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almitarenee-blog · 8 years ago

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Kimi no Na Wa: A movie you won’t ever forget (A Review)

A movie earning the title of highest-grossing anime film of all time by worldwide gross, Kimi no Na Wa (Your Name) is an anime movie directed by Makoto Shinkai that challenges some of the Studio Ghibli’s finest box-office resuts (It’s that good!). This movie has sparked an internet war of interpretations from the teen audiences, who are its main target. To give a glimpse, Kimi no Nawa or Your Name tells the story of a Tokyo boy and a schoolgirl from the country who begin having unplanned out-of-body experiences — in each other’s body, to be precise — just as a comet is passing over Japan. (I know it sounds confusing but try watching the movie and you’ll know what I mean). Their attempts to remember each other’s name when they return to their own bodies and to physically meet up turns into a bittersweet, impossible romance accompanied with humor and mystical innuendo. Despite being a film whose target audience are teens, this movie never fails to capture the hearts of anyone who are capable of understanding its plot or story.

In the broadest sense, Your Name is a story about two high school students, Mitsuha and Taki, who have never met, mysteriously began to inhabit each other’s bodies at random times and for random lengths of time, which all began when Mitsuha wished to be a boy in Tokyo in her next life. Despite inhabiting each other’s bodies, they have no memory of such events occuring. So on the surface, it’s an animated body-swapping comedy with romantic and dramatic elements. But it doesn’t take long to realize that there is much, much more going on in Shinkai’s excellent adaptation of his own novel of the same name.

Mitsuha Miyamizu is reserved and hard-working, both as a student in school and at her family’s shrine, where she learns the ways of tradition from her grandmother, alongside her little sister Yotsuha. The demands of tradition and the rather rural stylings of her small town frustrate Mitsuha to the point that she loudly voices her wish to be reborn as a handsome boy in Tokyo, a city full of culture, innovation, and opportunity.

Enter Taki Tachibana, a high school student living in Tokyo who doggedly pursues his interests, whether it’s architecture or the affections of his co-worker, Miki Okudera. However, when Taki wakes up one morning to find himself in the body of Mitsuha–and, yes, after hilariously and rather innocently coming to terms with his new body– finds himself on a path that is very different from the one he has been planning for all along.

To give too much away about Your Name would be a disservice to audiences as it’s best to go into this movie as cold as possible. It’s much more than a body-swapping comedy; though that aspect is hilariously portrayed and up for laughs early on, it becomes crucial to the depths of the mutual understanding between Mitsuha and Taki at the end of the story. And neither is Your Name only a traditional romantic story about two star-crossed lovers; those elements are there, as is the legend of the Red String of Fate connecting those destined to be together, but relationships develop slowly over time and are born out of understanding and compassion rather than simply overcoming a one-note conflict.

While Your Name does come with the obvious supernatural element of body-swapping, there’s a much deeper mythology at play that touches on the contrast between technology and tradition in the film. This is what Your Name does exceptionally well: Introduce a familiar concept, and then flip, twist, and invert it in surprising ways that will keep the audience guessing. You may see some of the twists coming, you might even guess the ultimate ending, but Your Name remains an engaging story throughout and will have you emotionally invested in the fate of the fully fleshed out characters.

On that note, Shinkai’s attention to detail and understanding of fans’ obsession with character relationships is top notch. Shinkai truly knows just how far to push an audience’s patience for the “will they or won’t they end up together” game, and you can tell he’s having fun teasing it along the way. Those slight sins are wholly forgiven since Shinkai also delivers one of the most earnest, intimate, and admirable romances in recent movie history.

And this is all without mentioning the breathtaking visuals on display, from the Tokyo cityscapes, to rural and urban train stations (another hallmark of anime), to lush and impressive natural landscapes. The character designs are charming and practical, far from the over-the-top appearances you might expect when hearing the word “anime.” Heightening every emotional beat in the film is the fantastic soundtrack–which is destined to become a playlist in its own right–that occasionally breaks through to become the focus of a scene or sequence. It’s honestly amazing to me that all the disparate parts of this film came together so well to make something this unforgettable; to miss it is inexcusable.

