Friday, April 6, 2001
11:59 p.m.
I've just got one quick thing before I toddle off to bed. I saw the Escaflowne movie last night, and ... *sigh* Amazing, of course, as expected, but the ending was so terribly/beautifully sad. Erm, I don't know if I should put a spoiler warning on this, since I'm not mentioning anything specific -- but if you haven't seen the TV series, you sharper ones among the bunch might pick up on some spoilers.
First of all, though the movie was great, I still liked the TV series better. Part of it is because I prefer the latter's happier tone, but it's also because, as a retelling of the original story, the movie obviously cannot stand up to 26 episodes, each of which was filled to the brim with plot. I loved how they kept in the most significant events, however, like the tree scene and the first time Van showed his wings. Though I prefer Hitomi's line in the original, "Tenshi ... anata wa ..." ("You're ... an angel ...") to the movie's "Shiroi tsubasa ..." ("White wings ..."). I don't know about the rest of the dialogue, though -- the tape was rather bad quality and the font was frickin' tiny. @_@ There were some good lines, too ... if I could remember them. ^_^;;
The final scene was beautiful -- I was wondering when exactly the whole Tsubasa no Kami thing would come into play. (But the final battle was a tad on the anticlimactic side, ne? ^_^;) I remember the first time I ever heard "Yubiwa," I thought it was the saddest, most beautiful song. The effect sort of wore off as I played it several dozen times in a row (^_^v), but now, after seeing the end of the movie, it's back. ;_; I got the soundtrack, too, so I can listen to it and "Sora" and all the other splendiferously wonderful music. *happy sigh*
Wait ... two things. ^_^v I also got to go to the ADP showing tonight. Hana Yori Dango is too shoujo for my tastes, but you gotta love the opening animation. >D Tenshi ni Narumon -- CUTESY. O_o With one damn catchy opening theme. Lupin the TV series -- fun, in a campy 70s sort of way. Future Boy Conan -- Ghibli sweetness. Utena -- surreally beautiful, but somewhat lacking in the sense-making department. Gokudo-kun -- XD. Furi Kuri -- NO sense. WHATsoever. Beats Di Gi Charat as an acceptable substitute for crack. X_x And Miyu -- creepy/good. But Larva only showed up in the last five minutes, and didn't even take off his mask. Che. >P
Wait ... three -- no, two things. (Makes sense if you watch SNL's Bush sketches. ^_^;;) G'night everybody. XD
Thursday, April 5, 2001
05:16 p.m.
"Sono Mama de Iin da," Sakamoto Maaya
Sakamoto-sama's new album is out! ^o^ Oh, how I want~~ I wonder when Kinokuniya will get it? (Probably in six months. ^_^;;) Perhaps it'll be at Sakura Con -- but I want to save my money for doujinshi. ^_^;; (Lili-chan, watch out -- I'm sending you my doujin wish list soon. ^o^) I don't want to spoil myself by downloading the songs ... but maybe one or two. ^_^v
Wai~! I got to see eps. 9-12 of KareKano! >D Asapin's sexy dance~~ XD Plus the introductions of Tsubasa & co. and Maho. ^_^v Neechan said that at first she thought I was like Aya, since she writes all the time. But Aya smokes. ^_^;; I'm more like Yukino in that sense -- "Tabako wa dame! Tabako wa dame! Tabako wa dame!!" ^_^; Yukino cracks me up. "Yuujou yo! Yuujou yo~!" XD I think I'll give people nicknames like the ones they have, though. Neechan can be Myrapin or something. >D I'll be Doran ... or Dorarin. XD
We went back to ADP, but they didn't have eps. 13-16. ;_; Demo daijoubu! Neechan pledged that we will get the entire series on DVD once they're officially released ... and once we get a DVD player. OSSU!!
Aaaand, we borrowed A Girl in Gaea. *_* I heard the tape's in not so good condition, but I don't care -- it's the Escaflowne movie. *_* I also borrowed volume two of Watase Yuu's YuuTopia Collection, "Musubiya Nanako." It's from 1997, my favorite period of her style (around the second FushiYuu series). Plus, there's "Hang in there Nakago! 2" at the end. XD
Maa, I need to find an image for my new layout ... It's about time I got rid of this bug-ridden one. >.<
I downloaded an SNL Celebrity Jeopardy sketch yesterday; one of my favorite parts is the Audio Daily Double from the "Continents" category: "Identify this continent: ASIA."
