Category: I Like It

Saturday Viewing

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こんばんは。

Today, I had a few free hours alone (Bay is out of town at a Robotics competition, Mariko was at a winery with friends, and Koa was at a pool party) so I went to see Your Name again!

I knew that there would be so much more to appreciate in the second viewing. I guess it’s because I don’t catch a lot of the plot nuances the first time I see movies, but also because Your Name has quite a few twists that it makes it hard to keep track of all that is going on.

****spoiler alert****

So, in the second viewing, I was fully away that besides being separated by distance, Mitsuha and Taki were separated by time as well. Because of the 3 year difference, the first time they met in Tokyo, Mitsuha was probably 17, but Taki was only 14. That whole scene on the train made a ton more sense now that I realized that Mitsuha had been experiencing the switch for a while, but the switch would not happen for another 3 years for Taki.

The body-swapping aspect of the film made a lot more sense to me since I could pick up on the cues as to when the switch is “active”. For instance, the real Mitsuha could braid her hair with ease, while the Taki-Mitsuha wore her hair in a messy ponytail.

On the flipside, the scenes where Mitsuha is in Taki’s body were a lot more interesting, just seeing the way he/see walks and sits, and the way he speaks is feminine. I enjoyed it during the first viewing, but now could concentrate 100% on the subtleties.

Interestingly enough, the second viewing was even more touching emotionally. Every time I saw the comet in the sky, I would feel my eyes welling up with tears. It was crazy. Then of course when Mitsuha opens her hand to see what Taki wrote… ah the flood!!! And finally, the ending scene was just perfect. 😢

One small thing I noticed in the first viewing was that one of the buildings in Tokyo was one I took a photo of back in 1997. It’s the building at the 0:18 second mark in the video below. It gave me a feeling of a little more of a connection to the movie. 😄

"Shinjuku Skyscraper" Tokyo, 1997
“Shinjuku Skyscraper” Tokyo, 1997

I hope you had a nice Saturday!

またね～

Your Name 君の名は (2017) – Movie Review

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"Movie Night" Austin, 2017
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.2, 1/100 sec, ISO1250
 “Movie Night” Austin, 2017

こんばんは。

This evening I went with my friend Mikey to watch the Japanese anime blockbuster “Your Name / 君の名は”. It’s the highest-grossing animated movie in Japan of all-time, surpassing even Spirited Away, which is my favorite Studio Ghibli film. I’ve heard so many great things about Your Name that I had high expectations for it, and I have to say that I wasn’t disappointed! I thought the story was amazing, the visuals stunning, and the soundtrack was great. There were several powerful moments, where I could forget that I am a 48-year old 伯父さん and just simply shed an emotional tear or two. Dark theaters you know! But to me, the movie was that good.

But, the only negative to me (pointed out by my more perceptive viewing companion, Mikey) was the placement of the Radwimps song at the beginning of the film. I do like the song a lot, but it “cheapened” the movie a little bit. Instead of a pure cinematic epic, the song brought it down to a tv-like quality since it looked like the opening of a tv anime. And they showed a lot snippets of upcoming scenes. It was weird.

Despite the opening, I thought Your Name was a brilliant movie. I plan on seeing it again soon, and of course owning it when it is released in stores. Recommended, but bring tissues!

Here’s the official trailer:

And another Radwimps tune from the movie, with plenty of great movie scenes:

My rating: 10/10!

I hope you had a nice Friday!

またね～

Storm Tonight

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"Evening Clouds" Cedar Park, 2017
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/5.6, 1/2500 sec, ISO200
 “Evening Clouds” Cedar Park, 2017

こんばんは。

Tonight the forecast is for a storm. Heavy rain, high winds, and hail are possible. 😳

Cloud photo

The photo above is one I took at around 6 PM when the wind was picking up and you could feel the changes in the air. At least the crazy weather brings with it some interesting clouds. 😄

Artwork

This evening I was browsing the work of an amazing digital artist. I just love Ilya Kuvshinov’s art! Simply fantastic.

Source: ArtStation – Eki, Ilya Kuvshinov

I found many other great artists and illustrators this evening, but I’ll share them at future dates. Just so much cool stuff out there. 😄

I hope you had a nice Tuesday.

おやすみ

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Food Photos

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"Tofu Bento" Austin, 2017
Photo info: FUJIFILM X-T10, 35mm, f/2.5, 1/125 sec, ISO2500
 “Tofu Bento” Austin, 2017

こんばんは。How was your Saturday?

Today I took some photos of bento that our friends’ restaurant will sell. 🍱 The photo above is a closeup of the tofu bento, but I think the photos that will be used are just the basic top-down angle. But, I took several closeups too just in case.

As a bonus for the work I did, I got to take the bento home, and we had it for lunch and dinner. おいしかった！😄

This afternoon I relaxed by watching a lot of TV… first I watched an episode of Yuki!!! On Ice, which is an anime that Emily Yoshida is discussing on her podcast, It’s Cool to Like Anime. I decided to give it a watch, but the first episode didn’t interest me too much. I’ll probably watch a couple more to see if it grows on me.

I also started watching a currently running Japanese dorama, Tokyo Tarareba Musume, which I will blog about in another post… more to come!

おやすみ

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The Bond Strap(s)

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"Spectre Bond Strap" Cedar Park, 2017
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/5, 1/30 sec, ISO3200
 “Spectre Bond Strap” Cedar Park, 2017

こんばんは。Are you well today?

Continuing with my mini-obsession with my new watch, I decided to get a couple new watch straps. I mentioned in a previous post that the band that came with the watch wasn’t highly regarded and that a NATO strap replacement is recommended. Well, I did a little research into the style I wanted, and I ended up going with the “Bond Strap”, which is the same design that James Bond wore. But, he actually wore a couple different styles. In 1964’s Goldfinger, Sean Connery wore a black, green, and red striped design, while in 2015’s Spectre, Daniel Craig wore a black and grey striped design. Naturally, I got both!

"Goldfinger Bond Strap" Cedar Park, 2017
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/5.6, 1/40 sec, ISO3200
 “Goldfinger Bond Strap” Cedar Park, 2017

What is nice about the NATO style straps is that they are very inexpensive. I paid about $10 each. They are both pretty good, but not perfect. The black and grey Spectre strap is a good thickness, softer, and more comfortable, but the buckles are a shiny stainless steel. I prefer the darker matte finish of the stock band. The black, green, and red Goldfinger strap is thinner, harder, and the buckles are a nice matte nickel color. Unfortunately, they are a little too big and prominent, plus I think there are one too many buckles. There’s a way to loop the strap around two of the buckles so that it is more secure, but I don’t think I need that, so I might Dremel off one of them.

I like the NATO straps, though, and I bet if I search hard enough, I will find the combination of smaller matte buckles and softness. But perhaps it’s not about finding the perfect one, but enjoying the variety that comes with owning several different types. 😊 Luckily, NATO straps are easily removed and replaces, so switching it up to suit your mood is not an inconvenience at all.

I hope you had a nice Thursday!

-B