The Cursed Child

Serpensortia.

This post is the second of two parts. The first was a general overview of my thoughts on Harry Potter, and my own house, wand1, Patronus and so on. I talked about two of the three ways in which the series’ legacy lives on.

This post will focus on the third. The eighth and, supposedly, final story.

Full spoilers to follow.

So. I’m in Slytherin. Still coming to terms with that, but I can’t deny that the whole aura of darkness2 appeals to me. I never was afraid of snakes.

But that’s a rather one-sided view. As I noted last time, Slytherins are painted black in the main series. At most, there are shades of grey.

*sighs* No, not fifty. 

Perhaps Harry was an unreliable narrator. I mean, he doesn’t narrate. But we see the world through his eyes. With all the grief Slytherins gave him over the years, it’s no wonder he’d be biased.

More likely, Rowling simply wanted them to be the bad guys. Main characters like Draco and Snape are nuanced, but let’s be fair. These are books about Gryffindors. The other houses serve as contrast and competition. Developing them further was outside the purview of the story. It’s not like we see a lot about Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, either.

Clearly, the makers were aware of this. The eighth story takes things in a different direction. This time our heroes are not in Gryffindor.

They’re in Slytherin.

First and foremost, Cursed Child is not a novel. It’s a play. Showing in London, where the vast majority of fans are never going to see it. Releasing the script for said play is the solution. An imperfect solution, but there you have it.

Nineteen years after Deathly Hallows, the happily-ever-after is revealed to be, well, not so happy. Harry Potter is now the beleaguered Head of Magical Law Enforcement. A stone-cold Ministry man, he’s called at one point.

Harry’s second son, Albus Severus, has grown up in his father’s shadow. Scorpius Malfoy, the sheltered son Draco hid away for years, is rumoured to be Voldemort’s child in truth. No surprise when Scorpius is Sorted into Slytherin. It’s a huge shock when Albus joins him. The son of Harry Potter, in Slytherin. Albus is a troubled boy, miserable at Hogwarts, resenting the weight of his father’s legacy. Scorpius is his only friend. 

Using a stolen Time-Turner, the pair undertake a reckless journey through time to right the wrongs of Harry’s past and save Cedric Diggory. But changing the past is not without consequences. Meanwhile, Harry and Draco are forced to admit that trying to protect their sons from old pains has only given the boys new problems here and now.

You can see how legacies are a major theme. Albus, Scorpius, and the villain, the daughter of Voldemort, are each burdened by their fathers’ pasts. It’s never made clear who the child from the title is. Perhaps all three of them are cursed.

Cursed Child has been compared to fan-fiction. It’s not hard to see why. This is a story of roads not traveled. Scenes from earlier books are rehashed and examined anew, as Albus and Scorpius jump from timeline to timeline, between intriguingly non-canon scenarios. Except they are canon. But not canon canon. Does your head hurt yet?

There’s a whole lot of what-if going on here. What if Cedric never got to that maze with Harry? What if Ron and Hermione never fell in love? What if Voldemort won the Battle of Hogwarts?

What if, their first time on the Hogwarts Express, Harry and Draco became friends?

Well, no, that would have been quite different. Draco was an arrogant little insert-four-letter-word-here; Scorpius is anything but. I’ll get to him later.

All this jumping around does give us new perspective on the series. Snape’s return in the Darkest Timeline was one of my favorite parts. Even after Harry’s death, with Voldemort in power for decades, he, Ron and Hermione still kept the resistance alive. For all his unpleasantness, it cemented him being a good person at heart – deep down, anyway.

And the part where he kills Umbridge was extremely gratifying. There’s a scene in Order of the Phoenix where they face off, the two people Harry hated most in the world; he couldn’t decide who he wanted to win. I wanted Snape to win.

Yes, I read the lines in Alan Rickman’s voice. He will be missed.

1946 - 2016.

It’s not just the alternate timelines, either. Near the end, adult Harry speaks with Dumbledore’s portrait, admitting that he’s been as poor a father to Albus as Dumbledore was to him. Mind blown. Of course Harry looked up to Dumbledore as a mentor, guardian and role model. But as a father figure? I thought back and realized: of course he was.

Having said that. Acknowledging the relationship is one thing. Harry and the portrait saying they loved each other was a bit much.

