Further down the rabbit hole.

>> Sunday 11 September 2011


So, I've been asked to join a cosplay group, The Lost Aria, started by some friends of mine. I'm really excited, disregarding the fact that I know I'll blow a lot of my money on cosplay now. XD

That said, I never really considered myself a cosplayer. Sure, I like to dress up in outfits inspired by characters and stuff, but I've never paraded around as a character until last year, when I did a last-minute Misa Amane cosplay using my existing wardrobe and a cheap wig.

This year, I cosplayed the Vocaloid Megurine Luka in her Magnet look (as you can see above), and I also cosplayed the 'boyfriend' character from the Vocaloid song Just Be Friends. It was a favour for my friend, really, but being the vain poser I am, I loved dressing up and being photographed and being the subject of people's awe.

Can't wait to do all these cosplays now! I'll do my best! がんばります!

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Alice Nine - Gemini

>> Sunday 8 May 2011


It's been a while since I last mentioned any VK. But since I'm really into this album, I thought I might as well have a little squee over it.



First Impression

I'll be honest. I have always found a9's compositions to be awkward to listen to, and Shou's voice didn't always suit what he was singing. As a result, I only liked maybe 2 or 3 songs of theirs.

I got this album because I was quite tickled by the single they released prior, Senkou, but nevertheless I was a little apprehensive about it. I set myself up to not like it very much at all... However, I'm glad I gave it a chance, because it has really impressed me!

The feel of Gemini is quite...artistic, for lack of a better word. It seems that a lot of attention has been paid to each song, and none of it is awkward (i.e., having a nonsensical melodic progression. That's the best way I can describe it...). Mind you, I guess you could say that it sounds...well, 'major'. It's really not that bad though, and I can actually stand listening to every song from beginning to end. I remember listening to some of their older albums and stopping halfway through every song because I couldn't take it...


The Songs

So the album starts off with I., a lovely whimsical number that starts off nice and orchestral. The song is just really nice to listen to. (Since I'm not of musical persuasion, I won't delve into technical things since I'm not qualified.)

Rumwolf is a funky piece (again for lack of a better word) that I can imagine turning up really loud and headbanging with. It's not heavy, as I know heavy to be, but it's got a good beat that you can just go a bit crazy to. Can't say much about the solos, but I never really could anyway.

Next up is Stargazer. The opening has the feel of magic and wonder and sparkles, and the rest of the song has a cute, magical feel to it too. I really love this song; it's good to hear Shou sing a cute song and actually suit it. (I'm slapping my own wrist for that mean comment haha.) Honestly, listening to this song makes me feel like I'm flying through the clouds and sliding down rainbows...



Stargazer PV


4U doesn't sound like VK at all. It's very pop-y, but again quite whimsical-sounding and easy to listen to. Tbh, it's nice, but nothing about it jumps out at me. I like to listen to it on the bus to work - it helps me relax.

I didn't really like the way Shinkirou opened...but I was won over by the riff after it xD Still, this song has traces of awkward composition in it, but it doesn't get in the way too much. God I love that riff...

King&Queen didn't do much for me. The music is good, but the melody... just not my cup of tea, I guess. Nao is really going for it on the drums though. 8D

Then we get a little SE interlude with Entr'acte. What can I say about an SE? It does remind me of the opening of Still from Togainu no Chi though xD

Senkou really shines (see what I did there?) here, it's a good place to start where we left off in terms of songs. I love the melody, it's engaging and in my opinion, different from their past works. And I've always been a sucker for Shou's harmonies~


Senkou PV

I wasn't expecting much from Fuurin in the first few seconds, just from Shou singing alone, but when the music started, oh lord. This is my kinda song. Probably my favourite from this album, in fact. That is all.

