Home
Creators
Search Recent Random
Posts
Search DMs Popular Hash Lookup Tags Random
Importer
Import FAQ
Filehaus
Recent
Register Favorites Keys Review DMs Logout
Home Creators Posts Import Register Favorites Logout

QUESTIONS THREAD: "The Anime Countryside" (Patreon)

Published:
2022-03-31 00:23:20
Imported:
2026-06
haven't archived this post yet. have a subscription? use the importer!

Content

will hopefully have this one out by mid-april rather than toward the end of the month. thanks so much as always!

Files

Previews only

Comments

Dolly Bowman

My wife is a huge fan of Natsumi Yuujincho and was very excited to see some footage from it in your video. Have you watched it, and if so what are your impressions?

emmavoid

On the topic of food anime, have you ever seen Gourmet Girl Graffiti or Bartender?

Ice-Chewing Empath

Where do you find new anime, either for videos or for fun? Do you have a process, or a website you like to look through? If so, I'd love to hear about it! Sorry if this has been asked before; if it has, could someone pls give me the video and time stamp?

leafbladie

Less a question, and a more a request, but if you ever do that Madoka video, would you be willing to check out Tamura Magica? It's by the author of Yuru Camp, and I thought you might enjoy it.

turnip

Hi! Loved the new video as always, very excited to give some of the series it covers a try! Also couldn't help but cheer at the mention of an anime food video being an idea on the backburner, as that's a topic I'd be absolutely enthralled to hear you discuss in further detail. It brought me back to the Grandia section of your Cozy RPGs video, where you mention the power of food to bring people together--I love whenever a piece of media slows down to let characters make or share a meal, and its power to build their relationships, or to contribute to larger worldbuilding. My fav examples come from Q Hayasida's works (Dorohedoro, Dai Dark), as she makes scenes of characters doing grocery shopping, going out to eat/working at restaurants, or even preparing instant food especially fun--for the little insights into their personalities, and the charm + warmth it gives to worlds that are typically gritty, dangerous, or otherwise feel pretty inhospitable. Anyway, sorry for the long preface to one question: what are some other examples of your (and Alyssa's!) favorite anime food moments, ones you find particularly memorable--for any reason, from having narrative weight, to being aesthetically pleasing!

HazelYT
>>80905335

i dont think ive answered it, but if i had, i'm always open to re-answering questions like that bc my answer usually changes slightly as i develop new methods and stuff, so don't worry about asking stuff that may have already been answered. i barely remember what i say in q&a's and on podcasts after i finish recording them, hahahaha.

AquaticPixel

do you have any favorite game soundtracks? i noticed you use a lot of game music in your videos! (this can be for Alissa too btw assuming she's in the next Q&A)

HazelYT
>>80905589

writing now just to say a madoka video is looking unlikely, purely because my drive to watch/cover the show is pretty nonexistent. it might strike me at some point but i can't say i foresee it. if i do decide to, i'll look into whatever i find is relevant, be that side-media or otherwise.

Briebrie1997

Growing up in the rural Midwest, this video made me pretty nostalgic and emotional?? Do you ever get emotional or wrapped up in an anime or a song you use for these videos?

actually a dawg

Hey I've really liked a lot of the music you've mentioned in the past (BP and brave little abacus in particular), just wondering is there anything more mainstream or "basic" you also enjoy? Or alternatively if there is some even deeper cuts you recommended? P.S. can't wait to give the "new" stuff a listen, pop spirit has become the only label I listen to more than K.

joyce-stick

hi hazel so ummm wow. great video..~!!!! AND UM. WOW YOU SURE DID CHANGE PACE. honestly I think that was way heavier than the last one so well, if that was what you meant by a change of pace, great job! ahahahahahhhhhh. wow so I wanted to say firstly that your inclusion of Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai in your scrolling of isekai covers made me lose my shit for a good minute, because I then realized you couldn’t possibly be lying about not keeping up with current anime. not that I ever doubted you or anything lol. but yeah bunny girl senpai’s not an isekai, not to like, correct you or anything, it was just very funny, it made me laugh, and I thought you’d possibly find that hilarious. thanks for making me laugh there. second thing I wanted to ask is if you’d heard of Machikado Mazoku/The Demon Girl Next Door! it’s a very good and pleasant urban fantasy iyashikei adjacent anime, which I started watching primarily because Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid’s second season was suddenly hella transphobic and that made me sad. Machikado owns! its gay subtext is like a million times gayer and more awesome than Dragon Maid’s halfhearted gay subtext, also it’s very funny and very tasty visually, and also it’s just pretty damn legendary that it’s a chill slice-of-life that starts off with attempted murder of a magical girl motivated by poverty perpetrated by a very soft bean of a demon girl who is way too weak and soft to do any murders! extremely hazelcore i think. i suppose that’s not much of a question insofar as it is my recommending a show to you and/or the rest of the audience, but yeah ahahahahhhh. i feel like i should ask a real question, but I don’t have any! but my partner says to ask if you’re having a nice day, and also what you think of black midi? i think that’s all. i hope you are having a nice day! and thank you once again for the great videos! ciao

