Mixed Chops

Book Review: I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You

noreply@blogger.com (Paopig) — Sun, 11 Aug 2013 14:37:00 +0000

I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You

by Ally Carter

Cammie Morgan is a student at the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women, a fairly typical all-girls school-that is, if every school taught advanced martial arts in PE and the latest in chemical warfare in science, and students received extra credit for breaking CIA codes in computer class. The Gallagher Academy might claim to be a school for geniuses but it's really a school for spies. Even though Cammie is fluent in fourteen languages and capable of killing a man in seven different ways, she has no idea what to do when she meets an ordinary boy who thinks she's an ordinary girl. Sure, she can tap his phone, hack into his computer, or track him through town with the skill of a real "pavement artist"-but can she maneuver a relationship with someone who can never know the truth about her?

Cammie Morgan may be an elite spy-in-training, but in her sophomore year, she's on her most dangerous mission-falling in love.

Personal Fave Punch: “I looked around and thought, Oh, yeah, I can see why I'd be tough to spot. I was sitting on a bench in plain sight.”
Movement/Mood after reading: Resisting to pick-up the next book.
Bit on Bits: FUN and CUTE read, with slight family issues.

This was the first YA book I read last year and I was so happy with it that I started reading more from the genre. I was a bit apprehensive that I might find it annoying and a waste of my time. Good thing I felt the need for something new and that I picked a book by Ally Carter.

“Around me, the hall filled with whispers and giggles— fuel that would have the rumor mill running on high by midnight—and I remembered that,even though the Gallagher Academy is a school for girl geniuses, sometimes the emphasis should be kept on the girl.”

I kept alternating between giggling and laughing throughout the book. It was so easy to fall-in-love with Cammie and her thoughts. Every time she's facing a situation, she thinks like a spy and finds it hard how to think like a teenage girl that she is. She gets help from her friends Bex, Liz and, later on, Macey. Only Macey, though, really knows how to deal with her current major problem: Josh, of the wavy brown hair and Roseville village, outside the Gallagher Girls Academy walls (therefore should be restricted access). Using lessons from their new teacher, also classified a real hottie, Mr. Joe Solomon, Cammie goes through a whole new world while trying hard not to get in trouble with the Head Mistress, her mother.

I didn't go to a spy school (much to my disappointment) but I can see my teenage self in the book. It deals with being comfortable in one's “invisibility” most of the time but wanting to be noticed at certain occasions. I also understood how a person can be highly-skilled at something and yet totally clueless about lots of things in life. The diversity of the group of friends is clichéd but I'm sure I have the same types of friends in real life. Insecurity, confusion, wanting praise and indecision. There's a lot of “normal” issues for a spy novel that it felt real and relatable.

The storyline is quite simple and lacks the usual details I look for in spy or romance novels. I had problems with Josh being obviously cute but not swoony enough and with Cammie being drawn immediately, without much resistance. But it was such a fun read that I had to find the other books in the series. Some may bash Ally Carter for her writing style here but the parentheses and exclamation points for emphasis and punches didn't bother me. The book was talking the way I talked to myself, always with a trailing thought that I want to insert. It might be just me but the writing style works.

I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You is a light-hearted introduction to the Gallagher Girls Series and if you're fan of kick-ass female characters and spy things, this is a great book for you. I can assure you that the next books will not be as light-hearted, though. The story gets better and this might be the last time that the whole thing is “just cute”.

Rating:

Note:
I'm writing this series of reviews as part of the #GGReadathon Books As You Know It is hosting this month. I wanted to do this for September because I might get the last book around last week of next month (life can get very busy) but this seemed much more fun to do. Plus, it will certainly keep me motivated to restart blogging. Check their blog for details and discussion!

NEWS: The HEIRS on its way this October!

noreply@blogger.com (Paopig) — Sat, 10 Aug 2013 19:02:00 +0000

October can't come soon enough for kdrama fans! Much buzz has been going around since the announcement of a new posh-school themed drama. Many fans claim to be sick of this same old drama plot but STILL can't help being excited. I can totally relate.