Gemini-0-Eternal started off all mysterious and whatnot - I thought it would lead to disaster, but it didn't really. I like the little riffs and how they carry on into the rest of the Gemini trilogy, although sometimes I feel they played it a bit too much... There's a bit of Shou being awkward with the melody again, but it's just in one bit and the rest is good and epic-sounding. And unlike some of the other songs, I love the solo in this! It's very smooth but very emotional. And the break down afterwards is good too. I like how the beat changes in this song - keeps things interesting.


Gemini-0-Eternal PV

Gemini-I-The Void had a good strong start to it. It was very VK-sounding to me, but not that raw, unrefined sound - this has a very clean feeling to it. It's like a refreshing splash of water. Gawd I'm awful with my metaphors... Again, this song changes the pace a lot. It's like you're being taken through different chapters of a story. The little organ bit was super cool too - that was what triggered my opinion of it being 'artistic'. The song transitions nicely into something mellow towards the end, leading up to the next song.

In Gemini-II-The Luv, we get that riff that was in Gemini-0-Eternal. This piece has a really epic feeling to it, kinda what you expect to hear in the end credits of a hero movie. xD It also has the acoustic bit that was in Gemini-I-The Void. Basically it incorporates bits from the first two songs, which is good for closure and stuff. I do like how they stuck with an instrumental for the last few seconds of the song too.

Birth in the Death is a dreamy, melancholic number. I also really like songs like this, even though I don't have much to say about this particular song.

Overture is an interesting way to end the album. It sounds like a game ending or BGM to me...actually it'd be pretty good to use as one...


Conclusion

I like the general feel of the tracks - the dreaminess, the epic-ness - it's all very magical, celestial if you will. The album certainly suits its title! All in all, Gemini leaves me feeling quite good about the a9 boys. They're not just a bunch of pretty faces after all!

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K-shows

So, now that I'm in this Korean phase, I've stumbled across a few little gems that made my little fangirl heart explode.

When I started watching Running Man, I found out about Sungkyunkwan Scandal, in which Song Joong Ki starred. Curious, I decided to watch it, and I wasn't let down~ without going into the plot (which I don't have the patience for) it's basically about uni life in the Joseon period and follows the daily adventures and misadventures of four students - one of whom happened to be a girl who disguised herself as a guy in order to save her family. Sounds cliche, right? But I've never been one to let cliches get in the way of appreciating things.

I shamelessly admit that I continued to watch the series for the eye candy. Plus it was amusing, seeing Joong Ki's character, Gu Yong Ha, and Moon Jae Shin (played by Yoo Ah In) sharing moments that bordered on shounen-ai... Yong Ha even admitted to having feelings for Jae Shin at one point... xD Plus the lead male thought he was turning gay, falling for the girl-in-men's-clothing. Good times.

Oh gosh, maybe they've become my OTP?? D:

Once finishing that, I was left with a Yoo Ah In-shaped hole in my heart, so I looked up his filmography and found out about Antique, a movie adapted from a BL manga called Antique Bakery.

The boys from Antique

Then away I went and watched the movie, which, funnily enough, also centred around four young men (though they were very definitely all men this time), and their little bakery. It was a pretty artsy movie for what I had expected. I also didn't expect there to be the slightest hint of BL in it, but there was! Kim Jae Wook played the gay of demonic charm, Min Sun Woo, who never failed to seduce any man except for Yoo Ah In's character, plus the main character, played by Joo Ji Hoon.

Again, I shamelessly admit that I watched it for the fanservice. Kim Jae Wook was very convincing x3 But as with SKKS, after I'd watched the movie three or four times, I longed for more... But more Kim Jae Wook this time.

That's how I stumbled upon Mary Stayed Out All Night/Marry Me, Mary. In this drama, Jae Wook plays a straight-laced businessman, Byun Jung In, who competes with the rebellious Kang Mu Gyul (played by Jang Geun Suk) for the affections of Ui Mae Ri (played by Moon Geun Young). Who to choose?? It's basically:




vs.


