Artsyfutsy's Blog

Sigmund Freud. Florence Nightingale. Napoleon Bonaparte. Marie Curie.

A single look through these names and many would recognize them. They are the names of famous people who have left behind their marks in history through their contribution to humankind in their fearless exploits and groundbreaking discoveries.

Enter the world of St. Kleio Academy, where the clones of these famous historical individuals are raised and educated to inherit the legacies of their originals. Stuck right in this bastion of genetically engineered students is Shiro Kamiya, an ordinary boy whose father is a teacher in the academy. Being a non-clone, Shiro finds difficulty fitting in with the rest of his elite schoolmates, who see him as an anomaly in their freak show of a school. And while Shiro is struggling to integrate himself into the school’s social pyramid, tension begins to build up within the campus walls as the wheels of fate are set in motion with the assassination of one of the alumnus, the clone of the former President of America, J. F. Kennedy.

Through the lives of these clones, Suekane Kumiko explores the consequences of the highly controversial technique of cloning in this manga. This is not the first series that has a cloning-based theme (Clone High, anyone?), though what sets it apart from others is its plot. Chock full of suspense and mystery and equally balanced with humorous moments, this manga is one that has much potential. While it is not as action-packed, fans of Fullmetal Alchemist or D.Gray-man would definitely like this manga, which has similar psychological themes.

Another plus point of the manga is that the characters are fairly well-developed. Though, as with every campus-set stories, there will inevitably be a few stereotypical characters –the typical stuck-up-her-nose beauty queen, for example–, readers will be glad to know that the main characters have at least a certain depth to them. Shiro also makes for an atypical protagonist; he is an ordinary –and somewhat of an airhead– boy with no special abilities or particularly redeeming trait, unlike the protagonists of most stories which usually have some enhanced ability of some sort to help them (though, as seeing the story is set on campus, having magical powers would be rather redundant).

All in all, this manga is a well-developed one that is truly worth a read. Educational and thought-provoking, the book would definitely leave a lasting impression on the reader. Though this series is rather new and it might be a little too early to say that later chapters will definitely turn out well, the manga certainly has the potential to become another hit.

Interested readers can go to this site to read the manga (quite a pity but Onemanga and Mangafox do not have the series): http://www.sigikki.com/series/afterschoolcharisma/index.shtml

And as for Singaporean readers, you’re in luck! Chuang Yi Publishing has already printed out the translated version of two volumes – you can get a copy at SGD8.90 (expensive, I know) or go to a manga café to read it.

Have a nice day and happy reading 🙂 

~e3m1n

A Blood Pledge (2009) is a horror movie directed by Lee Jong Yong. It is the fifth in the series of South Korean horror films set in an all-girls high school, which began from ‘The Whispering Corridors’ (1998). The cast of the movie consists of: Son Eun-Seo as SoYi, Jang Kyeong-Ah as EonJu, Oh YeonSeo as Yujin, Song Minjeong as Eunyeong and Yu ShinAe as Jeongeon (EonJu’s younger sister).

The movie deals with taboo issues such as parental violence, teenage pregnancy, bullying and betrayal. Blood Pledge is about four students who swear their friendship with a blood pact and promise each other that they will die together. The movie starts with a gruesome scene where EonJu is being flung down from the roof of the school’s chapel and her body lands right in front of Jeongeon. Jeongeon decides to investigate the cause of her sister’s death and learns about the blood pact. At the same time, EonJu comes back to haunt the rest of her friends as her other friends did not follow the promises they made written on the pact.

The director did not really go into depth about the taboo issues and only show glimpses of how these issues can affect one’s life. Also, a shortcoming in the movie was that the plot was neither here nor there, and the ending of the movie was not really convincing, hence leaving audiences unsatisfied with the movie. Another flaw in the movie is that the time sequence was really poor. There were numerous flashbacks in the movie which made me confuse about what was happening in the movie.

Shortcomings aside, I think the director should receive some credit for the ambience created in the movie. One of the most common camera technique used was the ‘sweeping’ technique where the camera sweeps across the roof, catching views off guard as EonJu’s ghost suddenly pops up in front of the camera. The ominous, eerie orchestral music compliments the camera techniques used. There is not much to expect in the physical appearance of the ghost as this movie also follows the trend of stereotyping Asian female ghosts as those with dark long hair and pale skin.

This South Korean film has been sold to distributors from South-east Asia and it has also been reported that there might be possibilities of remakes of the film.

A Blood Pledge is great for those who are looking for a movie to give them a slight shock or a nightmare, however if you are looking for a more in-depth horror movie, it would be advisable to give this movie a miss.

