My top ten favorite anime ending songs in no particular order and not complete by any means. I went more for a survey of good anime ending themes out there that might not always be the best known (or may be very popular already.) I think I cover a wide range of anime between shoujo, shounen, jousei and mecha.
1. I love it when the first chords of the ending song kick into the end of the anime episode. The quintessential example of this of Fushigi Yuugi's ending "Tokimeki no Doukousen," especially with the ending of the first episode which gave me the feeling, ah this anime is going to be epic. The Yuu Watase manga illustration at the end was beautiful as well. Note: I have not watched the anime nor read the manga in its entirety and still plan to one day.
2. Full Metal Alchemist is noted for its great music, and if I could, I would include all the songs in my list. If had to pick my top (and it's a real hard choice), I would pick FMA's second ending theme Yellow Generation's "Tobira no Mukou E" because I love the way the beginning of the song kicks in at the end of the episode, which gives me a tingling sense of anticipation. I didn't really fall for FMA until the mid-teen episodes, and then rapidly, before I knew it, I was hooked. Oddly enough, Crystal Kay's "Motherland" is probably overall the crowd's least favorite ED, but it's the most re-listenable one and is a constant on my playlist, more so than most other songs. FMA did the progression of ending themes very well from the angsty and slightly bitter-toned Nana Kitade song "Kesenai Tsumi" or "Inerasable Sin" (I love the acoustic raw-breath version even more), the frustration and desperation felt in Tobira with it's opening lyrics, "The two of us are screaming, even now" (paired with music that is somewhat forward-looking and ends with a sense of hope), the nostalgic "Motherland" and finally the wistful Sowelu's "I Will." I found the last image in the ED 2 video very poignant, when the snowflake melts from the warmth of Ed's real hand and doesn't in his metal arm.
3. Honey and Clover 1st ending Sunohair's "Waltz" just pairs one of my favorite ending songs with my favorite anime. One of Honey and Clover's winning points (besides great character, plot, comedy drama and animation) is music, since it was named after to albums. Especially since the first half of season 1is so much more light-hearted than the rest of the series, this ending just embodies hope and youth. (And yes, I love it when the first chords of the ending kicks in at the end.)
4. Detective Conan Ending 17 - "Overture" by Inaba Koshi (of B'z). Yes, this is the song I really fell in love with B'z, who have done other Detective Conan related music. There are songs that the first time you hear it, it sense shivers down your spine. It was once said that Inaba Koshi's voice is one of Japan's national treasures, and I whole-heartedly agree. Matsumoto Tak and Inaba Koshi are really a dream combination. Overall, Detective Conan boasts an awesome OP and ED collection--sometimes I like the animations of the OP and ED even better than the story because they're angsty and more romantic than the actual series.
5. Full Moon wo Sagashite is a music anime so inevitably the music has to be good. I loved all of Changin' My Life's songs for this anime and Myco truly made "Mitsuki" shine. My favorite songs, if I had to pick one, would be first ending "Myself" (though my ultimate favorite would be Route L version of "Eternal Snow," which I wish was longer and recorded with better acoustics.) Nonetheless, I pick for best ending "New Future" because I just love how they use the song in the last episode and it ties the whole anime together-- it really brought tears to my eyes. And I loved how Tanemura Arina tied in the "New Future" lyrics in volume 7 of the manga. Anyhow, love them all.
6. Naruto's 1st ending theme Wind by Akeboshi. I know it's a cliched choice, yet is there any other subsequent ending theme that fits "Naruto" so well? I personally find this one of the most beautiful and poignant anime ending themes ever, the way it starts out with the flute, the vocals kick in, even the wispy animation. This was my first introduction to Akeboshi, and I fell in love with his music and lyrics. They are simple yet so poignant, and Japanese mixed in with a Celtic flair was very refreshing from the typical pop scene. I really like "Yellow Moon" as well which has been on my playlist quite frequently. Someday, I will catch up with Naruto Shippuden.
7. Wolf's Rain - "Gravity" by Maaya Sakamoto. You can't go wrong with Maaya meets Yoko Kanno, and this song, with complete English lyrics is a hauntingly memorable ending. I haven't watched the anime yet, and the ending sequence animation is boring, but I love the ending. I first heard just a short clip of the song at the end of an anime and then set out on a quest to find the song--I didn't even realize it was a Japanese anime song let alone Maaya.
8. Beck Mongolian Chop Squad Ending 2: Sowelu - "Moon on the Water." Good songs bring you back to the moment you hear them. The first time I heard the acapella duet between "Koyuki" and "Maho," it was 5 am sophomore year of college on the day we had to sign up for courses online for the spring semester at 8 am sharp (yes, it was a battle of speed), and I had not yet decided my classes. I was procrastinating and began watching Beck, and I still remember the shiver I felt down my spine when I heard the guitar strumming in and the clarity of Sowelu's voice (of course, I didn't know she was the singing voice of Maho then.)
9. Inuyasha - Do As Infinity - "Fukai Mori." DAI was one of my earliest J-pop hooks, and this probably is my favorite DAI song. Inuyasha, like many Shounen Jump anime, has great songs. Ending 4 Boa's "Every Heart" is also a favorite.
