Swan Pond

Eternal Swan

2011-01-23T14:47:00.000-08:00

"To those who knew him, he was the beacon of laughter and genuine thought; he was the measure of a man. Through videos and personal relationships, he illuminated the lives of many, at home and abroad, never failing to pass on his charisma and courage to anyone who crossed his path. It has now been nearly one year since the world has lost one of its most charming, inspirational, and brilliant people. A year that has had many of us longing and confused. But in his departure, we find new perspectives, new confidence, and new life. His name was Rodger Swan, and he was truly an idol.

As a tribute to Rodger and all of the happiness he brought to us, I have decided to release a few of the songs his fans may remember from the video series. The first and second are versions of the original Tokyo Swan and Iwate Swan themes, respectively, while the third is a track that had remained unfinished for a year, tentatively planned for what is now known as Iwate Swan 23, renamed "Eternal Swan." You may download the songs free of charge, either individually or as an album called "Eternal Swan," based on the new track. All that I ask is this: if Rodger has inspired you in any way, please consider donating to the Rodger Swan Memorial Fund for Japanese Studies. All of the money donated to this fund will go toward helping students study abroad in Japan, just as Rodger had. It is one way you can become an active part in securing his legacy as a teacher, a student, and an amazing friend.

Remember to cherish those you love, and never take a friendship for granted. Life can be stripped away as easily as it was given, so for those of us who have nothing left to fear, we must make them sure that it was worth it. Love to you all, and Rodger: we will meet again soon.

I'm blessed, I know / Heaven sent, and Heaven stole"

-K

Eternal Swan Album Contents:

-Tokyo Swan (Remastered)
-Iwate Swan
-Eternal Swan

To download the Eternal Swan album, click here.
To download the album artwork, click the picture above.

Click here to donate to the Rodger Swan Memorial Fund.

Iwate Swan 19: Christmas 2009

2009-12-11T00:12:00.000-08:00

(Iwate Swan 19: Christmas 2009)

Enjoy the last episode of Iwate Swan this year! I will return in January after a lovely visit home to continue the series. It has been a fun ride thus far, and I am looking forward to more adventures in the new year. I hope everyone has a happy and safe holiday season, and I wish all my viewers nothing but the best.

The long distance count down is now a mere 6 days. This time next week I will be with my girlfriend and I could not be happier. We've really made it darling :)

rodg

Iwate Swan 18: Autumn Reflections

2009-12-04T00:16:00.000-08:00

(Iwate Swan 18: Autumn Reflections)

Super sized episode that features everything from christmas card shopping to bathroom construction. A lot of these were nice moments, but not enough for a whole video. Plus, though I like my shorter videos better, I think it is good to release a longer one every once in a while too.

Got one more episode coming out next week and then I will be going on break as I return to the US for a few weeks.

Only 13 days to go until I am home and with my girlfriend! That is only 1 week and 6 days!!! I am so excited!!!

Iwate Swan 17: Marukan Department Store

2009-11-27T18:22:00.000-08:00

(Iwate Swan 17: Marukan Department Store)

So I am back to finish off November with another Christmas Shopping episode. This time I went to the famous Marukan Department Store and I had some incredible ice cream there. Apologies for this video being half a day late haha, we had a staff party last night so I was quite busy.

Only 19 days to go until I'm back home for break and I can be with my girlfriend! Less than 3 weeks to go! I'm getting really antsy now, but I don't have too much longer to wait....

see you next time!
rodger

Iwate Swan 16: Book Market

2009-11-20T00:11:00.001-08:00

(Iwate Swan 16: Book Market)

Wow, so it is already Friday night here again in Iwate so that means it is time to release a new Iwate Swan video. This is my first of two Christmas shopping videos, with next week showcasing a larger store in town. Still, I think this is a neat look into a very common, everyday sort of shop found all throughout Japan. Currently working on the first episode to come out in December (it is being shot like the Halloween one, so the footage comes from several different days), and then I have one more video to shoot before heading home for a few weeks.

My long distance relationship countdown is now down to just 27 days! That is less than 4 weeks to go! I have my night bus ticket to get into Tokyo, and so I am all set for my flight home. It will be amazing to see my girlfriend again, and I am sure winter break will be nothing short of spectacular.

Ok, well hope everyone is doing well! See you next week for another shopping episode....

rodg

Iwate Swan 15: Agricultural School Festival

2009-11-13T00:26:00.001-08:00

(Iwate Swan 15: Agricultural School Festival)
I was sad to see another one of my schools cancel their school festival, but the agricultural school decided to soldier on despite everyone getting sick with the flu. It was a really fun time and I hope you guys enjoy the inside look at this school festival!

The long distance count down until I can see my girlfriend again is now down to only 34 days! Monday I have a seminar in the capital and I will be purchasing my night bus ticket to get to Narita Airport next month. I think when I return in January I will be in Tokyo for a few days to meet up with some Japanese friends which should be nice. Everything is coming together!
rodger

Iwate Swan 14: Sports Park

2009-11-06T00:39:00.000-08:00

Iwate Swan 14: Sports Park

So I found a giant park behind my house and it is great for taking a walk haha. The seasons are changing and I am gearing up for a cold winter here in Iwate. I've actually been a bit sick lately, but my trip to the local doctor's office got me some medicine to take and I am hoping that I will be 100% recovered soon, as right now all the icky cold symptoms seem to be coming and going by the hour.

Well, life is never boring here that's for sure. In long distance news, the countdown is now at 41 short days before I see my lady friend again. Getting closer...

rodger

Iwate Swan 13: Halloween 2009

2009-10-30T01:13:00.001-07:00

Iwate Swan 13: Halloween 2009

So here is the special Halloween video I have been shooting all throughout the month of October. An inside look at Halloween displays, as well as a nice shout out for the goosebumps books I have received in the mail from my subscribers. As an extra bonus, there's even some footage of me at one of my schools showing off my English language bulletin board. All in all, a fairly nice episode.

Only 48 days to go until I am back home and see my girlfriend again! Wow, lower double digits now! Less than 7 weeks to go!

see you next time!
rodger

Iwate Swan 12: Grocery Shopping

2009-10-23T01:31:00.000-07:00

Iwate Swan 12: Grocery Shopping

So here's this week's episode. It focuses on what grocery shopping is like for me in Japan, so enjoy all of the shots of the local grocery store in my town haha. It is also kind of interesting to hear about my budget and how much all of this food costs.

Also, there is a big thank you to the initial response to my plea for goosebumps books haha. Since then, I've received NINE books in the mail already, so I am quite happy that my subscribers are so awesome! Thank you so much!

The Halloween episode will be next week. I was planning on doing another J-Shelf for then, but I'm not sure if I'll have the time to do so now. Hmm. Making two videos a week is proving to be more difficult than I thought it would be, but we shall see.

Also, only 55 days till I am home and with my girlfriend! Oh that will be lovely haha.

see you next time!
rodger

Iwate Swan 11: Castle Cow Tongue

2009-10-16T01:28:00.000-07:00

Iwate Swan 11: Castle Cow Tongue

So here is this week's Iwate Swan video, it is the second video of my adventures in Sendai with my friend Luke. It was a lot of fun to shoot this video and the previous one, and I am looking forward to seeing Luke again next month to hopefully create another fun video together. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy it.

Down to 62 days to go until I'm back home! That is less than 9 weeks now! Single Digit Weeks! Hurray!!!

