regardless of where you are, autumn/fall are the same thing.

btw, I’m back… for the time being.

A new season calls for new shows. As always, from Omni’s Fall 2009 preview, here are my choices:

(note: title leads to official web; premiere date Anime News Network’s)

DARKER THAN BLACK: Ryuusei no Gemini (premieres 2009/10/08): I’m not sure what else to say about this show other than: it’s the sequel to one of my favourite series (refer to About page for confirmation); it’s definitely produced by BONES; and abingdon boys school is performing the ED (refer to previous post). Too bad there won’t be music from Kanno Yoko.

Aoi Bungaku Series (premieres 2009/10/10): Produced by Madhouse, this series include a collection of six stories written by famous Japanese authors in the early 1900s. This gives me the opportunity to discover other literary works from Japan, having read those from Kirino Natsuo, Tanizaki Junichirou, and my all-time favourite, Murakami Haruki. In addition, there will be original character designs by famous mangaka, namely Obata Takeshi (Death Note), Kubo Tite (BLEACH) and Konomi Takeshi (Prince of Tennis). Personally, I’m more interested in Kubo-sensei’s design (I’m not being biased here. Seriously).

Kuchu Buranko (premieres 2009/10/15): This is on the noitamina slot (I have a feeling I’m gonna be a noitamina nut). Taking charge of this show is the team that brought us Mononoke (another favourite of mine). I like how each story in Mononoke was interpreted with its unique, experimental visuals and I expect no less from Kuchu Buranko (with all those unusual cases being solved by a rather unorthodox psychiatrist).

Something in common between my picks: they’re after-midnight shows. Bwahahahahah….

Gamers, anime Lovers…awesome news!

A Night in Fantasia is in Sydney, this show has become known around the world as the most successful ‘anime and video games music’ concert. Now in it’s 7th year, Eminence premieres a new line up of the best music anime and video games have to offer.2009 will be a year that Eminence pulls out all the stops for A Night in Fantasia, in a one show only spectacular in Sydney, Australia!.

With 10 International award winning guests and free of charge meet & greet autograph session with the artists and the guests after the concert

Some of the Guests are Steve Jablonskt (composer of Gears of Wars 2 and Transformers 1, 2 movies), Yasunori Mitsuda (Chrono cross), Cris velasco (God of War), Inon Zur (Prince of persia), Kow Otani&Aika (Shadow of Colossus) and much…much more!

The most amazing symphonic experience you’ll ever have!!! When it comes to music from your favourite Video Game or Anime, “A Night in Fantasia” is the place to be. “A Night in Fantasia” is the most viewed and highest rated orchestral concert video on the internet with over 8 million views from all around the world!

A must! for game and anime lovers!

The venue is this September 26, 2009 – Sydney entertainment centre at 6pm

Title: Moment’s Reprieve
Fandom: Mononoke
Pairing: Medicine Seller/Dark Self
Warnings: incest? masturbation? smut.
Summary: Finding a private place.

His touch is glorious. It’s the only time you have relief from your duties, that you let yourself go. And oh – it is glorious. Worth the time spent finding somewhere private, because as soon as you set down your box he materializes, standing in front of you as he always does. So you have to look up to see his face.

You stand there as he undresses you, first sliding the kimono off your shoulders and then sliding the bandana from your hair. By then you can’t help but lean towards him, yearning.

It has been a long time, or it only feels like it.

“Please.”

Your eyes close as he trails fingers over them, scratching against the paper-thin skin. You shudder and one hand lingers down your throat, down your neck, to where the other reaches around to the bow of your belt. His hair slides easily through your fingers, glittering for your wondering eyes. His clothes come off so much easier with so few layers.

His body is so similar to yours, and yet so different. Your skin looks even more pale where it rests against his. His shoulders are broader, his legs longer, his muscles bigger, his eyes darker.

He tumbles you to the ground in a daze, your clothing as a blanket. The futon is too far away.

You cry out when his hand envelops you, a sound that only he can hear. To anyone or anything else watching, your mouth hangs open uselessly. You are taunt, back arching to press your body full against his. You free a hand to gesture at your box, flicking through the maze of drawers until you find what you are looking for.

“Yes,” he says to you, eyes glittering. A shudder runs through your body.

Determined, you lap at his mouth like a cat, tongue dipping in and out until his takes over yours and you suck on it eagerly. All your coolness disappears in the face of this flame.

