In the Search for IEMs

*********************************UPDATE*********************************

As it turns out, I just needed to change the filters. You get a set of 6 in addition to the two that come with the PFEs.

I had recently contacted their customer service because I couldn’t get into their store on audeoworld.com

They were SUPER courteous and helpful but couldn’t reproduce the error. I must have sounded like a CRAZY person.

Everyone was kind enough not to point that out. However, he did suggest changing the filter because often, that’s a cause for decreased sound in one earbud. I thought he was crazy because it was so sudden. Turns out, I’M crazy. Not about Audeoworld.com, though, seriously I’ve tried three different computers and I can’t get to their store!

I changed the filter to the bass ones (after ruining one by twisting the tool one revolution too many, and this after I read about someone doing that on the anythingbutipod forums and swearing I wouldn’t be so reckless! Egad, maybe I am crazy…) and yeah, sound is perfect now. I <3 my little babies! Just gotta get some new ear guards and earbuds and I’ll be perfect again…ah, I love these damn earphones….

 

I suppose I spoke too soon. In the past few days, after having written my previous post extolling the virtues of the Phonak Audeo PFEs/Cowon S9 combination, I have been suffering from the death of one o fmy earbuds (the right one). I suppose I’m the only one to blame, I’ve accidentally stepped on them and more recently, lost the ear guides for one of them, so that I’ve taken to tucking it behind the leg off my glasses when wearing them.

It’s no accident that the right earbud has been dying. The sound is noticeably reduced. UGH. I’m mostly upset with myself for being responsible for ruining such a great set of earphones that will be turning two in October.

As such, I’ve thrown myself back into the mix to look for a set of quality-sounding phones with good build quality and a decent price tag.

I’m looking at the Denon C551, Hippo VB, and the MEElectronics A151.

The review of the MEElectronics A151 over at anythingbutipod.com said himself that the Phonaks are probably a step up from the A151s. Great. Just when I had hope…

But owning a pair of over-the-ear Denons, I’m looking forward to the Denon C551. The Hippo VBs apparently have better sound in every arena, but build quality loses out to the Denon C551. I’ll keep looking for a review of someone who’s had them for at least a year.

Important lesson: Take damn good care of your headphones.

Cowon S9 with Audeo Phonaks and EiiO headphone amp

I miss it. I really truly freaking miss it.

I love my Phonaks as IEMs. They are SICK. They are perfect. The FiiO headphone amp fills out the bass.

The Cowon S9 is still holding up like a champ. I have gleefully shown off it’s kickass screen to many friends. And they all say the same thing: I WANT ONE!

So I thought I’d toss up a quick follow-up post about this set of awesome over a year after I bought them. Honeymoon period over, I thought I’d share my thoughts on how they stack up against the test of time.

I will say this again: I MISS THEM.

I lost one of the earphone guides (the silicon loop that wraps these sick phones around your ear). I also lost one of the small silicon ear tips. So I have one small and one medium tip and only one ear guide. THIS SUCKS! I tried to order new ones but SHOCK! The phonak site’s store DOES NOT WORK. Amazon does not sell them. I AM IN SHOCK. And rage…lots of rage. I want some damn accessories that also fit their current stock and their goddamn site does not work. I get a 404 error page whenever I click on their store. WHY?!?!?!

I have fallen asleep with these babies on. They are comfortable (even with mismatched tips!) and they don’t blow out my ears. My coworker bought some Klipsch S4s and I convinced a close friend to do the same. No complaints from them, but I still love my Phonaks more. RAWR I need more tips and one more ear guide

As for the FiiO headphone amp…well there is a slight hissing sound. Not noticeable when you crank it, but to be honest, I prefer to listen to my music at a very low level. I like to hear what’s going on and honestly I like being able to hear vaguely what’s going on. Not enough to cover the sound of music, but if someone shouts my name or there’s an explosion, I don’t want to be that guy listening to music as certain doom looms near.

So that was a slight waste of $17. But I mean…it’s $17.

The S9 is actually on loan to a friend who needs it to watch downloaded TV on her TV. YEAH that TV out cord was a good purchase. She loves it and I secretly think she’s going to try to steal it. FAIL! I refuse to allow that to happen.

I seriously miss my S9 because lately I’ve had to settle for listening to music on my iPhone. Yes I sold out by buying Apple and even more so by playing music on it, BUT A MAN’S GOTTA LISTEN TO MUSIC WHEN HE’S DOING MINDLESS WORK AT WORK!

But then I get shrieky MP3s and static-y bass and generally muffled sound. Now these are MP3s that are high quality high encoding and sound beautiful on my laptop with my Denon AHD5000s (yeah I betrayed basically this entire set of equipment >_<). So it’s not a source file issue. It’s not a headphone issue since they rock. SO……

YEAH. Thanks Steve Jobs. Jerk.

If I could get better fitting tips and another silicon ear guide, I would be happy. Also, I’ll need my S9 back so I can rock to it. Which is seeming less and less likely due to my friend’s attachment to it. The irony is that she has an iPod classic (160GB of MUSIC! SERIOUSLY!). Yeah she’s crushing on my non-Apple products, whooo~oooo

Final Glimpse: Looks like this set of equipment is win. You need the headphone amp for blasting bass-heavy music. In all honesty, I don’t think I own any music that’s even slightly bass-heavy, leading me to believe that  I probably didn’t need it. BUT IT’S COOL TO HAVE ANYWAY!

I still love the phones, still love the S9. I think that a year later, after purchasing other equipment that does the same job (and some better, since those Denons ROCK MY WORLD but unfortunately are huge over-the-ear headphones and also leave an unattractive line of flattened hair on my head), still loving this set of equipment says a lot. Given a Saturday evening to re-up the music onto my S9, I would totally sit back and listen to some great music. The thing about the S9/Phonak combo is that it makes you want to listen to music again. HELL, the S9/Denon combo makes me feel the same way, regardless of that doofy line across my hair. But, life being what it is, I haven’t had a free Saturday in ages and all my equipment is scattered to the winds.

Audeo…please fix your damn site so I can order accessories for these awesome headphones I bought from you! Cowon, please update your touch interface because after playing with the iPhone, the S9 looks like a primitive resistive touchscreen (which it isn’t, if I recall the specs correctly, it’s a capacative touch screen! For god’s sakes stop embarrassing yourself!)

If you’re looking for a solid entry into IEMs and sound equipment, look no further. I got my Phonaks for $140 and my S9 for $300 (with free plastic case and $12 TV out cable, 32 GB version without DMB cuz it was a US model). It’s a great entry into high-quality sound. Of course you can spend hundreds and hundreds of dollars on sound equipment, but honestly, I think this is the best bet. From here, you can decide exactly how much you want to spend on more equipment. As my good friend over on Without Terebi says….you should go check it out. It’ll do you some good.

First Glimpse: Kick-Ass

[This movie is Kick-Ass. It's also kickass. That's right, it's one bad, m'fing movie. I'll say this now: Highly recommend unless you are deathly allergic to awesome.]

