Reviews and surprises
I'm sure I've accumulated enough to talk about to make an entry worth the time -- in fact, I'm sure I've accumulated so much that I won't remember nearly all the things I had wanted to post on this week ^^;
For one thing, tonight I finished watching Eureka Seven, a show that I started ... well, a long, long time ago ^^; It's a series that I really enjoyed from the start, and the ending for the most part kept that up (even if the last few moments were a little bit "eh?"). I mean, yeah, Renton's voice and the kids in general were annoying for pretty much the entire series, and perhaps there were a few plot threads that felt like they were left hanging at the end (though I should probably blame that on my very erratic viewing of the series -- I'm certain there are things I forgot about previous episodes), but the great character development made up for it. I think the show would probably benefit from a more compacted viewing -- I watched the last 12 episodes all today, but before that, it would be more like one or two DVDs at a time, and then 6 months before the next set.
***Minor SPOILER-y stuff I want to get out of the way***
-I'm most mad about the ending for making me wonder where the heck Renton and Eureka have been for the last year. I mean, did they come back and go again, or have they just been floating around with sparkly lights? And what exactly is the point of the floating around with sparkly lights? I thought they were going to go home x.x
-Oh, yeah. And I'm mad at the ending for not showing a single second of Talho and Holland's baby. What's with that? After all the focus in the last few episodes on Talho's stomach and Holland's worry about what things would be like in the future, they don't show up in the year later portion at all, which made me sad.
-On the other hand, Eureka Seven is the first series in a while to satisfactorily fulfill an OTP -- my E7 OTP being Dominic x Anemone, which is SO ADORABLE. I'd liked both of them (esp. Dominic) since their introductions, but I had expected that Anemone would die, so I was trying not to let myself get too attached to the pairing. But, it turned out so well that I would watch the show again just for their sakes ♥
***I think that's it; END SPOILERS***
Moving on. I've been doing some manga reading as well lately -- this time manga from my very own library, who installed their collection what ... a month or two ago? In any case, since then I've finished the four volumes of Azumanga Daioh, and the 11 released volumes of XXXholic.
Azumanga Daioh ... well, here's an example of an anime being better than the original manga, IMO. Perhaps it was that I'd heard the jokes before, or perhaps because ADV's translation was really awful in places ("cantaloupe" buns as a translation for melon pan? You've GOT to be kidding me. Yes, insult the melon pan and you piss me off XP), but it just didn't have the same charm that the anime did. I couldn't wait to watch each DVD of the anime ... and I couldn't wait to get each volume of the manga over with. Ah, well. At least now I know that if I want to feel high school nostalgia/hilarity, I should just watch the anime again ^^;
XXXholic, on the other hand, is completely addictive to me. I'm not a particular fan of CLAMP's manga, but I've enjoyed it on occasion. (CLAMP series I've read: MKR, Suki, Legend of Chun Hyang, Shirayuki-hime, and parts of X, Tsubasa, Clover, and probably others.) XXXholic, though ... for one thing, it's art is gorgeous; the use of black and white is absolutely stunning at times (I think it gets black especially better than any other manga I've read, as most rely on gray screentones, etc.), and the level of detail is a treat. The stories aren't quite the level of something like Mushi-shi, but they are generally good -- after all, I've always had a soft spot for supernatural oneshots (Petshop of Horrors was one of the very first manga I ever bought, in fact). Yuuko has to be one of my favorite female manga characters as well, and I have a soft spot for Watanuki's good-natured annoying-ness ^_^
Sadly, though, the manga has spoiled me to the point that I don't think I can ever watch the anime because of how the art looks in it.
Movies I've watched lately:
-Waitress: "Bittersweet" is the word. A waitress with a gift for making wonderful pie hopes to find some escape from her controlling, emotionally abusive husband -- then she finds out she's pregnant and begins an affair with the new doctor in town. It was advertised as a romantic comedy, but I would call it a black comedy. The ending is pretty optimistic though, and those pies did look delicious. I probably wouldn't watch it again though.
-Pretty in Pink: The 80s classic (?). The story of a poor girl with her own style, her silly best friend, and the rich boy who falls for her. Surprisingly honest, with well written (or perhaps just well acted) characters that felt very real to me. It echoes the unpleasant parts of high school without feeling overdramatic or uber-depressing. I liked it quite a bit.
Books I've read lately:
-Lost in the Labyrinth by Patrice Kindl: The most recent of Kindl's works. Goose Chase is still my favorite -- Labyrinth wasn't exactly bad or even greatly flawed, but it was somehow ... forgettable. It had an interesting premise (focusing on the sister of the so-called minotaur and Ariadne from Greek mythology, and working in Icarus as well), but I didn't feel that much for the characters by the end. I'd definitely recommend her other works over this one, though I did like it better than Woman in the Wall (if only because I hated the love interest and the cliche ending in that one).
