Watching

Have no fear! These reviews are 100% Spoiler Free

Revolutionary Girl Utena.

Yes to what you're thinking from looking at the image.
And no. Actually, it's kind of complicated. Let's just say with this anime, you must come with your mind's doors wide open!
Utena is a girl that meets a prince when she is little and has just lost her parents. The Prince is kind to her and givers her a ring. The experience so impresses her that she decides to become a prince too (nope. not a princess. A prince.) She even wears a sort of boys uniform at school. Then she meets a damsel who seems to be in distress and finally gets a chance to be a true prince. In doing so she gets caught up in stuff you really have to see to believe.
I like this because there's just so much to love in this crazily decadent ride of a show. Everything is so random and clearly metaphorical and though the same things happen all the time, you still never know what's going to happen next! The characters are wonderfully flamboyant and the bishounen!!! I challenge you to try and tell them apart from the female characters in the opening song before you've watched any of the series. and the Also, the theme song is fabulously weird and cool!

K-on


Ok, not to sound too defensive but I'm really watching this for research. Because it's about a group of girls that make a band. Like my graphic novel (ahem!) They are super cute and so are their songs and it's really kind of like easy listening which is not a bad thing. I've only watched 2 and half episodes so I'm probably not the best person to review! Will get back to you on it.



Mitchiko to Hachin

What? Still?
What can I say? I took a break when we couldn't find - er -a source for a while and then when we found them I was watching other stuff...
Anyways, I still like this show a lot. Very stylish art work and the story is interesting to me though I don't think Y really dug it that much.
I shrug at him.


Gundam 00


Didn't think I was gonna like this show. Even though it has giant robots that blow things to smithereens, I really thought it might take itself too seriously. And it does sometimes but then there are two things that make it all good: the characters, Lockon Stratos (middle left) and Alleluya (can I get an amen!) Haptist (middle right).

The Gundams themselves are very sweet and I have been very impressed with the escalating action sequences. I am so putting a Gundam on my Christmas list (make it happen, Santa.)

This is my first Gundam series and I haven't gone very far in but I look forward to getting to know this world as well as I got to know the Mecha, Pop Idol and Love triangle world of Macross.

I have to say one thing though. The main character (extreme left) is a douche bag. That is all.


Shounen Onmyouji


Though in a way this is about the relationship between a god type guy and a teenage boy, alas it is not a shounen-ai. That aside it is actually quite interesting seeing as it's partly based on a real historical character.

I think I particularly like it because, I have to admit, I am a sucker for mononoke wrangling type stories! Plus, it's got laughs which I like in any genre.

***
That's all for now folks.

Technically there should be more on the list but these are the ones that I actually have (as opposed to them being on Y's computer and us watching them together. Hmm, "Animes to watch with ur Fiance." Whole other Post!) and am committed to.

It's no wonder I have no time to finish FFX.

I <3 Asian Cinema 2: Infernal Affairs

bet u cant guezz whoz behindz u!
iz tony?
darnz.

Ha! bet you thought I'd forgotten about my Asian Cinema series! What with all the traveling and getting engaged and losing surge protectors I've been getting up to. I'm happy to confirm that you were wrong as today, we will be talking about one of my solid gold best films ever, Infernal Affairs otherwise known as Mou gaan dou.

Like Hard Boiled, this is also a HK police drama but more in the way of a psychological thriller.

Summary (Courtesy imdb):

"The setting is the never-ending war between the police and the Triads of Hong Kong. Chan is a cop who's been assigned to undercover work inside the Triads for so long that he's been able to rise through the ranks to a position of some authority. Lau, meanwhile, is a secret member of the Triads who has infiltrated the police force with an equal level of success. As they feed their bosses information on the plans and counter-plans of the organizations they pretend to serve, they both begin to feel the stresses of their double lives as they become torn between the oppressive obligations they owe to their superiors and the growing camaraderie they share with the foot soldiers around them. As the two organizations become increasingly aware of the moles in their midsts, the race is on for Chan and Lau to try and get out of the game alive."