XD
Now! Time for eBay doujinshi links! >D
This is just cute beyond words.
Yuusuke, you lucky bastard. XD
Lili-chan: The doujinshi on the bottom left of the top image ("Peace of Mind") is one that Ren'ai really really really wants. If you find it for her, she will grovel at your feet. ^_^
I like the cover on this one. No idea who the circle is, though.
Pretty Kurama hair. *_*
Lili-chan: anything by this circle. O_O
Like this one.
It's so pretty I might cry. >D
Thursday, April 5, 2001
11:19 a.m.
"Dearest," Nadesico
Uf. I was going to go to neechan's Psych lecture with her today, but someone is monopolizing the bathroom and I can't go in to take a shower. ~_~;;
I had fun on the Mary Gates computer yesterday. It took about a minute or less per song to download on Napster, so I was getting files like crazy. >D One of the songs I got was Sakamoto Maaya's "Sono Mama de Iin da," which is a really nice slow song, a la "Dive." I also read the translations to the first six chapters of "Chobits." The reason the manga is written without furigana is that it's actually more of a seinen series, currently being published in Young Magazine. Which explains the somewhat ecchi jokes scattered throughout. ^_^;; It's not bad so far, though. The basic premise is that everyone is using these personal computers ("pasokon" for short) that look like young women. (Makes me think of the marionettes in Saber Marionette J.) Chii, the pasokon and star of the series is cute beyond words; Hideki is your usual loser-type shounen hero, perverted but endearing. I actually like Minoru, the seventh-grade expert on custom-built pasokon -- he reminds me of a younger version of Nagi from Weiß. >D
Hm ... I'm thinking today after lunch we'll drop by ADP to see if we can snag KareKano eps. 13-16. If not, maybe the'll have the Escaflowne movie. *hope*
Thursday, April 5, 2001
11:19 a.m.
"Dearest," Nadesico
Uf. I was going to go to neechan's Psych lecture with her today, but someone is monopolizing the bathroom and I can't go in to take a shower. ~_~;;
I had fun on the Mary Gates computer yesterday. It took about a minute or less per song to download on Napster, so I was getting files like crazy. >D One of the songs I got was Sakamoto Maaya's "Sono Mama de Iin da," which is a really nice slow song, a la "Dive." I also read the translations to the first six chapters of "Chobits." The reason the manga is written without furigana is that it's actually more of a seinen series, currently being published in Young Magazine. Which explains the somewhat ecchi jokes scattered throughout. ^_^;; It's not bad so far, though. The basic premise is that everyone is using these personal computers ("pasokon" for short) that look like young women. (Makes me think of the marionettes in Saber Marionette J.) Chii, the pasokon and star of the series is cute beyond words; Hideki is your usual loser-type shounen hero, perverted but endearing. I actually like Minoru, the seventh-grade expert on custom-built pasokon -- he reminds me of a younger version of Nagi from Weiß. >D
Hm ... I'm thinking today after lunch we'll drop by ADP to see if we can snag KareKano eps. 13-16. If not, maybe the'll have the Escaflowne movie. *hope*
Wednesday, April 4, 2001
04:12 p.m.
"Voiceless Screaming," X-Japan
Lili-chan, you were right; this is a really nice song. I like Kurenai, too. ^_^v And I'm glad Miro's all right.
Ne, neko-chan, how did you search for the Japanese Les Mis songs? I've tried looking for the Japanese Red Cast, but that only gets me a few ... I've found several different English and French versions of "On My Own," though. (What the ... Michael Crawford? O_o)
Okay, that's enough from me. ^_^; I'll just sign Ruby-chan's cast and be off.
Wednesday, April 4, 2001
03:24 p.m.
