Ryan Joseph Hudson has a red and black livejournal with yellow tints and white print. The journal is entitled ‘Belligeretron,’ and is littered with pictures of Asian people. This immediately begs the questions – who is this Mr. Hudson, and why does he take pictures of Asian people?
The answer to this question is, quite naturally, revealed in Ryan’s journal entries. Chronicling the adventures of an expatriate elementary school teacher somewhere in Taiwan, Belligereton is, all in all, a fairly entertaining read. Mr. Hudson has a tendency to review everything he comes into contact with, whether it be records, movies, concerts, animated web series, posters, Taiwanese politics, or even the children in his class. After reading a couple entries, it becomes fairly obvious that Mr. Hudson has an opinion, and that he’ll mince no words in making it known.
Fortunately for Ryan, his in-your-face rants are actually fairly amusing. In describing a show he attends in Taiwan, he criticizes not only the Taiwanes music scene’s apparent lack of talent, but its choice in drugs, as well. Somehow, his rant comes out sounding strangely humorous.
Where Ryan’s journal really shines, however, is in his description of the children he works with. Mr. Hudson might not be flattering in his depiction of these 8 or 9 year olds, yet you find yourself strangely attached to these children he describes – while they often seem lost and unresponsive, you can almost imagine the delicious awkwardness of a white man facing asian children, with only minimal skills in the medium they communicate in. Somehow, these vignettes come across as entertaining in the most charming way.
All in all, therefore, belligeretron is definitely worth a read. While it may come across as random and eclectic at times, solid writing carries it through, and Ryan Hudson manages to keep his readers interested in his rants.Belligeretron