Blossoms And Shadows by Lian Hearn

WARNING: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS

Lian Hearn's Blossoms And Shadows is a piece of historical fiction that places a young woman from the area of Japan then known as Choshu (now called the Yamaguchi Prefecture) in the centre of events in her country in the years between 1857 and 1867.

To really get the most out of the book, you'll first need some kind of understanding of what was going on in the country at the time, so here's a bit of context. It was a very tumultuous time in Japan. The power of the Shogunate was waning, and support to reinstate the Emperor as the leader of the country was rising (for the last 700 years, the Emperor had merely been a figurehead with the true authority falling on the Shogun). The perception of the Shogunate wasn't helped by the fact that they were negotiating trade deals with people from the West. This was probably a good thing in hindsight, but all Japan had been hearing about how France, Holland, America, England and Russia had managed to force China into submission and effectively take control of what they always thought of as the most powerful country in the world. So a movement known as 'sonno joi' was formed (sonno = revere the Emperor, joi = expel the barbarians).

Some of the attacks on foreigners led to some serious repercussions for the country that severely damaged the psyche of the Japanese people. To put it into context, people had attempted to invade Japan twice in the past. Both times were armies from China and Korea. Both times what saved them was a freak thunderstorm wiping out the invading forces before they ever got to the country. This led to the belief that Japan was protected from harm by a "divine wind" and their honour was enough for them to win any war. Then they came face to face with our guns and cannons that literally ripped people apart before they could get close enough to fire an arrow or run you through with their swords.

Tsuru is the daughter of a doctor, whose elder sister has just been married to wealthy pharmacists in the nearby town of Hagi. Her elder brother is currently studying in Nagasaki, and as Tsuru's knowledge is almost equal to that of her father, her family make the decision to find a husband for her to come and live with them, instead of the usual arrangement. However, because she is a woman, she can never hope to fulfil her dream to become a doctor herself. Her uncle, who is only two years older than herself has joined the school run by Yoshida Shoin along with multiple people who will become key players in the years ahead, including several people who would become key members of Japan's first parliament.

Tsuru's story has her intermingle with all of these historical figures in some way as she travels between Choshu, Kyoto and Nagasaki, and overcoming various personal trials along the way. At one point, at the suggestion of a bi-polar artist she has befriended, she disguises herself as a man in order to help administer to injuries at war, where she runs into her uncle who she hadn't seen in years, and the pair embark on a short-lived incestuous relationship. It might just be my personal morality coming into play here, but I found that particular sub-plot distracting, and couldn't really fathom the justification that her new life has made her more free, and in her old life she was so oppressed that a relationship with her uncle wouldn't have been allowed.

Apart from that, and the fact that she could easily pass for a man because she was largely built with big feet and hands, though (and how refreshing it is for the lead character not to be a flawless beauty), I get the impression that Tsuru may have been a little too perfect. I know the author had to get the point across that she was a highly skilled doctor who tragically would never be able to officially claim that title, but it seems that any illness that came her way she would immediately know the cure or treatment for. The only people she's shown not saving have wounds so great from battle that no one could have saved them. But those are my only two big criticisms, and the rest of the book is a meticulously researched and interesting look into some of the most important events in the history of Japan. Considering how much of the turmoil was created by the Western powers, it's actually quite criminal that more people don't know of what happened there, and I'd recommend it to anybody with even a passing interest in history.

Periodically, the action will leave the first person account of Tsuru to focus on vital events in the lives - and quite often deaths - of the real life characters. I've heard this criticised, but I find these sections to be vital for the understanding of what is going on in the main plot, and it helps to have some insight into other characters.

And talking of deaths, there are parts of this book that are not for the squeamish. They don't last long, but the description of what's left after one particular battle against Western cannons stays in the memory in particular. So despite, being written by a woman and told from a woman's perspective, it definitely shouldn't only be considered as a book for women. There's much in here for both genders to appreciate. It's something I think the publishers didn't particularly do well with emphasising when coming up with the covers for it, so it does definitely look like a book that only women would enjoy, all pinks and flowers. Considering there are different covers for the Harry Potter and Discworld books nowadays, it would probably be a good idea to start doing covers for certain books that most men wouldn't feel self-conscious reading.