I'm really not that into this genre usually but at the end of this film, i rewound it and watched it again from top to bottom. That is how much I loved it! Its got Tony Leung Chiu Wai (almost anything with this guy in it is a sure bet) and Andy Lau (no one wears a suit like Andy), what more could a girl want? Still one of my ALL time best movies and i try not to think of the hollywood remake (Marty, how could you?)

It's Gone!!!!!

I lost my Surge Protector of love and I am inconsolable.

I think I left it in the board room of a bank I'm doing work for. They have not reached me back on the subject. I think the boardroom ate it.

No more happy green light. My laptop is a sitting duck waiting for Nigeria's insane god of thunder (PHCN) to strike.

Not happy.

Relationship Upgrade.

(After Turkey we went to Rome. Pretty tired. Lol!)

To follow sad news with happy news, Y and I got a relationship upgrade in Turkey!

In Ephesus to be exact on June 20th, in the middle of an ancient amphitheater where st. Paul once took refuge after an angry mob tried to bum-rush him for ruining the goddess statuette selling business. Very historic and amazing acoustics.

I sang "sing a song of six pence" and then he proposed and I said yes and laughed a little cos, well, d'uh. Then just like that we were engaged and now we can't call ourselves boyfriend and girlfriend anymore. We have to say fiances, I think.

:-)

I can't believe I'm going to marry Y.
That's sooooooooooooooooooooooooo cool!


(Pearl cos pearls r my best.)

Mikey-kun, RIP.

:-(

Post Dated: Resolution 2009 - A life more Interesting...

Sunny Jerusalem!

June 12th, 2009

Resolutions are funny.

The new year rolls in making everything fresh and new. We feel renewed and hopeful and make promises to ourselves that are supposed to help improve the quality of our lives.

Then we sort of forget them and fall back into our usual patterns. Our promises are like pennies down wishing wells, whimsical memories.

In January 2009 however, I made a resolution in addition to the ones i usually make (i.e. lose weight, acquire more discipline, etc.) This one was meant to slightly alter the way I've been handling my life so far. A way which has not , to my thinking, been producing positive results.

I told myself that whenever opportunities cross my path this year, rather than immediately focusing on their downsides and refusing them, I would try closing my eyes and saying, 'yes.'

Is it a weird job that I have little or no experience at? Yes. Swim aerobics though I have no idea how I'll handle my hair after? Yes. A new type of moisturizer on my overly sensitive skin? Yes. The idea, which is in no way a new one, is to take on whatever problems arise from saying yes and deal with them instead of letting the fear of them lock doors in my life. Face the problem. Embrace the opportunity.

It is now June and I want to assess the results of my resolution. Well - let's see...

Where in January my life was pretty much at a dead end, today I am the Nigerian rep for my favourite International Magazine. I have also in just this year been part of the making of a feature length film that I think will change this country's movie industry. And right this very minute? As I write this, I am sitting on a plane en route to Tel Aviv on the first leg of an all expenses paid trip that will also take me to Rome and Turkey. That has been the power of 'yes' in my life.

It hasn't been easy. Some of my 'yes's have produced formidable issues that made me regret them. Now, standing on the other side of those issues, I don't want to dismiss them but I want to always remember that problems can be solved and that is why we face them. I've also said no despite myself at times when I felt opportunities came with too many problems I couldn't see myself overcoming. I feel now that I regret those "no"s. But not to the point of wanting to turn back time.

I am happy with the path that I am on as of now and I have to say that my life has become a million times more interesting than it was at the close of 2008.

Say it with a Surge Protector!

After my power cord exploded (thanks, Power Holding Company Nigeria, *blows them a kiss*) and i had to spend a gazillion bucks to get a new one (the cost of living in the Republic of Mac), I was haunted by the idea of a repeat occurrence. I figured since the power situation had not changed it was just a matter of time. Then Y gave me the above so I could work without fear of explosions!

I think the green light means lurv! \(>o<)/

I Killed that B****! (Warning: A Tiny spoiler contained within!)

That's right I killed that B****!

She kept on running her mouth about hope and destiny and (SPOILER ALERT! THE ITALICS ARE A SPOILER SO DON'T LOOK IF YOU DON'T WANNA KNOW!) one of my people becoming the last aeon until I couldn't stand it and so I took her out with extreme prejudice!

After restarting because she took me out first.

Thrice.

Okay, fine, it wasn't a fight it was a beat-down and I may have cried a little. Truth be said, I was just as surprised as she was when she finally died. I was so focused on rationing potions and MP and on balancing my zombies.

All I wanted to do was stay alive! I was so tired of starting that long a** three stage fight from scratch! I was also scared that should I finally find my self in the advantage and within two or three turns of killing her snaky behind it would all be taken cruelly away from me by a belief defyingly ill timed power cut.

I was so happy when she finally died.

Now all I have between me and FX2 is the Big Cahuna. Sin itself.

Naturally I'm taking the time to level up as much as I can and I'm trying to score a couple more aeons (Yojimbo and the Magus Sisters). I want to avoid the traumatic approach and make my final kill a little less accidental than that last one!

I can't wait to finally see those credits! Hope my heart can take it.

Wonder if I have the record for the longest time taken to finish this game. Or maybe any game at all...

I <3 Asian Cinema

I love Asian Cinema. I don't think I can emphasise this enough. I really love Asian Cinema. I feel it is one of my callings in life to spread appreciation of this genre of cinema everywhere. It's one of the reasons I've been thinking of starting a sort of film society where I live. But that's another post.

I love Asian Cinema. I use the broad category because my taste includes a few of the sub-genres, specifically:

- Bollywood: I believe everyone secretly loves Bollywood. The simple, dramatic plots, the beautiful orchestral music, the irresistible choreography, those pretty girls and their seductive saris!!!Plus Sharuk Khan is on my list of people to hook up with if Y ever messes up.
- Hong Kong Cinema : Mainstream and Auteur, they are the leaders of the pack! Most of my all time best Cinema moments derive from this industry.
- Japanese Cinema: Actually, technically, it's their TV stuff I like the most but in Cinema they are the Kings of Style. The Kings!!!!
- Korean: Their RomComs and their TV Doramas are my guiltiest pleasure but some of the most beautiful auteur work comes from here.
-Chinese: Two words. Deep Sturvs.

I want to share my love of Asian Cinema so everyone can enjoy it too, so I am compiling a list in the form of a series of posts outlining some of my all time best Asian Movies to be treated as a recommendation list for anyone tired of western fare. These are movies I'm able to watch over and over myself and I hope they will give as much joy to people seeing them for the first time as they have given me.

Ok, beginning with this post and in NPO:



Hard Boiled:



Any true asian film fan can tell you of this classic hong kong police drama starring Chow Yun Fat before he sold out (I'm sorry Yun Fat but you did!!!).

Summary (courtesy imdb):

"Tequila is a hard-boiled cop who loses his partner in a shoot-out with gun smugglers. In order to bring them down, Tequila must team up with an undercover cop named Tony, who goes undercover as a hired gun with a Hong Kong triad, which is run by a vicious boss named Johnny Wong"

No one does police dramas like Hong Kong. Not the States, not the UK and this one directed by John Woo in his early days is most definitely still one of the kewlest things on celluloid. I love every gun diving, dove flying, cowboy shooting moment of it!

What I love most about this movie is that apart from the playful, graceful action choreography that is Woo's trademark and that makes this film a classic, the sheer charisma and charm of the characters played by Chow Yun Fat and Tony Leung is enough to sell it even if no one once unholsters a gun!



It's not perfect and it's certainly not deep. But it is funny, stylish, sweetly plotted and some of the best gun action you will EVER see period. Hard Boiled was a genre definer when it came out and I believe it still is.

That's it for now! Stay tuned for the next post in this I <3 Asian Cinema Series!

I'm Sorry?

Erm...

What's the etiquette for when you promise to write on your blog but then you don't for say, about two months?

I feel kinda wretched about it so I'm going to do better. The odds are daunting. I am using mobile internet which is at best very, very skittish but i just got back my computer after both the power cord and the batteries blew up (thanks again PHCN!) so feel like I'm ready to face anything.

Plus I've got a lot to talk about. Have read several mangas and watched a couple of doramas that need to be spoken about.

Also got some new games and some old games to bring up.

So lets be friends again.

douzo yoroshiku onegaishimasu!

Shooting in Ebutte Metta - ey - ey - ey...

Just to let you know!

It's gonna be pretty quiet on this blog for a while because for the next few weeks I'll be helping full time on the set of "Relentless". I won't abandon you completely but posts are gonna be sparse. Most of the locations we go to have no electricity not to mention internet. But they're beautiful just the same (i.e. the above image) and it's gonna be a beautiful film.

Exciting factoid for the future: some of the shirts my sister and I design are gonna be featured in this movie!!!! So make sure you look out for it when it comes out! "Relentless," starring Gideon Okeke and the inimitable chanteuse Nneka, directed by our friend, Andy Amadi Okoroafor.

Have fun spotting the imekura originals! Cee (my sister) and I plan to make a wine night of it!

Anime Recommendation: Michiko to Hatchin!

Brazil is ALWAYS cool.

Their music, their language, their food, their carnival, their relaxed attitude to clothing and their movies. Maybe that's why Manglobe's latest anime, Michiko to Hatchin is so great!

It's the story of tan, curvylicious, scantily clad Michiko, ex-con and Vespa riding thug who is searching for her ex boyfriend after breaking out of prison. To help her achieve this she kidnaps his daughter, Hatchin from the cruel foster home she is living in because her existence is the only proof that she has that he is alive.

The style is what can be expected from the brilliant minds behind Samurai Champloo and Ergo Proxy. They actually went and scouted parts of Brazil so the environment is spot on. I actually think some of it is photography! It's a beautiful anime that makes you ache to go there.

The characters too are very interesting and likeable. Beautiful Michiko is rough, thuggish and stubborn as all hell but those qualities are all made positive in her relentless search for her ex and the way she takes Hatchin under wing.

Hachin is also stubborn and strong willed. Life has made her independent though she is only about 8 years old. She also has a strong moral streak for her age which is amazing considering how she grew up.

Together they are very kawaii!

Anyway, this is a story for those who like a stylish looking anime with a lot of cool hijinks and a very City of God atmosphere!

It was released in Winter and I think It's still going on . I've seen about six episodes and it's a keeper.

Definitely look out for this one guys.

See Trailer.

Get Wallpapers.

DRAGON QUEST IV!

Y got me Dragon Quest: The Chapter of the Chosen for Nintendo DS over Christmas.

The bad thing about this is that I'm putting FFX on hold once again to play this.

The good thing is that it's such a funny, charming little RPG that I cannot resist it!

We are racing now and so far I am ahead but I don't know how long I will hold my lead. I am currently playing the twins, Maya and Meena and Y is in the chapter behind me playing Torneko Taloon, the trader.

Hmm.

Anime Swap Meet in Lagos? For Real?

So 2009 has started off with a bit of a bang. Late last year some people started up a group on facebook for anime lovers in nigeria. The response has been modest yet very encouraging at 248 members (last check).

