Oktapodi

 Setting

Somewhere with a nice ocean view, the time period being recent.

Conflict

The octopuses try to escape the man driving the van.

Climax

When the driver fell into the ocean and the two octopuses look at each other in relief. 

Symbol

The octopuses- the cute hug, in the beginning, represented love.

Irony 

In the end, the two octopuses thought that they could finally be together but the chase happened all over again. 

Theme

The theme is that we will do anything to protect the things/people we love.

Oktapodi 'Octopus' (2007)

These octopi are so dramatic, but so am I... 

Setting

The short film starts by the sea, again. In a small town in modern-day Greece.

Conflict

The conflict is between the pair of octopi and the truck driver--and by extension, the bird, as well. The octopi are torn from each other through a series of unfortunate events. And throughout the film, they struggle against these obstacles that come in between them while trying to save one another from danger.

Climax

When the octopi finally escapes from the truck driver.

Symbol

1. Octopus/Octopi = Love, Infinity

The octopi symbolize and are supposed to embody true love; a love that prevails even in hardship. Additionally, through research, octopus are considered to symbolize 'infinity' because of its tentacles. ∞

2. The Truckdriver & The Seagull = Obstacles and Hardships

They symbolize the hardships and obstacles that often comes in between true love. But also, I found out through research that seagulls can symbolize loyalty, bonds, and devotion. So the seagull may represent a test of loyalty and devotion．

[ Source: https://www.richardalois.com/symbolism/bird-symbolism#Seagull ]

3. Ocean = Freedom, Stability

Once again, the ocean represents freedom for the lovers. The ocean may also symbolize stability--this may point towards to how their love for each other will remain unchanged no matter what．

4. Truck (Driving?) = The Course of Life

As the octopi and the driver struggled inside the truck, I thought it symbolized life. To me, it represented the idea of how life might just be a car on the road--like how we sometimes take sharp turns into the wrong direction, and how the road can be winding and rough.

Irony

Out of the frying pan and into the fire. The irony of the film would be best described as a game of whack-a-mole, assuming that there will always be another obstacle to come in between the octopi--one problem is solved, yet another problem presents itself to you again and again... I'm not sure if I can call this an irony but, I considered that maybe some things are just meant to be and resistance against fate is futile.

Theme

True love persists even in hardships.

The inevitable cannot be endured．

---

Literally has nothing to do with the analysis but this video reminds me of those animations you see on the TVs they have on display in department stores. 

My recommendation!

 Hi, happy Saturday guys!

This is my little recommendation for you all! (Specially who loves sweets)

I went to LAWSON yesterday and I found out the parfait collaboration with GODIVA! I ate it and it was so delicious!! It was a bit expensive but it's worth eating it!

Please try it!!

Bye^^

Oktapodi

 Setting- somewhere in Mediterranean countries. The time could be anytime in present.

Conflict - two octopuses against human/driver

Climax - the driver had too much of his attention to the octopuses he end up falling into the sea.

Symbol - the color blue is the symbol of this story. Blue sky and sea give positive feeling and sense of freedom.

Irony - both octopus thought they could live happily ever after later the adventure, though a seagull came and the octopus had to fight for her lover again.

Theme- the moral of this story is never ending adventure.

Late night thoughts

 Have you ever wondered about how you sleep??? I've liked things like fortune telling for a while, but when I searched up the way I sleep I couldn't find my answer. Is sleeping on your side with your heart on the bottom side that bad? :")

Oktapodi

    Setting: A town near a sea in Greece

    >Possibly the Ionian, Aegean or Mediterranean sea?)

    Conflict: The octopus's mate was taken by a sushi restaurant employee

    > Or the manager? Whoever gets the ingredients for their restaurant.

    Climax: The climax runs from the octopus getting his lover out of the

container the first time to the very end. There isn't an exact end to the

climax because the heat doesn't die down until they are caught on the

laundry ropes.

    Symbols: 

    

    The octopus and his mate: The two main characters.

    The man: The antagonist

    The truck: An obstacle the octopi have to get past to reach each other.

    Irony: The octopus(male) is taken away by a bird when he and his

darling are finally together. This marks the start of another chase, but

this time between the female octopus and the bird.

    Theme:

    Foreshadowing:

"Oktapodi" Report

Report of "Oktapodi"

1.Setting

In somewhere in Europe, where has a great ocean view. The story about two octopuses love each other.

2.Conflict

Two octopuses are loving each other but the human caught one of them to sell it. So that the other tried so hard so that his lover won't get sold.

3.Climax

The octopus who is trying to rescue the other get on the car and helped escaping. However the driver realized the fact that they are trying to escape. He and two octopuses chasing each other. At the end, the driver and a car has fall into the ocean.

4.Symbol

The setting was in the place where has a beautiful ocean. I thought that the symbol for the animation is the freedom. Octopuses move so slowly at the town, but when they are in the water, they swim so smoothly. Ocean is a symbol for freedom for them.

5.Irony

As I said in the symbol section, they are the creature in the ocean. That means they are not so free in the land. Like a story of the mermaid, they are not free (cannot get out from human rules) when they are on the land.

6.Theme

Theme for the animation is "getting a freedom." They found a true love and escape from human. At the end, one of them had kidnapped by the seagulls but I think they will try again to found a place where they can live happily.

oktapodi

 setting: a small Greek village.

conflict: between the octopuses and the angry driver.

climax: the two octopuses finally get together and try to escape to the sea.

symbol: their love symbolizes a strong relationship that will never break.

irony: when they thought they are already safe because the driver crashed into the sea, a seagull attacked and get the orange octopuses away.

theme: true love can never be broken.

point of view: a third-person point of view.

Media report for Mermaid

 Setting - where imagination is banned, not allowed. I believe the time would be within one to two century because the torment they did to the boy was kind of similar to electric chair.(just guessing)

Conflict - the conflict I see in this video is between the boy and the group of people who are against imagination. Partial conflict against himself(his imagination)

Climax - the climax of this story is when his imagination began to collapse and he couldn’t see the mermaid anymore.

Symbol - the symbol for this story is the fish/mermaid. The fish symbolizes creature’s life.

Irony - the irony of this story is that his strong belief and imagination actually turned him into a mermaid.

Theme - what we can learn from this story is despite the fact that there are times where society tries to take control of everything and have lots of restrictions to us, we shouldn’t quit having creative thoughts.

Video in class

Mermaid by Osamu Tezuko

Setting: island, unknown

Conflict: his free thinking vs the country that doesn't allow free thinking

Climax: the main character was caught to be changed into the systematic view of the country that their fish was not a mermaid. 

Symbol: the fish is the symbol of his desire to break free

Irony: they made me feel astonished 

Theme: The author wants to emphasize that different thinking could lead into an attack on social construct. The end the boy turned into a mermaid.

