Rice Riot

Wed, Oct 16, 2024 Year 2, Winter 16

Al and Kev talk about the Sakuna anime

Timings

00:00:00: Theme Tune
00:00:30: Intro
00:01:38: What Have We Been Up To
00:16:25: Game News
00:31:01: New Games
00:35:10: Sakuna Anime
01:18:00: Outro

Links

Winds of Anthos DLC Delay
Wanderstop Delay
Amber Isle Switch Delay
Everholm Release
Steamworld Build “Steam Fright” Update
Disney Dreamlight Valley “Jungle Getaway” Update

Hawthorn

Contact

Al on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheScotBot
Al on Mastodon: https://mastodon.scot/@TheScotBot
Email Us: https://harvestseason.club/contact/

Transcript

(0:00:30) Al: Hello farmers, and welcome to another episode of The Harvest Season. My name is Al, and
(0:00:36) Kev: My name is Kevin.
(0:00:38) Al: we are here today to talk about Cottagecore games! Wooooo! Well, both, like we do have
(0:00:40) Kev: No, we’re here to talk about ‘an-a-me’!
(0:00:46) Kev: Heh heh, oh.
(0:00:46) Al: the news section, you know, which will probably be most of the episode. Kevin is of course
(0:00:51) Kev: I guess so?
(0:00:55) Al: referring to the fact that we are going to talk about the Sakana of rice and
(0:01:00) Al: ruin anime that came out recently we tried to do this two weeks in a row one
(0:01:09) Al: week the last episode hadn’t come out in the UK so I needed to wait for that one
(0:01:15) Al: and then last weekend I was six so that did not work but here we are we’re gonna
(0:01:18) Kev: sick
(0:01:21) Al: we’re gonna we’re gonna actually do it this time we’re recording
(0:01:22) Kev: finally, we made it
(0:01:26) Kev: um, yeah, alright, but we’ll get to that
(0:01:28) Al: We will get to that.
(0:01:30) Kev: i- I have a lot to say, I like sakuna
(0:01:30) Al: I look forward to discussing it with you.
(0:01:33) Kev: did you know that?
(0:01:36) Al: Before that, we have a bunch of game news.
(0:01:39) Al: But first of all, Kevin, what have you been up to?
(0:01:42) Kev: All right, um, not too much of note a lot of the same as always Marvel snap continues to be good
(0:01:50) Kev: I’m sure you’re playing it still. Are you are you playing it? I’m assuming you’re
(0:01:50) Al: Hmm
(0:01:52) Al: I haven’t I haven’t played much this season yet
(0:01:57) Al: Just because I was trying to put some of that time into
(0:02:01) Al: Pokemon pocket instead, but I’ve realized I
(0:02:02) Kev: Mm-hmm
(0:02:06) Al: Not enjoying the battles in that so I’m not going to
(0:02:08) Kev: Wait, is that already out ah
(0:02:11) Al: Okay, so no it is not
(0:02:15) Kev: Are you a New Zealand transplant
(0:02:15) Al: It’s I’m I am in New Zealand just now
(0:02:20) Al: I
(0:02:22) Kev: Amazing you got your whole set up because identical set up real quick and you see
(0:02:29) Al: Just happened to live in New Zealand, um, yeah, eh, I mean I guess for tax purposes. I’m not actually in New Zealand
(0:02:38) Al: Just in case anyone’s listening
(0:02:39) Kev: Hey
(0:02:42) Al: Yeah, so I I don’t find the battling fun in that so
(0:02:46) Kev: Okay, well
(0:02:46) Al: Um, I’m probably going to go back to, uh, back to snap and.
(0:02:50) Kev: Sick, um, I’m sure you can. Oh, it’s yeah
(0:02:50) Al: Uh, see if I can get the season done in the, in the next two weeks.
(0:02:55) Al: I’m sure I probably can.
(0:02:57) Al: I actually, I quite like leaving gaps where I’m not playing because then you
(0:03:00) Al: have loads of tasks to do in the, in the season, um, rather than like every,
(0:03:02) Kev: Yeah
(0:03:04) Kev: Sure. Yeah, you can
(0:03:06) Al: every two days you get another two tasks.
(0:03:07) Kev: Yeah, just the drip feed
(0:03:08) Al: You’re like, great.
(0:03:09) Kev: Yeah, that makes sense
(0:03:12) Kev: Okay, well, you know what I was talking about like how does pocket play like
(0:03:18) Al: Yeah, fundamentally, it’s not really different from the Pokémon Trading Card game. There’s
(0:03:22) Kev: Uh-huh sure you attach energies your pokemons
(0:03:25) Al: like a couple… Yeah, exactly, exactly. The cards are basically the same. Sure, they have
(0:03:30) Al: some different cards, but fundamentally, they’re the same thing. The trainer cards are fundamentally
(0:03:37) Al: exactly the same. The energy is different in so much as you don’t have them in your
(0:03:43) Al: deck it’s like a separate thing and it randomly gives you
(0:03:48) Al: energy each turn based on the energies that your Pokemon have. I do think I
(0:03:49) Kev: Oh, that’s, okay, that’s an interesting way to approach it.
(0:03:56) Al: prefer that and I think if I were to like play the game physically I would
(0:04:02) Al: probably prefer to do it this way right like you take all your trainer cards
(0:04:04) Al: and shuffle them into a second deck and you draw one of those each turn I quite
(0:04:08) Al: like that but yeah it’s it’s not fundamentally different right like if
(0:04:14) Al: if you don’t particularly enjoy playing the game.
(0:04:18) Al: I think, I guess the reason I enjoy playing Marvel Snap is because one, it’s like super
(0:04:24) Al: fast, right?
(0:04:26) Kev: They are. It’s a limited pool, but every card does something different. It’s really interesting how they’ve managed to keep it dynamic and interesting with every week a new card.
(0:04:27) Al: And two, the card effects are really fun.
(0:04:44) Al: yeah exactly exactly whereas the pokemon is still just like you have your pokemon
(0:04:49) Al: it has a move and the move deals damage maybe the move has a status effect that’s it right
(0:04:51) Kev: - Yeah, yep.
(0:04:55) Al: like there’s nothing fundamentally changed there and so I don’t find that particularly interesting
(0:04:57) Kev: Yeah.
(0:04:57) Kev: Yeah.
(0:05:01) Al: uh you’re only using one pokemon to battle each time as you as you were previously um like
(0:05:07) Al: fundamentally it’s the same it’s just kind of changed up a few things and I i think the reason
(0:05:14) Al: way is so that they can like it’s compatible with the physical card game so if you wanted
(0:05:20) Kev: Mm-hmm. Okay. Sure. All right. That’s that’s cool. I guess yeah
(0:05:20) Al: to play the game this way you could absolutely play it this way so and I understand why they
(0:05:27) Al: did that I i get that because if they want to like add it as like a second way of playing the card
(0:05:31) Al: game and in tournaments wherever they can do that and that that might be fun um but that’s not what
(0:05:38) Al: i’m looking for I was looking for something kind of fundamentally different I think part of the
(0:05:42) Al: the problem is the expectations.
(0:05:44) Al: People were comparing it to Snap with no real information, just going, “Oh, it’s
(0:05:52) Al: going to be like Snap because they’re trying to make it more mobile and Snap worked really
(0:05:56) Al: well.
(0:05:57) Al: It was a good card game.”
(0:05:58) Al: But it’s not.
(0:06:00) Al: Fundamentally it’s not Marvel Snap.
(0:06:03) Al: It’s not in any way.
(0:06:06) Al: I guess you could argue the only thing it takes from Marvel Snap is the idea of quicker battles.
(0:06:12) Al: It’s not fundamentally different.
(0:06:14) Al: And the other issue I think is because it’s like there are 160 cards or something like that so far in the game.
(0:06:25) Al: So to actually be able to get a decent deck that you can take people on with takes a lot of work.
(0:06:32) Al: Whereas because there’s a lot fewer cards in Snap and there are so many different ways to get the cards without paying,
(0:06:40) Kev: Yeah, yeah, it’s also what a well far deck in Snat, so yeah, that’s probably the biggest one.
(0:06:40) Al: You you can get a decent deck pretty quickly
(0:06:44) Al: It is yeah, so it’s 20. I think it’s it’s 20 cards in in pocket
(0:06:52) Kev: Okay, all right.
(0:06:54) Al: Because you don’t have the energy but yeah, it’s still I’m gonna keep using it and like opening and collecting
(0:07:00) Al: But I think that’s what I’m gonna like unless they fundamentally change something about the battles
(0:07:04) Al: I’m not gonna put any time into that and so yeah, I’ll do my five minutes a day of open the packets
(0:07:11) Al: Do a wonder pick
(0:07:13) Al: Check my collection
(0:07:14) Al: And then close the app because I like collecting things, you know
(0:07:18) Kev: There you go. Hit your dopamine hit.
(0:07:20) Al: Exactly exactly and hopefully spend no money on it
(0:07:26) Al: So, yeah, i’ll get back into snap this week probably try and get through as much as possible and see if it’s
(0:07:30) Kev: All right, well, it’s it is still good.
(0:07:34) Kev: The season’s been fine.
(0:07:36) Al: Yeah, i’m excited
(0:07:37) Al: I might I might try and go back to a destroy deck and try and add in some of the the new symbiotes
(0:07:40) Kev: Yeah. Yep.
(0:07:44) Al: Could integrate into any of my other decks. Um, they look they look quite fun
(0:07:49) Al: They’ve been rolling them out slowly. Haven’t they? I think they’ve been doing one a week of those
(0:07:52) Kev: Yeah, yeah, there’s there stay there. That’s what they do standard. Yeah, I want a weekend
(0:07:57) Kev: Well, we’ve got like two or three left one the one I’m excited for I think is next week
(0:08:02) Kev: Maybe we can I don’t know but the one the one wants not out yet. But um, they’ve been fine. Nothing earth-shattering. Nothing
(0:08:09) Kev: Disrupting the game. I think the
(0:08:12) Al: It keeps the good decks being good, and it doesn’t make anything else better.
(0:08:12) Kev: It’s in a good place
(0:08:15) Kev: Yeah, yeah
(0:08:18) Kev: Yeah, pretty much pretty much they never
(0:08:19) Al: Yeah, so we’ll see if I can get up to infinite again, and if I do it with the same deck or
(0:08:22) Kev: white widow though. I’m sad
(0:08:26) Kev: Hey
(0:08:27) Al: a different deck or whatever.
(0:08:28) Kev: Yeah, well, hey, you’re gonna start off at 70 right? So the
(0:08:31) Al: Yeah.
(0:08:32) Kev: Fights gonna be easier on you. There. Yep. There you go. All right
(0:08:32) Al: 73.
(0:08:33) Al: Come on, I know my deal.
(0:08:36) Kev: Shhh, um, heh heh heh heh.
(0:08:39) Al: The moment I hit infinite, I was like, oh, right.
(0:08:42) Al: I need what I go down to, it’s like, because my worry was I don’t want to like battle
(0:08:45) Kev: Okay
(0:08:46) Al: and then drop out of infinite, but you don’t do that.
(0:08:49) Al: Once you’re in infinite, that’s it.
(0:08:50) Kev: Yeah, nope, you’re good which is so nice
(0:08:51) Al: Which I really like.
(0:08:53) Al: Yep.
