Archive for February, 2005
February 11, 2005 – 6:11 am
I thought I’d outgrown gag manga, or pretty much all the new stuff out there was crap. Luckily, “Hayate x Blade” (read as “Hayate Cross Blade”) restores my faith in the ability of mindless hyperkenetic fluff to entertain. Even more surprising for a Dengeki Comics release, it has no cheapo panty shots or anything even mindly ecchi, which is probably why I’m actually reading it.
Hayate x Blade is pure manga comedy, plain and simple. The premise is girls in a kendo school (very modern kendo school!) fighting under a point system to raise their rankings. Of course, the background isn’t the important thing, the real stealer here is the characters, who are at the same time both typical gag manga, and yet refreshing and innocent somehow. It’s great fun, and I laughed out loud at one point. How long has it been since that has happened?
Three cheers for getting back to the good ol’ basics.
Also trawled Mandarake in Shibuya today. It’s a bit sad to see the former mecca of used otaku goods left behind in this new age of bright, cheery and cheap Book Offs.
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February 9, 2005 – 8:39 pm
Went on sale yesterday. Of course, I’d already had it Tuesday :) Haven’t done a flying get since… when I used to live in Japan :P Actually I had forgotten, until I ran into a friend in Akiba, who was there for that reason.
So… feelings. Well, for one, I think the song itself is very uptempo, which together with Rock ‘n’ Roll Love Letter (itself a cross between Dengeki Jap and Andrew W.K.) gives an impression that Hekiru is really headed in a new “party rock” direction.
Which isn’t bad for a live, but doesn’t make for great CD listening, IMHO. She’s almost screaming the lyrics in her super high-energy state, and it grates. I didn’t like Dengeki Jap’s vocals either, and this is more of the same. As a song itself, it’s easy to remember but not outstanding. I am not as apathetic about it as I was with Love Jet Coaster (which I listened to once and put away), but I can’t see myself listening to this one much either.
I do want Hekiru to head into a less pop direction, and considering what her lives are good for, this sort of song is probably a plus. However, I would also like some “proper” rock songs as well, such as of the Kaze no Yukue or Infinity flavour. From the Wings of Time album, Aoi Ningyo and Always are good ones too; basically, I want songs that grip you, make you want to stand and listen and soak in.
Hekiru herself doesn’t seem to like ballads much, not for singing at lives anyway, so I dunno if we’ll ever get more of those, but she’s awesome at serious rock too, and it would be a double loss if we were left with just uppity pop and jumping rock.
Getting back to Tabi tachi no uta, the CD lets you connect to Sony Music’s page where you can see her message and video clip. I like the video clip a lot! It’s Hekiru in this cute but cool outfit singing in a punk band. Kinda like Dakishimete but bright and cheery. Cool! Can’t wait for this one to go on sale! (And how long has it been since I’ve been excited about a PV?)
Still, I gotta say, Hekiru looks great lately. For the last couple of years, she’s been looking slightly… tired… But at Nagoya, and then in this video, dude, whoever said 30 was over the hill? She looks awesome! I think I’ve fallen in love again *laugh*
The DVD has clips from her photo shoot and an amalgamation of last summer’s tour done to Jumping Slash. To be honest, nothing special. The PV of Tabitachi is it man!!
Posted in SHIINA HEKIRU | No Comments »
February 8, 2005 – 4:39 am
Well, now that Osaka is done and we have to get back to the Foremost Important Reason For Being In Japan – being that of Getting A Job so that I can continue my Life Work of Undivided Undying Complete Support Of Hekiru – I have inadvertantly snuck back into manga reading.
Yep, have spent like 15,000 yen on manga. That’s scary, but not as scary as it my sound, volume-wise, because the stuff I’ve been buying is just damn expensive. Mostly Feel Comics stuff that runs 900 yen to 1300 yen each book, ouch. Some of them I got off recommendations, but I picked up one thing on a whim, because the art looked cool.
