Comments | unare_haineko: Now and Forever...Itsumademo...

unare_haineko

Now and Forever...Itsumademo... - Chapter 17A

Jul 29, 2009 20:11

Title: Now and Forever…いつまでも…

Author: Mayonaka no Taiyou/Unare Haineko

Pairing: [Juntoshi] Matsumoto Jun x Ohno Satoshi

Rating: R-ish

Summary: This story follows Ayumu, a more or less normal child born in 2012, three years after the ending of ‘Kodoku kara Umareta Ai’ (which you can read here). His parents, Jun and Ohno, are everything but ( Read more... )

now and forever, juntoshi, arashi, fanfic

Comments 58

mmestrange July 30 2009, 08:36:35 UTC

Yes, yes, yes! Vindication! All our old talk on komodo dragons is here and hubby's being wonderfully ironic. *swoon* I will get down to the therapy and commentaries eventually, but it will take me a few days to think about CH 17 and complete everything else I have to do.

unare_haineko July 30 2009, 09:20:58 UTC

You have no idea how long I've been thinking about this chapter, LOL. The sequence between Jun and Miyazono took the longest because of all the planning that had to take place and then the extended metaphors kept on getting moved around because I was retarded and could not decide where they fit best (not to mention the fact that I changed an entire section about halfway, so I essentially was rewriting about five or so pages T___T This also resulted in the metaphors being switched around again) And then there's all the mini tangents I put in there since it wouldn't be Arashi-esque if I just got to the point. There must be background noise and guns of Chekov XDDDDD

Komodo dragons XDDD Of course I'd have to drag that in eventually since we had the black mamba reference last time. ufufufu....Take your time with the therapy sessions and whatnot. Look at me, I am *painfully* slow in the updates *sighs* How was the holiday for you? I do hope you got loads of well-deserved rest.

mmestrange July 31 2009, 07:41:38 UTC

Rest, I had a little. But now, I'm stuck in the editorial can for at least 2-4 days. So, the therapy and commentary will be very, very delayed. There are just so many things I can point out and analyse that the commentary will be a rather long one, I expect.

Commentary & Analysis CH 17, Sho Section: Dreaming/Illusion vs Reality, Part 1 mmestrange July 31 2009, 19:17:12 UTC

The shit begins for the sanctimonious, insincere shit known as Sakurai Sho with the very opening of chapter 17. From the get-go of the chapter, we are reminded that the flux and flow between dreaming and reality is meant to be confusing because ( ... )

Commentary & Analysis CH 17, Sho Section: Dreaming/Illusion vs Reality, Part 2 mmestrange July 31 2009, 19:18:53 UTC

All of which throws up the following questions:

(01) When is the painful truth going to run full force into Sho?

(02) How far will Sho’s inability to tell the difference from dreaming/illusion and reality colour his perception of things to come and that which Aiba will tell him?

(03) What really happened that the memories of his activities the previous night were a blur to him?

(04) Is he really suffering from a hangover or is it just a tension headache?

(05) If it is a hangover, how much did he have to drink (other than the Yebisu Black) that brought him to this state?
- Or is his grogginess and current state of wooziness due to something else that had been slipped into his drink or something?

(06) Why are there two bottle caps and a napkin on the coffee table?

(07) Two bottle caps means there were two bottles, which means one bottle for Sho and one bottle for someone else. Who else was in the flat to consume the contents of one of the bottles ( ... )

Re: Commentary & Analysis CH 17, Sho Section: Dreaming/Illusion vs Reality, Part 2 unare_haineko August 2 2009, 06:28:24 UTC

Ahhh!!! Nothing escapes Lady Strange!! But, Alas! The first section with Sho and the brief appearance of Aiba at the end seems to have been forgotten by the readers!! I think I overloaded everyone with the whole 2009 contract bit and they may have either been scared away or scared into submission for the time being. I guess everyone was so into the whole Miyazono and Jun interaction that they forgot about dear Sho-chan and NaSA!Ohno.

The section involving Sho was long overdue and I crammed so much into it, yet there remain so many unanswered questions...I LOVE IT!!! MWA HA HA HA HA!!! Illusion (Dreaming) vs. Reality becomes more heavily entrenched in the Sakuraiba subplot and I'm glad that you picked up on the actual state of the flat. Something is amiss and people should be questioning why one part of the flat is clean and another isn't (since we know from the first chapter of KodoAi that Sho's biggest problem [according to Jun] is that despite his intelligence, he's a slob). *smirks*

Re: Commentary & Analysis CH 17, Sho Section: Dreaming/Illusion vs Reality, Part 2 mmestrange August 2 2009, 06:56:52 UTC

When I was an MA student, I was called the Queen of 'slow reading' which in political philosophy means reading for all the things 'said and unsaid' in the text. Ha! I try to inculcate this in my students when I got my MA and went for the PhD but it didn't work. Only in my own writing, reading and in your writing can I use this skill. Ergo, je vous amie.

There's a lot in the Sakuraiba section. This commentary is going to be one hell of a session with deep analysis.

Thread 9

Commentary & Analysis CH 17, Sho section: Numbers, Part 1 mmestrange July 31 2009, 19:20:30 UTC

ON THE NUMBER 4It is significant that Sho passes out close to 4am. In numerology, 4 is the number representing ‘creation’. That ‘4’ should be associated with ‘creation’ should come as no surprise to those familiar with Judaeo-Christian symbolism because YHWH is the four letter name of God ( ... )

Commentary & Analysis CH 17, Sho section: Numbers, Part 2 mmestrange July 31 2009, 19:21:19 UTC

We also know that Sho hasn’t considered the basic causes of his personal problem (or indeed the wider problem facing Arashi), for more information cf, the Aristotlean understanding of the number 4 above. He has not thought about how his vacillation and retreating into his bubble to escape reality and truth is the efficient cause of his problem. Nor has Sho considered the matter/problem at hand. Nor has he considered the form of this matter/trouble. Because he has neither considered the matter nor its form, he can’t end it. Sho believes he can have it all, but as you notice from the stoic philosophy listed above, he doesn’t realise that his two given propositions (of Iris and Aiba respectively) can have the same truth value. For more information on this refer to relevant section above. Sho is hedging and in his bubble because he thinks his problem is more complicated than it really is. He doesn’t realise that his problem (just like the problem facing Arashi) is solid and tangible. Neither does he realise that all solid and tangible ( ... )

Re: Commentary & Analysis CH 17, Sho section: Numbers, Part 2 unare_haineko August 2 2009, 06:41:58 UTC

I have nothing really to respond to for this particular section. My only comment was that it was enjoyable. Personally, I enjoyed that nice bit on the philosophical significance of the number four. I love it when you tickle the gray matter between the ears. *kiss kiss* The concluding paragraph for this section was also quite nice.

I don't describe the state of rooms very often, since most times the layout isn't meant to be relevant to the story and I'm against excessive meaningless detail mainly because I'm lazy. But when I do put something out there, especially in the latter chapters of Itsumademo, I want to call attention to the state of something, which you have so beautifully explained. And for anyone who bothers to read the commentary, you have provided a great service.

Re: Commentary & Analysis CH 17, Sho section: Numbers, Part 2 mmestrange August 2 2009, 07:05:03 UTC

My brain immediately went stoic philosophy and Aristotle the moment I saw it. This commentary is far from over. My estimate is I will finish it by Friday. There is just so much to cover.

You write like I do - there is no wastedword and it is up to readers to pick things up. At least yours just stop reading, I get flames that my writing makes them 'puke' or 'hurl'.

From the reader responses to your chapters, I gather that no one else reads my commentaries given their shock to the drug subplot or the whole numerology and mythology significance. They just think "argh, some crackpot show off again. tldr!" I'm inured to that but so long as you read my notes, I'm content.

Thread 7

Commentary & Analysis CH 17, Sho section: Choice of Poison mmestrange July 31 2009, 19:22:59 UTC

ALCOHOL & THE LITERARY SIGNIFICANCEWe do know that Sho is consciously trying to shroud his bubble around himself and shut out both truth and reality. We know this from the fact that he orders Yebisu Black at Clematis. Yebisu Black is a euro dark lager, which means it’s a black-looking malt beer. Black shrouds everything in darkness. ‘Lager’ is German for storage. Sho ordered a beer so dark because he wanted to store away his true self and hide it away from everyone else, in so doing he THINKS he will be as far away from the truth and reality as possible. We as the readers know that it is pointless because truth and reality are knocking on his head like hammers (which may account for his splitting headache when he comes to at the beginning of Ch 17 ( ... )

Re: Commentary & Analysis CH 17, Sho section: Choice of Poison unare_haineko August 2 2009, 07:04:45 UTC

To be perfectly honest, the choices for the initial order at Clematis required a bit of research on my part. For Sho, I was vacillating between choosing something based on the taste or on physical appearance. As you can see, I went with the latter. I liked the idea of using a dark beer--opaque, heavier, sweeter, perfect for my light vs. dark dichotomy ( ... )

Re: Commentary & Analysis CH 17, Sho section: Choice of Poison mmestrange August 2 2009, 07:10:05 UTC

Ah well, the Sho-Iris sub section brought things to my head. I have the misfortune to say, "I'm a teetotaller" and have people assume that I mean I want tea and who in turn complain that there isn't tea at a bar/pub.

Rolls Royce manufactured by the Bentley company... That was my first thought, and then who can afford a Bentley... The rest flowed from there. But my guess is - the readers are like Sho. They won't pick up on this.

Commentary & Analysis CH 17, Sho section: The Iris, Part 1 mmestrange July 31 2009, 19:24:35 UTC

REVELATION OF IRIS’S TRUE CHARACTER (but Sho is too blind and idiotic to see)

Having discussed Iris’s drink selection and what that has got to do with her designer handbag, her character and whatnot, let’s go a little more into the character of the woman. So far, I have demonstrated that Iris is a person who thinks she deserves the best and when the ‘best’ or what she thinks is the best is denied to her, she will resort to unscrupulous means to get it ( ... )

Commentary & Analysis CH 17, Sho section: The Iris, Part 2 mmestrange July 31 2009, 19:25:10 UTC

Then, we get another hint that Iris is a rich girl long used to getting her own way. She is also sullen when what she has isn’t what she expects. Notice her reaction when she realises that the book she stole from Isabelle’s office isn’t the book she expected it to be. Iris is sulky and immediately says the book is useless. Not only does she declare the book useless, she also (i) impugns Isabelle’s character in a backhanded way denouncing the professor’s perversity in keeping a dictionary behind the paper cover of a fancy research book, (ii) subtly denounces her advisor Aides for failing to get back to her when she wanted her RM, (iii) laments sullenly that her breaking, entering and stealing attempt was a waste of time, (iv) complains that she has break and enter again to put the book back. There is no embarrassment or shame in her account to Sho. It was all a thinly veiled, “Damn Aides and damn Isabelle for making me resort to this. Damn Aides and damn Isabelle for making me steal a useless book. Damn them for wasting my time. I ( ... )

Re: Commentary & Analysis CH 17, Sho section: The Iris, Part 2 unare_haineko August 2 2009, 07:21:37 UTC

Iris is indeed a willful spirit. She is extremely annoyed that she went through all that trouble to steal the 'wrong book'. It makes one wonder why she feels she needs to have a PhD. In Japan, I would say that most people do not pursue beyond a bachelors degree. A majority of the work force seeks out employment during their third year and by graduation are employed. (Most companies start in April and on the job training is the norm). What you studied in university for the average university grad is irrelevant. The company will train you and give you company specific knowledge and experience which sort of perpetuates the whole 'lifetime employment' system common to the infrastructure of many Japanese companies. But that's something for another day ( ... )

Re: Commentary & Analysis CH 17, Sho section: The Iris, Part 2 mmestrange August 2 2009, 07:29:59 UTC

Most females here are the same 'domestic engineers', in my day as an undergrad Uni was a last ditch attempt to get a man. You should see the sneers I got when I said I was there for an education. The lasses here want to be 'tai-tai' which is Mandarin for 'rich man's wife'. People do ask me why the PhD when it means I'll be an old spinster and I give them a pitying look (which of course they don't get ( ... )

Thread 9