Wednesday, October 15, 2003
In other news...
A new camera: Well, I'd like to announce the happy news that I now have a digital camera! Up until now, I've had a point and shoot Argus camera that has no focus, zoom, control over the flash or anything. It took good pictures, but I finally had the means to get something new, and frankly a digital camera will be a lot easier to work with since I don't have a scanner at home.
So, what'd I get? A Sony DSC-P72. So far, I am really happy with it. Takes nice pictures (even inside!), the 3x optical zoom is helpful, batteries last a long time, easy controls, and it has a really impressive movie mode (640x480, 16fps, sound, and has no limit on length besides your memory stick size).
At first I was going to go with the P32 or P52, but this one was on sale at Office Max for $30 off MSRP along with a free 64MB memory stick. The people seemed really mixed up at Office Max and I haven't done any big purchases there before, so opted to price match. At first we tried at Best Buy, but in the end it just didn't work out (they didn't carry Lexar sticks). However, Circuit City was really easy-going and the salesman had a lot of good information, so we ultimately got it there...
No pictures up yet, but I intend to eventually...
If Lynch made comics: Well, I just read Like A Velvet Glove Cast In Iron, and was very impressed. It took a little bit for me to warm to it (I enjoyed Ghost World, but this is quite different), but ended up enjoying it. This is one of those things where as long as you can accept that it doesn't all make sense in the normal sense (with some things either being a metaphor or just strangeness for the sake of being strange), you'll probably get something out of it. The artwork fits, conveying quite a bit of loneliness and ugliness (with some bits of beauty), and I really liked the pacing and laying near the end. Eventually it felt very cinematic and like I stopped reading and was instead watching it unfold.
As far as Lynch goes, sure comparisons like that can only go so far, but it really does remind me of Mulholland Drive especially. Speaking of Mulholland, am I the only one that feels like this movie is borderline horror? I've seen it described as everything from a puzzle to a comedy, but for me at least, I felt unsettled and disturbed at the end of it. I don't know.. I guess I just homehow feel like if there is an evil force lurking in the world, it'd be similar to what is in that movie. Dark threads right below the surface of normality. Obviously, he tackles similar themes in Blue Velvet, Twin Peaks, etc. but for some reason that aspect of it it hit me more strongly in this particular movie. I should watch it again and see if I still get the same feeling from it, or something else entirely...
As an aside, if you like weird movies like these and like animation, you might enjoy the Revolutionary Girl Utena movie. While seeing some episodes of the series it is based on can help to get some of the inside jokes and relationships, I think it still works without that. The design on the movie is very beautiful and it is overall very imaginative. If you take everything as a metaphore, you'll probably find it enjoyable. My last aside is that the Utena TV series is very recommended. It is a very subversive show that turns shoujo anime on its ear and gets darker and darker as the series goes on. The first two DVDs are very cheap, and the rest are still worth it.
Kids and manga: a thread talking about kids and comics didn't mention manga, so I had to butt in once again. Of note to people that have read my comments before is some of my thoughts on how the manga's popularity has followed a similar track to anime, and how it might relate to the apparant lack of fan support of Sandman's popularity. Also, the thread vears off a bit to talk about GTO, one of the better manga out there these days.
A new comic blog: There's a new comic blog that just started called Comicopolis, which seems to have a similar theme to what a lot of us have been posting about. Also check out his comic survey. Some interesting results so far...
Kill Bill: So, I saw Kill Bill the other day. It was enjoyable, especially since I know some of the things Tarantino was drawing from when he made it. The fights were very well choreographed, the anime was interesting, it wasn't making fun of asian culture, etc. However, I have to say that anyone going to this movie expecting what is in the trailers is in for a rude awakening. People weren't kidding when they said it is probably the most violent US studio film that has been made. I actually think my enjoyment was a bit hampered by the fact that I watched it with my Mom. She is very open-minded and seemed to enjoy it, but it is always weird when you watch something while at the same time being concerned by what the person next to you is thinking of it. Overall, I liked it, but I certainly wouldn't fault someone for disliking it, as it is certainly one of those love/hate movies. At times it felt a bit too experimental for me (less unified in feel than Pulp Fiction), but I think I need to see it again to know how I really feel about it...
How amazing was it that the movie came out at exactly the same time that Bill Jemas was canned at Marvel? Truth is stranger than fiction...
