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laurasimonsdaughter · 16 days

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What if Disney adapted the Tale of the Bamboo Cutter?

I am only vaguely familiar with the context of this story, but I don't think I would give it to Disney. While I'm inclined to say that it would be better adapted into Japanese animation, for Disney vibes without involving Disney, I would latch onto the moon celestial aspect and ask the team from Over The Moon to do it. But beg them to pretty please make it all in their 2D storybook style:

This story is a true tragedy, at least from a mortal perspective, and I think these dreamy, romantic visuals would suit it:

A bamboo-cutter discovers a tiny baby inside a shining stalk of bamboo and he and his wife take her in as their own child.

From that moment on he finds gold inside every stalk he cuts has a nugget of gold inside it.

The baby, Kaguya-hime, grows into a young woman in just three months and is so beautiful that even though her parents try to hide her, men start to come from all over to court her.

Five noblemen are put through impossible trials which they all fail to try and win her hand.

The emperor of Japan falls in love with her, but she won't even have him for a husband, even though she keeps writing with him.

Three years pass and in the summer the mysterious maiden begins crying whenever she sees the moon. At last she reveals she is not of the earth but belongs on the moon and will be taken back there, to parents she has by now forgotten.

Her foster parents try to hide her, the emperor even sends guards to keep away the envoys of the moon who come to fetch her, but of course to no avail.

A chariot comes down for her with the rising of the yellow harvest moon. A messenger tells the bamboo-cutter that Princess Moonlight was sent to earth as punishment for committing a grave fault and that they have sent him the gold in return for the good care she received.

He begs for them not to take him and Kaguya-hime tells him she goes against her will and would rather have stayed with her loving foster parents in their old age, but she must go.

Her foster father is not allowed to go with her. She gives him her embroidered robe as a keepsake. When she is given Elixir of Life to drink she even tries to share it with him, but she is prevented.

Finally she writes a letter to the emperor, encloses the rest of the Elixir of Life and gives this to her foster father, asking him to deliver it. Then she ascends into the sky in the moon chariot.

The emperor has her gift bunt at the summit of Mount Fuji so that the smoke can be seen rising from there to this day.

I think a faithful adaptation should keep it a tragedy, but perhaps there could be just a little bittersweet mixed in with the sorrow for the poor parents. Maybe they can hear their daughter singing to them when they look up to the moon. Or perhaps the ending could be made a little less formal and the princess's celestial parents can come down themselves to get her back and to thank her mortal foster parents for all they have done for her. If I were adapting this I would downplay the part of the emperor a bit and really put the focus on the relationship between the moon princess and both her foster parents.

#The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter #laura babbles #disney goggles #japanese fairy tales #I am aware that Over the Moon was inspired by Chinese folklore #but the “lady pulled away to the moon motif” is strong

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aikasacolle · 6 years

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Origins of Mizuchi - Creator’s Inspiration

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/134638137/mizuchi-visual-novel

Hello, Roxie here. The team is extremely pleased the alpha demo was released and overall well received by players. However, there is some confusion about the game’s setting that needs to be addressed from first impressions. It was somewhat explained on my very first post discussing character designs. Which you can find here: Mizuchi 白蛇心傳 Character Designs

If you would like to know “why” I made the decisions as I did, read on. I will bring up some backstory as to why Mizuchi was created as well. There’s also some spoilers if you haven’t played the demo.

Demo Here: https://aikasacolle.itch.io/mizuchi

You have been warned. Now please bear with me in the below ramble.

Aikasa Collective is a team with a majority of us being of Asian descent. I’ll mention those that make up the general character design and setting. I am Vietnamese-American, Moonsta (Artist) is Taiwanese, and NatalieAO (Colorist) is from Hong Kong. We were all familiar with the Legend of the White Snake 白蛇傳 in our own way as it is that famous.

Character Design Set-Up

I hand over the character profile and country to Moon, advising her to do her own interpretation of the traditional design since it’s a “fantasy”. She did her own research and after a few drafts we settled on the lineart only. Natalie was found after the first artist could no longer commit. I gave her the same profile, and gave her free reign with colors and patterns. She gave multiple color combinations, some internal voting and voila, the characters were completed. I believe some of the designs are wonderful derivatives, but they are only tributes to their traditional outfit.

I will need to sidetrack a little bit now.

Why was Mizuchi 白蛇心傳 made?

As an avid yuri fan and a bi/pan woman, I really wanted to tell a yuri focused story. I wanted a “pretty” visual novel that had a gritty vibe in order to challenge myself writing things that made me uncomfortable. The story of the White Snake left a memorable impression on me when I was less than 10 years old. I remember going to a friend’s house, watching bits of it in Vietnamese dub (oh yes childhood). It was such a tragic story it affected me still as the image is seared in my memory. Reading up on it, I realized there has been many variations of the legend, but none with a yuri version ;D (that I’m aware of...). I’ve avoided watching any recent iterations of the legend to avoid being influenced as I’m encroaching on much different themes.

So... is there any resemblance to the original tale in Mizuchi?

There is a main character that helps the “snake woman,” they fall in love, and the monk character plays a role. The monk’s role has changed through iterations as well, evil jealous villain to man who must save the MC’s soul. In my case I wanted to make a very kind and responsible nun. Jinhai was influenced by the Buddhist nuns who lived in my bedroom once I left to college. (Long story). I’m sure my “former nun now traveler” being a love interest was a very atypical choice. Is the game religious? Not at all. I love folklores, and I wanted to combine them also within this story :D I’ll give you a rough idea.

1) Legend of White Snake (Viet dubs, yep...)

2) Secret - Small Asian Tale (Dad taught me this one first, Puns)

3) Secret - Not really a tale (But I’ll use them...)

4) Beauty and the Beast (Subconscious I swear)

Where is Mizuchi taking place?

“Ancient Asia fantasy land”. Linh is from the “south”, Jinhai from the “north”, and Ai from ... (you play you learn).

But the house looks Japanese!

Yes, I really think Japanese homes would be a culture shock to someone like Linh, it’s intentional. Tatami mats for example is not common in areas that have a high humidity levels. It’s much harder to maintain.

So where are they exactly?

You will find out in the main game. There is a (silly) explanation as to the house itself.

Why did you pick Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese stuff in your game?

Vietnamese - It’s what I wanted to see, but I’m still American so I’m sure I didn’t capture anything right. Even the dress isn’t quite right... on purpose of course. After all, I wore it for every Tết growing up. I played off the timelines a little bit just to make things stand out more, or a bit of symbolism as one may see later.

Chinese - I married into a chinese culture and learned the language. I even studied abroad too.

Japanese - This particular culture also has a large role with my in-laws, and I learned this language first during college. Languages play a role in this game.

No country is ever named in the story. I didn’t want to misrepresent any culture, so I thought providing deliberate differences from the source, it would be a more respectable gesture. I’ve also merged material from other cultures around the world within this story. Why? Well... I think it’s worth noting that some things (such as being stoned to death) still happens in real life somewhere, and that is a real type of fear that some people face. Visual novels have the ability to give you an opportunity to see things from someone else’s perspective. If you gain some level of empathy, worry, or understanding of what Linh and others may have gone through, that would be my greatest accomplishment with this game.

Tell me about the game title. (Spoiler-ish below)

We considered before having the game made in multiple languages, including Japanese and Chinese. Skilled translators are VERY expensive. Roughly it’s 10 cents per word: 5 cents for translating, and 5 cents for making it sound good in that language. If I hit the wordcount I was hoping for, it would cost more than the entire game budget for just one language! (This is why bigger companies can afford this for their games). It’s also a lot of work to put it all together... so we decided against it at this time. We also originally wanted to translate the Chinese title 白蛇心傳, which is roughly “The White Snake Love Story.” But “snakes” carry a mixed meaning/stigma across different cultures. It’s also pretty long for a title. So a short Japanese name felt like a better fit considering what we wanted at the time, and it stuck. It worked for Inuyasha and Naruto haha.

You have Japanese text in the demo, why?

It plays a small role. We wanted English-reading players to be as confused as Linh was. If you do manage to understand the Japanese, it will only add to the mystery (not much is lost). Don’t worry, everyone will understand it one way or the other in the full story :D If the game was ever in Japanese, the text would have been in Chinese instead. It was suppose to be interchangeable either way.

I believe that is all I have left to share. Sorry again for the rambling! I hope you found some of it interesting at least... some details will be found in the full game and artbook commentary.

We are still running a Kickstarter campaign for Mizuchi to be made :D As you can tell, I put a “lot” of thought into everything about the game. I am confident with what I want to accomplish with the story, and have been fortunate to have very reliable and consistent teammates! I really want to share a lot of neat things with you, so I’d love your help and support for the game!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/134638137/mizuchi-visual-novel

See you again!

- Roxie

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cover2covermom · 7 years

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Hello bookworms!

Today I’m back with another set of reviews for my Kids’ Corner feature of my blog. I’m excited to share a few thoughts about 3 AMAZING diverse middle grade books.