10. Nodame Cantabile's 1st ending "Konna Chikan de..." Yes, this song does it too--I love it when the beginning notes kick in at the end of the episode--this song gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling, and the lyrics are so cute too. (Makes you nostalgic hearing Tomokazu Seki aka Kinomoto Touya as Chiaki-senpai. Their personalities are actually surprisingly similar, down to the violin-playing. Lol.
Other notable anime ending themes.
Mahoujin Guru Guru - "Wind Climbing" I first heart the ending done in Korean, and the song is strangely memorable though anime itself is cute and silly. It still retains much popularity in Japan as well, it seems, according to polls.
Bleach ending 3 - Youhna - "Houki Boushi" The singer is actually Korean, and though I was introduced to her because of Bleach, I enjoy her Korean songs as well--she is talented and a breath of fresh air in the K-pop scene. I especially love this ending because the animation changed each episode to match a division. How awesome is that? Bleach, like FMA, boasts an awesome repertoire of theme songs, (unlike Naruto which is a hit or miss for me.)
Macross Frontier Ending 1 - May'n - "Diamond Crevasse." Since Macross is mecha music anime meets Yoko Kanno, of course it should have a spot on the list. I loved many songs on the soundtrack; I personally prefer Megumi's voice to May'n's voice, and my favorite song is "Ao no Ether." But Diamond Crevasse, I believe, is THE song of Macross. I love all subsequent versions of it.
Nana Ending 1 - Olivia's aka Reira's "A Little Pain." I think it's the best song of the bunch in another music-centric anime.
K-on Ending 1 - "Don't Say Lazy," which I don't think needs anymore pimping than the hype it has already gotten.
Slam Dunk Ending 2 Wands - "Sekai ga Owaru Made Wa"
Saint Tail Ending 1 - "Junshin "
Rurouni Kenshin Ending 3 - T.M. Revolution - "Heart of Sword."
Lastly, the Fancy Lala Ending Theme. The plotline is the typical young girl transformed into older popstar story. There was nothing outstanding about this anime (which was supposedly overshadowed by the reigning shoujo anime of the time, Card Captor Sakura). It is a typical coming of age story, but the last episode which segued into the ending theme really made this anime linger longer than just another typical magical shoujo anime. I actually prefer the Korean dub of the song, which is rare for me.
Favorite opening themes I think would be easier to do because openings have bigger animation budgets usually and need to capture the audience and are better publicized/ easier for me to recall. I feel like anime OPs should draw you in, and I do value good opening theme animation sequences. But with ending themes, I like songs that gives you a lingering sense after the episode has ended (hence oftentimes the more ballady ending themes in contrast with upbeat openings). With my favorite songs, I think there is a pattern of a. music animes, b. shounen anime c. anime I watched as a child d. anything involving Yoko Kanno or Maaya Sakamoto or both. You will see this pattern manifested more in the next list I make. ^_^
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
xxxHolic 185 and TRC 226
Wow, I never thought I would come to say this, but at the moment, I am more in anticipation of the new xxxHolic chapter than the Tsubasa Resevoir Chronicles chapter. Truthfully speaking, I was never that into xxxHolic in the beginning. I was nostalgic of CLAMP's old style of drawing, and I read xxxHolic for the tie-ins with TRC.
Watanuki is a reluctant hero, and starts out as a crabby, whiny and ungrateful high school student. He is always grumbling, he is silly with his crush for Himawari-chan. Over the course of xxxHolic, he has matured greatly starting with the spider incident and the eye-swap with Doumeki. We can see how far he has grown as a person in Chapter 185, when he claims he will take over the shop. That last shot when he takes a puff out of Yuuko's pipe will remain one of the most poignant CLAMP images to date because you see a gravity in his persona, a sense of dignity, sadness, determination and responsibility all in one panel.
I find the relationship dynamic between Yuuko and Watanuki a fascinating one. They are not exactly mentor and student, they aren't friends, they aren't lovers. You wonder what was the significance of her existence to Watanuki. Watanuki has a strong pillar system going with Doumeki by his side, but you can clearly see that "Yuuko" is the one who has left an imprint on Watanuki, changed him for better or worse. On the contrary, I find Himawari a rather shallow character, and I can't figure out her significance in the bigger pictures of things, but CLAMP may surprise us yet. Yuuko reminds me a bit of CC of Code Geass with her will to die.
In TRC 226, I found Fei Wong Reed's reaction to Yuuko's disappearance funny. You can't tell if he is angry or sad that Yuuko is gone, declaring she must be revived. I wonder if Fei was bishounen like Zagato, would he be more likable. He is possibly the most despicable character in all of CLAMPdom, but that can still be overturned. Who knows what inner demons he suffers from. TRC has come to a full loop now with the explanation of the glass cylinder scene in Chapter 225. I am glad to know that they were the clones after all aka the "original" S+S that we start off with, that we weren't cheated of the main characters, that the story is indeed the clones' story. It was jarring to see Clone with Son though, same age. I wonder if Ohkawa-sensei shed some spoilers to Maaya Sakamoto when Maaya wrote the lyrics for the Tsubasa anime ending 2 "Yunagi Loop."
