Picture
Light is like water,” I answered. “You turn the tap and out it comes.”

One Hundred Years of Solitude is a book every lover of literature should read - a book which portrays the brilliance that is Márquez. Strange Pilgrims is a collection of short stories by the same brilliant writer, comprising stories bordering on fantasy - or magic realism as it is called. Containing twelve short stories, the book explores themes of exile and dislocation and each are in their own way memorable and stays with the reader long after they have been read.

The first story of the book, 'Bon Voyage, Mr. President' is about an overthrown president in exile in Geneva looking for a diagnosis for his chronic pain. The characters grab the attention right from the start and the storyline unfolds while keeping eyes glued to the pages. The first story gets one immersed into the book and it is difficult to not keep on reading till all the stories with their wild, but somehow believable, plots end.

I Only Came to Use the Phone and The Trail of Your Blood in the Snow are two other good stories in the book. Both of these have a very Kafka-esque plot. In the first, a woman gets mistaken for a mental patient as she goes into an asylum to use the telephone and the story deals with her eventual reconciliation with living as a lunatic. In the latter, a wife dies from bleeding from a cut in her finger she received during her wedding ceremony and her husband hopelessly tries to see her, steering past the bureaucracy of the hospitals. Both stories leave the reader feeling a little sad and dejected.

The Saint tells the story of a man trying to prove to the Pope that his dead daughter should be a saint, and his lifelong failed attempts to do so. He travels around Rome with the body of his dead daughter, which after decades has not decayed. The eventual realisation that dawns on the narrator and the reader about the real saint in the story is brilliant.

Light is Like Water is undoubtedly one of the best stories in the collection. It is the most fantastical story of the lot, telling the tale of two young boys who break light bulbs when their parents are away and fill the apartment with light to sail their row boat and go diving. It seems like the vivid imagination of children which ultimately the reader knows is reality.

Other fantastic stories include I Sell My Dreams and Tramontana. While Marquez is not a writer everyone would usually read, the stories in this collection have the elements to get any reader hooked. Anyone looking for good stories, a wonderful narrative and brilliant imagery should definitely give Strange Pilgrims a try. And if the reader has a good imagination, the book becomes all the more magical as they picture drops of blood trailing on the snow, dogs trained to weep at their owner's grave and of sailing ships across oceans of light.



 
Picture
A die hard otaku friend from Germany was full of praise about a certain shoujo anime, which was odd considering the guy loved blood and gore on his platter. So I was left with two options; either my friend has gone mad, or the anime is exceptional. But before passing a verdict, here's a little plot overview.

Born into a musical family, Shinichi Chiaki is a talented pianist with a desire to become a conductor, and happens to be the top student of his music school in Japan. But due to his fear of airplanes and the sea, this arrogant perfectionist is now 'trapped' in Japan, unable to pursue his musical dreams abroad. 'Musician extraordinaire' had almost taken it for granted that his entire career was going down the drain. But one fine evening he discovers a girl playing the piano with natural finesse - and that too in a junk-cluttered apartment (how romantic). The girl Nodame is the polar opposite of Chiaki - impulsive, candid and fickle in her enthusiasm. Chiaki wonders, what will this uncanny encounter imply - a musical mismatch? Or perfect harmony?

The artwork in Nodame very refreshing: simple, uncluttered and relatable characters. The characters are also eased into the show, steady and relatively subtle. It's really the interactions between them characters that drive the story; hence everyone is important in Nodame's world.

Since the show revolves around music, it's no surprise that it contains a lot of auditory treats. Fans of classical music are definitely going to love this, with the music of Rachmaninov, Liszt, Brahms, Gershwin, Beethoven and Chopin. Musical sequences are the dramatic high points of the story, complete with all the details about what the students went through to prepare for them, and what they mean to each individual.

Perhaps the greatest strength of the anime is Nodame herself. She is hyperactive, unkempt and just plain dumb at first glance, but she grows on you. A lot.

Nodame Cantabile walks the line between refreshingly simple and boring; it could fall to either side, depending on how severe your personal case of ADD is. Don't look here for fast-paced action or heart-wrenching drama, but if interesting characters and a complex, realistic story are what drives your interest, then you can't help falling in love with the quirky cast of this series. And yes, there are three seasons - you'll love them all the same.





