'Nuff said.
Might use wordpress for the public/more academic blog
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
In which more lessons are learnt
- >implying women can’t do anything without being helped by magical powersALL of humanity would still be living in caves without the incubators granting wishes, remember?>implying all powerful women got to where they were by selling their soulsMixing up cause and effect here. Beginning of episode 11, Kyuubey says queens and saviors attract misfortune, giving them more potential as a Puella Magi. They didn’t become powerful by selling their souls, they got the offer to sell their souls because they were powerful.>It’s like social commentary or something! Can’t wait for feminists.The “still living in caves” thing implies men have never made any progress in anything in history ever. So this show is actually VERY feminist.
More Take-Home Lessons from Madoka Magica
This time from The Final Message of Madoka Magica
I feel that the final message Madoka is offering is that although there will always be negativity and tragedy in this world, even a single act of hope can seem like a miracle.
I liked the fact that Madoka did not wish for despair to disappear, as some would suggest that she should have. It is a balance thing. In order to have hope, one must suffer or have some form of despair. To have courage, one must experience fear. To love, one must also feel hate and indifference. That is the nature of balance... Madoka is smart enough (or Buddhist enough) to know the effect that her wish can have.
I also loved how this makes Madoka the precursor to all the magical girls we know in anime — without Madoka, there would be no Sakura Kinomoto, no Pretty Cures, no Sailor Moons, etc. More than a world reset, this was in some ways a genre reset, and a pretty brilliant one at that.
----
Onto my main point, for all the theorizing about the ending from bloggers all over, genre comparisons, claims for deconstructionism, religious references, and general fandom fervor digging out every cipher and mystery in the series, everyone seems to be confused as to why Homura at the end of the series is one of the few to remember Madoka.*
I believe it is in the fourth episode that Homura herself says that, Mahou Shoujo who die in a witch's realm are forever missing persons, lost and forgotten to the rest of humanity. Madoka is adamant that she will never forget Mami, to which Homura replies that is the happiest thing a Mahou Shoujo can hope for, and that she is fiercely jealous. Madoka, in a crazy instance of foreshadowing, instantly and without hesitation extends this to Homura as well.
Homura's wish, as vaguely as I have gathered, is something along the lines of protecting Madoka. Protecting her image and her memory, I would argue, is the only thing left for Homura to do once Madoka makes her wish at the end of the series. More detail once I've actually watched the episodes.
*I read somewhere that her brother apparently remembers her too, and her mother has a vague sense of "if I had a daughter..."; parallel world theories aside,^
^I'm not quite ready to call whether Homura's time travelling resulted in parallel worlds or merely rewound time. If the former is true then, barring a cross-dimension spanning level of omnipotence granted Madoka, the series is only truly "solved" [ie Madoka's wish only comes true] in one branching of the universe. Such branching, however, could possibly resolve the seeming paradox that is the breadth of power granted Madoka by Kyuubei.),
Omake From TV Tropes:
I feel that the final message Madoka is offering is that although there will always be negativity and tragedy in this world, even a single act of hope can seem like a miracle.
I liked the fact that Madoka did not wish for despair to disappear, as some would suggest that she should have. It is a balance thing. In order to have hope, one must suffer or have some form of despair. To have courage, one must experience fear. To love, one must also feel hate and indifference. That is the nature of balance... Madoka is smart enough (or Buddhist enough) to know the effect that her wish can have.
I also loved how this makes Madoka the precursor to all the magical girls we know in anime — without Madoka, there would be no Sakura Kinomoto, no Pretty Cures, no Sailor Moons, etc. More than a world reset, this was in some ways a genre reset, and a pretty brilliant one at that.
----
Onto my main point, for all the theorizing about the ending from bloggers all over, genre comparisons, claims for deconstructionism, religious references, and general fandom fervor digging out every cipher and mystery in the series, everyone seems to be confused as to why Homura at the end of the series is one of the few to remember Madoka.*
I believe it is in the fourth episode that Homura herself says that, Mahou Shoujo who die in a witch's realm are forever missing persons, lost and forgotten to the rest of humanity. Madoka is adamant that she will never forget Mami, to which Homura replies that is the happiest thing a Mahou Shoujo can hope for, and that she is fiercely jealous. Madoka, in a crazy instance of foreshadowing, instantly and without hesitation extends this to Homura as well.
