Musings of the Obsessive Kind

I have a long long post about Mars to make, but it's late and we have guests (so I haven't gotten further than finishing ep 11, argh!).

I do want to say that I've gotten my hands on a whole bunch of tdoramas, jdoramas and kdoramas. I am going to be going a bit crazy.

However, since it seems I've revealed my shameful F4 love openly, I must confess I was also looking for tdoramas with Vic Zhou (Ling in Mars). The one I am most interested in is Silence which sounds unbelievably angsty. I am not sure if it finished airing yet, but if anyone could tell me where I could dl it or similar with subtitles? I'd also like to look for Poor Prince Taro with subs and Love Storm which I can find but unsubbed and I will confess the depths of my madness when I'll reveal I am tempted to watch it unsubbed, and I know all of two words of Mandarin. Heeeeeeelp! I am addicted.

Oh my. this is like Grey's Anatomy. On crack. Glorious, angst-filled crack. For those who don't like clicking on links without knowing what it is, this is an English-subbed trailer for an upcoming Taiwanese drama. Yeah, typing in 'Jerry Yan' into youtube search engine in a post Meteor Garden haze will bring up amazing things. And yum, he angsts so prettily. Women keep breaking his heart in these things, no? In fact, I understand it's a TV drama so suspension of disbelief is required, but the whole 'the girl ditched him' thing he seems to have got going is sort of straining it for me. I mean, the guy is bloody hot. I normally prefer blue eyed blondes and even I find him sex on a stick. So the whole 'hurt in love' puppy thing he has going? Unless there is a huge case of severe blindness in Asia I am not aware of? Unlikely.

What interesting lives TV doctors live. All that passion and angst and melodrama. Best Friend, who is a surgery resident currently, really must be lying to me when she tells me she has no news for me as all she does is work horrendous shifts and then gets home to crash. Yeah.

In other news, I have started on the second volume of Hana Kimi. First off, so much cuteness. I adore Sano who, if I were rather younger (and he wasn't fictional), I'd drag off to bed pronto. How someone manages to be both so grumpy and so sweet is a mystery. I am also completely enamoured of the whole 'she likes him but can't tell him because he can't know she's a girl and he likes her but can't tell her because he can't let her know he knows she's a girl' thing.

But you know what HK is making me think of, in more general terms? How fluid gender identity appears in manga and anime. Granted, I've seen it used in Western lit (from Twelfth Night to Heyer's Masqueraders) and it's often used in the anime/manga context the same way it was used in those Western stories, aka to bring women into a mileau they would normally be excluded from, but the prevalence strikes me as interesting. It's also interesting because it's almost as if it's het slash. In HK eg, one of the chracters is having a minor sexual orientation crisis because he is attracted to the heroine without knowing she's a girl (a time honored trope) and everyone assumes Sano has the hots for his new male roommate. But it's not really, because of course it's a girl.

( Thoughts on gender identity )

This whole post is anime-related, so skip now if that's not your thing.



I have found a new anime to obsess over. At least when the fall hits. Basilisk. crumpeteer mentioned it, so I idly went looking it up on youtube. I wasn't expecting to find it as it hasn't been released here yet but is supposed to have an official version in the fall. Here is the wikipedia article on the anime.

True, I didn't find the eps. But. I did find something. I saw this clip and it's angsty and good and now I must watch. Don't click on it if you don't like spoilers, since this this seems to be the very ending. Of course, considering that the story is basically a Japanese version of Romeo & Juliet only with warrior clans, how spoilery can it be? Here are opening and closing credits. Doomed love and lots of fighting. How much better can it get?

Here's a very emo beginning and a music video (you can mute the song which is not from the anime if it interferes) with clips of the doomed couple's predecessors woe woe and emo. Apparently, there is also a live action, with a trailer Shinobi here (wikipedia article on the movie is here).

( Basilisk pics )

This whole post is anime-related, so skip now if that's not your thing.



I have found a new anime to obsess over. At least when the fall hits. Basilisk. crumpeteer mentioned it, so I idly went looking it up on youtube. I wasn't expecting to find it as it hasn't been released here yet but is supposed to have an official version in the fall. Here is the wikipedia article on the anime.

True, I didn't find the eps. But. I did find something. I saw this clip and it's angsty and good and now I must watch. Don't click on it if you don't like spoilers, since this this seems to be the very ending. Of course, considering that the story is basically a Japanese version of Romeo & Juliet only with warrior clans, how spoilery can it be? Here are opening and closing credits. Doomed love and lots of fighting. How much better can it get?

