28 Dec 18

It's time for the hunter to become the hunted in Chapter 21 of TG. In other news, I got two new tankoubon before I left Japan, but I haven't been able to find them, so my idea of using them for review fodder is out. Maybe I'll just go ahead and post reviews of my airplane movies. We'll see. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 06:38:53 

26 Dec 18

Everyone enjoy your Christmas festivities? Well, it's now time for Chapter 21 of Tellus. We've got more TG coming up and a set of reviews that I still haven't decided on. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 04:27:23 

25 Dec 18

Well, hey, it's Christmas. Are you the "Merry Christmas" sort or the "Happy Christmas" sort? Maybe you cover your bases and say "Merry Happy Christmas". We can wonder about that another day. For now, enjoy a selection of Christmas classics. You may well be used to seeing this one on loop throughout the day. It's A Christmas Story. Next up is a quartet of Christmas specials near and dear to me. In chronological order, we've got Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, A Charlie Brown Christmas, A Garfield Christmas Special, and A Claymation Christmas Celebration. You all enjoy your Christmas cheer and I'll be back after things settle down to post the next chapter of Tellus. More TG will follow later in the week and the weekend's reviews are currently TBD. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 04:31:23 

20 Dec 18

"Bow down to me!" the majestic beast demands of the poor vermin below. "I am Emperor!" She'd be an empress, technically, but she's quoting The Dark Crystal and we don't want to interfere with that lest she summon Garthim to come after us. Well, it's time at last to move ahead to CeleKing3 with the prologue to get you started. This will keep us occupied for another year, so that's something. Look for some Christmas-themed reviews coming up ahead of the big day. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 16:33:53 

16 Dec 18

We start off this week's reviews with the second season of KonoSuba along with its OAV. We also have FLCL Progressive, which I'm classifying as a TV series because that was how it was initially aired (in the States, interestingly enough, and it was later repackaged for a theatrical release in Japan a few months later). Rounding out the list is Volume 8 and Volume 9 of the Death Note manga. We'll be taking a break from the current set of reviews to do a Christmas special, something I meant to do last year but didn't get around to it. (How I've been doing this for three years and am just now getting around to doing a Christmas special is a mystery.) We've also got the debut of CeleKing3, so look forward to that. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 13:30:02 

13 Dec 18

It's time to link up allies and start raising Cain in Chapter 20 of TG. Maybe Zadok will be wishing it invested more in PR. In other news, we've still got reviews this weekend, so look for that. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 12:21:29 

11 Dec 18

Well, the gang went through a bit of a rough patch, but they won't have to worry about any more freaks, creeps or generally bad people now, right? Right? Chapter 20 of Tellus is now up. We've still got more TG and reviews coming up too. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 12:37:58 

09 Dec 18

I would've posted this closer to when it wrapped, but we had theme weeks occupying the schedule. It's Overlord III, which I look back in amusement now that I've picked up Goblin Slayer this season. Because I've just now really started paying attention to people talking about it, we've got the first season of KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World and its accompanying OAV. Next up is Volume 6 and Volume 7 of the Death Note manga. Next week will have Season 2 of KonoSuba, more Death Note and something else TBD. Be on the lookout for more Tellus and TG as well. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 13:23:53 

07 Dec 18

Is this the end of Yasuko's journey? We've got the epilogue of CeleKing2 for you. Because this is the end of the book, I've also got the character glossary, the map of Erdi, the Celestial military ranks, and the Imperial Guard ranks. The week after next, we'll be picking things up with CeleKing3. Before that, though, we've got reviews coming up. (I managed to come up with content, so yay for that.) Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 18:19:40 

02 Dec 18

Until I can get my hands on Zoku Owarimonogatari and/or start in on the original light novels or the manga, our coverage of the Monogatari Series comes to close with the films of the Kizumonogatari trilogy: Part 1: Iron Blood, Part 2: Hot Blood of Owarimonogatari, with Part 3: Cold Blood. On the manga front, we have Volume 4 and Volume 5 of Death Note. As far as next week goes, there'll be more Death Note and one holdover from last season at the very least. I've got to come up with two more items, though. I'm actually watching an unusual number of series this season, but the 13-episode ones won't be wrapping until the end of the month, so I'm going to have to find something else. Look for more Tellus and TG. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 15:09:36 

30 Nov 18

We were dancing around Death's doorstep last time, but maybe now the danger's passed and we can unwind a bit. It's worked out so well before, right? Enjoy Chapter 19 of TG. Be on the lookout for Kizumonogatari coming up. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 15:35:54 

27 Nov 18

When you lead a double life, that other side eventually comes out. We see something to that effect in Chapter 19 of Tellus. Look for more TG and Kizumonogatari coming up. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 13:11:51 

25 Nov 18

It's now time for Monogatari Series: Final Season, which is divided into four parts: Tsukionogatari, Part 1 and Part 2 of Owarimonogatari, with Koyomimonogatari in between. To round out our five items for the week, we also have Volume 3 of the Death Note manga. We'll have more Death Note and the Kizumonogatari trilogy next week. Also look for more Tellus and TG. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 16:06:55 

23 Nov 18

Well, my American readers, did you have a good Turkey Day? I have no idea where I'd get turkey here in Japan. Maybe CostCo, but I don't really want to go there. Anyway, this week we have the penultimate chapter of CeleKing2, where Yasuko is probably having a hard time coming up with things to be thankful for. Anyway, enjoy Chapter 24 and we'll see you again in two weeks for the finale. We've got the Final Season of the Monogatari Series coming up, so look for that. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 00:57:56 

18 Nov 18

We continue our coverage of the Monogatari Series with Monogatari Series: Second Season and Hanamonogatari. On the manga front, we've got Volume 17 of One Punch Man and Volume 1 and Volume 2 of Death Note. Next week is Final Season, which will be divvied up into four parts. Also be looking for more CeleKing2. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 13:14:00 

17 Nov 18

Sorry about the delay, but we've got a long chapter for you and I let myself get preoccupied with other stuff yesterday evening. Anyway, you can see the mascot looking rather peaceable in the picture. I can assure you there's nothing so peaceable about Chapter 18 of TG. Reviews are up next, so be looking for that. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 03:50:23 

13 Nov 18

We've got goings-on that'd be right at home with some of the films in last month's reviews in Chapter 18 of Tellus. Look for more TG and reviews in the coming days. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 14:17:24 

11 Nov 18

In light of yesterday's release of Zoku Owarimonogatari, I'm going to start posting my reviews of the Monogatari Series so far. We're going to start with the First Season series this week: Bakemonogatari, Nisemonogatari, and Nekomonogatari (Kuro). The series has something of a wonky release schedule, but the plan is to cover a "season" a week and then the movies. Next up is manga. We've got Volume 5 of Twilight Princess and Volume 6 of Yakumo-san wa Ezuke ga Shitai. I've already told you what anime to expect for the next few weeks, but on the manga front, look forward to coverage of the Death Note series. We've also got more Tellus and TG to look forward to, so fun all around. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 11:48:04 

09 Nov 18

When you sneak onto a post to try and kill the CG, folks are going to love you. Just ask Yasuko after Chapter 23 of CeleKing2. Just two more cycles and we'll be done with the book. We've got anime and manga coming up this weekend. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 16:18:33 

