I must say I found something in common with both novels at my completion; I was shocked that they were completed so early. In complete agreement with Jared, I truly felt that the graphic novel of Waltz with Bashir was a meager attempt to place in literature something that was better served on screen. I am very appreciative of the quality of the artwork and the was incredibly distraught when i discovered that the quality of each page was so fine that I was leaving finger prints on each amazing image. The illustrations are clearly of a literal effect, almost an exact cartoonic re-crafting of the real world, unlike Asterios Polyp which enlisted very simplistic lines for effects.
The plot was simple enough, and there seems to be no end to the discourse of unreliable memory, but it was truly the “Waltz with Bashir” that officially left me in the text. The waltz amidst the gunfire seemed to portray an incredibly dramatic scene the likes of which I really felt like I needed some background music, popcorn, and a more comfortable seat to appreciate. I understand that there were other dynamic scenes in the work (like the sniper-work on the beach) but the entire piece seemed to culminate at that one moment to attain the most “drama”, as if time were at a stand still so that Frenkel could complete his waltz amidst a world that I thought would be focusing on the action across town. I guess pictures just didn’t do it for me.
I actually did like the novel, short as it was. I was more fixed on the quality of the pictures than of the story or characters, but who can argue against me there? With such a short story and no great amount of character development, it is difficult to have much more with which to bargain. I am looking forward to seeing more movies created with this animated appeal as I’m also tired of disney and pixar look to animation (although the movies are commonly funny).