Horror Movies from Japan - Pt. 2

Hello! I'm back this week with my thoughts on Corpse Party and As the Gods Will. First up, is Corpse Party!

Corpse Party (link)

Game Play-though

It started out pretty dark as the lights were off in the haunted/abandoned school, but came back with some color. It really didn't seem so bad til I saw one of the evil beings murder someone...then I was scared and covering my eyes. Remember, I'm a scaredy cat that has to watch horror movies with the lights on. ^^;

Anyway, It was pretty close to the video game for the most part except that some characters were either replaced or missing from the script which I felt took away from the story. I also will NEVER EVER play Sachiko Ever After. Why? Because I don't want to risk being murdered by a vengeful spirit. 

One thing that I thought was weird was of the five spirits of Tenjin Elementary, one was more of a zombie than ghost. That made the movie 1000% more scary for me. ^^;

There's a post-credit scene, so watch to the end if you plan on seeing this. Japanese level of this movie is pretty advanced, so if you have been out of practice or a beginner, subtitles are your friend. 

If you love seeing guts and brains all over the place, this movie is right up your alley. You can watch the game play-through which is what I prefer over the movie.

As the Gods Will (link)

For my second movie this week, I watched As the Gods Will, based on the manga of the same name, or Kami-sama no Iu Toori (神さまの言うとおり). 

It jumped straight into the action with the heads of high school students exploding in a "game" called Daruma ga Koronda. It seems to be played like Red Light, Green Light except if you're caught moving, off with your head. This is just the opening, too. Aside from Daruma-san, Maneki Neko and some Kokeshi show up to "play" with the students as well. 

I haven't read the manga yet, so I'm lost as to who one of the characters was. There were also quite a few flashbacks that cleared things up, but some things were still confusing. This was pretty awesome, but if I were in the same situation as the main characters, I'm sure I would have died. If you play these games without the death, they could actually be pretty fun.

The Japanese level in this movie is also advanced, so you'll need the subs if you aren't on that level. There's lots of blood and a psycho in this movie, but not as much guts as Corpse Party. I actually was able to watch this without hiding, though Daruma-san is pretty creepy.   

Horror Movies from Japan - Part 1

It's Halloween season, so that means horror movies! Or, in this case, Japanese horror movies! This week, I watched Keitai Kareshi and POV: A Cursed Film. 

Keitai Kareshi (link)

Keitai Kareshi (Mobile Boyfriend) is about an app where girls can make their ideal boyfriend and exchange texts with him. The game is over when you reach 0% or 100% on the Love Meter. Doesn't sound so bad, right? What makes it scary is that if it's game over, the player dies. 

You can have your boyfriend taken by other girls if your love meter is too low which is pretty awesome as that could save your life.  

Another thing that makes it scary is the faces of the boyfriends. The're so creepy, I was pretty close to giving up on watching this. Trust me, they're more creepy than the opening music.  

Level of Japanese in this movie is beginner-intermediate, so it's easy to understand without the subtitles. If you want to see blood, there's not much of that in this movie. It may also put people off otome games or cause people to play them more depending on the person. CG in this is pretty bad, so some parts are more funny than scary. I'd say more, but I don't want to give away any of the good parts. ^x^

  

POV: A Cursed Film (link) 

The second movie is called POV: A Cursed Film which is a bit like home video footage that's being recorded by the crew of the web show that the main characters are on. 

One of the girls is being haunted by the spirits of her old junior high, so they go there to try to get rid of them with the help of a psychic. Things are pretty much normal until dark when crazy things start to happen. If ghost hunting is your thing, I'd say give this movie a shot.

There's disclaimers at the beginning to scare viewers, but that's how most movies like this start out. Again, no blood in this movie. Subtitles are necessary, though they're not very good...the person who added them thought they would use numbers to replace letters and question marks, sometimes making the subs more scary than the ghosts.

Anyway, if you like these types of movies, it's pretty good. It does start out slow at first, but got chills later in the story. I think it would be scary to watch it in the dark, which is NOT what I did. Sorry, I'm a scaredy-cat. ^^;;

Yokai Spotting: Kasa-Obake

In Japanese folklore, ghosts, light angels, and nether-creatures are called "yokai". Yokai are the spirit forms that inhabit the world of spirits in Shinto religion. Folklore of Japan has countless types of yokai, making it one of the richest cultural examples of creative spirituality on the planet Earth. This differs from Western culture and it's black versus white, good versus bad, and darkness versus light duality which so many people are tired of comparing themselves to.

Anyway, this edition of the blog focuses on different yokai creatures: Yokai-Spotting!

Kasa-Obake

(Umbrella Ghost)

The Kasa-Obake is that Umbrella creature you might have seen in an anime...

Type: Tsukumogami 

Meaning "Kami of the tool" or any object that reaches its 100th birthday and becomes self-aware. 

Maybe "Kasa-Obake" (Umbrella Ghost) is a discarded umbrella that fell by a wayside, finding a quiet spot under a bridge where it gained the expanse of time and experiences with animals that it needed to take on a life of its own. That or a grudge that it retained from its previous owner. 

Generally, they're not too harmful (as yokai) and Japanese schoolchildren like to doodle them in their notes or creatively.

"Kasa-obake" is one of the Kirby series baddies that made frequent cameos in the older gameboy, SNES, and even the newer installments.

This baddie gives Kirby the ability to wield an umbrella against his foes.

Always mind your umbrella so it doesn't bear your eternal grudge...

 

::: When They Cry, Halloween だ!:::

Hey everyone,

I'd like to wish you all a spooky Halloween! :D

What? You're not freaked out today? Well we have some work to do don't we?

Let's start with the scariest type of anime character in my opinion: Yandere!

What is a Yandere exactly?

Well, in the same way a Tsundere character is sometimes loving but most of the time combative, a Yandere character is sometimes loving but most of the time extremely violent and scary. The word Yandere comes from yan (ヤン) meaning a mental or emotional illness and dere (デレ) meaning to show affection.

If you haven't seen a yandere in action then you're in a loss. The energy that comes from a yandere is often very thrilling. It's time to show you what that's like...

So to the left you see the group from Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni. Seems peaceful doesn't it? But what happens when you go into Mion's torture chamber or give Rena a cleaver? Get my point? =P



Higurashi is a part of the When They Cry series. It is truly a masterpiece and I highly recommend it for anyone who wants a thrilling mystery suspense horror anime. Behind the thrill of the yandere characters actually lies a very well done theme of friendship. The second season adds a genius twist to it. Can you figure out the mystery before the answer is revealed?

In an even tougher anime to crack is Umineko no Naku Koro Ni--which is also a part of the When They Cry series.

The visual novels have been highly acclaimed and people everywhere are trying to figure out the mystery. The visual novels have not been completed yet but there are only 1 or 2 more volumes to go. If you're interested in a logic vs. magic mystery then I highly recommend this to you.

Well that's all for today! Hope you have nightmares! (mwuahahaha)
:::Deretsun:::

P.S. (Watch your step--they're watching...)

Happy Halloween from chansu!

Well if it isn’t the 31st of October. Halloween! The scariest day of the year, when children run around town begging for candy and everyone dresses up as their favorite… wait. We’re otaku, what’s so great about Halloween? Is it really just another excuse to cosplay as our favorite anime character?


I think that's both right and wrong; Halloween is mainly about celebrating scary stuff, don't you think? And (as much as I wish this wasn’t true) anime can convey "scary" very well. Anything from suspense to gore, you can find plenty of heart-pounding, freaky things in anime (if you look for it). Hey, you want examples? That’s why I’m here! To give you a full dose of Vocaloid and a little Touhou inflicted fear!


I'm not too fond of frightening anime, so I can't guarantee this'll satisfy your urge for horror. But I can guarantee you'll at least be entertained. Without further ado, let's begin!



Imagine a Vocaloid fairy tale gone utterly wrong. That would be Alice Human Sacrifice. Who would’ve thought Meiko, Kaito, Miku, and Len would be so fantastically insane? And of course we already knew that Rin is something of a maniac from the start…

Meiko, Kaito, Miku, Len, Rin - Alice Human Sacrifice

Vocaloid and… Reborn crossover?! Yes, your eyes are working properly. This song “Trick or Treat” by Rin and Len has a KHR twist to it in the PV. The song's great, but I feel a little bad for Tsuna… Chrome and Mukuro are pretty sadistic.

Kagamine Len & Rin - Trick or Treat [Version Vongola PV]

Classic Vocaloid song! Joker is amazingly catchy, and both the Japanese and English lyrics rhyme! The beautiful dame and the mischievous magician (both played by Miku) in this PV explore a complicated relationship in this first generation MMD PV!

Hatsune Miku - Joker

Yandere. The fearful yet to some cute personality type defined by murderous intent one second and kind sweetness the next. Yandere characters scare the life out of me (you can tell I’m not a School Days or Higurashi fan) but this song sort of sheds a better light on them. After all Flandre makes a great Yandere! Pay close attention to the lyrics! There's no PV but the picture is so great!

Nayuta - U.N. Owen Was Her [Vocals Remix]

Okay, time for something a little more light-hearted! Shows of affection! In the form of faking your death every day! I wonder if a new Moe has been invented? O.o This is probably just the first session of relationship therapy between Miku and Kaito ;D

Kaito - When I Get Home My Wife Always Pretends To Be Dead

Can't leave on a happy note, now can we? Flandre wants to say good bye to you! If you look into her eyes she'll grant your every wish...

[Share the scare :D]

。。。　セイーノ

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

-chansu

Halloween J-pop/rock Music Videos!!!

