Media Roundup Feb-Mar
Mar. 31st, 2024 20:04![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
superborbHome Is Not Here, by Wang Gungwu: a memoir about growing up in Ipoh around the time of WW2. From qian's rec! It was interesting to read about his experiences and the people he met. I found it especially interesting that the Chinese-in-China were more likely to have been learning English for cultural value, as opposed to the overseas Chinese learning it primarily for its usefulness. However, could have used editing to avoid repetition and inconsistencies and also generally needed copyediting. Enjoyable if you're curious about the time period, but I didn't find it insightful enough to be a blanket rec.
In Other Words, by Jhumpa Lahiri, translated by Ann Goldstein: Memoir of the author's reasons for, after a series of successful English works, making the decision to learn and then write exclusively in Italian. Quote "I believe that reading in a foreign language is the most intimate way of reading" perhaps sums up her approach to Italian. Some interesting thoughts on language -- the chapter on how people would not understand her Italian because they perceive her to be a foreigner really hit. Though, I found it interesting that she had the experience of people in the US perceiving her English as requiring justification (portrayed as emotionally to the same degree as in Italy), when I've heard often from the younger generation of immigrants in my circles that this is much less common in the US compared to Europe. Anyway, I found the experience of reading moderately excruciating: she's just so pretentious and I found it repetitive (I simply do not care about wallowing around in language to this extent). On a more serious note, her extreme, for lack of better word, foreignization of language felt strange. Perhaps related to her much more extreme experience growing up bilingual? Because she's a writer? A register of discussion that I do not usually engage in? I would be curious what people thought about this, but I also cannot recommend it generally.
Hui-Lan Koo, Madame Wellington Koo: An Autobiography, as Told to Mary Van Rensselaer Thayer: Madame Koo grew up fabulously wealthy in Java, the spoiled child of the "Rockefeller of Asia", and the book covers her childhood in the 1890s through China during the warlord period and finally as the wife of the Ambassador of the Republic of China during WWII. Fromqian's rec! Could use an editor. I found it really weird that she doesn't mention her first marriage/son to the point that she refers to her children with her remarriage as if they were her first/second. She's so wildly rich and out of touch that I found it easy to sympathize with the people who looked and chafed at this wealth disparity. Her preoccupations are just so consumerist? You can tell she really cared about what other fancy people thought of her and those are the feelings that lasted the decades until she told this story. I guess she is obligated to care about the glamorous diplomatic life, but it's so glittering... What a waste of money, food, and time. Fascinating to read about though, and the little tidbits about people are interesting; wish it was more of the tidbits and less of her preoccupations. Her beautiful pink palace in Beijing sure is memorably described!
The Spy Who Came in From the Cold, by John le Carré: A classic (/the/ classic?) cold war spy novel!skygiants recced this here. I was a bit surprised at how... serviceable the prose read? Not that I expected it to be High Lit or anything, just the distance between 1963 and 2024 seemed very narrow! I felt a bit like le Carré couldn't imagine why someone would be attracted to the communist ideology and so Liz came off as-- not childish, but unexplainable in motivation. Still, a classic for a reason, a fast moving and exciting read.
She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat (Season 1): cute f/f jdrama (total runtime 2.5 h) basically summed up by the title -- a woman who would really love to cook larger meals discovers her neighbor has a big appetite. The social commentary is definitely a major part of the show, but never felt too heavy handed (e.g. severe period pain means you should go to the gyn) -- the realization of the protag that she's lesbian takes a few eps, but it always felt natural along the way. I like that the food is home cooking food and not super fancy! Though Japanese home cooking uses so much plastic wrap lol. (I knew this, but still!) The main leads both felt like normal people and so did all the side charas; no OTT obnoxious coworkers here, just normally obnoxious ones! If the summary sounds appealing, it is well executed and I would recommend!
What Did You Eat Yesterday? (2019 drama and the 2020 special): Cute adaptation from a manga following the life of a middle aged gay couple and centered around the food they cook for each other. (Though despite their age and living together, you later realize they aren't that serious yet -- part of the arc is their relationship developing!) Lots of fun moments -- loved the subtle humor of the supermarket lady and the bargain grocery shopping, and there were several scenes that were genuinely laugh out loud -- but sometimes the drama was just so prolonged. I know this is very jdrama style, esp when adapting from a manga, but I do feel like this is presented more as a slice of life (realistic) drama instead of leaning into that type of humor as a comedy drama, so it felt out of place when it got so extended. The emotional arc as the main chara's parents and the main chara himself come to terms with him being gay was so satisfying ("ARE YOU HALF-ASSING YOUR HOMOSEXUAL LIFESTYLE" iconic), though the main chara's stress over being closeted and his internalized homophobia was extremely extended and painful to watch. The real down factor in this show is the secondary pairing, who are SO ANNOYING; they do catalyze some interesting discussion over gay culture, but is it worth the ridiculously OTT childishness... (Another adaptation issue where because the slice of life vibe is trying to play it as normal when it needs to be played as OTT.) Anyway, cute and satisfying, and I enjoyed that there were lots of extended cooking scenes! Except when they did ketchup pasta.
