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Sunday, August 31, 2003 :: Comments []
Orenji iro no kami no shinigami dasouda!
Listening to: Wrapped Around/Brad Paisley
So we ("we" being, mom, Meg and I) dragged ourselves out of bed yesterday morning to go to a bead show in Chicago. Rather, we dragged ourselves out of bed yesterday morning to go to what mom understood to be a bead show in Chicago. What it actually turned out more to be was a gem and jewelry show, with beads being scattered intermittently here and there. Mom and Meg both claimed there were more beads at the quilt show they went to than this thing.
As for why we went, mom and I have recently, within the past couple of months, become interested in beads >D Nothing too obssessive...just learning how to make keychains, braceletts, necklaces, that kind of thing. It's too bad this thing yesterday was pretty much a disappointment all around. Nothing to be done though, and I did buy 4 tubes of beads, so it wasn't a complete wash ^^;; I'm re-doing the necklace that my 5 yen hangs on again, because I have much nicer, prettier beads (and know where to get some) than I did when I first re-did it, after I lost it at Nagashima SpaLand back in early July. Still, on a semi-cool note, we passed by Loretta Switt there. FYI, she played Margaret Houlihan in the tv series of M*A*S*H, one of my all time favorite tv comedies. I was like "heeeeeeeeeeey!!"...of course we just passed by her booth, which was selling jewelry so there was no real way to stop and actually say anything >D
But from there we dropped by Mitsuwa briefly (three weeks in a row, it's gotta be some kind of record for us) where I only spent $20 at the bookstore (another record, I imagine >D), getting Bleach 9 (w00t!!), HanaYume 17 (sorry, Tacchan, I sort of just thought of passing the HY around T_T I'm dumb), and a magazine all about the newest drama for Musashi that's been running (did it finish? I'm not alltogether certain) on NHK. I think Meg can't get over the fact she didn't buy any manga at all. *lol* It's completely unheard of for us :P
I still haven't really gotten around to reading the chapters of Koucha Ouji and HanaKimi in the HtY yet. I dunno why, I just don't want to read them, even tho I do want to read them *lol* I'm irked with both series but for different reasons. KO because it distresses me to see Assam in non youfuku, and know Haruka's the cause of it and wanting to beat an imaginary character over the head isn't healthy for me, and irked with HanaKimi because as much as I love it, I'm sick of Nakajo Hisaya dragging this thing out where Sano says he likes Mizuki but can't find it in his f-witted self to say he knows she's a girl. It's like he likes this girl, tells her that, but continues to let her suffer thinking that maybe it's really guys he likes? Come ON Nakajo...what was once cute and amusing is getting REALLY REALLY aggravating! >_______< End the damned series already! Not to mention Mizuki hasn't "owned up either" as my sister put it. Wonderful, liars in love with each other! What a great story! T_T It's starting to remind me of the Brad Paisley song That's Love only not nearly so witty.
On a side note....why is it fans have such a hard time with pronunciation? O.o I mean, I see these people standing in the manga sections, so presumably some of them, like myself, can actually read Japanese, so why is it pronunciation remains abominable? It's like how at the NISA meeting on Tuesday, a girl I know is in third year Japanese says manga like the English word "man". 3 years and she hasn't figured out how to pronounce this word?
I dunno, maybe it seems snobby and anal of me to say so, but it's just shocking. O.o Japanese is so easy to pronounce on a general basis (foregoing the flipped r's and practically swallowed sounds) that it's completely beyond me why people are so lazy. And I'm not talking the casual fan. To me, other people who are hanging out in the manga section I presume know something about Japanese....and it's just....argh...irksome. So many people purport to be such big fans, but can't manage something so small? Grar, I am a snob I guess T_T
But I digress! Speaking of the aforementioned Musashi, it's a book I highly recommend. It's 900+ pages, and I'm only about half way through it, but I'm enjoying the hell out of it. Yoshikawa Eiji knew how to write an entertaining novel, that's for sure. How accurate it is regarding Musashi's life I don't know, but it's a great book, with something for everyone: friendship, loyalty, sword fighting, love, betrayal, etc. etc. etc. Still, at times Musashi's still a bit of a jerk *lol* Immature, perhaps I could say. He's no Himura Kenshin yet, that's for sure >P
Bwahaha Meg and re-watched the drama of Itazura na Kiss over the past couple of days. Holy crap, it's not good, but it's damned entertaining, especially if you've read the manga. I say this because the Kotoko of the drama is really irritating if you're not already familiar with her character from the manga. To give you an idea, if you didn't like Miaka when you read/watched Fushigi Yuugi Kotoko won't exactly be your cup of tea, at least in the respect she's constantly yelling/exclaiming "Irie-kun!" at various decibles, most of which require you to cover your ears.
But when they chose their Naoki for the drama, they chose perfectly in choosing Kawashibara Takeshi, although he avoids things more than manga-Naoki. Still, I adore the manga (it's hands down one of my all time favorites) and watching the drama is incredibly entertaining if you're willing to allow that they'll follow the main plot if not the tiny details :P
Woo! I can archive after today!
Wednesday, August 27, 2003 :: Comments []
Bukkowasu!
Listening to: Sing a song/Skoop on Somebody
So, I finally sat down last night to watch Battle Royale (or for you hopeless purists in the audience Batoru Rowaiyaru), which my brother had meant to get a real DVD of, but of course managed to actually come away with a bootleg. I've known about this movie forever, longer than it's recent "cult" popularity (esp. among fans of Japanese animation. "Battle Royale is AWESOME", I quote.). This is primarily because the main guy we follow in the movie (Nanahara Shuuya)is none other than Fujiwara Tatsuya, who I'm far more used to seeing on the small screen, in dramas like LxIxVxE, Kimi ga oshiete kureta koto, Tengoku no Kiss, Shin Hoshi no kinka and so on. So it's rather bizarre for me to hear all these people talking about him while having no frame of reference for these dramas he's been in. As I've said in the past, I'm less accustomed to seeing the Japanese actors I see in dramas appear in feature films, simply because in comparison to dramas I've seen very few Japanese movies.
But as for the film itself. I hardly want to start waxing philosophic here, as I think you easily could (I mean, c'mon the one male student put in the worst light was the "tenkousei"), but I'm not alltogether certain just what is was I watched *lol*. I suppose you could say it was a movie with a bunch of Japanese high school archtypes but, and that was the point and the societal commentary but *shrug*
I had to watch it without subtitles, because I didn't have the controller for the DVD player. That wasn't too bad, considering what else have I been studying Japanese for all these years but to actually understand it :P For the most part it wasn't difficult to get. There wasn't a great deal of dialogue that was too much for me, but there was some, and that I basically tuned out *shrug* :P So if anyone thinks there was something incredibly noteworthy that you think I missed by being unable to watch it subtitled, let me know, but somehow I find this doubtful :P
I gotta say, though. >D I got my girly stuff in there....because of course it can't end up with good 'ol Shuuya being alone. Nope, he had to have a suki na hito with him in the end (sorry if this spoils the movie for anyone...MORE THAN ONE PERSON IS ALIVE AT THE END :D). But at the beginning of the movie they were calling each other "Nakagawa" (who's first name is Noriko) and "Nanahara-kun" respectively. But there's one scene in the movie where they go from last names, then she calls him Shuuya-kun, then BOOM, it's just "Shuuya"...and he's calling her Noriko >D fwee------ There are some days where I think politeness in Japanese to be cumbersome and irksome (because it's very easy to put up a wall between you and another person by using it), and some days, like with this, where it's fun to watch it crumble ^O^/ It's one of those things that make me sad those who don't study Japanese can't really get....because translation mostly can't do it justice, since "formal" English and "informal" English isn't nearly as different as formal vs. informal Japanese ^^;;
All right, well, I should go :P Sorry for another cheesy ramble >)
Monday, August 25, 2003 :: Comments []
Okane wo tsukaisugita
Listening to:Natsu no owari/Moriyama Natarou
Had a great weekend ^O^ Went up to Kira's, and met up with Rachael as well ^O^ The four of us (Meg, Kira, Rachael and I) wandered into Mitsuwa where I hadn't planned on spending much money...but did anyway T_T Bought Moriyama Naotarou and Skoop on Somebody's new singles.
