Manga I love! Death Note / Review XP The Death Note Movie

Let me preface this by saying: this anime will fuck with you.

Now, if you haven't heard of the manga/anime Death Note, let me esplain the plot. A death god gets bored, so he drops his death note into the human world to see what will happen. The death note is a book, a journal of sorts, that has the power to kill anyone simply by the owner writing that person's  name in the book while picturing their face. So, Light Yagami, a narcissistic genius high school student, finds it, tests it, and starts ridding the world of evildoers while proclaiming himself God of the new world. The police enlist the help of "L", an eccentric genius with a sugar addiction, to catch him. Sometimes Light is forced to kill innocent people to protect himself, cue all types of conflict, drama, and crises.

What would you do? What would you do in the same situation as Light? Would you use the power you'd been given for good? On the flip side, what would you do if you lived in a world with such a person? Would you be for or against his killing work? I have to admit, when I watched the anime, I took Light's side. Truthfully, I'm probably still on his side. Or maybe I just want to think that. What is right? What is wrong? Who gets to decide? Death Note ends up an extreme and entertaining commentary on capital punishment.

Netflix created their own movie version in English. All things considered, I thought it was a successful adaptation. Willem Dafoe was perfect as Ryuk. The ending was different but somewhat unexpected and wrapped things up nicely.

What I didn't like was that Light's character was so different that much of what made the anime interesting was lost. They twisted him to fill the role of a typical American anti-hero: an academic outcast virgin who is bullied and (even more annoying) falls for a pretty face (which would NEVER happen because Light only loves himself). And THEN they made poor Ryuk out to be the bad guy, whereas in the anime, he interfered very little with Light's decisions and subsequent descent into (calculated) madness, obsession and malevolence.

You should totally watch the anime. Like, today. I'll pay you in Skittles.

J. L. Dodd

“This world is rotten, and those who are making it rot deserve to die. Someone has to do it, so why not me?” - Light Yagami

“If Kira gets caught, he is evil. If Kira rules the world, he is justice.” - Light Yagami

Death Note Rules

The human whose name is written in this note shall die.

This note will not take effect unless the writer has the person's face in their mind when writing his/her name. Therefore, people sharing the same name will not be affected.

If the cause of death is written within the next 40 seconds of writing the person's name, it will happen.

If the cause of death is not specified, the person will simply die of a heart attack.

After writing the cause of death, details of the death should be written in the next 6 minutes and 40 seconds.

Links:

https://myanimelist.net/featured/620/20_Quotes_from_Death_Note_

http://deathnote.wikia.com/wiki/Rules_of_the_Death_Note

Really, Starbucks? Really?

See my blog entry from 2016. 

Zombie Frappuccino

And ... my worst fears are realized. Fuck it. Let's all be zombies. I'm on the zombie bandwagon. With the current administration, I think we'll all be better off. Is the fall of civilization to ravenous, brain-slurping monsters better than living with Trump as president?

This is a democracy. Decide for yourself. But I'm not eating his brain.

J. L. Dodd

Tell me WTF is wrong with me!

Remember a few months back when I stopped reading? It was a truly horrible thing to experience. Then over the summer I completely stopped listening to music. My life was a painful, quiet experience, and I'm still coming out of it. During the early stages of my recovery, all I could stomach was vintage TOP. LP caused a sinking feeling and even pain. Sometimes tears. Nothing else appealed to me, even that music I was recently enamored with. So what does this say about my state of mind? I'm not certain, though I'm sure it isn't good. Whatever is going on, I'm determined to work through it. Sometimes.

Just yesterday, I noticed a disturbing trend in my recent blogs and drafts: they are all reviews. I'm trying to figure out why. I guess ... nothing organic has occurred to me in some time. So what is my fucking problem? Am I just not trying hard enough? Is it because I'm focused on other things ALL THE TIME???

I think much of it has to do with the frustration that is growing inside me. I'm extremely frustrated with my book. I'm frustrated with the slow progress of my business. I'm frustrated in my personal development and study. And I'm frustrated because it seems no matter how much effort I put in or how differently I approach my obstacles, nothing changes. Nothing. Fucking. Changes. I'm Sisyphus; I'm a goddamned hamster in a wheel. I'm trying to embrace impermanence and Buddhism and have a good attitude but most days it's impossible and it's all bullshit and I want to give up and watch Netflix for the rest of my life.

Sorry, people. As much as I'd like to write something meaningful and/or cohesive and/or in the least bit worthwhile, today I just can't. I'm going to go watch Korean dramas and eat tortillas and probably go to sleep early.

