I finally finished Osen and though I really loved the series for the most part, the last two episodes were kind of disappointing to me. Episode 09 was still alright as we learned about a dried fish maker & merchant who was heavily immersed in debt so he considered selling his business to a wealthy businessman. However, because Osen managed to dissuade the idea and successfully got the son of the merchant's late best friend to agree, she plunged into the financial peril with her own establishment in episode 10 as the defeated businessman kind of in a passive-aggressive way sought revenge ... at least in my opinion that was what it looked like. Overall, I think the series ended on a weak note and I'm still kind of disappointed over it 'cause I think it could have done better.
Also, I tried out this new -- well, to me it's new -- drama with Fukada Kyoko and Watabe Atsuro in it called "First Love." It just doesn't fail to disappoint =_= The story is a typical, shoujo-like romance about forbidden love between a teacher and a student. The girl, Kasumi, falls in love with her teacher, Nao, who also reciprocates her feelings. Unfortunately, a falsified scandal erupts and Nao resigns from the senior high where he taught in order to take responsibility for a crime he did not commit. Kasumi did not know of the details for the incident and was confused by his sudden departure and abrupt end to their relationship. Years later, Kasumi begins work for a wedding planning company and is trying to move on, but still loves Nao. Meanwhile, Kasumi's older sister, Tomoko, is receiving counseling from a handsome psych who is none other than Nao. The two become engaged and one day Kasumi learns that her sister's fiance is Nao.
The story seems so cliche and just plain boring. The only interesting point in the story is Tomoko and how destructive she appears to be. On the outside, she appears to be a loving and caring older sister; however, on the inside she appears to be broken, possibly violent, scheming, and just plain scary. She kind of reminds me of a sociopath, except not really. So, I would say if anyone is going to stick to this drama, it's 'cause they want to know more about Tomoko who seems pretty creepy at the moment.
I don't know, but... Japanese romance dramas really bug me sometimes. They lack originality a lot of times =_=; All the forbidden love in school ones are just so and painfully boring. The responsible teacher is always trying to forget about the student, while the student just chases and chases and chases the teacher. I think it would just be really interesting to see it the other way around if it were the student transferring away and then the teacher chases and chases and chases. Of course then the romance might become a thriller since the teacher is probably a stalker under those conditions lol. Anyway, I'm trying to figure out whether I want to continue watching First Love or not 'cause I'm really just skipping through it. Maybe I should just download the last episode and work my way backwards.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Zettai Kareshi Episode 09 & 10
The series actually got interesting towards the end as stated before @_@ I'm actually enjoying these last few episodes a lot more than I did the first 7 episodes or so 'cause we're finally getting somewhere. Riiko is finally getting to do more with pastry & cake making, also get to participate in a contest, and finally get a chance to get closer to her dream. Soshi bombs Riiko with a confession and Night is smoking hot... I mean literally as in his body heat is off the charts ^_^
In episode 09, Soshi has quit his job at Asamoto and now working for Fujiko at her bar. He temporarily stays at the bar until he can find his own place. The competition between Night and Soshi heats up when female customers at the bar prefer Soshi (the real man) to Night (the perfect lover robot). The landlady is freaky as usual of course ^_^; and takes every opportunity to hit on every single guy... the latest victim being Soshi T_T; During scenes in Fujiko's bar, we learn how similar Soshi and his brother Masashi are ^_^; and how in sync Night and Riiko have become with their behavior ^_^. (We also get some comical silliness when Night calls Masashi -- basically his boss -- Maa-kun) Later, Soshi with Natsumi, Riiko with Night end up going on a double date and we see how close Night and Riiko has become. Night gives Soshi some advice about telling his true feelings to the one he loves -- thinking that Soshi loves Natsumi; he fails to realize that Soshi loves Riiko. After the date, Natsumi asks if Soshi will go to Paris with her if she wins the competition, but he does not give her an answer. During the competition, Natsumi ends up winning after adding in the cayenne pepper ingredient (suggested by Soshi) to her dessert and earn her a chance to compete in Paris. However, she realizes that Soshi loves Riiko and decides to take back her words on the two of them going to Paris together. She tells him that he should catch his chance before it's too late. Because of this Soshi ends up telling Riiko how he feels about her. At the same time, Night comes in earshot of the confession and feels a stab of pain to his chest when Riiko admits to have loved Soshi for a long time too. Meanwhile, Namikiri is betrayed by his assistant, Tanaka, who goes to the president of the company about Night's irregularities and system deformities.
For episode 10, we see that Riiko really is troubled over Soshi's confession and that she has genuine feelings for Night. Meanwhile, Night is overheating because his program is unable to handle his emotions overflow. Namikiri is able to make one final reparation before he is placed under house arrest by his company. He is kept under heavy surveillance with a short security guard standing at his door and has no way of communicating with anyone. The Kronos Heaven company decide to go and collect Night and scrap him. Back at Riiko's apartment, the couple finds themselves broke again and doing a lot more odd jobs to get money. Meanwhile, Soshi finds out that he and Riiko have been invited to participate in the competition in Paris and study under Lucien -- the judge from the previous episode. Soshi asks Riiko to go with him to Paris the next day and when Riiko looks hesitant at hearing that it will take 3 years, Soshi wonders if Night is what's holding her back. Riiko says it's not, but we all know that it is. Later, she is confronted by Morikawa and Tanaka to take Night back for "repairs" and after much persuasion, she takes the consent form, but tells them that she needs some time to think about it.
At Fujiko's bar, Night confronts Soshi about Riiko's troubles and finds out that Riiko has been presented the opportunity to study abroad. He then breaks down from overheating and is taken home to Riiko, who takes care of him as Soshi looks on. As Riiko is busily placing cold towels on Night's forward in her bedroom, Soshi finds a manual on Nightly Series 01 and reads it, finding out that Night is actually a robot. He is shaken by the fact and leaves in a hurry. Meanwhile, Night and Riiko have a tender moment before she goes to sleep on the futon while he rests in bed. The next morning, Night looks better and is making her breakfast, but Riiko sends him back to bed. We can see that he is breaking down quite a bit from all the seizure-like twitching. Later, Riiko goes to find Mika to clear some things between the two of them and resolve the tension. The two become friends again after their conversation. Back at Asamoto, we learn that Masashi is the one who set up Riiko and Soshi to meet with Lucien 'cause he's the one who called in. Cut the scene to in front of Fujiko's place and we see Soshi hand Riiko her plane ticket, plus confess that he wants to get to know her better plus ... (he trails off, but he definitely wants to say that he's better than the robot ^_^;) When Riiko returns to her apartment that evening, she finds Night waiting for her in the dark with food and cake to congratulate her for her study abroad chance. They are enjoying everything together when Night breaks down. She ends up calling for Tanaka and Morikawa to come the next morning thinking that they will repair Night. When Night and Riiko are parting, she gives him the four-leaf clover that he gave her the night before for good luck towards her trip in order to give him good luck in recovering. Night closes in and embraces her tightly. Riiko is happy with this tender act and the bracelet on Night's wrist flashes pink. Tanaka notices this and we can see that he is taken back by the affection between the two. Back at Kronos Heaven, Tanaka is pretty shaken with what he saw between Night and Riiko plus remembering Namikiri's words. He goes and frees Namikiri from his house arrest and both go to save Night while Namikiri calls Riiko to tell her about the truth. At the critical moment when Soshi comes to pick her up, she tells him that she can't go to Paris because of Night and that she can't leave him alone. Soshi looks pained and hurt. Back at Kronos Heaven, Namikiri and Tanaka bursts into the room with Night just in time to see the program being reformatted...
I'm kind of holding my breath for the final episode. Not sure how this will all turn out, but after episode 07, I've really been liking this series a lot more and also liking the chemistry between Night and Riiko much better as well. I hope this ends the way I remember it ^_^;
In episode 09, Soshi has quit his job at Asamoto and now working for Fujiko at her bar. He temporarily stays at the bar until he can find his own place. The competition between Night and Soshi heats up when female customers at the bar prefer Soshi (the real man) to Night (the perfect lover robot). The landlady is freaky as usual of course ^_^; and takes every opportunity to hit on every single guy... the latest victim being Soshi T_T; During scenes in Fujiko's bar, we learn how similar Soshi and his brother Masashi are ^_^; and how in sync Night and Riiko have become with their behavior ^_^. (We also get some comical silliness when Night calls Masashi -- basically his boss -- Maa-kun) Later, Soshi with Natsumi, Riiko with Night end up going on a double date and we see how close Night and Riiko has become. Night gives Soshi some advice about telling his true feelings to the one he loves -- thinking that Soshi loves Natsumi; he fails to realize that Soshi loves Riiko. After the date, Natsumi asks if Soshi will go to Paris with her if she wins the competition, but he does not give her an answer. During the competition, Natsumi ends up winning after adding in the cayenne pepper ingredient (suggested by Soshi) to her dessert and earn her a chance to compete in Paris. However, she realizes that Soshi loves Riiko and decides to take back her words on the two of them going to Paris together. She tells him that he should catch his chance before it's too late. Because of this Soshi ends up telling Riiko how he feels about her. At the same time, Night comes in earshot of the confession and feels a stab of pain to his chest when Riiko admits to have loved Soshi for a long time too. Meanwhile, Namikiri is betrayed by his assistant, Tanaka, who goes to the president of the company about Night's irregularities and system deformities.
For episode 10, we see that Riiko really is troubled over Soshi's confession and that she has genuine feelings for Night. Meanwhile, Night is overheating because his program is unable to handle his emotions overflow. Namikiri is able to make one final reparation before he is placed under house arrest by his company. He is kept under heavy surveillance with a short security guard standing at his door and has no way of communicating with anyone. The Kronos Heaven company decide to go and collect Night and scrap him. Back at Riiko's apartment, the couple finds themselves broke again and doing a lot more odd jobs to get money. Meanwhile, Soshi finds out that he and Riiko have been invited to participate in the competition in Paris and study under Lucien -- the judge from the previous episode. Soshi asks Riiko to go with him to Paris the next day and when Riiko looks hesitant at hearing that it will take 3 years, Soshi wonders if Night is what's holding her back. Riiko says it's not, but we all know that it is. Later, she is confronted by Morikawa and Tanaka to take Night back for "repairs" and after much persuasion, she takes the consent form, but tells them that she needs some time to think about it.
At Fujiko's bar, Night confronts Soshi about Riiko's troubles and finds out that Riiko has been presented the opportunity to study abroad. He then breaks down from overheating and is taken home to Riiko, who takes care of him as Soshi looks on. As Riiko is busily placing cold towels on Night's forward in her bedroom, Soshi finds a manual on Nightly Series 01 and reads it, finding out that Night is actually a robot. He is shaken by the fact and leaves in a hurry. Meanwhile, Night and Riiko have a tender moment before she goes to sleep on the futon while he rests in bed. The next morning, Night looks better and is making her breakfast, but Riiko sends him back to bed. We can see that he is breaking down quite a bit from all the seizure-like twitching. Later, Riiko goes to find Mika to clear some things between the two of them and resolve the tension. The two become friends again after their conversation. Back at Asamoto, we learn that Masashi is the one who set up Riiko and Soshi to meet with Lucien 'cause he's the one who called in. Cut the scene to in front of Fujiko's place and we see Soshi hand Riiko her plane ticket, plus confess that he wants to get to know her better plus ... (he trails off, but he definitely wants to say that he's better than the robot ^_^;) When Riiko returns to her apartment that evening, she finds Night waiting for her in the dark with food and cake to congratulate her for her study abroad chance. They are enjoying everything together when Night breaks down. She ends up calling for Tanaka and Morikawa to come the next morning thinking that they will repair Night. When Night and Riiko are parting, she gives him the four-leaf clover that he gave her the night before for good luck towards her trip in order to give him good luck in recovering. Night closes in and embraces her tightly. Riiko is happy with this tender act and the bracelet on Night's wrist flashes pink. Tanaka notices this and we can see that he is taken back by the affection between the two. Back at Kronos Heaven, Tanaka is pretty shaken with what he saw between Night and Riiko plus remembering Namikiri's words. He goes and frees Namikiri from his house arrest and both go to save Night while Namikiri calls Riiko to tell her about the truth. At the critical moment when Soshi comes to pick her up, she tells him that she can't go to Paris because of Night and that she can't leave him alone. Soshi looks pained and hurt. Back at Kronos Heaven, Namikiri and Tanaka bursts into the room with Night just in time to see the program being reformatted...
I'm kind of holding my breath for the final episode. Not sure how this will all turn out, but after episode 07, I've really been liking this series a lot more and also liking the chemistry between Night and Riiko much better as well. I hope this ends the way I remember it ^_^;
Monday, June 23, 2008
The Mole Episode 02-04
I've been following The Mole, but haven't really been writing anything down 'cause I've been kind of busy with everything else going on. Anyway, some key things to know is that Bobby, Liz, Aly, Victoria, and Marcie have gone home. Aly took a bribe and left so that was a pretty smart move on her part. Some of the people suspected so far and seems to have been ruled out as the mole -- at least for me -- include Craig, Nicole, Mark, and possibly Kristen. I think my top three suspicions lie with Paul, Alex, and Clay. A lot of Paul's behavior is pretty suspect to me, especially how he seems to know when things are going to happen. His attitude and blatant stupidity could be a great cover as the mole as it seems no one has really suspected him so far. Everyone just thinks of him as a belligerent ass and doesn't seem to think of him as the mole. If he is indeed the mole, then I must commend him on a job well done ... though he really is quite the ass ^_^;
Alex is suspect since all the conditions of the environment is very suitable for him as he can speak Spanish and such, but for me that's not really good enough evidence to conclude that he's the mole. Clay is very smart and a lawyer who seems to have played it cool up to this point in time, so if he's the mole, he is probably doing a good job. However... I can't say that he is the mole 'cause of his past performances and things he has said. I have been suspecting Paul for a while now, but not sure about it.
Alex is suspect since all the conditions of the environment is very suitable for him as he can speak Spanish and such, but for me that's not really good enough evidence to conclude that he's the mole. Clay is very smart and a lawyer who seems to have played it cool up to this point in time, so if he's the mole, he is probably doing a good job. However... I can't say that he is the mole 'cause of his past performances and things he has said. I have been suspecting Paul for a while now, but not sure about it.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Last Friends Episode 11 (Final)
Out of many dramas shown this spring, Last Friends was by far one of the best series produced this season. Though I must admit that this last episode was not quite what I totally had in mind as a powerful ending, it was still pretty good. To me, it felt like all the power and energy disappeared after episode 10 and everything was about tying loose ends in the final episode just so questions were answered, but it was not completely exciting. We got to learn more about Sousuke and Takeru in this episode to answer the domestic violence & "fear of women" issues in the series, but it felt like the writers only put enough in so that we don't feel as though we've been completely cheated over not knowing more about these two characters, but it felt like such a ... dull way to do it... Also, the acting in this episode was only so-so. Usually, it's pretty good, but for some reason, I felt as though something was off with the acting in this final episode. Anyway...
The episode starts with Michiru sobbing over Sousuke's dead body in his apartment. She finds a letter partially in her purse and pulls it out to read it. The letter contains Sousuke's final words to her:
"Goodbye Michiru, I'm setting you free. As long as I'm alive, I will only end up binding you to me. That's why in order to let you go, I must die (*lit. trans: this heart of mine must stop beating). I wanted to become your everything, your entire world, everything that's good to you. No matter where or when, I always wanted to be with you. But you found happiness in a world that did not include me in it, didn't you? That's why I'll go. At least I was able to feel your warmth in this hand, my body remembering the two of us being together... I'm sorry. Even though I loved your smile so much, I couldn't make you smile. I'm sorry, I didn't know how to love you. I'm sorry, I couldn't make you happy. Goodbye Michiru, please be happy."
She leaves town after reading the letter, and the sound of an ambulance can be heard in the background.
Meanwhile, Ruka wins her race and is in a press conference when an interviewer asks her about the recent events & article about her to which she answers with how she has trained so hard under the same conditions as a man, and that she came this far with the support and love from her family and friends. She is most happy that she has been able to do this well and does not want to be looked as a woman or man, just as another human being.
After the conference, Ruka finds Takeru and Eri in the hallway. Eri approaches Ruka and tells her congratulations and that she wished that Ruka had told her sooner. She would not have been freaked out and if she had been, she would have gotten over it, because Ruka is Ruka -- and Ruka begins to cry. Eri says that she (herself) was insensitive and was not able to realize it sooner, and tells Ruka that it must have been so hard keeping it all to herself (Ruka). Ruka cries next to Eri and their relationship gets even stronger.
The next morning, Takeru and Ruka are standing on the porch and Takeru wonders how Michiru is. He asks if they should contact her and Ruka says that Michiru wasn't able to accept her, so that's why she didn't go to the race, and even if they can't meet anymore there's really nothing they can do about it. Just then the phone rings and Chinatsu asks if Takeru can put Michiru on the line, to which Chinatsu seems surprised. She then asks if they (people at the share house) haven't heard about it.
That night, the share house members discuss Sousuke's suicide and Eri wonders if it may have been her fault since she said some things to him that day, but Tomohiko strongly disagrees saying that she has nothing to do with it and it's that Sousuke realized that he's done lots of bad things and made up for it by killing himself. They all wonder what happened to Michiru, and Tomohiko says that she probably wants to be alone so they should just let her be.
Another morning, Ruka goes to get the mail and sees a postcard from Michiru saying that she's sorry for not being able to say this calmly, but she's fine and doing well on her own. Inside the share house (same day or another day), Tomohiko is packing up and Eri walks in on him. She looks surprised and he tells her that he's been transferred to Milan. When she asks about his wife, Tomohiko goes silent, to which she understands that he's going to take his wife. She then says in a fake happy tone that it makes sense since they're married and Tomohiko blurts out an apology. Eri tells him not to apologize, because it's rude, say thanks instead. She holds out her hand and Tomohiko hesitantly says a quiet thank you while accepting it. Eri then heads to her room, with a devastated and teary expression.
