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Because I Heard People are Hating on Junjou Romantica

didinskee — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 23:40:06 +0000

With an explosive display of stars and blossoms, Junjou Romantica(純情ロマンチカ) rallies forth its troupe of blushing bishies onscreen to —-you guessed it—- the solid beat of yet another perky anime intro. And once the (star)dust and petals have settled, and the fanfares have finally echoed out, most viewers would think that there really isn’t anything else in store beyond the inane razzle-dazzle of JR’s premise: cute guys on cute guys doing things cute guys don’t normally do on prime time TV. But I’d like to think them wrong, and so please allow me, in my first post, to explain myself—-albeit, a scandalous post at that

Frequent viewers would be familiar with JR’s manner of introducing every episode with a tenet in life(however trite), written in a pink and fancy script, with flowers all around as garnish. And so us brave few patrons read and reflect for a moment on this bit of wisdom(and for us JLPT takers, try to improve our vocabulary, too) drawn from an age when what was true and good, really was true and really was good. Subtly, Junjou Romantica reveals for a moment its true theme: idealism.

Please refer to nearest fortune cookie as citation

It’s a sort of tug-o-war dynamic that flutters about in each episode, between the viewers sense of how the gears of love should turn in real life and how most writers would have it written. And in the first season, there were plenty of moments where the main character, Misaki, catches himself indulging on these same lackadaisical fantasies. But who can blame him, we all want a happy ending, and that’s what Junjou offers. Instead of your usual romantic tragedy where the leads have proven time and again their love, and yet the fickle finger of fate never cooperates(I’m looking at you “Boys Be”), Junjou offers a place where we get to see things work out in the end, and usually in the most dramatic ways possible.

Abrupt reality check

And while we watch the naivete unfold, Shungiku Nakamura leaves us a constant reminder of her awareness of the fantasy she so freely indulges in. Just in case you’ve forgotten, the show is all about guys meeting/going-out/having coffee/holding hands/kissing/having smex/kissing some more/hugging and just about everything else short of upsetting the censors. And how ever we’d like to call ourselves urbane and unprejudiced, we all know that stinging truth that these kind of situations are not the type we normally encounter IRL . I believe this is the reason the author chose to play male characters against male characters, to underline, highlight and drive the point that these are all whimsical tales of fantasy.

It’s a strange point to make, too. And I only realized it when I tried imagining the series with male and female couples instead. In that sort of scenario, the edge is definitely lost. For one thing, most of the emotional moments are purposefully more powerful when a guy tears up instead of a girl. These memorable moments of weakness Junjou offers prime the scenes with raw, uninhibited, emotions that accentuate the sweet aftertaste afterward. And from the reviews of Shungiku Nakamura’s other 2 works( Hybrid Child, Tsuki wa Yamiyo ni Kakuru ga Gotoku ), I think it is with this that she explores, portrays and ultimately triumphs in when fleshing out her characters in the subtle plots of love and loss she weaves.

You must watch, in spite of risking burning your eyes, for these tearjerker scenes

I think it’s easy to take this show for granted and I do admit there’s something wrong with it if most people who’ve watched it think it’s simply 30 minutes worth of fluff. Then again, who’s to say the audience haven’t got their own faults? Gender-bender allergies? Righteous indignation for bed scenes? Or could it simply be a general skepticism of happiness?

I can’t help but wonder if most of us just got jaded, that when they watch something so special, so wonderful unfold so perfectly, we immediately think it’s not real enough. What made us so cynical, that before our romantic couple lives happily ever after, they have to, no, they must, suffer, struggle and succumb to the whims of fate—-at least 12 to 23 episodes worth of tragedy after tragedy.

I guess it helps marketing(hell! XX episodes of keeping you at the edge of your seat worked for Dragonball), and there is such a thing as a dramatic build up. But sometimes, when you encounter something innocent and sweet, like love, it might not hurt to forego the grain of salt, and simply enjoy the ride—-trail of flowers and starshine notwithstanding.

This is didinskee, btw. A 23 yr. old Software Engineer that grew up on Gainax, Hello Pandas and Hardy Boys. Usagijen’s a good friend and cubiclemate of mine and she thinks I’ve got something to say on this topic. Here’s hoping I did her confidence some measure of justice.

Doozo Yorushiku Onegaishimasu!

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One Outs = Total Sports Anime Ripoff

usagijen — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 10:05:28 +0000

Decided to watch One Outs episode 1 last weekend since it’s been subbed, and my initial impression could be summed up as:

Toa is Hiruma’s long lost twin, not to mention they exude the same aura too. I’m sure TheBigN can attest to this.

So you can say that we’ve got some (Hiru)MANservice here. And the ladies rejoice!!

The heck, it’s a Gori (Akagi from Slam Dunk)! They’re more similar personality- and voice-wise.

…oh and he has a bit of Golgo 13 genes in him too. He must be one of Golgo 13’s sons

wow, Kogure is also here! Again, the similarity is uncanny, in terms of looks and personality.

Uhm, that you, Oishi-senpai (Prince of Tennis)? Or more like, a cross between Oishi and Inui.

There’s like 100% testosterone power here, since all the characters are men.

Oh wait, there’s one woman, y harlo that big momma (that’s what she’s really called btw)!

…and they even brought this Kin-chan (Itazura na Kiss) lookalike, or what Kin-chan would’ve been if he was drawn better and had his hair dyed brown. They also exude a similar air of [unfoundedly stupid] haughtiness, and the way they speak is also similar (especially the ~su-ness).

(awkward silence)

I can only hope that made you chuckle, at the very least, because from hereon out, I shall sing nothing else but praises for this show’s awesomeness, and that might make you puke, or something. If you seriously thought I was going to diss this show, well, shame on you. Enough silly talk and let’s get crackin’!

One Outs is easily one of my most anticipated anime for this season. I mean, Baseball + gambling?! I’m IN! And, as expected, it was made of TOTAL WIN! This opinion, however, comes from a fangirl who’s totally biased for sports animes, so you might find this unreliable or whatnot. And since I don’t recall mentioning about my sports anime fanaticism in this blog, I’ll gladly take this opportunity to do so (whether you like it or not).

I’m easily taken by sports anime, partially due to the influence of my brothers who infected me with their sports anime zeal. The excitement I feel when watching these animes (especially the action-packed ones) is indescribable, and yes, even the silly Prince of Tennis is awesome for me. These animes spoiled me with the mix of thrill, excitement, and sheer enjoyment (or in the case of Mitsuru Adachi’s works, the slice-of-life aspect of sports) that they provide, so much that I have come to find them even better (or at least, more exciting and gripping) than their real-life counterparts. I even owe most of the RL sports knowledge I have right now to various sports anime series — Slam Dunk, Eyeshield21, Hajime no Ippo, Ookiku Furikabutte, I’ll/CKBC (the OVA was too short, just saying), Overdrive, etc. (Mitsuru Adachi’s sports mangas focus more on slice-of-life elements rather than the sports itself so I can’t really include those here).

