Sneha Jaiswal's Blog, page 261

Bloom – Graphic Novel Review

Book number 37 for the year – “Bloom” by Kevin Panetta & Savanna Ganucheau. It’s a breezy book about teen Ari, who is dying to get out of his home-town to pursue a career in music. But his parents want him around to help with their ailing family bakery. When Ari attempts to find a replacement for himself, little does he know the move would change his life in different ways.

Ari symbolizes a lot of us ‘small town kids’, who often dream of going to the big city, hoping to strike some gold ir fame. However, more often than not, those dreams are not even ours. On some level, Ari just wants to run away from his responsibilities, hoping to find some sort of magic life in a far off city. Author Kevin Panetta weaves in relatable characters and relationships. And the art by Savanna Ganucheau is lively, cute and makes “Bloom” unputdownable. I only wish there were more colours in the panels. The whole graphic novel is only in shades of blue-green, which gives it a gloomy tone, even though the plot is largely bright and happy. There’s a lot of baking and the pages might make you crave for things you don’t have easy access to – like blueberry cookies.

Apart from all the baking, the sweetest thing in “Bloom” is Hector, the other protagonist in the book, who is easily the most likable character, he loves to bake, is hard-working, punctual, sweet and most importantly – dependable. In Hector we get a confident young gay man, who is sure of what he wants in life and has no emotional insecurities. Such characters are slightly rare in mainstream LGBTQ+ content. It’s obviously nice to have flawed/relatable characters, but once in a while, an almost perfect idealistic character is good to have too. Fiction is supposed to be an escape from reality after all.

Pick up ‘Bloom’, if you are looking for a sweet little tale that reminds you of the sun, sand and delicious baked goodies.

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

If you want graphic novel recommendations, listen to episode 15. 

Save Ralph – Waititi’s New Rabbit Story Stings

Sometimes, YouTube just knows what to recommend to you on your feed. Like Taika Waititi’s 2021 short animated film ‘Save Ralph’, which had a rabbit on the thumbnail. A lot of us who know the director from the award-winning ‘Jo Jo Rabbit’ probably didn’t think twice before clicking ‘watch’ on the video.

The four minute-short film is a stinging satire about a rabbit called Ralph, who takes us through a typical day in his ‘work life’. It’s such a small powerful film that revealing anything more than that would be a spoiler. But the stop-motion animation is brilliant, with bright pastel shades that betrays the dark theme of Ralph’s story.

‘Save Ralph’ is short, satiric and a scathing look at one of the most exploitative industries in the world – an industry that feeds on our insecurities. The powerful little story would move any viewer into thinking twice about a lot of things. If you haven’t seen it yet, please do. Embedding the short-film below.

Heaven Official’s Blessing – Quick Review

Since the 2020 anime series ‘Heaven Official’s Blessing’ is now on Netflix, here’s a quick belated review of the series to help you decide if you should watch it or not.

The story follows the adventures of a Chinese deity called Xie Lian, who doesn’t have a lot of worshipers and spends his time in the mortal realm trying to gain more followers. Xie Lian soon begins to encounter one strange event after the other and his fate seems to be intertwined with a powerful ghost king.

The series has been adapted from a novel by the same by name by author Mo Xiang Tong Xiu. She is the author of ‘Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation’, and if you’ve seen and liked that series, you’ll most definitely like this one too.

For those who are not used to watching/reading Chinese anime, it might be slightly confusing at first, but things get easier, fun and entertaining. There’s something amusing about watching a “God” live like a pauper, while fighting demons with a mysterious young man on his side.

Animated by the Haoliners Animation League, this series is visually quite stunning to look at. Some scenes look like water-paintings in motion. The animation makes this fantasy fiction story even more intriguing to watch. Don’t go in looking for romance, because it’s more about gods, demons, wars, generals and vengeance. Eleven episodes long, the protagonists in the show take on some might opponents, each with their own unique back-story. For example, in the first few episodes, Xie Lian tries to crack the mystery of a ‘ghost groom’, who keeps kidnapping brides. There’s plenty of subtle comic-relief in between.

While the show explores some dark themes, has a lot of blood and deaths, the overall mood is light; perhaps because of the overtly-optimistic hero Xie Lian. He is a balanced character, level-headed, calm and endearing. The banter between the lead pair is playful throughout, without being emotional or cringe-y at any point.

By the time I was done watching this series, I felt completely cheated because I wanted at least 10 more episodes. As a viewer you feel like you’ve only been half-way through a film and were evicted out of the theater mid-movie. Cannot wait for a season two. Don’t have a choice. It’s a 8/10 from me.

Check out podcast show on Youtube by the same name – AbstractAF

Listen in, show support and do subscribe to the channel (embedded below)

‘Minus One’ – Poetry Book Review

Finished reading book number 36 for the year – a poetry collection called “Minus One” by Elizabeth Merry. The stark black and white cover of this book is quite in contrast with the varied themes and colors of life the author explores through in it. So don’t be betrayed by the emptiness of the cover and tread into the world of Merry’s poetry.

Most poems deal with the themes of death and loss. I read all of them at least twice, sometimes more, to be able to read between the lines; to understand the despair and the eventual reconciliation to a life without the things one is used to. Perhaps a strict parent; a distant lover or a dear child.

Life and death co-exist in this book, I liked how Merry breathes life into something as inanimate as a laptop, which has perhaps become a more intimate object to people than people themselves. The longer free-form poems were a joy to read. There are a few Haikus in the collection too, and since I am not a big fan of the Haiku style, I was glad there weren’t many.

The one titled ‘My Sorrow’ was one of the most poignant poem in the collection, where the author talks of the fear of growing old, of losing one’s mind and having no other option but to accept that fate. Here are the first few lines from it –

“So now I know and

Must accept my fate

The sear of ice is

Burning in my breast…”

The poem echoes a universal anxiety that comes with age, because no loss is greater than losing your sense of self. While largely on the darker side, ‘Minus One’ is an ode to life and its ironies.

“My peers accept

Mortality

But what has that

To do with me?”

Merry asks in her last poem, and it’s deliciously ironic. It’s like the poet decided to have the last laugh as they ended the book. Well, mortality is most definitely not the business of any writer, since they will live on in their works. Considering it’s still “National Poetry Month” in America, pick up a copy of “Minus One” if you are looking to discover new voices. It’s a 4/5 from me.

Do check Abstract AF’s Podcast show on Youtube.

Here’s a poetry themed episode from the show –

‘The Haunting of Bly Manor’ Review – Blyndingly Boring

The 2020 Netflix show ‘The Haunting of Bly Manor’ is a horror-drama about an ‘au pair’ (fancy word for nanny) who finds herself looking after two creepy kids living in a huge house filled with multiple ghosts.

Created by Mike Flanagan, this mini-series is only one season long, with nine episodes, but you’ll feel nine years older after you are done watching it. For seasoned horror fans, Bly Manor is blindingly boring and has been wrongly marketed as a ‘horror series’.

I list 10 reasons why this Netflix series is boring AF and just doesn’t work for some of us. Listen to the podcast episode and please subscribe –

Another Day

Our anxieties are invisible
like a stabbing in the gut
Unlike the ooze of a cut
On the skin of our lies

You’ve been breathing
And we’ve been fine
We’ve been waiting
For no word, no sign

If we cannot find home
in the stillness of our voice
It’s pointless to roam
In search for some light

Even birds abandon nests
After they learn to fly
Fledging too soon… fatal
We could fall, we could die

Do check Abstract AF’s Podcast show on Youtube.

Here’s a poetry themed episode from the show –

‘The Walking Dead’ Vs ‘Army of the Dead’

Zack Snyder had the world talking about the ‘Snyder Cut’ of the Justice League Film and then got us all shift out focus to his 2021 zombie themed film ‘Army of the Dead’. This at a time when horror fans already have enough of zombie themed content on their plate; like the 10+ seasons of ‘The Walking Dead’.

So what different can you expect from the Zack Snyder film? We discuss five ways in which the two zombie universes differ from each other in the latest episode of ‘Abstract AF’ the podcast. Listen in and please subscribe to the channel on YouTube.

The Trouble With Women – Quick Book Review

Book number 35 for the year – “The Trouble With Women” by Jacky Flemin. I randomly stumbled upon this title while looking for affordable graphic novels. The name was obviously triggering for a second (trouble with women? excuse me – we are perfect). Then I noticed it was by a woman author. “Ooh, interesting, a satire!” I thought and clicked ‘buy’ immediately.

While the book wasn’t exactly what I expected, it was hilarious, wittily expostulating wise old men and their arguments on why women could never be their intellectual equals. Flemin takes a dig at many a male “genius” in her comic panels, that could upset a certain audience. While I was hoping for a story of some sort, it read like a fun ‘black & white’ comic strip you come across in newspapers. Flemin’s art-style is caricature like, not exaggerated, but Chaplinesque, as if you are watching a comedy-of-errors unfolding on the pages.

The author begins hilariously by stating how there were no women in the “olden days”, which is why you don’t get to read about them in history text-books. She then goes on to talk of why there are such few women ‘geniuses’ and the role men played in keeping it that way.