I have to tell you, the new single by Moriyama Naotarou (the above mentioned Natsu no owari)....is beautiful. This is his third single, and both this one and the before it (Sakura) sound a great deal different than his first single, which is a good deal more upbeat. These last two singles really sound more...traditional? to me. I'm not sure if that's the exact word I'm looking for, but they're fantastic songs.
Anyhoo, Meg bought the Kinki Kids new single as well (which I like very much ^O^). I still really wanted to buy YuzuSmile...but like last time, I'm cheap when it gets to a certain point, and unwilling to use a credit card (which I don't know if they take there anyway). Happy with the purchases I made, CD wise, anyway ^^;;
On the manga end, I really ended up getting just two one shots I don't know anything about, but look interesting, as well as getting LaLa # 9, while Meg got the last of Alice 19th, Kare ~Firest Love~ #5, and I Love Her 1-4 (hmmm I may have forgotten something).
We then made our way to eat and do karaoke, for which Kumiko joined us. Kumiko is great >) If you never thought anyone actually spoke a combination of Japanese and English all at once, she's the woman to meet! Of course, it doesn't help if you don't know any Japanese, but considering it was the 4 of us, that wasn't exactly a problem :P She's very genki and very fun....but she also just moved to Washington DC in the past couple of days T_T
We spent the night at Kira's, and I read her copy of Sakurazawa Erika's (did I get that name right?) manga Between the Sheets. Ok ^^ Kira, I apologize if you enjoyed it, because I don't have many flattering words for it. I don't think it has to do with translation, I think it's just that it was a very off putting story. In some ways it reminded me of this one shot manga by Konami Youko (who writes one of my current favorite series, Nibiirogenshikou) called Kamakiri, in that one character was completely over obssessed with another, and there was very little....heart to the story at all. I suppose it may be what the author was aiming for...to make you think rather than sympathize with, or like, the characters...but those kind of stories just don't work for me. If I can't like any of the characters I may as well not read it, because I won't like it a bit.
So, sorry to those of you out there that might like it...but for me, I'd much rather have been reading something else entirely. Still, there is a bright side...I can say something about it now *Lol* instead of wondering what it is all these people have been talking about. :P
Hmmm well, I had thought there was something of substance I'd write today. Show's how wrong I was *Lol*
Thursday, August 21st, 2003 :: Comments []
Another Bit of "Wisdom" From the Fanbase
Listening to: the good 'ol tv
Just quickly, I would like to add this bit of wisdome presented to me in a thread at the forums at AnimeNation:
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"Originally posted by RaiZ:
We shouldn't change it in my opinion because Fruits Basket is what the Japanese intended. And since "manga" is clearly marketed to be a japanese comic, then i don't see WHY we should americanize it in the lsmallest amount. Kinda like when people americanize dialoge in anime, because it "sounds better" or makes more sense. It's not the originial creators work, no matter how small or petty it is. And thats basically the last line."
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.........AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH *falls over laughing* *wipes tears from her eyes*
Honestly, that amounts to saying that by calling the movie "The Ring" were "Americanizing" it! This guy has obviously never, in his life, done translation of any kind. The suggestion is laughable.
I don't mean to suggest that fans shouldn't complain about translations. Consumers should complain if they feel a product isn't up to par, but good lord. There's something to be said for being knowledgaeble in regard to that which you're complaining about. I can also understand fans of the manga Power being baffled and upset that they're changing the title in English to "Girl Got Game" or whatever, but somehow I doubt dropping the "s" that fans seem to love saying with "Fruits Basket" (no matter that it sounds and is both incorrect and silly...isn't anyone else a native English speaker as well as Japanese manga/anime fan?? *lol*) is ruining the vision of the author :P One has to wonder if "fruit" had ended up being spelled "Furu-to" in Japanese instead, if fans would insist the English title should be "Fruito Basket"
Ah well, another mini-rant of the day, I suppose! Now I shall go off to watch Yoiko no mikata, a drama Sakurai Shou (as well as pretty much all of Arashi, minus Nino) did earlier this year. It's about a guy who's inspired by his mother to become a pre-school teacher....one thing I want to know...why is it that any pre-school or kindergarten in Japanese dramas are always named "Himawari"? What's so special about the sunflower? *lol*
Wednesday, August 20th, 2003 :: Comments []
Swimming Through Summer
Listening to: Niji/Fukuyama Masaharu (okay....so I don't have the single yet >D it's running through my head!)
Okay, I will officially never be able to watch the movie of Waterboys normally now. Granted, the drama may have completely different characters and make take place a year or two after the events of the movie, but I don't care >D I am completely, wholly, utterly loving this drama. It's no Long Vacation, or Aishiteiru to ittekue, nor is it GTO or Asunaro Hakusho, but I love it to death >D
It's primarily because I think Yamada Takayuki and Moriyama Mirai (who play Shindou Kankurou and Tachimatsu Norio respectively) are just great at their parts, and are great at playing two guys who are best friends. Kankurou is the all around nice guy who's trying in earnest to keep the Shinkuro (Synchronized Swimming) Doukoukai going, and Tachimatsu is the somewhat overly-genki, exhuberant side-kick who we all know immediatly upon sight must have something straining his family life >D
The main reason I like it is because it's both a buddy story and entertaining, if you're not looking for Emmy material. It's the same kind of "under-dog proves everyone wrong" story that's been done a hundred times before, and there's really nothing original about it (except perhaps for the synchronized swimming bit), it's just plain fun.
I love the ending credits, too >) The theme for this drama is the above-mentioned Fukuyama Masaharu single Niji, and includes the five guys coming together one by one and then taking off running, all to on the beat of the chorus *lol* It's just a general happy "life is good, life is fun" kind of feeling.
I'm at a point where I'm being re-newed once more to my love of watching Japanese dramas :P The last time it happened was with Long Love Letter and HaruRanman, and while we'd never stop watching them, we've been a bit slow. Now I'm eager to get to watching Bijou ka yajuu, and even seeing how Egao no housoku turns out, along with checking out a couple other series at Akemiya, and making sure we keep up with Moto Kare. ^^;; Nevermind the fact, Asunaro Hakusho, Risou no kekkon, Kindaichi shounen no jikenbo (MatsuJun version), Narita Rikon, and Hakusen Nagashi are all sitting around here waiting for me to watch them....STILL, a year after we got most of them *lol*
All right, gotta go work on my nikki for my tutor lesson and get to choir!
Monday, August 18th, 2003 :: Comments []
New Week, New Semester
Listening to: Fight!/Fukuyama Masaharu
Today starts the new fall semester...and my final one at ISU (that is I plan for it to be...although I'm trying to find out if there's a new major here in ESL or not...or if it's just a minor, and how plausible trying to get it done would be). I only have two classes, University Choir and Japanese Culture and Society.
