Thrust: a worthy sequel

Many people are familiar with Herbie Hancock’s famous album Head Hunter’s, few however few are familiar with many of the albums proceeding it. One of the best of these albums is the follow up to Head Hunter’s, Thrust. Although this album has many similarities to the Head Hunter’s, it has a number of differences that set it apart. At the same time Thrust still contains many of the elements that allowed Head Hunter’s to be an amazing album. This album is accomplished due to the fast that it is very similar in many good ways to Head Hunter’s, while at the same time being different enough to please the listener.

Thrust is a Jazz-fusion album that mixes Jazz with elements of Funk, to create a seamless blend of the two styles. The style of this album is very similar to that Hancock’s that of his previous album Head Hunter’s or Mile’s Davis’s Bitch’s Brew (which inspired Hancock strongly). This album can be counted as both as Jazz and Funk album due to the elements it borrows from both. At the same time it carries a unique sound style of later Hancock work’s, which set it apart from other fusion albums of it’s kind.

The instrumentation of Thrust as with Head Hunter’s sets Hancock’s albums is one big element that differs from most other fusion albums. To create his layered grove Hancock appoints roles to various instruments much like in Funk album. The bass line is typically played by Paul Jackson’s funky electric bass, the tasty percussionist Bill Summers and, the grooving drummer Mike Clark. The bass groove sets up the setting and, feel of the piece. The next level up is usually a series of harmonic hits, usually played by Bennie Maupin and/or Hancock. Then there is a melody that occurs most often at the beginning and ending of the piece, which consist once again of either Bennie Maupin and/or Herbie Hancock. Lastly there is a soloist parts played by Hancock or Maupin playing over this groove and, many times accompanied by the harmonic hits. It is clear that there is a lot of use of overdubbing to cover all the parts. There is also a wide variety of synthesizers (many of which were different from those in Head Hunter’s) and, keyboards used by Hancock as well as a number of various reeds played by Maupin. Without this complex system of layering it would be difficult to make sense of the various parts and get the same effect during the solo breaks.

This combination makes for a wild and, sometimes raw with mix of complex rhythms and ideas developed over a Funk groove. The groove lines are so strong that they can act on their own or, can underline a solo as background (Hancock does both frequently). They are so much a part of the songs that they many times are used in the melody and, that the entire piece relies upon them to function. In Thrust there is a much strong emphasize on form and, melody then there is in Head Hunter’s. The melody of Thrust is usually based upon the rhythm lines, with perhaps the exception of Butterfly. This both has the effect of organizing the piece a bit more for the listener and, at the same time reducing the wild nature of the music a bit. Hancock likes to use a lot more cosmic sounding like synth. to transition or as background in this album then in his previous works. Perhaps the most interesting element to this album is how solos are handled, solo breaks are (or at least feel) very extended and, solos are given time to develop as far as the soloist wishes for them to. At the same time the constant rhythm lines and the added in dubs all works support the power and, intensity. This has the effect of making the groove during the backgrounds just as important if not more important then the actual solos themselves and, makes the solo feel much more like group interaction.

This album I feel is every bit as good as Head Hunter’s and, has many features of it’s own merit. What sets this album apart really comes from it’s ability to mix elements of Jazz and Funk, taking layering approaches and, groves from Funk and, complex rhythm of and sound qualities from Jazz and, mix of chord changes from both genera’s. It would be hard for me to recommend this album more then Head Hunter’s, but it is clearly at the same level as Head Hunter’s. It surprises me that this album is so much less discussed about then Head Hunter’s. This is the type of album that you’ll love if you’re a big fan of groove Jazz or, Funk.

Disappearance Diary: You should find this book

There is no book released in America I have even seen that is similar in theme or art style found in Disappearance Diary. It is definitely a MUST READ for a number of reasons and despite being pricy and, hard to find is well worth finding. This manga is special for a number of reasons and, benefits by not done in the conventional way manga is written. It’s very accurate account, despite the manga’s own warning that it is a less unpleasant of the story it depicts, it does a surprisingly good job of conveying the true picture while keeping it self up beat. Azuma is a great storyteller because he is willing to share the facts regarding events even when it reflects negatively upon himself, and is able to poke fun at himself and the people around him that might normally seem glum.

The art within Disappearance Diary serves a different purpose that of typical of manga because it conveys a true story. Disappearance Diary has the challenge of both expressing humor and, at the same showing an accurate account of parts of Hideo Asuma’s life story, where many points would normally seem extremely depressing. The art does a surprisingly good job doing both at the same time without losing much impact of the events. To create a sense of comedy within art style is done in a chibi like style and gives off a warm feeling, even in very uncomfortable situations. At the same time it is realistic and, does well in depicting unpleasant elements such as alcohol problems, smoking, uneasy social interactions and, editorial pressure. What really hits you about this work is it’s use of facial expression, it is clear that the at least facially there is a strong influence from experience artists such as Osamu Tezuka (who appears briefly in the story). The backgrounds are pretty good and though they sometimes are somewhat absent, they are always present when truly necessary. The artwork is relatively simple looking, but underneath its surface is very detailed work especially for its genera.

