On Asian Dramas

Recently I have started watching Asian dramas on DramaFever because it is a website who offers the ability to watch shows and movies free and legally. You can pay for a subscription to buy HD streaming and get rid of ads, but you really don't need that because when you watch, you gain "premium credits", that enable you to watch an episode without ads. 

Since I withdrew from music theory on Wednesday (that's a whole other story), I had a lot more free time to get things done, like wash my sheets, organize my shelves, code, and of course, watch Korean dramas. So I watched My Tutor Friend 2. You can watch it for free legally if you click on the link. No viruses, really.

I like to search for lists of movies and dramas that end well. I plan on starting a separate website/blog that will start cataloging movies/tv shows that have good endings. I figure I'm probably not the only person looking for stuff to watch that doesn't end depressingly. 

But anyway, asian dramas are great, I love them, everyone should watch them, blah blah. I'm weird, but you know that already.

Follow the Book, Please

I saw the Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug on Friday night. I had wanted to rewatch the first one before seeing the second movie, but I didn't have time. So, I went and read the movie synopsis online as a refresher. Anyway, I personally thought that the movie was great, but apparently a lot of people did not share my opinion.

I became aware after watching the first movie that the content for the new trilogy was taken out of three other books by Tolkien. I don't remember the names of the books, I think one was called the Simirilian, but I'm not sure if I'm pronouncing/spelling that correctly. It is kind of obvious that they are drawing from other sources, like the fact that Legolas is in the movie. Anyway, a lot of the people I know who are fans of Tolkien were kind of mad at the movie. They felt that it didn't follow the book, and that the director put too much in, like the love plots. (I say they put that in for the girls, but whatever). I guess I don't really have a say in this because I've never actually read the book. (I know, shocker) I liked the movie a lot, but apparently that was just because I didn't know any better.

I don't want this to turn into a rant session, but I really am staring to get annoyed with people who complain when the movie doesn't follow the book perfectly. Now I'm not saying that I'm not disappointed when my favorite book isn't done justice on the big screen, and I get somewhat annoyed when I think about movies like Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief. That movie was really horrible. But in a lot of cases (ok maybe in some cases), the movie doesn't turn out too bad, and I think this was the case with The Hobbit. I thought the actors and the director did a pretty good job with it considering the book doesn't have enough content to make into a trilogy, and the other two books by Tolkien don't have enough content to put together a whole movie. And it's just my opinion, but I'd rather have three good movies than one. I heard one person say that the movie was a waste of time and money. I think that's going a little too far, and it's not supporting the actors or the director, and it ruins the atmosphere for everybody else. So what, it wasn't the best thing you've seen. Make the best of it and enjoy it. I did.

Anyway, just some thoughts I had on the subject. I hope I don't offend anyone- everybody is entitled to their own opinion.

The One on Anime and Manga

I have to admit, I have a lot of obsessions, even though The Doctor is the biggest. I really love reading Manga and watching Anime. I am currently reading Tsubasa, which is apparently a spin off of xxxHolic, which I haven't read, and most likely won't. Tsubasa has 28 volumes, I just finished the 22nd book. I really like the story, but it is sometimes hard to follow. It still continues to amaze me how complex graphic novel plots can get. I'm not going to go into the pretense of the story, but it is a great series.

I have read La Corda d'Oro, which is by far, my favorite Manga. I love music, and at one point wanted to go to music school, so this was really perfect for me. It's not really that popular, but I really loved it. The art was brilliant and it is my favorite style of Manga. (Which I believe is Abbreviated Realistic)

I also occasionally watch through an anime. The first one I ever watched was Clannad. Bad choice. But not because Clannad is a bad anime, rather the contrary. It was brilliant, and the best. It ruined all the others. (man, I CRIED) Yes, hands down, Clannad is my favorite. I watched Princess Tutu as well, one of my friends had been bugging me about it for quite some time. If you can get past the unrealistic art (which some people prefer) and the annoying voices, it's really a great story. I just HATED the ending though. I'm one of the those people where if the ending isn't perfect, it isn't worth watching.

I just finished what I believe to be the first season of Full Metal Panic. I really liked it. (I don't normally like violent animes, but this was ok). It's kind of an old anime, but you really can't tell from the art. It's still really good.

I'm not really sure what category movies with Japanese style artwork fall into. Are they called anime movies or something else? I've only seen two- Howl's Moving Castle and 5 Centimeters Per Second. Don't watch the later, it's awful. But Howl's Moving Castle is awesome, definately one of my favorites. I plan on watching more like it when I have more time.

Anyway, so I think I will probably start Death Note when I finish Tsubasa. It's apparently a good manga.

FYI: I LOVE Tomoya.