Happy Holidays!

Listening to: “The Scientist” by Coldplay

WiP: “Hyakkimaru & Dororo” (based on the 2007 movie, started yesterday – did the outline sketch for both and managed to shade Dororo’s face, maybe my “magnum opus” for 07, but then it could be my Jan. 08 offering, depending on when I’ll finish it.) And I have to have that “Mrs. Coulter” portrait scanned, it will probably be my year-ender.

Yey! Finally Episode 10 of “Tantei Galileo” was out (no SARS subs yet though, just the RAW version). Interesting ending. Yukawa-sensei was both funny and irritating :D Now, I sincerely hope there will be a Season 2. Ah! And there will be a movie (out by 2008), I heard.

Episode 12 of “Gundam 00″ was available as well. No big development. Setsuna came back home, and the situation at fictional Azadistan is starting to resemble that of the recent events in real-world Pakistan.

Tried watching a couple of movies yesterday. Cesar Montano’s “Ligalig” – serial killer/split persona thing - was a “mixed bag” of sorts. Story’s as predictable as hell (just imagine Johnny Depp’s “Secret Window”). But compared to other local films, well, at least it tried to break some conventions (with little success though). Then there’s the Thai film, “The Unseeable”. Creepy. But the plot is quite similar to “The Others”.

Well then, Happy Holidays!

one missed call…

Listening to: “Luka” – Suzanne Vega

8th day of the Asian Movie/TV Marathon. So far I’ve seen:

“Neighbor No. 13″ – a j-horror of sorts. Basically a split personality drama, with a twist ending. Not too bad. Although, why the mom would leave her son to a stranger she had known only for a couple of weeks, was beyond me. Great atmosphere though, keeps your curiosity levels high.

“Bambino” – a j-drama consisting of 11 episodes. Another Jun Matsumoto outing. Quite good, but “exhausting” to watch; because the lead character tend to mark “victory and defeat” with bouts of crying. I mean, it’s fine to see a guy teary-eyed once in a while, but seeing him like that for almost every episode was different (makes me want to poke him, “get it together man!”) He’s pretty likable in the end though, all is forgiven. Yes, and my unanswered query, when are they going to buy a dishwasher?? It’s a “cooking” show, so don’t watch this on an empty stomach. All that mouth-watering Italian cuisine! Bene!

“Chukushin Ari” (One Missed Call) the series – 10 episodes. Remember that creepy ring tone? (I actually had that on one of my phones a while back). Finished it last night. This one made it to my favourites list. Better than all 3 movies put together (argh! I heard there’s an American remake on the way). Never a dull moment (keeps you guessing until the end), interesting plot (with a few holes of course), great characters. The ending was a bit bizarre though (what do you expect?) Again, I don’t find it that scary, more “dramatic”.

All the usual themes are there: family, friendship, love, vengeance and forgiveness. Yes, those rather perverted teachers (“You are the one I love!” Ewww! If my my high school teacher, whom I look up to as a second father/older brother, told me something like that – no matter how good-looking he was -, all my respect for him would vanish in about 2 seconds.) are partly to blame for the whole fiasco. Jesus H. Christ! Can’t they find someone their own age? The girls were high school students (and teachers are “supposed” to be the advisers/second parents), for crying out loud!

Ah yes! And finally Episode 9 of “Tantei Galileo” is up at SARS (takes about 2 hours to download the “bit torrent” though), will watch it when I get back!

a big glob of superstitious nonsense…

Listening to: “One of These Days” by Michelle Branch

Just seen Episode 11 of Gundam 00 (no major development on the story, more like a “launching pad” of Allelujah’s character. It would be interesting to see how HRL will handle this recent attack on their facility though; and the public outrage at the exposure of their human experimentation project.) Oh, and Episode 12 should be interesting as Setsuna returns to his homeland.

 Still no subs are available for “Galileo’s” Episode 9, I watched the RAW version, it seems to have to do something with Yukawa-sensei’s former mentor.

Right! The main article, followed this link (which will supposedly explain my attitude based on my birth chart),

here we go:

This birth chart shows the positions of the planets of  Roselle Ayo

The planets in the signs
The position of the planets in the signs of the Zodiac has an influence on the character of the individual and these influences form a large part of the individual psyche.

