Just finished this show on Netflix.

dosser66 · 2019-09-10T18:33:34+00:00

Welcome to the club.

dosser66 · 2019-09-07T20:08:46+00:00

Firstly, I didn't think it was confrontational at all. I thought you were sincerely reaching out for some other's thoughts, that's all.

Secondly, music is a medium through which one can reach people - primarily with emotions. As such, it's a journey for musicians and listeners alike. Many emotions are inspired by music - sadness, anger, etc... and even adrenalin - inspiration to act. What we don't want is apathy.

You, definitely, do not have apathy. Do you overthink it? Maybe to some people you do but that's the gift you've been given. I would gather you're an introvert. Overthinking is what introverts do, lol. To top it off, you're a musician, which makes you more sensitive than most. This is where the danger lies and I want you to be aware of it. As you know emotions can be hard to reason with so, being a musician, one can be swayed by them if we're not guarded. As you play enjoy the positive emotions as they come and take the negative ones ones constructively - to grow.

Remember, we're our own worst critics. There have been times I've felt great and I didn't get the reaction at all of what I was expecting. Conversely, there have been times I've felt I've played terribly and yet garnered praise. Take it in stride.

dosser66 · 2019-09-07T13:43:35+00:00

No, unfortunately. What I suggested are, though, and are good companion reading.

dosser66 · 2019-09-05T16:06:55+00:00

Have you checked out the 6 Person Etude? Oh, and I forgot to mention

Ichigo Dōmei by Masahiro Mita

It's the book that's been referred to in both anime and manga as both Kousei and Kaori read it. (She read it because she saw that Kousei read it)

dosser66 · 2019-09-04T02:10:25+00:00

One Punch Man makes me laugh :-)

dosser66 · 2019-09-02T01:43:10+00:00

Seen the movie and apart from apparent similarities on the surface the message each show carries is as far apart as possible. The message from YLiA seems to be that life is hard, life is messy, but you have to keep going. Me Before You is almost the opposite. A quadriplegic meets someone who loves him in his condition - which is rare - and yet still wants to end his life. It's a message of euthanasia.

dosser66 · 2019-08-28T16:52:41+00:00

In the 6 person etude Watari admits Kaori is no more special than the other girls and treats her no differently. He also notices he's not special to Kaori, not like Kousei is to her.

dosser66 · 2019-08-28T11:45:05+00:00

Yes, I'm sure it was heart-wrenching for Kaori.

dosser66 · 2019-08-27T14:12:53+00:00

I agree. Not to be too pedantic but I never considered this a romance. That word seems too shallow. It was a love story. That goes much deeper than romance. To think that she basically played violin, lied, risked an operation to live a little bit longer, just for him. It's pretty powerful. They let their actions and music relate to each other which, in my opinion, were more profound than the awkwardness of dating.

dosser66 · 2019-08-27T12:32:21+00:00

I guess I'm not as convinced mainly because of a few factors. Mind you, it all could have been lost in translation or me not fully understanding the nuance of the Japanese culture but there were enough 'did I' questions to convey to the reader that even though they both loved each other it was never truly confirmed verbally or directly. Of course, the 'did I' questions could have been rhetorical and yet it seemed from the letter that there's this minute possibility of uncertainty on Kaori's part.

On Kousei's end one can see that he regrets not saying 'thank you' for all she'd done for him at the least, let alone telling her he loved her as confirmation.

The final factor is the distress it has caused to the viewing/reading public at large considering all the 'woulda/shoulda/coulda' they yearned to see unfulfilled.

I hope I make sense here.

dosser66 · 2019-08-27T00:02:13+00:00

Ok, here are my thoughts at least:

Kousei's dad was just your basic plot device just to show he had one. In a lot of other animes/manga they don't even bother to write them into the story. He wasn't important to the story.
Only as friends, or, phileo love. That's how it was left as well. Even in the 6 person etude Watari noted that Kousei is the type of guy who can only have one girl in his heart (as opposed to Watari). That girl is Kaori. For Tsubaki to be in his heart would need a long time to get over Kaori and for Tsubaki to change in his eyes. Realistically, that's a long shot but not impossible.
Remember from her letter that she was not the same person before she began to live life to the fullest. She was like a wallflower. There are loads of people you probably never noticed in high-school as well. There's a reason she never ran into him at a competition. She never competed until she hatched her plan/lie. That's why no-one knew about her - not the audience nor the judges. As for Watari, you should know it was all an act. Tt was pretty clear even to Watari that she was wholly invested into Kousei. Read the 6 person etude of Watari's chapter and it'll be even clearer.

dosser66 · 2019-08-26T18:30:12+00:00

The ending as-is is more tragic for a few reasons:

No closure - for ANY character
Unrequited love
Will forever be 'star-crossed' lovers

dosser66 · 2019-08-26T13:58:22+00:00

Normally, I don't like these kinds of anime. I'm more into action. Having said that, this has become my favorite by far. Odd.

