Personally, I have attained a natural fondness for Arina Tanemura's work. Each chapter she makes is an art exhibition in itself. Makes Chiho Saito feel like she isn't Japanese (oops, there goes my bias again). It gives a sense of wonderful relaxation. My favorite, above all others, has to be Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne. This introduced me to Arina T.'s great artwork. Even a simple drawing is a light, toothy confection. And KKJ's plotline has some quirks that a soap opera would nod in agreement with. (Although Kare Kano is touted as more of a comic soap, I would disagree with that.) I've decided to post a short collective of prose and whoop-de-doos based on this magnificent classic among Ribon's stories.
Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne is property of Arina Tanemura, and Ribon Magazine. Yadda-yadda-yadda…screw the fine print, let's get on with it, shall we? Some of these poems have the resemblance of evangelical messages, a la Billy Sunday. Please don't grill me for this. But then again, I do hate TV evangelists.
********
Rosebud Phaerietaylez
Chapter 1:
Sermon Of Momokuri
Now quiet everyone,
We're gonna have a little church up in here.
I hope all of you are feeling better.
If y'all aren't, why should you be here?
Why? Is it because you went to bed at 3:09
In the evening,
Waiting for a theif to throw
A thumbtack in
Your painting?
Looking for the police to stalk around you
Every corner?
Watching chess pieces strewn betwixt
And about the dirt floor
Which you are stepping in?
Fearing death, sadness, terror, despair, paranoia,
All things to all men
that are deemed evil?
Brothers and sisters, an old paraplegic man told me,
We have nothing to fear
But fear itself.
But what is fear?
Do you perceive it as a demon, a ghost,
An Act Of God, perhaps,
Sweeping like a phantom
Making your heart sink into obscurity?
It's in the mind.
Why use your mind to make your decisions
While you can use your heart?
I'll preach out to you one example,
An example that is still living in the flesh
To this very day
And living, yes! living to tell about it.
Can I have an Amen! Amen!
Well, she was tall, but short,
Had long brown hair,
Some wrapped in two rosettes-
I see a few of you saying,
Oh, what a woman!-
And she wore clothes
That were extravagant, yet peasant-like,
Wealthy, but frugal,
Rich, but poor.
And she lived by herself
In an old apartment
With her friend,
Who lived next door.
When nightfall came,
She would turn into this thief,
This graceful girl with long blonde hair-
Now I see some of you
Thinking of that chick with the pigtails,
But that's at the chapel next door-
She would find a painting
That was possessed,
And turn the picture into one of the angels
You see up above, flying over you.
The evil spirit turned into a chess piece,
And she collected it.
Deep inside, she was lonely,
Robbed of her parents, who separated-
Not unlike the Offspring-
And she felt weak-hearted.
She wanted someone.
She helped others,
But she couldn't help herself.
She felt like she wasn't obligated to.
A self-hypocrite, looking for a partner
To share her sorrow with.
A few days later,
She met this cute-looking guy
Who had the hots for her
(to put it in youthful informal dialogue)
But had his ex to deal with,
Which was managed easily.
Whenever he had the chance,
He would treat her like a queen,
And make love to her
Whenever possible.
He was also a thief,
But one who wanted the other
To stop being such.
They would go out on missions,
And collect chess pieces,
White and black.
One day came,
When the girl's angel assistant
Turned into an evil angel,
One that had Lucifer as her guide.
In addition, there was another man
Who wanted to take advantage
Of the girl thief's sorrows
And turn them into lust,
Bitter lust,
The lust that would send you burning…
In hell.
So, after a time,
The girl theif and the boy theif
Would go on their escapades,
Stumbling upon each other,
And simultaneously as well as spontaneously
Continue to show love for one another.
The day came
When her angel assistant
Turned into a true angel,
Removed from the clutches of the devil
And sealed in the light of God.
God told the girl theif
If she would defeat Satan
In one shot.
She would accept,
And when she faced her opponent,
She dropped the sword,
And hugged her enemy,
Now removed of all fear.
Then a blast of light
Was about to kill her,
When her angel friend stepped in
And protected her.
Hallelujah, she is saved!
Can I have an Amen? Amen!
She died, but she was revived
Many years later, also with her
Husband-to-be.
The boy and girl thieves married,
And they had a daughter
Who married their friend's son,
And, in addition,
The girl thief's parents remarried
And moved into her house,
And they lived their ever since.
And as for their daughter's family?
They are living a rewarding life
Somewhere in the West Hills,
Thus fulfilling the words
of the prophet Everclear,
Who said this:
"I will but you a [big] house
Way out in the West Hills,
And I will buy you a new life.
Yes I will."
My brothers and sisters,
I want you, from this day onward into the
third, fourth, fifth, and oncoming millennia,
To love your enemy,
make love to your significant other[s],
Tell them that you love them,
Die for them,
Pray for them,
Make sure that our Lord shepherds them,
And turns them into the examples
I have sermonized to you.
Grant them comfort,
For happy are those who destroy the demons
That plague this world, believe in the resurrection
Of Jesus Christ, walk in the way of God,
Fight for the things that matter,
Become valiant like Joan of Arc,
Carry the crosses and bear the weight,
And seek our Father's peace!
Can I have an Amen?
Amen! Go forth.
**********
End Chapter 1
Review. Next chappie…nnn…zat esa seykrett.
Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne is property of Arina Tanemura, and Ribon Magazine. Yadda-yadda-yadda…screw the fine print, let's get on with it, shall we? Some of these poems have the resemblance of evangelical messages, a la Billy Sunday. Please don't grill me for this. But then again, I do hate TV evangelists.
********
Rosebud Phaerietaylez
Chapter 1:
Sermon Of Momokuri
Now quiet everyone,
We're gonna have a little church up in here.
I hope all of you are feeling better.
If y'all aren't, why should you be here?
Why? Is it because you went to bed at 3:09
In the evening,
Waiting for a theif to throw
A thumbtack in
Your painting?
Looking for the police to stalk around you
Every corner?
Watching chess pieces strewn betwixt
And about the dirt floor
Which you are stepping in?
Fearing death, sadness, terror, despair, paranoia,
All things to all men
that are deemed evil?
Brothers and sisters, an old paraplegic man told me,
We have nothing to fear
But fear itself.
But what is fear?
Do you perceive it as a demon, a ghost,
An Act Of God, perhaps,
Sweeping like a phantom
Making your heart sink into obscurity?
It's in the mind.
Why use your mind to make your decisions
While you can use your heart?
I'll preach out to you one example,
An example that is still living in the flesh
To this very day
And living, yes! living to tell about it.
Can I have an Amen! Amen!
Well, she was tall, but short,
Had long brown hair,
Some wrapped in two rosettes-
I see a few of you saying,
Oh, what a woman!-
And she wore clothes
That were extravagant, yet peasant-like,
Wealthy, but frugal,
Rich, but poor.
And she lived by herself
In an old apartment
With her friend,
Who lived next door.
When nightfall came,
She would turn into this thief,
This graceful girl with long blonde hair-
Now I see some of you
Thinking of that chick with the pigtails,
But that's at the chapel next door-
She would find a painting
That was possessed,
And turn the picture into one of the angels
You see up above, flying over you.
The evil spirit turned into a chess piece,
And she collected it.
Deep inside, she was lonely,
Robbed of her parents, who separated-
Not unlike the Offspring-
And she felt weak-hearted.
She wanted someone.
She helped others,
But she couldn't help herself.
She felt like she wasn't obligated to.
A self-hypocrite, looking for a partner
To share her sorrow with.
A few days later,
She met this cute-looking guy
Who had the hots for her
(to put it in youthful informal dialogue)
But had his ex to deal with,
Which was managed easily.
Whenever he had the chance,
He would treat her like a queen,
And make love to her
Whenever possible.
He was also a thief,
But one who wanted the other
To stop being such.
They would go out on missions,
And collect chess pieces,
White and black.
One day came,
When the girl's angel assistant
Turned into an evil angel,
One that had Lucifer as her guide.
In addition, there was another man
Who wanted to take advantage
Of the girl thief's sorrows
And turn them into lust,
Bitter lust,
The lust that would send you burning…
In hell.
So, after a time,
The girl theif and the boy theif
Would go on their escapades,
Stumbling upon each other,
And simultaneously as well as spontaneously
Continue to show love for one another.
The day came
When her angel assistant
Turned into a true angel,
Removed from the clutches of the devil
And sealed in the light of God.
God told the girl theif
If she would defeat Satan
In one shot.
She would accept,
And when she faced her opponent,
She dropped the sword,
And hugged her enemy,
Now removed of all fear.
Then a blast of light
Was about to kill her,
When her angel friend stepped in
And protected her.
Hallelujah, she is saved!
Can I have an Amen? Amen!
She died, but she was revived
Many years later, also with her
Husband-to-be.
The boy and girl thieves married,
And they had a daughter
Who married their friend's son,
And, in addition,
The girl thief's parents remarried
And moved into her house,
And they lived their ever since.
And as for their daughter's family?
They are living a rewarding life
Somewhere in the West Hills,
Thus fulfilling the words
of the prophet Everclear,
Who said this:
"I will but you a [big] house
Way out in the West Hills,
And I will buy you a new life.
Yes I will."
My brothers and sisters,
I want you, from this day onward into the
third, fourth, fifth, and oncoming millennia,
To love your enemy,
make love to your significant other[s],
Tell them that you love them,
Die for them,
Pray for them,
Make sure that our Lord shepherds them,
And turns them into the examples
I have sermonized to you.
Grant them comfort,
For happy are those who destroy the demons
That plague this world, believe in the resurrection
Of Jesus Christ, walk in the way of God,
Fight for the things that matter,
Become valiant like Joan of Arc,
Carry the crosses and bear the weight,
And seek our Father's peace!
Can I have an Amen?
Amen! Go forth.
**********
End Chapter 1
Review. Next chappie…nnn…zat esa seykrett.