Hunter in the Darkness

"One of you must give your life. At night, you will wait for Aku. You will wear this coat of bells.
"When the vampire takes you," you continue, "we will follow the sound of the bells. Then, in the morning, we will kill him. This, I swear!"
You look around. The villagers look scared.
"Who will give their life, so that others may live?" you ask. (p. 6)

Hunter in the Darkness is another book in the Atama-ii Books series of interactive adventure stories. As you can guess from the above, it is a story of a vampire hunter and his/my quest to kill Aku, the strongest of the vampires. The vampire will not be killed easily, and sacrifices will be called for. I have read the story before, but each time I read only one or two story paths. Today, the story path I took led me to a kind of ambiguous success.

Habeeb, Ramy. (2014). Hunter in the darkness. Tokyo: Atama-ii Books.

Hidden Figures, and other matters…

Today we watched the trailer for Hidden Figures, a movie about black scientists who worked on the NASA space program to send the first astronaut into space. At that time, there were few women working at NASA, few black people, and even fewer black women. At first, most of the people there think that they are cleaners rather than scientists, engineers, or mathematicians. They have to go to special bathrooms set aside for black women, which are in a distant building, until the director of the program agrees that the bathrooms shouldn't be segregated.

In the Premier League, Tottenham lost, to give the advantage to Chelsea in the title race. Manchester City won, Liverpool drew, and Arsenal beat Manchester United. That means that Manchester City have a good chance of coming third or fourth. Liverpool are probably OK, but they are in a little danger still from Manchester United perhaps. Arsenal still have a chance of overtaking Manchester United to get into the Europa League.

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Kingsman, and other matters…

ACTORS
Colin Firth
Taron Egerton

Today we watched the trailer for the first Kingsman film, as well as the second one, which is yet to be released. The trailer didn't have many details, so I guess it is not completed yet. But the film has an all-star cast, with Elton John, Channing Tatum, Jeff Bridges, Halle Berry, Mark Strong, and Julianne Moore—and of course Colin Firth. The first Kingsman film was very entertaining, with its unusual blend of action and humor. I think that Colin Firth is the essential ingredient. In the first film, Michael Caine was also very good.

Which teams do you think will get into the top four in the Premier League? It is difficult to guess, because, although Tottenham and Chelsea are very strong, the 3rd–6th place teams all have many weaknesses. Liverpool lost their most recent game, as did Arsenal, and Manchester United and Manchester City both drew. I think maybe the table will stay as it is now, i.e. Liverpool and Manchester City to stay in the top 4.

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The Exception, and other matters…

ACTORS:
Christopher Plummer
Lily James
Janet McTeer

Today we watched the trailer for The Exception, a World War II thriller starring Christopher Plummer, who plays Kaiser Wilhelm, who is in exile in the Netherlands. A German soldier is sent to spy on him, but he falls in love with the Kaiser's servant, who is a Jew. He has to choose between following orders and protecting the woman he loves.

In the Premier League, Chelsea and Spurs won convincingly, while Arsenal lost and both Manchester United and Manchester City drew. Those results opened up the gap between the top two teams and the rest. Liverpool have yet to play, but they lost their previous game, so the teams who will finish in the top 4 are still unclear.

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Journey to Mars (Atama-ii Books)

Buck shoots, but he hits the wall behind you.
Before you can do anything, Maki pushes off the wall toward you. She grabs you, pulls you into the next room, and closes the door.
You look through a small window and see Buck. He is smiling, and his eyes are red. Then he moves away from the door. You can't see what he is doing.
You hear the computer's voice. "This ship will self-destruct in sixty seconds," it says.

Today, I read Journey to Mars. This is Book 1 in the Atama-ii Books series, which currently consists of 10 books. The books are all interactive adventures. That means that, at certain points in the story, you have to choose what to do. In Journey to Mars, I am the navigator of a voyage to Mars. I travel with Buck, the commander, and Maki, the science officer. Our voyage is quite eventful. We meet a wormhole and an asteroid field. There are many difficult choices on the way. Our mission is only successful in a few of the eight endings.

The Ghost in the Shell, and other matters…

Today we watched the trailer for The Ghost in the Shell, a movie starring Scarlett Johansson and Takeshi Kitano. It is based on the animated movie directed by Mamoru Ishii in 1995 and the 1989 manga by Shiro Masamune. Actually, I've already seen the movie, and it's really good. I'd like to watch the original animated film. Scarlett Johansson and Takeshi Kitano are really good.

As we approach the end of the football season, things are getting quite exciting. Manchester United are doing really well in the Europa League, and look like they might get into the top 4 in the Premier League, which would allow them to play in the Champions League next year. Chelsea, after losing to Manchester United recently, beat Spurs in the FA Cup semifinal, and look like they will probably win the Double (Premier League and FA Cup). Their opponent in the final will be Arsenal. Arsenal look a bit doubtful for the top 4. In the semifinal, they beat Manchester City, who look very vulnerable. They are in the top 4 at the moment, but could lose their place to Manchester United. Liverpool also lost yesterday, and they too look under threat of dropping out of the top 4.

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The Lost Cup (Atama-ii Books)

Outside the hospital, you get into a taxi.
"Who is this 'King'? you ask John.
"In Brazil, there is only one King," he says with a smile. "And he's in Rio today, at Maracana Stadium. Let's go!"
You arrive at the famous soccer stadium a few minutes later. Outside, the street is full of people. They are dancing and cheering.
"Why are we here?" you ask.

Atama-ii Books feature eight different story paths. They are like the Choose Your Own Adventure series, in that you can make decisions about what to do at various points in the story. If you make the wrong decisions, you may die or fail in your quest. The Lost Cup is about two detectives who try to find the Jules Rimet cup, the World Cup that Brazil won in 1970 but that was stolen. A man called Sergio is helping you, but it is difficult to know if he is really helping or if he wants to trap you in some way. Unfortunately, at the end of the story I was trapped in a cave, probably soon to die!

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, and other matters…

Actors:
Djimon Hounsou, Aidan Gillen, Jude Law, Eric Bana
Director:
Guy Ritchie

Today we watched the trailer for King Arthur: Legend of the Sword. As you can see from the title, it is the story of King Arthur, the legendary king of the Britons. He drew the sword Excalibur from the stone and became king according to the prophecy. There are many movies and books telling this story. The director this time is Guy Ritchie, who directed the Sherlock Holmes movies, so probably it will be very full of action.

Yesterday and on Saturday, the FA Cup semifinals were held. Arsenal and Chelsea will meet in the final.

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War for the Planet of the Apes, and other matters…

I did not start this war.

Today, we watched the trailer for War for the Planet of the Apes. I have enjoyed all the Planet of the Apes movies so far, including the old ones starring Charlton Heston. The new ones are very impressive, and each one has been notable for the performance of Andy Serkis, who plays Caesar. As usual, there is a lot of violence, as the humans, led by Woody Harrelson, fight to destroy the apes,
and the apes realize they have to destroy all the humans if they are going to survive.

You may have heard that Chelsea lost yesterday's match against Manchester United. That means that the gap between Chelsea and Spurs has been reduced to 4 points. Chelsea are still favorites, but the end of the season will be exciting. Manchester United's chances of getting into the top 4 have increased, so Manchester City need to be careful not to throw away games as they have been doing.

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Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and other matters…

It's time for the Jedi to end.

Today, we watched the trailer for Star Wars: The Last Jedi. It is the latest Star Wars movie, due to come out this December. I have watched all the Star Wars movies so far and I like the universe very much. But I was a bit disappointed by the most recent one, Rogue One. However, that one was one of the "anthology" films, rather than one in the "saga", so maybe we don't need to worry so much. From Rogue One, it seems that there will be a different director for every film, so we can expect the quality to fluctuate as each director works in his or her own style. The director for The Last Jedi is Rian Johnson, who directed Looper, an innovative science fiction film starring Bruce Willis and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, so I think probably it will be very interesting.

Did you hear about yesterday's match between Manchester United and Chelsea. Chelsea lost, so the gap at the top is now much smaller. Can Spurs catch Chelsea?

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Writing III: Session 2

Hi everyone, I hope you had a good week. Did you remember to write a book review on your blog? How was it? And did you manage to do the typing homework that Mr Tomei explained to you last week?

In today’s class, let’s do the following:

• your first Juppun ha Juubun
• practice the typing homework (let’s get ahead of the schedule!)
• a book review (if we have time)

Remember!

• You need to read a book and write a book review for homework every week, whether or not we did one in class! You should already have one book review on your blog by today’s class. If you don’t, write an extra one this week!
• Please continue to send the typing homework to Mr Tomei. Afterwards, please paste the homework onto your blog.

Notice!

1. Every week, we will do a Juppun ha Juubun in class.
2. Every week, you will do a book review for homework.
3. Every week, you will do a typing homework, and paste it into your blog.
4. Usually, we will do another book review or another task in class.

That means that every week you should have 4 new posts on your blog, i.e. about 16 a month. The number of monthly blog posts will be a big factor when deciding your grade. Especially, you should avoid having any months where the number is less than 10.

I will often use this blog to confirm what I say in class. Please write down the URL!

Gold, and other matters…

And the only question I'm left with is: How did 17 billion dollars disappear overnight?

Since I have already written about this movie, I want to talk about movies playing now in Japan. A Bigger Splash stars Ralph Fiennes (from the Harry Potter series), Tilda Swinton (from Only Lovers Left Alive) and Dakota Johnson (from Fifty Shades of Grey). It will end its run this Friday. Everybody Wants Some is a Richard Linklater film about campus life that also ends its run this Friday. Remember is a movie about a forgetful old man who finds out about his wartime past. Another movie playing now is The Girl on the Train, starring Emily Blunt.

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Gold, and other matters…

"We've got a gold mine! We've got a gold mine!"