About upcoming GW

 Are you guys excited for the golden week coming up?

It sucks that we have to go to school this Friday and Monday of next week but I'm gonna enjoy the GW and play a lot of golf I guess. 

I will be going to Setonaikai (Hiroshima pref.) for my golf tournament next week so if anyone want souvenirs please let me know!

Mermaid

 1. setting

Taken place in a beach of a faraway country, where the boy rescues fish (mermaid) by letting her go back into the sea. The fish turns out as a mermaid and they spend time together. 

2. conflict

It's the boy vs the society. The boy had mermaid stay in the water tank at his house and showed it to his parents, but they just saw it as a small fish. Later he was taken to police the police station and was punished. Everybody, including his parents, didn't believe him.

3. climax

When the boy freed fish into the sea, finally everybody saw the same mermaid. Then, the boy turned out to be a merman and the two swam away and never came back.

4. symbol

mermaid and the boy- a symbol of freedom, infinite imagination. The two could literally change how they are seen and go anywhere.

5. irony

With everyone trying to force the boy to limit his imagination, he kept believing what he believes. Lastly, everyone saw what the boy had been seeing. 

6. theme

The story shows the customs of 1960s that everyone being the same and not allowing unique imagination. Tezuka is trying to convey that imagination is okay and make the place more diverse. 

Evaluation on 'Mermaid'

1) Setting

A world where creativity is prohibited. Socialism is extremely distinct here, and it is most likely a male oriented society. The timing is arguably set in the time when the film was released. 

2) Point of View

Third person. Perhaps omniscient? I'm not sure I fully understand the meaning of "third person omniscient". Although the story has no narration, it is written in a way where the invisible narrator knows exactly what will happen next. 

3) Conflict

Person vs. Society. The protagonist sees a mermaid in the water tank, whereas everybody else sees a fish. 

4) Climax

The scene where the protagonist finally sees a fish in the water tank instead of a mermaid. Here, the audience is made to believe that the boy was in the wrong. Yet soon, we find out when she is released into the ocean, she turns back into a mermaid. The boy too turns into a merman and swims far into the ocean.

5) Symbol

The water tank. It symbolizes the cruel society the story was set in.  When sea animals are transferred into a water tank from the ocean, its freedom is taken away. In the short film, the boy placed the fish/mermaid in the tank. However, what Tezuka was actually trying to portray here was that in reality, it was the boy who was placed in the tank by the government. 

6) Irony

Even though the boy was put under severe conditions, he pushed through and was able to find a world that made him genuinely happy. It is shown that a person who is really free in their spirit will somehow find a way out. 

7) Theme

How society and adulthood kills one's creativity. Tezuka is criticizing the society for underestimating the power of imagination. Even though we are all born with great ideas, society suppresses them to keep everything under their control. 

It could also be a message for himself, on how his creativity has not been the way he wants it to be. As we grow up, we see the world in a different light. The crazy yet dreamy world we once lived in as a child is long gone, and we get stuck in an unhappy state.

Note: The short film reminded me of the extended version of Harry Styles' music video Adore You. Perhaps Tezuka's work inspired the master piece...? (I'm just making an assumption, I could be completely wrong.)

Shower Thought pt2

Since some of you (by some I mean like 2) seemed to like my last shower thought post, maybe I'll make this a series. I can't guarantee a fun post every time, but I'll try to choose topics that would probably make sense in other people's heads. Sometimes my mind goes places I didn't even know it could go and I end up confusing myself.

Anyway, I've always wondered, what do animals think of humans? Do they look down on us? Do they think we're narcissistic? As humans, we've been taught to believe that we're at the top of the animal hierarchy. I'm not saying that is false, because it's been scientifically proved that our brains are very advanced. Yet at the same time, I feel we think too highly of ourselves at times. 

Here are some other questions that have crossed my mind regarding this topic:

Do they know we're using them when they're being animal tested? 

Do pets view their "owners" as their master? Or do they consider us as THEIR "pets"? (When you really think about it, it's the humans that are providing the food, the shelter and everything else. So who's the real boss here? Don't get me wrong, animals give us so much joy and emotional support, but at the same time...)

Do zoo animals know they're the being displayed? Or are the humans the ones putting on a show by walking around?

Are they playing dumb in front of humans because they are secretly planning an attack to destroy the human specimen one day?

Is there a parallel universe where all the animals are placed higher in the animal hierarchy than the humans?

Do these even count as shower thoughts? I'm not quite sure. If I did my research, I'd probably have found the answers to all the questions listed. Unfortunately, I'm not that invested in finding them out, so it's up to you what you do with the information. 

Mermaid

Setting: 

This story takes place in a country near the sea.

Conflict:

The boy argues that a fish is actually a mermaid. He gets arrested because the government prohibited citizens to imagine something freely. Eventually he was confined and had his thinking manipulated.

Climax:

The boy got into the prison, and due to the electric shock his mind was being controlled so as to erase his imaginary thoughts. After that, he returned home but found a fish and no longer was able to see a mermaid.

Symbol:

Fins - Even after being manipulated and starting to forget about the mermaid, he still remembered the existence of fins. I believe this is because fin gave his imagination a great impact of freedom, as it allows you to go everywhere. 

Irony:

The ironical part is that he never changed his insistence through the examination on him, however, when he returned to his house and saw his water tank there were no mermaid.

Theme:

Freedom of having a distinct thought. Since the boy was the only one that saw the fish as a mermaid, he was discriminated and that made him feel isolated. I think this is a typical stereotype especially in Japan that everyone need to be the same. However, the movie insists that being unique is not a wrong thing.

 

Mermaid

 Setting

The setting is placed in a country far away where thinking on your will is prohibited and would be punished. I think it is set somewhere in the 20th century where democracy and communism were the two main political ideas and the boy was born in a commuist country where they control things people see and do.

Conflict

The conflict was between the boy and the country. The boy had a thought of having seen a mermaid but the country, in this case the government didn't want the boy to have free thought and decided to punish him and brainwash him into being a puppet for the government.

Symbol

I think the mermaid was the symbol and was representing freedom in general.

Irony

The country did everything they could to stop the boy to think freely but in the end the boy was still able to have free thoughts.

Climax

The boy had to release the fish meaning he had to give up freedom but he couldn't so he went into the ocean to see the free world. I felt like he committed suicide in order to protest against the controlled society.

Theme

Freedom and individuality.

My thoughts

I like politics and thought that the two parties in the video kind of represent the battle between democracy and communism. Even though we live in a democratic country things we see on media are probably always censored so you all need to be careful on what you see and hear. Don't forget that you all have the power to think.

MATSUYA (This is not a PR)

 matsuya is my favorite fastfood and my favorite menu is the "asamatsu".

It is served until 11:00am so you must hurry but thanks to our professor we coul go eat it.

I really want you guys to eat it. Let me hear your impressions.

 1.setting 

A boy sitting in the beach will find a fish which is out in the water.

the boy will help the fish and he let it go in the sea.

Eventually the fish became to a mermaid and the boy bring the mermaid to his house.

His family says that it is not a mermaid but a fish.

2.conflict

The boys country will do anything to persuade him but the boy wont give up/

3.climax

Soon the boy will not be able to imagine the mermaid.

4.symbol

I think the mermaid is the symbol because I have an image of freedom.

5.irony

After all the theraphy he had in the last he believed himself .

6.theme

It shows the society which bans imagination and a boy who overcome these.

I don't know.

 Hello!

Are you tired of learning? 

Perhaps I shouldn't even ask this question. However, as we learn, if correctly, we embark to a certain point where we realize how minuscule our knowledge is. It's romantic in my estimation since it's a continuous discovery of this vast universe. What does it mean to know? I don't know. Please help me.

Note: why did I ever write this? I have no idea. I should go sleep and dream about Greek Gods scolding me. I might wake up after I get beaten by the God of Academia. Please console me in case I cry aloud like a baby. I'll go grab some chamomile tea and find a place to hide in. Or maybe not. Good night!

Kindest regards,

Ken 

 

Osamu Tezuka's Mermaid (1964)

 

The interpretation of the Mermaid by Tezuka Osamu (1964)

 

Before I start,

 

 please note that I took a rather peculiar approach to interpret the symbolism of the outstanding video produced by Osamu Tezuka. I am a passionate reader of Carl Jung, who lays out incredible insight on symbolism and archetypes (universal images present in the collective unconscious). I apologize in advance in case my symbolic analysis is too intricate, but I hope the reader develops some interest in Jungian psychology. I think it’s brilliant. For example, he was the one who developed the idea of “introversion” and “extroversion”.

 

 

Setting  

 

An adolescent sitting on the beach of a remote island playing with his own imagination. The protagonist saves a fish by letting it free in its habitat. The act of letting the fish free synchronizes with the free active imagination of the boy himself. Then, the fish transforms into a mermaid, which stands for life and fertility within the ocean. The protagonist has a romantic/playful interaction with the mermaid and brings it home. In “reality”, however, he brought home a fish, not a mermaid. He tries to persuade his parents to believe that the fish is a mermaid; it turns out to be a mere “illusion” of the adolescent.

The society to which the protagonist belongs forbids free-thinking, which is deemed as a crime. The protagonist is therefore considered as an outcast, for he insists to have seen an authentic mermaid with his own eyes.

 

Conflict

 

The protagonist struggles to identify himself within the autocratic society, which bans liberal thinking. He is forced to undergo reeducation programs, for the regime doesn’t accept deviating ideas. He is obliged to forget his own imaginative creation, the beloved mermaid.

There prevails a conflict between society and the individual.

There is a further dualism between “reality” and “imagination”, whose line cannot be drawn correctly since it is questionable whether the imagination cannot be regarded as reality subjectively.

 

Climax

 

The authoritarian regime conducts reeducation programs, but the adolescent has solid confidence in remembering his beloved imagination. One day, when he gazes at the fish tank, he sees a fish, not a mermaid. Deluded by this, he brings back his fish to where it really belongs, the sea. By letting the lost “freedom” free, he redeems the actual freedom; the mermaid is “saved” and returns to where it belongs. Just like in the beginning, the redemption of the fish restores freedom for both the fish and the adolescent.

In my opinion, the ending signifies that freedom prevails eternally and that it has a healing effect.

 

Symbols

 

・The unconscious.  Water can be symbolized as the unconscious since we can only see its surface but cannot see the depths. According to Jung, water represents the origin of all possibilities, associated with birth, femininity, and life.

 

・The Great Mother. The feminine symbolizes creativity, birth, life, fertility, nurturing, and art.   

 

・Ichthus (fish). The mermaid is a feminine figure, standing for life and fertility within the ocean.  Thus, I came across the term “ichthus”, which is a representation of fish in ancient times. It’s a Christian symbol, and it might signify the redemptive element of Jesus Christ Son of God Savior? I have no clear idea about this, but it is worthy of further analysis.

 

・Pathology. Men in uniform represent pathological authority, annihilating individual freedom.

 

・Hero. The protagonist as a courageous challenger. Ambitious in redeeming the transcendence (mermaid).

 

Irony

 

The act of bringing the fish back to where it belongs cultivates imagination for the protagonist, both at the beginning and in the final scene.  

 

 

Theme

 

Freedom of thought, romance, the unconscious, totalitarianism, the feminine.

Mermaid

Setting A country near the sea. The film would be around 1964, which is the year the film was made.

Conflict The county the boy lives in bans peoples imagination。However, the boy imagines about mermaids after helping a fish

Climax The boy gets caught and gets forced to stop imagining about mermaids

Symbol  I think that the symbol of this animation is fins.　The boy forgot the upper half of the mermaid but, he remembered the fins of the mermaid.

Irony　A mermaid can swim around in the sea and has freedom but, the boy doesn’t have any

Theme　Imagination　

The Mermaid video

1, Setting

    Takes place in a town near a beach where imagination is a crime. 

   A boy goes fishing one day and caught a fish but the boy sees it as a mermaid.

2, Conflict

    The town where the boy lives doesn't allow people to imagine. So when the boy told his parents that he caught a mermaid and showed "The Mermaid" to them, they thought he was delusions and crazy so called the police to straighten him up.

3, Climax

    After the boy was tortured he went back home and saw, not a mermaid, but a little fish in a big tank. He went back to the sea to free the fish but the fish turned into a mermaid again and this time the towns people saw the same thing as the boy. The the boy turned into a merman and swam away with the mermaid.

4, Symbol

    Mermaid: a symbol of free-thinking and of individuality. Even if we are shown the same thing, we each see it in a different way from one another. Sometimes we only see what we want to see.

5, Irony

    Even after all of what the government did to him he could still believe in the mermaid, and this time he was not the only one who saw it.

6, Theme

    The fear of management society and the escape from it.

APOLOGIES

    Thanks to Reiko, I realized I didn't have my comments open 😨 And for EVERY SINGLE ONE! Thank you, thank you, thank you!! I apologize for the inconvenience and now I know what to do when I publish blogs! I opened the comments up for all the posts I've uploaded so far!

    By the way, I have a really fun thing coming up in a few more minutes for me, so I think I'll be able to be really happy the whole week ^^ ... Not that your presences haven't made me feel happy and relieved already.. 👉👈 Actually now that I see how I've been this past week, I can see how cheerful and bright I've been able to become compared to being alone in junior and senior high. It must be because the people I've met so far are the types of people I've always wanted to meet! Enough of my mushy stuff, I gotta prepare 🙈

Vroom Vroom

 Is anyone else going to driving school?!?!?!?

