とんずらこいて！

So I caught up with one of my friends from high school today.  And by "caught up" I mean that I saw that he had written an interesting note on Facebook, which then led to my Facebook stalking him to answer the age-old question: "whatever became of so-and-so?"  Come to find out my friend who I hadn't talked to in years that graduated with me from a high school in rural(ish) Arkansas is now living somewhere in Northern Africa (Egypt maybe?) doing who knows what, but probably (knowing him) having to do with something religious and missional.

All of this caused me to think of my own life and where I am.  At first, my thought was that my life isn't nearly as exciting as his and that I wish my own life were more exciting.  But upon further reflection, I found that this was not really true.  After all, life is as exciting as you make it and living in Mobile, AL as a vicar is nothing to sneeze at.

My subsequent thought, then, is the one that stuck with me and has caused this post: I'm so terribly American.  The American stench pervades my language, my culture, my worldview, my life.  Individualism is all I know, tolerance is my primary value, and self-centeredness is how I roll.  And perhaps this thought is merely a culmination of the thoughts bubbling forth in my last few posts, but I am truly disgusted with myself in this respect.

I don't want to be American.  I want to be Christian.  (Not American Christian.  This is a merging of American ideals and Christian teachings that is so mismatched and wonky that it really doesn't work.  It's like Christians trying to believe in Evolution.  The two just can't mix coherently.)  I want to have a perspective that is not centered on America, but on Christ.  I want to be able to think like God's child and not like his spoiled brat.  I don't want to be American.

And to achieve this, I must go.  I've got to get out of here and be someplace different.  Someplace where people don't think like me.  Someplace where people are waiting to hear the Gospel proclaimed in their cultural context.  I must go!

But instead, I'm jumping through hoops.  I'm jumping through the hoop of Seminary.  Then I'll have to jump through the LCMS World Mission hoop.  Maybe somewhere in there I'll have to jump through the more graduate school and doctorate hoops.  Even then, I'll have to jump through the which-churches-are-we-friends-with hoop, the funding hoop, and others.  And while I'm jumping through hoops, my friends are already out there, making a difference.  And that frustrates me to no end.

And so I sit here tonight frustrated.  Frustrated that I'm hopelessly American.  Frustrated that I'm not out there.  Frustrated that I can't hardly see the end for the hoops.

So I pray that the Father would give me patience, that he will send me where I can proclaim his Word, that he will make me less American and more like Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit.  In Jesus' name I pray.  Amen.

On Animal Crossing and Life, the Universe, and Everything

So I've found myself rather engaged in the new Animal Crossing game for Wii.  If you've read any reviews, you know that it's pretty much the DS game with a few new shinies, but I still find it fun.  Such being the case, I've been thinking about the nature of its appeal and what the game says about life in general.

Okay ... before you give me that look for associating Animal Crossing with the meaning of life, hear me out.  Animal Crossing, for any who don't know, is a Nintendo-developed life game.  As in, a game in which you live life.  The town in which you find yourself is filled with animal people to keep you company, and via WiFi, you can always go visit one of your friends in his/her town.

But playing AC makes you ask an important question: "What's the point?"  No, I'm not talking in a "meaning of life" sense (yet) but more of a "goal of the game" sense.  What is the goal of life in AC?  In the end, the point is to get money so you can have a nice home, nice stuff, and a nice town.  That's the point.  That's what it all comes down to.

Now comes the transition from virtual to real.  If that is the point of the game, what does that say about the game designer's view of real life?  If the game is (loosely) based on real life, are the goals of the game seen as the same goals of real life?  It scares me to think it, but I can only conclude that the game more or less reflects the outlook of the one who designed it.  And that being the case, how sad is that?  How sad is a life without purpose?

So then, is life without purpose?  Or is the purpose of life simply to get as much stuff as you can?  Is it to make your town a better place by planting trees and building bridges?  As a Christian, I can answer these questions with a resounding "no," but at the same time, I know there are people who think along these lines.  Perhaps money is not the ultimate goal, but rather it's relationships.  Perhaps it's living according to a moral code.  Perhaps it's notoriety.  Whatever it is, ultimately it amounts to nothing, just as the bells (the currency) of Animal Crossing ultimately count for nothing.

