Sunday, December 8, 2013

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Review film The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013) dari sudut pandang pembaca

Sebelum masuk ke review, I'd like to apologize kalo post ini akhirnya malah nggak terlihat seperti review. Lebih seperti rant, curahan hati (?) dari sudut pandang seseorang yang sudah membaca novel seri/trilogi The Hunger Games karya Suzanne Collins. Selain itu, sebenernya ini post yang telat karena aku udah menonton Catching Fire pada hari pertama film ini tayang di Indonesia (DUH).

Now, if you excuse me, I'd like to put some gifs untuk menggambarkan perasaanku sehabis menonton film sekuel dari The Hunger Games (2012) ini:




SIRIUSLY.

Awalnya, pergantian director dari Gary Ross ke Francis Lawrence membuatku cemas bahwa film Catching Fire nggak bakal memenuhi ekspektasiku. You know, karena Catching Fire adalah buku favoritku dari ketiga buku yang ada. Aku ingat betapa cemasnya aku saat aku melihat riwayat film-film yang pernah ditangani Francis karena review-reviewnya yang biasa hingga bener-bener jelek. I was like,"Oh my God... ada nggak ya keajaiban yang bisa membuat Gary Ross bisa kembali untuk jadi director film Catching Fire?" Dan ya, bukan cuma aku aja yang berpikir begitu di fandom Hunger Games yang biasa disebut sebagai Tributes. Buktinya? Salah satunya adalah video ini, video yang sanggup membuatku tertawa terbahak-bahak. Tapi ya, kalau aku belum menonton film Catching Fire dan menonton video itu... ga kebayang lagi deh. Kurasa aku bakal frustasi and stuff (I know I am exaggerating BUT COME ON).

Tadinya aku nggak sadar kalau Francis Lawrence dan kru mengambil banyak dialog-dialog yang bener-bener plek asli sama diambil dari novel nya. Ini karena aku udah bertekad untuk nggak membaca ulang novel Catching Fire sama sekali sebelum menonton filmnya. Tindakan yang tepat, karena aku nggak harus langsung merasa kecewa saat itu juga ketika menonton filmnya kalo ada adegan yang diganti/potong.

Siriusly, though. Aku memang dulu termasuk salah satu fans yang langsung protes tanpa memikirkan alasan kenapa suatu adegan atau karakter dipotong/ganti. Sekarang udah nggak lagi, mengingat aku sudah menyadari kalau banyak yang perlu dipertimbangkan: budget, durasi, casting, bahkan sampai mengenai pemahaman/selera orang-orang yang belum atau bahkan nggak mau membaca buku nya. I mean, aku nggak bakalan menolak sama sekali kalau Francis memasukkan adegan Katniss yang nyaris ditangkap oleh Peacekeepers/Penjaga Perdamaian, Katniss-Darius, atau adegan saat Peeta menggambarkan sketsa tanaman obat untuk Katniss. Tapi aku rasanya bisa mendengar keluhan orang-orang yang nggak membaca bukunya/yang nggak tertarik oleh Peeta-Katniss. "Ya ampun... adegan romantis??" "Cinta segitiga? Ini kayak Twilight ya?" "Apaan nih, terlalu bertele-tele. Mana HUNGER GAMES nyaa?!" khusus untuk dua yang terakhir, aku pengen rasanya mencekoki cliffhanger ala Collins ke leher orang-orang yang bilang begitu. :3

Mengenai dialog-dan-adegan-langsung-dari-buku, aku langsung mengenalinya ketika aku membaca ulang novel Catching Fire.

Like,"Astaga, ini kan dipakai di film!" Yep. Ini salah satu hal yang membuat reputasi Francis melejit di kalangan Tributes. Lalu entah karena ini disebabkan oleh the power of the script, Josh and Jennifer's friendship, or Suzanne Collins' writing, aku bisa melihat chemistry di antara Josh Hutcherson dan Jennifer Lawrence. Kuakui bahwa sekalipun aku nge-ship Peeniss (there, I said it! :p), di film The Hunger Games chemistry mereka sama sekali nggak ada. I won't be like some Romione or Harry-Ginny shippers yang menolak mati-matian bahwa chemistry Daniel dan Emma lebih kuat dan Rupert Grint-Emma Watson = 0. Aku bisa mengerti kenapa banyak yang lebih memilih Liam Hemsworth aka Gale Hawthorne untuk dipasangkan dengan Katniss karena selain tampang ya chemistry. Adegan kissing/romance Peeniss di film The Hunger Games pun terasa biasa aja di filmnya, nggak seperti yang di buku. Tapi yang di versi film Catching Fire?



Meski begitu, ini sebenernya keberuntungan yang pas banget dengan plot masing-masing film, baik The Hunger Games maupun Catching Fire. Why? Well, chemistry Josh dan Jen masih kurang di film The Hunger Games... dan sebenernya nggak masalah. Memang hubungan Peeta dan Katniss maknanya 'fake', bukan? Untuk menarik perhatian para sponsor. Yah, menurutku memang nggak masalah kalau chemistry mereka berdua masih kurang. Nah, giliran di film Catching Fire... well, sudah bisa ditebak, kan? Persahabatan Josh dan Jen in real life yang semakin dekat jelas membantu menunjukkan hubungan Peeta dan Katniss yang memang semakin dekat. What is this sorcery?!

Mengenai casting, bisa dibilang lagi-lagi banyak yang merasa malu karena perkataan mereka sebelum film Catching Fire tayang. Sama seperti sebelum trailer The Hunger Games muncul/film nya tayang dulu. Berapa banyak orang di fandom THG yang menyesali terpilihnya Jennifer sebagai Katniss, cuma gara-gara rambutnya pirang atau badannya nggak kurus? Sekarang mereka malah ikut mengatakan,"Oh, Jen, you really are Katniss!" Dan itu terulang lagi untuk karakter-karakter seperti Johanna Mason dan Finnick Odair. Terutama Finnick, though. SIRIUSLY. Kalau yang tampangnya kayak Sam Claflin masih dibilang kurang ganteng, aku nggak tau lagi siapa yang cukup ganteng bagi mereka untuk jadi Finnick. Lagipula, daripada mengutamakan tampang, aku sih mending memikirkan kualitas akting nya juga. Buat apa tampang aktor yang terpilih jadi Finnick super-mega-astaga ganteng tapi dia nggak tau Finnick itu karakter yang seperti apa? Buat apa kalo dia nggak bisa menghidupkan karakter Finnick? If you ask me, aku cuma bisa menggelengkan kepala kalo masih ada yang pengen Garrett Hedlund untuk jadi Finnick cuma gara-gara tampang. Dia bahkan udah mengaku terang-terangan kalo dia menolak peran Finnick karena dia belum dan nggak bakalan membaca trilogi Hunger Games karena nggak punya waktu. Siriusly, guys.

By the way, aku bener-bener suka pilihan mereka untuk Johanna Mason, Jena Malone. Aku belum pernah melihat bagaimana Jena saat dia memerankan karakter seperti Johanna. Or acting in any movies for that matter. Tapi saat aku melihat adegan elevator (harus kuakui, aku lebih suka penggambarannya di film karena banyak detail-detail yang kusuka. Like, the classic Jennifer Lawrence that we can see in it :p) dan terutama interview..... yep. She IS Johanna Mason. Aku juga suka penambahan beberapa hal seperti swearing yang membuat mataku terbelalak saat menontonnya, karena sejujurnya memang nggak ada di novel nya. You know? I. LOVE. THAT. Bless you, Francis and the crew.

Belum lagi detail tambahan mengenai PTSD Katniss. Look, I don't really know about it karena aku baru tau bahwa mimpi-mimpi  buruk yang dialami Katniss dan Peeta di novelnya dikategorikan dalam PTSD. Aku baru tau itu ketika aku coba-coba browsing soal novel Mockingjay karena di novel itulah efek PTSD pada semua karakter, terutama Katniss, lebih dieksplor. Aku sendiri kaget saat melihat Jack Quaid aka Marvel muncul di adegan awal film, but I liked it. Tentang PTSD inilah yang membuat sebagian orang di fandom THG merasa bosan atau kecewa saat membaca Mockingjay.

