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Armchair Adventurer

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  1. Armchair Adventurer
    It seems that Attack on Titan ,or Shingeki no Kyojin if you prefer the original title, has just recently exploded on the scene. Yet it is rapidly becoming a multimedia franchise with the original manga, videogames and even novels hitting western shores in the near future (not to mention the imminent DVD and Blu-Ray release and the live action movie in the works). But what is the reason for it’s swiftly garnered popularity?
     
    This series paints a bleak picture of the future of humanity. A future where we were almost hunted to extinction by a „giant like” race called Titans. Not much is known about the new natural predators of humanity. They don’t seem to be very intelligent and their only goal seems to be the endless consumption of human flesh. To protect themselves the surviving population retreated behind three gigantic walls and has lived there in peace for over a 100 years.

     
    The story revolves around there main characters called Eren Yeager, Mikasa Ackerman and Armin Alert as they live their simple lives behind the walls. The tale Attack on Titan tells holds many twists and surprises. Some predictable but most of them are impactful and well executed. It’s characters are not particularly deep but they are all releatable and likeable. As the series progresses the viewer starts feeling real comradery amongst them and fears for their well being as they go through many hardships. For in this series all of their lives are in constant danger.

     
    The society, this story presents, is highly militaristic. It’s military split into three core groups one tasked with protecting and repairing the walls, one tasked with upholding peace far behind them and one tasked with making excursions on the outside for resources and information. Some may find this a social, political statement but ,no matter what one may think, it gives a certain feeling of uniqueness to this world and the views of it’s inhabitants.
     

     
    Attack on Titan is a tightly written story. It dispenses with most of the melodrama and filler that seems to characterize a lot of anime. Most scenes have a clear point and relevance in the story, setting up information about characters, build up for later plot points and character development and so on. It still retains that distinctly Japanese feel however (whether you find that good or bad my dear reader I’ll leave it up to you). It explores it’s character’s emotional state well, without it overstaying it’s welcome, themes of hopelessness and desperate attempts to fight back against an overwhelming force. It also looks into the way humans treat each other in a world where their existence is threatened everyday. How they might cope with this and how much they’d work together.
     
    The animation of this series is stellar. There are quite a few „wow” inducing moments to be seen here as we watch these gigantic creatures and the ones who oppose them in action. The characters express just as much with their movements and body language and facial expressions as with their words. The action scenes are fast, huge scale and brutal. Every suffered wound feels real and every blow has earth (or more often building) shattering impact. It really is worth the price of admission just for that.

     
    This series is an exceptionally well done effort. Enjoyable for everyone, even for those who don’t enjoy anime otherwise. It’s themes and characters are adequately explored and it’s story is exciting and holds quite a few surprises. At the end of Season 1, the current end of the series, we ended on a cliffhanger with many unanswered questions ,yet a still somewhat satisfying resolution. It’ll be interesting to experience where this story progresses and to see light shed on some of it’s mysteries. A truly remarkable anime deserving it’s popularity. Give it a chance and you might just find yourself swept away in this world of Titans!
     

  2. Armchair Adventurer
    I welcome you to the this humble article discussing a movie called V for Vendetta released in 2005. What not many seem to remember is that the movie was based on a graphic novel written by Alan Moore. Since there are significant differences between the movie and book, in fact so significant that Alan Moore refused to be credited in the movie, I’d like to cover the comic book separately. For now, let’s take a look at the cinematic iteration of the story.
     
    The movie takes place in an alternate future England under the rule of a fascist government. Controlling the lives of it’s people with every tool at their disposal. Constant surveillance, curfew, propaganda and Fingermen ( or political police) are a common day occurrence in the average citizens life here. Under the reign of this regime lives the main focus of our tale Evey Hammond played by Natilie Portman. Evey is one of the best written female characters in cinematic history. A perfect example of how to write a female character well. She is a mature and strong woman who sees the wrong doings of the government of her country to a degree, but has comformed to that world and has no interest in changing it. Until, because of a series of coincidences, she has to go through a journey from being a cog in the machine of oppression to becoming a truly free person. Uncovering many secrets some would prefer not to remember. All thanks to a mysterious man called V.
     

     
    Although Evey is the main focus of our tale, the character who steals the show is V ,played spectacularly by Hugo Weaving. A masked freedom fighter or terrorist depending on your view. V is a sophisticated and elegant individual who suffered much during his life. He is theatrical, intelligent, extremely charismatic and very firm in his beliefs of free speech in equality. He has a great appreciation of art and philosophy and the value of expression. By his own admission he uses violence for good. He is also driven by a personal vendetta against some of the members of the government. However, V is not cruel being perfectly is capable of forgiveness. He is one of the most inspiring characters in fiction and that’s exactly his goal. V’s main aim is to inspire the greatest force in human history. The people.
     