04 Nov 18

The titles of this week's film would have you expect a certain cloven-hoofed gentleman, but if I recall, he's only present in one out of the five. We may as well start with that one, 1997's The Devil's Advocate. Next is an Irish horror film that they decided to call Death Note in Japan (and if what I hear is correct, perhaps a better Western adaptation than the Netflix one even though this movie has nothing at all to do with the franchise), Let Us Prey. We then have a trio from the 60s, more about cults and such and only tangentially related to the Devil. First is Eye of the Devil with David Niven and two Hammer films, The Devil's Own and The Devil's Bride. Following on a similar theme, let me say that next year I plan on releasing my reviews of The Wicker Man, so that can keep you going for the next twelve months. In the meantime, though, I'm going to focus on anime and manga reviews for the next several weeks. We've got more CeleKing2 coming up as well. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 14:33:34 

02 Nov 18

Being Japanese, the mascot understands what it means to come from a warrior culture. Our gang is about to see just how much fun warrior cultures can be in Chapter 17 of TG. We've still got reviews coming up, so look for that. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 08:49:47 

28 Oct 18

We close out our Halloween bash with the wielders of the dark arts. We start off with 1958's Bell, Book and Candle, which is rather fluffy stuff in comparison to what we've got next. It's the Warlock trilogy: Warlock, Warlock: Armageddon and Warlock III: End of Innocence. We then finish things off with a more recent flick, Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters. Next week, we get down with the Devil with some films that may or may not actually feature Old Nick regardless of the fact that "Devil" is in the title. Look for more Tellus and TG as well.

And as a side note, it would seem that due to the predictable response to the recent tragic event Stateside, Gab may be down for a while. Torba has vowed to keep the site up one way or another, but if it stays down, I may abandon social media altogether. It hasn't made that much impact on the site, so I'm not losing much. Surely no one will miss my not-tweets about FEH. Anyway, if the frog on the sidebar vanishes, you'll know why, though should that happen, I'll be sure to make a note of it. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 13:36:00 

26 Oct 18

Yasuko faces her greatest challenge yet in Chapter 22 of CeleKing2. Will it be a clean sweep? Is it ever that easy? In other news, look for magic shenanigans as we bring our October film reviews to a close. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 14:16:23 

21 Oct 18

It's more Halloween fun with a selection of kooky creepy psycho killers. First we take a look at one of the sillier outings of the notorious Dr. Hannibal 'the Cannibal' Lecter in 2001's Hannibal. Next, because lazy eye apparently sets you on the path to madness, 2002's May. After that, the murder gameshow Slasher, Wes Craven's Shocker and the fairly low-key The Prowler. Also, I've added a new index organized by year. It's not quite complete yet, but I should have it filled out soon. We'll be wrapping up our Halloween bonanza with a look at witches, warlocks and other magic mischief. Look for more CeleKing2 as well. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 15:38:20 

20 Oct 18

Yes, I know this is late, but someone put me to bed early last night. Just look at that face. That's the kind of face you can trust. Speaking of faces you can trust, our gang is about to meet a bunch of highly trustworthy people as things continue to go swimmingly for them in Chapter 16 of TG. And totally unrelated, we've got movies with colorful psycho killers tomorrow. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 02:08:23 

16 Oct 18

Have you wondered what exactly brought young Tellus to this land that hasn't been terribly kind to her? Well, maybe it's time to find out in Chapter 16 of Tellus. We've got more TG coming up and psycho killers. Maybe not at the same time. Maybe. ^_^ Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 12:23:57 

14 Oct 18

In space, no one can hear you scream. ... Oh, I've already done that one. Let me try again. *ahem* We have such sights to show you. ... I've done that one too. Well, anyway, this week we're looking at scifi horror. We start with two stabs at Hellraiser in space. The first I've been talking about for a long time, so here's the review for Event Horizon. Not nearly as effective (but possibly on the whole a better film than Hellraiser: Bloodline is Supernova. We've also got alien bodysurfers in The Hidden and The Astronaut's Wife. Last but not least is the first entry in a series about sinister parallelepipeds: Cube. The thrills and chills continue next week with a gaggle of psycho killers (that is, killers who are psychos, not killers of psychos). We've also got more Tellus and TG, so look for that. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 12:09:52 

12 Oct 18

Look at this intense training the mascot is subjecting herself to. Yasuko is working hard too in Chapter 21 of CeleKing2. We've got scifi horror coming up in a couple days, so strap yourselves in for that. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 10:54:07 

07 Oct 18

It's October, so that means it's time to kick off our annual Halloween bonanza. We're going to start with vampires and not just any vampire but the Count himself in three of the Hammer Dracula sequels: Dracula: Prince of Darkness, Dracula Has Risen from the Grave, and Dracula AD 1972. We then get a more modern look at the vile bloodsuckers in a double feature of Blade and Blade II. Look forward to some scifi horror next week, including a particular film I've been wanting to post for a long time now. (If you've seen any of my reviews relating to scifi horror so far, I'm pretty sure you can guess which movie I'm talking about.) We've also got more CeleKing2, so look forward to that. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 15:08:12 

05 Oct 18

Well, last time our heroes got an OP chara added to their party, so it would only be fair to let the bad guys cheat a little too, right? We dig a little deeper into our antagonists' activities in Chapter 15 of TG. We've got vampires waiting for us in a couple days, so look forward to that. (Coincidentally, I've started watching the Monogatari series, so all sorts of vampire fun to be had.) Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 05:14:38 

02 Oct 18

Sometimes it's not so much the repercussions you feel for your actions as it is the repercussions felt by those around you. We see this play out in Chapter 15 of Tellus. We've still got more TG on the way and vile bloodsuckers waiting to kick off our Halloween movie feature this weekend. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 16:41:08 

30 Sep 18

It's been a long ride, but we've reached the end of the trail. We conclude our month of the Duke with another entry in John Ford's Calvary Trilogy, Fort Apache. I wanted to get 1950's Rio Grande as well, but I couldn't get my hands on it in time, so we're going to be one entry short this week. Moving on, we've got the grand epic How the West Was Won, where Wayne plays William Tecumseh Sherman, and another Civil War piece, Horse Soldiers. We close on the final film of director Howard Hawks, Rio Lobo. Next week it'll be time for our parade of scary movies to begin, starting with the ever-reliable vampires. Look for more Tellus and TG as well (with significantly fewer vampires than you'll find in the next batch of reviews). Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 14:09:36 

28 Sep 18

What do you do when you find yourself cornered? Do you meekly submit to your fate or do you fight back with all that you've got? The mascot is cornered of her own accord, so she doesn't have to worry about that question, but someone else is going to have her mettle tested in Chapter 20 of CeleKing2. Coming up next, the conclusion of our month with the Duke. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 12:05:01 

24 Sep 18

Once upon a time, there was a man burning a brush pile, only when he started the fire he came to a terrible realization. Apparently some stray cat had decided that brush pile would be a good place to have her kittens. The man tried to save what he could, but some of them were lost to the fire. One of the survivors was a curious specimen with stubby arms and six toes on each hand. Even as a small kitten, she displayed some of the signs of her characteristic tsundere attitude. At one point I heard she was going to be called Pepper, presumably after the speckled tabby pattern on her back but then it changed to Molly, so I dubbed her Molly Pepper from then on.

Moll was taken in by my grandmother, who had recently lost her cat, and when my grandmother passed, my folks took her in. Before that, though, when I was housesitting after the funeral, Moll came around from being rather standoffish to being quite affectionate, much as she was when we first met. She would still swing "tsun" at a moment's notice, but we got along fairly well after that. She and Ayame managed to reach a certain equilibrium, but poor Olivia wasn't so assertive and so Moll had her cornered in my parents' closet until Hurricane Harvey brought in my sister's family and their animals to change the dynamics of the household.