(THIS IS A SLIGHT SPOILER THIS IS A SLIGHT SPOILER) A bit OOT, tapi aku menyinggung sedikit soal ini di post ini. Menurutku, orang-orang yang mengatakan Mockingjay adalah buku yang membosankan karena ekspektasi tinggi mereka terhadap Katniss sama saja posisinya dengan sebagian karakter di Mockingjay. Menaruh harapan tinggi, berharap Katniss bakalan badass, nggak cengeng/menangis, nggak rapuh, kuat, tangguh, dan selalu membuat keputusan yang benar/masuk akal setiap saat. Like, siriusly, guys. Pernah nggak sebentar aja, bayangin posisi kalian sebagai Katniss? Di usia semuda itu, dia sudah mengalami hal-hal yang kacaunya nggak terbayangkan lagi dan banyak korban, dan kalian berharap banyak/tinggi pada Katniss? No offense, but siriusly... hypocrites. Karena aku ragu kalian bisa menjadi awesome all the time kalo kalian ada di posisi Katniss, ditambah lagi terlihat jelas bahwa Collins ingin membuat cerita yang realitis. Kalau Katniss saja nyaris gila di akhir Mockingjay, gimana dengan kalian yang berharap banyak pada Katniss? Pengin karakter favorit kalian jadi Mary Sue/Gary Stu, jadi badass/melakukan yang kalian inginkan, pasti dapat happy ending? Novel-novel tulisan Stephenie Meyer menunggu dengan tangan terbuka. :3

Kembali ke film Catching Fire. Menurutku film The Hunger Games: Catching Fire adalah salah satu film adaptasi novel Young Adult terbaik yang pernah kutonton. Ini film pertama yang membuat bahkan fandom Harry Potter/Potterheads garis keras pun mengakuinya, bahkan iri aku nggak bisa ngebayangin gimana perasaan para Demigods/fandom Percy Jackson, terlalu menyedihkan. Kenapa? Selain adegan-dan-dialog-langsung-dari-buku, Francis berhasil menampilkan inti utama dari Catching Fire meskipun dia sebenernya tetap memotong, mengganti, atau menambahkan adegan-adegan tertentu. Sejauh ini, ini film adaptasi novel YA pertama yang pernah kutonton yang sebenarnya tetap mengganti/memotong adegan dari buku, tapi nggak membuatku kesal atau merasa terganggu sama sekali. Aku bahkan nggak keberatan sama sekali dengan satu adegan kising antara Gale-Katniss yang bahkan nggak ada di buku (what can you do, anyway? Chemistry Jennifer dan Liam memang oke). IT WAS PERFECT.

Mengenai ending film yang gantung? Kenapa? Kesal, marah, frustasi? :3



Itulah akibatnya kalo nggak mau baca bukunya~

I know I shouldn't say that, but still... I just can't help it.

Tapi serius deh ah. Ada aja yang ngasih review jelek cuma karena ending nya? FUDGING REALLY??!! Memang begitu akhir bukunya, masa mau diganti. Malah, menurutku di buku lebih nyesek efeknya karena inti dari cliffhangers tulisan Suzanne Collins adalah ASDFGHJKL WHAT THE HELL OH MY GOD REALLY NO NO NO. Kalian yang nggak baca buku-buku The Hunger Games bisa dibilang beruntung jantung dan emosi nya nggak dipermainkan oleh Collins yang kayaknya udah melebihi Rick Riordan dalam hal kesadisan cliffhanger dan plot twist (?). SIRIUSLY. Aku rasa kira-kira sembilan puluh persen chapter di setiap buku trilogi Hunger Games diakhiri oleh cliffhanger atau plot twist. Sekalipun nggak diakhiri dengan cliffhanger, tetep aja aku speechless atau emosional di chapter-chapter tersebut. Yep. Segitu jahatnya Suzanne Collins. In a good way, of course.

That's all for now (karena aku yakin aku bakal mengedit post ini nantinya xD) Thank you for your attention~ :3

P.S.: untuk orang-orang yang tertawa sat adegan-adegan yang bahkan nggak lucu sama sekali..... come on, just admit it. What the fudge were you on at the moment?

READ MORE » Review film The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013) dari sudut pandang pembaca

Sunday, December 1, 2013

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That One "Love Triangle" in The Hunger Games Trilogy

ATTENTION:
DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN'T READ ALL THREE THE HUNGER GAMES BOOKS | DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN'T READ ALL THREE THE HUNGER GAMES BOOKS | DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN'T READ ALL THREE THE HUNGER GAMES BOOKS | DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN'T READ ALL THREE THE HUNGER GAMES BOOKS | DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN'T READ ALL THREE THE HUNGER GAMES BOOKS |

well unless you have no problems with SPOILERS :3

I'm starting to feel sick whenever someone says,"Oh, The Hunger Games? It's like, the next Twilight, right?" or "What the...?! A love triangle?? What is this, a new Twilight?". If you ask me, I can assure you that there is no love triangle in THG book series. Well, if you insist... technically, it's there, but that's it. The love triangle is just kind of... there. You can barely see the love triangle well, unless you're a fan of Stephenie Meyer. However, I still think there isn't even a love triangle in Hunger Games books.

If I'm not mistaken, (if you have read the books) you would know that Katniss did not even want to have kids or even get married because of the messed up system and place she lived in. (SPOILERS.... I'VE WARNED YOU) Even Peeta has a hard time in asking (I am sorry if I choose the wrong word >_<) Katniss to have kids at the end of the trilogy. Some people would think that Peeta was the first one who was friendzoned by Katniss. Nope, it was Gale. You would know if you've read the first book of the trilogy, The Hunger Games. I admit that I actually thought Katniss would end up with Gale because Suzanne Collins introduced him first before Peeta. However, as time goes by, Peeta's character grew in me. I felt like I knew why Katniss would end up with him at the end.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but even though Katniss does think that both Gale and Peeta are attractive, she never goes all Bella Swan in the trilogy. 

COME ON. It takes almost two and a half books for Katniss to realize that she really loves Peeta as a person. I mean, she loves Gale as well— or maybe not really since he kind of related to what happened to Prim. If I'm not mistaken, it happens either in the middle or near the end of Mockingjay book.

Of course, Katniss had this kind of hunger when she kissed Peeta in the arena (the 3rd Quarter Quell; Catching Fire). Still, she didn't realize that she actually loved Peeta at the moment. If you ask me, when she kissed Peeta at the beach, it was kind of like Annabeth-Percy-Rachel case at the end of The Battle of Labyrinth and at some parts in The Last Olympian. I think this and this post describe the so-called (once again... I hope I'm using the correct word >_<) love triangle in The Hunger Games books perfectly.

Besides, both Gale Hawthorne and Peeta Mellark have important roles in the story, not just as Katniss Everdeen's love interests. Unlike that one love triangle in Twilight. Someone wrote a good analysis about Gale and Peeta's role. However, I will have to disagree if someone says that Peeta's main purpose is only as a love interest just because he ends up with Katniss at the end. I've heard people who said that Katniss should've killed Peeta in the 74th Hunger Games, or that Peeta Mellark is a boring character. I know this video is supposed to be a joke (or maybe they seriously think that Katniss should've killed Peeta :| ) but still... how many people who've watched the video and said,"Hell yeah! You should've killed Peeta, Katniss!"?

Let me tell you: if you ask me, I'd say, if Peeta died in the 74th Hunger Games, there would be no rebellion or revolution.

Or let's just say if Peeta Mellark didn't exist. Still, there'd be no rebellion or revolution. If Peeta didn't exist, it means a random District 12 boy would be reaped, and Katniss would still volunteer as a Tribute for Prim. If this version of 74th Hunger Games happened and Katniss/the random District 12 male Tribute/both of them lost, there'd be no rebellion/revolution. If this version of 74th Hunger Games happened and Katniss or the random District 12 male Tribute won... still, nothing would happen. Everything would stay the same. Katniss/the random District 12 male Tribute would be a mentor and stuff. What, do you think if Katniss was reaped together with a random District 12 male Tribute, she would behave or do things the way she did with Peeta? I don't think so. If Katniss owed Peeta and she still considered to kill him, well... what do you think she'd do to this random District 12 male Tribute? I say, she'd try her best to kill him to survive the games.

What, do you think Gale would volunteer as a Tribute like Peeta did in Catching Fire? Nope, I don't think so. If Gale volunteered in this version of 74th Hunger Games (where Peeta didn't exist), then who would take care of Gale and Katniss' family? I don't think Katniss would forgive Gale for volunteering as a Tribute because no one would take care of their families, especially her family. Besides the fact that Gale was supposed to take care of his and Katniss' family, didn't Gale just realize that he loved Katniss after the whole star-crossed lovers stuff? After he saw Peeta and Katniss? Then Gale was like,"Wow. Katniss and the baker boy. I can't...." What, you think Katniss would ask Peeta or his father to take care of her and Gale's family? That wouldn't happen because Katniss felt that she owed Peeta, right? Asking  Peeta or even his father to take care of her and Gale's family would make her frustrated or something like that.

Then, let's say that Katniss did kill Peeta in the final round of 74th Hunger Games. STILL, there would be no rebellion or revolution. She would be a mentor and live in the Victors' Village.

It's out of topic, but I still don't understand why some people think Peeta looks like a girl, boring, or has feminine traits. He bakes, of course, but what, does it make him look like a girl? Does that make him weaker than Katniss? Didn't he kill Brutus? Isn't he strong? Or does it mean if someone can cook or bake, it means that person (male or female) have a feminine trait or look like a girl?