Also, J-Shelf is probably going into a biweekly schedule now, so the next one will be out before Halloween I think.
rodger

J-Shelf 4: Comica

2009-10-14T02:45:00.001-07:00

J-Shelf 4: Comica

so here's this week's j-shelf, it is all about one of my favorite sakamoto albums out of his very impressive discography.

might start doing j-shelf every other week now, if the views continue to decrease on these. i have one planned for the week of halloween, so perhaps i will go into a biweekly schedule with these. Iwate Swan videos will continue to come out once a week.

64 days to go until I see my girlfriend! hurray :)
rodger

Iwate Swan 10: Oktoberfest

2009-10-09T01:14:00.000-07:00

Iwate Swan 10: Oktoberfest

This week's episode sees me meeting up with my good friend Tokyo Luke! It's been over 14 months since the last time I saw him, and it was great to meet up and chat about how life has been and how we are settling into our new jobs in japan. Next week's episode also takes place in Sendai, as I shot so much footage over the time I was there, that I had to make 2 videos hah. Yes, the request for goosebumps books at the end of the video is real. Generous souls can send me a private message or shoot me an email.

In long distance relationship news, I am now out of the seventies and down to 69 days to go! Over half way done!!! Next week, I enter into single digit weeks remaining, as right now there is just under 10 weeks to go. Nice!

rodger

J-Shelf 3: The Housekeeper and the Professor

2009-10-07T04:13:00.001-07:00

J-Shelf: The housekeeper and the Professor

Hey gang, so I just put up this week's J-Shelf video, which is a review of Ogawa Yoko's "The Housekeeper and the Professor" book. Very nice story, and I recommend you give it a read. Curious to see how this video will do, I've noticed a decline in views of my videos since the debut of this series, so I wonder if it is stretching out my audience a bit thin? Hmm.

Today I am right in the middle of my distance from seeing my girlfriend! Tomorrow I will be more than 50% done with this stretch of distance! From July 29-Dec 17th..... tomorrow I begin my descent down the proverbial mountain as I fly into her open arms. Ahh, such a nice feeling. 71 days to go!

rodger

October Update

2009-10-04T01:26:00.000-07:00

Hey gang, so October has now been underway for a few days and I am getting into the excitement of Halloween (which is my favorite holiday!). I have been decorating my house with little Halloween goodies and I hope to get many more before the spooktacular 31st of the month.

(My current Halloween display next to my TV!)

Today, I spent my Sunday making and editing videos. I filmed and edited this week’s J-Shelf together, and it is a review of a book by a Japanese author. Pretty good stuff, and to make the video a bit more interesting I set it to a bunch of pictures that I have taken while in this country. It’s a relaxing video, so I like it. I also edited together episode 10 of Iwate Swan! I really can’t believe that episode 10 is already going up this week! This series is moving along so quickly! Anyways, the new one going up features Tokyo Luke (or now, as he is better know, “Sendai Luke”) and it is a pretty fun episode.

Going to go grocery shopping in a bit (which will probably be the subject of a new video in a few weeks actually), and I shall start filming the Halloween episode soon.

74 days to go until I see my girlfriend! I have been really upbeat and happy about things lately. Later this week we will be more than halfway done with this longest stretch of time and distance! Just need to keep up this optimism and keep having a good time!

Hope everyone is doing well!
rodger

Iwate Swan 9: Hanamaki Festival

2009-10-02T18:08:00.000-07:00

Iwate Swan 9: Hanamaki Festival

Hey gang, so here is this week's Iwate Swan episode. I got to help out and carry one of the portable shrines in Hanamaki's City Festival. This is a pretty big festival where people from all over Iwate come to scope it out. Carrying the shrine was a lot of hard work (man was it heavy!) but it was such a great experience to be involved in this very traditional Japanese experience. Hope you guys enjoy the video!

In other news, 75 days to go until I am back home to see my girlfriend! More time has passed, and that number just keeps getting smaller and smaller and smaller and....

rodger

J-Shelf 2: Phantasy Star Online

2009-09-30T02:32:00.000-07:00

Phantasy Star Online

So the J-Shelf is out this week taking a look at Phantasy Star Online for the sega dreamcast, as wel as looking back at the entire phantasy star franchise.

In other news... it is October tomorrow! Going to start work on a special Halloween episode of Iwate Swan soon, and I think I have all the October videos planned out. Quite amazing how ahead of schedule I am this time around haha.

In Long Distance Relatinship news, things are going great! 78 days to go! Wow, I don't know about you, but that number is sounding much smaller these days. I will reach (and pass) the half way point of this longest stretch away from my girlfriend next week! Of course, that makes me all smiles. Roll on Dec. 17th!

Ok, new Iwate Swan up hopefully on Friday. Until then, take it easy and we'll see you next time.
rodger

Iwate Swan 8: High School Culture Festival

2009-09-25T01:33:00.000-07:00

Hey gang, so this week's Iwate Swan video is now up. It provides the first look at one of the schools I work at during a school festival. It was quite a lot of fun and I loved getting to see the students having such a good time.

(Iwate Swan 8: High School Culture Festival)

Strange how episode 8 of Tokyo Swan was a school festival video as well. Here's that old video from nearly 2 years ago:

(Tokyo Swan 8: Yagami Festival)

Fun to see how things have changed. I still can't get over how young I like in those old Tokyo Swan episodes hah.

Ok, well time to make dinner and then chat with my lady friend on skype which should be very nice. 83 days to go! The number is getting smaller and smaller yet again heh. Have a good one everyone, new iwate swan and j-shelf videos next week! Who knows, maybe I'll make a regular blog post in here too besides just alerting readers of my new videos haha.
rodger

J-Shelf 1: Densha Otoko

2009-09-24T02:35:00.000-07:00

(J-Shelf 1: Densha Otoko)

Hey gang, so I started a new video series in the vein of the j-horror reviews but open to movies, music, toys, games, food and basically anything from japan. This first episode is about the Densha Otoko (train man) film. I love the movie, and I really recommend everyone check it out if they haven't already. There's a load of good train man stuff out there, so give it a look!

Truth be told, the inspiration for this video can be related back to my last post. I needed to find ways to keep busy and keep myself happy here while away from my girlfriend, so I figured I love video editing, so adding an extra video a week sounded like a great idea. It really is relaxing for me to edit the videos. Truth be told I enjoy that far more than filming videos haha.

Today has been a great day, work was awesome and I put up an English language bulletin board at work. I got a letter in the mail from Rebecca, and I also received a big box of winter clothes and other goodies from my parents. Nice!

Ok, well hope everyone is doing well! New Iwate Swan should hopefully be out tomorrow. Just waiting on the music now haha. Until then, take it easy and see you next time!
rodger

Long Distance: 8 weeks down.

2009-09-22T18:18:00.000-07:00

Hey gang, so today i've gone 8 weeks now since the last time I saw my girlfriend. as many of you know, i've moved out to japan to teach english for a year, and the job has been going great. These first 2 months or so have been good for the most part, but I am worried that I am starting to see potential issues rise up now so I need some massive help and advice before these get too intense.

