Manga Review: Ōoku Volumes 13 & 14 by Fumi Yoshinaga Note: This review may contain SPOILERS for earlier volumes; you may want to read previous reviews if you are unfamiliar with the series. Quick recap: In an alternate history, Shogunate Japan was struck by an epidemic of “red-faced pox”, also known as “bearpox.” For unclear… Continue reading Manga Review: Ōoku Volumes 13 & 14
Tag: Japan
Manga Review: Mao Volumes 6 & 7
Manga Review: Mao Volumes 6 & 7 by Rumiko Takahashi Note: This review contains SPOILERS for previous volumes, if you’re just starting, you may want to look at the earlier reviews. Quick recap: Due to an incident in her youth, Nanoka has gained the ability to time travel back to Tokyo in the Taisho Era.… Continue reading Manga Review: Mao Volumes 6 & 7
Manga Review: Deserter
Manga Review: Deserter by Junji Ito This volume says that the contents are mostly from the early horror work of noted manga creator Junji Ito. There’s no initial publication dates in the indicia, but his debut was in 1987, so I’m guessing late Eighties to early Nineties. Let’s see what his stuff was like before… Continue reading Manga Review: Deserter
Movie Review: Spring and Chaos
Movie Review: Spring and Chaos (1996) directed by Shouji Kawamori Kenji Miyazawa was a poet, children’s story writer, and agriculturalist who lived from 1896-1933. Like many poets, he was unrecognized during his lifetime, but had his work become widely known after his death. You may have seen the animated adaptation of Night on the Galactic Railway. This… Continue reading Movie Review: Spring and Chaos
Manga Review: Phantom of the Idol 5
Manga Review: Phantom of the Idol 5 by Hijiki Isoflavone Like many young people, Yuya Niyodo used to think that idol singers had it soft. You get paid for looking pretty, singing with Autotune ™ and performing a few basic dance steps, right? Not like the “real” jobs Yuya had available to him at the… Continue reading Manga Review: Phantom of the Idol 5
Anime Review: Uncle from Another World
Anime Review: Uncle from Another World (Japanese title: “Isekai Ojisan”) The year is 2017. Yosuke Shibazaki has just woken from a seventeen year coma he entered when hit by a truck when he himself was seventeen. The shock of all those missing years–his toddler nephew Takafumi Takaoka is now in his early twenties–is compounded by… Continue reading Anime Review: Uncle from Another World
Book Review: Subversive Sci-Fi: Reflections on Futuristic Films That Broke the Rules
Book Review: Subversive Sci-Fi: Reflections on Futuristic Films That Broke the Rules edited by Prof. Christopher McGothlin, M.Ed. Disclaimer: I contributed to the Kickstarter for this book. In over a century of movies that can be considered “science fiction” of one sort or another, there have been a number that challenged the status quo in… Continue reading Book Review: Subversive Sci-Fi: Reflections on Futuristic Films That Broke the Rules
Manga Review: Omukae Desu Volume 3
Manga Review: Omukae Desu Volume 3 by Meca Tanaka Madoka Tsutsumi is a college student with a quiet, seemingly emotionless exterior. He’s actually quite passionate about analysis, and has a secret. He can see ghosts. One day he observes a man in a bunny suit chasing down an elderly spirit. Turns out the stranger is… Continue reading Manga Review: Omukae Desu Volume 3
Manga Review: Be Very Afraid of Kanako Inuki!
Manga Review: Be Very Afraid of Kanako Inuki! by Kanako Inuki Kanako Inuki is a popular creator in the field of shoujo horror manga, who’s been working since 1987. Despite being well-liked, she’s never had a real breakout hit, so is little known outside Japan. This volume is a collection of six representative tales of… Continue reading Manga Review: Be Very Afraid of Kanako Inuki!
Manga Review: Blue Lock 1
Manga Review: Blue Lock 1 story by Muneyuki Kaneshiro, art by Yusuke Nomura One of the stock characters found in sports stories, and especially shounen manga sports stories, is the “solo ace.” He (it’s almost always a “he) is extraordinarily skilled at the technical aspects of the sport. He runs the fastest, throws or kicks… Continue reading Manga Review: Blue Lock 1