Last Thursday, she somehow managed to get over the fence into the neighbors' yard. As near as we can tell, their dogs started roughhousing with her, which proved to be fatal to Moll. It doesn't seem like there was any malice to it, but in the dogs' defense, she did invade their space, though I have a feeling that it took her quite a bit of time and effort to get over the fence in the first place and she probably couldn't have easily escaped. It's a shame, but these things happen.

Anyway, as I considered Moll to be a member of the team, it seemed only fitting that I should commemorate her. She could be quite the terror, but she was a good kid and really shouldn't have gone out the way she did. Requiescat in pace, junior mascot.

Posted by: James
UTC 01:36:35 

23 Sep 18

The Duke was well-known for being in a lot of war movies, but he didn't serve in the military himself during WWII. Now, I've heard a number of stories on the subject and they tend to be shaded according on how they feel about the man in question. I don't have much of an opinion on the matter, but I will say that if he was physically capable of serving, it would've saved him a lot of grief later on if he had just signed up. But that's long in the past, so there's not much point dwelling on it. Well, it does factor into our first film of the day: 1945's They Were Expendable, which had a fair bit of behind-the-scenes drama between Wayne and longtime collaborator director John Ford. We go on to a couple pieces both from 1951: Flying Leathernecks and Operation Pacific. Next we pull out the big guns for perhaps one of the best war movies ever made, The Longest Day. Lastly, we have a movie that John Wayne didn't star in. In fact, he refused when offered. (A wise decision on his part. Spoiler alert.) It's the comedy that couldn't buy a laugh, Steven Spielberg's 1941. From here we'll take a look at some more of the Duke's war movies, but set in the century prior, back when the Army was in blue. (Yes, I realize it's back in blue again.) We've also got more CeleKing2. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 12:19:17 

21 Sep 18

Anyone here play Final Fantasy Tactics? Remember TG Cid? Gamebreaker, right? Well, what if we gave Toma's group their TG Cid? Think that'll make it a breeze for them to clear the game? I guess we can see what happens in Chapter 14 of TG. We've still got the Duke at war coming in the next couple days. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 12:33:22 

18 Sep 18

Last time we had some folks looking to start something. Well, they've started something in Chapter 14 of Tellus. Look for more TG and wartime adventures of the Duke. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 13:53:21 

16 Sep 18

Our adventures with the Duke continue. First we take a look back at the days before the Revolutionary War in Allegheny Uprising and then we jump to the 20th Century to hunt down some filthy Reds in Big Jim McLain. We then close with the more familiar Westerns, looking at True Grit, its sequel Rooster Cogburn, and the unrelated The Train Robbers. Next week, the Duke goes to war. Also look for more Tellus and TG. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 11:24:21

14 Sep 18

Look at that lovable, snugglable mascot. She's got the right idea. In other news, my Internet woes appear to be resolved for the moment. I'm still at the mercy of a capricious piece of hardware, though. Anyway, it's time for some story content. We've got Chapter 19 of CeleKing2, where we just might see another side of Masako. More adventures with the Duke in the next couple days. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 13:44:40 

09 Sep 18

We've got more fun with everyone's favorite cowboy. This week's selection includes 3 Godfathers, Hondo, McLintock!, Chisum, and Big Jake. Next week we'll be mixing a couple different pieces in with the Westerns. We'll also have more CeleKing2 and I'm hoping by then to have my network issues resolved. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 14:53:10 

08 Sep 18

So, hey, guess what. When you've got a mobile Internet plan and your mobile network device fails, it leaves you pretty well stuck. And it would seem that none of the major electronics stores in the vicinity carry mobile routers compatible with microSIMs. What fun. As proof of how much I love my readers, I'm out here on a borrowed connection with a storm about to roll in, but I'm getting this update out. If you thought our heroes were catching a break, their luck may be running out in Chapter 13 of TG. I still plan on getting Sunday's update out on schedule with some imposition on my gracious host, so look for that. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 05:08:39 

04 Sep 18

Goblins and Ogres and Trolls, oh my! (Okay, so we don't actually have any Ogres appearing. Yet.) Yes, it's time to take a look at the critters the good people of Hannibal call the Mountain Devils in Chapter 13 of Tellus. Might be bad news for the neighborhood. Anyway, look for more TG and more cowboy goodness from the Duke. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 11:46:22 

02 Sep 18

I started out just planning to do a single feature of John Wayne films, but I think I'm going to make it a special for the entire month. The Month of the Duke. (Although I guess May might've been a better choice 'cause that's when his birthday is. Oh well.) We start with one of his early films, before he made it big, Ride Him, Cowboy. We then follow it with the film where he makes it big, 1939's Stagecoach. We then look at one of his most acclaimed roles in The Searchers and pair it with perhaps his most derided role in The Conqueror, where he plays Genghis Khan. No, really. Last but not least, we have his final performance in The Shootist, which you might think is how I'd want to end the series, but this way it makes for a nice little cross-section of his career. We've got plenty more to come. I'll also be putting out more Tellus and TG in the coming days. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 13:28:31 

31 Aug 18

I think until this extra course I'm teaching ends in mid-December, you should get used to the Thursday updates coming out Friday. I'm sure that's not too devastating for you. What is devastating is the escalation of workplace disputes, as we'll see in Chapter 18 of CeleKing2. Conflict resolution may end up a bit messy. Moving on, look forward to manning up this weekend with the Duke. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 03:19:57 

26 Aug 18

I was a bit late to the party seeing as this came out the 9th, but this week I purchased, read and have now reviewed Volume 26 of Attack on Titan. And rather than going adventuring during Obon (climbing Ayers Rock like one of my students, for instance), I stayed in the apartment playing video games and the fruit of that experience are reviews of Dragon Force and Dragon Force II, my first foray into gaming on the Sega Saturn. (In fact, the latter is the entire reason I got a Saturn and have been building a library of Saturn games.) Last and definitely least, I've got a review of the TV series Fuuka that I may have never gotten around to posting otherwise. I was going to pair it with its predecessor Suzuka, but I gave up on that series four eps in. This leaves me with one less review than my standard five, but a few weeks ago you got an extra review, so consider the books balanced. (Or, if you want my impressions on Suzuka, I'll tell you I prefer Fuuka because there's less of it.) Anyway, look for more CeleKing2 next week and some yet to be determined reviews. At the moment, I'm thinking about calling in the Duke. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 11:39:09 

24 Aug 18

When you enjoy first-class treatment, you too can look as contented as this. Our heroes have had a rough time of it lately, so it's about time they get tossed a bone. Time to enjoy the high life in Chapter 12 of TG. Still formulating the plan for the reviews. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 15:33:22 

21 Aug 18

Stop me if you've heard this one before. So a knight, a Half Elf psychic and a kid who might be the end of the world walk into the Dwarven smithy and they say, "I'm lookin' for the feller that shot my paw." Wait... I may have got that one wrong somehow. Anyway, we've got Chapter 12 of Tellus up for your reading pleasure. We've still got more TG and reviews coming up and maybe we'll find the feller that shot my paw. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 14:05:48 

19 Aug 18

We give the movie section a break this week as we take a more multimedia approach. First we have a straggler from the spring anime season, Darling in the FRANXX. Since I won't be following the manga any further, this is where you'll have to look for my overall thoughts on the series. Speaking of manga, we have Volume 13 and Volume 14 of Yotsuba&!. There's something nice about having the entire fourth page of the comics/manga section being nothing but Yotsuba. Lastly, I have a couple card battlers I tried from Cygames, the developer of Granblue Fantasy. First is Shingeki no Bahamut and its successor, Shadowverse. I haven't quite decided on a theme, if any, for next week. In the meantime, look for more Tellus and TG. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 10:20:34 

