28 Dec 20
The Fall 2020 anime season is winding down, so we kick things off with Season 2 of Fire Force and Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina. I'm also mixing in some older stuff I've been watching recently and this week we've got Season 1 and Season 2 of Aldnoah.Zero. For manga coverage, we have Volume 10 of Yakumosan wa Ezuke ga Shitai. Look for more anime fun in the coming weeks along with the latest chapter of EM2. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 12:05:28
26 Dec 20
I'd like to say that I didn't get the updates out last week because I was busy going home and enjoying holiday cheer with the familia, but current events have precluded that. As such, I just didn't get around to it. Well, here we are now. We've got Chapter 31 of JJ2 for you. We'll start covering Fall 2020 anime starting tomorrow. I'll be mixing in some other stuff I've been watching lately. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 09:09:10
13 Dec 20
We continue our coverage of the Psycho-Pass series with Psycho-Pass: The Movie, the Sinners of the System trilogy of Case.1 Sin and Punisment, Case.2 First Guardian and Case.3 On the Other Side of Love and Hate, and lastly, the recent Psycho-Pass 3: First Inspector. With that taken care of, the Fall 2020 anime season is wrapping up, so expect that and more in the coming weeks. Maybe I'll surprise you with some Christmas-themed reviews next week or the one after that. Who knows? In the meantime, look for more JJ2 (hopefully). Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 11:33:01
12 Dec 20
We've come a long way to meet the Archduke, and now that time has come in Chapter 13 of KniTwi. We've got the Psycho-Pass movies tomorrow. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 16:47:42
07 Dec 20
We begin our two-week Psycho-Pass special with Psycho-Pass, Psycho-Pass 2 and Psycho-Pass 3. We also have a couple recent releases for manga: Volume 5 of Yofukashi no Uta and Volume 6 of MAO. Next week we'll be covering all five of the Psycho-Pass movies, so look for that. We've also got more KniTwi (maybe, if I can get the chapter finished in time). Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 12:05:28
06 Dec 20
Yes, I was supposed to post this yesterday, but before I knew it, it was past midnight and I wanted to be a little more coherent when I went over things prior to posting. Anyway, here's Chapter 8 of EM2. Reviews will be up tomorrow. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 12:54:52
29 Nov 20
This week we're going to look at some video games for a change. First is Shantae and the Seven Sirens, which I've been meaning to post for a while now. Next is two mobile games I picked up a couple months ago, KonoSuba: God's Blessings on This Wonderful World! Fantastic Days and Lost Decade. Four our manga coverage, we have the recently released Volume 20 of Kaguya-sama and Volume 27, the finale of Fullmetal Alchemist. For the next couple weeks, we're going to be looking at the Psycho-Pass franchise. We've also got the next chapter of EM2, so fun times all around. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 13:53:23
28 Nov 20
Thanksgiving may be come and gone, but we have to maintain our traditions. In other news, we've got Chapter 30 of JJ2. Root's Malvinan vacation isn't over yet. Look for some game reviews tomorrow. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 15:55:05
23 Nov 20
We've got a bit of a change in plans. On a bit of a whim, I went out to see Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train, so my review of that is going to replace the game review I haven't gotten around to writing yet. We also have a couple of romcom series I watched recently, And You Thought There Is Never a Girl Online? and My Little Monster. Next up is Volume 19 of Kaguya-sama and Volume 26 of Fullmetal Alchemist. As we missed out on that game review this week, we'll do a (mostly) game week next time. Look for more JJ2 as well. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 12:23:55
Posted by: James
UTC 12:23:55
21 Nov 20
Yes, it's a week late, but we finally arrive at Castle Titan in Chapter 12 of KniTwi. Reviews are coming up tomorrow, so stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 09:10:17
16 Nov 20
So I had this brilliant idea. Saturday rolled around and I still wasn't done with the chapter of KniTwi that was supposed to come out. Because I knew I had Monday off, I thought, "Why don't I just get the story update out on Sunday and then do the reviews on Monday?" Well, that was a fine notion, only I still haven't put the finishing touches on that dang chapter, and instead of just going ahead and posting the reviews yesterday, I still waited until now. Yay, procrastination.
