As the title says, this blog is under construction.
Wednesday, 2 December 2009
Monday, 30 November 2009
Chara was one of the first Japanese musicians who didn't do visual kei that I listened to. I found out about her because I had a crush on her husband in those days (like 3 years ago). I am now going to reveal how I waste my time on the internet; it all started with me and my now Korean-crazy friend (in those days I doubt she even knew Korea was a country!) watching Zatoichi and swooning over the young handsome ronin (masterless samurai). After watching the movie, I went online in search of the actor who played the young handsome ronin and I discovered his name was Tadanobu Asano. It was while checking out his profile somewhere online that I discovered he was married to a woman who calls herself Chara, is a musician and also older than him. The two are now divorced though...and because she is a singer-songwriter we can guess what lead to their divorce, she sang a song.
Chara's real name is Watabiki Miwa according to Wiki and Satou Miwa according to other sources. There is a story behind her stage name, in junior high her nickname was charachara which is an onomatopeic word for someone who doesn't stop talking or is scatterbrained. It was her teacher that called her Chara and from then on it stuff. Chara is a singer-songwriter, actress and video jockey. She possesses a very quirky style which can easily be seen in her music videos (MV). She also experiments with her music, I really cannot classify her music so I call it J-pop however Chara is one of those with music that cannot be categorized. In the past Chara has experimented with jazz, soul, a little bit of reggae and her newest tracks sound closer to rock to me. Chara is well known for her voice, she uses this whispering technique while singing and that is basically what attracted me to her music. The first ever Chara MV I watched was the one for 'Crazy For You', the song remains among my favourites to this day!
The song 'Crazy for You' really piqued my interest in Chara because I got an earful of that special voice of hers in the very first song I listened to. I remember, I couldn't believe my ears but I enjoyed the song and I also really liked the video though it is not the weirdest Chara MV out there. The video that made me go 'WTF' was for her song 月と甘い涙 (Tsuki to Amai Namida) a.k.a 'The Moon and Sweet Tears'. It was the little green men from the Moon presumably that did it for me.
That video made me hate the song before even listening to it and I am not the only person who finds the video creepy, check out the comments below the video on Youtube. Now I have taken the time to listen to the song and understand a few of the lyrics (I think she is singing about heartbreak) and I actually like the song. However, I love both the MV and the song for 世界 (Sekai) a.k.a 'The World' even though it is a bit weird too.
I like most of Chara's songs and she is a well-established musician and has too many albums to count (there are only 13 really). Because of this, I am too lazy to go through her earlier music but it also means there are a lot more tracks for me to choose from.
70%夕暮れのうた (70% Yuugure no Uta) a.k.a '70% Evening Song', I know I love the name too! Again I can only pick out a few words from the song but I never would have guessed it was a love song...it IS. Most of her songs have 'mature' lyrics though as I do not understand all of her lyrics, I really cannot say. However I watched her appearance on Cartoon KAT-TUN and there she explained one of her songs as expressing a woman's emotions or something like that. I have to watch that interview again!
Watch [chara]call me in Music | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com
'Call Me' from her 12th studio album Honey. I kind of lost track of Chara for a while and in that short time, she realised 2 studio albums! I have only listened to Honey and I like the album, I especially enjoyed the reggae feel of 'Marmalade'. As for the 2nd album, which was released this year Carol, though I have not listened to the whole album I have seen and heard 片思い (Kataomoi) a.k.a Unrequited/One-sided Love. The video is great and features her two kids, they are soooo cute! And I see Sumire, her daughter, being either a musician or an actress in the future.
Like I said above, Chara has a lot of songs and I happen to like a lot of them. I am trying not to embed all the MVs I like because it will mean this post will be several pages long LOL. The video for タイムマシイン a.k.a. 'Time Machine' is pretty normal on Chara's scale and her ex-husband is in it too.
The video is definitely interesting though as always. Okay, final video! I think my absolute favourite Chara song has to be 'Junior Sweet'. 'Junior Sweet' is actually the B-side of one of her most famous songs which I personally do not like やさしい気持ち (Yasashii Kimochi) a.k.a 'Tender/Kind/Gentle Feelings'. Here is Chara and Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra (remember them?) performing 'Junior Sweet' live.
