Okay, seriously: This title in before Megan Fox declares a moratorium on any and all connotations between her last name and her “foxiness.” I’m sure she’s quite tired of it. But since I really don’t pay attention to media circuses, I still haven’t quite had enough, hence my cheeky Post Title. Because in truth, Meghan may be the most Lily-like of all the actresses/artists/women-in-general I’ve discovered to date. There haven’t been many, let me tell you. Lily Godwin is one-of-a-kind…
Disclaimers to get out of the way: (1) The more popular someone/something becomes, the less interested I am with them. (2) I never get “crushes” on celebrities. (3) Whom society declares as “most beautiful/sexy/desirable” are rarely, if ever, the same as whom I decide are suitable for my tastes. And my tastes vary widely. (4) I keep myself very isolated from popular culture and news, not to mention television. I feel cleaner and less-manipulated that way; less of “a tool”, let’s say :-p
So: it comes as something of a delightful surprise to have discovered Megan Fox, some time ago at that, well before she was shoved into the entertainment media’s manipulative eye, well before she was named GQ/Maxim/whatever-men’s-rag-of-the-moment’s “Most Sexiest Woman of the Year” awards, well before you lot got ahold of her! Now she’s all over the place. But for some reason I’m not diminished in my enjoyment of seeing her photos, reading her quotes, and unable to resist the entertainment section’s tidbits on her (most of them anyway).
Dammit!
Plus, she’s an “avocate” which does add a huge green Point in my estimation
Anyway: she does remind me of Lily in many ways, mostly physical, but at times personal. This post isn’t going to go into the personal aspects; there are plenty of entertainment articles around, I’m sure. If you haven’t discovered Lily for yourself yet, I hope that you will by and by when you read her story (presuming your interest).
To be honest, I haven’t seen Megan act yet, so I don’t know of her capabilities to effectively portray the complexity of Lily Godwin in a film. Since most of those Readers who’ve read excerpts of the Novel or those few professionals who’ve read it in its entirety have remarked that it’s “very filmic”, and since I’ve always envisioned it as a film when writing it, having a movie-version of Unbound was always kind of a fantasy of mine. Though given its epic scope this would be highly unlikely, which is why I’ve favored lately developing it into an animated series akin to Japanese animation, or anime.
Still, I can have any fantasy I want, so with all due respect to all the Lily-likes who’ve gone before (and remain fondly in my heart), let me present to you the latest: Megan Fox. And NO, not because she’s the latest glamour girl!
Don’t piss me off LOL
Casual Lily -er, I mean Megan
Okay: Problem One: Lily will NOT decorate herself with tatoos due to a disinclination as mentioned in the Novel. She also disdains makeup and piercings of any kind. There’s a reason, believe me. But that would be telling ;-) So. Lily’s also not a Motley Crue girl, but that’s neither here nor there. Actually, her roommate Stephen, who shares her and William’s North Beach flat, turned her on to Kate Bush, whom she seems to like quite a lot! Hm… “soul-birds of a feather flock together…” yeah, we like that xD
Problem Two: Raven-colored hair; sky-blue colored eyes. That’s really the only difference, so imagine that in the following pics:
Dressy Lily. I mean Megan!
Lily doesn’t get a chance to dress up, except when she’s at work, and I doubt that she’d waste a lovely dress like this at THAT place, even though it’s an office taking up an entire floor in a skyscraper located on San Francisco’s Montgomery Street. Still, it’s probably a style that she’d appreciate, although she won’t wear bracelets either; in other words, nothing to bind her or remind her…
The (almost!) all-natural look
What a beautiful photo! Lily does have bangs though; she likes to hide behind them to shield William from her troubles and doubts, of which there are a few… Megan’s figure here is perfect for what I imagine Lily’s body to be proportioned as, unlike the Lily-Doll I commissioned (and who can be seen some ways below this post, or here).
Megan captures the essence of Lily
Damn, that’s her! It’s as close a picture of Lily Godwin that I’ve seen to date. Beautiful, not “hot.” Desirable, not “sexy.” Feminine, not “brazen.” Dignified, not “brash.” Substance, not “flash.” Sensual, not “sexual.” A genuine, natural, honest-to-God beauty; a Woman; a luminous Soul. Of sorts
To show you how picky and particular I am, here’s a pic of Megan in which I see NO Lily at all (just a gorgeous woman):
No Lily here, just luscious Megan
A confession: Popular culture doesn’t affect me. I have only watched maybe two or three episodes of “reality TV” ever; haven’t the slightest clue about who’s hot and who’s not or what is or isn’t (and don’t care in the least); couldn’t tell Kim Kardashian from… well, any other flavor-of-the-moment. In fact, I really do feel sorry for those celebrities of all stripes condemned to live their lives in such a fetid fishbowl. Now it’s Megan’s turn in the flickering yet harsh light of the limelight. But she shows that she has the wit, intelligence, and fortitude to deal with it; the future will no doubt bear witness.
I’m sure that in due time the pendulum of popularity will begin to swing back, and the fickle public and “fandom” forums and websites will begin to sarcastically criticize, mock, and deride her as they always do to those that fall out of favor, or age, or do or say something “un-cool” (as if the rabble has any clue as to what “cool” is LMAO), and she’ll likely slip down in the popularity polls and down towards the oblivion of the forgotten, as another “star” rises to take her place, though more likely as a fleeting firework than a fixed celestial body, as the Real Stars used to be. I hope not, but what do I know except that the common folk are so damned predictable and lemming-like…
But I don’t care. From in these Days, this Time, and these Moments which always pass, she will always remind me of Lily
Well, I’m back! Crap, that was the worst move EVER. I’m finally getting things sorted out, but it’s slow going. VERY slow. But this pace is a welcome relief from the hectic and frantic weeks leading up to the actual move, which was a nightmare. God. Glad that’s behind me! I’m already blotting it all out of my mind, so I’ll recap if I can, while I can…
The good news: I got the 26-foot diesel-fueled moving van picked up on time, which was a minor miracle since I had no way to transport myself to the Budget pick-up lot about ten miles away. But the owner of the lot said that he’d pick me up early and bring me there since I was on his way to work. For twenty bucks
THEN the Mormons who’d offered to help me load couldn’t come on that Thursday, so the truck was left empty as I continued to pack up a three-bedroom house worth of belongings (crammed into a 1 and 1/2 bedroom house). They did come on Friday though and after just the couple of guys who’d bicycled over saw the enormity of the load, called for reinforcements. Shortly thereafter, I had another 8 guys who rapidly filled the truck up. But… they had to leave by five PM, leaving ME with a lot of stuff still to cram in. So after loading the heaviest stuff, they left me to my own devices. Which pretty much were nonexistent. Two arms, two legs and a sleepy-head, ’nuff said…
That night after loading more into the truck I gave out around 3AM and slept on an air mattress on the floor, rose at around 9AM on Saturday and continued with loading all the “light stuff” that still needed boxing, such as clothes and etc. I kept expecting to be leaving at just any moment, but always there was more… always more… Loads of books, magazines, memorabilia, collectibles… You wouldn’t believe all the stuff I simply had to leave behind. Just no room in the truck, and already way overdue to get the truck unloaded and returned on time by Tuesday morning.
I’ll cut to the chase: I finally left the place around 5AM Sunday morning after being up (and working my ass off) for twenty hours. Ready to take on a 900-mile move? Oh yeah; let’s GO!!! So I put Pennie’s litter box and food & water dishes on the floor of the passenger side, put her in her carrier box (she did notgo willingly, big surprise), and various bags of necessities/snacks beneath the seat and took off.
