Shashi Tharoor’s remarks about “cattle class” which were used to describe those travelling in economy class and “holy cows” with reference to the heads of the Congress on the social networking site, Twitter, were snapped up immediately by the media, who brought this issue to light and claimed that it was an insult to his party and the public, resulting in the Minister of State for External Affairs having to apologize to both.
As part of its austerity drive, the Congress party had asked all its ministers to travel by economy class. His statements were casual statements, in answer to the question posed by Kanchan Gupta, a prominent columnist working at The Pioneer.

“Absolutely, in cattle class out of solidarity with all our holy cows!”
Tharoor made it clear that it was only the airlines he was referring to, for herding them in like cattle. He later admitted that it sounded worse in Malayalam, especially out of context. “I shouldn’t assume people will appreciate humour.” he tweeted.
Though the internet has been out there for a long time, it has never been so popular. Ever since social networking sites hit the internet, it has never been the same. Thousands of people began to create profiles on orkut, myspace, hi5, facebook, and recently—Twitter.
If the whole world could share every random thought as soon as it stuck them, to everyone in the world, at anytime, anyplace, anywhere, what would it be like? The concept is hard to digest, but Twitter has made this mindboggling concept a reality. Twitter is being increasingly employed for breaking news, updates on politics, sports, entertainment and events around the world.
Twitter gaining recognition in July 2009, for Ashton Kutcher getting his one millionth followers, having beaten an account owned by CNN for the milestone and the recent surge in celebrities like Oprah, Barrack Obama, Britney Spears and Taylor Swift. Growing interest in Twitter in India has seen a corresponding change in the number of profiles of Bollywood stars on Twitter like Aishwarya Rai, Sonam Kapoor, Mallika Sherawat, Priyanka Chopra, A. R. Rahman, Aamir Khan, Shahrukh Khan, Bipasha Basu, Salman Khan, Amitabh Bachchan and Karan Johar have joined the rat-race, and find themselves craving for more ’followers’ in order to establish their status in society and compare themselves with their colleagues and rivals. Narendra Modi, S.M Krishna and Capt. Gopinath are the few politicians in India on Twitter, who hope that their continuous tweets will keep their image fresh in the minds of the voters, especially during the elections.
Every citizen has the right to speak his mind. So why not a politician? There are two sides of this issue. Twitter has created a direct, uncorrupted and constant link between the big stars and the common man. Before, it was the media who gave information to the public about these stars. Now the stars themselves can convey their message to the people free of cost and with no distortion. Therefore, the media can no longer solely dictate what information the public can access. The internet is responsible for this change.
But when the politician is blogging with his name and reputation declared openly, he must consciously set some boundaries for himself. For example, when Shashi Tharoor made the cattle cow remark, he should have consciously kept in mind his party and his status as Minister of State for External Affairs. If a common man was to make this statement on Twitter, or even one worse than that, the media would simply ignore it, unless it started a protest or was referred to the media by someone in power. But Tharoor’s tweet was flaunted across every television screen, debated on, analyzed to the core and discussed fervently by every media channel when it was discovered. The ‘cattle class’ is an internationally popular slang for the standard class or the economy class, not a new word invented by Tharoor.
Tharoor made one mistake a celebrity must never make—he forgot. He forgot that he was a public figure, and the response he was giving to Kanchan Gupta was accessible to thousands of probing eyes, including those of news-hungry journalists. You can’t really blame the media for taking a story when it is handed to them. He forgot that the country he belonged to could be offended by anything, especially if it referred to Hinduism in any way. He forgot that he was not President Obama, India is not the US and the Congress is not the Democratic Party. The Congress, to save face had to take action, or at least pretend to do so against this ‘outrageous’ statement.
Shashi Tharoor has 1,64,548 followers. This means that his tweet gave him the fame he has now. His name will forever be associated with the tweet. One has to wonder, could this have been a planned action, and not one where he simply ‘over-estimated’ the humour of his fellow Indians? Apart from bringing himself fame, his tweet also brought to light the Congress’ austerity drive, something which he was clearly against and would benefit from the publicizing of. We will never know.
To sum up, politicians must realize that though they have the freedom of speech like we do, it comes with the setback of being taken seriously, sometimes too seriously by the media, and in turn, by us. The proof of this lies in today’s tabloids, held together by Amitabh Bachan’s persistent itch or Rakhi Sawanth’s recent temper tantrum (most probably just a publicity stunt) If Amir Khan declares on a tweet that he is thinking of visiting Bangalore, he better be saying “unless I absolutely can’t, I will be visiting Bangalore” because after his fans read this, they will start preparing for his arrival immediately. Similarly, if Ram Gopal Varma tweeted about how ‘handsome’ Shah Rukh Khan looked with his six pack abs in Om Shanthi Om, he would immediately be tagged a homosexual, be surrounded by journalist, and Hindutva group would call him ‘anti-Indian’ or someone who was destroying Indian culture. Protests would be held by self proclaimed ‘men of god’. Countless debates would be held on television about the rationality of such a comment and the corresponding reaction to it. And people would watch. The bottom line is—celebrities need to create boundaries for themselves when they go online, just as they do offline—on press conferences, interviews, sound bites and quotes to the public.

The essay essentially talks about the controversy—should ‘pain’ be considered as a symptom or as a disorder? Pain; in General Medicine usually indicates that a disease is present, but what is happening is, when there is an no organic disease found in the patient, they are diagnosed with ‘pain disorder’ or ‘somatoform disorder’. The article argues that the diagnosis for pain disorder is unsupportive and deceptive because it misleads the patient into thinking that the reason for pain is understood even though it’s not the case. Just like we consider headaches, or diarrhoea as symptoms to an illness, even pain is a symptom and not a diagnosis. The author states that pain can be caused due to psychological factors and that there is a strong relationship between psychological events and physical symptoms, like sometimes unhappiness causes a headache. The author repeatedly states that pain is not always cause by physical disease and can be caused by inner emotional conflict. He also talks about the disadvantages of a broadened knowledge of Medicine being increase number of possible causes for a symptom and the inability to quantify psychological influences as we do for organic causes.

The debate continues as to whether pain originates from purely physical factors(as believed by the psychodynamic perspective) or if it can stem from psychological causes, as well.

With regard to treatment of pain disorder, a lot has been tried and tested, with little success. Cognitive behavioral therapy, relaxation technique, anti depressants, acupuncture and multidisciplinary pain centers have been suggested, but none of these have lead to a remarkable cure. Three separate studies were conducted on immigrants in different countries to check the validity of cognitive behavioural therapy, which reinforced the strength of the psychodynamic theory, as well as the psychological theory, as immigrants, who were subjected to many hardships, learnt to cope better. Studies regarding relaxation techniques and acupuncture have shown a positive effect, but with insufficient evidence. Antidepressants were found to have no effect. Multidisciplinary pain centers are said to be the most cost effective treatment, which focuses on improving functioning rather than cure of the disorder.

Recent literature shows that no defined etiology or pathology for chronic pain has been found, nor any specific treatment, there is little difference in experience of pain between those patients who have an organic disease and those who don’t, and many persons who develop chronic pain have personality disorders.

The DSM VI criteria measures pain disorder in 5 criteria- intensity, hindrance in normal functioning, psychological reasons, ‘real’ pain and causes not attributed to mood, anxiety or psychotic disorders. Its major shortcomings are that pain is subjective, expressed differently and can’t be measured scientifically. Tucker criticizes the DSM VI criteria, as it “treats the disorder, and not the patient.” This article supports this view, as, once given the label of a disease, patients would think of the disorder in physical terms, thus doing away with the psychological aspect, which, if used in early stages can greatly benefit the patient, thus lessening the unnecessary use of health care services, generally used excessively by these patients. Furthermore, clinical observations have found that the symptoms are exaggerated, making them undeserving of medical compensation, causing jealousy and resentment in the society (especially among coworkers) and a drain on the economy. Lastly, as it has no cure, it is extremely frustrating to the patients and physicians, lowering their moral. Therefore, this article suggests that pain disorder is a socially accepted way of getting out of work, and should not be compensated.

Anger. It rises from a frustrating situation. But anger is good. It leads to change. It motivates the organism towards a particular action. That action leads to change. The more the motivation, the more the change. The anger helped me forget my hunger as I walked home. It made me plot revenge, in whatever way possible. The anger pulled at my head, so much so that I found myself rushing to the computer, logging on and typing this.

It was not about the money. It never was. Or maybe it was. Money represents power, right? And that’s what he took from me. Money. Male dominance. You see it everywhere. I always though feminism was over the top, sometimes it read too much into the situation. But it is needed. You need to over play things to get attention. So that’s what I am doing.

The day was September 8^th, when I went home by auto. He was a man of around 50, with a monkey cap, which I later though of yanking off as my only form of revenge. I live somewhere inside, with a ‘khaccha’ road, which hasn’t been fixed for two years. He complained that he had ‘run out of gas’ at the foot of the bad road. A very common excuse, which I knew was a lie. I tried to persuade him, but he didn’t listen. So I decided to get off, and walk the extra mile. But his metre read Rs.30, when the average metre (not adjusted) reads Rs. 25. I told him that, and asked him for Rs.5. he told me to first give him the 30 bucks, and he then would give me the change. I knew something was wrong then. But he persuaded me, for whatever goddamn reason to pay up. I did, and he slipped the money into his pocket. I asked him for the change, but he never gave me any. I raised my voice. I screamed to him, asking him for the cash. I yelled that him metre was adjusted. He didn’t bulge. He laughed, and said “Do whatever you want” I said it complain. “Go complain” he even showed me his driver’s license display section, which I photographed.

He stayed in the auto for another minute, he then got off, laughed again and said “stay here for however long you want” and I stayed for 5 minutes, and in that time, I was so angry, but my reasonable self still prevailed. I thought of wrecking his auto, braking the steering, spitting in his cab, damage the adjusted metre….all of which I might do now, but I didn’t. I just sat there, and looked at him, as he bought a cigarette, lit it, and smirked at me. I was really mad. I looked at his driver’s license, and then remembered Blank Noise’s unwanted section. I clicked two pictures of the license (details and photo given) and realizing that he wouldn’t give me back the change, and I felt too embarrassed to catch a passerby and ask for help. What would I say? “He’s got my five bucks?” Would they laugh at me or ignore me? Or worse, would they turn against me, and take the auto driver’s side? They were all men, after all. I would like to stress once again, that it is not about the money. It is the anger out of the feeling that you have been so blatantly cheated, all because you are alone, and you are a girl. I bet if there were two of us, he won’t have dared do this, or if I belong to the same sex as he did. I would probably get out and punch him. But I couldn’t here. Because I knew he was stronger. And I was afraid of him. Why? Because he was a man.

I finally got out, then, and he walked towards me, and smirked, I swore revenge. He got in, and drove off. He was hindered in his escape by a car, which blocked his way. I wanted to pull off his stupid monkey cap. I wanted to slap him, spit at him and scratch him. Instead, I shouted, embarrassing myself more than him. “People would say, what’s in five rupees?”  As I walked home, I decided to vent my anger constructively, and this is what I wrote.

Details

Name: KONDANDARAMANY

Adress: 16, 3RD CROSS,

CHOLARA,

PALYAMAGADI,

RD B’LORE,

Please never sit in his auto, an if you do, pay him 5 Rs. less.

To determine cultural validity, especially in the Indian Context

An assignment which evaluates the Rorschach Inkblot Test
as a Projective Tests, gives general information about
the test and evaluates its use in the indian context.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to extend this sincere and enthusiastic acknowledgement to Father Viju Painadath for giving me the wonderful opportunity to accomplish this project and for giving me the freedom to select the topic of my choice. I would also like to thank the other people involved – whether directly or indirectly, who have made this project a possiblity.

Poonam Vaidya,

07D2345

CONTENTS

1. Introduction………………………..4

1. Theoretical Framework…………… 5

1. Review of Literature……………… 7

1. Conclusion…………………………11

1. Bibliography…………………….…12

INTRODUCTION

Most personality tests are based on the occurrence of projection, a mental process described by Sigmund Freud as the tendency to point to others way of thinking or personality that are difficult to accept. Because projective techniques are relatively formless and suggest only a few indications to help in defining responses, they tend to bring out concerns that are extremely private and important. The best-known projective tests are the Rorschach test, popularly known as the inkblot test, and the Thematic Apperception Test; others include word-association techniques, sentence-completion tests, and various drawing procedures. The psychologist’s past experience gives the structure for analyzing individual responses. Although the subjective nature of interpretation makes these tests principally susceptible to criticism, in clinical settings they are part of the standard battery of psychological tests.

Projective tests, with their complicated scoring methods and own share of controversies, have always been a subject of great interest for me. Rorschach Inkblot Test, being one of the many fascinating tests, is the second most commonly used projective test after the Minnesota Multipurpose Personality Inventory (MMPI). With its colourful, black and white inkblots, complicated scoring and analysis procedure, along with the evident controversy of the test’s validity made it a remarkably good challenge to undertake.

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

Personality tests “are instruments for the measurement of emotional, motivational, interpersonal, and attitudinal characteristics, as distinguished from abilities.” Some types of personality tests are called “projective techniques.”

Probably the best-known and most idolized of the projective techniques is the Rorschach inkblot test. Swiss psychiatrist Hermann Rorschach developed this test, which has been used for more than 80 years. The test consists of 10 cards. Each card has a bilaterally even inkblot on it. Five cards are black and white and the other five are colored. An examiner shows the cards to the individual and asks him to describe what he sees. The examiner then evaluates the person’s responses according to specified guidelines.

A subject’s interpretations of ten standard abstract designs are analyzed as a measure of to determine emotional and intellectual functioning (diagnosing underlying thought disorder) and integration, and differentiating psychotic from non-psychotic thinking in cases where the patient is reluctant to openly admit to psychotic thinking. The test is considered “projective” because the patient is supposed to project his or her real personality into the inkblot via the interpretation. The inkblots are purportedly ambiguous, structureless tests which are to be given a in clear sequence by the interpreter. Those who believe in the effectiveness of such tests think that they are a way of getting into the deepest recesses of the patient’s psyche or subconscious mind.

Using the scores for these categories, the examiner then performs a series of calculations producing a structural summary of the test data. The results of the structural summary are interpreted using existing research data on personality characteristics that have been demonstrated to be associated with different kinds of responses.

A common misconception of the Rorschach test is that its interpretation is based primarily on the contents of the response – what the examinee sees in the inkblot. In fact, the contents of the response are only a comparatively small part of a broader group of variables that are used to interpret the Rorschach data.

Critics of the test have raised questions about the extraction of objective meaning from responses to inkblots; the objectivity of psychologists administrating the test (to be truly projective the inkblots must be considered ambiguous and without structure by the therapist.); inter-rater reliability; the verifiability and general validity of the test; bias of the test’s pathology scales towards greater numbers of responses; the limited number of psychological conditions which it accurately diagnoses; the inability to replicate the test’s norms; its use in court-ordered evaluations; and the proliferation of the ten inkblot images, potentially invalidating the test for those who have been exposed to them.

