Wednesday, April 5, 2006

If It Were Anime: And Then There Were None
Previous experince with this book would probably help - a lot. If you can't remember, then check out the SparkNotes for it.

As discussed shortly on the bus:

Strange events started to take place off the southeastern coast of the Ryukyu Islands on the Izumi Isle. A series of ten grisly murders has left people questioning their own safety. The attacks, which seem to happen completly at random, are linked only by the poem left at the site of every case:

Ten little samurai went out to dine; one choked himself and then there were nine.
Nine little samurai sat up very late; one overslept himself and then there were eight.
Eight little samurai speaking of Heaven; one said he'd live there and then there were seven.
Seven little samurai chopping up sticks; one chopped himself in halves and then there were six.
Six little samurai playing with a hive; a bumblebee stung one and then there were five.
Five little samurai settling a score; one lost a fight and then there were four.
Four little samurai going out to sea; a red herring swallowed one and then there were three.
Three little samurai walking in the zoo; a big bear hugged one and then there were two.
Two little samurai sitting in the sun; one got frizzled up and then there was one.
One little samurai left all alone; he went and hanged himself and then there were none.

Fifteen-year-old Hanako Ryota, granddaughter of the murdered Takeshi and Etsuko Ryota, has found out that she can talk to the ghosts of the murdered ones whenever she carries the Midori Katana, a blade that had been kept within her family since feudal Japan. At first, she tries to learn about the people that were murdered. The colorful cast consists of (in order of death and poem) Arata Masuyo, playboy extraordinare, Etsuko Ryota, an old and frail maid, Jiro Goro Minoru, a dojo sensei, Takeshi Ryota, butler, Emi Bao, a ruthless and overly devoted priestess, Wei Hideaki Bo, a brash police officer and inspector, Esmail Goya Aki, a weak-minded alcoholic doctor, Phuong Lim, a mercenary for hire, Vien Chikako, a rather young and former government official, and Li Wen, a judge with a burried sadistic personality.

All of their families had posessions from feudal Japan, ranging from charms to armor to swords, all of which were used in combat. Through more investigating, Hanako discovers that each of the ten people that had died had relatives from the feudal era that had joined together to form the Akane Katsuro, a band of samurai living under the government but with their own goals in mind.

It turns out that they completly wiped out almost an entire clan, and, in that case, were each accused of their own style of murder. The killer from the present believed that an unpunished burden would forever carry on in the family unless the descendent was dealed justice. The way these people had been killed appeared (to the outside world) to match the poem. And yet, the autopsy's reveal the insides as being brutally hacked up and shred to pieces...and each missing the hearts.

But who is this killer? Hanako is confused and distraught - and is running out of time! If she cannot find the murderer, than not only will all her efforts be wasted, but the ghosts of the deceased will never pass on and will forever stay in limbo! Why? The attacks on the people were caused by dark magic, and without their hearts, they won't be able to survive.

What's a teenager to do...?

(Name searching came in this order: Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, Indian, Native American...and then things would get desperate.)
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