One little aside about Google Maps: They lie. Well, they got the mileage right; it was902 miles. But a fourteen hour trip? Noooo….. not exactly. Fourteen hours later I was still in Oregon, around Roseburg if I recall. (I also was utilizing the Rest Areas along the way; it was really a tiresome challenge to steer this huge truck.) See, they don’t actually figure into the equation that a moving van’s best speed will be around 55mph and will only take grades at about 30-35 miles an hour. There had been very few up to that point. I had noidea what was ahead for me LOL But I was determined to drive straight through to my destination, an “undisclosed location” south of Sacramento.
Pretty much everything between Roseburg’s southern vicinity and the border between Oregon and California is uphill. So, it took me another four hours to climb over Grant’s Pass, through Ashland, and finally cross the border. Where it started raining right at the Inspection Station where all vehicles must stop. I’d been up at that point for about 38 hours, and I guess it was telling, because the Inspector recommended that I get to the Rest Area ahead for some sleep. On the three-mile drive there the rain began to POUR down; I could barely see the road. Visions of the truck crashing and scattering my belongings all over the highway flashed before my eyes (where that particular scenario had been playing out constantly for some time during this insane drive). I drove on…
At the Rest Area, I tried to sleep but couldn’t; the rain was too loud, like the impatient drumming of horned demons’ fingers tapping on the roof as if to say, “Get on with it! You can make it; what’s a little water?” Well, it was a LOT of water, and it was falling in sheets that draped across the roadways and off the cliffs on the other side of the shoulders. Finally after 45 minutes, a break. I thought if I could make it to Yreka, I could get a motel room, because with the last of my senses failing, a good decent night’s sleep was absolutely necessary. Dodging bullets of rainwater I finally got through; the rain was now very light and manageable. At 1AM I checked in and was given a very nice room (AND SHOWER!!!)… after a refreshing dinner/breakfast at Denny’s I slept the sleep of the just-too-tired.
I checked out at noon and resumed my journey. Pennie was doing as well as could be expected; at my very first stop I’d let her out of her carrier and she’d scooted under the seat and stayed there pretty much the whole time. Once she did get up on the seat to look around but at the first sign of instability on the road she retreated to her Safe Place. She’s a curious kitty but not all THAT curious! Believe me, she and I both were more than happy to finally get onto California’s straight and level highway!
I made it to my destination around 8PM. I would’ve kissed the ground but (a) couldn’t bend, and (b) it’s dirty, y’know.
So: here I am in my new Location, a total oppositeof where I’d come from; from the cool, moist, and friendly San Juan Islands into the fiery heart of California’s troubled Central Valley. Where it’s HOT. As an example: After my brother and my new room mate finished helping me unload what we could keep and fit here (which took two days), I had to take the truck back to the Budget place, where I would need to store the rest, probably around 1/4 of the full load. Left alone, I toiled in 98-degree heat and in about 3-4 hours finally got it inside te storage unit, the truck returned (two days late), and then unbound from my obligation, finally on my way home. 98 frickin’ degrees :-O
Oh well… once beyond 88 it’s all the same, pretty much. But what do I know? I just got here
Aside from a funeral trip in 2003, I hadn’t been in Cali since September 2001. Things have changed, but a lot has not. I kind of feel happy to be back, and definitely happy to see my family and friends whom I haven’t seen in so long. But I’m still sorting things out, setting up new accounts etc etc etc and am essentially still in a major daze. Moving. UGH. You know how it goes, right?
That’s enough for now; that made me tired again LOL Shortly I’ll make a new Post regarding first impressions and all that, which are still forthcoming. Hey, what IS Life anyway without a few earth-shaking experiences to deal with (and get through)?
Well, it’s come to this: time to vacate the premises. Dunno if I’m happy or sad about it; definitely annoyed! Pretty damn tired of the whole “selling the house to avoid foreclosure” thing, which has lasted for over a year, expecting it to sell at any moment and also expecting to have to uproot myself in the next. Bloody wearying it is. But I think I won’t go there in this post; if the short-sale doesn’t get approved and my debt forgiven though, you can bet that I will. And call for bloody revolution, lining the bastards first up against the wall, calling for the heads of those “in charge” of the financial industry, raising the rabble and the torches and pitchforks and etc etc etc…
Bitter much? Nah, just cranky. But now I’ll play the game MY way, because theirs is loaded to the gills. Can’t play games with cheaters, liars and scoundrels…
Man. Moving is just about my least favorite thing. Especially moving myself. Actually, I hate that more. $5,000 to have a mover do it vs $500 to do it myself. An especially easy decision when I don’t even have close to five grand. Or TWO for that matter. So yeah: Driving a 24-foot truck myself over 900 miles along with Lily, Pennie and all of my belongings in it, not to mention having to pack up enough stuff to fill a three bedroom house (minus two beds) accumulated over fifty years. I tried downsizing with decidedly mixed results. One minus to living in a small town: an equally-small number of businesses with which to do trade
A few months ago some door-to-door Mormons came by and after their furtive attempt at conversion failed miserably, offered to “help pack” pursuant to my remark that I was probably going to have to move. “Oh, sure, I will definitely take you up on that,” I thought. Well. After finding no-one to assist me with loading the large pieces of furniture onto the rental truck, I thought (yes, again; when will I learn?): “What have I got to lose?”
So I called the number on the little booklet they left and asked to speak to the Elder (which is ironic indeed because none of them look older than 20), and was overjoyed to discover that not only would they be happy to help load, but that they didn’t expect the meager payment I offered them. Which is good because I’m near broke and will need the funds I do have for fourteen hours of traveling expenses (i.e. truck, gasoline, food, and water for Pennie). I said, “But I’d really like to compensate you; how about a little donation to your church?” (God, I hope it’s called a church!) He replied, “No, it’s really okay; this is what we do: we help people.”
Wow! So they really exist!
Anyway, I’m going to leave them my television set, DVD player, VCR, and all the furniture that I won’t need anymore; perhaps they can find a family in need. I’m quite sure that they know some in these awful times. If they want to help people then I’ll be only too glad to help them be of help. Help is good
So let this be a lesson to you (and/or me). Be nice to those fellas (and ladies, if there are any who go door-to-door)! Or at least be tolerant. It’s good practice anyway, because what this world definitely needs is more tolerance. Not for fools though. Can’t stand them
So this’ll be my last post for a little bit. I’ll be moving not only to a new location but a new ISP as well (bye-bye high-speed Internet *sob*). Alastor will remain in place though, patiently awaiting my return (and your hoped-for and kind comments as well), and we should all be back together my midweek next. That is, if I don’t roll my truck into a shoulder, plunge over a cliff, plummet into a ravine and crash and burn and burst into flames. Or something.
Be good to each other
***
(EDIT:) Oh… what the hell. Since I dislike Posts that are simply all text, something inspiring to tide you over (and me LOL)! And a little “sneak preview” of sorts for my novel Unbound: The “bookend” songs I wanted for the opening and the closing of the story: “Sky Blue” and “Cloudless” by Peter Gabriel. Peter’s the only male artist whom I can equate with Kate Bush’s talent and creativity; they’ve also worked wonderfully together in the past. They both have reached so far into my heart and soul, and to be a completist about it, my mind as well. The Yin and Yang; the real deal; the fullest plate.
