Eeek! It's Friday the 13th! Hope you don't walk under any ladders or break any mirrors today. Not like those are things that typically happen on a day-to-day basis for most people anyway, but still.

This week has mostly been spent binge watching Yowamushi Pedal (which I talk about more below) and listening to whatever Spotify serves up on my Daily Mixes while I work. I'm also in the midst of preparing for NaNoWriMo, which starts in under 20 days. Even though this will be my fourth year participating, it's still nerve-wracking leading up to November. Maybe this year I'll actually finish. Anyway, it's quite a collection this week, so enjoy!

Listen

Flyers - BRADIO

There are a lot of great songs from BRADIO, as I've found out this week. Frontman Takaaki Shingyoji's voice is just something so unique, especially in the Japanese band space. They're a funky group that gets you dancing with or without the infectious horn section. In my mind, they're kind of like the Bruno Mars and The Hooligans of Japan. Funky, but still pop and crazy catchy. It could also be because of the sparkly gold jacket Takaaki wears in their Golden Liar video. Flyers is actually the OP theme for Death Parade, which I've had on my "to-watch" list for a while but never actually watched.

O Sole Mio - SF9

When SF9 first announced last month that their new album would be titled Knights of the Sun, I knew it would be an awesome new venture for the barely one-year-old group. The album's title track, O Sole Mio, doesn't disappoint. It's got a Spanish vibe that matches right in with the hype that surrounded Despacito (which is now the most viewed video on YouTube, in case you didn't know). Paired with a cool tech-glitches-meet-desert style video and SF9's super-crisp choreography that I've come to expect, O Sole Mio is an awesome comeback for them.

Watch

Yowamushi Pedal

For people who don't watch anime regularly, the concept of sports animes seems strange. Watching a show about a high school swim club or men's volleyball team or a professional figure skater doesn't seem initially appealing. I'd imagine that's why, when some people hear that there are three seasons and four movies in the Yowamushi Pedal series (plus over 50 manga volumes, a video game, and a live-action TV drama), their minds explode a little bit. That is, until you actually watch Yowamushi Pedal for the first time. The series takes competitive road cycling (think the Tour de France, but with Japanese high school students) and amps up the drama. As with any sports anime, the technical aspects are effortlessly woven into the storyline, helping viewers to learn more about the sport while cheering for their favorite characters as they ride up the side of Mt. Fuji. The fourth season of Yowamushi Pedal is slated to start airing in January 2018, so better start watching the 87 already-aired episodes now!

Can You Beat Endless Mode? - Muselk

This week, Overwatch launched their Halloween Horror event, which brought an updated version of the fan-favorite PvE mode, Junkenstein's Revenge, as well as an endless horde mode. Now, when it comes to endless modes in games like Overwatch, they typically get progressively harder so that, at some point, you're forced to lose. It's like a "how long can you last" mode. However, Muselk took it upon himself to see if there was a way to win the endless mode. Turns out, there is.

Look

Say hello to some amazing pieces of Yowamushi Pedal fanart! As with almost every anime, it's hard to find fanart that isn't centered around an OTP. But when you do find them, they're usually fantastic diamonds in the rough. The top two show my favorite character Midousuji, who goes through such insane transformations that you'd think he'd be a fan artist's dream. Finding individual pieces of him, though, is actually super difficult. The bottom left is a great drawing of the first series assistants, Imaizumi and Arakita, who are definitely at the top of my favorites list as well. And, finally, the bottom right is a great Sohoku group piece from New Generation.