Preview screening of Oshi no Ko (推しの子) season 2 first episode aka Episode 12

Oshi no Ko (推しの子) season 2 will start airing on 3 July, but there was a preview screening of the first episode today, which also included a stage event featuring the voice actors for Aqua (Otsuka Takeo), Ruby (Igoma Yurie), Kana (Han Megumi), Akane (Iwami Manaka), and Mem-cho (Okubo Rumi). I decided to go catch this for the stage event being broadcast live to cinemas nationwide in Japan. (Note: I will try to avoid spoilers in the first part of this post, but the second half, when talking about the stage event, may contain spoilers.)

The first episode of season 2 is officially Episode 12 of the series. Having only 11 episodes in season 1 sounds like a short season, until you remember that Episode 1 is actually a feature-length film. Episode 12, however, is the usual length of 24 minutes, including the opening and ending songs. It opens in a slightly different way, which makes you think you are watching the opening for something else, but then switches to its proper opening song.

This season adapts the Tokyo Blade arc, so the episode included an introduction of who is playing what part in the stage play. Ruby also had a bit of screen time even though she is not one of the actors involved in the stage play (she actually appeared right after the opening song). Mem-cho, however, never appeared in this episode. Yoriko-sensei makes a return (toward the end of the episode), and Melt returns as one of the stage actors, and we also have new characters like Himekawa Taiki, Abiko-sensei, and GOA (the playwright for the stage play).

The opening song is performed by GEMN, whose identities were revealed later during the stage event. The visuals in the opening song also hinted at where this season will take us viewers. The ending song is performed by Hitsujibungaku (羊文学), with the visuals focusing on Ruby. The ending song is also introduced at the end of the episode in a fashion similar to season 1, so we may see it being used for meme... Personally, I think the opening song lacked the impact of YOASOBI's "Idol" and the ending song wasn't as dark as "Mephisto" by Queen Bee.

The entire episode was very well paced, though, and I really wonder how Doga Kobo managed to keep up its high quality while having to work on other great series (like Jellyfish Can't Swim in the Night and the upcoming Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian)

 

After the episode aired, it was time for the stage event. (Note: May contain spoilers from here onward.)

The stage event touched on several things. There was the reveal of the identities of the people in the group GEMN, in the form of a video message from them, and a video message from Hitsujibungaku too. It also included the usual sales pitch at the end about Blu-ray and CDs. The event actually overran a bit of time as the voice actors were really excited and kept talking...

Some of the things they talked about:

- Okubo mentioned that as Mem-cho did not appear in Episode 12, she didn't receive the script and thus did not know what Episode 12 covered until recently, when she saw a screening for staff and cast. This season focuses heavier on Tokyo Blade so those who are not part of the stage play don't really appear much in this season. However, Okubo still gets some air time on YouTube as Mem-cho.

- Iwami pointed out that the opening had a scene of Aqua and Ruby holding hands as they fell together, a hint at where the season will be going. The ending song featured a wider range of Ruby's emotions, unlike her usual cheerful self that is shown to others.

- The voice recording for season 1 was done separately or in small groups, but for season 2, they had much larger groups (mainly because the stage play involved more people) and they had to cramp many people into the recording studio. Han and Okubo talked about sharing a microphone, and how the microphone used by Otsuka was not shared with anyone else because he was much taller than the rest of the voice actors in those sessions.

- The final scene showing Abiko-sensei (voiced by Sakura Ayane), when she asked for a rewrite of the entire script, was done in two takes. Sakura Ayane will be the guest for the next Oshi no Ko Radio show, and Otsuka will ask her more about this during the show.

- The voice actors mentioned that the Tokyo Blade arc felt very realistic to them, showing what happens behind the scenes when something is being adapted into another medium.

 

Again, I didn't really take notes this time, which explains this short list. 😅

 

The four seasons

The four seasons

Spring

Summer

Autumn

Winter

Together, forming an endless cycle.

The colours of the calligraphy seal paste were also chosen to try and match each season, with spring being the brightest while a dark brown paste was used for winter.

My thoughts on Hibike! Euphonium Season 3 Episode 12

Note: This post contains spoilers about Hibike! Euphonium Season 3 Episode 12.

 

I usually don't write about single episodes, but Hibike! Euphonium Season 3 Episode 12 triggered something in me.

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In this episode, Taki-sensei felt that Kumiko and Mayu were more or less equals, and could not decide on who to choose for the euphonium solist. So he decided to hold a one-on-one audition for them in front of the rest of the band, much like the audition between Reina and Kaori in Season 1, and let the band members decide.

Except this time, the circumstances are totally different. Taki-sensei felt that Reina was better than Kaori and therefore chose Reina. The one-on-one audition showed Kaori that Reina was the better choice, which was why Kaori admitted after the audition that she cannot be the one to play the trumpet solo part.

This time, Kumiko and Mayu are on par. If a professional musician like Taki-sensei is unable to choose between the two based on their skills, what makes him think that the rest of the band--some of them beginners, some of them with more experience, but none of them anywhere near as good in music as him--are able to discern who is better at playing the euphonium? Even Kumiko was surprised by the results. This means that, unlike Kaori, she did not feel that she was below Mayu in skill. Instead, she ended up having to give a speech again, like at the Kansai round, to keep the band together (and not because she was convinced that Mayu is better).

This shakes the very principle that Kumiko believes in, and which Reina has been stressing. Kumiko believes that the school band advocates meritocracy: the better player is chosen. Reina believes that Taki-sensei bases his choices on skill: he chooses the better player, and whoever he chooses is the better player.

By deferring the decision of the euphonium solist to the rest of the band, Taki-sensei has pushed away his responsibility of choosing the better player based on his professional knowledge. Whoever the rest of the band chooses, we cannot be sure of the criteria for each person's choice. Did they vote for Mayu because she was better? Did they vote for Kumiko because she was better? Or did they vote based on some other reason (pity, friendship, etc.)?  In the end, the school band is no longer about meritocracy, because the professional musician shirked away his responsibility and left the choice up to the amateurs.

This also means that Reina's belief in Taki-sensei was wrong. She believed that he was consistent in his choices: every choice was made based on skill. By deliberately choosing to let others choose, Taki-sensei now allows people to doubt his selection criteria. Because he could not decide. If the only criteria was skill, even if Kumiko and Mayu are on par, there must be that 0.01% difference, or 0.001% difference. But Taki-sensei did not make a decision based on that minute difference. So then, what are the other factors that prevented him from making a decision based on skill?

 

It was also extremely cruel to make Reina choose. If even Taki-sensei was unable to make a clear choice between the two, Reina would all the more have problems trying to choose one of them. But she was made to choose. I would assume she made her choice based on the skills of Kumiko and Mayu, but it would probably have been hard for her to choose since Reina could hardly be called as good in music as Taki-sensei. And if she chose Kumiko, those who chose Mayu in the band may think Reina was favouring Kumiko. If she chose Mayu, she would be going against her own heart of wanting to perform the solo part with Kumiko.

 

Taki-sensei's choice of Mayu for the Kansai round split the band, and in the end, Kumiko had to step up and unite everyone together. Taki-sensei's choice to hold a public audition again split the band into two, and once again, Kumiko had to step in to unite the band. It almost seems as if it was a deliberate choice by the production team to get Kumiko to come and clear up the mess made by Taki-sensei.

And this is just one part of the problem.

Next week would be the final episode, when the band performs at the national finals. If the solist had been chosen by Taki-sensei, there would be consistency in the story, and the outcome would naturally be accepted as the skill of the band.

 

But because Taki-sensei did not make this choice and pushed it to the band, the outcome could be interpreted in different ways. If they do well, what does it signal? That the band knows better than their teacher? And if the band does not perform well? All the choices made for naught. The decision for having an audition at each stage didn't matter. All that hard work didn't matter. Hard work is not rewarded. Adhering to meritocracy is not rewarded. Fan will cry from anguish but hey, they are still crying.

 

In the end, I think this twist in the story throws away Kumiko's growth over three seasons; she didn't get to be that special someone, which would be made worse if the band did well even without her playing the euphonium solo part. She entered high school as one of the euphonium players, and she finished high school in that same exact role. She did her best in her third year as the president of the band, held it together, but who is to say that someone else couldn't have done the same thing? In the end, her story got hijacked, and her reward (to play the solo part with Reina) was taken away from her.