One needs to take “The Trouble With Women” with a pinch of salt and revel in the humour. Loved this little book and would recommend it to those who know a joke when they see it.

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

If you want graphic novel recommendations, listen to episode 15. And do subscribe!

Am I There Yet? – Quick Book Review

Book number 34 for this year – “Am I There Yet?” by Mari Andrew. This book was somewhere between “self-help” and “personal diary”. It took me three days to finish, because it was challenging to keep my interest alive over its content.

Most of the book is like a guide about how to survive your twenties. The author talks about her personal trials and thoughts on dating, travelling, doodling and how she found her calling. So there are a lot of anecdotes, sprinkled with doodles and charts in between. For me, the pages were neither relatable nor interesting. There were a few times that I just wanted to stop reading, but soldiered on. Although skipping some boring paragraphs was inevitable.

All that said, one can understand why this book is a ‘New York Tines bestseller’, because it’s perhaps very “American”. A lot of young U.S women/men might find it funny, relatable or even comforting. However, for a lot of other readers, the content could come across as generic self-help stuff that they’ve already heard too often. Too tedious.

Another problem with the book was the fact that I had expected more doodles and was disappointed with how text heavy it was, considering it is categorized under “comics & graphic novels”. It’s a little misleading for readers. Not just that, the doodles were too plain, repetitive and not fun to look at.

Well, “Am I There Yet” is just not for my shelf (the paperback I read was borrowed) and wouldn’t recommend it. But if it sounds like something you would be interested in, go ahead, order a copy.

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

If you want some good graphic novel recommendations, listen to episode 15. And do subscribe!

‘Nezha Reborn’ Review – Remixed AF!

Confession time – I enjoyed the 2021 Netflix animated film ‘Nezha Reborn’ more than anybody should have, while two of my housemates looked at me in judgment, bored out of their brains, exacerbated by the fact that I wouldn’t stop streaming the film on Netflix.

Directed by Ji Zhao, ‘Nezha Reborn’ is a remix/rehashed collage of so many films that it can stir up a lot of amused nostalgia for movie-goers. Here are a list of things certain scenes can remind you of –

The 2004 Bollywood film Dhoom The 2010 Hollywood film ‘Despicable Me’Mortal Combat the game Shaolin Temple (1982 Chinese Film)The Karate Kid Ramayan (The Hindu Epic)The Mask (The cartoon that used to come on Cartoon Network)Iron Man Spider-man (more specifically, a villain reminded me of Dr Octopus)A lot of Bollywood and Chinese films that I saw as a kid

Let’s talk about the plot – it’s about a young man called Li Yunxiang, who has a dubious job and likes to race bikes in his free time, and unknown to him, he is also the reincarnation of a fiery arrogant God called Nezha. As the story progresses, Li Yunxiang finds himself at loggerheads with Nezha’s old foes – the dragon king and his clan. Can Li channel his inner Nezha to defeat enemies and win over his family? That forms the rest of the plot.

The animated characters are pretty to look at, but some of them are drawn so similarly, that as a viewer you could get confused over who is who. There is a Monkey-like character, who is exuberant and seems to have been inspired from the Hindu deity ‘Hanuman’. That character was the most fun to watch – impish, witty, wise; he helps Li in understanding Nezha’s history and powers. Upon further reading, it turned out that the Chinese have a ‘monkey king’ in their mythology too and he is called “Sun Wukong”. According to a site called “Mythopedia”, Sun Wukong was a shape-shifting trickster God with superhuman strength. Sounds exactly like the monkey from the film.

(Picture of the Monkey King Sun. Source: Brooklyn Museum/Public Domain.)

“Nezha Reborn” is peppered with mythology, Nezha himself is a Chinese deity, who is believed to be based on the Hindu deity Krishna, more specifically baby Krishna. In the film, Nezha is said to be powerful, mischievous and destructive child God. But not too much is explained about his origins. And that’s one of the biggest problems with film – the makers try to stuff in a little bit of everything, so nothing gets enough attention. Also, the setting was a bizarre mix of an ancient dynasty and a post-modern world. So while on one hand you had houses and hospitals that looked like they belonged to the 16th century, on the other hand you had 21st century super-bikes zooming past them. While as a viewer one understands it’s a fictional fantasy world, the confusing landscape made the story look silly.

The movie is a little too long, melodramatic and of-course – predictable. Although, kids who like action films might enjoy it. For adults who have already seen a lot of stories in the action genre, it doesn’t work.

It’s a 5/10 from me. Although, if I chose to be biased, I would probably give it a generous 7/10.

Do check out our podcast on Youtube by the same name – AbstractAF

Listen to episode 23, show support and subscribe to the channel.