Maybe it’s just my inner guy-ness. At times, I felt uncomfortable with Albus and Scorpius, too. This kind of close male friendship is outside my experience. They are close. Both are outcasts at Hogwarts. All they have is each other, and it shows. They depend on each other. They share their feelings. They hug.

And they complement one another. With his daddy issues, Albus soon seemed perfect for Slytherin. I couldn’t figure out what Scorpius was doing there. A pureblood, sure. But he was so nice. Not angry or manipulative. I thought he was written in just to be a foil for Albus.

Until that part where he convinced everyone, even Albus, that he’d lost the Time-Turner in the lake. On the spot, with a straight face. That was good acting. I was impressed.

Huh. Maybe I really do belong in Slytherin.

Ahem.

Scorpius Malfoy is the best part of Cursed Child. He’s funny, awkward, introverted, a bookworm. He’s a lonely boy, and stays optimistic despite it. He is absolutely the most original character. The story needs him.

Because at the end of the day, Cursed Child is not an original story. This eighth tale is largely a tribute to the previous seven. The ending loops back to the very beginning, with adult Harry watching his parents being killed yet again. (And having a melodramatic reaction at that.) Each of the main novels stands on its own merits. Does Cursed Child stand on its own? I’m not so sure.

Then again, that’s not a fair comparison. Cursed Child is not a novel. It’s a play. A completely different medium. The script alone is the barest of bare-bones translations. There are hints of what it’s really like in the stage directions. Live actors (duh). Transforming set pieces. Black-cloaked Dementors who rise up amidst the audience and converge on the stage.

If it was a novel, there’d be room for so much more detail. Descriptions, backstories. Exposition not told through dialogue. Explanations for questionable plot twists3. Development for minor characters. As far as I could tell, Albus' older brother, James, is a mischievous cool kid, just like his namesake. His little sister, Lily, is a girl. Really, that’s all I got.

So where does that leave us?

Neither a novel nor the play itself, the Cursed Child script book is something of a middle child, just like Albus. Don’t go into this expecting too much. It doesn’t live up to the series’ legacy.

But it is a fun read nonetheless. Albus and Scorpius’ friendship is moving; their adventures are interesting; and the story does give new perspective on the series as a whole.

For all of us not seeing the play - it’s the best we’re going to get.



1 - I never mentioned my wand, did I? Cedar, dragon heartstring, quite bendy. Perceptive and loyal, with a high level of adaptability. Dragon heartstring has the greatest potential for power – and the greatest chance to turn to the Dark Arts. Isn’t that a coincidence.

2 - Completely unrelated, but I just found an excellent examination of darkness on Waiter Rant. Check it out.

3 - Taking the whole Voldemort-having-sex bit for granted; when, exactly, did Bellatrix Lestrange have time to be pregnant?

Where's My Hogwarts Letter

Lumos.

Due to the *ahem* excessive length, this post will be the first of two parts. Hold on to your broomstick, hippogriff, or flying Ford Anglia. 

Today I’m talking about Harry Potter.

If you’ve followed the blog, you’ve probably noticed all the HP references sprinkled around. I talked about the books themselves in a few places. One was a key example for why I love to read.

So obviously, I don’t care about the series at all.

Spoilers to follow.

I remember reading my first Harry Potter book – Chamber of Secrets – when I was eleven. Okay, no. Any thoughts about the story escape me. I just remember how it felt. I was amazed.

It was so vivid. The castle with its shifting staircases, animated armor and courteous ghosts. The comedy offsetting a very real sense of danger. The camaraderie between Harry, Ron and Hermione. And of course, the magic. Harry Potter was unlike anything I’d read so far. This was imagination with a capital everything.

It was, as Ron would put it, bloody brilliant.

They’re all like that. No weak links here – every book is deserving of praise. Though we all have our favorites. Mine are Prisoner of Azkaban, for many reasons; Order of the Phoenix, for its dark tone and themes of rebellion; and Deathly Hallows, for its hugely satisfying conclusion of the series.

It’s not all about wandwork, either.

Harry Potter is a coming-of-age story. We watch as Harry and friends struggle through adolescence. Homework and young love coincide with death, prejudice and cruelty. As the books grow ever darker, their lessons grow increasingly clear. All life is transitory. Doing the right thing is never easy. And above all else, it is our choices that make us who we are.

Yeah. There’s a reason this is one of the highest-selling book series of all time.