I also don't understand why some people are disappointed of what happened in Mockingjay. I've seen people's reaction about Mockingjay who think that the last book of Hunger Games franchise really represents how people like Katniss and the others would be and do. What, did you really expect the characters in The Hunger Games books, especially Katniss, would be badass and tough all the time? You expect them to make perfect and right decisions or more like, decisions you agree with all the time? COME ON. Like I said, especially Katniss Everdeen. After what happened to Prim to the point Katniss almost lost her mind or sanity. You seriously expect Katniss to be still badass, tough, and make best decisions? Come on, guys. Do you even remember how old Katniss when all this stuff happened to her? She's still that young and has been through all these things? If you think about it, I'm surprised why Katniss head didn't explode when Coin takes votes for their supposedly revenge version of Hunger Games. Also, Primrose Everdeen is like, someone Katniss loved the most in the entire universe. It might seem like Katniss is out of character for a moment when they are taking votes, but come on..... would you please try to put yourself in her shoes? After all Katniss has been through, and she lost Prim forever, and then there's a chance like that... I think Katniss already has too many things to handle that she doesn't even think whether it's the right decision or not at the moment.

Some people also expect there would be a-war-in-Capitol-involving-Katniss-woohoo-this-is-gonna-be-crazy-intense-and-stuff-most-importantly-blood-yeahh thing in Mockingjay..... do I have to remind you that The Hunger Games book series is relayed by first point of view/first POV? If you ask me, it means we, as the readers, have to accept the fact that we obviously will not see and read stuff not involving Katniss or stuff Katniss doesn't really care about.

Mockingjay would be separated into two films, anyway. That way, maybe you might get what you've always wanted, right?

And to some people who said that the epilogue isn't important, isn't related to the story, or even shouldn't exist..... man. Really? After all Peeta and Katniss have been through? I really, really think they deserve an ending or closure that is kind of a happy ending. "Kind of"? Yeah. Because I don't think even though it seems like Peeta and Katniss are happy (like what some people said)... you know. Gale, Katniss' best friend, has left her and goes to District 2. Katniss' mother goes and stays in District 4 because of what happened to Prim. Peeta's family all have gone forever. Peeta's still got episodes, meaning it would still be a problem for both Peeta and Katniss. Well, I don't know about you but I think what Peeta, Katniss, or any other Hunger Games characters for that matter have gotten and been through would make what happens at the end of Mockingjay/the epilogue as happy ending.

I gotta admit that I used to be one of those people who don't like Mockingjay. I didn't really know what Mockingjay told us, but now I know. All I can say is now that I know Mockingjay is actually a great book, it makes me love The Hunger Games book trilogy even more. Now that I know what Mockingjay actually represents or tells, I do agree that it's great because it's a realistic depiction if this kind of thing really happened.

So, that's why I think love triangle and especially Peeta actually have an important role in the trilogy. I, for one, think that his character is interesting especially what happens to him in Mockingjay.
READ MORE » That One "Love Triangle" in The Hunger Games Trilogy

Thursday, November 7, 2013

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Romance in Novels (In My Opinion)

A bit intro: this post basically says how bad I am at giving a title for my posts. I'm terribly sorry T_T

Alright. I'm going to talk about what I think of romance in (Young Adult) novels.

I think I am the kind of reader who likes romance in novels. In fact, I think I'm a sucker of that kind of stuff. However, there are two authors (who are my favorites) who can't write romance nicely because of one particular reason: they write it in the way they're not good at. The authors are J. K. Rowling and Rick Riordan. That's okay if you disagree with me because people have different opinions. :)

As I've mentioned in my previous posts, I don't like what Rowling did in her Harry Potter books when she wrote romance. It is either she really can't write romance or she's bad at writing romance from a man's POV. In my opinion, Rowling tried way too hard in making her readers to like her romance writing or (as in fangirl's language) ship the couples she created. Not to mention her lame attempts in the INTERVIEWS (oh God... I kinda hate that word now because of her >_>); it's like she was screaming to her readers: "YEAH? HMMM??? DO YOU SEE IT NOW? YOU SEE WHY HARRY/GINNY AND RON/HERMIONE ARE PERFECT (in my head)?? DO YOU LIKE THEM AS COUPLES? I BET YOU DO; I KNOW I AM AWESOME AT THIS STUFF." Rowling even messed up Harry, Hermione, and Ginny's characterizations that she'd built from the beginning just because she didn't want to rewrite the epilogue and admit that she'd screwed up.

If I had a time machine and a ticket to where she lives, I'd go back in time and try to convince her that she should rewrite her epilogue. I'm not saying that an author shouldn't write the epilogue from the beginning; I don't know it's a bad thing or not anyway. However, Rowling has screwed up her ending in the epilogue by herself. I don't know if it's true or not, but there are some people who said that Rowling wrote the epilogue before she started writing Philosopher's Stone. In fact, they said that original epilogue was longer than the published one. The thing is, it feels like Rowling didn't want to admit that she had screwed up her story and characters in the romance part. She had written Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley and Ron Weasley/Hermione Granger in the epilogue; it turned out that the only couple who had the best chemistry was Harry and Hermione. And Daniel/Bonnie and Rupert/Emma's lack of chemistry weren't helping. At all. Or maybe it's just me. Well, I don't know about you, but I have shipped Harry and Hermione since I read the books-and-cleverness scene in Philosopher's Stone. The moment Hermione hugged Harry was the moment I was like:



They were still young at the moment, I know. However, there are many Harry/Ginny shippers who think that the moment Ginny fangirled when she saw Harry for the first time in King's Cross (which, in my opinion, is not a romantic scene at all :p) in Philosopher's Stone is a shippy moment, right? :p

If only Rowling rewrote the epilogue, I am absolutely sure that Rowling would've had one of the most memorable love stories/romances in literature history. I don't know if she knows about this, but in my opinion, she didn't have to work too hard if she chose Harry and Hermione. Rowling had had many Harry/Hermione moments in the first five Harry Potter books, so why didn't she write them as a couple? I have no fudging idea. As for Ron and Hermione, I think they have the potential as well. However, Rowling had screwed up again by making them bicker for... oh, I don't know, seven books. I find that bickering couples could be cute, but I won't if they keep bickering like they really hate each other and there's no closure. With Ron and Hermione, Rowling STILL made them bicker even until the sixth book, the book which is supposed to be the... I don't know, probably the romance book of Harry Potter series. I don't even think RoMione's bickering is cute or lovely. You think it's cute when Ron and Hermione bickered to the point Hermione just couldn't take it anymore and she cried at times? Well, that's okay if that's what you think of romantic couples. I just don't and will not find Ron and Hermione cute because of the way Rowling treat them.

Now let's talk about Rick Riordan. I really loved what he did in the first Percy Jackson series, Percy Jackson & the Olympians. When I read the romance part in the fourth book of the series, The Battle of the Labyrinth, I was like:


He did it perfectly that I cared about two things: what would happen to Percy and the others & who Percy was gonna end up with. He also did it perfectly that the romance didn't dominate the story. It was still there, but he made you care about other stuff happened in the story. He even convinced me that Percy was gonna end up with that girl instead of the girl I'd shipped Percy with. How did he do that? In my opinion, that (maybe only for me) happened because Riordan had mentioned and made her in the story in the previous book, The Titan's Curse. It's like what J. K. Rowling did with Harry and Cho Chang in Prisoner of Azkaban until Order of the Phoenix; the only difference was that Rowling handled it nicely in the beginning but badly in the middle and the end. Riordan managed to convince me that there was a possibility that Percy really would end up with this girl. It felt like he was saying,"Hey, you do know that Percy actually also has a crush on this girl, right? Not only on that girl? Because Percy's either too stupid to realize or is blind about love? Or maybe it's just me who's trolling you guys.".

Everytime there was a moment between Percy and the-girl-I-ship-Percy-with, I really love and appreciate it. By appreciating it, I mean that I was smiling and/or even giggling while reading the part. I would love to see it more, but not too much or all over the place. I appreciated the romantic moments between Percy and the-girl-I-ship-Percy-with because they didn't dominate the story. Like, there were not many shippy/romantic moments between Percy and her in one book, but in my opinion it was the best that way. It made me appreciate every moment between the two of them in each book of the series. Oh, I think I have to mention that Percy and this girl sometimes bickered, argued, or disagreed about stuff, but they had a kind of closure. Sometimes they would not talk to each other for a while or they still did but casually because they were still mad at each other. Still, they had a closure. Ooh yes, Rowling, I'm talking what you never did with Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger.

However, in the second series, Heroes of Olympus, I didn't like what Riordan did in Mark of Athena, the third book of the series. In fact, I kind of hate it. What did he do? Didn't I say that I like his writing about romance? Well, in my opinion, Riordan has the same problem Rowling has: writing the romance from the wrong POV. I think Riordan wrote the romance in Percy Jackson & the Olympians series nicely because he wrote it from Percy's POV. He's a guy (DUH), right? That's why I think he did it perfectly. He knows how boys would feel, react, or do when they have a crush on someone or are in a relationship. He also knows how a boy would describe his feelings toward a girl (the boy likes the girl, considers her as a friend, or still doesn't realize about his feelings) and he writes it perfectly.