(0:08:54) Kev: huge
(0:08:55) Kev: sigh of relief
(0:08:57) Kev: But yeah snap aside
(0:09:00) Kev: a lot of the usual zenless on zero I’ve talked about that so
(0:09:05) Kev: There’s an arcade in zenless zone zero where you can play mini games or side games because some of them are not so mini
(0:09:12) Kev: I’ve been spending a lot of time in the cause
(0:09:16) Kev: Bizarre brigade that’s the name of the minigame. It’s their little version of bullet-heaven games vampire survivor type games
(0:09:24) Kev: And so you’re just going through ways of enemies buying upgrades and partners and stuff like that
(0:09:32) Kev: It’s it’s just addictive and it’s no danger of spending any money. It’s totally separate from west the gate
(0:09:41) Kev: But other than that, I’ve picked up Sonic Frontier.
(0:09:45) Kev: It is good. It’s still good. I like it.
(0:09:50) Kev: I don’t know what else to say. It’s open-world Sonic work, somehow.
(0:09:57) Kev: It’s fine. Yeah. Yeah, that’s fair.
(0:09:58) Al: I’ve still, I’ve still, I’ve still never got into it. I played it for a couple of hours
(0:10:02) Al: and we’re just, I don’t know what it was, but just like every, I think it’s just every,
(0:10:08) Al: it’s the same as every 3D Sonic to me. This is something that doesn’t really jive with
(0:10:13) Al: me in 3D Sonic. Except the 3D levels and generations, they worked.
(0:10:15) Kev: It’s not. Well, hey, I mean, hey, that’s coming again.
(0:10:19) Al: Yeah. Well, exactly. Exactly. Soon. Two weeks.
(0:10:20) Kev: So get hyped. Yeah. Yeah.
(0:10:26) Kev: That’s excited for that. But yeah, I think. Oh, and I’ve been playing the Luigi Mansion 2 on my 3DS.
(0:10:36) Kev: Hey, well, you find me on a Mario Party podcast and it’s October. So guess what? That’s our spooky game of the year.
(0:10:43) Al: We just got a spoiler as to which one of you is playing.
(0:10:46) Kev: But yeah, there you go. What about you? What’s been going on?
(0:10:52) Al: I have been playing Zelda Echoes of Wisdom and it is super fun!
(0:10:59) Kev: Oh yeah, you look so fun, so many dank memes and just, ugh, all of games are just tools to do nonsense, I love it so much.
(0:11:08) Al: I do there’s a couple of things I’m not a huge fan about it in so much as like it has
(0:11:14) Al: a bunch of okay has two has two as far as I know I don’t think there’s gonna be any
(0:11:19) Al: more based on what’s happened in the story but I’ve encountered two stealth levels and
(0:11:27) Al: I do not like stealth levels I don’t like them at all I’ve never liked them I don’t
(0:11:32) Al: like them in spider-man I don’t like them in this game I don’t like them in any game
(0:11:38) Al: definitely not fun because well first of all it’s a different way of playing than the
(0:11:42) Al: rest of the game and suddenly they’re like oh hey you got to do this thing that you haven’t
(0:11:46) Al: bothered doing the rest of the time completely switch up how you think about the game and
(0:11:51) Al: I also don’t like how they go like the step stealth is like oh you just throw you back
(0:11:56) Al: to the beginning of the level and that’s that you know I don’t I don’t like that because
(0:12:01) Al: it’s just then you’re just repeating the thing that you keep failing at which yeah okay sounds
(0:12:06) Al: just like any game with levels.
(0:12:08) Al: But there’s something about it that’s really–
(0:12:11) Al: you get right to the end of a stealth level
(0:12:13) Al: and you muck up one thing and you’re back to the beginning.
(0:12:15) Kev: Yeah, yeah, well, that’s, that’s odd that they put it because I don’t know.
(0:12:15) Al: I don’t know why that annoys me more than, say,
(0:12:18) Al: a Mario platformer.
(0:12:20) Al: I don’t know, but it’s really frustrating.
(0:12:29) Al: It makes sense in the story, is what I would say, but I don’t want to spoil the picture.
(0:12:29) Kev: It doesn’t, okay, sure.
(0:12:34) Kev: Um, the question I have is, do you still have tools, right?
(0:12:40) Al: Yeah, you do.
(0:12:40) Kev: because there’s, there are some stealth levels where, or gameplay, where you.
(0:12:45) Kev: Just, it’s just totally dodge all the, the lasers and spotlights or whatever, right?
(0:12:50) Kev: Stay invisible.
(0:12:52) Kev: And then some like Spider-Man, where you still have your tools and you can use them, doing
(0:12:57) Kev: your stealth thing or whatever, right?
(0:13:00) Kev: You can take out foes before you get detected.
(0:13:02) Al: Well, I think Spider-Man’s a bad example of that. Spider-Man’s a bad example of that,
(0:13:06) Al: because most of the stealth levels in the newer Spider-Mans, you’re actually playing as Mary Jane,
(0:13:13) Al: not a Spider-Man. I know the ones you mean. I think there are some stuff, and actually,
(0:13:14) Kev: Oh, oh my gosh, I forgot about Mary Jane. I was thinking about like when you know, you have a room of encounters. Yes
(0:13:21) Al: those are fun, yeah, because that’s more of like a puzzle, whereas the Mary Jane levels are just like
(0:13:23) Kev: Yes
(0:13:26) Kev: Yeah, yeah
(0:13:29) Kev: Yeah, just of you know, avoid the spotlights, you know
(0:13:29) Al: hide behind this thing, wait for them to-
(0:13:32) Al: not look at you, it’s just not fun.
(0:13:35) Kev: Well, well
(0:13:35) Al: They tried to make it more fun in Spider-Man 2 because they gave her a teaser, which did
(0:13:40) Kev: Uh-huh
(0:13:40) Al: improve it but was still not- I still didn’t enjoy it.
(0:13:44) Kev: » Sure, sure that, okay.
(0:13:45) Al: Because you’ve got this game about I’m, you know, spinning around the world, I’m like,
(0:13:50) Al: you know, whip-lying, whatever, and then suddenly I’m just a person.
(0:13:53) Kev: » But don’t you wanna play?
(0:13:55) Al: Not fun.
(0:13:56) Al: Yeah, no one’s buying the Mary Jane game, let’s be honest, right?
(0:14:01) Kev: My gosh, but yeah, but no, that’s exactly my point.
(0:14:04) Kev: That’s how far the spectrum goes, right?
(0:14:06) Kev: Like there’s the good self and the bad self, but anyway, so
(0:14:10) Al: So what I would say is you do have all those tools,
(0:14:13) Al: so you can do everything that you could.
(0:14:16) Al: But I found that when I was trying to do stuff like that,
(0:14:20) Al: clever stuff like that, to like–
(0:14:22) Al: they would somehow see me in the weirdest places.
(0:14:25) Al: And I’d lose the level.
(0:14:28) Al: And actually, it was easier just to hide, which is not great,
(0:14:28) Kev: They can’t see you at the top of a tower of veg, you know.
(0:14:33) Al: really.
(0:14:34) Al: But yeah, I don’t–
(0:14:40) Al: exactly.
(0:14:41) Al: I will say the one good thing about these
(0:14:42) Al: compared to other stealth levels is if you get seen,
(0:14:46) Al: they chase after you.
(0:14:47) Al: But if they don’t catch you, you don’t
(0:14:49) Kev: Oh, that’s always nice, not an autofail, that’s…
(0:14:49) Al: get put to the back at the start.
(0:14:51) Al: So yeah, so I’ve seen people speed running them
(0:14:57) Al: with throwing tables behind them to block the people running
(0:15:01) Al: after them.
(0:15:02) Al: And that, I think, is a good thing.
(0:15:05) Al: But I didn’t see that until after I’d done them.
(0:15:08) Al: I didn’t, I didn’t consider speedro-
(0:15:10) Al: I was running it. Um, but yeah, I did try like, you know, I’m going to build beds over this area so I can, but they still saw me and I’m like, Oh, it’s not. So anyway, so been playing that. I’ve also played a bit of Bellattro now that it’s on, uh, mobile.
(0:15:24) Kev: Oh mobile, I gotta get I gotta get it. I will
(0:15:27) Al: This game, I get why everybody likes it and I don’t dislike it is what I will say. I don’t know how much I want to talk about this because people are just going to mock me for buying a rogue light again.
(0:15:33) Kev: Okay
(0:15:39) Kev: I mean, that’s the hope on this show. I think
(0:15:41) Al: Actually, no. This isn’t even a roguelite. This is a roguelike.
(0:15:44) Al: Everything resets between runs in there. There’s nothing that carries over.
(0:15:46) Kev: Yeah, oh, yeah
(0:15:49) Al: I knew it was a roguelite going in. I did. But I somehow thought the roguelike part of it was
(0:15:55) Al: going to be different than it was. I think that’s all I’m going to say. It doesn’t mean I’m not
(0:15:59) Kev: Okay, well…
(0:16:00) Al: going to continue playing it until I beat it. I might. The actual gameplay of it is fun enough
(0:16:06) Al: that it might, might override that.
(0:16:08) Kev: Yeah.
(0:16:09) Kev: Yeah, well, I’m excited. I’ll update you when I get it too.
(0:16:14) Al: look forward to it. I just, I like how it’s nice and cheap, it’s like 10 quid.
(0:16:14) Kev: Because I know when I get it, it’s over for me. Goodbye, world.
(0:16:18) Kev: And Galacto only.
(0:16:24) Kev: That is great.
(0:16:25) Al: All right, well that’s what we’ve been up to. Let’s talk about some game news. First up,
(0:16:33) Al: surprise surprise, the Harvest Moon Winds of Anthos great outdoors update has been delayed again.
(0:16:44) Al: Last week’s episode when you talked about this, but my first thought when I saw this news was
(0:16:49) Al: they’re delaying it by a week. A week is a very short amount of time to be delaying it.
(0:16:55) Al: That seems weird and suspicious, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it get delayed again.
(0:17:00) Al: It got delayed again.
(0:17:00) Kev: I didn’t think about that but you’re super right like what is the difference gonna gonna make in game dev I don’t actually don’t know what we could do.
(0:17:10) Al: The one thing I would think is they’d realized one game-breaking bug, and they knew the fix
(0:17:19) Al: to it so they could do it, and the week was just to like get it through their testing and their
(0:17:23) Kev: Mmm, sure.
(0:17:25) Al: processes to get it actually into the stores. But that didn’t work. So either that’s wrong,
(0:17:30) Kev: Sure, sure, yeah
(0:17:34) Al: and they were just completely overly optimistic about what they were doing, right? Like who two
(0:17:38) Al: weeks away from release, who goes.
(0:17:40) Al: We’re not going to be able to get this done in time, but I know we’ll get it
(0:17:52) Al: fine in an extra week.
(0:17:54) Al: That’s a really weird decision to make, right?
(0:17:58) Al: Which they’ve clearly decided because they haven’t put a new date on it.
(0:18:01) Al: They’ve just said it’s delayed.
(0:18:02) Kev: I said one week later, but not which week, huh?