ItsRileyMe

So, two Q's - the first of which I've been meaning to ask for a while now. The Dendy reminded me of this thought. You and thor's vids are, at times, conversational in a unique way. It isn't exactly novel but very open and honest about how they are constructed, like looking an old house whose framing is left exposed (that is no way a diss). I've recently gone through thor's catalog from the last 2 years and have been periodically rewatching your old stuff, and there is always an idea, point, gif, or s-tier ps1 render that isn't just shared but built upon and articulated in an interesting way. Then you have co-writers like Nicky and Alyssa (Hi Alyssa if you're reading this!), who also build out these perspectives on media. Often, you don't see the back and forth development that goes into an analysis in other video essay channels, so its pretty rad to pick out. How important is that communication and the people in your circle in mutually building the topics you want to discuss? Second, I've been playing Grandia on my freshly modded "new" 3DS (fuck the big N) cause of your vid; since you showed some later futage, how much more have you played, are you still vibin' with it? Sorry for the twitt-longer

ItsRileyMe
>>80908087

This post has such pure happy energy, this is the kind of thing that just make you smile reading about someone else havin' fun

Morpheus

I really loved this video, especially in how it anaylized why these sort of slow paced, environmentally focused slice-of-life type stories that are popular in Japan that aren't so much in the west. Though in some ways, these naturalistic Japanese SOL shows about nature and the countryside feel both familiar and non familiar to me as an Australian, where a lot of our media places heavy focus on the countryside (in fact you could argue that there are more Australian films about the countryside than about city-living) and having its fair few SOL soaking media within that niche, growing up on films like Storm Boy, The Year My Voice Broke and fuck even dumb shit like the show 'Round the Twist... but also unfamiliar as the Australian countryside doesn't look like your traditional Ghibli styled lush rolling hills. But I feel like a lot of media from places doesn't tend to make places like this "romantic" or "inviting and friendly", it's always being harsh, dry, unpleasant rather than something that could be just as valuable and inviting as any forest soaked vista. The mention of "Mad Max wasteland" really stuck out to me in particular... because that's what Broken Hill, a rural Australian town (where the movies were filmed), looks like. The "wasteland" IS our countryside, our rural, our nature. Australia isn't made up of rolling emerald pastures, soft grass filled with colorful flowers and lush trees of appealing "friendly" greens. The Australian countryside is dusty brown and rusty red, it's rocky and filled with sand, it's spinifex grass, gumtrees and sandstone in beige, camo green and other "unappealing" bland colours. It's grottos that have a small trickle of water on them where the ferns and moss grow and when the light touches it's refracted in several ways. As funny as it is to say, Mad Max (mostly the first movie) feels more authentically rural to me as someone who's lived in rural Australia than all the Anne of Green Gables or Little House on the Prairie aesthetics can muster. I feel like there is a sort of bias towards what kind of country/rural is "friendly" and which one is "harsh and unfriendly", and the friendly favors a sort of temperate, emerald green and soft rolling hills filled with bright flowers that's typical of temperate locations in Europe, North America and East Asia, with other locals as "harsh and unfriendly". I'unno it's just something I've noticed and I feel like there's a discussion to be had about which specific countrysides and nature get romanticized, and which do not. Anyway, it's the mark of an excellent video where you can invite discussions and thoughts like this. Maybe I'm just rambling or missing the mark but it was a thought that stuck with me the whole video. But I really do love your examples and analysis here and how it reflects aspects of Japanese culture, and why those aspects are just as appealing to audiences on the opposite sides of globe since the 2010s

Arpaigeio

Do you have any specific YouTube channels you can point to as direct inspirations for you? And do you have any recommendations for channels that share a similar philosophy to reviewing anime/games? (The gayer the better)

OmenMachine

In response to the previous patreon Q&A video: https://i.imgur.com/JeLImK7.png But in all seriousness, thank you for sharing your opinion on the subject. I hope it doesn't draw too much ire from the trigger fans. I am quite fond of Gurren Lagann and Kill la Kill, mostly for their excessive dumb guy energy. I have too much fun watching them to stop and consider if what Nakashima is trying to say makes any sense. Question: As you stated in the video, Aliens and Furries do not have the best track record as allegories for racism. Do you have any examples of anime (or other media) that tackles the topic of racism well?

Codfish Cartographer

Do you guys have a cute story of how you met? If you don't, or if you're not comfortable sharing it, can you make one up?

Morpheus
>>80908888

Though that's a divergence. My actual question is "Do you play/are intrigued by Pokemon Romhacks/Fangames? If so which ones are your favorite besides Moemon?"

