純物語 ~二世~

09 October 2009 @ 12:24 am

Okay, esteemed friend's list, I'm looking for a bit of advice from the lot of you. As many of you may know, I've been thinking about grad school. For a while, I was thinking of applying to University of Illinois' (Champaign/Urbana) East Asian Languages and Cultures Masters program. But I've just heard that the EALC department there is in the process of getting an MA in Teaching program involved, meaning that by going for that, you'd have both the EALC AND Japanese teaching certificate. The major drawback being, IF it's approved (that's the first hurdle), it would likely not be on the schedule for next school year, but the year after. That's two years from now before I could even start, and the information I received said that the actual degree could take as long as 3 years, meaning it's going to be another five years before I could really do anything with it. On top of that, even if I decided I wanted to go for the EALC MA (the one they have currently), I now have less than three months in which to get the whole application together, as it's due on January 1st.

I'm really stuck here. Should I just try to get on with my life and find a "career" job, or is it worth waiting the two years? I'm really, really stuck as to whether it's worth waiting that long to start school again, even though I know other people do do it. When I mentioned this to my mom, the first thing she said was, "That's two years away!". I realize that's time to seriously keep studying Japanese (JLPT jun-1kyu? :P), "bulk" up my resume (volunteering with I-House Students here at ISU, or volunteering with the sister-cities program, etc), save money...but at the moment it just feels so far off (topped with the fact I have no guarantee it will be approved), never mind the fact I may not even be accepted anyway. Just very frustrated, and talking to mom about it seems to be getting me no where. I'd like some more objective advice.

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06 October 2009 @ 11:50 pm

We now return you to your regularly scheduled program...

No doubt

ageha_ya will write up something on it, too, and even I find it odd that of all things, a movie should prompt me to return to my LJ, but there it is. At any rate,

ageha_ya, Jason, and I headed over to the movie theater (my first since being back home and my first at home in five years...certainly I saw more than my fair share *cougclosetoeightycough* in Japan) this evening to see Zombieland, which I have anticipated for some time now.

My short review? Totally. And. Completely. Awesome.

( In which Jamie reviews Zombieland )

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07 July 2009 @ 08:29 am

Tanabata!

I really like Google Japan`s image for Tanabata! I wouldn't mind that being the image for Google Japan all year round. Although it has now served to remind me that I have totally forgotten about Tanabata completely. It would be such a help if it were a national holiday.

ageha_ya and I are trying to make arrangements for our stuff to be sent home via a shipping company called Japan Luggage Express and it is annoying. Not their fault, though. I'm just an idiot and things like this confuse and frustrate me easily :P It's actually pretty easy on the Japan end. It's the receiving my things on the US end that I'm concerned about. Well, to be honest, plus the money. I really should have been saving more money and I'm kicking myself now that I haven't been. Hopefully everything that's the most important will make it into the one cubic meter I can afford, at the moment, to send off :P I've already sent three boxes home, but that was by book/paper rate and was a special case. As you can guess, I'm sure, the "paper" in those boxes were not, of course, books or other paper, but comics. Silly it may be, but they're already home waiting for me and it'll be a big comfort to have them there (second to

ageha_ya, of course)!

p.s. You know what starts tonight? THAT'S RIGHT. Vampire Boy. It is going to be AWESOME (read: horrible and awesome). 10 p.m. BE THERE.

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01 July 2009 @ 03:00 pm

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I have really got to start updating more often. I dunno why I'm so lazy about it these days. I should write more while I've got more to say, considering things will probably get very, very normal once I get home (events in California notwithstanding).

Anyway,

kikibatsu directed me to check out this series called Toradora which, while I had heard of, I'd never seen (not that that's surprising). "Trust me. You`ll like it"...which in

kikibatsu speak where I or

ageha_ya are concerned means, "Hey, there's a love story. It's right up your alley!". Before I say anything else, I just want to express that my tastes really are more well-rounded than just liking any old love story. That being said, Toradora is a love story, and an awesomely entertaining one at that, with incredibly likable characters (though I can't say much for the OP or ED theme. I'm not wild about either one of them).

