Finally, I'm writing about something other than books for once!
For the past few weeks, I've been watching this kinda-sorta obscure mid-90s maho no shoujo (magical girl) anime (distributed by the now-defunct Tokyopop). My main motivation for getting into it was because I read (and liked a lot) the manga, but I never got to read how it ended. So, one day I was bored and wanted to watch something new--and hey, why not find out what happened in the manga with the anime? I had even seen the first few episodes of the anime via VHS, and I liked what I saw: excellent animation, cute character design, and a fascinating setup.
***WARNING: SPOILERS***
Saint Tail is basically a romantic comedy, with a magical girl twist: the titular character is a thief who steals from thieves, using her magic to procure the stolen items and return them to their rightful owners. Her alter-ego Meimi's best friend, Seira, helps investigate new cases, and her crush, Asuka Jr., is intent on pursuing St. Tail.
As I soon found out, there was a reason it remained obscure, quite unlike Sailor Moon, Fruits Basket, and Hamtaro--all girl-oriented anime that made it to American TV. Well, it was...kind of...eh.
Though I was drawn in immediately, the excitement that had been slowly building with the introduction of rivals--and raised stakes--plot development petered out after barely ten episodes, and the next ten were basically filler one-shots. After a few of these filler episodes, I grew bored and impatient, anxious to get back to the real story--i.e. episodes that were actually based on the manga. The Sailor Moon also arguably used filler, but more often to an extent that revealed more about characters that we don't get to know so well in the manga. Some of my favorite episodes in the Sailor Moon anime are episodes that focus on the other Sailor Scouts. I did enjoy some of the filler in Saint Tail, but it was basically the same formula for each episode: there's the initial setup at school that's at least vaguely related to whatever's been stolen, someone comes to Seira with a theft sob-story, Meimi sends Asuka Jr. a calling card, turns into Saint Tail, and successfully steals the item in question. Sometimes Asuka Jr. almost catches her, and sometimes not. Oh, and the bad guy always gets caught. The just-world fallacy that's so pervasive in kids' TV is all over this anime.
But...it's not just the filler. Not just some, but ALL of the characters are woefully underdeveloped. Even Meimi! One could argue that she does developing, "growing out" of Saint Tail and realizing that Asuka Jr. is the most important thing to her (this is a fantasy romantic comedy after all), but we learn hardly anything else about her, other than her magical and athletic talents. Asuka Jr. is smart and wants to be a detective, Seira is a nun-in-training (because, I think, she starting having "sinful" thoughts about one of her female classmates...).
And when things start getting intense (like in the last few episodes), the tension drops too soon. Like in the end. A couple of real thieves who can use magic too show up...then in the end they just, like, leave! WTF??? The stakes get raised, but not high enough! I want my anime to be EXCITING!!! The will-they-won't they bullshit (even will-he-catch-her) gets OLD after a while! And everything was wrapped up too nicely, too quickly, along with a terribly short epilogue. A note to storytellers of all nationalities: epilogues are no good if everyone already knows the answers to the "questions" you "answer" about the main characters' futures. (ahem, JK Rowling...) You don't need to spell it out for us.
In summation, this anime had so much potential...almost Batman potential, with its own set of recurring villains, a mysterious past (we never find out when or why Meimi became Saint Tail), and a tense love story. But the anime either focused too much on the love story, or really nothing at all, and it left me wanting something better. Sadly, I am no longer as fond of Saint Tail as I was in my teens. All style, not much substance, unfortunately. I'll give it a generous 6.5 out of 10. Watch Cardcaptor Sakura instead.
