I am one of the smartest men of the new century. Whereas Plato's and Einstein's fields were philosophy and physics, respectively, my talent lies in information flow and the nature of humans.
Born a sensitive, I was able to understand the empirical state of any and all human, going so far as putting my finger on the pulse of societies and civilisations.
My great science, is human science.
It pains my enormous ego that I cannot, at this moment, share with you my insights and what I have done in a parlour scene. Or even my basic understanding of the human race.
I understand. That is my gift, as well as my curse. All of you have no capacity to understand my insight. How everything is clear to me, and is made even clearer on every subsequent day.
I have stared into the eyes of humanity, and I felt despair. Felt. As in, past tense, motherfucker.
I understand humans, and I do not like you.
Why should I allow you to exist? Why should I sit by and not take advantage of my knowledge, my insight? Consequences be damned, right?
For a long time, I subscribed to the samurai ethos. The Code of Bushido. The Code Duello. The Book of Five Rings. The romantic tales of knight-errants and their charging at windmills for honour, truth and freedom.
What if one day I discovered that the Book of Five Rings, was a lie? What if I discovered the key to controlling my conscience? What if one day I looked into the mirror, and discovered Lucifer staring right back at me?
Am I to be Faust, and damned for my forbidden knowledge? Am I to be Galactuc, Devourer of Worlds? Am I to be the Dreaming Celestial, whose wake would destroy the world? Am I the Phantom Stranger, to come and go, changing cosmic and celestial events with my every step?
No.
I am just me. And I am not sure whether you should be afraid or not.
Friday, December 10, 2010
Thursday, December 9, 2010
30 Minutes Over Broadway: Last Rites
Ah, it has come to this. The final instalment in one chapter of my life.
After this, it is all over. No more, no more, no more.
And I have 30 minutes to get it started. See you after the gap.
After this, it is all over. No more, no more, no more.
And I have 30 minutes to get it started. See you after the gap.
Fight the Fever
Yesterday, I was developing a fever.
There was also an incident of moving goalposts which is rather suspicious and counter-productive.
So, I started taking care of the fever. Now, my immune system is good enough nowadays that no fever can stay in my system for more than a few hours. It's a different story if it's a flu.
So I drank about two litres of fluids, stopped smoking for a few hours, and began some mental exercises. I sat on the bed and cleared my head, becoming aware of my breathing.
After two hours, I could feel the temperature go down. However, the effort drained me and I fell asleep.
I woke up today with no fever, just a feeling of tiredness.
There was also an incident of moving goalposts which is rather suspicious and counter-productive.
So, I started taking care of the fever. Now, my immune system is good enough nowadays that no fever can stay in my system for more than a few hours. It's a different story if it's a flu.
So I drank about two litres of fluids, stopped smoking for a few hours, and began some mental exercises. I sat on the bed and cleared my head, becoming aware of my breathing.
After two hours, I could feel the temperature go down. However, the effort drained me and I fell asleep.
I woke up today with no fever, just a feeling of tiredness.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
The Heart of the Cards
I am not a 17 year old on a bus back home after getting his SPM results.
I do not believe in destiny. Predestination is, to me, a concept for the lazy and the irresponsible.
The very thought that we do not control what happens to us is simply... escapist fantasy. We do determine each and every thing. More so than we think.
We control our actions, and that - in itself - is a huge responsibility, with far-reaching consequences both good and bad.
We also have the biggest influence on how we feel. Our emotions and our thoughts are all a result of our own decisions. We do not fully control our feelings or what we think, but we know enough of ourselves to determine what state of mind we will be in.
I say this, and there are things I am being irresponsible about. My smoking habit, for instance. It is costing me RM1,000 a month and perhaps much more in future medical bills. It is something that I need to handle.
The big relief is this thought in my head - this belief - that I control everything that happens to me. And no, I am not destined for anything, with a giant hand magically springing up from the sky and giving me gold and jewels and a magic sword as well as a VW Touareg.
I do not believe in destiny. Predestination is, to me, a concept for the lazy and the irresponsible.
The very thought that we do not control what happens to us is simply... escapist fantasy. We do determine each and every thing. More so than we think.
We control our actions, and that - in itself - is a huge responsibility, with far-reaching consequences both good and bad.
We also have the biggest influence on how we feel. Our emotions and our thoughts are all a result of our own decisions. We do not fully control our feelings or what we think, but we know enough of ourselves to determine what state of mind we will be in.
I say this, and there are things I am being irresponsible about. My smoking habit, for instance. It is costing me RM1,000 a month and perhaps much more in future medical bills. It is something that I need to handle.
