Olympics

Artistic Swimming

Okay, I confess. I hardly watch synchro, or what is now called “artistic swimming.” I’ve seen some of it from time to time, but it doesn’t capture my attention the way gymnastics does. Even so, I’m impressed with the athletes and their skills. They deserve more attention, and yes, that includes from me.

Projections:

MedalWomen’s duetCountry
GoldWang Liuyi
Wang Qianyi
China
SilverKate Shortman
Isabelle Thorpe
Great Britain
BronzeBregje de Brouwer
Noortje de Brouwer
Netherlands
MedalOpen teamCountry
GoldChinaChina
SilverJapanJapan
BronzeUnited StatesUnited States

Projected medal count:

CountryGoldSilverBronzeTotal
China2002
Great Britain0101
Japan0101
Netherlands0011
United States0011
Olympics

Skateboarding

As fun as skateboarding is, I was surprised that it didn’t get very much screen time in Tokyo. Maybe it had something to do with the pandemic, but I hardly saw any skateboarding three years ago, so I plan to make it a point to watch it this time around. I have no idea how the scoring works in this sport, so I’m just going off world rankings in making my projections. I also had no idea how good Japan is at this sport. They are amazing! This might be the chance for Japan to clean up in the gold department.

Projections:

MedalMen’s parkCountry
GoldTate CarewUnited States
SilverKeegan PalmerAustralia
BronzeGavin BottgerUnited States
MedalMen’s streetCountry
GoldGinwoo OnoderaJapan
SilverSora ShiraiJapan
BronzeJagger EatonUnited States
MedalWomen’s parkCountry
GoldArisa TrewAustralia
SilverKokona HirakiJapan
BronzeSky BrownGreat Britain
MedalWomen’s streetCountry
GoldCoco YoshizawaJapan
SilverRayssa LealBrazil
BronzeFuna NakayamaJapan

Projected medal count:

CountryGoldSilverBronzeTotal
Japan2215
Australia1102
United States1023
Brazil0101
Great Britain0011
Olympics

Sailing

I’m not going to sit here and tell you I know all about sailing. But I will tell you that sailing is definitely an underrated sport. Having watched it during the Olympics several times, there’s so much going on out there that it’s a lot more complex than simply having your sail at the right angle. I don’t know how the sailors do it. They deserve props for mastering a complex sport. My medal projections are based off the finishes in the world championships. I honestly couldn’t tell you much more than that.

MedalMen’s windsurfer – IQ foilCountry
GoldLuuc van OpzeelandNetherlands
SilverNicolo RennaItaly
BronzeSam SillsGreat Britain
MedalMen’s kite – Formula KiteCountry
GoldMaximilian MaederSingapore
SilverAxel MazellaFrance
BronzeValentin BontusAustria
MedalMen’s One-Person Dinghy – ILCA 7Country
GoldMatthew WearnAustralia
SilverMichael BeckettGreat Britain
BronzeLorenzo ChiavariniItaly
MedalMen’s skiff – 49erCountry
GoldBart Lambriex
Floris van de Werken
Netherlands
SilverFlorian Trittel
Diego Botin
Spain
BronzeSebastien Schneiter
Arno de Planta
Switzerland
MedalWomen’s windsurfer – IQ foilCountry
GoldHelene NoesmoenFrance
SilverEmma WilsonGreat Britain
BronzeSharon KantorIsrael
MedalWomen’s kite – Formula KiteCountry
GoldGisela PulidoSpain
SilverBreiana WhiteheadAustralia
BronzeEleanor AldridgeGreat Britain
MedalWomen’s One-Person Dinghy – ILCA 7Country
GoldMaud JayetSwitzerland
SilverAnne-Marie RindomDenmark
BronzeMarit BouwmeesterNetherlands
MedalWomen’s skiff – 49erCountry
GoldVilma Bobeck
Rebecca Netzler
Sweden
SilverOdile van Aanholt
Annette Duetz
Netherlands
BronzeOlivia Price
Evie Haseldine
Australia
MedalMixed two-person dinghy – 470Country
GoldKeiju Okada
Miho Yoshioka
Japan
SilverJordi Xammar
Nora Brugman
Spain
BronzeJeremie Mion
Camille Lecointre
France
MedalMixed multihull – Nacra 17Country
GoldJohn Gimson
Anna Burnet
Great Britain
SilverRuggero Tita
Caterina Banti
Italy
BronzeEmil Jarudd
Cecilia Jonsson
Sweden
CountryGoldSilverBronzeTotal
Netherlands2114
Great Britain1225
Spain1203
Australia1113
France1113
Sweden1012
Switzerland1012
Japan1001
Singapore1001
Italy0213
Denmark0101
Austria0011
Israel0011
anime

Konosuba S3 Ep 8: Darkness is no longer with us

Konosuba season 3 episode 8 review

Darkness left the show this week. No, not at the end of the episode; rather, from the very beginning. In fact, I’m not sure she’s been with us for several weeks now. Her uniqueness has completely been sucked out of her. We had one little scene last episode where she was herself, but besides that, she has been completely another character for a while now. I don’t know what the writer did with her, but Darkness is just not here anymore.

Come to think of it, is Aqua even here, either? Aqua has been reduced to a couple scenes here and there where she sings to an egg and drinks alcohol, but the intense focus on making sure that Kazuma and Megumin fall in love with each other has made Aqua become less and less important. I’ll admit, I’m a Kazuma x Aqua shipper. But even the most ardent Megumin fan should realize that this just isn’t right. Aqua needs to be more prominent in the show if it’s to succeed.

To top it all off, this episode had such a focus on being serious that I nearly forgot I was watching Konosuba. This is a weird turn in this series. Why is everything I like about Konosuba disappearing? Why is the show I love turning into something I dislike? Where are the characters who got us this far? To put it bluntly, what the hell’s going on out here?

Best girl of the episode: Darkness, if only for memory’s sake

Episode rating: 4/10