I Just Read About That…

SOUNDTRACK: BLUE OYSTER CULT-Club Ninja (1986).

My roommate Glen is the only person that I know who not only owned this record but also played it a lot.  No doubt it was his relentless playing of this disc that now leads me to think of it rather fondly, even if it is pretty poorly regarded as far as BOC discs go.

It has a very poppy/80’s metal feel to it, there’s no denying.  Some of the songs are beautiful keyboard-rich tracks (“Perfect Water” which is close to cheesey but I don’t think ever crosses the line), some of them are pummeling 80s metal with chanted choruses “Make Rock Not War” (boom), and “Beat ‘Em Up” (which is as delightfully silly as it sounds).

It also featured a song that could have been a hit called “Dancing in the Ruins.”  The less bombastic metal songs are also quite catchy, like “Shadow Warrior.”  And the final song, “Madness to the Method” reminds me of one of their 70s songs, “The Marshall Plan” as it’s complete with spoken word sections and seems to be about rocking out.

I suppose compared to their 70s heyday, this falls a little short, but as an 80s metal album it’s quite solid.

[READ: March 12, 2010] The Color of Water

This is the second part of Kim Dong Hwa’s trilogy of the maturation of Ehwa (a character loosely based on his mother).  It is beautiful, engaging and very very real.

Ehwa is growing up in rural Korea. Her father died many years ago, so it is just her and her mother living together.  Her mother owns the local tavern, and for much of the day Ehwa is free to roam around and learn things from her friends.

This second part of the trilogy focuses on Ehwa’s budding sexual maturity.  She learns  more and more about what her mother and the “picture man” are feeling when he arrives at their house.  She learns, through her friend Bongsoon, what it feels like to experience individual pleasure.  She also learns what it feels like to fall heavily for someone when she meets the handsome and strong Duksam.In this volume, Ehwa begins keeping secrets from her mother: how she is feeling, who she fancies, and why she is suddenly bathing with scents so much.  This is a sad but inevitable development in a young person’s life, and you feel both sides of the story: Ehwa’s independence, and her mother’s pride at her growth but sadness at losing her.

The bulk of the story focuses on Ehwa’s feelings for Duksam.  She is completely in love with him.  And yet, because this is 19th century Korea, she can’t just call him or swing by his house.  Duksam works for a taskmaster named Master Cho.  He labors hard all day and doesn’t have a lot of time to swing by, even though his feelings for her are the same.

The major plot moment in this story comes when Master Cho sees Ehwa himself.  He sets about trying to arrange to have Ehwa for himself (despite the fact that she is in her early teens and he is in his 80s–EW!).  I thought this plot development was a little awkward and bizarre (although it could very well be a realistic happening); however, when we see what all of this plotting leads to, it becomes a clever and fully realized development for the story.

The artwork is once again masterful.  The background scenes are unbelievably beautiful: the detail of the plants, flowers, houses, skies, everything are simply incredible.  And the faces of his characters are astonishing.  With just a few lines we see the beauty of Ehwa and her mother.

The one drawing aspect that I found disconcerting in the first volume is true in this one as well.  While Ehwa and her mother (and their suitors) are beautiful, many of the other characters are rendered, shall we say, grotesquely.  I’m led to believe that this is common practice in Asian art (although I don’t know for sure).  It’s just odd that the people’s faces match thier behaviors so dramatically.  It’s almost like a telegraphing of people’s motives.   It’s rather comical as well.  But once you get past that, or simply accept it, the whole story is really amazing.

I’m thrilled that First Second has released this entire trilogy and that they are all available now.

For ease of searching I include: Blue Oyster Cult