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https://blacknerdproblems.com/shoresy-season-2-review/
Shoresy is such a good show that I, who doesn’t normally rewatch shows, will put it on whenever a friend says they haven’t seen it. Not only will I rewatch Shoresy with them, I’ll watch my friend to make sure they aren’t on their phone missing any of this greatness. I love this show so much and was relieved to see that they got renewed for a second season. I did worry if the Shoresy season 2 would live up to the first season. Now that it’s out, it’s safe to say that Shoresy season 2 is not only a different feel from the first season but a different journey all together.
If there’s two things you shouldn’t doubt about this show, it’s that Jared Keeso knows how to write a banger episode and director Jacob Tieranny is going get the best shots possible. What I love about this show is the anticipation of what’s to come. I may not know what’s coming but I know there will be the right amount of humor and wholesome waiting for me.
Although the feel is different from the first season, Shoresy Season 2 presents a new perspective for the Sudbury Bulldogs and their quest to never lose again. We step back into the show seeing that the team has been working their asses off this season. They boys put on muscle, their more aggressive on the ice, the NOSHO is no longer whale shit senior hockey, because this team is four games away from being undefeated for the season. Something that’s never been done ever. This quest towards the perfect record becomes one of the driving narratives for the series.
If you thought Sudbury Bulldogs’ captain Shoresy (Jared Keeso) was a on one last season, with a perfect record on the line, this man is an entirely different animal this season when it comes to keeping the team on track. What I like about this season is that there are issues with success. This season we see obstacles that come from team winning. There are multiple fires that need to be put out with this team. Whenever I talk about Shoresy as a show, it’s so easy to compare it to Ted Lasso. As characters Shoresy and Ted Lasso are at opposite ends of the spectrum in their approaches to winning. Ted Lasso wants to make you a better person and then a better player. Shoresy wants to bring that dog out of you and see you give it everything you got. Two different approaches, but the goals are somewhat similar.
Spoilers ahead folks!
Shoresy Season 2 and the Excellence of Execution
Remember in the Dark Knight Rises, Bane fights Batman and notices that the years away from crime fighting has made Batman’s fighting skills soft. Bane then tells him, “Victory has defeated you.” Oooof. We see that Shoresy’s team the Sudbury Bulldogs now faces the same issue. They got the best record in the league, they are on top, but you gotta stay on top. The team owner Nat (Tasya Teles) and her proteges, Miigwan (Keilani Rose) and Ziigwan (Blair Lamora) bring up these concerns up to Shoresy (Jared Keeso) and Sanguinet (Harlan Blayne Kytwayhat). The concerns are that they got teams wanting to take out their record and players smashing too much ass, specifically Goody (Andrew Antsanen) and Dolo (Jonathan-Ismaël Diaby). Goody and Dolo already playing a round in the sheets, so they got no legs in the 3rd round of the games. The Jims (Jon Mirasty, Brandon Nolan, and Jordan Nolan) are always late leaving right after games, and their goalie, Michaels (Ryan McDonell) is acting weird (even tho “goalies are always weird”).
What I truly love about this season is how Shoresy and Sanguinet have to make sure the team is still a well-oiled machine. They win a game, but that shit ain’t enough; Shoresy goes off on how everyone played. My man slapping sticks (ice cream cones) out folks hands that ain’t play, or in Fish’s (Jacob Smith) case, who used to score a goal a game, hasn’t score at all in four games. When Fish asks, “What happened to do they don’t ask how, they ask how many,” Sanguinet and Shoresy get in his face and tell’em “I’M (HE’s) ASKING HOW!”. What I love about this is that we see Sanguinet and Shoresy working hand in hand keeping the team in shape. Yet, when the team is getting rocked, and the team is stanking, It’s Fish that Sanguinet bets his chips on.
Fish is told it’s on him, and that if he doesn’t score he’s cut. He thinks they’re messing with him, but Shoresy is burning a hole through him, deathly serious. I love this scene as Fish is hearing the news, then we see him on the ice taking a knee in front of his team as if this is his trial by fire. When he comes through, he tells Shoresy and Sanguinet how that wasn’t cool and not to fuck with him like that again. When Nat asks about the situation, she says that was going too far. Sanguinet informs her that he wasn’t joking. Yeah, that’s how serious shit is. I love this scene, because Shoresy tells Nat, just as he tells Fish who is rightfully upset, “Didn’t see you complaining making the game winning shot. Didn’t see you complaining when the team was cheering you. Won’t see you complaining when you getting your dink sucked later…. Or a maybe I will. Fuck it, I’ll watch if he wants me to.”