I'm still watching it right now, but despite the entire drama being focussed on this love triangle, I can't help but imagine the two lead males going for each other. I mean, the two of them having drinks together, then Mu Gyul waking up half-naked in Jung In's bed just as Jung In emerges from the shower... How do you think a BL fangirl is gonna interpret that? Huh? (Mind you, that's how Mae Ri interpreted it too.) And then there was the episode where Mu Gyul proposes that the three of them 'live like we're married'. I know what he means, but when he says that line, he's looking straight at Jung In, and my imagination has a ball. Part of me is thinking how awesome it'd be if Mu Gyul were to fall for the Gay of Demonic Charm xD


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CNBlue - Oetoriya (I'm a Loner)

>> Saturday 11 December 2010



So, recently, I've been getting (back?) into Korean stuff - watching variety shows and attempting to learn the Abracadabra dance amongst other things....

My brother and I stumbled upon this song after watching an episode of Running Man guest starring CNBlue's frontman, Yonghwa. (He was the most useful member on his team :D)

I really like this style of music. Same with their song, Love. Swing, rock n' roll and similar-sounding music has always been to my taste since I heard Nightmare's Dasei Boogie

But I guess the reason why I like these songs is because they're so not typically K-Pop. They play their own instruments. 8DDDDDDD


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Kuroshitsuji the Musical 2 rant (LONG)

>> Friday 3 December 2010

Kuroshitsuji the Musical 2:
The Most Beautiful DEATH in the World
~1000 Souls and a Fallen Shinigami~
~

Before I say anything, I’d like to say that I have seen the first musical. Though it was okay, it seemed a little insubstantial and just…odd. And it most definitely paled in comparison to the second musical. They pulled out all the stops for this production – the cast is more extensive, there were more songs, more fight scenes, more dancing, more Seba-shita being awesome, more EVERYTHING. You know what they say, ‘less is more’? Well, they were lying.


Though I’ve watched it three times already (as I type this I’m watching it a fourth time), I’m still waiting on subtitles so I won’t analyse the plot so much since I don’t understand every detail. On the other hand, watching it without subtitles has allowed me to appreciate the visuals better (this is my rationale for watching raw versions of anime before the subs come out XD). This musical was a feast for the eyes, everything from the lights to the costumes.

Whenever I watch stuff like this, I don’t expect much because it’s really a niche market they’re appealing to. However, I sat through the entire prologue with my mouth agape. The visual tricks they played with Ciel disappearing and reappearing, the things flying in in-time with Sebastian’s hand gestures, the song – pretty much everything wowed me. They even painted the brand on Ciel's back!


The only thing that I wasn’t so impressed by was Ciel's lack of facial expression; I felt that in this part he was still just a terrified little boy. He could have at least looked like he was in pain when Sebastian formed the contract symbol in his eye… On the other hand, though I noticed that Sebastian wasn’t in his demon form like he was in the manga, I wasn’t bothered by it. I’m sure it’d be hard to walk in those heels in real life, let alone dance around and destroy a secret cult’s underground lair…

When the lights dimmed at the end of the song, I thought to myself “there’s no way the rest of the show can be this good”. I was sadly (or happily, if you think about it) mistaken. For a few seconds, I was wondering why Sebastian was just standing there, and why the spotlight was only on his upper half. I almost fell out of my chair when I saw that in these few seconds, the cult base had been transformed into Ciel's bedroom, and Ciel had changed from his toga rags into stockings, shorts and a shirt…all in the space of half a minute. Nishii, I have so much respect for you right now.

Then they break up the dark mood with some light humour from the servants. I can’t fathom how Maylene’s actress could run in those giant boots of hers!

May's awesome boots of awesomeness...

I really liked the technique they used with Sebastian narrating on the lower stage and the flashback of the murderer above. It adds dimension and helps tell the story better. They didn’t really do this sort of thing in the first musical, what with the stage dressing and all.