Here's a very emo beginning and a music video (you can mute the song which is not from the anime if it interferes) with clips of the doomed couple's predecessors woe woe and emo. Apparently, there is also a live action, with a trailer Shinobi here (wikipedia article on the movie is here).

( Basilisk pics )

In the latest Veronica Mars fic round-up, I have three fics to recommend: Shuffle (Greatest Hits of 1966), an excellent and unusual post 2.22 story (if you are interested in ships, it's L/V), and The thing about Logan, a wondeful L/V fic that makes me so happy. There is also Bad Boys Break Fast, which is a delightful take on Logan cooking breakfast in 2.22.

Oh, and this morning? Chosen short shot of angst to get me going for the day? An ep from Season 1 of One Tree Hill, the horrid cheesefest that I can't help but be addicted to. CMM annoys the heck out of me, and I think Peyton and Brooke should be tied together and thrown off a boat, but I love me some Nathan/Haley (see Previous picspam and post on them). The show itself might be an evening version of daytime soap (OTH does not even try to transcend the teen genre or stand out the way Buffy or VM or Roswell), but the Nathan/Haley thing is what keeps me watching: they do have genuine chemistry and are awfully sweet together (I haven't seen most of S2, apparently the ship gets really messed with. Netflix is to the rescue, so we shall see). It starts out as a general cliche of a jerky rich jock and a grounded Miss Study but becomes a lot more fun (though no less cliche) as Nathan recieves enough angst for a small elephant and the whole thing is adorable. So I watched the bit where he comes into her roof after almost keeling over and tells her how much she means to him blah blah. Cheese, I love you.

I am reading Tanith Lee's The Gods are Thirsty, a novel about Camille Desmoulins and it's excellent. It has this unique, poetic writing style I love. She switches narrative persons with each chapter yet somehow it works. This has nothing in common with The Silver Metal Lover, the other book of hers I read except for the style. I think I am going to read much much more of her, now. aliterati, not much on Robespierre so far (Camille does mention something about following him to Hell. I think he means moral Hell as otherwise his chornology doesn't work), but you'd love the bit where he mentioned that Robespierre loved roses, and so Saint-Just used to bring them to him by the armful, "like a young bride."

Because it should be recced, mimesh, did a humongous Hayden Christensen picspam. Go here.

And I've finished Creezy. It's not bad but it's flawed. ( Creezy thoughts )

Next movie on the list to watch is Musa: The Warrior, a Korean period action film. I am not sure what it's about but it looks beautiful and stars Zhang Ziyi.

( A multitude of Musa pics )

And more Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna stills came out ( KANK goodness behind cut )

ETA: More KANK pics ( KANK yourself out )

I am watching Hameshaa, the Bolly movie about reincarnated lovers that proves that bad hair, like love, lasts forever. ( Hamesha thoughts )

On the other end of the spectrum, there is Creezy, a seventies movie with the icy and gorgeous Alain Delon. It's the very opposite of Hameshaa. It's small and feels painstakingly and cooly real. It basically is a day in the life of a politician intercut with his memories of affair with a gorgeous model. It's quite romantic and I can't wait to watch more. It also makes me wonder if there has ever been a good adaptation of Stendhal's The Red and the Black? Because young Delon would have made a great protagonist.

Also watched more Chobits ( Chobits and FY and GK thoughts )

In completely unrelated news (my brain jumps around like a magpie), the book rec for the week is something I have no idea how hard it is to find. It's Erve Bazen's And the flames consume (I have no idea what the name in English (or the original French) would be. I read it in Russian). It's a French novel and I read it in Russian translation, but I have no idea if an English translation exists. It's worth seeking out though. The novel deals with the immediate aftermath of the Pinochet coup. It actually is tightly focused on two people, Miguel and Maria who, if I ever was compiling a literary OTP list, would be very highly placed on it. The book is passionate: politically passionate (about what people do to each other and how it outrages one's conscience) and romantically passionate, as well. ( Ramblings about the novel )

