16 Nov 25
Well, once again, thing didn't go quite according to plan, but so it goes. Let's move on to this week's reviews. We had a movie by Fritz Lang last week and we get another one this week in the form of 1941's Man Hunt. We had the Marine Corps' birthday last Monday, but we're not going to quite do the Devil Dogs justice with 1944's Marine Raiders. We'll stay military themed with Robert Mitchum in Man in the Middle. I guess we loop back around to WWII (the aftermath at least) with Marathon Man. We then throw any attempt to tie these movies together and close things out with Man of Steel, which I could've sworn I posted years ago. (It would've benefitted from it if I had, as I was more generous back then.) Anyway, that does it for now. I'll repeat my likely empty promises from last time of trying to get some manga reviews written and actually get a story update together. Can it happen? It's not impossible, but don't put all your chips on it. Stay tuned.
Posted by: JamesUTC 13:05:26
09 Nov 25
My Saturday suddenly evaporated on me, so the time I meant to dedicate to getting some manga reviews written failed to manifest. As such, we'll once again dig into the movie review backlog for content. We start with a pair of Peter Lorre films with Fritz Lang's M and Karl Freund's Mad Love. Next up is Frank Capra's Lost Horizon. We then have the English dub of Toei's second animated feature Shounen Sarutobi Sasuke, the far less imaginatively titled Magic Boy. And since we've got Japan on the mind, what better way to cap things off than with Lost in Translation? And with that done, I'm going to make an effort to get some manga reviews together for next time and maybe actually start to do some writing so we can actually have a story update as well. Stay tuned.
Posted by: JamesUTC 14:07:14
01 Nov 25
I know I promised this on Halloween and technically, it's not yet midnight on the West Coast. I got behind on my viewing schedule (along with everything else being a grand tangle) and so we're going to be two entries shy of the nine I promised, but let's get on with the show. I promised all the Halloween heavy-hitters, so let's start with vampires with 1979's Nosferatu the Vampyre and the 2024 version of Nosferatu as well, then let's take a fictionalized look at the creation of the 1922 original in Shadow of the Vampire. Next up is werewolves with 2010's The Wolfman and if you want to smash those two together, there's Underworld. If that isn't enough of a mashup, let's get vampires, werewolves, Frankenstein's monster and more together in 2004's Van Helsing. Last but not least, from the same director, we have Brendan Fraser in The Mummy. And that does it for this year's Halloween feature. I'll be sure to make a note so I don't find myself two weeks in before I get started next year. And with the week's reviews out, well, I don't quite know what's coming next, so I guess we'll find out together. Stay tuned.
Posted by: JamesUTC 06:42:04
26 Oct 25
Making a Ghouls n' Ghosts/Ghosts n' Goblins comment last time was a convenient way to bundle the subjects of this week's reviews. Let's start with the ghouls with Zombieland and its vastly inferior sequel, Zombieland: Double Tap. For the ghosts, if you're wanting a laugh, try 1988's High Spirits and if you want more of a thriller, you can't do much better than The Sixth Sense. And now for the goblins, let's take a trip to Nilbog for OH MY GOOOOOOOOOD Troll 2 and the retrospective documentary about it, Best Worst Movie. If you were looking for actual trolls, try 1986's Troll or the absolute peak of all troll-related media, Ernest Scared Stupid. Next week's feature will come early so that we make it for Halloween itself. Expect all the heavy-hitters to show up. Now, if only I can tear myself away from my current side project and focus on writing to maybe, just maybe get that chapter of CoP out afterward. Stay tuned.
Posted by: JamesUTC 17:02:36
19 Oct 25
We're off to a late start on the October feature, but we kick things off with some creature features. We start with some proper schlock in the form of Carnosaur, Carnosaur 2 and Carnosaur 3: Primal Species. Next up is some kaijuu action with Mothra vs. Godzilla, Godzilla vs. Mothra, and Godzilla vs. Biollante. We then blend the two with dinosaurs portrayed like kaijuu in The Last Dinosaur. With the Carnosaur trilogy being Roger Corman productions, we bring things full circle with a bit of scifi horror courtesy of the B-movie king, Galaxy of Terror. Next week we'll have ghouls and ghosts, maybe ghosts and goblins, or something similar. In other news, tempting as it is to give TKoH one more week, I'm going to move on to try to get the next chapter of CoP out instead. We'll see what happens. Stay tuned.
Posted by: JamesUTC 16:16:41
15 Oct 25
Here it is halfway through the month and if it wasn't for my sister talking about her marathon of the Final Destination movies, I might have completely forgotten about the annual October spooky movie reviews. >_< I guess I was too wrapped up in missed deadlines on the story updates and the shift of anime seasons. Well, I owe you guys ten movies, so I'm going to make it up to you by expanding the next two regular review updates to eight titles and then I'll to a special nine-movie post on Halloween itself. Coming up will be covering some scifi horror including genetic horrors and kaijuu action. Stay tuned.