15 Movies For Chinese New Year

On January 23^rd, it is Chinese New Year. People throughout East Asia (not just China, as people seem to assume) will officially be in the Year of the Dragon. Most regular New Year celebrations include one night of drunken revelry, but did you know that Chinese New Year has fifteen days of celebration? Granted, not all of these are counted as official holidays, but still... they certainly don’t do things by halves over there.

Unfortunately, there aren’t many ways you can join in with the celebration over here, which is why I’ve had a tradition of watching a Chinese movie whilst eating Chinese takeaway on Chinese New Year, but this year I thought I’d go the full fifteen days with movies from mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Thanks to the Lovefilm streaming service, I don’t even have to own all of these. Here’s what my itinerary will look like (yes, I’m sad enough to plan this far in advance).

Day One (January 23^rd): As Tears Go By (1988)

Cantonese, Mandarin
Starring: Andy Lau, Maggie Cheung and Jacky Cheung
Written & Directed by Wong Kar-wai

A crime drama that apparently draws inspiration from Martin Scorsese’s Mean Streets, starring a young Andy Lau as a gangster from the city who falls in love with his cousin from the country, played by Maggie Cheung, at the same time as having to deal with his volatile best friend getting them into trouble.

Day Two (January 24^th): Police Story (1985)

Cantonese
Starring: Jackie Chan, Brigitte Lin, Maggie Cheung and Charlie Cho
Written by Jackie Chan and Edward Tang
Directed by Jackie Chan

The movie that put Jackie Chan firmly on the action movie map, by incorporating his now trademark mixture of slapstick and martial arts. For the first time in martial arts history, here was a protagonist who was in over his head. Who won mostly by accident, and got hurt... a LOT! The story isn’t up to much, but it does include some unforgettable set-pieces.

Day Three (January 25^th): Mad Detective (2007)

Cantonese, English
Starring: Lau Ching-Wan, Andy On, Lam Ka-Tung and Kelly Lin
Written by Wai Ka-Fei and Au Kin-Yee
Directed by Johnnie To and Wai Ka-Fei

A seemingly routine Hong Kong crime thriller except for the fact that the protagonist is a psychopath with supernatural powers. When our “hero” is forced into retirement after finally going too far, his visions that no longer serve any purpose haunt him... and then his friend comes to him for help on the case of a missing police officer.

Day Four (January 26^th): Ip Man (2008)


Cantonese, Mandarin, Japanese
Starring: Donnie Yen, Simon Yam, Lynn Hung, Hiroyuki Ikeuchi, Gordon Lam Ka-tung and Fan Siu-wong
Written by Edmond Wong
Directed by Wilson Yip

Donnie Yen stars as the Wing Chun master that would eventually train a young Bruce Lee. But before all of this, he lived a tumultuous life in mainland China during an era of constant unrest. Don’t take this as a documentary, however... this is a highly exaggerated and nationalistic story about how Master Ip single-handedly turned the tide in the Second Sino-Japanese War (more commonly referred to by people outside of Asia as part of World War II). It is a thoroughly entertaining martial arts movie of the highest order, though, and well worth a watch.

Day Five (January 27^th): Assembly (2007)

Mandarin, English
Starring: Zhang Hanyu, Deng Chao, Yuan Wenkang, Tang Yan, Wang Baoqiang, Liao Fan and Hu Jun
Written by Liu Heng
Directed by Feng Xiaogang

A war epic set in the Chinese Civil War between the Republican Kuomintang, and the Chinese Communist Party. It’s been praised as a Saving Private Ryan for the East.

Day Six (January 28^th): In The Mood For Love (2000)

Cantonese, Shanghainese, French
Starring: Tony Leung, Maggie Cheung
Written & Directed by Wong Kar-wai

Romantic drama from Wong Kar-wai, which once again casts Maggie Cheung as the leading lady. This movie charts the relationships of two couples that share adjacent rooms in a tenement in 1962. The man from one relationship, and the woman from the other are both regularly away from home, which sets the stage for their spouses to grow closer. There’s a frankly bizarre sequel to this movie called 2046 that you should watch if you like to be confused.

