Lessons from Anime- Loving Parody in Ouran Highschool Hostclub and Assassination Classroom

Parody is a lot harder than you think.

It’s actually very hard to parody any movie, book, genre etc. in a consistently clever and interesting way. Films like ‘epic movie’ and ‘Scary Movie 1,000’ often beat the same jokes into the ground, throw in some gross humor and call it smart satire.

Often, poorly written parody can invoke eye rolls, especially if it doesn’t have a solid story of its own. If its just parody without a well written plot and characters, then it’s a house built on sand. One of the reasons I’m not that big a fan of the first Shrek movie is that at the base of its parody of fairytales is a plot that is predictable and old as time. Which makes it kinda boring.

But there’s another reason I’m not as big a fan of Shrek, and that’s the point about parody I really want to emphasize today. There are two types of parody. The most common, and often the easier to write, is hateful parody. This satire is biting and vicious to its original source material. It hates it. Many of the jokes are intensely mean spirited because of the deep seeded hatred on the part of the authors. In the case of Shrek? Well maybe Dreamworks wanted to crush Disney down to size after Jeffery Katzenberg broke ties with them. Maybe. Shrek 2 actually improves upon the first by being less intensely bitter.

But while hateful parody would seem the most likely, there is another form of parody that is just much harder to pull off. And that is the loving parody. Loving parody truly adores the genre or movie it is parodying. But that doesn’t keep it from making fun of its target at every turn. And at the end of the day, rather than trying to take the subject down a peg, they’re celebrating it for its tropes and its good qualities.

Ouran High school Host Club is one such satire of reverse harem and shojo manga, about a poor honor student who accidentally breaks an expensive vase and falls in debt to her school host club. Thinking she’s a guy because of her appearance, the host club promises to forgive her debt if she becomes a host herself and gets one hundred girls to ask for her. And of course half the guys end up falling for her, though especially Tamaki.

The main male love interest, Tamaki is obsessed with the role of being the main love interest but is cripplingly insecure about it. The rest of the guys are also embodiments of various tropes, but they manage to break out of them at various points for both comedy and drama. And the lead, Haruhi, has no interest in the guy’s vying for her attention and is the most down to earth of everyone.

This show has a great understanding of its trope but it’s not trying to break its characters down. It loves them. And at the heart of the anime is a lot of emotional sincerity. Melodramatic? Oh god yes, but that’s the fun of it. Its melodrama with enough fourth wall jokes and loving pokes to make it quality parody.

Then there’s Assassination Classroom which is a stellar parody of the ‘Teacher goes to a dead end class and inspires them to believe in themselves and go for their dreams’ narrative. Except for in this case, the teacher is a mutant balloon looking creature that blew up the moon and is going to blow up the earth in a year. And in between inspirational lessons, the students are trying to kill their teacher, honing their skills as assassins and trying to raise their grades.

And it’s just…its hilarious. The situation is treated rather casually and despite being constantly under fire, the teacher never stops believing in his students. At every episode he helps at least one of them step out of their shell and realize their strengths. It’s amusing to hear the lesson coming from a yellow, tentacle balloon monster, but also oddly emotionally heartwarming. The show isn’t condemning the subject of its parody. Its embracing it but flooding it with humor at the same time. And the show concludes with one of the most cry worthy scenes I’ve seen in any show.

Loving parody is just as funny as hateful parody (in my opinion more so) but it also manages to remain sincere. Because it cares about its characters, we care about them too when they’re in trouble. We don’t laugh at their pain we feel it with them. And then we laugh at them in the very next scene. It’s certainly a harder method to pull off, but it’s worth it and ultimately so much more rewarding.

Notes from New York: Meshing Fantasy with Reality

Welcome back to Notes from New York. Last week we talked about world building, but this week we are going to dive into a more specific kind of world building: meshing fantasy with reality.

Contemporary fantasy, urban fantasy, magical realism and a host of other genres involve placing magical elements into our normal, everyday world. It can be a great way to view modern day issues through a different lens or just spice up the mundane. It’s an extremely popular method of world building and most comic books make use of this trope with great success, in addition to a swath of movies, TV shows and, of course, novels.

However, just because your book takes place in the modern world doesn’t mean the world building is any easier. In fact often times, meshing fantasy with reality can be difficult. So here’s some problems I’ve noticed in these genres and how to fix them.

