Author: Don

Tall, slender and on little wheels

Fred Himebaugh, a.k.a. “The Fredösphere,” who once wrote a jazz chamber opera using Terry Bisson’s “They’re Made Out of Meat” as the libretto, has unleased his idea of a pop song upon an defenseless world. “Earth Girl” is an a capella celebration of interplanetary romance. The performers are not credited; I presume they are Fred, Fred, Fred and Fred. Frëd is some kind of genius; what kind, I hesitate to say. It’s available at Amazon.com.

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It’s spring preview time again. As usual, little looks worthwhile. C: The Money of Soul and Possibility Control is directed by Kenji Nakamura, who previously did Mononoke and Trapeze. Even if the story makes no sense, the visuals should be entertaining. I’ll probably also sample Moshidora to see if it’s possible to make management interesting. I might see how Dororon Enma-kun Meeramera compares to the original. The preview looks true to Go Nagai: too childish for adults, too pervy for kids.

There are times when I would swear that every man, woman and child in Japan is a pervert. I really didn’t need to read about Lotte no Omocha.

*****

Some visitors have come here looking for a “shinmoedake webcam.” There’s one here and a couple more here (the sixth and fifth seventh and sixth from the bottom in the box at right. The fourth fifth from the bottom ((The Suwanosejima camera is back (second from the bottom), though you still can’t see much.)) is Sakurajima, which is worth checking regularly). The Shinmoedake crater at Kirishima did erupt again Sunday, but it was not as catastrophic as the L.A. Times would have you believe:

If there was destruction and panic, everyone was over it in time to go to the mall the next day.

The big show was back in January.

If it’s “silly hindu stuff,” you’re looking for, I can’t help you.

Quote of the week

At around age 6 while living in Korea, I somehow came to have a spiffy catalog from America that listed all Fisher-Price toys that were available for mail-order. The catalog had all these incredible toys that neither I nor any of my friends have ever seen. I read that catalog so many times, imagining playing with those toys, until the catalog eventually disintegrated in my hands one day.

The catalog was the book that confirmed to me — who was six, mind you — that America must be the best and the greatest country in the world. Later when I came to America, my faith was validated.

(Via .clue.)

No escape from unreality

(This post has nothing to do with Madoka.) I extricated myself from the Society for Creative Anachronism years ago, and I have no desire whatsoever to relive the past. So I felt a chill while bicycling through a park this afternoon when I saw a group of people with swords ((Boffers, actually.)) and shields whacking each other. It turned out that they were not SCA but a LARP organization called “Stormwrath.” They were friendly and let me take pictures. The morbidly curious can see the rest of the photos here.

Magical girl theory

(Manga Kyubey from here.)

Possibly useful for those obsessive about Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica: the “Puella Magi” Wiki. ((Grrr.)) Among other things, it include notes on the “middle school” mathematics and Mitakihara architecture.

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The last word on Fractale:

This series really would have stood out had there not been a Madoka Mahou Shoujo Zombie Level E Wandering Son Fantastic Yumekui Midriff series occurring at the exact same time.

Clockwork

Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica, episode ten: I can’t think of anything to say except “wow.”

One translation nit-pick: “Puella magi” != “mahou shoujo,” and I refuse to use the term. It should be either “magica” or “maga.” “Puella magi” means something like “girl of the wizard.” I suppose you could describe Kyubey’s victims as such, but I don’t think that’s what Urobuchi and Shinbo had in mind.

South of Eskdaleside-cum-Ugglebarnby

Today’s been another bang-your-head-against-the-wall day, so here’s some silly stuff.

A hitherto unknown Miss Marple mystery is scheduled to be published. It is allegedly the only Agatha Christie novel in which the murders are unsolved at the end of the book.

Today is Ash Wednesday, which different denominations observe in various ways. From the same authority: this is the only explanation for the USA’s anthem I’ve come across that makes any sense.

If Ayumu should misplace his masou shoujo chainsaw, here’s another one he could use. (Via Dustbury.)

It works for Kuragehime, too. (From Better Book Titles.)

Another Japanese innovation: Rent-a-Friend.

This duck I wouldn’t mind myself. (Via The Rat.)

Quote of the week

If magical girls don’t breed true, than it would be pointless to try to domesticate them

*****

A few miscellaneous links:

Cute little computer viruses.