Moving on to the main event, we round out our current coverage of the Summer 2020 anime season with Monster Girl Doctor, The God of High School and The Misfit of Demon King Academy. For manga, we have Volume 18 of Kaguya-sama and Volume 25 of Fullmetal Alchemist. In two weeks I'll be caught up on the former and finished with the latter (and that's factoring in this week's release of Volume 20 of Kaguya-sama). Next week we'll have a game I finished back in the summer plus a couple series picked up here and there. We'll also be getting that chapter of KniTwi that's been delayed. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 04:27:10
08 Nov 20
We continue our coverage of the Summer 2020 anime season with Gibiate, Season 2 of No Guns Life, and Rent-A-Girlfriend. For our manga coverage, we have Volume 17 of Kaguya-sama and Volume 24 of Fullmetal Alchemist. We've still got more to come and KniTwi, too. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 12:34:38
07 Nov 20
Things are so crazy, it makes you wanna shout, right? We see how the gang is going to tackle the situation gripping the world in Chapter 7 of EM2. Look for reviews coming up. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 17:57:35
01 Nov 20
We've had our October fun and now it's time to get back to our regular dose of weeb shtuff. We kick off our coverage of the Summer 2020 anime season with A Certain Scientific Railgun T (which actually started back in January), Deca-Dence, and Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out! Next up is manga with Volume 16 of Kaguya-sama and Volume 23 of Fullmetal Alchemist. Look for plenty more anime coverage in the near future. Look for more EM2 as well. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 15:35:05
31 Oct 20
Halloween may have run its course here in sunny Nippon, but the real show hasn't even started yet in my native land. Whether you're waiting to go out on your candy raid or if you're on the verge of a sugar-fueled food coma, we've got Chapter 29 of JJ2 for your reading pleasure. While it might be nice to have something thematic for All Hallows, instead you can look forward to a selection from the Summer 2020 anime season. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 17:22:33
25 Oct 20
So my original plan was to have vampires, werewolves, zombies, etc. all getting a bit of representation for the finale. I only partially accomplish this goal. Because I've been working on material for my kiddos' Halloween lessons, I've been delving into some more family-friendly stuff, which brings us our first two features of the day: It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown and Garfield's Halloween Adventure (originally known as Garfield in Disguise). Now, on to the movies. First we get zombies of a sort in the first sequence of 2007's Grindhouse, followed by werewolves in 2014's Wolves (written and directed by Solid Snake himself, David Hayter). Our last piece isn't really the sort of horror-type mummy story, but if you want to believe there's a supernatural element at work, it's close enough in 1980's The Curse of King Tut's Tomb. I don't have anything available to provide the usual religious horror theme that follows our October reviews, so instead I'm going to pick up with coverage of the Summer 2020 anime season. Look for more JJ2 as well. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 13:14:08
24 Oct 20
We're getting ever closer to our destination in Chapter 11 of KniTwi. We've got the last round of October reviews coming up next. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 13:16:32
18 Oct 20
As none of my categories have enough entries for a themed feature at the moment, I've got another mishmash of unsorted reviews. First, we'll link to the last batch of unsorted reviews via Vincent Price to get 1963's The Comedy of Terrors. From the director of this film, Jacques Tourneur, we got to an earlier film of his, 1943's Cat People and its sequel (not directed by Tourneur), The Curse of the Cat People. Next is 1932's Freaks and while we closed on a Norwegian film last week, now we have one from Finland in 2008's Dark Floors, which features William Hope, likely best known as Lieutenant Gorman in Aliens but he's also made an appearance in a previous October for Hellraiser II. With next week being the last Sunday in the month, I'm going to give us a wide selection of all the favorite Halloween critters. We'll also have more KniTwi, so look forward to that. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 13:22:54
17 Oct 20
If you were wondering if the adventures in the Hollow Sea had any further-reaching consequences, get ready to find out in Chapter 6 of EM2. In other news, reviews should be up tomorrow. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 16:41:29
11 Oct 20
We've got creature features this week and we start with three masters of the creature craft. First, we have the work of Ray Harryhausen in The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms. Next is Willis O'Brien's work in The Giant Behemoth and lastly Stan Winston in The Relic. We then have less impressive creature effects in 1959's The Killer Shrews. And to top it all off, we have an international entry from Norway in 2010's Trollhunter (a.k.a Trolljegeren). With that taken care of, I think I'll knock out the rest of my unsorted reviews next week and then do a bit of a monster mash to wrap things up the week after that. Look for more EM2 as well. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 12:10:11
10 Oct 20
I didn't get this together last week, but we pick things up with Root in Chapter 28 of JJ2. As you might imagine, his Malvinan vacation isn't going so well at the moment. Remember we've got creature features tomorrow. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 16:00:19
04 Oct 20
It's that magical time of year for spooky scary frighty bitey action. I don't have a specific theme this week. I was just picking up some of my unsorted reviews I had set aside for October. We start with what a lot of people call the first horror film, 1920's The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. I was able to give some structure to the remaining four films, dividing them by their stars. We've got two titans of scary movies. First is Peter Cushing in 1968's Corruption and 1971's Horror Express (which also features the great Christopher Lee). Next is Vincent Price in The Tingler and The Abominable Dr. Phibes. Next week I think I'll go with creature features. I may go ahead an do two story posts for not getting yesterday's update out. We'll see. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 11:40:52
