pixelatedsushirolls

[pixelatedsushirolls]

I agree, which I adore the comsetics in the original Ringe even more.

<3

Ring (Original)

So I really really love this movie. But that is because I am a huge nerd when it comes to horror movies and analog horror type films. So I might be ranting a bit about the cosmetic design and the different camera shots that were used so beautifully here.

Some of my favorite horror scenes come from this movie. Two of the of ones that I love the most are the scene where the girl's corpse it found and the scene where they crawl out the tv. Despite, these scenes both having extremely good jump scares, what I want to talk about is the artistic choices done by the cosmetic team. One thing I very much enjoyed during the tv scene is how when she crawls across the floor, we can see the tips of her fingers bend as she presses them on the ground as she no longer has fingernails. Not only did the team did the research but also took the effort to make the scene as grotesque as possible to include this detail. Having also watched the American version of this movie, I was severely disappointed when the scene came and not only did they not show the nails being removed, they also didn't include the crawling bit so we didn't get to witness the bending of the fingers.

Now on to discussing the well scene. Before this scene, I was thinking how to corpse would probably be well preserved due to the environment its in and to my surprise, it was pretty well preserved. Once again, I have to give create to the cosmetic crew and story writers for including not only this detail but allowing us to witness all of the hair and remains shed off the skeleton once the main girl started touching it. Also, I have to give credit to the girl in this scene. She was able to portray her character as having lost her mind in a way that was calm and some-what heartwarming. All the stress that was previously on her faded away as soon as she found the body. When watching the American movie, I was extremely pissed when they chose to do this scene using CGI, I was even more livid that the actress was not able to express the same type of emotion.

Anyway, I didn't have much to talk about story wise about this. I genuinely can't find a thing I can personally analyze that wouldn't be stealing ideals off of other people.

[pixelatedsushirolls]

Ring (Original)

So I really really love this movie. But that is because I am a huge nerd when it comes to horror movies and analog horror type films. So I might be ranting a bit about the cosmetic design and the different camera shots that were used so beautifully here.

Some of my favorite horror scenes come from this movie. Two of the of ones that I love the most are the scene where the girl's corpse it found and the scene where they crawl out the tv. Despite, these scenes both having extremely good jump scares, what I want to talk about is the artistic choices done by the cosmetic team. One thing I very much enjoyed during the tv scene is how when she crawls across the floor, we can see the tips of her fingers bend as she presses them on the ground as she no longer has fingernails. Not only did the team did the research but also took the effort to make the scene as grotesque as possible to include this detail. Having also watched the American version of this movie, I was severely disappointed when the scene came and not only did they not show the nails being removed, they also didn't include the crawling bit so we didn't get to witness the bending of the fingers.

Now on to discussing the well scene. Before this scene, I was thinking how to corpse would probably be well preserved due to the environment its in and to my surprise, it was pretty well preserved. Once again, I have to give create to the cosmetic crew and story writers for including not only this detail but allowing us to witness all of the hair and remains shed off the skeleton once the main girl started touching it. Also, I have to give credit to the girl in this scene. She was able to portray her character as having lost her mind in a way that was calm and some-what heartwarming. All the stress that was previously on her faded away as soon as she found the body. When watching the American movie, I was extremely pissed when they chose to do this scene using CGI, I was even more livid that the actress was not able to express the same type of emotion.

Anyway, I didn't have much to talk about story wise about this. I genuinely can't find a thing I can personally analyze that wouldn't be stealing ideals off of other people.

[pixelatedsushirolls]

Swallowtail Butterfly

This is officially going on the roommate watch list me and my roommates have set up. I truly love this movie so much do to its various languages and cultures.

Very rarely do you get the chance to see so many different nationalities represented so well in a dystopian movie. Typically, the genre chooses to create its own set of "nationalites" in which their characters are limited to, such as in the Divergent series where they are classified by their traits or in Hunger games where each person classifies by their district. Despite having people of various races in these movies, they never go out their way to address them.

