Arts and Entertainment

By Martin Situ

The first time I saw Tokyo Cream was late at night, when I had gone out for Pho with some friends. As I stepped out of the Pho restaurant, Tokyo Cream’s black-and-white-themed exterior and a poster featuring what seemed to be an onigiri-shaped croissant caught my attention. I knew then and there that I would have to go to Tokyo Cream one day and try out their menu, and finally, I now have a good reason to.

After a long Sunday, I decided to go to Tokyo Cream late in the afternoon. When I first entered the shop, I found the atmosphere quite pleasant. It was peaceful, with music playing in the background and the sunlight beaming through the front windows, helping to illuminate the shop. On one wall, there is a cityscape painting covering the entire length. On the other side of the shop, there is a giant sign saying “IRVING DISTRICT,” and underneath it is a painting of a chibi-robot with what seems like a marshmallow for a head. Though, my favorite part about the design is how at the top of the walls of the shop lies black and white drips, a decoration representing the shop’s black and white soft swerve swirl. I ordered a total of three items, which came out to $17.45, and tried the item my friend bought as well.  

The first item I tried was the one my friend ordered, the Tokyo Cream Banana. It comes in a cup no taller than the height of a small mug, but the banana soft serve is swirled all the way up past the height of the cup, with dark chocolate drizzle and banana slices sitting around the sides. When I went for the first bite, I was pleasantly surprised. It tastes much like dried banana, having a decently intense flavor instead of being subtle. The dark chocolate drizzle also adds a nice touch, helping to balance out the sweetness of the banana soft serve.  

The item I most wanted to try was the Kouinigiri. When I was looking up the menu online before I went to the shop, the one item that stood out from the others was the Kouinigiri.  It looked like an onigiri–Japanese rice ball–with a pastry outside, and I thought it would be like a croissant. In actuality, it was disappointing. The first bite I took gave me nothing but the cold, slightly sweet pastry outside, an almost stale taste. I looked into the Kouinigiri and saw what seemed to be a filling in the middle. Next bite, I got a tiny bit of the filling, which filled my mouth with only a hint of banana. The more I ate, the more my hopes fell. The filling was all concentrated into this tiny ball in the middle, leaving almost every bite bland. The filling itself was decent, but too potent in each bite to be enjoyable.

After the Kouinigiri, I still had hopes for the other pastry Tokyo Cream had, the Croquant Choux. I really had no idea what this one was, as I never saw an image online, and the shop didn’t have an image of it on the menu. When I pulled the Croquant Choux out of the bag it came in, I had a small chuckle. The pastry came out to be six inches long with cream gushing out past the front of the pastry. When I took a bite, I was baffled at how crispy the outer layer was, yet how easily it melted in my mouth. The cream filling of the pastry only added to the experience, blending pleasantly with the slight nutty taste of the outer layer. After the disappointing Kouinigiri, I was delightfully satisfied with the Croquant Choux.

After ordering the two pastries, I was stuck between ordering one of the soft serves or a drink. Tokyo Cream offers a multitude of matchas, sparkling waters, and coffees. All of the drinks with images on the menu looked phenomenal. I ended up settling on the Sakura Matcha, as I desired to see if matcha could redeem itself, since the last time I tried it, I had a not so great time. The Sakura Matcha features a stunning three-layer design. The base is a vibrant strawberry puree, followed by matcha, and topped off with strawberry cream. The drink looked so magnificent that I didn’t want to mess it up, but at last, I sadly poked the straw into the Sakura Matcha and stirred it up. The initial sip blasted my mouth with the sweet and tanginess of the strawberry puree. A bit too much for my taste, but pleasant nonetheless. The matcha was smooth and creamy. The taste wasn’t too overbearing, but bold enough to harmonize well with the strawberry cream.

Overall, I’d say that Tokyo Cream is worth it. The shop provides one-of-a-kind pastries and drinks that you can’t find anywhere else but the shop’s first home location in Roseville, California. The soft serve is decently priced for the size, while also being smooth and rich in flavor. The matcha prices ranging from $6.95 to $7.75 also makes it cheaper than Tokyo Cream’s competitors such as Kiss of Matcha, while offering similar if not higher quality matcha. The Kouinigiri, while I didn’t enjoy it much, I still believe is worth a try as it is an SF original and I may have just went on a bad day. The Croquant Choux is also a great pastry that people with a sweet tooth will enjoy. Tokyo Cream is a dessert shop that I wouldn’t mind going back to, especially for the soft serve.