When changes are made to a story, it can make the story better when being delivered in another medium. I always like to give the example of Violet Evergarden. But in this case, the changes undermine the story so far. I hate to say it, but if the change was made for shock and awe, well, it achieved its goal, but fans will remember such tricks. No one likes having their emotions played. We all love Kyoani and the fanatics will defend anything that Kyoani does, but such fancy tactics may end up disheartening the broader fanbase over time.

Okay, end of my ranting...

Keeping my fingers crossed for the final episode next week. 🤞

Update 30 June 2024: The final episode just ended. I now see why the change was made to let Mayu play the solo part. It was to give everyone a happy ending. While I still don't like the way episode 12 turned out because it felt inconsistent with how Taki-sensei would have acted, I guess this inconsistency can be overlooked if it gives a happy ending for everyone.

Some more smaller calligraphy works

Continuing the trend, here are some more smaller pieces of calligraphy works that I created recently.

風 wind

 

雪 snow

 

夜 night

鎮 town, or to suppress

They were all written using the 熊毫長峰書畫 large ("A") bear hair calligraphy brush that I wrote about here.

Summer solstice moon 2024

The summer solstice in 2024 falls on 21 June. Full moon happens to be on 22 June 2024 at 10:08 (morning) so I decided to take some photos of the summer solstice (almost) full moon.

 

 

Taken at 20:53 on 21 June 2024, exposure 1/400s, ISO 400, f/6.4, focal length 400mm.

Smile 笑 (calligraphy piece)

The character 笑 which means smile, written in a more unique way.

 

I quite like how it turned out, actually. Maybe I should frame it up.

Notification from Mainichi Shodo Exhibition

This came in the mail today.

Apparently, the piece I submitted was selected for the Mainichi Shodo Exhibition.

This is a nationwide exhibition in Japan, with a rejection rate of around 50%, and I wasn't very confident. But I did promise my teacher that I would try, and I did. So I am really happy that I managed to keep my promise.

I will be going to see the exhibition in July, and will post a photo of the actual piece after I do so.

Update 26 June 2024: I found a video on YouTube that showed how they carried out the selection process for this exhibition.

Update 4 July 2024: As my work was selected but did not win any prize/award, it will be on display at Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum from 18 to 24 July 2024. (Works that have been given prizes/awards will be displayed at The National Art Center, Tokyo from 10 July to 4 August 2024, with different categories being only display each week.)

Some smaller calligraphy works

After submitting my piece for the prefectural exhibition, I had some ink left, so I used it to write the following smaller pieces of work.

静 quiet

 

龍 dragon

 

清 clear

 

書 book

 

飛 fly

 

神 god

They were all written using the 熊毫長峰書畫 small ("C") bear hair calligraphy brush that I wrote about here.

Underwood Standard Portable 4 Bank typewriter

In the Violet Evergarden anime series, Violet's typewriter, which she carries around on her journeys, is based on the Underwood Standard Portable 4 Bank typewriter. This is a typewriter model that was launched about 100 years ago, and today, they are antiques and hard to find. Working models are hard to find, and it is even harder to find one in good condition.

So I was indeed fortunate that someone on the Violet Evergarden Discord channel offered to trade me one of the typewriters he restored in exchange for one of my calligraphy pieces (from this post). I felt honoured that someone valued my work, and happy that I could own a working model, in good condition, of a typewriter that my favourite anime character has.

 

It even came with an extra spool of ink, and a small 3D printed model of the typewriter.

Thank you (you know who you are) for the amazing offer!

My overall thoughts on Violet Evergarden The Movie

Events:

First cast greeting event for Violet Evergarden the Movie

Violet Evergarden the Movie: Cast greeting event to thank fans

Production staff event at screening of Violet Evergarden the Movie

Letter of appreciation from Violet Evergarden's author Akatsuki Kana

Post on Violet Evergarden Orchestra Concert 2021

 

Translations of short stories:

Gilbert Bougainvillea and the Fleeting Dream (unofficial translation of "ギルベルト・ブーゲンビリアと儚い夢")

Violet Evergarden short stories: "Logbook entry" and "Diary entry" (unofficial translation)

The Starry Night and the Lonely Two (unofficial translation of 星降りの夜とさみしいふたり)

Diethard Bougainvillea's If (unofficial translation of ディートフリート・ブーゲンビリアIf) 

The Tailor and the Auto-Memories Doll (unofficial translation of 仕立て屋と自動手記人形)
 

Tellsis (Nunkish) translation:

Decoding the Violet Evergarden postcard

Translating the message card from Violet Evergarden Orchestra Concert 2021

Last line of Violet's final letter to Gilbert

My Tellsis language translator in Flutter that runs on Windows, Linux, and Android

My (old) Python script for translating to and from Tellsis language (Nunkish)

 

Insights on the movie:

Was Ekarte Island based on Folegandros?

