Reading/watching
Dec. 16th, 2007 11:19 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
petroniaI mentioned reading The Virtu in passing here but I don't think most people even saw that post. XD Surprisingly I enjoyed it lots more than the first book - I'd expected an improvement but yanno, it really helped that it wasn't told from the POV of a crazy person. XD; I couldn't even hold it against Felix much that he was a dick, or rather that he was periodically afflicted with Stupidity Due To Authorial Fiat. As ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
supacat pointed out (from like the first two chapters of book 1), Felix's characterisation isn't sensical or consistent. Presumably we're supposed to pop-psych diagnose him as a borderline personality or something. Not that Mildmay is much better; was he this much of a doormat with his dead gf? Probably yes, come to think of it. I've mentioned that I like stories about interdependent sibling relationships but nowhere does it say I like them dysfunctional, so Monette kind of does for it what Kuwabara Mizuno does for the lord/retainer devotional thing namely KICK IT, REPEATEDLY, WITH STEEL-TOED BOOTS. There's the same trainwreck entertainment value, I was sitting there going Mildmay come on, time to get off the bus, pull that cord come on no OFF the bus, how does that even begin to you know what NEVER MIND. Also I'm not sure what's up with the Gideon subplot. XD; Like, I don't even get the impression Monette likes him much - he's no Mehitabel Sue - so I don't think she's playing fair. I'll take the will-never-actually-happen-lulz from the Temeraire books because they're not about gay pr0nz, shokku, and also Laurence and Temeraire are like, DIFFERENT SPECIES (genus, family, order, class). Compared to that teehee-incest doesn't really cut it. There's no inherent reason for anyone to have to talk that talk (see: FMA, Supernatural-the-canon), so if you're gonna step up you better walk that walk too. Obscurely expressed but that's what I think. XD;
On the other hand, the magic system is honestly absorbing in all its historical-ethnic-geographic-philosophical diversity, and the whole labyrinth bit creeped the hell out of me. Even though I had the gist from Swinburne years ago. XD I still can't believe she's not getting it from Japanese horror games... Basically the framework holding the hurt/comfort bits up was fun to read. Monette's kind of pants at action - the various rescues and assassinations never seem difficult enough, so one comes away with the impression that the Mirador's enemies are all utterly incompetent (see Bujold, Brust etc. for many examples on how to do it right) - but I'm the same so I can't complain much. XD; Oh and I don't hate Mehitabel. In fact I may provisorily enjoy the presence of a total Sue on the premises. It adds that dating sim je ne sais quoi; I expect her to go around the Mirador gauging people's haato levels and triggering events. MOAR SPEECH BUBBLES.
I'm told the third book kind of goes downhill; I'll get around to reading it whenever.
Mononoke 6-12: watched this in two sessions, 6-9 and 10-12. Taisho!? How are we in Taisho all of a sudden? Did we just skip the Bakumatsu? And here we have Kayo's reincarnation, or spitting-image descendant. It's unnerving. But then we can continue this line of inquiry forever, into WWII, post-war - I mean, if I were ficcing that's what I would do. XD It's like Petshop of Horrors in that sense, all I'd want to write is more-of-the-canon. Leave the pr0n to someone else.
I still think the series is genuinely scary, which I appreciate. The obvious Utena lineage too: first time I've encountered an attempt to reproduce the gestalt that's, well, successful. It only took a decade. XD; Of course it's eminently appropriate as Japanese horror is as much an expression of the feminine unconscious as SKU (and not just how Mononoke frames it, either, though Mononoke harps on the point, like, A LOT). With that in mind I think the Nue arc is possibly the weakest, but the scent contest carries it. Shit was amazing - and just think, the next time you have a few bored friends over, if you've got toy blocks, a candle and a handful of old BPAL imps, you've got yourself a party. XDDD
Scott Pilgrim vol. 3-4: Erin lent me this and I inhaled both volumes the same evening. It made me dizzy as 166,015 new characters were introduced.
cis asked me in a comment I never responded to if it were true Scott Pilgrim was like Nana only with Canadian indie instead of Japanese punk. The helpful answer is "Yes and no." XD;; It's more whimsical, less angst-filled, and it doesn't do the things with narration Nana does; instead it does a whole caboodle of other Narration Things, usually involving notational conventions from SNES-era videogames. It's got a touch of harem moe to it (intentionally, but lightly - the main character knows which girl he wants and is trying to make it work, that's the driving force of the plot). OTOH the characters have the same sheer likeability value, and it probably is about as good a "scene documentary" as Nana is - i.e. maybe not much, but it rings true. I still say the typical rise of a Canadian friends-and-friends'-friends indie band would involve more marijuana, though. XD And Scott is fast becoming the male Hachi only more mnemonically-challenged, which is a line of development I'm not sure I vote for. XD; Obviously this makes Wallace Nana, which is LULZ^100. Two straight girls talking about relationships in bed together = sort of gay if you think about it; a straight man and a gay man talking about relationships in bed together = ????? Answer on a postcard.
Spoilery commentary and speculation:
* I felt an odd strand of sympathy for Envy Adams throughout, and I'm not sure why - maybe I do grok her apparent need to prove herself and her frustration at Scott's slackerdom. Or maybe it's her former Pocky-munching, Miyazaki-rating, non-upmarket-hooker-boots-wearing self. XD; Or maybe just that her band reps for Montreal (the rivalry is actually that illogical). I totally don't get what she sees in Todd but that's pretty much the point of the volume, isn't it - the inherent unknowability of the other. People change, people have aspects to their past and personality they conveniently fail to mention, you might be in a relationship but that doesn't mean any of it will make sense. Ramona demonstrates this as well: Scott says in one of his clear-sighted moments that her issues would be dealbreakers if he weren't so infatuated, all of which is laid out for anyone to see. And I can't claim it doesn't give me uncomfortable intimations of doom. XD; But "s/he has character flaws" is a much more interesting basis for relationship travails than what romance manga typically come up with.
In any case y'all do realize Envy's basically supposed to be Emily Haines right.
* What exactly is Kim's deal (harhar)? I mean, she obviously has some sort of deal going on, and I'm not sure it's any of the obvious things (eg. carrying a torch for Scott, being gay, having some sort of past entanglement with Gideon). Alternately, are Ramona and Kim going to have a hott lesbian fling??? (Maybe in Scott's dreams.) I was glad the Lisa thing came up and was resolved, though, because she obviously did like Scott in the flashback; he's not what you might call a reliable narrator.
* So is that guy Gideon, or is he totally someone else? And why do I get the impression that Gideon revealed his evil plans and stabbed Ramona with a sword? (The thing with this series is I mean that pretty much literally.) Will she get to set him on fire from the inside out? Stay tuned, boys and girls!
supacat pointed out (from like the first two chapters of book 1), Felix's characterisation isn't sensical or consistent. Presumably we're supposed to pop-psych diagnose him as a borderline personality or something. Not that Mildmay is much better; was he this much of a doormat with his dead gf? Probably yes, come to think of it. I've mentioned that I like stories about interdependent sibling relationships but nowhere does it say I like them dysfunctional, so Monette kind of does for it what Kuwabara Mizuno does for the lord/retainer devotional thing namely KICK IT, REPEATEDLY, WITH STEEL-TOED BOOTS. There's the same trainwreck entertainment value, I was sitting there going Mildmay come on, time to get off the bus, pull that cord come on no OFF the bus, how does that even begin to you know what NEVER MIND. Also I'm not sure what's up with the Gideon subplot. XD; Like, I don't even get the impression Monette likes him much - he's no Mehitabel Sue - so I don't think she's playing fair. I'll take the will-never-actually-happen-lulz from the Temeraire books because they're not about gay pr0nz, shokku, and also Laurence and Temeraire are like, DIFFERENT SPECIES (genus, family, order, class). Compared to that teehee-incest doesn't really cut it. There's no inherent reason for anyone to have to talk that talk (see: FMA, Supernatural-the-canon), so if you're gonna step up you better walk that walk too. Obscurely expressed but that's what I think. XD;On the other hand, the magic system is honestly absorbing in all its historical-ethnic-geographic-philosophical diversity, and the whole labyrinth bit creeped the hell out of me. Even though I had the gist from Swinburne years ago. XD I still can't believe she's not getting it from Japanese horror games... Basically the framework holding the hurt/comfort bits up was fun to read. Monette's kind of pants at action - the various rescues and assassinations never seem difficult enough, so one comes away with the impression that the Mirador's enemies are all utterly incompetent (see Bujold, Brust etc. for many examples on how to do it right) - but I'm the same so I can't complain much. XD; Oh and I don't hate Mehitabel. In fact I may provisorily enjoy the presence of a total Sue on the premises. It adds that dating sim je ne sais quoi; I expect her to go around the Mirador gauging people's haato levels and triggering events. MOAR SPEECH BUBBLES.
