Manga Review: The Crater by Osamu Tezuka In the late 1960s, Osamu Tezuka’s career was facing a crisis. He was still popular, with publishers quite willing to buy more of the kid-friendly material he’d become famous for. But he wasn’t a trend-setter anymore. The new generation of manga creators was into gekiga, more serious and… Continue reading Manga Review: The Crater
Tag: high school students
Manga Review: Kimi ni Todoke Vol. 2
Manga Review: Kimi ni Todoke Vol. 2 by Karuho Shiina Sawako Kuronuma is a victim of pop culture. With her pale skin, long straight black hair in a particular style, and an inability to put on a fake smile (it just looks creepy), Sawako bears a passing resemblance to Sadako, the scary ghost girl from… Continue reading Manga Review: Kimi ni Todoke Vol. 2
Book Review: The Ghost Ninja of Hong Kong Island
Book Review: The Ghost Ninja of Hong Kong Island by Lukas Krueger Johnathan Zhang isn’t content with being a crimelord. True, he has substantial power in the underworld of Hong Kong, and has never been arrested for his many murders due to his habit of leaving no witnesses. But he wants more, and a certain… Continue reading Book Review: The Ghost Ninja of Hong Kong Island
Manga Review: Gate Keepers Volume 1
Manga Review: Gate Keepers Volume 1 by Keiji Goto (Original story by Hiroshi Yamaguchi) It is 1969, and Japan’s prosperity is increasing. Rapid industrialization and technological advancements have brought economic good times but also rapid social change and then unrest. More pressingly for our story, mysterious aliens known only as “the Invaders” are secretly striking… Continue reading Manga Review: Gate Keepers Volume 1
Movie Review: Better Off Dead
Movie Review: Better Off Dead (1985) directed by Savage Steve Holland Al Meyer (David Ogden Stiers) is a lawyer in the small Northern California town of Greendale, a short drive away from the mountains. Life is rough for him. His wife Jenny (Kim Darby) is an improbably bad cook who refuses to stop trying and is… Continue reading Movie Review: Better Off Dead
Anime Review: Tokyo Majin Part Two: Martial Fist Chapter
Anime Review: Tokyo Majin Part Two: Martial Fist Chapter Magami Academy in Tokyo looks like an ordinary high school at first. But it’s actually a nexus of mystical forces that draws unusual people from all over. Most of these people are under the Stars of Destiny, a group of 108 people destined to play an… Continue reading Anime Review: Tokyo Majin Part Two: Martial Fist Chapter
Book Review: Generation Wonder
Book Review: Generation Wonder edited by Barry Lyga This young adult superhero anthology has the mission of creating characters across a spectrum of diversity and not being derived from previous properties. There’s thirteen stories ranging acrpss multiple subgenres, comedic, science fiction, fantasy… Let’s see how they did! “Love to Hate” by Lamar Giles starts us… Continue reading Book Review: Generation Wonder
Manga Review: So Cute It Hurts!! 5
Manga Review: So Cute It Hurts!! 5 by Go Ikeyamada Quick recap: Megumu and Mitsuru Kobayashi are fraternal twins. Megumu’s a studious history nerd and Mitsuru’s good at kendo and other sports. They go to different schools. When Mitsuru’s grades dropped badly enough that he’d lose his sports eligibility, he pressured Megumu into switching identities… Continue reading Manga Review: So Cute It Hurts!! 5
Manga Review: My Dress-Up Darling 1
Manga Review: My Dress-Up Darling 1 by Shinichi Fukuda Marin Kitagawa is a fashionable, outgoing girl who enjoys eroge (naughty video games) and would like to cosplay as her favorite character, Shizuku. The problem is that she’s never learned to sew, and even with an instruction manual, her costume is disastrously bad. She comes to… Continue reading Manga Review: My Dress-Up Darling 1
Book Review: Ginny Gordon and the Broadcast Mystery
Book Review: Ginny Gordon and the Broadcast Mystery by Julie Campbell Virginia “Ginny” Gordon is a 14-year-old high schooler in Harristown, a suburb in Westchester County, New York. She belongs to a club called the Hustlers, who start various business ventures and pass them on when they become successes. The other members are 15-year-old John… Continue reading Book Review: Ginny Gordon and the Broadcast Mystery