In the past two days, I was recommended by my friend Lemon to watch a popular fantasy animation work, that is, "Dantrien's Bookshelf" adapted from the light novel of the same name written by Mitsumo Yuedou. However, after watching the work, I unexpectedly found that I had already seen it, but I had no impression of the plot at all, and even if there was, it was quite vague, so it was not too much to say that it was the first time I saw this work.
Why is that? The works that I should have seen will generally leave some impressions, so that even if I look at it again, I still can't call back the memories I have watched in my mind. However, looking closely at the story structure of the work, it seems that it is not difficult to explain the reasons for this. Therefore, I, who have little exposure to such works on weekdays, naturally have a vague impression of this work, but it is still a good work.
The work mainly revolves around the "magic book" with mysterious powers, which unfolds an evocative story. The young officer Who was disarmed and returned to the field, Huey, followed his grandfather's last words and inherited the ancient mansion and the vast collection of precious books, and also obtained the right to inherit the "bookshelf" containing many magic books, and the bookshelf was run by a mysterious girl with the exquisite beauty of a doll, Dantrien. At this point, the two have embarked on a thrilling adventure around a variety of strange "magic books".
So what is a magic book? What is the magic of it that makes countless people flock to it?
In fact, the magic book is a book with otherworldly magic that can even decay into magic, and it is not an exaggeration to call it a "magic book". Among them, there is the Book of Sacrifice of Eleutherus, which can recall the souls who have just entered the underworld to the present world, the Book of Wisdom, which allows the holder to understand everything in the world, the Taoist code that records the manipulative gods, and other books that also possess magical powers, so that the rare treasures that are beyond common sense naturally attract the desire and pursuit of those who know about it. In my opinion, mortals' thirst for magic books is also a process of chasing the "happiness" they expect. With the power of the magic book, the holder can do what they could not do in their previous cognition and truly dream of, whether it is a good person or an evil person, and the self-worth or desire in their hearts can be satisfied. Therefore, this is actually their pursuit of "happiness" as defined by each other. And through the stories of these various bearers, we can also glimpse the essence of happiness.
When the magic book is used for one's own selfish desires, the "happiness" it shows is more like a bubble. Although it appears in brilliant and charming colors, it is extremely fragile, and it breaks apart with a poke, which is fleeting. It was like just a beautiful and unreal dream. Just like the story in the episode "Book Burner" in the sixth episode of the anime, the young girl uses the magic book to weave a great lie, and creates many delicate humanoid dolls with the Taoist code of manipulative gods, so as to replace the residents who have lost their lives in the town due to war, and continue to create a vivid illusion similar to the past, to chat for comfort.
What we know, however, is that no matter how sophisticated the doll is, how similar it is to the person who lived there, it is ultimately just an empty shell without a soul and without emotion. Hoping to use the power of the magic book to create a substitute for the lost life is nothing but self-deception. Such "happiness" is false, a manifestation of the timidity and stagnation of the dying person for the future. So in the end, when the book burner burns the magic book held by the girl, as the doll stops turning, the illusion of happiness created by this deliberate creation is also punctured like a bubble suspended in the air, leaving no trace. But it is also because of this that the remaining residents of the town can finally put aside the past, truly choose to face reality and create their own new happiness.
The same is true of "The Perfumer" in the seventh episode of the anime and "Mirage" in the tenth episode. Although the content of the two fantasy books is not the same, the effect of their magical feedback on humans is also very similar. The refreshing perfumes concocted by the perfumers and the beautiful music played by the violinists have the ability to control people's minds, and if they are not used in a reasonable and appropriate way, they will disturb the hearts of the hearers or listeners, resulting in a pleasurable feeling as if they are addicted to drugs. However, this so-called "happiness" that erodes the spirit is nothing more than a thing of ethereal detachment. It is only to be satisfied with the desire that bursts out of the moment, and when the momentary pleasure disappears in an instant, what remains is an unfillable gully, an endless emptiness. From this we can see that if the magic book is used to satisfy one's own selfish desires, the "happiness" it constructs is nothing more than a forgery, which cannot be seen or held tightly in the palm of the hand. Just like the synonym of the word "illusion" in the magic book, it is only an illusion of passing through the eyes and smoke clouds, and it is also a portrayal of the ugly timidity in the human heart.
In the short twelve episodes of the anime, the story that I particularly like and impressed the most is the "Book of Equivalents" in the eighth episode.
I believe that many people should have seen such foreign news in the early years: some people have exchanged their own things that they do not need and are not valuable for expensive items owned by others through "barter". Although it may seem absurd, it is true in reality. The same anecdote was written into Dandrien's Bookshelf.
Shuy's green plum bamboo Makamila obtains a magic book that can be exchanged for an equivalent item with others, the Book of Equal Value. While visiting Huey's house, she inadvertently glimpsed Thatrigan obsessed with the expensive bear puppets displayed in an auction book, so she secretly decided to borrow the ability of the magic book she had just bought to exchange for such a puppet as a gift to Dantrien. Camilla then relied on the small paper clip she got from Huy to change from someone else to a precious item, such as a pocket watch, a video camera, and a necklace. Finally, Camilla arrives at the home of Theron, a famous collector who holds a bear puppet, to negotiate with her. But how to expect the Fren lion to open his mouth, take a fancy to the magic book held by Camilla and ask to use it in exchange, otherwise it will not be discussed.
So what's the result? The "stupid" Camilla in Dantrian's mouth really fulfilled Verlen's wish and exchanged the priceless magic book for a bear puppet. No matter how expensive this bear puppet is, it is still not as valuable as the magic book. However, Camilla gave it to people so easily, and it is no wonder that After hearing about this, Dantrian ridiculed her as a real "stupid". Coca-Mela didn't care, because in her eyes, Dandrien's smile was more precious than the priceless magic book. Perhaps in the eyes of others, a magic book is priceless, but in the eyes of Camilla, who does not understand its true value, the wishes of friends are satisfied and their smiles are worth cherishing. When Camilla saw Dantrician smiling at the gift she had given, she smiled contentedly.
In my opinion, Camilla's demeanor in this episode is a perfect illustration of what happiness is. Perhaps, compared with other stories that are longer and larger in structure, the story "Book of Equivalents" seems to be a bit "small family". But I think this is the most heartwarming story of all the episodes in the anime. What is happiness? Is it so far away that it can only exist in fantasy? I don't think so. It exists all around us, is closely related to our lives, and is hidden in every inadvertent small act. We always think of happiness as something we can't reach, but it may be too simple to be seen by us. It is hidden in the sincere affection we give to others and other things in our lives, like Camilla's cherishing of Denderlian, flowing like a trickle. When we learn to value what we have today, we earnestly give and create. Happiness will live forever like a thriving tree rooted in the ground.