Holiday wishes and two reviews
Feb. 2nd, 2007 03:20 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
soc_puppetHappy Groundhog's Day to one and all! Which... really isn't that important a holiday, except astrologically. Cross-quarter day, woo-hoo! And also it's right after my best friend's birthday, which makes it special in its own way. And the birthday of Hasegawa Chisame (of Negima!) fame, which is half of why I'm on the computer right now.
...It occurs to me that, in revising my original plan for this entry, I have left myself without a segue. Oh well!
Went to see Blood and Chocolate with friends on Sunday - which suggests that I probably should've written the review then instead of waiting until now, but I didn't feel like it then, so. I haven't actually read the book (and probably won't, though the reason has nothing to do with the movie), so I can't judge the movie based on that, but I did have a few thoughts I wanted to share.
First of all, while the whole 'changing-in-a-beam-of-light' thing was pretty, it isn't really that condusive to survival. I mean, if that's how it happens, I can hardly be surprised that the clan has been cut down to that few. On the other hand, as Chris pointed out, it's not like the audience would want to see or hear things like crunching bones and whatnot that would probably accompany such a transformation. The whole 'beam-of-light' thing also helped with vanishing clothes. The lycanthropes all started out at least half dressed before changing, but ended up buck naked when they changed back, and no sign of clothing falling off in between. I can only surmise that it vanished in the magical transformation sequence, only because they weren't magical girls, they didn't have a mascot to help it reappear when they changed back.
That aside, I really only have one big beef with the movie. I don't know, maybe it was like that in the book, too, but it still really bugs me. That part when [Male Love Interest] has just been through a murder attempt and is hiding in the city and then [Lead Female Character] finds him, and he shouts at her about how, if she really liked him, she should have just stayed away from him; she shouldn't have let him fall for her, shouldn't have spent time with him, et cetera. And all the while I just stared at the screen, dumbfounded at how idiotic MLI could be. I mean, for the love of all things holy, she tried to make him leave her alone! He wouldn't let her! He went so far as to chase her through the streets, then track her down to the chocolaterie where she worked with only a ribbon to help, invade her kitchen, and then basically tell her that he wouldn't leave until she went on at least one date with him! Now really, I know she could've/should've stopped after that, should've let him go and never seen him again, but he has no place to say that after all he went through to make sure they did spend lots of time together. Considering all that as well, who on earth decided it would be a good idea to keep that sceene? I would've maybe accepted it if LFC would've been allowed to make the above arguments, even a little, but nooooo. No dice. *grumbles for a few minutes* Anyway, that was my only big complaint. The rest was really okay.
Am guessing, due to a line early on in the movie, something about "the taste of blood and chocolate in my mouth, and each as [negative adjective that I can't remember] as the other," that the title is an allegory: the family is the blood, and MLI is the chocolate. And, considering all the trouble he gave her, it's no wonder chocolate had the same bad taste ;)
And that ends my observations/commentary on that particular movie. Next movie with friends is planned to be Pan's Laberynth (and I wouldn't be surprised if I spelled the maze word wrong).
I would also like to announce that Yakitake!! Japan is my new crack. I stayed up way early in the morning reading the first four volumes (sorry, Arthur ^^a), and then managed to get somewhere in seven (I think?) today before coming to the lab. I got past the newcomer's tournament, at any rate.
Yakitate!! Japan is such amazing crack. I cannot even describe how wonderful it is. I spent a good half an hour last night contemplating how it would be possible to write tentacle!fic for it, and it would still be completely within the plausible limits of canon. No, seriously, I even got a plunny for it and everything. I'm going to have to read through the whole thing first, of course, to find out how many breads Azuma makes and what they're like and stuff, but hey, that'll be the fun part :DD (...I also have the incredible desire to write an app for Azuma. Which saddens me, as I didn't pay nearly enough attention to the first one we had at CFUD.)
For those of you unfamiliar with it, Yakitate!! Japan is a manga (and anime) about bread. And puns. And rivalries and in-store politics. But mostly bread and puns. Azuma is one of those characters who knows everything about what he does best (making bread) by making it, and basically nothing through traditional book learning and such. It is his goal to create a bread that will represent Japan, as countries like France and Germany did in the past (French bread, German bread, etc). There's also Sawachi, who is something of a jerk at times, but whose integrety level has grown by leaps and bounds since the start of the manga; Tsukino, an obligatory female character who is awesome beyond words, and the manager of the shop where they work, whose name escapes me. There's also some other big, scary rivals who are really good at that bread making stuff, a rival store chain, a very, very flamboyant man who used to work for the store chain and has a thing for the manager, a very uppity judge-type-guy named Kuroyanage (or something) who does really weird poses when he tries good bread, the general manager of the bread chain the protagonist works for who is very pretty looking but wears a mask with feathers on, another worker at the store where Azuma and co. are whose name is only ever mentioned once and all the other characters forget about, Tsukino's totally bitchy sisters who are in competition with her to inheiret the chain (see? politics), and did I mention bread and puns? Because yeah, bread and puns.
Anyway, it is full of the best kind of crack, and always makes me hungry when I read it, so if anyone wants to join me over a plate full of this delicious series, I would be more than happy to upload and share ♥♥♥
I'm sure I could go into more detail about my new addiction, but I the sun's in my eyes now, so I need to switch computers. Maybe later. Anyway, read and/or watch! It is fun! And awesome! And you almost certainly won't regret it!
Edit: Okay, as far as cross-quarter holidays go? Setsubun beats Groundhog's Day hands down and with a stick. Just sayin'. *begins to wonder where she can find the beans, or whether jelly beans would be an acceptable substitute*
...It occurs to me that, in revising my original plan for this entry, I have left myself without a segue. Oh well!
Went to see Blood and Chocolate with friends on Sunday - which suggests that I probably should've written the review then instead of waiting until now, but I didn't feel like it then, so. I haven't actually read the book (and probably won't, though the reason has nothing to do with the movie), so I can't judge the movie based on that, but I did have a few thoughts I wanted to share.
First of all, while the whole 'changing-in-a-beam-of-light' thing was pretty, it isn't really that condusive to survival. I mean, if that's how it happens, I can hardly be surprised that the clan has been cut down to that few. On the other hand, as Chris pointed out, it's not like the audience would want to see or hear things like crunching bones and whatnot that would probably accompany such a transformation. The whole 'beam-of-light' thing also helped with vanishing clothes. The lycanthropes all started out at least half dressed before changing, but ended up buck naked when they changed back, and no sign of clothing falling off in between. I can only surmise that it vanished in the magical transformation sequence, only because they weren't magical girls, they didn't have a mascot to help it reappear when they changed back.
That aside, I really only have one big beef with the movie. I don't know, maybe it was like that in the book, too, but it still really bugs me. That part when [Male Love Interest] has just been through a murder attempt and is hiding in the city and then [Lead Female Character] finds him, and he shouts at her about how, if she really liked him, she should have just stayed away from him; she shouldn't have let him fall for her, shouldn't have spent time with him, et cetera. And all the while I just stared at the screen, dumbfounded at how idiotic MLI could be. I mean, for the love of all things holy, she tried to make him leave her alone! He wouldn't let her! He went so far as to chase her through the streets, then track her down to the chocolaterie where she worked with only a ribbon to help, invade her kitchen, and then basically tell her that he wouldn't leave until she went on at least one date with him! Now really, I know she could've/should've stopped after that, should've let him go and never seen him again, but he has no place to say that after all he went through to make sure they did spend lots of time together. Considering all that as well, who on earth decided it would be a good idea to keep that sceene? I would've maybe accepted it if LFC would've been allowed to make the above arguments, even a little, but nooooo. No dice. *grumbles for a few minutes* Anyway, that was my only big complaint. The rest was really okay.
Am guessing, due to a line early on in the movie, something about "the taste of blood and chocolate in my mouth, and each as [negative adjective that I can't remember] as the other," that the title is an allegory: the family is the blood, and MLI is the chocolate. And, considering all the trouble he gave her, it's no wonder chocolate had the same bad taste ;)
And that ends my observations/commentary on that particular movie. Next movie with friends is planned to be Pan's Laberynth (and I wouldn't be surprised if I spelled the maze word wrong).
I would also like to announce that Yakitake!! Japan is my new crack. I stayed up way early in the morning reading the first four volumes (sorry, Arthur ^^a), and then managed to get somewhere in seven (I think?) today before coming to the lab. I got past the newcomer's tournament, at any rate.
Yakitate!! Japan is such amazing crack. I cannot even describe how wonderful it is. I spent a good half an hour last night contemplating how it would be possible to write tentacle!fic for it, and it would still be completely within the plausible limits of canon. No, seriously, I even got a plunny for it and everything. I'm going to have to read through the whole thing first, of course, to find out how many breads Azuma makes and what they're like and stuff, but hey, that'll be the fun part :DD (...I also have the incredible desire to write an app for Azuma. Which saddens me, as I didn't pay nearly enough attention to the first one we had at CFUD.)
For those of you unfamiliar with it, Yakitate!! Japan is a manga (and anime) about bread. And puns. And rivalries and in-store politics. But mostly bread and puns. Azuma is one of those characters who knows everything about what he does best (making bread) by making it, and basically nothing through traditional book learning and such. It is his goal to create a bread that will represent Japan, as countries like France and Germany did in the past (French bread, German bread, etc). There's also Sawachi, who is something of a jerk at times, but whose integrety level has grown by leaps and bounds since the start of the manga; Tsukino, an obligatory female character who is awesome beyond words, and the manager of the shop where they work, whose name escapes me. There's also some other big, scary rivals who are really good at that bread making stuff, a rival store chain, a very, very flamboyant man who used to work for the store chain and has a thing for the manager, a very uppity judge-type-guy named Kuroyanage (or something) who does really weird poses when he tries good bread, the general manager of the bread chain the protagonist works for who is very pretty looking but wears a mask with feathers on, another worker at the store where Azuma and co. are whose name is only ever mentioned once and all the other characters forget about, Tsukino's totally bitchy sisters who are in competition with her to inheiret the chain (see? politics), and did I mention bread and puns? Because yeah, bread and puns.
Anyway, it is full of the best kind of crack, and always makes me hungry when I read it, so if anyone wants to join me over a plate full of this delicious series, I would be more than happy to upload and share ♥♥♥
I'm sure I could go into more detail about my new addiction, but I the sun's in my eyes now, so I need to switch computers. Maybe later. Anyway, read and/or watch! It is fun! And awesome! And you almost certainly won't regret it!
Edit: Okay, as far as cross-quarter holidays go? Setsubun beats Groundhog's Day hands down and with a stick. Just sayin'. *begins to wonder where she can find the beans, or whether jelly beans would be an acceptable substitute*
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2007-02-02 09:26 pm (UTC)I love Yakitate!! Japan. I've only read the first volume, though.
no subject
Date: 2007-02-02 09:29 pm (UTC)Yakitate!! Japan is crack on toast. And I mean that, 'cuz the toast would be damn tasty. You need to learn about Tsukino's sisters, and how crazy-out-to-get-her they are.
Meanwhile, I'll sit here and stew on app ideas.no subject
Date: 2007-02-02 10:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-02-03 01:00 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-02-03 09:28 pm (UTC)currently downloading the anime, hush hushI haven't seen the manga around though... TT__TT
no subject
Date: 2007-02-05 08:50 pm (UTC)Alas D: There's a post on the LJ comm free_manga that has chapters 1 - 150 (somewhere into volume seventeen) up on SaveFile, or I can upload it for you? The latter would take a while, but I'd be willing to do it.
no subject
Date: 2007-02-05 08:54 pm (UTC)and possibly a free fic requeston top? :D*hates dealing with SaveFileno subject
Date: 2007-02-05 09:20 pm (UTC)*is not eyeing those strikeouts up there hungrily at all, no siree*no subject
Date: 2007-02-05 09:24 pm (UTC)*grins* Name your fandom, possible pairing and a prompt. I'll see what I can do.
no subject
Date: 2007-02-06 12:54 am (UTC):DDD Actually, considering the subject, anything Yakitate would be great. And for a prompt... Hmm. Valentines Day/White Day, if possible? And the whole Southern Tokyo Branch gang would be ♥-worthy.
That, or DC/MK, chocolate, and surprise me.
no subject
Date: 2007-02-06 01:10 am (UTC)