Weekend Geekiness

[dangermousie]

Had a delightfully geeky weekend, what with watching Rurouni Kenshin, starting on RahXephon and going to see V for Vendetta. Oh, and I watched a bit of Meteor Garden 2 and Meteor Rain.

I am two episodes into RahXephon and I have little idea of what is going on but I love it. It’s The Matrix meets Neon Genesis Evangelion meets The Silmarillion. And yes, it works.

But now on to Kenshin. I finished the Kyoto arc! Now I’ll take a little RK break, especially since I am confused as to what they animated since I know they didn’t animate the third arc.

So. Much. Love.



Misao sees Dead People ;) Seriously, how can anyone deny Misao/Aoshi OTP when people come back from the dead to tell her he is going to be back? ;) Of course, she isn’t the only supernaturally OTPed person. I love Kenshin’s Rochester/Jane moment, when after Kaoru and co took care of all the enemies in their Kyoto headquarters and everyone has been saved and Kaoru goes “everyone is fine, Kenshin” (or similar), and Kenshin can hear her miles and miles away in Shishio’s house and goes “Kaoru?” Mmmmmm.

Of course, it’s pretty clear that Kaoru is a big chunk of what keeps him alive. He flashes back to their scene with the fireflies twice, when he is on the verge of death, to give him more strength to live on and fight. But of course, it’s a two way street, and I love Kaoru fighting so determinedly, because she made a promise to Kenshin that they will all go back to Tokyo together. And I love the scene where Megumi talks to Kaoru and tells Kaoru what a stress on Kenshin’s body all this fighting is, and he needs something to live for, and she should tell him how she feels and not be half-hearted (hello! Chasing after a man all the way to Kyoto after he bid you farewell forever and then engaging in a huge fight isn’t really half-heartedness). And my favorite scene in all of RK so far, is when the gang all finally gets to Kaoru’s dojo, and they are back, just as Kaoru promised and Kenshin didn’t think could happen when he left, Kenshin stops in pleased disbelief, and then Kaoru stops too, and she looks at him, and says “when you left, I said nothing. But now I know what I want to say.” And he looks at her and she stretches out her hands and goes “welcome home” and he takes them and I am a bit of a mess…

I guess she didn’t need Yahiko’s advice about kissing that he climbed all the way to the roof and interrupted her tete-a-tete with Kenshin earlier to give her ;)

I love Kenshin. I know I keep saying it, but it needs to be reiterated. Kenshin IS love. He tries to help his opponents and he keeps fighting even though he knows he will collapse and he is dripping blood and he wants nothing so much as just to pass out (I love him more for the little brief moment of weakness where he just wants to lie down and give up and he thinks he’s weakened Shishio a lot and by the time Shishio regains strength the government could take care of him, but then he overcomes that and continues fighting even though he is so close to death and passing out from blood loss and pain). He has innumerable cuts and is bandaged and is black and blue and poor heroic swordsman. And then of course Shishio fights dirty and stabs him and bites him (urgh! Yuck!) and burns him and it’s horrid. No wonder at the end Kenshin faints and Sano has to carry him out (love Saito going to Sano “You, without sense of direction, I gave Aoshi a map"). The medical bills are going to be huge so let’s hope the government pays up. Because even disregarding Aoshi and Sano’s treatment (and they are both going to need a bunch), Kenshin’s hurts are myriad. I guess the Oniwaban could pay, but they also need to rebuild their headquarters. Not to mention Kenshin needs a new suit of clothes after that battle, because the clothes more resemble lettuce than anything else. I guess it’s a good thing they didn’t take in Aoshi or Soujiro, because I can see Kaoru offering and then they would have even more people to support, and even with Kenshin being the most overqualified laundry person ever, they would still have no money.

