Sneha Jaiswal's Blog, page 261

Kicking off ‘Pride Month’ With Gaysia

June is observed as ‘Pride Month’ in America, but that has never stopped the rest of the world from bringing out the rainbow flags and celebrating the spirit of the LGBTQ community; a community that continues to be marginalized and denied basic rights in several countries.

At ‘Abstract AF’ we will be doing a lot of LGBTQ+ themed write-ups, largely book and movie reviews (yes, the usual) throughout the month of June. I couldn’t have picked up a better book to review and recommend – ‘Gaysia’ a non-fiction novel by Benjamin Law. Non-fiction books are often deemed boring, dry, scholastic, but ‘Gaysia’ is wildly entertaining, informative, funny and witty.

Sample the first paragraph from the introduction –

Of all the continents, Asia is the gayest. Deep down, you’ve probably had your suspicions all along, and I’m here to tell you those suspicions are correct

Gaysia by Benjamin Law

It immediately put a smile on my face, and the simplistic explanation that follows it up was even more hilarious. Simple truths are funny after all. In the book, Benjamin Law gives us a glimpse to the LGBTQ community in seven countries – Indonesia, Thailand, China, Japan, Malaysia, Myanmar and India. In each nation, Law meets icons and trailblazers of the community and explores different facets of gay life.

The novel starts off in a nudist ‘men-only’ hotel in Indonesia and ends with a colourful pride parade in the streets of India. While the Indonesian chapter lulls the reader into believing the book is all about sex and dicks, the tone keeps changing quite drastically with each country. The Thailand section is all about the famed ‘lady-boys’ and the author tracks a high-profile beauty pageant meant for Transgenders, meeting some very interesting people, whose glamorous exteriors betray the difficulties they face in their private lives.

Benjamin Law’s China visit was the bleakest of them all, where most people do not even acknowledge the existence of those who do not conform to hetero-normative relationships. We get an interesting inside view to how welfare groups and online communities skirt the draconian government and reach out to queer individuals in need of help and counselling. To those living in privilege first-world countries, some of the accounts narrated in ‘Gaysia’ can be a big eye-opener. Law tells all these stories with a lot of love and empathy and his patience as a gay writer shines through the most when he is dealing with those who are hostile to non-heterosexuals.

From fabulous drag queens to old men who can ‘cure’ homosexuality, this bright book is filled with interesting individuals, with a breezy paragraphs explaining various aspects of Asian culture, community and attitude towards those who are not ‘straight’. It’s a 4/5 from me.

Please check out our podcast on YouTube by the same name – Abstract AF

Listen to episode 29 for some fun movie recommendations.

Cinema Bandi Review – Celebrates Indie Spirit

When a poor auto-driver finds an expensive camera in his vehicle, he decides to make a film in his village, in the dreams of making a indie film that will reap him millions. This is the plot of the 2021 Telugu film ‘Cinema Bandi’ directed by Praveen Kandregula, which was released on Netflix this May.

The story largely unfolds in a remote village setting, where people live frugal lives and power cuts are normal. Veerababu (Vikas Vasistha) is a driver, who barely makes enough to provide for his family and is struggling to pay off the loan for his auto. He teams up with his friend Ganapthy, an amateur wedding photographer, to make a small film in their village. The rest is about how this duo struggles to find a cast, figure out camera operations and make their dream film.

‘Cinema Bandi’ has a authentic touch to it, with characters that are simple and relatable. Nobody in the cast looks out of place in the village ambience, each actor slipping into the skin of their scripted alter-egos with ease. Director Praveen Kandregula captures the essence of rural life in a light hearted & touching manner – especially their simplicity, hospitality and community kinship. There are several hilarious moments that truly reflect the kind of passions and pomposity people can nurture within themselves.

To anybody who has ever lived in South-India, the movie offers a nostalgic slice of life. For those looking for a fast-paced drama piece, the leisurely spread out plot could test their patience. It has none of the usual exaggerations, melodrama or masala of the typical Tollywood flick. At the heart of it, ‘Cinema Bandi’ celebrates the spirit of independent (indie) filmmakers, sending across a message that “everybody is a story-teller at heart”.

