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Street Art

I've called this drawing "Street Art" because it represents the urban art. I haven't drawn graffiti yet but I'd love to.
By the way, I've censored it a bit. I've done it because some of you might be very young. But I don't really like when my vision of art is censored.

Once again, it's very girly drawing. But this time I wasn't inspired by a song. Of course, there are a couple of song quotes by different musicians like Gotye, Paramore, G-Dragon, 2NE1, Poison, Chris Isaak. However, my inspiration is ... a boy. So, it's very personal as well.

Dr. Seuss' The Lorax

"The Lorax" is an American animation, based on a children's book written by Dr. Seuss.

The story is set in an anti-utopian town,Thneedville, where people pay for their oxygen and don't know a thing about the nature. Everything outside this town is a wasteland.
In this town there is a boy, called Ted Wiggins. His love interest's name is Audrey, a girl who dreams to see a real tree. So, this is where Ted's adventure begins. In the search of the tree, he meets the Once-ler who tells Ted his incredible life story and also tells him about The Lorax. The Lorax is a mythical creature who is the guardian of the nature.

It's definitely an entertaining animation and it gives some important life lessons. I enjoyed the art and the plot. The eco theme is very topical. I absolutely loved the beautiful trees and the bears are sooo cute!

"The Lorax" is a very funny animation. I watched it, thanks to a friend of mine who recommended it to me.
So, if you haven't watched it yet, I recommend it to you!

Being Busy

I haven't published anything for a long, long time. I was really busy. Last two weeks have been awful. I had to study because I had an exam on Friday. Fortunately, I had a very good mark.
Moreover, my laptop broke down. But it has been fixed.
By the way, I just started my fifth semester of university. I hope that I will find some time to write in my blog.

Wandering Souls

This month's "My Drama Choices" edition is very spiritual."Secret Garden" and "49 Days" are two of my all-time favourite Korean dramas.

Secret Garden

A very funny and cute love story! I watched this drama some time ago.

The beautiful stuntwoman Gil Ra Im and the arrogant rich Kim Joo Won accidently meet, and Joo Won falls in love with her. But he doesn't admit it at first. They grow closer and in the same time the things become very complicated when they fall under a spell, which make them to swap their bodies.

There are a lot of hilarious moments in this drama. It's very exciting and touching (especially the last episodes!). And the cast is incredible - very good actors and actresses. Hyun Bin is so adorable!

49 Days

This drama is the saddest drama I've watched. Usually, I prefer watching comedies. But "49 Days" is a great drama.

Shin Ji Hyun has everything that a person wants - loving family, good friends and is about to get married to the person, she deeply loves. However, her perfect life is distroyed when she has a car accident. She slips into a coma and is almost dead. Because her time hasn't come yet, she is offered a deal by a reaper, who calls himself scheduler. She has 49 days to make three people outside her family shed sincere tears for her. So, she borrows the body of Yi Kyung, who works at night as a part-time worker.

 

The plot is very twisted and surprising. And you have to be prepared to shed a lot of tears.

And this is a great cast too. I'm a big fan of Jung Il Woo.

Big

I'm watching "Big" these days. I like it but I don't love it. 

Doctor Seo Yoon Jae and the high schooler Kang Gyung Joon get into a car accident. It seems like Kang Gyung Joon is in a comma but actually his spirit is in Seo Yoon Jae's body. It also turns out that Gyung Joon's teacher (who he has a crush on) is Dr Seo's fianceе. Things get more complicated when Ma Ri comes from the USA to look for the one she loves - Gyung Joon.

 

The cast is great and the idea is fine, and I don't really know why this drama is not exciting at all. Also I think that Ma Ri's role is really suitable for Bae Su Ji, but I like her better in "Dream High". But I like the stylish clothes in this drama.

Strobe Edge

A couple of days ago I finished reading a manga, called "Strobe Edge" and I really got into it. It's by Io Sakisaka.

The story revolves around the 15-year-old Ninako Kinoshita. She is very clumsy but cute and kind. She doesn't really know what love is. Her friends think that Ninako and her childhood friend Daiki are meant to be. Moreover, Daiki likes her very much. However, Ninako falls in love with the cool Ren Ichinose when she meets him on the train home. He is the most popular boy at school and almost every girl has a crush on him. But Ren is already in a relationship.

