Manga Review: Swan Vol. 1 by Kyoko Ariyoshi Masumi Hijiri is the daughter of a widowed sculptor, who has enjoyed her ballet lessons since she was a little girl. She loves to dance, and watch others perform in ballet. But stuck in a small city in rural Hokkaido, there just isn’t the chance for truly… Continue reading Manga Review: Swan Vol. 1
Tag: friendship
Manga Review: Skip-Beat! Volumes 4-5-6
Manga Review: Skip-Beat! Volumes 4-5-6 by Yoshiki Nakamura Quick recap: Kyoko Mogami dropped out of school and moved to Tokyo to support her beloved Sho as he tried to break into show business. A couple of years later, the now rising star let slip that he has never liked Kyoko back, just using her as… Continue reading Manga Review: Skip-Beat! Volumes 4-5-6
Book Review: Penny Dreadfuls: Sensational Tales of Terror
Book Review: Penny Dreadfuls: Sensational Tales of Terror edited by Stefan Dziemianowicz While the term “penny dreadfuls” proper belongs to a particular type of inexpensive newsprint periodical, as explained in the introduction to this volume, the twenty stories chosen here can all be described as lowbrow sensationalist literature written for those seeking thrills in their… Continue reading Book Review: Penny Dreadfuls: Sensational Tales of Terror
Anime Review: Tiger Mask W
Anime Review: Tiger Mask W On an alternate Earth where professional wrestling is absolutely real, the world wrestling industry is dominated by the Global Wrestling Monopoly (GWM.) One of the few independent markets left is Japan. GWM offers a cross-promotion with the second-biggest wrestling operation in Japan, Zipangu. But once the matches begin, it’s obvious… Continue reading Anime Review: Tiger Mask W
Anime Review: Erased
Anime Review: Erased (Japanese title Boku Dake ga Inai Machi “The Town Without Me” or “The Town Where Only I Am Missing”) The year is 2006, and Jun “Yuuki” Shiratori is on Death Row for the abduction and murder of three children back in 1988. Very few people still believe that he’s innocent, considering the substantial circumstantial… Continue reading Anime Review: Erased
Book Review: Siege 13
Book Review: Siege 13 by Tamas Dobozy During World War Two, Hungary was one of the Axis powers, with its own fascists led by the Arrow Cross Party. At first this seemed like a good idea, as Hungary gained back territories it had lost after the breakup of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. But late in the… Continue reading Book Review: Siege 13
Book Review: The Woman Who Breathed Two Worlds
Book Review: The Woman Who Breathed Two Worlds by Selina Siak Chin Yoke This is the life story of Chye Hoon, a Nyonya (Malaysian woman of Chinese heritage) who lives between 1878 and 1941, a time of great change in her homeland. Initially a willful child who wants to break out of her culture’s tradition… Continue reading Book Review: The Woman Who Breathed Two Worlds
Magazine Review: Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine July 2016
Magazine Review: Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine July 2016 edited by Janet Hutchings Frederick Dannay, who along with Manfred B. Lee wrote the Ellery Queen mystery stories, was asked by Mercury Press to be the editor of a new magazine that would print a higher class of detective stories than the general run of pulps, with… Continue reading Magazine Review: Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine July 2016
Magazine Review: The Saturday Evening Post 6/10/61
Magazine Review: The Saturday Evening Post 6/10/61 edited by Ben Hibbs The Saturday Evening Post ran weekly from 1897-1963; after several format changes, it is now published six times a year. The Post was well known for its lavish illustrations and a combination of current event articles and short stories by popular writers. I got… Continue reading Magazine Review: The Saturday Evening Post 6/10/61
Manga Review: Samurai Executioner Omnibus 2
Manga Review: Samurai Executioner Omnibus 2 written by Kazuo Koike, art by Goseki Kojima Yamada “Decapitator” Asaemon is the o-tameshiyaku, sword-tester for the shogun and official executioner of criminals. It’s not a pretty job, but at least he has one in Edo-era Japan, during a time of peace. Without wars to fight, many of the samurai… Continue reading Manga Review: Samurai Executioner Omnibus 2