27 Sep 20
This week we're looking at a trio of anime series I didn't watch on their first run. First up is Season 1 of Cells at Work! (which will be getting a follow-up and a darker spin-off in the Winter 2021 season). Next is the fun genre-blending Re:Creators and the second half of the FLCL sequels, FLCL Alternative. Next up is our manga coverage with Volume 15 of Kaguya-sama and Volume 22 of Fullmetal Alchemist. October is coming up, so we're going to be shifting gears to cover scary movies. I've got a bunch of unsorted films that I think I'll start with. Also be looking for more JJ2. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 12:06:53
26 Sep 20
Not everyone can enjoy five-star accommodations like this, but maybe things will turn around for our Gladian friends in Chapter 10 of KniTwi. We've got reviews coming up, so be on the lookout. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 12:50:19
20 Sep 20
This week we've got a couple series that play with the intersection of sex and violence: Speed Grapher and Mnemosyne (otherwise known as RIN: Daughters of Mnemosyne with Rin's name in all caps for some reason). Another highlight is the recent release of Volume 32 of Attack on Titan in addition to our continuing coverage with Volume 14 of Kaguya-sama and Volume 21 of Fullmetal Alchemist. We've got a bit of a mix in store for you next week as well as more KniTwi. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 20:52:30
19 Sep 20
Selections on the playlist this week include Aerosmith's "Dude (Looks Like a Lady)" and Shania Twain's "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!" Why, you ask? Did you forget what happened last time? We pick things up where we left off with Chapter 5 of EM2. Look for reviews coming up. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 12:53:38
13 Sep 20
This week we're going to be looking at a certain mischievous young lady, Teasing Master Takagi-san, the second season Teasing Master Takagi-san 2 and the OAV in the middle. I may be getting the manga at some point in the near future. Speaking of manga, we've got Volume 13 of Kaguya-sama and Volume 20 of Fullmetal Alchemist. Next week we've got a selection that plays with the intersection of sex and violence, so that might pique your interest. Look for more EM2 as well (probably with less sex and violence). Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 12:35:47
12 Sep 20
The South Malvinans have made their move and now it's time to deal with the fallout in Chapter 27 of JJ2. We've got something considerably more lighthearted for the reviews tomorrow, so look forward to that. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 09:00:24
06 Sep 20
Our main feature this week is two recent manga releases, Volume 5 of MAO and Volume 4 of Yofukashi no Uta. We also continue our regular coverage with Volume 12 of Kaguya-sama and Volume 19 of Fullmetal Alchemist. Lastly, to round things out, a random anime I happened to watch over my summer break, 2014's Blade & Soul. Speaking of anime I've watched recently, we have a teasing young lady who will take center stage next week. We'll also have more JJ2. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 16:53:21
05 Sep 20
You know what people love to see? Foreign armies marching on their soil, that's what. We get to see how the Titians take to our Gladian company in Chapter 9 of KniTwi. We've got reviews coming up, so be on the lookout for that. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 11:56:58
30 Aug 20
Well, I said we were going to have a selection of OAVs from the 90s, but the first one is actually from '89, though it didn't come to the US until '95, so there's that. Anyways, it's Legend of Lemnear, featuring character designs by the (in)famous Satoshi Urushihara. Speaking of Satoshi Urushihara, he did a promotional illustration for our next item on the list, Maps, a remake of an earlier effort from '87. And that leads us to our next connection, a first attempt that was later remade, Birdy the Mighty. Moving on to our manga coverage, we have Volume 11 of Kaguya-sama and Volume 18 of Fullmetal Alchemist. Look for some recently released manga and more KniTwi next weekend. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 18:55:34
29 Aug 20
The Star Seed awaits in Chapter 4 of EM2. And if that's not enough, look for reviews tomorrow. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 13:55:15
23 Aug 20
We kick off this week's reviews with Goblin Slayer: Goblin's Crown and follow it with Grimgar: Ashes and Illusions and a fine old-school OAV, Otaku no Video. Next up is manga with Volume 10 of Kaguya-sama and Volume 17 of Fullmetal Alchemist. Next week we'll have a trio of 90s OAVs as well as some more EM2. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 13:42:57
22 Aug 20
With the prefecture on lockdown, I can blame something other than my general laziness for not doing much over my summer vacation. Not to worry, though. Our gang gets to catch some rays on the beach in Chapter 26 of JJ2. Look for reviews tomorrow. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 02:14:49
16 Aug 20
Our feature this week comes from our good friends at Kyoto Animation, Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions and its sequel, Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions: Heart Throb. For our manga coverage, we have a recent release in the form of Volume 18 of Bokuben as well as Volume 9 of Kaguya-sama and Volume 16 of Fullmetal Alchemist. We've got a variety of stuff planned for next week and more JJ2. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 14:37:43
15 Aug 20
History, legend and myth can be fuzzy concepts at times, though not a fuzzy as the mascot. We get a glimpse at what may or may not have happened in Titan's past in Chapter 8 of KniTwi. Reviews should be up tomorrow. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 16:30:58
09 Aug 20
We close our coverage of the Grisaia franchise with the sequel series Grisaia: Phantom Trigger the Animation and we've also got the OAVs for the first, second and third seasons of Shokugeki no Souma (a.k.a. Food Wars!). Next is our manga coverage with Volume 8 of Kaguya-sama and Volume 15 of Fullmetal Alchemist. Look for love and delusions in next week's reviews. We'll also have the next chapter of KniTwi. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 17:48:39
