Writing: Weird

This week's topic is "weird". I feel not really comfortable with what I read and watch this week. The movie we watch in the class " Under the skin" is really impressed me. There is not a lot dialog in the movie. The way they shoot the film is so different from the movie I usually watch. But there is one scene makes me really uncomfortable.

At the beach scene, we all know the couple drowns in the sea and the diver who wants to save them is killed by the main character. And more, even they don't show the baby is dead, but we all know he will die at the end. I shocked by this scene. When I'm in the story class, the teacher always tells us don't kill the character if they do not deserve to die. And most of the movie I watched is kind of follow this rule. But in this scene, The diver tries his best to save people's life. The husband also tries his best to save his family. They all good people and didn't do anything wrong. But they all die at that scene.

This is so different from what I've been trained. In the animation movie, the good people always have the happy ending and get what they want at the end. And the villain usually got punished or they really learn something. These animation film always make me feel positive. I believe everything will be fine at the end even the character may face some problem during their journey. But I don't know why I feel so hopeless in this movie. The music, color, lighting, and the story. I can't feel any happiness in this film even in the party scene.

And same as the story I read this week, King Rat. The story is interesting but I also feel a lot of depression and the negative feeling in the story. I feel this topic "weird" has a lot darker story. The character act colder maybe they are not human. It is a really good experience to watch this type of story and movie.

Reading: Akata Witch

This week reading is Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor. The character and the culture setting is really interesting. The Nigerian culture and the albino girl. The setting makes me interesting in this book. But the story is not as unique as the setting.
The story is similar to some fantasy novel for the teenagers. In this kind of story, they always have a kid who feels not fit in the school or their family. They may be bullied by classmates or not have the good relationship with his family. And all this will change because the kid realizes she is a wizard or has the certain superpower.  And this kid usually is the key to saving the world. This kind of stories is usually popular in the teenagers. I guess teenagers usually feel they are not comfortable with anything. They feel they are not fit into the class, family, and friends. Same as the character in the story.
In this story, the little girl finds out she has magic power and goes to a magic school, just like Harry Potter. The story also needs a villain in this magical world. They both use magic but in the good way or bad way.

I like this story but I feel is a little too similar to the Harry Potter.

Reading: Kwaidan

I read the Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things for this week assignment.

I choose this book because I prefer the short story than the novel. I can read a lot different type of story in this book. Each story has their own concept statement. In the story of O-Tei, I see the couple finally stay with each other after a long journey. I understand the A blessing in disguise in the story Hoichi the Earless. There are many different kinds of story in this book. They are short but full of meaning and things we can learn from.

I didn't read a lot horror novel before this class. But I feel some different from this book and the last week reading. I don't have a lot of horrors or creepy feeling when I read these story. In the story of O-Tei, I feel it's a romantic story. The husband finds his true love after many difficulties. And in the Hoichi the Earless, It has some spirit elements in there, but still won't make me feel it's a horror story.

I can feel the difference between the western horror story and this book. The western horror story is more based on the dark, strange atmosphere. But I feel the story in this book is based on culture or what can people learn from these stories. I feel love, humanity in these stories, they just play by spirit or nonhuman characters. And I also feel the Japanese culture in these stories.

Some of the stories remind me of the fables. These stories teach people to be kind. Some of the character in the story they pay for what they did. Like the story "Jikininki" and the " rokurokubi ".

Because the stories are translated from old Japanese story. And some stories are told to him by someone else. These stories may be told to different people for several years. This is why these stories have a lot of Japanese culture element in there. And I think I've read some of the stories in this book. They've been told by several generations. Most of them have several version. These stories are not only present by text. They also present in artwork, musical or movie. Some of the characters in the story even appeared in many different stories. I think this is why I can feel a lot of Japanese culture in this book.

I like this book in general. Sometimes the short story or the short film inspired me more than that novel and movie. Although I've read some of the stories before, It still interesting read it again. Especially read it in English.