The Sky Crawlers Eva Rating

I was looking around at blu-ray external readers today. And there was only one reason why. I am going to buy 'The Sky Crawlers" and I am absolutely determined to watch it in HD. How can you not watch the clean, crisp and spectacular animation on a normal DVD? My new housemate has a 50 inch Kuro Pioneer TV. Basically that means absolute black for the blacks. When I watch The Sky Crawlers a second time it is going to be bliss. The story stirs up all the right feelings I love; feelings that my most favourite animes Evangelion and SEL emanate.

I thought I should kind of put the amazingness of this film in perspective.
End of Evangelion has a shock and awe factor of 10/10. Meaning...shock for roughly over a week. The personality kind of suddenly goes introverted for a while. No need for outside influence, the thought train of Eva alone is perfectly satisfying.

I would rate SEL (Serial Experiments Lain) at roughly 6. The content itself is not revolutionising, but the emotion flares up to extreme highs in the last episode.

As for The Sky Crawlers...I'd say...5. This is an impressive score considering it is a film that lasts for roughly 2 hours compared to SEL and NGE at about 6 and 12 hours respectively. There isn't much time for character development but the general concept of the film breaks some unchartered ground and smashes ignorance's face in. Heh heh

I will probably rate a few things in the future with an Eva score...unfortunately. Tooooo much time on my hands. I'm going for a run. That's useful at least.

This link is a good interpretation of The Sky Crawlers. Interpretation means it's spoiler town.

The Truth of War

People strive for peace. And there are fools out there who believe that we may achieve peace one day. But my point is this: in times of peace, we lose something that forms the core of our being: the survival instinct. Thus we turn self destructive, whether it be through self gratification through material means or a descent into anarchy.

War is inevitable no matter how you look at it. In fact, we need war.

If not war, we are going to turn into grotesque, drugged up beings.

Spoiler after this sentence. In the alternate universe of 'The Sky Crawlers', two companies on neighbouring continents orchestrate a war in which the 'Kildren' dogfight in the skies. Why would these companies orchestrate such a war? The answer isn't even related to money as you would normally expect. In fact, the war prevents any ordinary wars taking place amongst the population. While there is war, people strive for peace. What they don't know is that the war is fake. Though the 'Kildren' must die nevertheless.

This idea has been bandied about quite a bit in history and literature. It's the idea of substituting organised killing instead of the inevitably chaotic killing of normal people and/or soldiers. Imagine this on a global scale (like in Noir). I cannot deny myself that it would be quite an ideal world.

But in the end, people would tire. History shows that Chaos Theory is virtually correct. There will always be a slump before the the rise. Therefore anyone who believes in an ideal world should never expect it to last for more than a century. If the German Nazis had won the war, I don't believe 21st century Nazism would exist nevertheless. But it is a relief they didn't win the war, if a huge number of people must die for an ideal, then it is not an ideal fighting for. War is the only thing worth losing human lives for, it is the thing that keeps us human and sane.

Spoiler over...

And if you're stuck following the same path throughout your life, then no matter how long you may live, always try to change your destiny. No matter what the consequences.

The Sky Crawlers is a beautiful, awakening film. It is not about the dogfights. It is about the pilots, their life, their non changing world. Don't miss it.

Zeitgeist

I, like quite a few people, don't want to be stuck in an office job. But no matter what, everything tends towards money and we end up being enslaved to money. Enslaved is a strong word...but what is more fitting? It is the way of modern times, it is the way of modern people. Go against this way, you face isolation. At least eventually.

However as history has taught us, there is one thing that surpasses money and that is the combination of knowledge, wisdom and determination. All in all, these are the qualities of a teacher; one who teaches the masses 'his way'. It doesn't have to differ much from the common way but still differs nevertheless.

A teacher is valued more than a successful businessman in Japan. Culture is no more perfected anywhere else.

My heart will never be complete.

Until I live there.

