• #25

  Carol of the Old Ones (Japanese cover)
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1a5cu7LRJM

• #47

  Check out Shigure Ui’s Goddess Requiem

• #74

  >>47
  9mm go bang
  youtu.be/til1yw6eJio

10 replies omitted in this preview.

• #71

  The traditional fried sticky rice ($23.80) was quite good. I had never had anything like this before, which seems odd to me since I had thought that I had eaten most types of fried rice by my fourth decade in life. There was plenty of umami little shrimp and bits of sausage inside, and the stickiness helped it to achieve a crispy char on most of the rice. Actually delicious.

  The sizzling bean curd beef brisket ($33.80) would’ve been good with some normal steamed white rice, rather than just the already-tasty fried sticky rice. It was a bit expensive in comparison to other restaurants, though the size and flavour was good. The beef came complete with a lot of tendon, and the texture of the meat was soft and juicy as well. I will note that the bean curd it came with was not what I had expected (I had thought it would be fried soft tofu), but ultimately did match well with the rest of the dish.

  It is what it is.

  Nathan Road Hong Kong Cafe
  832 Bourke St, Waterloo

• #72

  Mensho Tokyo

  After being open for almost 2 years, you can now get in without any sort of wait, even on a weekend… as long as you show up within the first 20 minutes of opening time. As for the ramen itself, the signature is made with a rich chicken-based stock, which is a change from the pork-heavy offerings you see around Melbourne. The quality, as well as attention to detail, is truly outstanding. Whether this will be your holy grail depends on personal preferences, but this is easily one of the most nuanced and unique offerings in Melbourne, and on par with the best bowls I had in Japan.

  Rating: 14.5/20 – japan level nuance and quality.
  Must-have: toripaitan, of course. but I would love to come back and try their lighter lunchtime offerings.

  The Toripaitan Ramen ($28) is a gorgeous bowl of noodles, no doubt about it. The stock is a thick, milky concoction, decanted from slow-cooked whole chickens that carries all the fatty umami of pork, without the cloying heaviness. I was a huge fan of the addition of dried kombu powder, which gave each sip a subtle briny smokiness. The toppings are equally as well-considered, with buttery charshu, tender sprigs of bamboo, and a crispy tangle of fried enoki. The standard bowl does not come with egg, but a gooey Ajitama Egg ($2.5ea) is a must. What I enjoyed the most though was the sparing use of lemon zest, which provided just the faintest hint of bright astringency that really elevates this beyond the usual.

  Though the Toripaitan can hardly be called subtle, it is practically demure (and very mindful) compared to the Garlic Blaze Ramen ($24). Once named the Garlic KO, this is truly a punch of flavour to the face. The smoothness of the soup renders itself as a blank canvas, supporting the cacophony of garlic cooked 4 ways, aromatic black garlic coffee oil, and Mensho’s OG spicy sauce. The x-factor in this one is the crispy fried carrots, which adds a welcome earthy sweetness to the salt and spice.

• #73

  >>72

  Mind you, despite the overwhelming boldness, this was still a very well-balanced bowl, and we had no trouble polishing off the lot.

  Now, let’s talk about the noodles. Though they apparently make two separate types, both of the bowls here had the whole grain, medium-thick curly noodles, made with a combination of brown wheat, rye, and quinoa. The heft of these noodles was absolutely essential, as it was needed to counter the heaviness of the broth. What you end up with is a very hearty bite from noodles that were able to pick up the soup, rather than becoming soggy and overwhelmed.

  I had high hopes for the Takoyaki ($12), but unfortunately they were no more than adequate. The best thing about them was the generous amount of octopus in the batter, and I appreciated the side of mentaiko mayo, even if I would’ve preferred your standard kewpie drizzled over the top.

  The Corn Ribs ($9) fared a lot better. Though nothing groundbreaking, the lightly tempura-battered corn was crisp, juicy, and sweet, and went down a treat.

21 replies omitted in this preview.

