Count_Zero

This book is something that I would consider a seminal work of film criticism, and in its own way shows how the internet and home video have changed film and film criticism.

Because of the internet, and the ability to take films home with us, the obscure films, the flops and the bombs have a chance to get legs, find their audiences later on, and get the fan base and success that they have so richly deserved, as with Joe Vs. The Volcano & The Rocketeer. Alternately, they preserve failure and the bizarre cinematic decisions that lead to those failures for all time, as is the case with films like Mame and Pennies from Heaven.

Honestly, if you want consider yourself a big fan of film, I'd definitely consider this book worth reading.

There's a full review going up on Bureau42 on the 28th, but suffice it to say, this is the most underwhelming manga I've ever read in my life. There is nothing in this book that hooked me into reading the next volume. I didn't laugh at the jokes. I wasn't rooting for any possible romantic pairings. I wasn't concerned for the physical or emotional well being of any of the characters.

This book is just dull. That's all I can say for it.

Well... one of our two leads has had their psychological cooling rods removed, which makes me very interested in seeing what they'll be doing next book.

Our protagonists have their first significant encounter with supervillains this volume, and it's handled really nicely.

While this book was published this year, it was originally published in Japan decades ago, and it shows. I still enjoyed the book, but it suffers from some pacing problems. It definitely avoids the “rah-rah military over sheeple civilians” problem some mil-SF runs into, though the best works of Japanese mil-sf tends not to have that problem.

The main problem with the Phantom Blood arc, or at least this chunk of it, is that Hirohiko Araki really doesn't know how to write non-Japanese people, especially ones from before the 20th century - but he knows how to draw pre-20th century England. It's like if you had someone write a story set in the same time period as Downton Abbey, and for research had them watch Downton Abbey - except with all the dialog replaced with the trombones from the Charlie Brown cartoons.

I can't say if that's better or worse than Mad Bull 34's “American Law Enforcement Through The Lens Of Someone Whose Only Knowledge of America And Americans Is Bad Knockoffs Of The Dirty Harry Films.”

I've been a big fan of Naoki Urasawa's work for quite some time, and while Urasawa didn't write Master Keaton, I was interested in seeing how his art helped carry across the story of the manga.

In short, Urasawa's work meshes with the story of the manga incredibly well - giving the narrative and the action the pacing it really needs, and doing a great job of showing instead of telling. That said, there are a few chunks of the story where it's clear that the writers decided to tell instead of showing, where things can consequently undermine Urasawa's art a little.

Still, fans of Urasawa should definitely give this manga a look. You'll definitely enjoy it.

Man, Shinji & Asuka can't catch a break. This time Asuka gets saved from death (a death that got played in the movie a lot like a rape) at the hands of the Mass Production Evas by Shinji, and Shinji gets his one triumphant moment where he manages to save someone, only for the trigger to get pulled on Third Impact anyway.

Also, poor Maya. She finds what is potentially a great job, with a boss she greatly admires in Ritsuko, to the point of falling for her, only to discover that Ritsuko is morally compromised, the giant robots she's helping to maintain are horrific monsters (leading to at least two occasions where she tosses her cookies), and Lilith sends her almost-but-not-quite-incorporeal-enough hand through Maya, which I have no doubt would have been a horrific sensation.

I've got to say, though, Ritsuko getting the last laugh by shooting Gendo through the throat was quite satisfying. If the characters who have died aren't going to get to join the Great Link in Third Impact, then I'd consider Gendo's death to be justice. Though again, if the characters who died don't get to join the Great Link, then I'd say that Misato & Kaji deserved far better - even if they don't get to come back out afterwards, then I'd say that they at least earned eternity together - but that's my inner romantic talking.

So, we haven't had the Quantum Reis (Ree?) showing up during some of the characters death scenes. So, I wonder, when we have Third Impact, will the characters who have died before Third Impact formally begins (Misato, Gendo, Kaji) contributing to Shinji's self analysis, or will we be limiting ourselves to characters who are still alive, like Kensuke & Asuka.

Fairly well drawn - though I don't like the characterization of Ko Aoki very much. From the writing, I don't get why she's wanting to write for Shonen Jump, as opposed to (to use another Shueisha magazine) Margaret, since she specifically comes across like she doesn't like Shonen manga.

We finally get the backstory for The Friend, and also, somehow, the state of the world has managed to get even worse

Kanna's crew has just expanded by one, and we have Father Nitani's backstory. I kind of wish Nitani had the opportunity to bring the Pontiff on board, but ah well.

Interesting start to the series, though the way the leads talk about female characters is kind of crappy.

Fun little Yokai manga.

Interesting manga. While the plot had some interesting turns, I wasn't too impressed with the main character's lack of agency.

Mostly an investigative volume, with a big wham moment at the end that could be a potential game changer for the whole series.

Man, Naoki Urasawa keeps finding new shoes to drop on the reader. I feel safe saying that he writes suspense fiction on par with any big-name writer of suspense fiction on the New York Times Best-Seller List.

This is a hell of a manga. This volume has set up a lot of interesting stuff, and I'm really looking forward to seeing how all of this pays off.

This series is still incredibly good, and I'd consider it one of my favorite manga series thus far.

It also kind of got pretty political at the end, particularly with Spoilerthe Friends passing a “youth development ordinance” that lets them censor and jail manga writers who write work people in the government don't like. It's particularly prophetic considering the push for expansions to the scope of the Tokyo Metropolitan Ordinance Regarding the Healthy Development of Youths in 2003, two years after this volume was published in Japan.

Holy crap this thing is escalating fast. I think there are 10 more volumes left in this puppy, and we've already hit the “This thing just got real” point - unless we're going to get more “This thing just got real” points, in which case this is gonna be nuts.

Mick Foley is, by far, one of my favorite non-fiction authors (I haven't read any of his fiction). This is an excellent book and perfectly wraps things up from the last two memoirs he's written (more or less), covering how his last feuds in the WWE were, basically, built. It's a very interesting look at the process of how feuds are done in Pro Wrestling, at least in the WWE. Anyone who is interested in how the pro wrestling industry works (particularly since The Wrestler came out) should pick this and Foley's other two memoirs up.

(Guest critic: Chester A. Bum)

Ohmaigawd! This is the greatest manga I've ever read in my Life!

So there's this girl, named Yotsuba, who is moving into a new house with her adoptive dad.

You know, I moved once! There's really no punch line there, I've moved on several occasions. I'm a bum, what do you expect?!

Anyway, Yotsuba and her dad go on various mundane and ordinary yet hilarious very cute adventures!

No, really, it's a slice of life manga, it's all about making the mundane and ordinary interesting and possibly cute. Or in this case, definitely cute. In fact I think I'm gonna have to go the free dental clinic to have this new cavity looked at, because of all the sweet in this manga.

Anyway, this is Chester A. Bum saying, Change?! Ya got change?! Oh, help a guy out, will ya! C'mon, change?!

I'm intrigued enough by the ending of this volume to keep reading to the next volume, but I'd put this book in the kind of limbo where if the payoff to what this book sets up is too weak, then it could sour the whole run.

I had misgivings on this based on The Last Angry Geek's review of the first issue. I shouldn't have been so concerned. This is a really good start to the series, and I'm definitely going to read the next trade.

Oh. My God. This was very impressive. This was the best start to this series that I can think of, and I look forward to reading vol. 2.