Paper Moon by Tommy Heavenly6

Anime Theme: Soul Eater

» English Translation«

I’m Falling Down Into My Shadow
and hold my breath because what’s waiting is a Deadly Night.
Don’t scary, the witch just drew a pumpkin carriage and
is only reflected in your eyes.

See you in your dreams. Yeah Baby,
Even if they are nightmares.

Fairy Blue, for you, I shatter the stars
and use them to adorn the Black Paper Moon.
Because you believed in me, when you’re lost, here I am
Forever with your soul.
If I look up, you shine like the moon.

The sweet Crimson Jam
that fell in the card raised the spell.
Your Destiny, if you wish for it, no matter the world,
you can grasp it with those hands.

Don’t be confused,
don’t let anyone shatter it.

Fairy Blue you gave me proof to live, a bond called eternity.
If you call for me, I will find you, My Dear,
No matter where you are,
I’ll release you from your curse.

I didn’t want to believe in anyone, there was a time I was mean,
but even so, your words have always resounded in my heart.

Fairy Blue, for you, I shatter the stars and adorn the signs.
When you lose sight of your dreams and get confused,
please raise your head.

Fairy Blue you gave me proof to live, a bond called confidence.

You aren’t alone,
When you’re lost here I am
Forever with your soul
because you finally trust in me!

Innocent Sorrow by Abingdon Boys School

Anime Theme: D.gray Man

Doubt and Trust by Access

Anime Theme: D.gray Man 

(I wanted to be scary but instead I'll be funny... I used to tell Chansu that the opening piano solo made me think he was gonna start singing "Cherry Chocolate Rain" but you'll have to youtube that yourself...)

» English Translation«

Lyric added by: tcheki
Without sight of the end, I run on
Towards the shapeless peace in the distance

A glimpse confines me and leaves me in loneliness

The sky greets those who fly
I don’t fear being controlled

The dazzling brightness that I aspire for
is to change everything

I cannot forgive anyone, where can I go?

Out of the light
Is born the darkest shadow
As lies obscure the truth
Deception pierces our souls
We may never break through this endless night
But that tiny, selfish dream remains that we'll see another morning

I believe in your sins and pain

A voice whispers, “I want everything”

Without catching up to the things that I’m losing

My fingers that yearn for the rest don’t notice the coldness

If you left behind love, then it stayed on my lips

Only light gives birth to darkness
Warmth accumulates doubt and make its way to my thoughts
That which I vowed in my chest that crossed with yours
Doesn’t mind the eternal scar and carves into me

Before it disappears in the crevice that time constructs

Out of the light
Is born the darkest shadow
As lies obscure the truth
Deception pierces our souls
We may never break through this endless night
But that tiny, selfish dream remains that we'll see another morning

If we can just accept our sins, and the pain they bring

Kagerou by BUCK TICK

Anime Theme: xxxHolic

»English Translation«

Pale pink and tangled, in a dream, a midsummer night’s dream
A mayfly takes off, yearning for love*

If it’s a bad dream that’s reflected in your eyes, isn’t it a bad habit to shut them?
Right now, I’m completely intoxicated; the sun sinks in an ocean of rum

It’s maddening—I hum someone’s name to myself
It’s so wonderful, this world is a dream, and in a dream, I can meet you

Pale pink and tangled, in a dream, a midsummer night’s dream
A mayfly takes off, yearning for love
When I think of you, I’m dreaming, dreaming, dreaming
Joy overflowing, forever, forever

The dream bonfire burning out; the vestiges of life glimmering in the waves

It’s maddening—someone’s figure wavers before my eyes
Like we’re soaring, like we’re scattering, I dance with you in a dream

Pale pink and tangled, in a dream, a midsummer night’s dream
A mayfly takes off, yearning for love
When I think of you, I’m dreaming, dreaming, dreaming
Joy overflowing, forever, forever

It’s precious—I think of you and run through the darkness
The doors open, the world opens; it’s proof that I’ve lived in this world

Pale pink and tangled, in a dream, a midsummer night’s dream
A mayfly takes off, yearning for love
When I think of you, I’m dreaming, dreaming, dreaming
Joy overflowing, forever, forever
Pale pink and tangled, it’s a dream, a midsummer night’s dream…

Now instead of showing the Music Video side I'm just gonna show some anime themes from scary anime... But not anime that necessarily got taken off the air in Japan...

Detarame no Zanzou by GranRodeo

Anime: Blassreiter

Strength by Abingdon Boys School

Anime: Soul Eater

Gekidou by UVERworld

Anime: D.Gray Man

I used to tell Chansu that I wouldn't watch these anime because I like fluffy shounen battle anime like Naruto but I've just started to get into them... I'm just that tough now ^.-

But there are some that get taken off the air in the Land of the Rising Sun... those are more due to gore than supernatural most of the time... Deretsun and Chansu actually saw one of those before... I'm not that hardcore...

Happy Halloween!!!