"Evolution," Hamasaki Ayumi
Ah, Ethernet, how I love thee~~ XDXDXD
I went to my first college lecture today. ^_^v Neechan's psychology -- actually, it wasn't a real lecture, because they spent the hour taking survey pretests for experiments they're performing. But I got to experience the stadium seating and all that. >D After that, we went to a Physics tutorial, and I actually wasn't totally out of my league. They were doing two-dimensional movement -- circular motion and centripetal acceleration, to be exact. I scrounged around in my memory a bit, since we did that in one of the earlier chapters; basically, it's the same concept, only they present it in a different manner, with different wording (read: as confusing as possible @_@). We met a guy there, too (no, not like that >P), and he was quite nice. He spent the entire winter quarter in Japan, actually -- two months living in Tokyo, and another month travelling the country. *_*
Hum. I need doujinshi. Desperately. I don't even have any -- not one! ;_; Get me a good Fuji Shinichi or P.P.P. Press, and I'd perform ritual worship at your feet. ^_^;;; The only doujinshi I've actually seen in real life are the Kame ones WhiteCat borrowed once ... I'm pining until I can go to Sakura Con and snag some for myself. XD
I just downloaded "The Baka Song" off Napster (Ethernet and Napster is a combination straight out of heaven *_*), which is, quite naturally, a Ranma ½ song. Hidaka Noriko cracks me up. XD
We dropped by ADP today and found KareKano eps. 9-12. Rakii~~ Usually KareKano is so popular that it's nearly impossible to get the tapes to rent ... It's all because I'm here, I know it. ^_~ We also borrowed the first volume of "Chobits," CLAMP's new manga. It looks pretty cute -- the art is more like Cardcaptor Sakura than X or Rayearth. The title is written rather funny, too ... how can I write this without a Japanese-capable browser? ^_^; It's Chi(yo)bi(tsu) in hiragana, and the final tsu in katakana. The entire volume is written without furigana. ;_;
I'm still liking dorm life all right. ^_^ Today was the first day I went out while neechan was in class; previously I just stayed in and did homework or used her computer (33 kbps, pah! >D), which was all right. There's a cellist in one of the nearby buildings, and I can hear them playing through the window. They're quite good, too; they started off with scales (harmonic, perhaps -- I'm horribly tone deaf O_o;;;) that went up higher on the A string than I go on the E string. *_*
It's also nice because neechan has a nice room. RuroKen and Cowboy Bebop posters all over. >D She's got one really nice one of the Shinsen Gumi -- with all the captains that Watsuki-sensei used as models for the characters. *_* Battousai and Saitou are back to back in front, and in the background are Hijikata Toshizou (Aoshi), Harada Sanosuke (Sano), Okita Souji (Soujirou), and some other guy who's not bishounen and is therefore unimportant. >D
... I keep thinking someone's going to come and kick me off for not being a student or not doing schoolwork or something. ^_^;;
Tuesday, April 3, 2001
08:25 p.m.
"Forever Dreamer," Hayashibara Megumi
Not much has happened. ^_^; I spent the rest of the day yesterday taking some practice AP History tests. I didn't do the DBQs or free-response essays, just the multiple choice; got scores between 60 and 70 percent both times. >_< I am so screwed come May 11. My small consolation is that we haven't gotten to the Kennedy era and beyond yet, which means my grade should be higher by maybe ... ten percent. X_x
Today I rewrote a practice AP English exam essay because I didn't address the prompt the first time. That, of all things, is what's going to get me on the exam; not how good or bad of an essay I write, but whether or not I addressed the prompt. O_o So what drives a student to be in AP, with all this crap? All I've been able to come up with is an intense sense of masochism.