Peace.

J. L. Dodd

Given Up
by Linkin Park

Wake in a sweat again
Another day's been laid to waste
In my disgrace
Stuck in my head again
Feels like I'll never leave this place
There's no escape
I'm my own worst enemy

I've given up
I'm sick of feeling
Is there nothing you can say?
Take this all away
I'm suffocating!
Tell me what the fuck is wrong with me!

I don't know what to take
Thought I was focused, but I'm scared
I'm not prepared
I hyperventilate
Looking for help somehow, somewhere
And no one cares
I'm my own worst enemy

I've given up
I'm sick of feeling
Is there nothing you can say?
Take this all away
I'm suffocating!
Tell me what the fuck is wrong with me

God!

Put me out of my misery
Put me out of my misery
Put me out of my
Put me out of my fucking misery

I've given up
I'm sick of feeling
Is there nothing you can say?
Take this all away
I'm suffocating!
Tell me what the fuck is wrong with me

Review XP False Memory by Dean Koontz

**This review contains minor spoilers, however, they are fairly vague and altogether predictable.**

Giving in to a sense of nostalgia (as well as being unable to find anything I liked better on that particular day), I purchased a copy of False Memory by Dean Koontz at a second-hand store. When I was younger, contrary and perhaps in response (if I'm being honest) to my upbringing, I harbored an interest in horror. I couldn't bring myself to indulge in Stephen King (that would, of course, mean I was a devil-worshiper or something) and so I read every Dean Koontz book I could get my hands on, which usually meant I borrowed them from the public library. Remember when we used to do that? The book I remember enjoying the most was Watchers, which I recently reread. I also watched the unimpressive film made in the 80's (I'd wager these words go together frequently) that of course, did the book little justice.

Once I started False Memory, it took me weeks to get into this story, which may or may not have to do with the fact that I was struggling to read anything at the time, though the first half of the book is especially slow. Another reason I put off reading was that the premise around absolute mind control was truly frightening to me; something I believe could happen or is already happening already. 

At first you think the antagonist is merely a psychiatrist on a power trip, but it is revealed throughout that he is a first-rate narcissist, psychopath, and serial murderer. His pastimes, or games, as he likes to think, are sanctioned by a secretive, evil institute in New Mexico (the horror!). Okay, not exactly sanctioned, but they allow his hobbies to continue, and clean up after him when necessary. 

As disturbing as it was, I think what I liked best about this book was the careful development and attention to detail of the Doctor (something Ahriman himself would approve of). Backstory touches on upbringing, genetics, motivation,  showcasing a complete lack of empathy and a reliable interspersing of fantasy in his reality. Of course, these types of things interest me, so it makes sense.

That being said, I didn’t find the other characters near as interesting, and my main motivation for continuing to read was I wanted to see Ahriman get his. This lead to a disappointing ending that came out of left field.The Doctor does meet his end, but under circumstances that were highly contrived and unsatisfactory given his multitudes of dark crimes against humanity.  

And seriously, the epilogue was trite, ridiculous, and unnecessary. Koontz could have written "And they all lived happily ever after" and skipped the last 10 pages. Skeet marries Jasmine? Really? It doesn't matter though. He does what he wants. Apparently he's earned that right.

Goodreads: 3/5 Stars

For the record, I no longer think reading Stephen King is akin to being a devil-worshiper. This belief is based in my own, high opinion of myself and of Mr. King, of course.

J. L. Dodd

Review XP The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion

I really can't call this a review. It has elements of a review, but it's more of a reflection.

I read The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion in bits and pieces over a period of five months. I lost it for a few weeks, then found it under my bed. And it truly isn't the type of book I usually have any interest in reading (though I'm working on that to include any and all and every damn book). So the fact that I finished it means something. Perhaps it was morbid curiosity that drove me to finish.  Perhaps it was my current fascination with death. Fascination is too strong a word. Interest. Just an interest that seems to be coming up a lot. Or perhaps it was my Goodreads 2017 book challenge.

The narrative was compelling, in that it's non-fiction. The author's husband, with whom she'd spent all of her time with since their marriage (they were both successful authors who worked from home, so they spent nearly every day together) dropped dead at the dinner table. How does one cope with such an experience? Spoiler: one doesn't, not really. Her new reality, though not completely unexpected, was so sudden that she struggled to understand what had happened, even 12 months later.

I haven't had to deal with a close loss yet. My grandfather and my grandmother on opposite sides both passed when I was still young, self-centered and therefore immune to the implications of death, and even now I can only imagine what true grief feels like. Which is probably why this quote spoke to me both as an author and a human being:

"Nor can we know ahead of the fact (and here lies the heart of the difference between grief as we imagine it and grief as it is) the unending absence that follows, the void, the very opposite of meaning, the relentless succession of moments during which we will confront the experience of meaninglessness itself." - Pg. 189

I think we all reach an age where we begin to ask questions. Questions like, "What the fuck is the point of everything?" which can be answered a million different ways. I think at 39, I'm a bit behind in the search for my own truth. Right now I have a million questions and no clear answers. But I think that's a good place to start.

Goodreads: 2/5 Stars

J. L. Dodd

Review XP The Dark Tower Movie

People! For the love of all things good and pure in this world, if you read The Dark Tower books, do not watch this movie. It will cultivate spiraling anger and aggression in your soul that can only be relieved by violence. Some kind of extreme deviance. Alcohol. Sugar. Maybe caffeine. Or sleep.

I can see it now: enraged moviegoer goes on a nap rampage. Given the state of this country, let's stick with that. There's a lot of fucked-up shit going on in this country, so it's no longer funny to joke about out-of-control people doing messed up crap and blaming any random scapegoat.

That said, the movie was terrible. And yes, obviously I am biased. I think part of my problem was unrealistic expectations. I was expecting this movie to cover the first and possibly the second books of the series. I mean, how do you condense seven epic books into a single movie? It's impossible, and yet, they still tried, resulting in a horrid mess of plot lines and seriously underdeveloped characters and ideas.

How do you make this movie without including Susannah or Eddie or Oy?

And what really ticked me off was the differences in Roland's character and motivations. I feel like I don't know this movie Roland. This Roland is some half-assed, watered-down version of my Roland. In fact, I'm not even going to call him Roland any more. I'm going to call him Lenny. He seems like a Lenny. That's how bad it was.

First, and most annoying, there is no way in fucking hell that Roland would deny or make light of being a gunslinger. Roland was a lot of things, and he had plenty of issues, but he was forthright and honest about who and what he was.

Also, Lenny's motivations were different. Lenny only cared about revenge, which made finding and killing Walter his only goal. He didn't care about the tower or the end of all creation, which made him a douche of a hero.

For Roland, reaching the tower is all that he lived for for hundreds, possibly thousands of years, and he'll sacrifice anything and everyone in order to get there. And if that means preserving the beams and saving the world, he'll do it.

Lenny's "love" for Jake doesn't make any sense; it seems to come out of nowhere. Yes, Jake can help Lenny find Walter, but that's it. There is no progression or even reason that Lenny should feel more. I scoffed, yes scoffed, in the movie when Walter tells Jake, "He doesn't love you," or something to that effect. No, he shouldn't love you. If he does, that's just dumb.

Roland, on the other hand, allowed Jake to die in exchange for a palaver with Walter. This weakness torments him for some time, but when he gets Jake back, his affection for the boy grows in increments until he considers him his son.

 Why do they have to say "shine" in the movie instead of "touch"? That one little thing really bothered me. Perhaps because I was already bothered.

I could go on and on, but suffice to say, it was very fucking disappointing. I may honestly consider screenplay writing after watching this movie. I think I could have done a better job.

J. L. Dodd

RIP Chester Bennington continued

Reality slowly sinks in. As a grieving fan, I know I am at the far end of the spectrum of what I am allowed to feel. Like most fans I never knew Chester personally, however, on another, deeper level, I felt as if I did.

As an artist, one of my ultimate goals is for my readers to experience what Stephen King describes as "perfect recognition." It's simple, straightforward, and fucking powerful. It's something that unites us as human beings, and reminds us that despite our differences, we are all connected. Between melody and meaningful lyrics, music serves as an extremely powerful agent of perfect recognition. Anger. Injustice. Disillusion. Resentment. Anguish. LP's music resonates with me on so many levels, just as it does with thousands of others all over the world.

From Linkinpark.com:

Dear Chester

I'm not angry any more. Impermanence, right? Keep telling yourself that. But the more I listen to this newest album, the more I think I can understand and ultimately forgive him for what he did.

BTW I was wrong before. As long as we have the music, he is invincible.

J. L. Dodd

Links:

http://musicforrelief.org/

Sources:

https://linkinpark.com/news/news/448101/dear-chester