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A Lull in the Sea, also known in Japan as Nagi no Asukara is a twenty-six episode anime that depicts two very separate sets of people. The ones that live on land, and the ones that live below it, deep in the sea. Released in October of 2013, this series is nearly pushing a decade old now. in spite of the age of the series, the show has a lot of charm.
Before younger anime fans crinkle their noses at me, trust me, this is an anime that can stand the test of time. Even by today’s standards, the anime looks and sounds wonderful. At least for a slice-of-life anime, it remains in my memory as perhaps one of the most compelling shows of its time. I return to it often enough because of the solid characters and the universe the story is set in.
That’s odd for me, considering that it is a slice-of-life series typically aren’t the types of anime that I settle into to re-watch often. Deep down at its core, this is a compelling series worth your time.
This anime boasts stunning visuals, and it can be praised for its somewhat curious plot. Neither of these elements falter even in the slightest. In a world where humanity once lived under the sea before adapting to live on land, the series follows four students that still live underwater. These days, they need to adapt to their new school on land, and that’s something they don’t always do well with.
Navigating these elements are central to the plot of these two communities coming together. The basic setup allows these characters to face emotional and cultural conflicts that surround their new scholastic environment. Some issues are large, some are small, but they’re all interesting to ponder.
For example, being too dry can agitate the skin of the characters that live under water. They need to take time to get themselves wet in saltwater to keep that agitation from happening. They’re looked down on for this, and those that live on land aren’t quite sure what to do about the sea dwelling people. The conflicts are brief, but very well done.
There’s a distinct emphasis on climate change too, and this shakes things up quite a bit later in the series. You’d think that might be a bit of a narrative problem, but it’s far from that. The climate change angle is neither preachy or ham-fisted, suiting the overall plot and character dynamics rather nicely over all.
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The main focus is clearly on the character relationships, just like many slice-of-life series. Honestly, that’s where things take a turn for the strange and somewhat melodramatic. Unrequited love is a core theme of the series, for interesting better and for annoying worst.
It’s hard to root for some of the couples on occasion, but thankfully it does tend to be rare. There are moments that after a while it all begins to feel a bit dragged out. That being said, generally these romantically inclined and tension filled scenes don’t often overstay their welcome. Even when they do, I’d say this is a minor nitpick at best for me.
I tend to find that A Lull in the Sea plays to other strengths, and more than makes up for any romantic goofiness that might fall flat. It will ask interesting questions about the passage of time, and what it means to disrespect the ways of nature. It’s neither too heavy for a slice-of-life, nor too dull as some of these types of shows can be.
With the story itself being cleanly and very concisely split into two distinct arcs, A Lull in the Sea adequately fills a weekend of binge watching without an issue at all. If you enjoy the slice-of-life genre, this is one I’d say you should try to watch just once and see if you like it too.
If you want to watch the series, you can do it for free over on Crunchyroll at the time of this post. If you want a proper in-depth review, particularly of the first 13 episodes,you can check out this postwritten byLesley Aeschliman
This has been Kernook of The Demented Ferrets, where stupidity is at its finest and level grinds are par for the course. I’ll see you next time.
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Loneliness is a hard burden to face, and heartache is isn’t so easily soothed by a few kind words and a passing glance. If it were that simple, these two souls would have likely passed each other by without a single care. However, that’s not what happens, because life and love just isn’t that simple.
Hey everyone, it’s Kernook here, and welcome to another Kern’s Collections. Today I’ll be talking about Emma: A Victorian Romance.
Video Production of This Script
This is the finished video regarding the script. It is written, edited, and read aloud by Kernook of “The Demented Ferrets”. You can watch the video on this blog and on YouTube. I hope you enjoy the content.
This is a truly interesting anime because it lacks so much of what we consider to be typical in the medium. You could completely take this story and make it into a live action series without any hesitation at all, and almost everything would still fall into line perfectly with what the story. It wouldn’t even be jarring or out of place, because this anime doesn’t contain many of the tropes we’ve come to expect from anime as an art-form.
A simple maid of all work, and a bright eyed young gentleman cross paths. Love blooms between them despite the class divide. This is the entire crux of this anime reduced down into a few simple words. It isn’t a particularly complicated series, but it’s not over the top either. It is subdued in many ways, a slow burn romance the likes of which you just don’t see anymore.