I actually drove last week, held the handle, stepped on the gas pedal, and stopped at red lights. For the first time!

I put in two driving lessons that day and the first lady instructor was so nice! When I drove with her it was my FIRST time ever so I was extremely nervous. ( fun fact I suck at riding my bicycle...so that's why driving sounds so scary for me 🥲) 

Even though I drove onto the curb about 3 times in a row she calmly explained what I was doing wrong and guided me through the other curbs. Eventually, I got the hang of it and she told me I was a fast learner, (even though she probably didn't mean it) it made me feel a bit at ease. The lesson ended smoothly with me being able to turn right and left without any problem and I was so ready for my next lesson.

Fast forward to my next lesson which was about an hour later, I found out that I had a different instructor. I didn't think much of it because I thought it would be the same as my first lesson, which was fun and easy to understand. Little did I know I was going to be tortured. The instructor calls my name and I go up to him and we introduce ourselves, this was completely normal but as soon as I step into the car it's dead silent. I look at him and he looks at me and goes "what are you doing". In my head I thought, I don't know man you're supposed to tell me. 

I just did what the lady taught me to do in the beginning and he looked satisfied so I was about to start the car but then he goes "STOP". So i stop, my heart jumping out of my chest because his voice was so loud. He tells me I need to step on the breaks to start the car, to be completely honest I'm glad he stopped me because we would have died if I didn't but from there I was on edge the whole time. 

Mr.Instructor man didn't trust me with the breaks because he would lowkey slow down the car before I could. He would also let other cars go first even though I was on the priority road (優先道路). Another thing is he would tell me to move like 5 meters and like bro Idk how long 5 meters is so I ask and he laughs a little 💀.  When I almost went up on a curb he was like " NooOOOoOoOo" that freaked me out. 

The lesson ends and he asks if I have any questions, I ask about turning and he shoves a book in my face and says study here. I was so tired and wanted to get out of there as fast as I could so I smiled and said thank you. This was not a lesson it was torture. 

I have another lesson tomorrow in the afternoon at about the same time so I'm hoping I don't get the second guy. I want to say maybe he was also tired and I was just really bad at driving but please pray for me that I don't get him again. It's rainy tomorrow and I'm dreading driving in the rain. Tonight I will manifest a nice driving instructor for tomorrow...

About curling irons...

 I haven't curled my hair in years, and I still have this iron where you have to wrap your hair around the pole from when I was in elementary school. Should I use it..? Is it too much of a risk?

Mermaid by Tezuka Osamu

Setting

It takes place on a beach at first then moves on to a town that's close to the beach. (possibly Japan?)

Conflict

The boy uses his imagination in a world where it is prohibited.

Climax

The tickling torture therapy and the book therapy drove him over the edge. This is the climax because he forgot half of the mermaid. Curious to what the mermaid looked like before, he rushes back home only to find what everyone else saw, a fish. Devastated, he walks to the ocean and releases the fish but to his surprise, he sees the mermaid again and they disappear together.

Symbol

1)Mermaid

The mermaid I think symbolizes freedom and individuality. Freedom because mermaids usually roam the vast ocean and can go wherever they please. Individuality, because the boy apart from everyone else chose to see the mermaid even till the very end. 

2)Books

 If this really took place in japan I think it stands for how children study too much to the point where they don't have any creative thoughts. (?)

3) The boy's hair...

I could be completely wrong and it could be a coincidence but whenever the boy was with the mermaid his hair was flowy and constantly moved. This could symbolize his enjoyment of imagination. (like how a dog wags its tail when it's happy???) During the therapy or near the end when he's at the beach his hair barely moves.

Irony

After the therapy, he was afraid of fish but in the end, he swam away with one into the ocean which is probably full of fish.

Theme

I think the theme is how the government controls society to think a certain way in the world. I know it sounds pretty heavy but from the court scene, the therapy, and the end where they followed the boy to the sea it was about the government doing whatever it took to change the way the boy thought about the fish, which was a mermaid in his eyes.  

I want some tips for the picnic!

 Hi guys! Happy Saturday!

I am doing HW now and texting my friend from high school. And we are planning to go on a picnic next month. I have never done the picnic before so I'm searching up many photos in Instagram to check what is needed.  If anybody in this class have done it before, please tell me some tips! 

I haven't seen her since the graduation ceremony, so I'm really looking forward to see her!

Have a great weekends! See you on Tuesday;)

About the vocabulary quiz

 I was able to fix my login problem on my own somehow, but I got lost and couldn't finish my vocabulary quiz. I clicked on one of the vocabulary quizzes and it told me to speak the word in order to solve the problem but I don't remember anybody talking to their computers yesterday? I know it's too late to ask for help or information, but I'm really lost. How did you guys finish your quizzes????

Mermaid

     Setting: 

    - A country far away with a boy who likes fantasies. 

    - The movie itself was made in 1964 by Tezuka Osamu in the Showa era, also when the Tokyo Olympics were held(?).

    - The story starts with a boy who rescues a fish that was stranded onto the sand, resurrecting it by putting it back into the water. With his imagination, he sees the fish as a mermaid and plays with it like an imaginary friend.

    Conflict: 

    The island the boy lives on doesn't allow imagination by the citizens, and his parents also abide by the laws. Thus, he is taken in by scientists to be tested on. During the first few experiments, he kept on saying that the mermaid had been real. Even through being tortured, he remembered vividly how she looked like. This continued until he was dragged through a new way of testing: Reading books. Slowly, he started to forget about how the mermaid looked and in the end only remembered how the tail appeared to himself. 

    Climax:

    The boy runs back to his home, only to see that the hypnosis people called imagination melted from his mind. He could only see a small fish within the huge tank, and decided to bring it back to the ocean while the police searched for him. As for who wins the struggle of the climax, I believe the boy won in the end. (Warning, this is about to get a bit dark in the second paragraph. I have no idea if anyone else thought the same because this is what popped into my head while I was watching the video the first time).

    After the boy goes into the sea, the video shows that there is one mermaid, and then another following. I believe this is shown because the boy drowned himself. For if there is no imagination in his life, something that gave him joy and fun after a life of realism, he had no reason to keep living. He immerses himself into the water and is freed from the hardships of the torture, able to see the mermaid he found was a fragment of his imagination, and became a mermaid himself, eventually swimming off into the horizon with her because now he can be anything he wants. Both the mermaid he thought of and his parents who sold him off to the scientists became the reason of his death.

