Book Review: The Castle of Otranto

Book Review: The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole Today is a particularly bad day at the castle. Worst of all for Conrad, sickly son of Prince Manfred, who is crushed to death by a mysterious giant helmet. This is taken hard by his mother Princess Hippolita and sister Matilda. Prince Manfred is beside himself,… Continue reading Book Review: The Castle of Otranto

Movie Review: Naruto the Movie: Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow

Naruto knows from dreams.

Movie Review: Naruto the Movie: Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow (2004) directed by Tensai Okamura Yukie Fujikaze is a popular young actress most famous for starring in the title role of the “Princess Gale” movie series, as a ninja princess with “rainbow chakra.” Sadly, while she is indeed a skilled actress in addition to… Continue reading Movie Review: Naruto the Movie: Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow

Manga Review: To Love Ru Vol. 1-2

Manga Review: To Love Ru Vol. 1-2 story by Saki Hasemi, art by Kentaro Yabuki Rito Yuuki is a typical Japanese high school boy who has a crush on his childhood friend and classmate Haruna Sairenji. And typically, he is so bashful about actually telling her about it that he just freezes up or boils… Continue reading Manga Review: To Love Ru Vol. 1-2

Book Review: Nettle & Bone

Book Review: Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher We open in media res as Marra, age thirty, tries to make a dog from bones and wire in a cursed land inhabited by cannibals. Some of whom are quite nice, really–just don’t eat anything they offer you. It’s damaging her hands something fierce, but then impossible… Continue reading Book Review: Nettle & Bone

Movie Review: Alexander the Great (1963)

Alexander interrupts a tussle between two of his men.

Movie Review: Alexander the Great (1963) directed by Phil Karlson It is approximately 334 B.C., and Alexander of Macedonia (William Shatner), who men call “Great”, has come to Persia to defeat King Darius III. Previous Persian kings had attacked Greece, and Alexander considers their rivalry to be an existential threat to his homeland. He will bring… Continue reading Movie Review: Alexander the Great (1963)

Manga Review: Tezucomi Vol. 1 & 2

Manga Review: Tezucomi Vol. 1 & 2 by Various Creators 2023 would have been Osamu Tezuka’s 95th birthday year, and in commemoration of the great manga and anime creator, this series was commissioned to show other artists’ take on his famous (and not so famous) works. For reasons, most of these were French and Spanish… Continue reading Manga Review: Tezucomi Vol. 1 & 2

Anime Review: Soaring Sky! Pretty Cure

From left: Cure Wing, Cure Sky, Cure Prism and Cure Butterfly

Anime Review: Soaring Sky! Pretty Cure (Japanese title: “Hirogaru Sky! Precure”) Pretty Cure is a franchise series of anime shows aimed at preteen girls, which began in 2004 with Futari wa Pretty Cure (“We Two are Pretty Cure”). The recurring basic plot is that girls in their early teens are given magical items (usually by… Continue reading Anime Review: Soaring Sky! Pretty Cure

Webtoon Review: Disenchantment Seasons 4-5

Bean and Mora get a little careless about motorcycle safety.

Webtoon Review: Disenchantment Seasons 4-5 Note: This review contains SPOILERS for Seasons 1-3. If you’re sensitive to that, you may want to check out my earlier reviews first. Quick recap: Rambunctious princess (and for a while queen) Bean and her friends, wimpy half-elf Elfo and tempter demon Luci, have gone through many adventures together in… Continue reading Webtoon Review: Disenchantment Seasons 4-5

Manga Review: Blade of the Moon Princess 1

Manga Review: Blade of the Moon Princess 1 by Tatsuya Endo Mukashi, mukashi (a long, long time ago) the Moon was inhabited by scientifically advanced humans whose civilization happened to resemble aspects of ancient Japan and China. The Pure World was ruled by a line of Empresses who wielded the Three Sacred Treasures of the… Continue reading Manga Review: Blade of the Moon Princess 1

Book Review: The Big Book of Victorian Mysteries

Book Review: The Big Book of Victorian Mysteries edited by Otto Penzler While stories that could be considered “mysteries” in some sense have existed as long as writing, and perhaps a bit before, the short story mystery came into its own during the lifetime of Queen Victoria (1837-1901). This volume collects forty-nine notable stories from… Continue reading Book Review: The Big Book of Victorian Mysteries