| I was going to do books too, but my poor sense of time meant half the things I thought of were actually from 2006. So I had a sulk, and decided just to talk about comics instead. 2007 was the year I spent lots and lots of money on manga - at Borders, over the internet - when I discovered that despite a 2700 yen base shipping fee, if I ordered enough at once, it was cheaper to import translated manga through amazon.co.jp than to buy it in any shop in NZ. So I got huge amounts of Obata Takeshi's work all at once. That was nice.
( Favourite comics to come out of 2007! ) | comments: Leave a comment   |
| So, last night me and a group of unsuspecting friends went along to the Death Note movies at the film festival. Two movies: four and a half hours of awesome.
I think we all enjoyed ourselves, despite the perils off sitting still that long (though there was an interval). I ate a lot of candy, and now I wonder how L can eat so much without constantly having mouth ulsers? But I suppose that's the least of his worries.
Oh, L. It's easier to forget in the comic just how much of a bastard Light is, really. He might be worse in the movies, if you can have worse. The first movie was pretty close to the plot of the comics - Naomi's involvement differs, and Light has an actual girlfriend (this is where the utter bastard part comes in). It basically covers up till when Misa is introduced.
The first film takes a while to get moving - the first half hour is pretty much dramatic heart attacks and people texting each other about Kira. Which I does think illustrates better the Kira phenomenen. Once Light is actually introduced, you're on the edge of your seat. It's hella exciting, and also, hilarious.
I don't know if it was meant to be so funny? But it was funny. It's quite over the top sometimes. Some of the reaction was from the people who were familiar with the comics, some of it was to the sheer awesomeness. I don't think the first movie could have existed as it did if it wasn't an adaption, because you get to the end of it and it's only just getting started.
And the second movie is bam into it and has the whole damn rest of the story packed in. And by the whole, I mean many characters are cut and plotlines erased, but it works, because it's a movie, not a serialisation. No Mello, no Near, which is a pity but actually I really liked that meant L got to win. That made me happy, although in fact the whole thing's a bit of a tragedy. Very much loved L through it all. With his eyeliner. He he.
I can't go through everything that was amazing and made me so happy - but it was there. I do recommend watching the two movies together, just because it is such as experience! You really have to make an event of it. I wanna do it again sometime.
It was also nice seeing all the fankids and the general geeky environment. Because everyone's there to enjoy it (even if it's just as their crazy friends dragged them along). So I had a very good birthday, thank you. Up the geekdom! | | comments: Leave a comment |
| Things I did instead of reading the last Harry Potter book:
- sold the last Harry Potter book. We got to dress up. I wore a snake around my neck. It was good because I actually got excited about it. Otherwise I was kind of just, pfft, who cares any more?
- read the last Death Note. It is a sign of the 'pfft' that I was more excited about this having come in than the Potter book. Oh my gosh the exposition! But Obata's art is amazing enough I will forgive. Ee, Mello! "I guess I'll have to do it," he says. Eee. And Matsuda! Matsuda, you rule! Very satisfying. The death scene was freaking amazing.
- read the Listener. Which is a bit said really, but there was an interesting article on male vs female brains. I would love to read more about that in an actual science journal. Rather than a current events magazine. I did not do my kakuro and sudoko before reading the tome.
- watched The Science of Sleep with my family, including baby who was not interested in sleep. Weird movie - it was hard trying to keep track of what was real and what wasn't, which I suppose was the point. But there was lots of cuteness and inanity and intriguing-ness. So now I can tick it off the list of movies Isobel has told me to watch. Next is The Edukators, which I'll probably watch on one of my days off this week. As Tonya was telling me to watch it too. Sheeh.
Things I did whilst eating dinner/lying in bed:
- read Harry Potter. Ha ha.
Of course I could go and talk about it now, but I've gone and spoilt that by inviting a friend over. So I will just say that I did enjoy reading it - far more so than the sixth, and I felt like it had it's worldbuilding magic back. I will leave getting spoilerific and picky for another day. It will probably be quite fun, actually. Hopefully my workmates who are reading it will have this evening, and we can discuss.
( ETA: notes on DH ) | | comments: Leave a comment |
| Someone picked up a copy of the programme for the Wellington International Film Festival today, so I was looking through that earlier. There wasn't anything too exciting - which is just as well, because I can't afford to go to much anyway - though there was the Leonard Cohen documentary I'm Your Man which I pointed out to my mother, and she marked the dates.
...until, with five pages to go (in the weird movie section), I don't so much point out as squeal. Because. They're showing the Death Note movies. Ee!
In fact I was so busy squeeing it was left to my mother to point out the one showing is on my birthday!
Anyway, I'm excited. Is it sad that I want to ring people up to tell them this? Though it will mean very little to them? He he. I imagine Kim rolling her eyes at me already. Too bad. I'm looking forward to forcing people to come with me. | | comments: Leave a comment |
| I've been reading Death Note. When by reading I mean that I'd bought up to volume 4 slowly and with consideration of my being a poor student - and then realised that due to the wonders of the economy that ordering off Amazon Japan was the cheapest way to get them. Importing something that had already been imported. But only if I ordered lots at once.
So I spent Wednesday reading volumes 5-11. I think maybe by mentioning all this I will be able to think about something else? Or at least I can think deeper. Because Death Note makes me want to write essays. Also to force it on people. I have started with my little sister, although she is less manic than I am.
It is ridiculously awesome or maybe awesomely ridiculous. I have such envy of people who do complicated plots. How does that even work? And then you actually end up thinking about your own morals, and how do you define justice? And then you're getting intense art envy on top of all this. And when I say art, I'm think of comics, so it's not so much the sheer prettiness that gets me as the ability to draw characters, to have them look like themselves in so many different portrayals.
Which doesn't mean I'm not lusting over this here artbook. Hey, it's only $60 off Amazon Japan. Well, excluding the $30 shipping fee. Not that I don't think I could spread that out. Why must I want so much stuff? I would make a useless monk. | | comments: Leave a comment |
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