Sun in Capricorn

She is honest, reserved, circumspect, honorable and strong-willed. Quietly ambitious within the realms of the possible, she likes and takes on responsibility. She can work in the social domain (you have got to be joking!)

Weaknesses: a bitter, hostile, disagreeable and mistrustful mind.

Moon in Sagittarius

Likes to throw herself into the unknown and into adventure: she is agile, tough and enthusiastic. Attracted to long voyages, to discover the unknown.

Weaknesses: takes great risks in throwing herself into the unknown and into adventure. Audacious, bold and rebellious. Unable to stay in one place, is always ready to risk everything to achieve her goal.

(Yes, well there’s some truth in that)

Mercury in Aquarius

Likes everything that is new and original: is an innovator. Values her independence and liberty of action greatly. She initiates projects, she is individualistic, idealistic and humanitarian. Likes intellectual discussions.

Weaknesses: argumentative, bickering and eccentric.

Venus in Aquarius

She likes flowery language: she is very sensitive and detests anything vulgar. She appreciates independence in love, but idealizes and embellishes it. She likes to please and will do whatever is necessary for this. While always being frank, she is not always faithful.

Weaknesses: she is unfaithful, because she likes above all to please and will follow through to the end of any adventure that arises. Does not like barriers, likes liberty of action and does not like to account to anyone.

Mars in Aquarius

She uses her aggressiveness in a social battle for freedom, or independence or adventure, but always linked to society. Likes adventure, independence. Disturbances, changes, upsets.

Jupiter in Sagittarius

She is agreeable, seductive, engaging and generous. (ehh??!)

Weaknesses: immoderate taste for sport and games. (er…yeah right!)

Saturn in Scorpio

Observant, self-controlled, unforgiving, tough, methodical, a researcher, an investigator. Lots of courage, self-assurance and can keep her cool.

Weaknesses: makes no concessions or compromises. She can become a fanatic of a creed, a party, work or a religion. (so there’s a possibilty of me being a bible-thumping fanatic??!)

Uranus in Sagittarius

She is shy, delicate but proud, bold and lively.

Neptune in Sagittarius

Likes long voyages, things foreign, water.

Pluto in Libra

Brings changes.

Galileo…Sees

Yes finally, the streaming Episode 8 of “Galileo” is up. Although it’s not yet available on CrunchyRoll, it can be found at VEOH. Another interesting case for our “duo”. This one supposedly involves “teleportation”.

It turns out our professor enjoys cooking as well (and he’s rather good at it too!) Ah, and another amusing exchange:

Utsumi: So, you’ve got lots of spare time today.

Yukawa: Do I look like I have lots of spare time?

Utsumi: I mean, this is not an experiment, is it?

Yukawa: Are you saying that if I wasn’t performing experiments in the lab, I have lots of spare time?

(Utsumi prepares for a lengthy telling off)

I have spare time if I wasn’t working, that’s truly a simplistic reasoning. Do you go to the rest room because you have spare time? Do you take a bath and sleep because you have spare time? I am making the most efficient use of this limited time into my hobby.

(by this time Utsumi’s eyes were closed, she’s nodding vigorously, not to mention gritting her teeth)

At the same time, I am engaging in social interaction, a sequence of actions required for me to live. In other words, I am very busy right now.

_________________________________________

Student A: He’s losing his mind for sure!

Student B: I’ve never seen the professor reading books like those.

Student C: He’s the type of person who never believes in occult stuff.

Student D: I overheard him saying…”I wonder how the ‘Dokodemo Door’ works?” He said it with a serious face!

(note: Dokodemo Door – Doraemon’s travel tool)

Student E: Then he’s already lost his mind!

(Yukawa-sensei’s cooking) = YUM!

(Utsumi-kun’s cooking) = “What on earth is that?!” [quote by Yukawa-sensei] Utsumi swore she “could vouch for the taste ” though.

Waaah! Only TWO more episodes left! I hope there’s a Season 2!

…thoughts part deaus…

Sixth day of the Asian TV/Movie Marathon.

Watching: “Mobile Suit Gundam 00″ (I’m done with episodes 1-10 – I double checked Shinsen subs to see if I’m missing anything, turns out Episode 11 hasn’t been aired yet in Japan.)

