Four Seasons Of Hocchan
28 April 2007
While I was bored out of my brains a few weeks ago I decided to go on a bit of a Photoshopping spree as it were. I updated a lot of my signatures and banners as you can see from the new header picture and links. I had a lot of fun making them and I hope you'll agree when I say that they're definitely an improvement on the old ones. Not that the previous pictures were bad, just these ones are better. Amongst the updates I made were 4 new Hocchan signatures for forums. I plan to add them to my dynamis' forum profile when I get chance. Unfortunately I think they've blocked some IP addresses so I can't access the site from the public library's computers. Any who, here they are:
Posted byHocchan at 10:48 am 4 comments
Oatsuraemuki No Destiny
24 April 2007
Day 30 - Early Evening
I thought I heard a chocobo ride by this morning. Rushed outside but saw nothing. No chocobos, no Guardians to be seen anywhere. Just rain. And a feeling of emptiness.
Day 31 - Late Evening
The rain has been falling constantly for over 24 hours now. I'm in danger of being flooded. Ironically all this water and not a ship of Corsairs to be seen. I began to build a small raft just in case the situation gets any worse.
Day 32 - Early Morning
Rain has stopped but was woken by an orc trying to get at my supplies. I had to beat it around the head with my half-built raft before it would leave. Damn orcs.
Day 32 - Afternoon
The orc returned to camp after I accidentally pulled it with my bow. The fight took several minutes and most of my HP but I managed to defeat it. Thank God it didn't link or I'd have been dead. I fear what effect a Home Point would have on me right now. Will spend rest of day resting back to full.
Day 33 - Evening
I can feel my MND slipping away hour by hour. The days seemingly stretch out to infinity. I fear insanity is close at hand. If the party doesn't arrive soon there won't be much of me left to Raise. The situation is dire. I'm not sure how much longer I can hold on. Please, someone (| help me out! |)...
Day 34 - Morning
(| Raise |) (| Can I have it? |) (| Please |)
Posted byHocchan at 11:29 pm 6 comments
Kakemeguru Seishun
23 April 2007
As you may have guessed from my previous entry I've gone slightly insane. I can be seen regularly sitting in the corner of the room, rocking back and forth, mumbling something about 'Amir' and 'Tachi: Gekko'. While that may have been a slight over-exaggeration it's not untrue to say that I'm really suffering without FFXI. This may seem like an extremely silly thing to be so worked up about but it's not simply a case of not being able to play a game. It's a case of not being able to speak or interact with friends who I've spoken to regularly for the past 2 years. I challenge anyone to be put in the same situation and say that they wouldn't feel the same way. If only there was some way for me to chat to them while they were playing it wouldn't be quite so bad. Unfortunately there isn't. I've been racking my brains on ways that I could get use of an internet connection that I could use for several hours at a time. It's looking like I won't be able to play for yet another week though. Please God! Please let me find a way to play soon, I beg of you!
(Prayer - the last resort of a broken and desperate man).
Posted byHocchan at 3:37 am 0 comments
Koi No Indian Ningyou
21 April 2007
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Posted byHocchan at 6:36 pm 2 comments
Sabishii Nettaigyo
17 April 2007
I'm so bored... I really wish I had the internet right now. I haven't played Final Fantasy XI for almost a month now and it's killing me. It's like an alcoholic trying to quit drinking. I've well and truly 'hit the wall' as it were. I hope for hell I get internet access back soon or I'm going to cry. I miss playing my Corsair, I miss doing the weekly assaults, and most of all I miss talking to everyone on the linkshell. They're sort of like an online family so when you don't speak to them for a while you feel kind of lonely. You could almost say that I'm feeling slightly homesick, crazy as that sounds.
One thing I have been doing is continuing my marathon of films. I bought Sky High, Sympathy for Mr Vengeance and, The Constant Gardener on DVD. Lots of places are doing sales on DVDs so it's a good chance to pick up some films for cheap. Sky High is a film directed by the same guy that directed Azumi/Azumi 2 - Kitamura Ryuhei. It tells the story of Mina who is murdered on her wedding day by a serial murderer who tears out his victims' hearts. After her death she finds herself at the Gate of Resentment (where all the spirits of people who are murdered or die in accidents go) and is given the three options: accept death and enter paradise and wait for rebirth; wander eternally as a ghost; or find and curse her murderer (however, anyone who kills must go to hell). Meanwhile the man she was to marry, Kohei Kanzaki, sets out to avenge her death. Mina must do all she can in order to stop Kanzaki from condemning himself to hell. It's probably not as good as Azumi but it does have its own merits. The fight sequences are a little lacking in the finesse of Azumi but the characters had a bit more depth. Verdict: 7/10.
I thought Arlington Road was one of the darkest films I'd ever seen but it seems like a family comedy in comparison to Sympathy for Mr Vengeance. This Korean films is shocking to the extreme in its portrayal of the consequences of revenge. The story begins with Ryu, a deaf-mute factory worker who is trying to raise cash for a kidney transplant to save his dying sister. Unfortunately the waiting list for kidneys is extremely long and there's no guarantee of when a match will be found. He also gets fired from his job at the factory. Out of desperation he gives all his money (10 million Won) to a group of illegal organ dealers in the hope of getting a kidney quickly. However, they take his money and one of his kidneys and leave him with nothing. Then to compound matters the hospital contacts Ryu and informs him that a matching kidney has been found. With only a couple of weeks to find the money, he follows his girlfriend's advice and kidnaps the daughter of his former employer. Everything seems to go well as the father promptly pays the ransom. Unfortunately Ryu's sister finds out about his redundancy from a note left in his trouser pocket. Of course she doesn't know anything about the kidnapping plan and believes all hope is lost. When Ryu comes home he finds that she has committed suicide by slitting her wrists in the bath. His sister's wish was to be buried by a river where they once played as children so he drives the body and the kidnapped daughter there. Whilst he is covering the body with rocks he doesn't notice the daughter get out of the car. She falls in whilst trying to cross the bridge to reach him and because he is deaf he doesn't hear her cries. He also cannot see her because he has his back turned. She ends up drowning and is found by the police a few hours later. Her distraught father then sets out to find and kill Ryu.