ETA: I originally had an image to go with the post, but some mofo copyright police keeps taking down the ones I use! BUZZKILLS! So I've given up. Just google it if you want pix.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Friday, June 17, 2011
Parable of the Talents: An Analysis/Review
Parable of the Talents, by Octavia Butler, is probably a science fiction novel that you haven't heard of. I hadn't heard of Butler myself until about a year or so ago, and sadly have never read any of her work until now. Alas, many of my favorite writers are dead and gone. Butler, unlike a lot of mainstream sci-fi writers, features a more racially and sexually cast of characters in her stories, and brings up themes critical of the patriarchal establishment. Obviously I was excited to finally read one of her works...and it certainly didn't disappoint.
While I didn't get around to reading the first book (Parable of the Sower), I could follow the story rather well without much background information on the characters and plot. It stands great on its own.
Talents continues the story of Lauren Olamina, who by championing a new religion, Earthseed, is a preacher and a prophet. Unfortunately, as she gathers allies and followers, the fundamentalist Christian cult Christian America rises to power, perpetuating the fear and chaos that has spread throughout the nation. At some point she and her people who live in the humble, isolated community of Acorn are ambushed by these extremists, forcing Olamina into her toughest ordeal yet.
Talents contains a lot of the science fiction elements that I love: dystopia, a hope for extrasolar space travel, strong female characters, and of course, a great story. I read the book in a week. It's a different kind of page-turner from YA--being an adult book, the plot is more grim and the subject matter presented more thoughtfully--but I wanted to keep reading to get to know about the characters and the world they live in.
One of the biggest challenges for sci-fi writers is to present a plausible reality and continuous relevance--and Butler did that magnificently. Butler, like all good dystopian writers, constructed a future that in 1997 seemed all too likely, and that even today could still be our future. Unlike many others, however, Butler presents a "solution", as she called it, should this future become real.
But, there's a lot more to the story than plot. First, the novel's presented in fragments, most of which come from Olamina's journals. The other parts come from her brother, her husband, and her daughter. Though Olamina is a sympathetic character, her dedication to Earthseed is not seen in a very positive light by those closest to her...and her daughter. I sympathized with all of them, considering their various ordeals, but I wanted them to understand Olamina, who, while she was not perfect, was only doing what she thought would advance the human race, what would fulfill her own sense of duty, even if they felt she was wrong. Butler shows how a person working for the greater good may not be seen as so good by her philosophy, a three-dimensional perspective that reflects the complex themes of the novel.
Another aspect of Talents that I enjoyed is the introduction of the notion of a "successor" to Christianity, Islam, etc. As strong as these religions are now, a new, upstart religion could emerge and--with time--overtake them all and become the new most-practiced religion. Christianity and even Judaism were not around for all of humanity, after all. The fact that there is only a god of change makes this religion unique, and ties itself much more nicely with reality than Scientology, another sci-fi religion. Instead of being good in hopes of a rewarding afterlife, Earthseed advocates space travel as a common goal that humanity can strive for, uniting communities and fostering positive change. Butler presents a vision of the future that may be unattainable, but it's nice to think that no matter how tough it gets, the human race will come together, and they themselves will create Paradise on Earth.
Due to its exciting, engaging, and thoughtful approach to character and theme that extends beyond plot progression, Talents is one of the best books of its kind that I have read so far. I recommend it to anyone that wants to read some smart sci-fi that deviates from the norm.
While I didn't get around to reading the first book (Parable of the Sower), I could follow the story rather well without much background information on the characters and plot. It stands great on its own.
Talents continues the story of Lauren Olamina, who by championing a new religion, Earthseed, is a preacher and a prophet. Unfortunately, as she gathers allies and followers, the fundamentalist Christian cult Christian America rises to power, perpetuating the fear and chaos that has spread throughout the nation. At some point she and her people who live in the humble, isolated community of Acorn are ambushed by these extremists, forcing Olamina into her toughest ordeal yet.Talents contains a lot of the science fiction elements that I love: dystopia, a hope for extrasolar space travel, strong female characters, and of course, a great story. I read the book in a week. It's a different kind of page-turner from YA--being an adult book, the plot is more grim and the subject matter presented more thoughtfully--but I wanted to keep reading to get to know about the characters and the world they live in.