When she screams in that video, she sounds 100% LIKE ME! No jokes! My friends call me a drama queen because when I scream (that would be often), I sound like that. I love the way she is dressed in the video too!
Image credit: Last.fm
Sunday, 29 November 2009
You may wish to read Absolute Destiny Apocalypse, Take 1 & Take 2 to understand what I'm going on about ^^
Revolutionary Girl Utena abounds with many exemplary female characters. Utena is the first example, she is courageous willing to defend her friends. Yet at the same time she is naive, she embodies the innocence*** that must be lost when coming of age. She really is pure-hearted and does not even notice the most obvious things going on literally under her nose such as the incestuous relationship between Anthy and her brother, Akio Ohtori whose dual nature is the Prince/Devil. I hate Akio because he came between Utena and Anthy. He is a bastard.
Anthy is dynamic in her own right and her being the 'witch' also makes her character even more interesting and complex. Supporting female characters include Juri Arisugawa who is an excellent fencer and the only female member of the Student Council in the beginning. She also duels for the 'Rose Bride'. There is Nanami Kiryuu (image of her and brother on the left) who is the comic relief of the series. Her character is really bull-headed and she has a serious 
brother complex. Her older brother Touga Kiryuu is the Student Council President and to say she is in love with him will be an understatement. Nanami is also a drama queen and a bully who punishes anyone who she views as lower than her or who her brother pays attention to. She is a really silly character but can get serious when its time to, I love the way she easily occupies the role of the Student Council president when her brother is wounded and in a foul mood after his duel with Utena. Nanami is not a bad dueller herself and fights with two blades. Almost all the female characters fight in duels excluding Anthy because she is the Rose Bride. Another interesting point is that the sword used by the dueller has to be called forth from Anthy's body.
The Student Council president Touga Kiryuu deserves special mention. He is Nanami's older brother and the object of all her affection. He is a playboy and an expert manipulator who is always cold, calculating and is willing to use his own sister who loves him so dearly to reach his ends. In the progress of the series, he develops 'feelings' for Utena however he never accepts her for who she is and insists on seeing her in a stereotypical feminine role; as the woman who can never be a prince and still needs to be saved. In other words, he believes and tries to convince Utena that she can never be a Prince as she is a girl and that it is not her job to go around saving other people. Touga is portrayed differently in the TV anime and the anime movie though, in the movie his character is more sympathetic.
For the most part of the TV anime, Touga wants Utena to be a 'normal girl' presumably so he can play the part of her prince. At a point Touga convinces Utena to be a 'normal girl'. After duelling with Touga and losing, Utena gets confused when Touga wins Himemiya from her. During this troubled time, Utena starts doubting herself and lets Touga's words get to her. In that period, she attempts to be 'normal' by wearing girl's uniform, she becomes submissive and lets Touga flirt with her in that disturbing playboy I-have-several-women-under-my-thumb manner. It is only with help from Wakaba who reacted so strongly to Utena's change telling Utena that what is 'normal' for others does not have to be 'normal' for her and vice versa. Utena realises that girls uniform is not 'normal' for her, indeed the uniform was only a representation of what the others expect from a 'normal girl'. Basically, after this incident, I saw Utena gain acceptance of herself (which is I believe important for even real life girls) and she challenges Touga in order to get Anthy back surprising both Touga and Anthy. Before Utena challenges him, Touga thinks she is coming to submit to him while Anthy is supposed to have moved on happily with her new possessor (a.k.a fiance). While the duel is taking place, Anthy (who watches all the duels) is touched to see the way Utena is willing to fight and defend herself against Touga that she [Anthy] weeps.
I also find what this anime has to say about relationships very interesting. We have a lot of suggested incestuous relationships in Miki Kaoru another member of the student council who plays the piano. He originally wants to win Anthy because he wants to regain the 'rhythm that he lost' when he was younger. When he was younger he used to play the piano with his sister and that time may be what he wants to return to. Also we have Nanami who has a great brother complex. She continuously insists that Touga is the only man for her yet when she discovers the relationship between Anthy and Akio she is disgusted. She confronts Utena saying 'can you not see what is going on here?' referring to the fact that Anthy and Akio are in an incestuous relationship yet Utena cannot see because she is not only clueless but innocent. Let us not forget Anthy and Akio's horrible relationship, I am not sure but I believe it is hinted that the reason Anthy sleeps with her brother is to gain absolution or something. I don't know to be honest, maybe it is what she thinks she deserves because, you know, she is the 'witch'.