1. Not fully integrated

Sometimes it seems like the author tossed in a fantastical element without really thinking about how it would affect the world. Like sure, a vampire society sounds cool, but how the heck hasn’t anyone gotten suspicious, considering all of the people drained of blood? If there are magicians that cause such disturbances, why is everyone so aggressively dumb to the magic going on around them? A lot of books come up with various ways to explain this. Memory charms, hallucinations etc. But if you don’t acknowledge how your magic society deals with the outside world, then it becomes a plot hole. Conversely, if the magic elements are fully integrated and everyone knows about them, how has that changed and shaped society? If it hasn’t had some significant effect, then your world won’t seem very well thought out.

2. Skimping on the setting

Just because you’re not making up the world doesn’t mean you shouldn’t give as much detail to the setting of your novel. Your job is still to root your reader in the story and maybe they haven’t been to the city where your book takes place. Make sure you still do your research and know what you’re talking about or the world will seem quite inauthentic.

3. They Just Don’t Mesh

Sometimes fantasy elements can seem downright random. I read a manuscript in which a fairytale like buddy comedy was mixed with a real life abusive relationship and it just did not pair at all. The fantastical elements felt so random and poorly integrated that sometimes I thought I was reading two different books. Make sure your fantastical and realistic aspects are all wholly necessary to the story you are trying to tell and take time to seamlessly fit them together.

In some ways, I think contemporary fantasy is even harder than inventing a world from scratch, because you do have to play by certain rules. However, so long as you focus just as much on the world building, your manuscript is sure to draw in readers.

Villain Spotlight: Bellatrix Lestrange and Zane Venture

For our villain spotlight this week, I’ll be looking at two very different characters that both, none the less, fall into the ‘crazies’ category.

First is Bellatrix Lestrange, of Harry Potter fame. In the books and especially the movies, Bellatrix is sadistic, crazy and loves every minute of it. As one of Voldermort’s top death eaters, she is a force to be reckoned with it. And she is nuts. 

Helena Bonham Carter brought her perfectly to life in the movies, having her skip about, laugh and sing at all the most inappropriate moments. The aftermath of Sirius Black’s death and Dumbledore’s death are noticeable examples. And she’s so happy, it’s almost hard not to laugh. And you feel terrible for it.

She’s makes you hate her and love her all at once, drawing in your interest. Which is what any good crazy should do. They should fascinate you and make you want to know more.

The second villain is just as much an interest magnet. Zane Venture, from the Mistborn trilogy, is a mysterious, powerful character plagued constantly by voices telling him to kill everyone around him. He has a great presence every time he’s on the page and you want to know more about him. Also, everyone should read that trilogy, because I said so.

Unlike Bellatrix, however, Zane tries to suppress his madness. He is a much more serious character and has a lot of elements of a mastermind in him. But I still place him in the category because he really is pretty off his rocker. A little less obviously than Bellatrix, and he carries himself entirely differently, but he is none the less a crazy.

That’s the key to a crazy villain. They don’t have to make sense, but they should tempt the audience to want to make sense of them. Get that right, and you have a solid villain like these two baddies. And a little excitement for any plot.

Book Reviews- The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

I like horses. I went through that major phase many young people did in middle school when I was absolutely obsessed with horses. So its no surprise that the idea of dangerous water horses that will kill a man as soon as let one ride them was really exciting to me. And a race involving those horses? Well, sign me up!

How did this book fare? Well let’s take a look.

The Plot: It happens at the start of every November: the Scorpio Races. Riders attempt to keep hold of their water horses long enough to make it to the finish line. Some riders live. Others die.

At age nineteen, Sean Kendrick is the returning champion. He is a young man of few words, and if he has any fears, he keeps them buried deep, where no one else can see them.

Puck Connolly is different. She never meant to ride in the Scorpio Races. But fate hasn’t given her much of a chance. So she enters the competition — the first girl ever to do so. She is in no way prepared for what is going to happen.

The characters were enjoyable, the plot was gripping and intense and it did legitimately keep me guessing. I didn't know what was going to happen in the end, and I like that feeling in a book. (Summary according to Goodreads)

The Characters: There are two main characters here. Puck is a girl who enters the races to save her home and family with the winnings after her brother decides to abandon them. She’s tenacious and determined and all around likable as a character. My favorite of the two was Sean, however, who was classically mysterious, keeping his pain close to his chest (a trope that I often like in my YA boys). However he did so without ever being a jerk and his back story was intriguing. He broke my heart many a time. The other characters don’t really stick out to me. I say this because it’s been awhile since I read the book and no one outside the main characters have stuck in my mind as particularly memorable, which I suppose is a bad mark on the book. But the characters were interesting where it most counted and no one was badly written, so over all they did their job.

