tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2805884840725466252024-03-13T22:52:12.806+00:00If by JapanErsbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08012602968152264418noreply@blogger.comBlogger540125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-280588484072546625.post-51431886704911477112019-07-18T08:08:00.002+01:002021-12-14T06:59:25.334+00:00I've written a book about MatsueIt’s been a while, hasn’t it? Apologies for that, but I can’t see myself getting back to regular blogging any time soon. Nevertheless, I still write and, more pertinently, I still write about Japan. After a recent trip to Japan I found myself a bit perplexed that there was no book about Matsue on the market (apart from Glimpses of an Unfamiliar Japan by Lafcadio Hearn, but that’s over a hundred years old). So I sat down and wrote one!<br />
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[EDIT: Just to add that I've written a <a href="https://www.touristinjapan.com/matsue-city-guide/">guest post for Tourist In Japan</a> about Matsue.]<br />
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It’s an introduction to the city, but very much from my experiences there. I did a little research to add a little background, but it is by no means a history of Matsue. I thought I’d mention it here on the off chance it’d interest you. It’s on Amazon only (self-published Kindle, you see).<div><br /></div><div>EDIT: 14/12/2021. It's been a while and during this whole lockdown thing I've been rewriting my book. It's now got a different name: <i>Matsue, Japan: Seven walks through seventeen centuries</i>, because it's a little more accurate and also I figured I needed the word "Japan" in the title somewhere. So it's now almost twice as long and three times as good. <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Matsue-Japan-through-seventeen-centuries-ebook/dp/B09NK3FPSZ/ref=sr_1_18?keywords=matsue&qid=1639464826&sr=8-18">Here's a link to it</a> in the UK store.</div><div>
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<br /></div>Ersbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08012602968152264418noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-280588484072546625.post-37451128607610472752018-08-04T18:19:00.003+01:002018-08-04T18:19:52.084+01:00UnnaturalAfter so long away from jdramas, I’m still trying to catch up with the best ones that I’ve missed. Someone recommended that I watch Unnatural, and what a good piece of advice that was.<br />
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It follows the pathologist Mikoto Misumi, played by Ishihara Satomi, who is part of a team that works on autopsies to uncover the truth behind mysterious deaths. In a sense, it bears a passing resemblance to the 2009 TV drama Voice. That series followed the student pathologist Kanako Kunboaki, played by Ishihara Satomi, who was part of a team that worked on autopsies to uncover the truth behind mysterious deaths. <br />
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You could, if you wanted to, pretend that Unnatural is a sequel to Voice (if you ignored the different name and change in character) but there'd be very little point and would distract from the merits of Unnatural which is by far the better of the two.<br />
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For a start, I love the characters. Every single one, even the minor but regular characters, is well written and well performed. Ishihara Satomi acts her socks off in the best role of her career. Ichikawa Mikako stars as her co-worker and is equally good. The chemistry the two have is so natural that it almost seems improvised.<br />
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The rest of the cast are great but that could be because with scripts as good as these, everyone raised their game. Add in some great direction and there’s little to dislike about this series. Unless you don’t care for procedural police dramas. In which case, you probably stopped reading this review in the second paragraph.<br />
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I recommend this without any reservations. Well, there is one: this came out in January-March 2018 and got a lot of praise at the time, so there’s a good chance you’ve already seen it.<br />
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Oh, and what was Voice like? It’s like an amateur dramatic version of Unnatural with more happy endings.<br />
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<i>This is a technical bit from Voice (2009)</i></div>
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<i>And this is a technical bit from Unnatural. A bit of a step up.</i></div>
Ersbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08012602968152264418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-280588484072546625.post-77650527637967167422018-06-30T12:16:00.001+01:002018-06-30T12:16:11.960+01:00Yami no BansoshaDespite seeming, on the face of it, to be a murder mystery, this drama series is partly a lover letter and partly heartfelt plea to the manga industry to sort itself and be special again. <br />
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It’s the sequel to Yami no Bansousha, a 2015 drama, and the story revolves around the mysterious death of an editor-in-chief of a regular manga comic. Maverick manga editor Daigo Shinji is brought in to continue his work and before long he meets up with his old-time partner in crime, Mizuno Yuki and the two of them work together to uncover the truth.<br />
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And it's a fairly twisty tale. If the first Yami No Bansosha was about solving crimes with the physical manga itself giving clues, the second one focused on the industry, the history and the black market for artwork.<br />
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But, weaved in between all of this, was a constant call for the manga industry to rediscover its past glories. It was kind of heart-breaking to watch as Daigo Shinji insisted that manga used to be important and it could be again, if only it could reconnect with its audience.<br />
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The mysterious death itself was a tangle of different crimes, none of which seemed to add up to much. In the end, it was thanks to a previously unknown witness to the crime that some kind of movement towards a solution became apparent.<br />
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While there's a lot to enjoy in this series: the directing, the chemistry between the two lead characters and the never-ending reveal of new clues, the overall feeling was a bit messy and lacked focus. The murder mystery often took second place to evangelizing about manga, with the victim being a sort of metaphor for the industry.<br />
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Plus, the inclusion of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamishibai">Kamishibai</a> (old fashioned street story-tellers) in the mystery was clearly meant as an example of a form of entertainment that failed in the face of new technology and became obsolete: a fate that some think that manga is facing now.Ersbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08012602968152264418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-280588484072546625.post-36555774721025393592018-06-03T14:55:00.001+01:002018-06-03T14:56:41.659+01:00Final Fantasy XVI was a hopeless Final Fantasy fanboy since 1998, when I first played FF VII, right up until FF XII in 2007. After that I had a bit of a problem with the franchise: Final Fantasy XII was <i>too good</i>. I simply didn’t care about the next one (and the reviews backed me up) nor the one after.<br />
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Final Fantasy XV brought me back into the fold. And how. Since its release in 2016, I’ve played little else since then. And it’s not just the main game, but also the downloadable content which has kept a hold on me and lead me to the unlikely event of being in a Final Fantasy game.<br />
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One of the DLCs for FFXV is the online version called Final Fantasy: Comrades. In this, you create a new avatar (I made one that kind of resembled me) and then you have a number of missions to complete to level up so you can complete more missions, etc. In order to make this endless grinding more enjoyable, I started inventing a storyline around the AI characters who accompanied me. In particular, a romance between me and a NPC called Jenica.<br />
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Despite the AI for these characters outside battle letting them do little more than jump up and down or walk with a pronounced limp, the relationship between us quickly grew quite a convoluted storyline.<br />
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<i>Here we are, at a camp, looking longingly into each others eyes.</i></div>
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<i>After a battle, I'd run over to her side.</i></div>
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<i>But then I spoke to Iris.</i></div>
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<i>And the next time I saw Jenica, she seemed angry for some reason.</i></div>
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<i>She did her best to ignore me at camp.</i></div>
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<i>And after battle, as well.</i></div>
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<i>Did she prefer Kenny Crow after all? Was I yesterday's news?</i></div>
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<i>But soon after that, we were back to normal.</i></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Back together, as it should be.</i></div>
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A nice example of how you can put a narrative on otherwise random events. It all makes Final Fantasy: Comrades less of a chore, certainly.<br />
