Pokemon x Kogei with Dale Clayton, Mario & Luigi Brothership

[00:00:08] Welcome to Tokyo Game Life, a Tokyo-based video game podcast focusing on Nintendo and gaming culture in Japan's capital. Your host Mono here to bring you a slice of gaming life from Tokyo.

[00:00:18] Today, returning guest Dale joins as we chat about the awesome Pokemon Kogei exhibit where Japanese craftsmen created amazing Pokemon-themed art pieces. We dig into just how they were made, our favorite pieces, and give some souvenir tips. Plus, we also get into the latest Mario RPG, Mario & Luigi Brothership.

[00:00:35] Let's jump right into the feature about Pokemon Kogei with Dale.

[00:00:46] Today's feature is about the Pokemon Kogei exhibit happening right now in Tokyo. But I'm not alone as I'm joined by a very special guest. So guest, please introduce yourself.

[00:00:55] Hi everybody. Hi listeners. I'm Dale. You can find me on YouTube with my name Dale Clayton. I've been in Japan for a few years now. Love Japanese games and on my YouTube channel you can find reviews of what I've been playing recently.

[00:01:08] Yes, thanks for joining me yet again. And listeners, if you hear my voice because I have a cold and you're thinking I'm not going to listen to this episode, go subscribe to Dale right now. You don't have to listen to the rest of the episode. Subscribe to Dale right now.

[00:01:19] But if you can endure my voice, we're going to get into some really awesome subjects because Dale is staying on with us, not just for the Pokemon Kogei exhibit, but also Brothership and also the news.

[00:01:29] So last time you were on the podcast, we talked about the Pokemon Scarlet Violet DLC. And now we're back talking about Pokemon, but in a very different capacity.

[00:01:36] So to kick it off, give us the pitch. What is the Pokemon Kogei exhibit?

[00:01:41] Pokemon X Kogei is an exhibit that before we call it an exhibit, let's call it a project. It started a few years ago and the idea was to introduce traditional Japanese artisans to characters from Pokemon and combine the two.

[00:01:56] I believe, if I'm not mistaken, the purpose was to introduce younger people and all kinds of people to the worlds of Japanese craft using popular Pokemon characters.

[00:02:08] And I think that really worked on me because as like most of us listening, we've all grown up with Pokemon and liked it, but I had a curiosity about Japanese craft and seeing the pieces on display with the familiar Pokemon characters was a great way to get into the world.

[00:02:26] And learn a lot about Japanese craft.

[00:02:28] Yeah, I have a bit of background on the exhibit because I did it indeed by the exhibit book, which we'll talk about.

[00:02:34] And so listeners, if you hear me turning pages or if I knock over the microphone with my book, it's because of that.

[00:02:39] It seems like the idea, it was all the Pokemon company.

[00:02:42] They visited the National Craft Museum, which used to be in Tokyo, but now it's in Kanazawa.

[00:02:48] And they approached them with the idea of creating Pokemon themed Japanese handicrafts.

[00:02:52] Koge translates to, I guess, like artisan craft or like industrial arts, that type of thing.

[00:02:59] The literal Japanese kanji is like make and then art.

[00:03:03] So think of it that way.

[00:03:04] And the Pokemon company talked to the director of the museum, who is named Karasawa Masahiro, with the idea of this exhibit.

[00:03:12] And it doesn't seem like he's a big Pokemon fan, but in the book, he did say that he enjoyed Pokemon Go.

[00:03:18] And he was a bit confused about the initial pitch, but he became more interested once he connected the dots between Koge, which is Japanese handicrafts, and Pokemon being made in Japan.

[00:03:29] So two uniquely Japanese things, therefore combining them made perfect sense.

[00:03:34] And it launched in early 2023 in the National Crafts Museum in Kanagawa, and it's made its way all across Japan and even Los Angeles.

[00:03:42] But the exhibit is happening right now in Tokyo until February.

[00:03:45] So listeners, if you're in Tokyo, you have quite a lot of time to check it out.

[00:03:49] But Dale, you've seen that before it hit Tokyo.

[00:03:51] How did you stumble across the exhibit in the first place?

[00:03:53] Yes.

[00:03:54] Yeah, I saw it at Atami Bijutsukan, Atami Museum in Shizuoka Prefecture during my summer break.

[00:04:00] I was there just to spend a few days on vacation and relax by the beach.

[00:04:05] Honestly, I was surprised at myself not knowing that it was even on.

[00:04:08] I got off the train in Atami, saw the Pokemon flags decorating the city, and I thought, what is this?

[00:04:14] So I reshuffled my itinerary on a whim, bought a ticket to the museum.

[00:04:18] Luckily, it wasn't too crowded that day and I could get in.

[00:04:20] And yeah, it just blew me away.

[00:04:22] So I went there without even knowing the exhibit was on and loved it so much.

[00:04:27] I also bought the book at that time and recommended it to a whole bunch of people.

[00:04:31] And then when I saw it was in Tokyo, I thought, well, I've got to go again and take someone with me who hadn't seen it the first time.

[00:04:37] Pokemon will find you no matter what.

[00:04:39] So you don't need to go search for it.

[00:04:41] And since you visited the Tokyo exhibit, and we want to dig into mainly that because that's the one I've been to.

[00:04:46] Would you say there are any notable differences between the Atami exhibit and the Tokyo one?

[00:04:50] Yes.

[00:04:51] Yes.

[00:04:51] There were three brand new pieces on display at the Tokyo exhibit, which debuted at the Tokyo Azubu Daihils exhibit.

[00:04:58] They were the big metal Mewtwo that wasn't in Atami, as well as the arabesque pottery of Barnett and Litwick.

[00:05:08] Ah.

[00:05:09] Those were not in Atami either.

[00:05:11] Consequently, you won't see them in the book that you can buy there.

[00:05:14] And there is no merchandise of those characters, unfortunately.

[00:05:17] Because, yeah, they were brand new for this event.

[00:05:21] The Tokyo exhibit is in Azubu Daihils in Roppongi, which just opened up last year.

[00:05:25] So it is a pretty new shopping locale in the city.

[00:05:28] Now, before we get into the nitty gritty of the exhibit, did you do the stamp rally?

[00:05:33] No, I didn't do the stamp rally.

[00:05:35] I actually didn't know there was a stamp rally on, and I was a little bit pressed for time.

[00:05:39] I didn't actually see the stamp rally until after I'd been to the exhibit, and I had plans after.

[00:05:45] So unfortunately, I didn't do it.

[00:05:46] But had I known, I certainly would have done it.

[00:05:49] Yeah, the Pokemon Koga exhibit is more than just a gallery.

[00:05:52] There's a stamp rally.

[00:05:52] There's a souvenir shop, a cafe, and we'll get into all of it.

[00:05:55] And I actually did have a few people stop me and ask, hey, where are the stamps?

[00:06:00] Because they saw me with my stamp book out.

[00:06:02] But they're all in Azubu Daihils and Mori Tower, which is nearby.

[00:06:07] So they're not that spread out.

[00:06:08] But half are in Azubu Daihils, half are in Mori Tower.

[00:06:11] And you get a sticker if you complete the stamp rally.

[00:06:15] There's a Jolteon sticker, a Shaman sticker, and a Venusaur sticker.

[00:06:20] So I wanted the Venusaur sticker.

[00:06:22] And me and my wife, we both completed it.

[00:06:24] And neither of us got the Venusaur sticker.

[00:06:26] So I need to go back and redo it or something.

[00:06:29] So let's get into the exhibit itself.

[00:06:31] Now, we're going to do our best to describe these things because they are very much something

[00:06:36] you've got to see to believe.

[00:06:38] But Dale, what piece would you say stood out the most to you?

[00:06:41] That's a really difficult question.

[00:06:43] Something my mind keeps coming back to is there's a series of vases that are made with

[00:06:49] a technique called Yakushime, which is pottery that is fired in a kiln.

[00:06:55] But it's a very long, high temperature firing.

[00:06:58] So it gives the pottery a kind of burnt appearance.

[00:07:01] And they used that technique to make pieces of fire type Pokemon.

[00:07:06] So there's a Charizard, there's a Volpix.

[00:07:09] And my favorite piece is probably the Moltres.

[00:07:13] It's this vase, which looks like it's been split open with Moltres' head coming out.

[00:07:20] And I was just amazed that they managed to get such sharp, defined flame shapes using this

[00:07:27] traditional pottery technique.

[00:07:29] I don't know how they did it.

[00:07:30] But that piece, just thinking about the production process of that piece just blew me away, as

[00:07:36] did so many other exhibits.

[00:07:37] But yeah, that one's what is what came to my mind just now.

[00:07:40] Yeah, that one's really great.

[00:07:42] And you touched on something that, yeah, I wanted to get into is that there is a very

[00:07:46] strong connection between the Pokemon and also the type of craft and how they made it.

[00:07:51] So it's definitely a lot of thought.

[00:07:53] It's not just somebody said, oh, make a Pikachu vase.

[00:07:57] The artisans had a lot of freedom when it came to both picking the Pokemon and what they

[00:08:02] wanted to do.

[00:08:03] And for me, I think one of my favorites is Venusaur because that's one of my favorite

[00:08:07] Pokemon.

[00:08:08] And yeah, Venusaur is like this realistic ceramic pottery version.

[00:08:13] And it's from an artist named Imai Sadamasa, who is a third generation potter.

[00:08:18] So he's got pottery in his jeans and it all led to this moment to create Venusaur.

[00:08:23] And he also has like a really awesome Kingler and a Squirtle right next to it.

