Sugarwater

Neogogo 2.0

2010-03-03T10:58:00.000-08:00

There has been radio silence for a while and here are the reasons:

- Too much work!!!
- Indulging in my new fan girl obsession Jang Keun Suk (better find out)
- Discovering Kpop (more on this later) and catching bad case of Hallyu fever (what is this?)
- Taking up rigorous new weight training course with new personal trainer
- Also suffering through harsh new diet implemented by said trainer
-Making cool new friends on Sukkie (Jang Keun Suk - yes, this will probably be a recurring theme for the forseeable future. You should get used to it.) fan blogs and forums.
-Moving blogs

Which of the above is true? Shockingly enough all of them. All of these things have occurred in my life between now and the last time I wrote on here. Even the weight training and especially the moving blogs.

I am on wordpress now and as a result, I will soon cease to update this blog. Why? Nothing against blogger, I just want to separate the Sugar Water brand from the imekura brand it is currently joined to on my blogger account. I also want to do more with it.

As I aspire to reach new levels of neogogo-ness (i really like this word, lol!), I want to try and do more with the sugarwater blog. I hope anyone who enjoyed reading my rambles will continue to accompany me on my fringe dance.

Just click here!

loves ya.

"You're Beautiful" or My name is Neogogo and I'm a Suki-holic!

2010-02-01T16:44:00.000-08:00

For some reason, this year, I've really been all about doramas as well as K and J movies. Despite all odds (that's my country; All Odds) I managed to watch a few which fed the craving but also encouraged it. They really are like good chocolate!

Anyway, I plan to write reviews of all of them overtime so anyone can decide if they want to see them too, but this post in particular is dedicated to the K-dorama, "You're Beautiful," which just finished airing on Korean TV, end of last year (Also sometimes known as He's Beautiful or She's Handsome).

(bottom right is actress Park Shin Hye! You could tell, right?)

Like most doramas, this one flows like a shoujo manhwa (I say manhwa as opposed to mangas cos the Korean stuff has a sense of humour that I feel is a lot closer to ours and some of that is evident in the show.) It's a gender-crossing romantic comedy starring cute, multi-talented Park Shin Hye as a Novice (about to be a nun) who has to fill for her identical twin brother as a new member of the hottest, boy band in the country, A.N.Jell.

("Boys" of A.N.Jell)

Her brother is of course absent for most of the show and we get to watch Shin Hye's hilarious attempts to keep her gender a secret from the rest of the band and it's management team. Attempts which mostly fall apart by episode 2. The cuteness factor is ramped up by how adorable she looks in her boy disguise most of the time and her and the rest of the boys' androgynous wardrobe is actually worth watching the show for. That and the love rectangle!

But the real reward for watching this show is its lead bishounen, the ridiculously charismatic, real life idol, Jang Geun Suk (or Jang Keun Suk) who'se image is currently gracing my laptop's desktop. He plays the character of cold, arrogant and anal retentive band leader, Hwang Tae Kyung and he plays it with aplomb!

It's funny because when I first started the show, I didn't think he was that cute. He was always sneering, smirking or just looking pissed off. I liked Kang Shin Woo (the sweet and sensitive type back up guitarist) and "Jeremy" (the blond quirky drummer) better. But I was very fascinated by his ultra, ultra bishounen idol hair and wardrobe and I also loved his walk or, for lack of a better term, swagger.

(sure she doesn't look much like our idea of a boy. But in Asia, few boy idols do ^-^)

As the show proceeded and he and Go Mi Nam's (Park Shin Hye's) relationship grew, my admiration for this actor seriously climbed. He managed to bring an unbelievable amount of charisma and humour to a very bitter and anal character so much so that by the middle of the show, I had eyes for no one but this arrogant bastard. And when he finally smiled........HUGE pay off!!!!!!!!

(me? bitter? anal? A behind the scene smile from Sukkie.
Watch the show to see the one there ;))

That's why I'm currently a Suki-holic. I think he's filled up the sad space in my fan girl heart that Tony Leung left and since he's just 22, he'll probably be there for a while! ^________^

Despite his age, Geun Suk has charmed the ladies via TV and Movies for the last 18 years. I had seen him in Do Re Mi So Fa Ti La Do where he was also a musician in a band before this Show but I didn't even know it was him because he looked and seemed so different. The charm and the huge performance were the same though prompting me to feel that this guy is really someone to watch out for.

In addition to his acting career he is a musician, a DeeJay and a hawt model. What more could a girl ask for in a real live bishounen, I ask you?

(Multi-talented Seuk on the Turn Tables!)

Anyways, look for Jang Geun Suk in You're Beautiful, Beethoven Virus, DoReMiSoFaTiLaDo, Baby and Me and The Itaewon Murder Case, his latest and most gritty to date (goodbye squeaky clean, idol image). Also catch the songs he's done for Promotional purposes. You won't believe how catchy and listenable they are, kinda like Black Eyed Peas! Currently on repeat on my mp3 player: "Drag," "Toucholic" and "Black Engine."

(Images from "Toucholic" (Sukiholic? Geddit?) and Black Engine Vids)

This guy is my favourite right now and if you check out his stuff, I'm pretty sure he'll be your favourite too!

Eh-to...atashi-wa, Neogogo-chan. Suki-holic desu!

My Screen Caps from the Show

(Discover the Mystery of Pig Rabbit!)

(Hyung-nim does not like to be touched)

(My favourite hairstyle. Bishounelicious!)