You can watch the official trailer  here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yutvPl3ohWI

Rating: 5/10

-Miriam

There is a Chinese saying that says that for every cause, there will always be a consequence. We all have to make choices at some point in our lives; some may be simple and mundane, like deciding on what to eat, while others may result in consequences which may impact our lives in ways we might have never imagined.

Such is one of the underlying themes of the book, where the story explores how the unintended consequences of some of the choices we make can affect our lives.

The story of The Abortionist’s Daughter takes place in a small town in Colorado. When Diana Duprey, a famous abortion doctor, was found mysteriously murdered in her own house, it sparked off much controversy and her family inevitably finds itself in the center of it all – with her husband, Frank, being the prime suspect, having had a huge fight with her right before her murder. Diana’s daughter, Megan, also had a minor dispute with her mother in the morning of her murder, and her role in her mother’s death proved to be less inconsequential than she could have ever thought it would be.

With its intriguing title, one would have some expectations for the story to be as interesting as its name suggests. And the book certainly does not disappoint – with its rich plot, and the strong and descriptive language through which it was delivered, the book would keep you hooked from the first page all the way to the last. 

Like with any typical criminal case, you can’t get the full picture without seeing the story from different points of view, which was what the author used to bring out the themes in the book. Written in third-person, the story delves into the minds of the family members of the murdered doctor, showing the different thoughts and feelings they experienced over the course of the investigation, as well as some of the actions they took based on their feelings, and the consequences of the things they did. The author describes vividly the struggles the family experienced, and how their lives were changed by the incident, illustrating the impact some decisions may have on our lives. 

The story also explores many social and family issues, such as the consequences of pre-martial intercourse (evidently, as one can tell from the title) and how parenting affects the child. Readers need not worry about the story taking on too sombre a tone (as with certain murder-themed stories), as the story is interjected by thoughts and comments of some of the characters every now and then which lightens the overall mood. That said though, I do have a little warning: some scenes, and I’m talking non-murder ones here, are described rather explicitly so if you’re one of those that cannot stomach intimate stuff, I suggest you’d better brace yourself. 

With its original and compelling plot, The Abortionist’s Daughter is definitely a must-read for thriller-lovers. Many teenagers would also be able to relate well to Diana’s daughter as she goes through the adolescent phase of her life. There are many lessons to be learnt in the story, so even if you are not a big fan of thrillers, it would still be very worthwhile to check the book out.

~ e3m1n

An Education (2009) is a film written by Nick Hornby, based on a memoir of Lynn Barber. This ninety-minute movie was nominated for the Critics Choice Movie Awards 2010 under the category of ‘Best Picture’ and had its cast nominated for ‘Best Actress’ and ‘Best Supporting Actor’. The movie stars Carey Mulligan as Jenny Miller, and Peter Sarsgaard as David Goldman.

The story is set in the 1960s of Suburban England where sixteen-year-old Jenny aspires to be an Oxford University student and she craves  for another sort of life when she gets into university. When Jenny befriends thirty-five-year-old David, he opens up for her, a broader view of the cultured lifestyle she desires for, and brings her to concerts, auctions and high-class Cafés. Soon, Jenny loses interests in her school work and quits school after David proposes to her, thinking that David could give her a better life and that there is no point in studying anymore.  The climax of the movie really begins when Jenny realises that David is not the man she thought he was and that David is actually a married man. Jenny finally understood that education comes from experiences and there are really no shortcuts in life.

I felt that the ‘feel’ of the whole movie was really great. The director- Lone Scherfig, took special effort into ensuring that every prop used during the movies were all appropriate for the 1960s era, such as the vintage cars and the costumes worn by the characters.  The use of music of the film also added a nice artistic touch to the whole thing. Also, the pacing of the movie was rather slow but I guess that it was intentional so as to allow the audience to slowly blend into Jenny’s life and hence we would be able to relate to her during the movie. I would also like to commend on Carey Mulligan’s acting as Jenny Miller. I felt that Carey did a great job as she managed to show a smooth transition of Jenny maturing and becoming wiser as she went through her experiences with David Goldman. Mulligan really deserves her nomination as the ‘Best Actress’ in the Critics Choice Movie Awards 2010. From this movie, audiences can also expect some slight sense of humour between the dialogues of characters, a few heartbreaking scenes and many fantastic sceneries (of Paris and England in its 1960s) captured  by Scherfig.

Overall, this film is really fresh and the storyline is really unique. I am sure that everyone will be able to relate to this movie especially teenagers. This movie definitely leaves audiences with some food for thought.(Does education only mean information learnt from textbooks, or can it also come from our daily experiences? Getting into a good university may matter, but are there any other important things in life that we have to experience? Are there any shortcuts in life? ) This movie is a definite must-see!

Rating: 8/10

-Miriam