Day Seven (January 29^th): House Of Flying Daggers (2004)

Mandarin
Starring: Andy Lau, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Zhang Ziyi
Written by Peter Wu, Bin Wang and Zhang Yimou
Directed by Zhang Yimou

This is one of my all-time favourite movies, and some of the music from it was even incorporated into my wedding ceremony last year. Zhang Ziyi stars as a gorgeous blind girl who just happens to be the daughter of the fallen leader of a terrorist group known as the Flying Daggers. Takeshi Kaneshiro is a policeman who hatches a plan with his boss – Andy Lau – to trick Ziyi into leading them to the Flying Daggers’ hideout. And if you haven’t seen the movie already, saying anything more than that will ruin it. But there are surprises, and there are some of the most glorious fight scenes ever filmed, that along with the perfect scenery and the attractive cast easily place this among the most beautiful movies ever made.

Days Eight & Nine (January 30th/January 31st): Red Cliff Part I (2008), Red Cliff Part II (2009)

Mandarin
Starring: Tony Leung, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Zhang Fengyi, Chang Chen, Lin Chi-ling, Zhao Wei and Hu Jun
Written by John Woo, Chan Khan, Kuo Cheng and Sheng Heyu
Directed by John Woo

If you have the full version of Red Cliff, as opposed to the highly truncated version that condensed the full five hours into one two hour movie, this will require two days to watch. Retelling the story of a major battle fought during China’s Three Kingdoms era, these movies combine the historical Records Of The Three Kingdoms, and the fantastical Romance Of The Three Kingdoms. The Prime Minister Cao Cao launches an expedition to wipe out the kingdoms of Sun Quan and Liu Bei, who forge an alliance to put a stop to it. A huge number of characters use a combination of great tactics, technical ingenuity (one of the characters, Zhuge Liang is credited with inventing the repeating crossbow), espionage, battle prowess and seemingly mystical powers in one of the most truly epic of movies.

Day Ten (February 1^st): Aftershock (2010)

Mandarin
Starring: Zhang Jingchu, Chen Daoming, Lu Yi, Xu Fan, Zhang Guoqiang and Li Chen
Written & Directed by Feng Xiaogang

The most expensive movie in Chinese history tells the story of the aftermath for one family of the 1976 Tangshan earthquake. Li Yuanni is informed that only one of her twin children can be saved from the wreckage, and she must choose. The movie tells the story of how this decision affects the life of both herself and the child she saved.

Day Eleven (February 2^nd): 24 City (2008)

Mandarin, Sichuanese, Shanghainese
Starring: Joan Chen, Lu Liping, Zhao Tao and Chen Jianbin
Written by Jia Zhangke and Zhai Yongming
Directed by Jia Zhangke

The story of three generations over more than 50 years who work at a factory in Chengdu (the capital of Sichuan province). Included interviews with real employees of the factory, as well as dramatisations of numerous events in characters lives and recent Chinese history.

Day Twelve (February 3^rd): Infernal Affairs (2002)

Cantonese
Starring: Tony Leung, Andy Lau, Anthony Wong and Eric Tsang
Written by Felix Chong and Alan Mak
Directed by Andrew Lau and Alan Mak

Martin Scorsese won an Academy Award for The Departed, his remake of this Hong Kong movie. Scorsese’s movie has more well-rounded characters, and spends more time getting to know them instead of rushing through events. But this is still a great slice of Hong Kong action cinema.

Day Thirteen (February 4^th): Hero (2002)

Mandarin
Starring: Jet Li, Tony Leung, Maggie Cheung, Chen Daoming, Zhang Ziyi and Donnie Yen
Written by Feng Li, Bin Wang and Zhang Yimou
Directed by Zhang Yimou

A Nameless hero arrives at the court of the King of Qin to tell his tale of how he fought and defeated the three most dangerous assassins in all of China. What follows is a twisty-turny tale as multiple versions of the same events are shown to us. Each version is helpfully and gloriously colour-coded, and once again the fight scenes are beautifully shot and choreographed.