That night, Eri, Takeru, and Ruka sit down for dinner and both Ruka and Takeru wonder where Ogurin went. Eri explains that Ogurin and his wife went to Milan due to the job transfer, and Ruka wonders if Eri is alright, she comments that Ogurin really is no-good to which Eri disagrees and says that to her, Ogurin was a good man.
Back at Choushi, the town where Michiru and her mother lived in when they ran out on her father, Michiru is standing at the concrete pier (same one as in episode 01) and is stepping close to the edge, looking as though she's going to jump over when she hears an elderly woman, Suzue, calling her name. She then follows the woman back to her Japanese style restaurant and eats the food given to her. The woman asks about her mother and then tells Michiru that she doesn't know what happened to Michiru, but she shouldn't think about doing something foolish. She then takes Michiru to the apartments and shows her a room (the same one she's staying in during episode 01).
We see later that Michiru has started working in the Japanese style restaurant, and then one day when she is working she suddenly becomes nauseous and the lady owner wonders if Michiru may be pregnant. When Michiru goes to the doctor, she is confirmed that she is pregnant, but the pregnancy does possess a lot of risk to both mother and child. On the way back to her place, Michiru looks conflicted with the news and remembers the first time she met Sousuke. He picks up something she accidentally leaves behind at a social workers office and he rushes out to give it back to her. Then later when they've already started dating, they're eating at a restaurant when Sousuke tells her about his mother. She asks if she's kind and Sousuke says that she was up to the point she left since she got a lover, and then he was tossed around by other people who raised him. Michiru apologizes for asking him such a thing and he says that it's fine, because of what happened to him in his past, he wants to hurry up and marry Michiru and have children with her.
End of the flashback and Michiru arrives back at her apartment. What she finds is her mother waiting for her, who is against her having the child. Chinatsu tells her how expensive and troublesome it is to have a child, and Michiru asks if Chinatsu thought that about her (Michiru), saying that she's always wondered if her mother's always thought of her as a burden so that's why she has to become an adult soon as to not give her mother any more trouble. She tells her mother that she will not become her and that she will raise the child well -- when she suddenly gets nauseous and rushes to throw up. She later tells her mother that she's going to try her best with this child, and her mother says that she thought the say thing when they left her father (Chinatsu's husband). Michiru looks a bit conflicted over these words. Still, throughout the duration of her pregnancy, Michiru tries her best and is getting along well on her own.
One day at the airport, Eri looks up at a destination/arrival board and sees the word Milan flash on the screen. She makes a pained expression and proceeds to leave when she notices Tomohiko standing there, waiting for her holding a bouquet of red roses. He tells her that he went away but could never forget her. She smiles at this. We see later that the two get married and both Takeru and Ruka are dressed up in tuxes watching them. At the reception, the four chat a bit and then both Takeru and Ruka head home together. Ruka reminisces over how she found Michiru at the park that one time and where everything came together. That night, the two are sitting at the dinner table and they look pretty lonely.
The next day, Takeru comes back home after borrowing a motorcycle from Hayashida and says that they should go find Michiru. When they go to Chinatsu's apartment, no one is home and the landlady tells them that she's moved with her husband back to his hometown in Kyuushuu. They ask about Chinatsu's daughter, Michiru, but the landlady says that she doesn't know where she would be. Both Takeru and Ruka are walking along when Takeru asks if Ruka may know any other place that Michiru might go to, but Ruka says she's not sure and then thinks of Choushi, the place where Michiru and Chinatsu stayed for a while. The two then embark towards Choushi together. Using Michiru's picture, the two try asking everyone if they've seen her, but after a long day's of searching, they are still unable to track down Michiru.
At night, the two camp out on the beach, Ruka tells Takeru that they seem like a married couple and he feels surprised to hear this. Ruka explains that in a marriage, after a while the two partners just become more like best friends even when the passion isn't there anymore, and what they're doing now reminds her of that sort of relationship. Takeru then proceeds to tell Ruka about his past with his sister. They actually have different parents, but he says that he wanted to be his sister's strength since she suffered from a lot of stress. After some inappropriate things happening between the two, he becomes scared of womens' bodies. He says that's why he'll never be able to bring happiness to women. Ruka then disagrees and says that it's not true, he brings a lot of happiness to women. She for one knows this best. Takeru proceeds to cry and Ruka puts a hand on one of his shoulders.
The two wake up the next morning together like a married couple, and then take off again. They find an elderly man who operates a shop and has seen Michiru working at the Japanese-style inn. Ruka and Takeru are excited and ride the motorcycle faster and faster to meet her. However, they nearly collide with a truck and are thrown off the road. Meanwhile, Michiru is washing dishes and drops one just when both Ruka and Takeru are nearly hit by the truck. Back on the road, Takeru is alright, but Ruka is unconscious. He asks for an ambulance and the trucker goes to make the call.
At the hospital, Ruka comes out with only a scratch and is told that she's fine. Takeru is worried, but the two go to leave. When they are in the parking lot, they try to start up the motorcycle, but it's not working. At the same time, Michiru is waddling out of the hospital and towards the bus stop. When Takeru walks around the bike, he catches sight of her and whispers her name. Ruka hears it and turns around to see her then calls out her name. Michiru is shocked to see the two, but brings them back to her place. She tells the two that Suzue, the woman who's taken care of her before, has given her a job here and that she's doing well. Ruka asks if Michiru can go back to Tokyo with them and live together again. Michiru says that she can't, because this child is Sousuke's. Because of her, because he thought of her, he died. She says that she was very lonely when she was living here, but then when she remembered that she was pregnant, she became so happy because there will be two of them later. In a way, she feels as though Sousuke's forgiven her and that it's ok to live. Ruka says that of course it's alright to live and that Michiru has the right to do it as she likes. She tells her that she does not approve of Sousuke's way of solving things and that it's cowardly of him to die like that. She then says that she would like to live with Michiru, though she may not be able to become the father of Michiru's child, she would to be able to help raise it. Takeru then says that he would like to raise the child as well, because three people is even better than two. (So cute Ruka says two to top Michiru's one and Takeru says three to top Ruka's two lol) Michiru is extremely touched, but then her water breaks and they call her cab to take her to the hospital.
When they arrive to the hospital, Michiru is rushed into the delivery room and both Takeru and Ruka are left outside. Michiru -- remembering what the doctor has told her about the pregnancy being a dangerous one -- begs one of the nurses to save her baby, but the nurse tells her that both her and the baby are going to be fine. Takeru and Ruka wait and agonize outside while Michiru is fighting hard to bring the baby out to the world. (This is where the acting ... gets funny =_=) After what seems to be forever, the baby is delivered out and both Takeru and Ruka hear the baby's cries, except a nurse rushes out in a hurry and another is running inside the delivery room with a towel full of blood. Meanwhile Michiru looks like she's dying.
Later, we hear the doctor and nurse calling out to Michiru and telling her that she's got a daughter. A tear streams down her eye as she looks at her baby. Once moved to another room, Michiru is resting next to her baby while Takeru and Ruka watch her. Michiru looks over at Ruka and asks her to hold the baby. Ruka holds the baby girl and tells her that the world is a good place to be and that she will see lots of good things from here on out, for sure. Takeru then asks to hold the baby next and it squeals slightly in his arms. Takeru jokes and says "I'm your Papa." All three look very happy and Michiru thanks both her friends for being there for her and the baby.
When Michiru is better, the three walk on the beach with the baby. Michiru narrates her letter to Eri and Ogurin, telling the two that she has named her child Aida Rumi, "Aida" as in her own surname, the "Ru" is from Ruka's name, and the "Mi" is from Michiru, but Takeru's "-ru" is also included in the name. She says that the four of them will go back and live in the share house as family, friends, married partners, lovers, and will treasure their relationship for all times, being friends forever. If possible, stay friends forever, even if separated they will be able to meet again. She then concludes with "My dear friends, you are my best of friends" in English.
My Thoughts: Watching the first time, it was an ok episode, but if you watch it a second time, you like it better. At least for me, I liked it better the second time around. The writers did some cheesy, soap-opera-like things in the last episode which did not really impress me at all, but oh well. Overall, things were resolved and seem to have ended happily. I think it'll be interesting for Rumi to have three parents, but probably good. I kind of wonder if they'll ever tell Rumi about her real father or not. Oh well, I guess I don't really need to think about that. In any case, it was a very powerful drama and pretty well done. The last episode garnered 22.8%, increasing the average to 17.7%. If not for the small percentage of viewers for the first episode, this series could have done a lot better. The really good thing about this series is that the ratings started small, but then continued to increase. Other series may have strong viewership first week, but then see continuing decreases in ratings as the season continues. To me, this shows that the drama was really worth watching and I have to say that I really do recommend this story to every drama addict.
The episode starts with Michiru sobbing over Sousuke's dead body in his apartment. She finds a letter partially in her purse and pulls it out to read it. The letter contains Sousuke's final words to her:
"Goodbye Michiru, I'm setting you free. As long as I'm alive, I will only end up binding you to me. That's why in order to let you go, I must die (*lit. trans: this heart of mine must stop beating). I wanted to become your everything, your entire world, everything that's good to you. No matter where or when, I always wanted to be with you. But you found happiness in a world that did not include me in it, didn't you? That's why I'll go. At least I was able to feel your warmth in this hand, my body remembering the two of us being together... I'm sorry. Even though I loved your smile so much, I couldn't make you smile. I'm sorry, I didn't know how to love you. I'm sorry, I couldn't make you happy. Goodbye Michiru, please be happy."
She leaves town after reading the letter, and the sound of an ambulance can be heard in the background.
Meanwhile, Ruka wins her race and is in a press conference when an interviewer asks her about the recent events & article about her to which she answers with how she has trained so hard under the same conditions as a man, and that she came this far with the support and love from her family and friends. She is most happy that she has been able to do this well and does not want to be looked as a woman or man, just as another human being.
After the conference, Ruka finds Takeru and Eri in the hallway. Eri approaches Ruka and tells her congratulations and that she wished that Ruka had told her sooner. She would not have been freaked out and if she had been, she would have gotten over it, because Ruka is Ruka -- and Ruka begins to cry. Eri says that she (herself) was insensitive and was not able to realize it sooner, and tells Ruka that it must have been so hard keeping it all to herself (Ruka). Ruka cries next to Eri and their relationship gets even stronger.
The next morning, Takeru and Ruka are standing on the porch and Takeru wonders how Michiru is. He asks if they should contact her and Ruka says that Michiru wasn't able to accept her, so that's why she didn't go to the race, and even if they can't meet anymore there's really nothing they can do about it. Just then the phone rings and Chinatsu asks if Takeru can put Michiru on the line, to which Chinatsu seems surprised. She then asks if they (people at the share house) haven't heard about it.
That night, the share house members discuss Sousuke's suicide and Eri wonders if it may have been her fault since she said some things to him that day, but Tomohiko strongly disagrees saying that she has nothing to do with it and it's that Sousuke realized that he's done lots of bad things and made up for it by killing himself. They all wonder what happened to Michiru, and Tomohiko says that she probably wants to be alone so they should just let her be.
Another morning, Ruka goes to get the mail and sees a postcard from Michiru saying that she's sorry for not being able to say this calmly, but she's fine and doing well on her own. Inside the share house (same day or another day), Tomohiko is packing up and Eri walks in on him. She looks surprised and he tells her that he's been transferred to Milan. When she asks about his wife, Tomohiko goes silent, to which she understands that he's going to take his wife. She then says in a fake happy tone that it makes sense since they're married and Tomohiko blurts out an apology. Eri tells him not to apologize, because it's rude, say thanks instead. She holds out her hand and Tomohiko hesitantly says a quiet thank you while accepting it. Eri then heads to her room, with a devastated and teary expression.
That night, Eri, Takeru, and Ruka sit down for dinner and both Ruka and Takeru wonder where Ogurin went. Eri explains that Ogurin and his wife went to Milan due to the job transfer, and Ruka wonders if Eri is alright, she comments that Ogurin really is no-good to which Eri disagrees and says that to her, Ogurin was a good man.
Back at Choushi, the town where Michiru and her mother lived in when they ran out on her father, Michiru is standing at the concrete pier (same one as in episode 01) and is stepping close to the edge, looking as though she's going to jump over when she hears an elderly woman, Suzue, calling her name. She then follows the woman back to her Japanese style restaurant and eats the food given to her. The woman asks about her mother and then tells Michiru that she doesn't know what happened to Michiru, but she shouldn't think about doing something foolish. She then takes Michiru to the apartments and shows her a room (the same one she's staying in during episode 01).
We see later that Michiru has started working in the Japanese style restaurant, and then one day when she is working she suddenly becomes nauseous and the lady owner wonders if Michiru may be pregnant. When Michiru goes to the doctor, she is confirmed that she is pregnant, but the pregnancy does possess a lot of risk to both mother and child. On the way back to her place, Michiru looks conflicted with the news and remembers the first time she met Sousuke. He picks up something she accidentally leaves behind at a social workers office and he rushes out to give it back to her. Then later when they've already started dating, they're eating at a restaurant when Sousuke tells her about his mother. She asks if she's kind and Sousuke says that she was up to the point she left since she got a lover, and then he was tossed around by other people who raised him. Michiru apologizes for asking him such a thing and he says that it's fine, because of what happened to him in his past, he wants to hurry up and marry Michiru and have children with her.
End of the flashback and Michiru arrives back at her apartment. What she finds is her mother waiting for her, who is against her having the child. Chinatsu tells her how expensive and troublesome it is to have a child, and Michiru asks if Chinatsu thought that about her (Michiru), saying that she's always wondered if her mother's always thought of her as a burden so that's why she has to become an adult soon as to not give her mother any more trouble. She tells her mother that she will not become her and that she will raise the child well -- when she suddenly gets nauseous and rushes to throw up. She later tells her mother that she's going to try her best with this child, and her mother says that she thought the say thing when they left her father (Chinatsu's husband). Michiru looks a bit conflicted over these words. Still, throughout the duration of her pregnancy, Michiru tries her best and is getting along well on her own.
One day at the airport, Eri looks up at a destination/arrival board and sees the word Milan flash on the screen. She makes a pained expression and proceeds to leave when she notices Tomohiko standing there, waiting for her holding a bouquet of red roses. He tells her that he went away but could never forget her. She smiles at this. We see later that the two get married and both Takeru and Ruka are dressed up in tuxes watching them. At the reception, the four chat a bit and then both Takeru and Ruka head home together. Ruka reminisces over how she found Michiru at the park that one time and where everything came together. That night, the two are sitting at the dinner table and they look pretty lonely.
The next day, Takeru comes back home after borrowing a motorcycle from Hayashida and says that they should go find Michiru. When they go to Chinatsu's apartment, no one is home and the landlady tells them that she's moved with her husband back to his hometown in Kyuushuu. They ask about Chinatsu's daughter, Michiru, but the landlady says that she doesn't know where she would be. Both Takeru and Ruka are walking along when Takeru asks if Ruka may know any other place that Michiru might go to, but Ruka says she's not sure and then thinks of Choushi, the place where Michiru and Chinatsu stayed for a while. The two then embark towards Choushi together. Using Michiru's picture, the two try asking everyone if they've seen her, but after a long day's of searching, they are still unable to track down Michiru.
At night, the two camp out on the beach, Ruka tells Takeru that they seem like a married couple and he feels surprised to hear this. Ruka explains that in a marriage, after a while the two partners just become more like best friends even when the passion isn't there anymore, and what they're doing now reminds her of that sort of relationship. Takeru then proceeds to tell Ruka about his past with his sister. They actually have different parents, but he says that he wanted to be his sister's strength since she suffered from a lot of stress. After some inappropriate things happening between the two, he becomes scared of womens' bodies. He says that's why he'll never be able to bring happiness to women. Ruka then disagrees and says that it's not true, he brings a lot of happiness to women. She for one knows this best. Takeru proceeds to cry and Ruka puts a hand on one of his shoulders.
The two wake up the next morning together like a married couple, and then take off again. They find an elderly man who operates a shop and has seen Michiru working at the Japanese-style inn. Ruka and Takeru are excited and ride the motorcycle faster and faster to meet her. However, they nearly collide with a truck and are thrown off the road. Meanwhile, Michiru is washing dishes and drops one just when both Ruka and Takeru are nearly hit by the truck. Back on the road, Takeru is alright, but Ruka is unconscious. He asks for an ambulance and the trucker goes to make the call.
At the hospital, Ruka comes out with only a scratch and is told that she's fine. Takeru is worried, but the two go to leave. When they are in the parking lot, they try to start up the motorcycle, but it's not working. At the same time, Michiru is waddling out of the hospital and towards the bus stop. When Takeru walks around the bike, he catches sight of her and whispers her name. Ruka hears it and turns around to see her then calls out her name. Michiru is shocked to see the two, but brings them back to her place. She tells the two that Suzue, the woman who's taken care of her before, has given her a job here and that she's doing well. Ruka asks if Michiru can go back to Tokyo with them and live together again. Michiru says that she can't, because this child is Sousuke's. Because of her, because he thought of her, he died. She says that she was very lonely when she was living here, but then when she remembered that she was pregnant, she became so happy because there will be two of them later. In a way, she feels as though Sousuke's forgiven her and that it's ok to live. Ruka says that of course it's alright to live and that Michiru has the right to do it as she likes. She tells her that she does not approve of Sousuke's way of solving things and that it's cowardly of him to die like that. She then says that she would like to live with Michiru, though she may not be able to become the father of Michiru's child, she would to be able to help raise it. Takeru then says that he would like to raise the child as well, because three people is even better than two. (So cute Ruka says two to top Michiru's one and Takeru says three to top Ruka's two lol) Michiru is extremely touched, but then her water breaks and they call her cab to take her to the hospital.