(0:18:10) Al: no so yeah if you’re waiting for that update i’m very sorry yeah and I guess we’ll see we’ll see
(0:18:16) Kev: Wait longer
(0:18:20) Al: when it eventually comes out uh speaking of delays because we are still in the season of delays
(0:18:26) Al: because it is october uh wonder stop um have delayed they are going to be releasing next year
(0:18:32) Al: this is the game that’s from the the creators of stanley parable uh
(0:18:36) Kev: Okay, I’m looking let me see
(0:18:40) Al: it’s the it’s about making tea
(0:18:43) Kev: That that you know that is such a weird
(0:18:47) Kev: Cell right it’s a T game, but it’s the Stanley Parable guy so
(0:18:52) Al: No, I think that’s honestly I think that that like makes me more interested. So I like the
(0:18:54) Kev: Unless it’s gonna give
(0:19:00) Al: tea making aspect, right? Because I like the idea of a more focused game. That’s also a
(0:19:08) Al: farming game, also a cottagecore type game is more focused. And it’s not I don’t, I don’t
(0:19:10) Kev: Yeah, no, no, I mean like the tea game
(0:19:15) Al: necessarily expect it to be like the Stanley Parable. I think it’s more just like the Stanley
(0:19:19) Al: parable people understand.
(0:19:22) Kev: okay tour yeah all right when you put like that yeah I that makes sense right
(0:19:27) Kev: but you know just when you hear Stanley Parable your ex a lot of people was
(0:19:33) Kev: thinking oh is there gonna be some weird meta narrative component to it how’s
(0:19:38) Kev: it’s gonna break the fourth wall but like yeah no looking at the trailer
(0:19:39) Al: Yeah, I understand. Yeah, I don’t think we’re going I don’t think it’s going to be that I think the Stanley Parable was them just breaking down games and showing because that’s all it is. Right. It’s just it’s it’s it’s basically a massive comedy essay about games, interactive comedy essay, right?
(0:19:48) Kev: yeah
(0:19:52) Kev: Yeah, yep, yeah.
(0:19:56) Al: Like it does a thing that no other medium could do. Right. Like you can’t you can’t break down films in the same way that you consume films.
(0:20:06) Al: you can’t break down reading a book in the say in reading a book you
(0:20:07) Kev: well I don’t know I saw that mass unbearable weight of massive talent
(0:20:09) Al: could you that has to be in the creation
(0:20:16) Al: I mean that was excellent but that’s still about the creation of something not about the consuming
(0:20:18) Kev: and that one they lit oh yeah oh true true
(0:20:22) Al: of it whereas the whole point of the stanley parable it if you don’t have the user input
(0:20:28) Kev: yeah yeah that’s true
(0:20:28) Al: it it doesn’t mean anything it’s pointless it’s useless whereas a film even if nobody watches it
(0:20:33) Al: it still has its value like its narrative is the same from beginning to end no matter who watches
(0:20:35) Kev: Sure.
(0:20:39) Al: it whereas games that’s not how it works and that’s what I really like about the stanley parable
(0:20:40) Kev: No, it’s true.
(0:20:44) Kev: Yeah, okay, but yeah, I mean, I looked at the trailer and it looks like a well made
(0:20:49) Kev: competent game or whatever is this. Yeah, like, I don’t know, it takes a second to wrap my head.
(0:20:55) Kev: Like, that’s why they’d be a good fit for it. But yeah, all right, I’m down for it.
(0:21:00) Al: I understand that, but we’ll see what happens.
(0:21:01) Kev: Do we have an ETA now? Okay, so.
(0:21:04) Al: Early 2025 is all they’ve said.
(0:21:07) Kev: Question marks, basically.
(0:21:09) Al: Yeah, so May, May of next year.
(0:21:15) Al: That’s what I’m saying.
(0:21:16) Kev: So look forward to the next delay announcement in February 2020.
(0:21:16) Al: We’ll see if I’m right.
(0:21:22) Al: Speaking of delays, we also have Amber Isle.
(0:21:25) Al: I’m sorry, Kevin.
(0:21:27) Al: The Switch version is delayed.
(0:21:27) Kev: NOOO!
(0:21:30) Al: We have a date of 21st of October, not in October, November, November, sorry.
(0:21:31) Kev: We have a date.
(0:21:36) Kev: You know what?
(0:21:37) Kev: I can live with that. That’s still this year.
(0:21:39) Al: So, slightly over a month, slightly over a month.
(0:21:39) Kev: I can live with that.
(0:21:41) Kev: I- I- Wait, it’s a-
(0:21:41) Al: It’s interesting because, yeah, so the Steam versions out now
(0:21:47) Al: came out a couple days ago as we’re recording.
(0:21:50) Al: The interesting thing about this is it’s slightly over a month delay to this.
(0:21:56) Al: But they say it’s console specific performance issues.
(0:22:00) Al: I feel similar to this, I feel about the delay to the wins of Anthos DLC.
(0:22:08) Al: That’s a very specific date for performance issues.
(0:22:12) Kev: Mm-hmm. Well, I think mmm-hmm
(0:22:13) Al: Like performance issues can mean so many different things and
(0:22:18) Al: can come from so many different places that there’s not gonna be one easy fix.
(0:22:21) Kev: Through
(0:22:25) Al: And it’s not like they’re gonna spend a month working on it, right?
(0:22:26) Kev: So
(0:22:30) Al: And we all know Nintendo are slow at getting these things through their store.
(0:22:36) Kev: Heh, heh, heh, heh, yeah.
(0:22:36) Al: So maybe they have two weeks extra to work on it, maybe.
(0:22:41) Kev: Yeah, well, you know, I’m assuming, based off the way they phrase it, it’s not a game-breaking thing, right?
(0:22:48) Kev: It just probably runs a little poorly on the switch. It’s, you know, it’s not uncommon. So…
(0:22:55) Kev: They probably set themselves a date. We need one in out by this for the holidays or whatever, and…
(0:23:00) Kev: So let’s just do what we can in this time. Um, that would be my guess.
(0:23:05) Al: I yeah I don’t look I’ll be yeah I’ll be surprised if they don’t if people still don’t
(0:23:12) Al: aren’t disappointed by the performance of this when it comes out right and and I guess
(0:23:16) Kev: Well, [LAUGHS]
(0:23:16) Al: the thing is like I guess I’m confused as to why they would be unhappy with it now but
(0:23:23) Al: they’ll be happy with it in a moment like that just feels unrealistic
(0:23:24) Kev: Hmm
(0:23:26) Kev: that
(0:23:28) Kev: Yeah, all right. You know what? That’s a good point. Yeah. I mmm. I don’t know. That’s a good point
(0:23:35) Al: But we’ll see. We’ll see. Because Kevin’s gonna buy in day one.
(0:23:40) Kev: No, gosh, I’m, I’m over here agonizing we’re going to do an episode.
(0:23:46) Kev: Am I going to have to get down steam?
(0:23:48) Kev: I don’t know, but boy, it’s going to be day one.
(0:23:51) Al: Get it for what you want to play it on.
(0:23:53) Al: The episode can wait.
(0:23:54) Al: Next we have Ever Home.
(0:23:56) Al: Ever Home, is it Home?
(0:23:58) Al: Or is it Home, Home?
(0:24:00) Kev: I do I think it’s whole either way. It’s basically the same thing is what I think
(0:24:05) Al: Yeah, I think it’s Home.
(0:24:07) Al: ‘Cause I think it’s kind of like a pun.
(0:24:09) Kev: Yeah, yeah, yep, I think so
(0:24:09) Al: Like it sounds like Home, H-O-M-E.
(0:24:14) Al: But also a Home, H-O-L-M, Home.
(0:24:19) Al: I clicked the pronunciation guide on Google
(0:24:22) Al: and it said it in an English accent.
(0:24:23) Al: So of course I parroted it in an English accent.
(0:24:26) Al: Home or Home, as apparently that said,
(0:24:32) Al: also means an islet,
(0:24:34) Al: especially in a river or near a mainland.
(0:24:36) Al: So is this based on an island?
(0:24:38) Al: I haven’t seen anything.
(0:24:40) Kev: I… I don’t know.
(0:24:42) Kev: It probably is.
(0:24:45) Al: Anyway, I should probably say what the news is shouldn’t I because I haven’t as I said that there they’ve announced their release date is the
(0:24:51) Al: 11th of November this year. So there you go. If you’ve been looking forward to that
(0:24:56) Kev: It’s a very pretty-looking game.
(0:24:59) Kev: Isometric, I don’t feel like that’s one we see very often in our–
(0:25:06) Kev: at least not in a 2D pixel one, so maybe a 3D one.
(0:25:09) Kev: But I don’t know.
(0:25:09) Al: Yeah, I think you’re right. I think you’re right
(0:25:11) Kev: It looks– it just visually looks polished.
(0:25:18) Kev: I think maybe there’s a narrative aspect that
(0:25:21) Kev: looks interesting that might set it apart.
(0:25:24) Al: I’m intrigued as to how the farming will feel when you’re doing it because of the isometric
(0:25:24) Kev: But yeah, it died.
(0:25:34) Al: view. I think it might be harder to hit the exact square you want.
(0:25:38) Kev: that’s true but I like I saw they there’s a moment in the trailer when you
(0:25:45) Kev: harvest pumpkins and like they’re all harvested at once so I wonder if they’re
(0:25:50) Kev: designed around that
(0:25:52) Al: Possibly, possibly. However, you might notice the watering, it did do it on a square by
(0:26:00) Al: square basis. And actually I had a look, so when she does the pumpkins, it’s not all at
(0:26:06) Al: once, it’s like six of them at once, and then the other three. So yeah, I just, it could
(0:26:09) Kev: Okay. Uh…
(0:26:12) Al: just be, yeah, that these things are done on a much more lackadaisical way, shall we
(0:26:19) Al: right like oh, you kind of vaguely hit it
(0:26:21) Kev: right. Yeah.
(0:26:22) Al: we’ll just count it sort of thing.
(0:26:25) Al: I don’t know, but we’ll see.
(0:26:28) Al: That’s my only concern about this is how that will feel.
(0:26:32) Al: But we will see because it’s coming out soon.
(0:26:35) Al: There is a demo so I could play it if I cared. Find it.
(0:26:39) Al: Next, we have Steam World Steam World
(0:26:41) Al: Build, their final seasonal update is coming out or is out now is out now.
(0:26:50) Al: and this is the Steam Fright Update.
(0:26:52) Al: So obviously, Halloween based.
(0:26:54) Al: There’s lots of glowing things.
(0:26:57) Al: Glowing green lights.
(0:26:57) Kev: As is, that’s what one does on Halloween.
(0:27:01) Al: Yeah, the train is like radioactive looking.
(0:27:05) Kev: As trains do in the real world during Halloween.
(0:27:11) Al: Yeah, it looks like if you enjoy this game, that will be a fun game.
(0:27:16) Kev: it does look like it’s doing the spooky thing well i’ll say that it looks very halloweeny
(0:27:22) Kev: - Oh. - Oh. (laughs)
(0:27:22) Al: Next we have another update for Disney Dreamlight Valley. They’re just pumping these updates
(0:27:31) Al: out. This is the Jungle Getaway update. So, interestingly, one of the major updates in
(0:27:39) Al: this is that you can go to the Lion King realm during the day. So, previously, I think the
(0:27:45) Kev: Well, you couldn’t already, though, okay?
(0:27:49) Al: The deal was that this was,
(0:27:51) Al: it was just always night when you went.
(0:27:52) Al: to the Lion King realm.
(0:27:54) Al: So it wasn’t that you couldn’t go there during the day.
(0:27:54) Kev: Yeah, yeah, yeah, I get that just I’m puzzled by that decision.
(0:27:56) Al: It’s just when you went, it was night.