**Disclaimer: Most of these images were pilfered from sites giving news of or praise to Geun Suk. I am very grateful to them for their work but I have lost the credits and I hope they will forgive me for reusing these pics pleeeeeeeeeeze! Just trying to spread the love on my side of the globe! Go Fighting Eels!! ^_^;;

Durarara!!

2010-01-26T12:46:00.000-08:00

Okay people listen up cos I had to cut my mourning short for this!

There's this new Anime that I just watched two episodes of and immediately got hooked on like crack cos it's sooooooooooooooo freakin' hilarious. It's called Durarara!! (or DRRR!!) and I think it's literally airing right now so I have to wait for each episode :(

It's made by the same guys who made Baccano if you've seen that and has that same style of what seems like a massive amount of characters in random bizarre and disparate adventures till it all starts to come together as the series progresses. But where Baccano! takes quite a few eppies to start making any kind of sense, Durarara!! grabs you in that 1st episode and enslaves you by the second one.

Without giving anything whatsoever away, main character moves to bright city lights of Ikebukuro (large entertainment and commercial district of Japan. Maybe like Times Square but bigger?) in Tokyo at invitation of former middle school best friend. Learns of the three most dangerous characters he should never cross in that city and promptly encounters all of them. And lemme tell ya; these guys are bad news!

Like I said it features many characters but you don't feel lost so much as intrigued at every turn. You get the feeling that your narrator is very much in control (unlike some other series I could mention *coughCodeGeasscough*) so you can relax and enjoy the ride.

The animation style itself is very cool so it's nice to look at and the intro and outro songs are pretty sweet. All in all it's definitely, on the strength of those first episodes, my first pick of the season. I'm hoping this is a sign of things to come in 2010!

Durarara!!

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!1111111

2010-01-20T16:11:00.000-08:00

Wai jai! Why???!!! After all these years!

No, the image is sadly not a movie still and yes, I am in deep mourning as I put away my fondest fantasy of somehow stealing Tony Leung away from his girlfriend of 19 years (I'm not saying she's not a trooper).

It's true that it was a flawed fantasy full of logistical nightmares like getting to Hong Kong, battling other better equipped fan girls and then convincing Y to accept our new polygamous status but as fantasies go, it was definitely an old favourite.

My devotion to this actor started I think 7 years ago when I saw Chung King Express and has grown with every one of his movies I've been able to lay my hands on. But I was not a very good devotee, I think. After all this apparently happened in 2008 and look when I'm finding out!

Ah, well, out of respect to Carina (the new Mrs. Leung) who I have to say was a most worthy opponent, I must put aside my fan girl torch and retire to the position of regular fan.

Goodbye Wai jai. You were the best matinee idol a fan girl could ever day dream about. Goodbye! <------@

Dorama Love #^_______^#

2010-01-20T09:06:00.000-08:00

Are there Nigerians out there that like K and J doramas as much as I do?

For the uninitiated, Kdorama or Jdorama are simply slang terms for certain sorts of TV dramas that come out of Japan and Korea.

The Dorama is a very wide genre encompassing everything from serious to somewhat bizarre or perverted but the type I'm referring to tends to follow certain patterns: melodramatic, mushy romance or silly, comical, romantic comedies. Characteristic features include, high school life, swaggering pretty boys, clutzy but cute or spunky heroines, bullying, love triangles, jealousy, fights, possessiveness, emo posing, angsty brooding, heart breaking misunderstandings, dramatic confessions, bitter sweet endings and syrupy sweet j or k pop sound tracks.

Of course there are variations. Some of them feature older, working types and therefore slightly more mature stories but the end product is the same. Something to massage your heart strings. They are literally shoujo mangas (japanese comics aimed at girls) on TV. Quite a few of them are based on mangas or manhwas (the Korean equivalent).

I have recently discovered that those shows are like crack to me! I mean it's a good thing we don't have an Asian TV channel in Nigeria cos I don't think I would be able to leave the house!

Why do I love them so much? They are predictable, manipulative, derivative, saccharine, frequently unhealthy...but I could say the same about chocolate and I love that too.

The truth is that a good J or K dorama gives me the warm fuzzies. You know that feeling that you get when you realize that you're smiling despite yourself? Even when you're alone? They also make me tear up despite myself and make me laugh despite myself.

I love when the school idol (usually a pretty boy, tough guy that all the girls, including myself, squeal at and all the boys fear, see bishounen) cracks his icy cool armour and falls hard for the (insert predominant quality - shy, quirky, spunky, clutzy, average) girl and starts to indirectly woo her. I love it when competition rises in the form of another pretty boy tough guy that's a foil to his type. If our main guy is rowdy, this guy is a cool customer, if our main guy is chill, this guy is wild and happy go lucky. Like a mugen and jin (samurai champloo) situation.

I love that the shows never try to be clever. They are what they are and are unashamedly so. I love the online communities of soft hearted fan girls that spring up around and as a result of these shows.

Doramas remind me that there is a place and a time for everything. Sometimes you want something deep and thought provoking. Sometimes you want something that challenges your imagination. Sometimes, you just want something thats fun, can only described in squeals and awwws and gives you warm fuzzies.

I guess that's why I'm addicted to doramas and I wish other Nigerians or West Africans would be interested in them too because that would influence the supply around here! Right now, it's not worth it to my DVD supplier to get them :(

Will do my best to post about some of the dramas I have been enjoying so you can check them out too. Mean while, some good places to start introducing yourself to the genre include here and here.

Updates

2010-01-19T15:30:00.000-08:00

I have to say, quite defensively I'm aware, that its not all been thumb twiddling during my long absence. I actually managed to try out some new games and check out some new (at least to me) shows so I have a plump post or two coming up on that.

I'm also tweeting now so you can get accosted by me in a whole new medium. I'm @neogogochan and I'm about sugar water stuff but also the hard ship of being an online scam artisan in a disillusioned world. Which I must be since I'm a Nigerian and I'm online? Oh - wait, no. I think we're terrorists now.

My sister and I have a t-shirt line (Imekura) and we just released a new collection. It's been years since we released one so please check it out. I even shot a video for it!

I have been working with Y and an amazing artist on a comic book called, "Monster Boy." It's a Nigerian cyber punk/fantasy boy adventure mini series. Easy.Delicious is on hold for now though not forgotten.

Well, '09 was a crazy year. I'm hoping i can make some sense out of '10 but so far, it ain't looking good. I really hope I can at least be a better blogger.

Here's looking at y'all kiddoz.

I heart Asian Cinema 3: Chung King Express

2010-01-15T06:44:00.000-08:00

Thought I should start the year off with a continuation of my AZN film series! If you remember, it's about Asian films for newbies, movies to get into the genre with. The third entry is actually a film that beat out Godfather as my all time bestest movie:

Chung King Express

A whimsical sort of existentialist HK romance by the god of film making Wong Kar Wai, this is the one that made me (and countless other auteur wannabes no doubt) want to be a film maker.

It's made up of two intermingling stories about paths crossing and loneliness. A cop and and a beautiful illegal immigrant traffiker take up the first half and a traffic warden and a girl that works in a fast food place (Chung King Express) but dreams of moving to California take up the second.

You don't need to know about all the awards it swept at Cannes or how its DP Christopher Doyle is the bEST cinematographer in the world or even just how cute Faye Wong is in this film. All you need to know is that this is a beautiful, unforgettable drama that will make you love the song, California Dreamin' by the Mamas and the Papas.

It also has Tony Leung in one of the roles that made me literally fall in love with him.

*sigh. A must see for any true film buff.

...

2010-01-15T05:27:00.000-08:00

...
not much I can say at this point except that I am truly embarrassed.
seriously.
but I am hoping for more stable internet this year and a renewal of my relationship with this blog.
i've missed this place.
sowwy for the long break!

Watching

2009-07-15T10:12:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-14T16:14:00.005-07:00

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!!!!!

2009-07-02T04:51:00.000-07:00

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.

2009-06-30T12:07:00.000-07:00

(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.

2009-06-30T11:58:00.000-07:00

:-(

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

2009-06-30T11:36:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-06-03T09:31:00.000-07:00

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!)

2009-05-25T10:49:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-14T08:24:00.000-07:00

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?

2009-05-11T11:26:00.000-07:00

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...

2009-01-29T15:54:00.000-08:00

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!

2009-01-23T07:29:00.001-08:00

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!

2009-01-12T03:43:00.000-08:00

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?

2009-01-08T08:31:00.000-08:00

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...

2009-01-07T02:31:00.000-08:00

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!

2009-01-06T08:56:00.000-08:00

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.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-24T06:05:00.000-08:00

I believed in Santa till I was about 11. I was already in boarding school before it just suddenly occurred to me how unlikely he was. It was a pretty sad day for me.

Happy Holidays Y'all!
(Don't play with bangers. They'll put your eye out.)

J-Dorama Recommendation

2008-12-19T05:05:00.000-08:00

I was meaning to do a post about my love for Asian TV and Cinema before doing any recommendations but - this can't wait.

My Japanese Drama series of the moment is "Anego." It's the story of japanese office lady (that's a working woman) Noda Naoko played with cute charm by Shinohara Ryoko, who at 32 is on the verge of becoming an Oba-san (old lady or old hag).

She has a reputation for solving the problems of her junior workers who keep coming to her with their love issues then marrying off under her. Everybody depends on her. They give her the name "Anego" which means big sister. But who does she depend on?

Her life becomes more complicated when she meets two interesting men.

The first is Sawaki Shoichi played with sophistication by Kato Masaya (some may remember him as Ryuji Hanada in Crying Freeman), a handsome man who rescues her from a drunk on a train. This man turns out to be the jet setting husband of a former junior worker of hers whose trying to be friends with her again.

The second interesting man is Kurosawa Akihiko played with languid beauty by young idol Akanishi Jin (Soooooooooooooooooo bishounen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!XD) a new gorgeous junior who seems to be the only male in the office that sees her as a female. The main problem with him is that he just happens to be 10 years her junior. That's right. TEN.

It's interesting because the series takes us through Naoko-san's life as she deals with impertinent juniors, sexist male co-workers, over dependent bosses and over anxious parents with wry cheerfulness, the occasional grumble and selflessness while also dealing with loneliness and her self identity as a woman.

Her future is uncertain. Women don't work till retirement like men do so what will happen to her. Can she never meet a man she can fall in love with and marry? Is that in fact what she really wants? It's no wonder that the married man and the junior are proving to be such temptations to her!

I like this show because, as a woman who is the older person in her relationship (by 3 years) I can kind of relate with some of the things going on in her life. There is such a pressure on women to get married and have kids that it can sometimes be all encompassing and overwhelming. If, like myself, you fall in love with someone who is younger than you and naturally has a whole different set of pressures more commiserate with their age and time in life, it can be difficult. I really hope I can face my own difficulties with the honesty and broad mindedness one is supposed to acquire with maturity the way Naoko-san sometimes does.

