Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in Kou Aidou's LiveJournal:

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Sunday, July 5th, 2009
12:14 am	Me, in a patriotic mode Awesome! I get to uphold the tradition of watching the musical 1776 on the 4th of July. Thank you, iTunes! It's always nice to remind myself that our country was not founded by noble he-men whom everyone agreed with, but by a bunch of squabbling, self-interested bastards (a few of whom, yes, were really onto something). They faced unknown quantities on many fronts in a way that is simply unthinkable to us today -- a seemingly unwinnable war with their mother country, and even greater still, the task of defining purely through civilized debate the terms of their very own nation. The fact that in the face of all of this that they managed to hammer out a compromise to a unanimous Yea (and one abstention) vote on the question of independence is simply mind-boggling to me. On the anniversary of the founding of our country, in the face so many unknown quantities and a seemingly unending tide of self-interest from all corners, it gives me hope to think that the challenges we face today are not so different than the ones that we faced then. There were unforgivable compromises then, and there will be today as well. But we will all fight and talk and give, and celebrate what small miracles we achieve. Happy Independence Day to all my friends and family back in the States! (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Wednesday, July 1st, 2009
1:22 pm	New Monkey Island Hey all you adventure game nostalgia freaks. Telltale Games is putting out a new Monkey Island series in a week, and you can get some pretty cool stuff by pre-ordering. It's only $34.95 for a 6-chapter adventure game. Give a little support to this awesome company! I know I sound like an advertisement, but come on guys, it's new Monkey Island. That's awesome in itself, but they already gave us more Sam & Max installments. If we support this who knows what other long-lost LucasArts revivals we might get? Dare we dream of... Neo Loom? (10 Comments |Comment on this)
Saturday, June 27th, 2009
9:28 pm	Kabuki Twelfth Night Well I went and saw this today. I'm not really sure how to go about giving an informative review of it, since it's both the first live kabuki performance I've ever seen and the first live Shakespeare I've ever seen. I will say, at the least, that it was 4 straight hours of ear-to-ear smiling. I was skeptical at first of the need to have Viola and Sebastian played by the same actor. The quick-changes were mind-blowing, but with the actor already doing the man-playing-a-woman-playing-a-man thing, it felt like an unnecessary extra gimmick. However, it actually worked extremely well. There was a double to play Viola in the last few scenes where Viola and Sebastian were on stage together, which added an extra meta level to the production: since the audience knows that they're played by the same person and can't appear on stage together, that revelatory moment when they do leaves us, the audience, just as shocked as the rest of the characters. I was only able to count about 30% of the dialogue, since it was in Japanese, and an old form of Japanese that roughly mirrors Shakespeare's middle English (to gozasuru no ja!). However, I still had a great time; the actors' comedic timing was impeccable both in the spoken and physical comedy, such that it was lively and enjoyable, even without the words. I know that "Shakespeare without the words" is pretty much blasphemy, but there it is. Anyway, owowow fuck fuck fuck my feet hurt, gonna go sleep a million hours now. (5 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009
1:32 pm	New Political Party Earlier this week, on my way home from class, I saw campaign posters for a certain political party I've never seen before. The party is called "The Happiness Realization Party." And it's not an Engrishy translation; that's the Japanese name, as well. I don't know if this is a new thing or an established thing or what; like I said, I've never heard of them before now. But seriously, Happiness Realization Party? Does a more Orwellian name for a political party exist? (6 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, June 22nd, 2009
2:08 pm	Oh, hee hee hee! Today I bought my ticket to see the Kabuki-Twelfth Night for Saturday. Sunday is the last night they were showing it, and I got the very last cheap seat ticket on Saturday, so I think that classifies as a "yay". Now I'm trying to decide if I should read Twelfth Night before I go or not. I know of the general shape of the play and what is usually to be expected of a Shakespeare comedy, but I've never actually read or watched an adaptation of it all the way through. Then again, I expect it is meant primarily for people who don't know the play, and maybe it would be better to go in fresh and appreciate it primarily as kabuki? Oh, decisions! I'm excited, though. Anyway, at the moment, I'm currently reading through another previously-neglected medieval work, The Tale of the