But how about my other OTP? Misao/Aoshi? They continue to be really cool. Love the scene where Misao and Kaoru see Aoshi and Kenshin after the huge battle, returning home (no love for Sano? heeee) and they run towards them. But one of my favorite scenes is actually Aoshi/Misao. Aoshi has been spending all this time in the temple after his return, meditating and making peace (I love Okina’s comment that it’s a good thing, as he’s been running full tilt for so long, he needs to rest up, so he can run full tilt again). And Misao sees it’s started raining so she takes an extra umbrella and runs over to the temple and leaves the spare umbrella for Aoshi outside the door (and it’s the little gesture of thoughtfulness that just kills me) and she doesn’t come in (whether because she is not allowed, or she is reluctant to intrude, or what) and she just stands behind the door, quietly listening to him just sitting there. Very unusual for loud, hyper Misao, and I love it. And then of course the rain stops and she sees that, so she takes the umbrella she was going to leave and runs back. And Aoshi sees her run and he smiles. Or at least as close as Aoshi comes to smiling anyway ;)

Aoshi, Aoshi, Aoshi. Your coolness (or is it hotness) knows no bounds. Aoshi/Kenshin fight is one of my favorite moments. I love it because for Kenshin the fight is complicated by the fact that not only must he defeat Aoshi, but he also must talk him off the ledge, so to speak. He promised Misao to bring Aoshi back to her (I love the scene where Okina asks Kenshin to kill Aoshi, and Misao is sitting there silent (because what can she say? If anyone has a right to ask for Aoshi’s head, it’s Okina) and she is crying. And Kenshin promises her instead he will bring Aoshi back), but as he realizes, it must be Aoshi, and not the rather crazed and monomaniacal mess he’s become. I am also pleased to note that Kenshin is kind to fangirls and Aoshi’s shirt ends up sliced just so during their very acrobatic fight (and they keep destroying those books. Let’s hope they were all Barbara Cartland). And of course, for Aoshi, repentance and guilt and everything is so tangled up, I am surprised he is functioning at all, because Kenshin is right on the mark with his observation that the only reason he is so psycho about pursuing this fight is because then he doesn’t have to think and remember because when he does, the guilt is unbearable. I find it totally significant that he is resolved to throw his life away even if he wins. He just wants to die, basically. But then, of course, Aoshi gets his pride and sanity back (and Kenshin would make a good shrink if he got tired of laundry) and they do have a proper rematch Kenshin promised Aoshi, but it’s clean and without bitterness on either side (men! If they are fine with each other now, what is the point of fighting?) And I love near the end of the battle, after Kenshin’s been put out of commission by Shishio, Aoshi shows up, and he fights Shishio, even though he knows he can’t win, to buy Kenshin time, FOR Kenshin. And he says it’s because it’s partially his fault that Kenshin is wounded. I love psycho Aoshi. But sane, noble Aoshi is even cooler.

I love Kenshin coming to say good-bye to Aoshi before leaving for Tokyo, and telling him he would like to share a cup of sake with him sometime. And Aoshi, without turning or stopping his meditation pose goes “I have no tolerance. Make it tea and I would be glad to.” Trust Aoshi to admit to something like this. Add in Legolas knives and I am so so SO crushing on the guy.

I think Sano and Saito should have their own spin-off. I’d pay good money to see that. I also love love love Saito. When he fights Usui in that death match, he really cannot be ruffled and takes him out. Saito is unflappable because I think he is that very odd and rare thing: a rational zealot. And I love that he is cold-blooded enough to use Kenshin’s attack on Shishio as a diversion and then jumps out of ambush and almost takes Shishio out. And then at the very end, when the house is crumbling around their heads, Saito sees he can’t jump across the bridge (his legs are wounded), he calmly lights a cigarette and walks into the inferno (and I love that Sano cares, even if he claims it’s because he wants a rematch. Heee). Of course, Saito is alive and well at the end and I just love the fact that he keeps Kenshingumi ignorant of the fact because the mission is over and it’s much better that way.