Your Name is a wonderful cinematic experience. You don’t need to be an anime fan to enjoy Your Name, just like you don’t need to understand the historical and cultural significance of kuchikamizake (rice-based alcohol produced by a process involving human saliva as a fermentation starter) to appreciate its place in the plot (though a familiarity with anime history and Japanese culture certainly helps). At the end of the day, Your Name is a timeless crowd-pleaser that will have you laughing, crying, and loving right along with Mitsuha and Taki for years to come.

What made this movie unforgettable for me is its ability to tell the story in a way that intently holds the audience’s attention, without giving away its plot twist in the wrong time. The series of events within the movie are cleverly and beautifully arranged, making you realize how intricate and carefully thought out this movie is. This movie never truly fails to amaze and touch you. It has brought me laughter and tears. It has brought me to think critically. The beauty of the feature lies in its ability to stir the imagination with its eerie, resonant hand-drawn animation, that makes you experience it realistically, despite being an animated movie.

Kimi no Na Wa (Your Name) Trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgixlvX28-g

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almitarenee-blog · 8 years ago

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Matt Healy: A Man of Idea and Change

Other than being handsome (and hot!), Matthew Healy, or Matty, as his fans like to call him, is best known for being the lead singer and guitarist of the hit Manchester-based indie rock band The 1975. Matty is born on the 8th of April 1989 (currently 28 years old), to soap opera actress Denise Welch and television actor Tim Healy in Manchester, England. When he was young, his parents lived a fast life with lots of socialising amongst actors and musicians. Healy started playing the drums with his father at the age of four and developed a liking for music. He met his fellow band members Ross MacDonald (bass), Adam Hann (lead guitarist), and George Daniel (drummer) in high school. They began to play music together in 2004, beginning with punk-rock and pop covers before beginning to write their own music. Their band went through different names as their music career progressed. They performed under the names ‘Me and You Versus Them’, ‘Drive Like I Do’, ‘TALKHOUSE!’ and ‘The Big Sleep’ till they settled for the name ‘The 1975’, which they got from a book given to Matty, that had been used and used as a diary with the dates scribbled “1st of June, The 1975.”

From jamming with his friends in college and playing in local pubs, Matthew and his band have made a name for themselves by making a number of live performances and releasing three hit albums in the UK. Their group are mostly famous for their indie rock music and how they experiment with such. Matthew is the main songwriter of his group that produces a variety of music in different styles. They have toured Europe and USA and performed in the Royal Albert Hall in London. Their self-titled debut album was released on 2 September 2013 through Dirty Hit/Polydor, which was shortly reaching to number 1 in the UK Albums Chart on 8 September 2013.

The songs of The 1975 that are well known today which also made them famouse are: 1) Somebody Else, 2) The Sound, 3) Chocolate, 4) Robbers, and lastly, 5) Girls. Today the band has a large following of young fans and has been recognised by being awarded at UK’s annual music ‘Q’ Awards and the ‘Brit Awards’. Healy as an individual is a strong supporter of the British Humanist Association and is active on social media with a large following. His unique style makes him stand out from contemporary artists and has been the driving force behind the success of his band.

On June 1, 2015, The 1975 set their fans, and the internet ablaze by their publicity stunt, which was all for the reason of kicking off a new sound. Everyone thought the band had finally broken up; the band's official Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook, and Instagram all appear to have been deleted, as well as the boys' personal Twitter accounts. After riling up the internet, twenty-four hours after they went dark, the 1975’s social media accounts were reactivated, only that they brought in a new image with them: starting out with a black and white motif, their band has now embrace the new color of pink and white, a new color indicating a change in the band’s style. The 1975 is a band making music not only for the sake of music but for the sake of change in the things in life they deem senseless or absurd. Their band aims to whiplash the reality occurring within the society through their music.

Matt Healy’s love life isn’t really that much talked about. Although he was rumored to have been dated Taylor Swift, to which he denied. He was in a longterm relationship with model Gemma Janes until they split in 2014. As of now, Matty is currently dating Gabriella Brooks, a model.

