Bowl of Lentils
@bowloflentils.bsky.social
An occasional YouTuber that enjoys talking about video game history and Japanese adventure games. I was also a lead editor on the Sakura Wars 1 and 2 fan patches.
https://www.youtube.com/@bowloflentils
https://www.youtube.com/@bowloflentils
For me it might be the show Gakusaver. I'm not sure if it is super obscure but I started watching it purely because it was directed Shinya Sadamitsu (director of Shinesmen) and ended up liking it a lot.
December 8, 2025 at 5:23 PM
For me it might be the show Gakusaver. I'm not sure if it is super obscure but I started watching it purely because it was directed Shinya Sadamitsu (director of Shinesmen) and ended up liking it a lot.
Last night I finished Detective Instinct! Despite playtesting the game multiple times, I'm still left speechless whenever I reach the credits. My opinion is certainly biased, but I think Detective Instinct is a special game made with a lot of heart and love for the genre. I highly recommend it!
December 6, 2025 at 4:27 PM
Last night I finished Detective Instinct! Despite playtesting the game multiple times, I'm still left speechless whenever I reach the credits. My opinion is certainly biased, but I think Detective Instinct is a special game made with a lot of heart and love for the genre. I highly recommend it!
Today is the 17th anniversary of 428: Shibuya Scramble, a highly acclaimed entry in Chunsoft's sound novel series and one of my all-time favorite novel games.
I love it so much I made a whole dang documentary about Chunsoft and their sound novels: www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9BT...
I love it so much I made a whole dang documentary about Chunsoft and their sound novels: www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9BT...
December 4, 2025 at 1:22 PM
Today is the 17th anniversary of 428: Shibuya Scramble, a highly acclaimed entry in Chunsoft's sound novel series and one of my all-time favorite novel games.
I love it so much I made a whole dang documentary about Chunsoft and their sound novels: www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9BT...
I love it so much I made a whole dang documentary about Chunsoft and their sound novels: www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9BT...
Been playing Detective Instinct and I love how Emma actually comments on how long it takes for you to answer the door in chapter 1 if you spend too much time looking around your room. That didn't happen in the demo so it surprised me. It's a fun detail that makes the characters feel a bit more real.
November 28, 2025 at 2:39 PM
Been playing Detective Instinct and I love how Emma actually comments on how long it takes for you to answer the door in chapter 1 if you spend too much time looking around your room. That didn't happen in the demo so it surprised me. It's a fun detail that makes the characters feel a bit more real.
Hope you all have a wonderful turkey day! 🦃
November 27, 2025 at 11:44 AM
Hope you all have a wonderful turkey day! 🦃
Just downloaded my copy of Detective Instinct: Farewell, My Beloved on the Switch! Way back in 2023 I did some volunteer testing on this game and offered my feedback on some early builds. It's so impressive to see how polished the game looks now! Congrats @traindetective.bsky.social on the release!
November 26, 2025 at 2:24 PM
Just downloaded my copy of Detective Instinct: Farewell, My Beloved on the Switch! Way back in 2023 I did some volunteer testing on this game and offered my feedback on some early builds. It's so impressive to see how polished the game looks now! Congrats @traindetective.bsky.social on the release!
You can learn more about Kamaitachi no Yoru in my recent video about Chunsoft's sound novel series, where I do a deep dive into the franchise's history and the impact it had on the Japanese game industry.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9BTGr_EsR8
www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9BTGr_EsR8
November 25, 2025 at 3:07 PM
You can learn more about Kamaitachi no Yoru in my recent video about Chunsoft's sound novel series, where I do a deep dive into the franchise's history and the impact it had on the Japanese game industry.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9BTGr_EsR8
www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9BTGr_EsR8
Today is the 31st anniversary of Kamaitachi no Yoru. This was a hugely successful "sound novel" for the Super Famicom that popularized novel-style adventure games in Japan and laid the groundwork for the modern visual novel genre.
November 25, 2025 at 3:07 PM
Today is the 31st anniversary of Kamaitachi no Yoru. This was a hugely successful "sound novel" for the Super Famicom that popularized novel-style adventure games in Japan and laid the groundwork for the modern visual novel genre.
Here’s my #RandomGameSaturday pick: Trails in the Sky on the PSP and its recent remake, 1st Chapter. Been thinking a lot about these games lately.
November 22, 2025 at 2:18 PM
Here’s my #RandomGameSaturday pick: Trails in the Sky on the PSP and its recent remake, 1st Chapter. Been thinking a lot about these games lately.
Looking back, I believe these specifically were the shows that got me back into watching modern anime in my early 20s. Funnily enough, many of these are now pretty retro themselves…
November 20, 2025 at 10:50 PM
Looking back, I believe these specifically were the shows that got me back into watching modern anime in my early 20s. Funnily enough, many of these are now pretty retro themselves…
The games that were most special to me this year (so far) are Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter and The Hundred Line. 1st Chapter feels like a celebration of an already great RPG and Hundred Line is a sprawling adventure game with seemingly endless branching paths penned by masters of their craft.
