Manga Review: Oshi no Ko #1

Manga Review: Oshi no Ko #1 by Aka Akasaka and Mengo Yokoyari Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a nepo baby? Born to a celebrity with looks and connections from the very beginning, maybe money too? Sarina did, before she died of brain cancer. But she could only dream in… Continue reading Manga Review: Oshi no Ko #1

Comic Book Review: Long Distance

Comic Book Review: Long Distance by Thomas F. Zahler Commercial artist Carter Blue and rocket scientist Lee Smith meet in a New York airport when he’s knocked over by an unruly child. She sees his sketches, they both make geeky references, the two start talking, and a spark is lit. This could be love. Just… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Long Distance

Book Review: Tom Swift and His Ocean Airport

Book Review: Tom Swift and His Ocean Airport by Victor Appleton The Tom Swift series of books are about a young inventor who gets into various adventures involving the technology he works with. They started out relatively realistic, with him as a teenager who tinkers with motorcycles and motorboats that he comes into possession of,… Continue reading Book Review: Tom Swift and His Ocean Airport

Movie Review: Jailhouse Rock

Vince sees Hunk's guitar for the first time.

Movie Review: Jailhouse Rock (1957) directed by Richard Thorpe Vince Everett (Elvis Presley) is a nice enough young man, even if he maybe spends too much time in bars. But once he loses his temper, he doesn’t know when to stop. When another patron at the bar starts abusing a woman who was hitting on Vince,… Continue reading Movie Review: Jailhouse Rock

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

Movie Review: Earthquake (1974)

Los Angeles in the wake of the Big One.

Movie Review: Earthquake (1974) directed by Mark Robson There are many attractive features to living in Los Angeles. Ground stability isn’t one of them. The San Andreas Fault runs nearby, and it’s overdue for a major seismic shift in the area. This movie asks, “What if the Big One hit now?” To give us some investment… Continue reading Movie Review: Earthquake (1974)

Webtoon Review: Agent Elvis

Never meet your heroes.

Webtoon Review: Agent Elvis It is 1968, and Elvis Presley is preparing for his Comeback Special. After a few years concentrating on making movies, he’s ready to go out on the road with live performances again. Well, ready except for these strange urges he gets to ditch everything and administer vigilante justice. His manager Birdie… Continue reading Webtoon Review: Agent Elvis

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: Hanabi-chan ~The Girl Who Popped Out of the Game World~

Front row: roasted gnus. Middle row from left: Versus, Hanabi and Thunder. Back row: Kuma.

Anime Review: Hanabi-chan ~The Girl Who Popped Out of the Game World~ Musashi Shinonome has recently come of age, and has decided to reopen his inheritance from his grandfather, the pachinko parlor Shitamachi God Heaven. It’s been closed for a few years, so the new manager is surprised to find a pretty young woman living… Continue reading Anime Review: Hanabi-chan ~The Girl Who Popped Out of the Game World~

Movie Review: Airplane! (1980)

James Hong cameo.

Movie Review: Airplane! (1980) directed by Jim Abrahams Taxi driver Ted Striker (Robert Hays) has problems. A former pilot, he lost his self-confidence after a failed mission during “the war” which killed several of his comrades and he blames himself for. He’s been unable to hold a steady job and drifted from city to city. Today,… Continue reading Movie Review: Airplane! (1980)