-Love the One You're With by Emily Giffin: A fiction book I pulled from the new book cart for a change of pace. I was expecting utter cheese (... I usually dislike these kinds of books), but it turned out to be good enough to spend some time with. Yeah, this is unabashed chicklit (a happily married woman randomly meets up with her most significant ex-boyfriend and must reconcile her past with her present), but the writing was pretty good and the characters were interesting to watch -- even if the main character fell into the chicklit stereotypes of being pretty, rich, and having a glamorous job (photographer). But her insecurities did make sense, and the book makes the admirable point that love is not just about lust or emotions -- it's a choice and a commitment.
-Winter Rose by Patricia McKillip: McKillip is quickly becoming one of my favorite fantasy authors. Her prose is spellbinding and her characters and plot are complex and interesting. Sometimes I do think she gets caught up in her own writing (to the point that she sometimes loses track of what she's really talking about), but it has such a nice flow that I usually don't notice. This book doesn't exactly stand out over the others I've read by McKillip, but it was an enjoyable read.
I think that's all for media consumption ...
Ah, yes. My Gundam Seed boxsets came in the mail on Saturday. Friday night I watched DVD 1 (which I already owned), making myself feel nostalgic. On Sunday I spot checked my DVDs since I had heard there were some problems on certain discs. Sure enough, one of my discs refused to play at all T_T So I sent Bandai an e-mail and sent it on Monday (... or maybe Tuesday). I can only hope they get me a replacement soon, because dangit, now I want to re-watch the series. Hehe, I was worrying about whether I would still love it after all this time ... then Athrun came on the screen and all my worries vanished ♥ (Have I mentioned lately that he's voiced by Akira Ishida, one of my very favorite seiyuu?)
And now for my big news: Today I made an appointment to get my hair cut on Tuesday. Waaah. I wish I could've gone in today and just gotten it over with, because now I'm getting nervous. It's been three years since my last big cut, after all -- my hair's nearly as long now as it was then (hip length). I know the stylist is going to chide me for my split ends and fret that I won't have enough length to donate to Locks of Love (even though I know I can afford to get more than 10 inches chopped off). I have no idea how my hair will look after the cut, so that worries me as well. I'm not going to get a straight cut this time -- I want layers and perhaps even sideswept bangs. It'll be a big change. I guess I need to get my hair cut more often so I don't have to have these mini-crises ^^;
In any case, I should be worrying more about my last two days of work ...
Wish me luck.
For one thing, tonight I finished watching Eureka Seven, a show that I started ... well, a long, long time ago ^^; It's a series that I really enjoyed from the start, and the ending for the most part kept that up (even if the last few moments were a little bit "eh?"). I mean, yeah, Renton's voice and the kids in general were annoying for pretty much the entire series, and perhaps there were a few plot threads that felt like they were left hanging at the end (though I should probably blame that on my very erratic viewing of the series -- I'm certain there are things I forgot about previous episodes), but the great character development made up for it. I think the show would probably benefit from a more compacted viewing -- I watched the last 12 episodes all today, but before that, it would be more like one or two DVDs at a time, and then 6 months before the next set.
***Minor SPOILER-y stuff I want to get out of the way***
-I'm most mad about the ending for making me wonder where the heck Renton and Eureka have been for the last year. I mean, did they come back and go again, or have they just been floating around with sparkly lights? And what exactly is the point of the floating around with sparkly lights? I thought they were going to go home x.x
-Oh, yeah. And I'm mad at the ending for not showing a single second of Talho and Holland's baby. What's with that? After all the focus in the last few episodes on Talho's stomach and Holland's worry about what things would be like in the future, they don't show up in the year later portion at all, which made me sad.
-On the other hand, Eureka Seven is the first series in a while to satisfactorily fulfill an OTP -- my E7 OTP being Dominic x Anemone, which is SO ADORABLE. I'd liked both of them (esp. Dominic) since their introductions, but I had expected that Anemone would die, so I was trying not to let myself get too attached to the pairing. But, it turned out so well that I would watch the show again just for their sakes ♥
***I think that's it; END SPOILERS***
Moving on. I've been doing some manga reading as well lately -- this time manga from my very own library, who installed their collection what ... a month or two ago? In any case, since then I've finished the four volumes of Azumanga Daioh, and the 11 released volumes of XXXholic.
