Video

Anime & manga update [002.026.249]

/ Clodjee / Leave a comment

Japanese culture update 

NHK World Japan documentary series continue to be a great source of information about Japanese culture, history and life — including popular culture like anime and manga. Here are some interesting Video On Demand (VOD) that I have recently noticed.

Again, not much news about anime & manga this week, but there is always something interesting about Japanese culture. Now, let’s talk about food. 

In North America, we don’t think much about the use of fermentation to produce food, even though we use it constantly to process beer, bread, cheese, kombucha, wine, yogurt, etc. However, in Japan, they take this process very seriously. Much more of their food uses fermentation (for example in gyoshō, miso, nattō, sake, shōchū, shōyu, etc.).  It was long used not only to preserve food, but also to enhanced its flavour. The funny thing is that I discovered this fact while watching an anime: Moyashimon (about which my wife and I wrote a very interesting article in PA #96: 52-55; the series is available on Crunshyroll; it is based on a manga and has also spawn a live-action TV drama series).

I was reminded of all this while watching an episode of the NHK World Japan documentary series Trails to Oishii Tokyo:

Japan’s Fermented Foods Go Global

“More than just a longer shelf life, Japan’s fermented foods offer enhanced flavor and nutrition. Unlock secrets to the culture’s longevity, starting with koji mold cultivation that dates back 600 years. Get an inside look at how the foods are taking the world by storm as we join a miso workshop in Paris and view the largest sake brewery in the U.S. Introducing Japanese fermentation—the foundation of the island nation’s renowned cuisine.” This episode aired on August 19, 2023 and will be available as VOD only until September 11, 2026. Better hurry watching it !

However, the Trails to Oishii Tokyo series offers many more interesting food documentaries:

Shiso

“Shiso: a Japanese herb gaining fans worldwide. Refreshing shiso is key in Japanese cuisine, which features a lot of raw fish. See how shiso’s leaves, flowers and seeds are all used in oishii dishes.” This episode was broadcast on August 28, 2024 and is available as VOD until September 1, 2027.

Japanese Frozen Foods

“Japan is now a frozen foods powerhouse. Cutting-edge technology and producers’ passion keep the hits coming. Dive into the world of Japanese frozen foods that are turning the world upside down.” This episode was broadcast on August 7, 2026  and is available as VOD until August 7, 2027.

Gourmet Canned Food?!

“Canned food is no longer just for storage or emergencies — it has become fine cuisine. Join us in this special episode as we explore the frontlines of Japan’s uniquely evolved canning industry.” This episode was broadcast on October 17, 2025 and is available as VOD until May 15, 2027.

Some more news from Anime News Network:

Anime & manga update [002.026.228]

/ Clodjee / Leave a comment

Anime & manga update

NHK World Japan continues to be a great source of information about Japanese culture with their documentary series. This time nothing much to report about anime and manga in itself, but I’ve seen several interesting documentaries about Japanese culture, history and life.

Sugamo Diary

From the “Broadcasters’ Eye” series, “Sugamo Diary: The Life of a Class B/C War Criminal” is an anti-war documentary about the diary of a Japanese war criminal. “Near the end of World War II, a Japanese soldier executed four American POWs. A year later, he was sent to Sugamo Prison and sentenced to death. His six-year diary offers a personal reflection on war.” Toji Kentaro was a young man with a sharp mind. He accepted his fate. He understood that the Japanese had a collective responsibility for the war (Japan being the aggressor and the people passively agreeing with its military) and that he was wrong to have killed prisoners. However, they would have been killed anyway, whether he was the executioner or somebody else. He was angry, because he had just found out that his mother was killed in the bombardment. And those airmen were responsible for it, so he volunteered to behead them. After all, they were themself criminals, having just bombed civilians. Also wasn’t the court hypocritical to condemn him to death for having killed those soldiers, who had just killed his mother ? Where does “Justice” stops ? An incredibly insightful reflection on war. This episode was broadcast on August 15, 2026 and will be available as Video On Demand until August 22, 2026.

Otagiri Vegetables Are Delicious

From the same  “Broadcasters’ Eye” series, I noticed an older episode titled “Otagiri Vegetables are Delicious – Depopulation and Aging: The Future of Farming.” 85-year-old Sakai Masayuki lives in Otagiri, in Nagano Prefecture. He’s fighting to keep farming alive as depopulation and aging take a major toll on the area. Join him as he explores possible new solutions to the many problems ahead. This episode was broadcast on November 29, 2025 and will be available as VOD until November 29, 2026.

Picture Brides

Another older episode, this time from the documentary series “Documentary 360”. Titled “Picture Brides: Echoes from Beyond the Frontier,” it tells the story of singer song writer Hana Hope who discovers the history behind the Picture Brides and all those Asian women who helped built America. “A hundred years ago, “picture brides” crossed the ocean to America with just one engagement photo. We have unearthed audio tapes in which they reflect on their lives! This is the story of three generations who found their place in America.” This episode was broadcast on September 12, 2025 and will be available as VOD until September 12, 2026.

