Fangirl X squeals endlessly about characters, plotlines, art direction, physics engines and dialogue. Also soapbox rants on whatever she feels like at the moment.
Yeah, so for the past few weeks I've been on a J-Drama craze. I regret nothing. Except for my tendency to almost answer in Japanese to simple questions; the danger of trying to learn another language through television.
Really great series you might want to check out:
Hana Kimi. It's one of those gender-bender types. A girl disguises herself as a boy at an all-boys' school to help one student she met in America who she feels responsible for and who is her idol. Ikeman (handsome males/hotties) drama starring Maki Horikata (who I adore as an actress), Shun Ogura and Ikke Toma. One of the characters (Nakatsu) falls for the heroine (Mizuki) without realizing she's a girl, producing many of my favorite scenes, especially this one. Has many of my favorite actors in it, including Yamamoto Yusuke (Tamki from Ouran Highschool Host Club). Based off a manga of the same name.
Atashinchi no Danshi. It's a comedy about a homeless girl who has a debt of 1 million yen given to her by her deadbeat father. She enters into an arrangement where she marries a rich toymaker for one month to pay off the debt. He passes away, leaving instructions in his will for her to care for his six sons or the debt rebounds. Very sweet, funny drama, once again starring Horikata Maki.
ProDai. The name to this series is actually longer (Proposal Daisuke), but I don't remember it off the top of my head. It's about a man who's been in love with his friend from elementary school his whole life...and she just got married to someone else! With the help of a fairy that lives in the church where the wedding is taking place he is able to time travel to photos from a slideshow his other friends prepared for the wedding to change his many regrets. It's a wonderful comedy that's mostly slice of life with romance. Really sweet.
Tokyo Dogs. About a pair of Japanese detectives busting up an international gun ring and other things. I had to stop watching due to my inability to take the gun violence seriously, but I did like what I saw story wise and will still recommend it. Two of my favorite actors are the main characters.
Zettai Kareshi. I already talked about this one, but I loved it a lot. Though I was rooting for the human the whole time, not the robot. Still, very moving and I did like Night very much. ^.^ The physical comedy in this was really well done, too. Based off a manga of the same name, though in the manga it is a high school comedy while here it is a grown-up comedy.
Kurosagi. This is about a swindler who swindles other swindlers out of their money and gives it back to the victims. He is acting out of vengeance for his own family that had been swindled with deadly results. The female protagonist is a law student who wants justice for the wronged and at first is against what Kurosagi does, but then falls for him. It's a drama, no comedy. Based off a manga of the same name.
That's it for now. Still watching that last one (yes, it stars Horikata Maki), and so far I really like it. I also saw part of a movie that was Japanese yet has Anton Yelchin in it. WTF? Really cute so far, but the site I was watching it on would interrupt it every few minutes with ads, so looking for a new site. Called Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac.
Just saw the debut trailer and publisher interview for Bayonetta 2. Which will be an exclusive release...for the Wii U. *facepalm*
The Wii U is a terrible idea. Other, better people than I have listed reasons as to why. For me it is because the idea of playing on a console is to be playing on a television set. If I wanted a handheld device I would already be playing on one. I have enough trouble watching one screen. Also switching back and forth between the two seems incredibly pointless. It's like an eight-year-old with massive ADHD running back and forth across a room with brightly colored objects in his hands and screaming the same three sentences over and over again until throws them at my face. It's a nightmare, is what I'm saying.
A game style like Bayonetta or Devil May Cry should not be on a device where a stylus is required. The publisher says it's been testing well amongst gamers and I'm inclined to believe these testers are children who have no concept of older games. But that's my personal opinion. Agree? Disagree? Leave me a comment!
So some exciting news already out at E3. Dragon Age III had a debut trailer with Morrigan taking over Flemeth's usual voice over. Also new outfit for Morrigan. She looks kinda like Lulu from Final Fantasy X.
So I'm not exactly the biggest FF fan, but the main character here (Noctio?) seems pretty cool. I'm also a fan of his predilection for hanging off of high places with one hand. There is a return of a buster sword because nostalgia. I am a fan so far of the Japanese track so I'm going to try like hell to get Tony to play with that one instead if possible. XD
Okay, this one's for my fiancé Tony. Thanks to him telling me every plot detail as he read them I don't have to read or watch any of The Song of Ice and Fire stuff, freeing me up to do other things. ;)
This just killed me:
Hope you enjoy. :)
Now for something completely different:
I just finished all of live action Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend) and it was so full of feels that I just can't....wow. I loved all the actors in it. I really did. They were great. Shoujo manga translates really well into live action. Sad but true. Also, watch Otomen if you can, that was pure magic!
