Dar Williams, one of my favorite musical artists is going to be performing at the Boulder Theater on the 14th. To prepare, I bought her new album, Promised Land. I wasn't sure if I was going to buy it, but when I saw that it contained a cover of Midnight Radio, one of my favorite songs from my favorite movie, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, I was completely sold. It's a very good cover, though the original version, performed by John Cameron Mitchell will always have first place in my heart. But, while that makes Dar very awesome, it is not the most awesome thing on this album. You may be surprised. After all, a well done cover of one of my favorite songs. What could be better? I'll tell you.

I was listening to the album, not paying that close attention to the lyrics. A song called "Buzzer" started to play. I caught a few of the words and went, "Wait a minute... Is she singing about..." I checked the lyrics in the liner notes, and, yes, yes indeed, Dar Williams wrote a song about the Milgram experiment. I think that that may be the most awesome thing in the history of ever. Ok, maybe it's not as cool if you're not a huge psychology geek, but even if you're not, surely one must be impressed with an artist that intelligent. I can hardly wait to see her in concert. So excited!

I have no Dar icon, so I'll use Tori instead.

Whoo real life update.

My birthday was back in September, and my step-mom offered to take me to a play. We just got around to seeing it. My Dad's half of the the family takes a while to get things done.

I chose to see The Pillowman, since ravenbell wrote a post some time ago about how much she enjoyed reading it. I was not disappointed. I'm lazy, and it's kind of late, so for a brief rundown of the plot, you can check out ravenbell's post on it. Reading a play is obviously different from seeing it, so I'll also say how much I loved the minimalist set (I'm a big fan of minimalist sets; you have to do so much more with what you have), and how much I enjoyed the way the personalities of the two cops contrasted and played off each other. The play is great in the everything so slowly twists--from the meaning behind the murders to the way the cops act.

The play started a bit of a debate between my step-mom and me. The problem she had with it is she thinks it's arguing that it doesn't matter how ugly or violent something is, as long it's well written, it should be valued. She disagrees with this viewpoint, and says that it's a sign of "our morally-bankrupt culture."

Frankly, I don't think we live in a morally-bankrupt culture. I think the power of the religious right shows that we have too many morals and too little common sense. But that aside.

Our current culture is not the first to tell dark and violent stories. Part of the Greek creation myth involves Cronos cutting off his father's testicles and throwing them into the sea. Egyptian myth has Set cutting up his brother Osiris into fourteen pieces.

When I pointed this out, she argued that these are archetypes and stories of great value. The problem with that argument is that the Greeks and the Egyptians didn't realize that they were creating archetypes. The were simply creating stories. Stories to explain (Persephone, Osiris) and stories to inspire (Hercules, Horus). And sometimes, stories that seemed to have been created mainly to entertain. The story of Atlanta's race may have a message about showing appreciation to the Gods, but that had already been said a hundred times. I'm not a Greek scholar, but that seems to be a story that was thought up because people liked stories.

To use another, non-mythological example, I recently checked out a book from the library called Grimms' Grimmest. It's a collection of Grimms' fairy tales in their original, gory, violent glory. I've never heard it argued that these stories aren't worth something just because they aren't cheerful. The only difference between the Brothers Grimm and the stories within the story of The Pillowman is a couple hundred years and a moral or two. It seems to me that the presiding view is that anything can become literature if it waits long enough.

Human beings have both kindness and cruelty in them, light and dark. We have the urge to express both these sides. Perhaps we do indeed tend to focus on the dark. I don't think that's a recent development. The dark is more mysterious and frightening than the light. It makes sense that we would make more effort to expose it.

We don't invent stories about why winter comes any more. We don't try and explain nature with our stories anymore. We explain people. We try and understand the heart of a woman sitting alone in a cabin in the dead of winter. Why is she there? How does she feel? Is her life peaceful, or is it agony? If someone should decide that her life is indeed agony, does that make her story worthless?