Lure of KayBee: I almost fell into that 30% off deal that ended today at KB Toys... I nearly went for three packs of superdeformed gundam figures, a Batman figure (Justice League version), and Hercule (Mr. Satan) from DBZ, but finally decided I couldn't afford it after the camera purchase. It is too bad since those SD Gudams are sooo cute!
Shoujo manga fan translations on the rise: Something I forgot to mention on the last post with recards to the Kaikan thread was Tsu-na-mi's comment that fan translations of shoujo (girl's) manga online is sharply on the rise:
I am much more forgiving of manga, though. With the number of manga titles in Japan being perhaps beyond human comprehension, there are thousands upon thousands of titles that almost no one have ever heard of in the US, and the ease of doing a scan translation (compared to subbing anime), along with smaller file sizes, makes fans of obscure titles able to pursue them. However, I'd say the most moral thing to do is to actually buy the volumes from Japan and then download a text script to read along with it. That both supports the creators and gives you some nice artwork and real paper to flip through. Plus, once you get past shipping, generally manga is still much cheaper than it is in the US, especially if you can get some used volumes... Of I'm being hyprocritical since I haven't done that myself yet, but I do intend to buy Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou if doesn't get licensed soon. Certainly one of my most favorite comics of all time...
Plush Cthulhu! This page has to be one of the funniest things I've ever seen. You might already be aware of the this dread creature, but don't pass up this link unless you want to miss out on his frightening origin...
Sunn goes manga: Although I cringe at the continuing enlargement to the meaning of the term "manga", this new title shows one more example of manga's continuing influence on American comics...
Dave Barry versus telemarketers: I haven't caught Dave's columns in a while now, but I am really glad that this one was pointed out to me. It is nice to see some of these people get a taste of their own medicine. While I sympathise that people will lose their jobs, I think certain lines just have to be drawn.. Anyway, remind me not to get on Barry's bad side.
Coming up: What's next? Well... I have an anti-shared-world rant coming up that has been a long time in the making. There's been some discussion on this topic lately, so it seems as good a time as any... Hopefully I'll have something good up tomorrow...
So, what'd I get? A Sony DSC-P72. So far, I am really happy with it. Takes nice pictures (even inside!), the 3x optical zoom is helpful, batteries last a long time, easy controls, and it has a really impressive movie mode (640x480, 16fps, sound, and has no limit on length besides your memory stick size).
At first I was going to go with the P32 or P52, but this one was on sale at Office Max for $30 off MSRP along with a free 64MB memory stick. The people seemed really mixed up at Office Max and I haven't done any big purchases there before, so opted to price match. At first we tried at Best Buy, but in the end it just didn't work out (they didn't carry Lexar sticks). However, Circuit City was really easy-going and the salesman had a lot of good information, so we ultimately got it there...
No pictures up yet, but I intend to eventually...
If Lynch made comics: Well, I just read Like A Velvet Glove Cast In Iron, and was very impressed. It took a little bit for me to warm to it (I enjoyed Ghost World, but this is quite different), but ended up enjoying it. This is one of those things where as long as you can accept that it doesn't all make sense in the normal sense (with some things either being a metaphor or just strangeness for the sake of being strange), you'll probably get something out of it. The artwork fits, conveying quite a bit of loneliness and ugliness (with some bits of beauty), and I really liked the pacing and laying near the end. Eventually it felt very cinematic and like I stopped reading and was instead watching it unfold.
As far as Lynch goes, sure comparisons like that can only go so far, but it really does remind me of Mulholland Drive especially. Speaking of Mulholland, am I the only one that feels like this movie is borderline horror? I've seen it described as everything from a puzzle to a comedy, but for me at least, I felt unsettled and disturbed at the end of it. I don't know.. I guess I just homehow feel like if there is an evil force lurking in the world, it'd be similar to what is in that movie. Dark threads right below the surface of normality. Obviously, he tackles similar themes in Blue Velvet, Twin Peaks, etc. but for some reason that aspect of it it hit me more strongly in this particular movie. I should watch it again and see if I still get the same feeling from it, or something else entirely...
As an aside, if you like weird movies like these and like animation, you might enjoy the Revolutionary Girl Utena movie. While seeing some episodes of the series it is based on can help to get some of the inside jokes and relationships, I think it still works without that. The design on the movie is very beautiful and it is overall very imaginative. If you take everything as a metaphore, you'll probably find it enjoyable. My last aside is that the Utena TV series is very recommended. It is a very subversive show that turns shoujo anime on its ear and gets darker and darker as the series goes on. The first two DVDs are very cheap, and the rest are still worth it.