Emma: A Victorian Romance is a soft and gentle story about romantic love between a man and a woman. Frankly, that’s all it needs to be. It isn’t a question of if these two lovebirds will end up together, because they certainly will. Instead, it’s a question of how they will navigate that romance in a world so keep to keep them apart.
The series came out back in June 2005, offering fans a true glimpse of heartfelt storytelling set in 19 century England, London to be exact. In that way, you may in fact consider this to be a sociology anime in some ways, because the social system put into place is what divides these two characters. In most ways, it’s the only thing that divides them at all.
As a maid of all work, Emma is tasked to care for the complexities of a small household. She cleans, cooks meals, makes tea, answers the door and anything else that her employer may need. Her life is a simple one, meager because that is the life of most maids. Particularly for the maid of all work. This station was a commonality for households that lacked grand estates that would employ several people all with a key set of tasks. Hiring one promised a symbol of status at the time. If you could afford to hire one back in those days, you did because it made you more respectable. Emma’s general backstory is a common one for women of this era.
Young girls were raised into the trade, and so was Emma. This was a life most girls would come to understand if they sat below a certain social class. They could learn by an employer that had taken them in, or by their families in hopes of helping their child find a job. Women just didn’t have many places of employment back in those days, and a certain level of decorum was expected among the classes. A certain responsibility loomed over society at the time, and Emma’s story shows how romance unfolds when two people deny that responsibility outright.
When a simple maid steps into the world of the gentry, there are a hurdles to overcome. William, is a member of this gentry and he is the eldest son of a wealthy family. Now, that’s not be confused with royalty. He’s not royal blood. Gentry have high status, but often times they do not carry royal bloodlines. The confines of status mixes looms heavily upon William’s shoulders, especially when he meets Emma, and falls in love with her. He doesn’t care what society demands of him, he loves her.
This is a series that relies heavily upon implication and pleasantries. While you’ll find all of the usual wrappings of your typical romance anime here, a layer of firm composure rests atop every interaction. You’re not to see goofy levels flirting or inane romantic stupidity. Instead, you’ll tend to find the budding romance is composed, refined, and full of unspoken nuance. Love between these two isn’t easy, and the uphill battle they have is one strictly left down to the confines of their society.
The Call of Cthulhu isn’t a bad game, all thing considered. It’s not far and away amazing, but it’s not god awful. It’s a solid experience and narrative is worth the ride if you can pick it up on sale.
If Emma had been born into the gentry herself, she could have fallen in love openly and honestly with William, with very little difficulty or opposition. Since she is a maid however, that’s just not the case. They both have their statuses to consider, even though William often doesn’t really care what people think.
All-in-all what makes this story so interesting isn’t that they fall in love, but the confines and intrigue of that love. As you watch the show, you’re brought to wonder what it means for Emma and William to have this connection in a world that would staunchly disprove of the mere idea, let alone actually doing it.
This is a series that keeps melodrama to a minimum, and focuses more on truly emotional events to drive the plot forward. There is a key character death for example that heavily impacts Emma’s livelihood, just as it would have in 19th century London at the time. That event and a few others are handled with the same gentleness as the rest of the show, even in those melancholic moments.
Ultimately, this is a series made for a true romance anime fan. Someone who likes the slow burn romantic entanglements, and the issues that might arise from them. Emma: A Victorian Romance is one of the best true romance anime I’ve ever seen. The title says it all, and if you enjoy romance between a man and a woman, this is certainly worth your time. That being said, if you want to see a healthy mix of GLBTQ or GRSM representation in the anime you watch, I’m sorry to say it’s just not there. Though if that’s more what you’re into make sure to follow the channel, because I will be covering an anime with those sorts of themes too in upcoming videos.
This has been Kernook of The Demented Ferrets, where stupidity is at it’s finest and level grinds are par for the course. I’ll see you next time, in the meantime, check out our other great content below.
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Hey everyone, it’s Kernook here! It’s time for another anime review. Today we’re diving into an off-kilter idol anime with more than a few quirks. Zombies, singing and more, this is one weird show.