Ironically, up until this episode, Shoresy kept asking Fish if he was ever going to score again. He was riding them hard. Then when it came time for him to step up and Fish calls him out on it, Shoresy says, I know what I said. Now it’s time for you to score us that goal. Where some may see this as putting on too much pressure for results, I see it as just right. Fish needed something to bring him back to scoring goals, sometimes when it’s crunch time, you gotta put someone’s feet to the fire in hopes of getting the results you need. Shoresy and Sanguinet understand this and are willing to bet the farm on implementing this on the team.
The Best There is, Best There was, Best There Ever will Be
Outside of the team we get to see a portion of Nat’s love life, how Sanguinet and Miigwan interact now that they’re dating, JJ Frankie JJ (Max Bouffard) being messy once again, Hitchcock (Terry Ryan) looking for love, and of course Shoresy pining after Laura Mohr (Camille Sullivan). Communication takes center focus as Shoresy has to figure out what’s going on with the Jims and Michaels. The dope part of this part is how they address the issue facing the players as a team in order to find solutions. There is no big bad to face this time around as the team stepped their game up; however, the Soo have an American team as well: the Soo Hunt. This team isn’t bad, they just Americans that wanna be the best at Hockey because American’s always wanna be the best at everything. However, the Sudbury Bulldogs are en route achieving Bret Hart status. Being the best there is, was, or ever will be. All they have to do is choose that greatness and work towards it.
There is one scene in Shoresy where they are up against a team and a player hits Michaels in the face with his stick. Shroesy warns the player if he does it again, he’s dead. That motherfucker did it again, and what happens is probably the most violent scene we see in the season. When I say there was blood on the ice, I mean it looked like someone spilled a bloody margarita on the ice. It was that bad but also an incredible scene about self-governing that hockey players do. We’ve seen Shoresy chirp (insult) everyone he’s against, get under their skin, sucker punch, do nut shots, slice an ankle, and more. This man has done really dirty shit, but he never did that to a team’s goalie. Ther are some things even Shoresy won’t do. So seeing a player do this to his goalie is a huge fucking no. Shoresy warned him, and when mans didn’t take heed, not only did he get dropped but he got dragged to the team’s box for everyone to get licks in.
A Whole lot of Wholesome
Shoresy does a lot to focus on the action on the ice, but they do an incredibly balanced job of showing the action off the ice. We see this backstory behind why Shoresy stays in hockey even tho he’s got a decade on most players. “It’s the only place I can really be me.” There’s the return of the Shoresy’s family, which was an incredible surprise. His niece brings her boyfriend over, Shoresy is kindly grilling him (especially hearing he’s an e-sports player) and we see here when his sister starts telling embarrassing stories of him in his youth, Shoresy can take it just as much as he dishes it. The man smiles as his sister talks about him kissing a woman that was actually a man (“What can I say, she was handsome”) and him running away from a girl crying. In the end, we see the family proud of what his team is on the verge of doing.
My favorite part comes when we see exactly how the sexy calendar for the team came about. Shoresy arrives, spray tanned (mans is orange), and ready to get oiled up. He’s going the extra mile for this photo shoot, expected everyone else to do the same, and is surprised when he sees the players with their shirts on. Everyone is laughing at him, and he’s defending his case until told by Nat why he’s going this far when he’s already put on muscle, had the team do the same, and is doing everything in his power to keep this winning streak going. To which Shoresy says, “Because you kept the team going and didn’t give up on us. So I’m going to go above and beyond for you.” That part got me, I was choked up as Nat tells the team to go and get tans, then tells Shoresy, “you’re up first, captain.”
I love this show me, no show (no pun) has fucking heart and grit like this. I mentioned that season one feels different from season 2. Yes, they’ve achieved the impossible and turned things around, but once again, there’s another peak on the mountain they can achieve as they head for championships and facing off against even better teams. The Sudbury Bulldogs were fucking jokes, Shoresy said, they would never lose again, then they lost. Nat said she’d fold the team, but the team finally hated to lose, the town was behind them, so she couldn’t pull the trigger, and now they’re on top of their game… with a chance to be legendary. Nat put her faith in Shoresy and this team, and because of that he has gone above and beyond.