He Who Wishes To Wear the Crown, Endure Its Weight – The Heirs, or simply HEIRS, appears to have the feel of Boys Before Flowers and... well, not much else is known. While the several synopses I've read online are unoriginal and bland, the cast sure aren't.

Lee Min Ho and Park Shin Hye

Topping the list are Lee Min Ho and Park Shin Hye. If you've been a kdrama fan for quite some time, you wouldn't need to click on the names I hyperlinked because you'd know how adored these two are. I'm not sure which one has the larger fan base but I know both have huge following. I don't go crazy over Lee Min Ho but I love, LOVE, Park Shin Hye. Personally, I can't imagine the chemistry but I hope their loveteam works. As main leads, LMH plays the rich guy and PSH the poor girl. We know how that usually turns-out so I'm hoping some twists will make the drama standout.

HEIRS also has two of my favorite actresses from the seriously underrated (in my opinion) kdrama What's Up.
Kim Ji-Won will be playing a rich girl (I'm assuming she's going to be snobbish) while Im Joo-eun will be a teacher in the Empire High School. Also, Kang Min-Hyuk, my oh-so-cute drummer in Heartstrings, will be a friend of PSH. I can't wait to watch him smile and kid-pout on TV again. With him in the cast, the CN Blue fandom will surely get in the drama train.

Top(left to right): Kim Ji-Won, Im Joo-eun
Bottom: Kang Min-Hyuk

Top (left to right):Choi Won Young, Kim Woo-bin, Krystal Jung
Bottom (left to right):Kang Ha-neul, Park Hyung-sik, Choi Jin-hyuk

Rounding up the cast are Choi WonYoung, Kim Woo-bin, Krystal Jung, Kang Ha-neul, Park Hyung-sik and Choi Jin-hyuk. Yeah, all those pretty faces get my hopes up that HEIRS will be another favorite kdrama of mine. It certainly helps that the writer is Kim Eun-sook. She wrote three dramas that I found beautiful (one of them Secret Garden, an all-time fave) and even though I didn't like the others, they were all popular. I don't know how she does it but her stories always contain a certain kick that leaves lasting imprints on the viewers.

That said, I try to calm myself whenever I read HEIRS updates in my newsfeed. Lee Min Ho learning how to surf (Why, hello there, abs) and Park Shin Hye finally starting the to film scenes... it'll be devastating if the plot will not be able to sustain the star power brought by its cast.

So, how about it? Anybody want to join me in another rich-guy-loves-poor--girl-school kdrama?

Book Review: Girl of Nightmares

noreply@blogger.com (Paopig) — Tue, 06 Aug 2013 09:56:00 +0000

Girl of Nightmares
by Kendare Blake

It's been months since the ghost of Anna Korlov opened a door to Hell in her basement and disappeared into it, but ghost-hunter Cas Lowood can't move on.

His friends remind him that Anna sacrificed herself so that Cas could live—not walk around half dead. He knows they're right, but in Cas's eyes, no living girl he meets can compare to the dead girl he fell in love with. Now he's seeing Anna everywhere: sometimes when he's asleep and sometimes in waking nightmares.

But something is very wrong...these aren't just daydreams. Anna seems tortured, torn apart in new and ever more gruesome ways every time she appears. Cas doesn't know what happened to Anna when she disappeared into Hell, but he knows she doesn't deserve whatever is happening to her now. Anna saved Cas more than once, and it's time for him to return the favor.

Personal Fave Punch: “I ate the fucking gingersnaps.”
Movement after reading: Hugging my huge pillow.
Bit on Bits: Less funny but more scary stuff. Heh, “stuff”.