When they arrive to the hospital, Michiru is rushed into the delivery room and both Takeru and Ruka are left outside. Michiru -- remembering what the doctor has told her about the pregnancy being a dangerous one -- begs one of the nurses to save her baby, but the nurse tells her that both her and the baby are going to be fine. Takeru and Ruka wait and agonize outside while Michiru is fighting hard to bring the baby out to the world. (This is where the acting ... gets funny =_=) After what seems to be forever, the baby is delivered out and both Takeru and Ruka hear the baby's cries, except a nurse rushes out in a hurry and another is running inside the delivery room with a towel full of blood. Meanwhile Michiru looks like she's dying.
Later, we hear the doctor and nurse calling out to Michiru and telling her that she's got a daughter. A tear streams down her eye as she looks at her baby. Once moved to another room, Michiru is resting next to her baby while Takeru and Ruka watch her. Michiru looks over at Ruka and asks her to hold the baby. Ruka holds the baby girl and tells her that the world is a good place to be and that she will see lots of good things from here on out, for sure. Takeru then asks to hold the baby next and it squeals slightly in his arms. Takeru jokes and says "I'm your Papa." All three look very happy and Michiru thanks both her friends for being there for her and the baby.
When Michiru is better, the three walk on the beach with the baby. Michiru narrates her letter to Eri and Ogurin, telling the two that she has named her child Aida Rumi, "Aida" as in her own surname, the "Ru" is from Ruka's name, and the "Mi" is from Michiru, but Takeru's "-ru" is also included in the name. She says that the four of them will go back and live in the share house as family, friends, married partners, lovers, and will treasure their relationship for all times, being friends forever. If possible, stay friends forever, even if separated they will be able to meet again. She then concludes with "My dear friends, you are my best of friends" in English.
My Thoughts: Watching the first time, it was an ok episode, but if you watch it a second time, you like it better. At least for me, I liked it better the second time around. The writers did some cheesy, soap-opera-like things in the last episode which did not really impress me at all, but oh well. Overall, things were resolved and seem to have ended happily. I think it'll be interesting for Rumi to have three parents, but probably good. I kind of wonder if they'll ever tell Rumi about her real father or not. Oh well, I guess I don't really need to think about that. In any case, it was a very powerful drama and pretty well done. The last episode garnered 22.8%, increasing the average to 17.7%. If not for the small percentage of viewers for the first episode, this series could have done a lot better. The really good thing about this series is that the ratings started small, but then continued to increase. Other series may have strong viewership first week, but then see continuing decreases in ratings as the season continues. To me, this shows that the drama was really worth watching and I have to say that I really do recommend this story to every drama addict.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Final Four Suitors
I was not at all surprised with the outcome of The Bachelorette tonight, because DeAnna has had the most chemistry and time spent with Jeremy, Jason, Graham, and Jesse. She had just recently gotten to known Sean, and Twilley's kinda been on another planet this entire time -- though I do commend him for lasting this long =_= (I kinda thought he should have been booted off long ago) -- so her decision kind of made sense. I was pretty surprised though with Sean, his big house, vanity, closeness to mother, and name-brand clothes in closet. From a first glance, you would never think of him being the type to own such a beautiful house and be so vain 'cause when we first saw him episodes ago, he arrived with a less-than-impressive hairstyle, had somewhat of a tough-guy "all-about-me" personality, and was not exactly the most attractive one in the bunch. I think Ron did him good by giving him that stylish haircut.
Right now, I'm having a hard time picking a favorite out of the four 'cause I really like Graham and Jason. I remembered watching Graham get out of the limo and saying "Oh, he's the one she's going to pick." Now, I'm just like ... "Yeah... no idea." I guess we'll just have to see.
Right now, I'm having a hard time picking a favorite out of the four 'cause I really like Graham and Jason. I remembered watching Graham get out of the limo and saying "Oh, he's the one she's going to pick." Now, I'm just like ... "Yeah... no idea." I guess we'll just have to see.
First Monday of the New Alumnus
So I graduated from my university on Saturday, June 14th and am officially ALUMNUS status now~! ^,^ I just thought I'd share that~ I'm still in the process of looking for a job so I'm working on my resume at the moment and going to take it to my career service advisors to take a look at it once I'm done. One of my friends may be able to get me a job up in Portland, but we'll see. I'm looking for another job up in Portland right now so I'm going to apply as soon as I get all these prereqs out of the way. I also need to look for a program that works well in training us to get our CPA license =_= Rogers or Becker...? *sigh* No idea which will be better. I would like better quality at lower price if at all possible.
First... I really need a break @_@ I'm pretty tired these last few days from all the drinking, working, and lack of sleep. My head is really throbbing today >_< It just hurts *sighs* Oh well~ I'll just have to sleep a bit earlier from now on to readjust my biological clock. Need to get some things done so I can find a job asap~
First... I really need a break @_@ I'm pretty tired these last few days from all the drinking, working, and lack of sleep. My head is really throbbing today >_< It just hurts *sighs* Oh well~ I'll just have to sleep a bit earlier from now on to readjust my biological clock. Need to get some things done so I can find a job asap~
Code Geass R2 Episode 10
This was a pretty action-packed episode with Xing-Ke versus Lelouch *,* At the beginning of the episode, Lelouch successfully abducts the empress and takes her aboard the Ikaruga where Kaguya keeps her company. Kaguya tells the empress that they've finally gotten her outside the Forbidden City and Tian Zi is surprised that her friend remembers her wish. Meanwhile, the Eunuch Generals have imprisoned all those who raised the coup d'etat. You know... something about Eunuch Generals and girl empress reminds me of Romance of the Three Kingdoms like the whole prophecy/saying about the woman ruling a house equals despair, chaos, and destruction thing so that's why when the eunuchs and the mother of a prince controlled this one kingdom it was just utter chaos.
Anyway... the Eunuch Generals are unable to defeat Lelouch and retrieve their empress when Zero successfully ambushes the Chinese Fed army and demolishes most of the operating troops. Because of this, they go to the imprisoned bunch and tell Xing-Ke that if he goes and fights for them, they will forgive his crime (lies of course). Well, Xing-Ke goes in this monstrous Knightmare frame called Shen-Hu (神虎) to get the empress back and it fights on par with Kallen's Guren Nishiki. Lakshata makes a note that the Indian government must have helped the Chinese Fed out with the model and that she had participated in building Shen-Hu. After the skirmish, Kallen's Guren loses all energy and she is captured by Xing-Ke. Lelouch, actually fearing for Kallen's life, tells her that he will do all he can to rescue her and to not lose hope. Diethard tells Zero that they need to give up on Kallen, because she's just one soldier and to meet up with the Indian government, but Lelouch thinks differently and says that the Indian government has probably betrayed them by now. He gives the command to the Black Knights that they would rescue Kallen, and the Black Knight members plus C.C. looks pretty happy and relieved to hear this from him.
Later, Lelouch and Xing-Ke engage in a pretty chess-like battle of strategy & tactic. Both seem to be able to read and counterattack each other's moves until Xing-Ke manages to sink most of the Black Knight's Knightmare frames in the irrigation canals. Lelouch has Toudou rescue all surviving members while unleashing a powerful attack to take down many of their foes before retreating. The Order escapes to the tomb of kings where everyone would think twice before attack. They all notice; however, that the Chinese Fed has brought in reinforcements from Brittania for the upcoming battle.
Back at Ashford Academy, the students are still watching and waiting for news of the events in China and then a phone call comes in and Lelouch is the one answering the phone. Rolo, Shirley, and Rivalz are all at the table and look relieved when they hear that Milly is fine. Meanwhile, the news is going on about the abduction of the empress and how Zero is now awaiting this doom in China...
My Thoughts: I think some time lapse has occurred, otherwise there really can't be any other way for Lelouch to find himself a double to act as him. He could have put someone else as Zero back in China and found a way to escape back to the academy in order to make it seem as though he is still there. This would most likely solve the case of the "mysterious OMG Lelouch's back at school!? HOW!?" question.
I think Tian Zi may be in love with Xing-Ke, though a lot of people are calling him a lolicon since he seems to have some feelings for her... (I wonder about that though)... She also looks like one of those really short people who are actually older than they look. To me, I keep thinking that Tian Zi is 15 or 16, but lots of people seem to say that she's 12 or something =,=;
Also, Kaguya's hairstyle in this episode was pretty cute ^_^ I really liked it compared to how she usually has it. I'm sure it's how she would put it for formal occasions, but it was nice.
Preview: 中華連邦の象徴である天子奪ったゼロと黒の騎士団であったが、予想を遥かに凌駕する戦闘能力を持った星刻、そしてブリタニア参戦により天帝八十八陵への篭城を余儀なくされていた。孤立無援の戦は徐々に、だが確実に騎士団を追い詰めていく。さらに大宦官は天子諸共、クーデターを起こした星刻抹殺も目論んでいた。果たしてゼロはこの窮地に如何なる秘策で挑むのか！！ (Taken From Official Website)
Anyway... the Eunuch Generals are unable to defeat Lelouch and retrieve their empress when Zero successfully ambushes the Chinese Fed army and demolishes most of the operating troops. Because of this, they go to the imprisoned bunch and tell Xing-Ke that if he goes and fights for them, they will forgive his crime (lies of course). Well, Xing-Ke goes in this monstrous Knightmare frame called Shen-Hu (神虎) to get the empress back and it fights on par with Kallen's Guren Nishiki. Lakshata makes a note that the Indian government must have helped the Chinese Fed out with the model and that she had participated in building Shen-Hu. After the skirmish, Kallen's Guren loses all energy and she is captured by Xing-Ke. Lelouch, actually fearing for Kallen's life, tells her that he will do all he can to rescue her and to not lose hope. Diethard tells Zero that they need to give up on Kallen, because she's just one soldier and to meet up with the Indian government, but Lelouch thinks differently and says that the Indian government has probably betrayed them by now. He gives the command to the Black Knights that they would rescue Kallen, and the Black Knight members plus C.C. looks pretty happy and relieved to hear this from him.
Later, Lelouch and Xing-Ke engage in a pretty chess-like battle of strategy & tactic. Both seem to be able to read and counterattack each other's moves until Xing-Ke manages to sink most of the Black Knight's Knightmare frames in the irrigation canals. Lelouch has Toudou rescue all surviving members while unleashing a powerful attack to take down many of their foes before retreating. The Order escapes to the tomb of kings where everyone would think twice before attack. They all notice; however, that the Chinese Fed has brought in reinforcements from Brittania for the upcoming battle.
Back at Ashford Academy, the students are still watching and waiting for news of the events in China and then a phone call comes in and Lelouch is the one answering the phone. Rolo, Shirley, and Rivalz are all at the table and look relieved when they hear that Milly is fine. Meanwhile, the news is going on about the abduction of the empress and how Zero is now awaiting this doom in China...
My Thoughts: I think some time lapse has occurred, otherwise there really can't be any other way for Lelouch to find himself a double to act as him. He could have put someone else as Zero back in China and found a way to escape back to the academy in order to make it seem as though he is still there. This would most likely solve the case of the "mysterious OMG Lelouch's back at school!? HOW!?" question.
I think Tian Zi may be in love with Xing-Ke, though a lot of people are calling him a lolicon since he seems to have some feelings for her... (I wonder about that though)... She also looks like one of those really short people who are actually older than they look. To me, I keep thinking that Tian Zi is 15 or 16, but lots of people seem to say that she's 12 or something =,=;
Also, Kaguya's hairstyle in this episode was pretty cute ^_^ I really liked it compared to how she usually has it. I'm sure it's how she would put it for formal occasions, but it was nice.
Preview: 中華連邦の象徴である天子奪ったゼロと黒の騎士団であったが、予想を遥かに凌駕する戦闘能力を持った星刻、そしてブリタニア参戦により天帝八十八陵への篭城を余儀なくされていた。孤立無援の戦は徐々に、だが確実に騎士団を追い詰めていく。さらに大宦官は天子諸共、クーデターを起こした星刻抹殺も目論んでいた。果たしてゼロはこの窮地に如何なる秘策で挑むのか！！ (Taken From Official Website)
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Last Friends Episode 10
Shock much? With the way the episode was going, the only thing left was... O_O Well, after the first five minutes one pretty knew that the only option of death left would definitely not be manslaughter. I was really sad at the end though, one could definitely see the break down of events and it was just really tragic.
Ruka seems to find some support from her parents and be able to open up to them better, though it's hard for her parents to accept it right away. Michiru inadvertently learns of Ruka's true feelings towards her, and hell kind of breaks loose at the end of the episode. The storyline was interesting and yet not as dramatic as one was all prepped for after the previous episode... not sure if the ratings will skyrocket or not for the final episode, but I'm sure ratings did fly for this episode since everyone was totally tuned in after episode 09.
Anyway, some highlights for this episode... Ruka does not get raped! (Such a relief!!!) She beats Sousuke over the head with the lamp and then runs out of his apartment. As a result though, she loses the protection charm that Michiru gave her for races. Ruka rushes into a department store to buy a new shirt in order to replace the one Sousuke tore and in doing so, avoid any questions about what happened.
Michiru considers leaving the share house when everyone gets jumpy over a doorbell ring since everyone thinks it's Sousuke. Takeru also loses the movie hair & make-up job due to this condition and Michiru feels badly for it; however, Takeru tells her it's not her fault and she can't think that it is. If she thinks about going back at all, then she would be betraying Ruka since Ruka is putting her life on the line to protect her.
Later, Michiru and Ogurin go to pick up some dry cleaning and return home together in time for Michiru to overhear a conversation between Takeru and Ruka. She then discovers that what Ruka feels for her is not the ordinary affections one feels for a friend, but her feelings go much deeper. Due to the shock and the inability to accept the idea right away as Michiru has no way of answering to Ruka's love, she runs away and then comes to the conclusion of leaving the next morning. She goes to stay at her mother's place for the time being.
Later on, Ruka comes out to her father at Takeru's bar after he reads a magazine article about her and the issue of her sexuality. He tells her he support hers and she is happy that she's come out to him. Later though, Takeru catches Ruka's father sitting by himself staring out into a lake. He confesses that all along Ruka has been pretty rambunctious, but he thought that she had always been a cute, little daughter. He breaks down and cries after that.
Meanwhile, Sousuke goes on a stalking spree again to find Michiru, but gets told off by Eri. Unfortunately, using Eri's words, he manages to trick Michiru into coming to the apartment to get her things and leave his house key. Though Michiru is hesitant about going to Sousuke's place, she does anyway and then sees the protection charm she gave Ruka lying on the floor next to the bed. She asks Sousuke if Ruka came to see him and he admits that she did and that he only broke down her pride a bit. When Michiru realizes what Ruka went through, she tries to leave, only Sousuke stops her and begins beating on her. He successfully rapes (and impregnates) her.
After the black out of the scene, we see Michiru naked and rolled up in sheets on top of Sousuke's bed, looking totally exhausted, resigned and defeated. Her clothes are strewn on the floor and Sousuke is sitting at the foot of the bed, looking pretty remorseful. Michiru asks in a whisper that Sousuke promises her one thing: to never hurt her friends again, to never lay his hands on Ruka or Takeru again. She tells him that if he promises her this, she will stay by his side. However, as she asks him to do this for her, tears overflow from her eyes and she silently cries. Sousuke goes up on the bed and demands to know why she's crying and to stop crying. His hand is aching to hit her to make her stop, but upon seeing her defeated and resigned expression, he cannot hit her and closes the screen behind him.
We then enter a very tragic scenario as Sousuke starts crying, because he really does love Michiru and never really wanted to hurt her, but he only knows how to be violent with her. He opens up her purse and finds a little package of photos that she has neatly wrapped up. Upon seeing her happy expression in the photos, which she has a hard time showing to him due to his behavior, he becomes torn and resentful of his own self. He curls up and cries because he understands that he is only capable of causing pain to the woman he loves, and has become a monster, which he never really intended to become.
The next morning, Michiru wakes up still wrapped in the sheets and she gets dressed. When she opens the screen door, she notices Sousuke sleeping on the sofa, but then sees something very disturbing...
Meanwhile, Ruka is preparing for her big race and everyone except Michiru is assembled at the race track. She goes to grip the protection charm that Michiru gave her, but it's not tied to her bike. She pretends that it's there and squeezes the air where the charm would have been before taking off at the race's start.
Back at Sousuke's apartment, a box from a bridal shop can be seen and Michiru notices Sousuke holding onto a white bridal gown in his arms, except it is stained in red from the blood leaked out from his wrists. She looks at him in shock...
Preview for Final Episode: Ruka gives a press conference -- she probably wins her race then if that happens, and it's probably over her sexuality issue. A wedding scene can be seen... though I wonder whose wedding it's for... Sousuke is definitely dead (or going to be dead) from the blood loss in episode 10, and we are left with a narration from Sousuke, "Goodbye Michiru, I am now setting you free."
I wonder if the wedding is for Eri & Tomohiko or a flashback of Takeru's sister, Yuko, and her husband... maybe it's Michiru and a sexually-changed Ruka? ^_^; I can be hopeful, I guess... I still like the idea of Ruka x Michiru ^_^;
I really am sad that Sousuke committed suicide even though he's been pretty awful and creepy throughout the entire series. He did not exactly want to become a DV abuser, but it just somehow happened. Most domestically-violent people, especially men, usually suffered some sort of abandonment trauma or violent influence during their youth. If a man sees his father hitting his mother, then he may grow up to hit his wife someday as well even if he does not want to. In Sousuke's case, he was abandoned by his mother, which then makes women a sort of "enemy" in his eyes even though he loves Michiru. He feels that women owe him in a sort of way, so that's why he's so controlling of Michiru. He also does not want a woman to leave him because of the trauma from his mother leaving him. Though it's never really specifically mentioned, the drama hints at how his past caused him to choose the career that he decided on and also of his behavior. Because he was abandoned at a young age, he chose to become a social worker for children's welfare. Because he was abandoned by a woman who was very close to him, he became unable to trust women and also triggered a side of him that made him violent with the woman he loved so he could keep her by his side. He is afraid of being alone though it never shows.
