Hi!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[alexandral]

We are back from Florence. I must re-write my list of 5 favourite cities because Florence will be right there at the top. We had wonderful holidays and Mr. Alexander made some gorgeous pictures. In short:

- I have seen so many paintings and sculptures by Michelangelo, Raphael and Leonardo Da Vinci that my head is still spinning

- Ice-cream in Florence is the best in the world

- In Florence everyone has a bike or a scooter and uses these means of transportation whilst wearing high-heeled shoes and without wearing any protective suits.

- I have developed a great like for Mr. Iain M. Banks' novels during the course of holidays

Fannish metters

I am in desperate need of a new Western show to watch and will be thankful for any recommendations. Just before the holidays I have discovered absolutely great (although short) Canadian show "Durham county". I highly recommend it and will try to make a proper post.


Asian drama matters

I am watching "Orthros no inu" and loving it. OMPH! Takki is so grown up and pretty! If only Nishikido Ryo and Takizawa Hideaki were cast in the Japanese re-make of "Mawang" instead of the ugly leads that were cast for "Maou"!!!!!

Comments

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

Thank you!!!

Iain (M.) Banks's novels really are very nice indeed. I like both his sf novels and his more realistic stuff.

Recently I seem to have read many good fantasy novels but it was really great to see that a contemporary author is doing so great in a big-scope-vision sci-fi. YAY! I intend to read (though I never do it too fast) through all his novels.

I though OnI started a bit uneven, but it's been getting better and more exciting with each episode. And Takki is so gorgeous and intense as Ryuzaki! :)

I agree on both accounts. I didn't quite know what to make of OnI at first , it seemed too straightforward somehow and a little naive, but in the recent episodes the show developed quite nicely and some decent twists were introduced. But Takki was a joy to watch from the very beginning.
I got quite annoyed few times with Ryo's character but it is nice to see that he also is getting a grip in the recent eps.

[vierran45.livejournal.com]

As a heads-up: Banks's sf books are published as written by Iain M. Banks, whereas his more contemporary fiction books are published as Iain Banks (without the M.).

A good example of his contemporary stuff is Crow Road which was also made into a very nice TV series some years ago (since you were asking for TV recs as well :)).

Ryo's character was a bit too naive and simple in the beginning, but it's getting more interesting. The same goes for Hasebe, who seemed totally incompetent in the beginning, but she's been getting more depth in later episodes.

[timescout.livejournal.com]

Gosh, I didn't know Crow Road was Banks'! I've read his sf books but not any of the contemporary stuff.

Oh, the TV series was good.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

Oh, thank you so much for the rec- I will try to find "Crow Road" ASAP.

Ryo's character was a bit too naive and simple in the beginning, but it's getting more interesting. The same goes for Hasebe, who seemed totally incompetent in the beginning, but she's been getting more depth in later episodes.

I still can't quite understand Hasebe - why does she refuse for her daughter to be "treated" by Ryuzaki?

[vierran45.livejournal.com]

I still can't quite understand Hasebe - why does she refuse for her daughter to be "treated" by Ryuzaki?

I suspect it's a matter of principle for her. She seems very strong in her beliefs of what is right and what is wrong. In the beginning it was probably because she thought Ryuzaki was a criminal, a killer who showed no remorse for his victims. Then when she saw how people only wanted to use him and his powers and went completely mad in their desire to take advantage of Ryuzaki's healing, I think she decided not to join that crowd.

I also think that is why Ryuzaki finds her so interesting and appealing. She is the only one who is not interested in his powers above all else.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

I also think that is why Ryuzaki finds her so interesting and appealing. She is the only one who is not interested in his powers above all else.

I know! I think her being a good mother also appeals to him - his childhood was quite a sad one!

[vierran45.livejournal.com]

BTW, another TV recommendation is Ultraviolet, a 6-episode series from the 90s, starring Jack Davenport, Idris Elba, Susannah Harker, etc. It centers around an agency trying to prevent "leeches" or "Code Vs" from taking over (the word vampire isn't mentioned once during the entire run of this series).

It's very stylish and scientific in it's outlook, and bases most of it's story on the characters and their interaction. Anybody can be tempted to join the leeches with good enough incentive, and they excel at finding people's weaknesses.

They manage to cram quite a few morally interesting stories into the 6 episodes that span this entire series. Some FX might seem a bit dated nowadays, but the series relies more on the characters and the story than on FX, so it's only a minor thing.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

YAY! I absolutely love "Ultraviolet". i wish there was more to it than just 6 episodes!

[vierran45.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you liked it :). I just rewatched it recently and was reminded of how good it really was. There were rumours of a second season at the time, but nothing really came of it. A pity, since they had a great cast and a very interesting premise to the series.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

I also re-watched it last week, after our conversation. I wish there was a second season. So much could have been developed more OTP-wise.