In happier news, we rented eps. 5-8 of KareKano from ADP today. Waaaai, I love Asapin! XD He's so fecking hilarious. And bishie, too; but I'd still like Arima better for my boytoy. >D Even though the boy has some serious issues. And people thought Aoshi was angsty. XD
I actually find Aoshi and Arima to be somewhat similar, especially when Arima was worrying if he made Miyazawa happy. Both guys have the same sort of dynamic with their female counterparts -- and, I think, the same devotion that occasionally borders on obsession. ^_^;;; I don't believe Aoshi has quite as much of an inferiority complex, though; he may question whether or not he's really fit for Misao, but not his worth as a human being. O_o Misao, too, is like Miyazawa in many ways -- aggressive, determined, weird (^_^;) -- and I think she can have that same lack of self-confidence when it comes to her guy. (Yare yare, I analyze these two too much. ^_^;;;)
As for college life, it's still okay. I went to the ADP office by myself today, and since I hatehatehate going by myself to places I've never been, it was kind of a good thing that I made it. I got a bit disoriented and went to the quad by accident, but straightened myself out without too much trouble. It was nice to explore the campus a little. ^_^; Showering is still odd, and the constant elevator trips can get tiresome, but overall it's still cool. Plus, I'm with neechan, and that's always a plus. ^_^v
I've finished pretty much all of my homework -- all I have left is reading a chapter in History, and I'll probably wait on that until I get home. I'd actually like to be able to write a bit, while neechan's studying and stuff. I think I had four fics I wanted to get done over break. O_o If I have time, though, I should do a drawing for my friend's late birthday present; he asked for one after I gave one to my other friend for her birthday. He wanted a Kenshin ... I'll see if I can pull of an action pose. Or, if I don't have time, I wonder if it'd be too much of a cop-out if I just bought him something from Anime Kingdom. ^_^;;
Ara, Ruby, I hope your wrist gets better soon! o_o I love the new layout, btw. ^_^
Monday, April 2, 2001
10:46 a.m.
Ahoy, minna! It's P-chan reporting from the U of W. ^_^v This entry, I guess, is for neko-chan, Lili-chan, and Ruby-chan, who, like me, are still high schoolers alternately anticipating and dreading the prospect of college.
"College life" isn't so bad -- seeing as I don't have to go to classes and just get to hang out all day. >D Getting used to cramped living quarters (even more cramped than usual, since there's now three of us in neechan's dorm room) is the hard part. Plus, the shower is a concentrated firehose-type spray that requires a bit of dancing to wash oneself. ^_^; Dorm food is pretty good, considering; and there's always a bunch of restaurants in walking distance if you get tired of it. Like that yummy teriyaki place we went to for lunch yesterday. :)~
Saturday we went downtown, and I got to see the Seattle Kinokuniya -- two stories, baby! >D Lovely to drool over, but I didn't buy anything; the visit was more for my viewing pleasure than any actual purchasing. Afterward, we headed to Anime Kingdom, which is in quite close proximity to the dorm. ^o^ I looked, drooled, and drooled some more -- and finally decided on Hayashibara Megumi's "Enfluerage" (or is it "Enfleurage"?) album, which is currently lost among the clutter on neechan's desk, so I can't listen to it. ^_^;;; But I like it muchly.
Also got to see episodes 1-4 of KareKano (finally!). And I love it! ^o^ I don't usually like sappy relationship dramas that have nothing extra to offer (like, say, Ranma ½ does), but this one is really well done. Not only does it range from freakish hilarity to dark soul-searching (this is Gainax, after all), but the actual relationship between Miyazawa and Arima is beautifully told. It's not stereotypical or predictable at all, and every new development rings true as realistic for two high schoolers. I kind of see a bit of Miyazawa in myself, too; I'm certainly not as obsessed with image and looks (if I were, I'd probably dress better >P), but I know that kind of drive to be the best. Not that I'd be as, well, malicious as she was with Arima. ^_^;;; But, hell, if I had a boyfriend like that, I'd be happy. XD
*nikonikopakupaku* I got that from the second tankoubon of Cardcaptor Sakura, and it's my new sound effect. XD Yukito-san, kakkoi! *_*
I also got to see my first whole episode of Hey! Hey! Hey! Music Champ last night. ^o^ It didn't have anyone I knew on it, except for Max. They had some weird jokes with Valentine's Day gifts for the hosts (like a banana that "needed Viagra" O_o), plus a really long segment with Go Hiromi and some favorites of the commercials he's been in. In two that had the same theme, Americans were speaking English and then were interrupted by this, "Go go go go." It's Go himself, driving a car and chanting his name. O_o Then the Americans watch him drive off and say "Suteki." Though it's highly accented and sounds more like "Steaky." ^_^;; Also performing were Shela and someone else whose name I forgot who performed a Japanese version of a Janet Jackson song.
