Magic in London: Enrolment – Part 18

Posted on April 21, 2023 by ashleymanningwriter

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Chuck felt like he’d die if he got hit again, his whole body ached, and he was sure he’d broken a rib or two when he thrown across the playground. He moved over to where Tommy was laying on the floor, thinking if he could just get him to the outside then the horse would disappear. He couldn’t hear Fiona shouting at him, he couldn’t hear the horse approaching, he couldn’t hear his own footsteps. He didn’t even realise he was surrounded by silence. He could feel the vibrations of each step echoing through his body, but there was no noise.

He also didn’t realise how much he was stumbling, falling forward and moving his feet to stop himself from tumbling completely at the last second each time. It was like he was half-asleep, not quite understanding the world around him. He was just completely focused on reaching Tommy.

He was completely oblivious to Fiona, who was dancing around the horse and trying to keep its attention away from Chuck. Every time the horse turned to attack Chuck she threw more spells at it. Everything she could think of. Fire, ice, water, wind. None of it seemed to stop it for more than a few seconds. It also made the horse a lot angrier with each hit. The flames were growing brighter and brighter. Its eye sockets were ablaze.

Forgetting about Chuck, the horse turned to Fiona and flew at her. She jumped out of the way, only missing it by a split second. Fiona turned around as soon as she landed and threw more water balls at it, thinking that it must be the best way to deal with fire, but it she was sure it was just acting as fuel for the flames.

The horse flew up into the air, hovering above them and looking down at Fiona. It roared and started to shoot flames out of its mouth to the ground, chasing Fiona around as she ran through the courtyard. All her instincts were telling her to run away and get out of the playground. Tommy would be safe, the horse wouldn’t hurt him, and then come back with backup. The trouble was, Chuck would definitely be dead straight away. If she was with another true whistler, then this would be easy. It was Chuck that was making everything a mess. As she dived out of the way of more fire, she cursed Arthur in her mind. Other than being able to see the magic, what could Chuck do. If he had the ability at one point, he was too old to actually utilise it. He was just a walking time-bomb. Either waiting to get himself killed or others around him while they kept him safe.

Maybe Arthur didn’t realise how useless he’d be, she thought. No that can’t be it. Arthur never did anything on a whim. Everything was calculated. Everything was a strategy. Chuck was there for a reason, and that would become clear in the future just as everything else that Arthur had done had become.

The horse landed and charged at Fiona. She dived to one side, and it caught her legs as she did, which sent her spiralling through the air. She bounced off the ground, letting go of her knife as she did. The horse turned around and started charging towards her. She rolled out of the way, jumped up, and looked for her knife. Without it she was as good as dead. It hadn’t gone far, but the horse was coming around for another run at her. She moved as quickly as she could, narrowly avoiding the horse, but feeling pain race down her leg. Looking down, she saw that the flames from the horse had burnt through her trousers and burnt her skin. Her leg was bubbling, but at least it wasn’t still on fire she thought.

She ran as fast as she could, avoiding another pass from the horse, and found her knife. She wasn’t trained in healing, but still used a spell to pour water down her leg, the pain was growing unmanageable, and the water just added to it. Once more the horse turned around and started towards her. She had to keep moving but couldn’t find the strength in her leg to move quickly enough.

Fiona knew that her chances at dodging another attack were beyond slim, so instead she raised her knife high, and waved it in front of her back and forth as quickly as possible. Walls of ice shot out of the ground, raising high into the air. The horse still broke through them, getting close and closer, but Fiona had a second to move out of the way. She created walls in every direction, making herself little paths to move through, dodging the horse as it approached. It was quick, but couldn’t turn quickly enough, and the walls slowed it enough for her to escape.

All while Fiona was tackling the horse, Chuck was making his way towards Tommy. He almost fell several times, but he made it over to the boy. He was in a complete trance and completely still, apart from shallow breaths. Chuck knelt next to him and became aware that he wouldn’t be able to carry Tommy to the street. He would probably just fall over straight away. The world around him was still quiet, but there was a muffled noise coming through. He noticed Fiona fighting the horse, diving through ice passageways, and moving as quickly as possible. He could tell that she was struggling and didn’t know what to do. This was his fault, he knew that. She wouldn’t just leave him to die, which is the only way she could save herself. Chuck looked down at Tommy and in that moment, he hated him, he hated the damage and death he’d caused.

