#like movies that’re “based on a true story”

[pupa-cinema]

Tanabattalion☆Returns Analysis (七夕リアン☆リターンズ考察)

By Sekihan via https://lineblog.me/omedeta/archives/9380720.html. ~~Reading the Lyrics~~ I see. I don’t understand ‘em at all🤔 Let's review them bit by bit then, shall we.    'At my side you were when you said    “Do you know what Chikuwabu is?”    Today marks 2 years of nights we’ve spent together like this    I really hope I’ll be able tell her...' Ah, so it’s a song about a couple. Yeah yeah. “Chikuwabu” is buzzword for ‘Oden noodles’ that only people from Kantou know, so the girl asking the question must be from Kantou. Meaning her boyfriend, the main character, must be from somewhere other than Kantou, yeah that makes sense. It’s like their 2nd year anniversary together then or something like that. Yeah yeah.    'I stub my pinkie toe on the edge of a cabinet    It hurt so much I got sent into shock, I kicked the bucket’ I see. The main character dies.   'I’ve tried to tell you my feelings 100 times before, but still after all this time     I still left them unsaid' So he wanted to tell her something in the intro (on that special day) but... This clutz of a main character went off and died before he could say it. What a clutz. The number of attempts he’s made at telling her this important thing is.. exactly 100 times. He keeps track huh, he’s quite the feminine main character. So his 100th attempt also ended in a failure. Yeah yeah.   'Let me stay with you   Come wake up my cold corpse (body)’ A sudden twist into horror. Even after death he still wants to stick with his girlfriend. He wishes with all his heart: Enough to turn into the walking dead. Kinda like Colin🧟‍♂️🧟‍♀️     'I won't die, I can’t die     Because I love you     My 101st confessionI pray it reaches you     The Sanzu River, the galaxy’s rivers of stars     I’ll push through all of them just to see you     Our bond holds even millions of lightyears apart     A couple’s necromance, ah what a dumbbell' Wait this is ‘Monday 9’. So the writer just wanted to reference this, I bet. “I won’t diee. Because I love you.” (✳︎'Monday 9' is the word for the dramas that air at prime time on TV  https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Getsuku_(Fuji_TV), with the show '101st Marriage Proposal' among them. A notorious line from an episode is these exact words… After a character expresses their distress and terror of falling in love, another character runs out into the rain, almost gets hit by a bus, is safe by a hair, then wails them out at his beloved. Seki’s imagination recreated this zombie style.) On the night of Tanabata, do Hikoboshi and Orihime cross the galaxy that divides them. Once a year, this is the only time they can finally see each other. That’s the common conception of the legend of Tanabata. Likewise, the main character of Tanabattalion Returns.. crosses the galaxy’s river of stars, or more like the River of Sanzu, just to see his beloved. It’s truly necromantik. (A deadly romance).  Ah what a dumbbell. (✳︎Dumbbell - Or the true word “baka-chin” is a diss coined by Takeda Tetsuya. In stories he told on his shows, his mother would call him ‘baka-chin’. )    '"I love you so much thatI could just eat you up🤤"     This here zombie’s confession rehearsal' So it’s a joke based on the way Zombies are known for eating humans. That’s actually adorable. It’s not funny but still 🥺 I feel as if I’ve heard of this “Confession Rehearsal” thing before...       'I get dressed up from happy go lucky head to toe and head out      My legs are dragging, will I make it in time…' If you’re gonna see your special someone then you gotta dress up, y’know. The reason it’s “dress up from happy head to toe” is because it's a reference to our band name Happy go Lucky Heads. (✳︎ The word “Dress-up” is “おめかしOmekashi” here. As the word has “Ome” in it just like Omedetai, Seki changes the Ome in the lyrics to be written in the same katakana way as the band name, instead of the standard hiragana spelling. Imitating the way the band Boyz || Men change every “to” in their lyric booklet to be written as “||”. 

The main character... He died and became a zombie because he stubbed his toe so His ambulation is wonky, he can’t get much speed. Even though he needs to hurry up and reach her before the night of Tanabata ends! He’s in a pickle🥺     'I won't die, I can’t die     Because I love you     My 101st confession     I hope it reaches you     With my rotting brain I     Considered and chose     A bolt nut ring     I hope it will look good on your finger' These lyrics are the same as the first chorus so I omitted some of them. (✳︎Here Seki uses the word “割愛” for “omit”… A word which has “愛(love)” in it. It has “愛” in it because it’s a bit more intense than a mere omission, it more leans towards “Force self to let go of something, even if don’t want to.”Seki's word choice is cute.) I got the idea for the engagement ring from zombies’ heads. A bold nut ring. Ahh. ‘Cause it’s the whole Monday 9 thing. Yeah yeah. So when he says “I hope it looks good on your finger” ... He must be fully committed to giving it to her. 

    'I won’t die, because I love you      I won’t die, because I’m going to make you happy' For the recording I screamed this part of the interlude. The second line is still the 'Monday 9' thing. During concerts I’ll actually straight up tell a story here. What’s wrong with being a bit like King-Show. 🥺   I say it so fast, as if a guns to my head. So I need to put a lot of brain power into making sure it’s intelligible.     'July 7th, a sunny day     I found you     There, under the night stars shooting down, was the sound gunfire      I’ve been shot in the head' "'Us staff searched long and far. Until at long last I found Her 🥺'" ↑This reference is unrelated. I just wanted to say it. (✳︎A notable line from this variety show). Now. On this Tanabata night, under the wide open starry sky, did he finally find her. The moment of truth to confess his feelings. His 101st attempt! I won’t die! Because I love you! I won’t die! Because I’m going to make you happy! (In other words: please marry me). He says! Even though he’s already dead! Alas... Instead of hearing her voice say “Yes” The last sound he ever hears is Her scream, along with the roar of gunfire. It’s said that zombies can’t die but With a headshot you’re certain to K.O. them. Just like “Shoot him in the head! (頭を狙え！)”(✳︎Seki writes it in English here then adds JP translation. Thanks Seki for being fluent in English). The classic phrase from zombie movies. Hey, who the hell shot him! Who!     'I won't die, I can’t die     Because I love youThe bolt nut ring     It hope it reaches you     The Sanzu River, the galaxy’s rivers of stars     I pushed through all of them just to see you     Our bond holds even millions of lightyears apart     A couple’s necromance, for now and forever more' If you think about it.. He’s a zombie right, It’s hard to tell if he truly has consciousness or not. So then what the hell was this all about?! You may be wondering but This is fantasy, fiction. Or... You may instead be worrying “Will he not be able to give it to her anymore...” The “I hope it reaches you” lyric holds true for this too. And as you may have already guessed, in the last chorus, as his consciousness is slipping away He sees a dream. In his dream I bet he’s succeeded in confessing to her. In giving her the ring. If he was still human this would be considered homicide,It would be a bad-end but He’s a zombie soIs it a bad-end Or a happy-end..Which.. For her, who’s still alive, and for him, who's a zombie, This is how it has to be. Though it’s impossible to know what’s truly right but. Anyway That calls it for my explanation of Tanabattalion Returns. The title is reference to Return of the Living Dead 3. My favorite of the Living Dead/Battalion series. (✳︎In Japan the title of the series was localized to ‘Battalion’ and the 3rd as 'Battalion Returns'! This is because zombies come in such huge armies, my guess is this conveyed the sheer volume more concisely to the JP audience.) This is probably the first ever love story about a zombie and stuff like this, right? IDK but. The guy who wrote this song is gonna try his best to write lyrics that’re easier to understand from now on. Promise. 

[mysurveys]

Random Qs

Survey #3 on the Countdown to 2018!

Are you more likely to "suck it up" when something is difficult or to give up?

I don't give up easily by any means, but I do know when it's time to quit. I enjoy challenges because the sense of satisfaction and accomplishment is greater after conquering them. There's a time to just stop trying, though.

What was your very first day of your very first job like; what did you do and how long did it take you to get the hang of it and feel comfortable with working?

I've never had a paid job, just my nonprofit group. That was something I started and it didn't require me to adjust to it all that much.

Getting the hang of it was more like improving my skills through experience rather than learning a new skill set entirely. I can't really remember the first day of it, though.

If you have a dog, are they friendly to strangers or other dogs?

She's usually friendly with other animals and with most people.

Whether you like it or not, do you tend to get into drama with girls or do you just let that stuff roll right off your back and have nothing to do with it?

Avoiding ALL drama in life would be pretty difficult and I can get into it others when I'm too outspoken, opinionated and critical for them to handle. But all of that stuff doesn't really get under my skin since I'm an easygoing kind of person.

Casting judgments doesn't mean you're uptight. My problem was not having a filter and being overaggressive with certain people, but I've reined myself in.

I'm still going to make judgments and some will be out in the open, though. I'm not going to lie or behave as if I'm oppressed by conforming to social graces that I disagree with. I'm not after social rewards.

Do people ever comment on or joke about your driving?

I don't drive partly due to having DTD and also because of the hallucinations I used to have with mild Paranoid Schizophrenia. The latter has become completely controlled by medication to the point that it's irrelevant now.

What was something little that made you smile or cheer up today?

My outdoor cat named Lucius isn't very big being a cat and yet he has a big impact on my life. Some of the little things he does brighten my day.

Would you say that the people you hang out with most are kind of weird or unique, or do you think they’re just regular chill people?

They're chill people, but some of them have weird and unique quirks and even eccentricities the way I do. People's personalities aren't entirely unique because they can share so many similarities with others.

The only things about you that're 100% unique are your fingerprints. Even your DNA is similar to other's.

Have you ever had absinthe?

I haven't.

Have you ever been accused of trying to steal someone’s significant other and were you ever trying to?

People aren't mindless objects. You can't steal them, but I've never tried to come between a couple before. That's not something I would ever allow myself to do willingly.

Have you ever resented someone for something out of their control and has that ever happened to you?

I don't know if someone's resenting me for something I had no control over. You would have to ask the people who know me, but I know I've been resentful of people when they can't appear to control the effects of their mental illnesses at all when it really seems that they should know better.

You certainly should have some control over the really negative aspects of yourself when you know your diagnosis. And yet there are parts of mental illness that excuse people's behaviors. Some people don't appear to have any self-control even when they really should, though.

Was there anything you thought would never happen to you that did?

I'm open-minded to the possibilities in life even when they're improbable. That means I'm rarely surprised by things. I doubted I would let myself have sex before marriage and yet that happened, but that's the only major example I've got for this.

Do you tend to try avoiding drama or do you kind of like a life filled with drama?

I neither love nor hate it to be honest. It's just kind of there sometimes. I'm not always starting it with everyone in my life or anything.

However, some people just can't stand how upfront, opinionated, outspoken and critical I am. That’s especially true when they're not well-equipped for handling it like adults.

I'll get into it with oversensitive, overemotional people with childish qualities and with those who often have the inability to handle confrontation out of fear and immaturity.

So they'll leave a comment to bitch and moan at you and then run away. That's what children do. But a lot of Millennials are just big kids shitting bricks every time someone judges them openly.

We all do it and you have to if you want to practice morality. Some of us just choose to be open about it instead of lying by omission.

Do people often describe you as a sweetheart, or maybe there's another word people are always calling you?

I'm no one's sweetheart. I'm best described as an old soul with a young heart who can read people like cheap drugstore novellas.

What was the last thing to move you and are you easily moved or inspired?

I'm not easily moved by things yet I find inspiration just about everywhere these days. The last thing to move me was how Lucius tugged at my heartstrings with his inability to open up with anyone and enjoy his life.

That's why I crusaded for adopting him, but my father wanted him to be an outdoor pet only, much to my dismay. I compromised so that Lucius can come into my bedroom, though! He's a wonderful part of my life.

If you've ever seen your very favorite band, did you cry when you saw them and was it like a dream come true, or if you've never seen them then do you think you ever would?

I don't care for crowds and live music most of the time, so seeing my fave bands and artists live isn't something I'd be into.

If you write stories, have you ever come across a person in real life who looked weirdly similar to one of your characters, or someone who maybe acted just like them?

I tend to write fanfics although I like making OCs for them. I don't often see people who look similar to my charries, but I've come across people who share many of their major characteristics.

What's something a person you've just met or seen can do to make you instantly dislike them?

I don't consciously prejudge people based on first impressions because that's a terrible thing to do. I'm too open-minded for that shit and that's part of why I score high on the Openness factor on Big Five personality tests.

But no one can control their unconscious prejudgment of others. I just make sure that I don't consciously prejudge and I'm able to monitor my subconscious judgments to some degree as well. It's your unconscious mind that's inaccessible.

Is it hard for you to get along with people that have different opinions than you do, or can you ignore all of that stuff and be friends with just about anyone?

I'm not going to be tolerant of immoral people or idiots. Not happening!

But there are plenty of people I simply agree to disagree with. That being said, my closest friends will always be similar to me in their major beliefs as Christians and on the political spectrum since their moral compasses dictate their political beliefs.

When you get fast food, are you ever rude and impatient?

The only person I even know who gets that way is my father because his temperament is so poor and he's prone to being impatient about anything.

What's something you can do to calm yourself if you’re nervous, and is there anything you do to boost your confidence when you need it?

How I respond to nervousness, stress and anxiety all depend heavily upon what's going on and who's involved. The only thing that shakes my self-confidence is Social Anxiety and I'm getting progressively better through exposure therapy. That's the main thing to do for it when you're ready.

Do you have any of those Jac Vanek bracelets, or how about any friendship bracelets?

I JFGI and I like the fearless, brutal, beautiful, courage, just sayin' and wild child ones from his sassy and sarcastic collection at his website.

My bracelets are more ornate-looking in silver and gold tones, but I do have one BF bracelet. I actually got it from my maternal grandmother who gave Mom a set and she gave the other to me.

Have you ever said you were going to become a gypsy, or have you ever thought about it?

I've never really wanted to do that and I think that it's a lifestyle you're born into. Just being a traveler is different than being a real gypsy, so I don't use it as a synonym for being a free-spirited wanderer.

It's the term I'd use for travelers who most likely speak Romany and make a traditional living through itinerant trade and fortune-telling.

How do you let go of petty things that're bothering you; is it easy for you to let things like being insulted by a stranger go?

You can still respond to people without getting upset about what a stranger has to say. That's how I am because I'm not afraid of confrontation.

I'm pretty upfront and courageous. Petty things don't really weigh me down even if I get into it with someone. That's not my style.

Of all the reality competitions you’ve watched, who're some of your all-time favorite contestants and what shows were they from?

I don't usually have all-time faves for such, but I did love Alan Kay and Dave McIntyre from the first and second seasons of History's Alone which is an outdoor survival competition.

The third year winner wasn't as memorable for me and I was pulling for the other person in the top two who's also a winner in my book.

Do you like to read or hear spoilers about your favorite shows or new movies, or would you rather know nothing until you actually saw it?

Spoilers don't tend to bother me unless they're clinchers that you really, really don't want to know until you've gone through the content for yourself. 

Less crucial spoilers aren't a bother. They can make me more eager about getting into something, actually.