That is from the movie Gold, starring Academy Award Winner Matthew McConaughey and Edgar Ramírez. It's coming out this week in the US, though probably it won't arrive in Japan until the summer. It's based on a true story about a man who goes to Indonesia to mine for gold. He finds it and makes lots of money, but then there are some problems concerning the ownership of the gold. I had never heard of this story before watching this trailer, so I'm curious to find out what happens at the end.

And the only question I'm left with is: How can 17 billion dollars disappear overnight?

I wonder what happened to the gold?

Moving to movies that are actually playing now, I hope to see Everybody Wants Some, by Richard Linklater, and Girl on a Train. I'm not sure if I'll actually have the time, though, before Everybody Wants Some ends its run this week. I wish movies at Denkikan continued a little longer.

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Final Class!

1. Finish your essay on the Atama-ii books series.
2. Write your final Blog Stats post. Include your updated Juppun ha Juubun scores to show your progress over the year.
3. Prepare for the test (content below).

The test will consist of two parts as usual:

1. Your blog stats, such as number of words, number of posts, number of book reviews, etc. To prepare for this, the best way is to update your final Blog Stats post the day before the test. That will leave you more time for the second part of the test. During this part of the test, you can go online to check the figures.
2. An essay. The topic will be one of the topics covered in this semester's dictoglosses.* During this part, you may not go online, although you can use dictionaries (paper or electronic) if you like.

Possible essay topics in the exam:

• Freeters
• Cram schools
• Smartphones

Easy ways to improve your score in the last week

• Make sure you have finished your typing homework and posted all of it on your blog.
• Write more book reviews.
• Update your blog stats the day before the exam.

The Founder, and other matters…

Today we watched the trailer for The Founder, a movie starring Michael Keaton about the man who took over the McDonald's empire from the McDonald brothers. McDonald's started with one store in southern California, and Kroc turned it into an empire of 1,600 stores and annual revenue of 70,000,000 dollars.

I caught Rogue One last week before its run ended. It was kind of fun to watch but I didn't really feel satisfied after it ended. I hope that next year's installment, directed by Rian Johnson, will be better.

Arsenal and Liverpool are not having such a great time now, even though Arsenal managed to win in the end. It looks like Arsene Wenger will be banned.

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The Founder, and other matters…

Today we watched the trailer for The Founder, a movie starring Michael Keaton, about the founding of the burger franchise business McDonald's. It's about Ray Kroc (Michael Keaton), the man who tricked the McDonald brothers and took control of the McDonald's business, originally just one store in California. His first wife is played by Laura Dern.

In the Premier League, Chelsea won again. They're about 10 points ahead of everyone else now. It seems unlikely that anyone else can catch them, but Tottenham and Manchester United seem most likely.

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Everybody Wants Some, and other matters…

Today we watched the trailer for Everybody Wants Some, a movie directed by Richard Linklater that is now playing at Denkikan, the downtown cinema that shows unusual movies. I think it's worth watching anything made by Linklater, as he always has an unusual angle on a story. Some of my favorite movies by him are the Before trilogy, consisting of Before Sunset, Before Sunrise, and Before Midnight. Those movies feature the same actors, Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke, playing the same characters over a period of 18 years. Unusually, all three films feature a lot of talking. I think everyone has heard of Boyhood, for which Linklater filmed a boy every year for 12 years.

Other films that are scheduled for the near future at Denkikan are Girl on the Train and A Bigger Splash.

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Brainstorm

You are a scientist. Do you use your new nanobot technology to help people…or to destroy the world?

Today, I read another Atami-ii book, Brainstorm by Andy Boon. In this story, I am a scientist who has
developed nanobots for medical use. I work with a surgeon to send nanobots into patients' brains and repair damage.

One day, I work on a patient who has brain cancer. But, as I am working, the nanobots start multiplying. I have to decide whether to stop the operation or to continue it. Then the doctor has a stroke, and I have to decide whether to wait for help or operate alone.


flash-freeze: 急速冷凍する

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Paterson, Lost in London, and other matters…

Today we watched two movie trailers. The first one was Paterson. It is about a man called Paterson who lives in a town called Paterson in New Jersey. He is a bus driver, and he writes poetry in his spare time. It is a very quiet movie about his daily life. It stars Adam Driver, who has a great reputation for his work in movies such as Star Wars: The Force Awakens and While We're Young.

The second trailer was Lost in London. That is a comedy by Woody Harrelson, starring himself and Owen Wilson. It is based on an episode in Woody Harrelson's life. It is a very unusual kind of movie, because it is one take over two hours and will be broadcast live into cinemas.

At Denkikan now, Richard Linklater's Everybody Wants Some is showing. After Boyhood and the Before/After Sunrise/Sunset/Midnight trilogy, I am interested in any movie that he makes, so I hope to find the time to see this movie. Denkikan has many interesting movies, so I recommend that you try to find the time to see some while you are students.

In the Premier League, Chelsea and Spurs won, while Manchester United and Liverpool drew, and Manchester City lost. It looks like Chelsea will win the league, while Liverpool, Spurs, and Manchester United are favorites for the other top-four spots.

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