Touching scenes in Violet Evergarden the Movie

Violet Evergarden the Movie is a story about guilt

Article about story consistency/inconsistency in Violet Evergarden the Movie

 

Audio commentary notes:

Production staff

Voice actors

Music staff

List of Violet Evergarden publications

List of Violet Evergarden short stories (and light novels)

Violet Evergarden TV anime series

 

All posts related to Violet Evergarden.

Final leg

There is an art exhibition held by the prefecture (Kanagawa Art Exhibition, or 神奈川県美術展) this coming September. It accepts submissions from the public, and there is a calligraphy category. This was outside my plan, which was the two national level exhibitions (already submitted. awaiting results) and the one by my own calligraphy association at the end of the year, but I decided I would try to send in something too.

The submission deadline is in early July, but unlike the national level exhibitions, where pieces are submitted unframed, judged, and only framed if accepted, for the prefecture's exhibition (actually, this exhibition accepts pieces nationwide across Japan too, but it is being organised by the prefecture), pieces need to be submitted framed. So I have to find a store that will help me frame it, then transport it to the exhibition hall on the days they are accepting submissions. Which also means the actual "deadline" is somewhere this week, since it takes time to frame the piece.

I have reached the final stage, practising and practising, and choosing the better ones. Now, all that remains is to select the piece for submission from among the candidates I have narrowed down. 🤔

Update: Submitted this evening.

Update 11 July 2024: I received notification that my submission was not accepted. 😢

Try again next year, I guess.

Violet seed pods

With many blooming flowers this year, my violets also produced many seed pods this time.

Here is a photo of the seed pods (in green), and how they look after they pop open.

As you can see, the seeds are still there when the pod splits open. Then, as the pod slowly dries, it shrinks, forcing out the seeds and dispersing them.

About calligraphy inks, liquid and solid

Previously, I compared a liquid ink with a solid ink stick, and tested various liquid inks for mountability. I thought I should explain a bit more about liquid inks, since they are actually very convenient and thus suited for people who do calligraphy as a hobby and do not have hours every day to spend grinding ink sticks.

First, calligraphy ink (whether solid or liquid) is made from soot. Traditionally, ink comes in solid form, because ink sticks are easier to store and carry. Ink sticks are basically made by mixing soot with animal glue (胶 in simplified Chinese, 膠 in Japanese and traditional Chinese), which helps to bind the soot together. Animal glue is also the "adhesive" that will hold the soot to the paper. This mixture is often added with some fragrances such as deer musk. The mixture is kneaded to make sure the soot is evenly spread throughout the animal glue, then cast into their final shapes using molds, and left to dry for a long long time. Ink is made by grinding such ink sticks on a wet inkstone. The result is that the ink used for writing calligraphy is made using water, soot, animal glue, and traces of some fragrance.

Liquid ink seeks to duplicate this mixture with the main difference being the kind of adhesive used. Liquid inks can be made using animal glue like solid ink sticks, or it can use a synthetic adhesive. This is also why liquid ink is usually categorised into either animal glue-type ink or synthetic adhesive-type ink. Given that animal glue is organic and will go bad with time when wet, liquid inks usually contain some kind of preservatives, plus other additives to prevent the animal glue from coagulating.

This is also why calligraphy works are usually written with ink made from ink sticks. Calligraphy paper can last a thousand years, but the chemicals (such as calcium chloride, which is used as a stabilizing agent) found in liquid ink may, over time, damage the paper, shortening its life. This is not likely to matter when practising, but for works that are going to last a long time, you really want to avoid that risk, which is why ink made from ink sticks is used. Furthermore, animal glue, when dry, does not melt in water at room temperature. This is a necessary condition since the paper is sprayed with water when mounting a calligraphy work. If synthetic adhesive-type ink is used and the synthetic adhesive melts, the ink will run and spoil the work.