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But recently, as I played the main game through to completion for the first time since an update, I found some new storylines in Chapter 14 that included some of the AI characters from FF:Comrades. And then, to my surprise and unashamed delight, I found myself in one of the quests.<br />
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<i>Look at me with all the cool guys!</i></div>
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Anyway, a twenty-year-old dream fulfilled. Now all I want to do is find Jenica in the main game. I can't tell, but I hope this isn't her...<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>A sad ending...</i></div>
Ersbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08012602968152264418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-280588484072546625.post-40850804882127327732018-05-13T06:04:00.000+01:002018-05-13T06:05:12.098+01:00Miss SherlockI had all but given up on watching this show having found nothing but a low quality version of episode two on a streaming site which wasn’t exactly easy to watch. But with subs on d-addicts, I was able to sit down last night with the first episode.<br />
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While I can’t call myself a fan, I do enjoy a good Sherlock, whether it be true to the original or a reinvention and this one, produced by the TV Channel Hulu, is apparently the first in which both main roles have been changed to women. I can’t see how this has changed anything but setting the story in modern day Japan seems to have caused a few minor rewrites. Wato-san, the doctor, is just back from voluntary work in Syria instead of Waston’s recent time in the army in Afghanistan.<br />
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The story is not a rewrite of a Conan Doyle story, but is a brand new mystery: two totally unconnected people die by a small bomb in their stomach going off. How did it get in there, and why were they targetted?<br />
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Episode one seemed a bit rushed. The clues were clearly signposted and there were few opportunities for clever Sherlockian deduction and even those were pretty uninspiring. Also, there was no attempt at slowly introducing an evil genius orchestrating everything: instead, Sherlock just started shouting “Who’s behind all this?” once the mystery had been solved. And then, right at the end, the two lead characters have to move in together because Wato-san’s hears that her hotel has just burnt down. How convenient.<br />
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So, a clunky start, but still quite enjoyable. Ersbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08012602968152264418noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-280588484072546625.post-74051038453192696612018-05-10T05:53:00.000+01:002018-05-10T05:53:50.480+01:00In The Endless Zanhyang, We Are (Mother's Ruin, Bristol, 9 May 2018)During the two years or so when I wasn't writing for this blog, I found a YouTube channel called <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9YJ_8ndihOBFiOcV2fJm6Q">"C Lippe"</a> which regurarly posts live gigs from various South Korean bands. In The Endless Zanhyang We Are were one of those bands and the only one to really take a hold of me. I thought they were amazing and for the past eighteen months my mp3 player has always had something of theirs on it, whether it was the LP, EP or some live mp3s I ripped from YouTube. <br />
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Recently, I learnt through Facebook that they were playing their first gigs in the UK. Such is my love for this band, that I would've happily travelled hundreds of miles to see their first gig on British soil. As it was, it was only a twenty minute walk from my flat. How convenient.<br />
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The best bit about reviewing music on the Internet is that instead of describing the sound, you can post a handy link that would tell the reader all they need. Here’s a link to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=%EB%81%9D%EC%97%86%EB%8A%94%EC%9E%94%ED%96%A5%EC%86%8D%EC%97%90%EC%84%9C%EC%9A%B0%EB%A6%AC%EB%8A%94+180428">some live stuff from earlier this year</a>.<br />
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Suffice to say, I find it both elegiac and immense, fragile and over-powering. The set itself was only half an hour long, held in a room over a pub that might hold fifty people at a pinch, but the smallness of the venue mattered little once they started playing. The lead vocalist went from gentle crooning to banshee wailing, arching her back and throwing out emotions far bigger than the room could comfortably contain. <br />
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The drums powered through, driving each song forward and I remember thinking how much more rhythmic and raw it felt compared to the studio album. The bass guitar added melody to the drums while the guitar acted as a counterpoint to the vocals and keyboard before heading off on its own into wild pounding chords, sending the song further and further away from its starting point before bringing it all back round again. <br />
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A stunning performance and, by itself, was worth the entrance fee. They were actually fourth on the bill. Astonishing. Their name should be tattooed on every shoulder blade and down every calf muscle in the Western world, in my opinion. <br />
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But, yeah. Incredible. If you need someone to restore your faith in music, then give them a try. <br />
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Track listing for the night<br />
1. 5.41<br />
2. Greensleeves <br />
3. And So It Goes<br />
4. Nightglow Sea<br />
5. What IfErsbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08012602968152264418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-280588484072546625.post-41246962704384501762018-05-05T15:30:00.000+01:002018-05-05T19:05:05.183+01:00Signal – Chouki Mikaiketsu Jiken SousahanIn this series, two police officers communicate solely by walkie-talkie in order to solve cold cases. The twist being that one is living in the past. As well as these two individuals is a third officer who worked with the first as a trainee and now works with the other one as a detective.<br />
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In this kind of story it can be difficult to maintain a logic guiding the time anomaly. This is especially the case in Signal, since the communications from the past aren’t even in chronological order: the first two transmissions are from a particular year and then the next (which doesn’t happen until eight years later) is from three years previously.<br />
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If I’ve made it look complicated then don’t be put off. This all happens over the course of the first two episodes and the phenomena is introduced slowly, so there’s plenty of time to understand what’s going on.<br />
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As a police drama, it works well. The stories are interesting, the procedures seem realistic and it’s played straight. The acting is fine, with Kitamura Kazuki putting in by far the most compelling performance as Ouyama, the police officer from the 1990s.<br />
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Everyone else is good, but a little bit typical for the genre: there's the gruff career cop, the US-trained profiler with his new-fangled ways, the female detective who is basically The Sensible One in the team and, of course, an evil police commissioner. But I suppose you need a few archetypes in a police drama. It certainly saves time in introducing characters.<br />
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I’ve already seen the original Korean drama so, if it stays true to that storyline, I know it’ll be a strong drama with a satisfying conclusion. And so far it seems to be doing just that. This is a great example of how to do a drama that links two different timelines without it getting messy or unrealistic.Ersbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08012602968152264418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-280588484072546625.post-78576917670555049132018-04-15T14:51:00.000+01:002018-04-15T14:53:01.936+01:00Confidence Man JPThis drama concerns the exploits of a gang of three confidence tricksters and the way they rob from corrupt millionaires in exciting and entertaining ways.<br />
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That’s the premise, anyway. It falls a bit short, but more about that later.<br />
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On the plus side, the performances are fine and the show bounces along with a lot of energy and humour. I liked the opening section where they pay homage to the final scene of the 1973 film <i>The Sting</i>, but in a Japanese setting. By the way, if you like stories about con men and you haven’t seen <i>The Sting</i>, definitely watch that before you watch this because <i>Confidence Man JP</i> might spoil the ending for you.<br />
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On the down side, the story is a bit contrived. The problem is that since this is all about tricking people, the show itself has no problem with setting up a huge convoluted situation and then going “Actually, all that was fake.” I mean, that’s okay I guess, but I’m hoping they’ve got something more imaginative for later episodes.<br />
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So far, so good. But this didn’t have me gasping at the twists and turns as, say, Liar Game.<br />
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Oh, and the JP at the end of the title is to distinguish it from its sister shows <i>Confidence Man KR</i> and <i>Confidence Man CN, </i>both currently in production. I’m curious to see how the shows differ for each market.<br />