I video chat with my girlfriend on skype 2 times a day usually, when i wake up at 6:30 am (so it's 5:30 pm the previous day in boston), and at 7:00 pm here (6:00 am in the morning there). I find that when I go a day without talking it gets really difficult and I miss her like crazy. In japan, we have been on a 5 day national holiday, and i went away to visit a friend i had not seen in 14 months. He was a 3 hour train ride away, and we had a blast...but while I was planning to stay 2 nights i got so sad about missing my SO that i cut the visit a little short and left in the afternoon of the second day there so I wouldn't go another night without hearing her voice.

so, i can feel that I am being needy...and that scares me. she is also getting much busier in grad school, and i can see her being more tired and stressed out, as now she is in her 5th week of classes. so i'm trying to take her schedule into account, but i am getting the feeling that she will become too busy for me. While I don't want to detract from her studies or her sleep, I know I get sad when I can not talk with her. This time difference is so difficult, and this distance is so vast, that it really is quite the hurdle.

Trying to stay positive, as I believe being positive is the best course of action I can take, I know that we've already gotten through 8 weeks, and I know that in 85 days now I will see her again (in which we already have our tickets and everything purchased and ready).

However, she brought up last night that for her M.A. program she wants to take an intensive language lab from june 25- august 13th in which she would not have access to the internet for that entire time. when she told me about the idea, it honestly scared me because i know right now going just a day is hard for me. I told her, and i sincerely ment it, that i support her 100% in what she does and that this would be a great opportunity and really help her when she applies for her ph.d. In many ways, it is similar to the short term/ long term question we had when i came out here to japan. crap in the short term, but will help our future together in the long term.

but, when she brought it up, she could tell something was wrong. i tried explaining to her that i 110% understand and support her, but being honest it scares me and it will be tough. hopefully by then, i will be stronger and the distance will nearly be done. i talked with her a bit just now, and i made sure to bring up all of these issues...as i think we need to be honest with one another. i asked if she thought i was becoming clingy, and she paused and said that she feels there are times when i can be, but it hasn't gotten to a point where it has bothered her. i wish i could have shown her more support for her idea, she said she was upset that when she told me about it i wasn't enthusiastic, but i guess right now it just feels so hard.

when i have work, i feel fulfilled and busy, but when i have free time i don't know what to do. i have met other foreigners here, but they all seem to want to spend money on going out and drinking, and i am trying to save up for life next year with my girlfriend. i just feel so alone right now, and being seperated from my girlfriend, my family, and my friends back home is taking its toll on me. Any advice on what to do? is this a normal phase? will i get stronger? how can i show her that i support her in everything she does, just as she has always shown her support for me? any advice would be great, i really don't want this relationship to be hurt by the distance. the thought of messing this up just tears me up inside, so i really need some help. thanks!

rodger

Iwate Swan 7: Saturday Shopping

2009-09-18T06:02:00.000-07:00

Hey gang, so this week's Iwate Swan video is out. It is a shopping video, and I hope you enjoy. This is a longer episode, I don't normally like my videos to get this long, but I thought the content was pretty good and justified the longer length.

Going to Sendai over the break here to visit Tokyo Luke! That should be really fun, I haven't seen him in over a year now. So, that will of course be filmed and I am thinking that video will come out in early October (as the next 2 videos are already filmed).

So now I'm down to 91 days until I go back home for winter break and see my girlfriend. From 141 days to 91... wow that number is just getting smaller and smaller! Actually it was going to be 148 days at first, then it was 143 days for a while, but we got the plane tickets and arranged for me to return earlier than we originally planned... nice haha.

Well, I am just listening to Pet Shop Boys here and enjoying a nice evening in (as usual). Another work week done, and now silver week is upon us. Hope everyone is doing well. More updates to come soon. Probably more musings on how time is passing and how I am doing in my long distance relationship haha. It helps to just release the feelings out into the open. But things are great and we are stronger than ever. Amazing how this experience has colored my life in Japan this time around. More on that in a later blog (and video).
rodger

The world we live in and life in general.

2009-09-15T06:21:00.001-07:00

Hey gang, so it's been quite some time since I've updated this again, but as anybody following my exploits on youtube knows I have indeed made it back to japan again. So now I am up north in Iwate-ken and working as an assistant language teacher in three high schools and a board of education. The work has been great thus far, and I am really enjoying myself.

I guess I just needed to write some things that are on my mind however and just air out some emotions floating through my mind. I miss my girlfriend like crazy. I know, I didn't really transition into that thought all that well haha, but that probably better shows the impact of the emotions behind that statement. Being apart from her has been the most difficult thing I've ever gone through, and while I never doubt the strength of our relationship or our feelings for one another, I do get sad about not being able to see her for such a long period of time. Although, now I have my plane ticket to be back in michigan for winter break on Dec. 17th, so as of right now that is 94 days away.

I just can't wait to see her again and be able to hold her and laugh together. It will be so nice to spend time with her family again, and it will be great to have her spend more time with my family as well. Winter break is going to be amazing, and I have been counting down the days since the moment I had to say good bye to her on july 29th. Even thinking about it now tears me up.

But time is going by, and at times it feels like it is going by quickly. I mean already half way through september now, so that is pretty good progress. I can't wait to see her again.

Ok, well this post was rather personal haha. Time to go to bed as I have another day of work tomorrow. Time to wake up one day closer to the most amazing girl in the universe....
rodger

Michigan Swan: Anime Convention 2009

2009-06-27T18:06:00.000-07:00

Hey gang, so today I went to an anime convention known as 'JAFAX' which is held at Grand Valley State University. It was my second time going there, and I had a lot of fun. Anyways, this will probably be the only video of me dressed up as a character to from pokemon... so enjoy it haha!

Michigan Swan: Anime Convention 2009

About a month till I head back to Japan. Should be hearing about my exact placement in Iwate soon. I just sent in my contract agreement, and I was told once they receive that I'll be getting much more information. Exciting times!
rodger

J-Horror: Best and Worst

2009-06-21T20:30:00.000-07:00

Here at last is the 50th installment of my 'Swan's Japanese Horror Reviews' video series with my 'Best and Worst of J-horror.' It's been a long time coming, and for a while there I wasn't sure if I would make it to 50 episodes of this! But, here it is for all of the world to see!

Best and Worst of J-horror

As for what the future holds in regards to these videos, that's hard to say. I can't see myself making any more of these before heading out to Japan in a month, and when I get to Japan I assume I'm going to be so swamped with my new job that I won't have time to make more review videos. I think that this is a good video to stop the series for now, but I'm not saying it will go away forever. There have been long patches of silence before, so one day the reviews may indeed return. Besides, I never did review the Tomie series...there's so much more to talk about!

Enjoy the video! As for me, I'm just living life and getting ready to go back to Japan. I do have to say, that I've been having some amazing times lately thanks to my terrific lady friend. Can't wait to see her again on Tuesday. God, I'm a lucky guy these days and I know it.... Anyways, that's all from me gang.. see you next time!
rodger

Michigan Swan: Slice of Fun

2009-06-19T07:43:00.000-07:00

Hey gang, so I had some time this morning to upload the new Michigan Swan special. I visited a local pizza/arcade place with my friends rob and rupe (last seen in the tokyo gore police review) for some food and fun. Today, I was thinking about making a more serious special episode before I head out to Japan to sort of sum up what the last year has been like, and to look towards the future. That may take priority over the j-horror stuff, but I recognize I really need to make the 50th episode of that (which will probably also now be the last one for some time again). Again, everything is up in the air, but we'll see. More to come....

Michigan Swan: Slice of Fun

Life is Good.

