Favourite Books
Fantasy stories have always resonated strongly with me. Reality is often harsh and painful, and escapism is something I often crave. With fantasy stories I can lose myself in a world that is completely different to my own, where the impossible and impractical become entirely reasonable. Another reason I enjoy stories so much is because, even if the journey is dark, twisted and painful, you can almost always guarantee a happy or satisfactory ending. Reality offers no such reassurances.
Best Comics
I grew up with a passion for stories and art. Comics became the obsession they did because they were a perfect combination of the two. I enjoyed Lumberjanes because of the light-hearted narrative, the mystery, and the LGBTQ+ themes. I loved the Harley Quinn comics for its anarchy, non-conformity and its gratuitous yet comical violence, because there are many times in life where I wished I could solve my problems by hitting someone with a large hammer. My love for the Green Lantern characters originated from Green Lantern the Animated Series, which then developed into my love of the comics, the Red Lanterns specifically; where the Green Lanterns stood for Justice and bravery, the Red stand for retribution. Two sides of the same coin of fighting against injustice.
Film
I liked Into the Spiderverse because it was a comic book brought to life, literally. It was animated in the style of a comic book, and since it was based on a Multiverse theme, it used the art styles of various types of comic books for the different characters: Manga, cartoon, black and white etc. You don’t normally see these different art styles working in tandem, and they did it so well. I loved the film for its fascinating visual composition as much as I did for its story and plot.
Music
My taste in music is very eclectic, so it’s hard for me to narrow my favourites down to a specific artist or genre. One artist does stand out significantly from the others, however. Ado is a Japanese artist whose voice and music stands out in my memory. I might not be able to speak the language, but in most cases the message and meaning of the songs have been able to transcend the language barrier. Ussewaa spoke to my inner frustration & rage with the society we live in, and the corporate world I often feel trapped by. Odo is about fighting and not giving up and inspires me to persevere and keep fighting.
A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains – Wang Ximeng