CosmicSparky Snack Report: January 2020

The dawning of a new year is meant to signify change and growth which is a notion food companies take quite liberally in regards to our waistlines. Very much like last January the stores are being flooded with a bevy of new snacks, drinks, and cereals intended to help us ward off the winter doldrums. The downside is that seasonal depression is often replaced by food fans irritation at not being able to find the newest delicacies though I’m happy to report this current crop is a good deal easier to track down. As a matter of fact I'm having such an easy tie tracking these goodies down that there's actually a bit too much for one post. Guess that means there's no time to dawdle so on with the snacks!

Jolly Rancher Cereal

Let’s just go ahead and get the extra weird item outta the way first. Candy based breakfast cereals are a tough nut to crack. Most I’ve encountered, like Sour Patch Kids, simply aren’t good enough to serve as more than a slight diversion. Even so; when giving the choice between Jolly Rancher and Hershey Kisses cereal I had to go with the sheer novelty of something based on fruity hard candy

Right off the bat this doesn't totally smell like its namesake, if anything the scent is much cleaner. Sniffing provides a pleasant sensation at least with the combo of fruit and that bit of tanginess the brand is known for. As for the eating experience... imagine if Crunch Berries and Trix were the victims of some sort of twisted breeding experiment. I really think these would be in that same wheelhouse if not for the final touch. They’ve been smushed down to a point that makes them extra dense and almost a little chewy. To finish it off they are given some sort of coating that provides the same sticky, never quite dry sensation of a true jolly rancher. The flavor is very odd, almost sour yet still sweet enough to tempt you into another bite. The eating experience is a real brain-twister as everything is both boringly familiar and at the same time refreshingly different.

This is a tough call for sure. I can imagine a good number of people hating this cereal for the bizarre texture and uneven flavor. At the same time I can't help but applaud it for doing the impossible and successfully converting Jolly Rancher into a breakfast food. At the very least I'll enjoy eating a few bowls though I don't I have the strength to finish this family sized box. Gonna score this around 2.5 out of 5.

Mystery Flavor Galactic Gushers

Jumping on the mystery flavor bandwagon usually reserved for soda and Oreo cookies Gushers has actually churned out something new. What a refreshing surprise for someone who rarely gets a chance to return to this brand. Obviously we can skip most of the formalities like scent as I'm sure you're all accustomed to the ways of Gushers (or is this when I discover my audience is comprised of sheltered vegans?).

So there are three flavors on tap with only one being a mystery. First up is apple which very much fits the mold of classic green apple candy taste. Berry is likewise very strong and sweet. So what about the mystery flavor? Well I have some suspicions but whatever it turns out to be the flavor has a certain dankness to it much like darker fruits such as Cranberry or Pomegranate. I can't quite put my finger on it but whatever it is the whole trio makes for a very strong assortment of tastes. Plus the packaging is pretty spiffy. However I must demote points for having at least one gushless piece in each baggy so far. Think I'll give these a 3 out of 5 since they would benefit from more flavors.

Cheetos Cheddar Popcorn

Enough talk of candy let’s talk about something salty like Cheetos revised plan to invade the popcorn market. I say revised as Chester's Cheddar Popcorn has been around for ages. Still; I'm glad to see the company branching out as they've fallen way behind other crunchy cheese snacks with the likes of CK, Better Made, and Hawkins towering over Chester Cheetah As one would figure this new variety is just straight-up popcorn coated with Cheeto powder and… my god… I sorta love it.

Now don’t go thinking this is a total slam-dunk. The popcorn itself is a few steps below higher-grade brands like Indiana Popcorn and I've seen some people online complaining about a lack of powder, which is odd as my bag was crazy cheesy. That overdose of orange powder combined with the overall trashy mouth-feel made for that rare event when a technically new product gives a blast of nostalgia. Suddenly I was a fat ten-year-old watching Monstervision in my Pepsi fold out chair. Another sudden development was finding myself two-thirds of the way through this bag. Definitely not the most original product and not something that will wow a ton of folks but I enjoyed the hell out of it. When rating it for everyone though, let's go with 3.5 out of 5.