I think the opening sequence from the first few episodes is so powerful and when we see the word "contradiction" for Sousuke, we see how complex a character he is. He never asked to become the way he did,; it was because of his circumstances that he became what he is. We really see him hating himself in the end and killing himself as a result. Because he loves Michiru, he wants to set her free and to stop hurting her using the only method he knows how. If he continues to live, he is only going to continue to hurt her so he decides to die.
Sousuke is a very tragic character and though it's somewhat a relief he is the one who dies, it is also very sad that he ends up dying as well. Michiru will most likely bear the trauma of seeing him dead for the rest of her life, but I'm sure that with Michiru becoming mature due to all that's happened to her plus the pregnancy, she will be able to raise her child with care and love. I think women tend to be stronger at times with their emotions and now that she is to become a mother, she will try her best to raise her child in the best way possible unlike her own mother.
I really am curious what happens at the very end. I really have no guesses at this point in time, though I really do wonder about that wedding scene... I hope the episode turns out to be good.
Ruka seems to find some support from her parents and be able to open up to them better, though it's hard for her parents to accept it right away. Michiru inadvertently learns of Ruka's true feelings towards her, and hell kind of breaks loose at the end of the episode. The storyline was interesting and yet not as dramatic as one was all prepped for after the previous episode... not sure if the ratings will skyrocket or not for the final episode, but I'm sure ratings did fly for this episode since everyone was totally tuned in after episode 09.
Anyway, some highlights for this episode... Ruka does not get raped! (Such a relief!!!) She beats Sousuke over the head with the lamp and then runs out of his apartment. As a result though, she loses the protection charm that Michiru gave her for races. Ruka rushes into a department store to buy a new shirt in order to replace the one Sousuke tore and in doing so, avoid any questions about what happened.
Michiru considers leaving the share house when everyone gets jumpy over a doorbell ring since everyone thinks it's Sousuke. Takeru also loses the movie hair & make-up job due to this condition and Michiru feels badly for it; however, Takeru tells her it's not her fault and she can't think that it is. If she thinks about going back at all, then she would be betraying Ruka since Ruka is putting her life on the line to protect her.
Later, Michiru and Ogurin go to pick up some dry cleaning and return home together in time for Michiru to overhear a conversation between Takeru and Ruka. She then discovers that what Ruka feels for her is not the ordinary affections one feels for a friend, but her feelings go much deeper. Due to the shock and the inability to accept the idea right away as Michiru has no way of answering to Ruka's love, she runs away and then comes to the conclusion of leaving the next morning. She goes to stay at her mother's place for the time being.
Later on, Ruka comes out to her father at Takeru's bar after he reads a magazine article about her and the issue of her sexuality. He tells her he support hers and she is happy that she's come out to him. Later though, Takeru catches Ruka's father sitting by himself staring out into a lake. He confesses that all along Ruka has been pretty rambunctious, but he thought that she had always been a cute, little daughter. He breaks down and cries after that.
Meanwhile, Sousuke goes on a stalking spree again to find Michiru, but gets told off by Eri. Unfortunately, using Eri's words, he manages to trick Michiru into coming to the apartment to get her things and leave his house key. Though Michiru is hesitant about going to Sousuke's place, she does anyway and then sees the protection charm she gave Ruka lying on the floor next to the bed. She asks Sousuke if Ruka came to see him and he admits that she did and that he only broke down her pride a bit. When Michiru realizes what Ruka went through, she tries to leave, only Sousuke stops her and begins beating on her. He successfully rapes (and impregnates) her.
After the black out of the scene, we see Michiru naked and rolled up in sheets on top of Sousuke's bed, looking totally exhausted, resigned and defeated. Her clothes are strewn on the floor and Sousuke is sitting at the foot of the bed, looking pretty remorseful. Michiru asks in a whisper that Sousuke promises her one thing: to never hurt her friends again, to never lay his hands on Ruka or Takeru again. She tells him that if he promises her this, she will stay by his side. However, as she asks him to do this for her, tears overflow from her eyes and she silently cries. Sousuke goes up on the bed and demands to know why she's crying and to stop crying. His hand is aching to hit her to make her stop, but upon seeing her defeated and resigned expression, he cannot hit her and closes the screen behind him.
We then enter a very tragic scenario as Sousuke starts crying, because he really does love Michiru and never really wanted to hurt her, but he only knows how to be violent with her. He opens up her purse and finds a little package of photos that she has neatly wrapped up. Upon seeing her happy expression in the photos, which she has a hard time showing to him due to his behavior, he becomes torn and resentful of his own self. He curls up and cries because he understands that he is only capable of causing pain to the woman he loves, and has become a monster, which he never really intended to become.
The next morning, Michiru wakes up still wrapped in the sheets and she gets dressed. When she opens the screen door, she notices Sousuke sleeping on the sofa, but then sees something very disturbing...
Meanwhile, Ruka is preparing for her big race and everyone except Michiru is assembled at the race track. She goes to grip the protection charm that Michiru gave her, but it's not tied to her bike. She pretends that it's there and squeezes the air where the charm would have been before taking off at the race's start.
Back at Sousuke's apartment, a box from a bridal shop can be seen and Michiru notices Sousuke holding onto a white bridal gown in his arms, except it is stained in red from the blood leaked out from his wrists. She looks at him in shock...
Preview for Final Episode: Ruka gives a press conference -- she probably wins her race then if that happens, and it's probably over her sexuality issue. A wedding scene can be seen... though I wonder whose wedding it's for... Sousuke is definitely dead (or going to be dead) from the blood loss in episode 10, and we are left with a narration from Sousuke, "Goodbye Michiru, I am now setting you free."
I wonder if the wedding is for Eri & Tomohiko or a flashback of Takeru's sister, Yuko, and her husband... maybe it's Michiru and a sexually-changed Ruka? ^_^; I can be hopeful, I guess... I still like the idea of Ruka x Michiru ^_^;
I really am sad that Sousuke committed suicide even though he's been pretty awful and creepy throughout the entire series. He did not exactly want to become a DV abuser, but it just somehow happened. Most domestically-violent people, especially men, usually suffered some sort of abandonment trauma or violent influence during their youth. If a man sees his father hitting his mother, then he may grow up to hit his wife someday as well even if he does not want to. In Sousuke's case, he was abandoned by his mother, which then makes women a sort of "enemy" in his eyes even though he loves Michiru. He feels that women owe him in a sort of way, so that's why he's so controlling of Michiru. He also does not want a woman to leave him because of the trauma from his mother leaving him. Though it's never really specifically mentioned, the drama hints at how his past caused him to choose the career that he decided on and also of his behavior. Because he was abandoned at a young age, he chose to become a social worker for children's welfare. Because he was abandoned by a woman who was very close to him, he became unable to trust women and also triggered a side of him that made him violent with the woman he loved so he could keep her by his side. He is afraid of being alone though it never shows.
I think the opening sequence from the first few episodes is so powerful and when we see the word "contradiction" for Sousuke, we see how complex a character he is. He never asked to become the way he did,; it was because of his circumstances that he became what he is. We really see him hating himself in the end and killing himself as a result. Because he loves Michiru, he wants to set her free and to stop hurting her using the only method he knows how. If he continues to live, he is only going to continue to hurt her so he decides to die.
Sousuke is a very tragic character and though it's somewhat a relief he is the one who dies, it is also very sad that he ends up dying as well. Michiru will most likely bear the trauma of seeing him dead for the rest of her life, but I'm sure that with Michiru becoming mature due to all that's happened to her plus the pregnancy, she will be able to raise her child with care and love. I think women tend to be stronger at times with their emotions and now that she is to become a mother, she will try her best to raise her child in the best way possible unlike her own mother.
I really am curious what happens at the very end. I really have no guesses at this point in time, though I really do wonder about that wedding scene... I hope the episode turns out to be good.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Osen Episode 08
This was a relatively cute episode concerning Teru-chan the rice maker and an annual shrine festival ^_^ Each year Isshouan cooks for the people of the festival and this year is no different. Kenbo, Tome, Yocchan and Osen go to a small shop where they pick up a bundle of hay for cooking rice, and she chats with the shopkeeper for a bit. Because of his waning health, he opts not to participate in the festival this year. On the way back, a group of rough-looking men surround Osen and wants her to do a drinking contest with them in front of the shrine. Osen looks troubled and turns them down.
Meanwhile, Teru-chan is prepping up for her trip to the big city for a junior high reunion. She is asked about whether or not she has someone that she likes and she talks about Fujiki-kun, the star back in the day. She excitedly leaves for her trip.
Later on, Osen and the Isshouan members go out to dinner and Osen asks Chinpindo if he can help turn down the rough group of men for her about drinking sake in the shrine. He agrees to do it and just then Teru-chan comes to join them after returning from her junior high reunion. When she is asked if she had fun, Teru-chan looks a bit reluctant to say, but says that she did and then proceeds to get really drunk. She later confesses to Osen that she was made fun of by everyone when they heard that she was a professional rice cooker who used straw to make it.
The next day or so, Shizu notices a strange man taking pictures of Isshouan's exterior. She goes and grabs Kenbo, Tome, and Yocchan to see who it would be. The three men approach the portly-looking photographer and demands to know why he is on their property when Osen and Teru-chan arrive. Teru-chan immediately recognizes the man as her former sempai, Fujiki-kun.
Inside Isshouan, Fujiki explains how he heard about Teru-chan's job so he had to come and see. He gives his business card to Osen and she notices that he is with a magazine publisher. She tells him that they do not really do interviews and Fujiki says that it's fine, he was just doing it out of interest. Osen then recommends that while Fujiki is there, Teru-chan can make something for him to eat. She excitedly goes and makes rice for Fujiki and Osen asks Yocchan to bring two round bowls out to which he enthusiastically replies with "Are we doing Kotoko Meshi?" and she says yes.
When the rice is done cooking, Osen puts the rice in one of the bowls and hands it to Fujiki to cover with the second to shake. Because of the sound it makes, they call it "Kotoko" Meal. After shaking the rice into a ball, Fujiki drops it into another bowl and tops it with a paste that Osen prepared for him. He is very impressed and leaves Isshouan pretty excited to have seen and eaten Teru-chan's rice meal.
Everything seemed to be going well until Osen receives a reservation for four people who want to eat "Kotoko Meshi" and she is very surprised over it. Many of the guests who go to Isshouan later also request the same thing including the rough-looking bunch who wants to do a drinking contest with Osen. When they try to find out why all of this is happening, Kenbo goes online and discovers Fujiki's blog talking about the meal and also showing Teru-chan making it.
Meanwhile, Teru-chan discovers that they have no more hay left and it is problematic because the festival is just around the corner. Osen goes to the shopkeeper from before to see if they can get anymore straw, but the shopkeep's son says that there's no way they can get any soon by the time of the festival. Teru-chan then suggests that she goes to her hometown to get more straw and that she would call up Fujiki to get help. However, when she is unable to connect to Fujiki, she heads into town to find Fujiki at his workplace.
When she gets to Fujiki's workplace, she asks if she can borrow his car so she can get to Niigata (her hometown) to get straw. Unfortunately, Fujiki turns her down and says that he's too busy for it to which she tells him that it's his fault that they are in such a pickle due to that blog. After a heated argument in the office, she leaves and returns to Isshouan. When she arrives empty-handed, the Isshouan crew looks troubled until Chinpindo arrives. Sei realizes that Chinpindo has a truck so they ask him to take Kenbo to Niigata to get hay.
Much later however, Osen gets a phone call from Chinpindo saying that his car broke down so they are unable to make it back right away, but they'll give it their best to get back tomorrow. Upon hearing this and after she hangs up with Chinpindo, Osen decides that they should not participate in the festival since they can't cook. However, Teru-chan firmly objects to this and really wants to do it. She ends up saying a little too much and Osen looks troubled and hurt by her words.
Later that evening when Yocchan goes to see Osen, he happens upon her room, empty. He freaks out and tells everyone that Osen has disappeared. Everyone goes looking for Osen all night long, but are unable to find her. The next morning though, Osen arrives back with Chinpindo, Kenbo, and the rough-looking group driving a really huge truck carrying lots of hay and also Chinpindo's truck on top of it. With all the hay, the Isshouan crew is now able to make the food necessary for the festival. At the same time, Fujiki comes to Isshouan and Teru-chan is about to give him a piece of her mind when he shows her his trunk full of straw. She is touched and they unload all the straw, go inside, and she cooks rice for him to see while explaining the whole process to him this time.
When Teru-chan is done making the rice, she makes some onigiri (or kanmeshi as they call it) for Fujiki to take back with him while the rest of the Isshouan members make tons for the festival. All preparations are completed and the festival goes really smoothly. Yocchan and the boys find out from Chinpindo that everything worked out because Osen agreed to the drinking contest and they hurriedly rushed to the shrine after she is taken away by them.
Inside the shrine, Osen and one of the rough-looking men start drinking lots of sake and in the end, Osen comes out winning. She sways back to the Isshouan kitchen and Teru-chan apologizes to her for putting her through this, but Osen has never blamed her. She tells Teru-chan to do something for her though and we later see Teru-chan going to the shopkeeper's place with some rice balls to give to him and his son. The shopkeeper is touched and says that he should try and make it next year.
Back at home, Osen is making a rice dish with wasabi, tea, etc., and the boys plus Teru-chan help out after Teru-chan gets home. When the dish is completed, they sit together and happily eat the food.
Overall, the episode is pretty laid-back and it's cute, but not the most exciting. The drinking contest was cute though.
Meanwhile, Teru-chan is prepping up for her trip to the big city for a junior high reunion. She is asked about whether or not she has someone that she likes and she talks about Fujiki-kun, the star back in the day. She excitedly leaves for her trip.
Later on, Osen and the Isshouan members go out to dinner and Osen asks Chinpindo if he can help turn down the rough group of men for her about drinking sake in the shrine. He agrees to do it and just then Teru-chan comes to join them after returning from her junior high reunion. When she is asked if she had fun, Teru-chan looks a bit reluctant to say, but says that she did and then proceeds to get really drunk. She later confesses to Osen that she was made fun of by everyone when they heard that she was a professional rice cooker who used straw to make it.
The next day or so, Shizu notices a strange man taking pictures of Isshouan's exterior. She goes and grabs Kenbo, Tome, and Yocchan to see who it would be. The three men approach the portly-looking photographer and demands to know why he is on their property when Osen and Teru-chan arrive. Teru-chan immediately recognizes the man as her former sempai, Fujiki-kun.
Inside Isshouan, Fujiki explains how he heard about Teru-chan's job so he had to come and see. He gives his business card to Osen and she notices that he is with a magazine publisher. She tells him that they do not really do interviews and Fujiki says that it's fine, he was just doing it out of interest. Osen then recommends that while Fujiki is there, Teru-chan can make something for him to eat. She excitedly goes and makes rice for Fujiki and Osen asks Yocchan to bring two round bowls out to which he enthusiastically replies with "Are we doing Kotoko Meshi?" and she says yes.
When the rice is done cooking, Osen puts the rice in one of the bowls and hands it to Fujiki to cover with the second to shake. Because of the sound it makes, they call it "Kotoko" Meal. After shaking the rice into a ball, Fujiki drops it into another bowl and tops it with a paste that Osen prepared for him. He is very impressed and leaves Isshouan pretty excited to have seen and eaten Teru-chan's rice meal.
Everything seemed to be going well until Osen receives a reservation for four people who want to eat "Kotoko Meshi" and she is very surprised over it. Many of the guests who go to Isshouan later also request the same thing including the rough-looking bunch who wants to do a drinking contest with Osen. When they try to find out why all of this is happening, Kenbo goes online and discovers Fujiki's blog talking about the meal and also showing Teru-chan making it.
Meanwhile, Teru-chan discovers that they have no more hay left and it is problematic because the festival is just around the corner. Osen goes to the shopkeeper from before to see if they can get anymore straw, but the shopkeep's son says that there's no way they can get any soon by the time of the festival. Teru-chan then suggests that she goes to her hometown to get more straw and that she would call up Fujiki to get help. However, when she is unable to connect to Fujiki, she heads into town to find Fujiki at his workplace.
When she gets to Fujiki's workplace, she asks if she can borrow his car so she can get to Niigata (her hometown) to get straw. Unfortunately, Fujiki turns her down and says that he's too busy for it to which she tells him that it's his fault that they are in such a pickle due to that blog. After a heated argument in the office, she leaves and returns to Isshouan. When she arrives empty-handed, the Isshouan crew looks troubled until Chinpindo arrives. Sei realizes that Chinpindo has a truck so they ask him to take Kenbo to Niigata to get hay.
Much later however, Osen gets a phone call from Chinpindo saying that his car broke down so they are unable to make it back right away, but they'll give it their best to get back tomorrow. Upon hearing this and after she hangs up with Chinpindo, Osen decides that they should not participate in the festival since they can't cook. However, Teru-chan firmly objects to this and really wants to do it. She ends up saying a little too much and Osen looks troubled and hurt by her words.
Later that evening when Yocchan goes to see Osen, he happens upon her room, empty. He freaks out and tells everyone that Osen has disappeared. Everyone goes looking for Osen all night long, but are unable to find her. The next morning though, Osen arrives back with Chinpindo, Kenbo, and the rough-looking group driving a really huge truck carrying lots of hay and also Chinpindo's truck on top of it. With all the hay, the Isshouan crew is now able to make the food necessary for the festival. At the same time, Fujiki comes to Isshouan and Teru-chan is about to give him a piece of her mind when he shows her his trunk full of straw. She is touched and they unload all the straw, go inside, and she cooks rice for him to see while explaining the whole process to him this time.
When Teru-chan is done making the rice, she makes some onigiri (or kanmeshi as they call it) for Fujiki to take back with him while the rest of the Isshouan members make tons for the festival. All preparations are completed and the festival goes really smoothly. Yocchan and the boys find out from Chinpindo that everything worked out because Osen agreed to the drinking contest and they hurriedly rushed to the shrine after she is taken away by them.
