Sprout (2012)

This is a very high school story, if there ever was one.   I decided to give it a try so as to give myself a break from all the other things I’ve been on to lately that tended to be more on the serious, psychological, and dark-themed persuasion.  I’d say it was cute, if you liked this kind of high school candy.  I’m sure many out there would like it.

Souhei, along with two other people, end up as boarders in Miku’s home.  Things get awkward at first – Miku wasn’t really willing to let strangers invade her cushy home-life.  But then soon enough she develops a crush on Souhei and thinks of him as her “fated person.”  Problem is, Souhei has a girlfriend, Miyuki.  Miku, while not exactly popular in school, finds herself creating an awkward friendship with Miyuki, who gets bullied and gossiped about.  And then there’s Hayato, Souhei’s best friend, who ends up falling for Miku.  It’s a four-way street from there.  The story goes through the motions of showing the awkwardness of youth, naivete, first love, and heartbreak through a dewy summer-themed lens to the background song Betty’s a Bombshell by Grouplove.  I rather liked this song.  As to the series, the pace was good – thirty minute episodes, so it went quite fast and didn’t get too boring.  The thing is, the actors (except perhaps for the Souhei kid) came off as stiff, cold, and awkward; as if they didn’t feel quite comfortable with their roles.  But come to think of it, given the themes, they were supposed to look awkward and uncomfortable, being teens trying to figure things out by trial and error, yes?  Oh well.   Anyway, it wasn’t all that bad.  It’s good for something light and cute, if that’s what you’re after.  Enjoy! 

Empire - Orson Scott Card

Another Orson Scott Card book that had been waiting for my attention for quite some time now, I finally picked Empire up.  I must say it’s entirely different from the other books I’ve read by the same author – rather surprisingly so.  It’s about a group of American soldiers trying to prevent an American civil war, all the while not really knowing whether they are being manipulated by a very clever, ambitious dictator-wannabe in such a way that in the end everything will fall perfectly into place so that he may take complete control of America. 

 This book followed in the wake of September 11, and I have to say it carried a sense of paranoia all throughout the story.  Mr. Card did however, give a rather lengthy explanation for his reasons to write such a story at the end of the novel.  I will not dwell on that – the politics behind terrorism and civil wars and dictatorships, and so on – I would much rather take the story as I see it.  It’s a very interesting and engaging story after all. 

So Reuben Malich is a brilliant soldier.  From the outset he’s given this all-around-good-guy heroic image.  He seems to have everything and he’s on the way to the top.  And of course someone like him has to be set up for a downfall by the bad guys – in this case Averell Torrent, our ambitious little baddie who thinks himself a Roman Emperor in the making.  Reuben along with Cole, his trusty sidekick, almost but not quite succeed in foiling an attempt to assassinate the President of the USA.  From there begins the many trials and tribulations that Reuben and Cole must go through to get to the truth of what’s really happening in the White House.  Conspiracies galore; left wing vs. right wing factions; a hostile takeover of New York City by weird walking tanks, and so on and so forth, in the center of which is Reuben.  And then Reuben is murdered.  Just like that.  I almost cried!  I couldn’t believe it.  Right smack in the middle of the story the hero dies.  I must admit that throughout the rest of the novel I was hoping that Reuben would pop back out somewhere, that he really planned to fake his own murder, etc.  But he didn’t.  He died.  So it’s up to Cole, Reuben’s wife, and Reuben’s loyal group of soldier-brothers to save the day.  In the end, Averell Torrent is the uncontested President of the USA.  What the hell?!  But the book was quite a statement – it clearly reveals Orson Scott Card’s opinion of governments, wars, religion, heroism, family, and friendship.  I rather think he’s an idealist who’s a bit frustrated by the way things aren’t going in the ideal fashion.