[00:08:27] And they're both, yeah, I guess I say it so many times, but realistic, I guess somewhat

[00:08:31] similar to maybe Detective Pikachu.

[00:08:33] How would you describe these pieces?

[00:08:35] Yeah, I think so too.

[00:08:37] The person I was with described them as a bit cursed and I don't want to say it like that,

[00:08:41] but it's a unique take on Pokemon that does look not quite realistic, but just a little

[00:08:47] bit, I don't know, I want to say intentionally creepy, but I still really like it.

[00:08:52] And that Venusaur in particular is one of the most striking pieces there.

[00:08:56] I think that's why they've led with that in a lot of the promotional materials.

[00:08:59] It's really got to be seen to believe that one.

[00:09:01] Yeah.

[00:09:02] You want Venusaur to be a little gnarly looking because he's not supposed to be a cute Pokemon.

[00:09:06] You want him to look a little mean, a little, not creepy, but like, oh, he's been through

[00:09:10] some battles.

[00:09:11] And also picking Kingler was a smart idea because Kingler is also one of those, oh, they're

[00:09:16] kind of like an ugly, rough Pokemon.

[00:09:18] The Squirtle looked a little creepy, I have to admit, because he's not supposed to be

[00:09:21] looking like that, but it's an interesting version of Squirtle.

[00:09:25] So yeah, we've talked about these pottery, but there's so many different other types

[00:09:29] of artisan handicrafts there.

[00:09:31] So were there any pieces where you thought, how in the world did they make this?

[00:09:36] Yeah, there was one small piece and it's a lacquerware box and it's covered with, there's

[00:09:41] a whole series of them, but the one that stood out to me the most was one that's covered

[00:09:46] in unknown.

[00:09:47] Yes.

[00:09:48] And I happened to watch the video that they were playing in there of how it was made.

[00:09:52] They used a, like a laser cutter to make these tiny, tiny little unknowns that were painstakingly

[00:09:59] put on with tweezers.

[00:10:01] And it was, you know, covered with layers and layers of lacquer and washed and lacquered

[00:10:06] again.

[00:10:06] And it's got this black, but the way it catches the light, it's got all these little rainbow

[00:10:13] unknowns that just literally jump off the piece.

[00:10:16] And just seeing how intricate and how much of a hassle that would have been to be made.

[00:10:22] I just thought, I can't believe someone spent, you know, hours, days, weeks putting that

[00:10:26] together for such a small box, but it really does stand out.

[00:10:29] Yeah, that was definitely one I really wanted to highlight.

[00:10:32] The artist is named Ikeda Terumasa.

[00:10:34] They're hard to describe because they are sort of like Japanese style boxes, I would say,

[00:10:38] almost like a tea caddy.

[00:10:40] So yeah, they're these small black boxes decorated with these bright, kind of almost

[00:10:44] holographic looking symbols and designs.

[00:10:46] Think of it like the, from a Pokemon trading card game, holographic material.

[00:10:50] And each little design is just so tiny.

[00:10:55] And like you said, the video, he has tweezers and he's putting on each individual one.

[00:11:00] It's just wild.

[00:11:01] I would give up after maybe like two or three.

[00:11:03] There must be what, like over a thousand on just one box?

[00:11:07] Yeah, I think so.

[00:11:08] Each side has at least, you know, two, three hundred.

[00:11:11] So yeah, it must be over a thousand.

[00:11:12] Yeah.

[00:11:13] And yeah, the unknown one is really awesome because it looks like an artifact you would

[00:11:17] find in the game.

[00:11:18] So I thought it was very evocative that this person's pieces felt like almost like real

[00:11:23] versions of video game items.

[00:11:25] One thing that really stuck out in terms of like, oh, how do they even make this is the

[00:11:30] Eevee and the Eeveelution statues?

[00:11:32] Oh yeah.

[00:11:33] I was thinking like, where do you even start when you are making something like this?

[00:11:36] And each piece, it does have like a placard there saying that what each piece is made

[00:11:41] out of.

[00:11:41] Like it will say copper and gold and whatever.

[00:11:43] But even if you know that information, I can't parse what's what.

[00:11:47] Can you describe the Eevee statues?

[00:11:49] What do you think they look like or how would you describe them?

[00:11:52] Yeah, it's very obvious that they're made of metal and they're shiny like metal.

[00:11:56] But for example, you look at the Flareon one, it's made of, I would liken them to fish scales

[00:12:03] or snake scales.

[00:12:04] All these tiny little pieces of metal that are in the shape of a flame.

[00:12:08] And I know that from reading the book, each one of those tiny pieces, it's about the size

[00:12:13] of a coin.

[00:12:14] The artist, first he made custom tools to press these pieces of metal into the desired shape,

[00:12:22] which was a flame, but not each piece of metal looks the same.

[00:12:27] Each one looks a little bit different.

[00:12:28] And then there are hundreds of them decorating this giant body of Flareon.

[00:12:34] So from a distance, it looks like a kind of rough, jagged, spiky looking Flareon.

[00:12:39] But you go up close and you can see that it's made of hundreds of, if not thousands of these

[00:12:44] little metal flames.

[00:12:46] And the series is the same.

[00:12:48] Like the Vaporeon one kind of looks like shells.

[00:12:50] The Jolteon one looks like lightning bolts.

[00:12:54] Eevee's looks like the colorless energy symbol from the trading card game.

[00:12:58] And it's not until you get up close that you can see it.

[00:13:01] And these are by no means small statues either.

[00:13:04] So it once again reminded me of the painstaking process of putting it together.

[00:13:08] Yeah, I didn't even notice a lot of those details until I started to look at the book.

[00:13:12] And it does have a picture of the tools that he used to make it.

[00:13:16] So first of all, before you can even make the statues, you have to hand make these special

[00:13:21] tools that I don't know if he'll ever use them again.

[00:13:23] But hopefully he can find another use for it.

[00:13:26] And yeah, the size is almost like it's life-sized versions of Eevee and Flareon.

[00:13:31] I was reading about the creator.

[00:13:32] His name is Yoshida Taichiro.

[00:13:34] And he's a metal worker.

[00:13:35] And it says he was kind of drawn to Eevee because he works with copper.

[00:13:39] And Eevee is sort of a brownish copper color.

[00:13:42] So it makes like perfect sense for him to make that.

[00:13:45] And yeah, that's one thing I really gained a greater appreciation for once I got the book

[00:13:49] is that you do get a lot of background on each artist.

[00:13:52] And for many, the artist was just free to pick whatever Pokemon they wanted.

[00:13:56] Like the Gyarados and Kanto bug statues were chosen because the guy just liked those Pokemon.

[00:14:02] So were there any Pokemon you were surprised that were represented?

[00:14:06] Yeah, there were quite a few.

[00:14:08] There's a glass vase there that looks to be hand-painted.

[00:14:12] I'm not sure the meaning of it, but it's a glass vase and it's clearly transparent and

[00:14:17] it's been painted.

[00:14:18] It's got a few random Pokemon on it that I would say are not very popular.

[00:14:22] One of them is Garboda, the garbage bag Pokemon.

[00:14:25] So I was really surprised to see that one represented there because a vase is an object of beauty

[00:14:31] and the transparent, almost stained glass effect is really beautiful and striking.

[00:14:36] And yet they chose the garbage Pokemon.

[00:14:38] I thought that was quite funny and quite ironic.

[00:14:41] Yeah, there's a ceramic Litwick, which I would say is, you know, a bit obscure.

[00:14:44] I know a lot of people like Chandelier, but I don't know about Litwick in particular.

[00:14:48] What about the type of craft?

[00:14:50] So we've mostly been talking about like ceramics and pottery, but there's a lot of other types

[00:14:54] of Colgate here, a lot of other types of handmade art.

[00:14:57] But so was there an object here that surprised you?

[00:15:00] Oh, I didn't expect this type of object to be in the exhibit.

[00:15:04] Yeah, I think it was the kimono fabric.

[00:15:06] And from a distance, the kimono fabrics don't really look like much.

[00:15:11] If you are standing from a distance, you'd probably think, oh, this is part of another

[00:15:14] exhibit or something like that.

[00:15:16] But you go closer to it and you can see figures of Pokemon that have been hand painted onto

[00:15:21] the fabric itself at such a really tiny, tiny level, like hundreds, thousands, millions

[00:15:26] of dots on one piece of fabric.

[00:15:28] So that was something that really surprised me.

[00:15:30] And I think as I was there, a lot of people were almost, I would say, avoiding the kimonos

[00:15:35] or walking away from them because they, I think because they're not as striking as the big,

[00:15:40] you know, the big ceramics or anything like that.

[00:15:42] But that really surprised me.

[00:15:44] And I have a huge amount of respect for those artisans as well, just because, you know,

[00:15:48] out of all the different crafts on display paintings, probably the only one I've tried doing

[00:15:52] myself.

[00:15:53] So I can really, really respect, you know, the level of commitment and detail required

[00:15:58] to do that.

[00:15:59] Yeah.

[00:16:00] Some are really subtle.

[00:16:01] You have to be maybe two inches away from the kimono to actually see the pattern.

[00:16:05] There's one that's like interlocking haunters and gangars that are just so tiny, almost

[00:16:11] like pixel art that you wouldn't notice unless you were specifically looking for it.

[00:16:15] And yeah, there's an Okinawa style kimono that utilizes the bingata dying technique,

[00:16:21] which is again, local to Okinawa.

[00:16:23] And it has a lot of Alolan Pokemon on it, which, you know, makes sense.

