One of my most memorable moments was going to a local museum with friends for one of their "free weekends" and, alongside all of the typical art exhibits you'd expect, seeing a room with Katamari Damacy hooked up to a big box TV and some people silently enjoying it. It's no wonder why, really; for its time and even in the current day, the game is extremely innovative, artistic, and was/is a breath of fresh air for the industry at large.

In the present day we face interesting trials. Game development is at its most expensive, with rampant layoffs and studio closures whenever a title isn't a big hit; humans are being replaced in every step of the creative process for AI trained unethically on their labor; big studios continue to push for hyperrealism. And yet, even in such tumultuous times, ENA: Dream BBQ is the same breath of fresh air that Katamari Damacy was 20 years prior.

I write this review assuming you already know what ENA is, and that it needs no introduction -- if you don't, you should totally watch the series up to this point on YouTube as it is entirely free. But whether you're familiar like me coming in with high hopes or a complete newcomer, either way you're in for a treat. I was blown away by the sheer production value of the latest installment in this series. The animation is butter smooth, the atmosphere is mesmerizing, and the soundtrack is legendary. For only one chapter at the moment, Dream BBQ is looking to be a cultural landmark for decades to come.