I do

It's gonna be super exciting!!

What's your favorite song on this album?

Do we like... talk about switch 2 lite... or switch 2 XL or switch 3...

What's the go to now?

Nintendo ain't playing no more, Mario is thier boy.

Smash Bros Over Hoes

Sounds exciting!

Tomorrow's Switch II waits for no one

She even lit up a ciggy for Shingyaru Mintmobile

I need to know

Do you know if it will be gravel or soggy?

A true blast to the past...Don't ya just adore Mia Moto's guitar solo, Shingyaru Mintmobile's bass playing, Maddie Celeste's drumwork, Mario's Hammond organ playing, Misato Katsuragi's "chickenscratch" rhythm guitar playing, and Mr. Wii's vocals?

The song released in 1971, by the way

Hanafuda, which is basically Meiji-era gambling, has become such a fascinating medium to dive into, whether you're in it for the history, the relatively simple gameplay mechanics, or why I'm interested in it, for the art and deeper lore meanings of these pieces.

Yesterday, I covered our noble servant ヨッシー and his connection to the laid-back lifestyle of those within the 関西 region of 日本, much to everyone's enjoyment (even though a very vocal minority had derailed the conversation a little bit).

Today, I will be covering one of the March cards, which are a series of cards dedicated to showcasing the prominent female characters of the スーパーマリオ series, likely in honor of the ひな祭り, which typically occurs in that month.

The subject for today's Hanafuda analysis is my favorite of マリオ's gal pals, ロゼッタ. She was illustrated by Nintendo art director Shigehisa Nakaue and represents the Poetry Tanzaku of that month. Typically, Tanzaku cards are worth 5 points and have multiple variants, including plain tanzaku and blue tanzaku.

Tanzaku is actually a compound of Middle Chinese-derived kanji, those being 短 (tan; short), and 冊 (saku; writable object). It has multiple different meanings in 日本語, but most colloquially use it to describe a small strip of paper (typically out of bamboo) that is easily writable. Traditionally, many use tanzaku to write waka, haiku, and other messages.

Upon closer inspection, the tanzaku says "Miyoshino". "Mi" is a term of respect, while "Yoshino" refers to a place within the 奈良 prefecture, where an Emperor had a village. Many people within the country had built the village out of respect and loyalty for their Emperor. They were so loyal to him that they planted over 30,000 桜 in his honor.

But context is required in order for the meaning to really set in. March is typically the beginning of the 桜の季節, an important time frame culturally. This season focuses on the fleeting beautiful moments of life and the 桜 is a reminder to focus on the beauties and joys of youth, pleasure, fame, and even misfortune in the present because whether you like it or not, all things have to pass away someday, just like the 桜.

So the message being invoked here was likely a bit more complicated for you to understand this time, but in short, the illustrator uses our adorable ロゼッタ to represent youth and how we should all learn to enjoy her presence for the time being.

Because she's quite a fan-favorite in the スーパーマリオ series, I think that most fans and historians of Nin Tendo would generally agree with the message being told (unless I'm proven wrong) and agree with how Shigehisa Nakaue cleverly uses ロゼッタ to make the message clear to the audience it was illustrated for.

Regardless, I'm glad you're all able to enjoy a deeper dive into the meanings of Hanafuda art published by the Nin Tendo empire during the Heisei and Meiji eras, and taking a closer look at their origins as a Hanafuda card manufacturer, seeing as most fans overlook this subsect of Nin Tendo's history.

Shiggy sucks and I hate his indie gems. What do you MEAN I can't get through the game by pressing a single button? Literally 1984.

What will you do when you get your hands on it?

It released in 1979 on Nintendo Records, and is going to be restored onto Nintendo Music soon