As such, it should not come as a surprise that I totally enjoyed One Outs. It’s intense, gripping, and instead of boasting testosterone-filled purely physical hard-pumping action, it gives baseball a twist of gambling for that dramatic and psychological flare, in a way like Kaiji, with less (or close to 0) “manly” tears, and more of the Akagi GAR-ness. May I coin the word gamb(al)ling?

As if that’s not enough, this series also takes a jab at Japanese culture, criticizing Japanese people’s indecisiveness and passiveness, and tendency to run away from problems. But then this case should not be isolated to the Japanese alone, as this mindset is ever-present in other nationalities, especially Asians who are typically reserved and passive. But times are changing, and people are becoming more open-minded, and it’s always interesting to see animes that bring these weaknesses to light, all for the love of Japan.

I managed to catch up with this series in no time, since I got hooked right after watching episode 1, whose the damn cliffhanger ending prompted me to make do with the available csubs up until episode 3! It kinda ruins the moment, having to pause in between the scenes just to get what the heck the characters are saying, especially when they go down the psychological or gambling and baseball details, but that didn’t get in the way of my enjoyment. I badly need the english subs for this, however, to understand what was going on 100% (I think I understood 80%). So once the english subs are out for the episodes, without doubt I’m going to rewatch it! RAWR! Having brothers who are equally excited (or even more?) about this makes me all the more hyped up.

Anyways, I’m running out of coherent things to say about the actual show, which is probably why I’m hesitant to blog this episodically. You wouldn’t really want me to sound like a broken record as my thoughts/insights/impressions on each episode would be reduced to: “It’s awesome, it’s exciting!! Mind-blowing!!! Woohoo! Toa is THE god of Baseballers + Gamblers!”, rinse and repeat. Until the time I’m able to see One Outs from a broader perspective (or analyze Toa?), I’ll just continue to savor the thrill and ultimate enjoyment that this gamb(al)ling anime provides.Similar Posts:

Natsume Yuujinchou

absolute0 — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 05:31:56 +0000

Title: Natsume Yuujinchou (夏目友人帳)
Scrumptious Meter: 4.5 (next best thing to slice bread~with a little extra sugar and spice on top)
Length: 13 episodes

Since xxxHOLiC and Mononoke, I have developed an interest towards anime that deals with traditional Japanese folklore, particularly those concerning youkai, mononoke and ayakashi. Thus, I have anticipated Natsume Yuujinchou, which tells of a boy named Natsume Takashi who has the ability to see spirits. He inherits The Book of Friends from his grandmother, Reiko, who, too, had that same ability. It contains the names of the spirits that Reiko has defeated. Now that Natsume has that book, he is pursued by spirits wanting to get hold of it and those who wish for their names to be returned.

Those who have not seen Natsume Yuujinchou might judge from my summary that the anime would follow a certain formula, perhaps, like a spirit-of-the-week sort with Natsume returning the name of that particular spirit. While it is true that different spirits are introduced with each episode, not all of them are those whose names are written on the Book of Friends. In fact, some of them are those whom Natsume met and befriended himself. The story, rather, follows Natsume’s growth as he meets different characters. It is a story of his progression, from an annoyance/fear of spirits to compassion for them.

Many would compare Natsume Yuujinchou with Mushishi. Some even call it Mushishi Lite. I also see a similarity in the atmosphere of which the two anime evokes. However, as I continued to follow Natsume Yuujinchou, I have seen certain points of contrast. For one, in Mushishi, Ginko deals with cases of humans being afflicted by mushi. In Natsume Yuujinchou, Natsume deals with cases of spirits who have been affected by humans in one way or another. In Mushishi, Ginko empathizes with the people he helps (the natural), and he has respect for the mushi (the supernatural). In Natsume Yuujinchou, Natsume empathizes with both spirit and humans (supernatural and natural). Then again, compared to the spirits in Natsume Yuujinchou, the mushi in Mushishi barely have personality and thus, would be difficult objects for empathy. Also, in Mushishi, the relationship between man and mushi is just like that of two organisms encroaching upon each other’s territories. In Natsume Yuujinchou, the relationship between man and spirit is more complicated as both leave marks on each other.

I think the most obvious difference between Mushishi and Natsume Yuujinchou is the tone. The stories in Mushishi are tragic and sometimes depressing. In Natsume Yuujinchou, the stories are bittersweet. They aren’t exactly happily-ever-after stories and yet those involved are glad about the outcomes. Furthermore, the stories in Natsume Yuujinchou warm the heart and tug at its strings. Watching it, I could not help but be moved.

Comparisons to Mushishi aside, like hayase, I could also see a resemblance between Natsume Yuujinchou and Honey and Clover. And it’s not just due to the pastel hues. It’s due to that stream of consciousness where one can hear Natsume think, that stream of consciousness that is so prevalent in Honey in Clover, where the characters don’t just narrate events but rather they think their feelings aloud, their dreams, and their frustrations.

One thing I have observed about Natsume Yuujinchou is how it explores the nature of ayakashi, of how they can be bound to certain emotions, like Hishigaki, in the first episode, who all through the years, continued to wait for Reiko to call her. Or Santo, who also continued to wait for Reiko at the train station. Some spirits such as Tsubame, in the sixth episode, and Hotaru, in the eighth episode, have become attached to certain humans. The spirits, then in Natsume Yuujinchou, are “human” in terms of emotion but their emotions are more persistent.

As for the characters, Natsume, though being a typical anime nice guy, is interesting. He isn’t wimpy and he can fend himself from most spirits, although he doesn’t seem to be as strong as his grandmother. Natsume might have the same latent ability as Reiko but his needs to be developed.

I guess the most intriguing character would be Nyanko-sensei / Madara. Madara is a powerful spirit but after he was sealed in a shrine for a long time, he assumes the form of a fortune cat and is even feline in behavior despite denying it. Madara originally wanted the Book of Friends for himself but after a deal with Natsume, he promised to protect him and should Natsume die, he will become the Book of Friend’s owner. I wonder what sort of relationship Madara had with Reiko. Madara knows Reiko but he isn’t in the Book of Friends. Could it be that Madara defeated Reiko?

Among the spirits introduced in the show, two of them, Misuzu and Hinoe told Natsume that they wouldn’t mind serving Natsume for a while. I wonder if Natsume will call them frequently in the future. Hinoe is knowledgeable about curses and spells. Natsume could learn a lot from her. Misuzu, the “rocking horse”, according to Nyanko-sensei, seems to be a strong spirit. I wonder what his abilities are. He reminds me of the tikbalang in Filipino culture.

