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2026 Media Log

First published: Jan 11, 2026 / Last updated: Jan 23, 2026

Preamble

My one new years resolution for 2026 is to consume more meaningful media. By this I mean, less time doomscrolling and more time watching a movie. Less time watching a review of a TV show I've never watched and more time actually watching it. Less time listening to someone talk about Magic the Gathering and more time playing the game itself.
I've already uninstalled and logged out of every social media app on my phone to discourage scrolling. To stick with this, though, I want to make sure I'm replacing that habbit with enriching media.

I'm planning to use this blog post as a running list of all the new (to me) media I'm engaged with throughout the year. To that end, I'll be updating this post periodically and maybe I'll do an end of year review if I'm feeling up to it. In the mean time, use this site's guest book to recommend me anything you'd think I may enjoy!

TV

  • Mad Men (season 1) - Watched April 2026. Honestly just good enough to keep watching.
  • The Chris Gethard Show (Fusion Season 1) - I; rewatching these and they're fine, but don't live up to the public access glory days. Primarily, editing the episoodes makes it less exciting imo.
  • 2Kawaii4Comfort (Web Series) - Watched April 2026. I've been to cons before and I feel like I've met these people. It's strikingly vulnerable.
  • Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair - Watched April 2026. Moments of sweetness sandwiched between classic slapstick. I used to watched the OG show with my family so this was nostalgic. Also Hal is the greatest.
  • Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat - Watched April 2026. Kinda fun, some laugh out loud moments, but did not live up to the original.
  • The Comeback (season 2) - Watched April 2026. Amazing. The season finale was such a beautiful payoff to everything they set up through both seasons.
  • The Comeback (season 1) - Watched March 2026. At times chalenging to watch but in a great way.
  • Frieren: Beyond Journey's End (season 2) - Watched March 2026. I watched the new episodes as they came out! I think some of the weight of the stories was lost by waiting for the next episode, but overall I really enjoyed it.
  • One Piece - Netflix's live action adaptation (seasons 1 and 2) - Watched March 2026. I actually watched a couple hundred episodes of the anime last year but got really frustrated by the slow pacing so had to stop. I really appreciated how relatively fast paced this was. I thought it hit most of the big emotional beats of the anime with just as heart. I also loved the over the top acting, costumes, and sets. It was super campy in the best way.
  • Frieren: Beyond Journey's End (season 1) - Watched Feb 2026. I thought the pacing dragged at the end, but the art and storytelling were beautiful.
  • PONIES - Watcehd Feb 2026. Wow, this was fantstic. At first I felt the ending was unsatisfying but in a compelling way.
  • Work In Progress - Watched Feb 2026. Real, strong, compelling
  • The Booth At The End - Watched Feb 2026. Never watched season 2 before. Does a hell of a lot with very little.
  • The Studio - Watched Feb 2026. Kinda dumb but a little funny.
  • Back to Life (BBC) - Watched Jan 2026. Absolutely devastating
  • Yokohama Shopping Log - Season 1 watched Jan 2026
  • Violet Evergarden - Watched the TV show. Not perfect but REALLY good.
  • The Chris Gethard Show (public access archives) - Began in Dec 2025 and finished in May 2026. I've seen most of the episodes before but never done a full watch through. I started this watch from episode 8 because it starts off rough, but eventually went back to watch those too.

    Movies

  • The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender - Beautiful animation and very well done. The ending was perfect.
  • The Super Mario Galaxy Movie - A beautiful mess of a fever dream
  • Phantom of the Paradise - A vibe and a fever dream. Really special and disorienting.
  • Violet Evergarden (The Movie) - A fine addition to the TV show.
  • The People's Joker - Very cool to see something so punk rock and ambitious.

