Hey what's up! Happy 3RD ANNIVERSARY to this blog. Can't believe that it has already been three years since I started posting (ignoring the fact that I went on a year-long hiatus). Here's to more reviews, fangirling, and other random sh***! If you've been reading my blog (and are reading this right now), thank you so much for your support. I am looking forward to see this blog grow.
Anyway, to celebrate my blog's 3rd birthday, I am gonna talk about something very controversial! Isn't that always the way? Like I said, I want to be a bit more opinionated and I want this blog to go about this new format (that I'm still figuring out). So today, we are gonna talk about 13 Reasons Why, one of the most popular Netflix shows of 2017. This show was released back in March, and--even though it is based on the novel that was written years ago--it has immediately gained popularity and eventually its own fanbase. Insane! It has also been recently announced that the show is renewed for a second season....while Sense8 is canceled. ANYWAY!
Yes, I have read the book and I have seen this popular Netflix series. I honestly can see why people love it...but at the same time, I can also see why people hate it. That's right, this show not only received great feedback, but it's gotten a couple of backlashes, as well. This has something to do with the story itself and the recurring themes that reflect some real-life issues that teenagers have to deal with everyday. And I am here to talk about that.
Hello! I am here with another New Yolk Times post for you and today I am going to discuss the series that I've been waiting for, Shadowhunters. As some of you know, The Mortal Instruments series has been rebooted as a TV series on ABC Fami--- I mean, Freeform. So the plot is basically the same as the one you read in the book or seen in the movie.
To be honest, I was not looking forward to this. Yes, I got excited until I learned ABC Fa--- I mean, Freeform has decided to adopt the show. The promos to me were not too flattering but I was ok with the casting choices. And when I saw the pilot episode I gotta say... I was surprisingly okay with it.
I’m a
bookworm and I am proud to call myself as such. If it weren’t for reading, I would have failed
almost every spelling test I got in the first and second grade, and I would not
have my own sense of imagination. Reading helped me build wonderful things in
my own head, and it kinda built my personality. So in short, it has made me the
person I am today. But there will be times when reading will give me a horrible
feeling. There will be small instances when I will feel distaste whenever I set
my eyes on a book. Why is that? Well, if reading comes with good stuff, it can
come with bad things too.
I will probably say the most obvious reasons as
early as now. The first reason is simple; books are effin’ expensive. I hate
how a simple joy in life called a book would cost as much as a Hipster graphic
tee in H&M. That’s how crazy the economy is, nowadays, and that’s probably
why Youtubers and celebrities suddenly have the burning passion for writing.
Also, books have the ability to make my life look like a dull page, and I
mostly read fiction. I read fantasy novels that have all the magic, the sci-fi,
the dramatic heroes, the over-cliched romances, and the suspense. Most
protagonists in high fantasy novels will disagree with me on this one but,
their live are awesome. I would trade my soul just to have one simple adventure
that involves dungeons and fairies (wait that somehow didn’t come out right).
Unfortunately, in the end I will be slapped by reality and be reminded that
there will never ever be a portal that will take me to an amazing fictitious
world. But just once, I want my life to be like YA novel. I want to walk down
in the hallways, meet a satyr telling me I’m an extraordinary demigod and I’m
needed to save the world. It may sound like a heavy burden, but I would take
this heavy burden over final exams. But again, no. I’m my own writer of my very
own story. So I guess it’s up to me to make my lifetime extraordinary.
I sometimes hate reading because I know I will never
get a satisfying ending and this happened half the time I’ve been a bookworm,
which has been almost two decades. If I don’t get the ending I want, it’s
either I have to wait for the sequel in a year or two or I don’t get a round
two or three at all. That alone irks me. It sounds selfish that I’m being
choosy when it comes to endings, but books are forms of entertainment.
Therefore, they must entertain me. How can I enjoy knowing my favorite
character died? How can I be happy not knowing things are going to be okay in
the next book? Those thoughts tend to drive me nuts. Don’t even try judging me,
I know you’ve been down this path too. Every reader goes through this. And if
you haven’t, then let me warn you now; there will come a time when you’re
reading a book and you won’t like where the plot is going at all. It’s pretty
similar to watching the Game of Thrones, trust me.
In connection to storylines, I hate going on a book
hiatus. This usually happens whenever I read book series. I have to wait at
least year, if I want to know what happens next. The wait can be the definition
of torment itself. It has made me detest waiting. Especially when the story is
getting really good, but then it ends in a cliffhanger. I don’t know with you
but it can be the worst feeling the world! Finishing a book with a cliffhanger
is the equivalent of watching a horror film. It’s going to take time for you to
get back to your regular sleeping pattern (assuming you have one), because you
will be staying up all night coming up with theories and guesses on what’s
going to happen next. Sometimes, I just can’t stand waiting and talking about
it. I just cheat on this book series with another, and that doesn’t help at all
because this other book likes bringing out cliff hangers, too and I still lose.
I also hate it when a book suddenly gets into the
concept of death. It has become an insane trend in between novels lately.