16 Aug 18

The wise one sits upon the judgment seat to judge all the ones that need judging. The mascot is probably a friendlier audience than the one Lord Grima faces in Chapter 17 of CeleKing2. Capital intrigue is all fun and games until they start measuring you for the guillotine. In other news, we've got a mishmash of reviews coming up in the next few days. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 16:50:07 

12 Aug 18

It's been a month now since I went back to the States and I'm just now wrapping up talking about the movies I saw while I was away. Admittedly, I slipped some other reviews in for thematic purposes, but now we can close things out. First, the remainder of the plane movies I saw going over: Creed, Gringo, The 15:17 to Paris, and the new Tomb Raider. (The last of those counts as part of the day's Walt Goggins trilogy along with The Death Cure and Ant-Man and the Wasp.) We also have slightly more family-oriented fare in the form of Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle and Atlantis: The Secret of Blue Water The Lost Empire. Next week we'll have more of a multimedia set of reviews. We'll also have more CeleKing2, so look for that. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 12:33:57 

09 Aug 18

The mascot is hiding so expertly that you probably can't even see her. You never know when a critter might pounce hiding like that. Our gang might have to worry about some concealed surprises in Chapter 11 of TG. Look for reviews in the coming days. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 16:09:23 

07 Aug 18

Well, a while back we found out that those tree-hugging hippie Elves weren't all about peace, love and Mother Nature, but surely the Dwarves don't have to worry about all this intrigue and backstabbery, right? Find out in Chapter 11 of Tellus. We've got more TG ahead and the conclusion of my whirlwind movie marathon. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 22:56:34 

05 Aug 18

With my teaser last week, you might have thought I'd be presenting reviews of the entire Death Wish series. That'd be cool, but I haven't actually seen all the films yet. Instead you'll have to settle for the original Death Wish and its 2018 remake along with a selection of Charles Bronson films that are either Death Wish-like or simply what I thought would be. We start with 1958's Gang War and follow it with The Mechanic, Death Hunt, and Kinjite: Forbidden Subjects. I've got six films left from my recent viewings, so I think I'm going to dispense with any attempt at a theme or trying to bring in other backlogged reviews. Look for more Tellus and TG as well. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 11:11:17 

03 Aug 18

I've just started a new side gig Thursday evening that's thrown off my schedule a bit. Things should stabilize later on, but for this week I had to put off the update a bit. It's time for Chapter 16 of CeleKing2, which may represent a little change in fortune. Look for some deadly reviews in the next couple days. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 17:03:21 

29 Jul 18

As we continue to look at my recent viewings, we start by pairing those films with their predecessors whose reviews have been sitting in my backlog for a while. As I promised kaijuu, let's start with Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters and Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle. Our next duo don't have kaijuu, but there were some sort of biomechanical monsters in the original. We've got the two Maze Runner sequels, The Scorch Trials and The Death Cure. Now, let's close on kaijuu with the last of the Showa-era Gamera films: Gamera: Super Monster. As for next week, I've got a taste for violence. Some might say I've got a... death wish. We'll also have more CeleKing2, so look forward to that. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 10:32:54 

26 Jul 18

The watchcat may have missed something, but it's fine, I'm sure. The hounds are on the trail in Chapter 10 of TG. As for the weekend's reviews, I'm thinking about some kaijuu action. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 16:00:37 

24 Jul 18

It's a new day and time for Tobias to find himself in a new mess in Chapter 10 of Tellus. Maybe something good will come of it. Be on the lookout for more TG and reviews in the coming days. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 12:29:43 

23 Jul 18

As I dragged myself back and the mascot meowed herself hoarse scolding me for having left her home alone for the past week, I was sorely tempted to just push this update to next week, but I decided to buckle down and get the job finished today. I'm sure my dedication will be commemorated for all time. Anyway, let's get to those reviews. We're going to start things off with a couple recent releases: Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and Ant-Man and the Wasp. Having the fourth and fifth films in the franchise, I thought it'd be nice to round out the set, so I've also got Jurassic Park, The Lost World: Jurassic Park and Jurassic Park III. I also realized that I somehow forgot to post the review of the first Ant-Man and it's been just sitting in my backlog for nearly two years, so enjoy that as well. I'll be continuing reviews of the numerous films I've seen recently while blending them with some other related movies as well. We've got more Tellus and TG coming, so get ready for that. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 15:54:58 

20 Jul 18

My trips are always so crazy. It's a wonder I can get anything done according to schedule. It's a bit late, but here's Chapter 15 of CeleKing2. Depending on how I'm feeling when I roll back in to sunny Nippon, you may see the first installment of some of the films I've seen recently. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 08:46:12 

12 Jul 18

Nothing escapes the watchful eye of the watchcat, so give up on any thoughts of escapin'. Things seem to be going from bad to worse for Toma and the gang in Chapter 9 of TG. Maybe we'll see a silver lining yet. This is a pretty long one, so plenty of time to turn things around. We've still got reviews ahead. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 16:04:40 

10 Jul 18

Last time we dealt with that whiny little twerp Boodes, but what exactly were these Catmen he was grumbling about? Would you like to find out? Your answer is actually irrelevant because we're doing it whether you like it or not in Chapter 9 of Tellus. Look for more TG coming up and some manner of reviews on the weekend (or technically Monday as there'll be a 14-hour time difference). Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 17:11:46 

08 Jul 18

Well, we've had fun, but this is the end for Dragon and Dragon Half. For Blue Three, we have Enter the Dragon, the posthumous Game of Death, and the pseudo-biographical Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story. And we conclude the Dragon Half manga with Volume 6 and Volume 7 (which has a horrendous cover). We'll probably do airplane movies next week. That or a bit of a grab-bag. We'll see. Look for more Tellus and TG in the meantime Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 13:38:13 

05 Jul 18

The mascot isn't jazzed about having her image associated with the current arc of the story, so she's tucked herself away in the corner. Yasuko probably wishes she could get out of her problems so easily. Well, things aren't going to get any easier for her in Chapter 14 of CeleKing2. We've still got the conclusion of our Dragon and Dragon Half special coming up. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 11:35:45 

01 Jul 18

It's time for Part 2 of our Dragon and Dragon Half special. First, enter the Dragon (but not Enter the Dragon—that's next week). We've got Fist of Fury (also known as The Chinese Connection in some parts) and The Way of the Dragon. Next is Volume 3, Volume 4 and Volume 5 of the Dragon Half manga. We'll be concluding the series next week, but look for more CeleKing2 before that. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 13:00:23 

28 Jun 18

Imagine sights of fuzzy carnage like this spread out for miles. Yes, that's in poor taste given the subject matter of today's chapter, but since we're dealing with fiction spun out of my own head, I figure I can get a pass on it. Anyway, let's check in with our good buddy Schwartz in Chapter 8 of TG. More Dragon and Dragon Half to come on the weekend. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 12:41:48 

26 Jun 18

Today's episode is brought to you by the letter N. For nepotism. Featuring an actual nepos. Here's Chapter 8 of Tellus. Look for more TG and reviews coming up. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 11:43:04 