2009-06-18T19:40:00.000-07:00

Back with another update. I'll try and have the Michigan Swan special up tomorrow night I think. I still haven't filmed anything for future videos... and I'm not sure when I'll get the time to do so actually. We'll see. In other news, in the ever twisting and turning journey of life, I have to say that some recent adventures have led to great and happy times and that everything is in its right place and I'm very happy. Life is good.
rodger

Coming Up

2009-06-15T13:55:00.001-07:00

Hey gang, been very busy lately so I haven't been able to make any videos or update this in the past week hah. Things are good, and life is taking priority over video making. However, having said that the special 'michigan swan' episode will be up I think tomorrow morning... or possibly tonight. Not sure. I haven't started work on the 50th j-horror special.... and I'll be out of town for the next few days. I have a meeting with JET for the japan teaching job this saturday... so I'm not quite sure when I'll have time to film or edit anything for a good while. Anyways, we'll see. More updates to come!
rodger

Tokyo Gore Police!

2009-06-09T11:13:00.000-07:00

Tokyo Gore Police Review

The 49th installment of Swan's Japanese Horror Reviews is upon us with my review of Tokyo Gore Police. This over the top piece of cult cinemas required the help of two of my friends to act as guest co-hosts, as I was really curious how others would react to the intense and over the top blood and gore of the film. I'm quite pleased with how this review turned out, and next week's special episode of Michigan Swan will also feature these two guys. It was a lot of fun making these videos! I think I enjoy editing videos more than actually being in them. I much more enjoy that stage of production.

Enjoy the review, and see you next week!
Rodger

Lento's Movie Reviews

2009-06-08T07:01:00.001-07:00

One of my good friends on Youtube, Lento, has been making a lot of great videos and I wanted to share his latest one here with you. Much like myself, he has been reviewing cult Japanese cinema with his latest review being the great Battle Royale.

Lento's Movie Reviews: Battle Royale

He's a really cool guy, very much into the horror genre of films in Japan, and he's actually a quite talented horror writer himself. So, give him a look and subscribe, he's a super nice guy! I enjoy spreading the good word about other youtube members on here (variety is the spice of life, or so the old saying goes).

As for my own reviews, the review of Tokyo Gore Police I think will come out Wednesday. Till then.... see you next time!
rodger

J-Vlogger Wars

2009-06-06T11:28:00.000-07:00

so the grand finale in TokyoBrando's J-vlogger wars is upon us. 8 very talented j-vloggers left, and all of them worthy of your vote for 'the number 1 vlogger in japan.' Personally, I vote for TkyoSam as of course he has always been a good friend since I met him in Japan. Go on and vote!

J-Vlogger Wars Finale

In other news, I had a very fun night with my friends last night and I look forward to more fun times in the summer before heading back to Japan!

In Japan with the great Tkyosam.

See you next time!
rodger

Swan's Japanese Horror Reviews 48: Isola

2009-06-05T08:54:00.000-07:00

The latest review is now up. It's about the 2000 film 'isola.' Enjoy the review:

Isola Review

Going to spend time with some friends later tonight, so that should be fun. The next review will be out in the middle of next week. Until then, hope everyone is enjoying the summer... I know it's been good to me. See you next time!

Cleaning the Room

2009-06-03T08:39:00.000-07:00

To prepare myself for my move back to Japan, I have started to clean out my room. I spent a good 4 hours or so just going through all of my shelves and drawers removing any old items that I dont' really want/need anymore. How did I have so much pokemon stuff???? I mean, I remember buying some pokemon toys years ago.... but not as much as I found. Then I realized that my younger brothers had placed all of their old pokemon toys in my closet so I had in my room the sum total of 3 pokemon collections. Yikes.

Today, I'll probably clean out a little bit more, then it's off to do some tutoring work. Right now I'm watching some various youtube videos. In particular I've been watching TokyoBrando (an up and coming guy on his way to Japan) and Betamax DC (a very cool guy already in Japan). Brando has been posting videos where people vote for their favorite j-vlogger on youtube, and although I sadly lost in the first round haha (though it was to tkyosam a very good friend of mine), I've enjoyed watching these little videos and voting. Betamax DC recently had a great observations about Tokyo video, so here are their videos below. Enjoy!

TokyoBrando: J-vlogger semi finals

Betamax DC: 10 Observations about Tokyo 5

Good stuff! see you next time!
rodger

Michigan Swan

2009-06-02T08:42:00.000-07:00

So I was up till 3 editing together a special mighican swan episode of me and 2 of my buddies. Just added a few final touches to it now, and I'm really happy with how it turned out! Of course, I don't want to flood my youtube channel with a bunch of videos all at once, so I'll have to hold back on releasing this one. So that makes the following videos done and ready to post:
Horror Review 48
Horror Review 49
Michigan Swan Special

2 Videos were filmed on this day...

I've started a little work on the 51st review, and I've done a lot of mental work thinking about how to go aobut doing the 50th review. Anyways, I'm super pleased with how the videos are turning out, so I just wanted to let everyone know that some really great stuff is on the way. In other news, 2 months until Japan! I'd like the current review and the read real japanese videos to get more views and comments, just have to give it more time now I think. Anyways, back again soon with more updates and news!
rodger

Read Real Japanese!

2009-06-01T19:10:00.001-07:00

Wow, I've been working on a ton of different youtube videos lately. Today, I filmed, edited, and released a new 'read real japanese' video.

Read Real Japanese!

Kind of out of character for me to release a 'how to' video, in fact, i've mostly been against these sorts of things to be honest. But I really wanted to talk about the read real japanese book as I honestly think it's a great buy and will really help people trying to study japanese. As long as the video doesn't come across as pompous then I'm ok with it. Perhaps more of these videos will follow.

Filmed the Tokyo Gore Police video today as well... and I edited that for a few hours. That's actually review 49 and 48 will come out later this week. I'm really getting ahead of myself, but I've been having so much fun editing stuff together. I also filmed a special michigan swan episode... but I haven't looked at all the footage yet. Should just be a fun silly video though.

Anyways, tons of great videos on the way!
rodger

Mega May Update Post!

2009-05-31T09:57:00.000-07:00

Hey gang, so the month of may saw a huge increase in my video output on youtube. I was pumping through a load of japanese horror reviews, as well as a special tokyo swan 2 video where I revealed my placement in japan for my new english teaching job. Here are all the videos since the last post on here collected below. Also, I just picked up "Tokyo Gore Police" on DVD today, and I'm excited to watch (and review) that one. Though, i've already started work on the next review and I've got an idea for a bonus video for the first half of the week perhaps. Anyways, enjoy the vids and see you next time!

Swan's Japanese Horror Reviews 44: Uzumaki.

Swan's Japanese Horror Reviews 45: Dead Waves.

Swan's Japanese Horror Reviews 46: Zoo.

Swan's Japanese Horror Reviews 47: A Snake of June.

Tokyo Swan Back in Japan!

Thanks for watching the videos, plenty more on the way! I should really try and update this blog more. Especially now that I'm graduated from college and have a lot of free time before I go back to Japan. I'll try my hardest haha.
rodger

Update Videos

2009-05-05T07:20:00.001-07:00

Here are the latest two videos I've posted to youtube, with the Tokyo Swan 2 teaser and the new Japanese horror review of Evil Dead Trap. More reviews to come!

(Tokyo Swan 2 teaser)

(Evil Dead Trap review)

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time.