Homura's wish, as vaguely as I have gathered, is something along the lines of protecting Madoka. Protecting her image and her memory, I would argue, is the only thing left for Homura to do once Madoka makes her wish at the end of the series. More detail once I've actually watched the episodes.
*I read somewhere that her brother apparently remembers her too, and her mother has a vague sense of "if I had a daughter..."; parallel world theories aside,^
^I'm not quite ready to call whether Homura's time travelling resulted in parallel worlds or merely rewound time. If the former is true then, barring a cross-dimension spanning level of omnipotence granted Madoka, the series is only truly "solved" [ie Madoka's wish only comes true] in one branching of the universe. Such branching, however, could possibly resolve the seeming paradox that is the breadth of power granted Madoka by Kyuubei.),
Omake From TV Tropes:
Fun fact: priority one for someone with an interest in extending the life of the universe would be shutting off all the stars, which throw away vast amounts of energy just to light up dust and dead rock.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Lessons from Madoka Magika
On the show's ending, in the comments of Madoka's ending leaves something to be desired. Emphasis mine.
Although this rebuttal
scares me a little.
---
All of the responses to this show only makes me worried about delving too deep into the realm of anime blogging (although that may change if I find someone fluent in Japanese blogging on the subject and some of the linguistic relevancy, or at least writing their PhD on fansubs? Have yet to find one), and although it is tempting, I will definitely NOT go browsing forums.
That reminds me, I had a joke to tell about that one guy's Tsundere is bad in real life and that anyone who watches anime or is fluent in Japanese language and culture needs to read it. Said joke being that the two are, for all intents and purposes, mutually exclusive.
Whenever I get around to that Durarara!! analysis maybe I'll wash my hands of this...
----------
On a side note, as a result of all this searching, I found a guy who is traveling the world with a cutout of bridal Holo* and feel incredibly disturbed and violated. Not only because of the attraction I feel for the dynamics of the Holo-Lawrence [why aren't they trying to call him Rawrence hahaha] banter-relationship, or that she has been inducted as one of those nijigen maidens who are used to define my tastes in real girls [funny that the Tsundere article referenced above really struck home! Maybe it's that, like girls with romance novels, I've learned to be too picky and unsatisfied.]. It's that, for heaven's sake I had just thought of going to the Wolf Sanctuary to commemorate my newfound fandom and determination to read the light novels and, if possible, play the games. Luckily the gap between seiyuu and character is still an incredibly wide chasm for me, and the radio shows do not hold much interest other than socialization (as in sociolinguistic stuff) and plain-old Japanese practice.
*I came upon a controversy as to whether her English name should be Horo or Holo. Anime geeks can be so infuriating sometimes! R and L are fairly indistinguishable in standard Japanese, but dammit Holo sounds much better! And I actually prefer the way Holo speaks in English rather than her Oiran language. Dunno if that's one of the accursed artifacts of being a native English speaker or what, but regardless damn western otaku need to get a grip!
-----
Add to the list of things I need to write about:
Learning how movie sound effects are made -> I Saw the Devil & Man from Nowhere -> Who's Camus, Anyway?
And the need to discuss this with my friends in film studies.
---------
Funny how I can write this much but I still have admissions essays to get cracking on! To-do-list for tomorrow:
Purpose essay, mail fin aid form and fee letter, update resume and upload
And whatever else I'm missing.
Gotta be productive!
"The more important/salient points to take from that though are to make sure you know what you’re really wishing for, and to be prepared to pay the cost for it. If you’re willing to accept that responsibility and those burdens, then the show’s theme is indeed that no, it’s not wrong to hope and believe in things."
Although this rebuttal
"If this is truly the case though, why does the show depict the girls falling into despair after they've made their wish? Clearly they weren't ready to accept the consequences..."
scares me a little.
“But when Madoka wishes for everyone’s safety, she gets that wish. ”
It’s possible that she doesn't, in one interpretation of the final scene. Homura’s wish was to protect Madoka, a girl who’s existence has been negated. So unlike any other magical girl who ever lived, Homura’s wish can never be fulfilled — and so she can never be saved. In a universe where witches cannot exist, Homura becomes the Last Witch, and her barrier fills the sky.
---
All of the responses to this show only makes me worried about delving too deep into the realm of anime blogging (although that may change if I find someone fluent in Japanese blogging on the subject and some of the linguistic relevancy, or at least writing their PhD on fansubs? Have yet to find one), and although it is tempting, I will definitely NOT go browsing forums.
