An afternoon in Japantown

[jon_chaisson]

So after our quick grocery shopping trip yesterday morning, we drove into Japantown for lunch, perhaps some shopping, and a movie. This definitely one of our favorite neighborhoods to hang out in, as there's all sorts of fun stores and things to see. The elevator from the parking garage dropped us off right in front of the Sanrio stores (OMG the kawaii ^_^' ), so we of course had to pop in to take in more bright pink than was humanly possible. Luckily we didn't stay too long before my teeth started to hurt, so we headed next door to Japan Video...

...where the young woman behind the register, complete with Sailor Moon hair buns, had the Japanese customer service act down to an art form. Bowing every other sentence, handing the credit slip to me with two hands (and offering the pen to me, holding it in one hand and resting it on the back of the other, and so on...it was so over the top and cute it was hard not be amused and impressed at the same time. Suffice it to say...the dvd we bought there was the complete collection of Azumanga Daioh. (If you're curious, or if you dare, this is one of the silliest scenes in the series and a good example of how goofy it can get.) So yeah...the first half hour at Japantown could definitely be considered the most overly kawaii moments I've ever encountered there.

After a quick stop at Daiso (aka "the dolla-fitty store" as we call it) and lunch at Izumiya (next door to the Kinokuniya bookstore) (I did good and did not order the okonomiyaki, which has become my default--I got a tasty pork/egg/rice dish instead), we made a quick detour to the bookstore where I got three more issues of the Naruto manga, and then headed off to the Kabuki next door.

So what did we see? Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 of course!



I have to say I was extremely impressed by this one. It doesn't top my favorite (The Goblet of Fire), but it comes close...and the thing that hit me the most is how ingrained the magic is into real life in this one. We see Harry, Ron and Hermione less as practicing wizards and more as real people caught in a life-threatening situation, who just happen to be able to practice magic. They've definitely grown up in this one, and very much become what their elders (parents, older siblings, etc) have already become. The most impressive thing being that the story is no longer about growing up but about surviving as an adult, and boy do they go through quite a lot of crap in this one...and this is only the first half! A few disturbing scenes in there as well...this is definitely less a kid's series and more of a teen series at this point.

I should probably also add that this continues my observation that, from about Prisoner of Azkaban onwards, the camera work and visuals were less on stage and more in real life...to the point that this recent one is nearly all in real life. A lot less dolly cams and a lot more steadicam and shaky handheld shots. There are of course a few sets, like the Malfoy estate and so on, but most of this story takes place outdoors or in real life locations, so we get to see how real life has become for our three heroes.

Also--quite happy to see how they handled the Ministry of Magic scenes. I was quite curious how they were going to do that. It felt like a combination of the factory-like working world of Brazil crossed with a bit of disturbing Leni Reifenstahl documentary thrown in (complete with anti-Muggle posters eerily similar to 30s Soviet/Nazi propaganda). I think the only thing missing in that scene was a visual cue stolen from Sergei Eisenstein... On a related note, I should add that some of the visual cues in some of the fighting scenes are eerily similar to war movies, which makes them that much more visceral.

And the wilderness cinematography? Absolutely gorgeous. Well worth seeing the movie if just for that alone...!

I could go on more, but I won't give too much away...definitely worth going to see if you're a fan. And more so, this is looking to be a fitting closure for one of the most impressive series I've ever seen and read.




As for today...? Not much...Emm's feeling a bit sniffly so we're probably just going to hang out and watch football and try to stay warm, even if it is a nice looking day out there. :)

Comments

[chaoticmoth.livejournal.com]

Amy and I saw it as well on Friday evening and the shaky hand-held shots actually didn't work for me, I notice the visual effects too much and it jarred me out of the movie each time it happened. :)

[joncwriter.livejournal.com]

For the most part, it didn't bother me, until close to the end of the chase through the woods--that was a little *too* shaky. Although I couldn't help but think they were trying to emulate the current style of war movies, like Saving Private Ryan or something. ;)