Monday 30 September 2013

Budapest (day 2)

I had enjoyed Budapest so far and so I considered lengthening my stay from 2 days, and luckily I could do that when the owner came in the morning to ready a room for someone else. As I thought that this could be my only full day in Budapest, I did try to be out and about quite early - but not quite as early as I'd wanted. It was still early enough to need breakfast though... 
As I was not staying in a hotel, I was supposedly a little self-sufficient and so went to a local bakery for an espresso and some form of pastry. Although not too bad, I did not leave wondering why Hungarians did not have a reputation for pastries.

Buda Castle Complex
I then took the no.6 tram across the river as I wanted to go to the palace - which I was told is the longest urban tram line in the world[1]. I do love trams and I don't think I can think of a city that I have not considered pleasant that had a tram system - it seems to be a civilising force. Even in Croydon [link].
Anyway, not being one to go directly to places, I took the tram along the eastern bank of the Danube for a sightseeing trip and then walked back from the terminal at Batthyány tér M+H to the astonishing Buda Castle complex which is now home to a few museums. Buda Castle is quite high up and so there are two ways to get there from the banks and the tram line. One, is to simply walk up but the other is to take a funicular tram up the hill - the 95m Castle Hill Funicular which is the oldest, still-running, funicular in the world. It seems public transport was pioneering in Budapest... I would not normally pass up on the chance to ride a piece of history like this but the queue was pretty long and when you are on your own, queuing is even more boring than when you are with people, so I bailed out and walked up instead. There was quite a lot of building work going on around the site and it was quite strange to see the heritage stuff being put up and the cobblestones being placed - it felt a little behind the curtain actually.
The walk up to the castle area was very much worth it with an interesting path and excellent views from the garden it comes to. That garden then leads to the museums and I went, initially, to the Budapest History Museum which was in three parts. A fairly dry section on the history of Budapest, a floor underneath which was the actual castle and quite evocative and then a floor telling the story of 1000 years of Budapest which was a little better with more text and a much more modern feel. It was well done and interestingly put together in a fantastic building. It was also free, and not because I had prepaid through my Budapest Card - it was free because of World Tourism Day[2]. I was a little worried that this would make the museums very busy but they were nothing like as busy as museums [link] in London so it was pretty comfortable to get around. The museum exhibits, here and in other museums were bilingual and so I was able to read most of the bits - and I can only assume they were accurate.
Leaving the museum into the castle district meant I had a great view down and there are quite a few interesting places there, other than the museum within the grounds. The Fisherman's Bastion and the Matthias Church are particular highlights with amazing views and being very impressive buildings in their own right. I spent a fair bit of time up here although there were quite a lot of roadworks up there with a relaying ofthe cobbled flooring being made. Again, it is interesting to see heritage being built.

Up the hill
As I had not ridden the funicular, I did still want a hill climb of sorts and thought that the Cog train would be a good substitute with supposedly good panoramic views. They were not particularly and it was not really worth the effort as there was not that much up there. It was interesting to see some of the suburbs though, but it was not as good as I was expecting and did not have the views of the city from where I was.
What I did find quite interesting was the junction at Moscow Ter that I walked past to get to the cog train at Varosmajor which was very old fashioned and looked really "socialist". It was quite a large tram interchange with metro station with a functionalist style and was quite different from the grandeur that I had seen in the rest of the city. I, personally, quite liked it but it clearly needed a little maintenance spend. They did also have the roundel[3] on a shop, but I would guess they have not paid royalties - and anyone that has been to the LT museum [link] shop will know that they value their IP very highly.