Oh no Anthy! Not with your own brother!!Saionji Kyouichi is another interesting character who is basically an abuser. When we first meet him, he is slapping Anthy for no reason. Yet he claims he loves her. He does not seem to stop hitting her, sometimes he talks to her trying to get her to see his point of view and when she doesn't he hits her. Saionji is confusing, I think he's seriously obsessed with Anthy and he is an odd character that wants to force his 'love' for Anthy on her. He wants to own her. I believe that Saionji's character is there to showcase the kind of 'love' that should be avoided.
I also cannot believe I wrote this much without mentioning that Anthy and Utena come to love each other! This manga is classified as yuri after all, their love is obviously subtle but I like that it is 'pure' compared to the other sorts of relationships going around. They are my favourite couple in anime and I must also say that after watching Revolutionary Girl Utena, I have become an avid reader of yuri manga, I will hopefully talk about that in another post.
Awwwwwww!Whoever made it this far, well done! I hope I was able to convey the complexity and specialness of the anime/manga Revolutionary Girl Utena. I believe this anime should be required watching for all teenage girls mostly because I love its themes but also because I believe watching this anime helped be grow up. I know it seems a bit much to place this much importance on a cartoon but Revolutionary Girl Utena means that much to me. And I am definitely not alone in my appreciation for these series. Though it is a bit old (to me because it was made in the 90s), there are tons of resources online dedicated to Revolutionary Girl Utena. My favourite has to be Ohtori.nu (that site also has beautiful images and every single image of Utena and the rest is from that website) and I completely adore this forum that addresses the symbolism behind the series and this forum from the same site that tried to interpret the series. I think only those who have watched the series can fully understand though which is why you should watch it!
***Ultimately Revolutionary Girl Utena seems to suggest that innocence has no place in the big bad grown up world. Utena is the one who dies in the end while Anthy is able to start her life over again, this time with more independence. Anthy made the choice to leave her brother and the members of the Student Council who were still searching for the power to bring revolution to the world.
Continued from Absolute Destiny Apocalypse Take 1.
Thanks to of the Prince she met in her youth while mourning the death of her parents, Utena decides to become a prince herself. Though earlier in the show, we do not know the full details behind her meeting with the Prince and her subsequent decision to become a prince herself, we know that Utena is a kind-hearted girl who is reminded by the Prince to always remain noble. As Utena want so be a prince, she dresses in the male uniform and she talks in male speech when referring to herself using 'boku'** when referring to herself. All the girls in school love Utena calling her 'Utena-sama' (meaning Lady Utena, sama is a way of showing a lot of respect in Japanese) even her good friend Wakaba insists that Utena is her boyfriend.
One day, 
Utena (see left) witnesses Saionji a member of the student council hitting Anthy and ultimately challenges him to an after-school fight when a love letter sent by her friend to him [Saionji] is posted publicly causing her friend Wakabe to be humiliated. Saionji tells her to meet him at the arena behind the school that are usually off limits to other students. Nevertheless, Utena goes ready to fight with her wooden sword and she discovers that the ring the Prince from her youth gave her is able to open this large door that leads to the battle ground. There she duels with Saionji who uses a real sword and even with her wooden sword, Utena is able to win the duel.
And this is how Utena's world is turned upside down. Anthy becomes her fiancee because she is the Rose Bride and is given to the winner of each duel. At first Utena thinks they are all crazy but slowly she warms up to Anthy. As the anime progresses Utena must fight in a series of sword duels with the members of the Student Council and other villains in other to both protect Anthy and ultimately to guard the 'power that will bring revolution to the world'. Anthy is thought to be the key to this revolution thus whoever is in possession of her (a.k.a her fiance) has special access to this power.
Utena represents innocence and naivety that cannot survive in the world. Utena wears boy's uniform yet she insists that she is a girl not a guy AND at the same time she wants to be the prince who saves princesses. Utena wants to be the Prince's lover and the Prince all at once. It is easy to love Utena due to her openness and her innocence. She is very straightforward and honest. When she sees something that is wrong, she will let everyone know that it is wrong. Utena is also willing to save other people even at the expense of herself.