Hostess Dark Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes

Valentine's Day is on the way. Along with the usual questions of why none of us have a date (cause I never ask anyone) comes a parade of fatty cakes to sooth our wounded egos. To that end Hostess has released new Dark Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes, raspberries are a recurring element to this years Valentine's snack crop by the way.

Getting one thing out of the way these have the same glob of chemicals aspect that characterizes the entire Hostess line. While these are a little cleaner tasting than some of their other products I doubt it's enough for those who simply hate the brand. As for those of us who love our atomic age snack cakes this is a nifty treat.

Beginning with the scent there is a nice hint of raspberry but it's nothing overwhelming, taking a bite offers a nice moist and dank chocolate combined with a smooth fruit flavor. Nothing groundbreaking here just a solid cake that pairs nicely with dark coffee. It's deserving of at least a 3.5, if not a 4 out of 5.

Doritos Cool Ranch (with extra Ranch flavor)

A tiny fad for this years snack releases are extra versions of per-existing goodies. Cheez-Its has three different takes on the subject already but Doritos decided to stick with just one by adding more ranch flavor to classic Cool Ranch chips.

Admittedly I’ve never been the biggest fan of Cool Ranch as it just seems so limp in comparison to the other flavors, all of which bow to the might of Spicy Sweet Chilli. Turns out adding a lot more powder to the mix helps immensely. For those that prefer the lighter edge of this flavor this new style may not sit well, please let me know your thoughts. Plus I've no clue if this is meant to be a permanent development or something short-term. For those of us that prefer our chips to be overbearing this is a saving grace that puts all flavors on more even footing, save for the godly Spicy Sweat Chilli. It's Doritios, it's classic, and frankly I find it to be an improvement so... 4 out of 5.

Fudge Covered Dark Chocolate Oreo

Oreo has a trio of new offerings this month none of which are all that crazy. Only one has had the courage to cross my path thus far and that is the Fudge Covered Dark Chocolate variety. You can probably deduce some of the details about these all on your own as they look and smell like an extra dark Oreo smothered in fudge. Question is whether they're any good. The answer: oh hell yeah! Our package didn't survive the night since no one could resist the allure of these thick, chocolaty abominations. The seize of each cookie is impressive thanks to the shell of fudge and... I'm finding myself craving some right now. I've seen a couple posts throwing shade at these but I think this are good enough to earn a permanent role in the Oreo line-up. At the least I give em 4.5 out of 5.

Eggo Blueberry Waffle Cereal

One of far too many junk foods that escaped my attention in the days before blogging, Eggo cereal has made a return to shelves. The primary maple syrup flavor is the returning champ but instead of reissuing the Cinnamon Toast variant Kellogg's decided to bring out a new blueberry version. As someone with a massive weakness for anything blueberry this was the Eggo cereal to bring home.

During my years of writing about junk food there have been a number of cereal boxes that have gone to waste as I can only hold so much interest in some of the lesser offerings. This wasn't the case at all when it came to Eggo which I scarfed down quite quickly thanks to it essentially being an improved version of Honey Comb. I mean I like Honey Comb but this has a much more satisfying texture and that blueberry flavor is just a delight. The only area where it might come up short is smell as it lacks the lite, comforting scent of HC. I highly recommend trying a box of Eggo Blueberry Waffle Cereal. It's not an absolute top tier cereal but it's close. At the very least it earns a 4 outta 5.

That's enough empty calories for today. I should be back in a day or two with another Sentai review followed by another round of new treats, my pantry is full I tell ya. Keep an eye open for those updates and lemme know what recent foods have gotten your attention latel

Ryusoulger Episodes 34-39 Review

Much as I'd have liked this update to come much sooner I've played host to a rather unexpected house-guest. Last week we discovered a young Siamese kitty hiding from the cold inside our garage. Days were then spent nursing her malnourished, bony butt back to health alongside fleabaths and the like. While the lil critter has a very nice demeanor about her there is the unfortunate aspect of some weird bathroom behaviors that we don't have time to observe and correct along with our other responsibilities. And though she seems fine around the other pets, the two main kitties would obviously be happier with her removal. Right now we're setting her up with a woman who has plenty of experience and connections when it comes to finding proper homes for kitties so the lil creature should soon have a proper place to live quite soon. During this year-opening good deed I've had the occasional chance to continue catching up on Ryusoulger so that we might finally have these recaps back on track. Without further ado let's dive in.