Pre-Ramble: Basically the trailer was enough for me. I didn’t really care about the guy or Nicholas Cage’s awful beard/mustache and his godawful speech pattern – this movie should have been named “Hit-Girl: With a Side of Kick-Ass.” Sure he does the voiceovers and supposedly this movie is about him. But [SPOILER ALERT] Hit-Girl is definitely the draw, here. Violence and bad language isn’t terrible, her epic line is in the NSFW trailer and honestly it didn’t feel exploitative of her age or made into an overly-sensationalist publicity stunt. I’ve seen movies where getting a kid to say a swear word was done poorly (The Mummy 2 “My dad is going to kick your ass” blah blah…I mean, totally unnecessary and irrelevant to the plot) and it’s not abused here. Honestly, the whole debate about her acting is much like the debate of whether or not video games are “art,” as according to Roger Siskel who likely has never played a decent game and has his head shoved so firmly up his ass where even a colonoscopy dare not tread.

But I digress. Seriously, it’s a great film. Not exactly a “classic,” but definitely likely to be a cult-favorite. Also, Mark Millar (Wanted) wrote and had a hand in this – gotta say, I’m loving his style of comics and comics-to-movies.

First Glimpse: I’ll try not to spoil since it’s in theaters and again, pretty awesome. There was some concern heading into the movie of how much fun it would poke at the whole superhero genre, like the “Scary Movie” series where they pretty much spoof every horror movie convention ever. While it’s funny, it gets old after the first 30 min. Let’s lay those fears to rest, there is an actual story here (likely because it is based off of a comics mini-series and those do require at least a modicum of plot – unlike most films being released today HI-OHHHHHH). Certainly more than a few plot twists that took me by surprise, leaving me engrossed in the film and not crossing my arms across my chest and fuming at how they could have done such and such a thing better. The casting was a nice mix of some knowns and unknowns, which lent a very fresh feel to the movie. I feel as though because I don’t really know the actors, I had less expectations of their characters and could enjoy the movie more. I’ve never seen the main character’s actor before so I really didn’t know what to expect – his performance is rather vanilla. Nothing sticks out terribly wrong yet nothing sticks out as terribly intriguing, either. He acts more as a vehicle for us to see the rest of the film and its characters, than a driving force in the plot. Through him we see the assorted cast of heroes, villains, innocent civilian bystanders, etc and we can enter this world where one crazy kid decides to be a hero without any powers or training of any sort.

There are a few scenes reminiscent of Spiderman, the first movie. I sincerely hated the sharp decline in quality from 1 to 2 and don’t even get me started on 2 to 3. Yet, the brand-new, fresh feel of Spiderman 1 was also present here in Kick-Ass, in an homage to the superhero conventions – introvert with power and a sense of responsibility, brimming with optimism, tries to change the world. The movie definitely doesn’t try to follow the superhero archetype, choosing instead to say “get real, seriously.” However, that’s not to say that the movie is one of those gritty, documentary-esque movies taking a look into the possibility of real life superheroism. In fact, as the film builds and holds your attention, it seems to push the envelope of your willing suspension of disbelief, almost like a friend telling you an obviously tall tale but trying his hardest to sell it as real. It doesn’t get too out of control, and again, it definitely has its share of surprises.

Final Glimpse: Critics will probably whine about the plot and that pushing of the envelope, but I have to say, it scratches that itch for humor, “oh it’s just a movie,” action, and some nice visuals. Chloe Moretz, the wise-beyond-her-years younger sister in (500) Days of Summer is a pretty bad m’fer. For a kid actor, she really seems to shine. You can tell she relished the role and that part of her really wishes she could be a real life Hit-Girl sometimes. Nicholas Cage was pretty insufferable and I’m not entirely certain why it had to be him, he’s very generic and honestly didn’t add much to the film. Again, Kick-Ass himself is not the draw here, the overall story and of course Hit-Girl’s shenanigans are the draw. Still, I gotta give the film an 8.5/10. While it’s no cinematic masterpiece, there’s some snappy dialogue, some rather interesting plot twists, and certainly engrossing overall as a film. I’m taking off 1 point because it did feel like it was trying to tell a whole lot in one film and there are side stories I would have preferred to explore. But then it would get into the whole “three-quel” disease that Hollywood has become plagued with and I’d much rather not see Kick-Ass go down that dark road. -0.5 because some points pushed my willing suspension of disbelief a little too far. On the one hand, it’s a film that seems to enjoy pushing that limit and building on the slightly-ridiculous to weave a good yarn. On the other hand, my OCD prevents me from truly enjoying that. There’s no deus ex machina, thankfully, which I became increasingly worried about as the film went on. I just felt that certain scenes pushed a little too far, maybe a little too *nudge nudge wink wink “it’s just a movie”*.

Still, I highly recommend you watch this if you’re into awesome and gratuitous violence. There’s a lot going on with this film and plenty of comic book fans won’t be disappointed by this comic-to-movie adaptation. But yeah, I’m still fuming about Spiderman 2 and 3, X-Men 2 and 3, Wolverine: Origins…*boiling with rage*

First Glimpse: Spartacus Blood and Sand

[The promo image for this is Spartacus with his helmet on, which is really the only other safe image. Any other images (such as images from the ACTUAL show would be strictly NSFW...this is a GRAPHIC show).]

Pre-Ramble: Found this by randomly browsing the internet and seeing the announcement that the first season is coming to DVD soon. “Spartacus Blood and Sand”? It’s about a gladiator. That, and blood and sand. This show couldn’t possibly fail to interest me. I only vaguely know the story of Spartacus, the whole “I am Spartacus!” “No, I am Spartacus!” etc, etc. After a quick wiki search I found out a little more here. I’d recommend it if you’re as OCDly weird as I am, but honestly you don’t need it to enjoy the show. Watched the first ep and got hooked, not because it’s truly THAT interesting, but I had nothing else to watch and since it didn’t immediately disgust me, I decided to give it a go. It is INCREDIBLY graphic in pretty much every possible way. Yet, if you can manage to get beyond that and actually see the characters and their storylines, I have to say it’s written a helluva lot better than much of the trash out there.

First Glimpse: I decided to continue with my self-imposed rule of “4 episodes before judging.” Mostly because I’ve been recently VERY bored and also because I do enjoy the whole tournament style of plot that is inevitable in a gladiator story. Fighting with swords of any era is pretty damn cool to me, so I was committed the instant I saw they’d be hacking each other to pieces with swords. The first 4 episodes weren’t really all that ground-breaking in terms of a  TV show. Honestly, there’s a lot of nudity and a lot of CGI blood and gore. You really do get a sense of the depravity and debauchery from that period that the history books tend to gloss over and soften up. There’s a lot of criticism, in fact, over how the show seems to try to gain ratings from using the explicit scenes rather than a traditional approach of winning us over with just the plot. I have to take issue with this, since it’s far better than True Blood, which was just awful in plot and the explicit scenes weren’t even that explicit. Beneath the full frontal nudity of both genders (presented almost casually, as though a backdrop), the very-nearly-comical CGI gore, and swear-filled, yet attempted authentic dialogue, there is an actually intriguing storyline that unfolds.

