Selling

I really need to change to a different car, so here are some beloved books I've accumulated over the years from Japanese stores and websites that I'm selling. Click on thumbnails for bigger image. Please let me know if you would like more scans.


Manga:

Yakitate! Japan, books 1-20, $80

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, books 1-6, $40



Artbooks:

Escaflowne filmbooks, books 1-4, $20
Storybooks on eps 1-15 from shots. Esoteric series and design information on the bottom of every page, as well as art from design notebooks at the end.


Kenshin anime series artbook "best collection", $10


Kenshin KADEN, $18
Ultimate collection of Kenshin information. Notes from beginning to series to end of jinchu arc that manga volumes 1-28. Also pages on character, sword styles, etc.



Doujinshi:

Escaflowne, "Vision" published by Link Out (comedy), $6
Compilation of comedy pages.


Escaflowne, "Van Fanel Remodeling Project" by Minato Tajima (comedy, slightly adult), $10
A funny, lighthearted story by one of the best adult Escaflowne doujinshi artists.


Kenshin, "Saikai" by Shinji Yamaguchi (adult), $12
Popular adult Keshin doujinshi artist.


All are in excellent condition. The prices are ~50% of original cost and includes shipping, but are open to negotiation. Email in comment box for contact.

Esca Music 2

Uploaded mp3s:
OST1, OST2, OST3, Lovers Only, movie.

Feel free to contribute to my speculation on ep placement. (Track list is from Yoko Kanno Project. James also has the first few seconds of each track on the site.) These are from memory, until I set aside some time to match them with the series. In particular I have more trouble with music in fight sequences.

OST1
01. Yakusoku wa Iranai (Promises not Necessary)
TV edit (Lovers 01) as series intro.
02. Flying Dragon
battle on the river at the borders of Asturia and Freid, with Van, Allen, and the Dragonslayers, ep9.
Gem: Van, Hitomi, and Allen's escape from Zaibach, ep18.
03. Dance of Curse
the music during scene selection on DVD. Also Van's first fight inside Esca, ep2.
Gem: Van and Allen's last fight, ep26.
04. Murder
Balgus's death.
05. Escaflowne
?
06. Angel
Varie at the lake.
Gem: Van comes to get Hitomi, ep24.
07. Cubic
(fight sequence?)
08. Romance
Dryden & Millerna's wedding, ep20.
Gem: Millerna's declaration at Crusade's departure: "Allen, I will never give up", ep8.
09. NE ZU MI
Crusade crew storms Vione for Van's rescue mission, ep5.
10. Wings
Hitomi makes the 5 meter leap, ep5.
11. Gloria
Second part of track is recap on Romance.
12. Eyes
Van discovers Hitomi and Allen on the Meifia Bridge, ep20.
13. Empty the Pocket
Gem: Hitomi and Yukari on their way home, ep1.
14. White Dove
Van and Hitomi arrives in Asturia for the first time, ep6.
15. Mystic Eyes
TV edit (Lovers 19) as series ending credits.
16. Deja Blue
Marlene's music box that conceals her diary, ep13.

OST2
01. The Vision of Escaflowne
Van fighting Naria and Eriya at the Gate of Atlantis, ep17.
02. Fanelia
?
03. Ask the Owl
Van and Allen's first fight in guymelefs, ep3.
04. Charm
Van's moment with Escaflowne so it would become him, ep13.
05. Country Man
?
06. A Mole Man
Merle sizing up Hitomi in their sick bed, ep4.
07. Cradle Song
(Allen?)
08. Machine Soldier
(Dilandau and Dragonslayers?)
09. Shadow of Doubt
Folken's asylum with Asturia, ep23.
10. A Far Cry
Folken returns to Fanelia and waits for Van, ep22.
11. Market Place
?
12. Medicine Eater
?
13. Godds Drunk
?
14. Cat's Delicacy
Merle steals Hitomi's pendant, ep2.
15. Love
16. Hitomi's Theme
Span shot of Hitomi in her room against the Asturia night?
Gem: Van and Hitomi's conversation about their family, ep8.
17. If You
?

