Watching

BNA: Brand New Animal

Rewatching this series for the first time since late summer 2020. I was going through it, recovering from a car accident and trying to get through grad school and a rough job the last time I watched this. The end-credit theme song ended up becoming a bit of an anthem for me, and it's still something I listen to to steel myself before interviews and big meetings and stuff. I would listen to that song in my replacement car after that accident, before I had healed up, just to start getting over being afraid of driving. Once I was physically able to, I'd drive close to home and slowly venture further out, often playing that same song before rolling out.

Rewatching one of my all-time favorite shows in preparation for season 2's release in January. It's a slow burn, but man, it's spectacular if you can settle into the setting and characters. It's about the physical journey that the party is taking, as much as it is about the emotional journey that Frieren herself is going through. It's a show about grief and longing, growth and learning to appreciate the folks closest to you, and the parts you play in each other's lives, as much as it's about an adventure through a fantasy setting.

It's an imbodiment of the phrase "it's about the journey as much as the destination," and I love being along for the ride with them.

Edit 2025-12-14: Finished rewatching the series! The next season comes out in a month or so, so I'll be keeping up with that.

I am in the process of rewatching Super Cub, a really sweet slice-of-life anime. It centers around Koguma, a shy, lonely, downtrodden girl who finds a bit of joy in learning to ride and take care of her new-to-her Honda Suoer Cub motorbike. Soon after getting it, she also makes a new friend. The story revolves around their budding friendship and Koguma's growing sense of self.

One stand-out addition to the show's visual style is their use of color. By and large, they aim for a muted, sometimes dull, naturalistic feel as an extension of Koguma's point-of-view. Whenever her spirits are lifted, by the joy of riding, by a delicious meal, or by a joyful moment with her new friend, all the colors in frame suddenly turn vibrant. I've experienced much the same thing, where euphoria during an escape from depression lifts a veil off of my perceptions, and it's as though colors shine a bit more brightly.

Koguma's a sweet, relatable protagonist trying to figure herself out, and this show's use of motorbikes as a fulcrum around which her deepening relationships and self-actualization pivots is really neat. Granted, it's also nakedly an advertisement for Honda's line of underpowered light motorcycles, but it's still good and cozy. I'd recommend it if you could use a show before bed.