I was surprised that there's a new choir director. I knew it was a possibility the last time I was in choir, but that was the spring semester after I got back from study abroad, so I had no idea it actually happened until now. However, the new directer seems like an incarnation of the old one. He's very "genki", very upbeat....I mean, the guy kept thanking then entire choir for being there and wanting to sing. Seems like a really nice guy, although it doesn't help that I don't like rehearsing. Er rather, I should say, I'm very impatient when we first start out on songs. I hate not being able to sing the song right and with confidence ^^;; Like with soccer practice, I hated doing the drills that made up the game, but throw me in a scrimmage and I'm a happy girl :P
I think I'm going to love the Japanese Society and Culture class. It's only once a week, which isn't so great, but I really like the teacher. Most of the students in the class are both seniors and anthropology majors. Maybe we should have minored in anthropology. It's always been something I've been interested in. Ah well, not much to be done about that now ^^;;
But of the other students, they seem to be made up of people who are either taking Japanese or having Japanese as their minor (or both :P)
I love the choice of books for the class as well. There are the culture books, the understanding the diversity books, the cheap but fun literature, and then there's Shounen Jump (er, I suppose that can count as cheap but fun literature, too >D). Yes, that's right, you read correctly. The guy had as buy an issue Shounen Jump. Of course I wish it were the Japanese version, but obviously for a class like this that's completely unrealistic. It bizarrely bothers me to own a copy of the English version of Jump, though. Honestly, I'm just way too used to manga in Japanese. Reading it in English is weird to me...that and the fact I don't really follow any of the series that run in the English version. I've read/own the first volume of Shaman King, and I read/own the first five of Naruto, but aside from that...I haven't read DBZ, One Piece, Yuu Yuu Hakusho, etc.
Actually, my teacher was talking about how the paper quality of the English Jump was so much better, and I just wished right then and there that I could haul out one of my own zasshi just to show the class what he meant *lol* Because he then mentioned how if you really like a series, you really concentrate more on buying the tankoubon, and those are the things you worry about putting on your shelves, and Meg and I just looked at each other with sheepish but conspiratorial grins. Still, the whole discussion in general makes me want to jump up and babble on about Japanese manga :P I know a couple of people in there are also into Japanese anime, but if you know me, my interest really lies more with manga these days, so I'd much rather talk about them than their animated versions.
But speaking of anime....I feel like I'm one of the few students of Japanese language (who is also a fan of Japanese anime and manga) that also insist on pronouncing "anime" the way it's meant to be pronounced. I dunno...if you're a fan who doesn't study Japanese that's one thing, but if you do...it's quite another to me. Or perhaps I'm just completely, wholly, utterly anal and occasionally take the language too seriously. But I guess I feel in a language like English that for the most part makes Japanese easy to pronounce (at least when compared with how easy English is to pronounce for a native Japanese speaker) pronouncing "anime" correctly is not too far outside the realm of possibility. I guess for me it's like when fans rage and pound their fists on the table because the integrity of the Japanese-ness of a Japanese anime or manga is in question because of what a certain American company does to it, but then will argue vehemently that we're not in Japan so why should we use the Japanese definition of something we love that's from Japan. That is to say, exerting a scant amount of effort seems beyond a great deal of people :P
Or maybe it really is just that I'm an anal student of the language >D I think it must be that. I like hearing the words pronounced correctly, and I refuse to alter my pronounciation in that class! We're talking about Japan, after all, and I'm not going to go against my schooling!
We got a package from Masanari today ^O^ I say "we", because when he was in Hawaii, he got Hawaii-themed shirts (you know, solid colors and tropical flowers ^^) for Me, Mom and Megan ^^;; As well as a yellow soccer ball that has the emblem for the 2002 Japan/Korea World Cup ^O^...plus....... this really neat 4 Leaf Clover keychain (mine's currently hanging on my backpack), and a....oh crumbs...I forget already what it's called...and I'm a little lazy to go upstairs and find out...but it's shaped like a fan and on one side it says "Nandeyanen!" and on the other it says "Meccha suki yanen!", and if you have any experience with Things Japanese, you probably already know what I'm talking about ^^;; Meg and I considered buying one at The Loft in Sakae, but we weren't sure if we'd have room in our luggage *lol* THANK YOU MASANARI ^O^/ m(_ _)m
Sunday, August 17th, 2003 :: Comments []
The Good With The Bad
Listening to: Gravity Graffiti/V6
So we dragged ourselves out of bed yesterday morning at 6 am so that we could be on the road to Mitsuwa by 7. We were going to Mitsuwa to soften the blow that was having to attend my sister-in-law's baby shower in Plainfield.
After leaving a half an hour late, we arrived at Mitsuwa around 10 (because we made Mom drive, and I tend to forget Mom doesn't not have the lead foot that I do....then again, I drive slowly compared to some people I know :P). Much to our delight, they had the new V6 album (Infinity Love&Life, which I'm liking a lot ^_^), and Oshio Manabu's new single (Are You Alive?), and Chemistry's new single(Ashita he kaeru). I really wanted to get the new Porno Graffiti single and the Yuzu mini album YuzuSmile but there are priorities and I didn't want to spend so much on music that I wouldn't be able to buy any manga.
Speaking of which, I actually ended up getting two volumes each of two series I've never read, and one of which I've never heard of ^^;; I bought the first two of Teru Teru Shounen (which I've known about but never read) and Kabukinasai. I haven't read the former yet, but I really enjoyed 1 and 2 of Kabukinasai ^O^ It's great because the main guy (Ikuo....or Sennosuke, he goes by both names) is a kabuki actor, and the main girl (Chiyo) is an aspiring fashion designer. Actually, it has the makings of a good drama *lol* Although in a way it reminds me of a younger version of the drama "Brand" ^^;; Bad part is that they HAD #3 but I opted to get only the first two in case I didn't enjoy it much and thusly wouldn't waste more money...I knew I'd regret it *lol*
But the day at Mitsuwa was only complete when I finally saw Them. It's this mom and her daughters who must be at Mitsuwa every weekend because we usually go on Saturdays and they're usually there....and like clockwork, there they were, one of the daughters sporting her cat-ear headband which I am continually shocked she hasn't yet grown out of, nor understand why she think she's cool wearing it O_O
As for the shower....well it wasn't as awkward or as boring as I expected...but it was still awkward and boring T____T Even though Meg and I are going to be aunts to this future kid (and my mom, grandmother!), you wouldn't have guessed it. With the exception of my sister, mom and I, everyone else was either my sister-in-law's family, friends, or co-workers, and as a result, the three of us pretty much felt left out T_____T She didn't even notice our cards to open them up along with the rest of the gifts (we gave money instead of a gift, as none of the stores she registered at are in our area, 2 1/2 hours south of where she and my brother live).
So while it wasn't as awkward as I thought, I'd go to a thousand baby showers held by my friend Amanda before another one like that. At least at Amanda's I felt welcomed and wanted >_< This only makes me resolved to get my future niece or nephew to call me Jamie-bachan even more now *lol*
Er, yeah, so I'm really enjoying the drama of Waterboys ^^;; Although I have a sneaking suspicion it was really only made so teenaged girls could see teenaged boys in speedoes pretty often (for the record, I don't why anyone likes speedoes O.o they just look silly to me really). But anyway, it's pretty cliched, lots of typical school happenings, but I love it >D I love Yamada Takayuki....there's just something about that guy that I like no matter what I see him in...just a really likable face I guess, that and he hasn't played any jerks yet *lol* and I love the tenkousei Norio>D I thought he was going to be extremely irritating when he first arrived on the scene...but he's ended up being one of those kind of characters...annoying at first and endearing as it goes on :P He reminds me a bit of Nakatsu in HanaKimi. I imagine also we're looking at a bit of backround on his family life....don't know that...it just feels that way, because he's such a genki kind of character that his family life must have a dark side. They always do.
Well, school starts tomorrow!! I only have two classes: choir and Japanese Culture ^O^ Although, we've heard that ISU just opened a new major in ESL, so I've emailed someone asking for information about it ^_^ So we'll see what comes up!
Thursday, August 14, 2003 :: Comments []
T______________________T had an entry written and the computer messes up on me...*sigh* I'll write tomorrow after my tutor lesson *lol* because I just don't feel like re-writing it now!
