| Takarazuka lineup--AAH! |
[Nov. 19th, 2009|01:05 am] |
In all the (understandable) hubub about who's out sick, I almost missed the new LINEUP ANNOUNCEMENTS on the Takarazuka main page!
Hoshigumi is doing Jose and Carmen! Yes, the Jose and Carmen last done by Zunko and O-Hana a decade ago! I'm thrilled, it's a perfect play for the leads. Nene isn't a great singer, but I really like her acting and dancing, and she and Chie have the kind of chemistry that sort of play requires (Winds of Buenos Aires melted me). (Chie, needless to say, is fabulous and will do brilliantly with it, of course).
Meanwhile, Ouki Kaname has been named as the lead for the next Hoshigumi bow hall, and to the surprise of no one, Nagina Ruumi will lead the next Soragumi bow hall. Which would be great, except that if Kacha is the lead, Alice-chan, who is older, probably won't get the musumeyaku lead. :( I'm keeping my hopes up, since they're currently playing a couple at the Daigekijou in Casablanca, but I doubt it. Dang. Oh well, maybe that means she'll have a huge and brilliant part in the Soragumi Drama City play, which was also just announced--does anyone recognize the playwright? Her name looks familiar (and a female writer raises my hopes for interesting female parts), but I can't place it. I'll have to check the Takawiki.
Eee, I'm so excited! And jealous of you lucky, lucky people in Japan!
Anyone wanna guess who might get the musumeyaku leads for those bow hall plays? Hmm... |
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| Twilight and sexy, sexy men. |
[Nov. 16th, 2009|08:45 pm] |
Tonight, I was able to meet up with a fellow group of National Novel Writer's Month writers. Just for half an hour, sadly, as I have a bunch of stuff to do for a deadline, but it was fun. (And there was cake!)
While I was there, one of the writers asked me what I thought of Twilight (the Stephenie Meyer book). I told him it was fine, nothing special, but decent fluffy fun. He laughed and said he was surprised to hear that, because most authors wanted Meyer burned at the stake.
At which point his buddy, a thin white man, said: "Are you kidding me? Twilight made skinny white boys sexy! How could I not be grateful?"
Hee hee. |
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| When it rains, it...leaks. |
[Nov. 15th, 2009|03:07 pm] |
I am writing now from a New Mexico hotel, about a ten minute drive from my house, because my house is currently being jackhammer-ed, plumber-ed, and otherwise being worked upon by men in overalls with tools (and, my mother adds, very dirty feet).
Two days ago I noticed my floor was wet. It was, at first, a tiny patch so I assumed my dog had had an accident. Except the little spot spread until about a third of my floor was literally soaked.
We quickly determined that our water heater was leaking, and turned the water off while our landlord called in a plumber to take a look. At which point we found that the whole system of pipes was corrupted and needed to be dug up!
Personally I find the situation fairly amusing, but I feel a bit bad for my landlord, who has to pay for repairs and this hotel we're at. He's a good landlord, being very responsible and helpful; it's just his bad luck to find all this out NOW. For me, it means yummy restaurant dinner tonight, and a quiet place to study Japanese and work on my NaNo story, so I ain't complaining.
(...About anything but the situation with Oura Mizuki-sama, of course. What a loss... *sigh*) |
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| NaNoWriMo and love. |
[Nov. 12th, 2009|03:45 pm] |
I am taking part in National Novel Writers Month and enjoying it very much. There are write ins every week, a session of an hour or two where people in Albuquerque meet and write together, inspiring each other with ideas and simply each others presences. I haven't been to many, but I've greatly enjoyed the couple I made it to. Cool people.
I was looking forward to another one today, but now the sky is gray like it's angry at the world, and I've decided today is a day for burrowing under blankets with a mug of tea and writing all day on the couch.
Last week I spent a few days hanging out with a really cool Japanese student named Miki, who wrote a beautiful thank you note yesterday and will keep in touch by mail, which I look forward to. This whole "having a life" thing is kind of cool. :D
I'm...happy, I think, for the first time in awhile. My "sickness" is far from cured, and I still have panic attacks and medical problems and I'm going to loads of doctors and blah, blah, blah. But I'm not lonely or bored, and that's really a gift. |
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| The great, honking success that is MY GIRL! |
[Oct. 24th, 2009|03:51 pm] |
So, almost three weeks ago I posted about the upcoming Japanese dorama called "My Girl", starring my favorite member of the boyband Arashi Aiba Masaki as a young man who finds out he has a daughter he never knew about here: michiru42.livejournal.com/12568.html
I found the first episode uploaded on mysoju today. Reaction: EEEE!
( Cue Michiru squealing like...well, like a fangirl. )
It occurs to me that this dorama MUST be made into a Takarazuka bow hall play. Masamune would be the perfect young otokoyaku leading role, and there's a place for a nibante otokoyaku in his buddy who works at a bike shop whom he confides in. The lead musumeyaku and nibante musumeyaku could each take either Koharu or Yoko (Koharu would probably have to be aged a bit, but I can see some of the baby musumeyaku easily playing Koharu as, say nine or ten years old). Plus, it looks like a babysitter is coming along in episode two, and you know she's going to be falling in love with Masamune if this dorama follows type, which it will. Yoko's mother introduces Koharu to Masamune so there's your elderly musumeyaku role--Masami Rika would be particularly perfect, or maybe Kyou Misa. And there are lots of men around Masamune, including his awesome uptight landlord and his boss and co-workers, so there'd be plenty of spots for younger otokoyaku. It's perfect!
Excuse me, I have to go have a happy.
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| Cutest. Video. EVAR! |
[Oct. 23rd, 2009|11:56 pm] |
Some kind soul uploaded a couple clips from Yumiko's "Love Letter" dinner show, including this little talk bit between her, Nacchan (Yay!) and Sao Kurama, where they discuss whether or not they've ever actually ever sent a love letter.
Best bit, after Sao Kurama said she'd sent her love letter to "Macchi-senpai":
Yumiko: And you, Nacchan? Do you remember who you sent your love letter to?
Nacchan: Of course!
Yumiko: Who was it?
Nacchan: Not telling. It wasn't Macchi, though.
(In case the link doesn't work: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5EM0Ksvlx8&feature=related)
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| Suzuna Saya |
[Oct. 13th, 2009|05:53 pm] |
I am thinking of my love for the wonderful Suzuna Saya, veteran musumeyaku singer extraordinaire: www.takarazuka-revue.info/tiki-index.php Going through old Soragumi plays, she always stands out, whatever getup the writers/directors put her in, and I just adore her powerful presence...and that VOICE.
A few weeks ago someone (you know who you are; I wasn't sure if you wanted me to mention your name) told me Ayumi-san never had any fans waiting for her before or after plays, suggesting she has no fan club, which was shocking to me. Don't get me wrong; I know most musumeyaku don't have fan clubs, but most musumeyaku don't get any attention on stage. Those that do, even those who aren't top, develop small, devoted followings. And Ayumi-san almost always gets attention, at least a number or two in revues to show off her beautiful voice and often interesting, eccentric acting bits too.
But things are how they are. I'M an Ayumi-san fan, and I want to show her how much I appreciate her! So I think I'm going to send her a detailed letter and a little gift for Christmas. Emphasis on "little", as I have no money at all, but a token of appreciation.
Unfortunately, not being in Japan, my resources are limited in looking for what she'd like. I'm know she likes travel and reading, but that's as specific as her profile gets. I'm going to comb through the net and see if I can find interviews telling me more; if any of you with Graph or Kageki magazines have ones with interviews in them where she mentions anything she enjoys, please let me know! I'm hoping to send it at the end of November, since that will give me plenty of time, and also still leave the gift lots of time to arrive. :)
Yoroshiku onegai shimasu!
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| ... |
[Oct. 10th, 2009|12:04 pm] |
So, part of the trouble I have is severe anxiety, for which meditation has been suggested. My mother found this class--she's interested as well, as she too has panic disorder, though she has amazing control--and off we went this morning to check it out.
The meditation itself was interesting, a study of different types and good for beginners and seniors like my mother, with cushions and pillows to help support her back. But after, I was looking around the studio/center/dojo/whatever, looking at the wall scrolls from China and the Korean letters and Christian pictures of Jesus and the ten commandments. It was all very spiritual and opening, until I got to one little corner with three pages stapled up:
1) A picture of a pregnant woman, her womb made translucent so we could see a baby's hands struggling to push their way out. "What about MY choice?" It read.
2) An article on how homosexuality is more damaging then smoking.
3) An article about how Hurricane Katrina was a sign of the end times, like Noah's flood, there to warn us of our wicked and sinful ways.
"Excuse me," I said, "But I have to ask. These seem remarkably political."
And suddenly, the teacher wasn't a wise, spiritual leader anymore, wasn't tolerant of the question or understanding of dissent. His eyes narrowed and his mouth curved down into something between a sneer and a scowl. "No," he said, voice hard-edged. "They're spiritual. This is a spiritual place."
I waited for him to laugh and say he was joking. When he didn't, when he just kept staring at me like I was impudent and stunted, I said, "I see. Thank you."
My mother (agape with shock) and I walked away.
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| EEEE!! DORAMA DORAMA DORAMA! EEEEEEE!!!! |
[Oct. 4th, 2009|09:36 pm] |
Achem.
I am an Arashi fan. Go look them up on wikipedia--they're a Japanese boy band, uncommonly wonderful because they're so unboyband-ish; to quote an old roomie of mine (you know who you are if you're reading this), they resemble a "big pile of puppies". (Except for Matsumoto Jun, who has become rather too much of a prima donna for my tastes, but that's a whole different thing).
I love all the boys, but my absolute favorite is Aiba "Aiba-chan" Masaki, an adorable and clueless, er, puppy, who likes to perform stupid experiments and mostly runs in circles like a spastic monkey on too much caffeine, trying to see if he can launch himself across mud puddles by tying himself to heavy weights. He's adorable and wonderful but does very little acting, so a fan like me mostly gets to see him on youtube variety show clips.
So imagine my joy browsing through next season's dorama list to see if anything looked interesting, when I found this: wiki.d-addicts.com/My_Girl_%28TV_Asahi%29 Aiba-chan.
A DAD.
OMFGSTRTJKL!
(And though it has nothing to do with Arashi, I'm going to start watching this one while waiting: www.mysoju.com/otomen/ [I love Kaho-chan, and the description sounds very cute--take note, Russell, it's Kaho not wielding a cell phone!] and am very much looking forward to this one that starts next month: wiki.d-addicts.com/Ohitorisama I'm just finishing up watching a dorama called "Koishite Akuma: Vampire Boy" which is notable for being the worst mess I've ever seen on TV, and that INCLUDES Power Rangers. Not a single redeeming quality. I love it!)
I again take a moment here to pimp out mysoju.com, a wonderful site uploading dorama with English subtitles for we poor sops who aren't in Japan (or Korea, China, Taiwan) to see them. Whoo!
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| National Novel Writing Month is upon us! (Soon) |
[Sep. 30th, 2009|07:09 pm] |
Just a month until NaNoWriMo! I can't believe this is gonna be my third year participating--my first in the USA, though. I have a friend from school who says he knows writing groups up here, so hopefully NaNoWriMo will be a more interactive experience for me this year. YAY!
I have an interesting idea this year, too: a near-future story featuring a young pregnant teenager and her loyal robot going on a road trip to try and find the father of her baby. Though I won't start writing it until the month begins, I'm breaking down an outline of the story to work from, and drawing the two main characters a lot, having fun playing with clothing styles and the personality I can put in their faces.
Anyone else doing NaNoWriMo, or mini NaNoWriMo this year? |
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| Cool stuff on the way! |
[Sep. 26th, 2009|07:25 pm] |
So, movies recently have kind of sucked, and I haven't been pulled in more than once or twice a month (I think the only movie that really got me excited all summer was "Up"). Except now.
Surrogates!
Pandorum!
9!
Jennifer's Body!
Inglourious Basterds!
Squee!!!!!!!!!!!
All this AND Dollhouse on TV! (Granted, the ratings for the season 2 opening weren't great, BUT Joss lowered the budget so there's not so much money to lose, and the ratings were much better than the season 1 finale, suggesting people are willing to give the show a second chance if it keeps up with good reviews.)
Gotta go, lots to see!
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| Scary and mystifying people are scary and mystifying. |
[Sep. 21st, 2009|01:25 pm] |
For your consideration, a scary link: www.limitstogrowth.org/index.html
To sum the site up: IMMIGANTS ARE STLNG OURR JOBS AND BRINGING STRNGE RLGION!
To be fair, this site does have a point, in a way. Human relations are difficult enough between different generations, for pete's sake. Add in different cultures, different religions, and different economic backgrounds and trouble is not just possible, but inevitable. And more people should report on it; pretending it doesn't exist, that "We" aren't scared of/confused by "Them" is only a way to further spread discontent, which can easily turn to violence. People need to talk about it, to learn about each other, even when it makes us uncomfortable, which it will.
But the above site doesn't seem interested in finding a solution, but rather in fanning the flames. The site owners seem to want to stop immigration, something they have to know is impossible. Even if, by an act of Satan, all the world's countries were to close their borders today, the millions and millions of immigrants already settled would stay and keep having children. They would, in other words, remain part of their new, chosen societies. There's no way the site owners don't know that, and by now, they have to have seen that just yelling at immigrants for being immigrants is only making anger and discontent grow, leading to further violence and misunderstanding. Which makes me wonder: is that what the people who run this site want? Do they want more violence, because it will give them more to yell about, thus making them feel righteous? I can't think of any other reason they'd be employing such an obviously failed and harmful tactic as this site.
A much more helpful, thoughtful set of ideas is here: www.newsweek.com/id/214989
This is an article about a study focusing on human discrimination. How does it start? Why do we feel it? And why are most people so uncomfortable talking about it if modern American society is really as egalitarian as we like to believe? Amazingly, talking about it resulted in better attitudes--imagine that. -_-
Here's the truth: for better or worse, Immigrants are here, they're staying, and you can't just wish them away. You can complain all you want--and it looks like some people are doing just that--but by doing so you're not just hurting "Them", you're creating a hostile enviornment that hurts "Us", too. And I have to wonder why.
Comments, criticism, and debate are very welcome, of course.
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| Up, up, and away! |
[Sep. 18th, 2009|11:03 pm] |
"Wall-E", the movie Pixar Studies made a few years ago, is the best movie ever made in my not particularly humble opinion. It is the only other movie besides "Rent" that had me either laughing or crying almost the entire time.
"Up," Pixar Studio's latest offering, is not as good as "Wall-E". Instead of being mind-bendingly brilliant like "Wall-E" was, it had to settle for being just plain brilliant.
( Love in all it's forms... )
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| First day back at college. |
[Aug. 25th, 2009|12:46 pm] |
So, I'm back up in the states, possibly temporarily but who knows. We're hoping to consult some doctors here and I'm taking a few college classes. My mother is very (and I mean VERY) hopeful that I'll get a graduate degree, but I just don't think I want it. I don't enjoy taking classes with all the stress involved. Of course, maybe that'll be something the doctors can help with. If we can therapy or medicate the panic out of me, it would sure be helpful to the rest of my life.
So, I'm focusing on langauges and international relations, since if I don't wind up becoming a writer, that's the only other subject I really love enough to see myself working on it for the rest of my life. Yesterday was my first day of Japanese class.
Naturally, it rained, and the box with the umbrellas in it hadn't arrived at our new house yet! Thankfully it was just a drizzle, so it wasn't too bad. Though I wound up getting to campus a little late, because I got on the wrong bus once. Oops.
Once I got to campus, though, the class was made of cool people. It's the advanced Japanese class, and the students vary from mediocre to really, really good, so I'm looking forward to working with some of them. And the teacher is awesome, this bubbly little woman with insane amounts of energy and patience. Looking at the textbook, it is mostly review for me, BUT it's review of all my weakest areas, so I'm definitely glad I'm here.
Next semester, I'm hoping to start Chinese. If I can I want to learn Korean, too, and see what career I can make from those languages. I love languages, I love learning about other cultures. Let's see if I can make a career out of it. |
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| Maikaze Rira Sayonara Dinner Show: A Little Flower |
[Aug. 22nd, 2009|09:25 pm] |
Okay, let me be honest right off. I am a Maa-chan freak. I am very good at giving unbiased reports of plays, even with actresses I love, but Maa-chan is kind of beyond that. She makes me want to bow and scrape and follow her around so I can bask in her wondrous, light-giving presence. *sigh*
So, no promises on unbiased reportage. A thank you to the lovely person who made it possible for me to see this splendiferous performance, and away we go....
( A Little Flower )
The set list can be found here: www.takarazuka-revue.info/tiki-index.php
Also, the TakaWiki link for Maa-chan's webpage is defunct. Her official blog is now here: www.k-seven.co.jp/blog_maikaze/ |
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| Takarazuka's "Fumetsu no Toge", and the awesomeness that is Yumiko |
[Jul. 24th, 2009|09:52 pm] |
I was sent a copy of Hanagumi's 2003 play "Fumetsu no Toge/Immortal Thorns" (www.takarazuka-revue.info/tiki-index.php) long ago by a dear friend, recently uncovered it again while packing, and decided to watch it again on a whim.
I was right; it's awesome. Another one of Kimura Shinji's brilliant opera re-makes (which include "Carmen", "Manon", "Turandot", "Aida", and "Il Travatore". "Rome at Dawn" doesn't count), this time from Karel Capek's "The Makropulos Case". The story revolves around a man (played by the ever-impressive Haruno Sumire) who becomes immortal by accident and suffers through eternity.
Everyone was great, even actresses I wasn't usually fond of, but it was this play that made me a Yumiko fan. I still am. We first meet her character, a young man named Hans, when he stumbles home drunk. Yumiko's face was astonishingly expressive, conveying pain and bitter humor, burnout with life and love for his sister all at once, as younger sister Christina (Toono Asuka in another standout performance) ran to comfort him. But then his mother (Rika Masumi in yet another brilliant performance--this play made me a fan of hers, too) shows up and...is very cruel, leading Hans to pick up a gun and threaten to kill himself. Christina cares. Mom does not. Hans begs his mother for attention once more and then runs from home, screaming in pain and frustration.
That scene broke my heart, and I've been mad for Yumiko ever since. A lot of otokoyaku are very set on being "cool", but Yumiko can really bend herself as an actress into roles that aren't very attractive. She wasn't afraid to really stumble around that stage, or scream, or cry and look messy doing it. I see why she's been placed as Mizu's number two (another one of the more talented actresses). I really hope she gets to be top, but if not, she surely has a brilliant acting career after Zuka if she wants it.
Anyone else feel the Yumiko love? I rarely hear people talk about her.
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| New Trends in Japanese Publishing--kind of. |
[Jul. 17th, 2009|03:32 pm] |
In my experience, technology that originates in Japan tends to diffuse its way through the western world a few years later, especially when it comes to cell phones. All the technology we have now--cameras, TVs, text messaging--started there and moved out. Which is one reason why this new trend of books and manga published on cell phone is so interesting to me.
The other reason is my hope that, if I ever get well enough, I can work in the publishing industry in some form. And if this is the way it's going, there's going to be a lot of changes in the future of the business.
( Koizora, or how I discovered cell-phone books )
I've already heard of a publisher in Ireland who's gotten interested, so something is definitely happening. The question is, is it a good thing, or a "downfall of literature" thing? And could it happen in America, too? After all, the cell phone companies are now having pressure put on them to make their text messages cheaper. If they do, this kind of writing will be in reach of Americans, too.
Hmm...
Links:
Here's an article about cell phone novels: www.nytimes.com/2008/01/20/world/asia/20japan.html
Watch "Koizora" the dorama here (be warned, though, it's really quite bad): www.mysoju.com/koizora-drama/
The movie: www.mysoju.com/koizora/
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| Recommendation for my f-list: Byakuyakou |
[Jul. 2nd, 2009|01:22 pm] |
I was lucky enough to stumble across this series for the first time in years on youtube, and it struck me that pretty much everyone on my f-list might like to see it. Takarazuka fans who love the dark, twisted love stories "Elisabeth" and "Phantom" will appreciate a tale of two lovers who go through everything to reach each other; Oz fans who love Beecher and Keller will recognize the two lovers who are too twisted to really make it work, obsessed as they are with each other. And Russ, I told you about this one back when we lived in Japan, and you said you thought it sounded interesting. :)
BYAKUYAKOU, a Japanese dorama (a fictional TV story. They run like our scripted shows in America, but only for a single season, usually nine to thirteen episodes), is a psychological thriller based on the novel of the same title. It translates to something like "Going to a place of only sun," though that's very loose.
( The characters and story... )
( Notes and Review )
If you want to see the series, it's fansubbed on the web. Look up "byakuyakou" in youtube to find it subtitled in Spanish. Look on Veoh (www.veoh.com) or here atwww.mysoju.com/midnight-sun-journey/ to find it subtitled in English. They've got it up on the usual Chinese video websites too (Tudou, Yeoh), but I think you need some Chinese or Japanese to understand them there. :)
For more information and pictures, check out wiki.d-addicts.com/Byakuyakou
Go. Watch. You'll think you're a twisted lunatic for watching, but even so, it's worth it.
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| Critiques and insults. |
[Jun. 22nd, 2009|11:10 pm] |
| [ | Tags | | | absolute write, writing | ] |
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So, I'm on a website called "absolute write" that is, for the most part, absolutely fabulous for aspiring writers like me. It's got discussion about every aspect of publishing, and of course, there's lots of people to critique your work.
So I'm trying to wrest together this original story now (I've been working on it for months), and I told everyone at absolute write to be absolutely merciless when they gave me suggestions. I want to learn to be a better writer, and I don't expect my editors to be nice to me. I'm a big girl, I can take honesty.
The first crit I got from this girl was great. It was harsh but honest with good suggestions. At the end, the girl teased, "Maybe you want to re-think thanking us for this!" In reply, I put, "Ha! You'll have to do better than that!" and thanked her (she has since written back with a lovely e-mail discussing writing in general, and seems very cool).
So then this guy--who, looking at his bio is a middle-aged man who hasn't gotten any of his own novels published--ripped my bit apart with a lot of deliberately mean and snide comments about my stuff being "boring" and "meaningless crap" and "irritating" and "If you were to ask if I was impressed, you wouldn't like the answer". At the end, he quoted where I'd put: "You'll have to do better than that!" to the first girl. Then he said: "So, was (my critique) better? You should be careful of challenging us too seriously. I actually could have upped this some more without breaking a sweat.
@_@
I'm just thinking, what a loser! I wasn't even talking to him, and he was so mad about how I, what, wasn't hurt by harsh critiques that he had to go out of his way to be a jerk?
While honest, and even brutal, crit is necessary to becoming a better writer, deliberate meanness is something else. God, I hate to think of what this douche could do to new kids with fragile egos.
Personally, I think I'll just ignore him. Deep breaths!
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