How you could get me to pledge my undying love for you
Last year during the holidays I started what is now promising to become a tradition: I took a week off and I read graphic novels. I loved it and found it most relaxing (even though my choices were far from tame). I ordered more graphic novels this year and I’ll resist reading them until I’m off. I can already feel the relaxation that will take me over.
The only annoying thing in all that is that in now over a year, I’ve been unable to find volumes 3 and 6 of Akira (by Katsuhiro Otomo). I’ve read the first two and I have volumes 4 and 5. No store anywhere seems to have volumes 3 or 6 new, and the used prices I find online are quite prohibitive. I’m somewhere between annoyed, upset and discouraged. I’ve even looked for them in French (figuring the English books I have are translated anyway), but I only found volume 6 and so I didn’t buy it (I’m stuck at 3 until I find it, I’m not going to skip a volume and read 4-5-6! I’m very picky about series like that!). *sigh*
November 18th, 2008 at 10:16 pm
Hellooo! They have 3 & 6 at amazon.co.uk, new for £16.09 (CA$29.65) and £17.49 (CA$32.25), respectively. I’m low on funds but I’ll go halves, if you like 8^)
November 19th, 2008 at 8:49 am
Incredible! Wonderful! Super! I pledge my undying love for you *just* for *finding* them!! They’re on their way! Thank you so much! YAY! :-)
November 20th, 2008 at 9:00 pm
Woohoo! I’m very happy you can now read the series! 8^D Then, if you still hunger for graphic novels, try Ghost in the Shell by Masamune Shirow - or even, the 1995 animated version by Mamoru Oshii, which I found profoundly beautiful when I saw it back in 1999.
“TETSUOOOO!!!”
“KANEDAAAAAAAAAA!”
8^) *dancedancedance*
November 21st, 2008 at 7:52 am
Strangest thing: I’ve had and listened to the Ghost in the Shell soundtrack for YEARS but I’ve never seen the movie! Thanks for the recommendation — it’ll be on next year’s list, cause my pile of books for the holidays is getting thick! :-)
November 21st, 2008 at 8:23 am
I’d seen Akira at a theatre when I was a teen (and high or drunk or both) and it make QUITE an impression. I loved it, but frankly the books quick even more ass! :-)
For this year, my reading list includes a graphic novel of the Elric story (a fave for half my life, how could I resist!), La saveur du vide, 1st of a trilogy by Lino (hey, a graphic novel made here! wow!), Frank Miller’s Sin City (vol.1), Fell (vol.1, Feral City) and volumes 1-3 of The Boys, written by Garth Ennis (I LOVE Preacher). With Akira 2-6, it should keep me both busy and extremely happy! :-)
So next year I’ll move on to Ghost in the Shell and the next volumes of this year’s series if I liked them. (yeah, if…! :-)
November 21st, 2008 at 9:59 pm
I was always so glad that the transfer of Akira to cinema was done with such sensitivity and attention to detail. What an amazing film. I was a teenager, too - 18, I think - though I first saw it on VHS. A box set of two tapes, one with a documentary about how it was made.
Elric… is this Elric of Melniboné? The first thing that came to mind when you said that was Eirik the Red, one of the Icelandic sagas which I’ve loved for years and I wonder if they’re similar. Not seen Elric, though. Elric of Melniboné was published in 1972, I see - the year I was born. Yay! I’d like to see a graphic novel from that time.
I never got into the Frank Miller stuff, though there was something called “That Yellow Bastard” which I *should* have bought all those years ago when I first saw it. That was good but back then I was reading Junji Itou novels like Tomie. The original Tomie movie impressed me, too, if only for its uniquely steady, calm pace. Oh and Kanno Miho’s portrayal of the monster, of course.
I imagine this gargantuan pile of novels over at your place, which isn’t difficult, Flickr etc! and I fear adding to it in case of some cat-astrophy (cringe) however I do have a couple of other recommendations. These I will save for another time.
Thank you for sharing your Akira experience with me 8^)
November 22nd, 2008 at 12:55 pm
Yup, one of Moorcock’s eternal champion personas. Gawd I love series! The more complex and long, the better! The graphic novel’s recent, though (2004-2006).
Yup, please keep recommendations for another time! LOL! Seriously, if I’d known I’d have four volumes of Akira to read, I would have gone easier on the rest — mind you compared to an Akira volume, all others look puny;-)
I’m super psyched about the holidays now: I’ll take almost 10 days off (ok, granted 48 hours in there will be spent at a party and recovering from said party) and I’ll have stuff to read the entire time. If anybody needs me (tough luck!), I’ll be on the couch, wrapped in my Linus security blanket, with cats all around/over. I’m thinking I need to stock up on hot chocolate (mint please!) and Glen Fiddich. (Strangely enough, that’s where my fantasy ends. I should really add food in there! Hmm, hi mom? you know how you always cook too much for the holidays? No, no, that’s fine — this year, please plan to feed me with leftovers for over a week, mmkay? :-)
November 22nd, 2008 at 12:59 pm
BTW when I “discovered” Moorcock and Tolkien in high school, they were in my boyfriend’s bookcase, and the more I read, the more pissed off I was that no one had ever bothered to tell me (”just a girl”) about scifi and fantasy. So pissed! How insulting. I’d been reading books intended for adults since I was 9, and no one had ever opened a window to show me this HUGE world of pleasure and imagination! (Only child here; I’m sure if I’d had the brother that was planned, my “discovery” would have happened earlier!)
Now? Good luck finding a chick who OWNS more scifi/fantasy! :-)
(I have no patience for most chick-lit. But then again, I’m no girly-girl.)