Upcoming Homebrew: The Golden Knight and Spooky Month (Patreon)

Howdy folks! October is upon us, and here in the Philippines, the public spaces are already adorned with Christmas decos. I'd post pictures, but I don't go outside, so here's an emoji instead -> 🎄🇵🇭

Can we talk about that Poll first?

Right, I did make a poll the other day about the videos I'll be doing for October! And the winners were... surprisingly not K-Pop Demon Hunters. Alas, niche toku fans, Karas didn't make it either. But that doesn't mean this month's content won't be good! Here are the results of the polls:

So, Garo...

BUT, Christmas is not this month's theme, no! October is all about the spooky stuff, and what better way to bring in that vibe than with a series that delves into the darkest depravities of humanity? 

Garo is an interesting franchise. It came out in October 2005, just as Toei's shiny new Heisei Kamen Rider phase was stumbling through Hibiki (I love Hibiki, btw, but I'm referring to ratings in this case). It's a passion project by series creator and director (and concept artist!) Keita Amemiya. 

If manga have Shounen for teens and Seinen for adults, tokusatsu's version of Seinen would be Garo. It's still a special effects show, but its themes of exploring the darkness in humanity are a sharp contrast from the flashy telenovela style of early Heisei Kamen Rider.

While the series loves to delve into humanity's indulgences, Garo juxtaposes that with the belief that, at its core, humanity is inherently good. This is exemplified by the main protagonist of the story, Kouga, who comes from a long line of supernatural nobility who fight on the front lines of a never-ending war against literal horrors.

I say "literal" if only 'cos the Horrors of the story are demonic entities that prey on human desires, offering Faustian bargains that would ultimately consume their souls for shortsighted pleasures.

I get that this is a lot of setup, and trust me, there's a lot more going on, like entire secret societies and conspiracies happening in the background. But that's because, in this little Tokusatsu niche I've settled in, Garo is a niche within a niche. And to my knowledge, it's also one of a kind. As in, there aren't any other action-horror Tokusatsu series out there (if you know of any, please let me know!), so I wanna prime you guys with a bit of series knowledge, and hopefully get you interested in watching it!

Here's a YT playlist from the official channel, which I believe has English subtitles!

But Garo having market dominance over the live-action horror genre isn't a flash in the pan. It's still sporadically ongoing for the past 20 years, with 3 seasons from the main timeline, 2 seasons from an offshoot timeline (equally good!), and several animated series based on the overarching lore!

I've kind of lost the plot a bit with this write-up, but suffice to say, I have quite a bit of love for the Garo franchise. And I want to spread the love by introducing this to you guys and giving you the opportunity to play in such a setting with a cool new Paladin subclass that I'm cooking!

It's out now on Beta, and you can check it out by becoming a $5-tier member! You can also check its progress by going to my Trello Board!

Anyway, I hope this whets your appetite for the coming homebrew, 'cos the spooky train is now about to leave the station! 

For now, my wife and I hope you have a great day ahead!

Hold up, what about Kamen Rider?!

I'm happy to say, I finished my rewatch of Ex-Aid! I still have the post-series content to churn through, but I have A LOT of references to use now!

Trust me, Ex-Aid will happen once it's ready!