Hence, the therapist must not make reference to the inkblot in interpreting the patient’s responses or else the therapist’s projection would have to be taken into account by an independent party. Then the third person would have to be interpreted by a fourth ad infinitum. Thus, the therapist must interpret the patient’s interpretation without reference to what is being interpreted.

Every culture is distinctively unique, and people brought up an socialized through a culture are evidently going to have differences in thinking, learning, perspective on social situations, religion and a whole array of unique differences in selection, background and culture. Projective tests like the Rorschach are supposed to overcome many of these difficulties, this is an attempt to verify the objectivity of the Rorschach Inkblot Test in the context of different culture, especially in the case of India. Indians have a different perspective than people of the West, whom this test is supposed to cater to. Will the Rorschach Inkblot Test be valid in the context of Indian culture and other cultures that are significantly different from that of the West?

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

Review of Literature -1

Title: PSYCHOPATHOLOGY AND MENTAL RETARDATION: A STUDY USING THE RORSCHACH INKBLOT TEST.

Authors:

di Nuovo, Santo F.

Buono, Serafino

Colucci, Gerardo

Pellicciotta, Anna

Source: Psychological Reports; Jun2004 Part 2, Vol. 94 Issue 3, p1313-1321, 9p

Document Type: Article

Abstract:

The aim of this research was to study the psychological effects of disorders such as schizophrenia and depression associated with mental retardation. The Rorschach Inkblot Test and the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale were administered to a group of 97 subjects (52 women and 45 men) ages 15:10 yr. to 36:6 yr. (M=21:5, SD =5:3). The subjects were divided into four subgroups according to the presence or absence of mental retardation and psychiatric diagnosis (schizophrenia versus depression). The quality of the perception in Rorschach responses and the Eriebnis Typus scores differentiated psychotic and depressed subjects well. These disorders, when associated with mental retardation, make impairment of perceptual performance worse. The interaction between Axis I mental disorders (according to DSM-IV diagnosis) and mental retardation, an Axis II disorder, is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Review of Literature -2

Title: PREDICTING SUICIDE USING THE RORSCHACH INKBLOT TEST.

Authors: Kendra, John M.

Source: Journal of Personality Assessment; Oct79, Vol. 43 Issue 5, p452, 5p

Document Type: Article

Subject Terms:

*SUICIDE

*RORSCHACH Test

*PROJECTIVE techniques

Abstract:

Three hundred and seventy-five Rorschach protocols were scored blind and then divided into three groups: psychiatric controls, suicide, attempts, and suicide effectors. Using the stepwise procedure of multiple discriminant analysis a trio of formulas, composed of six weighted variables each, and a constant, were constructed to apply to each of the three groups based on a test sample of 100 subjects in each group Cross validation results on a new sample of 25 subjects in each group predicted classification with 52% overall accuracy at step six (chance .33). Internal reliability tests showed all values significant beyond .001. Discussion integrates the test data into the literature on suicide, and attends to the problem of overlap of predictability which occurs with most prediction scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Review of Literature -3

Title: HOMOSEXUAL SIGNS AND HETEROSEXUAL SILENCES: Rorschach Research on           Male Homosexuality form 1921 to 1969.

Authors: Hegarty, Peter1

Source: Journal of the History of Sexuality; Jul2003, Vol. 12 Issue 3, p400-423, 24p

Document Type: Article

Subject Terms:

*RORSCHACH Test

*HOMOSEXUALITY

*MALE homosexuality

*RESEARCH

People: RORSCHACH, Hermann

Abstract:

The article details research on male homosexuality using Rorschach inkblot test from 1921 to 1969. The lifelong research of the Swiss psychiatrist Hermann Rorschach was published in 1921 in a volume entitled Psychodiagnostik. In this volume, Rorschach presented his conclusions about the inkblot test of personality he had developed. Most of Rorschach’s work involved clinical patients and psychiatric diagnoses, but some included social research. In the decade after Rorschach’s death, his test inspired little active research. However, by the mid-1930s researchers in the U.S. had begun to re-examine the test and form a network of practice around its usage. Psychologist Bruno Klopfer conceived of the test subject in phenomenological and holistic terms. The nascent Rorschach network developed further when it became implicated in military work during World War II. Homosexuality became grounds for psychiatric exclusion from the military for the first time during World War II. In the 1930s psychoanalysts had developed accounts of male sexuality as both a transitory neurosis and a deep-rooted permanent psychosis. At least three research teams tried to develop the Rorschach as a means of detecting homosexual men among the troops. Rorschach researchers insisted that the test could clearly discern a pattern of responses among genuine chronic cases that was not shown by simulators. After the war Rorschach research speeded up enormously. The publication of William Marshall Wheeler’s Ph.D. dissertation in 1949 enhanced the legitimacy of using the Rorschach as way to detect homosexuality in the postwar context.

Author Affiliations:

1Yale University

ISSN:

10434070

Accession Number:

12514131

Review of Literature -4

Title: Norms of the Rorschach Test for Indian Subjects

Authors: Lt Col S Chaudhury (Retd)*, Lt Col M Augustine (Retd)+, Col D Saldanha#, Mrs K Srivastava**,Mrs SM Kundeyawala++, Surg Capt AA Pawar##, Surg Capt VSSR Ryali***

Subject Terms: Rorschach test; norms; schizophrenia; neurosis

Abstract:

Background : The clinical utility of the Rorschach test in Indians is hampered by the absence of reliable normative data.

Method : The Rorschach by Dlopfer’s method was administrated to 1256 subjects consisting of 300 normal army personnel, 300 normal civilians, 250 schizophrenics, 300 neurotics and 106 patients with organic disorders.

Results : The Rorschach protocols of normal Indian army personnel and normal civilians showed significant differences from one another and also from the western norms. These differences are culturally determined and are not indicative of low intelligence or psychopathology. Patients with schizophrenia, neurosis, head injury and epilepsy show significant differences from the records of normal subjects. The protocols of army schizophrenics show significant deviations from those of normal army personnel and these changes revert to normal with clinical recovery.

Conclusion : The Rorschach test is not a culture free test as claimed earlier. In view of the differences from Western norms,Rorschach protocols of Indians should be interpreted using the norms for Indians. In the case of army personnel the norms for army personnel should be used. While the use of the Rorschach to study the personality patterns of normal individuals and as an aid to clinical diagnosis was strongly supported, the findings of the study indicate that the test can also be employed to assess therapeutic response of patients with schizophrenia.

CONCLUSION

The Rorschach Inkblot Test is according to me, a very good way to find out abnormalities in personality of individuals, although it might me a little towards the subjective side in its method of analyzing, it still takes into consideration the emotional characteristics of an individual, and gives them complete freedom to decide their answers, rather than be forced to select one out of a predetermined set of answers. Projective tests have also been used successfully on children, the CAT, or Children’s Apperception Test and Group Zulliger Inkblot Test, are examples of this, though it is still uncertain whether the Rorschach Inkblot Test may be administer on children and yield the same results.

The main objectives of the Rorschach Inkblot Test are to determine emotional and intellectual functioning (diagnosing underlying thought disorder) and integration, and differentiating psychotic from non-psychotic thinking. Through the innovative method of inkblots, it reveals concerns that are extremely private and important for the psychiatrist and researcher alike, paving the way for a solution to the problems that are extracted. The subject unknowingly admits the various biases and fears he hides from society and sometimes, even themselves.

In order to use the Rorschach properly, professionals need an authoritative source of advice and guidance on how to administer, score, and interpret it. Available evidence indicates that the Rorschach Inkblot Test is a psychometrically sound measuring instrument that provides valid assessments of personality characteristics and can facilitate differential diagnosis and treatment planning and evaluation. The Rorschach Inkblot Test continues as in the past to be widely used by both clinicians and researchers. However, the esteem in which it is held by practitioners, who are generally agreed that clinical psychologists should be competent in Rorschach assessment, is not universally shared by academicians, many of whom presently question the future place of Rorschach training in graduate education.

Most psychological tests are said to have limited value because they depend on the subject’ selection, background and culture. Projective tests like the Rorschach attempt to overcome many of these difficulties. But recent research has revealed that norms cannot be used from one country to another and differences within the same cultural group are also to be found. The Rorschach norms established by researchers in India differ considerably. Faced with the lack of reliable norms, mental health professionals in India are left with no alternative but to interpret Rorschach on the basis of own experience, which results in subjective bias.

Therefore, it can be concluded (with the help of the Review of Literature, part 4) that the Rorschach Inkblot Test, though a projective test, is still not as culturally free as we hoped. In view of the differences from Western norms, Rorschach protocols of Indians should be interpreted using the norms for Indians, which should be developed based Indian sensibilities by a reliable group of scientists, rather than various individual researchers giving their own bias interpretations as norms, which would render the test unreliable, unscientific and invalid in India.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Introduction

Projective techniques http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761564236_3____10/Psychological_Testing.html#s10

16th July 2009

1. Theoretical Framework

http://www.psychoheresy-aware.org/inkblot95.html

http://www.skepdic.com/inkblot.html

http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Rorschach_inkblot_test#encyclopedia

16th July 2009

1. Review of Literature

Part 1

http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=14234145&site=ehost-live

Part 2

http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=6383307&site=ehost-live

Part 3

http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=12514131&site=ehost-live

Part 4

http://medind.nic.in/maa/t06/i2/maat06i2p153.pdf

16th July 2009

Public Relations

Meaning, History, Activities and Methods

Introduction

Public Relations, management function that creates, develops, and carries out policies and programs to influence public opinion or public reaction about an idea, a product, or an organization. The field of public relations has become an important part of the economic, social, and political pattern of life in many nations. That field includes advertising, publicity, promotional activities, and press contact. Public relations also coexist in business with marketing and merchandising to create the climate in which all selling functions occur.

History

In the U.S, the tremendous growth of industry from the end of the American Civil War to the early 20th century took place with little regard for public welfare. When a group of reformers and activists known as muckrakers waged a campaign to expose the excesses of big business, some industrialists realized the need to improve their public image. From this impetus, the profession of public relations slowly evolved as a major force in business, politics, entertainment, and society in general. One of the first effective public relations practitioners was Ivy L. Lee, who worked for the American industrialist John D. Rockefeller. The pioneer work of Edward L. Bernays linked public relations to research, psychology, and the social sciences.

During World War I, both the Allies and the Germans made extensive efforts to influence opinion through the dissemination of propaganda. When the United States entered the conflict, Congress set up the Committee on Public Information to help mold American opinion in favor of the war effort. By the end of the war, the profession of public relations had grown into an important tool for government and business.

Activities and Methods

Public relations activities in the modern world help institutions to cope successfully with many problems, to build prestige for an individual or a group, to promote products, and to win elections or legislative battles. The majority of public relations workers are staff employees working within a corporate or institutional framework. Others operate in public relations counseling firms. In the U.S. today, approximately 122,000 people are employed full time in the public relations field.

In industry, public relations personnel keep management informed of changes in the opinions of various publics (that is, the groups of people whose support is needed): employees, stockholders, customers, suppliers, dealers, the community, and government. These professionals counsel management as to the impact of any action—or lack of action—on the behavior of the target audiences. Once an organizational decision has been made, the public relations person has the task of communicating this information to the public using methods that foster understanding, consent, and desired behavior. For example, a hospital merger, an industrial plant closing, or the introduction of a new product; all require public relations planning and skill.

Public relations activities are a major part of the political process in the U.S. and many other nations. Politicians seeking office, government agencies seeking acceptance and cooperation, officials seeking support for their policies, and foreign governments seeking aid and allies abroad all make extensive use of counseling services provided by public relations specialists.

Public relations also play an important role in the entertainment industry. The theater, motion pictures, sports, restaurants, and individuals all use public relations services to increase their business or enhance their image. Other public relations clients are educational, social service, and charitable institutions, trade unions, religious groups, and professional societies such as the American Medical Association.

The successful public relations practitioner is a specialist in communication arts and persuasion. The work involves various functions including the following: (1) programming—that is, analyzing problems and opportunities, defining goals, determining the public to be reached, and recommending and planning activities; (2) writing and editing materials such as press releases, speeches, stockholder reports, product information, and employee publications; (3) placing information in the most advantageous way; (4) organizing special events such as press functions, award programs, exhibits, and displays; (5) setting up face-to-face communication, including the preparation and delivery of speeches; (6) providing research and evaluation using interviews, reference materials, and various survey techniques; and (7) managing resources by planning, budgeting, and recruiting and training staff to attain these objectives. Specialized skills are required to handle public opinion research, media relations, direct mail activities, institutional advertising, publications, film and video production, and special events.

Although its activities, goals, and effects have been subject at times to severe criticism, public relations is a significant force in the U.S. and Western Europe. To avoid misuse of professional skills, several public relations organizations have developed a code of ethics for members. In totalitarian countries, the state has a monopoly on communications, and any public relations activities are government controlled. Public relations services are so far virtually unused in many developing nations, but they are likely to be a future government concern.

About The Company

Kingfisher Airlines

Kingfisher Airlines Limited, is India’s largest airline. It is based in Bangalore. Kingfisher operates more than 400 flights a day and has a network of 78 destinations, with regional and long-haul international services, and is one of six airlines in the world to have a five-star rating from Skytrax,

The airline started operations on 9 May 2005, the first flight was from Mumbai to Delhi. At the launch of the airline, Dr. Mallya said that he is “committed to achieving our ambition of making Kingfisher Airlines India’s largest private airline both in capacity and market share by 2010.” Yana Gupta was chosen as the brand ambassador for Kingfisher Airlines.

The airline ushered in a new era of luxury in India’s domestic aviation sector with its brand new aircraft with stylish red interiors, and smartly dressed crew and ground staff. Kingfisher was the first Indian airline to have in-flight entertainment (IFE) systems on every seat even on domestic flights. All passengers were given a “welcome kit” consisting goodies such as a pen, facial tissue and headphones to use with the IFE system. Initially, passengers were able to watch only recorded TV programming on the IFE system, but later an alliance was formed with Dish TV to provide live TV in-flight. And in a marked departure from tradition, Kingfisher Airlines decided to have an on-screen safety demonstration using the IFE system. In October 2007, the airline announced Deepika Padukone as its brand ambassador, replacing Yana Gupta.

On 13 October 2008, as a result of the worsening economic scenario and the resultant drop in passenger traffic and increase in costs, Kingfisher chairman Vijay Mallya and his Jet Airways counterpart Naresh Goyal announced a strategic alliance after a meeting in Mumbai. The alliance was formed to implement code-sharing between the two airlines on both domestic and international flights, joint fuel management to reduce expenses, common ground handling, joint utilisation of crew and sharing of their frequent flier programmes, namely King Club and Jet Privilege.

The Scandal

Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd has sued Vijay Mallya

On June 25, 2009, Oil refiner, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd has sued Vijay Mallya promoted Kingfisher Airlines in the Bombay High Court to get back its dues worth Rs 300 crore. The oil company filed an arbitration petition in the Bombay High Court last week after all its attempts to get KFA to repay its dues failed, a source in the oil company said. The oil company has also asked KFA to lift fuel only after it pays cash at the time of delivery and withdrawn the credit facility, the source said.