Kids and manga: a thread talking about kids and comics didn't mention manga, so I had to butt in once again. Of note to people that have read my comments before is some of my thoughts on how the manga's popularity has followed a similar track to anime, and how it might relate to the apparant lack of fan support of Sandman's popularity. Also, the thread vears off a bit to talk about GTO, one of the better manga out there these days.
A new comic blog: There's a new comic blog that just started called Comicopolis, which seems to have a similar theme to what a lot of us have been posting about. Also check out his comic survey. Some interesting results so far...
Kill Bill: So, I saw Kill Bill the other day. It was enjoyable, especially since I know some of the things Tarantino was drawing from when he made it. The fights were very well choreographed, the anime was interesting, it wasn't making fun of asian culture, etc. However, I have to say that anyone going to this movie expecting what is in the trailers is in for a rude awakening. People weren't kidding when they said it is probably the most violent US studio film that has been made. I actually think my enjoyment was a bit hampered by the fact that I watched it with my Mom. She is very open-minded and seemed to enjoy it, but it is always weird when you watch something while at the same time being concerned by what the person next to you is thinking of it. Overall, I liked it, but I certainly wouldn't fault someone for disliking it, as it is certainly one of those love/hate movies. At times it felt a bit too experimental for me (less unified in feel than Pulp Fiction), but I think I need to see it again to know how I really feel about it...
How amazing was it that the movie came out at exactly the same time that Bill Jemas was canned at Marvel? Truth is stranger than fiction...
Lure of KayBee: I almost fell into that 30% off deal that ended today at KB Toys... I nearly went for three packs of superdeformed gundam figures, a Batman figure (Justice League version), and Hercule (Mr. Satan) from DBZ, but finally decided I couldn't afford it after the camera purchase. It is too bad since those SD Gudams are sooo cute!
Shoujo manga fan translations on the rise: Something I forgot to mention on the last post with recards to the Kaikan thread was Tsu-na-mi's comment that fan translations of shoujo (girl's) manga online is sharply on the rise:
BTW, shoujo manga has had a HUGE upsurge in the fan-translation front in the last 6-12 months. This and 70-80 other shoujo series are currently being translated by various groups (well, KP stopped once it got announced). Got me interested in a lot of new artists, such that I started buying manga for the first time in about a decade. I'll be buying KP and Hot Gimmick (I have tanks of HG I liked it so much) when they come out since I got hooked on them thru scanslations. ^_^This is always a difficult subject to bring up due to the illegal nature of such activities, but I do think it has helped out the fanbase here in the US. The fansubs of anime now seems much less necessary than they used to be. Almost every new popular anime that comes out is now coming to DVD in an official capacity, and barely anyone is translating the older obscure stuff which actually needs the exposure.
I am much more forgiving of manga, though. With the number of manga titles in Japan being perhaps beyond human comprehension, there are thousands upon thousands of titles that almost no one have ever heard of in the US, and the ease of doing a scan translation (compared to subbing anime), along with smaller file sizes, makes fans of obscure titles able to pursue them. However, I'd say the most moral thing to do is to actually buy the volumes from Japan and then download a text script to read along with it. That both supports the creators and gives you some nice artwork and real paper to flip through. Plus, once you get past shipping, generally manga is still much cheaper than it is in the US, especially if you can get some used volumes... Of I'm being hyprocritical since I haven't done that myself yet, but I do intend to buy Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou if doesn't get licensed soon. Certainly one of my most favorite comics of all time...
Plush Cthulhu! This page has to be one of the funniest things I've ever seen. You might already be aware of the this dread creature, but don't pass up this link unless you want to miss out on his frightening origin...
Sunn goes manga: Although I cringe at the continuing enlargement to the meaning of the term "manga", this new title shows one more example of manga's continuing influence on American comics...
Dave Barry versus telemarketers: I haven't caught Dave's columns in a while now, but I am really glad that this one was pointed out to me. It is nice to see some of these people get a taste of their own medicine. While I sympathise that people will lose their jobs, I think certain lines just have to be drawn.. Anyway, remind me not to get on Barry's bad side.
Coming up: What's next? Well... I have an anti-shared-world rant coming up that has been a long time in the making. There's been some discussion on this topic lately, so it seems as good a time as any... Hopefully I'll have something good up tomorrow...