 
Picture
This week we have another DC Elseworlds comic review, namely Ed Brubaker's “Batman Gotham Noir”, and just like any noir comic, this one has that sense of morbidity and darkness in every panel.

The story is simple enough. Batman's police ally Gordon is set up and is framed for the murder of Rachel Hollingsworth, after he is drugged at a boat party. The corrupt mayor, who has ties with the dead girl, blames Gordon's drinking problems and paints him up as a killer cop.

Thus, the entire story is more about how ex-cop Gordon has to clear his name. Even thought Batman does play a role in it, he is obviously not the main character. As a true lover of noir, this reader found Gotham - set in the dark and grimy atmosphere associated with the genre - to be the most appealing part of the novel. The artwork complements the writing and the Bat is depicted as a blurry shape in the darkness. The disappointing bit is that the story didn't stray far from any other clichéd noir story. Cop/Hero falls in love/given duty to take care of beautiful lady with elegant dress. Cop/Hero is framed, runs from police, shoots everything in path to clear his name/save his family/save his love.

However, Ed Brubaker does make up for his clichéd storyline by adding tidbits from Batman's original story. He uses Harvey Dent and shows him to be the helpful and resourceful DA he was before he turned into Two-Face. He also depicts Selina (Catwoman) as a close friend of Gordon. The most interesting bit of the story was that somehow he managed to include The Joker in it, too. Even though his character's inclusion is short lived, The Joker still plays a part in the story.

A must read for all Batman fans. Should be an entertaining read for non-fans, as well.





 
Picture
Sometimes, when things are particularly bad, everyone has one of those weak, self-pitying moments when they want to go back and change things; make history run its course in a different path. And that covers the plot of this book somewhat. Except its not petty little life-mistakes that Jake Epping, high school English teacher, is out to change. He is attempting to change the history of the world.

Jake is introduced to a portal to a different time behind Al's Diner by the proprietor of the restaurant himself, Al Templeton. Al is (in)famous for his suspiciously cheap burgers and Jake finds out that Al can manage the low prices because the portal gives him access to September 9, 1958, where he can buy the burger meat at astonishingly low prices.

But Al is dying; quite quickly, in fact. He tells Jake about the mission he had set himself on; a mission to alter American history for the better. He planned to stop the assassination of John F. Kennedy, which took place on November 22, 1963 (11/22/63). But he had to live in the past for five years before he could reach the shooting and by that time he was diagnosed with cancer. So he passes on the mantle to Jake.

But the past is obdurate; it does not wish to change.

King covers the travelling-back-in-time dilemma with his characteristic use of mystery. But that's not the reason you will want to read this book. The real attraction of the book is in the huge amount of research that went into it. King paints a vivid picture of the past and the people he writes about - the historical ones, such as Lee Harvey Oswald [JFK's shooter] and Marina Oswald [his wife] - are real people and you can see their picture online, if you want.

The one thing that might put people off from the book is the fact that it is so very American, which may be hard to relate to. But then again, King has always been a very American writer. And it's not too hard to get used to his writing.

The book has its fair share of gruesomeness and evil, though not nearly as much as some of King's other works. Humans are nostalgic creatures and as Jake goes through his life in the past, moving from place to place, with cheap petrol and friendlier folks, you miss the good old days. Of course, there are certain places which are not very nice. Derry, Maine, for example. Those who have read King's “IT” will be pleasantly delighted by a couple of cameos.

All in all, a decent book. Not one of King's best works. The book is quiet; it draws you in after a few chapters and you will have no idea at which point you really got hooked - a book shaped after its writer. Nostalgic, a little intimidating, sometimes bitter, sometimes sweet; the book just dances through everything. Why not? When it is all said and done, “Dancing is life.”





 
Picture
At first glance, the plot of Shakugan no Shana appears inspired, but when stripped down, it essentially becomes a high school drama series with bits of action and horror thrown in to attract attention. Good thing you won't be watching it for the plot.

Sakai Yuji is a normal kid with normal ambitions and expectations from his life. One fine day, though, en route to school, everything around him freezes and he appears to be the only one capable of motion as a giant doll-like creature starts devouring the helpless humans. As it approaches Yuji, a mysterious girl clad in black, with flaming red hair and a literally flaming sword cuts it down. The girl, Shana, explains that she is a Flame Haze, a hunter whose job is to track down and kill the Denizens of the Crimson Realm (i.e. the frozen world, which is, you guessed it, tinted red). Also, turns out that Sakai Yuji is actually dead, and this Yuji is just a temporary copy of the original.

