Book review 2-5

I read ‘Stories from Shakespeare’.
I have written a post about a Shakespeare’s work, but I write about other his works.
The first story is ‘The Merchant of Venice’. This is one of his comedies. The beginning is that Bassanio asks Antonio to lend money to marry Portia. Antonio accepted his needs, but Antonio doesn’t pay back his debt to Shylock because of the lost of his possessions, and he sometimes is nearly killed by him. Bassanio worries about Antonio’s safe and Bassanio, Portia and other pals goes to Venice to help Antonio. Portia pretends she is a lawyer and say to Shylock an unreasonable demand. He gives up giving money from Antonio, what is worse, he must give Antonio a half of his entire fortune. Everything works out peacefully.
After reading this book, I thought this was funny, but the interesting point was that Portia helped Antonio. I was a little disappointed because I had thought there are more interesting points in this story.
The second story is ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’. I have written this story once. Good points of this story are the existence of a fairy, magic, and the play played by workmen. It is a funny work.
The third story is ‘Hamlet’. This is one of Shakespeare’s great tragedies. The theme of this story is the revenge by Hamlet on his uncle, the current king. The king plots to kill Hamlet with Laertes. The king uses a poison, but the queen dies by it. Hamlet battles with Laertes, but Lartes is dead and Hamlet finds the fact from him. He kills the king, but he dies by the poison. This is very the tragedy.

After reading these stories, I re-realized the greatness of Shakespeare.

My memories of KGKS 4

Next is about the city of Leicester. This is “Clock tower”, and it is located at the center of the city. Therefore, people often use this as a meeting spot. Many big roads ran here, so we could walk around unless we forgot how to get there.
This water spout was near the city hall. People often had a break about it. As it was summer vacation, people visited there on weekday, not a holiday.

This building is “Leicester Cathedral”. People who are Christian visit there to pray. This is the inside. There was a celestial mood. I was fascinated by it. I took some stained-glass windows. They were so beautiful. One day, when I went across the cathedral, I found a car which was decorated beautifully. According to a person, a wedding ceremony was held on that day.

Ms. Tomoko who was the Japanese assistant told us a Chinese restaurant, and the picture is this, Ha-men. This was the best Chinese restaurant, I thought. However, there was a big problem. It is … this. Almost people have seen this character many times. In the restaurant, I found another one with color. But I forgot taking it. The hair color was black and eyes were red. It is a little different from Japan.

This is a big candy store. There were many kinds of candies, so one of my friends asked a clerk to recommend some candies.
Tomoko recommended this snack. It was very delicious and not expensive. I also recommend it!

My memories of KGKS 3

I write about my university in England in this time.
This is DeMontfort University. I went there for a month.
It was big University, and Kumagaku students studied in Clephan Building.
The first picture is the building. It is three-story and has a basement. The entrance door is automatic. It is very comfortable.
The second picture is the inside of the building, entrance hall. When everyone finished class, they gathered here and went for a lunch with their friends. Here is also used as one of gathering spots. People who had lunch gathered here and went sightseeing. Classrooms were simple. There were a couple of large desks and about 15 chairs. Each room was similar like this. We had 2 groups and each group had about 11 people. The class time was 2 hours, but we had a break about 10 minutes between classes.
The third picture is the cafeteria of DeMontfort University. It was smaller than that of Kumagaku, but a great number of students were there and here was like a carnival everyday. Madison’s system was different from Japan. When you order some dish, you have to say or point to the name of dish and tell shop clerk how you want to eat.

The last picture is a convenience store which is in Japan too, SPAR.

Book review 2-4

I read “Tales from the Arabian Nights”. I have heard the title when I was a high school student, but I did not know the story. Therefore I decided to read it.

This story starts from a king, Sultan. He hates women after his first divorce and he decides to marry a new woman and kill her when the first night ends. People are very afraid of him, and then a woman, Sheherezade, tries to stop his bad behavior to talk him thousands of stories. These stories are called “Tales from the Arabian Nights”. There are sad stories, funny stories, strange stories, exciting stories, and so on.