The big relief is this thought in my head - this belief - that I control everything that happens to me. And no, I am not destined for anything, with a giant hand magically springing up from the sky and giving me gold and jewels and a magic sword as well as a VW Touareg.
Monday, December 6, 2010
Through the Asshole
I love the voices of Morgan Freeman, Patrick Stewart and Billy West.
So I got Morgan Freeman's Through The Wormhole - a documentary series on the fringes of science.
The very first episode was about scientific efforts in discovering God. Of particular interest to me is this research done by this doctor dude.
He created a God Helmet - basically a motorcycle helmet connected to scanners and an electromagnet. What it does is it stimulates a small part of the right hemisphere of the brain.
80% of people who take the test reports of sensing presence, sometimes as many as five or more. They report out of body experiences as well as sensations of heat and fire.
That magnet is just as powerful as a hairdryer. This experiment, if proven valid, could explain many things.
Since many of the historical religious leaders were struck with stuff like lightning, pain, and isolation.
So I got Morgan Freeman's Through The Wormhole - a documentary series on the fringes of science.
The very first episode was about scientific efforts in discovering God. Of particular interest to me is this research done by this doctor dude.
He created a God Helmet - basically a motorcycle helmet connected to scanners and an electromagnet. What it does is it stimulates a small part of the right hemisphere of the brain.
80% of people who take the test reports of sensing presence, sometimes as many as five or more. They report out of body experiences as well as sensations of heat and fire.
That magnet is just as powerful as a hairdryer. This experiment, if proven valid, could explain many things.
Since many of the historical religious leaders were struck with stuff like lightning, pain, and isolation.
Dirty Sax
I'm listening to my current theme song - the Detective Conan Theme Song.
I have always been a fan of Conan. Not from the beginning, though, as I was more of a Hajime Kindaichi fan. However, since that other manga proved to be annoying and repetitive, while Conan presented more variety and a classic design, I have been engrossed.
I have seen almost all the movies and ... is not willing to go through like, 400++ episodes?
I hope that the manga can be finished in my lifetime. The mysteries are holding up, but getting a bit stale.
I have used Conan's method in many real-life scenarios - not to catch murderers, but criminals of a more vile nature.
One of these days, I'll do a parlour scene, and explain all that I have done and set in motion. And woe, woe, woe to those who ever tried to fool me.
Cause the perfect crime has a human being as the ultimate murder weapon. I got that from a Ray Bradbury story.
I have always been a fan of Conan. Not from the beginning, though, as I was more of a Hajime Kindaichi fan. However, since that other manga proved to be annoying and repetitive, while Conan presented more variety and a classic design, I have been engrossed.
I have seen almost all the movies and ... is not willing to go through like, 400++ episodes?
I hope that the manga can be finished in my lifetime. The mysteries are holding up, but getting a bit stale.
I have used Conan's method in many real-life scenarios - not to catch murderers, but criminals of a more vile nature.
One of these days, I'll do a parlour scene, and explain all that I have done and set in motion. And woe, woe, woe to those who ever tried to fool me.
Cause the perfect crime has a human being as the ultimate murder weapon. I got that from a Ray Bradbury story.
Lesson of the Day: Toys in the Attic
I woke up today at close to 8pm, when I ordered some pizzas from Domino's.
After receiving them, I went out to teach some young kids about documentary filmmaking.
I came back, and the pizzas were still waiting for me.
Naturally, I strip off everything and ended up watching Detetective Conan, naked, eating pizza. I need to catch up on my work tonight, as my most recent attempt at quitting smoking has rendered me almost narcoleptic - hence sleeping till 8pm, and the pizzas can sustain me till morning.
I love food at their maximum Scoville. Meaning, I like food that is extremely hot. Back home, my concoction of the sambal belacan can beat anything on this planet.
The secret is to crush the seeds of the chilli - my family grows mutant chilli cross-bred from South African and Indian breeds. The naga jolokia - which stands at over a million Scoville (the scale to measure hotness) - does not stand a chance to our mutant breed.
So, yes, I am a lover of incendiary food. For the Domino's pizzas, I put all the dried chili flakes I could find in the package on them (I always ask for extras).
As I was eating, I began to feel a burning sensation on my balls. I was not smoking, so it couldn't be stray embers landing on my scrotum.
Venereal diseases that include symptoms of burning sensations include syphillis, which can cause blindness and madness. But I have always been very careful. Plus, the range of wide-spectrum antibiotics I have taken in the past few months and years would have wiped out any syphillis strain. Plus, if it was syphillis, then the penis would feel it, not the scrotum.
