Mostly anime
This is mostly going to be a summary of what I have been watching these last couple of weeks.
I have finished watching Rich Man, Poor Woman. I’m surprised that I liked it so much. Actually, I loved it. The whole thing is so… simple. So much… feelings.
It’s about a guy, Toru Hyuga, who has this company where they make games and apps and whatnot, and he’s very rich and successful and admired, and the whole thing starts when a new girl, Makoto Natsui, comes to the company.
So, why do I like this? It’s hard to put my finger on it. We have the hero, this really cool guy (with some problems and an embarrassing problem: he can’t remember names or faces) who thinks he’s the king of the world, until things start to go wrong and he learns to be more humble. Ever seen that storyline before?! This guy isn’t always very nice, but it doesn’t matter because people fall for him anyway.
We have the main character, the shy, awkward girl who wins his heart, but of course it takes 11 episodes before both of them reach out to each other… We have the extroverted, self-confident girl who wants the boy even if it’s just for fun and not deep love (while in the meantime she has this hate/friendship rivalry-thing going on with another man who seems to hate her but of course he doesn’t - this is mostly between the lines, though, but not very subtle; if there had been a 12th episode…). This love triangle with the male lead and the two girls, we’ve seen it 100 times before. There are, like… no surprises whatsoever. And yet I’m like “aww, you idiot; don’t walk away, tell her you love her!” and so on, as if I don’t know how it’s going to end in the last episode. And the other woman who tries to seduce him and sometimes is not very nice at all… she actually gives up and becomes like his new best friend or something. It sounds like it should be intolerably sweet and fluffy but I don’t know; I like it!
Then there’s the Seductress’ brother, our hero’s best friend; the quiet, loyal side-kick who stays in the background… until he doesn’t, and that’s when things start to go wrong… And then of course there are all the loyal employees (they’re kind of like the teacups and wardrobes and things in Disney’s The Beauty and the Beast, if you see my point) who would follow their leader Hyuga to the end of the world, but then they don’t when times are hard, but then they all do in the end anyway… Some of them truly adore him to the point of being in love with him, I’d say. (I don’t know why there isn’t more fanfic for this series. It’s so slashable to the left and right, and there’s definitely plenty of het, too… and friendship, passion and betrayal, etc!)
The thing with his friend who loves him but betrays him because he’s jealous and hurt, well, that’s not exactly new either. But Hyuga’s friend, Asahina, he’s like Mr. Nice Guy in the beginning, and in the first few episodes, I was unsure if the main character wasn’t actually going to fall for him in the end instead. I liked him better. (That’s so me, isn’t it? The quiet, “reliable” strong type who takes care of the more impulsive and emotional people…) But soon I realized this wasn’t going to happen. And beneath the surface, there were all these dark, hidden emotions… Secret unrequited love, perhaps…and jealousy, a wish for something more and a wish to be noticed and needed… This was triggered by some comments from Jago-like minor characters (there were a couple of scenes where you could almost see the poison dropping from their words and into his ears…), and the jealousy when little Makoto came and won Hyuga’s trust and confidence even without him noticing… So, my dear Asahina-san turns to the dark side and you can’t believe how intense and heartbreaking it is!!! He tries to take over the company but nearly destroys it instead, because he’s like “okay, if I can’t be as great as my friend is, I can at least destroy him and make him suffer like I suffer!” This made me really sad, you know! It gets even better eventually when he’s torn apart by shame and remorse - because of course he never really wanted to do all those things! - and he doesn’t know it, but Hyuga forgives him very soon. He wants to keep working to rebuild everything that has been destroyed so that Asahina will have something to come back to when he gets out of prison. *hugs Hyuga* How awesome is this?! *lol* (Also, Makoto misunderstands some things he says and thinks that he’s in love with Asahina. He's not, but Asahina is probably in love with him. His efforts to seduce Makoto was so obviously desperate and fake.) And in the end, the teacups and the wardrobes, who have been pretty helpful, are like “yay, we’re so happy!”, and so was I. :) *hugs all the characters*
Yes, now that I think about it, I feel that the romance was very cute, and the pacing of the show was good, and there were lots of cute/funny moments, and lots of moments when I wanted to shout “oh, nooo!”, but Asahina’s storyline broke my heart (and repaired it again, sort of) and that was my favourite part of the story.
