ZOMG

I forgot I had a blog going here!

Anyway, today's review is on History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi. From today onwards I'd be having to take a 1.5 hour bus ride to my school. So don't worry about there not being reviews.

The History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi, to put it shortly, is about a wimpy kid who gets trained in a dojo with super masters of different martial arts. And by "super" I mean "walk-on-water super". Soon, he is challenged by evil organisations and strong opponents. The story goes on...

RIGHT. So everything seems cool. So cool it's boring. Thank goodness that Kenichi, after being trained in fighting is STILL a wimp. Many of the comedic moments in the manga come from his cowardice and unwillingness to fight and train, despite his masters forcing inhumane training on him.

The fighting is also surprisingly interesting. Almost believable until the later parts of the manga. This manga has given me many laughs and its comedy is deserving of my laughter.

I want to write more, but the way the bus jerks is making my head spin as I type it on my BB. So that ought to be all for now.


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Glass Mask: It’s All About Passion

I would suppose my previous post was a little… Hyped up there. You do not want to know how many times I tried asking Onemanga to upload Glass Mask.

As far as Shoujo manga go, Glass Mask is of the oldest kind and quality. It’s evident from its artwork. This doesn’t seem to be right, does it? Me? Liking an ancient Shoujo manga? When did I become a wuss? Real men don’t wear pink. They read Glass Mask.

This manga is about a girl named Maya from a poor single parent family. Acting is her absolute passion but she hadn’t had a chance to act at all, not even aware that she possesses superior talent. Somehow, she meets the right kind of people who recognize the talent she has, nurturing her to be the ultimate actor.

There are a couple of things which makes Glass Mask so awesome;

Firstly, the structure of the manga is rather unique, even if you don’t see it. Maya is an honest character who knows nothing of thinking deep or thinking far. She just wants to act. However, in doing so, the people around her are affected in one way or another. Some get envious, some are happy for her, some fall in love with her and so on. It’s amazing to see how so many people are affected by this one girl from a simple background with an amazing talent.

Secondly, the depiction of the rehearsals and performances are  incredibly true. You know how many a times, mangaka exaggerate live events or occupations to the extent that it seems awesome but unbelievable? Glass Mask isn’t like this- trust me, I’d know. Glass Mask stays true to its theatrical roots despite also being able to make it emotional.

Thirdly, I know this is personal, but many events in the manga are easy for me to relate to. I’ve been in a couple of productions (in fact, I’m in the middle of one right now) and the points of view from both director and actor shown in Glass Mask brings Déjà Vu. Maybe this is related to the second point, but two points seemed too little so I kinda expanded it to make it three. *embarrassed smile*

I’m in the middle of rereading Glass Mask, so I shan’t say more here. As Nike says it, Just Read It. (Nike, please don’t sue me)

OMFG OMFG YOU DON’T KNOW HOW EXCITED I AM

FREAKING GLASS MASK IS ON FREAKING ONEMANGA. IT’S THE ABSOLUTE BEST MANGA EVERRRRRRRR. I READ IT 2 YEARS AGO AND I KEPT SENDING EMAILS TO ONEMANGA TO REQUEST THAT THEY UPLOAD IT AND THEY FINALLY HAVE! THIS IS FREAKING AWESOME. HOLY CRAP HOLY CRAP. YES YES. I DON’T FREAKING CARE I’M TYPING IN CAPS. GLASS MASK OWNNNSSSSSSS.

Wolf Guy- Wolfen Crest: …Make a Man Go *Whistles*…

No, don’t be mistaken. The main character of Wolf Guy does not have nice legs. If you don’t get the reference, stuff your head up your ass please.

Now now. Wolf Guy is about a main character Inugami, who happens to be, you guessed it- A werewolf. It’s a story with lots of violence and sex, just the way some people like it.

Inugami is anew student in his school, and immediately offends the school punks. By “punks”, I do not refer to school bullies who take your lunch money. I refer to the group of people who beats you half to death, whom everyone fears, the school staff dare not do a shit about and are related to the yakuza.

Naturally, he is beaten up real bad. But he’s a werewolf, right? He’s gonna claw their faces left right up down upside down inside out, right? Wrong. This one chooses not to. His wounds heal faster than I can say (RAH)² (AH)³ + [ROMA (1+MA)] + (GA)² + (OOH)(LA)², so he takes a passive approach and lets the punks beat the shit out of him FOC.

But apparently, the once cowardly student council is inspired by his “courage” and stands up against these bunch of pricks. Somehow they get the media’s attention and these guys stand down.

But these punks are constantly trying to outmaneuver the rest of the student body and well, shit happens.

What is interesting to read in this manga isn’t so much the blood and gore, but the crowd psychology that the students possess. If this were a real event, it would make an excellent case study for psychology students. (And of course scientific researchers seeking to prove the werewolf is real, but you know I’m not going to go there.)

I doubt this manga has matured much yet and hasn’t stabilized in plot, but if it does, I’ll be looking forward to see how the story unfolds. You should too.

Garouden Review: A Hell Load of Hell

I’ve been reading and watching a lot of violent manga and anime recently- Hajime no Ippo, Gamaran, Baki the Grappler, Wolf Guy etc etc. And Garouden’s just another one to add to the list.

End of review.

Yepp, that’s all I can say about Garouden. It’s just another manga you add to that proud list of “Violent Manga I’ve Read”. The manga has a skimpy storyline with a main character who, in all honesty, isn’t really there.

