“Crazy Rich Asians follows native New Yorker Rachel Chu (Constance Wu) as she accompanies her longtime boyfriend, Nick Young (Henry Golding), to his best friend’s wedding in Singapore and meets Nick’s family for the first time. It soon becomes clear that the only thing crazier than love is family.”[Text from the DVD cover]
“(…) Rachel is unprepared to learn that Nick has neglected to mention a few key details about his life. It turns out that he is not only the scion of one of the country’s wealthiest families but also one of its most sought-after bachelors. Being on Nick’s arm puts a target on Rachel’s back, with jealous socialites and, worse, Nick’s own disapproving mother (Michelle Yeoh) taking aim. And it soon becomes clear that while money can’t buy love, it can definitely complicate things.”[Text from the official website]
This Rom com, based on the best-seller by Kevin Kwan, is a very funny — but still touching — movie about how unhealthily rich some Chinese have become and how some of them like to rub it in your face! It also has all the romantic imbroglio very typical of the genre.
Despite being a rare Hollywood movie with an all-Asian cast (and directed by Jon M. Chu, a dance-loving chinese-american), it was criticized for selecting bi-racial actors or actors from other Asian origins to portray Chineses or for not including actors from non-Chinese Singaporean ethnic groups (like from Malay or Indian origins). Who cares? It was a great box office success (earning eight time its budget) and received favourable reviews (ratings of 6.9 on IMDb, 91% / 76% on Rotten Tomatoes and 74% on Metacritic). For my part, I greatly enjoyed it. It is a must see.
To learn more about this title you can consult the following web sites:
“Society matron Norma Carlisle (Elizabeth McGovern) volunteers to accompany future Jazz Age star and free spirit Louise Brooks (Haley Lu Richardson) for a summer in New York. But why does she want to go? It’s a story full of surprises — about who these women really are, and who they eventually become. Written by Julian Fellowes and based on the beloved novel by Laura Moriarty.”
In the mid-1920s, Wichita resident and apparently meek housewife Norma Carlisle agrees to chaperones a fifteen year-old Louise Brooks to New York City, where she will study dance at the famous Denishawn school. Brooks, free from her overbearing parents, wants to experiment and explore, while Carlisle appears austere. However, they will finds common grounds as they both have their secrets and wounds to heal. It appears that Carlisle has her own agenda in going to NYC as she also seeks freedom…
I found this movie nearly boring, as it lacks excitement. It is a little drab and bland. The acting also shows little spark and emotion. The most interesting part of the movie is its biographical aspects. I learned a lot about Louise Brooks who will move from dancer (first with the Denishawn school troupe and later as a chorus girl with the Ziegfeld Follies) to actress (first in Hollywood with Paramount mostly for silent movies from 1925 to 1929, then in Europe in 1929-30, and back in Hollywood with talkies from 1931-38). She was the quintessential flapper. After falling into oblivion and hardship, her movies were rediscovered in the mid-50s and she reinvented herself with a writing career.
En se promenant dans la quartier cet après-midi, nous avons constaté qu’en plusieurs endroits des fleurs commencent à percer et à fleurir, mettant un peu de couleurs dans ce printemps triste et sombre… Nous avons ainsi pu observer des violettes (viola), des crocus (crocus en anglais aussi), des jacinthes (Hyacinth) and une jonquille (daffodil). De quoi réchauffer le coeur !
Notre promenade (tout en gardant nos distances) s’est poursuivie dans la parc, où nous avons pu observer encore un couple d’outardes (Bernaches / Branta canadensis / Canada goose) et même des mésanges (poecile atricapillus / Black-capped chickadee)…
“Elle fumait la pipe et n’avait pas bon caractère. Mais quel talent !Voici le second volume d’une chronique pleine d’humour à la découverte d’une femme libre et d’une artiste : la fille du génial fou de dessin Hokusai, dont elle partagea l’existence excentrique dans le quartier des peintres et des courtisanes à Edo.”
Ce deuxième volume nous offre quinze histoires relativement indépendantes les unes des autres. On y voit encore le travail que O-ei fait comme assistante de son père,Hokusai, le célèbre artiste d’ukiyo-e de l’ère Edo. Toutefois, plusieurs des histoires mettent de l’avant des personnages secondaires, souvent dans des aventures amoureuses qui impliquent des courtisanes. De nombreuses histoires ont aussi une thématique fantastique, évoquant ces histoires de fantômes dont la culture japonaise est friande.
Malheureusement, la nature anecdotique des histoires et le fait qu’il est difficile de distinguer entre eux les nombreux personnages rend la lecture un peu pénible. Chaque récit est intéressant en soi mais l’ensemble manque d’homogénéité et reste un peu confus.
Page 14
Page 15
Page 16
Page 17
Étant plus une historienne qu’artiste, Sugiura Hinako n’avait pas de véritable talent pour le dessin. Le style de ses mangas (fait de lignes simples à l’encre avec du zip-a-tone pour les textures) est donc frustre, plutôt grossier et peu attrayant. La pauvre qualité graphique du manga n’est racheté que par le fait qu’il est inspiré du style traditionnel des ukiyo-e (estampes japonaises) et des kibyōshi (romans illustrés) eux-même et qu’il tente de reproduire très fidèlement les détails architecturaux et vestimentaires de l’époque d’Edo et plus particulièrement de Yoshiwara (le quartier des plaisirs de l’ancien Tokyo). C’est cet aspect historique authentique qui rends le manga intéressant malgré tout.
Page 18
Page 19
Page 20
Page 21
Donc, laborieux à lire, le deuxième tome est beaucoup moins intéressant et organisé que le premier. Cela reste une lecture intéressante mais seulement pour les amateurs de l’histoire du Japon. La façon la plus agréable d’apprécier ce récit reste encore le dessin animé.
We are into the third week of confinement — actually it’s the nineteenth day. Beside reading and writing, the only activities that we can really do is working around the house, gardening and taking a walk in the park. Since it is the beginning of spring we can witness the marvellous awakening of nature: the neighbour’s crocus show their colours, our daffodils are shooting out of the ground, Canadian geese are bathing in a water puddle, the park is taking a few more colours with the greening of the grass and the apparition of the first flowers, butterflies are coming out and even the groundhog is doing some spring cleaning! The days are getting warmer and warmer…
Daffodils shooting out
Sunset on the park
Crocus
Park full of activities on a sunny day
first flowers
Groundhog doing some spring cleaning
Butterfly
Daffodils are growing
Canadian geese in a puddle
[ iPhone 11 Pro / Nikon D3300, around Frederic-Back Park, 03/31 – 04/06 ]
During our daily walk in the park this afternoon (I am happy to report that there was not too many people and that everyone kept their distance) we observed at least five different species of birds: a couple of mallard ducks in a little stream, a couple of Canadian geese in a water puddle, five turkey vulture (Urubu in French) circling in the sky, a few crows passing by and one lonely bird with long legs running around busily (most probably a Killdeer — Pluvier kildir in French). It was a beautiful spring day!