Harry Potter has been translated into more than seventy languages. It’s expanded through companion books, movie and video game adaptations, truckloads of merchandise, and currently has attractions at four different theme parks the world over. Harry won’t be forgotten anytime soon.

But that’s not all. The magic lives on, in three very different ways.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them comes out next month. The movie – the first of five, apparently – will begin a whole new storyline. It’s a very different setting; New York in the 1920s, instead of Britain in the 1990s. Not that that’s a bad thing. The premise is intriguing, and Rowling hints at a much larger tale in the works. Grindelwald's in there! 

 

If only it were a novel instead…

Who am I kidding. I’m really, really looking forward to it.

Then there’s the Pottermore website. A sort of official blog, the Wizarding World’s digital presence. Isn’t that ironic. On it, J.K. Rowling posts short stories, character profiles and articles on various magical topics. There’s a membership system too, allowing access to various quizzes determining what kind of witch or wizard you are. This is where things get interesting.

Naturally, I’ve taken all of them. Twice.

You’re not supposed to do that. A single account can only take the tests once, so the answers will be definitive. But that’s easily gotten around. Just open another account.

What? I was curious.

And dissatisfied with my first Patronus. I wasn’t alone there.

Each quiz draws on a larger pool of questions, so no test will be exactly the same. Most questions aren’t intuitive, either. You can’t game the system. Looking back, I’m still not sure how I got the answers I did. My first Patronus was a wood mouse. My second, a white stallion. Which fits better? Perhaps both.

In conjunction with Fantastic Beasts, the site introduces Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry – the American Hogwarts. This too has four houses, named for creatures from Native American folklore. It’s a nice touch. They’re not carbon copies, either. Whereas the Hogwarts four represent qualities of character, Ilvermorny takes a broader scope, with their houses representing heart, mind, body and soul.

Again, I got two different answers.

My first was Pukwudgie. Yeah, I’d never heard of it either. A pukwudgie is a sort of goblin archer, fiercely loyal. This house favors independence, healing, and the heart. I could live with that.

My second, however, was Thunderbird. Pretty much what the name implies. A giant bird whose wingbeats create storms, related to the phoenix. This house favors freedom, adventure and the soul.

I was torn here. Independence and freedom aren’t all that different. Healing makes sense; I try to be considerate. I like adventures, both real and imagined. And how do you compare the heart and the soul?

You can probably guess what I chose in the end. *points to blog title*

Rowling herself is in this house.

Thunderbird it is.

There is a point to this. I’ve been talking about conflicting answers, but there was one test where I got the same results – the Hogwarts Sorting.

I was never going to be a Gryffindor. I’ve said before that personality-wise, I’d be either Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff. Not brave, but intelligent and loyal. Given the choice, I’d choose Ravenclaw.

But the official test gave me neither eagle nor badger.

I got Slytherin.

Twice.

Okay. There were a couple of repeated questions where I gave the same answers. But why should wanting a black cat make me a Slytherin? One of my favorite pets was a black cat. What’s wrong with that?

I was indignant at first. But the more I thought about it…

Slytherins are rather maligned in the series. Their house is for Dark magic, Nazi children, the enemies of Gryffindor. Think about it. In all seven books, can you recall an instance where a Slytherin student is not conniving or hateful or just plain bad?

There are nuances, though. In the end, Draco Malfoy was just an insecure little brat. His mother, Narcissa, truly loved him. And Snape, one of the most hated characters, was arguably one of the most heroic.

Dumbledore noted how the house is known for cleverness, determination, resourcefulness, and not always following the rules – all of which being qualities Harry possesses. Harry could have been in Slytherin, remember. Pottermore describes them as complex individuals, with the potential for good or evil. Voldemort was a Slytherin, but so was Merlin.

Light and darkness. That appeals to me.

All right, fine. The serpent it is. I wanted intelligence, but I’ll take cunning. 

They don’t all turn out evil. Scorpius Malfoy, exhibit A. I like that kid.

Besides. I, of all people, can say that not all snakes are bad.

That’s all for now. The second half will focus on the third way in which Harry Potter lives on. The eighth story, set nineteen years later.

Next time, I’ll talk about Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.

Making Messes

I am not a hoarder.

I’m not even close. Those stacks of newspapers and garbage you see on TV? Never in a million years. My room stays clean. All right, all right, I’m not a neat freak, either. Sometimes I miss the cobwebs forming in the ceiling corners. It could be worse.

