Monday, January 28, 2008

Tennis no Oujisama Nationals OVA Ep. 13 - Deathmatch: ~King vs. Prince~ Thoughts

Quite an interesting match, as far as getting to know Ryoma’s and Atobe’s characters goes. How do you know this will be an amazing episode?

Insert class-A cockiness, a verbal beatdown, crazy bets, and hysterical laughter before the match even starts and you know it’ll be a good one.

While the match is good, and I usually have something deeper to talk about on blogs like this, with this match it’s difficult to come up with some philosophical view on it, so I’m resorting to discussing the main characters. Perhaps I’ll find something to discuss within Ryoma or Atobe.

First, Atobe Keigo.

Perhaps if everyone knows what my initial reaction to Atobe was, and why that was my reaction, it will be a bit easier for you to see why, after this episode, I connect to him on somewhat of a better level. Upon first meeting Atobe, I thought him a snotty, pampered, narcissist jerk with an overinflated ego who could only win a match by doing injury to his opponent… who might also possibly be somewhat insane.

Reasons: Atobe is an only child, and his parents are excessively rich. Atobe has his own gym, for crying out loud. He has a gorgeous face, lovely deep voice, and amazingly fashionable outfits. Plus, during his match with Tezuka, he purposely drew out the match in order to injure Tezuka enough that Tezuka wouldn’t be able to play tennis again. That’s really quite an evil thing to do, if you ask me.

As for the ego thing… he calls himself “ore-sama” (to those of you that don’t speak Japanese, that’s a rather disturbingly high level upon which to say “I”), continually brags that his prowess is something to be amazed at, or that shines brighter than the sun (no lie), constantly values himself over others, and has a song called “My Charm Point is My Tear-Mole” (the beauty spot under his right eye). If that doesn’t sum up Atobe in a nutshell, I’m not quite sure what does.

His actions following the match with Tezuka-buchou somewhat won over my grudging will to at least respect him, but he was still someone I was fairly unable to connect to. Beautifully-structured, too good to have lost a match, and not really having any reason to improve himself, Atobe was to me, like Fuji, one of the more dull characters.

I know a lot of people like Atobe (whether it’s just because he is, in fact, one of the better-looking characters, or because of his personality, I don’t know) and I’m not sure how to respond to that. He was a character I believed I would hate with a passion, and though that didn’t necessarily end up being case, it’s not been an easy road for him to worm his way up into my “top ten” characters. I’ve really had a hard time coming to like him as much as I do, seeing as every time I do think I might start to like him he does something that really puts me off. It’s not for lack of trying – it’s just the way he is. He’s a very on-and-off character to me.

So, onto this episode and how my opinion of him has changed.

I could only focus on one thing my first watch through, however, something that I won’t go into too much detail on: This episode gives me more than one reason that would probably be good enough to send Atobe to a mental institute. To be honest, the man (boy?) is insane. While throughout the entire series, I’ve been thinking to myself that maybe, just maybe, Atobe needs some help, I think this episode pretty much solidified my suspicious that Atobe’s not wired quite right in the head.

It’s something you kind of have to watch to understand. Anyway. On with the more serious stuff.

I must also point out that in this episode, Atobe looks extremely… evil. But since I’m not one to care too much about his appearance, it didn’t put me off for too long. What really caught my attention from the very beginning of the episode (the second watch-through) was Atobe already underestimating Ryoma, far before the match even started. With the declaration he would shave his head if he lost, followed by the rather (rude) comment that Ryoma hasn’t reached Tezuka’s level yet.

Atobe has been, I think, dangerously obsessed with Tezuka-buchou since their match. He has been training and training to face Tezuka, and instead faces Ryoma. His irritation is obviously clear in the condescending way he treats Ryoma throughout the match, though he’s well aware of Ryoma’s prowess in the world of middle school tennis. Him expecting Ryoma to be at Tezuka’s level, though I do agree that Ryoma probably is almost there, seems like a bit of a far stretch, especially given Ryoma’s personality.

Even so, even though he is probably (justly) underestimating Ryoma, you would think he might have remembered what happened to other opponents who did just that. Sanada Gen’ichirou, The Emperor, vice-captain of the Rikkai Daigaku Fuzoku Chuu tennis team, notably comes to mind.

Atobe also seems a little too intent on dragging Muga no Kyouichi, the State of Self-Actualization, out of Ryoma. That seems like a bit of a cocky thing to do, and I’m once again remembering the fate of Sanada once Ryoma showed he can achieve Muga no Kyouichi. But, once Ryoma is forced to comply when Atobe shows his Tannhäuser Serve, Atobe comments that Muga no Kyouichi is nothing special, and thus engages what I call the “Match of Stealing Other People’s Moves”.