qian's rec! It was interesting to read about his experiences and the people he met. I found it especially interesting that the Chinese-in-China were more likely to have been learning English for cultural value, as opposed to the overseas Chinese learning it primarily for its usefulness. However, could have used editing to avoid repetition and inconsistencies and also generally needed copyediting. Enjoyable if you're curious about the time period, but I didn't find it insightful enough to be a blanket rec. In Other Words, by Jhumpa Lahiri, translated by Ann Goldstein: Memoir of the author's reasons for, after a series of successful English works, making the decision to learn and then write exclusively in Italian. Quote "I believe that reading in a foreign language is the most intimate way of reading" perhaps sums up her approach to Italian. Some interesting thoughts on language -- the chapter on how people would not understand her Italian because they perceive her to be a foreigner really hit. Though, I found it interesting that she had the experience of people in the US perceiving her English as requiring justification (portrayed as emotionally to the same degree as in Italy), when I've heard often from the younger generation of immigrants in my circles that this is much less common in the US compared to Europe. Anyway, I found the experience of reading moderately excruciating: she's just so pretentious and I found it repetitive (I simply do not care about wallowing around in language to this extent). On a more serious note, her extreme, for lack of better word, foreignization of language felt strange. Perhaps related to her much more extreme experience growing up bilingual? Because she's a writer? A register of discussion that I do not usually engage in? I would be curious what people thought about this, but I also cannot recommend it generally.
Hui-Lan Koo, Madame Wellington Koo: An Autobiography, as Told to Mary Van Rensselaer Thayer: Madame Koo grew up fabulously wealthy in Java, the spoiled child of the "Rockefeller of Asia", and the book covers her childhood in the 1890s through China during the warlord period and finally as the wife of the Ambassador of the Republic of China during WWII. From
qian's rec! Could use an editor. I found it really weird that she doesn't mention her first marriage/son to the point that she refers to her children with her remarriage as if they were her first/second. She's so wildly rich and out of touch that I found it easy to sympathize with the people who looked and chafed at this wealth disparity. Her preoccupations are just so consumerist? You can tell she really cared about what other fancy people thought of her and those are the feelings that lasted the decades until she told this story. I guess she is obligated to care about the glamorous diplomatic life, but it's so glittering... What a waste of money, food, and time. Fascinating to read about though, and the little tidbits about people are interesting; wish it was more of the tidbits and less of her preoccupations. Her beautiful pink palace in Beijing sure is memorably described!The Spy Who Came in From the Cold, by John le Carré: A classic (/the/ classic?) cold war spy novel!
skygiants recced this here. I was a bit surprised at how... serviceable the prose read? Not that I expected it to be High Lit or anything, just the distance between 1963 and 2024 seemed very narrow! I felt a bit like le Carré couldn't imagine why someone would be attracted to the communist ideology and so Liz came off as-- not childish, but unexplainable in motivation. Still, a classic for a reason, a fast moving and exciting read. She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat (Season 1): cute f/f jdrama (total runtime 2.5 h) basically summed up by the title -- a woman who would really love to cook larger meals discovers her neighbor has a big appetite. The social commentary is definitely a major part of the show, but never felt too heavy handed (e.g. severe period pain means you should go to the gyn) -- the realization of the protag that she's lesbian takes a few eps, but it always felt natural along the way. I like that the food is home cooking food and not super fancy! Though Japanese home cooking uses so much plastic wrap lol. (I knew this, but still!) The main leads both felt like normal people and so did all the side charas; no OTT obnoxious coworkers here, just normally obnoxious ones! If the summary sounds appealing, it is well executed and I would recommend!
What Did You Eat Yesterday? (2019 drama and the 2020 special): Cute adaptation from a manga following the life of a middle aged gay couple and centered around the food they cook for each other. (Though despite their age and living together, you later realize they aren't that serious yet -- part of the arc is their relationship developing!) Lots of fun moments -- loved the subtle humor of the supermarket lady and the bargain grocery shopping, and there were several scenes that were genuinely laugh out loud -- but sometimes the drama was just so prolonged. I know this is very jdrama style, esp when adapting from a manga, but I do feel like this is presented more as a slice of life (realistic) drama instead of leaning into that type of humor as a comedy drama, so it felt out of place when it got so extended. The emotional arc as the main chara's parents and the main chara himself come to terms with him being gay was so satisfying ("ARE YOU HALF-ASSING YOUR HOMOSEXUAL LIFESTYLE" iconic), though the main chara's stress over being closeted and his internalized homophobia was extremely extended and painful to watch. The real down factor in this show is the secondary pairing, who are SO ANNOYING; they do catalyze some interesting discussion over gay culture, but is it worth the ridiculously OTT childishness... (Another adaptation issue where because the slice of life vibe is trying to play it as normal when it needs to be played as OTT.) Anyway, cute and satisfying, and I enjoyed that there were lots of extended cooking scenes! Except when they did ketchup pasta.