There is a parallel plot running alongside Veerababu’s story, that of the owner of the lost camera, who is desperately looking for it, because she had bought it with her hard-earned money. The camera-owner side-story felt cosmetic and came across as a bit of a hack-job. Although, in the end, her part is tied up neatly to the main story.

The climax is believable, sweet and emotional, leaving the viewer in good spirits. It’s a 7/10 from me.

Please check out our podcast on YouTube by the same name – Abstract AF

Listen to episode 29 for some fun movie recommendations.

10 Book Reviews Under 10 Minutes – May Edition

Looking for some interesting book recommendations? From fiction, non-fiction, to some intriguing graphic novels – listen to episode 33 of Abstract AF’s podcast for quick reviews of 10 books. Maybe you’ll find something that could be your next pick –

Femme Magnifique – Quick Book Review

Femme Magnifigue is a graphic novel/comic complication about 50 iconic women. But each story and artwork is done by a different writer and artist, so be prepared for a varied art-style throughout the book.

While the women featured in the book are from all walks of life that you can possibly imagine, there are singers, actors, journalists, astronauts, marine biologists, comediennes and even v-loggers. The diverse tales are thrilling but a lot of them were very rushed and didn’t do justice to the protagonists. Some of them are just as short as three pages and merited more space.

Nevertheless, ‘Femme Magnifique’ is a very interesting book and introduces the reader to many achievers who didn’t get the kind of spotlight they deserved. If you have a curious mind, you’ll constantly find yourself taking a pause after most stories and looking up their names on the internet to get to know more about them.

A similar and far more inspirational book is one titled “Brazen” by Penelope Bagieu, which tells the story of 40 intriguing women and both the storytelling and artwork is a joy to look at. “Brazen” was a 5/5 for me, “Femme Magnifique” is a 3.5/5.

Please check our podcast by the same name on YouTube – AbstractAF.

If you are a graphic-novel enthusiast, listen in to Episode 15

A Princess Remembers – The Memoir of an ‘Accidental’ Trailblazer

‘A Princess Remembers’ is the memoir of the famous Gayatri Devi, who was the Queen of Jaipur, a princely state in India until it became a unified democratic nation.

The copy I read belongs to my mother, a lot of women from her generation were quite enamored by the personality of the ‘Maharani of Jaipur’. It’s easy to see why – despite the exceedingly opulent & privileged life she led, she was way ahead of her time. While most of her royal peers were anonymous behind the ‘purdah system’, the beautiful Gayatri Devi didn’t hide behind a veil and drove around town in fancy cars.

Unfortunately, her memoir isn’t as exciting as one might expect it to be; on the contrary, it’s quite dull in all its pedantic details of a decadent royal lifestyle. Gayatri Devi was an accidental trailblazer, she was incredibly fortunate to have been born into a more liberal/modern royal family of Cooch Behar and was married into the more prominent Jaipur royal line. If anybody, it was her mother princess Indira Raje, who had been much more bolder for her time and had made the Jaipur King promise he wouldn’t chain her daughter Gayatri to the claustrophobic customs of his more traditional land. Even her political career was a bit of a fluke, caused due to a series of casual events, with the Queen herself having no intentions of ever fighting an actual election.

Much of the first part of the book is filled with details of Gayatri Devi’s life before her wedding and can really bore the reader to sleep. She describes their lavish lives, their retinue of ‘servants’, their pets, their hunting expeditions and what not. And at points she is almost defensive of that ridiculously rich and luxurious life. For example, if she talked of killing a tiger, the reader would be informed that it was a man-eating beast terrorizing villagers. It’s like she strives to be diplomatic, cautious in her story, making most of her life sound pretty picture-perfect. The only major setback in Gayatri Devi’s life was her imprisonment during the emergency imposed in the 1970s by the then PM Indira Gandhi. By then Gayatri Devi was on the heavier side of 50s and had lived a dream-like easy life.

