The last day of summer

The 29th of February 2024, the last day of summer, the last summer of my teen years, well at least I got an extra day. I'm sitting on the Swan River beachfront, just outside my university, enjoying the summer breeze. Wondering to myself where did it all go? Alright, enough 18th-century journaling. What I'm actually doing is stressing the hell out. It's finally setting in, I'm actually growing up. Yeah, I know it doesn't just don't happen at the snap of the fingers. But that slow creep of adulthood has nearly caught up to me, and I fucking terrified.

I had this thought the other night, thinking about how March is just around the corner, then BOOM! summer is almost over and I'm 19. Then the realisation hit, last summer as a teen; I guess I forgot until now. Now I'm not too upset about the "making the most of youth" thing. I've never been too fused about that. It's more the idea and the progression that's freaking me out. Honestly, it's one of the first times I've actually realised that my youth/childhood is ending. I've always known it like most I guess. I don't know I others have had this same realisation, or for the same reason for that matter. Hopefully, I'm not alone in this crisis. 

I think I just hoped university to be the same as high school. I think that's partly true, we university students use this time to kick adulthood further down the road. Artifushly pushing it back a few years, while we focus on our futures, Now yes, we also use this time to better ourselves, for future jobs and careers. But the former I think is more true. Or at least both are true.

Anyway, so how did I spend my last summer? As I've said before on this blog, here, I hate summer. So I actually spent most of it inside. Now I'm not some neckbeard, I shave every day. I worked outside every day, so the idea of intentionally spending my free time in the sun? No way. I've mentioned this in passing, I'm Australian and live in Australia. So you can understand why I don't like the heat. Going to the beach in 40-degree heat isn't all that fun, no matter what one of us might tell you. However just the idea of summer, time off, spending time with friends, I still love. And how much of that did I do? Well, not much to be honest, at least it was more than mid-last year! Not that's a high bar or anything. I think it's just hard to find the time and energy when you're working full-time. Now that I'm at uni, hopefully, I can spend more time with people. Even though it still may be thought for my friends. Though there is the chance to make new ones at uni. I guess it doesn't really matter what time of year, or the age, you can still find time to be with people.

I just want to say, that this is supposed to be more of a melancholy/positive post. When we are young, we tend to treat childhood like it's how our whole life is this period, when in fact it's just the beginning. Even though my time as a kid has ended, I can still find the time to be happy. The more I grow up, the more I realise that. We still have a life left to live.

See ya 

The average Australian summer experience

K-On! Monday! XII - 3 month anniversary

Good evening all and welcome to another K-On! Monday! I can't believe it has already been three months since I started this weekly ritual. I'm delighted it's turning out, let's hope we can make it to six months! 

Today we're going to take a look at another CD. This time it is season 2's second OP Utauyo!! MIRACLE. Here is the cover below.

I haven't cleaned the cover yet.

Looking at the top right corner, this CD once started life as a rental. It was also really cheap second-hand! This must have come out during the show's run, released to promote the show. I can't find much info on this specific release of the CD, only other used copies are online. The others also have that rental sticker, so it must be a rental release right?

Not the usual CD case

It also uses this unusual CD case, supporting my rental CD idea. I absolutely love this CD cover btw, probably the best from the K-On! lineup. It perfectly captures that K-On! feeling, I've always been a fan of anime characters looking up to the camera in posters. 

Anyway that's it for tonight. I'm off the uni tomorrow, wish me luck!

See ya

K-On! Monday XI

Good evening all,

welcome back to another K-On Monday! Tonight we're off to the land of PSP accessories. Last week you might remember a K-On! related shipment arrived in the mail. Apart from that shipment was a large box containing an accessories pack related to the K-On! PSP game. It has all sorts of PSP goods for the average 2012 K-On! PSP wielding fan. Tonight I'll be showing off a small, honestly kinda crap, case for the device.

Here is the front. The back isn't that interesting, it's just a glossy blue

On the front is a cutout of the game's cover art. Not much else thought, as stated the back is that glosses blue you can see on the corners. The case itself is made from that cheap plastic material used on free pencil cases. You know the stuff that feels reeeeeeally cheap, and god doesn't it stink. Unzipping the two small zips reveals its insides. Inside it's nothing special too, just some cheap blue fluff, so the screen doesn't scratch. Plus a little pouch for one UMD disk, I guess you have any other PSP games, but why would you bother when you have K-On?

Mind the Vita

I don't have a PSP, I have a Vita instead. Don't ask how I play PSP games on it, just sail the high seas and you'll find out. Funny enough, I got it while I was in Kyoto, on a K-On! location hunt too. If you take a look at my K-On! photos on the blog, the middle three (the fast food place to the intersection), are all taken in the same suburb. It's basically where Kyoani set K-On! The train line Mugi uses, fast food place, shops, stations, and streets are all seen in the show. After taking a look around, I headed further north to find a book-off, one of those used goods stores. Same place I took this photo. There I hit the mother load, a full set of the K-On! manga, this Vita, the PSP game, plus a host of other cool stuff. Long story short, this Vita always reminds me of K-On, it's attached to it. It's from the same place K-On! is set, well based. I only have it because I was nearby visiting K-On! sites. Plus I took it to Toyosato the next day to see the school. It's very special to me. 