“Alpha is an epic adventure set in the last Ice Age. While on his first hunt with his tribe’s most elite group, a young man is injured and left for dead. Awakening to find himself broken and alone, he must learn to survive and navigate the harsh and unforgiving wilderness. Reluctantly taming a lone wolf abandoned by its pack, the pair learns to rely on each other and become unlikely allies, enduring countless dangers and overwhelming odds in order to find their way home before the deadly winter arrives.” [Promotional text]
This is an interesting action movie which is not only entertaining but can also be educational. Through its storytelling it tries to teach us two concepts: first, how our distant ancestors were living and also how the domestication of the wolf might have happened. It is a nice movie with a beautiful photography (and lots of CGI!) and a very simple story: boy gets hurt and left for dead, boy make friend with a companion of misfortune, and boy tries to survive and come back home. Unfortunately some scenes lack realism and are rather unbelievable.
The movie did well at the box-office (doubling the production cost) and was relatively well received by the critics (with ratings of 6.7 on IMDb and of 80% / 71% on Rotten Tomatoes). It was slightly less appreciated by the audience and what might have hurt it was probably that the viewers had to suffer not only through the “fake” language spoken by the protagonist and his family (we have no idea what kind of language those people were really using) but also the necessary subtitles (the American audience tends to dislike having to “read” a movie).
The people portrayed in this movie are “the solutreans” (which was originally supposed to be the title of the movie). They were early modern humans (Homo sapiens also called “Cro-Magnon”) living in Europe during the Upper Paleolithic (c. 20,000 years ago) and using a sophisticated flint tool-making “industry”. The movie certainly took some artistic license but it looks rather accurate to me.
The movie is quite loveable and entertaining but, personally, it is above all this effort to depict a prehistoric culture that made it interesting. It is worth seeing, mostly for dog lovers and if you are curious about the solutreans.
To learn more about this title you can consult the following web sites:
“Ils s’aiment comme on aime à treize ans, ils partagent tout.Paul est riche. Émile est pauvre. Ils quittent Aix, “montent” à Paris, où ils hantent les mêmes lieux, crachent sur les bourgeois, crèvent de faim puis mangent trop… Aujourd’hui Paul est peintre. Émile est écrivain. La gloire est passée sans regarder Paul. Émile lui a tout : la renommée, l’argent, une femme parfaite. Ils se jugent, s’admirent, s’affrontent. Ils se perdent, se retrouvent, comme un couple qui n’arrive pas à cesser de s’aimer.”
“Découvrez l’amitié tumultueuse méconnue de Cézanne et Zola, icônes du patrimoine français, interprétés avec brio par un duo d’acteurs d’exception Guillaume Gallienne (Guillaume et les garçons à table !) et Guillaume Canet (Jappeloup, Les Petits mouchoirs), tous deux lauréats d’un César du cinéma. Danièle Thompson (Le Code a changé) nous éblouit encore une fois avec ce film qui dépeint si bien la Provence et le Paris du XIXe siècle, et nous transporte au coeur du cercle des impressionnistes !”
Cézanne et moi est un beau film mais plutôt ennuyeux. C’est difficile d’apprécier un film, d’y trouver du plaisir, quand les deux personnages principaux sont si antipathiques. On n’arrive pas à s’identifier à eux ou à éprouver de la sympathie. Ils avaient peut-être du génie mais l’un manquait de confiance et était prompt aux excès de colère ou de déprime, et l’autre en avait trop et se donnait des airs prétentieux. Ils s’enviaient, n’arrêtaient pas de se voler leurs copines, puis se disputaient. C’était une amitié très colorée, orageuse mais si profonde… C’était la belle époque de la bohème !
Le film a essuyé un dur échec aux “box-office” et auprès de la critique (des ratings de 6.0 sur IMDb et de 54% / 50% sur Rotten Tomatoes) mais pourtant j’ai bien aimé. Évidemment, c’est un film un peu emmerdant mais il offre un bon récit, une belle photographie, une excellent jeu d’acteurs et c’est surtout intéressant pour ses aspects biographiques et historiques. On en apprend beaucoup sur Paul Cézanne et Émile Zola ainsi que sur cette époque de fin de siècle qui fut si riche culturellement (du naturalisme à l’impressionnisme, alors qu’ils côtoient les Manet, Mallarmé, Maupassant, Pissarro, Renoir ou Sisley). Quel contraste avec notre époque à la culture dissonante, où les gens ne croient plus ni à l’art, ni à la science ! Un bon passe temps en attendant la fin du monde…
Vous trouverez plus d’information sur les sites suivants:
“Une comédie délirante et pleine d’action sur les fous des chats !
Kensuke Fuji vit un drame… Il adore les chats, mais ces derniers ne le calculent pas ! Ses sœurs y étant allergiques, le lycéen n’a jamais eu la chance d’avoir un matou à la maison, et il n’a pas vraiment le mode d’emploi pour leur plaire…
Sa vie bascule le jour où disparaît Tamako, une charmante chatte de gouttière qu’il croisait tous les matins. Parti à sa recherche, Kensuke va faire la rencontre de Jin Nekoya, un “maître-chat”, qui comprend parfaitement le langage félin. Désormais, le lycéen fera tout pour devenir le disciple de Jin, quitte à accepter les défis les plus improbables, et enfin se faire aimer des chats ! Tout ça sous le regard halluciné de Yamada, une copine de lycée…”
Les histoires de chats constituent un thème plutôt fréquent dans les mangas. J’ai d’ailleurs tenté d’en établir une liste (pas très exhaustive mais c’est un début; je me suis pour l’instant surtout concentré sur les titres disponibles en français — je viens tout juste de la mettre à jour). Étant moi-même un amateur de chats, je me suis promis d’en lire le plus possible. J’en ai déjà commenté plusieurs… En voici un autre…
Félin pour l’autre ! est un manga shōnenmais au lieu des combats habituels le protagoniste entreprend une quête pour mieux comprendre les chats et découvrir comment se faire aimer d’eux. On y retrouve donc plusieurs éléments de la thématique nekketsu (naïveté, aspect initiatique, série de défis, etc.) qui constitue généralement la base des mangas shōnen typiques. Notre “héros”, Kensuke Fuji, découvre peu à peu la “voie du chat” (le byôkendô) en suivant les enseignements du “maître des chats” (un certain Nekoya Jin) qui lui lance différents défis pour le mener à franchir chaque fois une nouvelle étape. À travers le récit, l’auteur en profite pour donner aux lecteurs des conseils pour comprendre et apprécier ces adorables félins.
Ce manga nous offre un bon récit avec un graphisme plutôt traditionnel qui suit le style shônen mais avec des touches plus charmantes et détaillées dans ce qui a trait aux chats. Ce manga est donc une agréable et amusante lecture, qui se lit vite et bien (d’autant plus que c’est une courte série de seulement six volumes), en plus d’être un peu éducatif. Un bon manga à lire pour se dé-stresser en temps d’apocalypse viral!
