Rabbits episode 3

It takes me a while to get to these Rabbits posts because I usually have to listen to each episode twice to really catch what's going on.  So, although episode 4 is out already, today's post will be about episode 3.  Anyway, spoilers ahead and let's dive in.

So, in this episode, Carly plumbs the depths of pirate radio while pursuing a lead on an older iteration of Rabbits in an attempt to understand what kind of game it is.  She also recovers a mysterious, impossible photograph from her friend Yumiko's password-locked laptop that holds a secret message encoded within.  And if that's not enough, Concernicus gives Carly some information about her parents' death that....well, let's just say that things haven't been as cut and dried as she once thought.  The episode ends with a dramatic in-person meeting with Concernicus Jones and a cliffhanger (argh!).

All right, so let's look at this impossible photograph first.  The photograph is considered impossible because it shows Carly and Yumiko in a Starbucks that had only been in a specific location for a year, and yet Carly is wearing a distinctive t-shirt that she lost three years ago.  Now, you could argue that the picture is doctored, but then doesn't that make it even creepier?  I mean, sure, you could splice a couple of individual photos together, but unless you were a photo editing software genius, I doubt that you could get the lighting and everything just right to make it look right.  Why that specific, distinctive shirt in that specific place?

But the weirdest part of this impossible photo isn't the subject matter, but the extra information encoded within.  Someone has created a "version" of a painting called Christina's World, a painting that Carly has a deep, personal love for, and hidden it within the "impossible picture" of Carly and Yumiko.  Now, like the impossible photograph, this picture of Christina's World is also subtly wrong, but unless you really  knew the painting the way Carly did, you probably wouldn't even notice.  Carly seems to think that these pictures were sent to Yumiko, but, what if someone is trying to get Carly's attention?  Could these pictures be from Yumiko?  Or is someone else trying to draw Carly into something?

Then there are the death certificates that Concernicus sent Carly.  They're extremely suspicious, not just because of the obvious discrepancies, but because of his implication that her parents were involved in some kind of "mysterious underground plot" of some kind.  This, combined with the dramatic cliff-hanger ending, makes me really suspect Concernicus of suspicious shenanigans.  I mean, he's the one who sent Carly the pictures of Yumiko from that escort site in the first place, and he's been her primary source of information about the Rabbits game.  He knows way too much to be trusted at this point.

As for the pirate radio station - I am hoping that there will be more about the connection between Marigold and the game aside from one transmission.  Maybe episode 4 will have more to offer.

So, does anyone have any thoughts about episode 3?  Theories?  Corrections?  Leave me a comment.

Rakugo

A lot of my exposure to Japanese culture comes by way of Japanese anime, manga, and literature.  It's not the most efficient way to be learn - it's kinda like trying to look at a landscape painting through a keyhole.  One of the things that you typically don't get exposed to in the West is Japanese theater and comedy.  Part of this is probably because puns and certain comical trends just don't translate very well into English.

Most anime fans are probably familiar with manzai comedy, which relies on two-man teams.  Think of classic Western comedy duos like Laurel and Hardy - one man is the funny-guy and the other is the straight-man.  We're less familiar with a more minimalist form of performance comedy - the one-man skit performance known as Rakugo.

Rakugo is similar to stand-up comedian acts like Louie Anderson and Gabriel Iglesias.  One man performs the skits and plays all of the parts, using changes in his physical position on the stage, his body language and posture, and his voice and speech style to convey each character.  You may not have ever heard a full Rakugo performance, but if you've ever watched Fullmetal Alchemist, you've at least heard part of Jugemu Jugemu.

Rakugo acts should really be viewed rather than just listened to, but if you can't get to your nearest rakugo performance, you can at least listen to some translated stories here: Rakugo.  Some of the stories do require a little bit of understanding about Japanese culture, but the hosts do a wonderful job of explaining things like the festivals used for backdrops for the stories or cultural practices, and of course the actual performance of the rakugo skits is top-notch.

So far, I think that the podcast has been family-friendly, so it's a good way to expose kids to something outside of their usual culture.  If you have an interest in Japanese culture or stand-up comedy, or you just want something to listen to on your commute that doesn't require a lot of concentration, I think you'll enjoy this podcast.