Day Fourteen (February 5^th): Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)

Mandarin
Starring: Chow Yun-Fat, Michelle Yeoh, Zhang Ziyi and Chang Chen
Written by Wang Hui-Ling, James Schamus and Tsai Kuo-Jung
Directed by Ang Lee

Ang Lee’s masterpiece won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film back in 2000, for obvious reasons. Just one look at this movie and you can tell that this is a different kind of martial arts movie to the ones you got used to from watching years of Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan movies. It’s more of a romantic epic than it is an action movie, though it features some of the greatest fight scenes the world has ever seen... whenever Michelle Yeoh and Zhang Ziyi are on-screen all eyes are on them, and when they fight... well, I shouldn’t need to tell you about that, because you should know how amazing it is already. An incredible movie.

Day Fifteen (February 6^th): Bullet In The Head (1990)

Cantonese, English, French and Vietnamese
Starring: Tony Leung, Jacky Cheung, Waise Lee and Simon Yam
Written by John Woo, Patrick Leung and Janet Chun
Directed by John Woo

Thanks to his classics, A Better Tomorrow and The Killer in the 80’s, John Woo had already made a name for himself for his combination of insane gun-fights and melodrama. But this movie is the perfection of a formula that was Woo had invented. This was his last truly great movie before moving to Hollywood in the mid-90’s.

Notable Mentions

The trouble with doing a "Best Of Decade So Far" list, is that things that deserve to be in there keep on getting released after you've already started counting down. Instead of revising the entire list every time I heard some music I liked, I'm just adding in ten albums that would have been in there if I'd heard them before I started in September...

#10: Blink-182 - Neighborhoods


I wasn't impressed with Blink-182's last album - in which they decided to grow up, and write music that did not centre around dick and fart jokes. The band's comeback album released earlier in the year is also a "mature" effort, but is much stronger all around.

#9: Korn - The Path Of Totality


Korn do a dub-step/metal crossover album and think they've invented something entirely new. Considering dub-step just sounds like industrial metal with the metal taken out, what they've really created is something that Nine Inch Nails were working on 20 years ago. Whilst not as groundbreaking as they'd like to believe, it still has some good music in there, though.

#8: Mastodon - The Hunter


One of the strangest bands to gain mainstream success, Mastodon return with more of their trademark prog metal.

#7: Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds


The second of two albums released this year from new projects' featuring the recently departed Gallagher brothers. 'High Flying Birds' is the better of the two in almost every possible way.

#6: Jane's Addiction - The Great Escape Artist


The first Jane's Addiction album since 2003, following their successful fourth reunion tour. I'd take the chance to see them live now, because you never know when they're going to get pissed off with each other again. The role of bass player is shared between Chris Chaney (who played on 'Strays' and the subsequent tour), and David Andrew Sitek, but three songs ('Broken People', 'Words Right Out Of My Mouth' and 'Ultimate Reason') were co-written by the bass player the band originally wanted to record with them... none other than the musician that has had the most words written about him on this blog of any other, Duff McKagan.

#5: Orianthi - Fire E.P.


After the pop-rock of her previous album 'Believe', Orianthi released this five track E.P. exclusively on iTunes earlier in the year as a taster for the album she's currently working on with Dave Stewart. This is far harder in style, and I'm hoping next year will see her emerge as more than just "the guitarist for Michael Jackson's shows that never happened".

#4: SuperHeavy - SuperHeavy


Speaking of Dave Stewart, here he is again with the band he formed after hearing all of the different styles of music being played in a street in Jamaica. His first phonecall was to Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones (dooming the band to be known as a Rolling Stones side-project), and they later brought in Damian (son of Bob) Marley, Indian pop/Bollywood composer legend A.R. Rahman (he wrote 'Jai Ho' which most people probably remember for the awful Pussycat Dolls version), and one of the greatest young female singers the world has to offer, Joss Stone (she's also gorgeous... just thought I'd mention that). Doesn't sound like it should work, does it... but make no mistake, SuperHeavy is one of the most inventive, original, catchy and surprising albums of 2011. The combination of styles, and the mixture of young and old artists actually perfectly compliment each other, so you get tracks like the single 'Miracle Worker', the ragga of 'Energy' and the very Indian 'Satyameva Jayathe' all in a row. It might not be my favourite album of the decade, or even the year... but it's certainly the most unexpected.

#3: Nas/Damian Marley - Distant Relatives


It was after listening to 'SuperHeavy' that I decided to look into the back-catalogue of Damian Marley, and found this gem from 2010. Taking their common African heritage as an inspiration, he and rapper Nas produced a collaborative album which showcases both of their particular talents in hip-hop and reggae. I should probably whisper it when I say this is better than Jay-Z and Kanye West, shouldn't I.

#2: Puscifer - Conditions Of My Parole


Maynard James Keenan and a long list of collaborators bring you 'Conditions Of My Parole', the second full length studio album from Puscifer (basically an outlet for any idea Maynard has that wouldn't fit onto a Tool or A Perfect Circle album). It's hard to actually pin down exactly what kind of music this is, but one thing's for sure, it's a great one. When checking out Puscifer, please bypass 'V Is For Vagina' completely and go straight for this (and the iTunes only E.P. - 'C Is For (Please Insert Sophomoric Genitalia Reference Here)'.

#1: Evanescence - Evanescence


Amy Lee returns with the lastest incarnation of Evanescence (this time featuring Terry Balsamo, Tim McCord, Troy McLawhorn and Will Hunt), to release a self-titled album that's far more confident than either of it's two predecessors. Not as unashamedly commercial (or compromised) as 'Fallen', and not as experimental as 'The Open Door', they seem to have found an even balance between the two that lets them just get along with writing some great tunes. Back in 2003, no one would have guessed that not only would this band (a seemingly flash-in-the-pan answer to Linkin Park) still be successful in 2011, but they'll also be ten times better than they were then. Once band members started leaving and Amy gained the drivers seat, she took a "music first" approach that they really should have taken in the first place, and decided to release albums when they thought they had something good enough to release instead of saturating the market with clones of their first album. It's working for them for the most part - though 'What You Want' is notably, well... shit, the rest of the album more than makes up for it.

#1: Avenged Sevenfold - Nightmare

Nightmare
Welcome To The Family
Danger Line
Buried Alive
Natural Born Killer
So Far Away
God Hates Us
Victim
Tonight The World Dies
Fiction
Save Me

M. Shadows - vocals
Synyster Gates - guitar, backing vocals
Zacky Vengeance - guitar, backing vocals
Johnny Christ - bass
The Rev - vocals on 'Fiction' and 'Save Me', piano on 'Save Me', drum arrangements
Mike Portnoy - drums
Brian Haner, Sr. - guitar
Sharlotte Gibson - backing vocals
Jessi Collins - backing vocals
David Palmer - piano, keyboards
Stevie Blacke - strings, string arrangements
Stewart Cole - trumpet
Mike Elizondo - keyboards
The Whistler - whistling
Produced by Mike Elizondo

Well well well... how they've grown. The release of Avenged Sevenfold's second album, 'Waking The Fallen' in 2003 put them firmly on rock/metal fans' to watch list. People could hear that they had a lot of potential, even if they did rely too much on screaming. The track, 'I Won't See You Tonight Part One' showed a band that was capable of something truly great. Then 2005's 'City Of Evil' came along, with the band maturing their sound, pushing their ambition, and securing their place in rock n' roll's big leagues. Unfortunately, when they released their self-titled album in 2007 it seemed their reach had exceeded their grasp, with a few missteps - not least of which M. Shadows sounding like Cher in her robot incarnation on one track.

Tragedy however can sometimes inspire the greatest art, and at the end of 2009 tragedy hit with the death of the band's drummer, Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan. All of the songs were written and in their demo stages at the time, but I can't help but feel the pain that the band felt when they entered the studio with Dream Theatre's Mike Portnoy behind the drums at the beginning of 2010 was transferred into the music granting them emotion and power that would not have been evident otherwise. Nowhere is this emotion more evident than 'Fiction', a song about dying that would have been spookily relevant to their situation on its own, but made even moreso thanks to the fact that The Rev himself sings half of the lead vocals (the last thing he ever recorded just days before his death).