Page 25
Page 26
Page 27
Page 28
Page 29
Page 30
Page 31
Félin pour l’autre ! vol. 1, par Nadatani Wataru (Traduction par Julien Pouly). Charnay-Lès-Mâcon: Doki Doki (Bamboo), mars 2019. 168 pages, 11 x 17.5 cm, 6,95 € / $C 12.95. ISBN 978-2-81896-755-3. Pour lectorat jeune (7+ ans).
Vous trouverez plus d’information sur les sites suivants:
The Japan Academy Film Prize (日本アカデミー賞 / Nippon Akademī-shō) is the Japanese Academy Awards (Oscars). It is awarded each year by the Nippon Academy-shō Association. The nominees were announced on January 15th and the winners were revealed at the ceremony held at the Grand Prince Hotel New Takanawa on March 6th. (Sources: Japan Academy Prize, Google, IMDb, Wikipedia).
Self-isolating has given me more time to pay attention to what’s happening in the anime and manga world. Therefore, here are a few news that I have noticed recently and that might interest you (if you are a fan):
There will be another Gundam movie titled Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway (Kidō Senshi Gundam: Senkō no Hathaway). Due to open in Japanese theatres on July 23rd, the movie is based on a novel series by Yoshiyuki Tomino. It deals with the aftermath of Char’s Counterattack‘s climatic finale and is centred around Hathaway Noa, the son of captain Bright Noa. The project is directed by Shukou Murase, with a script by Yasuyuki Mutou, character designs by Pablo Uchida, Naoyuki Onda, and Shigeki Kuhara, and mechanical designs by Hajime Katoki, Kimitoshi Yamane, Seiichi Nakatani, and Nobuhiko Genba. (Source: ANN’s “Gundam- Hathaway Anime Film Teased With New Visual”).
Here is the list of titles available so far (either Sub and/or Dub): 8 Man After, A Wind Named Amnesia, A.D. Police, Adieu Galaxy Express, Angel Cop, Area 88, Black Jack, Blue Seed, Blue Submarine No 6, Bubblegum Crash!, Bubblegum Crisis, Card Captor Sakura, Ceres Celestial Legend, Chargeman Ken!, Cosmos Warrior Zero, Creamy Mami, Cromartie High School, CyBuster, DNA2, Dagger of Kamui, Dallos, DearS, Demon City Shinjuku, Demon Lord Dante, Devil Lady, DieBuster, Eat-Man, Eat-Man ’98, Fighting Foodons, Flame of Recca, Fuse: Memoirs of the Hunter Girl, Fushigi Yuugi, Gakuen Heaven, Galaxy Express, Giant Gorg, GoShogun, GodMars, Goku Midnight Eye, Gokudo, Golko 13: The Professional, GTO, Hells, Iria: Zeiram TheBounty Hunter, Jin-Roh, Jungle Emperor Leo, Kaiba, Key: The Metal Idol, Kyousougiga, Library War, Like the Clouds Like the Wind, Lily CAT, Mononoke, Nagasarete Airanto, Night on the Galactic Railroad, Otaku no Video, Pilot Candidate, Pop Team Epic, The Princess and the Pilot, Project A-ko, Riding Bean, Robot Carnival, Samurai Pizza Cats, Samurai Troopers, Sea Prince and Fire Child, Shining Tears x Wind, Space Adventure Cobra, Space Warrior Baldios, Street Fighter II, Tenjho Tenge, Thermae Romae, Toriko: Special Recipe of Gourmet God, Twelve Kingdoms, Twilight of the Cockroaches, Ultra Maniac, Urusei YatsuraBeautiful Dreamer, Vampire Princess Miyu, Virtua Fighter, Wicked City, Zombie Loan.
The life in the time of the coronavirus continues… I’ve now been in self-isolation for over a week (actually for about ten days) and I am doing well. There are no signs of any symptoms so far and I am in good shape (physically and mentally) — although I still suffers from kidney stones from time to time. I try to stay fit by doing at least an hour of walking (if possible reaching ten thousand steps) and thirty minutes of cardio (by shovelling the backyard or sweeping the driveway) every day — while keeping my distance from people which is really not a problem for me. Unfortunately we had a couple of days of rain and I couldn’t reach my goals during that time.
I also stay fit mentally by keeping busy with my blog and doing stuff around the house. First, all this reading is a great help in lowering my tsundoku pile. Second, since I am theoretically still working for the library, I try to do some reference work by writing as much reading suggestions and comments as possible. I have everything I need here to keep busy.
The moral is good — despite spending lots of time watching the news, both local and American. I really don’t mind the isolation. Now-a-day — with tons of books & Dvds, the television and the internet to make the mind travel — can we really be isolated anymore? In a way, the only apprehension is about going back to work and ending this very productive streak. However, the way things are going, I don’t think I have to worry about that for a while…
In the meantime, things are not doing so well around the world. We seem to cope well here in Quebec, but the situation looks dire in Europe and, particularly, in the U.S.. Here are some links to keep yourself informed:
J’ai vu sur FB quelqu’un qui demandait quelle série de manga je voudrais avoir sous la main si j’étais en confinement sur une île déserte (ou à la maison en cas d’épidémie?)… Je n’ai évidemment pas pu résister à donner mon opinion…
J’ai répondu “Probablement “Détective Conan” (97 vol.) ou “Les gouttes de dieu” (62 vol.) parce que c’est long et c’est intéressant…” En effet, la plupart des grosses séries sont des shonen insipides mais il y a toute de même quelques séries qui sont assez intéressantes pour stimuler l’intellect.
En me basant sur une liste des longues séries de manga au Japon, j’ai concocté cette liste des vingt-cinq longues séries (de plus de quarante volumes) traduites en français (je ne garanti pas que c’est exhaustif):
Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C.—Solid State Society is the third movie since 1995’s Ghost in the Shell anime adaptation. This feature-length TV movie was broadcast on Skyperfect! in September 2006 and released on DVD by Bandai Visual in November of the same year. Fantasia 2007 treated the fans by screening this excellent cyberpunk anime on the big screen! Directed by Production I.G.’s Kenji Kamiyama, fans can enjoy yet another high-tech sci-fi story, which is set in 2034, Tokyo. The timeline is two years after the last TV series (2nd GIG), as Japan is still dealing with the Asian refugee problems.
Major Motoko Kusanagi left Section 9 — Japan’s elite anti-terrorist unit — and was missing for over two years. She left because she felt that by acting alone she could investigate more discreetly (using multiple cyber bodies), more freely (without the irritating political oversight) and therefore more efficiently. For Batou, the absence of Motoko leaves his work meaningless and he picks & chooses the case he’s working on, taking assignments only when he thinks it might bring him closer to her. With the Major’s departure and Batou refusing assignments, Togusa was forced to become the leader of the team as her successor. Togusa is, as usual, a man of justice. Married and having two children, he’s different from the other team members who are all single — including the aging Chief Aramaki who has been struggling to deal with the fact that Section 9 has to move on without the Major. Other members such as Saito and Ishikawa keep their positions as network expert or sniper. All Section 9’s characters are extremely honest and act with a sense of justice and responsibility. They’re all faithful to their convictions as they were in the TV series.
Section 9 hired 20 rookies, and their latest mission is to solve a case involving politically charged hostages. Somehow, one of the terrorist suspects committed suicide on the spot, leaving a strange message: “The Puppeteer is coming”. At the same time, many other mysterious cases keep taking place, including one where a huge amount of abused children seem to have been kidnapped by an organization of ultranationalist retirees. What links all those cases together? It seems to be the work of a super-intelligent hacker who has been manipulating all this, but to do what exactly, no one knows…
This movie is first class entertainment. Like the previous movies, it offers great music and superb animation. It has all the complex socio-political background of the previous TV series and maintains the series’ trademark cyberpunk feeling, but Director Kamiyama injected the storyline with so many themes — such as mass suicide, terrorism, biochemical weapons, kidnapping, old folks’ problems and child abuse — and subplots that the story gets confusing. It’s not easy to follow what’s happening in this extremely intricate movie. After the screening I was not quite sure of what I had just watched and who the Puppeteer really was! It’s one of those cases where you really need to purchase the DVD and watch the key scenes several time in order to be able to really enjoy the complexity of the movie.
In my humble opinion, I think that Director Kamiyama should have simplified and streamlined the storyline, maybe sticking with Togusa’s plot-line. I bet the viewers could have felt more empathy towards the movie if it was a little less complex. The animation itself has an overwhelming beauty, but, using all the great animation technology and talent of Production I.G., I think Director Kamiyama could have created a masterpiece, if he had just come up with a more coherent story. In the end, the true identity of the Puppeteer is still not very clear — but maybe Director Kamiyama kept it mysterious on purpose?
—miyako
Kôkaku Kidôtai: Stand Alone Complex — Solid State Society. Japan, 2006, 109 min.; Dir.: Kenji Kamiyama; Scr.: Kenji Kamiyama, Shôtaro Suga, Yoshiki Sakurai; Phot.: Kôji Tanaka; Ed.: Junichi Uematsu; Art Dir.: Yusuke Takeda; Char. Des.: Hajime Shimomura, Takayuki Goto, Tetsuya Nishio; Mechan. Des.: Kenji Teraoka, Shinobu Tsuneki; Mus.: Yoko Kanno; Prod.: Production I.G.; Distr.: Bandai, Manga Entertainment; Cast: Atsuko Tanaka (Motoko Kusanagi), Akio Ohtsuka (Batou), Kouichi Yamadera (Togusa), Kazuya Tatekabe (Col. Tonoda), Masuo Amada (Col. Ka Gae-Ru), Osamu Saka (Daisuke Aramaki), Takashi Onozuka (Pazu), Tarô Yamaguchi (Boma), Toru Ohkawa (Saito), Yutaka Nakano (Ishikawa), Yuya Uchida (Takaaki Koshiki), Dai Sugiyama (Proto), Nana Yamauchi (Togusa’s daughter), Yoshiko Sakakibara (Prime Minister Kayabuki). Available on R2 Dvd in Japan (BCBA-2606, 109 min., ¥9800) and on R1 Dvd in North America (Bandai/Manga Entertainment, #25176, Bilingual Dvd, 109 min., $19.98 US [Limited edition: $39.98 US], rated 13+).
• • •
In 2034, two years after the departure of Major Motoko Kusanagi (after the events of the TV series, Stand Alone Complex, which starts in 2030 and before the second movie, Innocence, set in 2032), Togusa is now in charge of Section 9, which has been expanded with the addition of several new recruits. Batou, frustrated to have been left behind by the Major, is still looking for her and therefore picks & chooses only the cases that seem related to his quest. A string of strange incidents — starting with a series of suicides, followed by the kidnapping of many children, and an economical conspiracy plotted by a group of old ultra-nationalists — seem to lead to a mysterious super-hacker nicknamed the “puppeteer.” The Major is carrying her own parallel investigation — which leads Batou to suspect her of being the puppeteer. In the end, the real identity of the perpetrator is the most surprising revelation of all.
This movie is directed by Kenji Kamiyama, the same person who directed the Stand Alone Complex TV series. It is therefore not surprising to find here the same excellent quality of production, as much in the design as in the animation. However, if the director succeeded to masterfully tie up all the elements of the story in the TV series, he seems to have difficulty to do the same in a movie format. Solid State Society feels like a long TV episode where he tries to compress the storyline of an entire series. There are too many sub-plots and the different elements of the story are mixed together in such a complex way that it sometimes lacks coherence and the viewers get confused (it took me at least two viewings to understand the complexity of the plot and even then I am not sure I understood everything correctly).
The timeline of the various series and movies seems confusing as well. The first movie is supposed to be set in 2029, while Solid State Society is set in 2034. It is not clear exactly when Major Kusanagi left Section 9. Also, they should have encountered the Puppet Master / Puppeteer before (in the first movie), but no mention is made of a prior encounter as if the first movie never happened. In fact, it feels like Solid State Society is a retelling of the encounter between the Major and the Puppeteer.
Despite the complex socio-political themes and the beautiful animation, Solid State Society does not have the same depth than the previous movies (directed by Mamoru Oshii) and it certainly doesn’t have the same contemplative beauty. It is a very nice movie, but it is much more demanding to the viewers than the TV series and even the previous movies — which you all need to have seen to really appreciate and understand this movie — so I would recommend it mainly to the die-hard Ghost In The Shell fans. Nevertheless, Solid State Society (and GITS in general) is the epitome of intelligent cyberpunk anime (a genre that, unfortunately, we don’t see often). Finally, I must add that the Limited Steelbook case edition (which contains three discs: one disc with the main feature, one disc full of extras, and the Solid State Society soundtrack CD) is totally awesome.
—clodjee
Bandai / Manga Entertainment, #25176 (ISBN 978-1-59409-831-4), Bilingual Dvd, 109 min., $19.98 US (Limited Edition: $39.98 US), rated 13+ (Violence). See back cover.
Pour oublier: le travail dès que possible
Ce sont les nuits qui sont les plus pénibles
Sa présence était comme une drogue dans mon sang
Me désintoxiquer des souvenirs réminescent
La douceur de ses lèvres, sa grande tendresse
Le goût de sa sève, ses promptes caresses
Mais surtout sa sollicitude à l’égard de ma détresse
Mon destin s’est accompli et la vie doit suivre son cours
Je suis éveillé, je ne suis plus aveugle, ni sourd
J’ai besoin d’action, de présences, plus qu’avant
Et maintenant seule l’obscurité me terrifie horriblement
Jamais je n’oublierai…
Nos destins se sont rencontré…
Elle m’a grandi, a illuminé mon obscurité…
Elle est toujours là, j’espère au moins son amitié…
Et avec équilibre, espoir de continuité…
Necesito un guia Usted es muy hermosa Usted me gusta muchisimo Yo te quiero
Mucha gracias por su atension, dispenseme… Cuendo puedo volver a verle?
