Jakabfy Károly (康明智)

Tonal whiplash movienight

It's interesting how much faster he got tired of writing Lupin stories than Arthur Conan Doyle got tired of Sherlock.

The ending is kind of tasteless, because it's Leblanc trying to get rid of Lupin again as a character, but he does so in a way that allows him to fall back on Lupin if he ever needs money, unlike last time he tried to get rid of the character.

It's just interesting simply because you would expect him to be at home everywhere, but no, loyalty to France in his personal code is as important as not killing.

Near the end when Lupin talks with the Kaiser, he says he has no ties anywhere any more. He is offered to lead the Kaiser's personal police force. He declines because he is French.
"This tie is unbreakable, sire. As a person I'm dead, but as a Frenchman, I'm alive!"

813 is such an interesting novel because you'd think someone like Lupin is above nationality in a sense, but in the latter half of the novel Leblanc seems to get the plot sort of bogged down in some strange nationalist fantasy entailing Luping trying to get back Alsace-Lorainne.

If you show Joker skipping on sleep because he has too much to do, you're killing the magic.
The entire reason for I liked the game was that it still seemed achievable. I could lead a good life like that, and do it effortlessly.
Don't try to tell me it's hard. Please.

Which is the exact opposite of why the game's routine is nice. There is a lot to do, but you never feel like you are weighed down by your tasks when you play. The routine is idealised and effortless.

I guess my main nitpicky criticism of it would be that the author realized that the "daily routine" was incredibly important to the feel of the game, but he then he screws it up a bit by showing the protagonist to be in a rush constantly.

Finishing the last volume I kinda don't know how to feel about this. It's an insanely pretty manga.
The plot is kind of inconsequential, not that it's a problem, really. Kinda feels like something you could turn into a small OVA.

Probably should've timed it better for it to be something high and mighty instead of pulp fiction essentially, but this is apparently volume 1300 in my library: Maurice Leblanc's "The Crystal Stopper".

You know what?
I wouldn't actually want the author of a book titled "A History of Japanese detective fiction" to look any different.

I'm happy knowing that he probably enjoyed every minute of working on this.

Visited some friends in Vienna.
Got drunk. Checked out the local anime con.
Time well spent methinks.

Japan's "Mundane Halloween" costume contest is back!

Each year website DailyPortalZ holds a contest where people dress up as something super duper ordinary.

Here's a thread of some of my favorites from the 2025 contest!

#MundaneHalloween

Be resolute, fear no sacrifice and surmount every difficulty to win victory.

Unlike most satires, often written with a degree of humour which evoke a chuckle here and there, this work came from a broken heart; it brings only tears, not smiles.

Officialdom Unmasked 官場現形記 Translated and Abridged by T. L. Yang ISBN: 978-962-209-543-4

this isn't one of your big city "funny" satires

CW: only tears, no smiles

This site has no juice until you get 19 year olds you who post shit like “artistic mediums ranked: TV>Film>VNs>Video Games>paintings>music>”

I accidentally left the CPC flag in the background during the job interview

The US delegation when they enter the room and it's Li Chenggang

Van Gulik mentions it in his translation, citing the Tang code's relevant article, but it seems to be so self-evident to the writers, editors and commentators of the Chinese text that they don't mention that it was a thing back then.

Translating the case of Judge Bao and the the ox tongue from the Tangyin Bishi and it's pretty great how it makes little sense to us because you wouldn't think that in ancient China you would need a government permit to slaughter an ox.

The Chinese can telegraph all their moves and plans a decade in advance simply by virtue of the Americans being incapable of believing that other parties can just do things without blessing or initiative from the US government and American businesses.

American friend read that 90% of people in China own their homes and he immediately dismissed it because “That’s impossible” and “Even if the number is true, what constitutes a house in China?”

It’s making me go insane that suddently a cloudy blotch developed on my glasses and I will need to actually get a new pair most likely.
It’s probably one of the meme coatings coming off...

I don't know why but the term "financial novel" sounds so insanely amusing to me, I can't help but giggle.

This just has the Death Note disaster plot moment every three episodes and somehow gets away with it every time.

After listening to like 5 minutes of Lehár I think I get Thomas Bernhard a bit more.

"No, you HAVE to submit a rough outline for the MA thesis otherwise we can't accept your application!"

This is a bit like that one Yes Minister scene where Humphrey is asked to explain what's the difference between Dioxine and Metadioxine and he just goes on a tangent about what meta means in Greek before confessing he has no idea what the fuck it means.

Seems like China has abundant thorium reserves, but India is also in the same boat, thanks to its monazite supplies.
Idk if China's source is actually monazite and therefore essentially just a "side product" of REE refining.
Maybe I should finish reading the book.