- Attendre et espérer! -

gosh, someone's stomping up the stairs at 2 in the morning...

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summary of what i've watched/been watching.

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- movies -

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
musical - a remake of an old story, about a barber who kills his clients with his razor (and turn them into meat pies) while improving his "shaving" skills for his revenge.

felt the pain of all the meat-pie wannabes when Depp sliced their throats swiftly, though i didn't turn away from any of the killing scenes.. >.> it's not entirely gross, there's some humour too. enjoyed Johnny Depp's voice. sometimes i still recall it as a funny sight with Jack Sparrow, Bellatrix Lestrange, Severus Snape, Peter Pettigrew and Borat a.k.a Ali G singing on screen.. maybe i'm just not used to actors/actresses doing musicals.. anyhow i'm hooked on the soundtrack - even my sister who didn't watch the movie knows what to say when i sing, "TO SHAVE-A DA FACE~"


Le Scaphandre et le Papillon (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly)
true story of Elle's editor who suffered the locked-in syndrome and became paralyzed, all he could do to communicate was to blink with his left eye.

my first French movie (i think). was plagued by a headache for the first half of the movie because we saw the story from Bauby's (the paralyzed editor) point of view - it's blurry when he's without his glasses, could see nice balls when he was bathed in the hospital (also nice teats during *almost* sex scenes) but i guess that's what you call an "art movie", the screen gets blurry again when he cried, and the best of all, stubble and nostrils at their maximum. you know, when the doctors examined him, they kinda pushed their faces close to him.. and i felt the pain again, when the doctor sewed up his right eye, poking the needle through his eyelids as though they were linens.. never had any of my body parts sewn (ok i have, but i had anesthetic) but i guess it's really painful staring at what's happening to your own eye..

i have to admit he's been through a lot (not counting the part where he confessed to his lover and hurt his wife deeply), and i'm impressed of how a man's willpower is affected when he goes through hard times. ... ugh bad English. but yeah. an inspiring movie. although i can't say that by watching the movie i'm motivated in my studies, i was definitely inspired to finish watching Gankutsuou, hahaha.. because Bauby said he wanted to rewrite the Count of Monte Cristo..


other movies that i've watched recently - AvP (poor aliens, it's more like Alien versus Predator+Human), Memories of Matsuko 嫌われ松子の一生 (the heroine really had a colorful but sad life.. i don't wanna end up like her!!!!), Elizabeth (just to refresh my mind to prepare for the sequel), Vier Minuten (just thought i should watch another movie about pianists), Cat Woman (it was on TV... IN JAPANESE. lol at my dad: he first watched this movie because he wanted to see Sharon Stones), Bridge to Terabithia (a Disney movie with actually one of the kids dying)..

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- anime -

Gankutsuou (巌窟王)
loosely based off Alexandre Dumas' the Count of Monte Cristo, the story of a self-acclaimed Count and his revenge on the Paris aristocrats, the Morcerf, Danglars and Villfort families.

every character has fancy collage for their hair and clothes - take Ayakashi or Mononoke, maybe? but they're not exactly the same either.. some people complain that this kind of technique is annoying, but i guess it's just another way of producing anime.. apparently the costumes for the last episode were designed by Anna Sui.

sad story, just like the original novel. but with a little bit of fantasy and mecha and BL-ish teasers. ooh and the scandals of the aristocrats, naughty married women tsk tsk tsk.. and the ending was so.. DRAMA. hahahahahahahaha.. i insist that it's a combination of the endings of Chrno Crusade (manga version) and Heroic Age. the wait-in-the-church-nostalgically-for-homecoming-of-her-loved-one scene, and the running-over-with-hope business when he/she senses the existence of his/her loved one.. couldn't think of a better example. anyway, i think it's the better ones of the Gonzo anime i've watched. nice and romantic songs, though a bit off-tune.

seiyuus to look out for - hmm. Fukuyama Jun? and.. Nakata Jouji (Hijikata in Peacemaker), Nakamura Chie (Sakura in Naruto), Nakahara Mai (Mai in Mai-Hime, Rena in Higurashi), Kosugi Juurouta (Kanou in Okane ga Nai, wkkk....), Seki Tomokazu (need i specify this? lol), Yajima Ayako (Diva in BLOOD+, Shin-chan in Crayon Shin-chan omfg..), Tobita Nobuo (Someya in Okane ga Nai, wkkkk........) ....... ok it's an all-star anime. and French in this anime is real. spoken by a Japanese, though.


Heroic Age
mecha. what more can i say? ok ok.. fine. it's a mecha anime which is loosely based off stories from the Greek mythology. just wikipedia it and you'll find out about the summary, if you bother to. =p

once again, DRAMA. maybe it's a typical mecha anime, i don't know, i haven't watched that many of this genre yet.. maybe i like cheesy anime with a lot of dramas, hah. it's good when you're bored, or when you need motivation to finish up the last bits of your assignments. i guess it's the same theory as reading trashy novels.


Shinreigari (神霊狩) - Ghost Hound -
NOT Ghost Hunt (=.=) .... yes it's another ghost anime, but NOT horror. and it's more on out-of-body experiences. actually the art reminds me of Jigoku Shoujo.

interesting Hakata dialect, some of which i couldn't comprehend without referring to the subtitles. it's obvious that the voice actors are having a hard time speaking in that dialect, though sometimes their conversations sound totally like standard Japanese. the series hasn't ended yet, and i'm trying to catch up through the Korean websites because they are faster in subtitling..

seiyuus to look out for - Hoshi Souichirou (yes Hosshii~), Fukuyama Jun (again), Yajima Ayako (again), Saiga Mitsuki (Makubex in GetBackers, Souji in Peacemaker, Yoite in Nabari no Ou!!!!!! *kyaaaaaaa* *ahem* wait.. i've always imagined him to have a guy's voice.. >.>) p/s: Komori Kenshou, he dubs the Japanese Harry Potter, hmm..

*****

waaaiiit a second. Nabari no Ou's anime will be out in April?! man, it's gonna be a short series again.. i hope they don't ruin it like how they did to D.Gray-man.. foolish hope?