Anyway the show is only 10 episodes long with a two part special bringing the count to 12. You could finish the entire thing in a day if you had the time! So go out and look for it! For those of you marooned in Nigeria like myself, If you have internet access try www.crunchyroll.com, an excellent resource for all your Asian TV needs.

I am currently on episode 8 and I'm already 100% invested in this sometimes funny and sometimes touching show! I bet I'm going to cry at the end!

Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrggggggggggggggghhhhhhhh! I can't wait!

easy.delicious

2008-12-16T06:13:00.000-08:00

So, more information on the graphic novel. Here's my official character break down:

Deedee Esene:

Funky, independent, hot tempered and sharp mouthed. She’s one of the two co-founders of the group. This mixed race cutie with the big brown afro plays bass guitar.

Eniola Bode-George:

Conservative, sheltered, highly talented and timid she is the opposite of the brash Deedee and the other cofounder of the band. She plays the violin, keyboards and synths.

Isi Ugoji:

Baby sister of one of the owners of up and coming Maximum Music Studios. A tomboy who loves music and is eager to prove her mettle. Mellow with a sarcastic edge. Fierce Drummer.

Vicki Ajayi:

Beautiful, image conscious, arrogant and beloved by many, she is Deedee’s mortal enemy. But even Deedee can’t deny that the girl has a powerful set of lungs and an amazing voice. With, her looks, voice, style and attitude, no one can fill out a spot light like Vicki.

(NB. Please Note that all images have been purloined from other sites on the net and are very loose references for the look of each girl!)

The good news is I've finally started getting some artistic interest in the story so Yay!!! I can't wait to see the results!!

I'm still messing around myself so please feel free to check out my concept stuff on Deviant Art.

And if you are at all interested in Spaceboy Nigeria and the Nigerian Comic Book Showcase, by all means go on their blog to see all the cool stuff they have on ground.There have been some exciting proposals already and I think when it comes to voting for which one should be published first, the competition will be pretty stiff!

I am especially encouraging female writers and artists to get involved so that it doesn't end up being a complete boys club! Plus someone needs to put out good comics for us too, don't you think?

My Graphic Novel

2008-12-13T05:57:00.001-08:00

I've decided to come clean and admit here that I'm writing a graphic novel. I'm doing it for the initiative that Y has set up. It's called The Nigerian Comic Book Showcase and it's under Spaceboy Nigeria. It's meant to promote and publicize Nigerian comics!

My story is called easy.delicious and tells about 3 friends and one frenemy that are gifted to various degrees in music and decide to form a rock band in contemporary Lagos. It's going to be about their lives, dramas and romances and what happens when they actually succeed.

For those who know me you're probably guessing that there's going to be more than a few shoujo elements in it. I'm happy to tell you that you are guessing correctly. Because I am a sucker for shoujo manga, it stands to reason that I would want to do something similar so I can share some of the joy that the genre brings me! Woot!!! \(>0<)/

Ahem.

Anyway, I am currently working on the scripts which (be warned) I shall probably provide samples of here. I am also currently desperately in search of an artist to share this project with!!! It's hard to find someone that can do the cool, funky and feminine style that I think this story needs but I won't give up. I have actually considered trying to do my own work. This would mean having to learn to draw, of course so I set up my own page own deviant art specifically to force myself through what I fully expect to be a grueling process!

Please wish me luck and look out for more info on this!

Zombie Killing - 1st, 2nd or 3rd date?

2008-12-08T03:46:00.000-08:00

So after months of ill concealed fanboy anticipation, Y finally got his hands on Valve's Left 4 Dead for the 360. He had to get someone to purchase it on his behalf in the UK and then bring it over. As you can imagine, we were in quite a dither. He because it's really just the sort of co-op oriented, adrenaline shot game that he lives for (plus Valve is unsurprisingly a favourite with him) and me because I get how excited he was to finally get it.

So after giving it a bit of a test drive in its single player mode, Y decides that we (he and I ) absolutely have to play it together. This is not the first time he has been struck with this particular notion. We actually have a bit of a history with console teamwork, some of our more successful partnerships including: Champions: Return to Norrath for PS2, Dynasty Warriors 6 on the PS3 and Balder's Gate: Dark Alliance for PS2.

But here is where the problem lies. I'm no good at - well, scary games. This means games that have icky, disgusting realistic monster types that are very, very agile and are passionate about eating you alive against backdrops so bleak and depressing that you're almost cool with it.

It's not that I hate them. It's just that, like with horror films, they scare the crap out of me and when I get scared, parts of my brain turn off.

With horror movies this usually means me doing that thing where you cover your eyes leaving a sliver of window thin enough that you can no longer make out what's going on and going, "nananananana, etc." till the scary bit is over.

In game play, it means a glazed look coming over my eyes, my thumbs locking into an insane jabbing frenzy on the gamepads and my ceasing to understand the english language.

That's right. In the tense situation, when the shit hits the fan, I'm that guy. (or even worse, I'm that girl.)

But Y knows all this and sunnily insists that we play anyway. His optimistic reasoning is that it is all just psychological. I agree with him completely but that's not going to keep me from entering the phantom zone when zombies begin to come out the wood work.

And let me tell you, if you ever wanted to play a game with zombies and woodwork, this game is it. And there are different types too; zombies that pounce on you from above, zombies that grab you from a distance with ropey, prehensile tongues, zombies that visciously flatten you against walls like wet tissue, zombies that throw up on you and attract, my personal favourite, the zombie horde. For swift, ugly death awaiting you around every dank corner, this game will not leave you wanting.

