想起蟲師、煌如星，以及讀完了the Cabinet of Curiosities

The weekend was spent sowing seeds and moving plants from nursery pots into the backyard.  There is something zen about the planting season.  I was gazing at the dark brown soil -- a mixture of gravel, traces of dead leaves from last fall, sand, mineral rocks giving off metal luster, seeds flown from afar, roots of dead plants -- and wondered how does this "premordial soup" produce the things all life forms depent on -- the infinite varieties, the full spectrum of colors, shapes, scents and tastes.  Nothing short of a miracle.  

And if you ever watched a tiny and tender seedling thrusting its way out of the dirt, and its fragile and fresh first pair of green leaves, like baby angel wings, unfolds and embraces its first spring breeze, first ray of sunlight, and first drop of rain, you'd know it was a moment of enlightenment.  
~~~◆~~~ 
So, last night, I finished reading the Cabinet of Curiosities by Preston and Child.  I'd say the Cabinet comes a close second, with the Relic still being at the top.  The Cabinet is a captivating read, considering this was my second time round.  For some reason, the first time went as a complete blur, but this time I made sure every chapter was read with the utmost attention, though towards the end, my attention began to drift as midnight approached.  But overall, the Cabinet is one creepy-as-hell and bone-chilling thriller.  This is not to say that the Relic is any less.  But with the Relic, I felt not completely unsympathetic with the museum beast -- the Mbwun killed because he had to, if he wanted to avoid the fatalistic ending of reverting back to its human form.  In the Cabinet, however, the Surgeon killed out of sheer greed for the prolongation of his mortal life. 

I suppose by the time one finishes the Cabinet, it should be pretty clear that the Pendergast character is here to stay.  We begin to learn more about Pendergast's past, the other infamous members of his family, and if you read carefully, there is, I believe, a one liner that hints at the addition of Constance in later episodes of the Pendergast saga.  Aloysius X.L. Pendergast is truly an incredible character.  Appearance wise, he is almost vampiric, with features I believe that represent a typical Scandinavian; intelligent wise, he is far above everybose else, and with every additional book, Pendergast seems to become ever more superhuman and maybe a little blown out of proportion, which in itself is actually quite enjoyable.  As the villains get smarter and more powerful, we would need a character to match their wit and strength, who better than Pendergast, with the out-of-this-world looks, physical agility, resourcefulness, political pull, and authoritative/persuasive demeanor when the situation calls for it?  Oh, and did I mention he is ridiculously rich?!

~~~◆~~~

无意中想起了「虫师」（Mushishi）和藤田温子的「煌如星公案系列」。

这两部作品都是看完之后令人意犹未尽的。第一次看煌如星的时候还是初中，恍如隔世。后来陆续收集到了五/六本，剩下的只收集到电子版本。煌如星系列的背景是中国清朝，是少见的以中国古代为背景的日本漫画。从画风来看，一目了然是少女漫画的风格。作者的画风细腻、温情、人物掩映在晕染的花瓣与婀娜的细柳中的画面，颇有中国古典绘画的精髓。

但这套漫画之所以让人觉得余音绕梁，并不仅仅因为它的画风，也因为它里面一个个短而精致的探案故事。虽然每个故事的篇幅都不长，但是每个故事里都隐藏著一个悲剧，一个谜团，一个伤心断肠人做得决绝之事。画家紧紧把握住了中国古代那种浪漫、惆怅、凄美的氛围。每个故事都像一首宋词、都像一幅烟雨丹青、一曲抑扬琴弦~~~

然后就是虫师。在所有看过的日本动漫里，虫师是非常特别的一个。

大部分动漫说的是故事，卖点各色各样：友情、爱情、战斗、悬疑、暴力、色情~~大部分动漫，都比较容易把握住它的主题，或者说它的感觉很实体。

但是虫师的故事很飘渺不定，故事在虫师里面似乎成为了次要的。与主人公银古一起感受它的漫无边际的「猎虫」之旅，似乎才是这部动画的目的。我们借著银古的眼睛，看遍了日本这片大陆上的山山水水，丛林湖波，风土人情，看到了在这块高山大海环绕的土地上的民众，他们与自然，他们与生死，他们那渺小又伟大的信念。

在虫师的世界里，每个故事都那么的离奇，不可思议，在深山海岛里居住的民众显得如此愚朴、老实、但是所有的故事似乎被某种力量连结在一起，连成一气，就像那条由无数生命之虫组成的光河一般，虫师诉说着一种最原始的东西，哲理的东西。

最后，由增田俊郎制作的虫师音乐绝对是不可多得的精品中的精品，为整部作品添加了一层神秘厚重又带一丝人生的无奈的氛围。