H.P. Lovecraft’s favorite words. I expected “eldritch” to score higher.

The 2011 edition of the Arts and Faith Top 100 films of all time includes three anime: Spirited Away, Grave of the Fireflies and Paprika.

Things are heating up in Hawaii. (Webcam here.)

Rewriting history

The opening credits of the third Keroro Gunsou movie, Keroro vs. Keroro: The Great Sky Battle de arimasu!, recapitulate the opening episodes of the TV series. It shows Natsumi walloping Giroro with a bookbag. However, in episode four, she defeats him with a leek. Why the change? Are the writers afraid that viewers will confuse her with Hatsune Miku? (Update: I rewatched the fourth episode, and she does use a bookbag as well as a leek. Never mind.)

Continue reading “Rewriting history”

Historical forces

Numerous bloggers are writing about the histories of their interest in anime. I did that myself a few years ago. The next year, I wrote about becoming increasingly burnt-out. Since then, my interest has waxed and waned. I’m currently relatively enthusiastic, largely because Madoka is potentially a classic. However, I don’t think I will ever again be as absorbed in the form as I was in the days of Haruhi and Haruhi and Yuko and Yuko.

Is there fried chicken on Mars?

I don’t know, but you can get a burger on the Moon.

I thought I’d look at a few minutes of Welcome to the Space Show, the recent movie from director Koji Masunari and writer Hideyuki Kurata (the team responsible for Read or Die and Kamichu), before facing the day’s disasters. I ended up watching the whole thing.

Five youngsters rescue an injured dog near a crop circle. The dog reveals himself to be an alien botanist named Pochi, and he treats the kids to a trip to the moon. Things go awry, of course, and the quintet travels with Pochi through the galaxy pursued by interstellar criminals before they can finally return home.

It’s not a great movie, certainly not in the same class as Summer Wars — the more I think about the last quarter, the less sense it makes — but it is an entertaining adventure movie for kids, tolerable for adults.

Screen captures are below the fold. It’s remarkable how similar life in space is to life on earth.

Continue reading “Is there fried chicken on Mars?”

Meh

I got half-way through the sixth episode of Fractale tonight and said the hell with it. Take away the Ghibliesque veneer, and what’s left is a ho-hum dystopia with annoying inhabitants. I’m mildly interested in learning just what exactly Nessa is, but not enough so to endure six more episodes of Clain, Sunda, Phryne and Enri.

Instead, I watched some more of Gurren Lagann. One indication of how busy I’ve been lately is that I started it earlier this month and am currently barely past the midpoint. It’s a completely absurd, over-the-top show with ridiculous mecha, bellowing macho men, macho women and no respect for the laws of physics, and it’s been a long time since I’ve seen anything so exhilarating.

*****

Sometimes it’s not easy to call your attacks:

(From Level E.)

Grumbling and muttering

Dennou Coil is finally available — if you have an iToy. I don’t.

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Watching Fractale is becoming more and more of a chore. Are Enri’s antics supposed to be funny? I’m not laughing.

Yamakan thinks anime today is in bad shape. His solution is to ape Miyazaki. I’m reminded of the Pre-Raphaelites, who sought to revitalize art by returning to their notion of the middle ages. Their paintings make for pretty calendars, but they aren’t exactly great art.

*****

Here’s a bit of computer animation involving quilting and Celtic music:

Now let’s see some quilting using Penrose tiles, ideally with a klezmer soundtrack.

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No.

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The five best toys of all time.

*****

Bonus link: John C. Wright has discovered the origin of steampunk.

Hot times in the islands


Suwanose-jima in the Ryukyu islands south of Kyushu is one of the most active volcanoes in the world. There’s a webcam on the island (the last listing in the box to the right), but usually it’s impossible to make out anything beyond a small orange glow just below the center of the image. This morning, however, visibility is was briefly good.

Incidentally, Sakura-jima, jealous of all the attention that Shinmoe-dake/Kirishima has received, has ramped up its activity. There’s a good chance you won’t have to wait long to see a substantial vulcanian eruption on a webcam during daylight hours, and if you’re lucky, you might catch some incandescence at night. ((For a better nightime view, try the fourth listing from the bottom of the right-hand box here.))

Update (2/28/11): After a week of good viewing, the camera image is back to the usual murk. I’d like to send someone there with a bottle of Windex.

Update II: And now the camera is gone.