All in all, with just thirteen episodes, the series is too short. So many names to return, so little time. Thankfully, it seems there is a second season next year. I can’t wait to watch it. In the meantime, there’s the manga.Similar Posts:

How to Not Enjoy Itazura na Kiss

usagijen — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 10:35:19 +0000

Months after my very first fangirl rave-filled ItaKiss post, and I rise from the depths of the grave with my now burning hatred for this show.

Apologies in advance to those who will be offended by this post. I know I’m taking this too seriously for my own good, but I just can’t help it. Incoherent ranting ahead!

Why you ask? Coz she’s obviously “in love”~

You know Kotoko, you should’ve asked that wayyyyy back when Naoki proposed to you.

My gripe with ItaKiss throughout the 19 episodes I watched, is nothing else but Kotoko, the only character in the show with less than 0 development, IMO. I watched more than 2/3 of the series, and still she remains as stupid, and as hopelessly and blindly in love with Naoki~ Well yes she realized how foolish she was for holding on to her one-sided love thanks to Keita’s blunt words, but DUH, that was something she should’ve asked herself wayyyy before the marriage. “Just being able to look at him (Naoki) is enough~”, is what Kotoko had in mind before and after marrying Naoki, and what do we call this again? TRUE LOVE? Total bullcrap, I say.

Can you blame Naoki for becoming THIS confident?

Most people agree that Naoki is an ass, that’s a fact. But one of the very reasons why Naoki continues to act as tsuntsun and as asshole as he is, is because Kotoko tolerates it. Right from the start, after the outright rejection of Kotoko’s confession, till the time she moved into the Irie household, Naoki never lost his hold on baka Kotoko. That’s why he’s so confident that no matter what he does, no matter how he treats Kotoko, she’ll stay with him. He had her swaying right in the palm on his hand, right where he wants her, providing him entertainment with her hopelessly-in-love antics, or her Naoki-hate act which he can so easily see through. No one else would be as foolish as Kotoko to persevere through everything Naoki’s doing, without giving him the constant slap he needs for his character development.

Keita’s arrival in the scene shook Naoki’s confidence, for once he had a formidable rival! But, Kotoko never changed a bit.

Kotoko just gets what she deserves.

My Kotoko hate started with episode 9, if I remember correctly. I hated how she joined the tennis club, just for the shallow reason of wanting to stalk Naoki, spend time with him, and all that~ She’s disillusioned, and that episode clearly shows that.

Uh-huh. And still you went along with the unbelievable dream and agreed to the marriage without thinking of the consequences. Yeah right.

zomgz kisses galore! *sarcasm*

But more than that, I honestly can’t find any substance in Kotoko’s “love” for Naoki. Right from the start, her love was but shallow. Why did she like Naoki? Because he’s the “perfect man”, the envy of every woman. He’s got the looks and the brains, it just so happens that his character is spoiled rotten. Perhaps Kotoko wanted to prove the world that even a stupid normal girl like her can end up with someone like Naoki, who’s supposedly out of her reach. But has her love for him grew? She’s too blinded to even see the gradual change happening in the Tsunderella, and continues to hold on to her love based solely on superficial criteria. In Kotoko’s narrow mind, she is THE MAN. Who cares if he treats her like crap, that doesn’t matter! One kiss is all it takes to reaffirm his love for her, and make her forget how much of an ass Naoki is~ how romantic. NOT.

If it wasn’t for Kin-chan, Naoki wouldn’t have realized that he’s jealous orz.

Silly drama. I really have no sympathy for Kotoko anymore =.=’

On the bright side this actually shows how good-natured Kotoko is, because she’s not holding any grudge against Naoki despite EVERYTHING. But then this also means that she’s really stupid to let go of what Naoki has done to her throughout the years and treat it as nothing. Have you no respect for yourself, woman?! I would’ve liked it if Kotoko actually got to know Naoki better the more he becomes tsuntsun, like understand that the reason why he’s such a jerk is because he doesn’t know how to express himself well. But as episode 19 shows, Kin-chan has come to know Naoki way better than Kotoko.

I know I’m breaking many taboos here by juxtaposing this fictional romance comedy with RL love stuff, but I’ll go on anyways.

Oh gee, you think so, Kotoko???

People often say that being in love in unexplainable; it makes you lose sense of rationality. Ah the euphoria of love~ But you know what I think, love founded with reason, not just the pure emotional high “in love” state, is what will make a relationship stay solid and strong. I’ve often emphasized in my love rant posts that friendship is a strong pillar for romantic relationships, and I know I’m asking too much by wanting to see that kind of bond between Kotoko and Naoki. But at least, it would’ve been great to see them foster something close to that kind of relationship. It’s for this very reason that I can’t be happy for these two, even if they’re now expecting a baby or whatnot, it’s all just meh to me.

To push things further and all the more show how no fun I am, I’m gonna quote this from the book The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman:

Our most basic emotional need is not to fall in love but to be genuinely loved by another, to know that a love grows out of reason and choice, not instinct. I need to be loved by someone who chooses to love me, who sees in me something worth loving.

That kind of love requires effort and discipline. It is the choice to expand energy in an effort to benefit the other person, knowing that if his or her life is enriched by your effort, you too will find a sense of satisfaction – the satisfaction of having genuinely loved another. It does not require the euphoria of the “in love” experience. In fact, true love can not begin until the “in love” experience has run its course.

Unfortunately, Kotoko has yet to learn what having faith really means.

The anime is ending, but I don’t think Kotoko ever snapped out of her “in-love” state. She’s still immature as ever and gets all jealous when she sees Irie with another woman (I took a peek at episode 23). Sigh. She got married to a guy who’s constantly being flocked by women, she should’ve known that right from the start, and worked on her confidence so as to not be affected by the ‘rivals’ she perceive =.=; She still haven’t learned to have faith in Irie, up until this point. At this rate, I think it’s highly possible that Kotoko will even get jealous of her very own baby, especially if Naoki pampers him/her. Then she’ll start thinking, “How come Irie-kun isn’t that kind to me~” *boohoo* Ugh.

Call me no fun, but I think I’ve outgrown this kind of enjoyable-but-without-much-substance shoujo stuff. T__T; I partially blame my brother

Phew, rant over. Now I can finally… rest. Comments, flames, negative reactions… are more than welcome >:)Similar Posts:

Sometimes A Cute Mascot Just Ain’t Enough…

usagijen — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 16:38:53 +0000

…to make you strive to continue on following a show. Yes, I’m looking at you, World Destruction.

Whenever I think of whether to continue following World Destruction, I end up watching Nodame Cantabile instead, the anime with mascots and splendid music (and story) too. Juxtaposed side-by-side each other, obviously, World Destruction is no match against Nodame Cantabile, unless we’re talking about pure silliness and randomness and mascot cuteness in these two shows.

