What's New
07 Mar 26
You might find yourself in a similar situation as Pawel wanting to quote Gunny Hartman after reading Chapter 18 of RttW. It's a wonder I got it finished with the ever-present lure of the peripheral materials, but here it is. Maybe I can at least get one manga review written before tomorrow's update. Otherwise, expect another night at the movies. Stay tuned.
Posted by: JamesUTC 13:50:40
03 Mar 26
If you've been following my progress reports on the blog, then you know I've been thinking about expanding the main storyline of the Welcome to the World series. I have since committed to the idea and am increasing the number of books in the main story from four to six. Yes, I'm not numbering them in the title at this stage for some bizarre artistic conceit even I don't know, but there is an order to them. The fourth book, The Lion's Successor, retains its title, but the content has changed. The segment of the story formerly occupying that spot is now the fifth book, The Way of the Lion. Lastly, we have the sixth book, The Lion's Last Stand, which brings the main story to an end. There are more than six hundred years of adventures to be had, so there could easily be other books in the future, but let's try to focus on getting through the first one for now. Speaking of getting the first book finished, I need to buckle down and get to writing on the chapter that's due Saturday. Stay tuned.
Posted by: JamesUTC 02:50:51
02 Mar 26
My work in the WttW peripheral materials took up any time I could've been using toward writing manga reviews on Saturday, so all I have is one that I wrote on Monday for Volume 7 of Dandadan. For movie reviews, we have Errol Flynn in the war flick Objective, Burma!, Robert Ryan opposite Ida Lupino in 1951's On Dangerous Ground, the original 1960 Rat Pack version of Ocean's 11, and then we close things out with a 90's classic of working Gen X angst in Office Space. I'll make the same promise I did last week of trying to get more manga reviews out along with the next chapter of RttW and maybe I can actually deliver this time. Stay tuned.
Posted by: JamesUTC 06:28:47
21 Feb 26
I said I didn't have any manga reviews ready, but I managed to actually get one finished before I started preparing this update, so let's welcome the inaugural entry in our coverage of Go! Go! Loser Ranger! (Sentai Daishikkaku). I'll be trying to up my output in the near future and maybe I can build up a reserve to cover busier times. Let's move on to movie reviews. We'll go chronologically and start with Jimmy Stewart in the high-flying drama of No Highway in the Sky. Next, if you're as mad as hell and not going to take it anymore, then 1976's Network is the movie for you. If, as a change of pace, you'd like to pit John Rambo and Lando Calrissian against Roy Batty, then give 1981's Nighthawks a whirl. Last and definitely least, if you've been mourning the Cannon Group going belly-up in the 90s, their spirit lives on in the surprisingly simply titled Ninja. As mentioned, I'm going to try to up the manga review output, so I'm hoping to have at least two or three done, but if I get really productive, I might even get a full slate out. I also hope to get the next chapter of RttW out, so be looking for that. Stay tuned.
Posted by: JamesUTC 11:27:06
21 Feb 26
We check in with the big dogs in Chapter 12 of CoP. I was able to expand on the lead time I had going into this week and currently have two chapters cued up and ready to go. I'll need every bit of it once the new school year starts in April, so I'd best make the most of this time when things are winding down. I only got partway into writing a single manga review, so just expect entries from the movie review backlog tomorrow. Until then. Stay tuned.
Posted by: JamesUTC 15:28:27
15 Feb 26
I didn't get caught up on any anime viewing, so instead I decided to go with a theme for this week's reviews. Why, is that the swelling theme by Basil Poledouris I hear? Why, yes, yes, it is. Part man, part machine, all cop. It's RoboCop. And we're not stopping there. We've also got RoboCop 2, RoboCop 3 and even the 2014 remake. To round things out, we coincidentally have a tangentially related film that's come up next in the review backlog, the 1950 crime flick Mystery Street. I expect to pivot to the movie review backlog for the next couple months, but I might get at least one more anime review out for next week. I know I've been saying it for a while, but I'd like to resume manga reviews as well. Also be looking for the next chapter of CoP (which is already done, so no worries of me missing the deadline). Stay tuned.
Posted by: JamesUTC 12:18:39
14 Feb 26
It pretty much came down to the wire, but when I wasn't snuggling with my fuzzy Valentine here, I was working to get the chapter finished for this update. I'm happy to report that I succeeded and you get a nice big slab of reading when you aren't busy whispering sweet nothings into your honey bunny's ear. It's Chapter 2 of TKoH. Be looking for reviews tomorrow. Stay tuned.
Posted by: JamesUTC 18:00:12
08 Feb 26
I came up short on anime viewing this week. Or, rather, I found myself digging into the new stuff instead of wrapping up the old. Fortunately, there was a series out there with half-length episodes that made it easier to knock out, Isekai Quartet 3. Next, we round out my vacation film viewing with the '93 version of The Three Musketeers, the original '68 version of Yours, Mine and Ours, and the Guy Ritchie flick Wrath of Man. Next is something I just watched while I was preparing these reviews. We have an Irishman playing the archnemesis of the Irish in 1970's Cromwell. For next week, I'll try to get through more of my anime backlog and I hope to get the next chapter of TKoH out. Stay tuned.
Posted by: JamesUTC 15:17:45
07 Feb 26
While this is an older picture, the mascot is currently occupying my chair right now as well. Speaking of a different meaning of the word 'occupation', we get a taste of working life in Chapter 17 of RttW. Look for reviews tomorrow. Stay tuned.
Posted by: JamesUTC 15:24:35
02 Feb 26
I was down to the wire with my viewing, which is why this is late. For this week's Fall 2025 anime coverage, we get our regularly scheduled dose of isekai with My Status as an Assassin Obviously Exceeds the Hero's and for a change of pace, it's Season 2 of the Ranma 1/2 remake. For movie coverage, we have a duo of Sandra Bullock romcoms with While You Were Sleeping and The Proposal. Lastly, we switch things up with a more recent watch. I suppose it counts for the English Club because they had the English subtitles on. It's Makoto Shinkai's 5 Centimeters per Second. We've got one more round of films I saw over my vacation and I'll try to have some more Fall 2025 anime as well. I'll also be trying to get that chapter of RttW out. Stay tuned.
Posted by: JamesUTC 04:22:46
27 Jan 26
It's that time of year once more. Palidor Media celebrates its 19th birthday and we take a moment to look back at the previous year and look ahead at what's to come. Schedule slippage continues to be a problem, but we finished The Witch Hunters and have started The King of Hoards, which is still early in its run, in no small part due to the aforementioned schedule slippage. Child of Promise and Return to the World keep chugging along and will continue to do so throughout the year and into the next. At this point, I don't anticipate anything new coming up save for possibly a few new teasers dropping as I move some new projects into preproduction. I should probably think about at least commissioning some art to celebrate the 20th anniversary next year, but that's one more thing to consider as I continue my efforts. Here's to a productive year.
Posted by: JamesUTC 06:31:32