Friday, August 21, 2009

Love Game

I went to a friend's place last night and his sister was watching a Japanese drama series called 'Love Game'. I thought it was just a typical soap drama of love relationship, which i have lost interest in watching long long time ago. Last time i loyally followed a love drama was like back in Jurassic Time!

Anyhow, i asked my friend's sister what it was about, she asked me to keep watching because it was pretty interesting. So i did, with a little bit of negligence. I watched the start of it, and damn, it kept me going! I just didn't want to stop.

This 13-episode drama emphaises 'True love is the ultimate lesson of one's life', an unknown lady called 冰室冴(釋由美子)would target on a person and offer the selected one 1 billion Yen to enter the Love Game. The participant has to accomplish the assigned task given by 冰室冴(釋由美子)in limited time to get the reward.

But getting the billion dollar is nothing easy. Some of the requirements, for example, a teacher has to successfully seduce a student of his class to have sex with him within a week, a lady should tempt her brother-in-law divorce with her sister in 5 days, a high school girl needs to make a married man abandon his family in a week time. Though no one has ever succeeded. You cannot really predict what was going to happen.

I cannot find out why 冰室冴(釋由美子)wanted to do this, the only reason i could come up with was that she has been terribly wounded by her loved one in the past?

The idea of it is so fresh, so unique, so untypical yet closely related to our daily lives and up-to-date in terms of reflecting the latest culture and status of the society. You might even have had experiences encountering in such circumstances. Most importantly, i reckon, is the fact that the drama is mirroring, aiming at and mocking the current dilemma, situations and stories of people from different 'classes' of Japan.

When human beings are facing love and temptation, it turns ugly. We become selfish, more specifically we become real. The true side of your face leaks out of the fake, deceptive surface. This is truly horrifying.

Though the ultimate goal and perhaps purpose of this drama is there are always 2 sides of an event and to encourage people to face their own problems with a positive mind and get clear with what love truly means.

An episode of 'Love Game'. Great drama, beyond my imagination!

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

日本時裝文化對我的啟示 (IN CHINESE)

The Captain前幾天又去到又一城的Page One挑選心儀的書藉和雜誌. 最後買了Fortune Magazine和Dime Mag籃球雜誌. 在雜誌範圍進行搜索途中, 不經意的被某幾本日本時裝雜誌的封面所吸引. 自從成立Fly之後, 我認為要令自己品牌做得好, 必須不斷的觀察及分析其他品牌的優點和特質(加上自己本來就讀Marketing), 於是拿起了幾本日本潮流雜誌"學習學習".

我本身不太留意日本潮流, 只會留意較有名的品牌產品例如Bape, 可能因為之前對它的負面形象較多 - 昂貴, Cutie Girls, Lolita (Sorry, Lolita fans!)等等. 但無可否認的是, 日本品牌的產品的確是很奪目, 很受市場接納而且消費者感覺將產品放在身上後會令自己信心倍增!

看到這些雜誌的製作是何其的精美! 雖然我看不懂日文, 但我當時心想為什麼日本的品牌可以那麼有廣為人知? 為什麼他們的產品可以賣個滿江紅? 為什麼香港人要日夜排隊花幾千元, 都只是為了買一件T恤? 為什麼連其他國家的潮流先鋒都要向日本品牌埋手?

一大堆的疑問, 而我們香港呢?

我認為, 潮流文化講求"原創性"(Originality)"創意"(Creativity). 可惜的是, 我們香港多年來一直都是跟著日本潮流文化的鼻子走. (雖然我曾經離開香港數年, 回家後"崇日潮流"亦然).

日本品牌產品之所以如此受歡迎, 除了宣傳了得(Advertising), 代言的都是所謂的"潮流達人"(Celebrity endorsement), 更重要的是一眾設計師的潮流觸角(Fashion trend sensitivity)及之前所提到的"原創性". 對我而言, 日本人創意無限, 全憑自己想像或被其他元素啟發, 卻不會抄襲別人的.

很多香港人卻會盲目地去模仿別人的衣著.

其實, 香港是處於一個在創意平台上很有利的位置 (亦可說是尷尬). 英國殖民地色彩, 配合各國文化, 加上我們中國人背景, 我們的潮流和文化絕對是獨特的! 記緊, 不要排斥, 不是忘記, 而是融會貫通, 取其特點, 集各方精要於一身, 成為只有我們特有的獨創潮流. 潮流由自己定, 我有我文化!

講到中國人背景, 有些人自稱, "I am Chinese BUT i am from Hong Kong", 有些就過份崇洋, 我甚至聽過有人大聲喊道, 'I am NOT Chinese, i am Honkee! (香港人簡稱)"

香港人不是中國人? 荒謬!

下一本要買的書! Much respect for Coach K!