The Autobiography of Malcolm X

Reading this book made me realize just how ignorant I was and still am of many things in the world today but I am glad I read it. The only prior knowledge I had of Malcolm X is the movie starring Denzel Washington, which I have yet to watch but will do so after this.
So what made me decide to pick up this book? It was after hearing a segment of BFM's Hari Ini Dalam Sejarah segment on the controversial figure. The programmed played a sound bite of a reporter asking him to reveal his last name. Malcolm X refused to reveal his name because he believed that it was the name given by his ancestor's slavemaster. It was a short sound bite but from the minute I heard him speak, I wanted to know more about this charismatic person. The BFM presenter recommended reading the autobiography by Alex Haley. I am not really a fan of autobiographies or non-fiction but nonetheless I decided to get the book.
The book may be considered a study on the civil rights movement in the USA back in the 1950s to 1960s but it is so much more than that. The book follows Malcolm X from his childhood, to his crime-filled teenage years, his time in prison, conversion to Islam, rising leader of the civil rights movement and fallout with the Nation of Islam before his untimely death.
Malcolm X was an enigmatic leader known for his fiery statements against the white man he called "the devil". He had no qualms about what he believed and unlike leaders today, would plainly say what he means. Because of his unflinching beliefs, the US mainstream media portrayed him as a violent, black supremacist. I didn't get that vibe from reading about him but I am now also more aware of the media's capability to twist facts to suit its own agenda.
In summary, this book is an inspiring, thought-provoking read.

Pinnochio

Yes, I know. It seems like I'm an avid K-drama viewer. It's just that once in a while I would come across an interesting drama when I channel surf. I had seen the ads for Pinnochio and thought it was another typical coming-of-age story with a dose of romance in it. I mean let's be honest here, what would a K-drama be without the obligatory love story? The intro of Pinnochio seemed interesting because it was premised around young adults joining the workforce as broadcast reporters. This caught my attention because I used to be a business reporter for a local newspaper. I would have watched because of this but because it seemed more like a love story I decided to give it a pass.

Some days later, I came across an episode which showed the main characters covering the story about a man caught stealing a luxury backpack for his son to use at school. The employees had asked the department store owner to let the guy go as a goodwill gesture since he was only doing it for his son and it was the Christmas season. The store owner refused and the man was arrested. This prompted the main characters to investigate the story. From then on, I was hooked.

I don't know how realistic Pinnochio is in terms of conveying the day-to-day activities of broadcast journalists but it seems pretty realistic to me. In the beginning, it showed how the new recruits had to deal with their punishing schedules in order to obtain stories for their strict editors (I can relate to that). It was quite traumatic watching that. While my schedule as a newbie reporter wasn't as punishing, I could empathise with them.

The main strength of this show, in my opinion, is how it portrayed media manipulation and how it affects everyone involved. I found it insightful and thoughtful. It has made me more aware of how the media portrays issues to push a certain agenda to the public. Media manipulation is nothing new and most people including myself are aware of it but what this show does is elevate your senses to these instances.

Unfortunately, I suspect that this is not the reason most people watch the show. For them, the main strength of the show is the love story. I admit it's not bad but that's not what got me hooked to the story. Shady dealings, media manipulation, investigative journalism, corruption, camaraderie, perseverance, dedication and love is what I like about it. I hope to see more K-dramas like this :)

Naeil Cantabile

My three favourite quotes from Naeil Cantabile :)

"When I did nothing, I was nothing. When I was alone, it was only natural to be alone. When I met people as different as instruments and worked together to make harmony, I was able to start seeing people in a world where music was everything." - Cha Yoo-jin.

"Use your emotions and let it out. Pour in all of your anger and emotional baggage into your performance. That's how you make it your own. Throw everything into your performance." - Franz Stresemann.

"Confidence is good but complacency is prohibited. A musician must always be ready and taut like a well-tuned piano string. The moment the musician is complacent, the performance becomes loose and limp." - Do Kang-jae.

