Urasawa's Monster

This is going to be an unusual review for this blog because it refers both to a book (or rather a series of graphic novels) and an anime series. In my defense, though, extraordinary content merits an extraordinary review.

I came upon Naoki Urasawa's Monster anime series thanks to the recommendation of one of these friends who nailed my tastes in books and music down to nearly a science. I knew that I was in for a big treat. After watching five 20-minute episodes, I was hopelessly hooked, but decided to watch the remaining 65 episodes when I could binge watch with little else to distract me. I almost kept my resolve, but then I stumbled upon a comic book store that carried the first volume of the manga's "perfect editions." A couple of months later, unable to restrain myself any longer, I dove into the manga, which forced me to watch the anime nearly in parallel. Thus began what became an unforgettable deep jump into one of the best series I've ever experienced.

In both media, Monster offers a very dark, complex, slow brewing exploration of topics related to what makes us human (9 volumes of manga, 27 hours of anime). The universe is primed with the personal, ethical dilemma confronted by a neurosurgeon who has little time to decide which of two human lives to save, a choice that endangers his professional career. The choice of the "right thing to do" would depend on knowing how the event will cause the future to unfold, but there's no crystal ball.

To avoid spoilers, I'll say only that Dr. Tenma's gut wrenching choice takes him down a long, winding path of pain, angst, and suffering. Maybe every human life has the same worth. Maybe the people we love are really the ones who can hurts as the most. Maybe there's an absolute evil in this world. Maybe the education we receive shapes us to behave according to a master plan. Maybe some seemingly inconsequential people we meet on our personal journey will be the ones who will save us when we need them the most. Maybe there are grand conspiracy theories that we can believe being orchestrated by people who don't realize they are also being manipulated against their will. Maybe there is indeed hope for those minds who have being touched by evil in their childhood for they will always be able to exercise their free will in spite of their "programming." Maybe. Lots of maybes. The series explores also European history, xenophobia, political extremism, love, friendship, childhood, education, prostitution, and other topics that I'm sure I'm forgetting, but above all, the meaning of identity.

Monster is not plotted as a straight arrow directed at a final climax. Instead, it takes beautiful detours and introduces a multiplicity of smaller characters and side stories, some of which are there to flesh out the main characters in the story and others which are there to remind us that our journeys in life are multifaceted and meandering. There have been reviewers who expressed annoyance with this apparent lack of focus, but I am not among them. I actually think that many of the threads got wrapped up beautifully in the end and those that didn't still added a lot of color to the story. It is the combination of all these threads and their characters that make Monster a masterpiece.

The cast of characters is simply amazing. I made fast friends with several of them, who will leave me lasting memories and who I plan to revisit from time to time: the conflicted, suffering Dr. Tenma, whose plight drives you all the way through the story, the complex twins Johan and Nina whose natures you just cannot fathom until the very end, the Eva wavering between evil and redemption, the obsessive compulsive Inspector Lunge whose quests include one for his lost humanity, the wandering freelance reporter and loyal friend Grimmer, and Dieter, the child in search of a parent, to cite a few.

The artwork in the Monster anime is not necessarily of consistently high quality. There are times where drawing and animation reach peaks of brilliance and others where they seems oversimplified. Since the storyline kept me fully engrossed, that never bothered me. (The artwork on the manga, on the other hand, is consistently beautiful.) As for the soundtrack, I was very impressed by how well the opening song and sequence fit together. I was also incredibly stoked to find David Sylvian's "For the love of life" song in closing credits sequence of the first 30-something episodes. It's a strong song that reminded me of his collaboration with Ryuichi Sakamoto in "Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence," called "Forbidden Colors." There came a point, though, when I was shocked to discover that this song was substituted by another that sounds almost like an unexpertly performed sweet lullaby. Eventually, this second song started growing on me and I learned to like it (as you'd expect of a fanboy of the series). As to the remainder of the soundtrack, there are some songs that get overused a bit, if you pay close attention. I recall one, in particular, which I dubbed the "stereotypical cheesy piano lounge song," but, again the fanboy forgives.

All in all, I'd recommend Monster to anyone who is ready for an exciting experience involving dark and challenging mature subjects. I thing there's too much to shock audiences under 12 and to go over heads between 13 and 18. My expectation is that who will get the most of this series are adults over 20-something who managed to keep a strong and healthy inner child.

