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Perfect Blue
By Junko Iwao, Rica Matsumoto, Shinpachi Tsuji, Masaaki Ôkura, Michael McCarty (III)
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Friday, June 27. A Conversation with Satoshi
Kon.
Satoshi Kon is the legendary anime film director.
His films are proof that some anime definitely aren’t for children. Kon’s works
blend dreams and reality, hallucinations and fantasy until you’re lost in a sea
of nightmares. I highly recommend his films to everyone, not just anime fans.
And on Friday night, he made an appearance at Lincoln Center! OMG SATOSHI KON IN
PERSON!!! And he revealed some veeeery interesting tidbits ;)
The night started with a screening of Paprika,
which is an absolute visual treat. Then came an hour and a half of conversation
with Kon, along with some highlights of his works. They first showed a clip
from Perfect Blue (the rape scene), and Kon admitted that looking back now, he
feels really sorry for putting Mima through all of that (“kawaii sou”). He also
talked about perspective, and watching the watchers. For example, in Perfect
Blue and in Millennium Actress, people watch the cameramen film the actors. At
this point, Kon pulled out a camera and took a picture of us. Suddenly, the
audience and the watchers had become the watched. Of course, someone in the
audience just had to take a picture of Kon taking a picture of us..lol.
The conversation shifted over to Tokyo Godfathers.
For those who haven’t seen the film, one of the main characters is a
transvestite named Hana. Kon admitted that when doing the research for the
film, he himself dressed up like Hana! HAHAHA
Kon also admitted that while making Paranoia Agent,
he didn’t know how it would end, because if he did, then the audience might
also get a sense of how it would end. The problem came by episodes ten or
eleven (the entire series is 13 episodes). The scriptwriters didn’t know how to
end the story, so they asked Kon..but he was also befuddled! Now, in the story
of Paranoia Agent, this boy called ‘Shounen Bat’ goes around whacking and killing
people who are stressed out and want to die. Kon said that while trying to
finish Paranoia Agent, he himself was so stressed with all the pressure that he
felt like Shounen Bat was actually going to get him too!
Someone asked Kon about the Akihabara killings, and
he said that apparently, the perpetrator didn’t care about who his victims
were. He just wanted to kill people. If so, then maybe the identity of the
perpetrator doesn’t matter, either. The perpetrator could have been anyone, and
this was highly disturbing.
Kon was asked about the otaku subculture. He said
that he could have been characterized as an otaku in middle school, and he
encouraged being passionate about things in life. Kon did warn us about keeping
balance in our lives though, heh.
Someone asked Kon about being an animator. He
replied that animators in Japan are poorer
than you could possibly think, lol.
To sum up, Kon was really friendly and funny. He
told us that when meeting his fans, most fans tell him ‘I thought you would be
much scarier!’ But he’s actually pretty cool irl. I even got his signature! ^^
(to be precise, he signed my Death Note. I hope he wasn’t thinking of his face
when he signed it…) | | |
| so I don't forget about any of these awesome events =D
and yell if you want to come along for any of these~
June 1 - http://japandaynyc.org/main/
Halcali performing in Central Park! omg! I absolutely love their song 'Tip Taps Tip,' the third ending of Eureka Seven, and Halcali's other songs are very imaginative and creative too.
June 6-8 - http://comeoutandplay.org/
Street game festival in NYC! From the Amazing Race to Capture the Flag to Mafia, but all with unique twists. and I'll be playing these with my minions in clan oWn. time to pwn irl games
June 15 - Iron Maiden concert \m/
June 20-22 - http://www.animenext.org/
Anime convention in the Meadowlands. Dunno much about it, but conventions are always fun~
June 27 - Paprika screening at Lincoln Center followed by a discussion with Satoshi Kon himself!
I love Satoshi Kon's films. They always blur the line between dreams and waking life, between fantasy and reality, between truth and lies, until you're lost in a sea of lies and deception. and it's oh so well done.
September 26-28 - http://www.nyanimefestival.com/
Not gonna miss it this year!
and 3 great metal concerts coming up:
September 21 - Helloween + Gamma Ray
kai hansen ftw
September 27 - Nightwish
i wanted to go three years ago, but tarja left the band and the concert was canceled.
October 15 - Kamelot + Edguy
i've seen kamelot twice already..and it's always been a blast. | | |
| Yeah sure Will, you can be in my novel. In fact, anyone who wants to be in my novel/help write my novel, give me the following:
3 normal spells + your ult
hero model
melee/ranged
uhh...okay for non-dota characters:
character name
personality/character traits
time/place where your character lives (can be any setting!)
any story/background
or you could be lazy and just write your name, lol.
in other news, i hiked up 'the Peak' with a couple friends on saturday. it was a night of complete contrasts. one moment we were hiking up an uphill mountain trail in almost complete darkness, using the light from cellphones to see ahead. all of a sudden, as we reached the top, the trees on our left gave way to a brilliant panoramic view of all of Hong Kong's lights. we could see all the artificial skyscrapers acting as beacons of modernity and technology, spreading light across the harbor. really a glorious view. afterwards, we arrived at the Peak shopping center, where hordes of tourists and locals swarmed off the Peak Tram to indulge in the hip restaurants and bars (apparently, normal people just take the train up the Peak. lol). we soon left the shopping area to return back to the trail, fading back once again into the night...
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| New York Anime Festival Brings Maid Cafe to US
The New York Anime Festival, which will be held at New York City's Javits Convention Center on December 7-9, will be featuring a maid cafe, open for the duration of the convention.
--Anime News Network
omg? maria-san!!!
more seriously..in high school everyone had these organizers. you know, so you could write down homework, tests, etc. they also had motivational quotes for every day. i still remember one of them had this to say about jobs: "find out what you love to do, and get someone to pay you to do it." is it that simple? if i love to write novels..doesn't writing pay practically nothing? hmm...
although, at least i have a purpose in life now, a dream of sorts: to finish this novel and polish it until it shines.
well, i just hit the 20,000 word mark. probably 80 or so double-spaced pages. yay.
Edit:
"But strength, what is true strength? Please excuse my words..But hiding who you really are and putting up a front seems like you’re running away to me. To understand what you truly love, along with coming to terms with it..To live positively by enjoying yourself..Isn’t that what true strength really is?" from Ouran High School Host Club, the most badass manly anime I know
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| Edit: alright, i've written 18,000 words now, which somehow translates into 5 completed chapters and 68 pages double-spaced. Email me if you want to read any of it.
*** The Opening Paragraph:
As I look back on that fateful day when I first found the book, I am inclined to laugh at the
naivety of my past self. I was but an arrogant, cynical man who thought he knew
everything there was to know about life. How could I have known that a simple
book would lead me on a journey through both space and time; how could I have
expected a simple book to lead me down the path of destruction and desperation,
deceit and death? Yet though this book tore apart my life and all of my past
ideals and ambitions. . . . I wouldn’t have had it any other way.
*** An excerpt from Reminiscence, Part Two (which is chapter 6 in the novel. and no the novel isn't about Romance of the Three Kingdoms: this is the only chapter concerned with sanguo yanyi. the novel is set in present day, present age. how did the action switch from 2007 to AD 277, you might ask. well, you'd have to read more of the novel to find out :P )
Lu Kang of Wu and Yang Hu of Jin stood facing each other,
their swords drawn and flashing in the brilliant sunlight. Amidst all the chaos
of the battle, as soldiers fought in the streets and peasants attempted to
escape from burning houses, a strangely calm eye in the storm presented itself
to the two generals. Hatred flashed through Yang Hu’s eyes; while Lu Kang’s
face reflected only the deepest sorrow. The two commanders readied their swords, knowing that
only one conclusion could await this meeting: a deadly duel to the death. Then,
in a flash, they struck.
Their swords danced beautifully, weaving in and out to the
sound of war drums in the distance. As distant soldiers cried out in their
death throes, these two commanders attacked each other, sometimes with savage
bestial fury as Yang Hu tried to overpower the Wu commander, sometimes with dazzling,
elegant grace as Lu Kang dodged in and out of Yang Hu’s reach, like a butterfly
flitting past human hands. Now Yang Hu had the advantage, and he thrusted
forwards in one grand sweeping motion; now he was caught off-balance, and Lu
Kang sliced downwards in a parabolic arc; now the two were even again,
scrapping viciously while looking for the slightest opening. This was truly a
beautiful dance—a daring dance that could only result in death.
Suddenly, a child’s cry pierced the air; her young, high
voice so out of place amidst the din of war. Which commander would turn his
head to look for the author of the cry? Which commander would break his focus
and his concentration, surely resulting in his demise? Which of the two
generals would break off the dance and meet his death?
In that instant, both Yang Hu and Lu Kang turned away from
their duel. They both saw a soldier about to stab a peasant woman, with a
small, frightened little girl holding on tightly to her mother’s skirt. Was the
soldier a fighter for Wu, or for Jin? It did not matter. The two commanders
analyzed the situation, and both realized there would only be one way to save
the woman. They gripped their swords tightly, launched them at the soldier, and
dived away onto the ground away from each other, both unarmed and expecting the
other to take advantage.
The soldier crumpled. The mother breathed a sigh of relief.
The two generals looked at each other, and burst into laughter, a glorious
laughter that resounded from the belly and into the air, releasing the tension
like a well-timed joke that breaks the ice perfectly at a party. Nearby, the
other soldiers stared in astonishment and amazement. What were their two
commanders doing?
“The sun is beginning to set,” Lu Kang observed. “Let us
both pull back our troops and retreat for today.”
“A wise idea,” replied Yang Hu. “Moreover, it seems like we
have much in common. I have long admired your bravery and your past glories,
and I would be honored if you would join me for tea tonight.”
Lu Kang hesitated. Could this be a trap? In the corner of
his eye, he saw two Jin attendants smiling and snickering to each other. Was
this a plot that had been previously been prepared to ensnare the Wu commander?
Yet with suitable Wu guards accompanying Lu Kang, surely assassination would be
out of the question. Of course, Yang Hu was the most brilliant general of his
generation; he would surely have something up his sleeve. Lu Kang’s pride acted
up. He was the commander-in-chief of all the Wu forces; he could not be
humiliated and called a coward. This invitation could not be declined.
“Of course, I would be delighted,” Lu Kang answered, taking out a dagger and gripping it tightly. The battle had only just begun. | | |
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