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<br />Ersbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08012602968152264418noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-280588484072546625.post-26259229824933430272018-04-08T16:18:00.000+01:002018-04-15T15:00:37.357+01:00Keep on running, manAbout this time last year, the Korean variety show Running Man was in serious trouble. Ratings were low and showed no signs of changing. Gary had left at the end of 2016, yet the cast still kept making references to there being seven members in the cast as if they were still pining for the good old days. <br />
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Then, in March 2017, it was moved from the prime time slot of 6.25pm on a Sunday to the slightly less prime time of 4.50pm. This looked, frankly, like a demotion and an admission that Running Man could no longer cope with its competitors at peak viewing hours.<br />
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But in April 2017 three new people joined the team. A new PD Jung Chul Min came on board and brought with him some new ideas for games formats and two new cast members: Jeon So Min (who cleverly mentioned her lack of work when appearing as a guest) and Yang Se Chan.<br />
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These two immediately became a breath of fresh air, with Jeon So Min’s unpredictable outburst and Yang Se Chan’s constant undermining of relationships among the male colleagues was just what the show needed. The fact that they were both devious was a bonus.<br />
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Suddenly, the balance of power in the cast had shifted and the old team had a new lease of life. Ratings, too, started to creep up until they were occasionally hitting double figures. Running Man looked like it had saved itself.<br />
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Interestingly, though, something else changed. Guests have started to repeat far more often than in the past. It looks like the new PD is determined to make sure that there are always a number of possibles for new members should someone else leave. In fact, Jo Se Ho was considered for the role of the ninth member when he chose to join Infinite Challenge.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Lee Elijah</i></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Jo Se Ho</i></div>
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<i>Lee Sang Yeob</i></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Lee Da Hee</i></div>
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So the show is back on its feet and looking forward to the future instead of banging on about its past. Considering that, at the end of 2016, it had <a href="http://ifbyjapan.blogspot.co.uk/2016/12/running-man-and-then-there-were-none.html">effectively been cancelled</a>, this is quite an achievement.Ersbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08012602968152264418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-280588484072546625.post-16821298664018499732018-04-02T08:18:00.003+01:002018-04-02T08:39:34.627+01:00Matsue for the third timeI once read a tourist book that recommended three days for a thorough exploration of Matsue, so considering that by the end of this holiday I would have been here as a tourist for about two weeks, you'd be forgiven for wondering if there was anything left for me to do. <br />
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There were a few things, mostly personal things that you don't find in tourist guides. Things I'd noticed in passing at the time and had slowly grown into obsessions since then.<br />
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Two of these things related to small forests. One was in Yasugi: I'd stopped off here in 2012 on my way to the Adachi Art Museum and taken a photo of a tree-covered hill with a red torii visible through a break in the trees.<br />
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<i>The photo I took in 2012</i></div>
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The other was actually in Matsue itself. A tree-topped hill that seemed to rise and fall out of the suburbs for no reason.<br />
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<i>View of the hill, as seen from near the Shimane Art Museum</i></div>
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I had noticed it the first time I came to Matsue, but never got round to exploring it. This time, I was determined to solve the mystery of both of these places.<br />
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There was also the small issue of a Lantern Festival I wanted to see, as well as revisiting old haunts.<br />
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On my way to the hill in Yasugi, called Togamiyama Nagisa Park, I walked past this crazy beautiful house build in the style of a Japanese castle. But slightly ramshackle, and not quite right. But it was so amazing to look at, I can totally believe this was intentional.<br />
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And the park itself was quite an adventure. Especially if you hate spiders.<br />
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<i>Plenty of these</i></div>
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The spiders would build their webs across the path, giving any walker the choice of ducking under them or brushing them aside. And, frankly, brushing them aside wasn't really an option. These weren't dry, wispy cobwebs I was used to, but they were strong, sticky and broke with an almost audible snap. I decided to avoid them as much as possible.<br />
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<i>Found this on the hill</i></div>
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<i>Not sure what this used to be</i></div>
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<i>Success! A five year old mystery solved!</i></div>
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The hill in Matsue can be access through the back of the temple Enjou-ji. It's pretty small, but still full of spiders and mosquitoes and I got bitten quite a lot during this walk. I think it was worth it, though.<br />
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<i>I saw a lot of these stone lanterns with these strips of paper attached to them</i></div>
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<i>Not sure what they are.</i></div>
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<i>Found an old cemetery</i></div>
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The Lantern Festival, held around the grounds of Matsue Castle, was very pretty.<br />
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Not only that, I also enjoyed revisiting places to see if they'd changed.<br />
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<i>They still haven't cleaned this mirror</i></div>
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I also went to Suito restaurant, where I'd been on my previous two trips here and I was very pleased when they recognised me. I also went to Dorobou Bar, where I went on my first time in Matsue. The bartender who'd served me was still there. In fact, she was now the manager. She didn't remember me, though people tried. I don't know who “James” was, but he must have made an impression, since two people asked me if I was him.<br />
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<i>Grapefruit! Karaoke!</i></div>
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Someone brought in grapefruit and shared it round, which was nice of him. And I even sung a song on the karaoke, after a lot of drunken persuasion from a salaryman. I chose <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0b6inZfiGrw">Kaze Wo Atsumete</a>, since it's the Japanese song I know most words to. People either ignored me or were politely appreciative.<br />
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Actually, I had arranged this trip with the idea that this'd be my last journey to Matsue, but I had so much fun (and I still haven't gone to Yaegaki Shrine) that I guess I'll go at least once more.Ersbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08012602968152264418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-280588484072546625.post-26648225625762972702018-03-26T19:01:00.001+01:002021-07-11T12:39:43.754+01:00Tokyo Night Sky is Always the Densest Shade of BlueIs there a name for this genre of film? Lovelorn, confused and underpaid people struggle through their twenties in carefully framed shots of big city life accompanied by a well-chosen indie rock soundtrack. There must be. I've seen so many. This one, however, is one of the best. Even after just twenty minutes, I sat there and thought to myself "This film is brilliant."<br />
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The film is from Yuya Ishii, the same director as <a href="http://ifbyjapan.blogspot.co.uk/2011/06/just-watched-sawako-decides.html">Sawako Decides</a>, and it shares some of the same qualities. A slow dreamlike story progression and a deadpan, almost undetectable, sense of humour. The two films also concern themselves with characters who are psychologically off-centre. Embarrassed that they even exist, their attempts at reaching out are often clumsy and self-defeating.<br />
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The cast is brilliant. From the two lead roles right down to sniggering staff at a cheap late night restaurant, there isn't a bad performance among them. The main female character is a great performance from Shizuka Ishibashi and the male lead, Sosuke Ikematsu, is excellent. Likable enough that his air of defeatism doesn't become insufferable and he keeps you on his side.<br />
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The photography is very fine. Understated but classy. Like a fine white wine (I'm writing this in a pub. Can you tell?). Tokyo has been photographed to death, but it still looks vibrant and new here.<br />
