savaster

Re: Authenticity

There seems to be many critical discussions on Disney's Little Mermaid (2023) (not the original animation, but a live action film) noting that its "Woke" re-interpretations (whatever they are) contradict what they expect out of a Disney fairy tale female protagonist.

However, this point actually reminded me of the sense of wrongness when I (as a young kid) watched the initial animated version, which was caused from the fact that the 1989 movie has serious reinterpretation of it...

The Melancholy of Chihaya Natori

"Really, what does he think of me....?"

And congratulations Chihaya for making #1 in the polls as the most favorite FMS character :-)

Ambivalence

While there are groups out there that fight for animal rights (e.g. those against whaling or dolphin hunting), there are people in Texas open fields that kill hundreds of wild hogs a day with SUV mounted heavy machine guns (it's considered pest control). Talking about the duality of man...

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With her cousin and soul mate Chihaya temporarily gone, Aya gets bored and visits Marrea dive shop to hang out :-)

And this takes us right back to https://www.patreon.com/posts/apnea-girl-girl-79945488

Vexillolog...what??

There are a handful of YouTube channels that feature study of flags (vexillology) of the world (including CGP Grey, that I cited some time ago), and they surprisingly share a very similar message. They claim that flags should be simple and have meaningful symbolism - and decide to poke fun at designs they consider hideous, especially some of the U.S. state flags that are too mundane, messy, or in lack of character (these are referred to as "seals on bed sheets.")

Well, as different peop...

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How Will You Translate?

映画『君たちはどう生きるか』制作・スタジオ・ジブリ/監督宮崎駿　2023年

OK - the hottest movie of the year - at least for Studio Ghibli fans - has been out in the theaters for a couple of days, titled 『君たちはどう生きるか』（literal translation: How Will You Live?)

This newest work from the world of anime's living guru Hayao Miyazaki has been unique in the sense that basically no information about it prior to its theatrical rel...

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Who is your favorite FMS character?

FMS: Our Five Minute Summer manga/illustration series 

Please give us your honest opinion - this may or may not affect their future appearances! :-)

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Climb Every Mountain? 2

One of the key enablers of the summit enthusiasm is the commercialism that has become very big in the world of climbing. We know that you can (or at least, can try to) summit Mt. Everest with a budget of about 50,000 US dollars, which includes the permit from the Nepalese government, fees towards your mountain guide and Sherpa's, and other logistical costs that come with the feat of climbing the world's highest peak.

I'm sure each of the participants means no harm, but as in aggregate ...

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Climb Every Mountain?

I am fascinated by tales of adventurous men and women who dare to go deep diving (either with or without gear, or other apparatus for submersion). And I am equally drawn to tales of mountaineering and bouldering, stories of the daredevils who rely on meticulous planning, rigorous show of physical and mental aptitudes, and the final adrenaline rush to set foot on those rugged and snowy heaps. These feats are sometimes life threatening - with the problems due to the cold, altitude, terrain, as ...

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You hear the music? I do. 

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High & Low

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXzcyx9V0xw

Several days ago I had a chance to see the official trailer of Disney/Pixar's Elemental (already in theaters in U.S., not yet here in Japan). With any discussions about its PC orientation or box office performance aside, I noted that the voice of Ember (the protagonist fire character) is set assertively low. Since she is small and has a slim torso, it ...

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YT Styles Be Like

American YouTuber: "I've done these things and they're awesome"

British YouTuber: "I've seen other people do these things and they're horrible"

Japanese YouTuber: "I've read or heard about these things and they're horrible"

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Anime Titles

I've always found it interesting that Japanese anime titles tend to be more descriptive and straightforward than their English/American counterparts. For example, the title Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind gives you an idea that it'll be about a fictional character with somewhat mythical traits (Greek or Scandinavian maybe?) who is living in a valley where there is a lot of wind blowing. And you'll be exactly right. Similarly, Castle in the Sky is about, you guessed it, a ...

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Uh oh...

Anyways, happy Fourth of July! Hoping our American patrons out there are having a great time with family and friends :-) 

Rules of Engagament

<A tactical combat blade against an M4A1 Carbine. ...Fine, bring it on!>

Wreck Crisis (Limited Early Access!)

Continued from https://www.patreon.com/posts/84202830

<<Is....that....me....??>>

Thanks for your support!

Power of AI

ChatGPT just solved a question I had since childhood. As a matter of fact, young me was both puzzled and scared of how it was blinking yellow all the time and had random thoughts like the blinks would tell Mrs. Rogers who Mister Rogers kept in his basement was hungry.

Young me’s baseless assumption that this amicable gentleman was somehow a psychopath kept me from watching the program seriously. Darn.

https://you...

High School Jun

Actually, she goes to the same private school as Chihaya (although one year younger:-))

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Wreck Crisis (for Navy and Cobalt fans)

"!!!!!!!!"

It was going to be a fun, uneventful dive. Take a deep breath, swim down for a few dozen meters, explore, and be done before the pains in the chest become too forbidding. But sigh, the beautiful diver thought, she was now going to be there for some time. 

...What do you think has happened? (Write in the comments below!!)

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Titan

Our condolences go to the five men who were aboard the OceanGate Inc.'s exploratory submersible, who have been declared dead today after a presumed deep water implosion. 

Many voices are heard over the endeavor's poor planning and subpar engineering. However, it is also true that the boundaries of man are thrust forward by who those put themselves behind the steering device, not by the wealthy critiques who speak from the comfort of their homes.

(Btw, did James Cameron decide...

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:-)