1988-12-10
2.6 AFTERTHOUGHT
Mais ce ne sont là que des mots, des évidences
Qui sont, quant tout est fini, bien vide de sens
Quel est le poids des impressions anarchiques
Véhiculés par des clichés pathétiques
Devant ce qui fut si magique ?
1988-12-17
Le rêveur gris
Morwajal
Note: Voici les deux derniers morceaux de ce long poème sur ce qu’un bref idylle m’a appris de la vie. Comme toujours il s’agit de vers éclectiques, sans formes précises, ni métrique. Vous noterez deux brèves strophes en espagnol (nous nous échangions parfois de petits billets dans la langue de Cervantes) [pour la traduction demandez à Mr. Google!]… Voir les parties un (IIa: 2.1-2.2), deux (IIb: 2.3) et trois (IIc: 2.4) de cet ensemble. Le poète du dimanche n’en a pas encore fini puisque j’ai toujours dans mon sac quelques fragments épars.
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex was a big hit in 2003 and Japanese DVD sales did great, so the creative team at Production I.G. decided to bring out a second season (titled “2nd Gig”). Now fans can look forward to another 26 episodes of cyber-political intrigue and action.
I can easily imagine that director Kenji Kamiyama was under a great deal of stress, with his work being compared with Mamoru Oshii’s Innocence, and to meet the fans’ expectations after the first season! Despite the high stakes, the young director was up to the task and I think he did a marvellous job. The “2nd Gig” is even better and more intriguing than the first season. He succeeded totally in creating his own world, telling the story in his own personal style, and we don’t even feel the need to compare his series with Oshii’s movie. Each has its own merit.
Kamiyama not only respected Masamune Shirow’s original manga, but he gave it life by detailing, even more so than Oshii’s movies did, its near-futuristic setting defined by the interaction of humanity and technology in a complex Asian geo-political environment. His strong, captivating storytelling is very well supported by the superb animation, the beautiful and elaborate artwork and an enchanting soundtrack. It is so great to see that there is such a great new talent in Japan, able to create a serious and intelligent story that can both entertain our senses and stimulate our mind. It is not surprising that both seasons of the TV series have received a great deal of acclaim, not only from anime fans, but also from those who seek serious science fiction shows.
As the “2nd Gig” starts, Section 9, which had been dissolved at the end of the 1st season, is resuming its job as an anti-cyberterrorist mobile unit. Although the team has returned, their work isn’t easy, and many difficulties lie ahead of them. The Japanese political landscape is changing and the government is keeping a close eye on their special police. The “Laughing Man” case might be solved, but it doesn’t take long for another terrorist organization, “The Individual Eleven,” to show up. Who are they? Are they the result of another “Stand Alone Complex”? They seem to be stirring up an uprising against the Asian immigrants and refugees. Could it be that simple? But some other politically-motivated forces seem to be at work. Can Major Motoko Kusanagi and her team unravel the complex overlapping political plots before they affect the nature of the government?
Technology might be omnipresent in Stand Alone Complex, but it is not overwhelming. In the “2nd Gig,” Director Kamiyama and Production I.G. keep an even greater focus on the human side of the story by exploring the characters’ hearts and emotions — even in the case of some of the terrorists. Each key member of Section 9 has a dedicated episode where we learn more about their past and personality. It is not done simply to paint a richer background; every single bit of information has its meaning. They also give a more humane face to the government (more likeable than the usual fat, corrupt, old minister) with the new Japanese prime minister, a young, good-looking lady who embodies the beauties (and sometime ineptitudes) of democracy. In contrast, there is the ugly face of Gohda, a shady character who embodies the threat of militarism. Also, the intelligent Tachikoma robots (their name means “standing, spinning top”) are back with a new, expanded sidekick role (definitely inspired by Motoko’s cute “helper” programs in the Man-Machine Interface manga). With their cute voices and comical comments, they give a human feel to the technology.
The terrorism and the Asian refugees’ problems seem to be an allusion to the Palestinian question and to some conspiracy theories that surfaced after 9/11 in Europe and in Japan (such as, American right wing groups being behind 9/11 in order to justify military action abroad and domestically limit civil liberties). But it is only used to emphasize the fact that, even in the future, terrorism — the favorite style of warfare of the 21st Century — is still omnipresent and we still haven’t found a way to deal with it. Despite all the advanced technology, humanity is still facing tremendous problems (war, pollution, corruption, poverty, overpopulation, crime). Nothing changes, and even the future’s future is still uncertain. Is there a solution to the crisis? Is there a possibility for us humans to be saved? The answer in “2nd Gig” might be in the origami cranes that appear in some episodes and that symbolize the prayers for peace and salvation. All we can do is, like Section 9, act with courage and determination (even if it means going against the rules sometimes), pray and hope for the best!
In conclusion, “2nd GIG” is even better than the first season. While still very political, dealing with terrorism and immigration problems, it also elaborates on more of the personal history of each of the main characters, including Major Kusanagi. The cyberpunk political intrigue is at moments a little complex, but it is the most intelligent anime series I have ever seen and it is superbly animated. It’s not all action, there’s also drama — and I did cry a few times. A real masterpiece! Of course, such an exceptionally excellent anime series cannot be seen only on TV. You have to purchase the DVD to watch it over and over again, to enjoy all the minute details of this superb animation and share the experience with your friends! And if after that you want more, the series was followed by a movie: Solid State Society.
With the TV version of Ghost in the Shell (Kokaku Kidotai) director Kenji Kamiyama (and his production team — including the full support of original creator Shirow Masamune) is bringing a new dimension to the standard police detective drama adding a techno-cyberpunk flavour. Not only is this a very high quality show visually (HD full-digital screen to satisfy even the most hard-core fan!), but it is also full of exciting, intelligent storytelling. You can see that the writers really put forward their best efforts to attract viewers.
The story is set in a future Tokyo populated with high-tech doohickeys, and lots of cyborgs and androids. Fans of Ghost in the Shell find out immediately that this story is quite different from the manga or games. It’s a kind of alternate world created for the TV series, closer to what was already developed for the movie. The manga is funny and set in a fictitious future (lots of made-up names) where Section 9 is an international anti-terrorist unit. The TV series’ setting feels less like a militaristic anti-terrorist outfit and more like a special police force dealing with cyber crimes. It is more serious and more realistic. Nevertheless, like the movie, which was based mostly on the manga, the TV series is using bits and pieces of the manga’s story. We could consider the TV series as a prequel to the movie, whereas the new manga, Man-Machine Interface, is the direct sequel of the original manga.
So what do they mean by “Stand Alone Complex”? It could mean that the series is mostly made of stand alone episodes (self contained stories), with a few more complex episodes (the “Laughing Man” story arc). However, episode 6 also provides another explanation: it refers to the fact that Laughing Man’s imitators are independent copycats, created without an original. To me it seems that Production I.G.’s writers want to make the point that “It’s extremely difficult and almost impossible today to stand alone in this complex society of computers and networks.” Each episode throws enormous amounts of technical information and detail about computers, science and politics for the viewer to digest. At first, for an average nincompoop like myself, the contents of this show can be too much, but with a bit of patience it’s certainly educational. I think, in a way, it’s charming to see so much information on technology. Compared to ordinary anime shows, the amount of dialogue and information is quite huge.