Today's Lunch

I had noodles and soup for lunch today and this is what it reminded me of ^_^

Sailor Moon Crystal - My Thoughts

[Note: Major spoilers for Acts 1-10 of Sailor Moon Crystal in this post]

For a couple of weeks now I have been following the 2014 Sailor Moon reboot, Sailor Moon Crystal. I refrained from any comments initially because I thought the animation quality and style was bad. Other reviewers were more forgiving, probably because they were excited that there was a reboot at all. Some reviewers mentioned it could be due to teething problems or lack of budget. My question to Toei Animation would then be: if you didn’t have enough budget, why bother doing a reboot at all? Seriously, I have seen the quality of previous works by Toei Animation which was why I couldn’t excuse the poor quality. As for the animation style, I get that they were trying to make it more like the manga style but seeing the end product made me realise that while the manga illustration looks beautiful on paper, it doesn’t necessarily translate well to animation. I couldn’t stand the extreme slenderness of the characters, which one fan aptly described as “stretched taffy”. I will not even delve into the CGI transformation sequence (the transformation sequence in the original series wins hands down).

If only animation quality was the only problem though. The storyline seems rushed and there isn’t much character focus or development for the Inner Senshis apart from the episodes they make their appearances. Once Usagi regained her memories as Serenity, all focus shifted towards her and Mamoru. This show has what I call the main character syndrome. There is too much focus on the main character that the supporting characters are reduced to mere extras. The original series was like that too, but compared to this reboot, I feel like the original series was pretty fair in focusing on the supporting casts.

One good thing about SMC following the manga closely is that they decided to have a little bit more focus on the four generals serving Queen Beryl. In the manga, Naoko Takeuchi once included a picture pairing the Inner Senshis with the four earth generals: Venus/Kunzite, Mercury/Zoisite, Jupiter/Nephrite and Mars/Jadeite. Though Takeuchi never explicitly mentioned that these four had relationships during Silver Millennium, it was implied for Venus and Mars (if my memory serves me correctly) and since then, most fans assume she always had it in mind but just never explored it. Anyways, back to SMC, the generals overheard Beryl talking about brainwashing them and in that brief instant, regained their memories as Endymion’s protectors. Unfortunately, Beryl found out and quickly brainwashed them again. Next, we see them confronting the senshis during battle. Venus keeps asking Kunzite to wake up which prompts the rest of the senshis to ask her what she meant by that. Upon her revelation, the rest of the senshis regain their memories and due to the weight of it, are unable to fight back, leaving Sailor Moon to save the day. They then eventually regain their senses and attack the generals who escape once more.

Okay, so I am happy about one thing. I am happy that the creators of SMC decided to put a spotlight on the whole senshi/general pairings. I am however undecided on how I feel about the execution though. Some fans complained that the episode made the senshis look weak when they were unable to attack the generals after discovering they used to love them. On the flipside, there were those who argued that it’s only natural to be in shock when you discover the person you used to love is now your enemy. And of course there are those who don’t like the senshi/general pairings at all because they find that it’s too convenient for each of the princess’s guardians to fall for each of the prince’s protectors. Yes, I agree it seems a little too convenient and this is why it is crucial how this part of the story is executed. While the premise may be convenient, there are many ways the writers could’ve made this plotline more complex/added more layers to it. I’m not sure if they have anything of the sort in mind what with the limited budget they seem to have.

One thing is clear though, the generals will have to die at the end of the first arc or it would complicate the rest of the seasons (if the show survives that long). My guess is the senshis would kill them in a tragic scene or the generals would sacrifice themselves to save their prince or the senshis in an equally tragic scene. Shame really. Looks like my fan fiction won’t be realised on screen.

Saint Seiya Lost Canvas - Favourites

[Note: Minor spoilers in this post]

After watching the anime and finishing the manga, here's a compilation of my favourites from the series.

Favourite Gold Saints

Sagittarius Sisyphos
As a Sagittarian myself, I was happy that the Sagittarius Gold Saint had a bigger role to play in Lost Canvas. In the original series, he died saving the infant Athena from being murdered. In Lost Canvas, though it was never mentioned explicitly, he was clearly the leader of the Gold Saints and was one of the main movers in the war against Hades. He knew so much about the Twin Gods Hypnos and Thanatos that they endeavoured to keep him trapped in the Dream World.

Pisces Albafica
The Pisces Gold Saint in Lost Canvas may look like the Pisces Aphrodite from the original series but that’s where the similarities end. Albafica is more reserved due to his long training to become immune to poison and isn’t vain like Aphrodite. In fact, he was insulted when Gryphon Minos kept referring to him as “beautiful”.

Favourite Spectres

Heavenly Savage Star, Bennu Kagaho
From the first time I saw him fight Taurus Aldebaran, I thought he was one fascinating character. When Aldebaran said he’s not evil but full of rage, it just made me more curious to find out his back story. That and his insistence in only taking orders from Hades. This separates him from the rest of Hades's army who takes orders from Pandora.

