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

Anime Review: Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai (2020)

From left: Gome-chan, Dai, Popp and Maam.

Anime Review: Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai (2020) Years ago, the dark lord Hadlar was defeated by the Hero’s party, and was thought dead. This means little to young Dai, a human boy brought up by monsters on peaceful Dermline Island. He is friends with all the monsters, and loves his Grampa Brass, even… Continue reading Anime Review: Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai (2020)

Anime Review: Beastars Season Two

Jack is afraid he's losing his best friend.

Anime Review: Beastars Season Two This review will contain SPOILERS for Season One, so you might want to check out that review if you haven’t seen that season first. In a world where various species of animal people share an uneasy co-existence, Cherryton High is considered a prime example of integrated education. Tensions have been… Continue reading Anime Review: Beastars Season Two

Movie Review: The Return of the Five Deadly Venoms

Avengers Assemble!

Movie Review: The Return of the Five Deadly Venoms (1978) directed by Cheh Chang, aka Crippled Avengers Tao (Kuan Tai-Chen) once used his Tiger-style kung fu for good, clearing out bandits and such, and became prosperous as a result. Unfortunately a gang (coincidentally also called “Tigers”) decided to strike back at Tao, and when they found he… Continue reading Movie Review: The Return of the Five Deadly Venoms

Comic Book Review: Seven Secrets Volume One

Comic Book Review: Seven Secrets Volume One written by Tom Taylor, illustrated by Danielle di Nicuolo On an alternate Earth, there are seven secrets that could allow a person to rule or destroy the world. Each of them is somehow contained in a relatively ordinary-looking briefcase. To protect these briefcases, the Order of the Seven… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Seven Secrets Volume One

Manga Review: Skull-Face Bookseller Honda-san 1

Manga Review: Skull-Face Bookseller Honda-san 1 by Honda Working retail can be a funny business, especially if you work in a popular bookstore. Or so claims Honda, the star and creator of this autobiographical manga. The “hon” in the name is written with the kanji (ideograph) for “book” but can also mean “bone”, so the… Continue reading Manga Review: Skull-Face Bookseller Honda-san 1

Anime Review: Demon Slayer

In the heat of battle, Tanjiro digs deep for more true potential.

Anime Review: Demon Slayer For hundreds of years, oni (“demons” or “ogres”) have infested Japan. These monsters roam at night, finding human victims to kill and eat, usually in that order. Opposing them are the order of Demon Slayers, armed with special swords that are one of the two known ways to kill a demon.… Continue reading Anime Review: Demon Slayer

Comic Book Review: Green Lantern: Legacy

Comic Book Review: Green Lantern: Legacy Author Minh Le, Illustrator Andie Tong Three generations live in the cramped apartment above the Jade Market. Tai Pham is okay with this. He loves his parents and especially his grandmother Kim Tran, who founded this neighborhood store when she and his grandfather came to America from Vietnam. But… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Green Lantern: Legacy

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: Primitive Boyfriend Vol. 1

Manga Review: Primitive Boyfriend Vol. 1 by Yoshineko Kitafuku Kamigome Mito is the proverbial farmer’s daughter, with clean-cut good looks and a body made healthy with hard work in the fields. But there’s no traveling salesman in this story. Instead, seventeen year old Mito is attending a high school with a bevy of boys who… Continue reading Manga Review: Primitive Boyfriend Vol. 1