Whether it’s about a dystopian world or a kid who’s got an incurable disease,
somebody has to die. What’s worse is that whoever dies is someone that we care about because the writers know
that if they kill of an insignificant character, nobody will give a damn and
quickly move on (well that’s what usually happens, anyway). It’s their sly
tactic to make us savor their books so we can talk about it more, because this
will create more buzz, then more people will be curious about it, which will
make them buy the books until they cry about it, and the whole cycle goes on
repeat. It’s basically an indirect marketing strategy, because thanks to our
“feels”, we are promoting the books for the writers. Luckily most of the books
celebrated are really good ones.
And there you have it. A fangirl explaining why she
sometimes hates reading. If you can relate to anything that I just said, feel
free to comment about your misgivings on reading on my Disqus (yay! I has
Disqus) account, which will feature this very topic. That is it and till the
next post~
Remember when I fangirled about the announcement of The Mortal Instruments becoming a TV series? Well guess what, it actually pushed through and after all the casting announcements and progress, we finally get a glimpse of a teaser and a legit trailer! Unless you're one of those people who went to New York Comic Con, then oh, well. You already.
Now I am well pleased with the very first teaser. For me, all the colors and all that mystic shiz going on accurately captured the vibes of the TMI series, at least for the first book. Also, for once, the casting is pretty good. Isabelle finally looks Isabelle, Clary's hair color is correct, and so on. My only concern now for the show is that if it will also be able to transition into a much darker and eerie tone, like that of the movie. The problem with the movie was that it was trying too hard to be scary and kinda dark. The Mortal Instruments has that very element but it is wrapped around with some light and vibrant stuff. Kinda like ecstasy, but not really. The teaser is able to give me that very feel, but I'm really hoping for some serious things to happen, because as of now it really aims to cater to a much younger audience. I am honestly hoping they would be able to make the show look enticing for adults too, because the series deals with also very mature topics as the story progresses.
And then we have the trailer. Honestly, this very trailer kinda reduced my excitement. First and foremost, we again talk about casting choices. Kat McNamara pulled off the Clary look, but the acting skills? I'm not so sure about that. Her acting technique seems a bit ten times more awkward compared to what Lily Collins offered. Her screams and yells were too sweet-sounding, and Clary Fray is anything but sweet. Unfortunately, the trailer only showed her frightened side, but as they put in more teasers, I'd like to see another angle of Kat McNamara as Clary, preferably her stubborn side. I also have a good feeling about Harry Shum Jr. and Dom Sherwood who are playing Magnus and Jace, respectively. Harry, for me, will somehow never pull off the complete Magnus look compared to Godfrey Gao, but his acting was really good. It is the first time I've seen him act in such a setting, and so far I like what I see. As for Dom Sherwood, we only get to see barely a glimpse of his character. He managed to say a line that was very Jace ("What? No thank you?"), and that's probably the only Jace line I've ever heard. The rest was him explaining what Shadowhunters are. Mostly, the trailer and teaser highly focuses on Clary, who is obviously the main protagonist. I didn't get to see much Jace, and it is something that I still look forward to because he's also a very major character. Apart from that, I think he did okay. So apart from the eerie element, I am very concerned with the acting. Yes, I am looking at you, Kat. I will be watching each and everyone of the cast, especially her.
I do hope that the next trailers will reveal the other characters as well. I am also kinda disappointed that these guys do not have accents anymore. Having accents almost seemed like a shadowhunter trademark to me. But, whatever. Shadowhunters will premiere on ABC Family this January of 2016, and this time, I will lower my expectations for this. I get that most of these actors and actresses are still not that established, so I will cut them slack. But it's very important that they do the storytelling right. I'm not saying that it should be book accurate, but hopefully it would still be very interesting and that they will be transition to different types of tones.
Recently I watched a Youtube video created by CassJayTuck and I found myself agreeing with everything she said. She was talking about what she thinks is the problem with YA Fiction today, saying that the ideas in current YA novels are not as fresh or original. In other words, writers are simply recycling so much ideas to the point they forgot the whole point of writing.
I'd like not only to reiterate everything she said, but to add up to it, because I think this is definitely an opinion that needs to be heard among more hardcore bookworms out there. If you want to have a head start, you can take a quick look on Cass' video here:
Before I begin, I'd like to make one thing clear; I have nothing against the Dystopian or Romance Genre. I'm saying this because it is one of the most common genres we normally see in YA Fiction. That's the reason why I don't hate them, they are just genres. If a writer wants a Dystopia, then he/she has every right to write one. So if I have no problems with these, then what is the problem?
Cass mentioned in her video that most novels in YA lack this thing called, "world-building". One of the many joys in reading is that you get suck into a whole different world, that your reading experience becomes more or less surreal. YA Novels today, unfortunately, do not give that much world-building. It only focuses on a certain element that the writers think will excite their readers, as well as editors and publishing companies. And this is what happens when you pretty much recycle from a classic YA Novel. You end up focusing on things that you think will make your novel become a hit, but let's establish the fact that all novels are not similar and shouldn't be. You might as well stick to fanfiction writing if you intend to recreate something that's already there. The main challenge of a writer will always be the creative juice. A reader will be able to notice right away if you're trying to rip something off. I'm not saying that writers shouldn't draw their inspiration from other books. If they intend to base their ideas on previous published stories, might as well put a little bit more flare and not put other used ideas in one book. There's a difference, yes. That's why being a writer is not as easy as you think. You shouldn't be using other techniques or styles. Use your own. Basically, most writers are missing the fun part in writing. You get to create your own world. The time and effort must be focused on that, as well as in character development and in plot ideas. Not in just who ends up with who. So Cass is right, give your stories a little bit more love. This is my challenge for aspiring writers. Create stories wherein I can enjoy a whole new world. Follow the example of children's books. Please. Or maybe, you can take notes from Anime, because most anime shows do that very well.
Back on the genre issue... genre should never be an issue. It becomes an issue when a book fails to deliver a promise. For example, you want to create Dystopian novel (sorry if I constantly use this as an example, but it's the most common one at the moment), but you want to put a bit of romance. I've read tons of novels similar to this problem, and instead of focusing on the main problem, it concentrates on the love triangles. In other words, the secondary genre suddenly becomes much more important than the dominant genre. Then the story strays from what it originally was. Twilight is a perfect example of a novel that is able to deliver its promise. Stephenie Meyer made it clear from start to finish, that this whole saga will be a love story in between a huge vampire-politic problem. And it was a love story that was in the middle of a huge vampire-politic problem. I've read many books that imply that this is gonna be a story about a conflict two parties, but when I read it, the story is purely or mostly about romance and how the character is so awkward about puberty.
I also want to challenge writers about writing protagonists, because they can also be a YA issue. Main heroes and heroines now lack a bit of originality, nowadays. We always get the following:
1.) The person who doesn't want anything to do with the situation but gets into the situation anyway. 2.) The sassy or blunt person with a terrible or sad past, becomes very indifferent to almost everything but still gets loved by everyone 3.) The confused person who runs into a middle of a crossfire, and surprisingly becomes a major part of the crossfire.
As you can see, the similarities between the three are endless. I'd like future writers to come up with a whole new and realistic main character. I guess this is why I like the Insignia Series so much. Tom Raines had sass all over his body, but he didn't conform to any typical YA cliche I mentioned above. So the perspective was new, fresh, and absolutely interesting.
I would like to discuss another cliche. I know romance is something that any young adult can relate to, but I am sick of love being the driving force or main motivation for any YA character. There's more to life than relationships and all that shiz. I am starting to get tired of YA for creating characters who would just participate in a war or do something totally crazy for the sake of their significant other. I give kudos for The Hunger Games, for giving Katniss a whole new realistic motivation, which is her family. It made perfect sense for her character and for the world she was in. So perhaps another challenge? If writers cannot write a straight YA Fiction without inserting a few love stories here and there, make it subtle then? Give your characters different kinds of motivations? Give your readers a whole new thing to be inspired about?
That's all I have to say about YA for now. If you have other misgivings about the current situation on YA (which won't end right away), let me know on the comments. Also, you can share this so it will reach to more people, particularly to authors (aspiring ones, included). And I will see you till the next post~
Last year I posted that The Mortal instruments will be turned into a series. And it is finally happening. ABC Family just announced that they will take on the high-end series entitled, "Shadowhunters". Now the title has really great ring to it, but there are still so many questions that need to be answered. Who are the cast? How much of the story will they keep and delete? Will they include the incest and the other controversial themes the entire series entail? Will they change it up more? Will it turn into a flop?
According to an article by The Hollywood Reporter, Constantin Film will be involved in the project, with Ed Lecter as the executive producer. Not much is revealed about the series itself and there is still no word about who is going to be part of the cast.
I don't know much about the ABC Family and the series they produce. However, as far as I'm aware, they also make movies meant for kids and families. It gives movies and shows to Disney, for crying out loud. In other words, I haven't seen them take on a project that involves adult-like plots yet (maybe we can give Once Upon a Time, an exception). If you do know, please let me know. Because for now, I am not confident about ABC handling the entire thing because I was hoping for HBO or at least, CW, because I've seen them execute shows that are beyond abstract. And The Mortal Instruments has a lot dark themes that cannot be easily explained to younger audiences. Plus the reading audience of the series are purely young adults, or at least that's what I observed. And that kind of conflicts with the target audience, ABC intends for the Shadowhunter series. I understand that they want to attract older viewers (and by older, hopefully they mean someone ranging from late teenage years to mid-adulthood), but families? Really? And if Disney somehow wants to become involved with this, then we are doomed. However, I hope they prove me wrong. Like, if they can stay true to the story, bring in fantastic actors with actual acting skills, and offer a fair amount of fan service, then I will be more than glad to say that my doubts were too much. Let's just see how this will play out. And I pray it will turn out well.