    Symbols:

    - Mermaids: Mermaids resemble birth and rebirth. My idea about the boy dying and becoming a mermaid coincidentally ties itself to this description so it can also mean the boy was able to be reborn as a person free from the laws and restrains.

    - Water: Represents feelings/emotions that can range from being calm to violent. In the story, the boy didn't show anger, but more of sadness and fun. 

    - Starfish: Renewal and regeneration. I found this an important aspect as well because it was seen in the mermaid's hair. This comes from personal knowledge, but starfish can detach their arms to escape from predators. These can be regenerated after some time, and I saw that the starfish and mermaids share symbolic meanings. 

    Irony:

    -The irony in the story, I believe, comes from the existence of imagination to the island. There is no context as to why it isn't allowed, and why the boy was detested so much just for imagining a fish as a mermaid(Although it may be because he was so obsessed with the mermaid that it led to his fall). While imagination in our world is a simple, innocent fun, this story made it seem evil.

    Theme: 

    - I believe the theme of "The mermaid" is that the society overreacted to a small thing that could have never harmed anyone. Even today, people might say things that are only related to themselves and others would bash them for it. Even if it's harmless. 

C2H5OH

 Hello everyone, 

I thought that I would talk about the effects of alcohol today since you all will probably join a circle and have a nomikai. In chemistry, alcohol refers to an organic compound that includes a hydroxy atom. What we drink as alcohol is called ethanol(C2H5OH). When this goes in our body, it goes into the liver. The liver breaks it down into a compound called acetaldehyde(CH3CHO). This substance is very toxic and is the reason why people go drunk. So the liver breaks it down again into acetic acid(CH3COOH).If you take too much alcohol, drink a lot of water to get the alcohol out by urine.

Hope you guys enjoyed this simple chemistry class.

Mermaid, Tezuka Osamu (1964)

There was a lot to unpack... 

Setting

The film starts by the sea, on a wide beach in a far-away land. This far-away land is later on revealed as a totalitarian society, where free-thinking is frowned upon and a punishable crime.

The period may be set at the same time the animation was released, perhaps in the 1960s, during the post-war period. 

 

Conflict

The conflict is between the boy and the oppressive society of the land he lived in. He is forced to conform to what is dictated and is pressured to abandon his individualism.

 

Climax

When the boy escapes from the shore and out into the horizon with the mermaid--this is the climax because the boy can no longer return to land. 

 

Symbol

1. Mermaid and Ocean (or Water) = Imagination, Individuality, Freedom

The mermaid is the embodiment of imagination while the ocean represents the seemingly bottomless possibilities of the boy's imagination... 

Mermaids also represent transformation, possibly alluding to how since he can see the mermaid, he's capable of change [e.g. growing fins = accepting individuality, creativity, imagination]. While the rest of those in the country--those who couldn't see the mermaid and only saw the fish--wouldn't be able to do so because they denied themselves of their own individuality. 

2. Books = Conformation, Obedience, A restriction of free-thinking

While books often symbolize knowledge, the stack of books that surrounded him appeared to trap him to think in a certain way. Additionally, the motion of a book being shoved towards him could also be interpreted as him having to follow 'by the book'.

Upon further research, during the production of this animation and while student riots occurred across Japan in the 1960s, Japanese exams were being criticized for yielding mediocre students without individuality despite its infamous competitiveness. Exams were rigorous but the educational curriculum at the time only seemed to encourage and prioritize memorization more than creativity. The books may also be a nod to the strict curriculum that students had to go through at the time.

3. Colors (and Lines?) = Emphasis on the difference between restricted and free thinking

When he returned home with the mermaid, we see the film's palette turn from a blue ocean-like palette to muted colors like brown and grey. Nothing is out of the ordinary, and yet everything looks dreary. 

 Additionally, blue is known to sometimes represent freedom. (But it can also be associated with authority, intelligence, and even order.)

Note: This may just be how I saw it but the lines of the animation in the very beginning felt very soft, whimsical, and abstract. Unlike the jagged and rough lines we saw later on when he was interrogated. This may be interpreted as another emphasis on the differences between restricted and free-thinking. The loss of flow between the moments of the sea and the moments where the boy was being 're-taught'. There are more rigid lines and very few circular or soft shapes. (e.g. When the boy puts the fish into the pool and when it turned into a mermaid, it was a tiny little circular puddle of blue [water]. Whereas his confinement cell, the space he was interrogated in was always made of hard rectangular shapes. Both are isolated shapes.)

4. Bubbles = Impermanence

During his time with the mermaid, there was an abundance of bubbles both under the sea and in the air. And even at some point, the boy appeared to be inside one. Bubbles float freely until they pop, and so bubbles can be associated with temporal happiness. Similar to how as a child, you would happily chase bubbles until they disappeared with a 'pop'. Just like that moment of freedom he had with the mermaid in the beginning, it also had to come to an end. 

Irony

The boy completely abandons society and transforms into a mermaid as he escapes to the sea. Suggesting that he embraced his own individuality instead of conforming to what was expected of him. The irony is that even though he swims against the waves to escape--therefore going against the flow of society's expectations and conventions--he still swims its waters. 

There is also an irony in when he turns into a mermaid. While in the beginning, it symbolized his 'freedom', in the end, it also became a symbol of restriction or the limit to his freedom; just like mermaids, he may be free in the ocean but not on land--indicating that, in reality, there is no perfect society where all our thoughts will be freely accepted. 

 

Theme

While the overarching theme is to cherish and encourage imagination, it also discusses real themes of how governments can oppress their people with policies and national ideals that are only detrimental to the growth of their communities.  

 

---

This feels a bit rushed so I hope I didn't get any of the literary devices wrong... But I wondered about this after watching the video and I just wanted to ask everyone--what do you think did the people see when the boy swam to the horizon. Did they, like us, see the boy grow fins and swim to the horizon; and also, were they finally able to see the mermaid? Or did they all just see a boy chasing after a fish, bound to drown because of his 'delusions'? 

Heigh-ho, Heigh-ho, I Have No Title

 Heigh-ho, 

It's been a hot second since I posted so I hope you didn't miss me too much. (jk... unless?)

So, I plan on posting the Mermaid analysis later this week, but I might have dived too deep into the story...? It was really interesting trying to find symbols throughout the story, and reading what some of you have already posted was insightful. I especially liked how the 'fins' could be a symbol for free-thinking!

