When Two Mediums Elevate Each Other

I have seen my fair share of science fiction. I’ve seen good stuff, bad stuff, and everything in between. What I haven’t seen many of, though, is good adaptations.

Sure, there’s some good ones out there, and I’ve even talked about one before. Thing is, there aren’t many out there as good as The Martian.

Great Beginnings

Image Courtsey of Fredrick M. Brown

Released in 2011 by Andy Weir, The Martian follows Mark Watney, an astronaut stranded on Mars after his crew believes he died in a dust storm. It doesn’t take long for the story to set the tone. I’m not sure if I can repeat the first ten words here, but if you have the book, or you search for the first couple of lines on google, you’ll get the idea. It’s genius.

Now, the movie doesn’t start the same way, but it still sets the tone perfectly. We meet the crew right away, whereas it takes multiple chapters in the book. They’re joking with each other, and Watney is right in the mix. From the first scene we know that these characters care for each other. It serves beautifully to strengthen the blow of them having to leave Watney behind when they think he’s been killed in the storm.

The Perfect Lead

Mark Watney is, of course, the main character. He is, without a doubt, the best part of the film and the book. The title of this piece talks about mediums elevating each other. When I wrote that title, Mark Watney was who I had in mind.

Watney is one of the most interesting main characters I’ve ever read about. He needs to be, considering more than half the book is spent with him and solely him. That tends to happen when the story is about a man stranded on a planet, totally alone.

Andy Weir wrote Watney to be silly, strange, a little unhinged, but also obviously intelligent, and emotionally deep. When Matt Damon was cast, he had a lot to live up to. He did it brilliantly. It isn’t hard to see why he was nominated for best actor for this performance.

Image Courtesy of 20th CENTURY Fox

Damon brings Watney to life perfectly. Every silly line he delivers, every moment of pain, he makes you feel the way the book makes you feel. This is what I mean when the two mediums elevate each other. The movie borrows lines from the book, and because of that, the movie is better. The best moments of the book are brought to life gloriously, and because of that, the book is better. Damon’s performance is so true, so faithful to Weir’s Watney that you can’t help but feel for him.

Elevation Through Tension

Tension is another place where both mediums excel. There is always a level of uncertainty, no matter where Watney is. It’s drilled into our heads that this is space, and this is Mars. They do not cooperate. There is a reason why it costs billions of dollars to get into space. There’s a reason why us, in real life, haven’t gotten humans to Mars. It’s hard, and The Martian reinforces that.

Every time Watney does anything involving anything, there’s a chance something bad will happen, and that’ll be the end of him. If not the end of him, a setback that will lead to his end.

When you see those moments in the movie, it gets your heart racing. You know that nothing will likely happen, but just enough things are changed in the film to make you think “hey, maybe something bad is going to happen”. Tension keeps you on your toes. There’s never a dull moment.

Thought Behind Each Moment

Soundtrack, supporting actors and wide shots are just as spot on. Each character is perfectly casted, and you can imagine them as their book counterparts. The music only makes the shots of the Mars landscape more incredible, and moments from the book when Watney talks about Mars are astonishingly well recreated.

The Martian isn’t a shot for shot, moment for moment adaptation. There’s bit and pieces missing and added, but it doesn’t take away from the overall brilliance. Every character is captured perfectly. Mark Watney is still the same funny guy stuck in the worst situation imaginable. Every heartbreak, moment of triumph, each one remains as impactful. There is no question in my mind that Andy Weir created a modern classic with The Martian. Ridley Scott brought that classic to life with one of the best science fiction films of the 21st century.

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Nate Brown is a professional writing student at Algonquin College. When he’s not learning the tips and tricks of the craft, he spends far too much time annoying his family with useless movie facts, and every little gripe he has. His first attempt at writing happened when he was 7, and while it didn’t get very far, the writing bug took hold early, influenced by a childhood of reading. Dreams of his own stories turning into books and movies has led Nate to consume every piece of media he can, and critiquing everything was just a natural course to follow.

