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I really prefer the approach that Japanese directors take with dramas.  While I haven’t seen every Japanese drama film in existence, the ones that I have seen, both old and new, take a very subtle and low-key approach with less dramatic music or cinematic cues.  This allows the script and actors to speak for themselves [...]

Earlier, episodic, and all posts regarding Cross Game can be found here

The fourth episode has settled it - I am following Cross Game, for sure. Particularly, the low-key, gentle but moving dialogue between Ko and Osamu at the end. Everything about this series has made me feel that I am in for another Maison Ikkoku, which I would enjoy to no end. The personable, charming characters who are familiar but not cliched, the dramatic moments which linger just long enough to be effective but not long enough to seem manipulative, and a slow but steady pace which neither forces plot twists down your throat nor stretches scenes beyond their welcome. I can usually predict anime series well by the fourth episode, and this looks like another restrained but warm, touching slice-of-life story. I can’t wait to continue this.

Pixar, in my opinion, shares some similarities with Studio Ghibli - they both put out, rather consistently, well-made films that are miles above the competition. Now, I wouldn’t say that Pixar has ever managed to reach the heights that Ghibli did with Mononoke-hime or Grave of the Fireflies, but all the same, their movies [...]

This a listing of my three most favourite pieces of vocal music from the works of Studio Ghibli. I listen to a lot more instrumental music (classical or soundtrack) than I do vocal music, and Ghibli music makes up a large portion of both. Part of the reason that I enjoy them so much is because they usually break the mold of the kind of pop music which occurs in a lot of “regular” anime and in most of everyday life, and there seems to be a lot more thought put into the composition and lyrics. Finally, the singers are almost never singers in the style of mainstream artists, who I feel very shallow styles in terms of stylistic exaggeration or…

Mononoke-hime (Princess Mononoke) is tied as my favourite Ghibli film (along with Mimi wo Sumaseba) and also happens to be one of my favourite works of fiction altogether. It is such an expansive story with a rich mythological backdrop and epic scale - but without sacrificing the more intimate, human elements. No single scene feels out of place, no piece of dialogue feels unecessary. The viewer is utterly captivated and brought into this world that feels so real despite the brain telling you that it must be fiction. I think that other Miyazaki films, such as Porco Rosso or Laputa, show us that he is on a brilliant level of filmmaking. But to me, Mononoke-hime goes beyond even the high standard of those films - it is a film that must have been the work of a genius with a superb natural ability for visual storytelling.

Earlier this week, Nobu made it into the semi-finals. I caught a bit of his rehearsal with the string quartet prior to their perfromance. He had to have both a translator and a guide there to make up for his lack of English skills as well as his blindness. Regardless, as soon as they started playing, everything flowed together seamlessly. It was even better during their actual performance on stage. There were many people who were waiting for this moment, hoping that somehow Nobu would “expose” himself as being a poor pianist who gets special treatment for being blind (I guess they weren’t listening to his Chopin or Debussy carefully enough) but he came back with a nuanced and attentive performance that didn’t dominate the quartet nor lie in the background throughout. Tomorrow is his solo recital, he’ll be playing Beethoven’s monster of a piece, the Hammerklavier sonata. It’s a very ambitious choice to play, and if he can pull it off well then it will be the most impressive performance so far in the competition for sure.

I completely understand where all the people on blogs who criticize Tsuji for a lack of interpretation are coming from. But dang it, I still want him to win. The clarity of his Chopin etudes were remarkable. If you ever want to convince students not to hide behind the pedal, show them Tsuji’s performance. He rushed a bit through the beautiful opening of the 3rd etude, but I can forgive him. His Images were fantastic. Some bloggers said he played the Debussy like Chopin. I have no idea what they were talking about. From the second those delicate chords opened “Reflet’s dans L’eau”, Tsuji’s took on a wonderfully impressionistic touch. His choice of this suite for his program simply made me like him even more. And finally, at the end, watching this blind pianist masterfully conquer the large jumps in La Campanella, watching all the smiles found on audience members at various times, I became more than little bit emotional imagining the amount of dedication and love he must have towards music and the piano….Furthermore, in his interviews he seems like a wonderful and humble person, for whom a chance meeting on the subway with fellow blind pianist Stevie Wonder is one of his most cherished memories. Go Tsuji go!

My life is now complete.

Er, okay, that was a bit overdramatic, but it’s a bit hard to not get emotional when you watch over 500 musicians come together under the baton of Hisaishi Joe to perform the beautiful and evocative pieces of music from the greatest animated films of all time. Hisaishi’s music won’t always satisfy listeners who are constantly searching for musical innovation or complexity, but they will satisfy by a mile anyone who is searching for music with sincerity and heart. Beyond that, I can’t think of any other composer who can so effectively bring to music the nostalgia, wistfulness and childlike wonder we all retain within us even as we grow older.

I’ve said before that I’m not really much of a gamer. Beyond the fact that I’m fairly busy with educational, internet and piano related endeavours, I don’t really have much interest in playing most games either. However, due to the fact that I now have a 2 hour total commute each day on a shaky bus where I won’t be getting much work done regardless, I decided to buy a Nintendo DS. Although I use it to watch films or other media occasionally, the reason I chose the DS in particular was because of ….

Ima, Boku wa is a debut film by Yasutomo Chikuma, who also stars in the title role. It revolves around a short period of time in the life of 20-year-old Satoru, a “NEET”. NEET is a term originally used in the UK that refers to young men who are Not engaged in Education, Employment or Training. Fans of anime might be more familiar with the term “hikkikomori”. To put it bluntly, these are people who are not really engaged in anything productive and leech off their parents who provide them with the money and food to survive.