I think my classmates who introduced this to me talked about a second season. I don’t know if it’s true or if it was like “we’re fangirls; we live on hope!” (It seems all of them have such a crush on this guy who plays Hyuga! Well, I guess he’s cute, but why no love for the other guy? Haha. As for having a preference for one or the other actor, I’ve got to say that I liked this older woman, whose minor character is like this Power Lady who sort of pulls the strings behind the scenes and is intimidating in the first few episodes, but turns out to be pretty friendly… *swoons*) I don’t know. I’d love to see a second season, but I don’t know what it would be about. The story was so nicely wrapped up in the last episodes and I don’t know what new kind of disasters that could be invented… I’m fine with leaving it the way it is. :)
Other things I’ve watched lately: One Piece, Strawberry Panic, Kono mimisomething something sekai, Usagi Drop, Black Jack
My friend Mia has wanted me to watch One Piece for a long time now. After three episodes, I’m sorry to say that I didn’t like it. Not my cup of tea at all. Too much shouting and jumping and running around… I don’t have the patience for it. In a few years, when my nephews are older, I’ll give it one more try, but… Mia wants me to give it a few more episodes, so okay, I’ll not give up yet. ;)
She also put something else on my computer when she was here: Kono mimikuku mo utsukushii sekai (wow, that’s a long title!). I have watched half of it, I think, and I don’t dislike it. It’s some kind of fantasy. Also pretty silly a lot of the time, but I’m interested enough to keep watching. If I dare say such a thing, it seems pretty generic: There are monsters showing up from nowhere and mysterious powers suddenly manifesting; there are girls who are taking other girl’s measurements for clothes, and boys who would kill to be allowed to be in that room, and (alien) girls who are overly touchy-feely; other boys who blush if they as much as brush against a girl’s hand, sisters who are freaking out at the thought of their brother dating anyone, ever; a child who was abandoned as a baby (it feels like incomplete/broken families and reactions/events that can be explained by some childhood trauma is something pretty common in anime), and a group of friends who have great fun together. When I think of live action teenage shows I watched when I was young, I can see similarities. (Except there are more naked girls in anime, haha.)
Also, I have watched three or four episodes of Strawberry Panic. It’s sad, because when I look at it, I can see that this is like a cake that is made out of ingredients that one by one have the potential to be delicious, but put together like this, it’s just like… “uh, what?” After I had watched the first episode a couple of days ago, I told myself not to give up on it yet; I never had high expectations to begin with, but… I think I’ll drop this one. Hm. I can’t even put my finger on what’s bugging me here. (Actually, I think it would be fun if that Étoile-person were a vampire or something supernatural, because Nagisa is petrified every time she looks into her eyes and she almost faints!! I do know that she isn’t a vampire, but if she were, I’d accept it as a good explanation for almost everything so far!) Maybe I would have liked it if it had been like the third anime I ever watched, or something?
*lol* And the funny thing is that I knew it would be like this, so I shouldn’t even say anything. But it’s okay. I thought it was interesting in theory, as a phenomenon, and it’s not strange to me that sometimes it’s more interesting to read about something (yes, I’m looking at you, crsg!) than to look at the thing itself. Sometimes, when I studied literature, I read something that had me thinking “why am I reading this?!” and then the professor’s lecture made me feel “ohhh, I get it, that’s sooo fascinating!” Strawberry Panic seems to be like that for me. (Not that I really mean to compare it with great literary classics! *lol* And I still find myself wishing it was just a little bit different…)
Luckily, there’s Usagi Drop! I really like this one. I’ve watched four or five episodes. It’s cute and funny, with a serious theme, and it’s pretty to watch. No monsters, swords, aliens or rubber bodies… ;) And I like the music in it.
And every once in a while, I watch an episode of Black Jack. These OVA episodes are different from the shorter TV episodes I watched first, and I really like them, but I still can’t say whether I prefer them or not. The art style is different (I definitely like it better) and it’s obviously made for an older audience; there’s less super-insanely unrealistic silly things, which is good, but… I also kind of like the invincible “Super Hero style” Black Jack of the TV series, hm… ;) There’s less of Pinoko here (at least judging by what I’ve seen so far, and I’m okay with that) and more of other women who throw themselves at him (not sure what to think about it), and he’s slightly less grumpy and harsh… (and I don’t know if that’s good or bad). All in all, I think he as a character is pretty much the same. I guess I’d have preferred something that was sort of a mix between the different versions! ;)
I have finished watching Rich Man, Poor Woman. I’m surprised that I liked it so much. Actually, I loved it. The whole thing is so… simple. So much… feelings.