Don

Hey Hazel, I really enjoyed this video and it was definitely needed after the big booba fuck fest video. I wanted to ask since I didn't see it mentioned or show as background footage if you've seen Yama no Susume. Its similar to Yuru Camp except instead of cute girls go camping its cute girls go mountain climbing. Its a fairly short series but one i think you should check out if you haven't! I also wanted to ask if you have any tips/what your process on starting a script for a video is like. Its something I've wanted to try but the starting process is pain since I have trouble putting my thoughts into cohesive words and whatever I write comes out as word vomit. (sorry if you've answered this before but I though id ask if you haven't answered yet)

TeuCat

(Pronounced 2 cat) Absolutely loved the video, enjoyed seeing you talk about stuff I watched and your insights on stuff I haven't, got plenty of watch recommendations from it. Glad you enjoyed Yuru Camp as much as I did :) The Non Non Biyori hamster absolutely killed me btw. Anyway, question time. You mentioned not really liking the way Brand New Animal handled it's racism stuff in the video and the previous Q&A, which I understand, but what did you think about the rest of it if you don't mind me asking? I remember it fondly, especially the main~ish 3, Michiru, Nazuna, and Shirou, but that could just be because I love the anime furry aesthetic, the amazing fanart, and because it introduced me to one of my favorite musicians, AAAMYYY, instead of the actual show itself being good. It came out during a crazy time for me so it's hard for me to remember. Thanks for taking the time to read this!

Elias Rosner

Ah! So glad to see Arakawa come up. I love it's absurdist energy. Do you think US audiences are just... worse at finding these kinds of slower, experiential shows engaging? Or maybe not worse but trained to dismiss them more? I just kept having this thought that we equate uneventful, i.e. lacking in events, with the pejorative boring and therefore as a "waste of time." But uneventful can also be the kind of boring that's slow, deliberate & mundane, like a lazy afternoon spent watching the clouds in a field or poking at a campfire for hours. I dunno. Maybe capitalism has broken us into Human Doings like the Scatman said after all...

Lenne

Is there a sweet/candy in particular that you feel particularly nostalgic for because of eating it in your childhood? Although not usually grouped in the same category as candies like reeses, lollipops, etc. Andes mint chocolates hit that spot for me because I remember one of my favorite local restaurants as a kid having them and secretly grabbing them from the jar by the register by the handful while leaving because I didn't have many opportunities to eat candy in my household.

Crowsie

Have you ever heard of the anime Red Garden? I wouldn't consider it Hazelcore, but it kinda seems like something you'd at least be aware of. I watched it around 15 and revisiting it after another 15 years made me realize just how unusual of an anime it is. Though the plot got kinda silly, I've always enjoyed it for its non-moé art style and the emphasis on the relationship between the four very different leads and how they all coped with the fucked up situation they find themselves in. For me it also kinda hits that same idiosyncratic 'American culture as seen through Japanese eyes' note as Silent Hill. It kinda fell under the radar in Japan and the US, though it got an official English release via Funimation. It had pretty good music, too. Speaking of weirdly American anime and music - Do you remember the manga Princess Ai? I haven't heard a single anime youtuber mention it outside of the briefest of passing like, ever, but in the mid/late 2000s it was one of Tokyopop's biggest marketing shills and allegedly had a hand in the company going under. I don't think I recall a single manga they licensed ever having that much merch and multimedia behind it. Stu Levy really wanted Princess Ai to be something. Apparently, there was also an anime in the works that either got canceled or never got greenlit in the first place. If you go back to the decade+ old videos you can still see people wondering whatever happened to it in the comments. Full disclosure, my shallow fashion-obsessed ass absolutely loved Princess Ai knowing it was just Courtney Love's self-insert fanfic. To this day it's somewhat of a manga fascination of mine, and I wanted to know if anyone else remembers it like I do.

Rupeescreamer

Wow, it was a real thrill to see Lost in Blue footage in this video! I haven't met anyone else who's played that game. I picked it up when I was a kid literally because it had anime characters on the cover. Certified proto-weeb moment. How did you get introduced to the series?

Nathan Anderson

Hi Hazel, I recently finished watching both seasons of Mushi-Shi, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I was hoping you would cover it in the video, and I saw that you used a few clips and maybe mentioned it in passing. Just curious if you have watched it, and if so, what are your thoughts? I really liked the way it combines it's focus on nature with the occasional light horror vibes to create an atmosphere that is often both cozy and somewhat unsettling at the same time. Thanks in advance for the answer, and keep up the great work!

T. K.

Hi folks, I really appreciate the Romanticism you approached the subject with, and the love shown to "under 7." Abe is great. I have 2 short questions this time; 1. Have you ever considered doing an episode on the student uprising in Japan in the late 60s? There are a few anime and manga that mention it but your perspective would be choice. 2. Having talked about pastoral vibes in such kind tones, I wonder if you have any thoughts on digital landscapes? In the novel Neuromancer, a founding piece of cyber punk and vr, they talk alot about seeing the interconnected realms of computer networks and the far of landscapes of mountainous military systems and mega corps. I mention this because you can see lines and structures that reflect that vastness in ghost in the shell, and also how fanciful and weird digital landscapes can become in things like summer wars, digimon, belle, in the loading screen of various VRMMO stories. On a parting note, if you if you do not suffer from arachnophobia I highly recommend this great and very scenic and slow post-apocalyptic manga. https://sevenseasentertainment.com/series/giant-spider-me-a-post-apocalyptic-tale/ (No need to read this part aloud, but I appreciate the time you took with my really tough question last time, even if it was unintentional, thank you.)