By Zoe Hong

At 2:34 AM I was sitting in my bed against the wall when I finished chapter 232, the last chapter of “Chainsaw Man" part two, a week after it had been released. I had an AP Biology test the next morning, and the story I had been following for almost eight years ended, by the conventional standard, badly. 

"Chainsaw Man," written by Tatsuki Fujimoto, follows Denji, a teenage devil hunter who works for the Japanese public safety devil hunting commission, killing the physical embodiments of fears after merging with the Chainsaw devil, a devil embodying the fear of chainsaws, to take on their powers. 

While the series is extremely popular, getting an anime adaptation in 2022 and winning the Next New Series at the 2024 Crunchyroll Anime Awards, it has a dark and peculiar tone, taking on a gritty atmosphere, handling death, sex, and violence. This, combined with an odd cast of characters and an ambiguous main antagonist for most of the story, makes the manga understandably not for everyone.

Fujimoto's art takes on a gritty feel as he uses cross hatching to portray battle scenes on a grand scale: cities destroyed, bombs taking down skyscrapers, and blood spraying. Fight scenes can be difficult to navigate with his characters fighting grotesque devils covered in blurry action lines to represent movement, but the series often slows down, instead using expressive panelling–borders specifically–to create omnipotent forces of dread as the characters face devils that appear out of nowhere.

"Chainsaw Man" embodies the spirit of the 2008 horror movie, “The Chaser,” in which the villain is caught early, forcing the narrative in unexpected directions. “Chainsaw Man” takes twists and turns as villains are revealed and central characters die without warning, leaving readers in suspense. 

Spoilers in this section

The story leading up to the ending of part two was so poor that when it ended with an ironic line from Denji, I almost felt relieved that maybe the story was so terrible on purpose to be a meta commentary. 

Chapter 232 essentially resets the story and characters back to chapter 2 where Denji is first joining the Devil Hunting Commission leaving all of part two's apocalyptic build up; the horsemen, the erasure of Michigan, immortality, the fire devil–loose threads–forever erased. 

This is, by all means, a disappointing ending. I don’t believe that stories need to tie every loose thread to be a satisfying ending; plenty of stories don’t. But the sheer amount of questions and character degradation before the reset made the ending feel like an easy escape for a corner Fujimoto was perhaps writing himself into. The reset felt like an easy, unsatisfying way to force development onto characters that hadn’t earned a change and bring everyone back to life for what felt like a half attempt at fan service. 

The problem lies with the ending theme of “Chainsaw Man” part one, that bad movies can not exist without good movies, and bad movies deserve to exist. 

When Denji says in the final chapter, “I wish I’d only have good dreams,” this is a clear call back to the antagonist from part one remarking “It would be good to erase boring movies from existence.”

I don’t know if I'm reading the work of a tired author who didn’t know where else to go with the story after introducing so many plot points, or someone who masterfully planned out an ending designed to strike controversy in order to lead people to the conclusion that bad manga deserve to exist. 

How do you criticize a story whose thesis is that bad endings have value?

Of course, the ending was still terrible; characters built up with their own motivations and personalities are watered down to love interests for Denji, and Denji himself regresses as a character from his development relating to hypersexuality from part one. But these points frustratingly disappear under the argument, “it's bad on purpose,” making it almost immune to criticism. 

After part two ended there was a lot of discourse: if all the time spent reading this story was for nothing, if part three was going to happen, if Fujimoto should've ended the story a long time ago. 

I felt this too initially, almost hoping for a part three to give a more satisfying ending, to reintroduce complexity into the story instead of leaving the characters I had followed for so long a husk of who they used to be. 

Had I been following this story for nothing? 

Of course I hadn’t, and whether this was me coping or a genuine analysis made me realize that Fujimoto didn't owe me anything. “Chainsaw Man” entertained me; its characters made ugly decisions in a way I felt no story could do, and despite the bad ending, I had fun. The ending didn't erase any of that, and I wouldn't ask an author to disingenuously make a part three to something they thought was finished.

Fujimoto's questionable ending makes “Chainsaw Man” worth reading in the first place. A story doesn't need to satisfy expectations, it needs to be what the author wants it to be. 

“Chainsaw Man” often drives people away within the first couple chapters. It's weird, it makes people question what the author is thinking, makes people analyze it in long winded newspaper reviews, and has people claiming “it's not that deep.” 

