Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu (anime)

Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu (The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi) is a sweet little story of… Suzumiya Haruhi.

Suzumiya-san is an eccentric girl trying but failing to be special, even looking for aliens, time travellers and ESPers. Thus she formed a new club in school to look for the extraordinary. The characters in the club are interesting too. Kyon, a normal human, tries to be chivalrous but admits that he has perverted thoughts of those he tries to protect. Asahina-san is the cute and clumsy girl important for a successful anime, having the responsibility of a cute, clumsy (and hot) girl mascot crucial for the club’s success (read: meta-role). Koizumi is both coolly weird and weirdly cool. Nagato… seemingly indifferent to everything. Watch and you’ll understand.

The story is sweet because while Suzumiya-san is extremely direct and straightforward, she does not admit to liking Kwon. Kwon too would rather believe that that is not true. Everyone else, however, think otherwise. Their little actions say it all.

Great art, great animation and entertaining storyline. While enjoyably absurd, it is also very deep.

The irony of Suzumiya trying so hard to look for something extraordinary when they are all around her (again, watch and you’ll understand) highlights the message that happiness and excitement can be found in anything, if we want it to be. She is already living a special life, but is unaware of it. She did one thing right though, that is to take action when she was unsatisfied instead of waiting.

The main message is to make the ordinary special; to find meaning and happiness in little things. Maybe I shall; the New Year arriving just in time for me to start.

A coincidence? (contextual again, watch to understand)

the thought that counts

For Christmas, I got a hairband and another type of band for tying ponytails.

A minor problem though... I am a guy.


Well, guess it is the thought that counts.



Edit: Come to think of it, since I have it, there is no reason why I should not use them, is there? (NOT in public though, no thank you).

Yozora no Mukou (Beyond the Night Sky)

I toyed with the idea that two of my favourite Japanese singers, Yui and Suga Shikao, would do a duet. To my delight, they actually did one: Yozora no Mukou.

Before that, I should introduce them first and since there can be no briefer and better introduction to a singer than through his works (nah I’m just lazy and there is always the ever reliable wikipedia), here goes…

YUI writes and sings songs that ranges from the slow and sad such as Tokyo to the fast and happier ones such as Life (one of the Bleach ending themes, though I don’t watch).

I knew Suga Shikao from Manatsu no Yoru no Yume (one of the Death Note themes) and other recent works include 19 sai (the PV is slightly R-rated so I won’t put the link).

Back to Yozora no Mukou, it was originally written by Suga and sung by SMAP. I prefer this version though all versions are good. It is a sad love song which means Beyond the Night Sky.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vvo_a4A-OE4

The PV set with Tokyo tower in the night sky as the background. Makes me want to go back to Japan. Sigh…

Paint a thousand words on air

Does an artist create when he paints, or does he destroy? I was painting the other house when I came across this weird thought.

Yes he creates something new when he paints, but at the same time he destroys the whiteness of the paper or the cleanliness of the wall.

A musician creates music, and at the same moment he destroys the silence.

Out of nothing there cannot be something. One must give and take. Compromise.

But when looked from a different perspective, a painter creates something new when he paints, and at the same time he destroys the loneliness of the wall.

A musician can destroy the tension of silence as he creates music.

Compromise can be good sometimes. Destroying, not necessarily bad.

Something related but not so related I came up at the same time:

Paint a thousand words on air,
Dreams and stories we can share.

Quite dumb but I like it. Makes me think of little children sitting by the big fireplace listening to stories for some reason.

And another version:

Paint a thousand words on air,
Dreams and secrets two can share.

Want to discard one but don’t know which is better.

its a small small world

I've decided not to ask anymore people about the school they are going to so that I would have a pleasant suprise when I see familiar faces next year. I'll then ask those who I don't see.

Some suspense is good so that I can have something to look foward to next year. It will be "Oh great we're in the same school again!" or "Wow we're in the same class... (Where's my $10 you owe me?)" for 2 seconds and then "Hi" or a wave or a headlift or a Maui tongue stick if she remembers (sigh) or a flirty wink (as if) for the rest of the two years.

Actually it would be "Eh?" all the time for me, seeing how I am always so blur.

dread

It is nice waking up with the sun in my face.

Holidays are nice, but somehow RM just has to spoil the mood.


Now, the greatest motivation to do it is to finish it, and so that I would have one less person to dread: our dear external mentor. She is the only person I dread now and I really do not want to be in a bad relationship because the Lord asks us to love our neighbour as ourselves.

The sooner we finish, the sooner we can forgive and forget (and ignore each other as what we have always been doing). Christmas is coming anyway. Peace to the world and to us three.

Death Note: L for Legacy

***SPOILERS in the case you have not read or watched, in which you should***



While even now I cannot help but grief the death of L, I am certain that it is the best possible way for him to die.

It is not just a death in battle, not just an honourable death dying trying. The way he died, he did not really lose to Kira, being tricked by a fake rule impossible to guess without testing (Mello tested and then confirmed with the deathgod) and being killed by a deathgod when one least expect. This way, he can still live up to his greatness (no pun intended).

In fact, his death not only befits that of the greatest detective in the world, it made him even greater.

The greatest make themselves dispensable. What someone indispensable can accomplish is limited to his lifetime but by passing down his skills, by inspiring others, his legacy can carry on long after his retirement (or death in L's case). L shows that his work can be picked up and continued even after his death (primarily through Watari which failed and then through Near and Mello). He inspired them to follow his model, to exceed him and to accomplish what he could not. He is already the greatest; he is not indispensable and thus he is even greater.

As how Kira is great not for eliminating evil but for bringing out the hatred of evil in his followers and the awareness of evil in his non followers.