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Reviews

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight 1 by Joss Whedon: B

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From the back cover:
Worldwide cult phenomenon Buffy the Vampire Slayer returns with Season Eight—only in comics! Series creator Joss Whedon once again takes up writing duties for this official sequel to the show, running the comics as he ran seven seasons of Buffy on TV. This opening story introduces a mysterious threat known as “Twilight” and plunges Buffy and the gang into their biggest adventure—without the limitations of a small-screen budget.

Review:
I’ve been reading these as they’ve been released each month, but enjoyed them more on this reread. Not only did the arc (entitled “The Long Way Home”) benefit from being read in one sitting, but I also found it easier to hear the dialogue in the actors’ voices this time, making it easier to feel that this really is happening to the characters, despite them being all two-dimensional and stuff.

The dialogue is pretty great, and the few scenes where the Scooby Gang is together (sans Giles) are my favorites of the arc—I just wish there were more of them. For a season opener, this is a lot of action and random familiar faces from the past (one of whom is a retcon so objectionable that I’m just going to pretend it didn’t happen), and small doses of character interaction. Hopefully that will shift in time. Right now, the series has moved onto a Faith arc and there’s been no real follow-up to these events yet.

The last chapter is a stand-alone story called “The Chain,” and tells the story of a girl tapped to be a decoy Buffy. It’s sad and probably the best single issue of the bunch collected here.

I find myself frequently annoyed by the inconsistency of the art in American comics and sadly, this series is no exception. While Xander and Willow look alright most of the time, Buffy either looks weird or, if she looks like herself at all, too young. In the original issues, Willow’s eyes were blue, but they’ve been corrected for this collection. The covers by Jo Chen are absolutely gorgeous, though.

Digesting the continuing adventures of Buffy in this format takes some getting used to. It definitely seemed more real to me on this reread than it did initially, so I’d advise anyone taking the plunge to give themselves a little time to adjust; it’ll grow on you.

greetings from nashville

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I am officially half-way through my southern casting tour. Flew in to Nashville yesterday, where I met up with our production assistant, Cecilia, and her friend Adam, who is assisting us while we’re here. Since we were arriving in town at rush hour, we decided to grab dinner before the drive to Atlanta, which was lovely, but of course meant that we didn’t get to Atlanta until after midnight. We held auditions there this morning, and drove back to Nashville this afternoon. At this point, I am extremely confused about what time zone I’m in.

I had some much-needed downtime this evening, so I can be fresh for a new batch of auditioners tomorrow morning. We’ll see more people tomorrow than we did today, and then there are plans to see a play at Chaffin’s Barn (Cecilia’s old stomping-grounds) in the evening.

Saturday, I’ll be here on my own until it is time to go to the airport, and so the question remains: Where the hell do I buy manga in Nashville? Advice welcome.

I’ll be very happy to return to husband, dog, and cat on Saturday night. ‘Til then, hope you’re all well.

*sniffle*

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Today I have a terrible cold, which is not so great for me, but possibly a blessing for *you* who are thus spared a long and tedious discussion of Fullmetal Alchemist Volume 8, and why the manga is so much richer than the anime, since I am much too congested to manage that level of thought. Whatever that level is.

I have Lucy with me at work today, and she is keeping my head from falling off, though I’m sure she’s incredibly bored. I have finally taken a real break, just an hour before my day is done. Fortunately, New York auditions were much more successful than they have sometimes been, and we have a lovely handful of folks to call back next week. It is starting to look like I may be attending callbacks on Monday, which I didn’t intend to do, and which will make for a very long week, as I’ll be leaving Wednesday to hold auditions in Nashville and Atlanta at the end of the week. With four tours going out in January, we’re trying to expand our files a bit, so we sent our PA to SETC auditions this year, and these auditions are a follow-up to that.

I’m feeling nostalgic this week, after seeing Christian (and even Mark, briefly!) on Monday in New York. I drift away from old friends much too easily, and that’s something I need to fix. Old friends, if you’re out there, don’t give up on me!

Lucy is growling at shadows, and I must get back to work.

this is a dog.

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The weekend is flying already. Yesterday, Paul and I took a trip up to Brattleboro, VT, where we met up with Dave & Ren, and had a lovely day exploring shops and enjoying a delicious dinner at India Palace. I picked up a tiny little book called Japanese in Thirty Hours, which promises great things. I took myself through the first lesson this morning, and can now point at Lucy and say, “This is a dog.” Very exciting.

