They might not be raindrops on roses or whiskers on kittens, but that doesn’t mean that we love them any less. Welcome back to My Favorite Things, the weekly column where we grab someone in speculative circles to gab about the greatest in geek. This week, we sit down with Lindsey Duga, whose debut novel, Kiss of the Royal, comes out on July 3rd (psst, that’s tomorrow!) from Entangled Teen!
What does Lindsey love when she’s not making battle partners romantic? Spoiler alert: an epic manga that spans history and the future, a shocking ending, an exploration of the human psyche, what happens when teens are forced to kill to survive, an anime that changed her life, terrifying monsters on television, an animated visual album and one of the best fighting shows she’s ever seen! Intrigued? Read on to learn more!
Without a doubt, I can proudly, unashamedly say that I am a fangirl. Do I freak out over latest releases? One hundred percent! Do I read/listen to the same things over and over? Heck yes, I do! Do I ship couples? The better question is, how could I not?
I love being a fangirl for a lot of different reasons. First, it is so much fun to gush about characters, worlds, and plots with my friends. Secondly, there are so many things out there that are so wonderfully written, drawn, produced, etc, that I can’t help but fawn over their unique and crazy awesomeness.
I’m going to kick this list off with an old, and potentially obscure, one.
Favorite Manga: Phoenix: Typically when people hear the name “Ozamu Tezuka,” they think of Astro Boy, which is one of the first known manga ever serialized in Japan. First released in 1952, Astro Boy was considered way ahead of its time. The story features an android built like a boy that possesses the wide spectrum of human emotions. While AI is somewhat of a reality already, it was a fairly strange and controversial concept for the 1950s. Yet, Astro Boy paved the way for a lot of robot/sci-fi stories out there.
But I digress. As great as Astro Boy is, I would have to say that my favorite Ozamu Tezuka series (and manga in general) is his life’s work: Phoenix. In each volume, you encounter characters reincarnated throughout time in different lives, all wrapped up in the search for the phoenix. The first volume begins with the earliest years in Japan’s history (240-70), following a queen of an ancient tribe in search of the phoenix, the legendary bird of fire that will grant her immortality. The second volume fast forwards all the way to the very end of the future — meaning the day all life on earth is essentially destroyed. Then the third volume takes place in the Kofun period of Japan, (320-50), then the fourth volume fast forwards to the events preceding the second volume…and so on.
It’s a little confusing, but basically Tezuka’s plan was to alternate volumes between actual historical events, and what he imagined the distant future will be like, eventually having the final volumes meet in the middle. I say “was” because Tezuka unfortunately died before he was able to finish this phenomenal series. Regardless of its incompletion though, Phoenix is hands down one of the best works I have ever encountered to date.
Favorite Book: Ender’s Game: I first read Ender’s Game in college, and I can honestly say that I’m glad I read it later in life than most of my friends. The reason being that I think I wouldn’t have understood it as much as a kid, or really grabbed all its hidden meanings and depths. Now, I still may not fully “get” all its symbolism, but the story itself is mind-blowing. I am of course referring to the plot twist at the end of the novel. All I can say about it (without giving spoilers away) is I was utterly devastated. I’m pretty sure I sat staring at the novel for a good fifteen minutes, simply trying to process what I had just read. Few things can truly catch me off guard in a way that can leave me as shell-shocked as I was at the ending of Ender’s Game. For that reason alone, it makes this list.
However, there is another reason it makes this list as well. It’s the same reason that I love the Red Rising series so much. Both book series take a very deep dive in what it means to be human. In fact, both Ender and Darrow (main character in the Red Rising series) experience revelations of what it means to be a leader in an army. How they learn to lead is not through battle or skill, but by understanding basic human desires. Their exploration into the human psyche is as alluring as it is disturbing, because humans are disturbing…no doubt about that.
Take another one of my favorite books dealing with psychology: Battle Royale by Koushun Takami. This book is about teenage classmates trapped on an island forced to kill each other. But rather than concentrating on the brutality of these death-matches, the author highlights the insane idea of trying to determine whether a friend you’ve known your entire life would kill you to survive. Talk about disturbing.
Favorite Anime: Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann: Ever since my first episode of Sailor Moon, I’ve loved anime. It holds a special place in my heart for sure, but I can be picky. Especially getting out of my teen years when I felt that anime had become repetitive and shallow. I felt like the golden age of anime in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the age of Dragon Ball Z, Gundam Wing, and Tenchi Muyo, was gone. At least it seemed that way until a friend introduced me to Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, and my view on anime, nay, life itself, was changed forever.
