From Consumer to Creator (Maybe)

For this next week I plan to write something each day. Naturally, these will be very short stories or poems or whatever things that I make. I might even make music or something along those lines. Who knows!

The first day of this week I will of course let you guys see me cop out and write about the process. How lazy of me.

Anyways, I hope this goes well!

(An Informal) Analysis of the Show Hyouka With Regards to Something

            Hyouka, along with a lot of Kyoto Animation’s other shows, has a pretty keen eye for detail. I watched episodes 4-6 again to get an idea of the scenes that I somehow completely overlooked. People who enjoy studying film might think “did Zeldaru go frame-by-frame?” Unfortunately, I actually went in a manner closer to scene-by-scene. Throughout the show, KyoAni has a knack for creating simplistic, realistic scenes that are at the same time stylized and interesting. At the same time, focus is shifted back and forth from characters to objects and vice versa, creating dynamic exposition. When Oreki and Satoshi are exposed to the Chitanda residence for the first time, the view zooms onto the front entrance and then expands to show most of the expansive farming residence. The place has a simple elegance, evidenced by sparse arrangements in the rooms. In this episode, Oreki sees Chitanda’s room for the first time. Like the rest of the house, her room is sparsely arranged and neat. What he notices, however, was the mess that was the books, newspaper articles, letters, and other things on her desk. Oreki, after seeing how intensely Chitanda wanted to know the truth about her uncle as evidenced by her desk, finally felt that he should try. Further in the episode, a beautifully simple scene is visible for a very short period of time. The view zooms onto a section of the pond. A small bird is sitting on stones at the bottom of a hill and drinking water from the pond. Many similar scenes of nature are briefly depicted before focus is re-established onto the plot and characters.

            While going through this segment of the show, I noticed that Hyouka is full of partial light-dark gradients that stopped me from ever recoiling from excessive brightness that can be so hard to swallow. I can handle Rococo, for example, but at some point the fluffy color scheme and brightness of the paintings are too much. A rain scene begins at the end of episode four and continues onto the beginning of episode 5. Rain clouds float along the blue sky towards the house. Cut to the ground and rain droplets can be seen falling at some urgent volumetric flow rate. Next one can see water carving an intricate gravity-driven pathway down the windows. The next episode opens up with a cello-dominated theme playing as the viewer sees Oreki and Satoshi leading their bikes to the road passing away from the residence. Dark rain clouds are overhead but patches of light diffuse through, creating patches of brightness that give the shadows a warm aesthetic. Rather than a dismal image created, which is the typical result of a rain scene, the scene evokes warmth and serenity.

            A dissimilar scene creates an interesting light-dark dynamic. When Oreki hears Chitanda say that she avoids getting angry because it tires her out, he envisions her as an angel. Angelic Chitanda is very bright and emanates white light from her being, a very impressionist sort of scene. A gradient starting with slightly grey white and ending with black grounds the image, creating a sense of the ethereal without beating me over the head with it. Oreki is small in size compared to her and bathed in slight shadows. Chitanda then says she was joking, and the fantasy is broken anyways.

            Episode 6 opens with a calm view of the school building. The sky takes up half the “shot,” and is barely dominated by clouds; a sunny day aesthetic is readily created. The very right is dominated entirely by a green tree. Trees rise up behind the pink building, which resides in the lower third. Pink and blue are both “fluffy” colors, but they are balanced out by the trees that mostly hold some kind of shade of green with slight orange mixed in. Dark green balances out the brighter colors, creating again a warm and stylized but still realistic image. Dull pink allows the building to stand out yet at the same time fade into the background. In my mind, this image is representative of Hyouka’s usage of light-dark to create serenity without beating me over the head with it.

            I could probably write about characters, their voices, their dialogue, and their actions, but I have trouble analyzing that. That is not to say that Hyouka is not also excellent in characterization. In episode 4, Chitanda is walking in the hallway while rain patters on the wooden building. She grabs a wet leaf, looks at it, then peers outside. A close up on her face occurs, and she looks down at an angle with a distraught expression. This example of characterization is simple while still allowing insight into Chitanda’s character.