“Wake up!” he shouted louder than ever before. Louder than he thought even possible.

The boy’s eyes shot open. 

To Be Continued…

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Evangelion: 2.22 You Can (Not) Advance – Film Review

Posted on April 20, 2023 by ashleymanningwriter

Directors: Hideaki Anno, Masayuki, Kazuya Tsurumaki

Wrister: Hideaki Anno

Starring (English Dub – Dubbing Brothers): Spike Spencer, Allison Keith, John Swasey, Amanda Winn-Lee, Mary Faber

Rating: ★★★★

Released in 2009, Evangelion: 2.22 You Can (Not) Advance is the second part of the Rebuild of Evangelion film series. While the first film pretty much sticks to story of the original TV series, with a few deviations, the second film has some much bigger changes and is a lot better for it. It improves on the first film in every way, with better pacing, action, and character development.

From the opening scene you know this is going to be something special. It starts with an incredibly cinematic fight between a new pilot, Mari in Eva Unit 05 taking on the Third Angel. Mari is a completely new addition to the series, and solidifies that this is going to be something different to what we’ve seen before. There are scenes throughout that fans of the anime series will recognise, but they’re presented in different ways, and sometimes diverts from the original story completely. The ending also sets up a completely different story for the third film.

The animation is mostly brilliant throughout the film, especially in the fight sequences. It’s stunning to watch. Then there’s also some CGI animation that looks quite bad and stands out quite a bit. That’s easy to forget though as the story is so strong. There’s so much happening in every scene that when the end credits start, you want to go back to the beginning to watch again as there’s definitely stuff you’ve missed. It’s rammed with plot, action, characters.

The best thing about the film is the character development, which is absolutely brilliant. Shinji and Rei’s changing relationship is one of the highlights of the film. It’s incredibly well done. Likewise, Asuka being introduced in this entry is great. She’s quite different from the version of her character in the TV series, and a stronger character because of it.

You Can (Not) Advance is essential viewing for any Evangelion fan. The first film for the most part was re-treading ground, but this is completely new and brilliant from start to finish.

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After Parting – Part Two

Posted on April 19, 2023 by ashleymanningwriter

The next few days were painful. There were visits to the doctors, a parade of visits from friends and family, and phone calls from people Sally hadn’t thought about in years. Each day she could feel that her ribs were healing, but none of that mattered. Chris was gone, and it was only just starting to sink in. Each night when she went to bed, she was sure he was sitting in the room with her, sitting on the armchair in the corner and watching over her. A couple of times she was sure that she’d seen him in the mirror, but when she turned around the seat was empty.

On the third day she went for a walk by herself, around the nearby streets. It wasn’t a long walk, as her body started to ache, but she saw him at every turn, in the face of almost everyone she walked by.

“I keep seeing him everywhere,” she told Laila while they ate sandwiches in the conservatory. “It’s like he’s there watching over me.”

“That’s exactly what he would do. He wouldn’t want you to be in pain, you know that.”

“I know, but I just feel like he’s still here with me. I’m not a spiritual person, but I don’t think I’m crazy.”

“Of course, you’re not crazy. He would be here if he could, and you’ve been through a lot.”

“His mum called me this morning, to see how I was. She sounds heartbroken on the phone. The funeral is next Tuesday. She’s going to pick me up from here and then you can follow behind.”

“Okay.”

“She told me to be strong, but I don’t think I can be. I can’t stop crying whenever I’m alone. I don’t think I can face the funeral at all. I don’t want to.”

“Oh baby, I’m so sorry. It’ll be okay. We’re all going to be here for you, don’t worry. I’ll be right next to you and if you need to leave, we can leave at any point, but you have to go.”

“I know I do, but I don’t think I can.”

Sally’s head was dropped into her hands, and she was sobbing freely. It was the first time she’d cried in front of someone else. Laila got up and sat next to her, putting an arm around her and holding her tightly. Sally wanted to shrug her friend off, and just be left alone, but she didn’t.

“It’s not real,” she said over and over into her palms. “It can’t be real.”

***

On Friday morning, the week before the funeral, Sally started to pack up her bag in her room. She hadn’t told anyone yet, but it was time for her to go home and face reality. As much as she didn’t want to believe that Chris was gone, it was starting to sink in and being around other people wasn’t what she wanted. As she was zipping up her bag the phone started to buzz.

It was her boss, telling her that she knew what had happened and was very sorry. It almost felt like a routine by then, saying the same things over and over and not really listening. The call went exactly as Sally thought it would. As much time off as she needed, no need to rush, someone is covering all her cases, they’re all thinking off her, they’ll be there at the funeral, if she needs anything she knows where to ask. Sally replied to it all as usual, but by the time she’d hung up the phone she couldn’t remember saying a word and she didn’t care whether she had or not.

“I’m going to go home,” Sally said over breakfast.

Before speaking, she’d been playing around with the beans and sausages that were on her plate, not taking a single bite. The idea of eating anything had made her feel physically sick. The sauce that the beans were sitting in was cold and congealed. Each day she’d eaten less and less. The only thing she’d touched was the glass of water, to try and deal with a sore throat that was getting worse. 

“Are you sure?” Laila said.

“Yes, I want to go home before the funeral.”

Laila stopped eating completely, and the room turned quiet. Sally instantly missed the sound of scraping cutlery.

“I hope you don’t think you’re not welcome here, you’re welcome to stay as long as you’d like.”

“I know and I’m grateful, but I think it’s time for me to go home. I’m physical better, but I need time to deal with everything. There are so many things I have to do. Paperwork I have to complete. There’s bank accounts that need to be closed. I need to tell his employer. It’s a lot and I have to start it sooner rather than later.”

“I can help with that.”

“No. I want to do it. I think it’s important that I do it.”

“Okay, at least let Satish drive you back. You’ll do that, won’t you?”

“Yes of course,” her husband replied.

Satish has been starring at his phone, slowly draining his cup of coffee, but he was very aware of what Sally was saying.

“Whenever you’re ready,” he said. “Just let me know.”

“Thank you. I appreciate it.”

“If you need anything, anything at all. Please just let me know,” Laila added.

“I will do. Thank you both for everything.”

To be continued…

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Godzilla (1954) – Film Review

Posted on April 18, 2023 by ashleymanningwriter

Director: Ishirō Honda

Writers: Ishirō Honda and Takeo Murata

Starring: Akira Takarada, Momoko Kōchi, Akihiko Hirata, Takashi Shimura

Rating: ★★★★★

The original 1954 Godzilla is an almost perfect film. From the first frame to the last it’s completely captivating and engrossing. Directed by Ishirō Honda, who also co-wrote the script with Takeo Murata, the film plays on the fears of nuclear weapons, less than a decade after the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It’s a film of man vs nature, as the weapons that science have allowed to create, bring forward a creature that could potentially destroy all human life. 

While the franchise would go onto to show silly and fun fights between monsters, that are essentially just men in rubber suits, with the first film everything is taken completely seriously. Some of the effects may be dated and come across a little goofy now, especially Godzilla’s first appearance, but it’s presented completely earnestly. It’s not an over-the-top action blockbuster like so many of the films that would come later. It’s a slow-burn story that’s filled with drama and a growing overwhelming sense of dread that Godzilla cannot be stopped. For every scene showing Godzilla causing destruction, there’s other scenes showing the fallout from the destruction. A mother holding her children, saying they shouldn’t be scared as they will be with their father soon, houses and buildings laid to waste, and people dying as Godzilla continues its rampage.

At the same time there’s not a single moment where Godzilla is shown to be the enemy or a true monster. It’s brought out of its natural habitat by the atomic bomb tests, and once it’s on land it causes destruction by its size more than its intent. It’s only when the humans start to attack that it retaliates and causes more destruction. There’s a lot of focus on the morality of using a weapon that could kill Godzilla, and what the implications of showing the world that something with that power could exist. That weapon is the Oxygen Destroyer, which was created by Dr. Serizawa (Akihiko Hirata) as he was studying oxygen from every angle. Even with the destruction that Godzilla has caused Tokyo, Serizawa doesn’t want to use his creation, out of fear that it would be used again in the future against humans.