Wednesday, August 13th, 2003 :: Comments []
Into the Land of the Obvious
Listening to: tv
So to combat boredom (and occasionally to incite my anger and remind me of the rampant stupidity in the world) I often post at the forums at Animenation. I don't post often in the "anime" sections, primarily because I just don't watch all that much anymore. Usually it's the manga forum, or the Japanese Culture forum, etc. But there's also what's called an "Ask John" forum. John is considered an "Anime Guru", which is all well and good. Fine. I don't care. What I do care about are the number of people there that seem to think His Word is Law, and anything he says shouldn't be disagreed with because, well, he is after all, the "Anime Guru" of Animenation.
So recently he's started making posting this kind of response when the subject of what should or should be considered "anime" and "manga". The the quote in question is primarily concerned with "manga", he applies the same argument to "Anime". Friends, I submit a quote for your information:
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Quote:
In my personal opinion, TOKYOPOP is simply trying to capitalize on the popularity of manga by licensing "manga-style" works and calling them manga. Again, this is my opion. The word "anime" is a Japanese word used by native Japanese speakers to refer to Japanese animation. Likewise, the word "manga" is a Japanese word that refers to Japanese comics. The word "manga" was never used in any other country, and never referred to anything except Japanese comics until American fans and especially American publishers like TOKYOPOP and Marvel started using it to refer to American or Korean produced comic art that's similar in style to Japanese comics."
End Quote
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.............Now.....is it just me, or is that a complete exercise in the Overly Obvious? That's akin to saying that when we (in English) say "cartoons", we're probably referring to American cartoons as opposed to say, English or French or Japanese cartoons. I think there's only one way to put what I think in a concise manner, and I'm sure you'll forgive the profanity:
No shit, Sherlock!
I mean, honestly, what the hell is the point of making that kind of statement? Of course most Japanese when saying "anime" are going to be referring to their own animation, because that is their primariy scope of reference. It's natural and makes sense. But the way this guy words his opinions, it's as if the Japanese never use "anime" in any other context (by itself, I'm not talking about cases where things are labeled like "Disney no anime", etc.) than to refer to Japanese animation.
So then I felt I need to ask: What then, accounts for Ragawa Marimo's characters in New York, New York, referring to "Tom & Jerry" as "anime"? Granted, it's understood that Tom & Jerry aren't Japanese animated characters, but the word is just thrown out there.
I guess I get so irked because of this guy's tone. My Japanaese-English dictionaries have never given any other definition of "anime" as something other than "animation", nor is manga ever given as anything but "cartoons, comics", and I'll argue vehemently that's all those words mean in Japanese. Yes, when Japanese people are using them 9 out of 10 times they're referencing their own animation and comics, but that doesn't make their definitions as non-country specific words moot. I haven't studied Japanese for so long to be talked down to by this guy.
And by the way "American Anime" now means something like "American cartoons which have a Japanese animation style".....dear lord, it's much easier just dealing with students of Japanese than fans of Japanese animation. They complicate the bejesus out of everything.
But anyway....I re-read the 7 volumes I have of Mekakushi no kuni, which is a manga that runs in Lala, and which I adore and hope is never licensed (gah, say what you will but I'm selfish about some of the Japanese comics I love. Some I just want to keep to myself ^^;;). I like it because it's a pretty typical high school love story with a twist that makes in more interesting. The twist being that our heroine, Kanade, can see the future of someone she touches (not very far into the future really), and our hero, Arou, can see their past. And then enters Namiki to complicate matters, as he too can see people's future :P It's a cute story with extremely likable characters (you can't not like Arou, he's awesome ^^;;), with plenty of "ish" thrown in occasionally to balance the cute.
Tuesday, August 12th, 2003 :: Comments []
The Day Time Stood Still...or The Worst Day of My Life...
.....Was one year ago today. One year ago today, Meg and took our beloved Malamute/German Shepard pup (and by "pup" I mean a full grown 6 year old dog ^^;;) to the nearby vet, concerned because a limp he'd had all summer in his leg had suddenly and alarmingly swelled a day and a half before (we packed up in an hour and returned home from Wisconsin on Sat. but couldn't see the vet until Monday). We'd taken him to the vet earlier, but had been told it was probably not something to be overly concerned about....
...and they couldn't have been more wrong. In all fairness, it was something that wasn't really detectable at the time we first took him in, and there was nothing we could have done even when it was. But the diagnosis was certain and hopeless: bone cancer.
A year later, it still makes me so sad on occasion that I tear up. I remember at the time asking the doctor over and over if we were making the right decision to put him to sleep. I still wonder even now. Were we wrong not to have them amputate his leg? It wouldn't have mattered in the long run...he wouldn't have lived much longer anyway, but were we wrong not to try and lengthen his life? Did we not live up to our obligations as responsible and loving owners that we didn't do that? *sigh*
I have a picture Meg gave me on our birthday. It's of me lying in my bed in our family's cabin in Wisconsin. I'm reading a manga (Sekai de ichiban daikirai) and I'm leaning my forehead on North's head, who's facing the camera when the picture was snapped. I told Meg when she gave me the picture, and it still applies now, that I don't remember the picture ever being taken. So you can imagine how special that picture is to me. For all I remember it could have been taken that Friday night before we hurried home, but I really can't remember. But it's one of my most precious possesions now. To give you an idea just how important, it's one of the very few things I'll bring downstairs with me if there's a tornado warning.
I don't know if it's silly to be so profuse in saying how much I miss him. I can't even put it into words. I still feel so guilty that we let them anesthetize him for the x-ray, but then he never really woke up enough for a real goodbye. He was groggy and barely awake when Meg and I wrapped our arms around him, sobbing. He just got in the car that morning thinking nothing was unusual about the day-and so did we. Of course I'd never prefer for him to have woken up fully only to be put to sleep. I think it's better he wasn't quite aware of what was going on. But that he got into the car that morning, like it was any other day, trusting us as he always did, and then that's how it ended.
But I thank my lucky stars for Blue and Gryff. Mean as it sounds, when we first got Blue (and even later when we first got Gryff), I'd still think "I'd trade you in in a heartbeat if it meant I could get North back". I don't feel that way now of course. I adore Gryff to no end. He and Blue both have gone such a long way to heal the enormous hole North left. It makes me smile to see a lot of North in Gryffin actually. Both are goofy, both know how to play, both are wary of new people (especially guys :P), both get into the garbage and have a rather annoying habit of not waiting to get outside to heed nature's call :P
I'm going to stop here, because I really just want this day to be over. For it to have come and for it to go will be a relief, just to not have "the anneversay" looming ahead. Kind of like burying his ashes up in September last year, it'll bring some closure ^.^
I miss you, my beloved pup! ^.^/
Sunday, August 10th, 2003 :: Comments []
Here and There (tsumari, Randomness)
Listening to: Aoi/Yuzu
Ooooohkay, so apparently the posting of the story wasn't such a great idea ^^ With the exception of Cali's typed "shouts" of glee over the fact none of my characters are currently stuck in a forest of some kind, I've gotten no feedback whatsoever ^^;; So I'm going to assume:
1.) No one else read it or
2.) It didn't suck badly enough for anyone to comment on it ^^;;
I was surprised to find out that Gregory Hines died today. I'm shocked at how sad it makes me. It's not as if I followed his career closely or were overly fond of him, but I always liked him very well in anything I saw him in. I suppose you could say I always thought, silly as this may sound, that he was a really neat person. I don't even dance and I always appreciated his work to keep tap dance alive. Plus he was only 57, and he always seemed like an extremely vibrant, really alive person. It really is too bad ;_;
So something wonderful happened. I wish you all could hear the dripping sarcasm in my voice when I say that >) The warehouse workers and truck drivers for our grocery store (er, for Albertson's stores in general) have gone on strike. It does put some added pressure on our department, but it's not farmstand I'm concerned about. Thing is, added on to this blissful event is the fact we are currently Without Head Floral Lady, as our former floral lady was fired not two weeks ago.
