2017 was most certainly a series of months that occurred on planet Earth in this Galaxy. That’s about the most fair and unbiased commentary I can make on the past year. But hey, it wasn’t all bad! In fact, there were a few really great things that came out of last year, and in some cases, it was hard to pick just one for each category. Let’s take a look at what was good.

Favorite Game – Super Mario Odyssey The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is an amazing masterpiece of a game, absolutely worthy of every accolade that has been bestowed upon it. But, for me, it has one flaw; It’s not Super Mario Odyssey. Surpassing all my expectations and continuing to give even after you think you’ve seen it all, Super Mario Odyssey is nothing but fun, joy, surprises, and imagination. And that ending sequence is one of the best things I’ve ever experienced in any video game, ever.
Favorite Book – The Art of Splatoon I don’t think I got any new books for my collection last year. I’ve taken a look through this one and I’m sure that I’ll add it to my collection. I love playing Splatoon and Splatoon 2. Even though I hate when I’m losing, I always go back to play more, thanks in part to the amazing visual style captured by the artists who worked on this game. I’m very glad that this fantastic art book got an English language release.
Favorite Toy – Transformers Titans Return Sky Shadow This might be an unorthodox pick, as I feel this figure has been overlooked in some ways. But for me, the imposing stature, foreboding color scheme, creative transformation, and general complete feeling make Sky Shadow awesome. There is very little about this figure that could be better, and that’s saying something these days. I know it was retooled into Overlord, who is a more sought-after character, and someday I am sure I’ll get an Overlord. Even still, Sky Shadow has the edge.
Favorite TV Series – Samurai Jack Season 5 16 years ago, Samurai Jack became one of my all time favorite TV series. But after 4 seasons, it ended without resolution. After so long, it seemed that it would never have a proper ending, and we all just had to accept that as part of the series’ appeal. But at last, a final season was bestowed upon us, with artistry that was just as good, if not better than, the original run, and a conclusion that suits the honor and dignity of a Samurai story.
Favorite Anime – Attack on Titan Season 2 This was the only anime series that I did my best to watch week-to-week as episodes were released. Honestly, it was hard to watch at times! Seeing characters getting crunched, one after the other, was not always enjoyable. But the twists and turns of the story line kept me intrigued, as did the great animation and use of color. I was going to pick “Your Name“, which is an amazing movie, but technically that is a 2016 release, so AoT it is!
Favorite Movie – Spider-man Homecoming There were a lot of great movies in 2017. Logan, Kong, Baby Driver, Thor, Wonder Woman, Star Wars, and more. Even still, it was not a hard choice to pick Spidey as my number one for the year. Yeah, this was not the first time Spider-man has been rebooted for the movies, but for me, “Homecoming” was Spider-man the way he was meant to be. If Spider-man was a real person, it would be like this movie. It was so good, and I knew as soon as it was over that it would be my favorite movie of the year. Even after all the other great films, that’s still true.

That finally concludes 2017, and not a moment to soon. Time to think ahead to what’s happening this year, because I certainly spent way too long thinking about what things to put on this list and what else to say about them besides “it’s really good”, especially since it’s hard to get to everything I want to experience.

Let’s look ahead to what 2018 brings. On my radar already are movies like Black Panther, Infinity War, Pacific Rim, and Ready Player One, classic manga releases like Captain Harlock, and toys like Predaking and Optimus Primal. There is a lot to look forward to, and I’m going to do my best to check out as much of it as I can.

Sayonara.