Tuesday, September 22, 2020

Comic Book Review: "12:01" by Russell Molina & Kajo Baldisimo

Title: 12:01
Author(s): , Kajo Baldisimo
Publisher: Adarna House
Published date:
ISBN: 9789715085984
Language: Filipino
Genre: Historical Fiction, Graphic Fiction, Filipino Comics, Filipiniana

Gunitain ang isang parte ng madilim na nakaraan sa ilalim ng Martial Law na mababasa sa one-shot komiks ni Russell Molina at Kajo Baldisimo.

1201 front cover
12:01 Front Cover

1201 rear cover
12:01 Rear Cover

12:01 opening page

12:01 sample page 1

12:01 sample page 2

12:01 end page

Ang "12:01" ay isa lamang sa istorya sa maraming pang-aabuso noong panahon ng Martial Law na ipinatupad ng diktador na si Ferdinand Marcos. Kuwento ito ng mga magkakaibigan na inabutan ng curfew dahil sa nasira nilang sasakyan. Ito yung mga panahon na hindi ka sasantohin ng mga nagpapatupad ng batas kahit aksidente pa ang kamalian mo tulad ng paglagpas sa curfew.

Ang isa sa madilim na kasaysayan ng Pilipinas, ang Marcos' Martial Law, ay nagsimula noong Septiyembre 23, 1972 sa deklarasyon ng nasabing diktador. Hanggang sa masipa siya sa pwesto noong Pebrero 1986 dahil sa People Power Revolution.

Para sa mga tinatamad na magbasa ng all-text na libro, marahil sa pagbabasa ng komiks kayo sipagin ;)

Iminumungkahi ko na tangkilikin natin ang mga ganitong uri ng babasahin tulad ng "12:01". Nang sa gayon ay nababalikan natin ang nangyari noon. Na mabasa ang kasaysayan natin sa pamamagitan ng komiks.

Ang puntos ko sa komiks na ito ay: 4.0 / 5.0

Sana'y nagustuhan ninyo ang aking rebyu.

Salamat!

-


Reference:
Martial Law under Ferdinand Marcos, wiki - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martial_law_under_Ferdinand_Marcos


Friday, September 4, 2020

Book Review: In The Miso Soup by Ryu Murakami

Title: In The Miso Soup [イン ザ・ミソスープ / In Za Misosūpu ]
Author: Ryu Murakami
ISBN: 0747574057
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Published date: 2005 (first published 1997)
Language: English (translated from Japanese)
Genre: Horror, Fiction, Thriller, Mystery

This is my first Ryu Murakami book. I've heard of the author before and I'm aware of his subject in writing. I'm not into the psychological horror-thriller genre, and this is actually my first time reading this kind of book. And I'm starting to like it!

In The Miso Soup by Ryu Murakami Front Cover
In The Miso Soup (Front Cover)

In The Miso Soup by Ryu Murakami Rear Cover
In The Miso Soup (Rear Cover)

In The Miso Soup by Ryu Murakami without dust jacket
In The Miso Soup (Dust Jacket / Binding)

In The Miso Soup by Ryu Murakami

* WARNING: some spoilers ahead.

It's a grim experience for Kenji with his unregistered job as a guide for attending Frank - an absurd-looking American tourist. With the news of a murder coalesce with odd happenings while escorting Frank, Kenji grew his suspicions. That suspicions turned into a real nightmare when Frank murders people in front of him.

Frank is being like a Charles Manson having a tour in Japan. A psycho-killer with a connection to cult and magic, and knows where you live but you don't know where and when he will appear. It's very scary to think.

A point in the novel I appreciate is making a story within the red-light district of Japan. Although the subject is uncomfortable to talk about for some, It just shows the reality of life in Japan.

The ending signifies they're in a Miso soup with the characters as the ingredients, readers can figure out the meaning by reading the whole novel. My anxiety grows with the ending, with Frank letting Kenji live with his girlfriend and then gone in the crowd. Who knows if Frank is really true to himself treating Kenji as a friend. But he mentioned he sometimes has a different him and is lying several times. That I can't trust. But it ends there. We wouldn't know.

