Live Long and Prosper

Well, it's time. I have considered the other options for a week in a Zen cave, but it is time. The wind is not favourable. 

When I was looking at the schedule of the posts for the second season adventure, I noticed that the topics are probably not beneficial to the readers. That means they are also not beneficial to the project. That means they are also not beneficial to me. If it were my personal blog, the topics would be fine. But it isn't. If it were the proper time, there would be no problem. But this is unfortunately epilogging. This is about how I've been doing since the last season. This is about what I've been dealing with since the last "spring". Sorry, I have failed to eliminate Ban-nan 万難(all the obstacles). This is not just about the topics, this decision has been made based on my comprehensive assessment of the situations. In short, the wind is not favourable.

I selected the topics because they were the best thing I could show you. They were the subjects that I could write with passion. Just shutting everything down is a bit tasteless. So let me digest the second season and share the adventure one last time.

George Miller and His Fury Road

Last year I mentioned the film 'Mad Max: Fury Road', however, not in a fair way. I care for fairness. And I do like this film. But I couldn't show my admiration for the film enough. The fact is, I couldn't sleep for over a year since that post, because of torment. George Miller, whose name is in the title of this post, is a creator of the Mad Max series and the director, writer, producer of 'Mad Max: Fury Road' (2015) that is the latest film of the series. Today, I want to talk about him and his films —— briefly and casually. Of course. It's Friday. And I'm going to give you "How to see Fury Road". So, shall we?

George Miller, born in Australia, once a medical doctor, now a film producer, director, screenwriter, known for Mad Max series, Babe series, Happy Feet series. According to his career history, it seems that "vigorous participation, thoroughly and meticulously" is his film-making style and he has been making his visions realised besides his film producer business. Let's take a look at his career briefly;

1979 Mad Max

1981 Mad Max 2

1983 Twilight Zone: The Movie (one episode)

1985 Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome

1987 The Witches of Eastwick

(1989 Dead Calm)

(1989 Bangkok Hilton)

1992 Lorenzo's Oil

(1995 Babe)

1998 Babe: Pig in the City

2006 Happy Feet

2011 Happy Feet Two

2015 Mad Max: Fury Road

Though one person's deep involvement, there is "Lack of unity and consistency", in other words, "Experimental and curious tendency". You can't read him? Well, he reminds us of someone. He's also involved in most of these films as a writer. I like IMDb but when it comes to a guy like him, who takes multiple roles in a film, it's time to see Wikipedia. The table. And it's coloured! Very helpful. 

'Mad Max 2' was epoch-making. Japanese people are familiar with this world because of the Manga series that was inspired by this film. Miller enlightened me about Tina Turner. To me, she is not a singer but the ruler of the Thunderdome. The Witches of Eastwick, as it turned out, Miller made one of my witch-imprinting films. Dead Calm, Miller didn't direct this film but he really showed me how beautiful an Australian actress Nicole Kidman was. Bangkok Hilton, Miller didn't direct this film either but he did teach me how perilous to accept gifts from strangers in foreign countries is and mesmerising Nicole Kidman was. Happy Feet, I saw this when I was in the mood for animated-film without knowing that he made this film, and it was beyond my expectations. So I studied his career, then a small discovery hit me.

About the Second Season

The last year, the last season, the last feature post dealt with the exhibition and the artist. And this season, the first feature post deals with the same subject. It became too large, unexpectedly, actually. The introduction of the post REVIEW Exhibition "Kaii Higashiyama" represents a sequel that begins with right after the end of the previous work, which is JB style. James Brown? No, that's one of the most notable JB in the world, I admit it, but not that one. To me, it's Jason Bourne, The Bourne Ultimatum. It's an homage to my favourite film series and a greeting to you all. Sorry, I'm late. I've been busy. I'm not a full-time blogging adventurer. 


About Season 2

This is the sequel to the last adventure. Its sub-theme is —— "sequel". The sequel deals with sequel itself, sounds like very my taste. The first season: the theme "to go on an adventure and share it", the motto "Sometimes you gotta run, before you can walk", the goal "to attend Hans Zimmer Live", the sub-theme "Heian / Japanese beauty". The second season: the same theme, the same motto, the same goal, the sub-theme "sequel". Okay?

There and Back Again

Despite the lack of preparation, thank you for following me. I came home from Nîmes. I've already had Sushi, Yakitori, Udon, Natto, Miso soup, multigrain Rice.

At last, I saw Hans and his live show! That was so exciting! I didn't have the time to prepare for French conversation, but the knowledge of the country that I had acquired before this adventure was serviceable, and the word—this is one of my favourites—"choisir" served me well twice.

Choice is an illusion, however, we can make choices and that makes our lives. I was gratified with my choices. Hans' show, the Arena, Nîmes, Paris––, so then I got great experiences, fine chances. I saw beautiful cities, beautiful buildings, beautiful sights, beautiful women, a beautiful sun of Andalusia. It was quite an adventure.

Well, I'm very aware that I haven't "shared" so much. I haven't completed the adventure yet. I will come back soon. Yes, for epilogues, again. But first, we need to take a rest, get sustenance, have a cup of tea, and rearm and regroup.

The latter half of the second spring begins in July.

Hey, just don't call me "epilogger". The cat is sensitive.



The wind shines most brightly before the dawn.

Don't Bother Knocking

Well, finally.

Thanks to Hans, Anna's good decision, and the voice(Morgan Freeman(cameo)) . I couldn't even launch a blog without them. This time I saw Twitter timeline occasionally, I was glad to know that everyone seems to be doing well, and some seemed to remember me unexpectedly, thank you. Especially, Ali, I received a lot of criticisms in the way I cannot fight back during my Twitter service, but your comments were sensible and also full of wit and charming. If I wanted the same thing as you, I would have listened to your sharp comments on my tweet. And your lively cheerful and positive everyday tweet reminded me of good things on Twitter and made me decide to get back to the Twitter world almost. Thank you, Ali. I like you. Thank you, V, if you there. Now I have finished blogging as promised. I don't know if I could have accomplished this blogging adventure without you.

I enjoyed breathing English after a long time.

When an adventure ends, this blog ends. However, the blog stays. If there is anything, you can comment on posts or mail me. I mean anything, "I love you", "I hate you", "I challenge you", "I offer you", "I patronise you", "I feed you", "I stroke you", "I groom you", "I tame you", anything.

If I find the next adventure, I will fly a bird to you.

Until then, farewell.



The wind shines, when Japanese bush warblers tweet.

Hans in the Wind 2: A wind of Japanese Poetry of Spring 1

Heian Max: Furyū Road

The Heian period, from the 8th century to the 12th century, between Nara and Kamakura period, named after the capital city Heian-kyō, which is now known as Kyoto. Heian 平安, literally "tranquillity and peace", was eventually a relatively peaceful and stable period, and that made possible the birth of Wayō and the prosperity of Japanese literature.

Let me introduce my viewpoint on the period this time.

Wayō(Japanese style beauty) / Karayō(Chinese style beauty)

Everything is connected, more or less. However, if there are particular examples of the influence on Japanese culture, that would be China and the U.S. China is the father, the U.S. is the stepfather. Mother? It's the earth--God bless Mother Nature, she's a single woman too--of course. In the 8th century, Japan entered an era of the prosperity of its own art, there was a movement away from Karayō then. Wayō 和様 is a contrast to Karayō 唐様. These terms are normally used in the field of calligraphy but occasionally also in general art. The environment develops human mind, and it's a great inspiration. China gave us great gifts, but our natural environments are very different from each other. 

Upper: Chinese / Lower: Japanese

So when our ancestors looked closely at their environment, when they tried to portray what they really felt in everyday life, Wayō had begun as a matter of course, although it progressed gradually and they were wavering between two styles, philosophies. For instance, they say that Sukemasa Fujiwara(944-998) the Saseki 佐跡 described their contradictory feelings at that time as follows, "漢詩だけでは、また和歌だけでは、何かさびしくものたりない、こうして漢詩における自己充足感の減退と、和歌における未成熟の意識と、こういう方向のすきま、空虚を満たすものとして、和漢をならべたてるという傾向が生まれてくる"

Kanamoji / Brush Calligraphy

When Japanese people were still having communications only orally in ancient times, Chinese character was introduced into Japan. In the Nara period, in the 8th century, people started to describe oral Japanese language by Chinese character. In the early Heian period, in the early 9th century, those Chinese characters were redesigned and simplified by men. And by the end of the 9th century, the movement toward Japanese style progressed, those Chinese characters were again redesigned and developed into Kanamoji by women.

REVIEW: The Theory of Everything

I had never imagined that I would pay for a love story until I saw this film. 'The Theory of Everything' is the first love story film that fascinated me. 

This is a love story--of three, based on a true story of the theoretical physicist Professor Stephen Hawking. Starring Eddie Redmayne as Stephen Hawking, Felicity Jones as Jane Hawking, Charlie Cox as Jonathan Hellyer Jones. The story describes love in a not overly romantic way, which is very comfortable, and yet there is certainly the excitement of the new relationship. "We are not normal family", Jane says. Yes, their relationships are not simple. But their love was a light, a hope, an inspiration to me.

Acting

Their acting is brilliant. Eddie Redmayne's portrayal is very detailed, and it carries strong conviction. Professor Stephen Hawking has ALS. Eddie Redmayne realistically portrays the progress of the disease, and the character's feelings and traits by limited physicality. Felicity Jones is also a formidable actor, but the delicious part of their performance is not in individual talents or skills, that is in dialogues, face-to-face communications. Their performances resonate with each other, amplify each other. The croquet sequence, for instance, is something beyond play.