The scene at the Shinigami headquarters was introduced really well – the light adds impact and an ethereal feeling at the same time. You’re made to think that something epic is going to happen, but after the Shinigami do their little freeze frame, it’s just another day at the office for them. I enjoyed this little peek into their world. The fact that they have wheelie computer chairs was funny – though I guess since death gods are not bound by time, anything goes.

The cast of the Shinigami was excellent. Nama-Ron is a splitting image of anime/manga-Ron. It’s like he was born for this role! Alan’s actor looks a lot like Leader-Sama Cowrew (hurr), while nama-Eric looks so much like the illustration Tobso Yana drew. Their costumes are all wonderful too. Being a big fan of detail, I would die for Eric’s shirt collar. Heheh.

The Shinigami Dispatch Society - They'll landscape your garden and reap your soul.

And then we have the SONG/DANCE. Though their singing is slightly out of time with the music in some bits (understandable, considering the dance), it’s really catchy. The choreography made me lol (that Mexican wave, and the Grease Lightning-reminiscent move). It was ridiculous and awesome at the same time, especially for Grell, who does it all in heels! I found that it was a little long though, and I can’t help but feel that they shouldn’t have gone up a key in the last bit. Nevertheless, it was pure win.

Go Grease Lightning, we're coming up a quarter mile~

Can’t say much about Abberline and his new friend Sharpe though. They’re funny, but I get the feeling that they’re trying too hard. Abberline was much funnier in the first musical – he’s way too slapstick in this one. Sharpe looks like your mass-produced Japanese salaryman too, but it’s good how they threw in his love of research, otherwise he’d be a pretty flat character. It seems that Sebastian also serves as a comic relief every now and then too, more often than in the first musical. The sort of stuff he does is more silly-funny than cute-funny or witty-funny though, much like Abberline and Sharpe. Almost reminds me of Claude…

…or Undertaker. Hmm. No, there’s really nobody like the Undertaker. He’s so amazingly creepy and retarded, and I mean that in the best way possible. This is one part where I’m sad for not knowing what they’re talking about – I’m certain that this time, instead of Undertaker demanding a good laugh, he wants something to do with love? Like, make him fall in love or something?? I have no idea. Whatever it is though, it makes Ciel squirm uncomfortably and leads into a fantabulous song.

Alan vs. Sebastian was a fun change from all the singing and dancing. Alan and his garden-slasher thing against Sebastian's silverware…too bad it’s short lived. The song that follows is beautiful though, and haunting. I could listen to it again and again… poor Alan though. He really is such a sweetie. And his ho-yay relationship with Eric is adorable. Alan’s solo is really moving, though I don’t know the translation off the top of my head.

;_;

Again, there is a change in the mood. It’s always good to have a balance, and I think after such an emotionally-burdened scene with Alan and Eric, Grell the Redhead Rapist in frilly lingerie is a welcome(?) sight. Although I’m not entirely sure why he’s tied up. Oh well, the subs will sort that out once they’re released. His song sounds a little similar to Sebastian's Ai wa Chi Mamire, but that’s okay, since they’re both really good songs. Uehara-san is fabulous, being able to dance like that and all. I’m a little confused as to what happens next though, with Sebastian. Do they…? Oh, my cheeks are going red…

The next highlight for me was Eric vs. Sebastian, most definitely. And stealing Grell’s Deathscythe made me chuckle. It’s extremely hard to choreograph a good fight scene onstage (believe me, I know) but this one was done well – there was sufficient action for it to qualify as a fight scene, but it was simple enough to not look like a complete mess. And oh! When Eric gets injured by the Deathscythe and the cinematic record starts…the sudden burst of bright light was so well-timed it made me squirm in my seat~!

Beautiful~

However, due to my inability to understand Japanese, I have very little idea what happens in the next little bit, where the Viscount of Druitt kidnaps the two girls. I understand his obsession with robins and stuff, but the conversation that takes place between him and Eric, and then the subsequent events with Alan, are a blur to me. The Viscount’s song made me laugh though, the epic-ness of the chorus especially, though because I don’t like seeing women humiliated (not entirely sure why really, I’m no feminist) it sort of cringed through most of it.