Sights to see
There were still a few places in Budapest that I wanted to go to and one of those (which I had been told about before by someone that had been to Budapest the week previously) was the "Terror House"[link]. This was a museum that was actually inside the old HQ for the secret police stationed here throughout much of the communist era. Appropriately enough, the museum is about the way that the secret police used terror, or terrorism, in order to police the state and also to try to extract information. It sounded very interesting and I had not planned it the day before as it was not on the (almost entirely pointless) Budapest card. As it is on Andrassy Road, I thought it would be simple enough to walk there from Oktogan but I was a little worried about missing it - an unfounded fear. The boldness of the "Terror" sign was brilliant as the building was framed with the sign. It was a bit late when I got there though and so it would only have given me 30 mins to go in - and the ticket office advised against as it was normally a 90 minute visit. Thwarted[4] again.
This was a little annoying, and I was a bit thirsty so I found my way to a relatively famous coffee shop. The original metro line terminated, in the city, in Vorosmarty Ter. and that station was just outside a coffee shop called Gerbeaud [link]  which was actually there when the line started. I had a drink there, which was very pleasant (actually, the coffee in Budapest was generally pretty good) but was quite surprised at the low, and almost constant rumble of the trains underneath. I guess the tracks are only just under the surface but it was definitely felt regularly throughout. They must have been very annoyed when the city first opened the metro. 
By the time I left, it was dusk and so a time I really like, visually, in cities to walk around. It was absolutely brilliant to see the sights lit up as they were and the bridges looked superb. I actually walked out of the shopping district at Vaci U near Elizabeth Bridge and was struck by the castle. I then walked across the bridge there to get photos and along to cross the Chain Bridge. I actually had not crossed it yet and it was pretty majestic. It is the oldest of Budapest's bridges across the Danube and the most impressive of them, in my opinion. I got a little snap-happy and so walked across quite leisurely and the little loop probably took me about 2 hours. I think I was quite lucky with the weather and the light so I really enjoyed the walk and I actually walked back to bed too, with a little detour for food at a Jewish restaurant. A lot of walking makes me feel quite connected and I felt quite an affinity for the city.
Budapest 2013 day 2 - click here for photo album

1. I am not sure this is true and can find no proof but I have read that it is the busiest route in the world for a traditional tram system - many others have been upgraded to rail standards.
2. This was making my Budapest Card almost entirely worthless - I had only used the travel portion of it to gain any benefit at all.
3. This is the name given to the London Underground logo.
4. But obviously only by myself, again. 

Sunday 29 September 2013

Budapest (day 1)

This is related to a trip to Central Europe as thought of here.


How to get there
I am not the biggest of flying fans, at the best of times and 820 am is not the best of times. Luton, conveniently, is on Thameslink as is a local station of mine and so it was a fairly easy, if early, connection to Luton. Not Luton Airport, of course, but Luton Airport Parkway which connects via a bus to the airport itself.
This, apparently, wilful desire to make things difficult runs through the whole airport experience which is horrible and a real departure from the treatment in the last few airports I've been to. I think this is one of the worst aspects of (possibly only low cost British) air travel as it often just feels as if the whole thing is deigned to be terrible to extract a little more money from you (incidentally, my return ticket is booked to Heathrow and I never thought I would be pleased to be going there) by getting you to upgrade wherever possible. In the one and a half hours at the airport, I stood up and queued for the vast majority and it leaves a sour taste in the mouth - though judging by the numbers of people there, it is a taste we will put up with to save a few pounds[1].
The flight itself, on the Hungarian Wizz Air, was not too bad - full and sleepy.
Landing at Budapest was fairly smooth and I needed to walk along the tarmac to get to the terminal (through a caged walkway) which always feels a little more exciting than it should. Getting "landside" was quick although passport control did ask me to remove my glasses which I have not done since I was aged 5 for security [2]. And then the question of what next with no plans or idea...
The tourist information desk was apparently helpful and they provided me with a map and sold me a "Budapest Card" [link] which was valid for a few attractions and public transport for the next day - which seemed fair enough for a weekend trip. And I then made my way to the public transport which was, surprisingly, a bus to the nearest metro station - not hugely efficient and a bit like Luton... I expected more as I knew Budapest has the second oldest underground metro system in Europe (or the first in continental Europe as the PR would put).