Inside the shrine, Osen and one of the rough-looking men start drinking lots of sake and in the end, Osen comes out winning. She sways back to the Isshouan kitchen and Teru-chan apologizes to her for putting her through this, but Osen has never blamed her. She tells Teru-chan to do something for her though and we later see Teru-chan going to the shopkeeper's place with some rice balls to give to him and his son. The shopkeeper is touched and says that he should try and make it next year.
Back at home, Osen is making a rice dish with wasabi, tea, etc., and the boys plus Teru-chan help out after Teru-chan gets home. When the dish is completed, they sit together and happily eat the food.
Overall, the episode is pretty laid-back and it's cute, but not the most exciting. The drinking contest was cute though.
新田祐克 - 春を抱いていた
I really should have been studying or sleeping, but I ended up digging up all my Haru wo Daiteita chapters plus patch up any missing ones that I might have had and just started reading. Now, I'm really crunched on time and running on not enough sleep =,= ... but this series is so addictive... I love Nitta Youka. I must say that I was not a fan of her art style for a long time, but when I got hooked reading some of her works, it grew on me.
I went through and read like six volumes in one session. I also had to reorganize and rename some files so that they would fall in sequential order. I have this obsessive compulsiveness that likes seeing things in order and if they are not, I get pretty agitated with it. So... when I should have been bed by 12... I ended up sleeping at 4am =_=;
Right now... I'm at school, trying to study but finding it extremely difficult to focus. I have an exam in 6 hours and I can't really focus at all =_= My take-home final's also due tomorrow, but I really want to get it done today if possible. I'll stay at school till 11 if that's what it takes =_=; *sigh* I just don't want to drive back to school tomorrow just to turn things in =_=
Anyway... I wonder if BeBeautiful is still alive =_=; Libre vs CPM is really making it hard for people to access the English version of various manga, which is too bad but whatever. I really want to buy the Japanese version of Haru since I've never really had much faith in the English version. The only English yaoi manga publishers I like are DramaQueen, 801, and June, but it's because I like the way they bind the manga and also because I like the editing. Translations are also decent, though June needs some work on that. I also like Blu, but the binding doesn't impress me much. I really dislike BeBeautiful, because I think they do the worst job in editing, translating, and binding... but that's just my opinion.
*sigh* I probably should stop procrastinating and get some actual work done.
I went through and read like six volumes in one session. I also had to reorganize and rename some files so that they would fall in sequential order. I have this obsessive compulsiveness that likes seeing things in order and if they are not, I get pretty agitated with it. So... when I should have been bed by 12... I ended up sleeping at 4am =_=;
Right now... I'm at school, trying to study but finding it extremely difficult to focus. I have an exam in 6 hours and I can't really focus at all =_= My take-home final's also due tomorrow, but I really want to get it done today if possible. I'll stay at school till 11 if that's what it takes =_=; *sigh* I just don't want to drive back to school tomorrow just to turn things in =_=
Anyway... I wonder if BeBeautiful is still alive =_=; Libre vs CPM is really making it hard for people to access the English version of various manga, which is too bad but whatever. I really want to buy the Japanese version of Haru since I've never really had much faith in the English version. The only English yaoi manga publishers I like are DramaQueen, 801, and June, but it's because I like the way they bind the manga and also because I like the editing. Translations are also decent, though June needs some work on that. I also like Blu, but the binding doesn't impress me much. I really dislike BeBeautiful, because I think they do the worst job in editing, translating, and binding... but that's just my opinion.
*sigh* I probably should stop procrastinating and get some actual work done.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Code Geass R2 Episode 09
Something about this series just never ceases to surprise me. I'm always left hanging for more after every episode and always thoroughly impressed with plot progression. After waiting two weeks for a new episode, I'm so happy that patience has paid off ^_^
I'm pretty surprised with how the end of the episode worked out. I kind of want Tian Zi and Xing Ke to be together =_= (kind of lolicon-ish, but whatever), but I think Xing Ke might die from his disease. I wonder if he has tuberculosis, really bad ulcer, leukemia, or some form of sickness that causes a person to throw up blood... *sigh* He's so good-looking too T_T. I hope the next episode doesn't make me cry or something.
Also... now that Lelouch is in China, how is he going to protect his cover back at Ashford Academy? I guess Rolo is there and since Suzaku is with Schneizel, no one will really notice that Lelouch is Zero. If Suzaku goes back to Japan while Lelouch isn't there then he'll know that Lelouch has regained his memories, but right now it's working out conveniently =_=; I just wonder how long he can keep up the jig.
And... does he really intend to marry Tian Zi? Or just keep her hostage!? @_@ I'm so bewildered and blown away by what happened at the end that I can't even thing straight =_= I think I liked Lelouch up to him kidnapping Tian Zi =.=; So I hope he doesn't do something that'll make me sad. I wonder how old Tian Zi is...?
I think it's kind of cute and funny that Milly and Lloyd are still engaged. Though they seem to be kind of opposites, I think they have some of the same traits and characteristics. The two can get along pretty well, in my opinion, but I wonder if Milly can really make herself marry Lloyd. The earl is pretty self-absorbed and in love with mechanical engineering so I don't think he'll be able to make Milly happy, but then she'll have a lot of freedom to do as she wishes since he's so preoccupied with his own work. I don't think I really mind the pairing as much anymore and find it kind of amusing.
Nina Einstein is insane. She is totally off her rocker now and her obsession of Euphemia is pretty extreme. She reminds me of those emo girls who are pretty emotionally volatile and can be exceptionally dangerous. Right now, she tries to dress up like Euphemia and be like her idol, but she is nothing like her. Euphemia was much more elegant and sweet; Nina is such a lovesick weirdo who is pretty maniacal =_=; I never quite liked Nina, even before we found out that she was crazy. Something about her just did not sit right. I wonder why she's so afraid of Eleven/Japanese. She's such a racist. If we learn more about her past history and if it involves anything of the Japanese doing something bad to her or her family then I can totally see where her fear stemmed from, but at the moment she's just really disagreeable, in my opinion =_=; She totally flips out on Milly, a friend who has always been pretty caring over her, and after her insane moment with the Ganymede back during episode 24-25, of course Milly would say something like "If anything bothers you, please talk to me." But then, Nina just flips out =_=; Oh dear... Well, I guess she's always had a bit of an inferior complex =_=; so ok...
I thought Kanon was giving some fanservice during this episode when he joked with Milly about being the aide to Schneizel both publicly and privately ^_~ Some slash humor there?
I wonder if this series will really end this season or stretch it for one more. The plot seems to be moving quicker and might just start unlocking more secrets in the remaining 16 episodes. There are still lots of unanswered questions such as ...
V.V. was telling Jeremiah that if the other world-like place was what Lelouch is after, then it'd be troublesome, but I'm not even sure if Lelouch knows that the other world exists, and if that world crumbles, then what? There's so much left to answer and I wonder if this episode means that there will be some development between Lelouch and Karen?
I'm really warming up to Kaguya now. At first, I thought she would be the kind of character I wouldn't like, but she possesses a very interesting way of thinking and is pretty intelligent. I really think it's pretty entertaining how she says it's totally alright for her "husband" to have many women lol ^_^ She is truly an intriguing woman.
Anyway, I'm really looking forward to episode 10 ^_^ though I'm kind of worried with the turn of events right now. I'll be really sad if Xing Ke dies T__T. I'm kind of disappointed that they didn't do the scrambling of images in the opening again like they did in the last season T__T. I really liked the scrambling, because it kept me in tune to all 24 minutes rather than skip right into the meat of the episode ^_^; The different scramblings happened in episode 1, 9, 13, and 18; two with COLORS and two with Kaidoku Funou. I think it's kind of interesting to see that when the Lancelot's key is tossed up in the air during episode 9, it's night time, but then for 13 and onwards, it's daylight ^_^. Ah... that season had the best of everything. I feel as though they got lazy with something on this season for some reason =_= *sigh* Anyway, can't wait till Sunday~!
I'm pretty surprised with how the end of the episode worked out. I kind of want Tian Zi and Xing Ke to be together =_= (kind of lolicon-ish, but whatever), but I think Xing Ke might die from his disease. I wonder if he has tuberculosis, really bad ulcer, leukemia, or some form of sickness that causes a person to throw up blood... *sigh* He's so good-looking too T_T. I hope the next episode doesn't make me cry or something.
Also... now that Lelouch is in China, how is he going to protect his cover back at Ashford Academy? I guess Rolo is there and since Suzaku is with Schneizel, no one will really notice that Lelouch is Zero. If Suzaku goes back to Japan while Lelouch isn't there then he'll know that Lelouch has regained his memories, but right now it's working out conveniently =_=; I just wonder how long he can keep up the jig.
And... does he really intend to marry Tian Zi? Or just keep her hostage!? @_@ I'm so bewildered and blown away by what happened at the end that I can't even thing straight =_= I think I liked Lelouch up to him kidnapping Tian Zi =.=; So I hope he doesn't do something that'll make me sad. I wonder how old Tian Zi is...?
I think it's kind of cute and funny that Milly and Lloyd are still engaged. Though they seem to be kind of opposites, I think they have some of the same traits and characteristics. The two can get along pretty well, in my opinion, but I wonder if Milly can really make herself marry Lloyd. The earl is pretty self-absorbed and in love with mechanical engineering so I don't think he'll be able to make Milly happy, but then she'll have a lot of freedom to do as she wishes since he's so preoccupied with his own work. I don't think I really mind the pairing as much anymore and find it kind of amusing.
Nina Einstein is insane. She is totally off her rocker now and her obsession of Euphemia is pretty extreme. She reminds me of those emo girls who are pretty emotionally volatile and can be exceptionally dangerous. Right now, she tries to dress up like Euphemia and be like her idol, but she is nothing like her. Euphemia was much more elegant and sweet; Nina is such a lovesick weirdo who is pretty maniacal =_=; I never quite liked Nina, even before we found out that she was crazy. Something about her just did not sit right. I wonder why she's so afraid of Eleven/Japanese. She's such a racist. If we learn more about her past history and if it involves anything of the Japanese doing something bad to her or her family then I can totally see where her fear stemmed from, but at the moment she's just really disagreeable, in my opinion =_=; She totally flips out on Milly, a friend who has always been pretty caring over her, and after her insane moment with the Ganymede back during episode 24-25, of course Milly would say something like "If anything bothers you, please talk to me." But then, Nina just flips out =_=; Oh dear... Well, I guess she's always had a bit of an inferior complex =_=; so ok...
I thought Kanon was giving some fanservice during this episode when he joked with Milly about being the aide to Schneizel both publicly and privately ^_~ Some slash humor there?
I wonder if this series will really end this season or stretch it for one more. The plot seems to be moving quicker and might just start unlocking more secrets in the remaining 16 episodes. There are still lots of unanswered questions such as ...
- V.V. and C.C.'s history
- C.C. and Lelouch's contract
- Why was Marianne assassinated?
- What is up with the other world that V.V. and the emperor seem to be protecting?
- Is there a limit to the emperor's geass?
- Is Cornelia still alive?
- Why does Jeremiah Gottwald keep reviving?
- What will happen between Ougi and Villeta?
- What is Schneizel's true motive?
- What is the relationship between V.V. and the emperor?
- What is C.C.'s relationship with Marianne?
- Why was C.C. imprisoned by the Britannian government during season 1 episode 1?
- From whom did Rolo receive his geass from?
V.V. was telling Jeremiah that if the other world-like place was what Lelouch is after, then it'd be troublesome, but I'm not even sure if Lelouch knows that the other world exists, and if that world crumbles, then what? There's so much left to answer and I wonder if this episode means that there will be some development between Lelouch and Karen?
I'm really warming up to Kaguya now. At first, I thought she would be the kind of character I wouldn't like, but she possesses a very interesting way of thinking and is pretty intelligent. I really think it's pretty entertaining how she says it's totally alright for her "husband" to have many women lol ^_^ She is truly an intriguing woman.
Anyway, I'm really looking forward to episode 10 ^_^ though I'm kind of worried with the turn of events right now. I'll be really sad if Xing Ke dies T__T. I'm kind of disappointed that they didn't do the scrambling of images in the opening again like they did in the last season T__T. I really liked the scrambling, because it kept me in tune to all 24 minutes rather than skip right into the meat of the episode ^_^; The different scramblings happened in episode 1, 9, 13, and 18; two with COLORS and two with Kaidoku Funou. I think it's kind of interesting to see that when the Lancelot's key is tossed up in the air during episode 9, it's night time, but then for 13 and onwards, it's daylight ^_^. Ah... that season had the best of everything. I feel as though they got lazy with something on this season for some reason =_= *sigh* Anyway, can't wait till Sunday~!
Zettai Kareshi Episode 08
Up to episode seven, the entire series was VERY BORING -- like want to strangle yourself boring. I mean, there was no chemistry at all present among the three leads and the plot was kind of the same-ol' same-ol'. I mean it literally took 6-7 episodes for Riiko to finally start liking Night and it was only in episode 8 that she actually seemed to have finally accepted him. Now that the storyline has gotten more... creative... things seem to have picked up and it looks more interesting. I may actually be looking forward to an episode from this series for once. I'm interested to see how Riiko's dream of becoming a patissier works out.
Episode 08 has Kurosu (Cross) Toshiki, the 02 model of the Nightly series, show up and try to woo Riiko, but of course we all know from the manga that he fails in the end. Toshiki is played by the same actor who did Akira from Hana Yori Dango (Abe Tsuyoshi), and for some reason... I don't think he looks as good anymore. Maybe it's the hairstyle? I remember thinking that he was super good-looking from Hana Yori Dango, but I guess that hair just makes him look strange =_=; Even Matsuda Shota looks better than him at the moment -,-;;; Well... it's not like Matsuda Shota is ugly or anything, but his older brother Ryuhei is much better looking in my opinion. Ryuhei is better looking, Shota is better at acting.
Anyway... Toshiki was kind of ... creepy in a way. I don't know why that was what I thought, but he struck me was just creepy. The landlady on the other hand wasn't as creepy this time. Usually, when I watch scenes with the landlady, I'm rolling around in pain because she's so ridiculous, but I was able to handle her eccentricity today. Maybe it's because I'm feeling so defeated from finals this week =_=; *sigh*
Plot progression in this episode was much better than past ones since we're finally seeing Riiko and Night getting closer, and Riiko accepting him more, plus Soshi is starting to try things out a little differently. Looks like the story will be much more interesting from now on so I guess I can stick it out for the last few episodes. I was really in pain for the first 6-7 episodes, but I think I can tolerate it now.
Episode 08 has Kurosu (Cross) Toshiki, the 02 model of the Nightly series, show up and try to woo Riiko, but of course we all know from the manga that he fails in the end. Toshiki is played by the same actor who did Akira from Hana Yori Dango (Abe Tsuyoshi), and for some reason... I don't think he looks as good anymore. Maybe it's the hairstyle? I remember thinking that he was super good-looking from Hana Yori Dango, but I guess that hair just makes him look strange =_=; Even Matsuda Shota looks better than him at the moment -,-;;; Well... it's not like Matsuda Shota is ugly or anything, but his older brother Ryuhei is much better looking in my opinion. Ryuhei is better looking, Shota is better at acting.
Anyway... Toshiki was kind of ... creepy in a way. I don't know why that was what I thought, but he struck me was just creepy. The landlady on the other hand wasn't as creepy this time. Usually, when I watch scenes with the landlady, I'm rolling around in pain because she's so ridiculous, but I was able to handle her eccentricity today. Maybe it's because I'm feeling so defeated from finals this week =_=; *sigh*
Plot progression in this episode was much better than past ones since we're finally seeing Riiko and Night getting closer, and Riiko accepting him more, plus Soshi is starting to try things out a little differently. Looks like the story will be much more interesting from now on so I guess I can stick it out for the last few episodes. I was really in pain for the first 6-7 episodes, but I think I can tolerate it now.
Monday, June 9, 2008
Twilley?
Perhaps it's just me, but... I think Twilley should have been the one to go tonight on the Bachelorette since I like Brian better... but I guess since DeAnna hasn't had as much time with Brian as she's had with Twilley, it makes sense that Brian would go =_=; Seeing Fred & Robert go was not very surprising. They say they had some chemistry, but I never quite saw that spark so... yeah... I liked Fred a lot though ^_^ He's really cute and sweet. I can see him being the good friend just like Richard, but he and DeAnna really are kind of opposites when it comes to personality and style. DeAnna is what I think of as energetic, excitement and fun and Fred is more like calm, teddy bear, and sweet. They're pretty different, but I agree that he is a great guy.
I think Jeremy and Graham are still top runners, but Graham kind of needs some babying and attention in a way. I think it's sweet for a guy to be jealous over the girl he likes and it was honest of him to share it with her, but she has been in his situation before so I think he should be a bit more understanding. I really like Jason; he is still my favorite. Jesse is a good guy, but one I see more as a friend. Sean is... a bit insensitive... it feels, but it might be because he's nervous during 1-on-1 time. I think he's a good guy, but lacks something the top runners have =_=; (Sorry, I do like him, but he's probably not going to be the one). Twilley is... really over the top. He is kind of like... well, a smart guy, but at the same time not as smart as he probably can be... Not sure how to explain it, but I don't think he'll be the one...
Anyway, I missed the Mole tonight so I'll have to watch it online after I get my take-home final done tomorrow. I have a lot to do so I probably shouldn't be wasting so much time and actually try to get some work done for once... maybe then I won't be so stressed, you know ^_^;
I think Jeremy and Graham are still top runners, but Graham kind of needs some babying and attention in a way. I think it's sweet for a guy to be jealous over the girl he likes and it was honest of him to share it with her, but she has been in his situation before so I think he should be a bit more understanding. I really like Jason; he is still my favorite. Jesse is a good guy, but one I see more as a friend. Sean is... a bit insensitive... it feels, but it might be because he's nervous during 1-on-1 time. I think he's a good guy, but lacks something the top runners have =_=; (Sorry, I do like him, but he's probably not going to be the one). Twilley is... really over the top. He is kind of like... well, a smart guy, but at the same time not as smart as he probably can be... Not sure how to explain it, but I don't think he'll be the one...