Annoyance

Hey loved the video. I love anime that slows down so much so I appreciated this vid a lot. Your videos are extremely cozy and I relate to a lot of your experiences like growing up poor and in small towns. It resonated with me a lot, especially being the weird kid that was really into anime in that small town and no one to talk to about anime but my weirdo dad for a long time. Thanks for that. Would you consider doing a vid, maybe at the end of the year, just collecting all the stuff you feel you missed or didn't know at the time of making the video related to it? Things you wish you said or mentioned briefly as you reflect on them. I realize this could probably get out of hand but would save a complete Revisited sort of video?

blusocket
>>80908888

This is such a good point--I think it's so important in discussions about pastoral escapist fantasies to point out that deserts are also beautiful, complex ecosystems (and as a side note, that humans have always had a push and pull relationship with nature! I love how Only Yesterday points out that what looks like untouched nature to a city dweller is actually the result of 100s of years of complex agriculture and land management)

Oscar Franco

Hey hazel I love your videos I have two questions 1- ¿ have your ever heard of the manga hoshi no ponko to toufuya reiko, it’s basically the trope of “ young kid meets magical pet” but it’s way too existencialist and horrifying I highly recommend it 2-what’s your favorite mahou shoujo anime? Greeting from Mexico

Stephen Favell

Hi Hazel! I've really gotten into your music in the past year or so, with to the sky the dog island being my personal favourite. I've never really listened to music with such prominent vocaloid before, and I was hoping you could talk a bit about how you first became interested in using it, your artistic thoughts around vocaloid, etc! also hi Alyssa!

Kitty ( The cursed existence of financial instability ) fo

Thank you for the suggestions of anime to watch. I wanted to ask how you watched them? Have you watched any new anime? have you ever seen Ancient Magnus Bride? It does have a bit of a Country side feel but with magical isekai added in.

Ameliorate

Hi Hazel, another banger video as always. Do you think that a good sense of comradery or community is vital for the ability to really connect with/enjoy an anime set in the countryside?

Un_frog

Hope you are well Hazel. Since you metioned Texhnolyze in your notes I was wondering if you have seen it and your thoughts on it. I'm curious to hear your thoughts on the shows brutal depiction of urban society specifically. Have a great day!

Nicolate

Hi Hazel! I first need to mention how much of a treasure trove it has been to find your channel on this wasteland that is Youtube dot com. To find someone who shares a taste and sentiment to medias so nearly 1:1 with me, as well as a similarly unfortunate poisoned sense of humour all while talking about it as in-depth and passionately as you have been doing has been so profoundly valuable and inspiring as far as my own professional life is concerned, since much like you have mentioned in your previous Eiken Q&A, I can only imagine mine being intertwined with making and talking about art. This video does not differ as I have just gone done soaking into the universe of Niea_7 as well as a few of Kaz Ayabe's games. Which brings me to the question!(finally) Seeing you talk about desolate but beautiful post-apocalyptic environments made me wonder if you have any familiarity with Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon and if so if you have any thoughts on it? As I feel it would have fit neatly into this video. That's it, much love from me and my equally gay and fan of yours wife who will most likely listen to this Q&A.

Maverick

Hey hazel! I think you mentioned it back in your JRPG video but have you ended up making the jump to a split keyboard? Has your editing setup changed since that last update?

Marissa Casris

hey hazel! in a lot of your videos (i think including this one? idk i watched it at like 8am and then spent the day panicking over an assignment so i don't remember a ton of small details) you mention watching anime with your wife, as a fellow woman enjoyer and haver of a partner i was wondering if there's any anime in particular that you'd recommend as a cosy watch with the girl i love? also thanks for being so cool! a lot of your videos really influenced the media i consume and helped me discover series that i adore to this day. also just in case i force her to listen to the q&a, hey babe < 3

Rachael

Not really a question, I just wanted to thank you again for the reading recommendations, and to say that I enjoyed Azuma's Otaku for more than just the snapshot of Japanese fan culture at the time, but also found it to be pretty prescient about the shift in media consumption habits over the last couple decades (wild, since it was published in 2001!). There was a lot in there that was applicable to how a lot of how fans interact with media today in the US. I mean, I recognize that the idea that narrative media is often commodified and broken down into distinct, marketable parts that can be swapped around for maximum audience engagement isn't exactly a new concept but it was still interesting to see his perspective on it. I do think he was speaking in pretty rosy terms about the era of the "grand narrative" (I got that 'old man yelling at cloud' vibe for sure), and maybe i'm reading too much into it, but i do think that his idea of a sea change in the way that people consume and interact with media is pretty accurate! Simplifying it as "people used to use stories to interpret the world and now it's more that we impose stories on the world" is... well, too simple, but it does have a kernel of truth to it, especially when you see, for example, a twitter mob take the most bad-faith interpretation of a piece of media and scream it from the rooftops until that faulty interpretation becomes widely-accepted. Again, not a new problem (organizations dedicated to intentionally misleading worst-case readings like Focus on the Family have existed forever), but it feels like it's become more widespread.