• #66

  >>65
  S-Rank Monster no "Behemoth" Dakedo, Neko to Machigawarete Elf Musume no Pet to Shite Kurashitemasu (1 Episode)
  Sakamoto Days (3 Episode or MUST WATCHED)
  Salaryman ga Isekai ni Ittara Shitennou ni Natta Hanashi (1 Episode)
  Sentai Red Isekai de Boukensha ni Naru (2 Episode)
  Sorairo Utility (3 Episode)
  Sousei no Aquarion: Myth of Emotions (1 Episode)
  Tasokare Hotel (1 Episode)
  Übel Blatt (3 Episode)
  UniteUp!: Uni:Birth (SKIP)
  Unnamed Memory Act.2 (SKIP)
  Watashi no Shiawase na Kekkon 2nd Season (?)
  Zenshuu (3 Episode)

• #67

  It's older and I don't remember when it was recommended to me but I've have finally gotten around to watching Kuuchuu Buranko. The story and especially art style are interesting, its lighthearted nature makes it an easy watch, and it's very aesthetic overall.

• #69

  Spring 2025
  #COMPASS2.0 ANIMATION PROJECT
  A Ninja and an Assassin Under One Roof
  Anne Shirley
  Apocalypse Hotel
  Black Butler Emerald Witch Arc
  Can a Boy Girl Friendship Survive
  Catch Me at the Ballpark
  The Monoke Lecture Logs of Chuen Sensei
  Classic Stars
  Fire Force season 3
  Food for the Soul
  From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman
  Guilty Gear Strive Jewel Riders
  I'm the Evil Lord of an Intergalactic Empire
  Kowloon Generic Romance
  Lazarus
  Maybashi Witches
  Miru Watashi no Mai
  Mobile Suit Gundam G-Cucks
  Mono
  My Hero Academia Vigilantes
  Reiko's Detective
  Once Upon a Witch's Death
  Please put them on Takamina-san
  Princess Session Orchestra
  Rock is a Ladies Modesty
  Senti Dishkaku second season
  Summer Pockets
  Sword of the Demon Hunter
  Teogonia
  The Beginning After the End
  The Brilliant Healers New Life in the Shadows
  The Gorilla God's Goto Girl
  Shuin Family Children
  Uchu Jin Mumu
  Uma Musame Cinderella Gray
  Windbreaker season 2
  Witch Watch
  YAIBA: Samurai Legend
  Your Forma
  Zatsutabi That's Journey
  Moonrise

• #55

  More like everyone buying stuff to keep the boredom away...

  >>1
  Video about vidya gaems
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t61jfWxWHII
  360 in da hood

• #64

  >>55
  Invest in jp cryptocurrency!

5 replies omitted in this preview.

• #33

  Japan is a horrible place to live. It’s best that you just vacation there and get out with great memories.

• #54

  >>33
  Japan is like a different planet like in those Star Trek: TOS episodes...

• #61

  I'm a nippon citizen. Japan GDP is #4!

• #58

  thanks

• #46

  Mushoku Tensai

1 reply omitted in this preview.

• #14

  My quick guide to forwarders/proxy services:

  - Tenso is reliable, but a bit expensive for forwarding. For some retailers you may experience phone number or address blacklisting. Buyee (affiliated with Tenso) is great for auction sites, e.g. Yahoo Auctions, Mercari.
  - BigInJapan is dirt cheap and offers barebones forwarding, but if anything goes wrong you will not be able to reach someone for support. To my recollection it's also forced EMS, which is a problem right now. Avoid for proxy service.
  - Goody-Japan is my longtime go-to for proxy service. They aren't the cheapest, probably something of a middle ground, but they are quick on support and are willing to keep packages in their warehouse for longer so you can consolidate on international shipping. They've also added pretty good auction site support.

• #23

  >>10
  What happened? Did he leave Japan?

• #40

  >>23
  yes, sadly...

• #29

  claps

• #30

  guess im not the one who, minimize the world either.

  ...is hope, elsewhere indeed?

• #16

  n th