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I, unfortunately, am more inclined to judge book-based movies from the first perspective. With this in mind, I give New Moon a 3 out of 5. New Moon, the book, was mediocre in my opinion; however, there were some parts that stood out. While Stephenie Meyer does not have the greatest grammar and redundancy is definitely a problem she's suffers with, I felt that she created some pretty good character dynamics (not to say that all of her character dynamics were good--just some). In New Moon, I feel like they sacrificed some of those dynamics which I think takes away the original depth of the story and completely changes how people will view what occurs.
For instance, the character dynamic between Bella and Jacob is a lot different to me than in the books. In the books, Jacob starts off far more innocent than in the movies. Example--the scene when Jacob comes to Bella's school in the movie. He gives Edward that dirty look when he and Bella hug as if trying to provoke jealousy. In the books, Jacob didn't start trying to provoke Edward until after he first phased. He also didn't start egregiously hitting on Bella until Edward was gone.
I think that changing that dynamic could result in a number of negative things. Jacob suddenly has far more potential to be seen as the "bad guy" in this love triangle especially considering things that will occur in Eclipse. He starts to come off almost as that jerk who just won't leave you alone. And that's not at all who he is.
Also, by taking away Jacob's innocence they take away some of Seth's depth. I feel like one of the reasons Seth is so lovable, at least for me, is that he reminds me of what Jacob was like before he became a werewolf.
Another big instance of sacrificed dynamic for me is Harry's death. In the movie, he dies in the forest when Victoria sees him. In the books, it is suggested that he dies at the shock of his children phasing. That is one of the major sources of depth for Leah's character--something that makes her more of a broken character then just a bitter harpie.
Admittedly, there were some parts that I really liked. The Volturi were amazing. I forgot how much I liked Aro until I saw the movie. I also felt like they added some pretty good lines. The wolves were very wonderful--both the actors and the wolf effect.
In conclusion, this was the first movie in the series that I watched after reading the book so I really didn't know what to expect as far as changes and the like. Now that I know what to expect, I want to see the movie again with more of an open mind so that I can rate it from the 2nd perspective.
- Mood:
thoughtful
Honestly, I think people make too much of a deal positively and negatively about the saga. It's an average series in my opinion. Just ok. 3/5(3 1/2 for Jacob in the last three books).
But when I talk to fans of Twilight I get into it as if I were one of them. Like I'll go, "Hey, do you remember in the second book when..." or "You know what upset me though--in Eclipse when..."
And I think anyone who doesn't know might assume that I actually am a Twilight fan.
And so I thought about that today. If I'm so neutral concerning the book, why can I get so into discussing it. Today, I finally figured it out.
I enjoy talking about books--any books--so much that it doesn't matter if I really liked it or not, I can still get really into it just for that rush. A lot of people have read the Twilight saga so it's one of the books that I'm more likely to have a conversation about with other people so I discuss it wholeheartedly even if at the end of the day, I really don't care that much about Twilight because it didn't have a very large impact on me(excluding Jacob--my love<3).
I always remembered that it started with a "K", but besides that I was pretty lost. It always got blocked by Kureno's name even though they don't even sound similar.
But last week, I finally came up with a full proof method of remember his name!
I looked it up for the probably the 2000th time, and when I looked at it, it hit me, "It's almost like a mix between Kaoru and Hikaru." And since then, I haven't forgotten his name once.
So this entry is for Kakeru!
I promise to never forget your name again!
(Now that I've started posting images in my entries, I think I kind of like it lol. I might do this more often.)
- Mood:
sleepy
This is Raven! He is a most amazing, magnificent, and altogether wonderful character from PANDORA HEARTS, a series I started reading this week and am officially in love with! Raven wants you to go to to OneManga.com and/or Youtube and read/watch Pandora Hearts.
And he'll even give you a list of reasons why you should
1. It's got drama and comedy all in one package!
2. It's got a very nice, intricate plot. They keep an element of mystery while always satisfying you with new answers.
3. Kajiura Yuki(.hack, Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle) composes the music for the anime!
4. Akira Ishida, (Naruto, Bleach, Gakuen Alice, Evangelion), Jun Fukuyama(Code Geass, xxxHolic, Vampire Knight, Loveless) Kappei Yamaguchi(Death Note, Inuyasha, One Piece, Gravitation), and Megumi Toyoguchi(FMA, Ichigo 100%, Marimite, D. Gray-man) are just some of the talented and well-known(or at least well heard) seiyuu working on this anime.
5. For all you slash fanfic writers, we have a very good potential couple with lots of material to work with.
6. But if you prefer to keep it straight, we also have good options there!
And
5.