One of the biggest challenges for sci-fi writers is to present a plausible reality and continuous relevance--and Butler did that magnificently. Butler, like all good dystopian writers, constructed a future that in 1997 seemed all too likely, and that even today could still be our future. Unlike many others, however, Butler presents a "solution", as she called it, should this future become real.
But, there's a lot more to the story than plot. First, the novel's presented in fragments, most of which come from Olamina's journals. The other parts come from her brother, her husband, and her daughter. Though Olamina is a sympathetic character, her dedication to Earthseed is not seen in a very positive light by those closest to her...and her daughter. I sympathized with all of them, considering their various ordeals, but I wanted them to understand Olamina, who, while she was not perfect, was only doing what she thought would advance the human race, what would fulfill her own sense of duty, even if they felt she was wrong. Butler shows how a person working for the greater good may not be seen as so good by her philosophy, a three-dimensional perspective that reflects the complex themes of the novel.
Another aspect of Talents that I enjoyed is the introduction of the notion of a "successor" to Christianity, Islam, etc. As strong as these religions are now, a new, upstart religion could emerge and--with time--overtake them all and become the new most-practiced religion. Christianity and even Judaism were not around for all of humanity, after all. The fact that there is only a god of change makes this religion unique, and ties itself much more nicely with reality than Scientology, another sci-fi religion. Instead of being good in hopes of a rewarding afterlife, Earthseed advocates space travel as a common goal that humanity can strive for, uniting communities and fostering positive change. Butler presents a vision of the future that may be unattainable, but it's nice to think that no matter how tough it gets, the human race will come together, and they themselves will create Paradise on Earth.
Due to its exciting, engaging, and thoughtful approach to character and theme that extends beyond plot progression, Talents is one of the best books of its kind that I have read so far. I recommend it to anyone that wants to read some smart sci-fi that deviates from the norm.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Mockingjay, and the Disappointment of Hurried Good-byes
OK, I finished the Hunger Games trilogy about a month ago (I read Catching Fire and Mockingjay in quick succession). I won't say much about Catching Fire, but like many second-installments, it was better than the first. I loved all the new characters, the new revelations about Haymitch (one of my fave characters), it was just as fast-paced and exciting as the first, and the ending blew me away.
***WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD***
My main gripes came with Mockingjay. Unlike the first two installments, the pacing really slowed down. The entire first part was Katniss hanging out in the underground metropolis of District 13. When it was time to go to the Capitol, I got really into it. The blurring of the lines between the "good" guys and "bad" was also really interesting, and not something you see very often in sci-fi/fantasy stories. Though that perspective brought about some depressing rumination towards the end of the novel... which is where my problems begin.
While I wasn't expecting everyone to live (though I figured Katniss, Gale, and Peeta would live, cuz if one of them died, the love triangle would be too easy to resolve), some deaths I found particularly upsetting in their abruptness: namely, Prim, the whole reason Katniss entered the Hunger Games--and set the entire trilogy in motion--in the first place. The suddenness of it all was like when Fred was killed off in Deathly Hallows, only times 1000. Prim was reduced to a mere plot device in her death, to ultimately challenge Katniss to find the strength to keep on living. I know killing in war is senseless, everyone's a potential casualty, blah-blah-blah, but I felt that was needlessly cruel of Collins to do that, when there wasn't much of a reason for Prim to even be on the front lines in the first place. After all they've been through...you hurt them (physically and emotionally) even more?
That was the main thing. This also happens with less than like 50 pages in the book left to go...and we're at the lowest point. The rest seems kind of rushed, especially once Katniss kills the next president-to-be, Coin. There's a pervasive sense of hopelessness that drags itself throughout the rest of the book, even when we fast-forward through the recovery and reconstruction period and find Katniss settled down with Peeta. Someone pointed out that these last few chapters could have been a whole other book in itself, noting that these very important events were hastily rushed through. Guess that's why JK Rowling killed off Dumbledore in the sixth book... And hey, I wouldn't have minded a fourth one, getting to spend a couple hundred more pages with these characters.