(*CONTAINS SPOILERS FROM ANNA DRESSED IN BLOOD AND SPOILER-ISH SENTIMENTS*)

I wanted to say MEH to this one because I didn't get enough Cas-Anna loving. But my horror-loving self won out. What, with all those beautifully crafted creepy scenes? FIVE flippin' hearts. AGAIN. (And yes, I refuse to swear like an adult. )

Since this is a sequel, I highly recommend reading ANNA DRESSED IN BLOOD first to appreciate the book better.

GIRL OF NIGHTMARES continues the story months after Anna sacrificed herself to protect the the guy she loved, his mother and friends. Nobody knows where exactly she ended-up but they all think that she's finally at peace. Except for Cas. When Anna starts to seemingly haunt him, he disregards everybody's warning to stop looking for her. He, with help from Thomas and Carmel, desperately searches for a way to reach Anna. As the story progresses, some secrets about his athame are also revealed and some friendships are tested.

Whew.

The first book easily made it to my “favorites” that I dreaded having to read a sequel. I already pointed out in my review of ADIB that it was fine as a standalone. I hate sequels because they more often than not leave me frustrated and suddenly unsure of its predecessor. HUGE relief that I did not hate this.

While I thought GON less appealing than the first book, I found Kendare Blake's writing more beautiful here. The dead and the places they haunt are much creepier and therefore, to me,more lovable. I especially loved Dutch Ironworks and Suicide Forest. The atmosphere and details are so wonderfully weaved that I had to grip the book harder than usual. Perfect. *grins*

“You know what I hate about flashlights?” Thomas asks, and I watch his beam move around the room, revealing sudden bird faces and shifting wings, then nothing but cobweb-covered boards. “They always make you think about the stuff that you’re not seeing. The stuff that’s still in the dark.”

I did not expect Thomas to be my favorite character. He had his charms in ADIB but this time, I wanted to jump inside the book just so I can meet him. He becomes his more powerful and more adorable self while almost everybody else stays the same. I say almost because there are characters whose choices will make them seem weak and hateful. Plus, there are new people. I can't resist mentioning that I hated how one of them made Cas look wimpy by comparison. I'm happy for girl power and all but I hated a certain character for existing.

The major issue I found was the lack of Anna being Anna. Yes, her hauntings to Cas are still scary but I wanted her lucid and, you know, sweet, badass and not just gory. Then again it worked for Cas' heartbreak and helplessness. BUT I MISSED ANNA. *sigh Another reason I found this less appealing is how the book introduced a secret society. It created a bunch of gaps in my brain. I didn't want the story to drag but it frustrated me to not feel the weight of their necessity. I understood their significance but Cas could've gone to the voodoo network and I'd be happier with Morfran's wicked friends.

The ending... I couldn't ask for a better ending to Anna's story. Cas ultimately made up for all the times I thought he was wimpy. I admired how he left me smiling without a smidgen of doubt that everything was right in the world again.

Overall, GIRL OF NIGHTMARES is scary, funny and tragic. I'm going to sound like I'm on one-repeat mode but again, Kendare Blake's writing is truly commendable here. I'm planning to read her other novels. If you're just starting to appreciate dark or horror novels, ANNA DRESSED IN BLOOD and GIRL OF NIGHTMARES will make fans out of you.

Rating:

News: Mai and Naru, back on print after six years

noreply@blogger.com (Paopig) — Sun, 02 Sep 2012 23:24:00 +0000

Shiho Inada is once again adapting Fuyumi Ono's light novel series Ghost Hunt, this time taking on Akumu no Sumu Ie: Ghost Hunt (The House Where Nightmares Dwell: Ghost Hunt). The story picks-up some time after where the first series ended.

ARIA magazine will be printing the Ghost Hunt sequel bi-monthly.

...was that fine? I needed to make it sound official and unbiased. Truth is, I'm ecstatic! I'm a fan! I'm a fan! *roar* I've been wishing for a second season anime but this news is even better. If only the light novels would get translated... *sigh Anyway, I hope this one gets lots of love from the manga readers because it deserves a large audience. That also means I'm hoping it'll get published in English. Please,please... some divine power, hear me!