2009-03-01T11:01:00.000-08:00

So, certain Best Buy stores right now are clearing out their anime selections with a giant 50% sale that starts today. No exclusions, if your store is going to cut back on their anime selection (poor economy and niche market...), then all anime DVDs in the store will be half off. I went to my local best buy today as it was on the list for the sale. After the sale finishes on the 21st, then these stores (nearly 500 of them across the US) will only offer about the top 20 most popular anime titles. I picked up "The Girl Who Leapt Through Time" special edition 2-disk set with the bonus soundtrack CD.

This was a theatrical release from 2006, and it actually had a limited theatrical run here in the states not too long ago. It was a pretty enjoyable film, nice animation, humorous scenes, emotional scenes, an intriguing story, and had a nice love story at the heart of it all. Here's the trailer for the film, so I suggest that if you are near a best buy that is having this massive sale you pick this one up! As a side note, since I'm a big Japanese literature fan, it was interesting to see that the original story of this was from Tsutsui Yasutaka, an author who just had his first English translation released with his short story collection 'Salmonella men on planet porno.' Hopefully this movie will give more exposure to his work, as he is a really creative writer.

That's it for now, see you next time!
rodger

Nostalgia.

2009-02-24T20:29:00.000-08:00

Hey gang, it’s getting closer to midnight here, but I felt compelled to write something before heading off to sleep. Been working on my upcoming translation a lot today, so now I’m feeling a bit tired haha. Translation is a long and time consuming process, but it’s a great way to advance my Japanese skills. Also, I just found myself rewatching some old Tokyo Swan episodes on youtube. I don’t watch my work often, but when I do it does fill me with an incredible sense of nostalgia. Even little things in the videos such as a quiet river, a busy road, various food- these little things trigger so many memories for me. Ahh, sweet, sweet nostalgia.

Next week is spring break. Truth be told, I’ve gotten everything I need to get done already finished this week, so I’m just sort of coasting through things now. A friend and I are going to see the new street fighter movie on Friday, so that should be pretty fun. Of course, I think the movie looks awful, but that’s why we are going heh. No plans for spring break, but I am looking forward to relaxing for a few days.

The new Depeche Mode single ‘WRONG’ is now on itunes, so I got that today. Brilliant track… and the music video is so creepy! Look it up if you get the chance. I’ve been following this new DM album so closely, I find myself glued to my chair in front of the computer reading a variety of fan forums trying to learn the newest information about the upcoming album.

Ok, well that’s really all I have right now haha. Just want to get into the habit of writing in here more and not abandon it like I did before. Time for bed. See you next time!
rodger

Depeche Mode: WRONG!

2009-02-22T06:28:00.000-08:00

The new Depeche Mode single 'wrong' has hit radio and debuted in Germany yesterday for the Echo Awards. It's 3 minutes of pure anti-pop with Dave's vocals in fine form for Martin's darkly humorous lyrics. I've had the song on repeat all day, and I can't wait for the new album to come out in April. Anyways, enjoy the performance above!
-rodger

February Update.

2009-02-12T11:39:00.000-08:00

Hey gang, I realize that it's been a while since I've written on here (or posted many videos hah), but I found some free time today to just update what has been going on. Where do I even begin?

1. School. Currently I'm taking two grad level English courses (romantic and renaissance literature) as well as an independent study for a translation of a Japanese short story I'm working on. I talked a bit about that in the last Swan Update video. Anyways, as you can imagine with such high level courses the workload is much greater than the standard undergrad courses and it is keeping me busy.

2. Translation. So yeah, one of my 'classes' right now is that independent study translation and so far things are going great. The story itself is 11 pages long, and right now I'm on page 7 of just going through the initial draft. For the end of the semester, I'm to turn in just the initial first draft (so everything will not sound as clean as it should) and the final draft will be submitted for publication next year. Those familiar with translation already know that it is a massively time consuming project, and so hours upon hours have been spent looking up kanji in the dictionary. I am working on the project with the head of the Japanese department here, and so I feel like I'm really gaining a lot of good experience and it's crazy to think I'll be a published translator in the near future!

3. Work-Writing Center. I don't think I've mentioned it on video or in print, but I've been working at my university's writing center since last August. I've gained a lot of great experience working with English as second language students, and in particular this has allowed me to make some Japanese friends in the process. I work one on one with students (undergrad and grad level) on whatever papers or projects they might bring in. I also work in the classroom as a tutor for the entry level English 1000 course, so as you can imagine this sort of teaching experience looked good on the JET application (more on that in a bit). I'll also be leading a talk on 'bilingualism in the writing center' at Purdue University in April, at the national writing center convention. Exciting times!

4. Work-Tutoring. A few weeks ago I accepted a tuoring job for a Japanese businessman in town. This has been a fantastic opportunity for me, as I've gotten even more teaching experience and I work with a really great guy. I prepare weekly English excercises for him, and so far things are going great!

5. JET. Ok, so like I said in my last video update I made it to the interview stage. Now, I have my interview in Detroit on the 20th (next friday!), and I'm pretty confident about things. With my experience in Japan, and the work I've done here, I know I'm a qualified applicant for teaching English in Japan. I was actually quite nervous about messing up the application, so I gave a huge sigh of relief when I heard I made it to the interview stage. I'll be preparing more for that as the week goes by, but in general I feel good about things and I'm excited for the interview.

6. Social Life. I've made some great Japanese friends here at WMU, and I'm happy that I've been able to still keep in touch with many of my friends from my time in Japan. I also tend to hang out with my close group of friends who all live in the same apartment complex here, so even though I've been busy with work and school, I've been able to relax and just enjoy watching movies or hanging out.

Wow, when I list it all out like that it does look like I'm quite busy these days! Hopefully that explains some of the reasons why my presence here and on youtube has decreased significantly. I'll be posting another update video next week after the interview though, so that's something to look forward to. As for now, I have to get going to work again, so I'll finish things up here. Hope everyone is doing well!

oh yes, and I'm still mega excited for the new Depeche Mode album in April. SOUNDS OF THE UNIVERSE!!!! I can't wait, and the new single is going to debut next week!
Rodger

The Anxiety of Influence

2008-11-22T18:02:00.000-08:00

Well what do you know, the new video is doing amazingly well. Wow, it's actually doing much better then I ever could have thought. I was very happy with what I had put together, but I really doubted if audiences would also embrace it. Turns out, I was wrong and people seem to enjoy the new approach. Imagine that heh. I've got a slew of ideas swimming around in my head on what I want to do for future episodes (monolouges, certain camera angles and shots I want to try, etc), but as of right now I can't say when the next episode will see release.

Right now, we're just about ready for finals at school, so I may have to put youtube on hold for a week or two to concentrate on that, but perhaps making a review video for next week won't be too difficult. We'll see.

Woody Allen indeed.
Rodger

Deconstructing Swan 1: A Fire in the Forest

2008-11-19T15:42:00.000-08:00

(first episode of new series)

so here's the new series that I promised. I had some free time these past few days to get everything done. Overall, I'm very pleased with the results. I wanted to take things beyond the tokyo swan mold and really try and branch out a bit (while retaining some of the charm that made tokyo swan a fun series). In the end, I'm really satisfied with this first new video and the various directoral and editing techniques employed in it. You'll notice that the show is not called 'michigan swan' as again, I wanted to distance myself from the past and not just coast on the success that I've already made.

