18 Nov 24

Oh, yes, I almost forgot to mention it, but I've decided to relaunch the site's Twitter account (X account, whatever). I had the feeling I might be taking this step, so now we have some social media presence again, minor though it may be. Also, I'm going to be trying to migrate the blog's content here in Drupal. If everything works well, the original directory structure for the posts should be preserved. I expect it'll take some work getting everything sorted, but I think it's time to take the plunge. More fun to keep me out of the beer joints. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 15:10:07 

I missed my writing goal yet again, which is something you're surely sick and tired of hearing, but there has been significant progress over the course of the week and just one more push should get us to the finish line this time. Anyway, since there's no story post, there was no reason to push back this post. I didn't get caught up on any anime viewing during the week either, so we've got more vacation viewing plus a couple of entries from the backlog. We'll go chronologically, starting with Cary Grant's second-to-last film Father Goose, then Monty Python and the Holy Grail (which my nieces happen to be big fans of after seeing it in a limited theatrical run), the early Angelina Jolie film Cyborg 2: Glass Shadow, the notorious piratical flop Cutthroat Island, Secondhand Lions, Gridman Universe, and the totally factual secret history of the Pop-Tart, Unfrosted. I'll try to get some anime watching done in addition to finishing that chapter of TWH, so we'll see what ends up getting done. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 15:02:35 

10 Nov 24

I was wanting to get caught up on two series in my backlog, but I only got through one, which brings up this week's selection to three: NieR:Automata Ver1.1a, Yatagarasu: The Raven Does Not Choose Its Master, and Dahlia in Bloom. Next is our movie coverage, which includes Michael Mann's Collateral, Clint Eastwood's Cry Macho, the animated film Curious George, and the John Cena action comedy Freelance. We'll see if I can get caught up on anything for review material. If not, there's always movie stuff. I'll try to get the oft-delayed chapter of TWH out, but I've got a lot to keep me busy. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 16:09:15 

09 Nov 24

I'm still floundering about with the blog issue, but let's turn our attention to some story content for a change. We've got Chapter 8 of RttW for you. Look for reviews tomorrow. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 15:39:24 

03 Nov 24

So I've had a time of it. As you may have noticed from the site's appearance, I've been able to make some things happen after updating Drupal, which is fine and dandy, but then I came to found some 403 error blocking me from editing the blog. I've been trying to troubleshoot the issue myself, but it looks like I need to take it up with my provider as it may be a server-side issue. Anyway, trying to deal with that in addition to a fairly heavy load at work and the battery to my laptop threatening to explode have kept me from making progress on Children of Promise, so I'm just going to kick the can three weeks down the line and try again later. Anyway, for now, let's get to reviews. As I mentioned last week, we're picking up our coverage of the Summer 2024 anime season. Let's start with the trash and work our way up to the treasure. Actually, only one item on today's menu warrants the "trash label" and that's Love Is Indivisible by Twins. Hopefully you don't find it so bad that you find yourself constantly wanting to kill yourself like the protagonist in No Longer Allowed in Another World. If your homicidal intent is directed more outward, you've got Season 2 of Oshi no Ko, or else you can choose profit over revenge with the remake of Spice and Wolf, Spice and Wolf: Merchant Meets the Wise Wolf. If you're in the mood for pure sugar, then we've got The Magical Girl and the Evil Lieutenant Used to Be Archenemies. I'm also briging back the feature of working through my movie review backlog, so we've got two films from the 1940s, Crossroads and Crossfire. I have some catching up to do, but I'll try to have enough shows completed for a full slate next week. If I come up short, I'll dig into some more of the movies I saw over summer vacation. We'll also be moving forward in RttW (which I already have ready, so it's one deadline I won't miss). Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 13:41:07 

27 Oct 24

Well, the big day is coming up, so the most natural choice of a feature is the grandaddy of the slasher subgenre, John Carpenter's Halloween. We follow it with Halloween II, the black sheep of the family Halloween III: Season of the Witch, and then the Thorn Trilogy of Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers, Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers, and Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers. I might cover the first soft reboot and the remake films next year, but I don't want to touch the Blumhouse ones. Of course, next year is next year's problem. We'll be resuming our Summer 2024 anime coverage next week. Work's been keeping me busy and will probably continue to do so, but I'm going to make another stab at launching CoP next week as well. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 10:35:53 

21 Oct 24

This week we're rolling out the classic Halloween monsters. First, from Dario Argento comes Dracula 3D with all that Italian quality you'd expect from the Argento name. Next is the final directorial outing of Roger Corman, Frankenstein Unbound. We then have the abysmal An American Werewolf in Paris, the not-quite-sequel The Mummy's Hand and finally the last of the Universal Monsters in Creature from the Black Lagoon. Our fourth and final week of this year's Spookyween festivities will feature a selection from the Halloween series. I plan to also have the debut of Child of Promise. There may be some downtime on the site as I try to upgrade to Drupal 11, so be prepared for that. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 13:12:41 

13 Oct 24

As mentioned last week, the series premiere of Dandadan gave me my inspiration for this week's theme. I decided to combine alien abductions and ghosts. The pics above should tell you which kind of movie I enjoyed more. (I guess I'm more of an Okarun than an Ayase-san.) Let's start with the alien abduction movies, first with the Christopher Walken-starring Communion, then Fire in the Sky and the movie that may well have inspired it, The UFO Incident, starring James Earl Jones. For ghost movies, we have 2012's The Apparition and the first Paranormal Activity. Ghosts are lame, though. Or maybe just American ghost stories are lame. I probably would've done better to find some Japanese ghost movies instead. So it goes. Next week we'll see a selection of classic Halloween critters, our good friends Dracula, Frankenstein and such. Hopefully we can get the next chapter of TWH out at long last while we're at it. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 14:10:36 