When reading, you can make your own interpretations of the story to get back what you put in. Enjoying the story as a classic shonen with disappointing reset or a dark fantasy that ended peacefully in a world where Denji isn’t so tortured is up to the readers. So rather than believing the ending is bad, I think it was consistent. “Chainsaw Man” has always made strange, frustrating decisions. That's what made it so popular and entertaining. Maybe this ending was fitting. 

The story did not end well. But I'm glad it happened. 

By Kenny Lin

When a company controls and manages its entire production process, from hardware to software, and has the resources and technology, it can create a valuable product. This is exactly the MacBook Neo: Apple’s first entry-level laptop, released in March 2026.

What makes the Neo special is that, currently, nothing on the market offers what it has for its price point—a high-performing, all-day lasting battery and quality-built laptop. The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3X, a close competitor to the Neo, offers advantages such as better battery life, more RAM, additional ports, and a larger screen. However, the Neo is still faster and offers an overall better quality in construction, keyboard, trackpad, camera, speaker, and display compared to the typical $600 laptop.

The base model MacBook Neo is $599, or $499 with an education discount for students and educators. The build is sturdy aluminum with a 13-inch, bright, high-resolution display; a snappy, light keyboard; two USB-C ports; a headphone jack; 8 GB unified memory; 256 GB SSD storage; and is powered by the A18 Pro chip from the iPhone 16 Pro.

The color is available in neon-ish gray, pink, yellow, and blue. And for an extra $100, the Neo doubles the SSD storage to 512 GB and unlocks Touch ID to securely unlock the laptop, input passwords, and make payments.  

But the Neo doesn’t offer a backlit keyboard, MagSafe charger, and upgradable unified memory compared to Apple's more expensive MacBooks, like the Air and Pro series.

The Neo performance—how quickly and efficiently a system completes tasks—is approximately 40 percent faster on single-core performance and nearly equivalent on multi-core performance to the MacBook Air M1 during a benchmark test. This means the Neo proves to be outstanding because the M1 Air has been a known reliable computer popular for everyday tasks since its release in 2020, while continuing to hold well in today's market.

In terms of software, Windows and macOS are roughly even; it depends entirely on the user's needs and preferences. Most jobs and gaming use Windows because it is more versatile and offers more software compatibility. MacOS—which runs on the Neo—is easier to use, better-looking, and offers stronger security.

According to LinkedIn, 88% of teens in the U.S. have iPhones. The Neo offers connection to the Apple ecosystem, a seamless connection from iPhone to computer that syncs everything from iCloud: photos, passwords, messages, notes, and drive.

Computer enthusiasts might note that the 8 GB unified memory, 256 GB SSD, lack of a second fast USB-C port, and limited port selection are major weak points that other entry-level Windows laptops offer more of. But these points are minor because most users won’t use the full extent of the computer's capabilities. The target audience for the Neo is users who need a reliable computer for homework, writing, watching videos, browsing online, playing light-to-moderate video games, or creating moderate video and/or graphic edits.

But why should buyers consider buying the Neo rather than a refurbished MacBook Air or Pro, like the M1 or M2, which can be cheaper and faster?

A big benefit of the Neo is its longer support for software updates. Apple usually supports seven years of software updates when a MacBook is released. Additionally, the repair cost is lower than that of the more expensive MacBook. For an out-of-warranty broken screen repair through Apple, the Neo will cost around $200-$300+ while the Air series is $400-$600+ and more for the Pro series.

Don’t get me wrong, not everyone in the Neo's target audience is compatible with the Neo, whether due to macOS lack of software support or the weak points discussed above. Choosing a laptop depends on the user, who, if interested, should do more research to find the correct laptop for their needs. But for most who are looking for a laptop that can handle most computer tasks and want a quality product at a reasonable price, the MacBook Neo offers that. But act fast, they may be selling out.

By Orin Yu

As someone who grew up reading Andy Weir’s novels, and loved the film adaptation of “The Martian,” “Project Hail Mary” was a movie I had been waiting years to see. My expectations going in were high. 

It did not disappoint.

“Project Hail Mary” follows Dr. Ryland Grace, a scientist who awakens alone on a spacecraft with no memory of how he got there. As his memory slowly returns, he realizes he’s part of a last-ditch mission to save Earth from a mysterious threat putting humanity on the brink of extinction.

From the moment the film began, I felt something oddly nostalgic. The feeling of opening a brand-new sci-fi paperback as a kid: that clean, fresh smell of ink and paper, and the sense that anything is possible. That same sense of wonder fills this movie.