When contacted, a Kingfisher Airlines spokesperson denied any legal battle is on with BPCL. “We are in compliance with the credit arrangements with the OMCs from whom we lift fuel as agreed from time to time,” the spokesperson said. But sources in the oil refining company say the oil company had to hire law firm Udwadia and Udeshi to make the airline cough up its dues. The petition was filed on June 19th, court documents show.

Last year, the government had given 6-months to airlines to pay up their dues in time. While other airlines managed to repay part of their dues to BPCL, Kingfisher failed to repay its dues in time. Apart from BPCL, Indian Oil has also asked Kingfisher to pay for its fuel on cash and carry basis. Indian Oil had also encashed Kingfisher’s bank guarantee of Rs 50 crore after the latter’s cheque had bounced.

Suggestions and Public Relation Swindles

Ways to ease economic pressure

From airplanes, to beer, from politics, to horse riding, from Bollywood, to hospitals (Mallya Hospital), from schools (Mallya Aditi International School), from the IPL, to Formula One and  Football (Sponsors football clubs in Kolkata); Dr. Vijay Mallya has done it all. It is only fair that a couple of scandals be under his belt. Vijay Mallya faced many controversies in his lifetime—his divorce, infamous Kingfisher calendar earning the scrutiny of women activist groups and religious groups alike, the IPL cheerleaders, and when he bought the properly of Mahatma Gandhi and donated it to the government of India, (mostly seen as an attempt to gain positive public and government opinion) and recently, the Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd sued him in the Bombay High Court to get back its dues worth Rs 300 crore. Though the Kingfisher airlines spokesperson claimed to have no legal problems with the BPCL, the fact remains that the airlines one stable economy is now showing signs of crumbling.

Kingfisher Airlines has been struggling to get funds from banks, which are not keen on lending to companies in India’s ailing aviation sector that has witnessed a 10% slump in passenger traffic in 2008-09. “(Banks find) it is comfortable to lend to a state-run company since there is a guarantee from the government. You tend to demand more guarantees from private carriers,” said an executive at an international bank that is considering to lend to airlines and airports in India, who did not want to be identified.

In mid-2008, Kingfisher Airlines had received a Rs1,000 crore loan from private lender ICICI Bank Ltd. Vijay Mallya, chairman of Kingfisher Airlines, has extended a personal guarantee to secure the loan, For Kingfisher, mired in controversies for not paying oil companies for jet fuel and airports for various services, the Rs2,000 crore will bring immediate relief.

“Out of Rs2,000 crore, we have got half of the money. The remaining is on its way,” said a senior Kingfisher Airlines executive.

In my opinion, I suggest that Vijay Mallya finds more banks to get loans from, or merge with the government, making Kingfisher Airlines a private-public based airlines, which would help solve his problems and make it easier to get hefty loans from banks, as ““(Banks find) it is comfortable to lend to a state-run company since there is a guarantee from the government.”

Or better still, Mallya could make a contract with the government lasting for a fixed amount of time, with the government and then regain his independence after the economic crisis has subsided.

Or else, the last and less original plan could be to merge with other airlines like they did with Jet Airways in 13 October 2008, which implemented a code-sharing between the two airlines on both domestic and international flights, joint fuel management to reduce expenses, common ground handling, joint utilization of crew and sharing of their frequent flier programs, namely King Club and Jet Privilege.

As a last and final option, Mallya can choose to sell the Airlines, to either private owners or the government, and pursue his other interests in sports and liquor business.

Television news coverage and its implications before and after the elections in India on May 16th, 2009

Is it necessary to regulate the broadcast media? Should citizens have a stake in deciding what kind of regulation is most suitable? What is the best model to emulate?

Television news has been the focus of much of the recent debate on media regulation in India and influences the nature and impact of television as a medium. Television is, admittedly, a relatively young medium in India, restricted until the early 1990s to the State-owned broadcaster, Doordarshan (DD).

It was only towards the end of the 1990s that 24-hour news channels catering specifically to Indian audiences – in English, Hindi and other languages – emerged at the national as well as regional levels. The explosion of private channels led to intense competition and controversies. It is estimated that at least 77 24-hour news channels in multiple languages are currently in operation across the country and that a further 130 licenses have been approved.

Is there any reason why citizens must be informed about and participate in debates about media policy and regulation? Consider the facts. First, the news media are supposed to play a vital role in democratic societies as the Fourth Estate, one of the four pillars of democracy alongside the Legislature, the Executive and the Judiciary. It stands to reason that the watchdog of the other three Estates, and of society as a whole, must also, ultimately, be accountable to the public.

Secondly, few would deny that the mass media wield enormous power in today’s world.  They are increasingly playing the role once played by family, community, religion and formal education:  not only disseminating information and knowledge, but also shaping values and norms, moulding attitudes and behaviour, and influencing the very process of living.

Thirdly, the media set the public agenda in a number of ways:  for example, they more or less determine which wars and conflicts, disasters and diseases, scams and scandals, issues and developments  and events in a city are worthy of public attention.

The media are also in a position to pressurise the State to act; and they enjoy this privilege because they are supposed to represent the public interest. So citizens of a democracy do have a stake in the media and, consequently, they have the right to be heard on media-related matters – not only issues relating to media content but also those concerning media policy. Indeed, the democratization of the media is one of the important challenges of the future.

Unfortunately, in India, even sections of civil society that are vigorous and vocal on a wide range of important issues have yet to intervene actively in media matters. A landmark judgment of the Supreme Court of India in 1995 provides legitimacy to the notion that the primary purpose of all broadcasting is to serve the public interest.  The apex court has made it clear that “the airwaves or frequencies are a public property” (belonging neither to the State nor to private entities) and that “their use has to be controlled and regulated by a public authority in the interests of the public and to prevent the invasion of their rights”.

Despite the judgment, however, media policy – with far-reaching implications – is still being formulated without the knowledge, let alone the participation, of even the cognoscenti among media professionals and users, not to mention the ever-growing number of citizens who are consumers in the burgeoning media market. In the absence of people’s participation it is hardly surprising that it is, primarily, the broadcast industry that engages with the government on the wide range of issues relating to the electronic media.

Media regulation in India is currently a maze, with multiple agencies involved in formulating and implementing policy, drafting and enforcing legislation.  To make matters worse, they often appear to be unaware of each other’s interventions and seem to work at cross purposes.  Among the official organisations currently involved in media regulation are the following:

According to the Committee, “Self-regulation is an ideal situation but it may not be effective to regulate the media, particularly in the scenario of growing competition amongst the channels for supremacy in the business of ratings.  The Committee is, therefore, in favour of having statutory regulations in place covering the print and electronic media, in the larger interest of the society, on the model of the Press Council of India vested with more powers.

The controversial draft Broadcasting Services Regulation Bill, 2007, floated by the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in July that year, finally gave legislative form to a regulatory body meant to oversee the broadcasting industry.

In the aftermath of the Mumbai terror attack and resulted in a lasting impact in the 2009 elections. This included debates on the many problems facing India and even specific political parties and candidates. A good deal of the media coverage of this election assumes that the youth (18-25 years) make up a political constituency. Having persuaded us to share this belief, the media goes on to present young inheritors of various political dynasties as youth political leaders. It feeds us images of metropolitan, English speaking students as young voters. The “get out the vote” campaign, Jaago Re! (wake up), Lead India, VoteIndia, Let’s Vote, as well as a voter awareness campaign by the Association for Democratic Reforms where a few methods to increase voter turnout. Twitter and other mobile based applications like SMSGupShup and MyToday playedan important role in the 2009 general elections, both in the campaigning and in the coverage of the elections. Some politicians will also experiment with social media. BJP’s V K Malhotra, for instance has a Twitter account.

The month long general elections to the 15th Lok Sabha started from April 16, and there was wide speculation on which party, or coalition, would emerge the winner, when the results are announced on May 16th.

Five years ago, analysts, pollsters, and journalists at the time all expected a BJP triumph, believing too readily the hype surrounding the BJP’s promise of an “India Shining”. The country’s electorate – the largest in the world – proved them woefully wrong.

Once again, the Indian voter upstaged the Indian commentator. While many predicted that the ruling Congress-led coalition would shade this year’s national elections, none foresaw the emphatic victory that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh claimed this weekend. The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) – comprising the Congress and its remaining regional allies – won 263 seats in the 543-member Lok Sabha (the lower house of parliament), a measly nine seats short of the required majority. Congress leaders need only cherry pick small, convenient parties to make up the deficit.

The India TV opinion poll predicted a tie with the Congress wining 143 seats (187 with UPA allies), and the BJP winning an identical 143 seats (189 with NDA allies). The CNN-IBN poll had predicted that the Congress-led UPA will win 215-235 seats (including SP/ RJP/ LJP), compared to 165-185 seats for the BJP-led NDA (via Reuters).

If one believed the ubiquitous media narrative ahead of this election, such an outcome would have been unimaginable. We were told that Congress – the 124-year old party that won independence from Britain in 1947, but held dynastic sway over India for over four decades thereafter – was in irreversible decline. We were told that regional and identity-based parties would continue to siphon away disillusioned voters, further splintering India’s vast political landscape. We were told that India was doomed to governments with increasingly weak mandates, governments dependent on anarchic, unreliable coalition allies to maintain their fitful hold on power.

The results disclosed on Saturday suggest otherwise. Nearly one out of three voters (28.5 percent) chose the Congress party, a substantial sum given that Indians had to find their way through a blizzard of 1,055 contesting parties. Its own tally of 206 seats is Congress’ highest since 1991, when it won 244. While Indian electoral politics can be intensely local and parochial (voters often cast their ballots with their religious, caste, ethnic or linguistic identities in mind), Congress’ success is being understood as a vote of approval for its last five years of leadership.

This surprised many observers, as most predictions and opinion polls had forecasted an indecisive verdict with a close finish between BJP and Congress and a rise in the power of the regional parties. Some observers will see the verdict as a validation of the tried-and-tested methods of political campaigning in India. The BJP ran an aggressive 360 degree campaign on mass media and digital media, but it didn’t work, like its 2004 India Shining campaign. The Congress ran a traditional campaign, focused on movie songs, local rallies and the charisma of the Nehru-Gandhi family, and succeeded.

The difference in 2009 seems to be that a number of other factors came together to bring the UPA to power, and it was not owing to television. Yet, ironically, television was a factor in a way no one among the contestants or the party strategists realized. News programmes and discussions on issues were clearly watched with a measure of appraisal; and even though the Prime Minister made only one or two public appearances, he featured largely in the comments made in programmes in regional channels and in channels in Hindi and English.

Manmohan Singh’s heart surgery, which the television channels and the print media covered extensively, is said to have helped pave way for the UPA. Almost every day, until Manmohan Singh was discharged from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, there was live coverage of the press conferences by the Prime Minister’s doctors, and the impact they had on viewers was considerable. They reinforced Manmohan Singh’s image of a gentle yet determined man of steely resolve, who was totally committed to the welfare of the country. The comments of the doctors, which perhaps included some unwittingly made on Manmohan Singh as a person, evoked a good deal of sympathy among the millions who saw these news bulletins.

Against this came the barrage of invective from Advani and Modi, covered, again, without any motive other than to report the news. The effect of this was negative as far as the BJP was concerned; viewers gathered an impression, overall, of a quiet, hard-working man who had fallen ill working for the country being abused in shrill and distasteful terms. This is a simplification of a situation, certainly, but in television one needs to value the simple effects a little more than in any other medium.

The election victory of the Congress has striking parallels that can be drawn from the Presidential elections of the United States in 2008. The Congress much like the Democrats managed a wide range of allies and got votes from a diverse “vote bank” cutting across religions and castes. The Democrats too won voted in the African-American and Hispanic community while the BJP, much like the Republicans, only managed to hold on to its traditional vote bank without consolidating in newer territory. Second, the Congress adopted a risky yet fruitful strategy of offering hope with its “Jai Ho”, “Aam Admi” and youth campaign like the Democrats offered hope and change attractively packaged in the form of President Obama. The BJP, again much like the Republicans offered a campaign that took a negative line of attack against the prime minister and with the “Bhay Ho” parody. This clearly did not work and in a departure from the American similarities, the Indian electorate decided to vote for stability and continuance rather than change. Third, much like the Republicans, personal ambition has met with a cruel twist fate. Republican candidate John McCain, many considered the ideal man for decades lost when the opportunity finally came, much similar to the fate of the Leader of the Opposition L.K. Advani. The Congress will indeed lead a more confident, if not abrasive style of government, knowing fully well that it does not require the Left or the critical support of any particular ally to retain power. Like the Democrats who enjoy complete dominance of both houses of the Congress and Senate, the Congress will now further push reforms which it deems fit for the party and the country (in that order of preference). The victory is clear mandate for Manmohan Singh, much as some leaders in the Congress may cringe, and not for Rahul Gandhi. It is now imperative on the party that they drop the talk of ‘Rahul as PM’ as this is a perverse subversion of the popular mandate for Prime Minister Singh.

Poonam Vaidya

Sources:

Doublespeak                                                                                                                                      http://indianelection2009.blogspot.com/2009/05/doublespeak-of-leaders.html (Video of Politicians before and after elections)

Introduction: India Votes for No Change in the 2009 Lok Sabha Elections http://globalvoicesonline.org/2009/05/16/india-votes-for-no-change/

India: the promise of stability                                           http://www.opendemocracy.net/india/article/inda-elections-results-congress-UPA-stability

Predictions and Opinion Polls for the 2009 Lok Sabha Elections http://www.gauravonomics.com/blog/predictions-and-opinion-polls-for-the-2009-lok-sabha-elections-in-india/

http://www.gauravonomics.com/blog/a-roundup-of-predictions-for-the-2009-lok-sabha-elections-in-india/

http://www.gauravonomics.com/blog/top-seven-social-media-predictions-for-india-for-2009/

Broadcast regulation in the public interest:  A Backgrounder http://infochangeindia.org/Media/Broadcast-Laws-and-Regulations/Broadcast-regulation-in-the-public-interest-A-backgrounder.html

COLUMN- Lost on television, BHASKAR GHOSE  http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl2613/stories/20090703261309000.htm

Opinion – Editorials UNCONSTITUTIONAL MOVE http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/2004/04/09/stories/2004040900801000.htm

Many young voters, but is there a youth vote?                        http://blogs.thehindu.com/elections2009/?p=1012

Drawing parallels – India 2009 and USA 2008 http://o3.indiatimes.com/onepointoh/archive/2009/05/16/4966392.aspx

Campaigns urge youth to wake up and vote for honest leaders      http://www.livemint.com/2009/04/12212411/Campaigns-urge-youth-to-wake-u.html

I got this for patricipating. My images are in the link…

http://curlybubble.wordpress.com/2009/05/25/google-photogaphy-contest-waterbodies/

Three years later…

Looking for Ourworld Free Gems?