24 Jun 18

Today we kick off a three-week series: Dragon and Dragon Half. "Dragon" refers to the one and only Bruce Lee and we start things with 1969's Marlowe. What's that? Not what you were expecting? Well, Bruce Lee's in it, believe it or not. Versus James Garner. I'm serious. Okay, okay. Let's go with something a little more in line with your expectations: 1971's The Big Boss. And because Lee's career was cut tragically short, I have to be somewhat sparing on his side. We now move on to Dragon Half. We start with the 1993 OAV which should be familiar to American anime fans from the 90s and the Aughts. And because I recently got my hands on the original manga, we've got Volume 1 and Volume 2 of that. Look forward to the next two weeks of dragony fun. Meanwhile, we've got more Tellus and TG in the pipe. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 15:36:35 

21 Jun 18

Well, this friendly neko belies the not-so-friendly situation our heroine finds herself in this week in Chapter 13 of CeleKing2. Word of advice, kids: Stay in school. Don't grow up to be an assassin. It's not nearly as cool as it looks in the movies. Speaking of movies, we've got reviews in the coming days. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 13:24:39 

17 Jun 18

It's Father's Day and how better to commemorate the day than with one of cinema's great onscreen dads? Liam Neeson shows us what it means to be a dad in Taken, Taken 2, Taken 3, Run All Night (which is dad vs. dad courtesy of Ed Harris), and A Walk Among the Tombstones (which sort of has a surrogate father thing going with the kid who thinks soda pop is a conspiracy to sterilize black people yet somehow believes New York City tap water is fine). Well, when thinking about my original plans for next week and my recent manga acquisition, I came up with a brilliant idea: the Dragon and Dragon Half. It'll be great and it can cover the next three weeks. Outstanding. We've also got more CeleKing2 next week, so look forward to that. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 14:00:58 

14 Jun 18

Despite having two chairs of her own, the mascot will still hijack mine whenever the mood strikes her. It's much milder than what happens to our gang in Chapter 7 of TG. Then again, most anything from my own experience is milder than what the characters go through in TG. Rough times for those kids. Anyway, look for reviews in the next few days. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 14:32:21 

12 Jun 18

Has it ever happened to you where there's this girl you knew as a kid who you then reunite with as adults and you think, "Wow, she's gotten hot," and she actually seems to be digging you too? Yeah, me neither. However, that may well be what's going on in Chapter 7 of Tellus. You might think some people have all the luck, but it may not be as lucky as you think. Anyway, we've got more TG coming up, plus Father of the Year this weekend. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 13:27:50 

10 Jun 18

He'll be back. Well, he is back. I don't remember the last time I posted a review of one of Arnold Schwarzenegger's movies, but this week we've got five of them. I know we normally talk about saving the best for last, but I'm going to give you the best first: The Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgment Day. We follow this with a film I'm not the biggest fan of, but I know a lot of other people like: Total Recall. We round things out with Eraser and Last Action Hero. And since we're on an action kick, let's ring in Father's Day next week with Neeson Season. Look for more Tellus and TG as well. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 14:25:54 

07 Jun 18

Any attempt to connect the header image with the subject matter of today's chapter offends my sensibilities as a parent, so any jokes that would be made have been tossed in the bin. So without much in the way of a lead-in, let's get right down to business. Sturla's a creepo, as you've no doubt gathered by this point, and we see that he's keeping it classy in Chapter 12 of CeleKing2. In other news, look for Arnold to wreak a path of destruction in the weekend's reviews. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 15:13:20 

03 Jun 18

You've got to resist the urge to just belt out in falsetto "SEXY [MELON FARMER]!" after watching the Merc with a Mouth in his latest cinematic outing, Deadpool 2. (The "Deadpool Rap" is really catchy, what can I say?) And while I could've rolled out the RIPD review I've been sitting on, I decided to go in a different direction. Last week I also watched another fun outing of a comic book icon in the form of Batman Ninja, which led me to pull out some other DC-related reviews I have in the backlog: Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and Superman Returns. You thought I was going to have the entire Dark Knight Trilogy, didn't you? Yes, well, the plane landed around the stock exchange scene of The Dark Knight Rises, so I need to find another opportunity to rewatch it in its entirety. (I hadn't seen it since it was in theaters back in 2012.) Anyway, with that out of the way, I think we'll do a Schwarzenegger week next. How's that sound? (I have a student who always uses "John Connor" as the random name in roleplays, so it'll fit right in.) We also have more CeleKing2 to look forward to... so look forward to it. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 13:40:24 

31 May 18

Reveille's a-soundin' and here I find a fuzzy malingerer. For more military mischief, look no further than Chapter 6 of TG. In light of the recent release I'm going to be seeing this weekend, I think we'll be doing a comic book-themed selection of reviews, so look forward to that. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 17:24:25 

29 May 18

You may think being an Elf is all about hippie peace and love, one with Nature mumbo-jumbo, etc., but maybe it's a world of political intrigue and backstabbery, fanaticism and folly. Actually, if you've already read The Trident War Chronicles, then you have some idea of the politics of El-Alar around the time of the Trident War, but what's the situation like in its sister to the north? Find out in Chapter 6 of Tellus. We've got TG and reviews still on the horizon. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 12:27:45 

27 May 18

We've got more '80s fun with a trio of films from my childhood I used to watch all the time: Innerspace, Romancing the Stone, and The Ice Pirates. And to round out the list, we also have Dreamscape and WarGames because apparently I didn't have as many Inuyasha reviews in the backlog as I thought. The lack of IY material puts me in a bit of a spot, as now I only have one movie left in my "80s fun" box, so I'm going to have to think of something different for next week. The Merc with a Mouth is coming to Japan next week, so that'll be one of the four. I'll figure it out. In the meantime, look for more Tellus and TG. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 14:59:47 

25 Apr 18

Realizing you still have an update to get out at 0200 is a fine way to see that update pushed to the next day. So now you know why you're seeing the update now instead of yesterday. Anyway, here's Chapter 11 of CeleKing2. Keep an eye out for the reviews. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 13:30:11 

20 May 18

We go back to the '80s with the soulful strains of a Queen power ballad leading us into Flash Gordon and Highlander. We also have the incredibly troubled but still memorable Dune. And so you don't get overdosed on '80s nostalgia, we also have Volume 11 and Volume 12 of Inuyasha. The '80s train will keep on coming strong for at least the next two weeks. Meanwhile, look forward to more CeleKing2. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 14:19:47 

17 May 18

You see this neko at ease? Well, you can't take it easy like this when you're in the Tri-Border Region, as our heroes discover in Chapter 5 of TG. Look for reviews in the next few days. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 16:04:02 

15 May 18

Let's go for a ride in the Forest of No Return. It should be fine, right? No, that's not actually a byname of the Gebal Forest, bad as its reputation may be, so Tobias should be fine. Probably. Find out for yourself in Chapter 5 of Tellus. Also, be on the lookout for the next chapter of TG plus a blast from the past in the reviews. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 17:19:01 

13 May 18

I'm a little late to the party, but here's the film that's setting the world on fire, Avengers: Infinity War. We continue our manga coverage with Volume 11 and Volume 12 of GATE, Volume 16 of One Punch Man, and Volume 10 of Inuyasha. I think from here I'll continue my coverage of IY until I finish the reviews in the backlog and mix in some movies from the 80s. That should cover the next three weeks, barring something else edging its way into the queue. Meanwhile, look for more Tellus and TG. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 15:36:01 

11 May 18

I must be losing my mind. Even resorting to leaving notes to remind me to update the site, I still manage to forget. I blame the mascot. (Certainly not my focus on grinding for orbs to draw on the new FE4 banner in FEH.) Anyway, better late than never, here's Chapter 10 of CeleKing2. A slight change of plans will influence the weekend's reviews, so look forward that. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 15:49:30 