Either way, I look forward to the conclusion of both mangas. It will really feel like the end of an era to me. At least we can look forward to the Kobato anime!
Watanuki is a reluctant hero, and starts out as a crabby, whiny and ungrateful high school student. He is always grumbling, he is silly with his crush for Himawari-chan. Over the course of xxxHolic, he has matured greatly starting with the spider incident and the eye-swap with Doumeki. We can see how far he has grown as a person in Chapter 185, when he claims he will take over the shop. That last shot when he takes a puff out of Yuuko's pipe will remain one of the most poignant CLAMP images to date because you see a gravity in his persona, a sense of dignity, sadness, determination and responsibility all in one panel.
I find the relationship dynamic between Yuuko and Watanuki a fascinating one. They are not exactly mentor and student, they aren't friends, they aren't lovers. You wonder what was the significance of her existence to Watanuki. Watanuki has a strong pillar system going with Doumeki by his side, but you can clearly see that "Yuuko" is the one who has left an imprint on Watanuki, changed him for better or worse. On the contrary, I find Himawari a rather shallow character, and I can't figure out her significance in the bigger pictures of things, but CLAMP may surprise us yet. Yuuko reminds me a bit of CC of Code Geass with her will to die.
In TRC 226, I found Fei Wong Reed's reaction to Yuuko's disappearance funny. You can't tell if he is angry or sad that Yuuko is gone, declaring she must be revived. I wonder if Fei was bishounen like Zagato, would he be more likable. He is possibly the most despicable character in all of CLAMPdom, but that can still be overturned. Who knows what inner demons he suffers from. TRC has come to a full loop now with the explanation of the glass cylinder scene in Chapter 225. I am glad to know that they were the clones after all aka the "original" S+S that we start off with, that we weren't cheated of the main characters, that the story is indeed the clones' story. It was jarring to see Clone with Son though, same age. I wonder if Ohkawa-sensei shed some spoilers to Maaya Sakamoto when Maaya wrote the lyrics for the Tsubasa anime ending 2 "Yunagi Loop."
Either way, I look forward to the conclusion of both mangas. It will really feel like the end of an era to me. At least we can look forward to the Kobato anime!
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
The New Trials of Card Captor Sakura - Translation Project
I am very blessed in that the New Trials of Card Captor Sakura has readers from all over the world and has connected me to people from numerous countries in numerous sorts of occupation and studies. I have received emails in the past requesting New Trials to be translated to a certain language. Unfortunately, I lacked the resources and time to do so. I have also received in the past various requests regarding adaptations of New Trials including if New Trials can be made into a doujinshi in Thailand (?) and several other countries, if the musical "Star-Crossed" can be adapted into a school play, if there can be fanfiction involving original characters or events in New Trials and if New Trials could be made into a movie for a film school project. Way back in the days, there was even a plagiarized version of New Trials called "Trials of the Heart" or something of the sort, which didn't come into my attention till a reader pointed it out. There have been many New Trials projects that I never heard back about, which makes me always wonder if there is some derivative of New Trials out there that I do not know about. ^_^
Recently, I received an email from a Spanish reader who stated that English was not her native language and requested for a Spanish translation of New Trials. It got me thinking that though I consider English a universal language, likewise, there are many anime/manga fans out there who don't speak/read English fluently. I was very enthused when Rikku-chan offered to translate New Trials into French. Rikku-chan is a beta-reader on a French website and commands excellent use of both English and French.
Rikku-chan is handling things in a very professional manner, and I trust her to handle the translation at her own pace and leisure. So far, the Prologue has been translated, and I think Rikku-chan did a great job (albeit my poor French-comprehension skills). She wants me to mention she does not do translations by request. ^^
Without further ado, the French translations can be found here at fanfic-fr.net which seems to be the French counterpart of fanfiction.net. Rikku-chan is doing these on a voluntary basis, in her own free time, and I am deeply grateful to her. Please do give her a warm round of applause.
http://www.fanfic-fr.net/fanfics/Animes-Mangas/C/Card-Captor-Sakura/The-New-Trials/20758.html
There has been mention of other translation and edit projects in the past, but I really don't wish this monster of a fanfic on anyone. Translation into any language would take an enormous amount of time and effort, especially come later chapters. But I think perhaps having Arc 1 translated into several different languages won't be too bad because I think it is shorter and structurally and gramatically more simple than the following arcs, it might be more straightforward to translate. It will then provide non-English speakers a gateway into New Trials. And there always is Amethyst Beloved's summaries of New Trials for those who want a simpler version of NT.
Meanwhile, Desi-chan/ desiree_li80 from the New Trials Yahoo Group has expressed interest in starting up Spanish translations. If there's anybody fluent in Spanish and English and interested in helping out, please feel free to contact her!
This is another opportunity to thank all those people who have been so supportive and helpful to the development of New Trials over the years. Merci beaucoup and muchas gracias!
Recently, I received an email from a Spanish reader who stated that English was not her native language and requested for a Spanish translation of New Trials. It got me thinking that though I consider English a universal language, likewise, there are many anime/manga fans out there who don't speak/read English fluently. I was very enthused when Rikku-chan offered to translate New Trials into French. Rikku-chan is a beta-reader on a French website and commands excellent use of both English and French.