(0:28:04) Al: look I suspect it would have made sense narratively if you played it but I haven’t done that bit so
(0:28:11) Al: I wouldn’t know for sure um it’s also really funny how like this is like the top voted thing
(0:28:17) Al: is like hey daytime
(0:28:20) Kev: Also, it steals me, but the Lion King takes place in Fabana, which is not a jungle.
(0:28:29) Al: They also Timon and Pumbaa are added so they won’t so they don’t add every single character
(0:28:36) Kev: wait they weren’t in art oh my gosh oh my gosh what do you
(0:28:40) Al: that’s in every single film when they add the realms so a fair argument also some new
(0:28:41) Kev: mine yeah but you know what you know what they should have been in there
(0:28:45) Kev: before simba I don’t care
(0:28:49) Al: backpacks. There you go. The final piece of standard news is
(0:28:51) Kev: all right I like lion king so you know what i’ll give him props for that
(0:28:59) Al: an interesting one from Paleo Pines. I don’t know if we want to talk much about this but
(0:29:05) Al: I felt like it was something to mention. They’ve basically posted on social media saying that
(0:29:11) Al: they’re struggling to find someone to help the future of Paleo Pines. Basically they’re
(0:29:19) Al: looking for a production partner so I think this is like, I think it’s basically someone to give
(0:29:25) Al: the money. I think that’s it.
(0:29:29) Al: They’re struggling. They’re not managing to keep funding the game to get ad updates.
(0:29:34) Kev: yeah well you know what that’s that’s hard um to to keep a game going right like honestly
(0:29:44) Kev: if I were the paleopine step like they’ve they’ve done the derp feed model of here’s an update here
(0:29:50) Kev: and there whatever I have would have just saved for one or two and called it a day like I think
(0:29:55) Kev: paleopine’s uh the base level was already pretty solid as a package um so he
(0:30:01) Al: Yeah, I agree. And it’s they’ve said that they’re working on other games, so it’s not like they’re only working on this. So yeah, it does feel like not every game needs to constantly have updates. And so maybe, maybe that’s it for Paleo Pines. I don’t know, mostly.
(0:30:05) Kev: okay
(0:30:16) Kev: yeah but uh but we’ll see um yeah i’m interested like or you know like this might be like I don’t
(0:30:25) Kev: know all the obviously ins and outs of this but would a c a sequel at this point be better i
(0:30:30) Kev: don’t know um I don’t know if they could get more groundswell for that because you know a new game
(0:30:34) Al: Maybe yeah, maybe I’m sure they’re thinking all these things through, right?
(0:30:37) Kev: sometimes yeah but uh regardless um you know it’s a good game I uh I do wish to see more of it
(0:30:46) Kev: they don’t have all my dinosaurs that I want in there yet anyway so um number one reason to keep going
(0:30:52) Al: It’s even possible to have all the dinosaurs.
(0:30:57) Kev: no but they can try
(0:31:00) Al: Fair enough.
(0:31:02) Al: We also have one new game to talk about.
(0:31:06) Al: This is a very interesting one.
(0:31:08) Al: So this game is called Hawthorne, and I’ll just read their blurb.
(0:31:14) Al: Former developers from Bethesda Bioware and Naughty Dog bring you sandbox RPG realm of
(0:31:20) Al: anthropomorphic animals and fairies.
(0:31:22) Al: play co-op or solo as you build a village of memorable NPCs, farm, craft, explore and celebrate the seasons in an ever-changing world bigger than you.
(0:31:32) Kev: Okay, I’m, I have a lot of feelings here because, so this is Everdell, er, I’m sorry, um, what’s the, the book series, um, Redwall, Redwall, that’s not, Everdell’s a board game, it’s another thing, but Redwall, the, the game, basically, you’re all, you’re playing as mice and otters and, and little birds and, and you’re farming and crafting and stuff, um, and, okay, on that pitch alone, I think,
(0:32:02) Kev: sounds incredible, um, especially the fact that they are going with, uh, uh, actual size. So the pumpkins are, that you’re farming are bigger than you, right? Um, uh, so that’s, uh, I, I love a lot of this. I mean, they, you know, these are anthropomorphic critters and they’re talking and so on and so forth. There’s birds with wizard hats or witch hats, whatever, um, uh, so it’s great. The only thing is right. Because of that, I guess that Bethesda
(0:32:32) Kev: and Naughty Dog and Pyewear, I guess, actually, it’s realistic looking, right? Like Skyrim ish, um, which is, I don’t know, when you describe a game like that to me, I’d expect something cute scenes, stylistic or whatever. And it’s, yeah.
(0:32:47) Al: It’s funny because it’s like a combination of weirdness with that, right, because yeah,
(0:32:51) Al: it’s realistic looking.
(0:32:52) Al: So you’ve got this realistic looking mouse next to a realistic looking pumpkin, but he’s
(0:32:59) Al: standing on his hind legs holding an axe cutting down some corn.
(0:33:04) Kev: Yep, yep.
(0:33:04) Al: It’s like realistic but also really weird.
(0:33:09) Kev: And guess what, when you’re dragging that pumpkin or that branch that’s bigger than you, it looks kinda goofy, ‘cause it’s kinda floating behind you, but your arms are kinda healthy.
(0:33:18) Kev: Um, I don’t know, it’s… I guess the weirdest thing, like, it doesn’t look bad, but it’s just such a… unexpected art direction to go with for this kinda game. Um, right?
(0:33:31) Kev: And, like, it’s very grounded, right?
(0:33:35) Kev: I mean, their colors are nice, but they’re not, like, bright or anything like that.
(0:33:39) Kev: Just a very nice outdoor setting.
(0:33:41) Kev: Um, but, uh, you know, I’m not, like I said, I don’t think it’s bad, just unexpected.
(0:33:48) Kev: And I’m still, uh, very enthusiastic about the premise.
(0:33:52) Kev: There’s a lot of great things in here.
(0:33:54) Kev: You’re dancing with an otter on a table while you’re drinking meat or something.
(0:34:00) Kev: Um, you can swim as an otter.
(0:34:02) Kev: You can fly on birds.
(0:34:04) Kev: Um, I, I, I like a lot about it.
(0:34:08) Al: Yeah, it’ll be interesting to see what comes from this.
(0:34:09) Kev: There’s a weasel with a top hat.
(0:34:11) Kev: I think that’s a weasel.
(0:34:13) Kev: It’s Mayor Weasleton.
(0:34:13) Al: Heh.
(0:34:14) Al: Obviously.
(0:34:17) Kev: I like, I like red wall and little rodent people, societies.
(0:34:23) Kev: It’s cute.
(0:34:24) Kev: Um, I will probably play this.
(0:34:26) Kev: Did, is it steam only right now?
(0:34:27) Kev: Do we know there’s anything about, uh,
(0:34:30) Al: That’s a good question, I think I’ll see at the end of the trailer.
(0:34:36) Al: Yeah, I’m just seeing I’m not seeing anything about.
(0:34:40) Kev: well um okay well i’ll have to see um nothing else right those names they’re uh there’s probably
(0:34:49) Kev: a lot of good talent right and hopefully not a lot of bad uh executive decisions so hopefully
(0:34:56) Kev: this game will come out great um yeah oh I think it might be on xbox I don’t know I see on the xbox
(0:35:01) Kev: reddit um but I digress um yeah i’ll definitely keep my eye out for it because I love the idea of
(0:35:11) Al: Alrighty, so that’s all the news. We’re now going to talk about Sakuna of Rice and Ruin,
(0:35:19) Al: the anime. So just to give a bit of background behind this, this is based on a game, Sakuna
(0:35:24) Al: of Rice and Ruin, obviously. It was a rice. It is a rice, realistic rice farming game
(0:35:28) Kev: get get ready if you thought I was a weeaboo before get ready I want to talk about japanese
(0:35:34) Kev: animation um yes so
(0:35:41) Al: based on, with a story, a very interesting story, which I’ll need you to confirm to me how much of
(0:35:49) Al: the story in the anime is the same as in the game, because as mentioned in the episode…
(0:35:52) Kev: I’d say 90 percent 90 to 95 percent it is
(0:35:56) Al: Okay, obviously I know the beginning and stuff like that, but as I mentioned on the actual
(0:35:59) Kev: Yeah
(0:36:00) Al: episode we did with the game, I didn’t enjoy the game, so I didn’t get very far through it.
(0:36:04) Kev: Yeah
(0:36:06) Kev: Okay, I on the other hand yeah, we did that good good while ago. It’s not gonna has been out for a minute
(0:36:13) Kev: Yeah, I did beat the game
(0:36:16) Kev: Apparently not all the game though because there was some stuff I didn’t know that is something yet to make because
(0:36:22) Kev: That was in side quests. I didn’t end up doing or they didn’t trigger for me or whatnot, but I’ll get to that
(0:36:27) Kev: But okay, so the elevator pitch
(0:36:28) Al: three years ago. Just sorry, just three years ago is when we did that episode.
(0:36:31) Kev: Yeah, okay. Well there you go. Oh man. I’m so oh first of all let me just say I so I adored
(0:36:37) Kev: Socken at the the video game on I know it got a novel like sequel it got a think of manga adaptation
(0:36:46) Kev: I’m so happy got an anime adaptation because it was indeed perfect for one
(0:36:52) Kev: And I mean overall, I think they knocked it out of park.
(0:36:56) Kev: It’s a great anime in my opinion.
(0:36:59) Kev: What’s your overall opinion on it now?
(0:37:01) Al: Yeah, I think it’s super fun. The characters all feel very real. I know that they’re all
(0:37:10) Al: pretty much based on the characters in the game, so obviously that helps, but the animation
(0:37:13) Kev: - Mm-hmm, yep.
(0:37:15) Al: looks great. The pacing of the story felt pretty good. Pretty standard, but pretty good.
(0:37:22) Kev: Yeah, I have one or two quips where, uh, uh, yeah, uh, forms that they excuse me,
(0:37:28) Kev: forms with it. Um, but in general, yeah, I know it’s pretty solid how they paste it out.
(0:37:33) Kev: Um, yeah. Uh, all right. There you go. All right. Until next week, guys.
(0:37:34) Al: Yeah, I really enjoyed it.
(0:37:36) Al: I thought it was super fun.
(0:37:39) Al: I don’t know what else to say about it overall.
(0:37:42) Kev: All right. Okay. Uh, so here’s the elevator pitch, um, for both. Again, the, the plot is pretty,
(0:37:49) Al: Oh wait, before you do, is this where we go spoiler alert?
(0:37:54) Al: We’re probably going to talk about spoilers. We’re probably going to talk about the actual story.
(0:37:56) Kev: Okay. Yeah, it it is a 13 episode anime
(0:38:01) Kev: It’s not terribly long, right? You can knock it out pretty quick
(0:38:05) Kev: And the game’s been out for three years. So yeah, I’m not gonna hold back on spoilers because it’s
(0:38:12) Kev: Like there’s nothing tear I don’t think there’s anything super
(0:38:16) Kev: One or two things but yeah, here’s your warning. I’m gonna talk about the whole game
(0:38:21) Kev: I’m gonna try to go broad and the narrow or whatever but but yeah, I’m saying
(0:38:26) Kev: here everything is fair game considering that again the plot is very
(0:38:31) Kev: similar to the game so you know that’s been out and well established alright so
(0:38:35) Kev: the elevator pitch okay so Sakuna is a the daughter of a war god and a harvest
(0:38:42) Kev: goddess at the start so she has inherited powers and such from both and
(0:38:50) Kev: at the start of the series she is living in what is referred to as the capital
(0:38:54) Kev: work various days.
(0:38:56) Kev: and in such live in what’s called the lofty realm, the upper realm where those
(0:39:02) Kev: sorts of beings live, and she is a stubborn, spoiled, lazy brat who gets by
(0:39:10) Kev: because of her parents, basically, the status she got from them. And so one day,
(0:39:18) Kev: a bridge called the… was it the Bridge of Heaven, I think it is, appears and a
(0:39:25) Kev: a group of humans.
(0:39:26) Kev: Humans appear on said bridge, wandering from what’s referred to as the “lower realm”,
(0:39:30) Kev: the world of humans, and they are crossing over to the capital.
(0:39:36) Kev: It’s not going to go out to try to deal with it, but she ends up, and so the humans are
(0:39:45) Kev: being chased by a bandit named Ishimaru.
(0:39:48) Kev: She kicks Ishimaru off the bridge, quite literally kicks him off the bridge, and the humans get
(0:39:54) Kev: Bye and call us a little bit.
(0:39:56) Kev: It’s because of this, Sakuna is punished and sent to Hinue Island or the Isle of Demons, where her parents once lived, and she is sent there to fend for herself and to figure out what’s going on as there have been reports of demons coming from the island.
(0:40:17) Kev: And so that’s how the stage is set.
(0:40:24) Kev: Sasakuna is to learn
(0:40:26) Kev: how to cultivate rice like her mom did and get along with the the band of humans who have also
(0:40:32) Kev: been sent to the Isle of Demons as they try to figure everything out and eventually figure out
(0:40:38) Kev: the demon problem. Okay um so with that I guess let’s see here so I guess we’ll just try to go
(0:40:50) Kev: in and visit order unless you have other ideas or do you have any comments overall on the overall
(0:40:56) Al: Eh, I guess if we’re talking about just like the setup of the story as a whole, you know,
(0:41:04) Al: it’s a fun concept. Obviously, we experienced, we both experienced this part in the game,
(0:41:10) Al: but I think I cared more about the story at this point, right? Because part of the problem,
(0:41:17) Al: and this is a me problem, I understand that. You don’t need to come at me and go, “Ah,
(0:41:22) Al: you should care more about the story and games, but generally, I don’t.
(0:41:25) Kev: Mm-hmm, okay.
(0:41:26) Al: Right? I’m playing games because I enjoy the gameplay. I’m not playing games necessarily for the story.
(0:41:32) Al: If the story grabs me, that’s just a bonus.
(0:41:36) Al: But the problem is, especially at the beginning of games, I don’t want a lot of story before I start playing.
(0:41:42) Al: Right? I’m like, “No, no, just give me the game. I want to see how this plays before I invest lots of time into it.
(0:41:44) Kev: Okay, sure sure
(0:41:48) Al: Give me the game. Don’t give me the backstory.”
(0:41:49) Kev: Okay
(0:41:51) Kev: Yeah, you know and that’s fair
(0:41:54) Kev: That’s fair
(0:41:55) Kev: I think there’s a lot of people like that who want the gameplay before anything else and that’s very fair being the interactive medium it
(0:42:02) Kev: is
(0:42:03) Kev: and
(0:42:04) Kev: Sakuna in particular right like the gameplay of the video game is very it can be tough to
(0:42:11) Kev: to get her because there’s it’ll it asks a lot of you.
(0:42:14) Kev: Right. There is both the rice farming simulation game and there’s also platforming and combat.
(0:42:21) Kev: True to her nature is half harvest.
(0:42:24) Kev: God is half war goddess.
(0:42:26) Kev: The game reigns into both aspects of that.
(0:42:29) Kev: So it’s asking a lot and might not appeal.
(0:42:32) Kev: I think I would say it’s hard to appeal to everyone because those are two very different things, I think.
(0:42:39) Kev: And in the game, a lot of the story is not so.
(0:42:45) Kev: Front loaded. You don’t get into a lot of the meatier stuff until past the halfway point, I would say.
(0:42:51) Kev: And of course, that’s, you know, the games given to you in cutscenes and whatnot dialogue.
(0:42:57) Kev: But the majority of it, you’re spending farming and, you know, forming and whatnot.
(0:43:04) Kev: So it might be hard for a lot of people to get through the whole story.
(0:43:08) Kev: But I’m glad that that’s a big reason why I’m glad this exists, because now we can all enjoy the story.
(0:43:15) Kev: Maybe a little straightforward, but overall, really nice. Well done.
(0:43:20) Kev: And that’s in large part because of the characters. So, you know, let’s let’s talk about them a little bit.
(0:43:25) Kev: We, you know, we mentioned Sakuna and she’s the star of the show by far.
(0:43:31) Kev: She’s pretty comedic and they get animating like she is in the game, right?
(0:43:35) Kev: Because she’s so ridiculous, cartoonishly stubborn and spoiled. Very, very.
(0:43:41) Kev: Um, uh, she is always with her faith.
(0:43:44) Kev: So companion slash steward, I guess, I don’t know what every servant, uh, his name is Tom.
(0:43:50) Kev: He’s a little floating dog.
(0:43:51) Kev: Um, he’s a guy kind of got old man voice and energies wise.
(0:43:56) Kev: And then tries to keep her in line, but she’s still a handful.
(0:44:00) Kev: Right?
(0:44:00) Kev: Um, Tom is, well, I’ll get to Tom.
(0:44:04) Kev: Tom is one of my favorite characters in the show by far.
(0:44:06) Kev: Um, there, and then the human she’s now living with, there is, uh, Howie Mon.
(0:44:13) Kev: a samurai who
(0:44:15) Kev: stuck to the samurai because he doesn’t like to fight so he
(0:44:19) Kev: Became a bandit, but he wasn’t very good at that either. He’s very clumsy
(0:44:25) Kev: In fact he kind of messes up everything he does
(0:44:28) Kev: Which was why Sakuna ends up having to do most of the farming, but he is at least rather knowledgeable about farming
(0:44:34) Kev: Which is again the role he plays in the game. He’s kind of your
(0:44:39) Kev: resource for any farming tips or knowledge that you need
(0:44:44) Kev: He can help out around the farm in the game. So, you know, that’s I think they captured that to a tee
(0:44:51) Kev: There is Mirta. She is a missionary from
(0:44:56) Kev: What country did the Sakuna game in anime happen in Gyanatsu, which is not Japan and she’s from not Germany basically
(0:45:05) Kev: And and yeah, so she’s a missionary originally
(0:45:09) Kev: Just to teach folks about her her
(0:45:13) Kev: beliefs and whatnot.
(0:45:14) Kev: And to learn about other countries as well.
(0:45:18) Kev: She’s sweet, she’s kind, she makes medicine, she cooks.
(0:45:21) Kev: Looking is the big thing for her in the game.
(0:45:25) Al: I just speaking of her, because I really like there’s a bit where Sakana says “are you going
(0:45:27) Kev: Yeah.
(0:45:30) Al: to teach the kids about me now?” and she says “no”. Like she does it in a really nice way,
(0:45:37) Al: but it’s just really funny. It’s just like “no, I may have met a metagod now, but no,
(0:45:38) Kev: Hey.
(0:45:39) Kev: Yeah.
(0:45:42) Al: I’m not going to teach them about you. I’m going to continue doing my time”.
(0:45:42) Kev: Yeah.
(0:45:44) Kev: Oh, yeah.
(0:45:45) Kev: Oh, that’s good stuff.
(0:45:46) Kev: Um, uh, so we have those two, then we have the kids.
(0:45:57) Kev: There’s Kinta.
(0:45:58) Kev: He’s a kind of a street kid sort of thing going on, right?
(0:46:02) Kev: He’s, he’s smart.
(0:46:04) Kev: He’s sassy.
(0:46:04) Kev: He’s very street wise.
(0:46:06) Kev: Um, blunt and to the point, um, he’s good at crafting some stuff and becomes eventually
(0:46:10) Kev: a blacksmith making tools for Sakuna just like he does in the game.
(0:46:14) Kev: Likewise, we have Yui, a small and sweet girl, very shy, very quiet, follows Kinta around a lot, and she’s more like looming and creating fabrics and equipment of that sort.
(0:46:29) Kev: And that’s for Sakuna, which again, she does in the game. And then we have good old Kaimaru, the big baby. He’s basically a baby who walks around and he can’t talk.
(0:46:44) Kev: He can’t communicate with animals though, and that’s how he helps out.
(0:46:47) Kev: He’s the one who brings a lot of animals to the farm to help out, like Dr. Simutow and
(0:46:53) Kev: the Kappa.
(0:46:55) Kev: But yeah, that’s the main crew.
(0:46:58) Kev: And obviously the first couple of episodes are focused on them, you know, introducing
(0:47:03) Kev: them and see how they try to get along on their new island with nothing at all, right?
(0:47:10) Kev: There’s a kind of broken down view buildings.
(0:47:14) Kev: Where Sak and his parents live, but they have to start working together to kind of fix it up.
(0:47:18) Kev: And of course they have to plant the rice and whatnot to get it growing.
(0:47:22) Kev: Um…
(0:47:24) Kev: So yeah, that uh, I think like it was, I’d say the first four episodes or so.
(0:47:29) Kev: Um, do you have any favorites out of that main crew, Al?
(0:47:34) Al: OK, so I have a non-favourite, I hate the baby.
(0:47:39) Kev: Yay, Kaimaru!
(0:47:41) Al: I just I can’t I don’t I know it’s ridiculous and kind of meant
(0:47:47) Al: to be ridiculous, but like I just it’s just annoying.
(0:47:48) Kev: Because…
(0:47:52) Kev: I mean like that’s fair right like the thing like Tamara himself isn’t doing much
(0:47:58) Kev: She’s just kind of making baby sounds or whatever right, but
(0:48:02) Kev: It’s the backstory that I think makes him interesting, and it’s all okay
(0:48:07) Kev: Crazy thing about one of the craziest things in the anime is how they did his backstory because you don’t learn about
(0:48:14) Kev: She had told story until like the last 25
(0:48:18) Kev: percent or so in the game and in this one they just bring it out point blank
(0:48:21) Kev: in episode two so as I mentioned earlier there’s a bandit Ishimaru who was
(0:48:28) Kev: chasing them originally and he was out to kill them basically because he had he
(0:48:34) Kev: killed the kaimaru’s father in front of him who was a bandit leader and and then
(0:48:40) Kev: Taliman grabbed the kids and Mirta and just ran away from the bandits with
(0:48:45) Kev: Ishma are chasing them, right? So like
(0:48:48) Kev: Obviously that was a super traumatic event for kaimaru and that’s supposedly the reason he can’t really talk
(0:48:54) Kev: Like affected his development or whatever right and and I think that bit is pretty cool or you know
(0:49:01) Kev: interesting at least right um
(0:49:03) Kev: but you know in the
(0:49:06) Kev: You know day-to-day action or whatever like yeah, he’s not doing much. He’s just making baby sounds
(0:49:12) Kev: So I don’t blame you for that
(0:49:14) Kev: Yeah, I can get what you’re going from.
(0:49:18) Kev: He’s not actually talking, right? He’s not adding that much to the dialogue or whatever.