Today, Paul will go hiking, and I will attempt to do some writing (with perhaps a bit of laundry on the side). I have a lot of ideas swirling around in my head, and I need to get them down before they flee.

Tomorrow I will be leaving the house before the crack of dawn to make it to NYC in time for auditions. We are booked solid (with a short lunch break) from 10-5, and we even have a waiting list, which is a very great thing, but makes for a long day. I will be lucky to make it back home by ten, at which time I intend to collapse on the couch with Lucy and anyone else who will join me. If I am still capable of speech at that point, I will point at her and say, “This is a dog.”

Happy weekend, folks!

timelock

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I am existing in that state that Elizabeth Ann has always referred to as “timelock.” This is a bad thing. It means that I have too much to do and too little time, and as a result, I’m feeling paralyzed to do any of it efficiently. I feel this everywhere: life, work, my inner world.

My “graphic novel” has been coming along wonderfully, or at least was until a couple of days ago, when the timelock kicked in. I have chucked stick figure drawings in favor of just writing a very clear script with descriptions, which I think ultimately will be more useful for anyone who might be trying to understand it. I am kind of in love with it, which is a great feeling, and something that has not been easy for me to come by in my own work.

Oh, timelock, please leave me. You are not welcome here.

living a life

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As you probably can see from my sidebar, I read Neil Gaiman’s blog regularly, and as I was reading last night (about his mutual fanboy encounter with John Simm), it gave me such a smile. I think what I find so charming about his blog, is that he’s just a guy out there, living a life, and it really made me think about what I’m doing with my time. I spend all this time in my own head, brooding about life and life choices, blah blah blah, when it seems like I could just be out there living instead.

Granted, it’s a lot easier to be out living a life when you have the momentum that comes from really loving what you do. But could I find that if I tried? I lived like that once, I think. Back when I was acting and still loving it, and maybe even after when I was at least still loving the travel, every day was about living. Now this is not to say that I’m unsatisfied with my life, because there is so much of it that I love. But what is all this blogging and introspection really doing for me?

I’m not sure where I’m going with this, but as I sit at my desk, forcing myself into taking a break from this long, headachy, meeting-saturated day, I wonder.

incoherant rambling

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Yes, this is what I do when I’m at lunch.

I’ve been having a lot of thoughts lately, trying to define myself, which is not something I generally place a lot of importance on, but has suddenly been in the forefront of my mind. Something I’ve been struggling with a lot is the feeling that the things I am doing lack meaning. I originally chalked this up to Too Much Anime, but the truth is, it is something I’ve been feeling for some time, and Too Much Anime simply provided a catalyst for discussion.

I currently have a number of half-baked projects in the works, and my official “job” is a bit half-baked right now too, which doesn’t help. Obviously I can’t finish baking everything at once (that metaphor is getting old fast, isn’t it?), which brings me again to the question of defining myself. I defined myself in my introductory post here as “singer, songwriter, theater manager, former actor, stumbling writer, dog-lover, fiction addict, mac geek, wife,” and in truth, that’s still probably only about half of the things I’d have to list if I was being really honest. One person can’t possibly be all that, so what am I?

Lately, I’ve been working on something that very desperately wants to be a graphic novel, despite the fact that I can’t draw to save my life. For the time being, I’ve been sketching out frames with stick figures and other indeterminate shapes with the hope that someone, somewhere might be able to see what I’m trying to express with them and help me bring that vision to reality. This seems unlikely, as I have no idea whatsoever how to go about finding such a person. And yet I persevere. I even spent a couple of hours attempting to draw my main characters in some way that would give the stick figures a bit more meaning, but considering how long it takes me to draw the stick figures, that may have been a bit premature. Paul found me a class to take at UMASS entitled something like “Writing the Graphic Novel,” but when I looked it up online, it had been canceled. Is this a sign?

The Sandman 1: Preludes & Nocturnes by Neil Gaiman: B+

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From the inside flap:
Enter a dark and enchanting world of dreams and nightmares and meet the Sandman, master of dreams, and his kin—the Endless.

This first collection of Neil Gaiman’s unique and multi-award-winning Sandman saga introduces key themes and characters, combining myth, magic, and black humor.

Review:
This volume collects issues #1-8 of the Sandman comics. Morpheus, the Lord of Dreams, was inadvertently captured by some occultists who were attempting to trap and contain his sister, Death. They imprisoned him for 70 years and stole his stuff, and when he finally escaped, he wanted it back. He took the next few chapters to complete the quest.

