Ranma 1/2 Vol.36 (end – finally!) November 24, 2006
Posted by ayasawada in Manga.add a comment
In short: Boy meets girl, boy is girl
Thoughts: After 16 years and 36 volumes, the English translation of Ranma 1/2 has finally come to an end. It is indeed the end of an era, particularly for those, like me, for whom Ranma was one of the first stepping stones on the road to otakudom. However, I feel more relief than any real joy or sadness. The truth is that Ranma went stale a loooong time ago, somewhere around Vol.22 (coincidentally when Viz switched to its smaller ‘Action’ edition). (more…)
Guardian Student Media Awards 2006 November 12, 2006
Posted by ayasawada in Personal.add a comment
MediaGuardian.co.uk | Student Media Awards | Student Media Awards 2006
It was a proud night for Imperial College London. Our institute full of nerds can surprisingly read and write and that includes myself. I,Science, the Imperial science magazine of which I was the Editor, finished runner-up in the Best Student Magazine category. I’m dead chuffed, but feel a little overshadowed by achievements elsewhere. (more…)
Gundam SEED CE73 Stargazer – Ep 1-3 (complete) November 12, 2006
Posted by ayasawada in Anime.1 comment so far
::AniDB.net:: Anime – Kidou Senshi Gundam SEED C.E. 73 Stargazer ::
In short: Extended gunpla commercial shows more depth than Destiny.
Thoughts: Stargazer never pretended to be anything more than a commercial, and a successful one if sales of the 1/144 HG Strike Noir are anything to go by. It certainly showcased the features of the mobile suits on sale, but given the 15min running time per episode there was a surprisingly fair balance between story and advertising. The modest screen time helped rather than hindered the plot, though it was always going to be lacking depth. It’s surprising how much of the first episode was spent on character establishment, only to be lost in the rush of the next two episodes. Selene and DSSDs story seemed rather bitty overall, but Sven brought some much needed focus to the story. The ending was curious, but rather nice; understated and, to me at least, full of hope compared to the all-out ‘destroy everything!!’ ending’s of the main SEED series. Personally, I very much enjoyed Stargazer, though any new animation would impress me after the stock-footage fest of Destiny. Though the theme eventually came round, once again, to the destructiveness of war, it at least tried to show how some in the Gundam world use technology for exploration, even if it can still kick ass.
‘Dance Dance Dance’ by Haruki Murakami November 12, 2006
Posted by ayasawada in Books.add a comment
Amazon.co.uk: Dance, Dance, Dance: Books: Haruki Murakami
In short: Do a little dance, make a little love, get down tonight.
Thoughts: Having extolled the virtues of Murakami’s A Wild Sheep Chase, I picked up Dance Dance Dance next entirely by chance, not realising it was a semi-sequel and an epilogue to Murakami’s ‘trilogy of the rat‘. Nor was I aware that these books were his first literary forays. Serendipity? All too apt.
Dance Dance Dance follows in a similar mold to A Wild Sheep Chase, taking up the reigns with the same main character trying to make sense of things. A series of dreams draws him back toward the Dolphin hotel, and the girl with the spectacular ears he lost during the sheep chase. Pretty soon the story is going off on all kinds of tangents, but not quite as random as the previous novel. Strangely though, the plot doesn’t feel quite as ‘tight’ – if that’s the right word. For sure, Sheep Chase was deliriously random, but the Chandler-esque plot and omimous villains gave it something more of a purpose, a goal, even if that goal was just a speck on the horizon. Our hero’s quest in DDD is very much his own, and he spends vast amounts of time just taking it easy, doing nothing, watching where the wind blows and whatever characters are blown in with it. Nevertheless, the sheer atmosphere of the novel captured me entirely. Murakami’s great strengths are the vividness of his world, the spark of his dialogue and the bittersweetness of his characters. The chemistry is all here, and even if some parts seemed irrelevant or contrived, I couldn’t help but react with a glow.
Panic not, mother | The Guardian | Guardian Unlimited November 6, 2006
Posted by ayasawada in Uncategorized.add a comment
Panic not, mother | The Guardian | Guardian Unlimited
This is a bit of brilliance. A couple sound scarily familiar. The rest are just hilarious. Had me chuckling whilst basking in the glow of warm travel memories.
You have to hand it to the authors too. Every traveller thinks their story is worth a book. These two have just used everyone else’s.
LFF 2006 November 5, 2006
Posted by ayasawada in Film.add a comment
This year’s London Film Festival wrapped up this week. A relatively modest repertoire for me this year, and quite a disappointing selection at that. “Crafted, yet inert,” would be the catchphrase for this year, though it’s not actually mine. There were, however, one or two gems. (more…)
