COVID-19 has been taxing on us all emotionally and mentally. Entertainment has helped me distract from the dark and harsh reality of the virus. Here’s to 2021 being better for all of us. Here is the entertainment that helped me cope with being unable to leave my apartment.

The Criterion Channel

For the past two years my brother has gotten into the Criterion Collection. It opened a world of films I would never have seen or heard of; From 70s blaxploitation films to Columbia Noir from the 1930s and 1940s. I highly recommend the Criterion Channel. You get access to the Criterion Collection along with great themed collections of movies each month. Thanks to Criterion I got to see 1971’s Red Sun, a great spaghetti western with Charles Bronson and Toshiro Mifune of Seven Samurai fame. I also watched Lady Snowblood, Police Story, Lone Wolf & Cub, and Tokyo Drifter, all those films filled with style and mood. I could ramble on but I can’t wait to find even more films on the Criterion Channel. Thanks Brother.

The Chase (U.K Game Show)

I found the Chase through a YouTube rabbit hole. The premise is a group of four strangers go against a trivia master known as the Chaser. The first four rounds each player build a pool of money with the possibility of being eliminated. The final round is my favorite part. The contestants have to get as many trivia questions right in two minutes. The Chaser has to do the same thing and surpass the contestant’s number of correct questions. I love this show because of the rapid questions and the cat versus mouse game between the players and the Chaser. If you are a trivia nut like me, you’ll love this show. You can find clips on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUCQqEzv9qA

Ghost of Tsushima

Ghost of Tsushima is my game of the year. I love the visuals of Tsushima. Everywhere I went was a beautiful mixture of colors and views full of nature. What kept me going was the ninja stealth gameplay. Being able to stealth kill and sneak around an enemy base was lots of fun. The quiet moments were great too, writing haikus or just riding your horse around the countryside was relaxing. I was never bored if I was tired of combat I could take in the beauty of this world. Tsushima was a joy to play, I can’t wait to see what Sucker Punch does next.

Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!

Eizouken! is the anime of year because of its love of the creative process, and the medium of animation. It doesn’t shy away now matter how hard it is to do one frame of animation let alone a short. Plus I found my Third Impact Anime spirit from another life in Eizouken! Sayaka Kanamori. Trying to keep things on track and rein people in I can relate haha. If you want to hear more about Eizouken! We did an episode on how great this series is and if that doesn’t convince you, you can read the much more eloquent Tobias extol Eizouken! in his top ten.

Honorable Mentions

• Knives Out: A fun and fantastic Thriller/Murder Mystery if you like Daniel Craig’s accent might I interest you in some Agatha Christie movie adaptations of her Hercule Poirot novels
• Blathers from Animal Crossing: I didn’t play Animal Crossing at all, but every time my brother played and Blathers was on screen, I was engulfed; He’s so charming with his bowtie and facial reactions to bugs and fossils, I want to adopt him as my son
• Detective Conan: The murder mystery, romance teasing, and fun character dynamics has kept me engaged with this long running series for so long, I even wrote about why Detective Conan is something to check out
• Discotek Online Panels: No company is able to make anime license announcements feel like opening presents on Christmas then Discotek. Thanks in part to nostalgia, your favorite old anime may have the chance to get put on Blu-ray which is so exciting