Nowadays, summer can bring to mind long vacations at the beach, road trips with friends, or maybe even an internship or a summer job. However, there was once a time, not too long ago, where summer simply meant enjoying the break from school, staying at home, and lazing about with the family instead. All too often, the long summers of our childhood were spent reading books, watching TV shows, and playing video games.
This May, relive those fond memories as some of our staffers share those movies, books, shows, and games that harken back to the lazier days of old. After all, while the summers now are often crowded with plans for getaways and summer jobs, there’s always enough time to sit back, relax, and reminisce about the easier days of the past.
Steph
The Princess Diaries Series
The birth of Her Royal Highness Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana, as well as the impending release of Meg Cabot’s 11th entry into the Princess Diaries series, deserves a worthy mention. Chronicled in the first ten Princess Diaries books were the life and times of Princess Mia Thermopolis, who transformed from a bumbling teenager into a sophisticated princess. Similarly, children who have been exposed to the Disney princesses dream of becoming royalty one day. Although stories relating to princes and princesses have since been overshadowed by tales about vampire romance, Greek gods and goddesses, and huge arenas filled with deadly teenagers, now is as good a time as any for feel-good royalty sagas to make their resurgence.
Winnie the Pooh
Before the arrival of handheld video games, mobile phones, and tablets, the adventures of Winnie the Pooh and his friends formed a major part of any child’s television experience. Amidst Tigger’s endless naughtiness and Pooh’s insatiable appetite for honey, Winnie the Pooh showed that problems are temporary, and friendship can stand the test of time. Hong Kong Disneyland even built an attraction in honor of Pooh and friends. The ride, though not thrilling, still attracts long queues from park visitors and Pooh aficionados.
Nate:
Crossy Road
Crossy Road is basically an endless Frogger level with better graphics, played by tapping the screen to move your character forward through roads and rivers while avoiding randomly generated vehicles and obstacles. You’re constantly compelled to keep pushing forward, and every death drives you to try again for a better high score. It’s addictive for the same reasons Flappy Bird is, yet it goes a step further with some unlockable features. As you start, you only get to play as a chicken (get it?), but as you play more and more, you can unlock random characters, like a wizard, a unicorn, or even the Android Robot, each adding their own interesting twist to the game. It’s a nice nod to the old style of video games many of us might have played as kids with its simple concept and blocky graphics, and it’s an entertaining way to spend the time during a long commute.
Audrey:
Gotham
Remember the Batman animated series we’d watch with our brothers or cousins on TV during the weekends? Well, Gotham is something like that, but only for more mature audiences. Unlike your weekend cartoons, Gotham tells the story of our beloved Bruce Wayne before he becomes Batman. Beginning from the time Bruce sees his parents get murdered, you’ll get to see his transformation into the iconic, crime fighting Batman, along with the backstories of the infamous villains in Gotham City. Scriptwriters get the storylines, characters, and references from different versions of the classic DC comics, so if you’re into the whole Batman franchise, this show gives you an interesting, different angle.
Zea:
400 Blows
It is a poignant portrayal of a French boy disillusioned by his family and by the world as he engages in petty, innocent crimes. This French film, directed by Francois Truffaut, had me reminiscing about the glory days of being a kid in a small town with the parents almost always away for work. It reminds us how we all have dabbled with mild rebellion, but have always had our innocence as a fair excuse. The film’s mix of hard truth and relentless childhood fervor is a tale worthy of its countless praises.
The God of Small Things
A book by famous Indian social activist, Arundhati Roy, The God of Small Things is a story of forbidden love. More than that, it shows how an Indian family is altered and reshaped by death. The story revolves around twins Rahel and Esthappen as they go about their wide-eyed exploration of the world as children. Although the story ends with a tragic mark, I feel like I am one of the twins, eyeing gracefully how much love shapes and destroys things in its way. The prose is vivid and luscious as Roy successfully creates a language that is breathtaking.
Michi:
Spongebob Squarepants
Who lives in a pineapple under the sea? I’m guessing you already know the answer to that. For most 90s kids, the adventures of this jolly sponge and his sea critter friends were a big part of our childhood, especially because of their musical numbers and witty lines. Kids who have since grown up might also find that the more interesting to watch nowadays, as some gags are better understood when you have “matured.” Luckily for us, the show is still being aired on Nickelodeon everyday. For those times that you feel sabaw, or when you just want to wumbo, the residents of Bikini Bottom will definitely make good company.
John:
Gensomaden Saiyuki
In a world where demons and humans populate a violence-ridden earth, a monk and his band of demons (and half demon) journey West to prevent the resurrection of a demon king that threatens the world. Loosely based on Journey to the West, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature that also inspired Dragon Ball, the strength of this animé lies in its characters, four anti-heroes who struggle with their past and demonic natures. The series is also rich with Buddhist and Chinese mythology, giving the series an added cultural depth.
Alexis:
Silly Sausage
Searching for a new game in the App Store to get addicted to during the summer? Get a load of this: a game whose protagonist is an extremely flexible dog (no, it’s not Jake The Dog, although he does resemble the shape-shifter from Adventure Time!).
The game’s sound effects remind you of a certain childhood superhero, in his glorious all-red ensemble, that everyone has learned to love at some point. The audiovisual interface consists of pixelated effects that bring back memories of the ol’ Super Mario and Tetris days. But thanks to modern technology, this game actually possesses a quality the 90s game didn’t: color. Put it all together and you’ve got Silly Sausage in Meat Land.
Abu:
Card Captor Sakura
Cardcaptor Sakura is the most pleasant anime ever, and every pessimistic person should watch it. It’s a world full of happy people and love. Really, all they do is love each other. Sakura beats Yue because of her love for her friends and family. Touya gives up his powers because he loves Sakura so much. Syaoran stayed in Japan even though he had no reason to stay because of how much he loves Sakura (this couple can make a child’s heart flutter). In the battle between Sakura and Clow, she is able to beat him because of, you guessed it, pure and intense love. Even Tomoyo makes costumes for all of Sakura’s battles because she loves her so much!
If love can get Sakura free outfits and solve all her problems, why can’t love solve all of mine?