People suggest he’s just the pretty singer of a boyband to which I strongly oppose to. Matt Healy is a man of will and wits. He is a man of principles. He’s a patron of the British Humanist Assocation; he’s tweeted often about the perils of organised religion, about freedom of speech. He gives interviews in which he doesn’t shy from talking about a hedonistic lifestyle. Despite being someone who performs at concerts drunk (and is always bringing a drink with him despite performing), he knows what he believes in and fights for, making him an individual that is more than rumors and gossips.

More on Matt Healy by Matt Healy himself:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLSpLfVFUpk

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almitarenee-blog · 8 years ago

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All the Bright Places (a book review)

“No more winter at all. Finch, you brought me spring.” -Violet Markey

All The Bright Places is a young adult fiction novel by Jennifer Niven which revolves around two characters, namely Violet Markey and Theodore Finch, who, serendipitously, met at their school’s bell tower ledge – six stories above the ground - attempting to commit suicide. Without this crazy coincidence, Violet & Finch never would have gotten to know each other. Then, word spread throughout their school that Violet saved Finch when in fact it was the other way around.

Violet is a popular girl who has it all – until her sister died in a car accident. Since that incident, Violet’s world began to disintegrate, her everyday routine came to a sudden stop. She stopped driving, started to dislike her friends, and most of all, she lost interest in writing. A hobby she held close to her heart. In a nutshell, she began to crumble -- until she met Finch, the boy who saved her. Finch is the total opposite of Violet. His classmates called him “ Theodore freak,” a label that never once had occurred to my mind when the author introduced him. Albeit he was weird, he was not at all a freak. Peculiarly, Finch is fascinated by death. Every day he thinks of the possible ways he might die, tries to attempt them, and later on rates from 1-10 how close he had gotten to commit suicide. The two unlikely characters were then paired for a class project where they had to wander the bizarre, the grand, the ugly, the beauteous, and the surprising sites of Indiana. For months Violet had been avoiding countless of things like travelling by car and writing. But during these adventures, Finch had taught Violet to be herself again, how to live again. It is because of Finch that Violet started to live days instead of counting them. It is because of him, she has healed. However, as she blooms back to the Violet that she was, Finch’s flight came to an eventual halt, fell in a downward spiral, causing him to crash head first. It is a great irony how Violet learns to live from a boy who wants nothing more than to die.

Before reading this book, it had already piqued my interest since I kept on seeing people posting pictures of it. Upon seeing the pictures, I found the book cover beautiful and unique. It had always occurred to me why its design involved sticky notes and why the background wasn’t smooth as it had cracks. Upon reading the book, all my questions were resolved. Finch had a habit of writing down his thoughts in a sticky note and plants it on his wall. His wall was the background of the book which explains why the design had cracks on it.

The book starts with Finch standing on a narrow ledge six stories above the ground, asking himself “is today a good day to die?” Every day Finch asks himself this. As he contemplates the possibility of him throwing himself to the ground, he noticed people were pointing at something near him. That’s when he saw Violet. As the story progresses, Violet and Finch became inseparable. Their relationship improved due to their adventures. Every time Violet and Finch visit a place, the leave something behind, like a memory, to prove that they were there. This for me was their bright place. But their brightest place most of all, was each other. It is with Violet that Finch can be himself and it is with her that Finch found happiness; a reason to last longer, but not forever as it was revealed in the later part of the book that Finch was suicidal and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder; one day, the sun is shining and everything is clear and calm, and the next, waves are crashing against his skull, sending it shaking. This disorder, in my own opinion, helped explained Finch’s “changing” personality wherein he adopts a new persona. He shifts into a new persona by changing his behaviour, accent, clothing, and by doing certain things that he might not have done when he was a different version of himself, – all chosen specifically to match the “new” version of himself. Despite this, deep down he is still the same Finch. This disorder was somehow showed in a way that you couldn’t quite grasp the reason behind it unless it is being deliberately pondered upon by the reader. It just makes you think that that was just how he behaved. Quoting Finch, “The great thing about this life of ours is that you can be someone different to everybody.”

As you get nearer to the ending, you can really feel this stinking feeling in your stomach that something bad is going to happen. You can feel that slowly, all the happy moments would disappear with a turn of the page. As I read half the book, I was quite enjoying it. I felt giddy every time Violet and Finch had these sweet moments together. However, it was unlike any other young adult novels. Crossing the other half of the book, I felt as though it snuck up on me, suddenly clutching my heart, holding it and pressing harder as I move from one page to the next. And without warning, it crushed my heart, even if I was only getting nearer to the ending. There was this moment when I couldn’t continue reading, I had to stop. It was too much emotion for my too faint heart and too many thoughts in my too little head. I loved how Jennifer Niven perfectly illustrated everything. My mind was playing scenes that were easy to envisage that it was as if I had a mini theatre inside my head. The part where I couldn’t bear to imagine was when Violet found the dead, bloated body of Finch. That scene was too much for me. You can’t read this book without having to cry.

Moreover, I can relate very much to the quote told by Violet as is presented above. The only difference is, this book has brought me spring and winter altogether.

Writing this book review I didn’t even know where to begin. This book has left me pouring with emotions. To cut to the chase, All the Bright Places is far from any young adult fiction novels I have ever read. Its theme focuses on mental illness and its powerful effects on the person suffering it. Albeit having a heavy adult theme, the author made it understandable for young adult readers.

This book is quite similar to the young adult fiction book the Fault in Our Stars (written by John Green) where in the end, (SPOILER ALERT) the boy dies. Both novels are beautiful and sad but unlike the Fault in Our Stars, All the Bright Places is more realistic, the author did not sugar coat life. The Fault in Our Stars (TFIOS) is overrated and honestly, All the Bright Places is better than the latter, hence I am left to question why TFIOS has earned more recognition.

The character that left a great impact on me was Finch. His thoughts and his words stayed with me even long after he was gone. The book was written in way that two characters alternately narrated the book. I really liked this format because I knew what Violet and Finch were thinking. Because of this, I felt like I was Violet. You could feel like you were Violet. It was enthrallingly written that you could connect with her. I felt her pain when Finch ran away because when Finch ran away to hide after being confronted of his illness, his narration stopped. Nobody knew where he was. Even Violet didn’t know where he was. The readers are left to wonder and worry where Finch could be. I was clueless and lost just as Violet was. I guess one of the things that really drew me in is the portrayal of characters. They feel real, they capture the life of someone who feels a variety of emotions, the confusion and pretenses of being a teenager. It captures anger. It captures heartache. It captures the hopeful dread inside someone young looking at the deep abyss of the future. Forget whatever their issues may be, forget their circumstances, they’re persons and they feel real. What happens to them feels real.

Also, not only did Finch touch the heart of Violet, but also touched mine. I reckon that I’m not the only one who felt this seeing that many are devastated by his death (who wouldn’t be?) and that everyone I knew who had read this book had a connection with him. He has taught me to live the days we have instead of counting them. He and Violet taught me things that I never had realized up until reading the book. This book made me feel that I should do what they (Violet and him) were doing and that is to explore and contemplate the beauty that is life, and that even in its ugliest parts and places come a beauty that some people hold dear to them no matter how ugly it looked like to some. Finch was a very unique, quirky, and spontaneous character that I was drawn to him. This book makes you fall in love with him, either you’re a man or a woman.

After Finch ran away, they hadn’t any communication with Violet anymore, especially the readers. You could slowly feel this dreadful feeling that something bad was going to happen. The last day Violent laid eyes on Finch was the day they had a fight. Months after that, Finch died without any explanation. He just sent text messages to his family and his friends, including Violet and in it were words of advices. The author didn’t even at least let Violet see Finch one last time. That was what I loved and hated about the book and how the author ended it. It was realistic and sad. I can say this because in life, you don’t get have things to happen no matter what you do. If it isn’t meant to be, it won’t be. Even if it means saying your last goodbyes to the ones you love. Basically, it shows what is true. It is an allegory for reality; in this case; life is not all about sugary happiness and all its colourful rainbow-y colors. Life is life, it is cruel but it is beautiful. It’s as if with cruelty comes with beauty. It’s not all sadness. It’s a mixture of blue and yellow. It is happy in a sense that they had a chance to know and love each other. It is a love shared and lost. The author really earned my profound respect and left me agape with awe and melancholy.

The saddest part of all though, next to when Finch died, is when Violet realized Finch had been completing their requirement. During the days he was gone, he went to the places left visited in their book of wanders, and there he left things, just as they said they would when visiting places. Quoting Finch, “It’s not what you take, it’s what you leave.” And the saddest thing he left was the song he left for Violet – no explanations about his death, just a song about how Violet has made him love her and how “lovely it is to be lovely with the one you love.”

I love everything about it, how everything was perfectly illustrated and narrated, especially its poignancy. You could even say it was poignancy itself in written, tangible form. This book had me crying for an hour and the day after. If I hadn’t stopped to think about it, I could cry for weeks. It was that great of an impact to its readers. It’s just that kind of book that will stay with you long after you finish reading it. This book has changed me. It changed the way I perceive things, the way I see life, how short it is to be spent confined in a certain place; that we should go and explore. It changed the way how I saw mental illness and suicide. All the Bright Places has tremendously and painfully earned my heart and hit all its weak places. It has left a mark on my heart.

I am so glad that this book was written. It serves as an eye-opener to readers that are blinded by the horrors of mental illnesses. It opens the eyes of the readers that it should not be taken lightly. Somehow, 5 stars aren’t enough to rate such beautifully written book. If I could, I would give it a thousand more stars. And if I could, I would read it back, again and again until I am sick of it.

Every now and then you find a book that not only makes you think, but changes the way you look at the world. 'All the Bright Places', in all its clever, poetic and honest beauty is one of those books. It will stay with me, forever.

Words are not enough to express how immensely I feel for this book. It is insufficient to entirely encapsulate the feeling I have, which is a mixture of poignancy and euphoria - emotions that I didn’t know I could feel by reading a book. This novel touches on death, depression, and suicide; it paints a picture of love in a canvas of pain. Personally, I would recommend it to be on every reading list. To me it is simply a masterpiece.

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almitarenee-blog · 8 years ago

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Semicolon; (a concrete poem)

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almitarenee-blog · 8 years ago

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My mind is a conglomeration of thoughts andwords. Alike constellations Each one is a bright and separate rumination, But all interconnected.

It works in different ways that even I Can’t quite fathom.

Now here’s a quick fact about me: For so long, I have always thought that the best thing about me Was my words, how I played with them, how I breathed life unto them, as if it were my own creation and how I manipulated them.

Yet the naïve little seedling that I was, I grew.

I grew into a flower, Only to realize that I’m no good at it. I don’t know my way enough around them that I can’t make people feel something.

No, I can’t send them to tears nor leave their mouths gaping with awe, But I can try. Yes I can try

I can try to breathe life into these words; Not just these words But into me.

And I can try to breathe life into these sullen eyes, Into your eyes.

I can try, to grow, to strive for something better, For something positive, To Move forward.

But then there’s this fear That grips me, precludes me, That I’m not gonna grow And instead I’ve become stagnant: That in the process of finding myself I am losing bits of me That I thought I was But never were.

And in the moments that I’ve spent in tearing myself apart, Focusing my energy unto all of my flaws, I give up before I even start. Making the torn pieces of me dissolve into nothingness, Into the abyss of words left unexpressed, I think about that fear so much that it becomes tangible, It becomes real. And in my head, I feel like I’m not getting anywhere in life.

I fall. I fall and drown inside this hazy labyrinth mind, My own abyss. Albeit despite all these things, what I find most wondrous is that Each and every one of us Has the capacity to do almost anything, Only if we allow ourselves to.

Sure I have it bad, But people can put up with a lot to get to the place they need to be. We all need a little storm in order to bloom.

Now you may be wondering why this seems to be getting nowhere It’s because you are in my mind and my mind is a sea of scattered thoughts; Each word floating aimlessly, Trying to find their places, to fill the gaps, Trying to capture thoughts and turning them into words.

My mind: a conglomeration of thoughts, a constellation, a metaphor;

Each one, a bright and separate rumination that when compared to a star, It makes them look pale in comparison.

It is tertiary colors blending perfectly.

It is a dichotomy: One day, waves are crashing against my skull sending it shaking, and the next, the sun is shining and everything is clear and calm.

My mind, it is a hurricane, do not try to dance with it. it will twist you, it will break you, and I’m sorry but it didn’t mean to.

My mind, it is a conglomeration of thoughts and in these thoughts I am floating around aimlessly. Come float with me shall we?

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