Metaphors

Making a Checklist for Books & Games

May 18, 2025November 20, 2025HalsdollLeave a comment

Have you ever had a hard time deciding whether you like something or not? I have had many experiences playing games and reading books. Sometimes I cannot pinpoint why I don’t enjoy something as much as I should. So, I like to write out my thoughts in the form of a review. Unfortunately, these days, I don’t have that luxury anymore. The truth is, my work (apart from my health) has been so demanding that all of my hobbies were at a standstill. It’s already close to the middle of the year. I have only completed three games: Spirit of the North, developed by Infuse Studio; Xanadu Next, developed by Nihon Falcom; and the Bookwalker, developed by Do My Best. No time for mental health and recreation is not good. So here I am back with one of my favorite pastime activities: making a list. I have always found it therapeutic to make a list of books and games because it helps me clear my mind and stay focused.

Out of the three games I’ve played this year, the one I enjoyed the most is Xanadu Next. The game design is superb, however, the game is buggy. I had to restart a boss fight three times! If you enjoy a soul-like game, then this game is a treat. Well, I believe this game came before the souls franchise. Playing this game made me realized how much I enjoy treasure hunting, good level design and challenging games.

Which brings me to the next game I will be playing. Spontaneously, I decided I needed something more relaxing and casual. I dipped my foot into Skyrim Definitive Edition and Oblivion Remastered because I want to transport myself into a fantasy world that’s not too brutal. So far, I have been enjoying these two games. Then I realized I have Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, which I started last year, but never completed. At the time, anything that required a big time investment, I shied away. Now that things are settling down a bit, I can sit down and relax with a good RPG. Recruiting heroes is fun. But so far, I enjoy the cooking challenge the most and have found collecting recipes to be just as fun as recruiting interesting characters. This game is my ideal game of what I call relaxing.

*Currently,* *I don’t have a recipe that will beat my opponent. His ramen is delicious.*

As for my reading list, I only have a handful of unread books. I created a list of books I would eventually love to read, but do not have a set time to complete them. If you are reading for pleasure, why set a goal? These pastime activities should be a form of relaxation. I have been quite satisfied with what I have read so far. I completed ~~Beast Warriors~~ Beast Player by Nahoko Uehashi and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë. Currently reading The Hunch Back of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo. I enjoy the books mainly for their beautiful metaphors.

When I was researching ways to organize my reading and gaming list, I came across other apps and sites that help with just that, but I adore my blog. Why abandon it for something else like Notion? I can simply use WordPress tools to organize a list and create a separate page for my blog so I can go back to check off my reading list. Notion, Steam, Instagram, Goodreads, Amazon, and Google have a good section for reviewing items, but I think I am perfectly fine with my scattered notes and images here on this blog until WordPress decides to shut down.

So, do you have a way of organizing your books and games or other media you consume? I am extremely curious. Perhaps you can share 1 or 2 tips.

Credits: the images on this blog post are taken from Xanadu Next and Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes

Death Note (2006) Review: Light, the Dark Angel

November 8, 2021October 30, 2023Halsdoll2 Comments

I often hear people say if you want a good introduction to anime, watch Death Note. But I have mixed feelings about this statement. It was a solid insightful review that convinced me to give it a try, but I can’t find the same review now that I finished watching it to go back for reference and give it credit. I like the ambitious story concept in Death Note but I didn’t like the art direction all that much. I find myself dragging my feet towards the next episode when one ends. It wasn’t binge-worthy because I sort of knew what was going to happen. The schoolboy is going to be reduced to a pawn for thinking he is above everyone.

You see, Light Yagami, the protagonist has it all. He comes from a good family. He is an honorable student. He is so attractive that schoolgirls turn heads at the sight of him walking past. He has a bright future ahead of him. So, what’s his problem? What’s there not to be content? The answer is in the first episode. He is bored and lonely out of his mind until he discovers Death Note. He thought he could create a perfect world where he is God and where everyone is kind. But during his process of killing criminals to build his utopia under the name Kira, L, a mysterious detective who works for the I.C.P.O (International Criminal Police Organization), starts to investigate who is the person behind Kira in hope of putting that mass murderer behind the bar. Thus, the game begins between two very intelligent people who have a strong sense of justice. The story is more than a cat and mouse chase, but more like a tennis match as the anime suggested in episode 10. The light finally meets his match, L. Now I have a question for the readers who have seen this anime. Whom did you side with?

