Open Thread: She’s Back!

Back in the early 1990s, Naoko Takeuchi  created a character named “Sailor V.”   While mahou shoujo (magical girls) had been around for decades in manga and anime, ever since Bewitched was imported from America, Sailor V was a unique blend of stereotypical girly interests and action heroine.   This attracted the notice of Toei Animation, who… Continue reading Open Thread: She’s Back!

Comic Book Review: Kill All Monsters! Volume One: Ruins of Paris

Comic Book Review: Kill All Monsters!  Volume One: Ruins of Paris written by Michael May; illustrated by Jason Copland The kaiju (giant monsters) subgenre is a pretty good fit for comic books.  With an unlimited “special effects budget”  they can pack monsters and mayhem into a story that would be prohibitively expensive to shoot on film. This… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Kill All Monsters! Volume One: Ruins of Paris

Book Review: To Ride Hell’s Chasm

Book Review: To Ride Hell’s Chasm by Janny Wurts The small, isolated Kingdom of Sessalie is about to celebrate a wedding.   Princess Anja is about to marry the High Prince of Devall, which is not only politically advantageous, but a love match.  But on the eve of the wedding, Anja goes missing. It falls… Continue reading Book Review: To Ride Hell’s Chasm

Manga Review: The Twin Knights

Manga Review: The Twin Knights by Osamu Tezuka This is a sequel to the classic Osamu Tezuka work Princess Knight (“Ribon no Kishi” or “The Ribbon Knight” in Japanese), about Sapphire, a princess raised as a boy due to strange circumstances.  Queen Sapphire is now married and gives birth to twins, Prince Daisy and Princess Violetta.… Continue reading Manga Review: The Twin Knights

Anime Review: Urusei Yatsura

Anime Review: Urusei Yatsura Ataru Moroboshi is not precisely your average teenaged boy.  For one thing, he’s an incurable skirt-chaser, constantly hitting on any pretty lady who happens by.  Also, he’s incredibly unlucky.  So unlucky, that when alien invaders declare that a random person from Earth must compete against their champion in a game of… Continue reading Anime Review: Urusei Yatsura

Open Thread: The Power of Weak Ties

Yes, another open thread already.  Today I went to a “lunch and learn” seminar at Joule, which is a co-working office and meeting space.  Joule helps people who run businesses out of their homes or tiny offices when they need more space to talk to clients or hold a meeting.  http://joulemn.com/ The seminar was sponsored… Continue reading Open Thread: The Power of Weak Ties

Anime Review: Kobato

Anime Review: Kobato A young woman named Kobato appears in the city, bereft of memory.  She is accompanied by a talking stuffed dog toy named Iorogi (Kobato always mispronounces it as Ioryogi.)  It seems that Kobato has a wish she needs to fulfill by healing a number of human hearts, and only has four seasons… Continue reading Anime Review: Kobato

Movie Review: South Pacific

It is World War Two, somewhere in the South Pacific.  Marine Lieutenant Joe Cable (John Kerr) has been assigned to infiltrate a Japanese-held island and report on their military movements in preparation for an American offensive.  He wants to recruit French plantation owner Emile de Becque (Rossano Brazzi), who is very familiar with the island… Continue reading Movie Review: South Pacific

Anime Review: Tsuritama

Anime Review: Tsuritama Yuki Sanada is a high school student who has no friends and limited social skills.  Whenever he’s in an uncomfortable social situation, Yuki  freezes up with anxiety, depicted as him drowning.  From the outside, his anxiety face makes him look wrathful and unapproachable.  It doesn’t help that his grandmother’s job requires them… Continue reading Anime Review: Tsuritama