Hm ... I suppose I should do some of my homework. >P Spring Break and I have homework. Grr. Not all bad, though; one of them was a chapter from "The People's History of the United States," which is interesting and refreshing in perspective. My History teacher thinks Howard Zinn is a socialist at heart, though, and I have to say that I agree. ^_^;
Ara, I'm hungry. And I just had breakfast an hour ago. ^_^;; Maybe I'll scrounge up something to snack on. Nikoniko-pakupaku. ^_^v
Friday, March 30, 2001
09:24 p.m.
"Our Answer," E.M.U.
This song is certainly unique. It's pretty catchy -- the usual boy band j-pop/rock -- but I wonder what's going on in the beginning. @_@ Ah, well. M-sama, with Okiayu Ryoutarou and Hayashi Nobutoshi, means good listening. *niko*
And ... it's FRIDAY! I'm freeeeee~~~ *happy sigh* I did take three tests today, but they were actually not as hard as I expected. I did have one or two questions on the PreCal test I wondered about, but I'm not going to let it worry me. I also almost missed a question on the History test because I couldn't remember for the life of me who J. Robert Oppenheimer was. ^_^;; I knew I recognized the name, but I just blanked -- I think only about the book chapters on tests, and since he was only briefly mentioned in the reading, he was consequently blocked off in my mind. I guess that's proof for the disadvantages of strict book learning. -_-;;
I sometimes worry about the minds of AP students. Besides being anally retentive and obscenely grade conscious, we have the stress levels of business executives. @_@ Most of my class, for instance, is addicted to coffee, the new suburbanite drug of choice. Last night at our study session at Starbucks, everyone but me had venti mochas with triple shots of espresso. O_o Produced some interesting study methods, however. Like, "Damn Commies -- Berlin Airlift -- too much shit -- lifted blockade." >D
Hum. Sign you're an obsessed loser of an otaku #391: My friend was in an inexplicably good mood and said it was just one of those "God's in His heaven, all's right with the world" feelings. And rather than thinking of Browning's classic poetry, instead what comes to mind is, "But how?? NERV is trying to bring about Third Impact as we speak!!" ~_~
It's probably too late for you to read this, neko-chan, but good luck on the SATs! o^o^/o You'll do brilliantly, I know. >D
Ne, Lili-chan, isn't RnH a fuuuun series? ^o^ Neon's fight is really good, and you get to see Mikagami's ougi (well, one of them -- the boy apparently has multiple ones *_*). It's Saicho, BTW -- and I like him lots. ^_^v He comes back in the later manga volumes, and it's muchly cool.
Arara, tomorrow I head up to Seattle to visit neechan! ^o^ A week at the U -- and then I'll promptly decide that it's fun for a vacation but not for permanent lodging and refuse to ever go off to college. XP
Wednesday, March 28, 2001
04:43 p.m.
"Mameshiba," Sakamoto Maaya
I'm getting that song now, neko-chan. ^_^v Is the lyrics site you were talking about AnimeLyrics.com? Because I can't go there, either. >P
(Look, neechan, it's Initial D! Doooon't miss it! >D)
Ne, Ruby-chan, isn't Neopets insanely addicting? I was introduced to it by a seventh grader, and I think I go there more than she does. O_o
My friend called me for help on PreCal homework this afternoon, and I answered all his questions without even looking at my assignment. It was all strictly from memory. O_o Someone spends waaaay too much time doing schoolwork.
I also learned a new word today: matriculate. ^_^; Meaning, most commonly, to enroll in a university. The knowledge of which is a telltale sign of an anal AP student like myself. >P
My current project is a drawing I'm making for my friend's birthday, and I have decided upon Sailormoon manga as my source of inspiration. ^_^v I got mood music and everything -- FushiYuu Best Vocal Collection >D -- and spent last night reacquainting myself with tankoubon 18 and drooling. I mean, say what you will about Sailormoon, original or DICified; Takeuchi Naoko has gorgeous art. *_*
Tuesday, March 27, 2001
06:29 p.m.
