Book Review: China Dolls by Lisa See It is 1938, the tail end of the Great Depression, and San Francisco is trying to shake off its blues with a World’s Fair on Treasure Island. They’re going to need a lot of employees for that, and the prospect of a job draws Grace Lee all the… Continue reading Book Review: China Dolls
Tag: Japan
Manga Review: So Cute It Hurts!! Volume 3
Manga Review: So Cute It Hurts!! Volume 3 by Go Ikeyamada Quick recap: Megumu and Mitsuru Kobayashi are fraternal twins who have been dressing as each other at their schools as part of a wacky scheme to bring up Mitsuru’s history grades. Each of them has fallen in love while in disguise as the opposite… Continue reading Manga Review: So Cute It Hurts!! Volume 3
Anime Review: Young Black Jack
Anime Review: Young Black Jack Black Jack was a manga series by Osamu Tezuka, about a renegade doctor who performs miraculous feats of medicine, but demands outrageous fees. (Unless he decides to do it for free or a token.) As Dr. Tezuka was an actual M.D. before he chucked it to become a full-time artist,… Continue reading Anime Review: Young Black Jack
Movie Review: Tokyo Gore School
Movie Review: Tokyo Gore School Fujiwara leads a double life. He’s the leader of a gang of high school bullies, and also the teacher-trusted student president. He’s reasonably comfortable with this, having a binary view of life. There are winners and losers, and he’s determined to be a winner. Fujiwara is baffled, however, when… Continue reading Movie Review: Tokyo Gore School
Anime Review: One-Punch Man
Anime Review: One-Punch Man Saitama used to be an unemployed salaryman (white-collar worker) whose life was going nowhere. When a (relatively weak) monster attacked, Saitama remembered his boyhood dream of becoming a hero who could defeat any opponent with a single punch. He trained really hard, and became that hero…but if you can defeat any… Continue reading Anime Review: One-Punch Man
Anime Review: The Kindaichi Case Files Return
Anime Review: The Kindaichi Case Files Return Hajime Kindaichi is a high school junior who has a reputation for laziness and poor grades. His childhood friend Miyuki Nanase alternates between being sweet on him and irritated by his antics. What makes Kindaichi different from most teenage underachievers is that he’s the grandson of famous detective… Continue reading Anime Review: The Kindaichi Case Files Return
Manga Review: Let’s Dance a Waltz
Manga Review: Let’s Dance a Waltz by Natsumi Ando Tango Minami’s mother runs a ballroom dance school, where he helps out as a dance instructor (he’s tall for a junior high student.) But due to a disastrous mistake in his childhood, Tango has decided never to take another full-time partner, and thus not qualify for… Continue reading Manga Review: Let’s Dance a Waltz
Manga Review: Weekly Shonen Jump (2015)
Manga Review: Weekly Shonen Jump (2015) by various creators. It’s the third anniversary of this blog, and as is my custom, I’ll be looking at the current lineup of Weekly Shonen Jump, the online version of Shounen Jump. For those just joining us, Shounen Jump is the top-selling shounen manga (boys’ comic book) in Japan. Many of its series… Continue reading Manga Review: Weekly Shonen Jump (2015)
Manga Review: Case Closed Volume 56
Manga Review: Case Closed Volume 56 by Gosho Aoyama Quick recap for newer readers: Shinichi Kudou (“Jimmy” in the US version) is a teen genius detective. He runs afoul of a mysterious criminal organization, but their assassination attempt instead causes him to shrink to a childlike appearance. To conceal his survival from the organization, Shinichi… Continue reading Manga Review: Case Closed Volume 56
Open Thread: RIP Shigeru Mizuki
Open Thread: RIP Shigeru Mizuki Shigeru Mizuki (1922-2015) was a manga artist famous for his horror works, most famously Gegege no Kitarou, and did much work to familiarize younger generations of Japanese children with the traditional stories of yokai. As I’ve written here before, Mr. Mizuki was stationed in New Britain, Papua New Guinea during World War… Continue reading Open Thread: RIP Shigeru Mizuki