Phanthasia's

I’d like to preface this blog by offering my apologies to our dearest tanah air Indonesia.

Forgive me.

Baby, I’m sorry to have underestimated your lux boutique lineup cus I’m that abroad-returnee prick who talks shit about one’s home country (ain’t we all like that tho), a brokeahh beech who had offered her soul to Farfetch despite being one coffee away from not being able to pay her bills. Ngl I’m so infatuated with prestige-slash-pride that I absolutely refuse to shop at better stores, price-friendly-wise, just because they’re less prestigious (is Farfetch even that OP...?). Now that I’m back home and unemployed, I had no choice but to scour the seven seas of plus62 internet shops. My starting point was none other than Shopee (I’ve heard good and bad things about the e-commerce but has never tried it before). I got myself some local bedlamp as my dear mother has stripped my bedroom naked, leading to me having to refill the cave up with edgy furnitures cus edgy is where home is.

Now, as I am a very irresponsible, horrible-with-money piece of expired catnip, I decided that I will burn some savings for wearable cloth (I'm making this difficult for the both of us, I know). As and so I scoured Shopee for new potential outfits, I came across hundreds of “trendy, cute stuff being sold for cheap”, which, and this might seem counterintuitive, sorta repelled me away from checking out cus I’ve heard some horror stories regarding “trendy, cute stuff being sold for cheap” turning out to be something you should have spent on McD PaNas+free Oreo McFlurry.

My next stop on the e-commerce highway was rest area Zalora. I’ve actually bought a few things there during high school and they turned out okay, so that’s one less thing to worry about. Their lineup has since very much expanded and I was pleasantly surprised to see the likes of Pinko, Agnes B., Marc Jacobs, A.P.C., and some other, uh, contemporary brands. After a few (sixty-ish) minutes of scrolling, Smith's invisible hand... of fate... guided me to a particular page… and that is how I met Mr. Jackhammer 24 Von Off-White. First two reactions? One: “Wow, they actually have Off-White!”, two: “Why in the world is this being listed for less than 20万円?!”. Clicking on the seller’s profile eventually leads me to voila.id’s homepage and I was able to purchase a new toy for ¥4,000 cheaper thanks to a live-shopping discount code. I’m not writing this blog as an endorsement to any web, but holy moly voila.id is a godsend. Keep up the good work y’all, here’s a virtual warm milk and fresh baked cookies from Phanthasia. If you’re looking to refresh your wardrobe or even purchase your first luxury brand, absolutely check these guys out. They frequently give out codes (if not everyday?) from Instagram live and basically sells authentic luxury goods at an amazing price.

Whiiiiiich brings us to the preface yours truly has written earlier.

I am so very sorry for underestimating our country’s e-lux fashion businesses.

Having been living in Tokyo for almost six years, I came to realize how easy it is to get your hands on luxury products in Japan, new or vintage. And no, I’m not saying this because Tokyo is a goddam megacity, but you’d be surprised at how “accessible” some niche labels can get thanks to amazing local boutiques such as BEAMS, Tomorrowland, H Beauty & Youth, or IENA. I suppose you cannot contest this level of convenience to that of Indonesia’s, but it’s definitely false to say we have nothing all as its-not-much-but-its-honest-work-websites such as voila.id, Bobobobo, and Bananania do indeed exist! Banzai!

I’m looking forward to see more of such websites appear and grow in the future. Or heck, might as well aim to be SEA’s no. 1 fashion destination in the future? Gogogogo anyways!

As a bonus, I’m sharing a pic of Mr. Jackhammer to y’all lovely folks. Thank you for reading and go have yourself an amazing day.

papan dan jackhammer yang enggan diketeki

clip-shaped zipper! revelation! oh! oh!

以上 :]

As Popular Hits of the Showa Era sounded like a peaceful title for a book, the sudden throat slitting and blood splatting of a random oba-san whom I had known for two or so pages left me flabbergasted. I mean, we just met. Slow down babygurl.

To be completely honest, "violent" work like this is a bit draining to read as I'm someone with a pretty high sense of justice. Or, well, I consider myself to be one. It was, however, a refreshing read as the lovely Mr. Murakami gave yours truly the opportunity to dive into the minds of absurd, I-have-got-nothing-to-lose Showa incels. From pathetic gatherings of grown men in their mid-twenties, dressed like perverts, whooping and cackling like morons and singing karaoke out in the middle of nowhere to boujee, revenge-seeking oba-sans (I've got nothing against oba-sans but damn they sure are a menace), Popular Hits of the Showa Era is such a bizarre book... not that I dislike it or anything!