Rikku-chan is handling things in a very professional manner, and I trust her to handle the translation at her own pace and leisure. So far, the Prologue has been translated, and I think Rikku-chan did a great job (albeit my poor French-comprehension skills). She wants me to mention she does not do translations by request. ^^
Without further ado, the French translations can be found here at fanfic-fr.net which seems to be the French counterpart of fanfiction.net. Rikku-chan is doing these on a voluntary basis, in her own free time, and I am deeply grateful to her. Please do give her a warm round of applause.
http://www.fanfic-fr.net/fanfics/Animes-Mangas/C/Card-Captor-Sakura/The-New-Trials/20758.html
There has been mention of other translation and edit projects in the past, but I really don't wish this monster of a fanfic on anyone. Translation into any language would take an enormous amount of time and effort, especially come later chapters. But I think perhaps having Arc 1 translated into several different languages won't be too bad because I think it is shorter and structurally and gramatically more simple than the following arcs, it might be more straightforward to translate. It will then provide non-English speakers a gateway into New Trials. And there always is Amethyst Beloved's summaries of New Trials for those who want a simpler version of NT.
Meanwhile, Desi-chan/ desiree_li80 from the New Trials Yahoo Group has expressed interest in starting up Spanish translations. If there's anybody fluent in Spanish and English and interested in helping out, please feel free to contact her!
This is another opportunity to thank all those people who have been so supportive and helpful to the development of New Trials over the years. Merci beaucoup and muchas gracias!
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
VAMPS Concert in New York July 11
L'Arc~en~Ciel has always been one of the first J-Rock bands I have been introduced and are probably my second favorite Japanese band besides B'z. B'z are just on an untouchable level, and someday, I pray I will get to see them in concert.
I started out liking L'Arc~en~Ciel for their fun songs like "Honey" and "Stay Away" and their anime songs such as "Seventh Heaven," "Ready Steady Go" and "Driver's High." I usually start liking a band for their songs, and then one day, I decided to look up the band and figured out who Hyde is. Not only is Hyde one of the most beautiful male musicians out there, but he also has an incredible voice (when he is not ruining it by smoking). I had a serious Laruku faze a couple years ago, when I was listening to nothing but Laruku, and I was a little obsessed with Hyde and Gackt. I love their duet in "Orenji no Taiyou." I think the moment I fell in love with Hyde's voice is when he hits this beautiful high note in the 10 minute song, harmonizing with Gackt. I would love to hear a live version of that song (I can imagine how difficult it would be to replicate that beautiful recording.) I love Hyde's solo work stuff as well, especially Roentgen. "Cape of Storms" is a most haunting song and matched perfectly the movie "Last Quarter" based on the manga by the same name by famed Nana mangaka Yazawa Ai.
Vamps consists of Hyde from Laruku and Kaz from Oblivion Dust. I don't know much about the latter band, but Kaz in an amazing guitarist and very hot--my friend loved him. I was intending on attending the concert anyway, but I got two free tickets because I got picked by an MTV contest. I've been lucky with stuff like that. I managed to attend the much coveted premierof the Yatterman movie in New York with Miike Takashi and JE idol group Arashi's Sakurai Sho. It's the first time they premiered a Japanese movie outside of Japan. This was my second J-Rock concert. I went to the T.M. Revolution concert last year and actually met Takanori Nishikawa at New York Comic Con last year. He was really friendly and nice, and I shook hands and got an autograph from him. He has an awesome stage presence and the concert was exhilirating (loved the live preview of the Soul Eater opening as well.) Anyhow, so I had a little idea of what to expect from the Vamps concert.
First off, the concert was AMAZING! I don't know what people say about Hyde's live performances, but his voice was FLAWLESS. He sounded even better than recordings (and we all know he doesn't always sound so fabulous). And for a small man, his stage presence is just mindblowing. The Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza is not a big venue but there was a pretty huge line waiting down the block. There are some hardcore fans out there, and I was about to get trampled alive by the CRAZY concert-goers. I'm not kidding when I say I think I've never been more suffocated or moshed. It was like I was in a human panini-maker. Anyhow, my friend and I were stuck in the smack middle center of the mosh pit, so after the first song, my friend and I clambered to get away from the craziness. I had a perfect spot perched on the guard rail to the side and had a wonderful view of the entire concert. Since the venue is quite small, you can almost just hop onto the stage if you want to. At one point, I was waving my arms and screaming my lungs out, and Hyde looked over and did a pouty kiss in my direction and winked. Kyaa!!! I'm pretty sure it was towards me because I was the only one sticking out from the crowd since I was standing on the guard rail keeping all the crazy fans fenced in. (At one point, the guard made us get down, but I climbed on again because the other people were huge and I was wearing flats.) For the record, I am usually a very reserved, calm composed person. It's just certain triggers that unleashes the crazy fangirl in me.
Kaz had mad guitar skills, and he was very nice, throwing all his picks at the audience. At one point, Hyde through his water bottle too. My friend is not a J-Rock fan, and I was slightly afraid the madness would scare her, but I think I converted her. She made fun of Hyde's little dance though. Lol. One of my favorite songs of the night was "Trouble" because Vamps did a refreshing rock rendition of a pop song already familiar to the audience, and it was lots of fun and catered to a more "Western" audience I suppose. I thought it was cute that Hyde spoke in English, which was surprisingly very good. He talked about how big the pizza in New York is. My Chinese friend said that he always talks about food.