In Mark of Athena, what happened was a disaster. Or maybe it's just me who exaggerate it. It was obvious that Riordan wanted to try to write the romance from the girl's POV that he tried to explore a girl's feelings when she fell in love with someone. However, it felt like Riordan browsed stuff about romance from a girl's POV or interviewed some girls about stuff they do when they fall in love. It did not feel natural at all. It was like,"Oh, I just found out that a girl does this thing when she falls in love or is in a relationship. Very well. I will make this girl does this in my novel. All the time. Every two or three pages.".

What Riordan did in Mark of Athena made me think,"Oh, no... again?!", "Haha, yeah, sure. Whatever. *rolls eyes*", "For fudge's sake, girl, there are more important things you need to solve and think about!!", etc. There were too many romantic moments in the book that I have a feeling this book would be the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince of the series. This is unusual for me because technically, I should've loved every romantic moments of the couples in Heroes of Olympus series because I ship them except Jason Grace and Piper McLean, of course. I hope they will do me a favor by disappearing for no apparent reason. For good. In my opinion, even if Riordan still wants to write the romance from the girl's POV, he shouldn't write it too much. Just a bit. He needs to explore the romance part more from the boy's POV because that's what he's really good at. Riordan doesn't have to try too hard in writing the romance part from the girl's POV because he would screw up again if he does it.

It wouldn't be a big problem if Mark of Athena almost made me didn't want to continue reading the next two books. It was so bad that I was like,"Do I really want to read House of Hades? Would Rick Riordan screw up again?". I know that it could be Riordan's (lame) attempt to shut the shippers' mouths up, but it ended up badly. To be honest, the cliffhanger in Mark of Athena which involved a particular pairing did shock me but it didn't really affect me the way I reacted after reading The Battle of Labyrinth. I know Riordan would never mess with this couple. Well, he might kill one of them in the end (I don't know why, but I just have a feeling it would happen), but he would never mess with them at least until the end of the series. So I don't know why many people freaked out because of the cliffhanger. If there is a cliffhanger involving a couple that drove me crazy, it was the one Suzanne Collins wrote in the end of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire book. Still, I did care about other things as well that might happen in the last book, Mockingjay, not only who the main character would end up with. That's what I love; that's what Riordan did in the first series and I loved it.

The problem could be either the author writes the romance from the wrong POV or he/she just can't write romance. I don't know what would it be if Rowling writes romance from a girl's POV one day. I have a feeling, though, that she would still screw up because the way she handles and ends her romance story. I still ship Harry Potter and Hermione Granger, of course. To be honest, though, I don't think I would love it even if she chose Harry/Hermione because of the way she writes romance.

Thank you for your attention :)
READ MORE » Romance in Novels (In My Opinion)

Friday, September 13, 2013

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(not really) Review Novel Seri Twilight Saga (Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn)

Romantic or Abusive?

Kali ini, aku mau membicarakan tentang seri novel Twilight Saga dan karakter-karakternya & Stephenie Meyer, tapi terutama Edward Anthony Masen aka Edward Cullen dan Isabella "Bella" Marie Swan. Aku cuma bisa mengutip atau mengambil referensi dari novel pertama seri "Twilight Saga", yaitu Twilight. Bukan berarti aku ga bakal mengambil dari novel-novel lanjutannya, tapi apa boleh buat? Aku udah lama banget ga baca seri novel ini. Siapa yang nggak tau soal dua orang ini? Siapa yang nggak bilang kalo pasangan ini romantis? Siapa yang nggak bilang bahwa kedua orang ini harus dijadikan contoh dalam hubungan romantis?



Aww me too, Hermione. A thousand points for you, girl.

Dulu, aku juga sama seperti kebanyakan orang: Edward itu cowok ideal, dan Bella memang seharusnya bersama dengan Edward. Aku juga bahkan berpikir bahwa saat seseorang jatuh cinta dan ingin bersama-sama dengan orang yang dicintainya itu, penampilan adalah segalanya. Sama sekali nggak terpikirkan olehku bahwa hubungan Edward dan Bella adalah lust, bukan true love. More like, twu luv. Coba dipikir-pikir lagi deh. Edward tertarik sama Bella karena aroma darahnya yang menggoda, Bella tertarik sama Edward karena dia ganteng. Basically, Edward -> Bella kayak saat seseorang yang ngiler berat sama cheese cake tapi ga bisa makan karena diet, Bella -> Edward kayak saat seseorang ngeliatin sebuah gaun indah yang bagi dia cuma gaun itu yang paling sempurna dan nggak mencoba mencari/melihat yang lain. Come on, apa bedanya? :P

Kosakata Stephenie yang cuma terbatas di kata-kata yang mendeskripsikan kesempurnaan seseorang, tapi paling banyak kata perfect. Belum lagi ternyata di versi bahasa Inggrisnya, Stephenie memakai banyak kata-kata yang dia gunakan cuma supaya terdengar entah puitis, keren, atau jenius. Ternyata yang ada malah Meyer menyalahgunakan kata-kata yang ia gunakan itu. >_> Siriusly. Stephenie benar-benar menggambarkan penampilan fisik Edward setiap beberapa halaman sejak nama Edward disebut. Mengenai kosakata, ya cuma kata perfect yang seingatku paling sering Stephenie gunakan. Dan ya ampun... tidak terlintas kah di kepala Stephenie, kalo dia nggak perlu berulang-ulang mendeskripsikan Edward? Dia ganteng dan sempurna (menurut Stephenie :P), WE FREAKING GET IT. NOW, MOVE ON. Sayangnya, Stephenie memang kelihatannya cinta banget sama Edward sampai-sampai mungkin dia bakal melamar Edward kalo dia nyata. Entah apa yang membuat Stephenie lupa bahwa karakter utama di novel nya adalah Bella, sampai-sampai dia nggak memberikan Bella deskripsi penampilan fisik yang berarti atau memorable.

Hampir di setiap beberapa halaman sejak nama Edward disebutkan, selain menemukan deskripsi penampilan fisik Edward, kita juga bisa menemukan bagaimana Bella merasa dirinya tidak pantas untuk Edward karena... dia ganteng dan sempurna. Mungkin memang itu yang Meyer ingin sampaikan: kalo orang yang kalian taksir itu ganteng/cantik banget, buang jauh-jauh deh keinginan kalian untuk bisa menyatakan perasaan kalian atau untuk sekadar menjadi teman. Penampilan fisik tuh segalanya. Contoh salah satu kutipan yang menunjukkan ketidakpercayadirian Bella:

...Apa maksudnya, lebih baik kami tidak berteman?
Perutku bergejolak begitu aku menyadari maksudnya. Ia pasti tahu betapa aku sangat terpesona olehnya; ia pasti tidak ingin itu berlanjut... karena itu kami tidak bisa berteman... karena itu ia sama sekali tidak tertarik padaku.
Tentu saja ia tidak tertarik padaku, pikirku marah, mataku perihjelas bukan karena irisan bawang. Aku tidak menarik. Sementara Edward benar-benar. Menarik... dan pintar... dan misterius... dan sempurna... dan tampan... dan barangkali bisa mengangkat van berukuran besar dengan satu tangan.

By the way, Stephenie memang akhirnya memberikan deskripsi jelas tentang penampilan fisik Bella Swan..... bukan di buku atau dari awal. In a way, Stephenie dan J.K. Rowling bakalan jadi teman akrab. Alasannya pun konyol tapi mudah ditebak: supaya setiap cewek yang baca novel seri Twilight Saga bisa dengan mudah membayangkan diri mereka sendiri sebagai Bella. Hah.

Bella Swan... she's basically a b**ch. Bella mengabaikan teman-temannya yang cuma mau berteman dengan dia, bersikap tidak sopan kepada Ayahnya (yang sebenernya dari awal juga emang nggak sopan), dan nggak peduli sama kehidupan normalnya cuma gara-gara Edward. Di hari pertama sekolah, yang ngomong-ngomong nggak realistis, semua orang basically suka sama Bella. Nggak peduli bagaimana Bella memperlakukan mereka, tetap aja mereka suka dan mendekati Bella seakan-akan cuma dia yang paling sempurna dan yang lain sih ditendang aja jauh-jauh. Bella bahkan membayangkan Mike, yang cuma mau bersikap manis karena *surprise, surprise* dia naksir Bella, sebagai seekor anjing. What a nice girl.