12 Oct 24

We close out a busy first day in the World in Chapter 7 of RttW. We'll have reviews tomorrow, so brace yourselves for some close encounters of the spooky kind. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 14:51:34 

06 Oct 24

For this year's October spookyfest, we kick things off with some kaijuu action featuring none other than the King of the Monsters himself, Godzilla. To connect this year's selection, I've chosen Mechagodzilla to be Big Daddy G's nemesis across the eras. We start with 1974's Godilla vs. Mechagodzilla and its sequel, Terror of Mechagodzilla, which mark the end of the Showa Era of the franchise. We then get the unrelated (contrary to what the English title would have you believe) Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II of the Heisei Era. We then close on a duo from the Millennium Era: Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla and Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. In other news, while I have ideas for Weeks 3 and 4 of the month, I was at a loss for what to do next week, but then I saw the premiere of Dandadan and I had an apostropheepiphany. We're going to be having aliens, ghosts and maybe even alien ghosts. Also, be on the lookout for the next chapter of RttW. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 12:48:28 

05 Oct 24

Well, it's a been a long run, but we finally bid farewell to the Everyday Magic series with the epilogue of EM3. We also have the character glossary, the map of Altamira, and the military ranks of the New Earth Empire. I still haven't decided what I plan to take this slot in the lineup, but I have three weeks to figure it out. Look for some Godzilla reviews tomorrow. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 17:06:31 

30 Sep 24

This is a bit late, but I didn't want to have to postpone this one until November. We continue our Summer 2024 anime coverage with a pair of dueling shows. Which flavor of obliviously strong protag-kun do you prefer? I Parry Everything: What Do You Mean I'm the Strongest? I'm Not Even an Adventurer Yet! or The Ossan Newbie Adventurer, Trained to Death by the Most Powerful Party, Became Invincible? Next up is a pair of series from PA Works: Narenare: Cheer for You! and Mayonaka Punch. Last but definitely not least, and in fact it's one of my favorites for the season if not the year, is Too Many Losing Heroines! Starting next weekend, we'll be kicking off our October reviews starting with a selection of outings by the King of the Monster, Big Daddy G. Before that, though, I'm going to post the conclusion of EM3, so look forward for that. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 15:08:23 

22 Sep 24

We continue our Summer 2024 anime coverage with a couple of romcoms, the rather high-profile Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian and the more under-the-radar Pseudo Harem. Next is movie coverage, featuring a selection of airplane movies from my recent summer vacation. We start with a Mel Gibson double feature of Lethal Weapon and Braveheart, follow it with original Ghostbusters, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary, and then we close on the clever little character drama Freud's Last Session, featuring Sir Anthony Hopkins as the eponymous Dr. Freud. We have one more week where we can focus on the summer anime before we start our October coverage. I'll make yet another stab at getting TWH out Saturday, but you know better than to hope for too much. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 18:30:41 

16 Sep 24

I ended up finishing more anime than I was expecting, so we're going to be doing an all-anime feature. We start off with two series featuring the vocal talents of Jun "Lelouch vi Britannia" Fukuyama: Suicide Squad Isekai and The Strongest Magician in the Demon Lord's Army Was a Human. Which one do you think makes the most of his talents? Next, love is in the air with last year's Kubo Won't Let Me Be Invisible and this year's My Toaster Can't Possibly Be This CuteMy Wife Has No Emotion. Lastly, it's a review that's been oft-delayed, but I finally finished Undead Unluck and can now share my thoughts with you. And I know I've been adding film reviews from the backlog lately, but I'm going to leave it here for today. It's Respect for the Aged Day here and I think I'll show my respect through imitation and have a nice afternoon nap. The kiddos are going to be busy with bunkasai this week, so hopefully I can squeeze enough writing in to finally get that chapter of TWH finished. Something to shoot for. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 05:19:29 

15 Sep 24

I was just too tired to get this put together yesterday, but because I have a three-day weekend, I can afford to have a little shift in the schedule. Anyway, here's Chapter 6 of RttW. Reviews will either be out later today or tomorrow. I've managed to get a bit of an anime selection for you, so look forward to that. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 01:43:45 

08 Sep 24

I said yesterday that today would be the first entry in the Summer 2024 anime reviews, but I did do Terminator Zero last week, which felt a bit different as Netflix tends to just dump eps all at once. What we're looking at this week was initially released here in Japan as a four-part film series, but it was released to streaming as a 12-ep series and that was how I consumed it. Anyway, it's Code Geass: Rozé of the Recapture. We then turn back the clock to 2012 for another one of my random rabbit hole dives in Sankarea. I've also been continuing to make progress in The Eminence in Shadow LNs, so we've got a review of Volume 3, featuring the debut of my girl Yukime. For movie reviews, I haven't had time to get caught up on writing reviews for my viewing over the break, so we'll just dip into the backlog with the fictional Space Race story Countdown, a wartime entry in the Lone Wolf series Counter-Espionage, the 1935 Peter Lorre version of Crime and Punishment, and the Burt Lancaster film Criss Cross (not to be confused with the backwards clothes-wearing rap duo). If I can actually get caught up on my work-work, maybe I can get those movie reviews that I was promising written, among other things. Look for more RttW as well (which I really need to start buckling down on before I run out of lead time). Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 15:49:58 

