~Nothing you can do is too extreme~

[flyboy_fox]

Well, it's that time of year again, when colds are rampant. So naturally I caught one and now my nose is all bunged up and my throat hurts when I swallow ;_; You know, the kind where it feels like you have a pincushion in your throat, and when you swallow the pain goes right around to behind your ears? x.o But... on the positive side, if I get it over with now, hopefully it'll be passed and gone before Christmas n.n Besides, I bet at least half of my friends list have colds now too. It's just that time of year.

I really need to check out that sushi place I posted about before. Yo-ji, or whatever it's called.
Y'know, I love how some people assume that anyone who likes sushi must be all "OMG ANIME KAWAAAAIIII GENKI DESU!!!!11" XD I guess maybe some people claim to like sushi just 'cause it's Japanese and they've seen their favorite animé characters eat it? Heck, I don't even watch animé and I'm not obsessed with Japan ^^; But there ya go. To quote the Barenaked Ladies, "I like the sushi 'cause it's never touched a frying fan". It's pretty healthy, it's fun to prepare, and it's really versatile... you can stuff them with almost anything. Avocado and cashew is a good one. My mom got these books on preparing it, because she really likes sushi herself... and we found out that sushi is actually low-GI, which makes it even better. There's a cool shop nearby in town that sells the rice and vinegar and seaweed strips... they also sell pocky and pretz, which is cool I guess. I don't fully get the hype about pocky... I like it, but it's not my favorite snack ever. I do like pretz though. OMG I MUST BE ANIME NIPPONPHILE FANBOI O_O How depressing. I need my meds! (XD Not on meds either, sorry to burst another bubble).

But seriously, I never really got into animé. I dunno why. Perhaps the style of animation just doesn't work for me... it seems kinda lazy to me. A lot of effort often put into the same repeated little set of frames ("Pokéball GO!" "Transform to MEGA!" "Generic rose-petal pose!"), and not much effort put into animating anything else. Often the backgrounds are completely stationary, the foreground characters are completely stationary, EVERYTHING is completely stationary except for the characters' mouths when they're speaking. American animation, in my humble opinion, seems to be a little more fluid... more goes on in the background, and character animation isn't limited to flowing hair or rippling dress material. Don't get me wrong, I don't have anything against Japanese animation... it's just never really appealed to me too much. I also find the genres a little restrictive... they are, by their nature, somewhat limited. Characters are often quite stereotypical too... which is why it seems a lot of animé fans end up having to see a 'seme' character and an 'uke' character in every boy/boy relationship they like, because that's how almost all shounen-ai relationships are portrayed in animé. There are stereotypes in western animation too, but I don't see it as much. Having said that, there have been some animé I've enjoyed. Papa to Kiss in the Dark was absolutely charming (despite the controversial subject matter) for example. And I have a slight affinity for the crappy corniness that is Beyblade, if only because it whiled away so many hours back when I had cable, and the songs got stuck in my head. But as an overall category of animation, animé doesn't really tend to be my thing.

So yeah, I'm no Japan-o-phile. But I'll admit to having an interest in certain aspects. I do like the language... pictureform script has always fascinated me, and I particularly like how Japanese integrates Chinese pictureform characters with their own phonetic kana series of syllable characters. Even more fascinating is the use of a separate kana series for new and foreign/loan words, which even looks alien with the stark contrast of sharp angular lines against the far more curved and squiggly characters for native worlds. I would like to learn Japanese because I like the language, but also because I think it's useful for anyone wanting a career in anything technology-related, if they intend to stay at the forefront of new developments. So yes, the language is an interest to me. I also confess to having a slight fascination with the (somewhat outdated) Geisha tradition. Arthur Golden's Memoirs of a Geisha captivated me, and I have several other books about Geisha and their lifestyle. I guess the whole 'painted beauty' thing is just kind of evocative to me, as is the image of the "floating" world of flower and willow.

Basically, like with anything else, there are things about Japan and Japanese culture etc that I like, and things that I'm less fond of or even dislike. I'm under no illusion that Japan is somehow the perfect country, and I really have no wish to live there, as I know it would be entirely impossible for a foreigner like myself to completely assimilate myself into there, and there's some things I would find hard to live with. I'd like to visit, however, as it's one of the few countries I like-but-have-never visited. I'm lucky in that I've visited a lot of the countries I've wanted to. Ireland, the Canary Islands, Cyprus, Spain, Italy, France, North America... I would like to visit Colombia one day, if only because that's half of my heritage (yeeees, my career is clearly destined to be a drugs baron XD), but that's difficult. Maybe someday eh?