[00:16:26] So this is something I didn't expect to see there at all.

[00:16:29] And yeah, I do agree where, oh, people are kind of hovering over towards the more, I guess,

[00:16:34] physical objects.

[00:16:36] And because those are, I guess, a bit more Instagrammable.

[00:16:39] There's, I want to say, yeah, over 20 artists represented.

[00:16:41] There's probably over 50 pieces and they're not all Pokemon.

[00:16:46] There actually are two pieces that are based on the moves.

[00:16:50] One is Shadow Sneak.

[00:16:51] And I think the other one is Icicle Crash.

[00:16:54] That's right.

[00:16:55] What do you think about these exhibits?

[00:16:57] Yeah.

[00:16:57] When I first went to the Atami Majitsukhan version, because that venue is a bit more

[00:17:01] open, larger, a bit more spread out.

[00:17:03] As I was walking past it, I actually had no idea it was part of Pokemon X.

[00:17:07] I thought it was some other piece of modern art that couldn't be moved and they had to

[00:17:11] put the exhibit around it.

[00:17:12] So when I finally got the book and read what that was, I thought, oh, it's Icicle Crash,

[00:17:17] the move that's been represented in art and Shadow Sneak as well.

[00:17:20] The Icicle Crash is, how would you describe it?

[00:17:23] It's like a bunch of different polygonal glass shapes that have been arranged in the floor.

[00:17:29] It's quite large as well.

[00:17:30] I would say it's by two, three meters lengthwise.

[00:17:34] So it's quite a large display of these blocky pieces of glass, which meant to look like ice.

[00:17:40] And the Shadow Sneak one as well.

[00:17:42] If you didn't know what Shadow Sneak was, and I think even most people there can't really

[00:17:46] imagine what Shadow Sneak looks like in the game when you use it for memory.

[00:17:50] It's just this black lacquer monolith, you know, it's taller than I am.

[00:17:56] And when I first saw that, I thought, I don't know what this is supposed to be.

[00:17:59] But after reading the book, I thought, oh, that's interesting.

[00:18:02] And they had a screenshot from the game and think, oh, okay, that's the shape of Shadow

[00:18:06] Sneak that's been made into a giant monolith.

[00:18:09] So those two are a little bit unusual, I think.

[00:18:12] Yeah, that's a really interesting idea.

[00:18:14] Is there a move you wish you would have seen here portrayed in ceramics or lacquer?

[00:18:18] The most iconic Pokemon move for me is Fire Blast.

[00:18:22] Oh, okay.

[00:18:23] Just the shape of that move is like the kanji for big.

[00:18:27] So it's always struck me the way that Fire Blast is used in the anime and some of the

[00:18:32] games where it's represented by that big kanji.

[00:18:35] I would have loved to have seen some, you know, maybe orange glass in the shape of fire

[00:18:40] or something like that.

[00:18:41] Oh, that's cool.

[00:18:42] How about yourself?

[00:18:43] Maybe Swift, because I always thought, like, why is it just stars shooting out?

[00:18:47] I guess, are stars fast?

[00:18:49] Or I don't know what it's supposed to convey.

[00:18:51] But that's just like a really unique, especially from the Generation 1.

[00:18:55] You know, the animations were so simple.

[00:18:56] But Swift had this totally unique animation.

[00:18:59] So yeah, I would like to see, come up with Swift.

[00:19:02] It's like make a bunch of ceramic stars or whatever.

[00:19:05] But I want to see what they can do with it.

[00:19:07] So before we move on to the souvenir shop, are there any other pieces you want to shout

[00:19:10] out or something that people should definitely spend some time looking at before they

[00:19:14] move on?

[00:19:15] Yeah, we mentioned the Litwick earlier.

[00:19:18] That's part of a series by the same artist.

[00:19:20] I don't have the artist's name on hand, but they've also made Grookey, Sobble, Scorbunny,

[00:19:27] Banette in the same style.

[00:19:29] And once you get closer to those, these are more colorful, more intricately detailed kind

[00:19:35] of ceramics.

[00:19:36] The complete opposite of the fire type ones I was describing earlier, where they use a multitude

[00:19:40] of different colors and patterns.

[00:19:42] And there's a lot of gold on them as well.

[00:19:45] Yes, they do.

[00:19:45] That same artist does Shaman, which is also used in a lot of the promotional material.

[00:19:49] It's definitely one of the most striking pieces there.

[00:19:51] So I would recommend checking those out as well.

[00:19:54] Yeah.

[00:19:55] For me, I also really like the plates.

[00:19:57] They're like half Pokemon, half plate.

[00:19:59] And they're mostly themed after the water Pokemon.

[00:20:02] So one is like two Piplups, and they kind of blend in with the plate.

[00:20:06] Another one is Mantine.

[00:20:09] And Mantine also has like the Remoraid underneath the wing.

[00:20:13] So that was like, oh, okay.

[00:20:15] This person put a lot of thought into it.

[00:20:16] Make sure like every single inch was authentic.

[00:20:19] So yeah, those were really cool.

[00:20:21] We really just spent the entire episode just listing one by one and saying like just how

[00:20:25] amazing they are.

[00:20:26] Because every single piece was truly mind-blowing.

[00:20:29] Before we move on, if you could take for free one of these pieces home, which one would

[00:20:34] you be taking home?

[00:20:35] Oh, what would I take home?

[00:20:36] That's a hard choice.

[00:20:37] I think I would take Grookey.

[00:20:40] I've always been a grass starter man myself.

[00:20:43] I love Grookey.

[00:20:44] And I just love the way he's represented in that, you know, shiny arabesque style.

[00:20:49] I would take Grookey home with me.

[00:20:51] Yeah, for me, I think I got to go with Venusaur, even though that thing is pretty huge.

[00:20:55] And yeah, he's ugly.

[00:20:56] But I don't know.

[00:20:57] I couldn't live without him if I had the chance to take him home with me.

[00:21:01] But you can take home some stuff with you because there is a souvenir shop.

[00:21:05] And it's actually on a different floor from the exhibit.

[00:21:07] And they did check my ticket before I could go in.

[00:21:10] So maybe depending on the day, or I don't know if that's a hard and fast rule.

[00:21:13] I don't know if they just let you in there.

[00:21:15] But did you get anything at the souvenir shop, either in Atami or here?

[00:21:19] Or did they sell anything that caught your eye?

[00:21:22] Yeah, I got some stuff at the souvenir shop the first time and this time.

[00:21:25] I believe to get into the shop, you do need to have a ticket.

[00:21:28] Okay.

[00:21:29] I know at Atami, that was the only way to get into the souvenir shop.

[00:21:32] It was in the same area as the exhibition itself.

[00:21:35] They just don't have enough space at Azbuda Hills for that.

[00:21:37] So yeah, the first time, of course, I got the book.

[00:21:40] I immediately wanted that.

[00:21:41] I did have a quick look through it a few months ago.

[00:21:44] I haven't looked at it recently.

[00:21:45] But the book is definitely worth buying.

[00:21:47] I think if you are even the slightest bit curious about the process used to create some of these pieces,

[00:21:54] the book is a must buy.

[00:21:56] And each page and each item has descriptions in both Japanese and English.

[00:22:00] So you don't need to worry about any language problems.

[00:22:03] The quality is great.

[00:22:05] It's got these silver edges on the pages and the picture quality is outstanding.

[00:22:11] So I think the book is definitely a must buy.

[00:22:13] From memory, it was about 3,500 yen.

[00:22:16] So not too expensive.

[00:22:17] I think that's definitely the best thing you can buy.

[00:22:20] Besides that, I got a couple of pins.

[00:22:21] I got a couple of magnets.

[00:22:22] I got a keychain the first time.

[00:22:26] The second time, I got the Pikachu.

[00:22:29] The first time, I didn't get the exclusive Pikachu because I said, oh, I don't need enough.

[00:22:33] Because I kind of wanted it at the time.

[00:22:35] And I thought, oh, I don't need any more plushies.

[00:22:37] Oh, I should say I bought a t-shirt the first time too.

[00:22:39] But then the second time, I thought, well, I came back a second time.

[00:22:42] I need to get it.

[00:22:44] So I got the exclusive Pikachu wearing a kimono.

[00:22:47] Yeah, I also got the book, which I also really highly recommend.

[00:22:50] They have really good close-up photos of the exhibits as well.

[00:22:54] So you might notice something you didn't notice the first time you went there.

[00:22:57] And I also got the kimono Pikachu plushie because it is a unique item that's only sold here.

[00:23:02] And next to the souvenir shop is a small pop-up cafe.

[00:23:06] Did you swing by the cafe at all?

[00:23:08] I wanted to go there.

[00:23:09] It was completely...

[00:23:10] I went there on a Sunday.

[00:23:11] So it was completely full up.

[00:23:13] And there was a long line of people.

[00:23:14] And I thought about getting the takeout.

[00:23:17] But it just wouldn't be the same getting a takeout as opposed to dining in.

[00:23:20] So no, unfortunately, I didn't dine in the cafe.

[00:23:23] But I did want to.

[00:23:24] Yeah, the cafe is not all themed around Pokemon.

[00:23:27] Like it's a normal cafe.

[00:23:29] But they also have a special collaboration menu, I would say.

[00:23:31] And they have a few like plushies around.

[00:23:33] But it's not like they totally changed the entire cafe to be like the exhibit.

[00:23:37] But yeah, I was able to enter.

[00:23:39] And I rested here for a little bit.

[00:23:40] I got an expensive Pikachu matcha latte.