The film delivers an action-packed experience full of heart, humor, and tension. Even though I already knew the ending from reading the book, the film kept me on edge the entire time. By the time the credits rolled, my hands were literally sweating.

The film is directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the creative duo behind films like “21 Jump Street,” “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs,” and “The LEGO Movie.” Their background in comedy and animation might seem unexpected for a serious sci-fi story, but it works incredibly well here. They bring a sense of humanity and humor that balances the film’s high-stakes premise.

Weir himself was also closely involved as a producer, even giving Ryan Gosling an early manuscript of the novel before it was published. That level of involvement shows—this adaptation feels deeply connected to its source material.

Visually, the movie is stunning. The cinematography stands out through its use of color and composition, contrasting the cold emptiness of space with moments of warmth and life. Cinematographer Greig Fraser is currently on a generational run, with movies like “Dune,” and “Project Hail Mary” as no exceptions. The framing of shots and lighting choices help emphasize both isolation and discovery, making the audience feel like they’re right there alongside the protagonist.

The film shares some DNA with “The Martian,” especially through its use of technical jargon and video log entries. However, Lord and Miller’s direction gives “Project Hail Mary” its own identity, leaning more into emotional connection and character relationships. 

The cast, led by Gosling as Dr. Grace, delivers strong performances that ground the story. His portrayal balances intelligence, vulnerability, and humor, making the character feel real even in an extraordinary situation.

Among the other characters in the story, Sandra Hüller delivers a strong, commanding performance as Eva Stratt, though the film’s portrayal softens some of the character’s ruthlessness compared to the novel. Her karaoke scene, in particular, is surprisingly powerful, offering a rare glimpse of vulnerability that humanizes an otherwise uncompromising character.

As an adaptation, the movie stays largely faithful to the book while making smart changes for pacing. For example, in the novel, Dr. Grace spends multiple chapters figuring out that he is no longer in our solar system, while the movie condenses this into just a couple of minutes. It’s a necessary adjustment that keeps the story moving on screen.

That said, a few omissions stand out. Most notably, the film leaves out the moment where Stratt forcefully asserts her authority in court, a scene that, in the book, firmly establishes her power and willingness to override global opposition. Another scene from the book, where Antarctica is nuked to accelerate climate change and buy time for the mission, is missing. In the novel, this moment highlights just how desperate the situation is and how far certain characters are willing to go to ensure humanity’s survival. Its absence slightly softens the sense of urgency.

Similarly, the film glosses over the consequences faced by Stratt. In the book, Stratt describes how once the mission is complete, she will likely face repercussions from the world governments for her actions. While in the movie, this is only hinted at in the ending scenes. The book's portrayal of this fact displays Stratt as someone who bears the burden of morally difficult decisions. While I don’t think its exclusion hurt the movie, exploring that more deeply could have added another layer to the film.

Overall, “Project Hail Mary” is an incredible sci-fi film that lives up to and in some ways exceeds the expectations set by its source material. It brings the words of Andy Weir beautifully to the screen and shows you a whole new meaning to the term “hail mary.” For fans of science fiction, this is easily the best the genre has offered this year.

By Sophie Ng 

“Hey! It’s U!” chants underscores, opening her third album, “U.” The record was crafted across multiple cities, inspired by the dry and modern architecture of urban spaces like malls and airports. As a child, underscores was fascinated by the architecture of hotels—so much so that her grandmother would go up to front desks asking if her granddaughter could take a peek at the rooms.

The album cover features an illustration of Stonestown Galleria by Japanese artist Ochiai Shohei. Being a San Francisco native, underscores spent her teenage years with the mall. She states that she would walk from her home to Stonestown listening to a specific album for the duration of her journey. Underscores describes the album as “not a club record” and intends it to be enjoyed alone on headphones. 

The aforementioned, “Hey! It’s U!” starts the chaotic hyperpop single, “Tell Me (U Want It).”  The final lead single released and the album opener, “Tell Me (U Want It)” does not stand out as much as the other lead singles with its lack of structure. After a good two minutes of brain-tingling, fizzy EDM synths, underscores suddenly dips into silence with the sound of a DJ backspinning a record, and into a pixelated, hazy whisper-outro in which underscores repeats the title of the track over and over. The outro is easily one of the worst parts of the album, but it isn’t absolutely unbearable. “Tell Me (U Want It)” makes for a strong opener, but is not as strong on its own. 