First Chapter release

(Oh, and if somehow you ask why I'm a fan of Ghost Hunt, read my review of it.)

Review: Ghost Hunt

noreply@blogger.com (Paopig) — Sun, 02 Sep 2012 20:48:00 +0000

*excited*

GHOST HUNT

ゴーストハント

Gōsuto Hanto

Originally written by Fuyumi Ono

Anime
Number of Episodes: 25
Directed by: Rei Mano
Studio: J.C. Staff
Run: October 3, 2006 –
March 27, 2007
Soundtrack: 35 tracks by Toshio Masuda

Rating:

Manga
Volumes: 12 (completed)
Mangaka: Shiho Inada Publisher: Kodansha (English: Del Rey, Tanoshimi)
Run: 1998 -2006

Rating:

I'm falling into a monotony: I'm loving the genre I'm reviewing way too much. Just two more of these and I promise I'll change theme.

That said, I enjoyed Ghost Hunt. So much that instead of just reading the manga, I got hold of the anime. I'm thinking I would have loved reading the light novel series, too. (And would have given a perfect rating.)

The final volume (translated) of the manga was hard for me to find that when I saw an online source (I don't think there's an officially translated one), I decided to just get on with it and finish the story. I'm so happy I did. Finally, I got answers to most of my questions. MOST.

Ghost Hunt starts off with Mai Taniyama, a highschool girl fond of telling ghost stories, stumbling into a psychic investigation by Kazuya Shibuya. She is forced by Shibuya-san, who she then calls Naru for his narcissism, into taking Lin Koujo's, the assistant, work when he gets injured. They are later joined by the other characters. They all start working together on cases under Naru's company, Shibuya Psychic Research, as the series continues.

There are minor differences in the adaptations but the anime doesn't stray from the manga. However, I felt adjustments in the characters that warranted a heart off the anime. Mai, Yasuhara and Monk-san were funnier in the manga. Well, that and because the anime's more intent to go with the creepy atmosphere while the manga has more funny quirks.

(Named the other characters in the very last picture, at the very bottom of the post. Chibi picture, that is.)

Kazuya "Naru" Shibuya, Mai Taniyama

Score cards, up!

Story:

Anime: 7/10

Manga: 9/10

The difference in scores lies in the fact that the material was more enjoyable on paper. The anime is far from bad but when I watched it, I realized some scenes were dull for animation. For one, it's okay for them to stand or sit around while discussing REALLY LONG facts in the manga. But it gets awkward seeing the group in the same position SEVERAL times in a single episode in the anime.
I feel like I should comment on plot predictability but it wasn't bothersome in the story. The way those elements were delivered were effective and not annoying in both. It's not even that predictable if you're not a fan of the mystery-horror genre. Let's not argue about the cases needing a lot of people to be solved because that's the reason why I didn't give a 10 in the manga.

Art:

Anime: 8/10

Manga: 8/10

Both to my liking, even if Mai was made prettier (but somehow less cute) and Monk-san and Yasuhara (and Akifumi) less hunky in the anime. Heh.

Characters:

Anime: 7/10

Manga: 9/10

Erm. I liked the characters but they were sort of lacking. They stuck to their role and don't do anything unexpected. Unless you read how the manga ended the series, you'd really feel how stagnant they seem.

Music/Sounds:

Anime: 8/10

Manga: n/a (if my TV static qualifies, it'd be perfect 10)

With all the chanting and noises needed to satisfy the Tezanne criteria for poltergeists, I'd say I was very pleased. OP is creepy enough but didn't really stick to me. Best thing about the music is none were over the top.

Sentiments, rolling...

Favorite Arc:

Anime: Bloodstained Labyrinth (epi 18-21)

I loved the balance of humor and suspense in the episodes. Plus, this arc has the best drawn spook.

