Episode 9 of Kiznaiver was a pretty intense episode with a lot of emotion, and some pretty cool shots and animation. Things are coming to a head, and it’ll be interesting to see how the Kiznaivers deal with the stress they’re all in. We also got the definite yes to the obvious plot point between Katsuhira and Nori, so it’ll also be interesting to see where that goes. There’s only 3 more episodes, which is not nearly enough in my opinion, but here’s hoping they make the best of it.

In other anime-related news, I also started watching Haven’t You Heard? I’m Sakamoto. There’s an interesting story behind this though… Years ago, while I was at a Japanese shopping area, I saw a poster of Haven’t You Heard? I’m Sakamoto on the window of the book store. It showed Sakamoto tossing a straw into his friend’s juice box from across the classroom. I thought it was hilarious, but I’m not that well versed in Japanese, so I just snapped a picture, sent it to a few friends, and subsequently forgot about it. Fast forward to a few months ago at that same bookstore which has opened up an English manga section (which is cheaper than other bookstores, by the way) and I recognized the art right away. In fact, the artwork from that poster was on the back cover of volume 2! I immediate bought both volumes on a whim, started reading, and loved it. The anime has been practically the same as the manga, which is great.

Haven’t You Heard? I’m Sakamoto is a comedy about a boy named Sakamoto who is handsome, cool, and all the girls squeal and swoon over him. He’s also kind of eccentric, but quiet, and can’t stand by and watch as people get hurt. He generally tries to solve problems in his Sakamoto way, remaining his cool air the whole time. We never get any internal monologue from Sakamoto; he is as much of an enigma to us as he is to the rest of the characters. All we know is that whatever Sakamoto does, he does it as stylish as possible. The episodes are shot in a vignette style, with each scene being a separate story, most episodes with 2 or more per episode. So far there hasn’t been any main plot or conflict, just Sakamoto and his silly antics. If you’re looking for a ridiculous and funny anime, I’d definitely check this one out.

In the realm of video games, I’ve been working on playing the PSX Total Conversion of DOOM here and there. You see, there was a port of DOOM to PlayStation 1, which changes up some sound effects, music, lighting effects, and even some entire levels. They later released Final DOOM for the PlayStation 1 that included pretty much everything up to that point with the changes intact. So Final DOOM for PS1 includes Ultimate DOOM, DOOM II and the corresponding Master Levels, as well as bits and pieces of TNT: Evilution and the Plutonia Experiment. Anyway, someone faithfully ported the PSX DOOM experience to PC, and that’s what I’ve been playing.

PSX DOOM is a must play for anyone who liked DOOM 64, or anyone who likes DOOM in general. It came out before DOOM 64, but the atmosphere, sounds, and music were taken and put right into DOOM 64. It’s dark and has a creepy atmosphere, putting a whole new twist on the DOOM levels you know and love. Some things are changed however, because the team behind it weren’t sure they could do the original DOOM justice. Some stages are completely different or removed altogether, while some only have minor changes. Some PlayStation exclusive levels were created too. Archviles (and I think Spider Masterminds) are removed from the game, but they have added in a new monster: the Nightmare Spectre. They look almost identical to a Spectre, but their colors are inverted, giving them that sickly blue/green color. They are also slightly stronger. Anyway, definitely play the PSX DOOM if you haven’t yet.

These “What’cha Doin’?” posts are designed to spark discussion, so feel free to post in the comments what you’ve been playin’, watchin’, or listenin’ to lately.