Our Favourite Media of February 2022

[helloladies]

Each month, we look back over the media we loved in the previous month, from books to film to video games and more.

Anna

Link Click by Studio Lan — This donghua (Chinese animated show) really blew me away. The story is about two men who travel back in time using photos. Cheng Xiaoshi can take over the body of the photographer for twelve hours, while Lu Guang acts as the voice in his ear. They use their power to help people and each one to three episode arc focuses on a different case.

What I loved about this was how emotionally intense each story arc was. Even though we are only with each set of characters for a few episodes the show succeeded in making me care about them and their problems. Also the art is amazing! It’s got a bit of water color quality to it, with lovely detailed backgrounds. I also like that many of the cases have an element of rural urban connection, a theme I find fascinating.

Laid-Back Camp by Afro — I recently got caught up with the last several volumes of the manga about high school girls going camping together. It’s so chill and charming! There’s food and friendship and camping gear!

KJ

The City That Never Dies by Clever Corvids — The new production from the team that created The Magpies, one of my favorite podcasts of all time, launched in November 2021. As of this writing, they've released eight episodes, and I'm already falling in love with players, the characters, and the story. Like The Magpies, this is an actual-play podcast using the Blades in the Dark system chronicling the adventures of a small gang, The Whisky Jays, pulling off heists and trying to make their dark city a better place. This time around, there's a Roaring '20s aesthetic, so they're a bunch of bootleggers, currently working for a bigger crime boss to whom they're in debt. When the story starts, they're already an established team, so the found family vibes are strong, but clearly they still have a lot to learn about each other, and I'm so excited to learn more along with them. If "be gay do crime" is your thing, this is the podcast for you.