Anime - Sandglass of Summer Colors

Throw in a love story with futuristic elements and you get a very touching anime.

Sandglass of Summer Colors (Natsuiro no Sunadokei) is just like this.

At the end of the school year, Makimura Kotaru decides to confess his feelings to Serizawa Kaho. Kaho-chan is considered to be a school idol, and Kotaru gets made fun of, by his friends, telling him he has no chance. But his resolve is set, and Kotaru is determined to reveal his true feelings to the girl he likes.

Kotaru

Afer deciding to write his confession in his letter, he walks home with his childhood friend Senou Ai, who has agreed to give Kaho, a friend of Ai, the letter.

Kaho

After dropping Ai off at her house, Kotaru observes a suspicous figure and goes to ask this person if they were stalking Ai. Afer wrestling the suspicious person's coat off, it turns out the person's a girl, and Kotaru had accidentally grabbed her chest, during the attempt to wrestle the coat off. She slaps him and breaks an hour glass, sprinkling dust over Kotaru. The girl then runs away.

Feeling ill, Kotaru goes to bed, and wakes up to find that it was somehow the end of summer break, and school was starting again. Confused, he goes to school and finds everyone at the gymnasium. The director was giving a speech about the death of a classmate, Kaho. Kotaru is confused. He finds out that they had been going out all summer too. Kaho had been in a tragic car accident. And he finds out, she was on his way to see him. He faints, and is carried back in time a few times, experiencing his confession to Kaho, and a date they had. Eventually he gets back to his own time, to find this suspicious person from before, standing over him. Her name is Ligene, and is a Time Patroller. Her job is to correct irregularities in time. And she is here to correct time, so that Kaho does not die. It turns out that the dust that Kotaru had been exposed to, gave him the ability to exist out of the framework of time, which would allow him to affect the future.

Ligene

Ligene tells Kotaru what he must do to prevent the death of his girlfriend. He agrees to do this, because he cannot stand idle. So while going out with Kaho, Kotaru also gives it his all to prevent her death.

Throughout the summer Kaho and Kotaru spend more and more time together. Their bond gets stronger and stronger, and Kotaru is more determined to save Kaho.

Kotaru also discovers that Kaho cares for him very much, and could not bear to be apart from him.

As the fateful day of Kaho's death arrives, everything starts to spiral out of control, and Kotaru finds out he has very little time to save Kaho, if at all. What would he do without his beloved Kaho?

This was a great OVA (non-series) and I recommend anyone, who is a romantic too, to watch this. It's a story that would warm your heart.

Teacher Responsibility

Today in Psychology, the professor had trouble getting the overhead projector to start, so while help was coming, he opened up the floor to questions. Someone asked if he would be giving back the old exams, and he said he couldn't, but you could come in to his office to look at it.

Not being a forward person, I usually don't speak up, but I had a question that I thought required an answer. I asked if he could post the previous exams and the solutions on Blackboard. He told me that it would take too much time. That was a bit odd to me, because he posts Powerpoint presentations for the lecture notes. Thinking that he meant posting individual exams, I pressed the issue, asking why he couldn't post just general solutions. In the back of my head, I knew he knew what I meant initially, but dodged the question. For some reason some of the students thought that the question had been answered and when I continued asking questions they actually laughed.

My professor never answered my question, because he used the arrival of the UCiT help to ignore me.

As an Engineer, I am not used to having previous exams to study off of, our professors do not hold on to the exams, and they usually post solutions to the exams, because Engineering students usually use previous exams to study for a final so that they know what they did wrong and also use it to get a feel for the questions the professor may ask.