This manga is a combination of a gag manga with an Autobiography of the life of the manga artist (and writer of the book) Hideo Asuma. The book is divided roughly into three parts; each part expressing dramatic points the in Hideo life. The first part of the story focuses on Asuma’s first abandonment of the world of manga and society, he does this by abandoning his house, work and wife (a fellow manga artist), to become homeless and, live in the woods. It is amazing how resourceful he is as he deals with problems such as finding food, cigarettes, bedding and, surviving. Eventually a policeman who is suspicious of him picks him up and, soon he is returned back to society and his job. The next section starts with him once again abandoning society and becoming homeless, now however he is much older then he was during his first abandonment. Eventually he receives a job digging up and fixing pipes (through a slightly crooked man who constantly asks him for money), where he describes his misadventures with other workers at his job. Eventually he returns to manga work after he can longer take his job current job working with pipes. After which it gives the back-story, a kind of like prequel to the first story explaining how he got into manga and, why he ran away in the first place. The third part of the story involves his struggle with alcoholism and his rehabilitation. What is most interesting to me about this life story is the objective nature of the stories. Asuma neither truly endorses nor rejects his choices. He takes an upbeat look at his life and, yet still is willing the to show more discouraging elements of life, such as alcoholic delusions and, a suicide attempt while still making these dark elements some how seem funny.

Characterization within the story is of a high caliber, because it is so realistic and, yet played in such s humorous angle. Characters have realistic personality flaws, which Asuma loves to pokes fun at. At the same time Asuma is not afraid to poke fun at himself and, examine his own many problems. Many characters in his work are not likable characters, such as gawking crowds, his perverted co-worker (while working for the gas company) and, various alcoholics, such as one who gives away everything he has for friends and, another who tries trick money out of other patients. At the same time many of these characters are pitiable and, few are downright malicious. Many characters that are even likable have flaws and, are not always the understanding of how Asuma is feeling. The characters are more personable due to their flaws and, it is nice for an honest account of Asuma’s life with an inclusion of his sense of humor.

“This manga has a positive outlook on life, and so it has been made with as much realism removed as possible.” Despite this quote by Asuma at the beginning of the book, there is still quite a bit of realism within it and, this realism though dark is made by Asuma, into something more amusing then most manga are. This sense of realism creates a connection between the reader and Asuma’s story. The mixing of his light take on life with the realistically dark vision of life creates a work, which grabs the reader’s attention. This is definitely nothing like anything I have read before and is much more then just a worthwhile buy.

A trombone party: Purple Cha Cha Heels

The album Purple Cha Cha Heels by Brass Roots is a curious collection of songs with a Latin theme. Its music contains a neat flavor with a special blend of a variety of rhythm and soulful mixture creating a tasty mix of sound. Purple Cha Cha Heels employs many special techniques to create a rich sound despite it’s small and sparse instrumentation, it has a character and energy very much all it’s own. Although people may not of heard of Brass Roots (due to the fact that this seems like it’s only album) it is definitely worth your time to hear this group album.

It is hard to categorize this group into a single style, however it is clear what sorts of music’s influenced this group. One clear influence is definitely Latin music such as salsa, which can be found in the rhythms of many tracks. It is also clear by the use of call and response and, other rhythms there is a strong influence from Afro Cuban music upon the group. Brazilian like chord structure is also present in many of the tracks. All in all, the album seems to barrow a bit from almost every Latin jazz style to create a gumbo of sound and style.

The instrumentation for this album is for the most part simple and small, but are also used to there fullest to create the complex blend. The band’s foundation comes from the playing of the Ana Norgaard who plays a wide variety of percussive instruments that creates a strong feel and, gives the music a strong pulse. This pulse is the essential element to the music and, the foundation on which the album works as a whole. On top of that is a lower harmony from the second trombone Jim “Mondongo” Messbauer and Tim Meyer on the baritone sax part. These parts create strong sense beat and groove to the music, supporting the lead parts through the use of strong harmony. On the top of the sound is the lead trombone player Russel Jewell and sometimes the trumpet player Scott Aruda. These parts typically play either the melody or leading harmony, however these parts stand out less then a typically melodic part in this sort of music. Sometime Meyers plays flute, to add color instead of to the bass line. This mix up creates a brass-centered mixture driven by a rhythm and the flavor of the music more then really a single melody.

To make the best out of this blend the sound is layered, in a groove pattern to create a blend that allows for the most sound. Still even with this blend, at time the group will sound hollow due to the immense focus on brass groove lines and lack of instrumental variety. Occasionally the band will break a bit from this formula, but for the most part the band sticks to the layered groove approach for a majority of it’s tracks. These grooves are typically more on the simple, but pleasant side though occasionally there are some very difficult parts (especially in the Trombone parts). This is probably where the album is weakest; to create a nice mixture it loses some of it’s freedom of sound in return for it’s sound and, even with the blend it can only have so much variety of sound due to the small size of the group. On the other hand with the instruments it has it uses a nice variety of sounds and, song styles. Despite the lack of instrumentation and the sacrifices the band makes in freedom of sound, it makes up for somewhat with its variety of style.

The album Purple Cha Cha Heels uses an interesting concept to create a full sound with a small amount of similar instruments. Its strength also creates its weaknesses with a lack of free expression available due to its format. What is most impressive about this album however is its blend of various Latin styles. This is definitely worth picking up if you like Latin music and, if you can find it. It is very good and pleasant album, though it isn’t the best album and wouldn’t be my first pick for a Latin album, still it is definitely worth having if you can find it.

Higurashi: Abducted by who? what? why?

Higurashi When They Cried “Abducted by Demon’s arc,” is not a pleasant manga (though I’m this is not hard to figure out), which will leave the reader with a empty feeling in their stomach for more then one reason. This creepy psychological horror manga leaves many questions unanswered, within a story that is both creating a creepy thrill and at the same time. It moves far too quickly and, ending with the reader puzzled about what they just read. I’ve never really been a big fan of most horrormanga, however despite this bias I think I can safely says that although Higurashi was an interesting read, I will not being reading it again any time soon. Despite my many questions nor will I be reading the rest of the Higurshi storyline either. Though parts of the manga are well played out and written, I have quite a bit of complaints both from a subjective and objective stance about this work.

