Anime World Order Podcast

This week, I read Princess Knight Parts 1 and 2, and Apollo’s Song. Princess Knight was a title I was looking forward to, and was glad to get a hold of the volumes before the MMF. I loved this series. It was a lot of fun and made a great fairy tale of a modern world. In stark contrast to this series, I then read Apollo’s Song. This isn’t the first time I’ve read this title, or tried to review it. My first attempt just left me with a bunch of jumbled thoughts that I couldn’t get to come together. Hopefully this second attempt will be better. I really didn’t like Apollo’s Song as much of most of the other Tezuka titles I’ve read. I’ll try to get my thoughts out to explain why.

In between these two titles, I squeezed in a new Viz title, The Earl and the Fairy. I remember when the anime for this series was announced, and at the time, the premise didn’t sound too interesting. But I was still intrigued enough to want to read the manga. And I am glad I did. The story was fascinating, and I really liked the characters. I look forward to reviewing this title and reading more.

I also read the latest issue of Yen Plus. I think I’m going to be skipping Witch and Wizard. As much as like Sveltlana’s artwork, the story is just too melodramatic for me. And I hate stories with villains who seem to be so powerful and without any kind of flaw. I’m hoping Infernal Devices starts going somewhere. It’s not nearly as fun or exciting as Soulless. I do like Soul Eater Not more than Soul Eater, and it’s nice that Yen Press has been able to get on simultaneous release with Japan, but the Japanese side has again become woefully small. As in, Soul Eater Not is the ONLY title on the Japanese side. It would be nice to get some symmetry back.

For the next week, I’m going to get back on my catch-up reading. I’m going to work on another Tokyopop title, one that was sadly never completed. Dazzle is a title I picked up on some recommendation I read, and did enjoy the first 4 volumes that I read. The interaction of the main characters reminded me a lot of Saiyuki. But it went on a long release schedule, so it kind of fell to the weigh-side for me. But I have gradually picked the remaining volumes, and just recently got the final volume Tokyopop released, though sadly not the final volume in the series, number 10. So I’ll be finished up this series this week.

• Princess Knight Part 1-2
• Apollo’s Song
• The Earl and the Fairy Volume 1
• Yen Plus February 2012

Manga Xanadu

Rehabilitation Facility

Those who first check in to a rehab facility may be questioning their ability to complete the program initially. After settling in, the patient may find a new rhythm to life with the center’s routines and therapy. The counseling sessions can begin to focus on addictions and the surrounding problems as each person begins to share his or her story.

Consequences Of Addiction

These meetings for counseling may be the first opportunity a patient has to sit down and give some thought to his or her past behavior. The road of addiction may start to become clear during discussions with others, or just listening to what other patients have to say about what led them to seek treatment. This can be enlightening as patients may see similarities between other patients’ stories and their own.

Coping Strategies

Solutions may begin to work their way to the surface from these first steps in conversations with others. Members of the group may discuss how they have dealt with similar issues, such as dealing with cravings by reorganizing and restructuring their days to fight addiction and push their minds to move on to different things. Making a list of goals or general issues to deal with can help get someone with addiction problems to move in a positive direction and keep busy.

Changes

Beyond the verbal accounting of problems, each patient may also begin to keep a journal and share writings about his or her experience, past and present. These writings can help log progress, uncover harmful habits or things that trigger bad behavior. The journaling can serve as important documentation to accompany therapy.

Options

Personal, individualized therapy also may be part of the time spent in rehab. A counselor trained in dealing with substance abuse or other types of addiction may be a sounding board for the patient as he or she works through the issues surrounding his or her behavior. This type of counseling can be crucial to help get a patient thinking in new terms about what the addiction means and possibly its causes in his or her life.

After Treatment

When the patient is ready to leave the drug addiction treatment treatment facility, counseling sessions may continue as part of extended treatment. These follow-up meetings can be beneficial to help support the patient as he or she continues to make lifestyle changes and adopt new ways of dealing with problems to avoid addictive tendencies. The discussions can help a patient sort through any lingering issues.

By Osamu Tezuka
Publisher: Vertical, Inc.
Age Rating: 16+
Genre: Thriller
Price: .95
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

I wasn’t going to read this title. It seemed to have all the hallmarks of being another MW, and I’ve had quite enough of that. But I started paging through it, and as should be expected, got sucked into the story, and had to read it from the beginning. While it has some superficial similarities to MW, I was relieved to find the story and protagonist Toshiko, is really very different.

On the surface, Yuki from MW and Toshiko do seem to have a lot in common. They are both sociopaths that use anything or anyone to get their way. They have their own agenda and will kill anyone that stands in their way, showing no remorse. But just below the surface lies the one thing that makes a big difference between these two; their motivations. Yuki didn’t start out as a sociopath. Circumstances beyond his control helped to make him into the monster he eventually became. The effects of the poison gas and disregard for life made him into a killer. Toshiko was born with her abilities and used them to their fullest. She does not kill for the pleasure of seeing someone die. She kills those who could be of a threat to her. She does it out of a perverse sense of survival. The contrast of Yuki and Toshiko could be framed in the nature vs nurture argument. Yuki is a product of his environment while Toshiko is an example of survival of the fittest. I like to use the analogy of Godzilla. Yuki is 1954 Godzilla, a man-made monster who turns on his creators. Toshiko is Heisei/1990′s Godzilla, a force of nature who doesn’t hold any real malice toward anyone, but is just doing what she must to survive.

And surviving is what Toshiko does best. Even though insects are used as the analogy for Toshiko’s abilities, it really looks like evolution to me. She goes into a new environment, adapts to it, and uses her new skills to move on to a new environment. Her acting skills allows her to blend into any social situation. Her time married to the CEO taught her to be shrewd and calculating in her inevitable destruction of him, though for a while it seemed that she had met her match in him. But nothing is taboo to Toshiko. She will do anything and everything to make sure she stays on top. She is the ultimate survivor, and as a result is the least human.

But even Toshiko has a kink in her armor. That kink is Mizuno, the designer she stole a design from. His story becomes a counter balance to Toshiko’s, as he struggles in the wake of Toshiko’s betrayal. He is the most human character just as Toshiko is the least. Instead of doing whatever it takes to move ahead, Mizuno accepts his the low paying job he has to take, and marries a woman who looks like Toshiko on the outside, but is nothing like her on the inside. But Mizuno truly loves her, and proves it by throwing away his life to avenge her, something Toshiko could probably never understand. Toshiko is portrayed as not needing anyone, but at the end, we get a glimpse that she isn’t completely invulnerable to feelings as the news of Mizuno’s fate seems to upset her. Even though she seems unable to show it, Mizuno may have really gotten to her.

The Book of Human Insects is another great thriller from Osamu Tezuka. The story was much easier to read than MW, as it was not anywhere as disturbing or outrageous. Toshiko was a much more sympathetic character than Yuki, especially at the end. She never appears to kill out of pure folly, and only does so to protect herself. She truly is an embodiment of nature; taking what she needs to live, and only killing to protect herself and survive. Definitely pick this volume up if you get the chance. The cat and mouse between Toshiko and Kamaishi, the steel executive, is worth it in and of itself, but the whole volume is a compelling read.

Manga Xanadu

Well, Another is about a spooky transparent being. Ali Projects’ OP is really victorianist-spooky.

Yes, the main character Sakakibara Kouichi transfers to a new school in a remote village, later on he becomes transparent in this village. And the first thing you want to do is to assimilate in a new community. But, this village mentality is so sick, utterly backward, clinging to old obsolete medieval superstitions that scientists like Richard Dawkins have been proving all wrong, QED. Mura-hachibu (村八分 “exclusion”). Thus, he becomes “another.” You don’t belong to either class or school. You’re not one of us, but another. Out of system. Out of hierarchy. So, his existence becomes like a NEET. Not in education, employment, and training. Nowhere to be accepted.

Yes, they treat your existence like transparent. They simply ignore you. They live like you don’t exist. “Self of transparent existence (透明な存在のボク).” This word was made famous by Sakakibara Seito (酒鬼薔薇 聖斗), the worst chuunibyou murderer, who was just a chuuni (14 years old) when he murdered children for his new founded “cult.” Sakakibara committed murder in 1997. And Another‘s protagonist’s name is also Sakakibara (榊原), but different kanji. And what grade is he in? The 9th grade (3rd grade of Japanese middle school). And Another‘s time frame is 1998. That means he was a 2nd grader in 1997, exactly the same grade as Sakakibara Seito! It can’t be this coincidental. So, I highly suspect that he is actually the reflection of Sakakibara Seito in 2-D! The same age, and sharing the same family name phonetically. I see many otakus commenting on Sakakibara with the same kanji (酒鬼薔薇), inducing laughter in an online community.”No. Not that Sakakibara! LOL!” But actually it might be! So, yes, 3-D Another was Sakakiraba Seito!

And, 3-D Another from America was Cho Seung Hui, who experienced transparency in his school years. In his final moment, he exclaimed, “You made me do this!” Yes, as a new comer as a shy Asian boy, he couldn’t assimilate in American school, thus became “another,” and that led to the worst outcome of all. That incident was personally too shocking to me, as an immigrant of the East Asia. These two shocking incidents had a huge impact on me.

“Another” is spooky or kimoi (feeling of abjection), hu? Since he’s transparent like a ghost. But to the ghosts, you effing backward thinking community is much spookier! That’s what I gonna say as a kimo-ota to riajuu society.

Yes, school should be a fun place, since it originally meant “free time, leisure, pastime” in Greek. So, school should have been an Eden!

On the contrary to school life, I wish I could be “another” in capitalist life. But if we do, we’ll starve to death, so we got to be visible all the time. Otherwise, no girl would date me. Who would date an unproductive man who is invisible in the market? “Hey, I’m available to work for you!” Like a lapdog wagging its tail, wan-wan (I’m more than happy to serve you)! Just like Shiba-inu-ko-san!

Ah, I don’t want to work… I want to avoid labor at any cost. Giving up my free time to get the bread, I mean, the living wage, just to make ends meet? Nonsense. As precariat, we’re forced to make a sacrifice. E. F. Schumacher of Small Is Beautiful says,

From the point of view of the workman, it is a “disutility”; to work is to make a sacrifice of one’s leisure and comfort, and wages are a kind of compensation for the sacrifice. Hence the ideal from the point of view of the employer is to have output without employees, and the ideal from the point of view of the employee is to have income without employment. (p 57)

The employers want to have output without us if they can, or employment without salary. But that’s slavery. So, they invented “volunteers” and “interns.” The words are so noble, but a facade, an elaborate charade, in other words, voluntary servitude. Voluntary slavery. And we have to pretend our service is “voluntary.” Sad Yes-men. Nobody can admit in public that it’s actually involuntarism. Frankly workingmen want income without work, “unearned income.” Like Neo-NEET. So, we don’t need labor. Money without labor!

So, yes, rather than dealing with that stupid village, I wish Sakakibara to just get out of it. They treat me like an outcast? Fine. Then, I’ll leave! But probably he doesn’t have enough dinero to get out just like me. If I do, I will never work but spend my time traveling to the countries I want to go, like Sweden and Brazil.

Aristotle said only god or animal can be “another.” So NEET is “another,” thus a god. So, NEET can be new God of the new world! Remaking our Eden!

Why should we pay for Adam and Eve’s sin? Why should I suffer stress allergy from labor? Nonsense. Just like I didn’t torture Koreans and Chinese. I didn’t fight for slavery. Just our stupid ancestors did. So, I’m not responsible for their crimes. Why should we make up for their mistakes? Our debts should be written off, or it shouldn’t be incurring in the first place. When will we be regaining the Eden?

Anime Diet

Differences

The two treatments offer the same benefits but there is an obvious difference between the two. The residential treatments require the patients to stay onsite twenty-four seven as opposed to the outpatient treatments which allow the individuals to leave when the day is finished. Some people prefer one kind of treatment over another. Both drug treatments offer the same kind of help but incorporate different methods.

Misconception

For some reason, people believe that residential programs are more effective than outpatient programs. That is not the case because they both help people get on the right track and stay sober. The approaches are different but success is enjoyed in both methods.

Communicate Feelings

Outpatient programs give individuals a chance to safely talk about their addiction in a comfortable environment. They usually feel safe discussing this topic in front of everyone because everyone has similar problems. With this, they are able to talk about things that they might not get to share with other people.

The First Step

And they are able to build strong bonds through this type of discussion while they use these bonds to aid in their recovery. They have people to depend on and trust as a result of these sessions and this is a very important part of a successful recovery.

Time and Dedication

Outpatient treatments usually require a lot of work and time before benefits are seen but this is no different than with inpatient treatment. Sometimes it takes about 30 days before people start getting better. Members just have to make sure they stay focused on their goals.

Freedom

This kind of drug addiction detoxification program allows for a bit more freedom than the other so people must take a bit more responsibility for they own recovery. They are still allowed to go to work and do other things during the day but in the morning or in the afternoon, they have to make sure that they are in the meetings. It is up to them concerning how fast they recover.

The Secret World of Arietty (Kari-gurashi no Arietty)
dir. Hiromasa Yonebayashi, written by Hayao Miyazaki
Studio Ghibli/Walt Disney, 94 min.
Release Dates: 7/17/10 (Japan), 2/17/12 (US)
Starring (US dub cast): Bridgit Mendler (Arietty), Will Arnett (Pod), Amy Poehler (Homily), David Henrie (Shawn), Carol Burnett (Hara)

Summary

Young Arietty, the daughter of loving parents Pod and Homily, is a Borrower—a race of miniature people who live in the baseboards of human houses and “borrow” cast off items for their needs: a single sugar cube, a sheet of tissue paper, pins. They spend their time avoiding menaces such as cats, crows, insects, and above all else, being seen by the giant “human beans.” However, one day, a sickly young boy named Shawn arrives in the house they share with his aunt Jessica and their housekeeper, Hara. Shawn catches a glimpse of Arietty when she is out on her first “borrowing” expedition with her father, and thus begins an unlikely friendship that will change her, and her family, and his own life.

The story is based on the 1952 children’s novel by Mary Norton, The Borrowers.

A fine example of the detail in this film.

Review

The Secret World of Arietty, or Arietty the Borrower, is not the first of its kind: a film penned by Hayao Miyazaki and directed by someone else. The last such film was the heartwarming coming-of-age tale Whisper of the Heart (1995), which, with its memorable take on “Take Me Home Country Road,” still remains one of the great anime stories about the birth of a young artist. Arietty is not quite the equal of that masterwork, but there is plenty here to savor nonetheless.

Miyazaki’s animation, at its best, has always been able to convey a sense of wonder and grandeur. That tradition continues in Arietty, though not through grand vistas, soaring flights, and surreal sights: this time, it is by magnifying the ordinary household and its environment to a place full of danger, adventure, and life. Leaves shimmering with dew and rainwater are canopies for the tiny Arietty. Nails hammered into the wall are steps, and the side of a cabinet a tall cliff. An intricate dollhouse is a luxurious mansion. Much work was clearly done examining the physics of smallness: cups and teapots are filled with single droplets, sounds like refrigerator hums and footsteps become ominous echoes. For the Borrowers, the world is both scary and (for Arietty, at least) full of exciting possibility. This sense of scale is perhaps the film’s greatest success, and rightly so: if this aspect did not work, nothing else would have. It helps the audience take Arietty and her family’s predicament seriously. The first twenty minutes—Arietty’s first “borrowing” expedition with her father—convey the necessary tension, secrecy, and urgency.

Paper clips, staples, and fish hooks all become tools for adventure.

After that sequence, the plot slows down to a more leisurely pace, focusing on the growing relationship between Arietty and the sickly human boy who has been brought to live in the house, Shawn. Since this is a film that does not rely on the grand gesture or the surreal, their friendship is conveyed through relatively quiet and restrained means: a sugar cube with a tiny note. Conversations in the field and through screen windows. These moments, accompanied by the gorgeously haunting Celtic soundtrack by French singer/composer Cecile Corbel, are beautiful in their simplicity and directness, free of the increasingly surreal accoutrements of Miyazaki’s recent works. (The use of insert songs, however, are not quite so successful and tend to be a bit overbearing—one of the signs that this is not a Miyazaki-directed film. He never uses insert songs.) The plot only seems to hiccup in the final act, when the Borrower family is about to leave, but this is more than made up for in the film’s final scene before credits, which earns its warmth and tenderness. It is, in fact, a little more natural than the final scene of Whisper of the Heart, which contains one of Miyazaki’s all-time left field conclusions. (Those who have seen the film will know what I mean.)

Disney usually picks solid voice actors for the dub, and this is no exception. Arietty, played by 20-year-old Brigit Mendler, sounds like a real teenager and like most Ghibli heroines is risk-taking and spunky enough to keep the otherwise languid plot moving. Her interaction with her parents, Homily (Amy Poehler) and Pod (Will Arnett), is natural and believable, which adds great credibility. Arnett does not use his usual comic talent here, opting instead to intone his deep manly baritone. Poehler is put to great use as the frazzled and easily frightened Homily, reminding me of the freak out moments in her role as Leslie Knoppe in Parks and Recreation. Carol Burnett, as the suspicious housekeeper Hara, gives a great comic performance filled with different moods ranging from suspicion to frantic exasperation, though her motivation for ruining the lives of “the little people” seems underdeveloped. Shawn’s American voice actor, David Henrie, conveys a sense of melancholy and helplessness at his possible death that teeters on maudlin at times—the only somewhat uneven voice acting performance in an otherwise solid cast. He is also supposed to be 12 years old, but sounds much older. (Then again, if he had the sort of voice heard in shows like, for instance, Naruto, that would be far worse, so this is a minor complaint at most.)

Ultimately, Arietty is best understood as a small-scale coming-of-age story, both for Arietty and Shawn. Their encounters are relatively brief, and so don’t quite hit the deep longing that Whisper of the Heart tap into so well, save perhaps for the one scene where Shawn talks about his impending operation. Then again, not all films need to: as a depiction of the wonders of the ordinary world, as a light-hearted adventure, and a portrait of two young people becoming unlikely friends, Arietty is more than competent. This would be a triumph coming from any other studio, and it’s only with Ghibli that it is simply a solid entry alongside formidible masterpieces and classics: a testament to the studio’s greatness and consistency. They just know how to make ‘em, is all.

The Secret World of Arietty is currently playing in US theaters nationwide.

Anime Diet

Paperpokés – Pokémon Papercrafts

I… what…?!

LOL WHAT?! PHELESSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!

Uh.. this eyecatch art looks oddly familiar. Hekiru Hikawa?

>Johann pops up.
>declares he’s taking back Reiji Maigo
>gives it back to Yuuji

Wait, what?!

Well… that was… an interesting episode… that’s for sure.

It was kinda LOL AWESOME at first when Shana went a bit hysterical and BAKA-punched Yuuji with brute force, leading in to Sydonay teasing him. But then Kazumi decided to summon Pheles after all and the show went FULL VOLKSWAGON all of a sudden. Pretty sure something important to the context that’s in the novels has been cut out here and there, but seriously everything from the eyecatch onwards was like LOL WHAT?

It was kind of lol I guess seeing Yuuji getting owned by Johann (of all people), but man… I sure hope this is the last of the ridiculousness. Johann and Pheles sure was being literal when they said they were going to “ruin the moment”. They were… more successful than they would expect.

©2012 Kurogane's Anime Blog. All Rights Reserved.

.
Kurogane’s Anime Blog

Read more »

All About Pokemon Figure (AAPF)