Awkwardness

I was watching this anime called Suzuka yesterday, and two characters who had been going out, broke up. A short summary of it:

Yamato and Honoka have been going out for a little while now, but initially Yamato had only eyes for this girl Suzuka, but after being turned down and snubbed many times, he learned that this girl, Honoka liked him, one thing lead to another and they end up dating. But Yamato is inexperienced with relationships, so he makes many mistakes. Honoka puts up with it pretty well, partly because she really likes Yamato, and also because she is inexperienced as well. The breaking point was when Yamato goes shopping, for Honoka's birthday present, with Suzuka and Honoka finds out about this, but she plays it off as nothing significant. She was ready to accept Yamato's birthday present, but then he starts going on and on about Suzuka, how she helped him, and how annoying she was sometimes. Honoka doesn't want to hear this and gets really mad at Yamato and refuses to accept the present. They eventually agree that breaking up would be the best idea, but Honoka chooses to keep the birthday present, because she still harbors feelings for Yamato. Their first initial meeting after the break-up is right outside their class, and it is extremely awkward.

Is this really the case for relationships? When two people break-up, but still are contact with each other, is it really awkward, and weird afterwards? Sometimes there is hardly a days difference, between the break-up and seeing the person again. One day you are holding hands, laughing together and being a couple, and the next it's like you are meeting a new person. I can understand more weirdness if you were a lot more intimate, but if you had just been kissing, then what makes it so weird to see the person again? I think that the awkwardness is only there because the couple still harbor feelings for one another (or it could be one sided), but even if it is a mutual break-up there can be some tension (which there usually is) between the two people.

Drivers Who Should Not Be Drivers

I drive a lot, as I live a considerable distance from the city. So I am familiar with people driving. But there are some people who should not be driving, or at least have a big sign on their car that indicates their lack of driving skills.

Yesterday was a good example of why some drivers need remedial driving courses. Driving home, I take a two lane highway most of the way, and once out of the city the legal speed limit is 65 MPH. Though as any highway, the usual speed in the left lane is 75 - 80 MPH. Courteous drivers will let the faster (more impatient) drivers pass, if it doesn't slow the courteous driver down too much. Sometimes a driver going 70 - 75 MPH is just trying to pass a truck or another slow moving car, and a car going 76 MPH will still ride the bumper of the slower driver. Road rage and impatience makes driving very trying.

But often there are those drivers who drive in the left (highspeed) lane because it's less congested, or they will eventually need to be in that lane to take an exit, and those drivers are more annoying than those impatient, 81 MPH, drivers.
That was the case yesterday. I admit, I drive in the left lane, between 75 and 80 MPH, when I can, and since that is the general accepted speed, that's what mostly everyone else drives, in that lane. There is a big hill during my stretch home, and the people tend to slow down a little, and I was behind a car that had slowed down to about 70 MPH, and I just drove behind that car, hoping, at the top of the hill, that they'd speed up or move over. But the car didn't, even when the right lane was clear enough to change lanes, with room to spare. Sure, I could have passed the car on the right, but I try to give slower cars a chance to move to the right, since it is technically illegal to pass on the right.

After about a minute, there was a decent line of cars behind me, waiting for the car in front of me to speed up. Finally I decided to pass on the right. Driving past the slow car I got a chance to see who was driving, as most are interested to see what driver is causing the congestion in the highspeed lane. I usually assume an older person. But what I saw, was worse than a slow moving old person. A blond, female college student, who could barely see over her dashboard, talking on her cellphone. I don't normally stereotype, but this made me think of her as a stupid, ditzy blonde, who believes the world revolves around her. I am sure other people who passed her, probably thought similar things when they saw who was driving.

You shouldn't be on your cell phone while driving, it splits your attention, so you drive by instinct rather than full focus. Germany has a laws for using a cell pohone while driving. It is required to have a hands-free handset if they must absolutely talk on the phone. Even that is highly discouraged. I think some cities in the US also have laws about this too. But the least a driver needs to do, while using a cellphone on the highway, is to move to the right lane, and slow down. Most will slow down subconsciously, but these people also sit in the left (high-speed lane).

If people were more courteous on the highways, everyone would be happier.

Chrono Crusade

Recently I subscribed two free weeks of Netflix, the online rental place. Depending on your account type, you can rent one to three animes at a time and return them whenever (as long as you pay the subscription fee). I did this to watch some licensed anime, that I prefer to watch legally. I've always wanted to watch an anime series called Chrono Crusade, and with Netflix I was given that option. I watched the first four episodes this weekend and I really enjoyed it.

