Summer Ghost(サマーゴースト) Japanese Anime Thoughts

 

   Summer Ghost is a film that was created and directed by an artists named Loundraw. Flat studios produced the project while Hirotaka Adachi(He also wrote the novels) wrote the script. The film was released in 2021 in Japan, then debuted in England the same year. Many people had the chance to see the trailer during different Anime Expos. A manga was also created after the film's release in Japan. 

  Three people from different walks of life come together to see if the legend of the Summer Ghost is real. She is said to come out when you light sparklers at night in a field where she is said to have died....

    Summer Ghost is under an hour in length, so the story is pretty straightforward about getting to a steady conclusion. The film spends most of the film's duration going through arks that are specific to each character. You will find that each character has his or her own problems. These ends up being the reason for why they seek out this ghost in the first place. Normal people don't go seeking ghosts for no reason. However, I enjoyed the shift from a film that starts off light before becoming dark in subject matter really fast. I'm not going to spoil anything since this film isn't that long and you should be able to experience the masterpiece that this film is. If you're an emotional person like myself, you will probably cry. There's some sad scenes that will make you value your life as well as value the idea of death. 

   Loundraw put his all into Summer Ghost and boy, does it show. The animation will be like no other project you have done before. The cover of the Blu-ray caught my eye when I first heard about this film. I'm really glad that the film loos has beautiful or even more beautiful than the cover art. Loundraw sketched every scene using a digital pen so, that shows the distinct stroke in the lines on the character designs. All the coloring for the backgrounds look flushed out in a neat fashion. Even the way the shadows show up on the characters has a dreamy vibe.  He made some great choices, such as using a pale color for the world of ghosts that contrasted with bright colors in the living world. 

   Summer Ghost defiantly set the bar high for short anime films. Not many films could follow the beauty that was presented here. I'm interested in seeing more films from Loundraw.       

Wet Season(热带雨) Chinese Film Thoughts

 

    Wet Season is a 2020 film that was directed by Anthony Chen. The film stars Yeo Yann Yann and Koh Jia Ler.  Most reviews for the film are positive and the film garnered six nominations at China's Film awards.  It only won a best actress nomination though. The film was also selected as Singapore's Best foreign film nominee for the Academy Awards but wasn't chosen. 

   A middle aged Chinese women lives in Singapore with her husband and works as a Chinese teacher at a local school.  Her days are always the same. They never change until she bonds with one of her students during a daily rainy day...... 

    I really enjoyed the different prospectives in this film. Most people would think that because her student is young, that he still doesn't have life figured out. However, the person who really doesn't have control of her own life is the teacher. There's a strong power dynamic in her relationship with her husband and her in laws, where she's trapped in a reoccurring cycle.  Not to mention the challenge of her wanting to get pregnant. She kinda drifts through he life until her student comes along and shows her that she can take control of her own future. She's a women that's allowed to be happy and while the Teacher/student themes were a bit uncomfortable, these emotions were important for the teacher to have her emotional break through. Whew.... The shock in the second to last scene had my mouth wide open..... 

   This is a low budget film that relies on the performances like many other indie films. The two did a fantastic job together in their scenes. Their chemistry was so real that the mix of emotional term oil  sends you over the edge a little bit. The mix of English and Chinese used in the film was like a reflection of the different cultures of China and Singapore bouncing off of each other.

   Wet Season is one of those good films that really makes you accept that there's still good films out there to watch. The director didn't have much to work with. Still, a masterpiece was created. 

Roy Kim(로이킴) - ,And(그리고) Album Thoughts(K-ballad,Indie,Pop,)

 

Tracklist:
1. 괜찮을거야
2. 그대에게 닿을 때까지
3. 그때로 돌아가
4. 어른으로
5. 그냥 그때
6. 시간을 믿어봐
7. 들어봐
8. 오늘 밤만큼은
9. 결국엔
10. 괜찮을거야 (Inst.)
11. 그때로 돌아가 (Inst.)

    I had stepped away from Roy Kim for a few years after it had come out that he was involved in one of the biggest scandals to shake the Korean pop world.. His involvement wasn't as big as some of the others and he has since, been cleared of the charges saying that he share any media in that chat room. Now, let me say this. I never hated Roy so much that I would call his college to have him expelled.... I just stopped supporting him with my money until I saw the proof that everything was a misunderstanding.  ,And is Kim's comeback album after all he's been though. 

     I wouldn't say that this album is vastly different from Kim's other albums. His penmanship has become even more emotional focused on himself due to he having a lot to say. None has actually heard Roy Kim's side of the story as in how he felt during that time. ,And is pretty much his journal for fans who care enough to listen. Track such as "I'll be alright" show Kim singing out more as he strums his guitar over booming violins. He sure does love those violins because they keep being heard all throughout this album. I believe they help showcase Roy's emotion during the last few years. He made this album so full of his emotions that ,And is mostly a ballad album. A ballad album that will keep you listening for the different nuances that Roy has included in his music this time around. The may not be always super noticeable, however, They're there in the little bit of autotune that he used or the chorus of voices that he leads toward the end of one of his tracks. People who still appreciate music will know that good music is still around somewhere. 

    Normally when Korean singers go away for a little while, then come back, They tend to come back singing their hearts out. Roy Kim did just that. Especially during his busking live shows the he did to promote this album. Kim has a deep rich tone to his lower register. He also has good control of his falsetto range, that he uses to pull listeners in. I love how his vocals can lull me to sleep no matter what he sings about. I'm sure his past girlfriends loved when he would sing for them at night.    

     I enjoyed Roy Kim's new album for what it was. Not every Kpop fan will enjoy this album due to t not being super poppy. Still check it out if you have time. Roy Kim's most pop album in my opinion was Love Love Love.