So, let’s talk about what I like about this anime since this is a blog about metaphors. Right of the bat, I knew the anime was about morality and knowledge is being compared to an apple, and the Shinigami has that knowledge.

Knowledge is the fruit. Is apple evil? — I took a bite from Blood Apple and it was good. Glad I can finally use this picture to illustrate my point for a blog post.

You see, in Genesis, the serpent said to Eve if she eats the fruit her eyes would be wide open to know between right and wrong. She’d have the conscience of God. On a side note, did you know that the fruit in Genesis is unknown? I would assume John Milton’s Paradise Lost popularized the notion that Eve ate an apple and not just some fruit, but please tell me otherwise. In a way, you can compare Light to Eve whom both have a hunger for knowledge and a hunger for perfection. Eve has good intentions even though she is warned by God not to eat the fruit. Can you blame her for wanting to be like God? He’s perfectly all-knowing. Likewise, Light has good intentions. He wants a perfect world where there is no crime. In the end, the show left me thinking about humans desiring to be God. For someone like Light, should we admire a serial killer who kills in the name of justice? Then is God himself, a murderer? That’s a mystery. The only conclusion I got from this anime is that God must be bored and humans are nothing but sport for Him to ease His boredom. If that is the case, then God is…

Like the saying goes… life is nothing more than a game of chess and that was exactly what I was watching. The undertone to the story is pretty dark to my liking or perhaps, the art direction failed to convey the manga artist’s true intent. Personally, I don’t think God (or a higher intelligence or whatever you believe in) to be that simple. There were other titles much better in my opinion such as Lain, Noir, and Now and Then, Here and There just to name a few that I enjoyed in the past which introduced me to anime. Maybe the manga is different, who knows?

Savage Streets (1984) Review: The Hunting Bow Heroine

April 19, 2021October 30, 2023Halsdoll3 Comments

I’ve been thinking a lot about films and I’m beginning to enjoy the medium. It’s like poetry. It’s full of imagery and it gets to the point, especially for someone like me who is on the go and dislikes details. I guess I’m a bit savage myself–me think in a few words and like simplicity.

According to Miss Young, the school teacher in this film, poetry contains the following:

Rhythm
Rhyme
Meaning

I could see it. There are a few catchy phrases that were cheesy but entertaining. The right songs are played in each scene, echoing the edginess theme. Lastly, the film has a good message. We could all take some notes from Brenda, the fiery protagonist played by Linda Blair who also starred in that terrifying film called The Exorcist. She is bold, and daring but just. And she is only a teenager–a teenager who dares to lit a cigarette in the classroom and tells her sentimental poetry teacher to back off. As she said, teachers only know their students for 1-2 hours. They don’t know them on a personal level and what they are capable of. Grr…feisty.

[Okay! Forgive me for my poetry rant. Let’s talk about the film.]

Savage Streets is at its savageness. It’s a comedy/drama that’s not to be taken seriously. Unless you are a teenager reading this review, you may find the film offensive. Why? Because teenagers don’t know anything in life other than peer pressure and seeking one’s identity and purpose in life. Unless you had a rough life like Brenda where you are forced to grow up fast, then that’s a different story. Brenda has to be tough because she got a deaf-mute sister to care for. It’s no surprise she takes the lead among her female friends. She is like the hunting bow of the streets with her pack, walking in the night fiercely and patrolling the streets from injustice. Like Scorpion from Female Prisoner 701 Scorpion, she is on a mission to put bad boys in their place. Brenda doesn’t wait for the law to set things straight and offer her justice. Instead, she gives that neanderthal, punk villain Jake what he deserves. She hunts and strikes that barbaric savage down with her sharp arrow. I could hear her say through her eyes: “I got you, bad boy!” Like a true heroine, she defends the weak from the domineering apes that prowl the streets.

I can’t tell you exactly what happened in the film because that would ruin the fun. Watch this film with friends, your significant other, or by yourself and I am pretty sure you would get angry but then have a great laugh. Well depending on your sense of humor. Mine is pretty morbid. Overall, fun film to watch–a few outrageous scenes and nudity that don’t make any sense other than the fact it’s there for eye candy. On second thought, watching with an easily jealous girlfriend might not be a good idea. There’s nothing more annoying than being accused of stealing someone’s boyfriend like in Brenda’s case. It’s not Brenda’s fault that men foolishly gravitate towards her hotness. I guess some men just want to get burned.