Monday, August 16, 2010

What I Want for Christmas by Nathan Turowsky, Age 17 (BY NO MEANS FINALISED SINCE IT'S ONLY AUGUST)

In the Hands of a Happy God: The 'No-Hellers' of Central Appalachia

The minute I learned that there exists something called the 'Primitive Baptist Universalist Church', I gained a tiny bit of faith in the underdeveloped mountain South.

Maria-sama ga Miteru (at least Season 1, I'd hope Season 2)

THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I HAVE EVER ASKED FOR A 'SOCIAL REALISM' ANIME, ONE THAT IS NOT SOME KIND OF SCI-FI OR FANTASY. Yes, it's set in an all-girls' Catholic high school. Yes, there is a reason for this (it's apparently to strip the setting of extraneous elements that would otherwise interfere with the character drama, since Japanese faith schools tend to discourage things like cell phones). Yes, according to everybody I know who has seen any of it including me, it has relationships and drama that rival Ibsen at his best (it helps that it's based on Actual Text Novels). Yes, part of my alleged masculinity dies every time I watch some of it or somebody brings it up to me. Yes, I am TOTALLY FINE WITH THIS.

The Little World of Don Camillo

It's about the friendship between a conservative priest and a communist mayor in postwar Italy. How could I not love this??

9 comments:

  1. I APPROVE HIGHLY OF MARIMITE BEING ON YOUR CHRISTMAS LIST.
    On the topic of it killing your alleged masculinity...well, I mean, this is the show that SHIMAKO is in in all of her sparkleprincess glory. Shimako could killed anybody's (alleged or not) masculinity.
    Also, interesting that that's the reason for the setting.

    What is a 'Primitive Baptist Universalist Church?'

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  2. Let's be fair. I wasn't exactly a manly man before I knew of Marimite anyway. SHIMAKO just finished the job that the embroidery that I used to do as a child started. AND I LOVED IT.
    Yeah, apparently Konno feels that it's best seen as a 'fantasy story' in that the girls don't have cell phones or uh, any apparent interest in boys. Heh.

    Primitive Baptist Universalist is a description for somebody who is Baptist except for not believing that you go to Hell for being gay or black or a woman. Or anything, really. 'Universalist' implies 'no Hell'. Hence, THE 'NO-HELLERS' OF CENTRAL APPALACHIA.

    WHO HELPED DELIVER VIRGINIA AND NORTH CAROLINA FOR OBAMA APPARENTLY.

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  3. Well, yes, I wasn't saying that in your case it would be hard to kill masculinity, just that Shimako could do it to anyone regardless. XD

    Boys? What are these 'boys' that non-marimite girls are allegedly interested in? I attend Lillian and so have no idea.
    (Well, I attend Lillian in my head. Shhhhhh).

    And oh, I see! Sounds like an interesting religion.

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  4. In my case it was pretty much dead and SHIMAKO just got it to stop thrashing in the water. XD
    Boys are a type of human life OTHER THAN GIRLS AND WOMEN. (YES. I KNOW.) They do not appear in the vicinity of your school because (and I'm sorry to be the one to break this to you) your school exists in a series of unrealistically skewed (demographics-wise) novels written by an ambiguously gay Japanese woman named 'Oyuki'. Eventually you will probably have a biology class that goes over boys. Also, I think that Eriko girl is vaguely interested in them.

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  5. And/or it was already dead and SHIMAKO just confirmed that to be a GOOD thing. XD

    "OTHER THAN GIRLS AND WOMEN. (YES. I KNOW.)"
    W
    WH
    WHA
    WHAT?!

    "They do not appear in the vicinity of your school"
    Wait!
    Hold the phone (or....not the phone since they don't exist at Lillian).
    There is a world outside my school?

    "Also, I think that Eriko girl is vaguely interested in them."
    Oh! You mean that strangely large person that called her a dinosaur? So that is a boy? Fascinating!

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  6. EXACTLY. OH, SHIMAKO. What would we do without you?!

    I KNOW. IT'S ALL VERY STRANGE, ISN'T IT? But, yes, that large person was a 'boy', and there is indeed a world outside your school.

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  7. Is Maria-sama ga Miteru available online? Just askin'

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  8. Maria-sama ga Miteru can be purchased on Amazon or channeled through the relics of Selma Lagerlof (ask in Stockholm). Also, what new moniker?

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