Since I’d always imagined the novel as a film while writing it, I also made a soundtrack for it to inspire me while working on it. These songs weren’t heard by me until after I’d finished my first draft, but when I remake the first “OST” I’ll definitely include them, as they capture perfectly the overall ”feel” of the story, at its beginning (which you can read here) and at its End (which you can’t, just yet)…
And because one (version) just isn’t enough, the exquisite “Cloudless” from the film Rabbit-Proof Fence. No video to speak of, but it’s not necessary if you just close your eyes and just Listen to it. And, as Kate says, “Please, feel it.” Do so
Oh, like a serpentine coil of coincidence: a song that really kept my spirit and fortitude together over the past year up to and and including these dark and dreary, yet strangely sunny days: Peter and Kate’s “Don’t Give Up”. You know this one, I’m sure
And for auld lang syne, Kate and Peter perform Roy Harper’s beautiful, poignant, and moving “Another Day”, taken from Kate’s Christmas Special of many seasons past. This is a real rarity, so enjoy it while it lasts -)
Ah, I do feel so much better now, and ready to take on The Road…
Drama, comedy, suspense, horror and wonder: Anime brings all of these to the table, and much more. A successful AMV will manage to capture a series’ primary elements and focus on conveying them to the Viewer. The superlative videos can even manage to tell either a different story entirely, or simply select one or two characters to “deliver the word” in a way not apparent in the original. In any case, the video should cause the Viewer to want to watch the whole series, for without growth the industry is poised for dissolution. There are far too many leechers who are content with downloading content and gobbling it as fast as they can just because it is “free” who have no intention of buying and contributing to the media/hobby/artform. And without profit, who can blame the companies that provide us with anime to simply pull up stakes and get out of Dodge while they can?
So, while I champion the existence of fansub groups, I also chafe at the war between the companies and those who seek to enjoy the creators’ various works. Art is created for the people; nevertheless, the people ought to compensate the artists for their work. But this is a topic for another day, as it’s really a complex problem and a slippery slope as well, so we’ll just focus on the AMV today, shall we?
This entry will deal with the AMV’s attempt to compel a Viewer into trying out its subject’s whole series. With that in mind, I’ve chosen several videos that feature some of my favorite series in the hopes to turn Visitors of all levels on to an anime they may have missed out on. With so much diverse subject matter and genres to choose from, it’s easy to happen! Let’s start out on a happy note (and I guess you know where this will eventually be leading LOL)…
(NOTES: (1) Here be SPOILERS! (2) Links will be either to wiki, or if that article contains too many spoilers, to Anime News Network’s entry. (3) If watching trailers on ANN, and if they have English dubs, bear in mind that all-too-often these are FAR inferior to the original Japanese/subtitled versions… I mean, who wants to hear an anime character spouting lines in a Valley Girl or kiddie-cartoon voice? Ugh. With few exceptions, avoid the English dubs when forming an opinion! Ditto for YouTube “quality”. And (4), as always: Watch in Full-Screen and in High Quality, if available!)
Azumanga Daioh was one of the funniest series I’ve ever seen. Every episode had me laughing, oftentimes quite hard! An excellent blending of humor, reality, surrealism and heart-warming character development, it tracks the fortunes (and mis-fortunes) of a group of high-school girls as they make their journey toward graduation day. The comedic timing is top-notch, and even though quite basic in terms of animation, the style is a perfect fit for the quick-cuts and simplicity of the overall design and story. Told mainly through the eyes of child-genius Chiyo (the short one in the vids), it did very well in relating this happy/sad/wistful experience to the Viewer, and I’m sure will bring back those days, the cultural differences notwithstanding.
Credit for the following vid goes to reoer13, who made this award-winning AMV in 2005. Given that AzuDaioh is a 2002 series, neither are dated in the least
Now for a focus on character: EVERY cast member of AzuDaioh is unique and well-written; even the teachers are quite quirky and funny and (with one notable example) wacked-out. The next AMV focuses on Ayumu, more often called “Osaka” by her schoolmates and fans of the show. Almost constantly in a daze, spaced-out, or daydreaming, and with a unique outlook on life (LOL), she’s really a delight to watch, as she steals almost every scene that she’s in! Normally I dislike subtitles in an AMV but these will help the unaware with a glimpse of her character. SSGoshin4 made this tribute video for her when he/she was in the seventh grade (!) and so is quite close to the subject matter
Okay… got all that light-hearted stuff out of your system? Good! Because now we take a little trip into somewhat darker territory with an AMV for Baccano!,a convoluted thriller of a series that can best be compared to movies like Pulp Fiction. But really… it is incomparable. At times hilarious, confusing, shocking and disorienting, the story displays some unsettling and quite-bloody violence that is way over-the-top! But that’s not the focus. Really. It’s a great example of complex storytelling condensed into a short series despite the fact that there are 18 main characters!
Largely set in the United States in the 1930’s, it takes place (mostly) on a train called The Flying Pussyfoot, where the half-a-dozen subplots involving gangsters, immortal alchemists, and several key mysteries collide like two runaway locomotives (or six), and head-on. The song chosen for the AMV is pitch-perfect, and anyone with a liking for the Stray Cats’ sound will enjoy the fitting music.
From the Earth to the Sky: the next AMV features the futuristic-yet-steampunk, not-quite-Space-not-quite-Opera story of Last Exile. Completely unique in setting, style, and presentation, it takes place on and above the planet Prester complete with air-to-air artillery, steam-powered tech and airships large and small, and violent conflicts between vastly different civilizations and cultures. While not set in space, you’ll feel that you are! With character designs by Range Murata (now involved with the currently-airing Shangri-La), all of these very-human (and more than human) cast members are thoroughly intriguing.
Vanship pilots (and childhood friends) Claus and Lavie encounter a crashed airship transporting a girl named Alvis, who harbors a dark and glorious secret. Being couriers, they agree to take her to the Silvana, a rogue capital ship, where they encounter the Ahab-esque Captain Alex Row, who, with his own crew of talented misfits and experts, is embarking on his own White Whale-like grailquest…
One of the most engrossing anime I’ve watched, from start to finish, and several times at that! Truly defining the term “epic”, it’s entertaining from beginning to end. The following AMV will give you a small taste from the immense pallette of atmospherics you’ll encounter in this 26-episode tour-de-force. To the skies!
From the utopian to the dystopian: Ergo Proxyis dark, in many ways. Gloomy, deep, allegorical, and drenched with symbolism and historical references, it’s another completely unique presentation that is at most times impossible not to watch. Upon seeing a sample of this anime the group Radiohead (a personal favorite) reversed their decision to not allow their music for it, and agreed to permit “Paranoid Android” as the series’ Ending Theme. Another musical note of interest: the heroine, Re-l Meyer, is the spitting image of Evanescence’s Amy Lee (another personal fave), from the “Fallen” era, replete with blue eyeshadow! That couldn’t hurt it any LOL
I’ll allow the above wiki link to serve as background info; here’s the ANN page with access to the in-Japanese trailer. In short, Ergo Proxy was a fascinating journey; more a psychological thriller/examination than horror-show. But there’s some of that too…
I’m going to depart a little from the “chosen song” criteria and offer an AMV done to the full version of the anime’s Opening Theme, since (1) it’s a great song, and (2) fits perfectly with the scene selection. Here is “Kiri”:
Annnnddd… what would an Ergo Proxy AMV be without an Evanescence song to accompany it? Here’s an excellent (if anomoly-marred) video featuring Ev’s “Bring Me to Life” that, again, perfectly captures the essence of this neo-gothic anime. Re-l is just awesome (AND a bad-ass), and as a plus, it’ll show you one of my favorite characters ever, little Pino, with her melodica to boot
Ahhh… Baby’s First Anime! After discovering Elfen Lied, the subject of the next AMV, I became completely hooked on anime. There was no turning back for me after getting through its infamous opening ten minute sequence! I knew then for sure that anime was NOT (just) for kids… in spades. In choosing a fitting video for this series, it literally took hours to weed through those that were too spoilerish while still being able to invoke a theme or two from the story, as well as being good enough to present here. This proved to be most difficult, as there are so many twists and turns that any spoilers would give away that 99% of them were not usable. And since this is an anime that keeps the surprises and shocks coming around every corner, I didn’t want to tip its hand and diminish your enjoyment should you decide to check it out. And “enjoyment” is a term that should be qualified depending on your tastes
Drenched with blood and over-the-top gore, laden with atmosphere, and influenced by everything from Latinate Scripture to the artist Gustav Klimt (just for starters, literally), Elfen Lied’s story is alternately horrifying, cute, sad, stunning, heart-wrenching, and ultimately, satisfying, even if its ending is intentionally left open to interpretation. It largely depends upon how you view humanity and its (and the Diclonius’) will to survive, and your tolerance for witnessing extreme acts of cruelty, violence, gore, and nudity (not that there’s much of that). It explores pretty well the concept/question of “Who are the Monsters?” There’s just too much to say about it; it’s better-served as an experience, and one that you’ll never forget. Guaranteed!