Manga: The Forgotten Children (volume 10-11)
I loved this because Mai finally did something she can take credit for. The story also is bittersweet.

Favorite Characters:

Osamu Yasuhara

I hope someday to reach this four-eyed guy's level of awesomeness.

He always has the right comeback and is very confident about everything.

Lin Koujo

He sits in front of the computer most of the time and is quiet and socially-awkward.

Besides Naru, he's the most "powerful" in the group with his onmyou skills.

AND HE HAS SHIKI!

Favorite Exchange:

This was cheesy.

But come on, this is the real Naru smile

and the wind was very cooperative for effects.

Classic Yasuhara-san. He can deliver punchlines in a straight face.

Special Mention:

Silent Christmas arc

This gives-off a sad vibe more than scary. My heart went to the little guy here.

Ghost Hunt made it to my list of all-time fave despite the unsatisfactory ending. Yes, it was the ending in both that cost a huge heart. Even if the anime used an open-ending, there was no resolution to anything that the whole series felt like just a bunch of collected stories in the life of SPR. The manga did resolve a lot of questions employing the same open-ending. Although it was better, it was still rushed and after a relatively short “aww” moment from me, I started asking more questions about the arc. And I'm not even talking about the Naru-Mai relationship. The manga ending was really sweet and hopeful on that.

The series is not complicated to follow and overall, is a light read/watch. If it is anything,it's very informative on the subjects discussed in the cases. Just right for those wanting paranormal but not hardcore screamers. There's also a lot of interesting psychic facts dished by Naru.

Naru, Madoka Mori

Osamu Yasuhara, Masako Hara, Fr. John Brown, Mai Taniyama, Ayako Matsuzaki, Hosho "Monk-san" Takigawa

JDrama Review: 100 Tales of Horror

noreply@blogger.com (Paopig) — Mon, 27 Aug 2012 04:39:00 +0000

1, 2, 3... shall we start?

By the way, no. It's not a hundred-episode drama. Don't want to tempt fate and actually invoke a spirit at the hundredth now, do we? I'm not sure I want to see a Sadako-like creature crawling out my screen.

		100 Tales of Horror Kaidan Hyaku Monogatari 怪談百物語 Episodes:11 Broadcast: 2002, Tuesdays, Aug-13 to Dec-03 Network: Fuji TV Directors: Kawake Shunsaku Hayashi Toru Kobayashi Kazuhiro Tsuruta Norio Tajima Daisuke	Rating:

Period drama = samurai, geta, andon and no-wind-can-ruin-my-hair. Those plus a touch of eeriness and I'm sold.

Kaidan Hyaku Monogatari is a collection of some of the most popular “ghost tales” from Japan. The title is from a popular game where people take turns telling supernatural stories and extinguishing a candle after each. As the room gets darker and darker, the atmosphere becomes more inviting for spirits to join in. It is believed that after the last candle is put-out, spirits present will be seen if they are willing. That's putting it mildly considering some say ancient samurai loved using the game as a test of courage. *smirk*

The 11 stories feature a central character played by Naoto Takenaka, who I found absolutely commendable. He can really act the part of Dosan, an onmyouji. He, together with his daughter and, in some episodes, his disciple Jinta, finds himself involved or a witness in the stories.

Though the tales are popular, the re-telling here put some very nice twists. Some became more cruel, some became more sentimental. I found them more endearing than most adaptations.

Rolling-in my list of stuff that captured my attention... I'll assume the stories are already familiar so the following shouldn't really be considered spoilers. I think.