The scene before the intermission was pretty cool, with the entire cast assembled on the brink of the opera event – it serves to point out to the audience that things are coming to a climax. I love how Grell sort of flutters around the stage trying to read the invitation, and tugging on Finny’s arm but of course he doesn’t budge. It was also quite brilliant to have the opera free to women and children, with men allowed only if they are accompanied by women and children. It basically sets everyone up to crossdress XD And of course, the last thing you must hear before the curtain falls is Sebastian's famous line,
“Iyess, mai roodo”.

After the intermission, we are welcomed back to the show with Ciel grunting. Sadly, unless you haven’t seen or read Kuro before, you’ll already know that this is the corset scene. Although it still would’ve been nice if Nishii had moaned more than he grunted to make it more misleading (roflmao). But perhaps if I knew what Seba-shita was saying it’d be less obvious? Hmm.

Suddenly, the Phantomhive estate has become Trap Central, with Ciel in his komadori dress, Grell in a rather revealing gown and Alan looking rather charming in a princess-lolita style gown and a feather headdress. I squeed when he went onstage, it was just so adorable. The gowns are gorgeous and they suit the actors really well. They even did Grell’s hair up all nice.

That hair, that gown...those biceps!

So, the opera. Not much to say about it really. The Viscount really reminds me of Kamijo though. Especially with those costumes of his. And it’s so scarily cute the way he says “Eric-kun, matte yo!”.

The Phantomhive servants look pretty decent too, except Finny in his 80’s reminiscent suit-and-bowtie number. It was cool too how the singer is like a wind-up toy. Very clever indeed. And then we have Sebastian invading Ciel's personal space. Probably one of the highlights of the scene.

im in ur pursonal spase, invadin ur pursonal spase.

And I know that when Alan meets Eric at the opera, it’s supposed to be really dramatic, but all I can imagine is Eric thinking “what is he wearing?” XD
The mess that follows is quite spectacular, but it is a little hard to keep up with – I had to watch quite carefully in order to see who engages whom in battle and all that. Ah well, in the end, Ciel gets abducted as usual.

The second time we see Alan and Eric alone, there’s a lot of agitation and a conversation that I can’t understand. It’s a shame because it’s probably very important… though from what I gather, Alan tries to kill himself in his despair, and Eric stops him, giving away a fact that is a key point in the story. And then they take off their glasses and run off somewhere. Although I couldn’t understand any of the dialogue, I kinda get the general feeling from this simple action. It almost made me cry the first time I watched it.

;_;

We get interrupted again by Sebastian's Claude-like strangeness, before returning to Alan and Eric. There is a lot of emotion packed into the accompanying song and Eric’s struggle against the hooded people (souls?) – beautiful.

Honestly, Sebastian, you really must stop getting advice from Claude...

What happens next is quite cliché – Eric tries to kill Ciel, but kind-hearted Alan jumps in and dies instead. Nevertheless, it’s a touching scene. The timely ringing of bells makes it all the more surreal. Amazingly, in the cinematic record, both Eric and Alan have their glasses on again. Did they have a spare pair in their pocket? I didn’t notice them reaching for them… I is baffled. D:
Anyway, I can’t find words to summarise the ending. There’s a lump in my throat… I think that that’s enough of an explanation.

;_;

I feel so sad after watching this again! I must watch the backstage clips to cheer myself up. Don’t get me wrong though, I absolutely love media that makes me sad. I’ve also noticed that I’ve written an entire essay already, though I still have lots more to say, and even more so once I understand the plot fully… Oh my.

