The Accolade

June.  On my bedroom wall hangs a calendar that features paintings of the Pre-Rafaelite persuasion.  For this month, it's Edmund Blair Leighton's "The Accolade."  This makes me happy for a few reasons, foremost of which is because it reminds me of Camelot.

I love all things Arthurian.  Chivalry, knights in armor, ladies locked in towers, powerful wizards and sorceresses, duels, tourneys, curses, forbidden loves, jousts, monsters and dragons, quests, swords, and all the innumerable tales, poetry, and art that have dwelt on the theme.  You name it.    I don’t know.  I think I love it mostly because it’s all so fantastic – all of that just couldn’t possibly have been real – could it?  I mean, sure, historically there might have been some of this and that.  Kings, castles, feudalism, the Medieval Age, etc., have been known to exist.  But the MAGIC of it all!  It’s just the stuff of dreams – and that makes it all the more splendid. 

I don’t bother to count how many books, movies, songs, poems, etc. I’ve experienced on the matter, but the two most memorable have been Sir Thomas Malory’s “Le Morte d’Arthur” and T.H. White’s “The Once and Future King.”  If you’re a book lover, surely you’d have heard or encountered either one of these two.  There are only a precious few books that have brought tears to my eyes, and these two belong in that list, which is why they are so memorable to me.  My heart cried so for Arthur, for his grief, for his betrayal, for the enormous burdens he carried, for his tragic fate, and for the bright shining hope that he brings with him.  I felt him to be the only one who stayed true and pure through the whole debacle that was glorious Camelot.  In any case, so much has already been said on this subject that I’m sure I’d just sound redundant if I lay out all that I think about him and all the other characters.  Rest assured that I love them all, yes, even the bad guys (they are such cool bad guys after all).  Oh yeah, my favourite knight is Sir Gareth.

That said, enjoy June.  I hope you read any or both of these books.  And I hope that if you see a picture of The Accolade, you’d catch a little bit of medieval magic just like I do.

Katanagatari

Quite a while back I finished the anime series "Katanagatari" and I enjoyed it immensely.

It's the story of Shichika and Togame's search for twelve legendary blades.  Togame conscripts Shichika, the swordless samurai, into the search.  Eventually a deep bond between the two of them grows.  As time passes and they endure the hardships and challenges that come their way, they learn more and more about respect, pride, power, friendship, and love. 

This is one of the most memorable anime I’ve ever seen. It is at par with "Ninja Scroll" in my book. I just love the character development - the slow but sure awakening of Shichika and Togame’s humanity. I also loved all the villains, especially Nanami and Emonzaemon. The drawing and animation were no less magnificent - caricature enough to be cute and entertaining, and yet vicious and sharp enough to be chilling and merciless. I don't know much about art, but I think this style may be called avant-garde (?), I'm not too sure.  It's all very artsy and surreal.  I have only seen a few anime before that used such a radically different art style in the rendering of the story.  If the artist had used the more or less "usual/common" anime style, it would have made the series much less remarkable indeed.  I also loved the fact that it had one-hour episodes so you are never left hanging and still eagerly anticipating the next chapter. Each episode is absorbing and gracefully paced: alternately tip-toe-around-the-corner and edge-of-your-seat at all the right moments.  Truly superb, I highly recommend it to all anime lovers. Cheerio!

Bambino!

Based on a manga of the same name, the story revolves around the challenges faced by a young Japanese man aspiring to be a chef at an Italian restaurant.  Ban Shogo is played by Matsumoto Jun in this series, which completed in 2007.  I didn’t have any particular reason for starting with this drama, but being the quasi-obsessive-compulsive that I am, I couldn’t stand not finishing what I started.  In this case, being OC did not help, as I didn’t like the series much.  There were too many unnecessarily over-done melodramatic moments for my taste.  There are more out there that are much deeper theme/story-wise and better executed in my humble opinion.  Nevertheless, this one did have some redeeming characteristics.

It focuses on the importance of work.  It goes to show that no matter how lowly or menial one’s job is, each and every one has as much value as all the rest.  No matter how small one’s part, the whole will not be able to function without it.  This show demonstrates the Japanese way of looking at work – how highly they value it and how they take pride and show their dignity through the part they play.  They place importance on each individual’s contribution to society as a whole.  Their selflessness is clearly manifested here and I can’t help but compare it to the self-centeredness of Western thinking.  In the west, it’s more of work for personal gain and financial superiority – it’s all so materialistic.  In this story, Ban learns to rein his personal ambition and channels his energy and zeal into learning from others and becoming a valued contributor and member of a community.  He becomes less self-centered, learns to make sacrifices, and develops a lot of patience.  He arrives at his desired achievements with the help of his friends, and comes out of the whole thing with a lot more humility, respect, and understanding of what it means to be a professional.

Matsumoto was so young here, but he pulled off the role quite well.  You really do get annoyed with his boastful arrogance at the beginning of the series, but he eventually earns your empathy.  Favourite characters:  Yonamine – for being cute and winky, and Katori – for being consistently bad-ass from start to finish.  Oda was good, too.  Oh, and yeah, all that Italian food did indeed make my mouth water.  They DO make good Italian in Japan – I can vouch for that.  For the series, 6/10.

Stars and Dandelions - Kaneko Misuzu

A friend of mine, a Japanese lady, gave me this poem today.  
It is so simple and elegant, and yet so profound. 
My friend told me that it's about the things we take for granted - we may not see them, but still they're there.  This is such a beautiful poem.  I thought I'd share it with the rest of the world. 


Stars and Dandelions
(Kaneko Misuzu)


Deep down in the blue sky

Like pebbles on the ocean floor
They lie submerged till dark comes
Stars unseen in the light of day.
     You can't see them, still they're there.
     Even things not seen are there.


Petals drop and withered dandelions
Hidden in cracks between roof tiles
Wait silently for spring to come
Their strong roots unseen.
     You can't see them, still they're there.
     Even things not seen are there.


星とたんぽぽ



青いお空の底ふかく、
海の小石のそのように、
夜が来るまで沈んでる、
昼のお星は眼にみえぬ。
     見えぬけれどもあるんだよ、
     見えぬものでもあるんだよ。


散ってすがれたたんぽぽの、
瓦のすきに、だアまって、
春のくるまでかくれてる、
つよいその根は眼にみえぬ、
     見えぬけれどもあるんだよ、
     見えぬけれどもあるんだよ。

The Avengers and Dark Shadows

I saw two movies recently.  The first of which was The Avengers (of course!), the highly anticipated superhero soup of a Hollywood blockbuster.  I must admit that I enjoyed it thoroughly.  I found it visually exciting (due to the astounding visual effects but mostly because of the impossibly good-looking cast), humorous (the dialogues were amusing and the exchanges between the characters were inspired), and well-paced.  I’m glad I saw it as a sort of culmination to the series of Marvel comic hero movies that they’ve released one after the other lately.  I did enjoy most of the other features where they have just one hero as the focus (Hulk, Iron Man, Captain America, Thor), but I must admit that I liked this one best.  Absolute favourite character: LOKI. His lines were just fabulous and you can’t help but just listen to every word he says or look at him whenever he’s onscreen.  Tom Hiddleston gave an awesome performance, lending the character alternately a devious, evil persona as well as one that is sensitive, vulnerable, and almost diabolically hilarious.  I’d recommend The Avengers to anyone who might have even a fleeting interest in the world of comic book heroes, especially since we’ve had some rather disappointing movies of the same ilk recently (Transformers, Green Lantern, etc.).  If you grew up with these heroes and their cartoon equivalents, then you’d enjoy The Avengers.

 

The next movie was Dark Shadows.  I absolutely adore Tim Burton’s films, so I couldn’t let this one get past me (The Nightmare Before Christmas is one of my most beloved movies of all time).  I love the visual effect of the whole film – it was all so hippie-goth (if I could even say that’s a word). Whatever, it clearly had the Tim Burton stamp all over it.  And it was just so funny!  The humour is sustained (I kept giggling every once in a while throughout the film) and these really big moments just jump out on you out of the blue.  All the characters were marvellously cast (they each fit their roles perfectly) and the actors gave such cool performances.  The story is quite shallow – no higher order thinking skills required here – but all the other elements make up for that, in my opinion.  You just sit back and let it take you.  Favourite character: Angelique.  Eva Green is so believable – she oozed evil with every word and piercing stare, not to mention she’s just absolutely a stunning beauty.  Johnny Depp as Barnabas was… well, Johnny Depp.  I don’t think any other actor could have pulled this character off as well as he did.  He’s just custom-made to play roles this quirky and weird and funny.  No wonder Tim Burton likes him so much (that practically all his movies have Depp in them).  This movie was just all-around fun.  I recommended it to anyone who just wants a good escape with chuckles thrown in.

To the Readers and Visitors

I just want to say "THANK YOU SO MUCH" to those people who happen to encounter this blog.  When I look at the stats and see countries like Russia, Netherlands, Spain, UK, USA, even Kuwait, Zimbabwe, etc., it just blows my mind!  I can't help but think "I wonder what these people were searching for that they just happened to stumble on this blog page?" and "The internet is truly an amazing, fearsome thing - a force to be reckoned with!"  Whether you purposefully came by or just happened to open this page by accident, know that I am truly grateful that you did.  Please don't hesitate to leave comments - I'd love to hear from you.

Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card

I got to listen to this novel on audiobook.  I only recently started getting into audiobooks, and I find the experience much to my liking – depending on whether the reader is good, of course.   

I’ve always had a soft spot for science fiction and fantasy and Orson Scott Card is up there with the best in this genre; “Ender’s Game” won both the Hugo and Nebula Awards as proof.  His novel, “Enchantment”, is one of my best beloved stories of all time.  But back to Ender’s Game; it came out as a novel in 1985, and many other stories that have followed since resonate with the images and ideas first presented herewith – most notably and recently, The Hunger Games Trilogy.

Set in a futuristic world that is facing possible annihilation by a hostile alien race called “Buggers,” Ender’s Game revolves around the trials, tribulations, and triumphs of a boy named Andrew.  When he was young his sister started calling him “Ender” because she couldn’t pronounce “Andrew” correctly.  The name stuck and eventually the boy lived up to the name in all its double meanings. 

Ender had quite a difficult first few years – he was a “third,” technically an unwanted third child in a society that strictly regulates its population, and he was made painfully aware of this by his cruel bully of an elder brother.  Although their parents cared for him well and treated him as kindly as his siblings, the only person he felt close to and had genuine love for was his sister, Valentine.  Now being a third, he was carefully monitored by the government.  An incident of bullying in school where Ender demonstrated extraordinary ruthlessness in order to defend himself became the turning point in his life.  The military stepped in and took Ender away for training as a soldier and possibly a future military commander at “Battle School.”  Almost immediately the military singled Ender out from all the other recruits as a boy with great potential, and throughout his training and study in Battle School he was tested relentlessly in cruel, merciless ways. 

I’ll stop my summary there to avoid giving spoilers.  But the whole point of Ender’s Game for me is the potential of the human spirit for terrible cruelty as well as astounding kindness and courage, all personified in this exceptionally gifted, lonely little boy who carries a great burden he didn’t ask for.   The book also explores the notions of friendship, leadership, respect for authority, and heroism.  While listening to the story such questions came to my mind as, “Must one really need to be ruthless to be a good leader?”  “It’s been said that It’s lonely at the top, but is it necessarily true that it’s difficult for great leaders to have trusted friends?”  “We always paint our heroes in a certain ‘glorious’ light, but never question their own true thoughts about their own heroism – do they think they deserve being called ‘heroes’?”  Ender’s Game was able to address these questions and more.

I felt so much empathy for young Ender.  I couldn’t count how many times I wanted to sink myself into the book and give him a big hug and cheer him up somehow.  But in the end I saw the point of all that he had to go through, and I knew that if the hero of the story had not been a boy like Ender, everything would turn out very differently.  By the ending of the story, even though my heart ached for him, I felt quite proud of the boy, and believed that everything is as it should be. 

I don’t know what it’s like to read the book as text, but I assure you that I enjoyed the audiobook.  The voice actors were awesome – they brought the world of Ender’s Game to glorious life.  In his afterword, Orson Scott Card himself says that listening to the story is probably the best way to experience it.  But whether you choose to read or listen to it, I can definitely say that it’s a thrilling, memorable, thought-provoking, and heart-wrenching story deserving of all its acclaim.  They say a movie is in the works, and whenever they adapt a great book into a movie I always have misgivings and a healthy dose of doubt that they’ll do the story justice.  But I’m willing to give it a try.  One thing’s for sure – I’ll continue listening to the rest of this series and I’m sure I’ll enjoy it all as much as I did this first novel.  Give it a try – I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I did.

The Bedroom Secrets of the Master Chefs - Irvine Welsh

I read Irvine Welsh’s “Trainspotting” many years ago, and it is easily one of the most memorable books ever.  It was just so brutally honest and upfront about everything it wanted to show.  I also loved how after reading through that book, you end up acquiring a little Scottish accent for a while.  Anyway, upon having read it I felt like my eyes had been opened – it felt wonderful to be bludgeoned by unabashed truth for once.  They also made a movie out of it, starring Ewan McGregor, and it’s a very good movie; I highly recommend it.  I decided to give “The Bedroom Secrets of the Master Chefs” a try because I do clearly remember the awesome rush I received at having read “Trainspotting.”

The description on the book cover:

Troubled Environmental Health Officer Danny Skinner is engaged on a quest to uncover what he refers to as “the bedroom secrets of the master chefs”.  He regards the unraveling of this classified information as the key to learning genetic facts about himself and the crippling compulsions that threaten to wreck his young life.  The ensuing journey takes him from Europe’s festival city of Edinburgh to the foodie capital of America, San Francisco.  But the hard-drinking, womanizing Skinner has a strange nemesis in the form of model-railway enthusiast Brian Kibby.  It is his unfathomable, obsessive hatred of Kibby that takes over everything, threatening to destroy not only Skinner and his mission but also those he loves most dearly.  When Kibby contracts a horrific and debilitating mystery virus, Skinner understands that his destiny is inextricably bound to that of his hated rival, and he is faced with a terrible dilemma.

The narration shifts perspective from Skinner to Kibby, as well as to some of the other characters but the story basically revolves around these two.  The novel unfolds slowly at first and there were moments when I felt the whole thing was just really plodding and a bit redundant.  I felt that it dwelled too much on the representations of alcoholism, sex, personal insecurities, envy of others, and pure spitefulness.  I think some of the character development had been overdone.  There were moments in the novel where I thought, “Alright, I already know Skinner is a womanizing, disrespectful a****le.  Do we really need to go into the nth time he picks up yet another woman?”  Significant developments begin to happen only midway through the novel and towards the end.  I also felt that the ending turned out to be predictable and anti-climactic.  About a chapter or two to the last page, I pretty much could see where it was all going.  Even the attempt at a mysterious, indefinite revelation at the very end felt flat to me.

That said, there are some memorable moments all throughout the novel.  The author was able to delve into some very deep and insightful views of what it’s like to feel incomplete, unloved and unappreciated, wanting a place where you can be truly sure of yourself and the security and comfort of knowing you belong.  He also presents some clear and strong thoughts on the importance of professionalism and the significance of office politics.  He presented the idea of friendship very honestly and graphically – how do people’s friendships end up shaping them and such.   I did feel much empathy towards the characters, especially Kibby.  He’s such a victim, that one; but I also kind of blame his own cluelessness and naiveté for his misfortunes.  There were many times while reading that I myself felt like I could smack him for being such a nerdy doormat.  He was as much a victim of his own self-loathing and repression as he was of Skinner’s cruelty.  Now Skinner, that’s one sick s.o.b.  He’s got issues in aces, but there were times when I just loved him for being devil-may-care about everything.  I liked the way the two characters were made to play off each other and bring out the other’s truths - the good and the bad.  It was really no surprise that the connection between the two of them ran much deeper than just personal insecurity, spite, and envy towards each other.

Definitely not for young readers – fiery language and graphic imagery.  I took a long time reading it because I found the pace slower than my preference.  I’d personally rate it 5/10 (It wasn’t that bad. Perhaps I was only disappointed because I’d been comparing it to something I really liked.), but I liked “Trainspotting” much, much more.  In any case, give it a try.  See if you'll find any of the "bedroom secrets" useful, and maybe you’ll disagree with me.

Darker Than Black

This is the anime series I've been following lately, and I quite enjoyed it.  The main character is cool and the action sequences are well-executed.  

The story revolves around the mysterious "Hell's Gate" that surrounds an area of Tokyo where a cataclysmic event happened a decade before.  Several factions and government agencies are trying to delve into the mysteries of the "gate."  One of its strange effects was the emergence of  "contractors" - humans who have suddenly developed unique and oftentimes destructive supernatural abilities in exchange for the loss of the human capacity for emotion/compassion.  They are now recruited and employed by the rival factions to retrieve/steal information, commit kidnappings or assassinations, and any other dirty deed that needs be done.  Hei is one of them.  The whole series centers around his relationships with the other characters, his search for his beloved younger sister, and his inner conflicts as he tries to hold on to the humanity he believes to have lost when he became a contractor.  As he works to uncover the "gate's" secrets, he discovers more and more about his own person at the same time.

The pace of the series is good; secrets and twists are revealed a little at a time, enough to entice you to keep watching.  The characters are also engaging and well-rounded.  Their interactions with each other provide human drama elements as well as moments of comic relief.  The contractors are cool and vicious, and the action sequences are fast and gripping.  

Favorite character: Hei and the cat

Favorite scene: Whenever Hei eats like there's no tomorrow.

Favorite episode: The 26th (special/extra episode) 

All-in-all a pretty exciting and interesting sci-fi/action series - worth watching.  

I'd give it a 7/10. Give it a try.