08 Aug 20
We're venturing into the Hollow Sea in Chapter 3 of EM2. Reviews are on the way, so be ready for that. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 19:42:21
02 Aug 20
This week we're going to be looking at the Grisaia franchise (in its anime form, that is). First is The Fruit of Grisaia, the TV film The Labyrinth of Grisaia and lastly The Eden of Grisaia. On to manga, we have Volume 7 of Kaguya-sama and Volume 14 of Fullmetal Alchemist. Next week we'll be looking at the Phantom Trigger sequel to the Grisaia series and the Shokugeki no Souma OAVs. We've got more EM2 as well. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 14:29:47
01 Aug 20
Despite all your rocks, your still just a cat in a box. Speaking of boxes, we have one under constructions in Chapter 25 of JJ2. This will probably be a problem later. We've got reviews coming up, so look for that. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 05:09:43
26 Jul 20
We start off this week with probably my favorite series from the Spring 2020 season, the anime adaptation of Princess Connect! Re:Dive . Beyond that, I've started looking into Kyoto Animation's other works and today we're going to talk about Myriad Colors Phantom Wolrd and its accompanying OAV. Next up is our ongoing manga coverage with Volume 6 of Kaguya-sama and Volume 13 of Fullmetal Alchemist. In my review of Phantom World, I make mention of having recently seen the Grisaia series and that's what we'll be looking at next week. We've got more JJ2 as well and look forward to that. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 14:21:55
25 Jul 20
Apologies for not getting this out last week, but we're getting back on track now with Chapter 7 of KniTwi. If those bandits weren't clue enough that things are rotten in the state of DenmarkTitan, then this should make it clear. Look for reviews tomorrow. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 06:09:33
19 Jul 20
We're going to be looking at some Spring 2020 anime, but we've also got some from the winter season that were delayed due to the insidious Corona-chan. Going in alphabetical order, we've got Ascendance of a Bookworm - Part 2, Season 2 of Kaguya-sama, and Season 1 of My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom. Moving on to manga, we have Volume 4 of Kaguya-sama and Volume 12 of Fullmetal Alchemist. We've got another Spring 2020 title plus other goodies in store next week. We'll also be getting that chapter of KniTwi out (once I make up for lost progress). Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 13:55:19
12 Jul 20
We start things off with Food Wars!: The Fourth Plate. I was going to cover the OAVs to round out the coverage of the series. Only I realized I hadn't actually watched them yet. And so I had to scramble for an alternative. Fortunately, I recently rewatched I Can't Understand What My Husband is Saying and followed it with Season 2. For manga, we have Volume 4 of Kaguya-sama and Volume 11 of Fullmetal Alchemist. Look for some long-awaited Spring 2020 anime next week and more KniTwi as well (if I can wrap up the chapter in time). Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 14:47:39
10 Jul 20
It's time for magic in Chapter 2 of EM2. Look for reviews coming up. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 12:30:18
05 Jul 20
I mentioned Spring 2020 anime last week, but you'll have to wait another couple weeks for that to start. In the meantime, enjoy a serving of Food Wars!: The Third Plate. In our manga coverage, we have the recent release of Volume 4 of MAO, Volume 3 of Kaguya-sama, Volume 10 of Fullmetal Alchemist, and Volume 5 of Macross the First. This will be the end of our Macross the First coverage for now as I don't have Volume 6. As I said before, we're going to start covering some Spring 2020 anime after I wrap the Shokugeki no Souma coverage next week. We've also got more EM2, so be looking for that. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 11:46:44
04 Jul 20
While my American compatriots are gearing up to celebrate Independence Day and test Corona-chan's weakness to gunpowder, we have decidedly fewer explosions about in Chapter 24 of JJ2. And once you've had your fill of barbecue and pyrotechnics, reviews will be on the way. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 02:49:57
28 Jun 20
We kick off today's coverage with Food Wars!: The Second Plate. Next, for manga, we get the first of five endings with Volume 17 of Bokuben. We also have Volume 2 of Kaguya-sama, Volume 9 of Fullmetal Alchemist, and Volume 4 of Macross the First. Spring 2020 anime that wasn't put on hold by Corona-chan has been wrapping up, so expect some of that to be coming in the near future. Look for more JJ2 as well. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 13:05:59
27 Jun 20
We get our first taste of some action in Chapter 6 of KniTwi. Welcome to Titan, boys and girls. Look for reviews coming up. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 05:38:32
21 Jun 20
We're going to start coverage of a couple series that have been occupying my attention lately. First is the anime adaptation of Kaguya-sama: Love is War, along with the Volume 1 of the manga. We also have Season 1 of Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma for people who really, really like their food. Continuing our manga coverage, we have Volume 8 of Fullmetal Alchemist and Volume 3 of Macross the First. Expect more Shokugeki no Soma and Kaguya-sama in the coming weeks. We've also got more KniTwi. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 14:43:24
20 Jun 20
Are you curious about what lurks within the mysterious Walled Kingdom? It may not be what you think. Find out in Chapter 1 of EM2. Look for reviews coming up. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 04:14:10
14 Jun 20
This week we're going to take a look at a couple off-the-wall comedies. First, from Kyoto Animation is Nichijou, followed by the even loonier Asobi Asobase with its accompanying OAV. On the manga front, we continue with Volume 7 of Fullmetal Alchemist and we pick up a series I haven't touched on in a while with Volume 2 of Macross the First. Next week we're going to pick up a series I've recently dove into. Look for more EM2 as well. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 14:41:04
