anime update

[timepiececlock]

An uncommon amount of computer time today has meant I get to do pointless but fun things I haven't done in ages-- like browse anime titles. It's been so long since those days, back in my latter years of high school, when I could spout out the top 30 popular anime titles on the internet and give my opinions on the first couple episodes of each one, and which I planned to finish. I've been a loyal but tangential anime fan for the last couple years-- still watching it obsessively, but only checking out titles that are highly recommended or that have summaries that grab my attention.

Three that I found today that grabbed my attention:

Les Mesirables Shoujo Cossette - an anime about the Hugo novel. AN ANIME ABOUT THE HUGO NOVEL. I'm positively delighted by this, even though I know that the story will be considerably different, and focused on Cossette instead of Valjean. Still! The geek in me crows at the news. I just regret that it's been so long since I read the book, or for that matter watched the film or musical. I've forgotten at lot. I'm not sure why I'm surprised that they'd make an anime out of this-- the story is certainly long and complicated enough to make an appealing anime plotline. And anime most definitely has and will continue to lift classic stories and warp them into new and bizarre interpretations. I just wouldn't have thought they'd pick this story, and then for that matter age it down. I hope the storyline continues past Cossette's childhood, as the later years of the storyline were the most interesting.

El Cazador de la Bruja - It's set in Mexico. I *have* to see this, if only to see the Japanese take on Mexican culture. I also enjoy anime series that branch into different cultures for settings; the regular nation-hopping was one of the things that kept me watching Blood+ as long as I did (still never finished it.)


Romeo x Juliet - It sounds wacked out, fun, and melodramatic. Shakespeare on angel-dust, with a futuristic-fantasy setting. Of course I'll have to watch, whether to worship it or to ridicule it. Who doesn't love ripping apart a bad interpretation of R&J?

Comments

[catystorm.livejournal.com]

Oh lord I've loved RxJ so far. It makes me bouncy and squee-y. And I don't ususally like shoujo. ('Course, I've not gotten that far into it yet...)

[mswyrr]

R&J is good. Not a close interpretation of the original by far, but very good. It starts out like a simple, sweet romance, but then Juliet gets a REASONTOFIGHTOMG and things happen in dramatic, moving ways and it becomes this really interesting story of her growth and political intrigue as well as a love story.

Thanks for mentioning the others. They sound interesting; I'll have to look into them. :)

[jaina.livejournal.com]

The first episode of Les Miz made it look like it was gonna be another big-eyed show pandering to the moe crowd, so I haven't watched any more. Romeo X Juliet is great fun, though. And it has William Shakespeare as a character! How can I resist?

I need to fix the strike tag, which keeps screwing up the comment. here's the third version:

[rasielle.livejournal.com]

Rashaka! How have you been? Well, from your recent posts, you sound happily busy, and busily carpenter-like. ^_^ I just want yuo to know that I'm very happy for you so far, and that I continue to wish you well for the remainder of your volunteer period. And let me say that you're learning quite a bit over there; for the record, I haven't even heard of calking.

I glanced at that Les Miserables anime review, and might've read it, but didn't; it's a THEM review, and I find that they often have no scruples about spoiling (but Les Mis is a beloved classic, so do I really have a hope?) You know, I've never been exposed to any of the Les Mis adaptations, and I can't understand why; both my mother and best friend are big fans. In any case, I've been trying to get my hands on the novel, as it's usually wisest to read/watch the original adaptation first, but it's huge! The last time I saw it, it was about a phone book and a half (of large cities). You've read the entire thing, right? Is it good enough to hold my (rather short) attention span for 1000+ pages?

Have the Japanese tried their hand at a Jane Austen piece yet, I wonder? Previously I would've thought a successful anime version unlikely, as anime usually isn't quite so... tame, but ever since Emma (which isn't even based off anything beyond the manga, as far as I know), I'm willing to watch one. A good one. I'm going to Google for one now, anyway.

Before the school year ended, our English class finished reading Romeo and Juliet the play, and for me it was the first time. Because it must be said, Shakespeare's romantic poetry is by far transcendent of his romantic story, but absolutely missing in the anime. The anime is extremely deviant of the play, which I don't consider a bad thing because I get two different stories under the package of one title, right? And I wasn't fond of the original storyline either, since the romance was way too fast and ridiculous and unjustifiable of its ending for my taste. Still, I regret the utter absence of the play's best lines, which I hoped to hear thrown in, but in any case, it wouldn't be nearly as powerful in Japanese. (for the American viewers)

But, you know, I find the anime almost as difficult to warm to as the play itself. It has its virtues, of course, including the delightful convolution of Shakespeare's plot and setting, and there is a great deal about it that solidifies it as a separate (and maybe more intriguing) entity: Juliet's Zorro-esque capacity for badass, politics-induced conflict, and pegasi. Nonetheless, there are, in my opinion, weak points in the writing (or maybe it's just lacking as a whole). It isn't bad, per se, but it's dry in the sense that it can't convince me the characters are 1) not generic and conventionally included, and 2) real.

The dialogue is certainly enough to move the plot, but there isn't much in the way of conversation nor verbalization tailor-made for the character. There were moments when I wished I could've been one of the writers, just because there were time and space and engaging lines floating around, unwritten and unsaid, and they didn't have to be cliched, predictable, or half-assed, because the moment definitely wasn't. The fast pacing and movement of the story make up for a part of this, but writers are still very sensitive to the absence of... something. It's basically the difference between anime like this and anime like Cowboy Bebop; both are unique and effortlessly interesting, but Cowboy Bebop takes the time to refine its characters with seemingly purposeless conversation, and Romeo x Juliet doesn't.