Finding things to do
I was due to be at my accommodation at 2pm and it was my first time staying in this type of accommodation - essentially a flat in Budapest - and so the owners had to meet me. It was a lot less flexible than a hotel and so I'm not sure it was a good idea (for my circumstances) although the place was OK when I was there. There was also a tour at 2pm around Pest which I wanted to join so I called the hostel [Mandy] to delay my arrival - and then instead moved it forward on her request. Although her explanations and friendliness were appreciated (along with her young son) when I got there, I did want to get a move on to the tour - which I promptly missed.
I guess those are the perils of trying to fit stuff in unless you have a very good itinerary but I had a quick walk around the area (Deak Fr.) and found another tour being run for free and thought of joining it later when I was not on Budapest Card time.
And so, again, what to do next?

Heroes Square
My decision was to make my way to the Fine Arts Museum [link] which is near the Heroes Square which needed travel on the Millennium line (I won't lie, it was a factor), which is only beaten by the "Circle Line"[3] for age in Europe which was pretty interesting. As the line has been left almost untouched, I found it a real throwback to my imagination of the age unlike, for example the endless forward progress of the Underground. Each station has a separate entrance/exit for the two directions and no underground passage between them. As the line is essentially along one street (Andrassy), you get out and cross the road to go to the other platform. Each station is barely underground at all and it feels like you are only one storey down so it is quite close to being an underground tram rather than train. The carriages are quite small, and short and the whole experience is rather twee actually. Inside the carriages, there is not a huge amount of space and the look of old, but not quite "heritage". I enjoyed it and the details, even down to the very short door open times and the grating doors closing klaxon and red light. The doors actually even start opening when the train is still in motion.
As the stations are close together, and the trains quite short and small, the frequency is quite high at every two minutes and, as i understand it, this was the case even when it started. It is actually a very simple system with it being an almost entirely straight line from Heroes Square to the centre of Pest.
Although I went for the Museum of Fine Arts, I always think it is worth a little wander and so I did around the park a little before making my way to the Museum which faces onto the spectacular Heroes Square. The vast square reminded me a little of Tienanmen although it is not that similar. There are some lovely statues of various heroes on one side and the open space is strangely alluring. I honestly have no idea why but it is very inviting.
I found the Museum itself only moderately interesting but I was told, upon showing my card, that it was free to get in anyway that weekend. As were a lot of the major exhibitions that were part of the Budapest card. I think the tourist office should have told me that and I felt a little tricked. Apparently helpful, as I said.
The rest of the park was superb, with a lot of interesting walks and views in amongst the amazing architecture. It was also quite busy as there was some type of event in part of the park - which I guess links it back to its inception (though not the event itself).

Bathing and Relaxation
The Budapest Card was not of much use thus far (other than the travel) but it did include entrance to a spa - St Lukacs Medicinal Baths and Swimming Pool -  something that was very appealing. Budapest is, supposedly, known as a city of spas but nobody had told me, and so I can only assume that it either was, or it just isn't. I came to really enjoy spas ("onsens" and "sentos") while I was in Japan and they are remarkably lovely there, and so I was looking forward to it. Unfortunately, when I got there, I realised that I did not have the appropriate clothing - and this was not a concept I was familiar with. Onsens are designed for bathing, and bathing is done without clothing. I had checked what the situation was in Budapest, or thought I had, and read a few comments, from mainly American women, about how they really do bathe naked. The changing room was not quite as I expected and so I left - what a waste. Maybe at other baths, it would have been OK.
And so, again, what to do next?
Between Buda and Pest, there is a river and also a bit of land called Margaret Island which acts as a relaxation space for locals - and this is connected via two bridges to the main city. There is not bout a great deal there but it is a green space in a city with precious little green space and so is popular. There were plenty of couples (well, I assume they were...) and groups of people lolling about, lazily enjoying the sun and the fountains.

