Posted by Rio S.
Caveat: I tried to write this article with restraint (and coherence), and failed miserably. I’d advise you to run while you still can.
Amidst the tolling of deadline bells, I managed to watch the final episode of Toradora! and felt compelled to write another article about it since honestly, the first one just didn’t do it enough justice. Plus, if I don’t release all this pent up schoolgirl gush, I’m afraid I might implode.
First things first. I like slice of life anime shows, simply because they are light, don’t require me to know the basics of quantum physics, mostly feel-good, and summons the repressed high school girl in me. Yes, that squealing, giggling, lovesick girl exists in me, even when I never did outwardly show her during my teens (or ever) in an attempt to look cool.
In all my years of watching anime (more or less, 17 years), I still can’t honestly say that I’ve seen everything – but I did fervently hope that the power of love would fail in some shows. Shows these days, especially those that cater to the teen bracket, follow a tried and tested formula to pull at the audience’ heartstrings. It might be fun for a while, but most of the time, I like to be surprised.
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How do I justify to myself that I have to start working again when I know working in another corpo environment sucks big time and is isn’t very interesting at all? (And pays poorly, if I may add.)
Answer: I make realistic-sounding, fool-proof reasons that I shall coin “short-term goals”. Catchy, right?
I’m starting “real work” again on Monday, and will be in another cage without scenery until I get that “dream job” I’ve been aiming for – hopefully, I won’t have to wait for years to realize that one single absurd and utterly pointless “dream” that will put me in a different kind of enclosure. But moving on to the positive side of things, specifically, the “short-term goals”… I’ve just made up some. more…
Kure-nai's Murasaki and Shinkurou
POSTED by Rica
The anime Kure-nai, written and directed by Kou Matsuo (and based on the light novels by Katayama Kentarou) starts off with an interesting incident: a “dispute mediator” named Kurenai Shinkurou is taking care of a guy who turns out to be a client’s stalker. During the confrontation, something pops out of Shinkurou’s right elbow which obviously pains him and distracts him from finishing his job.
Sixteen-year old Kurenai Shinkurou seems like a normal high school student at first, but as mentioned, he’s hired to settle disputes or squabbles. Only two people from his school – Murakami Ginko and Houzuki Yuuno – know that he’s a dispute mediator hired by Juuzawa Benika to take care of trivial job requests from clients.
The real story of the anime starts when Benika drops by Shinkurou’s apartment to offer him his next job. He’s being asked to protect a seven-year old girl named Kuhouin Murasaki, the girl that Benika and her subordinate Inuzuka Yayoi snatched from the Kuhouin compound early in the first episode. Shinkurou accepts the job, and during the short conversation between him and Benika, we see snatches of the boy’s past as well as his possible reason/s for accepting the job of protecting Murasaki from the Kuhouins and from the Inner Sanctuary. more…
FICTION posted by Rica
The image I have of you in my mind is that of an angel – an angel with red wings.
You were never the type to settle things calmly, always resorting to violence. And if you could, you’d definitely annihilate anyone who was in your way. You were never the type to write either. You know, even if you only knew how to write about rage and anger and killing, I would still read them all, your letters. Because I know that’s the only thing I can do for you. That’s the only thing you would’ve let me do for you. If you only wrote, you know I’d have read them.
After you left for your war, I always imagined you returning with a big uncharacteristic smile on your face. You’d knock on the door, and when I tell you to come in, you’d wipe your soles clean first on my Welcome Home mat. And then you’d say, “I’m back”, or something more out of character like, “I’m home.” And I’d tell you, “Finally.” more…
Posted by Rem
I am now back in the office – sitting on my chair, looking at my laptop and the stack of paperwork I left behind. The past few days went by like a blink but every song ends, is that any reason not to enjoy the music?