This movie is different in that aspect as it chooses to do both. For example, each person in this film has their own nationality, yet these nationalities are then divided into two groups: the Japanese and then the Yentowns (which encompasses all the other nationalities), who are seen as the outsiders. To me, it feels like the director is calling out Japan for only seeing all these cultures as other and maintaining a us vs. them mindset.

At the same time, this movie makes it a point to show how despite all the yentowns coming from different origins, it is their struggles that make them the same and allow for them to unify as a collective. Many times in actual history, those that are oppressed have found ways to oppress others within their social sphere to make themselves feel superior, hindering the chances for unification.

Lastly, as a linguistics minor, I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this movie for its usage of multiple languages. I love it when people are able to communicate with each other despite language barriers and I also love it when movies show how language barriers can hinder connections. One of the characters I truly love is the eccentric white man who was born in Japan. Everything about his looks screams American yet he only knows how to speak Japanese. Typically, we tend to associate languages with different races and nationallities, when in reality any person regardless of their heritage can learn these languages and culture simply being surrounded by it. Thus, to me this movie seems to really push the idea that its not nature that makes you who you are but rather nurture.

[pixelatedsushirolls]

I completely agree that if Ash had just gone to eijii or had chosen not to read the letter at that moment. He wouldn't have died. It hits even harder when we see that a dies ontop of the letter that lead him to his death. He died when he finally found something to live for

04/03

Banana Fish (EP 2, 9, 11, 24)

Despite the popularity, I originally did not want to watch this anime because people said they always cry/get super sad even after rewatching it. As an already not happy person, even if I must miss the masterpiece between the "definitely straight-platonic" relationship between the main characters, it would be fine.

Well, I watched it. I actually watched a clip from EP 11 on Instagram before, and I knew what the show was, but I didn't want to be too tempted by a singular cute moment at the time.

After watching, I realized what the sadness meant. Unlike Your Name from the last post, that feeling of relief when there are less than 2 minutes left of the last episode was quickly taken away. I wonder if Eiji knew what happened to Ash while he was on the plane, or if he didn't want to say or worry others. Every time Ash and Eiji talk about each other to others, it's almost like they can read each other's minds because they nailed down every flaw and thought so naturally.

I also found the ending not only way too sad but happily ironic. Ash was clearly worried every time he brought Eiji into another gang brawl or some mess from his business. Almost always, Ash and Eiji both need saving, but Ash manages to save himself and others (not everyone as we see in EP 2). He fears that despite the comfort he has with Eiji, he will only bring danger to his life. Yet, it is Eiji who kills Ash because he is too engrossed in Eiji's farewell letter. If Ash had "saved" himself either by leaving behind the letter to go to a hospital or going to Eiji in person before he left, he likely could've lived.

And what do I think about their relationship? These episodes aren't enough for me to really describe it. It's obvious Eiji and Ash deeply care about each other and understand each other beyond the surface. How they can draw out each other's strengths and vulnerabilities shows how compatible they are like when Eiji just takes it upon himself to wake up Ash after his nap when his own subordinates are too scared to do it themselves. He even hits him to get him up, and the subordinates are probably going to leave Eiji behind if Ash even shouts. Instead, Ash just grumbles like a kid and gets up to shower. Of course, he shouts for soap but Eiji still retrieves it for him quietly and very bravely.

The sparkles that center only around the two (you can see shading is cut off behind Eiji) in their own world are very sweet.

-04/02/24

[pixelatedsushirolls]

I know this a late reply but i have forgot to do my reply earlier. I really like your points about gender expression in this movie and I also like the point about them living in two different houses. Everything about their life juxtapose one another and probably wouldn't have ever crossed paths if it weren't for the bidy switch.

4/1

I greatly enjoyed watching Your Name; the art and the music were very beautiful. A theme that stood out to me was a traditional household versus a modern household. Mitsuha lives in a rural area and her family on her mom’s side grew up carrying out the family’s traditions. When her mother passed her father did not want a part of this family dynamic and left her and her sister with their grandmother. He ended up becoming Mayor of their town and was disliked for being corrupt. Taki lives in Tokyo with his dad in an urban environment. If Mitsuha’s family had not continued to carry out their familial traditions, she and Taki would not have been able to save as many people as they did. There was also themes of gender expression seen through Taki and Mitsuha’s life. When Mitsuha was in Taki’s body she was able to get him a date with Ms.Okudera who said that she didn’t know Taki had a feminine side to him. Also when Taki’s friend Tsukasa found Taki’s strange behavior to be cute. These are examples of how masculinity are challenged. I also thought when Mitsuha cute her hair was another example of challenging gender norms. When the two first switched bodies Mitsuha’s friends commented on the bedhead she had which was unlike her. Mitsuha was one to always care for, and style her hair. Cutting her hair really short was like taking a stand against the societal norms placed on her. It was surprising to learn that this movie was conservative but it does make sense. There is a focus around following tradition and the consequences that follow when you don’t. It was also interesting to see the use of the red string of fate which I have seen in several K-dramas. A red string is attached to two people who are destined to be soulmates. This expresses the idea that your fate or destiny is tied to you and cannot be changed. 

[pixelatedsushirolls]

Banana Fish

My boy! 😭😭😭 They did him so wrong. Eveyone was done so wrong. Like I only watched the 4 episodes and yet I still cried.

Firstly, I was so upset when skip died. Unfortunately, one the things that tends to happen a lot in media is that they tend to over masculinize black men and women as well as children. (Luckily, it is starting to happen less and less but this is still present in older media. So when I saw how Skip was portrayed I was so genuinely happy. He is being portrayed just like any other normal kid. I literally loved him so much. My roommate told me how she couldn't finish this anime because it was too said and I was thinking to myself "when does it get said", then Skip died. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA.

Then later in the same episode we see the police officer showing Ash his own rape video during his cross examination or whatever its called. Like this has to be illegal. Literally the police officer is showing child pornagraphy to multiple people and Ash how is STILL UNDERAGE. I WAS STUNNED. LITERALLY STUNNED.

Just this show, ugh, I don't know how to describe it but the way its set up is similar to American horror story, where every twist is absolutely gut-renching. And when you think they will finally, finally get a happy ending, somebody random kills them.

I knew Ash was destined to die, but the thought of him bleeding out in the library rotting away slowly while everyone else around him simply is thinking he is asleep fills me with dread. Im the type of person who dwells on after the story ended and how events would play out after and in my mind. It would not be discovered that he was dead til so many hours later depending on when the library closes. I was bawling my eyes out

[pixelatedsushirolls]

Your Name

To be honest, I still havent watched the movie yet as I want to watch it with my roomates since I have never seen it before.

Unfortunately, that means I did have to spoil the entire plot for myself by having myself read an entire plot summary.

What I can confer is that this movie focuses on two connected fates that had not been previously been connected before, similar to penguindrum.

However, different to penguimdrum, where there seems to be a constant theme of messing with fate leading to unforseen and ugly consequences. This movie however, seems to thrive on the idea that love can change fate and by placing yourself in someone else's world, you will be able to accomplish more.

Another thing that makes me want to watch it is how it plays on gender norms. I personally love movies and shows that play around with gender norms and stereotypes. I have seen the clip already of the girl in the boy's body trying to find the right pronoun (watashu, boki, ore). The scene is very much comedic but in a way thr highlights the confines of gender norms and what boys and girls are expected to say and do.

Overall, I am very excited to finally watch this movie. I heard so many good things about it and I finally wanna see it for myself

[pixelatedsushirolls]

Sensoron

Firstly, what a pompous jerk. Like, the way he tries to make the story humerous yet at the same time uses said "humor" to back up his "points" is absurd.

One of the things I immediately noticed was how there was an extreme lack of sources sited. This whole comic is simply is opinion with no scientific evidence or journals that argue his claim. After writing so many papers, I have begun to look at some of the sources for the things I read so I can get a better grasp of the discussion happening within the area of study. Yet it seems he is the only one making this argument and I know why.

He is cherrypicking is information. If you are going to provide information about something to change my mind I need both sides and full facts. He instead is listing a one or two points that may cause room for disbelief without providing the evidence its actual context. He then proceedes to use this very little information as his main argument as to why everything is false. It is such a giant leap and it feels like something I would write in middle school.

Yet, I understand that by creating room for disbelief (no matter how stupid the reason is) it allows for many who are unaware if the real facts to be swept away with his opinion.

Lastly, the way he tried to completey rebuttle all that happened in Nanking made me furious. He didn't just try to lower the number of tragedies that happened there, which is still despicable yet has been done by many other right winger. He instead also tried to say that the soldiers never harmed any of the people there and that they were actually helping them. It was especially disgusting when he showed that picture of people being held captive and wrote it off as the military "escorting" them. 🤢

[pixelatedsushirolls]

Penguindrum Part 2

Honestly, Im am so done with this series. I already said it once and I plan to say it again, the insanity of the show is similar to evangelion, a show I hate for the life of me.

Though, one of the things I did enjoy was the art style. Particularly, where all the background characters look like the bathroom door man but grey. It creates a reality where only character that are important enough or are "chosen" get to be part of the plot while everyone else's story is basically non-existent. With a world as big as are and some many people, it is sometimes easier to see people as numbers rather as individuals. Especially, when it comes to tragedy.

And though I hate the stalker girl, her presence is important to the story because how it shows the after affect of said tragedy and a small scale. Yes was society able to quickly move on. But the those personally affected by said tragedy will still have the scars.

What i dont like about this show tho is that the stalker girl and her family where the only ones shown that suffered from this tradgety. If they really wanted to rapresent the incident, i feel like they should of tried to go to multiple storyline of victims and their family who were not able to escape fate. Instead we have the story of a family of a victim and the family of the perpetrators.

[pixelatedsushirolls]

I am honesty so happy that I am not the only one that thought this show was absolutely insane. I also like your take that this show's main theme is that attempting to avoid your fate can make your fate worse.

3/22 readings

Not so sure about this one, folks!

I had genuinely never heard of Penguindrum before this week and had no clue what to expect from it going in. I read a small synopsis of the plot before I started to watch the episodes we were assigned and figured it would be a fantastical comedy of some sort, but boy oh boy was I wrong!

I think I'm just going to be echoing a lot of other posts as I write about these episodes. I'm in the same boat as everyone else--I'm not really sure what's happening in this show. The characters are obviously going through a lot emotionally, but its hard to feel emotionally connected to them when I'm struggling to understand their relationship dynamics (see: Kanba and Himari) and what the magical object that the show is named after, the Penguindrum, even is, not to mention, how it works.

What is clear, is that this show wants to talk about fate. In the episodes we were assigned, we're treated to multiple instances of characters monologuing about fate and how it functions. Himari is fated to die, but her brothers, Kanba especially, dedicate themselves to finding a way to cheat this fate and keep her alive through any means necessary. This culminates in Kanba even offering his life in exchange for Himari's multiple times throughout the show, successfully extending it for a period of time through a deal with a possessed Himari in episode 1.

Some of the characters disavow fate because of the unsavory circumstances they are subject to, but I think this show is saying that even if fate puts you through miserable times, attempting to cheat fate only makes things worse since you're avoiding accepting your circumstances and improving your life from there. It really feels like Kanba and Shoma are only worsening their pain by clinging onto Himari so intensely.

[pixelatedsushirolls]

Hana-bi

This movie to me is worse than Cruel Story of Our Youth. I know that this is a crazy thing to say but it's genuinely true.

For me, I cannot stand it when a character just is able to get away with his actions no matter the consequences. Hana-bi is a story about a man who absolutely shows no character growth throughout the film and constantly is able to control the situation no matter what. He needs money - he goes to the loan sharks who give him the cash despite him being in debt. His friend just tried to commit suicide - he just goes and buys him all the things his friend said to him that one time on the beach. He gets surrounding by gangsters- no problem our boy can beat them up. He needs more money - no problem my boy robs a bank without any consequences. He wants to ring the big bell - he just goes for it and no monks come to tell him off.

Also he is so quick to violence, like yes I get it your wife is dying and you want to make her happy and the yakuza won't leave you alone but this is a clear character flaw. So much so that even the yakuza actively joke how cruel he can be by saying jokes like "he will keep shooting even when his enemy/he has run out of bullets" (i don't remember the exact line) and mentioning how he kept shooting the dead body of the guy that shot his coworker. We even get a flashback of him actively kicking the shit out of the corpse of his coworker's killer. Yes, he was sweet to his wife throughout the entire movie but that doesn't make up for how nasty he can truly be to others.

Lastly the silence in this movie absolutely killed me. But maybe that was done purposely. Our main character barely talked and his wife talked even less with her only line being "yes" when asks if she is sure she wants the photo just to be of herself. However, I don't feel like diving into the symbolism behind the silence as I wanna stop talking about awful movie.

[pixelatedsushirolls]

Penguindrum

OMG! I AM PISSED. At first I really did like this anime as it reminded me a bit of Ouran host club with its absurdity and insight into human struggles with love. Then it slowly devolved into a convoluted mess (I watched the first 13th episodes and now I kind of wished I didn't). I felt like I was just sitting there in front of my tv watching a girlier version of Evangelion which I also don't like. When I went to watch the Evangelion movie last night I was so distraught at how some of these cataclysmic scenes were portraying these just kinds in a weirdly provocative way. And once again it happens here in Penguin Drum when the girl reached for the brother's scorpion ball soul. Like I get it - it's "SyMboliK" but like why do I need it to be shown this way. They are just kids. Also there's those penguins that keep doing weird stuff in the background. I would die for almost all of them except the perverted one - like why do we need so much dirty jokes in the background -I don't want to see a penguin steal women's underwear and constantly like up girls skirts.

On a different note, I do enjoy the theme of fate and the overall storyline of whether fate is real and whether it can truly be changed. The way this topic is approached is certainly very chaotic but I personally think this is done purposefully. At the end of episode 13 during the credits we see a long red string. This is the string of fate - and just like strings commonly do, our characters fates have become entangled together in a series of knots that we the audience get to untangle as we continue watching the show. Though I am genuinely annoyed by this show for many reasons I plan to finish watching this entire series so that I can see our character's fates.

[pixelatedsushirolls]

I like your comment on how this film does a great show dont tell techinque. I think this is why I really like this film as I rather see the action of why someone is respected whether been told why. This is also why I tend to find stories like Tokyo Story somewhat boring as the that movie is more tell dont show.

Go!

Great! I might have enjoyed this movie so much because it was not only more like the films I'm used to but also seriously comedic, serious, and romantic. Best of all, the film ended happily! There was such a cathartic sense of relief just hearing characters talk to each other throughout the film and especially in the final scene. I also switch between using Sugihara and Lee a lot!

First, the film has such an interesting "show, don't tell" technique. The technique introduces a concept or statement through narration first and then follow up with a scene that proves the truth to the audience. The best example I can think of is Jong-ll's introduction. Sugihara says this is the friend he respects the most. At this point, the audience has already seen a flashback in which Sugihara has already decided to go to a Japanese school and forego his North Korean identity. He has been outed by a friend and the teacher, outraged, is about to throw a chair at his hand. Forgetting what led into this scene, the audience is sucked back into the past as the teacher continues to abuse Sugihara. Suddenly, a voice rings out in Japanese! The film pans back to see Jong-ll lit up by a bright window, standing alone as the students back away from him. He does look like a nerd and he looks pathetic but that makes his rebellion more impressive. Of course, he gets beaten too. While giving us direction in Sugihara's narration, the film shows us one moment behind his respect for Jong-ll. At least, I was convinced why the two had such a great relationship. Funny enough, Sugihara respects Jong-ll for his bravery (and also introducing him to new media) but Jong-ll came to respect Sugihara first for his own bravery!

The film repeatedly comes back to this use of flashback that keeps evolving and shows us more of the people affected by Lee's bravery and justified anger. "3 years ago" the film says before it shows us the "Super Great Chicken Run". The audience, Lee's upperclassmen, AND Jong-ll are there to witness Lee's intense courage and will to keep running for his life. This is when Jong-ll is so inspired by Lee that he begins to become more brave too. However, the best example has to do with Lee's love story of course! The basketball scene, the very first scene, is flashed back to repeatedly over the film, I only realize this now but the first time this flashback ends, Lee is turning to look at something. We find out what - who - when we see this flashback for the last time from Tsubaki's perspective. His girlfriend is someone else who respects and loves his courage (in this case, his straightforwardness and ability to follow through) but also sees his silly side too. She stands strong against his shouts, hearing out the things she said that hurt him and also hearing the things that he's decided about his identity (I'm a question mark! A big x!). That forwardness is something she's already seen and likes him for! This is probably why, even though she said she was so scared the last time they met, this time she had the resolve to follow through like Lee.

The discrimination that Sugihara suffers is different from the discrimination many Americans face. There was still something horribly relatable about his struggle for identity inside and outside himself and his shouting at the end of the film touched my heart for that reason. The push-and-pull between nationalities and ethnicities; the insistence on others for Lee to pick a side and risk becoming a traitor or forced to become an "ambassador" (the binary represented by the two teachers in the North Korean school); being forced to drop one nationality for another because of the opportunities; people picking fights or calling you dirty/looking at you with contempt because of your identity - all these things are already topics of discussions for Americans and Sugihara bursting through all the delicate boundaries and feelings to just say, "I don't care! I'm a big question mark"? That was amazing. Not Japanese, not South or North Korean, rejecting all these identities at the same time but also being able to accept all of them, how Lee feels about his identity is complicated but at the end of it all is just "me!" I guess about Sugihara I feel the same way as Jong-ll and Tsubaki!

[pixelatedsushirolls]

I agree that scene was extremely heartwrenching in “The Last Cometh”. I personally had never watched evangelion in its entirety and even though I only watched the assigned episodes, I feel that rewatching the whole series just to get the full impact of this scene would be worth it.

Post for 3/20

Neon Genesis Evangelion is a show that I wish we could’ve watched more episodes for. If I had to narrow down the episodes to just a handful, I would have a really hard time doing so. For instance, I thought that “Mind, Matching, Moment” was such an iconic episode that developed Shinji and Asuka’s synergy and individual characters, even if it wasn’t entirely relevant to the overarching lore. Another good episode we missed was “Life and Death Decisions,” which gave further depth to Shinji’s insecurity, fragility, and humanity as a pilot as he was forced into a grim dilemma. “Magma Diver” was definitely one of the episodes of all time. Anyway, my point is that if anyone in this class, for some reason, has not watched the anime in its entirety, I would highly recommend that you do if you have the time (yes, even “Magma Diver”). Like I said in my previous post, I firmly believe that the show still holds its weight even in today’s anime landscape.

It is equally as painful every time I rewatch “The Last Cometh” and the scene appears when Shinji hesitates to crush Kaworu. The fact that the show was daring enough to drag on the extremely long pause while the music softly played in the background to silently portray Shinji’s fear, frustration, and grief really paid off. It was one of my favorite moments in the show. As I was watching it again, my heart pounded in suspense, even though I already knew what was going to happen. If I remember correctly, in one of the Rebuild movies depicting the same scene, Shinji didn’t take as long to crush Kaworu, which really took something valuable away from the moment for me.

Image of the final scene from https://mubi.com/en/notebook/posts/neon-genesis-evangelion-episodes-25-and-26-congratulations.

[pixelatedsushirolls]

GO

This is probably one of my favorite movies that we have watched so far. I have so much I wanna say but no clue how to start saying it.

Right of the bat I thought this movie was going to be some type of sports movie but then he started jump kicking people and then I was like - nope not a sports movie. And Im kind of glad it wasn't because I really like what this movie turned out to be. Of course, the best part of the movie was how it showed how labels placed upon us by others and ourselves affect the way we live and perceive the world. To our main protagonist what he defines himself as and what others define him as has never been an issue. Most of the time he is able to blend in and not be noticed by other Japanese, but during times he can't (such as needing to always have a residency card on him) he just doesn't let in the prejudice get underneath his skin. That is until he finally meets the love of his life. From the get-go he lies to her about what story he was listening to, as he was listening to story and instead tells her that he was listening to rap music instead - trying to come off as cool. This is something our main protag has never done before/ needed to do before has he has already made a name for himself through his fists. One of my favorite scenes in this film is the scene where the girl's father asks him what he thinks of Japan and our main protagonist replies with "no one truly knows the true meaning of 日本" as this line of thinking somewhat correlates with his own. 日本 is not just *the house of the rising sun* but also has been said to mean various other things. Nothing is simply what it is labeled to be - you need to look past the labels and see what it truly is. Sugihara doesn't truly see himself as South-Korean or Japanese or North Korean, he sees himself as Sugihara and that all that truly matters to him is that he is who he is.

This in turn makes the final scene so refreshing as a pulls up to school screaming "WHO AM I" not to himself but to his girl. He already knows who he is and is comfortable with himself however he wants his girl to see him the same way - for who he is as a person and not just a dirty korean.

[pixelatedsushirolls]

Evangelion (Part 2)

Just finished watching the recommended episode. What did I just watch. Like I was fully on board with it until episode 24 when the angel boy shows up and starts talking to black screens. Then he goes into another dimension with Shinjii and finds Lilith who is a giant beast changed up?!? So confused.

However, I found that episode to also be one the most interesting by how quickly Shinjii forms a bond with this kid he just met. I believe this is because this kid #5 is the first to show affection through both physical touch (hand holding in bath tub scene) and the very first to tell Shinjii the words "I love you." In one of my previous blog posts I posted about how expressing love can come easily to some more than others. However, Shinjii has gone his whole life with people that either truly don't care about his well-being (father) or people that show their love for Shinjii in ways that are more "socially acceptable" such as when his bestie tells Shinjii to punch him back or more abstract ways like the orange hair girl. No one ever directly shows Shinjii affection besides kid #5 which is extremely sad when considering Shinjii ends up having to kill hum by the end of the episode.

Also also, what was that end episode. My boy had a full life crisis for like a good 13 minutes and then returns to a reality where everything is different. Why doesn't he call out to the blue haired girl. He knows her? When did the orange hair girl start living with them and how do they have parents? Who adopted them? Overall, I was just staring at my tv extremely confused. I definitely feel that I will need to go back and rewatch the whole sereis to I can finally get the whole context of everything because this angel stuff is confusing.

Also also also, I was right that they are more than just robots. A part of me was waiting for the when they will start moving on their own, which they technically didn't (at least I don't think they did) therefore I was very disappointed because I wanted to robot suits to start going godzilla mode .

[pixelatedsushirolls]

Tampopo

I know I am a little late, but I didn't realize that we were supposed to watch something during break. I thought we were going to watch Tampopo together as a group. Honestly, Im glad I didn't watch it with a group because some of the scenes within this movie are so revolting that I was actually gagging.

I understand that this movie is supposed to be a comedy centralized around food, however I don't understand the need to include the sex scenes within this movie. I loved the main narrative and I love the adventure Tampopo goes on to improve the shop - thus, I felt that the other comedic scenes with the noodles slurping, shrimp sex, etc, were utterly useless. Additionally, that egg scene scarred me as all I could think is that they were both going to get severe food poisoning from salmonella.

One thing I do genuinely appreciate about this movie is how there are so many scenes where the characters are extremely close to us the audience and are speaking toward the camera as if they were speaking to us. It gives the movie a sense of homely-ness. One of the favorite scenes is the one with the homeless people gathered around the camera. In this scene, they are constantly facing the character and actively showing off certain dishes that they made. To me this just reminds me of my large family dinners, where everyone knows how to make certain food and loves to talk about it. I much rather us spend much more time in this movie with the homeless chefs than with the food sex people.

Lastly, this movie is a pain to watch when fasting.