Published in 1994, the book was written shortly after the economic bubble burst and before the 1995 Tokyo subway sarin attack. The influence of the bubble economy can be seen throughout the novel as the absolute menace that are oba-sans were equipped with Louis Vuittons while the no-lifer six-guys group were seen using pricey electronics like Bose, Sony, or Sennheiser. This was a period where “brainless consumerism” and “infantilization of pop culture” (Rich, 2011) flooded Japan. Characters share an obsession with “saccharine pop music and television melodramas, but are devoid of personal ambition, social ability or even self-awareness.” (Rich, 2011). On top of having nothing to live for, they have nothing to lose. If they had, I don’t think Sugioka could’ve nonchalantly sliced Yanagimoto’s throat... he just happened to saw her for god's sake. A completely random yet shitty encounter, sheesh.

Now here's what I think. Having nothing to lose already makes a person dangerous, but when you combine that with money, disaster is bound to follow. More slices, more knives, rocket launcher, and a discount atomic bomb. I also found it interesting how the oba-sans seemed to, for the lack of better word, thrive after murdering three out of the six Showa incels with a rocket launcher (yes, you read that right). One Midori became employee of the week for seven consecutive weeks, another Midori improved her relationship with her son, and another Midori managed to get herself a young boyfriend. Purpose truly does define a person. Or was it stress relief? I dunno, what do you think?

References:
Murakami, R. (2011). Popular Hits of the Showa Era: A Novel (R. McCarthy, Trans.). W. W. Norton.
Rich, N. (2013, February 5). Ryu Murakami’s ‘Popular Hits of the Showa Era’ - Review. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/08/books/08book.html

Just when I thought The House of the Sleeping Beauties was disturbing enough, Earthlings came and bestowed us with pedophilia, murder, rape, and cannibalism. The story was written through the point of view of Natsuki, a young girl turned woman who believed herself to be an extraterrestrial being hailing from planet Popinpobopia. Throughout her childhood, she is accompanied by her magical-teacher-plushie Piyyut who bestows her with questionable guidance and magical powers. The plot was all chūnibyō until it was revealed that Natsuki was dealing with sexual harrasment from Igasaki, an attractive university student who taught part-time as a cram school teacher. The helpless Natsuki initially sought help from her mother, but what she received wasn’t help, it was denial. Her coping method was unique, she married her cousin Yuu and swore to each other that they’d “survive, whatever it takes” (p. 15). The two kids were caught having a consensual sex during Obon and was separated from each other. Rather than explaining why their actions were dangerous both physically and mentally, the adults shunned them as it was deemed bad by society. It’s never about oneself, it’s about fulfilling the society’s standards. The factory’s standards. Perhaps the constant pressure to be a cog numbs her emotions as she seems awfully indifferent, an “anthropological distance the narrator maintains from her subjects'' (Millet, 2020).

Few years passed and the adult Natsuki is now married to Tomoya. Interestingly, the marriage was contractual as it was for the sake of escaping the constant nagging from their families. I can personally relate to this as the dreadful question of when will you get married keeps haunting me every time I go back home for Christmas. We all approach life differently and I don’t see why one must be chained down by particular ideals simply because society deemed it as the right thing to do. Having babies is crazy expensive nowadays anyway.

References:
Murata, S. (2020). Earthlings: A Novel (G. Takemori, Trans.). Grove Press.
Millet, L. (2020, October 6). To Sayaka Murata, Nonconformity Is a Slippery Slope. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/06/books/review/sayaka-murata-earthlings.html

Real World left me feeling conflicted as jumping through the minds of five emotionally unstable teenagers is fascinating yet unpleasant. Toshi strikes me as the plain anime protagonist with no redeeming qualities. Being ordinary isn’t necessarily a bad thing as Toshi is like a loaf of bread that goes well with any kind of jam, which is probably why the other three girls can somewhat confide in her. Yuzan mainly struggles with her sexuality and copes by acting like a man. The bubbly and cute Kirarin, frequently referred to as “totally hot” (p. 30) is perhaps the daring and street-smart among the four. Terauchi, whom I found to be the least likable, is the clever, “disagreeable person” who’s always observing her friends with “a cool, detached eye” (p. 83). She strikes me as the lonely at the top type of character.