I also saw the band exiting the back of the building into a large van. A bunch of people were waiting in the front, but I was smart and convinced my friends there must be a side exit. Lol. I don't think I'll ever be an arm's reach away from Hyde again. Lol. I'm jealous of those people who will be able to get his signature at Baltimore.
Needless to say, I was very sore and my voice was compeltely hoarse the next day. Lol. I would love to see L'Arc~en~Ciel in concert one day because those songs are a lot more familiar to me and it would be a lot of fun. I would love to hear "Jyoujoushi" which I prefer live versions over the recorded version. All the FMA songs would be awesome--but I also like their album stuff and their older songs as well. I know even those who are not J-Rock fans have heard of L'Arc~en~Ciel (especially since they're more on the commercial pop side anyway), but do check out Vamps if you get a chance. They are on tour in the US until August.
Now, if I can only see B'z and Akeboshi in concert, I can rest in peace.
I started out liking L'Arc~en~Ciel for their fun songs like "Honey" and "Stay Away" and their anime songs such as "Seventh Heaven," "Ready Steady Go" and "Driver's High." I usually start liking a band for their songs, and then one day, I decided to look up the band and figured out who Hyde is. Not only is Hyde one of the most beautiful male musicians out there, but he also has an incredible voice (when he is not ruining it by smoking). I had a serious Laruku faze a couple years ago, when I was listening to nothing but Laruku, and I was a little obsessed with Hyde and Gackt. I love their duet in "Orenji no Taiyou." I think the moment I fell in love with Hyde's voice is when he hits this beautiful high note in the 10 minute song, harmonizing with Gackt. I would love to hear a live version of that song (I can imagine how difficult it would be to replicate that beautiful recording.) I love Hyde's solo work stuff as well, especially Roentgen. "Cape of Storms" is a most haunting song and matched perfectly the movie "Last Quarter" based on the manga by the same name by famed Nana mangaka Yazawa Ai.
Vamps consists of Hyde from Laruku and Kaz from Oblivion Dust. I don't know much about the latter band, but Kaz in an amazing guitarist and very hot--my friend loved him. I was intending on attending the concert anyway, but I got two free tickets because I got picked by an MTV contest. I've been lucky with stuff like that. I managed to attend the much coveted premierof the Yatterman movie in New York with Miike Takashi and JE idol group Arashi's Sakurai Sho. It's the first time they premiered a Japanese movie outside of Japan. This was my second J-Rock concert. I went to the T.M. Revolution concert last year and actually met Takanori Nishikawa at New York Comic Con last year. He was really friendly and nice, and I shook hands and got an autograph from him. He has an awesome stage presence and the concert was exhilirating (loved the live preview of the Soul Eater opening as well.) Anyhow, so I had a little idea of what to expect from the Vamps concert.
First off, the concert was AMAZING! I don't know what people say about Hyde's live performances, but his voice was FLAWLESS. He sounded even better than recordings (and we all know he doesn't always sound so fabulous). And for a small man, his stage presence is just mindblowing. The Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza is not a big venue but there was a pretty huge line waiting down the block. There are some hardcore fans out there, and I was about to get trampled alive by the CRAZY concert-goers. I'm not kidding when I say I think I've never been more suffocated or moshed. It was like I was in a human panini-maker. Anyhow, my friend and I were stuck in the smack middle center of the mosh pit, so after the first song, my friend and I clambered to get away from the craziness. I had a perfect spot perched on the guard rail to the side and had a wonderful view of the entire concert. Since the venue is quite small, you can almost just hop onto the stage if you want to. At one point, I was waving my arms and screaming my lungs out, and Hyde looked over and did a pouty kiss in my direction and winked. Kyaa!!! I'm pretty sure it was towards me because I was the only one sticking out from the crowd since I was standing on the guard rail keeping all the crazy fans fenced in. (At one point, the guard made us get down, but I climbed on again because the other people were huge and I was wearing flats.) For the record, I am usually a very reserved, calm composed person. It's just certain triggers that unleashes the crazy fangirl in me.
Kaz had mad guitar skills, and he was very nice, throwing all his picks at the audience. At one point, Hyde through his water bottle too. My friend is not a J-Rock fan, and I was slightly afraid the madness would scare her, but I think I converted her. She made fun of Hyde's little dance though. Lol. One of my favorite songs of the night was "Trouble" because Vamps did a refreshing rock rendition of a pop song already familiar to the audience, and it was lots of fun and catered to a more "Western" audience I suppose. I thought it was cute that Hyde spoke in English, which was surprisingly very good. He talked about how big the pizza in New York is. My Chinese friend said that he always talks about food.
I also saw the band exiting the back of the building into a large van. A bunch of people were waiting in the front, but I was smart and convinced my friends there must be a side exit. Lol. I don't think I'll ever be an arm's reach away from Hyde again. Lol. I'm jealous of those people who will be able to get his signature at Baltimore.