Though their are few interesting elements to the art, overall the pallet of the work when one sets back and thinks about it isn’t very satisfying. The first thing I noticed when looking at this work was how artificial the style seemed, everything seems so sterile and bland, clearly lacking a organic look. Backgrounds are okay, on the one hand their mostly there and their done with a decent detail to most of them. The biggest flaw in backgrounds come during the horror scenes in which their is an over use the same sort of background, such a bland one of pure darkness. This lack of variety makes it harder to take the work serious, each time seeing the same thing it makes it far less effective. Overall the character design doesn’t help grab the eye, and seems for the most part fairly bland. The facial expressions in the work are limited and not believable alone, only adding to the lack of quality artwork. The work tries to be creepy, but it feels like it’s trying too hard and usually comes off as merely gruesome. Overall the work is passable, but pretty much the artwork is forgettable and clumsy.

The story is not as forgettable as the art, however some of the reasons the story is so hard to forget are not the good ones. The story starts out with theKeiichi who has just moved into a distant Japanese town. He speaks to the reader in 3rd person as he meets up with his new friends, the cute andditzsy Rena and, the large chested, cheery class leader Mion , as well as some other girls (who aren’t really that important to the story). The 3rd person perspective on the story at times is clever, overall though the main character doesn’t act in a introspectively manner and, although he questions things he jumps to conclusions far too often. The beginning of the story involves him and the girls acting in a cute and friendly manner, playing games like Rich-man, Poor-man. Their is only hint of what is to come, as a photographer mentions murders but only in passing, at this point it seems like the manga should be a cutesy love drama or comedy. Keiichi finds out that their was construction project in the town had been stopped and, later he discovers magazines about murders that occurred before he moved to the village. Something definite wrong at this point as Rena comes with a cleaver, claiming it’s to look through the trash pile (could it be any less mysterious something bad is going to happen). Soon the photographer gives even more info on the murders, at a festival though the story still retains it tame and cute nature for the most part. Finally though after a murder occurs in the town again, Keiichi decides to question his friend on why they have been hiding the murders from him.

This is where things start to move fast and begin to feel like they are rushing far too much, as the manga moves into a much darker mood. The murders according to the cop in charge have have a connection between Keiichi’s friends and the murder events. Keiichi is asked not to discuss with his friends his conversation as the cop discusses in more detail the events of the murders. Worrying about Rena’s safety, Keiichi confronts her about the murders and, is shocked when her personality (and appearance slightly) suddenly change and she becomes monstrous and threatening. Sickened and, made afraid for his safety after the encounter, he stays home pretending to be sick to avoid Rena. He is called by the detective about the murders, and learns of a legend about a demonic spirit’s curse on the town, while Rena behind the door hears his conversation.   After he has many creepy encounters with the girl’s where they later act unaware of their actions (especially Rena).  Soon Rena appears with Mion and both become possessed, they interrogate him about his calls and, then threatens him by telling him he should go to school or else. At this point things are to far over the top, first off if these girl could have been possibly be dangerous and involved with the murders or, be in danger from the murders why hasn’t the police done a thing about it? Why did it take so long for Keiichi to be confronted by possessing spirits? This surprising when first read it but, if one takes a step back it all seem hard to understand or believe.

At this point characters like the photographer or the other two girls that are his friend that seemed important at first never appear within the story again. Things get even more strange when Rena apologizes to him while at the same time following him, and warns him not to transfer like a past boy suggesting to him that the last boy got to nosy and was murdered by them. Keiichi, begins carrying around a bat, and has determined that the girls are after his life at this point. He mentions the spirit’s curse in a note to be written encase he dies and, prepares for the worst at any moment. Keiichi speaks once again on the phone to the detective where it is revealed that Rena was treated in the past for attacking students and damaging her past school. Keiichi is then attacked by a van, and then eventually two strangers (why this occurs  is never really explained), when he awakes after being beat up he finds Rena and Mion in his room. They both claim that the murders are caused by some sort of spirit, and inject him with something causing him to black out. The real kicker and, best part of the story comes when he awakens to find he has killed the girl’s and then writes a note trying to explain the situation as the police arrive at his home. At this point he shouldn’t waste time doing this as it is clear he looks insane nor, should he be that calm realistically. He then for some reason commits suicide by killing himself in a similar way as a past victim, by scratching out his throat while talking to the cop. At this point if you look back once again it just doesn’t seem well thought out or planned. So many things seem unanswered, confusing and over the top that it’s hard to begin to unravel what you have read.

The characterization begins as bland, and goes on to be more interesting and, at the same time more flawed and, hard to believe. In the beginning most of the characters have light and slightly empty form of characterization, Mionn the leader flaunting her chest, Keiichi is the main character that reacts to what the other characters do and who teases Rena, Rena has a special cutesy mode (she already doesn’t need one but whatever) and shy, his other two friends (which aren’t that important to the story as whole) are the trap laying Satoko Hojo, and nice girl Rika Furude. Although the characters are bland they work well enough, and with more time they could have been developed more down the comedy vein and have been decent. However, when the story changes emotions flare up and believability concerns of the writer seems to fly out the window. Rena and, Mion become monstrous at times, and yet don’t seem to realize it some how. You’d think especially Rena that they’d realize something was seriously wrong especially when you were treated for mystery emotions occurring during times where you bland out. However, they don’t seem to react when Keiichi is freaking out in any way or understand really why he is acting strangely. When they are possessed it is hard to determine their motivation and, whether they have anything to do with the murders and/or, what part of the murders they are responsible for.