It strikes! I am helpless to its evil, black power! Live action adaptations have stricken me and I have fallen under their sway! My life before is barely memorable now that I have been swept into the dreamland that is J-Drama...
Believe me, I feel even sillier for admitting this. I can't help it though. The Rurouni Kenshin film started it. I did promise a review, and then didn't deliver (I do that A LOT, don't I?). So I will try to appease the dark spirits of my guilt and longing by doing a mini-review right now:
Rurouni Kenshin is one of my favorite animes/mangas of all time. My first introduction to anime was actually The Vision of Escaflowne, and it was the dub on Fox on Saturday mornings when I was in my early teens (I want to say I was 14, maybe 15 tops). It wouldn't be until years later, my freshman year of college to be exact, that I would watch Kenshin's tale. After Escaflowne, I was introduced to Cowboy Bebop and then hooked. I asked Tony for my next recommendation and he suggested Rurouni Kenshin as it was dear to him (and starting to air again on Cartoon Network). I fell head over heels. Kenshin was my real introduction to Japan as a whole. It taught me the history of Japan through the Bakumatsu (I wanted to understand what the factions represented and why they were fighting) as well as the culture, both current and past. It taught me how the introduction of Western technology and ideals really changed the shape of Japan, how they integrated it, what it meant to them, and what it would mean for the future (current day). Not to mention Kenshin himself, and how much I freaking love him. Also Kaoru. They're one of my OTPs and I have not nearly enough fanart for them because MORE PEOPLE NEED TO MAKE IT AS I AM NO WHERE TALENTED ENOUGH TO DO SO MYSELF.
That being said (babbled), the movie...so the movie has some problems. This was inevitable, as the whole of Rurouni Kenshin can't be easily condensed and make sense, much less the first arc. Instead, they tried to make the first two major arcs run simultaneously (something I kind of admired, actually, as it makes sense for a shorter adaptation) and ended up combining two major villians for this purpose: Jin-Eh is masquerading as Battousai just 'cause he can (previously GoHei's schtick), and he works for Kanryu Takeda who is our somewhat primary villian, along with another assortment of gangsters and ex-hitokiris, one who is supposed to be a combination of (I think) Aoshi and Makoto Shishio....yeah. Sure. Also none of the text on screen was translated. Ever. You want to know what's being said? Fuck you. That's what.
Anyway, to accomplish the two simultaneous arcs they have Kanryu trying to get rid of Kaoru's dojo...because. Jin-Eh takes on Battosai claiming to use Kamiya Kasshin Ryu...because...they actually never freaking explain it. Kaoru makes a big deal of it and it is a plot point and then they just up and forget about it. Forever. It really stuck in my craw. Kanryu is still making opium and forcing Megumi to do it for him to sell to the city with the aim of the rest of Japan, or THE ENTIRE WORLD! MWAHAHAHA! Kanryu's point in this is to demonstrate how low Japan is brought by the West when traditional Japanese idealogy is completely disregarded. He does a pretty good job of it too. The character/actor was clearly a favorite for the director as a lot of the story revolves around him and his facial expressions. Which is fine. He does a good job, but he isn't what I think of for "major shounen villian". In the least. They have Jin-Eh for final show-down villian, and he slaughters an entire prefecture of police (and then some for good measure) and yet he isn't our major villian. Somehow. Except for storming the prefecture and being Kenshin's final enemy in the film, he's just not there. Which really sucked, and lacked necessary impact for Kenshin's emotional/personality change during the fight. That leads me to the next point:
Kaoru hardly exists in the film. I mean, she does, she's there for at least half the major events; Emi and Takeru have major chemistry and almost no romantic one-on-one scenes. In RK, Kaoru is the heart of the series. She is everyone's center. She is the most compassionate character with a real fire burning behind her convictions. She doesn't care about people's pasts (really important for Kenshin's case) and says everyone has something they don't want to talk about AND SHE MEANS IT. Which is somewhat ironic as she's the only one in the Kenshin-gumi that has nothing to regret or forgive in her past. Kaoru represents the purity of the soul, fighting commitment, and how to transmute traditional Japanese ideals into the new era (modern day). She is brave, confident (sometimes overly), kind, and quick-tempered. Kenshin is the yang to her yin (I know that's backwards, but Kenshin is more yang than yin) as calm, cool, humble and downright sad, though he masks it well. Kaoru is weak only when compared to Kenshin and his ilk (others we meet in the series, they're all the best of the best of the best) but would be in the top five if nationally rated. In the movie she can barely fight, and most of the time doesn't even try. This is the opposite of what she's supposed to be. She's supposed to be skilled and hold her own most times. Here she tries for half a second and is immediately taken down by a cut to her arm from Jin-Eh. It was incredibly distressing for a fan such as myself.
