Anime Review: The Secret World of Arrietty, and assorted catch-up

[sharibet]

First, the catch-up: my "six-month contract" at Semi-Benevolent Big Oil has been renewed yet again (hurray!)...I am now approaching my five-year anniversary with the company as a contract employee. It's been a really good gig--I really like my co-workers, the project is interesting, and the pay is really good, so I can travel, buy books & DVDs to

Comments

[kokoronagomu]

kudos for your renewed and continuing employment!

and for your writing, i know you had it rough for a bit but you're a trouper and it's good to see that your latest book's completion is within sight. \o/ i would have offered to beta read but you've got so many 'educated' people reading that i would likely have nothing to add.

ghibli work is the greatest! i have a box set with thirteen stories in it and i think, besides most of the more 'well known' works, that the movie entitled: "only yesterday" was my favorite. it's just so... japanese. it's a 'slice of life' sort of story. a young woman leaves for a vacation at a family friend's farm in the country and she starts to have flashbacks of her seven year old self. --i don't describe it well and it's rather mellow and full of introspection but i really enjoyed it for the inside look at japanese life and culture.

[sharibet]

If you like fantasy novels, and if you're willing to read a long manuscript, I'd very much appreciate any comments you might have. You did a great job as beta-reader on my fan fiction, and I need someone who can ask hard questions when they spot a logic gap or consistency gap.

I loved Only Yesterday when I saw it, years ago. It definitely catered to the Japanese fondness for nostalgia stories, but it was very sweet and heartwarming.

Along those same lines, I've seen the first three episodes of Usagi Drop, about a single salaryman who unexpectedly adopts his grandfather's illegitimate late-in-life daughter when no one else in the family will take her. It's sweet and gentle and heartwarming so far, and I'm looking forward to watching more episodes.

[ekaterin24]

I'm glad to hear your contract was renewed!

I agree completely with your review of "The Secret World of Arietty." I'd seen about the first 45 minutes of it at a convention and thoroughly enjoyed it--but saved watching the whole thing for watching with my husband and friends.