Cardcaptor Sakura

I am currently enjoying this anime first show in a heavily westernized from as Cardcaptors on Children's ITV in 2002.

Sakura Kinomoto was an ordinary 4th grader until the day she opened a strange book and let dozens of powerful magic cards loose on the world. Keroberos, the Guardian of the Clow Cards, informs Sakura that it is now her responsibility to find and capture the freed cards. However, much to the reluctant Sakura's dismay, things aren't going to be easy for her; simply saying magic words and waving her wand around isn't good enough. Each card is a living, thinking, extremely powerful being. She'll have to learn to cope with her new responsibilities, as well as ordinary troubles like love, school, family, and friends. With the support of her friend Tomoyo and a young boy with powers of his own, she must learn how to use her newly awakened magical abilities to collect each card and prevent the disaster that will befall the world if she doesn't.

 

I was able to get this pack of two DVD's from Taiwan that has all 70 episodes on a total of 8 discs packaged in a fold out book manner with protective slip case. Although it has 8 or 9 episodes per disc the coding quality is actually very good - a par with many digital TV services - and has a excellent menu structure.

This is from the anime Cardcaptor Sakura a fantastic magical girl series from the early part of the this decade.

Knee high socks for the short skirted look

One unavoidable fact of life for me in my 'Little Girl' side is the fascination in maintaining the look I adored as a a child, that of the just above the knee skirt with long socks that are often either colour or striking in design.In many respects it's fortunate for me that at least a part of this aspect has become more mainstream so not only can I buy these cute girlish over the knee socks fairly easily but others are doing so to so there's less eye batting or outright ridicule as there used to be.




I just love these Grey and dusty Pink over the knee socks as they're so cute.
Available from the Sexy Minx ebay store and good local stockists.

Fun at the fair

Cotton candy at the fair as we leave vacation period and I'll bet she's behaved herself that day too!

Ms Jo VI

Another story but from high school this time around.

There was a rather stuck up boy who came from a well heeled family at our school who it had to be said was the bane of everybodys jokes because somehow he couldn't shake off a sense of superiority, talking incessantly about his fathers Steel plant.

This went down like a lead ballon when many of us were not so well off, indeed some had their fathers out of work at the time.

Anyway it was near Christmas one year and I was starting to go through one of my itching to be a brat phases so decided one day just play rehearsals to plant push pins on his padded senior chair.

He just plumped down on to it with his fat bottom which was followed by several Ow's and a glaring look toward me. They'd gone through his trousers!!!

Fortunately at the time as was often the case I missed being reported with the probability of slipper spanking from the Headmaster.

Are you ready for it Jo?

In my actual childhood I was caned with good reason although in my experience at least some of the stories and a good many photos taken for various publications depart from how we experienced it, not least in most times at school it was at least over over your underwear if not your skirt or trousers not least with being co-ed and having male and female staff.

That being said there are things to be said for the approach depicted here.

 
First off having shown me the cane you are to use on me, you  have my dressed pulled up and me bent over the desk. You hold your hand over the small of my back where my knicker elastic is, pressing, reminding me of my vulnerability and your control over the situation unfolding.

Grabbing hold at the sides, with me still bend over the desk you roll my knickers down, lecturing me as my bottom is now completely exposed adding to my feeling small and powerless.

Holding me down by the side, you begin applying the stinging strokes across my cheeks as it makes it impact with red welts in complete control, making sure I never forget this unpleasant experience.

"Growing up" IS optional

 

Sometimes people argue about how children today are turning out.

One school of thought thinks they are getting all cossetted trapped in perpetual childhood unable to basic things for themselves whilst others still say they're too advanced and so fail to see the dangers coming lacking the experience  older peers had.

However is our model right?

 There are expectations put on children to perform to ever more difficult targets, especially in the school environment when you look at  the way  western societies mentor and tutor them.
I'd guess we all can sure remember hearing these phrases from parents and teachers:
"You're a big girl now, not a baby"
"Act your age"
"Grow Up!"

In order to stay in favour with our mentors and peers as children we are put under pressure to change; to "grow up". 

This is mostly because the duties of parents in maintaining a stable home are at odds with the basic needs of free play and casual living as a child.

Can anyone think of child who never said  "I hate school"? It's not an environment conducive to natural and happy growth for the most part. 

There are tears and tantrums on those initial separations from parents, problems with large group integration especially at high school, and there's always an undertone of not meeting the expectations of a teacher, or fitting in with peers, none of whom would give the same level of emotional support as a close family member. 

When you need support, most your parents that you look to for support are simply not there, you don't get that contact again till the last school bell of the day.The system we have currently  is one that evolved following the destruction of older co-operative ways communities lived prior to the industrial revolution.

From such an alienating environment  we go into defensive mode (mood) putting up barriers, instead of letting our uninhibited joy flow out to touch others with happiness and playfulness.

This becomes especially so in the financially driven world of commerce, and by extension formal employment.

Essentially, the model we have is not ideal although it may be the best we have right now for the absolute numbers it needs to serve but if one was to issue a report on it you'd say "can do better". 

You have to recognize the fact that schools are not there for the benefit of the individual child, but to mould societies into pliable employable tax paying citizens for those with the power.


Now you might say what has this to do with our heading "Growing up IS optional"?

Simply that is encourages the attitudes deemed desirable for those who rise to the top which for the most part are ruthless. aggressive, self centred, and only focused on that which pays. Caring, accepting responsibility for others well-being and behaving in co-operative ways are viewed with cynicism at best and outright ridicule.

If the so-called lessons of growing up are indeed ruthlessness, aggression  and only being concerned with your needs, then while we're getting older (chronological speaking) this being Grown Up is one we can opt out of because it doesn't fulfill our needs.

Is it not surprising therefore it's  that's one of many reasons free thinkers like those of us who are LG are persecuted for having the courage to be different and to think differently?

Clannad with Clamp Collective

The best way of describing this series is it's a semi-fantasy romantic comedy drama. It is lovely show and it'll make you cry like nobodies business.The story is about the attempt to revive the Drama Club at Tomoya and Nagisa's high school. The anime is based on the popular game visual novel.
The main female characters have their own arcs, Fuuko, Kotomi, Ryou/Kyou, Tomoyo and of course, Nagisa. Its a bitter sweet story in that since only one girl can get the guy, and they all (bar Fuuko) like Tomoya.
As the year goes by the two leading characters begin to realize that real life is more complex than any stage play as new friends and rivals make everything more complicated.A strange visitor with a unexpected message enters to change Kotomi's life forever.

The second half afterstory outlining the 20 years in the life of Nagisa and Tomoya after graduation is available on DVD.

Added 10/30/11

I bought Afterstory but discovered my edition wasn't properly licensed as well as squeezing 12 episodes onto a single layer dvd which resulted in poor picture quality. I have replaced both the Clannad Collection and the Clannad After story with the UK region 2 issues.

Clamp in Wonderland.

Various characters from the Clamp collectives manga and anime series gathered together