    Although, I'm against spoiling scenes in advance, this clip summarize the values, beliefs and intentions of V better than anyone else ever could (if you haven't seen the movie yet though, I suggest you watch the full thing first):

     
    The movie is full of symbolism including the letter „V” and the number 5. For an example of that inspect the name „Evey” more closely. You might miss a lot of it watching the story for the first time encouraging repeated viewings. The dialogues are very quotable and the whole story is extraordinarily well written in general. Combining that with the atmosphere of oppression the movie very conveys to it’s viewer and the stellar performances from every actor involved to make an emotionally fulfilling story which not only makes you feel for it’s characters but also ponder your own standing on matters and the affairs of your own country.
     
    But the movie itself is almost dwarfed by the mark it left on our collective culture. You see, this movie has a clear message to it’s audience. A message each of us should take to heart. A message perfectly signified by this mask:
     

     
    The mask you can see above existed before the movie of course. It was made to resemble the face of a man call Guy Fawkes who tried to assassinate King James the First on the fifth of November in1605. Many see him as a hero others as a terrorist but no matter what anyone thinks with the help of this story this mask has come to mean much more than that.
     
    Today it signifies the fight against oppression and the abuse of authority. Not a desperate fight,as shown by the smile, but a fight through sophistication and determination. A confident fight! The realization of the fact that only the people ,and the people alone have the power to decide their fates and place the power into sombody’s hands. For this reason many movements embrace this symbol as their own and it has the chance of becoming important to each and every one of us ,which no matter what the future may bring, nobody can take from you. Today behind this mask is not only flesh but an idea and ideas are bulletproof.
     

     
    Whether what it helped bring into the public awareness outshines this movie or not is ,of course, for you to decide my dear reader. I highly recommend that you dedicate a bit of your time to this piece of cinema nonetheless. It’s characters are deep, representing different ideologies and social standings and it’s plot is full of emotions and moments which will stay with you for a long time. I leave it for you to explore the rest of what it has to offer. If you give it a chance I guarantee it will make you do one thing. Something that a lot of people might not want you to do.
     
    Think...
     

  3. Armchair Adventurer
    Today we are here to talk a little bit about a movie called A Clockwork Orange. It is based on a book by Anthony Burgess of the same name and as the title unceremoniously spoils it my ultimate goal here is to convince you to give this movie a chance!
     
    Reading that I know what question comes to your mind ,Oh my Brothers and Only Friends! Your question is: Why? Fear not my little droogies for all shall be reveled soon by your humble narrator.
     

    You see, A Clockwork Orange takes place in the close future. A future which will seem very retro to today’s viewer since the movie was made in 1971. The story is about a person called Alex DeLarge. Alex is ,in almost every possible way, a horrible person. One of his greatest joys in life is doing wrong. He is also fifteen years old. But hey, a little of the ol’ ultra-violence can get anybody’s blood pumping right?
     
    Despite that however Alex is a very relateable character. He is intelligent, well spoken, he enjoys classical music. He is very charismatic and his diabolical enjoyment of what he does is almost infectious. No matter how despicable the act he is committing may seem you still reluctantly cheer him on and when he falls on hard times you genuinely feel sorry for him. However, one day as most people, Alex will have to pay for his sins.
     

     
    This character is portrayed very well by Malcolm McDowell. His performance and director Stanley Kubrick’s direction, help you see a morally bankrupt world where the young go out to prey on others at night and where politics seems to be way to caught up in it’s own game of thrones to be able to handle to problems of the common people. A world where today’s society could very well be heading.
     
    The story of our dear Alex DeLarge however is not the only interesting thing about A Clockwork Orange. The events of the movie raise many interesting question. What is a man when his ability to make his own choices is taken away? What makes a person enjoy causing harm to others? Just how much can somebody like that ever realize the error of his ways and redeem himself? This story asks all these question and many more like them and it might just make you question yourselves ,Oh my Brothers and Only Friends!
     
    That is what elevates this piece of cinema above a lot of others.This story is not just about one man but an exploration of human nature in general. Asking questions about ourselves and the nature of things around us is what drives our lives forward after all ,my little droogies. And few things can make you ask questions better than good fiction.
     
    The last few things of note I’d like to mention about this movie are connected to it’s history. It was very controversial back in it’s own time. It won’t shock today’s viewer much of course, but back then this was one of the boldest and most violent movies in cinemas. Unfortunately, that led to some people trying to copy the ill chosen past times of our dear Alex in real life. That’s why Stanley Kubrick asked for this movie to not be distributed to the public in the United Kingdom and until his death it remained unavailable in that country. This is one of the events that lead to it’s relative obscurity today. You have seen Clockwork Orange parodied and/or referenced in other works of fiction (The Simpsons, South Park, Tenacious D just to name a few) countless times already ,have no doubt about that my dear reader. And you have surely felt it’s impact on our culture.
     
    A Clockwork Orange is a remarkable movie in the history of cinema which stood the test of time. I hope I managed to convince you to give it a chance my dear reader and if not I thank you for making it this far all the same. If you do decide to see „our hero’s” story through grab a glass of milk and get ready for a bit of the ol’ Ultra-Violence...
     
     

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