And then she did a strip tease

So today we had our debate in class. It was about an article called 「日本人とアイデンティティ」(Japanese people and identity) written by some famous clinical psychologist who used to teach at Kyoto University and who apparently knows nothing about Western fairy tales 'cause he says that all of them are about male main characters vanquishing beasts and then marrying captured damsels.

Anyway, I was on the side against him, and we would certainly have won...if the teacher hadn't been more worried about giving everyone a chance a speak. Is it my fault that I have a lot to say?

In any case, I started off the debate by saying that Mr. Fancy Pants Psychologist was wrong and knew nothing because the number of fairy tales that follow that pattern are really small, and anyway the most popular fairy tales nowadays are about girls saving themselves or saving men ("Rapunzel," "Beauty and the Beast," "Snow White and Rose Red," etc., etc.) SO THERE. (Except I was about forty times more polite when I was actually saying it.)

Then someone on the pro-Mr. Fancy Pants Psychologist said that maybe that was true but it was less important what the currently popular fairy tales were and more important to look at the versions of fairy tales from the past.

And then someone else on the pro-Mr. Fancy Pants Psychologist side said that anyway there were lots of stories in which girls had to be saved by guys, like "Snow White" and "Little Red Riding Hood."

And I was so waiting for someone to mention Little Red Riding Hood, but I had to wait for FOREVER to say anything because the teacher was giving everyone a chance to speak and kept saying, "Hold on, we need to let other people talk." But THEN after everyone chimed in, I got to counter the argument and said that if, like the pro-Mr. Fancy Pants Side said, traditional versions of stories were more important than current ones, their argument broke down. Because in the traditional version of Little Red Riding Hood, she saves herself.

Pro-Fancy Pants Side girl: No, the hunter saves her.

Me: Nope. In the original version, when Red gets to the house, she finds that the wolf has eaten her grandmother so she...gets naked.

Sensei: You mean she's made to get naked?

Me: No, she takes off her clothes by herself. To...make the wolf...not...notice? Um, confused?

Pro-Fancy Pants Side guy: Like a strip tease? [attempts to pantomime a strip tease]

Me: YES! EXACTLY! (Also, why do you know that word?) Anyway, she does...that word he just said and then says she has to use the bathroom and runs away. SO SHE SAVES HERSELF, SEE?

Pro-Fancy Pants Side guy: But isn't it more important which version is more commonly known now?

Me: That's not what your side said earlier.

Sensei: OKAY, LET'S MOVE ON TO A DIFFERENT TOPIC NOW.

By the end of the debate, everyone was ending all their arguments with, "WE'VE WON." (そうなんじゃないでしょうか。勝った！)

(But, really, my side won. Totally.)

Lessee, what other exciting things happened today?

Actually, not a whole lot.

Hmm, well, what can I talk about then?

It's been pretty hot lately, although it rained this morning, so that helped cool everything down. But now it's gone back to being hot again. UGGGGH, JAPANNNNNNN, WHY CAN'T YOUR WEATHER BE NICERRRRR?

In other news, I was really proud today because someone mentioned 裏切り, and I immediately remembered what it meant! Why? Because it's part of the title of the first theme song for Durarara!! (裏切りの夕焼け). Yeah, okay, so I'm a fangirl. But it helps my Japanese improve, right? (You'd be surprised how many random words I pick up from songs. I learned a surprising amount of vocabulary I use on a relatively frequently basis from Bump of Chicken songs.)

Also, I just finished writing a three-page paper (due tomorrow, and actually it wound up a little bit longer than three pages) entitled 若者における神道の文化 (Youth Shinto Culture). It is approximately as exciting as it sounds, which is to say VERY EXCITING. It's also probably the longest paper I've ever written in Japanese.

And now I am super tired and would like to get to sleep at a somewhat reasonable hour tonight, so I bid you all good night!

P.S. If you're one of the people who has emailed me in the past few days and hasn't gotten a response yet, it's not 'cause I hate you. It's just that I don't have tiiiiiiiiiiiiiime right now. So don't worry. You will get a response. It just might be....very....slow... Sorry, guys!

P.P.S. Opal, from most polite to least polite forms of "but," it's が、けれど、けど. So you had it backwards.

P.P.S. Now I'm listening to 「裏切りの夕焼け」 kind of obsessively. （ああ、朝日は昇る！ビルの谷間！今信じれば変わるのさ、無意味じゃない、あの夢を)

P.P.P.S. (Yes, that is totally the part of the OP where Shizuo shows up. PFFT.)

P.P.P.P.S. Oh, yeah! Aniplex picked up Durarara!! I am super happy.