Side Quests – The Casual Otaku

Marvel Made Me Care Again: My Thoughts on the Avengers: Doomsday Trailer

I’m going to be quite blunt here: after Avengers: Endgame, I mostly tuned out of the MCU for a while.

That isn’t a knock on everything that’s come out since then. I still watched a couple of the Disney+ shows and picked a few movies to see, but after more than ten years of building toward the Infinity Saga and the final battle with Thanos, I was simply spent. Endgame felt like such a satisfying conclusion that it was hard to immediately get excited about what came next. It also didn’t help that the post-Endgame era has been, let’s just say, a little inconsistent. Some projects have been excellent, others have been fine, and a few have been, well, absolute ass cheeks. Looking directly at you, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.

To say the recently released trailer for Avengers: Doomsday got me genuinely excited for the MCU again would be a massive understatement. I was already interested because I knew the Fox-era X-Men were returning. As someone who grew up with those movies, seeing that cast interact with the modern MCU is something I’ve wanted ever since Marvel Studios regained the rights.

Zipangu Festival – A Day of Great Music and Sore Feet

When I first heard about Zipangu Festival, I thought the idea of a Japanese music festival at the Rose Bowl was pretty exciting. Actually attending, however, never felt like more than a possibility even though Man With a Mission, Atarashii Gakko and Ado had been on my concert bucket list for quite some time. What can I say? Money has been tight for the longest time with other priorities coming up (Dragon Con and Japan say hi). So you can understand that concert tickets wouldn’t exactly be the biggest priority for me.

Then one day, after a particularly bad day at work, I bought a ticket on impulse. Retail therapy at work, everyone!

Royal Rumble 2026 recap

So here’s the deal: I haven’t actually sat down and watched WWE regularly since last year’s WrestleMania. I’ve loosely kept up with stories and results, but as far as committing to weekly shows or Premium Live Events? The motivation just hasn’t really been there. I have a list of issues with WWE that is probably its own post, honestly.

That said… the Royal Rumble is still one of my favorite wrestling events every year, and when I saw it was playing in theaters, my self-control immediately folded. Because let’s be real — you can’t say no to the potential of surprise returns and “oh my god that music hit” debuts, especially with a crowd of like minded people.

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