Your bodies press together as his slick fingers slide between your thighs. Every part of you aches in anticipation until it is done. There is always pain, there will always be pain, but oh – the gloriousness.

“Yes,” you agree.

You writhe around him, wrapping your legs around his waist, dragging him closer as your fingers dig into skin and muscle. He curls his fingers and your body obeys. You can barely breathe, eyes wide and fingers scrabbling at his back when he removes his fingers and holds himself at the entrance. His smile is a little harsh around the edges, but that is who he is.

He pushes in and you scream, long and helpless as he slides slowly inside. When he rests fully inside you, then you can take a breath, press your face against his shoulder, loosen your hold on him.

You make it last as long as you can.

Every touch draws you out, eyelids flickering, lips parted, fingers grasping. You take pleasure from each other, pass it back and forth, until you are both full with it. Overflowing with it. You come at the same time, pressed together as tight as one body.

He repaints your face and helps you dress, watching as you make the final adjustments. His hair tickles your neck and then he kisses it as soft as a flower petal.

“You have a beautiful neck,” he whispers, and with a light breeze is gone.

Tonari no Totoro/My Neighbor Totoro
Directed and written by Hayao Miyazaki
1988, Studio Ghibli, 86 minutes.

***

With a Ponyo viewing just around the corner, I thought I’d revisit this classic — the penultimate kids movie of all time.

My Neighbor Totoro is a simplified celebration of several of Miyazaki’s recurring story themes. There is an emphasis on the social bonds between the very young (first ten years) and old generations (given more heavy-handed treatment by Akira Kurosawa in the movies from his career twilight, Rhapsody in August and Dreams), the importance of nature, and the transition out of childhood via the overcoming of (often internal) personal tribulations.

Miyazaki vocalizes great concern for the well-being of children — their upbringing and sense of self-worth and inner willpower. This is especially apparent in his attempt to portray strong young females, whom he has expressed have few positive role models in the media. At least two times in the film, the young female protagonists take refuge by statues of the Jizo bosatsu — the (Japanese) Buddhist bodhisattvas who specifically care for the abandoned and dead children of this world. It’s pretty crazy how the young female protagonists in this film, Satsuki and Mei, are somehow more charming and life-like than any real young kids in existence (uh, not to mention how Totoro is somehow more charming than even real life animals with obscene, off-the-scale charm factors, such as golden jackyls or tuxedo cats).

Miyazaki also vocalizes environmentalist views in some his stories, which should have been incredibly apparent to anyone after even a lackadaisical viewing of 1997’s Mononoke Hime (Princess Mononoke). That one was rather heavy-handed in explaining humanity’s burden on the animal world, and is the most graphically violent Miyazaki-directed film. Though still tame by anime standards, a little bit of graphic violence expressed by Studio Ghibli is far more impacting than the blatant gore engendered by many animes. Here too, the environmentalism is in full-swing (more so than in other projects like Lupin III, Kiki’s Delivery Service or Porco Rosso). Totoro is a creature of the forest, where the most magical things happen in the middle of the night. And somebody prays to a tree at least once!

Totoro was such a smash commercial success, everyone in Japan wanted a stuffed animal of the big man afterwards — and understandably so! It is ironic since Totoro is an imaginary creature, evading tangible human senses and blatant desires (even little Mei can’t find Totoro when she is really eager to!). Instead of finding the real Totoros that exist in this world, many instead try to fill that hole with material representations of Totoro — this speaks volumes about the “stiff” quality of adult perception and imagination suggested by the film.

Or maybe it doesn’t (you athiest materialist!). Whatever, Miyazaki movies are like Monopoly “Get Out of Jail Free” cards for real life, only instead of getting out of jail with his films, you get out of depression. Totoro gets special bonus points for being ridiculously captivating without a single villain or traditional concrete story arc. As if Miyazaki is single-handedly undoing so much of the obsessive, Puritan “good vs. evil” moralizing that Disney’s cartoons have x-rayed into our souls for the past 60 years.

***

@ Amazon
@ IMDb

So here it is, the final part. I stress again, the last few posts have just been excerpts of a research project much larger in scope; because of this, the conclusion may not make as much sense to you in contrast to someone who had read all the chapters in full. Thanks for reading, I hope you found it both enjoyable and informative.