The book basically alternates between the four girl's point of view and how they’re reacting to Worm’s whole mother-killer affair. As I’ve written earlier, I found the whole mind-jumping to be ambivalent. I liked it because I found their perspective to be fascinating, but hated it because I couldn’t feel any sympathy. They want their problems gone, but are indifferent to it. Perhaps the reason Real World comes off as awkward and melodramatic is precisely because it’s narrated by five lonely, self-absorbed teenagers (Leland, 2008).

Moving on to their motives. Worm’s action was heavily influenced by the pressure to become a proper Worm’s action was heavily influenced by the pressure to become a proper shakaijin, which I believe is a huge thing in Japan, especially for guys. On his run, Worm was aided by Yuzan who provided a silver bike, and Kirarin became his emotional support. The fact that the two girls helped a someone who, on top of being a complete stranger, is a murderer, fascinates me. It’s as if the two wanted Worm to be their stand-in in some great adventure. It’s almost like watching a mukbang to satisfy your hunger. Terauchi ratting Worm and Kirain is perhaps due to jealousy, the jealousy that Worm has the guts to delete his mother while she can only regret the “irreparable” (p. 80). A fascinating mess.

References:

Kirino, N. (2008). Real World. Vintage.Leland, A. (2012, February 9). Fiction review: “Real World” by Natsuo Kirino. SFGATE. https://www.sfgate.com/books/article/Fiction-review-Real-World-by-Natsuo-Kirino-3202335.php

When Kitchen was first released in Japan in 1988, it caused such a stir that the media frenzy around Yoshimoto was dubbed “Bananamania” (Lee, 2014). The work won both the Kaien Newcomer Writers Prize and Izumi Kyoka Literary Prize (Lee, 2014), and Yoshimoto, in my opinion, deserved it as Kitchen beautifully delivered the tale of love and loss.

The story follows Mikage, a young woman struggling to deal with the recent death of her grandmother. Now all alone in the apartment she grew up in, Mikage decided to sleep in the place she loves most, the kitchen, with the hum of the refrigerator protecting her from thinking of her loneliness. Damn. I can really sympathize with Mikage as I too deal with this problem: your mind going places in silence. It's absolutely terrifying what the brain can do to you, really. We're basically living with a professional gaslighter just chilling behind them skull. Oh yeah, I actually sleep with my Echo Dot playing Space Deck as a defensive measure. White noise for the win. It also helps with insomnia, so give it a try. Mikage, however, won't be needing any Echo Dots as she's got mama Eriko and Yuichi to look after her! ( ^w< )uwu

The novel, however, took a dark turn after reaching Full Moon. Yuichi was severely depressed due to mama Eriko's sudden death (this transition somewhat reminds me of Final Fantasy XV and how buying DLCs is the only way you can comprehend what actually happened). At this point, he has no one to count on but Mikage, but Mikage herself was struggling with feeling alienated and, for the lack of better word, aimless. The two had a huge wall separating them, and this dynamic somewhat reminded me of Murakami’s absolute despair of a novel Norwegian Wood. Kitchen, however, managed to reach a happy ending because both Mikage and Yuichi are willing to accept help, whereas Naoko had already given up from the very beginning. The two managed to appreciate life precisely because of death; the death of their loved ones and the upcoming death that they’re going to face god knows when. My favorite part though, was Mikage’s “Ah, but the moon was lovely” (p. 99). This novel really called me single in every way possible.

References:
Lee, A. (2014, January 11). Kitchen. The Japan Times. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2014/01/11/books/book-reviews/kitchen/
Yoshimoto, B. (2006). Kitchen (M. Backus, Trans.). Grove Press.

Hey, this is not a youtube video, despite the gameplay-ey post title.
And as the title stated, yes, yes, I played NieR:Automata and it kinda gave a big punch in the... face, cheek, forehead?

Sekali lagi, oke? Jadi ceritanya saya beneran nyoba main NieR:Automata.

Silahkan baca lebih lanjut jika Anda penasaran bagaimana seorang gadis menilai permainan ini.

(Anda sekalian akan mengerti kenapa saya tulis; god help.)

Pertama, sedikit rundown. NieR:Automata adalah game yang dikembangkan oleh SQUARE ENIX (Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, Kuzu no Honkai (Manga), Black Butler) dan PLATINUM GAMES, dirilis pada 23 Februari 2017 pertama kali di Jepang. And, bapak penulis cerita yang keren namun penuh kegelapan, Yoko Taro, berperan sebagai director dan script writer pada seri ini.