Anyway, we play the game. Y played Louis the black dude and I played Zoey the chick (we weren't in an imaginative mood I guess). It took us exactly two hours and seven minutes before we were able to board the helicopter that flew us to safety from the roof top of a dilapidated building swarming with every manner of monstrosity intent on having us for dinner. We lost two good men on that roof top (you always play in a group of four so it was Y, me and two A.I. characters). One of them died saving my life.

I can't say I was proud of my conduct. Coordinating myself and targeting was a constant challenge. I predictably did the phantom zone thing every time I even heard the audio cue for a boss and in a game that was mostly about covering your teammates, the number of times I was able to rescue anyone was pretty small. And this was playing the game on easy.

On the other hand, I only actually died once and according to Y, I even had some good shooting moments.

By the end of the game, my hands were shaking and I had sweat patches under my armpits. And how did I feel about Left for Dead? Surprised. Why? Because, underneath the panic, even I could appreciate that I was playing a good game.

Things I liked about it include the very basic, plot (just get across town through a series of safe rooms to the helipad) and the pitch perfect script and voice acting which were very appropriate to the genre. I like that their is a black character that doesn't look like a football player. I also like the A.I. mechanics that respawn a new "campaign" layout of horrors every time you play so you can never play the same game twice. Finally, though it might not be for me personally, I respect the well crafted level of tension that is honed and maintained throughout the entire game.

Left for Dead was tough. The fact that we made it through to the end with only one Game Over speaks more of Y's skill and experience with FPS types than it does of this game being in any way a pushover. I would definitely recommend it to any gamers who consider themselves good under pressure.

But would I recommend it as a date game?

We-ell...maybe not for the first date...or the second or third one.

In fact, you probably shouldn't jump into this one with your honey until you're pretty sure the relationship is on firm ground. The truth is when tensions rise, the gloves sometimes come off and after screaming expletives at your beloved while they shoot impotently in the wrong direction as you are devoured alive by a horde of ravenous zombies, you'll want to have that strong foundation to return to from the Game Over screen!

Cool Things I can Do 'Cos I'm from the Third World

2008-12-06T05:14:00.000-08:00

A night ago, I got home after work to a house swathed in cruel darkness (thank you PHCN/NEPA). I had to pick up a 50 litre jerrycan, stash it in my trunk and head right back out again in search of Diesel.

Luckily there's no shortage right now and we have a gas station really close by. The entire thing should have taken me 15 minutes tops except that my return route put me bang in the middle of the vicious traffic jam that is end of the day rush hour. So make that thirty minutes.

I was not a happy bunny by the time I got home. I was N3000 lighter (that got me 30L, and not a litre more from the miserly attendant) and had survived exactly two close brushes with okada related death on a route that was shorter than the distance from my house to the gates of our estate.

I got the house help to help me unload the jerrycan from my trunk then began the aromatic process of refilling the generator. By the time I was done my irritable mood had lightened. Power and perhaps an hour or so on my PS2 were imminent, after all.

As I switched on the generator and switched over our power source so we were connected to it I actually began to feel a sense of accomplishment. I mean, sure in its mundane actuality, it's more of a colossal pain than a difficult process but hey! I can buy diesel and refill a 15kva Generator! For those who don't encounter generators in their day to day lives, that's one of the big ones.

Add that to being able to change my own tires (it's all in knowing what to turn clockwise) and I don't think I'm doing too badly!

You go, me.

Travesty at Jos

2008-12-05T08:32:00.000-08:00

I can barely believe what is going on in Jos. Wholesale slaughter of human beings. A mini holocaust. Mass murder.

And Jos is such a nice place.

The newspaper today dispassionately referred to it as 'loss of lives' like there had been a land slide as opposed to Nigerian citizens with names and addresses running around with cutlasses and murdering other Nigerian citizens.

Shame. Are we cattle? Doesn't cattle even warrant the protection of its master? What is so special about nigerians that makes us undeserving of the protection of law and order?

Today, I really hope karma is true to her reputation.

NEPA vs. my PS2: A Losing Battle?

2008-12-03T06:57:00.000-08:00

I know it's called Power Holding Company now. Whatever. We all know that it is still possessed by that Mega Demon called NEPA.

I just need to ask Naija gamers one small thing. How far? How do you do it? How the hell do you handle NEPA? Is it Inverters? Transformers? UPS? And when they blow as they inevitably must, what then? Bribery? Jazz?

How many grim and hard earned battles have you lost between distant save points? How many of your consoles have given up the ghost? How do you deal? Is there a support group for those bereaved by NEPA?

I'm tired and battle worn but I don't want to give up. Not till my PS2 pops and I catch that familiar smell of burning rubber in my nostrils. At which point in time, I will be looking for revenge.

Why I Have Been Playing FFX for over Four Years?

2008-11-26T08:31:00.000-08:00

It's shameful and true. As of today, I have been wandering through the wilds of Spira for more than FOUR YEARS! What gives???

The subject of games unfinished and perhaps abandoned has recently been brought to the fore for me, thanks to Y's recent podcast on the same subject. As the speakers reeled off the titles they had started and were yet to complete, I began to think of my own list.

I am a casual gamer so it's short yet, somehow mortifying. At this date on my PS2 I am currently playing FFX (where I've clocked about ninety something hours), Kingdom Hearts (the original not part two or three), Sims (also the original for PS2), Katamari Damacy and Sly Cooper. On my DS I am currently playing FF7, Animal Crossing, Cooking Mama, Pokemon Sapphire, Etrian Odyssey and Super Mario 64 for the DS.

