4 posts tagged “*anime”
OLIVIA is so cute! is English her native language? her entire message at the end of this episode was in English except for the last sentence. i wonder if she learned the two languages at the same time... (i'm thinking about my psych lecture where the guy told us it's nearly impossible to learn a new language after puberty).
Hachi is pissing me off. the stuff she was saying about how she'd just find another guy if Takumi doesn't work out reminded me so much of ... okay, psych has taken over my life ... of how you can only worry about self-actualization and things like that after you've covered the bases (food, shelter, clothing, etc, there's a whole freaking ladder below it). is whining all we can do? seriously, why is everything so much more intense than it has to be. or probably is in real life. i'm sure that everyone feels lonely, but we don't all sleep around to ease that feeling. not that there's anything wrong with her having sex. it's just, accept the consequences of your actions. i don't know, i guess it's valid that she's upset about her life like all the time but it's annoying having to hear about it as though there were nothing she could do about it. especially the way she gets jealous over everything. Nana having a job, Junko and the other guy and their art gallery, great now she feels left out. she's everything i don't want to be.
i guess in general that's something that tends to bother me. people who personify all the qualities i hate and would be afraid to possess.
on the other hand, i really am a big fan of Nana. :D that scene with the cake was so sad!
i'm not going to bother with an actual review or anything, from now on. too lazy and tired for that. anyway. ami remarked that the series didn't look like it would end happily, so i put off this episode until today. i was feeling a little crummy, alone in my room, considering whether i should tidy it up, do homework, get lunch, or whatever, when i decided to finally watch Honey & Clover.
it's an optimistic episode, i think. hopefully Hagu will internalize what Morita said. the brief flashback to Hagu's childhood makes me wonder. people always romanticize being alone. i hate that. most people don't feel lonely all the time. it's so hard when shows are just in your head, because then it's hard to get out.
H&C has a knack for being relatable in an awful way. every morning i wake up and wish i weren't here, wish my friends were with me, etc. mornings are the worst. that's what H&C feels like to me. unfamiliar, unsettling, but tough--we have to deal. Shuu-chan holding Hagu made me cry so hard. and then the scene with Morita. i know there are things i have to do right now, but God, i hate doing them alone. that's what i mean about shows with main characters who feel the same way. most people DON'T. it's misleading. i'd rather watch a show about someone who's not lonely because at least that's conducive to getting out of a funk.
but anyway. i liked the episode.
a pretty enjoyable episode. Nana gets back with Ren, although she acknowledges that they can't really be together so long as she has her singing career. Nana's reunion with Ren makes Hachi more desperate for happiness, and she begins coping by fantasizing about other guys, namely Yasu and Takumi. Yasu, however, seems to treat everyone with equal kindness, and she quickly moves on to Takumi, whose autograph Nana promised her. meanwhile, Nana has given Ren Hachi's cell number, and Ren contacts Hachi (well, Nana) about a get-together at their place. Hachi gets extremely excited and can't focus at work... at all. she comes home to a smiling Takumi who greets her at the door in that low sexy voice of his, and promptly bursts into tears, thinking that this is Nana's wonderful thank-you gift.
Nana and Ren's reunion doesn't feel as happy as they deserve, and it really reminds me of how they are adults now. sigh, things are more complicated now, aren't they? i don't really understand why, but that's probably because i'm not Japanese. they mention a few times that Nana chose pride over love, and i never figured out why she couldn't have both. once again, the theme of the working woman gettin' no love.
Hachi is a little ridiculous in how fast she moves from one guy to the next. i understand this is time for her rebound, but she overdoes it with the constant fantasizing. she seems to like every good-looking guy she meets, which to me is a sign that she hasn't grown up yet. next to Nana, Hachi really is "mada mada," da ne. =D seriously, though. rather than "do i like him?" she thinks "could he like me?" and that determines whether she'll go for the guy. like with Yasu, she sees that she's not his type--not the other way around. Hachi needs something in her life other than guys and ... Nana's life. the only time she appears less childish is when standing next to Shin, who's grown "less cute" and acts more and more like a know-it-all with each episode but is just a floater. he doesn't have a place of his own but stays with random older women who probably possess a weakness for pierced underage boys and will gladly be his pimps. i'm guessing he's not exactly diggin' this lifestyle either, since he's suggested that he'd rather stay with Nobu, except it'd be too much trouble. i don't really think so, though, since he seems pretty good at taking care of drunk-Nobu... and drunk-Nobu probably needs taking care of, anyway. i also understand now why so many people disliked Matsuyama Kenichi's portrayal of him in the NANA live action--though not lacking in charisma, he didn't exactly get across that "young, naive, lost" feeling. Shin needs an episode of his own, but i doubt that's coming anytime soon... especially since Yasu and Nobu haven't had theirs.
i'm excited about the next episode because the anime has finally gotten to where the live action left off, and i haven't read past it in the manga. it'll be interesting to see how Takumi and Hachi's relationship develops and hopefully learn more about the other Blast members. this episode also featured the new ED song, "Starless Night," by OLIVIA inspi' REIRA (Trapnest). it doesn't have as much of an emotional impact as "A Little Pain," with which i fell in love at first sound and which also has a great intro that can be dragged out for minutes if needed. who knows, maybe "Starless Night" will get better with more listens, and the chorus is pretty interesting, but the opening just sounds kind of bland to me.
edit: after a third listen, it is sounding better. i think if "A Little Pain" was Hachi's type of song, "Starless Night" is more like Nana's.
i don't watch this show regularly, but it's becoming more interesting as more character development is introduced. episode 20 focuses on the twins, their isolation from others, and Tamaki's efforts (and success) in penetrating their shell. there's a good deal of information about how the twincest came about (Tamaki's idea, who else?) and the host club was formed in the first place.
i enjoyed this episode because finding out more about the twins is always interesting. they, along with Kyouya, were the least engaging characters to me from the start, but that's started to change.
although their games may be seen as harsh at times, it's more than a little ridiculous that no one except Haruhi can tell them apart. by now their classmates should have realized that Kaoru has a softer and more effeminate voice. also each guess has a 50% chance of being right, so how is it possible that they get it wrong every time (except that one time with Tamaki)? and the girl who confessed to Kaoru was pretty stupid... how could she like him if she couldn't even tell them apart? i felt no sympathy for her at all.
personality-wise, though, i think it's still pretty hard to distinguish between the two. from the episode where Kaoru tricks Hikaru into going on a date with Haruhi, it'd seem like Kaoru's the more mature one, but i don't think this observation is entirely consistent with previous episodes... although no examples come to mind at the moment XD;; the episode didn't give much insight as to their individual personalities but we learn a bit about them as a pair. the maid made me want to crack up, because they called her the only person they'd liked so i'd envisioned a warm, caring motherly figure. then they showed her cracking the safe. XDDD that was great. but it gives us an idea as to the type of people the twins are attracted to. although that doesn't explain their feelings for Haruhi...
i didn't like the metaphorical door at the end, or how they manage to squeeze Haruhi into every episode even when it's got nothing to do with her. (yes, yes, she's the only one who can tell them apart, and there's a nice cohesiveness to ending the episode with her appearance... but i still don't like her!) although, here's to hoping they'll give her a personality sometime soon. on the other hand, Tamaki's looking better with every episode. i love his self-delusional tendencies <3 he's like a ditzy girl, minus the helium. plus his seiyuu is the orally-fixated Mamo, aka Ishida in Tenimyu who taught us the beauty of pained expressions and ANGST OH TACHIBANA-SAN galore.
