Hourou Musuko- 2. Cry Baby, Cry (Hate, Hate, Dispise)

No, this episode isn't about Sasa. Sasa works as link between Chiba and Takatsuki and as a plot element

This episodes centers around one stubborn, rude and arrogant girl...

Hourou Musuko-1. Roses are red, violets are blue

the trap promotion poster

the protagonists and their school friends

In a nutshell: The story depicts a young boy named Shūichi Nitori who wants to be a girl, and his friend Yoshino Takatsuki, a girl who wants to be a boy. From the mangaka who also gave us Aoi Hana.

Wandering Son was selected as a recommended work by the awards jury of the 10nth Japan Media Arts Festival in 2006.

Believe me, I don't know about the manga, but just by watching the first episode, this series is going to be one of the best anime ever!

Happy New Year, minna-san!

by einlee

Whoever you are renew the contract to yourself, to love yourself, celebrate who you are,improve, remember to give love and to live each moment! :D

Closing circles - House of Five Leaves and Tatami Galaxy

1rst and last episode

ending of episodes 1-10 of tatami galaxy

opening of episode 11 of tatami galaxy

As you can see the title refers to the narrative technique of these series, but it also refers to the post in general, as I owed to 'close' this topic I left open for so long.

Winter songs- because Christmas is international

Cardcaptor Sakura by CLAMP

Christmas is a holiday that although has Christian roots has reached almost every corner of the earth and is celebrated by million people of different races and religions. In my country 99,9% of the songs we listen to have to do only with Jesus, God, angels and mages. In English... that's another story. There are many that aren't religion-oriented and of course I don't talk about the traditional ones. So I felt the need to search for seasonal songs that don't tie anyone with their meaning and lyrics, including me, who I don't believe in any religion; plus some extraordinare and not the usual ones, that just 'sell'.

Will you follow me for a pleasant -and even thoughtful at times- listen?

When angels touch my heart : transcending classical pieces

Thy Angel's Song by Angel-Zakuro on animepaper- based on You Higuri's art

There are times when you hear a melody and immediately you feel drawn to it. And beyond your religious beliefs, you feel that something divine blessed you; that perhaps you connected with an ethereal sphere or the universe. Phrase it as you want to.

stop-move-stop-move... + music = great stop-motion music videos

The sound of water makes her dream
Awoken by a cloud of steam
She pours a daydream in a cup
A spoon of sugar sweetens up

I’d give it all to you
The feelings in my heart
There’s nothing I won’t do

And because You Tube makes our lives sometimes harder... Sia's Breathe me in a link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghPcYqn0p4Y&p=1F00ACE06BC31D07&playnext=1&index=13
I couldn't embed it :(

Be my friend
Hold me, wrap me up
Unfold me
I am small
I'm needy
Warm me up
And breathe me

"Innocence lost" or talking about a fallacy?

Impurity by yuumei on deviantart

Some ideals and concepts are so deep engraved on our brain from an early age, that many times we fail to see what's in front of us. Take the above picture for example: When I saw the stunningly white dress the girl wore, I immediately linked it with virginity and the blood with the loss of it. The title also was connected in a similar way to my thoughts. Well, after reading the description of the creator, the idea she wanted to put across was something totally different. It had to do with the beauty of the dress and the ugliness of the crime commited to obtain it (the murder of the swan).

Yet what was it that lead me to such conclusions? Most probably my upbringing. That connects purity with virginity as well as the cultural connotations in West associated with these colours. But is it really like the conservatives claim to be? And were there a time when we were pure-hearted? A time of innocence?

Eve vs Adam- The Battle of Pornography

One of the most striking and fundamental differences that define our place in society is our gender. Right from the moment we are born, we are going through this separation, when our parents dress us in blue and pink*, then our relatives and family friends gather to give us our presents, dolls and Barbies for girls, military men and airplanes for boys. This is the way things go for a long time, for most people for their whole lives. Thus, different values are born in our minds and hearts and the war between the sexes begins.

We have all felt it and experience it: when our friends joke about how unmanly we look, or when our parents tell us to dress more girly. We act against it when we say “no papa, I am not going to wait until I get married to have sex” or we accept it when we agree to smoke or put on a mini skirt just to attract a member of the opposite sex.

This is my introduction to a series of articles dedicated to gender wars. I have decided to call the series “Eve vs Adam”, because these are two symbols in our culture that represent our many views of how we treat such issues and stereotype our views on man and womanhood. I hope that through these articles, we will find many ways to redefine and analyze our definitions of gender and sex. I deeply hope you find some usefulness to these thoughts and you are free to post any comment you might want to.

*The colors differ from culture to culture. Blue for boys and pink for girls is the norm for America and most countries of the European Union.

Loving Oneself With Open Eyes by Jorge Bucay and Silvia Salinas

Amor Liberate by kuscherlirmer on deviantart

Love can liberate, but not until we're willing to expose our flaws to others, admit that what annoys us in others is 99% part of ourselves and work it out. After all, as Hugh Prater said:

A stone is never annoying, unless it's in your way

In this wonderful book with the veil of a novel, one discovers the truths behind the success and the fail of some relationships. We are urged to tend carefully to our partners and subsequently to ourselves. We learn of the nature of love and all these in an understandable way.

Eros is to love the similarities, and love, to fall in love with the differences.

 (Translation from Greek version)