The Good Points: As stated before, I love the water horses. They’re just so crazy and threatening and majestic all at once. The most intense scene was when Puck and her brother were hiding from a wild water horse that had wandered onto their property. The scene really captured why these creatures are to be feared. I also liked that the book kept me guessing. I legitimately wasn’t sure how the book was going to end or who was going to win or whether or not Puck would stick with her normal horse or cave and ride a water horse. I didn’t know how her relationship with Sean would end up either. It’s nice to read a book that genuinely keeps me on my toes.

The Bad Points: This book might have earned a higher rating if not for the sexism angle. Half of the conflict of this book has to deal with Puck being the first ever woman to ride in this race which of course causes all sorts of huffing and puffing from the populace. But it was just so… boring and been done before. Even though it was in a time period when women were more marginalized, there’s no reason she had to include this angle. There was tension without it. Puck is riding a normal horse in the most dangerous horse race in the world. And she's young. That's plenty of reason for people to tell her not to do it. Commentary on sexism seemed overdone and extra to a story that was already plenty gripping. Outside of that, the pacing was slow in parts. Not enough to bore me but enough to be noticeable 

Outside of that, I enjoyed it. I love the slow build of the relationship, the environment of the island, the likability of the characters and the man eating horses themselves. A great book to pick up if you like action and horse racing with a touch of death!

Final Rating- 4/5

My Top 10 Reads of 2014

So, I didn't read nearly as much as I wanted to this year, but I did read 35 books, which is more than enough to make a top 10 list out of. It was pretty hard because I read a lot of excellent books this year, but I think I've narrowed it down to my favorites.

Keep in mind, these books were not necessarily published in 2014. Many were published earlier and I'm just now getting around to reading them. So you might see some older books on here. But, without further ado, let's dive in.

10. A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz

A clever spin on the tale of Hansel and Gretel, I found this book a darkly charming read, reminiscent of all the classic fairy tales. The book is made up of several short but connecting stories. My personal favorites were the Three Golden Hairs, where Hansel must trick the devil to escape eternal torture in hell, and the Blood Red Smile, where Gretel finds herself taken with a young man who might not be what he seems. I would recommend this book to any lover of Grimm fairy tales.

9. Legend by Marie Lu

I thought I was worn out by the dystopian genre, but I really connected to the main characters of this story. I love me some smart main characters and I liked watching them try to get out of situations with strategy and wit. This was also a fast paced, fun ride. The sequel, Prodigy, is also worth noting. I have not yet read Champion but I look forward to it.

8. Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

This is just a sweet love story. A sweet love story that feels very natural between the two leads. This book made my happy, sad and all of the emotions in between but all the way through, it felt very honest. I haven’t read anything by Rainbow Rowell I haven’t liked so I’m looking forward to more quirky love stories from her in the future.

7. The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor

I love me some Alice and Wonderland retellings. I decided to place this book here because, while I did read the sequel to another Alice and Wonderland retelling (Unhinged by A.G Howard) I read the first book before this year. So I thought it would be cheating. But this is a wonderful retelling with charming characters and a zany setting that keeps the spirit of wonderland. I love Hatter Madigan especially. Also worth noting is the sequel Seeing Redd. I look forward to reading the third book soon.

6. Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy by Laini Taylor

I read all three of these books this year. What can I say? They’re gorgeous, unique and I love the characters. When I started reading, I didn’t expect this book to go in the direction it did. It could have easily been cliché but Taylor took the concept in a unique and excellent direction. And the covers are gorgeous, but that’s a superficial love. Crack these books open and see for yourself.

5. Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge

This book, a Beauty and the Beast retelling, could have failed so easily. I half expected it to. But the prose were surprisingly gorgeous and our beast for the story was super alluring. And I’m not usually attracted to the love interests in romance stories but, wow. The main heroine is quite interesting as well, and I enjoyed the dynamic of the main couple. Which is important, considering that’s the heart of the story. Rosamund Hodge is definitely on my watch list.

4. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Yes, I know, I should have read this ages ago. But I’m glad I finally did. Long story short, I cried. A lot. And that’s high praise because I rarely cry at books. And the narration from Death’s point of view was fabulous. I’d tell you to read it but, let’s face it, you probably already have.