So far so good. The story seems to be running smoothly (filled as usual with skulduggery and political machinations). My thoughts on some of the characters:

Gundam Meisters:

• Setsuna F. Seiei – quiet, brooding, your regular anti-social (you’ve seen him before). Apparently, he murdered his parents in order to become a member of a certain terrorist organization a few years back. It’s obvious that he was traumatized (and very remorseful of what he had done). Generally, he prefers to keep his thoughts to himself (baffling his colleagues with some of his actions – for example, opening the cockpit during a battle); However, in a rare fit of anger (EP 8), he revealed his true identity to Marina Ismail (Azadistan’s current monarch). It’s a good thing Marina did not believe him (at the end of EP 8 though, she may have changed her mind. How many Gundams do you find lurking outside your plane??) There appears to be “bad blood” between them; Azadistan was responsible for the destruction of Setsuna’s country. Hence, our hero has no faith in “peaceful solutions”.

I’ve been reading complaints that Setsuna is “dull”. While everyone is entitled to their own opinions, I simply do not find him “dull”. Well, it’s better than Kira Yamato’s constant “bawling” – while he was crying, other people are dying!

“No one’s going to shag you if you’re always crying.” O__o (never mind, it’s a quote from a totally unrelated movie)

• Lockon Stratos (w/ Haro) - whose real name was “Neil Dylandy”. Team “sniper” (his general attitude reminds me of FF8’s Irvine. Laid-back, easy-going, with more than a few skeletons inside his closet – minus the womanizing). Not much was revealed about him at this point, only that he lost most of his family during a terrorist bombing. Of the four Meisters, he has the most “stable” personality.
• Allelujah/Hallelujah Haptism – it is clear that this one is very, very disturbed. He suffers from “split-personality”. As “Allelujah” he is gentle and almost shy (reminds me a little bit of Trowa Barton actually), but once the “Hallelujah” persona takes over, he becomes rather sadistic and murderous. He seems to have a certain connection to “Human Reform League’s” Soma Peiris (it was heavily hinted that both of them were results of human experimentation).
• Tieria Erde – the owner of the “hairy gundam”. I was a bit surprised, a Gundam with “hair-like” features! There better be an acceptable explanation to this! Anyway, he seems very loyal to this “Veda”. Doesn’t really care about the welfare of his team mates (he’s even prepared to kill some of them if he thinks they made a mistake; or broke “Celestial Being’s” rules). Usually at odds with Setsuna. Aside from his preference for pink sweaters (!), almost nothing was revealed about this guy yet.

Others:

• (Princess) Marina Ismail - Azadistan’s reigning monarch. Attempting to find a solution to her country’s economic problems, she embarks on a “diplomatic tour” to seek help from more capable nations (with little success at the moment). “Saved” Setsuna from the police after mistaking him as one of her subjects. And as you may have guessed, she believes that peace cannot be achieved through war. Seems worried or sad most of the time – but becomes quite fiery when defending her ideals – and with reason, on top of economic problems, she also had to contend with Azadistan’s warring factions.

On a related subject: It’s quite clear that Marina is Setsuna’s designated “other half”. But the 8 year age difference, plus the fact that Setsuna is still a MINOR would be a problem, if the interaction is not handled appropriately. I think the focus should be on their “political” relationship w/ very, very, very subtle hints. To turn this into a full-blown “romance” (ala Cagalli/Athrun) would be severely unbecoming!

• Wang Liu-Mei – one of “Celestial Being’s” more visible agents (and an international celebrity as well). Usually in charge of operations and fund-raising. As for her true intentions or motivations, nothing was revealed until now. Almost always accompanied by bodyguard Hong Long.
• Alejandro Corner – UN ambassador and “Celestial Being’s” secret watchdog. He reminds me of Treize, with his talk about “the future” and all that.

Waah! Tired now. More descriptions when I feel better.The show features “kick-ass” themes as well. Daybreak’s Bell by L-Arc-en-Ciel, is one of those songs I didn’t have “trouble digest ing”. Oh, and honestly, the ending song “Wana” by The Black Horn sounds as though it was sung by “Parokya Ni Edgar’s” Chito Miranda! And let me add, there’s a “pink” (!!) mobile suit here (owned by Soma Peiris)! *sigh* I’m sure there are more suitable colours for a mobile suit, than…er…pink (!) Come to think of it I’ve seen a lot of pink in this series (Wang Liu-Mei’s car, some of the explosions, light reflections…maybe they could have tried..er…blue? green? perhaps?