Shoresy Season 2 is must-watch television. That’s all I can really say man. Jared Keeso’s pen game never stopped being flames. I love how there’s running gags through the series. How he’ll have a character mention something just for another person to say an episode later (to hammer home that point). Jacob Tierney’s long shots are my favorite part of the series, the way he captures teams and individuals throughout the show is amazing. I found myself slapping the table when watching games, hoping the Bulldogs pull out a win. The way he pulls in close ups, like when Nat saw a slut (hockey player), she was ready to take down.
Shoresy is a show that goes above and beyond, just like the players on the ice. They’ve been confirmed for a third season, which means this show is one season away from a hat trick. You can check out Shoresy season 2 streaming on Hulu, right now.
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The post ‘Shoresy’ Season 2 Sets The F***** Tone, Boys appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.
Shoresy is such a good show that I, who doesn’t normally rewatch shows, will put it on whenever a friend says they haven’t seen it. Not only will I rewatch Shoresy with them, I’ll watch my friend to make sure they aren’t on their phone missing any of this greatness. I love this show so much and was relieved to see that they got renewed for a second season. I did worry if the Shoresy season 2 would live up to the first season. Now that it’s out, it’s safe to say that Shoresy season 2 is not only a different feel from the first season but a different journey all together.
If there’s two things you shouldn’t doubt about this show, it’s that Jared Keeso knows how to write a banger episode and director Jacob Tieranny is going get the best shots possible. What I love about this show is the anticipation of what’s to come. I may not know what’s coming but I know there will be the right amount of humor and wholesome waiting for me.
Although the feel is different from the first season, Shoresy Season 2 presents a new perspective for the Sudbury Bulldogs and their quest to never lose again. We step back into the show seeing that the team has been working their asses off this season. They boys put on muscle, their more aggressive on the ice, the NOSHO is no longer whale shit senior hockey, because this team is four games away from being undefeated for the season. Something that’s never been done ever. This quest towards the perfect record becomes one of the driving narratives for the series.
If you thought Sudbury Bulldogs’ captain Shoresy (Jared Keeso) was a on one last season, with a perfect record on the line, this man is an entirely different animal this season when it comes to keeping the team on track. What I like about this season is that there are issues with success. This season we see obstacles that come from team winning. There are multiple fires that need to be put out with this team. Whenever I talk about Shoresy as a show, it’s so easy to compare it to Ted Lasso. As characters Shoresy and Ted Lasso are at opposite ends of the spectrum in their approaches to winning. Ted Lasso wants to make you a better person and then a better player. Shoresy wants to bring that dog out of you and see you give it everything you got. Two different approaches, but the goals are somewhat similar.
Spoilers ahead folks!
Shoresy Season 2 and the Excellence of Execution
Remember in the Dark Knight Rises, Bane fights Batman and notices that the years away from crime fighting has made Batman’s fighting skills soft. Bane then tells him, “Victory has defeated you.” Oooof. We see that Shoresy’s team the Sudbury Bulldogs now faces the same issue. They got the best record in the league, they are on top, but you gotta stay on top. The team owner Nat (Tasya Teles) and her proteges, Miigwan (Keilani Rose) and Ziigwan (Blair Lamora) bring up these concerns up to Shoresy (Jared Keeso) and Sanguinet (Harlan Blayne Kytwayhat). The concerns are that they got teams wanting to take out their record and players smashing too much ass, specifically Goody (Andrew Antsanen) and Dolo (Jonathan-Ismaël Diaby). Goody and Dolo already playing a round in the sheets, so they got no legs in the 3rd round of the games. The Jims (Jon Mirasty, Brandon Nolan, and Jordan Nolan) are always late leaving right after games, and their goalie, Michaels (Ryan McDonell) is acting weird (even tho “goalies are always weird”).
What I truly love about this season is how Shoresy and Sanguinet have to make sure the team is still a well-oiled machine. They win a game, but that shit ain’t enough; Shoresy goes off on how everyone played. My man slapping sticks (ice cream cones) out folks hands that ain’t play, or in Fish’s (Jacob Smith) case, who used to score a goal a game, hasn’t score at all in four games. When Fish asks, “What happened to do they don’t ask how, they ask how many,” Sanguinet and Shoresy get in his face and tell’em “I’M (HE’s) ASKING HOW!”. What I love about this is that we see Sanguinet and Shoresy working hand in hand keeping the team in shape. Yet, when the team is getting rocked, and the team is stanking, It’s Fish that Sanguinet bets his chips on.