Now, a month ago we also got a new store manager, whom everyone smiles at but no one really likes. Well, it seems to me that he thinks I am our former floral lady. I do know how to do many things for the floral department (bud vases, fresh arrangements, cutting, upgrades, ordering, etc.) but the fact of the matter is, is that I'm not a fully trained floral manager. I don't know how to do all the work that's required, and it feels to me like he thinks I can, even though he has no reason to believe so.
So it's with glee that I hear from the visiting Head Floral lady from the 1503 store (which is about a 10 min drive from our store) that with this strike it means floral departments will only receive one shipment a week until the strike is over.....which is fine, until you consider that our largest moneymaker (the 3 bunches for $10 flowers) all have ****5**** day codes, meaning we'd have to throw them all out before a new load came in two days after that. #__________________# My, what fun this week is going to be, I can see it now!!! T___________T Wah, if we weren't going to Mitsuwa on Saturday, I just might cry *lol* Well, not cry, but I'm seriously considering pulling a few handfulls of hair out of my head!! :P
Friday, August 8th, 2003 :: Comments []
Story Time, Part 2
Gonna post more of that story I was writing, that I posted some time ago here in my blog :P Say what you will about it, but don't be TOO cruel *Lol* Constructive criticism is appreciated, "You suck! You can't write", is not >D
Chapter One:
Nelegainan stumbled, tripping over a log or some such in the darkness. He cursed under his breath, fearing anything louder would attract more attention. Not that the tripping didn't already do as much, he thought, sparing the briefest of moments for dark humor.
But the stumble had cost him dearly, sending a wave of pain washing over him, and he gasped at the intensity of it. The wound that ran down his leg was deep, and it was no small amount of blood that poured from it, despite the attempt he'd made to stop it. Mage though he was, his magic was failing him at the moment.
Perilously close behind, he heard the sound of the Queen's Guard, the hooves of their mounts pounding the earth, in search of him. That he had ever paid such a woman homage and tribute nearly made the bile in his stomach rise to his throat, but that was Past, and the important thing to consider at the moment was saving his own skin, not how to stop Queen Edeillyn from carrying out her plot. That was for later.
Another stumble over an unseen obstacle sent him sprawling onto his back, momentarily disorienting him enough that he lost the direction he'd been fleeing in. Shouted orders from the Captain of the Queen's Guard soon helped him re-establish it, but he soon found it little help; he couldn't get to his feet One wounded too seriously and the other quaking under his full weight so badly it practically threatened to fall off.
Nelegainan looked wildly around. His only hope now was a Door, but they were few and far between in the Queen's Forest. Even if there were, he wasn't sure he could summon enough Power to unlock it.
"Ssssssst, Nelegainan ," the voice behind him made him whirl around, and when his eyes fell upon the speaker, he was certain he was done for.
"Avvylys," he said gravely. Friends in youth, they had grown apart in their years of service to the Queen. A flicker of the old light he remembered in Avvylys's eyes from childhood sparked in his old friend's eyes.
"Don't look so sober. I'm here to help you."
"Sweet Dhana, do you ask for execution?" Nelegainan asked incredulously. Avvylys looked at him dryly.
"She'll never know. I've learned how to hide things from her." He paused, shook his head slightly before looking back at Nelegainan with a seriousness that spoke volumes. "I am not what you think I have become."
"I hope not," was all Nelegainan could think to say. Avvylys let the remark go.
"You must promise me one thing in return for my help."
Nelegainan frowned.
~ Not what I think he has become~, he thought sourly. It was exactly something he would expect of the current Avvylys. Of course there would be a price. The generous Avvylys of youth had long ago been replaced by greed. Finally, he nodded.
"Whatever you want." He couldn't argue, after all, he needed to get somewhere safe.
"Promise me you will find a way to depose Edeillyn. You will need to get word to King Sanoer, but where I send you, you will be hard put to get back. It can be done, but it will be draining on your Power. I can't send you elsewhere. It's too dangerous. Too easy for Them to get at you. I will do what I can here, but that is frighteningly little"
Nelegainan went wide-eyed at his words. This wasn't what he had expected at all. Without thinking, he reached out and laid a hand on Avvylys's shoulder. "I'm sorry to have doubted you for so long. May Dahna forgive me." Strangely, the words seemed to pain his friend. Avvylys shook his head.
"I will make a Door to the Realm of Man. You won't be yourself, but your memory will remain intact, and you Power as well, as long as I do this right."
Nelegainan nodded, Avvylys was doing all he could under the circumstances.
"Get back a little", said the other Mage and Nelegainan scrambled-wound and all- to obey, pausing only enough to see the Queen's Guard just appearing through the foliage.
Avvylys closed his eyes, summoning his Power, and suddenly threw his arms wide, a Door appearing just before them. Distressed at it's obviousness, Nelegainan warned, "You will be found out." Avvylys ignored him and unlocked the Door."Avvylys!"
"I can protect myself. Now go!" Without another word he shoved Nelegainan through the Door. He closed it just as the Queen's Guard pounded up, reigning in sharply. The Captain, Myriboc, eyed him.
"It's done then?"
Avvylys only nodded."Lord Nelegainan is safely out of the Queen's way. He shouldn't be a threat to her any longer, nor should he be able to return."
"And he whom Nelegainan replaced?" the captain didn't bother with formalities.
"If the spell worked, he should be back in the Solarium under lock and key. He was living a dreamless sleep, so he shouldn't be hard to keep under control."
Myriboc nodded again, satisfied. "The Queen will be pleased with your work, Mage. We shall return to the castle. The Queen will be expecting you." He motioned to the other guards, and moments later the sound of hoof beats retreated until Avvylys was quite alone.
It was only then the Mage allowed himself to crumple to his knees and sob into his hands. It was a dark day in Phaerie, indeed, when a White Elf was forced to betray his friend.
* * *
Holly tucked a loose bit of hair behind her ear, and shifted the weight of her backpack so that it rested more evenly.
The flowers in the bouquet she held made her sneeze, but she didn't care. They were Jack's favorite. She pressed the up arrow button on the elevator and stepped inside when it arrived, barely even having to look at the panel of numbers for the five. It had been floor five, room 573 now for two years, and was impossible to forget.
It had happened on the eve of Jack's 16th birthday. Typically like Jack, instead of celebrating the fact he could now get a driver's license, he was symbolically mourning the loss of his childhood.
"What's important is life," she remembered him saying, "and that gets harder as you get older." It was then they'd heard the terrible sound of screeching tires behind them (they'd been walking the stretch of three blocks between Holly's own house and Jack's) and Holly remembered very little after that. She had awaken barely injured, just a slight fracture to one arm. But Jack, Jack hadn't woken up, but he was still alive, trapped in the slumber of a coma.
As she got to the room, she knocked on the door, alerting Jack's mother to her presence. Holly had come every other day since the Accident.
"Good afternoon, Mrs. Callahan." She said cheerfully. The woman was practically like a second mother to Holly.
"Good afternoon, Holly. Brought some flowers, I see," she said warmly, kissing Holly's cheek and moving to find a vase for the bouquet.
"His favorite," assented the girl, laying the bunch down on the movable tray next to Jack's bed. She was surprised to see a little more color in his face than usual. Obstinately, she didn't allow herself to be any more hopeful than on any other day. Still, she did allow herself one comment. "He looks good today."
"Doesn't he?" Mrs. Callahan replied brightly." He hasn't looked so well in months, and then I come in this morning and he looks great. Almost like he really were just sleeping." She looked at her son wistfully. "Someday."
Holly could only smile and nod encouragingly. She had never voiced her doubts to Jack's mother. It would be too cruel.
"Well, I'm going to head home, get some work done. Pape's to grade whether I'm there or not!" replied the older woman. "Thomas will come up after dinner, so just take your time." Thomas was Jack's father.
