Whilst I celebrate for the arrival of We Were There vol 1 today in the post (yay), I shall post some inspirational music. The song is This Love by Sarah Brightman, rearranged by Craig Armstrong . I have only one word to describe it. Perfect. It puts me on the right creative mood for some BGi daydreaming. This song would be the ideal soundtrack for the oh-so-longed meeting between Yano and Nana in season 2. I alread picture the scene at the airport. Nana is still Among the crowd of passanger walking by, tears are running along her cheeks. She looks at the silhouette disappearing in the crowd. That person wasn't Yano after all. She feels the hope vanishing aswellas the strenght from her body. She cannot see the people walking along. Finally she moves towards the exit without noticing those eyes that followed her all along..




http://www.vidtomp3.com/mp3_details.php?video=vidtomp3.com-12151919319083.mp3

His name is Maksim Mrvica ( surname is pronounced Maravitsa) He is 33 years old and a very talented pianist. His repertoire includes classical music to which he fuses contemporary pop and rock sounds. The result is indeed a very unique style and is now become his trademark.

I stumbled across a few clips of his performance, at the Round House in London, on YouTube and i was quite impressed by how beautifully he played Rachmaninov's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini.

His concerts are far from those of the typical classical performers ( not to mention his attire. leather pants, wristbands, sleeveless shirts and ultra styled hair *so cool* he would be an ideal bishounen character for a manga *lol*)
At the Roundhouse world premiere the executions was often accompanied by dancers and big light effects. Dazzling show.
Although he is mostly known for his classical/pop-rock crossovers he is extremely good with the original arrangements too.
His most popular performances, however, have split the public opinion Those who love him for introducing a modern twist to classical pieces and those who hate him for the very same reason: classical music has to be,by definition, classical.
Purists' ears may be horrified of his version of Hendel's Sarabande with an electronic upbeat nevertheless these re-elaborations don't fail to deliver and attract the attention of several music enthusiasts.
I can't help but wonder if the original composers themselves would have used the same base and instruments if they lived in our time. And I say, why not?

Well a bit of a bizarre combination but i felt it was worth a try so, there you go. Obviously the clips are form Bokura ga Ita and the music is from Eminem. The AMV is far from perfect though. there are a few passage to re-edit and I don't like the ending, but eh I was still experimenting the tricks of Sony Vegas. I might work on it again as soon as I find more inspiration on how to change the final scenes.

I admit this video gave quite a few problems in editing, compressing and uploading. grrrr I was planning to post on YouTube but it got rejected due to copyright claim in the song ( or perhaps it's just the idea of having Eminem somehow related to a shoujo anime *lol*). Anyways at least hope I can post it here.

Oh man, this anime really hits me. And I still ignore the reason why. What is it that i like so much? Like everybody else I happened to watch films based on the Bram Stoker's novel and also read about vampires but i never fully enjoyed these stories essentially because horror is really not my genre. And generally speaking when I think about vampires I normally think about monstrous creatures and dreadful tales of death, darkness and sorrow. No matter how sensual and full of romance the background may be.

In the case of Vampire Knight, the actual horror is reduced to a minimum ( I'd say is quasi non existent)and is just enough to support the clichés linked to the popular myth. The sense of darkness and macabre depends mostly on the inner conflict within each individual character. This may disappoint some fans of the genre but works perfectly for me. For once, I manage to enjoy a vampire story without having to endure any crude scenes.
And for the first time I come to realise one of the most intriguing and fascinating aspects about vampires: the sexual appeal

on Wikipedia i found this interesting quote on Stoker's novel Dracula

What has become clearer and clearer, particularly in the fin de siècle years of the twentieth century, is that the novel's power has its source in the sexual implications of the blood exchange between the vampire and his victims...

And also on Monstrous.com

		People are regularly asked what they found so appealing about the vampire. The answers reveal incredible diversity. Qualities mentioned include: eroticism, immortality, power, victimization, beauty, elegance, romanticism, the supernatural, mystery, and the unknown. Of these, three were mentioned most often, the first of which was sexual attraction. People found the biting and blood-sucking element of the vampire extremely sexual. They also found the fact that vampires are immortal quite appealing. The third major appeal of the vampire is power. The vampire's dominance in the biting of its victim was especially highlighted in this category. All three of these appeals are supported with extensive testimony by vampire fans.

[..]The penetration of skin by sharp canine teeth easily evokes both violence and eroticism.