That reminds me, I had a joke to tell about that one guy's Tsundere is bad in real life and that anyone who watches anime or is fluent in Japanese language and culture needs to read it. Said joke being that the two are, for all intents and purposes, mutually exclusive.
Whenever I get around to that Durarara!! analysis maybe I'll wash my hands of this...
----------
On a side note, as a result of all this searching, I found a guy who is traveling the world with a cutout of bridal Holo* and feel incredibly disturbed and violated. Not only because of the attraction I feel for the dynamics of the Holo-Lawrence [why aren't they trying to call him Rawrence hahaha] banter-relationship, or that she has been inducted as one of those nijigen maidens who are used to define my tastes in real girls [funny that the Tsundere article referenced above really struck home! Maybe it's that, like girls with romance novels, I've learned to be too picky and unsatisfied.]. It's that, for heaven's sake I had just thought of going to the Wolf Sanctuary to commemorate my newfound fandom and determination to read the light novels and, if possible, play the games. Luckily the gap between seiyuu and character is still an incredibly wide chasm for me, and the radio shows do not hold much interest other than socialization (as in sociolinguistic stuff) and plain-old Japanese practice.
*I came upon a controversy as to whether her English name should be Horo or Holo. Anime geeks can be so infuriating sometimes! R and L are fairly indistinguishable in standard Japanese, but dammit Holo sounds much better! And I actually prefer the way Holo speaks in English rather than her Oiran language. Dunno if that's one of the accursed artifacts of being a native English speaker or what, but regardless damn western otaku need to get a grip!
-----
Add to the list of things I need to write about:
Learning how movie sound effects are made -> I Saw the Devil & Man from Nowhere -> Who's Camus, Anyway?
And the need to discuss this with my friends in film studies.
---------
Funny how I can write this much but I still have admissions essays to get cracking on! To-do-list for tomorrow:
Purpose essay, mail fin aid form and fee letter, update resume and upload
And whatever else I'm missing.
Gotta be productive!
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Pretty fascinating
So apparently "novices seek out positive feedback, while experts seek out negative feedback."
Pretty fascinating. So what will I do? Learn, speak, read, and write like a boss.
--------------
Also, from this thread on multilingual living, on raising a multilingual family. It's at once distressing and comforting:
This is awesome. A guide to the Ryukyuan langauges, if I ever get around to them!
--------------
And finally, a link for study abroad studies! Apparently Nao knows this kid? From the Nihon Gyappu Iyaa Suishin Kikou Kyoukai!!!! OMG (although second impression suggests yahari it was started by a gaijin?)!! This, the girl's blogspot, JCI (has an STL chapter), and AISEC, as well as HPAIR and resources from SILS.... this seems like it's actually coming together, although passion for it is another question. Looks like it's time to start another blog
FYI, Emotional pathway towards this last statement, in kaomoji:
Pretty fascinating. So what will I do? Learn, speak, read, and write like a boss.
--------------
Also, from this thread on multilingual living, on raising a multilingual family. It's at once distressing and comforting:
It's just TIRING being the only representative of a subculture you know and constantly having to explain everything, implicitly defend your choice and then still have people walk away having made snap judgements as far as a child's linguistic abilities are concerned, especially when they only speak one of the languages he does (aside from a few phrases). I feel like I need to move to a place where everyone is multilingual, raising their kids multilingual, so that I can relax a bit and feel normal!------------
This is awesome. A guide to the Ryukyuan langauges, if I ever get around to them!
--------------
And finally, a link for study abroad studies! Apparently Nao knows this kid? From the Nihon Gyappu Iyaa Suishin Kikou Kyoukai!!!! OMG (although second impression suggests yahari it was started by a gaijin?)!! This, the girl's blogspot, JCI (has an STL chapter), and AISEC, as well as HPAIR and resources from SILS.... this seems like it's actually coming together, although passion for it is another question. Looks like it's time to start another blog
FYI, Emotional pathway towards this last statement, in kaomoji:
(`･ω･´)ゞ ヽ(*・ω・)ﾉ ヽ(*´Д｀*)ﾉ ヽ( ´¬`)ノ
Monday, January 16, 2012
Found out about a Spice and Wolf reference (cameo? by Holo~) in the first episode of Durarara. Don't know why that makes me as happy as it does.
Hoping that tomorrow I will make some progress on my analysis of the show; doesn't seem like there's too much going on in that way at all right now, although that could be just due to my own lack of googling skills. Perhaps it's time to enlist a true otaku?