Fish is told it’s on him, and that if he doesn’t score he’s cut. He thinks they’re messing with him, but Shoresy is burning a hole through him, deathly serious. I love this scene as Fish is hearing the news, then we see him on the ice taking a knee in front of his team as if this is his trial by fire. When he comes through, he tells Shoresy and Sanguinet how that wasn’t cool and not to fuck with him like that again. When Nat asks about the situation, she says that was going too far. Sanguinet informs her that he wasn’t joking. Yeah, that’s how serious shit is. I love this scene, because Shoresy tells Nat, just as he tells Fish who is rightfully upset, “Didn’t see you complaining making the game winning shot. Didn’t see you complaining when the team was cheering you. Won’t see you complaining when you getting your dink sucked later…. Or a maybe I will. Fuck it, I’ll watch if he wants me to.”
Ironically, up until this episode, Shoresy kept asking Fish if he was ever going to score again. He was riding them hard. Then when it came time for him to step up and Fish calls him out on it, Shoresy says, I know what I said. Now it’s time for you to score us that goal. Where some may see this as putting on too much pressure for results, I see it as just right. Fish needed something to bring him back to scoring goals, sometimes when it’s crunch time, you gotta put someone’s feet to the fire in hopes of getting the results you need. Shoresy and Sanguinet understand this and are willing to bet the farm on implementing this on the team.
The Best There is, Best There was, Best There Ever will Be
Outside of the team we get to see a portion of Nat’s love life, how Sanguinet and Miigwan interact now that they’re dating, JJ Frankie JJ (Max Bouffard) being messy once again, Hitchcock (Terry Ryan) looking for love, and of course Shoresy pining after Laura Mohr (Camille Sullivan). Communication takes center focus as Shoresy has to figure out what’s going on with the Jims and Michaels. The dope part of this part is how they address the issue facing the players as a team in order to find solutions. There is no big bad to face this time around as the team stepped their game up; however, the Soo have an American team as well: the Soo Hunt. This team isn’t bad, they just Americans that wanna be the best at Hockey because American’s always wanna be the best at everything. However, the Sudbury Bulldogs are en route achieving Bret Hart status. Being the best there is, was, or ever will be. All they have to do is choose that greatness and work towards it.
There is one scene in Shoresy where they are up against a team and a player hits Michaels in the face with his stick. Shroesy warns the player if he does it again, he’s dead. That motherfucker did it again, and what happens is probably the most violent scene we see in the season. When I say there was blood on the ice, I mean it looked like someone spilled a bloody margarita on the ice. It was that bad but also an incredible scene about self-governing that hockey players do. We’ve seen Shoresy chirp (insult) everyone he’s against, get under their skin, sucker punch, do nut shots, slice an ankle, and more. This man has done really dirty shit, but he never did that to a team’s goalie. Ther are some things even Shoresy won’t do. So seeing a player do this to his goalie is a huge fucking no. Shoresy warned him, and when mans didn’t take heed, not only did he get dropped but he got dragged to the team’s box for everyone to get licks in.
A Whole lot of Wholesome
Shoresy does a lot to focus on the action on the ice, but they do an incredibly balanced job of showing the action off the ice. We see this backstory behind why Shoresy stays in hockey even tho he’s got a decade on most players. “It’s the only place I can really be me.” There’s the return of the Shoresy’s family, which was an incredible surprise. His niece brings her boyfriend over, Shoresy is kindly grilling him (especially hearing he’s an e-sports player) and we see here when his sister starts telling embarrassing stories of him in his youth, Shoresy can take it just as much as he dishes it. The man smiles as his sister talks about him kissing a woman that was actually a man (“What can I say, she was handsome”) and him running away from a girl crying. In the end, we see the family proud of what his team is on the verge of doing.
My favorite part comes when we see exactly how the sexy calendar for the team came about. Shoresy arrives, spray tanned (mans is orange), and ready to get oiled up. He’s going the extra mile for this photo shoot, expected everyone else to do the same, and is surprised when he sees the players with their shirts on. Everyone is laughing at him, and he’s defending his case until told by Nat why he’s going this far when he’s already put on muscle, had the team do the same, and is doing everything in his power to keep this winning streak going. To which Shoresy says, “Because you kept the team going and didn’t give up on us. So I’m going to go above and beyond for you.” That part got me, I was choked up as Nat tells the team to go and get tans, then tells Shoresy, “you’re up first, captain.”
