South Korea tied France 1-1 this past Sunday in their second match of the opening round robin of the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. Currently, South Korea stands atop Group G with 4 points, but they barely tweaked out a tie against France, and although they are ranked higher than Switzerland (whom they play on Friday), the Koreans are likely still considered to be the underdogs. Korean soccer still has a long way to go before it can play consistently at the level of most European teams, but we'll probably have to wait a couple of generations before anything like that can happen. The sport is still too young in the country, and for the time being seem to be able to struggle by with ugly short passing and a hard work ethic. But there's probably reason to be optimistic when it comes to soccer/football in Asia. It's only a matter of time before China decides to allocate considerable resources to fielding a good national team, Japan seems to be improving steadily, and a number of Asian players are gaining experience abroad, playing against a level of physicalness and talent that has not yet developed at home.But for all the training, experience, and talent South Korea lacks compared to many other teams, they may possibly have the best fans. It appeared that French fans outnumbered Korean fans at least 2-1 on Sunday, yet the Korean fans seemed to overwhelm the stadium towards the end of the game. This, I attribute to organized, coordinated cheering, something that is woefully lacking the in the United States. Nothing... NOTHING pisses me off more than being at a baseball game and sitting next to a guy who can't synchronize his clapping or his cheering. To those of you: Have you no shame?! Have you no decency?! Are we not civilized?! How much effort must it take to listen to a rhythm and adjust your own behavior accordingly? And if you can't do that, at least FAKE competence! Such lack of ability should not go without punishment in our society; it only breeds idleness and the atrophy of society.
The Sopranos: Season Two (HBO)Another dive into moral relativism, the glorification of violence, and the veneration of criminals, the sSopranos finally succeed in creating an illusion of progression in its second season. The story pretty much picks up where it left off: Uncle Junior is under indictment, and is placed under house arrest, leaving Tony to assume his place as the acting boss. The additional responsibility, though, doesn't seem to agree with Tony, as his trouble with anxiety reemerges, and his sessions with his psychiatrist eventually resumes. After refusing to continue treating Tony for most of the first half of the season, his female psychiatrist finally changes her mind, after realizing that she had become somewhat obsessed with the thrill of tackling on the psychological woes of a mobster.
Tony's visits to the doctor finally seem to be paying off. In the first season, their scenes had little purpose other than to explain to slow viewers every single instance of literary device, and as a way to flesh out Tony's character so as to create a sympathetic, tragic figure. Not to sound too much like a moral absolutist, I'm getting annoyed - and at least a little discouraged - at how, in today's society, no one is said to be bad, only misunderstood. No one is ever at fault for their own actions, they're simply products of their upbringing, right? Individual responsibility is at an all-time low, it seems. Indeed, it almost seems as if people in America today believe that the government should be a GUARANTOR of protection... protection of a person from THEMSELF. Of course, enough people have subscribed to this idea and have virtually strong-armed their politicians to making the United States one of the most excessively managed societies in the history of the world. Eh... I'm digressing. I'll go into that some other time.
Back on topic... a lot of new interesting characters. Some I love to love, some I love to hate. Furiouso (sp?) has been a fun addition to the "family," as well as two of Christopher's stock-broker underlings, Tony's sister, Janice, and, of course, Richie. The stories were relatively compelling, but one of my chief complaints has been that the resolutions to all of the story-arcs are anti-climactic, or too convenient. Still, the basic premise, the series' high concept, is still somewhat appealing, and I'll likely pick up the third season soon. B-
Past TV Reviews:
Sopranos: Season One
24: Season Two
Lost: Season Two
24: Season One
