Death Note by Tsugumi Ohba

What would you do if you were walking home from school and you found a book on the ground. Upon opening the book you read the following:

You would probably think this was a joke. I would. Until, you and I, just like Light, the boy who did pick up the note book, tried to use the death note. When it worked, you’d probably be pretty freaked out. Not Light. Once he picked up the Death Note his whole life changed. After Light touches the note book for the first time he forms a connection with its owner, Ryuk, an 8 foot tall Death God (Shinigami) who can only be seen by the possessor of the death note. Light becomes obsessed almost immediately, taking the punishment of criminals into his own hands. Of course, the mysterious deaths of criminals has not gone wholly unnoticed. Enter L, the world’s greatest detective. As soon as L arrives the noose around Light’s neck begins to tighten.

Death Note is the ultimate battle of wits. The intelligence of Light and L is astounding, kudos to Ohba, who in my opinion has surpassed Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in the mystery genre. The characters are very intriguing and the plot will suck you in so much so that you should block out some time, and prepare some meals, because once you start you seriously cannot stop. The series concludes after 12 issues, which is nice, this is no 500 volume Dragon Ball series.

Ryuk is my favorite character in the story and possibly in all Manga. You have never met a more hilarious Shinigami. His contribution to Death Note is monumental, posing as a quasi-conscience for Light. This is easily my favorite manga of all time. Unless you absolutely hate creativity and engaging stories then avoid this one otherwise, do it!

P.S. L, Do you know Gods of Death love apples?

Nausicaa by Hayao Miyazaki

Of all Hayao Miyazaki’s films, this one is perhaps my favorite. Nausicaa is the story of a princess in trouble, her father has been killed and the world is slowly being consumed by “spores” which are fatal to humans. To help save the world by burning all the spores and destroying all enemies, multiple groups have come to the Valley of the Wind to resurrect a robot that was used in the Great War, and almost led to the end of humanity. Now it is up to Nausicaa to show the people of world that destruction is not the answer. Forgiveness and humanity are the major themes running through this Miyazaki film. If you are already fan of Miyazaki’s work do not pass this one up!

Porco Rosso by Hayao Miyazaki

When pigs fly is today! Another beautiful story from Miyazaki. Porco Rosso is the story of a man under a witch’s curse. The once arrogant, womanizing, flying ace, man was transformed into an arrogent, womanizing, flying ace, pig! Porco finds himself at odds with the local sky pirates which makes him a constant mark. There is also the female bartender, Porco’s love interest, who never gets involved with pilots which makes for a interesting relationship. This movie is hilarious and Michael Keaton as the voice of Porco Rosso is spot-on! Definitely worth checking out.

Casshern by Kazuaki Kiriya

After Asia wins the Fifty Year War against the robot armies of Europe, there is relative peace. However, to battle constant radiation and genetic mutation from the war science has found ‘neo-cells’ which exist only in ‘original humans’. These original humans live in Sector 7 and stayed neutral during the 50 year war, but now that they have a scientific use they have been declared enemies of the state and are rounded up for experimentation and ‘neo-cell’ extraction. When the experimentation goes horribly wrong and the ‘Original Human’ are returning from the dead more powerful than before. Now a hero must rise…will Casshern return?

This movie is amazing! Every frame of the movie is touched by flawless CGI which makes it visually stunning. The story is interesting but the effects are what will keep you into the movie. A review from the box claims it is better than the Matrix but truth be told it blows The Matrix out of the water!

Dark Water by Walter Salles

A woman (Jennifer Connelly, Labyrinth) going through a divorce is searching for an apartment for her and her daughter. She finds one in a run down apartment building in a not so great neighborhood. Though not ideal, Dahlia can not deny the low price. From the very beginning there is a presence in the apartment building and when Dahlia’s daughter makes a new friend that know one else can see, the troubles starts.

While the story is just OK, the direction is where this movie shines.  Walter Salles is master of detail and he creates a mood with his actors, Dark Water is no exception.  The movie has to be experienced from beginning to end, I recommend a comfy couch and a dark dark room.

Dark Water is a very dark movie, all the colors are drab and washed out giving the effect of dreary water all around you. A great movie to watch on a rainy night! The movie was directed by Walter Salles (Motorcycle Diaries) and was based on the novel Honogurai Mizu No Soko Kara by Koji Suzuki (author of the Ring).

Battle Royale by Koushun Takami

In a not so parallel universe Japan is run by a militaristic government where criticism is not tolerated. In order to keep
Japan in a state of control a program is enforced on a random Junior High School class. The students are taken to a secret island location, equipped with different weapons, means of survival, and are forced to kill one another. The game ends when one student is left. “Battle Royale is a Lord of the Flies for the 21st century, a potent allegory of what it means to be young and (barely) alive in a dog-eat-dog world.” This violent story explodes from the beginning and never lets up! This book has been turned into both a movie and very popular manga series. Due to its very graphic content Battle Royale is recommended for High school and up.

Koushun Takami is a reporter in Japan. His book was rejected in the final rounds of a literary contest on the grounds of its controversial subject. Battle Royale has since gone onto be a runaway bestseller in both Japanese and English.