JHorror simply means Japanese Horror. It’s a genre of movies from Japan(obviously) that focus mainly on horror. Some may have thrillers in them instead of crazy scary things in them. A lot of JHorror movies are the basis for American movies that usually have the same title. Some of which are One Missed Call, The Grudge, The Ring, Premonition, Dark Water and Pulse.

A very common factor in JHorror is that there’s some type of menacing force driving the story. In One Missed Call, it’s their own deaths calling them on the phone. In Ju-on, a woman’s grudge kills any and all who enter the house she was killed in along with her son. In Shikoku, a young woman’s old friend is being summoned from the grave by her mother, only she’s not coming back the same.

The movies usually go on with a way that many who watch horror, prominently American horror, would find a different scare tactic. Instead of the killer coming out and slaughtering the person it plans on attacking, screaming and some skin shown, the main character is usually tormented throughout it with slight hints and quick shapes in the shadows that require an eye to notice. Not that they don’t follow the deaths in a horrific manner. In One Missed Call, one character is dragged into an open elevator shaft by an invisible force where he then dials the next victim before popping out the signature red candy.

The ending normally isn’t something you’d expect. I’m obviously not going to list any of them right now because that would ruin it for any that haven’t already seen the movie. Let’s just say, depending on the director it can be sudden or a little bit drawn out with a kicker in the end.

A few good ones to check out if you’re intrested:

One Missed Call

Audition

Ju-on 1+2

Ringu 1+2

Ringu Zero

Infection

Premonition

Suicide Club

Shikoku

Nightmare Detective

Audition

Kairo(Pulse)

There’s a bunch others that are out there as well, these are just ones I’ve happened to see.

If you enjoy JHorror you should check out other asian horror movies as well, like Tale of Two Sisters and Oldboy.

1 of many movie cases

This movie is amazing. Filmed in Japan with Japanese actors, the entire movie is spoken in English, a spaghetti western made by the Japanese director Miike Takashi. Other movies he’s done are Iichi the Killer, One Missed Call, Audition, and the short movie Box featured in 3…Extremes, among his long list of other movies. He is well known for his bloody and horrific scenes, and most of his movies feature some sort of disturbing sequence, if not the entire thing. I’ve seen a lot of his movies, and I recommend him to anyone who’s into that type of movie.

Sukiyaki Western Django, in a summary, is about a gunsman that upon entering a nearly deserted town, is quickly thrown into a giant fued between two clans- The Genjis, who dress in white, and the Heike, who wear red. As the movie progresses, we find out that the reason the two clans are rivaling is because both are after the town’s treasure. The gunman learns more about each of the main characters, mostly from an old woman who lives in the town who is identified as the mother of Akira, who was killed by the Heike leader. Akira’s wife has joined the side of the Genji in a way to get revenge. The movie overall is well done and very well made. The movie would seem to be serious, but there’s quite a few parts in it, from a sheriff with a multiple personality disorder to the leader of the Heike group changing his name from Kiyomori to Henry in honor of Shakespeare’s Henry the 8th, inspired by the war of the roses in a desperate attempt to win the fued.
I have to say my favorite character is BB, the mother of Akira. If you’ve seen Memoirs of a Geisha, the actress that plays her plays Mother, the owner of the geisha house Chiyo, the main character, is sold to. She’s my favorite because she’s Bloody Benten, a very famous gunman that the leader of the Genji refers to as a goddess.

I’ve noticed that the newer edition of the movie (which can be bought in a special edition tin) has all the extra scenes removed from the original movie and placed in a special features area. The movie is about 2 hours long if the extra scenes are included, and if you plan on watching it, I recommend this version over the one without the extras. It adds on a few things that I find make the movie flow a lot better. One of the scenes is Kiyomori reading lines from the play with his second in command, when the sheriff comes back and calls him by his real name instead of Henry, causing Kiyomori to threaten his life.
Although this movie seems like it’s just a big funny movie, there are a few parts of the movie where it gets a bit gory/disturbing. I’m not bothered by these scenes, so I still find this movie a good choice.

Are there any movies that you enjoy that you’d like to recommend? Then leave me a comment!

In the next couple of days I plan on making an entry about Jhorror, so check back soon!

Happy first day of Spring!
Spring is probably my favorite season out of the entire year. I love the way it feels, and how it’s not too cold but not too hot, which is perfect for me. The way the world smells when the grass and the trees start to grow is so nice and refreshing. I prefer spring the most out of all the seasons, because even if it doesn’t last long, at least it doesn’t end with snow.
Now, I do like snow every now and then, but after all the snow I got this year I’m prefectly fine with a long break from it!

Spring also signals that everyone can start taking out their warmer weather clothing, and I really enjoy looking at all the new styles that stores and designers come out with for spring. I’ve noticed more recently I’ve become interested in fashion more than I normally do, and the newest fashion for spring this year is probably my favorite so far. I live where it’s as if winter never leaves so seeing everyone donning a pair of sandals and shorts and locking up their scarves and snow boots is another signal that the cold weather will end.

When the weather starts getting nice, all I want to do is go for a leisure walk around the town and enjoy the transition. It makes me want it to go faster so that I can relax in a park or in my backyard as well.

What’s your favorite season?

lepetitefaune

There’s at least one thing that inspires all of us to do things like draw, write, wear certain clothing, etc. etc. Everyone has something very important to them that is the most versatile and unique to that sole person, whether it be a musician or band, a book, movie, an event, a style of clothing. The list goes on and on.

For me, it’s the musician Miyavi.

I listen to him almost every single day and has the largest amount of music on my ipod. He inspires me to draw, to write, to listen to music, to make graphics; his style is very unique, and I base a few things off of him just about everyday.

I started getting into him when I was in 8th Grade, and I’m really glad I did. He makes me happy, and his music is so different from others. He inspires me to make icons and banners and other assorted graphics, he inspires me to draw and is one of the only subjects I’m able to actually draw and do a fairly decent job of. I’m glad I started getting into him when I started doing more and more graphics on communities like Livejournal, because it really help push me towards my new passion of doing graphic design, and without it I wouldn’t have any idea where I wanted to go with my life.

I think it’s really important to follow our inspirations, our idols, our muses. It helps define us more and create a more unique style of our own. For example, if you like to draw, do it a lot! If you like to but you don’t think you’re good, that’s an even better reason to do it because then you can help strengthen it. You’re following your passion and you’re also helping define your own style.

I find making amigurumi to be extremely fun and something that almost anyone who knows how to crochet would love. It’s a little tiring depending on how big you plan on making them, but the outcome is always the best part. They’re soft and cuddly and make the best gifts to give anyone. I’ve made a lot, especially for my friends for their birthdays and holiday presents, and I love sitting down and making my own. I’m even planning on selling a few of the keychain ones in a few weeks!

I have to say, though, my favorite ones to make are bunnies and food.

In the above picture, all of them were made by me except the yellow and orange pig/dragon. That was made by Piggy’s Creations, which I sadly can’t find an online website for.

If you’re intrested in making your own, here are a few great places to check out:
Craftser.org Simply search amigirumi pattern and you’ll find tons.
crochet pattern central. These are just the animals, but a quick search on google will bring you to their food page too.

And some books to check out would be Amigurumi World: Seriously Cute Crochet by Ana Paula Rimoli and Tiny Yarn Animals: Amigurumi Friends to Make and Enjoy by Tamie Snow, creator of Roxiecraft.com. these books are amazing and I own each of them. They also have some food items like ice creams and cupcakes. Both these authors and creators have their own websites where they also have some free patterns!

I recommend amigurumis to everyone. They’re easy to make, fun and cute and the satisfaction of finishing them is the best.

Re-ment is a Japanese company that specializes in making miniature sets of cute foods. Each set is part of a bigger set that depends on the type you get, which is a surprise. This one was in Elegant Sweets and the name of the set is Wedding Sweets. The set includes a heart-shaped dish with almonds, 5 macaroons, a baumkuchen and a tin for it, and a cute little bag to carry them in. Plus, each set comes with a card that has a picture of the set and information about it.

Re-ment is a very popular in Japan and is even becoming popular in the US. You can buy these with ease at certain shops throughout the country, like I did with this one. Another one I have is the Jiggling Fruit Jellies from Elegant Sweets as well, and contains a grapefruit, lemon and orange that have their tops cut off and full of jelly, and a small case with 5 individual cups of fruit jellies. There’s even bags for them.

If you’d like to find out more about the different types and what your Japanese card might say, or even to find out if they sell these where you live, check out http://re-ment.us.

For some pictures of other people who on them, check out Re-Ment Addicts