Olaf the Glorious: A Story of the Viking Age by Robert Leighton

This book can be treated partly as a biography of Olaf Tryggvason (or Olaf Triggvison in the book). His life however has the elements of the hero myth. A hero isn't just a representation of the changes in the season or life and death. They also symbolize their people or the changes in their society. Olaf was such a man. He forcibly imposed a change by converting his people to Christianity.

If sources were to be believed, he had a very complicated life. He was chased out of his country and denied his right to the throne, became a slave in Esthonia, was later reunited with a family member and had a fairly comfortable life at the court of King Valdemar, had many adventures as a Viking, and became a persistent and often harsh advocate of Christianity during his rule as the king of Norway. He was also a brilliant boy. He learned things much easier than his peers and he excelled in almost everything, like the heroes of various myths. Like every great hero however, he also had a weakness. He had a short temper and sometimes he was too trusting. Those qualities contributed to his downfall.

Leighton provided a short introduction which stated that he tried as much as possible to include accounts from trustworthy sources. It has twenty-two chapters and is told in a chronological manner with a few commentaries in some parts. I think it's well-written except for the parts where the author provided spoilers. He was able to provide a good characterization, although not consistently, instead of just narrating what Olaf does in some of the scenes.

I recommend this to anyone who is interested in reading history or biography, and even mythology and legends. I enjoyed this book but the spoilers sort of ruined it. I'm giving this a 9 out of 10 rating.

Pandora Hearts

Oz Vessalius was about to be initiated into the world of adults in a coming of age ceremony. This special occasion was interrupted when a group of strangers showed up and exiled him to a placed known as Abyss for a crime he does not know. He met a Chain called Alice or B-Rabbit. This Alice saved him by forming a Contract and they both managed to escape from that unusual place. That was when he met three other people, Xerxes Break, Raven and Sharon Rainsworth, who were also connected to the strange events. Oz was about to discover that worrying about some unknown crime he committed was the least of his worries. He now had to keep in mind that he has a Contract with Alice. He also has to find out what the organization Pandora is after and who were those people who threw him into Abyss, the Baskervilles. More revelations did not mean answers however. As he tried to delve more into the mystery of the Tragedy of Sablier, which seemed to have been the origin of the strange events, the more confusing his situation became.

This series is perfect for those who like making up theories instead of getting direct explanations about the story. Normally in most series, a character tries to find answers in the clues he finds as the story progresses. Pandora Hearts offers plenty of hints and... more hints, but that's it. There are so many questions that need answers that those that seemed important in the first three or so episodes become insignificant towards the end.

It isn't just a confusion of questions, theories, and clues however. I think it has dealt with issues concerning Oz's struggle to understand himself and how he has been dealing with other people. Before he was thrown into Abyss, he was content to keep everything to himself so he can avoid hurting other people or become a burden to them. The people he met after he escaped Abyss and the subsequent adventures he had forced him to reexamine his feelings and to reevaluate himself and how he ought to deal with his friends. I think he was still able to go through a more memorable coming of age ceremony than the one he was supposed to be given.

The 25-episode series has references to Alice in Wonderland. I like the outfits of the characters and the animation is okay. Most of the fight scenes involved one fatal stroke from a Chain, usually B-Rabbit, and the fight is over.

I like stories that don't spoon-feed answers to every question, however Pandora Hearts is drowning with questions and they overshadowed Oz's inner struggles. It's still a great series though and I wish there were more than 25 episodes. I'm giving this a 7 out of 10 rating.

13 Assassins

Thirteen warriors risk their lives and honor in an attempt to assassinate Matsudaira Naritsugu and his men on their way home. Naritsugu is a brother of the current Shogun and is unpunished for his crimes. He is notorious for killing and raping several people. No one can touch him however and he is surrounded by skilled bodyguards who are loyal to him despite his eccentric and sadistic way of doing things. Doi Toshitsura, a government official, has to act before Naritsugu gains more political power and bring chaos to the land. He hires Shinzaemon to do the task for him.

The first half of the movie focused on the preparations made and the acquisition of skilled samurai who would join their group. They decided to barricade a town because it was the only way to block the progress of Naritsugu's entourage. The group seemed confident that they had an advantage but they learned that instead of seventy, 200 men now escort Naritsugu.