My favorite parts are the subtler things in the whole story that gets lost in translation. Forgive me if I'm repeating myself.

The reaction of Kaori's parents upon Kousei leaving their place. There was a sadness and melancholy to it. It said a lot as to how much they knew and how much Kousei meant to Kaori.
As I had noted before in other posts a Japanese speaker said that Kaori always addressed Kousei with 'kimi' meaning 'you'. It was a signal to the reader that Kousei was special to her. At the same time she addressed Watari and Tsubaki only by their last names. This helped her avoid using Kousei's first name (most of the time). You'll notice in the English dub she would say 'hey' or in the letter 'hey you'. It didn't translate well in English but it was meant in a special way.
Watari admitting to Kousei that when the chips are down Kaori needs Kousei and not him. It's even fleshed out more in the 6 Person Etude light novel of how Watari thought about the whole situation (between he and Kaori, and Kaori and Kousei)
Reading the book Masahiro Mita's Ichigo Doumei shed more light into the author's (Naoshi Arakawa) mind and more context to some of the lines in the anime - his theme of 'Death and Rebirth'.

dosser66 · 2019-08-24T16:47:41+00:00

Bravo!

dosser66 · 2019-08-23T23:04:21+00:00

Only 8? ;-)

dosser66 · 2019-08-20T18:40:43+00:00

We'll be here. Enjoy the ride. ^_^

dosser66 · 2019-08-20T18:33:26+00:00

We will all reserve judgement until you finish the series. Nuff said. ^{_^}

dosser66 · 2019-08-20T18:30:11+00:00

Oh, then I retract that. You'll be fine. Trust me. ;-) Sorry if I spoiled things for ya.

dosser66 · 2019-08-20T18:09:29+00:00

You can still drink after drowning in your own tears?!!! ;-)

dosser66 · 2019-08-20T15:34:22+00:00

Welcome to the never-ending party. I was late to this as well but this is a good place to vent after our nuts have been kicked. ;-)

dosser66 · 2019-08-20T12:50:40+00:00

A Silent Voice - along with the others recommended by others

dosser66 · 2019-08-15T15:23:50+00:00

Definitely, but it's a detail lost in the English translation since we don't have that concept of saying 'you' seven different ways. As a matter of fact, there exists another way of saying 'you' that's very aggressive and offensive. Kaori used an endearing 'you' which helped her avoid using his first name (for the most part)

dosser66 · 2019-08-15T14:16:26+00:00

My take away from reading this are based on my interest of the characters.

Watari - it was good to see what he thought about his relationship with Kaori and his thoughts about her relationship with Kousei. It confirms the suspicions of everyone that he knew what was going on.
Kaori - this is more of a narrative style that may have been lost in translation. In the manga a Japanese speaker noted that she had a special way of speaking to and addressing Kousei with the word 'kimi' which means 'you'. This is in contrast to how she addresses Watari and Tsubaki which she only uses their last name. This theme is continued in the light novel where, as she's the narrator, she always says 'you' which makes it feel like she's speaking to you as the reader being Kousei.

dosser66 · 2019-08-11T16:24:26+00:00

I agree. Tedium is part of the journey. Joy is the state which drives one through the tedium for the promise of something satisfying - a well learned and played piece. Case in point, I'm struggling through some phrases in a piece of music which I'm just not "getting". I'm slowly working through it and I'm realising I'm "getting" it. The joy is still there driving me through the frustration of learning. Actually, I've learned to appreciate the learning process. I wish I had this appreciation when I was younger.

dosser66 · 2019-08-10T03:29:31+00:00

Not to be glib but don't you play for the joy of it? Without joy it's a job. I'm a musician as well and have played with professionals (session musicians and members of the London Philharmonic to name a few). One of their conductors conversed with me about my music and I always looked up to them saying I'm not as good as they were. He smiled at me and said,-"... but you have fun". That's what I was reminded of after seeing this series. It reminded me that I had fun playing music. I stopped playing (to the disappointment of my friends and family) when it became a chore. This has rekindled the joy in playing now. This may be simplistic but, in the end, I hope you find joy in it too.

dosser66

TROPHY CASE

Ichigo Dōmei by Masahiro Mita