So hopefully, audiences will embrace this new work, and if that's the case then expect some more videos in this series (not weekly). If not, then I'll scrap it and focus on other things haha. So hope that everyone enjoys watching the new work as much as I enjoyed putting it together.
rodger

Deconstructing Swan

2008-11-16T21:54:00.000-08:00

I've spent the last hour working on the first 15 seconds of the new series. I think I've finally come up with something that should be interesting for viewers as well as for myself. So far, it is shaping up to be quite the departure from tokyo swan.. and yet in a way it feels like a more mature version of it. Not sure when the first part of this new series will drop... the original plan was friday, but I can see this taking me quite some time. I've no idea how audiences will react to the new series, but we shall see. Yes, I will try.... rodger

Swan's Japanese Horror Reviews 42: MPD Psycho

2008-11-14T15:05:00.000-08:00

(review of MPD Psycho)

Hey gang, up today is the new review that was selected by YOU from the poll on this very site. So, hope everyone enjoys the new video.

Some quick things:
1. Got a new camera finally! After using the same sony cybershot for the past 4 years, I now have a new Canon powershot! I'm really liking it, and the best part is the study abroad department at school got it for me. I'm writing blogs for them about my time in Japan and reposting my old tokyo swan episodes, so this was how they opted to pay me.... nice!

2. Got a new haircut today! I'm looking more like the image you see at the top of the page, went for the fake mohawk look again. It's really a cool look for me, and I'm really happy with it.

3. Hoping to debut a new video series a week from now, probably will start with a new apartment tour either in episode 1 or 2, not sure yet. At any rate, that's something to look forward to (what in the world am I going to call it? Surely not michigan swan....)

4. Think I'm gonna go see the new james bond movie tonight with a friend of mine. I've heard mixed reviews on the latest one, but I really enjoyed the last one so we'll see.

Ok, that's all I've got for now. Oh yeah! I've finished my JET application and am mailing everything out tomorrow morning. Hurray! Now the waiting game begins. Have a good one everyone and see you next time!
rodger

A Fire in the Forest

2008-11-11T21:07:00.000-08:00

(a fire in the forest: david sylvian)

Short post tonight. Just wanted to post a song from one of my favorite artists. It's 'a fire in the forest' from David Sylvian. It is one of my most played tracks this fall after returning home from Japan, and captures some of my inner thoughts pretty well. Other then that, new review is finished and will go up friday. Until then, see you next time, and enjoy the music...
rodger

5 Centimeters Per Second

2008-11-08T17:10:00.000-08:00

Wow. I just had the pleasure of watching the best animated film I’ve seen in a very long time. Makoto Shinkai’s “5 Centimeters Per Second” was a beautiful masterpiece of longing, melancholy, and love. This 65 minute anime is split up into 3 different parts, and it follows the lives of three main characters searching for true love.

(5 Centimeters Per Second Trailer)

I really can’t begin to do this anime justice. It has to be seen to be believed! And well, getting an official copy might be difficult. It was released earlier in the year by ADV films here in the states. However, shortly after its release, a lot of behind the scenes business moves were being made by ADV and its distributor which caused ADV losing the license to this title. While many of ADV’s licenses were picked up by Funimation, this was not the case with this film. So, basically only so many of these DVDS were made here and what’s left in the stores is all there is. There are a few online shops that probably still have copies, but snatch it up while you still can because this is sure to be a collector’s item. Thankfully, the Best Buy in town had one lone copy, and I was overjoyed to finally pick up this film.

I knew ever since I saw the trailer that this would be something I would really enjoy. All of the ingredients of young love and trying to do the impossible just really appeals to me. It’s the kind of story that I would like to write (and if any of my short stories are any indication, the kind of story I often find myself trying to write). Sure enough, by the end of the film, I was crying and just in awe at how utterly beautiful this film is.

Today, we also got a new Sony high definition TV with all the hook ups to make the picture just perfect. I’ve never seen such beautiful animation in my life! The colors were so vibrant and the picture quality was just out of this world for me. All HD TVS should have this dvd playing because it really showcases the power of great imagery.

Ok, well that’s all from me for today. I’m kind of in a nostalgic mood after watching that film. I urge anyone with even the tiniest interest in anime to please search out a copy of this DVD (you could watch it online I’m sure, but I’m all for supporting the anime industry and buying the official products). Gorgeous film, emotional yet subdued story, and just wonderful insight into how fast people fall in love... 5 cm per second.
rodger

Tokyo Swan: Unseen Swan 7 (FINAL)

2008-11-07T11:31:00.000-08:00

(Tokyo Swan: Unseen Swan 7 (FINAL))
So here is the final tokyo swan: unseen swan episode. What an amazing run the series has had over the past year, and now it's time to say goodbye and move on to new projects. I'm hoping I can get back to Japan for a potential second season, but right now it's just too soon to call. One can hope though!

This episode has a lot of fun clips, and a rather lengthy introduction by me at the start of the video. Took me forever to get that just right, I ended up recording like at least 5 different versions of the opening monolouge, but I couldn't get the vibe right until the one that appears in the video. Anyways, that's it for Tokyo Swan... and we'll see you next time!
Rodger

Weekend Update 2

2008-11-02T12:51:00.000-08:00

Hey there gang, another weekend has come and gone and it's time to start into week 10 of the semester here at school. It's hard to believe it's already Novemeber! Finals will be here before I know it (and I can't wait, next semester is going to be so much lighter). Let's kick off the weekend updates!

(Shinya Tsukamoto's 'A Snake of June')

1. This week's japanese film addition is Shinya Tsukamoto's 'A Snake of June.' Viewers of reviews will know I'm a big Tsukamoto fan, so when I saw this one at a Barnes and Noble store for only 15 bucks, I snatched it up as quick as possible and threw down my money! I can't wait to watch this one, looks very perverse and moody. Of course, I'll have to rewatch M.P.D Pyscho first as that is the next review, but I imagine A snake of June will follow shortly afterwards...

2. This week will see the release of the final Tokyo Swan: Unseen Swan. I've been working on this last one for a while, and it ends on two pretty nice clips I think. The amount of views each Unseen Swan has gotten has steadily decreased, so it's the right time to say good bye to the series and look forward to something new. A youtube user gave me a cool idea to do an apartment tour of my new place much like an old episode of Tokyo Swan. While that episode remains one of my least favorite (and it got featured! why oh why...), it's an easy type of video to do so I can see myself repeating the process and doing another tour of where I live.

3. Today has been a fairly busy day. I was inducted into Sigma Tau Delta, the international English honor's society, so that was pretty cool. Figure that will look nice on my JET application, which if all goes well I'll be finished with at the end of the week. Also bought a new ipod today as my old one (the old ipod photo) died last night (though it was putting up a good fight for a few months...). It's the classic ipod style, none of the fancy touch stuff. Figure that would be far too distracting, I'm on the internet enough as is heh.

Time to start working on some papers for school, and then later tonight hanging out with the guys to watch my new guilty pleasure 'the pick up artist.' Yes, it's an incredibly silly show, and that's exactly why I enjoy it. See you next time!
Rodger

Swan's Japanese Horror Reviews 41: ID

2008-10-31T12:25:00.000-07:00

(review 41: ID)

So here we have the new review of ID, a very confusing but fun film to watch. I also announce the winner of the upcoming review (but if you are here on this page I'm sure you can see to the right which one the winner is hah). I also brought myself back into the review for parts of it, as it seemed that a majority of people missed me (lol). So, let me know what you guys think of this one, and if this is how you want things to run. I think it's a fair compromise on format.

