Catching up with Amachan (あまちゃん)

Amachan あまちゃん

OK, so I am about 50 episodes in on Amachan. I saw that there are soft-subs available so I decided to give it a watch and so far, it’s pretty good! There are a couple of really funny moments so far (Ghostbusters anyone?) and the ama/idol story is holding my interest. And you know what? The story makes a whole lot more sense with subtitles! I think what makes the story good is the variety of characters. Each one has his or her own motivations and wants, some are simple, some are complex, and some are mysterious. It’s fun to see how the plot evolves and characters come into the story. I can’t wait to fire up the tablet and watch another dozen episodes!

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Photo info: Canon PowerShot SD800 IS, 4.6mm, f/2.8, 1/60 sec, ISO418

On a side note, while we were in California visiting my parents, we went to Mitsuwa Marketplace and they had a special Iwate stand set up where they were selling special regional food items. It was pretty cool. My mom and I took pictures with Amachan. Quite thrilling, isn’t it?

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Photo info: Canon PowerShot SD800 IS, 4.6mm, f/2.8, 1/60 sec, ISO409

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004) – Movie Review

Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou

I’ve been meaning to write about the absolutely amazing “The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou” movie by Wes Anderson for a while now. I watched it late at night in bed, which was probably not the best since I was laughing so much and probably woke Mariko up a few times. But it was so hilarious in parts I just couldn’t help it! I grew up watching Jacques Cousteau documentaries, and the film seems like a wonderful and quirky homage to the Cousteau and his crew. The scenery is pretty great, and the acting and comedy are right-on. Billy Murray and Owen Wilson are so good, but I thought the best and funniest acting was by Willem Dafoe. Show-stealer for me! Watch the following trailer to get a feel for the movie:

The soundtrack to this movie was fantastic. Of course the Bowie covers in Portuguese by Seu Jorge were great, but it was also wonderful to hear a classic Devo tune (Mark Mothersbaugh actually did the music for the film). Give the soundtrack a listen below:

My rating: 9/10