Goodbye Tsugumi, Hello World.

FIR# 13
Title of Novel: Goodbye Tsugumi
Author: Bana Yoshimoto
Status: Finished
Date read: Sept. 5, 2010
Date finished: Sept. 10, 2010

I had read this novel before when I was a first year student, and when I was able to finally finish the book, I was like, 'No, that can't be the ending!'
Goodbye Tsugumi was much more than appealing the senses; it as relating to us when it comes to relating to family members whom you have a love/hate relationship with. And on top of that, the one you're having that kind of relationship happens to have the possibility that he/she can die any time because he/she is very sick, and you probably will blame yourself if anything happens to that someone you know you love anyway despite their flaws...

Summary
The novel tells the story of the relationship between the love/hate relationship of two cousins: Mary--the narrator and protagonist of the story--and Tsugumi, who, despite being stricken with an unmentioned sickness, manages to be the nightmare of the household with her clever childishness, sarcasm and spitefulness.
The story is set in a flashback style, as Mary recounts her relationship with her cousin Tsugumi--from their childhood up until their last meeting the previous summer--and the wonders of the place they left behind.
Mary also recounts the last time she and Tsugumi spent their summer together one last time in the Summer Inn where Tsugumi's family works before they will move away to another location, which is when the whole story is centralized.
Along with the many experiences Mary has with her cousin, Tsugumi also experiences 'true love' where she meets a boy named Kenji, whom she is smitten with at first sight.
Together, Mary, Tsugumi and Kenji discover the many trials of life through the places they visit, the people they will never forget and, for Mary's part, experiencing as a witness to Tsugumi's near-death experience as she struggles in keeping herself alive from her illness. In the last part of the story, Mary comes to the revelation why Tsugumi is spiteful in all the years that has come: Tsugumi wanted to express herself that even in the verge of death, Tsugumi appreciates life and wants to do everything even in the cost of her health. Her personality, too, is an opposition she wants to project to everyone that she is not frail in spirit despite her fragility of health. In the end, Mary, Tsugumi and Kenji go there separate ways, as Kenji works to help his father at a new hotel, Tsugumi goes to a new town and Mary goes back to Tokyo with a wish that it will all happen again...

Insights
The story is very unique as it not only relates to us because the characters in the story are realistic, but because it is detailed more on the the places and the minor characters the protagonists go to and meet. I especially liked the relationship amongst the three stand-out characters: Mary, Tsugumi and Kenji as they represent what youth has always been. In Mary's part, she is the type of youth who is typical yet a character who develops intrinsically as she experiences and learns more of who Tsugumi is and how important life really is. Tsugumi, in turn, represents the rebellious youth, always unexpected and unabashed. She unconsciously breaks down the norm, whether with her peers or within the household, but fails and also falls for Kenji, who represents a new but rare youth. He is mysterious, kind, understanding and open-minded to both Mary and Tsugumi. He immediately sees what's around him, sparking a wisdom that he both naturally has and gained through experience.
In conclusion, reading the novel was a new experience, as its simplicity, its sensual appeal, witty dialogue(from Mary's and Tsugumi's) and characters won me over and its open-ending left me, not hanging, but floating amongst the clouds...

Wolf Guy - Not your average Werewolf.

FIR# 12
Title: Wolf Guy-Wolfen Crest(comic book/manga)
Author/Artist: Tabata Yoshiaki
Date read: Sept. 1
Chapters read: 15 chapters

You know them as half-men/women, half-wolves, right? Whether they are the bad furry, overly-muscular guys(or seducers in the women's part!)in the whole story, or the anti-heroes/heroines who are almost always ruining the fun of the real front-lining protagonists, or just teenage werewolves(just like this one that I just read)who just wants some peace of mind, a normal and danger-free life--which is improbable, since we know werewolves attract trouble or have someone else getting them trouble--we love them and/or hate them...
Or at least the media is always coming up with new ideas to revive old-school horror and, in this time and age, angsty, love-triangle romance to give them the attention they used to have.

Summary of the chapters read.
The comic book that I read online is titled as Wolf Guy-Wolfen Crest. The whole story revolves around the (wolf)life of the teenage tragic hero, Akira Inugami, and his constant search of who he really is(why was he a werewolf in the first place, why is misfortune coming at him all the time, etc.)while trying to make normalcy out of his already misfortunate, bizarre life(e.g., he constantly changes schools just so he can avoid school gangsters whom he somehow gets into a scuffle with. Now how can he ever have a 'normal' life if he gets into fights more often than not?).
The whole comic starts off with an under-appreciated middle-school teacher, Ms. Aoshika, who tries to go home drunk one late night and becomes the witness of a street gang killing of a middle-school student--who happens to be Inugami! Fainting from what she saw, she didn't witness, though, the transformation of the supposedly dead Inugami into a giant, hulking werewolf, thrashing about the same street and killing the street gang in one bloody go!
The following day, Ms. Aoshika--escorted by the police who are investigating the massacre in the same street she fainted yesterday--comes to school on time only to see the 'dead' middle-schooler--Inugami--alive! And as her new transfer student!
Unable to comprehend that this was the same middle-schooler who got killed last night by a gang and is still alive, Ms. Aoshika becomes curious to Inugami, whilst he, in turn, tries not to provoke the bullies in the new school he's in to avoid himself transferring to another school again.
As the days went by, numerous secondary characters realizes the mysterious past of Inugami. At one point-of-view of the principal of the school, he says that Inugami keeps changing schools because every previous schools he's ever been had one incident involving him and a few getting killed in the process, usually from intimidating or fighting Inugami. Though the police could not get him to court because no evidence can ever testify him ever killing those students who are threatening him, as there are usually eye-witnesses to the situations he's in and using video cameras or cellphones to estify that he's innocent. Another is that Ms. Aoshika meets a man whom he introduces himself to be a journalist and seems to know about Inugami(and the mystery of the Werewolf clan and there sudden disappearance)and why misfortune is always tailing him behind.
In the latest chapter, Ms. Aoshika--so curious and(somewhat)infatuated with Inugami--goes so far as to break inside Inugami's apartment room, just to find out why he doesn't have any parents and perhaps know more about who he is.

Insights
This is clearly actually a very psycholoical comic book, as it deals with the angsty, ever-so arrogant Inugami and his pride on being a werewolf while constantly trying to hide it to 'the inferior humans', as he would say.
Although I actually feel more for the secondary characters(especially Ms. Aoshika) as they try to unmask Inugami, I can see that Inugami is just very lonely, and his views of mankind have become narrow, to the point that he sees mankind as cruel, inferior and savage beasts, monsters in their own way, while failing to admit that there are exceptions to the perspective he has made on mankind.
Perhaps if I read on, there would development in his character...
Maybe he should start by avoiding conflicts with classmates and shutting his egotistical, clever mouth!