I'm rating this book: 3.5 / 5.0

Hope you like my review.

Thanks!

-

Otakore Literantadodist
September 04, 2020

* I sold this copy at Shopee, https://shopee.prf.hn/l/7OAvZmW

Tuesday, August 18, 2020

Book Review: ALAS ni Juan Bautista | Maiikling Kuwento

Title: ALAS - Maiikling Kuwento
Author: Juan Bautista
ISBN: 9786214141098
Publisher: PSICOM Publishing Inc.
Published date: 2018
Language: Filipino
Genre: Fiction, Dark, Adult Fiction, Society, Filipiniana
Website: https://juanbautistastories.com/

ALAS ni Juan Bautista front cover
ALAS ni Juan Bautista (Front Cover)

ALAS ni Juan Bautista table of content
ALAS (Table of Content)

ALAS ni Juan Bautista book spine
ALAS (book spine)

ALAS ni Juan Bautista rear cover
ALAS (rear cover)

Nagagalak ako at nadiskobre ko ang aklat ni Juan Bautista mahigit tatlong taon na ang nakakalipas. Una kong nabasa ang likha niyang "Ang Bagong Krusada" noong taong 2017 na nilimbag rin ng PSICOM. Maaari mong mabasa ang rebyu ko sa aklat niyang iyon sa ibaba:

https://www.literateknolohitura.com/2017/12/ang-bagong-krusada-ni-juan-bautista-book-review.html

Bihira pa naman ang mga libro na may pagka-mature ang genre na gawa sa wikang Filipino. Buti na lang at nakakagawa siya ng mga bagong-labas na libro tulad nitong ALAS.

Sa aklat niyang ALAS na naglalaman ng 25 na mga maikling kuwento, mababasa niyo ang realidad ng buhay na sumasalamin sa kasalukuyan, sa nakaraan, at maging sa hinaharap. May mga kuwento na nakakaantig, may madilim, may nakaka-suklam, may hiwaga, may kumikwestiyon sa moralidad, at kuwento na nagbabadyang mangyari sa ating hinaharap.

Walang kuwento sa ALAS na hindi ko nagustuhan. Nagustuhan ko ang andar ng ilan sa mga kuwento na nabubuhay o nagkakatagpo sa isang sandaigdig. May kuwento na nabibitin ako at ninanais ko sa may-akda na sana'y gawing nobela ang "Lorbas" na natutukan kong basahin. At maisa-nobela rin sana ang mga istorya na umiikot sa iisang tagpuan tulad ng Bright Lights.

Sa kalahatan, bibigyan ko ang ALAS sa puntos na: 4.0 / 5.0

May ilan lang na typo errors na maaaring maisa-ayos sa susunod na edisyon o panibagong printing.

Maaari niyong mabili ang librong ito dito sa link.

Sana'y nagustuhan ninyo ang munting rebyu na ito.

Salamat!

-

Otakore Literantadodist
August 18, 2020

Saturday, May 2, 2020

Book Review: Rooms by Lauren Oliver | Signed First Edition

rooms by lauren oliver front cover
Rooms by Lauren Oliver, signed edition
Title: Rooms
Author:
ISBN: 9780062223197
Format: Hardcover
Publisher: Ecco
Published date:
Language: English
Genre: Fiction, Adult, Paranormal, Mystery

I score this signed copy from a local warehouse sale last year of 2019. I haven't read any of her books but I'm pretty sure I heard the author's name somewhere so I grab it with my cart. Plus, It's a signed copy! Who wouldn't?!





Sunday, April 26, 2020

Book Discovery: Books Appeared in the 2019 Anime Film Hello World and Another World

My last book discovery post was in February 2019. Book Discovery is one of the topic segments of Literateknolohitura where we will feature old books you might have not heard before and also upcoming new books (depends on our mood). If you want to trackback the last post, just head to this link: Graphic Novels & Manga (New and Old Releases) | February 2019 Book Discovery

In this post, I will list the books that appeared in the 2019 Japanese anime film Hello World, directed by Tomohiko Itō and produced by Graphinica. Plus books appeared in its spin-off anime series Another World.


book discovery april 2019 banner featuring books from the 2019 anime film hello world

If you haven't watched Hello World, please head to our partner site for their movie review: https://worth-watching-videos.blogspot.com/2020/04/hello-world-2019-film-review.html

Most of the titles listed here were only published in their original language - Japanese, and they have no English editions. Only a couple of Japanese books listed here have their English editions.

