Early Reviews of March

I'm early, this is because of Animeland Wasabi...I will be reviewing the convention and also putting in some photos for my loyal readers to see. See you at Wasabi!

Books:
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
Seth Grahame-Smith
*****
Whose life is more interesting yet mysterious, that would be Abraham Lincoln, from the time he was young to his adult years, there is a lot that people don't know. In fact it wouldn't be surprising he was a vampire hunter in his spare time. At least that was the story implies of our president. He seems haunted by tragedy, and yet here he is, hunting vampires and running for president?

OK, first off the story was actually a surprise, I'm not a huge fan of Seth's work, but this story was actually really quite funny and yet felt almost true. He made a fictionalized story about a president who died so tragically enough at Ford's Theater and made the book almost strangely a work of art. It earns its five stars so quietly and gracefully for a book!

Video for the book: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X58RPS665V0

Movies:
Inception
****

What happens when you sleep? What kind of information can you give away in your dreams? A young man is able to jump into your dreams and find out secrets from your own life. His own life is a rather mystery and he’s a falling apart person trying to find where he mixes in life.

The story is fast paced and amazing, but it falls short in some places it is almost like Dark City in some cases where it becomes a blur between reality and dream world. Whether intended or not, it was confusing to me and also my fiancé who was sitting watching it with me.

Anime:
Yozakura Quartet
****

This series revolves around Sakura-shin, a small town where Youkai and Humans live peacefully, it is maintained by Hiizumi Life Council, a group of young people who strive to make lives better for the Youkai residents. Hiizumi Akina who is the head, his life can’t be any harder with a mayor like Hime who is on guard to protect the people who come here. Their life long friend, Gin is possessed by an evil Youkai, Enjin who wants to destroy the village and force a barrier between the humans and youkai. Many of these creatures want nothing more to live their everyday lives in peace, and Enjin is just out to ruin it for them all.

The series in itself is actually quite action packed with characters like Akina and Hime who are trying to stop the evil forces. They want to help their friend and also keep the human world out of trying to ruining the youkai’s rights to live freely.

The story is good, though there are points that you have to take a double take and that kind of makes it hard to the watcher. I suppose the manga would give better insight than the anime does, it gives character development there, in the anime is there no development. So the four stars sort of falls short of expect and truly the series should only get 3 stars. The fourth star is for the artwork in general which is rather nice and rather cool with great cast of characters and the fact that Seki from Weiss Kreuz is among the cast of Voice Actors, makes it at least worth while…

Manga:
Not Until After Animeland Wasabi!

(Follow me to Animeland Wasabi this year)

November Books

Manga

Sunshine Sketch
Ume Aoki
****

Yuno is a new student at one of the most prestegious art schools in Japan. In fact she feels almost honored to make it. She goes to live at the dorms or rather the school run apartments and finds out that there are stranger things other than her classes, its her classmates. She learns that they are creative, silly and friendly.

I liked this series simply for the reminder that friends can show in the strangest of places including dorms and also in school.

Anime

Ghost Stories
***

Satsuki and her brother move to her mother's home town and finds out more than it appears. Her father appears to be attentive and works hard, not to mention he doesn't appear to know much about the mother either. They move in also next door to Hajime whose best friend is interested in ghosts. Soon they find out that ghosts follow Satsuki's family all over the place. So with their plotting demon possessed cat they are out to trap demons and get rid of the evils of the world.

This series is CRACK! Okay, it isn't just the fact that if you do watch it, please watch it in Japanese with English subs, if you watch it in English, you are in for a comedy of a life time. I do enjoy it, but again, its the fact I do like some comedy anime with a lot more to it.

Shiki
*****

Sotobamura is a small village out in the middle of no where and it is becoming a ghost town, in fact it is hidden and almost completely isolated. Not to mention people are dying of a strange plague that came in the middle of the day when three members of a family are found completely dead and drained of blood. Then Megumi a hyper girl who loves gazing at a European style house on the hill goes missing.

I enjoyed this series it is rather scary and dark, I feel it should deserving of vampire movies and also has a classic feel to it.


Books

Monster High
Lisa Harrison
*****

Frankie Stien is new to the world, she is in fact only 15 days old, in fact she should be 15 years old. She meets Melody who is a new girl in town who has a new face and new life in their sleepy little town of Salem Oregon where monsters will walk freely among everyone. There is Lala, Cleo, Claudeen, and also a few others who are the same way.

The story is great and its fine and fun romp, wouldn't you want to be a monster too?

Movies

How to Train your Dragon
*****

Hiccup lives in a village that is plagued with a rather HUGE problem, and that problem DRAGONS! He finds that he wants to kill a dragon, but when he wounds one, he discovers what he was raised with may not even be true.

Okay, I thought, great another kids movie, but sitting there, and I saw humor that was unlike the normal and I started to think that somehow with my love the scaly things, it deserves it place. I love this movie.

Reviews for October!

Books

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark
By Alvin Schwartz
*****

Stories from America's haunted places, people who are affected, this is a new edition with a lot of new artwork and scary stories we grew up with. Including the ever famous, Hearse song, The Hook, High Beams, and stories that are urban legends. Meant to scare you, tingle down your spine and fun around the camp fire.

This book is impossible not to have in your library, if you are a small child to an adult, this collection is always a must, with wit and funny stories, even stories based on true events. The ghost stories are always a hit for any age.

More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark
By Alvin Schwartz
*****

The sequal to the famous first book in the series, more stories that could scare you senseless, having you trembling. These based on American stories passed down from over the years, some funny, some just plain freaky where you don't know what is going on.

Again a collection that I feel earns their place on a Halloween hit list of scary books and fun things to read around this time of year!

Manga

xxxHolic Volumes 1
by Clamp
****

A good story that follows a misadventure of a ghost seeing boy named Watanuki who learns that his powers are connected to the time space witch, Yuko who runs a less than well known little store that grants wishes. In the first volume Watanuki learns a little bit about what it means working for the witch who is about to grant his wish about not seeing ghosts.

This haunting book earns its place on scale of Halloween stories, it is creepy and interesting, the characters range from ghosts, Japanese sprites and more. Watanuki learns how valuable his powers truly are and how important it is to help.

Movies

Underworld
*****

Set in a fictional world where vampires are hunting the werewolves or Lycans who seek out to equal the playing field with finding someone who if bitten by both could bring about equality. Vampires considering themselves higher than the werewolves and forcing these creatures into hiding and almost killing them when finding them. Discover that are is an air of mistrust and also a bit of a lies of what vampires truly do.

This is a more of an action film and less of the horror that people would expect, it has the vampires and werewolves from legend, but more of an action based with little horror in it. I would say it is great for the watch, but you don't have the horror aspect.

Poltergiest
****

A classic tale of the haunted house, an American family all normal and living in a suburban paradise find out there house isn't so normal. Their little girl is talking to people she calls TV people, and one night in a storm, she is taken from her bed into the dark world. Ghosts and more are waiting for this family as they seek out some way to figure out what is going on in their house.

This is a classic for Halloween and it gives a new look at what is called parapsychology, this is a realistic and also shows what people did during the time to study hauntings in nations starting from 1980 to present. So it is an all time YES for Halloween!