Click this link…

http://curlybubble.wordpress.com/2009/05/01/ourworld-join/

After watching the Bleach movie, which was depressing but I liked the effects…I have decided to watch more… these are my picks or Anime ‘Wish List’ if you will

1. Air the Movie

Air is a 2005 Japanese animated film directed by Osamu Dezaki and written by Makoto Nakamura based on the visual novel of the same name by Key.

Yukito Kunisaki (Hikaru Midorikawa), a traveling puppeteer, arrives in a small sea-side town in the hopes of earning money at the upcoming summer festival. At the same time Misuzu Kamio (Tomoko Kawakami) is just leaving school after discussing her summer project with one of her teachers. Choosing to do a project on the history of the town, Misuzu finds a book containing the story of Kannabi no Mikoto (Chinami Nishimura), the inspiration for the upcoming festival. After crashing her bike and encountering Yukito on the beach, Misuzu invites Yukito to stay at her home until the festival begins after learning that he has no place to stay. After meeting Misuzu’s eccentric aunt Haruko (Aya Hisakawa), and getting a hangover the next morning from drinking with her, Yukito accompanies Misuzu throughout the town as she does research for her project.

As the two become closer, the story of Kannabi no Mikoto, or Kanna for short, begins to unfold, telling how Kanna, the last of the winged beings, fell in love with her guardian Ryūya (Nobutoshi Canna) while being sequestered in a palace under penalty of death if she attempted to leave. As the two eventually become lovers, Kanna reveals her desire to escape and use her wings to fly to her mother, whom she was separated at birth from. Eventually, Ryūya decides to help Kanna see her dream and the two plot their escape.

2. The Place Promised in our Early Days

The anime follows the story of three friends living in Aomori on the northern end of southern Japan: two boys, Hiroki Fujisawa and Takuya Shirakawa, both child prodigies; and one girl, Sayuri Sawatari. In 1996, the three are in eighth grade, their last year of middle school, and they are fascinated by the Hokkaido Tower visible across the Tsugaru Strait to the north.

On the last day before spring break, one of Sayuri’s friends, Kana Matsuura, confesses to Takuya that she has romantic feelings for him, but he does not return her feelings. Takuya tells Hiroki that he should date Kana instead, but Hiroki declines, as he is actually romantically interested in Sayuri. Hiroki stays after school for archery practice while Sayuri stays after school for violin practice; they ride the train home together and get to know each other, and Sayuri becomes close friends with the two boys.

The two boys have found a crashed Maritime Self-Defense Force drone plane. Naming it the Bella Ciela, they work on rebuilding the plane, scrounging parts from their workplace, the Emishi Manufacturing factory, with the help of their boss, Mr. Okabe. The three teenagers promise to one day fly to Hokkaido to visit the Tower. However, before they can do this, Sayuri mysteriously disappears during the summer.

3. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (時をかける少女, Toki o Kakeru Shōjo^?), also referred as TokiKake for short, is an animated Japanese film produced by the animation studio Madhouse and distributed through Kadokawa Herald Pictures, first released in theaters in Japan on July 15, 2006

Makoto Konno (Riisa Naka/Emily Hirst), a girl attending high school in Tokyo’s shitamachi, realizes she has the power to go back in time and re-do things (called a “time-leap”) when she impossibly avoids a fatal accident at a train crossing one day.

Bewildered, she consults with her aunt (Sachie Hara/Saffron Henderson) throughout the film, who then implies that she is the protagonist (Kazuko Yoshiyama) from the original novel. At first, Makoto uses her power extravagantly to avoid being tardy and to get perfect grades on tests, and even relive a single karaoke session for about ten hours. However, things begin to turn bad as she discovers how her actions can adversely affect others.

Makoto ends up using up more of her leaps to recklessly prevent undesirable situations from happening, including an awkward confession of love from her best friend Chiaki Mamiya (Takuya Ishida/Andrew Francis). Eventually she discovers a numbered tattoo on her arm which counts down with each leap. She determines that the tattoo indicates that she can only leap through time a limited number of times. With only a few time leaps left, she attempts to make things right for everyone, but impulsively uses her final leap to prevent a phone call from Chiaki asking if she knows about time-leaping. As a result, she is unable to prevent her friend Kōsuke Tsuda (Mitsutaka Itakura/Alex Zahara) and his girlfriend, Kaho, from being killed in the accident at the train crossing that Makoto was originally involved in. As Makoto watches the accident in horror, time suddenly stops.

Chiaki reveals that he is a traveller from the future and leapt through time in order to see a painting being restored by Makoto’s aunt, as it has been destroyed in the future. While walking in the frozen city, Chiaki hints that his original era occurs after a world wide catastrophe decimates mankind. He then reveals that he has used his final leap to prevent Kōsuke’s accident and has stopped time only to explain to Makoto what the consequences will be. Having revealed his origins and the source of the item that allowed Makoto to leap through time, and being unable to return to his time period, Chiaki must disappear. Makoto realizes too late that she loves him as well.

True to his words, Chiaki disappears when time begins again and Makoto is upset. As she tries to come to terms with losing him, she discovers that Chiaki’s time-leap had inadvertently restored one time-leap to her: Chiaki had leapt back to before Makoto used her last leap. Makoto now leaps to the moment when she gained her powers, at which point Chiaki still has one remaining time-leap. She reveals everything that he told her in the future concerning who he is, the ability to leap through time, and his reasons for extending his stay in her time frame. Shortly before returning to his time period, Chiaki says he will wait for her in the future and Makoto replies that she will run towards it.

4. Harukanaru the movie

One rainy day, Akane crosses path with a kind young man who tacitly offers to her his coat. On their second encounter, he confesses that he has no recollection of who he is, his name or his past, but feels contented by just being with her. Besotted, Akane sets out to find his name, and to unravel his enigmatic connection with a famous cursed dance rumoured to kill anyone who attempts to perform it.

5. Ah! My Goddess The movie

Morgan le Fay heads to the Lunar Prison on the moon and releases the seal. She is able to make contact with a small mask that reveals that they must unite for their common goal.

On Earth, it is the start of the New Year at Nekomi Institute of Technology, and various clubs seek to recruit new members. The Motor Club is one of them, and tries to lure new applicants with a display of the vehicles they race with, including the new two-seater Keiichi Morisato and Belldandy will be using in an upcoming race. Many new members initially join, including Morgan in human form. However, most of them are scared away by Toraichi Tamiya and Otaki Aoyama.

Belldandy and Celestin

That night, while the club members celebrate, Keiichi inadvertently finds himself in a compromising situation with club member Hasegawa. Belldandy runs outside, with Keiichi in pursuit. When Keiichi catches up to her, she apologizes; Keiichi simply smiles and comments upon the arrival of spring. Comforted, Belldandy smiles back and tells him in a flurry of cherry blossoms that she hopes she can spend all of her springs with him. Celestin, a former mentor of Belldandy, then appears. Urd flies in and angrily orders Celestin to step away from Belldandy. Refusing to step away, he turns Belldandy around and gives her a kiss on the lips, whereupon Belldandy collapses, much to everyone’s shock. Urd then attacks him with a lightning bolt, but he has disappeared. At the temple, Urd finds out that Belldandy has been infected with a virus. Peorth calls to inform Urd that Yggdrasil has also been compromised by the virus, and isolates The Heavens from Earth as a security measure until it is stopped, meaning that Belldandy cannot receive treatment until the matter is resolved.

When she finally regains consciousness, Belldandy can not recall memories of Keiichi, even though she can identify Skuld and Urd immediately. Urd recognizes the symptoms as selective amnesia and informs Keiichi that all of Belldandy’s memories after their first encounter must have been sealed. Proving Urd’s speculation, Belldandy informs Keiichi that she may grant him one wish. After Skuld reprimands him, Keiichi craftily wishes that Belldandy’s memories be restored, but as Yggdrasil is down, Belldandy finds that she cannot process the request. Skuld attempts to restore Belldandy’s memory with a number of inventions, but the most they do is remind Belldandy to give Keiichi her business card. Unable to find an immediate solution, Keiichi decides to accept the current situation for the moment, and try to live as normally as possible.

When the Motor Club is told about Belldandy’s condition, they are shocked, but also concerned about their upcoming race; the competition is a mixed-gender race. When Sora declines the opportunity, Morgan offers to take Belldandy’s place. Unsure about her skill, the club gives her a trial-run with Keiichi; seeing them ride the bike causes some traces of memory to return to Belldandy.

Up to this point, Keiichi has managed to remain surprisingly stoic despite Belldandy’s condition. However, as he drives back to the temple that night at dangerously high speeds, he is so immersed in his troubles that he subconsciously expects Belldandy to aid him in making a sharp turn, without realizing that those memories remain locked and this almost causes an accident. Realizing Keiichi’s guilt stirs something in Belldandy’s heart, perhaps a faint reminder of the love they once shared.

When Belldandy accidentally uncovers a photo album filled with pictures of the two at the temple, she realizes just how deeply her amnesia has affected Keiichi. Realizing the recent emptiness in his smiles inspires Belldandy to get to know him better, starting by opting to remain as Keiichi’s partner in the upcoming race despite her amnesia. When an irritated Morgan hears about Belldandy’s renewed resolve, she challenges Keiichi and Belldandy to a race, teaming up with Megumi at Keiichi’s request. Despite their best efforts however, Megumi and Morgan are no match for the two, and what’s more, the experience apparently unlocks more of Belldandy’s memories.

That night, Belldandy accidentally overhears a discussion between Keiichi and her sisters regarding Celestine’s role in the current crisis. Realizing that Celestine erased her memories and inserted the virus, Belldandy stumbles out into the night, shocked and confused. Taking advantage of the situation, Celestine lures Belldandy away and when Urd arrives, he uses the virus to turn Belldandy against her elder sister in combat. Keiichi and Skuld’s arrival causes a massive amount of uncontrollable energy from Belldandy as she struggles to reaffirm her sense of self, knocking out everyone in the vicinity. Successfully finding the side of her that she hid away after Celestine’s betrayal allows her to safely dissipate the energy, though she faints in the process. Skuld wakes up to find the locality ravaged in the aftermath of the battlefield. When she spots Celestine calmly stepping down the stairs, she summons Noble Scarlet and angrily knocks Celestine with a thunderbolt into a screen, causing water to flood. Keiichi awakens just in time to notice the oncoming wave, and rushes to cover Belldandy, so that he will take the brunt of the blow for her. Belldandy awakens to find Keiichi comatose on the ground and hysterically tries to revive him.

6. Princess Mononoke

Set in feudal Japan, a time of upheaval of samurai and isolated villages, Princess Mononoke follows the journey of the last Emishi prince,^[2] Ashitaka, and his attempts to make peace between the human settlement, Irontown (Tataraba in the original Japanese), and the creatures living in the forest that surrounds it.

The film begins with Ashitaka receiving a curse during a battle with a demonic giant boar called Nago which is threatening to destroy his village. During the fight, Ashitaka receives a wound on his right arm; the cursed wound will spread to the rest of his body and eventually kill him. Ashitaka resolves to journey to the boar’s origin, the lands to the West, and find a cure for the curse. He cuts his hair, signifying his permanent departure from his village,^[3] and rides out with his steed Yakul, his loyal red elk. On his journey, Ashitaka passes by a village suffering a samurai attack. Some samurai attack him, and Ashitaka defeats them with the supernatural strength of his cursed arm. In a nearby town he meets Jigo, a wandering monk impressed by his feats of arm, who informs Ashitaka that the god of the forest in the mountains of the west may be able to help him.

Kodama of the forest.

A nearby town in the mountains of the west, called Iron Town or Tatara Ba,^[4] continually clears the nearby forests to make charcoal to smelt ironsand, leading to battles with beasts attempting to protect their diminishing forest. In one such battle, a pack of wolves, led by the wolf god Moro, attack villagers transporting rice. They are accompanied by San, a human girl adopted by the wolves whom the people of Iron Town call ‘Princess Mononoke’. In the attack Moro and several villagers are injured. The day following the battle, Ashitaka finds two injured villagers near a river. While rescuing them, he sees San treating Moro’s wounds, and she disappears quickly. He returns the villagers to Irontown passing through a forest full of bestial gods, including diminutive sprites called kodama. Also in the forest is the Forest Spirit (Shishigami in the original Japanese), described as a “god of life and death”, who takes the form of a deer-like kirin during the day and a large shadowy “night-walker” (Daidarabotchi) at night.

Ashitaka is given a warm welcome when he reaches Irontown. He learns from the leader of Irontown, Lady Eboshi, that the giant boar which cursed him was once a forest god called Nago and that Eboshi had shot the boar, driving it to madness. On hearing this Ashitaka is filled with rage and must restrain his right arm from killing Eboshi. He is dissuaded from doing so by lepers whom Eboshi has taken under her care and employed as gunmakers. She also employs former prostitutes in her famous ironworks in order to free them from brothels. Irontown is then infiltrated by San, who attacks Eboshi. Ashitaka intervenes to stop the two sides’ fighting and takes San back to the forest, but is severely wounded when he is shot through the chest. With his curse’s power, he manages to open the gate and leave the town, but collapses soon afterward. San presents Ashitaka to the Forest Spirit who heals his wounds but does not remove the curse.

San soon learns that the boars, under the leadership of the boar god Okkoto, are planning another attack on Irontown. Eboshi prepares for the assault and sets out to destroy the Forest Spirit. The head of the Forest Spirit is believed to grant immortality. Jigo, who is now revealed to be a mercenary-hunter, plans to give the head to the emperor; in return the emperor promises to give Irontown legal protection against the envious daimyos coveting the town’s prosperity. Eboshi, however, suspects (rightly) that the emperor’s agents are also assigned to take control of Irontown at the most opportune moment. Meanwhile, Ashitaka recovers and falls in love with San, something she has difficulty accepting due to her lifelong hatred of other humans.

In the ensuing battle, Irontown successfully sets a trap for the boars, devastating their army. Jigo’s hunters also succeed in corrupting Okkoto in the same way as Nago, and San becomes entangled in Okkoto’s demonic tentacles. Moro, also badly wounded, saves San, and then is killed, along with Okkoto, by the Forest Spirit, in mercy for their suffering. Eboshi then succeeds in shooting off the Forest Spirit’s head while it is transforming into the night-walker. Jigo collects the head while the body is transformed into a god of death covering the surrounding land with a lethal black ooze that completely destroys all life and turns the land barren. The hunters scatter before the ooze and the population of Irontown moves into the surrounding lake, leaving Irontown to destruction. Ashitaka and San manage to take the head from Jigo and return it to the Forest Spirit. It collapses into the lake and the land becomes green again. Ashitaka and San part, vowing to see each other occasionally while Ashitaka, finally freed of his curse, will help rebuild Irontown. Eboshi survives, albeit without an arm, and vows to rebuild Irontown along more harmonious lines. The film ends with a kodam appearing in the rejuvenated forest.