The show is presented in a way that’s very much through the eyes of Spartacus – there is black and white and a simplistic view of events. As the audience we start to see things the way Spartacus does, since you can’t help but relate and empathize with his character. The reason why I mention this is because generally I’m spending my time guessing what happens next and seeing through much of the “surprises” that the script writers try to (poorly) throw at the audience. I’m unsure if I’m just tired mentally and watch this because it’s mindless or if I’m so engrossed with the show because I’ve come to relate to Spartacus. At any rate, the plot twists surprised me and took me completely off-guard. I’m going to attribute that to good writing because I’m too egotistical to imagine that it’s just because I’ve gotten dumber. Yeah, that sounds right.

Without spoiling too much, the cast of characters fulfill their roles extremely well, with only a few familiar faces. It seems they’re not afraid to kill off main cast members as well, so don’t fall into the trap of “Well, he’s in the opening credits so he’ll live!” It’s like that line from Family Guy in “Something Something Dark Side” – “Let’s see, we’ve got 4 of the 5 main characters on this ship. I think we’ll be fine.” Seeing all the political intrigue and the underhandedness of every character as they all strive to carry out their own personal agendas is captivating. Watching their tangled web unfold and seeing the framework they lay down is deceptively intriguing. Honestly, I thought I’d be sick to death of seeing plots within plots within plots DEUX EX MACHINA. Yes, I’ve been watching a lot of Korean dramas. But, the writers are responsible writers here and actually bring much of the action to fruition. It is intensely satisfying to watch a show that builds up and builds up and then delivers in a way that isn’t cheap or anticlimatic.

Just when you get comfortable, there’s another plot twist, another knife in the dark. Spartacus himself doesn’t give such a thrilling performance, but I’ve come to see that main characters that are so bland are designed as such to give the audience a chance to not only relate to them, but also to in a sense live vicariously through them. If Spartacus is bland enough, everyone can empathize with his actions and see through his eyes. In contrast, all the other characters have such vivid story lines and hidden agendas, making them stand out against his rather static and bland performance.

Final Glimpse: The action isn’t too terrible, there’s a lot of eye candy for both genders. Again, though, there’s definitely substance beneath all the “blood and sand,” if you’ll excuse the expression. Casting is done well, I have a hard time thinking of the characters as anyone else. Overall production values are fairly high, there’s clearly a lot of money sunken into this project. It doesn’t feel cheap or amateurish, like many shows that strive for shock value rather than solid plot. I’m uncertain if the show would have as much pizazz if there wasn’t the occasional brazen nudity or explosion of gore. It seems they took a fairly solid show without much eye-catching appeal and sprinkled a little bit of “crazy” over it to turn up the ratings a notch or two.

It just goes to show, however, that a show can be explicit and still maintain good quality story telling. Which is why I have such low tolerance for shows that aren’t plot-driven. Ostensibly, the purpose of a show/movie/book is to tell a story. If the story sucks, then the production is an epic fail and they should burn it to the ground. I’m looking at you, True Blood. Yeah, you. the premise is intriguing but your execution is just dreadful. Yeesh. Take a cue from Spartacus here.

This one’s just a short one, there’s only 13 episodes in the first season, we’ll see how long they go. I’m giving this show a 7.5/10. There’s a strong plot here and a balanced cast that works well together. The gore is hardly as explicit as the nudity – I mean it’s almost all CGI. Not like “Kill Bill” bad, but still, does corn syrup and red food dye cost that much? I feel like CGI probably costs more and in this case, was less effective. So that’s a whole point right there. The depravity of the Romans has been properly portrayed and they’ve eased off using boobies to sell the series (but seriously that first episode was like “whoa!”). Still, -0.5 for being sensationalist rather than trusting their plot. I’m taking another point off because the fight choreography is rather lame. It’s rather reminiscent of the original Star Wars lightsaber fights. Swing, hack-hack…swing, hack-hack….oops, your guard slipped, I win! I mean, if gladiators truly fought by just smacking each others shields and waiting to see who dropped first…lame. Super lame. These guys are HUGE and rippling, but they just bash each other senseless and see who runs out of steam first. Hardly ideal.

All in all, if you can get past the explicit nature, it’s definitely worth a watch. There is genuine effort here to keep us entertained beyond the blood and guts and eyecandy.

I used explicit like 20000 times in this post. How...explicit.

Tumbl(r)weed…

I recently switched over to Tumblr for more personal stuff and just a light, casual blog. I still really like the set up of this blog and will hopefully get back in the saddle. I suppose that while I’ve seen a lot of movies, TV shows, etc in the intervening time, I haven’t seen anything that I’ve just been dying to review. For me, reviewing something is a way to share with the world just how much I really enjoyed whatever it is I’m reviewing. Like watching a TV series with a friend, even if I’ve seen every episode at least twice, it’s always exciting to watch it with different people again and see their reaction for the first time.

Of course that doesn’t always work out, I showed a good friend of mine Community recently and the best I got was a half-hearted chuckle. I mean, the first episode isn’t a laugh-out-loud-roll-on-the-floor-laughing riot, but still, I thought it had snappy dialogue and some funny stuff. But humor is different for everyone so I guess his is just different from mine.

It’s always fun to watch anime with non-anime people. I think there’s just such a misconception out there of what anime is and helping to break that image is something I truly enjoy. Of course, I then spoil people by letting them watch the choicest and most accessible animes first, so then later on it’s probably harder for them to find anime of similar persuasion that’s still interesting to watch. One bad thing about anime is that there’s just so much of it, so inevitably themes and motifs are repeated ad nauseam. Most shounen fare (young men’s type of anime, so mostly fighting and stuff) is all standard, it’s about the power build-up and what cool names they can make for moves and watching them use the moves and then learning *le gasp* NEW MOVES. Very tournament style.

For now, I’m toying with the idea of tossing up a review of Community, Supernatural, and possibly Spartacus: Blood and Sand. I haven’t seen any movies that really wowed me, but I’ve got my fingers crossed for Kick-Ass and Iron Man 2. I mean, they’ve got the Avengers in Iron Man 2! But not just any Avengers, but the REBOOT Avengers! The Ultimate series where they rebooted every franchise in Marvel with an updated, modern spin on things. I like how they cast Samuel L Jackson as Colonel Nick Fury because in the comic they actually ask him “who would play you in the Avengers movie, Colonel Fury?” and he grins and says “Samuel L Jackson.” That’s the sound of the fanboy in me squealing like a little girl on x-mas.