13 Jun 20
Root and the Byrandians aren't the only people out making deals. We venture into enemy territory in Chapter 23 of JJ2. You may be thinking that we're almost done, seeing as how the Table of Contents only goes to Chapter 26, but while I haven't quite decided the final tally yet, I can assure you we've got a fair bit further to go yet. Part of me is tempted to split the story into two books, but I think I can tell what I want to tell in another 10-15 chapters. Be on the lookout for reviews tomorrow. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 02:35:15
07 Jun 20
After the first season of Strike the Blood ended, they released a two-part OAV called Kingdom of the Valkyria and from there the series shifted to an OAV release for the subsequent seasons. While the fourth season is ongoing, I do have reviews for Strike the Blood II and Strike the Blood III. For manga, we have Volume 6 of Fullmetal Alchemist and Volume 6 of Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid. This is as far as I've gotten in Kobayashi-san, so we'll be substituting a different series for our manga coverage as of next week. Look for a pair of surreal comedies as well, along with the next chapter of JJ2. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 13:05:13
06 Jun 20
We get a bit of a bonding moment in Chapter 5 of KniTwi. I'm going to have to kick things in gear if I want to get the next chapter together in time, though. Look for more vampire harem fun in the reviews coming up next. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 13:11:16
31 May 20
We'll start this week of where we left off last week, this time with the OAVs for Ascendance of a Bookworm that take place between Part 1 and Part 2. Next is our big event, the Konosuba movie, Legend of Crimson. After that is the first season of Strike the Blood, which will lead us into the main feature of next week's coverage. Last but not least is manga with Volume 5 of Fullmetal Alchemist and Volume 5 of Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid. As I said, we'll be covering more Strike the Blood next week and we'll have the next chapter of KniTwi as well. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 16:42:27
29 May 20
Have you missed Giger, Gally and the gang and all their magical adventures? Well, you're in luck. We've got the prologue of Everyday Magic 2: The Sleepers Awake. We've got reviews coming up in a couple days. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 13:34:19
24 May 20
This week we're looking at some OAVs that followed series we've covered recently. The first one comes from Season 2 of Granblue Fanasy: The Animation, the next from Season 2 of Bokuben and the last from OkaSuki (Do You Love Your Mom and Her Two-Hit Multi-Target Attacks?). For manga, we've got Volume 4 of Fullmetal Alchemist and Volume 4 of Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid. Look for the KonoSuba movie and more next week. We've also got the launch of Everyday Magic 2, so be looking for that. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 13:38:48
23 May 20
Yes, I know this is late. You'd think with nothing else to do, what few items remain on my schedule would be easy to maintain, but I seem to be turning less and less productive as this furlough goes on. Happily (for productivity's sake), there's only a week more to go and once I have less time, I will counter-intuitively become more productive. For now, enjoy Chapter 22 of JJ2. Look for reviews coming up. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 04:18:05
17 May 20
We start things off this week with a couple recently wrapped series, Season 1 of BOFURI: I Don't Want to Get Hurt, so I'll Max Out My Defense and Isekai Quartet 2. Next up is the Sega Saturn port of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, which I'm going to be calling by its Japanese English title to distinguish it from the Playstation version, Dracula X: Nocturne in the Moonlight. Lastly, in our ongoing manga coverage, we've got Volume 3 of Fullmetal Alchemist and Volume 3 of Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid. Next week we'll be looking at some post-season OAVs. Also be ready for some more JJ2. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 11:44:55
15 May 20
It's time to get the team together in Chapter 4 of KniTwi. The fun's just about to begin. Look for reviews coming up. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 14:08:19
10 May 20
This week we've got a trio of anime series: Didn't I Say to Make My Abilities Average in the Next Life?!, the second season of Granblue Fantasy: The Animation, and Season 1 of No Guns Life. For manga, we've got Volume 2 of Fullmetal Alchemist and Volume 2 of Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid. Look for more anime reviews and the latest chapter of KniTwi. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 13:11:26
08 May 20
It's been quite a ride, but it's time for our girl Yasuko to hang up her hat. We've got the epilogue of CeleKing3 for your reading pleasure today. And because this is the end, we have the usual back matter, the character glossary, the map of Erdi, the Celestial ranks, the Imperial Guard ranks, and the ranks of the New Earth Empire. Now that we're done with the Celestial Kingdom trilogy, Everyday Magic 2 will be taking its place, so if you've been missing Giger, Gally and the rest, you've got that to look forward to. Speaking of things to look forward to, we've got more reviews coming up. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 05:49:32
03 May 20
We start things off with the reviews I meant to do three weeks ago. First is a pair of mobile games, Azur Lane and Arknights, both from Chinese publisher Yostar. Related to the former, we also have the Azur Lane anime spinoff. From there, we go on to manga with Volume 1 of Fullmetal Alchemist and Volume 1 of Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid. Starting next week, we'll be looking at some recently wrapped anime from the Winter 2020 season. We've also got the finale of CeleKing3, so be looking for that. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 17:47:57
01 May 20
There has to be consequences for spoiling everyone's fun bath time, right? Let's take a look at those consequences in Chapter 21 of JJ2. Look for reviews coming up. Stay tuned.