I have decided that Saito and Hiko are running neck and neck as the coolest secondary characters ever. I love Hiko showing up at the last moment to save everyone left in the Kyoto headquarters and being utterly cool and unflappable and perfect, while fighting. And the Oniwaban girls just swooning over him. And him sitting there, calmly drinking sake they’d provided, and in his inimitable way, calming Kaoru’s worries about Kenshin. And when Yahiko grumbles about Hiko being a show-off, showing up at the very last moment to save the day, Hiko’s response? “Blame my stupid apprentice. He didn’t give me any directions. I had to look through half of Kyoto for you.” ROFL. What alerted him? The huge piles of smoke? The rubble? The armed men running away? ;)

I do love that Hiko clearly cares a lot about that bizarre little student he picked up from a giant graveyard. He comes and protects everyone dear to Kenshin. But it’s most visible when he finds Kenshin putting flowers on Tomoe’s grave (in the lovely episode which is a quiet coda to the whole action-filled arc). He just stands over him with an umbrella (you can tell he is thinking ‘my stupid apprentice isn’t smart enough to come out of the rain’) and he is there, helping Kenshin find balance and make his peace on Tomoe’s grave (and to move on with Kaoru!) And then the rain stops and the rainbow comes out. Sometimes, I am all for heavy symbolism.

I do like that everything isn’t clear cut. Most of the bad guys aren’t just evil, they joined Shishio for a reason (and even though Shishio himself is horrible, he has a legitimate grudge: the government he was working for set him on fire because he knew too much!). For example, the monk’s background is horrible. The government Kenshin fought for is less and less perfect the more we learn about it, but because it provides peace, it’s better than the alternative. No wonder Kenshin’s explanation to Yahiko re fight tells him that Shishio believed what he was fighting was right and has very little of ‘rah rah we won.’

But what really killed me was Soujiro’s horrible past. Whoa. Makes me feel for him and I disliked him before. When he asks Kenshin 'Why didn't you save me' it just broke my heart. Kenshin isn't God, of course, but he understandably feels bad. And you realize that Soujiro’s not a psychopath, he’s repressed his emotions because of the enormous degree of trauma and child abuse. His constant smile, which was so creepy in the beginning or odd or whatever, is just really tragic and heartbreaking at the end. You know it’s a habit he picked up because he’d be beaten less if he did that. It makes me want to cry. I wish he met Hiko and not Shishio because in some ways, he is Kenshin’s dark mirror: lonely, strong willed, good, abused child. But unlike with Kenshin, no one ever sacrificed for Soujiro. Instead he met Shishio. And that scene of him, a small child, standing with a bloody sword and crying is the saddest thing in the show. I do love that he finds peace at the end and ends up wandering, just like Kenshin.

In fact, this is a very kind show. Even bad guys get their happy ending. Shishio and Yumi are reunited (talk about a FUBAR OTP) and are now, with Houji, going to try to take over the netherworld. Hee. And Kenshin is back to saying “Oro.” Yay. RK rules.

Also, Husband and I saw V for Vendetta which was excellent, and beautiful, and intelligent, and Hugo Weaving proved he can be sexy even while wearing a mask, just using his voice and physical movements. I know the mask was supposed to be Guy Fawkes, but there was a Cyrano aspect to it, I think.



First off, I want that kiss nommed for MTV movie awards. Because woman kissing a mask? Haven’t seen that before. I do love the fact that we never saw him without it, because in a way, the mask is really who he is now, but also to see the ‘burn victim’ would be to evoke pity or freak reaction and this is not a Phantom of the Opera scenario. His physical looks don’t matter. It’s his behavior and what he can do.

In a way, V is Batman inverted. Batman has to maintain a façade of normalcy, no matter his bat suit activities. But here. V’s been fighting so hard to destroy any personal wants or personality he has, to become just man in the mask, an idea, a goal. That is why he almost leaves Evie at the beginning, even though she just saved his life. But of course, he cannot suppress the personal, his own inner humanity, no matter how much he tries (and not just because then he’d be just like the government he fights). And he ends up caring for Evie, and falling in love with her (you see him shattered, completely human, no facades even though the mask is still on) after she leaves with her new hair). And at the end, he is tempted to give in and to stay with her. Of course, he can’t, his plan depends on surrendering to Creevy because then Creevy gives him the Chancellor and V can kill both, because then the army will have no one to order to shoot civilians who are massed in front of the Parliament in those hundreds and hundreds of identical masks. But the fact that he wanted to, and the fact that she wanted him to come away with her and she didn’t want him to die, actually gave him human happiness before he died, and was probably the best thing that happened to him.

He is right, there is no place for him in the world he is about to create. He is a monster (shades of The Operative?) created by this government. It’s significant he doesn’t remember anything about himself before he was in that facility. And he is not a nice person. The little ‘experiment’ he does with Evie is horrible. This is certainly a FUBAR love story, if it is a love story. But you end up rooting for him, and feeling sorry for him.

It’s a great movie. It actually has little fighting and when it does, it all has a point. Go see it.

I also ended up watching some Meteor Garden 2 and a bit of Meteor Rain.


I was warned about MG2, so I watched only the last 15 minutes of the show. I had no clue why SC was in Barcelona looking for DMS (other than the fact that they wanted to show off the fact they had a budget now), but I was amused to discover they were still angsting and fighting. Come on, 50+ eps later, they should have really worked out their stuff :P Also, making out in a church? Really hot.

I watched Xi Men’s story in Meteor Rain. My XM/XY love burneth strong. I love when she comes to meet him in a bar and he sees her and just ignores her and talks to other girls because he does like her, so he has to push her away. Men are odd. And meanwhile, as she is sitting waiting, a guy comes up to her and asks if he can sit there, and you can see XM tense up at the bar and XY asks the guy to leave. And later, when he is talking to her, XM is all “why didn’t you get his phone number, this is why people come to this club” and XY says “You do it, it’s fine. I know that’s how you are and I can deal with it. But why do you want me to be the same?” and XM is all “you can’t keep up blah blah” and XY gets really mad and walks up to the guy who asked her earlier and is all “When you wanted to sit down, what did you have in mind? Date, making out, or sex? Because I am game for all three!” and you see XM just grab her by the arm and drag her out of there (you go girl, make him jealous!) and they have the alley scene and my OTP radar is all hyper when he tells her that she knows how he is, he will just hurt her (because of course, secretly, he doesn’t want to hurt her because he cares OMG) and she tells him that she doesn’t think so, because when he goes through all those girls, the only person she sees him hurting is himself. He is stuck with the love of a good woman, yay.

And then at the end, when she finds that building and they stand there and watch the sign that old girlfriend left for XM and XM is all “she was an idiot, wanting me to get up early just to see this” and then you see him cry, eeeeee. And XY walks up to him and he puts his arm around her (and she is so tiny, I love it) and she puts her face on his chest, and the ep ends. Talk about open-ended! Well, in my continuation, they get married and XM works out his weirdness and they have five children and XY gets plump. Yes.

Comments

[http://users.livejournal.com/_atmospheric/]

V reminded me of Cyrano too, but without the nose. :P

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Yay. Glad I wasn't the only one.

He certainly had all the literary preferences of one :)

[crumpeteer.livejournal.com]

I think Sano and Saito should have their own spin-off. I’d pay good money to see that

That I would also pay for. Saito cracks me up anyway with his own deadpan style. Saito has to grow on you. Just being good doesn't mean you're friendly or even all that likable. And why can I see Hiko and Saito actually getting along?

And the Oniwaban girls just swooning over him

I'm right there with them. Hiko is actually the only one in the series that ever seriously consider settling down with. There's just a deep practicality to him and a deep goodness. He's not going to go galavanting around the countryside saving widows and orphans, but he won't turn a blind eye if he's needed. He and Saito are about the only characters in the series who are perfectly comfortable in their own skin. No regrets, no second guessing, very little modesty. They know what they are and they accept it.

Yahiko grumbles about Hiko being a show-off

Amusing mainly because it's the pot calling the kettle black.

ends up wandering, just like Kenshin.