And it occurs to me that that’s not just because I’m tidy. It’s also because the mess is manageable.

I don’t have a lot of stuff.

The stuff I do have can be divided into three categories: clothes, books, and various odds and ends. Whoops, forgot video games and digital devices. I’ve got a few of those too.

And I’m not really attached to any of it.

The clothes are there to be worn. Duh. The books are for reading, the games to be played. Many of those, gifts and so on, come with sentimental value. That’s normal. I just got a few more over the weekend.

But I have little problem getting rid of old clothes. If I don’t play the games, I sell them. Heck, the only reason I’m keeping my Wheel of Time collection is that I’m sure someday I’ll want to read them all over again.

Things are meant to be used.

But it’s not always that simple. I was reading an article the other day by a self-confessed hoarder. He talked about buying the same books more than once, after losing earlier copies in the piles of junk he’d amassed. He’d forgotten whether he owned them or not – and he needed to be someone who would own those books. While being interviewed about his condition, he blurted out, “What would I be without it all?”

In this case, at least, hoarding was tied to a person’s identity. The lines between who he was and what he owned were blurred. This man needed so much stuff because he was his stuff.

Kind of sad, really.

That’s an extreme example of what I’m talking about today. Not materialism run rampant, though you could make that case too.

No – today I’m talking about self-image.

How do you see yourself?

Physically, emotionally, psychologically. Identity is a complex subject – now that’s an understatement – so let’s stick to perception. What do you see when you look at yourself? And more importantly, do you like what you see?

Everything you see?

Honestly.

If your answer is, Yes! I’m awesome! I couldn’t be more awesome if I tried! Then great, good for you. No need to finish reading this. Go away. Shoo. Be awesome somewhere else.

But I’m guessing that deep down, not a lot of people are going to say that.

A few days ago, there was an instance when I behaved in a way I regret. (I’ll spare you the details.) Logically, I know there were reasons behind how I acted. Mitigating factors. It wasn’t that bad, all things considered. But still.

The next day I hated myself.

I didn’t want to think that I could act that way. I still don’t.

We all have flaws, imperfections. It’s the human condition. There are so many we get hung up on. Maybe you have a short temper, a cynical mind, a passive personality, an addiction. Maybe you take things too personally. Maybe you jump to conclusions.

Even admitting them is difficult. We jump through all sorts of hoops to justify our actions. No one wants to face their flaws.

But we have to.

Despair comes from thinking that nothing will ever change – but we can change.

Here’s the thing about mistakes. The only way to stop making them, is to make them. Every failure is a lesson in disguise. This is how we learn, and grow.

Sucks, doesn’t it.

That guy from the example? He was right. All the junk we carry around, the screw-ups, issues and insecurities – they are a part of us.

But not the only part.

We are more than our mistakes.

So don’t beat yourself up when you make one. Learn from it, and move on. You’ll be a better person for making it.

Heck, you’re a better person now.

You have good parts too, don’t you?

Just a reminder. You never know who’s going to need it.

Dive Into the Heart

This is a fan post. You have been warned.

A new trailer for the next game in a certain video game franchise was just released. I’ve been meaning to talk about said franchise for a while now. This seems like as good a time as any.

First, here’s the trailer.

Confused?

Don’t worry, keep reading. It’ll make sense soon enough. Kind of, anyway.

Today I’m talking about Kingdom Hearts.

Kingdom Hearts is one of those ideas that sound absolutely insane on paper. Way, way back at the turn of the century, Japanese game developers had the idea to mix the colorful, iconic worlds of Disney with the epic JRPG stylings of Final Fantasy. The resulting game was a huge success which spawned a franchise, not to mention a diehard fanbase.

Yeah. I’m one of them. I love KH. It’s one of my favorite video game series of all time.

Still confused?

Okay. Let’s break it down.

In the beginning, Sora was a typical fourteen-year-old – until the night his peaceful island home was struck by a storm like no other. The darkness came to life, shadow monsters appearing out of nowhere. Sora ran off to find his two best friends, Riku and Kairi. But Riku stepped willingly into the darkness. Kairi simply vanished. Cornered by the shadows, Sora summoned a glowing key-like weapon to fight back. But his struggle was in vain, as the islands themselves were torn apart by the storm.

‘There are many worlds, but they share the same sky. One sky, one destiny.’