Watching this film was painful to say the least. It was a constant stream of unfortunate occurrences which could so easily have been avoided. It was kind of like Grave of the Fireflies in a way but a lot more tragic. Throughout the film you wanted to scream at the screen in desperation. It was hard to decide who your sympathy lay with. Neither Ryu or the father were completely to blame, nor where they completely innocent. And in that way I guess is the beauty (for want of a better word) of director Park-Chan Wook's film. A shocking, tragic and distressing film but one which shows the consequences of revenge. Confucius said it best, "Before starting out on the path of revenge, first you must dig two graves". Never has this been so true as in this film. Verdict: 8/10.
The Constant Gardener was one of those films I remember seeing released at the cinemas and wanting to go see. When I saw it on sale at £4.95 at Woolworths I jumped at the chance. It's a conspiracy based thriller about the pharmaceutical companies set in Africa. Justin, a British diplomat based in Africa, is married to Tessa, a forceful and opinionated woman who uncovers a conspiracy to test drugs on HIV patients in Nairobi without their consent. She is subsequently murdered to prevent the scandal from surfacing. Justin doesn't know anything about Tessa's work until he stumbles on some clues in her diary. He then sets out to uncover the truth behind the conspiracy, something which doesn't go unnoticed by the drug companies and the British government. Though this film was decent enough it wasn't quite what I was expecting. It lacked that certain something which prevented it from keeping me completely engrossed in the story. Rachel Weisz's character was down right annoying most of the time and Ralph Fienne's was a wimp, though he did get better by the end of the film. Not a bad conspiracy film but there have been better. Verdict: 6/10.
Posted byHocchan at 10:26 pm 0 comments
Sentimetal Boy
10 April 2007
Tadaima. Took me 10 whole days before I updated this again but what do you expect? I broke my record twice in two consecutive months, I deserve a holiday! Truth is there hasn't been much worth writing about. Aside from the nice weather we're having it's been a pretty mundane week. The film I ordered from HMV arrived a few days ago. It's called Wasabi and stars Jean Reno and Hirosue Ryoko. I've known about this film for a long time. Ever since I finished watching Summer Snow and became a fan of Hirosue Ryoko in fact. If she wasn't it the film I don't think I would have had any interest in it. Although anything with Jean Reno in it is pretty cool in its own right. As it turns out it's not a bad film, especially for £3.99. Jean Reno plays Hubert, a French cop who has a habit of punching bad guys in the face. He is suddenly called to Japan after the death of Miko - an old flame who disappeared from his life 19 years ago. Upon arriving in Tokyo he is shocked to discover that he has a 19 year old daughter, Yumi, played by Hirosue Ryoko. He also finds out that the circumstances of Miko's death aren't quite as simple as they appear to be. He sets out to uncover the truth of the matter, backed up by his old friend Momo.
Wasabi is a decent film considering it's pretty low budget. It has lots of funny moments which Jean Reno seems to have a knack for. I think Hirosue Ryoko did a good job alongside him, though I could be slightly biased. I was also quite surprised that she can speak fluent French. I'm not sure if it's her actual voice in the dub, but from her lip movements I can tell she's definitely speaking French. I wasn't too keen on the English dubbing, it was hard to tell what they were saying sometimes because of their accents. I found it much more preferrable to watch it in its original language, like with most things. Aside from that the film is enjoyable. I'd give it a 7.5/10 (I thought 7/10 was too low, and I would give it an 8/10 but I think that would only be because of Ryoko so I went halfway /laugh).
I also watched Arlington Road and Night at the Musuem this week. Arlington Road is one hell of a disturbing film. The end is so depressing and makes you feel there's no good in the world. The main character's slow decent into a living nightmare is horrible to watch but at the same time strangely compelling viewing. One of the darkest films I've ever seen. Night at the Musuem on the other hand is at the opposite end of the spectrum. It's a brilliant family comedy filled with loads of great actors. You have Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Robin Williams, Dick Van Dyke, and the unsurmountable Brits represented by Steve Coogan and Ricky Gervais. It's an eclectic mix of some of the funniest people around and it's awesome viewing. I'd been looking forward to watch this film for a long time and I wasn't disappointed.
HaroMoni finished last week after 7 years of broadcast. It's a real shame it had to end but I guess all good things must come to an end. But all is not lost, in its place is a new 30 minute show called HaroMoni@. I downloaded the first episode today and watched it just before. From first impressions they've turned it into a more of a kids show compared to the old HaroMoni. They didn't do much in this first show except take a talking baby doll around Tokyo in a little pram. They met a 65 year old body builder who could still lift one of the girls with just one arm. They also went to the park to view the cherry blossoms and chased after a passing ice cream van. I was kind of disappointed in the content of this episode. I really hope they go back to the old stuff they used to do instead of this new format. I would be a major shame if they didn't. I'll keep my hopes up for the next episode.
Posted byHocchan at 2:38 am 0 comments