Happy Halloween everyone! Have a ghoulishly scary day (is that too cheesy...)
rodger

The Cure 4:13 Dream

2008-10-28T13:31:00.000-07:00

So once class got out today, I sped my way over to the nearest Best Buy to pick up The Cure's brand new album: 4:13 Dream. How is it? AWESOME. A great record that has pop (the only one), beauty (underneath the stars), and pure madness (it's over). I think I like this one a bit better then their last album from 2004, and I can't wait for the supposed 'dark album' to be released next year.

(The Cure play a new track 'The Reasons Why' in Rome)

The Cure rules. Seriously. Robert Smith is the man. Oh yeah, also when I was at Best Buy I picked up a new j-horror dvd called 'ID.' It was only 10 bucks, and it looks interesting. So that one might be reviewed soon. The poll is nearly closed, so if you haven't voted yet make sure to get in there and let your voice be heard!

Ok, before I have to go to work I'm going to continue to listen to this new Cure album. Next up, the new Depeche Mode album in the spring!!!

rodger

Weekend Update!

2008-10-26T12:01:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody! As the weekend winds down and it's time to start another week of school (already into week 9 of the semester!) I'll just go over some brief updates to close out the weekend:

(Tokyo Jennie and myself in the dorm)

1. Tokyo Jennie! A good friend of mine whom lived in the same dorm as me and appeared in countless Tokyo Swan episodes, Tokyo Jennie, has also recently started her own blog. Jennie in Japan:http://jennieinjapanagain.blogspot.com/ She is also trying to get back to Japan next year, so I think there should be some really good content on there. She's been a great friend so I encourage you keep on an eye on her blog!

2. Dreamcast! This weekend I had some extra time on my hands so I popped in my Japanese copy of Shenmue. I'm trying to play through the game without using a guide, and I'm really happy with how much I understand in the game 船員の集まる場所は知りませんか。 Such an epic and amazing game, I'm at the part where you are looking for Charly.

(me in dobuita where shenmue took place. This became one of my most popular Tokyo Swan episodes)

I also had some time to play the import title 'comic party.' This was originally an 18+ pc game that later got ported to the dreamcast (with the hentai bits removed). You play as an aspiring manga artist and you can select how many pages your comic will be, if it will be in color, the price of the final product, and some other interesting elements that adds some cool strategy and simulation to the game. I initally got into Comic Party with the anime released by The( then) Right Stuf Int. here in the states, and the manga from tokyopop was also quality.

3. Clothes shopping! So I just got back from buying some new shirts and pants to wear as it starts to get colder. It should come to no surprise that all of the shirts were brown (my favorite color) and I even bought a pair of those skinny jeans. We'll see how it goes haha, but I think it all looks pretty balling.

Ok, well that's all from me! Hope everyone has been enjoying the fall weather wherever you may be, and that everyone gets everything they need for Halloween taken care of. Speaking of which, I'm still not sure what my plans are for that...

Rodger

Tokyo Swan: Unseen Swan 6

2008-10-24T18:15:00.000-07:00

(Tokyo Swan: Unseen Swan 6)

So here's the sixth episode in the Tokyo Swan: Unseen Swan series. All of these clips come from the first 10 episodes, so it's pretty crazy to reflect and look back on these. Man I looked so young (Those keeping track will see the current facial hair is a developing beard). I shot the opening for this one last weekend, and I had a bit of a cold, but it turned out ok I guess. This one has some good stuff, the 'popper' who danced to a classic chrono trigger track, some shots of Keio university, some clips of Tokyo Jennie and Kris, and more.

Right now, I have just one more Unseen Swan episode put together, but I'll have to go through the video vaults one more time to see if I missed any (worthwhile) footage. And what do I do after the last unseen swan? I guess either pump out more reviews or move on to a new journey back to japan series... hmm, I need to think that idea out. Next up is a new review for Halloween, and then we'll see how things go in November. As for me right now, I'm going back to watching some tenchi, and then the pick up artist is on tv heh.

rodger

天地無用！

2008-10-24T17:45:00.000-07:00

Midterms are done! Hurray! Man, that is great to be finished with those. Not sure how I did on my stats one, but I guess I'll find out soon enough. Right now, I'm just those are all finished. It will be finals time before I even know it....

I went home this weekend to pick up some winter stuff, it's already getting pretty cold. When I was in Tokyo last year it rarely snowed and even when it was at its coldest it didn't compare at all to a normal Michigan winter.

I'm rewatching some of the third Tenchi Muyo ova series at the moment. Tenchi Muyo was an anime I got into when the series first ran on tv here around 2000 or so. In my personal collection, I have the original Muyo boxset, the universe boxset, all three movies, the mihoshi/pretty samy special dvd, gxp, and the third ova series. Never picked up tenchi in tokyo... I don't know, I guess that one never did much for me. Can't really recommend the gxp series. Really, when it comes to Tenchi the original 2 ova series and the three movies are probably the best of the bunch but to each his own. The manga released by Viz was also quite nice.

The thid ova series was something I was really looking forward to. The last series has ended with so many unanswered questions so I was curious to see where the creators would take the new episodes. And while it started with some promise (and lots of flashbacks) it takes some really questionable side turns and goes off on strange tangents while taking away the central focus of the show: Tenchi and the girls.

Why am I watching Tenchi now? Good question. I just wanted to revist the first episode in the third ova series where Tenchi is walking around in the rain thinking about all of his encounters with the various women in his life. Having grown up with the tenchi series in a sense, it's interesting to see the characters in a more mature light. Although, I suppose if you wanted truly reflective Tenchi then the third movie would be the best bet. That one is probably my favorite in the entire series.

(my copy of the import tenchi muyo rpg on the super famicom)

If I had more time I would play more of the import tenchi muyo rpg game for my super famicom, as that looks pretty good. Ok, well that's enough Tenchi talk for tonight. Think I'll upload a new unseen swan and call it a day. See you next time.
Rodger

Deconstructing Rodger

2008-10-21T13:46:00.000-07:00

Hey gang! Hope everyone is doing well out there, as for me this week has been all about midterms! I’m feeling a bit better from the cold I was battling over the weekend, and I’m halfway through the school week already now, but things have been a bit hectic. Just one more stats midterm on Thursday to deal with (oh yeah, math is certainly not my thing).

I’ve got the next Unseen Swan ready to release this weekend, and I’ve started work on the next review. The review after that will be the one that wins the current poll on here, and right now things seem to be in a dead heat!

I’m kind of curious what you guys want to see as content on here? Is there anything in particular you’d like me to blog about? Besides school work this week, I’ve watched a few good Woody Allen movies. 1997’s “Deconstructing Harry” is a masterpiece, one of my favorite films I have seen from Woody. Yeah I know haha, it’s nowhere near Japanese horror but it’s good to have some balance in life.

You might have noticed on the side that I’ve included a link to www.dogentricks.com which is a site run from my friend Kevin whom I met in Japan (Tokyo Swan fans should remember him from some of the episodes!). Kevin is a great guy and a truly inspirational fellow, he taught me how to eat healthier and he was very dedicated to keeping himself in the best shape possible. We had some good times in Japan, and he also has a lot of Japan related posts on his site that are well worth checking out. So check out his site, he’s a great guy!