The cute Bonta-kun like mascot of World Destruction that is Toppy won my heart with 3 episodes, and I realllyyy want a plushie. Like RIGHT. NOW. I’m just not sure if I’m up to watching more of the animu =/ If I was following less shows this summer, perhaps I would’ve given it a slot in my watch-list. But unfortunately, I already have too much under my hands. Not to mention my regular work and occasional procrastination blues

So yeah, I think I’m bidding goodbye to World Destruction and saying hello to more Nodame Cantabile. This way, I have enough time to catch up before the Paris chapter begins this October! Yosha! Similar Posts:

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, and The Bunny Who Came Out of the Cinemas Enlightened

usagijen — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 09:58:31 +0000

Title: Toki o Kakeru Shoujo aka The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (時をかける少女)
Scrumptious Meter: 5.0 (be imaginative and think great thoughts about the ending, and you’ll find yourself fully delighting in the show)

The Review

The first time I watched Toki o Kakeru Shoujo dates back to approximately 8 months ago, and the reason why I never mentioned about it in the blog is because I never found it to be anything special. Seleria raved about how she loved the movie (personally, not in the blog, sadly T_T) and I never really understood how she felt, until my second rewatch of Tokikake on the big screen, where I found myself falling in love with the movie, for the very first time.

During my first watch, I invited my oniichan to watch with me. For some reason, he went ahead to watch it, and told me about how boring it was as he found himself sleeping through it T__T I’m not sure if his opinion of the show affected my mood, but I know for a fact that I was uninspired when I finally got myself to watch it. I wasn’t paying attention to the events unfolding nor to the very feelings of the characters. I was using my mere eyes and ears to watch it, taking things that happen literally and shallowly as they are. By the end of the movie, I never understood what the entire point of it was. I just ranted about how the heck Chiaki will be able to meet up with Makoto given the issue of time (and space?) that they’d have to deal with.

The same goes for 5cm per second, which I watched not-so-wholeheartedly. Hence, when I reviewed Tokyo Marble Chocolate, I found it to be more superior than both TokiKake and 5 cm/s. I only have my lack of understanding for the aforementioned movies to blame, and for this, I owe them my sincerest apologies.

From what I realize, it’s so easy to discount a show as lackluster and boring (or that it sucks balls) and whatnot, for the simple reason that you didn’t really understand what it was about. Taking the time to understand what went wrong, what you were missing out on, in the hopes of being enlightened to its real beauty, or at least, enlightened as to why exactly you didn’t get to enjoy it, is what I deem to be the fair review that any title deserves. Owen (or his spirit, now that he’s been MIA in the blogging scene :P) and Stripey (whose blog went down, after his droppage of Kurenai post. coincidence? =__=) have preached about this before, and their voices resound in my head as I type out all this.

It would’ve been fairly easy for me to type out rants about how Tokikake sucks, but I didn’t. After being left unsatisfied by the movie, I knew I was missing something, and felt the need to rewatch it. And I did, albeit months late, and I’m really glad I gave it another chance.

As I’ve mentioned in my Natsu no Sora episode 4 post, I had a newfound appreciation for slice-of-life shows after watching Toki o Kakeru Shojo on the big screen. It’s either because I was watching it at the cinemas — where I really experienced it to the highest levels, with surround digital sound, SUPER BIG screen, and wide live audience who I laughed and cried with throughout the movie’s run — or because I watched it for the second time, so I paid much more attention to it than before. It was only in this rewatch that I actually noticed the scenes where Chiaki has been going to the museum for a number of times

All my senses were alive and enthusiastic when I watched Tokikake last weekend. I felt as if my heart and mind were so ready to take in everything, and with that, I found myself focused and immersed into the movie, and thus enjoyed every moment of it. I laughed and cried with Makoto, who grew up from being a happy-go-lucky girl, to someone who realized just how valuable every moment of her life (and other people’s lives) was, and that she should never take anything for granted.

Makoto, who represents the quintessential carefree high-schooler who doesn’t think of her future and her present responsibilities made the movie hit really close to home, for the audience who found themselves relating to her free-spirited character.

After watching the movie, and having discussed it with a group of friends who I know enjoyed the show, I found myself fully satisfied with the ending. Chiaki and Makoto’s promise to each other that they’ll meet again someday might seem far-fetched, but not impossible. For one, they have been leaping through time throughout the movie, and it’s highly possible that Chiaki will be able to go back to the past again. If not, then they can just have an Il Mare or Lakehouse kind of romance. It’ll be great if they could have this kind of sequel for the movie Whatever it is, just the fact that they found certainty despite the uncertain future is a good enough ending for me.

The greatest thing this movie has taught me, aside from the in-movie values it imparted, is how to best enjoy slice of life shows. (Yes I’ve mentioned it in my previous post but I feel like posting it here as well) Unlike other shows which rely on ambitious storylines, special effects, and moe-moe fanservice, slice-of-life shows rely on the power of its very characters and its surroundings (TokiKake became visually orgasmic for me the moment I set my eyes on the astounding visuals), who may or may not appeal to its audience. Slice-of-life animes usually require its audience to be awed by the most trivial of things — the passing of time in the show, with or without much things happening (which is still significant, and represents something), much about every actions and emotions of the characters, may it be a moment of silence, sadness or laughter.

This is most likely the reason why some people can’t seem to enjoy slice-of-life shows (especially pure slice-of-life types). In this genre, you need to rely on your very own senses, and allow your heart and mind to drive you throughout the show. The events (or the lack of it) in these animes are presented without much fancy effects, and hence you can’t enjoy it without taking that extra effort to immerse yourself into its world. But more importantly, I think you need to have peace (or the willingness to have peace) and a sound mind so other biases won’t get in the way of your appreciation for the show. It was only having done all this that I found myself loving TokiKake In the end, my only gripe for the show was that there wasn’t enough Chiaki x Makoto raburabu to make me fangurl happy

P.S. A big thanks to Hazy for accepting my invitation and accompanying me to watch this movie despite the heavy rain. Here’s to hoping for more anime movie showing on cinemas! And I hope Kaeboo will be able to join us then!Similar Posts:

Cooking Up a Summer 2008 Anime Diet (with a bit of fasting)

usagijen — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 04:59:37 +0000

The summer shows have aired, and now is the time to decide which animes to follow throughout this whole drought season. After sampling many of the summer offerings, what came about was a balanced-looking diet (aka filled with ‘variety’, a mix of good animes worth keeping and other ones for pure entertainment lulz), which is still subject to changes without prior notice

Due to my busy work schedule till mid-September as well as the breaks I’ll be taking (or that I already took) - trip to the hamster’s den, and trip to Singapore this coming September, my anime-viewing time will be drastically cut-short. I am already foreseeing the upcoming stressful days at work so I’ve sworn to stay away from shows which will give me nothing else but headaches, nauseous attacks, and facepalm moments *cough* Ultraviolet Ikkitousen Koihime Sekirei *cough*

Another thing I had to to consider in planning this summer anime diet is the upcoming Fall season, which is BATSHIT INSANELY loaded with great-looking animus, starting with Skip Beat!, Hakushaku to Yousei (simply beautiful <3), Ga-Rei (kickass couple tandem FTW!), Tytania (potential EPIC), Kurogane no Linebarrel, Nodame Cantabile 2nd season, Kuroshitsuji, To Aru Majutsu no Index, ToraDora, among others +__+ Given this, I decided to watch only 1-cour series so it won’t get in the way of my Fall anime watching.