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Finally, and I only discovered this after watching, the dialogue has an unusual source: the poetry of Tahi Saihate. This explains the sometimes florid use of language in the voice overs, but it definitely gives the film a distinct character. The poet in question hasn't been translated into English yet, so hats off to the translator for dealing with it so well (although someone needs to tell them that "... Not." hasn't been used as a way of being sarcastic since about 2002).<br />
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I was delighted to find this film and I had that feeling afterwards as if you'd just done something good for yourself, like exercise or reading a newspaper. <br />
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A fragile and slightly awkward gem.Ersbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08012602968152264418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-280588484072546625.post-59821216037723168882018-03-24T11:30:00.001+00:002018-03-24T11:38:59.685+00:00Tokyo for the second timeIn October last year, I visted Japan agin. This time I decided to spend half of my vacation in Tokyo. I’d been once before, but only for a few days which really isn’t long enough. This time I stayed for a week, which still isn’t long enough but is better than before.<br />
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I arrived during a heavy downpour and took a while to find my hotel. I felt a bit self-conscious as I booked in at reception, soaking wet, and left a puddle where I had been standing. Not only that but the rain got into my luggage and soaked my neatly folded clothes in new and interesting ways. In this photo you can see it looks like I’ve been wearing a wet bra under my nice dry jumper.<br />
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I went to Kamakura on one of the rare days of good weather to look at the temples and the Daibutsu. The place was full of tourists, but luckily most things you want to photo are quite high up, so they don’t get in the way.<br />
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Being the contrary type, I preferred the temples that were a furthest from the centre. My feet didn’t appreciate the walk there, but the <a href="https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Zuisenji/@35.3267746,139.5753292,15z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x4717ca389a92722a?sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwinq_-864TaAhXEzRQKHeFHBHEQ_BIIqAEwDg">Zuisenji Temple</a> was a welcome relief from the crowds. It’s also quite unlike the other temples in that the grounds are not sparse and neat, but featured dense gardens making every pathway seem a bit secret and exciting.<br />
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I based myself in Nippori, north of Ueno Park, which is just next to Yanaka. This is one of the quieter pockets of Tokyo which has escaped too much redevelopment. I took a walk recommended in my 1980 tour book to see how accurate it still was. And for most of the time, apart from a couple of shops which had closed, it was still pretty much spot on. It lead me from one temple to another, ending up at the Nezu Shrine with its small but pretty pathways of toriis.<br />
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I also <a href="https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/%E3%82%88%E3%82%8A%E3%81%BF%E3%81%A1%E3%82%AB%E3%83%95%E3%82%A7/@35.7219591,139.7618446,15.75z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0xa84f58614109165c!8m2!3d35.7219915!4d139.7615578">found this cafe</a>, which I absolutely loved. Not just because I really needed a sit down, but also for the decor and the food which were both very nice.<br />
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Talking of Yanaka, I <a href="https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/%E3%82%B5%E3%82%B1%E3%83%88%E3%82%A2%E3%83%86+%E7%8F%8D%E5%BF%B5/@35.728901,139.762012,17z/data=!4m13!1m7!3m6!1s0x60188dd49a29cf49:0x61fc5462a4a58119!2sYanaka,+Tait%C5%8D,+Tokyo+110-0001,+Japan!3b1!8m2!3d35.7272188!4d139.765932!3m4!1s0x0:0x1c9a57a54a989d34!8m2!3d35.7289013!4d139.7642067">visited a very nice</a> (and brand new) Sake bar <a href="http://chin-nen.tokyo/home/">Chin-nen</a>, and I spent a nice evening trying different types of sake and chatting to the manager, who spoke some English (and a little French, too). I asked him what the name meant and he admitted it didn't really mean anything.<br />
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A few years ago, <a href="http://ersby.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/finding-japanese-streets-after-seventy.html">on my other blog</a>, I wrote about my attempts at locating a Japanese street I found on an old piece of film footage.<br />
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Ever since then, I've always wanted to go back and see if anything at all remains from that day to this. Looking on Google Street View suggested that there wasn't but I thought that, since I was in the neighbourhood, I'd go and have a look for myself.<br />
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And I was very pleased to find something: The air vents for the underground system. I'm sure that the actual grills have been replaced, but this is an example of something with the same function in the same place after seventy years which, in a city that reinvented itself as radically as Tokyo, seemed pretty special.<br />
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Finally, just because it's one of those things I thought I should do at least once, I went for a night out in Roppongi.<br />
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It was very expensive, as I knew it would be, costing about £60 which is an awful lot for a few drinks at a bar and some live music. Good job I didn't order food. But I think I chose well, going to see a Beatles tribute act at the <a href="https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/ABBEY+ROAD+Tokyo/@35.664082,139.729763,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x60188b780a91968d:0x4d0585025c759c0d!8m2!3d35.664082!4d139.731957">club Abbey Road</a>. <br />
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The staff were very friendly and several came to chat with me, although I was a little embarrassed to admit to each one that I'd never actually gone to Liverpool despite my love of The Beatles. Plus, my last drink was free which was a nice gesture.<br />
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So those are the highlights of my trip to Tokyo. I hope to write more about my return to Matsue soon.<br />
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<i>Super Mario gives no shits about the rain.</i></div>
Ersbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08012602968152264418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-280588484072546625.post-26528622739309265082018-03-18T09:59:00.001+00:002018-04-02T09:09:19.679+01:00Forthcoming dramasIt’s been a while since I sat down with a J-drama. In fact, it’s been a while since I even checked to see what was on. But recently, I looked on the jdramas blog to see when the next series of Cold Case is coming out (in the fall, apparently) and while I was there I decided to find out what <a href="https://jdramas.wordpress.com/2018/03/17/upcoming-spring-2018-dramas-3/#more-47938">new dramas are coming out</a> in the next few weeks.<br />
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Out of these, I put together a list of what seems interesting to me. I’ll never watch them all, but I’ll try to keep an eye out for them.<br />
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<b><i>Hanbun Aoi</i></b> (starts: 2 April, NHK)<br />
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The only reason this caught my eye was because the main character was born in the same year that I was: 1971. It seems like one of those slice-of-life dramas: a single mother returns to her home town after life in Tokyo. Could be interesting. Unfortunately, it’s an asadora, which means a 15-minute episode every day. I never could get the hang of that kind of schedule.<br />
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<b><i>Kodok no Gurume 7</i></b> (7 April, TV Tokyo)<br />
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Seven?! I haven’t watched this since season two. Luckily, there’s little in the way of storyline, as I recall, as a man goes to different establishments and eats food.<br />
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<b><i>The Confidence Man JP</i></b> (9 April, Fuji TV)<br />
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Well, it’s got a good cast (judging by the poster, mostly Nagasawa Masami's legs) and I usually enjoy scripts based around confidence tricks and betrayal, so those are two things it’s got going for it. Plus, it's from the writer of Suzuki Sensei, so fingers crossed for this one.<br />
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<b><i>Signal – Chouki Mikaiketsu Jiken Sousahan</i></b> (10 April, Fuji TV)<br />
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I’ve already watched, finished and thoroughly enjoyed the Korean original so I know this drama has a solid base to start from. And I do enjoy a story that plays around with time. If done properly, they can be a lot of fun. I’m kind of hoping, though, that the story of the Japanese version isn’t the same as the Korean one, otherwise there won’t be much reason for me to watch.<br />
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<b><i>Mikaikestu no Onna – Keishichou Bunsho Sousakan</i></b> (19 April)<br />
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I do enjoy police dramas, especially those that involve crimes that haven’t been solved in years. In fact, I’ve already mentioned two (Cold Case and Signal) so maybe a third is pushing it. Plus, in this series the unsolved crimes department is in a basement. Are all unsolved crimes departments in basements in Japan? Seems very unfair.<br />