Kurashiki: Feline Friends

Finally, no video viewing on the internet would be complete without a cat video. “Kurashiki: Feline Friends” is an episode of the short documentary series “A Cat’s-Eye View of Japan” where Iwago Mitsuaki, a globetrotting wildlife photographer and filmmaker, offers the best of a vast collection of cat footage he took in Japan. “A cat rides his owner’s shoulder through Kurashiki, a city known for its beautiful white-walled storehouses. Friends Mikan and Mame visit a shop for a meal and even offer the shopkeeper some help.” This episode was broadcast on August 15, 2026 and will be available as VOD until August 22, 2026.

Capsules de curiosité

/ Clodjee / 1 Comment

Il faut croire que je ne sors pas souvent, reclus dans mon refuge urbain, car je viens tout juste de découvrir que Solaris avait une chaîne YouTube… depuis 2021 ! On y retrouve en autres des rencontres avec des auteurs (comme Philippe-Aubert Côté, Vic Verdier, Éric Gauthier, la rédaction de Brins d’Éternité, Dave Côté, Geneviève Blouin, Mathieu Lauzon-Dicso, Ariane Gélinas, Claude Bolduc, Francine Pelletier, Jonathan Reynolds, Frédérick Durand, Pascal Raud, Jean-Louis Trudel, etc.) mais surtout, plus récemment, les fascinantes capsules du Cabinet des curiosités surnaturelles de Sébastien Chartrand:

  1. Les créatures fantastiques I : Dragons (3:28)
  2. Les créatures fantastiques II : Reptiles (3:29)
  3. Les créatures fantastiques III : Bestiaire marin (3:35)
  4. Les créatures fantastiques IV : Coquillages (4:23)
  5. Les créatures fantastiques V : Les oiseaux (3:32)
  6. Les créatures fantastiques VI : Les végétaux (4:13)
  7. La Géographie de l’impossible I : Le septentrion fantastique (3:37)
  8. La Géographie de l’impossible II : Les mystérieuses cités d’or (2:43)
  9. La Géographie de l’impossible III : Les continents imaginaires (4:02)
  10. La Géographie de l’impossible IV : Les reines noires mythiques (3:43)
  11. La Géographie de l’impossible V : Fabuleuses colonies scandinaves (4:02)
  12. La Géographie de l’impossible VI : Mystérieuse Sibérie (4:52)
  13. Les machines merveilleuses I (4:10)
  14. Les machines merveilleuses II (3:37)
  15. Les machines merveilleuses III (2:30)
  16. Les machines merveilleuses IV (3:50)
  17. Les machines merveilleuses V (3:22)
  18. Magie et sciences occultes I (3:34)
  19. Magie et sciences occultes II (3:37)
  20. Magie et sciences occultes III (3:41)

Attention, il faut être inscrit à YouTube pour voir les vidéos (et parfois, hélas, il y a de la publicité). Chose amusante, il y a apparemment un réglage qui donne la possibilité de visionner les vidéos avec un doublage IA dans la langue de votre choix (principalement l’anglais; vous allez dans “paramètres”, “Piste audio” et sélectionnez la langue de doublage) ! À voir absolument si vous êtes fervent de sciences naturelles et surnaturelles ! Bon visionnement…

(Mise à jour le 2026/08/22)

Jeudi nature en images [002.026.148]

/ Clodjee / Leave a comment

Lapin sous la pluie / Rabbit under the rain

IMG_1027
IMG_1031

[ iPhone 17 Pro, Parc Frédéric-Back, 2026/05/28 ]

Sylvilagus floridanus [FR / EN / JP / IT]

J’ai encore pu observer un lapin dans le parc. J’ignore si c’est le même que le mois dernier, mais c’était dans la même région du parc (près de bosquets entre le secteur de la Plaine et du Boisé). ❖ I was able to observe another rabbit in the park. I don’t know if it’s the same one as last month, but it was in the same area of ​​the park (near some groves between the Plain and Wooded sectors).

Anime & Manga update [002.026.138]

/ Clodjee / Leave a comment

Anime & Manga update

NHK World Japan continues to be a great source of information about Japanese culture with their documentary series. 

Anime Manga Explosion 

Notable is the episode of Anime Manga Explosion  dedicated to Anime Sound, where voice actor Otsuka Akio reveals the techniques behind iconic lines from My Hero Academia and Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War, and composer Inai Keiji talks about the music recording session for the new anime Star Wars: Visions Volume 3 The Duel: Payback. It aired on November 29 last year, but remains available as VOD until November 29, 2026.

The latest episode of Anime Manga Explosion is dedicated to “That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, a fantasy series that has grown from a web novel into a hit anime. Original creator Fuse makes his first-ever TV appearance to share the passion behind the story. We also go behind the scenes at the anime studio [Eightbit], revealing production secrets from the very beginning of the series. Plus, we look at innovative production methods being used for the upcoming new season.” This episode aired on April 25, 2026 and will be available as VOD until April 25, 2027. 

Manben

The latest episode of Manben: Behind the scenes of manga with Urasawa Naoki is dedicated to Umino Chica (Honey and Clover). Urasawa Naoki takes us behind the scene of the production of the mangaka new series, March Comes in Like a Lion! The 21st episode of Manben Neo originally aired on November 22, 2025, with an extended version airing on March 19, 2026. The subtitled version aired on May 8, 2026 and will be available as VOD until May 8, 2027.