A note, this series follows religion, dealing with God, Satanism, devils, and other holy and unholy dealings. If you would be offended by such an 'incorrect' view of religion, you might want to abstain from reading.

Chrono Crusade

The setting of this anime series is America, specially New York City, during the 1920's. It's a time of change, and the elite are bored. So they turn to Satanism to get their thrills. The Order of Magdalene stops these people who are bent on destruction.

The Order of Magdalene use weapons imbued with holy power to stop them. The Sacred is a bullet that has small amounts of holy oil in it, which gives the bullets power to stop the devils, where normal bullets would not affect them. There is also the Gospel, which is more powerful bullet because it has holy scriptures written on the bullet itself. With these types of weapons, the devils are exorcised.

However the major plotline revolves around a greater evil power and the seven Apostles. The seven Apostles were born with from God, who gave them the power to perform miracles. However the devils are trying to ge the seven Apostles because they can use the power in the Apostles to become more powerful themselves. And the two main characters are Rosette and Chrono.

Rosette and Chrono

Rosette is a Sister of the Order of Magdalene, who has a reputation for being very destructive during her missions. It's no fault of her own though, they just turn out that way. But she is very good at Exorcising the demons. Her main reason for becoming an Exorcist, or part of the Order, was to get revenge on the devils that took her brother, Joshua, away from her when they were kids.

Her partner is Chrono, who is a devil. Chrono has been stripped of his power and his title, for he was one of the most powerful devils before that. Rosette and Chrono are more connected than most realize. Chrono's true form is kept hidden, and Rosette is the reason for this.

Rosette is Chrono's Contractor, meaning that Chrono hides his true form and draws nourishment through Rosette lifeforce, her soul. The emblem she keeps around her neck, seals his true form. But when the seal is released, he is able to transform in his true form.

But when he transforms, he draws on more of Rosette's lifeforce. And this shortens her life. By becoming Chrono's Contractor she will probably not live past the age of 30. But together with Chrono, she can stop the evil power that is lurking in the shadows and take revenge on the evil that took her brother away from her.

This Weekend Anime 11/05

Much of my weekend was made up of studying for exams on Monday and Tuesday, but I did have a chance to watch a few episodes of anime. One new one in particular caught my attention, because of its uniqueness. Jigoku Shoujo; in this anime there is a rumor that a website exists, called Hell's Correspondence, only accessible at midnight, where you can write in the name of a person you want to take revenge against, and that wish will be granted, and the person will be taken straight to hell.

(Click on the images for a larger picture.)

The first episode is about a girl, Mayumi, who gets chosen to watch after some money her class had raised for charity. But the money gets stolen from her back, where she had kept it for safe keeping. As fate has it, an answer comes in the form of another one of her classmates, Kuroda, who offers her to give her the money, if she pays her pack. However, Kuroda is a bully, and will not let Mayumi go, even after Mayumi returns all the money. Kuroda has some perverse pleasure in making Mayumi do things for Kuroda and her posse.

Mayumi had heard about this site, Hell's Correspondence, and was almost on the verge of putting the name in, until she got a call from Kuroda.

Being forced to do unbearable tasks, Mayumi enters Kuroda's name on the website, at midnight. And she gets a text message, saying her reqest was received. But a day goes by without anything happening. And after Kuroda takes Mayumi to a shady part of town, making her talk to perverts who would take advantage of her. Not being able to do such a task, she runs away, but Kuroda took a picture with her phone and threatened to email it to the headmaster at school if she does not obey her. That's when Mayumi's will breaks.

Not being able to take any more shame, and not being able to tell her parents, Mayumi decides to commit suicide by jumping off a building. Before she hits the ground, she is taken somewhere, by a girl.

This girl, is from Hell's Correspondence, Enma Ai.

Ai tells Mayumi that if Mayumi wishes it, Ai would take revenge on Kuroda and take her to hell. However the deal comes with a price, if Mayumi decides to take revenge, her soul is forfeit, and her soul would not go to heaven, but to hell, when she died. Ai gives her a voodoo doll with a red ribbon around it, and if Mayumi pulls the ribbon off then she would make the covenant with Ai, and Ai would take Kuroda to hell.