So let's start and see those books:


Bōkenshatachi: Ganba to 15-hiki no Nakama by Atsuo Saitoh


Gamba no Bōken ガンバの冒険
Screenshot of Bōkenshatachi in Episode 1 of Another World
Adventures of Gamba or in Japanese - Gamba no Bōken ( ガンバの冒険 ) was mentioned and appeared in episode 1 of "Another World", a spin-off anime series to the main film Hello World. Remember Ruri sang it in episode 1? The 'Ganba' tune is based on the opening song of the 1975 Japanese vintage anime of the same name. The Gamba no Bōken anime is based on a novel titled The Adventurers: Gamba and His Fifteen Companions [ Japanese: Bōkenshatachi: Ganba to 15-hiki no Nakama / 冒険者たち ガンバと15ひきの仲間 ] by Atsuo Saitoh.


You can buy the tankobon softcover format of the Bōkenshatachi book below:


No English edition of the above title was ever released. But it's not too late to learn the Japanese language, right?


Brain Valley by Hideaki Sena


Brain Valley by Hideaki Sena
Screenshot of Brain Valley book by Hideaki Sena in Episode 1 of Another World
This book was also mentioned in episode 1 of Another World shared by Naomi to Ruri when they're talking about books. According to him, It's a sci-fi book and more of like a thesis than a fiction.


The title is in English but it is not written in English. There is no English edition release for this title. You can buy the two volumes of Brain Valley below:


Just a little trivia, the author of this book is Hideaki Sena who is also the author of Parasite Eve [ Japanese: Parasaito Ivu / パラサイト・イヴ ], a horror novel which later adapted into a video game in 1998 by Squaresoft. I can still remember playing the Parasite Eve game in the Sony Playstation One game console. I really like the story of the game. Remembering it now, I want to read the novel version where the game was adapted into.

So here's a bonus book recommendation, I found an English edition of the Parasite Eve below:



The Blade of the Courtesans by Keiichiro Ryu


Original Title: Permit for Yoshiwara ( Japanese: Yoshiwara Gomenjo / 吉原ごめんじょ )

Yoshiwara Gomenjo by Keiichiro Ryu
Screenshot of Yoshiwara Gomenjo by Keiichiro Ryu in Episode 1 of Another World
Yoshiwara Gomenjo is a historical fiction novel by Japanese author Keiichiro Ryu. In the film, Naomi mentioned he read this book but unsure of its genre. Good news if you don't know the Japanese language, It has an English edition published by Vertical Inc.



Japanese (left) | English edition (right)


Kotoba Magazines


In the Hello World film, these two books appeared in the library with the two students violating library rules (look: eating their bread with a full grasp of their bare hands):


Kotoba Magazines

Kotoba is a lit magazine in Japan. There's no English edition of Kotoba. If you're into Japanese and you're learning their language, reading a copy of Kotoba may be good practice for you.




Great Lake City by Unknown


The most eye-catching book in the Hello World film is the "Great Lake City" by an unknown author.

I tried hunting this title but I think this is a fictitious book and doesn't exist in our real world.




Upon hunting this book, what I've found is a merchandise item with a similar cover.

Link to this product: https://www.mercari.com/jp/items/m65189912594/
I have no idea about its content. I guess it has postcards and other stationery items. If you have this item, feel free to share it with us. Please let us peek! :3


Hello World Manga and Guidebook


The following titles are only available in Japan:




  • Hello World, Vol. 1 (Manga)
  • Hello World if
  • Hello World Official Visual Guide
The above titles have no English editions yet. Perhaps in the near future, the English edition will become available.

I think that's it! If I miss anything else, don't hesitate to share it with us by commenting on this post.

Also, please follow us on Facebook:


Thanks!
-
Otakore Literantadodist
Literateknolohitura
April 26, 2020


Reference: