December 2025 Happiness
Dec. 28th, 2025 08:07 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rynlingThis is what’s been making me happy recently:
Wake Up Dead Man
(the new Knives Out movie)
This one was a solid 4/5 for me. It’s very good and a lot of fun. It also feels way shorter than its actual run time. Definitely worth the $20 for a month of ad-free Netflix. I refuse to read any critical opinion pieces about this movie, because it is perfect for what it is. Everyone involved is clearly having a great time, and I had a great time too.
Look Back
(a short anime movie about drawing manga)
Look Back is only fifty minutes long, but I promise you will cry at the end. I also appreciate how honest this movie is about the artistic process, which is often a grind and a slog. Maybe watching Look Back will help some people realize that they don’t want to be professional creatives, but I came away feeling energized and inspired.
Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle
(a fantasy comedy manga)
The Demon King has captured a princess, and she’s thrilled – finally she’s able to get some fucking sleep. Each chapter of this manga is a stand-alone episode in a bratty princess’s quest to create the perfect sleep hygiene routine. It’s very stupid but also very fun to read. Apparently this is an ongoing series (as well as an anime), but I think I’m good just reading the first volume.
My New Hobby Craves Violence
(a botanical horror minicomic zine)
I say this is a “botanical horror” comic, and it most definitely is that, but what the story is really about is becoming trapped in a mindspace where you get addicted to receiving positive feedback online. The writing is very good and very smart, and the art is fantastic. Kristyna Baczynski is famous for her wholesome botanical illustrations, so seeing her take on botanical horror is a lot of fun.
The Disability Center Told Me I Wasn’t Disabled Enough
(a minicomic zine about the artist’s own experience)
Extremely frustrating, but also extremely validating. I’m ten years out of school now, but reading about this type of thing is still… I mean, it’s not “triggering,” but there was a lot of recognition here. I almost can’t believe universities are still committed to using their Disability Services offices to make kids miserable, but of course they are. If nothing else, it’s nice to feel that I’m not alone in having gone through this wretched nonsense.
The artist also shared this comic on Instagram. It’s spread across several posts, so I’ll just link to her account (here).
Sakuraco Snack Box
(a box filled with high-quality Japanese snacks)
There are a lot of Japanese snack box services out there, and they tend to be expensive and awful. This one is different. Instead of garbage junk food, Sakuraco sends you a themed assortment of the sort of regional omiyage that you’d find in train stations in Japan. It’s unique and high-quality food, and they provide a nice mix of sweet and savory flavors, along with a beautiful little magazine explaining what the snacks are, where they come from, and how they’re made. They also send a lot of food! Given that the DHL express shipping from Japan must be at least $30, I don’t understand how charging a flat $50 for one of these boxes is financially feasible for the company, but I’m not complaining.
What I also like about Sakuraco is that you can buy a single month's box from Amazon without having to bother with the usual subscription service bullshit. 👍
Wake Up Dead Man
(the new Knives Out movie)
This one was a solid 4/5 for me. It’s very good and a lot of fun. It also feels way shorter than its actual run time. Definitely worth the $20 for a month of ad-free Netflix. I refuse to read any critical opinion pieces about this movie, because it is perfect for what it is. Everyone involved is clearly having a great time, and I had a great time too.
Look Back
(a short anime movie about drawing manga)
Look Back is only fifty minutes long, but I promise you will cry at the end. I also appreciate how honest this movie is about the artistic process, which is often a grind and a slog. Maybe watching Look Back will help some people realize that they don’t want to be professional creatives, but I came away feeling energized and inspired.
Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle
(a fantasy comedy manga)
The Demon King has captured a princess, and she’s thrilled – finally she’s able to get some fucking sleep. Each chapter of this manga is a stand-alone episode in a bratty princess’s quest to create the perfect sleep hygiene routine. It’s very stupid but also very fun to read. Apparently this is an ongoing series (as well as an anime), but I think I’m good just reading the first volume.
My New Hobby Craves Violence
(a botanical horror minicomic zine)
I say this is a “botanical horror” comic, and it most definitely is that, but what the story is really about is becoming trapped in a mindspace where you get addicted to receiving positive feedback online. The writing is very good and very smart, and the art is fantastic. Kristyna Baczynski is famous for her wholesome botanical illustrations, so seeing her take on botanical horror is a lot of fun.
The Disability Center Told Me I Wasn’t Disabled Enough
(a minicomic zine about the artist’s own experience)
Extremely frustrating, but also extremely validating. I’m ten years out of school now, but reading about this type of thing is still… I mean, it’s not “triggering,” but there was a lot of recognition here. I almost can’t believe universities are still committed to using their Disability Services offices to make kids miserable, but of course they are. If nothing else, it’s nice to feel that I’m not alone in having gone through this wretched nonsense.
The artist also shared this comic on Instagram. It’s spread across several posts, so I’ll just link to her account (here).
Sakuraco Snack Box
(a box filled with high-quality Japanese snacks)
There are a lot of Japanese snack box services out there, and they tend to be expensive and awful. This one is different. Instead of garbage junk food, Sakuraco sends you a themed assortment of the sort of regional omiyage that you’d find in train stations in Japan. It’s unique and high-quality food, and they provide a nice mix of sweet and savory flavors, along with a beautiful little magazine explaining what the snacks are, where they come from, and how they’re made. They also send a lot of food! Given that the DHL express shipping from Japan must be at least $30, I don’t understand how charging a flat $50 for one of these boxes is financially feasible for the company, but I’m not complaining.
What I also like about Sakuraco is that you can buy a single month's box from Amazon without having to bother with the usual subscription service bullshit. 👍