Yep, that’s right, I’m talking about Zombie Land Saga. I am going to try to be as objective as I can in my review of this anime, so I’m not going to needlessly bash the unholy crap out of it. That being said, I flat out do not like this show, and you will never convince me to like this series.
Why? Well, that’s strictly a personal taste in media. I actually loved it on the first watch, believe it or not. It was second and third watches through that left a foul taste in my mouth. Retrospection made me realize just how much I actually disliked it.
On the surface level it has strong animation, decent music, and a fairly strong cast of characters all things considered. So yeah, as much as I don’t like it, the series is far from “bad” on its face, trust me on that.
If it was just awful by nature, I’d bash the series in every unrepentant way possible. There’s no need to do that, because it is more or less a solid show, aside from a few very pointed gripes that ruin it for me on a personal level.
I’ll be fair to the show, but please be fair to me. You’re not expected to agree with me.
As I’ve stated before, one of the key ways I build a “watch list” every season is to pick at least one anime I know I probably won’t like. The link for that post is down below, for reference.
When I was young, watch-lists were simple and easy to come by. Anime wasn’t incredibly abundant. When it came to sub-genres there were lists that everyone followed like gospel, because we had little else. Fandom followed a certain flow, you might say.
As a refresher for the rest of you, every season that my watch-list isn’t bursting at the seams, I tend to choose an anime or two that I know I’ll probably hate. I do this just to give it a try. As an anime fan, I find that to be a fundamental part of personal growth and broadening my horizons.
I have been pleasantly surprised in the past by this method. On occasion I do get hooked into a series and I truly enjoy it.
This doesn’t always happen though, and Zombie Land Saga is a good example of when that doesn’t work for me. I don’t mind some idol anime, but really if I’m going to enjoy an anime that contains idol culture something more along the lines of Perfect Blue suits my personal tastes far better. Normally though, I’ll go for grittier band anime like Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad or Nana.
So, with those upfront caveats out of the way, let me attempt to review this thing as objectively as humanly possible.
This is only a review of season one, as I absolutely see no reason to ever watch season two.
Zombie Idols
Okay, strap in and suspend your disbelief right here and now. That’s the only way to make it through a series like Zombie Land Saga, because as much as it’s a commentary on idol culture itself, it’s also occasionally stupidly funny for the sake of it.
When a fandom affectionately names a speeding truck, yeah, you know this is not a series that you should take seriously. Honestly, the fandom’s beloved “Truck-kun” likely has one of the single most hilarious moments in the first episode, not going to lie.
The first season of Zombie Land Saga came out in 2018, during a mild lull in the hype that was idol anime. They were a dime a dozen by this point, but the series promised to offer typical fans of the genre something different.
Directed by Munehisa Sakai and written by Shigeru Murakoshi, this is not their best work for reasons I’ll get into when I discuss the plot.
The music is notably credits two different contributors. The first is Yasuharu Takanashi. This is a composer I actually really enjoy, known for his other musical talents with shows like Naruto Shippuden, Hell Girl, and Ikki Tousen. The second is Funta7 a Japanese rock band that has made themselves a rather decent fan following by writing music for anime such as Zombie Land Saga.
The anime has several good qualities, particularly when it comes to the cast of characters and the representation of the transgender community within it. I can honestly say most of these girls are compelling enough on a surface level to make you want to know more about them instantly.
I can’t speak for season two, but as far season one goes, Lily is by far one of the best written transgender characters ever to be seen in anime. I will stand by that without question. Her existence isn’t defined by her gender performative actions, or her occasional lack of them. We aren’t beaten over the head with the concept either. Lily is who she is, and that’s the way life is. It’s that simple, and I can’t praise that enough.
The fact she’s transgender at all is merely accepted as a fact of life. Her existence is constantly validated by the fact that no one surrounding her makes a huge or complicated ordeal out of it. By and large, the characters don’t find her identity to be an issue at all.
That is worthy of merit for a discussion of representation in anime. Lily deserves a blog post all of her own, because I can count on one hand the number of prolific transgender characters that resonate well within the confines of anime. Lily’s identity is as strong and unquestionable as any other core character within Zombie Land Saga, without being overbearing or seeming like virtue signaling.
