I tried to write, but it was also my birthday this week so I have been celebrating, and by celebrating, I mean I am trying to go out and party as much as a socially awkward otaku can and watching movies I've put off for a long time.
First up, Ghost in the Shell. Let's get this out of the way, it sucks that they whitewashed the cast that should have been Japanese. Having said that, I really think they did the best job anyone in America is ever going to do with this and if we can just shut up and enjoy it, this could be the beginning of a franchise, perhaps a whole new era of anime adaptations. But who am I kidding? We're al going to bitch about this until it's DOA. In my humble opinion, this movie was good, and perfect for introducing the character of Major Motoko Kusanagi. It is not the same as the original anime movie, but rather takes from 2nd Gig, the second season of the tv series. I can understand why they went this way, it is a good story and preserves the spirit of Ghost in the Shell. This story explains who and what the Major is and her significance in the changing world. The world itself is shown in such a beautiful style that if it weren't for out of place caucasians it would be flawless. However even the white folks have their place in the story. Batou's eyes finally ge a full explanation, they get burned out by an explosion and replaced so he looks like the Batou we know and love. Speaking of appearances, once you get past the Major being white, you realize she's actually pretty dead on, hair, costume, everything, she is badass. Speaking of badass, Aramaki, the official boss of section 9 gets my full respect in this film, particularly near the end. The ending is incredibly satisfying, although I don't want to give too much away, there is a spider tank(tachikoma) that would make for the ultimate boss battle in a game adaptation, and there are some other details that really make it worthwhile including an explanation for who Motoko really is...all I'll say is that her body is synthetic and doesn't necessarily match what her original body actually looked like, so you will forgive that she's played by a white chick, a very clever writing trick. So the main story is that the Major, who believes her name is Mira, is the first cyborg with a fully synthetic body, literally her brain is all that is left of her original body and it is now housed inside an android body, the ghost in the shell, which they rather heavy handedly describe in so many words in the beginning exposition to make sure the audience knows right away and isn't left figuring it out and missing the story. She has no memory of who she once was but is told that her family were immigrants and they died trying to reach Japan, attacked by terrorists. She is placed in Defense Section 9 along with Batou, Ishikawa, Saito and a few unnamed agents under Aramaki, and together they fight cyberterrorism. One year into her assignment, the Major as she is now known more by her rank, is handling a meeting where a robot geisha has been reprogrammed to assasinate a scientist from Hanka Robotics, the company that made the Major. The robot had been hacked by someone known only as Kuze. While investigating this further, more scientists from Hanka are killed by Kuze and they track him down only to find a trap where Batou loses his eyes. Then the truth comes out about Kuze and the Major's connection. The story mainly follows the intent of the franchise, questioning what is real when the artificial mimics reality so well. I particularly found the character of Dr. Oulette moving, the doctor who created the Major and performs maintenance on her. She takes a moral turn that some people may find unexpected, but you have to remember that the major represents Dr. Oulette's life's work, and she becomes very protective, so no matter how corrupt you may think she is, when it comes down to it, she does care about her creation more than her own life.
Next, Your Name, okay Funimation, you got me to watch the movie. This movie is about two teenagers whose lives become intertwined when they start to switch bodies with each other and live out every other day as the other one. At first they think it's just a dream, until there are real world consequences, then they begin to realize it's real and they need to take care of each other. They form a unique bond that becomes critical when the switching stops and the boy, Taki, realizes that the girl Mitsuha died. Not only have they been seperated by physical distance between Tokyo and a small rural town called Itomori, but they have also been seperated by three years that she lived in the past. The second half of the movie is about Taki trying to make one last trip to save the town knowing that it was destoryed by a meteor. There really is no way to convey the emotion in watching these two fall in love without ever meeting each other, knowing each other only by the notes they leave to each other, but it is truly beautiful and draws you in until the very end. No detail is unimportant, every little thing matters in the end, from a string to a jar of sake, from a landscape to a pen mark,
So back in my writing, in 7th Moon Mecha, we jus got through our first battle of the Three Kingdoms portion of the story and it did not turn out the way they expected. I haven't fit in as much as I would have liked, but I did finish a chaoter, so that's something. Also it didn't help that Dangerous Ariana came back to Final Fantasy Brave Exvius and I'm trying to make sure I get all of the event items. Not easy at all, but just wanted to let everyone know, if you missed it last time, heres your second chance. Well, back to writing for me.
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