Liquid ink manufacturers try all kinds of ideas to overcome these issues.

For synthetic adhesive-type inks, manufacturers have their own formulations to prevent the ink from running after it has dried. This is also why some of these liquid inks are labeled as "suitable for mounting". If a liquid ink that uses synthetic adhesive is not labeled as such, do not try to use it for a work that will be mounted. Such liquid inks are usually the cheap ones too. In the end, you get what you paid for.

In comparison, animal glue-type inks are usually more expensive. There are animal glue-type inks that use as little chemicals as possible. The less preservative used, the shorter is the shelf-life of the ink, though. And you know that the ink has gone "bad" because it will smell bad. For such liquid inks, they are best used as soon as you open a bottle (aka exposed to air). Animal glue-type inks also tend to coagulate on colder days, but that should not be a problem when indoors and the temperature is warm enough not to be wearing a jacket. Finally, the stuff that prevents coagulation doesn't last forever, and old ink can start to form lumps of soot. This results in diluted ink (the water contains less soot now), and I was told by an ink company that you should not try to grind the lumps of soot since it can result in uneven soot particles that may have an unexpected result when written on paper.

 

These are examples of old liquid ink, resulting in very poor spreading of the ink on paper.

This is what happens when you use old ink (宿墨). Basically, the animal glue in the ink has broken down (degraded), and the ink is now basically soot mixed in water. When animal glue is present, the mixture is a colloid, and the soot is suspended in the animal glue and spreads out together with the water. Without animal glue, the soot does not spread out with the water, resulting in very poor spreading of the ink.

A more even spread of ink would look like this photo below.

Ink made by grinding an ink stick also faces these issues. First, such inks lack preservatives. So they go bad really fast... In winter, animal glue can last about 3 days left in a room before starting to stink. On warmer days, I had ink stinking after 2 days. When the weather is cold, the ink also coagulates (it starts to feel a bit thicker). You can avoid this in winter by writing in a room which is heated, or by using a heating mat. Yes, they do sell heating mats for inkstones. Such heating mats actually look like the ones used to keep pets warm.

 

Note: Liquid ink that has become old ink can still be used, if the liquid ink uses animal glue. Instead of water, use the old liquid ink when grinding an ink stick. You are basically adding more soot and animal glue into the old liquid ink. For example, in the photo below, the top blotch of ink is old liquid ink. The bottom is when I used that same old liquid ink for grinding an ink stick.

You can see that the old liquid ink has become quite diluted, but once a bit more soot was added, it regained its colour. So instead of throwing away old ink, just use it to save some time when grinding an ink stick. But remember, this only works for animal glue-type liquid ink. Do not mix inks that use different types of adhesive (animal glue with synthetic adhesive) because the different adhesives may react with each other.

Finally, we come to the kind of soot used. Soot is collected by either burning wood (usually pine 松) or oil (油). Soot from wood results in uneven soot particles that also have a more bluish tint when diluted. Soot from oil results in smaller soot particles, a deeper black, gives a more shiny look when dry, and a slightly brown tint when diluted. The type of soot used is usually stated for ink sticks, but if not, you can grind the ink stick and after it has dried, look to see if the part of the stick used is shiny (oil) or dull (wood). Soot from burning lacquer is also used to make ink, so you sometimes see 漆 as an "ingredient" for an ink stick.

In the photo above, the ink on the left is made using soot from oil, while the one on the right using soot from pine. It is fine to mix such inks. I often use a blend of both pine soot and oil soot so that I get a deeper black without too much shine.

I hope this post has helped you understand a bit more about the inks we use in calligraphy.

A way to hang calligraphy brushes

Calligraphy brushes should be hung up to dry. I needed something to hang my calligraphy brushes, so I decided to make my own.

The basic idea: Get a piece of wood, add hooks to it.

So I went to Daiso, got myself two pieces of wood, and some S hooks. With a bit of drilling, I made these.

Two larger S hooks are attached to the end of each piece of wood so that I can hang it on my curtain rail. Smaller S hooks are pushed through holes drilled in the wood for hanging the brushes. I hang them at one end of a curtain rail, and they are really convenient. But only if you are tall... of course, the height can be lowered too, if necessary, by stringing together a chain of S hooks.

