kontextmaschine:

Needed something else to fill the “keep your thumbs and direction-oriented mind busy” vidya hole so I got Yakuza 0 on mad cheap discount

Thoughts:

• Wow, impressively new electronics in 1988 Japan looked like decently new stuff in the 1995 US, huh
• the 0-Kiwami (1 remake) gap of 1988-1995 is interesting and adds depth to my understanding of a period when “where’s Japan at?” really mattered to America
• the karaoke sequences where as they progress Kiryu becomes a player in the 80s-ass music video in his mind are hilarious
• reserving judgement on the all-cash advancement system
• In the first shot I noticed how not-ideal Kiryu’s tailoring was but dismissed it but then I saw Nishiki’s suit and heard him rag Kiryu on it and I realized they really put effort into animating fabric and made it matter
• can’t wait to see Majima’s outfits
• I was iffy about the Nishiki-Kiryu relationship carrying that weight in retrospect but it works
• The Japanese is laconically simple but idiomatic enough that hearing it while reading a subtitle translation is really interesting, probably levels up my Japanese a bit, but more than that I can actually appreciate the more “actorly” delivery of cadence and character

Oh also: the way that cutscenes are 3D animated without their lips moving but with subtle facial shifts timed to the dialogue: really interesting