“Coup de coeur” - 2020 - personal favs

 2020, what a year! Good or bad, it was unmistakably tremendous! With so much happening worldwide on the pandemic and social unrest front, art kinda went under the radar. But there were cool things happening too in 2020. Here are some of my personal favorites that helped pass the time during the various stages of lockdown.

The Boys, season 2, an Amazon Prime original

Season 2 of The Boys did not disappoint and took the effed-up super-hero series to cult level thanks to the inlaid social commentary on boiling contemporary issues in North America such as race, immigration, harassment, foreign policy, mass persuasion and skewed (or screwed-up) politics. In essence, the show asks how people with superpowers would fit today’s society, how they’d be marketed, weaponized and exploited or how they’d exploit their advantage, either way exploring the darker sides of human nature. It’s gore-a-plenty, not at all watered down to flow mainstream. But beyond all the blood, bone and brain, it's an incredibly intelligent and tongue-in-cheek show.

Black Lip – single by Japanese band 東京ゲゲゲイ

Tokyo band 東京ゲゲゲイis an incredibly gifted and original band. Their songs are constant hits in terms of musicality and their lyrics speak to the soul. What’s interesting is that the core talent of its members is, in fact, dancing. Yes, the band initially formed as a dance group and snatched awards for unprecedented creativity. The band’s clips display this oozing creativity and movement intelligence. Black Lip is a raw hip-pop style song which wraps up beautifully the talent of this underground powerhouse.

Previous notable hits of #Tokyogegegay include: Egoist, 愛じゃない (Ai ja nai) or ゲゲゲイの鬼太郎

If you’re reading this in North America, you might want to hit some good stash to heighten the musical experience. I’d suggest DM2 (Durga Mata 2) from the Namaste line of #Zenabis products. DM2 is an indica dominant strain that will embark you smoothly for a multi-facetted trip thanks to its high CBD content. It has dark green buds and a minty, earthy aroma. Breathe in Canada’s lush green wisdom and unlock the mysteries of Japan!

Alice in Borderland, season 1, a Netflix original

In this show from the Land of the Rising Sun, a group of friends find themselves in a suddenly deserted and bordered Tokyo where cruel survival games are being held. The sci-fi series is well-crafted as we discover this new world and its dangers. The characters are diverse and well-built, making it ever more so excruciating whenever they die, which they do, often and quite horribly. In the later episodes, there’s an incredible fighting scene between one of the emerging protagonists—the lovely and toned—Kiuna and a katana-totting freak.