But my musings didn't end there.  I thought of the AC the game.  Why is the ultimate goal to get money and make your town better?  Because the game designer made it so.  Since the game designer created the world of AC, he got to define the parameters for success, as well as set up the word to give opportunity to players for achieving success.  AC is designed so that players driven to make money succeed at the game, while players who don't have that drive don't progress as well.

In this way, AC is more or less the same as the real world.  For the real world, too, has a Creator.  And as that Creator, he has defined the parameters for success: trusting in him, and consequently obeying his commands.  And he has set up the world so that it presents opportunities for success.  And so life has a purpose - faith in Christ - as outlined by the Creator.

And that is one thing that Christianity has to offer the rest of the world: purpose.  We know the Designer.  He's revealed how he's set everything up.  Rather than trying to invent our own purpose, we follow the purpose around which the world was made.

Quite a lot to think about from a silly animal game from Nintendo.

Times, They Are A-Changin'

Today (or I suppose yesterday) marks a huge shift in anime here in America.  Dattebayo has announced that it will DROP Naruto Shippuuden, effective January 15th.  (You can read the press release here.)  The long-time-Naruto fansubbing group has decided to do this because Viz will be offering subbed versions of Shippuuden streamed for free on their website only a week after the show airs in Japan.  Also, Crunchyroll will be offering streamed versions of Shippuuden for a small fee almost immediately after the airing in Japan.  This is huge and marks a turning point in how anime is done here in America.

I have friends that have been into anime since the days of copied VHS fansubs, but I got into fansubbed anime right on the tail end of the last big shift: the shift to internet distribution with the advent of broadband.  When I started downloading fansubs, the majority of internet connections were still not broadband, but the change was occurring rather rapidly.  Within a few years, the change was complete - most people had broadband internet connections.  With this shift, anime fansubs shifted, too.  The primary mode of distribution became the internet.  Quality shot up.  When I began downloading fansubs, 320x240 was the typical resolution.  With broadband, this went up to 640x480 and beyond.  Distribution methods shifted from KaZaA and LimeWire to Bittorrent.  Fansubs became quicker and of higher-quality with regards to translations and typesetting and karaokes for the OP and ED.  Broadband refined the fansub to the point where many releases rivaled professional DVD quality.

But now the wheel has turned again.  Fansubbed anime addressed the consumer demand for high quality subtitled episodes released mere hours after airing in Japan - all downloadable (or at least viewable) for free.  And the anime industry has now responded.  It began with a few peripheral series.  I first noticed Hulu had streaming episodes of SquareEnix's new series Shikabane Hime Aka almost synchronous with its airing in Japan.  The series seems to have been licensed in America nearly at the same time as in Japan.  But this was a new series, not a well-established one with a rich history of fansubs.  Now with Naruto, the mainstream is changing over as well.  American distribution companies have learned to harness the same broadband that brought about high-quality fansubs in order to compete with those same fansubs.

What does this mean for the future of anime fans in America?  For fansubs in general?  Will the fansubbing community step aside or will they compete?  What will the ability to only stream new releases mean for anime DVD sales?  What will become of fans like myself who prefer to download a file and then watch it, rather than stream?  I don't have the answers.  I merely am pointing out that this is history in the making for the anime community.  We are at a turning point, and it will be interesting to see how this will all turn out.

The Long-Awaited (Maybe) Anime Update!

Yeah, I promised this two weeks ago, but never came through ... until today!  Yesterday after church and most of today I had plenty of time to do some catch-up on new anime episodes.  There are still a few series I haven't gotten to watch at all, and still others that I haven't had time to follow up on.  BUT!  I made some headway today.  And now I'll report my findings:

Follow-up on Hyakko!

This one looked promising.  It really did!  The first episode had lots of fun character interaction and situation comedy.  Taking four very different personalities and getting them lost in a huge school was brilliant.  Why, oh why did they not stick to this for the next two episodes?!  Episode 2 focuses on the group of four trying to find a club, but REALLY only focuses on Torako and Tatsuki - the strong personalities - facing off.  The third episode keeps the focus on Torako and some new, strange characters, while keeping the other three of the original four on the periphery.  Without the character-driven aspect, this show just doesn't have the same charm.  I'll follow it for a few more episodes, but if it can't turn it around by then and recapture the fun of the first episode ... I don't know if even Hirano Aya can keep me coming back.