I was occasionally lost when the story veered too far into mythological territory, and one story called “24 Hours” was incredibly disturbing, but on the whole I liked it. The best, however, was the last story, called “The Sound of Her Wings.” In it, Morpheus was a bit mopey because he’d completed his quest and his spunky sister came to drag him out of his doldrums. And throw bread at him.

As seems to be the case with comic books, the physical appearance of Morpheus was pretty inconsistent. I decided to think of him as Stephen Rea with blue hair, and that worked pretty well.

Hikaru no Go 9 by Yumi Hotta and Takeshi Obata: A-

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From the back cover:
Practicing at Go salons is turning out to be more fun than Hikaru thought. But at one salon he meets his match in Suyong Hong, a sullen 12-year-old who is studying for the pro test in his native Korea. By mistake, Hikaru insults Suyong, and now the only way they can settle their differences is by playing a grudge match!

Review:
This volume picks up where the last left off, with Hikaru and friends playing against adults in various Go salons around town. Through the experience, Hikaru learns valuable confidence, as well as the ability to count points during play and control the outcome of a game to force a tie. These bits are okay, but not very suspenseful.

The match with Suyong is surprisingly enjoyable, even though Suyong is annoying. I liked how the other patrons of the salon really got into the match. The most significant bit, however, is that Kaio’s Go coach happens by and praises Hikaru, comparing his play to that in the first junior high tournament he entered, when Sai was actually dictating the moves. Hikaru is elated, but Sai is worried.

We end up with a couple of chapters devoted to the resumption of the pro test, which is about where I started bemoaning the small amount of pages left, because these bits are so crazily addictive. Akira, who had already shown that he feels Hikaru on his trail, checks the results from home and freaks at Hikaru’s winning streak, accepting a lowly teaching job with another kid in the test just to indulge his curiosity on his rival’s progress.

Although a manga about a board game might seem dull (the uninspired back cover text doesn’t help this impression), this volume disproves that notion when it focuses on the rivalry between Hikaru and Akira and how it fuels each of them to improve. The earlier chapters weren’t bad, but it was the latter half of the volume that was truly exciting. Also, though I’ve seen the anime and know what is coming, I’m still eager to see the plot with Sai play out because it brings a lot to the story.

Ouran High School Host Club 8 by Bisco Hatori: A-

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From the back cover:
The first-years in Class 1-A are taking part in a test of courage, where the loser will receive the dubious honor of being dubbed “Best of Cowards.” Kazukiyo Souga, the class president and a fraidy-cat at heart, is happy to be on a team with the levelheaded Haruhi, but will he be able to stomach the antics of his other teammates—the twins Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin?

Review:
The first story in this volume involves a test of courage, which is really not very interesting in and of itself, though it does bring up again the feelings of the twins for Haruhi. The next episode is about how Kyoya and Tamaki first met in junior high and eventually decided to start the Host Club. It’s cute and fun, and I liked it a lot.

The rest of the volume (three episodes) is devoted to a story about a tough-looking yakuza heir called Kasanoda. Kasanoda (nicknamed Bossa Nova) unintentionally scares off people he wants to befriend and comes to Mori for tutelage. This story did not interest me much at first, but got much better as it progressed.

As the Host Club seeks to interrupt perceived flirting between Kasanoda and Haruhi, Kaoru is led to present an insightful hypothesis (much to Hikaru’s surprise): Tamaki pretends the Host Club is a family in an effort to keep the relationships they all have now from changing.

I normally don’t care much for episodic manga, and if there weren’t enough suggestions of impending developments on the relationship front, I think all the comedy and cuteness in Ouran would wear thin. This volume did a good job combining all the elements into a consistently entertaining whole.

Ouran High School Host Club 7 by Bisco Hatori: B+

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From the back cover:
Hunny’s little brother, Chika, pays a visit to the Host Club—and immediately starts attacking Hunny, using all his martial-arts prowess against his older brother! Chika seems to be the absolute opposite of his sweets-loving, Bun-Bun-toting sibling, but why is he so angry with Hunny? The Host Club is determined to find out the cause…

Review:
This volume as a lot more consistent than the last, unified by the theme of Haruhi is contemplating the wall that she feels separating her from the other members of the host club. Learning some of the family backgrounds of the others might gradually be helping her make progress in understanding them.

The first story is about Kyoya in a commoners’ store, and is quite cute. He looks especially nice in his casual clothes, and I love the panels where he’s rummaging in his pockets for money or a cell phone. The chapters about Hunny’s brother were better than I expected them to be, and also reveal how Tamaki lured Hunny from the karate club to the host club. Insight into the twins comes from a tale about their first time crying in public.