So far, the anime is still very young, so I'm hoping for a sudden increase in Interesting Dialogue. In any case, I think I'll keep with it to the very end. A good fantasy novel, is what it is.

damn these rambling tendencies...

[rasielle.livejournal.com]

Ahh, sorry that I had to post the same comment three times! The first two were absolutely hideous, with 40% of them completely struck-out; I don't know if the striking shows up in the email alerts, but that's why I kept pushing the comment through. Sorry!

Also, sorry about the needlessly long comment! I got carried away, I guess, especially since I haven't written or journaled anything in months. (just going through one of those stupid adolescent "depressions", during which I want to do everything but can do nothing for sheer moodiness and lack of energy.)

By the way, with "Who doesn't love ripping apart a bad interpretation of R&J?", were you referring to the modern-day movie adaptation Romeo + Juliet? I haven't watched it myself, but my English teacher loathes it, and it's hilarious, the way she make faces at its screencaps in our textbook.

Re: damn these rambling tendencies...

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

Actually, I *love* the modern movie adaptation. I can see why a teacher wouldn't like it, but you're talking to a 23-three-year-old woman, and a Baz Lurhman fan. I remember being a swoony teenager girl when I watched that. It was a movie that satisfied everything I wanted visually (dramatic, bright colors; attractive people; elaborate sets; lots of graphic symbolism), as well as embracing the idea of the story being one about youthful foolishness. The movie is fast, dark, bright, intense, beautiful, extreme, and kind of crazy. The very idea of these young, modern-looking characters spouting Shakespearean words, waving guns like swords, and taking it so very seriously... it's a great movie. I cried at the end, the first two times I watched it. It's big, eccentric, funny, sad, and incredibly romantic. Leonardo DiCaprio carried the film.

I've also seen this older version, which apparently *the* version to see-- I saw it in my 9th grade class, and I was bored to death. Shakespeare isn't meant to be seen a dull, stately stage performance; his plays were meant for audiences, not formality. It should be big, intense, subtle, and sweeping. Of the stuff I've personally seen live and on film, the versions that break from conventionality have always been the more moving and more enjoyable viewing experiences.

Don't worry about long comments! I love them, and appreciate them too. I'll get to your other one, hopefully tonight.

Actually, when it comes to ripping apart adaptations.

[rasielle.livejournal.com]

Ahh, that's a strong recommendation, and I can see what you mean, even without having seen the movie myself. I love last year's English teacher, bless her, but she's as old-fashioned as she sounds, especially when it comes to literature. She recommended the older version you mentioned, actually, but despite that, we could tell from the images that it wasn't very stimulating, as opposed to the vibrant and daring screencaps from the movie. But because of her advice against it, we didn't view those images in a favorable light, as their strange appearances made it just as easy to be skeptical as it was to be intrigued.

To her credit, though, she is extremely fond of West Side Story and its take on R&J, so it isn't as though she's averse to anything other than the play itself. Nonetheless, I can't see myself mentioning the existence of a Romeo and Juliet anime without giving her a good scare. :P

The next time my mother and I visit Hollywood Movies (our local Blockbuster's service is horrid on weekdays, and HM's movie selection is awesome; not enough shelves, actually, so they have movies behind movies, and there are Hollywood quotes on the walls...) I'll seek it out.

To be honest, though, I have some reservations about the female lead, Claire Danes (who I'm aware also starred in Les Miserables the film); the actress visited my home country (the Philippines) and made awful comments about the capital. (mentioned here) It's a Third World country, so it's not glamorous, but that's no excuse for what she said. But anyway, I think it's immature and illogical to retaliate by refusing to watch her movies, so unlike the Philippines (which, for a while at least, retaliated by refusing to play her movies in theatres), I'll set that aside. I just had to confess that misgiving, though.

Re: damn these rambling tendencies...

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

Actually, when it comes to ripping apart adaptations, I have to amend that: I like ripping apart other people's attempts to make analytical comparisons between R&J and modern fiction. Like books, films, or anime. (For example, the idea of Spike & Julia of Cowboy Bebop being like R&J. Gag me with a chainsaw.)

[rasielle.livejournal.com]

Spike and Julia, and Romeo and Juliet...? I think I can guess what they're thinking, what with one lover pretending to be dead and all, but the essentials don't parallel, so it's an empty comparison. And it's pretty random, too. Could have something to do with the females' names? :P

I could understand attempts to make analytical comparisons between old stuff and new stuff if they make sense, and are more than mere coincidences. Otherwise, though, they can't be seriously taken as support for anything; it's basically just pulling two randomly selected titles and explaining what parts of them are similar, even when, as wholes, they're not. Little Mermaid was more like Romeo and Juliet than Cowboy Bebop, honestly.

Re: I need to fix the strike tag, which keeps screwing up the comment. here's the third version:

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

Calk is this white filler/adhesive that you put in cracks in wood or siding, to seal something from water, to fill a hole, or to attach it together. It's pronounced "cock" and a great many snickers happen your first day using it.

I read the abridged version-- it was still about 500 or so pages, but they cut out a lot of the French history and battles. My brother has read the abridged AND the whole thing. I recommend reading the book before anything else; it's very good.