Heavenly Star of Swift Courage, Wyvern Rhadamanthys
Intimidating and as fearsome as he was in the original series but in Lost Canvas, I got to know more about his motivations and just how far he would go to perform his duties.

Favourite Greek God

King of the Underworld, Hades
Yes, I know we should all be on the side of Sasha/Athena who fights for love and justice but I’m going to side with Alone/Hades. He radiates charisma and confidence and you can see why the whole Spectre army would fight for him again and again.

Most Memorable Fight

Pisces Gold Saint Albafica vs Heavenly Lofty Star, Gryphon Minos
Hands down the most memorable fight. It wasn’t an easy fight to watch due to Minos’s Cosmic Marionattion attack but it showed Albafica’s fortitude in protecting Sanctuary and the villages nearby. I also thought it had the best lines of the anime.

Most Awesome Moment

When Capricorn El Cid split into four the golden arrow sent by Sisyphos and Athena in order to defeat the Dream God Oneiros.

Most Touching Fight

Sagittarius Sisyphos vs Spectres
Seeing Sagittarius Sisyphos getting up again and again to protect the Saints from Garuda Aiacos and later on, from Sphinx Pharoah. You couldn’t help admire and be dismayed at the same time, at his tenacity.

Leo Regulus vs Wyvern Rhadamanthys
When Leo Regulus remembered his father during his fight against Wyvern Rhadamanthys.

Most Evil Spectre

Heavenly Fierce Heroic Star, Garuda Aiacos
This should be Mephistopheles but I am not including him in this since I feel he shouldn’t even be in the story. Therefore, the most evil would have to be Garuda Aiacos due to his definition of loyalty.

These aren't the only favourite characters/moments from the anime and manga, just those that I can think at the top of my head. The list would go on and on if I were to list all my favourite moments and characters :P
Until the next anime post! Hopefully we haven't heard the last of the Lost Canvas anime adaptation :)

Saint Seiya Weekend – Lost Canvas Manga

[Note: Minor spoilers in this post]

The Lost Canvas anime ran for two seasons. It was not renewed for a third season much to the fans’ disappointment. I still can’t quite figure why TMS Entertainment would not continue producing such a good series. Anyways, because of this, I decided to read the manga. I vaguely remember reading the end of it a few years ago but I can’t quite remember it. I found out the anime ended slightly less than halfway through the manga. Instead of just reading the end, I decided to read from where the anime stopped right until the end. It was a daunting task; there were around 100 chapters in total to read!

I delved in and WOW. The manga literally kept me at the edge of my seat for several of the chapters. There is a lot more that should be adapted to the anime. Just like Albafica’s quote when he faced Gryphon Minos, “My cosmo, my life, you haven’t seen anything yet!”, the same applies to the manga. At the end of the anime, we still haven’t seen Aquarius Degel and Scorpio Kardia in action. Leo Gold Saint and Gemini Gold Saint had not even been mentioned yet. Although we had seen Sagittarius Sisyphos in action in the anime, we had yet to see him in a one-on-one combat with one of Hades’s Spectre.

And boy did the manga deliver. The manga showed how the Saints and Spectres gave their all. You would think that it would be repetitive to watch one fight after another. Sometimes the lines do sound the same but because the characters and their backgrounds are so different, it doesn’t feel too repetitive. Camaraderie, loyalty, honour, love, arrogance, rage, sorrow and pure evil collided in a spectacular tale of human tragedy.

There were a few plotlines which raised an eyebrow, for instance, Tenma’s training in Kanon Island, and Aquarius Degel and Scorpio Kardia’s mission to Bluegrad. There were a few instances of friend against friend and brother against brother which I found slightly discomforting. But that was nothing compared to the dismay I felt at the introduction of Mephistopheles. That plotline reminded me too much of Code Geass and I really felt the story could do without it. I couldn’t fathom why the mangaka decided to include this. It disrupted the whole momentum and feel of the overall story even though it did give a plausible reason for Alone/Hades growing up together with Athena/Sasha and Tenma.

The motivation for certain characters were not made clear but that could’ve been due to the inaccurate translation or the mangaka’s intention of letting the readers figure it out. Nonetheless, I thought the manga was a very gripping read and would remember the stories for a long time to come.