It’s because of her political career that the second-half is a little more interesting; we finally get some interesting insights into her life as a parliamentarian and the political-scape of the time. Pick the book up only if royal memoirs interest you.

Please check out our podcast on YouTube by the same name – Abstract AF

Listen in to Episode 32 to understand the cryptic ending of a Murakami Novel…

‘Demon Slayer: Mugen Train’ Review – Picks Up Steam After Slow Start

(This review contains story spoilers.)

This is a movie that generated a truckload of hype among anime watchers across the globe. Partly because it took way too long to reach international audiences, and because most fans of the anime decided to wait for almost a year instead of pirating a trashy copy. The movie is a direct sequel to 2019’s runaway hit Demon Slayer (Kimetsu No Yaiba). This means two things – you need to have watched the first season of the anime, and you need to watch the movie if you’re eyeing season two, which drops later this year. 

That brings us to the first and most important warning. This movie is NOT beginner friendly. It makes no attempt to summarize the previous season or at least give you a basic idea of what’s what. That’s something you will have to figure out for yourself. It doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy it, but chances are you might feel pretty much lost about the story if you’re going in blind. So I highly recommend getting at least a little familiar with the premise if you want to experience the movie as it is meant to be.

Let me give you some context very quickly. There are demons and there are demon slayers (no points for guessing). The demons feed on humans and are immortal beings with regenerative powers that would put Wolverine to shame. There are a few ways to knock them off, but the most common ones are exposing them to sunlight or lopping their head off with a nichirin blade. Stronger demons can also use their own unique kind of blood magic. The twelve most elite of them are called the Demon Moons, divided neatly into six Lower Moons and six Uppers based on their power level. And above all of them, stands the first and the greatest demon to ever exist – Muzan Kibutsuji. On the other hand, demon slayers are swordsmen with nichirin blades who use breathing techniques and a rather painful training regimen to counter the demons’ superhuman strength. The strongest among them are called the Hashira, slayers who can imbue their sword skills with the element their breathing is based on.

And so we come to the present story. By the end of the first season, the Lower Moons are all dead. All but one – the demon Enmu, who’s got some nice bangs but looks like he’s perpetually stoned. Tanjiro Kamado, the protagonist, and his little squad of slayers are ordered to get on a train and investigate reports of people going missing aboard it. The movie begins with Tanjiro, Inosuke, and Zenitsu looking for Kyojuro the Flame Hashira, who’s supposed to be waiting for them in one of the coaches.

The first one-third of the movie is comparatively slow.  The story progresses, but not much, and most of it is centered around our main characters asleep under the demon’s spell and trapped in their own dreamscapes. The pacing is that of a multi-episode show, and this part is what I call the ‘noob-breaker’. In other words, this is where first-timers are very likely to close the video and decide to watch something else. For those willing to endure, the movie uses this chance to give us Kyojuro’s backstory and try to flesh him out as a character, while Tanjiro gets to be with his long-lost family. 

Kyojuro’s backstory was pretty clichéd and nothing out of the ordinary, although it was relatable to some extent. The idea here, it seems, was for the usual heroes to take a backseat while viewers could spend their time knowing and connecting to the Flame Hashira. Still, it did feel like the story dragged on for a bit. But when Tanjiro manages to break the spell and the action begins, boy, does it get good! The pacing changes, the music changes, and all of a sudden you’re not dozing before the screen anymore! 

Calling the animation brilliant would be an understatement. Ufotable, the studio behind this movie, is is one of Japan’s best, and for good reason. I mean, their regular shows look like high-budget, movie-grade productions, their assets are top notch, and their action sequences are worth dying for. 

For Mugen Train, they’ve combined their signature soft blur technique from shows like Fate Zero and God Eater and combined it with Demon Slayer’s own traditional ukiyo-e inspired art style, enhancing it even further. In fact, I found myself rewinding or pausing the video every now and then to admire a beautifully-composed scene for a little longer. Including the very first ten seconds of the movie. Pair that with Yuki Kajiura’s haunting, adrenaline-pumping soundtrack, and you have an audio-visual delight that’s best experienced on a large screen.

