This and That
I'm starting to get busy again at work. I alternate between helping the first year and third year English teachers and I had four classes yesterday and wednesday. I'm getting to know the students a little better, although I'm told that the second years (formerly the first years) miss having me in their English classes. That's flattering. I've been helping Omori-sensei teach the first years the alphabet and simple commands and I taught the third years how to play hangman. Nothing more American than a light children's game about grim, public execution. Maybe I shouldn't have drawn the X-ed out eyes and swollen tongue on the victim after he's fully drawn. I've been taking note of the pencil cases and school supplies that the students use lately for no particular reason. Among the boys, sports-themed pencil cases are popular and a few third years have marijuana leaves on theirs, even though I doubt they really understand what that means. Many third year girls have pencil cases, bags, or socks with the Playboy Bunny on them and I'm strongly tempted to tell them what it really means. It's probably better if I don't, though. The first years have a lot of Disney paraphernalia. Many of the girls have Minnie Mouse pen cases or pencil boards. Given that Minnie and Mickey don't really have developed personalities, I'm a little surprised at how popular they are. Their symbolic value seems to trump the essential emptiness of their characterization, although I'm told that Mickey is a ninja badass in Kingdom Hearts II. Donald, Goofy, Pluto, most other Disney characters have distinct personalities. whereas Minne and Mickey are merely symbols. One of the first year girls has a Powerpuff Girls pen case and pencil board. An American show whose primary influence was Japanese cartoons has migrated to Japan and is popular enough to warrant the production of merchandise. I've also seen Kim Possible toys in vending machines, come to think of it. On an unrelated note, I found a book of Utena character designs last night in a recycle shop for less than $2.00. I've also been reading a lot of CLAMP's xxxHOlic manga in the original Japanese. There are a lot kanji that I don't know, but I'm able to get the gist of the story. I'm currently in the middle of William Gibson and Bruce Sterling's The Difference Engine, an alternate history/steampunk novel based off of Charles Babbage perfecting his difference engine and radically changing English history. I find his observations on the relationship between technology, politics, and international relations very interesting.