Kaiju No. 8: A Monster-Sized Hit

Story and Art by Naoya Matsumoto

Who said you’re too old to be a hero? That’s the question mangaka Naoya Matsumoto decided to answer when he published his science fiction manga Kaiju No. 8 in 2020, starring 32-year-old protagonist, Kafka Hibino.

Thank Goodness He’s Not a Kid!

A tale (almost) as old as time, shonen protagonists have classically been 15-year-old boys with only a few exceptions here and there. The most common trope in shonen anime/manga is a teenaged boy awakens latent powers and has to save the world from enemies that get tougher the further along they get in their journey. Example: Ichigo Kurosaki. He began his journey at 15 and fought stronger and stronger enemies as Bleach went on. But not Kafka Hibino.

Kafka Hibino Crashes Onto the Scene

anime produced by Production I.G.

The story follows Kafka Hibino, a 32-year-old man who helped clean up the leftover bodies of defeated kaiju, giant monsters that cause disasters.

For years, Kafka dreamed of joining the Anti-Kaiju Defense Force, a highly esteemed and powerful organisation tasked with eliminating kaijus. However, after failing the entrance exam over and over again for years, he gave up on joining the Defense Force when he aged out. Then, one day, a young man named Reno Ichikawa gave him hope, telling him the Defense Force had raised the age limit.

After saving Reno from a kaiju and being hospitalised, Kafka came face to face with a mysterious little kaiju. The kaiju forced its way into Kafka’s body and transformed him into Kaiju no. 8. Despite the drastic transformation, he continued to try and join the Defense Force, all while hiding his new kaiju form from the people sworn to eliminate a creature like him.

It's Got Everything I Ever Wanted

Kafka hibino in chapter 7

For so long I was tired of seeing kids being thrown into situations where they shouldn’t be. I wanted something new. Something fresh. Well, I got my wish, and I cannot describe how happy I was when I first started reading Kaiju No. 8 and discovered Kafka wasn’t going to be your typical manga protagonist. He isn’t an inexperienced teenaged kid with latent powers being thrown into life-or-death situations. He’s an adult.

To my delight, Kafka wasn’t the only amazing character in the series. All the side characters are fun, unique, and special in their own way. There are a few teenagers in the Defense Force, but only a handful are younger than eighteen. To me, that’s a much more acceptable age than fifteen for side characters in a shonen.

However, there are also a lot of adults in the story. The captain of the Kaiju Defense Force division Kafka joins is a 27-year-old woman named Mina Ashiro. She’s Kafka’s childhood friend who inspired him to keep fighting for his dream even when things got hard.

It's not just the protagonist and his friends that make the story so amazing. Even though the animation is different from the art in the manga (as is to be expected), the action is nonetheless just as epic across both versions. I’ll be honest, I think the anime handles the action better than the manga, but that’s only because I can see the characters moving around and there’s music, colour, and sound effects. Nevertheless, both are definitely worth the experience.

On another note, the anime brought me my most listened to song of the year. The opening, Abyss by YUNGBLUD, has been on repeat for me since June, and it’s December! I’ve also watched the entire show twice in the past six months because I liked it so much.

It’s More Than Worth It

kafka hibino in episode 5

Naoya Matsumoto’s Kaiju No. 8 was the most refreshing sci-fi shonen manga/anime I’ve encountered in a long time. I’ve seen too many anime to count and have read even more manga, and this one really stood out to me. It’s funny, action-packed, has excellent characters, a great story, and the anime has a killer soundtrack!

All in all, Kaiju No. 8 is an anime and manga well worth your time with an inspiring message to everyone. It’s never too late to chase your dreams. I think that no other protagonist in modern anime better embodies that idea than Kafka Hibino, who picked himself back up and continued to follow his dreams, even if it meant putting himself in danger to protect those he cares about.

So, head out there and see for yourself why Kaiju No. 8 is so amazing. Don’t just take my word for it.