                                                           - Kairi 

Sora woke up in another world. He learned that the shadow monsters, called the Heartless, threatened the entire universe. They had destroyed countless worlds – including his own.

He met Donald Duck and Goofy, court wizard and knight-captain respectively. Their mission: to find the lost King Mickey, who’d sought the key to defeating the Heartless. Sora just wanted to find his friends. A deal was struck; both sides had something the other needed. Donald and Goofy had a ship to travel between worlds. While somehow, Sora had a legendary, Heartless-destroying weapon called a Keyblade…

Thus began an epic, planet-hopping adventure through one of the biggest Disney crossovers ever, with more than a little Final Fantasy thrown in the mix; Sora and company fighting the Heartless alongside Tarzan, Ariel, Cloud Strife, Squall Leonhart and more, in a universe where all these characters coexist; where Keyblade-wielders determine the balance of light and shadow; and where Mickey Mouse is basically Master Yoda.

Anthropomorphic rodents for the win.

And this is just the beginning.

So you can see why I loved Kingdom Hearts on sight. It pushed all the right buttons. A vivid, Disney-approved art style. Fast-paced action. Magic and powers galore. Light against darkness. Adventure with a capital A.

And at heart – heh – it was a story of friendship, loyalty and destiny. With just a pinch of romance. Sora spends much of that first game trying to save Kairi – while clashing with Riku. Who becomes his rival on the dark side.1 How’s that for a plot twist?

Okay fine, it’s kind of cliché. But still.

Though I’ve never been a major Disney fan, the KH formula of jumping from one Disney world to the next (and some original ones too, of course) remains tried and true. I have fond memories of running around the Beast’s castle fighting gargoyle Heartless. The enemies reflect the world, and often, so do you. In Atlantica, Sora becomes a merman; in the Pride Lands, a lion cub; in Neverland, he can fly.

Alas, you can’t control your appearance. Wearing the Halloween Town outfit in Agrabah is not an option. Customization – these are RPGs, remember – is limited to weapons. Staves for Donald, shields for Goofy, and Keyblades for Sora - and later others.

Technically, it’s always the same Keyblade. Keychains picked up along the way simply alter its powers and design. Getting a new one is always cool. Every world has at least one, while others are tied to side-quests and plot points. The versions Sora gets for defeating Riku and saving Kairi, for example, are among the most iconic, returning in later games.

Oblivion and Oathkeeper.

But of course, there are flaws, too.

One common criticism is that all those different worlds are, well, kind of flat. You can run around finding hidden treasure chests, talk to beloved characters who rarely have much to say, and fight. Then fight some more. Then even more. That’s pretty much it. Contrast that with the wealth of interactive elements in a masterpiece like Okami,2 and there’s no denying KH falls short.

See, the Kingdom Hearts series has always been about the combat, plain and simple. In it, Disney’s ancient China is really nothing more than a backdrop for fighting alongside Mulan. Action – bright, colorful, explosive action – plays a major role. If you’re not down for that, these games might not be for you.

Also, there’s no denying the story is hard to follow. What started out as a (relatively) straightforward tale of good against evil across the Disneyverse soon morphed into a convoluted skein of black-clad figures, body-snatching, ancient Keyblade wars, and tragic backstories.

Don’t let the kid-friendliness fool you. Those twists get pretty dark. Bad things happen, and people die.3 The prequel game, Birth by Sleep, is probably the best example. Three interlocking stories, and no one gets a happy ending.4

That said, the plot for the upcoming Kingdom Hearts 3 is heavily implied to be ‘everyone who has ever died, good or evil, comes back to life for the final battle’. So there’s that.

The titles are confusing too. The numbers refer to main instalments only. Kingdom Hearts 2 was actually the third game in the series. That was in 2005. Yes, it’s been eleven years since the last main title. In that time, Square Enix has kept the hype going with a string of prequels, interquels, minor sequels, and the assurance that KH3 would be made eventually.

Even more frustrating was how those games were spread out over multiple platforms. You needed to own, rent or borrow different devices to even play them legitimately. Yes, I found ways to play almost every one. Told you I was a fan. But it was a hassle.

Having realized this, in the run-up to KH3,5 Square Enix has been releasing compilations of those earlier games for PlayStation consoles, where fans could finally get them all in one place.

So kind of them.

This is nothing new. Square Enix is well known for re-releasing old games for new platforms, new fans, and more money. Don’t get me started on Final Fantasy.

Ahem.

Anyway – that brings us back to the beginning. That trailer was for the third and final compilation, Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue, my gosh, that’s a mouthful.

 

Nice cover art, though.

The first two featured high-definition, director’s cut versions of the bigger games, and movie versions of the smaller ones; all of which I’ve already played in their original forms. But the third actually has some new content.

Kingdom Hearts x Back Cover is an hour-long cinematic telling the story of the Foretellers – the misguided Masters who began the Keyblade War. This, I suppose, is the Prologue part. The movie summarizes the story of Kingdom Hearts Unchained x, a multiplayer smartphone game that hasn’t yet been released in Southeast Asia. When it is, you can bet I’ll be all over it like Tigger on Pooh. Yes, of course they’re in the series too. Unchained is one of only two entries I haven’t at least tried.

Kingdom Hearts HD Dream Drop Distance is the other. Originally made for the 3DS, a Nintendo handheld – multiple platforms, remember – the game has been fully remade for the PS4. It’s the meat of the compilation, and has the distinction of being the first title to actually move the story forwards since Kingdom Hearts 2. Though not on the same scale. In preparation for the climactic events of KH3, Sora and Riku are sent on their own Mark of Mastery quest to become full Keyblade Masters themselves. Functionally, it’s KH2.5.

And what I’m really looking forward to is Kingdom Hearts 0.2: Birth by Sleep – A Fragmentary Passage.

Yeah. These things have long names.

After the tragic events of Birth by Sleep, Aqua, having failed to save her friends, now wanders the Realm of Darkness alone. This is the home of the Heartless, where all lost worlds go. The sky is black for a reason.

This is the Final Chapter part. Apparently, Dream Drop Distance ends with Mickey revealing he has secrets to confess regarding Aqua’s fate. Now, at last, we find out what truly happened to her.

Though the trailer doesn’t show much, we see her fighting the Heartless in the ruins of Cinderella’s world. Ventus is seen lying on Snow White’s bier, and the mirror Aqua’s doppelganger emerges from might just belong to the Evil Queen. That’s two of the three princesses from Birth by Sleep. It’s possible we’ll see something from Sleeping Beauty as well.

0.2 is only as long as a standard world, probably two hours at most. That isn’t much. But aside from the intriguing setting, it’s also something of a KH3 beta test. The episode uses technology from Kingdom Hearts 3, and is basically a first look at what we can look forward to.

You have to admit. It looks pretty awesome.

For all its flaws, there’s something special about Kingdom Hearts. Maybe it’s the good old-fashioned Disney charm. Maybe it’s the epic themes of light and darkness, all the magic and powers and badass weapons.

Or maybe it’s just the sheer absurdity of running around whacking enemies with a giant key.

The compilation comes out in January.

You can probably guess I’m going to get it.

1 - I like Riku. Unlike Sora, the character undergoes real growth throughout the series. Of course he turns good again; that’s the point. Riku’s struggle with darkness appealed to me. It’s always interesting having heroes who were villains first.

2 - Another of my absolute favorite games of all time. One of these days I’ll write another long post all about it. It’s set in ancient Japan, and you play as a wolf.

3 - I made a video once about one such death, my sole foray into YouTube. You can watch it here.

4 - The prologue shows the three main characters hanging out in the castle grounds the night before their final exam. They laugh and joke around, optimistic about the future. They talk about how their friendship will never end. 

And as the scene fades you hear their voices, in unison, telling you this was the last night they ever spent together.

5 - Rumoured for a 2017 release, but I’m not holding my breath. Well, okay, I am. But just a little.

Fireflight

Music time!

You might remember that the last time I talked about music, it was a female singer. This band has a female singer too.

That’s pretty much all they have in common.

I don’t like a lot of rock bands with female vocalists – simply because I don’t know many of them. I never got into Paramore. Evanescence is good, but too emo. Halestorm’s cover of ‘Bad Romance’ gave me goosebumps - wait for the chorus. But they’re a little too hardcore for my taste.

Then there’s the band I’m talking about today: Fireflight.

Let us pause to appreciate how cool that name is.

I first found them years ago while browsing AMVs (anime music videos) on YouTube. Yes, that’s a thing. Basically scenes from one anime or another mixed and matched with an appropriate soundtrack. Looking for a series I liked, I came across one with the song ‘Unbreakable’.

