Fandom: 한 녀학생의 일기 | Han Nyeohaksaengeui Ilgi | The Schoolgirl's Diary (2007) Category: Movies
Comments: A 2007 North Korean film (yes, North Korean film!) about a teenage girl, Kim Su-ryeon, who struggles with various difficulties of growing up, particularly with her resentment of her scientist father's being away from home for months on end for his job. Although the film contains the obligatory propaganda for the Dear Leader and stresses the need to sacrifice one's own feelings for the good of the State, it's still a sensitive and thoughtful treatment of the pains of adolescence and the strength of family love. Su-ryeon's relationship with her sister Su-ok deserves more exploration, as does the relationship across the three generations of women who live in their house (since Su-ryeon's grandmother also lives with them). This film's a refreshing contrast to the heavily militarized media that comes out of North Korea -- it's worth watching, whether or not it inspires fic ideas.
Fandom: Senkou no Night Raid | Night Raid 1931 Category: Anime/Manga
Comments: A 13-episode historical supernatural espionage action anime series, set in Shanghai and Manchuria in the 1930s. The four main characters are part of the Sakurai Organization, a clandestine Japanese spy agency that has been assigned to track down a rogue Imperial Japanese Army officer who appears to be building some sort of super-weapon that might tip the balance of power in Asia. In addition, all four agents have different supernatural powers, ranging from telepathy to teleportation to clairvoyance, and much of the show's action sequences involve some clever uses of these powers.
Beyond being just a noir-ish period spy series, Night Raid grapples with some tough historical questions that don't often show up in Japanese media. There are active moral and ethical dilemmas related to Japan's position as a fledgling imperial power, and the series treats them as an ongoing debate, with the characters all taking different sides and often feeling conflicted about their choices. And there's a lot of room for fic with any of the characters, since they all have demons in their pasts and complicated relationships with each other. There's currently only one Night Raid fic on AO3 right now, and there really should be more!
Comments: The 1992 Studio Ghibli classic about a World War I flying ace who has been cursed -- or so we are told -- to live as an anthropomorphic pig. Set in the Adriatic in the 1930s, it features lovingly rendered airplanes and scenery, exciting action sequences, two fantastic female characters in the form of airplane designer Fio Piccolo and island hotel owner (and part-time spy?) Madame Gina, and a story that dwells on both the freedom of flying and the remembered horrors of war.
Links: The movie recently came out on Blu-ray, though I don't know whether it's on any streaming services.
no subject
Category: Movies
Comments: A 2007 North Korean film (yes, North Korean film!) about a teenage girl, Kim Su-ryeon, who struggles with various difficulties of growing up, particularly with her resentment of her scientist father's being away from home for months on end for his job. Although the film contains the obligatory propaganda for the Dear Leader and stresses the need to sacrifice one's own feelings for the good of the State, it's still a sensitive and thoughtful treatment of the pains of adolescence and the strength of family love. Su-ryeon's relationship with her sister Su-ok deserves more exploration, as does the relationship across the three generations of women who live in their house (since Su-ryeon's grandmother also lives with them). This film's a refreshing contrast to the heavily militarized media that comes out of North Korea -- it's worth watching, whether or not it inspires fic ideas.
Links: The Schoolgirl's Diary received a very limited distribution outside North Korea, but an English-subbed rip is up on YouTube.
Fandom: Senkou no Night Raid | Night Raid 1931
Category: Anime/Manga
Comments: A 13-episode historical supernatural espionage action anime series, set in Shanghai and Manchuria in the 1930s. The four main characters are part of the Sakurai Organization, a clandestine Japanese spy agency that has been assigned to track down a rogue Imperial Japanese Army officer who appears to be building some sort of super-weapon that might tip the balance of power in Asia. In addition, all four agents have different supernatural powers, ranging from telepathy to teleportation to clairvoyance, and much of the show's action sequences involve some clever uses of these powers.
Beyond being just a noir-ish period spy series, Night Raid grapples with some tough historical questions that don't often show up in Japanese media. There are active moral and ethical dilemmas related to Japan's position as a fledgling imperial power, and the series treats them as an ongoing debate, with the characters all taking different sides and often feeling conflicted about their choices. And there's a lot of room for fic with any of the characters, since they all have demons in their pasts and complicated relationships with each other. There's currently only one Night Raid fic on AO3 right now, and there really should be more!
Links: Crunchyroll (streaming video). Three bonus episodes are available on the official Blu-ray release.
Fandom: Porco Rosso
Category: Movies
Comments: The 1992 Studio Ghibli classic about a World War I flying ace who has been cursed -- or so we are told -- to live as an anthropomorphic pig. Set in the Adriatic in the 1930s, it features lovingly rendered airplanes and scenery, exciting action sequences, two fantastic female characters in the form of airplane designer Fio Piccolo and island hotel owner (and part-time spy?) Madame Gina, and a story that dwells on both the freedom of flying and the remembered horrors of war.
Links: The movie recently came out on Blu-ray, though I don't know whether it's on any streaming services.