Bottom Line: This show has lost its magic after the first episode.  Whether it can get it back is anyone's guess.

Follow-up on Toradora!

This series surprised me.  The first episode was looking pretty generic, but a catchy opening and a bit of character development has done wonders for this series.  (I find that a catchy opening really helps a series.  It can be the most mundane thing in the world, but a catchy opening will keep me interested at least long enough for the show itself to become interesting.  And that's what's happened here.)  In many ways, the show reminds me a bit of School Rumble (Horie Yui aside).  Just like in Sukuran, the comedy is driven by main characters who can't manage to express their feelings and the awkward situations they end up finding themselves in.  As in Sukuran, the love interests are pretty generic, but even that adds a bit of humor to the whole situation.  The dynamic is different, though, since Taiga and Ryuuji are at the same time developing their own relationship, albeit not a romantic one.  So far, nothing's been quite as over-the-top as Sukuran, but that's probably okay for this series.

Bottom line: This one's actually pretty funny thanks to interesting characters, good use of situational comedy, and, of course, a catchy opening.  I'll be trying to keep on this one.

Follow-up on Casshern Sins:

So, I'll be honest.  I didn't know when I started watching this that it was a remake of an older anime - that certainly explains the stylistic choices made in its production.  From what I understand, though, the story is vastly different this time around: much much darker than the original.  And I've got to say.  It works.  As each episode progresses, we learn a bit more about what it was that actually happened between Casshern and Luna to create the massive ruin that is plaguing all of robotkind.  Also developing is Casshern's own understanding of himself and of the "sin" that he has committed.  It is interesting that the story is told almost entirely from the perspective of a race of robots who we learn subjugated humanity.  From the robot's perspective, this is the end of the world.  But one wonders how the humans (other than the one rogue we've met) view the ruin.  In any case, the show has already begun to confront the themes of dealing with death and sin, as well as the pain of having to live on in that sin while everyone else must suffer the consequences.  It should go without saying that such themes are an excellent entry point for some Gospel proclamation.  This show has potential to engage people and make them confront and deal with the emptiness of the real world reflected in this tale of fiction.  Very, very exciting, this one.  I'll be watching and following it closely, and depending on how it proceeds, perhaps even do a feature on its usefulness in understanding Japanese evangelism.

Bottom Line: This one doesn't pull any punches.  The themes are engaged head-on.  Death, dying, and guilt are all waiting to be dealt with.  It should be fun to see how Casshern does so.

Follow-up on Kannagi:

Here was another one that kinda looked like it was heading one direction, but then chose a more interesting path.  Certainly, the "attractive girl suddenly living in my house" aspect has not been dropped, but the focus has begun to shift.  It has begun to shift towards a plot development deeply tied to a Shinto religious outlook.  The problem can be summed up with the idea that: "gods are only gods when they are worshipped."  To be honest, this statement alone deserves its own feature post, and likely will get one, but for now, suffice to say that this outlook seems that it will drive the rest of the series.  Nagi, who, if you remember, is a god of the land who inhabited a sacred tree until it was cut down, is losing her divinity.  Why?  Because her tree has been cut down and no one remembers her any longer.  Solution?  Find a way for people to worship you.  The method that has been mentioned (and likely will be tried, if the opening is any indication) is, ironically, to become an idol.  A Shinto god ... becoming an idol.  Brilliant!  This intelligent idea, combined once again with some interesting characters (notice a theme here?) make this show look like it'll be an interesting one to watch.  At the very least, the concepts surrounding the nature of divinity will keep me watching for a while.

Bottom Line: Good characters, a refreshing plot twist with a touch of irony, religious content, and a catchy OP make this one to follow this season.

Well, I'm afraid that's it for now.  Not enough hours in the day to watch all the anime I need to be caught up, but oh well.  What you gonna do.

Oh, and just a reminder, since tomorrow is election day here in America: GO VOTE!