Stayed up til 4 again, no progress on any other fronts. Gotta do something about this.
Link dump. Will need to export bookmarks soon as well... Need more self-control!
http://www.chinahush.com/2012/01/10/han-han-my-2011/#more-9865
http://www.ministryoftofu.com/2011/01/overseas-chinese-students-reactions-tiger-mom-parenting-controversy/
http://www.chinahush.com/2012/01/02/street-children-there-is-no-place-worse-than-home/
http://chinadigitaltimes.net/2012/01/chinas-cultural-assault-from-within/
http://chinadigitaltimes.net/2012/01/confucius-institute-getting-the-grant-or-dancing-with-the-devil/
http://chinadigitaltimes.net/2012/01/serial-killers-in-china/
http://chinadigitaltimes.net/2012/01/chuanzi-becoming-what-you-criticize/
http://jp.wsj.com/japanrealtime/2011/09/07/%E6%9A%B4%E5%8A%9B%E5%9B%A3%E6%8E%92%E9%99%A4%E3%81%AE%E3%83%A2%E3%83%87%E3%83%AB%E3%82%B1%E3%83%BC%E3%82%B9%E2%94%80%E6%9D%A1%E4%BE%8B%E6%96%BD%E8%A1%8C%E3%82%92%E6%9D%A5%E6%9C%88%E3%81%AB%E6%8E%A7/
http://www.keishicho.metro.tokyo.jp/sotai/image/gaiyou.pdf
Not even sure why I clicked on a lot of what I clicked on...orz
Hoping that tomorrow I will make some progress on my analysis of the show; doesn't seem like there's too much going on in that way at all right now, although that could be just due to my own lack of googling skills. Perhaps it's time to enlist a true otaku?
Stayed up til 4 again, no progress on any other fronts. Gotta do something about this.
Link dump. Will need to export bookmarks soon as well... Need more self-control!
http://www.chinahush.com/2012/01/10/han-han-my-2011/#more-9865
http://www.ministryoftofu.com/2011/01/overseas-chinese-students-reactions-tiger-mom-parenting-controversy/
http://www.chinahush.com/2012/01/02/street-children-there-is-no-place-worse-than-home/
http://chinadigitaltimes.net/2012/01/chinas-cultural-assault-from-within/
http://chinadigitaltimes.net/2012/01/confucius-institute-getting-the-grant-or-dancing-with-the-devil/
http://chinadigitaltimes.net/2012/01/serial-killers-in-china/
http://chinadigitaltimes.net/2012/01/chuanzi-becoming-what-you-criticize/
http://jp.wsj.com/japanrealtime/2011/09/07/%E6%9A%B4%E5%8A%9B%E5%9B%A3%E6%8E%92%E9%99%A4%E3%81%AE%E3%83%A2%E3%83%87%E3%83%AB%E3%82%B1%E3%83%BC%E3%82%B9%E2%94%80%E6%9D%A1%E4%BE%8B%E6%96%BD%E8%A1%8C%E3%82%92%E6%9D%A5%E6%9C%88%E3%81%AB%E6%8E%A7/
http://www.keishicho.metro.tokyo.jp/sotai/image/gaiyou.pdf
Not even sure why I clicked on a lot of what I clicked on...orz
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Scared, huh?
“There’s nothing better in the world than a little bit of scared to get you doing the right thing. Fear can make you faster, smarter, stronger, absolutely.” -- 47-year-old Laird Hamilton
From the postsecret site, wish I had had a chance to try the app...
From the postsecret site, wish I had had a chance to try the app...
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Hyperpolyglots and other stuff spurred by Michael Erard
Hyperpolyglots are more likely to be introverted than extroverted, which may come as a surprise to some. Hale’s son always said that, in his father’s case, languages were a cloak for a shy man.
Also, this is just really really really cool! "Polyglot Dragon"
http://www.armedforcesjournal.com/2011/11/6187393
I found a list of suspected hyperpolyglots, and they’re all male, which might be because the gift of multi-multi-linguism is found in “extreme male brains.” (The same is said of autism.) But elsewhere, I found this one Hungarian translator, a woman, who learned to speak 16 languages during the Cold War. You can read almost as many theories about extraordinary linguists as there are languages, but here’s one more: Some people try a lot harder than others.
