America has a history of ruining video games in their translation into movies - Super Mario Brothers and the original animation of Sonic the Hedgehog (until their fanbase requested animators to redesign the characters). A couple of months have passed since Castlevania ended, the animated series on Netflix, directed by Sam Deats, Adam Deats, and Spencer Wan, based on Konami’s Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. The animated series should be lauded for its ability to appeal to various viewers.
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Square Soft’s Final Fantasy series established in the mind of gamers that medieval European aesthetics was the status quo of the century for Japanese Role Playing Games. However, in 1996 on the first generation Playstation console the original Wild Arms broke the paradigm with its western aesthetics, from the landscape to the music to the character’s equipment. Six year later, Wild Arms 3 carry the same aesthetics, and the director Nobukazu Sato further expounds on the mind of the western frontier and the freedom in which that lifestyle entails - appropriately naming the characters’ vocation “Drifters.” The motif of the metaphorical feather in which to describe the characters’ spirit can be found in other aspects of the game - plot, gameplay and aesthetics.
I can understand why Harumi Murakami admired American short story author Raymond Carver. The Oregon native has a special ability to instill a mystery in everyday objects. Reading his collection Call If You Need Me, compiled by his widow Tess Gallagher and edited by William L. Stull, a collection of unpublished short stories and essays, and being thirty-years old will remind you of Carver’s gift to American culture and the genre.
After a meaningless eikaiwa training in Fukuoka my colleagues and I heard that ramen was a speciality in the small but proper metropolis, so we decided to visit one with the highest marks according to an online food guide. In the foyer under the spell of a twinkling golden bell we were welcomed to enter the wooden interior with traditional Chinese prints of kanji characters over a solid red backdrops. The host counted the number of guests, shepherded inside the restaurant, and sat us at the counter. All of us were too green in Fukuoka to vote on the restaurant so we went with the flow of the program. Immediately we saw this was a place for grazing, and nothing else.
Azrael Tseng’s Chasing Desire & Other Heretical Stories comprises significant events in history from around the world, from Europe to America to Asia. Some events are more well-known than others. Writing each event in historical fiction highlights the psychology and significance of each character’s destiny. In this particular collection I would like to analyse the heroines, for Tseng reminds us that the heroines or the heretics were significant in the liberty of the modern world. Heresy is a motif among the heroines: Characters who challenge the status quo.
American comedians always joke about the torment of domestic flights in the United States. Since the Twin Towers collapsed in New York City in 2001, the evolution of jokes and airplanes have evolved. At first protocols were supposed to protect Americans from terrorist attacks - from box cutters to remote bombs hidden in the shoes and underwear - and now these preventative measures are a nuisance. It’s hard to bridge these points to my experiences in Japan since most of my commercial economic flights have been pleasant. One microcosm is the design of the plastic trays attached to back of the JAL seats. I never noticed how they were designed for convenience.
The Greatest Showman came out in 2018. The movie starred actors Hugh Jackman, Zack Efron, Anne Wheeler, and Michelle Williams, and grossed four-hundred thirty-five million dollars worldwide. With its impeccable graphics, leading actors and actresses, a harrowing tale which fit the American-dream narrative, its success was understandable, although it received negative criticism for an inaccurate depiction of the protagonist, P.T. Barnum, who could be slated for being a con-artist and exploiter. But thankfully the promotion of inclusivity in the story appealed to the liberal viewers. Today, I rather want to explore the creation, for I feel remiss if we don’t homage the set design and music.
Upon its publication in 1851, Herman Melville’s ambitious novel Moby-Dick or, the Whale did not receive commercial success (Deblanco, 2003, pp.xi). However, today modern literary critics claim it to be “the greatest English novel” because of the “palatability of [Melville’s] truth” (Deblanco, 2003, pp.xi), as Melville incorporates his life as a seamen into the novel. Throughout the story, a recurring concept from the narrator Ishmael is the defense of commercial whaling and the veracity of the novel, writing that “In behalf of the dignity of whaling, I would fain advance naught but substantiated facts” (Melville, 1851/2003, pp.123). In vying for truth, through connotation, figurative language, allusion and manipulation of form, Moby-Dick or, the Whale illustrates his passion for commercial whaling.
W.H. Auden’s collection of poems Another Time include poetry from 1936 to 1940, and in this collection the English poet criticizes the social environment of 20th century Europe - the hardship of the Jewish migration (“Refugee Blues”) to the outbreak of the Second World War (“September 1, 1939”). In these poems Auden shows empathy for Jewish refugees as he renders their plight: “We cannot go here now, my dear, we cannot go there now” (“Refugee Blues,” 6); and the desolation of war: “[…] Uncertain and afraid/ As the clever hopes expire/ Of a low dishonest decade […]” (“September 1, 1939,” 3-5). But there is one poem that starkly contrasts to his social poetry, “Museé ds Beaux Arts.” In this poem Auden uses linguistic elements, poetic devices and allusions to understate the significance of suffering; however, when “Museé des Beaux Arts” is contrasted with his social poems, such as “Refugee Blues,” Auden establishes genuine empathy.
It has been twenty-five years since the initial release of Resident Evil in 1996. The game has evolved over the years, from a survival game to an action game, and recently has returned to a horror game - a good decision, I believe, to appeal to the nostalgics. The original Resident Evil challenges players to ration their supplies, solve complex puzzles and combat in a narrow-space. Resident Evil 7 and 8 restores aspects of survival-horror gameplay to the franchise for the contemporary audience with their usage of the first-person perspective.
I met Azrael Tseng in Okinawa, Japan when we were coworkers teaching at a NPO. He lived in a country home with sky blue walls on the outskirts of Okinawa City with his wife and his son. Six and half feet tall, skinny, you can find him working on his stories on a park bench stationed in his living room. There, he wrote stories before work from three o’clock in the morning, and played real-time online strategy games building a solar galaxy. Today he resides in his home country Singapore. Chasing Desire & Other Heretical Stories was published June 23, 2020 on Amazon.
Academia might’ve robbed the pleasure referencing through their composition courses. Students are forced to apply MLA or APA formatting into their essays to promote academic integrity. But for the artist referencing is a useful skill in order to finish your project; it can add reality to your projects.
Vandal Hearts is a tactical game published by Konami in 1996. Upon its release the game received good reviews for its graphics, storyline and gameplay. One negative review was the lack of sidequests although the players have the chance to unlock one of the most powerful characters in gaming history. Today I want to add to the criticism: The references to various periods in European history can be jarring. With the last season of Castlevania coming out on Netflix, I thought familiarizing myself with the playstation game Castlevania Symphony of the Night would be appropriate, as the online series alludes to the video game - in particular, the minor features, such as the beastiary, their method of combat and background music.
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