Tuesday, December 03, 2024

Violet Evergarden orchestra concert in Thailand on 17 and 18 January 2025

Following the first Violet Evergarden orchestra concert outside Japan, held in Beijing, China on 8 June 2024, a while ago, it was announced that a similar concert will take place on 18 January 2025 in Nakhon Pathom, Thailand. The concert will be held at Prince Mahidol Hall, the largest concert hall in Thailand and located in Mahidol University.
 

Due to the great response, it was announced today that a second session will take place on 17 January 2025 at the same place.


Both sessions will feature TRUE, Chihara Minori, and Yuuki Aira. Music will be by Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra and conducted by Thanapol Setabrahmana.

It is so nice to see such orchestra concerts continue to be held overseas. I also hope that they will again hold the concert in Japan, since I really enjoyed the 2021 concert.

My overall thoughts on Violet Evergarden The Movie

Events:
 
Translations of short stories:
Gilbert Bougainvillea and the Fleeting Dream (unofficial translation of "ギルベルト・ブーゲンビリアと儚い夢")
The Starry Night and the Lonely Two (unofficial translation of 星降りの夜とさみしいふたり)
Diethard Bougainvillea's If (unofficial translation of ディートフリート・ブーゲンビリアIf) 
The Tailor and the Auto-Memories Doll (unofficial translation of 仕立て屋と自動手記人形)
 
Tellsis (Nunkish) translation:
Last line of Violet's final letter to Gilbert
 
Insights on the movie:
 
Audio commentary notes:
 
 
All posts related to Violet Evergarden.



Posted by Teck at 12/03/2024 07:35:00 PM 1 comments

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Sunday, December 01, 2024

Initial D vs MF Ghost

Initial D and MF Ghost are both manga series by the same author, Shigeno Shuichi, and adapted into anime. I became interested in Initial D after watching the first season of MF Ghost (which is in its second season now; the manga series is also on-going). I haven't read the manga for either of them, so my thought are limited to the impression I have from the anime adaptations.

I found Initial D to be more gripping than MF Ghost. Both adaptations feature races and spend a considerable amount of time on them. However, the races in MF Ghost did not feel as exciting to me, compared to those in Initial D. Both of them feature cars drifting and overtaking and speeding away, so what sets them apart?

I think it could be that Initial D focused heavily on a single character, Fujiwara Takumi. While Takahashi Keisuke also featured more in the later seasons, it was very clear that Takumi is the main character, the protagonist of this series. While other races were talked about, Takumi's races were always shown. In contrast, MF Ghost's main character/protagonist is Kanata, but the race scenes kept switching between him and other drivers. To me, this kind of diluted the sense of excitement as the pacing keeps being disrupted.

The other reason could be because the races in Initial D are one-on-one, while those in MF Ghost are either time trials (which means you just see a driver speeding along) or 15-driver races, where the protagonist may spend a large amount of time trying to catch up or keep position. The races (at least, the portion shown on screen) in Initial D are always dogfights, but those in MF Ghost end up covering more drivers that kind of dilutes the attention on any single one.

Takumi's races in Initial D are downhill races, and the differences in engine power are not as big compared to the races in MF Ghost, where the courses have both uphill and downhill portions. It is always more exciting to see someone win through skill rather than pure engine power, and in that sense, Initial D shows a lot more of that.

Therefore, I found Initial D to be more gripping, more exciting. Even though its use of computer graphics is kind of dated (especially the earlier seasons), it manages to give a sense of "being there" because the show follows a single driver throughout the race. Meanwhile, I am looking forward to seeing the rest of the anime adaptation of MF Ghost (hopefully, it adapts the entire manga series).

Posted by Teck at 12/01/2024 07:46:00 PM 0 comments

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Saturday, November 30, 2024

Calligraphy pieces from practice (November 2024)

After my final exhibition submission for the year, I had no idea what to write for next year's round of exhibitions. So I decided to use other people's works as reference for practice, hoping that I can find some inspiration.
 
I usually put my practice pieces under my monthly miscellaneous posts, but this time, there were quite some pieces created from practice, so I decided to put them in a separate post.
 
憑君莫話封候事 一将功成萬骨枯
孤帆遠影碧空尽 唯見長江天際流
賢者不得志於今 必取貴於後
誰家玉笛暗飛聲
停車坐愛楓林晩
杯中山影分秋色
春蚕到死絲方尽 蠟炬成灰涙始乾
羌笛何須怨楊柳 春風不度玉門関
Two versions of 但使龍城飛将在 不教胡馬度陰山

黄河入海流
和気致祥
龍飛鳳舞
Two versions of 行雲流水

秦時明月漢時関 万里長征人未還

 

Posted by Teck at 11/30/2024 06:22:00 PM 0 comments

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November 2024 miscellaneous calligraphy pieces

These are some other calligraphy pieces that I wrote in November 2024.
 
