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30 Jan 07 – 30 Jan 07
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Last night, I finished reading Boris Akunin's The Winter Queen. I greatly enjoyed its rollicking mystery/adventure vibe and wry black comedy, until the last two pages. The ending was bleak, dark, melancholy, and completely unexpected.
I still like the book, and want to read others in the series (The Winter Queen is the first). But that ending wiped away about 80% of my goodwill.
A shame. I wonder if the writer intended that reaction.
21 Jan 07 – Ryvius Zeta
I felt a little sick today, so I skipped AWANA and watched some anime.
First, the fourth disc of Infinite Ryvius, a TV series about a bunch of teenage astronaut trainees who have to fend for themselves. The plot's superficially similar to Lord of the Flies, but these characters are more mature. It's less about savagery and more about the petty selfishness that quickly rises to the surface when immature people face crisis.
Then, Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam: A New Translation III: Love is the Pulse of the Stars. It's the final film in a trilogy that re-tells one of the most depressing Gundam series. The animation is improved and the tone is lightened to create a more powerful, less nihilistic story. There's still a lot of death, but it's easier to take.