Anime Review: Onmyoji (2023)

Seimei explains some natural philosophy to Hiromasa.

Anime Review: Onmyoji (2023) Abe no Seimei was a documented historical person who lived during the Heian Era of Japan. He was an onmyoji, a practitioner of onmyudo, an art that combined study of astrology, the traditional Chinese elements and other natural philosophy to make predictions and influence events. Indeed, he was considered the pre-eminent… Continue reading Anime Review: Onmyoji (2023)

Movie Review: Spring and Chaos

So very relatable.

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

Comic Book Review: The Story of Lee Volume 1

Comic Book Review: The Story of Lee Volume 1 written by Sean Michael Wilson, art by Chie Kutsuwada Lee is a big fan of British music, especially a band called The Clientele. But working in her father’s corner store in Hong Kong, it’s unlikely she’ll ever see them in person. Indeed, she’s feeling very stifled.… Continue reading Comic Book Review: The Story of Lee Volume 1

Book Review: The Book of Cthulhu II

Book Review: The Book of Cthulhu II edited by Ross E. Lockhart It’s spooky stuff month again, so I sat down with this thick volume (24 stories) of tales inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft for a couple of weeks. This is a sequel to The Book of Cthulhu that I reviewed earlier on… Continue reading Book Review: The Book of Cthulhu II

Magazine Review: Fantastic August 1969

Magazine Review: Fantastic August 1969 edited by Sol Cohen The opening editorial is by Ted White, the new managing editor. He talks about the decline in “fiction magazines” (the Saturday Evening Post had recently ceased publication for the first time) and is sad, but points out that times are always changing. He also mentions his… Continue reading Magazine Review: Fantastic August 1969

Book Review: Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and Other Strange Tales

Book Review: Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and Other Strange Tales by Robert Louis Stevenson Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) wrote several “weird” stories as well as adventure tales like Treasure Island. This volume collects five of them. “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” starts us off with the adventures of Mr. Utterson,… Continue reading Book Review: Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and Other Strange Tales

Book Review: Valhalla: Absent Without Leave

Book Review: Valhalla: Absent Without Leave by Lee Gold Robin “Grima” Johnson didn’t die of cancer, which was something of a surprise, considering it kept coming back. But when an earthquake hit California and made the hospital she was in start to collapse, Robin rose from her bed of pain and worked to save lives.… Continue reading Book Review: Valhalla: Absent Without Leave

Movie Review: The 13th Warrior

Ahmed has toughened up a bit from his first appearance.

Movie Review: The 13th Warrior (1999) directed by John McTiernan Ahmed ibn Fahdlan (Antonio Banderas) was not always a warrior. Once he was a poet, esteemed for his skill with words. But then he fell in love with another man’s wife, and to avoid scandal, Ahmed was sent as an ambassador to the far north. There,… Continue reading Movie Review: The 13th Warrior

Movie Review: A Bucket of Blood

Carla inspects Walter's creation.

A Bucket of Blood (1959) dir. Roger Corman In 1959, the cool place to be was the Yellow Door, a beatnik coffee house. (For our younger readers, beatniks were the predecessor to hippies, but more focused on artistic expression; both hipsters and goths are distant descendants.) You could listen to word salad poet Maxwell H. Brock… Continue reading Movie Review: A Bucket of Blood

Magazine Review: Oh Reader, Issue 001

Magazine Review: Oh Reader, Issue 001 edited by Gemma Peckham So it turns out publishers are still starting new print magazines in this calamitous year of 2020. Fittingly, it’s a magazine for and about people who like to read. The primary focus, at least in this issue, is essays on various aspects of reading. The… Continue reading Magazine Review: Oh Reader, Issue 001