"I'll Be There (Ballad Version)," Hayashibara Megumi
Ufu. Hisashiburi, ne? @_@ Neechan is gone, and I'm a~~ll alone, trying to juggle packing and college stuff and One. More. Week. Of. School. x_x Somehow my teachers all looked to Friday for uber-huge unit tests and decided that fell under the category of Good Timing. ~_~
So ... I saw the end of Jubei-chan on Saturday. ^_^v I liked it, despite the fact that some people complained that the series in its entirety sucked. >P When neechan said that it reminded her of Ayashi no Ceres at one point, I was a tad worried, since I pretty much take that to mean that someone dies. But don't worry; no one does. No spoilers here. (And saying that someone dies in a Watase series isn't a spoiler; it's a law of nature.) I got a bit teary-eyed at the end, during the part with that really quick "Sweet Dreams and Memories" bit. ^_^;;
What I didn't like, though, was the lack of consideration for ... well, translating. >_< In a flashback, little Jubei says something about staying together with her dad, and they subtitled it as, "I love you, Daddy!" And "Koinosuke ... san" somehow came to mean "Koinosuke ... wait." >_<
"Hm ... the translator is on lunch break. Oh, well, there's no time to lose -- let's just write in whatever we think sounds good, original script be damned!" O_o
Speaking of arbitrary translations, my friend (the one being slowly indoctrinated into otakudom >D) borrowed the RuroKen OAV DVDs today, and I had to bite my tongue to keep from barraging her with all the rants I had about the subtitles of the official release. ^_^;;; It still bugs me that they left out the translation of Hitokiri Battousai, and Kenshin as opposed to Shinta, and "I will protect you and make you happy" instead of "I will protect your happiness" ... >P
Happy belated birthday to Ruby! XD Happy sweet sixteen, dearie. And lovely layout, too. ^_^
Lili-chan, my sympathies for your English assignment. ^_^;; But congratulations on the soccer win! ^o^ I'm thinking of you and Miro, too, ne?
Neko-chan, I want to hear this Koyasu-Midorikawa duet! o_o I don't think it's THTC, since there's only one single by them (with "Metcha Hajikete" and "Aoi Jiyuu Shiroi Nozomi"), but if it's Koyasu and M-sama, it's gotta be good. Wonder who it could be, though? Heero and Zechs never had a duet, methinks. ^_^;;; Zelgadis and Rezo? O_o A-yan and Schuschu-sama? XD
<--is thinking ecchi yaoi thoughts because of the "Boys' Love" CDs. H_H
So ... I'm trying to write more fic, even though the amount of time I have is in the negative numbers. I'm being stupidly ambitious and planning to write three fics over Spring Break (and hopefully start another with neechan). ^_^;;; I mean, the rule is to write whenever you can, wherever you can, right? I ought to try that sometime, ne? ^_^;;;
While scribbling in PreCal today, though, I realized something: I am a drama queen. (In writing, not in real life. ^_^;;) My writing is drenched in pathos; I practice playing on emotions and evoking reactions from the audience. I believe it's because, if faced with a choice, I'd rather be considered overdramatic than flat.
I am hopelessly addicted to drama, and the sooner I admit it, the easier it'll be for me. XD
Friday, March 23, 2001
04:25 p.m.
"Ai Oboeteimasu ka?" Sakurai Tomo
And ... it's over. o_o The book drive is done with -- and, while I wouldn't say it went off without a hitch, it did go pretty darn well. ^_^ What we planned was to collect books for the elementary school (at least one for each of the 460 students, with a minimum of 105), and also organize a field trip over there, in which volunteers from my school (up to 120) would read to the little kids. Various things had me tearing at my hair all week, such as how many volunteers we would get, or if there would be enough books donated for each volunteer to have one to read to the kids, or whether they would turn in the infernal permission slips so they could actually go. O_o But ... it worked out. About 100 volunteers went on the trip today, and the books we collected ... I was so worried we wouldn't get enough. But on the last day (yesterday), I looked, and we had 5 huge boxes full of them. I was ... indescribably happy. I guess I should have a little more faith in my fellow students, ne? ^_^
Neechan goes back tomorrow. ;_; But! In another week, I'll be going up to Seattle to stay with her for my Spring Break! ^o^ And also, tomorrow after I see her off, I'm going to anime to watch the end of Jubei-chan. >D My friend (the one I dragged along a couple of weeks ago ^_^v) is also coming, and then a few of us are going to the school play. Poor girl -- it's an amalgamation of sorts of several Shakespeare plays, and her boyfriend plays Romeo in one part. And he kisses Juliet. My friend will not be watching that part. ^_^;;