You really have to sit down and watch this TV show over and over again to catch the small details and to understand better. In this respect it shares much in common with its source, the manga. On the other hand, despite all this, the show can also be watched as an intelligent police/detective drama. The viewers can try to solve crimes with Section 9 members and get great satisfaction to see the conclusion of each cyber-crimes case. But don’t think that the show is as slow paced as the film — there is still a lot of action!
The characters seem to be like normal humans, but in fact most of them are cyborgs (or with some sort of cybernetic enhancement). I wonder if, in the near future, when humans begin to replace body-parts to improve their lives and live more comfortably, we’ll have different kinds of crimes? It’s the same type of premise as in Patlabor : if technology takes us there, the nature of crime will change. Of course we’re all human, but how in the world can we live and “stand” with our own personalities in this extremely complex society of the future? In this show, all criminals are making statements of a kind (politically, individually or otherwise).
This is certainly a strong series evolved from speculative fiction, with excellent (and exotic Russian sounding) music by Yoko Kannno (Cowboy Bebop, Escaflowne and Macross Plus) and viewers will enjoy this full-action crime fighting anime! In our opinion, this series clearly shows one thing: good writing and storytelling make a great difference! There are many shows with high quality visuals, but with weak stories. Ghost in the Shell is one of the best shows to come down the road in the last few years and hearkens back to a period where stories and strong characters were the main focus. I’d like to send out enthusiastic applause to the creators of this show!
Despite its high quality animation and intelligent story, the show has a few annoying details: the original opening is much better than the 3D one which starts with episode 3 and there are some technical impossibilities (like the cloaking devices which are not consistent with those in the movie).
This anime won’t disappoint you — in fact, you’ll be totally hooked! A must see show that I’d recommend to anyone. In order to understand the TV series a bit better it is recommended to have seen the movie or read the manga (you would already know the characters and technological background), but you will probably manage anyway if you just dive straight in (you’ll find some helpful information, right after the jump). The series was very well received with critics’ rating of 8.5 on IMDb and of 67% / 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. Enjoy !
De la cinquantaine d’espèce de lémuriens de Madagascar, dix-sept ont disparu avec l’arrivée des premiers humains il y a au moins quatre mille ans. On voit ici (à gauche), le crâne d’un spécimen de l’une de ces espèces disparues, qui atteignait une taille impressionnante (1.2 m). Le Megaladapisedwardsi est une espèce du genre Megaladapisqui était similaire au koala. Elle appartient à la famille des Megaladapidae et de l’ordre des Primates. (Sources: Fiche signalétique de l’exposition, Wikipedia [FR / EN]).
Le spécimen de droite a été déterré dans les douves de la Tour de Londres en 1937. Il s’agit d’un lion de Barbarie, originaire de l’Afrique du Nord, qui appartenait sans doute à une ménagerie d’animaux exotiques conservée pour divertir la cour à une époque où la Tour servait encore de palais royale (probablement au XIIIe siècle). Il était caractérisé par une impressionnante crinière, plus volumineuse et plus sombre que le lion africain. C’est une sous-espèce du Panthera leo, appartenant au genre Panthera, à la famille des Felidae et à l’ordre Carnivora. (Sources: Fiche signalétique de l’exposition, Wikipedia [FR / EN]).
This superb book is an Official Guide to the Stand Alone Complex TV series and offers an in-depth analysis of the background story as well as the production development. It features an introduction to the Ghost In The Shell’s world (manga, movies, video games, etc.), character profiles and designs, mechanical designs, synopses and background notes for the first 19 episodes, interviews with the creative staff and an essay on the science of Ghost In The Shell. It also includes an exclusive 90-min. DVD with never-before-seen footage, a documentary on the digital animation techniques used for the series and more interviews with the staff and cast.
This type of high-quality art book usually comes in a larger format, but if the 6 x 8.5 inches size is more practical it also means fewer and smaller illustrations presented in a more cramped layout. Still, the Official Log is quite useful when it comes to better understanding the complex story of the Ghost In The Shell TV series. It is a must-have for all serious anime fans!
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Official Log, Vol. 1 (by collective; editor, Robert Place Napton). [Cypress, CA] : Bandai / Manga Entertainment / Production I.G., October 2005. 148 pages (64 in colour) [DVD: Cat.# 25180, Subtitled, 90 min.]; Limited Edition (only 15,000 copy released), $49.98 US, rated 13+, ISBN: 1-59409-571-X.
Review originally published in PA #87 : 63 (December 2005 / January 2006). There is also a second volume but I haven’t seen it and therefore cannot comment on it. The book is old but seems to still be available online.
I’ll continue on the thematic of Ghost in the shell for a little while… I dug out those two reviews of the original GITS manga respectively published in PA #83: 20 (March-April 2005) and PA #84: 20 (June-July 2005) — however I have relativized the original rating. Note that I had already (briefly) reviewed those manga along with the live-action movie and that I have also reviewed The Ghost in the Shell Perfect Edition, tome 1.5 : [ Human Error Processer ]on this blog.
Ghost In The Shell
A totally superb book! This second edition offers the original Japanese size (5.75” x 8.25” which is a smaller, more convenient size than the original English edition, but still easy to read contrary to the 4” x 6” of Lone Wolf & Cub) and some extra pages that were originally cut because they were too racy (hence the 18+ rating and the parental advisory for explicit content). It is a nice thick book, with glossy paper, that has a good feel when held. Shirow’s artwork might be of variable quality, varying from the beautiful colour illustrations to the sketchy SD characters, but his story is solid and profound (although a little too technical by moments). Most of this first volume offers the framework for the first movie (with some variations and more details), but you can also find a few ideas that were used for the Stand Alone Complex TV series, and the sixth chapter is the basis for the story of the second movie. A classic and a must.
Like the first volume, this one is really a superb book. Even more than the first, since there is three time more colour pages, the designs are much nicer and the art is more detailed (particularly in the colour pages – however, a problem in the reproduction of the screen-tone sometimes creates an annoying shimmering effect in the B&W art). It is a more mature work. The story is more serious and complex, to the point that it becomes difficult to follow and understand. That’s the major drawback of the book. Motoko has merged with the Puppet Master and swims freely in the virtual sea of information. She has moved to the private sector and works as the head of security for Poseidon Industrial. Her new nature allows her to move from one artificial body to another, which is quite convenient in her line of work, but makes the story even more confusing. On top of that you have Shirow’s philosophical reflection on life, intelligence and existence. Besides the main character, the story of this book has not much to do with the first part. The art is sublime and the story challenging. A must.
“Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex takes place in the year 2030, in the fictional Japanese city of New Port. The story follows the members of Public Security Section 9, a special-operations task-force made up of former military officers and police detectives. The manga presents individual cases that Section 9 investigates, along with an ongoing, more serious investigation into the serial killer and hacker known only as “The Laughing Man.””