The second track and first single released, “Music” starts with a rhythmic, hydraulic drilling sound. Underscores begins the second song by singing, “Last night / I had the wet dream ‘bout the perfect song,” immediately throwing listeners into this disorderly fever dream-esque world in which romantic partners are compared to music.

The chorus briefly contrasts the incessant hammering beat and dives into a glittery rainbow soundscape as underscores sings, “When I’m with U / It feels like music.” The song is glitchy, maximalist, and even slightly grotesque, but so disgustingly catchy. 

Another “It’s U!” echoes through the third track, “Hollywood Forever.” However, this time, underscores recites the opening line with a dreamy, pixelated quality. What follows is a steady EDM track with smooth synths and underscores exploring the aches and luxuries of fame. She asks, “And you say I’m so Hollywood? / Well, aren’t we all so Hollywood?” 

The song explores a variety of genres in its five minute runtime. Around the halfway point, the song dips into Jersey club and later drifts into a choppy and hypnotic loop with underscores repeating, “Forever, forever.” The final minute eases into a soft, soothing harp melody with underscores reciting, “You (you don’t believe in me).” Despite this progression, “Hollywood Forever” isn’t overwhelming. Underscores balances each of these sonic flavors and delivers one of her strongest songs.

“The Peace” utilizes a crispy, hypnotic vocoder loop that gets a bit annoying as the song goes on. Underscores notes she wanted the instrumental to “sound like the Mac startup sound was singing 'Eleanor Rigby’ [by the Beatles].”

Despite being a fan favorite, I didn’t find myself enjoying “The Peace” as much as the rest of the tracks. Nonetheless, it’s a listenable and satisfying track that leans on the mellow side. 

“Innuendo (I Get U)” opens with gun-cock sound effects reminiscent of the 2018 editing era. The song has a bit of a cold, hedonistic vibe going for it with its heavy bass and underscores’ sultry whisper-singing. While not my cup of tea, the track’s bumpy synths and dance break get me moving, and the lyrics are bound to get stuck in any listener’s ears. 

Underscores then serves my two favorite tracks back to back: “Lovefield” and “Do It,” the latter was my introduction to the world of underscores. Initially released as the second lead single in November 2025, “Do It” is sickeningly good. A crispy and accessible hyperpop track, the song’s lyrics explore the struggle of relationships under the limelight, with underscores taunting, “Am I in your playlist? / Do you have Spotify?” 

The former, “Lovefield,” is gentle with its digital synths and much more confessional in lyrics. Underscores uses a physical space of a lovefield to explore the oscillation between friends and lovers. Her vocals are almost hypnotic in this song as she sings, “It hurts for me to wait on you / I bet you’re waiting on me too.” The song builds into an infectiously sparkly flash of dance-pop as it reaches its climax—albeit with the aforementioned bittersweet lyrics. I am being so serious when I say summer has to sound like this outro. If there is any song I hope you listen to after this review, it would be “Lovefield.”

Perhaps the poppiest and most commercial-friendly track on the album, “Bodyfeeling” takes on a smooth, chic groove that gives listeners slight whiplash after the sonic crunch that is “Do It.” The song is not one I’d put on by choice but not one I’d skip.

Closing off the album is “Wish U Well,” which opens with a series of eerie urban sound effects, before slipping into a sugary country-influenced melody. Another bittersweet and emotional track, underscores grapples with finding closure with a past lover, singing, “I’ll wish U well forever.” The song haunts in its final moments, with a static-y voice saying, “The lump is gone / Something’s watching me.”

While “U”’s accessible sound pivots from the immersive storyline of her 2023 album “Wallsocket” and the dense production of her 2021 album “fishmonger,” underscores does not dilute the quality of her artistry and music to appeal to wider audiences. “U” is a sardonic and witty record that listeners who appreciate more polished, maximalist dance-oriented sounds will enjoy. 

By Yasmine El Hattab

Few science fiction franchises have shaped cinema the way Alien has. Debuting in 1979, the ongoing series has redefined both science fiction and horror, creating one of the most interactive and unforgettable creatures ever put on screen: the Xenomorph. Across decades and endless films, the Alien franchise has remained a culturally iconic and inspirational film, a pioneer of survival horror and social commentary. 

The original Alien movie, “Alien” (1979), introduces the Xenomorph aboard the commercial space ship USCSS Nostromo, manned by a crew under Weyland-utani, an intergalactic space corporation. The creature's terrifying life cycle, using a human body as a host before "bursting" from it, immediately established the film as something never seen before. What begins as a routine space mission transforms into a thrilling, survival horror where a crew is hunted one by one. The 1979 film is unique, and proposes an unseen creature and an entirely new, horrifying life form. 

