Things I enjoyed in March 2026
March has ended! Weeks ago actually. But you know the drill, I got more things to talk about!
No Xenosaga content this time, but this doesn't mean our journey won't start...
from the edge of the galaxy
A couple of years ago I read I, Robot by Isaac Asimov. I expected it to be definitely more difficult to read for some reason, but it was not and it was also pretty short! I was a bit curious about his artistic production, so when I found Foundation by Isaac Asimov in my local library I decided it was the right time to give It a shot. Not the whole cycle, not the whole first trilogy. Just the first book! Reading (or playing) an entire series all at once is kinda daunting for me, so I'm trying to procede step by step (and this is not the only occasion I did it in March as you will learn before the end of this post).
The premise is really fascinating: a scientist predicts the future based on his very precise statistical calculations and we as reader watch the Foundation he has founded overcome all the crisis he has forseen. The first book hasn't really got anything that feels really all that bizarre and maybe that's what makes it interesting: you already seen all of this in real life, although not in deep space. In history, yes, but in present times as well. Decades after Asimov wrote it. Maybe history really is all that predictable...
to a small english neighbourhood
And if Foundation made me think about today's sociopolitical problems, Adolescence, a 2025 Netflix miniseries, also made me think about today's problems. A boy gets framed for the murder of a girl his age. The series tackles misoginy, toxic masculinity, familiar trauma, social anxiety, incels, bullying and much more in 4 1-hour long episodes each in a single sequence. The ideal watch while me and my bf were waiting for the new seasons of Scrubs and The Boys, am I right? It's a dark tale, very unsettling, that it's definitely not for everyone, but it's seriously really good. Recommended only of you feel like you can stand it.
english countriside superstitions
Adolescence's list of topics really missed some good old patriarchy, right? And that stuff is definitely not missing in Weyward, a book by Emilia Hart I also found in my local library and was recommended to me by a good friend. It's the story of three women, from different time periods, linked by their lineage. Also trauma caused by men who fear them or treat them as prizes. A really well written book with witchy cottagecore vibes. I really like how it depicts strong women without giving them traits that are generally more masculine. I really liked it, I'll definitely read more by Emilia Hart.
and japanese folklore
My story with Higurashi is turbulent. Bought 5 of the 8 chapters in a bundle for a very small price in... 2017? Played 2 of them and never found the will to keep reading. Ryukishi's introductions are... rough, for me. Too slow, too much fluff I don't really care. Then last october I wanted to play something spooky. With Silent Hill f coming out (I haven't played it, and neither all other SH) Ryukishi was the talk of the town once again, so I decided to give Higurashi another shot and read chapter 3. Still not super convinced by all the slice of life, but the second half of the chapter was actually pretty cool. I was convinced to continue reading, so in March this year I read Himatsubushi-hen, the fourth chapter. It changes a lot from the formula of the previous ones and, let me tell you, I found it a lot more enjoyable! Set five years before the story told before, the protagonist is now the detective Mamoru Akasaka, on a mission to save the abducted grandson of a politician. Less slice of life, more action, same creepy stuff. Something more my taste. I feel like the best way to read it is doing it slowly, so chapter 5 is scheduled for october! As for Foundation, Divide et impera, as they say.
because... You were fighting with a chainsaw
The price for best meme of the year goes to Chainsaw Man. Already. The "Thank you Chainsaw Man" meme makes me laugh so fucking much!
Anyway, CSM recently ended and the ending was definitely something. Good? Bad? I honestly can't tell. Rushed? Maybe. Nonsense? Probably not. And the ending is what usually stays more fresh for stories we've followed for a long time. But I don't want my experience with this manga to be ruined by it. I had a great time with Chainsaw Man. Right before the Reze arc I was skeptic, then I loved it up until the end of part 1. Part 2 never reached the same heights, even if I liked Asa as a character. That might acutually be my "fault". I read part 1 when it was basically almost finished and then I read part 2 weekly. Maybe Fujimoto is an author I enjoy more when I don't have to wait for the next chapter. We'll see how it goes when I finally decide to read Fire Punch.
End of part 1 is still one of my favourite endings in manga.
what else?
I've been to Bruxelles for the first time, visiting friends. A nice city and it was so good to see them, as they live so far away. We also attended the Nier Piano Concert. It was really good. I got myself the arrange CD and a themed keychain.
And that's it for March, catching up done! See you (hopefully) in May for the April wrap up. I'll tell you already, it's gonna be pretty long...