What struck me as odd is the difference between Ryoma’s actual Muga and Atobe’s repelling of it with the same method – using moves that aren’t yours, but that you have experienced or watched. For the most part, Ryoma uses moves such as Akutsu Jin’s Devil Tennis, Tanishi Kei’s Big Bang, and Hiyoshi Wakashi’s Enbu Tennis in order to return the ball; in other words, he uses the techniques of those he’s defeated in matches and, in a way, “inherited” the move. Atobe uses techniques he’s merely witnessed, such as Kai Yuujirou’s Viking Horn, and Oshitari Yuushi’s Higuma Otoshi. He comments on the fact that if all Muga no Kyouichi is is the unpredictable switching and using of other’s techniques, he doesn’t require it to win. In this way, he elevates himself above Ryoma, and demonstrates that he does not need Muga in order to accomplish the using of other techniques which, in deeper thought of it, would probably be very difficult to pull off in a normal state of mind without having practice.

I find this irritating, but it’s an interesting way of showing Atobe’s superiority complex.

And, at the same time, I laugh because Atobe’s unnecessarily complicated education allows him to actually understand what Ryoma is saying while he’s in Muga (Ryoma usually speaks English while in the State of Self-Actualization). Atobe seems to be one of the few people in the series that can understand English (I remember a match when he had to translate everything the opponents said for his doubles partner).

He also takes the opportunity to degrade Ryoma’s level of play, stating that just because he can achieve Muga no Kyouichi doesn’t mean he can reach Tezuka’s level. He then takes the opportunity to take out his frustration at this fact on Ryoma by doing something that is somewhat frightening: he returns the ball in such a way that Ryoma is completely unable to react to.

Thanks to entering Sanada-fukubuchou’s memories, we’re able to see the beginnings and finalizing of this technique. It appears that one day, Atobe showed up at Rikkai Daigaku Fuzoku Chuu’s campus and challenged Sanada to a match (the Tango Pair is breaking up, it seems). Sanada’s play level is ridiculously high – he is the one that forced Ryoma to enter Muga no Kyouichi for the first time, and subsequently lost due to Muga’s influence over Ryoma – so it seems he has no problem driving Atobe into a wall. However, Atobe does the same thing that he has done to Ryoma in the present time – hit the ball in a way that makes it physically impossible for Sanada to return.

Though I’m sure Sanada-fukubuchou would have loved to attempt to escape from this, Yukimura-buchou steps in to stop the match and sends Atobe on his way home. When Sanada asks him why he stopped the match, Yukimura-buchou replies that, had the match continued, Sanada would have lost.

A scary thought, especially since Sanada is considered one of the best middle-school players in the country.

Atobe’s Koori no Sekai, or World of Ice, renders Ryoma completely incapable of returning Atobe’s shots. Again, Atobe continues to stroke his ego and elevate himself above Ryoma, shattering blind spot after blind spot.

Since I like to look into move names, let’s take a look at Koori no Sekai. First of all, it’s a world that only Atobe can see. Granted, it’s his insight, but that gives it all the more touch of a pompous individuality. Normally, I would think another player would call it a type of “sight” or “vision”, yet Atobe calls it a “world”. A world where he is the supreme ruler, a world that only he can glimpse and use… Atobe has ascended to a type of god mentality.

Secondly, everyone has a reaction to the word “ice”. I think the general reaction is that of freezing, part of the cold, hopeless, darkness of winter. If you’re frozen, you can’t move. You can hardly keep alive. Plus, anything that’s frozen is several times easier to break.

A world of painful, hopeless death is what I’m looking at.

Atobe says of Koori no Sekai: “Human beings can’t react to dead angles, no matter how much they try. Seeing the dead angles accurately, and making the opponent immovable like he’s frozen… this is Koori no Sekai.”

… okay, since you’re all looking at me funny, I’ll go ahead and admit it. I respect Atobe for achieving this level, no matter how terrible it is. It’s a level that appears that no one else has attained, so I can only imagine the hard work Atobe put into being able to reach this state. I dislike the way he flaunts it, but I do find it admirable that he would have worked so hard to get to this point.

Change in opinion number one.

Ryoma’s response, after awhile of trying and trying, is to pull out what we know is going to tick Atobe off: the Tezuka Zone. Of course, this makes Atobe very angry. He seems to think Tezuka is standing in his way, and, the way he’s looking at things, I say: “Well… of course he is. You’re letting him get in your way. If everything you see happen, you rationalize through Tezuka, you’ll never be rid of him. Never.”