I'm super proud of that pun in the title. C'mon guys, some props here. C'mawwwwwnn

First Glimpse: The Slave Hunters (ChuNo)

The Slave Hunters a.k.a. ChuNo [추노]

[From left: Gong Hyung Jin 공형진, Oh Ji Ho 오시호, Jang Hyuk 장혁, Lee Da Hae 이다해, Lee Jong Hyuk 이종혁]

Pre-Ramble: I first discovered the drama by watching the “Happy Together” 2010 New Year’s Special. The program’s main host, Yoo Jae Suk, is a personal favorite and so I will watch any program he hosts. The show basically just interviews celebrities while also entertaining us with various anecdotes and often useless/pointless quizzes. For the show, only Jang Hyuk, Oh Ji Ho, and Lee Da Hae were present so I had no idea who else was in the cast. I’m personally not a big fan of Gong Hyung Jin, but he doesn’t have enough of a role to have kept me away even if I knew before hand. The genre of this drama is known as “Fusion Sageuk,” where “sageuk” is the Korean term for olden-day dramas usually noted for their dialogue-heavy scenes were it’s less acting and more recitation of lines, incredibly convoluted and often times hard-to-follow plots, involving such an excess of characters and actors that even I can’t tell them apart after awhile. However, the “fusion” part simply refers to how it’s more contemporary and as Dramabeans so eloquently put it, removes all the complaints one might have of sageuk and leaves all the great parts: accurate costumes and set-pieces, breath-taking fight scenes, heavily decorated visuals, and scratching that itch for a period-drama.

First Glimpse:

Having seen Jang Hyuk in Family Outing multiple times and not being at all impressed, I wondered if his acting would suffer as well. However, the teaser clips that ran in Happy Together were enough to entice me to watch the first few episodes of the drama, if not for the story then certainly for the action scenes.

ChuNo is a portmanteau in Korean of basically “Chasing” and “Slaves.” Chu-gyuk-ha-da [추격하다] means to chase, and No-bi [노비] means slave. Thus, Chu-No. The three main characters are often called “ChuNo Ggun” [추노꾼], which just means men who chase slaves. For a more detailed explanation of plot and premise, I’d like to direct you to Soompi for general information and DramaBeans for a detailed, in-depth episode recap (definite spoilers, duh).

My policy of “four episodes before judgment” applies heavily here, not because one might watch the first episode and completely disdain it, but simply because the show doesn’t actually fully shine until the 3rd or 4th episode. Quite honestly, the start is explosive and flashy and not so much grabs your attention as throws a hood over your head, tosses you into an unmarked van, and drives you to a remote location where your eyes are forced open to watch. My blog-mate Without-Terebi (who has since transferred over to WordPress at my urging: GoSeeIt), remarks about how a movie can literally transport him a la the virtual reality of The Matrix. Turning on a film is, to him, akin to plugging into the Matrix and being utterly transported elsewhere. I experienced a similar sort of gripping interest with this drama – I was immediately hooked and couldn’t wait to find out what happened next. For me, watching an intensely interesting drama or film or anime completely shuts me up – I don’t stop to question “well, yes, but WHY are they fighting” or remark sarcastically that “yeah, yeah, that seems really likely.” I supposed my jadedness serves me well as a critical reviewer, but not so much as someone looking for entertainment.

Dramabeans recaps the episodes quite beautifully and I agree that if you can find excellent subs, you should wait. The script, unlike most sageuks, is not terribly convoluted and incomprehensible, but the language is archaic and the plot often relies on a passing understanding of Korea’s 5000 year old history – of which I do not possess in the slightest, having been raised in the US. Still, once you get past the first episode, even bad, babelfish-internet translations should suffice. The writing is solid, which we all know by now I treasure highly. Stretching the willing suspension of disbelief beyond reason infuriates me like nothing else in a film/drama/anime. Does the writer think we’re stupid enough to believe that? Or is he/she too lazy to bother thinking of a different explanation? Or worse, does he/she simply see no other way out of the corner he/she’s been painted into? Either way, it smacks of bad writing and a writer’s job, after all, is to WRITE. Fail at that, and perhaps a change in occupation is in order.

There are some tidbits here and there that absolutely break the immersion into the drama but rather than a fault of the writing, it’s mostly a fault of whoever is in charge of tiny details like make-up. I feel like it’s the director or one of the producers, but I have no clue. Either way, a slave with dirty, cold-burned hands would not have such a thick foundation of makeup and lip gloss. Where all the other slaves are dirt smeared and very obviously destitute, Lee Da Hae’s character Un-Nyeon is almost pristine, save for her dirty hands and very obviously man-made tattered clothing. It’s clear that it’s not worn out, it’s just someone ripped a few holes and tore some edges. Hell, I’VE done a better job than THAT for shits and giggles.

What strikes me most about the drama, however, is the very prominent high production values. Most sageuks take advantage of Korea’s natural beauty and the well-preserved palaces and other old buildings to boost the show, yet suffer heavily in terms of acting, story-telling, and generally have an amateur-ish feel to them. Even Jewel in the Palace, which is probably the foremost sageuk in Korea, had some rather awkward acting and extremely contrived circumstances. Things like fight choreography, blood, etc are usually very poorly depicted – yet, in ChuNo, there is an especially slick and well-thought-out feel to the drama. Cinematography is astounding, with very artsy and visually stunning scenes during fight scenes and even just after a dramatic line has been delivered.

There are, of course, times when it gets a little too artsy for me, but I see what the director is getting at. Much like the epically dramatic “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” or “House of Flying Daggers,” there is a desire here to flaunt all of Korea’s cinematic prowess. The locations are breathtaking in all of their natural glory and even a plain old chase-scene becomes a visual feast. There is a decidedly anime feel to some of the fight scenes, with the posturing and sometimes-unnecessary posing.

Jang Hyuk isn’t a swordsman in real life, so much of his swordplay can seem showboat-y, but he is far more at ease with the bare-handed fighting as he trains in real life. Oh Ji Ho’s acting is mostly about his good looks and buff arms and scruffy natural beard (most sageuk actors use fake beards because, well, Asians are simply not that hairy). Where Jang Hyuk is most comfortable in hand-to-hand combat, Oh Ji Ho by comparison pales with his swordplay (no innuendo here, folks). Still, his line delivery and short fight scenes are slowly improving so I guess I’ll let him slide.

Lee Da Hae is the quintessential useless woman you want to toss by the side of the road and have done with. In 6 episodes she has done nothing but cower behind a man and scream helplessly and run in her ridiculously unwieldy and extremely easy-to-spot-in-a-crowd hanbok [한복], or traditional Korean dress. It just seems to me that a chick wearing a bright white dress (the colors of mourning) running through the dusty streets in the midst of peasants wearing variations of dirt-colored/stained clothing is damn impractical. THAT, and regardless of the color of her clothes, the sheer volume makes them utterly untenable as “getaway clothes.” She’s constantly tripping over them to the point I just want to strangle her. STEAL SOME MAN CLOTHES, goddamn. Every other woman running away in any Asian film/drama/etc STEALS MAN CLOTHES. Take a cue from Mulan! I’m not saying wield a sword, but wearing your body weight in clothes as you tear across the countryside is a BAD IDEA, madam.

The other two ChuNo Ggun in Jang Hyuk’s crew have fairly important roles – General Choi (I don’t know the actor and I’m too lazy to look him up…he’s on Soompi and Dramabeans so don’t follow my lead by being lazy) is the calm center and rational thinker of the group, while Wang Sun (same here) is the playboy, youngest member who gets stuck doing all the chores. One of my favorite lines of his: “What the hell is the point of this thing dangling between my legs if I’m doing women’s work??” Comic relief and just another hardy fighter to round out the numbers.