And let's not forget to raise our glasses in honor of International Ayame Jellybean Day. Cheers.
Posted by: James
UTC 06:35:02
26 Apr 20
We've got another helping of manga for you this week. Starting off, we've got Volume 8 of Twilight Princess, Volume 9 of Yakumo-san wa Ezuke ga Shitai, Volume 3 of MAO, Volume 3 of Yofukashi no Uta, and Volume 14 of GATE. Next week we'll be starting a long-running feature looking at Fullmetal Alchemist among other things. We've got more JJ2 coming up as well. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 14:07:58
24 Apr 20
When we first moved into the new place last week, the mascot thought she could rely on her natural camouflage for protection. Speaking of camouflage, we venture to Rowan in Chapter 3 of KniTwi. We've got more manga reviews coming up in the next couple days. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 12:28:30
20 Apr 20
The reviews I was wanting to post are just going to have to wait until after I get them written. In the meantime, I recently went on a manga-purchasing spree, so it's time to share some of my new acquisitions (plus another review I just recently got around to writing. We're going to start with a bang. It's Volume 14 of Quintessential Quintuplets, the series finale. Is it everything you can hope for and then some? Find out. We also have Volume 16 of Bokuben, Volume 31 of Attack on Titan, Volume 2 of Yofukashi no Uta, Volume 13 of GATE. We've got another slate of manga reviews next week and after that we'll start mixing it up a bit. Look for more KniTwi in the coming days. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 14:07:58
16 Apr 20
I should've known to give myself more time when game reviews are involved, but I had a lot of other stuff on my plate. Maybe now that things are in place, I can get those reviews written up and posted this weekend. Meanwhile, now that we've settled matters between Yasuko and Sturla, what's Masako been up to? Well, you can find out in Chapter 28 of CeleKing3. Just three more weeks and that'll be it for the Celestial Kingdom Trilogy. Might we see other adventures on Erdi in the future? Perhaps. In the much nearer future, you can be looking forward to those reviews I was supposed to have out last week. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 11:22:50
10 Apr 20
Not a tom, but still peeping, this one. It seems like onsen episodes are obligatory in Japanese fiction, so in honor of our Japanesque locale, enjoy some hadaka no tsukiai in Chapter 20 of JJ2. We've still got reviews on the horizon. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 04:27:45
05 Apr 20
We continue our anime coverage with Season 2 of Bokuben. We then take a literary detour to cover two more entries in the Dune series: Dune Messiah and Children of Dune. Next, tying in with our anime coverage, we have the latest current volume of Bokuben, that being Volume 15 and also have Volume 2 of MAO. I plan on doing some game coverage next week along with the anime tie-in for one of those entries. Look for more JJ2 as well. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 13:06:50
03 Apr 20
If all goes well, things will settle down once more in a couple weeks. It's not just me who's dealing with a flurry of activity. Things are hopping in Chapter 2 of KniTwi. Believe it or not, I'm not going halfway across the country this weekend, so you can actually look for reviews Sunday or Monday. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 03:42:18
27 Mar 20
Whereas the mascot looks adorable perched on her throne, Sturla isn't nearly as pleasant, so it's high time Yasuko did something about it. Does she even have a chance? Well, you're about to find out in Chapter 27 of CeleKing3. While this is the final battle, we've still got two chapters of denouement, so we'll be bringing things to a close six weeks from now. As I indicated before, due to upcoming travel, I can't guarantee the reviews this week unless I decide to post them early. We'll see, but no promises. If nothing else, we'll at least have the next chapter of KniTwi next week. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 12:23:53
22 Mar 20
This week's selection of anime actually started back in the Summer 2019 season and continued through the fall. It seems weird to think of 24-episode series as being long when 26 episodes used to be the standard, but this is what the market looks like these days. First we bring caveman days into the far future with Dr. Stone; then we fight fires, people on fire, and people who put people on fire with Season 1 of Fire Force; and lastly we go a-viking in Vinland Saga. Moving on to manga, we have Volume 14 of Bokuben and Volume 1 of Rumiko Takahashi's latest series, MAO. Because I'm going to be away on business next week, don't expect any reviews. You will get story updates on either end of this business trip, though, so look for that, starting with Yasuko's showdown with Sturla in CeleKing3. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 13:43:27
20 Mar 20
Sorry I missed the last update, but I spent all of Saturday up in Yamagata and I didn't have much left in the tank afterward. This week has been rather hectic too, but I'm now getting to enjoy a three-day weekend, so let's spread the cheer by looking at some misery in Chapter 19 of JJ2. I would be terribly amused if there was ever a call for a Chow Fan spinoff. Anyway, I'll be sure you get those reviews you were supposed to get last week in the next couple days. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 08:39:21
12 Mar 20
We get to see how Mark has been doing since we last saw him. Have the years been kind? We'll have to take a look at Chapter 1 of KniTwi to find out. Reviews are coming up this weekend. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 12:33:06
08 Mar 20
Starting this week, we'll be looking at some of last season's anime. We start off with some isekai trash. But wait! Maybe it's not so trashy. Your mileage may vary, but if it's a series I stuck with to the end, it's probably bearable at least. First we have a couple comedic takes on the subgenre with Cautious Hero: The Hero is Overpowered but Overly Cautious and Kemono Michi: Rise Up. Then we have a pleasant little subversion of what you'd usually expect in Part 1 of Ascendance of a Bookworm. Now it's on to manga. We've got Volume 13 of Bokuben and Volume 13 of Quintessential Quintuplets, the latter of which is the first manga of 2020 to be featured here on the site. Because Bokuben entered publication first, we've still got a couple more volumes of it, while the finale of QQ will come around mid-April. (Bokuben is still ongoing, however.) We'll be filling the gap with Rumiko Takahashi's newest series MAO. Look for more KniTwi as well. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 13:44:16
06 Mar 20
Look at that noble guardian. We have a guardian of a different sort (nobility being up to interpretation) waiting for Yasuko in Chapter 26 of CeleKing3. We're almost at the end. Look for reviews in the coming days. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 10:57:56
02 Mar 20
We kick off the month with a trio of high-profile TV series. From HBO, we have two disasters brought to the small screen. The first is Chernobyl and the second is Season 8 of Game of Thrones. Next is The Mandalorian. Flying should not come as a surprise. And now for manga. We're moving right on along with Volume 12 of Bokuben and Volume 12 of Quintessential Quintuplets. Next week will be the penultimate volume for the latter and then you'll have to wait until April. We're going to dig into some anime next week as well, starting with some isekai. (No, don't leave. It may not all be bad, honest.) Look for more CeleKing3, which is another story drawing closer to its end. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 13:34:43
28 Feb 20
There's nothing as cute as this little fuzzball to be found in the harsh world of cutthroat politics. Root and the gang continue their mission in Chapter 18 of JJ2. Look for reviews of some of the most talked about TV shows from last year coming up. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 11:33:32
24 Feb 20
We close out another Black History Month with Terry Crews acting as a stand-out side character, first in that bold vision of the future Idiocracy and an otherwise mediocre Adam Sandler/Drew Barrymore romcom Blended. After that, we have Volume 11 of Bokuben and Volume 11 of Quintessential Quintuplets. Next week we're going to look at some TV highlights from last year, followed by selections of last season's anime. Also, we'll get to that chapter of JJ2 that I didn't get out last week. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 05:36:49
17 Feb 20
This week Mario Van Peebles takes center stage, ironically enough playing alongside Christopher Lambert in both of our features. Both are pretty much remakes too. First we take a spin on The Good, the Bad and the Ugly with 1993's Gunmen and we rework the original Highlander with Highlander: The Final Dimension. And now we turn to manga with Volume 10 of Bokuben and Volume 10 of Quintessential Quintuplets. We'll close things out next week with Terry Crews, so look forward to that. And before we get to that, we have more JJ2. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 13:21:05
15 Feb 20
Back in December of '08, we brought the Knight of Gladius trilogy to a close. Now we return some seventeen years later to join Mark the Guardian on a new adventure. We kick things off with the prologue of The Knight's Twilight. Look for reviews in the next couple days. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 15:16:37
11 Feb 20
I know this one is a fair bit later than usual, but I was off in Tokyo yesterday and was too wiped to do the update by the time I got back. So, for this week's reviews, we're looking at Paul Winfield. He's had supporting roles in several films already featured here on the site and we start with a TV movie that he starred in, the post-Vietnam War drama Green Eyes. And mostly because I've just been itching to get this review out, we have him in another supporting role in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Moving on to manga, we have Volume 9 of Bokuben and Volume 9 of Quintessential Quintuplets. Coming up next is Mario Van Peebles, who you may already be familiar with from Jaws: The Revenge. In the next few days we'll have the launch of KniTwi, so look for that. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 07:12:42
08 Feb 20
In case you were wondering what the infiltration of the Capital looks like from the Celestial side, we've got Chapter 25 of CeleKing3. Things are going bad for them, obviously. We've still got reviews coming up. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 00:54:59
03 Feb 20