A Short Update - More to Come Tomorrow

So ... I haven't really posted in a while.  This is not because I've not had time to post, but more due to the face that I haven't had much time to watch new anime.  With my job, a computer failure, and keeping up with old anime, I just haven't had much time till today.  So, I intend to give you the short version tonight, and then watch more and do the long version tomorrow.  So here's the short version:

Casshern Sins: Apparently a remake - still quite interesting.

Toradora!: Catchy opening + 2nd episode = better than I expected for this show.

Hyakko: Less focus on characters and more on goofball situations = not as interesting as expected.

Detective Conan Movie 12: It's another Conan movie, and better than some, but a bit slower than it should've been.  Still a good movie.

Look forward to the long version and more tomorrow!

Fall Anime Revue: Two Schools and an RPG

So ... I don't really intend for this blog to be only about anime.  Really!  I intend to write about a whole RANGE of topics from religion to politics to culture to video games.  However, it's just that time of year, and I do what I must because I can ... or is that someone else ... anyhow, on with the reviews!

Hyakko:

As I first began to watch this one, I was unsure to say the least.  The only thing the opening titles sequence indicated was that it was about four high school girls.  Not usually the sort of thing I'm into, the notable exception being the AMAZINGLY funny Azumanga Daioh.  However, as I continued to watch, I began to feel that Hyakko might make exception number 2.

The premise of the first episode is actually pretty straightforward.  Nonomura Ayumi (voiced by Hirano Aya, voice actress of Suzumiya Haruhi and Lucky Star fame) is living every high-schooler's worst nightmare.  Not only does she not "fit in," but in-between classes she's managed to get lost in the halls of the expansive private school which she is attending.  While trying to find her next class, she encounters and joins up with three other lost souls attempting to locate the classroom for their next class.  Iizuka Tatsuki (the tall, proper and bossy member of the group), Kageyama Torako (the one who, literally, leaps before she looks), and Saotome Suzume (the quiet and intelligent one) join up with Ayumi to find their next class at all costs!

This may not sound promising, but let me assure you, this one has promise.  It features the sort of every-day situations with not-everyday people humor also found in Azumanga.  And already in the first episode, the chemistry (no, not romantic, but comedic) between the characters is spot on.  The traits of each compliment those of the others, making for an interesting group of misfits.  The animation style is refreshing as well, departing from the clean and uber-shiny animation you see in most anime these days to a style which seems at the same time older and stylized.  It's not really like the animation of Revolutionary Girl Utena, but that's the style which is coming to mind.  In any case, it's different, and in a good way.

Thematically, it looks as if the show is shaping up to be a slice-of-life comedy which still will explore some actual issues of identity, group-dynamics, and fitting in.  Obviously I don't expect it to be an essay on the topic, but already in the first episode, such themes have been engaged, and I will be interested to see how they play out.  In many ways, this show gives off the feelings of the live action film "Linda Linda Linda."  Finally, I have to mention the music, and particularly the ending, sung, of course, by Hirano Aya.  I'm a big fan of Hirano Aya's musical outings, and the ending sequence does not disappoint.

Bottom Line: Is it Azumanga reborn?  I don't know about that.  But it IS mighty funny while still reserving the ability to (lightly) engage real Japanese social issues.

Episode Watched: HYAKKO Episode 1, Subbed by Himatsubushi

Kyou no Go no Ni:

Kyou no Go no Ni, or in English, Today's Fifth-grade Class 2, is another interesting slice-of-life school anime.  Of course, not many school anime deal with fifth graders.  Whether it's an awkward study session with a classmate or a powerball contest gone awry or forming a broom guitar band with your classmates, this show will remind you of that special time when life was fun, girls weren't gross anymore, and goofing off was a way of life.

I've not got much to say about this one.  The animation's straightforward.  The topic is fun.  The writing is entertaining.  Really, this is a nostalgic look back at being a kid, before you encountered "teen angst."  It's just a fun show.

From a cultural perspective, this show obviously offers a bit of insight (albeit stylized and humorized) into what being a kid in Japan is like.  Once again, the things put in the show which Japanese people take for granted prove to be the most insightful for a student of Japanese culture.  For this reason, I'll be watching this one.