Keiichi on the one hand, acts realistically panicked when suspects he is not safe. Despite this though he frequently jumps to conclusion too quickly, seems at times to be very dense. On top of that instead of talking to his parents or, speaking his mind to the detective about his problems he hides his problems. Due to a threat that could never possibly be upheld by Rena and Mion to harm him should he tell he keeps his mouth shut (though it is likely in his eyes that he will be harmed regardless if he speaks or doesn’t). It’s not as though Rena and Mion can always follow him, and if my life were in danger I’d do almost anything to protect it, including things like running away or talking to people, but Keiichi doesn’t even seem to think about doing either of which. His parents also don’t seem to be concerned about him enough either, when he claims his life is in danger to them they don’t force him to tell them whats going on. Then they leave town without him when he clearly is in distress and, perhaps ill. The best part of the characterization comes with the end, which is so sudden that it makes one question the sanity of Keiichi and, if he is either possessed or insane for parts of the story. Their are some good elements of characterization, however their are some major flaws that are easily apparent.

This manga seems like it was greatly inspired by British film Children of the Damned, however as a manga it is harder for me to accept the stories concept then as a movie (as unfair as this may be). As much as their are many good things about this work and it has some neat concepts, certain elements simply don’t make any sense. The ending the plot leaving too many question and is far to jumbled and sudden, catching the reader off guard in a unpleasant way. These flaws plus a lack of interesting art keeps this manga from getting it’s full impact, and after reading the manga it seemed confusing and unpleasantly tense, then really scary. Most of all this manga doesn’t fall into the category of well written manga, nor does it fall into the category enjoyable. It just ends up as un-nerving, gruesome at times and, forgettable save for a few interesting elements, making it definitely worth skipping unless your a die hard horror manga fan. If you looking for a tense thriller with madness, suspense and, a well written plot I’d suggest instead picking up MW instead.

Interstellar Space: cosmic cool and Coltrane

Interstellar Space is a special brand of album, from the moment the first track starts it is clear that this is an unusual album both within style and instrumentation. The album is perhaps the greatest example of the versatility of John Coltrane and, is exemplary of the complexity of sound found within Coltrane’s works. However, even for Coltrane this album is very abstract and eccentric of sound. When I first listened to it I was shocked (in a good way) in what I heard and I was surprised that this album hasn’t received the attention many of Coltrane’s other great albums have received. Whether it is complexity of the sound, perhaps the abstract nature or just a lack of word of mouth that prevents the album from reaching a wide spread fame even among jazz listener, this doesn’t matter it still is a amazing and most hear album.

What really makes this album unique is it’s stylistic approach and the complexity of the music. The style of this album has an enormous effect on it’s sounds, because it is of the Free Jazz genera, determining that it will have loose and free sound. The music is shaped to have a clear beginning and ending, however the rest of the music has no clearly defined themes and relies on the expressiveness of Coltrane and the drummer Rashied Ali. The best way really to describe the style of this music is that it is a mix of the Free Jazz style employed in albums from musicians like Ornette Coleman, along with the sound of John Coltrane’s later period of music that is found in albums like A Love Supreme. This mixture really separates the album from even other Coltrane albums of it’s era.

The instrumentation within the album is a special blend of Tibetan bells, drums and Tenor sax. Usually the songs start with a introduction (and sometime ending) with the chiming of these bells, which have meditative sound and set up the mood for the songs. The primary role in the songs comes from Coltrane’s saxophone which sets the mood, however doesn’t seem to emphasize any sort of defined chord changes. Coltrane sax is pushed to it’s fullest degree of sound variety in this album, while still creating a clear form.Rashied Ali’s drum sound acts very differently from that of the typically drummer, although he keeps time and sets up the mood of the piece, his main purpose is to express the feelings in the piece. His drumming creates a powerful background and many times even acts like a horn player, helping to set the expression of the music and, allowing Coltrane the ability to take the music where he wants to. Without it’s unusual use of instruments, Interstellar Space would be unable to express it’s emotional and powerful sound so clearly.

The shaping of the music is incredible, even without the use of defined chords or a clear theme Coltrane is able pull the listener into the music. This is due to the complexity and sophistication of Coltrane’s improvisatory ability, which makes this concept of the album possible. In fact Coltrane is so expressive with this music that he can reference themes from other songs into certain piece. This is definitely music, however that requires the listeners entire and undivided attention due to it’s abstract and complex nature. This is one of Coltrane’s most complex and expressive albums I have ever heard and is definitely classic, at the level of other great Coltrane albums like Giant Steps and A Love Supreme.

Interstellar Space uses it’s unusual blend of instrument’s to create a eccentric and spiritual quality of sound, through the use of the Free Jazz medium. I’m still puzzled as to why I never heard of this album till I found it in my college library by pure chance. It is a truly amazing album and most hear for Coltrane or Free Jazz fans or just jazz fans in general. This may not the sort of music for someone who wants to hear high melodic music, however due to it’s quality it might be worth listening even for people who fit into this category. Even if your not typically aren’t a fan of Free Jazz or Coltrane I’d suggest listening to this album and giving it a chance, if you are fan buy this album now!