“Volume 1: No mission too dangerous. No case too cold. When a high-ranking government official is kidnapped, the Prime Minister must call in his top crime fighting force known as Section 9. Led by the beautiful (and deadly) Major Kusanagi, the cybernetically enhanced squad must use all their skill to take down the kidnappers and rescue the hostages. But that’s only half of the mission; can Kusanagi and company find out who’s behind the kidnapping, and, more importantly, just what they’re after? Find out in this thrilling first volume of The Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex!”
“Volume 2: The best offense is a strong defence? An advanced tech tank is on the loose and appears hell bent on heading into the city. To make matters worse, it has impenetrable defenses and all conventional efforts to stop its progress have failed. Now it’s up to Major Kusanagi and Section 9 to find a way to stop the tank’s inexorable march toward an unknown fate in the city!”
“Volume 3: Identifying the enigmatic hero. Marcelo Jarti, the hero of a democratic revolution, and South American drug dealer, has been coming to Japan periodically and no one knows why. The Major and Section 9 track his movements after he makes his latest appearance in the country. They are determined to figure out the meaning of his visits, but following Jarti leads to more than they could have possibly expected …”
“Volume 4: The power of misdirection. Section 9 receives a tip that a criminal group from Henan is planning on attacking a financial institution. To prevent the attack, Section 9 infiltrates the secret base of the criminals. The mission goes well and the threat is neutralized … or is it? Something is amiss, and Major Kusanagi and Section 9 must act quickly in order to stop the criminals from achieving their true goal.”
“Volume 5: Ageless new world. 16 years ago a terrorist group called the “New World Brigade” kidnapped a young girl named Eka Tokura. However, recent photos of Eka have surfaced and she appears to look exactly as she did 16 years ago. To investigate this mystery, the special unit of the Maritime Safety Agency was dispatched to a man-made island off the coast of Okinawa that has been seized by the Brigade. However, communication with the special unit has been lost, leaving this island and the Brigade in a shroud of secrets. Section 9 is tasked with the job of finding out what happened on this man-made island and discovering the truth behind Eka’s age-defying looks.”
I have already introduced the Ghost in the shell story created by Masamune Shirow when I talked about the live-action adaptation and the book 1.5 of the manga. However, my favourite part of GITS franchise was the anime TV series Stand Alone Complex. It is a police story with lots of human drama set in a post-cyberpunk environment. The TV series format allowed to make a great deal of character development for all the protagonists, the members of Section 9 Public Security unit. Usually, an anime is based on a manga but exceptionally, in this case, it is the opposite: the anime TV series came first (in 2002-2005) and this manga is a VERY faithful adaptation of a selection of five episodes (out of the fifty-two episodes of the TV series).
I like Ghost in the shell in general because it is a great cyberpunk story: people can get cyber-enhancements, the internet (the “network”) is everything, everywhere and can be used in unimaginable ways. The story also has strong social and political aspects, as it give a glimpse of a fascinating techno-dystopian future (which seems popular in Japan). In this context the “ghost” refer to the aspect of the mind that makes it unique and self-aware (the soul) even when it is digitized and uploaded to a cyber-brain or to the net, the “shell” is the body (biological or cybernetic) and the “standalones” are those who “remain outside the system” (not cyber-enhanced? air-gapped?).
Vol. 1, p. 8
Vol. 1, p. 9
Vol. 1, p. 10
Vol. 3, p. 85
However, I prefer the Stand Alone Complex series (both anime and manga) because I feel it offers the best designs (mostly of the characters) and storytelling (its TV series format allows for more development of both the characters and storyline). The anime movie (directed by Mamoru Oshii) was awesome but really too philosophical. By side-stepping the “puppet master” story arc, SAC is able to tell more stories of the most interesting character, Major Motoko Kusanagi, and to develop her background story in a very interesting way. Similarly, the orignal manga by Masamune Shirow is superb but the art is too detailed and the story too complex to be easily enjoyed. Shirow’s art also lacks consistency, looking sometimes very serious and sometimes (to be humorous) quite caricatural. With this new manga by Yu Kinutani the art is cleaner, more serious and steady while still being detailed enough. It is therefore much more enjoyable. The storytelling and layout follow closely the TV series (often even adding more scenes to make the action easier to follow in a static medium) so it almost feels like a storyboard.
Each volume of the manga series is adapting one episode of the TV anime. Volume one retell the story from episode 1 “Section 9”, vol. 2 covers the episode 2 “Testation”, vol. 3 recount the episode 7 “Idolater”, vol. 4 is about the episode 14 “¥€$” and vol. 5 give us its take on the episode 13 “Not Equal”. Volumes 1 and 4 also include three bonus short stories from the “Tachikoma Days” manga by Masayuki Yamamoto. Those are funny episodes involving the multi-legged artificial intelligence tanks (think tanks) called the Tachikoma — echoing the capsule video at the end of each episode of the TV series.
Vol. 3, p. 205
One annoying thing from Ghost in the shell (mostly for feminists and people unfamiliar with the franchise) is the way the Major is dressing: in a very provocative and sexy way. This is part fan service, of course, but the character has also a reason to do so. A full-cyber body (even if it has a generous feminine shape) feels and looks a bit cold and asexual, therefore the Major wears very alluring clothing to claim and express her femininity.I imagine she might think something like “with a body like this it’s better to show it” or maybe, feeling a little like a doll, she wants to dress like one. It also offers an element of surprise: nobody expects someone looking like her to be so strong and kick-ass!
Finally, my greatest disappointment about the GITS Stand Alone Complex manga series is that there are only five volumes. I guess it would have taken too much work and time to adapt all fifty-two episodes of the TV series. It is just too bad. However, if you want more, you still have the TV series — which was also complemented by three novels (available from Dark Horse), two OVA (The Laughing Man, Individual Eleven) and a movie (GITS: SAC – Solid State Society)…
I am already a big fan of GITS and of cyberpunk stories, but I particularly like this manga series because it offers strong designs and art, excellent storytelling and constitute an easy read. It is quite enjoyable if you like investigative stories with lots of action (sometime quite violent), rich socio-political themes and that are set in a cyberpunk future. I must admit that it has been a long time since I took so much pleasure in the reading a manga. I highly recommend it.
For more information you can consult the following web sites:
Avec l’épidémie de Coronavirus et les mesures de distanciation sociale qui en découlent beaucoup de gens se retrouvent isolés chez eux avec pas grand chose à faire sinon d’écouter la télévision, la radio ou de lire. Avec la fermeture des bibliothèques, des librairies et des cinémas, les gens n’ont plus d’opportunités de se procurer de quoi les occuper. Et peu ont la chance d’avoir une grosse collection de livres et de Dvds à la maison (moi, je n’ai rien à craindre, j’ai de quoi m’occuper pour plus d’une décennie si nécessaire!).