(kevin and myself at the dorm in Japan on my 21st birthday)

Time to head out to work here soon, and then once I get back I’ll work on some Japanese homework. Is anybody else watching ‘The Real Jaleel’ on nick at night with the guy who played Urkle hosting family matters? Classic.

Rodger

Now Playing: Doukoku Soshite (saturn)

2008-10-19T07:41:00.001-07:00

Doukoku Soshite
Release: 1998
From: Data East
Genre: Visual Novel/Adventure

Hey everybody so I thought another fun thing I could do on this blog would be to talk about some of the video games that I occasionaly have time to play when I'm not dealing with school/work/applying to work in Japan/making videos. Lately, I've had some time to sit down and play 'Doukoku soshite' an import text adventure game from data east in Japan. If you are hip to the world of these adventure games, you'll probably recognise the name as it's one of the more famous ones on the saturn, and after playing it for a while I can sure see why! The presentation and story are both top notch, and it really drags you into the moody atmosphere of the game.

(check out the intro and some opening footage from the game!)

While a lot of these visual novel type games are all about anime girls and falling in love, this one mixes things up with a really creepy and mysterious story. The game starts and you're on a bus returning from graduation practice earlier in the day. The bus is driving through a forest late at night, and the main chracter finds himself lost in thought. Thankfully, a classmate is there with him to keep him company. The bus stops and you're surprised to see your teacher enter as well as a really creepy looking man. Before you know it, all you remember are flashing lights and the squeeling of tires... there's been an accident!

You wake up and there's a girl screaming in pain, but is it a dream? The next thing you know, you're in this mysterious mansion, and the game becomes kind of a point and click adventure where you have to find clues and use different items to solve puzzles. Along the way, you meet more characters that were both on the bus and not...

This is a fantastic game with a great moody story and wonderful artwork. Of course, being entirely in Japanese, if you don't know the language fairly well prepared to be destroyed by an onslaught of kanji. But if you can read the story, I think you'll find something really enjoyable! Now if only I had more time to play it...

Rodger

Japan Advertisements

2008-10-18T10:32:00.000-07:00

Hey gang! Still playing around with setting up this blog, but so far I'm liking it haha. I've signed up for an adsense account, so that means if you guys click on the ads I might actually make some money off this! That would be pretty sweet, some more cash to buy Japanese horror films perhaps haha. See, in that case everyone wins! But yeah, it looks like the ads should all be related to the contents of this site, so looks like some cool Japan related links that might be worth checking out.

In other words, I have mid terms all next week and I'm currently sick. Good thing I already did my last review, as my voice is going from completely gone in one second, to very low the next. Time to take a nap or something. Anyways, remember to click the ads and vote in the new poll! Also, there might be a contest coming up soon once more people come over here... and feel free to sign up and post some comments here!!

rodger

Review Poll!

2008-10-18T07:50:00.000-07:00

Hey gang, hope everyone's weekend is off to a fine start. I've added a poll just over on the right for viewers to vote on an upcoming review! Voting will close on Halloween so get your vote in and be heard.... this upcoming review will be decided by YOU!!

Here is some basic information about the four choices I have listed:

Uzumaki (2000): Based on the manga of Junji Ito. A small town in Japan is plauged by strange spirals.

Tomie (1999): Also from the manga artist Junji Ito. This is the first in a series about a girl who just will not die.

M.P.D. Pyscho (2000): Directed by Takashi Miike of audition and ichi the killer fame, this is actually a short mini series about a multiple personality detective.

Dead Waves (2005): A Japanese TV crew get in over their heads with ghosts.

rodger

Horror Reviews Format

2008-10-17T19:12:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody. So, I've brought back the Japanese horror reviews on youtube and the first two new installments have each already generated a lot of buzz and people seem to be in agreement that they are glad I am doing them again. What is not in agreement is the format haha. I've made a conscious decision not to appear in the horror reviews anymore, but quite a few youtube users miss the old way.

I'll be honest, earlier this year the last few reviews I did were done with totally no enthusiasm and no desire at all. This was due to the difficulty of producing both the reviews and the tokyo swan show on a weekly basis as well as trying to juggle school and a social life. I felt that the reviews needed to change, and if I brought them back the format would have to be different to both keep improving, and maybe more importantly keep myself interested in them and allow for myself to become excited in the reviews again.

(The new review for Noriko's Dinner Table)

This might seem strange, but I was worried that the reviews were being seen more as a platform for myself then a showcase of what in many cases were amazing pieces of art that people should truly purchase and enjoy. I slowly started to appear less and less in the reviews, substituting footage from the films, until finally when I brought them back and I didn't appear in the videos at all. I liken this to Woody Allen not wanting to make funny movies anymore. Sure, it made him famous, but he wanted to try new things and keep himself interested in what he was working on. Of course, the public was not ready for this and there was backlash. This of course was documented in a number of his works, and it's something I feel a strong connection with. I just want to make professional well thought out reviews that get people excited about the films. This called for scipting the new reviews to avoid all of the embarassing stuttering and 'ya knows' from the old videos, and making something that I felt showcased what was really important: the film.

But still, many people want me back in the videos, which is flattering, so I'm debating with myself as if to allow some sort of compromise and appear perhaps even briefly in the reviews. Personally, I think there's enough of me in the unseen swan videos (which are entirely self indulgent, please don't think I view them as anything other then that). So that having been said, I'm throwing around the idea of filming the next review ('the neighbor # 13') with a few shots of me thrown in. Nothing is set in stone yet, but I guess it's worth trying. Still, if anyone wants to further comment on the reviews then please feel free to do so! I'm open to suggestions, but at the end of the day I do have somewhat of a firm belief that if I'm not personally enjoying the work, then I won't do it. I mean, it's not like I get paid for this stuff, I do it out of the passion I feel for these films and the satisfaction of helping others become aware of such movies. So yeah, sound off on the reviews and let me know what's up!
swan

Welcome to the Swan Pond

2008-10-17T18:58:00.001-07:00

Hey gang, Swan here. Well what do you know, I have decided to jump on the blog bandwagon in an attempt to provide another form of contact between myself and the viewers of my work on youtube. I think this should prove to be interesting, I still get so many emails every day from people all over the globe.... and I'm not even in Japan anymore! So, perhaps this could provide a nice medium in which to further communicate with everyone as well as providing general updates to what's going on not only on the video side of things, but also on my personal life.

I think it would be fair to go over some goals to kick things off. What do I wish to gain with starting a blog? Like I said, I think being able to share a little bit more and be able to provide another means of connection between myself and my viewers (over 2,300 loyal! nice!) would be great. I'm hoping I can talk about issues going on amongst the videos, as well as just personal things because a lot of people are interested in how I'm doing personally now that I've returned home from Japan. I'd like to also use this as some sort of documentation as to my journey to getting back to Japan with the English teaching job I'm applying for.

So overall, I hope this proves to be enjoyable and perhaps even insightful for those interested. Who knows, maybe people might learn a thing or two about the guy behind the videos. Some Japanese posts might also be interesting too. もし日本語を書いたらいい練習だと思う。もちろん僕の日本語はぺらぺらじゃないですが将来、上手になりたいんよ。今、日本語が読めない人たちは「スワンさんは日本語で何を書いている」って言っているのではないだろうか。ごめんね。

So enjoy the blog, and see you next time.
Swan