My favorite story is ‘Behind the door’. The main character is Salem. His father was very rich. When he died, he left his money and houses to him, but Salem lost the money quickly and he ended up selling his houses. He got poor, but an old man spoke to him, ‘Be my servant, and you will live in a better place.’ So he followed him and became his servant. He watched many old people living in his house. They looked unhappy, but he did not understand the reason. The men were dead one after another, and the old man also died. When he was dying, he told Salem not to open behind the door. However, he could not beat his curiosity, and after all he opened the door. Inside the door was dark and he went downstairs, and there he was caught by a big bird and he was taken away at a wonderful place. He met a beautiful woman there, got married to her and spent a wonderful time, but she said the same thing that the old men said to him. He opened the door again and went downstairs. Amazingly, he returned to the house which had stayed with old men. He tried to discover the way to return the wonderful world, but he failed.

I have heard a story which is the similar to this. It was “Tono story” which was written by Kunio Yanagida who was a great academian of folklore in Japan. The main character lost his way in a forest and he found a lodge. Inside of the lodge was very clean and there were many kinds of things, so he spent his time there. He could go out of the forest safely, but he wanted to go the lodge again. He tried to find again and again, however, he could not find it.

These stories are very similar. Therefore I could have a sense of closeness. I would like to read ‘Tono story’ someday.

MR2 'Kill Bill'

I watched ‘Kill Bill’. It is a violent and action movie. The executive producer is Quentin Tarantino.

The main character is a woman, the Bride. Assassins nearly killed her once, but she was saved. She was in bed in a hospital, and escaped from there. Afterward, she goes to Japan to meet Hanzou Hattori and let him make a Samurai sword. She practiced again and again, and then she goes to a Japanese bar, where she battled one of big enemies. The boss of the group is O-Ren Ishii. She is one of the members of a big brutal group. Furthermore, she was the very person who nearly killed the Bride long time ago. The Bride managed to kill her and seek other enemies.

I had never watched this movie since then, so I felt very nervous because one of my friends said it was very grotesque and aggressive.

The first impression of this was a revenge tragedy. The Bride and O-Ren Ishii had the desire of revenge. Ishii’s one was against people who killed her mother. The Bride’s was against the assassins who killed her baby and nearly killed her. When the Bride asked Hanzou to make a Samurai sword, her strong feeling of revenge affected his policy which never made swords to kill people. Ishii also went on killing the murders. They are mad. The vengeance makes people crazy, mad and aggressive. The movie shows such a human’s complex and ugly feelings.

The good point was Japanese people, Hanzou Hattori, Gogo Yubari, and so on. Their words were cool and interesting, especially, Mr. Hattori.

However, I think there are many bad things in this movie, but some people may think that these are good. The worst thing is bleeding descriptions and cruel actions, slashing neck, foots, and arms. When I watched the scene that the Bride slashed Sofie’s arm at the Japanese bar, I thought that she was like a crashed centipede. The place became the hall of a bloody party. These actions were violent and brutal, but sometimes I felt they were interesting. I think watching such a movie for a long time affects bad things to children’s feelings. I have heard cruel murder cases these days. I am a little worry about the appearance of such a movie, but some people like this kind of movies.

I did not have a good time so much. However, I sometimes feel like to watch such movies. If I have a chance to watch ‘Kill bill 2’, I want to do it.

Official site

My hobbies

My hobbies are too many to name. These are playing sports, reading books, watching TV and Movies, playing video games, and walking.
I often played soccer in my childhood. When I was an elementary school student, I always played many sports in a rest time. I played soccer and basket ball for 4 years. I read many books these days, especially, books for tasks now. However, I read light novels very much. A light novel is for every people and easy to read. I have over 80 novels now. I will read books more. I also like to play video games. I like RPG games, Puzzle games, and Music simulation games, but I do not have time enough to do them now. I am a little sad. Last hobby walking, is recent one. When I wait a bus for a long time, I am very boring. Then I start walking to the next bus stop. If there is much waiting time, I do it again. As I do so many times, I realized the fun of walking.

