Asterios Polyp
When I first saw Asterios Polyp at Barnes and Noble this past summer, my friend recommended that I read it. So it did, all in one sitting. I was so taken in and enthralled by the story that I barely looked up at all. Asterios character, constantly bringing up the subject of Geek mythology or Greek references, is very human in this novel. In Graphic Novels, some people tend to think that these are all super hero comics, or something of that nature. I find graphic novels much closer to a more “traditional literature”, such as a book than comics necessarily. Yet, I don’t hold them in a lower regard.
The graphic novel “Asterios Polyp” is about an architect who taught at a college in Ithaca, New York. While there, his building burns down and he moves to Opogee, New York to work as a mechanic. Throughout the story, it travels from the past to present, revealing the relationship between him and his wife, Hana but also his dead twin.
Essentially, this story is about duality. Through his brother and his wife, his relationships are sometimes troubled. I found this story relatable and also extremely unique. I thought that the idea of visually showing an argument, especially the one between Asterios and Hana, was brilliant. Showing his personality through blue geometrical shapes and hers through soft pink lines, further demonstrated where each person was coming from.
Through graphic novels, I feel they are a merging of art and books. Two of my favorite things, what’s not to like?! Although, it has a different feel than a book. To me, books feel a little bit more real for me and sometimes I don’t like that. I like to feel that I am being taken away in a whirlwind of a story. Being submerged in a serious subject whilst being entertained and pleasing to the eye are ideal. The amazing aspect to me is the amount of moral fiber and lessons laced through a cartoon. All the more reason to pick one up.
Paprika
Paprika was a very interesting movie. I need to start off first by saying that this was my first anime movie ever. Ever. That being said, it was a bit different for me. I’m a typical American girl, raised on nickelodeon and Disney. I was a little taken aback by the very different drawing style, and story style. When I started it, I didn’t wasn’t to be biased because of that and tried to accept the work as it is.
I loved the movie. The style still is a little odd to me but I enjoyed the story line so much, I just couldn’t stop watching all the colorful visuals and immersive plot. Paprika is a character invented by the main scientist, At-chan. That, or it’s her other self. I’m not exactly sure. When the DC Mini, a device used to share dreams, goes missing, Hatsuro, an employee is the main suspect. Through further investigation however, they discover it’s actually the chairman who is trying to control everyone’s dreams. This movie was a very fast paced movie, just bursting with visuals and deep meaning.
The story is set in Japan. The main character, Paprika (aka At-Chan) is a psychotherapist working with the DC Mini to enter dreams, helping those with deep psychological problems. I found a lot of similarities between the graphic novel and this anime movie in terms of style. They both represented real life problems and issues (to some degree) with an underlining artistic vision and imagination. This is a perfect drink for an intellectually thirsty artist.
There are, in many respects a lot of visuals that I found very professional and detailed. The city scenes absolutely amazed me in the dedication in details. That made it all the more real. In the dream sequences, I also thought they did a phenomenal job in making it look real and then just like that, leading you right into a dream. They really did make you feel like the character, unknowingly submerging themselves into the uncharted territory of dreams. One issue I had with the story was, why was the only extremely obese guy American? J
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