Hyouka

Oreki Houtarou is a lazy, easygoing, and a bit anti-social high school student who suddenly finds himself immersed in the activities of the new members of the Classics Club. He was asked by his sister to save the club by enlisting as a member. He agreed thinking that no one else would bother to sign up. However it was through this club that he met the highly curious and energetic Chitanda Eru, the strong and determined Ibara Mayaka, and his long-time friend Fukube Satoshi who tagged along when he discovered that Houtarou joined a club. The group discovers Houtarou's knack for solving mysteries. His skills were put to the ultimate test when they investigated a school event involving Chitanda's uncle 45 years ago.

Oreki Houtarou

(L-R) Chitanda Eru, Ibara Mayaka, and Fukube Satoshi

Although the 22-episode series started off with plenty of mysteries that the characters had to solve, it spiraled into a day-to-day narration of normal high school friends getting through school activities with a few mysteries from time to time. It started off great and reached its climax during the search for the meaning of Hyouka and the mystery of the first Classic Club anthology of the same title. The ending was anti-climactic and the series to explore further Houtarou's talents. When the anthology mystery was solved, it seemed like there was no point in the rest of the series at all; notwithstanding the attempt to examine the friendship between the club members and Houtarou's slow emergence from his detachment to other people and his surroundings.

It was however a refreshing series from the usual books and movies of the mystery genre that are full of tension and action. The pace and the backdrop suits Houtarou's personality. The pace of the story mirrors Houtarou's slow and steady character, while the backdrop of a busy school event and the festival at the end of the series contrasts with Houtarou's  calm reaction to most of the situations he finds himself in. I enjoyed Hyouka for its take on this genre and good animation.

Rating: 7 out of 10.

Forge of Darkness by Steven Erikson

This first installment of the Kharkanas Trilogy introduces the realm of Kurald Galain as it was long before the advent of the Malazan Empire. Told from various characters' points of view, it relates the events leading to the schism of its old and recent inhabitants, particularly the Tiste. Readers will be able to deduce how the Tiste broke up into what are now known as the Andii, Liosan, and Edur.

There are familiar characters from the Malazan Book of the Fallen series, notably a younger and more emotional Anomander, as well as new characters including those that are mentioned only in passing in the other books. Readers will be reintroduced to the Vitr, Azath, Shake, Hust Swords,  and the Warrens or Houses. Several clues are given to the origins and functions of those mentioned, but new questions will come to mind.

Unlike the Malazan series however, the story is told in a direct manner, seldom steering away from the main story; that's if the long character ramblings are not taken into consideration. The pace at the beginning of the book is slow but the tension is already established at the mention of Mother Dark's uncertain position and power. Events that seem unrelated at first will fall into place near the end of the book creating an explosive ending.

Throughout the book there is a recurring theme. Book One explored the idea of gifts as probable curses and a faith that grants empty platitudes and an end to thinking. Book Two talks about how the acquisition of power can be used to challenge fear. Yet power doesn't work for long and therefore "power is meaningless and delusional." Meanwhile Book Three states that "what is given away for free comes back wounded" because its value is not always the same for those who receive it. Book Four sums up all these ideas about the gift by describing the consequences of K'rul's actions, the birth and sharing of new sorceries (the warrens. It will be recalled that in the previous series it has been stated that K'rul "bled" to create these new so-called pathways). The book puts forward the idea that whether a gift is for a good cause or done out of love, its effect to the receiver will not necessarily bring happiness and contentment.

All of the characters, even the supporting characters, have long portions of ramblings or introspection. It's tedious but the depth of Erikson's writing is what makes his books so enjoyable. There are surprising revelations in this book that fans of the Malazan books will be delighted (or horrified) to know about. I'm looking forward to more of those in the next book.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Kaichou wa Maid Sama!

Ayuzawa Misaki is well-liked by her friends for her passion and determination  in trying to manage her time in both school and work. As school council president, she's very strict and hardworking, oftentimes labeled as a terror to the boys. Her insistence in creating a school environment attractive to the female students sometimes gets her in trouble. It was this willingness to help the female students that forced her to confront Usui Takumi, a good-looking and talented popular guy who is known to have broken more than a few girls' hearts. Misaki is determined to keep this wholesome image and must therefore keep her part-time job a secret from her schoolmates. She loves working at Cafe Maid Latte but she doesn't want to be seen in such condition. Later Usui discovers what she does for a living but promised to keep it a secret. Since then they see each other more often.