Story:

It's gonna be a challenge to keep everything straight with this recap as we're essentially talking about three separate clumps of storytelling. The initial plot-line concerns the appearance of the newest Druidon general, Pricious. She's a right piece of work who deals in manipulation and subterfuge more often than direct combat. Don't take that as a sign of weakness however as her skills in battle are nothing to scuff at. Not long after her arrival she steals the hearts of both Wyzul and Gachireus in order to bind them to her will. Then she ushers in a strike from a space dragon and tops it all off by kicking the Ryusoulgers to the curb due largely in part to her theft of one of their best maneuvers.

During this first assault the team is also faced with the option of training at a scared mountain. The place crafts a specific training program to counteract each heroes weakness such as forcing Bamba to be more graceful and cautious whereas Asuna was made to work on concentrated speed. The person who struggled the most with this was Koh who is still shaken after the loss of Nada and has begun to view strength in more binary terms. Unfortunately we don't get anything close to the level of drama from the Nada arc but this two-parter sets up a new threat quite nicely. Also of note is the return of the tribe elder who has opened a cafe and hired Oto as his primary waitress.

Next up things move toward more episodic territory with a focus on Towa. The young man has found himself tricked into serving as a bodyguard for a young lady who's actually a notable race car driver trying to run away from the stress of her life. The two bond due to Towa's old-fashioned ya gotta do your duty mentality but the experience forces the team to think of what their future could be like should they defeat the Druidons.

After that comes an episode focused on Tyramigo which, per the usual for a mascot episode, is better than it should be while still feeling a bit redundant. There's some solid action, a decent lesson about not putting too much pressure on kids, and Koh learns how easy one can shift from working alongside someone to controlling them. The biggest development for this installment is how much Wyzul hates being under the thumb of Pricious. He's lashing out rather violently now that he's unable to indulge in his normal thrill-seeking behavior.

Episode 38 serves as an introduction to the teams newest toy while building a conflict that carries on to further installments. The group learns of an ancient temple housing a great power. Both Koh and Canalo are sucked inside and forced to undergo challenges as representatives of their respective tribes. Meanwhile the others must confront a new form of Minusaur spawned from Gachireus himself, leading to the first instance of a host aiding their Minusaur in battle. Back at the temple we find Koh and Canalo are force to fight one-another in order to claim the Ryusoul-calibur sword. This is due each choosing a different answer when weighing duty and comrades. Discovering they can still serve a common goal despite different outlooks allows them to flee with the new dodad and a warning that a greater challenges is coming. Of course they then use the new toy to save the day.

Lastly we have the newest Christmas episode which proved to be a wild and fun bit of entertainment with a nice development for the plot moving forward. Feeling that nobody like Santa should outshine him, Wyzul begins to kidnap people dressed like old saint Nick and creates a Minusaur that steals Christmas items. This brings down the wrath of three heroes with a major investment in the holiday. Bamba, we find out, brings yearly gifts to children (unsure if they were expressly stated as orphans but let's go with that) mostly due to him having the hots for their caregiver. Asuna has an obsession for Christmas cake, and then there's Tyramigo who just learned about the holiday. There's a ton of great humor and character interactions in this one, making for one of the most outright fun episodes of the whole series. The biggest gift of all comes at the end when the team finally destroys Gachireus for good. Now that's a holiday miracle.

Heroes:

The primary crew isn't given any massive developments during this round of episodes. Each of them is instead provided with further cementing of their core strengths while the actors are given different material to play with. The overall rankings of each character is about the same with Bamba, Melto, and Asuna largely leading the pack. Koh and Towa are still hanging out near the bottom mostly due to being a bit underwritten. There are cute touches such as Towa being too naive to recognize his brothers obvious attraction to a certain woman (played by a former Sailor Venus who's still very cute) but those bits aren't enough to make him anything more than the young cocky fighter.

One person who is moving up a few spots is Canalo. After being stuck with an underwhelming rivalry against Gachireus it was beginning to seem like this guy had nothing left to offer the show. First off they slowed the weird fights between these two way down plus the removal of said villain completely eliminates the issue. Then the actor himself has gotten much better at portraying the character as something more than a girl-hungry nitwit. The biggest aspect helping his rise through the rankings is that the writing staff seem to be hinting at a larger conflict for the character, maybe a rift with his comrades or a choice to be made. It almost feels like they still don't know what to do with him but know that they should be doing something with him. We'll just have to wait and see if anything comes from these pensive looks.

A pair that hasn't fared so well regarding development are the girl sidekicks Ui and Oto. The former in particular still has a strange habit of simply not appearing in some episodes without any explanation. which is extra bizarre when you consider how much of the show takes place inside her house. It's been established that her mom is dead, she has no friends outside of the Ryusoul tribesmen, and there's been zero mention of work or school, so where the hell does she disappear too? She's even absent at Christmas for god's sake. For her part, Oto at least has an excuse to vanish as she not only has a home under the sea but works at the elders cafe. She just has a convenient method of appearing whenever Ui goes missing.

Villains:

The audience was given quite a gift with the exit of Gachireus. I'd almost say it's sad to see him go as he finally started to show some personality in these last few appearances. Likely his best scene involve ordering Kreon to verbally abuse him in order to fuel his Minusaur. Still; Gachy never become much more than a generic strong evil guy and his removal takes care of the weirdly forced rivalry with Canalo which could very much help the gold ranger down the line. If you have something handy let us pour one out for this underdeveloped baddie who tried his best.

As for the new girl, Pricius, she also lacks motivation grander than simply being evil though her more cunning and domineering nature make her a more interesting piece of the puzzle than Gachy ever was. Part of that lies in how her relationships with the other villains. She asserts her dominance over the likes of Gauchy and Wyzul by stealing their hearts and holding their lives in her hands, When it comes to Kreon however she has no such option which results in her treating him a more fairly, even offering him a second in command post. For his part Kreon still seems to prefer Wyzul's company.

As for the future I know there are at least two more Druidon generals arriving in the coming weeks along with some hint as to who they answer too. The series has been wise to not taunt us with that mystery which has kept it comfortably in the background but it'll be interesting to see if they provide an answer that adds more depth to the conflict or simply provide a monsterous being to toss our heroes around.

Action:

The action on this series still manages to surprise me. I mean this is a Sunday-morning show for kids and they come up with more elaborate battles each week than some of our streaming shows do in a whole season. I believe we may have a first for the franchise as well with the Christmas episode utilizing drone photography during a CG-enhanced giant-robot fight scene. Should I point out again how all this effort is being put into a kids show?

Overall:

And so we're about to reach the forties and, presumably, the final stretch of the show. From all currently available info I'm guessing the show will end somewhere around episode 47-48 as it seems like the next series is likely primed to launch in early March. As it stands the 30s offered some very compelling material from the outstanding drama of the Nada arc to the wild hi-jinks of the Christmas show. It will soon be time to discover if Ryusoulger goes down as a great Sentai series but I'd say it's already done more than enough to rank as a solid one. In celebration of that the goal is to base the next few recaps on fewer episodes in order to go into greater detail and enjoy what remaining time we have with this story.

That's it for today my friends. Got class and homework aplenty tonight which means I'm gonna need my beauty sleep. Updates should be back on schedule for a while so keep your eyes out for more recaps and what is sure to be the first of many pieces about new snack food. Peace out.

