Can a pop opera bring Japanese animation to life?

This week, I read an article about Japanese anime culture! It is very fun for me to read newspaper of other news media. I tried reading CNN (North America).

The article is as follows:

For years movie theaters have been awash with adaptations from comic books (or "graphic novels" if you're over 25), but can the experience translate from the page to the stage?

Add to the mix an all-Japanese cast performing in Japanese scenes from Japanese manga comics and cartoons (known as anime) and it sounds like a challenge akin to the improbable quests often featured in the comics themselves.

However during the past three weeks "Japan Anime Live" has been touring Europe doing exactly that.

 I love manga comic books! Many people may think them as the books for kids. However, now there are many kinds of manga comic books for adults, for example, "Black Jack ni yoroshiku", which is the story of a doctor. Also, many adults read comic books for children. For instance, "ONE PIECE", which has in "shonen Jump" magazine, is very popular. I have not read the book, but most of my friends read it, and all of them said "I was impressed by ONE PIECE, you should read it!!"

 Now, not only Japanese people, but also foreigners love manga comic books and anime! I don't know how many people like anime, however it seems true that a lot of people are fascinated by them. I sometimes listen to the news about anime show in foreign country, but I don't know a lot. But, the article says "Japan Anime Live is more "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" and "Circe du Soleil" than a normal theatrical experience." It is amazing!

By the way, according to the article," Recent rumors have spread that a Hollywood adaptation of 1988 animated Manga film "Akira" will be made, with an unlikely cast featuring of Morgan Freeman and "High School Musical" heartthrob Zac Efron."Fiore said "It can be possible, but in a Japanese way of treating and managing the stories. The American way is different, allow me to say, it's more like a mincer. Japanese take extreme care in protecting the stories, it's not just about money, its more about the story, it's more a long-term operation." I can understand Fiore's comment. When the original story is on manga comic books, producer and casts should not break the image of it, I think. This is because there are many funs of the book. Also, if a movie bases on manga comic books, sometimes funny episode and important episode are eliminated because of the time. I sometimes disappointed for this reason. I want to say one thing to Fiore. Unfortunately, sometimes Japanese can't make films based on manga comic books. For example, there is a comic books titled "Nana" written by Ai Yazawa. The movie based on the book was not so good on that point.

Dean Irvine. "Can a pop opera bring Japanese animation to life?"

CNN 12 Nov.2010:n pag.22 Dec 2010

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/11/11/japan.manga.show/index.html?iref=allsearch

Top Scores from Shanghai Stun Educators

These days, there is a lot of hot news including Wikileaks.

However, this week, I read an article titled “In P ISA Test, Top Scores from Shanghai　Stun Educators.

The article is as follows:

With China’s debut in international standardized testing, students in Shanghai have surprised experts by outscoring their counterparts in dozens of other countries, in reading as well as in math and science, according to the results of a respected exam.

About 5,100 15-year-olds in Shanghai were chosen as a representative cross-section of students in that city. In the United States, a similar number of students from across the country were selected as a representative sample for the test.

Experts noted the obvious difficulty of using a standardized test to compare countries and cities of vastly different sizes. Even so, they said the stellar academic performance of students in Shanghai was noteworthy, and another sign of China’s rapid modernization.

The results also appeared to reflect the culture of education there, including greater emphasis on teacher training and more time spent on studying rather than extracurricular activities like sports.

In math, the Shanghai students performed in a class by themselves, outperforming second-place Singapore, which has been seen as an educational superstar in recent years. The average math scores of American students put them below 30 other countries.

PISA scores are on a scale, with 500 as the average. Two-thirds of students in participating countries score between 400 and 600. On the math test last year, students in Shanghai scored 600, in Singapore 562, in Germany 513, and in the United States 487.

In reading, Shanghai students scored 556, ahead of second-place Korea with 539. The United States scored 500 and came in 17th, putting it on par with students in the Netherlands, Belgium, Norway, Germany, France, the United Kingdom and several other countries.

In science, Shanghai students scored 575. In second place was Finland, where the average score was 554. The United States scored 502 — in 23rd place — with a performance indistinguishable from Poland, Ireland, Norway, France and several other countries.

I knew that Korea made much of education, but I was surprised at many Asian countries’ success in study. I imagined European and American are smarter than any others, so I feel very happy at this news.

Even Shanghai students got high score at all subjects, this does not mean Chinese educational level risen. However, this leads China make much of education.

By the way, Japanese students’ reading skill got rise. This news is happy for us! I am not good at reading (But I love reading books!). But many Japanese seem to study reading:) Come to think of it, what make Japanese reading skill rise? Teachers try new method? If there are students studying education in the class, I want to listen to them!

Sam Dillon. “Shanghai Test Scores Stun Educators”

New York Times 7 Dec.2010: n pag. 8 Dec.2010

Question for Big Film: It’s Not a Comedy?

December already came…!

This week, I read an article about movie. Because there are so many bad news in the world, for instance, North Korea problem, I wanted to read fun one.

The article is as follows:

The crowd at a midnight movie in Santa Monica about a week ago rocked with laughter as it took in the new theatrical trailer for the potential blockbuster “Cowboys & Aliens,” from Universal Pictures and DreamWorks.

In “Cowboys & Aliens” — which is directed by Jon Favreau, of “Iron Man” fame, and counts Steven Spielberg, Brian Grazer and Ron Howard among its producers — Universal and DreamWorks have one of next summer’s most highly anticipated movies.

But some people may be anticipating the wrong film.

Deceived by a title and a premise that many find inherently comic, potential viewers must now cope with a realization that Mr. Favreau wasn’t kidding when he told fans at the Comic-Con International convention last July that he planned to mix a “by-the-book, right-down-the-middle western” of the kind once made by Sergio Leone and John Ford, with really scary science fiction, like “Alien” or “Predator.”

“The concept of the movie sounds hilarious. Cowboys vs. Aliens,” a poster, Hitman21, wrote recently on Mmajunkie.com. But this viewer was one of many who went on to voice enthusiasm for the unexpectedly serious movie that appeared in the trailer.

Some of Hollywood’s biggest hits have defied expectations by crossing genres or striking a tone that not everyone was quick to accept. When Mr. Spielberg unveiled “Raiders of the Lost Ark” in 1981, for instance, the critic Pauline Kael, writing in The New Yorker, complained that its mash-up of clichés from the old potboilers was “so thrill-packed you don’t have time to breathe — or to enjoy yourself much, either.”

But “Cowboys & Aliens” may be caught in a web of false expectation that was partly woven from its own origins.

I like watching movie very much. When I have free time, I sometimes watch movie at home. However, I do not like big budget movie such as Harry Potter. This is because that kind of movie is using so much CG and gorgeous cast that content sometimes seems poor. For example, I saw “Alice in Wonderland” at Movie Theater. It is 3D movie, so it was funny at that point. However, the content is not fun. Original is better, I felt.

“Cowboys & alien” seems that kind of movie to me. The concept of it looks inconsistent. The title is like SF comedy, but the director said it is serious movie. .Today, no one thinks cowboys and alien as cool.  I think cowboys are too out of date.

 I want to see “Norwegian wood”, which does not use CG and image looks so beautiful, rather than “Cowboys & Alien”.

Michael Cieply. ”Question for a Big Film: It’s not a comedy?”

New York Times 29 Nov.2010 : n.pag 1 Dec.2010