Jika dapat diringkas menjadi sebuah sinopsis, saya bilang NieR:Automata akan sedikit seperti ini;

Tahun 11945 AD, bumi bukanlah planet yang kita kenal dulu. Serangan extraterrestrial yang dilaksanakan dengan mengirim mesin-mesin pembunuh membuat umat manusia terdesak, sehingga mereka tidak punya pilihan lain selain mengungsi ke bulan.

Demi mengambil alih kendali di bumi, para manusia menciptakan sekelompok android untuk membasmi mesin-mesin yang buas,

YoRHa.

Petualangan dua android tipe baru, 2B dan 9S pun dimulai untuk mengambil kembali bumi, dengan sedikit detour.

Setidaknya, itu yang mereka lakukan sebelum mengetahui kebenaran utama dari project YoRHa.

Main, playable characters;

1. YoRHa No.2 type B (2B)

2. YoRHa No.9 type S (9S, Nines)

3. YoRHa Type A No.2 (A2)

Jika Anda ingin mewujudkan pengalaman Anda yang-;

1. -mengerikan di taman bermain yang telah abandoned selama entah berapa ratus tahun lamanya namun dihiasi oleh kembang api yang masih segar, menaiki roller coaster sambil berlari menembaki dan menghunus pedang Anda untuk menghalau mesin-mesin badut zombie yang dengan santainya memuntahkan cairan mematikan yang mungkin adalah Hcl,

2. menyusuri sebuah pabrik tua yang dipenuhi oleh mesin-mesin yang mengenakan jubah pendeta berwarna ungu dengan fetish occult yang berlebihan dan mengejar-ngejar Anda dalam sebuah zona yang lima puluh persen terpadamkan lampunya, lalu menghadapi sebuah mesin laba-laba raksasa yang bertugas sebagai boss dalam kegelapan total jika Anda tidak menggunakan pencahayaan seadanya yang diberikan pod Anda,

NieR:Automata akan membantu Anda mewujudkan mimpi yang telah lama terpendam.

Officially, ada lima rute utama (26 rute keseluruhan, jika ditambah dengan ending-ending yang sedikit hilarious) yang akan kita cicipi di NieR:Automata. Rute A akan dijalani oleh 2B, dimana kita akan mulai mengenal sedikit lebih dalam mengenai YoRHa, Android, mesin, dan apa yang telah terjadi di bumi. Kesempatan juga akan diberikan untuk mengontrol 9S dan A2, jadi Anda-Anda tidak usah repot-repot cari di internet; "Apakah kita akan bisa bermain sebagai A2?". Eh, bon voyage.

Selain hand-in-hand battle yang dihiasi dengan smooth graphic of 60 frame rate per second dan graceful battle movements yang benar-benar membuat kita merasa badass, 8-bit gaming dan tembak-menembak pesawat yang super classic pun telah dikemas dalam satu paket NieR:Automata. Personally, saya merasa sangat addicted dengan tembak-menembak mecha itu. It's like, shoot em down, they're goin down! Chow down!

2B dan Pod-nya, 042.

"I ain't munching the pudding!"

NieR:Automata menyajikan cerita yang awalnya memang agak sedikit lamban, namun akan berubah fast paced pada rute-rute berikutnya. Ini memang menjadi sebuah poin minus menurut Aogatsu, karena perasaan "Damn, untuk apa sih saya bertarung mati-matian sampai kebunuh rusa disini?" a.k.a penasaran itu tidak bisa dilepas. Sajian utamanya memakan waktu terlalu lama sebelum dapat dihidangkan kepada para gamers, sehingga kita terjebak memakan pudding untuk waktu yang bisa dibilang sedikit terlalu lama. Keluarkan kalkun-nya sekarang juga, NieR:Automata!

"Has a dodge always been this astounding?"

Roller coaster fisik dan psikis akan siap membantu Anda mendapatkan pengalaman gaming yang benar-benar baru dalam NieR:Automata. Boss battle yang tricky namun beautifully designed sukses membuat mesin saya selalu panas.

