2009 Moment of Anime 7: The Strange Realism of Delusion
Yuri Monogatari Vol.5's only 4koma story, 'On the Road Where the White Flowers Bloom', by Sakuraike Kana is my favourite of that anthology. It is hilarious on some many levels: as a meta-comment on the world on doujinshi, the two distinct leads with two supporting charas and the dynamics between them, the ironies of in-comic charas protesting about being treated as a doujinshi pairing, the surprising degrees of understanding and tangled webs of misunderstanding and so on.
In one of the 4koma, a (female) doujin buyer shyly asks Cotton-san if her work is based on actual experience; it's a question she gets asked often because, as her circle partner (who is actually one with the experience) opines, her work seems strangely realistic to outsiders. This line reminded me of how often we describe something as realistic even if we don't have the faintest clue about the reality of what we are describing. And when the real doesn't match up to the delusion, we reject the former instead.
Another one for the project.
The long road to Suzumiya Haruhi no Gensou
All anime roads take me home / to the place, where I belong / Evangelion, Ayanami Rei / Take me, anime roads~ I vaguely remember that how hearing Bach's Air on a String, Pachelbel's Canon in D, Dvorak's Cello Concerto in B minor on the Evangelion OSTs (particularly Death and Rebirth) sparked a mini-classical music boom, as evidenced by the purchases of cello-centric CDs on the left column.
Watching Nodame Cantabile has re-ignited that interest, causing me to dig out all my classical music CDs from the aforementioned era. In general, anime fandom - especially when characterized as otaku - tends to focus on obsession with anime to the exclusion of everything else (including other stuff at the base of Maslow's hierarchy), for me, in the course of anime, I've listened to more classical music than I otherwise would have if I had not watched anime. Likewise, learning the basics of photography because of an interest in figurine photography (okay, inheriting a Nikon D200 with 18/200 VR lens was the biggest spur though). Or read a Chinese weiqi beginner's manual from cover to cover, even though I hate reading in Chinese, because of Hikaru no Go. Or to take a basic course in Japanese language over a lazy but definitely finite and not repeated undergraduate summer. All in all, being an anime fan has enriched my life in some unexpected ways; would love to hear from readers about your experiences in this respect too.
Anime BGMs :: Non-Mio headphone test drive
I'm still learning to get the best out of my recently acquired ATH-ANC7. For starters, turning on noise cancelling for a fuller sound, regardless of background noise, bears out a common theme in the reviews. Also an excuse to post about the medley of favourite anime BGM tracks which I used for the headphone test drive as well as an aural pick-me-up. I have even less musical knowledge compared to dear sweet slothy Yui so corrections and level-ups will be much appreciated.
Ginme no Majo (Masanori Takumi | Claymore)
This background music track always reminds me Galatea's deliciously wicked musing as she walked off into the darkness of the forest towards the end of Ep 11. And also when Riful intervened against Jean's attempt coup de grace against Duff.
The dramatic drum beats right at the start are a great hook, thereafter the strings carried me to the embarking on a new adventure, announced by a triumphant brass section. The stirrings of mystery and conspiracy are heralded by piano keys against a background of bass notes and eerie synthetic animal-like calls. The various sounds come together, moving in and out, building into a crescendo that made such a great background to the above-mentioned scenes.
Alter Shigure Asa :: Grassy field in the evening
As usual, I should have seen it coming. Or rather, I should have heard it coming. The running footfalls approaching from behind. The intake of breadth. Perhaps even the swinging of her arm through the air. There was, of course, no missing either the loud greeting of "HELLO!" and the slap on the back.
'You sure are late going home today!' she chirped.
'You too, Asa-senpai.'
Morinaga Milk's Girl Friends Vol.1 and 2
I'm not entirely sure why I suddenly decided that I had to have these two tankubon. But when I did, Amazon.jp (even Marketplace) was out of stock, Kinokuniya Singapore refused to accept my order - something about 'due to the content' and the vigilant eyes of the Customs officers of our glorious democratic people's island republic paradise (blood and gore and murder and mayhem in manga is ok but one page with a scene of girls kissing is not, go figure). So it is with great gratefulness that I thank Stripey for procuring this for me via his lolip0rn smuggling routes pure and honourable pathways. Well, I probably would have bought these two volumes sooner or later; I liked Morinaga's When The Ring Finger is Kissed so much that I bought it twice. orz
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