There are the two women running the food/bar/hostel where the team stays, but they’re fairly unattractive uninteresting. Their infinite love for General Choi is a nice comic relief, especially as the disparity in food between him and the other members is made painfully clear.

Danny Ahn, former member of idol group G.O.D. has completely given up his singing career and decided to be an actor. He wasn’t that great of a singer anyway (he only had small parts and mostly rapped, which isn’t really impressive given that he didn’t write his own songs). His role is completely useless and most of the time he just stands there and cuts an impressive figure. By episode 6, though, he starts to shine and we can slowly see where he fits in the entire scheme of things. Still, not a big fan. Lrn 2 Fight plz, Danny Ahn.

Gong Hyung Jin is a slave with a grudge against Jang Hyuk. Blah blah, you may recognize him for his comedic roles in certain films. He’s one of those “movie actors” who isn’t really a movie actor but puffs himself up as a big  shot. Small fish in a large pond and not nearly enough acting talent to fill it. His role could honestly be played by anyone else, there is no stand-out scene and no empathy elicited by his performance. #fail

However, for me, the show-stealer is Kim Ha Eun, playing the role of Seol-Hwa. I won’t get into specifics, but her ridiculously cute acting has won me over. I’m normally 100% against the rather stereotypical “I’m cute as a button but get my way because of it so I’m a spoiled brat” characters because I thought I hated the concept. It turns out I simply haven’t seen a decent one in action. Her rather thoughtless manner of speech is constantly earning her scoldings, yet she persists in her behavior. Instead of the “I’m soooo cute” approach, she adopts more of a “this is just how I am, I’m a completely blank piece of paper” and it happens to be ridiculously cute. Her comic timing is great, she butts in with an attitude of a highly important and profound declaration, which turns out to be less than worthless. I’m totally sold on her character and no longer disdain the incredibly transparent attempt at comic relief via simple humor. It also helps that she’s not one of those very immediately cute girls – it’s her behavior more than anything that wins you over but she’s fairly easy on the eyes as well.

I suppose the main pull of the drama for me is that the complicated court politics which were the very downfall of Korea and plague every period piece are thankfully absent. Not entirely absent, there are still underhanded dealings and bastards who lie, cheat, betray and steal, but the focus is shifted so entirely away from them that it’s refreshing. You expect long, stilted monologue and instead are rewarded with flashy and impressive action scenes that seamlessly flow with the plot. Not only that, but a deep history is constantly hinted at with a complicated tapestry in which all the characters’ lives are entwined – yet we are given only the most fleeting of glimpses, just enough to push the plot forward, all the while keeping us thirsty for more.

The feel of the drama, and not just the general theme, is a masterpiece of a chase. Narrow escapes, chance encounters – the plot races along and the audience is swept away, continually kept guessing at what comes next. The characters are likable, although Lee Da Hae – I can’t tell if she’s acting her role admirably, or if she’s just a pretty face. I mean, the character seems to be just a pretty face…*sigh* Jang Hyuk seems to fit his swaggering, fast-talking, even-faster-hitting character, a mix between Johnny Depp’s rakish Jack Sparrow (CAPTAIN, Jack Sparrow, if you please) and a tortured swordsman straight out of anime who has hardened his heart to the world, all while he suffers inside, alone and vulnerable. He’s the bad boy you can’t help liking.

Musical Glimpse:

Yes I realize this is highly irregular, but I’m so thoroughly taken by this blend of the OST and the drama. The title song is by Im Jae Beom, “Stigma” (or “Brand” or “Mark”), referring to the brand slaves bore to distinguish them from nobles and freedmen. The song must have been written specifically for the drama, it’s as though Jang Hyuk’s character is singing to us from the depths of his tortured soul. Sorry, got a little carried away. The nostalgic beginning fits just so perfectly with the flashback/present-day feel of the drama, peppered as it is with glimpses of the past. The lyrics themselves most eloquently describe the anguish:

As though my heart were burned,

As though I lost to (gave in to) my tears,

These scars that won’t be erased are painful.

Am I alive (Is this living)?

Has this world forsaken me?

One day is as long as one year,

When will the morning come?

[Full Korean Lyrics and Romanized Lyrics here: http://charisnova.wordpress.com/2010/01/09/chuno-ost-romanized-lyrics/#more-81]

Pretty much Jang Hyuk’s character. In a nutshell. There are a few quite instances where this haunting melody sets the stage for such monumental scenes I get goosebumps. But that’s not all, the chase scenes employ a rather epic yet heart-pumping rock song that really pace the scenes well [Gloomy Sunday's "Change" or 바꿔]. All in all, the OST is incredibly appropriate and definitely icing on this multi-tiered, delicious cake. Maybe it’s my new headphones that make me more conscious of sound as an element more than something to fill empty air, but I’ve never really felt such a connection to the music of a drama as I have here. Can’t wait to get my hands on the OST!

Final Glimpse:

I’m thoroughly impressed with the entire production of the drama as a whole – fight scenes are spectacular, the backdrop of wide-open forests and breathtaking mountain vistas never cease to amaze, while the lack of much of the formal stiffness of traditional sageuks makes the drama easier to like and invest time in. Cinematography is constantly seeking to thrill you, with slow motion grand gestures, speeding up the camera upon impact, a force you can feel in your bones. The writing pulls back on the curtain slightly, enough to catch a faint glimpse of the story, only to have the curtain pulled once again into place, leaving you left with more questions than answers. Just as the overall feel of the drama is of a never-ending chase scene, the action and plot ebbing and flowing, there is also a sense of a grander scheme in which the writer leads us forth with breadcrumbs of information, enough to nibble upon and desire more. Perhaps better than breadcrumbs might be the image of the entire truth of the story dashing through the twisted mountain paths, leaving behind a footprint here, a thread from a snagged piece of clothing there, always just out of reach, but tantalizingly close enough to be seen disappearing around the next bend. I’m always on the edge of my seat for each episode and rewatching is a pleasure, as I often miss some of the difficult language the first time around.

I am of course, still a stickler for rules – the frustrating breach in the willing suspension of disbelief irritates like a splinter underneath your nail. Just when you think you’ve forgotten it, you shift and the irritation begins anew. Once I’d gotten over Lee Da Hae’s PERFECT makeup despite working out in the cold and her stained hands, I’m again jarred out of the story with other stretches of the imagination, such as clumsy sword play. I won’t get too far into the specifics because I hate to spoil, but often there are small, little things that while they aren’t major or even necessary to the plot, a few seconds of care or thought would have eliminated them entirely. With such a large budget and amazing talent all around, why would they let such small details through? There seems to be a strong adherence to “working hard for the art” but then a complete 180 of doing things to suit themselves and their own convenience.