Bottom Line: It's fun to be a kid.  It's entertaining to remember what it was like.  This show helps you do just that.

Episode Watched: Kyou no Go no Ni Episode 1, Subbed by Chihiro

Tales of the Abyss:

If you didn't guess from the name, this one's based on an video game.  An RPG to be precise.  And if you didn't guess it from the name, you'll sure figure it out by the end of the first episode.  It's got all the hallmarks of the "tutorial section" of your typical RPG.  You wake up as the main character, who happens to be sheltered royalty with a boring royal life and who isn't allowed outside the palace.  You meet your friends, your family, and it's all okay if you don't know them.  After all, you DID loose all memories of your childhood in a traumatic incident several years ago.  You begin to spar with your sword trainer, learning the battle system, when something goes wrong.  An enemy attacks, you jump in, and suddenly some sort of hidden power within you hurls you and your attacker far, far away from the palace.  Now in the wilderness, you are beset with wild magical beasts (read "random battles") which you must fight to get back the life you just lost.

Yeah ... without the battle system and the interaction, it doesn't really do it for me, either.  It doesn't help, I suppose, that I never played the PS2 RPG, but I'm not really interested in this one.  Looking right now like it's going to feature the overused, "crap, the world's going to blow  up unless we set out on a 40-50 hour quest all over the world" storyline, but who knows?  I may catch a few more episodes, but really, this one is not interesting me at all.

Bottom Line: It's an RPG made into an anime.  If you want to play an RPG without interaction, get Xenosaga.  If you're too cheap to buy it, watch this.

Episode Watched: Tales of the Abyss Episode 1, Subbed by Osu!

That's it for this installment.  Hopefully I'll get in a post that's NOT about anime before I do the next set of reviews.

Fall Anime Revue: Casshern Sins, Kannagi, Akane-iro ni Somaru Saka

A few new anime came out over the weekend.  Here's my roundup review.

Casshern Sins:

Robotic existentialism.  Well... sort of.  Titular Casshern is a man in a suit who killed Luna.  For some inexplicable reason, this sin has brought about the decay and ruin of the entire world.  Fortunately not our world (at least, not in the first episode), but a world of robots.  It's unclear whether Casshern is a robot or a human or some sort of cyborg, but what is clear is that he will kill anyone who comes after him ... even though he has no memory of his identity.

This looks interesting.  Casshern's outfit and his fighting giant robots SEEMS like it would be right out of some sort of classic superhero children's anime, but the themes present in the anime are far from being for kids.  Instead the tone is much darker.  The world is going to ruin, and nothing can stop it.  And it seems to be be Casshern's fault.  How is he going to deal with questions of identity and purpose when everyone believes him to be the cause of the end of the world?  Thematically, I think this has real potential.  It helps, too, that the animation style is both clean and classic at the same time.  The character design is like something from the era of G Gundam or even Gachaman, but done with modern and clean drawing styles.  The backgrounds and music fit the theme, and both contribute to a sort of otherworldly feel.

Bottom Line: Already in the first episode, we've got issues of identity and humanity.  Watch this one.  It has potential.

Episode Watched: Casshern Sins Episode 1, Subbed by Shinsen-Subs

Kannagi:

And now for something completely different.  I have to say the opening for this one prepped me for a show about an up-and-coming idol.  The actual episode ... nothing like the opening.  Mikuriya Jin is spiritually sensitive (if I had a nickel ...).  As a kid, he saw a mysterious woman while playing near a sacred tree.  Now he's in high school, and for his art project he carved an image of the woman he saw.  But then the image comes to life.  Turns out the sacred tree had been cut down, and the god who was inhabiting it now has entered into Jin's woodcarving - a woodcarving made from the sacred tree.  Crazy, huh?  Anyhow, the land god Nagi now inhabits the body of a high-school-aged attractive girl who must live with Jin so that he can help her to stop the "impurities" that are now cropping up without the tree's protection.  A lot to swallow?  Yeah, just a bit.

It's the usual setup.  Guy living on his own suddenly has some strange girl appear, and for whatever reason, they have to live together.  Pretty standard stuff (if only in real life, right?).  That said, the first episode has been tastefully done.  No panty shots or boob-grabbing.  In fact, when there was an opportunity to show Nagi's pantsu in an action shot, a leaf was subtly but strategically placed.  That's a good start, right?  In a way, it reminds me of a sort of attempt at a shinto Ah My Goddess! ... sort of.  Based on the opening, I suspect that's not where this is going, but here's to hoping.  That said, I do hope that they keep these sort of shinto themes going.  It'd be interesting in a sort of Spice and Wolf way if they keep weaving in those sorts of elements.  Being a student of theology, I find those sorts of things, even in a show like this, terribly interesting.  Maybe I'll do a post some time about the value in watching anime for religious insight.

Bottom Line: Maybe it's going somewhere new, and maybe it's rehashing old cliches.  I'll be keeping track on this for at least a few weeks out of interest in how they handle shinto beliefs.  I'll have a more definite verdict for you then.

Episode Watched: Kannagi Episode 1, Subbed by Ayako

Akane-iro ni Somaru Saka:

To be honest, I didn't even want to dignify this with a post.  Every season, there's one or two shows where you just know that someone sat down and said, "What moe cliches can we chuck together to make a show that lonely guys will watch?"  This one's got quite a few.  The maid-like and polite younger sister, the mysterious rich transfer student, the tomboy girl, the stuck-up daughter of a prominent family, and if the opening's to be believed, an actual maid and a big-breasted secret agent who wears a rubber bodysuit unzipped down past her navel.  Yeah, a lot of thought went into this one.  (<-- Sarcasm )  The story's just about as uninspired.  Girl harassed by jerks.  Guy saves girl.  Girl transfers into his school the next day.  Everyone thinks they're going out.  And by the end of the series, you know they will be.  And if they don't go to an onsen sometime before the last episode, then I give up.  (Not that I'll actually watch to find out, but still ...)

The only reason I felt it reasonably necessary to post on this one was the fact that the guy plays an Xbox 360.  Now this is very strange.  I mean, he lives in Japan.  They don't DO Xbox.  Nintendo and Sony they love, but Microsoft's Xbox ... not so much.  So you can imagine my shock and surprise when I saw him playing with a 360, power brick of doom and all.  Just weird is all.

Bottom Line: Skip it.  If you've seen one cliche moe show, you've seen them all.  And this one didn't even have any fanservice in the first episode.  Spend your valuable time elsewhere.

Episode Watched: Akane-iro ni Somaru Saka Episode 1, Subbed by Eclipse

Well, that's it for this time.  As more shows come out, I'll let you know what I think.  Later.

Fall Anime Season Begins! - ToraDora!

So one of the things I intended to do from the start on this blog is talk about anime.  Specifically how it relates to religion and culture ... but not strictly.  Anyhow, the fall anime season is beginning, and so I bring you my initial reactions to the first show subbed and watched: とらドラ! (ToraDora!, for all you non-Japanese-reading types).

Beware.  First episode spoilers follow:

The show so far seems to be a school-based love comedy.  The main character Takasu Ryuuji is a guy with a mean-looking face.  No, really.  He's a normal guy which everyone just thinks is a delinquent because he looks mean.  Of course, he's in love with some pink-haired girl with like 3 lines in the episode.  Whatever.  Enter the Palmtop Tiger.  No, not the latest in Apple handheld technology, but the fiesty, violent, and short Aisaka Taiga (hence the nickname ... sound it out ... yeah, there ya go!).  They get off to a bad start, but things are made worse when a seating mixup has Aisaka putting a love letter in the wrong bookbag - you guessed it, Takasu's.  Long story short, the two end up revealing the identities of their secret loves, and then more or less blackmailing each other into helping to make their feelings known to the one they like.

**END SPOILERS**

It's certainly an interesting start, but so far nothing truly out of the ordinary in this one.  Quirky guy ends up meeting quirky girl, and by their combined quirkiness, chaos and comedy ensue.  There's certainly promise here, but there's also the potential for goofy-school-love-comedy mediocrity as well.  Already overused cliche's have made their appearances: Takasu lives with his scantily-clad-knockout mom who sleeps late and drinks a lot.  His housekeeping skills are also an element which is pretty commonplace.  Don't get me wrong.  There's still potential here for some good (and entertaining) character development/interaction.  However, this show is going to have to do something special in the next few episodes to keep me interested.  That being said, I'll go ahead and keep my eye on this one for the next few weeks, and let you know what the final verdict is.