Nice, right?

I liked it, at any rate. I eventually gave up on the series – not enough action. But I never forgot the band.

They’re a Christian rock band. You could guess that from most of their tracks. I was surprised, though. My idea of Christian music was the uplifting sort. This was heavier. You get the impression many songs were written in darker moments. Hope, despair and the struggle to believe are common themes.

Not to give the wrong impression. Their music is all about moving past those moments. I guess it is uplifting that way.

Defiant. That’s the word. This is the kind of sound that goes really, really well with fight scenes.

Every band has its own style. While theirs is epic, it’s also rather serious. Sometimes I prefer rock music that’s more fun and lighter-hearted, All Time Low or Simple Plan – with the caveat that those bands can get pretty serious themselves. Mileage may vary on the religious themes.

But still. At their best, Fireflight sounds awesome.

It’s getting late, I should wrap this up. So one last song. One of my favorites, and an appropriate one, I think, given that I’m writing this at night.

This is a different kind of lullaby.

Ladies and gentlemen –

‘For Those Who Wait’.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

I’ve finally gotten a copy of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

It’s one of three companion books for the Harry Potter series. The other two are a history of the broomstick-riding sport Quidditch, and a book of wizarding fairy tales. Maybe someday I’ll get the former. I can’t be bothered with the latter. Magical creatures are the most interesting of the three.

Supposedly, this is Harry’s own textbook from Hogwarts, complete with scribbled notes from him and Ron. As Dumbledore says in the introduction, these books are being sold to us Muggles (non-magical folk) for charity. They are, obviously, entirely made up. We have nothing to worry about. Really.

I was amused to learn the giant spiders from Chamber of Secrets live in the jungles of Borneo. Eating the orangutans, no doubt – no wonder they’re endangered. Dragons have their own hidden reservations. A targeted misinformation campaign convinced us that the Loch Ness monster is fake; it continues to elude capture. And so on.

It’s a thin book which includes quite a number of species unseen in the main series. That said, I was disappointed to find that some prominent denizens thereof are missing. There are no entries for Boggarts or Dementors, for example.

But then, as the opening takes pains to point out, this is a book about magical creatures. Those two probably count as spirits.

Obviously, if you’re not a Harry Potter fan – No? Really? You have read the series, right? – this book won’t give you the same buzz. But the jokes are great regardless. And it’s for a good cause. That part is true; these books were written for Comic Relief. Buy one and (most of) your money goes to charity.  

I’ve done my part. How about you?

To paraphrase Dumbledore: don’t wait until you’re attacked by a manticore.



There’s also an upcoming movie following the supposed author of the book and his adventures. I’m looking forward to it.

Kubo

Today I’m talking about Kubo and the Two Strings.

I just saw this the other night. It’s a great story. Like all great stories, it’s about a hero with a terrible burden. 

In ancient Japan, young Kubo is a gifted storyteller. A clever, kindhearted boy in an eyepatch, with the power to bring origami creatures to life, his tales leave crowds enthralled. But his mother warns that he must never go out at night. Long ago, dark forces killed his father and tore out Kubo’s eye. They still hunt him for the other.

For all their cruelty, these enemies are Kubo’s own family. His mother’s sisters, and his grandfather, the Moon King. It’s only a matter of time before they find him…

Now, with a guardian spirit monkey and a giant samurai insect as allies, Kubo sets out to confront the Moon King at last.

Okay, intro over.

This is a hero’s journey, plain and simple.

The road goes ever on and on...

A quest, an adventure, thrills and spills. Good old-fashioned good versus evil. It’s as archetypal as you can get.

And I loved it. Simple is fine. This is the storytelling equivalent of comfort food.

Though I suppose mileage may vary. I admit that I did identify with Kubo, more than I expected. His relationship with his mother struck a little too close to home. 

Also, I kind of have a thing for Japan. The aesthetic of it all appeals to me. The moon sisters in particular are excellent villains, their true faces hidden behind eerie Noh masks.

Creepy.

I was a little put off by the clash between the setting and the American voices. I’m one of those people who watch anime in the original Japanese. But I guess I’m expecting too much there.

If it wasn’t obvious, I fully endorse this movie. It’s darker than you might expect. But the themes are universal. This is a story of hope and fear, love and loss – and family.

Kubo’s journey will move you.

I guarantee it.