You get this cutie as your protagonist.Now, really how can you resist!
- Mood:
giddy
When I read Fruits Basket two years ago after finishing the animated series I was greatly devastated that I would never get to see animated all of the great moments being Yuki and Kakeru. Or my favorite YukixMachi moment when he broke the chalk*insert fangirl squeals* Because of them, I'll never get to see that. DO YOU KNOW HOW HORRIBLE THAT FEELS?!
And Ouran High School Host Club, which I started reading this year--Things get so much more intense after the part where the anime diverted. Do you know how amazing it would be to see the Sport's Festival animated? Mei animated! IT WOULD BE EPIC!!!!
You know what else should be illegal--writing out characters for NO GOOD REASON when a manga gets animated! Like Satoshi! He makes Ouran even greater than it already is with his presence! And I am not exaggerating.
When I watched the anime and they had that Yasuchika episode, I was like, "Eh. Whatever. He's not really leaving an impact on me either way so I don't really like or dislike him."
But in the manga when you throw Satoshi into the mix, all of sudden, I love Chika! He and Satoshi are so perfect together. Perfect team--just like their brothers!
I honestly do not understand what stupid inkling could have made them take him out of the anime. That should be a felony!!!
And what really upsets me is that it's totally possible to make an anime that actually follows the manga plotline. Look at Naruto! If the companies really wanted to they could wait and they wouldn't lose any fans from doing it. I mean, if people can stay through all the Naruto filler episodes, they'll stay through anything for a show they really love.
Or look at Nana! They cut off the anime and nice stopping point until the manga gets further along and then they'll start putting out episodes again. It's a perfect plan, and honestly I think more shows should use it.
I get so tired of reading a series only to find out that I'll never see my favorite parts animated because it's already been made into a condensed anime.
It causes me much pain in my soul.
So much so that I'm near positive that I'm at least partially channeling the feelings Suzaku has towards Lelouch concerning the Euphy incident. I think I understand Suzaku's demeanor change more now.
Like my eyes aren't open to their full level right now. My eyelids are involuntarily lowered so that I probably have almost that "Yeah right" look on my face. The same expression Suzaku wears now.
Once I started liking Rolo, I came up with this epic-never-gonna-happen plan where he and Nunally hook up. Now, I want Nunally to kill him.
At the same time, I want Lelouch to kill Rolo himself. If he finds out. It'll be hard though. Rolo's the only one who knows what happens, and of course he won't tell. It could slip though. Rolo is obviously unstable so under the right circumstances he could spill the beans.
But as I try to tell myself for encouragement, with Shirley dead and Euphy dead and Shirley and Suzaku's little talk, this creates perfect room for Suzaku and Lelouch to have the relationship everyone's been waiting for.
:Sigh:
I wonder how everyone's gonna react to this. Is Nina gonna come back for the funeral? Is Nina gonna go crazy again?{Or will she do something that makes me actually like her again?} Will someone tell Nunally? If so, could she go to the funeral{would she be allowed to since she doesn't know that no one remembers her}? Could she let Kallen go?
And will C.C. be in the next episode, and if so, what will she say to Lelouch after this. What will he say to her?
How will Milly be about this? We've never seen her in a situation like this before.
What is the student council gonna do? It's so empty now.
Milly graduated{Who's president now, anyway?}. Nina graduated. Kallen's gone. Suzaku has to work all the time. And Anya and Gino just aren't important enough in this way. Honestly, Gino hasn't been important at all you noticed.
So that's just Rolo(who I hate so he needs to die), Rivalz, and Lelouch(who will be gone soon probably to get revenge for this whole Shirley mess and Sayoko's wounded so I don't know how that'll play out as far as her subbing in for him). How boring heh.
If everything were the same except Rolo wasn't acting as Lelouch's brother and therefore not in the student council(yet still managed to kill Shirley) and Nunally was there, I think things would be more ok though. I think that Nunally has the heart and the determination to hold the student council together even with Milly and Shirley gone.
I suppose, even anything goes wrong, Rivalz could keep them together. I do have faith in him. But the council really is going to miss the female touch. All the girls are gone now. There's Anya, but as Lelouch said she lacks common sense so she won't be much help. {I still wonder, what role she's gonna play in the future since she recognized Lelouch.}
I also think it'll be hard for Lelouch being in Japan without C.C. at this time. I just think she could really help him right now. But like I said, I'm thinking he won't be in Japan for long after this.
- Mood:
melancholy
1. Do you enjoy reading?
Yes, very much! I am one of the biggest bookworms you'll ever meet.
2. What is the first book you remember reading?
Well, the first book that I ever read by myself was Go, Dog, Go.
3. Who is your favourite author?
Ellen Hopkins, David Klass, and Louisa May Alcott.
4. What is your favourite book?
Oh, there are so many! But since this is the Friday Five, I'll only list five of them.
This Is All: The Pillow Book of Cordelia Kenn by Aidan Chambers
Burned by Ellen Hopkins
Firestorm by David Klass
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Zora and Nicky: A Novel in Black and White by Claudia Mair Burney
5. What is the last book you read and the first you'll read next?
{This question makes me laugh, because I just finished a book today.}
The last book I read was GOTH by Otsuichi.
As for the next book I'll read...well, I'm in the middle of three I think, and out of the those three the one I plan on continuing next is The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. However, the book I plan on actually starting next is Memory Slips by Linda Katherine Cutting.
- Mood:
thirsty
So I said I was going to use this to talk about things, but I never ever do. So after watching the preview for the next episode of R2, I've decided to actually put this thing to use and RANT! {If you've never watched Code Geass and are considering it, then don't read this.}
Ok, so when the first season of Code Geass was running, I would see comments online about how people hated Suzaku. That's something, I never understood. I loved him(despite his partial delusionalness) until probably the very last episode when he was about to shoot Lelouch and he said that he'd be the one to protect Nunally!
And that leads me into the reason why I hated Suzaku the moment he showed up on R2. Helping the emperor! Come on!
Of all the people. Of all the ways. Helping the emperor has to be the worst idea ever. You look at the way he treats Lelouch and the way he viewed Nunally.
And oh gosh, don't even bring up Nunally to me. Suzaku and his brilliant idea took her away from the one person she loves more than anyone and has now officially made her a tool for the emperor. And OMGSH! I just thought of something else that makes me even more appalled at Suzaku.
So of course there's his plan to become the Knight of One so that he can have Japan as a territory. To do that he's willing to sacrifice the closest friend he's ever had. Now, even though that bothers me a little bit, considering that Lelouch killed Euphie it's understandable. But in order to do all this, he's sacrificing Nunally too and that's just despicable.
Even if he achieves status as the Knight of One and gets Japan, does he really think he can protect Nunally from the emperor. She's just a tool to him, and if ever she becomes of no use to him, he'll just get rid of her like he did before. How could Suzaku looked at himself as being so good(another thing that pisses me off) when he's put her in a position like that.
Plus, the end of the last episode upset me too. He's put her in a position where she'll get hurt no matter what. If Lelouch answers her as her brother, Suzaku will know the truth and most probably kill him. And Nunally loses yet another family member. But if Lelouch doesn't answer as her brother(which will most likely be the case), then Nunally will be hurt and probably confused and worried.
So either way Nunally gets hurt, again. Because of who? Suzaku. Technically the emperor, because this all started with him way back in the day and technically every bad thing that's ever happened in the Code Geass universe can basically be traced back to him as his fault. But this an anti-Suzaku rant so let's not focus on Senor Emperor.
The last thing that really makes me angry about all this(but in a slightly indirect way), is knowing that Euphie would cry if she were alive to see what Suzaku is doing. If only Euphie hadn't died. She was such a good mediator. She could always find the middle ground. The world would be so peaceful had she not died.
:Sigh:
I'll end this by telling you what I'd like to see for Code Geass. Since Nunally is the new viceroy, I'd like to see her become like Cornelia--power wise at least. I mean, if her personality were kind of the same just with a harsher side added to so that she could just like take out people lol. And then if she found out that Lelouch is zero, she could help him out a little. Maybe kill Suzaku lol jk, but seriously.
I've also considered a never-ever-gonna-happen scenario where Nunally and Rolo fall for each other, Nunally finds out the truth about everything kills Lelouch, Suzaku, and the Emperor and rules the world. That is my perfect Code Geass ending. Well, the love part doesn't have to be there or all the killing, but if Nunally kicked butt and became the empress I would die of happiness.
- Mood:PAIN
- Music:"Let It Rock"
Oh, and ever since the end of the first season, I've wanted some MollyxMicah{Where have those two gone? They've both been in like one episode this season!}
And of course there's Matt and Mello, but in my mind that is completely canoncial so they don't completely count.
Hmm who else is there...
Eriol and Tomoyo from CCS.
Alphonse and Martel from Hagaren(FMA)
I can't think of anymore, but when I do(as I probably will), I shall return!
----------------------------------------
I thought of more!
Kagura and Momiji from Fruits Basket. Because, they both lost the person they loved to someone else whom they can't hate and so I think that more so then any of the other characters they could understand each other if they tried. And after their teamwork at the very end, I figured under the right circumstances they could get quite close.
Milly and Nina from Code Geass because Nina is obviously a lesbian(or at least bisexual) and there's just this certain connection between them.
Now don't shoot me for this but: Jacob and Edward from Twilight. That Fire and Ice chapter in Eclipse really solidified the idea in my mind. If something were to happen to Bella, despite how members of their family would try to understand and help them, no one but each other could truly understand that pain of losing the girl they loved.
I think that under extremely special circumstances something could come of that.
And Hal and Near from Death Note.
- Mood:
calm - Music:Ode To My Family by The Cranberries
- What did you want to be when you were a kid? A doctor, the President, and a scientist--I think I wanted to be a professional dancer too.
- What is your proudest accomplishment so far? Getting the Christian Character Award in 10th grade.
- What is your dream job? Being a renowned writer and counselor
- Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Working at some Christian school.
- What does it take to make you happy? Not much--I'm easily pleased ^_^
- Mood: sleepy
- Music:Beyond My Wildest Dreams--The Little Mermaid OBC Recording
But now that I've read the book, part of me really doesn't want to watch the movie. I looked at the trailer again, and I can already see so many differences between the movie and the book that I'm afraid that I will end up being angry at the end of the movie because of the things they changed. And these are some pretty big changes it looks like from the trailer.
At the same time, though, the movie was the whole reason I read the book and Jonathan B. Wright{My Hanschen Forever<3} is in it so I feel like I kind of owe it to the movie and to JBW to go see the movie. But I don't want to end up going on one of those rants about everything the movie did wrong that tend to follow my watching movies based off books I've read.
:Sigh: I don't know what to do.
- Mood:
sick - Music:Hi no Ataru Sakamichi by Do As Infinity
This is what I think. Other opinions are welcome.
The given is Mello is jealous of Near. The theory is Near is in some ways jealous of Mello. Near isn't gifted with the ability to connect with people but Mello is. As a kid--as an orphaned kid--I think Near probably was a little lonely at Wammy's. And his naturally antisocial nature really didn't help him. But Mello, no matter how inferior he felt to Near, wasn't lonely.
Besides jealousy, I think Near slightly admired Mello. Because Mello was willing to act. Sure, he might not think things through all the time or when he did think things through, he might not have come up with the best conclusion, but he acted and got things done that Near could never have through intelligence and mind games alone.
These two things put together, I think that Near partly wanted to get close to Mello. Because Mello was number two, and because Mello saw what Near had that he lacked, he was more connected to Near than any of the other orphans. Not a friend, but at least a constant influence in Near's life. The only one who came close to really understanding Near.
And also, Mello's willingness to act was a characteristic of L that Near was lacking. So he was like an incomplete puzzle without that. Without Mello. But if he could stay connected with Mello, he would be a complete puzzle.
And this leads me to Matt.
From the little we know about Matt, he was probably about as antisocial as Near. He liked videogames and hated going outside. Probably not a social butterfly at Wammy's House.
But Matt got lucky. Matt got Mello. And I think Near didn't like Matt for that.
Matt didn't have to really try to be social--he just had to be friends with Mello and that got him acceptance. And even without other people, we generally assume he had Mello so he wouldn't have been alone either way.
Also, to Near, Matt probably could have been seen as a hindrance. If he realized early on that without Mello he was an incomplete puzzle(and visa versa), he would want Mello to quickly realize the same thing. But of course, with his infinitely limited willingness to act, Near wouldn't use any actions to get what he wanted(He would probably consider Mello's stubbornness and decide on passive ways of getting Mello to understand or just wait until L told them himself that only together could they equal him).
But with Matt as Mello's partner or sidekick or whatever you want to call him, there's no room for Mello and Near to really work together. Ergo, Near does not like Matt.
But I don't think Matt liked Near much either. Mello was pretty much obsessesed with the idea of beating Near. Most of his actions were centered around that one thought and goal. And I think that probably made Matt a little jealous of Near.
Being the antisocial, videogaming orphan he probably was, Matt probably didn't have another close human connection beside Mello. I mean, he had to value Mello very much--he committed a crime for the guy.
But considering the way Mello is, Matt probably felt like Mello didn't care as much about him. Especially with him obsessing over Near all the time. To Matt, it probably seemed like Mello cared more about Near than about him, and that probably made him angry(at Mello and Near both at times) and jealous of Near for getting the attention that he wanted.
To sum all of that up:
Mello and Near are jealous of each other, yet at the same time admire each other to a degree. Near wants to work with Mello but lacks the ability to effectively bring about this. Near partially blames Matt for this and is therefore jealous of him. Matt is jealous of Near.
And as for Matt and Mello...Well, as I am a MattxMello shipper(and I do take them platonic as well), I will leave that up to the interpretation of all the fangirl writers whose works I enjoy reading so much!
Well there are my thoughts. I know, they probably make little sense, but I have my reasons for believing them(if you really want to know, you can ask and I'll give you some). Hope this didn't come out too crappy.
~Moi~
- Location:Darkness
- Mood: thoughtful
- Music:30 Minutes by t.A.T.u.
Because DN is the only series in which I've read the manga before watching the anime, I am an adamant stickler for being true to the original. So much so that I will angrily rant for months about things they changed(Seriously, don't talk to me about the Matt scenes they cut or the HallexMello scenes they tampered with unless you want an earful!). But with the last episode...there were changes that I absolutely hated, but there were more, I think, that just left me with mixed feelings.
For instance, the part where Mikami kills himself. I didn't like it, because of how it affected the plot. I mean, okay, when it happened I admit I burst out laughing--but I attribute that to shock(and the sound of blood spraying). But besides, comedic affect(for me at least), it only served to twist things.
After I finished laughing, I was instantly upset because I thought to myself, "Well, if Mikami kills himself then that changes all of Matsuda's theories at the end!"
Not that I had to worry about that since they didn't even bother to include the events of chapter 108 which just pissed me off. To me, chapter 108 was a very important chapter and a very good way to end it. It revealed a new depth in Matsuda as well as his dislike of Near(which I find...refreshing perhaps since of all the geniuses in DN, he is my least favorite). It also showed a bond between Matsuda and Ide(a part of DN, I've always been fond of) as Ide was willing to listen to Matsuda's theories, speak to him candidly yet not derogatorily, and in the end make Matsuda smile.
As for the things I have mixed feelings about: Practically everything after Matsuda shot Light all those times(though that part itself and the part where Matsuda first shoots Light, I found to be just as amazing as I had hoped!).
It seemed to me that in the anime they tried to make Light easier to sympathize with than in the manga. I don't remember whether or not he cried in the manga, but I'll never be able to forget that it happened in the anime. And when he got up and ran and they showed all those flashbacks, it was quite beautiful(another tool to elicit sympathy), but even as I was enjoying the aesthetic value of it, I couldn't help saying to myself "But that's not how it really happened."
In the manga, I think it was more about showing that Light was insane. With Mikami turning against him, and the way he calls out to Misa and Takada and then his response after Near tells him where they are(or in Takada's case-what she is), and finally as he cries out to Ryuk that he doesn't want to die.
True, it's not as beautiful as the anime ending, but I think the roughness of it makes it poignant just like the anime ending. And something about Near, Mikami, and Ryuk insulting Light(plus Matsuda still sympathizing with him after everything) makes me sympathize with him just as much if not more than the way things happened in the anime.
If I were working on the anime, I would've done things more or less the way they were in the manga, and ended with that shot of all the Kira worshipers. Whether that would've been better than the way they actually ended, I'm not sure, but I can say that the shot of the Kira worshipers would have been an epic ending.
- Mood: sad
- Music:Kanashii Yokan by Marianne Amplifier feat. Yuka
If you know anything about the manga/anime Death Note and the novel, This is All by Aidan Chambers, then you might wonder how the heck they are connected. Well, in my current MattxMello obsessed state, I have discovered a connection today! And now I shall share with you.
So we have Matt and Mello. MattxMello. An amazing pairing(if not the most amazing pairing in DN). But we all know that Matt and Mello are not their real names. Matt was born Mail Jeevas and Mello Mihael Keehl. But still what does this have to do with This Is All?
Take Matt and Mello's first names: Mail and Mihael(OMGSH! Doesn't that just look so cute. If only they went by their real names! Lol sorry). Anywho, take those names and now flip them backwards: Liam and Leahim. (If you've read This Is All you should see the connection now).
Take off the "im" from Leahim and what do you have now: Liam and Leah. Hmmm now doesn't that sound familiar?
Why, didn't William call Cordelia Leah in This Is All? And likewise, didn't she sometimes call him Liam?
Why yes they did!
And there you have it. Death Note and This Is All are connected. How unexpectedly amazing!
- Mood: sleepy
- Music:Come Back To Me by Janet Jackson
Coming by pics of Matt from DN...very difficult. Especially bases. Like from chapter 99, lol. I got this great idea for an icon but I can't get the right picture for it. Que lastima!(Mi nino, mi nino{i always add this when i say that now, thanks to Will & Grace}. well i'm off to stop procrastinating. *GASP* tis awful...i know, but i must...or else i shall starve, literally.
- Mood:
tired
