Who'll pray?

[rkold]

LJ does not appear to be working so I am wondering if this will even be able to post. I was going to make a long and wangsty rant about some of the DoA people who are really bugging me at the moment, but it just doesn't seem worth it. Not when I have more important things on my mind, like trying to get tickets to see the Sengoku Basara Festa. One of the guests is of course, Hoshi Souichirou (since he plays one of the 2 leads and my favorite character Sanada Yukimura) For those who don't know Hoshi has been my favorite seiyuu (Sakurai is #2, even if Suzaku is my favorite character) since 2001, when I first heard from Angelic Layer. He was just so charming and smarmy as Oujirou, I loved it. And while Sanada is nothing like Oujirou, I would be so thrilled to finally have this opportunity. The Festa is the week end after my hopefully next doujinshi event, White Valentine's Day. I have to say, doing doujinshi is somewhat addicting. You do one, and then you sort of feel like you want to do more. It doesn't hurt that the last event I was rather successful and actually managed to sell around 20 books total. Please everyone, hope that I am as lucky at the next event! :D

One nice thing about going to Japan is, seeing movies on the plane so here are some spoilerifc thoughts on the Japanese movies I saw Hagetaka /the Vulture, Kita no Zeronen/Year 1 in the North, Rookies - Sotsugyo/Rookies, and Katen no Shiro/Castle Under Fiery Skies as well as the US movies Gi Joe: Rise of Cobra and Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince


Hagetaka

I did not know going into it that Hagetaka was a TV series but it didn't have the abrupt beginning of say Rookies which made me wonder if I'd started the movie in the beginning lol

Wow, this movie is making hostile takeovers look action packed. It's also a lot more interesting than Wall Street ever was

Yeah for evil Americans!

Stanley Brothers is so obviously Lehman Brothers it was not even funny.

Tamayama Tetsuji is very very very hot. I would watch this movie alone to stare at him. His character is also charming and sort of evil ♥


Why hello slash, you are being very obvious aren't you? That whole speech about watching Washizu and knowing his feelings, his joys and sorrows, that was just...

Tamayama so topped the poor temp work at the car plant.

Ripped from the headlines storylines, just like Law and Order.. except no murders... never mind.

Wow, Tokyo and its pen knife wielding homeless, I had no idea. Though that last phone call was incredibly slashy.

...and so was Washizu's trip to China.

Kita no Zeronen

Why do I know where Awaji Island is... OH, it's where the Akashi Kakyo Bridge is, wow, moving to Hokkaido has go to suck for those samurai.

Yeah! Ainu good guys!

Yeah! Fallen former Tokugawa samurai as heroes!

Whoah! Good guy Americans o_O

Were people really using names like Yuuta back in the 1870's?

Watanabe Ken's character is a schmuck, there is an awful lot of pressure on Japanese women to just be accepting of guys being douches.

So is this a happy ending or...

Rookies -Sotsugyo

Again I did not know this was based on a TV series which was based on a manga...

Uhhh wait huh what?!? Who is graduating and what exactly is going on.

So random punk team love love random insane teacher and play baseball, OK

The really uke captain of the team is pretty damn slashy with that punk kids who wants to be recruited by the US majors.

Hey wait, is that a white guy in the band of punks?!? Why is there a white guy going to a Japanese school.

That one kid has hair that looks exactly like Hikaru's from HikaGo.

Hey wait, is that a white guy in the band of punks?!? Why is there a white guy going to a Japanese school.

Hey wait, is that a white guy in the band of punks?!? Why is there a white guy going to a Japanese school.

I love the fact we're not shown what happens in Koshien ♥ Because really it's not about winning or losing it's about making it there.

Hey wait, is that a white guy in the band of punks?!? Why is there a white guy going to a Japanese school.

For those curious, thanks to Wikipedia I discovered the "white guy" was in fact the guy from one of the Tenimyus who played Tezuka and was half Spanish. In Tenimyu he hadn't looked particularly gaijin, but with the bleached cheetos hair, his more foreign looking features really stood out.

Katen no Shiro

Heeeee Azuchi Castle... that is the castle Date and Sanada destroy with their true love in Basara anime lol

Heeee Oda Nobunga use your magic stain glass window powers!

The architect demonstrating why Oda's ideas for the keep were not so good, priceless.