All that being said...the movie was still highly enjoyable. The actors were brilliant, the cinematography was amazing, and the fight scenes...the fight scenes you guys. It was brilliant. Takeru Sato was absolutely, utterly breathtaking. He was Kenshin. He had Kenshin's speed and skill and his handsomeness, and it was like watching poetry. Poetry that could skillfully kick your ass. His voice sent shivers down my back at parts and my jaw was permanently on the floor during his stunts. If for no other reason, you have to watch this movie for the choreography alone. Also for this one moment where Kenshin really becomes the Kenshin we know and love (Kaoru gives him new/old clothes, he steps out into the dojo yard and the wind picks up....the peace in his face...). I almost cried.
Yeah, so my "mini-review" was more...me just effing babbling endlessly. Sorry.
So more live action adaptations I've been enjoying:
Yes! Ouran High School Host Club! It's awesome! Seriously. You would not believe. The guy who plays Tamaki...he has the ability to be cartoonish and make it natural. That's impossible for American/Western actors. He's really funny (and fluid). Not hot, but I can live with that because he is super talented.
Also:
Okay, this is the ending and it makes it look all Edo-period, but I still love it. This is Otomen (pun on otome which is Japanese for "maiden" and 'men'). It's about a boy who loves girly things (but doesn't want to be a girl) who has to hide his true feelings and be the manliest boy there ever was due to a promise he made his mother. He falls in love with a girl who was raised to be a boy, so she is terrible at girly-things. It's based off a manga of the same name (no anime adaptation, though) and it is so incredibly awesome I don't have words. It reminds me a lot of Ouran and a bit of Ranma as well. It's well written with a great cast of characters and fun running gags. Please check it out at: Drama Crazy
They have translated anime, J-dramas, and K-dramas! It's awesome!
Oh! Also loved the adaptation for Yamato Nadeshiko no Shichi Henge (Wallflower):
In this adaptation it's really more about Kyohei growing as a person, but I'm okay with that. It gave it more heart than the original. Sunako is more of a running gag than a character, but to be fair she's somewhat more effective that way. It's not like she can be SD in this version, so what else can they do?
So, one of my absolute favorite manga/anime of all time is Rurouni Kenshin. Last August there was a live action film released in Japan that was an adaptation of the first season of the anime (I forget how many chapters of the manga it was...let's go with a buttload, official unit of measurement). I have recently acquired said film and actually plan on reviewing it in detail very soon, along with my usual ramblings on the anime and manga in general. For those who'd like a quick intro (and spoilers) as to the nature of the manga I seriously recommend either reading it or watching the amazing video below by the talented aoisenshi9.
Wow, life takes over fast, doesn't it? Haven't been able to play SWTOR in a while, either. I want to say "Hello!!" to Rach and Eli for being awesome people! Also, Rach, I've been meaning to e-mail you, I haven't forgotten! Just suck is all...
I did get to watch all of Bioshock Infinite...and boy if you don't want spoilers don't read anymore after this paragraph. I can safely say that it was an amazing experience that had me glued to the television and I wasn't even playing. Mostly because FPV gives me motion sickness and I suck horribly at it. Literally. When I pick up the controller there's a strange vacuum noise...
Here be spoilers:
Okay, so the first thing I noticed was that a) Elizabeth looked exactly like Belle from Beauty and the Beast except she had blue eyes and b) she had the same AI duties as Elika (except for combat). Yay for Magical Girlfriends! Er, whoops...daughters, I guess? I'll cover that in a bit. Elizabeth was your perfect AI companion, collecting resources for your usage only, help in combat with her magic tear powers, and even giving you money. If you leave her alone she even interacts with the environment. She is pretty awesome and again, reminded me heavily of Prince of Persia's Elika. Courtney Draper did an amazing job (especially as an-almost novice) and I'm dying to get the OST just for her singing. Gameplay was otherwise pretty standard Bioshock fare which wasn't broken so it didn't really need to be fixed. The moral choices in this game were different in that no matter what you did or didn't do the outcome was usually the same and had little to no impact on the ending. That was new, at least.
Your main character is a fully realized individual with a detailed background, emotional state, face, and voice. I love Troy Baker so much, and it was a real treat to hear him throughout the game (and not being Snow!). It was also nice that Booker was actually important to the story itself and the actions taking place instead of being merely incidental to the events around him. It was a nice change of pace for Ken Levine and I think it worked really well. Infinite was all about the outcomes of choice and it was enjoyable to see this thematically, even if in-game it wasn't completely relevant. Tony and I really enjoyed the whole "There but for the grace of God go I" dichotomy presented in the Booker/Comstock character(s?). Tony really approved of the idea of baptism introducing a quantum state which I latched on to when he presented it as such. One of the voxophone recordings by Comstock sealed it with the plight of the sinner who "drowns" in the baptism. It's a neat concept we've been discussing for a while now.
I know it irritated some people to high heaven (my good friend Joel being one, and I tell him to shut-up every time he opens his mouth on the subject) that your actual choices as the player don't count for much, but I think in a game like this it works. It creates a linear path (and we know I'm all about linear story-telling) and doesn't have the issue of trying to resolve why certain characters would still be allowed to live or what to do if they were dead and trying to justify the choices players make. The tone doesn't have to shift wildly between the puppy-kicking psychopath or the holier-than-anyone-goody-two-shoes morality system you find in most games nowadays. I found that to be a refreshing change as it allowed for more morally ambiguous actions or left the player questioning if what they did really was the better option either gameplay-wise or character-wise.
My favorite character was actually Rosalind Lutece, though. A) she was voiced by the incredible Jennifer Hale, b) she had the best lines, and c) she was part of a Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead routine, which is a sorely underused concept. Triple thumbs up for the Luteces and their incredible, slightly sinister accordion theme!
Anyway, these are my half-baked thoughts as I stave off sleep for longer than I should. Leave your favorite moment in the comments if you'd like. Mine was Elizabeth being mistaken for Lady Comstock by the gate to Comstock house. Anyone know if that was the voice of the Claptraps for the Borderlands series?
Yeah, this post is just going to be me ranting/gushing about stuff as I should actually be trying to sleep right now. You've been warned.
I used to have a vow that I would never play an MMORPG if I could help it. I could no longer help it. I have six characters on SWtOR, and I regret nothing. I finally finished the Jedi Knight story and my second highest toon is currently my light-sided Chiss Bounty Hunter (lvl 41) and I'm stuck on Belsavis...again. I hate Belsavis. I also haven't played in about a week, though the longest stretch I've gone is about two months, when my JK Atrys (also light-sided...I play everyone light-sided, I just can't be evil!) was stuck on Belsavis. Seriously, I hate Belsavis. Take two steps and fifty billion beings kill you because every area is overloaded with effing droids. Also the map is confusing and for some reason the game kept leading me to the opposite faction bases and murdering me because of it.
I never thought I'd enjoy the experience, but I got sick of hoping for KOTOR III. All the videos I saw of the Smuggler and Jedi Knight quest lines made me subscribe...and here I am, about nine months later still playing. My favorite race is still the Chiss (Chiss rule!) with their beautiful blue skin and softly glowing red eyes. I don't know why, I just love them. They're freaking awesome. I love my tiny BH with her Grey DeLisle voice and her big attitude and her jetpack attacks....even if I have to work for the Empire, who I really, really hate. Though I do have fun with my Sith Warrior (which is really interesting if you're light-sided) making all the annoying NPCs kowtow to me.
Some of the romance is a bit lopsided, though. Like the Jedi Consular female....everything about her is so...boring. Her romance lacks any heat whatsoever. I'm also stuck on Quesh with her story mission because all the enemies are two levels higher and FREAKING SITH LORDS. I should get back to that grind at some point, but I'm not motivated at all.
I need to respec my Smuggler...'cause she's prone to death. Rich as hell, though. I love Corso, and the romance is freaking adorable. Favorite romances so far: Smuggler & Corso, BH & Torian, SW & Malavai. Malavai has such a stick up his ass, it's great.
I want to start an agent just based on the romance and the story, but I still hate helping the Empire. I need to finish a few more toons before starting a new one, but I suck at that. I started the Sith Inquisitor 16 times before actually getting off Korriban. Now she's on Balmorra and I'm still thinking of quitting and restarting it again....this game has taken over parts of my life. It's very addictive.
So, lately I have a mini-obsession with Disney's John Carter. I really wanted to see it in theaters when it came out but I had a Dickens of a time convincing anyone to go with me, and as the only free time I have is on the weekends, my time wasn't really my own. So I missed it, and now I've caught it on TV every now and then.
