Photo info: FUJIFILM X-T10, 55mm, f/4, 1/160 sec, ISO2000 “Solo” Cedar Park, 2018
こんばんは。How’s it going?
This evening, Koa performed at the percussion concert – both solo and ensemble. He was so happy that he got chosen as a soloist, and he did great! He got a huge round of applause at the end, which was really cool. 👏
Besides the solo, his percussion section performed two pieces, and they rocked the house. I’ve heard and seen them perform the pieces before, so I knew it was going to be great, and they did not disappoint.
Photo info: FUJIFILM X-T10, 50.5mm, f/4, 1/160 sec, ISO2500 “Ensemble” Cedar Park, 2018
Next year, Koa will be moving on to high school, and he’ll continue with percussion in the band there. The percussion director is the same for his middle school and high school so the transition will be easier. It’s great that he’s found something that he’s really into! His middle school band experience was truly a positive one, and he learned a lot about hard work, discipline, and respect. I am so glad he was in band, and in percussion in particular. I have to say that a lot of the credit goes to the band director, who is strict but dedicated. We really got lucky that he was the director at our kids’ middle school! 🎶
Photo info: FUJIFILM X-T10, 26.5mm, f/3.2, 1/160 sec, ISO1600 “8th Graders” Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/5.6, 1/80 sec, ISO3200 “Segodon” Cedar Park, 2018
こんばんは。How’s it going?
This year I’ve started having a lot more “screentime” due to the fact that I have a Moviepass (which is awesome!), but I am also trying to watch more dorama, anime, and other Japanese TV. Actually, almost all the tv I watch is on TV Japan since I am a Japanophile, and I love some of the documentary and travel programs.
Anyways, here’s what on my watch list at the moment:
Segodon (Taiga) – Really good historical drama. I like most of the actors in it, plus my celebrity crush Kitagawa Keiko has a part.
Recovery of an MMO Junkie (Anime) – The story of the MMO junkie from a female point-of-view is interesting and over-the-top. She’s so kawaisou (pitiful) it’s funny.
Quartet (Dorama) – This one is by the writer of Anone, but the characters aren’t very interesting to me. A little too slow so far but I’m sure it will get better.
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/7.1, 1/100 sec, ISO2000 “Ride Day” Cedar Park, 2018
こんにちは。How’s it going?
Today the sun was shining and the weather was perfect for a motorbike ride. Whenever I get on my F650 GS, I remember the long journeys I took, especially my two day trip through Louisiana, Arkansas, and Oklahoma. It is so fun to eat up the miles riding on top of two wheels! And hitting the state line is kind of a thrill, especially because we live in the center of Texas and the border is a good 8 hours in any direction.
Today’s ride was just around the town where we live, but it’s always fun to experience that bit of freedom and speed that a motorcycle provides. It’s a wonderful way to feel truly alive. 😊
Listening to the “Swan Songs” playlist and feeling sad. It’s a Spotify playlist of songs put together by All Things Considered (NPR) that people would like played at their own funerals. I wonder what I would choose?
こんばんは。Tonight Your Lie in April (四月は君の嘘) was on TV Japan so Koa and I watched it together. Surprisingly, Koa said he had already seen it on the plane when we traveled over Christmas break. I guess he enjoyed it enough to want to watch it again. I’m not sure if it is because there is a lot of musical performance in it, or if he’s now interested in girls/romantic stories, but whatever! I was happy to have his company while I watched it.
******* SPOILERS FOLLOW – YOU MAY WANT TO SKIP DIRECTLY DOWN TO THE TRAILER *********
I’m a fan of Hirose Suzu 広瀬 すず(Anone, Umimachi Diary) and will watch anything that she stars in, so it was great to find a movie of hers on TV Japan, and in HD with English subtitles! w00t! I didn’t know much about the story beforehand except that it’s an adaptation from a manga and I was expecting it to be a very light teen romantic comedy, but it turned out to have a deeper story, and was actually kind of a tear-jerker! I’d categorize it as a “teen romantic musical tragedy”. 😆
Your Lie in April follows the main characters, Kaori (Hirose) and Kōsei (Yamazaki Kento 山﨑 賢人), two musically talented high school students who team up to perform in a musical recital. Actually, Kaori convinces Kōsei, who has quit piano years earlier, to be her accompaniment. Her carefree yet determined attitude helps him overcome his fear of performing, and it seemed like the story will follow the formula of boy meets girl, boy loses girl, both confess their love for each other and they reunite with a triumphant concert performance.
Well, things take a big turn when Kaori falls seriously ill and Kōsei, Kaori, and their two close friends Tsubaki and Watari confront their feelings and confess to their love interests. However, things get complicated and the confessions didn’t make complete sense to me so I was wondering if there was some kind of hole in the plot.
Anyways, the story continues on, with Kōsei telling Kaori in the hospital that he has decided to enter a regional piano competition and that he wants to perform together with her in the future. With this in mind, Kaori decides to undergo a risky operation to cure her terminal illness.
Soon after, she goes into surgery while at the same time Kōsei is performing in the concert. This musical performance was probably the most touching scene in the movie because while he plays, Kaori’s image appears and accompanies him on violin. However, towards the end of the song, she stops playing, lowers her violin, and, shedding tears, fades away, signifying the fact that she did not survive the operation. 😭
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.2, 1/100 sec, ISO250 “Your Lie in April” Cedar Park, 2018
The story picks up a few months later, with Kōsei reading a letter that Kaori had written to him before she had her operation. In it, she reveals how she had known of Kōsei since they were small kids when she saw him at a piano recital. It was then that she decided to play violin in hopes that she could play with him one day. Years later in high school, as her illness became more serious, she decided to live the rest of her life to the fullest and made an effort to become closer to Kosei and his friends in order to make her dream come true. The lie she told (to which the film’s title refers) was that she said she loved Watari (in order to go on a double-date with Kōsei and Tsubaki). The truth was that she was actually in love with Kosei. 😭
I enjoyed the movie a lot more than I thought I would, mainly because the plot made complete sense after Kaori’s letter was read by Kōsei. And Hirose Suzu’s acting is always charming and she can seemingly let the tears flow on command. Yamazaki Kento probably had the most challenging role and did a good job expressing his inner struggles, especially during his piano pieces. Speaking of the musical performances, I read that both Hirose and Yamazaki spent 6 months practicing their instruments before filming. It really shows because they certainly seemed convincing (at least to me).
I really loved the setting of Your Lie in April (movie version) – the Shonan coast. Their high school sat on a hill, with a view of the ocean and Enoshima island. There was even a cool river heading to the ocean that they jumped into from a high bridge. It looked like a great area to live in. I’ve actually taken a couple of day trips down there when I lived in Japan, and it has a really cool, laid-back beach vibe. I loved it.
Although not a truly amazing film, Your Lie in April is a solidly entertaining story with good acting and some touching scenes. And the musical performances are great as well. I recommend it!
My rating is 7.5/10.
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