And other news

The spirit of the times is definitely one of nostalgia. Anime Expo, which will be held from July 2-5 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, has announced that it will host “the first official North American screening” of the 1984 movie The Super Dimension Fortress Macross: Do You Remember Love?. The screening will take place on July 5 at 12:00 p.m. PDT. (Source: ANN)

The highly anticipated reboot of Patlabor is finally out. Patlabor EZY File 1 (機動警察パトレイバー EZY / Kidō Keisatsu Patlabor EZY) premiered on May 15th — with File 2 coming on August 14th (more details on ANN, see the trailer on Youtube). The two-part movie is animated by J.C.Staff and directed by Yukata Izubuchi, with a script by Kazunori Itō, character design by Masami Yuuki, animation directed by Takamitsu Satou, costume design by Akemi Takada and music by Kenji Kawaii. I can’t wait to see this one. In the meantime, you can read the review on Anime News Network.

Bandai Namco Filmworks has announced two more films for the Votoms franchise, with the first one premiering on November 20. Armored Trooper VOTOMS: Die Graue Hexe / The Grey Witch (装甲騎兵ボトムズ灰色の魔女 / Sōkō Kihei Botomuzu Haiiro no Majo) is produced by Sunrise and Production I.G and directed by Mamoru Oshii, with mecha design by Shinobu Tsuneki and Yoshiro Sono and music by Kenji Kawai. It will be part of Sunrise’s 50th anniversary commemoration. See the trailer on Youtube (Source: ANN)

A day at the museum [002.025.364]

/ Clodjee / Leave a comment

Kent Monkman

My wife wanted to see this exhibit at the museum, so we renewed our annual membership that had lapsed since the Covid. Knowledge often comes through the arts, so it was time to have an even more cultured life. We’ll try to go visit the museum at least once a month and there are a few interesting shows coming this year. This one was a good exhibit to start with.

History is painted by the victors
History is painted by the victors
Miss chief's wet dream
Miss chief’s wet dream
Constellation of knowledge
Constellation of knowledge
Seeing Red
Seeing Red
[Portrait of] Violet Chum (môsoniyi ililiwak)
[Portrait of] Violet Chum (môsoniyi ililiwak)
The Great Mystery
The Great Mystery
Protecting the medicines
Protecting the medicines
Les castors du Roi
Les castors du Roi

Kent Monkman (born in 1965) is a  Two-Spirited visual artist, member of the ocêkwi sîpiy (Fisher River Cree Nation). Through his interdisciplinary art, he explores the complexities of historical and contemporary Indigenous experiences by using themes of colonization, sexuality, loss, and resilience. His gender-fluid alter ego, Miss Chief Eagle Testickle, often appears in his work.

Monkman is an incredibly talented artist who mixes classic themes and influences loaded with symbolism and humour, very realistic and detailed portrays, beautiful Canadian landscapes and political messages about gender and native rights. It’s a very provocative and interesting exhibit that was well worth the effort to go out in the frigid temperature of late December. I am just a little disappointed to learn that he doesn’t work alone, but with the support of a whole studio. Although, it is understandable that, today, a collective effort is needed to produced such detailed and huge historical paintings. I warmly recommend to visit this show.

The exhibit “Kent Monkman: History Is Painted by the Victors” will be displayed at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts until March 8, 2026.

Cogitationes me / Thoughts for myself [002.025.350]

/ Clodjee / Leave a comment

VIII. It is still so true (and even more now)

Lately, I couldn’t stop thinking about the opening scene of the first episode of the 2012 TV series The Newsroom. What the anchor Will McAvoy (Jeff Daniels) says in that scene is still so true despite the fact it was aired thirteen years ago — and I feel it is even more pertinent today. The first season of the show was the best. All the political TV drama series by Aaron  Sorkin (mostly The West Wing in 1999-2006 [154 episodes] and The Newsroom in 2012-14 [25 episodes]) deserves a good viewing. They are not only entertaining, but it also makes you reflect on the nature of a strong democracy. Unfortunately, The West Wing is no longer available via streaming in Canada (not even on Crave), but The Newsroom is available on Crave/HBO. The famous opening scene is also available on YouTube (although in an edited version; another version is also edited.). I encourage you to have a look:

Anime & manga updates [002.025.256]

/ Clodjee / Leave a comment

Anime & manga updates

Manben: Otomo

Urasawa Naoki & Otomo Katsuhiro

Another update on Manben: The latest episode of the NHK World documentary series Manben: Behind the Scenes of Manga with Urasawa Naoki (which introduces us to mangaka like Morohoshi Daijiro, Shigeru Mizuki, Nishi Keiko, Chiba Tetsuya, or Iwamoto Nao) is about Otomo Katsuhiro, the internationally renowned legend who created a masterpiece that shaped and revolutionized manga. Urasawa discuss his work with Otomo over the original pages of his manga Domu.

The episode originally aired in Japan on March 24, 2025, but the English version just aired on September 12 and 13, 2025 and is now available to view as VOD (Video on Demand) until September 27, 2025.

