20230226 The Electric Tale of Pikachu [Book Review] [Pokemon Day 2023]

...

An electric mouse, \\ with positive energy, \\ found chewing live wires.

#HAIKUPRAJNA - The Electric Tale of Pikachu [Book Review] [Pokemon Day 2023] 

Read online [ https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/2023/02/20230226-electric-tale-of-pikachu-book.html ]

...

Hello readers,

It’s the 27th anniversary of the Pokemon franchise, so this Pokemon Day we are celebrating with a copy of "The Electric Tale of Pikachu" along with some anime. [This review also includes volumes two through four; "Pikachu Shocks Back", "Electric Pikachu Boogaloo" and "Surf's Up, Pikachu"]  

This Pokemon World is slightly more realistic, grounded and mature in tone and art at times than the games or anime. What was most interesting to me about this Pokemon World was how most citizens seem to have given up on training after a few months, where it is said that very few continue into adulthood, and that the majority see Pokemon as animals, pests or supernatural spirits and beings; the way people in this Pokemon World grow reminds me of how I have grown with the series, as one can argue that I have retired from training Pokemon in new regions, but I still live in a world with Pokemon and I still experience stories and adventures from the rest of the franchise outside of the mainline games.

This was the manga I read from my school library when I was six or seven years old before reading Pokemon Adventures, and along with the N64 plus the NGC games and the anime, this manga series was among my earliest exposures to the franchise; I have read online that Electric Tale was the first Pokemon manga to be translated into English.

Like the anime, Electric Tale of Pikachu follows Ash Ketchum’s journey to fight the various Gym Leaders for their badges in order to compete for the title of Pokemon Champion through the Indigo League and the Orange Islands, but these comics came with a number of refreshing differences that set it apart from its contemporaries including how Ash and Pikachu met and how often Misty and Brock traveled with them, while still managing to hit plot points like Team Rocket and the Eevee Brothers. Personal highlights of the series include Bill's story about the Venusaur, Sabrina and Brock talking to Ash about a godlike Haunter, and the Bulbasaur family story in Volume 3.

There are translation differences between localizations, to cut page count and due to some of the art by the book's graphic artist Toshihiro Ono, and the second half felt more comical than the first, but the series as a whole has that kind of charm to it too. Ash grows as a Trainer, his rivalry with Gary is revisited often, and he got to challenge another Pokemon League to iron out the mistakes he learned over the course of the story, becoming--spoiler alert!--the Champion of the Orange Islands with the help of Pikachu.

Thank you for reading.

Allen W. McLean 

...

Need more Bite-sized Insights to relieve your stress and suffering?

Banner : Tomothy and the Overseer of the Forest

Connect via email or social media [ https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/p/follow-on-social-media.html ]

Readers are gifted a Kindle eBook on Fridays and Mondays--short story selection rotates every few weeks, so visit My Author Profile and follow via email [ https://www.amazon.ca/Allen-W-McLean/e/B0867C5D24 ]

I write mindfulness meditation scifaiku and haiku poetry on my book reviews and on previews of my metaphysical stories, such as "Escape Perennial City". Learn more about my reviews here [ https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/p/book-review-summary-study-notes.html ]

Read the latest Project Roadmap [ https://medium.com/haikuprajna/20221230-my-year-in-reviews-project-roadmap-2022-12-6b6c671e575 ]

Thanks to you, over ONE-THOUSAND (1000!) readers have joined us on Medium! Need to stay in the Medium Partner Program? Please follow and turn on email notifications; I will follow you back! "Ado the Owl" and "Hector Blake" are available to read, right now, on Medium. [ https://haikuprajna.medium.com/subscribe ]

April's psychedelic music videos, art and poetry is available on all streaming platforms; Electric Armchair - Mister Valentine (Official Animated Music Video) (With Lyrics) [ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrJcLSsCSsQ ]

Electric Armchair - After Party (PRE-SAVE ALBUM [ https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/electricarmchair/after-party ]

"Falgara the Giant" is available on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited! Add to Goodreads and learn more [ https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/p/falgara-giant.html ] 

Support by buying a sticker [ https://haikuprajna.redbubble.com ]

Kindle ebooks can be read on any device at www.read.amazon.com

These poems will be collected in future editions of the HaikuPrajna Collection.

20230223 - A Christmas Carol [II] [Book Review]

...

Dethaw a deep freeze, // spirits with hallowed warnings. // Wretched mindlessness.

#HAIKUPRAJNA - A Christmas Carol [II]

Read online [ https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/2023/02/20230223-christmas-carol-ii-book-review.html ]

...

Hello readers,

In "A Christmas Carol", Charles Dickens used the cold of London to describe Ebenezer Scrooge, compared to the warmth and glow of those around him. Due to his focus on his own gain and his ignorance of the poverty of others, he thought it wise to be able to determine who should live and die by his subjective view on what was in surplus.

The one weakness, in my opinion, of this book could be found in Dickens's narrator, but it was strong at times which might make up for when otherwise, depending on the reader.

The narrative made use of horror as a subgenre by not only having Scrooge deal with unbelievable yet real aspects, such as seeing himself in Marley's wretchedness, but Dickens also carried the reader through the imagery as though the narrator were another spirit following Scrooge. 

From the invocation in the preface onward, A Christmas Carol used Christian (almost Gnostic) Idealism as its subject matter, with its invisible world of ghosts having lost individuality who yet clung to what they wished to change, for the better, while being weighed down in a literal manner by their history and inaction. 

Other sentiments which make A Christmas Carol one of my favorite stories were all said by the Ghost of Christmas Present; the earth needing to pass into eternity before its good is all developed, mortal life being too short for its vast means of usefulness, no space of regret amending an opportunity misused, and telling Scrooge that men do things in the name of the Ghosts, but that such men are as strange to them as if they had never lived. 

“Cold, isn’t it?” “Seasonable for Christmas time. You’re not a skater, I suppose?” “No. No. Something else to think of. Good morning!”

These hallows were focused on establishing a sense of  mindfulness in Ebenezer; if I interpreted things right, Marley granted Scrooge's request to have all the ghosts visit at once, maybe because he was willing to do what was necessary, despite his initial resistance, rather than continue to decline Marley's offer. With the Ghost of Christmas Past, Scrooge was rebuked for failing to realize that he was wishing to cap the Ghost’s light, his own memories--shown to be a source of joy for many. The Ghost of Christmas Present told Scrooge to look upon him, to be mindful when Scrooge thought himself unworthy to, and, indeed, Ebenezer was shown that both Ignorance and Want cling to the Present, that, according to Scrooge, they seem doomed to workhouses and prisons--unless shown kindness, like the spirit of Marley had on Scrooge. Even with the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, Scrooge was being shown how one’s material remains leave nothing good outside of their memories and one’s remembered love. 

In A Christmas Carol, Dickens seemed to be critical of mindless urbanization and its effects on sustaining the poor masses for the benefit of the rich; as far as I know he suffered from the effects of the uneven distribution of wealth in his youth. 

According to him, it is better to let others laugh at you, for ignorance in joy, while still rude, was still less bad than ignorance in hate; Love and Christmas Spirit are equal, and thus one will find joy in shared mindful experiences like education, dances and festive dinners. 

Previous review [ https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/2020/12/20201225-christmas-carol.html ] 

Thank you for reading.

Allen W. McLean 

...

Need more Bite-sized Insights to relieve your stress and suffering?

Banner : Tomothy and the Overseer of the Forest

Connect via email or social media [ https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/p/follow-on-social-media.html ]

Readers are gifted a Kindle eBook on Fridays and Mondays--short story selection rotates every few weeks, so visit My Author Profile and follow via email [ https://www.amazon.ca/Allen-W-McLean/e/B0867C5D24 ]

I write mindfulness meditation scifaiku and haiku poetry on my book reviews and on previews of my metaphysical stories, such as "Escape Perennial City". Learn more about my reviews here [ https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/p/book-review-summary-study-notes.html ]

Read the latest Project Roadmap [ https://medium.com/haikuprajna/20221230-my-year-in-reviews-project-roadmap-2022-12-6b6c671e575 ]

Thanks to you, over ONE-THOUSAND (1000!) readers have joined us on Medium! Need to stay in the Medium Partner Program? Please follow and turn on email notifications; I will follow you back! "Ado the Owl" and "Hector Blake" are available to read, right now, on Medium. [ https://haikuprajna.medium.com/subscribe ]

April's psychedelic music videos, art and poetry is available on all streaming platforms; Electric Armchair - Mister Valentine (Official Animated Music Video) (With Lyrics) [ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrJcLSsCSsQ ]

Electric Armchair - After Party (PRE-SAVE ALBUM [ https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/electricarmchair/after-party ]

"Falgara the Giant" is available on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited! Add to Goodreads and learn more [ https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/p/falgara-giant.html ] 

Support by buying a sticker [ https://haikuprajna.redbubble.com ]

Kindle ebooks can be read on any device at www.read.amazon.com

These poems will be collected in future editions of the HaikuPrajna Collection.