Bien sûr, il reste toujours l’internet où l’on peut télécharger des livres numériques (ebooks / livrels) ou visionner des films en continu (streaming). J’ai récemment mis en ligne une liste de suggestions de sites et de ressources à cet effet. Toutefois, il y a encore beaucoup de gens qui, pour des raison économique, n’ont pas accès à l’internet ou des personnes âgés qui trouvent tout ça un peu trop compliqué. Alors on retrouve plusieurs initiatives sur FB ou ailleurs pour prêter ou donner des livres à ceux qui en ont besoins. Des initiatives dans le genre du projet de microbibliothèques que la ville avait parti en 2015 (j’ignore si ce projet fonctionne encore mais il existe sûrement des projets similaires). Toutefois, aujourd’hui, j’aimerais vous parler d’un projet en particulier.
Dans la région du Grand Lévis, mon neveu — l’auteur Sébastien Chartrand — a décidé d’y aller de sa modeste contribution et de mettre le tier de sa collection personnelle (quelques deux-mille livres) disponible pour prêter à ceux qui en ont désespérément besoin. Il a démarré un site internet — le Livrensac de Lévis — où il explique son projet et donne la liste des titres disponibles. Les livres sont désinfectés à la lingette Lysol et placés dans un sac ziploc avant d’être livré à la porte ou dans la boîte aux lettres de ceux qui en font la demande! C’est une initiative tellement intéressante que même le journal local, le journal de Lévis, y consacre un article !
Il m’écrivait ce matin:
“J’aurais aimé pouvoir montrer à tout le monde le visage radieux des personnes âgées qui m’envoyaient la main par la fenêtre durant ma livraison de samedi, et le garçon qui sautillait sur place quand j’ai déposé ma pile de BD sur le pas de la porte…”
“J’espère vraiment que je vais réussir à rejoindre un maximum de gens isolés. Je demande aux gens de faire connaître. Ça va réduire, peut-être, l’envie de sortir de certains entêtés et donner envie à d’autres personnes d’imiter l’initiative dans d’autres régions…”
J’admire grandement sa compassion et son courage. C’est toujours une grande joie de partager notre passion pour les livres (je le ressens souvent en bibliothèques) mais j’ai eut trop de mauvaises expériences à prêter les miens (j’ai perdu trace de plusieurs d’entre eux) que je n’oserais jamais me lancer dans une telle entreprise. Je préfère laisser passer la crise et lire paisiblement en écoutant du smooth jazz à la radio ou blogger sur ma “safe-house” en toute sécurité. Alors, je te lève mon chapeau, neveu !
“L’Histoire en Manga: Une collection pour découvrir toute l’Histoire en image.”
“De la guerre de Troie racontée par Homère à l’émergence de la démocratie athénienne, des conquêtes d’Alexandre le Grand à la naissance de la culture grecque, du règne de César à la naissance du christianisme, ce manga raconte… l’antiquité grecque et romaine.”
“170 pages de bandes dessinées pour plonger avec plaisir dans l’Histoire… avec en + … des pages explicatives pour chaque chapitre, un cahier documentaire en fin d’ouvrage pour restituer les évènements dans leur contexte, des frises chronologiques, et des cartes…”
L’artiste a changé et on note une amélioration dans la qualité du dessin. La narration et le découpage du récit est conçu pour son effet dramatique afin de préserver l’intérêt du lecteur malgré le sujet un peu trop académique. Cette fois, je n’ai pas noté de fautes orthographiques ou factuelles (ce qu’il ne veut pas dire qu’il n’y en a pas). Toutefois, le principal défaut de l’ouvrage réside dans le fait que l’on tente de raconter plus de trois-mille ans d’histoire en moins de deux-cent pages. On y présente donc que les faits saillants d’une histoire pourtant riche en détails. Périclès est traité en à peine deux pages! Trente-six pages pour César et la République romaine (avec quelques pages consacrées à Cléopâtre — qui faisait d’ailleurs la couverture de l’édition japonaise) et à peine vingt-cinq pages pour l’Empire romain qui n’est d’ailleurs présenté qu’à travers l’histoire du Christianisme… Un cours éclair donc.
C’est néanmoins un bon manga éducatif qui peut servir à introduire le lecteur (jeune ou adulte) à l’histoire du monde d’une façon intéressante et divertissante.
L’Histoire en Manga: T. 2, L’antiquité grecque et romaine, par Fûta Kanta (dessin) et Hidehisa Nanbô (texte) (Traduction par Aurélien Estager). Montrouge: Bayard Jeunesse, septembre 2017. 192 pages, 16 x 23.5 cm, 12,90 € / $C 24.95. ISBN 978-2-7470-8391-1. Pour lectorat adolescent (11+ ans).
Vous trouverez plus d’information sur les sites suivants:
Je croyais conserver l’affection intime de ma belle
Mais elle n’était pas prête, c’était trop exiger d’elle
Le rideau tombait sur l’acte final, tout était fini
La réalité est vraiment une planche pourrie
J’ai tant pleuré alors, que me reste-t-il, qu’ai-je fait ?
J’avais tant besoin d’elle, rien n’avais plus de sens
Pendant quelques jours j’ai comme été en transe
Il me fallait me reprendre, tirer un trait
J’ai fait le bilan. De l’amour? Je la connaissais si peu
Comment ai-je pu espérer réduire cet amour, le limiter ?
Le cacher au fonds de mon coeur, l’oublier dans un creux ?
Je me suis déçu moi-même. N’avais-je rien appris à aimer ?
J’aurais voulu pouvoir lui crier ma haine
Pour faire le vide, et oublier ma peine
Mais je l’aimais encore et trop fort
Seule la litanie contre la peur m’offrait un réconfort
1988-12-09
Le rêveur gris
Morwajal
Note: Quatrième partie d’un long poème consacré à une expérience amoureuse. Encore une fois, il s’agit de quatre quatrainshétérométriques qui riment mais pas selon un schéma constant (AABB ABBA ABAB AABB)… On note une référence à Philip K. Dick ainsi qu’à la série de romans Dune de Frank Herbert. Intéressant. Voir les deux premières parties (IIa: 2.1-2.2) et la troisième partie (IIb: 2.3). À suivre…
“If you are cold, tea will warm you; if you are too heated, it will cool you; If you are depressed, it will cheer you; If you are excited, it will calm you.” ― William Ewart Gladstone
“Crazy Rich Asians follows native New Yorker Rachel Chu (Constance Wu) as she accompanies her longtime boyfriend, Nick Young (Henry Golding), to his best friend’s wedding in Singapore and meets Nick’s family for the first time. It soon becomes clear that the only thing crazier than love is family.” [Text from the DVD cover]
“Une comédie délirante et pleine d’action sur les fous des chats !
With the TV version of Ghost in the Shell (Kokaku Kidotai) director Kenji Kamiyama (and his production team — including the full support of original creator Shirow Masamune) is bringing a new dimension to the standard police detective drama adding a techno-cyberpunk flavour. Not only is this a very high quality show visually (HD full-digital screen to satisfy even the most hard-core fan!), but it is also full of exciting, intelligent storytelling. You can see that the writers really put forward their best efforts to attract viewers.
Clodjee's Safe-House 