Paper film: The curious origins of color Anime

“Much of the first animation came out of France in the early 20th century, but developed mainly in the United States with the rise of film. In Japan, black and white animation began in the nineteen tens, but colour didn’t become prominent until the nineteen sixties. Except for a brief little-known chapter. A U.S. researcher has rediscovered and successfully restored coloured anime created here in the nineteen-thirties. (…) In the 1930s, Japan produced animated movies on paper, not celluloid. A U.S. professor has been restoring existing films, which were known for their full color.”

This news story aired on September 4th, 2025 and is now available as VOD. The 7-min. clip is also available on Youtube.

Adapting Anime Costumes for Live-Action

Direct Talk interviews the stylist and costume designer Nakahara Sachiko who “translates the looks of popular Japanese anime and manga characters into costumes for live-action adaptations. She talks about making an impact on the global stage.” The show aired on July 22, 2025 and is now available as Video On Demand (VOD) until July 22, 2026.

History Uncovered: The Hiroshige Code

“Influential ukiyo-e artist Utagawa Hiroshige‘s “100 Famous Views of Edo“, a series of prints encoding his view of the changing face of Japan.”  Art historian Toshinobu Yasumura, Professor Timon Screech, Hinohara Kenji and Manabu Oishi discuss, interpret and explain the messages hidden in Hiroshige’s art. This episode of “Time and Tide” aired on August 30, 2025 and is now available as Video On Demand (VOD) until August 29, 2026.

[ Traduire ]

Jeudi nature en images [002.025.240]

/ Clodjee / 1 Comment

Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis

Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis
Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis
Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis
Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis

[ iPhone 15 Pro, Parc Frédéric-Back, 2025/08/18]

Couleuvre rayée / Eastern garter snake

Quand j’étais jeune, j’en observais très fréquemment dans la cour de mes parents en Isléaval (où leurs principaux prédateurs étaient mon chien César et la tondeuse). Toutefois, une fois adulte, je n’en ai vu que très rarement, sans doute due au fait que la compagnie ferroviaire épandait régulièrement de puissants pesticides le long de la voie ferrée qui passait au bout du terrain. Une fois que j’ai habité en ville, je n’en ai pratiquement jamais observé: une fois en avril 2020 et la semaine dernière, toujours dans le Parc Frédéric-Back. Pourtant cette espèce n’est pas classée comme menacée par l’UICN, mais simplement comme “préoccupation mineure”. C’est toujours une joie de constater la diversité croissante de la faune dans un parc urbain…

[ Translate ]

Jeudi nature en images [002.025.198]

/ Clodjee / Leave a comment

Amphion floridensis + Nepeta x faassenii

Amphion floridensis
Amphion floridensis
Amphion floridensis
Amphion floridensis
Amphion floridensis
Amphion floridensis
Amphion floridensis
Amphion floridensis

[ iPhone 15 Pro, Jardin botanique, 2025/06/21 ]

Sphinx de Nessus / Nessus sphinx

Népéta de Faassen / Fassen’s catnip / cultivar ’Junior Walker’

Un autre insecte que je n’avais jamais vu mais qui est pourtant, dit-on, assez commun. J’ai d’abord pensé que  c’était un oiseau-mouche, mais c’est en fait un hétérocère (“papillon de nuit”) diurne. C’est un insecte de l’ordre des Lépidoptères, de la famille des Sphingidés et du genre Amphion. Impressionant comme bébitte. Voir aussi: Google • BugGuide • iNaturalist.

Another insect I’d never seen before, but which is said to be quite common. I first thought it was a hummingbird, but it’s actually a diurnal moth. It’s an insect of the order Lepidoptera, family Sphingidae, and genus Amphion. Impressive as a critter. See also: Google • BugGuide • iNaturalist.

Tasting Ancient Rome

/ Clodjee / Leave a comment

My wife and I are big fans of everything that has to do with history and culture. While visiting a bookstore recently, she noticed a book titled Tasting History by Max Miller and Ann Volkwein [ Amazon • Goodreads • Google • Nelligan • WorldCat ]. It is a cookbook that recreates dishes from the past using historical recipes, adapting them for modern kitchen and putting them in their historical and cultural context. Knowing my interest for Roman history, she noted that it was containing several recipes from Ancient Rome and that Max Miller also had a website and a YouTube channel dedicated to this subject.

We quickly decided to take a look to his videos about Ancient Roman cuisine. It is very interesting, but heavily peppered with ads, sponsorship and products placements. It is quite popular (3.6 million subscribers) and offers a lot of material (443 videos so far), over forty of them about Ancient roman cooking (or other ancient recipes):

 

I have always been curious about the Food in ancient Rome and the Ancient Roman cuisine. If many ancient roman authors anecdotally talk about food and cooking (for example, Max Miller profusely cites Martial, Suetonius, Petronius, Plinus the Younger, Plinus the Elder, Columella, Galenus, Seneca, Athenaeus, etc., in his videos) very few books on cooking have come down to us. There is actually only one:

  • Apicius, De re coquinaria (On the Subject of Cooking) which seems to be a late compilation of recipes from various authors. It has not seen any recent publication or translation [besides Budé / Les Belles Lettres which is in French and not easily accessible], but it is available on the public domain [ Projet Gutenberg / Univ. of Chicago: Penelope ]. However, there is also a few books about or adapting Apicius:
    • Apicius, Barbara Flower & Elisabeth Rosenbaum. The Roman Cookery Book: A Critical Translation of the Art of Cooking, for Use in the Study and the Kitchen. An “adaptation” of Apicius published in 1958 and reprinted in 2012. [Amazon, Goodreads].
    • Apicius. Les dix livres de cuisine d’Apicius. Paris: Bonnel, 1933. [BANQ, Goodreads]
    • Marty-Dufaut, Josy. Mes meilleures recettes de l’Antiquité romaine : cuisiner avec Apicius. Bayeux : Heimdal, c2016. [BANQ, Goodreads]
    • Pedrazzini, Renzo. Saveurs et senteurs de la Rome antique : 80 recettes d’Apicius. [BANQ, Goodreads]

Three more books talk about the production of food while covering the subject of agriculture and provide a few recipes:

  • Cato, De agri cultura (On agriculture) is a treaty about farming. It is available in French in the famous Collection Budé of Les Belles Lettres and in English in various editions (including Loeb Classical Library). It is often published together with Varro’s Res rusticae [Project Gutenberg]. It is also available in the public domain [Univ. of Chicago].
  • Columella, De re rustica (On the rural issue) which is also a compilation of ancient texts, this time dedicated to agriculture and country life. It also has no recent publication (in French in Budé) but is partially available in the public domain [Univ. of Chicago]
  • Varro, Rerum rusticarum libri III (Rural Topics in three books) or De re rustica or Res rusticae (On Agriculture) where he describes the management of a large roman farm (latifundium). Again not widely available as a publication (in French in Budé), but it can be found in the public domain [Project Gutenberg / Univ. of Chicago]
    • Nisard, Désiré [Ed.]. Les agronomes latins : Caton, Varron, Columelle, Palladius. Paris : J. J. Dubochet et Compagnie, 1844. An old French translation regrouping all of the roman texts on agriculture. [BANQ, Goodreads]

Of course, lots of books about Ancient roman cooking have been written. Here are a few examples:

  • [Lily Heritage], The Cookbook from Ancient Rome: Classic Recipes Reimagined for Today [Amazon, Goodreads]
  • Blanc, Nicole & Nercessian, Anne. La cuisine romaine antique. [BANQ, Goodreads, Nelligan]
  • Chantal, Laure de [Ed.]. À la table des anciens : guide de cuisine antique. [BANQ, Goodreads]
  • Dalby, Andrew. The Classical cookbook [BANQ, Goodreads]
  • De Rubeis, Marco Gavio. Ancient Roman Cooking: Ingredients, Recipes, Sources [Goodreads, Amazon]
  • Faas, Patrick. Around the Roman Table: Food and Feasting in Ancient Rome [Amazon, BANQ, Goodreads]
  • Helton, Lauren M. A Culinary Journey Through Ancient Rome [Goodreads]
  • Husson, René & Galmiche, Philippe. Recettes romaines. [BANQ, Goodreads]
  • Quinot Muracciole, Martine. Rome côté cuisine. Paris: Les Belles Lettres, 2019. [Amazon, Goodreads]
  • Salomon, Jon. Ancient Roman Feasts and Recipes Adapted for Modern Cooking [Goodreads]
  • Tilloi-D’Ambrosi, Dimitri. Le régime romain : cuisine et santé dans la Rome antique. Paris : PUF, [2024]. [BANQ, Goodreads]
  • Wells, Laurene R. Ancient Roman Eats: Roman Style Cooking for Modern Cooks [Goodreads]

Enjoy !!!

Note: This could be considered the first part of the series of articles that I promised to write about Roman literature. More to come eventually… (I am working on it, but please note that there are still six hundred and ninety three days before my retirement !) [Updated: 2025/06/30, 2025/07/01]

[ Traduire ]

Jeudi nature en images [002.025.149]

/ Clodjee / Leave a comment

Gros ratons ou Tanuki ?

[ Nest, Domus, 2025/05/23 19:51~54 ]

Procyon lotor / Raton laveur / Northern  raccoon / アライグマ [洗熊 / Araiguma]
Nyctereutes procyonoides / Chien viverrin / Asian raccoon dog / タヌキ [狸 / Tanuki]

Je sais: il n’est pas censé y avoir de Tanuki en Amériques, mais leurs queues me semblent un peu courtes pour des ratons… Et c’est un geste audacieux de faire la tournée des cours alors qu’il fait encore jour… ❖ I know: there aren’t supposed to be Tanuki in the Americas, but their tails seem a little short for raccoons… And it’s a ballsy move to make the rounds while it’s still light…

Jeudi nature en images [002.024.319]

/ Clodjee / Leave a comment

Partouze de ratons / Racoon Party

[ Nest caméra, Domus, 2024/10/06 04:23:28~54]

Une petite famille de cinq ratons laveurs est venue faire le party sur mon balcon. Le pire s’est déroulé sur le balcon du deuxième étage (pas d’images) où ils ont ouvert le bac de graines à oiseaux, s’empiffrant en les répandant partout. Ils ont aussi uriné et déféqué à plusieurs endroits. ❖ A small family of five raccoons came to party on my balcony. The worst happened on the second floor balcony (no pictures) where they opened the bird seed bin, gorging themselves and spreading it everywhere. They also urinated and defecated in several places.

The Boy and the Heron

/ Clodjee / Leave a comment

“After his mother’s death, young Mahito moves to her hometown, where a mysterious heron leads him into a fantastic realm shared by the living and the dead.” [Description from Netflix]

>> Please, read the warning for possible spoilers <<

The Boy and the Heron (君たちはどう生きるか / Kimitachi wa dō ikiru ka / lit. “How do you live?”) is the 12th feature-length movie directed by Miyazaki (despite having announced his retirement several time). It is inspired by his childhood and by Genzaburo Yoshino’s 1937 novel How Do You Live? which Miyazaki has read as a boy and is considering as one of his favourites books. The production lasted for seven years.

During WW2, after the fire-bombing of Tokyo, the twelve year-old Mahito moves to his family’s estate in the countryside. His sick mother has died and his father has remarried his mother’s sister.  He feels watched by a strange grey heron. On the expansive estate, there’s an old tower built by his Great-Uncle and that is said to be cursed. He is told to keep away, but, as all teenagers, doesn’t listen. In a coming-of-age experience, the talking heron guides him into a strange parallel world out of time.

This is the weirdest of all Miyazaki’s movies. It is a mish-mash of everything: biographical elements, bits and pieces of most of his previous movies (even from his book Shuna’s Journey), the myth of Orpheus who visits the underworld to save his wife Eurydice, and even Snow White and the seven dwarves (in this case represented by seven old and ugly maids) ! It is a trip through the mind of Miyazaki (maybe he is the Master of the Tower and each of the doors of the tower leads to one of his universe?). It can be a very simple story (a boy saves his aunt/step mom from the meta universe or the boy has a feverish dream following a bad head injury ?) or a very complex metaphysical allegory that doesn’t make much sense. You choose. However, what ever you think of the story the fact remains that it is an incredibly beautiful hand-drawn animation (the backgrounds are really stunning and the effects when the boy runs through the burning streets of Tokyo are quite impressive). A must-see movie particularly if you are a fan of Miyazaki.

TheBoyAAndTheHeronThe Boy and the Heron : Japan, 2023, 124m, Japanese with English subtitles; Dir. & Scr.: Hayao Miyazaki; Art Dir.: Yôji Takeshige; Anim. Dir. & Char. Design: Takeshi Honda; Phot.: Atsushi Okui; Ed.: Rie Matsubara, Takeshi Seyama, Akane Shiraishi; Music: Joe Hisaishi; Prod.: Toshio Suzuki (Studio Ghibli); Distr.: Toho; Cast: Soma Santoki (Mahito Maki), Masaki Suda (The Grey Heron), Kô Shibasaki (Kiriko), Aimyon (Himi), Yoshino Kimura (Natsuko), Takuya Kimura (father: Shoichi Maki), Jun Kunimura (The Parakeet King), Shohei Hino (Great-Uncle). Rated PG. It has received a score of 97% on Rottentomatoes, 91% on Metacritic and 7.4 / 10 on IMDb. With a box office of US$294.2 million, it’s the highest-grossing Japanese film. It also received several awards: Academy Awards, the BAFTA Awards, the Golden Globes, and the Japanese Film Academy. stars-3-5

To learn more about this title you can consult the following web sites:

[ Google • IMDb • Netflix • TIFF • Wikipedia ]

Also, you can check the official trailer on Youtube:

[ Traduire ]

Jeudi nature en images [002.024.284]

/ Clodjee / Leave a comment

Récolte de l’été / Summer’s harvest

À l’aube de l’Action de Grâce il est effectivement temps de rendre grâce à Mère Nature et de célébrer une très bonne récolte. Ce fut en effet une assez bonne année. En plus d’abondantes fleurs (Ancolie, aster de Nouvelle-Angleterre, capucine, impatientes, iris, jonquille, Œillet du poète, marguerite, tagète, topinambour, tournesol, tulipe, volubilis, etc.), herbes (basilic, menthe, roquette, shiso et même capucines), tomates et fèves, nous avons récolté cet été un peu de laitue et de choux frisé, quelques radis et poivrons, une bonne demi-douzaine de concombres et près d’une cinquantaine de pommes ! En mélangeant le fruit de nos trois vignes avec des pommes nous avons également produit une excellente confiture. Notre jardin a peut être une allure un peu sauvage mais il respire la biodiversité. Voici un échantillon de notre récolte estivale…

[ iPhone 15 Pro, In horto domus, Été 2024 ]

[ Translate ]

Jeudi nature en images [002.024.214]

/ Clodjee / Leave a comment

Passerina cyanea

Une autre espèce d’oiseaux (de la famille des Cardinalidae) qui passe dans nos région pour se reproduire mais que je n’avais jamais vu dans le parc jusqu’à maintenant. C’est un oiseau bleu ! Nous sommes vraiment choyé cet été…

Passerina cyanea / Passerin indigo / Indigo Bunting / ルリノジコ
Passerina cyanea / Passerin indigo / Indigo Bunting / ルリノジコ
Passerina cyanea / Passerin indigo / Indigo Bunting / ルリノジコ
Passerina cyanea / Passerin indigo / Indigo Bunting / ルリノジコ
Passerina cyanea / Passerin indigo / Indigo Bunting / ルリノジコ
Passerina cyanea / Passerin indigo / Indigo Bunting / ルリノジコ
Passerina cyanea / Passerin indigo / Indigo Bunting / ルリノジコ
Passerina cyanea / Passerin indigo / Indigo Bunting / ルリノジコ