Hell is Waiting (or at least a soul-shredder)

Shotaro in Ugetsu Monogatari

My main problem with him is nobody forced him to marry Isora AND to swear to heavens he'll take care of her forever, but he did both...and then he replaced her with another woman. After all her sacrifices, he left because he accuses Isora of faking her kindness and making his lover leave, without telling him. Yeah,she should've made a letter to what she did. Pssh. There are major differences here compared to the other versions of Pot at Kibitsu I've read before and one of those is that they made Shotaro more relatable with his struggle between doing good and doing what makes him a jerk, I mean happy. As much as I value fidelity, I rarely hate a person for deciding to leave. Here, I hated Shotaro. I didn't understand how his weakness overtook him when his wife is portrayed loving and kind..even to his mistress.

Iemon in Yotsuya Kaidan

Again, a whole slew of differences. I hated Iemon in other adaptations because he left Oiwa on account that her face became deformed. Here, I hated him because he had the nerve to throw in Oiwa's face that their marriage was a mistake because he thought he'd live an easy life married to a samurai's daughter. He was unrepentant and unembarrassed when Oiwa found him in their home with his new wife. Well, at least he fulfilled his promise to Oiwa to avenge her father's death by killing the murderer... *wink*

Genji in Kaidan Genji Monogatari

He's already an established fictional playboy, I know. Still I hated him when he said he's simply living how the society expects him to live. You can't take special care of a harem, then you shouldn't have one.

Rin in Ubasuteyama

PLEASE LET THERE BE HELL!

I'm not sure if they very loosely-based this Ubasuteyama in The Ballad of Narayama (that is also based on a alleged custom of abandoning old folks in mountains, Ubasute) . There's really no carnality but it's my only explanation how Takichi ended-up with Rin. I just hate those who can be especially mean to old people. And can nag like her.

Far from friendly

Isora in Ugetsu Monogatari

I initially hated her because she was too giving and dedicated to the point of being creepy. Her submission to her husband was too unreal for me. Then again I don't know much about their era. But when she confronted the mistress, I began to like her. I happily noted that she can be smart. She was again fooled by her husband and what she did next was the second best path for me (I'm not a fan of suicide). I loved how she sought revenge. Though I loved her, I never want to see something like her or be haunted the way she haunted Shotaro.

I can't even...

The Taira clan in Miminashi Hoichi

While I almost pitied Shotaro's plight, Hoichi's encounter here is the one that made me imagine a lot of scary things peeking through my windows. Scare-fest in numbers. Let's not get into details of what the princess looked like. I needed to hide myself under my blanket, despite the humid, just to try shutting-out the images.

Tried to understand

Banchosara Yashiki

Two suicides, none that showed strength. I don't know... this was really cruel for me. The changes made the maid more sacrificial and yet weak and the master more loving yet even more helpless. I should've liked the story because it is romance. But no, I didn't.

Welcome Roommate

Hoichi in Miminashi Hoichi

I understood his actions and I can forgive his impulses. I'd probably react the same way he did under the same circumstances, minus the self-blame. Regret for killing, yes. Regret for choosing to live and saying it is cowardice, no.

Yuki in Yuki-Onna

Uhm. A demon wanting to be human so she could love and be happy.. what can be more beautiful?

The Ojousama in Peony Lanterns

Sorry, I couldn't catch her name. I can hear Otsuya (and it is the supposed name) but I can't be too sure. She's hard not to like even though she almost killed Shinzaburo. She wanted to stop waiting so she went to see him... but when she realized she was hurting (fine, slowly killing) her beloved, she backed-off. There's something about her knowing which sacrifices to make.

Heart Tugs

Ubasuteyama

It was the most beautifully told story in the series. I had to pause for some reflection after watching it.

Yuki Onna

I should mention I'm partial to anything that's related to yuki onna. I love how beautiful and terrifying they can be. The ending in this episode left me wanting for something happier but still satisfied with its bittersweet turn.

Kaidan Hyaku Monogatari is a beautiful collection of popular ghost (or strange) stories worthy to be watched, especially if you're a fan of ancient folktales or urban legends. You might even find yourself reading some other tales just for passing time. Start with this and you'll want to look for the rest that'll fill the hundred. The Japanese lore of kaidan is a very fascinating realm.