I think I can understand where my step-mom is coming from though. I was talking to my mother, and she told me how much she dislikes the Hannibal movies. She felt they were all about cheap shock. Our culture is indeed full of a cheap shock and pointless horror. But doesn't invalidate shock and horror themselves. Some of the best art shocks and horrifies us.

Uh...in conclusion, I liked The Pillowman.


ETA: Here's a link to ravenbell's post. I had it in there originally, but lj killed all my HTML, and I forgot to put it back. I wasn't just being flip when I told people to read it.

On Saturday, I was killed by zombies. It was perfect way celebrate Halloween, I think.

So, the other day I was thinking how disappointed I was that Fruits Basket doesn't have much room for geekery. For the most part, I like series that challenge me intellectually somehow. Whether it's the symbolism of Utena, the history behind Peacemaker Kurogane and Rurouni Kenshin, even Yami no Matsuei has a lot of room for exploring the psychology behind the characters (not to mention all those plot holes Yoko Matsushita leaves lying around), but Furuba doesn't have anything like that.

Then I started thinking. And now I realize that I can make anything geeky. So, I present to you an exploration of Furuba characters I like and dislike, and why.

The reason I like so many characters in FB is that they're so incredibly flawed but they're also trying to overcome these flaws. I liked Ayame when I first saw him, but it didn't go beyond, "what a funny character." It was only after we discovered that he has doubts and fears just like most people, and seeing that he really does try to help Yuki, that I really became attached to him. Similarly, Yuki only started to grow on me once he wasn't treated like a perfect character. This is also one of the reasons I like Kyou and Ritsu; they both try so hard.

You may wonder, then, why I like Shigure so much. After all, he has no interest in self-improvement. Simply put: he's cool. Shigure's raw coolness factor makes up for any lack of soul searching. Yes, I am shallow at times.

The idea of faults and trying to overcome them is one of the main reasons I don't really like Tohru. She's presented as a character without faults, so it's impossible for her to improve. Because Tohru does have faults. They problem is that we're supposed to not notice them. They're not supposed to be treated as faults. Think of when she first meets Hiro (I'll be getting to my feelings on him later); in that seen we see a major problem Tohru has-- she's a complete and total pushover, however this is hardly examined at all. Then later, Tohru does get worked up about something Hiro says: he tells her she talks too much about her mother. Now, is this really such a bad thing? So the girl likes to talk about her mom. The cast doesn't care (except for Hiro), and, more importantly, the audience doesn't care. (At least, I don't think so.) Despite this, Tohru freaks out anyway. It seems to me that we're supposed to think "oh, what a wonderful person she is" for worrying about something that isn't even a problem. Note that it's not the panicking over nothing that annoys me. Ritsu does it too, and I love Ritsu. No, what bothers me is how the scene is treated. So really, it's not Tohru's fault I don't like her, it's the presentation.

There are other reasons too. I'm sick of the the "You'll let me stay with you? Oh, thank you! In return I shall do all the housework." It was old after Snow White did it. (I'd like to say that the root of the Snow White story involved the Norse goddess Freya, a diamond necklace, and sex. Just so you know.) And then, finally, I simply do not find her believable. In the end, it's more for literary reasons that I dislike Tohru.

There's another character I dislike, even more than Tohru, and that's Hiro. His cruelty seriously annoys me. "But, Veleda," you say, "Kyou says mean things too, but you like him!" This is true, however there is a huge difference between the two of them. Kyou is not unkind because he enjoys causing other people pain, he is unkind because he does not know how else to act. He has learned to reject others before they reject him. The problem is, that this habit doesn't really have an "off" switch. He pushes everyone away, regardless of intent, because he doesn't believe that anyone would show him genuine kindness. However, once you get passed his barrier, you see a totally different side of him. Tell me you weren't surprised when Kazuma first shows up. That huge smile on Kyou's face has been the most lasting image from the series for me. Hiro, on the other hand, seems to genuinely enjoy hurting others.