Even so, it’s not a major markdown, and thus I arrive at the conclusion: 9.5/10

I can’t imagine the drama taking a turn for the worse at this point. They’ve strongly established themselves, they’ve gathered their momentum. As with all Korean dramas/film/etc, I worry that the entire magnificent build-up will be too hastily resolved (or too drawn out in the resolution), leaving a distinct sense of dissatisfaction, as though a delicious meal had been cut short and while your belly may be full, you feel the lack of satisfaction ever so pressingly.

ChuNo will definitely be the Must-See drama of 2010 and certainly another feather in Korean cinema’s hat. If you hate entertainment and enjoying yourself, then this drama probably isn’t for you. But for all the NORMAL people, this one’s most certainly a keeper!

I'm quite certain that I'm actually getting steadily worse at this as I go on.

http://www.dramabeans.com/tag/chuno/

Random Rants by a Mad Man

I guess all my news posts will contain some form of “by a Mad Man.” It fits the decor, no? (I don’t really care, it suits me so it suits the site and you’ll have to live with it or find some other internet drivel to read. There’s plenty out there, really).

I said I’d do a review of Pandorum but I didn’t like it enough so I decided not to. Saw quite a few other films in the intervening period, some of which are actually worthy of mention. I’m seriously thinking of reviewing “The Messenger,” it was a great film and worth the time it took to watch (which is sadly more than I can say about most films).

I never got around to my Family Outing review, but it’s ok – They’re reformatting the show. Yoo Jae Suk (commonly referred to as “Grasshopper”) will be staying, but everyone else is outsies. A 9-member permanent cast IS a lot to keep up with, vs 1N2D’s cast of 6 (now  7 with Kim Jong Min, who recently got out of the army – but we’ll see how long he lasts, he wasn’t that great on the show before he went into the army and the show has since evolved past him, methinks) or A Man’s Responsibility’s cast of 7 or Only One Secret’s cast of 5. They’re getting rid of all the old “Family,” I think, only because you can’t cut a few people without someone saying “the formula doesn’t work anymore!” so you have to cut them all. Can’t cut Yoo Jae Suk because he’s the only reason the show’s lasted this long. In all honesty, though, he doesn’t seem to be working as hard or as smart for the money anymore. But let’s be honest – he probably makes more than Kang Ho Dong, he’s more likeable, his wife is way prettier (and smarter) than the wives of other comedians – What could possibly motivate him to blood, sweat, and tears in earning his cash? Hell, in his shoes, I’d be even lazier.

Other news, I added my Twitter feed to the site simply because I got bored. I toss up a lot of random links and semi twitty (twitter + witty) tweets, so if you’re that starved for attention, check it out.

I just started watching Slave Hunters [추노] because I saw the cast on the variety show “Happy Together.” It stars Jang Hyuk [장혁], Lee Da Hae [이다해], Oh Ji Ho [오지호] and other people, but those were the three on “Happy Together.” It’s old, old Korean with tons of archaic language and Chinese characters and phrases. The olden day dramas actually have subtitles for the Koreans that explain the language in modern terms – I’m still a little shaky on modern day language so it’s a bit tough. Still, dramas are fairly formulaic and for once that doesn’t bug me. I’ve seen 2 eps in the past two days (first two eps, of course, it just came out) and so far I’ve really enjoyed it. But just as you should give bad dramas a few eps before you cross them off the list, you should also give good ones a few eps before you put them on a pedestal. It’s got lots of hot, semi-nude guys (for all you who enjoy that sort of thing) and supposedly lots of female skin (at least according to Lee Da Hae in “Happy Together,” but it wasn’t anything I’d write home about. Or on my blog about. Wait I just did. Damnit.). Regardless, action scenes are pretty picturesque and there’s more of an attempt at art and form vs just beating us over the head with endless, archaic dialogue and petty political gesturing and complicated backstory. At least, from what I’ve seen.

I’ll get those few reviews out hopefully in the next few days. I realize I now post whenever the fancy strikes me – but I’m ok with that.

OH YES and I finally caved and got some Phonak Audeo PFEs. They are supposedly -THE- affordable luxury IEMs by far. To beat them, you’d actually have to shell out serious money and actually pay top dollar – whereas the Phonaks are far more quality for the amount of money paid. Breaking those in, haven’t quite hit 20 hours with them, but a review should be up soon – Which my Cowon S9 fans will enjoy, as my review is the most-clicked page on my blog, by like 100 clicks. I know, who knew it’d be that popular. Not me, that’s for sure, I thought everyone was a bunch of iPod-people. And nobody likes iPod-heads. iPod-bods. idiotPods. idiots.

If I ever meet Steve Jobs he'll probably punch me in my mp3 player. With his iPod(s).

First Glimpse: 500 Days of Summer

Went with my good friend Without Terebi to see this film, as it was playing again to promote it before the Golden Globe Awards [Not Grammys, as Without Terebi was so kind as to point out. GEEZ, what the hell is the matter with this reviewer??]. It was also recommended to me by another close friend, although she tossed in the caveat that it could lead to relationship turmoil. Thankfully for me as a reviewer (and womankind in general), I am single and thus, relationship turmoil probability = 0%

Promotional poster. Yeah, I’m too lazy to find a good picture. WHAT OF IT

Pre-Ramble:

There will be tons of

SPOILERS

because I really want to discuss this film. I can’t get the formatting to be pretty, so because a large “SPOILERS” sign is needed, we’re just all going to have to suffer. More you than me.

If you’re trying to decide whether or not to watch it, watch it. At worst, you’re out a few bucks and a little under 2 hours, with another view on relationships. At best, you get a deeper understanding of relationships and realize that all people suck. And not in the “happy ending” type of way. The “sad ending for you” type of way. Which is the opposite, and not really an optimal outcome.

I knew very little going into the film, other than that it severely changes the dynamic of relationships upon being watched. The Ring for relationships? If you watch that film, your relationship will die in 7 days? Well, nobody scary will crawl out of your TV, I guess. Unless you ALSO saw that video tape, in which case 1) you’re just plain screwed and 2) you had a very, very busy night and I sort of envy you. You know, minus the “the spectre of certain death looms heavily over you.” That, not so much.

First Glimpse:

The lack of prior knowledge led to almost no expectations. The only few expectations I had were that the film would last less than 2 hours (it certainly did) and that it wasn’t some typical romcom (romantic comedy for the slow ones among you) or a typical “Boy Meets Girl,” as the narrator is so kind to point out.

Zooey Deschanel is not my favorite actress. I have no strong dislike for her, I just don’t see that she’s a big deal. She’s very plain in terms of acting ability and seems to always be the quirky, strangely attractive girl. Yet, minus the “attractive” for me. That being said, I don’t really like Joey Gordon-Levitt, either. Yes, I know it’s now Joseph. But you know what? He was on friggen 3rd Rock From The Sun and that’s how the credits rolled him, ok? So, I’m dating myself (because nobody else will! Ba-dum CHHHH) but you know what? I don’t care, because I’m ok with how old/young I am.

Despite their lack of acting appeal, I found that JG-L wasn’t terrible in his role and Zooey wasn’t awful. I don’t know that she’s a perfect fit for the female protagonist, as say, Tobey Maguire was the perfect fit for Peter Parker in the first Spiderman. Still, she’s no Kirsten Dunst, so I’m happy (YES KIRSTEN DUMBST WAS A BAD MARY JANE).

Throughout the film I didn’t really roll on the floor laughing. That’s ok, it’s not that kind of film. Maybe it was the setting, maybe it was the company, but I was ok with the rather artsy, indie-film type of feel. Normally artsy films make me uncomfortables and I don’t really “get” them. Or get them, either. But this one had more of a Juno-esque feel, a simple film with a powerful message for a golf-clapping audience interspersed with a few out-loud laugh moments.

Really, the film discusses the meaning of love and how people view love. Do I believe in love? All sarcasm and internet-persona aside, I truly do. I have seen too many variations of love to not believe in it. Like the flu, there are countless strains of love and even if you’ve toughened your body to the ravages of romance with a vaccine of “Never again” every year, somehow that bug sneaks back in and knocks you down flat.

Love between a parent and child – They say it’s unconditional but that’s abstract, intangible: how can you truly know the depths of such love? I’ve gotten a better idea by testing those limits and realizing that no matter what, my parents do love me.

Love between friends – There is a bond between people, no matter the relation. Between friends, that bond grows with every kind act and shared misery, maturing into a strong oak to lean one’s back against during the toughest of times. When friendships are tested, you’ll want a friend you can rely on, someone who helped plant that fine specimen of a tree. I’ve since seen the trees in that forest, as well as the insidious vines that trip you up, that grew in their place when my attention was elsewhere.

Love between lovers – no matter your orientation, love is love, separate from the platonic or familial sort. Love that exists in both this film and real life, when one human being loves another.

Is JG-L’s love any less real because he loves a woman who does not reciprocate? Does her inability to return his love in any way negate the love he feels? Before you launch into a rather dry and scientific discussion of hormones and emotion, let’s all understand that love is above all a feeling. A feeling that you can only feel in your body. Because outside of your body is air, and air can’t feel. So yes, hormones and emotions can combine to make up love. Just because your feelings are affected by the chemicals in your body, that doesn’t mean it isn’t real. Love isn’t a primary color, it’s a shifting, multi-color organism.

Zooey proclaims that she doesn’t believe in love, while JG-L is a firm believer in the existence of an all-powerful emotion that binds people together. At first, you think she’s afraid of being hurt, that she’s emotionally-scarred and that’s why she puts the distance between them. JG-L has never felt this magnitude of feeling for a woman before and is convinced of his love. He doesn’t have to fear being hurt because he knows it’s love; he recognizes that he loves her and thus opens his heart. Love can hurt, but because it’s love, because it’s so powerful and intoxicating, he knows he’ll be ok.

It isn’t until after the film, well after the film when you’ve sat down after packing all the rest of your things your friend was holding for you in his apartment, that the understanding of the film dawns on you. You see, Zooey was afraid, but not of being hurt by love. She was afraid that what she felt wasn’t love or that she simply was incapable. If what JG-L felt was real, if that was love, then how could she fail to feel it, too? How could love be one-sided and so uncertain?

Summer: I woke up one morning and I just knew.

Tom: Knew what?

Summer: What I was never sure of with you.

Probably the most epic and best line I’ve ever heard regarding love. Hands-down, a quality piece of writing. This line is the crux of the entire film, the lynchpin that holds this entire Memento-esque montage of relationship clips together. You understand here that Zooey wasn’t afraid of being hurt by love, but that she simply couldn’t feel love. She kept him at arm’s length, not because she was too weak to try loving him, but rather, because some small, minuscule part of her heart knew she didn’t love him. It’s like walking to an address you don’t know – If you don’t know the distance until your destination, your walk there seems longer than the walk back. Each step leaves you wondering if you’ve passed your mark or still have quite a ways to go. Once you’ve reached the end, you know the way back and it seems as if that distance is next to nothing. The length of it hasn’t shrunken any, only your perception’s changed.

With love, you don’t know it’s love until you’ve reached it. Every step along the way to love, you’re unsure – to date, this is the strongest you’ve felt. But as Zooey puts it, “what I wasn’t sure of with you.” What you weren’t sure of until you discover love, once you find it, you know unequivocally that it is true love because it’s so far beyond what you’ve experienced. All those uncertain steps where you wondered if you had come as far as you could go seem to vanish in the face of love and that certainty settles into your soul.

The other parts of the movie explore the relationship between JG-L and his sister, his friends, and the city he loves. Ironically, his firm belief in love inspires Zooey to hold out for love, true love. It’s her departure for those green pastures that disillusions JG-L, yet had he never believed in love so fervently, she would never have left and discovered love on her own. In the end, Zooey’s discovery of love shatters his own beliefs and then reassembles those beliefs into a stronger, more resilient shape. Those words she says in the end cut him deeply, yet if one such as she can find love and see it for what it is, then love must exist. And so, his heart heavy with regret and despair, he lets her go so that he can find his own love.

Final Glimpse:

Definitely an amazing movie and one of my new all-time favorites. It’s not overly pretentious and delivers on exactly what it claims it will deliver – rare in a movie, nowadays. The film doesn’t try to be bigger than it is, nor more profound, which I appreciate immensely. Unlike the complicated orchestral numbers that Hollywood so desperately puts out to fulfill quotas and squeeze money from unwilling movie-goer wallets, this film is a sweet, clear bell ringing out in the blazing cacaphony of modern cinema. Like a warm summer afternoon, the film’s heat falls onto the audience and soaks you to the core. Without the bluntness of most modern films, the soft, summer days of this film fill the air and pass the time.

Before you know it, it’s a change in seasons and the short but sweet story comes to an end. I’m left with a tender nostalgia for a love I never knew, with a woman I never met. (500) Days of Summer is really just a long set up for the final punchline, a witty, witty joke with just the right amount of cheese and the perfect amount of timing that all comedic geniuses know by heart.

Autumn. Her name is Autumn. God DAMN, but if I wasn’t completely blind-sided by that. I was the only one laughing hysterically like a maniac in that theater.

I have to give this film a 9.5/10. Just like in the movie, this film isn’t a true love (10/10) for me. But while I wait for the real thing, it’s both “interesting” and “fun to be with.” Sorry, Joey Gordon-Levitt, but it looks like you’re destined for second best. I’m taking off 0.5 because I think the casting wasn’t perfect. No, I don’t have better suggestions, but it’s a lot like a bad tan – something’s not quite right, but you haven’t got the foggiest clue how to fix it.

Still, this film was amazing and if you haven’t seen it, go see it. Even if you have…hell, go see it again. To steal a line from Without Terebi – “It’ll do you some good.”

First Glimpse – Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd Gig

Another recommendation from my good friend WithoutTerebi. We have fairly similar anime-snob-tastes so it took very little convincing to get me to watch, despite jumping in at the second season. Even my OCD was won over by this anime #shock #awe #HoLeeShit

Not the best picture, I apologize. But honestly, you can find a hot shot of Motoko Kusanagi at your anime wallpaper site of choice, so there.

Pre-ramble:

As I stated, despite my OCD about seeing things from start to finish no matter how good or terrible the anime, I ended up just watching the second season. Very little background info was needed, although I did get a quick debrief on the Tachikomas. Other than that, I watched the entire season as a (pardon the pun) stand alone series. Details on characters, history, production, other boring stuff, etc can be found at wikipedia’s entry here.

I’ve always been a snob in the sense that I can’t stand much of the older, 90′s artwork of anime/manga. I stomached Rurouni Kenshin because it’s such a kickass anime and it was my first manga/anime I got into, thus holding a special place in my heart. However, that 90′s feel of artwork actually really turns me off to a series. 2nd Gig ran starting January 1st, 2004 but the artwork is top-notch, stellar stuff.

First Impressions:

Mecha, fighting, hot-hot-hottie female protagonist, and special ops? Sign me up twice. I’m such a shounen fanboy it’s not even funny. Yeah, I’m the type of guy who likes gratuitous violence and explosions and cool-as-hell hardware in his action movies. Why does an action movie need plot? Good guys, bad guys, super cool weapons, GOOD GUYS WIN! BIG FIREWORKS! Write that down, Hollywood. Write. That. Down.

Public Security Section 9 is the official name of their group and basically they are self-described as an “offensive counter-terrorist organization.” Preemptively removing that terrorist element before it can get dangerous. I didn’t see the first season, as I stated, but there are only a few references to it that it was fine. The setting is post-war Japan and the situation is tense between the citizens of Japan and Asian refugees. I don’t know what kind of Asian because that’s all they’re ever referred to as. Southeast Asian? Northeast Asian? Cauc-Asian? Who knows? All I know is that China, in this anime, rejects all Asians. That’s a paraphrase of a line. Yeah, I know.

Still, the artwork is phenomenal throughout, with crisp, clear lines and sharp movements. Sometimes animators get lazy and just draw stills while zooming in to simulate movement. However, here, the action scenes are intense and well-played out. The extreme attention to detail is remarkable and always welcomed by this OCD anime-fan. I suppose I feel that if I’m bothering to notice all the little stuff, the least they could do is draw it satisfactorily.

There’s a lot of politics and philosophy that can sometimes drag the anime along. One of my only gripes with Japanese anime is that often their long talks and philosophical discussions build up and build up and make you think it’ll be something really profound and poignant at the end but the conclusion turns out to be appallingly simplistic and borderline irrelevant. It’s like they haven’t mastered deep dialogue and conversation and are just filling the space with words to convey the feeling “shit got discussed and RESOLVED here.” I’d liken this bad habit to early “Hacker” films tossing out lingo they didn’t know in a way that made no sense to convey “HEY HE IS HACKING NOW!” to the then-ignorant audience – “He’s uploading through the hyperlink! Shut down his transfer protocols! We can’t? He must be locking us out manually from a control terminal. Switch to our back ups and secure the firewall!”

Ok that actually sounded halfway decent. But my point is that they threw around a lot of philosophical terms such as their “stand alone complex” and “individualist  ideology” to basically say that some guy was going to overthrow a corrupt government and bring power back to the masses. Except it took about 20 minutes and 10,000 panels of artwork to say that. *sigh*

There is an interesting story-telling process where they jump from incident to incident in the tangled web of lies and political intrigue, yet still taking the time to expose the backstory of Section 9′s members and how they all trace back to the lynch pin of the organization – Motoko Kusanagi.

As a character, she’s the Mary Sue of anime, she’s voluptuous, unrestrained, powerful, independent, yet the soft caramel center of her femininity is locked away, waiting for someone to open her heart. Such a woman probably doesn’t exist in real life, but she draws in the otakus and certainly is easy on the eyes. However, she’s rather 2-dimensional throughout most of the 2nd season and as a protagonist she doesn’t seem to really effect change or be affected by externalities such as refugee uprisings, etc. Granted, her character seems to slip into thoughtful mode a bit after a certain event, but I just don’t really buy the change given what we’re shown of her character.

Still, I believe having a main character who doesn’t change overmuch and who maintains a consistent personality helps to ground the show. The plot is a well-written, tight story that succeeds in building up events to a dramatic climax; I sincerely adore good writing in a series without the “oh where will we take this awesome anime we’ve created? I know, tournament-style build-up of power! YES!”

Final Glimpse:

Having finished the series and itching for more, I have to say that’s a whopping success. There’s a Korean saying that means “Leave while people are clapping for you,” meaning git while the gittin’s good. Leave people wanting more rather than feeling they’ve been over-exposed to the same drivel. Unfortunately anime is an industry and businesses work by earning money. Thankfully, I feel that this series is a true work of art, in the sense that it was created for art’s sake and not to squeeze every last dime out of a plot. It’s based on the original manga “Ghost in the Shell” but not having read it, I couldn’t tell you if it’s a knock-off or a genuine “stand alone” series (I couldn’t resist).

I give this series a 9.5/10 because it’s just about damn near perfect. The earlier defects I pointed out still stand – the politics and philosophy can get preachy and they really beat you over the head with the dialogue. A few events were so stereotypical and predictable that it really turned me off, set out in such stark contrast to the rest of the series, which is so unpredictable and original. Still, artwork, characters, plot, and overall production were excellent and did not disappoint. I found myself looped in and couldn’t help but watch each episode, disc after disc. I wouldn’t recommend starting this without the entire collection at your fingertips, as the series feels very much like one long episode occasionally broken up. You lose track of the passage of time and just want more and more.

I’m super excited to get my hands on the first season so I’ll be looking for it. Of all the anime I’ve seen, I have to give this one the highest rating thus far. Overall as a piece of art, it is highly representative of the flexibility and creativity of the genre. Will make watching OTHER anime difficult, but alas, such is the fate of those who watch tons and tons of anime.

I'm an anime snob because it makes me feel superior. And because I'm just better than you.

This ISN’T Sparta. That Leaves….

MADNESS.

Following the cue of a friend from Twitter (EvilChristina), I went ahead and made a formspring.me account. Basically you can ask me all sorts of questions and I’ll answer them! Really??? No, I’m just picking the ones I want to answer and answering them. Of course, it just so happens I want to answer all of them at the moment so I’ve cranked out 4 answers. I’m so popular that for a period of 24 hours I’ve generated 4 random/anonymous questions. 2 were from the same person.

Regardless, I’m putting my formspring.me site up here and if you have any questions, feel free to ask. Pick my brain, but don’t blame me for what you find.

Saw that the site “The Best Shows You’re Not Watching” had posted a comment about using my review. Went to the site, they did NOT use my review. That or it’s buried so deeply into the HTML code that none of the browsers I know of can find it. Ah well. I don’t care if people use my reviews so long as they credit me and toss up a link back.

Played some Left 4 Dead with some friends. Man I really friggen hate Dead Air as a campaign. HATE. Once we switched back to old school No Mercy, we were triumphant conquerors once again. OWNED.

Still haven’t tossed up my movie reviews, been a bit of a hectic week.

Sometimes I'm so clever it hurts. Because people hit me. For being so goshdarned clever.