Needless to say, I was very sore and my voice was compeltely hoarse the next day. Lol. I would love to see L'Arc~en~Ciel in concert one day because those songs are a lot more familiar to me and it would be a lot of fun. I would love to hear "Jyoujoushi" which I prefer live versions over the recorded version. All the FMA songs would be awesome--but I also like their album stuff and their older songs as well. I know even those who are not J-Rock fans have heard of L'Arc~en~Ciel (especially since they're more on the commercial pop side anyway), but do check out Vamps if you get a chance. They are on tour in the US until August.
Now, if I can only see B'z and Akeboshi in concert, I can rest in peace.
Belated Happy Birthday Syaoran! New Trials Chapter 62 Up!
Finally, Chapter 62: Designs in Crime is up at my website!
This is an extra long chapter, rather like two chapters in one. LOL.
My laptop of six years recently crashed, unfortunately. I had backed up most of my important files except for some extensive artwork I've been doing over the past two months and a bunch of media files. I had forgotten about the artwork, a lot of which I was really fond of and had worked on for a long time. I'm hoping I will able to at some point rescue these files from my now defunct Samsung laptop harddrive through Windows XP Recovery Console, though I am not sure if I do have the disk back home. I'll figure something about. I acquired a Sony VAIO to replace this laptop mainly for aesthetic reasons more than anything else. Lol.
The first day, I hated Windows Vista as much as I thought I would. The second day, I was a little better. I hate the new Office as well. It made me very little motivated to edit Chapter 62, because I had no clue where all the different features were. The whole visual aspect of Vista irks me--I like things written out plain and clear, which is why I always liked Windows XP. I'm hoping Windows 7 will be an improvement. I am irritated that I lost a bunch of programs as well, though I'm quite addicted to the Chess game. Lol. I'm glad to have a properly working Internet and a bigger RAM. I am not a big fan of the widescreen aspect because I use my laptop mainly for writing and drawing, for both which I believe all that extra width is a waist of space and unnecessary; I'd rather have height on the screen.
In terms of the chapter itself, I had a lot of fun writing it because I got to finally get to the "core" of the different subplots. It's no fun to write about an amnesiatic heroine, so I'm glad Sakura's memories have returned. I had been drawing up outfits for the fashion show on my old computer before it crashed. Lol. I also had all the artwork for the New Trials Ending 2 Theme: Koucha. Oh well.
Belated Happy Birthday Syaoran July 13 2009!!!
This is an extra long chapter, rather like two chapters in one. LOL.
My laptop of six years recently crashed, unfortunately. I had backed up most of my important files except for some extensive artwork I've been doing over the past two months and a bunch of media files. I had forgotten about the artwork, a lot of which I was really fond of and had worked on for a long time. I'm hoping I will able to at some point rescue these files from my now defunct Samsung laptop harddrive through Windows XP Recovery Console, though I am not sure if I do have the disk back home. I'll figure something about. I acquired a Sony VAIO to replace this laptop mainly for aesthetic reasons more than anything else. Lol.
The first day, I hated Windows Vista as much as I thought I would. The second day, I was a little better. I hate the new Office as well. It made me very little motivated to edit Chapter 62, because I had no clue where all the different features were. The whole visual aspect of Vista irks me--I like things written out plain and clear, which is why I always liked Windows XP. I'm hoping Windows 7 will be an improvement. I am irritated that I lost a bunch of programs as well, though I'm quite addicted to the Chess game. Lol. I'm glad to have a properly working Internet and a bigger RAM. I am not a big fan of the widescreen aspect because I use my laptop mainly for writing and drawing, for both which I believe all that extra width is a waist of space and unnecessary; I'd rather have height on the screen.
In terms of the chapter itself, I had a lot of fun writing it because I got to finally get to the "core" of the different subplots. It's no fun to write about an amnesiatic heroine, so I'm glad Sakura's memories have returned. I had been drawing up outfits for the fashion show on my old computer before it crashed. Lol. I also had all the artwork for the New Trials Ending 2 Theme: Koucha. Oh well.
Belated Happy Birthday Syaoran July 13 2009!!!
Friday, June 19, 2009
J.D. Salinger Writes Fan Fiction!
Out of all the mandatory reading lists in high school, I think the most popular novel by far is J.D. Salinger's "Catcher in the Rye." I first read that book in 6th grade and didn't get it; reread it 9th grade and loved the book. Holden Caulfield is one of the most memorable teenage anti-hero's in literature. And despite all his angst and hypocrisy, he is strangely likable and resonant with adolescences. For 9th grade literature class, I remember illustrating one of the scenes from the novel into 6-panels. Now that I think of it, it was one of my first "doujinshi." Lol.
Supposedly, J.D. Salinger came out of seclusion after 30 years to rave about the new Terminator movie. I have not watched any of the Terminator franchise though all of my friends have given it good reviews. I may be tempted to go watch Terminator Salvation because Salinger praises it so much. In fact, I was not even aware that he was still alive, but he is 90 and thriving, it seems. He even allowed scholars to access his never-been-published works. (Why was he hanging on to them?) Amongst them are more than TWO DOZEN short stories, all of them are supposedly fan fiction on Terminator though of course not your typical run-of-the-mill sci-fi fanfic. His house is decorated with Terminator posters, figures and collectibles. In other words, J.D. Salinger is a Terminator otaku.