3. Vicious by V.E Schwab

This is one of those books I wish I could write. It has so many themes and concepts that I adore. I love people with special powers. I love explorations of what makes us human. I love morally ambiguous protagonists. And the book executes these themes perfectly. I adored this book and I think a second read is in my future.

2. The Shadow of the Wind Carlos Ruiz Zaffón

I’ve talked a lot about books with pretty prose. Well this book is the crowning achievement in that. The setting and atmosphere of this book is just gorgeous. It enveloped me in the world of post civil war Spain and I fell in love with its story and characters. This was the kind of huge story that tickled my Les Miserables loving heart. I recommend it to EVERYONE. It’s amazing. Just read it. Please.

But, of course, the crowning achievement must go to…

1. Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson

I knew this would be number one as soon as I started making this list. The world is fantastic, the fight scenes heart-poundingly awesome, and the main characters engaging. I am obsessed with Kelsier and Vin. I’m obsessed with the magic system. I am, in general, obsessed with this book. Read it now if you haven’t. And while you do, I’m off to read the sequels!

Those are my top 10 books I read in 2014. What were some of your favorites? Let me know in the comments!

Book Reviews: Everlost

Starting today, I'm introducing a new segment on the blog: book reviews. I will be reviewing a book or series every week on Mondays from now on. These books can be old or new and be from any particular genre, but a lot of the books reviewed will probably be YA or MG. And at the end of the review, I will rate them on a scale of one to five. Without further ado, the Everlost trilogy...

When you’re a big reader, and your college roommate is a big reader, book exchanges are inevitable. And whenever my lovely roommate and I take a trip to the local library, we often end up throwing books into each other’s arms. It usually goes something like this:

“Have you read this?”

“No.”

I bring this up, because that is how I discovered the Everlost Trilogy, by Neal Shusterman. My roommate shoved the first book into my arms and commanded I read it. And so I did.

The Story:

Nick and Allie don't survive the car accident...

...but their souls don't exactly get where they're supposed to get either. Instead, they're caught halfway between life and death, in a sort of limbo known as Everlost: a shadow of the living world, filled with all the things and places that no longer exist. It's a magical, yet dangerous place where bands of lost children run wild and anyone who stands in the same place too long sinks to the center of the Earth.

When they find Mary, the self-proclaimed queen of lost kids, Nick feels like he's found a home, but Allie isn't satisfied spending eternity between worlds. Against all warnings, Allie begins learning the "Criminal Art" of haunting, and ventures into dangerous territory, where a monster called the McGill threatens all the souls of Everlost.

In this imaginative novel, Neal Shusterman explores questions of life, death, and what just might lie in between. (Summary according to Goodreads)

The Characters: 
Oh boy, are there a lot of characters in this trilogy. The plot summary for the first book mentions only Nick, Allie, Mary and the McGill but there a whole host of other dead kids who didn’t make it to the light. This book supports a large cast of diverse characters, all written honestly according to their age. These are kids. They’re emotional, they’re confused, they’re manipulative, they’re smart, they’re prone to anger but they have big hearts. And everyone, even the villains, have a likable edge to them. These books do moral ambiguity very well. And if you don’t like one character, not to worry. There are plenty of others to choose from.

The Good Points: 
The concept is intriguing and, as mentioned earlier, the characters are diverse and fun. You can point to at least one of the kids and say ‘yep, that’s me. That’s me as a kid’. The world is well constructed and I enjoy the interludes from books written by some of the various characters. It adds a lot of flavor and it’s a nice way to dispense world building details. Favorite characters were Mikey, Allie, Jackin' Jill and Jyx.

The Bad Points: 
Some of the romances could be predictable and often rushed. I liked some of the pairings but some were just kind of tossed in there. Not to mention, for all of its diversity, the series was a bit hetero-normative. It was written a little while ago, so its not exactly surprising, but for all the romances, I would like a bit of diversity in that area. I had no least favorite characters.

My Rating System: Since this is my first book review, let me explain my rating system. I rate on a scale of 1-5.

1 star= I loathed this book with a fiery passion from the depths of hell

2 stars= The book was pretty bad, but it didn’t offend me or incite bouts of rage

3 stars= The book left no impression on me, good or bad. It is an acceptable read if it sounds interesting to you.

4 stars= I really enjoyed this book, and it rarely let me down

5 stars= This book hit a strong cord with me and I will defend it as awesome until my dying breath.

Most books will get anywhere from 2-4 stars. Books only merit 1 or 5 star ratings if they illicit a strong emotional reaction from me, good or bad.With that said...

Final Rating: 4/5 stars.