Godzilla is a symbol of the destruction from nuclear weapons. The film was released only nine years after nuclear weapons were first used in World War Two. The film was made shortly after the censorship imposed by the American occupation had been lifted in 1952. The film is also inspired by what happened to the Daigo Fukuryū Maru, a tuna fishing boat that was contaminated by nuclear fallout during an American weapons test at Bikini Atoll. The opening scenes mirror the real-life events.

The now iconic score from Akira Ifukube is what introduces you to the film. It’s brilliantly menacing, foreboding, and captivating. The effects, while definitely dated now, are impressive for the time. There’s a real sense of the scale of Godzilla, as it towers above the city it’s destroying. There’s lots of camera tricks and brilliant miniatures used, and it really set the standard for the genre. 

The build up to Godzilla’s eventual attack is filled with dread and the sense that humanity is fragile and easily destroyed. We’re playing God by creating weapons that will eventually lead to our own destruction. There’s a scene where a group of reporters are watching Godzilla get closer and closer, and they just continue reporting, knowing there’s nothing they can do to survive. Likewise at the end of the film when the Oxygen Destroyer is inevitably used, there’s dread that this isn’t the end, that weapons testing will lead to other creatures like Godzilla to come to the surface and cause more destruction. The celebrations are short-lived and the film ends with a reflection on everything that has happened (both inside the story of the film and the recent events in history), and meditating on what could be coming. It’s a film that leaves you feeling horrified by what you’ve watched, where there isn’t a clear-cut hero or villain, and instead there’s just existential dread at the destruction that man is capable of. The nuclear bombings were still fresh memories when the film was made, and that memory echoes through the film, even watching it this many years later. The images of Tokyo burning to the ground is still harrowing to watch.

For fifty years after the initial release, Godzilla was not officially released outside of Japan. Instead, a highly altered American version, Godzilla: King of the Monsters! Was released in 1956. The American version features Raymond Burr as reporter Steve Martin, who was in Tokyo by chance when Godzilla attacks. It uses footage from the original film narrated by Burr, as well as some additional scenes to give everything context. It’s a really cool idea and for the most part works surprisingly well, but it also notably cuts out a lot of the references to nuclear weapons testing, which means one of the main themes of the original is almost completely missing.

Godzilla is an all-out classic monster film. It started the beloved franchise, that is still going strong almost seventy years later, and truly deserves the title King of the Monsters. It’s one of those rare films that the second it’s over you want to go back to the beginning and watch it again to pick up new details. 

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After Parting – Part One

Posted on April 17, 2023 by ashleymanningwriter

By the time Laila asked her, Sally was already sick of the question, but she did appreciate that it wasn’t the first thing she asked. Ever since the accident it had been one of the first things anyone had said.

“What do you remember about it?” Laila asked, while nibbling on a little cracker with cheese.

“I don’t remember anything, really,” Sally’s stock answer.

It wasn’t true though. She did remember bits. The sound of metal scraping and grinding. That instant shock when she turned and saw the oncoming car, thinking that she even made eye contact with the other driver as she did. Being thrown about and panicking. Not being able to breath. The noise of sirens. People screaming and trying to speak to her. Then darkness for a little while, before the sterile lights of the hospital room that was her home for the following two weeks.

After that is when they told her that Christopher died in the car crash of a head injury, and it felt to Sally like she’d been hit by a second car. Her chest was tight. She couldn’t breathe. The room spun around her. None of the faces were recognisable. Again, blackness arrived.

“I think that’s probably a good thing,” Laila said after finishing the cracker. “I don’t think it’s something I would want to remember.”

Sally didn’t reply. Instead, she shakily picked up a glass of water and brought it to her mouth. There was still pain in her side when she lifted things, but no one else needed to know that. At least it didn’t hurt to drink anymore.

“Laila, I don’t think Sally wants to talk about that,” Satish said.

“Sorry, you’re right.”

“It’s alright,” Sally said. “I don’t mind.”