Rachael
>>80939670

(oh god, am I the old man yelling at the cloud? aaa)

Ice-Chewing Empath
>>80913507

this is such a genuinely lovely question; you reminded me of my own childhood candy nostalgia (botan rice candy and these mardi-gras colored chocolate mints)! Thanks!

newbanZo

Sorry this is only tangentially related but do yall have any recommendations on good food spots in the ID? 2-0 on butt anime picks so you obviously have good taste! -ya boi newbanZo (new-bahn-zo)

Elli B

I have to ask if you think these are good examples of what, in manga, Scott McCloud dubbed 'aspect to aspect transitions' - cutting between lingering shots of different aspects of a scene with sound effects carrying over into the rest of them, with the intent to setting a scene more powerfully than you can do with one splash panel alone. It's something that at the time he considered the trademark of manga as opposed to other forms of sequential art, and I'm struck by how much the lingering pastoral shots of the works you've showcased seem to be the film equivalent of the same idea.

Twilight Dusk

I think I spotted a second of Lost in Blue in there while you were leading into Yuru Camp, just wanted to express my appreciation for that. As far as a question, how do you feel farming sim games like the various Harvest Moon / Story of Season games, Stardew Valley, etc. apply to the tone you're going for with this video, and the point you made about escapism? Stardew Valley is expressly a story about an overworked office worker fleeing to the countryside to live a slower life on the farm after all (even if a lot of players end up running their character ragged in completely different ways...)

Doozy_Uzi

Hey Hazel, I was curious if you've seen the 2007 anime Sketchbook Full Colors, your talking points on Non Non Biyori and Yuru Camp reminded me a lot of it. If you haven't seen it yet then I highly recommend it I feel you might like it!

Bandaid Club

Hi Hazel! you said you hadn't seen much recent anime and the cg threw you off in super cub, I wanted to see if you'd seen land of the lustrous? that's a show where I think modern CG in anime really shines. I had a vague hazy memory of you mentioning it but my brain is also broken, so if you haven't seen it i would hella recommend, beautiful bgs and also everyone's genderless gem people so win for me.

Linus Wood

Hello! What is that flowery font you used in the video on the text "Iyashike" and "Lost Decade" and "The soul's gotta have good mid"? It looks really cool. Also, what is with the kerning on the "Patron Questions" text in these videos???!?!!?!? The black outlines on the letters of "Patron" are all the same distance from each other, they're all touching, except there's a slight space between T and A. But then the "Questions" text is all kinds of fucked up! Q and U are way closer together than than U and E, but the outlines aren't touching. But then E, S, T, and I are super close together, and their outlines aren't just touching, they're overlapping! I, O, and S are the same respectable distance apart. Was this intentional?? Was it the font???? It doesn't even look bad I guess, but when you stare at these videos long enough, you start to go a little insane... Thanks! P.S. Thanks for retweeting my fanart; I've never gotten that many likes on a drawing before so it was fun

Beat-Man

Do you think you have to really 'been there' to be qualified to make stories about characters struggling financially or hit really low points in their lives?

Jongo Industries

Hi Hazel! I’m not sure if this has been asked before but have you seen Utena?

Agatha

Hi, I think my comment got eaten up! The summertime segment in your video got me thinking, cause summer depicted in older anime/games is my favorite. I love summertime, but maybe more in the metaphoric sense, how the brightness of everything reflects my own soul back to me. And because I practically live in the water during summer. Something about 90s anime and games have like the sun embedded in their colors, it's so bright and blinding almost. It really shows the sunny disposition of their characters, and together with  lush greenery it gets bundled into an adventurous urge to rush outside with no care in the world, and stay outside until the sky darkens and the fireflies dance around shadows of trees. 1. I've been playing Grandia since the release of your  Cozy Rpgs video and I get exactly that bright feeling. Have you played some more of it since the release of your cozy rpgs video? 2. What are Alyssa's thoughts on Grandia? Whos her fav character or aspect of the game ^_^

jeans

if its okay to ask a more unrelated question - how do you find such interesting shows to watch / games to play? i understand if the answer is 'have friends with good taste'/'do research', but id like to learn how to find more stuff on my own, if possible! and a related / more vague question as well: are there any shows that you consider essential to watch, either because theyre historically important or just because you like them? i hope that those are alright!

Cobe

hi hi!! just gonna jump in with a couple of unsolicited anime recs for all the patreon friends and yourself, both of which match the theme from March's vid in two different ways first, being "Hakumei to Mikochi" (Tiny Little Life in the Woods). it features the cozy and lovely day-to-day lives of our two tiny, tree-dwelling femme roommate protagonists. one's a calm and collected tailor, while the other is an excitable tomboyish carpenter, a classic dynamic. the biggest highlight of the show for me is all the way these two interact with community in which they inhabit and participate in. there's a whole town full of other tiny folk and size-accurate woodland critters that they work and chatter-about with. but the forest their tree resides in is also very unkempt and wild, brimming with lush greenery. it's very easy to slide into the world, and get invested in their simple little pastoral lives def hope this show gets more eyes on it over the next few years, as i never have met anyone that has seen/heard of it ;-; second recc, "Shoujo Shuumatsu Ryokou" (Girls' Last Tour). this one is a bit more known of in weeb circles, but is still worth bringing up! the story focuses on the lives of two lil moe blobs in the very clearly man-made post-apocalyptical landscape they are doomed to wander in. the atmosphere of this beast is absolutely haunting in how it depicts its' locations. huge empty cities, slowly crumbling into rubble, abandoned military equipment and the factories that created them. and all the while, our two blessed blobs are kinda just vibing through it all, taking each moment in as they come. it's a delight!! i'd say this one's a bit more heavy in theming and messaging. but still a cozy watch in its own way, but like you'll also cry at points if yr a big softie lol. a top 10 fave of mine that i refuse to shut up about :-)

Punchfrog

Hey, newly-big fan! Your videos are the perfect amount of chill to listen to while playing a game after work (especially when I'm lacking an anime to watch). Watching so many videos on older anime inspired me to go back and watch some childhood classics (mainly Inuyasha tbh, that show was so damn formative and Sango was my hero growing up). I've had a lot of fun, but also noticed I have a problem. I had parents that really disapproved of anything anime growing up, so it was always a taboo for me. On top of that, I was (and am) big on the rights of marginalized groups (I ended up being queer myself, surprise). So, when I watch anything with even hints of fanservice, I immediately feel vile and get the urge to flee. This sucks, and my partner has even been encouraging me to try and break out of this so I can enjoy the shows I want to watch. I'm not *against* fanservice, and hearing you so casually talk about enjoying it in previous videos makes me want to be able to just finally enjoy it. You mentioning Dagashi Kashi made me think about it all over again and since I'm here might as well ask! I don't have considerate friends to ask and my partner knows less about anime than I do by a long shot. So my long-winded question is mainly asking advice: do you have any recommended shows, obscure or otherwise, that could ease someone into fanservice in anime? This is coming from someone that got sad while watching Inuyasha because a girl's butt got grabbed without her consent, so I guess part of my problem is the 'treating women weirdly/worse than men' angle.

Uli Troyo
>>80990957

Interesting question! I'd like to hear it too, because I can think of a number of mangas that have respectful fanservice, or just treat the subject of sex in a mature way, but I can't think of any anime that do (would Cowboy Bebop count?)

Uli Troyo

I loved the video! I think it's so funny that Japan is exporting worldwide nostalgia for settings most of us don't know. I saw a video by the Anime Man where he visited an abandoned Japanese school, and it's so evocative of the school animes that I got misty-eyed when he sat in the protagonist's beside-the-window back desk. It's so neat to have fake memories of other people's lives, built from a patchwork of disparate works that aim to capture the childhoods of their authors. What do you feel an anime with your particular childhood would aim to capture? What would the wistful threads of your California upbringing look like if you trim the fat and remove the bad stuff? What would be the theme of your yesteryears? Where would the coziness come from? (I grew up in Mexico, specifically in Cancun, in a time when this massive tourist city was more of a jungle town with a few dozen thousand inhabitants, and I've got many anime-worthy memories, but my childhood was so time-and-place circumstantial that I doubt I'll ever see it captured anywhere, nevermind an anime.)

NoWhich

I loved the bit about how summer sucks set to Endless Summer Malaise. That and the Connections and Feelings commentary made me wish I could hear your thoughts on Anything related to specific songs you wrote. I know you've said in the past that your lyrics have become more personal since your Youtube channel really took off so feel free to ignore this question completely but would you at all interested in doing that for some of your EPs? That is, releasing commentary on them similar to the Connections and Feelings commentary.

Sookie Stackhouse-Lenin

holy shit when you were talking about neia you showed something that said the creator also created Texhnolyze, a show i watched recently that traumatized the fuck out of me. it also has a pastoral sort of setting eventually and it’s basically just a grave for a humanity that lost any ambition. i’d love to hear your thoughts on texhnolyze also as far as the indian stereotyping in neia, i’m reminded of that cringeworthy swing of episodes in the Starduat Crusaders season of JoJo. I think Japan has a pretty extensive history of anti indian racism

Flann

this video and the type of shows always hit different for me as someone from a small dying town in WV an hour away from Flatwoods and Point Pleasant, so peak cursed rust belt. Seeing buildings of old sit there and rot, reclaimed by nature both fauna and flora is incredibly common, which makes visiting my hometown very melancholic as old acquaintances always say how I 'got out before I could get stuck' like them. My original question I figured may be too personal for a simple Q&A, so I'll instead ask; as someone who also lived in these small towns, did you and your friends also make up horrific stories for why buildings were abandoned? I feel like most kids in my school would make up over the top gorey stories why no one lived there, like a red house across from the playground was painted with the blood the ghost would get if you dared go inside lol

Oscar Franco

Have you ever watched the anime “yakitate Japan” it’s an extremely cozy anime about making bread

Zane

Caught the School Zone video on a random shot from the algorithm and now I'm here to stay. Love the chilled out vibe in your videos and this installment is no exception. Happened to catch the cover of Seishun Buta Yarou flying by in the Isekai aside, and I was confused. Did I miss something, or was there something in the work that you feel lands it within the umbrella of Isekai media? And if that question is too open/long winded for a concise response, then I leave a simple vanilla recommendation of Yagate Kimi Ni Naru. I think you mentioned you hadn't watched much recent anime, and my super casual self adored it's genre unusual protagonist and the fairly clever symbolism throughout. It's also batting well above the usual art/detail level for TV anime even if animation is somewhat sparse. Keep up the good work at pace you can live with ^.^ Quietly anticipating more.

Michael Graps

Hey Hazel love your work, I really enjoy how you are able find meaning in pieces of media whilst still acknowledging their flaws, that being said are their any red flags in a piece of media that make you instantly go 'nope'?

Gabriel Mobius

I noticed a lot of fun clips from Flying Witch (which I love for multiple reasons) but noticed that you didn't really talk about it. Is there a reason why? Or did it just not really twig any specific vibe or raise anything in particular you wanted to talk about? (In general I'm mostly just curious to hear your thoughts on it)

Serah Elliott

You bring up your love of music and 70s genre/exploitation films quite a bit. You have great taste! Have you considered making videos on those topics?

Witty Name

Is there any anime that you wanted to talk about, but for whatever reason you didn't include it?

ced

I had never heard of NieA_7, so I was almost totally sold on it until I saw *that* character. I'll still almost certainly check it out, but I was thinking, are there any other pieces of media that you think would be regarded better if they weren't weighed down by notable exceptions/characters/plot details? (This doesn't necessarily have to be media with problematic elements, btw. A popular example would be the gargoyles from disney's hunchback of notre dame skewering the tone with ill-fitting comedy.)

Brittny Okahara

I’m sure you’re at least aware of Mamoru Hosoda’s work. I wonder if you have any feelings about how he portrays the countryside in movies like Summer Wars and Wolf Children?

Madeline Clark

What are some of your most memorable instances of yuribaiting, whether it's because it happens to be your favorite or because the baiting itself was especially infuriating?

Branwen Shoop
>>81069223

YES PLEASE. Would love 90 minutes of you indulging in cool trash. Watched Cathy's Curse thanks to you and the first 3 minutes blew my mind... and I've seen every Video Nasty.

Aubrey Hood

Hazel, I fist wanna say I just watched YKK for the first time after the video and there's nothing quite like it, one of the best pieces of atmospheric and environmental storytelling ever. My question: what's your favorite coffee and way to make it? I use a moka pot to make cafe lareno- a Puerto Rican brand I'm obsessed with.

Seth Peacock

Are there any underappreciated feel-good chiptune/9-bit artists you would recommend? Stuff in the vein of Snail's House, Leon Chang, Dark Cat, and halc, if those ring a bell? The Algorithm is now just recycling the same few big names (why yes I have heard of Porter Robinson) and I thought the mind behind Twinkle Park might know some more.

adeline quinn

I started reading Sing Yesterday for Me because of your video, would you be aware of any other similar series that you would personally recommend? Love the video by the way, wonderful as always.

turkeythehuman

If some sort of wizardly goblin challenged you to a game of riddles, the stakes being if you win you only need to sleep two hours a night to be in peak physical health, but if you lose, all music you hear for the rest of your life is something off Pacific Daydream, would you take it? The only caveat is that if you turn down the challenge you will miscommunicate in no less than 35% of all social interactions to varying levels of severity. Be warned, this goblin claims to be pretty good at riddles.

Kill Wolfhead

What's your white whale for manga that's never been officially localized? Mine was always Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou, but I need to find a new one now.

Kip

Would you live in a haunted cottage in the Japanese countryside if rent was free?

vivi

Hey hazel, just wanted to say that as someone fresh out of highschool with a drive to enter a creative field your talk about how you kept on trying creative stuff was really inspiring! also was wondering if you have any thoughts on legend of the galactic hero it’s one of my all time favorites.

Blue Bee

After watching You've Got Kat's recent video on the Indieweb, and rewatching your video on old fansites, my special interest in small personal websites has been reactivated. Is there anything you wish had a dedicated retro-ass webshrine that unfortunately missed the fansite boom? Side question only tangentially related, but do you have any fond memories of using gamefaqs/txt game guides growing up? I had a pokemon leaf green one saved on my 1gb thumbdrive as a kid and I thought it was so cool

shaun my dude

Hey! I remember you mentioning that you tend to find yourself going into rabbit holes when you do your researching. Has there ever been a time where you said "nah, actually No" to a research rabbit hole for whatever reason? Thanks so much for your content- I really appreciate that you take the time to explore as much as you care when researching your content! Take care.

Levent

Heya, in your last video Q&A you mentioned playing Drakengard 3 with your partner. Do you stream your gaming at all? (Your Twitch doesn't have videos, so I wasn't sure) Chill gaming sessions someday?

Ali Motamed

Thoughts on Sonic 2 (if you’ve seen it by the time you’re reading this)?

Question, Are We Not Gyros

As a fellow SoCal native, what's your favorite Mexican food? And why is it Tortas?

Gryphon

If you were walking through a strange, possibly haunted forest, and came across a small person trapped inside of some sort of container, begging to be let out, would you risk the possibility of them being some sort of fae/spirit/trickster kami/etc. but also be kind and let them out?

Ashe Dreamthief

Oh wow, feel free to skip this question if there are too many, lol. While I don't think that Kino's Journey (2003) is "boring" in the same vein as many of the series you discussed, do you have any hot takes regarding it?

demi lembias

I was wondering if you had seen any of Trixie the Golden Witch (formerly Digi)'s content and if you liked it, since she was a very influential early anituber and is a very unique person but has lost a lot of popularity lately. She said recently that she enjoys your videos a lot.

Angus Finn MacLeod

Hey Hazel. In this past video I saw that you referenced Andrei Tarkovsky's "The Mirror" (my personal favorite filmmaker and one of my favorite films in general). I'm curious what you think about his work, but more importantly what you think about broader arthouse films in general, independent of anime. Hopefully that's not too loaded of a question -- engage with it how you'd like, of course. Thanks.

Lo

Hi Hazel and Alyssa! During the wild west days on youtube I used to discover anime from amvs and either dig for them on yt or the virus/trojan soaked video hosting sites. I discovered Mahoraba, Toradora, Haruhi, and Zero no Tsukaima this way. It’s weird to find them on Crunchyroll now and realize it wasn’t a fever dream lol, especially Mahoraba because it seems so small in scope compared to other shows at the time. Did y’all ever come across amvs or similar fan media that piqued your interest in a series?

Ash

Hello Hazel! I am aiming to do some music genre deep dives/writeups and Midwest Emo is on the list - what would be say 3 bands that, to you, you like but have different essences/vibes and say different things to you? Or any other thoughts you have on the genre if that doesn't track, idk I'm not your boss. Thank you as always for the great videos.

Muffy

Hey loved the video! Sorry if it's been asked before but any thoughts on doing videos more directly about exploitation/horror movies? Your taste in and perspectives on them are interesting so it'd be cool hearing more about your take on some of the ones you've brought up like Axe and Prey.

0nion_bubs

with the new movie just coming out, I figure I'd ask what you think of the Sonic OVA? I recently watched it for the first time in probably close to 20 years and was reminded of how how well stylized it is and how formative it was for me, being the first anime I'd seen outside of Pokemon and the like. also imo a Twinkle Park cover of the South Island theme would be killer

h peets

hi hazel! i don’t know if you’ve answered this before, but have you considered making a discord server for you channel?

Sugar Free Mocha

Hello, Hazel. If I recall correctly, I believe you used a gaming keypad for video editing. If so, I was wondering what did you end up macroing on the gaming keypad for your video software (Razor Tool, Zoom, WASD)? Also, if the above question isn't relevant, I was wondering if you had any tips for fellow creators on how to avoid burnout when writing or in general? Thank you, Isekai Emochan.

Gurt

Hey Hazel, a few delayed questions for ya. Firstly, I saw you uploaded the chords to May's theme on your second channel, what are your thoughts on strive and who's your favorite character? (mine is Axl because my partner thinks he's hot and people hate fighting me online). Secondly, what are your thoughts on Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity? I never hear anyone talk about it but I think it rips.

leafbladie

Probably too late to ask, but just in case. I was curious, how do you feel about SAO being classified as an isekai, or isekai as a genre tag itself? I ask because despite being considered one of the progenitors of the modern isekai, it really doesn't seem to fall in line with a lot of the tropes and trappings you see in isekai as it is known today. Like, the main characters actually want to get back home, they don't want to be trapped in this "new world", and said "new world" isn't even a parallel fantasy one, but just a video game. Still, I wouldn't say people are wrong to call it an isekai, but it feels to me like a "is this useful for understanding isekai" type of genre tag. Sorry if discussions of genre bore you, and feel free to skip if you just don't care.

Annoyance
>>80913603

thank you so much for bringing up princess fucking ai i read that manga in full and was so baffled by its existence for decades after. so glad to hear hazel wants to talk about it.