Hiro doesn't have any of Kyou's traumas. His mother, upon finding out he was cursed, hugged him and said "I love sheep!" Compare that to Kyou's birth parents. His mother killed herself over him, and his father calls him an "it." I'd have issues too, thank you very much. Another "jerk" character, Rin, is much the same way. Her parents despised her, and her love for Haru put both of them in danger, and led to her getting hurt. These characters have reasons for their behavior. Hiro simply doesn't compare. (You could say that his feelings for Kisa are dangerous, but I have yet to see any sign of this in the manga. If I'm missing or forgetting something, please tell me.) Edit: Oh, wait, I just remembered that Akito does indeed hurt Kisa. I feel dumb. Well, Hiro still hasn't gone through as much pain as Rin and Kyou have, so I think my point still stands. /edit

Well, it's late, and I'm tired. If there's more to say, I'll say it tomorrow, err, later today. (I also apologize for typos. I'm too sleepy to comb this thing.)

Take the quiz at dicepool.com

No use trying to fight it, you're an eight-sided die, a d8. A fine example of simple elegance, the d8 is one of the least appreciated types of dice, and is often neglected. You are known to be quiet and shy, outward traits that conceal viscous sarcasm and mean wit. You are very smart, yet wise enough to hide your intelligence the quicker they found out how smart you are, the sooner they'll put you to work, which is something you can do without. People call you dark and pessimistic, or moody and cynical. You find little point in arguing.

I am such a dweeb. It's rather accurate, though.

The actual point of this post was to babble about books. I just finished reading The Hard Facts of the Grimms' Fairy Tales. It was an interesting book. Let me tell you, the fairy tales most of us know are nothing like the originals. Did you know that in the original Little Red Riding Hood after the wolf kills the grandmother, he slices her flesh onto a plate and pours her blood in a cup? Then, when Little Red Riding Hood arrives, the wolf tricks her into drinking her grandmother's blood and eating her flesh. Then the wolf tells Red Riding Hood to undress and to climb into bed with him. After this, the wolf eats her. Rather different from the story I first heard.

I am now reading Ryoma: Life of a Renaissance Samurai It's a biographical novel about Sakamoto Ryoma, a revolutionary and a ronin (masterless samurai) who lived during the Meiji revolution. I'm really enjoying it. I've found information there that has completely evaded me until now. The only problem is that since it's written as a novel, you can't always be certain what is fact and what the author invented to make the story flow.

I just bought Butterflies of the Night: Mama-Sans, Geisha, Strippers, and the Japanese Men They Serve. I haven't started it yet, but it looks interesting. Geisha, courtesans, and other women of the "water trade" fascinate me.

On a completely separate note, I was watching PMK volume four again, and have come to the conclusion that Suzu is extremely gay. Watching him during episode thirteen makes this obvious. Tetsu asks him what his sensei (teacher, master) is like, and Suzu launches into a speech about how handsome Yoshida is. And his expression while doing so is priceless.

Another thing I discovered while watching episode thirteen is that all the courtesans have Southern accents in the dub. That weirds me out. I realize why the dubbers decided to do this. Akesato and the other courtesans speak in Kyoto dialect. (I think. I know Akesato uses "-han" instead of "-san" which is Kyoto dialect. I wish I knew more Japanese) In other words, they talk differently from much of the cast. Giving them Southern accents lets people watching the dub realize this. None of this changes the fact that Akesato, golden butterfly of Shimabara, is speaking with a Southern drawl. It is incredibly, incredibly wrong.

Hmm, I've got nothing else to say... for now. Muahahah!

First of all:

anime livejournal / xanga personality tests and quizzes at Anime Tests!

What happens in your shonen anime? by mcmasters
What's your first name?
How many episodes are in your show?	2652250, and still going!
Your show revolves around:	Quilting
You are better than everyone else because:	Everyone else kinda sucks
Your rival:	Is funded by a mega-corporation specifically to defeat you
In the last episode of the first season:	Your show is pre-empted by Prince of Tennis
When your show is licensed for the US:	All of the racy scenes are cut

Find tons of anime tests, pics, and wallpapers at Anime Cubed!

