Skip to main content

Welcome to "check this $#!% out!"

[Note: Check This $#!% Out was originally a seperate blog but is now a feature of patokon blog]

check this $#!% out mascot : The $#!%
In my first CT-O (check this $#!% out) post, I would like to introduce our mascot.
Literally and figuratively, this mascot is The $#!% !!!

Now to get on to some cool $#!% I'd like you to check out. I spent the last week in Kumamoto where I went to an exhibition on Lafcadio Hearn, a Greek-born, Irish-raised world traveler who decided to become a naturalized Japanese citizen (also gaining the Japanese moniker Yakumo Koizumi). He also wrote several books on Japan which are probably some of the best guides to the Japanese mind you'll ever hope to find.
Though most of his observances are of a Japan long gone, it's not hard to draw parallels to the modern Japanese way of thinking. Here is a quote from "Kokoro".

'A male servant long in my house seemed to me the happiest of mortals. He laughed invariably when spoken to, looked always delighted while at work, appeared to know nothing of the small troubles of life. But one day I peeped at him when he thought himself quite alone, and his relaxed face startled me. It was not the face I had known. Hard lines of pain and anger appeared in it, making it seem twenty years older. I coughed gently to announce my presence. At once the face smoothed, softened, lighted up as by a miracle of rejuvenation. Miracle, indeed, of perpetual unselfish self-control.'

Some of my closest friends exercise a skill much like this in where they totally and completely separate their personal face from their work face. Seeing the difference sends chills up the spine of someone like myself who prefers to be themselves at all times, for good or bad. My friend, must unfortunately wear his work face at home since his wife is his boss, and apparently has very little chance to show the fun-loving rascal face which I much prefer.


After the exhibit, I visited his former residence in Kumamoto and after learning more about his travels was inspired to re-read his works which I haven't picked up in over twenty years. I've actually avoided most "about Japan" books because I disagree with many of them [cuz I'm kinduva smarmy know-it-all when I wanna be]. I'm already halfway through "In Ghostly Japan", and I'll probably devour "Kwaidan" next before I jump on to others. I personally like to download these freebies through Stanza and read them on my iPhone.


If you like ghost stories, Japan, folk tales, or authors who refuse to take a picture not in profile, Hearn is your man. "Yuki Onna" is one of my favorite Japanese ghosts of all time. Check out the movie "Kwaidan" based on Hearn's stories. Check it out now! I'll wait...

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Ninjas vs Cowboys, Top 10 Cowboy Manga

I talk about US ninja comics and Japanese cowboy comics on Tim Young's Deconstructing Comics . Listen to it here ! I based on the lecture I gave last year at the Koshi Manga Museum . First slide from my Ninjas vs Cowboys presentation. Here are my Top 10 Cowboy Manga: 10. Bullet Tommy  『弾丸トミー』by Shige SUGIURA This is a classic, one of the earliest comics. It's a "gag manga" for kids and so pokes fun at the various Western movie tropes. The art resembles Shoney's Big Boy, doesn't it? 9.  The Cactus Kid  『サボテン君』by Osamu TEZUKA This is one of Tezuka's early Western manga when he had only seen a few westerns at the time. I like the idea of a guy who wants to turn his parents' saloon into a milk bar. 8. The Belle Starr Gang  『ベル☆スタア強盗団』by Akihiro ITO Ito is known for his Geobreeders  saga, but this is his take on the real-life outlaw Belle Starr and her gang. I like the art and the attempt to incorporate real-life events into the...
My newest creation - based on Punchkinhead! I put together a wobblehead based on the book I wrote and edited with illustrations from 30 amazing Japanese artists. The book benefits the Holden's Hope charity for little Holden Underwood who suffers from Leukemia. Click here for the pdf: http://patokon.com/patobits/wobblehead04.pdf More info here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Holdens-Hope/152387661445173 I wrote about it here as well: http://patokon.blogspot.com/2010/11/punchkinhead-never-give-up-boy.html The book is available on createspace and amazon .

What did H.P. see?

I'm pretty sure that H.P. Lovecraft, creator of the evil book Necronomicon and the Cthulhu mythos, actually saw into another world. As I read his books, I feel myself being drawn into that world, and I fear that I might not escape. Such is the power of Lovecraft's imagery. His character's are amazingly real and often irredeemable bastards. Going by his books, you definitely get the impression that H.P. was qute the racist. Many books I've read from that period express similar sentiments. It's often hard to deal with such things. I've known people I've thought to be good and decent, but have hatred or fear of people of other backgrounds. I've been told to hate the sin, not the sinner. And that's what I try to do.