The Power of Words

Ok so sorry I don't post as much as I used to, life is crazy and I am starting to have to face the fact that I'm an adult (or quite nearly).

I recently finished a manga titled "Alice 19th". It is a story about sisters who fight over a guy. Well, basically. Ok, I know this sounds quite cheesy, but bear with me. It is officially the best manga I've read for several reasons. But first I'll explain the plot a little. Manga and animes are known to have ridiculous plots and dragged out stories (Charles Dickens, anyone?) so I apologize in advance if this makes absolutely no sense.

The story begins with two sisters in high school who end up falling for the same guy. The heroine of the story and the younger sister Alice, falls in love with upperclassmen Kyo. (I told you it sounds cheesy at first, seriously it really isn't.) It turns out her older sister Mayura is also in love with him and asked him out on his birthday, to which Kyo responded "he needed to think about". Alice is upset because she loves Kyo and her sister, but is frustrated and too afraid to tell Kyo how she feels. Mayura knows nothing about her sisters feelings because Alice is very reserved. They end up having an argument in which Alice tells Mayura she wishes she would "disappear". Mayura does just that, to Alice's shock.

The story goes on and Alice finds out she is a Lotis Master who can use words and wield them as power, which was why Mayura disappeared. Kyo also is a Lotis Master, and after certain side characters appear (I won't get into them), they discover that Mayura has been captured by the Darkness, or Mara. Alice and Kyo need to master the words of Lotis to save Mayura and the rest of the world from the Mara. They are told they are prophesied to do this, and become the Neomasters of Lotis.

There are a lot of details to this story that I won't bother explaining. But I liked it because of the message it gave. Words are important and how we use them is even more important. Sometimes our words can be more hurtful than the physical and this story (in an extreme way) emphasized this. It also stressed how important it is to be open and tell the truth right away, which is something that I struggle with since I'm introverted and reserved like Alice. The more darkness we keep inside us, the worse it becomes. I'm reminded of a poem titled "The Poison Tree" I studied recently in British Lit by William Blake.

I was angry with my friend:
I told my wrath, my wrath did end.
I was angry with my foe:
I told it not, my wrath did grow.

And I watered it in fears,
Night and morning with my tears;
And I sunned it with smiles,
And with soft deceitful wiles.

And it grew both day and night,
Till it bore an apple bright.
And my foe beheld it shine.
And he knew that it was mine,

And into my garden stole
When the night had veiled the pole;
In the morning glad I see
My foe outstretched beneath the tree.       

Words can kill people, and so can the lack of. Openness is peace, and a quiet mouth isn't always humble.

 

The One on Anime and Manga

I have to admit, I have a lot of obsessions, even though The Doctor is the biggest. I really love reading Manga and watching Anime. I am currently reading Tsubasa, which is apparently a spin off of xxxHolic, which I haven't read, and most likely won't. Tsubasa has 28 volumes, I just finished the 22nd book. I really like the story, but it is sometimes hard to follow. It still continues to amaze me how complex graphic novel plots can get. I'm not going to go into the pretense of the story, but it is a great series.

I have read La Corda d'Oro, which is by far, my favorite Manga. I love music, and at one point wanted to go to music school, so this was really perfect for me. It's not really that popular, but I really loved it. The art was brilliant and it is my favorite style of Manga. (Which I believe is Abbreviated Realistic)

I also occasionally watch through an anime. The first one I ever watched was Clannad. Bad choice. But not because Clannad is a bad anime, rather the contrary. It was brilliant, and the best. It ruined all the others. (man, I CRIED) Yes, hands down, Clannad is my favorite. I watched Princess Tutu as well, one of my friends had been bugging me about it for quite some time. If you can get past the unrealistic art (which some people prefer) and the annoying voices, it's really a great story. I just HATED the ending though. I'm one of the those people where if the ending isn't perfect, it isn't worth watching.

I just finished what I believe to be the first season of Full Metal Panic. I really liked it. (I don't normally like violent animes, but this was ok). It's kind of an old anime, but you really can't tell from the art. It's still really good.

I'm not really sure what category movies with Japanese style artwork fall into. Are they called anime movies or something else? I've only seen two- Howl's Moving Castle and 5 Centimeters Per Second. Don't watch the later, it's awful. But Howl's Moving Castle is awesome, definately one of my favorites. I plan on watching more like it when I have more time.

Anyway, so I think I will probably start Death Note when I finish Tsubasa. It's apparently a good manga.

FYI: I LOVE Tomoya.