Fangirl Friday: Sato Takeru

I grew up with Sunday morning Tokusatsu. That’s where it all began.

He was Nogami Ryotaro in Kamen Rider Den-O, a weak kid with terrible luck. Most actors stick to one role, but Takeru played seven. He shifted his voice, posture, and even his eyes depending on which Imagin was in charge. Even back then, I knew he was different.

I’m not usually into Japanese actors. He’s always been the only exception.

When they cast him as Himura Kenshin, I held my breath. Rurouni Kenshin is my favorite manga of all time.. I wasn’t ready for disappointment. But Takeru? He didn’t just play Kenshin; he became him.

He did his own stunts. No wires. No doubles. Just him, running sideways on a wall with perfect precision. There’s one moment before a fight when he lowers his chin and looks up through his bangs. The weight in his eyes is exactly how I imagined Kenshin for years.

There’s a strange balance in him. Beautiful and delicate, yet heavy and intense. Mysterious. And he loves cats. Somehow, knowing that makes all his intensity feel warmer, more human. His upcoming movie, If Cats Disappeared from the World, is bound to break hearts.. and mine is definitely not ready.

I’ve been crushing on him for years. Some things never change, and I wouldn’t want them to.

Continue Reading

Monday, 20 July 2015

“What I want is for the two of us to meet somewhere by chance one day, like, passing on the street, or getting on the same bus.”

― Haruki Murakami, 1Q84

Continue Reading

Flipped (2010): More Than the Sum of Its Parts

Rob Reiner’s Flipped (2010), originally a 2001 novel by Wendelin Van Draanen, tells the story of Juli and Bryce, two kids whose perceptions of each other are messy and often wrong. I still remember the upside-down chick on the book cover from middle school. Watching the film now, it’s way more interesting than most coming-of-age stories, turning simple misunderstandings into funny and heartfelt scenes.

The novel has long been one of my favorites, which made me curious to see how it would translate to the screen. Moving the setting from the book’s 90s to the 50s was a smart choice by Reiner. That mid-century nostalgia gives the film a specific atmosphere that fits the tone perfectly. Madeline Carroll and Callan McAuliffe have great chemistry as Juli and Bryce. The dual POV really shows how two kids on the same street can see completely different worlds. The story itself is not like a typical teen romance; it focuses more on character than drama.

The main conflict isn’t huge plot twist. It’s about Juli and Bryce slowly changing from the inside. Juli starts with this sincere admiration for Bryce, while Bryce is mostly driven by a need to fit in and stay comfortable. The contrast is clear. Juli is full of life and always curious, like the sycamore tree she loves. Bryce, on the other hand, is stuck and too scared to take risks. The film centers this contrast as the core of their conflict.

The family stuff in the film stands out more than in the book. Bryce’s father is extremely arrogant. He spends most of the film looking down on Juli’s family because of their messy yard, and you can tell how bitter he is about his own life. It makes the story feel bigger and shows why Bryce acts the way he does.

One standout scene is when Juli’s dad is painting and talks about how things are “more than the sum of its parts.” A cow or a meadow alone might just be objects, but the way the light hits them together is what makes them special. In this moment, Juli starts noticing there’s more to people than what’s on the surface, while Bryce is still mostly seeing just the outside.

Then there’s Chet Duncan, Bryce’s grandfather. He’s the one who makes the most sense in the house. He tells Bryce that some people are flat, some are satin, and some are glossy. Every now and then, someone is “iridescent.” This scene shows Bryce starting to see people differently, and also highlights the quiet bond between Chet and Juli. He notices Juli’s depth while Bryce is still figuring himself out.

Flipped doesn’t need the usual teen movie stuff to work. It doesn’t rely on sex or fake romance. It’s just two kids planting a sycamore tree in a yard. Both the book and the film earn 9 out of 10. They don’t rush the process; they let the characters grow naturally. The film keeps the heart of the book alive and shows that growing up can feel meaningful with the right people around.

Continue Reading

My Sketches: The Unfathomable Mr. Oh

I drew this a while ago and I still think it looks pretty good, right?

It’s from the Die Jungs photobook (still not over the Germany shoot, help!!). He looks so damn fantastic there. Seriously, I can’t even deal with him right now… he’s just asdfghjkl :’)

How can someone be such a cute dork yet so effortlessly adorable at the same time? WHY SEHUN WHY?! Why do you do this to my heart?

Anyway, here is the unfathomable Mr. Oh, especially for you guys! Just fyi, this is probably the best drawing I’ve ever done in my entire life. I’m actually kind of proud of this one.