Rounding out the volume are a pointless chapter about Roberia Gakuen and a fun bonus story in the “Love Egoist” saga, continuing the tale of the cold-blooded teacher and the student who fancies him.

Ouran High School Host Club 6 by Bisco Hatori: B

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From the back cover:
The school festival opens at Ouran, and the Host Club members are busy entertaining the visiting parents. Teasing his son is a favorite pastime of Tamaki’s doting father, the school chairman, but Tamaki’s grandmother is cut from a very different cloth. She despises and shuns Tamaki, banning him from the main Suoh Mansion. It’s now time for Kyoya to take action with the Host Club to help their favored leader out.

Review:
The first few chapters aren’t very interesting or amusing, though they do provide a bit of background on Kyoya’s home life. The last chapter is also fairly pointless. Chapter 26, however, was a good one. We learned more about Tamaki’s family, and how it’s actually a fortunate thing that he is so upbeat and energetic.

The art also seems to’ve changed a little bit. I noticed several times that characters shown in profile had virtually no noses; one even kinda looked like Voldemort! Tamaki and the twins looked a little different, too, though I can’t exactly pinpoint how. I realize it’s normal for art styles to evolve over the course of a title, but this isn’t an improvement.

Please Save My Earth 21 by Saki Hiwatari: A+

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From the back cover:
Eight-year-old Rin is still tormented by his past life. As Shion, an engineer stationed on Earth’s moon, he spent nine years alone after his home planet was annihilated and a deadly virus took the lives of his fellow scientists. Now, in the conclusion to the Please Save My Earth series, Rin’s plot to destroy the moon base—and all traces of his past life—reaches its denouement. Alice begs Rin not to let his past life as Shion rule his future—and even threatens to jump off Tokyo Tower if Rin chooses to pursue his plot of eventually controlling the world…

Review:
The final volume to this series provides a very satisfying conclusion to the story. Some things required a bit of thought to really appreciate what had happened, but it all ultimately made sense and was not a let down after all this long build-up.

The best parts began when Rin goes to Tokyo Tower. I especially like the first few pages there (58-62), where he’s walking around alone. The worst bits, thankfully scant, were when Mr. Tamura tried to be helpful and ended up making things worse. The last chapter is an epilogue.

I will definitely be rereading this series in the future, and recommend it to any book lover, whether or not they think they have any interest in manga.

Please Save My Earth 20 by Saki Hiwatari: A

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From the back cover:
Rin is finally face to face with Alice again, and he is determined to get the computer password she used in her past life on the KK moon base. But even in the face of his vicious threats, Alice steadfastly refuses—unless he’ll tell her why he needs it. It turns out that Rin’s motives, tied into his past identity as Shion, are more complicated than his former moon compatriots could imagine…

Review:
Another excellent volume. This one primarily consists of Rin and Alice finally talking about all of the things they’ve needed to talk about for a while. We learn why Rin wants the passwords, and also more about Rin’s internal struggles. This bit felt a little tacked on to me, but that might just be because I haven’t read the earlier volumes in a while.

The art and expressions are top-notch, and I particularly liked the few pages without dialogue when Rin enters the room where sleeping Alice lies. Because of the layout, it has the potential to be an extremely quick read. I only took longer with it to reread a few pages, since the conversations that were transpiring were so pivotal.

Please Save My Earth 19 by Saki Hiwatari: A+

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From the back cover:
Mokuren awakens from a fever-induced coma a week after her attack, tormented by the realization that Shion lied to her when he said he loved her. After all, if he really did, her Kiche, the mystical mark on her forehead, would have disappeared. Even so, and even though he’s now treating her like a sacred being instead of a fellow human, she can’t stop loving him.

On Earth, Haruhiko tries to convince Alice that Rin needs and loves her. But Alice finds herself in deep trouble, and her disturbing dreams continue, showing her the end of Mokuren’s life on the KK moon base…

Review:
This volume truly has it all. It’s about evenly split between memories of the moon and present day. The former provides insights into Shion’s motivations, his relationship with Mokuren, and their final days together on the moon base. The latter features everyone trying to protect Alice from Rin, as hers is the final password he needs, and Alice reacting to the things she’s remembered. Much drama, and it’s all great.

There’s a cliffhanger of sorts in each time period, but since we know essentially how things turned out on the moon, it’s the present day resolution that I’m eagerly anticipating. I’m very glad I waited until I had the last few volumes before embarking on this final arc because waiting would totally dilute the impact.