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

Movie Review: 20th Century Boys 1: Beginning of the End

Cho-san is about to suffer retirony.

Movie Review: 20th Century Boys 1: Beginning of the End (2008) directed by Yukihiko Tsutsumi When Kenji Endo (Toshiaka Karisawa) was a teenager, he loved rock music, especially “20th Century Boy” by T. Rex. He thought rock, and in particular his own music, could change the world. But some twenty years on in the late 1990s,… Continue reading Movie Review: 20th Century Boys 1: Beginning of the End

Magazine Review: Asimov’s Science Fiction May/June 2021

Magazine Review: Asimov’s Science Fiction May/June 2021 edited by Sheila Williams Back in 1977, Isaac Asimov was one of the top three or so science fiction writers in the world, and had a very strong personal brand. So when Davis Publications wanted to create a “name brand magazine” for science fiction like Ellery Queen Mystery… Continue reading Magazine Review: Asimov’s Science Fiction May/June 2021

Manga Review: Shonen Jump (2020)

Manga Review: Shonen Jump (2020) It’s the eighth anniversary of this blog, and time once again to look at the online version of Weekly Shounen Jump! There haven’t been any major changes to the format since last year. One Piece is still the longest-running feature, and is closing in on 1000 chapters! There was a… Continue reading Manga Review: Shonen Jump (2020)

Manga Review: Excel Saga 02

Manga Review: Excel Saga 02 by Rikdo Koshi The secret organization ACROSS must take over the world. For its own good, of course. But at the moment, they’re a bit short-staffed. Their leader, Il Palazzo, has only two active agents, the hyperactive but not very bright Excel, and Hyatt, whose constitution is either extremely poor… Continue reading Manga Review: Excel Saga 02

Manga Review: Case Closed Vol. 42

Manga Review: Case Closed Vol. 42 by Gosho Aoyama Y’know, I’m not even going to bother with the recap this time. If this is your first time hearing about this series (known as Detective Conan in fan circles because it’s closer to the original Japanese title), check some of my earlier reviews. The first story… Continue reading Manga Review: Case Closed Vol. 42

Manga Review: Alice & Zoroku Volume 1

Manga Review: Alice & Zoroku Volume 1 by Tetsuya Imai Reality-warping superhuman beings exist, but the government is keeping them a secret, stashing any they find in a hidden facility to be studied as “Dreams of Alice.”  The most powerful of these is Sana, the Red Queen, who can summon up anything she can imagine,… Continue reading Manga Review: Alice & Zoroku Volume 1