Metalcicada’s 2023 fiction recap
Well, I certainly pursued new stories to read a lot less actively this year than I did last year. Since I experienced so many memorable stories in 2022, I think I kind of just let myself take more of a break since I was so satisfied with what I’d already read/played/watched. Which is fine! Fiction isn’t an obligation or anything, and with that much time to let my thoughts settle about last year’s abundance of great stuff, I think I developed the way I think about writing a lot this year. That’s just as rewarding in my opinion.
Obviously, the highlight of the year came basically as early as it possibly could: Fire Punch. My brain has been completely reshaped by this story over the course of 2023, and it has not even come close to losing its #1 spot on my favorite media list. I honestly slightly regret not starting this blog at the beginning of the year, since I just know I would’ve written the most passionate and elaborate review if I’d had the platform. Oh well. If you know me, you’ve surely already seen me post mountains of words about how well-written it is, and I can’t recommend it enough. It is maybe the purest representation of everything I value about fiction. If you’re reading this post and somehow still haven’t read this manga… read Fire Punch for an unforgettable exploration of religious/government indoctrination through fictional propaganda, incredibly thorough portrayals of depression and its ugly consequences, identity issues and depersonalization as a result of that constant fictional lens, amazing portrayal of gender identity struggles and LGBTQ+ representation, and the best fucking anachronistic dark fantasy snowy post-apocalypse vibes ever.
Even though nothing else quite matched that, there were quite a few new favorite stories of mine this year! Xenoblade 3 was an actual miracle of a game with writing I never expected to be so personal and emotional, I finally managed to get into the Haruhi Suzumiya anime and haven’t stopped thinking about it since, Trigun was a surprisingly engaging manga with a ton of depth to back up a wonderfully presented surface-level experience, and so on. All in all, I think six whole stories on the favorites list from this year is pretty cool.
Going into next year: I’m definitely going to go after more appealing-looking stories and try picking up the pace to match roughly what it was last year. I’ve been really itching to try Chaos;Child, 2236 AD, and a bunch more interesting stuff, so the period of slowdown is hopefully going to be over. Also, I’m seriously going to try putting effort into my first major personal writing project, which I imagine if all goes well could be released next year? Here’s hoping. Maybe this year I’ll even put out the recap post within the year rather than eight days into the new year!!
Land of the Lustrous review coming soon. :)