06 May 18

We kick things off with another heavy-hitter from the Winter 2018 anime season, the unexpected but greatly welcomed Overlord II. For manga, we've got Volume 9 and Volume 10 of GATE, Volume 4 of Twilight Princess, and a new entry based on an ongoing entry in the Winter 2018 season, Volume 1 of Darling in the FRANXX. There's still more GATE to go, plus the latest volume of One Punch Man and if I'd written the review for Volume 13 when I got it two years ago, I could have Volume 14 of Yotsuba&, but I guess that'll have to wait until July when I got back the States. Look for more CeleKing2 as well. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 13:23:54 

03 May 18

The mascot thought she could stow away and accompany on my trip to Tokyo for Golden Week. She was mistaken. Much like Colonel Cray was mistaken if she thought the LeBlanc business was over and done with. We check in on our Zadok "friends" in Chapter 4 of TG. Reviews inbound in the next few days. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 13:40:20 

01 May 18

All the Ayame Jellybean festivities have got you in a good mood and surely the jovial spirit of the season extends to the sunny land of Hannibal, right? Well, not quite. What happens when you make your boss mad and all your coworkers hate you? You can see for yourself in Chapter 4 of Tellus. We've still got more TG coming up and anime/manga reviews for the weekend. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 17:30:12 

Happy International Ayame Jellybean Day (observed), one and all. Earlier today I was marveling at the fact that the mascot has traveled more than the vast majority of humanity. Not a bad bit of work for a little white neko. Now that we've kicked off a new phase in her life's journey, I really do need to update her image gallery. Hopefully I can get that done later in the week. In the meantime, raise your glasses to everyone's favorite mascot.

If you were wondering about today's story update, it'll be following shortly. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 16:51:18 

29 Apr 18

So I missed two review posts while I was off in the States for Christmas, but sitting in a capsule hotel during Golden Week, it's apparently no problem. First off we have an anime series from the 2018 winter season: Violet Evergarden. Next is a selection of manga. First is Volume 7 and Volume 8 of GATE, Volume 5 of Yakumo-san wa Ezuke ga Shitai, and our heavy-hitter, Volume 25 of Attack on Titan. I've got enough GATE for two more weeks, another entry from the Winter 2018 season, and more. I may also dig into some of the Inuyasha reviews I've been sitting on. (I'd only written reviews as far as Volume 16 before I came to Japan last year and never got around to catching up. Due to my 6-month rule, I now have to reread the 40 remaining volumes, which I'm not looking forward to because most everything between the Hakureizan Arc and the final confrontation is kinda pointless.) Besides two more weeks of anime and manga reviews, this week we'll be continuing Tellus and TG. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 12:43:25 

26 Apr 18

The mascot invites you to wash your cares away in the bath, which is fine in theory, but it doesn't work so well if your cares decide to follow you, as poor Prince Wupeng finds out in Chapter 9 of CeleKing2. We've got reviews coming up this weekend, which I may opt to post early before all the Golden Week festivities begin. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 12:07:02 

22 Apr 18

It's been a while since I posted any video game reviews, so I've got some saved up for you. First, I'd like to give a nod to a couple indie gems: Axiom Verge and Shantae: Half-Genie Hero (the latter of which I contributed to the crowdfunding campaign—see if you can find me in the credits). Next we have a trio of major franchise entries: Fire Emblem Warriors, Metroid: Samus Returns, and Super Mario Odyssey. And now that that's done, for the next couple weeks we'll be doing some manga and a couple entries from the Winter 2018 anime season. And maybe this week I won't forget to post the latest chapter of CeleKing2. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 12:34:31 

19 Apr 18

A wise traveler knows to rest when you can. We take a bit of a breather in Chapter 3 of TG. We've still got reviews coming up this weekend. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 10:15:37 

17 Apr 18

I didn't think I'd actually need to leave myself a memo to prevent last week's embarrassment from repeating itself, but I was just about ready to wind things down for the evening when I realized I hadn't posted this yet. Tobias turns common sense on his head by being the knight who goes to rescue the witch who's supposed to be the harbinger of doom in Chapter 3 of Tellus. Look for more TG in the coming days and a spate of video game reviews as well (or "TG and VG", if you will). Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 16:59:02 

15 Apr 18

What happened to Thursday's update? It would seem that my schedule being out of whack is having some side-effects. I was apparently too busy watching Violet Evergarden to put the latest chapter of CeleKing2 up. Sorry about that. Anyway, what's done is done (and what's left undone remains undone), so let's go ahead with the week's reviews. I have Season 1 and Season 2 of the comedic spinoff series RWBY Chibi as well as Volume 13, Volume 14 and Volume 15 of the One Punch Man manga. Next week we'll have some game coverage and then more manga after that (one of the things I've been doing instead of writing lately). If I'm not gripped by another fit of senility, you'll also have more Tellus and TG to look forward to. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 12:03:05 

08 Apr 18

It's time for Part 2 of our coverage of some of the movies I saw on my recent trip Stateside. A couple heavy-hitters from last year are Darkest Hour and Murder on the Orient Express. For action fans, we've got Hardcore Henry and The Accountant. And then for something rather different, we have the appropriately named Odd Thomas. Next week we'll be covering RWBY Chibi and catch up on One Punch Man, which is what I was meaning to do when February crept up on me. After that, I'll be doing some game reviews and a couple weeks of manga before I figure out where to go next. In the meantime, look for more CeleKing2. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 15:44:37 

05 Apr 18

The mascot has a talent for occupying space and making it her own. You know another sort of territorial critter? Dragons. We learn some more fun facts about Dragons in Chapter 2 of TG. And we've still got reviews coming up this weekend. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 09:56:57 

03 Apr 18

The mascot is insisting that I call it a day, but I had to get the update out first. Tobias grapples with the aftermath of his mission in Chapter 2 of Tellus. We've still got more TG and reviews coming up. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 15:56:46 

31 Mar 18

We've been two weeks without review, so I thought I'd get an early start on posting some of the films I saw on my recent trip. Among the movies I saw on the flight over are Justice League and The Shape of Water. In the theaters, I saw Black Panther and Pacific Rim: Uprising. Lastly, on the cable circuit I caught Alien: Covenant. Next week we'll get a second helping, so look forward to that. On the story front, we'll have more Tellus and TG, so fun times for all. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 04:51:41 

29 Mar 18

As you can see, the mascot is happy and healthy here in Japan, returning to her native land after nearly 10 years in the States. Yasuko is facing a transition as well, but she's not in nearly as good of a situation. We've got Chapter 8 of CeleKing2 for you. Now that I'm settled again, I can get to those oft-delayed reviews this weekend. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 11:05:41 

22 Mar 18

Well, I may not be getting any writing done on this trip so far, but I can at least keep the updates coming. We've got Chapter 1 of TG here for you today. If I actually have electricity when I get back, reviews will follow this weekend. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 09:36:10 

20 Mar 18

Sorry about not getting the reviews up. As usual, things are crazy when I'm back in the States. However, I've somehow managed to pull together today's update. We've got Chapter 1 of Tellus for you today. We've got the next chapter of TG coming up and I might postpone the previously schedule review until after I cover some new releases and other recent viewings. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 06:21:02 

15 Mar 18

The mascot can't believe her ears. The Emperor, here? Things are about to get really serious in Chapter 7 of CeleKing2. I'm sure a lady of elegance and grace like Yasuko will be fine, right? We've still got reviews coming up this weekend, live from the US of A. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 13:23:18 