夢
 
義
 
天長地久
 
氣 

風林火山
 
Just for fun, 秋月楓雨 (autumn moon, maple rain)

 
Revisiting some pieces from the past
 
 
Rubbish generated in two weeks

Generating rubbish in a systematic way
 
I am also saving the rubbish to use as blotting paper, which I will need a lot when I start working on the exhibition pieces for next year.

Posted by Teck at 11/30/2024 01:18:00 PM 0 comments

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November 2024 calligraphy "homework"

The "homework" pieces that I submitted for November 2024.

Hanshi kanji 半紙漢字: 衆鳥高飛尽
 
Single character 一字: 泛
 
Hansetsu kanji 半切漢字:酒為書滴
 
Unsubmitted pieces:



 
 

Posted by Teck at 11/30/2024 09:32:00 AM 0 comments

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Sunday, November 24, 2024

Making ink in advance

It takes time to grind ink, even with machines. I read somewhere that ink can be kept in the refrigerator to prevent it from going bad, and there are people who grind ink, keep it in the refrigerator, and slowly use that ink over time. It is also useful when a lot of ink is needed (such as when making large works) as it allows you to prepare the required amount of ink in advance.
 
So I  spent two days running one of my ink grinding machines to create this jar of ink. To further slow down the ink from going bad, I added a small amount of liquid animal glue as the ones sold in bottles include preservatives.

After a few days in the refrigerator, the liquid ink turned into something like jam and jelly.

Using a hot water bath, I heated up the "jelly/jam" and it turned back into liquid.

I guess this proves that it is possible to make ink in advance, keep it in the refrigerator, and then use that ink at a later date. That small amount of liquid animal glue also helped to extend the "life" of the ink, as after heating it back into liquid state and leaving it for a few days, the ink has not gone bad yet. I will probably be using this method to create a good quantity of ink for next year's exhibition practice.

A bit more about the process.

For creating the ink "jelly/jam", the process itself was to grind ink in batches, with each batch using 40ml of water and grinding ink for 2 hours. Then, I poured the thick ink into a jar, which I then stored in the refrigerator. (For the final batch, I used 20ml of water with 20ml of liquid animal glue instead of 40ml of water.)

As for using the ink, I used a plastic spoon to scope the "jelly/jam" into a small metal bowl. Then, I placed that metal bowl into a pot of hot water, and stirred the "jelly/jam" until it melted into a liquid. This is thick ink, and so I then further watered it down to get the concentration that I needed.

Posted by Teck at 11/24/2024 04:38:00 PM 0 comments

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Thursday, November 21, 2024

Watching Violet Evergarden The Movie at a Dolby Cinema, yet again (17th viewing)

I went to watch Violet Evergarden The Movie again last week when it returned to Dolby Cinemas in Japan for a limited period. Today is the last day it will be screening at the local Dolby Cinema, and so I thought it would be nice to catch it one more time before it leaves the big screen.

And so I got my ticket for my 17th viewing at a cinema.

Feeling a bit sad that I won't get to see this in cinemas for a while (hopefully not forever). [Note: More details about the movie further down in this post because they include some spoilers.]

I got the exact same seat as last week, hoping this time, I would not cry as much and disturb whoever may be sitting to my side (the other side is the aisle).
 
The movie has been showing for a week, but it still drew a crowd... I guess we are the hardcore fans. 😅

This time, I didn't cry throughout the entire movie, just maybe 60% of it.
 
I noticed how Violet called out Yuris for not saying his real thoughts about his younger brother; those thoughts made it into the letter that was eventually given to his younger brother. Meanwhile, Yuris also noticed that Violet might not be saying her real thoughts when she said, "I wanted to tell him I understand what 'I love you' means" and asked her, "Is that all you want to tell him?" Eventually, Violet's real thoughts made it into her final letter.

I also noticed that, in Yuris's letter to his parents, they showed his final line of "I love you" that he wanted to convey to his parents. This could have served as a hint to viewers to watch out for the last line of Violet's final letter, which was not voiced out but had characters that looked really close to the last line in Yuris's letter.