"Sure." Holly replied. "I'll see you." And Jack's mother swept out of the room, humming happily to herself. For once, she had something resembling good news to take home to her family.
It was times like this that Holly didn't know what to do with herself. It was just her and Jack, and Jack wasn't talking. Should she talk to him? "Watch" tv with him? She was never sure, and often times resorted to both, watching his favorite shows and making comments along the way.
Despite herself, she really had to admit he looked much better than usual today. Normally he looked pale and fragile, but today there was color and an almost rosy tint to his cheeks.
"Well, I'll be right back, gonna grab something to eat while we're watching tv!" she said, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. In spite of appearances, there seemed something unusual about it all. Setting the vase of flowers on the sill to catch the sun, she slipped out of the room and down the hall back toward the elevators. Taking one to the first floor, she pondered her choice of snacks in front of the vending machine, trying to ignore the fact she was purposefully putting off going back up to the room.
But she couldn't stay there all day, and eventually it was inevitable. Even if she chose to go home now, she'd left her backpack sitting in the chair next to his bed, and she couldn't go home without it, stuffed as it was with various books and papers she needed. Choosing a can of pop and a candy bar, she padded back to the room.
If only she had known what she was going to find there, she'd have broken into a run.
* * *
He felt like he was falling endlessly, but without moving. It was the strangest sensation he'd ever felt, despite being a Mage for so many years. Wind roared in his ears, but not a single gust whipped at his hair nor at his clothes, and if pressed he would as likely tell someone he was suspended in mid-air as falling. He couldn't see anything, either.
He'd been through plenty of Doors in his lifetime. All those who lived in Phaerie had. It was a fact of life. But he'd never been through a Door like this one. Normally one would open a Door and walk through into the next World, just as if they'd opened a door from one room to another inside a building. But Nelegainan-nor anyone else he knew-had ever fallen through a Door.
Suddenly, he was no longer falling. He never landed, but he knew he wasn't falling anymore. The floor just seemed to come up to meet him, without the normal repercussions such a long fall would have meant. Although completely out of his element, he turned his attention to the wound in his leg, and was shocked to find it gone. There wasn't even so much as a tear in the fabric to suggest it had ever been there. What had Avvylys done? This was nothing like going through any regular Door. There was something seriously wrong.
He looked all around him, his eyes straining for some sign of anything, and fell upon something small and white, and very far off. He himself seemed to be lit by some light, but he couldn't find the source. All he knew was the he could see his body, and could see the object, but everything else was completely black. Even leaning close to the ground, which crunched lightly under his feet and was slightly springy, there was no way to tell where it stopped and the "sky" began. It was a universal black, and unnerving in a way he couldn't put to words.
Feeling he had no other choice, Nelegainan collected himself and strode off in the direction of the small object. What was immediately apparent was that it was not as small as he had first believed; it only seemed so because of the distance.
Still, he couldn't quite believe what he was seeing. Then again, seeing anything in this place seemed like Dhana's blessing.
As he approached, it become clear the "object" looked something like a bed, but not like any Nelegainan had seen before. Made of metal, it had wheels on the bottom, and the mattress and blankets were of a bulky white material. But what was stranger still was the form lying in the bed. It nearly broke his heart.
Black, curly hair encircled a pale, drawn face, and closed eyes were ringed with dark circles. He, for it was most certainly male, was thin, almost painfully so, and despite his sleep, sweat glistened on his forehead. The sleep itself seemed unnatural. Nothing like a normal night's rest. This boy was trapped in it. The Mage frowned. He knew of this kind of thing, but had never seen it himself. It was perhaps the most pitiable thing Nelegainan had ever seen.
But what was this boy doing here, in this nothingness? I should ask myself the same question, he thought with a bit of dry humor. But very slowly it began to dawn on him, and he felt his stomach sink to his feet.
~ I will make a Door to the Realm of Man, Avvylys had said. You won't be yourself, but your memory will remain intact, and some of your Power as well, as long as I do this right~ It was the "You won't be yourself", part of it that nearly made his legs collapse under him.
Certainly Avvylys hadn't meant that he become this child? This child? It must be a mistake. Avvylys had said it would be difficult to get back, but trapped in a sleep as one dead would make it an impossibility. His heart skipped a beat, nearly froze.
But what choice did he have, really? You couldn't open another Door while you remained between one world and another. In other words, he couldn't open another door now, not while the one Avvylys had opened for him remained in a kind of limbo. Trying that would only result in an imbalance of powers, and if Nelegainan had learned nothing else in his years since he'd attained his Mageship, it was that an imbalance of powers resulted in things that were best left not discussed. This meant he couldn't go back, either. He swallowed hard.
He was stuck.
Sweet Dahna, he thought, I hope Avvylys knew what he was doing.
He had no choice. Without another moment's hesitation, he placed his hand on the boy's chest, and stepped through the Door.
Chapter Two
These days Avvylys preferred not to think of the past. It would be perhaps too melo-dramatic to say it was too painful, but it was the most succinct way to put it.
How things had come to this, the White Mage wasn't sure. It had seemed to happen in the blink of an eye, but he knew it had started the day all those years ago Edeillyn had come into her own as queen.
And at the time, he and Nelegainan had been eager to serve. Fresh into their Mageships, keen on impressing the new White Queen, they had both applied to serve under her. The years since hadn't been so kind. There had been a time when White and Dark Elf mingled without suspicion, but the last decade had seen friendly relations between the two kin fall apart so as to be almost nonexistent.
No one was sure exactly why it had happened. There was no one event, no defining thing that anyone could pinpoint to explain it. Edeillyn's coronation had been a grand event. Nothing so grand and lavish had been seen for five hundred years; a long time even by Elvyn reckoning. Kings and Queens from the furthest provinces had attended, none leaving any misgivings about how the young Queen would rule.
But just how things had gone downhill was a complete mystery. Where once the Grand Council had influence with the White Elvyn rulers, no longer was it the case. Where once the voice of the people was constantly considered, their clamor to be heard now fell upon deaf ears. And where friendships had existed between Dark and White Elf, suspicion and mistrust now made it the exception, not the rule.
He had loved serving Edeillyn in the beginning. Every sign pointed to a benevolent, fair, hard-working queen. Her father, Tamseil, had been the most beloved King the provinces had seen in a millennia, and the sudden death of a still young and vigorous ruler had shaken the people to their core. But Edeillyn had risen to the challenge, calming and reassuring the people that her father would not be forgotten, nor would things change once she assumed her role as queen.
But slowly, almost imperceptibly, life in the White Elf provinces-Adair, Calynsyf, Operiel, Neam, Yynsor, Maerynvoar, Ryniu, Barahyr, Wyvan, and Iydril- deteriorated. It wasn't so much a standard-of-living, but a question of the freedom of the people. Myriboc's men were everywhere these days, spreading rumors that troops of the Dark Elf King Sanoer were attacking villages along the boarder between Belaesa (the White Elvyn country) and Helaer (Nelegainan's country of birth). They intimidated town mayors, beat farmers for mere slights (real or imagined), and in general spread fear and confusion. They claimed to be doing the Queen's work, but questions were met with violence and reproach.
Amidst all this, the Dark Elves in service to Queen Edeillyn were beginning to disappear. Kaelyngail and her brother Sunfaer left for a visit home and never made it. Fyrnesol, Quinrea, and Dannoer, last seen at a pub in Salyyn, the capital, were found murdered 3 weeks later near the boarder of Kaenlor (the closest Helaeren province). Umhoeryn and Wylairn were arrested and charged with spying for Sanoer. Dark Elf merchants were increasingly hard pressed to find markets to sell their goods, or ports that would welcome them.