Posted by: JamesUTC 00:27:19
12 Oct 25
As the remainder of the Summer 2025 anime I have left to cover are either series I haven't started yet or ones I'd only gotten an episode or two in, I've only managed to get one ready for this week's reviews, Rascal Does Not Dream of Santa Claus. I haven't anaged to get any manga reviews written either, so we'll just be digging out more entries from the movie review backlog to fill things out. We start with the 1936 Jean Harlow romcom Libeled Lady. We jump ahead to the 60s with Sidney Lumet's 1962 film adaptation of Eugene O'Neill's Long Day's Journey Into Night, the 1963 version of Lord of the Flies, and Warren Beatty and Jean Seberg in 1964's Lilith. It's sheer coincidence that I've got a neat three-year sequence represented here. I'm going to try to make use of having Monday off to get some more anime viewing done and also try to focus my remaining time and effort to getting that chapter of TKoH finished. Stay tuned.
Posted by: JamesUTC 16:40:54
05 Oct 25
For this week's installment of Summer 2025 anime, we have Apocalypse Bringer Mynoghra, City the Animation and Season 2 of I Was Reincarnated as the 7th Prince so I Can Take My Time Perfecting My Magical Ability. And then from the movie review backlog, we have the Donnie Yen sequel to the Jet Li remake of a Bruce Lee film, Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen and the postwar documentary Let There Be Light. There will be at most two more installments of Summer 2025 anime, I imagine, and after that I'll look to catching up on the long list of titles in my backlog. Having once again missed my deadline for RttW, I'll be switching over to TKoH to see if I won't have a little more luck there. Stay tuned.
Posted by: JamesUTC 15:16:38
28 Sep 25
I was thrown off a bit when I discovered a couple of the series I was going to feature today ended up having thirteen episodes instead of twelve, but one of those airs on Saturdays, so I'm able to bring it out today after all, and that's The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity. We also have Clevatess and Nyaight of the Living Cat (which was surreal to watch at times with the mascot). To round things out, we have a couple movies from the backlog, M Night Shyamalan failing to follow Kirk Lazarus' advice in Lady in the Water and speaking of Kirks, we have Kirk Douglas and Anthony Quinn facing off in Last Train from Gun Hill. We'll see what catchup I can get done for next week's reviews and make further effort on getting that chapter of RttW done. Stay tuned.
Posted by: JamesUTC 13:05:17
21 Sep 25
We kick off this week's reviews with the new release of Chainsaw Man - The Movie: Reze Arc. From there, we begin our coverage of the Summer 2025 anime season with a trio of Season 2s: Call of the Night, Dandadan, and My Dress-Up Darling. And because Season 2 of The 7th Prince and Kaijuu No.8 aren't finished yet, we'll round things out with a new series, Detectives These Days Are Crazy! We've got plenty more to come, probably enough for four or five weeks, and that's not counting backlog viewing I need to get done. As you've no doubt noticed, I missed my deadline again for CoP, so I'll move on to RttW and see what I can get done. Stay tuned.
Posted by: JamesUTC 14:07:48
14 Sep 25
Take up your sword with the 1954 adaptation of Sir William Scott's The Talisman, King Richard and the Crusaders; 1953's Knights of the Round Table and Kevin Sorbo in Kull the Conqueror. If you want to swap the Occident for the Orient for your action (sort of), then there's Kung Pow: Enter the Fist. Or if you'd rather make love than war (again, sort of), then enjoy Billy Wilder's Kiss Me, Stupid. Next week we should be able to start the Summer 2025 anime coverage and maybe while my kiddos are gearing up for bunkasai, I can get that chapter of CoP finished. Stay tuned.
Posted by: JamesUTC 15:55:33
07 Sep 25
Dipping into the review backlog, we introduce repeated kicks to the head with Kickboxer, Kickboxer 2: The Road Back, Kickboxer 3: The Art of War and Kickboxer 4: Aggressor. I'll have to add the remaining entries in the franchise later. To round out today's selection, though, we have the Humphrey Bogart film King of the Underworld. Look for more movies from the backlog next week unless I come up with another idea. I'll try to get the next chapter of CoP out as well. Stay tuned.
Posted by: JamesUTC 16:10:45
06 Sep 25
Today we're debuting The King of Hoards with the foreword and prologue. Look for reviews tomorrow. Stay tuned.
Posted by: JamesUTC 16:31:45
31 Aug 25
We close the summer vacation movie arc with the movies I saw on the plane back to sunny Nippon. I slept through the first half of the flight, so there are only three I got watched: the live-action version of Cells at Work!, the animated film Flow, and Juror #2. Because there were just three movies I saw on the plane, we'll dip into the backlog to bring the Humphrey Bogart film Key Largo. Our last entry is somewhat related to the summer vacation theme as I started reading it during the break and finished it yesterday. It's Volume 6 of The Eminence of Shadow. There are a few more weeks until the summer anime season wraps up, so in the meantime I'll either be digging into the movie backlog or trying to get some manga reviews out. If all goes well, I'll be launching The King of Hoards as well. Stay tuned.
Posted by: JamesUTC 15:03:02
30 Aug 25
After a lengthy delay, we get to pick up with Pawel and the gang in Chapter 14 of RttW. Be looking for reviews tomorrow. Stay tuned.
Posted by: JamesUTC 11:30:47
24 Aug 25
This week's feature is movies I watched during my vacation. There are several films I only saw parts of and therefore can't be counted for review purposes. (Maybe I'll go back to finish some of them later, but that's something for another day.) Let's start with the one that's no doubt the most popular at the moment, though I'm a bit late to the party. It's KPop Demon Hunters, the songs of which I had to listen to every time I was in the car with my sister and nieces. Maybe you'd like something a bit bloodier, in which case you might like Guy Ritchie's The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. If it's the same war but a different theater (and genre) you'd like, how about Jack Lemmon and Nicky Rogers in The Wackiest Ship in the Army? If it's a little more twisted sort of comedy you're after, you could try The Death of Stalin. Last on the list is something rather different, the Coen Brothers' Western anthology The Ballad of Buster Scruggs. Next week we'll have the films I saw on the flight back and something else to fill in the gaps and if all goes well, you can be looking for the next chapter of RttW as well. Stay tuned.
Posted by: JamesUTC 16:30:15
23 Aug 25
It's been quite the week, but I've managed to get enough writing done to deliver Chapter 8 of CoP for those eager eyes of yours. Look for reviews tomorrow, covering some of the films I watched during my vacation. Stay tuned.
Posted by: JamesUTC 10:49:54
04 Aug 25
I promised airplane movies and airplane movies we have. First off is Back to the Future, Back to the Future Part II, and Back to the Future Part III. Our next entry is unrelated other than the fact that it came out in 1985, Terry Gilliam's Brazil. And while our last entry came out in most markets in 2014, it was released in 2015 in its native Ireland, the animated film Song of the Sea. I don't expect to get much writing done, so the next chapter of CoP may be a couple weeks off, but I might at least have more reviews on the weekend. Stay tuned.
Posted by: JamesUTC 18:31:55
03 Aug 25
It's been a long and bumpy ride, but today we bring TWH to a close at last with the epilogue, with the character glossary and map of the Allied Kingdoms as well for good measure. Now, I've had a very, very long day (technically two rolled into one), so I'm going to turn in and hopefully tomorrow I can give you some movie reviews. Stay tuned.
Posted by: JamesUTC 07:34:11
27 Jul 25
To start off this week's reviews, we turn back the clock 30 years ago to a film set four years ago, Johnny Mnemonic. Next we have Harrison Ford attempting a Russian accent in K-19: The Widowmaker. Next, we turn back the clock further back to the 40s with 1942's Jungle Book and Keeper of the Flame with the ever-reliable duo of Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn. Lastly, we have some Mercury Theater alums coming together in Journey into Fear. As I've dropped the ball twice in the row on the chapter of RttW, we'll go ahead and turn our attention to wrapping TWH. The epilogue's already been finished, so you don't have to worry about a missed deadline this time around. As for reviews, maybe we'll have some airplane movies if I'm not asleep most of the way. Stay tuned.
Posted by: JamesUTC 15:05:13
20 Jul 25
Part of the reason I missed this week's deadline was because I spent Friday evening on an outing and part of that outing was seeing the newly released Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle – Part 1: Akaza Returns, which readers in the States can check out for themselves when it hits theaters in September. For the rest of our movie coverage for the week, we start with the 1938 Bette Davis film Jezebel, then the 1943 Orson Welles version of Jane Eyre, the 1962 film Jigsaw (not to be confused with the recent sequel to the Saw franchise), and lastly the documentary Jodorowsky's Dune, which I'd previously talked about in a blog post way back in 2014. We find ourselves in the same place where we were last time with me planning to catch up on anime and getting the chapter of RttW out. We'll see if I can make those happen this time. Stay tuned.
Posted by: JamesUTC 18:35:15
13 Jul 25
Because of my work on Chapter 7 of CoP (or attempts to work on Chapter 7 of CoP), I didn't get caught up on any of the anime I have left, but to gear up for the new season of the Aobuta series, I watched Rascal Does Not Dream of a Knapsack Kid. We dig into the movie review backlog with the Clark Gable film It Happened One Night, directed by Frank Capra, which we can then spin into Christmas in July with that perennial classic It's a Wonderful Life. We then have the 1952 version of Ivanhoe and the mindtrip Jacob's Ladder. I'll see what I can do on catching up on some anime for next week and get the next chapter of RttW out. Stay tuned.
Posted by: JamesUTC 16:42:35
It took me three weeks (two weeks of actually working on it), but I've finished Chapter 7 of CoP and now it's up for your reading pleasure. Things are heating up, so if you like a good action chapter, here you go. Depending on how things go, I'll either do reviews later in the day or post them tomorrow. Stay tuned.
Posted by: JamesUTC 00:47:11
06 Jul 25
We start out this week's coverage with the second season of two series I really like: The Apothecary Diaries (which carried over from the winter season) and Go! Go! Loser Ranger! We then have two new series in the form of A Ninja and an Assassin Under One Roof and The Too-Perfect Saint: Tossed Aside by My Fiancé and Sold to Another Kingdom. We don't have a fifth entry this week because I had a bit of a big day and don't have as much time handy. I've gotten out all the series I was properly keeping up with, so what remains are ones that I have in the hopper and either haven't started or only got partway into. I'll see what I can get watched as I'm already starting in on the new summer stuff. I've decided to give myself another week to try to finish the chapter of CoP that's due out, so I'll try to have that for you as well. Stay tuned.
Posted by: JamesUTC 15:21:05
27 Jun 25
Without a doubt, the heavy hitter for this week's entry in our Spring 2025 anime coverage is the Sunrise/Studio Khara collabo Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX (a title that seems to be designed specifically to wreak havoc on my dyslexia). Next, we have more student-teacher harem shenanigans in the winter season holdover I Left My A-Rank Party to SeduceHelp My Former Students Reach the Dungeon Depths!, and last but not least is Season 2 of Aharen-san Is Indecipherable. For movie coverage, we have a pair of 1930s B-movies, Island in the Sky and Isle of Fury. Look for more spring anime fun next week and hopefully that CoP chapter I blew off as well. Stay tuned.
UTC 16:40:37
22 Jun 25
We have our first entries in our coverage of the Spring 2025 anime season starting with the romcom Can a Boy-Girl Friendship Survive?, the decidedly less romantic (much to the chagrin of the would-be haremettes) From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman, and the not as villainous as it sounds I'm the Evil Lord of an Intergalactic Empire! To round things out, from the movie review backlog, we have Clint Eastwood vs. John Malkovich in 1993's In the Line of Fire and Spencer Tracy vs. Fredric March in the 1960 version of Inherit the Wind. We'll have more of the spring anime coming out over the next several weeks, right as the summer season kicks into gear. Be looking for more CoP as well. Stay tuned.
Posted by: JamesUTC 16:24:55
21 Jun 25
You were only supposed to have to wait three weeks, but it ended up being two months. It may not be the worst delay in this oft-delayed story, but we've finally got Chapter 27 of TWH for you. Next cycle we'll finally wrap things up with the epilogue, which I'm more than halfway done with already, so we should be able to defy my bad track record in the end. Look for reviews tomorrow. Stay tuned.
Posted by: JamesUTC 16:58:07
15 Jun 25
Our centerpiece for this week's reviews is the 1970 epic Waterloo. And what better way to follow up an Italian-Soviet collabo than with the Cold War thriller Ice Station Zebra? Continuing with the review backlog, we have Edward G Robinson in Illegal and Humphrey Bogart In a Lonely Place. Lastly, we have the Gina Carano film In the Blood, which will do wonders for you if you've ever thought about doing some extreme ziplining. As for next week, I may actually start to have a couple of the spring anime reviews ready by then. Also, if I'm really lucky, I'll actually have that chapter of TWH done at long last. Stay tuned.
Posted by: JamesUTC 15:41:50
08 Jun 25
I dropped the ball on the story front yet again, but at least the reviews are out on time this week. It wasn't by intention, but our main feature is late 80s/early 90s fantasy, starting with 1988's Willow, followed by the OAVs Xanadu: Dragon Slayer Legend and Wizardry. And now, as John Cleese would say, for something completely different. From director Howard Hawks is the postwar milcom I Was a Male War Bride. Lastly, for a bit of manga coverage, we have Volume 7 of Interviews with Monster Girls, which is as far as I've collected so far, so I'll have to look into getting the remaining volumes at some point. We're getting closer to the end of the spring anime season and I've actually been keeping up with things, so in a couple weeks, you should start seeing reviews come out. In the meantime, expect more treats from the backlog unless I have some unexpected viewings like this past week. Don't hold your breath, but I'll be making yet another attempt at getting the next chapter of TWH out. Stay tuned.
Posted by: JamesUTC 16:20:06
02 Jun 25
Not only did I not get any manga reviews written on Saturday, but yesterday my usual groove got disrupted and I was trying to get a later start on the work of getting this out, but the office productivity specialist had other ideas. I had work in the morning, after all. Anyway, here's the latest batch of reviews and I'll start with a couple newly watched film. First is the 1997 TV movie version of 12 Angry Men with Jack Lemmon, George C Scott and more. Next is the Charlton Heston film Secret of the Incas, which was part of the inspiration for Raiders of the Lost Ark. Dipping into the review backlog, we have a couple more teamups with William Powell and Myrna Loy in I Love You Again, Bette Davis and Olivia de Havilland in Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte, and Betty Grable and Victor Mature in I Wake Up Screaming. I'll try to get some manga reviews written over the weekend and I'll stop looking up the airspeeds of birds to get that chapter of RttW out. Stay tuned.
Posted by: JamesUTC 07:08:37
25 May 25
Another crazy week has left me relying solely on the movie review backlog. We've got some pair-ups in the form of Jean Harlow and Clark Gable in 1933's Hold Your Man, Ida Lupino and Humphrey Bogart in 1941's High Sierra, and Audrey Hepburn and Peter O'Toole in How to Steal a Million. We then have High Noon and Here Comes Mr. Jordan to round out the day's feature. I should at least be able to get some manga reviews written for next week and if all goes well, I should have the next chapter of RttW as well. Stay tuned.
Posted by: JamesUTC 12:47:32
24 May 25
We're moving more pieces on the board in Chapter 6 of CoP. Look for reviews tomorrow. Stay tuned.
Posted by: JamesUTC 17:23:06
18 May 25
I didn't get caught up on any of the anime backlog and didn't get reviews written on the manga backlog, but I did go ahead and read through one little gem I've been sitting on a bit, Volume 16 of Yotsuba&!. Because I don't have any more anime and manga for you at the moment, we'll dip into the movie review backlog to bring you the Clint Eastwood film Hang 'Em High, the 1956 Helen of Troy, the Jimmy Stewart film Harvey and, courtesy of Golan-Globus, the Lou Ferrigno film Hercules. I've got work next Saturday, so I may not have time to write manga reviews and who knows if I'll get caught up on any anime that needs to be watched? Having missed my deadline twice, I'll be setting TWH aside until next cycle and move on to CoP. Stay tuned.