Gotta rock, gotta fly too
Goin' extreme is what you do
Gotta work it, live with the team
Nothin' you do is too extreme

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

TL;DR

[flyboy-fox.livejournal.com]

Thanks for letting me know. Since I of course write all my entries with the sole purpose of catering to anonymous readers such as yourself, I shall endevour in future to make my entries more bitesize and manageable. So sorry to have inconvenienced you.

Or not. :)

[(Anonymous)]

I love your passive roll with the punches attitude, I'm sure you are biting your lip and cursing us "trolls" as you write your little sarcasm filled replies while you think of what text smiley to us.

[(Anonymous)]

It is just so generic and stereotypical I find it very humorous, you should team up that guy who is obsessed with Princess Peach you would make a great team :)

[flyboy-fox.livejournal.com]

Run-on sentences for the win!

[way-past-cool.livejournal.com]

XD aww... they're just so desperate for you to care!

[flyboy-fox.livejournal.com]

Nah. I just find it unbelievably funny how you guys over there are accusing me of being so horribly abnormal, whilst writing mini-essays comparing my mentality to murderers or people who want to copulate with bowls of cereal. Mm, I'm sure that's perfectly normal behaviour too. Over in SomethingAwful land anyway.

This is a 7-11? Where's my Slurpee(TM)?

[teamrodent.livejournal.com]

McGee: Don't forget to include definitions, Koji, so the SA dumb-kopf can keep up. ^o~_no^

[(Anonymous)]

...Ridiculous.
SA has some funny things and all, but some people on that site are just sad. =/

Flaming the guy's Livejournal just because he likes Sonic... I don't see anything wrong with LJ.

Seriously, go get a life, instead of flaming people online for absolutely NOTHING.

=/

[flyboy-fox.livejournal.com]

See , this is why the trolls don't bother me. I happen to think that most people over at SA are actually fairly decent rational people. Only a few are trolls. Most of the people who've come over from SA or IMed me have been nice. It's only a couple who actually waste their time trolling (see above).

[way-past-cool.livejournal.com]

You know I agree 100%. n.n; I don't see what the big deal is about anime. Okay... maybe I do see why some people like it, but many of them don't understand that it's not the superior animation medium. Techincally, the stlye of animation that anime employs is called "half-animation", which by it's nature is cheaper and less time consuming. And yes, steotypes abound! But I guess that's part of why people like it. They like to think they can fit into one of those pre-set roles and therefore fit right into the anime world. And if that makes them happy, more power to them. Just not my cup of tea.

[lunarocean777.livejournal.com]

I want to say I've talked about this with you or Jai before, prolly on TTR at some point. I'm one of those crazy people who likes anime yet still agrees with everything you and Jai have said.

The animation is...not good, aside from those special generic (yay oxymoron) scenes around. I must say I do like the art style, and as common as it is I like the whole hair-blowing-in-the-wind scene, but I wish there was better animation out there. The ones out there that have been animated well (Pretty much only in movies) are often great. However, those are rare to find.

I abhor the stereotypes thing. Some are fine, some are needed...but really, they overdo it to the extreme. And, I'm sorry, but do they have to make the characters with common sense so stupid when it matters? Oh look, Team Rocket showed up wearing veils and normal clothes. Ash comes along, "Hmmm, I think I know that voice." Nah, really, dumbass? Things like that annoy the hell out of me, heh. Not to mention I don't like the....I dunno what they call em. The sweatdrop, the upside-down-mushroom sigh; there's other ways to express emotion when you have an entire screen.

Don't get me started on the anime obsessed I do know....They're all Otaku, and ugh.

I guess the reason I like it is pretty much due to one factor, and that's the types of storylines. They're more lord-of-the-ringsish, whether they're set in the past, present, or future. They're less believable and more...what's the word...meh, I guess 'fantastical' sorta works. I just don't see that as much in American animation, aside from movies. Even the movies, though, are more 'believable' than most anime I see. Oh, I also like the music in lots of them ^^;

The storylines aren't even that good, most of the time. They can be solid, yes, but they're nothing special. I wished the western animators would realize there's a market out there for people who like watching 26 continous episodes of something that end up along the lines of 'epic.' Most of the western shows I see are one-shots, so to speak. Rarely you'll find a 'to be continued' in something like the JustiCe League. I want a 'to be continued' every time, damnit =/

[sullmaster.livejournal.com]

I know it doesn't technically count as an animé but I gotta say that Avatar: The Last Airbender is the best "animé" I've ever seen. Granted, it was made in the US but it's been a great show so far over its first two seasons. Not sure if you've seen it but if you haven't I think you'd really enjoy it. Lots of action, comedy, and even a bit of suspense. Outside of that, animé just doesn't appeal to me much

[shadowdingo.livejournal.com]

Meh... I've got a cold too, and it's nawt fair since I keep catching them back as soon as I get rid of them. ;_;

Oh yeah, I posted off your Christmas card today. Expect it to arrive pretty soon-ish! ^^

[psychicninja.livejournal.com]

I have several friends who are completely obsessed with anime. Sage is very cute and loves it so much that she wants to be a voice actress for anime shows. However, I tend to agree, anime just isn't my thing. Sonniku for the win~! XD

[twitchytwitch.livejournal.com]

Aww, Pokemon feels saddened. :P It confuses me the obsession with pocky. I mean, I've grew up with Yanyan and such. Really, NO BIG. Loads of Japanese, Chinese, and Korean imported goods here, so everybody treats it like anyother snack. The crazily obsessed anime fans in the US and UK scare me when they act as if they worship STICKS IN CHOCOLATE. And I think the animation thing is because you're thinking of newer anime. Try fifties' stuff. It's almost exactly like Disney stuff but Japanese and slower. And try things by Makato like She and Her Cat: Their Standing Points. It's... very strangely animated 'cause it's only one guy working on them usually. And I'd chalk the lazy animation to: 1. The style is just plain freaky looking fluidly animated. It just doesn't work if your characters have gigantic bishoujo anime eyes and they're MOVING LIKE REAL PEOPLE. xD; 2. Anime seasons are much longer than a lot of American cartoon's seasons. Weekly episodes. Not as much time to refine the animation. 3. Disney fight scenes LOOK pretty, but aren't very exciting at all to many people because of the INSANE AMOUNT OF FRAMES. xD;;; Seriously, I love American animation too, but Disney movies, especially later ones, are just psychotic with the frame count. That's why you're adviced NOT to attempt using as many frames as Disney movies do. Insaaaane. Try comparing a Disney movie's say, punch or something with a live-action one. Live-action will be like, four frames or so. Disney's will be... eight, maybe ten. Too dang SLOW. Eye-candy, but not exactly thrilling.
... And don't get me started on the snap.

And thanks for making me miss Pokemon writing this stupid comment. T_T And now my friend left!
-scuttles off-

(Know it's not your fault. ^^; )

[twitchytwitch.livejournal.com]

Of course, Disney does seem to be getting better at it again, like in Brother Bear... not as slow. xD

Hah, that's the reason I avoid shounen-ai anime like... like stuff. I really hate the extremely boring stereotypes. I rather like the aestheticism doujinshi of old, because that was at least up front and obvious and HONEST about just being 'hi, we're just pretty boys, drawn prettily, look at how pretty we are together, look at the pretty flowers, look, difficult kanji used solely because it's pretty. Yay, pretty. Mind-numbing pretty, but so pretty.'

But the ones nowadays just bug the crap out of me. They pretend to be deep, have some sort of plot, but really they're just... licking-fests of borigness that take place in a world where females do not exist, apparently.

Also, Jaiiii, pleeeease try watching Haibane-Renmei? I just think you might like it. Slow start and a bloody scene in the first episode, but it's quite lovely and it's only 26 episodes. It's definitely different and the style isn't VERY anime-ish. At least, it's not very very stylized.

Not trying to change your opinion on anything at all, I just want to watch it. Really /really./
Dub, sub, doesn't matter, it has an amazing dub. And considering how critical I am of dubs, that's amazing for me to say. :P Pretty much every line is exactly the same.

Oh, just don't hope for an obvious plot. It's very character and emotion driven and... vague. ^^; Very vague.

... And Free Bird and Blue Flow are really really pretty songs. -cough-

So sorry. I just really want ya to see it. ^^; -apologizes a hundred thousand times-

[shaboba330.livejournal.com]

*huggles* poor sick Jai :( feel better soon!

Dude, I know EXACTLY what you mean. I hate when people are all like "omgzzz Japan is the best country anime rules my life lolllllz" v_v;; it's really annoying.

[leonskennedy827.livejournal.com]

I'm not really into anime either, for all the reasons you stated, I much prefer standard animation (Such as that in the classic Disney movies, much more life to it overall)

[sphix.livejournal.com]

Damn, even my ultimate power couldn't stop that cold... Blergh. I know how you feel.

And some anime is OK. I was into it a lot when I was younger, but it loses its appeal over time. Some anime things from certain people I like, like My Neighbor Totoro, but that's the limit for me. "Maybe someday..."

[teamrodent.livejournal.com]

Meh, It's just a way of drawing that copied Disney. Some of it works, some doesn't. Same is true of other forms of entertainment.

It'd be like me feeling forced to like EVERY New Wave band from Manchester and Sheffield.