Garouden speaks of a fighter who doesn’t belong to any one style of martial art challenging dojos and martial art gyms all over Japan in search a greater opponent. However, the manga frequently takes us back to the past to show us how the more established fighters in the manga… got more established.

Little page time is given to the main character himself, much preferring to focus on the fighters around him. This seems to give the readers the impression that the manga lacks perspective- it jumps all over the place wherever it likes, whenever it likes.

I don’t even know whether there will be fans for this manga! It’s no longer even a question of “Is this manga capable of forming a cult following?” but more of “Who the hell will love this sort of manga?” My, even Twilight has a storyline.

The only feature which attempts to redeem this manga is the exposure to the various martial arts it gives the readers. But even in that aspect, it just isn’t impressive enough. Holyland gives much, much more insight on the different fighting styles and how it would fare on the streets.

SO, I conclude Garouden is a manga which you’ll like if you love looking at men in underwear slapping each other.

And if you fit the description as given above, please don’t come back to this blog. Kthxbye.

Because I’m a born critic, honey.

Today is a fine day for me! I managed to do just about every activity which generates fun and laugher within 24 hours! (Apart from sex. Any takers?)

Sherlock Holmes the movie!

Rachel McAdams is hot.

As foreseen, the dialogue is more impressive than what would be expected of an ordinary movie. This is most normal, considering that it is THE FREAKING COOL AND KICK ASS Sherlock Holmes we are talking about here. You may not have noticed, but I am a great fan of the fictional man. I read a great deal of Arthur Conan Doyle when I was a tiny cute young boy. Three years ago. Three Sherlock Holmes novels, a couple of his short stories, and if you would allow me to say this, his best works- the Professor Challenger series.

Yes, I find Professor Challenger more engaging than Sherlock Holmes. So sue my pants off. However, that being said, I do have a great deal of respect for the non existent detective. You might have noted that I stress a great deal on the fact that Sherlock Holmes is fictional. That is not for you but for my hopefully present sanity. Somehow, somewhere at the back of my mind, I regard Sherlock Holmes as a person who once lived. That is what is so amazing about Sherlock Holmes- he is somehow believable despite all his outrageous adventures and uncanny powers of deduction and observation.

However, the movie is what batted this self indulging misconception of mine out of the park. When one reads a book, one conjures a mental image of the character. I assure you my mentally conjured image of Sherlock Holmes looks nothing like Robert Downey Jr. Mine would be much more suave. I read an article on the Wall Street Journal Mobile (Whose subscription I have stopped and application deleted off my Blackberry because of its unfortunate move in attempting to make me pay for use.), an interview of Robert Downey Jr. He mentioned that the Sherlock Holmes he intended to portray was a more violent one and so he did, as can be seen from the film. Well, not that I really give a rat’s ass as to whether the actor and director wishes to add a couple more degrees of violence to the film.

Who I really wish to speak of here, is Dear Watson. I seriously regard Jude Law’s job in the film to have been carried out magnificently, or at least tastefully. I always, always cringe when I hear John Watson being described as (in Now Words) a nerdy, bespectacled doctor. Why, even book covers portray paintings of such a character. I never knew how the idea of such a weak John Watson ever spread, but I do have an inkling as to how this idea was conceived- John Watson was constantly being overshadowed by a smarter, more masculine, more successful colleague. Such an unfair comparison kills the image of the poor doctor. Many disregard the fact that he was an ex soldier and a goddamn ex rugby player. Would YOU dare to fight a bespectacled rugby player? Point made.

In this sense, I find Jude Law highly satisfying in this film. Now back to our main character here. Robert (Yes, we are on first name basis. Robert, if you see this, call me.) is going as strong as ever. You can mob him for turning your Sherlock Holmes into an action hero, but he. Will. Whoop. Your. Ass. He is Iron Holmes. (Sherlock Man first came to my mind, but that’s just wrong.) The best part of all in Robert’s acting in Sherlock Holmes would be his eyes. If you haven’t noticed, grab the DVD and watch his eyes. Just his eyes.

The chemistry between Jude Law and Robert Downy Jr. is better than I would have expected as well. I thought the movie would go through production hell with Robert going, “Hey, I’m the main character. Why is Jude here better looking than me?” Nah. It’s just that the faces of these two simply didn’t seem to look right on the same big screen. But I was wrong, unnaturally. I liken these two’s relationship to The Odd Couple by Neil Simon. It just seems so right it seems wrong.

Guy Ritchie being the director of Sherlock Holmes seemed all wrong at first, especially after watching RocknRolla (Half of it, at least. I watched in in my hotel room in Japan in the middle of the night before changing to Chun Li. Something which I regret and will regret forever) But I changed my mind after the movie. With everything getting all London-y and Guy Ritchie-y you know it’s the right combo.

Oh, and you won’t like the ending. If you do, there’s something wrong with you. Cuz the ending ain’t an ending.

Well, whatever suits your taste. This movie ought not to be taken too seriously, even if it is good stuff. Don’t expect it to be a movie that would be made by a hardcore Sherlock Holmes fan. Heck, the plot isn’t based on any of the books in the first place. Just enjoy it. Oh, and did I mention Rachel McAdams is hot?

I just realized

That I forgot to wish you readers Merry Christmas.

Oh screw that, New Year's here.

An extra resolution for you: Visit this site 30 times a day.
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