I never fully appreciated this aspect before watching/reading Vampire Knight as probably I could never overcome my fear of horror which acted as a barrier
In Vampire Knight, however the sexual tension is constant therefore impossible to overlook. There's nothing explicit going on but the biting scenes are portrayed in such a passionate way that is so natural to read more to it.
Just to give an example, here's how Aido, one of the vampires from the Night class describes the moment she will be bitten by the pureblood vampire Kaname.

One day, Kaname's lips will lightly touch this neck of yours, and slowly, Kaname's teeth will sink in... If you hear the sound of Kaname drinking your own blood, Yuki-chan, then, for sure, you'll feel ecstasy, Yuki. You should offer yourself to Kaname-sama, plead to him, "Please drink my blood."

Obviously the sexual vibes are all there. And the vampires themselves happen to be beautiful and extremely attractive creatures as well. The main characters include Kaname a pureblood vampire, Yuki a young human girl unable to remember her own past and Zero a vampire hunter who *alas* due to an evel twist of fate was turned in to a vampire himself.

Although I like all the characters Zero is definitely my favourite. To me he is the one who has the most intriguing personality, not to mention the biggest conflict. He suffered a lot in the past, and was turned in the very thing he hates the most. To add insult to injury Yukki, the only person he loves and cares about, is in love with the noble pureblood Kaname ( the horror!! Imagine what a shock when he finds out that Yuki herself is a pureblood vampire...will she become his mortal enemy like the rest of the vampire or will he have to change for her? and what about Kaname?) There is so much love and angst in him i can barely resist!!!!.( besides, he looks just *hot*)

I don'th think you can turn a hopeless romantic overnight. It HAS to be in your genes. They may lay there dormant for years and then make their appearance all of a sudden. In my case though, the signs were all there, visible and tangible to the entire world, from the very beginning. Or at least as long as I can remember. And the evidence is Aishite Night.



The story revolves around a 18 years old girl named Yakeo ( although people always call her Yakko) who divides herself between her evening classes at University and her day work at her father's Okonomyaki restaurant ( "The Mambo"). Yakko's ordinary life ( as well as her father's ) is completely upset when she discovers her passion for rock music and an emerging local band *in particular*called "The BeeHives". Actually her main interest would be the lead singer, Go Kato, who eventually will become the love of her life *awwwww*


The anime is about 23-24 years old, so yeah is rather vintage. Can't remember the exact year it was first showed on the italian TV. I later found out that it arrived in 1985 but To me it's like one of those things that have been existing for ever. it must have had such a big impact in me since even now , Ai shite night is one of my most cherished love stories ever.
On my Youtube account you can find a playlist with the 42 episodes of the anime ( alas they are dubbed in german though). However in order to fully enjoy this story I'd definitely recommend the manga.
The anime version is quite entertaining the tunes are quite catchy ( especially if you are fond of the music of the 80s) but is not as sublte as the manga. Compared to the original story the anime is way more naive and simplistic. The character themselves lack of all the complexity and the ambiguity portrayed in the manga. I don't think is a bad thing after all... The 7 years old me enjoyed the anime to bits while the 20something me is loves the manga, so everybody is happy LOL

Nevertheless the anime was a huge hit at that time ( and not only among the kids), a bit like Itazura na kiss nowadays. The comparison is not casual as the author is the same person, Kaoru Tada. There are a lot of similarities between the the two stories and especially the personalities of the lead characters. Naoki and Go are both cocky and a bit self-centered. whereas Kotoko and Yakko are two complete klutz and emotionally dependant on their love interest. Even the familiar situation is the same. Both girls are only child who grew up without a mom, as she died at a young age. Both of them were raised only by their fathers who coincidentally have the same job... as both own of a typical Japanese restaurant. *lol*

Anyway apart from these details, the stories are completely different from each other. the main focus of ai shite night ( besides romance) revolves around the music and the increasing popularity of the BeeHives. I think this was a new concept at the time, hence the great success of the story. in the manga version the lyrics were written by real musicians. If I remember correctly they were witten by a Japanese rock band called 44 magnum ( much of the style and look of the BeeHives is inspired to them anyway). The anime added a bonus since you get to listen to a real song played by professional artists which render the whole idea more vivid. I personally fell in love with the voice who played Go's songs in the italian version . I think that this one and the Spanish are the best performances realised out of all the version i listened to ( including the French, German and Japanese **lol**)

LOL just a bit of speculation here. Really. I find my self wondering how things might turn up on chapter 52 ( if they are ever gonna meet in this chapter that is). Is that guy at the airport really Yano? Is he not? OMG I'm NEED to know :D I'm wondering what their first reaction will be like . Especially Yano's. ( granted that Nana will cry her eyes out XD).

The manga has been licenced by Viz media and the first volume was released at the beginning of the month. The second volume will be out the 6Th January 2009.
I got my own copy and preordered the second from Amazon. ( I don't normally preorder but since i had some credit left from my amazon voucher i decided to go for it ...and I'm quite glad i did it!!!)

For me this is such a good news as the unlicensed version available online is fragmented. There is no way to find scanalations of the chapters 13 up to 32 online. This is because the manga was translated by two different groups.
The first one, Perfect illusions, translated from chapter 1 up to 12. ( I am not aware of any update re new releases from Perfect Illusions. Since the manga has been licenced they may have dropped the project altogether)
The second group, jshojo, is translating from chapter 33 ( basically where the anime ended) and they are currently up to chapter 45. Here i just found a note on the Jshojo website saying that they are currently working on the next chapter, so yay!!

So, if you want feel the gap in the story I definitely recommend to watch the anime. The anime is still unlicensed and the english subbed episodes are available on GalAnime.com ( here.) .There are 26 episodes in total and the story is quite faithful to the original one. Also the art is quite enjoable to watch.
By the way GalAnime.com hosts the scanalation of the manga as well. So, if you want to take a look and download a couple of chapters feel free do so but please make sure you do buy the licenced version!!

Indeed "Bokura Ga Ita" has soon become one of my recurring obsession. I also named this blog after it, come on. I mean it. Seriously.

( Bokura ga ita is the Japanese for We were there) Anyways, if i were to use an obsession scale ranked from 1 to 5 (where 5 is the maximum of obsession I am capable of) , I would rate BGI a 4, which is quite impressive considering that i discovered this story only a month ago. I haven't marked it 5 as my assessment should also take into account the time life of my obsession as well as any related activity, ( participation to discussion forums, fan-fiction, AMV and all sorts) . The more creative I get , the higher the rank . Normally I don't like splashing out in frivolous things but if it is a desire compelled by my obsession's satisfaction, I am all for it. So this should also be part of my assessment XD
To date, I only have a level 5 obsession, this is an Italian period drama called Elisa di Rivombrosa. It first aired in 2003 and I am still obsessed with it.

I am digressing now, back to the topic the plot of BGI is quite intriguing. It starts off as a normal shoujo manga. High school girl meets popular high school boy and falls for him. then there is a twist, the story gets more real than the normal oh-so-fluffy shoujo material. in my opinion THIS does the trick . For those who don't know the plot or are acquainted only with the anime version, I shall post the link from Wikipedia,
The manga has a second part that has not been included in the anime version. The second part is still ongoing although the manga has been on hiatus for about a year now. And I am still waiting to know if the silhouette Nana spots at the airport belongs to Yano.

OK, since this blog is all about my obsessions i decided that my very first post should have had a clear definition of the term obsession to start with.
Very well then. An obsession is in fact an impulse triggered by an "object" ( be it an image, a person or a idea) which generates a series of recurring thoughts that cannot be ignored. Of course I am no t an expert so i'll say that this definition should be applied to the way I feel about my own obsessions.

By the way I like the fact that an obsession is some sort of Impulse. It gives a positive connotation to the word itself. When you talk about an obsession you always refer to it as something negative. In this case the word impulse gives you a more optimistic idea. And here you start thinking about pulsation, instinct, sudden desires, energy and life itself.
We are all happy to have impulses, they make feel us alive whereas having an obsession is something you need to be worried about. ( or if you're like me, just make a blog about it )

Anyway before deciding to open this blog, I surfed the Internet in search of some self-help tips to deal with my obsession.I came across this page on Wiki How . Full article here
The text in blue is mine

1. Understand it won't stop immediately. When you are obsessed, it is a bit like addiction - it won't go away overnight. Start by slowly stopping. If you try to completely stop, at first it won't work. After you feel the obsession is easing off, stop some more. ( how about tablets like when you try to quit smoking? otherwise you'll get withdrawal symptoms)
   
2. Find something else. Try to be obsessed on something else ( this is priceless XD). It helps if it is something your friend is obsessed about ( what happens if the friend tries the same technique?). If you can't get obsessed with it, just pretend (lol ). When you start forgetting about the other thing, stop going on about both of them.
3. Take away reminders. If you have stuck pictures of it all over your wall or something, start taking them off. Remember, though, that like everything else, if you do it straight away it won't work. The more gradually the better. Anything that is going to remind you of the obsession will not help. (tough, what about the pictures in my mind O_o *obsessive imagination*)
   
4. Make sure you know you want to. Remember that almost everyone is obsessed about something(phew), be it lampposts, cars or celebrities. Do not be ashamed of an obsession, but understand that one will just lead to another. ( hence there is no way out, yay!!!)