This AMV, created by aerialesque (NICE NAME!), features the song “Candlelight” by Imogen Heap, and largely focuses on the relationship between Kouta and Lucy, and avoids most of the bloodshed this series is (in)famous for. Since literally anything I say about the anime would be extremely spoilerish, I’ll leave it for you to discover. This is the first anime I watched, bought the artbox set of, and loved. I’ve watched it at least ten times. It’s amazing. ’nuff said!
(And if you do manage to watch the series on the Web, make sure you watch it in order, and in the best quality possible. Preferabbly in the dark. On an empty stomach LOL)
Well, that’ll do it for this final Part in the series… or is it? Seems that I was recently offered a challenge, and so, coming shortly, will be…um… an “After-Story” if you will
I hope you enjoyed this essay on AMVs and look into their respective series; this is a very small sampling of what is there to offer. And for those still not familiar with the artform of anime, please let these entries be a hopefully interesting and intriguing introduction to it. It’s most likely more than you’re willing or able to imagine! Because… it happened to me!
A pause for refreshment (if it can be called that)…
Last week I had a run-in with our industrial-sized trash compactor. Literally. After being tasked with clearing the surplus of spilled and/or discarded garbage around this truck-sized metal machine, an empty bag got whisked out of my hands by a gust of wind. I chased after it at full tilt around the corner of the compactor and the building and ran head-on into the connecting chute. Again, literally. Head met metal and the impact crushed my skull into my neck and propelled me backwards onto my hands and tailbone. Immediately my arms went completely numb (except for the set-on-fire sensation) accompanied by the quickly-fading thought “oohhhh…THAT’S how the two are connected…”
Fearing concussion, paralysis or impending death, I got to my feet and immediately went in to report it. My manager called the medical line and was told to keep me immobile and await the paramedics. Moments later their ambulance arrived and after inspecting me they fastened a plastic “collar” around my neck, placed me on a stretcher and wheeled me out of her office and through the front door. Can you say “embarrassing”? I knew you could.
Anyway, after tests and all that (the details of which I’ll spare you) they released me and I walked back to work to get my truck. Turns out I could have called someone from work to pick me up, but who knew? It’s not like I actually wanted to go back in there after all THAT commotion, let me tell you! So… I guess it’s lucky I was wearing my cap, because all that showed was a slight abrasion on my forehead. Thought my head came off, I did! My neck still ached though, but the numbness only lasted as long as the trip to the hospital.
The worst didn’t show up until a couple of days later. Apparently, landing on my tailbone threw my back out of whack, and it’s been hellish dealing with it. I can’t even put my socks on in the morning let alone sleep through the night. Tossing and turning is done in slo-mo, and agonizing to boot. Which kind of disturbs the sleep-pattern. Can’t bend or stoop for anything either. Obviously, work is not something I can handle right now, as is typing at the computer. But, dutiful as I am, here I sit, typing at you
But there’s a limit, ya know? So this post just to report in that Blogging is delayed a bit until I seek medical followup attention tomorrow (AND MEDS DAMMIT). It couldn’t have come at a worse time, as I gave my notice and have to pack to move soon. So things over the next couple of weeks will be scattery and skittery, whatever those mean if you know what I mean and I think you do! So. Until next time which I hope will be soon, and Part Three of the AMV thread will continue as promised and planned
Song selection, scene choices, and editing: the combination of these three elements are essential to a succesful AMV. Add to this mix the creative genius of vision and concept and the result is a video that can move, thrill, and entice you. Today’s entry will focus on whom I consider the master of the art-form, Koopiskeva, followed by a random assortment of other AMVs of note (or notoriety LOL). (EDIT: No, I won’t!)
From the moment I saw this first AMV, I realized that I was in the presence of genius. I don’t like to throw that word around too lightly, but given the sum total of Koop’s work it is a very fair assessment of his talent. One caveat I ought to add is that this quality comes out more acutely if the viewer has seen the anime beforehand and knows the twists and turns so that the AMV can play on them to further move and/or provoke them; later I’ll give an example of one where a sight-unseen anime can still have an effective AMV.
This is the second time (at least) that I’ve posted this video here, but it does bear repeated viewings, as does the anime it is based on, ef - a tale of memories, the summation of which I posted here six months ago in my “An ef-fing Masterpiece”entry. Here Koop focuses on the relationship between Renji and Chihiro and stencils their most significant scenes against the background music of Sara Bareilles’ beautiful song, “Gravity”. The moving canvas that is the result can be most touching even if you don’t know the story: due to a tragic childhood accident that also cost her the sight of one eye, Chihiro’s memory undergoes a wipe after thirteen hours, and she must write everything down in her diary in order to read it the next day to reclaim the lost memories of the day before. If she should awaken without her diary, everything would be lost, even that of the boy she just met, the story they conspire to write together, or the fact that he loves her… and she him. She imagines herself trapped in a circle and pinioned and bound to its center; the circumference of the circle is the span of her life since the accident at age twelve, and the reach of her arm at the chain’s length is thirteen hours, and no more. She can reach no further without help… and perhaps hope.
In the second video entitled “Momentum”, Koop takes Makoto Shinkai’saward-winning masterpiece 5 Centimeters per Second: A Chain of Short Stories About Their Distance, and weaves together pivotal scenes from the love story between Takaki and Akari, made even more moving with the song he chose, “Awakening” by Mae. (I should add that many of these songs had been previously unheard by me, and I’m very grateful for being turned on to such lovely music.) Even though time passes them by in leaps and bounds, their dreams and memories do not, and this AMV shows that splendidly.
(From the wiki: “Makoto Shinkai had expressed that, unlike his past works, there would be no fantasy or science fiction elements in this film. Instead, the feature film would attempt to present the real world from a different perspective. Makoto’s film gives a realistic view of the struggles many face against: time, space, people, and love. The title 5 Centimeters Per Second comes from the speed at which cherry blossoms petals fall, petals being a metaphorical representation of humans, reminiscent of the slowness of life and how people often start together but slowly drift into their separate ways.”)
In another of his homages to Shinkai, Koop put together an AMV from one of his previous films, The Place Promised In Our Early Days, Beyond the Clouds,using Vienna Teng’s touching “Gravity” as the backdrop. The winner of several awards, this story involves three childhood friends and a promise to someday fly to Hokkaido to investigate a Tower that can be seen from their location, though it’s in a war-zone. In the intervening years their promise is seemingly broken when the girl, Sayuri, becomes ill with a form of narcolepsy and the two boys travel their own separate paths. This tale features similar themes mentioned in the Shinkai wiki quote above, and I’ll leave the synopsis to you to read if this AMV interests you, but as always with the wiki, beware of spoilers!
