Our Favorite Things of 2025 | Trash Taste #287 | Trash Taste Podcast Brief

Key Takeaways

The podcast hosts shared their favorite things of the year, a challenging recurring segment covering diverse media.
Discussions ranged from ancient philosophy and video games to anime, films, and music genres.
Personal projects, including a demanding documentary, and significant family events were also highlighted as yearly favorites.
Hosts provided specific recommendations and detailed insights into various creative works that impacted their year.

One host discovered Marcus Aurelius's "Meditations" after seeking introductory philosophy recommendations at LA bookstores.
The book, a collection of personal journal entries from Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius (circa AD 160), details Stoicism, emphasizing control over reactions to external events.
Its insights are noted for their timeless relevance and poetic quality, exemplified by a quote stating, "Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth."
The discussion clarified that Stoicism, as presented, encourages acknowledging emotions without letting them dictate actions, contrasting a common misconception.
Translated from its original Greek, the text is recommended for self-reflection and guidance in managing one's life.

One speaker dedicated over 100 hours to "Fantasy Life" during a Los Angeles trip, making it their most-played game of the year.
The cozy JRPG integrates elements from RuneScape, Stardew Valley, and Breath of the Wild.
Gameplay encompasses job building, village creation, dungeon crawling, fishing, farming, romance, and multiplayer components.
Initially mistaken for solely a farming simulator, the game is characterized by its visually fun and simple design.

Hosts discussed notable trips, with one highlighting Madagascar and mentioning Iceland, Malaysia, and the Philippines as future travel destinations.
They considered revisiting New Zealand and Hungary due to past connections, alongside China for its contemporary appeal.
One speaker expressed a preference for re-watching classic films, including a 4K re-screening of "Princess Mononoke," which was declared the best Ghibli movie.
The new movie "Exit 8" was praised as surprisingly good, particularly given the limited narrative of its source game.

Host Joey launched a new YouTube channel with producer Alex in June, drawing inspiration from "2010s energy Let's Plays" akin to Game Grumps.
The channel, designed to monetize hobbies, has garnered nearly 10,000 subscribers since its inception.
It serves as a creative outlet and a platform for Joey and Alex to connect through content creation.

The song 'Kaiju' by the band Suck and Action from the anime 'Orb' was highlighted for its distinctive sound and popularity in Japan.
'Orb' was regarded as a favorite anime of the year, lauded for its iconic and consistent opening theme.
One host developed an enjoyment for Formula 1, having engaged with the sport after watching the F1 movie and the "Drive to Survive" series.

Stephen Graham's performance in the four-episode Netflix series "Adolescence" was highly praised as the year's best, earning him an Emmy for his "explosive" British-style acting.
A movie discussed was noted for performances by Leonardo DiCaprio and Benicio del Toro, a controversial opening involving breaking immigrants out of a detention center, and a complex plot featuring Sean Penn as a revenge-seeking cop, with its first 90 minutes rated 10/10.
Wes Anderson's 'The Phoenician Scheme' was critiqued for feeling generic compared to 'The Grand Budapest Hotel', while 'Ex Machina' was highlighted for Sean Penn's portrayal of Lockjaw and its themes of white nationalism.

"Exhibition 33" was identified as a favorite game released this year, with plans for further play in December or January.
The game's popularity has faced some backlash, characterized as a typical cycle where success draws criticism.
It was lauded for its exceptional characters, music, innovative gameplay mechanics including turn-based combat with blocking, and an earnest, risky story.
The prologue of "Exhibition 33" was specifically highlighted as a strong hook ensuring player engagement.

"Dispatch," developed by ex-Telltale founders, was praised as a spiritual successor to Telltale games, featuring strong writing and voice acting from Charlie (The Anime Man), Jacksepticeye, and Aaron Paul.
The game's narrative, about a superhero losing their mech and joining a dispatch company, was described as a "10 out of 10" movie-like experience.
"Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions" was celebrated for its story, writing, dialogue, and voice acting, deemed the best in the Final Fantasy series, alongside its innovative gameplay and job system.
Despite some dated elements, "Final Fantasy Tactics" was recognized as ahead of its time and is recommended for players willing to invest time in its complex narrative.

One speaker discussed "Barn," a YouTube team-created documentary considered their magnum opus, which demanded immense time and almost led to burnout.
Prioritizing team well-being and product quality, the speaker resisted pressure for a rapid release to capitalize on hype.
The documentary, covering a two-year period, is a feature-length film regarded as the speaker's most personal work and a career highlight.
Some moments were too challenging to revisit, necessitating that the speaker delegate editing tasks to others.

The "Chainsaw Man" movie adaptation was revisited and lauded, with a specific quiet scene highlighted as a personal favorite.
Tatsuki Fujimoto's pre-Chainsaw Man short stories were discussed, noted for their varied quality and a strong, often subverted, inclination to write romance.
An example included a time-traveling student intervening in a school shooting to prevent the shooter from having sex with his teacher.
Fujimoto's proficiency in character writing and human psychology was acknowledged, with his success in Shonen Jump attributed to editor guidance.

"Milky Subway," an indie animation series predominantly created by one animator, was lauded for its charming characters, effective banter, and unique blend of internet humor with serious messages.
The 12-episode series, each 3-4 minutes long, chronicles space delinquents trapped on a galactic express train and is seen as a standout amid a YouTube indie animation renaissance.
The music genre Shibi Ake (Shibuya-kei) was introduced, exemplified by Satellite Lovers, characterized by its bright, optimistic late 80s/90s aesthetic, jazz fusion, and bossa nova elements, evoking a yearning for simpler times.

The TV series "Dexter" was discussed, focusing on its premise of a serial killer targeting other criminals, guided by his father's 'dark passenger' rule.
Early seasons were praised for their strong villains and memorable characters, prompting a re-watch due to renewed interest from internet memes.
The Chinese animated series "2B Hero X" was highlighted for its unique superhero power system, which is based on social influence and public belief, akin to idol culture.
The series reportedly tracks the top 10 heroes and their origins across various timelines, converging by the end, and was noted for its conceptually cool action choreography.