At the time of writing this review, I have re-watched the movie thrice already. The experience has been nothing short of excellent, although the ending felt a little too over-dramatic. They could’ve cut down on the emotion factor there because it ends up feeling a little too forced.

I’d probably say as a standalone work, the movie does hold its own, even if it isn’t exactly what I’d call a masterpiece. But it would be unfair to rate it as a standalone movie, because it clearly wasn’t meant to be one. Was the hype worth it? Absolutely. Is it better than Spirited Away, the Ghibli classic it dethroned? I don’t think so.

As a bridge between season one and two, Infinity Train does a spectacular job of adapting the manga’s Mugen Train arc to film, while thoroughly satisfying fans of the franchise and keeping them excited enough for the second season.

The only thing I regret is not being able to watch it in a movie hall.

RATING: 8/10

Please check out our podcast on YouTube by the same name – Abstract AF

Listen to episode 29 for some fun movie recommendations.

You can find Ashley Suvarna on Instagram & Twitter. He also does book reviews at The Flitting Bookma rk.

‘Wonder’ Book Review – A Lesson In Kindness

Shall we make a new rule for life… always to try to be a little kinder than is necessary?

The Little White Bird by J M Barry

It’s funny how the most powerful quote in a fiction book can be from another book, like in the case of ‘Wonder’ by RJ Palacio. Some readers may find the above quoted line by J M Barry to be the most moving bit in the novel. Although, that is by no means implying that Palacio is not a talented author, far from it.

In ‘Wonder’, the author has given the world a new book to cherish, without using magic potions, flying brooms and teleportation wardrobes. This story about August Pullman, a boy born with a rare facial condition, is sweet, emotional and warm. Just the kind that makes for great bed-time reading. Spread over several short chapters, we are pulled into the home-tutored August’s new adventure – going to middle-school with other kids. School is never easy, but with a rare face like Auggie, will he find more bullies than buddies? You’ll have to read the book to find out.

Written in easy English and told from the perspectives of different characters, it’s a breezy story to read. Although, stylistically, most of the kids sound pretty much the same, even though the author does try to make the writing slightly different each time some a different voice takes over to carry the tale forward. But it doesn’t really affect the reading experience, it’s just something that might strike avid readers.

With a loving family at the center of it all, ‘Wonder’ is all about love, friendships and kindness. Some of you might have already seen the movie adaptation of the book starring Julia Roberts, Owen Wilson and Jacob Tremblay, which was just as sweet as the book. While the Pullman family story is primarily meant for younger readers, it’s an emotional ride that would win over an older demographic too.

It’s a 5/5 from me.

Check out our podcast by the same name on Youtube – Abstract AF!

Listen in to episode 7 for some book recommendations. And do subscribe.

The Robot Zombie From ‘Army of the Dead’

Stumbled upon a Zack Snyder interview to entertainment site Polygon where he talks about having an insane idea for the sequel to his 2021 film ‘Army of the Dead’ that is now available to stream on Netflix.

During the conversation about the movie, Snyder discusses some easter-eggs and then asks the interviewer if they spotted a ‘robot zombie’.

“How about the robot zombie? Did you catch those?” he says with a sinister chuckle. I did not, in fact, catch the robot zombies.

Excerpt from the Polygon interview

Well, the Polygon interviewer may not have spotted the robot zombies, but we did! Right when we saw the film for the first and only time. It was during a chaotic zombie-fighting sequence, where the hero Dave Bautista and his crew are trying to ward off the flesh-eaters.

“Was that a robot zombie?!” we had even exclaimed out to each other, because when one of the Zombies was hit with the bullet, it did not bleed, but let off sparks like it was The Terminator. We didn’t think much of it and went with the flow and then by some providence, I stumbled upon the Polygon interview!

Anyway, we made a video out of the zombie robot sequence, so that you won’t have to hunt for it –

Also Read: ‘Army of the Dead’ Review – Faster Zombies Can’t Beat Sluggish Script

Also Read: How Was The First Zombie Created in ‘Army of the Dead’?