Heike. I had previously read selections of it in the past for various classes, and always liked the individual stories and the Gempei War itself, but trying to read the actual work from cover to cover can be a little difficult. I'm making good progress this time, though-- about 130 pages in. I think that having finally experienced enough about the costumes, religious rites, politics, and geography of the era helps out a lot. Having seen the Itsukushima shrine and really gotten to experience Kyoto in-depth helps a lot, too. The only trouble is that I find myself occasionally frustrated at Helen McCullough's translation. It's not like a Victorian translation atrocity or anything; she does a lot to preserve the cultural priorities of the original, and the appendix at the back is mostly good. At the same time, though, my understanding of Japanese is enough now that I would really like more information instead of less -- she sometimes "overtranslates", providing English words for things that mean less to me than the Japanese equivalent would (for instance, "hakama" becomes "divided skirt"). Which sucks for me, but I know I'm kind of a special case -- I understand that the way she did it certainly makes it more accessible to more people. At any rate, the Tale of the Heike is awesome. Taira no Kiyomori, you gonna get comeupp'd! (7 Comments |Comment on this)
Saturday, June 20th, 2009
11:32 pm	Words meme (in which I am an unlikable person) Reply to this meme by yelling "Words!" and I will give you five words that remind me of you. Then post them in your LJ and explain what they mean to you. From colley Translations- One of our assignments in 12 grade Spanish class (props if you're out there, Mrs. Creekmore!) was to translate a poem by a Spanish author. I regret now that I do not remember the poem, but that assignment, where I read my translation while reading and understanding the cadence of my original, was the first time that I really felt the gap between the emotion of an author's original words and that which a translation conveys. I can work to understand the technicalities of each language more and more deeply to make my translations more effective and more accurate but at the same time I know that there can be no ultimate "ideal" translation of anything. This combination of art and science to be found in the field is extremely appealing to me. Dendoh- The first mecha show I ever loved, it introduced me to my favorite character designer, Hisayuki Hirokazu (who proved himself so good at drawing unique female designs that they now won't let him do anything else). Dendoh has left a lot of legacies in my life but the inspiration of Hisayuki's art, the importance of functionality and expression over filling up the screen with distracting pretty shit that makes for good stills, is without a doubt the most powerful one. (Which is not to say there's anything wrong with pretty -- Dendoh has plenty of lovely and awesome still-shots -- but if you make that your priority such that basic expression of emotions doesn't happen, you have a Problem.) Art- I started drawing "seriously" late in high school. Ten years of attempted self-teaching in a limited mode has given me the utmost respect for people who actually attend art school to become well-rounded artists before picking a focus. Art is, to me, just another form of translation, and I approach both in the same way. Japan- Japan is a great country, done a great disservice by pop culture reductionism. Western portrayals of it as Mystical Land Of Ancient Samurai piss me off as much as portrayals of it as Wacky Land Of Torture Game Shows And Sex Perverts. And yes, that includes portrayals that try to juxtapose one with the other in a hilarious attempt to point out OH THE CONTRADICTIONS OF THIS NONSENSICAL SOCIETY. Spending a year here has made me more deeply aware of a lot of my assumptions about culture and you can expect me to be even angrier about it in the future. (You're welcome! :P) Comics- For being someone who draws them, I'm not actually all that into reading comics. I'm realizing lately as I start reading their work again, the degree to which Carl Barks and Don Rosa's Donald Duck comics influenced my ideas of what comics should look like, to the point where I find the chaotic layouts of most modern superhero comics and manga to be kind of headache-inducing, even when the art is otherwise good (and, uh, too often, it's not). (8 Comments |Comment on this)
10:44 pm	Something I want to see Today I stopped in Ginza to pick up some cash, and saw a poster for a kabuki adaptation of Twelfth Night. I would be hard-pressed to imagine something more awesome than this. I would really like to go and see it, but I don't know a whole lot about going to see Kabuki in a real theater. Anyone with experience? Tips? (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, June 11th, 2009