The tree guy getting his head chopped off was sad.

Is there a theme of Japanese wives sacrificing everything and just accepting husbands being douches in movies?

Is it bad to be amused that the castle they are working so hard on you know is doomed?

Assassin chick was awesome, I just keep thinking Kasuga.

So did the architect die or what?

Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince, no really he is in it, for a few minutes

My sister in law asked me if I would have paid $2 to see it and I was not sure.

Hello Emo!Draco, I love your suit, you are so emo.

Harry needs a hoodie so he can be appropriately Justin Timberlake Stalker. So is he going to make out with Ginny on Draco's bed while Hermione films it?

That scene where Snape pushes Draco against the wall, that was hot.

They actually made Lavender more annoying in the movie and Slughorn sort of less... you actually sort of feel bad for the guy, he seems less creepy.

I kind of like children of the damned Tom, but what happened to super hot Tom from movie 2?!?! When does Tom look like that?

Whoever wrote the script seriously hates the Harmonians. That is not just their overactive imaginations.

The add on the Remus and Tonks dating seems really... add on and doesn't work. Ah the joys of trying to retrofit your add-on plot that seemed add-on and stupid from the start.

More Luna would have been a wonderful thing.

Wait, Snape was in this movie?

At least the movie makes it 100% clear for anyone who does not know what happens in the 7th book that Snape killed Dumbledore at Dumbledore's behest.

Harry sounds way more uke in Japanese, I think because he sounds disturbingly like Saji Crossroad.

Gi Joe: Rise of Cobra

Helloooooooo Storm Shadow, my are you hot. I seriously do not remember caring one way or another for Storm Shadow in the original but in this movie ♥ ♥ He looks particularly hot in his awesome white suit of pimpness as he wanders not!Paris.

Helloooooooo Destro, you are charming and while not a pimp like in the cartoon, you are still hot and evil.

Thank you for making me finally like Zartan.

Baroness, you are only fun when you are not involved in your stupid love triangle of fail and being a blond.

Dr. Mindbender has hair, this is somehow deeply wrong.

I can not decide what I think of Cobra Commander. A part of me misses failed car salesman of the comic books. Also, this Commander == so much more competent than the one in the cartoon.

Can I join Cobra? They might be an evil terrorist organization determined to rule the world, but their members are hot and super cool.

Jonathan Pryce what happened to you? o_O You look like you want to be Robert Prosky.

Duke, you would not be so bad if you did not have the crappy romance with Baroness. I admit, you sort of seem like a young Kirk from new Trek want to be. ^^; and neither of you are the Shatner

Snake Eyes, you are hilarious as a plump white kid wandering the streets of Tokyo homeless and starving. OK that set up in general is just hilarious. It does not help that then you decide to go and rob the giant imaginary ninja castle on the hill. So much of this movie seems vaguely real world with some fantasy elements but Tokyo.. their Tokyo... it makes Basara look completely historical. Once you grow up Snake Eyes you suck more than usual since you have no personality.

Scarlet, you are a lot better than in any other versions, but I am failing to see you in a love triangle unless it is Duke/Ripcord/and you.

Ripcord, I don't remember you in the cartoon or comic book but I didn't want to see you die horribly, so that is always success in my book.

In answer to the inevitable question, yes I would pay $2 to see this movie. I might even pay more.



In the future hopefully there will be discussions on the books Havemercy and Shadow Magic

I also tried 4 Conjure Oils. Poison Apple is not bad, but the other 3, Blood Rush, Gingerbread House and Sweet Death are incredibly awful.

Comments

[twotone]

1. Congrats on all the doujinshi sales!

2. omg omg Hasbro has made figurines (I hesitate to call them action figures because they're not poseable) of CHILD SNAKE EYES AND CHILD STORM SHADOW!!! Hopefully this link will work: Combat Heroes: Young Snake Eyes and Young Storm Shadow

Because they're in the kid-friendly Combat Heroes line, they're incredibly happy and smiley. It is kind of hilarious.

PS: I don't believe Ripcord was ever important in the cartoon or the comic. Previous to this movie (and GI Joe Resolute, which was a recent attempt at a GRITTY GI Joe cartoon), he was generally not portrayed as a black guy.