7. Lovely Complex

Alternative title:

LoveCom

ラブ★コン (Japanese)

러브★콤 (Korean)

Genres: comedy, romance, slice of life

Themes: Love, school life, Sports

Risa Koizumi, taller than the average girl, and Atsushi Ootani, shorter than the average guy – their constant bickering and comical love-hate relationship is well-known throughout the school. They act similarly and love the same music, and their friendship is full of laughing, shouting at each other, and of course, lots of jokes about one another’s height. But when Risa notices her feelings for Ootani growing, she’s worried. She doesn’t know if he can ever see her as more than a friend. With her friends rooting for her, she struggles to make him see how she feels about him, and that a romantic relationship between a tall girl and a short guy can work. Oblivious Ootani doesn’t make things easy for her, but she stubbornly perseveres in her own unconventional way, determined for her feelings to get through to him, and finally be returned. If only she could do it without driving herself and everyone else crazy in the process…

8. Kazune Kawahara (Also called High School Debut)

High School Debut (高校デビュー, Kōkō Debyū^?, also known as Koukou Debut) is a shōjo romantic comedy manga by Kazune Kawahara (河原 和音, Kawahara Kazune^?). It was serialized in Japan by Shueisha in Bessatsu Margaret from 2003 to 2008 and collected in 13 bound volumes.

Haruna Nagashima gave her all to softball in middle school, now that she has made her high school debut, she has decided to give her all for a new goal: getting a boyfriend and falling in love. However, she has one small problem—since she never paid any attention to fashion or trends in middle school, she has no idea how to go about attracting her yet-to-be-found love. But a chance encounter with Yoh Komiyama (who’s the school prince) provides her with the opportunity she needs. If he coaches her in how to become attractive, surely she can find herself a boyfriend.

Yoh then agrees to coach Haruna, after her great persistence. But he tells her she mustn’t fall in love with him. And that is exactly what happens. The story from then follows Haruna as she debates whether she should confess to Yoh, or keep her secret to herself.

9. Akira

AKIRA (アキラ^?) is a 1988 Japanese animated film co-written and directed by Katsuhiro Otomo based on his manga of the same name.

In 1988, Tokyo is destroyed by an apparent nuclear explosion that leads to the start of World War III. Thirty-one years later, Neo-Tokyo, a metropolis built on an artificial island in Tokyo Bay, is troubled by political strife and gang violence. Shotaro Kaneda leads his motorcycle gang, including Yamagata, Kaneda’s right-hand man, Kai, and Tetsuo Shima, Kaneda’s best friend, in a war with another gang called the Clowns. As Kaneda and Tetsuo battle a pair of Clowns on a highway, Tetsuo almost runs into a child with wizened features (Takashi) and is injured when his bike suddenly explodes. Tetsuo and the child are taken away by armed soldiers. Kaneda and his gang are taken in for questioning, where Kaneda unsuccessfully flirts with a young girl named Kei, and the group are later released.

Tetsuo, under watch by Colonel Shikishima and Doctor Onishi, is discovered to have mental frequencies similar to “Akira“, a boy with powerful, almost god-like, mental abilities. Akira was the cause of the explosion that started World War III thirty-one years earlier. Aware that another gifted child, Kiyoko, has had visions of Neo-Tokyo’s destruction in the same manner, the Colonel orders the doctor to kill Tetsuo should the powers manifest any further. Tetsuo escapes and meets up with his girlfriend Kaori and steals Kaneda’s motorcycle. They are attacked by Clowns who attempt to sexually assault Kaori, but Kaneda and the gang show up and defeat the Clowns. As Kaneda helps Tetsuo and Kaori recover, Tetsuo begins to suffer a very painful headache as the ping sound occur and begins to fall down and sees his belly tear and his organs spilled out. A government van arrives to take him away, refusing to answer Kaneda’s questions. Later that evening, Kaneda sees Kei, helps her avoid arrest, and goes with her to the Resistance headquarters. Kaneda offers to help after they reveal their plan to infiltrate the hospital that Tetsuo was taken to.

That night, Tetsuo is attacked by the three psychics Espers, Takashi, Kiyoko and Masaru, causing his powers to manifest further, killing a doctor and damaging the hospital in his attempts to find them. In the Espers’ room, Tetsuo learns that Akira was a young boy with similar powers, now in cryogenic storage below the new Stadium being built for the upcoming Olympics, and that he may be able to help Tetsuo remove his pain. The Colonel, Kei, and Kaneda, converging on the Espers’ room, learn that Tetsuo is heading for the Stadium to meet Akira. Kei and Kaneda are detained, but Kiyoko, speaking through Kei, explains that Tetsuo must be stopped, and helps them escape. That night, Tetsuo attacks his fellow gang members, killing Yamagata for whom he harbored a bitter hatred. He then departs for the stadium. Tetsuo fends off full-force attacks by the army on his way to the Olympic Stadium. At the Stadium, Tetsuo unearths the Akira chamber to find it empty except for the organs of Akira stored in jars. Kaneda, having learned of Yamagata’s death from Kai, uses Tetsuo’s moment of confusion to fight him with a laser rifle, but Tetsuo is able to dodge the attacks. The Colonel tries to shoot Tetsuo using a orbital laser weapon, managing only to sever his right arm. Tetsuo takes off into orbit and destroys the weapon, then spends the night recovering at the Stadium, psychically forging himself a new arm from inorganic material. His girlfriend Kaori arrives and tries to calm him down as his powers create immense physical pain.

The Colonel pleads with Tetsuo to return to the lab, but Tetsuo thinks it is a trick to kill him and attacks the Colonel. When the Colonel fires back, with Kaneda joining the fray, Tetsuo is unable to keep control any longer, and his body begins to transform into a gigantic mass that crushes and kills Kaori. The Espers, watching from afar, realize the only way to stop Tetsuo is to call forth Akira, his life force contained in the body parts in the chamber under the stadium. Akira’s manifestation causes another explosion, and the Espers teleport the Colonel to safety. Despite warnings from the Espers that entering the field will prevent Kaneda from being saved, Kaneda enters the field to try to save Tetsuo. The Espers agree to sacrifice themselves to save Kaneda, and also enter the field. Kaneda experiences Tetsuo’s and the Espers’ memories, including how much Tetsuo trusted Kaneda as a friend and how the children obtained their powers. The Espers remove Kaneda from the field and tell him that Akira will be taking Tetsuo “away” and to find somewhere safe to ride out the explosion. The explosion engulfs much of Neo-Tokyo, and when it disappears, leaves a void that is quickly filled by the nearby ocean. Kaneda wakes up to find that Kei and Kai are safe, and they drive away from the ruined stadium and the dying city. The credits begins with a Big bang and Tetsuo saying three last words, “I am Tetsuo”.

10. Excel Saga

Genres: action, comedy, science fiction

Themes: Parody

Age rating: Mature (May contain sex, drugs, and extreme graphic violence)

Plot Summary: Hyperactive Excel does anything and everything to try to please her lord, Ilpalazzo, who wants to take over the planet. Excel’s misadventures takes her and her partner, the ever-dying Hyatt, all over the world, meeting several strange people as they go. Everything is bizarre and goofy, as any kind of anime or entertainment genre gets mocked and spoofed.

11. Paprika

Genres: fantasy, horror, mystery, psychological, science fiction, thriller

Age rating: Teenagers (May contain bloody violence, bad language, nudity)

Plot Summary: In the near future, a revolutionary new psychotherapy treatment called PT has been invented. Through a device called the “DC Mini” it is able to act as a “dream detective” to enter into people’s dreams and explore their unconscious thoughts. Before the government can pass a bill authorizing the use of such advanced psychiatric technology, one of the prototypes is stolen, sending the research facility into an uproar. In the wrong hands, the potential misuse of the device could be devastating, allowing the user to completely annihilate a dreamer’s personality while they are asleep. Renowned scientist, Dr. Atsuko Chiba, enters the dream world under her exotic alter-ego, code name “PAPRIKA,” in an attempt to discover who is behind the plot to undermine the new invention.

12. Perfect Blue

Genres: drama, horror, mystery, psychological, thriller

Age rating: Mature (May contain sex, drugs, and extreme graphic violence)

Plot Summary: Pop idol Mima quits her group in order to pursue an acting career. But not everyone is happy especially a crazed fan that stalks her. People around her are being murdered and Mima starts to lose her sanity.

13. Phoenix 2772

Genres: adventure, drama, science fiction

Age rating: Older Children (May contain mild bad language, bloodless violence)

Plot Summary: Phoenix 2772 starts with twelve minutes without dialogue, much like a silent film, recalling the birth and education of Godo. In this brave new world, children are born in test tubes and are raised by computers and robots. Godo learns the skills that will make him into a great pilot, assisted by the robotic wonder Olga. Everything that Godo needs is provided for him until he eventually goes for training with his automaton companion. He soon realizes that the world is not what he expected…

14. Sailor Moon R (movie)

Sailor Moon R: The Movie is the first of three theatrically released Sailor Moon movies. Its full name in Japanese is Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon R The Movie (劇場版 美少女戦士セーラームーンＲ, Gekijouhan Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon R^?). The English dub is called Sailor Moon R the Movie: Promise of the Rose.

The movie opens with a young Mamoru on the roof of a hospital: he hands another small boy a rose. The little boy thanks him and says “No one has ever given me a gift before” and dissolves into thin air as he vows to bring Mamoru a flower. The movie flashes to the present day. Mamoru, Usagi, and the rest of the four “Inner” Senshi are at a botanical garden. Usagi tries to steal a kiss from Mamoru, but when he notices that they’re being spied on he walks off outside alone.

Suddenly the fountain a few feet from him mysteriously goes silent and a pink rose-petal floats past him. The sky goes dark and thousands of flower petals fall out of the sky as the girls come outside, Usagi and Chibiusa laughing and giggling. A young man about Mamoru’s age appears and the flower petals vanish. Usagi runs up to Mamoru, asking him if he saw the flower petals, but the young man interrupts her and takes Mamoru’s hand. Mamoru has no idea who the man is and Usagi is terrified of what’s occurring. She tries to remove the man’s hand from Mamoru, but the man gets angry and pushes Usagi down. He vows that no one will prevent him from keeping his promise: he shoots flower petals at the group and then vanishes in a flurry of them. While the girls question the identity of the young man, Mamoru mutters “Fiore… it can’t be.”

Later, back at Rei’s temple, the group (without Mamoru) discuss an asteroid approaching Earth and on which Luna and Artemis have discovered traces of vegetal life. The talk degenerates into gossip about Mamoru’s and Fiore’s possible relationship, while Usagi thinks about how Mamoru had told her he had no family and was alone, and how she had promised him she would be his family from now on.

Fiore sends a flower monster, Glycina, to Tokyo where it begins draining the life energy from the populace. The Guardian Senshi free the people, but suffer injuries. It emerges that Fiore is working with a Xenian flower. Fiore resumes his attack, but just as he seems about to kill Sailor Moon by impaling her on his claw-like fingernails, Tuxedo Mask jumps in front of her and takes the hit himself. Mortified, Fiore takes Mamoru’s limp body back aboard an asteroid rapidly approaching Earth and begins to revive him in a crystal filled with liquid.

Mamoru remembers a young Fiore, who had made friends with him just after his parents died. Mamoru had assumed that the boy was an imaginary friend. Fiore had had to leave Mamoru as the Earth’s atmosphere was unsuitable for him, but before they parted, Mamoru gave Fiore a rose. After that, Fiore wandered the galaxy, searching for a worthy flower for Mamoru, and found the Xenian blossom, which takes over his mind. He then returns to Earth, seeking revenge on the humans who had made Mamoru lonely.

Meanwhile the Senshi have found out that the energy from the asteroid matches the evil energy of the flower monster, and conclude that Fiore must be hiding there and keeping Mamoru prisoner. After Luna and Artemis tell them about an old legend regarding the Xenian flower and how it destroyed planets by using weak-hearted people, the Senshi teleport to the asteroid to battle Fiore and rescue Mamoru.

Hundreds of flowers cover the asteroid. Fiore confronts the Senshi and tells them of his plan to scatter flower seeds all over the planet, draining humanity’s energy. The Senshi then fight hundreds of flower-monsters. The monsters then combine into one and ensnare the Guardian Senshi; Mars tosses Moon aside before it can get her too. Fiore orders Moon to drop her weapon, the Cutie Moon Rod, and surrender, or her friends will suffer. They urge her to fight, but she drops the weapon and begins to cry. Xenian’s control over Fiore weakens with the display of emotion and the flower monsters disappear.

The Xenian then possesses Fiore’s body. Mamoru breaks free as Fiore begins to attack Moon. Fiore accuses Usagi of inability to understand his loneliness, causing the Guardian Senshi to remember their own loneliness. The Guardian Senshi tell Fiore that without Usagi, they all would have been alone, and beg him not to kill her. Fiore goes to stab Usagi, and Mamoru throws a rose and collapses. Usagi is safe. The rose embedded in Fiore’s chest blooms and causes the Xenian’s possession of Fiore to break.

Fiore feels betrayed by Mamoru and all the flowers on the asteroid vanish. However, the asteroid continues to hurtle towards Earth. Usagi wakes up, and despite her friends’ warnings uses the Ginzuishou to try to change the course of the asteroid. However, Fiore suddenly grabs Usagi’s brooch in an attempt to stop her. Usagi grabs Fiore, who is suddenly shown a vision. Fiore realizes that Usagi had given Mamoru the rose that Mamoru gave to Fiore. Fiore becomes overcome with emotion, and the Xenian is destroyed. Fiore vanishes, and Mamoru and the Guardian Senshi lend Princess Serenity their powers to sustain the Ginzuishou as the asteroid descends towards Earth. The Ginzuishou breaks, the asteroid breaks up, and Usagi dies. The girls and Mamoru cry over Usagi, but Fiore reappears and thanks Mamoru. He gives Mamoru a nectar-filled flower with Fiore’s life energy. Mamoru wets his lips with the nectar and kisses Usagi, reviving her.

I saw this movie. I don’t reccomend it anymore.

15. Sailor Moon S (movie)

Genres: adventure, drama, magic, romance

Themes: Henshin, Magical girl, Sentai

Age rating: Older Children (May contain mild bad language, bloodless violence)

Plot Summary: An unusual snow storm hits Tokyo and the Sailor Senshi discover that an evil snow queen Kaguya, wants to freeze the entire earth. It’s up to the Inner Sailor Senshi along with the Outers, to defeat the Queen. Meanwhile, Luna falls in love with a human astronomer named Kakeru whose girlfriend is an astronaut about to take a space shuttle mission. Kakeru becomes ill and Luna wishes she could be a human to help him.

16. Sailor Moon Super S (movie)

Genres: drama, magic

Themes: Aliens, Henshin, Magical Girl, Sentai

Age rating: Older Children (May contain mild bad language, bloodless violence)

Plot Summary: Everywhere around the world, the children sleep. Unaware of danger lurking in the shadows. But tonight, a strange darkness floats in the wind. And the children, one by one, begin to disappear. It seems to be a supernatural force that feeds on their dreams. The evil queen, Badiyanu, and her loyal fairies assist in using the “Black Dream Hole” to swallow the earth. It is up to Sailor Moon and the Sailor Soldiers to prevent the approaching Darkness.

