But there’s another historical aspect to No-Face, this one steeped in myth. There is a Japanese legend about a creature called the Noppera-Bo, or the faceless ghost. These mischievous spirits take delight in frightening humans, particularly by appearing as someone they know to draw them in and then erasing their face to give them a scare. Miyazaki, however, flips this tale on its head by having No-Face take on the traits of someone he thinks his victim would like. He also possesses the ability to anticipate a person’s desires and to create objects to fulfill their needs, like when No-Face showers Chihiro’s greedy coworkers with gold. Later in the film, he even gives everyone a fright when he reveals the monstrous mouth–in other words, his true form–hidden beneath his mask. Peter May’s books are like good Scotch — strong, intense in colour and taste. It is a delight to your eyes and a gift to your mind. Well, I don’t drink Scotch but that’s how I see it, and how Mr May’s novel make me feel. The Man With No Face is no exception. I loved the idea of republishing one of Mr May's earlier work, and this revised version is a success! Now then, Kale our antagonist – he’s a gun for hire! He’s meticulous in his work and he’s built a damn good reputation on being the best….but will Brussels be his down fall as he leaves a witness to his crime?!

A killer with more than one face… A cold heart, a conniving mind, and something more. One of my favourite villains! He later elaborated, "There are No-Faces all around us. Because there's only a paper-thin difference between evil spirits and gods. And on top of that, this film is set in Aburaya, a bathhouse. So once you open the doors, all sorts of things come in." However, when asked if No-Face represented the youth today, he explained, "I didn't make this film with that in mind. No-Face is just a name and a mask, and other than that we don't really know what he's thinking or what he wants to do. We just named him No-Face because his expression never changes; that's all. But I do think there are people like him everywhere, people who want to glom on to someone but have no sense of self." [4] Design [ ]The most famous story of a noppera-bō is "Mujina" in Lafcadio Hearn's book Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things. The story tells of a man who, travelling along the Akasaka road to Edo, comes across a young woman in a remote location near Kunizaka hill, crying and forlorn. After he attempts to console the young woman and offer assistance, she turns to face him, startling him with the blank countenance of a faceless ghost. Frightened, the man proceeds down the road for some time, until he comes across a soba vendor. Stopping to relax, the man tells the vendor of his encounter, only to recoil in horror as the soba vendor strokes his face, becoming a noppera-bō himself. It turns out that all of these noppera-bō are really just mujina in disguise. Raymond Theodore Robinson (October 29, 1910 – June 11, 1985) was a disfigured American man whose years of nighttime walks made him into a figure of urban legend in western Pennsylvania. Robinson was so severely injured in a childhood electrical accident that he could not go out in public without fear of causing a panic, so he went for long walks at night. Local tourists would drive along his road in hopes of meeting the Green Man or Charlie No-Face. Most became disappointed to see no such person, however, they passed on tales about him to their children and grandchildren regardless, and people raised on these tales are sometimes surprised to discover that he was a real person who was liked by his family and neighbors. [1] Injury [ edit ] Enhanced Intangibility Physiology: The comparative version of the Chinese Super-Soldier, the "Man With No Face" can become tangible at will, normally intangible. He could also turn all or part of his body, allowing projectiles to pass through him without harm. When he passed through living beings, energy discharges caused them intense pain. The Man With No Face could apparently manipulate shadows, allowing him to disappear into and travel through areas of darkness and cause his coat to billow around him. [1]

Set in Brussels in the late ’70s, this intricately plotted novel has a rather dark atmosphere and a bit of a Noir vibe to it. The reader finds themselves in the middle of a murder investigation, through the eyes of Scottish journalist, Neil Bannerman. He’s been sent to Brussels by his editor, who really just wants him out of the way. But when Neil’s host, a fellow journalist, is found dead alongside a British Cabinet minister, Neil finds himself in the middle of a bit of a mess. Originally published in 1981 as Hidden Faces, and with a little polish here and there, but remaining by and large faithful to the original text, has reissued it for a new generation of readers as The Man With No Face. Written in the 1970s when May himself was a journalist reporting on the upheaval and consternation of Britain aligning itself with the EU, (oh happy days in the light of the current political debacle) the book is based on real life events, amid the corridors of power in Brussels… Animage • Animage Home Video • Ghibli ga Ippai Collection • Ghibli Museum • Ghibli Museum Library • Ghibli Park • Totoro no Furusato Foundation • Totoro no Mori Donald DeFreeze (1943-1974) aka "Cinque Mtume" was the leader of the far left revolutionary organization known as the Symbionese Liberation Army or SLA and served as one of the sources of inspiration for the creation of Flagg. Defreeze referred to himself as "Field Marshall Cinque".Mostly we see the story from Bannerman’s perspective though in the third person, but there are also chapters throughout where the perspective shifts to Kale, the hired assassin who carries out the killings. This doesn’t in any way diminish the mystery, since Kale doesn’t know who has hired him or why – he’s simply doing a job. These chapters give an extra edge of darkness to the story. Kale is a damaged man, unsurprisingly given his profession, and a cold, clinical killer who doesn’t make mistakes. Until this time. Unknown to him, Slater’s young autistic daughter, Tania, has witnessed the killings, but her condition makes her unable to speak. She can draw however, and she draws a detailed picture of the killer, with just one thing missing... his face. All that said an done I enjoyed the book and it has turned out to be topical again as it it set mainly in Brussels at the European Union and with the cloud of an election in the UK. Nothing much changes except that we have spent more billions of pounds without achieving anything. Neil Bannerman is an investigative journalist and the story surrounds him seeking the story behind the killing of a journalist and a leading politician. All the makings of greed, avarice and cover ups. Then there is Tania a sad autistic young girl. DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Quercus Books via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of The Man With No Face by Peter May for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions. The Faceless Men possess the ability to physically change their faces, shapeshifting so that they appear as an entirely new person.