1:53 pm	Fun day (sunday) The other day I went on a "culture day" organized by the people who run Sakura House. It was a tea ceremony/koto recital in a traditional old house, and we got to play dress-up in yukata. Sakura House just put up a load of pictures of the day. You should recognize me; I'm the one in the light blue yukata with the canary yellow obi. (And yes, it was a touristy thing, but I work very hard and think I have a right to be a tourist once in a while.) Obviously the tea ceremony and koto parts were fun, and I love any opportunity I have to get more acquainted with Japanese architecture. The most hilarious part of the day, though, was that on our way back to the shrine to get changed back into street clothes, there was a Japanese photography club who had brought their cameras to take pictures. I suppose a bunch of gaijin in traditional Japanese dress was considered "the motherload" for a middle school photo club, so they accosted us for more pictures. At any rate, I was feeling very good on the way home, and decided to get off at Tateishi to get some awesome stuff at the bakery. On the walk home I saw a pet store with newborn puppies in the window and decided to take a picture. That is the origin of the aforeposted Prison Puppy, forlornest of canines. Yes, I was feeling silly. Good days do that to me. (8 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, June 10th, 2009
2:00 am	What the fuck So I'm trying to buy my tickets home for September -- but for some reason, all the one-way tickets from Narita to DC are in the $2000-$3000 range. Which, you know, seems like it might be reasonable for a first-class ticket except that this is economy and the round-trip tickets are half that price. Seriously, what the fucking fuck? I've tried Travelocity, Cheaptickets, and ANA's own website and they all yield the same results. (11 Comments |Comment on this)
Sunday, June 7th, 2009
5:18 pm	Prison Puppy (Comment on this)
Saturday, June 6th, 2009
4:22 pm	if nice guys finish last, then who would win a nice guy contest? Finally, a real use for Twitter. (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Sunday, May 31st, 2009
3:06 pm	No, it's not an Onion article. It's real news. Arnold Schwartzenegger unveils California super-laser Is it just me or does his speech really sound like the kind of thing you say five minutes before the tragic accident that turns you into a super villain? (7 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, May 21st, 2009
7:15 pm	The cutest thing Today on the way back from the station, I saw the cutest thing I have ever seen. Bobtail. Kittens. Yes, someone's neighborhood cat just had a batch of kittens, and they were all out for an evening romp. They are Japanese Bobtails. Hence, bobtail kittens. Lanky little kittens with tiny tufts of fur where their coney little tails should be. Cutest. Thing. Ever. I accidentally scared them while I was walking by, and their mom jumped into the bushes. The street was very busy that night, so I hope none of them run into traffic or anything. I want to see them again! (4 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, May 7th, 2009
1:34 am	Maine, now?! The Maine Legislature has passed a bill to allow gay marriage. Not enough votes to override a veto, but the governor is currently undecided. Come on, Baldacci, do not be a dick. EDIT: And he signed it! Congratulations, Baldacci! You are not a dick! That makes five... (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Saturday, April 25th, 2009
5:24 pm	Tips for Kyoto Okay, yes, I will eventually write about my actual trip -- probably once I get the pictures transferred off my camera. For now, I want to share a few of my thoughts, in general, about traveling in Kyoto, for those who are thinking about visiting the city or Japan in general. As I mentioned in my last post, it was a lot of fun. My previous experience in Kyoto -- which I think amounted to about a single day's worth of sightseeing in the freezing cold while lugging along an obnoxious traveling partner (not you, Sang, I mean Paul!) -- had left me pretty soured on the place, but despite a few bumps, I had a pretty great time this time. The big thing I've learned about Kyoto is, you really need to go when the weather is nice, and you have to be flexible about what you see and do there. First and foremost, Kyoto is a walking city. It's small and scenic and very friendly to just walking around and taking in whatever you happen across. Obviously, there are big, important landmarks to take in -- the Ryoanji and Nijo Castle and the Fushimi Shrine, etc. -- but if you only take in the "highlights", you'll get a very superficial, very "touristy" view of the city. Instead, the big landmarks should be viewed merely as nexi for the real heart of Kyoto: the smaller shrines, the gardens, the houses, the parks, the locally-owned shops, the tiny cultural museums. Keep in mind that Kyoto was not only the capital of Japan for a little over 1000 years; unlike almost every other major city in Japan, it was also largely spared bombing in WWII, which means that practically everything you see there has at least some historical value. That said, Kyoto is a very good city to go to if you're touristing to Japan in general. I would actually recommend it over Tokyo for a first trip to