Sunday, March 02, 2008

Zap! Boom!

This week I've been limping around with a sore hip, the result of either 1) Old age creeping up on me, or 2) Heroic sexual performance with supermodels - I'll let you decide - but anyway, one place I limped around was the comic shop in Croydon.

That was a long journey by my standards, and one that I wouldn't have made, except I started at a new therapist in Croydon last week. This is again courtesy of the National Health Service, which means it's rather like receiving therapy in a welfare office. In fact, I've been in more attractive welfare offices. I'm hoping it does the agoraphobia some good anyway. I haven't made any progress with my agoraphobia for some time.

I felt obligated to buy myself stuff on the way home as a reward for my efforts. Hence the visit to the comic shop. Emerged with bundle of Japanese manga, which I'm enjoying. I was confused at first till I realised these comics had to be read backwards. It does tell you this on the cover but I didn't notice for a while. As a result of enjoying this manga I've also taken to watching anime on TV. And this has been a good way of spending time, because obviously I don't want to sit at my computer and write anything.

There was an earthquake in Britain on Tuesday night. I felt it, but here in London we were far from the epicentre and I didn't even realise the vibration was an earthquake. At first I thought it was me, having some sort of seizure, which was worrying, then I thought it must be some giant vehicle going past outside, or maybe some neighbour's boiler about to explode. The vibrating didn't last for long. By natural disaster standards, I suppose this was a small event, though it was worse in other places. Still, it's the first earthquake I've ever felt.

8 comments:

  1. Did it make you feel queasy? The first time I ever felt and earthquake my stomach felt funny afterwards. I am still not sure if that was a psychological effect or not...

    In France as well we do print most mangas in the original sense (I think Casterman does not but they are publishing mostly non Japanese comics).
    I suppose it makes the editing so much easier - otherwise you'd really have to rework the entire sequence - and less pricey...

    Which ones did yo get, then?
    N.

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  2. I've been reading Naruto and Bleach, both of which I like. I looked at Deathnote, which someone recommended to me, but I don't like that so much.

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  3. Congrats on making it to the new therapist. Naruto is EXCEEDINGLY popular in North America (although I have never been able to figure out why because I don't think the anime moves very well, however I haven't tried the manga)... in the same way that Bleach was popular a year or two ago. Have you tried Miyazaki's films?

    I find it takes effort to remember how to read left to right again after reading a bundle of manga. Dark Horse comics cuts and pastes the panels in some of their manga to rebuild the comics for American audiences with the correct sequencing but it is tricky, I understand. I think I prefer to see the original (right to left) spacing of manga as well as subtitles rather than dubbing when it comes to anime. What do you prefer? I think it gives you a better sense of the original work. What was it you didn't like about Deathnote?

    Glad to hear you survived the tremors.

    Still working on Good Fairies... it is superbly fun. All the bits seem to be coalescing... wonderful.

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  4. Don't know much about Manga, but I do know Hot Sex with Supermodels will do that....

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  5. My copy of the Lonely Werewolf Girl just arrived in the mail!
    So I know what I shall be reading next...

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  6. I LOVED Good Fairies and have now passed it on to someone else who is now firmly in love with it too.

    Thank you Martin for writing such a wonderful read.. and thank you Lorraine for impressing upon me so very well my absolute NEED to read this brilliant book.

    I really appreciate the inclusion of Crohn's Disease. It was handled very well and it has opened up my eyes and those of my friend.

    Can't wait to get my paws on Lonely Werewolf Girl.

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  7. I'm glad you enjoyed The Good Fairies, Rubius. As for Deathnote, it didn't seem to contain enough Ninjas and martial arts, which is mostly what I'm looking for in manga. Unless they appeared later on. Naruto is absolutely full of Ninjas, I like that.

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  8. If you like ninja comics I would recommend Blade of the Immortal... I caught on around #45 or so and the art grabbed me. Other than Archie Comics it was the first comic I ever read and it started me on Manga. It is a serious, brooding and beautiful comic... but a bit bloody at the beginning (not my favourite bit).

    No, definitely no ninjas in Deathnote, it is more of a demon-crime-mystery comic... all wrapped up in moral dilemma.

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