Okay, sure, I’ll admit that sounds a tad dramatic. But, in a very strange away, the show is about life itself. It begins with a young boy discovering a robot head attached to a drill in the mines where he works. It’s set in the future where humanity has been driven underground by an evil tyrant called the Spiral King and his followers. Using this drill, the boy, Simon, and his best friend Kamina break through to the surface world where they form a renegade group of other humans hoping to one day live in the sun without oppression.
Yes, it is a giant robot/mecha anime, but the show is so much more than that. While love is not the plot by any means, many decisions are made because of it. Ultimately, Gurren Lagann is a beautiful tale of how a boy becomes a man, showcasing the power of self-discovery and evolution.
I’m not embarrassed to say I cried my eyes out during this show.
Favorite Television Show: Teen Wolf: This one, I’ll admit, is a bit of a guilty pleasure. I’m fairly certain it’s not on most people’s lists for award-winning shows, but it’s certainly on mine. The reboot TV series of Teen Wolf is nothing like the original 1980s comedy with Michael J. Fox. Instead, it’s more a horror show than anything else. Yes, the main character, Scott, is still a werewolf, and he does have a dorky friend, Stiles, but that’s honestly where the similarities end. The show takes dark turns, showcasing different terrifying monsters with each season.
If we put aside typical teenage romance drama, we can look at what the show does really well. It actually does a fantastic job in creating a very believable and engaging mystery around the “big bad” for that season. While the monster is sometimes revealed early on, the human behind the murders happening around Beacon Hills is the ultimately the biggest question mark.
You also gotta love the characters and the writing itself. Stiles is one of the best characters in the show with all kinds of fantastic one-liners. Here is one scene in particular that captures the magic of this show perfectly:
Favorite Soundtrack/Music Film: Interstella 5555: Interstella 5555 is the “visual realization” of Daft Punk’s 2001 album Discovery. With no dialogue, the movie is essentially one long music video going through the entirety of Daft Punk’s album. It was produced by Daft Punk, Cédric Hervet, and Emmanuel de Buretel using Toei Animation studios.
It opens with the infamous song, “One More Time,” showing a band performing the song on this alien planet. In the second song, “Aerodynamic,” the band members are kidnapped, brainwashed, and then made to look like humans (“Harder, Better, Faster”). Meanwhile, a lone pilot and fan of the band sees the distress signal and flies to their rescue (“Digital Love”).
I could go on, but you get the idea. Essentially each song is a scene within the movie, and it all flows together seamlessly to create this amazing animated film. Not only is Discovery one of the best albums of all time, Daft Punk’s pairing with a Japanese animation studio to create a feature-length music video is nothing short of genius.
Favorite Cartoon: Avatar: The Last Airbender: I’ve watched all three seasons of Avatar: The Last Airbender at least four times, if not once or twice more. It’s just an all-around fun, exciting show. If you were to ask me what’s so great about it, I would in turn reply, “What’s NOT great about it?”
Here is the show’s intro which sums up the premise perfectly:
Earth. Water. Fire. Air. Long ago, the four nations lived in harmony. But then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked. Only the Avatar, master of all four elements, could stop them. But when the world needed him most, he vanished. A hundred years passed and my brother and I discovered the new avatar: an airbender named Aang. And although his airbending skills are great, he has a lot to learn before he’s ready to save anyone. But I believe… Aang can save the world.
The plot itself is not super complicated or original — a tyrant trying to take over the world with one lone hero and his friends who stand against him — but all the other aspects of the show make up for it.
Not only is the world and its elemental system fun to explore, each character is generally likeable. So likeable that it’s hard for me to choose my favorite. They are all strong — and I don’t necessarily mean physically, but in all the other ways that matter for a character. This show also has one of the best character growth arcs I’ve ever seen in any piece of fiction: the Fire Nation’s Prince, Zuko. He starts off as a bad guy and yet somehow transforms into one of the most beloved characters in the series.
Easily one of the best parts are the fight scenes! Using real martial arts styles as inspirations, each bending style is unique and the way the elements are used in the fighting makes this show easily one of the best fighting shows I’ve ever seen.
If any of these make your list of your favorite things, tweet me @LindseyDuga — I would love to gush about all the above and hear YOUR favorites as well.
Lindsey Duga is a middle grade and young adult writer with a passion for fantasy, science fiction, and basically any genre that takes you away from the real world. She wrote her first novel in college while she was getting her bachelor’s in Mass Communication from Louisiana State University.
Other than writing and cuddling with her morkie puppy, Delphi, Lindsey loves catching up on the latest superhero TV show and practicing yoga.
Find Lindsey at her website, on Twitter, or on Instagram.
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Oo, I’ll definitely be checking out Phoenix, and btw I loved Kiss of the Royal. My physical copy comes in the mail tomorrow.
Thanks so much for joining us, Lindsey! I very much enjoyed reading about your favorites!