I finished watching Kanon yesterday. Key, the animation studio, has this fascinating and well-executed way of blending the funny and the sorrow into a bittersweet smoothie of an anime. I laughed at all the running jokes: Akiko-san's special jam, Nayuki's sleepwalking and attraction to cat allergies, and Kitagawa's complete randomness. And I was moved when Makoto disappeared, Shiori ran off, Nayuki got emo and Ayu... well the ending was so bittersweet I didn't know how to react.
That is not to say that Kanon doesn't have its flaws. I'm pretty sure Yuuichi shouldn't be able to repress his memories that well, especially the one of Ayu, which is definitely traumatizing and should have affected his psyche to a significant extent. Also it was kind of awkward that he shared a kiss with Ayu when Shiori just kissed him the night before, but I rationalised it in the sense that Shiori looked to him as an older brother, and not a boyfriend.
Nevertheless, the art was exquisite, with beautifully-drawn backdrops and scenery which is such a delight to witness, even when you are close to tears. I favour the 2006 art to the previous version greatly, though I do think that though Yuuichi looks normal-ish, the girls' faces all look quite squashed. Piro is adorable, but I say that about every cat, so yeah.
I'm still in wonder at how the anime genre has been so successful and influencing my emotions. Maybe it's because I'm in the appropriate age category. Maybe it's because of the universal themes of love and separation, of life. I don't know. All I know is, it's good.
Yume,
The Edna Man
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Thursday, February 16, 2012
The Procrastinator's Dilemma
So it's happened to me multiples times and I want to throw out this paradox to you. I don't know whether this is an existing paradox (phrased differently), but here it is anyway.
This dilemma requires you to have to two things which are equally important. For the purposes of illustration, let's assume that you're at home, and that a) a very close friend is coming over sometime this afternoon BUT DID NOT SPECIFY EXACTLY WHAT TIME, and b) you need to go out to buy food for dinner OR ELSE THERE WILL BE NOTHING TO COOK AND YOU WILL STARVE.
Let's assume that you cannot buy food while your friend is over (because online delivery doesn't exist or something). Let's also assume that you can't bring your friend to buy dinner with you (because he/she is over from some exotic overseas location and isn't willing to spend time with groceries). While we're at it, let's also assume the absence of cloning, time travel, multiple universe theories, and handphones.
The dilemma goes like this: it's 3pm in the afternoon. Your friend has not arrived yet. You also have not bought dinner yet. You need to go buy dinner or you'll starve. But you need to be here to receive your friend. If you go, then you might keep your friend waiting for hours while you select the most exquisite piece of gourmet lamb shank. But if you wait for your friend, then your stomach acids slowly devour yourself from the inside.
So, here's the question: what is the best course of action here?
One will always wonder,
The Edna Man
This dilemma requires you to have to two things which are equally important. For the purposes of illustration, let's assume that you're at home, and that a) a very close friend is coming over sometime this afternoon BUT DID NOT SPECIFY EXACTLY WHAT TIME, and b) you need to go out to buy food for dinner OR ELSE THERE WILL BE NOTHING TO COOK AND YOU WILL STARVE.
Let's assume that you cannot buy food while your friend is over (because online delivery doesn't exist or something). Let's also assume that you can't bring your friend to buy dinner with you (because he/she is over from some exotic overseas location and isn't willing to spend time with groceries). While we're at it, let's also assume the absence of cloning, time travel, multiple universe theories, and handphones.
The dilemma goes like this: it's 3pm in the afternoon. Your friend has not arrived yet. You also have not bought dinner yet. You need to go buy dinner or you'll starve. But you need to be here to receive your friend. If you go, then you might keep your friend waiting for hours while you select the most exquisite piece of gourmet lamb shank. But if you wait for your friend, then your stomach acids slowly devour yourself from the inside.
So, here's the question: what is the best course of action here?
One will always wonder,
The Edna Man
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