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Kaiji! SPOILERS AHEAD
I just watched Kaiji!
It's one of the best movie I've watched in recent years. In fact, I like it better than Sherlock Holmes.
Plot-wise, taking the ridiculous premises (of a corporation's cult-like employees following their president's instructions to build an underground empire by tricking hopeful, follish people into great debts and then enslaving them underground) for granted, is excellent. There was not a single point during the 2hr 5 min movie that was slow moving. Everything was fast, but well explored. And this is one of the very very very few movies which made me go "Oh no, don't end so soon. More more more" as I watched.
There were times when my heart went doki-doki, and it really felt so nerve wrecking that I was clenching my chest! Especially the scene at the bridge, just before the people started to get onto the bridge. It was sooooo tensed! I felt so afraid for the people! And just a while later, I started crying, because the middle age man for whom Kaiji went to the underground site with decided to give up. He decided to commit suicide. But before doing that, he cheered Kaiji on, saying that Kaiji would definitely be able to cross over safely. He trusted him, and even gave Kaiji his coupon, entrusting him to pass the money to his daughter. He's not just trusting that Kaiji will be able to make it out of that hell, but also that Kaiji will not covet the money. And then...Kaiji, after deciding that it was futile trying to persuade the man, turned away and started inching forward. But he continued to tell the man that the man's life isn't nothing. It isn't....and then...he turns back, only to see nothing behind.
That was also wthe part where I loveeeeee the cinematography. Beautifully done! When Kaiji turned around and starting talking to the man, the camera was filming from his back. But when he turned back to look at the man, the camera switched angles and filmed from his front, slowly drawing into a wide angle to include the area behind Kaiji, where the man was supposed to be standing. Yet...he was gone, without a word. So beautiful. There were many other scenes that be really beautifully shot, but I can't really remember.
Characters were not exaggerated either. The bad guy isn't pure evil. He's just very elitist and full of himself. But he's not the crazy pyscopath kind of villian. He is fallable too.
And of course, Kaiji. He's a simple guy, a loser maybe. But he's not the male version of mary jane. He falls to temptations too. He trusts others too easily sometimes. But when he wants to, he can cheat others without caring about the consequences his actions have on them (well, they deserved it anyway). In the end, he's just another person trying to live. And when he survives, he indulges in good food, feeding his humna desires. No big talk about what he has learnt from the ordeal. Just...enjoying his freedom.
A great movie, and I'm going to get the dvd. Loved it!
The only waste was that Kenichi-kun didn't appear much, and he had to die so suddenly. But...I'm really glad for him, and his acting. Yappari an experienced actor! Tatsuya-kun is pretty good, though not as polished as Kenichi. Still, he totally owned the character and will most likely be my favourite character this year. =)
[EDIT] I was browsing the Kaiji wiki and saw this---> 編の製作が決定し、2011年に公開が予定されている。
YATTA! I hope it's the same people, coz Kaiji has escaped already right? =/ Don't give me some other random people....but if it's called Kaiji, it should still have him ne.
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I started this 'project' very randomly. I was listening to 5x10 on repeat mode and the line "一人ぼっちで覗いた空を あなたも見ているのかな" kept repeating in my head. So, I rewrote that line "あなたたちで覗いた空を みんなも見ているんだな". And it was interesting doing so, hence I continued. Before I knew it, I had rewritten the whole song. And I approached my collab group to record it.
There were hiccups and bottlenecks, but after about 6 months, it's finally out. I feel so touched! Thanks to them, I'm able to convey these feelings to Arashi (or even just Aiba's mother would be good). It's like watching your child get born. He may not be perfect, but he's my child. You know, just like Arashi's Carnival Night part 2, this is also a part 2, because it's our second attempt at recording.
So, have a look at it. We made a booklet to go with the cd and I'm sharing the beautiful pages with my neighbours. Please don't take it out of here yo (though I don't see why you would).
Concept: Our thoughts and feelings are embedded inside the "5x10 fan version", and we send them on a 5-coloured rainbow to our dearest Arashi. It's inspired by the 5x10 Clips dvd, where there was a bus in the middle of a jungle. We wanted to have a plane in the middle of clouds, but the plane was too hard to draw.
Concept: Our logo, and our history. Inspired by the 5x10 pamphlet where they introduced Arashi. The logo was inspired by Arashi's very own, of course. And we realised that like Arashi, we had 4 members from Singapore and one from Indonesia. XD
Concept: Our messages to Arashi, written in the colour of the member we were singing the part of. The stripes are the rainbow stripes, and the end of one joins the beginning of another, so they merge into one.
- Sho's stripe is quite unsteady as he's often excited.
- Nino's is mostly straight but at some point it starts to build tension, and that's when you push the right button.
- Aiba's stripe is extremely active, going here and there and even out of the page! You can never guess what this guy is thinking of.
- Ohno's stripe is very very very steady, and even if his tension gets raised, it'll always expressed just slightly.
- And lastly, Jun's stripe, which is quite smooth, going along with the flow.
Having typed that out, I realise that our group is quite the same. Our Ohno is good at art, and the better singer. Our Nino is the relaxed one with a unique, slightly kiddish voice. Our Aiba is....ok quite different. Our Sho is quite high tensioned. And our Jun (lol) is quite majime.
Our lyrics! Here's a brief translation (excluding the chorus since only 1 word was changed):
“Why do you like them?”
Often asked that, we thought about it
Exactly, why?
You who sing so well on stage
You worked your best to achieve top, right?
“I’m glad I’m with Arashi” Such words from the heart
The Arashi that speaks like that, the close Arashi lives in our hearts nowThe baka that always breaks into smile
Then there’s one who’s passionate about work and took flight out of the idol world
Next, his love is warm, right?
He is gentle only to him
The riida who is not ambitious
Just a gentle person
Lastly
The one who uses his own method to moisturize the groupExperiences gathered during the Jr days
Precisely because you overcame them
Because everyone was there
You could smileThe smiles you gave each other innocently
Showed us you love towards each member
When we realize, along the way, that made us
Like every memberBecause we want to get closer, step by step
From various countries, we gathered
Can this love reach you?
We’ll send it out once more here
We express our unchanging passionate thoughts
The future we hoped FOR YOU
We’ll let you ride on the rainbow ahead, fly
Paint the surroundings with shinning coloursThe sky you peeked at
Everyone is also looking at it
Hey, let’s sing facing the sky
Yes, to the limits of our strengthThe bond we made if it won’t dissipate
We will swear this love, hundred years from now
May the storm never calm downWe should be more thankful
So we want to try convey to you
Thank you
From now on too, thank youThat we, who had worries,
Can smile now, is because you are here
Five of you here Always hereIn the days ahead, regardless of what happens
Continue to smile because we will support you
Smiles are, look smiles areWhat tie fans and you together always
If you look at the second verse, it's a description of each of the guys, and the description includes a kanji from the respective guy's name! =) We had wanted to highlight this with their colours, but then we thought we should let them have the fun of finding out themselves!
Production credits
Concept: Our dear members, dressed in Arashi concert costumes!
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Comments transfered from vox
pettomomo wrote:
Mar 20, 2010
aww so sweet. I think I should work on something and send it to Arashi sometime soon too.
You'll be mailing this to Arashi right? (sending to Johnny's address)?
Arashi will be so touched.