But my main disappointment I guess is with the--er--bittersweet ending. In series where the stakes are so high it's almost impossible to see how one can overcome them, there's often sadness and tragedy. But this ending...was such...a downer. There was all this existentialist musing about how whether humankind should even really be allowed to continue existing, given all the destruction they give each other and the environment. Yet they keep on living...why again? Because the instinct to live is more powerful than the compulsion to kill yourself off?
Also--and this was something I wondered throughout the entire series--is everyone just ignorant, or is Panem really the only country left? Did all the other humans on the planet really get killed off some point in the past? Five-six billion of them? Really? I'm just going to go with ignorance--it's not like Katniss and co. really learned anything in school other than the basics of reading, 'riting, and 'rithmetic in addition to the Capitol's propaganda. I sense a brief foray into fanfiction coming on...
But all in all, I enjoyed the series, and like to analyze it almost as much. The series definitely warrants a second read-through...however, I should read some other stuff for a while.
***WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD***
My main gripes came with Mockingjay. Unlike the first two installments, the pacing really slowed down. The entire first part was Katniss hanging out in the underground metropolis of District 13. When it was time to go to the Capitol, I got really into it. The blurring of the lines between the "good" guys and "bad" was also really interesting, and not something you see very often in sci-fi/fantasy stories. Though that perspective brought about some depressing rumination towards the end of the novel... which is where my problems begin.While I wasn't expecting everyone to live (though I figured Katniss, Gale, and Peeta would live, cuz if one of them died, the love triangle would be too easy to resolve), some deaths I found particularly upsetting in their abruptness: namely, Prim, the whole reason Katniss entered the Hunger Games--and set the entire trilogy in motion--in the first place. The suddenness of it all was like when Fred was killed off in Deathly Hallows, only times 1000. Prim was reduced to a mere plot device in her death, to ultimately challenge Katniss to find the strength to keep on living. I know killing in war is senseless, everyone's a potential casualty, blah-blah-blah, but I felt that was needlessly cruel of Collins to do that, when there wasn't much of a reason for Prim to even be on the front lines in the first place. After all they've been through...you hurt them (physically and emotionally) even more?
That was the main thing. This also happens with less than like 50 pages in the book left to go...and we're at the lowest point. The rest seems kind of rushed, especially once Katniss kills the next president-to-be, Coin. There's a pervasive sense of hopelessness that drags itself throughout the rest of the book, even when we fast-forward through the recovery and reconstruction period and find Katniss settled down with Peeta. Someone pointed out that these last few chapters could have been a whole other book in itself, noting that these very important events were hastily rushed through. Guess that's why JK Rowling killed off Dumbledore in the sixth book... And hey, I wouldn't have minded a fourth one, getting to spend a couple hundred more pages with these characters.
But my main disappointment I guess is with the--er--bittersweet ending. In series where the stakes are so high it's almost impossible to see how one can overcome them, there's often sadness and tragedy. But this ending...was such...a downer. There was all this existentialist musing about how whether humankind should even really be allowed to continue existing, given all the destruction they give each other and the environment. Yet they keep on living...why again? Because the instinct to live is more powerful than the compulsion to kill yourself off?
Also--and this was something I wondered throughout the entire series--is everyone just ignorant, or is Panem really the only country left? Did all the other humans on the planet really get killed off some point in the past? Five-six billion of them? Really? I'm just going to go with ignorance--it's not like Katniss and co. really learned anything in school other than the basics of reading, 'riting, and 'rithmetic in addition to the Capitol's propaganda. I sense a brief foray into fanfiction coming on...
But all in all, I enjoyed the series, and like to analyze it almost as much. The series definitely warrants a second read-through...however, I should read some other stuff for a while.
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