A great catch: Hunter X Hunter

Their are many famous shonen titles recognized in the United States for their exciting fast paced adventure such as One Piece, Naruto, Bleach and a few other titles considered to be well known. However is some other manga in the thus style created in a relatively similar way and deserving of attention that are overlooked and seem to slip to the cracks for the most part. Yoshihiro Togashi is a writer that is commonly over looked in this way within the United States, his works like Yu Yu Hakusho and this weeks review Hunter x Hunter both deserve more attention then they get in the states. It is strange that these manga are so overlooked because of their many similarities with other great Shonen titles. Perhaps this may be in part due to delays in book release of Hunter X Hunter due to the many times it has been put on hiatus in Japan by it’s author or the flooding of the market with this sort of material with similar more well know material. Despite these similarities it clear Hunter X Hunter is no derivative titles like Fairy Tale, and definitely on par with other titles and is worth taking a look at.

Art is weakest element in this work and still has plenty of charm despite the shortcuts taken in it’s drawings. The biggest weakness the art is it’s background, which either are non-existent or is long and endlessly sprawling onward and easy to reuse for the most part(though well detailed and many times not easy to draw in the first place). Many times crowds or, groups of people are made into bunch faceless masses, something that doesn’t belong except in a scene of alienation. One shortcut that does work tomanga’s advantage though is it’s occasional switch to humorously exaggerated facial expression, it uses this trick even more then what is typical for shonen manga. It is clear Togashi has studied prospective deeper then the typical artist with the use of unusual close ups on things like people running or on the eye of a character. However, the most impressive feature of this work is it’s character design, where every character including passing characters seen only once and minor characters have a interesting appearance. This sort design characters reminds me of the detail in character design found in all great major shonen manga. However, it may be the most stylish of modern shonen manga and has facial expressions that are definitely very profound. It is clear that this manga has learned a lot from both modern and past shonen titles when creating it’s art. It also takes it’s own path sometimes with great success, however it is hampered occasionally by it’s lack of background and corner cutting practices.

theme of overcoming incredible odds. The series starts with the introduction of Though the story is by no means ground breaking it definitely contains a solid premise fun premise (like One Piece), while having smart writing (like Naruto) and the common shonen. Gon Freecss the son of the famous hunter Gin as he begins his journey to take the hunters exam, in hopes of following in his fathers footsteps. However, because difficulty of being a hunter, as well as the fame and wealth that typically is attached to the title, becoming one requires the passing of extreme test that only the toughest can even enter. After Gon Leaves from his home on whale island on a ship driven by the captain through some of the most stormy sea’s, the storm ends up driving everyone on the ship seeking to take the exam, save the captain and two others who team up with Gon, the vengeance seeking Kurapika and goofy doctor Leorio. After a long and difficult journey they make it the exam, only to find it is so difficult that it make the chunin exams look like a picnic. At the exam they end up meeting Killua Zoldyck a young, but powerful assassin who joins up with them. They also meet up with a cast of various other participants and examiners such as the murderous examinee Hisoka and the energetic old chairman Netero. The exams is filled with variety of creative tests and shows off the great writing of the work, putting characters through many special challenges. Some of these challenges include creating sushi for a finicky hunter specializing in cooking (only one of them even know how to create it and she doesn’t like his cooking), surviving a test involving agreement as a group with a saboteur and miles long running through an underground, and after that through a swamp filled with man eating creatures. The story has much of use of brains of over brawn’s, though their are many exciting action scenes and fights, however the mind games and puzzles are even more thrilling. The one thing I could say bad about the series is that the characters fail to react in a shocked way to extremely violence (however this is common in shonen manga). The story is creative and does what it sets out to do well, it may not be revolutionary but it is definitely different from the typical shonen manga.

The characters within the series are fairly typical of shonen characters, and it is clear that characters jobs are to push the story forward. First off the main character carries a strong will determination to do the difficult and never gives up on his dream, this is common of many shonen manga. Gon overall isn’t the most interesting character, however his carefree gentle determination sets him apart, from many of his more blood thristy friends. Luckily the series is not based so much around him as it is around plot, and the group as a whole they travel through a fantastic world. Killua is perhaps the most interesting character because he is so hard to read emotionally. He is shown to be both a blood thristy killer and, at the same time gentle, kind person at other times. These feelings constantly are waging war within him making it hard to tell what he will do or how react next. Leorio is also an interesting character as well. He impatient, has many pitfalls and the least talented physically of the group but makes up for it in determination and effort. He first claims his goal is to get rich, but later it revealed that he seeks to use the money for a far less selfish reason, he seeks to help others and become a doctor and use the money to help people. Kurapika on the other hand is the typical revengeful character, he is seeking vengeance against a power group of criminals know as the Phantom Troupe and will stop at nothing to destroy them. He is typically though gentle and cunning but doesn’t particularly stand out. The characters are mainly enhance the story and allow for the exploring of the complex world.

It’s surprising this manga hasn’t caught on as much as others of it’s kind. It’s art is unique and interesting, the plot well crafted and thought out and, it’s characters extensions of the brilliant story. I’m definitely glad I picked this manga up, and am surprised that I never heard of it until a short while ago. Hunter x Hunter is definitely better then most shonen manga out their and is just as good as other popular manga in the U.S. like One Piece and, Naruto are. If your big Shonen fan you have to pick this one up it is definitely one of the greatest modern (or of all time for that matter) shonen manga’s ever. If not then I would check it out any ways though most likely you won’t find it any more likable then any other major shonen title.

Moving Pictures: Herald of the 80’s

I have to admit much of the music of the 1980’s (especially within the mainstream) doesn’t appeal to me. Despite having these feelings I tried my best to push them aside when reviewing Rush’s album, Moving Pictures.  This I found this was hard to do in some cases, because the album helped to create so many trade marks of the 80’s rock music. I can say this album is certainly very different from many I listen to as well as interesting. I definitely have some things to say about this album that are very much opinionated, so forgive me if you disagree with my feeling, but I feel they are worth mentioning.

