Catalyst Castle

I recently discovered a manga published online by a friend of mine (Arcadia is her pen name). The manga's title is Mascara, and it has to be one of the most original manga I've read in a while. The manga's webpage sums up the premise nicely when it says:

As the smartest boy in school and a prodigy, everyone expects Ian to be a high achiever - a future Nobel Prize winning genius. But he doesn't want to be the next Einstein. He just wants to be a makeup artist.

The story is very well writen and filled with great comedy and drama. It centers around the main character Ian, who is living a double life. At school, and pretty much everywhere else, he is a nerdy bookworm. But secretly, he works a part time job as a makeup artist at the mall. In order to accomplish this, he developes a flashy, stylish, sauve, and confident alterego named "Dimitri". The thing is, "Dimitri" is actually more of the person Ian really is underneath his nerdy facade, and he's worried that his neighbor Addison will figure out his secret. See, Ian has had a huge crush on Addison for a while now, but Addison hates makeup, vanity, and "pretty boys". The story really does a great job of building the tension in this situation and keeps you clicking "next page" over and over.

While the art in the beginning of the manga is rather amateur, the story is well writen throughout. The heart of this manga is the characters. All of them are very well developed and believable in their motivations and reactions. Ian's insecurities and attitudes are realistic and make him a very relatable character.

If you like manga or highschool dramedy, check out Mascara.  b(^_^)d
(Start at the first page by clicking the link in the top-left corner.)

I have an odd habit of making comparisons between Star Wars and real life, especially to our worship of Jehovah. The reason for this is that Star Wars is an epic story of Good versus Evil, which reflects in many ways the true life conflict between Jehovah and Satan.

So, today I was thinking about Luke Skywalker and Han Solo in Episode IV and I was pondering, which one of them am I more like in my service to Jehovah.

When it came time for the Rebels to attack the Death Star at the climax of that movie, Han was ready to hightail it out of there. He recognized that this mission was practically suicide. He had been paid for his earlier heroics, and he had no desire to stick around and get killed. Luke, on the other hand, knew just as well as Han that this mission could likely kill him, and he wasn’t getting paid for it, but he still signed on without hesitation. He felt a moral compulsion to stand up for what was right and fight on the side of Good. He knew he might very well die if he took this mission, but he also knew he couldn’t live with himself if he walked away.

So, as Christians, are we more like Han or Luke? Do we serve Jehovah when the blessings are immediate and obvious, but run for the hills when faced with a real test? Or do we stick to Jehovah come-what-may, because we know that we couldn’t live with ourselves if we stopped serving Jehovah? Hopefully, all of us our more like Luke. However, the reassuring thing is that, in the end, Han came around and pulled through when Luke needed him the most. We can always adjust our attitude where needed as long as we see the need for that adjustment before the Death Star fires its super weapon.

Just as a creative diversion, I decided to try casting the main characters of my fan novel Star Wars: Aspirations. I'm still uncertain if these are the actors and actresses I would actually choose in the hypothetical situation that my story should be made into a movie, but these are the ones I'm leaning towards right now.

Emma Watson as Rani Dashel
Honestly, I've never seen her in anything, so I can't really judge her acting abilities. She has kind of the look I'd imagine for the character, though, and she's a good age for the part. With a few adjustments in makeup I think she could easily portray the very young Rani in the beginning of the story and the more adult Rani later on.

Chris Pine as Wess Nayne
In Star Trek he played James Kirk as an intelligent man with surprising depth of character. It's kind of funny, but one of the things I was looking for here was an actor who could look good with a scowl. I don't really picture Wess smiling much. Chris looks a tad young for Wess, but he's actually about the right age for the character. With a little bit of stubble I think it could work.

Kate Beckinsale as Kalina Sah
She's played tough, butt-kicking characters before. I think she would be totally cool as the strong-willed Jedi Master.

Milo Ventimiglia as Marcus Jrent
His character on Heroes is incredibly kind and sincere - not what you'd expect for Marcus. But Milo is a good actor and I think he could definitely turn on the charm to play this dashing scoundrel. Besides, there is a bit more sincerity to Marcus than it might at first seem.

Cate Blanchett as Deela Tarule
This role requires a more mature actress with beauty and class. Having played royalty on more than one occasion is indicative of the amount of class she has.

Robert Duvall as Riv'var Tal
I picture Riv being completely computer generated in a live-action movie, in order to do the alien justice. So, I was mainly looking for someone to provide his voice. It needs to be an older man with a sort of gruff voice, but he needs to have a tough, grandfatherly feel as well. The voice would then probably be slightly digitally enhanced to add even a little bit more of a growl to it. Duvall can certainly play an eccentric character, too, which further qualifies him for the role.

Corry Edwards as Tefo
Like Riv'var Tal, Tefo would probably be either completely computer generated, or perhaps a midget in a suit. Either way, I was simply looking for someone to provide a voice. Corry Edwards did the voice of Twitchy in Hoodwinked. I think if you toned down the speed and pitch of that character's voice by about half, that's roughly what I imagine Tefo would sound like.

Hugo Weaving as The Imperial Inquisitor
He doesn't show up until about two thirds of the way through the story, and even as far as Chapter 18 he hasn't been named, but aside from the characters' inner demons, the Imperial Inquisitor is the major villian of Aspirations. He embodies everything that Rani and Wess seek to oppose. Hugo Weaving can do creepy and intimidating, which is exactly what this character needs.

So, those are my choices as of now for the main cast of Aspirations. What do you think? Are there other actors or actresses that you think would fit the roles better? Let me know by posting a comment.

There is a new Star Wars reference book available September 28th that looks awesome! It is called The Jedi Path: A Manual for Students of the Force, and is being portrayed as a manual passed among Jedi from master to apprentice. This is supposedly the last copy to survive the Great Jedi Purge which began in Episode III. Personally I think this is a really cool idea, and I like the concept of "in-universe" reference books when they're done well. The price tag is a bit steep on the "Vault Edition" featured above, but I'll probably buy one when they release a more standard edition.