 CONCLUSION

 The reader of this dissertation should come away with the impression that this study is a unique one. Existing literature tends to be more concerned with the Japanese male as ‘workaholic, corporate-minded drones’[i] than the female who, it is often assumed, is simply a wife and mother. When asked if Japanese society ‘like’ women with families and careers interviewee A replied, ‘Not particularly ‘like’ but try to accept. The number of women in power is increasing…’ and in answer to whether young women are the focal point in contemporary Japan, she answered that ‘yes, they have more choices in their lives. They don’t always have to live as they were expected.’

 It would have been gratifying to have proved conclusively that Miyazaki’s anime at Studio Ghibli has had an impact on Japanese society, especially girls with aspirations to achieve more than previous generations, but in reality the subject was too huge for the word count in this dissertation.

Miyazaki’s fans have called him ‘The Walt Disney of Japan’ but McCarthy reasons that ‘this says more about our need to label creative talents… than about Miyazaki or his work.’[ii] Miyazaki, this report concludes, is no chauvinist, in fact he is quite the opposite: ‘…the constraints of living in a suppressed society aside, I’m hoping to single out motivations for dreams, desires, and hopes.’[iii]

Miyazaki, admitting that as a teenager he fell in love with the heroine of a cartoon movie (‘my soul was moved’[iv]) was asked why he always chose a girl for his theme, his reply was illuminating and rather charming:

I don’t logically plan it that way. When we compare a man in action and a girl in action, I feel girls are more gallant. If a boy is walking with a long stride, I don’t think anything particular, but if a girl is walking gallantly, I feel “that’s cool.” Maybe that’s because I’m a man, and women may think it’s cool when they see a young man striding. At first I thought “this is no longer the era of men. This is no longer the era of taigimeibun.” But after ten years, I grew tired of saying that. I just say “cause I like women.” That has more reality. [v]

This paper set out to outline the intensity and complexity of social pressure imposed upon the Japanese female and whether it had any relevance to Miyazaki’s female creations in his films. So what of his films? Napier suggests that they incorporate ‘an ethical (some critics would say moralistic) agenda that is expressed not only in terms of narrative and characters but also through his extraordinary animation.[vi]’ This study agrees with John Belton who states:

Movies assist audiences in negotiating major changes in identity; they carry them across difficult periods of cultural transition in such a way that a more or less coherent national identity remains in place, spanning the gaps and fissures that threaten to disrupt its movement and to expose its essential disjointedness[vii]

Questionnaire participants agreed that Spirited Away and My Neighbour Totoro were good representations of Japanese society but Princess Mononoke, as a historical fantasy, did not reflect contemporary Japan although its strong female characters were akin to modern day Japan. Porco Rosso had important themes running through it and reflected European morals and ideas illustrating how years of worldwide travel have influenced Miyazaki.

There is evidence that the status of Japanese women is changing. The increase in the number of females going on to higher education, marrying later, increased divorces, declining birth rates and improved jobs, pay and legislation over many years, indicates that even more changes are to come however, ‘for better or worse the contrived commitment of many women in Japan is to a primary job as household manager remains impressive.’[viii] Karan argues that Japanese women are not treading the path marked out by feminists thirty years ago as Japanese feminism is different, having a less combative tone and a greater emphasis on protecting motherhood. Japanese women are less determined to break down traditional sex roles.  

Miyazaki’s deployment of female characters provides a crucial potential for change, growth, and compassionate empowerment. He is clearly not only attempting to break down the conventional image of femininity but also to break down the viewer’s conventional notion of the world in general. As Napier suggests, ‘It is not surprising that virtually all his female characters are strongly associated with flight because it is in images of flying that the possibilities of escape (from the past, from tradition) are most clearly realised’[ix]. Napier writes that Miyazaki takes anime’s basic propensity to defamiliarise consensus reality in a direction that allows him to develop his own agenda’ and thus his very distinctive young heroines, who are assertive and independent, may need another generation before having a significant effect on Japanese society. Certainly by breathing life into his female characters and making them brave, inquisitive and prepared to take risks, he is ensuring that they are quite different to the other shojo characters in shojo manga and animation. This, the researcher feels, has not been achieved by accident. Miyazaki is known for his zealous attention to detail: ‘The background in anime isn’t an afterthought. It is an essential element’[x] therefore it seems impossible to believe that he leaves anything to chance and therefore, means for his characters to have an impact, but what is confusing for a study like this is the sort of comment Miyazaki made to journalist Mark Schilling (of The Japan Times) last year: ‘audiences today can no longer enjoy films that are more than 30 years old, save in an historical sense.’ Does this mean that he is simply targeting today’s audiences or is he being modest because interviewed for The New Yorker he points out that ‘there are children in existence all the time.’[xi]

Children are apparently finding life more challenging and it appears that Miyazaki recognizes this.  He writes that his museum must be run in such a way ‘so that small children are treated as if they were grown-ups.’ Japanese children are either forced to study in order to achieve grades which will allow them to obtain a good job or they rebel, leading to a rise in delinquency which has raised concerns with the Japanese public. Typical heroines tend to be part of a larger group while Miyazaki’s heroines are usually on their own, habitually orphaned (San, Sheeta), or with absent mothers, as he was as a child, (Nausicaa, Mei, Satsuki), or without parental support (Kiki, Chihiro). Furthermore, unlike the classic female character in anime, who is usually characterised by an ultra femininity, Miyazaki’s josei and shojo are notably multi-dimensional, courageously confronting the variety of obstacles before them in a manner that might well be described as stereotypically masculine. For instance, the journal Eureka characterises Miyazaki’s young female characters as simply “youths wearing shojo masks.[xii]”

Napier stated that anime ‘will remain one of the most cultural expressions of contemporary Japanese society’[xiii] and one of the good things about studying this art form is the fact that it allows for individual interpretations beyond what the artist intended and without a doubt Miyazaki’s anime makes you think about things you may not have noticed before and enables you to see the world differently. Napier sums it up by saying that anime provides ‘a different way at looking at gender issues, one that cannot easily be defined as …politically correct or politically incorrect. And that is badly needed.’

[ii] McCarthy, H. (2002) Hayao Miyazaki: Master of Japanese Animation, Berkley; Stone Bridge Press. Pg 10

[iii] A God Among Animators, guardian, http://www.gaurdian.co.uk/film/2005/sep/14/japan.awardsandprizes/print, last accessed 30/04/09

[iv] McCarthy, H. (2002) Hayao Miyazaki: Master of Japanese Animation, Berkley; Stone Bridge Press. Pg 230

[v] Nausica.net, http://www.nausica.net/miyazaki/interviews/heroines.html, accessed at 03/03/09

[vi] Napier, S. (2005) Anime from Akira to Howl’s Moving Castle, New York; Palgrave Macmillan. Pg 153

[vii] Belton in Napier, S. (2005) Anime from Akira to Howl’s Moving Castle, New York; Palgrave Macmillan. Pg 231

[viii] Gordon, A. Managing the Japanese Household: The New Life Movement in Postwar Japan in Molony, B and Uno, K. (2005) Gendering Modern Japanese History, London and Cambridge; Harvard University Press.

[ix] Napier, S. (2005) Anime from Akira to Howl’s Moving Castle, New York; Palgrave Macmillan. Pg 153

[x] Amazing Anime, Time.com, http://www.time.com/printout/0,8816,992626,00.html, last accessed 27/04/09

[xi] The Auteur of Anime, newyorker, http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2005/01/17/050117fa_fact_talbot?printable=true, last accessed 19/03/09

[xii] Eureka in Napier, S. (2005) Anime from Akira to Howl’s Moving Castle, New York; Palgrave Macmillan. Pgs 154/155

[xiii] Napier, S. (2005) Anime from Akira to Howl’s Moving Castle, New York; Palgrave Macmillan. Pg xvii

Over the next few posts I will upload a study I undertook on Hayao Miyazaki and his depiction of females.

This opening chapter will explain what is to come in the following posts.

Anime is well established enough to draw scholarly attention. Traditionally Japanese women have been subordinate, therefore, through the use of qualitive and quantitive research, this study investigates Hayao Miyazaki’s depiction of girls and women using four works of animation from Studio Ghibli as case studies, in order to understand whether Miyazaki’s character portrayals are based on real women in Japanese society and whether these portrayals have had any significant impact thus far on Japanese women or girls in contemporary Japanese society because anime in itself has become a gateway into understanding Japanese society.

There was a large-scale commercialisation of Japanese animation beginning in the 1960’s which led to the birth of a new genre; anime (Japanese animation). The fantasy, science fiction and adventure ‘comic-book’ (manga) works are most familiar to the British public and, although no knowledge of Japanese is needed to enjoy anime, it is impossible to watch Japanese animation without wanting to gain some knowledge of Japanese culture and trying to understand the basic moral assumptions that make anime distinctive.

Hayao Miyazaki is a phenomenon in Japan and has a reputation second to none for his commitment to artistic quality. The technical quality of his films is outstanding. His stories are great sweeping epics and his characters sophisticated. Miyazaki and Isao Takahata founded an animation studio called Studio Ghibli and subsequently Disney signed a deal for world distribution rights for a number of Miyazaki’s animated movies, thus his work is no longer just on the periphery of Western cult viewing. With his animated characters taking on a life of their own in the form of merchandise, and his museum in Tokyo devoted to the work of Studio Ghibli, the researcher believes that Miyazaki’s anime may have had an important impact on Japanese society, girls and women in particular, and therefore, it is an opportune time to investigate and record whether Miyazaki’s representations of his female characters has had any impact on Japanese women’s lives, thus far or whether Studio Ghibli’s films reflect contemporary Japanese society.

 A consideration of the available scholarly literature highlights how Japanese manga and anime have grown in popularity in the Western world. Studies have spread across different fields such as media studies, film studies, cultural studies and sociology. Hayao Miyazaki, ‘The master of Japanese animation’[i] is finally receiving the credit he deserves, having raised comics and animation to ‘the status of artistic and literacy excellence.’[ii] Studio Ghibli and Miyazaki stand ‘at the pinnacle of artistic achievement’[iii] and the worldwide appeal of his young female characters, and sweeping epic stories, prompts me to ask two questions. Miyazaki is a phenomenon in Japan so do his animated films with their shojo (Japanese girl) heroines represent Japan’s society or is Japanese society affected by Miyazaki’s anime? By asking these questions I seek to understand what impact Miyazaki’s anime has had, or will have, on Japanese society, especially women and girls lives. Testing my assumption that women are at a disadvantage in Japan, the study aims to develop an understanding of, and embrace the role and position of females, in four feature-length films directed by Miyazaki, as case studies from Studio Ghibli: My Neighbour Totoro (1988), Porco Rosso (1992), Princess Mononoke (1997) and Spirited Away (2001).

[i] McCarthy, H. (2002) Hayao Miyazaki: Master of Japanese Animation, Berkley; Stone Bridge Press. Pg 1

[ii] Ibid Pg 48

[iii] Ibid

Todos tenemos nuestras peliculas favoritas de cuando eramos pequeños, aquella pelicula que tiene olor, la que por más grandes que seamos nos sigue dando cosquillita, cuando nos saben llegar.

Hayao Miyasaki nos hace regresar a esa etapa, con temas maduros pero al mismo tiempo, son dibujos animados. Hoy en día ya es dificil encontrar caricaturas, que nos hagan clavarnos y lo mejor, que nos hagan pensar, Hayao lo sabe hacer, es un ilustrador, dibujante de comics y productor de animación, nacido en Tokio en el 41, muy grande para seguir haciendo caricaturas, pero al mismo tiempo, te pones a pensar y dices; y si no el, quién?

Ultimamente me clave en este mundo del anime y en verdad no son solo caricaturas, si no que es la mejor manera en la que ese continente tan lejano a nosotros nos explica nos entretiene y nos educa con su cultura.

Nunca habia aprendido tanto de la cultura japonesa, hasta que empeze a ver anime.

Hayao Miyazaki, creador de su estudio/taller Studio Ghibli, nos regala el don de seguir haciendo arte MANUAL, sin desprestigiar las demas artes, ya pocas peliculas se hacen a la antigua, y es muy bueno que al menos esto no se pierda.

Les dejo mi recomendacion de las obras del Maestro Miyazaki y les adelanto que proximamente tendremos el estreno de PONYO, ake no Ue no Ponyo (崖の上のポニョ.Ponyo en el acantilado sobre el mar) (en idioma castellano como Ponyo y el secreto de la sirenita, en la Argentina y Ponyo en el acantilado en España, y como El secreto de la Sirenita, en Mexico). Salio desde el 2008 pero la version con subtitulos y de doblaje esta por salir. Se rumora que fue de los filmes favoritos en Venecia, espero con ansia verla y aqui les dejo el trailer para que le echen un lente. (Esta en castellano, por si alguien no le entiende al ingles jeh).
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Recomendaciones:

Mi Vecino Totoro

Nausicaä del Valle del Viento

Porco Rosso

El Increíble Castillo Vagabundo

El Viaje de Chijiro (para mi gusto la mejor).

Up next are reviews for; Cat Soup, Mononoke, Blue Drop, Baccano! and Sky Blue/Wonderful Days.

Cat Soup: I really didn’t know what to think of this OVA but gave it 3/5 for sheer insanity.

There’s no point to me breaking this review down the way I usually do, as there is no discernable plot and little to no dialogue! An odd short OVA from JC Staff, Cat Soup is just something a little bit different and I watched it purely out of curiosity a while back. Clearly whoever came up with this was on some sort of hallucinogen, as the entire thing is completely trippy, and sometimes a little disturbing. The plot (if you can call it that) seems to be about a little cat trying to recover his sisters’ soul………or something. The journey they undertake is just a parade of weirdness, but in a good way! The animation is very simplistic, but distinctive and the music is fairly odd as well. Tis just weird, but its an experience!

Mononoke: What a great little series. I gave it 4/5, it only missed out on 5/5 as there are lots of unanswered mysteries – mostly regarding the Medicine Seller himself.

PLOT: This is a collection of short stories following the Medicine Seller as he travels and exterminates mononoke. A straightforward plot premise, but each of the arcs are very distinct from each other.  I loved the blend of horror, mystery and twisted humour displayed in this anime. All of the characters are memorable in their own right and its also nice to have a mainly adult cast for a change! Some of the stories have quite disturbing elements, but not enough to turn you off watching. This series is a must for anyone who enjoys classic Japanese horror stories.

ANIMATION: This is one of the 1st things that attracted me to this anime. The animation is quirky, colourful but very attractive and fitting for the tone of the show. The character designs are different and memorable – none of your standard bishies or moe-blobs though! Extremely detailed backgrounds and great detailing in the costumes too, all makes this show very striking visually.

MUSIC & VOICE ACTING: The OP is some sort of weird accordion jazz number, which grew on me as I heard it a few more times. I liked the ED from the start though. Insert and background music did a good job of adding to the mysterious atmosphere. Voice acting was great though! The Medicine Seller in particular was excellently cast, Takahiro Sakurai (Suzaku (Code Geass), Kanda (D.Gray-Man)) is using his ‘Kanda’ voice here, but the way he delivers his line is full of sarcasm and the sense that he knows so much more than he’s letting on which is just purely Medicine Seller ^_^

Overall an excellent series that is a bit different from the norm and I enjoyed it fully.  I’ve heard that Mononoke is actually a spin off from another series called Akayashi: Japanese Classic Horror, and that the Medicine Seller 1st appears in one of the arcs of that show called Bakeneko – which I have yet to watch, but plan to at some stage.

Blue Drop: Pretty average series, suffers from bad pacing in places, but has interesting character driven drama – 3.5/5

PLOT: Well I was sceptical about the shoujo-ai + sci-fi plotline at 1st glance, but it turns out that Blue Drop is quite a character driven anime.  In fact the alien aspect of the story is more or less completely sidelined for the majority of the series!  It was sidelined so much that I felt it was actually unnecessary and the series would have worked just as well, if not better, if it were not included at all. The shoujo-ai storyline is probably the strongest plot element followed by the usual school based drama. The characters are extremely well fleshed out; even the side characters get a decent amount of development. This was one of the best things about Blue Drop as most short series don’t get a chance to do this much character development.  But on the whole the plot left me feeling there was something missing, namely a sense of urgency.  The finale is entirely too rushed and the antagonists are barely developed at all!  I just felt the story would have been better without the aliens – or if the alien thing was the central focus.

ANIMATION: The animation is quite nice – very fluid with good use of CGI for a change. Character designs were appealing and I loved the design of the space ships. However backgrounds were quite plain and the characters seemed to be afflicted with some sort of skin disorder that causes them to go blush every 10 seconds!

MUSIC & VOICE ACTING: I loved the OP, its very pretty and I think I’ll be downloading it soon. The ED was nice too, but just not as memorable as the OP. There is a very strong voice cast here; I particularly liked Hagino’s voice. Mari could occasionally be irritating with her genki-girl routine though.

All in all, not a bad series but it could have been better with better writing or if it was a slightly longer series. As it is it suffers from pacing problems but is still a good watch.

Baccano!: Absolutely brilliant series which gets an easy 5/5

PLOT: I loved the way this series was put together; all the skipping about the timeline and perspectives was just brilliant and added greatly to the entertainment value. Watching how all the main characters lives subtly intertwine reminded me of the LOST flashbacks to an extent, which isn’t a bad thing!  For quite a short show this has a large cast of characters, but all of them are fairly well fleshed out and memorable in their own right – quite an achievement in only 13 episodes! My favourites had to be Ladd, Isaac & Miria; who were a joy to watch!

ANIMATION: A high standard of animation quality was maintained throughout – loved how much blood was on display too! Character designs were great, no confusion about who was who in this show, all were quite easy to distinguish. Really liked the way they did the OP too, as it helped keep all the characters names fresh in my mind ^_^

MUSIC & VOICE ACTING: The music is wonderful – loved the jazzy score which fits the 1930s setting perfectly, particularly liked the OP, but the ED was nice too. The voice acting is really were this show shines – its a fantastic cast and each and every character is wonderfully done.

Overall an excellent show – the OVAs were just as entertaining, fleshing out some of the minor characters and introducing even more!

Sky Blue/Wonderful Days: a pretty film, but doesn’t have a lot of depth- 3.5/5

PLOT: Very linear plot, not a lot of characters or character development but somehow this film still manages to be captivating! Just goes to show that you don’t need to have a complicated script to create an interesting movie.

ANIMATION: As this is a movie the animation quality is of a high standard, but even for a film this is a beautiful piece to watch. There is excellent use of CGI throughout – its refreshing to see CG used correctly! Character designs are simple but attractive.

MUSIC & VOICE ACTING: The music is one of the stronger aspects of this movie. The score is beautiful and really enhanses the mood – which is important as there isnt much dialogue! What little dialogue there is is very well acted – no complaints about the voice acting here (I watched the Japanese dub).

Overall a good watch, but not a must see in my book.

These reviews are getting shorter the further back I go!

Well, I see in the time it’s taken me to write this next post, I have snagged nearly a 100 people. This is either do to my catchy title, or my various tags. Probably poor lyric surfers looking up Lifehouse. Oh well. Hopefully I helped them.

So I just saw this really cool movie, K-19. Its a story about one of the first Russian nuclear subs that undertook the a major nuclear missle launch. The two main actors featured in it are that of Liam Nissan, and Harrison Ford, two of my favorites. I have to say, I loved Liam as always, and Harrison makes an interesting Russian captain… Never really saw him as anything less than Indie and Solo. But, great movie. Laughed, cried, shuddered in horror. Love it.

In other news, I recently have begun reading the book Case for Christ by Lee Strobel. I’m really liking it. Strobel was a legal editor for the Chicago Tribune which reflects greatly in his writing style and topics. His inspiration for this book was the conversion of his wife to Christianity. He was so surprised at her positive change that he began his own investigation into the evidence surrounding the Bible and it’s teachings. By the title, one would thing that the book is just another religious textbook attempt at bolstering biased ideas, but that is not so.

Strobel was an honest atheistic skeptic through his research into this topic. His book is rather a log of his investigations and a collection of the data he gleaned from various authorities on the topic from historians to scientists to archaeologists. He approaches every topic with a court room, lawyer’s mind. Almost every chapter has a little anecdote from his experiences, and his interviews are nothing less than actual questions that might be asked at witness chair. His sources are not religious zealots with a degree, but actual scholars, recognized by such great institutions as Princeton, Cambridge, and many others. He seems to have chosen each one on their credibility, scholarly reputation, experience, and even their personal character. The data is given straight forward and to the point, an answer for a question, sometimes more. There isn’t anything hidden, covered over, or avoided. A good book for good thinking when read with an open, honest mind.

Anyway, I highly recommend it. It runs about $6 for a paperback, and read fairly easily. make sure you have a pen or pencil ready as the margins are ready for notes and even your own questions . The next book on my list is the Koran, and probably similar research into its background.

In other news, I was also listening to a book What’s So Amazing About Grace? by Philip Yancey. Also a good read, but prior Biblical knowledge is highly advised.

Still in other news, I also watch the anime movie Princess Mononoke. Gory, but great animation and enjoyable story line. I wouldn’t watch it if you have a queasy stomach, or do not enjoy such Alice in Wonderland adventures like talking wolves, bloodthirsty boars, demons and forest spirits that look like somebody played mix-n-match with the animal kingdom, or strangely dressed characters who can defy the natural laws. Otherwise, it’s a great movie Enjoyed it greatly.

Music. Love it. My dear friend showed me Feltbeats. She can do a better job critiquing him than I can, so I’ll just let her. Never before had I expected Tom Felt (Draco Malfoy to most HPers) would be a budding musician. Not just budding, possible blooming I’m a sucker for a good guitar and a tenor voice, and he has both. His music plays somewhat like Jason Mraz, which only makes me like him all the more. But then, there I go. Jo has already said it all I’m getting his CD.

Well, that’s enough of reviewing for now. I think I’m going to follow Jo’s precedent and adopt a Blog schedule as to what I’m going to write about; though, I hate to put a crutch on spontaneous creativity or inspiration. But hey, the code is more like a set of guidelines rather than rules…

Ha pasado mucho tiempo desde que dije lo de los reshares, pero la serie elegida no la tenía, y hasta que me he acordado de pedirla… jajaja, cosas que pasan  :’ :’ :’
Pero bueno, ya la tengo, y ya no tengo que bajarme películas para poder estudiar (sí, soy así de malota, yo bajo pelis ). En definitiva, que aquí está de nuevo esta serie maravillosa, es una pena que pase tan desapercibida porque es de lo mejor que hay (para quien le guste el género de tramas psicológicas, claro)
Como ya sabréis, la serie consta de 12 capis divididos en 5 historias cortas, de entre 2 y 3 episodios cada una, y las historias van de menos a más, ya lo veréis, porque para variar, si no la habéis visto, os la recomiendo porque os guste o no, no os dejará indiferente. En cuestión de dibujo, animación o ambientación es inmejorable, al menos desde mi punto de vista, no todo el mundo pensará igual, jajaja, sobre todo porque lo que es el dibujo es bastante chocante de primeras…
Pero bueno, me dejo ya de tonterías y os pongo lo que os interesa, así que… ¡disfrutadla! ^_^

I pessimisti non sono visti di buon occhio. Nel lavoro, nella vita, meglio non averne a che fare.
Meglio circondarsi di stupidi e falsi sorrisi.

p.s. nemmeno gli adattamenti fanno eccezione.
Link</a

A visual masterpiece! Too bad it made me doze off.
Written by WestNyorai

Hayao Miyazaki est né en 1941 à Tokyo. Son nom vous dit surement quelque chose (enfin, j’espère). Si je vous dis Princesse Mononoké, Le Voyage de Chihiro ou encore Le Chateau dans le Ciel ??? Oui, c’est à lui que l’on doit ces merveilles.

Réalisateur de génie, il arrive à captiver l’attention des enfants comme des adultes par des oeuvres magnifiques et poétiques, symbole de liberté, d’évasion, de réflexion sur la société moderne.

Tardivement connu en Occident, son succès international arrive en 1999 avec le génialissime Princesse Mononoké. Je me rappelle ne pas avoir voulu le voir immédiatement et avoir trembler de plaisir en le visionnant. Que dire  de ce film si ce n’est qu’il est sublime de A à Z, musiques, personnages, réflexions, dessins, tout.

J’ai nettement été plus déçu par Chihiro que je trouve bien moins prenant, voir parfois ennuyeux mais ne dit-on pas “l’exception qui confirme la règle”? Cela prouve au moins que cet homme est humain. Toutefois, je reconnais des qualités certaines à ce film.

Pour moi, il atteint la perfection avec Le Chateau dans le Ciel, véritable invitation au rêve et à la liberté. Je le pensais incapable de faire mieux que Mononoké et bien, je me trompais. Laputa m’a transporté bien plus loin et rien que d’y penser, je m’envole déjà. J’écoute la musique en boucle car à elle seule, mon esprit s’évade.

Laputa raconte l’histoire d’une petite fille, porteuse d’un collier convoité et sauvée par un jeune garçon voulant prouver les dires de son père. Ensemble, ils perceront le mystère de Laputa, “le Chateau dans le Ciel“.

Il y a d’autres oeuvres qui méritent d’être connues mais je pense que celles que j’ai citées parlent en sa faveur. Mais sa relève semble assurée car son fils, Gonzo Miyazaki talonne son père de près avec Les Contes de Terremer qui, pour un premier essai, annonce de bien belles choses.

Plus adulte dans le message, ce film se regarde sans aucun mal, avec toujours cette capacité à sortir des musiques surnaturelles.

Cette famille n’a pas fini de me faire rêver.

Als der Wald noch voller Geister war.

Ich hab zwar die restlichen folgen von Clannad gesehen, aber die 2te Staffel seh ich mir nicht an. Ich hab mich durch ein gewisses Melonen Brot zu sehr gespoilert.
Ich werde mein regulären Serien fortführen. Ich muss noch Mouryou no hako 6 angucken, Mononoke und Jigoku Shojo Mitsuganae
gehören auch zu den Serien die ich regelmäßig sehe.