Recently… (about blogging in Japanese, Nokemono to Hanayome, and Ai no Kusabi)
1) In the spirit of trying something new in the new decade, I have decided to also blog in Japanese. The address is here.
There are many motives behind this. One of them is that I think it makes more sense to talk in Japanese about books (such as most novels of Kyōgoku Natsuhiko) which will probably never be translated into English. Another is that I recently came across some very impressive blogs in the Japanese blogosphere of people writing kanshi [漢詩], or poetry in the classical Chinese style. That reminds me of all the poetry I write in the classical Heian style which I hide in the drawer. I should try to post them from time to time.
When I was at university (that was a university somewhere in North America, by the way), the way they taught Japanese in the upper years was very old-fashioned. There was no “practical” course like Business Japanese whatsoever. The upper years were spent mostly in learning classical Japanese and – only marginally and as if in a fit of afterthought – modern Japanese literature. That… was the beginning of the slippery slope for me. (I hear that they changed the curriculum right after I graduated though.)
Give me time, and soon I will be blogging in Russian and Korean too (which I am learning just to survive at work).
2) One thing that disappointed me recently was that Nokemono to Hanayome was completely sold out on the first day. I could not get a copy even though I had placed an order. For all the talk of how the manga industry is going down the toilet, it has been years since I last heard of a manga being sold out on the first day.
That, ladies and gentlemen, is the magic of Ikuhara “Utena” Kunihiko.
Ikuni has also written about this news on his blog. Let us hope that they will reprint it soon.
3) I have not forgotten about Ai no Kusabi. The release of the new OVA remake had been delayed from last autumn to “this spring,” but we have yet to hear any official details on that. A while ago, I saw an 8-minute long, leaked video of it on the internet (beware of adult content), and I was not very impressed. The storyboarding is very plain and unimaginative compared to the old OVA. The old OVA was erotically charged even when you were not seeing much.
re: new site
Too bad my Japanese isn’t up to the challenge. But please don’t totally stop posting about Kyōgoku Natsuhiko in English.
1. I’ll pass on the moonspeak language too, although it would be win of epic proportions if you started blogging in Korean (wonder what kind of topics you would cover in that language).
3. That leaked clip was very uncomfortable to watch, but I am still very interested in this because I have not yet watched an anime with a strong yaoi element that is also mature (there are few with yuri elements iirc, including beautiful Simoun). And gorgeous designs for the futuristic environment they are in is always a plus.
hayase:
I will write about Kyōgoku Natsuhiko in English… where it makes sense…
gaguri:
1. I have not thought that far yet. Of course, if there is any film/book/manhwa/anime in Korean language that you think I might like, please feel free to give me a shout anytime. I am particularly looking into Korean books to read. Are there any authors you like?
3. You are right. The only thing I have been impressed so far with the remake of Ai no Kusabi is the background design…
Had to think a bit about which book to recommend, since I don’t read as much (high-brow ones at that too) as you do. After some thoughts, I’d say an autobiographical novel series (5 volumes) titled ‘상도(商道)’ would be best (from what little I’ve read anyway). It’s one of my favourite novels, a very interesting fictional story based on a non-fictional Korean named 임상옥 林尙沃, easy to read and popular, but also intelligent and moving. As you can tell from the title, it’s about the ways of business, and the premise is that the way of business if not about making money, it’s about making people. If you make people then it’s only natural that you make money, and lot of the ideas I feel are based on Buddhist philosophy (i.e. need to empty your cup, your desires), with some beautiful metaphors. Assuming you’d want to read Korean books in their original language, I think you’ll find a way to obtain them online. In any case, just don’t get the popular Korean drama that’s based on it…-__-
As for movies, I will just recommend a feel good romantic comedy titled “My Sassy Girl”, a wonderful movie to just relax and have great time without having your intelligence insulted.
gaguri:
I am not high-brow at all, but elastic-brow. I have also heard of 상도 being a popular story, and the theme you described would seem to be one that I concur with too.
There is actually a Korean bookstore near my workplace through which I can place orders. They do have some selection there, but they tend to be the glossy pop-idol related stuff that seems to be popular these days.
I have seen “My Sassy Girl” many years ago. That was enjoyable.