Review:
The anime starts off brilliantly, introducing a highly interesting villain and spinning a horror-story with marked success. A third of the way through, though, it starts losing steam, and the genre veers from horror into a strange mix between action and slice-of-life. The plot wouldn't survive close scrutiny, so it's advisable to avoid looking for holes - there are numerous. It's not really as though the characters are very unique either, which leaves a major question: why does this show have three seasons?

To be honest, yours truly isn't quite sure. One theory is that this anime has at least one quality appealing to almost everyone. There are villains with evil goals, a love triangle, conflicting views on the value of a Torch (a 'replacement copy' like Yuji), rivalry between a pair of strong characters, and everyday life anyone can relate to. While Shana herself is typical to the point where she could be replaced with Ayano from Kaze no Stigma and no one would notice, Yuji doesn't take completely to the backseat. He's not a punching bag, and he deals pretty well with the sudden turn his life has taken (a little too well, maybe, depending on your taste). Most importantly, both their powers and skills grow throughout the series, but they never outshine the villains' abilities. The series also does an excellent job of balancing its unusual combination of genres, and is packed neatly into its 24 episodes set.

The soundtracks are nothing you'd want to go back to, unfortunately, but they're not off-putting either, which is more than what you can ask for sometimes. The style of artwork for the characters is the definition of moe (cutesy), but the anime gets serious props for gorgeous backgrounds.

The series doesn't take itself too seriously, so you shouldn't either. It's adapted from light novels, and as long as you don't lift your expectations sky-high, it's relaxing to watch when you have a bit of free time between homework and assignments. If you do enjoy the first season, be sure to work through season two, because that's where the real story - what decent parts there is - lies.





 
Picture
Do fairies have tails? That's the question that first pops up when this anime is mentioned. The answer, of course, still eludes me because not even the Mages of the guild Fairy Tail have ever actually seen a Fairy and the origin of their name remains a mystery.

The anime was adopted from Hiro Mashima's popular shounen manga Fairy Tail and it's one of those few mangas which remained loyal to its genre. The plot of the anime is set in Fiore, where mages train day and night to be the strongest magic user in the realm and join magic guilds to take on missions. Fairy Tail is Fiore's number one guild and is hated by their government for its destructive - and sometimes idiotic - members who just drink and party all day.

The anime, instead of portraying a single protagonist, follows a team of mages. The main character is Natsu Dragneel, who uses Fire Dragon Slayer magic and is looking for a dragon named Igneel. Along the way he meets Lucy, a stellar spirit summoning mage and together they team up with Gray Fullbaster (an ice mage) and Erza Scarlet, an S-Class mage (high ranking, dangerous missions mage) and one of Fairy Tail's best.

The thing I liked most about the anime is its variety in the arcs. Every single arc in the anime is extremely entertaining and there's no repetition at all (although some of the characters just keep coming back), whether it's a rival guild invading Fairy Tail or going to war with a dark guild, Natsu and company is always in the centre of trouble.

The anime has got awesome theme songs and these are one of the best I've heard since the legendary ones of FMA and the artwork is fantastic. The plot has got depth and perception and it reaches to almost every character in the guild. There are a few hilarious moments between the actions sequences, the mirth of which will leave you bent over with laughter and there are enough eye candies in the anime to hold a Miss Fairy Tail competition (which they actually do).

One drawback I found in the anime is that there is no equilibrium of strength. No matter how much stronger the opponent is or how beaten down Natsu is, he always (miraculously) wins gloriously. Of course this happens in all shounen animes but in this case, it happens every single time.






 
Picture
Tom Cruise is back as Agent Ethan Hunt. The fourth film of the series (and the first not to mention what number it is in the title) is, well, for lack of a more descriptive word, it's a ride.

Mission Impossible 4 has Cruise and his star studded team including Simon Pegg and Jeremy Renner, chasing a dangerous terrorist named Hendricks before he starts a nuclear war. He gains access to Russian nuclear launch codes and an attempt to stop him at the Kremlin ends in disaster with half the complex being blown sky high and the IMF [Impossible Mission Force, not the International Monetary Fund] being blamed. As Ethan Hunt escapes the Russian police and is picked up by the Secretary of Defence, he learns that the President has issued Ghost Protocol and that the entire IMF has been disavowed. This means no backup, no support. His team is not of his choice anymore. As they are attacked, Jeremy Renner's character latches onto Hunt and joins the team. Undaunted, our heroes move to Dubai and later Mumbai to stop the certain catastrophes that Hendricks will otherwise cause.