(0:49:22) Al: Yeah, I also just think like realistically it doesn’t make any sense like what I already get there on his own
(0:49:30) Kev: Well, I mean it how I’m on come like
(0:49:35) Kev: Yes, yeah
(0:49:38) Kev: Yeah, we shemar was basically gonna kill
(0:49:41) Kev: I think the kids were like captives of the bandits or something like that and how I’m on just kind of ran away with them
(0:49:47) Kev: Which is why they were ended up running away on the bridge and that’s the start of that whole thing
(0:49:53) Kev: So that’s that’s basically how it happened. He just kind of took him
(0:49:58) Kev: Let’s see here. So I mean I like the cast
(0:50:01) Kev: Let’s talk about the one that surprised me, Yui, because I didn’t do the side quest that gave me her whole backstory.
(0:50:10) Kev: Like the fact that she’s actually a crane. That surprised me.
(0:50:15) Kev: Haha, yup.
(0:50:16) Al: That was super weird right so like it starts out a little bit weird because
(0:50:22) Al: you’re like oh this character that like has been doing stuff with us and blah
(0:50:27) Al: blah blah is a crane and you’re like okay that’s a bit weird. Oh but it turns out
(0:50:32) Al: like one of the other characters really likes her and now he’s like oh no you’re
(0:50:36) Al: a crane that’s a shame but it’s okay because I still like you and I’m gonna
(0:50:43) Al: I want to kind of show you.
(0:50:46) Al: That I’m romantically interested in you, person who I-
(0:50:48) Kev: what’s the other way around like so okay so to give a little more backstory
(0:50:54) Kev: right she was a first of all she’s representative of a Japanese folklore
(0:50:59) Kev: myth which is about like a crane wife very similar story where like a guy
(0:51:04) Kev: frees saves a crane and she becomes a human and becomes his wife but he can
(0:51:11) Kev: never see her camera what it was doing something it actually might have been
(0:51:15) Kev: looming, just like Yui.
(0:51:18) Kev: And then one day his curiosity gets the better of him, he checks on his wife.
(0:51:22) Kev: His wife’s actually a crane, and then she ends up just leaving and flying away.
(0:51:27) Kev: Likewise here, Yui had to do her work in secret because she turned into a crane I think whenever
(0:51:33) Kev: it was, and so if anyone saw her she’d just stay in the crane form and fly away, which is the story
(0:51:38) Kev: of episode four basically. It turns out that Jinta used to live in a monastery, and one day he just
(0:51:49) Kev: or a crane that was in a trap. And that crane was grateful and eventually became Yui,
(0:51:57) Kev: through the magic of aliens. Literally for some reason there were giant UFOs that appeared to
(0:52:04) Kev: her and turned her into a crane. That was the the canon reason. That was probably one of the
(0:52:11) Kev: most out there aspects of the show. And I miss, again this is all a side quest I missed in the
(0:52:17) Kev: game so it’ll
(0:52:18) Kev: really me for a loop but but but yeah and so because she became a girl she’s
(0:52:27) Kev: followed Kinta around like I don’t know was he romantically interested in her
(0:52:32) Kev: cuz she don’t you know she definitely was interested in him
(0:52:33) Al: I can’t, I can’t, I can’t remember how how it starts, but they both are by the end of
(0:52:41) Al: that small arc. But that’s, but that’s, but that’s weird. Right. No, he does because no,
(0:52:42) Kev: Okay, yeah by the end of it sure sure
(0:52:44) Kev: but he I
(0:52:47) Kev: Don’t think he re I don’t think he realizes it’s a crane though. She’s a crane though
(0:52:52) Al: no, because he’s there. He’s part of the reason that she comes back to being a human, because
(0:52:56) Al: she turns into a crane and then they’re like, oh, yeah, it turns out she’s a crane. And
(0:52:58) Kev: Yeah, I don’t think.
(0:53:03) Al: but then they’re like, oh, they basically plead for her to become a human again. And they’re all
(0:53:08) Al: part of that discussion. He’s there. He knows she’s a crane.
(0:53:12) Kev: does she because gosh i’m trying to maybe maybe i’m just remembering because I thought
(0:53:18) Kev: like because there’s this lake where they find yui you sakuna takes kinta and they go to the
(0:53:23) Kev: the lake um and there’s that’s where the aliens show up the visitors as they’re called and he
(0:53:31) Kev: can’t see them I i remember that part he can’t see or hear them
(0:53:34) Al: He can’t, no, but he still knows and he begs for her to be able to be a human
(0:53:40) Kev: Mmm, gosh darn, well, I’d have to go back in and rewatch that, but that is kind of weird.
(0:53:46) Kev: Hey, I mean like she’s a human girl at that point, so you know, I guess it’s fine, I don’t
(0:53:56) Kev: know.
(0:53:56) Kev: Yeah, I mean, but he’s also known her for a long time before she was a crane, right?
(0:54:03) Al: Yes, but he’s still - like, this is the thing, right? I understand all of that. And if she
(0:54:08) Al: wasn’t a crane, it would be a lovely story. It’s all very nice. But by the time that he
(0:54:14) Al: admits that he actually likes her, because like he does the whole like being mean to
(0:54:18) Al: her blah blah blah blah blah, so “Oh, it turns out he actually likes her!” sort of thing,
(0:54:22) Al: right? Great, fine. Whatever. Standard cliche. Love it. He knows she’s a crane by this point.
(0:54:29) Kev: meh. But I mean she-
(0:54:30) Al: That’s weird.
(0:54:33) Al: Is weird and it’s not like she- it’s not like she was turned into a crane.
(0:54:35) Kev: It’s also a weird-
(0:54:38) Al: No, she was a crane who was turned into a human.
(0:54:41) Al: Like he wants to be in a relationship with a crane and a human body.
(0:54:44) Kev: I guess if you yeah, I guess like
(0:54:48) Al: Yes, if you want to make it weird you can make it weird.
(0:54:50) Al: No, it’s just weird, right?
(0:54:51) Al: I’m not making it weird.
(0:54:52) Kev: Okay, no, I really feel like he didn’t get get it because
(0:54:53) Al: This is weird.
(0:54:59) Al: Man, you’re gonna make me rewatch this episode.
(0:55:04) Kev: You know what, okay, let’s let’s just keep talking i’ll be i’m gonna put it on and see what’s going
(0:55:11) Kev: But okay, we’ll get back to the crane topic.
(0:55:15) Kev: Um, yeah, I’d say the first five episodes or so, they’re, um, they’re all pretty much focused on, on the stuff, right?
(0:55:23) Kev: Like them living together, figuring out how to harvest and so on and so forth.
(0:55:28) Kev: Um, getting to know the characters and all that good stuff.
(0:55:33) Kev: Um, but, uh, yeah, uh, one thing I do wish we could have seen, um, is a, maybe a little more of the sock and a combat stuff.
(0:55:44) Kev: I get pieces and glimpses of that for most of the first half, I’d say, of the anime.
(0:55:52) Kev: Um, like I kind of get it, the pacing is different, um, right?
(0:55:56) Kev: Like in an anime, they have to focus on the story, but they were also really good at some of the later action sequences and fights, especially the, the vinyl fight, right?
(0:56:06) Kev: Um, like they kind of skipped the first, they, the first, they show, all the bosses in the game do show up.
(0:56:15) Kev: But like one or two of them are just kind of barely skipped.
(0:56:18) Al: Yeah, they really they realistically only have like one big battle and that’s at the end
(0:56:18) Kev: Um, yeah, pretty much.
(0:56:25) Al: Which by the way, I think in terms of like anime battles, it’s a pretty good one. I quite liked it
(0:56:25) Kev: Yeah.
(0:56:30) Kev: Yeah.
(0:56:30) Kev: Yeah, no, it was excellent.
(0:56:32) Kev: Um, I mean, overall the animation was, uh, really, uh, is high quality and they definitely knocked out of the park in the, uh, the vinyl sequences.
(0:56:42) Kev: Um, uh, so
(0:56:44) Kev: yeah, that’s the main cast. I’m trying to think, um, I think that covers their stories roughly.
(0:56:50) Kev: Um, let’s, uh, so with that, I guess we can get to some of these secondary characters, namely,
(0:56:58) Kev: uh, Kokoroa, um, an invention goddess who’s Sakuna’s best friend. So, I, I really like Kokoroa,
(0:57:09) Kev: um, and it’s kind of a shame she has a betrayal arc, because there’s a whole episode about that,
(0:57:15) Kev: so, so the thing is, she’s Sakuna’s best friend, but she couldn’t even live up to Sakuna, because
(0:57:20) Kev: Sakuna again had the status of her parents and whatnot. Um, it was, I don’t know, for me,
(0:57:25) Kev: it was really sad to see Kokoroa, she was really good at inventing stuff, but she still didn’t get
(0:57:31) Kev: noticed by the higher ups and whatnot, so she felt really bitter about that, right? And eventually,
(0:57:36) Kev: it manifested into her betraying, uh, Sakuna. Um, after Sakuna starts growing rice and selling it
(0:57:41) Kev: to the capital. She starts basically
(0:57:43) Kev: Basically, uh,
(0:57:44) Kev: So Sakana goes to investigate what’s going on with the rice and finds out it’s her best friend, Kokoroa, who’s doing it.
(0:57:52) Kev: Oh, that was actually one of my favorite fights where Kokoroa actually sends some of her little robots that she builds to attack Sakana.
(0:58:00) Kev: Those are all in the game, like all three of them that showed up in that episode.
(0:58:04) Kev: Sakana beats them, but she, you know, Kokoroa confesses, and they end up reconciling.
(0:58:10) Kev: And, you know, Kokoro confesses and they end up reconciling.
(0:58:15) Kev: Like I and I think she definitely redeems herself both in the game and the anime because she is very helpful later on
(0:58:23) Kev: Right. She creates all sorts of stuff to help them out. She goes to live on the island after that incident as sort of punishment for her
(0:58:32) Kev: deception and whatnot
(0:58:35) Kev: But yeah, I really like I like her design like the giant gears flying behind her
(0:58:40) Kev: Any any particular thoughts on that whole little arc?
(0:58:43) Al: No, I think it was fun. I guess like most of the story in this, none of it is particularly
(0:58:49) Al: surprising. It’s kind of pretty predictable if you know kind of like tropes and standard
(0:58:50) Kev: Shh, yeah, it certainly is.
(0:58:57) Al: storytelling things, but that doesn’t make it not fun to watch. Yeah.
(0:59:02) Kev: Yeah, um yeah I uh yeah no that that’s fair um and so after the Kokoro stuff I think like the last
(0:59:12) Kev: bird or so of the episode starts getting into the final conflict with because Ishimaru shows up um
(0:59:19) Kev: turns out he ended up on the island after he was kicked off the bridge he started becoming a leader
(0:59:24) Kev: of the demons same one still wants to kill Toemon yeah yeah so okay
(0:59:26) Al: Oh, and he seems to have gone back through time as well?
(0:59:31) Al: That’s weird.
(0:59:32) Kev: apparently so what they say is the bridge of heaven is in this weird like mist that has no
(0:59:40) Kev: defined time or space so when he falls through it he just ends up warping through time and space
(0:59:46) Kev: and ends up on the island well before Sakuna by like several years so he’s grown in power and he
(0:59:53) Kev: and so yeah which it’s a weird it is definitely a weird thing but yeah oh I guess okay sure
(1:00:02) Kev: you know there’s plenty of other fantasy elements going on so why not
(1:00:07) Kev: um and the one thing I think about Ishimaru is that I think he underlines one of the
(1:00:14) Kev: underlines one of the themes really well the whole thing which is about like hatred and forgiveness
(1:00:19) Kev: right because so much of Sakuna’s growth is because she’s very bitter about everything
(1:00:27) Kev: at the beginning, right? She’s always complaining and then hates to do all the work.