OST3
01. Short Notice
ep preview music
02. Arcadia
Hitomi enters Atlantis, ep17.
Gem: Folken and Van's reunion in Fanelia, ep22.
03. Epistle
(fight scene)
Gem: Van defeats Dragonslayers after healing from Escaflowne's repairs, ep14.
04. Farewell
Gem: Dryden explains secrets of Esca and calls upon the Ispanos, ep14.
05. Aoi Hitomi
Hitomi walks away from a fight with Allen, ep23.
06. Perfect World
Leon second meeting with Hitomi's grandma at Asgard and his thoughts for Encia, ep17.
07. I Recommend Instincts
Gem: Track team scene, ep1.
08. Scrappy
Naria and Eriya's nyan nyan kempo, ep20.
09. Shrilly
Fortona Temple in Freid, ep13.
10. Revenge
?
11. Illusion
?
12. Blaze
Escape while Freid's capital Godashim burns, ep13.
13. Fatal
Folken's whistle, ep5 and ep25.
14. Hikari No Naka E (Into the Light)
The second time Hitomi and Yukari talk about Amano leaving Japan, ep24.
15. Again
Gem: Hitomi tells the story of Escaflowne to Amano in school clinic, ep24.

Lovers Only
01. Yakusoku wa Iranai (Promises Not Necessary, TV edit)
Intro.
02. The Vision of Escaflowne (Take 2)
?
03. Memory of Fanelia
Gem: King Aston celebrates the magnificence of Escaflowne at the dinner table, ep7.
04. Dance of Curse
(see OST1 03)
05. Zaibach
Zaibach forces surround Freid, ep13?
06. Flying Dragon
(see OST1 02)
07. Cradle Song
(see OST2 07)
08. Tomodachi (Friends)
The CD that Hitomi picks up at the Asturian bazaar, ep6.
09. Bird Cage
Van, Allen, Hitomi as Dornkirk's prisoners in Zaibach, ep18.
10. Chain
Van's fight at Rampant Port, ep23?
Gem: Hitomi and Allen's kiss, ep19.
11. Epistle
(see OSt3 03)
12. Perfect World
(see OST 06)
13. Blaze (Take 2)
14. Hitomi Theme
(see OST2 16)
15. Angel
(see OST1 06)
16. Neko no Kimochi (Cat's Feelings)
(not in series?)
17. Arcadia
(see OST3 02)
18. Kaze ga Fuku Hi (The Days the Wind Blows)
(not in series?)
19. Mystic Eyes (TV Edit)
ending theme
20. The Story of Escaflowne ~ End Title
end of series

Edited 03/20: Added Gem's comments.

Marriage 2

A few thoughts I wrote for myself yesterday:
- Van's reactions in ep1 justified (mostly)
- Varie as person, wife, mother
- if V+H's expectations at end of series mirrored "Into the Light"
- V's control and experience in his domestic and diplomatic political fronts
- Fanelia's image before and after the war

And the last topic led me to think about an interesting point--in ep6 when Millerna met Allen et al. at Crusade's landing, she said she had visited Fanelia as a child while Folken was there. But why was Millerna (and presumably Aston) in Fanelia?

Since the timeline according to Escaflowne Compendium is
Millerna, Van, Hitomi born -15
Goau died -12
Folken disappears -10
Marlene goes to Freid -6
then it should have been at least 10 years ago.

Two possibilities: (1) Aston goes to pay respects for Goau's passing; or (2) They visit for another reason, most likely after Goau's death. But in Millerna's recollection, Van and Folken were playing on the castle grounds, so the remembrance of the scene was generally happy. And if Aston had visited for Goau's funeral, then he would have mentioned it to Van in their conversations and probably would not have tested Van and Escaflowne for their performance in the coliseum.

Even if it wasn't for Goau, travel on Gaea hardly seems comparable to our standards, so the trip should likely be for business. But the business that compelled Aston to bring his family along should also be personal enough to include the youngest princess. A potential marriage alliance, perhaps.

A closer look at their ages collaborates with the possibility:
Folken 25
Eries, Allen, Dryden 21
Millerna, Van 15

Marlene's age was never mentioned, but it should be close to Folken's. Considering Millerna's match with Dryden and Marlene's marriage to Freid, Aston should have been calculating for a suitable match either within Asturia to continue the throne line or with a royal household outside to strengthen diplomatic alliances.

If Aston did consider Folken and Fanelia, and decided on Freid instead, then it could have been its larger territory, the Duke was already in power (as opposed to Folken yet a king), or a number of other factors. But it is an interesting thought that if different choices were made, Folken and Marlene could have been together. (And then, would Marlene and Allen still be together?)

Wings 2

I'm getting closer to actual writing progress, finally (after 4 months! I can't believe it's been so long. Where did all that time go?).

As I mentioned before, I tend to get great ideas right before I fall asleep, and then become torn between getting out of bed immediately to write it down or relying on my horrible memory and that invariably turns into "oh shit I had a really great idea yesterday but I can't remember what it is aggh~".

Anyway, yesterday night I thought up a good scene for ch6's end. Exciting. It'll be similar to ch4's end, except, well...you'll see :D I'm still deciding how dangerous I'd like to make it--spark or no spark between our antitheses of Romeo and Juliet. There are justifications for both possibilities, although my inclination is to go with my usual amusement based on Van's embarrassment and close calls. It's just much more fun that way.


I've been thinking about offering my extra Esca filmbooks as rewards for the Esca music project or as prizes for a little game within DS chs. I can't decide if it's my most brilliant idea or retardedly lame. Perhaps it depends on what the question is.


This picture (v) always shocks and confuses me. I'm always thinking: Why are they naked? Isn't Esca supposed to a teen series? And why isn't Van molting everywhere? It's confounding D:

Does my inner hopeless realist show through when I consider Van too gentlemanly to do anything like this inappropriate embrace within current confines of their relationship? (Oh man, I could write an entire essay on my views of V+H doujinshi I linked to the other day--part of me goes "I can't stop staring at the beautiful art" and the other part goes "no, no, Van, tell me it's not true. Noooo".) Or maybe it's actually because I'm too much an idealist to consider it in character with Van's dismal performance in ep19.

Nevertheless, the picture has inspired numerous fanfiction renditions of glorious wings in hugs and beds. And that's why I've vowed (yes, vowed!) there's none of that in DS. Wings are precious things, not meant for requests and displays. Wings mean more than dreams and flying. Wings should carry their own meanings of "deeper than the sky".

And let's stop there. It'll be so much better within its ch than here, I promise.

Esca Music

This week while I'm organizing music for a request by Algelic I realized that I have all of the Escaflowne soundtracks except for the Yubiwa single and the Jeture audio drama.

Although the Yoko Kanno Project is fantastic, especially its efforts in lyrics transcription, one of my dream Esca projects is to list each track with the corresponding episode number. I think it'll enhance the emotional nuance of the particular scene when we listen to the music alone. But even with repeat viewings of the series, some of these tracks are hard to pinpoint. Perhaps I'll ask for reader assistance in the project when I post ch6.

Favorite tracks: First Vision (movie), Romance (OST1), Eyes (OST1). And of course, Into the Light (OST3), DS's theme song ;3

Curiously, on all three OST covers, Hitomi's eyes are purple.

Hitomi

Previously I had believed in putting pieces of myself within Hitomi in DS. And I think that's why I enjoyed writing Van more, partly perhaps I hesitate to bare certain things for public viewing, and partly because Van had his real voice. But as Hitomi's development will be even more critical than Van's, since she had moved further away from that point 10 years earlier, and as I must know what she thinks of events in ch4-6, it's time to write her real voice.

Let's establish "the facts" first:
Hitomi Kanzaki
25 years old, 12/9, 165cm
University of Toyko veterinary division
4 years junior veterinarian in partnership
lives at home with parents in Kamakura
boyfriend: Sousuke Yamamoto

Since anime/manga creators frequently use astrology signs and blood type as pointers in their characters, here's Wiki's Sagittarius entry:
Individuals born under this sign are thought to have a dynamic, clever, quick witted, intellectual, ethical, humorous, generous, open-hearted, compassionate, and energetic character, but one which is also prone to pridefulness, impulsiveness, impatience, impracticality, and blind optimism. Sagittarians are said to like traveling, getting to the heart of the matter, freedom, laws and meanings, and the general "feel" of things. They do not like off the wall theories, being tied down domestically, being constrained, cooling their heels, and being bothered with details.

And then:
How does 10 years change her to make her more normal?
Look past her ambiguity in her relationship with Sousuke for real feelings.
Memories vs. perception of Van's changes vs. Van's perception of her changes.
What does Hitomi want? What is she afraid of?

In ep26, right before Hitomi sees an image of Van, what was she thinking?

Doujinshi 4

The Love&Peace website/blog by the Japanese doujinshi artist Tajima Minato has relocated due to foreigners using her work without permission. That made me very sad, and also made me think about my own posts of doujinshi images here. Although my intention is to promote their work, it's still using their work without permission. I'm not sure what my answer is yet, since for the most part I've only posted coverpages.

But some of their restrictions are unreasonably severe--one circle asks for readers to not download any images at all and delete ones they already have. On the technical side, there's no real way to restrict the user from saving images, since the images have already been downloaded when the page loaded, and the act of saving it into a folder different from temporary internet files is merely on the browser side. Even if the page disables right-clicking, there are ways to get around it. (And it also makes page navigation a hindrance, grr.) On the human nature side, people like to collect beautiful things.

And really, there's no good prevention of fraud and theft on the web. A lot of utilities and programs are actually designed for the downloader in mind, and prevent other people from seeing the real download. There is a Chinese saying "Boundaries higher by a feet, Lawlessness higher by a yard". I believe that we have to take good preparation to protect ourselves, and then trust the rest.

As for Love&Peace, I'm ambivalent. It's true that websites shouldn't scan and publish her doujinshi, but then, it's so difficult for us out of Japan to get our hands on her work that I can't help but cherish websites like Herya. (warning: explicit art.)

Is there a middle ground? I'm not sure.

Her new book that I'd love to get to read:

Goau

I'd like to incorporate Gaou and Varie as part of the storyline puzzle, but working with Goau has been more difficult than Varie. Perhaps partly it's because of the lack of father figures in Esca: Goau dies young, Balgus dies in ep2, Aston is more a king than a family presence, Dryden has no respect for Meiden, Leon left his family behind, and Hitomi's father was hardly mentioned--all except Freid.

Although Goau and Varie's deaths have more impact on Van's upbringing and motivations than Merle losing her entire family, in Van's memories, we only see Varie weeping at Goau's deathbed and his gravestone--never any interaction between father and son. Folken and Balgus took Goau's place in teaching and playing with Van since he was 3. So it's difficult to say what Van remember of Goau or expect him to be.

But despite all this, the most significant pressure from Goau is actually his lack of presence. As tantamount as Van's royal position and his Draconian heritage is being an orphan with all the expectancy carried over from the absent Varie and Goau. So even if I do not carry him over to DS, it's important to answer questions about Goau in order to understand Van. Two main issues: who was Goau, and how does his life and death impact Van?

I think of Goau as an older version of Van, had Van been more well adjusted. He was obviously a person with great distinction and inspiration--he was revered enough for someone like Balgus to follow into battles, generous enough to allow Balgus a training leave, and respected enough for Balgus to rush back to Fanelia in loyalty. His legacy prompted Balgus to take over Van's training and life for 10 years.

Yet he was more than leadership to his men, he was of emotions. By the time he met Varie, he was already 30, so he must have been rejecting other potential matches until he fell in love immediately with Varie at the lake. His love completely disregarded all caution, logic, and any other voices of conventional wisdom. He was a man of immediate action and reaction--and Van, at the very least in this respect, turned out to be just like his father. (Though, I must say, Goau was more charming. Sorry, Van.)

But the question remains: how did he die? There were a few clues, but none absolutely telling in its clarity: (1) It must have been a private matter--if it was death from battle or political trouble, Fanelia must have been in an uproar, and Van and Balgus would have vowed vengeance. But instead his death was lightly carried over, with only the leadership of the crown laid heavily on Folken's shoulders. (2) He died at the age of 48, hardly old, as Balgus was 70 at the start of Esca. (3) When Balgus rushed back, he had said "I was too late"--so the manner of Goau's death must have been relatively long, at least enough for Balgus to hear the news from a messenger or rumors and then transverse back from wherever he was training. (4) In opposition to #3, Goau's death must have been relatively sudden, as there is no memory of a bedridden Goau, nor did he look sick at all on his deathbed.

So many diseases and ways to die to still choose from. An acute illness, perhaps, or a severe accident. I'm undecided whether I should make it terribly shocking or romantic.

Making plans for a modified remake of this scene :3a