Well. Choosing from such a wealth of riches that Koop’s collection involves is a bit overwhelming; even though of YouTube “quality” even the ten videos he has on his page there don’t vary much in the amount of sheer enjoyability they provide. As much as I dislike rap and hip-hop music (in general) even his The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya AMV “Skittles” is worth a look! But the one video I wanted to put up here, I just can’t due to the HUGE spoilers in it. HUGE I tell you! His Kanon-based AMV entitled “Twilight” is a major tour-de-force, incorporating the characters from the anime into real-world settings and objects; it’s just amazing! Aside from a few very minor faults such as too many quick-cuts and text that passes too fast to read that also distract from the visuals, it’s probably his best work (in my humble opinion). Now, I’m exceptionally biased for this series; Kanon is probably the one closest to my heart in terms of characters, story, visual goodies, emotional payoffs, and complexity of plots. So, since from the very first scene the whole main story is spoiled I can’t very well show it here. Which bums me out. But I love this AMV to death LOL
SO: If you’ve (a) already seen Kanon, or (b) don’t ever plan to, I’ll provide the link, since in the first case, you already know the story, and in the second, it may make you want to watch it (though spoiled, but you’d have missed out on it anyway so yeah)… But! If you do plan on watching it (and I recommend it as highly as Air), DON’T CLICK THE LINK! Because it will ruin it for you; once the cat’s out of the bag it won’t go back in. So be forwarned. Just go watch the series already; chances are good that you won’t regret it, as evidenced by Anime News Network’s entry on it here, where you can at least check out the preview! Then you can watch Koop’s AMV, which is here ;-)
Anyway, thanks Koopiskeva, for your excellent work and masterful influence on the AMV sub-hobby, your hard work is appreciated!
Okay. Moving on…
You know what? I can’t ;__; How can you follow Koop up with anything? To be sure, there are many high-quality AMVs on Anime Music Videos.org, but unless I host them I can’t link to them. Plus, their nag screens are immensely annoying, and the search function is interrupted by them relentlessly unless you donate. (If you’ve the patience though, it’s the best place to find the best AMVs.) However, once my site is properly upgraded so that my Anime Page on unbound.org is put together, I will be planning a page for AMVs that I will host there. I’m just waiting on my fantastically-talented webmistress to recover from her computer’s untimely demise. And then things will change quite a bit
Plus, the season finale of “24″ is on tap tonight, and I don’t want to rush through my Blog post in order to get to it in time. I want my entries to be the best they can be; no skimping on quality for you! “24″ is the only television I watch, and haven’t missed an episode since starting it up in 2001, so it’s a special event
With that being said, I guess that there will have to be a Part Three to this essay, in which I’ll include several AMVs of series that are variously funny, moving, dead-serious, dark, dystopian, and seriously bloody. I mean seriously. You may be scarred. And probably scared, too, depending upon how you view anime LOL
And as an example of an effective AMV involving an anime not seen before, and as a closing “consolation prize” for cutting this entry short, here’s Koop’s video “Gravity” featuring the anime Rurouni Kenshin: Trust and Betrayal, or rather the movie based on that series, with background music featuring Enigma’s “Gravity of Love”. This title has been at the Number One position at ANN for highest-rated, which is really reason alone to check it out, but this AMV cinched it for me:
Thanks for visiting (and please feel free, as always, to leave a comment!), and stay tuned for Part Three
Anime is a diverse artform. While a large percentage of it might be underwhelming, the many series that are standouts oftentimes get lost in the backwash of the common and popular (and overmarketed) puerile material that usually fails to impress, thus many potential fans of this wonderful type of storytelling only get exposed to the mediocre and become turned off in the process. Since most consumers won’t buy a series sight unseen (and who can blame them?), one solution that has arisen is the Anime Music Video, a sort of short-form “preview” that, when done right, will entice its viewer to check out the series it’s based on and hopefully, after watching it and deciding it worthy of their collection, to buy it, thereby contributing to the industry’s growth.
One of the main intents of this Blog is to expose to those who might have little knowledge of anime those stories of higher quality, at least those in my estimation. I wanted to bring to the fore some of the more exceptional AMVs that I’ve come across in my journeys. And as the choice of background music is nearly as important to the effectiveness of the AMV as is the editing, I tagged this under the “Music Is Life” category, since the combination of both the editing and the song choice are so integral to the success of the film short and as moving, or more so, than the song by itself might be.
In Part One, I intend to offer several examples of the threefold purpose of making an AMV, as expressed by Kholdstare (who created the leadoff video here), and following this will be several others that follow (more or less) these maxims. The AMV should (1) explore one specific concept or story of the anime in detail, or (2) should portray a new theme, concept, or story not from the anime, and/or (3) it should make the viewer want to check out the series. Be forewarned that these do contain spoilers though! Hopefully, since few of them use subtitles you won’t see any dialogue so you won’t know much of what’s going on with the plots, just the anime’s “feel”
And watch them all fullscreen and (if available) in High Quality!
I’m going to lead off with one of my favorite AMVs; it features Air’s Misuzu, with a wonderful editing job by Kholdstare who chose the highest-quality episode formats to use, and it shows. For this and the rest I’ll give you a very short synopsis of the anime’s plot beforehand to get you started, but with few exceptions I’m not going to reveal the song (which more often than not is listed in the credits anyway). Song-choice is essential to a successful AMV and the lyrics should match each selected scene perfectly to be properly moving and involving. I don’t want any presumptions OR assumptions made before going in ;-) If I’d have chosen to ignore an AMV simply because of the song-artist’s perceived reputation I’d have missed some excellent videos.
“A good song is a good song.” <— Me. :-p
In the story of Air, a wandering street performer named Yukito ends up in a small seaside town, where he encounters a young girl named Misuzu, who offers to shelter him at her home that she shares with her aunt Haruko, who’s raising her. Yukito has traveled in pursuit of the legend referred to as “The Girl in the Sky” which was handed down to him by his mother, and her mother before her. Misuzu is a forthright and honest girl but clumsy and naive, who is alternately haunted and enthralled by her dreams of flying through the air, and seeing the world as if from above the clouds. And this is the 1,000th Summer since the winged-being Lady Kanna was afflicted with a pair of curses that now have seemingly beset not only Misuzu but Yukito as well, as they strive to understand the growing relationship between them, and their possible pasts…
In my opinion, this is an AMV that truly succeeds, especially if you’ve seen the anime and are aware of the significance of the chosen scenes and their relationship with the lyrics of the song which, at its most powerful moments, further enhances the delivery. Misuzu, even as a small child, has been fascinated by dinosaurs, and once upon a time, at a fair exhibit that was selling baby chicks, thought that they were little dinosaurs and begged Haruko to buy her one. In the intervening years she bought plushies and books about them, and they even populated her dreams…
This anime is widely considered to be a masterpiece, and is easily among my handful of “unratable” favorites; it’s so powerful, evocative, and emotive that to fetter it with descriptions and overanalysis only bogs its ethereal nature down into the muck of categorizing, criticizing, and genrefying. The relationship between not only Misuzu and Yukito but also of that between herself and her surrogate mother, Haruko, is incredibly realistic and heartwrenching. This, simply put, is a must-see anime. And you might want to take advantage of RightStuf’s sale; you might be able to get the complete box set for $29.99. At any price, it’s well-worth owning
And now for an anime that even most anime fans haven’t seen, Figure 17. Tsubasa is a somewhat withdrawn and introverted ten year old, an only child who keeps to herself and doesn’t mingle with her classmates, content and comfortable in the sadness of her solitude. One day she encounters an alien life-form who takes shape as her identical twin who names herself Hikaru. She is essentially the opposite of Tsubasa: outgoing, adventurous, and unafraid to experience life at its fullest, even a life that is completely foreign and alien to her. The following AMV focuses solely on the relationship between Tsubasa and Hikaru (whom you will tell apart from Tsubasa by her tiny ponytail), completely omitting the comparably trite alien-bashing subplot that is the overt focus of the series and showing instead the wonders and painful incidents of childhood, friendship, and impending loss.