Songs n stuff

"The Story of Alex Steinbach" by Followed by Ghosts creates musical serenity with its rock instrumentation, then allows piano and percussion to take a more dominant role, giving a slightly jazzy feel. Like any other post-rock piece, it builds to a climax by building upon these elements.

"Linokana" from Non Non Biyori is a cheerful piece built off pizzicato strings and other soft-sounding instruments; though short, the piece is energetic enough to give an adventurous feel.

"Mare of the Snake" by Vaura begins with heavy percussion and bass guitar, building up to a grunge-esque piece with a dark atmosphere

"A Cruel Taste Of Winter" by My Dying Bride begins with a wintry monologue backed by transient synthesizer, guitar, and percussion; the piece becomes heavier and more brooding, embracing an even colder sound.

Update of Sorts

So, I will be posting another of those sharing-songs-I-kinda-liked-for-the-internet-to-hear things soon. I plan to edit "Blank Title" with the actual content on Monday or so. In the meantime, I'll also be working on an analysis of Hyouka.

Deadly will be working on his own analysis. I'm saying that here in text so he is forced to actually write something .

Lastly what I'll be watching for the winter season of anime:
- Golden Time (continued from last season)
- Kill La Kill (continued from last season)
- Strike The Blood (continued from last season)
- Space Dandy
- Nourin
- Nisekoi
- Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai! Ren
- Sayura Trick
- Noragami

I hope no one's bothered by how many different topics I've started writing about now.  

A Poem I Wrote About A Friend

Re-Re

A passing encounter during the winter

Ethereal yet resonant.

Au printemps I made an inquiry out of curiosity,

And to my surprise you candidly extended

A part of your personality,

Allowing me insight into your intricate character

And from then on I considered you my friend.

October brought Humans Versus Zombies:

I was coerced into providing tactical information

Betraying you;

Out of regret I admitted to that maneuver

And upon being informed you accosted me –

I owned up to my mistake,

Leading to my talking to you more often –

Yet there I saw you from a fresher perspective.

A worksheet that stymied you

Prompting me to help you;

Both of us left later than the majority

Yet as we went to the next class,

I more fully appreciated your unique way of thinking,

Even though our conversation was just about Montreal and Germany.

An unexpected snowfall

Tossed everything into disarray

In a statement against finals week;

Notebooks placed haphazardly on the table I heard “how’s studying going?”

And was taken aback –

I was realized it was you and felt comforted,

As if you had that kind of power over the situation.

We exchanged ironic end-of-term goodbyes

And like a downpour dwindling to the slightest drizzle,

The intensity had reduced to a trace of itself.

Joy la lumière

Illuminating knowledge –

Awe-inspiring like a cherry blossom tree in bloom.

Unwitty title due to an affliction called winterbreakitis

"The Pecan Tree" by Deafheaven mixes a blistering black metal attack with a reverb that soothes the atmosphere; the result is ethereal but frantic.

"Cries on the Wind" by Anathema takes a metallic sound and blurs it with psychedelia, creating a strange but oddly compelling piece. The song seems to fill space, literally and figuratively.

"Rising Down" by the Roots is a stripped down hip hop song, built mainly off guitar, a percussive beat, and vocals. The style fits the lyrics well.

"Sleep Apnea" by Chevelle manipulates the traditional alternative metal sound to create a sense of anxiety that elevates the lyrics.

"Caroling" by Eluvium is a simplistic, winter-esque piano-based piece. The atmosphere is serene but cheerful.

Music: Le Deux

"Junta" by Cormorant is an intriguing and dynamic yet melodic progressive rock/metal song that blends many genre, including spoken word, rock, jazz, and metal.

"Lose My Breath" by Yuck is a lively piece that blurs a guitar-base sound in order to achieve an ethereal quality. It's also damn catchy.

"Synthetica" by Metric is a propulsive electronic rock song moving at a steady space.