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

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.