Courtesy of the folks at boingboing, now I know what I'm doing after work tonight - populating my list of favorite books at bookarmy.com to see if this site really does have any good reccomendations for me.
Here's hoping this isn't just another mass market site - I love shelfari, but for the longest time I simply pretended that I haven't read the Harry Potter books. Every update, every comment, every "people who have similar reading tastes" item was about Harry Potter and nothing else! I have since re-added the series to my page, and simply chose to ignore the spam of it being the most read, most commented, and perhaps I would like "Twilight" spam - perhaps NOT!
Thursday, April 23
Tuesday, April 14
Favorite Chapter Covers: Death Note
I love the art of the death note manga (and the anime has excellent art, too). Below are some of my favorite cover images, including the one currently hanging in my living room (pictured at top). I won't lie, I just bought it because it was the only one with L in it.
I always liked this cover, even though Misa looks a bit off to me. Much cuter in the goth getup (see below). She reminds me of the movie Beetlejuice in this one, it's got to be the tights.
I love this pic of Ryuk mostly for the shiny red apple. Juicy!
This black and white is my favorite image of Light. It really captures the evil genious at work.
Friday, April 10
Favorite Chapter Covers
While writing my random entries on the different types of violence in the mangas I've read I ran up against logical restrictions on the number of images I could include in a single post without being ridiculous. It's tough and kind of pointless to demonstrate without using the actual images, so I picked a few that are indicative of general trends, but that leaves out quite a lot of good ones. So I am currently in the process of compiling some of my favorite (as non-spoilery as possible) covers.
Graphic Violence in Graphic Novels: Naruto
Naruto is a manga with an excellent balance between action, narrative, and character development. The story follows a team of young ninja (Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura) and their teacher (Kakashi), other young ninja of their village and their teachers, and some older ninja of the village. The plot is too complex to sumarize simply, but two of the msot important themes are the importance of bonds and the power of believing in oneself against all odds. In the beginning of the series, the young ninja are just children - silly, lazy, lovesick, or concieted. Through the first part of the series the characters grow and their bonds to one another begin to form, but it is through the lengthy "timeskip" that jumps ahead several years that allows the true changes in each to begin to show. Naruto himself matures gradually at first, constantly evolving as the story unfolds and then exploding into new power and maturity due to various events.
Naruto is a strong counterpart to Bleach - both focus on the stories of a young boy with exceptional ability that he doesn't understand who pushes himself to become stronger to protect loved ones. Ichigo becomes an exceptional soul reaper despite being a human (the full reasons behind his later transformations are still somewhat ambiguous) and fights rabidly to defend his friends and protect his home. Naruto begins as a village outcast, but with the support of his friends he discovers and taps his hidden resevoir of power, developing into a strong and capable ninja. Though their primary themes are not identical there are many similarities, primarily developing the strength to protect loved ones and the importance of bonds. Whereas Bleach primarily focuses on individual characters and their quest to become stronger, Naruto prizes teamwork and responsibility. One of Naruto's additional themes is maturing into adulthood by carrying forward the traditions, wishes, and missions of the past. As the older generations fall in battle, they leave their unfulfilled dreams and missions for the younger ninja of the village, and as the young ninja mature they each adopt this responsibility in their own way. Some characters, notably Shikamaru and Naruto, develop unexpectedly into serious, reliable, strong ninja due to these burdens. Others, such as Sasuke and (to a lesser extent) Neji are weighted down by the burdens of their past and their clan's history. The memory of those lost is a constant theme that affects each character differently in a wide spectrum of responses. Sasuke has the strongest negative reaction - rejecting his village and walking a dark path to obtain the power he believes necessary to achieve personal revenge. Kakashi is also haunted by the ghost of those he has lost over the years, but though he clearly suffers constantly from these losses he is able to function and move forward. Gaara and Naruto are plagued by their loneliness and life as outcasts, but both are able to turn their suffering around when embraced by others and humanized (the manga uses terms like "acknowledged" or "recognized"). Even Jiraiya is haunted by his inability to save his friend, and this regret drives his actions throughout his life. Shikamaru has perhaps the most positive reaction, chosing to cary forward the memory of his fallen teacher and growing into a man nearly overnight to avenge Asuma's death.
The art of Naruto, like that of Bleach, has developed and matured greatly over the years. Looking back at the earlier chapters, you can see how the character designs improved, the lines become stronger and more confident and the action more dynamic. Naruto contains much more dialogue than Bleach - while Bleach often depends on large dramatic images to move the story forward, Naruto uses small frames and focuses on minor elements - eyes narrowing in anger, a fist clenching, a mouth opening in shock. It focuses on the human elements - devestation, loss, trauma, and mourning. The violence is the means to the end, and not the end itself.