Azumanga Daioh ... well, here's an example of an anime being better than the original manga, IMO. Perhaps it was that I'd heard the jokes before, or perhaps because ADV's translation was really awful in places ("cantaloupe" buns as a translation for melon pan? You've GOT to be kidding me. Yes, insult the melon pan and you piss me off XP), but it just didn't have the same charm that the anime did. I couldn't wait to watch each DVD of the anime ... and I couldn't wait to get each volume of the manga over with. Ah, well. At least now I know that if I want to feel high school nostalgia/hilarity, I should just watch the anime again ^^;
XXXholic, on the other hand, is completely addictive to me. I'm not a particular fan of CLAMP's manga, but I've enjoyed it on occasion. (CLAMP series I've read: MKR, Suki, Legend of Chun Hyang, Shirayuki-hime, and parts of X, Tsubasa, Clover, and probably others.) XXXholic, though ... for one thing, it's art is gorgeous; the use of black and white is absolutely stunning at times (I think it gets black especially better than any other manga I've read, as most rely on gray screentones, etc.), and the level of detail is a treat. The stories aren't quite the level of something like Mushi-shi, but they are generally good -- after all, I've always had a soft spot for supernatural oneshots (Petshop of Horrors was one of the very first manga I ever bought, in fact). Yuuko has to be one of my favorite female manga characters as well, and I have a soft spot for Watanuki's good-natured annoying-ness ^_^
Sadly, though, the manga has spoiled me to the point that I don't think I can ever watch the anime because of how the art looks in it.
Movies I've watched lately:
-Waitress: "Bittersweet" is the word. A waitress with a gift for making wonderful pie hopes to find some escape from her controlling, emotionally abusive husband -- then she finds out she's pregnant and begins an affair with the new doctor in town. It was advertised as a romantic comedy, but I would call it a black comedy. The ending is pretty optimistic though, and those pies did look delicious. I probably wouldn't watch it again though.
-Pretty in Pink: The 80s classic (?). The story of a poor girl with her own style, her silly best friend, and the rich boy who falls for her. Surprisingly honest, with well written (or perhaps just well acted) characters that felt very real to me. It echoes the unpleasant parts of high school without feeling overdramatic or uber-depressing. I liked it quite a bit.
Books I've read lately:
-Lost in the Labyrinth by Patrice Kindl: The most recent of Kindl's works. Goose Chase is still my favorite -- Labyrinth wasn't exactly bad or even greatly flawed, but it was somehow ... forgettable. It had an interesting premise (focusing on the sister of the so-called minotaur and Ariadne from Greek mythology, and working in Icarus as well), but I didn't feel that much for the characters by the end. I'd definitely recommend her other works over this one, though I did like it better than Woman in the Wall (if only because I hated the love interest and the cliche ending in that one).
-Love the One You're With by Emily Giffin: A fiction book I pulled from the new book cart for a change of pace. I was expecting utter cheese (... I usually dislike these kinds of books), but it turned out to be good enough to spend some time with. Yeah, this is unabashed chicklit (a happily married woman randomly meets up with her most significant ex-boyfriend and must reconcile her past with her present), but the writing was pretty good and the characters were interesting to watch -- even if the main character fell into the chicklit stereotypes of being pretty, rich, and having a glamorous job (photographer). But her insecurities did make sense, and the book makes the admirable point that love is not just about lust or emotions -- it's a choice and a commitment.
-Winter Rose by Patricia McKillip: McKillip is quickly becoming one of my favorite fantasy authors. Her prose is spellbinding and her characters and plot are complex and interesting. Sometimes I do think she gets caught up in her own writing (to the point that she sometimes loses track of what she's really talking about), but it has such a nice flow that I usually don't notice. This book doesn't exactly stand out over the others I've read by McKillip, but it was an enjoyable read.
I think that's all for media consumption ...
Ah, yes. My Gundam Seed boxsets came in the mail on Saturday. Friday night I watched DVD 1 (which I already owned), making myself feel nostalgic. On Sunday I spot checked my DVDs since I had heard there were some problems on certain discs. Sure enough, one of my discs refused to play at all T_T So I sent Bandai an e-mail and sent it on Monday (... or maybe Tuesday). I can only hope they get me a replacement soon, because dangit, now I want to re-watch the series. Hehe, I was worrying about whether I would still love it after all this time ... then Athrun came on the screen and all my worries vanished ♥ (Have I mentioned lately that he's voiced by Akira Ishida, one of my very favorite seiyuu?)
And now for my big news: Today I made an appointment to get my hair cut on Tuesday. Waaah. I wish I could've gone in today and just gotten it over with, because now I'm getting nervous. It's been three years since my last big cut, after all -- my hair's nearly as long now as it was then (hip length). I know the stylist is going to chide me for my split ends and fret that I won't have enough length to donate to Locks of Love (even though I know I can afford to get more than 10 inches chopped off). I have no idea how my hair will look after the cut, so that worries me as well. I'm not going to get a straight cut this time -- I want layers and perhaps even sideswept bangs. It'll be a big change. I guess I need to get my hair cut more often so I don't have to have these mini-crises ^^;
In any case, I should be worrying more about my last two days of work ...
Wish me luck.