Another possible cause would be an insect bite or a sting. So I began using my hands - with the help of a small mirror - to check on my balls.
I see no lice, crabs or any insect bite marks whatsoever. But I did find... A CHILLI THINGY!
Apparently, because I was eating while naked, some bits of the dried chilli flakes dropped on my uncovered balls and caused the reaction.
Oh well. Nothing to worry about, then. I wiped my balls with a piece of wet tissue and then tried neutralising the damn chemical using first an alkaline-based solution, and then an acid-based one.
At the end of it all, it just took some meditation and breathing exercises to alleviate the pain and turn it into a soothing sensation instead.
The lesson is - do not eat while in the nude.
After receiving them, I went out to teach some young kids about documentary filmmaking.
I came back, and the pizzas were still waiting for me.
Naturally, I strip off everything and ended up watching Detetective Conan, naked, eating pizza. I need to catch up on my work tonight, as my most recent attempt at quitting smoking has rendered me almost narcoleptic - hence sleeping till 8pm, and the pizzas can sustain me till morning.
I love food at their maximum Scoville. Meaning, I like food that is extremely hot. Back home, my concoction of the sambal belacan can beat anything on this planet.
The secret is to crush the seeds of the chilli - my family grows mutant chilli cross-bred from South African and Indian breeds. The naga jolokia - which stands at over a million Scoville (the scale to measure hotness) - does not stand a chance to our mutant breed.
So, yes, I am a lover of incendiary food. For the Domino's pizzas, I put all the dried chili flakes I could find in the package on them (I always ask for extras).
As I was eating, I began to feel a burning sensation on my balls. I was not smoking, so it couldn't be stray embers landing on my scrotum.
Venereal diseases that include symptoms of burning sensations include syphillis, which can cause blindness and madness. But I have always been very careful. Plus, the range of wide-spectrum antibiotics I have taken in the past few months and years would have wiped out any syphillis strain. Plus, if it was syphillis, then the penis would feel it, not the scrotum.
Another possible cause would be an insect bite or a sting. So I began using my hands - with the help of a small mirror - to check on my balls.
I see no lice, crabs or any insect bite marks whatsoever. But I did find... A CHILLI THINGY!
Apparently, because I was eating while naked, some bits of the dried chilli flakes dropped on my uncovered balls and caused the reaction.
Oh well. Nothing to worry about, then. I wiped my balls with a piece of wet tissue and then tried neutralising the damn chemical using first an alkaline-based solution, and then an acid-based one.
At the end of it all, it just took some meditation and breathing exercises to alleviate the pain and turn it into a soothing sensation instead.
The lesson is - do not eat while in the nude.
Detective Conan: The Barbarian
I am Conan, The Barbarian.
While out on a date with Ran Sonja, I was attcked from behind by some sorcerers who made me drink a potion, turning me into a 9-year old kid!
Now, I stay with Ran, solving mysteries and trying to get back to my original state.
(Oh my. No one is going to get the Detective Conan and Conan the Barbarian references. So fuck this shit)
While out on a date with Ran Sonja, I was attcked from behind by some sorcerers who made me drink a potion, turning me into a 9-year old kid!
Now, I stay with Ran, solving mysteries and trying to get back to my original state.
(Oh my. No one is going to get the Detective Conan and Conan the Barbarian references. So fuck this shit)
Sunday, December 5, 2010
A Game of You
And so in my quest to become fully evil, I called out the most evil incarnation I have. Lucifer Morningstar.
Me: Lucifer! Lucifer! Lucifer!
Lucifer: Aw, man. What's up?
Me: Hey, Lou. I have decided to be evil.
L: What?
Me: You heard me. I want to cast off all the seals and blocks and be the ultimate evil.
L: Hold on. What do you know of evil?
Me: Being evil is being selfish.
L: What? Muahahahahaha!
Me: What? What's wrong?
L: Being selfish is not being evil.
Me: Yes it is. Being selfish is the route of all evil. ALL of it.
L: Well, maybe, but there's also a wanton apetite for destruction, and you should also be willing to do some really devious things. That's just...
Me: Just what?
L: Waitaminute. Is this you posturing to be a good person? My, that's devilish!
Me: Huh? Okay.
L: Look, dude, you can't be evil. You know why?
Me: Why?
L: Cause you're a goody little two shoes! Goody little two shoes! Goody little two shoes! Goody little two shoes! Goody little two shoes! Goody little two shoes!
I whip out my boom-stick, and pushes the barrel up Lucifer's nostrils.
Me: I'm not that good.
BLAM!
Me: Lucifer! Lucifer! Lucifer!
Lucifer: Aw, man. What's up?