[ iPhone 15 Pro, Parc Frédéric-Back, 2024/07/26 ]

Passerin indigo / Indigo Bunting
ルリノジコ [瑠璃野路子 / Ruri nojiko]

[ Translate ]

Jeudi nature en images [002.024.207]

/ Clodjee / 3 Comments

Spiza americana

En me promenant dans le parc j’ai remarqué pendant plusieurs jours qu’il y a avait des groupes de personnes avec des caméra équipées de gros zoom ou avec des jumelles. J’ai fini par interpeller un homme avec une caméra et lui demander (ce qui m’apparaissait comme l’explication la plus logique) si il faisait partie d’un club d’ornithologie. Il me répondit par l’affirmative et que tous ces gens étaient dans le parc pour observer un oiseau assez rare dans notre région : le Dickcissel. En effet, c’est un oiseau dont la nidification se fait généralement au centre des États-Unis, parfois à l’est jusqu’aux Grands Lacs mais rarement au-delà de la frontière canadienne, et qui migre vers le sud (Floride et côte est mexicaine) parfois jusqu’au nord de l’Amérique du Sud. Cela m’a intrigué, alors quand j’en ai vu un perché au sommet d’un arbre, j’ai pris quelques clichés et un vidéo avec mon téléphone, puis je suis revenu quelques jours plus tard avec la Nikon pour avoir un téléobjectif plus puissant (Tamron Tele-Macro 70-300mm). Et voici le résultat…

Spiza americana / Dickcissel d'Amérique / Dickcissel
Spiza americana / Dickcissel d’Amérique / Dickcissel
Spiza americana / Dickcissel d'Amérique / Dickcissel
Spiza americana / Dickcissel d’Amérique / Dickcissel
Spiza americana / Dickcissel d'Amérique / Dickcissel
Spiza americana / Dickcissel d’Amérique / Dickcissel
Spiza americana / Dickcissel d'Amérique / Dickcissel
Spiza americana / Dickcissel d’Amérique / Dickcissel

[ iPhone 15 Pro / Nikon D3300, Parc Frédéric-Back, 2024/07/15 & 17 ]

Dickcissel d’Amérique / Dickcissel / ムナグロノジコ [Managuro Nojiko]

[ Translate ]

Table ronde: Protoculture Addicts: Initier la vague anime et manga

/ Clodjee / 1 Comment

Voici la vidéo (durée 65 min.) de la table ronde qui s’est tenu le vendredi 24 mai (15h00 – 16h00) à Montreal CoWork, dans le cadre du  3e colloque du groupe de recherche “Au-delà des 2 solitudes” : “Expansions: traductions et internationalisation de la bande dessinée produite au Canada” (en collaboration avec le 13e Festival BD de Montréal). Intitulée “Protoculture Addicts: Initier la vague anime et manga”, elle traite du rôle de précurseur qu’a eu le fanzine dans la culture populaire. Elle est animée par la sociologue et autrice Valérie Harvey (de l’Université du Québec en Outaouais) et les participants sont Bounthavy Suvilay (Maîtresse de conférence à l’Université de Lille, journaliste freelance, rédactrice chez AnimeLand, autrice chez Bragelonne et Ynnis) et  Claude J. Pelletier (blogueur et co-fondateur de Protoculture Addicts). La vidéo est également disponible sur Vimeo.

Ce fut une discussion très intéressante et stimulante. Cela m’a rappelé beaucoup de souvenirs ! J’ignorais que le magazine avait généré autant d’intérêt dans le milieu académique. C’est vrai qu’il y a un regain d’intérêt pour les fanzines… Étant donné qu’on m’a fait remarquer qu’il n’y a plus beaucoup d’information de disponible sur le magazine, car la page internet qui lui était consacrée n’est plus en ligne, j’ai décidé de mettre sur mon blogue une partie des informations sur les anciens numéros de Protoculture Addicts et de Samizdat (liste des numéros, table des matières, index, quelques articles, etc., mais je ne vais PAS en faire la vente, car c’est trop compliqué). Cela ne se fera pas du jour au lendemain, mais ce sera un nouveau projet pour moi dans les prochains mois… N’hésitez pas à laisser des commentaires…

[ Translate ]

Jeudi nature en images [002.024.137]

/ Clodjee / Leave a comment

Meleagris gallopavo silvestris

Meleagris gallopavo silvestris / Dindon sauvage / Wild turkey
Meleagris gallopavo silvestris / Dindon sauvage / Wild turkey
Meleagris gallopavo silvestris / Dindon sauvage / Wild turkey
Meleagris gallopavo silvestris / Dindon sauvage / Wild turkey
Meleagris gallopavo silvestris / Dindon sauvage / Wild turkey
Meleagris gallopavo silvestris / Dindon sauvage / Wild turkey
Meleagris gallopavo silvestris / Dindon sauvage / Wild turkey
Meleagris gallopavo silvestris / Dindon sauvage / Wild turkey