In other news,

ageha_ya,

princesschii and I got to play with bow and arrows and water guns made out of recently cut bamboo. Mayumi and her husband have made all these structures in their yard out of the bamboo that grows on their land. Thus far they've made a "tea room" (a raised platform with walls on three sides and a roof), this wavy looking thing that's purely artistic, something that resembles a teepee without a cover, and three structures that look like wigwams. Only one has a cover at the moment. Plus they've hauled out the stove they usually put in the teepee over the winter and have it outside and are using it to cook. We made pizza with it on Saturday (with fresh bamboo shoots on it. FANTASTIC), and then Meg, Sarah and I messed around with the aforementioned bows, arrows, and water guns. Ok, it was mostly me that messed around with the water guns, and betrayed Meg when we had a "duel" by turning early and totally owning her. Not enough water to get her soaked, though, of course. Alas. Another time. But yeah, it proved to me that while I'd like to pretend that I'm young at heart, the fact of the matter is that "childish" is a much more apt description. Oh well, actually acting like an adult is overrated, in my humble opinion.

One month left. How did that happen. I can't believe I have been here for five years. And I'm even less able to grasp the fact it's nearly over.

Current Music: American Saturday Night: Brad Paisley

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11 June 2009 @ 03:37 pm

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I had a really good riding lesson last night. I was on Omega and I got to ride the whole time by myself. That is, I was supposed to switch off halfway through, the but person I was riding with never showed up, so w00t. On the other hand, both she and another member of my normal class and our usual instructor weren't there, and I only have six lessons left. I just hope they all come to our July 22nd lesson, as that'll be the last one for me, and I want pictures.

Anyhoo, we did a lot of practicing canter which I'm good at in the sense I'm definitely not going to fall off, but still equally horrible at because I have a terrible time keeping my feet in the stirrups properly. I don't mean that they slip out entirely, just that my feet tend to move around in them a lot. I suppose that says a good deal about my riding ability, or lack there of :P That being said, I still had a fabulous time.

In other news,

ageha_ya and I finally bought our tickets out to California for The Wedding. When I say "tickets", though, you're probably thinking tickets as in "on an airplane". Ha, hah! You would be wrong, my friend. In fact,

ageha_ya and I are, instead, traveling by California Zephyr. That's right, fifty hours on a train to California. Without a sleeping car! And no shower. But we're used to traveling on trains, and buses overnight (both from high school trips and overnight trips here to Tokyo/Shimane/Nagano etc.) so I think we should be fine. We thought it would be a kind of adventurous way to travel across country. As long as I have a few books, Travel Clue (TM), and

ageha_ya to keep me company, we should be fine.

Right? :)

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08 June 2009 @ 03:00 pm

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It's kind of weird how a comic that has become one of my favorites is about wrestling (of the backyard/professional variety), but I guess that can happen when the person writing it is 1.) Kamio Youko and 2.) responsible for Hana Yori Dango. That is to say, of course the woman who wrote one of the behemoths of girls comics in Japan (and I series I love) would manage to make wrestling interesting to me. But seriously, I'm enjoying the hell out of this and it's an especially nice feeling as I've been a little dismayed at my interest in josei type comics lately (comics aimed primarily at women in their 20s...and where the majority of the story takes place in an office), even though those series are great.

I had a really nice weekend. On Saturday I went with Chikage and her husband to Kousei High School's band concert. The band there is especially known for their awesomely awesome marching skills. Marching band in Japan?! What a concept! you might say, but they do do it. This school is amazing, especially considering they had to do it on stage. Normally when they do shows, they're on a gym-sized surface, I think, but damn, it's incredible to watch them march on a stage. I was especially blown away with their sense of space and just utterly complete command over the drill. My mouth was literally hanging open when one drummer, facing the audience, backed toward the back of the stage while a line of trumpets was coming toward her and to the side (they were facing the back of the stage) and they passed within a step of one another, the entire time facing away from each other. It was unbelievable. What's more, their marching routine was set to the music of The Nightmare Before Christmas, though there was a "story" about marionettes and I couldn't figure out what the hell one had to do with the other...but that's beside the point! But of course, it made me all nostalgiac for marching band from my high school days, even though I hated practicing (loved parades and competitions and football games) and even though we were terrible. I still kind of miss it. I miss being in band (although I almost never practiced :P) because it was like being a part of the music in a way that's entire different from being in choir. But then on top of everything else, I saw several students (there are 20-21 kids in the band of 121 that used to be students of mine) whom I remembered and even better, who remembered me! The best by far was this kid who was in my Golden Glass at Kousei and he spotted me and even called my name! Good to know that kids remember you more than as That Blond Girl in English Classes from Junior High.