Posted by: JamesUTC 15:41:11
11 May 25
For this week's installment of Winter 2025 anime, we have I May Be a Guild Receptionist, But I'll Solo Any Boss to Clock Out on Time, The Red Ranger Becomes an Adventurer in Another World and Welcome to Japan, Ms. Elf! I didn't get any manga reviews written yesterday, so instead we'll dip into the movie review backlog for the 1962 Natalie Wood version of Gypsy and the movie cut of Halo: Nightfall. I've only got one more winter series I can get caught up on quickly. The rest are ones I either haven't started or only got a couple episodes in. I might do just as well to dig farther back to things I've left unfinished. Since we've got midterms this week and I'm almost caught up with my grading, I can hopefully focus on that chapter of TWH that needs to get finished. Otherwise it'll get pushed to next cycle. We'll see how it goes. Stay tuned.
Posted by: JamesUTC 14:21:37
04 May 25
We continue our Winter 2025 anime coverage with Headhunted to Another World: From Salaryman to Big Four! and Zenshu. I was actually able to prepare a full slate of manga reviews this time, so we've got Volume 6 of Dandadan, Volume 6 of Interviews with Monster Girls and Volume 3 of The Apothecary Diaries. I don't have any big Golden Week plans, so I'm hoping to get caught up on more of my viewing. I'm not terribly confident I can pull it off, but I'll see if I can't get the penultimate chapter of TWH out by the weekend. Stay tuned.
Posted by: JamesUTC 12:18:17
03 May 25
If you don't like Axios as much as Pawel, I have good news for you. The gang is heading out in Chapter 13 of RttW. Starting next cycle, we'll be hitting the road. In other news, we've got reviews coming up tomorrow, so be looking for that. Stay tuned.
Posted by: JamesUTC 12:30:09
01 May 25
It's that special time of year once more as we celebrate International Ayame Jellybean Day. In past years I've pledged to update the Mascot Gallery, but as I've never managed to deliver on that promise, I won't do so again this year. I would like to get it done at some point, but I have no idea when that would be. For now, I'll indulge the fuzzy lady of the hour with some extra pats while I fret about making Saturday's deadline. Will my office productivity specialist/birthday girl give me any time to focus on getting any writing done? Who can say? Stay tuned.
Posted by: JamesUTC 11:07:19
27 Apr 25
After spending about half of the week not watching any anime, I did manage to turn things around to bring you reviews of Season 2 of The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You and Solo Leveling. Because I spent all yesterday working on the WttW bestiary instead of writing reviews, all I have for manga this week is Volume 2 of The Apothecary Diaries. To round things out, I have a couple movie reviews for you: "the original Temple of Doom" Gunga Din and from director John Sturges, Gunfight at the OK Corral. Look for more Winter 2025 anime next week. Hopefully I'll actually get the next chapter of RttW out this time. Stay tuned.
Posted by: JamesUTC 15:37:40
20 Apr 25
There are a couple surprises for this week's reviews (for me as much as for you). We kick off our Winter 2025 anime coverage a week earlier than I expected with a holdover from last year's fall season, Season 2 of Shangri-La Frontier. I also happened to finish reading Volume 5 of The Eminence in Shadow, so you get a review of that. We then go on to manga with Volume 5 of Dandadan and Interviews with Monster Girls. We're also launching coverage of a new series with Volume 1 of The Apothecary Diaries. Depending on how much catching up I can get done, we should have two or three Winter 2025 anime to toss onto the pile next week. I'll also be making a sincere effort to get the next chapter of WttW out. Stay tuned.
Posted by: JamesUTC 15:47:33
19 Apr 25
This has been a rough week, but I've managed to stick to my deadline, so here's Chapter 5 of CoP, which introduces a new set of players to the field. We'll have reviews out tomorrow, so be looking for that. Stay tuned.
Posted by: JamesUTC 10:59:04
13 Apr 25
It's a funny thing that we started last week's reviews with a film from 1990 because we're going to do so again this week with Gremlins 2: The New Batch. We also have another, far less silly film from 1959, Green Mansions. Next, it's time for manga with Volume 4 of Dandadan, Too Many Losing Heroines! and Interviews with Monster Girls. I'm now caught up on the Makeine manga, so I need to come up with something else to fill that slot. I'm thinking The Apothecary Diaries. Also, not next week but the week after I should start releasing reviews for the Winter 2025 anime season (and we've got the spring season already underway, so that's going to keep me busy). Coming up sooner (hopefully) is the next chapter of CoP, so be looking for that. Stay tuned.
Posted by: JamesUTC 11:38:18
12 Apr 25
Behold the last boss perched upon her throne. It's time to raise the curtain on the final battle with Chapter 26 of TWH. I've been doing good to stay on schedule so far, so hopefully I can continue to do so to get us to the end on time. In other news, look for reviews tomorrow. Stay tuned.