As for the battle related mechanics, sistem dodge adalah satu dari beberapa hal yang membuat saya jatuh cinta. Battle yang fast paced akan pecah jika kita secara teknis harus memasuki status defensif, dan NieR:Automata mengetahuinya. Mereka secara tidak langsung berkata, 'hey, offense is the best defense' dan hal ini terwujud secara nyata dalam sistem dodge and re-attack NieR:Automata. Yeah, mungkin untuk normal difficulty ini akan menjadi sesuatu yang sometimes a little bit overpowered, but I didn't give a care. The dodge is beautiful, sudah, fix.

Tidak lupa juga partner setia para android, mister and miss pod yang sangat awkward. Kita akan diberikan kesempatan untuk mengutak atik pod dengan memasang plug-in chips and pod program yang akan menambah cita rasa battle. Ada lebih dari satu jenis pod yang dapat kita gunakan secara langsung; gun, laser, missiles. Asik. Banyak eksperimen yang bisa kita lakukan. Also, if you're in a pinch, the pod will help you damn good. Healing, defense, offense, they'll do it all.

Ini mungkin agak sedikit minor, namun kita juga dapat menepuk-nepuk pod kita dengan meraba touch pad. Love, love.

Beberapa pertarungan penting juga akan disajikan dengan beruntun, suatu tantangan yang makin membuat NieR:Automata menjadi game penangkis kantuk dan akan membuat mata Anda terus tertuju pada layar, dan genggaman Anda terhadap Dualshock mengerat.

"Astounding story."

Jika ada satu hal yang dapat saya katakan merupakan aspek terbaik dari NieR:Automata; adalah ceritanya yang ditulis secara rapih, unpredictable dan sangat dewasa. Yoko Taro, seperti yang kita ketahui, biasanya membuat ending-nya terlebih dahulu sebelum membuat fase hijaunya. Saya hanya bisa bilang; apapun yang dia lakukan, itu membuat NieR:Automata menjadi sebuah game yang membuat kita berfikir terus-menerus, sambil terstimulasi oleh perasaan-perasaan aneh yang mengena di hati karena ceritanya yang sangat gelap. Dan itu benar-benar sangat cerdik, mengingat sebuah game dapat membuat Anda merasa terpuruk dan menyesali keputusan Anda untuk menghapus memori sebuah mesin yang baik hati.

Character develompent juga akan sangat terasa saat teman berubah menjadi musuh, saat mesin mengembangkan sebuah ego, saat android mengembangkan kepedulian kepada partnernya. Oh, dan saat seorang android ingin mencoba berbelanja di mall dan membeli kaus oblong, heh.

NieR:Automata tidak hanya menyajikan Anda sebuah entertainment. Perasaan bertanggung jawab dan rasa iba pun akan tersalurkan melalui Dualshock Anda.

"Dari Dualshock, mengalir ke hati."

Bersiaplah untuk sebuah cerita yang akan mengaduk-aduk hati Anda.

Banyak-banyak minum susu supaya kuat menghadapi segala cobaannya.

Ini adalah sebuah cerita dimana robot, android, menumbuhkan sesuatu yang dinamakan ego demi kebahagiaan individu, mesin, teman, yang secara indah dikemas dalam satu kotak biru berisi piringan-cd-yeah, saya hanya berusaha untuk menjadi sedikit puitis.

Overall, NieR:Automata membawakan Anda pengalaman gaming yang benar-benar berbeda dari game-game yang pernah mengisi masa lalu anda.

A little warning, again.

Pedang yang dihunus NieR:Automata tak hanya sekeras orichalcum, namun juga fleksibel bagaikan penggaris Maped.

Setelah pedang itu melukai Anda, 2B, 9S, A2 dan Emil akan menaburkan garam diatas luka tercinta.

Siapkan mental.

Reception

Aggregate score
Aggregator	Score
Metacritic	(PS4) 88/100^[54] (PC) 83/100^[55]
Review scores
Publication	Score
Destructoid	9/10^[56]
EGM	8.5/10^[57]
Famitsu	39/40^[58]
Game Informer	7.75/10^[60]
Game Revolution	^[59]
GameSpot	9/10^[61]
GamesRadar	^[62]
IGN	8.9/10^[63]
PC Gamer (US)	79/100^[64]
Polygon	8/10^[65]
VideoGamer.com	9/10^[66]

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nier:_Automata)

Buy NieR:Automata now on one of the many trusted Indonesian Gaming Online Shops;

1. click here

2. or here

3. or probably here

Emil said: "Thank you for reading!" (plays the 'ta ri ra ri ra, ta ri ra ri ra!' music)

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