Yokohama Kaidashi Kikō (ヨコハマ買い出し紀行)

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Yesterday I started reading Yokohama Kaidashi Kikō on my tablet (via Manga Bird). So far it’s one of my favorite manga. Granted I have not ready hardly any manga, but this one is keeping my attention the most, which is strange because not a whole lot happens in it! But I love the simple style and the short vignettes have a certain charm to them. The manga started in 1994 and ended in 2006, which is interesting because the fashion that the characters wear is very ’90s. I am wondering if the belt-line on their pants will get lower as the manga progresses in years! One thing I really like about this one is that the main character rides a scooter. I guess that is why I liked Kino’s Journey (キノの旅) as well.

Before Sunrise (1995) – Movie Review

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Why did it take me 18 years to see Before Sunrise?! I was absolutely mesmerized by it. The movie starts with the characters placed in a somewhat normal situation, but it becomes kind of magical, and yet totally believable at the same time. And the plot…well, was there a plot? Not really, but the dialog and acting were so great that they carried the movie. It is basically the story of two people meeting and falling in love over the course of one entire day. Simple, right? But there is something different about it. I think it is that the acting/casting really works, and the dialog is both off-the-wall, yet completely human. Julie Delpy is fantastic and Ethan Hawke impressed me as well.

I think I really connected with the story because my experience of moving to Japan and meeting Mariko was had some similarities to the film: I was living in an unfamiliar but fascinating country, and also became completely head over heels in love with Mariko in that first night after we met, and we are about the same ages as the actors in the movie. As you can tell, it’s a very romantic film, but I can really be a sucker for stories like thise, and who doesn’t like being in love? In the movie, Celine says “But isn’t everything we do in life a way to be loved a little more?”

I’m looking forward to the sequel “Before Sunset” to arrive from Netflix, and then the third movie “Before Midnight” as well! Highly recommended!

Honey and Clover / ハチミツとクローバー (2006) – Movie Review

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I found Honey and Clover (Japanese movie) at the local library and decided to give it a try since I have heard about the manga, but never really knew anything about it. The description on the back seemed to match the kind of movie I would be interested in: A group of art school students’ lives and the relationships that develop between them. While the characters were interesting and the setting of the story kept my attention, the plot itself was so lacking that I found myself wondering why I was watching the movie. I kept waiting for something interesting to happen, but nothing really does. Well, at least nothing that I would make a movie over. The love stories never really develop, the characters don’t grow so much, and I kind of find it difficult to remember how the movie ended, even though I just watched it a few days ago. I’m sure the manga must be good, but the movie just falls flat. Disappointed!