Anyway, I missed the Mole tonight so I'll have to watch it online after I get my take-home final done tomorrow. I have a lot to do so I probably shouldn't be wasting so much time and actually try to get some work done for once... maybe then I won't be so stressed, you know ^_^;
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Slice of Life Project
So... I've been procrastinating from studying and have also been kept away from it due to work among other things. A part of me feels that gripping sense of fear gnawing at my insides and yet... I feel as that things will be alright and eventually work itself out. I should be looking for a job, restructuring my resume and such, but I'm feeling pretty laid back at the moment ... which is probably a bad thing. Anyway, right now I'm working on a little side project and it's pretty exciting for me since I've been constructing it for years now and to finally get a move on it is nice.
One of my passions in life other than reading or music is to write. I love writing, but can't really make a career out of it so I do it on the side as a hobby. I have a tendency to turn practical and give up on my interests when life gets busy so my writing techniques and ideas have gone pretty rusty, still... it's nice to get back into the groove of things and do what I like. I'm hoping that I'll be able to make some progress on this story since I've never had a chance to really work on it all these years. I'll be excited once school's over so I can devote some time to my passions.
Though... as I'm saying this, I'm feeling this "Oh... there must be something that someone is waiting for me to do right about now =_=" sort of vibe emitting from somewhere. My parents want me to design a website for our restaurant and so I need to go and buy a copy of Dreamweaver in order to work on it @_@ Ah... this is going to be so much work >_< Ah well, I like designing things so it should be ok. My parents are buying the software so I'll get to use it for free when I design my own things ^,^ (How exciting~) I should also save up for a new computer... I desperately need a new desktop... except I still love my old one =_= so... yeah... *sigh* I'm totally out of space in my bedroom for another computer so... I really need to find a place to move into that has enough space for two computers in a bedroom, and four bookshelves =_=; and a closet big enough to put 5 bookshelves of books.
Yeah... at least half of my closet right now is full of manga and another half is for clothes ^_^;;; I've run out of space so I shove everything in there ^_^;;; *sigh* I need a bigger place to stay in.
One of my passions in life other than reading or music is to write. I love writing, but can't really make a career out of it so I do it on the side as a hobby. I have a tendency to turn practical and give up on my interests when life gets busy so my writing techniques and ideas have gone pretty rusty, still... it's nice to get back into the groove of things and do what I like. I'm hoping that I'll be able to make some progress on this story since I've never had a chance to really work on it all these years. I'll be excited once school's over so I can devote some time to my passions.
Though... as I'm saying this, I'm feeling this "Oh... there must be something that someone is waiting for me to do right about now =_=" sort of vibe emitting from somewhere. My parents want me to design a website for our restaurant and so I need to go and buy a copy of Dreamweaver in order to work on it @_@ Ah... this is going to be so much work >_< Ah well, I like designing things so it should be ok. My parents are buying the software so I'll get to use it for free when I design my own things ^,^ (How exciting~) I should also save up for a new computer... I desperately need a new desktop... except I still love my old one =_= so... yeah... *sigh* I'm totally out of space in my bedroom for another computer so... I really need to find a place to move into that has enough space for two computers in a bedroom, and four bookshelves =_=; and a closet big enough to put 5 bookshelves of books.
Yeah... at least half of my closet right now is full of manga and another half is for clothes ^_^;;; I've run out of space so I shove everything in there ^_^;;; *sigh* I need a bigger place to stay in.
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Nana Episode 45-57
It's been a really long time since I've watched Nana and I kind of put it down after episode 35 since the subbing was so slow and I got really busy. However... now that time is coming back to me, I decided to download the last three episodes to watch it first and then burn the last 20+ episodes off my hard drive. I've forgotten how much I like Nana after putting it down for so long. The anime was alright, a faithful adaptation to the manga, but sometimes when it's really similar to the manga, it loses its sparkle in a way. Still, I liked it for what it's worth. Hopefully Yazawa Ai finishes the manga soon 'cause waiting every month for the next installation just kills me. When it feels like we've got a grasp of what's going on, she suddenly does something that makes it seem far from finished =_= *sigh* I want it to be done soon!!!!
I'm really sad that D.Gray-man manga is on hiatus starting next week 'cause Hoshino Katsura needs to take time off in order to work on storyline ideas T__T. *weeps* But on a more positive note, Code Geass returns with a double episode special this Sunday *___* Yay~! You know... I really should be focusing on studying for my finals... not watching anime/drama =,=;
I borrowed my mother's computer hard drive to store a lot of anime/drama that I need to burn off... and it's accumulated 100+ gb of stuff to burn off =_=;;;; (Oh dear...) I hid it in a folder that she wouldn't be able to find or access that easily so that she has no idea that I'm using space on her comp =,=; I should feel guilty, but my own hard drives are out of space and she has like 200 gb left so... it can't hurt that I'm borrowing some hard drive space ^^;
I'm really sad that D.Gray-man manga is on hiatus starting next week 'cause Hoshino Katsura needs to take time off in order to work on storyline ideas T__T. *weeps* But on a more positive note, Code Geass returns with a double episode special this Sunday *___* Yay~! You know... I really should be focusing on studying for my finals... not watching anime/drama =,=;
I borrowed my mother's computer hard drive to store a lot of anime/drama that I need to burn off... and it's accumulated 100+ gb of stuff to burn off =_=;;;; (Oh dear...) I hid it in a folder that she wouldn't be able to find or access that easily so that she has no idea that I'm using space on her comp =,=; I should feel guilty, but my own hard drives are out of space and she has like 200 gb left so... it can't hurt that I'm borrowing some hard drive space ^^;
水名瀬雅良 - 吐息よりも優しい
I just recently bought this manga by Minase Masara called "Toiki yori mo Yasashii" (Gentler than a Sigh) and it's really cute. The story is about a college student named Akino Masato who starts working at this cafe and meets the novelist, Kazaoka Takashi. The two have met two years before, but Masato has changed his appearance and grown up since then so he doesn't think that Kazaoka remembers him. Masato has been searching for Kazaoka this entire time and now that he has found him, decides to get close to him again, but is unable to tell Kazaoka the truth about the two of them so he lies on top of lies in order to stay with him. If you like Minase Masara works, this is definitely something that is very much her style.
I also recently ordered the Shitsuren Mania series by Fujii Mitori, but I'm waiting on the books getting here. I love Shitsuren Mania, it's so cute. There was one time where I bought Gush magazines from JPQueen every month just so I could read it ^_^; It got way too expensive so I had to stop and now I'm buying Chara & Chara Selection every month =,=; I'm really out of book shelf space now =_=;;;
Just bought Koisuru Boukun 4 the other day too~ and if Takanaga Hinako has officially ended the series then I've collected all of them ^,^ I love Koisuru Boukun~! In book four, basically Morinaga is still trying to get Tatsumi to say he loves him back, but new twists help propel their relationship ^_^ A stalker starts attacking Tatsumi's house and scaring Kana, his little sister. Because of all the threats and stalker-like behavior, Morinaga goes to stay with the two and keep Kana company. When things spin out of control, Tatsumi reveals something that Morinaga would never have thought to ever happen and things go from there ^_^
I can't wait for ZE book 7 to come out~ I think I've collected every Shimizu Yuki work published in tanks so far *__* I love her works *__* I'm kind of glad that there isn't so much to buy though 'cause I would be dying from the strain if she had more manga out on the shelves. Also... just when I thought I had all the Kujyo Aoi books bought, she seems to put more out @,@ so now I'm really behind.
I also recently ordered the Shitsuren Mania series by Fujii Mitori, but I'm waiting on the books getting here. I love Shitsuren Mania, it's so cute. There was one time where I bought Gush magazines from JPQueen every month just so I could read it ^_^; It got way too expensive so I had to stop and now I'm buying Chara & Chara Selection every month =,=; I'm really out of book shelf space now =_=;;;
Just bought Koisuru Boukun 4 the other day too~ and if Takanaga Hinako has officially ended the series then I've collected all of them ^,^ I love Koisuru Boukun~! In book four, basically Morinaga is still trying to get Tatsumi to say he loves him back, but new twists help propel their relationship ^_^ A stalker starts attacking Tatsumi's house and scaring Kana, his little sister. Because of all the threats and stalker-like behavior, Morinaga goes to stay with the two and keep Kana company. When things spin out of control, Tatsumi reveals something that Morinaga would never have thought to ever happen and things go from there ^_^
I can't wait for ZE book 7 to come out~ I think I've collected every Shimizu Yuki work published in tanks so far *__* I love her works *__* I'm kind of glad that there isn't so much to buy though 'cause I would be dying from the strain if she had more manga out on the shelves. Also... just when I thought I had all the Kujyo Aoi books bought, she seems to put more out @,@ so now I'm really behind.
Friday, June 6, 2008
First Insomnia, Next Exhaustion
One way to cure insomnia is to freak out like crazy right before bedtime, because your PayPal account or credit/debit card information has been compromised by some loser who spends all their time rpging on GaiaOnline.com. Yes, at basically five minutes past 1AM, I discovered that a loser bought $40.00 worth of stuff from GaiaOnline from my PayPal account and I had an hour long freak-out session. I called the 24-hour hotline from my bank and just freaked out. The lady was really nice though and told me to go to the bank tomorrow to see what I should do. At first, she asked if I wanted to close my accounts, but I couldn't considering that I just ordered a lot of stuff online today =_=; ...... Yeah... how helpful of me. So... it's a dispute I can only settle with PayPal =_= Well, I sent an email to PayPal first before calling my bank, but it's not business hours so no one is going to answer any questions at this time =_=; I got pretty angry and upset with PayPal since I couldn't reach anyone at 1AM in the morning (Yeah, I know, it's kinda funny, but I really think some of these internet sites need 24 hour hotline numbers =_=). Anyway... now I'm exhausted from all the freaking out from earlier =_= and too tired to think anymore. Still, my mind is stuck on the fact that this is happening to me right now and it's really not funny =_= *sigh* If only I didn't buy so much stuff =_=;
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Last Friends Episode 09
I was literally hanging off the edge of my seat watching this episode. Looks like my predictions may be wrong, which for the first time to me is a total relief. I like being wrong this time so I hope it stays that way. I would be very surprised if the ratings for this episode did not at least make 18%. The entire episode really kept my attention and I was just so scared when watching Sousuke and Takeru. Anyway... here is a spoilerific summary of some of the things that happened in the episode:
Ruka won a race that she was participating in and the share house members celebrated it. When she came home the next day, Michiru, Eri, Takeru, and Ogurin set up a surprise party for her with lots of goodies to eat and drink. That evening when all of them were setting up for dinner, Takeru and Ruka have a bit of a "man-to-man" sort of talk (as they have decided to be life-long-friends) and Michiru saw how relaxed the two seemed. She looked a bit crushed thinking that the two have moved up a level in their relationship and possibly in love with each other.
The next morning after a night of pretty intense partying (most likely), Michiru was the first to wake up and then she heard the door bell ring. Outside was Takeru's sister, Yuko, and she wanted to see if Takeru was there. Since Michiru thought it was ok, she went and opened the gate. The two chatted briefly, before Yuko barged into the house to find Takeru. She walked into the living room to see Takeru sleeping on the floor next to Ruka, who was on the couch, and their faces were pretty close to each other. Yuko was excited to see Takeru at first, but then looked shocked and devastated. She set some cookies that she made for Takeru on the coffee table and then left the house. Takeru woke up shortly and asked Michiru about the cookes, to which she replied were from his sister. He dropped the bag in shock and then asked Michiru not to tell anyone that his sister was there, to which she agreed to, but with a very astonished expression. He threw away Yuko's cookies after picking them up off the floor.
Later that day, Eri asked Michiru if she could get a signature from her mother in order to stay at the share house since the landlady was asking about it. Takeru decided that he would accompany Michiru to her mother's apartment in order to get her parental consent on their living together.
When they arrived at Michiru's mother's apartment, Michiru's mother, Chinatsu, looked very disapprovingly at Takeru, thinking that Michiru was now staying with him -- since she knew that Michiru was staying with Sousuke to begin with. Chinatsu pulled Michiru into the next room to give her a lecture on the type of men she should be with and how Sousuke was a much more proper and upstanding man in society. She told Michiru that pretty boys (meaning Takeru) are no good -- assuming that he was a host of some sort -- and that she liked the last one (Sousuke) better. Michiru was shocked upon learning that her mother had already met Sousuke and even more upset when she realized that her mother got money from him as well. As Michiru was trying to find words in explaining to her mother why she and Sousuke were not together anymore, Takeru interrupted them and confessed everything to Chinatsu by first asking her not to tell Sousuke about Michiru coming over there that day. Initially, Chinatsu brushed off Takeru and did not care to hear what he had to say, but when she heard that Sousuke was beating Michiru during their relationship, she became a bit shook up. She tried to say that it was natural of men to beat on women, but Takeru said that it was not right and as Chinatsu is Michiru's mother, it is her duty to protect her daughter.
Meanwhile at the hospital, Eri came to visit Sousuke again, but then discovered from the nurses that he had just disappeared. She looked a bit bothered by the news, but did not let it get to her. As she was walking through the hospital hallways, she saw Reina and (possibly) her boyfriend sitting together. The man kept apologizing and Reina -- with a defeated expression and patch over one eye -- told him that it was alright. Eri looked away and kept walking.
Back at Chinatsu's apartment that evening, Takeru and Chinatsu had gotten much better together and were getting along now. The three of them had some alcohol to drink and very merry conversation to boot. Michiru looked on at the two, fairly content that Takeru and her mother were getting along so well. Afterwards, Michiru and Takeru walked home together having convinced her mother of signing the forms, but it then suddenly started to rain. Takeru -- who was prepared and everything -- brought out an umbrella and the two walked underneath it. Michiru was happy at first, but then got uncomfortable since they were not dating so she could not really walk closer to him. She decided to go buy something and told Takeru to go home first without her.
After Michiru left Takeru, she went to a department store to look at umbrellas. Unfortunately, she did not realize that Sousuke was also in the area, limping with his crutch. He noticed her and walked over, then called her name. Michiru froze at hearing his voice and turned to face him, her expression twisted with a mixture of fear and shock. Sousuke asked if she had read his letters and when she looked confused, he knew that she had not. He also asked if she could go back home with him, seeing that he was injured and could not really take care of himself. Michiru then told him that they had already broken up -- so she would not be going back with him -- and her words really shocked him. When he wasn't going to accept her answer, she quickly put down the umbrellas and ran out of the store. However, he called her name and hurried after her. Michiru stopped and he grabbed her arm, still asking her to go back. Michiru asked him to forgive her and let her go free, because she fell in love with someone else. Sousuke was shocked and said that she was lying and Michiru told him that it was not a lie and then left as quickly as she could. Just a little later, Takeru -- who was probably worried about her and went after her -- bumped into Michiru and the two go home together. Sousuke, noticing this from where he was standing, stood and looked on.
Some time later, Takeru heard from his superior that a new job came in for him, saying that someone -- a director maybe (I can't really remember) -- really liked his abilities and wanted him to do hair & make-up for a movie. Upon hearing that he was very excited and immediately called Ruka, telling her about it. Later that evening, he told all the share house members that evening about it. Eri whined that she did not want him to quit his bartending job, because she liked it so much, but Takeru said that he would not be quitting bartending for now at least. He also declared that he would be taking Michiru as his assistant, but she seemed pretty unresponsive to this. She then snapped out of her trance and said that she would give her very best, but cannot not fully express how happy she was since her mind was still on Sousuke.
The next day as Takeru was going home from his bartending job, he was pushed off a set of stairs by Sousuke who smacked him with his crutch. Takeru tried to run away, but was trapped by Sousuke and then beaten pretty badily. Sousuke used his crutch to do some brutal beating on Takeru and then stepped on his right hand -- that precious golden hand used for hair & make-up T___T. *weeps*
A little later, Michiru, who was sleeping at home, woke up to hear the door bell ring. When she didn't see anyone at the gate, she become hesitant about going to the door, but proceeded to it anyway. She opened the door to see Takeru collapse down on the ground and immediately went to help him. Meanwhile, Ruka's cell phone rang at the motorcross track and she picked it up to learn about Takeru's condition. She immediately rushed home where all the share house members were gathered around Takeru's bedside. Kneeling down next to him, she called out his name and he said, "Welcome home." Michiru was torn over what happened and said that it was her fault before rushing out in tears. Ruka immediately understood immediately what happened from Michiru's one line and went to her room later to tell her that it was not her fault. Michiru confessed that she told Sousuke that she fell in love (with Takeru) and that if she had not done it, then Takeru would not have been hurt. She said that she thought that if she said it then Sousuke would give up on her, and said that it's not really a lie though. Ruka asked if Michiru loved Takeru and Michiru said that she's not sure, plus Takeru was in love with Ruka as Ruka was in love with him too. Ruka then corrected Michiru and said that the two of them were friends, and the relationship between them was not Michiru thought it is.
Meanwhile, Eri and Ogurin were in the living room talking and Eri said that she let her guard down, not thinking much of it. Ogurin was more worried that Sousuke was going to pick off all of them sooner or later. Ruka then confronted him and said that it was almost as though Ogurin was hoping that Michiru would leave, which he protested and said that he never said that. However, Ruka said that it was what he was thinking, how much more relieved they would all be if she had left. She then told him that he should go home (to his wife) if he's so worried and that
she would move out of her current apartment, back to the share house just to protect Michiru.