It’s about a guy, Toru Hyuga, who has this company where they make games and apps and whatnot, and he’s very rich and successful and admired, and the whole thing starts when a new girl, Makoto Natsui, comes to the company.
So, why do I like this? It’s hard to put my finger on it. We have the hero, this really cool guy (with some problems and an embarrassing problem: he can’t remember names or faces) who thinks he’s the king of the world, until things start to go wrong and he learns to be more humble. Ever seen that storyline before?! This guy isn’t always very nice, but it doesn’t matter because people fall for him anyway.
We have the main character, the shy, awkward girl who wins his heart, but of course it takes 11 episodes before both of them reach out to each other… We have the extroverted, self-confident girl who wants the boy even if it’s just for fun and not deep love (while in the meantime she has this hate/friendship rivalry-thing going on with another man who seems to hate her but of course he doesn’t - this is mostly between the lines, though, but not very subtle; if there had been a 12th episode…). This love triangle with the male lead and the two girls, we’ve seen it 100 times before. There are, like… no surprises whatsoever. And yet I’m like “aww, you idiot; don’t walk away, tell her you love her!” and so on, as if I don’t know how it’s going to end in the last episode. And the other woman who tries to seduce him and sometimes is not very nice at all… she actually gives up and becomes like his new best friend or something. It sounds like it should be intolerably sweet and fluffy but I don’t know; I like it!
Then there’s the Seductress’ brother, our hero’s best friend; the quiet, loyal side-kick who stays in the background… until he doesn’t, and that’s when things start to go wrong… And then of course there are all the loyal employees (they’re kind of like the teacups and wardrobes and things in Disney’s The Beauty and the Beast, if you see my point) who would follow their leader Hyuga to the end of the world, but then they don’t when times are hard, but then they all do in the end anyway… Some of them truly adore him to the point of being in love with him, I’d say. (I don’t know why there isn’t more fanfic for this series. It’s so slashable to the left and right, and there’s definitely plenty of het, too… and friendship, passion and betrayal, etc!)
The thing with his friend who loves him but betrays him because he’s jealous and hurt, well, that’s not exactly new either. But Hyuga’s friend, Asahina, he’s like Mr. Nice Guy in the beginning, and in the first few episodes, I was unsure if the main character wasn’t actually going to fall for him in the end instead. I liked him better. (That’s so me, isn’t it? The quiet, “reliable” strong type who takes care of the more impulsive and emotional people…) But soon I realized this wasn’t going to happen. And beneath the surface, there were all these dark, hidden emotions… Secret unrequited love, perhaps…and jealousy, a wish for something more and a wish to be noticed and needed… This was triggered by some comments from Jago-like minor characters (there were a couple of scenes where you could almost see the poison dropping from their words and into his ears…), and the jealousy when little Makoto came and won Hyuga’s trust and confidence even without him noticing… So, my dear Asahina-san turns to the dark side and you can’t believe how intense and heartbreaking it is!!! He tries to take over the company but nearly destroys it instead, because he’s like “okay, if I can’t be as great as my friend is, I can at least destroy him and make him suffer like I suffer!” This made me really sad, you know! It gets even better eventually when he’s torn apart by shame and remorse - because of course he never really wanted to do all those things! - and he doesn’t know it, but Hyuga forgives him very soon. He wants to keep working to rebuild everything that has been destroyed so that Asahina will have something to come back to when he gets out of prison. *hugs Hyuga* How awesome is this?! *lol* (Also, Makoto misunderstands some things he says and thinks that he’s in love with Asahina. He's not, but Asahina is probably in love with him. His efforts to seduce Makoto was so obviously desperate and fake.) And in the end, the teacups and the wardrobes, who have been pretty helpful, are like “yay, we’re so happy!”, and so was I. :) *hugs all the characters*
Yes, now that I think about it, I feel that the romance was very cute, and the pacing of the show was good, and there were lots of cute/funny moments, and lots of moments when I wanted to shout “oh, nooo!”, but Asahina’s storyline broke my heart (and repaired it again, sort of) and that was my favourite part of the story.