Sorry, I've been inactive recently. Tomorrow I'm off to my Uni orientation, wish me luck! Honestly, I'm really scared. I'm scared about failing. You could probably tell from the first picture I'm already practising my Japanese. I'll talk about more before I go full-time next week, tomorrow I want to have finished that Japan recap, you've already got a taster. 

I've also taken up drawing recently, I saw that Pewdiepie video on Twitter. Just something to do in my spare time. It's fun and relaxing to do at night, I won't like that I just copy art right now. I don't care that much since I'm a beginner, this is the photo I used for the picture below. 

See ya

Not half bad huh? well for a copy that is.

How do you live?

Last month The Boy and the Heron won Best Animated Film at the Golden Globes. Not that I care all too much, but I figured it would give me an excuse to talk about the film. To be honest, at first, I hated it. I thought it was messy, unevenly passed, a weak score, and no emotional steaks. But then I thought about it, then thought about it some more. I found myself fixated on this movie, I couldn't stop thinking about it. Here are some quick thoughts about the film's first half, the tower, and what it all means.

What feels like a slow start, instead is a perfect representation of a depressed child. Bland shots, simple music using only a simple piano, and Mahito's own self-harm. These all are used to create a sense of helplessness, loneliness, and a boy in need of direction. The film isn't just simply telling the audience, not just showing it either, the film has embarrassed its protagonist's feelings. A boy who has lost all his innocence, believing there is nothing worth living in this world. Slowly, however, we get hints of his childish nature. Appearances of the titular Heron sparked interest and wonder in Mahito's otherwise bland and depressing life. The film explodes with life, and the score picks up to the wonderful, joyous nature we know. These moments show us Miyazaki's love of childhood innocence, shown in Totoro.

The tower is a perfect representation of Miyazaki's own works. Just like Miyazaki himself, Mahito is slowed and sucked into this weird, wonderful, and dark world. Many believed Miyazaki reused and referenced shots and moments of his older works as a fanfare. Showing them off one more time before the old master retires. But Miyazaki had another thought in mind. Reusing them to tell the audience that this new world is one we're all familiar with, it's his own. Mononoke's bow shot, the flying ship from Laputa, and Mahito climbing the tower walls echoed Chihiro's. Even the tower itself reminded me of Cagliostro Castle.

But something different, something feels different. It's aging, deteriorating, old, just like Miyazaki. Both are at the end of their lifespan. It's a world that lives many years and now it's time to move on. If Mahito is supposed to be a young Miyazaki, then I believe his uncle is his present self. A man who lived his life in the imaginary world, creating and rebuilding it. Just like Miyazaki, now both are at the end of their careers. 

Hisaishi's theme for the Granduncle perfectly presents these feelings. It's a beautiful and triumphant theme, using the stings and horns to show the grandeur of his creation. And yet it's almost sad in a way, the piano used throughout the film shows the uncle's lingering hints of depression. Bringing the other instruments back down to earth, Is a beautiful yet depressing theme, yet still shows the happiness and beauty of life. Perfectly capturing how this may be the end of the grand uncle's, and Miyazaki's, time. It captures the beauty in that end. Letting the audience know it's all going to be ok. 

The film is ultimately about loss, and how that affects us. In both our daily lives and in the things we create. Mahito's refusal to carry on his Granduncle's world shows Miyazaki finally giving in to his age. Accepting the end. In 10 to 15 years we're going to consider this one of the greatest films of all time, mark it in your calendars. It's such a lovingly made film, you can't just see the passion, Ghibli at its finest, you can feel it too. 

I know this is a mess, it took a while too, sorry for that. 

I'm sorry to my 0 fans

K-On! Monday! X

 Good evening everyone, happy K-On! Monday!

If you've noticed this is the tenth instalment in this series. I'm thrilled that I've kept up with the series, here's to many more!

Last Friday I got a package from a website called Neokyo. it's a proxy service based in Japan, allowing us Westerners to buy domestic Japanese goods. Of course, I had to buy some K-On! stuff. To be honest with you, I went a little overboard.

 Here is the box the stuff arrived in

The contents

All the stuff I got

I'm not going to go into what I got today, just wanted to show you all. Honestly, I'm feeling weird right now, I'll talk about it later.

See ya

K-On! Monday 9

Happy K-On! Monday everyone!

I'm going to make this one short. Next to this window, I have ep8 of Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions! playing. If you know anything about that show, you know why I don't have time to write. 

Today we're looking vol 1 of the K-On! manga, specifically the Japanese version I got on my trip. 

Here is the front cover

I don't know what else to say. Vol 1 Just covers the first year of K-On! The anime changed quite a lot from the manga. For example, Asuza was at the first school festival. That just scratching the surface too.

This is the back cover

This might be the worst part of the manga, how can I put it? It can real fucking weird, like the worst parts of the anime, or most moe crap, times ten. Do I even have to explain, just look at that back cover. 

sneak peak at my hand

This is that study scene from ep 3, some of the jokes translated well from the manga. All in all, it is still K-On! I know people have issues with the manga, but it's fun to read for a little bit. Its problem is how high Kyoani set the bar with the anime. So too many people think the manga have the same tone and themes, when you should just treat it like a newspaper comic. Have a good week,

See ya