scrooblings

[scrooblings]

house on the cerulean sea - thoughts

4/5 i love books that make you feel like you have a heart. this book had me tearing up at emotional parts and giggling at the old men romance parts in a coffee shop in public. i realized that ive been consuming a lot of "chicken soup for the soul" type media. media that depicts, romanticizes, and delves deeper into the simple everyday life. i wonder how this happened, if i just gravitate to this kind of media, since it does reflect my worldview as of late.

i appreciate that the diversity in this book feels natural. the characters really just feel "as they are". when i just started this book i was quick to clock it as another quirky book whose main selling point was their idiosyncrasy but nothing else. but this book had substance to it. it was thought provoking, realistic enough to carry emotional weight, thus enjoyable.

one line that stuck with me: "it was the right words at the right time", in reference to linus comforting sal. throughout the past few years ive always circled back to the question of how to comfort someone, and sometimes it feels like there's no right thing to say.

my view is that there's a spectrum of good vs bad things to say. "there's levels to this". obviously don't say something incredibly insensitive, but there also isn't one perfect thing to say. just say something good enough to let them know you care, that they can trust you, that you're there for them (depending on how close you are).

just like ive practiced thinking about the right thing to say, maybe i should also think about the right time to say it. cuz i struggle with this a lot #bottlingthingsupandnotsayingwhatimeanandneverfeelingliketheresarighttime

bonus: - "i meant what i said.. about liking you the way you are. i don't know that i've every thought that more about anyone i've ever met"

these old men fluffy romance moments had me smiling daftly n kicking my feet. IN PUBLIC. love can be so damn cute. there are so many cute moments like this alsdkfjkdsafjasdfsad. my 2016 roots are showing.... but also why cant straight romance (im thinking, indigo top sellers, colleen hoover, actually just colleen hoover i gave up after reading one) ever be this good. like idk why its sm easier to cringe at maybe i just havent read a good one yet.

never thought id see my name in a book, much less in this particular sentence LMAO.

also i realized im very bad at writing actual book reviews LMAO. cuz every review i write becomes a rambling of musings (scrooblings!) prompted by the book, a far removed simulacra of what the book is. but i'm chill with that, writing my thoughts makes me happier anyways.

future thoughts (cuz its 4am and i should leave this to another post):

on linus choosing happiness - choosing the unconventional path

[scrooblings]

saw this on substack and i appreciate the sentiment a lot. cuz isnt the point of living, upon satisfying ur means for survival, to grow the soul?

and to eat apple bacon fritters. ts so good

[scrooblings]

jun 22-28 media, music, places

see sea - hyolyn

kpop demon hunters

look back

house on the cerulean sea

mans search for meaning

comma cafe

whisk matcha cafe

sio cafe

49th parallel and luckys donuts

[scrooblings]

look back (2024) thoughts

3.5/5

to sum it up, this film is simple, but well done it doesn't raise its voice at you, so to speak, demanding your attention like an viral tiktok's hook.

i was inspired to write this review because i noticed that kyumoto was drinking orange juice in the hallway of the art school, and in the flashbacks of them working on their first few comics together, they were drinking orange juice. what a cute detail, right? in the 3 body problem series, there was a part that was talking about how certain pieces of media are "data-rich" (this is from memory, might not be accurate). like how a photo of the sky holds more information entropy than a painting i think this film gives me the impression that the characters are very informationally entropic (oml i swear theres a more artsy way to say this, i just can't think of it.) i get the impression they distend beyond the screen, that there's more information about them that isn't pointed out, that what's shown to us is the tip of the ice berg.

which segues into me answering: what makes this film stand out? many would say it's the realism. the comics were realistic for what a grade 4 could do, mirrors realism, gives it credibility, draws you in. what makes realism is details. how the characters walk, how they act callously, their flaws, their relatability. realism gives the film credibility, it gives it weight to the characters and thus emotional attachment to the consequences of their actions.

though, some elements of the character felt outlandish - does jealousy really drive 2 years of grinding? some parts felt cliche (like a part i won't spoil), but the simplicity of this train of thought might be a faithful depiction naivety of a young girl and not simplistic writing.

it also touches on what art is. i think looking at the movie in a meta lens, art seems to blur the line between literal and delusional, as a means of coping. artists also view the world in a particular way - i think of the time before the event depicting kyumoto. it mirrored a story board. with captions of where she was and clear "shots" instead of a continuous sequence. this style also gives you meta hints that you're in fujino's story, her "delusion" which is a bit sad

god its hard to write an analysis without spoiling. i think we're in the clear tho

[scrooblings]

why is writing so hard

i genuinely think i lost the skill to write creatively. damn you school system for making me write exclusively essays for the past 4 years.