mizuhara, Tomo's opposite who often responds to her antics with an uppercut; tomboy Kagura; and Sakaki-obsessed Kaori. An anime and manga with a cute artstyle and great sense of humor.
From creator of Azumanga Daioh, Yotsuba&! is a comedy and slice of life manga centered around five year old girl Yotsuba Koiwai. Known for the motto "Enjoy Everything", which very much represents Yotsuba, who is an energetic and cheerful girl. The series focuses on her daily life featuring her adoptive father, the daughters of the neighboring Ayase family, Asaagi, Fuuka, and Ena, as well was her father's friends Yanda and Jumbo. Yotsuba's carefree attitude makes for a light and fun read, the manga is a very cute and leaves you with a good feeling.
Inspired by science fiction classics like Frank Herbert's Dune, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind was written by Hayao Miyazaki and includes scenes animated by Hideaki Anno, among others. The story takes place in a post-apocolyptic, mass destruction of nature setting. Main character Nausicaä is a warrior princess of the nation the Valley of the Wind. She is a pacifist who seeks to prevent two neighboring nations from war, which would further destroy the already dying planet. She has a special connection with the poisonous forest called the Toxic Jungle and the giant mutant insects that reside inside, called Ohms. The film's message of conservation of nature is very impactful, Nausicaä is a brave character who fufills an ancient prophecy by finding a way for humans and nature to co-exist. The best of all Ghibli films, with beautiful animation and themes. My "everyone should watch this" movie!
If Nausicaä is my must-watch movie, then similarly, Shadow of the Colossus is a game I believe everyone should experience. An action-adventure game directed by Fumito Ueda, developed by Team Ico and Japan studio, published by Sony. The game takes place in a fantasy world, following the character Wander, who travels to the vast and abandoned area called the Forbidden Land in search of power to revive his deceased friend Mono, believing her death was wrong. Wander is willing to sacrifice anything to revive Mono, which becomes evident as the game progresses. Wander communicates with the entity Dormin, who points him on a quest to defeat 16 colossi. Gameplay is on horseback of Wander's horse companion Agro and on foot, the player fights many unique colossi, some towering as tall as skycrapers, slow and powerful, and others smaller and agile. The player must figure out the gimmicks and methods to defeat each different colossi. Features a beautiful, melancholic soundtrack by Kow Otani. A game with gorgeous PS2 graphics and a story unlike others that has inspired several other games, such as the souls-games by Fromsoftware. Truly incredible and impactful game unlike anything else that has aged wonderfully and will always be my number one.
A post-apocolyptic, science fiction story about two girls, Yuuri (Yuu) and Chito (Chii) traveling the ruins of a land destroyed by war. Sometimes heartwarming and sometimes heartwrenching, the simplicity of Yuu and Chii's daily life is comforting. The girls explore traces of the technology and ideas of the civilization from the past, learning about things such as music, literature, religion, conservation, and destruction. A great story that has a cute relationship between Yuu and Chii.
A slice-of-life surreal comedy manga by the creator of Girls' Last Tour that follows Shijima Tsukishima, a former shut-in who begins high school after spending the past two years isolated in a closet. Perhaps a side effect of staying in a damp closet for so long, Shijima finds that she has mushrooms sprouting from her head. At school, she meets Majime Yamashita, a girl with a fried egg growing on her head. A cute and humorus with hints of girls love story in a not very normal setting with lots of peculiar characters. Features cameos of Yuu and Chii from GLT!
A Rumiko Takahashi classic! An action and romance comedy series following martial artists Akane Tendo and her arranged fiance Ranma Saotome, a boy who has been cursed to tranform into a girl when exposed to cold water. Featuring many eccentric characters who all have their own romantic goals involving Akane and Ranma. I enjoy that Ranma originally despises his curse, but evolves into acceptance of being a girl as it proves convenient at times. This series has great martial arts plotlines and fun scenes between the main characters, especially when Ranma is a girl with Akane.
Awesome science fiction cyperpunk technological anime about Lain Iwakura, a high school girl who discovers strange happenings around her after becoming connected with the Wired, an internet communcations network. Incredible visuals and exploration of identity, reality, and alienation. Lain questions what is real and if she is truly human, or something else. She struggles with her tethers to the real world and the forces that pull her into the Wired world. Beautiful soundtrack by Reichi Nakaido and British band bôa. A great watch for lovers of the era of early internet and computers.