And still, Atobe refuses to even doubt himself, continues to degrade Ryoma in his mind, more and more. Even as Ryoma catches up and starts to overtake him, Atobe still says, “You can’t win against me. You’ll never win, ever.” He even goes so far as to yell at Tezuka that the reason Seigaku is about to fail is because Tezuka passed on the title of the “pillar of support” to a freshman.

But, even then, I see something very strange happen: Atobe wants to win. He begins to try his hardest to win the match. He doesn’t treat it like a cat-and-mouse game, like he usually does, where he plays long to wear out his opponents and then easily smashes them. He shows his true self, his true power, shine through from under the restraints he self-imposed in order to play in his own little world.

As the Hyoutei coach Sakaki says, Atobe has chosen his responsibility as a captain to win for Hyoutei. Ultimately, I think Atobe became this way after watching Tezuka fight halfway to death for the same reason: victory falls to the one that leads and supports the group. Atobe has thrown away his own wants in order to be able to shoulder this duty for his team, for the school.

In the end, that’s what made me begin to understand and connect to him. He’s no longer selfish, but has realized what he couldn’t understand before. He has done what he needs to do in order to sustain himself in the long run. In my mind, he’s changed from a spoiled, pampered brat to a young man who’s learned to take responsibility for himself, a young man who’s a hard worker and one that is willing to continue to work hard for victory.

Perhaps not entirely. But he’s on his way.

And, after that rather lengthy rant about Atobe, what of Echizen Ryoma?

The rant on Ryoma will be a lot shorter. :P Since Ryoma’s the main character he’s a bit easier to learn about and understand, especially through nearly 178 episodes of having him appear at least once.

I think this episode is where I noticed for the first time that Ryoma has become much more mature, both appearance-wise and personality-wise. It’s true that he still acts fairly like his old snarky self, but there’s somewhat of a more grown-up touch to it that made me watch the match with Ryoma in a new light.

I’m not quite sure whether he suddenly became mature, or if it’s just suddenly hit me in this episode. In the beginning, Ryoma came across as quiet, aloof, cocky, socially dense, and somewhat of a brat, but since you see him so much it was easy to learn that although he is all of the aforementioned things, he’s also a good, kind-hearted, proper traditional Japanese boy who respects his elders and who seems to truly want to do his best.

Despite that, he’s always seemed a bit immature to me. Always, through 178 episodes, Ryoma was always a bit on the immature side. Today, I finally saw him growing up a bit.

It definitely is weird to think of Ryoma growing up, in any sense. Thinking of him being as tall as Momo or Kaidou, or even Tezuka-buchou, with a deep voice scares me, quite frankly. I kept noticing all through this episode, over and over again, that Ryoma is beginning to resemble his brother Ryoga, even more so than before.

I guess real-life aging in an anime wouldn’t be unwelcome. There are far too many where, no matter how many in-universe years pass, the characters never really physically age (Kaiba Seto of Yu-Gi-Oh comes to mind). It would be a little weird, though, to see our tiny little Ryoma becoming tall and becoming a man.

However, there’s no doubt to the maturing of his personality. Ryoma has seen his teammates work and suffer (namely Tezuka-buchou, who Ryoma seems to truly admire), and has grown and evolved himself through hundreds of hours. He’s been separated from the team he’s worked so hard with to go play in a tournament in America. No less to mention, Ryoma himself has been injured several times, and has been backed into so many corners there’s been no way around him needing to improve himself. However, only Ryoma can go through such personality growth, and still retain his trademark traits.

As I mentioned earlier, it’s not as if Ryoma is a completely different person. He’s just acting a little more mature – at least enough so that I notice it for the first time.

It’s nice that he hasn’t become a completely different person, as I’ve seen that happen too much in other anime as well. Usually, when characters reach a point when they begin to develop, they become too different. It’s almost like you’re reading or watching a different manga or anime than you thought you were. I usually become somewhat alienated from a series when such a drastic thing takes place, since I’ve experienced people who completely change in real life. It’s difficult to know how to treat and act around them. I’ve literally seen someone at the end of school, then seen them at the beginning of the next school year two months later and hardly recognized them because they’ve changed so much. It’s a hard thing, to have to try to remember that this person before you is someone you thought you knew so well.

He still acts as recklessly as ever, but to still have a Ryoma that’s the same, only growing up normally like the rest of us, is a refreshing thought.

/character rants.

Of course, the most startling part of this episode is where it got the name “Deathmatch” from.

That’s right. Let’s discuss quickly the end of the episode and the impact it had on me.

Take a look at this image and tell me if this doesn’t grant the episode its title:




















Ha! You thought I would just show you, right? XD *pelted with rotten tomatoes*

I thought it was funny. Anyway, go ahead and look.






















Ryoma and Atobe have played themselves into a 117-117 tiebreak round and, rightly, have played past their limits. They’re exhausted. Since they refuse to let the other win, they’ve played themselves from afternoon right up until sundown, played to the point they can’t even stand.

This is where I really start to respect Atobe. Unwilling to lose after he’s fought this hard and gotten this far, he struggles to his feet, much to the elation of his teammates.

Ryoma, also, fights his way to his feet and, despite being completely exhausted, makes his serve and takes the point with a Twist Serve. Only then does he notice that, though he’s standing, Atobe is unconscious.

Atobe’s desire to win might have surpassed his physical limits, had they not already been passed a long time ago. I respect that. I admire that. That’s the kind of person I want to be.

Ryoma acknowleges Atobe is strong, and thus Seigaku finally, finally wins the round and heads into the semifinals of the Nationals. It’s a bitter blow for Hyoutei, who came so close yet again to winning over Seigaku.

However, as it seems to go in the Seigaku vs. Hyoutei matches, it doesn’t really end up being a decision by skill, but one by willpower. Seigaku truly lucked out – had Ryoma not stood up and taken his serve, they would have lost.

Perhaps it’s a sort of “rebirth” idea. The two have definitely changed through the course of the match. Their “old selves” died, and now they have gotten back to their feet, a new person, stronger than before. As for Atobe’s passing out… maybe he wasn’t quite ready to become his new self XP (< -- making stuff up now).

And, now that I’ve effectively wasted all your time with this and probably melted your brains (and slowed down your server with all the images), I’ll leave you to ponder my thoughts. Please share your own. I’m always happy to know how others feel about things like this. :)


Plus, if you've managed to actually read this whole thing, you get mad props and a cookie from me.




[Screencaps taken by me, so if you feel like taking them, please give me credit mmmkay? :)]

Thursday, January 24, 2008

It's Just...

Sometimes, the way things in life hit me are ridiculously painful, even though, in this case, it's something I've been attempting to overcome for nearly two years now.

Don't know the story? Well, here's a brief version of it. Be warned that it will sound like an extremely bad chick flick:

Once upon a time there was a girl and there was a boy. Girl loved boy, boy didn't like girl, but boy didn't tell girl that he was dating someone else. Boy acted like he liked the girl, which made the girl happy. Two months later, the girl found out the boy was dating another girl, from a friend of the boy's. Girl becomes depressed. Girl finds out that everyone knew that the boy was dating someone else but didn't tell her. Girl becomes more depressed. Girl goes away to a foreign country for six months and thinks that she's over the boy. Girl comes home, sees boy her first day back, and boy hugs her tightly and tells her he missed her so much. Girl, despite having put up defenses, forgives him and finds she still loves him. Boy acts nice for a couple weeks, then ignores her for two weeks. Girl becomes depressed. After a couple weeks, boy acts nice and gets the girl's hopes up before subsequently crushing them again. Girl swears every time that this time, this time she won't get upset, and every time fails because girl still really does like him. Rinse, repeat.

Two years on March 30th.

Now, this rant will either do one of two things - make you sympathize with me, or make you think I'm stupid. To be honest, I'd rather you think I'm stupid, because I think I'm stupid.

I can't quite figure out what it is about him that makes me hold on to my feelings despite how much I've been hurting. There has been many a night I've come home and just wanted to crawl into a dark corner of the world, never to be seen again. There's been several nights I've come home and just gone to cry to my parents.

It's hard, to know that you're the only one between the two of you that feels that way. It's hard to think that maybe, maybe you're over it, maybe you've learned your lesson, only to fall for his smile over and over again. It's hard to not understand just why you still feel that way, when it feels like you can never feel that way about anyone else, when you've only suffered from what you've felt.

The reason it's so hard for me to let go (maybe) is because he doesn't act the way I know he is. If I knew he really were the way he acts, I'd have an easier time of it. But I know what he's really like.

I've been angry. In fact, there's been a great many times I've been angry at him, enough that I'd tell myself, "Today, I'll slap him and let him know what a jerk he's being" or, "Today, I'm just going to flat-out tell him he's *insert name-calling*". But I can never do it. I've had so many opportunities to hit him, to scream at him, to do anything to relieve myself of the anger. But I can't.

Okay, at this point some of you are probably scoffing at me, saying it's just a phase, you'll get over it, it's just a crush, blah blah etc blah.

But, tell me then... why does it hurt so much?

Listening to: "CRYING SKY" by Minagawa Junko as Echizen Ryoma
Eating: Nothing. I feel too sick.
Reading: Cantarella, vol. 1
Watching: Tennis no Oujisama Nationals OVA ep. 13 - Deathmatch - King vs. Prince
Wanting: An answer.