But anyway, then yesterday

princesschii and I took advantage of the Free Ticket on the Omi Line and headed up to Kinomoto to take the chair lift to the top of Shizugatake, a mountain between Lake Biwa and Lake Yogo (It's called a lake but it's tiiiiiiny). We were both a bit nervous because even though I don't have a problem with chair lifts, Sarah wasn't sure she would be able to get on it. But that she went all the way up there with me without even being sure is a testament to her True Awesomeness. Luckily, however, it turned out to be low enough that it wasn't a problem. The view from the top was beautiful. You have Oku-Biwako (inner Lake Biwa) on one side, Yogo-ko on the other and the sun going in and out between the clouds. It was just breathtaking, and not at all crowded. It was also the site of the Battle of Shizugatake, where several of Toyotomi Hideyoshi's generals really got their start, apparently. You know me, I love history, so this was an added bonus about the whole thing.

Following the beautiful scenery we headed down to Viva City in Minami Hikone, where I got Chikage a bday present and replaced my old wallet with an exact copy, because it's cute and fannish without being painfully obvious about it. I really, really wish I could just take everything that Ghibli makes and take it home with me. They have sooooo many cute and awesome things that I just cannot justify purchasing (and couldn't even when I had to worry about how much it's going to cost to send crap home). Planter shaped like the head of one of the robots from Tenkuu no shiro Laputa? I'm looking at you. Actually, I really want the wristwatch (at the bottom on the right) with the robot from Laputa on it, as it looks nice and isn't gaudy, but again, I can't justify spending $126 on a watch. Hell, I thought the ~$75 I spent on the last one was way too much, so there ya go. Of course, if I had everything, that would make it seem less special, I suppose.

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04 June 2009 @ 02:35 pm

(no subject)

.....I just lost my whole entry. Very, very irritated.......

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28 May 2009 @ 01:21 pm

Resume assistance please

Bear with me because I am an idiot and have never actually made one of these up before...but if you're trying to find a job (nothing necessarily specific just yet) and you're making a resume...what the heck do you put in for "objectives"...and what do you put in for "skills"? Seriously, I have no idea really what to write, and I'd like to put a resume up online somewhere just to have it out there. Help, please!

p.s. Looking around the internet on various JET sites trying to find out if my successor will post there, I get a perverse kind of pleasure in seeing someone psyched to get placed in "Tokyo", only for someone to inform them not much later that that means you're REALLY going to one of those tiny islands several hours from the "mainland" by ferry.

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25 May 2009 @ 02:03 pm

(no subject)

( In which I bitch about Stupid Decisions Made By People At Radio Stations I Love )

( But in better news… )

Also? My essay for the JET essay contest didn't get anything, which is too bad. I'm disappointed but not upset. I wasn't really expecting anything. I have a feeling I didn't tie my story in enough with school, or maybe I didn't cite something correctly. I dunno. They don't tell you. It would have been a nice feather in my cap at the end of my JET experience, but I already have so many things from this experience that I'll carry with me forever that it's no big deal. Am interested to see what the winning essay is all about, of course.

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16 May 2009 @ 10:41 pm

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I'm still alive, I promise! I've just been extraordinarily lazy! Go me!

Anyway, on recommendation by

ageha_ya, I watched the 12 episodes in the Toshokan Sensou tv series. I know. Gasp! Me, watching an anime! Incredibly rare in the last 6 or 7 years (Spice and Wolf, Holic and Ghibli movies excepted). But her watching it was prompted by her having bought the first couple of volumes of the comic, so I guess it's really a manga thing after all (although I should mention there's also a series of "light novels" on which the comic itself is based, so I guess this is a book thing?, even though I haven't read them). At any rate, I really enjoyed it! Granted, given the setting of the story, there're probably a lot more socio-political comparisons to be made or delved into (or even just simple things like, why aren't the libraries better fortified?! What's with the insistence on ALL THAT GLASS), but the characters are so enjoyable that it doesn't bother me. Like, really enjoyable. I'm going to have to buy the first book, at least. It's just a really fun series. My only disappointment is the fact it's been running for some time now in LaLa, which is a magazine I buy anyway, but I never read Toshokan Sensou until now. Sadly, that kind of thing has happened to me a great deal :P

In other news, Manpigbird flu has officially reared it's ugly head in Japan, in people who haven't been abroad. But it turned up in some students at high schools in Osaka and Hyogo, and all that means is that it took SOMEONE'S friend having been abroad or some such. There are lots of sports tournaments in schools in May, and that's that. Apparently they're closing something like 1000 schools in Osaka and Hyogo because of it. I think that's good, especially if they're not making the kids do club activities. Let their immune systems build up a bit. I'm not really worried, but I am worried that even if someone here were to have flu-like symptoms, that they'd just go into work anyway, as that's a big part of the culture here. Sure, people often go to the doctor at the drop of a hat (it's uber cheap), but they also won't stay home when they're sick. I'm more worried about the adults spreading it than the kids, who at least will play up their symptoms to get out of going to school! Knock on wood, seasonal colds aside, I've had pretty good luck with my immune system. I can't remember the last time I had the flu. Here's to hoping it stays that way.