A day or so later, Takeru was out of bed and Michiru was taking care of him. He was trying to do some rehabilitation in order to get his hands moving properly again, but looked like he was having a lot of difficulty. Michiru looked very guilty over this and asked if he was alright, to which he replied he was. She later accompanied to the hospital and waited in the lobby as he got his hand checked by the doctor. Meanwhile, back at the share house, Ruka had returned and looked around to see a note on the table from Michiru saying that she and Takeru were out. After reading the note, the phone began to ring and Ruka looked hesitant to pick it up. After the phone rang a few times, she answered the phone and later went over to Sousuke's apartment to speak with him -- as he was the one who was calling.
At Sousuke's apartment, Ruka watched as Sousuke tried to scare her. He was telling her about the notes he sent to her parents and such, and then asked where Michiru was and if she was with that man (meaning Takeru). Ruka said that if she was, then what of it? She said that Michiru was no longer his girlfriend or anything like it. She had changed and that she living by standing on her own two feet now. Michiru was also going to be much happier from now on as well, which Ruka will never allow Sousuke to crush that happiness. Sousuke asked why Ruka would say it in that way and Ruka then said to him that the one who truly loves Michiru is herself. She then asked if Sousuke just thought that "that sort of love was not love at all?" to which he responded by getting violent with her. The two fought in the apartment and the lamp that Sousuke bought to replace the broken one from before fell and shattered on the ground. Sousuke pushed Ruka towards the broken shards and cut her face. He then ripped open the front of her shirt.
Back at the share house, the cup portion of Takeru's cup fell off as he was about to use it. At hearing the sound of the cup falling down and rolling on the ground, Michiru hurried to the kitchen to see what happened. Both Michiru and Takeru looked at the cup on the floor in astonishment, but Takeru looked quite worried as he stared at the cup handle in his hand. Michiru watched Takeru with a thoughtful expression...
Preview of the second to last episode - Sousuke's narration to Michiru: "The only place you belong to, is with me. Until you die, I will never abandon you." Title of the episode is Ai to Shi meaning "Love & Death."
This was an intense episode, it was by far the most intense episode in the entire series. We never quite got to learn anything more about Takeru's past and it looks like next week's episode is the last (or close to last) one so we might not get any more than an idea of his past. Also, there might or might not be a lot of time left to learn about Sousuke's past either -- though we already got a glimpse of it when Michiru was telling Takeru about Sousuke back during episode 4. This only leaves us with what happens next between Sousuke and Ruka.
Sousuke might rape Ruka. This is a possibility as he was practically on top of her in a position that she would not have been able to easily move from; however, lamp shards were next to her so maybe she would be able to grab one and stab him. The betrayal that Michiru talked about in episode one could be that Sousuke raped Ruka, which then is Michiru's fault, because of her, Ruka got raped. Another thing the betrayal could be is that Michiru ran away after Sousuke died or something. I think it's more clear now to the audience who will be the one dying and I think that it may actually end up being Sousuke with Ruka killing him in self defense. (O_O)
I think ratings are probably going to shoot up for the last episode, but not sure how high. Maybe it might hit 20%?
Ruka won a race that she was participating in and the share house members celebrated it. When she came home the next day, Michiru, Eri, Takeru, and Ogurin set up a surprise party for her with lots of goodies to eat and drink. That evening when all of them were setting up for dinner, Takeru and Ruka have a bit of a "man-to-man" sort of talk (as they have decided to be life-long-friends) and Michiru saw how relaxed the two seemed. She looked a bit crushed thinking that the two have moved up a level in their relationship and possibly in love with each other.
The next morning after a night of pretty intense partying (most likely), Michiru was the first to wake up and then she heard the door bell ring. Outside was Takeru's sister, Yuko, and she wanted to see if Takeru was there. Since Michiru thought it was ok, she went and opened the gate. The two chatted briefly, before Yuko barged into the house to find Takeru. She walked into the living room to see Takeru sleeping on the floor next to Ruka, who was on the couch, and their faces were pretty close to each other. Yuko was excited to see Takeru at first, but then looked shocked and devastated. She set some cookies that she made for Takeru on the coffee table and then left the house. Takeru woke up shortly and asked Michiru about the cookes, to which she replied were from his sister. He dropped the bag in shock and then asked Michiru not to tell anyone that his sister was there, to which she agreed to, but with a very astonished expression. He threw away Yuko's cookies after picking them up off the floor.
Later that day, Eri asked Michiru if she could get a signature from her mother in order to stay at the share house since the landlady was asking about it. Takeru decided that he would accompany Michiru to her mother's apartment in order to get her parental consent on their living together.
When they arrived at Michiru's mother's apartment, Michiru's mother, Chinatsu, looked very disapprovingly at Takeru, thinking that Michiru was now staying with him -- since she knew that Michiru was staying with Sousuke to begin with. Chinatsu pulled Michiru into the next room to give her a lecture on the type of men she should be with and how Sousuke was a much more proper and upstanding man in society. She told Michiru that pretty boys (meaning Takeru) are no good -- assuming that he was a host of some sort -- and that she liked the last one (Sousuke) better. Michiru was shocked upon learning that her mother had already met Sousuke and even more upset when she realized that her mother got money from him as well. As Michiru was trying to find words in explaining to her mother why she and Sousuke were not together anymore, Takeru interrupted them and confessed everything to Chinatsu by first asking her not to tell Sousuke about Michiru coming over there that day. Initially, Chinatsu brushed off Takeru and did not care to hear what he had to say, but when she heard that Sousuke was beating Michiru during their relationship, she became a bit shook up. She tried to say that it was natural of men to beat on women, but Takeru said that it was not right and as Chinatsu is Michiru's mother, it is her duty to protect her daughter.
Meanwhile at the hospital, Eri came to visit Sousuke again, but then discovered from the nurses that he had just disappeared. She looked a bit bothered by the news, but did not let it get to her. As she was walking through the hospital hallways, she saw Reina and (possibly) her boyfriend sitting together. The man kept apologizing and Reina -- with a defeated expression and patch over one eye -- told him that it was alright. Eri looked away and kept walking.
Back at Chinatsu's apartment that evening, Takeru and Chinatsu had gotten much better together and were getting along now. The three of them had some alcohol to drink and very merry conversation to boot. Michiru looked on at the two, fairly content that Takeru and her mother were getting along so well. Afterwards, Michiru and Takeru walked home together having convinced her mother of signing the forms, but it then suddenly started to rain. Takeru -- who was prepared and everything -- brought out an umbrella and the two walked underneath it. Michiru was happy at first, but then got uncomfortable since they were not dating so she could not really walk closer to him. She decided to go buy something and told Takeru to go home first without her.
After Michiru left Takeru, she went to a department store to look at umbrellas. Unfortunately, she did not realize that Sousuke was also in the area, limping with his crutch. He noticed her and walked over, then called her name. Michiru froze at hearing his voice and turned to face him, her expression twisted with a mixture of fear and shock. Sousuke asked if she had read his letters and when she looked confused, he knew that she had not. He also asked if she could go back home with him, seeing that he was injured and could not really take care of himself. Michiru then told him that they had already broken up -- so she would not be going back with him -- and her words really shocked him. When he wasn't going to accept her answer, she quickly put down the umbrellas and ran out of the store. However, he called her name and hurried after her. Michiru stopped and he grabbed her arm, still asking her to go back. Michiru asked him to forgive her and let her go free, because she fell in love with someone else. Sousuke was shocked and said that she was lying and Michiru told him that it was not a lie and then left as quickly as she could. Just a little later, Takeru -- who was probably worried about her and went after her -- bumped into Michiru and the two go home together. Sousuke, noticing this from where he was standing, stood and looked on.
Some time later, Takeru heard from his superior that a new job came in for him, saying that someone -- a director maybe (I can't really remember) -- really liked his abilities and wanted him to do hair & make-up for a movie. Upon hearing that he was very excited and immediately called Ruka, telling her about it. Later that evening, he told all the share house members that evening about it. Eri whined that she did not want him to quit his bartending job, because she liked it so much, but Takeru said that he would not be quitting bartending for now at least. He also declared that he would be taking Michiru as his assistant, but she seemed pretty unresponsive to this. She then snapped out of her trance and said that she would give her very best, but cannot not fully express how happy she was since her mind was still on Sousuke.
The next day as Takeru was going home from his bartending job, he was pushed off a set of stairs by Sousuke who smacked him with his crutch. Takeru tried to run away, but was trapped by Sousuke and then beaten pretty badily. Sousuke used his crutch to do some brutal beating on Takeru and then stepped on his right hand -- that precious golden hand used for hair & make-up T___T. *weeps*
A little later, Michiru, who was sleeping at home, woke up to hear the door bell ring. When she didn't see anyone at the gate, she become hesitant about going to the door, but proceeded to it anyway. She opened the door to see Takeru collapse down on the ground and immediately went to help him. Meanwhile, Ruka's cell phone rang at the motorcross track and she picked it up to learn about Takeru's condition. She immediately rushed home where all the share house members were gathered around Takeru's bedside. Kneeling down next to him, she called out his name and he said, "Welcome home." Michiru was torn over what happened and said that it was her fault before rushing out in tears. Ruka immediately understood immediately what happened from Michiru's one line and went to her room later to tell her that it was not her fault. Michiru confessed that she told Sousuke that she fell in love (with Takeru) and that if she had not done it, then Takeru would not have been hurt. She said that she thought that if she said it then Sousuke would give up on her, and said that it's not really a lie though. Ruka asked if Michiru loved Takeru and Michiru said that she's not sure, plus Takeru was in love with Ruka as Ruka was in love with him too. Ruka then corrected Michiru and said that the two of them were friends, and the relationship between them was not Michiru thought it is.
Meanwhile, Eri and Ogurin were in the living room talking and Eri said that she let her guard down, not thinking much of it. Ogurin was more worried that Sousuke was going to pick off all of them sooner or later. Ruka then confronted him and said that it was almost as though Ogurin was hoping that Michiru would leave, which he protested and said that he never said that. However, Ruka said that it was what he was thinking, how much more relieved they would all be if she had left. She then told him that he should go home (to his wife) if he's so worried and that
she would move out of her current apartment, back to the share house just to protect Michiru.
A day or so later, Takeru was out of bed and Michiru was taking care of him. He was trying to do some rehabilitation in order to get his hands moving properly again, but looked like he was having a lot of difficulty. Michiru looked very guilty over this and asked if he was alright, to which he replied he was. She later accompanied to the hospital and waited in the lobby as he got his hand checked by the doctor. Meanwhile, back at the share house, Ruka had returned and looked around to see a note on the table from Michiru saying that she and Takeru were out. After reading the note, the phone began to ring and Ruka looked hesitant to pick it up. After the phone rang a few times, she answered the phone and later went over to Sousuke's apartment to speak with him -- as he was the one who was calling.
At Sousuke's apartment, Ruka watched as Sousuke tried to scare her. He was telling her about the notes he sent to her parents and such, and then asked where Michiru was and if she was with that man (meaning Takeru). Ruka said that if she was, then what of it? She said that Michiru was no longer his girlfriend or anything like it. She had changed and that she living by standing on her own two feet now. Michiru was also going to be much happier from now on as well, which Ruka will never allow Sousuke to crush that happiness. Sousuke asked why Ruka would say it in that way and Ruka then said to him that the one who truly loves Michiru is herself. She then asked if Sousuke just thought that "that sort of love was not love at all?" to which he responded by getting violent with her. The two fought in the apartment and the lamp that Sousuke bought to replace the broken one from before fell and shattered on the ground. Sousuke pushed Ruka towards the broken shards and cut her face. He then ripped open the front of her shirt.
Back at the share house, the cup portion of Takeru's cup fell off as he was about to use it. At hearing the sound of the cup falling down and rolling on the ground, Michiru hurried to the kitchen to see what happened. Both Michiru and Takeru looked at the cup on the floor in astonishment, but Takeru looked quite worried as he stared at the cup handle in his hand. Michiru watched Takeru with a thoughtful expression...
Preview of the second to last episode - Sousuke's narration to Michiru: "The only place you belong to, is with me. Until you die, I will never abandon you." Title of the episode is Ai to Shi meaning "Love & Death."
This was an intense episode, it was by far the most intense episode in the entire series. We never quite got to learn anything more about Takeru's past and it looks like next week's episode is the last (or close to last) one so we might not get any more than an idea of his past. Also, there might or might not be a lot of time left to learn about Sousuke's past either -- though we already got a glimpse of it when Michiru was telling Takeru about Sousuke back during episode 4. This only leaves us with what happens next between Sousuke and Ruka.
Sousuke might rape Ruka. This is a possibility as he was practically on top of her in a position that she would not have been able to easily move from; however, lamp shards were next to her so maybe she would be able to grab one and stab him. The betrayal that Michiru talked about in episode one could be that Sousuke raped Ruka, which then is Michiru's fault, because of her, Ruka got raped. Another thing the betrayal could be is that Michiru ran away after Sousuke died or something. I think it's more clear now to the audience who will be the one dying and I think that it may actually end up being Sousuke with Ruka killing him in self defense. (O_O)
I think ratings are probably going to shoot up for the last episode, but not sure how high. Maybe it might hit 20%?
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
The Mole Episode 01
I have to say for the record that I love "The Mole." I've been a fan of the show since long, long ago so I'll be pretty much posting every week about the show. For those who have not seen "The Mole," it's basically a psychological game about 12 players who are taken to various locations around the world and they participate in these missions in order to win money. Among them is a traitor a.k.a. "the mole," and their job is to sabotage missions and outwit the other players throughout the entire game. All of the players have no idea who is the mole and each suspects each other, recording their observations and suspicions in a journal provided by the game host. At the end of the week, a quiz is held for all players to test their knowledge on the mole. If they score high, they get to stay in the game. If they score the lowest amount of points, they are then sent home. Besides trying to find the mole, each player also tries to deceive other players into thinking they are the mole so others will test incorrectly and be sent home.
For the first episode, they players are taken to Chile. After all the players get to know each other, they are sent on their first mission: waterfall-jumping. Each player, while wearing protection gear strung on safety wire, will ride a raft up the river in order to jump for a money bag hanging on a pole sticking right over the edge of the waterfall. The player that everyone suspects is the mole, gets to be the commander of the mission and thus does not have to jump. This leaves 11 players jumping for money, and out of 11 bags of money only 6 carry real cash -- the rest have fake money inside. Each bag can hold $10,000 so the players have a chance of winning $60,000.
The first person suspected to be the mole is Marcie, a 31 year-old housewife, so she gets to take control of the mission. She gets to pick who jumps for money and who jumps for fake cash. The order of jumpers is as follows:
Some observations made during the mission:
- Alex: pretty athletic, alleges to fear drowning and good on feet
- Ali: seems to be Christian (prays before she jumps)
- Clay: very belligerent-like attitude (he's a criminal trial lawyer)
- Kristin: alleges to be very athletic, pretty tall as well
- Bobby: gay, tall, very cute ^_^
- Liz: looks pretty heavy-set, used to teach dance for 20 years
- Paul: likes to talk a lot as though he is in charge, has a bit of an attitude
- Victoria: used to be a cheerleader, sat on raft entire time
- Craig: is very heavy-set, when he fails getting bag, everyone cheers
- Nicole: alleges to fear heights
- Mark: very competitive nature, also seems pretty smart (Well, he is a teacher)
Post-Mission: Since Marcie is still in charge, she gets to pick who gets to stay in a 8-person cabin and who gets to sleep outside. The four chosen to sleep outside are Nicole, Craig, Liz, and Bobby. Nicole refuses to sleep outside, so she circumvents inside the entire night. Since she is an obgyn, staying up all night is very easy for her. Everyone is annoyed with Nicole for her attitude. Meanwhile, it is evident that Alex and Paul have a coalition together.
Next Morning: Paul starts a coalition with Marcie in secret, and claims to audience that he is using Alex. Both Paul and Alex drive the two vans out to the beach for the second mission. The name of the second mission is "Crusoe," based off of Robinson Crusoe. The host gives a rundown of Crusoe being based off of real-life sailor, Alex Seltkirk, and the players are to scavenger hunt for five items that Seltkirk was left with when he was stranded on a deserted island in 1704. For this mission, the number one whiner of the group is picked to be the leader of the group. As Nicole was the one who whined the most, she was then made as the leader. She then picks six people to be scavengers, three people to be appraisers, and two to be timekeepers. The scavengers go and find items, bring them back to the appraisers to assemble together before the host to see what they got right, and the timekeepers run back and forth to grab sand and put it into a giant hourglass in order to give the team enough time. The team only has three tries to guess the correct items, and for each correct item they have, they win $5,000 per object. For the purposes of the mission. groups are divided as follows:
Scavengers: Craig, Marcie, Clay, Alex, Bobby, and Victoria
Appraisers: Kristin, Liz, and Mark
Timekeepers: Paul and Ali
Observations: throughout the mission, the girls do the most running around while the men kind of saunter about -- as said by Liz. Bobby alleges to be very out of shape and constantly puts his hand to his heart. Craig is pretty huge in size, so moving around quickly is pretty difficult for him. Though the girls are running around a lot, not all of them are too bright. Considering that the year is 1704, the products they scavenge should match it except some bring back fans, vacuum cleaners, and jeans. Mark gets pretty irritated with the scavengers for wasting time in bringing back useless objects, while Paul stops filling the sandglass after alleging to be exhausted. Ali continues to try and keep the glass from losing all the sand. In the end, only three items are correct, which gives the team a total of $15,000 for the mission and overall pot amount is now at $35,000.
Once the mission is over, the whiner is stranded on the island while everyone else goes back to the hotel. Because of this, Nicole spends the night by herself on the beach; however there are enough items lying around for her to make a fire and sleep with blankets, sleeping bags, etc.