Another Book Joke – 56 Page Blank Book On PM Modi’s ‘Secrets’ on Growth Published

A journalist friend of mine who fact-checks news items and posts that go viral online texted me asking if I could quickly check if a book titled ‘MASTERSTROKE: 420 secrets that helped PM in India’s employment growth!’ was a blank book. The author’s name was a pseudonym – Berozgar Bhakt (Unemployed Devotee).

Of-course it was blank. 56 pages completely blank. No back cover. In-fact, even the front cover doesn’t show up when you download the book on your kindle device. I have a kindle-unlimited subscription, so I was able to download the silly e-book for free. On the right side of the image below, you can see a screenshot of the book from my kindle app for phones. Blank pages. It’s a book joke all right.

The book was published on May 23rd 2021, just two days after another Indian published a book called “Nice!!!” with nothing but the word “Nice” repeated over its pages.

Yes, Amazon will let you publish anything. They do not have the time to quality-check thousands of books that are self-published every day. Here’s a look inside the book on Modi and some hilarious 5 star reviews of the blank book –

Nice!!! – This Book With One Word Has More Reviews Than Most Indie Authors Do

A book titled ‘Nice!!!’ which was published as a Reddit joke by an Indian called Aniket Mishra has more reviews within 4 days on Amazon than some self-published independent authors can dream of in a lifetime. Published on 21st May 2021, the book is about 30 pages long and just has the word ‘nice’ printed repeatedly. It costs Rs 69 (about 99 cents), is not even available on Kindle Unlimited (a paid subscription that allows readers to borrow ebooks for free on kindle) and already has over 20 reviews/ratings.

There was no way I was going to spend any money on the book to see what was inside, so the ‘download sample’ option on the Kindle app came handy. And here is what the inside of the book looks like, along with what the ‘author’ had to say on reddit about it.

It’s only available as a e-book for now and if you have a dollar to spare and nothing better to do, you could even gift the e-book as a joke to a friend. Although, the thing is, this is not the first time somebody has tried to pull a joke like this. It’s a pretty old gag really, many have “been there done that”.

One of the most famous example is that of Author Shed Simove, who published a book called “What Every Man Thinks About Apart From Sex” way back in 2011. It contains nothing but 200 blank pages, as you would seen in a screenshot below taken from the author’s twitter feed. And he is not even kidding about the fact that the blank book has been ‘translated’ into eight languages. Basically, just the cover page title has been translated into other languages, so people from other countries can gift the book as a joke to their friends or family. Maybe now you have a ‘secret santa’ gift idea too.

Amazon actually even has a disclaimer on the title for unsuspecting readers who might end up buying it with bigger expectations.

So yeah, there is nothing ‘new’ about someone deciding to be all smart and funny and publishing a book with just one word in it, or better yet – no words at all. But with ‘Nice!!!’ raking up 20+ reviews, it’s clear that the joke is working and has takers.

And the bit about the average review ratio is not an exaggeration. Thousands of titles are self-published via Amazon’s ‘Kindle Direct Publishing’ platform and the online giant does very little to control the quality of what’s being produced. It’s a boon and a bane. Which is why a lot of independent authors are constantly wondering how they can get readers to buy their books and leave reviews. You have entire threads on various social-media portals where writers try to figure out what works and what doesn’t work for their book. Sample this tweet by independent author Cadence Beth Bereseford who asked fellow writers about their sales versus review ratio on Amazon. She has written 4 books, which managed to get 25 reviews in total, with the maximum reviews for one book being 8.

I am an independent author, and my debut book was a poetry collection called ‘Death & Darker Realms’ which came out in December 2019. It has 40 poems, is over 60 pages in length and still has less than 20 reviews on Amazon.

Struggling self-published authors might not find the book joke all that ‘nice’, but hey, it’s a weird-weird world out there and things are most definitely not very nice all the time. If you are a e-book reader, you have been informed and forewarned.