*Books included in this post: Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai, Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson, & The Crystal Ribbon by Celeste Lim

*Book titles link to Goodreads & author names link to their websites

» Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai

For all the ten years of her life, Hà has only known Saigon: the thrills of its markets, the joy of its traditions, and the warmth of her friends close by. But now the Vietnam War has reached her home. Hà and her family are forced to flee as Saigon falls, and they board a ship headed toward hope. In America, Hà discovers the foreign world of Alabama: the coldness of its strangers, the dullness of its food . . . and the strength of her very own family.

Why it’s #DiverseKidLit: Vietnamese characters; Vietnamese-American author (immigrant); Immigration experience; #OwnVoices

Inside Out & Back again is told in verse, which is not only a beautiful way to tell this story, but makes for a fast paced read. I devoured this entire book during a short flight. I am in awe how Lai is able to evoke such strong emotion in so few words…

Inside Out & Back Again tells the story of 10-year-old Há who flees (along with her family) the war torn country of Vietnam during the fall of Saigon in 1975. Books that portray refugee/immigrant experiences are so important, especially in today’s society. These types of books give us insight into experiences that most people have never had to endure. It makes it feel more real to those of us who have been fortune enough not to have had to flee their homes due to war. Can you imagine leaving your home and relocating in a country a world away that has an entirely different culture and language? Lai really shows us what it’s like to be a child refugee, and the range of emotions that a child feels in a strange new country: confusion, fear, anger, frustration…

Oh, my daughter, at times you have to fight, but preferably not with your fists.

As I mentioned above, this is an #OwnVoices book. Thanhha Lai explains in the author’s note that she too was forced to flee her home country and seek refuge in the United States (Alabama) during the end of the Vietnam War. Many aspects of this book were inspired by her own experiences. This book would be perfect to use in a classroom setting, especially in a social studies segment to look at the effects of immigration on refugees. Like I mentioned, these books are so important, but not only for children… I wish more ADULTS would pick up books like this and develop some compassion and empathy.

Whoever invented English should have learned to spell.

*4.5 Stars

» Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

Jacqueline Woodson, one of today’s finest writers, tells the moving story of her childhood in mesmerizing verse.

Raised in South Carolina and New York, Woodson always felt halfway home in each place. In vivid poems, she shares what it was like to grow up as an African American in the 1960s and 1970s, living with the remnants of Jim Crow and her growing awareness of the Civil Rights movement. Touching and powerful, each poem is both accessible and emotionally charged, each line a glimpse into a child’s soul as she searches for her place in the world. Woodson’s eloquent poetry also reflects the joy of finding her voice through writing stories, despite the fact that she struggled with reading as a child. Her love of stories inspired her and stayed with her, creating the first sparks of the gifted writer she was to become.

Why it’s #DiverseKidLit: POC characters; POC author; #OwnVoices

Set during the Civil Rights Movement, Brown Girl Dreaming is a memoir about Jacqueline Woodson’s childhood growing up both in the South (South Carolina) AND the North (New York) simultaneously. Told beautifully in poetic verse, Jacqueline talks about what it was like growing up during this era in two different states where the race relations were very different. I found it absolutely fascinating seeing this period of history through the eyes of a child.

I am born as the South explodes,

too many people too many years

enslaved, then emancipated

but not free, the people

who look like me

keep fighting

and marching

and getting killed

so that today –

February 12, 1963

and every day from this moment on,

brown children like me can grow up

free. Can grow up

learning and voting and walking and riding

wherever we want.

Woodson sprinkles historical context throughout Brown Girl Dreaming, but it is predominately about her personal experiences. She covers things like family dynamics, race relations, religion, school struggles, and so much more. I would have to say that the biggest theme in this book would have to be family. Her family is in every fiber of this book, helping her to become the woman she is today. She even includes some family pictures at the end of the novel, which was a nice touch to see the people who were so influential in her life.

This is the way brown people have to fight,

my grandfather says.

You can’t just put your fist up. You have to insist

on something

gently. Walk toward a thing

slowly.

But be ready to die.

my grandfather says,

for what is right.

Be ready to die, my grandfather says,

for everything you believe in.

Brown Girl Dreaming is also very much a coming of age story. Woodson shares with us her journey into self discovery & finding her place in the world. Surprisingly enough, there were even points in the book where I found myself relating to Jacqueline’s experiences. Personally, I was very much able to relate to the fact that Jacqueline always felt like she was living in her older sister’s shadow. I too have an older sibling who was very gifted and the model student. Unfortunately things did not come as easy to me as they did to him. I had to work twice as hard to accomplish the things that came naturally to him. I love that Woodson shares about her struggles in school because I think many children will be able to relate. It also shows those same children that you can overcome your struggles & reach your dreams despite them.