And in other star-crossed romantics news, I was rewatching "Destiny," my fave ep of Roswell. I've forgotten how amazing Max/Liz were. Any good Dreamer fanfic recs? Please? keepaofthecheez, where is your stuff archived? And also, does anyone have caps of that scene of them hiding in the oveturned truck? For some reason what really gets me is the way she kisses his eyes, and the way her voice dies away on the word 'ended' when she says that his life ended when he saved her. And the way Max, half out of his head, utterly exhausted, fresh off the torture table, tells her that's when his life began and that what kept him alive during it all was the thought of her (and I love that he can't talk about what they did to him, it's too horrifying to him and he is indirect and he has to pause before he mentions it even in that fashion). If a man can say that to you after all that's happened, whoa. And in a way, being in such extremity, he has no control over his emotions much any more and you can feel love just pour off him. Max/Liz have never been more R&Jish than in that scene. Oh, and the bit where Max and Liz are surrounded and they are on the bridge and they look down at the water and you can tell they are terrified and they kiss each other and you can tell they think it might be their last, and then they jump, holding hands? OMG. My OTP. ( Musings on OTPs )

In related non-loverly news, I did see the finale of Doctor Who and forgot to post about it. ( Thoughts on Finale, OTPs and OT3s and David Tennant's coolness or lack thereof )

Continuing this crazy, directionless ramble, the next item on the agenda is gorgeous pictures from The Banquet, a Chinese movie coming out in late 2006. The Banquet has been described as a loose adaptation of "Hamlet"; it is a tale of fate and revenge set in 10th century China. A new Emperor has usurped the throne through murder. Zhang Ziyi plays the widowed Empress, who marries the new Emperor (Ge You) only to protect herself, but also secretly plots his death with the help of the Crown Prince (Daniel Wu) and the Chief Minister (Ma Jingwu). Yet the Prince and Minister each have their own plans for the throne, and, of course, so does the Emperor. All these intrigues are brought to a climax when the Emperor calls for a lavish banquet, where the murderous plans are set in motion.

( Stills beneath the cut )

And because it seems I cannot end a post without a Hayden Christensen picspam, here is the next batch:



( More Hayden )

OK, I am all out of Hayden. Who should I picspam next? As long as they are reasonably attractive and someone I'd heard of, bring on the suggestions!

And thus ends the really long post. No wonder it took me days.

I am watching Hameshaa, the Bolly movie about reincarnated lovers that proves that bad hair, like love, lasts forever. ( Hamesha thoughts )

On the other end of the spectrum, there is Creezy, a seventies movie with the icy and gorgeous Alain Delon. It's the very opposite of Hameshaa. It's small and feels painstakingly and cooly real. It basically is a day in the life of a politician intercut with his memories of affair with a gorgeous model. It's quite romantic and I can't wait to watch more. It also makes me wonder if there has ever been a good adaptation of Stendhal's The Red and the Black? Because young Delon would have made a great protagonist.

Also watched more Chobits ( Chobits and FY and GK thoughts )

In completely unrelated news (my brain jumps around like a magpie), the book rec for the week is something I have no idea how hard it is to find. It's Erve Bazen's And the flames consume (I have no idea what the name in English (or the original French) would be. I read it in Russian). It's a French novel and I read it in Russian translation, but I have no idea if an English translation exists. It's worth seeking out though. The novel deals with the immediate aftermath of the Pinochet coup. It actually is tightly focused on two people, Miguel and Maria who, if I ever was compiling a literary OTP list, would be very highly placed on it. The book is passionate: politically passionate (about what people do to each other and how it outrages one's conscience) and romantically passionate, as well. ( Ramblings about the novel )

And in other star-crossed romantics news, I was rewatching "Destiny," my fave ep of Roswell. I've forgotten how amazing Max/Liz were. Any good Dreamer fanfic recs? Please? keepaofthecheez, where is your stuff archived? And also, does anyone have caps of that scene of them hiding in the oveturned truck? For some reason what really gets me is the way she kisses his eyes, and the way her voice dies away on the word 'ended' when she says that his life ended when he saved her. And the way Max, half out of his head, utterly exhausted, fresh off the torture table, tells her that's when his life began and that what kept him alive during it all was the thought of her (and I love that he can't talk about what they did to him, it's too horrifying to him and he is indirect and he has to pause before he mentions it even in that fashion). If a man can say that to you after all that's happened, whoa. And in a way, being in such extremity, he has no control over his emotions much any more and you can feel love just pour off him. Max/Liz have never been more R&Jish than in that scene. Oh, and the bit where Max and Liz are surrounded and they are on the bridge and they look down at the water and you can tell they are terrified and they kiss each other and you can tell they think it might be their last, and then they jump, holding hands? OMG. My OTP. ( Musings on OTPs )

In related non-loverly news, I did see the finale of Doctor Who and forgot to post about it. ( Thoughts on Finale, OTPs and OT3s and David Tennant's coolness or lack thereof )