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23 April 2009 @ 04:02 pm

Can you be awesome?

I'd like to think I can be, but no where near the level of Awesome that was Monday's episode of Chuck. I'm so long used to downloading episodes of my favorite shows that I'm never bothered by the fact I didn't watch it along with most of the rest of my fellow fans. Never say never, though, eh? This is one of those eps where I wish I'd have seen it "live" just to enjoy it along with everyone else at pretty much the same time, instead of quite a bit later. Still, the waiting was worth it, and it was, indeed, awesome. I just hope the season finale doesn't turn out to be the series finale. Even if it's not, I already hate that hideous concoction of an idea that is Jay Leno on during primetime drama hour every night of the week next fall.

Oh, also, for anyone interested (read: anyone without Facebook, which is maybe one of you), here are the pics from

princesschii and I climbing Mikami-yama over the weekend. It was a GORGEOUS day and we had a fun time, even if the mountain itself tricked us into thinking it would be a breeze to climb.

Apparently my nephew has started reading! That receives a substantial w00t from Aunt Jamie. My mom mentioned a couple of books she plans to get him and I asked her, "What, no Monster books?!" (Monster Goes to the Museum, Monster Goes to School, Monster Meets Lady Monster, etc. There are a dozen similarly named books, I think).

ageha_ya and I learned to read with those books, plus Stephen Cosgrove's Morgan series (as well as a couple other books by him), though I don't think my nephew would be as interested as his aunts were in the latter. That the Monster books get left out has me a little dismayed. Who wouldn't love him? Although they may already be way too easy for him. He's a pretty precocious kid. Actually, I think we do know where our copies of those books are. Or at least, we know they're packed away somewhere, "safe". Sadly, I'm not sure I'd want to give them up. They really mean a lot to me and I feel like it's a miracle they survived our childhood, let alone being subjected to yet another string of years in a Younger Thompson household. Good thing Grandma Thompson is distracting him with other books then, I guess!

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14 April 2009 @ 02:55 am

(no subject)

Watching the new Doctor Who special makes me miss Donna SO. PROFOUNDLY. MUCH.

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13 April 2009 @ 01:34 pm

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Anyone here read Kenneth Oppel's Silverwing trilogy? It would be easier for you to believe my recommendation of his newest series if you had read that one (because it is awesome). The new series I refer to starts out with Airborn, continues in Skybreaker and ends, I assume, in Starclimber, which I don't have yet because it only came out a couple of months back in hardcover. I'm a huge fan of young adult fiction, and of Kenneth Oppel's, so I'm predisposed to liking these books anyway, but if you've not read either of both series (and I really, really, really champion the Silverwing trilogy. They are, without a doubt, some of my all time favorite books)do so. Particularly in the case of the latter, if you happened to read Phillup Reeves' Hungry Cities Chronicles and have a bit of a taste for a kind of alternate version of earth but aren't looking for something so god damned depressing (they were still fantastic books!), I'd really recommend the....I dunno wha to call this series...the Airship triloy? The Airborn trilogy...the Aurora trilogy? At any rate, highly recommended.

Also just finished reading Graceling by Kristin Cashore. Reading the reviews over on Amazon, I have to agree with a lot of what they said (unrealistic fight scenes, the last third sort of happened waaayyy too easily etc.), and yet I can't help but feeling I completely loved the stupid thing. I suppose because for any other faults she has, I think the author has a really strong voice for her main characters, so even if secondary characters weren't as fleshed out as they could have been, I enjoyed the two main characters enough that it didn't bother me so much. Perhaps I'm too easily pleased, though. But my one complaint with the reviews I read was with the criticism of character names. The two main characters are named Katsa and Po (not his real name, but a nickname). I don't see what's so ridiculous about her name, and I was just telling

ageha_ya that I really appreciate stories in which a character has a seemingly ridiculous name (the aforementioned Po) that, by the end of story, somehow becomes incredibly "cool" and dear (Candy and Malingo [Abarat], I'm looking at you!). But oh well, I suppose I can't entirely disagree with the criticism of the naming of most things in the book in general (Katsa is from the Middluns? The whole book I was distracted by a name like that. At any rate, I enjoyed the book a lot. I think the author has a great deal of potential (this is her debut novel), so I'm definitely looking forward to the sequels.

