Continuing on from the previous piece, THE MAGIC RAIN returns with We’re Obsessed With… June 2023 edition! This column is where our writers share their current obsessions; from video games and anime, to books and TV shows, and even music. When it comes to the things you love, there’s only one rule: No holds barred.
If you’re interested in more content like this, check out the rest of the column here!
Genshin Impact Genius Invokation TCG
From the different ways to build the cards to the various characters you can obtain, Genshin Impact’s Trading Card Game (TCG) just pushes the right buttons for me. I used to be a big fan of TCGs so when it was first released, I hopped right into it and started working on my first deck. In the following months, I met other likeminded people and we spent hours discussing the latest decks and building our own. Needless to say that the endless fun and challenging nature, as well as the mechanics of a deck building game has me hooked! — Kiara
Breaking Bad
I’m absolutely obsessed with the Breaking Bad series as well as its universe in May. While this series has been around for over 10 years at this point, it still holds up surprisingly well. The character writing, storytelling, as well as production quality is up there as one of the best in any series ever produced. The writers definitely flexed their muscles when they crafted the story surrounding the titular main character, Walter White’s slow descent into the life of crime as he commits ever increasingly heinous acts all in the effort of preserving his power.
There may be many people out there who have watched Breaking Bad, but none of the spin-offs, and I’m glad to tell you that the quality of the spin-off movie El Camino is just as good as Breaking Bad, and it focuses on telling the story of Jesse Pinkman after being rescued by Walter White in the finale of the original Breaking Bad series. I did not manage to start watching Better Call Saul, but I will definitely be very excited to start this series and expect great things out of it. — Amos
Honkai: Star Rail
It has been more than two months since Honkai Star Rail’s launch and I’m sure that you are not surprised that this game would be on the list! For those who are not familiar, Honkai: Star Rail is a turn-based role-playing gacha game developed by HoYoverse, the same creators of the popular title Genshin Impact. The game itself features well-designed characters, an intriguing storyline, and many more elements that you can see as a reflection of Genshin Impact itself.
However, what makes Honkai: Star Rail different from the latter is the comfy feature of ‘autobattle’, where I can just complete a fight without lifting a finger (provided that my team is strong and resilient enough). This feature is definitely one of the major selling points, as players can leave the game on in the background while they work on something else.
Truth to be told, I was a bit skeptical about the game as I had a hard time piecing all the elements and features together in my mind. However, once I got the gist of the game, the controls were second-nature to me. From admiring the story and characters, to trying new team compositions — you name it, I’ve probably done it all thus far! All in all, I’m glad that I gave the game a chance and it successfully exceeded my expectations. Looking forward to what the game has in store for us down the line! — Dionne
One Piece TCG
The One Piece card game, while being relatively new in the TCG world, has always been a subtle eye-catcher for me as a fan of the anime. I just can’t help but feel inclined to occasionally pick up a pack or two, especially with the recent release of the new OPCG-03 line, just to get the dopamine rush of opening packs and having a chance of obtaining the hyper-rare manga alt-art featuring fan favourite Sogeking who is seen making a nostalgic comeback from his appearance in the Enies Lobby arc.
The latest series, OPCG-03 titled “Mighty Enemies” features all of Luffy’s friends and foes in spectacular artwork for all rarities as well as their counterpart parallel leaders or alt-art variants. The alternate leader cards have a noticeably different art style in comparison to cards of the previous series as they seem to have a more artistic flair with combinations of colourful brush strokes overlapping the simple black and white used to represent characters which are just gorgeous whereas these cards usually resemble scenes directly taken from the anime.
Although I mainly collect these cards as showpieces, being someone who is studying abroad in Shanghai and seeing the One Piece TCG scene booming here with an abundance of pop-up stores and community events has definitely gotten me more invested in learning the mechanics of the game as I patiently await the opportunity to partake in tournaments to obtain those sweet tournament champion cards. Until next time! — Ivan
What were you obsessed with in June? Leave us a comment below and we’ll check it out!