Which makes me wonder just how many wandering samurai Kenshin actually unleashes on Japan. Between Enishi and Soujiro and every other extra that decides they're changed for the good. Kenshin must singlehandedly be responsible for Japanese vagrancy laws.

Hugo Weaving proved he can be sexy even while wearing a mask

More so for me since he will always be shades of Elrond when I see him.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

More so for me since he will always be shades of Elrond when I see him.

True. I don't find his face particularly attractive, but as V, for the first time, I finally understood what those weird fangirls were thinking about when they were writing Agent Smith Mary Sues.

Kenshin must singlehandedly be responsible for Japanese vagrancy laws.

I was wondering about all those unemployed swordsmen too. But hey, he could take them all in and that would be even worse. Kaoru's dojo would become some sort of a crazy commune ;)

Saito has to grow on you. Just being good doesn't mean you're friendly or even all that likable

Saito makes me think of what really good authors make fanon Snape into. On the side of good, but hardly a nice person. I would use canon Snape as an example (though Saito is a lot more confident in himself than Snape ever was), but seeing that it seems that Snapey is the evil offer-of-Dumbledore in canon, that won't work any more.

I started with disliking Saito intensely but by the end I was sitting there, going "he is so coooooooool." Literally. Husband was mocking me.

There's just a deep practicality to him and a deep goodness.

Oh yes. And his is a lot more balanced and healthy approach to helping people too. He will not go out of his way to be a knight errant which, while Kenshin's way is more noble, is a lot more practical in long term.

If he and Saito met, that would be pretty interesting. I can't even imagine it, but it would be super cool.

[crumpeteer.livejournal.com]

I started with disliking Saito intensely but by the end I was sitting there, going "he is so coooooooool."

That's the funny thing with Saito. He never changes in personality or suddenly sees the error of his ways, yet he ends up being so likable in his own way. He doesn't apologize for being what he is and I think his comfort with his morals is part of what makes him so cool. There's a character in the book Black Sun Rising that leaves me with the same feeling. He's evil, but he has his own set of morals, no matter how warped they may be and his sheer comfort with WHAT he is is why he's so fascinating.

And his is a lot more balanced and healthy approach to helping people too.

Something that shows in the fact that Hiko is the only sane and balanced one in the series.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I think it's because in his own hard way, Saito is firmly on the side of the good. He isn't out for personal aggrandisement or goals, nor are his goals bad ones: rooting out corruption and protecting stability are good things.

And of course he is just so unflappable, he is cool.

[crumpeteer.livejournal.com]

I also find it amusing that Saito is the only lead male not drawn as a bishounen. He's a chain smoking, wolf eyed guy with weird bangs and sacasm that'll cut your knees out from under you. (Interestingly, the samurai in Samurai Champloo is also wolf eyed, but he is a bish. Apparently if you're intense, you get wolf eyes.)

Saito is just Saito. And he's actually pretty similar in PMK, if a little less sarcastic (though the fact that he loves ruffling people and his sheer unflappableness remain the same).

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

He's a chain smoking, wolf eyed guy with weird bangs and sacasm that'll cut your knees out from under you.

I guess I must be pretty odd, because I find Saito pretty hot. And of course, it's his personality, but it's his looks too. He is more my type look-wise than Kenshin (who is my favorite character, but he is slight and short and boyish, unless he is all intense and fighting).

Of course, purely in terms of looks, Aoshi is the best eye candy RK got IMO.

though the fact that he loves ruffling people and his sheer unflappableness remain the same

His freaking out Tetsu keeps making me laugh...

[crumpeteer.livejournal.com]

Well, you end up understand at least why Saito is married. And I still say Tokio has to be one cool chick to not only deal with him on a daily basis but also have his respect (and she seems to from the way he briefly talks about her).