07 Sep 24

I'm still not making any appreciable progress on TWH, so let's cycle to our next feature and give you Chapter 26 of EM3. Honestly, I'd lost track of where I was an thought that it was time to post the epilogue, but that's still three weeks off. Enjoy the big finale for now and look for the denouement in the near future. We've got review tomorrow, including the first entry in the Summer 2024 anime reviews. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 17:21:15 

01 Sep 24

I still have a lot of current viewing to get caught up on, but I ended up getting sidetracked and picked up something from last year's lineup that I hadn't gotten to, and I'm glad I did. It's Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku. What I'm less glad about is Terminator Zero, but at least it has dear Hayamin, so that's something. For movie coverage, we'll be looking at some films I watched during last Christmas break. To tie in loosely with T0 (in that they deal with robos and/or AI), we have The Creator and Free Guy. We then have Gerard Butler actioning it up in the creatively titled Plane and last but not least is Napoleon Dynamite. We might have more sidetracking into other titles in the anime backlog and definitely more vacation viewing. Might I even get some writing done? Who knows? Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 16:42:46 

26 Aug 24

After two weeks off for vacation, I spent another week trying to get everything back in order and then found myself falling behind in my efforts to get reviews written for the movies I watched while I was away. I decided to just abandon the effort of writing new movie reviews right now and instead just dipped into the backlog so I could get this out today (lest I end up deciding to push this update to next weekend). Before we get to that, we have some anime to cover. First, I managed to get caught up on Season 2 of Jujutsu Kaisen to answer a question my niece had about the end of the season. As I was preparing the review, I found that somehow I'd forgotten to post my review of Season 1 three years ago. How did that happen? We then have a surprise entry in the form of the 2019 series O Maidens in Your Savage Season, which I happened to marathon amid my efforts to get caught up on the current ongoing series which I hadn't been keeping up with while I was away. And that does it for anime coverage for the time being. Next up are some movies. We start with the Bruce Lee-inspired Circle of Iron. Next is the YA adaptation City of Ember and the first Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, and lastly, the Humphrey Bogart film Conflict. I intend to cover a selection of my viewing from my vacation for the next couple weeks, and once that's done, we might be able to start some coverage from the summer anime season. There's a little project for work that's been keeping me busy, but I'm almost done and there's a slim chance that I can get some writing done so we can have more TWH. Fingers crossed, apple sauce. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 17:45:10 

02 Aug 24

It's been four and a half months since the site began its transformation and I'm happy to report that I've finally finished restoring all the reviews. Unless I'm mistaken, all the site's original content should be restored. This means I can now turn my attention to working on the code to fix some of the issues I've been having with how things are displayed. Given that I've been focusing on the reconstruction work instead of story writing, that chapter of TWH is still off in the distance. It's not much in the way of compensation, but I can reveal something I've been working on, an index by director for the movie review section. As a bit of trivia, John Ford is currently the director with the most films currently featured at 14 total. Once I finish getting through my review backlog, this may change. Speaking of reviews, I'll try to have more out this weekend, but the worst case scenario is that there may be no updates for the next couple weeks. I'll try to avoid that, though. If I'm awake long enough, I should have some airplane movies for you, so be looking for that. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 14:22:10 

28 Jul 24

As I mentioned in the previous post, I didn't dip into the anime backlog last week, in part because my list of summer anime has grown to the point that keeping up with that takes up most of my available viewing time. However, we have plenty of reviews piled up in the movie review backlog, so let's get to it. We take to the high seas with Captain Horatio Hornblower, Captain Nemo and the Underwater City, and Captains Courageous. We then have John Ford's last Western, Cheyenne Autumn, followed by Casino Royale (but probably not the Casino Royale you're thinking of). Next up is some crime time in Carlito's Way and close on the live-action remake of Cinderella (which has both my original review from when it first hit the cable circuit and a re-review from like a year or two ago). I can't say if I'll have any anime for you next week or not. Perhaps we'll have some airplane movies for you. We'll also be making a stab at getting that oft-delayed chapter of TWH out. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 17:43:55 

27 Jul 24

The mascot may be out and about, but Pawel is stuck spending some quality time with Axios' finest in Chapter 5 of RttW. In other news, I didn't manage any catching up on the anime backlog, so it's movie review backlog you'll be enjoying tomorrow. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 17:57:14 

22 Jul 24

I didn't get much viewing of the backlog done as the list of current viewing is now taking up a decent chunk of time. However, my workload will be lightened during summer vacation, so maybe I can get some catching up done. In the meantime, we kick things off with something I said I wasn't going to watch but ended up doing anyway (and wishing I hadn't because my instincts were completely right). We close the book on the Strike the Blood saga with Strike the Blood Final. Because I'm short on anime reviews, we dig deeper into the movie backlog, starting off with three entries in the Bulldog Drummond series, all starring John Barrymore: Bulldog Drummond Comes Back, Bulldog Drummond's Revenge, and Bulldog Drummond's Peril. Next we have Bette Davis at both ends of her career, with 1933's Bureau of Missing Persons and 1976's Burnt Offerings. We set to the high seas to close things out with 1945's Captain Kidd. We'll see if I can get any of the backlog watched for reviews or maybe even write up some manga reviews for a change. Look for more RttW as well. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 07:03:55 

21 Jul 24

After two months, I actually have the chapter ready and I forget to do the update because I've gotten so used to not having anything to post. -_-; Well, let's get to it. Here's Chapter 25 of EM3. We're almost at the end (and I almost have the end written, too). I'll be getting the reviews posted tomorrow. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 09:56:52 