At the same time, the film reveals the sinister motivation behind Weyand-Yutani. As an established interstellar corporation, Weyland-Yutani is introduced as nothing more than a company. However, as the film progresses, it's clear it's more interested in preserving the Xenomorph more than its crew's life, deeming them expendable, a clear drag on the modern corporate systems. 

Even decades later, “Alien” (1979), remains a masterclass in tension and commentary, continuing to influence modern sci-fi horror, mainly seen through the Xenomorph. 

The franchise’s original storyline follows Ellen Ripley through four films, from “Alien” to “Alien: Resurrection.” Across isolated planets and doomed spacecraft, Ripley becomes trapped in an endless conflict between humanity, the corporation, and the Xenomorphs. Her repeated encounters with the creatures destroy any chance at a normal life, turning her into one of science fiction’s most memorable victims.

The series’ prequel films, “Prometheus” and “Alien Covenant: __?” take the franchise in a different direction by exploring the origins of humanity and artificial life, however the charm is more than still there. The film examines creation, obsession and humanity's desires all through android "David 8's" fascination. Watching an android find his only purpose in creating life, the films are a terrifying yet fascinating experience unseen anywhere else. 

A sleek, shiny, leather-like creature with an elongated skull, metaloid teeth and acid for blood, the Xenomorph has remained an iconic creature feature. They're introduced as hive-minded creatures, with nothing other than a need to kill and reproduce. The Xenomorphs are terrifying creatures, but the movie makes it clear they're conscious and elegant. From its almost human consciousness to its “perfect” composition, the Xenomorph is something to never forget. 

Despite the destruction the creature causes, the films repeatedly suggest that the Xenomorph is never the true villain, but simply a victim of corporate greed. Weyland-Yutani constantly sacrifices human life in pursuit of profit and control over the creature. The Xenomorph, while appearing to be a monster, is simply a symbol of the consequences that come with taming with forces beyond human comprehension. 

Each film a unique take on the Xenmorpoh and its relationship with humanity, the “Alien” movies are intimate and thrilling films. An entanglement of life, the films are an experience unseen anywhere else and a dynamic worth interacting with. The movies are raw, displaying the connections that run through all life and their interactions with each other, the beauty of the xenomorph and its mind, and the unseen three of spaceship horror. Taking the time to watch the “Alien” films reveals the beauty in each movie. 

By Anya Golden

May 1st marked the last play for Lincoln's Drama and Tech departments for the school year. Every year, the last play consists of two one-acts directed by Lincoln seniors. This year those seniors were Angela Gin and Benjamin Jung, who have both been a part of the Drama Department for the past four years.  

Directed by Gin was “Bad Auditions by Bad Actors”. Written by Ian McWethy, the play is a comedy that explores the chaotic, cringe-worthy moments of theater auditions. The play is  character-driven and highlights extreme archetypes and the exasperation of those trying to cast them for Romeo and Juliet. 

The audience spent most of the play laughing out loud to a myriad of characters, some sporting fake mustaches and raunchy voices to those having overbearing and sassy acting coaches tagging along in the audition. 

Directing the one-acts involves choosing(or writing) the play of your choice. Gin’s first choice was to direct “Act 3 of Plaza Suite” which did not work out due to licensing issues. Although “Bad Auditions by Bad Actors,” was not Gin’s first choice of play, she ultimately chose it because when she first read the script she laughed out loud. Her favorite part was that none of the actors could never be too crazy or chaotic—any and all exaggeration was a key part of the performance.

In order to make sure that actors could really hone in on the ecstatic comedic performances, Gin allowed the actors to have some say in what their characters did. In the creative process, she began with a loose vision and gave out guided character choices but collaborated with the actors for the rest of their roles.

“I think that made the show even better than it already was,” Gin said. 

The casting process was a bit of a struggle for both plays, as the One Acts don't usually get a lot of auditions. For Gin, this posed a challenge because she needed more actors than auditioned. She solved this by having some play multiple roles, which perfectly fit the humorous style of the play. Due to triple casting, Gin worked to space out their roles so that their quick changes would work well and made sure everyone got to play characters of entirely different emotions and motives.

Jung chose to not only direct his play, but write it as well. His play, “Island Flora,” was inspired by the concept of reality shows, specifically, the fake, “spoofy” ones like “Total Drama Island” or “Object Shows.” 