Let's start with the bad. The really huge absence from this movie was the presence of a good villain. Don't get me wrong, Michael Nyqvist is decent as the delusional Hendricks but he's no Philip Seymour Hoffman. The best part of MI3 was probably how intense and personal the conflict between the villain and the hero was. Hoffman was merciless and cold. Nyqvist just couldn't pull off the super villain character. In fact, the female assassin Moreau, beautiful, heartless, devoid of compassion, would have been a better leading villain. Hendricks might have performed better but the script did not allow too many points of interaction between Hunt and him for it to work.

The story is simpler, more linear than MI3, which is a disappointment. The departure of J. J. Abrams from the helm also added uncertainty but Brad Bird proved that he can deliver in a live action movie. The best part of any MI movie is the stunts and holy crap, are there some awesome stunts. From the now trademarked jumping off the building, to jumping down a parking garage, jumping into a fan shaft and jumping onto a train and just generally jumping a lot, the stunts are fantastic. They're on a whole new level from the last movie. The movie is very fast moving and the audience is kept entertained all throughout.

 The new team is the other great bit. Simon Pegg, from the success of his cameo as “behind-the-desk” techie Benji Dunn has a much bigger role this time around and is the cause of much of the humour throughout the movie. Jeremy Renner is immense as William Brandt and it's no doubt he's being touted the heir to the franchise if Cruise calls it quits. The girl, Paula Patton, is solid as well. Anil Kapoor is in the film. The Indian billionaire playboy is written as an idiot and Kapoor does well with his small cameo role.

Ghost Protocol isn't a movie you watch to be intrigued. It's almost the perfect popcorn movie. Go and watch it . It's Worth it. A solid 7/10



 
Picture

Hugh Jackman put away his claws and the latex for 'Real Steel', the movie which revolves around boxing…with robots. This movie has a real 'rocky' feeling to it, tinged with a little father-son element in quite a new perspective. Father Charlie Kenton (Hugh Jackman) was a low-profile boxer about to hit it big after repeated failures when the whole world stops caring about human boxing and moves on to robot boxing. Apparently, it's more intense and involves much more money; you know how the mob works. So the 'in-thing' evolves to robot boxing and Charlie takes a bite out of the cake and starts fighting with his own robots, making small money and barely living. Estranged son Max (Dakota Goyo) comes into the picture and the father-son part of the movie kicks in, with Charlie initially reluctantly partnering up with son. They come across a junkyard robot (literally) and put it together, have some fun, spend some quality time and kick metal butt.

That is basically the gist of the movie. Like the streets of London with traffic, Real Steal is packed up to the brim full of clichés, so much so that it overflows a little. Yet, this movie seems to pull itself up and cross the finish line to make the cut. Why? The characters are well played, Hugh Jackman dishes out acting which, in this writer's opinion, could be said to be more than decent. The boxing scenes are pretty damn epic as one can imagine; if you are having trouble imagining, then think about Megatron versus Optimus Prime scaled down to 8 feet, without the guns and ability to talk, but being controlled by humans and just kicking the inanimate bolts(and nuts) out of each other. CGI plays a good role and the soundtrack gets the viewer pumped, if at least a little. The most surprising thing about the movie is that it comes from the director who brought us Night at the Museum. This makes the movie quite great.

All in all, no matter how clichéd, the film proves enjoyable and entertaining. If you're looking for a fun one and a half hours get Real Steel.





 
Picture
Honey and Clover received the Kodansha Manga Award for shoujo manga (which means manga for girls, BTW) in 2007. But comparing it with other shoujo titles such as Ouran High School Host Club, Skip Beat, Kaichou wa Maid-sama, Lovely Complex and probably all others, one rather feels a gust of fresh air. Whereas nearly all shoujo manga and anime picture girls getting (apparently) dreamy looking (and perfect in every sense) boyfriends with clichéd and overused plot twists, Honey and Clover basks in the fresh light of Slice of Life genre. No mushy crap, no unrealistic perfectness and certainly no goo-goo eyed, annoying, weak, shallow and pathetic heroines (I am not saying that all shoujo heroines are like that though).

