Monster and Pluto and all things awesome
I’m reading Pluto right now and I’m still working my way through Monster. What strikes me about both these series is that Urasawa makes it look so easy. The plots, the twists, the pain, it all just runs on and on without a hiccup and you tend to forget how well crafted it is. Sometimes it takes me reading another manga, maybe one that’s pretty good but not, you know, Urasawa good to make me truly appreciate these stories.
So go, watch the anime, tell me if it holds up to the manga. I’m on a prose vacation this week. I’m reading Son of Witch, the sequel to Wicked. I should have done this long ago but I got distracted. Pluto made me think of it actually because, while some people might think writers dappling in other writer’s worlds is a rip-off, I love seeing what new eyes can do to a place.
Live Action Ninja Scroll
So in addition to the rumored Akira live-action film, it looks like actor/producer/whatever Leonardo DiCaprio is doing Ninja Scroll.
DiCaprio Considers SMAP for Ninja Scroll Film Updated – Anime News Network
I’m not all that surprised. I don’t believe I’ll see either film though. I’ve seen the anime movies and they warped my sensibilities so I really don’t need to see all that acted out “live”.
The comments afterward are insteresting and suprisingly positive. I guess anime fanboys are a little more forgiving and optimistic than comic fanboys. Oh, the article also broadened my anime horizons; I had no idea there was a Diary of Anne Frank anime. How weird is that? Does anyone else think that’s a strange subject for an anime movie?