Review: Mockingjay

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



For some reason, this book didn't work nearly as well as the first two. It's not the more brooding nature of the narrative that harmed it, but possibly the author just wanting to wrap it up in a hurry, with a limited, maximum page count. I found that many passages were left awfully shallow, narrating events quickly and refusing to explore some big points and questions. It was a somewhat less than satisfying read to me.



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Review: Catching Fire

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Nice sequel to the first installment. Fast paced, gripping, involving. The writing continues to be simple and effective for its goals, but it's not beautiful prose by any means. Still, I couldn't put it down until I was done and when that happened, I was pleased that I read it.



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Review: Renato Russo - O filho da Revolução

Renato Russo - O filho da Revolução by Carlos Marcelo

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Não fui um grande fã do Legião enquanto a banda existiu. Tinha o segundo disco, gostava muito de 'Índios' e até gostava de ouvir algumas músicas no rádio. Mas a imagem do Renato Russo me parecia uma tentativa forçada de ser um somatório de Ian Curtis com Jim Morrison. A música tinha uns toques de pós-punk inglês que para mim não se encaixavam no contexto de rock brasileiro. Como fã de Joy Division, não gostava de ouvir a versão tupiniquim da banda inglesa. Fiquei nesse esnobismo crítico idiota e perdi o bonde na sua primeira passagem. Com o passar de 15 anos, notei que a vontade de revisitar o acervo da banda crescia cada vez mais. A um certo ponto, fiquei fã de carteirinha. Ouço sem cansar cada uma das músicas do Legião, gosto de procurar videos do Aborto Elétrico pela Internet, e me impressiono com o fato de ter sido o gênio das músicas do Renato o que impulsionou o começo do Capital Inicial.

Descobrir esse livro foi instrumental para que eu reparasse a minha ignorância do que o Renato e as suas bandas representaram para o estabelecimento de rock de verdade no Brasil. Sendo eu também um filho da revolução de 1964, sabia pouco de tanta coisa que o país viveu sob a ditadura. Este livro preenche essas duas lacunas e mostra no contexto histórico o surgimento do rock em Brasília. Além disso, explora até que direitinho a complexa personalidade desse mito e dos seus relacionamentos pessoais. Achei muito bacana a quantidade de fotos, rabiscos e notas dos cadernos do próprio Renato porque te aproximam da narrativa e do "personagem" central.

Só que faltou uma estrela para ficar um livro realmente excelente. Achei as últimas 50 páginas um pouco corridas, como se o gás do autor tivesse acabado ou como se o editor tivesse podado a extensão do livro. Ou talvez, eu simplesmente não queria que o livro acabasse. Não sei. Outra coisa que percebi foi que o trabalho de desenvolver uma perspectiva histórica para dar contexto à música se esgotou lá pelo governo Sarney. Não sei ao certo se o autor usou esse mecanismo para sugerir que os motivos para rebeldia tinham acabado, mas quem é brasileiro sabe bem que isso não computa.

Para quem quer mais, vale a pena assistir ao documentário "Rock Brasília" e até ao filme "Somos Tão Jovens" (que toma umas liberdades artísticas com a história, mas mesmo assim é legalzinho).




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Review: Paul of Dune

Paul of Dune by Brian Herbert

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



For a McDune novel, it is not bad. This covers a period of time after the first Dune and the (not so strong) Dune Messiah. The plot includes some classic machinations of Hakonnens vs. Atreides, some aspects of the relationship between Paul and his father, and most importantly, Muad'Dib's growth into the ruler of the known universe. There are two or three near climax moments in the story that provide some excitement and keep you going, but overall, it's a bland book that you don't regret and don't celebrate having read.



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Review: Death Note, Volume 1: Boredom

Death Note, Volume 1: Boredom by Tsugumi Ohba

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Even having seen the whole anime series and knowing what is going to happen, it's still fun to read.



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Review: Guitar Zero: The New Musician and the Science of Learning

Guitar Zero: The New Musician and the Science of Learning by Gary Marcus

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Interesting book, though not quite what I wanted to read. Gary Marcus is a PhD in cognitive psychology who decides to pick up the guitar (and to learn music) later in life. The part of learning music and learning to play an instrument late in life is what drew me to this, since it's pretty much my own story. Marcus writes precious little about his personal journey and much more about the scholarly, cognitive aspects of the endeavour, which were interesting to read about. I got to understand better how humans are (or rather, how they are not) wired with a music instinct, how our brains evolve as we are trying to learn an instrument, how one can be an expert musician without knowing how to read music, and many other interesting points on cognition. Although all this material made for a very interesting intellectual read, I fear that the lasting lessons for my journey as a musician wannabe can be summarized in few words. In short, it's an interesting work in making psychology more accessible to the masses, but not terribly helpful to a guitar student.



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Review: Guitar Zero: The New Musician and the Science of Learning

Guitar Zero: The New Musician and the Science of Learning by Gary Marcus

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Interesting book, though not quite what I wanted to read. Gary Marcus is a PhD in cognitive psychology who decides to pick up the guitar (and to learn music) later in life. The part of learning music and learning to play an instrument late in life is what drew me to this, since it's pretty much my own story. Marcus writes precious little about his personal journey and much more about the scholarly, cognitive aspects of the endeavour, which were interesting to read about. I got to understand better how humans are (or rather, how they are not) wired with a music instinct, how our brains evolve as we are trying to learn an instrument, how one can be an expert musician without knowing how to read music, and many other interesting points on cognition. Although all this material made for a very interesting intellectual read, I fear that the lasting lessons for my journey as a musician wannabe can be summarized in few words. In short, it's an interesting work in making psychology more accessible to the masses, but not terribly helpful to a guitar student.



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Review: Ferran The Inside Story of El Bulli and The Man Who Reinvented Food

Ferran The Inside Story of El Bulli and The Man Who Reinvented Food by Colman Andrews

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Really interesting biography of the man behind a revolution in cooking. It evokes vivid images of the scenes it describes and makes you feel that you got into Adriá's mind.



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Review: Shadow's Edge

Shadow's Edge by Brent Weeks

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Not particularly impressed by the writing or the plot. As with the first book in the series, I found this a fun and shallow read. It's a fluffy fantasy series, in the tradition of most of those filling the shelves in bookstores. Medieval setting, warring knights, troubled nobles, and best of all (for my taste, at least), plenty of magic. Kylar is a repenting assassin (or "wetboy") trying to mend his ways and restart life as a herbalist, when "they pulled him back in" to a large conflict between nations and a fight against evil. If it sounds like standard fare, it's because it is. I keep reading fantasy searching for that experience of being 18 and reading Raymond Feist's Magician for the first time, but it hardly ever pays off. Some that came close were Garth Nix Abhorsen and Carol Berg's Rai Kirah. Tad Williams' Memory Sorrow and Thorn was immensely satisfying in so many ways. The Night Angel series, though, I find fun and somewhat forgettable at the same time.



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Review: The Pillars of the Earth

The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



It's a gripping read, from beginning to end. Character development is excellent; even if some of them seem a bit cookie cutter, they have plenty of background and you empathize deeply with them. At some point, perhaps half-way through, I started to think that the author was jerking me around with too many twists and turns. Something ultimately bad happens just to set the stage for something utterly blissful. And then it reverses. You have something beautiful followed by a horrifying event. It's like driving along a road with one switch back after the other - it felt tiring for a moment or two. But... it's so well done that you just have to get to the destination, so I let myself go and in the end, really enjoyed the ride. I turned the last page a couple of hours ago; I'm still grieving not having those characters in my life anymore.



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The Anubis Gates, by Tim Powers

Abhorsen, by Garth Nix

Lirael, by Garth Nix

Rollback, by Robert J. Sawyer

It's been quite some time since I last read a book by Sawyer that I could call "great." To be generous, Rollback is just passable. The real premise of the book is a rejuvenation procedure in the style of the fountain of youth, but without the romantic fantastic notions that drove Ponce de Leon's pursuits. Say you're an 80-something; Rejuvenex bring your body back to what it was in your early 20s at the cost of about 10 billion Canadian dollars. Sawyer's strengths have been in discussing the societal implications of advances in science and I expected a lot from this book, but it fell short for several reasons.

First, the larger context of the plot is a tale of first contact with an alien race. A scientist who's at the end of her life, after being the one to decode the first message received by SETI paraphernalia, is offered a rollback so that she can work on decoding a second message. She refuses to be rolled back without her husband of 60 years, so they both get the procedure to be funded by a generous, wealthy benefactor. Good premise, nothing against that. What bothered me more than just a little was the fact that the SETI scenario is used as a backdrop. So, we have two huge issues in science and one of them is put on the back burner after being sold as the motivation factor for the story.

