Shinjuku

It’s pretty fascinating just to look at the magazine racks. Sometimes it’s kind of overwhelming to see the volume of seemingly pretty neat stuff going on, and how much of it is very involved and is followed by people passionately. Comix, electronics, television, anime, weird niche video games, music, et cetera: walking around Shinjuku or Akiba I feel like I want to get involved in all of it. I have to reassure myself that I’ve already found great stuff to get into: Toume Kei for comix, all the neat electronics I’ve already got, Pussuma on TV and whatever other neat shows I can catch, Arjuna and such for anime, Sakura Taisen and Xenosaga for my video games, Clammbon and Shiina Ringo for music. I don’t have to go out of my way to discover and involve myself in pop culture, because I’m already there, and I’ve already found some of the best stuff there is. Well, my connections to this stuff are pretty random. I found Clammbon by taking a chance on some song I saw a 15-second commercial for. I found Toume Kei by picking up a random attractive-looking comic book at the store and buying it on a whim. Sakura Taisen, well, that’s [another story][1]. On one hand, it’s these random connections and lucky chances that make my perception of the works more valuable than that of something I found under more contrived or mundane circumstances. On the other hand, their fleeting nature makes me wonder whether I’m missing out on something even greater just over the horizon, and this thought sometimes causes me to panic a bit and search frantically for something truly awesome. Eventually I come to my senses and realize that the things I already hold dear are better for me than any of these shiny items lined up on the shelves. I can try out as many quirky games as I want, but will any of them really be as good as Xenosaga or Sakura Taisen? No way. Maybe I’ll find some more neat games by chance, but I don’t need to seek them out. The same goes for comix, music, or anything else. That was a weird little divulgence. I’m currently searching for a relatively easy-to-read Japanese novel I can get engaged by. Juuni Kokki seems neat but might be a year or so above my level. Suggestions are welcome. [1]: http://jetfuel.metalbat.com/sakura.txt