2008 - A Retrospective

This was a strange year, nearly exactly midway did I finally take the plunge and make the reverse-culture-shock-inducing trip back to England. Unfortunately, circumstances beyond my control have resulted in a delayed start to a job. I trusted my instincts to (indefinitely) postpone the Masters and I was offered a far better job than I ever could have imagined so, without jinxing myself, it's worked out well. I hope it's a great challenge.

I can't say that one half of the year was better than the other because by saying "matane" to Keiko meant seeing family a lot more, although England still hasn't won me over. I can't find much to be excited about, which I hope will change with the job. Six months gone, however, and Japan doesn't seem like a distant memory - it's all so vivid and (or is that just Google Maps Street View?) calling for me to return.

And you know what? Of course I'll go back there.

I can wait. It'll be worth it.

2009 should be very interesting, but I'll leave that to January 1st to write about. For now, I'd like to reflect on some of the highs and lows of the media in the past year:

Books:
I haven't read much, to my own disappointment but I've recently rediscovered the wonder of the library and I'll be sure to utilise it more over the next year and beyond. A resolution (although not my main one) is to read more, as I've been amazed that I didn't leave the awful application of the English language behind in Japan! Even in mainstream sources such as Batman did I hear something like, "There is men in these windows."

However, I did read some fantastic novels - Haruki Murakami is the god of Japanese mainstream fiction. Kafka On The Shore was wonderful, but Norwegian Wood was brilliant for its haunting romantic tale, that made me cry and stay up eating cheese on toast. I highly recommend it.

Film:
As argumentative and divided on issues as blogs/forums can be, my fellow bloggers nearly all agree on the same thing: 2008 sucked for films. Top Ten lists drew heavily either from films that rolled over from 2007 or from abroad. I know I'm alone but I thought The Dark Knight was rubbish (not because of the grammar!) and I'm more than happy to explain in person but it's far too complicated to write here.

Still, I have three choice movies. Enchanted was funny, witty and one for repeat viewing; Cloverfield lived up to the hype and was a real thrill; Changeling was such an unbelievable story that it was... unbelievably good. I suppose there's also Mamma Mia which was 'so bad it's good'. Until Pierce Brosnan sung and then it was just bad.

Music:
Being in Japan, I fell behind so heard a lot of last year's albums this year. Nothing truly moved me like The Killers, Snow Patrol, Regina Spektor or Sara Bareilles in previous years, but Amy MacDonald, Katy Perry and James Morrison were all good (although the former was 2007 I think). The singles that stuck out were the Ting TIng's 'That's Not My Name' and 'Shut Up And Let Me Go'.

TV:
Forget the first six months - Japanese TV is great fun but instantly forgettable, and Hole In The Wall made that clear to you all. Comedians had a good year (mostly!) with Michael McIntrye and Alan Carr being excellent additions to the line-up. American dramas were still great - Dirty Sexy Money, Lost, Damages, and so on. I think the biggest realisation I made was that I'm over reality tv. I can see through the sob stories and interventions and now 'documentaries' are clearly faked, as are talent shows. Here's a good example: Alexandra won this year's X Factor. Fine, she can sing, but so what? As Amy MacDonald said, maybe if she wrote her own songs or played her own music that would be something, but she's a puppet for a quick buck. So what? Plus she sounds like Leona Lewis and do we really need another of her? She denies sounding like her, at the same time showing her ability to support her argument:

"At the end of the day, Leona is a fantastic singer and a fantastic person, but people need to realise that we are completely different," she told Heat. "There is enough room for both of us. Leona is a little Mariah. With me, I hope I can show that I'm a little Beyoncé."

Brilliant. Why copy one person when you can copy another!? Why are we rewarding these people? Peter Kay's Pop Factor was award-winning television, a great piss-take and spot on throughout.

However, an admission. I still love Big Brother. I can justify it by saying that the years the producers leave it alone and don't intervene are the best - when it remains a sociological study. Additionally, the winner this year was a lovely girl and the public support was a revelation.

The best show this year? Veronica Mars. I know it finished in 2007 but I only watched it in its entirety properly this year. Overtaken Buffy (sorry) as my Favourite. Programme. Ever.

My Blog:
A self-review, hmmm. Should I take the self-congratulating or the modest approach? A bit of both I suppose. There have been times when I felt uninspired to write, especially now that the blog has lost some focus. I really don't want to turn it into a 'Dear Diary' type thing because that's just inane writing that no-one wants to read. There are too many pointless sources of that out there i.e. Facebook (sorry everyone, I know I'm alone on this one) and the best blogs - the ones that survive - are the ones that have a niche. Yes, the blog has been going nowhere fast but I hope with the move to London that will all change. Yes, it won't be about Japan, but I hope my exploration of the capital will prove interesting.

Still, I'm proud of myself for continuing with the blog. I feel guilty if I haven't updated it for a few days and then I see other blogs which either die in their infancy or get updated once in a blue moon. Mine is surprisingly high on the entry count and, even with the second half decline in posts, I managed 264, which isn't much less than 2007's 277 or even 296 in 2006. Yay me!

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Which just leaves me to say, "Thank you for reading and have a Happy New Year."