Incidentally, there is a reason why anime featuring youngsters and young people appeals to an older audience: they can recall, remember, and relate to how it felt to be at such a young age, when life was still wonderful, mysterious, and free from the troubles and strife of the adult world. They remember those first feelings of making a friend, being rejected by others, falling in love for the first time, and losing oneself in these equally-as-dire real life situations, as real as the adult and ever-more-pressing concerns of maturity. It’s all a matter of perspective; our lives have all dealt with these things in a much more innocent time which we recall with a mixture of wistfulness and sadness as if from out of a dream, but equally as real and significant as those issues that we face nowadays. And seeing it play out onscreen is both reminiscent and heartwarming, and evocative and heart-wrenching…
In this AMV (created by toddashi) I loved seeing the growing bond developing between the two girls and their shared experiences, and how Tsubasa began to come out of her shell due to Hikaru’s influence. The motif of companionship and the handholding and, in light of Hikaru’s limited time running out, the significance of the gloves was so bittersweet. This, in combination with the superb backing song, portrays a focus on that element which made this such a memorable anime in spite of the “fighting-the-aliens” plot, which really became subjugated compared with the more human-side backstory which in this AMV becomes frontstory. While I can’t recommend the series to everyone, it was very much fun to watch.
And now for something completely different! The next series of AMVs are based on two separate anime, Haibane Renmeiand Kimi ga Nozomu Eien(bearing the rather unfortunate title of “Rumbling Hearts” in the West). Haibane is another series in my top tier, and KimiNozo is very high on my list as well. However, these two series couldn’t be further apart! The former is a fantasy tale involving winged humans living in a sealed and walled-off city, for some reason cut off from the rest of the world, and the latter a more typical school-age romantic and angst-filled story of love, betrayal, and some serious drama.
First AMV up features Haibane Renmei’s Reki, who moves from supporting cast to front-and-center. The main character (Rakka) is taken in by Reki who discovered her cocoon and cares for her whilst the younger girl, now a winged being as all the others in this place, acclimates herself to this strange new world and existence. This mirrors the rebellious Reki’s own upbringing at the hands of the bespectacled Kuramori whom she at first resented then later memorialized in her painting, the pastime of which was her way of dealing with the ever-hidden mystery behind her Name, and her destiny. Born with “tainted wings” she was an outcast and reacted by attempting to cut out the black feathers that branded her as impure, and at Kuramori’s acceptance of her grew into a more responsible person, which she lavishes on Rakka. Apparently. For there is much more to this story than space allows…
This beautiful AMV blends Reki’s backstory and memories with the exquisite song “Angel” by Sarah McLachlan, and the combination is as moving as the anime is. It is a series I highly recommend if the synopsis and themes relate to you; they do to me very much :-)
Now for KimiNozo: While still in school, Takayuki’s friend Mitsuki introduces him to her friend Haruka, who she knows likes him, and pushes them together despite her own feelings for him. After they’d begun dating, and while on his way to meet Haruka, Mitsuki stops him and inadvertently delays him; while waiting for him Haruka is involved in a serious accident. Hospitalized, she wastes away during the intervening years, watched over by her sister Akane and their parents while Takayuki, completely distraught, undergoes a very painful to watch period similar to Post-traumatic Stress Disorder. The only person who could stand to be with him was Mitsuki, who through either guilt or love (and possibly both) tried to get him out of his entrenchment with varying degress of success…
This AMV is provided not so much as an exemplary of its type but as an intro to the plot and characters to bear in mind while watching the next one. It sort of fails in its use of subtitles which in an AMV can distract the viewer, and ideally ought not to be used. But it’s mostly harmless here
What makes this following AMV significant is that its Russian creators ingeniously blended the two above series together, and made an entirely new story. It’s one of my favorite AMVs, and features a song by Maksim entitled “Reflections” which doesn’t hurt it any given the name of this Blog (ahem). In it, they somehow replaced Haruka with Haibane’s Rakka, inserting her face into scenes from KimiNozo, oftentimes ingeniously interweaving them with those from Haibane. The “new” Haruka is now seen as as an angel, having departed this world, and is watching Takayuki from “the other side” and living his damaged existence with Mitsuki while she recalls their life together. The lyrics are sung in Russian, but the subtitles reveal how very pertinent to the newly-made story the words are, having to do with Haruka encouraging Mitsuki to take care of their boy Takayuki now that she is gone. Very touching and sad…
Also of note is the manner in which it appears as if Rakka is “lip-synching” the words of the song in the opening; very clever! Quite a few original FX are used as well to great effect. This is an award-winning AMV, and created by ukms[z] and the kamaz graphics studio; again, read the lyrics that go so well with the music and the video:
(Please note that this is the High Definition version and may be slow to load; just click Full Screen (if desired), pause it, and then go get some refreshments (or something) while the video finishes loading, and then kick back and press Play!)
I hope you enjoyed Part One of this little essay, and please stay tuned for Part Two, where we further explore the art-work and craft-work of the Anime Music Video
“We’re gypsies Rob, we’ve always been.” Georges was speaking matter-of-fact, as if this was something he’d known to have always been true. I was struck with clarity the moment he’d uttered them. “We go to where we want to, when we want to, where the opportunities exist.” Damn, he was right…
I first met Georges around 1968. I was close friends with his sister Cathy, who later introduced me to Jimi Hendrix, Eric Burdon, Buddy Miles, and several other heroes of my youth. But hers is another long sad story, for another happier day; this one’s about Georges, and in particular, his words that day. In the intervening years between then and this meeting in 2005, we’d both moved around a lot, and had happened through serendipity to have relocated some fifteen miles apart, over twenty years since our last contact. He was researching a location to open up a new restaurant in the exact same town I’d been thinking of moving to. This in itself was remarkable enough of a coincidence, but the subject of that day was the chances of our meeting up again, the ways in which we arrived at that same place on the earth, and the various and vicarious means by which we got there.
We were gypsies. That made it all the more miraculous.
With Cathy’s assistance (and insistence no doubt) he got me my first job, at a little place called “Mori’s Kosher Style Delicatessen” located in San Francisco’s Financial District, in 1968, and run by a transplanted New Yorker named Mori Solomon. An older man and a funny, shrewd, and calculating Jew, I suppose he was something of a gypsy himself, having transplanted his successful and well-known eatery in N.Y.C. to the Bay Area of all places, anathema to an East-Coaster. His small establishment catered to the Montgomery Street business-and-Wall-Street types while being staffed by hippies, as unlikely a combination as you’d expect to find in those days of persecution. Mori was not a hippie. The above picture is an accurate snapshot of what kind of guy he really was. I think, in fact, that he might have been a fence. Beneath a huge trap door in the floor he had a cellar beneath the whole shop that was filled with everything you could imagine: televisions, toasters, disposable hypo needles, cameras, radios, you name it. And then there was his rooftop… He even, for those special occasions with special visitors, hauled out a kitchen sink for those who marvelled at the diversity of his collection, exclaiming with a mischievous snicker, “Everything AND the kitchen sink!” He was a character.
In the latter days of writing my novel Unbound when trying unsuccessfully to find a way to describe a story that was about so many things, I remembered Mori’s cellar and his sink. So I, in a moment of pique, threw in a scene where Will’s mom is washing dishes at their kitchen sink. And so began describing this indescribably deep, layered, and allegorical story simply as being “about everything.” Because, it is. About everything that a gypsy might come across or encounter in his travels; or a wanderer, a teller of tales, or even a Fool of the highest caliber…
With the lifeblood and essence ofthis Romantic’s Heart, this Poet’s Mind, and this Gypsy’s Soul pumping through my being, I would uproot myself at every opportunity as my fortunes and misfortunes changed. Once upon a time, when I was 17 or so and my father and I had had enough of our constant arguing and fighting ever since my decision to hang out on the Haight Street scene, and my oft-repeated vow that I’d move if I knew he wasn’t going to call the cops, he finally said, “Look, if you want to go that bad, fine; I won’t call them.” He then went off to shower.