    Comics

  • The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui - A well done memoir.
  • The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist by Adrian Tomine - A suprisingly light and easy read. Simple and effective art. Really enjoyable!
  • Feeding Ghosts: A Graphic Memoir Book by Tessa Hulls - This may be the best thing I've ever read. It's about so many things, and it's a little unfocused at times, but that's real life!
  • Polar Vortex: A Family Memoir by Denise Dorrance - I'm not sure how I feel about the author, but this book had moments of beauty and some really impactful sections.
  • Brittle Joints by Maria Sweeney - An amazing memoir primarily on living with chronic illness. Beautifully illustrated and one of the best things I've read in years.
  • Shubeik Lueik by Deena Mohamed - Cool premise. A bit overexplained, but a full a vibrant world. Lovely structure and good heart.
  • Beneath the Threes Where Nobody Sees by Patrick Horvath - Gorgeous coloring and a disturbing narrative.

    Music

  • Puzzle World by Visager - Beautiful audio worlds!
  • infinity signature by full body 2 - Really really really good shoegaze!
  • SOMEONE YOU CAN BELIEVE IN BOOK 1 by Arlie - A serious frontrunner for my fav album I found this year. The skits are a little corny, but it adds to the album.
  • The Worst of Adjust the Sails by Adjust the Sails - Good pop punk, but I'm not in love with it.
  • The Shreds by Corporate Hearts - Solid folk pop punk. I also really liked the b-sides
  • Convenient by Patrick Jennings - That's some good rock and roll!
  • Costume and Leech by Mila Culpa - Both of these tracks are so special. I need to listen to more music by this guy.
  • Flying Cars by antronsongs - A sweet tune
  • Next of Kin by Bellows - Good and made me excited for the upcoming album.
  • Ribbon Empty by Fax Traud - Fun, but it didn't stay with me. It deserves a few more listens.
  • Emotional Park by Marcello Newman - Charming and melodic!
  • FRANCES by Nana Grizol - Two great songs. GIVE ME MORE!
  • Live from Evening Star by Emma Harner - I think I prefer this to the "studio" version. Great math folk.
  • Evening Star by Emma Harner - Hauntingly beautiful
  • Game Of Pricks by Career Woman - I love this, but want more!
  • U by underscores - A solid follow up to Wallsocket. I don't think she topped her previous album, but this is a solid bunch of songs.
  • Black Site by Cheekface - Cheeky
  • Music To My Ears by Sam Steffen - A solid folk album
  • Strange Weather by Louie Zong - I put this on in the background while for a crafternoon and it was perfect for the occasion.
  • Bird at Sunrise by I Am Robot And Proud - Very complex melodies with very calm texture!
  • I'm Glad My Sisters Got One by HappyHappy - Beautiful and devastating folk punk
  • Proof Enough by Michael Cormier-O'Leary - There is a beautiful ablum here that is obfuscated by some really interesting stuff.
  • All the Same Dark by soft idiot - I've loved soft idiot in the past, but missed this album! It's solid indie rock. Great tones, melodies, and vibes.
  • InteractSTYLE by DV-i - Melodic ambient.
  • Talulah's Tape by good flying birds - Comforting and catchy jangly twee with nice tape saturation
  • O.K. by Gabby's World - Perfect music. I should have listened to this years ago
  • Half Truth by split/mind - Transcendental experimental electronic
  • Why There Are Mountains by Cymbals Eat Guitars - Solid alt rock from 2009
  • Renee Nicole Nicole Renee by Emperor X (Single) - Abolish ICE
  • demos by Amity St - Instrumental math rock EP
  • Dematerialized by In Love With A Ghost (Single) - Neat chillwave
  • Mega Pulse EX: The Official Soundtrack by Joe Newman - Wonderful chiptunes

    Books

  • Piranesi by Susanna Clarke - Read May 2026. Excellently written! Great worldbuilding slowly revealed over the book. Really happy to be emersed in this.
  • The Fact of a Body: A Murder and a Memoir by Alex Marzano-Lesnevich - Read May 2026. Ocassionally profound and powerful. A surprisngly easy read given the horrifying subject matter.
  • Saint Sebastian's Abyss by Mark Haber - Read April 2026. A delightfully dreadful parable. Equally parts funny and frustrating, but with a good ending.
  • Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman - Read April 2026. Fantastic! I thought the end dragged a tiny bit, but the middle was some of the best writting and story I've read in ages.

    Other

  • GIRL DOLLS: The American Musical - Very good!! Surprisingly very funny.
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