One of the nice things about Zombie Land Saga was that it held true to its promises about being different than typical idol anime fodder… at least, at first. Later on it really drops the ball on this, but I’ll speak more on that later.
The series begins with the same sort of cynical outlook that Perfect Blue has. Showcasing the drawbacks of the industry in almost every way. The girls in the series are ones who either want to be idols, or were famous at one point in their lives, only to end up dead in some way or another.
Being brought back to life, these zombie girls are objectified by their producer Tatsumi Kotaro, a guy that literally is just flat out crazy. When he isn’t acting criminally insane, he’s a pure eyesore on screen. He’s played off for laughs, but seriously, it can be hard to find humor in him, at least for me.
The abuse going on in idol culture is no laughing matter. This guy is the long running joke that really isn’t funny. He’s actually one of the reasons why I came to hate the series.
This deconstruction of typical idol anime really is a smart way to do an idol series though, right down to the asshole producer with more ego than common sense.
Tatsumi seeks to revitalize the very fictional “Saga Prefecture” in Japan by putting together the all-zombie idol group, because apparently that won’t just shock and terrify the entire world…
Actually, that’s a commentary that occurs in the first episode when a poor police officer lodges a bullet right into the newly minted zombie girl, Sakura Minamoto. Needless to say, that’s just more proof that the majority of the strong content is in the front of the anime, not the back of it.
Now is around the time when I would discuss the plot, but sadly, there really isn’t one. This is where the series begins to have some real problems.
Revive Idols & Bury the Plot
This is not an easy issue to pin down, but we don’t we have a plot in the first place. I can’t even pin down why we don’t have a plot for the anime. We just don’t, or if we do, it isn’t objectively functional beyond a certain point.
Seriously, did Tatsumi leave leave the story in the ground or blow it to smithereens? Did the show runners just shout “Idol!” really loud into the air, causing a huge scramble during production?
I really do have to ask. What happened here? What impossibly large brain fart caused the plot to go missing?
I just don’t understand how that could even happen. We have in front of us an anime bursting with serviceable animation, decent music, and a fairly strong cast of characters… but we have no actual plot to tie everything into a nice little package. For some people, myself included this will be a huge issue for the show.
First of all, Zombie Land Saga isn’t clear about what the “Saga Prefecture” needs to be saved from, or why anyone needs to save it in the first place. Why bring that up if you’re not going to detail that out? How in the world do idols even “save” anything if the situation was that detrimental in the first place.
You could argue that the vaguely hinted at debt crisis to the prefecture is the problem. However, that’s subtext at best, and you have to dive deep to look for it. The idea of having more idol groups to boost the economy in the area could have some merit, I suppose. Unfortunately, when you have to use that kind of slow and meticulous logic, it clashes with the confines of the show.
Suspending your disbelief matters here, and the lack of a plot is something you will have to shrug off.
The other option for plot only really works when subversion is at play. The fact that Tatsumi is a just a raving lunatic remains a far more plausible conclusion by its nature. Either way, we don’t really get an answer for why these girls have to be in this situation in the first place, only that they do.
All other idol anime have a clear goal, dream, or plot driven reason for why things happen. This series just doesn’t, and while it could also be a subversion of the norm, it is not the best choice from a narrative lens.
Thankfully, on the first viewing the spectacle and novelty of the series allowed me to overlook this. There’s a real charm here, the only issue it doesn’t last after the first time through.
Any subsequent viewing made it impossible for me to ignore the continually obvious lack of plot. Worst still, it’s even more obvious the more times you watch it, which is why I won’t ever watch this show again.
I’m not saying there needs to be a deep or complex story. I’m saying there needs to be a story in the first place to tie up those random plot threads. Otherwise the series comes down to strictly the core cynicism I stated about the show above, and that outlook is a very bleak one.
Speaking of that core cynicism, in the second episode there is an actual rap battle that really highlights all of the things this anime could have been. It’s gritty, it’s punchy, and above all it is very entertaining.
The only issue is, the anime didn’t put its bets on the places it worked, and it lost its way a few times in later episodes. The girls eventually find a fulfillment in being zombie idols, but there was no real weight to that decision, so it’s hard for me to really accept it.