[rkold.livejournal.com]

Still I consider it a major plus that I did not dislike Ripcord. Overall I really enjoyed the movie, even if I was laughing a bit too much at the Tokyo flashback.

...I sort of want those figures. >>;; It's not just that they look happy, Young Snake Eyes looks like Anakin's bippy younger brother he never knew he had as a figure lol Was it just me or did child Snake Eyes look like he had spent too much time eating an American diet of junk food previous to his becoming a ninja? Also seriously, how attached could Snake Eyes have gotten to the Hard Master, he was there for what all of 6 months? There is something so anime about having the closest bond EVAR for that one period of childhood where you are with someone for a matter of weeks.

Also Storm Shadow is just too adorable.

Have you seen this btw? (http://nedbatchelder.com/blog/200911/lego_popup_temple.html)

[sumeragiskank.livejournal.com]

And what the hell was up with the Hard Master anyway? Storm Shadow was clearly the better student, so why such favouritism to the gaijin porker? Kid did not look like he was starving.

And wee Storm Shadow was so cute, he had Touya Akira hair!

[rkold.livejournal.com]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought Chibi Snakes Eyes did not look close to starving. lol

Maybe the Hard Master had a plump gaijin boys? It would not be the first time someone had an odd fetish in Japan.

I seriously never expected to love Storm Shadow so much.

[twotone]

Oh wow, that LEGO Kinkakuji is seriously cool. Thanks for the link!

[rkold.livejournal.com]

I thought you would appreciate it. :D

I loved how the person who made it even made the box out of legos! I also liked how they made it in the right proportions. I remember when I went to Kinkakuji being surprised by how small it was lol

Kennis found the link for me! :D

[sumeragiskank.livejournal.com]

Unlike you, I always loved Zartan, and even though he did not sound and look like a bad Ozzy Osbourne ripoff, I still loved him in the movie.

I am not sure how I feel about competent Cobra Commander, since that is why he was always so amusing. The Baroness when she was being badass was awesome, though I did miss the accent. It makes me want to go youtube the ep with the Gamemaster where she spent the whole ep in a bikini. That one was awesome.

Scarlet was always kinda sucky, when will we ever get Lady Jane? why did I think she had some sort of weird crush on Snake Eyes?

Duke was really bland, and definitely not half as cool as young new Kirk, but I do have a soft spot for the guy who played Duke cause he's the amusing guy from Step Up and I shamefully love that movie. He was also pretty cute in that awful Amanda Bynes Twelfth Night remake.

[rkold.livejournal.com]

I think that is hands down my favorite episode of the cartoon too. >>;; Cobra Commander was just so whiny in it, and Baroness was so kickass in her bikini lol I loved her snuggling with Destro at the end.

I did not always like Zartan, but in the movie, I did like him!

I didn't mind Scarlet in the movie through. It's odd, I still liked Cobra better but movie Gi-Joe was a lot less annoying than cartoon GiJoe if that makes sense.

I think in the comic book Scarlet is dating Snake Eyes and I think in the cartoon she was with Duke lol

He wasn't as good as young Kirk, but he I felt like the movie was definitely going for the same vibe as young Kirk with his character.

I will say overall I prefer the Gi Joe live-action movie to the Transformers live action movie by a lot and I felt it did a better job representing the original franchise. And I would take Scarlet over having to see Megan Fox whose character truly sucked.

[jusrecht.livejournal.com]

Wheeeee congrats for the doujin event! And good luck on the next one too ;D

Ahaha, I watched Rookie and actually quite enjoyed it, typical as it is. The 'white guy' really needs some acting lesson though lol

[rkold.livejournal.com]

Thank you!!!! I am trying to plot out books that have not so much text since it makes it easier for me. At the moment, the two winning stories are probably Geass/3 little Pigs Fusion and DisneyWorld Date. Geass/Snow White and Geass/Little Mermaid will prob wait for SCC. Maybe by then I will try to do an actual book of all the fairytales lol I am unsure. I really ought to share some of my doujinshi on-line so people can marvel at my bad art lol

Of course I now also want to do Little Red Headband Boy, it works sooooo well >>; that and I want to figure out something to do for Jump day for SCC so I can get a space the problem being I am not so into Jump series and it is mostly to be able to get books for Kim by her favorite Reborn circle

Oh, I enjoyed it. I wouldn't call it a drama though.. more a comedy lol I just was very.. "wow there is a white guy in this lol" It was very hard for me to get past that since he just looked so foreign. lol I totally was slashing the captain with the short hair with the punk guy who wanted to be in the majors. And it still wasn't as good as The Vulture or GiJoe cause Tamayama and Storm Shadow were so hot >>;

[mec]

No praying, but my fingers are crossed for you! ^_^

In my mind, Luna was the best thing about that HP movie. I want one of my own to take home - she's adorable! And there's just never enough of the twins for my liking.