Ninako and Ren grow closer but Ninako can't stop loving him. Also there is Ando who falls in love with Ninako and he was Ren's middleschool friend, so the things get more complicated for Ninako.
The story deals not only with Ninako's feelings, but also with the relationships between the other characters.

This manga is absolutely made for teenage girls. Though I'm not a teenager anymore, I like it as well. It's so sweet and heartwarming. If you are a teenager, it may give you some good life lessons - to be true to yourself and to your feelings no matter what. But if you are a grown-up, you can also read it, because it is so cute and touching. And it's really easy to read, if you need to relax.

  

But if you look for something super clever and filled with deep philosophy ... well, this manga certainly isn't for you. It's very simple and emotional, and more daily life oriented.

His Infernal Majesty

Don't let the pink fool you. I'm actually a big rock fan. And H.I.M is my favourite band ever!

I love their music and their lyrics - just like poetry! I also love Ville's voice. The style of the music is unique - how many Love Metal bands do you know?! And actually H.I.M was formed in the year, when I was born.
H.I.M is one of the very few bands, which songs, all of them, I love. Usually I don't like every single song of a band or an artist. That's why, this is the hardest choice of songs to write about.

H.I.M were in my country, but I was 11 years old and I didn't even know who they are. I hope that they will come again.
And I love the covers they make, but I won't talk about them, because they aren't really their songs. Although I like "Wicked Game", "Solitary Man" and "Don't Fear the Reaper" much better in their way.
I'm not including H.I.M's more popular songs like "Join Me", "Poison Girl", "Wings of a Butterfly", etc. - not because I don't like them, but because they are too well known. 
The lyrics are inspiring and they always give me a feeling of something. When I write or draw I usually like listening to H.I.M.
By the way, H.I.M  have the best album titles ever!

You are the one and there's no regrets at all  ...

"You Are the One" is kind of different from the most of H.I.M's songs. It is far more optimistic and it's more like a love song.



In joy and sorrow my home's in your arms ...

A very lovely ballad! "In Joy And Sorrow" is just like a wedding vow.
On the contrary to the beautiful song,  the set of the music video doesn't look so pretty. It's actually a very dark basement and maybe, it's beacause this song is a bit darker, no matter how romantic it is. And there's that ghost, as well.
But I don't really get the idea of Ville's jacket inscription. It says "Your pretty face is going to hell". Well, it's cool and gothic but it's not connected to the song.



Beyond redemption ...

":Beyond Redemption" isn't a romantic love song. I like the message it brings, even though it is quite gloomy. And there is one part of the lyrics - "No one's gonna catch you when you fall.", which I've basically turned into my motto.



Love's the funeral of hearts ...

This song has a personal meaning to me. It's the first song by H.I.M that I've heard. It was actually from the commercial for their "Love Metal" album and back then I was a child, and I didn't really like it. However, in high school it became my favourite song and I connect it with some high school memories.
Years later, I still love the song and the band. The lyrics are incredible and in some ways the music video is matching to them. The video itself is some sort of a mixture between fantasy scenes and ancient rituals. And I really love the burning heartagram at the end!



Drunk on shadows and lost in a lie ...

Another great song! Unfortunately, it doesn't have a music video and I couldn't find a live performance at all.



I play dead to hide my heart  ...

And again a ballad, but much more darker. Even the title - "Play Dead", is very gloomy.



Your heart under the rose ...

I love "Under the Rose"!!! 



Underneath the cyanide sun ...

Yeah! It's another ballad. I rarely like ballads but I love  H.I.M's ballads. A very beautiful and sad song.



Passion's killing floor ...

"Passion's Killing Floor" is openly erotic, but it's not vulgar. It just implies on it in a very delicate manner.
 The video is from the "Digital Versatile Doom" DVD. It's an amazing live. I love H.I.M's live performances even more than their music videos.



Sleepwalking past hope ...

I love all songs by H.I.M and I don't really want to label a song as "the best", but I think "Sleepwalking Past Hope" can be called the best (at least for now). It is truly a masterpiece. The lyrics are as great as a poem and I love the keyboard part and the guitar solo!
And again the video is from "Digital Versatile Doom" DVD.



Katherine Wheel ...

"Screamworks: Love in Theory and Practice" is very different from their other albums. To be honest, I didn't really like the songs at first, but now I love them. They are very artsy. One of my favourite songs from this album is "Katherine Wheel". I think it really represents the whole album because of the "Love in theory and practice: Chapter one" part.



