While I haven't been getting much anime in recent years, I collected a great deal in years past. Now, it's mostly grabbing selected things that really jump out at me, like the Crest/Banner of the Stars series.
Some of my tastes run towards the rather odd, and I'll admit it. For example, I'm fond of Harmegeddon and Toward the Terra.
One that I really like is Goshogun: The Time Etranger, which has been re-released under the name of Time Stranger on DVD.
What's it all about? Fate and Death.
Yep, that's what I said... Fate and death. It is not a "light" anime by any stretch of the imagination, but it's interesting, and it makes you think. The anime is an interleaving of three entirely different time periods within the life of the heroine, Remy Shimada. They've arrived on a planet where people get visions telling them that they will die. Can she and her friends save their life? Can fate be defeated?
I suggest you get it, it's worth it.
Monday, November 14, 2005
Tuesday, November 08, 2005
Greatest Evil Plots
All right, the world of comics is littered with evil plots and plans. Generally, they don't work, because one hero or another manages to stumble over them. Still, sometimes you have to admire them for their sheer cunning.
So, what are the greatest evil plots of all time? I'm sure that I'll miss some, but at least, over the next week or two, we'll get to see some of the classics.
For the first of them, a nice "simple" plan. Nothing fancy. Lure Storm of the X-Men out where the White Queen can "body switch" with her. Have Emma waltz into the X-Mansion, and invite in the rest of the Hellfire Club.
Sometimes, simplicity is the best. Sure, you can always add layer upon layer of complication, but the more things you try to do, the more things that can go wrong.
Of course, the real problem with the plan is that they weren't ruthless enough with it. Foolish villains left Kitty and Storm alive... and well
It was a good plan while it lasted.
(Uncanny X-Men 151-52)
So, what are the greatest evil plots of all time? I'm sure that I'll miss some, but at least, over the next week or two, we'll get to see some of the classics.
For the first of them, a nice "simple" plan. Nothing fancy. Lure Storm of the X-Men out where the White Queen can "body switch" with her. Have Emma waltz into the X-Mansion, and invite in the rest of the Hellfire Club.
Sometimes, simplicity is the best. Sure, you can always add layer upon layer of complication, but the more things you try to do, the more things that can go wrong.
Of course, the real problem with the plan is that they weren't ruthless enough with it. Foolish villains left Kitty and Storm alive... and well
It was a good plan while it lasted.
(Uncanny X-Men 151-52)
Friday, November 04, 2005
Authors are "running out of ideas"
You know, thinking about the "fall of Honor Harrington" as I said in my last post, I'm reminded of the fact that so many of my favorite authors have begun to "lose it."
Tom Clancy: Done lost it.
L.E. Modesitt... getting into a severe repetitive rut.
David Eddings... fading fast
Raymond Feist: On life support
David Weber: midair over a shark.
This does seem to point out the fact that what's even harder than writing interesting books, is to keep drawing stuff from the well that's fresh and interesting.
Take Modesitt... still the author I look forward to the most. The sad part is that he's so deep in a rut. You see it in all of his Spellsong books, all the Corean, and most of the Recluse books. The hero learns who he is, and what his powers are. Fights a desparate battle against forces that badly outnumbers him/her... usually at a nasty cost, both in friends dead, but also in terms of what it does to their body (blindness, et al). They keep getting asked to do more and more, and eventually manage to win out at the end.
You know, my favorite "bit" of Modesitt is still the way that Lerris "discovers himself", not in using his powers, but in becoming a woodworker. That's something you just don't see any more.
It makes it all the more impressive when you consider authors who have a long series of books that haven't "fallen apart".... too bad it's hard to name many.
Tom Clancy: Done lost it.
L.E. Modesitt... getting into a severe repetitive rut.
David Eddings... fading fast
Raymond Feist: On life support
David Weber: midair over a shark.
This does seem to point out the fact that what's even harder than writing interesting books, is to keep drawing stuff from the well that's fresh and interesting.