Basically, menurutku berikut ini adalah bagaimana Bella memperlakukan orang-orang di sekitarnya:

Cowok-cowok di Forks High (kecuali Edward Cullen):

Bella Swan:


 Cewek-cewek di Forks High (kecuali si Lauren Mallory tentunya... haha -_-):



Bella Swan:

Keluarga Cullen muncul, Bella Swan was like:



Edward Cullen:


Bella Swan:

Edward "Why don't you kill Bella and yourself" Cullen:


Bella Swan:


Basically, Bella was like,"Oh, Edward, aku cinta banget sama kamu padahal kita baru ketemu dan belum kenal satu sama lain. Ayo gigit aku! Sekarang juga! Jadi kita bisa hidup bahagia selamanya. Keluargaku? Teman-temanku? Kehidupan normalku? Siapa peduli!". Bella mau begitu saja meninggalkan semua yang dia miliki cuma demi seorang cowok yang baru dia kenal, dan cowok itu juga memperlakukan dia dengan kasar dan seenaknya.

Saat Edward meninggalkan Bella (yang ngomong-ngomong, bener-bener... UGH. Yeah, that's right. Mau putusin pacar? Bawa pacarmu ke dalam hutan di malam hari, lalu tinggalkan dia sendirian dalam keadaan depresi karena ga terima diputusin.) di New Moon, Bella hidup bagaikan mayat hidup aka zombie. SIRIUSLY. Itukah pesan yang ingin Meyer sampaikan? Kalo kalian diputusin pacar kalian (yang baru kalian kenal), jalani hidup kalian kayak mayat hidup ya. Itu normal kok. Abaikan segala yang kalian miliki.

DUDE. WHAT THE HELL?! Ditambah lagi, Bella juga memanfaatkan Jacob (yang ngomong-ngomong, tadinya cowok biasa-biasa aja dan salah satu karakter normal di seri Twilight Saga... sampai Meyer mengubahnya menjadi werewolf pedofil yang suka seenaknya) sebagai semacam pelarian, bahkan Bella bisa dianggap mem-PHP-kan Jacob. Bella juga membahayakan nyawanya cuma gara-gara ia berhalusinasi akan suara Edward yang memperingatkannya saat ia berada di dalam bahaya. Yep, pesan yang bener-bener bagus, kan? Kalo kalian berhalusinasi bahwa mantan pacar kalian memperingatkan kalian saat kalian melakukan sesuatu yang bahaya/ceroboh, sekalian saja bunuh diri. Nanti mantan pacar kalian pasti bakal menyadari kalo dia masih mencintai dan menyelamatkan kalian. >_>

Bella juga takut menyuarakan pikiran atau perasaannya cuma karena Bella takut Edward marah atau mungkin menjauhinya. Bella seharusnya nggak hanya mempedulikan perasaan Edward dibandingkan perasaannya sendiri. Sekalipun Bella sudah menyatakan pikirannya tentang suatu hal, Bella bisa dibilang panik dan menyesal, lalu entah meminta maaf atau bilang ya-ampun-kamu-marah-atau-nggak-suka-ya-tuh-kan-aku-bilang-juga-apa-maafkan-aku-ya. Contohnya sih banyak, tapi salah satunya ini:

"Kuputuskan itu tidak penting,"bisikku.
"Itu tidak penting!"nada suaranya membuatku mendongakakhirnya aku berhasil membuatnya menunjukkan perasaannya yang sesungguhnya. Wajahnya memancarkan ketidakpercayaan, dengan sedikit amarah yang membuatku waswas.
"Tidak,"kataku lembut. "Tidak penting bagiku apapun kau ini."
"Kau marah,"keluhku. "Aku seharusnya tidak mengatakan apa-apa."

Dan masih banyak lagi dialog-dialog yang menunjukkan kalau Bella takut untuk mengungkapkan pikiran dan perasaannya pada Edward.

Sementara itu, Edward memperlakukan Bella semaunya demi mendapatkan yang dia mau. Yep, dia orang yang manipulatif. Bella bisa aja menolak atau menangis karena apa yang Edward minta awalnya, tapi yang Edward perlu lakukan cuma menatap Bella dengan menggoda atau crooked-smile nya dan Bella bakal mengiyakan. Selain itu, Edward juga cowok yang creepy. Nggak percaya? Coba perhatikan kutipan berikut ini (abaikan terjemahannya yang...nggak pas):

Ia menatapku tidak sabaran. "Aku takkan membiarkanmu pulang jalan kaki. Kami akan mengambil trukmu dan meninggalkannya di parkiran."
"Aku tidak membawa kuncinya,"desahku. "Aku benar-benar tidak keberatan berjalan kaki." Yang membuatku keberatan adalah kehilangan waktu bersamanya.
Ia menggeleng. "Trukmu akan ada disini, kuncinya tergantung di lubang starter−kecuali kau khawatir seseorang akan mengambilnya." Ia menertawai perkataannya sendiri.
"Baiklah,"aku menyetujuinya, bibirku merengut. Aku cukup yakin kunciku ada di kantong jins yang kupakai hari Rabu, di tumpukan pakaian di ruang cuci. Bahkan kalaupun ia menerobos masuk ke rumahku, atau apapun yang direncanakannya, ia takkan menemukannya.

"Aku membuntutimu ke Port Angeles,"akunya terburu-buru.

Ia menggapai pintu di depanku dan membukakannya untukku. Aku berhenti di tengah-tengah pintu.
"Pintunya tak terkunci?"
"Bukan, aku menggunakan kunci di bawah daun pintu."
Aku melangkah masuk, menyalakan lampu teras, dan berbalik menghadapnya dengan alis terangkat. Aku yakin tak pernah menggunakan kunci itu di hadapannya.
"Aku penasaran denganmu."
"Kau memata-mataiku?" Entah bagaimana aku tak bisa membuat suaraku terdengar marah. Aku tersanjung.
Ia tidak kelihatan menyesal. "Apa lagi yang bisa dilakukan pada malam hari?"

"Seberapa sering?"tanyaku kasual.
"Hmmm?"Ia terdengar seolah-olah aku telah menariknya keluar dari lamunannya.
Aku masih tidak berpaling. "Seberapa sering kau datang kemari?"
"Aku datang kesini hampir setiap malam."
Aku berputar, terperangah. "Kenapa?"
"Kau menarik ketika sedang tidur." Nada suaranya datar. "Kau mengigau."
"Tidak!"sahutku menahan napas, wajahku memanas hingga ke garis rambut.

Ekspresinya langsung berubah kecewa. "Apa kau sangat marah padaku?"
"Tergantung!"Aku merasa dan terdengan seolah kehabisan napas.
Ia menanti.
"Pada?"
"Apa yang kau dengar!"erangku.

Ia tahu maksudku. "Kau memanggil namaku,"ia mengakui.
Aku mendesah kalah. "Sering?"
"Seberapa sering yang kau maksud dengan 'sering', tepatnya?"
"Oh, tidak!"Kepalaku terkulai.


Edward jelas-jelas adalah stalker atau penguntit, dia juga tau di mana Bella menyimpan kunci rumah & truknya, dan dia ngeliatin Bella setiap malam saat Bella tidur. Edward mengatakan bahwa dia mengikuti Bella ke Port Angeles karena dia baru kali ini dia ngerasa pengen melindungi seseorang seperti itu. I say, stalker. Lagipula, memangnya Bella siapanya Edward sampai-sampai dia bisa mengikuti Bella kemana-mana, bahkan tanpa diketahui Bella? Basically, Edward menjadikan ngeliatin-Bella-saat-ia-tidur-tiap-malam sebagai hobi, cuma karena dia ga tau mau ngapain setiap malam. Kemudian, saat Edward mengaku bahwa dia sering ngeliatin Bella saat dia tidur setiap malam... Bella malah merasa tersanjung. Bukannya berteriak minta tolong, menelepon Ayahnya, atau melempari Edward dengan barang-barang disekitarnya... Bella malah senang dan merasa tersanjung bahwa dia dikuntit oleh cowok kasar yang baru dikenalnya. Eh tunggu dulu....... Bella memang akhirnya merasa keberatan/terganggu..... tapi karena Edward mendengar Bella mengigau, bukan karena dia dilihat Edward setiap malam saat tidur. >_>

Tiba-tiba jalan setapak seolah lenyap dari bawahku. Kubuka mataku karena terkejut. Edward telah menggendongku, begitu mudahnya seolah beratku hanya lima kilo, bukannya 55.
"Turunkan aku!" Kumohon, kumohon, jangan biarkan aku muntah di tubuhnya. Ia sudah berjalan sebelum aku selesai bicara.