I was particularly impressed because sometime last year I tried to start an anime lovers group on a nigerian social networking website that I shall not name here. I even used a really cool picture of Mugen from Samurai Champloo as the group image to make it extra enticing. Of the few people that showed any interest exactly one knew what anime was. The rest were more interested in my sexy Yoko from Gurren Lagaan ID photo. One person accused me of occultic activity. So as you can imagine I was delighted to find a place where Nigerians who love anime could gather!

Then, like having that page wasn't cool enough, another group (though they are related), also on facebook, decided to organise an Anime Swap meet. The notice said to bring your external hard drives and that even if you didn't have anime to share, leechers where welcome! I heard about the event a couple of days before it occurred through the first group and immediately cleared my calendar. Apart from the irresistible lure of anime gigabitage, I was curious. I wanted to see with my own eyes what kind of Nigerians would leave their homes on a sunday evening in the hopes of scoring japanese cartoons.

So Y and I went and the first surprise was the turn out. Where I was expecting a high point of about seven, maybe even ten people, I could swear at a point there were up to 30 people crowded into our little corner of Barcello's! Other surprises followed. Where I feared I would be the only girl present, there were actually six other hard core fangirls in attendance! Where I assumed that all people would bring would be Bleach and Naruto, I was blessed with the sight of titles I had been searching for and even some new ongoing ones!

It was great!!!! We were buried in wires, laptops and external hard drives and it got a little warm but there was nowhere I would rather have been! The atmosphere was fantastic and everybody was cool! From asking around, we were able to find out that most of the people in attendance where in professions involving art, technology or both, which I thought was pretty cool.

I struck up a few conversations and it was interesting to see the different degrees to which people were into the genre and the variety of ways they got into it. At the end of the day, Naruto and Bleach are still the most watched animes here, I think, but there are also a lot of people here that love the vintage stuff from the golden period in Naija TV history when NTA aired Voltron and Gforce and the VHS versions of Akira, Wicked City, Ninja Scroll, etc. where traveling around Lagos! (I suspect that was when our romance with the genre began).

I feel that THIS sort of thing cannot happen enough! Events based on true hobbyist passion. Fringe cultures are the evidence of a progressive society and this sort of thing makes me feel that there is hope for Nigeria.

I think one of my best things about it is the fact that there was no fancy name involved. The facebook page is called "Are there 10,000 Nigerians who love Anime?" The Anime Swap Meet was called...An Anime Swap Meet. The guys who organised it are The Anime Exchange.

I raise my hat to them. Bodurin Oye, Mujib Waziri, Olubunmie Oye, Olumide "luminous" Alabi, Demola Sadiq, Funke Merink Famoyin (if I left out anyone, Gomenosai, I truly apologise).

Arigatou Gozaimasu.

Here's my list of what I scored:

Black Cat
Blood +
Fate Stay Night
Inuyasha (Just the movies though I know there was someone there who had a large chunk of the series!)
Itazura na kiss
Special A
Shounen Onmyouji
Shakugan no shana
Nodame Cantabile (Some)
Suzumiya Hauruhino Yuutsa

I almost got Vampire Knight but there was a mix up :-(
Can't wait till the next one!!!

NB. Go here for information about the next swap meet.

Moments From the 2009 CountDown Party that Never was...

Models: Ere (in Pink), Cee (in Black) and neogogo (in Green)
Location: In Chalet and in car outside Thai Restaurant

Thats how we brought in the new year! We didn't realise that this countdown party started after the new year had already come in. Still don't quite get that. But regardless, we welcomed 2009 fabulously from the interior of my car whilst everyone else in the country was apparently in church!

Hopefully, God didn't do roll call.

Happy new year!

Happy new year, Fringe culture lovers!

I have no internet so I'm crackberrying this! I had my bee year count down in my car in front of a Thai restaurant! It was due to a mix up of semantics! Or a semantical mix up! I'm using all these exclamation points cos I'm yelling!

HAPPY 2009 Y'ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sent from Neogogo, Bibi Dublin-Green's Blackberry Device.