This album is a prime example of 1980’s Progressive rock, a unique style of rock with a sound so very different from what people typically think of as rock. This style of rock is not big and loud as much as it is rich, though it is many times loud, but not in the way rock like metal. It is the type of loud that isn’t aggressive or powerful instead full and complete of sound. This genera tries to express complex messages to the listener, many times with political messages. This is the sort of music that can either be looked at as insightful and poetic or overly cryptic and needless complex of theme. This genera music set the standard for many of the music of the 1980’s in style, many bands taking various elements of it’s style and incorporating it into their music.

This band has a very unusual sound due to not only it’s instrumentation, but it’s use of those instruments in a way that is 0different from the typically rock band.  The band uses the typical electric guitar, bass, voice, however the most important addition to the sound is the heavy use of synthesizer and the use of a variety of percussive instruments instead of the typically drum set. This instrumentation allows for the size and depth of the albums sound to be huge and rich. This set up gives the band a very electric and artificial sound, which depending on your preference is a good or bad thing (I personally prefer a more natural sound). The synthesizer at times feels really out of place within the songs texture, and I feel is not effective as another acoustic or wind instrument might be. The singer Geddy Lee has very distinct voice and again can be either be seen as a asset or as grating no the nerves, though in either case it is definitely befitting of the rich electric sound of the band. I feel this album has a very distinct and interesting pallet sound even if it is at times out place, however it is far to synthetic sounding many times for my taste.

This albums large sound has a strong effect on the style presented in Moving Pictures. Whether by design or out of necessity songs usually have simple structure, which is a nice contrast to the complex pallet of sounds. This simple structure also helps to avoid covering up the meaning of the words and in some cases supports the words. At times though the album can become overblown with it’s large sounds and deep lyrics, making the work seems to pompous and overblown. The solos especially suffer from this overly pompous feeling, especially within the song, “Limelight.” Another big problem is that I feel the quality of the songs aren’t not consistent in the album. “Tom Sawyer,” (the best on the album by far) “YYZ,” and, “Witch hunt,” were far superior to “Red Barchetta,” “The Camera Eye,” and, “Limelight”.  Their are many things that I liked stylistically in this album and just as many I could have done without.

This was an interesting album that experimented many new concepts some of which were worthwhile, others not so good. It’s style, messages and instrumentation sets it apart from other rock albums and definitely have had a deep impact on music. Whether that impact is a good one or not is largely up to the listener and a matter of opinion. This album is definitely the type of album you’ll either love or feel has some merits but, overall doesn’t appeal to you. I enjoyed listening to album despite it’s problems, however I doubt I’d buy this album if I didn’t already have a copy on hand. My advice with this one is maybe download a few of the tracks after listening to them, but not to buy the album as a whole.

Something Different:Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle

I’ve never been the biggest fan of manga team of CLAMP, something about their work never seemed to click with me. That is until I read Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle, a manga that despite it’s problems is overall interesting. This manga has many ups and downs with some parts the story becomes less exciting or predictable, however overall the story has the ability to draw the reader into it, allowing the reader to over look these flaws in some cases. It’s use of detail also helps to make up for some of the stories major flaws and the manga has earned my respect for CLAMP’s skill. However, it may not have the same on all people as it’s story had on me and, despite not requiring the background on other works by CLAMP it is helpful to have some understanding of them to fully appreciate the story.

The artwork in Tsubasa can be seen as decent for enough it’s job to propel the story as well as well crafted and inked and, refreshingly different from the average Shonen design. However the design can also be seen as overly simplistic, artificial feeling at times and out place in the shonen genera. Either view has strong evidence to support them, however whether you like the art or not has more to do with personal taste then solid fact. Clearly the art in Tsubasa was not CLAMPS primary concerned, but at the same time was drawn with a great deal of care and effort. One thing that is noticeable is the use of more Shojo like character design rather then average Shonen design commonly found. CLAMP uses similar character models and designs as it does in it’s previous works (many times even copying characters model designs). The means that character have strong personality traits, but weak ability to express complex emotion. The work backgrounds are simple and many time absent of substance, however they are extremely well ink making them look almost like they were created by a machine as oppose to hand drawn. The art is clearly well drawn despite it’s many holes and is cable of showing fantastic worlds as well as conveying a the complex atmosphere the manga requires. Overall the artwork flaws, but also interesting features creates a feeling duality about it’s content.

Where this work really excels and gets the readers attention is the story. The story revolves around Syaoran, a archaeologist and his childhood friend Sakura the princess of clow country. Sakura’s soul and memories have been scattered throughout a vast amount number of dimensions and Syaoran is determine to get them back for her. He is transported to the home (a astral realm) of Yūko who is the witch of dimensions. Their he meets the runaway magician Fay D. Flourite and the tough ninja Kurogane who is sent by Princess Tomoyo to learn the true meaning of strength. At this point two things become apparent, first off that the central plot overall is at best an average and predictable shonen plot (involving travelling to collecting feathers). The second and much more stubble thing is that CLAMP uses character from other series as basis for the characters in the story. The witch of dimensions and her assistant are the two main characters within XXXholic and Sakura, Syaoran and, Tomoyo all appear in Sakura Cardcaptors. This sort of cast system for characters is similar to the system used by the great Osamu Tezuka and are nice touches for those with any background in CLAMPS other works.