Anyway, it’s good.  I couldn’t let go of the book.  The characters were interesting and the conspiracies were intricate.  The pace was really tight and exciting and you just want to know what they’re going to do next, whether the conspiracy will be revealed or not, who’s really the bad guy, or is the bad guy not so bad after all?   It got to the point where it’s frustrating and I just wanted to skip the remaining pages between where I was and the last page of the story to peek at the ending (I try to never do this with any book – peek at the ending, I mean.).  This is quite a novel experience for me because even though you wouldn’t really call this a politics-themed story, it did have a healthy dose of government jargon and politics involved, which I usually dislike reading about (I read Primary Colors  a couple of years ago and I really didn’t like it one bit, sorry.).  I just hate politics, local or foreign.  Politicians to me are all the same rotten banana, all out to line their own pockets with the honest money the common people shed their blood and sweat for, all the while spouting public service and for the good of the people  yadda, yadda.  But anyway, I actually liked this book.  It was exciting and thrilling and interesting all the way.  So even though the theme didn’t appeal much to me, I’m still glad I gave it a try.  It might be a while, though, before I willingly pick up another similarly themed story.  Better be careful.  

Adam of the Road - Elizabeth Janet Gray

“A road’s a kind of holy thing… it brings all kinds of people and all parts of England together.”  Eleven-year-old Adam loved to travel throughout thirteenth-century England with his father, a wandering minstrel, and his dog, Nick.  But when Nick is stolen and his father disappears, Adam suddenly finds himself alone.  He searches the same roads he travelled with his father, meeting farmers, pilgrims, minstrels, priests, and thieves along the way.  Through these encounters, Adam discovers that somewhere in the crowds of people are his father and his dog.  But will Adam be able to find them and end his desperate search?  (Book jacket)

First published in 1942, this timeless tale of adventure, friendship, and self-discovery was a winner of the Newberry Medal.  Upon finishing the book, I immediately thought it might as well have been the precursor to Jack Kerouac’s On the Road, only this is for younger readers. 

I loved Adam immediately.  He knew what he wanted from life – he was a minstrel, born and bred.  He couldn’t tolerate the thought of becoming anything else.  And so, stuck in an Abbey school where his father left him for some learning and bored out of his mind, he arranges for a way to sneak out and visit his faithful beloved spaniel, Nick.  One day, his father (undoubtedly the best minstrel in all the world, thinks Adam) comes back to get him, and he’s sure to become a real minstrel now that he, his father, and Nick will be on the road together at last.   Thus begins his adventures.  Songs and tales of love and adventure are learned, money earned and spent, lovely ladies and gallant knights, hard-won friendships to be made, and shady characters to be met.  Recklessly Adam’s father, Roger the minstrel, lost their war-horse Bayard in a bet to the same culprit who eventually will steal his Nick.  Sorely grieved by the loss of his dog, Nick goes after the man, and loses his father in the process – now he is truly alone.  But there is no choice but to keep going and soon he realizes that to a minstrel, the road is as good a home as any home could be.    Filled with music, wit, life’s wisdom, and beautifully illustrated, I absolutely recommend this book to one and all.  

The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini

I just finished reading this book, and I must admit it’s been a while since I was last nearly moved to tears by a story.  I haven’t seen the movie so I thoroughly enjoyed every word of this. 

It begins in Afghanistan and tells the story of Amir and his friendship with Hassan, their family’s Hazara servant who was of the same age.  Amir and Hassan grew up together and Amir treated Hassan like they were brothers.  Even Amir’s father seemed to love Hassan like he was his own son, which made Amir terribly jealous.  Everything Amir did to try to gain his father’s praise and acknowledgement seemed to end in failure, and it made things worse when Hassan always managed to save him from trouble.  And so though Amir truly loved Hassan as a brother, he grew up feeling unworthy and incompetent next to his friend.  He gradually became bitter, contemptuous, and he begrudged Hassan every little thing that his father did for the servant.  The only time Amir managed to gain the respect and praise of his father was when he won the kite fighting tournament, but it was also on that same day that his fate and that of Hassan’s will change forever.  For it is on that day that Amir commits the greatest betrayal against his friend and begets the guilt and regret which he will suffer for the rest of his life. 