November 20, 2025 at 1:27 PM
The games that were most special to me this year (so far) are Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter and The Hundred Line. 1st Chapter feels like a celebration of an already great RPG and Hundred Line is a sprawling adventure game with seemingly endless branching paths penned by masters of their craft.
What it's actually like:
November 17, 2025 at 6:24 PM
What it's actually like:
Nihon Falcom has really improved their 3D character modeling over the years. I've always found the presentation of their games charming but I was genuinely impressed at how nice the characters look in Sky 1st Chapter.
November 17, 2025 at 1:09 PM
Nihon Falcom has really improved their 3D character modeling over the years. I've always found the presentation of their games charming but I was genuinely impressed at how nice the characters look in Sky 1st Chapter.
Just saw credits on Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter. Not only was it a good remake, not only did it remind me of why the original was so great, but it may just be one of the best games Nihon Falcom has ever made. They really brought their A game and elevated their craft to another level.
November 16, 2025 at 9:58 PM
Just saw credits on Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter. Not only was it a good remake, not only did it remind me of why the original was so great, but it may just be one of the best games Nihon Falcom has ever made. They really brought their A game and elevated their craft to another level.
Yeah, thank you for doing all that hard work btw. Whenever I rewatch this OVA, I'll definitely use your restoration. As was already mentioned, it could be Kow Yokoyama (whose credit is on screen) but it's hard to tell. This is the only photo I could find of him from the 80s after a quick search.
November 16, 2025 at 1:06 PM
Yeah, thank you for doing all that hard work btw. Whenever I rewatch this OVA, I'll definitely use your restoration. As was already mentioned, it could be Kow Yokoyama (whose credit is on screen) but it's hard to tell. This is the only photo I could find of him from the 80s after a quick search.
Just randomly thinking about an obscure anime OVA called Hell Target and how there is a picture of a human face that appears in the credits for a single frame.
November 15, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Just randomly thinking about an obscure anime OVA called Hell Target and how there is a picture of a human face that appears in the credits for a single frame.
Dang! I was watching the new Metroid Prime 4 trailer and was really impressed by how good the human characters look.
November 14, 2025 at 2:27 PM
Dang! I was watching the new Metroid Prime 4 trailer and was really impressed by how good the human characters look.
Got bug in my bonnet and had to make this random edit after playing Trails last night.
November 13, 2025 at 12:45 PM
Got bug in my bonnet and had to make this random edit after playing Trails last night.
The graph on the first post comes from Vol. 16 of Game Criticism magazine, which had an article discussing gal games on the Saturn.
This article was also referenced in ITMedia's list of gal games they would like to see included on a theoretical Sega Saturn mini: nlab.itmedia.co.jp/cont/article...
This article was also referenced in ITMedia's list of gal games they would like to see included on a theoretical Sega Saturn mini: nlab.itmedia.co.jp/cont/article...
November 11, 2025 at 2:35 PM
The graph on the first post comes from Vol. 16 of Game Criticism magazine, which had an article discussing gal games on the Saturn.
This article was also referenced in ITMedia's list of gal games they would like to see included on a theoretical Sega Saturn mini: nlab.itmedia.co.jp/cont/article...
This article was also referenced in ITMedia's list of gal games they would like to see included on a theoretical Sega Saturn mini: nlab.itmedia.co.jp/cont/article...
The Saturn's reputation for having a huge gal game library is even parodied in the anime Hi Score Girl, where the main character's mom assumes the protagonist is secretly going to play Can Can Bunny Premiere on his new Saturn (one of the system's many eroge ports).
November 11, 2025 at 2:35 PM
The Saturn's reputation for having a huge gal game library is even parodied in the anime Hi Score Girl, where the main character's mom assumes the protagonist is secretly going to play Can Can Bunny Premiere on his new Saturn (one of the system's many eroge ports).
And many of these games weren't just shovelware produced to make a quick buck, a lot of the console's most highly regarded and best selling titles were in fact gal games. And many Japanese Saturn magazines heavily featured bishoujo titles.
November 11, 2025 at 2:35 PM
And many of these games weren't just shovelware produced to make a quick buck, a lot of the console's most highly regarded and best selling titles were in fact gal games. And many Japanese Saturn magazines heavily featured bishoujo titles.
One aspect of the Sega Saturn's identity that I feel is often ignored by western fans is the huge popularity of "gal games" on the system. There is a reason Sega created a title like Sakura Wars at the time, as the ratio of gal games being released on the Saturn was twice as large as the PS1. 🧵
November 11, 2025 at 2:35 PM
One aspect of the Sega Saturn's identity that I feel is often ignored by western fans is the huge popularity of "gal games" on the system. There is a reason Sega created a title like Sakura Wars at the time, as the ratio of gal games being released on the Saturn was twice as large as the PS1. 🧵
I don't know this character's name but I thought of you when I saw him. He's from a Saturn game called Marica.
November 11, 2025 at 1:11 AM
I don't know this character's name but I thought of you when I saw him. He's from a Saturn game called Marica.