Wow. Confession really is good for the soul.

Games I actually have finished are : Pheonix Wright: Ace Attorney and Pokemon Pearl. We-ell, Pokemon Pearl is really a technical finish because I beat the elite four and am the official pokemon league champion (yup, yup!) -- but I am two rare pokemons short of completing my pokedex and I am yet to venture into that last island with all the fighting areas (rumor has it that you have to be a bad ass to hang there!)

Man, that's short. Okay my soul feels kind of bad again.

Anyway I have been thinking about it and wondering why my list of completed games is so embarrassingly short whereas my list of unfinished games continues to grow. Am I a serial Giver Up-er?

My story with FFX began in about 2004 (three years after it's release). I discovered it in my ex's collection and after falling in love with it, I absconded with it and got myself a PS2. So, it is actually the game that made me buy a console (that's why I feel compelled to defend poor Tidus whenever he gets dissed!). I did get my ex a game he wanted in exchange, though. Unfortunately that game was X-men Legends which now I feel was very poor compensation. All I can say is that we were misled.

Anyway, I've been playing since that ancient date and I think I can say even now that it's not that I've lost interest in the game. It's just time. I've lost a lot of that.

This might sound like whinging but I feel like lots of games today share the characteristic that to make any kind of proper progress, one has to log in some serious hours. This is problematic because I find fewer and fewer days in my life that contain even up to one hour to kill. If I want to finish FFX (and any of the games I am currently playing) it's going to take discipline, focus and even some sacrifice. I wonder, like Gatorade; do I have it in me?

Actually, there has also been some Naija factor involved in my PS2 lapse at least. For the last two years and a bit, I haven't been able to even touch the machine. This is because I brought it with me from the US and couldn't find a transformer that wouldn't blow up when I plugged it in to it. Well, I did find one but then I accidentally blew it up on my George Foreman grill. But all that has changed now.

I have recently acquired a monstrous transformer (actually, Y hooked that up for me) that deals in about 200 watts of electricity and so have been able to literally and finally dust off the old box. It's good to be back in Spira and I have every intention of getting to the end of this particular game more than the others. Why?

Not because of the shame of how long this is taking though, granted, there is that. really it's because, about four years ago I also got FFX-2 and I can't let myself even open the shrink wrapping till I'm done with Tidus.

As a casual gamer, I have a long and challenging road ahead of me so - wish me luck!

Some Kill Giants - GIN!!!

2008-11-20T05:06:00.000-08:00

So my boyf (who I have been referring to as Y) just recorded the first podcast for his gaming blog Some Kill Giants. I realise, of course, that I haven't written about SKG before but I think that's excusable seeing as this is just my fifth post!

So here's the skinny; Some Kill Giants is a blog about gaming with highlights about gaming in Nigeria in particular. It is relatively new on the scene (Started in June this year) but already has been noted by prolific gaming blog Game Set Watch.

Anyway, Y decided it was time to move into the exciting world of podcasting where he could bring to life some of the relevant voices in Nigeria's gaming scene. The show is about gaming in Nigeria. That is literally what GIN stands for.

This maiden show in particular covered two interesting topics the first of which was Games you haven't finished and why you haven't finished them. The second topic which was nostalgia based was a discussion of the game Super Mario World.

I'm not going to spoiler it by breaking down what was said. I will just say that it was a very interesting discussion because the speakers were obviously well informed and passionate about the subject.

It's a first effort so it's not perfect and could use some cleaning up here and there but it still has a lot going for it. The tone and energy, for instance, was consistently high level and fun. Also, different perspectives were brought to the floor as Nigeria like other places breeds a variety of gamer types.

We have the every console/every high profile game gamer, we have the select consoles/reviewed games gamer, we have the no console/friends selection dependent gamer and we have the no console/strictly PC games gamer. Each of these broad archetypes was, I think, well represented in this discussion.

So if you have about thirty something or so megabytes of space on your computer hard drive, mp3 player or phone, please consider downloading this. It's so nice to hear Nigerians speak passionately about something other than politics or football.

Long live fringe culture!

(Oh and that banging logo was designed by Y! Big ups, babe!)

Current Shoujo Reading

2008-11-18T06:49:00.000-08:00

Skip Beat and Nodame Cantabile

It's really, really hard to download ANYTHING in this country which I suppose is good because it forces you to develop patience and a Zen attitude (theoretically, at least). What this means, however, is that at any given time I am always in the middle of between two and fifteen different manga titles. Most of which are off my favourite genre; shoujo.

Right now, because our internet is being seriously erratic, I am only downloading volumes of both Skip Beat by Nakamura Yoshiki and Nodame Cantabile by Tomoko Ninimiya , one painful volume at a time.

I am dedicating this post to my opinions on both.

Skip Beat

This title only came to my notice recently because of its being released as part of the line up of anime being shown in Japan this Fall. It got some good ratings so Y and I added it to the list of animes we are currently downloading. After seeing episode one, and finding it so so, I had a feeling that this was probably a shoujo I would prefer on page rather than on screen. I downloaded volume one (took a whole day) and found I was right.

First I realised that this was a mangaka I was familiar with. I read and was thoroughly addicted to Tokyo Crazy Paradise by the same author just last year. It's a title I would recommend to anyone about a non-typical shoujo heroine who ends up being the body guard of an extremely young and aristocratic yakuza boss.