17. Spirited Away

Genres: adventure, drama, fantasy, supernatural

Themes: magic, spirits

Age rating: Older Children (May contain mild bad language, bloodless violence)

Plot Summary: On their way to their new home, a young girl, Chihiro, and her parents stumble into what appears to be an abandoned theme park. But all is not as it seems, as the theme park is a bath-house for the spirits, and not a place where humans are welcome. Chihiro must fend for herself and rescue her parents, as they have been turned to pigs as punishment for eating the food meant for the gods.

18. Ranma Movie 1 Big Trouble in Nekonron, China

Genres: action, adventure, comedy

Themes: gender switch

Age rating: Teenagers (May contain bloody violence, bad language, nudity)

Plot Summary: All is well at the Tendo residence when from out of nowhere, a Chinese girl named Lychee appears, seeking revenge on Happosai for a broken promise made since her birth. Things get worse when Kirin and the Seven Lucky Gods appear and abduct Akane to take as his wife. Ranma and the gang must travel to Nekonron, China, and save Akane from getting married to Kirin.

19. Ranma Movie 2 Nihao, My Concubine

Genres: action, adventure, comedy

Themes: gender switch

Age rating: Teenagers (May contain bloody violence, bad language, nudity)

Plot Summary: Ranma and the gang are invited to a boating trip with Kuno. Unfortunately, a storm destroys the yacht and everyone is stranded on a remote island. The whole situation goes even more awry when one by one, the girls disappear without a trace. Ranma then finds out that the girls are abducted by Toma, ruler of the island, as part of his personal harem.

20. Howl’s Moving Castle

Eighteen-year-old Sophie, who runs her late father’s hat shop, encounters the mysterious wizard Howl by chance. He takes a liking to her. This attracts the attention of the Witch of the Waste, who has been seeking Howl’s heart for herself. She curses Sophie, turning her into an old woman. Unable to tell anyone about the curse, Sophie decides to look for Howl in the Wastes. Along the way, she befriends an animated scarecrow she names Turnip Head. They come across Howl’s moving castle. Once inside, Sophie meets the fire demon Calcifer who powers the castle and recognizes that Sophie has been cursed. Calcifer offers to break the curse in exchange for Sophie’s help in breaking the pact between him and Howl. When Howl appears, Sophie announces that she is the castle’s new cleaning lady. As she adjusts to life in the castle, she discovers that the front door is a magic portal leading to several places. She also learns that Howl is vain and immature, and that the Witch of the Waste’s vengeance is due to Howl’s past behaviour towards her.

Howl receives summons from the King, who orders his various assumed identities to fight in the war started by the disappearance of Crown Prince Justin. Howl refuses to fight and suspects that it is also a trap set by his mentor, the King’s Head Sorceress, Madame Suliman. Howl sends Sophie as his mother to decline. At the palace, Sophie runs into the Witch of the Waste and is told that her curse is unreversable. As Madame Suliman is against the forming of pacts between sorcerers/sorceresses and demons, she punishes the Witch by draining all of the latter’s power. Losing her (more) youthful facade, the Witch returns to her true age, and becomes a seemingly senile old woman. Suliman tells Sophie that Howl will meet the same fate if he does not contribute to the war. As she is telling Madame Suliman that Howl is not really cowardly, but rather honest and kind, Sophie briefly reverts to her youthful self. She turns back into a old woman when Madame Suliman responds. Howl then arrives to rescue Sophie, with the Witch and Suliman’s asthmatic lapdog Heen tagging along. He gives Sophie a magical ring that would guide her to whomever she thinks about. Suliman, knowing Sophie’s true identity, begins tracking her to get to Howl.

Sophie learns through Calcifer and dreams that Howl transforms into a bird- or demon-like creature to escape pursuers and interfere in the war, but each transformation leaves it more difficult for him to return to human form. Sophie’s love and care for Howl and the others at the castle have gradually pushed her closer to her true age, and she now looks younger and is no longer hunched. Howl shows his appreciation for her by transforming the castle so that it becomes neater, more pleasant, and can lead to Sophie’s old room.

Sophie’s still young and beautiful mother, Honey, visits one day, feigning affection and cheer. She is actually under Suliman’s threats, and the former Witch of the Waste discovers the spying “bug” Honey leaves behind. Before the bug is destroyed, it alerts Suliman to their location, and she sends troops to capture Howl. Howl transforms and draws the guards away, while Sophie and Calcifer bring the castle to the Wastes though Calcifer’s power is rapidly fading. The Witch of the Waste sees Howl’s heart in Calcifer’s diminishing flames, and grabs it. To save her from burning, Sophie douses her with water. Calcifer is reduced to a small, blue flame, and is no longer able to control the castle. The castle breaks apart, and Sophie and Heen are thrown over a cliff.

Sophie recovers in tears, believing that she has killed both Calcifer and Howl, as their lives are interconnected. As Howl’s ring crumbles, she asks to be guided to Howl. It points to the remains of Howl’s castle door; she walks through it. She finds herself in Howl’s favourite childhood spot, and soon discovers that she is in Howl’s past. She sees Calcifer being caught by Howl as a falling star. To save Calcifer’s life, Howl gives his heart to him and thus loses the ability to love. Before being returned to the present, Sophie shouts for attention, and asks him to wait for her in the future.

Back in the present, Sophie finds Howl and realizes that he has been waiting for her all along. He carries her to the others and then collapses. She takes Howl’s heart from the Witch and puts it back in his chest, breaking the bond between Howl and Calcifer. Calcifer returns to his original form and flies away. The remains of the castle, no longer powered, slide down the cliffs. Turnip Head stops the fall and saves everyone, but is damaged. Sophie gives him a kiss, and he transforms (back) into the missing Prince Justin. The Prince thanks Sophie for breaking the curse as his true love, but Sophie then kisses Howl, her true love. By now, she has all but transformed back to her youthful self but in hair colour, which is left gray. Prince Justin leaves to put an end to the war. Madame Suliman, who has been watching through Heen’s eyes, orders her subjects to cease fire. Later, Howl, Sophie, and the others are seen aboard a new flying castle powered by Calcifer of his free will. Howl and Sophie embrace and kiss.

I have watched a lot of Korean Movies myself, like

(List organized from the best to the worst)

I give these a 4 on 5 rating, the four best Korean movies I have seen so far.

My Tutor Friend

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My Tutor Friend (동갑내기 과외하기 – Donggabnaegi gwawoehagi) is a 2003 South Korean film released on January 30, 2003. It is about a touching story of two completely different students from two completely different worlds. One is a rich male repeating his third year of high school and the other a poor girl in her second year of university struggling to make ends meet.

My Little Bride

Boeun (Moon Geun Young) is an ordinary high school girl who worries about grades and has a crush on her school’s baseball team ace, Jungwoo. One day, Boeun’s grandfather orders her to marry Sangmin (Kim Rae Won) because of a pact he made with Sangmin’s grandfather during the Korean War. Despite the grandchildren’s opposition, they are forced to marry because of Boeun’s grandfather’s strong influence. Boeun’s undercover married life begins: She pretends that she doesn’t have a husband and starts dating Jungwoo. Boeun believes that she can manage both men and live a double life. Everything goes smoothly until Sangmin visits Boeun’s school as a student teacher.

100 days with Mr. Arrogant

100 Days with Mr. Arrogant (aka My Love Sagaji) is a 2004 South Korean romantic comedy film.

After dumping her boyfriend just before their 100 day anniversary, Ha-Young (Ha Ji-Won) meets a college guy named Hyung-Joon when she accidentally kicks a can that hits him in the face and causes him to scratch his Lexus. He demands she pay him $3000 on the spot. She escapes from him, leaving her wallet behind.

Hyung-Joon stalks her, demanding money to pay for his car. Since she is a poor high school student Hyung-Joon writes up a “Enslavement Agreement” for Ha-Young in order to pay for the damage to his car. Ha-Young is thrown into a nightmarish slave life for 100 days, cleaning his house, running his errands, doing his homework and cleaning his car.

By accident she finds out that the damage to Hyung-Joon’s car only costs $10! She then takes her revenge. However, before she knows it Hyung-Joon shows up at her house as her new tutor! He once again takes advantage of her, but soon Ha-Young finds herself falling head over heels for Hyung-Joon. But what happens when he drops out of her life just when she needs him most?

The original Korean title can be literally translated as “my love, the asshole,” or, more roughly, as “my love, the no-manners”.

He was Cool

The film is based on a novel written by Guiyeoni. The story is about a cheerful high school student named Han Ye Won (Jung Da Bin). She is a sweet, clumsy and warm girl. On the other side there is Ji Eun Sung (Song Seung Hun), a student from vocational school and well-known as a bully. He is hot- tempered and rude but deep inside he is longing to be loved.

One day, clumsily, Ye-Won leaves a message on the school website to reply to Ji Eun Sung’s impolite message. She is shocked when someone calls her mobile and threatens her. Gradually, her best friend, Lee Kyung Won, tells her who Ji Eun Sung is. Ji Eun Sung sends Han Ye-Won a message on her mobile: he will wait for her in front of the main gate. She is so scared that she and Lee Kyung Won decide to jump over the school wall. Unfortunately, the moment Ye-Won jumps, Ji Eun Sung is standing exactly at the other side of wall. She falls on him and accidentally their lips meet. Raising his voice, Eun Sung asks for her to take responsibility; she is astonished. His friend explains that Eun Sung has never even held hands with a girl. Since she is the first girl who kissed him, as a consequence she must marry him.

The story continues very fast, at the beginning Ye-won does not have any feelings for Eun Sung, she even rejects his invitation to come to his birthday party. Unknowingly, Eun Sung has fallen in love with her; but he is not the kind of guy who knows how to express his inner feelings. He is jealous when Ye-Won is approached by other guys but he does not know how to be with someone he loves.

Although he is rude and bad-tempered, Eun Sung always pardons Ye-Won’s faults and clumsiness. One thing he couldn’t bear was when he found out that Ye-Won went out with Kim Han Sung, his senior and the one he hates a lot. The broken-hearted Ji-Eun Sung decides to leave Korea following his mother to the USA.

A year later Ye-Won is seen with Kim Han Sung discussing her if she is scared for her SATs. It seems to be that they are in a relationship at this point. During her SAT, the hearing portion of the exam brings up a quote from Romeo and Juliet bring Ye-Won back to the memory of her and Eun Sung in the park in front of the telephone booth where no matter what they would re-unite at the first snowfall. At this point Ye-Won stops what she is doing and runs to the park. She waits there as the scene rolls back to her fantasy she had a year ago and she starts to cry as Eun Sung is not there. As she turns around a rabbit is hopping towards her, the same rabbit she gave to Eun Sung. She looks up and Eun Sung is there she yells at him “Why did you leave without saying goodbye?” He does not answer. “Why?” Eun Sung’s reply “True love requires no words”

The film ends with Eun Sung’s childhood memory of some opening event of elementary school where the only kid that would kiss Eun Sung was Ye-Won. An interesting aspect to this is that earlier on in the film, Ye-won uses Eun Sung’s cell phone to make a mini-video of her bedroom. There she captures footage of an old photo from when she was little, showing her and a friend. It turns out that this friend is actually little Eun Sung, hinting at the connection between the two. When Eun Sung watches the video on his cell towards the end of the film, he is surprised to see himself and remembers that Ye-Won was THAT little girl.

Seen recently….3.5 ratings

Too Beautiful to Lie

More made-to-order romantic comedy from the Korean Cinema mill. Starring popular star Kim Ha-Neul (Ditto, My Tutor Friend), Too Beautiful to Lie is a textbook example of manufactured romantic comedy. Kim is Joo Young-Joo, a sickeningly lovable ex-con who accidentally comes into possession of a family heirloom engagement ring soon after her parole. She lifted it from the actual thief, but was unable to return it to rightful owner Choi Hee-Chul (Kang Dong-Won). She instead journeys to his rural hometown and tries to return it to his family, but thanks to a variety of misunderstandings, miscommunications, and general silliness, his family comes to believe that she’s his fiancee. Even worse, the story becomes that he knocked her up, and wants her to have an abortion. When Hee-Chul arrives with his real girlfriend following shortly thereafter, sparks of epic proportions are guaranteed to fly.

Most of the success attributed to Too Beautiful to Lie can probably be handed to star Kim Ha-Neul, who’s effective as a wacky romantic comedy lead. Young-Joo is as manufactured as romantic comedy heroines come. Despite the fact that she’s an ex-con, Young-Joo has a heart of gold, and honestly wants to stop her major vice: lying. However, circumstances prevent her from doing so right away, and even when Hee-Chul does show up, his abusive attitude towards her makes her continue lying just to show him what a heel he’s being. Kim handles the role with lots of overdone wacky mugging, but she’s a likable lead who can convincingly pull off this sort of cookie-cutter comedy. Kang Dong-Won complements her suitably, though his job is mainly to overact and get beaten up from time to time. You can clearly see that nobody was aiming for awards with this film.

If Too Beautiful to Lie were an American film, it would likely star Sandra Bullock or Julia Roberts – well, the nineties versions anyway. Exaggerated situations snowball out of control, misdirection abounds from start to finish, and the film even resorts to hackneyed devices like a multiple-town pageant (for the local “Pepper Boy”) to bring all the characters together. Duh, everyone grows to love Young-Joo, such that even when her duplicity does get revealed, they can’t help but love her anyway. The same goes for Hee-Chul, who realizes she’s a much better girl than his current materialistic squeeze. Also, Young-Joo realizes that she actually likes Hee-Chul. It’s just like every other romantic comedy ever made.

Yep, the above sounds like I’ve spoiled the movie, but I really haven’t. If you don’t know from the minute you start watching Too Beautiful to Lie that the above will happen, then I envy you. You’ve probably only seen one movie, or are so incredibly naive and innocent that you think professional wrestling isn’t scripted. This is frightfully average stuff that’s as predictable as death and taxes. Any and all amusement is gleamed in the film’s journey, which is sometimes effectively entertaining. Again, however, it’s exactly what you expect, so those looking for something “special” should keep looking. Those who like Kim Ha-Neul, cookie-cutter Korean comedy, or simply manufactured romance with cute people will probably find this a worthwhile time. I’m probably going too easy on this film, but that’s okay. Too Beautiful to Lie is really not a big deal, and as such I’m treating it nicely. Completely dissecting and evaluating this film like a serious film critic would be akin to using a shotgun to kill a fly. (Kozo 2004)

My View: The beginning was really nice and funny, but in the end when the two fall in love, there is no sense of love and romance, that really feel flat according to me. The first part is brilliant, though, it will have you laughing your head off…

Almost love

Ji-hwan and Dal-rae are old friends and they have grown up in the same neighborhood. Ji-hwan admires Hong Kong movie star “Jacky Chan” and wants to be a world action star. Dal-rae has a desire to be an actress. They always bear grudges against each other with their private weak parts, and they quarrel everyday, however they are great friends who care for each other.
One day, Dal-rae goes out with Young-hoon who is in the same Taekwondo group as Ji-hwan. Young-hoon is a student representative of the department as well as an all-round athlete. Ji-hwan is also dating a girl, Ji-min, a gorgeous glamour girl who has a well-shaped figure.
It seems that there would be no problem between the good friends Ji-hwan and Dal-rae, but somehow a strange atmosphere arises after they start seeing someone else. Everybody knows it is more than just a friendship, except Ji-hwan and Dal-rae.

