B Reviews / Book Reviewsarranged-marriage / class differences / Historical / Japan / Japanese culture / political intrigue / road-romance / Samurai / War / MilitaryNo Comments
Forbidden love between a warrior princess and an elite samurai makes for an adventure set during the early days of the Tokugawa shogunate. Join this couple in a race across 17th century Japan where political unrest has created dangerous ronin, civil uprisings, and war-ravaged castles. Caught in the middle of ... more >
B- Reviews19th century / class differences / Historical / Japan / Japanese culture5 Comments
Hiro Tanaka prepared for a life as a samurai warrior. But his world changed when Japan’s feudal system was abolished by the Emperor. Now, he must find a new vocation. Disillusioned with fighting and violence, he travels alone, going north to the island of Hokkaido. Many other samurai wander through ... more >
B+ Reviews / Recommended Readsclass-difference / Historical / Japan / Japanese culture / multicultural9 Comments
Love isn’t forbidden to Lady Kirei as long as it’s with a proper gentleman of Kyo and she doesn’t mind sharing him with his wife. Her provincial upbringing makes her socially unacceptable as a true wife, yet as a lady by birth and a court favorite, her position makes it ... more >
C- ReviewsAsian heroine / ghosts / horror / Japan / Japanese culture / SourceBooks / Young-AdultComments Off on REVIEW: The Girl from the Well by Rin Chupeco
Dear Ms. Chupeco, Maybe because fall is fast approaching (where did the year go?), I find myself in the mood for a horror novel. Something like Anna Dressed in Blood or The Waking Dark. When I saw your debut, The Girl from the Well, I was excited. Horror influenced by ... more >
B ReviewsCandlewick-Press / cinderella / Fantasy / Japanese culture / revenge-plot / Young-Adult9 Comments
Dear Ms. Marriott, I’m always on the lookout for books featuring nonwhite characters so when I stumbled across your new novel on NetGalley, I had to request it. I know my previous encounter with your work was so-so but the experience certainly wasn’t enough to turn me off to the ... more >
Film ReviewsFriday Film Review / geek/nerd / Japan / Japanese culture7 Comments
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. ... more >