I just don’t find that conclusion to be satisfying on its own. Cynicism and subversion are very strong building blocks to great anime, but they are not the only ones you require unless you’re going to unflinchingly stick to that core ideology for entire series.
To think that was all this show aimed to be, would be rather insulting because it doesn’t stick to that theme. However, we can’t discuss this series without a firm look at its subversive elements, either.
Subversion Takes Center Stage… Until It Doesn’t…
Zombie Land Saga makes you believe it will be nothing but subversion when you get right down to it. The characters, the comedy, the practice montages, and the performances on stage, all of it…
At the start, subversion is all we really get, and its all we ever really need. The anime has one single ethos; to comment upon what it means to be an idol. Subversion and satire of idol anime and the idol industry at large is the main goal of the show.
Early on, the series dives into those concepts so heavily, you just can’t look away from it. Even the characters themselves often come down to subversion of usual tropes found in idol anime.
The fact they are even zombies at all, but don’t naturally air that to the public, is a direct satirical commentary on the idol industry. It basically spits upon the near puritan and painted on culture that surrounds the people involved.
Even the lack of any real plot can truly just come down to “because Tatsumi said so” if subversion continued to carry the heaviest theme in the show. As an idol, you do what you’re told, and that’s the way it is. Objectified, because you are expected to conform to a point beyond reason.
The idol world is often insidious by its nature, but that nature is so grotesque that we don’t often care to think about it. Zombie Land Saga forces you to see the direct metaphor. Furthermore, it doesn’t mind being offensive to get the point across. It never crosses a line, but it isn’t kind in its critiques, either.
Sadly though, the series doesn’t cling onto that cynical metaphor, and eventually the zombie girls decide to work together. They decide to be the best zombie idols they can be, and this is where all of those early episodes give you a bait and switch.
There comes a time when that far more cynical satire is replaced for normal comedic situations. Over time, the subversive performances are forgotten. Instead, we just get more idol anime fare like the rest of the shows out there.
After Zombie Land Saga replaces some of that cynicism, we get some real nicely thought out character moments and decent backstories.
Sadly though, I just don’t think it is enough to carry the show at that point. That’s why the lack of plot I mentioned above bothers me so much. It only really works when you cling onto subversive elements like a vice, but the show doesn’t do that all the way through.
There comes a time that Zombie Land Saga becomes just another typical idol anime with zombie paint over the top of it. While there is nothing wrong with that, in my opinion it doesn’t live up to the genius satirical comedy that preceded it.
In short, this is why I came to hate the series. It really is a letdown for me as I see so much wasted potential.
Final Thoughts
The best thing about idol anime is to find a character you want to follow and invest yourself into them. You want to watch them succeed. This isn’t too unlike how fans often treat idols in real life. However, following an anime character that avidly typically harms no living, breathing person. After all, it is only an animated character, and there’s a bit of silver lining to be found in that.
Zombie Land Saga has an incredibly strong cast, and really after the satire dies out, that’s the only thing this anime really has going for it. The songs are good, but only because of the characters themselves.
The songs are extensions of these characters, brought to life by their emotional investment in what being an idol really means to them. Each girl has a different answer to that. Those themes are expressed though their personal conflicts and their unified performances on stage. The songs would not hold up well if the girls singing them weren’t characters we cared about.
To me the ideal viewer of this show is what I like to call a “popcorn anime fan”. That means it caters to fans that don’t want to think too deeply upon the anime they’re watching. They just want to watch it and enjoy it. There are a lot of people like this out there, and I myself have a few “popcorn anime” I thoroughly enjoy.
I wouldn’t even call this anime a guilty pleasure, because like I said, there’s nothing god awful that’s wrong with it. There’s no reason to feel guilty about liking this show. However, there’s plenty of reasons to hate the show too, and there’s nothing wrong with that either.
Zombie Land Saga is an incredibly well made series, at least up until it isn’t. I think the first three episodes are the strongest over all. Episode eight is also a noteworthy one.
All-in-all, it’s fineuntil you try to really dig into it. While some people probably could, that reach would be limited. I’d argue that only the most staunch idol fan base, or those who have a deep knowledge of idol culture itself would be able to truly study this anime intellectually.