“I wanted to create something that has larger than life characters.”

Like Gin, Jung did not go with his original plan for the play; in fact, during the writing process, he went through three different versions. He found that as he was writing, plot points he never considered and jokes he hadn’t thought of came to life on the paper. 

Jung discovered that a lot of the play was shaped by his cast and being able to bounce ideas off each other. Early days the 30 days they had to prepare were spent discussing plots and characters, building ideas off of each other. 

“With each cast member being unique, that came with the advantage of shaping their roles to fit them, for the best performances they could bring,” Jung explained. 

Despite being in the department for four years, directing these one acts came as a learning experience for both directors. In writing the script for his play, Jung learned that he tends to write longer and heavier dialogues, struggling with creating small talk between actors. 

He also explained how writing and directing ultimately came down to how he was feeling in the moment, emphasizing the importance of trusting your gut more than your head when being creative. 

Gin found that she had been a “jaded director” in the past. In directing a sillier play than she was used to, she used it as a learning experience to compare her past ways as a director and a more relaxed style.  

The one acts were made even more special as the majority of actors in both plays were new to acting. The new senior actors, Alisa Kyran, and Rae Johnson decided to do it as a last “hoorah!” for highschool, and underclassmen like Avery Cronin, Aubrey Gonzalez, Aaliyah Payne-Huang, and Arethzy Vega saw this as a good opportunity to start their future high school acting career. 

At the end of the play, one of the tenured actresses, Kennedy Byrne, gave a shoutout to the new actors and their commitment to learning a new craft. 

Gin added her own compliments about the new actors ability to “learn on the fly,” and hopes that they will continue to participate in theater. 

By Mikayla Chew & Zoë Hsu Doo

In San Francisco, practically every other street sells overpriced matcha. Not all matchas are created equal, not every shop, and definitely not every location. As self-proclaimed matcha veterans, we ranked every San Francisco location of two fan-favorite matcha chains, Kiss of Matcha and Tadaima, determining the best location for each and our overall favorite.

Each location was graded based on the taste, color, texture, sweetness, price, and overall quality. The perfect matcha latte should have a complex balance of rich earthiness, sweetness, umami, and slight notes of bitterness; a bright, vibrant but simultaneously deep green color; and a smooth texture with minimal grainy sediment. All of these characteristics combine into the ideal A+ matcha experience. To maximize bang for our buck, we want a generous size for a reasonable price. For maximum convenience, we also considered the location of each store. To keep our ranking consistent, our orders of the matcha lattes followed a specific order: classic matcha latte, less ice, whole milk–or whichever milk doesn't cost extra), and 100% sweetness. 

For Kiss of Matcha, the original North Beach location came out on top. While the Tadaima rankings were close, our personal favorite was the Marina location. Now the best for last, our favorite overall was, drum roll please…Tadaima Marina! 

Kiss of Matcha

Kiss of Matcha first opened in San Francisco’s Chinatown/North Beach district in late 2023. The café specializes in ceremonial-grade Japanese matcha, the highest grade of matcha powder. Along with matcha drinks, they also serve hojicha beverages, coffee, and dessert treats. Their most popular menu items include the original uji matcha latte, matcha cream latte, and strawberry matcha latte.

Broadway/Chinatown

As a first-born, I can confidently say the first-born location is the best one. The matcha was well balanced, strong, creamy, and had minimal sediment. It was sweet without becoming overpowering. While the consistency was slightly lighter than the Clement location, it never tasted watered down—instead, it felt refreshing and smooth. At $7.17 for a 16 ounce latte, Kiss of Matcha is definitely the pricier chain. However, the North Beach location offers my personal favorite menu item: the mango matcha latte with free matcha cream when ordered through the app.

Clement

The forgotten middle child of the Kiss of Matcha family is exactly what you would expect: mid. Based on both this test and previous visits, their drinks are either excellent or so gritty it feels like drinking sand. Still, at its best, the matcha latte tasted almost like melted ice cream—nutty, creamy, and slightly thinner in texture.

Irving

The newest addition to the Kiss of Matcha family is unfortunately the weakest one (sorry, Joyce). Compared to the other locations, the matcha-to-milk ratio was noticeably smaller, causing the milk flavor to overpower the matcha itself. As the drink sat, the sediment became increasingly gritty. Compared to many other matcha cafés in San Francisco, it was still enjoyable, just not when competing against its sister locations. For Lincoln students, however, this location is by far the most convenient. One recommendation: avoid ordering in large groups, especially identical drinks, because the matcha flavor becomes noticeably weaker.