Posted by: JamesUTC 13:20:23
06 Apr 25
We start the day off with some clowns here to amuse you in 1990's Goodfellas and if that's not enough, you can listen to Sandra Bullock grunting in space for two hours in Alfonso Cuarón's Gravity. For manga coverage, we have Volume 3 of Dandadan, Too Many Losing Heroines! and Interviews with Monster Girls. Next week is going to have Gremlins 2, so I'm looking forward to that. I will try very hard to scrape together the time to get the next chapter of TWH out, so fingers crossed applesauce. Stay tuned.
Posted by: JamesUTC 11:37:17
05 Apr 25
My colleague's elbow had to put the work in to keep me awake during the opening ceremony today, but I'm at least happy to say that Chapter 12 of RttW is ready for you. Reviews will be up tomorrow, so be looking for that. Stay tuned.
Posted by: JamesUTC 11:08:32
30 Mar 25
We kick off today's movie reviews with the Colossal Titan of the film world, the 1939 classic Gone with the Wind and then something more along the lines of a 3-meter Titan yet with its own charm (you know, like the Peering Titan) in the somewhat less classic Gods of Egypt. We then continue our manga coverage with Volume 2 of Dandadan, Too Many Losing Heroines! and Interviews with Monster Girls respectively. We've got two more weeks before something needs to take Makeine's place. I'll have to figure that one out later. Look for the next chapter of WttW1 as well. Stay tuned.
Posted by: JamesUTC 13:08:05
29 Mar 25
I'm taking a break from my continued work on the demographics of Korush V to bring you Chapter 4 of CoP. Look for reviews tomorrow. Stay tuned.
Posted by: JamesUTC 11:50:04
23 Mar 25
We've only got a couple films this week because manga is back on the menu. Let's get those movie reviews out of the way first. First we have the excellent stage-to-film adaptation of Glengarry Glen Ross, for which I have to bite my tongue not to make comments about certain members of the cast. Then we have the far less excellent but still decently funny 2008 film remake of Get Smart. For our manga, rather than resuming old coverage (which has been so long that I actually need to go back and reread it all), we're going to start covering three new series that I've read more recently. We kick things off with the first volume of Dandadan, Too Many Losing Heroines! and Interviews with Monster Girls. Picking the old stuff back up is going to take a little time, so it'll be quicker for now to move forward with the new stuff then circle back to get the rest later. Hopefully I can keep this going for a while as the comics section is in much need of some love. Be looking for more CoP as well next week. Stay tuned.
Posted by: JamesUTC 12:14:34
22 Mar 25
I actually finished this week's chapter back on Monday. For this book, that's a rare feat and it's put me in a pretty good mood. I've been making respectable progress on the next chapter as well, so things bode well for the future. The finale is getting split into at least two parts, so that'll stretch out the release schedule a bit more, but an extension with actual content sure as punch beats delays with nothing to show for it. Anyway, we gear up for the big showdown in Chapter 25 of TWH. In other news, there are actually going to be manga reviews again for the first time in a good long while, so be looking forward to that. Stay tuned.
Posted by: JamesUTC 10:53:00
16 Mar 25
We start this week's reviews with the story of a media mogul who looked across the pond and saw some promising stuff that he wanted to promote here at home, so he commissioned a little film called Gabriel Over the White House. Next, possibly not unrelated, we gin up support for this dandy new idea called the Federal Bureau of Investigations in the James Cagney film "G" Men. Now let's lighten the mood a bit with cats in France in Gay Purr-ee. Next, we have the late great Gene Hackman with John Travolta and Danny DeVito in 1995's Get Shorty and then Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman and Jude Law in the now not-so fantastical look at the near future in Gattaca. We get Thursday off for the vernal equinox, so I'm going to try to get some manga reviews written and I'll be taking some time off before the new school year starts, so I hope to further work down this giant pile of manga that's been sitting around all this time. If I'm as productive as I'm hoping, we'll get back to having a regular mixed media selection for a good while. Be looking for the next chapter of TWH as well. (And I'm really going to have to start thinking about what I want to take its place.) Stay tuned.
Posted by: JamesUTC 11:47:31
15 Mar 25
It feels good to actually get things done on time. I should try doing it more often. Anyway, here's Chapter 11 of RttW. I'll be getting reviews to you tomorrow, so be looking for that. Stay tuned.
Posted by: JamesUTC 12:33:34
10 Mar 25
I rather enjoy going through the years, so we'll go chronologically again this time. We start with William Holden in the 1951 love story Force of Arms and 1956's Forbidden Planet. (Yes, I know Leslie Nielsen is in it, but you're supposed to take it seriously. He used to be a dramatic actor, you know.) We then have a double-header from 1988 that couldn't be more different. Harrison Ford comes back for the Roman Polanski-directed Frantic and the Chevy Chase comedy Funny Farm. If I'm going to be making Indiana Jones jokes like last week, we close with Brad Pitt and Henry Jones III in the 2014 war flick Fury. Now, I know it probably doesn't mean anything to you, but I have my movie reviews split across four files and this week marks the completion of all my backlog in the first file. A few more months and I'm going to have to start watching more movies. ^o^ In other news, the plan is to get the next chapter of RttW out by this weekend. Let's hope I don't spend so much time playing in the peripheral materials that I actually get it done on time. Stay tuned.