Even though so many people think my sister and I

are twins,

I am the other Woodson, following behind her each year

into the same classroom she had the year before…

…You look so much like her and she is SO brilliant!

then wait for my brilliance to light up

the classroom. Wait for my arm to fly into

the air with ever answer. Wait for my pencil

to move quickly through the too-easy math problems

on the mimeographed sheet. Wait for me to stand

before class, easily reading words even high school

students stumble over. And they keep waiting.

And waiting

and waiting

The writing. Wow. I don’t know how she does it, but Jacqueline has the ability to make the most ordinary childhood occurrences come alive on the page with her beautiful prose. It really amazes me how Woodson is able to write something so powerful & poignant in so few words. This book was absolutely mesmerizing.

At night, every living thing competes

for a change to be heard.

The crickets

and frogs call out.

Sometimes, there’s the soft

who-whoo of an owl lost

amid the pines.

Even the dogs won’t rest until

they’ve howled

at the moon.

Brown Girl Dreaming is a book that can be enjoyed by adults & children alike. It can absolutely be utilized in a classroom setting in many ways, but would be most beneficial in a unit on poetry or a unit on the Civil Rights Movement.

*4.5 Stars

» The Crystal Ribbon by Celeste Lim

In the village of Huanan, in medieval China, the deity that rules is the Great Huli Jing. Though twelve-year-old Li Jing’s name is a different character entirely from the Huli Jing, the sound is close enough to provide constant teasing-but maybe is also a source of greater destiny and power. Jing’s life isn’t easy. Her father is a poor tea farmer, and her family has come to the conclusion that in order for everyone to survive, Jing must be sacrificed for the common good. She is sold as a bride to the Koh family, where she will be the wife and nursemaid to their three-year-old son, Ju’nan. It’s not fair, and Jing feels this bitterly, especially when she is treated poorly by the Koh’s, and sold yet again into a worse situation that leads Jing to believe her only option is to run away, and find home again. With the help of a spider who weaves Jing a means to escape, and a nightingale who helps her find her way, Jing embarks on a quest back to Huanan–and to herself.

Why it’s #DiverseKidLit: Set in China; Chinese characters; Chinese author; #OwnVoices

Set in medieval China, The Crystal Ribbon is the story of Jing, a 12 year old girl who is sold into an arranged marriage into the Koh family to be the wife and nursemaid to a 3-year-old little boy. Life with the Koh’s is not a happy existence, but things get even worse when the Koh’s sell Jing into an even worse situation in order to pay off some debts… Jing decides she must escape and find her way back to her family and the home she grew up in.

This book is a “Odyssey story” where the character is on a journey home, but keeps running into challenges that the character must overcome to reach their destination. Even though Jing’s story is bleak at parts, there is always a underlying feeling of hope throughout. Jing is such a wonderful character. She’s strong, brave, resourceful, and kind…. most of all she is tenacious. She does not just sit back and accept the hand that she has been dealt, but rather she knows she must be the one to change her fate. You will find yourself rooting for Jing every step of the way.

I adored the medieval China setting woven together with the fantasy elements drawn from Chinese folklore. The historical-fantasy fusion here just worked so well! If you are at all interested in Chinese culture and/or folklore, this book is going to be right up your alley. Actually, I think this is a must read for fans of Grace Lin. Do you really need any more incentive to give this one a go?

Strength of character is never with those who blindly follow. You need to be able to make your own choices and walk your own path

I cannot believe this is a debut novel. Not only is it beautifully written, but the plot is also well executed… Typically I see one or the other with debut novels, but Lim seems to achieve both right out of the gate. I cannot wait to see what this author will put out next. It breaks my heart that this book has not received the attention it deserves, as it is definitely one of my favorite reads of 2017. I assume this has to do with the fact that this is a debut author, therefore she is not well known yet. If you give this book a go, I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

Due to some of the content, I feel this book may be a little mature for younger middle grade readers… Personally, I feel The Crystal Ribbon is more appropriate for an older MG to YA audience.

Have you read any of these books? If so, what did you think?

Do you have any diverse middle grade book recommendations?

Comment below and let me know 🙂

I review #middlegrade #books on the blog today! #KidLit #DiverseKidLit #BookBlogger Hello bookworms! Today I'm back with another set of reviews for my Kids' Corner feature of my blog.

#Bibliophile #book blog #book blogger #Book Dragon #Book Nerd #Book Review #Book Worm #Bookish #Books #Bookworm #Children&039;s Books #Diverse Books #Fantasy #Historical Fiction #Kid Lit #Memior #Reading

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