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Togainu no Chi (TV)

>> Wednesday 13 October 2010

So, Togainu no Chi has been released as an anime. Rumour has is that there is no yaoi in it...which, I guess, won't detract too much from the storyline. But this was one of the last scenes in the OP:


Noo, that's not yaoi at all. ( ' o')~



The first episode was somewhat unremarkable. It was pretty much a condensed form of the beginning of the game up until Akira sets foot in Toshima.
A couple of things to note though, were that Motomi didn't appear in the OP (at least, I didn't notice him), and Shiki appears. It surprised me that they'd introduce him in the very first episode, even before Rin...

True to the game, however, Keisuke is still a sniveling Akira fanboy, and Akira still only says 'tsu' or '...'. He has yet to say 'hanase' though, but I look forward to it. It seems to be his favourite line. XD
Watching Aki beat ugly men to a bloody pulp makes Kei jizz in his pants.



Yeah it doesn't take much to figure out that I really don't like Keisuke at all. He's too much of a pushover...and by the looks of the first ep, I don't think my opinion is subject to change any time soon. Although...I couldn't stand Rin at first but now I think he's kinda cool after completing his story...could be the lol-I'm-related-to-Shiki thing...

But Keisuke is such a DUMBASS. I really don't like him...


Hmm, conspicuous-looking footprints all over the floor. Nope, I think I'll ignore those today.


I wonder how long Kei intended to wait there for Aki. A week? A month, maybe? By then Aki would have been ass-raped by a million Igura players already.



Another point I'd like to make is that the art is quite terrible. Perhaps it's an A-1 thing. I mean, Kuroshitsuji II was pretty heinous... I am disappoint. Take a look at these:


No detail on anything that isn't a closeup of the characters' faces. This pisses me off like nothing at all. I haven't noticed it this bad in any other series besides K2 (which happens to be done by A-1 too...coincidence?)


Why does Aki look like he's wearing a wig? Maybe this is a stunt double? 8D


They gave Emma a breast augmentation (I swear she's gone up a cup size) to appeal to a wider audience. And they made calm, serious Gwen look like a raging homosexual. And not in a good way. (And are those tusks??)


Ah well, at least they get points for highly original character design. Oh, wait...


But there's more! The Toshima fight scene was actually enjoyable, up until Shiki appeared. I thought I would go fangirl-mad when he made his appearance, but no. The entire scene was laughable.

Why does Shiki look like a FISH?


This guy just bled his entire blood volume out from his face. They really like their realism.


The blood from this handful of thugs alone could satisfy a blood bank for a year. Somebody please tell this studio that blood doesn't just gush out like water from a fire hydrant.



And the part that really takes the cake. I think this was supposed to be a tense, dramatic scene, but it was just cheesy and tacky and I spent the entire time laughing.

Someone needs to make a gif of this. Right now.


Ep 2 has just been put up. Sad as it is, I will probably watch the series anyway, for the characters and for the hope that it may turn out half decent (K2 was half decent - but of course that means that it was half shit too).

*fingers crossed*

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Pop music?!

>> Sunday 3 October 2010

Oh dear me, what has this world come to? I have always told people that I enjoy music of all genres (minus reggae), but I guess I've acted like a bit of a VK purist ever since I started listening to it. Over the last four years I've become more and more exposed to non-VK music, especially this year with all the C4tv and all the anime.


So, I wanted to comment on/squee over one guy in particular:
Matsushita Yuya.
Or Yuya Matsushita if you wanna be all Westernised and stuff.



SO. Apparently this guy has wanted to sing for the majority of his life. He managed to realise his dream some years ago. He's released x number of singles and albums, sung EDs for Durarara and Kuroshitsuji, and played the role of Sebastian in both Kuroshitsuji musicals.
He is one year younger than me.

Sometimes when I think of this, it makes me feel sad.

Despite that, I think he is pretty deserving of his fame. The guy has such a sweet voice. Although I think that some of his songs could use more bass. He's better suited to ballads and stuff I think.

But yeah. What can I say? I'm envious but at the same time I really admire him.
So, here are a couple of his songs. Bird, the ED for KSTJ, and Trust Me, the DRRR ED:








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