As for the road with the wheel tracks in the movie, I like to think of it as a road on Ekarte Island, with the scene just before the credits showing Violet walking along that road toward that final scene after the credits. 😊

There is also a scene of the Bougainvillea brothers and their father, on the way to see the troops. I like how they framed the scene, with Gilbert being surrounded by the bougainvillea flowers, and Diethard also surrounded by the bougainvillea flowers. Both brothers, entrapped by their family commitments. One accepted his fate and was eventually set free; the other tried to escape but eventually returned for love of his brother.

Before setting off for Ekarte Island, when Violet was worried about what to do, what to say, and if she could convey everything well, Cattleya suggested that Violet write her thoughts on a letter. That letter which Violet wrote on the way to Ekarte Island never got delivered, but she did manage to write that final letter. Like Cattleya's suggestion, the letter managed to convey her thoughts and feelings which she could not express well in-person. I think we all know how it feels. Sometimes, we just cannot express ourselves well in-person.

Hopefully, the movie will return to the big screen again in the future. 🥺

My overall thoughts on Violet Evergarden The Movie

Events:
 
Translations of short stories:
Gilbert Bougainvillea and the Fleeting Dream (unofficial translation of "ギルベルト・ブーゲンビリアと儚い夢")
The Starry Night and the Lonely Two (unofficial translation of 星降りの夜とさみしいふたり)
Diethard Bougainvillea's If (unofficial translation of ディートフリート・ブーゲンビリアIf) 
The Tailor and the Auto-Memories Doll (unofficial translation of 仕立て屋と自動手記人形)
Laura and the Auto-Memories Doll (unofficial translation of ローラと自動手記人形)
Flowers and the Auto-Memories Doll (unofficial translation of 花と自動手記人形)
 
Tellsis (Nunkish) translation:
Last line of Violet's final letter to Gilbert
 
Insights on the movie:
 
Audio commentary notes:
 
 
All posts related to Violet Evergarden.


Posted by Teck at 11/21/2024 10:31:00 PM 0 comments

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Friday, November 15, 2024

Watching Violet Evergarden The Movie at a Dolby Cinema, again (16th viewing)

Recently, it was announced that Violet Evergarden The Movie has won the Dolby Cinema Award at Dolby Cinema Japan Awards 2024. The movie would also return to Dolby Cinemas in Japan for a limited period.

Today was the first day of that limited period. As a good Violet Evergarden fan, I dutifully booked a ticket to see the movie for the 16th time in a cinema. 😊

It is so nice to see this at the cinema.

And to see this return to the cinemas.
 
I received this commemorative "ticket" again.
 

Tying in with this return to the big screen were some new merch from Kyoani, which was also on sale at the cinema. I had already placed my order on kyoanishop.com but I couldn't resist...
 
Having watched this movie more than 20 times (including at home on the Bluray, on TV, and the audio commentaries by the production staff, music staff, and voice actors), I didn't think I would cry as much as before. So I told myself, I would not resist the tears.

It was the start of a weeping marathon lasting 2 hours 15 minutes.

Tears started flowing right at the start, at the scene in Ann's house when photos of her and her family came into view. And didn't stop until the end of the movie. I think I cried even more during the credit roll because of those familiar names. To the lady sitting beside me, sorry for the disturbance my crying must have caused you. I was sitting at the end of the row, so there was only one person to my side, which was a saving grace since otherwise, I would have disturbed two persons.

The movie is as great as I remembered it. And yes, the Dolby Cinema version is worth it. The sound effects and music coupled with the greater colour contrast really makes it so much more visually and audibly stunning. I think many fans shared my view too, since the place was almost full; only some of the seats at the front and to the sides were empty. And this is for a movie that had premiered more than 4 years ago, is available on streaming services (Netflix), and on Blu-ray and DVD. There is no need to spend money to watch it at a cinema, but many people did. Because the experience really is different, and worth it.

Hopefully, I can find some time to go catch it again... 😅

My overall thoughts on Violet Evergarden The Movie

Events:
 
Translations of short stories:
Gilbert Bougainvillea and the Fleeting Dream (unofficial translation of "ギルベルト・ブーゲンビリアと儚い夢")
The Starry Night and the Lonely Two (unofficial translation of 星降りの夜とさみしいふたり)
Diethard Bougainvillea's If (unofficial translation of ディートフリート・ブーゲンビリアIf) 
The Tailor and the Auto-Memories Doll (unofficial translation of 仕立て屋と自動手記人形)
 
Tellsis (Nunkish) translation:
Last line of Violet's final letter to Gilbert
 
Insights on the movie:
 
Audio commentary notes:
 
 
All posts related to Violet Evergarden.

Posted by Teck at 11/15/2024 10:25:00 PM 0 comments

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