PMK Saito is one of my favorites. The popping out of stuff and scaring the daylights out of people just kills me. Yet he's always sweet to Tetsu, even though he picks on him in his own way.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Where do you keep finding these great icons? This Hiko one is totally cool. Except now I am imagining him as Nuriko :P

And I still say Tokio has to be one cool chick to not only deal with him on a daily basis but also have his respect

Oh yes. I am so curious as to how they met and got married actually because mind boggles...Can you imagine the added edge to any marital argument when your husband is utterly convinced he is right in a completely immovable fashion?

Husband says that if Saito and Tokio had a "get up and bar the door argument," it would end in about two minutes with Saito chopping the door down and saying the argument is over :P

Yet he's always sweet to Tetsu, even though he picks on him in his own way

And Tetsu is SO teasable. I do love how he has no problem killing even though he literally sees dead people...

[crumpeteer.livejournal.com]

There are quite a few anime icon making communities and the majority of the artists are quite talented. There is also sorceresses who are RK fans and do good work. There's also rk_icons. Quite a few Aoshi icons floating around for obvious reasons.

utterly convinced he is right in a completely immovable fashion?

I get the feeling she just lets him do his thing and he just lets her do hers. The fact that he can wander around the country at his discretion would imply she doesn't really care, nor does he really seem to care what she's up to. I don't see him even tolerating any kind of shrinking violet, so I would guess Tokio is pretty independent and open minded instead of submissive and fawning. She also seems to be pretty even tempered and willing to put up with whatever he throws at her since he didn't even seem to think there'd be a problem with taking a stray kid home.

That'd be a courtship worth watching though.

I do love how he has no problem killing even though he literally sees dead people...

And he's also extremely religious. There's no evidence to suggest that he's not sincere about that, so you have a deeply religious man who sees dead people yet has no qualms about killing. He also appeared to be Buddhist, which would strictly condemn killing. Interesting character.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the links. I've found waaaay too many cool icons there.

[catdecember.livejournal.com]

i totally skipped the V for Vendetta coz i havent seen it. LOL

but Meteor Rain....*sigh* i really love that XM episode. :D :D :D

MG2 just rips your heart out, and not in a good way. its like you want to slap all of them silly. the saving grace would be Mei Zhou's story and Xi Men's (MZ would be his "love story" and XM would be more on his family). but the DMS-SC-HZL WILL KILL YOU! :P

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

but Meteor Rain....*sigh* i really love that XM episode. :D :D :D

Oh yes. So full of angsty goodness. And more shipperiness...

And Xi Men is so cool...

the DMS-SC-HZL WILL KILL YOU! :P

Which is why I skipped it. If you just watch the ending, it's really sweet, especially with them in the Church. And they start a fight (again, heeee) and he effectively ends it by kissing her and after a startled moment she kiesses back and next thing they are really necking. I love my stubborn, pig-headed OTP. They will have such an unrestful household. And 15 children :P

But what is with feathered hair? I liked DMS' MG1 hairdo better.

And for some reason I really want to rewatch MARS...

[catdecember.livejournal.com]

only Vanness (mei zhou) had good hair in Mg2! hehe

[katranna.livejournal.com]

Damn, you beat me on the V post.

Are you going to get the book? I really want the book.

Also, I think you're like the only one who liked the romance between V and Evey. :-P Everyone else supposedly hated it, because they felt it either cheapened V's actions (someone said it was like making an adaptation of Narnia where the only reason Aslan sacrificed himself and tried to save the world was that "he had the hots for Lucy"), or was an unnecessary addition, or was weird, considering V was possibly her father.

And it's funny that you say he's Batman inverted, considering he's an anarchist, and Batman was characterized as "a neocon's wet dream," according to some of my friends who saw that movie. :-) (They liked it a lot; they just pointed out how he rather embodied some of the neocon values.)

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I really want to look at the book...

Aslan sacrificed himself and tried to save the world was that "he had the hots for Lucy"

ROFL. That might have made that movie better.

And we discussed the romance thing :)

[weissman.livejournal.com]

V sounds really cool

Bob

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it really was!

[weissman.livejournal.com]

Lets see if I can convince my wife to see it. Getting her to see Genre related stuff is sometimes a stretch. (Keeping fingers crossed)
Bob