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

After the Cleanse

Okay, so I know I didn't update after around six or seven days on my cleanse master blog, because a) I was too busy and b) ... I just didn't want to. :|

So, what's the final say on the cleanse?

I think I feel better about it now that I'm off XD I lost, in total, around 11 lbs. and 2 1/2" off my waist. I do feel a lot happier, healthier, and cleaner, and I do have energy abound (enough to go through the "Night of a Thousand Cuts" at gumdo lessons and come out having hardly even lost my breath). I'll probably do it again sometime in the future... maybe in the beginning of May or June. It was really hard, but I'd do it again.

Now... onto the rest of my life...

The new semester started last week on Monday. My current classes are:

A1 - AP Art History
A2 - Mandarin Chinese 1
A3 - Art Foundations (TA)
A4 - AP Literature and Composition

B1 - AP Biology
B2 - Seminary/Release Time
B3 - AP U.S. Government
B4 - Advanced Web Page Design

... Yes, 4 AP classes. Plus web design is a college-level class as well. If I hadn't transferred into Art Foundations to TA, I'd still be stuck in Multimedia Design and Development, yet another college-level class.

But this way, I feel my classes are a little more balanced. I have two AP classes and two easy classes a day (Chinese is easy, since I seem to have a knack for picking up languages. My teacher even gave me an extra book to read today while everyone else worked on translating a page of characters). Now, as long as I can pull through with good grades to mid-May, I'm in the clear for graduating with high honours.

It also means I spend a lot of my free time studying though. =_=U At least, my free time at night. I find it easier to study at night because at that point I've run myself out of things to do, so I can settle down and actually work rather than being distracted.

I'm also spending a lot of time right now studying Japanese. I've gotten into the university, but I should be having an interview to get into a Japanese language dormitory in a few weeks. Though I'm pretty sure the interview won't be in Japanese, I'm still panicking and studying.

Part of my studying is translating stuff, in order to look at grammar, conjugation, particle use, vocabulary expansion, etc. I think I may post translations of songs sometime in the near future... maybe.

I've also figured out how to use my Japanese word processor now as well, so that's helping me speed things along as far as reading and translating go. Thank goodness for mistakes that actually teach you things.

So, that's my blurb for now. :P Off I go to work on some AP Gov stuff.

Friday, January 18, 2008

Tennis no Oujisama Nationals OVA Ep. 15 – Thoughts

With a beautiful face, gorgeous blue eyes, silky brown hair, pale skin, slender figure, and quiet, gentle voice, Fuji Syuusuke, to be honest, has got to be one of the most boring main characters from this series.

A shock to those of you who know me? Yes. I do think Fuji is boring, at least as far as a character reputation goes. Even more boring than Ryoma. Why?

Because he’s never, ever lost a match.

“Genius” Fuji Syuusuke, “Tensai” Fuji Syuusuke, whatever you care to call him. Put aside the fangirl drool-inducing appearance and you’ve a pretty shallow character. We don’t really get to see deep into Fuji, aside from the fact he’s a sadist and likes to see other people suffer more than basically anything else, and that he is obsessively protective of his younger brother Yuuta. We know that Fuji has a habit of showing up randomly behind people, sneaking along in the background (I, quite clearly, remember one episode where my eye was caught by Fuji ever-so-conspicuously walking past), and is a technical genius when it comes to tennis.

Still, the fact that he’s never lost serves to dull his character.

Fuji could be a rather good well-rounded character, if he’d have a good history of losing matches. Since he’s never lost, he’s never had a reason to really try to improve, just the same as anyone else in a situation like unto it. Why fix what’s not broken?

In contrast, Ryoma is constantly losing, if only to his father. While it did take losing to Tezuka-buchou to stimulate Ryoma to improve himself, Ryoma has, time after time, been pushed into corners that require him evolving to some degree in order to scrape a victory, basically right from the very start.

Fuji doesn’t have that. So, disregarding the blatant humour I like to poke at Fuji while watching episodes, he rather seems to fade into the background and, story progressive-wise, become as obscure as some of the characters that you don’t see much. At least to me.

Until this episode.

In the Nationals, in the battle against Osaka’s Shitenhouji Chuu, Fuji faces off against the captain of Shitenhouji’s tennis team, Shiraishi Kuranosuke. And, right off the bat, an epic and miraculous thing happens:

Fuji can’t win. Not even a point.

I won’t deny the fact I was a little excited. Seeing someone lose is always fun, even if at the same time I feel bad because it does negatively affect their team. But since it was Fuji, I really didn’t feel too bad. To see Shiraishi’s “Tennis Bible” consecutively break down all of Fuji’s Triple Counters and make Fuji scramble desperately for a way to win was wholly pleasant, as nasty as it may sound.