14 Jul 24

We kick things off this week with Season 2 of Mushoku Tensei and the Season 1 side story OAV Eris the Goblin Slayer. We then dip into my 2023 backlog for the rather wonky series Magical Destroyers. I didn't get any extra viewing beyond that done, so we'll be switching over to movies for the rest of this week's coverage. We'll go chronologically and start with the Katharine Hepburn/Cary Grant comedy Bringing Up Baby, the Tyrone Power-led biopic Brigham Young, Steve McQueen's Bullitt, and the Dolph Lungdren B-movie Bridge of Dragons. We've got more plumbing of the backlog on the agenda (which might actually happen if I'm not crashing out as early as I have every night in the past week). Also, thanks to a rare burst of inspiration, I can actually promise EM3 this weekend, so look forward to that. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 15:45:51 

07 Jul 24

This week we're rolling out some of the Spring 2024 season's heavy-hitters. We've got Season 4 of Kimetsu no Yaiba, Go! Go! Loser Ranger! and Kaiju No.8. We also have some supernatural mystery with Mysterious Disappearances and perhaps my biggest disappointment of the season with Unnamed Memory. Next is movies with the Christopher Walken film Brainstorm and the iconic Audrey Hepburn film Breakfast at Tiffany's. And this pretty well wraps up my coverage of the Spring 2024 anime I've seen thus far. There's one more series whose second cour concluded this season, but anything more will require me dipping deeper into the backlog. (I do have at least one I'm close to finishing.) As I've missed my target on TWH yet again, I'll take a stab at missing my target with EM3 next. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 17:10:04 

30 Jun 24

I may not be making any story progress to speak of, but at least we still have more Spring 2024 anime coverage. We start with a spate of sequels: Season 3 of The Duke of Death and His Maid, Season 3 of The Irregular at Magic High School and Season 2 of Tsukimichi. Next is a pair of isekai: As a Reincarnated Aristocrat, I'll Use My Appraisal Skill to Rise in the World and Chillin' in Another World with Level 2 Super Cheat Powers. For movie coverage, we have 1947's Black Narcissus and the Fred MacMurray film Borderline. As I mentioned last time, we can be looking to another good couple weeks of Spring 2024 stuff and after that, I'll be working on my backlog while watching the Summer 2024 lineup. I'll also try making another stab at the chapter of TWH. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 15:01:32 

24 Jun 24

My eyes were kinda going out on me last night, so this is a bit later than originally scheduled. Anyway, let's move on with more Spring 2024 anime fun. We kick things off with Season 3 of KonoSuba, and if that's got reincarnation on your mind, we've also go I Was Reincarnated as the 7th Prince so I Can Take My Time Perfecting My Magical Ability and Re:Monster. We then flip isekai to reverse isekai in A Salad Bowl of Eccentrics and it's not reincarnation but more like regeneration (sort of) in Grandpa and Grandma Turn Young Again. Next, our movie coverage has a story of addiction in Bigger Than Life and car thievery in Black Moon Rising. We'll continue with Spring 2024 anime for the next two or three weeks and I'll try to slip in some of the older stuff as well if I can. I'll also be making a fresh stab at getting the chapter of TWH out. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 02:23:30 

22 Jun 24

Who's up for some shopping? It's time for Chapter 4 of RttW. Look for more Spring 2024 anime reviews tomorrow. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 16:24:39 

16 Jun 24

I said I was going to be picking up more of my Winter 2024 backlog, but I haven't even fuly kept up with the current anime from this week. However, we have our first round of Spring 2024 series wrapping up, so I do at least have something for you. We'll start with a double-cour series that got its start in the winter season, so I'm partially delivering on my promise. It's Delicious in Dungeon, a series that I almost let slip me by, but you definitely shouldn't. We have another medieval-style fantasy in An Archdemon's Dilemma: How to Love Your Elf Bride and then a modern one in Studio Apartment, Good Lighting, Angel Included. We then kick off our movie coverage with the Screaming Eagles in 1949's Battleground. We then have the Boris Karloff film Bedlam and a pair of comedies, the extra quirky Being John Malkovich and the more medium quirky Big Trouble (not to be confused with the large disturbance in the small Cathay). Over the next two or three weeks, more and more of the Spring 2024 series will wrap, so I'll cover those as I finish them. In other news, I continue to flounder about when it comes to delivering story content, but I'm hoping that finals week will grant me more of a reprieve than what I've been seeing lately. I'll try to not let my latest story idea eat up too much of my available time. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 16:21:18 

07 Jun 24

So, two weeks ago we looked at some comparatively normal takes on romance. Now, we're going to look at some series that are... well, less normal. The isekai harem series Tales of Wedding Rings is actually the most normal of this bunch and we get a bit weirder with Chained Soldier, then crank it about as far as you can go without having to keep it behind the curtain in the video store with Gushing Over Magical Girls. Now, those three where all from last season, so let's turn back the clock even more to the 2000 OAV Labyrinth of Flames. We now mix things up with a different kind of weird, the kind that's considerably safer to watch with the kids, with Chibi Godzilla Raids Again. We then close with our movie coverage with a film set during WWII with Battle at Bloody Beach and one set after the war with Bad Day at Black Rock. I have seven more series left in my Winter 2024 backlog, but two of them are double cour series that are still ongoing. There's no real theme to connect them, so I'll just see what I get done. Speaking of things to get done, I could keep you hanging in the hopes of the chapter of TWH or try to get the next chapter of EM3 out instead, but I don't have particular hopes of accomplishing either, so I'll see what I can get done on the story front. No promises. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 17:11:13 

01 Jun 24

If you were following my progress on the blog, you'd know that things fell off and never recovered. I've had a hectic week, so not only have I not been making any story progress but I haven't had time for any catchup viewing either, so the previously mentioned plans for this week's reviews are going to be put off for now and instead I'm going to just serve up a selection of movie reviews from the backlog. We start with the Marx Brothers film At the Circus and follow it with the Elia Kazan-directed Baby Doll and fellow '50s flick Attack of the Puppet People. Next is 1995's Bad Company (probably not the Bad Company most of you are thinking of) and Vin Diesel's Babylon AD. This week shouldn't be quite as bad, so hopefully I can get things back on track and have the chapter of TWH out and reviews of those series I mentioned lat time. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 16:33:30 

26 May 24

We've got some romantic misadventures for you this week with Bottom-tier Character Tomozaki 2nd Stage and The Foolish Angel Dances with the Devil. I'd planned on including Undead Unluck here, but rather than finish that, I've picked up a couple more of the currently airing anime (and would've kicked myself if I ended up sleeping on them, which seems to be a bit of a trend lately). We also have Volume 2 of The Eminence in Shadow LN. (Well, see if I get to Volume 4 before the movie comes out.) For movies, we don't have any French films this time around, but we do have a French story in the form of 1932's Arsène Lupin and not to be confused with "Arsène" is Arsenic and Old Lace. We also have the 1956 version of Around the World in 80 Days and if that's not high-flying enough for you, try on Apollo 13. I think I'll take this week's theme of romance and twist it a bit for next week's selection (and at the rate I'm going, I should be all caught up on last season in time for this one to starts wrapping up). We'll see if I can get the next chapter of TWH out in time. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 14:45:01 

25 May 24

Well, last time was a bit awkward, and we're not quite going to be dealing with the fallout yet, but for those of you in the audience who have taken offense to Pawel's actions in the previous chapter, he's not off the hook. We check in with the gang in Chapter 3 of RttW. The mascot is pesting me about going to bed, so I need to hurry and wrap things up. Looks for the reviews tomorrow. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 17:00:25 

19 May 24

If you like comedic takes on princesses in captivity, you'll like our first item on the menu this week, 'Tis Time for "Torture," Princess. I then ake the tenuous connection between princesses and noblewomen for a couple "villainess" stories: 7th Time Loop: The Villainess Enjoys a Carefree Life Married to Her Worst Enemy! and Villainess Level 99: I May Be the Hidden Boss but I'm Not the Demon Lord. Because I finished it just after last round of reviews were posted, here's one from last year, Ningen Fushin: Adventurers Who Don't Believe in Humanity Will Save the World. That almost makes a full set for anime, but we're not done yet. For movie reviews, we follow Alphaville from last week with another French film that didn't do it for me, 1956's ...And God Created Woman. Next is the 1945 version of And Then There Were None, the 1951 suspense film Another Man's Poison, and then TV's Sophie Turner in Another Me. I've got some romancin' planned for next week, so look forward to that. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 16:32:45 

18 May 24

The mascot is getting a little outdoor time to wallow on the concrete out front. There won't be any wallowing on concrete, but we do get some outdoor time in Chapter 24 of EM3. Just three more chapters to go and we'll be bringing our Everyday Magic adventure to a close. Tomorrow, look for the trials and travails of princesses and other young women of means in the reviews. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 17:28:42 

12 May 24

It's Mother's Day and today's reviews aren't exactly mother-themed, though I suppose a number of moms out there would appreciate the Cary Grant film An Affair to Remember. Before we continue with movie entries, let's look at our two pieces from the Winter 2024 anime season, two examples of the whole "expelled from the party" subgenre: Banished from the Hero's Party, I Decided to Live a Quiet Life in the Countryside 2nd and The Strongest Tank's Labyrinth Raids. There was a third series in keeping with the theme from last year that I just finished watching, but I want to go to bed, so I'm not going to go to all the trouble of adding it in right now. We'll just tuck that one away for later. As we continue through the alphabet in my backlog of movie reviews, we have the pretentious French film Alphaville and then America is on the menu with American Sniper, American Yakuza, and American Ninja 2: The Confrontation. I don't quite know if the series I have to catch up on can be bundled into anything thematic at this point, but I'll see what I can do. Hopefully I get that chapter of EM3 out this time as well. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 16:22:54 

05 May 24

For this week's feature, we have a pair of series that start with the main character dying (or near enough to it). Both dungeoncrawlers, too, albeit in rather different settings. First is one that's been hyped up for a long time and put in motion by the fine folks at A-1 Pictures, Solo Leveling. The other is a more conventional fantasy story, The Unwanted Undead Adventurer. It probably would've made sense to add Undead Unluck to this list, but rather than get caught up on that, I went down a different rabbit hole (one that still just happens to involve death and resurrection shenanigans) with Season 1 and Season 2 of the 2000s mecha series Godannar. Because I had recently purchased the Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Edition, I decided to revisit that 90s classic, Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie. And for our extra movie reviews, we have the 1949 version of All the King's Men and 2015's Aloha... because I thought about going to a Hawaiian hamburger place two weeks ago? (It's just coincidence that I was able to come up with something. As you may recall, I'm going alphabetically through my backlog of reviews.) I don't currently have a theme idea for next week. I can't even promise that I'll get caught up on anything before then, especially since I've picked up the still ongoing Dungeon Meshi (which is really good and I can't believe I nearly slept on it). Anyway, I'll see what I can do there while getting together the next chapter of EM3 amid the flood of work I've got waiting for me once I get back to the office. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 18:47:56 

04 May 24

In the States, a lot of things get dyed green for St. Paddy's Day, but I've never heard of doing anything similar for Greenery Day here in Japan. As such, the mascot is white as ever (not that I'd dye her green on any occasion). This might be relevant if I was going to revive the running gag of Ally from the Tico series turning green, but instead this intro is going absolutely nowhere. While the intro may have been a waste of your time, hopefully you'll find Chapter 20 of TWH to be anything but a waste of your time. Look for reviews tomorrow. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 13:55:30 

01 May 24

It's that special time of year once more, International Ayame Jellybean Day. The lady of the hour thought that the more tangible reward of being cradled for a bit was more important than this little digital tribute. Anyway, I won't say I'm going to work on the mascot's gallery this time, so if it actually ends up happening, it'll be a pleasant surprise. Look for the story update this weekend. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 13:17:43 

29 Apr 24

We have yet another TWH delay, and with me being behind on my viewing for review purposes, we might have been without a review post as well, but thanks to His Majesty the Showa Emperor (with apologies to the aggrieved former members of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere), I have Monday off and so have been able to put this post together only a day late rather than a week late. We kick things off with some mecha action in the form of Brave Bang Bravern! and Synduality: Noir. There was a third series I wanted to add to this pile but didn't have time for it, so instead we'll turn our attention to movies. First is the 1935 version of A Tale of Two Cities. Next we have the legendary screen couple Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn engage in the battle of the sexes in Adam's Rib. We then have some fun with the birth of Anglicanism in A Man for All Seasons. Next, surely you can't be serious, but it's Airplane!. (I am serious, by the way, and don't call me Shirley.) Last, and probably least, is a Western from the director of Action Jackson, Aces n' Eights. That being the dead man's hand and all, we can cover a couple of series that start with death next week (and possibly some more if I manage it). Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 13:55:46 

21 Apr 24

Magic is in the air for this week's reviews. First off is Season 2 of The Ancient Magus' Bride from last year, which leads us to two series from this year, Season 2 of Mashle and The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic. Next up is movies. Last week we had one about WWII, one filmed during it, and now one set after it in the form of Billy Wilder's A Foreign Affair. We then have A Fistful of Dollars, the first entry in Sergio Leone's Dollars Trilogy, the musical comedy A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and the deliberately (and amusingly) anachronistic A Knight's Tale. For next week, I'm thinking we'll have some mecha. Look for more TWH as well. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 15:51:33 

20 Apr 24

The time I've spent putting the site back together has delayed this release, but now it's time to get to it. I'm rolling the dice a bit with this one, but I'm going to trust the reader will grant me enough rope to hang myself. What am I talking about? Well, first off, go ahead and read Chapter 2 of RttW and if you're not liking what you're seeing, head over to the blog so you can hear what I've got to say for myself. We'll see how things go from here. Tomorrow's reviews are less likely to spark any contraversy, so look forward to that. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 13:52:25 

14 Apr 24

A minor housekeeping note, but I've decided to delete the site's Gab account. The place had always been a bit of a cesspit, but that's social media for you. Will I replace it with anything else? At this point, I doubt it. If I was that committed to social media engagement, I would've stuck with Twitter and Facebook, but as I ditched them as a matter of principle, it wasn't all that tenable for me to stick with Gab as long as I have. Well, so it goes. Not much is lost. The Cats Group was nice. Anyway, that takes care of that. Now back to work for me.

Posted by: James
UTC 14:02:20 

My original viewing goal for this week proved too ambitious for the time I had available, so I opted to take an alternate route that I could put together quicker. We're looking at The Dangers in My Heart, last year's Season 1, the recently completed Season 2 and the ONA short Bonus Dangers (TwiYaba). For movie reviews, we kick things off with a big ensemble war film A Bridge Too Far and then a movie made when WWII was still ongoing, 1942's A Date with the Falcon. Next is crime time with kidnapping in A Cry in the Night and murder in A Bucket of Blood, and singing in A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. I'll pick up a few more Winter 2024 series for next week, so look forward to that. We'll also have more RttW. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 12:17:10 

13 Apr 24

It's time for Chapter 23 of EM3. It's not all that long, but we're getting set up for the final stretch of the story. You excited? Speaking of things to be excited for, my plan for the reviews this week has changed. I didn't have time for the catching up that needed to be done, so we've got something light and fluffy instead. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 13:16:24

08 Apr 24

We kick off with three of my favorite series that ran from Fall 2023 to Winter 2024. It's Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, Shangri-La Frontier and The Apothecary Diaries. Outstanding. I know book reviews are much less common for me, but because I'm such a fan of The Eminence in Shadow, I've got Volume 1 of the light novels. The books are pretty chunky as light novels go, but I'm moving along at a fair clip with them. Last but not least, we have our bonus movie reviews, 1932's A Bill of Divorcement and A Blueprint for Murder. I think I'll pick up some more two-cour series for next week's reviews. Look for more EM3 if I manage to get it done. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 14:13:32

07 Apr 24

A day late and a dollar short as usual, but here's Chapter 19 of TWH. I'll try to get the reviews out tomorrow. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 12:47:09 

01 Apr 24

I've been holding off on trying to get new content out while I've been busy restoring all the old stuff, but at this point, I think I'm going to try running the two pipelines in parallel. One of the main reasons for this is that I've finally gotten to see Dune: Part Two. Now, what I'm thinking about doing with update posts for the immediate future is to provide a couple additional movie reviews from my backlog so I can get them out of the hopper. I do like grouping reviews by theme, and we'll still do things that way for the main part of the post, but these extras will just be me going down the alphabet. For today, at least, we've got two to round out the usual five plus the two bonus ones. First is the 1954 version of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, which I can connect to 5 Fingers via James Mason. Then there's 100 Degrees Below Zero and 8 Million Ways to Die, which I suppose can be connected because both films have a lead actor named Jeff. (That's more connection than I'll be able to have for most of these bonus additions.) Moving on to our manga coverage, we have Volume 6 of Oshi no Ko and Volume 28 of One Punch Man. I plan to start my coverage of the Winter 2024 anime next week and dip into more of the backlog from last year. I'll try to get the new chapter of TWH out as well. I don't have that much more to write on it, so I'll just have to make time for it amid my continued efforts to repost reviews. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 06:34:31 

18 Mar 24

I've refrained from doing a blow-by-blow of my reconstruction efforts here on the main page, but if you've been following the blog, you know how things have been going. I'm happy to announce that I've reconstructed everything in the Stories section. I still need to fight with Drupal to get the CSS working the way I want it to and I have to double-check to ensure all the links are working correctly, but the biggest part of the work on the most important section of the site is done. Not only that, but we're going to celebrate with a quartet of new teasers. First is a new addition to the Earth Arc's Arthurian Cycle, The Seeds of Avalon - Volume IV: The Legacy of Arthur. Next is a whole new Earth Arc series, the Japanese school comedy BaraBara Gakkou! with its entries Year 1, Year 2 and Year 3. The concept is almost as old as the site itself, but I've just now decided to formally add it to the pipeline.

Now I've got the long road ahead of me putting all the reviews back up, to say nothing of all the stuff under the hood I have to sort out. If you want to keep track of my progress, I'll continue to be updating the blog daily. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 08:15:17

02 Mar 24

After nearly giving myself an aneurysm, I might just be getting close to kicking things off here. It's going to take a lot of fighting to bend this into the shape I want and a lot of time to reconstruct the files, as a simple import isn't going to work. Hopefully, though, all this work will pay dividends with a slightly longer lease on life that what we were looking at before. I imagine I'll be crying tears of blood before it's over, but my pain might just be your gain. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 13:21:06

25 Feb 24

I haven't been doing proper roundups of movies I've seen on the plane or when I've been hanging with la familia, so I should work on getting caught up on that. We'll bring out the big guns and have the best of the bunch right out of the gate, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. If you haven't seen it yet, correct that right away. Next we have a couple comedies, Dude, Where's My Car? and Walk of Shame, an action film in The Old Guard, and an action comedy in The Man from Toronto. A little something for all moods and demographics. I'll be pulling more films out of my bag of tricks for the next few weeks and I'll mix in more manga too. Barring another head injury, I might just have the next chapter of TWH out by Saturday. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 13:07:38 

24 Feb 24

If you're following the blog, then you know that my skull had a date with the pavement earlier this week, so besides the impact to my cabeza, there's also been an impact on the schedule. I haven't really been able to focus on writing, but somehow I've found myself doing a lot of proofing work, so there are plenty of small changes being done behind the scenes. You'll note that I've taken down the link to the forum. I intend to be replacing it with a wiki, but I've only started to get it set up, so don't expect it anytime soon. I won't be sending you home totally empty-handed, though. I've got a trio of teasers for stories that have been added to the pipeline. First, we've got two more entries in the Welcome to the World series: The Lion's Successor (WttW4) and First in the World (WttW0). There's also another Else Arc story, Take Another Crack at Life. Hopefully this gets you excited for things to come. Speaking of things to come, I'll see if I can't get tomorrow's reviews sorted. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 11:59:46 

18 Feb 24

I was planning on having finished Season 2 of Jujutsu Kaisen and Mahoyome for this week's reviews, but that didn't happen, and I didn't get the intended manga reviews written either, so instead I'm just going to take the remaining 2023 anime reviews I have and just put them out now. I was wanting to split them over this week and next, but so it goes. We'll start off with one from earlier in the year that I picked up somewhat recently, KamiKatsu: Working for God in a Godless World. Next is the two of the heavy-hitters I was promising last week, Season 2 of Spy x Family and Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead. Last off, we have a pair of princesses trying to dodge the Grim Reaper with Tearmoon Empire and The Vexations of a Shut-In Vampire Princess. I'm going to be dipping into my backlog of movie reviews for the next few weeks and try to get more manga reviews out as well. I'll see if I can't get the next chapter of TWH while I'm at it. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 14:54:40 

17 Feb 24

The mascot is chillin' here and we open today's selection on a rather chill note as well. Of course, if the prologue told you anything, then you might not be expecting the moment to last. It's time for Chapter 1 of RttW. Three more weeks and I might find myself in hot water unless I lose my nerve and do a rewrite. What am I talking about? You'll find out, one way or another. In the meantime, I didn't finish one of the series I intended to feature in tomorrow's reviews, so we'll have to make do with what we've got. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 17:33:41 

12 Feb 24

It's two days to Valentine's Day and a lot of folks have romance on the mind, so let's look at some romances. If you think romance is for pigs, well, we've got just the thing for you: Butareba: The Story of a Man Turned into a Pig. If you're in the mood for something a little naughty, there's I'm Giving the Disgraced Noble Lady I Rescued a Crash Course in Naughtiness and I'm in Love with the Villainess, or go the half-and-half route with Our Dating Story: The Experienced You and the Inexperienced Me. It's the good, the bad and the ugly of romance, the full set. Which is which? Read on to find out. Last bu not least is our manga coverage with Volume 5 of Oshi no Ko. Next week I plan to roll out some of the heavy-hitters in contrast to some of the more sludgy titles I've been covering. Look for more RttW as well. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 09:23:37 