Finally. A respectable author (one that is one every high school reading list) coming out of the closet as a fan fiction writer. All the more to read Salinger.
Check out the article at theonion.com http://www.theonion.com/content/news/new_terminator_movie_brings_j_d?cnn=yes
Supposedly, J.D. Salinger came out of seclusion after 30 years to rave about the new Terminator movie. I have not watched any of the Terminator franchise though all of my friends have given it good reviews. I may be tempted to go watch Terminator Salvation because Salinger praises it so much. In fact, I was not even aware that he was still alive, but he is 90 and thriving, it seems. He even allowed scholars to access his never-been-published works. (Why was he hanging on to them?) Amongst them are more than TWO DOZEN short stories, all of them are supposedly fan fiction on Terminator though of course not your typical run-of-the-mill sci-fi fanfic. His house is decorated with Terminator posters, figures and collectibles. In other words, J.D. Salinger is a Terminator otaku.
Finally. A respectable author (one that is one every high school reading list) coming out of the closet as a fan fiction writer. All the more to read Salinger.
Check out the article at theonion.com http://www.theonion.com/content/news/new_terminator_movie_brings_j_d?cnn=yes
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Les Miserables Musical - Eponine and Marius
Eponine's Errand by ~wishluv on deviantART
I first saw Les Miserables on Broadway in 1999, the summer between 8th and 9th grade. Though Cats was my first musical, Les Mis was my first musical on Broadway. I remember everything about that day so vividly. The musical is a whopping 3 hours or so, and I remember for the first half of the show, I had absolutely no idea who was who and what was going on. I think somewhere in the middle of young Cosette's "Castle on a Cloud," I realized that I saw an anime when I was really young of the story of "Jean Valjean" so I was familiar with Cosette's story. What really arrested my attention was after the 9 year time leap to Paris in Act 1, where we are first introduced to the revolutionary students and crew. There was a girl a with an amazing belting voice (not the typical heroine soprano), and I was completely mesmerized. I love the stage dynamics and the rotating stage, the way refrains are reused to create unity in the whole musical and how all the characters are doing there own thing. "One Day More" I think is THE grandest, most exhilirating pre-intermission song ever ("Defying Gravity" from Wicked is up there as well), and I was completely hooked and sat at the edge of my seat for the rest of Act 2, especially all the Eponine parts (and I had thought her to be a minor character previously, so I was pleasantly surprised at how her moments completely steal the show). "On My Own" is probably in my top 10 favorite songs of all time, and the refrains are recycled throughout the show, first with Fantine's Death and again in the Epilogue with Jean Valjean's impending death. The harmonization with the angel Fantine and Eponine with Jean Valjean is one of the most haunting moments in the musical, and they sing my favorite words (in a musical ridden with beautiful lyrics):
"To love another person is to see the face of God."
As you all know, the 1985 Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil musical "Les Miserables" was based off the collosal novel of the same name by Victor Hugo in 1862. I read the whopping 1000-something pages in three days, and it was one of the most depressing things I've ever read in my life. Les Mis is one of the few cases where I prefer an adaptation over the original (likewise with the Phantom of the Opera). Don't get me wrong, the novel is a masterpiece, and to truly understand the musical, it is important to read the novel, which sheds much light on many of the characters. You don't really understand Fantine's "I Dreamed a Dream" until you read Fantine's part in the novel. Relationship dynamics are a bit different too. In the novel, Marius lives in the apartment next to the Thernardiers/Jondrettes, and takes pity on Eponine more than anything else, whereas in the musical, Marius and Eponine are introduced to us as already being friends, and I think Marius truly mourns the death of a close comrade when Eponine dies. I was crying from "A Little Fall of Rain all the way to the Finale and encore that first time I saw it. My mother had been dozing off during the musical because she doesn't understand much English, and I remember being so irritated because I was trying to keep her awake before my dad noticed while trying to concentrate on the show. And then she woke up near the Finale and started crying as well. I asked, "Why are you crying? You slept through half of it." She replied, "Because everyone else is." Yes, Les Mis can reduce anyone to tears, young or old, whether or not you understand the plot. I bought the Les Miserables Original Broadway Cast CD and listening to it religiously and used to know all the lyrics by heart.
I have a weird hobby. Sort of like how I have a quest to collect all the versions of Pachelbel's Canon out there, I have a thing for collecting as many versions of Les Miserables possible. Unfortunately, there is no "perfect" version of Les Miz the Musical. I guess the fun is listening to all the versions and interpretations out there (and there is A LOT with all the different casts and international recordings). The Eponine I saw on Broadway was Kerry Butler, who is absolutely gorgeous and has an amazing voice; she was a perfect Eponine. She went on to Hairspray, Xanadu and other shows, becoming a Tony-nominated actress for her role in Hairspray. Lea Salonga (singing voice of Disney's Princess Jasmine and Mulan) is the perennial favorite as Eponine, though unfortunately, there is no formal CD recording of her though she partakes in the Tenth Anniversary Concert in 1995. I absolutely adore Lea Salonga and had the honor of seeing her perform as Fantine in the Broadway revial of the show in the summer of 2007 (a mostly disappointing revival otherwise). Lea's voice is known for its crystal clarity, and I got to take a photo with her. :) I would have loved to see her as Eponine though. Her version of "Little Fall of Rain" with Michael Ball (the best Marius) is the best rendition of the song. The "Complete Symphonic Recording" is unfortunately the only "complete" recording of Les Mis, and though it is awesome to have all the orchestration, the cast is not my favorite. For me, Colm Wilkinson IS Jean Valjean, just like Adam Pascal is Roger and Sarah Brightman is Christine Daae. The real jewel in the cast is Kaho Shimada as Eponine. Truthfully, it took me a while for her to grow on me. She was in the Japanese production, so supposedly, she had to learn English phonetically for the show. You can hear her accent here and there, but she gives a beautiful performance.