Watching Fuji run all over the court, I thought to myself, “Finally, Fuji will lose. This way, he’ll evolve. This way, he’ll become better. This way, he can change. He won’t stay the same throughout the entire series. That’s good.” Developing characters are always more interesting than static ones, even if it means in-universe suffering and defeat. Sometimes, to be honest, I wish something like this would happen a little more often in fiction. I’ve read too many books, too many stories, where the main character(s) continue to win, win, win, with whatever they already had going for them and just keep going on, no harm done, or where they just stay the same no matter what happens.

For awhile, I was afraid the same thing would happen here – that maybe Fuji just had no interest in winning and thus wasn’t trying. It sounds ridiculous, especially at a stage like the National Tournaments, but I wouldn’t put it past Fuji to be so casual. He’s shown before he really couldn’t be made to care less about a match.

But, it seems something about Shiraishi pushed Fuji to become better.

Okay, so my heart did ache a little bit to see Fuji so beaten. But just a little. As I’ve mentioned, it’s for his own good, as a character and as a competitor.

With a beatdown from Shiraishi, one game from a perfect loss, and a little bit of cockiness from Ryoma, Fuji got to his feet and entered the realm of character development.

… Well, at least visibly, the realm technique development.

Tsubame Gaeshi (Swallow Return), a move which utilizes the opponent’s return, hits the ground and due to the incredible amount of topspin, rolls along the court. Shiraishi defeats this move by returning it before it hits the ground. Tsubame Gaeshi becomes Houou Gaeshi (Phoenix Return), which has the same concept save that it drops a lot faster and closer to the net.

Higuma Otoshi (Bear Drop), which neutralizes the force of an opponent’s smash and returns the ball, which bounces right inside the baseline. Shiraishi was too strong for Fuji to completely neutralize the spin. Higuma Otoshi becomes Qilin Otoshi (Qilin Drop), in which Fuji uses both hands to return the ball, thus able to control the force of Shiraishi’s return.

Hakugei (White Whale), where Fuji causes the ball to “hop” into the air by forcing more spin onto the ball. It lands just inside the baseline and returns to Fuji’s hand with the help of the wind. Shiraishi broke this by waiting at the net to hit the ball back. Hakugei becomes Hakuryuu (White Dragon), which, instead of returning to Fuji, bounces off to the side.

And finally, Fuji completes his “final counter”, Hecatonchires no Monban (Gatekeeper of Hecantochires). He quadruples the spin of the ball and returns it. Due to the incredible spin, the ball will not go past the net…. effectively scaring the living daylights out of Shiraishi and myself.

Well, that’s good and all… but has anything become of Fuji’s personality in the meantime?

Yeah, I think so.

Forgive the long episode summary, but I think it’s a good background to looking into hints that Fuji might have changed and become a deeper character.

Now, you can call this the AP Literature student in me, but I’ve found symbolism in the evolution of Fuji’s technique that may denote a change in his personality, however slight. While all four mythical beings – phoenix, qilin, dragon, and Hecatonchires – may simply be recognized as just powerful, fantastical beings, they can be read deeply. Syncretion, I think is the art history word for it. Tabun.

First of all, the implications of “Houou.” We all know the story of the phoenix’s triumphant revival from its ashes after it has burst into flame at the end of its life. Anyone that’s read Harry Potter should know that, and if you did read that whole series and don’t know, shame on you. This, to me, is a rather explicit symbol – Fuji has realized he cannot continue on as he was, and, after destruction, begins to rise higher than he had before.

A “qilin”, to anyone unfamiliar with the term (including myself), is a mythological Chinese beast. From my reading on the subject, it symbolizes the Chinese ruì, serenity and peace. It punishes the wicked and is normally gentle, but can become fierce if a pure person is threatened by a sinner. Assuming the name “qilin” was meant to be read into this far, we can scrape out of this Fuji’s attitude towards his trouncing, and towards Shiraishi.

Now “ryuu” or dragon. In China, the 5-clawed dragon was the symbol of the emperor and a representative of the primal nature of earth, religion, and the universe, of wisdom, and longevity. Aside from these powerful implications as to what (maybe) Fuji sees of himself, there is also the ancient Japanese belief that seahorses one day grow into full-fledged dragons – an idea of something humble and small becoming great.

Finally, the Hecantonchires were three colossal figures of archaic Greek mythology and were part of the beginning of things, as they were the children of Uranus and Gaia. Supposedly, they were giants of incredible strength and ferocity. … Perhaps Fuji is not just honourably naming his moves, but again implying his opinion of himself?

Of course, these things may or may not be read into so deeply, as I believe I have already disclaimed.