10. You do not see things as they are; you see them as you are. Interpret your own experiences. All experiences are neutral. They have no meaning. You give them meaning by the way you choose to interpret them. If you are a priest, you see evidence of God everywhere. If you are an atheist, you see the absence of God everywhere. IBM observed that no one in the world had a personal computer. IBM interpreted this to mean there was no market. College dropouts, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, looked at the same absence of personal computers and saw a massive opportunity. Once Thomas Edison was approached by an assistant while working on the filament for the light bulb. The assistant asked Edison why he didn't give up. "After all," he said, "you have failed 5000 times." Edison looked at him and told him that he didn't understand what the assistant meant by failure, because, Edison said, "I have discovered 5000 things that don't work." You construct your own reality by how you choose to interpret your experiences.11. Always approach a problem on its own terms. Do not trust your first perspective of a problem as it will be too biased toward your usual way of thinking. Always look at your problem from multiple perspectives. Always remember that genius is finding a perspective no one else has taken. Look for different ways to look at the problem. Write the problem statement several times using different words. Take another role, for example, how would someone else see it, how would Jay Leno, Pablo Picasso, George Patton see it? Draw a picture of the problem, make a model, or mold a sculpture. Take a walk and look for things that metaphorically represent the problem and force connections between those things and the problem (How is a broken store window like my communications problem with my students?) Ask your friends and strangers how they see the problem. Ask a child. How would a ten year old solve it? Ask a grandparent. Imagine you are the problem. When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.
http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/201112/are-you-the-right-mate?page=212. Learn to think unconventionally. Creative geniuses do not think analytically and logically. Conventional, logical, analytical thinkers are exclusive thinkers which means they exclude all information that is not related to the problem. They look for ways to eliminate possibilities. Creative geniuses are inclusive thinkers which mean they look for ways to include everything, including things that are dissimilar and totally unrelated. Generating associations and connections between unrelated or dissimilar subjects is how they provoke different thinking patterns in their brain. These new patterns lead to new connections which give them a different way to focus on the information and different ways to interpret what they are focusing on. This is how original and truly novel ideas are created. Albert Einstein once famously remarked "Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand."And, finally, Creativity is paradoxical. To create, a person must have knowledge but forget the knowledge, must see unexpected connections in things but not have a mental disorder, must work hard but spend time doing nothing as information incubates, must create many ideas yet most of them are useless, must look at the same thing as everyone else, yet see something different, must desire success but embrace failure, must be persistent but not stubborn, and must listen to experts but know how to disregard them.
Also, this is just really really really cool! "Polyglot Dragon"
http://www.armedforcesjournal.com/2011/11/6187393
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Conundrum
Greed causes you to lose many things, but not wanting anything at all produces nothing.
Spice and Wolf (manga) Chapter 5
Spice and Wolf (manga) Chapter 5
Makes a lot of sense
"But let me just say, the better the person’s mandarin level, the better the chances that he or she has already left or will leave China after a few years. A person intelligent enough to reach a truly high level is intelligent enough to realize that China is not a place for a foreigner long-term."
from http://dontmovetochina.com/ in response to "Go East, Young Man," a trash op-ed I can't believe made it into the NY-times. As time passes, I'm having trouble seeing why the newspaper is so respected...
from http://dontmovetochina.com/ in response to "Go East, Young Man," a trash op-ed I can't believe made it into the NY-times. As time passes, I'm having trouble seeing why the newspaper is so respected...
Monday, January 9, 2012
“You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read. It was books that taught me that the things that tormented me most were the very things that connected me with all the people who were alive, or who had ever been alive.”
― James Baldwin
Hageshiku doukan da!
― James Baldwin
Hageshiku doukan da!
Sunday, January 8, 2012
On Spice & Wolf
Starting to think that the combination of talking with my guy friends and watching Spice and Wolf is too hard on my heart... Even though at one point I had thought Holo's character was ruined for me (Season II 3rd episode?), finding myself slowly wishing for a "traveling companion"...
Or have I just stayed up too late?
Or have I just stayed up too late?
Thursday, January 5, 2012
"Nothing costs more than a favor."
"Nothing costs more than a favor."-From the LovePlus manga Nene Days. Probably true...
Omake: Also, why is it Helvetica Standard in Nichijou? The font choices on this have me wondering.
Also, from Chinasmack, on makeup before and after pictures:
总结：这个世界没有丑女人，只有懒女人~~~~
Summary: This world doesn’t have ugly women, only lazy women~~~~ Hahaha~~~~
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>implying women can’t do anything without being helped by magical powers
>implying all powerful women got to where they were by selling their souls