Torley Lives

I wish I could speak Japanese.

I was looking for a parcel media URL changer in Second Life, one that can read from a notecard in a playlist and automatically go from one to the next, as each is done playing. A randomize mode would be a bonus. I thought such a device would be easier to find, and altho my search turned up a possibility, it was buggy. So the search goes on!

The reason why I want such a thing is to serve as a video tutorial kiosk inworld. I currently have an easy-to-use one by Geaven Gall @ Watermelinden Land, but at most, it loops the current video and doesn't cycle through them. Perhaps I should inquire.

As is often the case in my travels, a couple paths converged and I found myself at RURU CLUB, where not only did the videos cycle through as I was looking for, but I was face-to-face with santen Juran, a "Modern Totoro", showing me a NEKOBASU — a catbus! — created by his friend, Yusuke Decosta.

Modern Totoro was decked out with cozy gear, including oversize headphones, big red glasses, and even an iPhone. It kind of made me laugh in a "Donkey Kong's family" way, professing to myself that surely, this was not the original Totoro, but rather, one of his street-savvy relatives.

Amidst this conversation, and shortly before I went for a ride in the Catbus (it's pretty cute and sculpties would do it even better!), the parcel media changed to that of Kei's "Sayonara", a remarkable music video.

What's so special about it isn't the builds, which are stock standard for the most part. Rather, in a virtual analogue of many upbeat J-pop videos, the editing techniques, cinematography, and "acting" come very close to their physical counterparts. An observant eye will spot many incredible theatrics within which I've never seen done so well in a Second Life music video before, such as:

• Rotating and swooping camera shots to make static animation loops look a lot more lively than they actually are (if you were to watch them inworld, you'd recognize some familiar dances). There are a lot of angles and cutting involved. (I wonder how much raw footage it took!)
   
• Syncing the dancers' steps and movements with the 4-on-the-floor beat. Stomp-stomp!
   
• A rollerskating shot that begins @ 2:48 which is pieced together so well that it's a wonder to watch. Keep watching, because there's more rollerskating action to come.
   
• The subtle hand gesture @ 3:21, followed by flight of the featured green dancer, was awesomely inspired. And like the rollerskating, more flight follows — I hate lazy comparisons, but it wouldn't be amiss to place this alongside some of my favorite anime and video games!
   
• The final pose of the dancers standing still at the end, after all that hyperkinetic movement, is a fitting ending and shames Britney Spears.

(If only they had a bigger para para crowd to see them through!)

I don't know who made this, but since the single's under the bastion of Victor Entertainment, I'd reckon they had a decent budget. Alas, seems like this vid has been relatively un-talked about. Even with 8,400 views on YouTube (a fair amount!), there are no comments, and I'm sure the credits are up and ripe for attribution… but posted in Japanese.

I'm not isolating Japanese culture, but using this as an example of the wonderful experiences within Second Life which, beyond text, can transcend language. I've known over 100 Japanese Residents who've been so polite about telling me they don't know much English, which leads me to reply:

"I wish I could speak Japanese."

Outside of English-speaking, there's a bounty of incredible content creation that isn't getting the exposure it could, or should, because of these so-called "language barriers". While the creations may speak for themselves once stumbled upon, marketing is their amplifier/megaphone for discoverability, and without a voice keyed into the English market, they kind of sit along the outskirts and leak in through various means, like Gwen Stefani-esque avatars, and trendy Western designers striking up friendships and featuring those fashions on the pages of Second Style.

The Japanese awesomeness, of course, does not end there. Another music video caught my eye very closely recently (it actually did so before Kei's "Sayonara"), and it's "Coma" by Chouchou.

CHOUCHOU ROCKS! Their logo is really easy to get along with, containing a delicate spiraled font and leafy, organic design. I'll bet it doesn't appear at small sizes very legibly, but lucky for them, they've got a big stage by Yuki Aabye in Islamey to display it on. And what a wonder it is.

I'd compare Chouchou's style to Bjork/Goldfrapp/Hooverphonic/Portishead with a touch of Sigur Ros, not so much juliet Herberle's voice as the emotiveness. arabesque Choche's production is crisp and concise, maintaining the sterility of a sci-fi lab but warm enough to be your grandpa's cabin in the winter. Chouchou packs a wallop with well-balanced mixes going the gamut from slow-fi trip-hop ("B612") to jazzy propulsion ("neverland") to abrasive drum 'n' bass ("harunire"). THE MELODIES ARE GOOD. And as they collaborate from Tokyo<->New York, new forms take shape. Some of these selections would work perfectly as beachside chillout, while others deserve to be played at climactic scenes in films.

And if you're puzzled about the Sigur Ros nod, it's because Chouchou sometimes uses invented language in their music. As arabesque himself graciously clarified for me via YouTube:

Thank you so much for such nice words you gave us. Actually, some of our songs are sung in Japanese and some are in English, but this song "coma" is sung in a language of nowhere. We created the lyrics imagining words from somewhere very very far. If people can just listen to this music and sounds of lyrics and find the beauty of it, we'll be more than happy. Thanks, Torley.

Thankfully, Chouchou have been pretty savvy about promoting themselves, including on MySpace (yes, I've friended them), and they're gotten buzz from Not Possible IRL, Ophelia Drowns, and more — I hope their shining star continues to rise amidst all the live music in Second Life, because I think no matter what life they're a part of, their tapestry of sounds enriches and emboldens. And that being said, I'd like to attend a concert with my honey.

Before I wrap this up, I'll also share that some of my fave Second Life snapshots have been coming from Japanese Resis which I've discovered through Flickr and the SL blogosphere (SLogosphere?). Estella Therian's Arcana Noctis, as featured on New World Notes, is a fine example, and the refreshingly childlike burst of Happy mood has also been influential. Those who've been following me further back know that enjoying SL photography — regardless of the photographer's native language(s)! — has been a continuing interest for me.

And thus, we continue to travel the world in our own circles, pulling in threads as they bond us from one life to the next…