Note: These hangars were made in September 2023, and today, the hangars are more densely populated. 😅

Watching Oshi no Ko (推しの子) Mother and Children at a Dolby Cinema

Oshi no Ko (推しの子) season 2 will start this coming July, and ahead of its broadcast in Japan, they brought back Oshi no Ko (推しの子) Mother and Children for a limit run in the cinemas. Including the local Dolby Cinema. And a live broadcast of the stage event involving some of the voice actors. I didn't catch Oshi no Ko Mother and Children last year when it made its limited run in theatres ahead of the airing of the series on TV, but this time, there were two incentives: Dolby Cinema experience of this amazing first episode lasting 1.5 hours, and live broadcast of a stage event that include Takahashi Rie (who voiced Hoshino Ai). So I made sure to finish up all my work and make time to go catch this particular screening.

Since I didn't watch the "normal" version, I can't really make a comparison on how different the Dolby Cinema version is. It did make use of the entire screen, and the clarity of the audio allowed the voice acting and soundtrack to better convey the emotions in the story. I ended up crying at the scene when Ruby had to learn a dance, the "I love you" part, and the post-credit "video message".

It was worth making the trip to the Dolby Cinema (which is a bit further than the other cinemas that I usually go to). And that's just the audio and visual experience of the movie proper.

After the screening was the live broadcast of the stage event. This event feature Takahashi Rie (VA of Hoshino Ai), Igoma Yurie (VA of Hoshino Ruby), Uchiyama Yumi (VA of young Hoshino Aqua), Takayanagi Tomoyo (VA of Tendoji Sarina), and Lynn (VA of Saito Miyako). Han Megumi (VA of Arima Kana) was also supposed to be there but she fell ill just before the event, and instead sent along a message (read out by Takahashi Rie) thanking viewers.

Some of the things mentioned at the stage event:

- The voice recording for episode 1 was conducted over a course of four days.

- By the time they did the voice recording for episode 1, the voice recording for episode 2 had already been done.

- The audio for episode 1 was touched up for this return to the big screen.

I didn't really take notes this time, which explains this short list. 😅

Watching Uma Musume Pretty Derby: Beginning of a New Era (ウマ娘 プリティーダービー 新時代の扉)

Uma Musume Pretty Derby: Beginning of a New Era (ウマ娘 プリティーダービー 新時代の扉) started screening in Japan's cinemas on 24 May 2024, just more than a week ago. I am not really a fan of this series, but it looked interesting. And when my favourite anime reviewer on YouTube gave it a good review, followed by director Shinkai Makoto tweeting that it blew him away, I dutifully made my way down to catch it.

 

The cinema even had this big banner at its lobby.

 

When the movie started, I immediately noticed that it was using the wider aspect that movies used to be in. Recent movies tend to use an aspect closer to 16:9 since most of them end up on streaming services anyway, so it was nice to see someone actually take the effort to make a movie, and not a TV show that happens to be screened in a movie theatre before being released on a streaming service.

And then I saw the name of the sound director, Tsuruoka Yota, followed by Yokoyama Masaru, who did the music. This really got my attention, since Tsuruoka is the sound director who does Kyoani's works (such as Violet Evergarden, K-On!, CLANNAD, Tsurune, and so on), and Yokoyama Masaru did the music for works like Your Lie in April, Scum's Wish, and even the recent Jellyfish Can't Swim in the Night. I was quite certain that this movie is going to be great in terms of the sound and music. It was also a bit surprising since I don't think they have worked on any of the past Uma Musume works before.

Not being very well versed with the characters, and not a horse racing fan, I had no idea who Jungle Pocket or Agnes Tachyon were. All I can say is that the main characters gave me an image of an egoistic lunatic and a mad scientist. The core theme is about wanting to be better, and about being imprisoned by our desire to be better. About losing to others, about that feeling that we will never be as good as someone else. Seeing Jungle Pocket struggle to overcome that inner wall, and how success can both inspire others and curse them, coupled with the amazing soundtrack, moved me to tears.

I really wasn't expecting to cry at a Uma Musume movie, but I did. 😅

I think fans of the series will love this movie, and even non-fans will find the story relatable. The animation itself, with the sound and music, makes it all the more enjoyable. This is definitely a movie to watch on the big screen, and definitely worth spending 108 minutes of your time on it.

 

Official website (in Japanese)