As it was, only a handful of Dark Elves remained in Edeillyn's court, and one of them-Nelegainan-had soon found himself on the wrong end of her anger. It was nothing he had done specifically, but Avvylys knew why he had been targeted. He was powerful. Nelegainan tended to be humble about how strong he was and how much he could do, but the fact of the matter was that the young Dark Elf was a powerful mage, and not even fully into his power.
But what disturbed the White Elf mage more than anything, he supposed, was that up until now Edeillyn hadn't targeted Nelegainan. Certainly the other Dark Elves were powerful and influential, but everyone at court-whether or not they would admit it openly-knew that Nelegainan would most likely one day achieve Master Adept status, the most powerful level any mage could attain.
It was then it occurred to Avvylys that this was precisely the wrong time to be furiously worrying over Nelegainan's fate. Of course he was concerned for his friend, but he also knew that if anyone could get out of the situation that Nelegainan was in now, it was the Dark Elf. As it was, Avvylys had put himself in an acutely uncomfortable position. If Edeillyn even so much as entertained the thought he might disobey her, his life was as good as forfeit. And he had done far more than disobey her. He may have acted on her orders to get him to try for an escape through a Door, but not only had he seen to it that Nelegainan would likely be able to return through a Door, but had seen to it that he had retained his powers in the other world. Normally this wasn't a problem. One was ruled by the forces of the world he or she was on, except that the Door always worked. But Avvylys had expended a great amount of energy seeing to it a tiny thread of Nelegainan's power remained tethered to their world when he's passed through the door, like a piece of string passing under a door from one room to another.
He strode down the corridor toward the Solarium, his footsteps echoing off the walls in an eerie manner. It hadn't been done often, this kidnapping of those from other Worlds, but it wasn't unheard of. Still, passing willingly through a Door from one World to another was one thing, forcibly going was an entirely different matter. Those who fought it tended to hurt themselves in the transportation.
But Avvylys had never dealt with a situation like this. He'd never heard of someone in a living sleep being transported, and when Edeillyn had suggested it his heart had nearly turned to ice. He shivered. This was all so much more than he'd bargained for in his aspirations to serve the Queen. He'd wanted to serve a good Queen, not have to act like her lapdog and pageboy in things that threatened to tear the Provinces apart. Tamseil would have been horrified to see the state of them now, and wonder what had happened to his daughter that she could do such things.
He sighed, taking up a key that hung at his belt. He unlocked the door, muttering the words to the spell that would break the magical wards that worked as a backup.
He was completely unprepared for what he saw.
Where a bed with a young boy in it should be, there was only a pallet remaining. Draws and cupboards were flung open, and what little contents they held were strewn across the floor. And worst of all, a head with dark curly hair was disappearing over the edge of the single window.
Blessed Dhana- was all Avvylys had time to think before he was across the room, reaching a strong arm over the sill and grasping tightly at the boy's clothes. This wasn't happening. It couldn't happen, could it? He hauled the boy into the room, practically barking out Words of Power at the window, warding them. He knew without a doubt he hadn't forgotten to ward the door earlier, even at so great a height as the solarium was. What in the goddess's name had happened?
As Avvylys released him, the boy scrambled to the far side of the room, putting several pieces of furniture between himself and the White Elf. He was breathing hard, and the mage could tell he was terrified.
And no wonder, he thought sympathetically, wouldn't you be? He sighed.
"I'm not going to hurt you," he said levelly, rising slowly to his feet and brushing the front of his tunic off. "I'm sure you'd like to know what's going on."
He wasn't certain at all what to do. Edeillyn couldn't find out about this. If either of them were to stay alive, Avvylys had to win his trust. A tricky thing when his own fate hung so precariously in the balance.
"My name is Avvylys ap A'Vel. I can help you, but you've got to come out from there." He tried throwing a touch of sternness into his voice, without sounding threatening, but wasn't sure he'd achieved it.
"Where the hell am I?" the boy demanded, without so much as moving an inch. Between a dresser and a desk, a scared but defiant gaze met his eyes. Avvylys sighed.
"The province of Adair, in the capital."
"Province?" he looked utterly bewildered by this."I saw the car coming and I pushed Holly out of the way. What happened? Where's Holly?"
It was Avvylys's turn to be utterly bewildered. He knew vaguely what cars were; noisy, gaseous horseless carriages (granted, they were leagues faster than horses, or even elvensteed), but whomever this person named Holly was nor what they had to do with the boy Avvylys hadn't a clue in the slightest.
"You were in a waking sleep when you arrived here. You still should be. I don't know why or how you're awake." He replied feebly. Better to tell the truth, he thought. He sighed inwardly. Today was not a day that he felt like the Master Mage he was.
"Waking sleep? A coma?" Though the White Elf was unfamiliar with the term it clearly held the same meaning and he watched as the gravity of the information settled itself in the boy's head. He pushed the desk away half a foot. "How long?"
"Pardon?"
"The coma-waking sleep-whatever. How long was I asleep?" He demanded. Avvylys frowned slightly.
"I don't know."
"I want a mirror," was the next sharp demand. For the first time, Avvylys wondered if perhaps this boy's friends and family hadn't benefited from his un-waking state. Immediately he chastised himself. It was a terrible fate to wish on anyone, least of all a young boy. He nodded with his head toward the dresser, above which hung an elaborately framed mirror. "I'm going to stand. If you even move an inch nearer I'll throw myself out the window." The White Elf felt it pertinent not to mention the window was now warded more heavily than the drawbridge and moat combined and let the boy retain some semblance of control. He had to admit though, if he wasn't bluffing, it was one amazing threat.
The boy lifted himself to his feet, a little unsteady as he did so. He laid a hand against the cold stone wall to steady himself and shuffled toward the mirror some five feet away.
* * *
Okay so that's as much as I have written. It's nothing spectacular, but it keeps me entertained :P
Thursday, August 7, 2003 :: Comments []
Hoshiimono
Listening to: the tv
T___________________T Two days ago, V6's new album (called "Infinity ~Love&Life~") was released! argggghhhh....album, I want you! *lol* Hopefully when we go to the baby shower next week we can drop by Mitsuwa where they might *crosses fingers in hope* have it T____T
Wednesday, August 6th, 2003 :: Comments []
The Scary World of Babies
Listening to: WGN Radio
So yesterday, at 5:28 p.m. my friend Amanda had a baby girl (which you can see a picture of here). 7 lbs even and 20 inches long. I can hardly believe it. Honestly, I still consider myself a kid, and here one of my friends is a mom (and another is MARRIED)!!
To tell you the truth, I adore my friend, but it's also amazingly uncomfortable for me *lol* I love kids...but the whole baby thing @_@ I just don't know how to deal with babies! *lol* God I sound cruel, and I don't mean to. ^^;; Maybe it's just because the idea of my actually have a kid is so out of this realm for where I am in my life right now that I can't quite comprehend it all ^^;; That's why going to my sister-in-law's baby shower on the 16th is not going to be fun in the least. Lots of moms or mom-to-be and their kids, and Meg and I off to the side, still basically seen as kids as opposed to 22 year old young women (despite how *I* see myself, it'd be nice for other ppl to see me as older! :P) we are, even if we are going to be this kid's (I saw "kid" because my sister in law didn't want to know the sex of the baby until it's born) aunts. I just hope our plan to get the kid to call us "ba-san" or "ba-chan" is realized >D! That'd annoy the hell out of my sister-in-law :P
Elizabeth, so you liked FLCL? *lol* I saw the first three episodes in Japanese a while ago and just could never finish it. Mind you, I in no way think it's bad. It's just very clearly not my kind of thing *lol* Much too strange and bizarre and disconnected *Lol* But I did catch some of it on CN last night and, like you, was pretty impressed with the way it's dubbed. Some of the cast even flipped their R's. I was floored. Very, very impressed. Scary how the more Japanese I learn, the less uptight I become about dubs (even if I still would rather know what they're saying in Japanese :P).