Anyways, I wanted to write about how I haven't had the time to do any creative writing lately. I've been working on an original story for the past few months, like doing intensive world-building, doing character studies, researching, and that kind of stuff? But because of university, I've been neglecting it a lot... The document has been collecting dust for the past few weeks even though I've been writing bits and pieces of what I wanted to add to the story on the back of my notebook. I really hope I could find some time this month (or at least Golden Week) to pick it up again. I also need to update a lot of my other works... 💀💀💀

But I also wanted to share how me and my group of friends made a Visual Novel! It's been a project we've been working on for the past three, maybe four, months and we finally finished it! Even right now, while I'm writing all of this, I still can't believe that it's real. I just couldn't wrap my head around the fact that people will be playing this game--will be reading what I wrote?! Like, hello? I'm just... so excited? Everyone on the team was so talented, and seeing the progress from Day 1 felt so humbling because I managed to experience firsthand what it must be like for people in the industry. The amount of thought, time, and work it takes to make something from start to finish...

When I was watching the Mermaid, I was thinking about how long it must have taken to make something like that. It was roughly seven minutes long but how long did it take for that idea to be fleshed out, to turn that one single thought into the lines and colors we all saw on the screen? And while I always held artists in high regard, I think I have a newfound respect for creatives now...

Also, the wind today was really nice. :D Well, for now, that's all I have to say.

Hasta luego or whatever,
Your Broski(???)

About the animation "Mermaid"

1.Setting

World where free-imagination is limited. A boy met with a mermaid and spend wonderful time together.

2.Conflict

The boy told his parents that he met a mermaid. There was a big water tank in his room, and he pointed out a fish in the tank and insisted that is a mermaid. For that, police men took him to court and showed him many pictures of fish and asked "Is this a mermaid did you see?" Police men didn't believe in his story.

3.Climax

He sat on a electric chair, and put a helmet on. Suddenly, he given an electric shock. After the penalty, he came back home to see the thing inside the tank was a fish or not. He scoop the fish and let her go back in the ocean, and it became a mermaid. Next moment, he went into the ocean and swam together and went anywhere.

4.Symbol

Symbol for the story is the fins. When he was asked many things about the mermaid, he started to forget about what she looked like. But he never forget about the fins. I thought fins suggest the free imagination in the story. If you have fins, you can go everywhere, nobody cannot stop you imagine.

5.Irony

In the animation, the mermaid was a symbol of freedom because she can go everywhere of the ocean. However, the mermaid was labeled as "imagination" in the world and nobody believed it. So the world where he lived has no freedom. That is why author, Osamu Tezuka, chooses to use mermaid for the symbol of freedom in the animation.

6.Theme

Theme is the "free imagination." There are some countries that prohibit people freedom of speak, write, and publish. This animation suggest the importance of imagination and believing in one's thought.

The mermaid video thing I guess?

 

The mermaid video thingy

setting: The country near the ocean that doesn’t allow citizens to imagine.

Climax: The boy is caught by the police and sent to the lab to make him forget about the mermaid. 

Conflict: The boy who likes to imagine and loves fantasy vs The country that doesn't allow people to imagine.

symbol: the fish symbols imagination or the specialty of the boy. The government is the symbol of the restriction of society toward special people.

theme

irony: the boy finally found that the mermaid is just his imagination, but he still wants to prove that mermaid is real.

theme: Free to be yourself is the happiest thing.

Hair Crisis

GUYS. Hear. Me. Out. I am having a HAIR CRISIS. Part of me wants to dye it auburn, (Every time I hear the word “auburn” it reminds me of the line from The Suite Life of Zack and Cody. Please tell me I’m not alone on this.) and part of me wants to dye it olive green. Yet another part of me thinks that’s too much and I should just do tiny little streaks of blonde. 

This is my first time dying my hair so I have no idea what color will suit me. Anyway, this blog doesn’t really serve a purpose to anyone but me, so I should probably stop myself before I start rambling. Thanks for coming to my TedTalk! 

So many things we have to do

 Hi everyone,

New week has started and a heavy schedule is awaiting us again😅

I guess everyone got exhausted last week with their first face to face classes and so many homework. I was just confused with all the stuffs we had to get ready but excited as well to meet other classmates and teachers. Some classrooms ere enormous unlike the high school and made me surprise!

So many new information just made me so tired last week and I think weekend is not enough...

Anyways, I hope everyone had a nice start of their uni life and got a good rest.

See you guys tomorrow! Good night.

English tutoring

I recently started English tutoring as a part time job. I've only had 30 lessons so far, so I'm still trying to figure everything out. Some very experienced teachers teach around 500 lessons per month, (crazy, I know) so you can tell I'm still very new. What's really great about this job is that the lessons are done online, so you really don't waste any time moving from one house to another. 

Most of the children I've taught are very well behaved, and time flies when I'm talking to them. But today I had a really hard time trying to liven up the lesson. 

This one girl had the worst attitude ever, and kept on rolling her eyes every time I asked her a question. It seemed like she was very uninterested in anything that I was saying, and it made me question why she is even taking English lessons in the first place. In the end, she threw her headphones at me (i.e. the screen) and used inappropriate languages. I'm assuming her parents forced her to take English lessons, and she had no choice but to do as she was told, but that's no excuse to be such a rude person.

The fact that I had to deal with her disrespectful and pessimistic attitude was already exhausting me, but what made me feel even worse was when I realized that her parents paid a lot of money for their daughter to take the lesson. As the tutor, I want every lesson I teach to be somewhat meaningful and enjoyable. I was able to give none of that in this lesson, and that thought really bummed me out. It's been almost 2 hours since the lesson ended, but thinking about it makes me want to cry a tiny bit. 

To make matters worse, I had 2 more students who showed no interest in learning English right after the first girl. On top of that, I only had 4 hours of sleep last night (Which is partly my fault because I kept procrastinating during the day and had to finish every single assignment at midnight), so I've never felt more worn out in my life!

I knew tutoring is not a easy job, and it requires a lot of patience but I did not expect to be treated like a doormat. Children can be very brutal sometimes, but at the end of the day everything is a learning experience. (That's what I try to tell myself every time something horrible happens. It doesn't really work. But I still try.)

Really hoping I'll be able to get 7-8 hours of sleep tonight. 

A Mundane Monday

Good evening! 

Today is a mundane Monday so it is time to philosophize again. 

 

 „If the fool would persist in his folly he would become wise.“

 -William Blake, from The Marriage of Heaven and Hell (1790–1793), Proverbs of Hell, Line 18

 

I really like this quote from the distinguished English poet, painter, and printmaker William Blake. 

I am yet to discover a more humble statement than this one because it encourages us to make innumerable mistakes which eventually lead to a great leap forward in our lives. 

I have a lot to derive from this humble attitude since I am so clumsy and disorderly. But thanks to this mind-boggling idea I can spare some optimism even when I omit something. 

Again, don't mistake me for a poetry-weirdo. I came across such ideas only recently, and I am hoping to compensate for my ignorance from time to time.

I can imagine myself doing a love confession in poems. Oh dear, I cannot stop giggling. What a gentleman. 

It's a rainy night, but I hope you will have a good rest and sleep!

Take care.

K-pop (semi-clickbait)

 Hello again,

It's kind of weird writing another blog right after one isn't it. I forgot to write blogs for this week so that's the reason why. Well, once again I have nothing to talk about so I'll talk a bit about my hobby. As I wrote on my self introduction I like playing the guitar. I started around a couple years ago and was in a band during high school. Most of the music I listen to are bands. My favorite Japanese bands are Larcenciel and 安全地帯(anzenchitai). My favorite foreign band is oasis. What kinds of music do you guys listen to? I can see in the blogs that some of you guys like listening to K-pop music. What songs do you guys recommend for K-pop beginners like me?

Hope this was long enough. Feel free to leave a comment on K-pop songs you guys like. (Of course you don't have to :) )

The theory of relativity

 Hello guys, 

I don't know what to write about so I'll write about what happened in one of my classes on Friday.  My teacher in economics class sometimes goes off the track (his stories are pretty interesting though) and he starting talking about the theory of relativity by Albert Einstein. I use to study chemistry and physics in high school so I kind of had a general idea of the theory of relativity. And yes there's two. The general theory and the special theory of relativity. One concept of it is the faster an object moves relative to another object, the time experience will be slower for the first object. So if I was on a space ship moving very fast and you guys see me flying, my 1 second will be a little bit longer than yours. The thing the professor was talking about was on a theory on how Urashima Tarou was travelling at a really fast pace and that's why when he came back everyone he knew was old. Very random isn't it and this was during an economics class. I'm assuming most people are a bunkei who was taking that class so I think it would have been boring for them. Is any one of you a former rikei in high school?

well, that's the end of the story. Hope you enjoyed it.  

Can’t think of any subject

Hey guys(?),

I should be certainly writing about my university life but you know to be honest, there’s nothing special happening around me recently so I’ll just write about my pet. Forgive me if this topic is dull as dishwater but I’m really out of topic.

Anyhow, I hope this could be piece of information to get to know me or something we could chat about.

So basically, I like animals in general and I’m obviously a dog person.(how about you guys?)

I have two pure-breed of chihuahuas, their names are Choco and Momo. I had them since I was in elementary so I’ve spent almost half of my life with them. They love to eat and take a nap(just like the owner) as well as going on a walk in the afternoon. Before, I was in charge of walking them in the backyard on weekdays but being busy in university it’s kind of hard to manage it. At the same time they are very wise and well disciplined. They understand ‘sit’, ‘lay down’ and ‘go to bed’. They can climb stairs and even pray before eating lol. If you want to be impressed by a dog you should definitely see my dogs.

I guess the first week of university was exhausting and we’ve been all busy and drained of all energy so I’ll leave it here. Rest well guys.

At last I’ll just share a picture of my dog when she was just few months old. Hopefully this could help you get a great sleep. Good night:)

Weekend 2

 Hello. How are you doing?

This week was full of novelty again, wasn't it?

I was quite perplexed because it was my actual first week. The day before the entrance ceremony I caught a fever (it wasn't covid, fortunately) and could not come to the campus for ten days. I must admit that it was a great burden for me to get acquainted with course registration and workload in general but the registrar's office was so understanding that I could manage it without any major issues. I'm so thankful for that. 

The campus was smaller than expected though, but it's incredibly majestic especially when it's sunny. Nevertheless, it was a trauma to go to the cafeteria on a rainy day!! I wished there was my personal cat robot around me. 

Anyways, I hope that you are having an engaging start. We should get to know each other more in the future. You all are so captivating. 

Take care and good night!

Im so tired.

It looks like I underestimated uni. life.

There are a lot of things to do, A lot of reports,,,

I need to finish my reports so I will do it after i eat dinner.

But before that I think I really need to sleep.

So good night.

About the book choosing homework

 Anne of Green Gables looked like a thing I would really like..! My mother always said that Anne was cute, so I was a bit interested in that one. I was contemplating whether to message Mr. Armstrong or to wait until Tuesday. Either way, I should think of a second choice just in case it was already taken!

Actual self introduction

    As some of you already know, my name is Otoha! This post is just to put down a proper introduction because I felt like I needed to do so.

    My birthday is May 27th(Yes, I know. Next month! 11 months passed sooner than I thought..) My mother gave birth to me in the Gifu prefecture, but I already went to Chicago, Illinois at the age of one and a half years old. After going back to Japan, I came back to America to live in Texas for six years and California for two and a half years. In the end, I lived in America for a total of 10 years.

    My hobbies are (but they probably aren't considered talents since I'm not the best at them?) drawing, singing, dancing, and writing short fanfics. Since I'm not a pro, I find getting better at them very fun and entertaining! For dancing, I actually went to lessons from 2 to 11(Ballet and hiphop), and for three years I've been dancing year long to k-pop for fun. For drawing, I went to summer classes if I recall? Nothing in particular though. Nothing for singing, all you need is your emotions!

    I love love LOVE K-pop, anime, and v-tubers! I don't listen to a lot of boy groups or popular Japanese artists because I tend to just stay around a few groups that I grow fond of, but to line up the k-pop groups I stan for: ENHYPEN, TWICE, Billie, BTS, and Itzy! 

Uhh, personality wise I'm just really, really shy so I might be twiddling my fingers in the back of the classroom sometimes. I try to act super cool but my nature gets in the way, but it'd be nice if we got along as a class! I've already found some amazing people to be friends with here and I love the welcoming atmosphere!

What is writing :,)

 Hi new friends!

How are you all so good at writing?! Every entry I've read so far was really captivating and funny. I'm really jealous since writing is something I struggle with. I've always avoided it and now I have to do it twice a week, or maybe even more. :,) On the other hand, I'm really glad we have this platform to write.  I can finally push away my fixed mindset and learn from you guys!

I did try writing once, a diary to be exact. After reading the diary of Anne Frank I was influenced to write my own. I thought that I, out of all the people in the world could leave history to be found by someone in the future. (This girl really thought the world revolved around her.) The diary project started off really great, I was using new words I learned and wrote at least three pages a day. Unfortunately, as someone who could not (and still to this day) be consistent, stopped writing after 5 months. To be completely honest though I'm glad I stopped writing in my diary. Like I said it started off really good but towards the end, the details and the language started to become a bit...harsh. Reading it back was horrifying. It's something very precious to me but should never ever be published for all the world to see.

Please tell me everyone went through a diary phase as well...

First week FINISHED!

 Hi! It's finally Saturday! I have no class on Saturday so today is my precious day-off! But I'm doing a lot of HW right now and I have no time to see my friends... Maybe I will have time to see them in May, I wish. 

Actually, yesterday was my mother's birthday so I ate pizza slices and cakes so much that I'm not hungry at all now. I should eat less next week... I ate too much....

After all, I hope you all have a wonderful weekends! 

See you on Tuesday, Bye!!

𝐼'𝓂 𝒥𝓊𝓈𝓉 𝒜 𝒯𝒾𝓇𝑒𝒹 𝐿𝒾𝓉𝓉𝓁𝑒 𝒢𝓊𝓎 🎀

(Oh, no--It's them... Again.)

Hey besties (???),

I hope the first week of class treated you better than it did with me.

I really should have seen it coming, y'know. But somehow, somewhere along the blurry folds of time and space... I underestimated everything and overestimated myself all at once--truly another mistake for the hall of fame.

The thing is, since most of my friends from abroad are 3rd-year university students, I've been regaled with stupidly horrible stories of their workload, their time management, and the poor education system that has beaten the absolute living hell out of them.

And every time, I said, "Damn, couldn't be me," with the most obnoxious and smug laugh I could choke out of myself. (Another mistake for the ever-growing hall of fame.) So, here I sit with my head in my hands as I think to myself: 'Is this... Is this retribution for my malevolence against humanity? :D For the next four years, shall this be my fate?'

Anyways, my one brain cell died to write this entry so I'll end it here. I have nothing else to say anyways <33 And I'm sure no one is interested in my skin break-out rant, or my caffeine addiction. 

Have a nice weekend everyone! I will be entering hibernation in the meantime.

I really want to drink coffee right now,
𝒜 𝒯𝒾𝓇𝑒𝒹 𝐿𝒾𝓉𝓉𝓁𝑒 𝒢𝓊𝓎 

Uni Life

This is a message to everyone who grew up with gossip girl, high school musical, and glee. Uni life in Aoyama is not like the movies. I know they are high school series but WE were let to believe that school life is all fun friends making memories. However, we were given a reality check the moment we took a step inside campus. HOMEWORK HOMEWORK HOMEWORK, and run to class experience. This was not what I had planned. Oops, class is starting.... gotta sing a song while running to class.

About me

 

Hi！My name is Hikari Tasaka.　I have lived in China for 6 years when I was an elementary school student. Since I attended an international school, I can speak English, but since I stopped using English at school and at home, I cannot speak fluently anymore.

I love watching horror movies, I especially love the SAW series.

The first zoom class

I had a lot of trouble downloading zoom on my computer. I couldn't figure out what the user name and password was. So I called a friend who is good with computers and had him help me. I changed my Apple ID to a new one and found out what my user name was, but still couldn't download zoom. By this time three hours has passed and class was about to start. So I went downstairs and asked my roommate for help. She also had a meeting online that was about to start but she had two computers so she let me use the other one. 

The next day my friend texted me and we found out that I had to put my mothers information in, to download zoom. After I put in her user name and password I successfully downloaded zoom into my computer.

Introducing myself

I didn't really introduced myself in the first 2 blogs that I made so I would like to share a little bit about myself.

Again, my name is Santa Shimasaki and I currently live in Yokohama. I get asked about my name a lot, but it doesn't have anything to do with christmas😅

I used to live in Houston, Texas for about 4 years. I came back to Japan on last year of middle school and entered Aoyama Gakuin High school as a returnee student. 

I'm a huge sports guy. I've been playing golf seriously since the first year of elementary school. I also watch a lot of other sports too like baseball (Hanshin Tigers, Houston Astros), soccer (Yokohama F-Marinos), NFL (Houston Texans), and martial arts. I'll be joining the golf club and I'm looking forward to play in many tournaments throughout my college days. BTW, Ayami, you are the first ever Astros fan that I met in Japan!

I'm super glad that I'm getting to know with many native, high level English speakers in this class. This IE3 class will definitely be challenging for me, but I'm certain that this environment will push me harder to become an even better English speaker. I'm looking forward to becoming friends with all of you and support each other when we need.

Self introduction

  Hello My name is Ayami! I'm from Yokohama, Kanagawa. I have lived in New York for three years when I was a middle school student. So I speak English, but it's been a long since I stopped using English at school, so please help me with it!! (I'm not good at speaking...) 

And also, I learned Korean in high school so I speak Korean as well, if you are a fan of K-drama or K-pop, let's be a good friend! (My bias group is Monsta X and WJSN! If you have time, please look it up!!)

My hobby is watching baseball (I'm a big fan of Angels and Astros) and soccer. (I love Chelsea and Madrid.)  And I'm thinking of football circle in university.

Thank you for reading!

Have a nice day!!

Hello

 My name is Akahane May Carruth. 

I'm from Nagano prefecture. I'm half Japanese and half American.  At home I always speak Japanese to my mom and English with my dad. 

I have been to Thailand, Bail and America. When I travel to America I often go to California or Oregon to visit my relatives or I go to Guam just for vacation. I have never been to the east side of America so I hope to go there some time in the future. I really want to go to New York's public library.

I hope to improve my English, especially my spelling skills.

Thank you

Self introduction

 Hi everyone! 

My name is Rin Sasuga. This is my first post.

I lived in Europe for 11 years and the countries I stayed were Germany, Luxembourg and Italy. I came back to Japan when I was 12 and since that I didn't have much chances to speak English. So even though I can read and listen, I don't have much confidence in my speaking. Therefore I hope to have fun communicating in English with everyone in this class and at the same time improve my speaking level!

Thank you

Man Tries to Write a Blog, What Happens Next Will SHOCK You

Hey everyone! 

My name is Shunjiro and I have no idea how to write in an intriguing way. That's why I resorted to clickbait to grab your attention. Sad, isn't it? 

To kick things off, I like drawing. A lot. So much so that I'd rather die than not be able to draw. I'd call it a hobby but it's become more like a job now since I'm doing commercial work. Still enjoy the activity. There might be something coming out in the fall season.

I also love watching movies. I've already watched 13 this year and so far my favorite is The Batman. That's right, the latest reboot of Mr. Vengeance himself. It has everything a good movie should have; Robert Pattinson? Check. Mesmerizing cinematography? Check. Thrilling score? Check. Captivating narrative? Check. Although the runtime is on the longer side at 2 hours and 56 minutes, I assure you that it will not be a waste of your time. 

I can't forget anime. It's without question one of the best entertainment mediums in the world. One of the standouts this year is Heike Monogatari. It's an adaptation of a classic Japanese tale about the feud between the Taira clan and Minamoto clan during the 12 century. Although it has a slightly modern twist to it, it's core narrative remains extremely faithful to the source material and the original elements only help to enhance the message it wants to tell. Beautifully structured into 11 episodes, it is a must watch for all ages. 

If any of you decide to watch either of these(or both), I'd love to hear your thoughts on it!

I think I've rambled on for long enough. Until next time!

P.S. Here are some recent doodles! I'll try to attach something in every blog post.