And, what if we aren’t supposed to read into the names of Fuji’s techniques? What else points in the direction that he’s changed, something that’s already there that doesn’t require deep-reading?

Flashbacks are always a good clue.

A few episodes earlier, Fuji remembers that when confronted by Tezuka-buchou, upon hearing why Tezuka plays tennis, that he asked to be removed from the team, should he be standing in the way of Tezuka’s goal. Another flashback reveals that Fuji is aware he needs to be stronger in order to continue to win.

Situational hints are also good.

I think that after watching his teammates sacrifice so much and try their very hardest to win, Fuji feels pressured to not lose. At one point, after his “revival” initiated by Ryoma, Fuji screams, “I cannot allow myself to lose this match!” as he dashes to return a near-unreachable ball. Whether for selfish reasons, or because he does feel connected to the team on some level, Fuji demonstrates that, for once, he does want to win and he will push himself to the limits in order to accomplish a win.

Fortunately for anyone that is like me whom appreciates a character not having a perfect record, Fuji does lose. Thanks to Shiraishi, even Hecatonchires is broken by the end, after long, grueling attempts to counter the move. Shiraishi figures out that topspin will counter whatever spin Fuji has put on the ball, and, after going into tiebreak, Fuji slips up and smashes the ball barely outside the baseline, granting Shiraishi a 7-6 win.

Oh, stepping aside from Fuji, I'd like to mention another thing I like about this episode – the end of the match. It’s so nice to see good sportsmanship. Though Fuji is visibly upset, Shiraishi’s face tells no lies when he says “You’re strong” to his opponent. Fuji, with a weary smile, accepts the handshake. Back to Fuji and his possible personality change, he looks extremely frustrated and upset with himself when he sits down. He doesn’t seem to be able to bring himself to look at the rest of the team. That inof itself should be a good indication that something deep within Fuji, who has never before shown such great regret for the outcome of a match, has changed.

What grants me ability to ramble on about this happening with Fuji is the fact that the other characters have mentioned it before. Since Fuji's never gotten serious in a match, he's felt no inclination to win. Since he's never been under the threat of losing, he's felt no reason to improve, or to do his best.

It will be interesting to see if, in the future, Fuji will again cross somebody that can push him this far, and, if so, whether or not he has allowed this experience to teach him a valuable lesson.

/story and plotline comments.

A small technical compliment: I like these OVA episodes because the matches are never longer than two episodes at most. A match can be intense, but if it’s stretched out over four or five episodes like what happened in the anime, it does get a little dull. For a match like this, I think twenty minutes was a perfect amount of time to capture the highlights, get the important plot points down, and wrap it all up without losing intensity or anything of the sort.

In my opinion, "Roar" is truly a good example of an excellent episode.





[Screencaps taken by me, so if you take, please credit to me :)]

Friday, January 11, 2008

Master Cleanse

Yes, I have started on the health phenomenon known as the Master Cleanse. It is supposed to be a healthy, natural way to clean out your digestive system, lose weight, and gain energy. So, I am giving it a try. I'm aiming for ten days, which will mean I start rehabilitating from the cleanse on Sunday the 20th. I'm just going to keep a compilation blog on it with this post, updating every day or so.

So, let's see... this all started on

Wednesday, January 9th
Nothing too special happened. Just went to school, drinking my "lemonade" as usual. The biggest test of the first few days appeared though - work. I work at a pizza place, and my boss seemed to think it would be funny to put me on landing, where I take the freshly-baked pizza out of the oven, cut it, and box it, as well as on bread and side dishes. So I did so, working like that for five hours. Ouch. But I didn't eat anything, so I went home proud of myself.

Thursday, January 10th
Proof that the world is out to get me. First period, my biology teacher brought ice cream for the class. Second period, we watched a movie on how ice cream and pizza is made. ... okay. Went over to my friend's for lunch period so I wouldn't be lonely at school. She had barbeque pork sandwiches. At this point, I had to comment that if I went into third period and the seminary was offering doughnuts, I would just have to run away. Best of all, my mother sent me to the store to stock up on ingredients for the cleanse for the next few days, so I'm wandering around through the bakery, deli, dairy, freezer sections full of food carrying nothing but lemons and maple syrup.

Dropped 3 lbs. between Wednesday night and Thursday night.

Friday, January 11th
Yet another uneventful day, except for the fact there was no school. Sadly, this made it hard for me, since everyone decided to start baking/cooking stuff - French toast, pancakes, biscuits, etc. I spent most of the day down in my basement watching TV, or cleaning my room, in order to avoid the good-smellingness of the house. My friend came over a bit later, so that was helpful for the few hours we were together. After going over to her house for a few rounds of Dance Dance Revolution, I came home and started watching a new anime, "Loveless", which distracted me for the last few hours of the day.