(1:00:32) Kev: And she’s also got some resentment because her parents disappeared, basically, but seeing,
(1:00:41) Kev: you know, like Ishimaru, sort of an embodiment of hatred just because he had an unfortunate life too,
(1:00:46) Kev: but he decided to be angry about it. Like she ends up overcoming him, basically. No, not just her.
(1:00:57) Kev: Basically, everyone kind of forgives him. Tal Eman forgives him, Ibar forgives him, a bunny.
(1:01:02) Kev: So the demons on the island generally are animal-ish in appearance. And at one point,
(1:01:03) Al: Oh, the bunny.
(1:01:15) Kev: a wounded one ends up in the farm where they’re all living and whatnot, right? And so everyone
(1:01:24) Kev: convinces Sakuna to let it stay so they can take care of it. But the bunny eventually betrays them.
(1:01:32) Kev: And he’s working for Ishimaru to lead the demons there.
(1:01:36) Kev: But Ishimaru ends up wounding the demon anyways.
(1:01:40) Kev: And Sakuna finds the demon bunny again.
(1:01:46) Kev: But Kaimaru convinces her to forgive it, basically.
(1:01:49) Kev: She learns to let go of the hatred, and because of that, and
(1:01:54) Kev: eating some of Sakuna’s special rice, it becomes a regular bunny.
(1:01:59) Kev: which is, you know, this nice touching scene,
(1:02:01) Kev: and then, like, immediately–
(1:02:02) Kev: really after Ishimaru shows up and just punts the bunny with his sword.
(1:02:08) Kev: And so, but later on, Tawemon, after the confrontation with Sakuna,
(1:02:14) Kev: Tawemon brings the bunny too, and the bunnies forgiven him,
(1:02:19) Kev: and then ends up defeating Ishimaru more or less.
(1:02:24) Kev: So we’ve got all that going on.
(1:02:27) Kev: And then, because of all that–
(1:02:28) Al: which so regarding the the whole the demon turning back into the actual bunny does that
(1:02:35) Al: I don’t know if we get an explanation for this but does that imply that the demons are made from
(1:02:40) Al: animals on the
(1:02:42) Kev: I… yeah. I think that is the implication. I don’t think it’s ever explicitly addressed,
(1:02:51) Kev: but I do think that’s the implication. Because we… I mean, first of all, there’s a lot
(1:02:58) Kev: of skeletal enemies. We didn’t really talk about them, but there’s these creatures called
(1:03:03) Kev: the Ashigumo. They’re like water weasel people. And they lived on the island, but they all
(1:03:09) Kev: but they kind of become skeleton demons because of hatred.
(1:03:12) Kev: and anger and resentment, and I think that’s more or less what’s corrupting the animals, right?
(1:03:17) Kev: because they eat the animals, Sakuna and friends, like she’ll go hunting and kill a boar demon and
(1:03:24) Kev: they’ll eat the meat, so it’s not like it’s some crazy, you know, different animal because they’re
(1:03:31) Kev: eating it just like razor pork, so I think that is the implication that all the demons are corruptions
(1:03:36) Kev: and because they’re not like, they’re all pretty common animals on you’d expect on an island,
(1:03:41) Kev: right? You get bores.
(1:03:42) Kev: Bunnies, birds, so on and so forth.
(1:03:46) Kev: So, yeah, I think that’s that is, in fact, the implication.
(1:03:50) Al: So it’s, it’s Sonic, basically.
(1:03:53) Kev: I guess, sure, you want this.
(1:03:56) Al: I guess Sonic one’s a robotic, I guess, but, you know, still feels the same.
(1:03:58) Kev: Yeah, but yeah, yeah, you’re not wrong.
(1:04:01) Kev: Yeah, it’s very similar.
(1:04:03) Al: Everything’s Sonic.
(1:04:04) Kev: Yeah, yeah, yeah, everything is sonic.
(1:04:09) Kev: So, but yeah, we got that.
(1:04:12) Kev: And after all that, things start getting rough on the island.
(1:04:16) Kev: You get a volcano eruption and they kind of have to restart everything.
(1:04:19) Kev: You restart the farm and Sakuna starts getting the resolve to defeat.
(1:04:24) Kev: Gosh, it’s a name, Omizuchi, I think that’s his name.
(1:04:29) Kev: The basically the lost demon
(1:04:32) Kev: who’s who fought her parents previously and
(1:04:36) Kev: and is the source of all the troubles on the island.
(1:04:42) Kev: To do that, she starts preparing.
(1:04:43) Kev: And then we get to episode, oh, gosh, what is it?
(1:04:48) Kev: Episode 12, which is that one almost got me because
(1:04:53) Kev: so as part of the preparations, Sakuna has to.
(1:04:58) Kev: So Tama is not just her little servant.
(1:05:00) Kev: She’s also actually the spirit of a sword.
(1:05:05) Kev: The blade of Hoshimida, I think.
(1:05:07) Kev: Hoshidama, I forget the exact same.
(1:05:10) Kev: Yeah, Hoshidama, which is her fault.
(1:05:12) Kev: I don’t know how to say it, but it’s like, you know, like, I don’t know how to say it, but it’s like, I don’t know how to say it, but it’s like, I don’t know how to say it, but it’s like, I don’t know how to say it, but it’s like, I don’t know how to say it, but it’s like, I don’t know how to say it, but it’s like, I don’t know how to say it, but it’s like, I don’t know how to say it, but it’s like, I don’t know how to say it, but it’s like, I don’t know how to say it, but it’s like, I don’t know how to say it, but it’s like, I don’t know how to say it, but…
(1:05:42) Kev: I don’t know about you, but that episode got to me. Like, knowing you have to say goodbye to your closest dearest friend. Ooh, that, that got me.
(1:05:51) Al: Yeah, although it doesn’t end up mattering in the end.
(1:05:55) Kev: Well, you’re right. Okay. You know what? That’s fair. That’s super fair. Yeah, super fair.
(1:06:00) Al: Sorry, sorry.
(1:06:04) Al: I guess that’s like it’s it is a pretty standard anime trope, right?
(1:06:09) Al: Of like, oh, there’s a sacrifice that needs to happen.
(1:06:11) Al: But it turns out a day later, the sacrifice doesn’t matter.
(1:06:15) Al: We can have our win and also the person who we sacrificed is now back.
(1:06:20) Kev: Yeah, because
(1:06:22) Kev: so the last episode is the
(1:06:24) Kev: Confrontation with Ozi Mutri she gets a final gift from all her friends
(1:06:28) Kev: it’s not gonna gets a friend from all her final gift from all her friends and
(1:06:31) Kev: Goes off to fight the demon and we have a really cool fight as she does so
(1:06:37) Kev: And then after she defeats it
(1:06:40) Kev: She starts to fall into some void. I don’t know really you want. Oh wait. No, I do know why it’s basically the price
(1:06:46) Kev: so one of the
(1:06:50) Kev: Her mother is called the divine raiment. It’s this magical scarf that she can use to fly around and beat things up
(1:06:56) Kev: and
(1:06:58) Kev: that
(1:06:59) Kev: Scarf was given to her mother by the aliens that also turned you into a crane
(1:07:05) Kev: And the price for that was basically like a sacrifice in the end
(1:07:09) Kev: and
(1:07:10) Kev: So she’s floating in his void
(1:07:14) Kev: Sakuna after the victory because she’s gonna pay the price for the the scarf
(1:07:20) Kev: But the spirit of her parents show up because they’ve kind of been holding back Ozi Mutri that they’ve been there the whole time
(1:07:27) Kev: And so, you know Sakuna gets to see her parents again, but then they volunteers the sacrifices
(1:07:35) Kev: So she and Tama who is turned back into Tama
(1:07:39) Kev: Don’t have to go away. And so they they just poof back on the island and are totally fine. You’re right
(1:07:46) Kev: Everyone’s fine and happy, and that’s pretty much the end of the anime.
(1:07:50) Al: Yeah, yeah.
(1:07:50) Kev: Um, yeah, uh, anything else I missed or any other points.
(1:07:57) Al: Yeah, I guess we kind of, we’ve, we’ve flushed over a little bit, a bit kind of like this,
(1:08:02) Al: the stuff around the, the politics of the gods area, what kind of work it’s called this,
(1:08:06) Kev: Yeah.
(1:08:08) Al: the capital. Um, they don’t talk about it a huge amount, but there is obviously some
(1:08:12) Al: stuff around, around that. And like, I quite liked when they came to the, uh, near the
(1:08:18) Al: end and they had their, their little marketplace. Um, yeah. And a bunch of people from the capital
(1:08:22) Kev: Yeah, they’re a little festival, yeah
(1:08:25) Al: came and that was that was pretty cool
(1:08:27) Al: I like that um
(1:08:28) Kev: Yeah
(1:08:30) Kev: Yeah, it’s so we didn’t talk about her at all, but the chief bodice or whatever names Liddy. That’s who
(1:08:36) Kev: That’s a key tea and something like that. I forget the exact pronunciation
(1:08:40) Kev: and she
(1:08:41) Al: There are so many people in this anime I keep forgetting most of their names.
(1:08:44) Kev: They’re a good number, but yes, it’s just it’s wild
(1:08:47) Kev: Because she just has you know kind of complete control over everything and decides everything
(1:08:52) Kev: It’s like baits basically right like that’s why Sakuna ends up on an island
(1:08:57) Kev: I am so upset that she you know basically ignores Kokoroa or until Sakuna leaves basically because
(1:09:06) Kev: Kokudo is doing great work
(1:09:08) Kev: Yeah, so yeah, the it is the whole setup of their system in the lofty realm is pretty wild
(1:09:17) Kev: It’s funny. I remember the funny bit where it’s not gonna sneak back on the ice
(1:09:22) Kev: on the Capitol to find out that you will rise or whatever and she basically just knocks out a few gods who’d identify her
(1:09:28) Al: Oh yeah. Oh, that reminds me. The name of that episode with the evil Rice. I completely
(1:09:38) Al: misread it. The name of the episode is “A Rice Riot Shakes the Capital” and I misread
(1:09:44) Kev: I mean that I think that’s what they were going for. I would imagine
(1:09:45) Al: it as a race riot. I was like, “Oh no! Not racism amongst the gods!”
(1:09:58) Kev: I’d be down for that. Yeah, but I’m sure
(1:09:59) Al: But that doesn’t mean, so I’ve re-watched the scene around the crane, right? So there’s two
(1:10:05) Kev: Yeah, yes
(1:10:06) Al: things to point out. So you’re right, he doesn’t hear the aliens talk, so he doesn’t technically
(1:10:08) Kev: Yeah
(1:10:10) Kev: Yes
(1:10:12) Al: hear the story about how she started off as a crane. However, he definitely knows she was
(1:10:18) Al: turned into the crane, right? He also, he, it’s really weird, he seems to really like her because
(1:10:27) Al: She’s like.
(1:10:28) Al: Really fair, right?
(1:10:31) Al: He talks about her crane white skin.
(1:10:34) Kev: Yeah, yeah, so
(1:10:35) Al: And he talks about he talks about the fact that the crane
(1:10:38) Kev: Look
(1:10:39) Al: that he saved when he was younger.