Laila had been kind enough to let Sally stay with her and Satish in their house. It was closer to Sally’s own home while she got better. When the doctor had told her that she would be able to go home soon, Sally burst into tears. She couldn’t face going back to a home filled with memories of Christopher and not have him there. It was suggested that she went to stay with her parents, but that idea didn’t sound much better. She could already imagine laying in bed, in the room that was once hers and just staying there for weeks, her mum doting on her. Staying with Laila made more sense to her, and that’s what was decided. They’d been friends since their first days at school and had been near-on inseparable since.

“No, I shouldn’t have asked. I’m just curious, you know?”

“I get it. Don’t worry about it. Everyone else has asked. It was pretty much the first thing Dave said when he saw me in the hospital. Not even, how are you feeling or he’s sorry to hear about what happened. Just straight into, what happened.”

“He watches too many American shows,” Satish said. “He was talking about suing the other driver.”

“I can’t imagine going through that,” Sally said. “It was an accident, and they were hurt too. It wouldn’t do any good.”

Even though some of it was a blur, the story was all captured from cameras and witnesses. They’d been driving along on the dual carriage way when it was pretty busy. The other driver came down the slip road coming onto the road, and they didn’t realise it merged into the lane so soon. They were picking up speed and collided straight into the side of Sally’s car, and it spun out of control, moving across the lanes and into a barrier at speed. Chris smacked his head off the side of the car and as it was gridlocked it took too long for the emergency vehicles to get to them, so he died on route to the hospital.

“I get that,” Satish said. “I’m going to go and clean up the kitchen.”

Satish collected the plates in the room and left to the kitchen, so it was just Sally and Laila together for the first time since Sally had been in the house.

“Thank you so much for letting me stay,” Sally said. “I couldn’t face going back to the house, not so soon.”

“That’s fine. Don’t mention it.”

“Is Satish okay with it? I mean I get it if he isn’t. I don’t want to be an inconvenience to either of you.”

“Don’t worry about him, he’s fine. Honestly, we’re happy you’re here.”

“Happy?” Sally said with a smirk.

“No, that’s not the right word. I’m sorry. I don’t mean that we’re happy. I mean that we’re happy to have you. No, I mean that it’s not bother that you’re here. Not that you’re ever a bother.”

“It’s okay.”

Sally smiled, half-heartedly. The idea of people walking on eggshells around her for the foreseeable future was not a nice thought.

“Thank you. Sorry, I know I’m being weird, and you probably don’t want that. I’ll be normal. Promise.”

“Thank you.”

“I do want to know something though, as the funeral is coming up. Have you spoken to Chris’s parents at all?”

“A little. They’re organising it all. I think that was meant to be kind. I think she blames me for what happened.”

“What? That’s not right.”

“She hasn’t said anything, I just get that impression from her. I think it’s just grief.”

“I’m so sorry.”

Sally didn’t reply. She just took another sip of the water and noticed how quiet Laila’s house was. There was a tickle at the back of her throat that the water didn’t quite reach. There was always noise at the hospital, so just being quiet was different.

“I think I’m going to go and lie down, if that’s okay?”

“Yes of course. Do you need any help? Sorry. I know you’ll be fine on your own. If you need anything, just give me a shout, please.”

Sally smiled at her friend, hoping that the worry in her eyes would disappear over the next few days. Maybe it was a mistake to come here, she thought. Maybe going home was the better option just to get on with everything.

The bedroom had a slight chill to the air and the quiet from downstairs was magnified. As sally closed the door, she could hear Laila and Satish talking downstairs in hushed voices, but couldn’t distinguish and words, that were almost definitely about her. On an armchair in the corner was a bag with some clothes in, which acted as a reminder that someone else had Chris’s key to their house now. On the bed was a fresh set of pyjamas, again taken from her house, and Sally started to change into them, spotting the bruises around her side. The pain had started to subside a little compared to the first few days, but she didn’t feel normal. There was also a nasty bruise on her face, near her eye where she’d smacked her head into the steering wheel. It looked better than it did. She wondered what Christopher looked like, or where he even was. Every day since the crash had been a daze of information, sleeping, drowsiness. She was lucky to have escaped with so few injuries, but it didn’t feel lucky.

After changing into the pyjamas, Sally moved to the bed and laid down on her back, despite wanting to curl into a ball, and started to cry. It was the first time that she’d been truly alone since the accident and the tears came quickly and easy. She cried until sleep took hold.

To be continued…

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