Have no Dreams

Have no Hope

Thrown

Into God's Domain

You Fall

No Sadness

No Despair

Munto

Yay I found another gem in the world of animation: Munto. I've just watched the first OVA and the imagery is beautiful. At first I thought it was going to be some sort of action flick but was soon proved wrong. It's more like a slice of life of a girl who is very unique: she can see islands in the sky. And when one of those islands begins to fall, a mysterious messenger from the heavens claims that she has the power to save everything. But how can she come to terms with this when she has no idea what her power is?

LSA - Lucky Star Addiction

Gah! As soon as I come across a picture of Konata, I suddenly get pangs of some sort of withdrawal symptom. I miss Konata shelling out casual insults and the overreactions of Kagami; it's just absolute genius. I have manga with me in my room back here at 'home home' but due to the lack of a power cable for my external hard drive I am unfortunately deprived of my favourite media. I picked up the wrong cable; it seems I unplugged the radio instead :|

Lucky Star picture fest!

Found at MAL forums funny anime pictures thread

Amusingly cool

It's not just Lucky Star either, I also have an insatiable appetite for Kamichu! of which I watched the first episode with the Solent Anime Club. It is a wonderfully colourful montage of weird and wonderful Gods, very similar to Spirited Away. It is an assault on the visual senses. Gorgeous animation!


Hopefully I get back to uni tomorrow. I look forward to it immensely.

The Public Mind

With liquor tongues and candy smiles
These people stop and think a while
It won't take long before they find
That thing that they call peace of mind
But peace cannot be truly found
When the world still turns around
Driven by the need to earn
Cash that they're allowed to burn
This happiness ain't true or real
It's all an illusion you still feel.
If what you see is what you get
And all the dreams and hopes are set
And all you trust is your eyes
Just look, because they tell only lies.
"Seeing is believing"
Oh, no, seeing is deceiving
If what you see is what you get
Then all the dreams and hopes are set
And all you'll see is what you'll find
You never need to stretch your mind
'Cause all there is, has, and ever will be
Is here before you, gracefully
You bow your head in mocking awe
It's all just like that dream you saw
And will it end here? No, not when
You fall into your dreams again.

-antinomian

Link to antinomian's deviant page

Return to Black...or White?

It's been a while since I last posted to this blog and I thought it should be fitting to continue posting. Over the last few days of March I spent my time around East Germany in Berlin, Leipzig and Dresden. It was very much a different atmosphere, a relaxed one. And it opened up my mind; I wanted to be a better person (I was still inspired by Confucious' Analects). I was staying with a prominently Christian family and this pushed my ambitions further. As soon as I got back I was still quite invigorated by the experience. However after a week, things have gotten wearisome. I enjoy being anonymous, being alone and in the dark. Not sure why but it's just the sense of being alive that I strive for. And living happily doing the same thing every day does not give you that sense. I want a little bit of despair, not much but just a little. Is that a bad thing to ask? I don't want to live like I'm tailoring my personality to suit others just to ensure friendship stays ripe. Why should I make effort to do things with my friends I don't feel like doing? From childhood, I was built to be a solitary being to begin with, my deafness meant that I was not designed to interact with many people.

I will remain a solitary being, it feels right.

I've been reading haphazardly lately: a book by Benjamin called "Orange" and "Me2" by Sho Murase.

Orange is absolutely fantastic, a beautiful montage of digital art with a story made to fit the imagery rather than the other way round. The way it should be; we remember the visual before the sonic. The cover art is just like the rest of the manga and it's beauty jumped out at me while I was in the Forbidden Planet store. I immediately had to buy it and even the cashier herself said that it was a superb manga. So before I had even opened the book, I was filled to the brim with anticipation of something that was going to explode in ribbons as soon as I opened it. The book also redirected my gaze at digital art...now that is a medium I could use...


As for "Me2", it is one of the most surreal books I have opened in my life. The vivid imagery or rather the lack of it gets your imagination working a little more proactively, something that I always appreciate in artistry and writing. It leaves you looking at reality a little bit differently and in a darker light. I like it and will certainly get another volume.

All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream

- Edgar A. Poe