Comic Book Review: Oddly Normal Book 1

Comic Book Review: Oddly Normal Book 1 by Otis Frampton Life is not good for Oddly Normal (who was named after her great-aunt.)  As the product of a human/witch marriage, her green hair and pointed ears make her stand out in her small town elementary school.  She’s constantly bullied and treated as a freak.  Worse,… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Oddly Normal Book 1

Anime Review: Silver Spoon

Ooezo Agricultural High School is the best agricultural vocational/technical school in Hokkaido, and farm kids from all over the territory come there to pursue an education.  But there’s a different student this year.  Yuugo Hachiken is from the big city of Sapporo, and for…reasons…has decided to join the dairy science program at Ooezo in lieu… Continue reading Anime Review: Silver Spoon

Manga Review: Master Keaton, Volume 1

Manga Review: Master Keaton, Volume 1 art by Naoki Urasawa, story by Hokusei Katsushika & Takashi Nagasaki Taichi Hiraga Keaton is a mild-looking fellow with a bumbling exterior personality.  You’d never guess that he’s a brilliant archaeologist, ex-SAS soldier and freelance insurance investigator.  He often takes leave of his day job as a poorly paid… Continue reading Manga Review: Master Keaton, Volume 1

Manga Review: Yukarism

Manga Review: Yukarism by Chika Shiomi Teen author Yukari Kobayakawa was born with a birthmark that resembles a sword wound.  His books set in the Edo period of Japan are best-sellers; but curiously he never does any research for them.  It’s as though that knowledge is his birthright.   Yukari’s life goes from odd but… Continue reading Manga Review: Yukarism

Manga Review: Assassination Classroom

Manga Review: Assassination Classroom by Yusei Matsui Things are tough for the students of Class 3-E at Kunugigaoka Junior High School.  3-E’s where the elite school sticks all the losers and freaks, the bottom 5% of the student body.  Their classes are held in a decrepit outbuilding, they aren’t allowed any extracurricular activities, and the… Continue reading Manga Review: Assassination Classroom

Book Review: That Ain’t Right

Book Review: That Ain’t Right edited by Jeremy Zimmerman & Dawn Vogel Disclaimer:  I received this book in a Goodreads giveaway on the premise that I would review it. Howard Phillips “H.P.” Lovecraft (1890-1937) was a minor writer of horror fiction in the early 20th Century.  But thanks to a gift for purple prose, a… Continue reading Book Review: That Ain’t Right

Manga Review: Shonen Jump Weekly (USA) 2014

Manga Review: Shonen Jump Weekly (USA) 2014 It’s the second anniversary of this blog, so it’s time for the annual look at the online edition of Shounen Jump Weekly, the best-selling manga anthology in Japan. The big news this year was the end of the long-running and popular Naruto series (see my previous post on the… Continue reading Manga Review: Shonen Jump Weekly (USA) 2014

Book Review: The Cryptic Case of the Coded Fair

Book Review: The Cryptic Case of the Coded Fair by Barbara & Robert Tinker with Pendred Noyce, illustrated by Yu-Yu Chin Disclaimer:  I received this book as a Goodreads giveaway on the premise that I would review it. Once again the Galactic Academy of Science must reach out to kids from the 21st Century to… Continue reading Book Review: The Cryptic Case of the Coded Fair

Movie Review: All-American Co-Ed

Movie Review: All-American Co-Ed The movie starts with chorus girls’ feet and legs kicking behind the title sequence.  Then the camera is pulled back and we discover that the “chorus girls” are all men.  The Zeta Fraternity of all-male Quinceton University are putting on a drag revue. Matilda Collinge (Esther Dale) sees a description (but… Continue reading Movie Review: All-American Co-Ed

Book Review: An Accidental Abduction

Book Review: An Accidental Abduction by Roderick Cyr Disclaimer:  I received this book as a Goodreads giveaway on the premise that I would review it. Katy Byrd is from small-town Minnesota, and seeking a deeper relationship with Jesus and her Christian faith.  She accompanies her father on a (“non-denominational” but later specified as evangelical) mission… Continue reading Book Review: An Accidental Abduction