J-Horror: Asian Supernatural Narratives


18 Feb 2019


I'm just catching up... For Asian Horror reading, I read Kwaidan. I think it’s really interesting that it doesn’t feel like the horror story I expected. It feels more like folktales with moral message, and specifically has ghosts or spirits in the story… or sometimes just death.

Reading Kwaidan brings me back to childhood memories when I spent a lot of times reading folktales, either local or from other countries. I remember when I was in elementary school, I was always excited to get my Indonesian text books every beginning of the semester. I would go through all the pages and looked for any folktales reading I could find. Also the times when I would go the school library with my friend after class and read different folktales. I don’t know how I would feel if the younger me read Kwaidan. I wonder if I would feel scared? I want to say that I wouldn’t because it doesn’t feel scary at all now. Maybe as a kid, the weird moments like when the spirit of the Mandarin duck visited the man and killed herself in front of him would make me think twice about eating fried duck… The Yuki-Onna might scared me more. Or the flesh-eating priest. But since the way the stories are written doesn’t feel that scary, but more on the quiet side rather than “anxiety-building”, it stands more as unforgettable stories for me. The dream of Akinosuke was an interesting one. It’s more fantasy like than horror. If it’s not part of the Kwaidan collection, I wouldn’t think it’s a horror story.

Overall, I think Kwaidan is a successful collection of stories. It passes on the local believes and it’s a fun read too.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

BLOODCHILD - 15 April 2019

BLOODCHILD 1) I was confused with the terms and how the world works at the beginning. I didn't understand what the eggs are and where they come from. At the end of the story, I'm still unsure. The story seems interesting and creepy at the same time, but it's hard for me to visualize it because I don't exactly know how to imagine T'Gatoi. Is she like a spider or some kind of other bugs or insects? Does she have a human face? Is she basically an alien with appearance like an insect or myriapods? Bug, grubs, and worms have always creeped me out, so this story definitely creeped me out too. Not to mention the description on the blood and human flesh during Lomas' process of being opened and harvested. The story is definitely not my cup of tea. 2) I can relate to Gan when he puke after seeing Lomas being opened and T'Gatoi eating. I think I would be the same, if not, I might even passed out. Other connection I have with the story is probably on responsibility...
Read more

FRANKENSTEIN

01/19/2019 FRANKENSTEIN I read Frankenstein years ago, but never got to finish it. I think I read the translation version and it got kind of confusing and boring that I stopped reading. Now that I read the English version, it's actually pretty fun and more clear to me.  I enjoyed reading Frankenstein. I like how Mary tells the story using the perspective of three different characters. I've always loved reading from different perspectives as it gives me more sympathy for the characters. The beginning part that tells the story of Walton through letters felt kind of long, but it gave me a good sense of what kind of person he was and what's important for him. Once I finished that part, it got more fun and interesting.  Hearing the history of Victor Frankenstein’s family, his childhood, and understanding his passion was a good set up. It pays off well when I got to the ending where he died. I feel sad for him that he has to experience losing his fa...
Read more

WEEK 11: Cyberpunk and Steampunk

WEEK 11: Cyberpunk and Steampunk For the week, I read Johny Mnemonic. Personally, I think it's an okay read. The story wasn't that interesting for me. The beginning part made me cringe with all the blood and finger, but other than that, I don't feel any excitement. I think it would be better if I read this as a graphic novel or watch it as a film. For me, the point of interest in this story would be the setting and the environment. It's pretty cool too, to imagine how the Squid and the Dolphin looked like. The characters itself aren't that interesting for me. The main character, Johny, doesn't seem to have that much personality. The only interesting part I found from him is that he is built from different memories from different people, but since it's a short story and we don't get to read the whole history, it becomes less interesting. The lady, Molly, she feels like a generic femme fatale. I also don't understand her personality and her motive....
Read more