2 posts tagged “nana”

  Namely, I wanted to talk about something that
isn't music, haha. (But inevitably I will talk about
music here as well, gyah!)
 I finally got to read some manga the other day T__T
(tears of joy), which is great because I never get to read
any manga! (at 8.99$ a VOLUME I seriously cannot afford
that kind of hobby, and unfortunately I don't have any friends
with extensive manga libraries.)
I found the first 2 copies of Yazawa Ai's masterpiece, NANA at the
library of all places. I took them both out...and read them all in the
same day (I try and force myself to use self-control and moderation
when reading manga. Unfortunately it takes me a little over an hour
per volume, so they don't last me very long. I haven't gotten to the
point yet where I can read a chapter and then set the thing down.)
  They were so good T__T! I then did something very bad and went
to the bookstore, grabbed volume 3, cranked up my iPod and found
a seat in the window....And read the whole thing. Unfortunately
for me, they only let you do that until about Volume 5, and then
everything after that is shrink-wrapped....At that point they'd kinda notice
if you were reading them in the store, hah...hah.
  Why is the whole world so stupid that nobody has invented a MANGA LIBRARY
yet? The manga section at the bookstore is populated with delinquents such as myself
who can't afford these massive 34 volume sets at 8.99$ a piece! Ridiculous.
At least it means I still have a life, though. I mean, if there was a
whole library full of manga....that could mean me spending 8 or 10 hours a DAY
in some library chair reading whole series at a time.
  (and then forget those lame ideas such as moderation and self-control).
 As far as my manga ambitions go, I'm really really interested in reading Re:Play. It's a series
by an American author, but her art rocks...and the storyline is about....a rock band. I read
the first chapter of Volume 1 in Anime Insider, or whatever magazine it was in...can't remember.
  
  (here we go-- music, I just can't resist)....
  I've also resurrected my suffering iPod, which has been a debauched
and miserable slew of bad music since I started working. (Due to my
spiritual connection with Jrock, it's not allowed on work-premises...and because
of my fetishistic approach to Jrock, you can understand the trauma I may have
experienced).
  I purchased An Cafe's Goku-tama Rock Cafe CD, and Ayabie's Rikkaboshi +A.
Pretty decent. I didn't even know who Ayabie was until recently. I mean, obviously
I liked them enough to buy the CD, but it takes a few listen-tos before you
start to get to know a band.
By the way, here's a great tip for discovering new music: publications like Gothic and Lolita Bible. They have pictures of harajuku and Lolita kids in Japan, and one of the questions they ask is "Favorite band". This is how I learned about Cascade and Ayabie. I think there are a few websites that feature different Fruits-esque shoots and details...If I find them, I'll put them up for your viewing pleasure and convenience!

 
 
    

CAUTION: THIS MAY CONTAIN A FEW SPOILER/
LINKS.
Watched Nana: The Movie 2 the other day.
zomg. It was one of those rare 2 hour-long ventures
where at every scene-fade-out I was praying "don't
end! don't end! don't end!" And then when it ended....
I thought... DON'T END!!!
  It was amazingly good, especially for a sequel.
I loved the utter absence of soundtrack. I think
the soundtrack must have a total of four tracks on
it. I did wish they had thrown in a few more scenes
of Blasto footage, but oh well. The last scene was
a beautiful rockage of HITOIRO. I like the live
version better than the recording, because it's more
upbeat and rocky. The recording is sadder.
 ANYway, I obsess over music, I know. My lot in life...
YOUR lot in life is to have to listen to it. Me taking about
music, I mean.
  Back to the movie. It was like NANA vs. Hachi! Crazy.
NANA 1 was mostly focusing on NANA, I thought, whereas
NANA2 was more centered around Hachi. I thought it was
interesting how much of a bad-guy role she played, though.
Without naming names, the ending result was a betrayal of
everyone, and yet NANA and Shin-chan et all forgave her
unconditionally without her redeeming herself first.
 NANA 2, overall, was a poignant, heartwrenching,
riveting happiness/pain/happiness/pain pattern over
and over that tears you up....in a typically wonderful,
Japanese way.
  My favorite characters were, as usual, NOBU, NANA,
Yasu, and Shin-chan. Takumi from TRAPNEST played
a large role, but he's "a bad boy". Even if, or especially because,
he's such a heartthrob.
  Some of the important actors were changed (Ren, Hachi, Shin), but Ren
played a small role, and Hachi was passable and didn't really
effect anything in a negative way. I thought Miyazaki Aoi's expressions
were adorable, but this new girl was cute, too.

  I've heard some pretty bad stuff about NANA2, but the fact of the
matter is, movies are such a personal thing-- like books and music,
they are not made to be critiqued subjectively. So I try and take an
unbiased stance (as if) when I'm critiquing something. This really worked
for me because of my appreciation for Japanese culture, and what
of that I could see in this movie, as well as the brilliance of the actors
and their portrayals of characters. I'm also fascinated by the Japanese
superstar scene. I also like movies that are slow and character-driven.
I also really like NANA. There you have it.

ittekimasu~
Gacktpause