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<b><i>Yami no Bansosha Season 2 – Henshuuchou no Jouken</i></b> (31 March, WOWOW)<br />
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Well, I was not expecting this. Three years <a href="http://ifbyjapan.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/ishi-no-mayu-and-yami-no-bansosha.html">after the first series</a>, a second is finally released. Very happy to see Matsushita Nao and Furuta Arata back together again. Can they solve a murder where the only clue is an unpublished manga manuscript? I’m looking forward to this one.<br />
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<b><i>Miss Sherlock</i></b> (27 April, Hulu & HBO Asia)<br />
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The recent BBC version completely ran out of steam by the end of its fourth series, so a new angle on the old Sherlock might be nice. Then again, it might not.<br />
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<b><i>Kuroidogoroshi</i> </b>(14 April, Fuji TV)<br />
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Just <a href="https://doramaworld.blogspot.co.uk/2018/03/preview-of-kuroidogoroshi-drama-sp.html">a one-off special</a>, but I thought I’d mention it here. The writer, Mitani Kouki, is one of the greats of Japanese TV but even I have to admit it’s been a long time since his stuff has been essential viewing. However, this is a sequel to <a href="http://ifbyjapan.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/just-watched-orient-kyuukou-satsujin.html">his adaptation of Murder On The Orient Express</a> and this means a repeat performance from Nomura Mansai. Last time out, he stole the show.<br />
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Let’s hope someone has reigned in Mitani Kouki’s self-indulgent side and kept the script to what he does best: witty dialogue and murders.<br />
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And so, to recap...<br />
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Most likely to begin with a helicopter shot of Tokyo: Confidence Man JP<br />
Most likely to contain a scene where footsteps echo ominously as someone approaches: Confidence Man JP<br />
Will almost certainly not be as good as the original: Miss Sherlock<br />
Will probably include an old couple who run a sweet shop: Hanbun Aoi<br />
Will have excessive use of flashbacks: Hanbun Aoi<br />
Will include a sympathetic murderer: Mikaikestu no Onna<br />
The two main characters do not get on at first but learn to respect each other: possibly all of themErsbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08012602968152264418noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-280588484072546625.post-85373171706060466062018-03-17T16:17:00.002+00:002018-03-17T16:18:54.774+00:00Japanese soundscapesWhen you come back from travelling, you will probably have some photos and films, some souvenirs and some local foods to help you relive those memories.<br />
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But sounds are often overlooked. Possibly because they're not as easy to capture as a visual image and possibly because, when you're constantly seeing and tasting new things, it doesn't occur to you to stop and listen.<br />
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The website <a href="https://aporee.org/maps/">https://aporee.org/maps/</a> goes some of the way to solve that. It hosts a large number of soundscapes that have been uploaded by people, which are then pinned to a map of the world so you can browse by location.<br />
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There are fascinating clips from everywhere and it's easy to lose hours just going from one place to the next, but I'll be concentrating on those from Japan.<br />
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There's quite a large selection, taking in all the usual images people have about Japan, from <a href="https://aporee.org/maps/?loc=17679&m=roadmap">Akihabara</a> and a <a href="https://aporee.org/maps/?loc=10763&m=roadmap">Sega arcade</a> to <a href="https://aporee.org/maps/?loc=35163&m=satellite">temples</a>. Quite a lot of temples, actually. While I was interested to hear unique and location specific sounds, I found that the more everyday sounds, like <a href="https://aporee.org/maps/?loc=38925&m=roadmap">the chimes of a train crossing</a>, are the ones that make me feel nostalgic. I mean, the sound of <a href="https://aporee.org/maps/?loc=33981&m=satellite">a shamisen being played on a beach</a> in Okinawa Prefecture is very nice, but I don't get the same personal connection that I do with the <a href="https://aporee.org/maps/?loc=17712&m=roadmap">sounds of a city street</a>.<br />
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Nevertheless, this website gives you a chance to explore new things as well as the familiar. There's an eight minute recording from <a href="https://aporee.org/maps/?loc=7318&m=roadmap">a temple in Hamamatsu</a> and, oddly, a lengthy excerpt of <a href="https://aporee.org/maps/?loc=25685&m=roadmap">John Cage’s “Lecture on Nothing”</a> read aloud (in English) in Kyoto.<br />
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With the whole world to listen to there is, quite literally, something for everyone. I found that there’s a sound recording made at the end of the road where I live! An impressive collection.Ersbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08012602968152264418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-280588484072546625.post-84564976561587379662018-03-11T17:53:00.000+00:002018-03-11T17:56:28.147+00:00Folk singers<i>For the purposes of this blog post the term “folk music” refers to the Western style of music and not actual indigenous Japanese folk music.</i><br />
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I recently bought a book on Japanese folk musician Mikami Kan. I’d never heard of him before I saw the book in a Tokyo record store, but since it was the only English language book about a Japanese topic, I picked it up and bought it there and then.<br />
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The book is excellent, and it talks about music, the creative process, friendship and his career through 1970s Japan. It does so in short, punchy paragraphs, most of which are only one sentence long. <br />
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On one page, in a paragraph with six sentences in it (possibly the longest in the book) he lists the acts who performed at the 3rd All Japan Folk Jamboree in 1971. When I saw this, I thought this would be a great place to start and learn more about the genre. These are the highlights of what I found. <br />
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First is Okabayashi Nobuyasu 岡林 信康. According to Wikipedia, this guy is “Japan’s Bob Dylan” and he is best know for his song “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4u5ZzmJW_Q">The Letter</a>” which is very nice but I was blown away by the electrified blues of “Watashitachi no Nozomumono wa” performed live with the band Happy End.<br />
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and if you prefer something more acoustic, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fpjYkVzp8k">this full concert (audio only)</a> from 1969 is beautiful.<br />
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Next is Takada Wataru 高田渡 with this gentle singalong, “Seikatsu no gara”<br />
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Then there is Endo Kenji 遠藤 賢司 (and you’re going to need those kanji if you want to search for him) who sadly died last October. He wrote the song Bob Lennon which was later used in the film 20th Century Boys.</div>
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Finally, a song from Masato Tomobe 友部正人. This song may date from 1983, so it's a bit later than the 70s vibe I've been searching for, but I like it all the same.<br />
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While looking through YouTube for these songs, I kept getting sidetracked by the suggestions automatically provided by YouTube. A few of these lead me down some very nice paths, especially to this copy of Misora by Sanchiko Kaneobu.<br />
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And, of course, I had to include Mikami Kan himself, didn't I?<br />
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<br />Ersbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08012602968152264418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-280588484072546625.post-64613625705471604082018-03-05T20:12:00.001+00:002018-03-05T20:12:33.295+00:00Shinjuku, ten years onThere is a film project called <a href="http://globallives.org/">Global Lives</a> in which ordinary people from around the world have one twenty-four hour period of their lives recorded. The idea being that these will become important historical artefacts, giving future generations a chance to see how we really lived, worked, played etc.<br />
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Japan's entry concerned <a href="http://globallives.org/participants/rumi-nagashima-tokyo-japan/">a woman called Rumi Nagashima</a>, a mostly wheelchair-bound girl scout leader. It was filmed back in 2007 and, truth be told, not enough time has passed for this to feel like a glimpse of a lost world. In fact, it all looks quite unremarkable. It's all up <a href="https://archive.org/details/ruminagashima">on the Internet Archive</a> for you to watch, along with <a href="https://archive.org/details/globallives">many others</a>. <br />
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Anyway, in October last year I visited Japan again and this time I spent a decent amount of time in Tokyo. Previously I was only there for four days and you really can't get a feel of a place in so little time. I'll do a post of things I did in a few days, but a recurring theme of my holiday was to revisit places that either I or someone else had been.<br />
