Book Review: Fafner: Dead Aggressor by Tow Ubukata Kazuki Makabe lives on Tatsumiyajima, an isolated island far off the coast of Japan. He’s looking forward to leaving the island one year from now, one way or another, whether to go to a mainland school or join a fishing boat crew. He’s the best athlete on… Continue reading Book Review: Fafner: Dead Aggressor
Tag: Japan
Book Review: Wicked West
Book Review: Wicked West edited by Abigail Linhardt and J.H. Fleming The combination of Western and horror genres is a popular one; those wide open spaces in which people and entire towns can just disappear make for a setting that allows a lot of spookiness. This bespoke anthology has eleven stories in this subcategory. “The… Continue reading Book Review: Wicked West
Manga Review: Case Closed, Vols. 89 & 90
Manga Review: Case Closed, Vols. 89 & 90 by Gosho Aoyama Quick recap: Shinichi Kudou (Jimmy Kudo in the dub) is a genius teen detective who is shrunk into a preteen by an experimental poison administered by agents of the Black Organization. (So called because they all wear black.) Taking the psuedonym Conan Edogawa, Shinichi… Continue reading Manga Review: Case Closed, Vols. 89 & 90
Movie Review: Sansho the Bailiff
Movie Review: Sansho the Bailiff (1954) directed by Kenji Mizoguchi (Japanese title: Sanshou Dayuu) The setting is the late Heian Period (around the Eleventh Century) in Japan. The popular governor of a northern province, Taira Masauji (Masao Shimizu), has incurred the wrath of a powerful military general because he would not raise taxes on the already… Continue reading Movie Review: Sansho the Bailiff
Manga Review: Snowball Earth Volume 01
Manga Review: Snowball Earth Volume 01 by Yuhiro Tsujitsugu In 2025, the first intergalactic kaiju attacked Earth. It was stopped at the cost of a lot of human lives. And it wasn’t alone. Entire swarms of them were approaching, with a few (scouts? impatient ones) way out in front. Humanity established the E-RDE, an anti-kaiju… Continue reading Manga Review: Snowball Earth Volume 01
Manga Review: Cat-Eyed Boy The Perfect Edition 1
Manga Review: Cat-Eyed Boy The Perfect Edition 1 by Kazuo Umezz The “Cat-Eyed Boy” is the son of a nekomata cat monster who for reasons unknown but probably involving infidelity, was born far more humanoid in appearance than his parents. His mother died in childbirth and his putative father abandoned him some months later at… Continue reading Manga Review: Cat-Eyed Boy The Perfect Edition 1
Manga Review: Mao Volumes 14 & 15
Manga Review: Mao Volumes 14 & 15 by Rumiko Takahashi Recap: Nanoka Kiba is a modern girl who was cursed by the cat ayakashi (monstrous spirit) Byoki. Among the results is that she can travel between the 21st Century (it’s currently 2020) and the Taisho Era of Japan. In that 1920s setting, she became involved… Continue reading Manga Review: Mao Volumes 14 & 15
Anime Review: Bang Brave Bang Bravern!
Anime Review: Bang Brave Bang Bravern! (Japanese title: Yuuki Bakuhatsu Bang Bravern!“) In the not so distant future, the latest weapons development is combat mecha. These “Titanostriders” are a lot like more agile tanks, with all the strengths and weaknesses that implies. On Oahu, there’s a joint military exercise with the Americans, Japanese and Germans… Continue reading Anime Review: Bang Brave Bang Bravern!
Comic Book Review: The Complete Battlefields Volume One
Comic Book Review: The Complete Battlefields Volume One written by Garth Ennis, art by various. World War Two has been a favorite subject of comic books since the beginning of that conflict. Garth Ennis grew up on British war comics, and enjoys writing about the subject. So it’s not surprising that he did three miniseries… Continue reading Comic Book Review: The Complete Battlefields Volume One
Book Review: Godzilla and Godzilla Raids Again
Book Review: Godzilla and Godzilla Raids Again by Shigeru Kayama As you might have noticed from past reviews on this blog, I’m a pretty big fan of Japan’s greatest daikaiju, Godzilla. I’ve seen almost all the movies and TV shows, as well as read the comic book adaptations. But I was unaware that Shigeru Kayama,… Continue reading Book Review: Godzilla and Godzilla Raids Again