The story of Amir follows the tumultuous changes that Afghanistan suffered since the 1980’s.  The wars, Russia, and the Taliban – all those political forces ravaged the land and destroyed the dreamlike homeland that Amir grew up in.  He and his father fled to America, and Amir thought he would also escape his terrible sins against Hassan, but of course he couldn’t escape from himself.  Eventually he did find some measure of success and joy, but the past inevitably comes back to haunt us all.  A distress call from a beloved friend compels him to go back to Afghanistan, only to be confronted with painful and incredible truths about who he and Hassan truly were, to witness the destruction and agony of his homeland, to relive every horror and compound every sin, at last to face the greatest demon from his past, to be presented with a chance to right his wrongs, and eventually to find redemption and forgiveness. 

This book put me through an emotional storm.  At first I thought it would bore me; that it would be preachy and moralistic. But as I followed the story of Amir and Hassan, I grew closer and closer to them, could almost hear their voices in my head.  I felt my heart clench and throb painfully for Hassan, mourned for the cruel fate that he had to face and marvelled at his integrity, loyalty, and purity.  I just knew life would deal him the cruellest hand – the world tends to extend the harshest punishment on those who deserve it least.  But I could not retain any anger toward Amir either.  He, too, suffered in his own pure way.  It is only those with a conscience who suffer.  I’m so glad he managed to do something in the end; that he did try his best to atone for the wrongs he did.  In the end, that is the only thing any of us could try to do.  We cannot go back and undo any of our mistakes.  Even though the story was filled with so much pain, it also provided some small measure of forgiveness and hope.  It is told in a voice that is straightforward, honest, and sincere.  It gave me a clearer picture of what faith actually means and what power it can provide.  I strongly recommend this book to everyone.  We can all learn something important from this unforgettable and moving story.  

Christmas Surprise

Something wonderful happened to me the other day.

In my Educational Research class I have a classmate, a girl from Turkey – let’s call her by the initials SC.  She’s Muslim (or Moslem, or however you prefer to say it) and she always wears a very pretty, colorful scarf that covers all of her hair and neck.  Now there are many Muslims in the University, but being the only one wearing a head scarf that marks you as Muslim still makes you stand out in a classroom where one could safely assume that the majority of the population is Christian.  Add to this the fact that SC is a foreigner, and very beautiful.  I honestly think hers is one of the most beautiful faces I have ever seen in my life, and the scarf accentuates her looks even more.  She is friendly and cheerful, always has a ready smile for everyone in class.  She and I happened to be grouped together during one of our class activities two weeks ago so we got to talk to one another a bit more.  The wonderful part of the whole thing is that last Wednesday as we were saying our goodbyes before parting for the Christmas Break, she came up to me and handed me a Christmas present – my very first present of the year. 

At the end of class that day, I came up to her, gave her shoulders a little squeeze (because I felt shy about giving her a hug), and said, “SC, Merry Christmas!,” and as I walked out of our classroom I suddenly realized I should not have said something that might be considered inappropriate to a Muslim girl!  But then she comes after me and hands me a beautiful woven bookmark, saying “This is my Christmas present for you.  It’s from Turkey.”  Then she held my shoulders as she gave me three kisses, alternately on both cheeks (this must be how they greet each other in Turkey).  I was so shocked I was babbling my incoherent thanks while she gave me those kisses.  I had no idea how to respond. I just kept repeating, “Thankyousomuchit’ssobeautifulI’msosurprised!”  How I wish I had something to give her then, too.  Of course I will rectify this when we see each other again in January.    It always makes me happy to receive gifts, but what made this one extra special was that it came from SC, a lovely Muslim girl who I barely know, who comes from a country and a culture I could only ever visit in pictures and in dreams, who practices a religion so misunderstood and strange to me, wishing me a heartfelt Merry Christmas.  For a very, very brief moment I suddenly believed there could possibly be such a thing as World Peace. 

Merry Christmas to all! 