It’s by Fujiwara Kaoru, and it’s called Omae ga sekai wo kowashitai nara （おまえが世界をこわしたいなら）. You can look it up on Amazon.co.jp. Contrary to what the cover implies, however, this is no erotic novel… it’s a dark story of vampires and awry love, and one of the best buys I’ve made in a while. Beautiful art, great artistic direction, intriguing characters, original storyline. One of those little known gems that you feel a special pleasure at coming across, just by accident.
Aside from that, I’m looking longingly at some $180 Shure inner earphones. Those babies have some great sound, better than the B&O ones which are fine for classical but feel as warm as ice on a rock track.
Posted in FLAVOUR OF THE MONTH, MANGA | No Comments »
February 4, 2005 – 4:04 am
Song List
M1 Love Jet Coaster
M2 Jumping Slash
[MC]
M3 Reverence
M4 Nemureru Mori
M5 SNOW fall
M6 Always
M7 Aoi ningyo
M8 Kimi no tsuyosa
[Costume change]
M9 Color
M10 Love Tomorrow
M11 Stand By
M12 Motto Sweets
[MC, Band Intro]
M13 Believe
[Costume change]
M14 ROCK STAR
M15 Fantasia
M16 Sadistic Pink
M17 Dengeki Jap
M18 Reset
[Encore 1]
E19 Rock n Roll Love Letter
E20 Tabi tachi no uta
[Encore 2]
E21 One
E22 Jungle Life
E23 Dakishimete
Costumes
Black boots, a knee length dark coat. Short skirt underneath? I vaguely remember a pink blouse with long trailing ribbons that came loose, and Hekiru turning away to tie them up. Last encore was white tour T-shirt and frilly pleated skirt.
Anyway, this isn’t gonna be a normal concert report. Hell, it’s not gonna be a report. It’s just gonna be a rush of feelings, stream of consciousness of falling in love again with the Live.
A most amazing, incredible live. Happiness and sheer pleasure, as song after song followed on, Hekiru standing in front of me and singing, singing with all her feeling, and I drown in the sound of her voice and the crashing of drums and guitars, songs I love, songs I fall in love with again, songs I learn to love again, Hekiru giving it all to the crowd… Unbelievable joy. How could I feel so strongly in this little piece of time and space? Grinning like mad when I realize the song is ROCK STAR, headbanging to SNOW fall, relishing Always like a long-lost lover, closing my eyes and living the essence of Hekiru for believe…
The live is amazing, Hekiru is amazing, the sheer wellspring of emotion and energy, like I could burst. This is sheer happiness. There is nothing else that could compare. No words could describe.
And when it’s dark, and she stands and sings with eyes lowered, and the light catches a little, you can imagine she is looking just at you, and suddenly you forget to breathe.
And when it’s bright, and she holds the mike up, looks high and sings as hard as she can, putting in all her soul to send as far and deep as she can those feelings inside, emotion springs up and overwhelms you.
Hekiru is not gorgeous. She’s not a beauty, not in the traditional sense. You could say she is pretty, although others would say she is but ordinary. But, during that live, in front of me, she was the most radiant, beautiful person in the world.
Hekiru is beautiful because when she sings on stage, she is alive. And so, if I dare to think of a time when she may no longer sing, I can feel the heartbreak of a miracle gone forever.
Please, I wish I could see you, always. Do you also feel this way?
Posted in SHIINA HEKIRU | No Comments »
February 2, 2005 – 9:13 pm
So here I am, back in Tokyo. It is both incredibly warm, and unexpectedly frustrating.
Warm, because my friends are helpful above and beyond the call of duty – one of my old colleagues is not only helping me out in the job hunt, she’s letting me stay at her place for a couple days plus park myself in her office during the day.
Frustrating, because I think I finally know what I want to do, and the job openings are either closed or I’m not qualified enough, on paper. Dammit, how can one make a career change if you don’t get a chance to prove yourself on skills? I guess experience always counts more.
Wanna get into the gaming industry. Well, all entertainment is interesting to me, but gaming is the only industry which isn’t caught in the conservative trap. They are growing, and there’s a revolution to be had.
Okay, back to writing resumes. Shit, it’s not easy. I’m starting to wonder if determination and patience and hardwork are enough to land a job, or will I have to pray for divine intervention too?
Posted in MISC. RAMBLINGS | No Comments »