Though the violence in Naruto is not very bloody or extreme, it is ever present. Most older characters are either absent due to their death or carry visible scars from their missions over the years. Though the combat is often less bloody and violent, it often results in death - not just of enemies, but of pricipal characters. Bleach (and many others, though I'm not as familiar with others of the genre) kills off its villains one by one, gradually whittling down the enemies while each heroic character manages to survive narrowly to heal their wounds and fight another day. Character death adds an extreme amount of dramatic tension to each and every combat and leaves the reader with a constant uncertainty about the outcome of each battle. While far less shocking visually, it is often emotionally devestating. Every three chapters translate roughly to a month's time, so it's not uncommon to be left with a cliffhanger for months, wondering if a character will survive. This tension (cruelty!) keeps readers rabid for their next chapter, often causing serious bandwidth problems for the sites that post the files for download or online reading on the day chapters are released.
The structure of combat in Naruto is occasionally single combat between principal characters, but more often it's team based. One of the major themes is the importance of teamwork and the strength of bonds between friends, so there is a mixture of single combat between rivals and team combat. Because of this there are often many things going on simultaneously within a single fight. This is often portrayed with several medium sized images interspersed with smaller images of reaction shots, background action, or set-ups. There is also a lot more talking during fights - communication between teammates, planning, and of course the usual taunting and baiting between foes. The amount of conversation and plot development that occurs during the fights tends to draw them out into lengthy affairs, and during the course of a single battle you often see characters mature, develop new skills or reveal new plot elements. The amount of conversation is high not only to accomodate character growth and plot development - many of the villains in Naruto are encountered more than once and have long histories with the protagonists.
One of the primary items that sets Naruto apart from Bleach in this regard is that early in the manga's run, one of the principle characters "defects" from the group and essentially becomes involved with an enemy of their home village. The primary characters fight not only to combat physical threats to their home, but also fight to return their comrade (physically, socially, emotionally). This character, Sasuke, is not the only "fallen" ninja - the series' primary villains are not foreign or pure evil. They are ninja who have forsaken their villages and the code that exists to maintain balance between different countries. They fight instead for their own benefit and agendas. For many of these characters, there are conflicting emotions that drive their actions - bittersweet memories and dark obsessions with their past that motivate them. It's perhaps more accurate to call them antagonists. Their actions are against the protagonists, but not necessarily evil (though many of them are) - the enemies are as human as the heroes, and not simply personifications of evil.
Naruto is a strong counterpart to Bleach - both focus on the stories of a young boy with exceptional ability that he doesn't understand who pushes himself to become stronger to protect loved ones. Ichigo becomes an exceptional soul reaper despite being a human (the full reasons behind his later transformations are still somewhat ambiguous) and fights rabidly to defend his friends and protect his home. Naruto begins as a village outcast, but with the support of his friends he discovers and taps his hidden resevoir of power, developing into a strong and capable ninja. Though their primary themes are not identical there are many similarities, primarily developing the strength to protect loved ones and the importance of bonds. Whereas Bleach primarily focuses on individual characters and their quest to become stronger, Naruto prizes teamwork and responsibility. One of Naruto's additional themes is maturing into adulthood by carrying forward the traditions, wishes, and missions of the past. As the older generations fall in battle, they leave their unfulfilled dreams and missions for the younger ninja of the village, and as the young ninja mature they each adopt this responsibility in their own way. Some characters, notably Shikamaru and Naruto, develop unexpectedly into serious, reliable, strong ninja due to these burdens. Others, such as Sasuke and (to a lesser extent) Neji are weighted down by the burdens of their past and their clan's history. The memory of those lost is a constant theme that affects each character differently in a wide spectrum of responses. Sasuke has the strongest negative reaction - rejecting his village and walking a dark path to obtain the power he believes necessary to achieve personal revenge. Kakashi is also haunted by the ghost of those he has lost over the years, but though he clearly suffers constantly from these losses he is able to function and move forward. Gaara and Naruto are plagued by their loneliness and life as outcasts, but both are able to turn their suffering around when embraced by others and humanized (the manga uses terms like "acknowledged" or "recognized"). Even Jiraiya is haunted by his inability to save his friend, and this regret drives his actions throughout his life. Shikamaru has perhaps the most positive reaction, chosing to cary forward the memory of his fallen teacher and growing into a man nearly overnight to avenge Asuma's death.