Eponine is such a versatile character because each actress can shed knew light on her where as Cosette will always be Mary-Sue Cosette. Kaho Shimada has one of my favorite portrayals of her character because she captures Eponine's vulnerability and pain in the soft nuances of her voice. Kaho is even more amazing in her native language, and her rendition of "On My Own" may be one of my favorites, and she hits all the notes without any vocal straining. People either love or hate original London and Broadway Cast Frances Ruffelle's Eponine. I personally am fond of it because it's the recording I grew up with. Tony winner Frances Ruffelle captures the waifish, street urchin nature of Eponine well, and she does have a strong, distinct voice that stands out in an ensemble, which I like, especially in "One Day More." Lea Salonga is everyone's favorite, though I'm not as fond of her Tenth Anniversary rendition of her "On My Own" as a recording I've heard of her on Broadway; she portrays a more bitter Eponine--but her voice is absolutely beautiful in "A Little Fall of Rain" with perfect chemistry with Michael Ball. My favorite seiyuu Maaya Sakamoto portrays Eponine in the 2003 Les Miserables production--unfortunately, there is no studio recording so the sound quality may not be perfect because it is a recording of a performance as the "Purple Cast." It is interesting to hear Maaya in a different register from usual-- I would love to see her acting. Her Eponine is more childlike (after all, she's only 16ish in the book), and you can really hear the raw heartache expressed in Maaya's voice--her "Little Fall of Rain" is absolutely beautiful as well because she uses her more Hitomi voice. People like Sutton Foster's Eponine as well, but though she is a great actress (as I saw in Young Frankenstein), she plays Eponine a bit too angry and bitter rather than as a wistful young girl in unrequitted love. I think the lyrics shed light that for Eponine, Marius is the one ray of happiness in her otherwise dismal and impoverished life. Even if she knows that he will never return her feelings to her, just being by his side is enough to sustain her and giver her some hope for the next day.
I can go on talking about Les Mis forever; it's one of my favorite subjects. Don't let me get started on how much I loathed Marius and Cosette initially. Luckily, Enjolras utters another one of my favorite lines to Marius who parades into the ABC cafe in the midst of his melancholic ruminations over Cosette: "Who cares about your lonely soul? We strive toward a larger goal, our little lives don't count at all!" Les Mis is so powerful because in the span of three hours of music and lyric, it can convey every sort of human emotion and theme conceivable to mankind.
I usually fluctuate between a more anime artstyle and more semi-realistic. Ever since my pressure sensitive tip on my Wacom Tablet pen broke, I've been tempted to buy an Intuos--I really want to see how it feels like. I hate drawing backgrounds and couldn't help dressing Marius in the colors of the Revolution, but I hope people can tell the picture is set in 19th century France because of it... or not. In both the book and novel, Eponine wears a tattered chemise and skirt. Her colorings are sort of based off the 2007 Les Miserables anime version of Eponine. (I'm dying to see the anime). It's amazing how little her costume has changed over time though. I wanted Eponine to seem catlike, wary, waifish and headstrong; she would never show her tears to Monsieur Marius' face, I believe. But she's always staring at his back while he's looking towards Cosette. Poor 'Ponine. The title of the artwork "Eponine's Errand" is from a song from the musical by the same name. Marius sees Cosette and falls in love with her at first sight. He asks his street savy friend, Eponine, to help him find Cosette. Eponine eventually finds Jean Valjean's house and realizes that Cosette is that same girl that was abused by the Thernadiers at the inn in Monfermeil. Back then, Eponine was dressed well and pampered before a strange twist of fate landed Eponine on the streets while Cosette grew to become a lovely young lady of the bourgeois class. Later on, Eponine disguises as a boy to be by Marius' side at the barricades. He sends her away to deliver a love letter to Cosette. She does so (followed by the pinnacle song of Act 2 "On My Own") and then returns back to the barricades and takes a bullet in order to save Marius' life. I think despite all, she was happy at the final moment to be able to die in the arms of the one she loves the most.
"Promise to kiss me on the forehead after I'm dead......I shall know." She let her head fall back on his knees; her lids fluttered, and then she was motionless. He thought that the sad soul had left her. But then, when he thought it was all over she slowly opened her eyes that were now deep with the shadow of death, and said in a voice so sweet that it seemed already to come from another world:"You know Monsieur Marius, I think I was a little bit in love with you." She tried to smile, and died.
- Victor Hugo, Les Miserables
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