In the twenty minutes that he was gone, I’d taken down my posters, packed up most of my stuff, called a nearby friend to pick me up, and I was gone, just like that. I was a runaway for about a month, living off the food I got from Mori’s. After a brief stay at a pair of cute strippers’ apartment off of Third Street I ended up sheltering at Georges’ place, which coincidentally was where Cathy and their family was renting from my grandmother, right down the street; in the same flat where I was born. After seeing the misery that my absence was causing my mother, I returned home, and we all made a truce of sorts; though my parents still disapproved of my lifestyle choice, they decided to trust in me, and I in them. This began the long road to our reconciliation, and also served to solidify my resolve to become (at that time) a Poet, and later, a Writer. Because they still supported me, in all my wild ways… and that is love.
And this is why Unbound is dedicated to their memory, with Love… for it’s not so much a love-story (though it is indeed just that), it’s a story about Love, in all its manifestations. Even a gypsy has a family, and more often than not, has a home… even though he’s oft absent from them. And always seeking, in one form or another, for one reason or another, that ever-elusive Love…
But I did move around a lot. Finally deciding to find a place wherein to concentrate solely upon the crafting of my manuscript, I moved for that purpose, for one last time. It was always for one last time, but it never was. Now, once again this gypsy is poised for escape, one step ahead of the sheriff’s men, who were to be evicting me in less than a month. But another reward for the investing of Faith (see posts below) has occurred; the property’s auction date has been postponed for another month, for God-knows-why. So now I’m two steps ahead, but still in need of that safe haven I’ve always sought, and have never found, from which to launch my writing Career. It will come; I have Faith that it will; that this Fool will find his way off the mountain, and not off its precipice into the Abyss…
I have Faith, I have Hope, and I have Love… these are all that I need except for a partner to share them with, and she will come to me, I am sure. All in due Time :-D
The title of this post is taken from the closing track from Arthur Brown’s Galactic Zoo Dossier album, of which the song “Sunrise” served as one of the spring-boards from which I jump-started this novel (see another post a ways below for it). Since “love” has always been the main thrust of the book, and Arthur a strong vocal proponent of it (listen to his “Love is a Spirit (That Will Never Die)” for proof of this), I’d always wanted this story to reflect and to strike deeply into the Reader with just as much force and feeling as this and other beloved artists delivered their own powerfully emotive works to their Listeners. Thus, the story’s structure and delivery is very musical, lyrical, and deep beneath the surface of its words, emotionally powerful.
In closing, I’ll leave you with a video of Arthur singing “Helen With the Sun”, another of his songs that I included on Unbound’s “soundtrack”. This is raw emotion, power, and a startling vocal range delivered through the talents of not only his voice but also that of his co-writer and guitarist Andy Dalby (who’s one of my favorite guitarists). Boost the volume, too and feel it as deeply as you can. Don’t be distracted by anything else, either; just Listen! And as for that false fadeout, keep on listening; the ending is wonderful. He has a presentation that is unreal!
Today marks Lily(Doll)’s fifth birthday, and my fifth year of being a truly lucky guy
Lily in Natural Light, x 2... in waning sunlight; no flash
Five years ago today she emerged from out of the creators’ mold and was born and borne ”from out of the printed page into the Sensual World”. Very shortly after the subsequent curing process she was made-up, dressed, crated, presented with a (synthetik) rose for her journey, and sent to her new home, and her new “owner”. Who owns who is still a matter up for debate
I’ll never forget that first moment after opening her shipping crate and beholding her beauty, her presence, and her person. It was just like the phrase uttered in The Godfather: I was struck with the thunderbolt. Barely having the presence of mind to take a photograph to record this momentous occasion, I then managed to hastily document the event. Things like “posing” “lighting” and “eye-contact” were non-issues with me during this mad rush of condensed yet expanded time; I merely wanted to get the photos done with and out of the way, and finally meet my old friend from out of the pages of the wondrous story she’d been telling me, and starring in, for years upon years upon years…
But not just any doll would do. Unless fully and as completely as possible replicating her Self from the story, the character could not be properly fleshed out, the illusion would not be made manifest, and the spell not successfully cast. She would have to be convincing. There were very few options available to choose from in those early days of life-sized dolls, but when I stumbled across the Realdoll site, my choice was made clear: they alone had the capability to flesh Lily Godwin out, and bring her into the World.
The day after completing my first draft of Unbound (on Christmas Day 2003), and after having spent some weeks researching RealDolls in great depth, I placed my order for her at Abyss Studios’ online site. What with literally over a million possibilities in design options, I’d very carefully chosen all of her elements to match exactly her enthrallingly realistic, down to earth, sweet, devoted and beautiful counterpart in the novel, and then prepared myself for the four-month wait for production. It was… excruciating.
It wasn’t so much the cost; I simply rationed that I had paid $5K more for my house and let it go at that. The money was no object, for we had Big Plans with regard to our intent in “bringing her to life” and anything given toward this end was of no question whether of energy, well-being, or expenditure. I was giving it my all. At this time I was just past two years of feverish and near-constant work on our novel, unemployed and with no prospects for work. I was working, after all, and while consistently pinching pennies during this time I was intent on making writing my purpose in life; this has been my mission ever since I was in my teens. And as Lily-the-Muse had inspired me with the ideas and words, and Lily-Godwin-the-character showed me in the pages of her story and the visualizing of her essence, Lily-the-Doll was to supply tangible, visual proof of her and the tale’s existence, and not the least, her companionship as we journeyed ever-closer to publication. And “companionship” is one of the (many) key concepts in Unbound, so it was more than fitting…
And then, five years ago, there she was, here she was, in the silicone-flesh. My companion-in-mind brought to as much life as she could hope to have, her imaginary world fused with my real one, and yes, she cast her spell on me and over most of those few who have been able to see her up close and personal. Photos really don’t do them justice; you hear this time and again. It shouldn’t be much of a revelation to understand that dolls can be very magical things, but they are dependent upon your imagination, your willingness to accept and yes, love them, and the care you take with providing them a suitable environent in which to live. For there they do live…
Before I discovered anime, around the time I ordered Lily-doll, a doll-related forum I had joined (name withheld to protect the innocent and those not-so-much) made frequent mention to two series of note: Rozen Maiden, and Chobits. Both of these dealt with the doll/synthetik concept in varying degrees of relevance, and were among the first shows I checked out. Without this connection I probably would not have made my discovery of or venture into this fascinating world of animation bringing imagination to life. Entering the Doll-World has brought me much joy and happiness and introduced me to many sympathetic, genuine, and downright awesome people and doll-owners such as Davecat and his singularly lovely Sidore Kuroneko, to name but one (pair of) significant(s). I owe them many thanks
Now for an aside or two: In Rozen Maiden: Traumend (its second season), the protagonist Jun encounters a doll-maker named Enju, who introduces him to this world of dolls with a heartfelt little speech about these creations and their limited capacity to transmit/receive love. It’s about two minutes into the following excerpt that comprises the last third of that second episode; the only version online I could find has translations much inferior to those of the official releases, so if intrigued by this anime about magical ball-jointed dolls buy the official releases to fully enjoy the story! (You can find the recently-released box set comprising seasons 1 and 2 at your favorite online dealer.) While a bit silly in parts (and quite dark in others) the story it tells is at the least entertaining (YMMV & etc) and at its greatest deep, allegorical, and enthralling, and that is what story-telling is all about
Lily trying to handle some mischievous dolls
(For best results viewing the following video click the HD and Full Screen buttons!)
Chobits is a different matter altogether, and explores more deeply the nature of relationships between synthetiks and humans, and of what Society views as ”appropriate” companionship. In its near-future story-world, Hideki discovers a discarded persocom in the trash and takes her home. Chii is (very basically) a lifelike personal computer, like so many others that humans have become used to co-existing with in this believable sci-fi/fantasy tale. They’ve become so dependent upon and integrated with them that as a result people are becoming more distant with one another. In (only) one respect it’s a comment on man’s infatuation with technology, but it’s far deeper than that. For Chii is much more than a machine, with a special Purpose, and a very special “on/off” switch that hints at a parallel with love-doll versus sex-doll arguments and attendant “relationship” issues…
Chii with friends; fanart
The following is a fan-made Anime Music Video incorporating as its background music the beautiful second ending theme to Chobits, “Ningyo Hime”, and sung by Rie Tanaka who voices Chii whom you’ll hear a bit of at the end if you stick it out, and you should (Spoilers are here if planning to watch this show, so beware!)