Photos of day 1 are here:
Budapest 2013 day 1 - click for photo album




1. And it is so often a false economy, had I gone with a flight from a decent airport, although the flight would possibly be more expensive, travel to and from the airport would be a lot cheaper, I would not need to stock up on snacks and drinks at airport prices and I would get an actual service.
2. Out of choice in Moscow as a precocious child. My mother asked me what I was doing and I apparently responded that I obviously didn't have glasses in my baby photo so it was better.
3. Well, section of line from Paddington to Farringdon, as it is presently the 150th anniversary of the tube in London, I have been steeping myself in that history including a steam train run along that original path.



Friday 20 September 2013

Middle East of Europe, plans to be made

As far as I can remember, everything I have posted has been recounting things that have happened and so it is a bit of a departure to talk of prospective plans, and there is a reason for it. Experiments, if my time at school was right, should have a hypothesis and method, followed by results and evaluation. I thought it might be nice to compare my plans and preconceptions to the reality.

I have some holiday to take before the end of the year and it seems right to take it about now.
This is probably the final section of my Beacons Of Democracy 2013 tour and I am hoping to be able to crowbar in some references to it.

The initially planned route is
flight to BUDAPEST [3 days]
train to VIENNA [2 days]
train to PRAGUE [2 days]
train to AMSTERDAM [1 day]

I am not well travelled and, if truth be told, I have been a bit wary of Eastern European travel as I'm not sure of the general view on racism. Am I being ironically prejudiced?
I'm not even sure any more.

All three cities have positive reputations so I am looking forward to it but solo travel has its pitfalls (though these are the same ones as ever - I've not got some new ones). I'm glad I have a camera to act as a crutch - I shall cradle it, metaphorically, as so many fondle their phones.

If we were playing a version of Mallet's Mallet (old children's TV programme, especially beloved of TEFL teachers of a certain age) with memories and cities, this is how it would go:
I know Budapest firstly as the second city to have an underground (mass transit) system. I was recently told that this was really  built to transport the nobility - how things change. I recently spoke to a Hungarian friend of mine and he was very positive about Budapest. Amazingly, he had actually seen the return leg of the famous Hungarian 3-6 thrashing of England in 1953 - the Mighty Magyars -  which was an even more emphatic 7-1 in 1954. I was impressed, and he was impressed I'd heard of it - yet another example of football knowledge ingratiating me into foreign worlds. 
I don't know so much about Vienna but I do remember one of my students being very excited many years ago about her first trip abroad with her classical music playing daughter, an infectious excitement.
Prague initially reminds me of Praha 2000, the first battlegrounds in the incorrectly named anti-capitalist movement that I actually remember. It then makes me think of the mythical place described by friends in secondary school as the place where beer was 15p a pint. It probably wasn't accurate, but the stories remain in my head.

I have been to Amsterdam before but I am travelling through as I would like to get the train back from Prague and I can do so via Amsterdam before using the Dutchflyer. Maybe I could go to another place in the Netherlands?

If anyone would like to provide some tips and guidance for the cities mentioned above, I would love to know - pop them in the comments below or any other method you know to get hold of me. I am still pretty flexible on locations and timings after all.

Monday 16 September 2013

Brunel Museum

London is rather blessed with museums, as of course are many other major cities, in terms of both quality and quantity. As most of the major museums in London are very cheap to get into, the more minor museums that, elsewhere, would get a little more traffic, don't. Apart from being smaller, they often charge to get in too, so there is a certain type of person that would go to them.