10 Feb 24

Well, I got to enjoy going to work this morning, but because I already had today's chapter in the can and ready to go, it hasn't affected the schedule any. And because a certain fuzzy someone is pesting me at the moment, let's get to it without further delay. We see how Gally's doing in Chapter 22 of EM3. Reviews might be delayed until Monday due to having limited prep time today, but we'll see what happens. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 14:54:52 

04 Feb 24

Who's up for some fantasy anime? Well, ready or not, here it comes. First, let's start with non-isekai fantasy. We've got Goblin Slayer II, Helck, and My Daughter Left the Nest and Returned an S-Rank Adventurer. Next, for isekai fantasy, we've got Season 2 of The Saint's Magic Power is Omnipotent and Season 3 of The Rising of the Shield Hero. Guess which one I enjoyed more. And that does it for now. Maybe as a primer for Valentine's Day, I'll bring together some fumbled romances (with maybe the odd exception or two). Look for more EM3 as well. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 16:41:10 

03 Feb 24

I had quite a time with this chapter not being able to use the words 'squid' or 'tentacle' due to the time, setting and character. What am I talking about? Well, find out for yourself in Chapter 18 of TWH. Maybe it'll put you in the mood for calamari. Look for reviews tomorrow. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 14:20:37 

28 Jan 24

This week we're going to look at one of my favorite franchises back for more with Season 2 of The Eminence in Shadow. And because this is a Kadokawa series, Studio Puyukai not only gives us Kagejitsu! Second but also the fun crossover Ple Ple Pleiades x Kagejitsu! Next up for manga coverage is Volume 4 of Oshi no Ko. Looks for a selection of fantasy anime next week and more TWH, too. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 12:37:28 

27 Jan 24

It's been a while since we debuted a new series and what better time than the site's anniversary? It's time for Welcome to the World: Return to the World, starting with the prologue. I might be getting myself with hot water with this one later on, but we'll burn that bridge when we get to it. In the meantime, look forward to reviews tomorrow. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 13:10:44 

Once again it's time for the site's anniversary. Seventeen years ago, an expat in a Japanese high school with a little too much time on his hands decided to make a website. Now that same expat once again finds himself in a Japanese high school with significantly less time on his hands, but we're moving forward all the same. As you're well aware, we had significant delays in last year's release schedule and only recently wrapped NagaTen and later today its slot will be filled by Return to the World. I can't say when the two currently running stories will end, but unless we have another spell of massive delays, both should be done by this summer, which means I need to start thinking about what to do next. The shortlist to replace TWH are its prequel The Penitent Priest, The King of Hoards, Broken Vows, and Children of Darkness. I may end up just flipping a coin to decide, but we'll see. As for what will follow EM3, I might actually start The Chronicles of the Æther War or maybe do something like Candidate 03 or The Child of Promise. Then again, I might even set the Cross Arc down for a bit and do something in the If Arc. Again, it may end up getting decided by a coin flip.

Outside of story content, I'm thinking of revamping the code of the website. The appearance may not change all that much, but I'm still using HTML4 well past the expiry of HTML5, so I'd like to get the site to conform to the current HTML Living Standard and also design a mobile version of the site that displays better on smartphones and such. When I'll have the time, who can say? It's good to have goals at least. Beyond that, maybe I'll start work on translating my work into Japanese so I can actually start pursuing publication on this side of the pond. Things to do, things to do. Anyway, I've set out my goals for the year. Now we'll see what actually gets done. Look for the debut of RttW in a bit. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 09:42:48 

21 Jan 24

I've ironed out some kinks in the workflow pipeline, so we shouldn't have to worry about delays like what we had last week in the near future. Anyway, let's present the slate of reviews that I had scheduled. We'll start with movies. They're not quite releases anymore, but I was there opening night for Spy x Family Code: White, then later saw Migration with the kiddos. Continuing our Fall 2023 anime coverage, we have Season 2 of Girlfriend, Girlfriend and the show to one-up it, The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You. Last but not least, for manga coverage, we've got Volume 3 of Oshi no Ko. We've got the anniversary coming up and the debut of Return to the World to go with it. As for reviews, I only have this to say: "The moon is red. The frenzy has begun. We're out of time." Those who know, know. ^_^ Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 12:57:16 

20 Jan 24

Apologies about the lack of reviews last week. I really have to finish all the prep work Saturday because about all I manage to get done Sunday is the uploading portion. With this in mind, I should be able to square things away in the near future. Anyway, getting on to the main event of the day, we have Chapter 21 of EM3. Those reviews I was supposed to post last week will be out tomorrow for sure this time. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 11:08:04 

13 Jan 24

We're well into it at this point, but Happy New Year, folks. I know you're not going to believe me after all the delays, but I actually had this chapter ready to go three weeks ago, but with travel, holiday festivities, a cold, and the hectic start of the new term at work, I haven't had much leisure to put it out until now, but here it is after much waiting. It's Chapter 17 of TWH. Finally. The collection of Christmas specials I had ready three weeks ago are out of season now, so we'll be blending some more Fall 2023 anime with recent film releases for tomorrow's reviews. Stay tuned.

Posted by: James
UTC 07:37:58