An American and an English snacks

I bought a snack in TOYSЯUS a few weeks ago. This is 'SNYDER'S OF HANOVER'. The price is about 300 yen. The taste is Creamy Caramel. There are many other taste, Chedder Cheese, for example. I like them very much. The reason is the toughness. It is a little tough, but Caramel pawder covered on surfaces is very sweet. The balance is very good for me.

By the way, when I went to England, a Japanese teacher recommended a snack to me. It was 'Shortbread Fingers'. The shape was like 'Calorie Mate', but it was very delicious! I also recommend it. I bought some as a souvenir.

Book review 2-3

I read this book, “The Canterbury Tales” and it was written by Geoffrey Chaucer who was one of famous writers in 14C.
This story was based on a travel of people for Canterbury. People talked a story which they knew by way of killing time. It was “The Canterbury Tales”. There were various stories.
In this time I want to write about ‘the story of the knights’. One day, Arcite and Palamon are imprisoned by Theseus. Then they see a beautiful lady, Emily who is the sister of Hippolyta, and they fall in love with her. As the time passes, Arcite is allowed to go outside the prison, but if it comes true, Arcite can not see Emily any longer and Palamon is by her. Arcite thinks it is an unfortunate thing and Palamon thinks it is a happy thing.
The scene is my favorite one. The change of their feelings by the existence of Emily is funny and interesting. What is worse, the friendship between them gets worse and worse. Finally, they put a period to their love for her to fight each other. As a result, Arcite is dead and Palamon gets married with her. The love’s power sometimes makes a fellowship worse, confuses it, and puzzles a person. Of course the power itself is also good, but it is true that ‘Love is blind’.
There are many other stories in this book, so please read it or them if you can.

New video game

I bought a new video game. It is 'Guitar Freaks & Drum mania V3', which is a music simulation game. The instruments are the drums, the guitar, and the bass. I am good at playing the drums (but I cannot play a real drums), so I enjoyed playing it. Moreover, Many kinds of music picked up in this game, and I was glad to find my favorite songs. However, I do not have friends who also play it around me. I want to play the session mode. It can play the drums and the guitar at the same time. My friend who plays the guitar is in Fukuoka, so there is no time to play with him.
Now, 'Guitar Freaks & Drum mania V4' is coming out. Of course, I often play it

Book review 2-2

I read this book, “The Phantom of the Opera”, which is written by Jennifer Bassett.
I cannot explain this story simply because I think the phantom of the Opera is not a bad man. His purpose is to teach to a woman who has a beautiful looking and voice, improve her singing ability, and to know a woman’s love. However, because of his ugly face and the name, everyone regards him as a bad man.
On the other hand, the singer who is taught by him calls him “The Angel of music”. He becomes not only an enemy but also a good friend. It depends on the person.
How will the story change if everyone regards the phantom as good? I am sure that if everyone keeps his promise, the phantom gives a woman the beautiful voice and the Opera gets rich.
Why don’t you think your own idea about the story? You may flash some interesting story into your mind.

Movie Review 2-1

The first movie review is ‘Toy Story’. This movie is popular among people all over the world, and there are many kinds of goods sold in many toy shops. The main characters are Woody and BuzzLightyear. All toys are alive and work when people do not see them.

I will introduce some characters. Woody (Tom Hanks) is one of Andy’s favorite toys. He is active and has a good readership. BuzzLightyear (Tim Allen) is the comer. He does not think that he himself is not a toy but a Space Ranger. In addition, he is made from Taiwan. Slinky dog (JimVarney) is my favorite character because his body is so cute.