( Woe is me, a little )

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07 April 2009 @ 11:21 am

(no subject)

I know I haven't updated in a bit, but I wanted to link this guy's blog. He, along with a friend, traveled across Russia by train and down into North Korea to Pyonyang. It's a fascinating blog and includes tons of pictures! Check it out!

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26 March 2009 @ 10:58 pm

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My mom, aunt, and uncle will be arriving in about 5 hours, so I will essentially be MIA for the next five days while they're here in my neck of the woods! Just lettin' you guys know.

Also? Lost? My brain. She is UNABLE TO PROCESS THAT.

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26 March 2009 @ 10:36 am

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That's right, I DID take them in black and white!. Pictures of the school building we're moving out of.

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19 March 2009 @ 11:15 am

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( Zomg Tsubasa wut )

My riding lesson was pretty awesome last night. Our instructor had Ninja guy ride jockey-style. See, if you throw the stirrups so that they lay across the saddle from the side they usually hang from, it gives you a good idea of how high and how precariously jockies are perched in horse racing. We got to try this at a stand back during Monitor-kai, actually. But he had Ninja guy doing it at a trot, which was awesome. I was pretty impressed, actually, even if he was having trouble with it. There's absolutely no way I could do it at all. I think I have pretty decent balance (at least on a bike or a horse....not for snowboarding, though), but no way do I have the strength for that. So I think Ninja guy did admirably for something he's never tried before. And on the upside for me, I got to stand in the stirrups when I practiced canter, which is a first. It was also much easier and less scary than I anticipated and I really want to try it again, because I feel rather totally awesome doing it. Shut up. I'm vain. I know.

p.s. They're making the students move some stuff from the old school building to the new one and everyone is gone from the staff room except, of course, me, because no one ever thinks to ask the ALT for help :P But we're not moving major stuff until Monday, so hopefully I will be able to make it clear that I feel like an ass sitting around in the staff room while everyone is off moving stuff, so please give me something to do.

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12 March 2009 @ 11:40 am

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Congratulate me, everyone. I finished writing my essay! What essay, you ask? The national JET Essay Contest essay I was writing, of course. I'd about had it up to here with it, just because reading it and re-reading just made it seem to be less and less what I wanted it to be. I'm still not entirely happy with what I sent in. I feel like it's a little too much "And this happened on this date", but I'm not entirely unhappy with it, either. My biggest concern is actually about the bibliography, which I had to write-up and which is something I have always hated. There are too many styles and I certaily wasn't really sure which to use for this. Oh well. It's sent off now and there's nothing to do but wait (and I am waiting anxiously. The top prize is $1000 here, people! Or the rough equivalent there of).

On the upside, my riding lesson last night went fabulously, at least as far as how I feel about my ability to ride goes. And on Summit, too, whom I don't always have the best experience riding. Lately, even when my lesson hasn't gone as well as I'd like it to, I've kind of gotten the feeling of "Hey, I've improved recently". As I've said before, when I first started lessons, my progress was much easier to see. I think it's the same for anything new someone learns. But then it levels off and your ability to see how much you've improved is nigh (sp?) on impossible to perceive. That being said, I just feel better as of late. I hope it's not simply my imagination.

But speaking of riding lessons...what is with all the new people all of the sudden? Hirai-san left back in January and a couple of weeks later we get a new guy. He's perfectly nice enough, but then two weeks ago, another new guy joins my class. Crazy! But then last night, a new girl shows up and I'm about to throw in the towel here, guys. Not really, of course. I get to ride horses every week. In Japan. On the other hand, our class is now eight people. This may not sound like very much to you, but it's more than we've ever had and, depending on the amount of space we can use each week (it varies), things can get crowded. I liked my five person class (and six was just fine with Hirai-san), thank you. I'd like it back, too.

Alas, I know it won't get back to that, though. At least the "oldest" new guy (who started 3 or 4 weeks ago) is a pretty cool guy. I've been paired up with him, actually, every week since he started. Not sure why. This happens, though. You can go weeks with the same partner and then it switches. I don't know how they choose who goes with whom. My only problem with him is that he wants to help too much. For example, once you get into the riding area and mount up, you have to tighten the girth more. Okay, fine, often you need your partner's help with that, making sure the buckle is all lined up (or if you're like me and have weak girly-arms and can't pull. Sometimes the leather is stiff ok?!). But I know how to lengthen and shorten the stirrups and that requires no help at all. But every week this guy starts "helping" me without my asking. Gentlemanly manners, perhaps, but it's help I haven't asked for nor need. I'm not the beginner here. /snobbery

p.s. I just had to let go of every penny I had planned to save. More than $1000! Thank you Japanese taxes and Expenses Back Home (of course, one of those said Expenses is my wonderful, adorable dog, but that doesn't mean sending the money hurt less >D). Wish me luck in saving money this month :P

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07 March 2009 @ 11:42 am

You want me to what?

( You think YOU'VE had an awkward experience in Japan? )

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03 March 2009 @ 10:46 pm

(no subject)

It's a real bummer that Paul Harvey passed away last weekend. I may not always have agreed with everything he said, but the man was an institution on the radio and without a doubt one of most recognized voices on air. And hell, I grew up listening to his news broadcasts and his "Rest of the Story" and WGN (and the rest of the radio world) just isn't going to be the same without him. Rest in peace, Paul!

I finished the book (東方の魔女/Touhou no Majo) my friend "made" me read! :D Er, Japanese book. It's not the first one I've read (I had been making my way through the Battery series, but have only read up to the third book), but it's the first book I've read without any prior knowledge to work from when something isn't completely clear. Granted, it's not like this was a hugely difficult book. It's basically a young adult book, but still, I feel somewhat accomplished thank you very much. My only real problem with it is that because it's a fantasy book, I find myself trying to change the Japanese fantasy names into someting recognizable that might be found in an English fantasy book...rather like how イザーク　(iza-ku) in "Kanatakara" was "Izark" in English on official things. So in this book we have characters named ラシェン, which not only is "rashen" in romaji, it also works nicely in my head as a Name (Rashen). Then there's ハイレヨン　(romaji: haireyon), which my head can change easily to Hyleon or Haileyon or something convincing as a name in English. Even some of the country names change pretty nicely...like there's a country called コーサ (romaji: ko-sa), which my head puts as "Corsa". My problem is that the main character, Kakeru, actually has a "real" name, because it turns out that he's really this prince from this other world. But his real name is RIDICULOUS and it makes me giggle...because it's リダーロイス (romaji: rida-roisu)...which my head hears as "Leaderroyce" or "Readerroyce" and it's just utterly hilarious. Either way it's a ridicilous name (his parents have equally amusing names)...it's not something I can turn off. My head just automatically tries to do this. I think because it's 1.) a "foreign" name and 2.) a name in katakana. My head wants to make "sense" of it, and that's the result. Thank god Yukari (this classmate of his that kind of winds up traipsing across the countryside with him) still calls him Kakeru or I would never be able to finish the book.

Also, I've started reading Basara by Tamura Yumil, which I've known about for a long time but never go around to reading. Four volumes in (or so, I'm reading the re-published smaller but thicker "bunko" version) and I'm really, really liking it. It's Japanese fantasy mixed with "European" fantasy and not only is telling a really interesting story but has a wonderful cast of well developed characters. Everything is going to go to hell in a handbasket before long, though. See, the main plot centers on this girl named Sarasa, whose twin brother (Tatara) is thought to be this pre-ordained kid that's going to save them all. Well one day, when Sarasa and Tatara are 12, Tatara is killed by a lackey of the Red King. Sarasa disguises herself as her brother and sets out basically to fulfill his role, vowing to revenge her brothers death and take the Red King down. Little beknownst to her, the guy she just happens to run into at a random desert hot spring (when she's dressed as herself and not as Tatara) is the Red King himself....who just happens to be an incredibly attractive, charismatic teenage boy named Shuri. Happening to meet each other several times this way (etc.), they're obviously falling in love but have *GASP* no idea who the other one really is, all the while beating their respective chests, as it were, vowing to destroy the other :P I can't decide if I'm looking forward to the *ahem* shit hitting the proverbial fan. It should prove pretty entertaining, though.

p.s. Also? And this is not meant to insult any of you on my friends list that use it...but Twitter drives me absolutely crazy. In general. As a thing. But then, before coming to Japan I didn't really see the point of having cellphones all the time, either, so go fig.

p.p.s. Seriously, Mameshiba > Rihito any day. I'm embarrassed I'm watching that at all. :P

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