Dystopia and Melodramas

[dangermousie]

Because of a mention by alexandral, I started reading a scifi novel Battle Royale by Koushun Takami, which is a cross between 1984 and Lord of the Flies. The book concerns 42 high school students who live in a dystopian near future. They (all classmates) are dropped on an island, with irremovable and deadly collars on their necks and are supposed to fight with whatever weapons they were randomly handed out, until only one student remains. If more than one is left alive after 72 hours, their collars kill everyone. Moreover, the more time passes, more and more of the island becomes deadly so the students are forced to move to each other and can't hide. The whole novel has a nightmarish quality and completely freaks me out (in a good way), because it makes me think of what I'd do in a situation like this.

Also, my watching j-dorama Long Vacation is continuing uber-slowly. I haven't even finished one ep. I have no idea why, but I guess there isn't enough melodrama. I have no idea if there will be more lately. Also, Kimura isn't hot...he's kinda quiet and has those huge glasses. Does he clean up later or something?

For some reason, I am am not falling in love yet. Which wasn't a problem with MG and MARS (I liked them the more they went on) but I was fine with Meteor Garden and MARS because I saw the anime/read the manga before and liked them so I was surer I'd like the live action versions.

And speaking of manga adaptations, I am fighting a severe urge to watch live action versions of Peach Girl and Marmalade Boy. Despite loathing MG anime and finding PG manga ridiculous. And they are supposed to be better than the live action versions. It's not a rational desire but is totally strong. Hmmmm. What to do?

Comments

[crumpeteer.livejournal.com]

Only with Battle Royale there are plenty of teenage hormones going on and what not. I have a copy of the DVD someone burned me. Disturbing and kinda freaked out, but that's mainly because the premise is sort of believable. There's also an incredibly bloody manga based on the book with a bit of sex thrown in since some of the girls use that to lure the guys into killing distance (frankly in my own pragmatic mind that seems like a pretty good plan, not what I'd do, but a good plan nonetheless).

RE: Samurai anime. I totally forgot two of the best samurai anime out there *headdesk* in my recs. Samurai Champloo, which is sort of like Cowboy Bebop with samurai (I love the samurai Jin, who is so incredibly complicated and can be so mature and so childish at the same time) and Otogi Zoshi, an anime based on the same legend Mulan was about a girl her masquerades in the army in her sick brother's place.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

The thing that freaks me out so much about BR is how believable it all seems. How little grudges or long term friendships become subsumed. And it makes me wonder, what would I do? Would I abandon my humanity? It's a pretty bleak vision of human nature that I think it kinda true. Reminds me of a line in Shantaram, a novel I am reading simultaneously, which talks about people who will stand beside you no matter what: "Because men like that are are so often the heroes in films and books, we forget how rare they are in the real world. But I knew."

frankly in my own pragmatic mind that seems like a pretty good plan, not what I'd do, but a good plan nonetheless

But would guys who know they are in a kill or be killed situation believe that all of a sudden the girls want to sleep with them? Hmmm.

I really want to watch SC. And OZ sounds really good, as well!

[catdecember.livejournal.com]

i liked the BR movie. :) it freaked me out but i thought it was very original.

LV is really slow...but a lot of issues get resolved in the end. :)

i've only seen MB live action. not peach girl, but i liked the manga. :)

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Yeah, LV just seems kinda draggy. I don't know, I am all "come on, we are 30 minutes in, when will her secret husband pop out and tell her she is dying of a secret disease and only Kimura's turning in his illegimate blind child will save her." I am all about that kind of plot.

[catdecember.livejournal.com]

i know you love ANGST, sweetie. LOL.

what other kimura series are you watching soon? just curious...

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I have Good Luck on tap.

But it also doesn't seem very angsty. Are there more angsty/OTPish ones?

Or will LV get angstier?