"Turunkan aku,"keluhku. Ayunan langkahnya tidak membuatku lebih baik.
"Jadi kau pingsan karena melihat darah?"ia bertanya. Sepertinya ini menghiburnya.
Sekarang kami sudah berada di dekat parkiran. Aku berbelok ke kiri menuju trukku. Sesuatu menarik jaketku hingga aku tertahan.
"Pikirmu kau mau kemana?"tanyanya, marah. Dicengkeramnya jaketku hanya dengan satu tangan.
Aku bingung. "Pulang."
"Apa tadi kau tidak dengar aku berjanji mengantarmu pulang dengan selamat? Pikirmu aku akan membiarkanmu mengemudi dalam kondisi seperti ini?" Suaranya masih marah.
"Kondisi apa? Lalu trukku bagaimana?"keluhku.
"Akan kusuruh Alice mengantarnya sepulang sekolah nanti." Sekarang Ia menarikku ke mobilnya, lebih tepatnya menarik jaketku. Hanya itu yang bisa kulakukan agar tidak terjengkang ke belakang. Kalaupun aku jatuh, barangkali ia akan tetap menyeretku.
"Lepaskan!"desakku. Ia mengabaikanku. Aku berjalan terseret-seret sepanjang jalan yang basah hingga kami sampai di tempat Volvo Edward diparkir. Lalu akhirnya ia melepaskanku−aku terhuyung ke pintu penumpang.
"Kau kasar sekali!"gerutuku.
"Sudah terbuka,"cuma itu reaksinya. Lalu ia masuk ke kursi pengemudi.
"Aku sangat mampu menyetir sendiri sampai rumah!"Aku berdiri di sisi mobil, marah. Hujan turun makin deras, dan aku tidak mengenakan tudung jaketku, jadi air menetes-netes ke punggungku.
Ia menurunkan jendela otomatisnya dan mencondongkan tubuhnya ke kursi di seberangnya. "Masuk, Bella."
Aku tak menjawab. Dalam pikiranku aku menghitung-hitung kesempatanku untuk mencapai trukku sebelum ia bisa menangkapku. Harus kuakui, tidak mungkin.
"Aku tinggal menyeretmu lagi,"ancamnya, seolah bisa menebak apa yang kurencanakan.

"Kenapa kau membuat kemacetan kemarin?" tanyaku sambil tetap mengalihkan pandangan."Kupikir kau seharusnya berpura-pura aku tidak ada, bukannya membuatku kesal setengah mati."
"Itu demi kebaikan Tyler, bukan aku. Aku harus memberinya kesempatan,"oloknya.
"Kau...,"ujarku geram. Aku tak bisa memikirkan kata-kata yang cukup jahat. Seharusnya amarahku ini bisa membakarnya, tapi sepertinya ia malah semakin terhibur.
"Kau mengajakku ke prom!"teriakku.
Sekarang semuanya sudah jelas. Kalau saja aku memerhatikan sejak awal, aku yakin pasti bisa melihat tanggal di poster-poster di seluruh penjuru sekolah. Tapi aku tak pernah menyangka ia bakal mengajakku. Tidakkah Edward mengenalku sama sekali?

"Kenapa kau melakukan ini padaku?"tanyaku cemas.
Ia menunjuk tuksedonya. "Sungguh, Bella, menurutmu apa yang kita lakukan?"
Aku merasa dipermalukan.

Aku sudah menduga sesuatu sedang terjadi. Tapi prom, yang benar saja! Itu sama sekali tak terpikirkan olehku.
Air mata kemarahan menetes di pipiku.

"Ini benar-benar konyol. Kenapa kau menangis?"tanya Edward kesal.
"Karena aku marah!"
"Bella."mata keemasannya menatapku lekat-lekat.
"Apa?"gumamku, bingung.
"Ayolah,"desaknya.
Tatapannya mencairkan segenap amarahku. Mustahil bertengkar dengannya kalau ia bersikap curang seperti itu. Aku menyerah.
"Baiklah."bibirku mencebik

"Hanya satu teori−aku takkan tertawa."
"Pasti kau bakal tertawa."Aku yakin mengenai yang satu ini.
Ia menunduk, lalu memandangku dari balik bulu matanya yang lentik, matanya yang kekuningan tampak membara.
"Please?"ia menghela napas, mencondongkan tubuhnya ke arahku.
Aku mengerjap, pikiranku kosong. Sialan, bagaimana ia melakukannya?
"Mmm, apa?"tanyaku bingung.
"Ceritakan satu teori, sedikit saja."matanya yang berkilat-kilat masih menatapku.

Edward mempelakukan Bella seenaknya cuma karena Edward terhibur dengan menggoda dan menjahili Bella. Ia bahkan nggak peduli dengan perasaan Bella, entah Bella nggak setuju, marah, bahkan menangis. Yang penting bagi Edward adalah keinginannya tercapai dan ia senang. Edward bahkan bisa menyuruh orang lain (cont: Alice) untuk mendapatkan/melakukan apa yang ia mau. Edward yang manipulatif? Coba lihat, seperti yang kubilang, Edward cuma perlu menatap Bella dengan menggoda seakan menghipnotisnya, dan BAM. Bella melakukan yang Edward minta sekalipun Bella sudah bilang kalo dia marah sampai menangis. Bella marah sampai air matanya menetes? Hah, buat Edward itu konyol. Edward nggak berpikir sama sekali kalo perasaan dan pendapat Bella perlu didengar atau dipertimbangkan, yang penting kemauan Edward tercapai. He's a sweet boyfriend, isn't he? >_>

I am terribly sorry for making you uncomfortable, but I just wanna say it (aku lupa dimana sumbernya, tapi seingatku dari tumblr): after b*tching for years about Bella's safety, he forgot about that one thing. Yep. Di Breaking Dawn, Edward dan Bella... em... akhirnya... melakukan... itu. UGH I know you do know what I mean. Di badan Bella (kalo ga salah) ada biru lebam setelah melakukan itu? Riiiiight, jadi Edward memilih untuk mengikuti nafsu nya untuk melakukan itu, nggak memikirkan akibatnya, dan sedih saat melihat akibatnya pada tubuh Bella. Edward menyesal atau sedih, padahal harusnya dia kan bisa mengontrol dirinya. Sure dude, whatever. Edward bahkan membiarkan Bella tetap mengandung anak yang membahayakan nyawa Bella cuma karena Bella mau mempertahankannya, padahal saat itu mereka jelas tau bahwa kemungkinannya anak mereka bakal merobek kulit Bella untuk keluar. DUDE. >_> Well, apa boleh buat? Queen Bella wants something, she gets it. 

Ngomong-ngomong, basically karakter-karakter utama Stephenie Meyer di novel seri Twilight Saga memang mendapatkan happy ending. Meyer ga bakal 'membunuh' karakter yang ada kecuali Meyer entah nggak suka atau karakter itu nggak punya peran dalam kebahagiaan karakter-karakter pilihan Meyer. Contoh? Lauren Mallory. Satu-satunya yang nggak suka sama Bella karena... ya pokoknya ga suka. Lauren juga merupakan salah satu bukti bahwa Bella adalah Mary Sue. Kenapa? Karena salah satu bukti bahwa karakter tersebut Mary Sue adalah dia disukai semua orang, kecuali satu atau sedikit orang. Nah, yang nggak suka bahkan benci si Mary Sue ini bakal digambarkan si penulis sebagai basically a b*tch. Kenapa? Ya karena dia nggak suka bahkan benci sama si Mary Sue ini. Itu doang. Bella juga nggak punya kekurangan atau flaw apapun; salah satu ciri karakter Mary Sue lainnya. >_> Contoh karakter lain yang 'dibunuh' atau jelas-jelas nggak disukai Meyer? Cari aja karakter yang rambutnya pirang, biasanya udah bisa ditebak apa fungsi si karakter itu. Nggak suka sama Bella/Edward/keluarga Cullen? Kasar? A b*tch? A jerk? Pengganggu? You name it. Karakter-karakter berambut pirang yang merupakan pengecualian? Ada Carlisle, Rosalie, Jasper, dan mungkin masih ada banyak lagi. Contohnya, Rosalie yang tadinya nggak suka sama Bella (yang memang wajar, karena Rosalie masih waras. Dia nggak suka sama Bella yang dengan gampangnya membuang kehidupan normalnya cuma demi cintah sejatih), mendukung keputusan Bella untuk mempertahankan kandungannya karena Rosalie pengen banget punya anak tapi ga bisa. Karakter-karakter seperti mereka inilah yang nggak bakal diapa-apakan oleh Meyer.