This movie is not for the faint-hearted. There are plenty of bloody scenes and some of Naritsugu's victims might shock the viewer. The fight scenes were good and almost realistic. They didn't do any fancy techniques like flying or running on the walls. The main characters bled like normal humans would. However, the number of remaining soldiers from Naritsugu's side after the first attack seemed more than 130 (Shinzaemon did say there were only 130 left). The ending wasn't quite satisfying considering the gravity of Naritsugu's crimes. He had an easy death. Then again, I don't think it would be honorable for Shinzaemon to have stooped down to his opponent's level.

This movie has a little bit of history to it and has almost the same story as Seven Samurai. I recommend this to those who have seen the said movie (or even the anime version). I'm giving this a 7 out of 10 rating.

Winter Cicada

Fuyu no Semi or Winter Cicada is a 3-part animation about two men trapped between the different views of the Shogunate and the Empire. This sad story is set in a time when Japan is transitioning from the Tokugawa shogunate back to the Imperial rule. Kusaka Touma of the Choshu clan and Akizuki Keiichirou, a Bakufu samurai, both agree that internal strife would only bring the downfall of Japan if the foreigners ever decide to conquer the country. It has to open its doors to foreign trade and relations, something that the exclusionists vehemently oppose.

Kusaka, despite the objections of his friend Aizawa, still clings to his views. He started taking English lessons from Akizuki and this got him in trouble. As days passed, the relationship between his clan and Akizuki's group got worse so they had to stop meeting. Kusaka was later given an opportunity to go abroad. He had to endure years of being away from Akizuki. He has to come home however for the war and he's hoping that he'd still get to see his lover alive.

This is a yaoi series so I don't recommend this to those who are not into this kind of anime. For those who are into yaoi however, I guarantee that there's no shortage in romance. Some of the events mentioned might confuse the viewers who are not familiar of this event in Japan's history, but the characters will fill in the gaps through narration. The story is very well done except that there was no mention in the next two episodes of the characters' fiancees.

I'm giving this a 9 out of 10 rating.

No.6

Sion lives in a perfect world; he's a brilliant and promising student, has a mother who loves him, and lives in a society where peace and order reigns - what more can he ask for? He certainly seems happy but he finds himself wishing he could be like the leaves and flowers that could go wherever the wind takes him. Yet he never questioned anything. He is one of the many obedient residents of No. 6, a colony created after the war. No.6 is a perfect society - or is it?

One stormy day, Sion meets a kid whose views differed from his. Years later they meet again. Sion by then has moved to another section of No.6, the Lost City, when the authorities learned he helped a fugitive escape. This fugitive, Nezumi or Mouse, was the boy he met on that stormy night four years ago. Despite losing the opportunity of getting a better job, he didn't seem to regret what he had done.

Nezumi and Sion

The death of his co-worker changed Sion's life. He is arrested  but Nezumi  rescues him. Now he's an outlaw and he has to adapt to the people and ways of life of the town outside No.6. But he wants to go back. A plague is causing mysterious deaths in the city. Sion survived the attack of the bee that feeds on host's body and he wants to warn the people, but Nezumi does not want him to go back.

This 11-episode series is a mix of sci-fi, fantasy, action, and boys love. Sion and Nezumi have to find ways to survive, to reconcile their views, and to discover the city's history to save it. I had to finish this within a day. The story is engaging and the characters are easy to like. The animation is one of the best I've seen so far. It also raised certain issues about the so-called perfect society and why it can never be attained by force, although it did not seem to consider also the consequences of the characters' feelings for each other.

I don't recommend this to people who are not into boys love anime (or yaoi for that matter). But I guarantee that even the  hints of romance won't spoil the story and animation. I'm giving this series a 10 out of 10 rating.

Legends of the Rhine by Wilhelm Ruland

This is a compilation of fifty-eight stories by Dr. Wilhelm Ruland. The stories are grouped according to the location where each story supposedly took place. Each story has an introduction which makes the transition much easier for the reader.

It includes a condensed version of Nibelungen Lied. The story has been chopped into two however, the earlier part of which can be found in a later chapter. The story of Lohengrin is also included.

I recommend this book to those who are interested in legends and myths in general, as well as to people who are not knowledgeable about the subject. As mentioned earlier, the author provides a background of the story. Those who are not familiar with the places mentioned won't find it difficult to visualize the setting. Dr. Ruland's descriptive skill is sufficient for that task. There are also illustrations in selected legends.

I'm giving this book a 9 out of 10 rating.