Me: Hey, Lou. I have decided to be evil.
L: What?
Me: You heard me. I want to cast off all the seals and blocks and be the ultimate evil.
L: Hold on. What do you know of evil?
Me: Being evil is being selfish.
L: What? Muahahahahaha!
Me: What? What's wrong?
L: Being selfish is not being evil.
Me: Yes it is. Being selfish is the route of all evil. ALL of it.
L: Well, maybe, but there's also a wanton apetite for destruction, and you should also be willing to do some really devious things. That's just...
Me: Just what?
L: Waitaminute. Is this you posturing to be a good person? My, that's devilish!
Me: Huh? Okay.
L: Look, dude, you can't be evil. You know why?
Me: Why?
L: Cause you're a goody little two shoes! Goody little two shoes! Goody little two shoes! Goody little two shoes! Goody little two shoes! Goody little two shoes!
I whip out my boom-stick, and pushes the barrel up Lucifer's nostrils.
Me: I'm not that good.
BLAM!
Season of Mists
I abandoned my superhero dementia, my madness, my delusions. Pretty soon, I began to notice the evil people. The really evil people.
What I saw troubled me. So I consulted someone who could be a devil's advocate.
Me: All these evil people.
Friend: Yes?
Me: They get what they want, right? They get money. Power. All the pussy they can fuck.
Friend: Yes.
Me: And there is no such thing as karma. They don't get their comeuppance. That only happens in story logic, yes?
Friend: Yes. That is true.
Me: So they do get away with their evil.
Friend: What are you saying?
Me: Well, then what's stopping me from being truly evil? Why adhere to my warped moral code at all? Maybe I should just grab whatever I can and be done with it.
Friend: Won't you feel bad?
Me: Guilt? Guilt is used as a tool to control the weak. If I kill anyone today, I will feel no guilt. I can use a number of methods or techniques and the end result is no guilt. I no longer feel guilty of anything. I have surpassed it. It is merely a parlour trick, and its users hedge magicians.
Friend: I don't think you should do evil. I believe it is possible to attain whatever you want, without doing evil.
Me: Yes, but it would be easier.
Friend: No, it would not be. You may not feel guilt if you are evil, but evil people have no capacity for happiness. You know this. No matter what they achieve, the very act of evil renders everything hollow and meaningless. That is the self-fulfilling karma. Petty people are cursed with pettiness. Liars are cursed with their own lies, a denial of The Truth. Egotistical people in denial are burdened by their own egos and their own denial. Look at married people. Hahaha. There need not be any physical punishment.
Me: I can still be evil while not doing those things. I can be extremely damaging with just The Truth. And being evil while doing good - what a concept!
Friend: That's called politics.
Me: Hm.
Friend: So? What are you going to do?
Me: I don't know. It will come to me when the time is right.
What I saw troubled me. So I consulted someone who could be a devil's advocate.
Me: All these evil people.
Friend: Yes?
Me: They get what they want, right? They get money. Power. All the pussy they can fuck.
Friend: Yes.
Me: And there is no such thing as karma. They don't get their comeuppance. That only happens in story logic, yes?
Friend: Yes. That is true.
Me: So they do get away with their evil.
Friend: What are you saying?
Me: Well, then what's stopping me from being truly evil? Why adhere to my warped moral code at all? Maybe I should just grab whatever I can and be done with it.
Friend: Won't you feel bad?
Me: Guilt? Guilt is used as a tool to control the weak. If I kill anyone today, I will feel no guilt. I can use a number of methods or techniques and the end result is no guilt. I no longer feel guilty of anything. I have surpassed it. It is merely a parlour trick, and its users hedge magicians.
Friend: I don't think you should do evil. I believe it is possible to attain whatever you want, without doing evil.
Me: Yes, but it would be easier.
Friend: No, it would not be. You may not feel guilt if you are evil, but evil people have no capacity for happiness. You know this. No matter what they achieve, the very act of evil renders everything hollow and meaningless. That is the self-fulfilling karma. Petty people are cursed with pettiness. Liars are cursed with their own lies, a denial of The Truth. Egotistical people in denial are burdened by their own egos and their own denial. Look at married people. Hahaha. There need not be any physical punishment.
Me: I can still be evil while not doing those things. I can be extremely damaging with just The Truth. And being evil while doing good - what a concept!
Friend: That's called politics.
Me: Hm.
Friend: So? What are you going to do?
Me: I don't know. It will come to me when the time is right.
Hell's Gate
As the world's leading spiritual guru, I have not been called to answer some of the big questions such as:
1. Which religion got it right?
2. Will all my friends who are not of my faith go to hell? Even the nice ones?
3. If you believe that your religion is right, and that everyone else's is wrong, and you think they are all going to hell, all the while maintaining a facade of acceptance, does that make you a saint, or a hypocrite?
4. Will you go to hell for that as well?
5. Will God overlook your own sins and give you a special pass or consideration for no apparent reason and treat you as a special case all the way?
I have never been asked, but for the record, the answer to all of the above is YES.
1. Which religion got it right?
2. Will all my friends who are not of my faith go to hell? Even the nice ones?
3. If you believe that your religion is right, and that everyone else's is wrong, and you think they are all going to hell, all the while maintaining a facade of acceptance, does that make you a saint, or a hypocrite?
4. Will you go to hell for that as well?
5. Will God overlook your own sins and give you a special pass or consideration for no apparent reason and treat you as a special case all the way?
I have never been asked, but for the record, the answer to all of the above is YES.
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Victim
There are people who are addicted to pain and would do anything to be victims.
Nothing you can do about them, and judging thism is also a waste of time and makes you a victim of the victims anyway.
Allow them to pass. They are not your concern. Just enjoy the show. It won't last long.
Nothing you can do about them, and judging thism is also a waste of time and makes you a victim of the victims anyway.
Allow them to pass. They are not your concern. Just enjoy the show. It won't last long.
A Fearsome Woman
Rumihiko Takahashi.
A woman who can take petty emotions and turn them into plot points in a story. For example, the great villain's grandest plans was to make the two protagonists dislike each other? What the fuck?
And yet one of the richest women in the world.
A truly fearsome woman.
A woman who can take petty emotions and turn them into plot points in a story. For example, the great villain's grandest plans was to make the two protagonists dislike each other? What the fuck?
And yet one of the richest women in the world.
A truly fearsome woman.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Dream Country
When people ask me, what kind of story would I want to do, I sometimes keep my mouth shut.
It takes too long to explain. SOmetimes, if pressed, I always give answers that befuddle them.
"I want to kill all characters at the end of the show!"
Or
"Everyone fucks in the end!"
Why do I say all this? Because not many have the capacity to understand that I want to write stories where different individuals who watch the show would be cheering for different characters. I want the 'Survivor' effect for my stories. I want the 'Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket' effect.
Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket is my favourite Gundam story. It's about this kid Al, who likes war toys, war games and the idea of war itself.
He meets the young soldier Bernie - someone from the Zeon something-something - basically the enemy in Gundam continuity.
Bernie is doomed to fail, spectacularly, losing his comrades and eventually his own life. And yet he tried to soften the blow of war for Al, even while knowing he will die. His video was heart-wrenching.
They say that normally, anime has very few things to say and that 'war is bad' is a generic 'lesson'. I believe that Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket has a large role in this.
Towards the end of the series, Al starts to think that war is not as fun or cool as he thought it was. And the audience, would also stop, think and reflect.
In most of my works, I have hidden something, somewhere in the middle of the story for viewers to get a message. It is my way of breaking the fourth wall. They say that maintaining the suspension of disbelief is all-important, but I look at jazz musicians like Count Bassie and they make full use of negative space in music as well as dischord.
I find that the great artists like Zack Snyder - who did 300, Watchmen and Legend of the Guardians - and Bassie understand a higher level of immersion than maintaining suspension of disbelief.
They take you out at some pivotal point, and then re-insert you - with your permission, and in fact with your full cooperation and participation - into the story.
Snyder's and Bassie's work are not seamless. Theirs are not smooth. For some reason, I detect commercial breaks in all of them. And yet, it provides for an extra dimension to their work.
Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket did just that. You're gearing up for this great duel, and then there's this big tragedy happening which is more human and impactful than two giant robots fighting. And suddenly you stop, and you're with Al all the way.
Now, that's storytelling.
It takes too long to explain. SOmetimes, if pressed, I always give answers that befuddle them.
"I want to kill all characters at the end of the show!"
Or
"Everyone fucks in the end!"
Why do I say all this? Because not many have the capacity to understand that I want to write stories where different individuals who watch the show would be cheering for different characters. I want the 'Survivor' effect for my stories. I want the 'Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket' effect.
Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket is my favourite Gundam story. It's about this kid Al, who likes war toys, war games and the idea of war itself.
He meets the young soldier Bernie - someone from the Zeon something-something - basically the enemy in Gundam continuity.
Bernie is doomed to fail, spectacularly, losing his comrades and eventually his own life. And yet he tried to soften the blow of war for Al, even while knowing he will die. His video was heart-wrenching.
They say that normally, anime has very few things to say and that 'war is bad' is a generic 'lesson'. I believe that Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket has a large role in this.
Towards the end of the series, Al starts to think that war is not as fun or cool as he thought it was. And the audience, would also stop, think and reflect.
In most of my works, I have hidden something, somewhere in the middle of the story for viewers to get a message. It is my way of breaking the fourth wall. They say that maintaining the suspension of disbelief is all-important, but I look at jazz musicians like Count Bassie and they make full use of negative space in music as well as dischord.
I find that the great artists like Zack Snyder - who did 300, Watchmen and Legend of the Guardians - and Bassie understand a higher level of immersion than maintaining suspension of disbelief.
They take you out at some pivotal point, and then re-insert you - with your permission, and in fact with your full cooperation and participation - into the story.
Snyder's and Bassie's work are not seamless. Theirs are not smooth. For some reason, I detect commercial breaks in all of them. And yet, it provides for an extra dimension to their work.
Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket did just that. You're gearing up for this great duel, and then there's this big tragedy happening which is more human and impactful than two giant robots fighting. And suddenly you stop, and you're with Al all the way.
Now, that's storytelling.
The Doll's House
Some people asked me just now, how do you create characters.
I don't. I take existing ones in the real world, and I make it simpler, because story world is always less complicated than the normal world.
I read up a lot on psychology - classic, new wave, whatever I can get my hands on. There is also story logic which influences a lot of characterisation.
When establishing a character, it is best not to say too much. Most of the image is created by the viewer, like how an iconic image is more accessible than a more detailed one.
Japanese manga and anime makes good use of silence as well as full-on exposition. It's an art culture of extremes.
I am most interested in their treatment of silence. Hideaki Anno, for example, uses a lot of silence and static long shots (a long shot in his definition wouyld be less than 5 seconds), even word placards juxtaposed against a more cartoony, over-animated style in Kareshi Kanojo no Jijou.
Reason? KareKano is basically a romance story where a lot of the emotions being conveyed are tender ones and deal with a more gentle nature of the human heart.
Compare that to Anno's raunchy Re: Cutie Honey and the 2004 Cutie Honey film where the boobs in your face is just one example of his loud style.
In comics, Gaiman uses silent panels to amazing effect, simply because his characters are usually wordy without being expository.
The thing with silent pauses, short still pans or wordless panels in animation or comics is that it allows for the communication of more complex emotions and thoughts, which can only be created by the viewers themselves, inside their heads.
And they are more ready to accept it if they thought they came up with the 'correct' mood or feeling that is 'intended' by the storyteller.
When you master dialogue and silence, 3D characters are born inside the minds of audiences.
Of course, in a production, the directors and actors or artists also play a huge part in the execution, making it or breaking it.
I don't. I take existing ones in the real world, and I make it simpler, because story world is always less complicated than the normal world.
I read up a lot on psychology - classic, new wave, whatever I can get my hands on. There is also story logic which influences a lot of characterisation.
When establishing a character, it is best not to say too much. Most of the image is created by the viewer, like how an iconic image is more accessible than a more detailed one.
Japanese manga and anime makes good use of silence as well as full-on exposition. It's an art culture of extremes.
I am most interested in their treatment of silence. Hideaki Anno, for example, uses a lot of silence and static long shots (a long shot in his definition wouyld be less than 5 seconds), even word placards juxtaposed against a more cartoony, over-animated style in Kareshi Kanojo no Jijou.
Reason? KareKano is basically a romance story where a lot of the emotions being conveyed are tender ones and deal with a more gentle nature of the human heart.
Compare that to Anno's raunchy Re: Cutie Honey and the 2004 Cutie Honey film where the boobs in your face is just one example of his loud style.
In comics, Gaiman uses silent panels to amazing effect, simply because his characters are usually wordy without being expository.
The thing with silent pauses, short still pans or wordless panels in animation or comics is that it allows for the communication of more complex emotions and thoughts, which can only be created by the viewers themselves, inside their heads.
And they are more ready to accept it if they thought they came up with the 'correct' mood or feeling that is 'intended' by the storyteller.
When you master dialogue and silence, 3D characters are born inside the minds of audiences.
Of course, in a production, the directors and actors or artists also play a huge part in the execution, making it or breaking it.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Preludes and Nocturnes
I got some stuff to write, and is planning to sleep, but a thought is spinning in my head and I don't think I'll be able to sleep until I put this on paper.
My favourite anime people are Hideaki Anno, Shinichiro Watanabe and mangaka Go Nagai.
Anno is by far my favourite, as he has done Evangelion and Kareshi Kanojou no Jijou, also Gunbuster, Nadia: Secret of the Blue Water and animated parts of Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind and Grave of the Fireflies. I also found his 2004 Cutie Honey live action and 2007 animated TV series to be quite refreshing.
Neon Genesis Evangelion deals with a lot of deep psychology and philosophy - mainly Goethe, Nitschze (did I spell that right?) and teachings from the Torah.
I had no money to watch these incredible animations, as a child, so I read up academic studies on them online.
It was not until later that I got my hands on their DVDs. Amazing stuff. Amazing, amazing stuff.
Anno's style is a deconstruction of each character as the series progresses. I get the Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket effect, when you suddenly stop eating the dish you are enjoying, and begin to observe it from fresh perspectives.
Much care and attention was given to the profiles and the minds of the characters as it was to the cool mecha fighting animation sequences.
In Evangelion, Anno asks questions on humanity, identity, relationships (embodied both in Gendou and Shinji's problems as well as thge AT Field which represents barriers between people as well as an energy shield system for robots), religion, faith, responsibility, maturity and youth.
A heavily-layered story gets better with repeat viewing, while shallow ones are just things you watch once. There is nothing I have encountered in this world which I enjoyed and is as deep as Anno's work other than Neil Gaiman's, Alan Moore's and Grant Morrison's comics writing.
Evangelion's depth is as comparable to Morrison's Invisibles, though lacking the intricate tapestry of Gaiman and Moore's out of this world, almost supernatural creativity.
KareKano is also a tour de force in studying insecurities.
And all this, from a man who was a fanboy and wanted to make female animation characters' boobs bounce.
In fact, in all of the boob-bouncing, in the middle of it all, Anno manages to sneak in heavily-layered personality complexes.
I believe that the best anime creates a world violently and deconstructs its characters subtly.
The best execution was Shinichiro Watanabe in Cowboy bebop. Cowboy Bebop is the perfect anime. Greatest Under Heaven. Everything came together perfectly. Their world is both advanced and backwards, and comes through BAM! right smack in your face from the first space toll booth scene.
And slowly, yet surely, we learn of Spike realising his destiny with nonchalance and a laid-back attitude - facing pre-destination with free-will. Faye's yearning for a home - personal space - displaced through time as she was.
These things echo themselves in many other different things that construct beautiful fractal story patterns.
And finally, there is Go Nagai who started revolutions with simple stories of giant robots and transforming girls who get naked all the time.
Go, through application and revelation of base human instincts as seen in Mazinger Z (righteous fury), Devilman, Violence Jack (an appetite for destruction), Cutie Honey (love and sex), and the controversial Harenchi Gakuen (hypocrisy), launched not only comic books and TV series, but whole genres of art.
Go was the true rebel. If Osamu Tezuka was the father of manga and anime, Go showed what it was capable of, pushing boundaries and never content to stay safe within the lines.
Okay. I need some sleep. Will be writing later tonight. I owe some people some stories. Hopefully, it will be as deep on multiple levels as Anno's, as perfect as Shinichiro's and as revolutionary as Go's.
Cheers!
My favourite anime people are Hideaki Anno, Shinichiro Watanabe and mangaka Go Nagai.
Anno is by far my favourite, as he has done Evangelion and Kareshi Kanojou no Jijou, also Gunbuster, Nadia: Secret of the Blue Water and animated parts of Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind and Grave of the Fireflies. I also found his 2004 Cutie Honey live action and 2007 animated TV series to be quite refreshing.
Neon Genesis Evangelion deals with a lot of deep psychology and philosophy - mainly Goethe, Nitschze (did I spell that right?) and teachings from the Torah.
I had no money to watch these incredible animations, as a child, so I read up academic studies on them online.
It was not until later that I got my hands on their DVDs. Amazing stuff. Amazing, amazing stuff.
Anno's style is a deconstruction of each character as the series progresses. I get the Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket effect, when you suddenly stop eating the dish you are enjoying, and begin to observe it from fresh perspectives.
Much care and attention was given to the profiles and the minds of the characters as it was to the cool mecha fighting animation sequences.
In Evangelion, Anno asks questions on humanity, identity, relationships (embodied both in Gendou and Shinji's problems as well as thge AT Field which represents barriers between people as well as an energy shield system for robots), religion, faith, responsibility, maturity and youth.
A heavily-layered story gets better with repeat viewing, while shallow ones are just things you watch once. There is nothing I have encountered in this world which I enjoyed and is as deep as Anno's work other than Neil Gaiman's, Alan Moore's and Grant Morrison's comics writing.
Evangelion's depth is as comparable to Morrison's Invisibles, though lacking the intricate tapestry of Gaiman and Moore's out of this world, almost supernatural creativity.
KareKano is also a tour de force in studying insecurities.
And all this, from a man who was a fanboy and wanted to make female animation characters' boobs bounce.
In fact, in all of the boob-bouncing, in the middle of it all, Anno manages to sneak in heavily-layered personality complexes.
I believe that the best anime creates a world violently and deconstructs its characters subtly.
The best execution was Shinichiro Watanabe in Cowboy bebop. Cowboy Bebop is the perfect anime. Greatest Under Heaven. Everything came together perfectly. Their world is both advanced and backwards, and comes through BAM! right smack in your face from the first space toll booth scene.
And slowly, yet surely, we learn of Spike realising his destiny with nonchalance and a laid-back attitude - facing pre-destination with free-will. Faye's yearning for a home - personal space - displaced through time as she was.
These things echo themselves in many other different things that construct beautiful fractal story patterns.
And finally, there is Go Nagai who started revolutions with simple stories of giant robots and transforming girls who get naked all the time.
Go, through application and revelation of base human instincts as seen in Mazinger Z (righteous fury), Devilman, Violence Jack (an appetite for destruction), Cutie Honey (love and sex), and the controversial Harenchi Gakuen (hypocrisy), launched not only comic books and TV series, but whole genres of art.
Go was the true rebel. If Osamu Tezuka was the father of manga and anime, Go showed what it was capable of, pushing boundaries and never content to stay safe within the lines.
Okay. I need some sleep. Will be writing later tonight. I owe some people some stories. Hopefully, it will be as deep on multiple levels as Anno's, as perfect as Shinichiro's and as revolutionary as Go's.
Cheers!
The Video Game Generation
Some wise guy wrote that my generation is the video game generation - people who were taught from a very young age not to be afraid of failure. You just get up and have a go at it again. And again. And again. Until you get it right. Like in a video game.
Failing once is not the end of the world, if you save at the right places.
The flip side to this is not giving it your all at one go, which is easily remedied with anime influence.
I would also like to add that my generation also caught the tail end of the MTV popularity.
One significant movie in my youth was Joe's Apartment. It's about Joe, who lives with like, a million cockroaches.
Now, I remember one thing that the roaches said - "Good stuff can grow out of shit."
This has been a philosophy I take to heart. Something that appears on the outside as rotten and, well, shitty, can have some amazing potential.
In my years writing, I have met people who do not believe in how great a story is simply by the premise.
Actually, you never know.
It's like this. You look at a religious person, and the first thing that pops in your mind is, "RETARD!"
But, maybe not. Maybe the religious guy is not an asshole.
This is the lesson from Joe's apartment - don't judge a book by its cover. Simple, right?
And Jesus said, "Judge ye not, lest ye be judged." Which means, in this case, if you judge a book only by its cover, it shows that you are shallow. And perhaps self-centered.
Me? I am shallow and self-centered. What's your excuse?
Failing once is not the end of the world, if you save at the right places.
The flip side to this is not giving it your all at one go, which is easily remedied with anime influence.
I would also like to add that my generation also caught the tail end of the MTV popularity.
One significant movie in my youth was Joe's Apartment. It's about Joe, who lives with like, a million cockroaches.
Now, I remember one thing that the roaches said - "Good stuff can grow out of shit."
This has been a philosophy I take to heart. Something that appears on the outside as rotten and, well, shitty, can have some amazing potential.
In my years writing, I have met people who do not believe in how great a story is simply by the premise.
Actually, you never know.
It's like this. You look at a religious person, and the first thing that pops in your mind is, "RETARD!"
But, maybe not. Maybe the religious guy is not an asshole.
This is the lesson from Joe's apartment - don't judge a book by its cover. Simple, right?
And Jesus said, "Judge ye not, lest ye be judged." Which means, in this case, if you judge a book only by its cover, it shows that you are shallow. And perhaps self-centered.
Me? I am shallow and self-centered. What's your excuse?
The Black Plague
I woke up today really sick. I was coughing up black phlegm. Couldn't really breathe that well. Was too sick to do anything.
So I decided to try and quit smoking yet again. I bought a drug from the pharmacy that can replace nicotine. It functions by binding to the receptors in the brain that is affected by normal nicotine.
I have no idea whether this will work. It's just another attempt. Three month course which will set me back RM885.
So I decided to try and quit smoking yet again. I bought a drug from the pharmacy that can replace nicotine. It functions by binding to the receptors in the brain that is affected by normal nicotine.
I have no idea whether this will work. It's just another attempt. Three month course which will set me back RM885.
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