Tadaima

The word “tadaima” translates to “I’m home” in Japanese, perfectly reflecting the comforting atmosphere the founders wanted to bring to San Francisco. Tadaima first opened in the Mission District in the summer of 2024, serving matcha and hojicha drinks alongside Japanese sandos, onigiri, and musubi. Their most popular items include the chicken karaage sando and strawberry cream matcha latte.

Irving

The Sunset community recently welcomed Tadaima’s newest location, and it has already become a hotspot for matcha lovers. Located in the heart of Inner Sunset, the café has a lively atmosphere, often with a line stretching out the door. The interior is modern and clean, featuring emerald-green tiling, although seating is limited, making it better for a quick stop than a long study session.

The food selection is impressive, especially the wide variety of freshly made onigiri. Customers can even watch the rice balls being hand-pressed behind the counter.

Still, the matcha remains the star of the show. The latte had a velvety texture with a perfect balance of earthy flavor and sweetness. The matcha itself was bold and strong, allowing every flavor note to stand out clearly. For anyone looking for a quick but high-quality grab-and-go spot, this location is ideal.

Marina

Tadaima Marina was our first introduction to the chain, and from appearance alone, the vivid green color already looked promising. The texture was velvety and thick, even without an added cream top, with very little sediment or grittiness. Compared to the other locations, the Marina latte was less sweet, allowing the earthy umami flavor of the matcha to shine through more clearly.

The drink itself was nutty, creamy, and slightly roasted in flavor, with a thicker consistency than the other locations. Like all Tadaima stores, the matcha is batch-prepared, which helps maintain consistency. At $6.75 for a 16-ounce drink, the portion felt fair for the price.

My personal favorite drink from Tadaima is the matcha latte with strawberry cream. The Marina location also wins points for convenience—it is dangerously close to Brandy Melville, making it the perfect stop before shopping or running errands.

Mission

The origin of it all; Tadaima quickly gained popularity through social media, and for good reason. The latte was clean, balanced, and slightly sweeter than the Marina location. Initially, the drink was smooth, although it became slightly gritty as it sat and needed occasional stirring.

Out of the three locations, this latte was the thinnest and most refreshing, though it also tasted the most watered down. Part of that may have been because it traveled the longest before being tested. While the drink itself was still excellent, the Mission location is the least convenient for Lincoln students, making it harder to justify when equally good—or better—alternatives are much closer.

Overall, Kiss of Matcha was creamier, sweeter, and almost dessert-like in texture. Because the drinks are hand-whisked individually, the quality can vary depending on the location and preparation. When done correctly, however, their drinks are exceptional. Beyond the classic matcha latte, Kiss of Matcha also offers a wider range of creative drinks. We highly recommend trying the hojicha cream latte, matcha cream latte, and mango matcha latte.

Tadaima, on the other hand, delivered a stronger and cleaner matcha flavor while still maintaining creaminess. Our personal favorite drink was the Matcha Latte with Strawberry Cream, and you can never go wrong ordering the shrimp or chicken karaage sando alongside it.

The biggest differences between the two chains came down to consistency, texture, matcha-to-milk ratio, and price. Because Kiss of Matcha hand-whisks each drink, their lattes can either be incredible or disappointingly milky. Tadaima’s batch preparation creates more consistency, although it also leads to slightly more sediment. Kiss of Matcha also varied more dramatically between locations, with North Beach delivering the strongest matcha flavor and Irving the weakest. Tadaima remained relatively consistent across all locations. In terms of texture, Kiss of Matcha was richer and creamier, while Tadaima leaned lighter and cleaner. Price-wise, Kiss of Matcha was slightly more expensive at $7.17 compared to Tadaima’s $6.75 for the same size.

In the end, Kiss of Matcha North Beach stood out because of its strong flavor and creamy texture. The Tadaima competition was much closer, but Marina ultimately won for its balanced flavor and full-bodied matcha taste. Our overall favorite was Tadaima Marina because it delivered the most complete matcha experience: smooth texture, strong flavor, balanced sweetness, and consistency.

As people who have practically financed our own matcha addictions, we can confidently say not every $10 matcha is worth the hype. Half the reason people think matcha tastes like grass is probably because they ordered it from a trendy café using low-quality powder. In the end, location matters just as much as the brand itself, and the best matcha I’ve ever had was homemade in my house.