I think my classmates who introduced this to me talked about a second season. I don’t know if it’s true or if it was like “we’re fangirls; we live on hope!” (It seems all of them have such a crush on this guy who plays Hyuga! Well, I guess he’s cute, but why no love for the other guy? Haha. As for having a preference for one or the other actor, I’ve got to say that I liked this older woman, whose minor character is like this Power Lady who sort of pulls the strings behind the scenes and is intimidating in the first few episodes, but turns out to be pretty friendly… *swoons*) I don’t know. I’d love to see a second season, but I don’t know what it would be about. The story was so nicely wrapped up in the last episodes and I don’t know what new kind of disasters that could be invented… I’m fine with leaving it the way it is. :)
Other things I’ve watched lately: One Piece, Strawberry Panic, Kono mimisomething something sekai, Usagi Drop, Black Jack
My friend Mia has wanted me to watch One Piece for a long time now. After three episodes, I’m sorry to say that I didn’t like it. Not my cup of tea at all. Too much shouting and jumping and running around… I don’t have the patience for it. In a few years, when my nephews are older, I’ll give it one more try, but… Mia wants me to give it a few more episodes, so okay, I’ll not give up yet. ;)
She also put something else on my computer when she was here: Kono mimikuku mo utsukushii sekai (wow, that’s a long title!). I have watched half of it, I think, and I don’t dislike it. It’s some kind of fantasy. Also pretty silly a lot of the time, but I’m interested enough to keep watching. If I dare say such a thing, it seems pretty generic: There are monsters showing up from nowhere and mysterious powers suddenly manifesting; there are girls who are taking other girl’s measurements for clothes, and boys who would kill to be allowed to be in that room, and (alien) girls who are overly touchy-feely; other boys who blush if they as much as brush against a girl’s hand, sisters who are freaking out at the thought of their brother dating anyone, ever; a child who was abandoned as a baby (it feels like incomplete/broken families and reactions/events that can be explained by some childhood trauma is something pretty common in anime), and a group of friends who have great fun together. When I think of live action teenage shows I watched when I was young, I can see similarities. (Except there are more naked girls in anime, haha.)
Also, I have watched three or four episodes of Strawberry Panic. It’s sad, because when I look at it, I can see that this is like a cake that is made out of ingredients that one by one have the potential to be delicious, but put together like this, it’s just like… “uh, what?” After I had watched the first episode a couple of days ago, I told myself not to give up on it yet; I never had high expectations to begin with, but… I think I’ll drop this one. Hm. I can’t even put my finger on what’s bugging me here. (Actually, I think it would be fun if that Étoile-person were a vampire or something supernatural, because Nagisa is petrified every time she looks into her eyes and she almost faints!! I do know that she isn’t a vampire, but if she were, I’d accept it as a good explanation for almost everything so far!) Maybe I would have liked it if it had been like the third anime I ever watched, or something?
*lol* And the funny thing is that I knew it would be like this, so I shouldn’t even say anything. But it’s okay. I thought it was interesting in theory, as a phenomenon, and it’s not strange to me that sometimes it’s more interesting to read about something (yes, I’m looking at you, crsg!) than to look at the thing itself. Sometimes, when I studied literature, I read something that had me thinking “why am I reading this?!” and then the professor’s lecture made me feel “ohhh, I get it, that’s sooo fascinating!” Strawberry Panic seems to be like that for me. (Not that I really mean to compare it with great literary classics! *lol* And I still find myself wishing it was just a little bit different…)
Luckily, there’s Usagi Drop! I really like this one. I’ve watched four or five episodes. It’s cute and funny, with a serious theme, and it’s pretty to watch. No monsters, swords, aliens or rubber bodies… ;) And I like the music in it.
And every once in a while, I watch an episode of Black Jack. These OVA episodes are different from the shorter TV episodes I watched first, and I really like them, but I still can’t say whether I prefer them or not. The art style is different (I definitely like it better) and it’s obviously made for an older audience; there’s less super-insanely unrealistic silly things, which is good, but… I also kind of like the invincible “Super Hero style” Black Jack of the TV series, hm… ;) There’s less of Pinoko here (at least judging by what I’ve seen so far, and I’m okay with that) and more of other women who throw themselves at him (not sure what to think about it), and he’s slightly less grumpy and harsh… (and I don’t know if that’s good or bad). All in all, I think he as a character is pretty much the same. I guess I’d have preferred something that was sort of a mix between the different versions! ;)