I’m no expert, therefore for me the series misses the mark after the satire slowly dies out. There’s just not enough for me to sink my teeth into without doing a true deep dive on the minutia of details idol culture has to offer, and I just don’t care enough about the series to do that.
If you like idol anime though, Zombie Land Saga is a series you absolutely have to watch at least once. Give it four episodes at the very least, simply for the subversive elements and commentary alone. I’d say that for a fan of the genre it would be considered required viewing, and probably a touchstone for the fan base itself.
For me though, the anime is just mediocre and it can’t live up to my personal test of time. I should never have watched it multiple times, but I did and that perspective is what ruined the experience. To me a good anime is one that I can return to no matter what, and I won’t be returning to this one. Therefore, it fails the most important test I have when measuring for a quality standard.
Fans of the series are entirely entitled to disagree, as there may in fact be something in the series that speaks more deeply to them than t ever could for me. That’s the beauty of anime as an art form. At the end of the day I stand by the ideology that anime will always be artistry, and therefore even an anime that is not for me is capable of speaking to a great many people.
This has been Kernook of “The Demented Ferrets”, where stupidity is at its finest and level grinds are par for the course. If you liked this content, please be sure to check out some of our other content below.
I’ll see you next time…
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Note: My cousin was biologically female, assigned at birth. My cousin also subverted gender normality mentally in every way humanly possible. The line between a non-binary identity crossed heavily with a male one. My cousin most often identified as male. Therefore, I will be using the pronouns he/him for the entirety of this blog post.
“Okay smart-ass, how do you make a brick…?”
That was the question asked nearly a decade ago on a summer day. I was whittling the slow hours away out on my cousin’s front deck. I had a cigarette in hand and a cold glass of some flavored water collecting condensation in the sun. We were talking about everything and nothing. Stupid questions and even stupider answers flowing from our mouths. Everything we said was vitriolic, but also in good humor.
It was just our way, you know?
It was a typical day for us. I recall that day fondly. My cousin’s life was prolific in the normalcy of it all. A hand-full of problems, and no real way to fix any of them. He was incredibly smart, but, he was also a drug addict. He went to therapy often, going through shrinks like a household goes through toilet paper. He spent his many years taking prescription medication, using them, until they began using him. Just another vice among a great many.
He never quite got his fix…
Why does all that matter now? Well, my cousin’s dead. He died in 2019 of an overdose. Duster cans acting a means of getting high. The means of that addiction just didn’t justify the end. In spite of this, that was the outcome we had all come to expect. It was going to happen eventually, because addiction is a beast all of it’s own… and it had it’s claws into him too far.
Addiction is monstrous in how it eats the soul from the inside out. It’s almost like a plague, really…
Being an outsider looking in on that struggle, it’s hard to fathom. The highs come with lows, and when mental illness get mixed in, lines blur. You ask yourself questions trying to piece together the magnitude of it all. You try to understand-often failing to do so– and sometimes there are just no answers in sight. Sometimes, there won’t be.
That’s how it was for me. I had so many questions, but so few answers.
I’d ask myself, what part of it is the illness? What part is the drugs? Where is the soul beneath all of that? How do you cure the things that can’t seem to be?
Some people can claw their way to successful management of their addictions. It never leaves, once an addict, always an addict. Yet, some people can control that beast. Unfortunately, my cousin never could. Maybe in a way, it was just easier not to…
I can’t help but think of all the missed opportunities, failed chances, and everything he left behind. A muddled story to be sure, but one that played an irreplaceable part in my life.
It would be a disservice to even think otherwise.
We had always said we’d write a book together. We never did. We should have. With all time we wasted with our thumbs up our asses, we could have. It’s that last point that really gets me.
We could have done it.
Like so many things, we never got around to it. Instead, all I have left are the memories of the things we’d said we do… and we said so many things.
I look back at the missed opportunity. I wish we had made those chronicles of our lives. I wish we’d written that family history. It was just as imperfect as any other, but it was ours anyway. In a way, it was special because it was ours. Now, it’ll never be written. My cousin was eighteen years, my senior, but… well, history has way of repeating.
My cousin was some sort of looking-glass for me…. still is, I suppose… not with addiction… no, just in life…
Like my cousin, lines of gender blur for me. I am also biologically female. In my head, I am 100% not female. I don’t believe myself to think inherently like a woman. I don’t give a rat’s ass about the concept of inherently feminine traits or masculine traits, it doesn’t matter.
I’d never call myself non-binary, because to be that title would never fit. Then again, I can only help but feel that the spectrum of gender fails humanity in so many ways. I think we put too much significance in gender. The Performativity of it.
In many ways it’s all pomp and circumstance.
That being said, I take my identity a step farther than my cousin ever did. I wear binders, he didn’t. I pack, he didn’t. Even so, in my eyes he was no less a person, and no lesser a man.
Effeminate qualities do not chain down a soul.
Like him, I find myself at the mercy of the mirror every day. Taking quick showers because I don’t wish to see myself without clothing. I’m by no means obese, but biologically speaking, women tend to have more body fat than men in some very select areas I don’t want to be reminded of. To me, breasts are no more than blubber with a nipple on them. A pain in the ass, and just as unsightly as rolls of excess fat that cling no matter what you do.
I’ve made peace with the fact that I will never have the body I’d like. I’ve decided that a body is just a vessel that houses a soul. That the vessel itself need not reflect the soul in the slightest.
That despite our best wishes, for some of us it’s never going to. I feel that we must reach beyond those confines in different ways. For some semblance of comfort, I feel like there’s no other choice.
This idea is akin to many memes we see across the internet. Much like a house cat with the ferocity of a lion. Or a dog that stands with all the majesty of a wolf.
I turned 31 in September of 2020. It was a bit bitter for me because I thought I’d be someplace further in my life than what I am now. It’s strange, because my cousin used to say that about his own life more often than not.
The older I get, the more I find myself thinking about it during the quiet dawns and late sleepless nights.
I love to write, even if I’m not very good at it. Sometimes I tell myself that it’s just another passion that’ll never go anywhere. Jack of all trades, master of none.
Late in 2020, my friend Kreshenne and I formed “The Demented Ferrets” in a single hope that we’d be able to escape some of the mundanity that life had to offer.
We have a Twitch, YouTube, and this blog as far as content creation is concerned. We play games, I write on the blog, and life moves forward.
Now, will we get anywhere with this seemingly asinine idea? Well that’s anybody’s guess.
Then again, I don’t want to have another monumental regret, either. I don’t want to spend later years in my life asking “what if?” endlessly as I am often prone to do.
I’m not a perfect person, my shit stinks, just the same as everyone else. I look at my flaws and they cripple me sometimes. They overwhelm me. I don’t know where this blog will take me, if anywhere. I don’t know if Kreshenne and I can really make something of our platforms or not.
I don’t want insane fame. I don’t want countless fortune. I just want to pay the bills with things I love to do, and Kreshenne is the same way…
So, sections of this blog will just be my thoughts, my insights. However meaningless that proves to be for anyone else doesn’t matter. This post is a selfish thing, but humans are selfish creatures.
If I don’t put my thoughts down brick by brick, maybe I never will. They say it takes 8,176 bricks to make the average home. If that’s true, I wonder how many I’ve laid down in my life so far.
How many more it will take before I feel like I’ve accomplished something meaningful? I don’t know that answer. Maybe I never will.
This blog is a collection of my passions, my failings, and everything else I can think of. Imperfect in so many ways, because I’m flawed to a fault. In some ways, I don’t believe that’s a grave sin. Rather, I feel like that’s the way it should be…
So among all of the anime content, gaming content, and RWBY content that will doubtlessly flood all of “The Demented Ferrets” platforms as time goes on, I want to be selfish. I want this one thing for me. To place down these bricks, bit by bit.
I realize it’s not the standard fare that most would come to expect. I understand that completely. I’m probably just shouting into a void, and so few people will ever read these sorts of posts.
Either way, this is the first brick. One that I should have laid down along with my cousin when we had the chance to write a book together.
That’s gone, but this new opportunity is one that I won’t allow to pass me by.
This has been Kernook of The Demented Ferrets, where stupidity is at its finest and level grinds are par for the course. I’ll see you next time.
You can help support us through PayPal or Patreon.