Take Modesitt... still the author I look forward to the most. The sad part is that he's so deep in a rut. You see it in all of his Spellsong books, all the Corean, and most of the Recluse books. The hero learns who he is, and what his powers are. Fights a desparate battle against forces that badly outnumbers him/her... usually at a nasty cost, both in friends dead, but also in terms of what it does to their body (blindness, et al). They keep getting asked to do more and more, and eventually manage to win out at the end.
You know, my favorite "bit" of Modesitt is still the way that Lerris "discovers himself", not in using his powers, but in becoming a woodworker. That's something you just don't see any more.
It makes it all the more impressive when you consider authors who have a long series of books that haven't "fallen apart".... too bad it's hard to name many.
The Shark's been jumped
All right, going off of comics for a bit, into books.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Honor Harrington has jumped the shark. She's been threatening to do it for a couple of books, but it's official now.
I just got done reading the latest volume, and I have opinions!
(spoiler zone)
(spoiler zone)
Aaaanyway.
I'm not sure which bugged me more... the lost opportunities, the "bigger is better", or the "personal" stuff.
Actually, yes I am. The personal stuff, so I'll get to that last.
Let's start with the first.
I enjoyed War of Honor more than most people I talked to. Yeah, the politics got a bit overwhelming on occasion, but I still thought the book was quite good. However, my main "beef" with that book was that it was taking us back "over old terrain." This latest book is just more of that. We've had book after book after book of Mantis vs Haven. It's time to move up, and move on. Now, this time, there big difference was that the Havenites were actually competant. That said, all we really see is just "more of the same," from what we've been seeing. Yeah, Mesa and Manpower are lurking around, but they are still in the background. Yeah, they're set up to be major protaginists in the next book(s), but it's really time to not just set that theme up, but to run with it.
Also, how do you kill off the character who can easily be called the major villain of the last 2 books in a drunk driving accident? That was totally random. Yeah, he used it to show the idiocy of this war... but it still left me flat.
There were so many things that could have been done in this book, but it was just "MOTS" (more of the same). Not to mention, Weber ran the "Sidemore special" into the ground. (BTW, he copied that one from Isaac Asimov in Foundation.)
2) Bigger is Better.
This was getting silly by Ashes of Victory, and this book just took it yet further. Manties keep deploying bigger/better/smarter systems. Deus ex machina abounds.
Even worse, he decided to do the "big battle". Bleh.
3) The Personal Stuff.
You know, in teaching Bible Class, when people goggle slightly about the way that the Old Testament allowed polygamy, I always make a point. Look at the examples we are given. Rachel and Leah, David's wives, Solomon's wives, even Samuel's parents. These things never end well. You always get some pretty nasty emotional cross currents going. Whether it is "dueling utereses", or "I wanna rape my step-sister," these things always end up being first tier disasters.
So, now we get the institution of Grayson marriage, and the only examples we see (Benjaman's family, and now Honor's), and well... they are nice, and sweet and blissful.
Bleh.
I've been hoping that Hamish Alexander would "pull a Tankersley" for 3 books now. So much for that fond thought.
I'll get the next book, and I truly enjoy the two side series (Saganami and Crown of Slaves), but at this point, Honor Harrington has moved way down on my list of "must reads."
Hope the shark's teeth aren't sharp Mr. Weber.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Honor Harrington has jumped the shark. She's been threatening to do it for a couple of books, but it's official now.
I just got done reading the latest volume, and I have opinions!
(spoiler zone)
(spoiler zone)
Aaaanyway.
I'm not sure which bugged me more... the lost opportunities, the "bigger is better", or the "personal" stuff.
Actually, yes I am. The personal stuff, so I'll get to that last.
Let's start with the first.
I enjoyed War of Honor more than most people I talked to. Yeah, the politics got a bit overwhelming on occasion, but I still thought the book was quite good. However, my main "beef" with that book was that it was taking us back "over old terrain." This latest book is just more of that. We've had book after book after book of Mantis vs Haven. It's time to move up, and move on. Now, this time, there big difference was that the Havenites were actually competant. That said, all we really see is just "more of the same," from what we've been seeing. Yeah, Mesa and Manpower are lurking around, but they are still in the background. Yeah, they're set up to be major protaginists in the next book(s), but it's really time to not just set that theme up, but to run with it.