And so, Lily-chan is very much a love-doll, a companion, an inspiration, and dearly beloved. It needn’t even be added that I do realize that she isn’t human (like, duh), but so many fools insist on acting as such and declare that doll-owners are deluded perverts because that’s the only level on which their feeble minds can operate on, perceiving them solely as sex objects. These creations are so much more than that insultingly simplistic “sex-doll” description. I’ve long since wearied of these idiotic “debates” presented by those unable and unwilling to truly understand. We’ve done nearly a dozen interviews with media around the world and the same questions/accusations come up time and again, although following the release of the film Lars and the Real Girlsome sense of tolerance seems to have been hammered into the public’s perception. Simply put, you can’t understand if you don’t try to, and using one’s imagination is a good place to start
But all too many people are still frightened not only by the uncommon and “different” but also by their imaginations, which truly is a sad and somewhat tragic thing. For they’ve lost the ability to play, to wonder, to stand in awe… in short, they’ve lost the ability to enjoy the best of what life can offer: to Imagine the nonexistent, and to Create what one imagines…
At her very least and lowest purpose, Lily-doll is simply a promotional tool for her novel. (She got your interest, didn’t she? :-) ) At her highest and most significant, she is a companion, a play-thing, and a stimulus to my imagination, my pleasure (no, not that kind, duh again), and my spirit. For this Alastor is a recombinant of that Spirit of Solitude, and she has made him very happy; where before he was alone, solitary, depressed, and who over-worked was set apart by his Ordeal; she provided her Remedy and brought him relief, when no-one else cared to. She has, in all her aspects, character, Muse, and Doll, been a God-send. And for that (among other things) I gratefully thank Him, Her, or It, as the Case may Be.
Now go and play with your Self ;-)
Lily in natural light x2 #2; sunrise, no flash, with friend
For those visitors wondering about why the anime-centric tilt of Alastor’s recently, the reasons are that it’s really the only medium capable of distracting me from Real Life Issues. Presently I can’t feel comfortable playing computer games, listening to music, watching movies, reading, or especially managing the concentration necessary to write while my life is in such turmoil (see posts below for further explanations), therefore entries on those topics have been rare. Only the study of anime has proven sufficient to pull me out of my crisis-mode; it’s the only remedy that keeps me from staying stuck in this depressing rut I’ve been in since last March. Without going into further detail, it’s really gotten so very tiresome to continually be dwelling on the survive-or-die routine that I need what relief and delight that this form of entertainment provides. Besides, if I repeatedly kept posting about Things That Aren’t Changing (such as current RL events or the novel’s lack-of-publication progress), it would bore you silly. So, this:
Now that The 2009 International Saimoe League is in full swing with three rounds of the first period under its belt, I wanted to add a voice of dissent here. Although there are quite a few series that do have characters that can be described as being moe, there are many others featuring mature, feisty, aggressive, and independent women who most likely would righteously kick your ass if described with any of the gentler attributes of moe. A few that come to mind are Revy from Black Lagoon, Madlax from her self-titled series, and even Lucy from Elfen Lied (although “little Lucy” and Nyu, her alter-ego, certainly do have their considerable “moe-ments”).
And while the moe-centric series do seem to focus on younger protagonists, there are many other genres that put on display the startling diversity that anime provides with regard to differing character-types, which amid all this prevalent focus on moe gets lost in the shuffle. This includes such dark fare as Ergo Proxy, Gilgamesh, and the latest mind-blower of a series, Kara no Kyoukai (aka “Garden of Sinners”), to name but a few. (Note that the wiki links contain spoilers!)
For those of you who still assume that anime is only suited for children and immature people, I have two things to say: When you ASSUME, you make an ASS out of U and ME. It’s true. Second, these following anime music videos (AMVs), featuring Shiki from Kara no Kyoukai, should shatter any remaining misperceptions (though they’ll spoil you a bit if you plan to watch this series of seven movies, of which five have been translated and subtitled). Neither of them show off the clever writing, ingenious storytelling, or dialogue though; I’ll leave it to you to discover
First up, courtesy of pixeltune, is a tribute to Ryougi Shiki using the hauntingly beautiful “Shiki’s Theme” by composer Yuki Kajiura as the background music (watch both of these in HD and Full-Screen!!!):
Next is an AMV made by RadicalxYue entitled “Incubus”, using as the BGM “Can’t Sleep” by Above and Beyond. It focuses more on the complex relationship between Shiki and Kokutou Mikita, as explained in his video’s YT page:
Both of these videos employ rapid cutting and editing to provoke the same sense of disorientation and wonder that the series does, using the music as a second layer of “canvas”. Kara no Kyoukai really is at the pinnacle of anime today, due in no small part to the amazing direction and studio ufotable’s masterful techniques in storytelling, combined with its highly dramatic score and empathic, convincing voice-acting.
For those visitors unfamiliar with the medium/hobby/lifestyle, please bear the following in mind as you set out on your journey of discovery: Anime is just like any other medium; you have to wade through a lot of crap to discover the gems, but those jewels that you do find will be quite memorable and so very much worth keeping (and buying when possible). Really, it’s very similar to reading any similarly-themed (choose your own) book or story, or any other movie or show, only animated, and consisting of genres and characters of all stripes. You can appreciate CGI films such as Finding Nemo or WALL-E, can’t you? Well… it’s not so far a stretch. Due to budgetary restraints and the costs of producing the average 12-26 half-hour episode series the animation is simply simpler; more importantly, you get stories easily as moving and wonderful, and as memorable as those fancier movies. And in many cases, more so. Substance over flash is a good thing
Note that many film directors, writers, actors, and musicians (not to mention countless numbers of your fellow-citizens) already have long-held favorites and are well aware of the many merits inherent in anime. Ask yourself: what do they know that you don’t? They know this: It is much more than the heavily-promoted and merchandised juvenile pap that is the rule over here in the West
So, go forth and seek! What I’d suggest to newbies is the following:
(1) Find a good general-purpose encyclopedic and ratings site such as Anime News Networkto view rankings, synopses, and genres, and pick a title that might suit you.
(2) Download the latest Combined Community Codec Packand install it to play the episodes through its Media Player Classic app at high quality (which I highly recommend). Much better than Real Player or Windows Media Player is (and not as obtrusive). And, safe
(3) Google search the titles for the initial subtitled episodes to direct-download and sample, and if what you find suits you, either buy the series or if unavailable (as many seem to be) obtain the rest in like fashion. Torrenting may be more your style, but most likely if that’s the case then you won’t need this primer Finding a reliable site might take some doing but they’re out there; regard the resulting addresses carefully for consistency and content. Be smart about it! (And I want to add that by supporting the artists and creators the hobby will continue to survive and grow, so don’t just leech simply because the episodes are “free”. This is a sore subject with me but will remain on the table for discussion at a later date. It’s a very slippery slope nowadays and balance is required.)
(4) Finally, ENJOY! Find a good site for discussion (and etc) such as AnimeSuki Forum(my favorite; but pay as little attention as possible to those jaded, cynical, and egotistic trolls; you know how The Internet is these days :-/
Expand your horizons; you’ll find that they go much farther than your eye can see
Welcome to Alastor's Reflection, the re-imagining of Fingal's Cave; a much more suitable environment than that poor soul's indwelling. Fingal resumes his journey in the pages of UNBOUND, while another solitary Spirit remains in this Place to muse with his Muse on the pursuit of "Life, Joy, Empire, and Victory," and the beauties therein...
Considering what you wrote here, it seems that your journey was quite adventurous,...