Details:

Medium: 2H–8B graphite pencils on A4 Canson paper

Time: 7 hours (non-stop!)

Hew, crazy. My hand is basically dead, but it was so worth it. Hope you guys like it as much as I do!

Continue Reading

Just a little update

Aloha!

I know, I’ve been gone forever. I hated the silence, but life got in the way.

July and August were brutal. Just a blur of blood, sweat, and tears I didn’t think I had left. But I made it through. I graduated. I’m not even going to pretend I’m bursting with pride.. I’m mostly just relieved it’s over. Four years of Materials Engineering. Looking back, if I’d known how tough it would be, I probably wouldn’t have signed up. But I finished. That has to count for something.

Can you guess which one I am?

To my family, my friends, and my polymer chemistry lecturers who showed me so much kindness.. thank you. I honestly have no idea what comes next, and that’s a little scary, but maybe it’s okay. We never really know what the future holds anyway.

In August, I finally saw my high school BFFs again. Two years felt like forever. Back then, I was the only girl in a class of seven crazy guys. They treated me like one of them, and I didn’t mind at all. We laughed at things that weren’t even funny and somehow made them funny anyway. Five hours together felt way too short.

Oh I miss them so much already!

I turned 21 on August 16.

It’s strange how fast that number arrived. Having my family around on graduation day was the only gift I really needed. I just wish the path ahead felt a little less steep sometimes.

Oh, and then there was EXO.

They finally came to Jakarta. Lapangan D, only twenty minutes from my house. I completely lost it. They’re somehow even more perfect in real life. I screamed, I cursed, I acted totally alay.. no regrets. It was exactly what I needed.

lmao

It’s been a heavy year. A lot of everything.

But I’m still standing. Alhamdulillah

Continue Reading

Taeyang's Eyes, Nose, Lips

My brain actually stopped functioning for four minutes straight.

I knew Taeyang was a king, but this is something else entirely. I’m not okay. I’m actually not okay.

Let’s be real. The music video aesthetic is everything. K-pop is usually just neon sets and fifty costume changes, but this is different. This MV is so simple, yet so deep. Taeyang shows up with nothing but a piano and a bare chest, and suddenly everything else feels artificial. There’s no fluff here. Just tattoos and fire and Taeyang standing in the dark. It’s 2 AM energy, but the kind where you realize you’re completely alone. Seeing his memories literally turn to ash while he sings about her lips.. I don't know. It’s just a lot.

And when that billboard starts burning. Her face stays so still, so beautiful.. as the fire just eats through it. Watching him cling to a ghost while the whole world burns is just lonely. It’s cynical. I hate how beautiful it looks.

THAT VOICE. His voice sounds like glass breaking. It's thin, then it just explodes. When he sings the chorus, "Your eyes, nose, lips", it sounds like he’s trying to memorize her face before he goes blind. Can you feel that physical weight on your chest? He’s asking for a "beautiful death" from her lips because living without her is worse. When he hits those high notes at the end, he’s grieving the "small fingernails" and the "fragrant breath" of a person who is already a ghost. He’s being so real it hurts. 

The LYRICS are a total call-out. Taeyang isn’t playing the victim, and honestly, thank god for that. Most songs just whine about being hurt, but he’s out here admitting he’s the one who made it messy. He’s the fool who can't erase a person who’s already gone. Begging her to kill him with a smile just so he can finally stop? That is so raw. 

Taeyang said it best himself on Mnet Wide. It’s just a simple piano and his voice. That’s it. It's a song for anyone still stuck in the remains of a bad breakup. When he sings, the air just gets heavy. It feels like a room where you’re finally allowed to be a total mess. 

A song this simple shouldn't feel this suffocating. But I guess everyone agrees, because it's already sitting at the top of the charts. Yup, Eyes, Nose, Lips just achieved a certified all-kill on every major chart. It’s not even surprising. This isn't your typical K-pop idol track. It’s R&B that actually hurts. This is what it actually sounds like when someone you love starts fading into a memory. It’s not pretty.

If you’re still checking your phone for a text that’s never coming, this is going to hurt. But you need to hear it. At the end of the day, it’s just the piano and the fact that some things weren't built to last. They were built to burn. I’m going to be replaying this until my headphones break. If you need me, I’ll be under my covers, crying to this on loop and staring at the ceiling thinking about every person who ever broke my heart (if any huhu). 

Taeyang won. Everyone else can go home now.

Continue Reading