Posted by: JamesUTC 00:34:30
09 Mar 25
I've been spending a ridiculous amount of time the past week fiddling around in the Tellus Arc peripheral materials that I nearly missed this week's deadline entirely, but considering all that, I'd say being a day late isn't too bad. Anyway, here's Chapter 3 of CoP, where we see the opposing force gear up to give our gang a hard time. I'll be getting the reviews to you on the early side of tomorrow, so be looking for that as well. Stay tuned.
Posted by: JamesUTC 10:13:26
02 Mar 25
For this week's selection of reviews, we'll go chronologically and start with the Bette Davis film Fog Over Frisco, then jump ahead 56 years to the original version of Flatliners. Next is Henry Jones, Sr. (Sean Connery) in First Knight and Junior (Harrison Ford) in Firewall and lastly, Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson in about as close to an Indiana Jones adventure as you're likely to get in a chick flick in the form of Fool's Gold. I expect to start releasing Winter 2025 anime reviews at the end of next month, so in the meantime, expect more film posts like this, but maybe I'll actually get around to picking up manga reviews again. Look for more CoP as well. Stay tuned.
Posted by: JamesUTC 15:16:49
01 Mar 25
Behold the mascot enthroned in azure. Before any other encounters with royalty can occur, though, some preparations need to be made in Chapter 24 of TWH. I'll have reviews for you tomorrow, so be on the lookout for that. Stay tuned.
Posted by: JamesUTC 13:59:31
23 Feb 25
I've been falling behind on my anime viewing, but I did finish reading Volume 4 of The Eminence in Shadow, the latter part of which is going to be hitting the silver screen at some point in the hopefully not too distant future. For movie reviews, we have both the 1950 original and the 1991 remake of Father of the Bride, the 1962 thriller Experiment in Terror, and Roger Moore trying to break his typecasting in 1980's ffolkes, or North Sea Hijack as it's known in its home country of Jolly Old England. I imagine I'll continue to go down the line in the movie review backlog next week, but I may have a surprise or two in store. Look for TWH as well. Stay tuned.
Posted by: JamesUTC 16:52:44
22 Feb 25
It's a good thing I already had this finished last time or else I doubt I would've had anything for you. It's time for Chapter 10 of RttW, where we dip our toes in the fascinating world of isekai finance. I'll have reviews for you tomorrow. Stay tuned.
Posted by: JamesUTC 18:06:15
16 Feb 25
Do you hear the strains of "O Fortuna" rising in the background? We start our coverage with 1981's Excalibur, and then go on to my favorite Steven Seagal film (heh heh), Executive Decision. Next is the Ivan Reitman-directed Evolution, the original 1975 version of Escape to Witch Mountain, and lastly the William Holden film Executive Suite. Next week's reviews remain to be seen, but I can at least promise the next chapter of RttW. Stay tuned.
Posted by: JamesUTC 13:31:24
15 Feb 25
We're gearing up to begin our journey in Chapter 2 of CoP. Look for reviews tomorrow. Stay tuned.
Posted by: JamesUTC 13:15:23
09 Feb 25
By just going through and plucking movies out of the review backlog, we end up with quite the eclectic mix. (No fun Flem(i/y)ng pileup like last week, unfortunately.) We'll go chronologically, starting with 1969's Easy Rider, followed by a movie every parent-to-be needs to see, David Lynch's Eraserhead, then the post-Python Terry Jones-directed Erik the Viking, actual cannibal Shia LeBeouf in the 2008 thriller Eagle Eye, and then the Sylvester Stallone/Arnold Schwarzenegger teamup film Escape Plan. I've got Tuesday off, so maybe I can get caught up on some anime viewing. Hopefully I'll have the next chapter of CoP up by Saturday as well. Stay tuned.
Posted by: JamesUTC 12:55:47
08 Feb 25
My little snow bunny was so happy about the snow this morning that she woke me up at 0600 to kick me out of bed because she wanted it for herself. Isn't she sweet? On to the main topic, we have Chapter 23 of TWH for you today. Look for reviews tomorrow. Stay tuned.
Posted by: JamesUTC 14:47:20
02 Feb 25
Over the past week, I wasn't even keeping up with current anime, much less catching up on my backlog for review purposes. However, yesterday I did attend a 40th anniversary showing of The Super Dimension Fortress Macross: Do You Remember Love? Back when I posted my review of Macross Frontier, I was going to go back and fill in the gaps of my coverage of the franchise, and maybe I'll pick that goal back up now. Am I ready for the goofiness of Macross 7 again? Are you? Anyway, moving on, we've got a movie directed by Victor Fleming in 1941's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Dr. Who and the Daleks by Gordon Flemyng, and Dr. No, based on a story by Ian Fleming. A lot of doctors and a lot of Flemings/Flemyngs and entirely coincidental, but there you go. And then there's James Cagney in Each Dawn I Die, which doesn't have any doctors or Flemings that I know of. I won't make any promises about what kind of reviews we'll have next week. Most likely more backlog movies. I just barely missed the deadline for that TWH chapter, so this weekend for sure. Surely. Stay tuned.