The art of Naruto, like that of Bleach, has developed and matured greatly over the years. Looking back at the earlier chapters, you can see how the character designs improved, the lines become stronger and more confident and the action more dynamic. Naruto contains much more dialogue than Bleach - while Bleach often depends on large dramatic images to move the story forward, Naruto uses small frames and focuses on minor elements - eyes narrowing in anger, a fist clenching, a mouth opening in shock. It focuses on the human elements - devestation, loss, trauma, and mourning. The violence is the means to the end, and not the end itself.
Though the violence in Naruto is not very bloody or extreme, it is ever present. Most older characters are either absent due to their death or carry visible scars from their missions over the years. Though the combat is often less bloody and violent, it often results in death - not just of enemies, but of pricipal characters. Bleach (and many others, though I'm not as familiar with others of the genre) kills off its villains one by one, gradually whittling down the enemies while each heroic character manages to survive narrowly to heal their wounds and fight another day. Character death adds an extreme amount of dramatic tension to each and every combat and leaves the reader with a constant uncertainty about the outcome of each battle. While far less shocking visually, it is often emotionally devestating. Every three chapters translate roughly to a month's time, so it's not uncommon to be left with a cliffhanger for months, wondering if a character will survive. This tension (cruelty!) keeps readers rabid for their next chapter, often causing serious bandwidth problems for the sites that post the files for download or online reading on the day chapters are released.
The structure of combat in Naruto is occasionally single combat between principal characters, but more often it's team based. One of the major themes is the importance of teamwork and the strength of bonds between friends, so there is a mixture of single combat between rivals and team combat. Because of this there are often many things going on simultaneously within a single fight. This is often portrayed with several medium sized images interspersed with smaller images of reaction shots, background action, or set-ups. There is also a lot more talking during fights - communication between teammates, planning, and of course the usual taunting and baiting between foes. The amount of conversation and plot development that occurs during the fights tends to draw them out into lengthy affairs, and during the course of a single battle you often see characters mature, develop new skills or reveal new plot elements. The amount of conversation is high not only to accomodate character growth and plot development - many of the villains in Naruto are encountered more than once and have long histories with the protagonists.
One of the primary items that sets Naruto apart from Bleach in this regard is that early in the manga's run, one of the principle characters "defects" from the group and essentially becomes involved with an enemy of their home village. The primary characters fight not only to combat physical threats to their home, but also fight to return their comrade (physically, socially, emotionally). This character, Sasuke, is not the only "fallen" ninja - the series' primary villains are not foreign or pure evil. They are ninja who have forsaken their villages and the code that exists to maintain balance between different countries. They fight instead for their own benefit and agendas. For many of these characters, there are conflicting emotions that drive their actions - bittersweet memories and dark obsessions with their past that motivate them. It's perhaps more accurate to call them antagonists. Their actions are against the protagonists, but not necessarily evil (though many of them are) - the enemies are as human as the heroes, and not simply personifications of evil.
Tuesday, April 7
Currently Reading: Yakitate Japan
I'm currently over halfway through Yakitate Japan, an adorable (and strange) cooking manga that some friends recommended to me ages ago. I began to watch the anime a few years back, but got frustrated with my slow connection's effect on my download speed and gave up just a few episodes in. Though it's pretty repetetive (behold, my Japan #xx has upset the expected victor and I have come from behind to win my baking contest!), it's also cute, funny and full of interesting information about food, cooking, and Japan. It also makes me crave bread. It even makes me miss cooking and baking, which is something I haven't done in years! It's a little heavy in puns (though the translators go to great lengths to explain the puns a lot of them really don't translate, which is a shame) but I enjoy the humor nonetheless. I also find a lot of humor just in the format - normally I read violent manga where the "battles" are physical ones. It makes me smile to see the same level of competition applied to baking. I remember the concept seeming a bit silly to me when I first heard about the anime, but competetive and "reality" cooking shows have truly exploded as a popular television genre here in the U.S. in the last few years, so the entire concept seems a lot more plausible to me now. Not to mention the baking competitions I used to watch on the Food Network before I stopped subscribing to cable.Monday, April 6
Currently Reading: Notes from Underground
In addition to The Egyptologist, I'm also reading Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky. I've had this one sitting on my shelf since I was an undergrad and sniped this from a Russian Literature course's books in the University Bookstore. I used to buy a couple extra books every term as I went through picking up the books for my own courses. So I should probably apologize to three years worth of UW Literature, History, Religion, Philosophy, and Sociology majors for stealing their books. Sorry!I'm glad that I am finally getting around to reading this. The lovely spring weather always inspires me to read something introspective. After this I will likely polish off The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus.
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