Japan

Friday Film Review: Tokyo Godfathers

Friday Film Review: Tokyo Godfathers

Tokyo Godfathers (2003) Genre: Anime Dramedy Grade: B+ Looking for a Christmas themed movie that’s not gushy or overly sentimental? Or do you like anime? Then check this one out. Three homeless people, an abandoned baby and it’s Christmas in Tokyo. Ho, ho, ho. Gin – a middle aged man who takes refuge in drink,(…)

REVIEW:  Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff

REVIEW: Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff

Dear readers, Please tell me I’m not the only person who’s fallen victim to this. You hear a premise for a forthcoming book. It sounds so great that the potential awesome overwhelms everything else. You overlook some crucial details like, for example, the background of the author writing it. In other words, your enthusiasm clouds(…)

MANGA REVIEW:  Urameshiya volume 1 by Makiko

MANGA REVIEW: Urameshiya volume 1 by Makiko

It's the return of the manga review! I know it's been a while. While we can't promise that these will become a regular feature at Dear Author, I will try to review a couple titles occasionally. Story & Art: MakikoPublisher: JMangaRating: M for MatureLength: 1/1+ volumes (14 volumes currently available in Japan) Dear readers, Dear(…)

REVIEW:  Spirit’s Princess by Esther Friesner

REVIEW: Spirit’s Princess by Esther Friesner

Dear Ms. Friesner, I’ve never read any of your books but I’ve certainly heard of you. How could I not? Not only do you have a substantial backlist, you’ve had a long career. Recently, it seems like you’ve turned your attention towards YA retellings of mythological princesses. In this novel, you focus on Himiko, the(…)

REVIEW:  Gaijin by Remittance Girl

REVIEW: Gaijin by Remittance Girl

Dear Remittance Girl, Your novella, Gaijin, caught me by surprise. A friend recommended it to me on Twitter and then loaned it to me through my Kindle. I had heard about it and investigated purchasing it once before, but shied away from making an actual purchase. Somehow, I wasn’t expecting as much thoughtfulness as I(…)

REVIEW:  The Words of the Pitcher by Kei Swanson

REVIEW: The Words of the Pitcher by Kei Swanson

“When the Cleveland Chiefs baseball team signs Kentaro Ikuta as their new star pitcher, they are faced with a man unable to speak English and a media frenzy clamoring for his words. Management turns to the renown linguistics department of Case Western Reserve University for help. Doctoral candidate Claire Ferris is chosen to act as(…)

What Jayne has been reading and watching in early October

What Jayne has been reading and watching in early October

A lot of my time the past week or so has been taken up with washing machine repairs and acclimating my new kittens to their new home. Guess which has been more fun. But I have gotten a little reading and movie watching squeezed in now and then. Flawless by Carrie Lofty – A book(…)

What Jayne is reading/watching at the end of August

What Jayne is reading/watching at the end of August

Space Slugs by Frances Pauli – What starts well doesn’t necessarily end well. There are tons of plot threads that are tossed in then left and the world building needs help. See posted review. Unnatural Fire by Fidelis Morgan – I picked this one up and enjoyed it though I didn’t love it like a(…)

What Jayne is reading/watching in mid August

What Jayne is reading/watching in mid August

My entries for this feature might end up being sporadic as I often don’t know what I’m going to read next until I eye my TBR print stacks or flip through my menu screens on my ereader. I’m just as spontaneous in my movie watching, too. And once I start a book, the odds are(…)

MANGA REVIEW: Ooku: The Inner Chambers volume 3

MANGA REVIEW: Ooku: The Inner Chambers volume 3

Story & Art: Fumi Yoshinaga Publisher: Viz Signature Rating: M for mature Retail: $12.99 Length: 3/5+ volumes Dear readers, A few months ago I reviewed the first volume in this historical josei series by Fumi Yoshinaga. In it, we were introduced to an alternate history of Tokugawa era Japan where the majority of the male(…)

REVIEW: Sins of the Fathers by Anna O’Neill

REVIEW: Sins of the Fathers by Anna O’Neill

Dear Ms. O’Neill, A short story set in historical Japan featuring warriors sounded interesting. Make that very interesting since there’s no paranormal element. I can do without a lot of paranormal. So I downloaded it and fired it up. The weight of the past could tear them apart- In his first mission as a shinobi,(…)

Friday Film Review: Train Man: Densha Otoko

Friday Film Review: Train Man: Densha Otoko

Train Man (Densha Otoko) 2005 Genre: Romantic comedy Grade: B+ One of the first manga reviews that Jan did for us was about this story. But since I’m not a manga devote, I’m afraid I didn’t recall it until after I had already decided to try this movie via Netflix. While I’m still not a(…)

REVIEW: Ooku: The Inner Chambers volume 2

REVIEW: Ooku: The Inner Chambers volume 2

Story & Art: Fumi Yoshinaga Publisher: Viz Signature Rating: M for mature Retail: $12.99 Length: 2/5+ volumes Dear readers, A few months ago, I read the first volume in this wonderful series by Fumi Yoshinaga. The premise is deceptively simple: What would happen if a plague wiped out the majority of the male population in(…)

REVIEW: Falling Through Glass by Barbara Sheridan

REVIEW: Falling Through Glass by Barbara Sheridan

Dear Ms. Sheridan, When Tina submitted a list of new books to Dear Author for possible review, “Falling Through Glass” grabbed my attention. Hmmm, time travel to 19th century Japan in the waning days of samurai warriors. Can’t get much more different than that. Since I’m feeling lazy this morning. I’m just going to steal(…)

REVIEW: Beautiful C*cksucker II: Such a Good Boy by Barbara Sheridan

REVIEW: Beautiful C*cksucker II: Such a Good Boy by Barbara Sheridan

Dear Ms. Sheridan. Thank you for sending me your story when I was moaning on Twitter one night about wanting to read a BDSM romance. I hope you don’t regret it. When I agreed to read the book, I had no idea it was #2 of the Beautiful C*cksucker series. I had no idea that(…)