One Piece

Call me crazy, but I just LOVE One Piece.  I could never get enough of the gang and their pirate adventures.  Each one helping the other find their individual dreams, they make up the perfect group of unlikely comrades and the best of friends.   They go against practically insurmountable obstacles and invincible adversaries, and yet they prevail by honing their own special abilities and never failing to lend each other a hand.  How I wish I were a part of such a motley and endearing pirate crew!  

Only Yesterday (1991)

A few days ago I saw an anime called Only Yesterday or おもひでポロポロ (Omohide Poroporo).  It aired in Japan in 1991, so you could say it’s pretty old for a movie.  Be that as it may, it really struck a chord in me and made me think of my own situation and what I would like to do with my life. 

Taeko is in her late twenties, unmarried, and yearning to get away from the city, having lived all her life in Tokyo.  She takes a vacation in quiet and provincial Yamagata, to help in the saffron harvest and around the farm.  While traveling, she begins to reminisce about when she was eleven years old, recalling memories of friends, crushes, impending womanhood, and dreams of the future.  As she spends busy but peaceful days helping around the farm, she deepens her friendship with the family she stays with, as well as becomes good friends with Toshio, her brother-in-law’s cousin.  She finds much comfort in the peace and simplicity of life there and starts to contemplate her childhood memories and the kind of life she wants to live from that moment on. 

I’m so glad I gave this story a chance.  I felt so close to Taeko, seeing myself in her situation.  For the longest time now, I’ve had this deep yearning to get away from it all – to abandon the city, my so-called-cushy job, the oftentimes suffocating care of my family – and leave myself to the whims of chance.  I did just that, and I was rewarded with a blessed interval – I was free for a while.  Japan took me in its arms and set me free even as it held me so close.  But my reality just won’t allow me to keep dreaming; it just had to wake me up and pull me back.  So I came back here and still I keep trying to resign myself to the painful choice I made.  But the yearning never left me.  I carry it always like weights attached to my wrists and ankles. 

Recently I went to an island on a very short vacation, and there I found the dream once again.  I saw what I really, really want to do with my life, just like Taeko did.  But of course, Taeko got her wish and I didn’t.  I couldn’t.  Reality and the city keeps pulling me back and won’t let me go.  Now I let every day carry me along and the only comfort I can give myself is the knowledge that my dream actually does exist and I know where it can be found – I can at least fantasize about swimming in clear, deep waters, my skin browning under the sun, and living at the mercy of the beautiful and terrible ocean.  I’m glad Taeko got her happy ending.  I don’t begrudge anyone that particular joy.  And while I cannot have mine, for now, perhaps the dream would be enough. 

Lament of the Lamb (OVA 2003)

Based on a manga called 羊の歌 or "Song of the Sheep", the story revolves around a boy named Kazuna who begins to suffer from a strange illness.  He remembers being left behind by his father as a young boy to the care of an uncle and his wife.  In order to find out more about his strange condition, he seeks out his father and discovers that he has died and that he has an older sister with the same illness.  She reveals to him that they are a family afflicted with vampirism.  Thus begins the two siblings' painful journey of accepting their fate, confronting the demons of their past, and trying to separate themselves from the rest of humanity in order not to become monsters that constantly crave blood.  They try to live together and to find solace in their shared suffering, but in the end they could only succumb to the terrible conclusion that awaits their lives. 

I rather liked this anime at the beginning.  I felt like it had really good atmosphere, one of mystery and sadness.  What was disappointing was the pace - it was simply too slow.  They could have told the entire story in half the time it took.  There were too many unnecessary flashback scenes, too many dramatic pauses, and repetition of other melodramatic elements.  It felt more like a Korean drama than a Japanese story.  Although the themes were touching and somewhat thought-provoking, the story would have benefited from a plot with more motion and eventfulness to it and less of the internal struggle from the characters.  It's not too bad, but sadly, I can't say it's on my list of favorites.

Rurouni Kenshin (Live Action Movie) 2012

Finally the long-awaited live action film has been released in Manila. This movie was released in Japan in August of this year, and so many Filipino fans have been waiting for it to come to our shores.  The anime adaptation (then called Samurai X) gained so much popularity here, that it was run and rerun on TV several times over.  If you ever were a follower of this series, you must not miss the live action movie!  It's absolutely worth the wait. 

It's a nearly perfect adaptation.  From the characters, the plot, the nuances and the overall atmosphere of the story-line; it strove to be as faithful to the original as possible and I really appreciate this fact.  It makes me want to see the entire anime series from start to finish all over again.  The fight scenes were really cool, not exaggerated or spoiled by too much obvious computer magic.  I'm glad they managed to show the variety of fighting styles that were such a big deal in the anime version, especially Kenshin's Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu (how quickly he moves, etc., it was really exciting to see it). The portrayals were also as good as I hoped; the actors played their parts well.  There were even a good number of comedic moments which the original versions had plenty of.  Takeru Sato was great as Kenshin; I think it quite suited him to play the part.  He was able to show the many sides of Kenshin's complex tormented character - torn between his nature as a killer, and his deep-seated yearning for peace and belonging.   

My favorite fight scenes: the fight between Kenshin and Gein (the guy with the guns and the dagger), the fight scene between Kenshin and Jine (the one who pretended to be Battousai), and the fight between Sanosuke and Inui (the priest-type fist-fighter).  Those are just my favorites, but generally all the fight scenes were thrilling and bloody and splendid.  The only thing I would have wanted to see more of, really, was Saito (the samurai-turned-police chief) since in the anime he really had a lot to do with Kenshin's life.  But I suppose the film would have gone a little too long if even more character development was expounded upon.  As it is, I personally think it's perfectly awesome.  Obviously, I'm a fan. 

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Hakuouki: Shinsengumi Kitan 2010

Having a hankering for something historical, I decided to give this series a try.  It aired in 2010, and consisted of twenty two episodes.  Samurai drama, a hint of fantasy, wartime Japan, and the indomitable Japanese fighting spirit comprise the series’ main themes.  It first came out as a video game, but soon had an anime series, manga series, and feature films.

The story revolves around Chizuru, the daughter of a western-trained doctor who abandoned her.  As she travels from Edo to Kyoto in search of her father, she is assaulted by monstrous vampire-like soldiers and is saved by members of the Shinsengumi (Kyoto's police force).  It just so happens that the Shinsengumi are also on the hunt for her father, so they keep her with them.  Chizuru then begins to get to know the members of the group and soon becomes unwilling to separate.  She also discovers that her father created an “elixir” that was designed to create a superior soldier for the Shinsengumi.  This elixir’s formulation is based on the blood of a special race they called oni who possess extraordinary abilities such as rapid healing and heightened fighting prowess.  However, the elixir was a failure – whoever ingested it turned into uncontrollable blood-lusting monsters called Rasetsu.  The Shinsengumi needed to find Chizuru’s father to get him to make an antidote or to improve on the said elixir. 

Perhaps the best thing I could say about the series is that the events were pretty much historically accurate.  The series was set during the time when the Shinsengumi is drawn into the shogunate’s efforts to ward off the impending dominance of a new government and western culture.  I liked how it showed the despair of the soldiers as they watched the slow but inevitable death of the samurai culture – swords give way to guns, and so on.   The series focused more on this theme rather than on the more fantastic aspect of the story, i.e., their battles against the oni and the Rasetsu.  I’m also pretty thankful that they didn’t give the story any corny romantic “harem” angle even though it was the story of a young girl surrounded by incredibly handsome young men who are likely to fall all over themselves falling in love with her.  No such thing – what a relief.  And it also had an appropriately moving and tragic ending.  Well, given the fact that it is about war and a dying culture, it would have been pretty unlikely that nobody would die.  Good thing it didn't have a cheesy happily ever after ending – it gave the whole thing more credibility. 

The art was good and clean but I wouldn't call unique or remarkable.  The pace and plot development of the story was good, and the characters were interesting, if a bit underdeveloped.  I wasn't bored, but I wasn't on the edge of my seat wondering what would happen next, either.  I appreciated the series, but wouldn't say it’s among the best I've seen.  Still, you might want to give it a try.  

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Psychic Detective Yakumo （心霊探偵八雲）

I just finished watching this anime series.  心霊探偵八雲 (Shinrei Tantei Yakumo) was released in 2010, and was based on a novel by Manabu Kaminaga.  They also adapted the same story into a manga (Japanese comic book series), a live action drama series, and a stage play, I think. 

The story revolves around Yakumo, whose left eye is a demonic red colour and with which he is able to see the spirits of the dead. Because of this “affliction” he chooses to keep to himself and tries to isolate himself by being quite abrasive and anti-social.  Things begin to change when he meets Haruka, a girl who heard of his rumoured psychic abilities, and came to consult with him regarding the possession of her friend by the spirits of some dead.  Haruka is the first person Yakumo met who thinks his red eye is beautiful and who doesn’t behave as if he’s some kind of freak.  They solve her case, and from then on the connection is made.  As the series progresses, we meet the other characters whose lives are intertwined with Yakumo’s.  As more and more strange cases are thrown their way, they begin to discover that the master manipulator and perpetrator of these crimes is actually someone who is targeting none other than Yakumo himself. We get to know more and more about Yakumo as his mysterious past is slowly unveiled and he begins to change into a much kinder person who is more accepting of himself and of others.

The pace of the series is good enough, and the storyline holds enough mystery that carries you well to the last episode – there is never too much information revealed to make it predictable at any point during the series.  I also liked the soundtrack; I found it fitting with the mood and tone of the story.  Character development is where my peeve lies, especially with regard to the villain.  The villain’s persona went largely ignored and I was left with too many unanswered questions.  How did he get to be the way he is?  What were his motivations?  Personally, I really like it when a story is as much about the villain as it is about the hero; or when the lines are really blurred between these roles.  That’s not the only problem here either.  All the other characters, except Yakumo, are pretty much flat and stereotyped.  But then, I suppose the story is supposed to be all about Yakumo anyway, so.  I’d say this anime is pretty entertaining and interesting.  It wasn’t boring, but it wouldn’t be in my top ten.  Give it a try, maybe it’d be more to your taste than mine.  Have fun! 

Katanagatari

Quite a while back I finished the anime series "Katanagatari" and I enjoyed it immensely.

It's the story of Shichika and Togame's search for twelve legendary blades.  Togame conscripts Shichika, the swordless samurai, into the search.  Eventually a deep bond between the two of them grows.  As time passes and they endure the hardships and challenges that come their way, they learn more and more about respect, pride, power, friendship, and love. 

This is one of the most memorable anime I’ve ever seen. It is at par with "Ninja Scroll" in my book. I just love the character development - the slow but sure awakening of Shichika and Togame’s humanity. I also loved all the villains, especially Nanami and Emonzaemon. The drawing and animation were no less magnificent - caricature enough to be cute and entertaining, and yet vicious and sharp enough to be chilling and merciless. I don't know much about art, but I think this style may be called avant-garde (?), I'm not too sure.  It's all very artsy and surreal.  I have only seen a few anime before that used such a radically different art style in the rendering of the story.  If the artist had used the more or less "usual/common" anime style, it would have made the series much less remarkable indeed.  I also loved the fact that it had one-hour episodes so you are never left hanging and still eagerly anticipating the next chapter. Each episode is absorbing and gracefully paced: alternately tip-toe-around-the-corner and edge-of-your-seat at all the right moments.  Truly superb, I highly recommend it to all anime lovers. Cheerio!

Darker Than Black

This is the anime series I've been following lately, and I quite enjoyed it.  The main character is cool and the action sequences are well-executed.  

The story revolves around the mysterious "Hell's Gate" that surrounds an area of Tokyo where a cataclysmic event happened a decade before.  Several factions and government agencies are trying to delve into the mysteries of the "gate."  One of its strange effects was the emergence of  "contractors" - humans who have suddenly developed unique and oftentimes destructive supernatural abilities in exchange for the loss of the human capacity for emotion/compassion.  They are now recruited and employed by the rival factions to retrieve/steal information, commit kidnappings or assassinations, and any other dirty deed that needs be done.  Hei is one of them.  The whole series centers around his relationships with the other characters, his search for his beloved younger sister, and his inner conflicts as he tries to hold on to the humanity he believes to have lost when he became a contractor.  As he works to uncover the "gate's" secrets, he discovers more and more about his own person at the same time.

The pace of the series is good; secrets and twists are revealed a little at a time, enough to entice you to keep watching.  The characters are also engaging and well-rounded.  Their interactions with each other provide human drama elements as well as moments of comic relief.  The contractors are cool and vicious, and the action sequences are fast and gripping.  

Favorite character: Hei and the cat

Favorite scene: Whenever Hei eats like there's no tomorrow.

Favorite episode: The 26th (special/extra episode) 

All-in-all a pretty exciting and interesting sci-fi/action series - worth watching.  

I'd give it a 7/10. Give it a try.

In order not to lose my Japanese...

I watch Japanese anime, dramas, and movies online.

It's been two years and two months since I came back from a two-and-a-half-year stay in Japan.  I learned to speak quite fine during that short time, and managed to even pass a proficiency test.  Though slowly but surely, as expected, I'm losing my Nihongo.

Watching Japanese anime, dramas, and movies have been such a big help in retaining what little I have left.  I have hardly any use for a third language here.  Being able to speak Nihongo is something very dear to me - a beautiful memento of the dream-like days I spent in that splendid country.  Just hearing the language being spoken aloud is a priceless experience.  I don't know how many anime, dramas, and movies I've seen so far - too many to remember right now.  I do regret that I didn't bother to keep a record of all the series I've seen to date.  But what better time to begin than now? 

Most recent anime: Nodame Cantabile Finale
I've loved this series since the beginning.  It helps that I have a deep love for classical music as well.  This anime is a hilarious romance centering around eccentric Nodame and the colorful and musical love she shares with Chiaki.  I'd say the story is mostly character-driven, but I would be remiss if I didn't mention that it is the music that gives this series all the more energy and vitality.  It also has a live action version that I've also seen through.  Highly recommended for a good laugh and an inspiring, revitalizing dose of great classical music.  It will lift you up in every way.

J-drama of the moment: Yokai Ningen Bem
"Unexpected" is the most appropriate word I would use to describe it.  One must not be fooled by the premise - this is far from a shallow adventure/hero story.  I can't recall many other stories that have dealt with the suffering, pain, and beauty of being human more deeply and emphatically than this series.  Each episode looks at life from a very different perspective - what would it be like to WANT to be human?  Being human is not easy, and people deal with their difficult lives in very different ways.  Who would want to be human when it seems that all we have is grief, fear, and suffering only to end up dying anyway?  Such questions.  This series is truly worth watching.

I'll try to recall most if not all the other series that I've seen; all those wonderful stories that I've managed to experience in a language foreign and yet so beloved to me.   This is just a beginning.  Let it be good.