The travel started last February 28. Five college friends were at the airport waiting for a flight to Cebu. All were sleepy and somewhat tired from the tedious pace of their respective yuppie lives. The theme of the trip was an unspoken universal truth that all of them needed a vacation badly. After all, they are young and they could disappear for a while or could afford to lose a day or two.
I have to admit that I am not a big fan of flying – I’m willing to drive for hours or ride a boat for days, as long as we don’t need to board a plane. It also didn’t help that we got cheap tickets from the airline formerly known as Asian Spirit. I’ve heard the jokes (you fly an Asian, you arrive a spirit had been tossed around a lot), but surprisingly Zest Air was ok: a good 8-out-of-10 in my book. The little airline could deliver on-time flights, short check-in queues, roomy planes, smooth rides and Zest-Os. Yay for Zestos! more…
Posted by Rio S.
It’s 2 AM and I can’t sleep. It’s too damned hot, even with all my windows thrown open and with the fan going full blast. I hate summer. It’s only March 4 today. Summer should only be rearing its scalding head at me, but it looks like it decided to put in an early appearance this year.
I hate summer mainly because of two things: the blasted heat that seems to like working hand in hand with my insomnia like tonight; and the blasted warm air that causes my lungs to go on strike. (Let me tell you something, asthma is more of a bitch during summer; some nights I have to sleep sitting up on a baking night so I don’t wake up at 4 in the morning gasping for air.)
Back when I didn’t have asthma (I got asthma only three or four years back), I rather liked summer. I didn’t do so bad in school and never had to spend a day in summer class. I used to spend my summers in Bulacan where there were always rivers to swim in, fields to fly kites in, and ponds to catch fish from. Back then, I didn’t hate the heat so much; I left it to the adults to worry about how sweaty I got or how dark my skin became.
See what summer has gotten me doing now? It has got me remembering. more…
FICTION posted by Rica
She gets in her car, or waves at a cab. She drives herself to work, or lets the cab driver drop her in front of her office. She doesn’t take a lift but feels the elevator doors close. She waits five minutes to make sure gravity won’t pull her down again. She gets out and faces another day in her box. Boxed office. Box office. She feels a tightness in her chest; she feels she’s being watched again. Box office. Boxed office.
Just a third of my day, she tells herself. And she feels old again.
She smells her coffee. She wakes up but closes her eyes again. She’s dreaming the day away. She’s starting her day right. She takes a sip and opens her eyes. She sees what’s on her desk, not what’s in front of her. She switches her life on, but the monitor won’t open. She adjusts the cables at the back. more…
FICTION posted by Rio S.
Sometimes, it’s hard to pretend to be strong all the time.
You’re strong, sure, but not always.
Everybody has limits, a breaking point.
Sometimes, things just keep piling up.
Every little thing goes wrong.
You’re keeping the blasted dike together.
And sometimes, you wish you can just let it fall apart.
Sometimes, it gets tiring.
Fighting alone. A losing battle.
Sometimes, you ask why you’re even there in the first place.
When you could’ve chosen to be somewhere else.
Somewhere peaceful, somewhere safe.
Then you remember what you’re fighting for.
You pick yourself up and go up against your monsters.
But sometimes… You don’t.
Posted by Rio S.
Nico, an ex-colleague who shares my love for anime, recommended Toradora about a few months back. I was otherwise immersed in all things D Grayman back then and so the recommendation was buried under tons of other things. I came across Toradora (officially Toradora!) again while trolling for Japanese light novels and BAM! I’m hopelessly hooked.
Toradora is a series set in a high school and naturally, the characters are high school students. Ah, high school.
If you’re anything like me, most of your high school memories have been properly repressed in the deepest darkest pit of your mind. Come to think of it, maybe this repression is the reason behind the fact that I love high school anime: I want to replace my own memories with somebody else’s. Who wants to remember real life zits and angst brought about by hormonal imbalance anyway? Some parts were good though, maybe good enough for you to remember what you were wearing at the time. In my case, I remember the most horrible. JS Prom, anyone? Anyway, I digress. more…