I love this show me, no show (no pun) has fucking heart and grit like this. I mentioned that season one feels different from season 2. Yes, they’ve achieved the impossible and turned things around, but once again, there’s another peak on the mountain they can achieve as they head for championships and facing off against even better teams. The Sudbury Bulldogs were fucking jokes, Shoresy said, they would never lose again, then they lost. Nat said she’d fold the team, but the team finally hated to lose, the town was behind them, so she couldn’t pull the trigger, and now they’re on top of their game… with a chance to be legendary. Nat put her faith in Shoresy and this team, and because of that he has gone above and beyond.
Shoresy Season 2 is must-watch television. That’s all I can really say man. Jared Keeso’s pen game never stopped being flames. I love how there’s running gags through the series. How he’ll have a character mention something just for another person to say an episode later (to hammer home that point). Jacob Tierney’s long shots are my favorite part of the series, the way he captures teams and individuals throughout the show is amazing. I found myself slapping the table when watching games, hoping the Bulldogs pull out a win. The way he pulls in close ups, like when Nat saw a slut (hockey player), she was ready to take down.
Shoresy is a show that goes above and beyond, just like the players on the ice. They’ve been confirmed for a third season, which means this show is one season away from a hat trick. You can check out Shoresy season 2 streaming on Hulu, right now.
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The post ‘Shoresy’ Season 2 Sets The F***** Tone, Boys appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.
If you were to ask me what I thought about Netflix potentially getting into interactive media, I probably would have answered: I can see it. And I’d probably imagine something along the lines of Bandersnatch with a simple choose your own adventure interface that is easy enough to do with a remote control and technology that very easily translates over to more children friendly media like Minecraft or Legos. That would make perfect sense. And if you asked me to ponder a little harder, I could picture a world where trivia games come back into fashion. I still vaguely remember Trivial Pursuit DVDs that you could plug and play, so a streaming version of that wouldn’t be out of the question.
However, I don’t think I would have ever imagined that Netflix would dive head-first into the mobile gaming arena and be so aggressive about it.
It’s been just about two years since Netflix announced that they were going to start curating a mobile gaming library; a sentence which is still a little baffling to type out but one that makes some semblance of sense. Mobile gaming is a lucrative industry and including a collection of games does bolster the proverbial bang for your buck for your Netflix account. One subscription and you can access the games on your phone with no ads or additional fees. And when they announced the initial rollout, it seemed within reasonable bounds: two Stranger Things tie-in games, two basic physics games, and a card game.
Over the years, Netflix has gone the predictable route of including games that tie-in to their popular series with things like Love is Blind and Too Hot To Handle. Cross promotion is a good business model that garners retention and new viewers and players.
However, Netflix has also gone the inexplicable odd route and truly dedicated itself to being a pioneer in the mobile game space. This is something that became readily apparent to me when they announced that they not only were adding one of my personal favorite games, Into the Breach, to their collection, and that the Android and iOS versions game would launch with an Advanced Edition DLC. That would also be coupled with the PC and Switch versions that would reap the benefits from the quote unquote Netflix money and receive the update for free. Which means thanks to Netflix, I got several new mech squads, pilots, enemies, and a difficulty setting I have only been brave enough to touch once. But that type of investment and branch in genre and sourcing caught my eye.
And over the years, I find myself paying attention to the in-app promotions for their latest games and have an eye on the comprehensive list. It’s constantly impressive the caliber of titles they have in their ranks.
For fighting game enthusiasts, the streamlined arcade fighter Samurai Shodown was added this September. The console version is a popular fixture on our Twitch channel, and the trailer of the mobile version raised a lot of eyebrows as a way to enjoy the methodological 2.5D fighter.
If action games are more your speed, there is TMNT: Shredder’s Revenger. Another remake of an arcade classic, the vibrant colors pop off the screen and the simple controllers will lead to hours of fun with the classic beat ‘em up formula with a 2023 level of polish. You could also partake in Moonlighter, a fascinating game that combines elements of dungeons with business simulation as you play a shopkeeper by day and sword wielder adventurer at night, going into ancient ruins to acquire wares that you can sell in order to invest in other local businesses or improve your own armaments.
Furthermore, while researching this article, I discovered that Dead Cells would be joining this roster (and there’s a good chance by the time this article is actually published, Dead Cells: Netflix will already be out). Dead Cells is one of the original harbingers of the Roguelike. The fast paced Metrovania scroller that heralded a revitalization of my favorite genre. It is a game I have sunken hundreds of hours into even though I haven’t managed to complete a run on the base difficult because the Hand of the King is a brutal boss fight, and I haven’t quite mastered balancing my biome clearing, survivability, and boss slaying. And you get the full game with your Netflix account. That’s every single DLC including the Castlevania which given that Nocturne is maybe more calculated than I realized and a brilliant decision all around.
For more story-driven titles, come take your pick. Perhaps you’re a fan of Annapurna Interactive and want to delve into the liminal horror of Kentucky Route Zero, taking control of Conway as he wanders alongside a fictitious interstate attempting to make a delivery. Maybe you caught snippets of the recursive story of 12 Minutes starring James McAvoy and Daisy Ridley and want to parse together their dark secrets.
You could opt for equally supernatural Oxenfree games, whether you’re following Alex or Riley as they try to uncover the mystery of an anomalous radio signal. History buffs may appreciate Valiant Hearts: Coming Home. Or perhaps you need something a little cozier and subtle emotional devastating by way of Spiritfarer.
And we can’t possibly forget the bread and butter of the mobile game library, puzzle and card games with Exploding Kittens (which is a fun example where the mobile game of the card games acts a prelude to the eventual animated series that Netflix is producing), Reigns: Three Kingdoms, or Storyteller.
It continues to be a very odd decision, but Netflix seems earnestly dedicated to supporting small and indie devs and giving them a digital platform that allows their games to reach more people. They’re picking games that can work with small screens and balancing their IPs with a wide range of games that span genre and mechanics. And while I don’t find myself playing these games with my Netflix account since I have already started many files on various consoles and porting to mobile has historically had some hitches here and there, it’s also been a boon to say to a friend with a Netflix account, “hey you should check out one of my favorite games.” Try to Into the Breach, give Reigns: Three Kingdoms a shot, hey do you trip heavily into nostalgia with Bloons Tower Defense 6?
I will give credit where credit is due. Netflix is making a concerted effort to draw their viewers into gamers, and there’s a growing list of games that is convincing me that a download or two is more than reasonable.
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The post The Surprisingly Comprehensive Library of Netflix Mobile Gaming appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.
It is that time of year again: the gift giving holidays! In recent years, I’ve made anime themed gift guides spotlighting small businesses and brands. I did this in an attempt to share some hopefully unique gift ideas that are hidden gems and also have some fun. This year I continue that tradition with a short gift guide with some picks I stumbled upon that are bound to catch some eyeballs as you scroll and hopefully make someone’s day when they open it. I also wrote this with support and acknowledgement of the boycotting and alternative gifting ideas in support of Sudan, The Congo and Palestine. Carry on!
1.) Suku-Ita (NO CHEEKS) Reversible Bucket Hat
JJK fandom, stand up! (Or you can be like me and live in delulu land and pretend those awful things didn’t just happen to one of your favorite characters–join me!) I found these really neat reversible bucket hats that are 100% Cotton with Embroidery to represent Itadori and Printed for Sukuna’s side! The listing mentions how the hat is “perfect for going outdoors but never in Shibuya.” Excuse me, while I go cry into my pillow. See the hat’s listing here.
There’s also a cuter version with little anime cheeks on the Itadori’s side set as a pre-order item that will ship in January of next year. If you’re looking to go bold and big, consider one of these Christmas Advent Boxes at two different price points which include a number of goodies: beanies, washi tape, air freshers, key chains, enamel pins and more!
2.) Hawks Christmas Tree Topper
I love how creative anime fans get with holiday decorations, especially Christmas. This Christmas Tree Topper featuring the high-flying Pro-Hero Hawks is a holiday exclusive designed & illustrated by Felice Regina! The tree topper is 10″ tall, printed on 69lb semi-gloss paper and features a gold foil topper cone. Packaged flat with cardboard backer, this listing mentions that you can “Add a spicy angel to your Christmas tree…or Simp-mas tree,” which you can see online here. If you’re not keen on BHMA’s Best Flying Boi, consider these double sided acrylic ornaments with different MHA characters like Eri & Aizawa and Deku and All Might (and Bakugo!) that might be a better sell to put on the tree with your family.