I'm in an anime... about quilting. That's my favorite part. Along with the fact that only I'm better than everyone else because everyone else sucks. I think if I'm ever to succeed in life, that's my only hope.

Lately I have been embracing my inner geek. I am on a major search for Japanese history, specifically late Edo period, Bakumatsu, and Meiji period. Soon I will make a trek to the library. As soon as I finish what I'm reading now, Bushido: The Soul of Japan. It's very interesting, if a bit flowery with the language. It almost tells more about early twentieth century writing, than it does about Japan.

However, because of the language, it's taking me a rather long time to get through. *sigh* So much reading to do. Lucky for me I have this week off. Plenty of time to fulfill an obsession that has nothing to to with anything useful. If I was smart, I'd be studying for the SAT, or reading up on -american- history, considering I have a class about it. But no, not me me. Why learn something if it's actually going to come in handy out in the real world?

Besides, this is much more fun. :)

I'm reading a book called Anime Explosion. It's fascinating read. It's amazing what you can learn about Japanese culture from knowing a lot about anime.

There are some dry parts. I sometimes find myself skimming some pages. But over all I'm really impressed. The Japanese attitude toward war, family, pop culture is all so interesting. This book is about modern Japanese culture as much as it is about anime.

One problem so far: The chapter on gay and pseudo-gay themes in anime. Most of it seemed to be mostly made of the same denial you find in stupid fanboys/girls. You know, the whole "They're just really good friends. Friendships are different in Japan." To an extent this is true. Girls in Japan become very, very close with no romantic involvement. This is also true of men. Men who would be suspected of having a sexual relationship in the U.S. can be completely platonic. Examples of very close anime friendships are Kenshin and Sanouske (Rurouni Kenshin) and Wakaba and Utena (Shoujou Kakumei Utena). For clarity's sake, I will examine these a bit.

Kenshin and Sano has a very deep friendship. Kenshin trusts Sano like he trusts no one else. He lets Sano come with him on dangerous missions, and he trusts Sano to take care of himself when fighting. For someone as protective as Kenshin is, this is a big deal. Sanouske likewise trusts Kenshin, although it shows in diffrent way. Sano listens to Kenshin. He follows his advice, and follows his instructions. You will not see this kind of behavior when Sano interacts with other people. Sano shows true devotion to Kenshin. I think he loves Kenshin. I do not think it is romantic. It is simply an example of an extremely strong friendship.

On the womans' side of things, we have Utena and Wakaba. At first glance this may seem to be and obvious lesbian relationship. Wakaba even calls Utena her boyfriend. However this is only and example of the idolization that occurs between girls in Japan. Wakaba jokes and and teases, but she's straight. Utena is mildly embarrassed by the attention, but she recognizes it as all in fun.

However, there are gay relationships in anime and manga. Trying to pass of Tsuzuki and Hisoka as "really good friends" is possible, but stretching it. And judging from doujinshi (fan made comics) it's not only Americans who see them as something more. There are also, of course Utena and Anthy. While there may be nothing between Utena and Wakaba. The prince and the Rose Bride are a different story. While I'll probably post a longer essay on them later for now, rest assured that evidence points toward love.

Some anime go beyond pseudo-gay themes into full on obviousness. The book barely mentions these. "Fake" is mentioned by name only and "Gravitation," one of the most popular yaoi animes never comes up. Also left alone are various CLAMP boys, such as Kinomoto Touya and Tsukishiro Yukito, Sumeragi Subaru and Sakurazuka Seishirou, Lantis and Eagle.

My guess is that the author is uncomfortable with gay stuff, and wants to gloss over it.

Coming up soon in the book is a whole chapter on Utena. I'm going to be scrutinizing it carefully.