May 2020 Picks - CULTURETAP

Yelena Lightfoot
Jun 4, 2020
5 min read

It's hard to believe we're already entering the SIXTH month of 2020. Time isn't really a thing anymore, and like I said last month, May FLEW by. But alas, it's time for another monthly favourites post from me. I usually use these as a summary of everything I enjoyed from the previous month, but if you see something on here that you want my extended thoughts on, I'd encourage you to comment that down below! Or you can tell me to fill this spot in my posting schedule with something else entirely. It might make me a little sad, but whatever.

Also, whoopsy - this post is two days late because I've been suffering from *crippling migraines* since Tuesday morning thanks to our ever-changing Canadian weather. Finally, as always, everything I mention is linked below for you to check out yourself. Enjoy!

VIDEO GAMES

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon DX for the Nintendo Switch

Okay, I'm kind of cheating with this first one: I haven't been playing this game NEARLY as much as Animal Crossing, but I started playing it in the month of May, so I'm including it anyways! For those who might not know, the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series is a spinoff of the mainline Pokémon games. While it still maintains a turn-based combat system like the standard games, it has more of an adventure context and puts the player into the body of a Pokémon as opposed to a trainer. Mystery Dungeon DX specifically is a joint remake of both Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team and Blue Rescue Team for the Game Boy Advance and the Nintendo DS respectively, which is mostly why this game piqued my interest. There's not a lot I can say to praise it other than by calling it what it is: it's an adventure game with traditional Pokémon mechanics and beautiful updated visuals. This is one of those games I play when I need something to boost my mood and bring back that nostalgia for playing Blue Rescue Team on the DS. My favourite aspect of the updated game specifically has to be seeing the 2020 visuals coupled with the 2005 soundtrack. It's a small thing that I really appreciate about the whole experience of playing this. Basically, it's by no means the greatest game I've ever played, but it's a remake of a treasured game from my childhood and it's an entry into my favourite franchise, so I'm bound to be pretty happy with it!

MUSIC

May 2020 Playlist

As per was the case last month, not a whole lot in terms of albums (or even content in general) from artists I'm interested in got released during the month of May. Unfortunately, I think that COVID-19 has taken its toll in that regard. However, I still found stuff to listen to, both new and old. This month's playlist mostly includes cuts from indie artists (Cage the Elephant, M83, and a new single from Neon Trees), as well as some classic stuff (Led Zeppelin, Fleetwood Mac). For all my late 90's to early 2000's babies, there's some nostalgia from our preteen years mixed in there too (Safe & Sound by Capital Cities, etc.) You can check out the playlist here or by clicking the album art below. Enjoy!

COMICS & BOOKS

Snotgirl Vol. 1: Green Hair Don't Care

At this point, it's no secret that I adore Bryan Lee O'Malley's work. Scott Pilgrim is the obvious

choice for most people, and while I love those books and the movie to death, you're doing yourself a serious disservice if you ignore his other stuff in his bibliography. Full disclosure though: I'm gonna expose myself as a fake fan by admitting I totally ignored this one for the three years that it's been a thing...simply because the title grossed me out. Snotgirl is a much more recent stint in O'Malley's career (obviously...since it's still technically ongoing) and he sits solely in the writer's seat for this one, however that doesn't make it any less impressive than anything else he's put out. Without getting too spoiler-y, the series follows blogger Lottie Person (a hobby I didn't realize I had in common with her until I started reading...neat) and explores concepts of self-image and self-indulgence with an interesting psychological twist. I just finished the first volume and I'm already itching to get my hands on the full series. I always say I'm not an authority on visual art, but I'm going to make a point of this anyways: Leslie Hung's bright, bubbly visuals are beautiful, and O'Malley's writing style compliments that perfectly. All in all, it's a fun and interesting read that I'd recommend to anyone.

MOVIES & TV

The Umbrella Academy

As those of you who follow me week-to-week know, I re-watched one of my all-time favourite TV shows this month and did an updated review on it, the show in question of course being The Umbrella Academy. I love this franchise to death, and it was a lot of fun to watch it again with a more critical eye in order to write my extended review on it. Obviously I liked it enough to want to put it on this month's list, and in the interest of not repeating my thoughts too much, you can click here or on the photo above to see my exact and detailed thoughts on it!

EXTRAS

Sony In-Ear Noise Cancelling Truly Wireless Headphones (WF-1000XM3) - Black

A major purchase I finally made this month was these black wireless earbuds from Sony. I've always been the type of tinfoil hat wearing consumer that is concerned that stuff like this is going to slowly microwave my brain, but after using the annoying, easily broken dongle with wired headphones for a mere six months with my iPhone XR, I honestly felt these to be almost a necessity. I got them from a Best Buy sale for about $300 CAN with tax, however the regular marked price is $299.99 before tax. All in all, I'm really happy with them! Initially, I thought about getting the AirPods Pro instead, but the only real difference between those and the Sony model is the fact that the AirPods connect more seamlessly to the iPhone and apparently disconnect less, which I don't find to be a major problem. They hold about six hours of battery life and come with noise cancellation as well as ambient sound control. A favourite aspect of them for me is the black and gold design, which I find to be much more appealing than either of the AirPod models (as well as most other wireless earbuds I found on the market). They also come in an off-white colour, should that strike your fancy more.