Happy New Year from CosmicSparky and the Loose Threads of 2019

It's a brand new day, friends. Well technically it's always a new day but I'm trying to be poetic here. We are taking our first steps into a new decade. Maybe we'll get a new musical genre, perhaps curry will become the go-to food item, maybe folks will stop dressing like fucking morons! A guy can hope right? Before marching boldly into this new era, which admittedly my first few days have been pretty spiffy, I thought it best to take care of loose ends. Let's look back at dangling threads and unfinished topics along with a little of the best bits of last year and what I'm hopeful for in this one.

One should always pause around this time to think back on what they've been doing. Obviously the key accomplishment of late, one that continues into the new year, is my education. Currently it looks like I'll be ringing in next Christmas with a better degree and a moderate amount of debt but I think it's gonna be worth it despite all the endless papers and assignments needed to get there. It's important to note this shouldn't change my online presence all that much, it might even increase it as I'll be glued to word processors that much more often. Now seems like a good time to invest in eye drops.

Outside of that I got massive amount of excellent slacking done throughout 2019. I actually keep lists of every book read, game played, etc and you'd best believe some of the numbers for the past twelve months are staggering. The usual range for new to me movies viewed in one year is anywhere from 120-170. 2019 ended up with over 220, there's more than twenty video games from different eras, plenty of television, only reading went to the curb since homework largely took the fun out of it. I don't imagine repeating these numbers with a full 12 months of courses to go. I'll admit it sounds kinda nice to maybe have a break from being this lazy as it was starting to get a little stale. On the plus side those deep dives into pulp culture have only provided more potential topics for this year.

Not everything was quite so upbeat however. This household lost two dogs in less than two months. Both were excellent furry friends whom I still find myself missing despite some of their less desirable habits. My finances have been... strained to say the least. Had to spend a month contending with a cats ear-infection. And then there's the matter of my irritated eyeball, which from seems to stem from sinus inflammation causing extra pressure. As challenging as each of these issues were there was still enough strokes of good luck along with some quality experiences to help keep life bright and interesting. No doubt it was a tough year on several fronts but I'm primed to keep moving and make this new decade really count.

Much like reminiscence, it's usually customary to go over the annual haul of Christmas presents though not in the spirit of showing off. No it's far more preferable to share in whatever weirdness or surprises came to light during the traditional gift-giving routine. What stuck out as bizarre this time is that the family was supposed to be on a fairly tight price-restriction which everyone flat-out ignored. Add to that a very festive secret Santa along with some store credit usage during an after xmas sale, and damn did I ever get spoiled. Unsure if I've got a photo featuring the entire stash but trust me there's enough to make me feel guilty.

As for the most surprising gifts, and those that may provide some entertainment for you all down the line, well there are three tapes from secret Santa to begin with. Santa knew my love for VHS oddities and managed to send a few along, one of which is totally unmarked, Ringu style. Expect something on those in the coming month or so. My brother surprised me with a Funko Pop of The Creeper from Jeepers Creepers. Not only did I not know about this lil guy but I initially thought it must be a great custom job since I couldn't imagine the company taking on such a controversial subject (and turns out some folks threw a fit over it). Haven't had anywhere near the time to fiddle with even half of the haul which means I'm set with survival gear for the long dark of January.

As always happens during the holidays I've fallen way behind with the Super Sentai reviews with the catch-up being next on the blog charter. Beyond that I'd hoped to start coverage of past shows in the form of best episode countdowns, or individual articles for stellar episodes from otherwise lousy series, which is the only way to talk about shows like Ohranger. There's an idea forming for how the review format can improve though that won't make itself known until the next show begins. Speaking of which the next Sentai is looking pretty wild and has some interesting talent behind it. Best of all after enduring a total sausage fest with Ryusoulger the franchise is bringing back a proper two-lady approach. As this will be the first true season of the Reiwa era let's hope for something big.