3.) Golden Kamuy Keychains!
Golden Kamuy is one of my favorite manga series. In the early 20th century in Hokkaido, Japan, a treasure hunt between various parties takes place for a hidden stash of gold. One of my favorite relationships in the entire series that perfectly illustrates the found family trope is the one of Sugimoto, an ex-soldier, and a young Ainu girl named Asirpa, who is a capable hunter. They bond over cooking and eating good food a lot in the series which is a lot of fun to read and watch via the anime adaptation.
A sort of inside joke is when Sugimoto and Asirpa time and time again, exclaim their love of finding poop and what food items look like poop! (Osoma in Aspira’s native tongue!) These hand-made charms from AstralZombieShop feel like a treasure to me. The Sugimoto keychain measures 3″, and the Asirpa keychain is 2.5″ long! I would highly suggest not splitting up the family and buying them both, you know–for the discount. Check them out here online. If Golden Kamuy is too obscure for you, check out the other keychains from other favorite series like Cutie Honey and My Hero Academia.
4.) Studio Ghibli: 100 Collectible Postcards
So Chronicle Books has a great collection of postcard and note card and other stationery collections from some of our favorite universes, Studio Ghibli included. I especially loved this one hundred postcard collection of several offerings from the beloved Japanese animation film studio. Housed in a keepsake box with a lifting ribbon, these gorgeously detailed, full colored images will delight Studio Ghibli and animation fans of every age.
I loved that the box serves as a sort of time capsule: showcasing final frames from all their feature-length films from Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984) to When Marnie Was There (2014). See this item here on their website. If postcards aren’t really what you’re looking for gift wise, consider one of the many movie specific journals or pencil and eraser sets that are sure to be a winner for the writer or artist in your life.
5.) Various Anime Sticker & Car Decals
Chibi Servin’ specializes in “𝗠𝗲𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗔𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗠𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗵” which translates to anime merch like stickers, poster, tumbler cups and other goods with diverse takes on some of our favorite characters. In the case of the car decals like this Hijabi Chibi Moon holographic one which is a waterproof sticker that is 4.5 x 5 inches and has a Glossy finish. More on that particular design here and Hijabi representation here.
I love the variety of the stickers–presenting popular characters with DBZ’s Vegeta with textured fro and a Desi version of Shinobou from Demon Slayer. These stickers and other items are just fun all around and meant to be collected, gifted, and shared as noted by the artist: “It also helps anime creators see that diverse characters will be enjoyed by everyone and not just the intended audience.” If these particular stickers aren’t your thing, I’d suggest checking out some of the brand’s new releases that are Naruto themed that are sure to catch some eyes.
6.) Anime Themed Enamel Pins
According to her website: TealTeacup “makes everything CUTE & relatable with her funny chonky enamel pins inspired by memes, moods, anime, food, ghibli, and her favorite animals! “. I think her anime themed enamel pins are especially worth looking into as she has mini collections for Pokémon, Demon Slayer, and even Studio Ghibli films. With pin sets and several enamel pins that run more intricately with glitter and even moving parts, these are a dream!
If you’re looking for a bigger gift that will complement some really neat enamel pins for an anime fan in your life, consider one of TealTeacup’s gorgeous Ita Bags. Remember I briefly talked about them here. No Ita Bag is built the same and yet I adore this particular one from Howl’s Moving Castle fans as it is a double sided backpack with a cross body feature.
7.) Anime Themed Sweaters
I stumbled upon KOIKAY, as I’ve been slowly inching my way back to Instagram from my hiatus from the app. There are so many cool gift ideas that I almost did not know where to start! First, these anime themed sweaters that Naruto fans will clock on first glance to some really fun sweaters via collab with another creative that go just as hard. These threads could be worn to the office or classroom or even used for very casual cosplay as you go to and fro.
If the sweaters aren’t what you’re looking for gift wise, consider all the neat little anime themed bags on deck: from our favorite little piece of emergency food, I mean Deer Doctor to some really striking bags from other series that stand out. I let out a high pitched noise when I saw the black and pink strawberry bags–NANA fans–where you at?! See the rest of this seller’s nags and other accessories here!
See my guide gift for the manga lovers in your life here.
See our gift guides from previous years here.
Fancy Disclaimer: I have not received any of these items in consideration of making this shopping guide. Cheers! Shout-out to small business owners! Be sure to support them this holiday season if you’re looking to spend some coin!
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