We have enough work that we were planning to get to work on another project as soon as we finished Let's Dance a Waltz 2, but then it turned out to be three o'clock on Friday. At first we called it Friday-itis, but we're pretty sure that means our Friday is swollen. So we changed it to weekend-itis, because a swollen weekend seems to make more sense in the context. Not that any of it really makes any sense.
And now I have to decide if I want to take a break to go write a review of Let's Dance a Waltz 2 before going on with this post, because the idea was to post about Noragami today. So can we transition from Noragami back to Let's Dance a Waltz? Probably, but it might be better to write about Let's Dance a Waltz first and them come back. Hold on a sec.
We now just named it "shuumatsu-kibunshou" (weekend mentality disease) ...And back to that review.
...Okay now we're done!
So about Noragami 3. Wow, now I'm not sure I can change gears into Noragami. Let's see...
The main thing is the ablution. It was my favorite episode of the anime, and it's a great part of the manga, too (except that you have to imagine Kaji-kun's amazing voice acting, instead of hearing it). The way Adachitoka portrays Yukine's progression is pretty great. It pretty much starts with him asking "why me?" Then he keeps asking that until he snaps. I mean, you don't
see it starting with the "why me" until the chapter with Manabu, where it's made very obvious. But the point is, Yukine kept dwelling on the negative and dwelling on it and dwelling on it until...well, you know what happened. (Or you will, if you read it! Seriously, read volume three. It's the best of the first three volumes. But then, it's only the best if you've read the other two volumes leading up to it.)
I'm not sure I have a whole lot more to say about the book itself. I already talked about the wording of the ablution ceremony...I think? I also find it fascinating how ablution basically involves confessing and forsaking your sins. Just more evidence that Shinto (or at least Adachitoka's version of Shinto) is more closely related to Christianity than you might expect. I guess all religions are more closely related than you might expect, but that's another discussion.
There is one more thing. The gag manga! Oh my goodness, I think we had a little bit too much fun translating the TV show that the ayakashi were watching. Speaking of that, the title of that gag comic should be read in a creepy whisper. "They're watching..." See how funny that is? (When combined with the comic itself, of course.) And the way they make fun of Kuraha! Poor Kuraha. It is hilarious, though. Oh man, we're looking at them again now and they're all so funny. I wonder if anyone would really color that picture of Yato... Then he'll look like Dragon Kid from Tiger & Bunny! ...Or Bruce Lee. I guess.
Well, that turned out to be slightly less substantial than I'd hoped, but the point is, everyone should read Noragami. It's awesome.
Today I'm thankful for finishing work early today (sort of), having a fun time writing reviews (I wonder which one of them will end up getting posted first!), the way Zack just randomly does squats in Birth by Sleep, salted pretzel Milano cookies, and having plans to try double hot chocolate tonight (chilled, of course).
The ablution ceremony was really good, and everything leading up to it made it such a great and satisfying moment of character growth. Ahh, I want to rewatch that episode now...
Yes! That's a great idea! Maybe we'll do that! ...She says as if she thought she had free time this weekend. And I remembered something else I wanted to say about it but forgot--the whole "why me" thing. I don't remember how we translated it, so I don't know if we tried to fit it in or if we just hoped it would come across anyway, but in Japanese it's more obvious (although we're pretty sure the sentiment is there when people say it in English) that they're saying "why only me." People get it into their heads that they have it worse than anyone else, and it just makes things even worser.
The "why only me" sounded familiar so I checked (the digital file) and yes, you did have him say "why only me" at one point. And you are right, it is a good reminder that whatever we might be going through, it's quite likely we're not the only ones. (and then as Christians, knowing that Christ himself experienced the same kinds of temptation and suffering and pain as us, and more, is better comfort still! It really is fascinating how much Biblical truth is relevant or relatable to a story based on Shinto gods... (or maybe it's not so surprising that a story with religious themes makes for better comparisons than a story about school drama or battle competitions.))
Oh, I think I'm glad we got that in there! And yes! It almost makes me want to study world religions, but since we only have so much time, we're going to stick with Noragami and whatever Grandpa talks about in the book we're reading at the time. At any rate, it's fascinating.