Bottom Line: Has potential for either hilarity or mediocrity.  Which course it will take, only time will tell.

Episode Watched: ToraDora! Episode 1, Subbed by gg

Happiness is...

My mom had a Peanuts book called, I think, "Happiness is..."  Each page featured a Peanuts character and something which equated to happiness for them.  For example, under Linus was a caption that read something like, "Happiness is a warm security blanket."  I believe the goal was to crack jokes in that dry-humor-kids-acting-like-adults-but-not-like-south-park manner that Peanuts has while giving the reader a warm, fuzzy feeling inside.

I had an entry to add to that book today.

Happiness is ... a new episode of ピタゴラスイッチ (Pitagora Suicchi/Pythagoras Switch) after a long day.

Yes, Pitagora Switch.  The Japanese Sesame Street-type show to help kids learn, think, and read.  It's an amazing show, really.  All the Japanese is pretty basic, so even I, having had no formal Japanese language classes, can understand a lot of it.  The show begins usually with a short vignette featuring two penguin children, a large old-man talking book, a mouse in a small car, and a dog that's actually a television.  (If you're not interested by THAT sentence, I don't know WHAT it'll take.)  The kids have a problem, the book explains a bit, the mouse helps out, and then the TV dog comes in to show a video clip which helps drive the point home.  But this segment doesn't just teach kids the alphabet or to eat their veggies.  No, it often teaches them critical thinking skills.  For instance, the topic in the episode I watched today was how to figure things out about unseen things.  I mean, whoah!  The penguins had a hole in their beach ball, so the book showed them how to find the hole using a bucket of water, since they couldn't actually SEE the hole.  Then the video showed other examples of how things can be deduced about objects even when you can't see any evidence.  I mean!  This is a KID'S show!  For like preschoolers!  Amazing!

Next up today was "Otousan Suicchi" or "Father Switch" where a kid makes a remote control for their father out of a shoebox and a straw, puts 5 buttons on it, and puts a hiragana character on each of those buttons.  When they press the button, the father has to act out a word that starts with that character.  For a language that has an "alphabet" of 40-some characters (arranged in rows of 5, btw), this is BRILLIANT.  And it's something the viewers can do themselves and play with THEIR dads!  Also brilliant.

Then they usually have a fun animation-style segment.  This week was "Juppon Anime" or, roughly translated, "10-stick Cartoon."  These are simple little animations which, I think, are just fun.  One could probably argue that these segments teach some sort of spacial/shape recognition (the sticks combine to form other things, and similar things happen with the other segments here), but I think a large part of it is just a fun, cute animation section.

The last part again is amazing!  It's either the "Algorithm March" or the "Algorithm Exercise."  Either way, it's actually exercises that are meant to get kids watching this show in front of their televisions to get up and move around!  You don't see Sesame Street do THAT.

But perhaps the best part from purely an entertainment perspective are the Rune Goldberg devices that go between the sketches.  These devices (called "Pythagoras Switches" in Japan - hence the name of the show) are elaborate, intricate, and brilliantly executed.  If you've never seen these in action, it is a sight to behold.  And none of it is computer-generated.  Someone actually took the time to set it up in real life - and that's just darn impressive.

All in all, the show runs about 15 mins without commercials, and is just fantastic for a Japanese preschooler or the beginner student of Japanese who wants to do a bit of listening practice and have good, clean fun while doing so.

"I Feel Like I Want to Blog..."

Ah, the blog.  An interesting medium for anyone who wishes to post their thoughts and feelings in the one place where no one will come to read them, the blog these days is the very paradigm of hiding a leaf in a forest.  Nevertheless, I will attempt to make this an interesting talking leaf.  Look forward to comments on religion, culture, language, and whatever other parts of life I feel like sharing.  Because one day, I might actually have a reader.  And for that day, I shall prepare the veritable banquet of current thought and insight.  Be prepared, O Reader.  This is going to be fun.