[ iPhone 15 Pro, Parc Frédéric-Back, 2024/05/14 ]

Dindon sauvage / Wild turkey / シチメンチョウ [七面鳥 / Shichimenchō]

Cela fait plusieurs années qu’on ne cesse de me dire qui y a des dindons sauvages à Montréal (notamment dans Ahuntsic et Rosemont), mais je n’avais jamais eu la chance d’en observer et d’en photographier. J’ai vu des coyotes, des renards, des marmottes, des urubus, des bernaches, des chouettes, des crécerelles, des éperviers, des faucons, etc., mais pas de dindons. Jusqu’à cette semaine — où je suis tombé dessus un seul individu (une femelle) lors de ma promenade dans le parc. C’est gros comme oiseau ! Le parc serait un habitat idéal pour eux alors j’espère qu’il y aura plus de dindons qui viendront le visiter et nous donner l’occasion de les observer dans un milieu plus naturel.

[ Translate ]

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

/ Clodjee / 1 Comment

In 1969, an old Indiana Jones, broken by the death of his son in the war and separated from Marion, is finally retiring from his teaching job. He is visited by Helena, the daughter of his friend Basil Shaw, who seeks an artifact that Indy and Shaw took from some looting Nazis in 1944 and that Indy had promised her father that he would destroy: the Dial of Destiny (or half of it). However the artifact falls into the hands of an old Nazis (somehow helped by the CIA). Ensue a long chase through New York, Morocco and Greece to recover the artifact, finds clues to the location of its second half, recover it and prevent the ex-Nazis to change the course of history.

Meh. If the movie offers good action and is quite faithful to the character, it has nothing really new. My greater complain is that, of course, the Antikythera mechanism (the so-called dial of destiny) didn’t looked like that in reality when it was found, but it is nevertheless a very good plot device for the movie. There are also too many chase and fighting scenes to my taste. I would rather have had more scenes with Archimedes during the siege of Syracuse. The effects for the “de-aged” scenes (in the intro) are quite impressive — but no wonder that the advent of A.I. in movies are worrying the Actors’ Guild as they might not be needed anymore in a near future. Too bad it will also likely be the last Indiana Jones movie.

Over all, if it is not a very exciting movie (rated only 6.6 on IMDb or 69 % on RT), it is still quite enjoyable and entertaining. stars-3-0

DialOfDestinyIndiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny : USA, 2023, 154 min.; Dir.: James Mangold; Scr.: Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth, David Koepp and James Mangold (based on characters created by George Lucas and Philip Kaufman); Phot.: Phedon Papamichael; Ed.: Michael McCusker, Andrew Buckland and Dirk Westervelt; Prod.: ; Kathleen Kennedy (Lucasfilm), Frank Marshall and Simon Emanuel; Music: John Williams; Distr.: Walt Disney Studios; Cast: Harrison Ford (Dr. Henry “Indiana” Jones Jr.), Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Helena Shaw), Antonio Banderas (Renaldo), John Rhys-Davies (Sallah), Toby Jones (Basil Shaw), Boyd Holbrook (Klaber), Ethann Isidore (Teddy Kumar), Mads Mikkelsen (Dr. Schmidt / Jürgen Voller); Rated: PG. For more information you can visit: Google • IMDb • Rotten Tomatoes •Wikipedia • YouTube.

[ Traduire ]

Jeudi nature en images [002.023.285]

/ Clodjee / Leave a comment

Renard attrapant un rat dans un fossé

Fox catching a rat in a ditch
Fox catching a rat in a ditch
Fox catching a rat in a ditch

[ iPhone 15 Pro, Parc Frédéric-Back, 2023/10/10 ]

Après plusieurs semaines sans la moindre observation de renards dans le parc, j’en ai finalement aperçu un mardi soir en revenant du travail. C’est la preuve qu’ils n’ont pas quitté le territoire mais se sont plutôt dispersés, sans doute parce que les proies se font plus rares. Chose surprenante : il était à l’extérieur de la zone clôturée ce qui démontre qu’ils ont été obligé d’agrandir leur périmètre de chasse. Il ne semblait plus être effarouché par la présence des humains ravis de pouvoir l’admirer et le photographier (plusieurs passants s’arrêtaient pour prendre quelques clichés).

J’ai pu observé ce renard solitaire descendre dans un fossé et en ressortir avec une prise de dix ou quinze centimètre de longueur — probablement un rat. Il l’a mâchouillé et secoué pour l’occire, puis l’a enterré sur le flanc de la colline. Apparemment, ce comportement de “thésaurisation par dispersion“ est une stratégie courante chez le renard. Comme ils ont un petit estomac et que ce sont des chasseurs opportunistes, ils capturent tout ce qu’ils trouvent quitte à enterrer ce qu’ils ne peuvent consommer immédiatement afin de le garder pour plus tard et le soustraire à la compétition.

J’en profite pour souligner la qualité tant des images (caméra telephoto, 77 mm, 9 MP) que de la vidéo (Caméra principale, 24 mm, 4K, 3840 x 2160, avec zoom maximal de 9x) qui démontre bien les améliorations apportées par le iPhone 15 Pro.

[ Translate ]