Skip Beat is similar in that it also features a non-typical shoujo heroine. Mogami Kyoko turns from a self sacrificing angel to a vengeance obsessed demon when she discovers that the love of her life who she has even given up high school for is actually cynically using her as his house girl whilst clawing his way to pop stardom. He becomes a big untouchable star and she swears revenge but how can a pleb (which is what she is) have any hope of affecting a pop idol?

A few people have complained of Nakamura's art style which is quite distinctive (really small heads and wide necks on the guys) but I think that it's something one gets used to.

The premise is refreshing in that it's nice to see a heroine having to deal with some nice earthy demons like malice and bitterness for once! I mean, I loved Tohru Honda of Takaya Natsuki's Fruits Basket but man! What an act to follow!

Kyoko is imperfect in a very understandable way. She's also stubborn and not willing to be walked all over! It's just so rare to see strong, non-submissive women in this genre so big ups to Nakamura for providing us with another successful one!

The story really picked up for me by chapter 3 and after that I had that nice feeling of absolutely having to know what happens next!

There are two main bishounen in the series so far. There is blond Sho Fuwa the evil bastard who betrayed her and there is dark Ren Tsuruga who is the perfect, aristocratic number one hottest celebrity in Japan and who doesn't like her. I say from my long history of struggling to read shoujo that them are some good odds for romance!

I have only reached volume seven but I am really enjoying this manga. On the whole it's a high energy ride, sometimes wicked and sometimes sweet. It's always funny though and I'm recommending it.

Nodame Cantabile

Also another shoujo I got into via the anime. I used to have a good portion of the series but I was storing it on my ipod and when that crashed, I was forced to say a bitter Sayonara to it.

Anyway, someone reminded me of it this year and I was like, Oh, yeah and I started downloading the manga. This is also not a typical shoujo as it has a very relaxed and almost whimsical slice of life feel to it. Also, though the series is named for the female lead, Nodame (Really Noda Megumi), it seems to me like the main character is actually the male lead, usually called Chiaki Sama or Senpai.

Chiaki is a genius pianist who wants to conduct in Europe under his mentor Sebastiano Viera. He is kept from this dream, however, by his fear of flying and is very embittered. The fun starts when this strait laced, perfectionist meets Nodame who is also a genius in her own way.

She can't read music, but she can play anything from ear and her style is wild and emotional. She is also a filthy housekeeper who not only falls openly in love with Chiaki but attaches herself to him like a stray cat depending on him for food and the occasional clean place to bath (she is his neighbour).

I am currently in volume 3 of this series and I have found it both easy going and very, very funny. Tomoko Ninomiya's beautiful, lightly sketched in art style adds to this feel and makes this manga a good entry point for anyone that may be put off by the tropes of the genre's typical art styles (Huge eyes and no nose or mouth to speak of.)

Chiaki senpai as the male lead must stand in for the obligatory bishounen. He doesn't really have the mouth watering androgynousness but he quite makes up for it in arrogance and status. Plus his never quite neat hair is cute.

I look forward to seeing where it all leads. It will take forever (*sigh) but I'm hoping it will be worth it.

Extra Info: Nodame Cantabile: Paris Chapter is currently showing as part of Fall 2008 Anime lineup in Japan and for those who just can't get enough of this title, there is also a live action series (11 episodes covering up to vol 9) and a Two Episode Special both on FujiTV in Japan!!!

Oh, and Cantabile means to play with feeling.

Conclusion

Skip Beat and Nodame Cantabile are my recommendations for the season. Two funny, sweet, musical mangas that will leave you, like the best kind of dessert, wanting more.

I am grateful to the translators, editors, scanlators and everyone without whose help, people like me on my side of the world would have no hope of even hearing about these mangas much less actually seeing them! You guys work your butts off for free and I for one cannot appreciate you enough.

To those who actually have the opportunity to buy these works, don't waste it! The other people who work their butts off on making our mangas happen are the mangakas themselves and every true manga fan knows there is no better cause to spend money on than in the feeding of a mangaka!

Therefore show love.

Gayness and Game Culture

2008-11-14T10:27:00.000-08:00

Okay, this doesn't have too much to do with my experience in Nigeria particularly, but it is something I've been wanting to broach.

I find it fascinating just how important the term "gay" has become in a culture so well known for its homophobia. And I mean this despite the fact that its use is almost always negative. The fact remains that it is used to a degree probably only surpassed by the gays themselves (and I'm talking your more flamboyant queen types here) and with a passion and emphasis that demands at least some examination, I think. I suppose it shouldn't be surprising considering the theories abounding about what homophobia tends to really be! But, as intriguing and provocative as this path may be, I am resisting it for today.

Instead I would like to address something that came up in a discussion today. I was recalling how my first sight of the intro to final fantasy x some years back had been like someone had opened up my skull and dumped half a kilo of Nicaraguan White over my brain and that got us all talking about how far graphics have come and the things that used to knock us for a loop back in the day. Nostalgia had us getting on you tube and checking some of the oldies as well as some of the more recent trailers and intros out there. One of the things we looked up was this intro for final fantasy xii (which, btw, I haven't played yet). We oohed, ahhed and gave props and then scanned the comments. For some reason, one comment in particular just jumped out at me. It read simply thus: Vaan is gay --- final 12 is a shit.