I'm told the third book kind of goes downhill; I'll get around to reading it whenever.
Mononoke 6-12: watched this in two sessions, 6-9 and 10-12. Taisho!? How are we in Taisho all of a sudden? Did we just skip the Bakumatsu? And here we have Kayo's reincarnation, or spitting-image descendant. It's unnerving. But then we can continue this line of inquiry forever, into WWII, post-war - I mean, if I were ficcing that's what I would do. XD It's like Petshop of Horrors in that sense, all I'd want to write is more-of-the-canon. Leave the pr0n to someone else.
I still think the series is genuinely scary, which I appreciate. The obvious Utena lineage too: first time I've encountered an attempt to reproduce the gestalt that's, well, successful. It only took a decade. XD; Of course it's eminently appropriate as Japanese horror is as much an expression of the feminine unconscious as SKU (and not just how Mononoke frames it, either, though Mononoke harps on the point, like, A LOT). With that in mind I think the Nue arc is possibly the weakest, but the scent contest carries it. Shit was amazing - and just think, the next time you have a few bored friends over, if you've got toy blocks, a candle and a handful of old BPAL imps, you've got yourself a party. XDDD
Scott Pilgrim vol. 3-4: Erin lent me this and I inhaled both volumes the same evening. It made me dizzy as 166,015 new characters were introduced.
cis asked me in a comment I never responded to if it were true Scott Pilgrim was like Nana only with Canadian indie instead of Japanese punk. The helpful answer is "Yes and no." XD;; It's more whimsical, less angst-filled, and it doesn't do the things with narration Nana does; instead it does a whole caboodle of other Narration Things, usually involving notational conventions from SNES-era videogames. It's got a touch of harem moe to it (intentionally, but lightly - the main character knows which girl he wants and is trying to make it work, that's the driving force of the plot). OTOH the characters have the same sheer likeability value, and it probably is about as good a "scene documentary" as Nana is - i.e. maybe not much, but it rings true. I still say the typical rise of a Canadian friends-and-friends'-friends indie band would involve more marijuana, though. XD And Scott is fast becoming the male Hachi only more mnemonically-challenged, which is a line of development I'm not sure I vote for. XD; Obviously this makes Wallace Nana, which is LULZ^100. Two straight girls talking about relationships in bed together = sort of gay if you think about it; a straight man and a gay man talking about relationships in bed together = ????? Answer on a postcard.Spoilery commentary and speculation:
* I felt an odd strand of sympathy for Envy Adams throughout, and I'm not sure why - maybe I do grok her apparent need to prove herself and her frustration at Scott's slackerdom. Or maybe it's her former Pocky-munching, Miyazaki-rating, non-upmarket-hooker-boots-wearing self. XD; Or maybe just that her band reps for Montreal (the rivalry is actually that illogical). I totally don't get what she sees in Todd but that's pretty much the point of the volume, isn't it - the inherent unknowability of the other. People change, people have aspects to their past and personality they conveniently fail to mention, you might be in a relationship but that doesn't mean any of it will make sense. Ramona demonstrates this as well: Scott says in one of his clear-sighted moments that her issues would be dealbreakers if he weren't so infatuated, all of which is laid out for anyone to see. And I can't claim it doesn't give me uncomfortable intimations of doom. XD; But "s/he has character flaws" is a much more interesting basis for relationship travails than what romance manga typically come up with.
In any case y'all do realize Envy's basically supposed to be Emily Haines right.
* What exactly is Kim's deal (harhar)? I mean, she obviously has some sort of deal going on, and I'm not sure it's any of the obvious things (eg. carrying a torch for Scott, being gay, having some sort of past entanglement with Gideon). Alternately, are Ramona and Kim going to have a hott lesbian fling??? (Maybe in Scott's dreams.) I was glad the Lisa thing came up and was resolved, though, because she obviously did like Scott in the flashback; he's not what you might call a reliable narrator.
* So is that guy Gideon, or is he totally someone else? And why do I get the impression that Gideon revealed his evil plans and stabbed Ramona with a sword? (The thing with this series is I mean that pretty much literally.) Will she get to set him on fire from the inside out? Stay tuned, boys and girls!
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Date: 2007-12-18 08:14 am (UTC)Ahaha, if I sent it to you, would you add it to the backlog? It takes me a long time to read them (well, it takes me a long time to read anything, in Japanese), but since your kanji and overall reading ability is probably a lot stronger than mine, you ought to zip through them quickly. XD
(Oh, what else is in the backlog for you?)