[00:23:43] Which is just a normal matcha latte.

[00:23:45] But it has Pikachu on the foam.

[00:23:47] And they also sell like a pancake type of thing.

[00:23:49] And a Pikachu parfait.

[00:23:51] Which looked pretty good.

[00:23:52] But I wasn't in the mood to eat it.

[00:23:53] But yeah, it's a very small collab.

[00:23:56] And if you want to eat something with Pikachu on it, this is your chance.

[00:23:59] But otherwise, it's pretty skippable.

[00:24:01] Did that come with a placemat?

[00:24:03] Oh, yes.

[00:24:03] Actually, it did.

[00:24:04] If you order something, you get a placemat.

[00:24:07] Which is just like a plastic mat.

[00:24:10] I have no idea where that thing is now, to be honest.

[00:24:12] I think I took it home.

[00:24:13] But who knows where that is.

[00:24:15] But yes, you do get a placemat.

[00:24:16] So, Dale, would you recommend people visit the Pokemon Kouge event?

[00:24:21] Absolutely.

[00:24:21] Yeah, I was blown away the first time.

[00:24:23] And more than happy to go back a second time.

[00:24:25] And something I think it's worth stressing here is that it is a genuinely interesting look at Japanese traditional handicraft.

[00:24:34] When I was going the first time, I thought it might be a little bit tacky.

[00:24:38] Because a lot of these things tend to be like that.

[00:24:42] I'm thinking of something that happened a few years ago.

[00:24:44] Pokemon did a collaboration with a museum where it was like Pokemon fossils.

[00:24:49] Oh, yes.

[00:24:50] I thought, is that really educational?

[00:24:52] Is that really useful seeing plastic fossil Pokemon?

[00:24:55] But no, this is the real deal.

[00:24:57] It's not tacky in any way.

[00:24:59] It's incredibly worthwhile visiting.

[00:25:00] Even if you're not a Pokemon fan, I think there is enough there about the traditional Japanese handicrafts that will keep you interested.

[00:25:09] Yeah, I had a lot of fun.

[00:25:10] And every single piece is worth checking out and examining up close.

[00:25:13] It's a very impressive event.

[00:25:14] And it really does go beyond a lot of the typical collaborations we often see.

[00:25:18] So, yes, both Dale and I highly, highly recommend if you're in Tokyo from now until the end of February, I believe.

[00:25:25] So, definitely spend some time to check it out.

[00:25:27] All right, Dale, you're going to stick with me as we move on to the games and talk Mario and Luigi Brothership.

[00:25:38] All right, now we're going to get into the games with Mario and Luigi Brothership, the newest entry in the long-running RPG franchise.

[00:25:45] It's developed by Acquire, who some may know from Tenchu and Way of the Samurai, but most recently the co-developer of Octopath Traveler.

[00:25:52] But if you look at the credits, there are some people who worked at Alpha Dream who are also working on this game.

[00:25:57] And Chihiro Fujioka, who was the director of Super Mario RPG and a designer on the past Mario and Luigi games, is also credited.

[00:26:05] So, it is a true blue Mario and Luigi game.

[00:26:08] But where does it rank?

[00:26:10] Well, we're going to tell you right now.

[00:26:12] So, Dale, before we board the Brothership, what's your history with the Mario and Luigi series?

[00:26:17] Yeah, I've played all of the games except Partners in Time.

[00:26:21] I own Partners in Time, but I just haven't gotten around to playing it.

[00:26:24] The first game I played in the series was Dream Team because I'd never played a Mario and Luigi at that time.

[00:26:30] And at that time in my life, I was studying abroad in China where I just had nothing to do.

[00:26:35] The only thing I had to entertain myself was my 3DS.

[00:26:38] So, I thought, okay, let's download Mario and Luigi.

[00:26:40] I'm sure it's not going to be that good.

[00:26:41] But I really loved it at the time and it got me into the series.

[00:26:44] So, I played Superstar Saga when it came to the Wii U way back when.

[00:26:50] And throughout the years, bought some used copies of Partners in Time, which I haven't played.

[00:26:55] Bowser's Inside Story, the 3DS version.

[00:26:58] I haven't played the DS version.

[00:27:00] The remake of Superstar Saga and Paper Jam.

[00:27:03] So, yeah, that's it.

[00:27:05] I've played all of them except the original Bowser's Inside Story and Partners in Time.

[00:27:11] Okay.

[00:27:11] Yeah, mine's pretty spotty.

[00:27:13] I played Superstar Saga on the GBA and liked it.

[00:27:16] I skipped Partners.

[00:27:17] Then I played Bowser's Inside Story on DS and I loved it.

[00:27:21] It's one of my top five favorite DS games.

[00:27:24] But I skipped the 3DS game.

[00:27:25] So, it's been about 15 years or so since I last played a real Mario and Luigi game.

[00:27:30] So, I'm not a super fan.

[00:27:31] But the series has shown some glimmer of greatness with Bowser's Inside Story.

[00:27:36] So, let's get into it.

[00:27:38] Actually, before we start, are you a little disappointed that the island where your home base is, is not called the Brothership?

[00:27:44] Yeah.

[00:27:45] I was actually going to bring this up.

[00:27:47] And I'm really surprised that that's the name of the game that they chose because that combination of two words does not appear in the game at all.

[00:27:57] As far as I've played, I'm about 35 hours into it.

[00:28:00] But that combination of words hasn't come up, which is fine.

[00:28:04] But you would expect it to be the name of the ship.

[00:28:08] And something that does disappoint me about the title is if you look at some of the European languages, it has a completely different title.

[00:28:16] In Spanish, it's called Connection Fraternal, which I guess you would translate into English as Brotherly Connection or something like that.

[00:28:24] And I think that's a much better name.

[00:28:26] The choice of the title Brothership, and it's called Brothership in Japanese too.

[00:28:30] Yes.

[00:28:30] Just a little bit unusual for me.

[00:28:33] It is a good word.

[00:28:34] So I was like, oh, what is Ship Shape Island?

[00:28:37] Why are you calling it this?

[00:28:38] Brothership, you already figured it out.

[00:28:40] You don't need to make another name for this island.

[00:28:44] So you are 35-ish hours in.

[00:28:46] I'm about nine hours in.

[00:28:48] So you're ahead of me.

[00:28:49] What is your experience with the game been so far?

[00:28:52] I mean, to be honest, I'm pretty mixed on this.

[00:28:55] Like I said, I've played most of the Mario and Luigi games and enjoyed the most.

[00:29:00] But playing this one, it's really noticeable that the development studio has changed.

[00:29:06] And the hardware has changed significantly too.

[00:29:10] You know, moving from portable systems to a home console.

[00:29:13] So it's a bit of a rough transition between portable software to home consoles and from one studio to another.

[00:29:23] Yeah, I've put about nine hours into the game.

[00:29:25] And I'm mostly mixed on it.

[00:29:26] But I do think it's getting better.

[00:29:28] But since you're much farther ahead of me, maybe it doesn't get better.

[00:29:31] I like a lot of the ideas in the game, like the battle plugs, which is genuinely a really fascinating feature that I dig.

[00:29:36] And the traversal skills are fun to use.

[00:29:39] But the pacing is really slow.

[00:29:42] The pacing is horrendous.

[00:29:45] You don't get the hammer until about an hour in.

[00:29:48] And you don't get the battle plugs, aka my favorite part of the game so far, until about five hours in.

[00:29:54] You also agree the pacing is very slow.

[00:29:57] When do you think it's, does it ever speed up?

[00:30:00] Or is it just kind of like that the whole game?

[00:30:02] I'm going to hazard a guess that I'm about 80-90% through the game.

[00:30:05] I think I'm near the end.

[00:30:07] I don't think the pace starts picking up until about 50% into the game.

[00:30:12] It's really slow getting going.

[00:30:14] If you look at the world map, you can see that it's divided into four big areas in one small area.

[00:30:19] And I felt like it didn't start getting good until the third area.

[00:30:23] Those first two main chapters of the game felt really slow, really repetitive.

[00:30:29] Like a real slog at some point.

[00:30:32] And I agree the battle plug system is actually quite fun once it gets going.

[00:30:36] When you do finally get it, you only get two, I think they're called power taps.

[00:30:41] Yes.

[00:30:42] And just a very limited selection of battle plugs.

[00:30:44] And then it's not until about 25 hours in when you get a few more battle taps and a few more plugs

[00:30:50] where you can really start customizing it and figuring out how the different combinations work.

[00:30:55] Where it's like, okay, this is really fun battling.

[00:30:58] It takes so long to get to that point.

[00:31:00] Yeah.

[00:31:00] I think by hour one, you need the hammer, you need a bro move, and you need the plugs.

[00:31:05] If you introduce all that by hour one, by hour five, I think you will have built up a good rhythm

[00:31:10] and started to delve into the game's customization options.

[00:31:14] But I do want to get into the battle plugs because I think we both agree that is maybe

[00:31:17] one of the highlights of the game.

[00:31:19] So how would you describe the battle plug mechanic?

[00:31:21] They're kind of like, let's call them badges that only work during battle.

[00:31:26] And they have cooldowns as well.

[00:31:29] So if you have a battle plug equipped, you get a bonus.

[00:31:33] For example, the two early ones you get are called Kaboom and Surprise Iron Ball.

[00:31:40] If you attack an enemy with a jump, then a Surprise Iron Ball will fall after your jump,

[00:31:45] doing a bit of extra damage.

[00:31:47] If you have Kaboom and you jump or use the hammer, then surrounding enemies will also

[00:31:52] get a bit of splash damage as well.