Second, the jacket of the book will tell you that the rollback works only for one of the spouses leaving the other one to face further physical deterioration and perhaps an imminent encounter with death. Again, a great argument, but one which was not well explored. This part of the plot reads like a very cheap romance in spite of some effort to make you empathize with the characters.

Third, Sawyer seems well settled into the habit of throwing little distracting elements in his books that don't really mean much to the story. He is getting to use his science fiction as a soapbox to discuss his points of view on any number of issues in a way that, most often, does not really connect with the main plot or advance it in a coherent way. The random factoids or short paragraphs on something inconsequential are very distracting. I am not sure that there's a whole lot of editorial effort or talent in his most recent books.

The only reason I still read Sawyer is that I continue to hope that he'll write again something as exciting and as intellectually challenging as "Flashfoward."

Brave New Ballot, by Aviel Rubin

This is a fantastic book for anyone with a bit of knowledge of Computer Science and an interest in the impact of e-voting on society. While the more technically inclined will take a lot more from the book than the average homemaker, I think that it's an accessible book that will open people's eyes to what is being done to the democratic process of elections by blind trust in technology and perhaps by special interest. I read a copy borrowed from the library, but I'm buying my own which I'll use again and again in teaching Computer Security. The book is loaded with interesting examples of what not to do when designing a system that runs a mission critical application.

Atonement, by Ian McEwan

I heard my wife rave about this book for over a year before I decided to read it. McEwan's prose is everything that she told me and perhaps more. He tells a very sad story in this book, but in a way that is so deeply emotional that you don't mind being hit by a feeling of sadness as you go along. He is able to demonstrate his characters feelings better than most of the authors that I've been reading recently and makes them feel very, very real. The plot is centered on one moment, one tiny little event that goes on to have a devastating effect on the lives of several people. I really enjoyed it. Although the movie made from the book stands on its own as being decent, McEwan's prose is so precise and well thought out that you will not want to see the movie, if you've read the book first. Although some of the images in the movie matched closely what the book conjured up in my mind, the not quite linear way in which the story is told didn't translate so well to the screen.

Watchmen, by Alan Moore

Sabriel, by Garth Nix

El Palacio de la Medianoche, by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

I've been anxiously waiting for more by the author of "The Shadow of the Wind" and until he writes another novel for a more mature audience, I'm going through his novels for young adults. "El Palacio de la Medianoche" is the second I've read of his novels for teenagers, and I've found it just "enjoyable". A comparison with "El Principe de la Niebla" reveals some similarities in that they both have aspects of the gothic novel, but this one didn't seem to me as well-written or as effective as the first two. While "Principe" had a steadily growing atmosphere of suspense, mystery, and fear, this one seemed overly contrived and less involving.

The story revolves around a mysterious, evil character intent on murdering fraternal twins when they reach the age of 16. Elements of the plot are revealed slowly, what could have built up suspense and excitement, but I was sad to discover that this effect didn't work on me. There were some "switchbacks" in the story in the sense that resolution to mysteries are presented only to be discredited as lies later on. Even considering that there was a point to presenting the story as such, I felt that the way this technique was used failed miserably for me. Also, in spite of his efforts to flesh out Calcutta as a setting for the story, I felt it irrelevant to the story. Zafón efforts to make the city an integral part of the story didn't resonate with me because in spite of all the information given, I couldn't establish a believable connection between the plot and the locale.

It is hard to feel involved and to be gripped by your emotions if you don't really develop some kind of relationship with the characters. I cannot quite explain why the twins or the other member of the Chowbar Society never really grew on me, but the fact was that halfway through the novel I discovered that I didn't care enough for them to feel the excitement that they experienced in the story. An artifact that Zafón used well in the two novels I read previously is his play with the supernatural. The reader is made to struggle in figuring out what is real and what is fantastic. There is normally quite a bit of tension until the resolution finally arrives. He uses this artifact a little differently in this novel. I think he wasn't effective because there wasn't a clear, causal chain of facts to establish the foundation upon which he could have constructed a believable fantasy.

While I don't regret reading this, I think it is the only forgettable novel I've read by Zafón so far. I hope that I find "Las Luces de Septiembre" more in line with what I expect of his writing.