Hello everyone, it’s Kernook here. I’m probably going to be the one writing the majority of the content on the blog. Kreshenne has skills best suited to other places.
That being said I hope you enjoy what you find here. I’m sure there will be a few typos and spelling errors along the way, but hopefully it won’t be too bad.
With that out of the way, let me begin begin today by giving you five quick facts about us and telling you what we do.
Five Quick Facts
Kreshenne lives in the UK and Kernook lives in the US. There is a five hour timezone difference between us.
We’ve known each other for about 17 years. We first met over the MMORPG Final Fantasy XI. We’ve been friends ever since.
We chose the name “The Demented Ferrets” because of our gaming history. In most of the MMORPG’s we’ve played there has always been a guild/linkshell/free-company/or other group with that name or some variation on it.
Kernook has habit of breaking things and getting lost in games. Kresh has a habit of fixing whatever Kernook broke and being the navigator. Together we make plenty of havoc.
We have been talking about building an online community for years. However, late in 2020 we finally took the steps to make it happen.
What We Do
On the Topic of Blogs
Anime, Gaming and Art Blog (Kernook and Ruka): We have this blog based around fandom and our interests. This includes anime reviews, game reviews, analysis content for both mediums and opinion pieces based around fandom. Ruka writes art based opinion pieces.
If you’ve lingered around this particular site for long,, you know what to expect. If you’re new here, you should totally explore around and enjoy the blog.
Speaking of enjoyment, that brings me to my next topic, the second blog I’m (Kern) working on personally.
Serialized Stories/Other Written Media (Kernook): I have been starting to prepare serialized long-running stories on a newly made creative writing blog. These are original fictions, written by me personally. You’ll see a lot of our branding make its over to there, even though at the moment we’re using a free version of WordPress to do it.
There is plenty of other content offered too, such as writing tools and non-fiction opinion pieces. Almost all of the content will be centered around the craft of writing/storytelling in some way.
The proper blog for this fiction content can be found below: on April 14th, 2022… for now, the site is under constriction.
Our notable YouTube content includes gaming footage (archived streaming content/no microphone “long-plays”), reviews of anime and gaming content (in conjunction with the blog).
Much of the YouTube content crosses over with the blog, so it is an integral part of our production here. I’d like to say we could have more YouTube content out on a quicker basis, but and we are working on it, but we’re not quite there yet.
We like to play games, we like to make videos, but most of all, we like to have fun. As a dynamic duo, Kreshenne and Kernook strive to have a good time and create content that others enjoy. Ruka joined up with us for even more havoc and good times.
If you want to help us do that, you can! All you have to do is “like”, “follow” and “subscribe” to our platforms. If there’s a piece of content you really enjoy, go ahead and share the link to it with others. Helping us to get noticed is an important way that you can help us.
Want to support us with your hard earned money? That’s awesome too. I’ll even make it easy for you.
To Our Supporters: Thank You!
With your contributions, you make our efforts possible. Thank you for supporting our content. Patreon supporters receive access into our official Discord server, and a few other perks depending on the tier.
Don’t want to use Patreon? That’s okay, you can donate directly to our PayPal.
At the time of this post there are 3 notable contributors.
Demented Minions: Francis Murphy, and Andrew Wheal. Fluffy Ferrets: Josh Sayer
Final Thoughts
I think that’s about all I have to say for now. Hopefully with all of the links provided you’ll find content to your liking. In tomorrow’s post I’m going to detail the types of written content you’re going to see on this blog going forward. I hope to see you there.
Please don’t forget to subscribe to the blog and our other platforms. Have any questions or comments? Be sure to leave them below.
Remember, you can help us by sharing this post with your friends and family too. If you know someone who likes anime and gaming content, be sure to share this with them. Thanks, and with that I’ll leave it off here.
This has been Kernook, from The Demented Ferrets. See you next time.
“Where stupidity is at its finest and level grinds are par for the course…”
With your contributions, you make our efforts possible. Thank you for supporting our content. Patreon supporters receive access into our official Discord server, and a few other perks depending on the tier. If you don’t care for Patreon, and don’t care about perks, you can always support us through PayPal too… links below.
Those who join via Patreon get special perks, such as extra content, quicker updates, early fiction chapters and more.
The Demented Ferrets 