Karena fakta inilah aku mencibir saat menonton film Breaking Dawn part 2. Saat aku melihat di bagian menjelang akhir film, director dan kru film ternyata terlalu amat sangat baik dengan memasukkan plot twist di film ini. Banyak banget karakter-karakter Meyer yang tewas di bagian plot twist ini. Sayangnya, aku cuma kaget selama sesaat saat menyaksikan plot twist ini. Kenapa? Meyer jelas-jelas cinta mati sama karakter-karakter pilihannya. Meyer nggak mau membunuh satupun dari mereka, terutama Edward dan Bella. Nggak mungkin penulis yang cinta banget sama karakter-karakter nya rela melihat kru dan director film membunuh mereka. Ngomong-ngomong, di novel Breaking Dawn sebenernya nggak ada adegan perang antara klan Volturi dan Cullen ataupun adegan Alice yang memberikan penglihatan pada Aro. Nope. Basically, kesimpulannya adalah omgomgomg-gawat-Volturi-tau-tentang-Renesmee-ayo-cepat-pikirkan-tentang-solusinya-omgomgomg-Volturi-datang-*diskusi, obrolan, atau kejadian nggak penting antara Cullen dkk dan Volturi*-happy ending. I mean, COME ON. Seenggaknya bagiku, seharusnya ini saat dimana Meyer bisa menunjukkan bahwa ada momen dimana seri novel nya ini memang layak dibaca karena ke-vampir-dan-werewolf-an nya. Bayangin dong, pembaca pasti awalnya udah membayangkan adegan seru dan detail tentang pertempuran gabungan antara werewolf-dan-vampir vs vampir. Tapi kenyataannya? Basically, nothing happens. Coba cek aja Top Reviews novel Breaking Dawn di goodreads. Bahkan fans setia Meyer yang tadinya nggak peduli dengan kekurangan/kejelekan seri novel Twilight Saga pun nggak terima. Jadi yah, seperti yang kubilang, director dan kru film pastinya nggak mau rugi karena kekonyolan Meyer ini dan akhirnya mereka jadi terlalu berbaik hati dengan memasukkan so-called plot twist ini.

Lalu karakter Jacob Black. Meyer merusak karakter yang tadinya sempat normal menjadi sama atau lebih parah dibandingkan dengan Edward Cullen dan Bella Swan. Jacob mencium Bella (kalo nggak salah) di Eclipse, dia bahkan nggak merasa bersalah. Ayah Bella, Charlie, dibuat Meyer nggak mempermasalahkan ini juga. Nggak bisa disalahkan juga sih, mungkin Charlie memang masih melihat bahwa Jacob masih cowok normal dibandingkan Edward. Meyer juga memasukkan tentang imprint, yaitu ketika werewolf jatuh cinta sama seseorang dan cuma orang itulah pasangan hidupnya. Like, kalo misalnya Werewolf A meng-imprint seorang cewek yang sudah menikah atau seenggaknya nggak mencintai Werewolf A, ya Werewolf A musti jadian sama cewek itu. Lebih parahnya lagi, Meyer menggambarkan (sebelum Jacob-dan-Renesmee creepy stuff) Quil Ateara, teman Jacob, mengimprint anak balita berumur dua tahun. Meyer bisa aja mengimplikasikan bahwa Quil nggak benar-benar serius jatuh cinta dan ditakdirkan dengan anak perempuan yang masih kecil, bahwa Quil harus melupakan anak yang bernama Claire ini karena ia masih kecil. But no, Meyer malah mengimplikasikan bahwa sekalipun yang di-imprint masih anak kecil atau bayi baru lahir (Renesmee), si werewolf ini bakal menunggu sampai dia dewasa dan baru jadian. Gimana kalo Claire atau Renesmee malah jatuh cinta sama orang lain? Nggak dijelaskan kayaknya, tapi yang jelas nggak sedikit yang mendapat kesan bahwa Quil dan Jacob bakal memaksa Claire dan Renesmee (yang dipanggil.....Nessie >_>) untuk mencintai mereka. DUDE. *banting meja* Kalaupun ada sedikit fans Meyer yang cuma mau Renesmee/Nessie-Jacob dan Quil-Claire jadi sebatas teman, nggak kelihatan tuh dari sebagian besar komentar mereka yang bilang ya-ampun-Claire-dan-Quil-itu-romantis-dan-imut-banget-ya-aww dan jumlah fan art Nessie-Jacob/Quil-Claire yang jelas-jelas nggak menggambarkan pertemanan atau kakak-adik. >_>

WHY OH WHY... kenapa Meyer nggak membuat Quil Ateara dan Jacob Black meng-imprint cewek seumuran mereka? Nggak terlintaskah di kepala Meyer untuk membuat imprint-dengan-orang-yang-seumuran?? Susah banget kah untuk Meyer memasangkan Jacob Black dengan... oh, I don't know... Leah Clearwater? Atau some random girl? Atau ini cuma karena Meyer kepengen membuat Bella, cewek egois yang nggak mau melepas Jacob karena ternyata Bella mencintai Jacob juga, menjadi tetap bahagia? Cewek yang sangat mencintai Edward, tapi nggak mau melepaskan Jacob? Jadi Meyer membuat nggak-dapat-yang-ditaksir-anaknya-pun-jadi?? Itukah pesan lain yang ingin disampaikan Meyer? Kalo kalian naksir sama seseorang dan ditolak, jangan khawatir. Tunggu sampai dia punya anak, anaknya pasti adalah orang yang sebenarnya ditakdirkan untuk kalian. >_>

Masih mengenai imprint: Sam Uley dan Emily Young. Sam melukai wajah Emily saat ia kehilangan kontrol dirinya sendiri karena dia werewolf, tapi tenang aja. Sam meng-imprint Emily, jadi itu artinya Emily adalah jodoh dan cinta sejatinya Sam. Emily pun memaafkan Sam dan bukannya menjauhi Sam karena sudah membahayakan nyawanya dan merusak wajahnya. Totally normal, right? RIGHT?! :D Oh my God... Meyer seakan menyampaikan pesan bahwa kekerasan yang bahkan bisa membahayakan nyawa dalam suatu hubungan tuh nggak apa-apa, kan c1Nt4h S3jAtIh. *banting meja*

Meyer juga melupakan sisi orang tua dari Charlie Swan. Like, come on. Di New Moon, saat Bella depresi cuma gara-gara ditinggalkan cowok macam Edward, Charlie cuma kayak: oh-Bella-kamu-kayak-mayat-hidup-harusnya-kamu-bergaul-lebih-sering-dong-tapi-kamu-ga-perlu-dibawa-ke-terapis-my-daughter's-totally-normal-lol. Lalu di Breaking Dawn, aku lupa detail nya, tapi banyak yang menunjukkan ketidakpedulian Charlie akan Bella. Siriusly... Bella ini anaknya atau bukan? If you think about it, though, Bella juga bersikap seakan Charlie dan Renée bukan orang tua kandungnya. Nggak sopan? Check. Nggak peduli? Check. Menyebut/memanggil mereka dengan nama depan? Check. Maksudku, kalo Phil Dwyer, Bella memanggil atau menyebut nya dengan nama depan pun nggak masalah, mengingat budaya orang barat yang seingatku memang oke-oke aja. Tapi ini pertama kalinya aku membaca novel terjemahan dimana ada anak yang memanggil/menyebut orang tua kandungnya dengan nama depan. What a nice girl.

And don't get me started on para fans/penggemar Twilight yang menganggap Stephenie Meyer adalah penulis terhebat dan bakal melakukan apa aja (menyiksa diri mereka sendiri bahkan melukai/membunuh orang lain) pada orang-orang yang mengkritik/membenci Twilight Saga, dan juga Meyer yang berani-berani nya merusak citra vampir (yang, ngomong-ngomong, nggak pantas menyandang status sebagai vampir) dan werewolf (yang bahkan nggak pantas disebut werewolf). Memang, nggak semua fans Twilight seperti itu, tapi tetap aja kan... sedikit atau beberapa fans yang bertindak seperti ini aka berlebihan, pasti bakal menodai keseluruhan fandom Twilight aka Twihard. Atau Twitard (yang sebenarnya selain penyalahgunaan kata retard, juga merupakan penghinaan bagi retarded people).

Jadi kesimpulannya ya, setiap ada yang bilang bahwa Edward Cullen adalah cowok/pacar impian yang romantis, Bella Swan adalah cewek tangguh dan patut dijadikan role model, Jacob Black-Renesmee adalah pasangan yang imut dan normal, atau basically Twilight Saga adalah seri novel yang keren dan bagus, I was like.....



Tapi kalo ada yang punya pemikiran yang sama denganku bahwa Twilight Saga jelek dan memiliki dampak negatif & Meyer seharusnya bahkan nggak jadi penulis, I'll be like...



Ngomong-ngomong, ada kesempatan untuk mengetahui apa yang ada di novel Twilight, buku pertama di seri Twilight Saga, secara gratis dalam bentuk video di YouTube. Kenal dengan cowok yang channel YouTube nya nerimon aka Alex Day? Kalau belum tapi tertarik, silahkan tonton lima belas video oleh Alex dimana ia membaca novel Twilight dan mengomentari/mengkritik isi ceritanya. Masih banyak beberapa hal tentang seri novel Twilight Saga (baik yang konyol, mengerikan, menggelikan, bahkan menjijikkan) yang disebutkan Alex tapi belum kusebutkan di post kali ini. Man, what a brave, nice and really cute guy. Kapan lagi kan ada kesempatan dibacakan novel Twilight oleh cowok sebaik, seimut, dan seganteng Alex :P Nggak usah takut kebosanan atau bakalan jadi terlalu serius karena selain Alex dan video-videonya kocak, seri video "Alex Reads Twilight" adalah salah satu hal terbaik yang pernah aku temukan dan tonton. Tertarik? Silahkan klik link ini untuk playlist video-video Alex membaca novel Twilight di channel YouTube-nya. :)



Thank you for your attention~ :3

READ MORE » (not really) Review Novel Seri Twilight Saga (Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn)

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

7

Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, and Ginny Weasley

Contrary to popular belief, I do not ship Harry Potter and Hermione Granger (Harmony) just because of the movies aka Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson's chemistry. Nope. It's only a bonus; it won't be the main reason why I ship (always will) Harry/Hermione. Many people also said that Harmony shippers (or Harmonians) hate Ron and Ginny for no apparent reason, or just because they end up together with Harry and Hermione. Um...

Wut.

SIRIUSLY. It's like saying I hate Harry Potter just because there's no Logan Lerman in it. It means whenever I see Harry Potter, I'll say,"UGH. Why do we have to watch this movie? It sucks! I hate Harry Potter. Why? Because there's no my baby Logan in it!" Sounds silly right?

"Hate" is a strong word, I won't use that word if you ask me something about Ron and Ginny. However, if you insist, I'd choose Ginny because of what Rowling did to her character in "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" to "Deathly Hallows". It's a shame that Rowling wrote her as a fangirl (Philosopher's Stone until OotP), a girl who always saw Harry as "The Hero" and not himself, someone who didn't really understand/know Harry, and someone who became perfect in (almost, I think) everything in "Half-Blood Prince". Harry is the main character. That's why I think that if Rowling had always planned Harry to be with Ginny, she shouldn't write Ginny as a character who was basically only in the background or not important after "Chamber of Secrets". I think no one would complain if Ginny interacted with or had a role in Harry's adventures or life after CoS. Instead, Rowling chose Hermione, a girl who had always been with Harry when people around him weren't, no matter what happened.

As for Ron, I do not hate him, but I dislike him. Yep, I'm one of those people who think that there's a big difference between hating and disliking. Sure, Ron is a loyal and great friend, but I'm talking about Ron as a guy to be with Hermione. You really think that Ron and Hemione's bickering and fights are lovely? Their fights scream 'true love'? Fine, if that's what you think. In my opinion, their bickering is not romantic or lovely at all. Ron is immature, and it seems he still is in the last two books. Everytime Ron and Hermione bicker, Ron always wants to win. How many times has Ron made Hermione cry in the books? And how many times has Harry made Hermione cry? Oh please, do tell me. Sure, bickering couple can be cute sometimes. However, it's cute if the couple bicker over silly things, and then each of them will realize that it's stupid. Then, one or both of them will apologize to each other and they will be fine again. What about Ron and Hermione? I don't think that their fights are cute or lovely. And what about Hermione herself? She once tried to mention Ron's good traits/qualities, but she had a hard time in doing it. And Hermione's opinion about Harry? She praises Harry easily and oftenly, and vice versa.

If you think Harry/Ginny's undeveloped that does not make sense and Ron/Hermione's abusive (emotionally, verbally, even physically <HBP>) are romantic, lovely, and true love... fine. You accept everything Rowling said in her INTERVIEWS or wrote? Fine. Harmony shippers and I will always ship Harry/Hermione no matter what happened. You say that we ship Harmony just because of the movies? Nope, you're wrong. We have many proofs that Rowling herself wrote in the books (that I think she considered as something that made people didn't know about Harry/Ginny and Ron/Hermione). You throw the platonic quote and Rowling's INTERVIEWS at us? Well, we have loads of Harmony moments from THE BOOKS, not THE MOVIES. You say that we're delusional and crazy? Harmony shippers and I are proud to be delusional and crazy people.

Thank you for your attention~
READ MORE » Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, and Ginny Weasley

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

0

One Plus One Equals Two..... and It IS the Only Way.


Mrs. Rowling: "1+1=2. Do you hear me, kids? Here's one finger, and here's the other. One plus one equals two! Get it? Now... Mia, can you repeat what I just said?"


Mia: "Here's my one finger, here's the other... one plus one equals two!"

Mrs. Rowling: "Good! What about you, Anna? Can you?"

Anna: *uses calculator* "One plus one equals two, Mrs. Rowling! There are other ways, though, ma'am. Three minus one also equals two! See? And five minus three−"

Mrs. Rowling: "No, no, no! Why are you using calculator?? Use your fingers! And didn't you listen to what I just said? It has to be one plus one!"

Anna: "But−"

Emerson: "Look ma'am, look! *raises hand* One plus one equals two!"

Mrs. Rowling: "Good boy... and you're using your fingers! Amazing."

Emerson: "You know, ma'am, I think those who don't use your way are delusional!"

Anna: "I'm sorry, what??"

Melissa: "Well, I agree. If you don't use Mrs. Rowling's way, it means you're delusional. Even crazy!"

Mrs. Rowling: *laughs*

Emerson: "See? Mrs. Rowling won't defend you or anything~"

John: "Delusional? Crazy?? But it makes sense! It's not only one-plus-one but there are other ways−"

Mrs. Rowling: "Well, if you don't use my way, I am really sure that you don't pay attention to what I say. One plus one equals two. No other ways. End of story."

Melissa: "Look, Mrs. Rowling! I record everything you said about one-plus-one-equals-two!"

Emerson: "Nice, Melissa!"

Mrs. Rowling: "Ooh, wonderful! Listen, kids, I wanna emphasize it one more time: one plus one equals two! If you're still not sure, you can listen to Melissa's recording. Still not sure? Just keep repeating it."

Anna: "Just because one plus one equals two, it doesn't mean that it's the only way to get the number 'two'. There are other ways, like six-minus-four−"

Emerson: *scoffs* "Delusional, crazy people everywhere!"

Melissa: "I know right? One plus one equals two, that's it! Anyway, if you don't use Mrs. Rowling's way, it means the 'one' number will be lonely. Other numbers will leave it alone and won't be friends with the 'one' number again!"

Mrs. Rowling: "My eyes just got teary. That was so beautiful, Melissa, Emerson."

Louis: "This is not fair. We're having different opinions, Mrs. Rowling. It's not like what Anna did and said is wrong. To get 'two', it doesn't have to be one-plus-one."

Mrs. Rowling: "Unfortunately, my way is the king here. I won't say anything even though you're only having different opinion. Plus, don't you remember my previous lessons?"

Louis: "I do. You've been talking about how to get the number 'two', but some of us obviously think and know that there are other ways−"

Emerson: "Ha! Delusional."

Melissa: "Yeah!" *laughs*

Mrs. Rowling: "Listen to Emerson and Melissa. Obviously, they pay attention to what I said and, most importantly, they only use my way! One plus one equals two."

John: "I can't believe it, Emerson. How could you? You guys are so rude."

Emerson: "What...? Er... no, uh... I'm sorry guys. I didn't mean anything, you know. See? I said I'm sorry. That'll do? We're friends again? Oh, joy."

Brad: "Just in case you guys didn't notice, you're the one who keeps saying 'delusional', Emerson."

Lissa: "You don't really mean it, do you?"

Emerson: *scoffs* "Whatever~"

Rachel: "Really, Mrs. Rowling? You won't say anything about this? Some of us are only having different opinions. It's obvious that the others have won this argument because...well, apparently we can't use other ways and we can't criticize Mrs. Rowling−"

Melissa: "Of course you can't! Mrs. Rowling is a genius and no one can say anything or criticize her. In fact, she is our Queen!"
Emerson: "Yeah, and she is always right!"

Mrs. Rowling: "Awwh my eyes got teary again. Thank you, Emerson, Melissa."

Louis: "Besides, Anna's right, you know. There are other ways. Anyway, do you really think that it's our fault if we have different opinions, Mrs. Rowling? It's our fault that we think there are other ways, not just yours? It's our fault that the other ways can be used as well? You don't think that there must be−"

Melissa: "If you want to keep talking about how your way is the only one, Mrs. Rowling, I think you can keep doing it in, like, interviews. Emerson and I would love to interview you!"

Emerson: "Great idea!"

Mrs. Rowling: "Not a bad idea. Well, I'll do it. I will keep talking about this stuff in interviews. In fact, I'll talk about other stuff too! The important ones or not, or the related stuff or not, I will. You know, Emerson, Melissa, I feel like I wanna write an epilogue about this−"

Emerson and Melissa: "Yay!"

Anna: "What?? Epilogue?! I can't imagine how bad it will be. What class is this anyway?"

Brad: "I don't know. Let's-agree-with-everything-Queen-Rowling-said-and-then-you-won't-be-attacked-and-are-not-delusional class, I suppose."





































This is a random, lame and weird post, I know. It popped up in my mind this morning, and I just wanna post it :P
I hope you get the idea, though...
Thank you for your attention~ :3
READ MORE » One Plus One Equals Two..... and It IS the Only Way.