Yorkton This Week’s editorial staff takes readers on an explorative journey around the Internet, searching out the best in videos, podcasts, webcomics, music and anything else that catches their collective eyes which might interest our readers.
Samurai eats
In Japan, there is a strange subgenre of television that is about various Japanese people going out to eat delicious food. It’s like tourism programming crossed with a fictional narrative, you learn a bit about Japan and their restaurants while also getting a bit of a narrative about the characters who exist to go eating. It’s a slice of life comedy crossed with food photography and a bit of education.
Samurai Gourmet, streaming on Netflix, was discovered by my fiancee, and between shouts of “that looks so good!” whenever the lead character finally got the meal he desired at a restaurant, you get a charming little television show about a man adjusting to retirement.
The story begins with Takeshi Kasumi, who has retired and now doesn’t have much to do, so he goes off to eat everywhere he can. He also imagines a samurai in similar situations, as the timid old man would like to be a tough, no-nonsense warrior.
It’s a charming little show, one that tries to impart a little wisdom as it takes its protagonist from restaurant to restaurant. It’s about manners, it’s about decorum, it’s about what exactly someone does when faced with a sudden life change. It’s about how people’s relationship with food and their relationships to each other are intrinsically linked.
To me, the appeal of the show really has little to do with the food you see, though the food is beautifully photographed. Instead, it’s about putting together a cast of characters that it’s nice to spend time with. Kasumi is your very own Japanese grandpa, as he provides life advice, takes on new challenges, and irritates his wife. Even if he didn’t eat a single meal, it would still be a really pleasant series you can unwind with, because it is incredibly low stress but ultimately rewarding.
It also happens to be a great show to watch if you’re planning to go to Japan any time soon. One could plan a vacation around getting all of the foods that Kasumi is excited about eating.
— Devin Wilger
Pure comic fun
Webcomics can be a pure joy to read, and none more so than Lackadaisy.
This isn’t a new entry in the webcomics field, it dates back to around 2007 when Lackadaisy’s creator Tracy Butler was winning Web Cartoonist’ Choice Awards as outstanding newcomer, and outstanding artist among others.
So what makes Lackadaisy worthy of mention here as a web spot worth wandering too?
Well frankly just about everything to do with this one.
The story is set in a prohibition-era 1927 St. Louis with a population of anthropomorphic cats. In case you aren’t sure what that is athropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities, so think Bugs Bunny, Scrooge McDuck and Top Cat.
The use of cats as the main characters may not be to everyone’s taste, but this is a light-hearted, fun romp for the most part, so it works.
In the FAQ section of the website the creator addresses why cats?
“When dealing in sociopathic criminalism and gratuitous violence, how could it not be cats? Don’t take it too literally, though. It’s mostly just a device I like to use for characterization. The mobile ears, tails, and big eyes help me emphasize gesture and expression more than I could with human characters, they allow me to be as ridiculous as I like, and, well, they’re just plain fun to draw,” she states.
The plot chronicles the fortunes of the Lackadaisy speakeasy after its founder is murdered. Yes murdered, so there is a serious side to the story, but the general atmosphere is lighter. The comic mixes elements of comedy, crime and mystery.
So the story quickly draws you in.
But the art will be what grabs you and holds on to you.
The style of the comic is highly detailed. The art is fantastic because Butler takes the time to infuse each panel with the emotion of the characters.
Adding to the sense of the 1920’s era is Butler use of sepia-tone. The result reminds of old photographs, and gives the book an added level of realism you might not expect with cats as the main characters.
The story has been added to though several years, with the work available as a published graphic novel, but is also collected and still available for enjoyment at www.lackadaisycats.com, so make sure to check it out.
— Calvin Daniels