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And so, when I found myself awake at two o'clock one morning, I took the chance to go to Shinjuku and photograph places I'd seen in Rumi Nagashima's film. To put things in some kind of context, it was late at night and she was trying to get the last train back after an evening out, and she needed to find the disabled access to Shinjuku Station.<br />
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So, for example, she heads towards the elevator to the station. As you can see, the artistic flooring (above) has been replaced by something more functional (below).<br />
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In the film, she was too late to actually use the elevator. If only she'd waited ten years, she would've found the elevator still open and operational.<br />
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Bits of Shinjuku.<br />
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More bits.<br />
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Sadly, the new album by Koda Kumi is not longer being advertised here.<br />
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Mostly the differences are minor, like a new logo on a shop front...<br />
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But this one bothered me. You see, I always thought that traffic cones were a temporary measure. Something used for a fixed period until a more permanent solution comes along. But in this photo, we can see that traffic cones have been used in the same area for about ten years. And what, exactly, are they doing?<br />
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Crossing a bridge. Kind of similar.<br />
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And once she's at the station, nothing much at all had changed.<br />
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As a piece of history, it seems quite faithful to reality. She talks to her mum about the TV news over breakfast, she works as a Girl Guide leader in the afternoon and goes out in the evening. While I expect they chose a day when she'd be doing something active, it doesn't seem particularly staged. In the nicest possible way: it's certainly dull enough to be real life.<br />
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Worth a look.<br />
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No subs, though.Ersbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08012602968152264418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-280588484072546625.post-87192259365755942092018-03-03T08:53:00.004+00:002018-03-03T09:35:51.115+00:00Death On The Mountain (1961)This film is tells a story about how a trip in the mountains ends in tragedy and how suspicions grow after an article about it is published in a magazine.<br />
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It’s a fairly short film that focuses only on the main event - the tragic but apparently accidental death of a mountaineer. There are no sub-plots or character development beyond that which moves the story along. This means that, every step of the way, you feel you’re getting closer to a solution even if the film itself isn’t that fast paced.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW9VD0i7ngKjsxXCzj4nA63nGKMOQ5JLMvNyvfLCpJrggPwuC_qDmaKmruF1RCfyOYP3CtIAjZRcWxV9nmEOU5sqAhEWKMiuCHCKVdI-ywjdRXBJFXhkQo4Mm_tL2viGlOxB_Syt154YOt/s1600/vlcsnap-2018-03-03-08h14m51s897.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="853" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW9VD0i7ngKjsxXCzj4nA63nGKMOQ5JLMvNyvfLCpJrggPwuC_qDmaKmruF1RCfyOYP3CtIAjZRcWxV9nmEOU5sqAhEWKMiuCHCKVdI-ywjdRXBJFXhkQo4Mm_tL2viGlOxB_Syt154YOt/s320/vlcsnap-2018-03-03-08h14m51s897.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Perhaps the film’s greatest achievement is the introduction, halfway through, of a new main character. With only a few broad strokes, the actor manages to establish himself as likable and interesting.<br />
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This is especially important since the final third of the film concerns him and the apparent killer retracing the steps of the doomed mountaineering party to pay their respects. As they do, the new guy keeps making observations about how the events of that fateful day don’t make sense and the tension between them slowly increases.<br />
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But do all these small clues add up? And if they do, will the killer kill again?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi14_TVr8MznTgvuR4-qGAhfqd1veKHOyxE0p8-Ehh8LftlBeiQu3ZzcwjRaJWWPvVG3wzWk1HwGh13jAx8HlqRgYI-geKfjyStd-HeTXB2wpC9KwYvBoLdsk9UXrAsUbFdsEqXdFtv5DE0/s1600/vlcsnap-2018-03-03-08h16m37s638.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="853" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi14_TVr8MznTgvuR4-qGAhfqd1veKHOyxE0p8-Ehh8LftlBeiQu3ZzcwjRaJWWPvVG3wzWk1HwGh13jAx8HlqRgYI-geKfjyStd-HeTXB2wpC9KwYvBoLdsk9UXrAsUbFdsEqXdFtv5DE0/s320/vlcsnap-2018-03-03-08h16m37s638.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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This is an enjoyable film, written in a tight, economic style and with some beautiful photography of mountain ranges.Ersbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08012602968152264418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-280588484072546625.post-79365692028370253292018-03-03T08:13:00.001+00:002018-03-03T08:13:10.222+00:00So where have I been?Well, sleeping, mostly. It’s not been a great year for TV and apart from Running Man, the only series I’ve watched to completion since I last wrote were Twin Peaks, Doctor Who and Hyori’s Bed & Breakfast. Certainly not enough to sustain a blog about TV.<br />
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Also, in the past year or so, the J-drama community has become increasingly splintered and hard to follow. It’s been quite sad to watch, as one bookmark after another has been deleted from my browser.<br />
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Is this going to be the start of regular blogging? I have no idea. It’s just that I watched a film this morning, and wanted to write about it.Ersbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08012602968152264418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-280588484072546625.post-86599046801221737142016-12-29T20:44:00.000+00:002016-12-29T20:44:35.830+00:00Currently Watching: Yuusha Yoshihiko to Michibikareshi ShichininWell, this came as a surprise. Five years after the last Yuusha Yoshihiko series, this new outing for our hopeless J-RPG stereotypes came out this season without me noticing any pre-publicity for it. I don’t know if it was a low-key release or if I’m just clueless. Either way, I was happy to see it back.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaUX93URlObKWt2G1fkd4l92-LevfR4PxID-V2cJKOQudJFh3ZzrsIr_LrUQd62VX8DObiWx5oqB8QTrMJLlcqC3Sg7lOxaLHygd2W1wcleuc9hYIhDXcVLq1MeJ0D-i2dqdxlIVpLH-CC/s1600/vlcsnap-2016-12-19-10h07m15s483.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaUX93URlObKWt2G1fkd4l92-LevfR4PxID-V2cJKOQudJFh3ZzrsIr_LrUQd62VX8DObiWx5oqB8QTrMJLlcqC3Sg7lOxaLHygd2W1wcleuc9hYIhDXcVLq1MeJ0D-i2dqdxlIVpLH-CC/s320/vlcsnap-2016-12-19-10h07m15s483.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The format is the same: our hero Yoshihiko has to cross great distances and battle countless foes. And while they’re doing this, references to pop culture and video games pepper the dialogue.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmVShv40KPTSlWomiEb9wNHTWYgwiwaOTnG3P4EV6MUObaSRAG23imtz5uWwTS3eCaJQ9bTxug-dawzwHhHyP1lgowb7A83g9hfpI25MJ0ebguU-JeN1Zj__Am9hrhXLG47GA0vfm6W_yD/s1600/vlcsnap-2016-12-19-10h06m13s290.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmVShv40KPTSlWomiEb9wNHTWYgwiwaOTnG3P4EV6MUObaSRAG23imtz5uWwTS3eCaJQ9bTxug-dawzwHhHyP1lgowb7A83g9hfpI25MJ0ebguU-JeN1Zj__Am9hrhXLG47GA0vfm6W_yD/s320/vlcsnap-2016-12-19-10h06m13s290.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The whole cast is back, including Yoshihiko’s sister who does very little except secretly follow her brother. Perhaps this time she’ll have more of a role to play.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA8bPdfYKm96VCGH79xjzqb-KQMnRJQa9R0lh6M3gVO9Uq0opJyXLlyJ7ecTAj_HW34VmWno-MDj5H0ac1WOeWw565CgLaRefUuO0Wfr02m4Tx0MkVKch7UO5KEJxpc13J4CzBB3l4FCyT/s1600/vlcsnap-2016-12-19-10h03m52s631.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA8bPdfYKm96VCGH79xjzqb-KQMnRJQa9R0lh6M3gVO9Uq0opJyXLlyJ7ecTAj_HW34VmWno-MDj5H0ac1WOeWw565CgLaRefUuO0Wfr02m4Tx0MkVKch7UO5KEJxpc13J4CzBB3l4FCyT/s320/vlcsnap-2016-12-19-10h03m52s631.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Despite the long gap between series, it’s kept a lot of the amateurish charm of the original. It’s often hard to tell when the script ends and when improvising begins, and an eagle-eyed viewer should be able to spot various cast members trying not to laugh.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbCjRrFehU7jZdF4rP7E1pPTolf5upVvfJ-WTh_6lDJA1rTN1WvvnGu4to9s2XeDjyDxNLepPfUFSJYZS3I4Ik7ZCzurtPsUjNAOIs4OHU7-wM8E2XnvLBY1_qbS7g71QZDe9fljAJ8VNu/s1600/vlcsnap-2016-12-19-10h03m58s292.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbCjRrFehU7jZdF4rP7E1pPTolf5upVvfJ-WTh_6lDJA1rTN1WvvnGu4to9s2XeDjyDxNLepPfUFSJYZS3I4Ik7ZCzurtPsUjNAOIs4OHU7-wM8E2XnvLBY1_qbS7g71QZDe9fljAJ8VNu/s320/vlcsnap-2016-12-19-10h03m58s292.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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There is a story, but as I sit here and type, I realise I have no idea what it is. And it’s not important. It’s just a lot of very silly fun. Of course, how much you laugh will depend on how much you know about the thing they're making fun of. I especially liked the Final Fantasy episode but was less amused by the TV Tokyo story. I'm wondering if they're going to make fun of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persona_(series)">Persona series of RPGs</a> but that might be too niche, even for them.Ersbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08012602968152264418noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-280588484072546625.post-39207728011541047172016-12-24T23:13:00.002+00:002017-01-30T05:28:34.275+00:00Running Man: and then there were none!Well, only days after I write about Gary leaving the show, I found out that the series would finally end in February 2017.<br />
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<i>(EDIT 30/01/2017, Well, it seems that <a href="http://www.ibtimes.sg/running-man-details-upcoming-episodes-reversed-cancellation-revealed-6977">it will continue after all</a>.)</i><br />
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This announcement came at the end of a confusing week in which SBS, the channel which makes the show, revealed that Song Ji Hyo and Kim Jong Kook would be leaving the show to make way for new cast members in Running Man 2 in January 2017.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFz9FvOWv6t51LSUt5iF85PJBWi-kjeUcNz9m8gztTygRrWJ8wf03kx0VBgLs4_gMIRWwVfnPVVPyqlc2rBNZxhujk1H1zg44tdJYiytujyR2UbzXRfTIy33968eT7QFd0ewwDSKduFMMl/s1600/vlcsnap-2016-12-24-23h07m26s727.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFz9FvOWv6t51LSUt5iF85PJBWi-kjeUcNz9m8gztTygRrWJ8wf03kx0VBgLs4_gMIRWwVfnPVVPyqlc2rBNZxhujk1H1zg44tdJYiytujyR2UbzXRfTIy33968eT7QFd0ewwDSKduFMMl/s320/vlcsnap-2016-12-24-23h07m26s727.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Was this when they got the idea</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>for Running Man 2? (From ep 305)</i></div>
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Unfortunately, SBS didn’t reveal this to Song Ji Hyo or Kim Jong Kook until the day of the news release, which left them hurt and the fans angry. In the end, plans for Running Man 2 were dropped and the two regulars were reinstated with the announcement that Running Man would end for good in February 2017 with no second series.<br />
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My feelings on the series ending are mixed: I was still enjoying it, but at the same time I’m quite relieved. The cast aren’t getting any younger and both of the two mentioned above have had recurring injuries (Song Ji Hyo’s wrist and Kim Jong Kook’s knee). I’d been wondering how long it could go on for.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9_GPEfEVLxuupFhiQdRXI0ksagLBU26ltD-9lpIcFe_kMtNNw2NzKAKcUAJ0KcW-3mtE_tXryUDnV6KGYt8HTHHz7VdhlmsTT6UP4xUOxI-uyTuXN8Hvs9J9cceWqEk9dNAYvCoGlabua/s1600/RM+ratings+2010-2016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="145" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9_GPEfEVLxuupFhiQdRXI0ksagLBU26ltD-9lpIcFe_kMtNNw2NzKAKcUAJ0KcW-3mtE_tXryUDnV6KGYt8HTHHz7VdhlmsTT6UP4xUOxI-uyTuXN8Hvs9J9cceWqEk9dNAYvCoGlabua/s400/RM+ratings+2010-2016.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>RM national rating 2010-2016</i></div>
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It seems that the high overseas sales wasn’t enough to save Running Man’s poor run (a ha ha) in the rating’s battle. As I mentioned previously, RM hasn’t been able to shift much from 6%-7%, no matter what it does. <br />
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There was a sudden drop in November 2015 when RM got squeezed between two shows: the massively popular new show Real Men 2 and the suddenly revitalized long-running 1 Night 2 Days. Since then, RM has never been able to claw back its share of the viewers.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBa0ANChAUVOc1GrKDV-SMbwASAd-9rCYidbY524z7NYTw43oLfitq0TlqVYlBCMZ0lflzzMmdRqFYDBLmzbaIAmhGO_ltklmnzmtW9cYjpWwK-eDq9f961-PoUpfzrzcb4XBnEKE4n3nv/s1600/vlcsnap-2016-12-13-19h17m01s142.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBa0ANChAUVOc1GrKDV-SMbwASAd-9rCYidbY524z7NYTw43oLfitq0TlqVYlBCMZ0lflzzMmdRqFYDBLmzbaIAmhGO_ltklmnzmtW9cYjpWwK-eDq9f961-PoUpfzrzcb4XBnEKE4n3nv/s320/vlcsnap-2016-12-13-19h17m01s142.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Former regular Lizzy let's slip that she was sacked.</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>She's not the only one.</i></div>
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It’s not as if the show suddenly got worse. In fact, I thought that period (272 onwards) saw some very imaginative episodes. But public taste had left it for other shows and eventually SBS thought something had to be done.<br />
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It’s just a shame that they did it so badly. Sacking and then un-sacking members of the cast is never a good idea. However, <a href="https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/culture/2016/12/201_220379.html">The Korea Times says that the news was leaked</a> and wasn't actually part of an official statement. Even so, it's a grand example of miscommunication. All of this nonsense happened around the 16th of December, so in a couple of weeks I’ll be looking very closely at those episodes that were recorded soon after the scandal broke for any signs of awkwardness. I hope they’ll mention it on air and have a good laugh about it, but I don’t think they will.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRcG_E1DVowtfJGqbKu3lS2LlMcMRUyvYOcmtghs4AR_pmTZQL9UOUL9Tp0VKyYBkEkxzYqcwSd3GmhBx6ptHlO-9ZUVg1QDrBeFwNcHTXn5ESk10TjIaSxB5QD5d8mAKAQdxSMgTXxb2l/s1600/vlcsnap-2016-01-02-13h44m21s65.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRcG_E1DVowtfJGqbKu3lS2LlMcMRUyvYOcmtghs4AR_pmTZQL9UOUL9Tp0VKyYBkEkxzYqcwSd3GmhBx6ptHlO-9ZUVg1QDrBeFwNcHTXn5ESk10TjIaSxB5QD5d8mAKAQdxSMgTXxb2l/s320/vlcsnap-2016-01-02-13h44m21s65.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Whatever happened to this attitude?</i></div>
Ersbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08012602968152264418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-280588484072546625.post-87097196283571852452016-12-19T09:54:00.003+00:002016-12-19T09:54:46.766+00:00Running Man: And then there were sixAh, remember when there used to be nine regular members of Running Man? You know, back in the days when water was clean and bread was cheap. Well, those days are long gone and now we have to boil our water, slice our bread really thin and make do with only six regular members in Running Man. Something like that, anyway.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdGg4-2BXEc-pFIXGm1dmxbfHTiX5h2YhZmlMzjS_bMJ4DoWWoBqOahP1ffLGrOZ1Wre30Po0mcnU0gfXxdmjYoDw7dBqhtwXMLTiXQcMCTOnAav6JtzjHB5F4AjuRODQ1KKJ72u0DKJSn/s1600/%255BiSUBS%255DRunning.Man.E25.450P.avi_20161215_200536.011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdGg4-2BXEc-pFIXGm1dmxbfHTiX5h2YhZmlMzjS_bMJ4DoWWoBqOahP1ffLGrOZ1Wre30Po0mcnU0gfXxdmjYoDw7dBqhtwXMLTiXQcMCTOnAav6JtzjHB5F4AjuRODQ1KKJ72u0DKJSn/s320/%255BiSUBS%255DRunning.Man.E25.450P.avi_20161215_200536.011.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Once we were legion!!</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNscK_p2-qP89JihYIqlxeoHEN-6rDJMjmOoHPXo0re8qYBJgFzx8wtIJ5GG5XpzBUzlTl-b9PtEjqpoI95OGmT-sePznkt17kPfkdVlnYCbtzmAe-V_U8sGZpDxdZVlB6iHbVPMm1z6nZ/s1600/vlcsnap-2016-12-19-09h42m25s287.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNscK_p2-qP89JihYIqlxeoHEN-6rDJMjmOoHPXo0re8qYBJgFzx8wtIJ5GG5XpzBUzlTl-b9PtEjqpoI95OGmT-sePznkt17kPfkdVlnYCbtzmAe-V_U8sGZpDxdZVlB6iHbVPMm1z6nZ/s320/vlcsnap-2016-12-19-09h42m25s287.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Now... not so much.</i></div>
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Recently one of the regulars, Kang Gary, bid us all goodbye to concentrate on his music career and possibly also try to save his back which had, on and off, given him problems throughout his Running Man career. <br />
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While it was sad, it wasn’t a huge surprise. He’d made statements about leaving before and, apparently, he only stayed as long as he did after he was asked to do a few more months before he finally quit.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVSAwme3LkmGmilmmPNih8Egs6n0PZahMbALjLYq0b5Cufw06btSkQgUAbmeuYI6r8aTasjngVrugJ3yzdG0tw__Bry_KiARV_zzuTK4rYyELey8DRrKG74-liK3H6dUKPKT4cZj-rBPL7/s1600/vlcsnap-2016-12-13-19h41m19s843.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVSAwme3LkmGmilmmPNih8Egs6n0PZahMbALjLYq0b5Cufw06btSkQgUAbmeuYI6r8aTasjngVrugJ3yzdG0tw__Bry_KiARV_zzuTK4rYyELey8DRrKG74-liK3H6dUKPKT4cZj-rBPL7/s320/vlcsnap-2016-12-13-19h41m19s843.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The finale was very sad and made me shed a tear, but it was slightly spoilt by the very end which suggested that Gary would be in the following episode, too. It kind of ruined the moment. Like winning a heated argument and leaving the room in triumph, only to have to sneak back in again and get your coat.<br />
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Mind you, the next episode (with Gary as a guest) was pretty funny and it was entertaining watching people squirm with having to meet him again so soon after a tearful farewell.<br />
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Since then, a Gary-less Running Man has carried on much as before, which I'm a bit surprised by. Ratings haven’t changed at all, seemingly stuck on 6-7% no matter what happens. Perhaps the biggest winner in terms of air-time has been Song Ji Hyo who now seems to feature more prominently.<br />
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So, no jumping the shark, no sudden drop in quality now that the seven cast members have been reduced to six. The chemistry is still there, which is a big relief.<br />
<br />Ersbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08012602968152264418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-280588484072546625.post-79156184623710201602016-12-08T18:52:00.000+00:002016-12-08T18:52:48.037+00:00Currently Watching: Cold CaseThis WOWOW drama is something of a rarity: a foreign (in this case American) format adapted for the Japanese market. Off the top of my head, I can’t think of another example where that’s happened. There have been occasions where stories have been rewritten for a Japanese audience (Agatha Christie, for example), and Furuhata Ninzaburo clearly borrows in theme and style (but not in content) from Columbo. However, this is the first occasion that I can remember which has been such a strict adaptation.<br />