Posted by: JamesUTC 13:04:53
27 Jan 25
Here we are, eighteen years of Palidor Media. Last year was fairly eventful with the reconstruction of the site in Drupal followed by moving webhosts near the end of the year. EM3 wrapped and we now have CoP in its slot just now starting to build steam. Expect RttW to continue for the foreseeable future. Although the table of contents says 26 chapters, it'll likely be quite a bit longer than that by the time it ends, it should keep going through next year. As for TWH, I'd love to say we've moved past its history of delays, but we should temper our expectations. The best case scenario is that we could wrap things up around May or June. What comes after that remains to be seen. I could jump on The Penitent Priest as it's a direct prequel, but I might revisit the Gladius Cycle for one of the stories there. I'll have to think about it more. Naturally, there will be some hectic periods at work that'll gum up the works a bit, but I should at least be able to maintain the update schedule as well as the past year. Here's to me getting that chapter of TWH out by the weekend. Stay tuned.
Posted by: JamesUTC 05:05:52
26 Jan 25
First off is a couple more entries of Fall 2024 anime with Goodbye, Dragon Life and TsumaSho. For movie coverage, we have the 1935 Warren William film Don't Bet on Blondes, the Billy Wilder-directed Double Indemnity, Kelsey Grammer in Down Periscope and lastly, 2005's DOOM. We'll see if I can get caught up on anything else in the viewing backlog or if it'll just be movie stuff. We'll see if I can get the next chapter of TWH without any hiccups, but before that, tomorrow's the anniversary, so I'll be sure to drop in and speculate on where things are going this year. Stay tuned.
Posted by: JamesUTC 12:15:09
25 Jan 25
So here I am working to get Chapter 10 ready for today's deadline. I get the chapter finished and checked, then I get it coded up and ready to go and... The last chapter I posted for RttW was Chapter 8, which means that this week's chapter is Chapter 9. I suppose it doesn't hurt to have next cycle's chapter ready to go. Anyway, you enjoy the continuing adventures in the World and tomorrow we'll have a couple more Fall 2024 anime reviews and more for you. Stay tuned.
Posted by: JamesUTC 13:30:32
19 Jan 25
We've got more Fall 2024 anime for you this week in the form of Season 2 of Seirei Gensouki and You Are Ms. Servant, then a series from the summer season whose finale was delayed until December, Whisper Me a Love Song, and lastly another series that I just needed to catch the last couple eps, Quality Assurance in Another World. Next, we dig into the movie backlog with 1945's Dillinger, Dog Day Afternoon and Divergent. There are a few more Fall 2024 series I intend to finish before I start digging further back, so we'll see how many I can get together for next time. Also be on the lookout for the latest chapter of RttW (hopefully). Stay tuned.
Posted by: JamesUTC 14:14:01
If you've been following the blog, you know there's been a little side project I started working on last year, and as I was writing on it a bit yesterday, I realized that I hadn't formally added it to the preproduction pipeline, so I'm doing that now. In the Fifth Empire cycle of the Cross Arc, I present you with Colony Flipper, a story of real estate and land development IN SPACE. It's an opportunity to do more of a ground-level story in the post-Skyfall era, so I'm looking forward to it. No idea when it'll enter production, but the more I write on it, the sooner its turn is likely to come up. I'll be working on the reviews later in the day, so be on the lookout for that. Stay tuned.
Posted by: JamesUTC 05:23:00
18 Jan 25
You can see how exhausted the mascot is after getting right down to the wire to present you with Chapter 1 of CoP. We get to meet our protagonist this time around and we'll be seeing more of her in action in the near future, so look forward to that. Look for more Fall 2024 anime reviews and more tomorrow. Stay tuned.
Posted by: JamesUTC 17:49:49
12 Jan 25
After a fun-filled week of getting back into the swing of things at work and us having our first snow in this neck of the woods, I've done some catching up so I can deliver some more Fall 2024 anime coverage. We'll kick things off with the remake of Ranma 1/2 and follow it with Let This Grieving Soul Retire!, Demon Lord 2099, and The Healer Who Was Banished From His Party, Is, in Fact, the Strongest. For movie coverage, I just happened to stumble across an old family favorite, the spaghetti Western My Name is Nobody and then dipping into the backlog, we have a couple war films in the form of the Errol Flynn/Ronald Reagan teamup in Desperate Journey and the Richard Widmark film Destination Gobi. I'm going to try to continue to catch up on my viewing backlog and hopefully get at least two more weeks of coverage of the Fall 2024 season. I'm also going to try to get that chapter of CoP out. Stay tuned.
Posted by: JamesUTC 12:59:07
06 Jan 25
A belated Happy New Year to my dear readers. While I wasn't up for doing this update right after travelling for some 20+ hours, I did take today off for recovery and what better way to spend the day off than by looking back at some of the things I've seen over the break? First, you can thank my niece for the following: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Deadpool & Wolverine and Blades of Glory. Next, from my folks, the Taron Egerton film Carry-On, and lastly, on the airplane, the documentary Aliens: Expanded (which was preceded by rewatching Alien and Aliens). Because I promised some Fall 2024 anime last time, we also have Dandadan, my definite favorite of the season. I've got some catching up to do on other series, the few that I feel are actually worth finishing (as I largely considered this past season to be a bust). The Winter 2025 series are starting up, so I'll have those to check out as well, all while dealing with the joy of starting back up at work. Yay. For extra fun, I have to try to get that chapter of CoP ready for the weekend. We'll see what gets done. Stay tuned.
Posted by: JamesUTC 13:12:54