I'm waiting for the Rookies movie to show up on the Internet, as I love the drama but the movie came out just *after* my last Japan trip. I mean, it's not technically very good, but it made me laugh a lot and I enjoyed some of the eye candy, so... All through the series, Shirota Yuu's character basically just beat up school desks a lot and was very slashy with Aniya (the team's ace). Even my brothers were slashing the show with me, that's how obvious it was. I like sports series - so much potential! ^_^

[rkold.livejournal.com]

*hugs* Thank you! I have to send you your late Birthday gift. :D I'l also have to ask you another question after it goes out.

Luna was hilarious and adorable and I wanted to snuggle her and feed her cookies. I also wouldn't mind my own Snape since I find Alan Rickman hot, though not as hot as Tamayama and Storm Shadow.

I admit, I watched it because it was on the plane and I will watch a lot of things on the plane lol I was heartbroken we didn't have Twilight especially since rumor has it that Sakurai is Edward in the dub, Emo!Cloud!Edward!!!!!! Rookies was very funny.. I had thought it was going to be serious and dramatic like the other "dramas" and instead it was more.. a comedy and silly. I remember Aninya. They're not slashy at all in the movie. ^^;;; Aninya is sort of slashy with the young ball player who beat him in the past but really it is all about the true love of the dorky captain and the new young guy they intro. They're really pretty slashy. Also the captain guy doesn't seem anywhere near as punk as the rest of the team... he seems sort of dorky. lol I just marveled at how much Shirota looked like a foreigner, I was seriously very confused by this lol

[mec]

Aww, thank you! I am very curious now.

Luna could definitely do with some cookies - but I suppose the ethereal look is kind of fitting for her! Hmm...Alan Rickman, yes, but not so much as Snape. It might be the hair, though. It didn't really do him any favours. (But trying to find a decent haircut for any male in those movies can be a challenge!)

Oh dear, having Sakurai would only make it even more melodramatic and ridiculous. ^_^

Nah, there is almost nothing serious about Rookies, save the occasional tendency of various people to burst into tears. Aniya and Shinjo were very slashy in the series; I am sad to hear it is not the case in the movie. The whole way through it was like Aniya was just dying to order Shinjo to do him up against the wall or something.

The captain's not as punk as the rest because he was the one they all kind of picked on in the beginning? And he had no confidence or anything. They seem to have taken to him quite well as captain, though. (I can't take him seriously because the first thing I saw him in, he was playing a delinquent who dressed like a host...)

I'd never seen Shirota so pale before! He was so tan as Tezuka, but with the blond hair and ghost-like skin I'd never have said he was even half-Japanese.

[rkold.livejournal.com]

I just packed it up so as soon as the pictures finish exporting I'm off to the PO to mail it out along with a bunch of other things. I'm slowly working through the gifts I got people in Japan so I can finally get them out of my house lol

She could still be ethereal with some cookies! :D I think he is even sort of good looking as Snape. The haircut is not perfect, but I'm able to ignore things like that and besides his voice is just so sexy it doesn't matter to me lol

YES! And that is why I need to hear it. lol

I didn't think Shinjo and Aninya were slashy, I don't really remember them interacting. Aninya was trying to pretend to be het with some girl and wangsting about the guy on some other team who struck him out in middle school. And then wangsting when the guy did not remember him

The captain came off as a total dorky uke who everyone on the team likes but who is topped by everyone lol He was the slashiest of the people in the movie by a lot I wish I could remember what the other player's name was he was slashy with, he was someone new I think just for the movie.

I am so glad to know I am not the only person who thought Shirota looked like he was a foreigner. lol It was a bit off putting in the movie since it seemed odd to have a random American on the team.