The next day Mayumi is called to the headmaster's office, who got an email of the picture of Mayumi with a shady guy, the same guy who Mayumi ran away from when she was with Kuroda. Kuroda had sent the picture. Not being able to explain herself, and with her future slipping away, Mayumi pulls the ribbon off the doll, and she hears a whisper in the wind telling her revenge will be taken.

Kuroda gets a call from "Mayumi" to meet her at school to receive more money. However, when Kuroda goes to school she sees "Mayumi" go inside the school, and when Kuroda enters, she is bombarded with images that freak her out. Her classmates look weird, a volleyball turns into a skull, her posse friends get sucked into a wall and she is confronted with a replay image of her stealing the moeny from Mayumi's bag. Ai appears with a few of her friends, upon which they ask Kuroda to repent her sins, but she denies it still, and that's when Ai takes her to hell.

The next day shows Mayumi at school cheerful and happy again. Though when she is shown walking to a club meeting she stops infront of mirror and unbuttons part of her uniform shirt to reveal a mark on her chest.

The mark is the sign of her covenant with Ai. When she dies her soul will go to Hell. But until then she can live her life, free of the bully who was ruining her life.


...


That was the first episode, and I did watch a second episode that had been subbed. The mood is rather dark, as it has to do with revenge, and cohorting with Hell. Though the struggles of the victim are done very well. It's not your normal anime, but it is interesting to watch.

Romance On Screen And In Real Life

Watching the O.C. you see relationships constantly fading in and out of harmony. The particular couple right now is Ryan and Marissa. It seems like every episode there is something that gets between them. The most recent episode has Ryan's decision about his education get between Marissa and himself. I'll recap so you understand:

Ryan and Marissa were kicked out of their plush and exclusive highschool, by the Dean of Discipline (a.k.a. 'the bad guy'). Marissa chooses to go to another, local, less glamaorous, highschool. And Ryan goes the homeschooling route. With the Dean of Discipline bent on ruining Ryan's future, Ryan decides not even to try for the future, and cancels his homeschooling. Upset by this decision Marissa tells a new guy friend about Ryan's decision, and this friend talks to Ryan and offers to put in a word for him with his uncle's fishing business. Taking this oppurtunity, Ryan gets hired as one of the crew on this fishing boat, meaning, he'd be at sea for three weeks at a time. Marissa is very upset about this and doesn't allow Ryan to talk to her. Skipping drama, in the end Ryan decides to stay with Marissa, saying something along the lines of, that his future is with Marissa, whatever it is. Marissa is happy and everything is once again koscher in Orange County. Next week we see one of Marissa's new guy friends get closer to her, and this makes Ryan jealous.

So as you can see, the relationship gets a lot of stress. And it's the same with other couples in T.V. series, Smallville, One Tree Hill, Bones, etc... all have couples that are in a constant state of flux.

Now, I know that this is T.V. and they have to do this to keep the show interesting. It would get boring if T.V. couples were in relationship bliss continually, so the producers have to do this, trying to cause viewers to relate emotionally to the T.V. show.

But does this relationship flux happen in real life too? Do couples have disagreements where one or both are too stubborn to even talk and try to resolve their issues. Does one guy friend cause insane jealousy in a boyfriend if his girlfriend and this new friend spend a lot of time together?

I find it hard to believe that this is really the case. Could it be that these television relationships are overexaggerated? Being a frequenter on a few forums, I've seen people post their issues in their love life. Break-ups, betrayals, marriages, etc... I've read a lot, and I know some of it is out there. But the intricate details, like the way I described about the couple from the O.C., are never posted on a forum. Does it happen, in real life? I wonder.

Continuing along this vein, I'd like to mention an intracy of relationships that I've pondered.

I am lucky to be in a wonderful relationship, but I know that isn't always the case with others. The city I live in has been called one of the most undatable cities (cities, not small towns) in the nation, that there is virtually no dating scene. When couples hook up, especially couples in their early to late 20's, they tend to stay together. Other cities, hook-ups and break-ups are common place, nobody raises an eyebrow. Just look at Hollywood, couples exchange partners as freqeuntly as couples exchange partners in square dancing. So it is hard for me to conceive why people are constantly getting together with people and then breaking up again.

For me, I've come to, occasionally, associate this break-up/hook-up process with something else. When you get a new toy, a new gadget, or a new lipgloss, you use it frequently. More frequently than you normally do. When a kid gets a new video game, he is able to play it days even weeks on end, not getting tired of it. When you hear a new song you like on a CD you bought, you can listen to the song again and again, not ever getting enough of it. But all of sudden, one day, the kid stops playing the game because he simply doesn't have interest in playing it, or you stop listening to the song that you've listened to constantly for the past month, or the new gadget you have just becomes used by any other gadget you have.

Can this be related to relationships? Is it an accurate analogy for explaining why guys and girls are constantly hooking-up/breaking-up? When a guy meets a beautiful girl at a bar or café, and they hook-up, then three weeks later they cannot stand the sight of each other. Is this because they just got tired of each other, they became overhead songs or an overused gadget to each other? This can be called burnout, but even couples who have spent a month, two months, or more, together, just break-up, for no reason except that there is no interest anymore, no spark. Like a toy that has lost its appeal? Possibly. It seems like an analogy that is accurate to me. People would probably disagree with me, offering up any number of reasons why couples break up.

In any case, it's just one view.

Ciao for now.

Cows Are Loose

And addendum to yesterday's post about love. The "Love you." can also sound like slang. "Love you, bye!" was originally, "I love you, bye!", but the 'I' is slurred until it goes from "I love you." to "Love you." to "Love ya.". Each digression loses more of the original meaning. "Love ya." holds only a fraction of the meaning of what it used to be. When you whisper "I love you." into your lover's ear, you wouldn't even think about saying "Love ya." because it hardly holds the meaning that you are trying to convey. But "Love ya." originally was "I love you."

Back on topic...

Yesterday, early in the morning a tractor trailer carrying 39 cows was barreling down Interstate 74, the conditions were less than optimal. A dense fog had a choke hold on the area surrounding the Harrison township. The fog is always densest around Mt. Plateau-74, the highest part of the interstate in the area. The tractor trailer was heading near Mt. Plateau-74 cuttin through the fog, like a bullet cuts through jello. There is a reason why trucks drive slower, because their ungainly cargo inhibits maneuverability. Compared to boats, a car is like a speed boat as a tractor trailer is like a cruise liner. If this tractor trailer had been equipped with a radar, he would have seen an ominous dot ahead of him. This dot was the beginning of the tractor trailer's demise, a slow moving car. Without radar, the tractor trailer did not see the car until it was right in front of him. With less than lightning quick reflexes the truck driver swerved to avoid the slow car.

Obeying the laws of physics the trailer behind the truck could not compensate for the sudden movement; the truck went one way the trailer, a different direction. Losing control the tractor trailer tipped over, sliding across the pavement and freeing the cows inside. Half the cows got loose, frightened and dumb, they scattered to the four winds.

A truck driver carrying cattle, is by law, made to carry a rope with him in case some cattle get loose. One rope does not do the poor driver justice, especially since 20 cattle were loose. He needed a tranquilizer gun. But without immediate aid, and due to the dense fog, the cattle roamed the area.

Law enforcement closed both directions of the interstate and got a team of volunteers and police together to attempt to wrangle the cattle. The task was harder than it appeared, with the fog, visibility was reduced to less than 100 feet, and in the woods, finding the cattle was a very trying task. A few pictures below show what happened. The interstate was closed for almost 12 hours.


The tractor trailer overturned.


Dense fog.


The wreckage.


Cattle round-up.


Roam free! Head for the border!


Can't catch me! Moo!

There were some cattle casualties, the most interesting was the cow found dead in the front lawn of Harrison yard. Unfortunately the police found the carcass before the residents of the house could recover their dinner.