10 Mar 18

Guess who felt like posting reviews early. I suppose now I can wholly dedicate my Sunday evening to writing. Anyway, this week we're resuming the earlier series of Rooster Teeth reviews with the brainchild of action choreographer extraordinaire Monty Oum, RWBY. I've got the complete series (up to this point) covered for you: Volume 1, Volume 2, Volume 3, Volume 4, and Volume 5. Next week we'll look at the spinoff RWBY Chibi and get caught up on the One Punch Man manga. Also look for the latest chapter of CeleKing2. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 13:31:47 

08 Mar 18

It's like Christmas in March. You don't just get one new novel this week. You get two. I was able to complete the tentative chapter structure, so I'm going ahead with the rollout of Tzipi's Garden with the introduction and the prologue. I believe it's been a while since we had three stories in circulation, but this will offset the biweekly status of Tellus. And unlike Tellus, I'm not too worried about falling behind schedule anytime soon. We've still got reviews coming up. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 13:39:57 

06 Mar 18

I'm not nearly as far along as I'd like to be, but it isn't fair to you guys to leave you hanging any longer. We debut the simply titled Tellus this week with the prologue. Just as a reminder, we'll be on a biweekly schedule, which is something I haven't had to do with previous Tellus Arc stories, but these are the things you have to do when you fall behind schedule. I was thinking about also debuting Tzipi's Garden this week, but while I'm much farther into that story, the entirety of the storyline hasn't been battened down yet and I don't like launching a story until the entire table of contents is drawn up. If I can somehow manage that by Thursday, I'll give it the go-ahead. Otherwise, you'll have to wait. Regardless of what happens with TG, we've got more reviews this weekend, so look forward to that. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 13:19:01 

04 Mar 18

Well, if my review of Suicide Squad got you in a DC state of mind, you're in luck. First, some animated outings of the Caped Crusader: the notorious adaptation of Batman: The Killing Joke, Batman: Year One, Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker, and the recent Batman and Harley Quinn. Next, we bust out the Lasso of Truth for last year's crowd-pleaser Wonder Woman and the 2009 animated film of the same name. Next week, it'll be Ruby Tuesday (or should I say "RWBY Tuesday") but on Sunday and we'll be going forward with the debut of Tellus, so look forward to that. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 13:56:17 

01 Mar 18

Not everyone can lead a life of leisure like some fuzzy individuals, not even young ladies of wealth and privilege. Yasuko gets a new job in Chapter 6 of CeleKing2. It's going to be loads of fun for her. Look for those DC-centric reviews coming up this weekend. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 12:06:38 

25 Feb 18

Well, February's nearly over, so we close this year's Black History Month feature with a selection of films with Will Smith and Samuel L Jackson (but, sadly, none with Will Smith and Samuel L Jackson). It was originally going to be three Will Smiths and two Samuel L Jacksons, but it turns out I apparently haven't seen Independence Day recently enough to write a review for it, so the balance had to shift in favor of everyone's favorite Bravo-Mike-Foxtrot. So, I guess first we'll look at what Samuel L Jackson has for us: Jumper with the high ground-challenged Hayden Christensen, the live-action version of Kite and the President in peril in Finland film Big Game. From Will Smith, we have 2004's I, Robot and Suicide Squad, which is one of the movie's I saw on my recent plane ride back to Japan, which helps me segue into next week's DC-centric focus that includes two of the other films I saw on that same trip. While I scramble to get Tellus in order for it's debut next week, content yourself in the meantime with more CeleKing2. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 12:20:34 

20 Feb 18

It's a little later than originally planned, but better late than never, right? We close the book on TBP with the epilogue. And as we always do when a book wraps, I've got the appendices for you as well: the character glossary and the map of Pendragon. Our next Tellus Arc story features its namesake, Tellus. However, I don't have much lead time on it, so for now, we're going to have it on a biweekly schedule, which means it'll launch the week after next. I may debut Tzipi's Garden as well to compensate, but I haven't decided yet. I've got a lot of work to do in the next two weeks. In the meantime, we close out our Black History Month reviews this weekend, so look forward to that. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 11:53:15 

18 Feb 18

Now, when I started doing this Black History Month feature, it was primarily intended as a way to show off blaxploitation films and this week we've got a trio of movies from the golden era of blaxploitation: the sequel to one of my favorite blaxploitation films, Scream Blacula Scream; the sequel to Black Caesar (which, ironically, I haven't seen yet, but I seem to have a funny way about seeing sequels before the original) Hell Up in Harlem; and 1978's Death Force, which goes by a number of different names like Fighting Mad and Black Samurai (not to be confused with the earlier Jim Kelly film). And I said we'd also have modern blaxploitation, but that was a little misleading. First we have Django Unchained, which probably would've fit in better with the black Westerns feature two weeks ago. However, there's a line in the previously mentioned Death Force that gets referenced in Quentin Tarantino's earlier film Kill Bill, so there's a roundabout connection for you. Last but not least is Keanu, which isn't really blaxploitation at all, but it does have a primarily black cast and I just wanted an excuse to post my review 'cause just look at that cute lil' gangsta koneko. We'll close out our feature next week by teaming up Will Smith and Samuel L Jackson (but sadly, not in the same movie). Now, I know you might've been expecting a review of Black Panther, but it doesn't come out in Japan until March. So it goes. Look for the conclusion of TBP coming up this week. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 14:41:44 

15 Feb 18

Someone's watching you. In a happy bit of news, it looks like I've got everything together to transfer the mascot back to the East Asia Division of Palidor Media, so that's something to look forward to. (She probably won't be too thrilled about transit, but she'll manage.) Of more current interest, I have Chapter 5 of CeleKing2 ready for you. We've still got reviews coming up this weekend. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 10:47:07 

14 Feb 18

Well, it's Valentine's Day and because I've got a bent sense of humor, I thought I'd go ahead and post the teaser for the Else Arc story Mr. StarBrite. I'd been talking about it quite a bit a few months back, but I never got around to putting the teaser up, so here it is. It's a love story, you see. Thematically appropriate. Speaking of love stories, the next chapter of CeleKing2 will be up tomorrow. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 11:47:55 

13 Feb 18

We're almost at the end. I won't say all the loose ends get tied up nice and neat, but we will take a look at one in particular before the end. One of the bad actors was removed from the stage rather abruptly. Let's check in and see what's happened to him in Chapter 39 of TBP. Next week we bring things to close. Before that, though, we've got more CeleKing2 and reviews on the way. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 13:37:41 

11 Feb 18

We continue our Black History Month film reviews first with a couple more Sidney Poitier features: 1967's Guess Who's Coming to Dinner and 1988's Little Nikita. Next we have Louis Gossett Jr. teamed up with Chuck Norris in Firewalker and then he plays second fiddle to Bill Paxton in Monolith (which, contrary to the title, has nothing to do with monoliths). Last but not least, we have Woody Strode in a supporting role in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. Next week we'll feature some blaxploitation, both classic and nouveau. Look for the penultimate chapter of TBP and more CeleKing2 as well. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 16:37:28 

06 Feb 18

Well, the dust has settled and what are we left with? Find out in Chapter 38 of TBP. We're winding things down at this point. Barring any further unforeseen delays, the epilogue will drop in two week's and that'll be that. I should probably have the epilogue written before then. ^_^; We've got reviews coming up this weekend. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 12:46:01 