The story is about friendship, perseverance, and change. It highlights the trials and triumphs of Misaki and Usui and how these strengthened their bond. It has interesting supporting characters and plenty of funny scenes. However there are some inconsistencies in the series. First is Usui's initial intention in befriending Misaki. It seemed that he was serious of his claims from the very beginning even if they barely knew each other. Granted, he could have been just teasing her and later realized he's starting to like Misaki for real. Second, Usui's background was not revealed in the series (Note: check the manga for Usui's background), yet Misaki's was fully explored. That information did not help in creating the tension towards the final episode and did not make a good comparison to Shintani Hinata's case, Misaki's childhood friend. The only contention Usui had for Misaki's heart was their experiences together, but it seemed contradictory for someone as smart and strict a person as Misaki to not question the guy's sincerity and ask about his life.

Although the series is riddled with sexual innuendo, beginning with the idea of a strong female character who is also a "servant," I enjoyed most of it especially the episodes that featured the supporting characters. 

Rating: 7 out of 10

Yuan Lai Wo Bu Shuai (So I'm Not Handsome)

Xiao Zhuang (JJ Lin) discovers that even "his good looks" is not enough to win the school beauty Xu Xin Ting's heart. What's more Xu Xin Ting or Cindy told him he's ugly. For years he believed that he's handsome because everyone tells him that he is.

More than just comedy, this series shows that there's more to romance than dating a good-looking person and sharing happy times. Xiao Zhuang discovers more things about Cindy other than her pleasant face. The friendship and the memories they created together strengthened their relationship. Through Cindy's tears and sorrow, Xiao Zhuang later realized that making her happy is enough and that to keep chasing her would be futile. He learned that he can never replace Dr. Duan Zhao Wei, Cindy's deceased sister's boyfriend, in her heart.

Although it wasn't fully explored in the series, the viewer might question Cindy's feelings for Dr. Duan. Was feeling guilty over her sister's death because she had a crush on the guy created and sustained her devotion to him? Could it be that loving him without reciprocity was her way of compensating for the crime she thinks she committed? We'll never know for sure. In contrast to how Xiao Zhuang makes her feel I think she also realized that her love for Dr. Duan is making her lonely.

 Xiao Zhuang's efforts to make Cindy happy caught the attention of Cai Qiao Ping. The series would later shift to a broken-hearted, confused woman versus the kind and determined woman scenario as Xiao Zhuang struggles to forget about Cindy and give Qiao Ping a chance. Qiao Ping showed the same effort that Xiao Zhuang did in making Cindy happy, yet it doesn't seem to work.



Xiao Zhuang's friends, Jin Si Si and Fang Wen Kang, also found their true love. Si Si is dating the dual personality alien/earthling Li Pin Xuan, while Ah Kang struggles with his love-hate romance with the feisty Shen Man Man.

The 13-episode series is light and funny yet the viewer can pick up inspiring lessons about friendship... and a little something about love as well. In the end, there's no perfect formula for falling in love and being loved.

Rating: 8.5 of 10

***
From the novel Yuan Lai Wo Bu Shuai by Lowes.

Main Characters:

JJ Lin as Zhuang Jun Wei
Nicky Lee as Jin Si Si 
Michael Zhang as Fang Wen Kang 
Alice Ceng as Xu Xin Ting 
Yao An Qi as Cai Qiao Ping
Xiu Jie Kai as Duan Zhao Wei 
Jozie Lu as Shen Man Man 
Winnie Zhong as Liu Pin Xuan

My Humble Spurs Items Collection

I have a few Spurs item that I've collected in the past few years. The Tim Duncan mug is the most special (and most useful) in my collection.

Championship VCDs 

Magazines with Tim Duncan on the covers

A children's storybook

Plastic folder

Spring notebook

Me wearing my Duncan jersey