It's Black History Month once more and due to the limited selection of appropriate titles in my backlog, the films we look at are going to match the roughly 13% demographic share enjoyed by African-Americans. (Actually, the movies will be 20% of this week's reviews, so if anything we're having overrepresentation.) Let's get on with the show. Our first feature comes from my return trip back in November. It's Shaft. No, not the original. Not the 2000 soft reboot. The new one. With the same name. Because that's a thing. Next we've got a rematch that crosses the generations in Creed II. From there, we go into markedly less African-American content in the form of our manga coverage. We've got Volume 1 of Noumen Joshi no Hanako-san, followed by Volume 8 of Bokuben and Volume 8 of Quintessential Quintuplets. Next week we'll have a couple films featuring Paul Winfield. Also be on the lookout for more CeleKing3. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 15:20:33
01 Feb 20
It's time to pack up and go. The Tungese are shipping out in Chapter 17 of JJ2. We've got the latest adventures of bad mother—[Shut your mouth] coming up. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 02:45:49
27 Jan 20
Whaddya know? Lucky 13. We had a number of delays last year, so the projected schedule is going to sound fairly similar to what I announced in the previous anniversary post. We just wrapped Tellus, so we're going to debut The Knight's Twilight in three weeks. Provided I can stick to the schedule, CeleKing3 should wrap at the end of April and we'll start Everyday Magic 2 in the latter part of May. And though I don't have a final chapter count for JJ2, I expect it to continue into next year. Reviews will continue to roll in at a regular pace. And that about does it. Here's to another productive year. Cheers.
Posted by: James
UTC 14:45:37
26 Jan 20
This week we've got some of the home viewing sandwiched between the two flights. First is Absolutely Anything, which was ironically recommended to me by my Monty Python fan father who didn't actually realized that it featured the Pythons. And because it was Christmastime, we also had the original Home Alone. On to manga, we have Volume 21 of One Punch Man, Volume 7 of Bokuben and Volume 7 of Quintessential Quintuplets. Next week we kick off our Black History Month film coverage, starting with films I saw on the past two return trips, but I may continue to run manga coverage as my review backlog I can apply to the theme is getting a bit thin. Look for more JJ2 coming up. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 16:50:41
24 Jan 20
The mascot is packed and ready to go. There have been quite a few delays, but it's finally time for the epilogue of Tellus. Because this is the end, we've also got the character glossary and map of Hannibal. As we say goodbye to Tobias and the gang, we can look ahead to returning to Gladius for The Knight's Twilight. Look for reviews in the meantime. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 12:33:43
20 Jan 20
We continue our coverage from my viewings over the Chirstmas break. First is another airplane film, How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World. Next is a recent release that I can thank my nieces for, Spies in Disguise. We move on to manga with Volume 30 of Attack on Titan, Volume 6 of Bokuben and Volume 6 of Quintessential Quintuplets. Look for more along the same lines next week and before that, the finale of Tellus. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 13:31:00
17 Jan 20
The big Empire's invasion of the little Empire is well underway, so let's check in on our old pal Batista in Chapter 24 of CeleKing3. In other news, keep an eye out for the next batch of reviews. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 12:44:48
13 Jan 20
On this most recent trip to the States, I saw four films on the way over and we'll be looking at three of them this weeks. First is a nice little small-scale scifi, I Am Mother, the recent remake of The Lion King, and the 2012 anime film Wolf Children from the guy behind Summer Wars. We then pick up our manga coverage with Volume 5 of Bokuben and Volume 5 of Quintessential Quintuplets. Our coverage will continue throughout the month (and I'll be able to conveniently bridge it into February's feature). Look for more CeleKing3 as well. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 08:28:04
10 Jan 20
We're back in action with Chapter 16 of JJ2. Diplomacy is fun. Yay. We're going to start our airplane film reviews in the next couple days. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 17:00:27
05 Jan 20
A belated Happy New Year's, one and all. I know I've been out of action for a while, but we're going to get back in the swing of things. I hinted at this last time and while I wasn't taking active steps toward seeing it, I still ended up witnessing the end, so it's time to share my thoughts on Star Wars - Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker (or any derogatory nicknames you may prefer). In light of the conclusion of the Sequel Trilogy, I've gone back and done the site's first re-reviews for Episode VII and Episode VIII. (I'm sure you can tell which one was written a few months back when I had more energy to channel into it.) Now, a lot of people feel Star Wars is in a bad place and I would agree, but there have been dark times in the past, and to remind you of this, I present you with The Star Wars Holiday Special. From here, I'm going to cover my assorted viewings over the course of my absence leading up to February, along with continuing our manga coverage. I'm also going to try to get you that chapter of JJ2 you've been missing. Stay tuned.
Posted by: James
UTC 15:43:40