Freeday 16 February 2001

Pic of the day: Sana-chan and Rei-kun in ...

Child's toy

I wrote an essay about massive PC to PC networking and the future of the Internet. Then I wrote a critical essay about the lack of responsibility in Norwegian health care. Later, in the evening, I saw episode 10 of Komodo No Omocha (Child's Toy), lovingly downloaded from LunaArts Anime site. And then, at the very end, I was sitting there, baffled.

I'm Rei-kun. I'm sooo Rei-kun.

Now that really doesn't make any sense if you've not seen Komodo No Omocha at all, which you presumably haven't. And anyway, it's not quite like that ... but it's scaringly like that. It's really weird like that.

Spoiler warning

In the anime, the small girl Sana-chan picks up this young man from the street and takes him home. She dresses him up into her image of him, and asks him to be her manager, boyfriend and pimp. (She doesn't know what a pimp is, but she gives him her allowance money every week.) For years, Rei-kun is her (very platonic) boyfriend. Until certain events makes the truth break over them.

Sana-chan's classmate (who secretly loves her) ridicules the whole thing, saying that Rei-kun is only playing with her. He probably believes that, too. Even her mother does some serious deconstruction work when she first pulls the plug on the illusion. But I think you will agree with me, if you see the movie, that Rei-kun truly loved her. There are different types of love - but type is not necessarily the same as degree. I ought to know.

"I'm Sana. I'm 11 years old ... ... Rei-kun is my boyfriend and my pimp!" "[Supergirl] doesn't need a boyfriend ... she has Magnus!"

***

I think I have some massive rewriting of my "cast" page to do. But first! A rare bonus poem. By me! Well, OK, not exactly poem. But sort of like a poem. Almost. At the very least, a bit stilted text. Bring it on already!

My anchor does not reach the bottom of the sea;
I am adrift. And yet I let it hang,
a lifeline without life,
illusions of stability,
of safety and the past.

My rudder is long gone, in which storm I do not know;
I am adrift. And yet if you can see,
in your magic mirror:
Standing on the bridge,
I hold my sextant high.

(Actually, this came to me a few days ago, but I haven't had any good excuse to put it up until now. But since today's diary is already ruined ...)

Man, that looks really sad and angsty. Hey, it's not meant like that. Life is kinda not all hyper glory all the time, but it's sure a lot better than nothing! And defiance in the face of certain tragedy is the hallmark of life, because the one certain thing about life is that it will end. But until then ...

... one of the best things in my life has been to be ... a child's toy.