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Jessica Eyre lives with her family and three cats in Ottawa. She spends her time writing, drawing, reading, watching anime and movies, playing video games, and generally avoiding people. She prefers to spend her time cuddling with her cats while writing her next story or getting lost in another book. With ten years of writing as a hobby under her belt and being on the Dean’s List two semesters in a row in Professional Writing from Algonquin College, she has plenty of experience in the writing world. She’s no stranger to words. They’re her first love and greatest passion – aside from cats of course.

I Robot: Genius and Predictableness

I Robot: Genius and Predictableness

The concept of movie or TV show adaptations isn’t something new. In fact, they’re extremely popular. There are good ones, bad ones, ones that should have never existed in the first place. Today, I want to dive into one of those.

The Book

Book Cover Courtesy of Del Rey

I, Robot was authored and released in 1950 by Isaac Asimov. Considered one of the “big three” of science fiction, I, Robot is often viewed as his best work, or very near the top of that list. I can’t confirm if it’s truly his best because I haven’t read all his works, but I find it hard to believe it isn’t. To put it simply, it is one of the best pieces of science fiction ever made.

Asimov doesn’t just make you think when I, Robot. He makes you question everything you think, not just about robots, but everything you might understand and everything you don’t. He invests you in each character, connecting all their stories in such a way that makes perfect sense, and no interactions ever feel forced, or out of place. Asimov’s writing prowess is on full display throughout the book. The dialogue is the strongest I’ve ever read. The philosophical questions and problems he presents always have a conclusion (Not a solution, mind you!) that is genius, and it’s all because of three simple rules.

The Three Laws of Robotics

Every moment, every change in the plot, every conversation always circles back to three sentences. They are as follows:

1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.

2. A robot must obey orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.

3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

Photo Courtesy of Peter Jones

As incredible as the writing is, credit needs to be given for how perfectly the laws complement every problem the characters face throughout the story. Unsurprisingly, a book called I, Robot revolves around robots. Everything from ideas of robotic religion, or how the laws could contradict each other. Asimov wraps it together perfectly with a mix of sarcasm, seriousness, and world-changing ideas.

A lot of the time when there are laws or rules implemented in sci fi, you can tell when the author didn’t really think about how’d they use them effectively. They’re tossed to the side or worked around in lame and boring ways. Asimov, well, you can tell he thought about it. The laws are mentioned at least once every couple of pages, often more, and they’re never anywhere but the forefront of every person’s mind.

The Main Character

I’ve spent a lot of time raving about how great writing and dialogue is. The thing is, you can have great writing, but if the characters are boring, it won’t be interesting. It’s a good thing that Asimov knows how to make characters interesting. The story is told under the lens of an interview with Susan Calvin, the lead robopsychologist for United States Robotics (USR). There are parts told without her being present, but everything circles back to her. It makes sense as well. When questions about robotic sentience and consciousness come into play, who else but a person who studies their minds to be the main character?

The Movie

Poster Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox.

As much as I could go on about the book for another couple thousand words, unfortunately, the movie has to be mentioned as well. In 2004, I, Robot the movie was released, starring Will Smith. It was… not great. In terms of quality, there is no comparison between it and the book. One if an incredible masterpiece, the other is predictable nothingness. One asks questions that make you think, the other tries that but gives up halfway through in order to throw an hour of boring redundant action at you.

The brilliant characters that exist in the book just aren’t the same. Sure, Susan Calvin (Bridget Moynahan) is in the movie, and sure, she’s a robophychologist as well, but any personality, any interesting moments of dialogue she has are gone. She becomes an exposition machine, only providing information to the main character, Del Spooner (Will Smith). Never once do we get a glimpse of the intelligent, hard and intriguing version of Dr. Calvin.

For a movie that shares the same name, characters names, and rules as an utterly incredible book, I, Robot is a movie that falls short in every measurement of interest.

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Nate Brown is a professional writing student at Algonquin College. When he’s not learning the tips and tricks of the craft, he spends far too much time annoying his family with useless movie facts, and every little gripe he has. His first attempt at writing happened when he was 7, and while it didn’t get very far, the writing bug took hold early, influenced by a childhood of reading. Dreams of his own stories turning into books and movies has led Nate to consume every piece of media he can, and critiquing everything was just a natural course to follow.