My View:

I disagree that this is really a Romantic Comedy as such. The two never really reveal their feelings for each other. The movie is great and fast paced, but falls short somewhere in the middle, and then continues to get depressing, and after the ‘tragedy’, completely  loses it charm, except for the way Ji-hwan drags himself up…that was pretty inspiring. All in all, there is no real romance in the movie, and it could be a comedy, which slowly goes downhill from then on. It seems to me that Korean movies always start out great…there is humour and fun, jokes and surprises, but then, after the interval, when everyone is hooked, they see no reason to improve the movie, as they know they have attracted enough attention. The overall effect….you know you liked the film, but don’t remember why exactly, and they are therefore very forgettable.

These were okay, worth a watch if you have nothing to do… 3 on 5.

• Innocent Steps
• 200 Pounds of Beauty
• My Boyfriend is Blood Type B

These should be watched if there is nothing to watch and only these are available. I still don’t get all the hype about ‘My Sassy Girl’ I thought it was a terrible movie, and the guy is so ugly and a complete wuss.

• My Scary Girl
• My Sassy Girl
• My Wife is a Gangster

Don’t watch these movies. Ever. ‘Romance of Their Own’ seems okay, except i don’t remember it at all. ‘Bungee Jumping of Their Own’ is anout two lovers, who are later student and teacher (both guys) and how they fall in love again. ‘Acacia’ and ‘Old Boy’ are the most horrifying and disturbing movies i have ever seen. Watch Barney the Dinosaur hump the floor rather than this.

• Romance of Their Own
• Bungee Jumping of Their Own
• Acacia
• Old Boy

…but hope to watch…

Windstruck

The film stars Jun Ji-hyun as Officer Kyung-jin Yeo, an ambitious young female police officer serving on the Seoul police department. One day while chasing a purse snatcher, she accidentally captures Myung-woo Go (played by Jang Hyuk), a physics teacher at an all-girls school, who was actually trying to catch the thief. Later, Myung-woo discovers the stolen purse, but just as he picks it up, Kyung-jin spots him and tries to arrest him again. Kyung-jin is then given the job of escorting Myung-woo through a dangerous district, only to be distracted when she tries to break up a meeting between Russian Mafia and Korean gangsters. With Myung-woo handcuffed to her, Kyung-jin almost single-handedly brings down the two rival gangs (although she is helped when she accidentally causes the groups to start shooting at each other).

The first half of the film, told from Myung-woo’s point of view, details the couple’s growing attraction and love for each other, which climaxes with a trip to the countryside where Myung-woo tells Kyung-jin that if he were ever to die, he wanted to come back to earth as the wind. Soon after, he is almost killed in a freak automobile accident, but Kyung-jin saves his life.

The film takes a turn into the fantasy genre in its second half after Myung-woo is accidentally shot and killed by another officer (although the situation is such that Kyung-jin thinks that it was her shot that killed him) as Kyung-jin chases after a criminal. Kyung-jin falls into a suicidal depression over his death and attempts to kill herself several times, almost succeeding when she throws herself off a building, only to be saved when a giant balloon floats under her. Soon after, she experiences visitations from Myung-woo, who appears as the wind, sending her messages and, at one point, he even appears in her dreams in order to give her the will to live after she is nearly shot to death by a criminal.

Ultimately the film follows a similar path set out by the American film Ghost with Myung-woo and Kyung-jin communicating and sharing one final gesture of love before he moves on to the afterlife. Myung-woo said that he will whisper, when she hears him whisper in the wind, she will meet someone with a soul like him. Myung-woo told Kyung-jin that he will always be beside her inside a book with a photo left by Myung-woo in the restaurant before he rushed to meet Kyung-jin who was chasing the insane criminal.

In the first half of the film, Myung-woo told that his only memory of high school was his high school trip. The book and the photo is found and returned to Kyung-jin in the police station. The photo showed that on Myung-woo’s trip, Kyung-jin was nearby. This proved Myung-woo’s “I’m always beside you” was true to Kyung-jin. Kyung-jin rushed out to locate the finder of the book, ultimately ending up in the train station, where she is saved by Cha Tae-Hyun (credited as The Guy). Myung-woo whispered that The Guy is the one with the soul like him. Kyung-jin whispers that “he is always beside her.”

Ii Mare

Il Mare (Hangul: 시월애; RR: Siworae) is a 2000 South Korean film, starring Jun Ji-hyun and Lee Jung-jae. The title, Il Mare, means ‘The Sea’ in Italian, and is the name of the seaside house which is the setting of the story. The Korean title, siworae is the Korean pronunciation of Hanja “時越愛,” meaning “time-transcending love.” The two protagonists both live there two years apart in time, but are able to communicate through a mysterious post box.

The film was remade by Warner Brothers starring Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves and released in 2006 as The Lake House, which was co-produced by Sonny Mallhi and Chris Krapek.

Ditto

Reminiscent of the film FREQUENCY, DITTO follows high-school students So-eun (Kim Ha-neul) and In (Yoo Ji-tae) as they realize that they can never be together. So-eun, living in 1979 South Korea, begins making transmissions on a ham radio and contacts In, who unbeknownst to her lives in the year 2000. The two find that they attend the same high school, and still not aware of the time warp, strike up friendship and a romance. In addition to the timeless love story, this film is significant in its exploration of cultural identity and politics.

My Boss, My hero

Sakaki Makio, also known as “Tornado” is a tough 27-year-old high school drop-out. By academic standards, he’s pretty dumb. His father decides to force Makio to return to high school to receive his diploma and he asks an old friend who happens to be the principal of a nearby school to admit Makio. If Makio doesn’t graduate, the position of boss will be given to his younger brother, Mikio.
Furthermore, he must pose as a 17-year-old during school hours and in the presence of any classmates or teachers outside of school. If his cover is blown, it would be the end of his high school career as well as his hopes to become boss. Things start out rough and tough as Makio’s violent temper is tested. As the lessons and days go by he learns there is much more to school than just tests and studying.

[edit]

Untold Scandal

Chosun’s most infamous Casanova, irresistible temptress and virtuous widow entangled in provocative and dangerous liaisons

The end of the Chosun dynasty-a period when rigid Confucianism clashed with encroaching new beliefs.

Lady Cho is a brilliant woman who mastered the classics on her own, and she resents the limited life she must lead as a woman. A devoted wife on the surface, she secretly entertains herself with sexual conquests.

On the other hand, her younger cousin Jo-won is accomplished both as a scholar and in martial arts, but rejects a high government post as if he disdains the hierarchical and patriarchal conventions of the time. He indulges in the pleasures of the flesh with as many women as he can seduce. Lady Cho was his first love, and they become co-conspirators in a high-stakes game of love and intrigue while hiding their true feelings for each other.

One day, Lady Cho asks Jo-won to deflower the innocent young Soh-ok, who is to become her husband’s concubine, but his attentions are elsewhere: Lady Sook. Graceful and aloof, Lady Sook lives according to her convictions as a Catholic. Jo-won becomes obsessed with seducing her, a woman who has remained chaste for nine years since her husband’s death. However, it proves to be more difficult than he expected when Chosun’s greatest playboy sets out to conquer the most virtuous woman in the land…

My girl and I

It may not be fair to measure a remake against its predecessor – it either works on its own or it doesn’t – but comparisons are inevitable, especially when there’s already been an original novel, a 2004 feature film, and a subsequent J-drama adaptation. Clearly, this is an oft-told tale that has garnered varying amounts of success in each of its incarnations. So what do the Koreans have to add?
Those unfamiliar with Crying Out Love in the Center of the World’s plot will no doubt still recognize a familiar formula at work in My Girl and I, a tale of young love with an oh-so-tragic end in sight. My Sassy Girl’s Cha Tae-Hyun plays Su-Ho, a likable high school student, who finds himself the object of affection of Su-Eun, a beautiful classmate who, unbeknownst to him, saves him from drowning in the sea. The film is comical and cute in the early going, as the two youngsters fall for each other, utilizing pagers in order to keep in contact with one another when they’re apart. Romance blooms when the two take a trip to an island, but just as happiness seems to be within their grasp, the first inklings of tragedy take hold of them, propelling the events of the film’s heavier second half.
As far as melodramas go, My Girl and I is one of the better ones. Its characters are intensely likeable, its plotline is readily accessible, and its serious turn never feels cheap or overly manipulative. Still, this Korean revamp never really equals the emotional heft of its Japanese predecessor. As far as fidelity to its source is concerned, My Girl and I proves more or less faithful. While the grandfather’s storyline is retained, certain subplots, motivations, and locations are excised in favor of a more straightforward storyline. Some scenes in the film appear nearly identical to the Japanese version in terms of shot selection and locations, while others are remarkably different and innovative. Whatever its predecessor’s strengths may be, My Girl and I comes across as a less protracted affair, which in many ways works to the remake’s benefit.
One thing the remake gets right is an added, suitably Korean sense of humor that it happily shows off during the film’s winning first half. One example of the movie’s funny bone comes with the addition of a younger sister for the film’s hero, a woman who also happens to be on the lookout for romance and ends up in a love connection that is likely to get one of the biggest laughs in the film. The movie also succeeds in developing Su-Ho’s circle of friends, making the initial stages of My Girl and I play like an amusing high school comedy, although more naturalistic than most “wacky” Korean jokefests. The emphasis on comedy extends to the leads as well, a move that not only endears the characters to the audience, but also makes the budding relationship feel all the more real. The two leads are “stars,” but thankfully, they have ample chemistry so it never feels as if the only reason we’re supposed to root for them is because the script says so.
Still, both actors are playing below their actual ages, which in many ways ruins the verisimilitude of the story. Still, the twenty-nine year old Cha Tae-Hyun does a fine job as the film’s likable everyman protagonist, both as a youth and a grown man. While his character is an oddball of sorts, Cha turns out to be a far more accessible protagonist than Saku, the lead in Crying Out Love in the Center of the World. And in her debut film role, the gorgeous Song Hye-Kyo performs well, although she lacks the youthful exuberance of Masami Nagasawa from the original. Even worse, the film’s undeniably Korean glossiness, while certainly attractive from a purely visual perspective, subtracts considerably from the serious issues at play in the film.
Perhaps in a misguided effort to be original, My Girl and I alters a crucial plot device used in the original film. Instead of exchanging tape recorded messages and sharing them via Walkmans, the conceit here is that the two are trading beeper messages. Although both convey the same practical purpose, the cassette tapes had added importance because the older Saku discovered them in the present day and listened to them, causing his past love to re-enter his life once more, which allowed the man’s past and present to interact in beautifully complicated ways. Here, the journey of discovery lacks the immediacy and complexity of the Japanese original.
Still, the involving romance, the laugh-out loud humor, and the charming performances from its two leads are affecting enough to make My Girl and I a solid piece of commercial entertainment. It may well pale in comparison to Crying Out Love in the Center of the World in the gut-wrenching melodrama department, but when you compare it to some of the manipulative trash that comes out of Korea nowadays, this is one terminal illness tearjerker that’s leaps and bounds above a number of its peers. (Sanjuro 2006)

Old miss diary

“Old Miss Diary: The Movie” sees the graduation of a popular Korean sitcom to the big screen, a risky move which often sees concepts that worked well in small doses flounder when played out at feature length. Thankfully, that proves not to be the case here, mainly since the film features not only the same characters as the television series, but also the same writers and directors, all of whom help to recapture the same offbeat mixture of humour and romance which won over fans in the first place.

The plot revolves around Mi Ja (actress Ye Ji Won, recently in “So Cute”), a down on her luck thirty-something woman whose life is going nowhere fast, and who seems doomed to live out her days as a lonely old maid. Things start to look up when she finally manages to land some work as a voice-dubbing actress, which brings her back into contact not only with a former crush, but a possible longshot love prospect in the form of handsome young producer Ji Hyun Woo (Ji Hyun Woo, also in the television series “Over the Rainbow”). This makes for all manner of complications, as does the odd behaviour of her three grandmothers, who seem to be making a late bid for romance themselves.

“Old Miss Diary” is pretty different for a Korean romantic comedy, mainly due to the fact that instead of a dizzy youngster who looks like she has just stepped out of a cosmetics advert in the lead, it also features a thirty-two year old woman who is unemployed, lives with her grandparents, and who is introduced to viewers via depictions of some less than savoury personal habits, including the plucking of underarm hair to pass time and projectile vomiting in the street after drinking too much. Although such behaviour may not sound particularly ladylike, Mi Ja is a far more believable and human character than those that usually populates such films, and it is precisely the gambit of her not being a two dimensional beauty queen which interests the viewer and makes her an appealing underdog figure who it is hard not to root for.

The film’s romantic elements are handled with a surprising subtlety and realism, with the road to love being a long and rocky one, peppered with painful mishaps, most of which stem from Mi Ja’s all too believable insecurities rather than comical misunderstandings. It certainly helps that beneath his mock-cool exterior, Ji Hyun is quite blatantly a social misfit in his own right, and though the viewer never learns much about him beyond a few hints of his inner turmoil, the two do seem to be a good match, and their relationship develops in a convincing fashion. It goes without saying that the film takes the inevitable dive into melodrama towards the end, with some tragedy and shock revelations thrown in for good measure, though there are at least mercifully few tears or cheap tugs at the heartstrings.

The film’s greatest strength is that it is consistently funny throughout, and is so without undermining the central story or degenerating into nonsense. The jokes are a good mix, from the neurotic meandering of Mi Ja’s voiceover and her tendency to drift into weird visions, to a healthy amount of broad physical slapstick, most of which involves her falling over or generally making an ass of herself. There are a number of amusing film references, from the opening scene which parodies the recent Korean blockbuster “Welcome to Dongmakgol”, to the Asian horror gags resulting from Mi Ja’s work dubbing what seems to be a “Ringu” knock-off, providing the voice for a familiar looking ghost called ‘Sadako’.

Director Kim Seok Yoon keeps the film appropriately lively, with plenty of imaginative visual touches usually related to Mi Ja’s flights of fantasy and the wacky behaviour of the old folks. The proceedings move along at a pleasingly energetic pace, never dwelling too much on the more downbeat aspects of the story or pausing for unnecessary reflection. The film does betray its sitcom origins in that the plot is episodic, especially in terms of scenes featuring the grandmothers. Though amusing and interesting in their own right, as well as providing some surprisingly thoughtful ruminations on life and aging, these sequences are for the most part unconnected to the main narrative, and at times feel rather scattershot. Still, this is by no means a bad thing, as it does make for a bit of eccentricity and variety, and helps to further differentiate the film from others in the genre.

It is this kind of quirkiness which makes “Old Miss Diary” a genuine pleasure to watch, and which means that it is likely to be enjoyed even by viewers who are not fans of the form. With likeable characters, a strong story and a certain level of emotional depth, if perhaps not complexity, it offers a welcome change of pace for anyone exasperated by the fact that most Korean romantic comedies seem to revolve around fresh faced delinquents or hyperactive high school girls.

Love Phobia

On a sunny day, a boy named Jo-kang meets Ari, a girl in a yellow raincoat, and they become friends. Jo-kang falls helplessly in love with the quirky but attractive Ari, but one day, she suddenly disappears. Ten years pass and Jo-kang, now a high school student, gets a call from Ari and meets her again in a temple. Although they have not seen each other for ten years, they have such a great time together. Then, Ari disappears again. Jo-kang is devastated. Why has she disappeared again? What will become of them?

She´s on duty

Chun Jae-in, an orphan-turned-police detective, is assigned a job to go undercover in a high school to befriend Seung-hee, the daughter of notorious gangster Cha Young-jae, and protect her from any of her father’s enemies who may want to use her as bait to get Cha Young-jae to do what they want, as well as get information about her father’s work from her. At first, Jae-in is very reluctant to accept the job; however, her uncle, also a detective, pushes her at the last minute to take it. Jae-in is considered a loser when she first steps into her class, and the gang girls confront her afterward and challenge her to a fight at the backyard of the school. Jae-in, being a policewoman, easily beats them up. This earns her some sort of respect, although what Jae-in really wants is Seung-hee’s friendship. She eventually gets this with the help of Kang No-young, a handsome classmate and next-door neighbor who she starts to like; however, Jae-in thinks her crush is wrong because of their age difference.

Meanwhile, a new teacher arrives at their school. Jae-in later is informed that he is also an undercover agent, working on her side. She becomes slightly suspicious of him and vaguely recognizes his face.

One day after school, Jae-in and other policemen spot Cha Young-jae outside an airport; they rush to catch him, but his rivals are also on the chase. They meet up in the parking lot, where Cha Young-jae is trapped. Suddenly a mysterious motorcycle rider speeds into the middle of the group and his motorcycle produces white smoke, therefore allowing Cha Young-jae to get away. Jae-in and other police go after the motorcycle driver, since Cha Young-jae has already gotten away. The undercover teacher also happens to be at the event and shoots at the motorcycle driver, but the driver gets away. Jae-in rushes after him, but the undercover teacher puts a gun to her head. She assumes it is not serious and runs after the driver, but all she finds is a watch strangely identical to that of No-young’s. When she gets home, she knocks at No-young’s door and confronts him about his watch. No-young shrugs it off and is playful; however, once he gets inside his apartment, he takes off his shirt, revealing a bullet wound to the camera. Jae-in does not know of this, but she suspects that No-young is also undercover as a spy.

Jae-in increasingly becomes more suspicious of No-young, although she is still head-over-heels about him. One day she challenges him to a taekwondo match during a physical education class at school. During the match, they vocally argue, although none of their classmates or the teacher seems to notice; by the end of the match, they both know of each other’s real position as undercover agents. Jae-in thereafter confesses to Seung-hee that she is not really a schoolgirl, which in turn gets Seung-hee very upset.

Jae-in then receives news: her beloved uncle has been stabbed by an unknown person. She sobs, overcome with grief at the loss of her only family. The camera then shows her with Seung-hee in a car with a fellow policeman. The policeman betrays Jae-in and Seung-hee and leads them to the site where Cha Young-jae has been captured and is meeting with a rival gang leader. No-young arrives, and Jae-in teams up with him to fight off everyone. Jae-in goes to capture the rival gang leader; however, as she is handcuffing him, a gun is put to her head. She turns to see the undercover teacher, who was supposed to be on her side. He reveals to her that he was the one who stabbed her uncle, and she becomes overcome with rage. Meanwhile, No-young is wounded and running out of energy; as an undercover spy, he cannot reveal himself, for he would get caught. He slips away quietly as Jae-in punches the undercover teacher again and again. A police officer finally handcuffs the undercover teacher and leads him away. Cha Young-jae is sent off to an emergency room in an ambulance with Seung-hee, and Jae-in receives news that her uncle will get better.

The movie then cuts to a scene where Jae-in is undercover once again. It has been some time since the Cha Young-jae case, although the movie does not specifically say how long. This time, Jae-in is undercover as a singing nun. She bolts after a criminal down alleys and streets; finally, when she catches up with the criminal, she realizes he has already been knocked out by someone. She looks around and discovers No-young. She starts to punch him, but he blocks it. They reconcile and kiss.

Sexy Teacher

Beautiful, sexy Ji-young is placed at an all boys’ high school as student-teacher. Teenage boys in puberty think of her as a sex goddess and fantasize about her. Then from one of the classrooms, Dean of Students sees a silhouette of a couple embracing and hears a woman moaning. He goes to the classroom only to discover a pair of red stilettos. He suspects Ji-young and is resolved to protect the boys from her sexual charms.
Trace of Love

A touring program producer Min-joo, takes notes in her journal whenever and wherever she travels, so one day she can show all those amazing places to her longtime lover Hyun-woo. Finally Hyun-woo passes the bar exam and proposes to Min-joo. However, not long after, Min-joo dies when the department store where she was waiting for Hyun-woo collapses. Hyun-woo becomes a prosecutor, but when he digs too deeply in a sensitive political case, he ends up in detention. While in detention (five years after Min-joo’s death), Min-joo’s parents send him Min-joo’s journal, which gives him a road to trace all the memories of his lost lover.

A perfect match

Hyo Jin is a marriage consultant. She organises dates between people too busy to socialise and find their own `Perfect Match`. It is a job she gains much satisfaction from and one she is good at. Her advice and her own personal life are not synchronous however – she has an unseen boyfriend whose presence is only expressed by a photo on her desk at work and spends most nights with friends on their own search for love.

Mr handy

If you’ve seen your share of South Korean comedies in the last few years, you might be wondering if the industry has stopped making adult comedies altogether. With the likes of “Sex is Zero” and “Slave Love” seemingly dominating the marketplace, one might get the impression that the Korean movie industry no longer cares about making Romantic Comedies for adults. Thankfully Seok-beom Kang’s “Mr. Handy” (aka “Mr. Hong”) is here to set the record straight. Yes, Virginia, South Korea still produces RomComs for adults; and Yes, they really are better than the likes of “Slave” and “Zero” by a long shot.

“Mr. Handy” stars Jeong-hwa Eom (”Crazy Marriage”) as Hye-jin, a fiercely independent 30-year old dentist whose life changes when she hands in her resignation paper and, much to her surprise, it’s accepted. Now out of a job, Hye-jin finds that starting her own practice in a big city like Seoul is out of the question, as well as beyond her bank account. After a night of aimless driving, Hye-jin ends up in a small rural town that promises a new start — but more importantly, the rent space is cheap.

As she tries to acclimate to small-town life, Hye-jin comes into repeated contact with Du-shik, aka Mr. Hong (Ju-seok Kim). As the town’s unofficial “representative”, Hong’s duty includes every job that needs doing. In return, he receives a small pay, but as Hong tells another character, accepting money from the townspeople helps them to easier accept his help. It’s this symbiotic relationship between Hong and the town that Hye-jin just can’t understand, especially since Hong is always in her face, prodding her to become a better citizen and person.

Since “Mr. Handy” is a Romantic Comedy, Hong and Hye-jin falling in love is as inevitable as death and taxes. But thankfully co-writer/director Seok-beom Kang has seen plenty of RomComs himself, and apparently dislikes their predictability almost as much as this reviewer. As a result, not very much of “Mr. Handy”, besides the inevitable “falling in love” part, is predictable. After Hong and Hye-jin spends a (sexless) night together, Hye-jin begins to develop feelings for the man-with-no-prospects, who shockingly don’t seem especially interested in courting a dentist.

It’s that kind of unpredictability that makes “Mr. Handy” a pleasure to watch. It’s an entertaining movie from beginning to end, with a cast of likeable characters. Even Hye-jin’s friend Mi-sun (Ka-Yeong Kim), essentially the film’s Designated Comic Relief, doesn’t wear out her welcome. Later on, the film takes some liberties, giving anyone familiar with Korean films and Korea a helping of inside gags. “Shiri” makes a cameo, as well as a certain midget dictator of a certain northern country. Even George Bush Sr. shows up briefly. All of this, while obviously outrageous, is nevertheless hilarious.

While the film explores every facet of Hye-jin’s personality, Hong remains a mystery throughout much of the film. One of the film’s conceit is that Hong can do just about anything, from something as simple as filling in as a cashier, to something as artistic as playing guitar and singing, and even something as skilled as fixing electronics. When gangsters threaten Hye-jin’s burgeoning practice, Hong shows his physical prowess and wipes the streets with them. How did he become so proficient at these things? The movie never explains, and that’s part of its charm.

But if the film shortchanges us on its renaissance man, it more than makes up in laughs. “Mr. Handy” is a very funny film, with much of the comedy coming in the form of excellent performances by the two leads and out-of-the-blue situations such as Hye-jin getting groped in a grocery store, or getting back ended by a bad driver. The Hye-jin character is very well realized. She’s a woman who bucks the system at every corner, but is still vulnerable to her unwed status at age 30. Most of the time her personality gets her into trouble because she refuses to accept the status quo.

“Mr. Handy” is funny, affable, and visually impressive. The cinematography by Jun-yeong Jang (”Afrika”) is breathtaking, especially when the camera lingers on the ocean or at a delicate sunset. The beautiful Jeong-hwa Eom is a revelation, lighting up the screen with natural charisma and great comedic timing. Thankfully the film realizes it has a major talent on its hands, because the camera captures every smile and expressive look by Eom. Newcomer Ju-seok Kim, as Hye-jin’s persistent foil, succeeds in the role without ever resorting to silliness.

For anyone tired of the crop of raunchy teen comedies that have sprung out of Korea like a bad rash, “Mr. Handy” is a perfect change of pace. You won’t find a better, funnier, and more romantic comedy coming out of Korea at the moment.

Love me not

Julian has lived off with the money he lures from his rich female customers. But now he faces usurious debts from a hasty expansion of his business, and he will be killed unless he clears the debt in one month. The only way to save himself is to pretend to be the long-lost brother of an heiress and kill her to get her huge fortune. Min, the blind heiress, cold-hearted like Julian, slowly opens herself to him, and he, too, falls for her. But Julian has to pay his creditor and what makes it worse for him is that the illness that took Min’s eyesight relapsed, threatening her life. This story takes a terrible turn when Julian becomes guilty, and pained with guilt. The tearjerker moments of the ironic betrayel and innocent love will make your heart turn.

Delightful girl chun hyang

Sassy Girl, Choon-hyang” is the 2005 interpretation of the “Legend of Choon-hyang”. The story begins when Lee Mong-ryong is transferred from Seoul to a high school in Namwon, North Jeolla Province. Chun-hyang does her best to help Mong-ryong, her first love and the son of the Namwon Police Station chief, to enter a prestigious university. However, after meeting with Mong-ryong’s first love, Chae-rin, Mong-ryong’s love toward Chun-hyang is shattered, although Chun-hyang’s love remains unwavering.

One day, Byeon Hak-do, CEO of a famous entertainment company, appears in her life. He exudes confidence that he can make any woman fall for him. But as Chun-hyang shows no interest in him, his self-esteem is damaged profoundly. Byeon Hak-do is determined to make her love him.

Miracle on 1st street

Miracle on 1st Street is a Korean Drama comedy about gangsters who trying to scare people to move out from their property so the can clear out the area to make way for corporate construction. Pil Je (Lim Chang Jung, Sex is Zero) is a gangster who tries to scare people in the neighborhood. But Myeong Ran (Ha Ji Won, Hwang Jin Yi) isn’t scare with Pil Je. She fights back and gives Pil Je something to think about. But as he gets to know her and the locals more, Pil Je senses himself changing, changing enough for a miracle to happen?

Poonam Vaidya

Sutradhar, a non-profit educational resource centre, will hold a  seminar on ‘Play in Hospitals’  on 28th May at 4 pm at Ashirwad, St Mark’s Road. “The Open Forum has been held since 1996 to bring people involved in childcare like parents, teachers, NGOs, researchers and people from the government together. A range of issues on early childhood have been discussed in past forums,” says Revathi Suresh. ”Early childhood is a neglected period,” she adds.  Sutradhar lays stress on importance of play in education and believes that a large variety of play materials allows children to learn concepts and make connections , the foundations of early learning.

It is often a great challenge to take play to children in institutional settings like hospitals. The forum seeks to look at chronically ill children who spend long periods away from home, under intense medical care. Though play therapy is relatively new in India, there are now organisations that are trying to make a difference to affected children and families by exploring ways to help them cope with the stress brought on by the hospital environment, and focusing on their emotional health and well being. In this Open Forum, individuals from two such organisations will be sharing their experiences.

Doctor Clown India is India’s first Therapeutic Clowning group. It was brought into India from France by Severine Blanchet. These clowns are very different from the ones at the circus. “Therapeutic Clowning is where they make children comfortable in hospitals, sustaining a cheerful environment.” Says Revathi. “Therapeutic Clowning aims to offer unconditional love through non violence or ‘ahimsa’ clowning.” says Nazu Tonze, a.k.a. Dr. Gladys, the first professional female therapeutic clown in India, who will be speaking at the Forum.” We make kids laugh so they don’t feel afraid. Even though many people call me a clown, I love my job. It is not easy to ‘clown about’ as it seems.”

Play therapy is generally employed with children ages 3 through 11 and provides a way for them to express their experiences and feelings through a natural, self-guided, self-healing process. Says Meera Oke, who will speak at the Forum, “Play Therapy is the use of theoretical model of role play to help the child adjust to a stressful situation, in the hospital, it is used for chronically ill children. We have evolved our own bedside model, where we go to the kids instead of them coming to us.”

Play Therapy in India was started in Pune by the Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital and Research Centre. It is now being used in Manipal Hospital, Bangalore through the Priyanka Foundation.” We plan to share our experiences of two and a half years in Play Therapy and train people who are interested.” Says Oke.

“The doctors in Manipal took a while to get used to the idea of Play Therapy, but now they fully support the idea and say it is an important part of care, especially in chronic cases like cancer. It makes a child feel ‘at home’, even in a hospital.” says Oke. “We familiarize kids through medical play where we use small play models of the hospital equipment so the child knows what will happen to him. There is also reversal of roles, where the child pretends to ‘operate’ on a doll.”

Sanjokta Malgonda, who works directly with the children at Manipal says, “At first, there was no response from the kids, but soon, they understood the concept. Thanks to Play Therapy, we were able to establish rapport with the child and they seemed to enjoy themselves.”

We asked the mother of a five year old patient in Manipal Hospital, what she thought about Play Therapy. “I think Play Therapy is a good thing. My son was able to enjoy even in the dreary surroundings. Every day, he responded joyfully when a new toy was given to him. I recommend Play Therapy for all kids in hospitals. It helps them keep their mind off the pain.”

Says counselor Usha Shinde “Play Therapy is an essential part of the treatment of a child, especially if hospitalized for a long period of time. Children don’t generally like the hospital atmosphere and 40 minutes of play per day have proven to have a therapeutic effect on the child.”