The Brunel Museum (£3 entry for adults) is based very near the Thames Tunnel and closest to Rotherhithe on the London Overground. The Thames tunnel is still being used very regularly (that overground line which was part of the east London line) but before it was brought back into service (thanks for that), there were some tourist trips down too.
The museum is pretty small and is covered in around 2 rooms. Downstairs, there are a number of pictures and a DVD player (I know it is a DVD player as it is open to the public, and I was actually asked by the staff to press the play button for everyone) showing a video of some of Brunel's achievements in engineering but it felt quite a bizarre video. Luckily, I knew a little about some of the context of Brunel's work but there is very little context provided as to what was being done, why, and the types of social change that were effected by these projects. Some of the video was just pure and simple bridge porn - not a phrase I would even have considered in existence until today.
Once the video was over, a trip upstairs was in order where there were a few small exhibits explaining some tunneling and bridge manufacture. In a move that encapsulates the museum, there was a model of the spectacular Royal Albert Bridge at Saltash, Cornwall underneath another exhibit, almost entirely obstructed. I noticed it later as I had earlier thought it part of the shelving.
Other than these two rooms, there is a garden outside (although it was raining when I went and so not that much fun in the wet) which has some rather cute benches designed to be similar to three famous Brunel bridges. I was unable, due to the timing of the visit, to see the Grand Entrance Hall and so I feel I may have missed an important component of the museum but it is still relatively small. There is also a cafe/gallery/shop which had a smallish selection of very nice items in stock such as prints, old maps and books which could be great for gifts.

As a visit, I am not sure it warrants a special journey for those that are not particular fans as it is a little context free and so to really enjoy it, you do need to know a bit about the Brunels beforehand. I enjoyed it and found the ramshackle style to be just the right side of the line such that it was quaint and endearing rather than terrible - but we all place that line in different positions.

The museum seems to host an interesting set of events [link] such as concerts and walks/talks and so I may return for one of those. Rotherhithe itself is a relatively quiet part of town so there is not a great deal to do there directly near the museum but it is, of course, near lots of other interesting things. On that basis, I'd say the museum is an interesting curio for the more "specialist" tourists amongst us, but maybe not the hidden gem to take other people to that I was hoping for.

Friday 6 September 2013

Monsters Club (2011)/モンスターズクラブ



I watched "Monster's Club" (by Toshiaki Toyoda1) for one reason and that reason was Kubozuka Yousuke2. I didn't really know much about the film before watching it other than the fact he was in it.

At less than 90 minutes, it is a short film (with a short review) and follows, almost without exception, the actions and thoughts of one young man.
Ryoichi is a young man that has decided to leave the rubbish modern life3 behind and lives a life of self-sufficiency whilst sending bombs to senior people that have not abandoned modern life - and presumably shape it into the kind of thing Ryoichi wants to abandon. I would guess that the people that want to abandon society often feel that they themselves have been abandoned first. One of the reasons of his feelings of abandonment may be that most of his family have died - seemingly stemming from the suicide of his older brother, Yuki (which incidentally, can be read as snow). Being alone in the snowy woods in a cabin can do very strange things to the mind...

The film is almost entirely contemplative with the majority of the film taking place within the wood cabin in the form of conversations with dead family (essentially, in his head). It is fairly interesting but you would need to be in the mood for it. The main thing I took from watching it was, however, that Kubozuka Yousuke can still steal any scene he is in and I think it is a real shame that, for seemingly unrelated to film reasons, that he has not made more films than he has, and so few in starring roles.
 I'd watch it if you think you'd like a contemplative film set in the mind of a bomber whose family have committed suicide. And honestly, from that, I think you'd know if you would.

 Trailer here:



1. I have seen one of his films before after rave reviews , called "Blue Spring" [link].
2. He was exceptional in GO [link].
3. Modern Life Is Rubbish [link]

5 Centimeters Per Second (2007)/秒速5センチメートル

There is a school of thought that suggests animation cannot capture the same depth of emotion as live action film and it is inherently a more immature medium. Obviously, I don't believe that myself and there are plenty of stories told outside of "live action"1 that can spread throughout the whole spectrum of maturity.