(1:10:44) Al: And like I think if he hasn’t put two and two together, he’s very dumb.
(1:10:50) Kev: which is very possible.
(1:10:51) Al: It is very possible he’s not a very smart guy.
(1:10:54) Kev: Yep.
(1:10:55) Al: But, like, I just can’t imagine also Sakuna not-
(1:10:59) Al: telling him what she heard, right?
(1:11:01) Al: Because he knows, he knows that she’s heard something
(1:11:03) Al: because she talks and he’s like, “who you talking to?”
(1:11:04) Kev: Yeah, well, she has to keep she she has to keep it secret still though
(1:11:08) Al: Does she? I missed that bit.
(1:11:10) Kev: Yeah, I’m pretty sure that’s still part of the deal like she has to keep it secret, um, but
(1:11:16) Kev: like
(1:11:17) Kev: Like it could go either way like she might be stupid doesn’t miss it like I will say in the game
(1:11:23) Kev: So again, I missed this whole bit in the game, but I did look it up on YouTube because I was very curious
(1:11:28) Kev: um in the game, basically, it’s
(1:11:32) Kev: more evident that
(1:11:34) Kev: he doesn’t realize it’s her
(1:11:36) Kev: Actually it’s so much to the point that in the story, in the anime, Kinta frees the crane because he just feels bad for it basically
(1:11:46) Kev: In the game, after the whole transformation back into Yui, he tells Sakuna that he freed that crane because he wanted to eat it
(1:12:04) Kev: before he could tie it down
(1:12:04) Al: I think whether whether or not whether or not he knows that she was a crane first she
(1:12:08) Kev: And so Sakuna is like, “Never tell her that ever”
(1:12:16) Kev: Yeah
(1:12:18) Kev: Yeah
(1:12:19) Al: still was a crane first and Sakuna says oh it’s true love at the end it’s just all very
(1:12:20) Kev: Yeah
(1:12:26) Kev: Look, okay
(1:12:28) Kev: I, again, all this, like, okay, that’s the more practical reason, it’s all based on
(1:12:34) Kev: Japanese folklore and mythology, and more in-universe, it’s a weird world, right?
(1:12:40) Kev: Sakuna especially, like, she’s used to weird nonsense, the lofty capital realm is weird
(1:12:46) Kev: She hangs out with a talking dog who’s a sword
(1:12:50) Kev: Like, eh, it’s fine
(1:12:54) Kev: So, one thing about the ending I wanna mention is that we don’t actually get some of the follow-through
(1:13:02) Kev: because it’s very similar sequence.
(1:13:04) Kev: The game actually talks about what happens to all the characters in the future.
(1:13:12) Kev: One weird thing, because they’re all living in this island in the lofty realm,
(1:13:16) Kev: they start gaining divine powers and becoming gods, which is okay.
(1:13:22) Kev: That doesn’t come into play late into the game.
(1:13:26) Kev: But basically, I think Tal Eman and Yui stay in the lofty realm.
(1:13:34) Kev: Mirta and Kinta go back to the lowly realm to just keep learning how to blacksmith and stuff.
(1:13:44) Kev: Mirta to continue her missionary work.
(1:13:46) Kev: I don’t remember what happens to Kaimaru, to be honest.
(1:13:50) Kev: I don’t know. He’s still a baby.
(1:13:52) Kev: Oh, oh! Wait, the ending. We finally get to talk. I don’t know why.
(1:13:56) Kev: So because of the divine powers, I guess, as Sakuna’s floating in the void,
(1:14:02) Kev: Kaimaru’s spirit shows up.
(1:14:04) Kev: Because he was looking for her, apparently, and he could somehow navigate here.
(1:14:08) Kev: And he finally gets to speak a little and convinces her to go back.
(1:14:14) Kev: Which is okay.
(1:14:18) Kev: Definitely a little unexpected.
(1:14:20) Kev: But there you go, Kaimaru got to speak at least a little bit.
(1:14:25) Al: Uh, yeah, I wouldn’t be surprised if they were doing, um, they less kind of wrapped
(1:14:30) Al: things up so they could do a second season if they wanted to.
(1:14:32) Kev: Yeah, although that’s that’s one of the big questions right because
(1:14:37) Kev: There is the novel. Um, in fact in the game they reference
(1:14:41) Kev: The premise of the novel which is involves Kokoro and in another goddess and the capital apparently
(1:14:49) Kev: And so it would be interesting to see if they turn that into the anime because you know
(1:14:55) Kev: It hasn’t even been turned into a game or anything. So
(1:14:58) Kev: I’d be down for that
(1:15:00) Kev: Uh, you know, I love Coconoa, so…
(1:15:02) Kev: I’d be happy for a second season focused on her and that little story.
(1:15:07) Kev: Um, but yeah, no, I’m like, I mean, overall, I’m just happy we got, uh, sock another enemy.
(1:15:14) Kev: Um, yeah, which, uh…
(1:15:14) Al: Yeah, no, I think it was super fun. I am really glad we got it because I actually managed to,
(1:15:21) Al: like, you know, enjoy the story. Yeah, yeah, exactly. And I’m not saying it was a bad game,
(1:15:22) Kev: enjoy soccer without having to play soccer
(1:15:28) Al: you know, it just it wasn’t my kind of game.
(1:15:28) Kev: yeah no no I i don’t like I said I think it’s
(1:15:33) Kev: a hard pill for a lot of people to swallow because
(1:15:36) Kev: the farming is like it’s a lot of work because
(1:15:40) Kev: it’s not like stardew you’re not growing crops or you know just water
(1:15:43) Kev: plant and water right you have to like maintain them
(1:15:46) Kev: they go kind of go over all the steps in the anime like
(1:15:49) Kev: and all the work that they’re doing in the anime you act-
(1:15:52) Kev: you have to do yourself in the game, you have to manage the water level, you have to manage bugs, temperatures, so on and so forth
(1:15:59) Kev: and so it’s a lot of work and then again, even if you’re into that then you still have to be good at combat because you have to do platforming
(1:16:08) Kev: and fight bosses and so on and so forth, right?
(1:16:11) Kev: and I think the systems are done very well but that’s two very different things that somebody has to enjoy and be able to go through to get through the story
(1:16:20) Kev: So it’s–
(1:16:22) Kev: I don’t blame you at all, or anyone else that can’t quite latch on to Sakuna.
(1:16:26) Kev: But if they can’t, you have the anime now, which is just wonderful.
(1:16:32) Kev: The animation’s fantastic, the dialogue’s great, the voice–
(1:16:38) Kev: Oh, forgot to check. I don’t know if the voices are from the games.
(1:16:42) Kev: I will say that the English dub, the game voices, match very closely to the voices in Japanese in the anime.
(1:16:52) Kev: Which is pretty impressive, so I’m guessing these are the voices from the game as well.
(1:16:56) Kev: But yeah, I hope we get a second series. I hope we get this dub, because obviously more people will watch it.
(1:17:02) Kev: So yeah, here’s open for more Sakuna.
(1:17:06) Al: Yeah, sorry I’m just having a look-
(1:17:08) Kev: Yeah. Yeah, I’m curious now.
(1:17:14) Al: it does not look like it’s the same voice actors oh some of them might be so it looks like tama is
(1:17:16) Kev: Really?
(1:17:18) Kev: Hmm, that’s interesting.
(1:17:22) Al: the same sakuna is not oh wait oh wait no no I misread no they are the same yeah they are
(1:17:28) Kev: Oh, okay. Oh, there you go
(1:17:29) Al: the same character they are the same actors voice actors
(1:17:31) Kev: Okay, I like I said, I would guess so because the English voices
(1:17:35) Kev: I think match the dub voices match pretty well like their tone and affliction
(1:17:41) Kev: And so, you know if we get the dub, hopefully they’ll use the same game cast as well
(1:17:48) Al: Yeah, that’d be cool.
(1:17:49) Kev: Yeah, but that’s that’s awesome man, I love Sakuna so much like just watching this music man
(1:17:54) Kev: Do I want to replay Sakuna? Maybe I don’t know
(1:17:57) Kev: I really liked it.
(1:17:58) Kev: Thank you, Sakama.
(1:18:00) Al: All right, well, thank you very much for joining me to talk about this.
(1:18:00) Kev: My pleasure. Thank you, Al, for having me rant on about Sakama. Always happy to do that.
(1:18:08) Kev: Sakama was here before Wildflowers. Let people not forget.
(1:18:11) Al: Where can people find you on the internet?
(1:18:14) Kev: Find me at Koopa Prez, if you want to see me mostly retweeting other people’s funnier memes.
(1:18:20) Kev: Find me at Spider Square, where, hey, I have actually kept up with my art stuff.
(1:18:26) Kev: I’m going to be consistent.
(1:18:27) Kev: I’m doing the–
(1:18:28) Kev: September, October, whatever, challenge,
(1:18:32) Kev: doing something every day.
(1:18:33) Kev: It’s monster making.
(1:18:35) Kev: Watch me make my big Pokemon.
(1:18:38) Kev: Also, check out Rainbow Road Radio.
(1:18:40) Kev: Again, we’ll be playing Luigi’s Mansion 2.
(1:18:43) Kev: That’ll be coming up.
(1:18:44) Kev: Or you can check out the last episode,
(1:18:46) Kev: which was an installment of Vox Koopis.
(1:18:51) Kev: And for folks who don’t know, it’s
(1:18:54) Kev: basically me going through the ringer
(1:18:57) Kev: in being forced to voice act in different kinds of ways.
(1:18:58) Kev: So if you like my western drawl from last episode, check this out.
(1:19:03) Kev: What about you Al? Where did people find you?
(1:19:05) Al: You can find me on mastodon.scot as thescotbot.
(1:19:10) Al: You can find the podcast on Tumblr @thspod.
(1:19:14) Al: You can send us feedback or anything you want
(1:19:18) Al: from our website, harvestseason.club,
(1:19:21) Al: where you can also find links to everything to do
(1:19:22) Al: with the podcast, including a link to our Patreon,
(1:19:24) Al: patreon.com/thspod, where you can support the podcast,
(1:19:30) Al: our Slack, where we talk about all manner of weird things,
(1:19:33) Al: and also get access to our backlog of bonus episodes.
(1:19:37) Al: More coming soon.
(1:19:38) Kev: you go. All right. Thank you. I’ll write me off. Have a good harvest.
(1:19:40) Al: I think that’s everything.
(1:19:42) Al: Thank you, Kevin, again, for joining me.
(1:19:45) Al: Thank you listeners for listening, and until next time,
(1:19:49) Al: have a good harvest.
(1:19:51) Theme Tune: The harvest season is created by Al McKinley, with support from our patrons, including our
(1:20:00) Theme Tune: pro farmers Kevin, Stuart and Alisa.
(1:20:04) Theme Tune: Our art is done by Micah the Brave and our music is done by Nick Burgess.
(1:20:09) Theme Tune: Feel free to visit our website harvestseason.club for show notes and links to things we discussed
(1:20:15) Theme Tune: in this episode.
(1:20:24) Al: race they do have the they do have the ruin as well the burning down of the
(1:20:25) Kev: Like there you go and ruin her enemies, I guess
(1:20:33) Kev: They
(1:20:35) Kev: Yeah, and and
(1:20:37) Kev: That was a really sad moment. Don’t don’t don’t have sad moments have the ruin the other people’s that makes you happy
(1:20:45) Kev: Go defeat Japanese demons. I don’t make you happy. All right, take care