Now I know that one can't expect to be on the internet without coming across this sort of random, instigatory type, english-is-not-my-first-language rubbish. One comes across it far more often than one comes across any kind of sense. In addition to this, without having played the game and based on just viewing the character design, I actually agree that Vaan is indeed probably homosexual. Notwithstanding, the comment affected me. Why? Because after about six or more years of being involved in gaming culture, when that word gay jumped off the page at me, something inside me tipped and crashed and I found myself asking: and so what?

Seriously. So what if he's gay? Does it make the role player gay? Does it even make the role player not gay? After hounding and harassing gays in the real world can we really not even leave them alone in virtual ones? Come on!!!!

You know what I would love ideally? What I would love is for Squaresoft or even better, Konami or some other company that creates hardcore, macho, angsty type games to release the most amazing rpg in the world. The graphics would be enough to make you tear up, the story line addictive and the game play a perfect symphony. It would be the perfect game with a lead character that was even more charismatic than Dante, Snake and Kamina (Gurren Laagan) rolled up into one. To play it would be to partake in the most submersively satisfying gaming experience ever. And about 3/4 ways through the game, it would be revealed as an incidental that the main character is gay. It would have nothing to do with the plot and probably only come up that one time just to add another exquisite layer to his character. But it would be undeniable. He would be G.A.Y.

I would love that!!! Like "reunited" it would "feel so good"! And not just because I'm a shuojo addled, bishounen addicted, Yaoi loving freak (which is really still up for debate). And not even because it would serve every gamer homophobe out there right (though it so would). I would love it simply because dammit, gays get such a hard time in the real world, I think that they at least deserve a break in the virtual ones.

So about Vaan I say:

Absolutely go on with your bad self, sister girl if he is gay.

And if he is not...I continue to live in hope.

Are there Gamer Widows in Nigeria?

2008-11-11T08:22:00.000-08:00

Nigeria is football country (if you're in the US then Soccer Country). People here are absolutely fanatical about the old, leather ball and not just on a local level either. My country is home to some of the International leagues most manic fans. As a result, football culture is far from exotic here and almost any one would know what you meant if you brought up the catch phrase: "Football Widow."

It's not that there are no female football fans here because there are. Lots of them. It's just that for every one of them you could probably count 50 women who are only mildly interested in the game ("I only like to watch our boys") and maybe 20 who are left cold by it ("I'd rather be watching old episodes of Law&Order. Mmmm, Benjamin Bratt.").

Since the majority of football fans are male and a substantial number of them are married or involved in a relationship, it is quite inevitable that the phenomenon of the football widow would arise. Wives who are thrown to the side during all important footy events. It's a problem that female culture has been trying to come to terms with for years. What to do? Fight? Revenge? Compromise?

The whole thing got me thinking. Is there an equivalent situation for the wives and girl friends of gamers? Especially here, in football country?

If one thinks about it, the situations are somewhat similar. People who are far enough into the vast world of gaming to be considered gamers have just as much a passion for their consoles, handhelds, and desktop platforms as any rabid football fan. Even though female gamers exist, they are way fewer and further between than female football fans in Nigeria. It stands to chance, therefore, that most Nigerian, male gamers that are in relationships are not in the happy position of being able to share their passion for the joystick with their significant others. Logic, therefore, suggests that Nigeria as a country must be sprinkled with it's fair share of Gamer Widows.

And how do you know you are a Gamer Widow? Do you spend a lot of your visits to his place on the couch watching him defeat vast hordes of enemy orcs? Is it like pulling teeth to get him to spend time with you in your cold, console bereft home? Does he fight for possession of the TV set with the kids on Saturday morning? Does he have a Halo night (an entire day and night to be spent with his buddies drinking beer and shooting each other)? Are you forced to use Mario allegories when trying to explain your feelings to him? (okay, that last one was a cheesy joke!) Then don't kid your self because you are indeed a Gamer Widow.

We don't hear that much about it here but I assume that this is because adult gaming (er - not pornography) is still barely one step above a dirty little secret in Nigeria. Overseas one hears much more about this sort of thing. I have heard the story of a girl whose boyfriend was so deeply involved in his Massively Multiplayer Online Role Player Game (MMORPG) world that their relationship melted down. This despite the fact that she was actually a gamer too and also involved in that particular world too. But cases like these are pretty drastic and Gaming culture is rife with similar sensational stories!

I ask out of the curiosity of a girl who is indeed in a relationship with a gamer. Unfortunately I can't truly bring my experience to bear here because I myself am a casual gamer. In fact at this point in my life I have realised that not only do I have a predilection for games, but I also have a taste for the guys that love them. Why? I will have to explore that in another post as I think there's something there that perhaps I can get some feed back on.

Anyway, apart from that I think I may be lucky as my gamer boy falls in a category that I would like to call "the considerate gamer." What this means is he always tries to get me involved, going out of his way to find out what games might interest me and seek them out. He also makes sure Halo night will be okay with me and has an open door policy as far as it's concerned. Finally, he actually makes out time from his work and gaming schedule to be my bf. Putting it all down like this is my way of saying I noticed and thank you.

Meanwhile I will try and investigate by asking the gfs of the gamers I know here what they think of their gamer boys and if any of them have been widowed. Who knows, Nigeria might have a better track record as far as this is concerned than the rest of the world!

Anyway here's a funny I stole from somewhere about gamer relationships.

What's a neogogo?

2008-11-10T11:21:00.000-08:00

I'm a neogogo. And this blog is going to be about all the silly inconsequential stuff that we never talk about here. And by here I of course mean Nigeria.
As my header suggests, this will mainly consist of manga, gaming, foreign films and, since I don't have a cat, my boyfriend.
Hope you like!
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