Oh the star wars book club, you were a fun if infrequent feature on the site. Let's face it though from both a financial and time standpoint I simply couldn't keep up with all the SW novels floating around. Even with that failure to keep up I still intended to bring in one more more installments before calling it mostly quits. Which is where Rebel Rising comes in. I read it, I planed to review it, but nothing ever came of it. That's partially my fault for finishing it right in the midst of Halloween coverage but we can also blame the overall lacking quality of the book itself. Many folks have accused the current SW novels of playing it safe and doing very little, a complaint that is both somewhat true and a bit misleading. While not a symptom of all the new novels, inactivity is the hallmark of bad SW books which is sadly where this one belongs. What makes it difficult is that all the technical merits of a decent novel are here, the prose is solid, pacing isn't all that bad, only nothing of actual importance happens. It's simply the early years of Jyn Erso. She's brought up by Saw, ends up separated from him, finds love, loses love, you can guess most of it as you go along all the way to the end. Sure it provides a little more insight into her character. Just not enough to warrant reading a full novel.

The garage can be scary this time of year.

While books fell by the wayside I still largely enjoyed the other Star Wars content this year. The Mandalorian was good fun that was surprisingly secretive even after the season wrap. I found The Rise of Skywalker mostly successful from a thematic viewpoint even though the storytelling was more than a little sloppy. Most of all I'm just excited to see where the franchise can go from here now that the mysteries of this trilogy are largely dealt with allowing creators to go wherever they want from here on.

Conclusions and evolution were the defining factors of a lot of entertainment in 2019. Whether it was Endgame clearing a path for whatever comes in the next phases of Marvel films, countless shows closing up shop, even Supernatural is in it's final run. Hell, the year kicked off with Glass, a trilogy wrap-up nobody saw coming even a few years ago. One of these conclusions provided hours of twisted pleasure as I watched folks get pissed at Game of Thrones. Yes for as much as I like to aim towards positive fun on here, even I have a major weakness for schadenfreude. I'd disliked the series early-on which made for too much fun when family members were shouting at the television on a weekly basis. Plus I had the joy of correctly guessing who'd be on the throne by simply pointing at the person who was already sitting down, though my theory of how they'd get there didn't pan out.

It's a tough year to pick favorites since I'm still very far behind on many fronts. Let's point out a few things that have at least stayed with me. In movies there's Glass (sorry if you hate, but you;re wrong), Serenity (ditto), Avengers : Endgame, Missing Link, and I'm sure some others but I'll know more once I complete the usual catch-up during these early months. Games wise I dunno, just finally got Ni-No-Kuni Remastered and Judgment and have barely touched em. Honestly I think my biggest gaming memories from the year stem from the retro titles I played, even the lowly ones like Resident Evil: Survivor. When it comes to music it's all goodness from the past, namely the discovery of Loudness. That one dollar record has launched a love affair with Japanese hair metal.

Video Games look primed to take over much more time in 2020 started with a tidal wave of Yakuza games in both the remastered collection featuring 3-5 and the release of 7. Then there are new releases for all my favorite RPG series with Final Fantasy VII Remake, Tales of Arise, and Ys IX: Monstrum Nox. Then there's all the stuff I still want to catch-up with like Kingdom Hearts III, Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise, Ace Combat 7, Bloodstained, you get the picture. Basically it's a race to see what gives out first, the controller or my thumbs. Movie & TV wise I'm looking forward to many of the usual suspects such as all the new Marvel offerings, Star Wars, then there are a smattering of items like the third Conjuring, that new Underwater flick hails from one of my favorite sub-genres, and I'm very interested in seeing both Halloween Kills and the assured strangeness of Chris Rock's Saw reboot. Mostly I just want to ride this year at a nice casual pace and see what new items might sneak into the pop-cultural landscape.

So I've been at this CosmicSparky gig for over six years now and honestly I wouldn't change a thing. It may not be a huge success but there's comfort in knowing there are folks out there soaking up musings about breakfast cereal, old VHS tapes, and international superheroes. There's also the pride of maintaining one more spot on the internet that exists for fun, rather than ramming negativity, true fan pieces, and editorials that fail to understand their own topics down the collective throat of humanity. Next year I really want to broaden that reach a bit and bring this sort of content to a wider audience. Heck I haven't written for another platform since a certain horror site started tinkering with my opinion pieces last spring. So once again I thank every reader, be they silent or talkative, for making this little speck of the net one of their points of interest. I'll do my best to keep you entertained for years to come.