[00:31:54] I believe they have cooldowns of 10, so you can use them 10 times before they can't be

[00:31:59] used.

[00:32:00] And then they require 10 more turns of battle to be recharged to use again.

[00:32:04] It is almost like a make your own attack system.

[00:32:07] Because yeah, for example, you have the Kaboom and the Iron Spikes.

[00:32:11] So the Kaboom likes to have an AoE attack, and then you can combine that with this extra

[00:32:16] attack.

[00:32:17] So if you do both, then oh, you have an AoE attack where all the enemies are hit with

[00:32:21] this extra attack.

[00:32:23] Or you can do a single attack, like you can make it dizzy and then have this extra attack

[00:32:29] on it as well.

[00:32:30] So it is like almost move customization where you're making your own moves.

[00:32:34] And that's really interesting.

[00:32:35] And the cooldown, I think the cooldown is a little long, but it also does force you to

[00:32:42] switch it up.

[00:32:43] Because I can definitely see where, okay, I'm just going to stick with the Kaboom and

[00:32:47] the Iron Ball the whole game.

[00:32:48] What do you think about the cooldown system?

[00:32:50] I think at the beginning, in those first few areas, I think it's not good because like everything

[00:32:58] in this game, the pace is so slow.

[00:33:00] Your favorite plugs can't be used for such a long time.

[00:33:03] But then when the game finally does get going and starts introducing new plugs, it doesn't

[00:33:08] feel boring because one cools down and you think, okay, I've got to change it to something

[00:33:12] else now.

[00:33:13] But you have such a variety to choose from that you can go from one battle style to

[00:33:18] another.

[00:33:18] And both are equally fun.

[00:33:21] Where at that initial part of the game, it feels just like everything else is very slowly

[00:33:26] paced.

[00:33:27] So yeah, the battle plugs actually quite an interesting mechanic that I kind of wish they

[00:33:30] led with it early on instead of waiting until you get through five hours of the game to introduce.

[00:33:36] Yeah, me too.

[00:33:36] Absolutely.

[00:33:37] But one thing I also really like is the art style and animations.

[00:33:40] What about you?

[00:33:41] What do you think about how it looks now that Mario and Luigi is in HD?

[00:33:45] Well, I like the way that Mario and Luigi themselves look.

[00:33:48] I love the way that they're represented and animated.

[00:33:50] It's like the box art of old games is animated and brought to life.

[00:33:53] And I love that.

[00:33:55] But in terms of the environments and the new NPC characters that they've added to this game,

[00:34:02] I can't say I'm a huge fan, especially the first half of the game.

[00:34:06] The environments get a bit more interesting about halfway and especially towards the end.

[00:34:11] But yeah, the first half of the game, I felt like every island almost looked the same.

[00:34:16] If you're going to be doing an island hopping game, I think of something like the Wind Waker where

[00:34:21] you go to a different island and it's like, oh, okay, different species of NPCs and very

[00:34:27] different environmental backgrounds.

[00:34:29] The first half of the islands tend to have the same color palette.

[00:34:33] There's a lot of yellow there.

[00:34:35] And when you go to the first island, it's like, oh, okay, these NPCs, little people with power

[00:34:41] sockets for faces.

[00:34:42] That's cute.

[00:34:43] And then I can't wait to see what other characters live in this world.

[00:34:46] And then you get to the next island and it's the same race of people.

[00:34:50] And then the next island is the same race of people again.

[00:34:53] I had really hoped there'd be more diversity in NPCs here.

[00:34:57] You look at the remake of Thousand Year Door that came out this year, and that's filled

[00:35:02] with so many different characters and species, all kinds of things.

[00:35:07] And then you play Brothership and it's just like, oh, okay, it's the same set of NPCs,

[00:35:12] just in a slightly different color.

[00:35:14] Yeah, I didn't really like that.

[00:35:17] Which do you like more, the plug people from this game or the light bulb people from Princess

[00:35:22] Beach Showtime?

[00:35:23] I think I dislike them equally.

[00:35:25] Maybe this one wins out a little bit more.

[00:35:27] There's a little bit more diversity there, at least in terms of silhouettes.

[00:35:30] The light bulb people were just one silhouette for the whole game.

[00:35:33] At least you've got skinny ones, fat ones, male, female.

[00:35:37] Yeah, I do like the animations quite a bit because they are very expressive.

[00:35:42] And also there's some parts where you can see the silhouette of the Mario and Luigi, and

[00:35:47] it does look like they're silhouettes that you see on the box art of the game, which

[00:35:51] is really cool.

[00:35:52] They do look like Mario and Luigi from Mario and Luigi in HD.

[00:35:56] So it is interesting how they were able to adjust it just a little bit.

[00:36:00] So it stands out compared to its Odyssey or Mario Party design.

[00:36:04] And I do kind of like that, almost like the shading of Mario and Luigi, where their color

[00:36:09] gradient kind of blends in with a little bit of blue.

[00:36:13] Since you started with the 3DS game, so maybe you're not a purist, but I always preferred

[00:36:17] Mario and Luigi with the socks and with the black emblem on their hat.

[00:36:23] Do you care about that at all?

[00:36:24] Or do you wish they went back to it?

[00:36:26] Honestly, I have no idea what you're talking about.

[00:36:28] Because they, I want to say in the 3DS games or maybe even in the DS games, but go back

[00:36:33] and look at Superstar Saga's original art and maybe also Partners in Time, the original

[00:36:37] art, because Luigi, at least he used to have striped socks that you could see very clearly.

[00:36:43] And also on their hat, their emblem used to be black, like the M was black and the L was black.

[00:36:49] So yeah, looking at it now, I've just pulled it up.

[00:36:51] Yeah, you're right.

[00:36:52] Yes.

[00:36:52] These are, to me, these are iconic differentiating marks for the Mario and Luigi series.

[00:36:57] But they eventually got rid of the socks and they got rid of the emblem, but I kind

[00:37:01] of wish they would bring it back.

[00:37:03] Let's talk about the island mechanic where, yeah, there's different islands that you visit

[00:37:08] and they're all like mini JRPG zones.

[00:37:10] What do you think about the island mechanic so far?

[00:37:13] Yeah, like everything on the game, I'm mixed on it and I feel like it doesn't quite live

[00:37:17] up to its potential enough.

[00:37:18] I feel like if you're doing an island hopping game, each island should feel really distinct

[00:37:22] from the last one with something very, very different each time.

[00:37:26] It does get a little bit more interesting and diverse, like past halfway.

[00:37:30] I feel like a lot of them are kind of feel a bit generic.

[00:37:33] You know, a lot of people love to give Paper Jam a hard time because it defaults to generic,

[00:37:38] you know, Mario environments.

[00:37:40] It's like, here's your desert world.

[00:37:42] Here's your forest world.

[00:37:43] And they do the same thing again here in Brothership, just with a slightly different

[00:37:48] art style.

[00:37:49] So I've felt like some of the islands could have made a much bigger impression.

[00:37:53] I don't know if you're up to it, but there's one in the first half of the game where the

[00:37:57] island is literally just a maze.

[00:37:59] And honestly, it's so troublesome in that level.

[00:38:03] It's like, okay, I have to backtrack through the maze again.

[00:38:06] And yeah, I thought that was a little bit, you know, not so interesting.

[00:38:11] Yeah.

[00:38:11] My most recent island is one where I forgot the name of it, but you're kind of in like

[00:38:15] an apartment building or like a condominium.

[00:38:18] Ah, yeah.

[00:38:18] Lot of Coins Island.

[00:38:19] Yeah, that one.

[00:38:20] Lot of Coins Island.

[00:38:21] I think that one's kind of interesting because it is more of like a puzzle focused island.

[00:38:25] You have to figure out the passcode and then you have all these sort of clues to figure

[00:38:29] out the passcode.

[00:38:30] So yeah, that island I thought was a good change of pace.

[00:38:33] Do you have a favorite island at all or one that really exceeded your expectations?

[00:38:36] I don't want to spoil anything, but in the second half of the game,

[00:38:41] the third area of the sea has a distinct theme.

[00:38:45] And I really liked that the first island that you get to there, it's got two opposing themes

[00:38:50] happening on the same island.

[00:38:52] And I really liked that.

[00:38:53] I love the way it was represented visually.

[00:38:56] It looks so much more exciting than anything in the first half of the game.

[00:39:00] And that's when I finally felt like, oh, okay, here's some real creativity on display.

[00:39:05] Now it's looking a little bit more interesting.

[00:39:06] Hmm.

[00:39:07] Another new mechanic is Luigi logic and also just kind of separating Luigi from Mario in

[00:39:13] general.

[00:39:13] What do you think about Luigi's role in this game or how you control him?

[00:39:17] Yeah, there's a lot of discourse about that, isn't there?

[00:39:19] Yeah.

[00:39:19] I've heard a lot of people saying like, oh, they've relegated Luigi to an NPC in this game.

[00:39:24] But I feel like it doesn't feel that detached from previous games for me.

[00:39:29] It's been a while since I've played any of the previous games, but it doesn't feel like

[00:39:33] such an insult to the character's legacy.

[00:39:35] But I think what most people have noticed on is Luigi's command select is now A and his

[00:39:41] attacks are B.

[00:39:42] And that still throws me, you know, 30 plus hours into the game.

[00:39:47] Nintendo can't just forcibly undo 20 years of muscle memory on us like that.

[00:39:53] I'm constantly messing up Luigi's attacks.