Japan. One factor is, of course, the concentration and accessibility of the sites worth seeing; another is the city's overall friendliness to foreign tourists. Whereas Tokyo is a continually expanding metropolis and major residential and commercial center, Kyoto (being situated in a valley and all) has become the sort of city that gets most of its capital from tourism, domestic and foreign. As a result, most everyone you will meet there will speak fairly decent English, and all major tourist spots (even some of the minor ones) will have signs and pamphlets in English (and sometimes even Korean and Chinese). If you go, though, take my advice: go when it's warm. Stow the iPod away for a day. Grab a map and a bus pass, do a lot of wandering, and if you see somewhere that looks intriguing, go right on inside. I guarantee you'll have an amazing time. (4 Comments |Comment on this)
Friday, April 24th, 2009
7:31 pm	American Lion I just got back from Kyoto today, and had a very fun time. I'll post a bit about it later, with pictures. But first I wanted to give a recc out for Jon Meachem's biography of Andrew Jackson, American Lion, which just won the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for Biography. I bought the book for Kindle when it was featured on The Daily show and only just got around to reading it while I was on my trip (the Pulitzer Prize win was a total coincidence; I just found out about it when I got back). I'm only about a fifth of the way through, but I heartily recommend it. Of all the biographies I've been reading lately it's definitely the one that's the best straight-up read. It could in part be due to the fact that Jackson is just a tremendously bombastic character (if I start referring to people I hate as 'villains' sometime in the near future, you'll know why) and it was a dynamic time in history, but Meacham's writing style is, on the whole, also very clear and easy to follow. He's also the first biography author I've seen in a while that had the forethought to include an easily referenced cast of characters at the beginning-- something which I was certainly wishing for during Angler-- though it's actually less necessary than most since his writing style is so clear and the "characters" so defined. There's the right balance of first person source-referencing, description, and author interpretation that you feel lightly guided along a point of view without being forced onto the rails of his opinion. So anyway, yes, a good read for anyone with any interest in that era, or who generally likes stories of gutsy but flawed frontiersmen scrapping their way to the top. (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Saturday, April 18th, 2009
4:09 pm	Hooray! I'm going to Kyoto! There's a holiday next Thursday, my other day off is Wednesday; since Tuesday's classes end in the early afternoon, and Friday's start late in the evening, that effectively gives me two travel days and two free "vacation days" to use, so I decided to give it a shot. I was thinking about going to Nara, but then I learned about the Kyoto costume museum and thought HOLY FUCK THAT IS A PLACE I NEED TO GO TO RIGHT NOW. So yes, I will go and look at beautiful things. I know a couple of my friends have been to Kyoto; any other places I should hit up? (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, April 15th, 2009
11:54 pm	Well huh They're showing Xam'd on TV now. I caught the first episode. It's unchanged, except there's a new OP sequence set to a different Boom Boom Satellites song, which could pass for a "second OP." Since it's... full of things that happen in the second season. I have no idea why they'd do this, other than to think the whole thing is a promotion to try to get people to skip ahead with the PS3 episodes. The fact that there are like ten ads to buy the series in the PlayStation Store per episode would seem to confirm this theory. (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, April 14th, 2009
5:24 pm	Writer's Block: Looking Back LiveJournal is turning 10 and we're feeling nostalgic. What was your first LJ post about? View other answers Apparently this is also roughly my 7th anniversary posting on LJ. I got started in April of 2002. I would talk about how this disgusts me or something, but whatever, y'know? It's my life, it makes me happy. It appears my first LJ post was some kind of squee-ing about FFIX, which Amanda Berman had lent me. Hilariously I never finished that game. Come to think of it, I don't think I ever returned it, either. But she has a ton of stuff I gave her too, so I guess it evens out to some degree. I also had some overdramatic rantings about the length of opening sequences in other Final Fantasies from X onward (XI had just been released at that time, apparently). Animenation.com email addresses and #Messiah were mentioned as well. Old times, crazy times... (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, April 8th, 2009
2:17 am	Oh awesome! In other news, Vermont overrode the governor's veto on the gender-neutral marriage law after all! CHEESE FOR EVERYONE! (Comment on this)