Honey and Clover is the depiction of the day to day activities of a few art school students. Takemoto Yuuta struggles to find his colour palette and the canvas to brush his heart on. But his everyday life is never short of fun and excitement with helpful senior Mayama and eccentric, greedy and hyper Morita. Upon meeting the cute and small Hagumi Hanamoto (Hehe, I know, right? Hagu-chan, she is called. Hehe), Yuuta, along with Morita, falls in love and his visions are filtered by the coat of love. Along the way we meet many other characters, like Ayumi (hopelessly in love with Mayama), Rika (hopelessly loved by Mayama), and Professor Hanamoto, each with character depths deep enough for several manga put together.

Probably the best part about the two seasons of this anime was when Yuuta runs away on a bicycle to 'find himself' and bikes through Japan. For me, those were the most emphatic episodes.

This could have been just a college romantic comedy. But the unbelievably realistic and complex characterisations, solid humour and the simple yet pleasant animation style separates this manga from all others of the Shoujo category. Love is present, yes, quite strongly in fact. But it does not control the story. The story is about growing up, facing rejections and standing tall. This story is about the pain and longing etched into unrequited love. But it always preserves a cheerful atmosphere over the dark brooding melancholia of the soul.

The music is one of the highlights of this anime. The voice acting was very well done. The comedy is well placed and never feels forced. Actually, the humour and the gloominess are blended perfectly to portray a very believable everyday sequence.

The Verdict:
A great anime for all time, not just for the Valentine season. As for availability, internet is your best friend (animax ran it a few years ago).





 
Picture
Episodes: 100, 4 seasons 
(+ 3 extra episodes) and one movie 
Status: Ongoing 
Length of each episode: 5 minutes Rating: 15+ 
Genres: Historical, Comedy


The Story
Based loosely on the history of the world, Hetalia begins with WWI. However, before you start thinking this is a dreary, depressing story of war and pain, guess again. Each character is named after a country and acts like a stereotype of the people of that country, whilst historical, political, and military interaction between countries is allegorically represented in Hetalia as interaction between the characters.

The main character is Italy - a pasta loving coward. The story revolves (Don't shoot me!) around the Axis Powers and their encounters against the Allied Forces. However this is one anime with pretty much no plot at all, so along with the two world wars, other pieces of history are shown, including Italy during the renaissance and other snippets tossed in here and there just for fun.

There is, on the other hand, one problem with the story - speed. It is not that big a problem because of the absence of a plot, but sometime the show might seem a little too fast. There are also notes you'd need to pause to read if you want to get many of the history based jokes, which at times might be a bit annoying. One thing is for sure though - you will LOL. Literally.

The Characters
Overall, character design is a definite highlight for this anime. Each stereotype is an excellent representation of that country, with plenty of quirks and awesomeness. This might also be a good time to mention the fact that Hetalia is a bishonen. Remember how I mentioned that history is represented by interactions between countries? Yeah, it can get pretty suggestive at times, but honestly, the whole thing is portrayed all in good humour, not to mention awkwardness is relatively few and far between. You are more likely to be stifling hysterical bouts of laughter than asking questions.

The Visuals
The animation in Axis Power Hetalia is pretty good. It is nothing breathtakingly amazing, but it is not bad either. The details of the scenes differ depending on the mood of the scenes and are usually quite laid back, mainly using pastels. Personally though, I wish the characters were a little more detailed.

The Sound
For the first time in my life, I am going to say something I never thought I'd say - watch it in English. Honestly, the FUNimation dub is epic. Each and every one of the character has an accent of some sort or another. It simply does not feel the same in the Japanese dub. The ending songs (two so far) are also noteworthy. I swear you will be singing them in the shower after a few episodes. (Guilty as charged).

Final Word
Hetalia is an anime with something for everyone. If you like comedies, if you have a passion for History or Geography, then this is a jewel of an anime for you. Looking for a short anime to kill a little time? Here's five minutes of insane hilarity per episode. And then there are the fangirls. All I have to say is there is a boatload of anime guys in military uniforms. Hurry up!

Some of the series is widely available on torrents, some are not. You could just stream the whole thing. After all, five minutes per episode is like watching a YouTube video.

DISCLAIMER: The writer will not be held responsible for and nose bleeds, concussions, fangrling or addictions caused from watching this anime.