[catdecember.livejournal.com]

hmmm.... i think thats why i liked Pride because there was another person involved hence more angst. LOL. Good Luck was good, i love the cast, but as my aunt said (we watch asian series together) ' there wasnt much action'. LOL.

my friend gave me a copy of Pride. do u want one? :D

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Mmmm, Pride sounds like my thing. It's the Bollywood lover in me.

my friend gave me a copy of Pride. do u want one?

I'd love one, but don't you want it yourself? :)

[catdecember.livejournal.com]

hah, my friends and i are Pride shippers (Aki and Haru) :D

i can make you a copy my dear. :D

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Yes please :)

[catdecember.livejournal.com]

no problem. :) email me your address!

catdecember@yahoo.com :)

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I will...

[koalathebear.livejournal.com]

I don't think you'll find that kind of angst in LV so to be honest I'd probably stop watching and wouldn't even bother going on with Good Luck either or even 2046 because all stories are kind of low key edge.

All the angst and drama relates to misunderstanding/being in love with someone else and that sort of thing.

You might try Korean dramas or some of the Chinese dramas for more 'dramatic angst'.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

But I liked In the Mood for Love because I thought it was so beautiful and heart-breaking, in a very quiet way, so I might give 2046 a chance.

It doesn't have to be uber angsty, I just haven't gotten my 'hook' yet.

[catdecember.livejournal.com]

ahh wong kar wai movies just break my heart. *cries*

and i agree with koala, korean series definitely have angst. its like one problem gets conceived on every episode. ARGH!!!! *runs* lol.

[antiqueskies.livejournal.com]

/adds book to her ever-growing list of books to read/
Sounds highly intriguing. I love dystopias! Thanks for the rec. :)

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Just be careful to get the novel, and not the manga which is based on it (it would also have the illustrator's name on it, I guess).

[winterspel.livejournal.com]

Yes, Takuya Kimura cleans up later and isn't so gawky but that really is his character in LV so it's not much different later on (if you want hot Kimura, and believe me, Kimura is way hot, you'll find it elsewhere), and no, there isn't a whole lot of massive angst and melodrama in Long Vacation - in the last few episodes the tension ratchets up, but probably not high enough for you. Furthermore, if you want angst and melodrama, then Good Luck! is really not for you! Yikes, not at all, as it's really just a quite earnest and well-meaning episodic show about a group of folks on an airline - there is virtually zero angst until an injury in the last couple episodes, but even that is very minimally angsty.

2046 is a whole other kettle of fish...chances are you probably won't like that either, because it's not remotely like In the Mood for Love, although it shares the same visual style and several elements from that film make their way into 2046. But 2046 is so completely different in so many ways, and can be quite confusing and incomprehensible, and to be perfectly honest with you it took until my third or fourth viewing before I fell madly in love with it. I've now seen it well over a dozen times and I adore it, but it's a film best seen with a study guide of sorts, and isn't even slightly straightforward, and requires all kinds of mental gymnastics. I still don't get it entirely, and I don't know anyone who does! (which is part of its beauty for me anyway...)

Just my six and a half cents...:) You have so much else to enjoy so I'm sure that skipping these won't be any great loss. :D

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Thank you. I guess I'll skip GL then. I will try to watch more of LV just because I don't like not finishing. I like not angsty stuff too: PG Wodehouse isn't angsty but he's hilarious.

As to 2046, it's on my long long list of movies to watch sometime, just because I like the visuals. :)

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

I had a similar reaction to the film as you are having to the "Battle Royale" book, it is very macabre and at the same time there is a hope. And it is a very interesting study of human behavior.. It is a very absorbing film, nothing is out there like it..

I haven't read the book, but now after your posts I want to read it too.. Now I see why I liked the film so much , I often find that I love book-adaptations..

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

The book is so disturbing, yet unputdownable. I stayed up until 4:30am (and am kinda dead now) because I read until I couldn't any more.

It's horrifying and it made me cry and yet there is something that just makes me keep reading and keep hoping even though I know it's futile.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

Have you seen the film?

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

No. I don't think I will, either. I can barely read about the deaths and violence on the page, I don't think I'll be able to stand to see it on the screen.