Dropped 2 lbs. between Thursday night and Friday night.

Saturday, January 12th
Pretty uneventful too, though at this point I feel like I'm living in some alternate reality. Now it's too late to turn back - I can't eat anything now, definitely, or it will make me sick. So work went by in that kind of dreamlike state, with me staring at the food, only wishing I could eat.

My sensory functions are now misfunctioning. My lemonade tastes like apple cider, and whilst at work, when I got a whiff of melted cheese I tasted chocolate in my mouth.

Yes. Only five more days of it.

Sundary, January 13th
This has got to have been the worst day, bar-none. Though nothing really happened in the morning, my dad made some amazing-smelling beef stew with rolls. I simply sat in the family room watching Loveless and trying to ignore the scent as my family ate their dinner.

I love stew. It's got to be one of my most favourite foods.

Afterwards, we went to my grandparents' house for my uncle's birthday party. They had a lovely-looking double-decker chocolate cake. ... Again, I sat in the opposite room trying to ignore everyone eating the cake.

I start "rehabilitation" on Saturday. Until then, I must hold strong. Somehow. Then I may once again enjoy the pleasure of eating.

Monday, January 14th
At this point, I feel like nothing eventful will be happening for the rest of the ten days. My body has become used to this cleanse, so I'm either hungry or not hungry, which is a signal to me if I should drink or not. I have attained a dreamlike state... that "alternate reality" I spoke of earlier that's getting more and more detached from everyday life. I just go through my day, not thinking very much about what's going on around me. I'm kind of in my own little world, watching other people from a different perspective, rather than my own two eyes.

Yeah, that's how the day pretty much went.

Tuesday, January 15th
Today I have been more tired than all the other days put together. I've hardly been able to keep awake. The new semester started yesterday, which means I've some new classes, including a new AP class. That one was probably hardest to keep awake in, but it should be interesting. By the time I graduate I have the responsibility of being a knowledgeable citizen, able to vote according to what I think and believe.

... yeah, too bad I'll be out of the country for voting day.

Anyway, so school went by very slowly. I wish I could have slept in... but that's tomorrow. Tomorrow morning at six, I'll have officially been on the Master Cleanse for seven days.

Oh yeah, I must mention... as of right now I've lost at least 10 lbs and around 3 inches off my waist on the cleanse. Pretty good for seven days, if you ask me.

Though it has come with a price, after all.

Listening to: "Wasurenaikara" by Gackt
Eating: "Lemonade". If you can call it "eating"
Reading: Going back through my volumes of Godchild in preparation for the last one
Watching: Random Prince of Tennis episodes. Determination conquers all. This I must remember.
Wanting: Sonic Riders:Zero Gravity. Loved the first one, must have the sequel.

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Excitement? Yes...

My grades are doing well, I'm performing well in gumdo, have good hours at work, am /not/ getting completely snubbed by the boy I like (unlike the past few months), and I'm starting the Master Cleanse tomorrow.






Oh yeah, I got accepted to the local university too.





That is all.

Listening to: "Dreaming on the Radio" by Minagawa Junko as Echizen Ryoma
Eating: Cocoa with candy cane bits. Last time for at least a few weeks...
Reading: Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad
Watching: Prince of Tennis ep. 26 - The Strongest Man in Seigaku, Part II

Monday, January 7, 2008

New Year, Busy Year

That’s right. Here’s the outline of the way things will be going this year:

April: Take 4 AP tests. That's right. Count 'em. FOUR.
May: Turn 18, graduate from high school. Yaaaaaay.
June: Take a summer Japanese college class until the middle of August....maybe. Apply to go to Japan to take their international student exam. Getting a visa sometime around here to be able to go take that exam would be helpful too.
August: Write to two Japanese universities – one in Tokyo, one in Osaka – to get materials for applications.
September: Start university here while getting applications for the Japanese unis.
November: Fly to Japan to take the international student exams.
December: Receive scores from the Japanese exams, and send in applications for the universities.

Yes, that’s what I have to look forward to for the next year. Not to mention, in March of 2009 I’ll have to go back out to Japan to take entrance exams to the Tokyo university, unless I decide that I’d rather go to Osaka and just ditch the idea of Tokyo (which won’t happen, I’m pretty sure). If I get the word I’ve been accepted to Osaka (at the very least), I’ll have to get my student visa quickly, pack up, and be off before school starts in April.




Hurray for increasing the workload.



Listening to: "You got game?" by Kimeru
Eating: Nothing... just getting psyched up for what's to come
Reading: Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad (to be honest, getting a little tired of it)
Watching: Prince of Tennis ep. 25 - The Strongest Man in Seigaku, Part I