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This is no bad thing, of course, and it’s nice to see a Japanese police drama that's a little more down to earth. The performances, directing and photography are all top notch and I suspect that only WOWOW could make this kind of show in Japan right now. <br />
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Having never seen the US version I can't tell how closely the Japanese version sticks to the original. However, the new writers have been clever enough that it's hard to tell where the join is.<br />
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Episode six is my favourite to date, but I've always been a sucker for the “first victim of war is innocence” kind of stories. But all episodes have been good, and there's no guarantee of a weekly resolution as you'd expect from most Japanese cop shows and a remarkable lack of moralising. <br />
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Overall, this series stands some distance above anything else in this genre I've seen recently.Ersbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08012602968152264418noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-280588484072546625.post-18676036751060169192016-11-27T22:00:00.002+00:002016-11-27T22:02:38.563+00:00Still subbing: Furuhata NinzaburoSome of you...<br />
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Well, a few of you...<br />
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Maybe one of you may be wondering why there was a long gap between posts this year. Well, a large part of it was down to work suddenly ramping up but also there was the part played by Furuhata Ninzaburo and my role in subbing it in English.<br />
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It is one of my favourites and an absolute joy, but I found that my decision to do the subtitles for season 3 and then the specials has had a knock on effect on my drama watching.<br />
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If I sat and watched a J-drama, I would think to myself that I should actually be doing some work on the subtitles. It’s a bit of a burden because I’ve always thought that Furuhata Ninzaburo deserved English subs, so now that it’s me doing them it seems wrong to ignore them. So I stopped enjoying Japanese TV and I pretty much stopped watching.<br />
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I still enjoyed Japanese culture, though, and in my time away from blogging I completed a <a href="https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/japanese-rare-books-culture/1/register">free on-line course on antique Japanese books</a>, which I thoroughly enjoyed and recommend. I also planned my next trip to Japan in some detail only to watch as, post-Brexit, the pound went down and the yen went up, adding about £500 to my plans and causing me to postpone it for a year.<br />
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But recently I’ve changed my subtitling habits from trying to do a lot of subtitling in one go, and instead chipped away at it, five minutes at a time whenever I can. I doubt this is quicker, but it’s not much slower, either. Also it helps with my guilt because I can sit down to watch TV without the nagging doubt that I haven't done any subbing in a while.<br />
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Whenever an episode is complete, I feel very proud of it so I have absolutely no intention of stopping this project and, hopefully, after this special I’m doing at the moment, things will soon be smoother since I’ll actually have two sets of subtitles to work from which should solve any ambiguities in the dialogue.<br />
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In the meantime, sorry about the delay but I feel much better now that I’m able to watch and enjoy J-dramas again.Ersbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08012602968152264418noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-280588484072546625.post-23116843911109229232016-11-20T21:51:00.003+00:002016-11-21T17:47:48.845+00:00Currently watching: Society GameThis new reality game show, a collaboration between Endemol and TvN, pits two teams against each other for a single cash prize at the end which goes to one person. Each team lives together for twelve days (during which the twelve episodes are recorded, making this a very efficient piece of TV) with one team working as a democracy, while the other is a benign dictatorship. Which will create most harmony?<br />
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It’s very addictive, as you might expect from TvN who also gave us <a href="http://ifbyjapan.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/currently-watching-genius-grand-finale.html">The Genius</a> and <a href="http://ifbyjapan.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/currently-watching-crime-scene-2.html">Crime Scene</a>. Each episode is split between showing us how the players interact in their living quarters and the actual games between the two teams. With moments of levity and a lot of scheming, this part is an essential aspect of the game showing that the power struggles within the team are as important as the struggle between teams.<br />
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If a team loses the game, then they have to lose a player and this is decided by the leader at that time.<br />
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So we have it all: subterfuge and scheming, games, and all in a reality show setting that is self-contained. No islands or anything messy like that. The cynic in me sees it for what it is: a format designed to make profits in overseas sales. However, I can’t deny it’s my favourite show right now. And that’s down to the contestants.<br />
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These have been chosen from a wide range of backgrounds and none of them are particularly famous, which is probably a lesson that TvN learned from The Genius where people of similar professions/level of fame tended to group together.<br />
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The “stars” so far have been the comedian Yang Sanggook who’s managed to be the dictator of one team for the first four episodes.<br />
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Also there’s MJ Kim, a female MMA fighter who is basically a tiger in a woman’s body. She’s proven herself as a valuable team-member and – at the time of writing – a team leader.<br />
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But everyone has something to add. Macho Yoon does not live up to his name of macho, and is fairly ineffectual at everything. Choi Seolhwa is one of Yang Sanggook’s confidants, but she seems a bit paranoid and is constantly wondering if she should start a rebellion against the dictator.<br />
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It’s delightful nonsense. In episode one it tries to dress itself up as a sociological experiment, but its true purpose is clear: to entertain. And it does that so well that you can’t help but be carried along in its gossipy back-biting. Enormous fun.<br />
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You can <a href="http://bxrme.tumblr.com/">keep up to date with English subs here</a> thanks to the wonderful Bumdidlyumptious.Ersbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08012602968152264418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-280588484072546625.post-88591447570011628832016-11-14T18:59:00.000+00:002016-11-14T18:59:10.151+00:00Currently watching: MamagotoConsidering how long it takes me to do subtitles, it might seem odd that I felt jealous when I saw that someone else was doing the subtitles. I had even subbed the first few minutes until I saw that Earthcolours were doing them. Good job too, because their subs were far better than mine. I’ve been doing police dramas for too long: I struggle with drunken banter.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Y_9dH6DJ6lPbKSOnFVPesMjWnT4RfXTBUI97bQWTEqK6SjamXyzwZ8MtxHUSaKXyynGZVe4vLYwvw1ZU0UzuHFUhFctd8y9bsgNXpmajoOwVQt2haaQfMQvrlbDxyrSlu2ZogRsdvZ2_/s1600/vlcsnap-2016-11-12-16h21m17s751.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Y_9dH6DJ6lPbKSOnFVPesMjWnT4RfXTBUI97bQWTEqK6SjamXyzwZ8MtxHUSaKXyynGZVe4vLYwvw1ZU0UzuHFUhFctd8y9bsgNXpmajoOwVQt2haaQfMQvrlbDxyrSlu2ZogRsdvZ2_/s320/vlcsnap-2016-11-12-16h21m17s751.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Which brings us to the premise of this series: a woman who runs a bar suddenly finds she has to look after the five-year-old child of an old friend who turns up one evening and then vanishes. This does not fit well with her nocturnal lifestyle, and it also brings back unwelcome memories that she'd rather forget.<br />
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The series is, for me at least, a chance to watch Ando Sakura at work. She moves pretty effortlessly between moods, switching from benevolent mother-figure to loudmouth insolent without it seeming strained. But of course she's excellent. It seems a little redundant to point it out.<br />
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Koyama Harutomo, who plays the part of the five-year-old, is pretty good. There are moments when his acting seems to stop and then start again, but nothing major. He's certainly got a good look, with an unruly mop of hair on top of his round expressive face.<br />
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I'm quite unconcerned about where the story goes. A debt collector is involved now, so it won't just be about a woman learning to care again after a troubled past, but beyond that I'm not really bothered. I'm just going to enjoy Ando Sakura and hope that everything else is half as good.<br />
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<br />Ersbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08012602968152264418noreply@blogger.com0