Story 01: 四谷怪談 / Yotsuya Kaidan / A Ghost Tale of Yotsuya

Story 02: 雪女 / Yuki Onna / Snow Woman

Story 03: うば捨て山 / Ubasuteyama / Old Women Throwing Mountain

Story 04: 番町皿屋敷 / Banchosara Yashiki / A Ghost Tale of Broken Dishes at Bancho Mansion

Story 05: 耳なし芳一 / Miminashi Hoichi / Hoichi the Earless

Story 06: 狼男 / Werewolf

Story 07: かぐや姫 / Kaguya Hime / Princess Kaguya

Story 08: 雨月物語 / Ugetsu Monogatari / A Tale of Moonlight After the Rain

Story 09: ゴースト / Ghost

Story 10: 怪談源氏物語 / Kaidan Genji Monogatari / A Ghost Tale of Genji

Story 11: 牡丹燈籠 / The Peony Lanterns

Anime Review: Le Portrait de Petit Cossette

noreply@blogger.com (Paopig) — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 20:00:00 +0000

♪♫♪ ...Keep bleeding, keep keep bleeding in love. ♪♫♪

The whole experience of watching this anime for me was, in one word, disturbing. Yet, with all of what didn't seem right, I loved it.

Le Portrait de Petit Cossette
(コゼットの肖像)
Kozetto no Shōzō
Number of Episodes: 3
Directed by: Akiyuki Shinbo
Studio: Daume
Released: April 11, 2004
Soundtrack: 18 tracks by Yuki Kajiura

Rating:

I usually watch popular/mainstream anime because they're easier to come by. But because this one had been in my list of recommendations for so long, I picked-up Cossette. It is a first for me to watch a gothic anime despite my love for creepy things. However, it surprised me of how amazed I was with the atmosphere of the story.

Le Portrait de Petit Cossette is about Eiri Kurahashi and his obsession (or love, as romantics prefer) to a female ghost, who, he believes, is haunting a wineglass in the antique shop he works in. There, he sees the girl's life unfold as if it was the present. Eiri later finds out that her name is Cossette d'Auvergne. It later becomes more obvious that loving Cossette is not so simple. The soul of her former fiance and beloved, the artist Marcello Orlando, is linked to Eiri's soul. This should've been a cause for celebration. Unfortunately, it isn't... because Marcello was also Cossette's murderer.

Some argue that the art is ugly but I was left admiring it. My favorites were the scenes where they played with the angles and the light and shadows. I kept thinking of how awkward the flow of characters' movements were at first. But as I took in the story, I realized the style was most suitable.

The way the intensity of emotions (as in the grudge and obsession) are presented left me in awe. I didn't find them overly done because those emotions are excessive by definition. I couldn't get enough of the psychedelics.

If there was anything I loved more than the art, it was the music/sound effects. It set the whole mood perfectly. I smiled when Cossette sat down and the whoosh of her skirt was heard. I swooned over the ballad and the ending song.

“Right now,
I want to thaw your heart
With pain instead of gentleness”
--Jewel

The only thing that held back a heart was the Character-ensemble. Well, the story is simple so there's no room for them to do anything more interesting. I even hated Shoko in the...nevermind. I didn't like her ever. As tragic as the plot is, the anime is something that could've occupied only two days of your life. So beyond the Eiri-Cossette relationship,substance from the other characters might have been confusing. The anime centered on Eiri and Cosette's interaction and everything else was paid little attention.

Maybe I didn't rate Le Portrait de Petit Cossette the way I ordinarily rate anime. I thought of it like a short poem, organized so right that even if it might have been written in broken cadences or without real rhythm, I can't help but say it's beautiful.

Well, Cossette isn't for general audience with all its blood and semi-nudity. It's also not for when you're impatient and looking for some life-changing story. But if you're looking for something haunting and different, this one will do more than satisfy you.

