Nooks & Crannies #6 · 8:31pm Mar 15th, 2016
Another week gone by, this time with International Women's Day and International Pi Day swinging by. Amid all the pseudo-festivities, of course, was just another typical week, consisting of a myriad of madness. In fact, if you ask me, I'd call this the month of merry mania. March had been that kind of a month, if last week was of any indication.
So, for this Nooks & Crannies, I shall sing an ode to madness, starting with:
The Pick Of The News
Ah. where to begin?
- Turkey once again went through another bombing in the capital city of Ankara, this time with 30 dead and 125 injured. The explosion happened in the commercial hub that is Kizilay Square and was caused by a couple with the bombs packed in a BMW. This was the second bombing that had happened in the capital, the first of which happened in February.
- In The Ivory Coast, Al Qaeda gunmen had stormed into three beach resorts and opened fire , killing 16, two of which are soldiers. The President, along with the United Nations, had condemned the attack, which was the third major attack at hotels in West Africa, mostly targeting the Europeans.
- A car bomb exploded on in the early morning in Berlin, killing the driver who managed to escape the blast but bled to death on the street. Police are currently investigating the case, though they were certain that it was not a terrorist attack.
- Of course, let's not forget about Trump, who recently have violent scuffles and fights happening at his speeches. "I don't condone violence," he was quoted as saying on Sunday, even as many had accused his campaign trail as one that incites mob violence. Many of his supporters would certainly take his word for it; to that I shall leave this news section off with quotes Trump had made in past rallies to allow you guys to comprehend what he means.
“In the good old days this doesn’t happen, because they used to treat them very, very rough.”
“I love the old days. You know what they used to do to guys like that when they were in a place like this? They’d be carried out on a stretcher, folks.”
“If you see somebody getting ready to throw a tomato, knock the crap out of them, would ya? Seriously. Just knock the hell out of them.”
“I’d like to punch him in the face, I’ll tell you.”
Remember kids! Even after saying all that, Trump does not condone violence!
My Little Study
SUBJECT of STUDY
Perfect Blue
Anime • Film • 1997 • Studio Madhouse •
Directed by Satoshi KonPsychological, Drama, Horror, Thriller
Satoshi Kon was one of the many influential directors in the anime industry, in a sense that the people he influenced include Hollywood directors such as Darren Aronofsky and Christopher Nolan. He was what many had called a visionary, known for his playful use of fantasy and reality, with all of his works receiving acclaim from around the world. Sadly, he passed from pancreatic cancer back in 2010 at the age of 49. One would say that he is one of those anime directors with his own distinct style, similar to Shinichiro Watanabe, Mamoru Hosoda and Makoto Shinkai with their own narratives and approaches. For him, it all began with this film, Perfect Blue, which is as compelling as anime could be even today.
Perfect Blue stars Mima Kirigoe, a member of a Japanese pop idol group who has decided to retire from music in order to pursue a career in the television business. Having some of her fans who were upset at the change, she soon becomes the victim of a stalker known as 'Me-Mania' and as the story progresses, she becomes unable to distinguish what is reality and what is happening in her work in the show business.
Kon's notable technique of blurring the lines between fantasy and reality begins here. Watching the anime, we are as lost as Mima would be, trying to figure out what's happening and who the identity of the stalker was among all the people around her. We were limited only to Mima's perspective of things, which brings not only suspense but also an amount of sympathy for her. We go through her confusions and frustrations, we toil through her struggles alongside her. When she gets lost in her own dementia, we get lost along with it and at the same time, we become more afraid.
Though one would say the main highlight of the story was on how many twists there are — and there are many of them — I would attribute it all to us following her dementia. We see her madness in full glory and though it's not as flashy as most other depictions, the fact that it is rooted so close to reality yet so detached only makes it little more unnerving. Don't we all hear voices in our heads sometimes? Don't we all get paranoid about being stalked or attacked at times?
Perfect Blue will be a downward spiral that would never let you stop to fully comprehend what is really going on. By the time you reach the bottom of the abyss, only then you realize how phenomenally brilliant that the film — in turn, the late director, Satoshi Kon — could truly be. Be warned that there are scenes of violence and slight nudity, so keep it at the top shelf!
Updates
New avatar!!
So, Mamihlapinatapai is coming out later than usual; I'd usually max out at one week with that story.
It might not be the most legible answer I could give to excuse that, but the chapters that follow, as I mentioned in my last blog post, were gonna be heavier, both on dialogue, content and the scheme of things. It's gonna be quite the blizzard to pull through as I set up the last pegs on my tent. Hopefully, it'll be out before the weekend; the best I can guarantee will that it'll be out by then.
Just to keep you guys hyped up, I plan to reveal the fateful night in Entry #9. It'll be a hell of a scene to rollercoaster through, so do be on the lookout, guys!
Music Of The Week
The Kraken
In Each Hand A Cutless
Album, released on April 24th, 2015Progressive Rock, Post-Rock, Instrumental
Singaporean band In Each Hand A Cutlass provided the world with this monstrous album that takes the listener on a seafaring journey with its vast post-rock soundscapes with the mellow classical melodies hiding just beneath the waves as we venture into unknown territory. It is as cinematic as it is wordless, which can tell you how grand the spectacle is when you know that this is all just done via the power of instrumentation. Starting off pleasant as most ocean journeys do, you'll soon tread into rougher and tougher waters, and by the time you reach the Kraken trilogy, you'd could almost hear the beast thrashing around you. This is a meticulous piece of musicianship that you should not miss, especially if you desire for music that could send you off to such a great, fulfilling adventure.
Stand-out tracks: Overture, Satori 101, Seagull 1751, The Kraken trilogy, Ouroboros
So that's it for the mid-March maniac's version of Nooks & Crannies! Please feel free to share what opinions you might have! Who knows, we might start up an interesting discussion because of it!
See you next Tuesday / Wednesday! 