Also, how do you kill off the character who can easily be called the major villain of the last 2 books in a drunk driving accident? That was totally random. Yeah, he used it to show the idiocy of this war... but it still left me flat.
There were so many things that could have been done in this book, but it was just "MOTS" (more of the same). Not to mention, Weber ran the "Sidemore special" into the ground. (BTW, he copied that one from Isaac Asimov in Foundation.)
2) Bigger is Better.
This was getting silly by Ashes of Victory, and this book just took it yet further. Manties keep deploying bigger/better/smarter systems. Deus ex machina abounds.
Even worse, he decided to do the "big battle". Bleh.
3) The Personal Stuff.
You know, in teaching Bible Class, when people goggle slightly about the way that the Old Testament allowed polygamy, I always make a point. Look at the examples we are given. Rachel and Leah, David's wives, Solomon's wives, even Samuel's parents. These things never end well. You always get some pretty nasty emotional cross currents going. Whether it is "dueling utereses", or "I wanna rape my step-sister," these things always end up being first tier disasters.
So, now we get the institution of Grayson marriage, and the only examples we see (Benjaman's family, and now Honor's), and well... they are nice, and sweet and blissful.
Bleh.
I've been hoping that Hamish Alexander would "pull a Tankersley" for 3 books now. So much for that fond thought.
I'll get the next book, and I truly enjoy the two side series (Saganami and Crown of Slaves), but at this point, Honor Harrington has moved way down on my list of "must reads."
Hope the shark's teeth aren't sharp Mr. Weber.
Wednesday, November 02, 2005
Final thoughts... War Games
Got my War Games pt 3 Trade paperback in the mail, and finally figured out what exactly has me bothered by the book.
It's not simply the "cranky, loner Batman" effect, which has been getting depressingly regular of late. It's not even the fact that it was over written, over complicated, and confusing.
The entire story gives me the impression that it was written to achieve a goal, rather then letting the story dictate the effects.
Does that make sense? It just gives me the impression that one day, the DC types (not sure who cooked up the idea) said, "We need to come up with a way to make Batman more of a loner, with the Police against him, and the Gotham gangs united."
It wasn't... "hey, how about we play around with Spoiler accidently setting off a major gang war," it was "how do we get this result?"
At least to my mind, that ends up with a more artificial sort of story. Now, many stories are written at least with the conclusion in mind. I'm sure JK Rowling has a really good idea how Book 7 will end.
Yet, in many ways, War Games was not a story that was written for a conclusion, but instead one that was built to set up "more to come." Now, by their nature, comics will rarely come to a true conclusion. You can't have a "happily ever after" ending, and then say "come back next issue" very easily. However, this story seemed to be a bit too extreme.
It's not simply the "cranky, loner Batman" effect, which has been getting depressingly regular of late. It's not even the fact that it was over written, over complicated, and confusing.
The entire story gives me the impression that it was written to achieve a goal, rather then letting the story dictate the effects.
Does that make sense? It just gives me the impression that one day, the DC types (not sure who cooked up the idea) said, "We need to come up with a way to make Batman more of a loner, with the Police against him, and the Gotham gangs united."
It wasn't... "hey, how about we play around with Spoiler accidently setting off a major gang war," it was "how do we get this result?"
At least to my mind, that ends up with a more artificial sort of story. Now, many stories are written at least with the conclusion in mind. I'm sure JK Rowling has a really good idea how Book 7 will end.
Yet, in many ways, War Games was not a story that was written for a conclusion, but instead one that was built to set up "more to come." Now, by their nature, comics will rarely come to a true conclusion. You can't have a "happily ever after" ending, and then say "come back next issue" very easily. However, this story seemed to be a bit too extreme.
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