I freaking love it. I'm probably the only one, but something about this film is really magical and fun to me. I love the actress who plays Dejah Thoris (Lynn Carter), there's something incredibly regal and wonderful about her. I love hearing her speak, and she makes every outfit she's in just so....regal. I know I said that already, but I can't think of another word that describers her so accurately. She made Taylor Kitsch likeable and sexy. They had great chemistry, which you almost never see in films anymore, especially ones centered on romance. I loved the animation for the Tharks, the sets were gorgeous, the characters were engaging, and Mark Storm is awesome and evil (I hate that he's typecast but he is SO GOOD at being quietly menacing) and it feels like an adventure every time I tune in. That's what a good movie should be.
Tony and I tried watching Snow White and the Huntsman on television last night. To be fair, we started from the middle/towards the last act, so we were somewhat lost. Then we decided to try and catch the beginning anyway on a different channel. Yeah, none of that made it any better. It has terrible pacing and the story is ridiculous. The funny thing is it appeared to have things I would normally be all over: fairy tale with grim story and macabre overtones, Charlize Theron, Chris Hemsworth, actual magic, strong female protagonist. Two dudes fighting over said protagonist. Nope...all of it was awful, especially Kristen Stewart's constipated "I'm SAD" face which is in EVERY SCENE. Even Academy Award winning actress Charlize couldn't save this, and she was totally acting in a better movie the whole time. There was one thing I liked about it: the costumes were great. Colleen Atwood strikes again. But where John Carter feels like a complete world inhabited by realistic people/characters...this felt empty and incredibly flat. None of the characters were compelling, and no one had any real motives to do anything. It was very...meh.
I'm dying to see Oz. I love Mila Kunis like no one's business, and she's a witch in this. Anyone let me know if it's worth seeing in theaters...I'd appreciate it.
Wow...a lot has obviously happened since I last updated this thing. I am so sorry. I moved, didn't have Internet for three months, and then like twelve different things started eating up my time. And then I forgot this blog existed. Sorry.
So, in personal news:
I'm an aunt now! My sister-in-law gave birth to a beautiful baby boy named Jeffrey. He is four months old and looks like a good mash-up between his parents. It's still weird to think my brother sired a child, but there's undeniable proof now. It's weirder that he's so adorable and yet still directly related to Matt. I got him Winnie the Pooh for companionship. You know, when he can grab him. I'm thinking over the years I'll probably be foisting many a Disney character on him....
I'm engaged! Tony and I have been together for 11 or 12 years now (depending on when you start counting) so this should not be a surprise to anyone who knows us. But it is still exciting and gratifying. No wedding plans as of yet, but we will be moving in together soon enough for me to forget about this blog again. Also I can't stop looking at wedding dresses. Because they are sparkly.
I became an official Nerdfighter! Also I finally discovered the brothers Hank and John Green. Because I'm officially late to EVERY bandwagon.
My gallbladder tried to escape my body and succeeded! Literally 5 days after getting my engagement ring I ended up in the hospital with some debilitating abdominal pain. I had six stones in my gallbladder, one stuck in the freaking valve. I opted to get it removed, which was good because as the surgeon was trying to remove it, it was actively trying to explode. Surgery took one hour instead of half an hour because the gallbladder was, in medical terms, "tense and throbbing". After reading the pathology report it basically boiled down to: "This looks like an effed up gallbladder that was removed from a human body. There are a ton of stones in it, including one stuck in the valve that was nearly 3cms. It's really gross." This was around the new year (surgery was the day before New Year's Eve). Yay 2013! Still a better ending than Twilight. ;)
I have eagerly been reading The Infernal Devices series by the fantastic Cassandra Clare. Long story short, my nook recommended them to me and I thought: "I've heard of Cassandra Clare before..." It turns out that it's a penname and I remember the author because she wrote a rather famous and acclaimed Harry Potter fanfiction called The Draco Trilogy. I remember seeing it on www.pumpkinpie.org. Yes, I was an Auror. No, I'm not ashamed. Yes, I hated the canonical ending of the series, why do you ask? Anyway, the trilogy is a prequel to the City of Ashes series which I haven't read but totally spoiled for myself on Wikipedia. It's Steampunk Fantasy, which is a genre I've been enjoying way too much of recently. I'm also on the last Gail Carriger book of her Soulless series. It's awesome, please read.
I will honestly try to update more frequently in the future. My apologies for the long gaps.
~Jill
I'm a female twenty-something that grew up as the only girl with two brothers my age (I'm a triplet). I'm a self-proclaimed nerd/geek/what-have-you who obssesses over TV shows, movies, books, Tudor England, Japanese culture and history, anime, videogames, manga, and comic books.
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