During the summer of 2018, I had the opportunity to visit the otaku bastion of Akihabara (秋葉原) for the first time, along with a number of its iconic maid cafés (メイドカフェ). In my subsequent post detailing my experiences, I introduced the various terminologies associated with the veritable subculture formed around such cafés and explored the concept of moe (萌え) central to creating the maid café experience. In my closing remarks, I characterized my experience as an utterly unforgettable one. Recounting my visit to a little café called Akiba Zettai Ryōiki (アキバ絶対領域) in particular, I had left Japan somewhat wishing that I had spent more time getting to know the cats and their shop. Somehow, approximately 18 months later, I was in fact granted another opportunity to visit Tokyo. Over the past year and a half, I had kept in touch with some of the cats at Akiba Zettai Ryōiki and would hear bits and pieces about how their café changed with time. Since I last set foot in Electric Town, Akiba Zettai Ryōiki had gone from existing as a singular […]

When I first watched the opening to Atelier Firis, I was charmed by its gentleness. As someone who is no stranger to the Atelier series, I have long become accustomed to the bouncy anime sequences serving as overtures to their titles; alongside vibrant, decidedly Celtic-sounding music tracks, curious worlds of alchemy and exploration flash across the screen to serve as introductions to what awaits within each game. Fully expecting to be acquainted with Firis’ world in this manner, I was instead presented a far more subdued approach. Instead of promising the daily life of an alchemist like its predecessors, Atelier Firis’ opening sequence conveys a mood of hope and anticipation; an air of muted giddiness pulls the viewer into Firis’ yearning for adventure and, appropriately so, only ventures insofar as to affirm the presence of a journey without focusing on its purpose. A few years ago, I played an entry in the series called Atelier Totori. Although somewhat similar in its focus on the adventuring aspect of an alchemist, Atelier Totori’s mood differed from that of Atelier Firis. Totooria Helmold’s […]

A long time ago, when this blog had a different name and I hadn’t even graduated high school yet, I detailed in one of my first posts the wonder I felt as I looked back to consider how my maturation online had been shaped by the numerous faceless role models with whom I had crossed paths across the eternal sea of Internet communities. It was truly a transcendence of human interaction; although I would go on to never meet them, these avatars — people — had helped shape my online presence, and by extension, my very person beyond the computer screen. To this day, if I look closely, sometimes I can yet see their curious ripples of activity across the net to remind me of their existence… though my connections with them have been lost to time. Nevertheless, one such individual commented in passing: We all have our early masters . . . We all take different paths in life. But no matter where we go, we take a little of each other everywhere . . . I enjoy the tales […]

As my plane once again touched down at Narita International Airport, I switched gears — my mangled amalgam of Korean and English would now be replaced by an equally broken mishmash featuring Japanese. Although my experiences in communicating with the Korean people were reassuring, I still found myself a little nervous in approaching others within my new surroundings. Still, just as the case had been at Incheon, there was a task at hand that would thrust me into my first exchange with the country’s inhabitants: I had to convert my currency to Japanese yen.  The sign advertising the best exchange rates in the terminal sat next to a lonely little window denoting Mizuho Bank. Compared to other such services catering to travelers, there was practically no other English in sight. It was for this reason that I was abruptly caught off-guard when the elderly Japanese man at the window spoke. “Hello!” he greeted. Taken aback, I peered at the smiling man who seemingly glowed apart from the depressingly barren office space behind him. It was not so surprising of course […]

Around Christmastime each year, I email my friend Arujei to share my holiday greetings and catch up. Because of the way our dynamic works, we tend not to converse much throughout the year, but are always happy to hear from one another around the holiday season. Early this year, one of the topics we touched on was his recent trip to Japan — as Arujei visited the foreign country for the first time, he would share his adventures on social media. Reflecting on his experiences, I recall conveying my apprehensions about visiting a foreign land where I could neither speak nor read the language. Still, I hoped to one day take the plunge like Arujei and feel brave enough to traverse such a place as an outsider — a true adventure. Arujei of course reassured me with his email replies in the typical levelheaded manner that I have come to associate with him and as I considered his words, I wondered if I would someday get a chance to see the world for myself. I recently had the opportunity to […]

What is Persona to you? Do you regard its titles as stylish portrayals of Japanese culture? Dating simulators? Chances to live an idyllic school life? Second chances to impact society? Or do you prefer to view the series in more utilitarian terms such as “jRPG games”? Do you tend to focus on spending time with the characters and being a social butterfly or would you prefer to spend most of the play session inside dungeons to grind to a higher level? All of these perceptions and approaches speak to the versatility of the Persona series and allow for players to shape their playthroughs into their own unique experiences. The second life offered by Persona games provides its titles with a platform to truly impact its players. I have often seen Persona games help people through difficult moments in their lives — myself included. In fact, it is often one’s first exposure to the series that becomes the most meaningful for this very reason, even if it does not remain the most objectively polished game as new entries are added over […]