I get really nostalgic a lot.

This song popped into my head, and I instantly flashed back to days playing Bust-a-Groove on Playstation (there was already a Bust-a-Move in the US, so Enix changed the name to Bust-a-Groove).  Bust-a-Groove was a rhythm game, but using standard controllers—sort of like DDR before game developers realized they could actually make money getting people to get off the couch and play.  Nevertheless, it was fun, but a large part of the appeal came from the colorful cast and surprisingly catchy music.

“Natural Playboy” was arguably the best song in the game.  It was a “Staying Alive” knockoff, but with a lot more bounce.  Holy crap, we loved this song.  Every time I hear it, I flash back to a more enthusiastic time in my fandom.  I was huge into anime, and played a lot more games at the time.  Now I barely partake of either.

I think the tipping point was when I stopped going to Otakon in Baltimore.  Sure, I still hit New York Comic Con, but it isn’t the same.  I don’t even go downstairs to visit the New York Anime Festival area.  I’ve come to enjoy Western comics more in terms of quality, but the culture isn’t nearly as fun.  Now I’ve come to miss those days, my Otakon trips especially.  To me, those days really represent, to me, what it meant to be young.

We live in days that tax the souls of men.  These are days in which darkness floods our hearts and uncertainty drowns our spirits.  In this bleak period, we all face crucibles of immeasurable difficulty.

Now more than ever, we need to remember the immortal words of PaRappa the Rapper.