Book Review: Anna Dressed in Blood

noreply@blogger.com (Paopig) — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 15:06:00 +0000

Anna Dressed in Blood
by Kendare Blake

Just your average boy-meets-girl, girl-kills-people story...

Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead. So did his father before him, until his gruesome murder by a ghost he sought to kill. Now, armed with his father’s mysterious and deadly athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. Together they follow legends and local lore, trying to keep up with the murderous dead—keeping pesky things like the future and friends at bay. When they arrive in a new town in search of a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas doesn’t expect anything outside of the ordinary: move, hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a ghost like he’s never faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, but now stained red and dripping blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home.
And she, for whatever reason, spares his life.

Personal Fave Punch: “Yes. Smashing. You’ll be just like those four chaps in the movie. You know the one, with the oversized marshmallow.”
Movement after reading: Glaring at my closed door, mentally daring something to open it.
Bit on Bits: Despite being all scary and dark, there's light humor.

Let me get this one out first: I loved the book. I might get overexcited and forget to include how I feel about it clearly. Anna Dressed in Blood was able to frighten me a little bit. And no, it wasn't the bloody dress. Or even Anna.

I read a lot of horror books so when I first got this book, I was already half in-love with it. Both the cover and the bluntness of the title made me do a mental ballet twirl. But as a habit, I put-off reading it until I was in the mood for it. When I find a book that I think will be good, I set it aside for a time when I can devour it without distraction.

The story is told by the awesomely-named hero, Theseus Cassio Lowood. He broods in a confident way that may actually strike some people as arrogance. I didn't even think brooding and confidence can go together and result in something good. Cas, as he prefers calling himself, believes that hunting and striking ghosts with the athame his father once used is his legacy so his life is mainly travelling from country to country. I found this part a bit similar with the life of the Winchesters' in Supernatural. Except, of course, Cas travels with his mother and Tybalt the cat. The routine brought them to Thunder Bay, Ontario, following a tip from a trusted contact about a murderous ghost: Anna Korlov, or more known as Anna dressed in blood.

“She doesn’t wear her death wounds like other ghosts do. They say her throat was cut, and this girl’s throat is long and white. But there is the dress. It’s wet, and red, and constantly moving. It drips onto the ground.”

From hugging my pillow tight, I moved on to burrowing myself in all my other pillows. Cas's thinking and behavior are better understood when his bouts with Anna begin. His character even grows a little bit as the story progresses. He is able to form friendships despite his stubborn self-tirade to remain alone in his so-called darkness. (*laughs*) Among them is Thomas, who would probably be one of my bestfriends if we went to the same highschool. I have a thing for glasses and black magic. Carmel reminded me of why I refuse to hate popular girls despite all the hype to stereotype them as wicked. The voodoo, scrying bowl and Cas's mother pressing a wet thumb on her son's forehead sealed my love for the book.

I (abruptly and needlessly) profess my loyalty to Anna. She is murderous and sweet. It was strange how her little dialogue felt like something I would say.

"Having no choice doesn’t seem fair,” she says, seeming to read my mind. “But having all of them isn’t really easier.”

I shouldn't be giving away huge spoilers but aside from Tybalt the cat, she's the one who made the whole story more interesting for me. Well, she is the main highlight...right? *wink*

Maybe there were parts I wish Kendare Blake made more detailed (or more bloody, whichever works better) but there is no doubt that the storytelling is quite good. I recommend this for readers who love a good story with a scary edge. It's more than the gore, though those parts are enjoyable too. It's also a story of why, oftentimes, we should question our own motivation.

There's a sequel coming out VERY SOON, like a week from now. Anna Dressed in Blood could've done very good even as a standalone. But as a favor to Cas and because I love Anna, yes please... bring on the scenes from hell, Blake! I'm ready for more flesh-tearing and sewn eyes.

Rating: