I finished reading Town of Evening Calm, Country of Cherry Blossoms. The first thing I noticed about this book is that it's very well made. It's a hardcover manga, and the pages are of a very high quality; instead of being on the typical paper used in manga, it has a thicker and brighter paper that's more similar to the paper used for photographs. Not only is it well made, but it's an effecting story about the Hiroshima bombing and how it has affected multiple generations of people. There are three parts to the book. The first part, Town of Evening Calm, deals with a young lady, Minami, who is living her life ten years after the Hiroshima bombing; she lives and works near where the blast occurred, and it's about how she's unable to live a happy life, since she feels guilty for being a survivor. I won't spoil the rest, but the first part was the most effecting to me, especially the ending. The two part Country of Cherry Blossoms focuses on Nanami, who is Minami's niece. The first part deals with Nanami's innocence as a child, and the second part deals with Nanami as a jaded young woman. She eventually goes a journey that let's her connect with her childhood and family history.
It's only 11 dollars on Amazon. I definitely recommend people purchase it. It's a very touching story.
I also finished watching Bubblegum Crisis. It was pretty good. Bubblegum Crisis definitely takes some inspiration from Blade Runner, which I quite enjoyed, since Blade Runner is an amazing movie. It's pretty iconic even after more than 20 years since its creation; its story isn't entirely original anymore, but the Knight Sabers, the crime fighting girls in power suits, have an iconic image. Nene is probably my favorite Knight Saber, even though she's the least capable at physical combat, and Priss and Linna are probably tied for second. Sylia's definitely my least favorite, though she's not actually bad — she's just not as cool as the other three Knight Sabers. The music in Bubblegum Crisis is pretty awesome; it's a bunch of 80's Japanese rock and pop, and it sounds great. The first opening to Bubblegum Crisis, "There's a Hurricane Tonight," is probably the best song out of the bunch. Some parts of the show are a bit rough, but as it progresses, the show gets better and better. I think episodes seven and eight are probably the best episodes, but unfortunately the show ends with episode eight. Apparently it's because of a falling-out between production companies ARTMIC and Youmex. The show was already episodic in nature, but it felt like things were getting bigger and better with the last two episodes. I guess I'll have to fill this void with the sequels and spin-offs.
I definitely recommend Bubblegum Crisis for anyone who likes the old stuff and if you're a fan of science fiction like Blade Runner.
win.
