Cloudy Mountain(峰爆) Chinese Film Thoughts

 

  Cloudy mountain is a 2021 natural disaster flick that was directed by Li Jun and stared Zhu Yi Long, Huang Zhi Zhong, with Chen Shu. The film was a hit in China since many films such as this are. The film poster looks better than the actually movie.....

     A father and son try to save lives as a railway directly above a fault crack causes natural disasters. 

    Cloudy Mountain is long winded for no reason. This movie would have done well to have just been as simple as possible. Instead, we get a lot of character building scene on top of try hard disaster scenes. I'm a viewer that has a lot of patience but when the atmosphere of a film causes me to look away at my phone in the first couple of scenes then we have a problem. You won't care much for the characters because they are just as generic as the editing and special effects. I saw promise in this film but so much was trying to be done in accomplishment of being a solid film that the true essence of just a plain old terror flick was missed completely. Even the overall reason for why this was happening felt unbelievable to me. You know those cheaply made Chinese dramas that use bad fade out edits? Cloudy Mountain was almost that, only with a slightly bigger production value. A Cloudy Mountain drama could actually work if we leave out most of the pitfalls the movie made and that tired connection the film tried to make to history. Does every Chinese film have to have a historical reference to be deemed appropriate?

     The cast wasn't bad. The film crashing and burning wasn't their fault. Cloudy Mountain was already "cloudy" when the cast got there because it was a dumpster fire when the script was created. I thought the relationship between father and sun was fine. It's emotional context was well portrayed which made the ending powerful... until we got to the history lesson at the end of the film.     

   I won't be watching this film again. I'll probably forget all about Cloudy Mountain in a week or two. You probably should too or don't..... 

     

J-HOPE (정호석) - Jack in the Box Album Thoughts(K-rap/pop)

 

   J-hope doesn't need any introduction. Most people know BTS and know that he's apart of the Kpop mega boy band. I wouldn't say that he is the most popular member, which could be the reason why he released his new solo work first. This move comes not too long after the group announced that they were going on a hiatus.  Jack in the Box is J-hope's newest album after a mixtape that was well received.

Tracklist:
1. Intro
2. Pandora’s Box
3. [권리없는 곡] MORE
4. STOP (세상에 나쁜 사람은 없다)
5. = (Equal Sign)
6. Music Box : Reflection
7. What if…
8. Safety Zone
9. Future
10. 방화 (Arson)

    This album sounds like a slightly overproduced mixtape that gives strength to the rapper's desire for a more underground rap sound. I would say that he understood that assignment in terms of BTS's fanbase while still juggling that mainstream sound. More was our first taste of what was to come out of the jack in the box. Nothing else on the album sounds like this pop punk rock number and it's kind of a waste. He does good in this style as J-hope is a better rapper due to tonality than flow. I especially love the chorus where he screams his lines in angry. Also, shout out to the person behind the scenes that helped him with his english lyrics because they sound very natural. Plus they flow with the Korean word plays in his lyrics. Back to J-hope's skills are a MC..... It's not much diversity in the tracks because he's flow doesn't change up much are the album goes on. He plays with his tone on top of singing in tracks such are Equality(EQUAL SIGN). This is one of if not my favorite track outside of "MORE". The chorus is smooth like butter as his raps are the bread for that butter. He continues that idea that BTS had in their earlier music about the state of the world or political issues. These subjects are not outside of himself either. He adds himself to the equation in track, "What if". Overall, Jack in the Box has some good moments even though it's not a solid body of work in my opinion. 

     J-Hope is an alright rapper. He's even better support for RM in BTS's songs. He and RM don't really get the chance to do the pure underground rap sound that inspired them both. Jack in the Box is a taste of that desire. It's also a body of work that confirmed my original thoughts about RM being the powerhouse rapper of the group. 

     Do I have a new found respect for J-hope? Oh yeah, defiantly.  He showed me that he could survive as a solo artist even without the fame. iIm interested to see where his career would have gone if he never was in kpop.

Akudama Drive(アクダマドライブ) Japanese Anime Thoughts

 

   Akudama drive is a 2020 anime that is considered to be "Cyberpunk". I see this anime more as just being futuristic more than anything. Maybe the setting designs could be punk.... Anyways, the series was created by Kazutaka Kodaka and produced together by studio Pierrot with Too Kyo Games. Many call the series one of the best anime's out today due to the story.

   A young teenage girl gets caught up in a gang of criminals who have sentences to be put to death. In their world they are known as Akudama and are hunted by an elite group trained to kill them....

    I didn't know how to feel about this anime when I first started watching it. There was a wacky sense of feel to the show that overtook everything else. Then, we had the world building that of a futuristic city  that has a lot going on. Akudama Drive isn't a long anime by any means however, I will say that I felt that I knew everything there was to know. Things take a dark turn around the middle of the anime. All that talk about being a criminal actually comes into reality. No matter how you look at it, reality is harsh when you have something to protect in circumstances outside of your control. After the characters have a serious goal, lines are formed in the group of criminals. Some of them have their reasons since it not like they were friends. Others are still trying to just protect. Akudama drive also gives views this political message of what is humanity or who is real the criminal? Will you risk the lives of the innocent to catch these criminals? Everyone knows that the justice system is flawed because most people working in it don't double check the loop holes in the system.... Akudama Drive takes this fact to drive home a very powerful message that will make your heart feel something by the last episode. I wasn't ready for the show to be that deep but it took my there! 

    The anime itself looked amazing due to the large amount of detail put into the cities and people. Character models have their own flare that help show certain character's changes in personality as the story progresses. Kodaka is a video game designer too. It defiantly shows here. 

    Akudama Drive is an action packed show that focuses more on the emotional moments. The action is actually fueled by the emotions behind the actions(if this makes sense.). I wouldn't recommend watching this anime if you just want mindless action without a powerful storyline. 

Our Colors(僕らの色彩) Japanese Manga Thoughts

 

   Our Colors is a manga created by Gengoroh Tagame and is the first second manga that he has written that wasn't for a mature audience. My Brother's Husband was his first gay themed manga that was geared toward all ages. That manga's success caused him to create another story that could uplift the gay community.

   A closeted teenage boy comes out to an old man that owns a rundown coffee shop and his childhood friend overhears after she followed him from school one day......

     Our colors is a simple heartwarming story that anyone can relate to. It doesn't matter if you're gay or not. Everyone struggles with being their authentic selves out of fear that people won't approve. A big chunk of the book tells the point of view of a teenage boy who fights with the idea of being gay. This includes the idea of being attracted to other men as well as the idea of starting a family in the future. He looks for answers in a coffee shop own who's twice his age but the other charm of this manga is that there's also a certain mystery in who this older character is. What is his background? Why is he a gay man that seems to be alone? I think wanting to see all this questions answered as well as how will the main character change, is what keeps the pages of Our Colors turning. Since this manga is by an actual gay man, the plot unfolds in a more realistic fashion than many other Yaoi/BL counterparts. 

   The art reminds me of those old Japanese ads that use to be hand drawn years ago. There's a charm in the way the character models look, with a hint of nostalgia as well.  A weird mask appears over the main character's face every time something negative happens pertaining to him being gay. I felt those moments wholeheartedly. 

   Our Colors is a simple quick read that will touch the deep part of your heart. It's about three volumes that were all released in one hardcover book. I highly recommend to people who want inspiration to just be themselves.