Review Time--Good Vs Evil: The Awakening

Good and evil, left and right, male and female, Tom and Jerry--there are always two sides and The Awakening by Donald Lemke looks at both of them. This is a slim little book. I read it in about fifteen minutes. Then I read it again. And then a third time. See, the Good vs. Evil books have a really cool gimmick: they're written as two separate story lines that can be read independently or simultaneously. The top of the page shows the "Good" story illustrated in blue while the bottom panels illustrated in red show the "Evil." Each reading experience is a little different.

In this case, the story is that of Yoshiro Tanaka, an orphaned teen living in Tokyo who finds a mysterious tape which awakens an evil beast that has slept beneath the city for a hundred years. Or maybe it's the story of the Oni, a creature who has enjoyed a restful century in the undercity of Tokyo until an ignorant teen plays a tape that wrenches him from his slumber. Who can tell? The Awakening follows what happens when the two meet, resulting in an epic battle and a "Huh?" ending that is completely up to the interpretation of the reader.

The Awakening may have been short, but its impact was about as small as Andre the Giant. Like a kernel of popcorn, this one stuck with my long after I was through with it. I kept coming back and leafing through the pages, looking for clues. Was the Oni just trying to stop the tape, which appeared to cause him great pain? Was Yoshiro aware of what he was doing? Where did that tape come from? It's hinted at that Yoshiro hears strange voices. Is that related to the Oni or just a carry-over from the childhood trauma that left him an orphan? And what was up with that ending?? Did they merge? Separate? Live? Die? Turn into a pumpkin? What??

The Awakening is a thought provoking little book that raises more questions than it answers but in an entirely enjoyable way. It felt unresolved but not unfinished. Furthermore, it encourages the reader to examine events from more than one perspective without coming off as intentionally preachy. A rare gem.

Final Grade: A-