Back at the hotel, everyone goes over their observations and try to see who the mole is. When dinner hits, the eleven players join the host for a meal and chat about the game so far. They get to drink... pisco sours!!!! *dies in envy* (Now I want to go to the Moxie for pisco sours) After dinner, the eleven players take the execution test about the mole and quiz questions are as follows:
Suspicions Revealed During Quiz:
- Craig: Marcie
- Bobby: Kristin
- Marcie: Nicole
- Mark: Craig
- Victoria: Bobby
For me personally, I never suspected Marcie to be the mole. Some of the reasons she gave throughout the first episode really remind me of a person who thinks they're capable of a lot, but has quite a few limitations. Marcie married young after getting pregnant by her high school sweetheart so her education basically stopped right after high school. She does not seem to know very much, and though she may be a pretty good judge of character, she is not very good at feeling out for the right answers. Starting a coalition with Pauly, is not exactly smartest decision.
So far some suspicions I have is that Nicole holds the potential to be the mole for various reasons; however, Liz and Craig should not be left out. Craig is very big, which makes missions of serious physical stamina pretty difficult for him and Liz is 60 years old, she is pretty quick on her feet for being a retired lady, but she holds the possibility for being the mole too. These two are people you would never really suspect. Seriously though, I have no idea right now as it is still too early in the game to tell. Perhaps with the next episode, we'd be able to close in on more answers.
For the first episode, they players are taken to Chile. After all the players get to know each other, they are sent on their first mission: waterfall-jumping. Each player, while wearing protection gear strung on safety wire, will ride a raft up the river in order to jump for a money bag hanging on a pole sticking right over the edge of the waterfall. The player that everyone suspects is the mole, gets to be the commander of the mission and thus does not have to jump. This leaves 11 players jumping for money, and out of 11 bags of money only 6 carry real cash -- the rest have fake money inside. Each bag can hold $10,000 so the players have a chance of winning $60,000.
The first person suspected to be the mole is Marcie, a 31 year-old housewife, so she gets to take control of the mission. She gets to pick who jumps for money and who jumps for fake cash. The order of jumpers is as follows:
- Alex (age 31, musician)
- Ali (age 24, model)
- Clay (age 32, attorney)
- Kristin (age 35, neuroscientist)
- Bobby (age 25, restaurant manager)
- Liz (age 60, retired)
- Paul (age 29, utility worker)
- Victoria (age 26, retail manager)
- Craig (age 30, graphic artist)
- Nicole (age 33, obgyn)
- Mark (age 42, h.s. history teacher/soccer coach)
Some observations made during the mission:
- Alex: pretty athletic, alleges to fear drowning and good on feet
- Ali: seems to be Christian (prays before she jumps)
- Clay: very belligerent-like attitude (he's a criminal trial lawyer)
- Kristin: alleges to be very athletic, pretty tall as well
- Bobby: gay, tall, very cute ^_^
- Liz: looks pretty heavy-set, used to teach dance for 20 years
- Paul: likes to talk a lot as though he is in charge, has a bit of an attitude
- Victoria: used to be a cheerleader, sat on raft entire time
- Craig: is very heavy-set, when he fails getting bag, everyone cheers
- Nicole: alleges to fear heights
- Mark: very competitive nature, also seems pretty smart (Well, he is a teacher)
Post-Mission: Since Marcie is still in charge, she gets to pick who gets to stay in a 8-person cabin and who gets to sleep outside. The four chosen to sleep outside are Nicole, Craig, Liz, and Bobby. Nicole refuses to sleep outside, so she circumvents inside the entire night. Since she is an obgyn, staying up all night is very easy for her. Everyone is annoyed with Nicole for her attitude. Meanwhile, it is evident that Alex and Paul have a coalition together.
Next Morning: Paul starts a coalition with Marcie in secret, and claims to audience that he is using Alex. Both Paul and Alex drive the two vans out to the beach for the second mission. The name of the second mission is "Crusoe," based off of Robinson Crusoe. The host gives a rundown of Crusoe being based off of real-life sailor, Alex Seltkirk, and the players are to scavenger hunt for five items that Seltkirk was left with when he was stranded on a deserted island in 1704. For this mission, the number one whiner of the group is picked to be the leader of the group. As Nicole was the one who whined the most, she was then made as the leader. She then picks six people to be scavengers, three people to be appraisers, and two to be timekeepers. The scavengers go and find items, bring them back to the appraisers to assemble together before the host to see what they got right, and the timekeepers run back and forth to grab sand and put it into a giant hourglass in order to give the team enough time. The team only has three tries to guess the correct items, and for each correct item they have, they win $5,000 per object. For the purposes of the mission. groups are divided as follows:
Scavengers: Craig, Marcie, Clay, Alex, Bobby, and Victoria
Appraisers: Kristin, Liz, and Mark
Timekeepers: Paul and Ali
Observations: throughout the mission, the girls do the most running around while the men kind of saunter about -- as said by Liz. Bobby alleges to be very out of shape and constantly puts his hand to his heart. Craig is pretty huge in size, so moving around quickly is pretty difficult for him. Though the girls are running around a lot, not all of them are too bright. Considering that the year is 1704, the products they scavenge should match it except some bring back fans, vacuum cleaners, and jeans. Mark gets pretty irritated with the scavengers for wasting time in bringing back useless objects, while Paul stops filling the sandglass after alleging to be exhausted. Ali continues to try and keep the glass from losing all the sand. In the end, only three items are correct, which gives the team a total of $15,000 for the mission and overall pot amount is now at $35,000.
Once the mission is over, the whiner is stranded on the island while everyone else goes back to the hotel. Because of this, Nicole spends the night by herself on the beach; however there are enough items lying around for her to make a fire and sleep with blankets, sleeping bags, etc.
Back at the hotel, everyone goes over their observations and try to see who the mole is. When dinner hits, the eleven players join the host for a meal and chat about the game so far. They get to drink... pisco sours!!!! *dies in envy* (Now I want to go to the Moxie for pisco sours) After dinner, the eleven players take the execution test about the mole and quiz questions are as follows:
- Is the mole male or female?
- When did the mole jump in "Over the Falls" mission?
- In the "Crusoe" mission, which role was the mole assigned to?
- On the first night, where was the mole assigned to sleep?
- As written on their bag, does the mole have an even or odd number of letters in their name?
- What is the mole's age?
- In "Over the Falls," what was the outcome of the mole's jump?
- Did the Mole drive one of the vans to the beach?
- At the start of the "Crusoe" mission. was the mole wearing a hat?
- Who is the mole?
Suspicions Revealed During Quiz:
- Craig: Marcie
- Bobby: Kristin
- Marcie: Nicole
- Mark: Craig
- Victoria: Bobby
For me personally, I never suspected Marcie to be the mole. Some of the reasons she gave throughout the first episode really remind me of a person who thinks they're capable of a lot, but has quite a few limitations. Marcie married young after getting pregnant by her high school sweetheart so her education basically stopped right after high school. She does not seem to know very much, and though she may be a pretty good judge of character, she is not very good at feeling out for the right answers. Starting a coalition with Pauly, is not exactly smartest decision.
So far some suspicions I have is that Nicole holds the potential to be the mole for various reasons; however, Liz and Craig should not be left out. Craig is very big, which makes missions of serious physical stamina pretty difficult for him and Liz is 60 years old, she is pretty quick on her feet for being a retired lady, but she holds the possibility for being the mole too. These two are people you would never really suspect. Seriously though, I have no idea right now as it is still too early in the game to tell. Perhaps with the next episode, we'd be able to close in on more answers.
Monday, June 2, 2008
Silly Summer Shows, Bachelorette, & The Mole
As I was watching the Bacholerette -- because I somehow got hooked on it -- there were previews for some really silly shows this summer. Tuesday, June 24th there are two new shows: "Wipeout" and "I Survived a Japanese Game Show." I have watched a couple Japanese game shows while staying in Taiwan, so I enjoy them quite immensely. I'm not sure how Americans are going to survive it, but it will indeed be interesting. If I remember, I must go and check it out ^_^
Something about today's Bacholerette episode didn't really surprise me at all. The editors certainly made DeAnna look shallow in the previews for a moment, but I had a feeling with the way she is, that things were going to go pretty well between her and Jason. I have such a hard time picking the guy she should end up with. I really like Graham, but it looks like issues are going to happen more and more between them. Jeremy looks like someone she is pretty fitted for given their backgrounds, but Jason is extremely sweet. Though he kind of comes with a family in tow, he and DeAnna can be pretty well-fitted for each other. He looked like he was going to cry when she told him about her mother, and then he was just holding it all in when she named a star after his son. They look very sweet together. Jesse is a fun guy, but I think they're more friend-types than date-type. I'm not fond of Sean, he's ... kind of ... well... a man's man =_=; We'll just say though he's good-looking, he's really not the type I'd go for and I'm not sure he's a good fit for DeAnna. Bryan is a sweetie, and I like him a lot, but I'm not sure if a he's a fit either. All the guys left so far are pretty nice, Twilley's a bit over the top and yeah... I can't think of much to say about him. I must say that having Ron get sent home was of no surprise, no woman wants to deal with a guy who only wants to think about another guy the entire duration of the relationship =_= (I think I can accept it if it was a more loving way of thinking, but it was more like "hate, hate, and more hate"). Paul getting sent home was of no surprise in a sense either. Sorry, sweetie, but you're a bit young =_=; and though it's cute that you try so hard, you're not a good fit for her. That's just the way life is =_= I had a feeling that Richard was going to go sometime... because I really didn't see the chemistry between them. Richard's a nice guy, but they're also not a good fit. I hope he finds a nice girl someday though, he's a really cute and nice guy.
I just finished watching a clip from Ellen's show and they were just talking about Jason... I wonder if DeAnna doesn't pick him, since it seems like she just might not. I think he's the sweetest one in the bunch right now though T__T. If he doesn't get picked, he really should be the next bachelor. He would make the show much more interesting considering that any woman who ends up with him will have to become a mom straight away.
Also, The Mole started today and I was pretty psyched, because I really liked the show when I was much younger. It really is a mind game and totally exercises your brain on who is the traitor in the group. I missed the last half of the it 'cause my parents came home and made me do chores =_=; *sigh* So... hopefully ABC online has it so I can watch it later.
Something about today's Bacholerette episode didn't really surprise me at all. The editors certainly made DeAnna look shallow in the previews for a moment, but I had a feeling with the way she is, that things were going to go pretty well between her and Jason. I have such a hard time picking the guy she should end up with. I really like Graham, but it looks like issues are going to happen more and more between them. Jeremy looks like someone she is pretty fitted for given their backgrounds, but Jason is extremely sweet. Though he kind of comes with a family in tow, he and DeAnna can be pretty well-fitted for each other. He looked like he was going to cry when she told him about her mother, and then he was just holding it all in when she named a star after his son. They look very sweet together. Jesse is a fun guy, but I think they're more friend-types than date-type. I'm not fond of Sean, he's ... kind of ... well... a man's man =_=; We'll just say though he's good-looking, he's really not the type I'd go for and I'm not sure he's a good fit for DeAnna. Bryan is a sweetie, and I like him a lot, but I'm not sure if a he's a fit either. All the guys left so far are pretty nice, Twilley's a bit over the top and yeah... I can't think of much to say about him. I must say that having Ron get sent home was of no surprise, no woman wants to deal with a guy who only wants to think about another guy the entire duration of the relationship =_= (I think I can accept it if it was a more loving way of thinking, but it was more like "hate, hate, and more hate"). Paul getting sent home was of no surprise in a sense either. Sorry, sweetie, but you're a bit young =_=; and though it's cute that you try so hard, you're not a good fit for her. That's just the way life is =_= I had a feeling that Richard was going to go sometime... because I really didn't see the chemistry between them. Richard's a nice guy, but they're also not a good fit. I hope he finds a nice girl someday though, he's a really cute and nice guy.
I just finished watching a clip from Ellen's show and they were just talking about Jason... I wonder if DeAnna doesn't pick him, since it seems like she just might not. I think he's the sweetest one in the bunch right now though T__T. If he doesn't get picked, he really should be the next bachelor. He would make the show much more interesting considering that any woman who ends up with him will have to become a mom straight away.
Also, The Mole started today and I was pretty psyched, because I really liked the show when I was much younger. It really is a mind game and totally exercises your brain on who is the traitor in the group. I missed the last half of the it 'cause my parents came home and made me do chores =_=; *sigh* So... hopefully ABC online has it so I can watch it later.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
The Seventh Day Episode 01
The Seventh Day (also known as The Most Beautiful Seventh Day) is kind of an entertaining, modern day story set in Hong Kong. I downloaded it, because I haven't watched TVB drama in such a long time. A lot of the things going on in the first episode really remind me of Hong Kong, making me kind of miss it actually ^_^; I guess though I usually wouldn't watch something like this, I was pretty desperate for Cantonese drama T__T. (I miss TVB so much T__T). I think reading the English translation really made me dizzy 'cause it's weird to watch a Cantonese drama with English text in my opinion. I'm so used to watching it with just Chinese subtitles so.... I guess I'll eventually get used to it.
The story is basically a romantic comedy/drama involving two key couples. One couple is made up of a pet shop worker named Ling Ka Yan who was diagnosed with a terminal disease when she was young, and because of this has never dated before due to her overprotective father, and a laid-back lifeguard, Yau Zi Wing who seems to be working several other jobs as well. Another couple concerns a young, scheming entrepreneur named Don who wants to get rich fast and a manga artist by the name of Sa Sa, who feeds off of her friends' misery and ideas in order to sell her stories.
A lot of the language is full of puns -- as expected of a Cantonese drama -- and is pretty enjoyable for what it is. The character, Sa Sa, is very entertaining as well. All she does is cause trouble for Don, but he does not realize this. She is pretty scheming in helping herself, but she does really care for her friends .... while digging up material for her stories, that is ^_^. In my opinion, pairing her up with a calculating company owner is very good because they're both of the same make. They have a pretty good first encounter in contrast to the misunderstanding that occurs between Yan and Wing. Don (Bosco Wong) looks a bit like Narimiya Hiroki ... he even sounds like him too .... though I really am not a big fan of Narimiya Hiroki =_=; (For some reason, I feel as though there's only one type of acting Narimiya can do and other than that, he's not exactly a great actor)
I think the story between Yan and Wing are probably a cliche type of pairing. We have girl with a past illness who has led a sheltered life and never dated before, who then meets this free-spirit-like guy who is very kind and intelligent, but probably not very wealthy. They have a misunderstanding in the beginning, but despite ill feelings, Yan will fall in love with Wing. If things don't work out by episode 20, the girl will probably die from when her illness strikes again. That, or it ends happily.
I hope the next episode comes out soon. It's very exciting to be able to watch something in my own dialect for once since a lot of the TVB series on d-addict end up getting dubbed into Mandarin so a lot of the original jokes -- that can only be understood in Cantonese -- lose their humorous edge once dubbed. As much as I love speaking Mandarin, you just can't be coarse and sarcastic in that dialect. I'm always a bit bored when watching a Cantonese drama dubbed, because things are 100% funnier when said in Cantonese. I swear, Cantonese are pros at punning EVERYTHING and ANYTHING you can say. That's where all the fun comes ^_^
The story is basically a romantic comedy/drama involving two key couples. One couple is made up of a pet shop worker named Ling Ka Yan who was diagnosed with a terminal disease when she was young, and because of this has never dated before due to her overprotective father, and a laid-back lifeguard, Yau Zi Wing who seems to be working several other jobs as well. Another couple concerns a young, scheming entrepreneur named Don who wants to get rich fast and a manga artist by the name of Sa Sa, who feeds off of her friends' misery and ideas in order to sell her stories.
A lot of the language is full of puns -- as expected of a Cantonese drama -- and is pretty enjoyable for what it is. The character, Sa Sa, is very entertaining as well. All she does is cause trouble for Don, but he does not realize this. She is pretty scheming in helping herself, but she does really care for her friends .... while digging up material for her stories, that is ^_^. In my opinion, pairing her up with a calculating company owner is very good because they're both of the same make. They have a pretty good first encounter in contrast to the misunderstanding that occurs between Yan and Wing. Don (Bosco Wong) looks a bit like Narimiya Hiroki ... he even sounds like him too .... though I really am not a big fan of Narimiya Hiroki =_=; (For some reason, I feel as though there's only one type of acting Narimiya can do and other than that, he's not exactly a great actor)
I think the story between Yan and Wing are probably a cliche type of pairing. We have girl with a past illness who has led a sheltered life and never dated before, who then meets this free-spirit-like guy who is very kind and intelligent, but probably not very wealthy. They have a misunderstanding in the beginning, but despite ill feelings, Yan will fall in love with Wing. If things don't work out by episode 20, the girl will probably die from when her illness strikes again. That, or it ends happily.
I hope the next episode comes out soon. It's very exciting to be able to watch something in my own dialect for once since a lot of the TVB series on d-addict end up getting dubbed into Mandarin so a lot of the original jokes -- that can only be understood in Cantonese -- lose their humorous edge once dubbed. As much as I love speaking Mandarin, you just can't be coarse and sarcastic in that dialect. I'm always a bit bored when watching a Cantonese drama dubbed, because things are 100% funnier when said in Cantonese. I swear, Cantonese are pros at punning EVERYTHING and ANYTHING you can say. That's where all the fun comes ^_^
Code Geass Artbook
I am so psyched! My "illustrations Rebels" came in yesterday ^_^ and the artwork is nice~ Most of it looks like anime cell designs, but there are some hand-drawn illustrations by the animators. I wish I had a better scanner and then I can scan it it, but I hate to break or hurt the book. The only times I'm willing to totally damage a book is when I have two copies (or more) of it. Unfortunately, with the amount of money I have right now, I can only afford to buy one copy of each book I own =_= You will only catch me buying doubles when I've thoroughly forgotten which books I've already bought =_= *sigh*
Anyway, the illustration book was exactly what I wanted. It has all the images I wanted and it's so pretty *__* If anyone is looking for cut images in the first season's ending, they'll all be in this book ^_^
Anyway, the illustration book was exactly what I wanted. It has all the images I wanted and it's so pretty *__* If anyone is looking for cut images in the first season's ending, they'll all be in this book ^_^
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