Hi all. Hope your March is going well thus far. Let’s get into this week’s recommendations.
Batman: The Animated Series Gotham City Lego Set
Batman: The Animated Series looms large for many for a myriad of reasons, but as I’ve gotten older, I’ve found myself keen to follow an Instagram account dedicated to the art of the series. The show's Art Deco feel and vibe are probably singlehandedly responsible for my continued overall fascination and infatuation with the style. There’s something about how the show channeled that aesthetic, making it feel timeless and still of a piece with Batman’s comic book origins in 1939.
Naturally, I’m fascinated by the newest Batman LEGO set, which continues the brand’s recent pivot into creating buildable art pieces. The Batman: The Animated Series Gotham City set has more in common with, say, a Mondo art print than it does anything resembling a toy. But what I love about it is how it captures that Art Deco style without feeling overly nerdy? To me, at least? Sure, it’s inherently Batman. I don’t think anyone would think otherwise. But it’s like a more refined and adult way of rendering a love of the series. Between this and LEGO’s recent Starry Night set, I like LEGO’s continued move into having sets double as mountable art. Considering I have framed prints that are still looking for wall space in the house, I don’t need this in any capacity. And yet . . .
Cowboy Bebop x Overwatch 2 and Anime in General
Overwatch 2 finally revealed its impending collaboration with Cowboy Bebop this week after much speculation. It’s unbelievable that the teaser video below is the first Bebop-related thing Sunrise Animation has done since Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door in 2001 (!). Yes, this is a blatant cash grab. Sure, it’s going to work on me.
Anime is more popular now than ever, but March is seeing the medium get a real moment in the sun. End of Evangelion is playing in US theaters for the first time ever next week. Megan Thee Stallion just went to Japan to present for the 2024 Anime Awards and openly cosplays on her social accounts. The Bebop collab arrives mid-month. It’s a good time to be a fan — and, honestly, firing up a standalone show like Bebop that’s a unique collection and intersection of references and genres (Noir! Westerns! Jazz! Sci-Fi!) sounds like a good time to me — doubly so in the wake of Akira Toriyama’s sudden passing yesterday.
Fallout
Speaking of video games, ahead of some splashy activations at SXSW, including a party that featured a less-than-exciting guest appearance, Prime Video rolled out a new trailer for its upcoming Fallout live-action adaptation. And they might have nailed it?
All the hallmarks of the game are there: the atmosphere, the dark humor, the sense of discovery, and the scale. But the one thing that gives me pause is the involvement of Jonah Nolan, whose track record with series like Westworld proves that he just loooooooooooooves to make shit way more complicated than it needs to be and often underdevelops his characters to a frustrating degree in service of a needlessly complex mystery box narrative. Mark me cautiously optimistic.
Derbies
The Next Big Menswear Shoe(™) is here, and it’s a derby. I’ve noticed a slight shift from loafers to a derby/wallabee-style shoe. Granted, Wallabees are everpresent — Supreme and Throwing Fits both did western-inspired versions within the last few years — but now we’re seeing brands like 3Sixteen do leather versions with military-inspired detailing like chunky soles and thick laces. I snagged a suede black pair off of eBay last year that’s more in line with what you’d find from the likes of Paraboot, with a rugged sole and a moc-like upper. There are a lot of variations within the style, but I’d bet we’re about to see these have a moment.
Oscars Show
Speaking of being a betting man, Benti and I did our annual Oscars Broadcast last night over on his Twitch. It is, sincerely speaking, one of my favorite things to do each year because we both have such a passion for this show despite its many historical flaws, and it’s fun to speculate accordingly about who will or won’t win. We also turn it into a game where we use betting lines — in this case, odds from BetMGM, who actually sent their lines to me this year — to try and see who can win more fake money between the two of us. It adds a nice bit of competition to the mix without getting too far into the weeds either way.
You can find the recording here. I think this is probably the best version of the show we’ve done, so I hope you’ll give it a watch/listen ahead of the telecast on Sunday.
Odds & Ends
Wrote about bit loafers for GQ. Had a blast doing this, as I think the bit is one of my favorite sub-variations on a theme, so to speak.
See you all next week where I’m sure I’ll have some Oscars thoughts and maybe some F1 thoughts. Mercedes isn’t off the best start right now. It’s still early, but if these first two qualification sessions are any indication, I think Hamilton moving to ‘Rarri wasn’t a bad decision at all.
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