H.I.M is a great band with great musicians. I love them! I can't wait for the new single in September ("Strange World", a cover, originally by Ke), the new compilation album "XX - Two Decades of Love Metal" and of course, the brand new album "Tears on Tape".

Mei's, Reiko's and Xiao Zhi's Butlers

Butlers ... They are such an exciting subject ... at least for me. There is something romantic in the relationship between a butler and the lady he serves to (or in the case of "Kuroshitsuji" - the lord). Yeah, everything has begun since I watched "Kuroshitsuji" ("Black Butler").
However, I'm not going to write about the anime, yet. I want to review some of the dramas, which contain a butler character.

The Detective Type of a Butler or "Nazotoki wa Dinner no Ato de"

It's a Japanese drama and the story is based on a novel by Higashigawa Tokuya. It's about a young and rich heiress - Reiko, who hides her true identity and works as a detective. Her new butler - Kageyama, is very mysterious and helps her a lot. Although he is quite rude to Reiko, when he explains his reasoning on an investigation and points out her mistakes. Basically, every case is solved after dinner. And also, there is Reiko's boss - Inspector Kazamatsuri, who falls in love with her, thinking she is a Chinese heiress, called Hou Shou Rei. He doesn't even recognize, that the rookie detective, he works with, is his beloved. Kazamatsuri is also an heir to a major company but he is showing off with that and is very stupid and incompetent.

Keiko Kitagawa is one of my favourite Japanese actresses. Actually, the cast is great and does a very good job.
I like the mysteries and the complicated investigations, and also the surprising outcomes in the drama. And I really enjoyed the funny moments as well.
The relationship between Reiko and Kageyama is very complicated, not just a master-servant kind of relationship. Kageyama criticizes her a bit harsh, but he seems to care much about her. Also, there are some signs of love.

The Knight Type of a Butler or "Mei-chan no Shitsuji"

Another Japanese drama and one of my favourite. I watched it a couple of  years ago. It is based on a manga by Riko Miyagi.

The story is about a girl, called Mei. After her parents' death she finds out that her father has a secret and Mei appears to be a rich heiress. She is forced to study at St. Lucia Girls' Academy. At this luxurious school every girl has her own butler and Mei has the best one - Rihito. Mei's best friend - Kento (he is obviously in love with her), who is Rihito's brother, also transfers to St.Lucia to become a butler and to be by Mei's side.

However, Mei has to become a lady and to deal with a lot. The other girls don't like her at all and they are very mean to her. Her biggest enemy is evil and there are also four phychos, who want to kick her out of the school by any means.

The cast is great. There are a lot of great actors. I love Osamu Mukai and Hiro Mizushima!!! I also like Aya Oomasa - she is a wonderful actress. 

I like the whole idea of a school, where every lady has a butler, though it's way too impossible. But I have great imagination. 

The plot is very funny and exciting. And by the way, I want to read the manga, when I have time.

The Kidnapper Type of a Butler or "Hayate the Combat Butler"

This is a Taiwanese drama, that I'm currently watching. It's based on a manga by Kenjiro Hata and there is an anime as well.

The plot revolves around the young and hardworking Ling Qi Sa, who has irresponsible parents. They leave him and he has to repay their debts. There is no way for him to pay back and he decides to become a "bad guy". He thinks about kidnapping a rich person and accidentally he sees a girl, who looks very wealthy. But he ends up saving her from real kidnappers. That girl is Xiao Zhi, who is also a rich heiress. She wants him to be her butler and misunderstands his words, thinking he has made her a love confession. Ling Oi Sa is very greatful for her kindness and her trust in him. He decides to give his best for her.

I don't know much about the other actors because I haven't watched many Taiwanese dramas, but I  like Park Shin Hye. But it's obvious that she is dubbed and I don't really like it. I guess she doesn't speak Chinese, but still. They should have made it seem more natural.

 

Manga Style Drawings

I have my own drawing style and I like it, but I like manga drawings much more. So, I learn how to draw by copying. I look at a picture and try to draw it. I want to show you some of my attempts.

 Kakashi-sensei in two variants

Cute chibi couple

These pictures turned out quite well. But there is something missing in the other pictures.

Not very handsome Kaname

Sebastian Michaelis ... If you don't recognize him

Haruhi

This one looks good but I can't finish it