I believe Utena's character is contrasted by Anthy, the 'Rose Bride'. At first I thought she was the weakling as she occupies the 'damsel in distress' archetype. Anthy is also very timid and lets Saionji physically abuse her. She will let anyone who possesses her (a.k.a her fiance who has won a duel) to treat her in any manner they wish without even complaining. Anthy seems like a doormat, someone who is nothing compared to Utena however towards the end it is revealed that she is not really in distress and is in fact far from it. Anthy may be actually more complicated and sinister than previously thought.
While at first, it seems as though Anthy (image right) occupies the role of the domestic, 
homely woman who cooks, cleans, is always happy and cheerful being the bride that is passed around from man to man (and the occasional woman in Utena's case); there is more to her than meets the eye. Anthy is also always isolated, her life revolves around the duels and the rose garden she tends. At school (Ohtori academy) other student hate Anthy (compared to Utena's popularity) and do no want to associate with her. When Utena asks Anthy if she has any friends, Anthy affirms that Chu Chu who is her only friend. Chu Chu is her pet, a marmoset that goes 'chuu chuu' hence his name. Anthy acts as though she doesn't have any feelings and only exists to please her 'master' or 'fiance' but ultimately there is a possibility that there are actually two parts to her and that she is very aware what she is doing.
In the end we discover that Anthy is closer to the 'witch' in the fairy tale as opposed to the 'damsel'. Anthy seems to be a pushover, she is constantly physically abused by Saionji and Nanami (she is the student council president, Touga's little sister) without ever trying to stand up for herself. I think she lets this happen to her because she believes that she is under a curse and that she deserves it. That's the big spoiler, that Anthy who tries to save her brother the Prince from the selfish demands of villagers/people and is put under a curse of eternal agony. I say 'selfish demands of people' because the people always relied on the Prince to save them and he was willing to save them despite this being detrimental to his health. I mean, you cannot expect ONE person to save the whole world but that was what the people wanted and the Prince would always oblige. Anthy is the 'witch' because she tried to (selfishly) save the Prince by preventing him from going out to save the world. By doing this, she was lynched by the people, I think the wording used was 'pierced by a 1000 swords', and placed under a curse of eternal agony. The agony is eternal because she is still alive despite having all those swords in her.
It was Anthy's story that affected me the most. I watched this anime years ago and the effect still lingers. I question why she is labelled a witch in the first place and the fact is that she is labelled a witch for trying to save her brother the Prince. The sacrifice theme comes up because she is in eternal pain for trying to save him. The villagers thought she had kidnapped the Prince and thus imprisoned her though she is the Prince's sister. It is interesting that even as Anthy is in eternal agony, she is also to occupy the role of the 'bride' for eternity. And the confusing part is trying to decipher what Anthy really wants. It seems that Anthy is sadistic actually wants to be the 'bride' and that she enjoys her imprisonment. However, in the final episode, the ending credits depict her carrying a suitcase and leaving her brother, the Prince (who actually turns out to be the Devil) behind.
I feel another important message in Revolutionary Girl Utena is that of fairy tales. That which we have accepted as being 'normal' archetypes are turned on their heads. It seems to say that when we grow up, we need to leave these fairy tales behind. I can say that Revolutionary Girl Utena forever altered my perception fairy tales especially my perception of witches. These days I just cannot help but feel sorry for the witches. In fact, I started writing this post at least 5 months ago, it was one of the first posts I wanted to publish on this blog but I held it back. Now, I have discovered that my problem with the 'bad, evil women' in fairy tales actually dates back to my childhood! I am currently writing another post on that topic so stay tuned please. Anyway, I have come to the realisation that witches are more complicated than what we've been shown in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs or Cinderella's evil step-mother. Witches are more that just evil unthinking minions and it was this anime that unlocked the door with Anthy, Anthy who is very good at covering up and hiding the pain that she has gone through.
Poor Anthy, she really needs a hug...**In Japanese, 'boku' is used by men to say 'I', women usually use 'watashi' so by using 'boku' Utena is expressing her inner prince.
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