In which a girl with an aged body saves a mage with a heart of a child

This post comes as answer to this one Howl’s Moving Castle Anime by Kitsune from Kitsune's Thoughts. My answer would be too long for a comment, so I thought it'd be much better to link an entry of my opinion.

For me, this movie is one of my all-time favourites. From the very start, I loved the soundtrack, it made me smile and it brought me moments of peace (Joe Hisaishi couldn't produce anything less than a masterpiece after all), the colours of the city and the vast lush landscapes (don't forget the movie was made in the traditional way, not through computer!) and the characters. Howl might be a little annoying in the beginning but, you know, real people aren't flawless.

Mankind is no island

Something to remember we are not alone in this world. Turn around and see; there are people in need. But what do we do about it really?

With the same hand we cause pain, we can offer love and heal.

Memory- a short film by Osamu Tezuka

We mainly know the great film-makers from their long-length features and we ignore other shorter creations of them. This is one good example. Tezuka parodies here human memory, while giving a quick lesson of cognitive psychology, one might dare say. His style in this short film mingles real people faces with 2D animation, perhaps with the intention of adding a caricature feeling to it. It makes me wonder, if Yuasa Masaaki is influenced directly from Tezuka.

Let's take a look at the qualities of memory Tezuka mentions in the short:

• Memory is based on oblivion. If we couldn't forget ,then we couldn't remember either. The useless details are erased.
• Memories are organized inside the brain. We remember what leaves strong impressions.
• Memory is selective and distorting and idolizing.
• Memories are influenced by emotions and influence emotions. Bad memories either get pushed away or get magnified.
• Time soothes and minimizes the effect of memories and memories wear off.

I love you California

Wish that becomes the anthem of the state. I hope I'll die and be buried to the land where I was born, even though most of my life 'till now has been spend away from it.

I love you California, I love the Union


Well the seasons pass, & the seasons go
Nothing ever stays the same
There's one thing I know, that will never change
That's the love for the land from which I came

California, California
With the waves upon your shoreline
Will you call me home, when my life is done
To rest in your hills so high

From your rocky shore, to your forests green
To your valleys deep & wide
There's a light I see, on the faces there
And a spirit you just can't hide

Many years have passed, since I roamed the hills
In the golden glow of sunlight
Now that the darkness falls, all around me now
I love you with all my might

Animation in Music Videos

It's in the Rain
Ανέβηκε από RavenTV.







I really like these tidbits of animation in music videos. This contrast of (moving) 2d and 3d world creates a unique atmosphere with beautiful results. If you have in mind more such examples, please, link me :)

Desiderata by Max Ehrmann

"Desiderata" (Latin for "desired things", plural of desideratum) is an inspirational prose poem about attaining happiness in life. See video and listen to audio after the jump.