Other than that song, tracks such as 'Buried Alive', 'Tonight The World Dies' and 'Save Me' rank as the greatest things ever recorded by Avenged Sevenfold (and some of the best metal music I've heard in some time). And whereas tracks such as 'Nightmare', 'Welcome To The Family' and 'Danger Line' fall down a little in the lyrical department, they are still recorded with a passion that makes them irresistable. Of the entire album, only 'God Hates Us' falls flat, but with the other ten tracks being so great it hardly detracts from the overall experience at all. So far, this decade without a doubt belongs to them... the only negative thing is that they had to lose one of their own before they could achieve it.

#2: Stone Sour - Audio Secrecy

Audio Secrecy
Mission Statement
Digital
Say You'll Haunt Me
Dying
Let's Be Honest
Unfinished
Hesitate
Nylon 6/6
Miracles
Pieces
The Bitter End
Imperfect
Threadbare

Corey Taylor - vocals, guitar, piano
James Root - guitar, keyboards
Josh Rand - guitar
Shawn Economaki - bass
Roy Mayorga - drums, percussion, piano on 'Say You'll Haunt Me' and 'Nylon 6/6'
Steve Blacke - strings, string arrangements
Produced by Nick Raskulinecz

Corey Taylor's band just keeps on getting better, and 'Audio Secrecy' counts among my favourite records ever made. Kicking off from the title track intro into the awesome 'Mission Statement', Stone Sour put you through the paces for a solid 55 minutes of modern metal.
Granted, there isn't anything on here that's a big departure from the material on their first two albums, but in 'Audio Secrecy' they've absolutely perfected their craft. In 2009 I'd have never thought Stone Sour would rank so high up in a list I've made like this, as much as I'd loved their previous work. In fact, the same goes for the album that gets ranked #1...

#3: Duff McKagan's Loaded - The Taking

Lords Of Abaddon
Executioner's Song
Dead Skin
We Win
Easier Lying
She's An Anchor
Indian Summer
Wrecking Ball
King Of The World
Cocaine
Your Name
Follow Me To Hell

Duff McKagan - vocals, guitar
Mike Squires - guitar, backing vocals
Jeff Rouse - bass, backing vocals
Isaac Carpenter - drums, percussion
Produced by Terry Date

I wrote an extensive review of this album at the time of release, that can be found here.

#4: Foo Fighters - Wasting Light

Bridge Burning
Rope
Dear Rosemary
White Limo
Arlandria
These Days
Back & Forth
A Matter Of Time
Miss The Misery
I Should Have Known
Walk

Dave Grohl - vocals, guitar
Chris Shiflett - guitar, backing vocals
Pat Smear - guitar
Nate Mendel - bass
Taylor Hawkins - drums, percussion, backing vocals
Bob Mould - guitar and backing vocals on 'Dear Rosemary'
Krist Novoselic - bass and accordion on 'I Should Have Known'
Rami Jaffee - keyboards on 'Bridge Burning' and 'Rope', mellotron on 'I Should Have Known', organ on 'Walk'
Jessy Greene - violin on 'I Should Have Known'
Fee Waybill - backing vocals on 'Miss The Misery'
Butch Vig - percussion on 'Back & Forth'
Drew Hester - percussion on 'Arlandria'
Produced by Butch Vig

Dave Grohl reunites with both original Foo Fighters guitarist Pat Smear, and 'Nevermind' produced Butch Vig for this follow-up to 'Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace'. Not content with those reunions, however, there's also a track featuring Nirvana bass player Krist Novoselic.
The result of these reunions is the most complete, impressive and satisfying Foo Fighters album since 'The Colour And The Shape'. Its non-stop run of great song after great song right from the intro to 'Bridge Burning' until the final moments of album-closing 'Walk' could even surpass that modern classic. This is quite simply a rock 'n' roll masterpiece.