[00:39:56] That's the most shocking thing so far.

[00:39:58] Yeah, it is strange where if you think about it, 99.999% of RPGs, there's only one button

[00:40:04] for the command selection.

[00:40:06] But this one game changes it to all those other RPGs.

[00:40:10] And then everyone kind of throws a fit, which is also, I guess, the quality of the Mario

[00:40:15] Luigi series where it's so unique.

[00:40:17] So if they change something to make it quote unquote normal, then, oh, it kind of lost

[00:40:21] some of the essence.

[00:40:22] I agree.

[00:40:23] But yeah, you still do press B for Luigi and when you're actually doing the attacks

[00:40:27] and to make him jump on the field.

[00:40:30] And also they've introduced, I don't know if this was in the past games as well, but

[00:40:33] you do L button as well, which yeah, I guess that's his button when you can kind of send

[00:40:37] Luigi off to do something like break blocks or activate something.

[00:40:41] And sometimes I do like this mechanic where, okay, Luigi is in one area and then Mario is

[00:40:45] in a totally different area, but they're still cooperating with each other.

[00:40:49] Like Luigi is hitting something with a hammer and Mario is jumping.

[00:40:52] So I don't mind sending Luigi off to do something because it is sort of still in tandem

[00:40:57] with Mario.

[00:40:58] So it's not like he's doing something totally different from what you're doing.

[00:41:02] But yeah, the command change is a little funny.

[00:41:05] It's not the deal breaker with me, but I also think like, I guess people who have never

[00:41:09] played Mario and Luigi would never even think about that.

[00:41:12] You typically would press B in this situation.

[00:41:14] Do you have any other thoughts about Mario and Luigi brothership before we wrap up or what

[00:41:20] would you like to see in the future from other Mario and Luigi games if they do make a new

[00:41:23] one?

[00:41:23] If they do make it a new one, I think they should really assess players' feedbacks and

[00:41:29] critiques of this.

[00:41:30] I think if they're going to continue this series with this studio of a choir, there's a lot

[00:41:35] of potential here for them to do great things.

[00:41:37] But I think they need to refine a lot that they attempted here, streamline the experience,

[00:41:43] really work on the pacing.

[00:41:44] And I would like to see, you know, more diversity in characters as well.

[00:41:48] I found the story of brothership is also not very interesting until about three quarters

[00:41:55] of the way through.

[00:41:56] I think it really does pick up once a certain character arrives.

[00:42:00] I'm sure you can guess who it is.

[00:42:01] So I would really like to see them fix up the pace and just really listen to what people

[00:42:06] are saying about this game.

[00:42:07] I know everybody saw that IGN gave it a five and thought, wow, I think five is too harsh of

[00:42:12] a critique.

[00:42:13] But in terms of a lot of people saying the same things in terms of negative aspects of

[00:42:19] the game, I really think they need to listen to the player feedback and really tighten things

[00:42:24] up a bit.

[00:42:25] Yeah, I would say definitely the pacing is maybe the number one problem where stuff is

[00:42:29] just introduced so slowly.

[00:42:30] But a lot of the ideas are good.

[00:42:32] Like the battle plug mechanic is really interesting.

[00:42:35] And I do like the typical flow of the battles and how they're interactive.

[00:42:39] But yeah, it just takes so long before that kicks off.

[00:42:42] And I think they really need to just speed things up, like make it a little faster.

[00:42:47] And yeah, the writing.

[00:42:49] Yeah, there are some funny parts, but I'm one of those people who think if you're making

[00:42:52] a Mario RPG, literally every line of dialogue needs to be a joke.

[00:42:57] It doesn't have to be a good joke, but it needs to be funny or at least attempting to

[00:43:01] be funny.

[00:43:02] That is a side quest where, okay, I got this letter from somebody's mom and I gave it to

[00:43:06] them and the mom was like, oh, I'm so worried about you.

[00:43:09] Here's the gift.

[00:43:10] I hope you do well.

[00:43:10] Which yeah, it's sweet and everything.

[00:43:12] But like, where's the funny?

[00:43:14] I want to be laughing.

[00:43:15] The side quests themselves are so like meaningless and they add almost nothing to the world,

[00:43:22] nothing to the story.

[00:43:23] At least if you're doing them, I want to hear something funny and entertaining.

[00:43:26] So I'm glad you touched on that.

[00:43:28] Luigi's funny.

[00:43:29] Bowser is funny.

[00:43:30] Peach can be funny.

[00:43:31] There's some other cameos that are also, there was a cameo that showed up on the maze

[00:43:35] island that you said, I thought that was funny.

[00:43:37] So yeah, more, more funny, please.

[00:43:39] I don't need that.

[00:43:40] That's been the funniest part of the game.

[00:43:41] Yeah.

[00:43:41] I don't, I don't need any heartfelt feelings.

[00:43:43] I just want to laugh.

[00:43:44] I do want to kind of stick with it because it is getting a little better for me, especially

[00:43:48] like the last island, but I did just get dragon quest three.

[00:43:51] So let's see if I can balance both or if I just get sucked into dragon quest three.

[00:43:55] I bought it too, but I've made the promise to myself.

[00:43:58] I'm not going to start dragon quest until I finish brother ship.

[00:44:01] So out of the three count them three Mario RPGs released in the past 365 days, I want

[00:44:08] you to rank them right now.

[00:44:09] One, two, three.

[00:44:10] First Mario RPG.

[00:44:12] I love that remake.

[00:44:13] Love how beautifully they touched that game up.

[00:44:17] The foundation of that game is just rock solid.

[00:44:19] So that's just perfect perfection for me.

[00:44:22] Then thousand year door, almost, almost the same.

[00:44:24] Like that's an incredible remake and remaster of an already excellent game.

[00:44:28] And then with a big gap between them, Mario and Luigi brothership, it falls a lot further

[00:44:35] down than the other two.

[00:44:37] I hate to say it, but yeah, there's a pretty big, pretty big gap between them.

[00:44:41] Yeah.

[00:44:41] I would also go one Super Mario RPG, which actually I didn't play it as a kid only like

[00:44:46] a little bit.

[00:44:47] So I kind of went with it almost as if it was a new game and it really did blow me away.

[00:44:51] So that is really a timeless game.

[00:44:53] And then yeah, Paper Mario thousand year door, which I do enjoy, but I do like the

[00:44:57] first Paper Mario more.

[00:44:59] And then yeah, I would rank this one.

[00:45:01] Number three.

[00:45:01] I have a note here because you recently reviewed metaphor re Fantasio on your YouTube channel.

[00:45:07] So do you think Hulkenberg could fit in the world of Mario and Luigi?

[00:45:11] Oh, I'd love to see that Mario and Luigi and Hulkenberg or Mario X metaphor.

[00:45:16] I think it would really work well.

[00:45:18] I would love to see characters in highly detailed anime art style shake hands with Mario.

[00:45:25] It would just be amazing.

[00:45:26] You never know.

[00:45:27] All right.

[00:45:27] So those are our thoughts on Mario and Luigi brothership.

[00:45:30] Maybe a little below our expectations, but there are some good things.

[00:45:32] Listeners, there's definitely more than enough Mario RPGs on the Switch to check out if you're

[00:45:37] not gelling with this one.

[00:45:38] All right.

[00:45:39] So we are going to move on to the news.

[00:45:47] All right.

[00:45:48] So Dale, you're with me in the news section as well.

[00:45:50] And I think maybe the biggest Nintendo news item is that Donkey Kong Country at Universal

[00:45:55] Studios Japan finally got a date December 11th.

[00:45:59] So I want to hear your thoughts about the new expansion to Super Nintendo World in Universal

[00:46:05] Studios.

[00:46:06] First of all, have you been to Super Nintendo World at USJ?

[00:46:09] Yes, I have.

[00:46:10] I went there in summer 2021.

[00:46:12] So it was still the pandemic at the time.

[00:46:15] And when I went there, it was so quiet.

[00:46:17] So I rode Mario Kart six times in one day.

[00:46:21] And I know I'll never have that experience again.

[00:46:24] So yeah, when I went there, it was just an incredible time.

[00:46:27] Yeah.

[00:46:27] So the direct, it was pretty similar to the original direct where they showed off Super

[00:46:31] Nintendo World.

[00:46:32] It's Miyamoto.

[00:46:33] And he finally reveals Donkey Kong Country, specifically themed after Donkey Kong Country

[00:46:38] returns.

[00:46:39] So no Kremlings, the Tiki guys whose name I don't really remember.

[00:46:43] I just call them the Tiki guys.

[00:46:45] They're the main villain here.

[00:46:47] So yeah, very authentic to the past Donkey Kong Country games.

[00:46:51] There's Donkey Kong's house.

[00:46:52] There's also a lot of the activities that are similar to Super Nintendo World.

[00:46:57] And the main attraction is a roller coaster.

[00:47:00] So Dale, what are your initial thoughts on the Nintendo Direct?

[00:47:03] Are you excited for Donkey Kong Country at USJ?

[00:47:06] Yeah, absolutely.

[00:47:07] I've been holding off on going to the Nintendo Museum in Kyoto because I've wanted to do it

[00:47:13] in the same trip as Donkey Kong Country.

[00:47:14] So I was honestly surprised that Donkey Kong Country is opening this year.

[00:47:18] I was surprised that they revealed the opening date of Donkey Kong Country in the US before

[00:47:22] they revealed this one.

[00:47:24] So yeah, finally, it's opening.

[00:47:26] So I immediately went on and thought, okay, how do I get a ticket?

[00:47:30] I could go there in December if I wanted to, but Nintendo Museum is already sold out in

[00:47:34] December.

[00:47:35] So I won't be getting there until next year.

[00:47:37] But yeah, I definitely can't wait to check it out.

[00:47:39] Donkey Kong Land on the Game Boy was the first game that I ever owned and completed.

[00:47:44] So the Donkey Kong series is incredibly special to me.

[00:47:48] I was more excited for Donkey Kong Country than the Mario area of Super Nintendo World.

[00:47:53] Okay.

[00:47:54] Super psyched for it.

[00:47:56] Yeah, I'm definitely more of a Mario person.

[00:47:58] But I do know many people who are like, oh, DKC was my thing, especially in the SNES era.

[00:48:03] What do you think about the theming that is based on the Wii game that is being re-released

[00:48:08] soon?

[00:48:08] Would you have liked to see more inspiration from the SNES games or from Tropical Freeze?

[00:48:14] Or do you think it's just fine as it is?

[00:48:16] I mean, I think it's fine because it's not only the Donkey Kong Country Returns theming,

[00:48:22] it's also the track from Mario Kart.

[00:48:25] I think that's what people are going to recognize more than Donkey Kong Country Returns.

[00:48:30] It's like, oh, this is the Donkey Kong track from Mario Kart.

[00:48:33] So I'm not really surprised they went with it.

[00:48:35] And the remaster of Donkey Kong Country Returns totally makes sense, you know, why they're

[00:48:41] releasing it now.

[00:48:42] They could have released that ages ago.

[00:48:44] Yeah, I'm indifferent to the Tiki Tong tribe or whatever they're called.

[00:48:48] I remember when Returns first came out on the Wii, I was a little bit disappointed.

[00:48:52] I was so hyped for that and it just didn't quite live up to my expectations.

[00:48:57] But then Tropical Freeze came out a few years later and that's one of my favorite games ever

[00:49:02] made.

[00:49:02] It's like retro studios listened to every single piece of feedback they got on Returns and

[00:49:10] really fixed what they'd started and delivered just a top tier Donkey Kong game.

[00:49:16] So I don't mind the Returns theming.

[00:49:19] I would have, of course, preferred more Country South theming.

[00:49:22] I would have loved to have seen King K. Rool, but there's no trace of him to be found.

[00:49:26] There might be, I want to say there's probably a K. Rool or Kremlin cameo or Easter egg

[00:49:33] somewhere.

[00:49:33] I just got to think it's got to be somewhere.

[00:49:36] Maybe on the ride, you never know.

[00:49:38] But yeah, let's talk about the ride a little bit.

[00:49:40] It's called Minecart Madness.

[00:49:41] And originally this was supposed to open up in spring of 2024.

[00:49:46] And it's been delayed.

[00:49:47] A lot of people say because of the Minecart ride, because it apparently has some sort of

[00:49:52] innovative or never before been done concept where you are, quote unquote, jumping over

[00:49:58] the tracks like the classic Minecart stages in the game.

[00:50:01] But the way it works is that you are connected via the side, not on the bottom.

[00:50:07] And for whatever reason, they just couldn't get it to work for so, so long.

[00:50:11] But it is finally opening up.

[00:50:13] What are you expecting from the Minecart ride?

[00:50:15] Yeah, I don't really know what to expect.

[00:50:17] I think it's not going to be very intense.

[00:50:19] If you look at that direct, they only showed the incline from the beginning.

[00:50:23] They didn't show the course that it takes.

[00:50:24] But that incline itself looks a little bit short.

[00:50:28] So I think it's not going to be as intense as some of the other roller coasters at Universal

[00:50:31] Studios Japan.

[00:50:33] But I think it might be comparable to the Jurassic Park ride at Universal Studios Japan,

[00:50:39] where it's not super scary, but thrilling, if that makes sense.

[00:50:44] And I think that jump in the middle as well is going to really excite people in the same

[00:50:48] way that if you've ever ridden the Jurassic Park ride, when the gate suddenly opens up and

[00:50:53] then you drop, it's going to have that kind of feeling, I think.

[00:50:55] So it's going to be exciting without being too intense.

[00:50:58] Yeah, I really wanted them to show more of it because that was the thing I'm most looking

[00:51:01] forward to.

[00:51:02] And that's the never before done thing in the park.

[00:51:06] So I really wish they didn't tease that and just showed the entire thing.

[00:51:10] I really wanted to know, oh, why did you delay it?

[00:51:12] I wish they kind of pushed that forward.

[00:51:14] And yeah, some other activities pretty similar to the one in Super Nintendo World, where you

[00:51:19] have your power up band and there's one where you play bongos and then Rambi comes

[00:51:23] out and you can also find the Kong letters.

[00:51:26] What do you think about kind of taking the concept, this sort of gamifying the theme park

[00:51:30] from Super Nintendo World and putting it into DKC?

[00:51:33] Do you think it's a little repetitive or are you looking really forward to this type of

[00:51:37] activity in DKC?

[00:51:38] No, I love that.

[00:51:40] And I really love all the interactivity at Super Nintendo World.

[00:51:43] When I went there, that was one of my favorite things.

[00:51:46] I had the power up band and I loved trying to find all the hidden icons that you could scan.

[00:51:51] I found all of them but one the day I went.

[00:51:54] I was so disappointed I couldn't find the last one despite looking all over.

[00:51:58] The Kong letters might be a little bit more easy to spot.

[00:52:00] But I love that.

[00:52:01] I think the interactivity in Super Nintendo World works really well.

[00:52:05] I'm really excited to see more of it in Donkey Kong Land.

[00:52:08] I think it's a great idea.

[00:52:10] Yeah, I know some theme park purists kind of don't like it because if you go on a busy day,

[00:52:15] you are waiting in line for quite a while just to do like a five second minigame.

[00:52:19] But if you go on a day where it's not so crowded, then I think it's pretty fun to do.

[00:52:23] At the very least, opening up this Donkey Kong area, that will at least take some people out of

[00:52:29] Super Nintendo World into the Donkey Kong area.

[00:52:32] So I think both areas will be a bit more manageable even on busy days.

[00:52:36] They have a souvenir shop themed after Funky Kong's airplane.

[00:52:41] So far, it just seems like they sell Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong plushies and things like that.

[00:52:45] I kind of wonder, are there deeper cuts in here?

[00:52:48] Can I buy a Cranky Kong piece of merch?

[00:52:51] Can I buy something from Candy Kong?

[00:52:53] Or is it just thousands and thousands of Donkey Kong plushies?

[00:52:57] And we also see Donkey Kong himself in the video.

[00:53:01] And he looks absolutely gigantic.

[00:53:03] What did you think about Donkey Kong showing up?

[00:53:05] Yeah, I wasn't really surprised to see him.

[00:53:08] I don't really go in for the people in costumes.

[00:53:10] When I went to Super Nintendo World the first time, I just completely ignored Peach and Mario.

[00:53:15] The costume people in theme parks just don't really do it for me.

[00:53:18] So I wasn't surprised to see him.

[00:53:19] He's pretty big.

[00:53:20] I don't know how he's going to get through some of the crowds on the busy days.

[00:53:24] He looks like he's eight feet tall or something like that.

[00:53:27] So I am kind of curious.

[00:53:28] I want to be next to him and just to see how big he is.

[00:53:31] So I think this is at least one of the more interesting costume characters.

[00:53:34] Because is there a bigger costume character somewhere in a park?

[00:53:38] This is the biggest one I've ever seen, I think.

[00:53:41] Yeah, I think so too.

[00:53:43] They have some food as well at Jungle Beach Shakes.

[00:53:46] The DK Crush Sundae with a mug.

[00:53:49] So it's shaped like the Donkey Kong barrel.

[00:53:51] So this is, I guess, a souvenir snack as well.

[00:53:53] And then you can also just get a tropical banana flavored sundae or parfait type of thing.

[00:53:57] And there's also a DK Wild Hot Dog.

[00:54:00] Are any of the food items interesting to you?

[00:54:03] Yeah, that hot dog is wild.

[00:54:05] The way that it's arranged, they look like tortilla chips that are sticking out.

[00:54:09] Look like the sparks that come off of the minecart ride.

[00:54:12] I really, like hats off to whoever designed that.

[00:54:16] It's a bit of a cursed food item, but I can't wait to try it.

[00:54:19] Yeah, for me, I think the sundae that comes in the barrel is kind of a good item.

[00:54:23] Because yeah, the barrel mug is, I think, a pretty good souvenir.

[00:54:27] I just want to bring that home and then drink matcha latte out of my DK barrel mug.

[00:54:31] That seems like a good idea.

[00:54:33] So yeah, it opens up December 11th pretty soon.

[00:54:36] I'm also like you where I'm trying to plan a Nintendo Museum and Donkey Kong Country trip at the same time.

[00:54:42] Since we both live in Tokyo, so we can't just swing by Kansai every other week.

[00:54:48] So we have to really, really plan.

[00:54:49] And I actually, I did apply for the lottery for February for Nintendo Museum.

[00:54:54] So depending on that, we'll see if I can head over there soon.

[00:54:57] So next bit of news, Super Mario, Marinoichi Bright Holiday.

[00:55:02] In Marinoichi around Tokyo Station, they have a Super Mario themed illumination event.

[00:55:07] Illumination, aka Christmas lights, where several department stores in the Marinoichi area have Mario themed displays.

[00:55:15] And there's also, of course, a stamp rally.

[00:55:17] And some of the shops are selling special Mario themed souvenirs.

[00:55:21] And some of the restaurants also have Mario themed food.

[00:55:24] So have you seen this event yet?

[00:55:27] I've seen the advertising.

[00:55:29] I haven't been to it yet, but I'm looking forward to going there.

[00:55:32] It looks like a lot of fun.

[00:55:33] It looks like they've put in a lot of effort into the illuminations as well.

[00:55:37] Yeah.

[00:55:37] Yes, until January.

[00:55:39] So yeah, you have quite a long time to check it out.

[00:55:41] Have you ever been to this Marinoichi area before for the illumination?

[00:55:44] Because it is sort of a famous spot for illumination because they have gold lights across the main Nakadori street.

[00:55:51] Yeah, I've been there a couple of times.

[00:55:53] So yeah, I know what to expect in terms of the outdoor illumination.

[00:55:56] But this Mario one, I'm not really sure what to expect.

[00:55:59] Yeah, I've seen a few pictures online from people who have already been to it.

[00:56:03] And yeah, it does look quite nice because there's like a main Mario area.

[00:56:06] And there's a few Christmas trees scattered around.

[00:56:08] And all the ornaments are like the Snowman Mario and the Snowman Peach.

[00:56:13] And there's a Yoshi themed one.

[00:56:15] There's a Toad themed display.

[00:56:17] So it definitely seems like they went kind of all out for this one.

[00:56:20] Yeah, it really does look like it because they've got big cutouts of Mario characters.

[00:56:25] And some of those renders, I don't think I've seen them anywhere before.

[00:56:29] So yeah, it's definitely worth checking out.

[00:56:31] Yeah, every now and then you'll see a really new Mario render.

[00:56:33] And I kind of wonder what is the workflow for that?

[00:56:35] Because it's like, okay, we need a Mario holding a Christmas present render done by this month.

[00:56:40] So get on it.

[00:56:41] This is pretty new.

[00:56:42] I don't think there's ever been like a Nintendo themed Illumination event.

[00:56:46] There's been some past ones I've seen.

[00:56:49] There's Harry Potter themed ones.

[00:56:50] I saw a Hololive themed one one year.

[00:56:53] So what other Nintendo franchises would you like to see have a Illumination crossover?

[00:56:58] Oh, I think I'd love to see Kirby.

[00:57:00] Kirby's quite a special series for me.

[00:57:03] Kirby.

[00:57:03] And yeah, in terms of Kirby events, there's of course the Kirby cafe I've been to a couple

[00:57:07] of times.

[00:57:08] But I feel like we don't see that much of Kirby outside of stores and cafes.

[00:57:14] So I'd love to see a Kirby one.

[00:57:15] I think, you know, Kirby of the stars.

[00:57:17] Hoshinoku Kirby in Japanese.

[00:57:19] So Kirby of the stars.

[00:57:20] So Illuminated Objects.

[00:57:22] Stars.

[00:57:22] Makes sense.

[00:57:23] Yeah.

[00:57:24] Kirby would be good.

[00:57:24] I think Pokemon as well.

[00:57:26] That makes just perfect sense.

[00:57:27] Maybe they've done one before, but if it's never happened, they need to get on it because

[00:57:31] I think that would be really, really popular.

[00:57:33] I'm trying to think other.

[00:57:34] Splatoon kind of feels a little weird because that's more of like a summary type of game.

[00:57:38] Yeah.

[00:57:39] Metroid Christmas ornaments.

[00:57:41] She's like a ball.

[00:57:41] And then you could make that like a Samus ball ornament.

[00:57:44] Maybe that could fit.

[00:57:46] Or what are some other ones?

[00:57:48] You could do like a separate DK one, but that's a little strange.

[00:57:52] Or Zelda.

[00:57:54] Zelda might work.

[00:57:55] Not really.

[00:57:55] Well, like the Triforce ornament.

[00:57:57] I'm sure if you sit down and think hard enough, they could probably think of a Christmas

[00:58:01] crossover for every single Nintendo property.

[00:58:04] But yeah, start with Mario, I guess.

[00:58:06] Last bit of news.

[00:58:07] Lawson and Related Stores are having an Earthbound 30th anniversary collaboration.

[00:58:12] So they introduced a lot of new Earthbound items, even though this game is 30 years old.

[00:58:17] But Itoi and his company, the Hobonichi company, they are doing everything they can to...

[00:58:23] I think milk is too harsh of a word, but I don't know another word to describe it.

[00:58:28] This one singular game has probably more merch than any one singular game in the history of

[00:58:33] video games.

[00:58:34] But some of the items they're selling, you can get a Nintendo Switch Online download card that's

[00:58:40] shaped like Mr. Saturn.

[00:58:41] So it's one year of Nintendo Switch Online, if you don't have that yet.

[00:58:45] And also, Loppy and HMV are selling some mother goods, like the Mr. Saturn plushie,

[00:58:51] the Yo-Yo, the Franklin badge.

[00:58:54] And there's a Mother 2 or Earthbound Ichiban Kuji selling a lot of new Earthbound items.

[00:59:00] And also, there is a strange crossover between the Country Ma'am and Mother 2 Cookies.

[00:59:08] So are any of these appealing to you?

[00:59:10] Yeah, I'll definitely get a box of those cookies.

[00:59:12] I love those cookies anyway.

[00:59:14] But yeah, Earthbound is one of my favorite games.

[00:59:16] Yeah, Itoi and Hobonichi will do everything with that game except remake it.

[00:59:20] And I've got so much convenience store Ichiban Kuji stuff in my house.

[00:59:24] So I welcome more of it.

[00:59:25] This is, as far as I can remember, the first time Earthbound has had an Ichiban Kuji,

[00:59:29] at least since I've been taking notice of Ichiban Kuji.

[00:59:34] So I'd love to get one of those glass mugs if I can get that.

[00:59:37] I'd love the Saturn Valley glass mug.

[00:59:39] I really want one of those.

[00:59:41] So I'll definitely be getting it.

[00:59:42] Yeah, the Ichiban Kuji's are just a lot of fun.

[00:59:44] I always pick something up.

[00:59:46] The mugs are definitely one of the newer items.

[00:59:48] There's also the Mr. Saturn piggy bank.

[00:59:51] So I guess that's something they haven't tried before.

[00:59:53] And I think the last one prize is just like a giant Mr. Saturn.

[00:59:56] If you need one of those.

[00:59:57] I do like those cookies as well.

[00:59:59] But I'm not quite sure.

[01:00:00] Are there cookies in the game?

[01:00:02] Or I don't really remember so strongly about the connection between Mother 2 and cookies.

[01:00:06] But it doesn't seem like a special flavor.

[01:00:07] It's just like the box has Mother 2 on it.

[01:00:09] But yeah, I will probably buy it just to see.

[01:00:12] It does come with like some sort of card inside.

[01:00:14] So I guess that's an extra souvenir.

[01:00:17] But yeah, I'm always impressed about just how much Itoi can get out of specifically Mother 2.

[01:00:22] Is there a piece of Mother 2 merch you would like to see that they haven't gotten to yet?

[01:00:27] I mean, there is one that exists and it's the Mother 2 New Era cap.

[01:00:32] I keep holding off buying it each time the Mother pop-up store comes to Shibuya.

[01:00:37] I always look at it and think, oh, I'm going to buy that.

[01:00:39] But it's like 12,000 yen.

[01:00:41] So I'd love to get that.

[01:00:43] But something that hasn't been invented yet.

[01:00:46] Let's see.

[01:00:46] Does anything come to mind?

[01:00:48] I'm trying to think of something iconic.

[01:00:49] Okay.

[01:00:50] The final boss of Mother 2, Gigas.

[01:00:55] I'm not sure if I'm pronouncing it correctly.

[01:00:57] But I would love to see them lead with that really creepy distorted face on a towel.

[01:01:03] I think that's what I want.

[01:01:04] There's no shortage of Mother events or Mother merch in Japan.

[01:01:09] So if you're a hardcore Mother fan, move to Japan as soon as possible.

[01:01:13] All right.

[01:01:14] So that's it for the news section.

[01:01:15] And Dale, thank you so much for being with me the entire episode.

[01:01:18] This is a rarity.

[01:01:19] So I really appreciate you coming on for the whole thing.

[01:01:22] So Dale, once again, where can people find you?

[01:01:25] Yeah, please find me on YouTube.

[01:01:27] My channel name is my full name, Dale Clayton DPG.

[01:01:31] You'll find me there.

[01:01:32] Yeah, recently I posted reviews of Metaphori Fantasio, Legend of Zelda Echoes of Wisdom.

[01:01:38] Mario and Luigi Brotherships review will be coming hopefully next week.

[01:01:43] And after that, Dragon Quest 3 HD 2D.

[01:01:46] So if you're interested in Japanese games and whether or not you should play them or buy them,

[01:01:52] please check out my channel.

[01:01:53] Yes.

[01:01:54] An easy to subscribe.

[01:01:55] You definitely pump out a lot of content and very good quality.

[01:01:57] If you want a good review channel, definitely check out Dale's YouTube channel.

[01:02:02] It becomes highly recommended.

[01:02:03] Thank you.

[01:02:04] All right, let's wrap it up.

[01:02:06] Thanks as always for listening.

[01:02:07] Be sure to like and subscribe to this podcast on your favorite app.

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[01:02:12] This podcast is also available on YouTube.

[01:02:14] So like and subscribe there as well.

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[01:02:29] Just feel free to message me.

[01:02:30] The next episode will be on December 1st.

[01:02:33] See you next time.

[01:02:34] Matane!