Entries for August, 2007
How should I begin to tell the sweetest Love Story I've been told?
I read this story as written and drawn by Masami Tsuda, in 21 volumes of the richest character developments I've seen.
His And Her Circumstances, as Kareshi Kanojo no Jijo is translated, is about two students who fall in love. I could tell you dozens of stories about high school students who fall in love, but the characters that Tsuda-sama had created will be with me forever. I will be living with Yukinon and Arima's love in my heart.
The way the story was told was very straight forward, right from the very start. We are introduced to the two most brilliant students in school, all to find out that they have darker secrets they hide behind projected images. As they find love, they are faced with the pressing need to expose and accept their true selves.
It's a story about raging hormones and sexual love. It's a story about emotional love and understanding. It's a story about parental and family love. It's a story about the search for the true self, about finally identifying their ultimate paths to follow, amidst the thousands of other paths before them. It's about believing themselves. The clearest and greatest value shown is Change.
Many may categorize Kare Kano as a shojou manga (graphic novel for young girls) as it tells the lives of high school students. But I think that this novel would also suit older women like myself. Although the story was very clearly written, it created a bigger impact for me. This is probably because of my experiences that I could look into the story at a deeper perspective. Waiting for 21 volumes to get translated, I read Kare kano at varying points in my life. The older I got, the more the story made sense.
People who've watched the anime may understand what I'm saying. The problem with the anime was that it lost budget by the later part and didn't get to end it with justice. Also, like most anime, it didn't even cover half of the story the novel had to offer. I had to know what became of this Love Story, that's why I sought the novel out.
This is the first one of only three manga to make me cry. But like the saying goes, "Love conquers all". And when I got to read the epilogue (a fast forward to 16 years later) just a while ago, I really felt happiness fill me (unlike some HP epilogue *cough cough*).
How should I begin to tell the sweetest Love Story I've been told?
I can't. I wouldn't give it justice.
If you've got at least 5 days free, you should try reading this graphic novel. It's good for the heart. 
Title: Kareshi Kanojo no Jijo (Kare Kano, His and Her Circumstances)
Author: Tsuda Masami
Original run: December 1995- April 2005
Rating:
/10
Baboysai watches Neon Genesis Evangelion FTW!
For people who don't know the story NANA, I'm afraid you can't relate.
WARNING: This will be geeky.
I'll be high-lighting bits and pieces of a detailed discussion about a certain notorious character, Takumi-
-who happens to be the hottest, sexiest character in the story, who is probably most debated, most hated, but is the author's favorite. Why?
The first time Takumi was introduced, I never thought he had that much potential to turn the story around. I thought he was just a supporting role, or the least glorious fate, someone to be tossed to the side like all of Hachi's ex-boyfriends. But surprisingly, his involvement created much confusion, turning points, stand-stills, and revelations at one moment that it must be the record. He is one of the very complex characters, along the lines of Nana O. and Reira.
That I find him to be as he is is why I think many people misunderstand his character and cause a riot in some mailing list or forum thread. Takumi has indeed invoked very strong issues like rape, and he tends to be very violent when angry (though not against women).
At first I thought that he was just making Hachi his trophy girl because he did more than just kiss and tell. Even during the climactic night when he found out about Hachi's pregnancy, I thought he'd act like a kid who lost a toy and would bully others to give him theirs. But the scenes that followed turned out kind of- cute.
I've been archiving conversations related to this topic, and if you really care, this is a very interesting read.
Watch as geeks hold a scalpel and dissect the man that is Takumi.
1. We get a clear picture of how the writer, through Takumi, forces the change out of Hachi, who is at this point the main character.
"There is the scene where Takumi asks Nana what she decides, then follows it up by asking her to marry him. There seems to be quite a few areas where we are beat over the head with the word or idea of "choice," so, I think the whole concept of choice is quite important in the story."
"...that Komatsu Nana, who has come to Tokyo to be more independent, now makes her first, real, independent choice."
"Through her decisions, thoughts, and actions, she was admitting that her feelings about her previous relationship were too strong to permit a real split. In fact, she says as much to the readers, and this is why she tries to break up with Takumi over the phone. ...but she can't even manage to do that."
2. Takumi may be very possessive and violent, and this is nothing to be all mushy about. But the core idea that he cannot seem to understand that he's finally loved somebody, all the more express his feelings, is admittedly cute.
"Ok why did Takumi not run away [from the responsibility of having a baby]? I think he loves Hachi, but since he's never loved anyone before he doesn't know what it is."
"The first rape we are told is that he's angry that she slept with Nobu and broke up with him. He says that he can't stand the thought that she was with someone else. That is very possessive. I think he loves her then but doesn't admit it to himself or to her."
BY FUNDERBURK_WEAVER, APRIL 14, 2007 to nana takoyakis@yah
"She is used to loving people and being loved while he is not. He is used to sacrificing for others, while she is not."
3. Finally, we get to see a bigger picture of his role, as if the previous arguments were not enough, when we look at Hachi's realization at a much later point in time:
"He [Takumi] says that even if they're living together as a family and they avoid Nobu, whom they both know, they can't just walk around pretending that the things they don't like just don't happen -- that a person has to accept the truth as it is. Nana [Hachi] is startled, yelling that this wise saying of Papa's will be their family motto. She goes off on her own tangent here, realizing the strange coldness of Takumi isn't coldness at all, but an acceptance of reality which other people don't have."
"She was cold to Takumi because she didn't want to accept the truth, and in the metaphorical language of the story, he was the truth."
4. We see a loophole in the conclusion that "Takumi is a calculating control-freak".
"He doesn't make a fuss, or break things, or make snide comments, even though he suddenly finds out he was being deceived and she was sleeping with someone else. He goes grocery shopping for her. He gives her space to talk to his rival in love as much as she wants. He sees cutesy pictures of them together, assumes Nana has run off to Nobu, but only gets sad. He stays with her and waits when no one else does. He tells Nobu that it's not the kind of conversation for three people, that Nobu needs to talk to her alone, and that it's Nana's decision. He asks Nana to marry him, even though she has treated him coldly, and looks hurt when he thinks she is going to say no."
5. Looking at Takumi's character through the whole story, panning before and after the "pregnancy night", I made this prediction a few chapters into the Shirogane arc, which is probably before chapter 50 or something.
"I'm not trying to defend Takumi there, and he's really an asshole for forcing a girl to do it. But he's a guy, and seeing signs that the girl "gave in" after two seconds of a fight is definitely a go-signal, don't you think?"
"I think that Takumi isn't the only man in the world who "loves" someone but ends up cheating. First, it's really his lifestyle to have different women. And this habit that he's been having for all of his life might be really hard to break. "
Baboysai reads nothing!
Three days of locking yourself in = nutcase.
I have proved through personal experience that over-thinking makes the head hurt. I've never experienced over-thinking as much as yesterday, and my head hurt like hell. And it was my fault to begin with. Our org didn't have any money to push through, and it annoyed the hell out of me that people could seem to go on with life as if this didn't matter. So I made a rule that non-org matters were not to be discussed in the tambayan (org hang-out place). And to make matters worse, the second rule was to speak everything in English. I just wanted a nosebleed, so what? That's what happens if I'm the president. Because I am a nutcase.
The English-speaking rule didn't work. It added to my mental stress.
People were wondering if I was still studying. I didn't realize it until someone asked me about it -that I was involving myself so much with the org that I actually forgot I was supposed to be doing research for my thesis. Well, one can never get enough of org activities, but it's just stupid to fail my studies. But me? Baboysai? Goddess? Fail my studies? Aw, c'mon. That's just- stupid.
.
.
.
You know, I just realized that this is uninteresting. I've locked myself in for three days, I'm a total nutcase, and nothing's happening to me.
Except that last night, I talked to three of the most annoying people in the planet. I was drinking with a gay friend Grass, and three retards joined our table. Grass and I were bored that we welcomed the gesture, not knowing the mental torture we were going to experience in the next few minutes...
SCENE 1.
Baboysai: Hi.
Stupid jerks: Hi! (In the most irritating way you could think of)
Stupid jerk 1: So, (looking at my friend) you're gay?
Grass (36 yrs old): Yes. I'm so gay.
SJ 1: Yeah? So you suck penis, right?-Baboysai and Grass look at each other-
Baboysai: I'm assuming you have a different culture in (insert school name here). I think that if you were to open your mouth in a group of people here with very strong principles on Gender equality, you'd die in five minutes.
SJ 3: Why do you talk so slow?
Baboysai: Maybe because I'm polite.
SCENE 2.
Baboysai: So, you're MC (Music Circle) applicants. What are your influences?
SJ 1,2, and 3: Rock....
-Baboysai drinks her beer-
Baboysai: Oh.
...
Baboysai: So um, what kind of rock?
SJ 1,2, and 3: Bamboo! (While hi-fiving each other)...
-Baboysai drinks her beer-
...
Baboysai: Well. Uh, I'm heavily influenced by JRock and JPop music right now, so I'm very into fruity, funky tunes, and dance beats.
...
Baboysai: You do get what I'm saying, right?
-SJ 1, 2, and 3 drink their beer-
Baboysai reads Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchet
It's not that time for my self skipped my mind, I just didn't have any, no matter how I wanted it. For the first time in three months, I felt the full force of 21 units, 7 subjects, being president of my org, and my thesis. No wait, cancel the thesis part, because all this time I considered it non-existent.
The month of August is always the busiest time for our org, AF (Arkiforum, UP Architecture Forum, etc.) because it was recognized by the college of Architecture, and subsequently the UP administration on August 18, 1981. So we hold our foundation week where August 18 is.
This month should have sailed smoothly if it weren't for global warming, which affected the climate and weather, which caused the monsoons and typhoons to occur on our lovely little AF week. I assume we all felt the same, which was feeling like a kitten locked out in the rain. What a downer, global warming is.
To add to the pressure of having to move invitational activities, it was reported that rumors against my executive committee and myself had been going around. Sigh. I'd love to don a shirt saying: "You missed" at the front and the back has a hole, bull's eye.
I'm.not.making.sense.what.do.you.care.totally.uninteresting.moving.on.
Aside from the nerve-wracking org responsibilities, I had band practice. I really love my band mates for understanding why we only got to practice at 11:30 P.M. And I love the studio owner where we practiced. He's such a weird guy.
Soodie, Sai, Ab, Dax and I make up Gabriella Bazooka! and the tongues and grooves.
I thought we kinda made a decent gig out of it. When I got to see the video though, I felt like barfing. But well, it's not bad for a first try. :p
I am being depressive again this time of the month, and it's really killing me. But it's a good thing that I made it clear to my boyfriend because he was having a hard time understanding why I'd just break down and cry.
My thesis, by the way, is something that I can't elaborate as of the moment, except that one time I called it: "Doña: Escapism at its Finest". And that cracked me up.
What better way to research on my thesis than escaping all these ugly monsters plaguing my August to the lovely island of Cebu?
When I reached home yesterday, I had tan lines, and my nails were "Pussy Red" (seriously, that's what it said in the bottle). And when I remember the ugly monsters of August, I just look at my nails then suddenly everything feels fine.
That is my thesis.
Is it just because we're architecture students that we're geeks about architecture? Can we say the same for other professions and courses?
I had the opportunity, through the wonderful chance of taking PE, to travel with tripple E (Electrical and Electronics Engineering) students to Batangas. I was really sick with a hangover, and couldn't care less about the meadows and roads that we passed. These students whipped out their cameras taking pictures of those towery things with barrel-looking things. I'm sure Prof. Bulaong mensioned what these were one time during my Mech-Elec classes (Arch 136) but I really didn't mind much about it. They were explaining to me how amazing it was that there were more than one color of the barrels. Apparently this meant something. I said "oh?" with minimal mouth movement or I'd have puked. Hey, I had a hangover.
"Amazing uh, barrels you got there."
"Yeah! And they have these *bleep* and *bleep*! I can't imagine that this place could have *bleep* *bleep* *bleep* *bleep*
(Static)
I guess other people would have felt like I felt then. Or rather, the absence of feeling. It's not like I'm underestimating them or something. It's not that I don't appreciate electricity either. I.just.don't.get.it.
But maybe, that's what people think when they see me at a mall, for example: walking slowly, touching the walls, knocking on them, tapping the floor, looking at corners. I'd take out my cellphone and take a picture of this hidden vent, or an interesting door connection, and someone would probably be close by thinking "What the F is she doing?"
I had a class in the PHAN (Palma Hall Annex) building. As I was waiting for the professor, I leaned over the railings, looking closely at the gutters, the roof above, and the drainage pipes, while at the same time nodding to myself. Did they think I was analyzing the water paths? I walked down the steps. Did they think I was checking the fire escapes? I stood in the middle of the lobby, looking around. Did they think I was trying to figure out the wind movement?
I said to a friend, we can't help but notice the built environment. Sometimes when I think about it, it makes me laugh. It's funny to be a geek, but I can't help it.
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