Although the plot is predictable and not interesting in and of itself, it allows CLAMP to create a interesting concept based around the group traveling through many types of worlds to collect feathers. To travel to these worlds each most give up a precious item to them, Fay loses his magical tattoo that allows him use magic, Kurogane his most prized sword, but the biggest twist is Syaoran’s loss the princess’s memory of him and her ability to ever remember him. This loss pays for both him and the princess, because it is also being taken from her as well. Now this makes a certain amount sense, however despite her memory of him being important, the mere fact he is helping Sakura should be reason enough for her to like him (perhaps even more then before). After they make their payments the group are introduced to weird, cute, white rabbit like critter (or Mokona Modoki) named Soel that translates for them and allows them to jump dimensions, while also acting as a feather detector. This is where the fun begins in the story as CLAMP goes from world to world in essence allowing them to explore a number of stories and styles. Each world has different scenarios that lead up to the discovery of feathers and the solving of someones problem within that world. CLAMP also is careful to avoid overstretching a story beyond it’s welcome, and for having both the heroes and natives of the land encountering the group of travelers react in a natural way. CLAMP also carefully composes it’s details, doing things such as having characters change of costumes in each world to blend in and, having identical but separate forms of the same person within different dimensions.

Chronicle’s is the type of manga that focuses on story telling and avoids making battle and conflict the primary feature of the work (though it has plenty of battle as well). Like Shojo manga it has a lot of use of cutesy comedy and a focus on the characters relationships. At the same time it places the characters into Shonen like situation (such as ghost hunting) and contests of skill like that found commonly in Shonen works. The overall plot moves slowly, despite the fast movement from world revealing elements of Sakura and Syaoran relationship before her loss of memory, as well as elements of Fay and Kurogane’s past. Eventually villains are added to the series, including a double of Syaoran and occasionally Seishirō, the one who Syaoran to fight, as well as a evil doctor. However it isn’t for a while that details are even given on many of these antagonists except that they want to stop Syaoran and the others from gathering the feathers. Overall the details of characters past, the mystery of the villains and fun of moving from world to world outweighs relatively bland central plot of the story and hopefully compels the reader to continue reading.

The biggest problem overall with this series are the characters personality don’t seem as deep as I’d like to see. Although characters have a few interesting traits that set them apart despite being very charming, something feels like it is missing. Character development is really a slow thing in this manga. Sometimes this is a good thing as slowly characters get know each other better and the personality of characters are expanded on, but other times you expect characters to change and interact at a faster and greater rate. Many of the shojo like elements including personal connection with characters could go deeper. For some the cutesy elements taken from shojo might be a turn off, while for other fun and refreshing, examples of this include Soel and Fay’s various nicknames for Kurogane. On the other hand the simple personality with strong basic traits found in shonen, such as Sakura and Fay drinking habits, and Soel’s 108 secret talents in the series may not fit right with some readers. These strong traits also create a variety of shonen like character types including the determined hero Syaoran, the tough and battle loving but distant Kurogane, the fun loving gentle Fay, the pretty and kind Sakura and, cutesy animal sidekick Soel. Overall the characters design of this manga is a compromise between the shonen and shojo style’s and although it makes characters interesting and fun, it gives them also a lack emotional depth.

This work is the type of manga that you’ll either love or hate, it’s fun, has a good story and, is cutesy, but also lacks in certain areas and, can be too slow in pace for some readers. Love it or hate it, it is well written and a lot of thought and care clearly went into the making of this series. It is the type of story that is good for some and for others not something they’d want to read. I’d suggest flipping through or even buying the first volume and reading. You just might find you want to read more and get hooked into the adventure.

John Lennon Anthology: Music of a dreamer

John Lennon is best remembered for his work with the Beatles, however after the Beatles broke up he created some of his most radical and interesting music. Of all the former Beatles, in my option Lennon has most to say through his post Beatles work. The John Lennon Anthology contains much of his post Beatles musical development and personal feelings. This collection follows Lennon’s solo career and at the same time gives incite into who John Lennon is through his remarkable music.

Lennon is the type of musicians that transcend the conventional terms of genera. Lennon’s music pulls from all sorts of genera including Rock; Folk, Jazz and, Blues music’s to create a unified single sound. Though the songs influences may differ from track to track, each song carries a consistency from Lennon’s presentation of the song. Though Lennon doesn’t fall into a typical song style, it is clear when you hear his music that it is his.

The instrumentation in this collection varies a great deal from track to track. Lennon moves between a variety of instruments leading including piano, other voices and electric, steel and, slide guitar. However even with electric instruments though it is clear Lennon prefers a natural sound and the instrumental lines are simple and very direct. This instrumental sound is not large or flashy, but a tool for Lennon’s vocals to express himself. Similar techniques are used by modern groups such as Lonesome Brother’s to express emotion. Though the focus of the album is Lennon, without the emotional expressiveness of his instrumentalists, Lennon would not be able to create his unique sound.

Lennon’s music is so incredible, because of the strong emotion and personal nature of his work. Every song has a strong message many expressing political messages such as “Give Peace a Chance,” and, “Working Class Hero.” Others express emotions within his life such as “Jealous Guy,” and “Real love.” Many of these mix both of these elements such as “Don’t Want to be Soldier,” and “Imagine.” What I like about Lennon is he doesn’t water down his words and many of his songs are contain not only his glorious side, but also his dark moments with songs like, “God,” “How Do You Sleep,” “Luck of the Irish,” and “Woman Is The Nigger Of The World.” Lennon’s music has a genuine quality giving you an impression of all his good as well as well as more negative feelings about life and is not afraid to criticize himself in his music.