04 Feb 18

Well, the reviews I had planned for last week are going to be put on hold for the moment because it's February and you know what that means. It's Black History Month once again, and we're going to kick things off with some black Westerns. Well, your definition of "black Western" may vary. At very least, these film prominently feature black characters, so that counts for something, right? As per my custom, I like to class up this monthly feature with Sidney Poitier, so we start with Buck and the Preacher, which is something of a pseudo- or proto-blaxploitation film, contrasted with the full-fledged blaxploitation Western Take a Hard Ride, which reunites the Three the Hard Way trio of Jim Brown, Fred Williamson and Jim Kelly. We take turn for the comedic with Blazing Saddles and El Diablo and the dramatic with Sergeant Rutledge. Three of the actors featured this week (Sidney Poitier, Louis Gossett Jr. and Woody Strode) will factor into next week's selection, then we'll do some straight-up blaxploitation and close on a sampling of the works of Will Smith and Samuel L Jackson (which will dovetail into those postponed reviews come the first week of March). On the story front, we'll be continuing with TBP. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 17:47:01 

01 Feb 18

While the mascot and I have an excellent father-daughter relationship, not everyone has such a plum arrangement. As you might imagine, ten years' estrangement hasn't done a lot of favors for the bond between Yasuko and Batista. See it play out for yourself in Chapter 4 of CeleKing2. Now that we're back up and going, we'll have reviews this weekend. I guess it's February, so Black History Month and all that. Black Westerns. That's the theme. (We'll see if I have enough films to fill out the month. If not, I'll have to go hunting.) Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 14:44:00 

For those of you who aren't following me on Gab, you may be wondering what's been going on the past week. Well, the primary domain expired and due to an artifact of the migration from Network Solutions years ago, it was held in a different location from everything else associated with my web hosting package. I wasn't aware that it was set to expire and there was some confusion that further delayed a remedy. The problem's been fixed and we shouldn't see it repeat in the future. For a moment I thought I could outsmart the issue and access the site's function via one of the alt domains, but it doesn't work as simply as that. For posterity's sake, here's what I was going to post for the site's anniversary last Saturday.

Today marks the eleventh anniversary of Palidor Media, and we celebrate with an examination of consequences for procrastination. You see, when I first created the site, I decided that if I didn't meet a certain level of success within ten years, I'd shut it down. Well, I can't really say I've got the sort of readership I've been looking for (not that I've spent the requisite time, money and effort to court said readership), but the site's become such a significant part of my life that I want to keep it going as long as I'm able. The one fly in the ointment is that my primary domain is managed separately from my hosting service and I wasn't able to access the account after I migrated from Network Solutions but decided it wasn't an issue, figuring the domain registration would be kept updated with my hosting package. I was wrong and after some runaround between the domain's two daddies, things should get worked out in the next few days. Maybe I should've worked a little harder to get things squared away before it became a problem. So it goes.

Let's look out on the plans for the year. TBP should be wrapping within the next three weeks and hopefully I'll be far enough in Tellus for it to be ready for primetime. I may have to put it on a biweekly schedule until I build up enough lead time (to say nothing of preparing what comes next). I'd like to go back to the Gladius Cycle once it wraps and I've got an eye on both The Knight's Twilight and Children of Darkness. CeleKing2 will continue until December, when it'll be followed by CeleKing3. I may start adding Tzipi's Garden to the roster to make up for the slower output on the Tellus side and looking ahead, when I finish writing CeleKing3, I'd like to start up Junker Jorg 2 and Everyday Magic 2. (In fact, some ideas have been burning a hole in my head, so I might be jotting down that material sooner rather than later.) And of course I'll keep the reviews coming. I have a massive backlog of unpublished reviews, so I'll never be left wanting for content there.

All told, we've got a decent year ahead for the site. Once the domain issue gets resolved, it'll be like nothing happened. Here's to hoping the good folks at HostGator are able to gets things settled expeditiously. Stay tuned.

And there you have it. I'll be getting us back on schedule with the latest chapter of CeleKing2, which I'll post as soon as I finish the HTML conversion. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 14:07:35 

23 Jan 18

After much delay and anticipation, we finally bring you the final confrontation with the Spider Lich in Chapter 37 of TBP. It's all been leading up to this. Can our heroes triumph against the odds. Find out. However it goes, we've got three more weeks to wind things down before going on to the next story. I hadn't mentioned it last time, but we've got the anniversary coming up Saturday. No big plans, but I will make a post commenting on the general direction of the site over the course of the year. Look for reviews after that. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 18:26:51 

21 Jan 18

One of the joys of kids is kids' movies. I should probably put "joy" in airquotes. Actually, children's entertainment runs the gamut and I guess I should count myself lucky my nieces don't have worse taste than they do. At least when it comes to features, Disney tends to maintain a fairly high bar, from contemporary films like Moana to their timeless classics like Bambi. Then there's their main rival Dreamworks, whose output I don't tend to like very much, so guess what I think of Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie? And then there's rising star Illumination, which tends to be a whole 'nother bag, as with the recent Sing. Lastly, to mix it up, I've got something that I most certainly didn't watch with the kids: Season 7 of Game of Thrones. I know I'm late to the party, but, hey, HBO Go is region-locked, so pfft. Next week, we'll be covering the viewing on my return trip. Expect a decidedly DC slant. In other news, TBP is back on track, so look for the climactic clash between good and evil (catch the reference) on Tuesday. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 12:03:48 

18 Jan 18

The mascot considers herself to be a lady of refined manners, but the mavens in this chapter may beg to differ. Yasuko gets the My Fair Lady from Hell treatment in Chapter 3 of CeleKing2. I really should be able to get back on track with TBP next week, but in the meantime, look for a selection of kids' films I saw recently... you know, because of kids. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 16:18:28 

14 Jan 18

A transpacific voyage can mean different things to different people, but for me it's a chance to watch a bunch of movies. What did I see on my trip home for Christmas? Well, let's see... In the order I saw them, we've got War for the Planet of the Apes, Logan Lucky, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets and Dunkirk. Also, not related to the trip but acquired the week before is Volume 24 of Attack on Titan. We'll follow this next week with some movies I saw while I was back because I was hanging around my nieces (plus something I definitely wouldn't watch with said nieces). We'll also have more TBP (hopefully) and CeleKing2. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 11:56:45 

09 Jan 18

We'll just say it took our gang that much longer to get to the Necropolis to explain the schedule slippage, but anyway, here's Chapter 36 of TBP. The final confrontation is coming up next week, so buckle up. In the meantime, look forward to my first batch of reviews for my airplane viewing. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 14:07:51 

07 Jan 18

We conclude our coverage of Red vs. Blue (as it stands) with Season 14 and Season 15 and the mini-series "MIA" and "Where There's a Will, There's a Wall". And for the One Punch Man manga, we have Volume 11 and Volume 12. Next week we'll start with some of my recent viewings (airplane movies mostly) and hopefully I'll have the next chapter of TBP ready. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 13:30:57 

04 Jan 18

After a ridiculously protracted absence, I'm back with Chapter 2 of CeleKing2. I'm going to exert some serious effort to make up for my shortfall on TBP so we can resume with a regular schedule. I'm also going to put the next book into circulation so I can have enough lead time for when it launches. As far as reviews go, I'm going to finish covering RvB and then do some of my recent viewing before the February reviews start and then come back to cover RWBY. My Christmas vacation has thrown a lot of my work into disarray, but it was a worthwhile sacrifice. Now it's time for me to get back on track. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 15:54:52