Among the summer animes I sampled, there were shows which scored a potential hit on my first watch, but I had to bid them goodbye for a number of silly excuses (lack of time, among other things). I don’t think I’m up to seeing catfights this summer, so adieu Telepathy Girl Ran (being a 2-cour series makes me want to stay from this more). Slayers looked fun, but then again I have this silly mindset of not wanting to enjoy the new season unless I’ve watched at least a season of the previous series, so I scratched it off my watch list as well. Blade of the Immortal was… dark and bloody, and I’d rather stay away from these really serious shows which will just make me depressed. Chocolate Underground started off as amusing, but after three episodes, I started to question why I was watching it in the first place.

And to prevent this post from getting any longer than it already is, without further ado, I present to you, the bunny’s summer diet!

Appetizers

These shows piqued my interest on the first watch, enough for me to crave for the next episode, much to my surprise. It’s just an appetizer because I’m still not sure how long my excitement for these shows will last. It’ll depend on how enjoyable the series remains, or how jaded I become the more I watch

World Destruction

I’m in this show for furry Bonta-kun and Miyano Mamoru, but mostly for the cute mascot I was expecting him to have a cute voice which supposedly suits his plushie looks, so I undergone a brief state of shock when I heard his deep husky voice. But I eventually got over it, found it suiting for his kickass cool character. I mean, he kicks and he stabs and sure knows how to have a good time! His “~kuma!” is just adorable, and reminds me so much of Chichiri’s “no da~!” Man, I want a plushie. NOW! This will be a worthy substitute for the Bonta-kun plushie I’ve been searching for, years now.

Nogizaka Haruka

This show is sooo absolutely adorable!!! I honestly don’t care about the fanservice crap, so long as we see more Haruka x Yuuto rabu rabu X3 This certainly turned out better than I expected when I read the manga. Right now it’s an appetizer for me, but if it continues to be this enjoyable (I was giggling with joy while watching the last part of the episode), it might become one of my entrees. Haruka is a strong Mary Sue ojousama kind of character, reminds me of Ange Yuuto is such a gentleman bishie *swoon* I can’t remember when was the last time I became this excited over a love comedy show aimed for men.

Another thing that draws me into this is that it hits really close to home. As an avid otaku, I see myself in Haruka, without all the ojousama moe-ness of course. Watching episode 2 reminded me of my trip to Japan last year, where the zealous fangurl in me got unleashed during my visit to Mandarake, sweet shops and plushie shops +__+ The only difference in my case is that I ended up buying many of the stuff I set my eyes on, whereas Haruka had more self-control (except for the gashapon thingy, kind of like a weakness of mine as well). I probably would’ve fainted in awe if I had the chance to go to Akihabara, so it’s a good thing that my business trip was only in Fukuoka instead of Tokyo Seeing how I already babbled this much just goes to show how much I’m loving this

Entree

The main dish(s), the ultimate fangurl shows which fills me with weekly dose of shoujo and bishies goodness~ As if it isn’t obvious enough, I’m totally biased for the shows I’m gonna mention here, hence I can totally understand if no other people beside me are watching ‘em (with regards to Neo Angelique, that is XD)

Neo Angelique

Surprise surprise? I may fail in blogging this show, but not in religiously following the episodes that air each week. There’s a good reason why I said this is one of the best among the Angelique series. First of all, there aren’t as many ~~gays~~ characters here as the previous Angelique. She only has 5 knights here, and some anime-original characters, all of whom are a worthy addition to the Neo Angelique cast, each with his own great purpose.

In the first series, Ange did nothing else but purification white magic spells which she casts after her Guardians render the Thanatos monsters weak with their offensive attacks. But now, things are different. After Ange woke up from her deep slumber (she remained unconscious for half a year) due to shock of finding out Nyx’s evilness, she gained the will to fight with all her might, awaiting the day they’ll meet again… as enemies, much like how it was between Nozomi and Masaomi of HaruToki 3. I’m crossing my fingers that Ange won’t end up with Nyx, he’s my least fave character =/

In episode 3, Ange follows the footsteps of a GAR sexy female pirate captain from whom she learns a bit about swordfighting. Ange’s still an amateur in terms of handling the sword, but I think she’s off to a good start

Shugo Chara

I’m not sure if it’s ok for me to be placing this together with the actual Fall animes, but anyways. My love for the Shugo Chara anime has been resurrected from the grave, and now I managed to catch up with the latest episode. I skipped the fillers due to time constraints, but wouldn’t mind more of the fillers in the upcoming season 2 if that’s the way for them to pad episodes to accommodate the whole Ikuto arc and Amuto stuff.

This anime holds a special place in my heart for being one of the most heartwarming mahou shoujo show I watched to date. It hits closer to home than, say, Card Captor Sakura, for the simple reason that I find myself in much about every confuzzled Guardian and weak-willed kids. Just like TTGL, this anime serves as a constant reminder for people to not lose faith in their NARITAI JIBUN, to always believe in themselves, until such time when their NARITAI JIBUN (wannabe self) finally coincide with their HONTOU no JIBUN (true self) — where inner struggles and conflicts will almost be negligible, as you finally shine or something

Refreshments

The perfect way to soothing your way in the hot summer~ These shows are my Summer iyashikei animes, they warm my heart, pierce the depths of my soul, giving a soothing cool after-effect (ironic as that sounds).

Natsume Yuujinchou

This anime might follow a predictable ‘meeting a spirit a week’ pattern, but the uniquely different tale of each of these spirits make every episode of Natsume Yuujinchou a refreshing watch. Each and every episode dedicated to getting to know the ayakashis as well as Natsume’s journey to discover his self (much like Takemoto-kun of H&C), makes this show all the more WIN for me. We learn about the ayakashis each week, how akin they are to humans, sharing the same sadness, the same human emotions. We also get to know Natsume’s inner thoughts and feelings, his introspections and self-discovery, made all the more vivid and heartwarming (and piercing?) thanks to Takemoto’s seiyuu. Hiroshi Kamiya certainly fits the bill.

