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Anime Film ● Review: Maboroshi
Fantasy coming-of-age drama set in a town that is stuck in time. Unfocused and under-developed. But looks very good. Worth viewing.
Feb 6, 20243 min read


Film ● Review: Once Upon a Crime
Fairy tale–inspired crime comedy. Not bad but under-developed and fails to move on after hitting its beats so it loses energy.
Jan 30, 20242 min read


Anime ● Review: Ultraman
Nothing particularly bad, but nothing particularly memorable either.
Jan 3, 20244 min read


Film ● Review: Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead
Decent adaptation. Good pacing and production. Enjoyable but lacks the absurdity of the anime. (Even the anime can be more absurd.)
Dec 29, 20234 min read


Film Review: Godzilla Minus One
Character-focused but not necessarily character-driven. Good pacing with enough kaiju action. Solid production. Very well executed.
Dec 21, 20234 min read


Study: Deaths within 10 Days of Vaccination Caused by the Vaccine
A Japanese study by Y. Suzumura titled “Analysis of the Association Between BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 Vaccination and Deaths Within 10 Days...
Dec 16, 20232 min read


Manga Review: Sensor by Ito Junji
Supernatural-cosmic horror. Sufficiently intriguing. Decent plotting and pacing. Generally a satisfying read.
Nov 19, 20232 min read


Film ● Review: Violence Action
Tries to be the “cute young woman assassin taking on the yakuza” action-comedy. Tries too hard to look cool. And fails. Messy plotting.
Nov 13, 20233 min read


Film ● Review: Re/Member
Despite being a time-loop story with a little clumsy structuring and cheesy montages, it is still a moderately enjoyable horror film.
Oct 17, 20233 min read


Anime ● Review: Gamera Rebirth
Short and tight series. A little unfocused at first, somewhat children-orientated but also too dark for it to be. Still, mostly satisfying.
Sep 18, 20234 min read


Anime ● Review: Godzilla Singular Point
Original take. Basically a sci-fi mystery, which is fine in itself except it drags. Serious lack of Godzilla action. Wasted opportunity.
Sep 16, 20232 min read


J-drama ● Review: Burn the House Down
Tacky soundtrack. Lacks explanations re some plot points. Despite its problems, a tight narrative that is still mostly enjoyable.
Aug 30, 20234 min read


Anime Films ● Review: To Me, the One Who Loved You & To Every You I’ve Loved Before
Love story with parallel universes told in two films. Good production. Pacing is mostly good but a little clumsy at times. Worth viewing.
Aug 12, 20233 min read


Manga ● Review: Haruiro Astronaut by Takano Ichigo
Shoujo romance about twins Chiki and Mami with their different mentalities towards relationships. Short, simple and relatively lighthearted.
Jul 30, 20233 min read


Manga & Anime ● Review: Orange by Takano Ichigo
A solid romance slice-of-life drama about living with regrets. Can use more dramatic tension but mostly avoids being too cheesy.
Jul 1, 20236 min read


Study: Excess Mortality in 2022 for Japan and Germany
Within the expected range during 2020 but not 2022. I wonder why...
Jun 20, 20232 min read


mRNA Vaccines for Animals Being Developed
Back in October 2022, there was at least one claim circulating on social media of farm animals being given some sort of mRNA vaccine in...
Jun 16, 20232 min read


Animation Review: Star Wars – Visions 2
Season 2 broadens to styles other than anime. Arguably worse than Season 1 in terms of storytelling. Nonetheless, a few are recommended.
May 16, 20236 min read


Manga ● Review: Junji Ito’s Cat Diary – Yon & Mu
Horror parodies of Ito’s experience with his wife and two cats. Drawn in his usual style. Moderately amusing, not to be taken too seriously.
Apr 21, 20233 min read


Was 3/11 Japan’s 9/11?
This is old news but the so-called Fukushima nuclear disaster is worth mentioning (again). This is not just because some of us at Opinyuns...
Apr 18, 20233 min read


Manga ● Review: Demon Slayer by Gotouge Koyoharu
Simple premise and structure. Tanjiro’s family is slaughtered by a demon so he fights them, basically a “gauntlet run” to the demon boss.
Apr 8, 20238 min read
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