John Lennon is truly an amazing music not just in his ability to create music, but also in his ability to express himself through music and find others that help him share his visions of the world. John Lennon’s music represents himself as a human being; though much of it is dark all of it is written at the highest quality and gets your attention. This collection is a breath taking set that is definitely a most have. If you haven’t listened to this collection, do yourself a favor and pick it up.

The space western: Trigun Maximum

Most avid anime fans are familiar with the anime Trigun, however few realize there were two manga that followed the events of the series. The first catalogues earlier events in the series (and was released before the anime in Japan) and is followed up with the long running and one more independent from the anime, Trigun Maximum. It is a shame this manga series is over looked, because it is just as good if not better then the T.V. show for number of reasons. This manga deserves more credit and recognition then it gets, which is the reason I have chosen to review it.

The art style of the manga is somewhat similar to the T.V. show, however there are major differences in the art style that set it apart from the anime. Most noticeably different are the designs in the insurance girls Milly and Meryl, though just about ever character design including Vash has a special flavor adapted for the manga. The characters design in Maximum have a nice variety of physical and emotional traits that draw in the reader’s interests. The facial features are especially well draw, allowing characters to exhibit a vast array of emotion, whether it is comical to sorrowful or pensive the emotion convincing. What is most impressive about Maximum is its ability to come at you from ever-possible angle, as though the drawings were taken from stills of a film. Much like MW it uses a variety of angles and panel sizes to capture the action in many angles. Occasionally it tries to hard to be creative and images become confusing do to this detail, but overall the format works more often then not to its advantage. As far as background goes it is both complex and complete or (especially during action) a simple shade grey, black or action lines. Although, this helps add to the drama of the action and/or helps prevent confusion, it would be nice to see the same quality backgrounds a majority of the time. Overall the art is usually very high of quality and is a major boost to the storyline.

The Maximum quickly moves away from the T.V. storyline to create a thrilling story with more complication and explanation then was found in the anime. It still carries the same absence of a complex plot, however it’s simple plot allows for thrilling stories despite being somewhat unimaginative. The plot follows the hero Vash the Stampede who is wanted for destruction of a city and putting a hole in the moon. Vash is actually a super being created by humans known as a plant, plants carry immense amounts of power within the their bodies which can be harnessed as weapons or power sources.

Vash is plagued with trouble caused by his evil brother Knives (his name kind of gives away the evil part) who is disgusted with humans and seeks to destroy them, as well as convince his brother that humans deserve death. Knives forces Vash against his will to destroy a city, placing a high bounty on him. To make things worse Knives hires a powerful psychic who he cripples and who slavishly serves him named Legato Bluesummer, a transvestite (transsexual?) known as Elendira the Crimsonnail and a cast of elite assassins known as the Gun-Ho Guns.

Vash along with his partner Nicholas T. Wolfwood (a wandering priest/gunman armed with a giant cross gun) now Vash most seek out and stop Knives from destroying humanity. Vash most do this while protecting humans and harboring his vowed never to kill again as well as dealing those after his large bounty. Although the plot is very loose it is not the plot so much as the characters that make this story work well. An interesting element added in Maximum is the ethics of the use of the plants life force as power sources. This gives Knives more of a reason for his hatred with humans, but also he turns out to be little better then the humans, as absorbs his own kind for power. This creates an interesting ethical issue, however this issue beyond what the story can handle. The stories plot lack complex issues to keep it interesting on it’s own and it is up to the characters to create interest.

Where this story really stands out is the complexity many characters within it, both the heroes and villains are fleshed out far better then the anime. Each character has far more time in the manga to develop personality, giving you a clearer idea of their motivation and personality. The character that seems to benefit the most from this is Nicholas T. Wolfwood who is assigned by Knives to travel with Vash. Wolfwood is forced throughout the story to constantly to question his beliefs and action; he believes in killing as the only permanent solution to the problems he and Vash face from villains. Wolfwood is constantly frustrated by Vash’s unwillingness to kill and determination to save people. Wolfwood at the same time feels an inner guilt for those he has killed and at the same time is unsure about his position guarding Vash for Knives. Another character that is clearly differently treated is Legato Bluesummer’s, who appears more human and inhuman at the same time. His crippled nature, appearance and enjoyment in human slaughter makes him seem more monstrous, while at the same time he displays more emotion then in the anime such as jealousy and anger especially toward the top Gun-Ho Gun Elendira. Even Knives is given far more personality and importance in the story, though he still is an underdeveloped character.  He simply loathes humans and wishes for Vash to see humans as he does.

Characters behave also in the manga form are more believable behaving then in the anime. The Gun-Ho Guns for example have more internal disputes among each other and have their own personal objectives. Many times they even clash physically with one another. Maximum keeps much of the humor found earlier in the series, which helps to keep the story for always being to dark and brooding. Another nice change is the additional stories one-shot stories, which are just as well crafted as the main plot and just as enjoyable. The main problems in this work come for the vast and fast moving storylines which can switch from comical to serious and back relatively quickly. On top of that the reader is given a lot of story relatively quickly and much of it is important to remember.

Overall this is a thrilling tale, although the main plot is sub par the characterization and art make up for this by filling in the holes. Despite a few big flaws, this manga stands alone from the anime and features many important advantages that the anime lacks. It is intelligently written while still retaining a fast action packed speed. For those who liked the anime or simply like a fast and thoughtful story this is certainly a good read. For those who are not familiar with the Trigun series it might be good see the anime or pick up the first two volumes of the manga. However it isn’t imperative to watch the series or read the earlier manga understanding Trigun Maximum.