As I watch episode 3, I couldn’t help but cry during Natsume’s moment of epiphany. His words: “Whether you’re a human or an ayakashi, we’re the same in that we meet with our hearts, that being alone is lonely, and that the first step is scary”, was just awwsome

Mahou Tsukai ni Taisetsu na Koto ~Natsu no Sora~

I already fell in love with this series the moment I set my eyes on the breathtaking and luscious sceneries, more so when I met Sora. Sora is such a wonderful girl, and her optimism, kindness and strength in the past 3 episodes just proves how great of a character she is. Gouta Midorikawa, voiced by Doujou’s seiyuu made me love Natsu no Sora more, as my interest got piqued with the complexity of his character, and the possible romance development between him and Sora

I’m keeping my expectations low, so I’m just looking forward to the impact Sora will make in Gouta’s life, how she will become the catalyst to his character development

These two slice of life shows are like my entrees as well, I couldn’t quite live without them. Waiting one week before watching each episode is becoming unbearable T__T

Dessert

These are just yummy~ the kind of shows I’d readily make room for despite a heavy schedule. The cake pr0n stuff here make me go hungry too. (and obviously, there’s only 1 show which fits the ‘cake pr0n’ description)

Antique Bakery

I love just about everything about this show, from the cakes, the premise, the LOL gay stuff, the characters, and the music (Chemistry ROCKS! the classical BGM are wonderful too)!! It’s a good mix of everything, and would prove to be a worthy watch, for those who can laugh at the gay stuff, especially the LOL rain scene

Antique Bakery never fails to make me laugh, yet at the same time touch my heart when the episode gets all serious I know the rain scene looks gay, I also admitted that in my “this is not BL!” defense post. But still, you shouldn’t drop the show because of that. Just laugh at it, and go on watching. Episode 4 marks the start of the SRS BSNS stuff in the series, revealing the reason why Tachibana even bothered putting up the cake shop in the first place.

Side Dishes

These are my not-so-prioritized animes atm, aka those I haven’t watched past the second episode of to make the final verdict of whether I’ll follow them or not. I’m rather surprised by the animes I placed in this category, considering that they are two of my most anticipated summer animes. What a bummer. I only have my jaded-ness to blame.

Yakushiji Ryouko

I love mysteries, I love kickass heroines, I like Yakushiji Ryouko and her gentleman kickass assistant. Or so I thought. I wasn’t expecting anything when I watched it. I actually found the first episode interesting. But somehow, the other Summer animes remain my higher priority and I can’t get my lazy butt to continue on watching.

Birdy the Mighty Decode

I was supposed to be really hyped up for this series. I even finished the OAV to get myself prepared for this new series. I liked the changes in the character design, how they made Tsutomu look cuter, but… I don’t know what happened. I got lazy, my mind got polluted by silly shows like World Destruction and Nogizaka Haruka and I lost the passion to watch this great animu. I can only blame the summer heat for this. Perhaps I’ll soften up once I get past watching episode 2? All I know right now is that my mind is willing to watch and enjoy this, but my body isn’t, so I can’t quite translate my thoughts into actions.

So, how’s everyone else’s ‘menu’ coming along? Similar Posts:

Wanted Movie Review: So What the Fuck Have You Done Lately?

usagijen — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 13:39:45 +0000

I just came out of the cinema hours ago, watched the movie Wanted with my brother ~~so I get to watch it for free >:)~~, and I have only three words to describe it: BLOODY. FUCKING. AWESOME. Beware of foul language, this post might as well be rated R-13 (like the movie) because of this profanity.

Wanted was one heck of an adrenaline rush ride. Feel every jab, kick, slash, and gun shot permeate through your very skin. Feel every drip of blood with every bit of action. Feel the rush of excitement in the car chase scenes, bullet collisions, and just about everything, with heightened senses too, thanks to bloody damn good motion SFX and the natural skills of our assassins. It’s not as morbid as I make it sound like, it’s just bloody damn exciting!

I might just be babbling nonsense here so let me provide a brief background of the story. We have here the young man Wesley Gibson, an apathetic nobody living a f*cked up life just about every day. On top of trying to work as an “account manager” with a damn noisy haughty boss, the primary source of his anxiety attacks, he also has a “best friend” who f*cks up with his girlfriend and takes advantage of his kindness (or patheticness) for his own convenience. He wakes up every morning, with his girlfriend by his side, he goes to work, face his computer screen and his damn boss, live a f*cked up shitty life, rinse and repeat.

All that changes the moment his path crosses with The Fraternity of assassins, who suddenly revealed to him that he’s the son of the recently-assassinated Mr. X, one of the best assassins ever known.　After a hell lot of training in the hands of the other Fraternity members, he finally finds a clear purpose in life – to avenge the death of his father, by killing the assassin Cross. His life became less meaningless, but all the more f*cked up and bloody exciting.

Now, you might have heard this premise in a number of shows, but as we all know, plot originality is overrated, and Wanted gives this its own distinct flavor, with mindfuckingly brilliant plot twists as well. Bloody awesome mindfuck. If only I had a wider vocabulary, I would be spouting more bloody praises for this show, and not rehash these bloody words, but since I neglected reading most of my life, bear with me as I exclaim “BLOODY AWESOME” for who knows how many times. Unless you want me to use another language with which I can go “すげえ！最高！！” , “太棒了！” Hear me rawr!

Spiderman can step aside with his spider sense and let the assassins of this movie do their thing. These guys might not be as agile and strong as our friendly superhero, but the way the action scenes were choreographed leaves Spidey in shame, in Spiderman 3 that is. Juxtaposed with Spiderman 3, Wanted is clearly the winner. May Stan Lee or the director of the Spiderman 3 movie forgive me for this bashing. Having no convoluted and lame plot, Wanted also boasts hard-pumping and fast-paced action in just about every second. It was so damn fast that it didn’t leave me room to think about the plotholes and other glitches, not that I care about them anyways. All I know is that I left the movie theatre fully satisfied, and hours after watching it I still felt the rush of excitement running through my veins, and voila! From the burst of inspiration I had with my adrenaline rush experience comes this review.

I highly recommend this movie, especially fans of hard-pumping action looking for thrill and excitement in the shows they watch. But do take note that this show is not for weaklings. It’s violent, it’s bloody, but bloody awesome as well.

P.S. Perhaps you might be wondering what the fuck is up with this post full of the F-word. Only those who didn’t watch this movie will be left bewildered as to why this is f*ck-loaded. If you haven’t done so, what are you waiting for?! Go watch this movie, not at the cozy comfort of your home but in theatre, so you can get the entire “feel” of it. So going back to the question, what the fuck have you done lately?

P.P.S. To make this post not 100% non-anime related, I just like to say that the way Fox (played by Angelina Jolie) busted her way into the fast-moving train with her car in the latter part of the movie reminded me so much of the car-chase-and-Kuhoin-busting scene in Kurenai episode 12. Fox’s smooth driving skills was just awesome, more awesome than Benika, even.Similar Posts:

Here is Greenwood: Love Truly is Better the Second Time Around

usagijen — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 16:54:36 +0000

Oh sweet embrace~ This scene never fails to bring me to tears.

Rewatching animes is usually indicative of a lackluster season, that time of the year which you could dedicate for catching up on backlogged shows. My decision to rewatch Here is Greenwood, however, was not brought about by this reason, which implies that I did this amidst the flourishing season of Spring (or is it summer already), and the tons of backlogged posts and animes I have orz. It seems that the upcoming JDrama adaptation of this OAV prompted me to do this, or rather, if you’d allow me to say this in a more romantic light, it rekindled my lingering [past] love for the show, which so inspired me act on my feelings.

True enough, as the saying goes, love is better the second time around, as I found myself falling in love with the show yet again, in this revisit to a childhood love. With senses magnified by the power of maturity and experience throughout the 8 years that passed since I first watched it, my vision was made clearer and more lucid, and the rewatch experience became a total EPIC Q_Q moment of epiphany.

Much of my tears were shed for the last two episodes of the OAV, which revolved around the relationship between Kazuya and the ~~tsundere~~ rebellious girl Miya Igarashi, their love-hate tsuntsun relationship, and how they eventually found true love — a hello to a second love’. Until the final moments of the show, I was hanging at the edge of my seat, cheering on Kazuya in is ever persistent chase of Igarashi who kept running away from him for fear of acknowledging the fact that she has fallen for him, as well as the consequences of this newfound love.

Kazuki and Miya’s love chase in the final episode reminded me so much of Kazuki and Eriko’s relationship in KimiKiss, but I’d have to say that the way Koko wa Greenwood portrayed it was all the more effective and powerful, not only because the characters were more endearing, but because of the depth we see in them. Having more episodes doesn’t translate to better development, as exemplified by this OAV, that despite having dedicated a mere two episodes for the romance of Kazuya and Miya, I found myself moved, in ways more than any Kazuki x Eriko episode of KimiKiss had (not simply because of my Asuka bias, mind you).

The last two episodes were enough to flesh out Miya’s character (in the same way Kazuya saw her) and to love her. Kazuya had a head-start of being introduced way back the first episode, that by the time I watched the last two episodes, his character already grew on me, and I found myself cheering for his new love the same way his dorm-mates were. As the series drew to a close, we see the long-awaited reunion of Kazuya and Miya, who finally found love, right where it’s supposed to be. The credits roll and the ending music plays, together with a montage of Kazuya- and Miya-filled flashbacks, dedicated to the lovely couple <3

How I wish I can show the full pic of this, but alas, editing this will be a pain with all the rain.

This OAV made me rethink the review and rating I gave Tokyo Marble Chocolate, which I praised to no end months back, as I’ve come to realize that I was simply in a deep-magical trance mode when I gave it a full mark of 10. Objectively speaking, without the magical donkey and the great sounds and visuals, TMC won’t be anything special. While I managed to empathize with Chizuru and Yuudai, their love didn’t strike me as much as Kazuya and Miya’s of Here is Greenwood. Kazuya and Miya’s relationship was portrayed, if I dare say, realistic, if only for the fact that the characters need not rely on a magical donkey in order for their tale of love to have a happy ending. The characters themselves decided their fate, with the support of their friends, and there’s a whole lot of depth explored in the characters and their love compared to TMC, which was so effectively done without having the need to rely on a dual POV technique either.

While much of the praises I’ve said about Here is Greenwood is regarding its last two episodes, this doesn’t mean that the other episodes was any less subpar. Being a slice-of-life romance comedy anime, Here is Greenwood offered more than just mushy romance sappiness, but pure entertainment. Throughout the OAV, we get to know the 4 main guys of the show (and other side characters), their quirks, eccentricities, and unique personalities, each with its own depth. The guys were such endearing bishie characters, and they grew on me despite the brevity of the anime, leaving me craving for more.

Bid [a temporal] goodbye to moe fanservice, special effects, or other superficial elements, when you watch this OAV. Here is Greenwood doesn’t have them, nor does it need ‘em to gain the love of people. What we have here is a simple and sweet tale of romance and friendship, with a bunch of endearing characters which grows on you in a span of two++ episodes, enough to leave you with a deep impression despite its brevity and simplicity. Yet another great old school animu I can rewatch to no end and still become enjoyable as ever~!

Now to make my Here is Greenwood experience complete, I shall read the manga and patiently wait for the upcoming live-adaptation, in hopes that the characters will be portrayed as endearing characters as well.Similar Posts:

Kaiba 01-03: When the Puzzling Philosophical Pieces Come Together

usagijen — Sat, 17 May 2008 15:05:59 +0000

Thanks to my recent enlightenment on Kaiba and some inspiration from the great coverage it’s getting from the blogosphere, I finally decided to hop on the Kaiba-ndwagon~ :3 Lengthy introduction ahead!

Kaiba easily stood out among the Spring animes for the simplicity and uniqueness of its visuals, and utter complexity of its storyline. This served as an open invitation for the audience to swim through its depths, with some people ending up with moments of epiphany, and some other disgruntled ones who drowned in despair, unable to grasp the seemingly incoherent ideas in the show as well as the hype behind it.　There’s also a bunch of pretentious ones who convinced themselves to have understood the show even if they didn’t, the category which I belonged to weeks before I wrote this post. It’s not that only a privileged few can understand Kaiba; everyone can actually, so long as they’re willing enough to plunge into this world and explore it to its very depths, and become one of the enlightened ones.

I was almost at the brink of despair (and dropping Kaiba) when I watched two episodes without figuring out what the heck was up with the show. And as I learned, watching Kaiba raw/Chinese subbed and half-asleep is so not the way to enjoy it. Coincidentally, I revisited philosophy weeks after putting Kaiba on-hold, though it was for the sake of another post, which I don’t think will materialize anymore. Anyhow, ever since I sought this philosophical knowledge, I gained a higher understanding of things, and I was suddenly filled with this sense of wonder and inquisitiveness, which ultimately lead me to quit slacking off from watching Kaiba. I rewatched episode 2, then continued on to episode 3. Now I’m itching to watch episode 4, but I had to stop for a little while and write my thoughts for the past 3 episodes first or my mind will explode from too much intellectual orgasm. So yeah, if you don’t get Kaiba, I suggest getting into philosophy first.

Perhaps it’s because of this refreshing mix of a clear mind, a wide-awake state, and a renewed philosophical mindset, that I found myself actually understanding (or at least, thought-provoked by) the show in my 2nd rewatch. As I concentrate on one little aspect, a whole slew of ideas came, and I found myself in a slippery slope, immersed, and completely at a lost at its depth. Moments of enlightenment, as one might call it — the first time I’ve had this kind of experience with an anime too (my Kure-nai enlightenment is a different level, slightly lower than this).

Just for the record, Kaiba would have to be the very first philosophical anime I watched (and understood) to date. Mushishi has long been in my watch list, but I took it for granted. Kino no Tabi is one of those animes I cast aside way back, because the moment I saw it in Wowow I immediately labeled it as “boring”. I also haven’t watched GITS: SAC because I got “bored” with the movie (aka I didn’t understand a thing). I’m glad to say that my taste in anime matured from that time, so to speak, as I’m now loving Kaiba more than ever <3

In the course of this journey, I also decided to dig-up this Philosophy book I had way back college -- Sophie’s World. And for once, I actually read it out of sheer interest and not because it was a required reading. Thanks to that, I have gained more insights, though sadly, in expense of the Toshokan Sensou novels which I cast aside for later reading orz.

By now I think most people are familiar with the premise of Kaiba, so I won’t have to explain the theme of dualism present in the show, the separation of the mind and body, entities which can live independent of each other, etc. Same with Mike, I also thought the unique visual-style of Kaiba lends itself well to this dualism concept, inviting people to look beyond the ‘kiddie’ animation (the physical attributes), in lieu of its symbolisms, which are very much open to the interpretation of people.

The society in Kaiba is really f*cked up, for the lack of a better word. Most people, especially the corrupted wealthy ones, treat bodies like ordinary commodities at their disposal. In episode 1, we see people who have become so dehumanized that they could even delete people without remorse, as though they’re simply dealing with inanimate objects.

But then comes episodes 2 and 3, which showed us that a subset of people still had that sense of humanity left, albeit clouded with doubts, skewed morals, and all that. Many of them are just confused individuals in pursuit of happiness, something which is impossible for them to attain unless they actually know what real happiness (and joy) is to begin with.

Starting off with the haughty girl in episode 1, who itsubun aptly describes as the epitome of perpetual discontent, we can see how happiness for her lies in the way she looks — that ephemeral aspect of our being which many people allow to rule their lives, and make it dictate their identity. Sadly, this kind of discontentment is reflective of our human society, hence we see people who are so obsessed/discontented with their physical appearance and undergo plastic surgery for an “image change”, as Hige also pointed out.

Episode 2 shows us more of these people with their skewed view on happiness. Enter Kochu, a delusional girl who holds on to her love fantasies, projecting her “image” of the perfect boyfriend on Butter, and blindly ignoring the truth about her N-timing stupid boyfriend~ In the real world, she’d represent the “nice” stupid lovesick girls who could easily fall into the trap of making her whole life revolve around the guy she “loves”, the kind of person who will even defend her boyfriend (or worse, husband) despite his promiscuity, pinning the blame on the girl for seducing the guy! Sadly, many of these girls exist in real life (one of which is a friend of mine), the kind of girls to whom the book Why Men Love Bitches is especially dedicated for.

Random question: Did anyone notice that the perverted guys of this show are named after ingredients we usually see in baked goodies? Vanilla and Butter. And it’s probably because of their inherent “property” to mingle with the “sweet” (and perverse stuff?), aka the gurls/whores~ Then in the end, they’re nothing else but “plain” ingredients which don’t stand out on its own. They don’t have exemplary qualities, so to speak. Feel free to expound on this please.

And then we also have Palm, who was having the ultimate sexual experience of her life, that is, until the last moment of her breath where we also catch a glimpse of her painful past — abandoned by her father when she was young, inflicting her a deep-seated emotional scar that she must have tried so hard to conceal with pleasures of the flesh. So here we have another case of a person who’s looking for physical means to solve emotional issues which supposedly transcends the physical.

Episode 3 further explores this theme as it introduces Chroniko and her aunt, two vastly different people who were both forced to do something against their will (albeit self-suggested), due to the circumstances they were in. From Chroniko’s point-of-view, the image we get of her aunt is that of an altruistic figure who showers her with unconditional love. This act of sacrifice, later on revealed, was driven by a sense of responsibility, more than anything. In a way, we can also say that Chroniko’s patriotism was driven by this sense of responsibility, though her intentions were pure and selfless. Given the choice, Chroniko’s aunt would not have shouldered the responsibility of taking care of her, and neither will Chroniko choose to sacrifice her life for the sake of her family. She wants to live, but she has also managed to convince (or deceive) herself into thinking that doing this is the best way to make the most out of her life.

Different facets of happiness (among other things) come into play as we look at both Chroniko and her aunt. With the way Chroniko’s aunt rids herself of the bad memories of her past, she equates happiness with the absence of grief and unhappy memories in general.

This ability to delete memories actually poses serious implications, considering our position as mere humans. Sasa provided much insights regarding this, posing the question as to how people can possibly enjoy their happy memories, in the absence of the unhappy memory to juxtapose it with (the ones which will make you realize that they were happy memories in the first place). *insert censorship-related issue here*

It should also be noted that people with a misconstrued sense of values won’t be able to distinguish which memories are actually good and bad. If these people were in the right state of mind, they won’t even resort to deleting memories (or switching bodies) in the first place, knowing well that all these constitute their humanity and individuality. And, wouldn’t deleting memories tantamount to self-deception, since you are, in the process, convincing yourself that all you have are happy memories, even if it wasn’t so.

Another analogy to this memory deletion would be a person who’s simply running away from his problems. He shuts off that part of his memory, regarding it as a non-existent part of his past, then much to his surprise that it will just come back to haunt him later on. And to quote what Murasaki said in the Kure-nai novel, “Running away from your problems won’t make them disappear, that’s why you have to stand up and confront them.”

In the end, who are we to label memories as pleasant and unpleasant anyways? Aren’t we the cause of whatever ‘unpleasant’ memories we have in the first place? Accidents happen, yes, but how we view the circumstances we’re in, what happens to our daily lives, and how we react to these external stimuli, is still up to us. If you have problems, then OWN it. I know it’s harder that it sounds, but hey, that’s still the general principle to it.

At one point, these memories will even converge, further blurring what we once thought as “good” and “bad” memories the moment we see them in a positive light, in the same way Chroniko’s aunt recalled the pleasant (and unpleasant which turned out to be pleasant) memories she had — a realization, all too late.

With Chroniko’s death, could we say that happiness lies in altruism, by sacrificing yourself for the sake of other people? Could we even say that a sacrificial act is commensurate to altruism, if you do it against your will?

…And this has turned into one LENGTHY and somewhat incoherent post. Thank you Kaiba for making me exercise my brain muscles and stretch it to its limits, well done <3Similar Posts: