tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84257787616444796812024-02-18T17:37:09.417-08:00Jon's Ruminations on... Everything?Hey all, welcome to my blog. Basically this is me talking about random things. Expect high science content, high literary analysis content, and lots of Suzumiya Haruhi. Just saying.ジョンhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13080053508071211628noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8425778761644479681.post-74679932657268209232010-03-26T18:47:00.000-07:002010-03-26T18:52:58.899-07:00Haruhi Suzumiya, Season 2 English Dub -- Doomed to FailAnyone who has ever watched the dubbed version of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya can probably guess why I really, really don't like most English dubs. In fact, when I tried to watch Suzumiya in the English dub, I was cringing so much from the terrible voice acting performances that I literally <i>had</i> to switch over to the original version with subs. It was literally impossible for me to watch that anime. "Why?" some may ask. "Was it really <i>that</i> terrible?" All I can say is, "Yes, yes it was."<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUzW6wD1yTKoqhFFKM4pU-oxNjwOzpiyQs_AS8cFGMn9DPSW5-5XNGojr0Y9Ox5iPmsZJxzNyfHg1vJtVfi1bkyoyYySR9IDT8j9wQB0Y4tLM83bb9cAecBcd2BZsLvZTDFhU5nuNGSTZ-/s1600/SuzumiyaHaruhiCosplay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUzW6wD1yTKoqhFFKM4pU-oxNjwOzpiyQs_AS8cFGMn9DPSW5-5XNGojr0Y9Ox5iPmsZJxzNyfHg1vJtVfi1bkyoyYySR9IDT8j9wQB0Y4tLM83bb9cAecBcd2BZsLvZTDFhU5nuNGSTZ-/s320/SuzumiyaHaruhiCosplay.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<a name='more'></a>The main reason that Haruhi's dub was so terrible was the fact that the original performance was so amazing. Those of you who know me know that I'm very partial with Aya Hirano -- she's probably one of my favorite seiyuus. That aside, Hirano's performance as Suzumiya was (and is) absolutely stellar. Not only does she perfectly capture the spirit of Haruhi's character, but her ability to play the challenging role absolutely shines. Suzumiya has to act overbearing, demeaning, depressed, eccentric, excited, bored and hyper, slightly show a crush on Kyon while still being tsundere, and (oh, yeah) <u>sing</u>. Hirano really comes to the table with these challenges and completely aces every single one. Her American counterpart? Oh right, not so much. Watch Episode 12 of the English dub and you'll see what I mean -- they actually <i>redubbed</i> Hirano's singing with new singing by Wendee Lee. Oh, and by the way, Wendee Lee really can't sing.<br />
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Lee isn't the only one of the American counterparts that doesn't rise to the challenges of their role in the same manner the Japanese did. Michelle Ruff (who plays Nagato) fails to capture the same calm, calculated awesomeness that Minori Chihara brings to the table during the Asakura fight scene. In that same scene, listen to how Crispin Freeman says, "Nagato" as Nagato enters the virtual world to save him lacks the same amazed feeling that the original had. Crispin Freeman's Kyon is generally less emphatic and snarky, something I miss about his character from the original. Even Mikuru lost much of her ultra-innocent voice that Yuuko Goto did so well.<br />
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This morning, Bandai Entertainment posted <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wc15Yas0luU">this</a> video (the original was actually removed, most likely due to the fact that it sported a rather NSFW ending). The cast will be the same as season one. I'll still take a look at a few of the episodes, but given the fact that the Endless Eight troll arc was unbearable even with Hirano and the Japanese cast, I doubt I'll make it past the first repetition.<br />
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The only good thing I have to say about this preview is the opening theme song's English Adaption. "Super Driver" actually is rather pleasant sounding in English, unlike "Bouken Deshou Deshou" was in the first season's dub. In any case, it will be interesting to see how this adaption turns out, even if it most likely will fail.ジョンhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13080053508071211628noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8425778761644479681.post-69723863578847743492010-03-23T16:18:00.000-07:002010-03-28T17:58:58.769-07:00Suzumiya Haruhi no Shoushitsu LEAKED PHOTOS<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIRahLM58p8"><strike>Possibly</strike> Leaked photos from the New Suzumiya Haruhi movie</a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm1tOdgf_OBcaWCU9tYvP5_ss5oOyA_MbjJjLYfet1jya7t5ioWl0tKHR9VbQZ0-339ry0dDFQfcsZ8zampdrHIHL8OlwNsofliZ9UY_4sCjtmqy_ZJkxb-8DzcMtdTmRsDQmM12gppfcO/s1600-h/yukikyon+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm1tOdgf_OBcaWCU9tYvP5_ss5oOyA_MbjJjLYfet1jya7t5ioWl0tKHR9VbQZ0-339ry0dDFQfcsZ8zampdrHIHL8OlwNsofliZ9UY_4sCjtmqy_ZJkxb-8DzcMtdTmRsDQmM12gppfcO/s320/yukikyon+copy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIRahLM58p8">This</a> YouTube video contains what appear to be screen captures from the new Haruhi Suzumiya video, Suzumiya Haruhi no Shoushitsu. The animation appears to be brilliant and crisp... and Yuki is simply a goddess. The first few photos leaked (and the photo shown to the right) are Kyon and Yuki centric and show that KyoAni has truly succeeded in bringing us a masterpiece. If the critics are right about what we've heard from the movie staying true to the story, it seems that <i>Suzumiya Haruhi no Shoushitsu</i> is fated to be awesome.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg-Xd-_x6jLs8xD6IEzfdWZxiDJ9yrB-T6r4tGLAy9zjWaVU8GYgMw3jRDJhh3Zl-CHrt4UCDY-aAHNHZLsmbbVP7mXnYCvYnQlpdFyOs2oXUpc58RYoYACYjebqd6WUeSSl3T9kkYY_N5/s1600-h/yukimovie.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg-Xd-_x6jLs8xD6IEzfdWZxiDJ9yrB-T6r4tGLAy9zjWaVU8GYgMw3jRDJhh3Zl-CHrt4UCDY-aAHNHZLsmbbVP7mXnYCvYnQlpdFyOs2oXUpc58RYoYACYjebqd6WUeSSl3T9kkYY_N5/s320/yukimovie.png" width="320" /></a>As for the art itself, what strikes me most in these shots is the beautiful job they did with the coloration. Although KyoAni has always had a superlative attention to detail (at least with season one... *cough*), the blue hues in these shots are absolutely gorgeous – they go far beyond what I'm used to see in KyoAni and seem to truly bring out Yuki's <i>emotions</i>. I'm extremely pleased to see that they really have created an amazing and aesthetic design for their big-screen debut.<br />
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I also emailed the YouTube poster; when I hear back I'll update.<br />
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Hope these appease you as they appeased me! Which is about until next week when I start pining for the movie again... Until later!<br />
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UPDATE: As was pointed out to me by Rio (thanks!), in my fanboy-passion-driven haste to post this video, I missed probably the most important part: the fact that the <i>entire</i> movie is posted in stills in the other videos. This would suggest that the movie has been entirely pirated. Also, a few notes: the combined time of all the videos is 75 minutes, about half the total runtime of the movie, and the videos originated on the popular Japanese video sharing site <a href="http://www.nicovideo.jp/">Nico Nico Douga</a>.<br />
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Furthermore, I heard back from the poster of the videos, Atte NekoraFT, known on YouTube as gekora2. Nekora is studying in Ixmiquilpan, Mexico for a BA in Physics. Surprised when seeing the videos for the first time, Nekora (who is also studying Japanese and is a "superfan" of Haruhi), promptly uploaded the videos to YouTube. Like me, Nekora was stunned by the high quality of the photos ("surprisingly sharp") and, being a superfan, is now extremely, extremely excited to see the movie. Nekora loves to read (and has read all the Suzumiya light novels) and loves to watch anime, of which the Melancholy is his favorite, of course. Thanks so much for posting the videos, Nekora!ジョンhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13080053508071211628noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8425778761644479681.post-56029970238472610452010-03-21T13:50:00.000-07:002010-03-22T12:31:36.030-07:00Suzumiya Haruhi no ShoushitsuOkay, I'd just like to establish something here: I am a Haruhi fanboy. I did not abandon Haruhi after Kadokawa decided to troll us with a certain unmentionable and horrid eight episode arc this past summer, nor have I lost hope in Nagaru Tanigawa even after waiting over three years now for the final novel to be released. No, I haven't given up, and I won't give up. I am a Haruhi fanboy to the core. So deal.<br />
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<a href="http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d199/Darth_Xor/suzumiya-haruhi-no-shoushitsu-movie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d199/Darth_Xor/suzumiya-haruhi-no-shoushitsu-movie.jpg" width="320" /></a>Needless to say, when I discovered that there was a new <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfb3NSeoIRA">Haruhi Suzumiya movie</a> being produced, I was ecstatic. So ecstatic that I lost all control of the language cortex of my brain and immediately started sending emails to random friends who did not particularly care about my fanboyism at all, usually with message bodies along the lines of... the following.<br />
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<blockquote><div>IT’S NOT A SEASON IT’S A MOVIE OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!</div><div>I’M SO EXCITED YAY!</div><div class="MsoNormal">CAN YOU BELIEVE? OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG!</div></blockquote>Yes. I actually wrote that.<br />
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Regardless, the movie has now been showing for well over a week, and frankly I apparently live under a rock because I have heard nothing about it. Until today.<br />
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I finally decided to go to the source and use Google's Translated Search feature to search Japanese websites for info on it. Mainly I was able to discover that "<a href="http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&langpair=ja%7Cen&u=http://blog.livedoor.jp/insidears/archives/52193560.html&prev=/translate_s%3Fhl%3Den%26q%3DSuzumiya%2BHaruhi%2Bmovie%26sl%3Den%26tl%3Dja">Nagato is dying too cute</a>" and, according to the Japanese <a href="http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&langpair=ja%7Cen&u=http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%25E6%25B6%25BC%25E5%25AE%25AE%25E3%2583%258F%25E3%2583%25AB%25E3%2583%2592%25E3%2581%25AE%25E6%25B6%2588%25E5%25A4%25B1&prev=/translate_s%3Fhl%3Den%26q%3DThe%2BDisappearance%2Bof%2BSuzumiya%2BHaruhi%26sl%3Den%26tl%3Dja">Wikipedia</a>, "Maeda Yuuiti critic movie is known in the Dry has praised this film, 'a novel animation makes us feel so very extraordinary everyday,' and 'Nao Yasushi Shimaou of the park and is made entirely not feel opportunity to see so directing techniques are extremely rare in live-action Japanese movie,' he said."<br />
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Interpret that how you like, but it sounds to me like the critics are raving. After giving up the Japanese hunt, I simply turned to fellow bloggers. According to <a href="http://www.yuppieuniverse.com/anime/yuppie-fangirlism-the-vanishment-of-the-disappearance-of-haruhi-suzumiya/">this beautifully written post</a> by Rio over at Young Underpaid Professionals, the movie has a whopping runtime of 162 minutes. Just as a comparison: the two <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_Note_%28film%29">Death Note films</a> had a <i>combined</i> runtime of only 125 minutes. Personally, I'm glad that the movie is longer. That makes it fail less, as frankly, there is a lot of stuff that happens. Not showing it all would be disappointing. (I wait for the days when films are as long as Gone With The Wind... 238 minutes. That will be the day...)<br />
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Regardless of that, I eagerly await the day that the DVD release arrives so it can be fansubbed and I can watch it happily. Mainly because Nagato is incredibly hot and my favorite character and this was my favorite novel by far. By the way, anyone happen to know when that will be? Because I live under a rock.<br />
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And now, to end this post, here's a <a href="http://en.curecos.com/picture/detail?id=11619602">random Yuki cosplayer</a>.ジョンhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13080053508071211628noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8425778761644479681.post-12822810121590529872010-03-20T12:00:00.000-07:002010-03-21T18:40:23.053-07:00God Knows on Piano<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PmuTaSNQ90">God Knows on Piano</a> <br />
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This guy did a great job. I am seriously impressed by how he played the opening guitar solo. Overall he has excellent technique and really keeps the spirit of the song intact. Great job.ジョンhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13080053508071211628noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8425778761644479681.post-9211777518821574112010-03-20T10:44:00.001-07:002010-03-20T10:47:32.165-07:00Hello, WorldWhat is there to say here, really? This blog is basically going to serve as a creative, scientific and rant outlet for me. If you enjoy my blog, please Digg it, tweet it, blog it or Facebook it or... whatever. Thanks, and enjoy my ruminating.ジョンhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13080053508071211628noreply@blogger.com0