Hungry! (2012)

I’m not sure why but lately I’ve been gravitating toward J-dramas that deal with food a lot.  The latest one that caught my attention was called “Hungry!” starring Mukai Osamu.  It aired in Japan from January to March of 2012.  Eisuke (Mukai), having reached the age of 30 and having his dreams of being a rock star frustrated over and over, decides to quit the world of music and return to his mother’s French restaurant to work as a chef.  His skill at cooking had always been recognized but certain events in his childhood prompted him to veer away from developing his natural talent.  Unfortunately, just as he had gathered the resolve to continue training as a chef, his mother passes away.  Trials and tribulations come in the form of Mr. Aso, a celebrity in the restaurant /culinary world and owner of several popular restaurants.  Aso had been urging Eisuke’s mother to sell her restaurant to him for the longest time; and now that she is gone, decides to take over by force.  Eisuke and his widowed father, together with Eisuke’s former band-mates are forced to reestablish the restaurant in an old warehouse.  Things sure looked pretty bad from there.  To make matters worse, Eisuke’s personal life is taking a toll from all the drastic changes.  His girlfriend, Mariya, is strongly against his move to run a restaurant, and his first “fan” as a chef, a girl named Chie, develops a huge crush on him.  Facing the many difficulties of running a fledgling business, developing his cooking skills, maintaining his relationships with his best friends and girlfriend, and trying to get a grip on his own tempestuous and rebellious personality soon makes the whole thing seem like the beleaguered Eisuke has bitten off far more than he could possibly chew.  Nevertheless, his “hungry” drive for success and self-worth continuously urges him to keep pushing for his dream. 

I found the series quite entertaining, but not so different from the other series of similar themes I’d seen before.  Themes like overcoming hardships, cultivating the bonds of friendship, showing appreciation for family support, and falling in love at the same time – these have been seen many times in many other series before.  But what set this series a bit apart, I think, is the villain.  Inagaki Goro portrayed the part of Aso Tokio very capably indeed.  There were several times in the series when you’d feel at odds whether to feel a profound kind of pity for him, or a sudden deep loathing.  This actor really gets creepy down pat (see him as the villain in Nagareboshi).  The series also had its comedic moments, such as servings of rice made to look like a brassiere, an escaped lobster, an obsessive rival chef, and others.  And of course there were the beautiful shots of delicious French dishes enough to make the mouth water.  What kind of cooking drama series wouldn’t have those, huh?  All in all, I wouldn’t say it’s a bad or boring series, but it lacks for originality in my humble opinion.  Still, if you’re interested, why not give it a try.  Oh yeah, the cast is eye-candy – in my book, a good bonus to throw in anytime.

More Info on Hungry!

Q10 (2010)

I just finished a series called “Q10” (pronounced kyuu-to) which aired in Japan in 2010.  The premise of the story gives us a kind-hearted but rather distant young man, Heita, who comes across a girl that’s actually a robot.  I know. There are already a great number of similar stories out there.  “Not another Pinocchio spin-off!” is what I thought.  But I was wrong.  Good thing I stuck around and saw the whole thing through. 

The series focused not on the robot, but the people around it.  The episodes featured themes that revolved around coping with financial ruin, loneliness, separation, friendship, aging, illness, and how people cope with life in all of its fragility and transience.   Heita behaves rather distantly towards his peers and family.  He’s very careful of his heart condition and prefers not to involve himself in anything serious or emotional.  Through Kyuuto’s innocence and unbiased view of the world, Heita learns more and more about what it means to struggle, to hope, to help and be helped, and of course, to love.  Because of Kyuuto, Heita’s world gradually changes. 

The way they handled these myriad themes was unexpectedly sensitive and moving.  I thought this would be another one of those teen-oriented comedic stories, but no.  I was pleasantly surprised by how delicately and gracefully the story developed.  The actors were very convincing; sublime performances, I’d say.  The pace of the series was unhurried; and they managed the entire tale in nine episodes without leaving you hanging.  I recommend this drama to those who would like to get a fresh view of life.  Thumbs up.

Cast: Sato Takeru, Maeda Atsuko, Kaku Kento, Renbutsu Misako, etc. 

Click here for more information on Q10.

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.