One day, Andy who was the owner of toys got a new toy. It was Buzz Lightyear, Space Ranger. He was the newest toy, so he had many functions which they had never seen. Andy also liked his quality and looks. Woody thought that he himself was the most favorite toy of Andy. However, as Andy was excited about Buzz, the things which is drawn Woody changed, and Buzz finally became his favorite toy. Of course, Woody’s feeling got worse and worse.

I can understand Woody’s anger and frustration. I think he is very proud because he has been the loved Andy’s toy for a long time. If someone suddenly comes and becomes his favorite, he may well get angry. However, it is natural for a child to change his/her taste. Andy is still a boy, so a new taste or interest comes into his mind. I think it may be a sharp tongue, but toys have their life called ‘A fashion’. If the time has finished, people would not pay attention to them any longer.

One of my favorite scenes was Buzz’s behavior in Hannah’s room. I burst into laughing at it. He realized what he was through the TV commercial. As a result, he became desperate. Although I felt sorry, his lines were interesting.

The other scene was that Woody rescued Buzz from Sid. I was impressed that Woody cooperated with Sid’s toys, considered the tactics, finally and persuaded Sid. I think the friendships among toys are wonderful and strong.

I think it is a good story because children could learn about the importance of taking care of toys. Sid who is a bad boy often tortures his sister’s toys. After all, Woody punishes him with them. It is an ordinary punishment, but it is enough to teach the work’s theme to children. I do not like Disney files much, but I like this. I want to watch ‘Toy Story 2’ someday.

My favorite singer

Yesterday, I found one of my favorite singer's web page. His name is Atsushi Shindou who is about 36 years old and active in a Radio program in Osaka. He used to be one of the member of 'Chameleon'. His voice is high and sweet. I like his songs, and I have lots of music files of him in my computer. The character are a crazy passion against a lover and life. I like his straight feelings very much.
His songs often used to appear in a video game, Pop'n music, and they are very very popular among people. However, his activity on the game was finished about 3 years ago. I was very sad and Almost people did not the reason why he retired the business.
His official web site One of his songs on Pop'n music 10

My memories of KGKS 2

When I was in England in this summer, I visited many places. My favorite place was the Warwick castle. It was so big and beautiful that I took many pictures of the castle.

Saying to a castle, I imagined a big gate, knights in a heavy armor, a castle wall, many kinds of weapons, and so on! My heart was beating fast during the visiting and I was very excited because visiting a western castle was one of my dreams.

Of course, I went to the lookout and the view seen from the place was so beautiful. However, the spiral staircase was very steep. Be careful when you go up the stairs, or you may fall and injure.

In the castle, there were many exhibitions, typical peer’s lives at that time, knight riding a house, swords, armors, lances, warrior’s helmets, and so on. The road like a corridor was not so wide, so I could not walk in the castle freely.

At an open space, a catapult show and falconry show were hold. I learnt the greatnesses of the ancient weapon and culture.

I wrote about a castle of England this time, but there were many interesting things in England. I’ll write them in the near future.

See you next time!

Wikipedia

Book review 2-1

I read this book, “The Prisoner of Zenda”. This purpose of this story is that Rudolf and Sept save the king of Ruritania. They must save him at once, otherwise he will be killed! However, there are strong enemies, Duke Michael and Rupert of Hentzau.
First thing I was impressed was the course of story. I thought it was very simple, but therefore it was very easy for me to read. My favorite story is Rudolf meets the Princess Flavia and falls in love her and pretends to be a king to get information about the safe of king. As the story pass, she also likes him, but they cannot marry each other because she is a princess and he is a fighter. However, his heart for her is still active. Who will win the heart of the beautiful Princess Flavia? The end is written in the end of the story. Please read it!
Second thing I was interested was the fights between the group of Rudolf and the group of Duke Michael. The engagements of Rudolf and Duke are very exciting. Will Rudolf put a period to this long fight? The end is secret.
I like to read such a story, so if you also like to read a book like this, please read it.