Continuing this crazy, directionless ramble, the next item on the agenda is gorgeous pictures from The Banquet, a Chinese movie coming out in late 2006. The Banquet has been described as a loose adaptation of "Hamlet"; it is a tale of fate and revenge set in 10th century China. A new Emperor has usurped the throne through murder. Zhang Ziyi plays the widowed Empress, who marries the new Emperor (Ge You) only to protect herself, but also secretly plots his death with the help of the Crown Prince (Daniel Wu) and the Chief Minister (Ma Jingwu). Yet the Prince and Minister each have their own plans for the throne, and, of course, so does the Emperor. All these intrigues are brought to a climax when the Emperor calls for a lavish banquet, where the murderous plans are set in motion.

( Stills beneath the cut )

And because it seems I cannot end a post without a Hayden Christensen picspam, here is the next batch:



( More Hayden )

OK, I am all out of Hayden. Who should I picspam next? As long as they are reasonably attractive and someone I'd heard of, bring on the suggestions!

And thus ends the really long post. No wonder it took me days.

Watched more GetBackers (the episodes where Ban and Ginji are sent to recover the Arms of Venus). So gooooood.

Random notes:

Ginji is sweet but really too dense to exist. I guess he was always so powerful, he never needed to learn guile.

I adore Akabane. For someone who wears a cross between a suit and an evening dress and whose hat is a bastard offspring of a fedora and a sombrero, he is amazingly cool. He warns Ginji, but the thing that I find really interesting is that Ban is the one he fixates on, rightly. Ginji might be very powerful, but Ban is the one with the killer instinct. And Ban beat Lightning Emperor at full power, peobably because his attacks are non-corporeal. I love Akabane giving exhausted Ban cigaretted because Ban's are wet and saying he won't fight him now, all wounded but will have Ban's promise to fight when Ban is fully recovered. Now Akabane is certainly a man with incredible job satisfaction.

Oh, and Ban who lost his sunglasses and whose hair is wet so is down instead of up? Totally hot. I wish he'd get wet more often.

I've also finished Seven Swords, which was good the whole way through. I do think the first hour was better: it had all this set-up which kinda didn't get borne out later, and was more complex. I don't think it's the director's fault, as I know the initial cut was four hours and he had to hack it down to two and a half. I do wish I could have seen the long version though, because some subplots (the love quadrangle) became a bit too sudden otherwise, and some would have had more weight with more there.

But it was still excellent. The fight between Chu and the General on walls was amazing and something I am going to rewatch many a time. And I found the love story between Chu and Green Pearl totally sad and rather moving. I am a sucker for this sort of thing. It really struck me in their sex scene that this is probably the first time ever that she actually has consensual sex. How horrible is that fact? No wonder she is kinda falling apart: she is actually with someone she loves and is attracted to and of her own free will. I love the scene earlier when she tells him she wasn't afraid to die and now she is scared because now she has something to lose and she never wants to lose his trust. Yum. And the fact that while they have this conversation about trust and loss and her freaking out, they are (almost unconsciously) undressing each other? Hot.

Of course, this being a martial arts movie, we need tons of angst, so of course they get captured and the General is all "she is my spy blah blah blah" which is untrue and Chu won't believe it and he tells her he trusts her in Chinese and she is so devastated (because of course she doesn't speak anything but Korean) and she is stuttering towards him "don't you trust me?" and then he tells her in Korean "I trust you" and gleeeeee except not because the General lunges at him with a sword and Green Pearl jumps in front of the General and wrestles him to protect her lover, who actually manages unexpectedly to grab a sword and he slices at the General and it's automatic and he can't stop his stroke as it's too late, and Green Pearl is dead and he's killed her and he only sees it after the sword has hit her and I am not describing it very well, but ouch...

Because I am having such a good time watching Seven Swords, here is more picspam. Next after this? Musa the Warrior and Tiramisu.









Oh, and here is a fun review of Seven Swords:

http://www.dreamlogic.net/archives/seven-swords-review

And I am getting seriously hooked on wuxia. Bloody fights and angsty love? What more can one want?

I need more wuxia movie icons.

Because I am having such a good time watching Seven Swords, here is more picspam. Next after this? Musa the Warrior and Tiramisu.









Oh, and here is a fun review of Seven Swords:

http://www.dreamlogic.net/archives/seven-swords-review

And I am getting seriously hooked on wuxia. Bloody fights and angsty love? What more can one want?

I need more wuxia movie icons.