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Date: 2024-04-01 00:55 (UTC)I actually find In Other Words fascinating and a great read. I have a particular affinity for stories of what I might call callings or Little Mermaidisms: people prepared to make great sacrifices for goals that might seem to others self-evidently useless and baffling. Like giving up your voice and home for some waterlogged prince, or your autonomy to become a nun, or your Pulitzer-winning Anglophone writing career to read Italian better. So it works great for me on that level! I like her circling, repetitive return to her hypothesized reasons for this desire, trying out different angles to try to explain this inexplicable-even-to-her drive and never quite managing it to her satisfaction. I have a separate intellectual interest in translation and like to read even people whom I really disagree with on its theory and practice; Lahiri is one of those, but I find it pleasurable to experience her grasp of the current scholarly literature on it and her own personal entanglement with her translational choices -- there I feel like there's not really an agree/disagree dichotomy but a rich vein of individual experience to mine. Lahiri seems aware enough of the individuality of her experience --pretentious or not-- that I actually like her memoiristic writing much better than her fiction, which often feels more generalizing to me.
Anyway, it appears she's back in the U.S. these days and I eagerly await the memoir about that XD
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Date: 2024-04-01 01:24 (UTC)V interesting to read your thoughts on In Other Words! I guess I, uncharitably, found her previous fiction (small sample size) a bit repetitive, though I did enjoy it; it therefore felt natural to me that she would seek out something to break her out of that same-y feel. The short stories she included in In Other Words did feel very different from her older works.
I think I may have a lower tolerance for the repetitive than most people; or maybe it's only in nonfiction works? When I feel like the writer should just say what they mean in plain terms?
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Date: 2024-04-01 01:32 (UTC)I forgot to say earlier -- if you liked the drama adaptation of She Loves to Cook, maybe you'd like the live action adaptation of The Makanai? It follows a young girl who enters modern-day Kyoto's geiko district, fails to become an apprentice geiko, but is instead taken on as the geiko house's cook. Lots of lovely cooking and a very calm slice-of-life plot!
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Date: 2024-04-01 19:42 (UTC)Some others have recced it! TBH, I haven't been watching much outside of watch parties, so I'm unlikely to make it around to anything for a while...
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Date: 2024-04-01 01:02 (UTC)Interesting because it’s usually the other way around! I wonder if it’s the process of actively learning that makes it intimate. I remember Ilya Kaminsky talking about feeling more free when he writes in English. It’s always interesting to see everyone’s relationship with foreign language! But I’m also very picky with the way people talk about the it haha.
I always thought that le Carré’s books would be too slow! So I guess there’s still hope for me reading at least one of them. XD
Another adaptation issue where because the slice of life vibe is trying to play it as normal when it needs to be played as OTT.
They really need directors who can do both. ^^; Kohinata’s actor did his best haha
Anyway Luna mentioned that S2 is better because you have a better grasp of the characters by then so I’m pretty optimistic (but still a little scared of cringe scenarios)! I can never get enough of the lead actors anyway.
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Date: 2024-04-01 01:26 (UTC)No, le Carré is very fast paced spy novel! I don't know that it'd be up your alley (stressful), but it's certainly in the fast short read category.
Oh, I forgot that there was a S2... I have not been paying enough attention to what we're going to watch next lol
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Date: 2024-04-01 09:24 (UTC)but sometimes the drama was just so prolonged. I know this is very jdrama style, esp when adapting from a manga, but I do feel like this is presented more as a slice of life (realistic) drama instead of leaning into that type of humor as a comedy drama, so it felt out of place when it got so extended.
Oh man, I know just what you mean and I struggle with this in jdramas (one reason why I can't watch the live-action Nodame Cantabile, even though I love the manga). Need to look for dramas that are genuinely slice-of-lifey... .
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Date: 2024-04-01 19:53 (UTC)Aww, I think Nodame escapes it more by leaning into being a comedy type, but it is definitely still hard to watch sometimes... I think She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat actually does fit slice-of-life pretty well!
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Date: 2024-04-01 13:09 (UTC)I figured she was deliberately pretending the first marriage hadn't happened; I can't tell from the Wiki page whether it was generally known that she was married pre-Koo, or if it was an open secret, or what. In any case it seems to be a matter of face, maybe even if everybody knew it was considered appropriate in her circles to pretend they didn't.
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Date: 2024-04-01 20:00 (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-04-03 00:59 (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-04-04 13:49 (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-04-05 02:04 (UTC)I also love the manga for What Did You Eat Yesterday! I've been meaning to watch the drama adaptation, maybe now I'll actually get around to it.
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Date: 2024-04-07 19:58 (UTC)And yeah, the adaptation is pretty cute!