…thoughts…

Listening to: “I Love You…I’ll Kill You” by ENIGMA

Made another GW “photo-manip” while browsing through CrunchyRoll, looking for another movie to watch and review. Actually, I just finished my third one today. Something called “Reincarnation” (Japan), The plot was quite easy to discern. I found the entire film “flat”. There were elements from “The Shining” thrown in (happens in a hotel filled with murderous spirits for one thing). The lead was basically a non-character (shakes head*) and that goes for the entire cast (with the exception of Shun Oguri, too bad he has a very small part here). You know its bad when you laugh at the supposed-to-be-scary parts. But I wouldn’t say it’s “horrible”, just as I said before, “flat”. I was about to watch “Ichi the Killer” (another Takashi Miike outing) but when I found out that it’s heavily edited (due to scenes of graphic violence and gore), I decided not to. I don’t like “mutilated” films, much better to watch the whole thing as it is (I’ll see if I could find the uncut version at VEOH, but I doubt it).

I also wanted to see if they have streaming Gundam Wing, as I’ve left my copy in San Pablo City. Turns out they do, or did (it was removed due to licensing though). After 10 years, it’s still my favourite. Although I’ve seen SEED and Destiny in their entirety as well (and I found both engaging). But Gundam Wing has Heero Yuy; SEED’s main protagonist doesn’t sit well with me, apart from the fact that I generally prefer “Byronic anti/heroes” – those seemingly-cold, sullen, brooding characters, as they seem more interesting. And (maybe it’s just me), but SEED does get confusing at times, not because of the story, but because there are SO many characters (partly because supposedly-dead ones keep on coming back, and then they add another “pile” of new ones on top of that)! There’s a scattered feel to the proceedings and “character harmony”, (its an elusive quality I always look for, a sense that the characters are somehow “connected”, it’s either it’s there or it’s not) I’m sorry to say was very minimal.

Other CrunchyRollers were talking about a new Gundam Series (Gundam 00), I think. I’ll check it out sometime (streaming Episodes 1-10 are available now ). And according to Wikipedia:

After a sneak preview of Gundam 00 on September 1, 2007, Anime News Network remarked “striking parallels” between the series and an earlier installment of the metaseries, Mobile Suit Gundam Wing (1995): “Like Gundam Wing, Gundam 00’s main story begins with hyper-powerful Gundam units appearing at various locales to execute slightly-less-than-Dynasty-Warriors-level mayhem in synchronized phases of a paramilitary operation.”^[5] Later, Carl Kimlinger of Anime News Network suggested that just like Mobile Suit Gundam SEED adapted the original Mobile Suit Gundam (1979) for modern audiences, Gundam 00 is an attempt to do the same with Gundam Wing.^[8] He also remarked that “its political flavour [...] is distinctly post-9/11“.^[8]

Oh, and the main protagonist looks promising as well. Finally, Goodbye Kira Yamato; Hello Setsuna F. Seiei!

A Gundam Meister and pilot of the Exia Gundam. He grew up in the war torn Middle East and was discovered as a pilot with huge potential by Celestial Being at the age of 14. He generally keeps his feelings inside and comes across as cool young man.

He can be described as taciturn and comes off as a knowledgeable young man. (from Wikipedia)

Now who does that remind you of??

…a ghost train and a killer newspaper…

Fifth Day of the Asian TV/Movie Marathon.

Today, I’ve seen:

• A Korean film entitled “RedEye” (not to be confused with Wes Craven’s), basically a “ghost train” story. It’s not “scary” at all, merely “interesting”. Quite dragging in the beginning (mainly due to “unnecessary scenes” – the girl who died of “hair asphyxia” for example; we could have done without her. On a related subject, I’ve seen quite a lot of Asian horror films which feature people either dying by being strangled by their own hair, or by choking in it! What’s with the hair?? And a number of other ridiculous predicaments which do not help at all.) The story was forward, although predictable. I have nothing against the protagonist, I think she’s “adequate” (considering the general atmosphere of the movie), but having a little more personality would have helped (and the same thing applies to the rest). The final part was the best (as with “The Eye”), I did feel more than a tinge of sadness. As usual the message was, “the importance of accepting the past, in order to move forward”, or something. Final Verdict: More “dramatic” than “scary”.

• A J-Horror called “Yogen” (or The Premonition). Same with “RedEye” it is more haunting/dramatic than all-out “scary” and once again, most of the film made me rather sad (knowing what was about to happen) than scared. Character development was excellent. It’s rather similar to “The Ring”, in the sense that both of the protagonists were husband-and-wife-who-got-divorced, who were brought back together by the “mystery”. In the end though, they could not contend against the “murderous newspaper” (a concept which was quite silly in itself, and the film doesn’t really focus on that – the origins of said newspaper were not even fully explained – but on the actions and thoughts of the main characters).

Galileo…waits

4th day of the Asian movie/TV marathon.

Today I’ve seen:

• Replays of “Galileo”
• The Thai film “Sick Nurses” (Although it was marketed as a “horror” film, the more fitting description would be “horrible”. I didn’t even finish it. The whole thing does not makes sense. No story whatsoever – or maybe there was, but it’s all so vague, it would give Alfred Hitchcock a splitting headache! A complete waste of time.)
• “Gokusen II” – first part of episode one. The second outing seems more “dramatic” than the first . But personally, I prefer the later. Some old characters make a comeback as well (Head Teacher Sawatari, Kumai and the old Yakuza clique).

Episode 8 of the j-drama “Galileo” (or The Detective and The Physicist ) is now available at the SARS website, but the frustrating thing is, it’s not yet uploaded on CrunchyRoll. Looks like I have to wait until tomorrow. Episode 5’s ender really made me laugh.

Yukawa: And to think that’s a closed room murder…what an astonishing jump to conclusion!

Utsumi: Jumped to a conclusion…

Yukawa: Yes, jumped to a conclusion.

Utsumi: (realization dawning) Are you still upset about what I said before?

Yukawa: About you calling me a coward? Why would I be?

Utsumi: I knew it! You’re still upset!

Yukawa: You called me shrewed too, but I don’t really mind.

Utsumi: Professor,you’re actually not very popular with girls, are you?

Yukawa: You’re off topic again. Why do our conversations never have a logical connection? When you change topics,you should add “by the way”, “what about,” or “on another topic.”

Utsumi: If you keep talking about things like that, it’ll never come off…lead-tipped arrow!

Yukawa: Lead-tipped arrow?

Utsumi: It has nothing to do with you.

Yukawa: If it has nothing to do with me, why is there a need to…

conversations about..poo.

Third day of the Asian Series.

Finished watching “Galileo” (at least up to episode 7, the SARS subs for episodes 8-10 is not yet available – can’t wait for the rest).

Synopsis (from DramaWiki): Fukuyama Masaharu plays a genius physicist and university associate professor, Yukawa Manabu, who solves difficult mysteries. Affectionately known as Tantei Galileo, Yukawa is brilliant, an all-round sportsman, tall and handsome but eccentric. Yukawa’s partner is a rookie cop, Utsumi Kaoru played by Shibasaki Kou. She is hot-blooded and has a strong sense of justice.

Utsumi: So did you did you figure it out?

Yukawa: As I told you before, every phenomenon has a cause.

Utsumi: I’ve already heard you say that.

Yukawa: That’s why I started the sentence with “as I told you before”.

Utsumi:You don’t have to repeat the same thing over.

Yukawa: Are you…upset about something?

Utsumi: You can tell?

Yukawa: Don’t tell me you’re mad at me?

Utsumi: Scientists sure don’t think much about people’s feelings!

Yukawa: Of course. Feelings aren’t logical. To seriously contemplate over something that behaves illogically is a waste of time. Don’t you get it?
(continues further)
Let’s say you were..dog poo.

Utsumi: WHAT?!

Yukawa: You’re poo, so you stink horribly. Who would contemplate over why poo stinks when it’s in front of him? Dispose of it or leave the scene. Either way, it’s a waste of time to contemplate over dog poo.

Utsumi: In other words…I’m dog poo?

Yukawa: That’s right. Don’t make me repeat myself.

Utsumi: What should I do with this frustration?

Yukawa: I have no interest in your emotions. Today’s purpose is to alternatively think about why a person’s head would spontaneously combust.

Utsumi: How irritating!

Yukawa: Is it a natural occurance or an artificial occurance?

Utsumi: What?

Yukawa: In simpler terms, is it an accident? Or a crime?

Utsumi: I think it’s a crime.

Yukawa: Why?

Utsumi: A detective’s intuition.

Yukawa: Truly illogical.

Utsumi: Dog poo?

Yukawa: Dog poo.

Utsumi: Poo?

Yukawa: Yes, poo.

Utsumi: It makes me wanna put you under arrest!

Yukawa: See, more poo appears.

And that’s is their little exchange on the first day they met. The series is well written; characters are interesting and situations can be serious (yes, episode 3 made me..er..shed tears. slightly) or funny as hell. Yukawa and Utsumi have great chemistry. It’s usually a “battle” between Utsumi’s sharp “intuition” (she has excellent memory when it comes to people, places and even snippets of conversation) and Yukawa’s “logic”. And for those looking for “gooey” romance, you might as well look elsewhere (the closest thing we have to a kiss here is Yukawa drinking from Utsumi’s unfinished tea cup soon after she left).

it’s an asian movie/tv marathon!

Listening to: “Ni Yao De Ai” (The Love You Want) Instrumental

I’m on my second day now. So far, I’ve seen:

“Dororo”

Cast: Satoshi Tsumabuki; Kou Shibasaki

What I thought of this movie could be summed up as follows (I uttered these shortly after the movie ended): “Oh no, it’s over! I want more!”

Synopsis: In order to triumph over his enemies and expand his territory, feudal lord Kagemitsu Daigo made a deal with demonic entities: 48 parts of his first-born son’s body in exchange for near-limitless power. As a result, his son was born -nearly- formless. Left for dead, the boy was found by a “spell-caster” and was given an artificial body, ala Frankenstein. As a grown man, he became known as Hyakkumaru (Satoshi Tsumabuki); whose mission in life was to take back all his body parts by slaying the demons who possess them. Later he was accompanied by a petty thief who calls herself “Dororo” (Kou Shibasaki).

Based on Ozamu Tezuka’s manga of the same title.

I absolutely adore this. I’d place it a notch above Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings, in my favourites list. I was  “overjoyed” when I found  out that they intend to make a trilogy out of this.

“The Audition”

Director: Takashi Miike

This one was absolutely creepy, especially near the ending; when they finally showed what was inside the sack and no it’s not a monster, but much worse than that – it’s not so much as what was in there but the implications that made it brutally shocking. No movie as of late has made feel that “queasy” (gulps*) – the other one was the Thai film Shutter. Somehow, what was in the sack only showcased how “sick” (although of course, there was no way Shigeharu could have known what was inside, since he didn’t exactly leave the house) Asami was. But ultimately, I thought she was a tragic figure.

They really spent time building things up, so when you finally get to the ending, it’s even more horrible. To say this movie was disturbing would be an understatement. But you’ll find snippets of black comedy as well (if you go for things like that). “Daddy, are you alright?” Yes, considering that your left foot has just been severed and there are needles sticking out of your body…

So warning guys, “there is no such thing as an ideal/perfect partner”. But more than any “scare” factor, the film also served as a social commentary about the way men mistreat women.

“Hanazakari no Kimitachi e” (for you in full bloom) *j-drama*

Finished it yesterday. I think I will include it in my “favourites-list”.

“Hikari Sentai Maskman” (light taskforce maskman)

*music please*”Humanda na kayo, kampon ng kadiliman…” (beware, minions of darkness?)

MIO!!! TAKERU!! (o Rio! at Michael Joe! sa tagalog)

It’s a trip to memory lane! I’m thankful to the guy/gal who uploaded the episodes (and the movie – the opening song was extremely hilarious and there was “dancing” to boot). I’ve seen Ep(s) 1 & 2 (I think only episodes 1-4 are available as of now, but I hope he/she would put up more). It’s like meeting a dear, old friend (one you’ve given up all hope of ever seeing again, but continue to cherish nonetheless)…o di ba, ang drama??

Alam ko marami nang bago riyan, pero talagang ito pa rin ang gusto ko. Lalo na’t nakita ko na naman si Igamu, paborito ko sya kahit noon..

“Meteor Garden” (Taiwanese version of “Hana Yori Dango”)

Another old favourite. Oh, shut up, will you? Yes, I know (!) it’s Meteor Garden (!) but sometimes I feel the need to indulge my more “feminine” side. But seriously, I do like the protagonist San-cai.

The subbing is rather interesting as well, it’s in “British English” you see (“Mum, I’ll take the brolly!”)