Having seen the trailer before the film itself, I was grabbed by the art style more than anything else. It looks particularly lush and the use of light is genuinely evocative. You can see the interplay between light and shade in the trailer below but I am a big fan. Some might not enjoy the quick cuts (in places) and fairly abstract meanings of empty rooms and such, but I think it works very well as a whole to create the atmosphere.
"5 Centimeters Per Second" is by Makoto Shinkai2 and is a short film (I always thought that feature films had to be more than 90 minutes long) made up of three episodes in a young man's3 life - from elementary school to young adult. Starting with a segment from early school days, I think it captures that feeling of great importance of those early days. The first episode actually shows a touching journey4 to meet a girl across a few different regions and train lines through the snow and wind. That feeling of longing, and feeling powerless is really well transmitted as he travels and even with the resolution as it is. The second episode, after their separation shows the couple coping in their own ways (as school kids) and the third, the same again (as slightly older adults), with subtle reminiscing of the past. The title comes from a little conversation about the apparent speed of falling snowflakes (i.e. 5cm/s) and is a repeated motif throughout with slight amendment.
The theme cutting through the episodes is definitely a strong feeling of (dangerous) nostalgia with the protagonist not really able to let that memory - a memory that has surely changed as it aged - become just a memory.
To be honest, there is not really a lot to say about it as it is a short, almost textural, film that I really enjoyed - more so the second time when I did not expect such a strong narrative.

Trailer here. I'd watch it if you get the chance.


1. A train of thought that is ingrained but illogical with a bit of thought. This would be worthy of more than a footnote, but not here - there is actually a very funny, and a little messed up, destruction of this thought in Genshiken which is about "2d girls".
2. I actually first saw this at the BFI with a director's talk which was very interesting as he basically worked on his own. A friend of mine also taught him English when he lived in London for a bit.
3. I thought it was from his POV, but that is from my point of view...
4. The journey is from Tokyo to Tochigi so some of it is through Saitama which I knew fairly well.

Monday 2 September 2013

Helter Skelter (2012)/へルタースケルター

[note: this is not a "review" in the critical sense - this is how I would explain the film to someone I know. Do not expect objectivity or a balance between positive and negatives. I can talk negatively about things I really love and disappointment is not equal to disapproval.] 

I always found it quite interesting that, in speech at least, the Japanese word for pretty and clean are homophones (possibly the same word, but I'm no scholar) and so when children are told to clean up, it could also be heard as make it pretty. This could be a misunderstanding on my part, but one of those things I always use to create some form of cultural structure in my head.


Helter Skelter sees the "return" of both Mika Ninagawa, after her 2006 debut film Sakuran, and Erika Sawajiri[1], who has been off the scene since 2007, but I actually watched it slightly in error[2], but only slightly in error. My favourite Japanese actor (presently) is Kubozuka Yousuke although he has not been in so much, I thought he had such presence in "GO" (and also Ping Pong, but the love is from GO) that I have always been on the lookout for other films of his. I misread the name of the director as Miwa Nishikawa (who did Dreams for Sale [review] and Sway [review] which I've recently watched) and so it went a little higher in my "to watch" list. An enjoyable mistake.

It follows the career of Ririko (for some reason, written in English as LiliCo - possibly alluding to the commercial nature of her persona) - a fabulously popular model/talent[3] at the top of her game. As most of us know, when you are at the top, there is usually only one direction to go and as much as we love people at the top, we also love their demise.

The film starts showing Ririko's work life as an endless cycle of shoots, talkshows and "events" and her way of dealing with the stresses of it all. The main theme is actually about the sacrifices that she makes to go to the top and stay there but I would not say it is necessarily a sympathetic portrayal. Not at all.

The start of the film has a real pace to it and you are pulled through the world of fashion, quickly and without real exposition. I'm usually a fan of this kind of dizzying feeling to open films and with the almost hyper-real colours and the dazzling lights from flashbulbs, it brings you in to the world very quickly. Ririko is played by Erika Sawajiri[4] and she is astonishingly attractive, looking the part of a model that all girls are fixated on easily and the director's photographic experience surely helps capture her in such a way and there are some great sequences showing the photo-shoots which are kinetic and fun. She looks very defined (when supposed to) and taut in a way you'd expect of a model throughout the film and I'd be lying if I didn't say that it helps the suspension of disbelief when you can definitely imagine her being so popular - she often looks a piece of art (which she, essentially is). I think some of the advertising (having read some reviews after watching the film) was about her return and the amount of skin, but it is not gratuitous and always seems to have a point. For reasons beyond her control, those looks seem to be deteriorating and so she feels that she is to be overtaken and this has consequences on her mental state leading to paranoia and a descent of sorts - though that in itself is dependant on what you think is higher. This is not the only theme within it, but as she loses power, she seems to wield it more forcefully where she can with some very strange scenes with her manager/assistant. There is a definite feel throughout of the fleeting nature of beauty, power and youth and it being important to use them wisely while you have them as you live with the consequences when you don't have them any longer.
The film's tone changes with time and so there is less dizzying spectacle and more confusing anticipation. As I've said before, I am always a little unsure what will happen in Japanese films as it always feels like everything is on the table and it may become a totally different film with a genre switch. Ririko's eyes, at points, become haunted and she seems lost in her mind and capable of anything.

The film itself will remind many of Black Swan[5] although as the original Helter Skelter manga[6] pre-dates that film by almost a decade, it is not a story that has been copied from it. The themes are, of course, similar but the way the story is told is a little different with some other, external, elements to the descent where Black Swan is very much about the pressures taken on by, and placed on, Nina and so an internal unravelling.
A striking part of the film, and something that seems uncommon, is how female the film is - the main characters are all female and the audience for LiliCo is young and female. The only men are side characters (in the sense of boyfriends or helpers) which makes sense as the original manga was published in a comic aimed at women (note - women, not girls). This is, I feel more an investigation of the fashion/talent industries and the kind of culture that feeds it to be what it is with so much pressure placed on young girls, and young women, to conform but I am not sure that this is the kind of film that gives simple answers to that question - especially with the roles played by LiliCo's fans and her sister within the film.

I really loved the film, it looked fantastic, it sounded bold and confident and dealt with themes that I really like. Worryingly, and this is something I have noticed fairly recently, I really enjoy watching people's lives unravel and the deconstruction of someone's whole being.... Maybe you don't.
Whether you would want to watch it or not on that basis should also be balanced by the fact that it really does look great. It has really well designed shots and very high production values with the outlandish design of Ririko's world captured very well on screen but still being believable within the stage. It is not often I would watch a film that I enjoy throughout actually watching it and it is thought provoking enough for me to consider it afterwards too. I'll probably watch it again in a few days - and for me, praise does not get that much higher[7].

Why do the gods give us youth and beauty...then take them away?
They're not the same.
Youth is beautiful, but beauty isn't youth.
It's more complicated, packed full of other things.
Trailer below:



Note: If you are interested in other similar matters, please use the categories/tags below to see posts within the same grouping.
1. For multiple, interesting reasons - including London!

2. I have to be honest, while watching it, I did think of the film Sakuran, without knowing of the connection, as it has a similar clean look with the static images and screen feeling saturated with colour.

3. A peculiar Japanese phenomenon where models join agencies that push them into many fields, such as acting and singing and they are accepted as being good at all these things even though are often not.
4. I had heard her name but I think she really made her name in a drama called "One Litre Of Tears" which I have seen part of - I would not have placed her in that at all.

5. Which, in itself, has definite similarities with Perfect Blue although that does not stop Black Swan being possibly my favourite film of the last five years.

6. Manga actually means comic but they are used as a much broader medium in Japan and so the "comicbook" story can mean something fundamentally different there.
7. And so this may need an update, if it does, I will do so...(right here). And watching for a second time, it was still astonishing. In addition, I noticed that there were not actually many genuinely static shots as a lot of it is hand held and that there is a lot more sex/skin than I remembered - especially at the beginning.