Monday, August 4, 2003 :: Comments []
I Prefer The Movie Ending
Listening to: Mata aeru hi made/Yuzu
So I just finished reading the same book Meg finished a few days ago: Seabiscuit: An American Legend", having seen the movie last week. And I have to say, I much prefer it's ending *lol*
Don't get me wrong. The book is fantastic, and made me wish I had been alive to see this horse race. Reading it, I wished desperately for a documentary in the vein of Ken Burns' The Civil War or Baseball, so I could hear the narrators voice, which was used in parts in the movie in documentary style.
But as Megan so aptly pointed out, the story does not stop at the race with War Adimiral, nor Seabiscuit's victory in his final race in the Santa Anita Handicap. The lives of those involved do go on, and not all ended happily. I got completely choked up when the booked talked of Seabiscuit's death, at the relatively young age of 14, and I nearly cried. To have lived in that time and felt the frenzy and the fervor, for those that loved that horse, it must have been awful!
So today you're treated with a somewhat short, pointless entry, but I do very much recommend this book ^O^/ It's by Laura Hillenbrand, so go out and buy it, and enjoy ^_^//
Sunday, August 3rd, 2003 :: Comments []
Waterboys....the drama?
Listening to: Ain't Nothin' Like/Brad Paisley
Hmmmmmm, so someone in Japan decided that on the heels of the relative popularity of the movie Waterboys back near the end of 2001, that in the summer of 2003 what Japanese tv needed more than anything else during the long days of July, August, and September was a drama version of said story.
That's right, you read correctly, a drama version.
The sad, pathetic part being that I actually rented the first tape, and though silly and stupid, enjoyed it. I've adored Yamada Takayuki in the series I've seen him in so far (Koi ga shitai <---his storyline with the older woman was the ONLY good part of this otherwise insipid series, Long Love Letter, and Lunch no Joou) and there's an element of the buddy story that I have a soft spot for, even if said buddy is a somewhat over-exhuberent, somewhat odd looking kid (played by Moriyama Mirai)...who, I swear to god, I'm shocked to discover is NOT a Johnny's. I took one look at him and thought it was a sure thing. But no, as with Yamada Takayuki, I was wrong!
Anyway, the story takes place a few years (IIRC) after all the characters from the movie have, in theory, graduated and put their synchonized swimming days in high school behind them.
It's harmless fun, if not all that smart. I'll likely rent more, especially considering a Fukuyama Masaharu song is featured as the show's ending theme (calle Niji, or "Rainbow"). I like a buddy story, I can't help it ^^;;
Friday, August 1, 2003 :: Comments []
Why Do the Bees Hate Me?!
Listening to: the fan?
So after four great hours (or so, give or take a few minutes ^.^V) of talking to Masanari on the phone last night I called Gryffin to take him outside. So I'm wandering around the yard when I feel something on my leg (I was wearing long but light-weight PJ bottoms and a top to match <---given to me by the host mom almost two years ago now!) and all of the sudden it starts to hurt. So, I knew immediatly something at least bit me T_T and decided it was time to go inside, after shaking the hell out of my pant leg.
So I got inside, and and heard a buzzing sound, and then I knew the damn thing was still inside my PJs T___T and here's where the fun part is, and you can all laugh heartily at me....but I practically jumped out of my PJs right then and there >D I had to make a dash for my bedroom for fear someone would wake up and find me not alltogether dressed in the kitchen! *lolol*
But that also means that now the retchid insect was flying around the kitchen, much to one of our cats' (Prufrock) delight. But Meg managed to trap the thing in a tupperware container and released it outside. I then inspected my leg and hip, to discover the damnable thing got me not once, not twice, not three times, but a nice, round, four freaking times! T______T And no stinger! So for all I know it's flying around out there tonight as well, waiting for some unsuspecting dog owner to so much as consider letting their dog wander into my yard!
Actually, it wouldn't be so bad, except that even I'm not allergic to bee stings, it was still red and itchy all today, and while not swollen, the whole area around it about 2-3 inches was kinda raised (yeah I know, like you all want to hear the gorey details :P), but it's looking better. Still, it's irksome and slightly painful and I, like any normal person, don't take kindly to pain.
Anyway, so that's the story from last night >D What a nice way to start off after an archiving!
Oh yes, Kira started a Manga Forum, so GO JOIN IT like I did, so it can be filled with people ^_^ There're forums for both English and Japanese version of manga, so don't be shy if you don't read manga in Japanese >)
Friday, August 1, 2003 :: Comments []
Archivage!
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*Thanks to Jenna for putting the pic up for me and basically single-handedly making this layout for me!!!!! Sankyuuuuuu---^.^v
Archives
Comments, please ^_^v
Name:
Jamie
Age:
22
Interests:
Japan, Japan, Japan. And reading :P My world revolves around things Japanese
I am also a complete and utter addict of the tv show The West Wing, and a Josh/Donna shipper 100% ^_^v
Ever been to Japan?:
Yup, three times. First time, 6 weeks, summer of 1998, Nagareyama-shi, Chiba-ken. Second time, Fall 2001, 4 months, Nagoya, Aichi-ken ^.^v And finally, summer 2003 for a 10 day trip(Nagoya, Kyouto, Nara, Gifu, Mie)
Manga:
Okay, here goes, in no particular order:
Mars, Kanata-kara, Hikaru no Go, Inuyasha, Sekai de ichibandaikirai, Hanazakari no kimitachi e, New York New York, Massugu ni ikou, Itazura na Kiss, Gertrude no Recipe, Bleach, Koucha Ouji, Nanji nayamu koto nakare, Hot Gimmick, Mekakushi no kuni, Psychometrer Eiji,
and a TON more!
Fav. j-pop groups, in no particular order:
V6!, Yuzu, Porno Graffiti, Spitz, Kiroro, Misia, Something ELse, Fukuyama Masaharu, Chemistry, Gospellers, Kuwata Keisuke, Skoop on Somebody, Arashi, Kinki Kids, SMAP, Matsu Takako, Exile, Panicrew, Tokio
and again, a ton more
Fav. Japanese dramas:
Long Vacation, Virgin Road, Meguri Ai, Love Story, Namida o fuite, Aishiteiru to itte kure, Nemureru Mori, Koi wa aserazu, Bokura no Yuuki, Beautiful Life, Summer Snow, Long Love Letter, Asunaro Hakusho, Perfect Love, Team, PS Genki desu Shunpei, Hitotsu Yane no Shita 1 & 2, Oishii Kankei, Itazura na Kiss, Mukodono, Kimi wa Pet! etc.
Contact:
e-mail: jun_inohara@hotmail.com
AIM: JunInohara
ICQ: 146249241
MSN: sueyoshi03@hotmail.com
Layout: v. 9.0! Done by Jenna, as it says at the top ^.^ It's from the fantastic manga series Nanji nayamu koto nakare, which I highly recommend ^o^/ The girl is Naru, and the guy is Chiaki.
My Japanese Dorama List
My manga list
My j-poplist!
This gif of Jamie ddr-ing was made by Amy and it was edited from the ddring bunny. YAY AMY!
Friends:
+Kiripin
+Katherine
+Megan
+Talia
+Lauren
+Hilo
+Jenna
+Amy
+Chloe
+Melissa
+Giro
+Kris
+Annie
+Joy
+Kira
+Elizabeth
+Rachael
+Masanari
+Serge
+Cali
+Kevin
+Levi
+Jenni
+Sumudu
+Jenny
Links:
+Nagoya
+Nanzan
+Yoridori
+Masanari's Page: Serendipity
+Pitas' Main Page
+Inspired inkings
+Inspired Inkings: Manga Forum
+J-Ent
+Sengoku o togi zoushi
+Anime-Forums
+AnimeNation
+WGN Radio
+Nakajo Hisaya
+Yamada Nanpei
+Uta-Net
+Engrish
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