Rabbits

It's rare that I get to post about a podcast from its beginning as it's being produced, so let's see how this goes.  So, I'll be following the podcast Rabbits and talking about it on the blog as new episodes are released.

My first blog-along! I feel like a real blogger now!

Carly Parker's best friend, Yumiko Takata, has gone missing.  Carly believes that she has gone missing because of her participation in a mysterious secret-society game called, in a roundabout way, Rabbits.  But, just what is Rabbits?  A recruiting tool for the CIA?  A super-secret club that runs the world from behind the scenes?  A method of uncovering the secrets of the universe?  No one has ever been able to track down previous winners since the game's first iterations in 1959, so it's difficult to tell what the aim of Rabbits is.  Whatever it is, the game has some pretty strict rules, and some apparently terrifying consequences for breaking those rules.

If you listened to TANIS or The Black Tapes, then you'll be familiar with the investigative-report-style used in this audiodrama.  The story is told through first-person narration of experiences and research and supplemented by interviews with other people  who are connected with the game or people who played it.  It's produced by the same group of people behind both, so the production is pretty high-quality.  Not only do you have some good voice acting, but there's background noise layered in under the narration to add audio-depth that emphasizes different parts of the narrative.  It's amazing what stock sounds can do for an audio production.

Since it's only the first episode, you only get a teasing taste of what's to come in the series.  Still, if it's anything like The Black Tapes and TANIS, you'll definitely want to subscribe to this one.

The Fireman - Joe Hill

Draco Incendia Trychophyton, better known as Dragonscale, is the hottest plague to sweep the nation - literally.  Once contracted, it's only a matter of months before the sufferer spontaneously combusts, sometimes setting off chain reactions with other Dragonscale victims and creating conflagrations capable of destroying entire city blocks.  The world has looked on in horror as civilization crumbles into a sea of flames and molten concrete, unable to trace the source of the infection or the method of its transmission.  Amidst the chaos and smoke, a mysterious man known only as The Fireman has emerged like an urban legend.  It's said that he can control the 'scale - bend its flames to his will - without being consumed. He comes to take the infected to a place where they can be safe from the threat of spontaneous combustion, or worse, execution by their frightened friends and neighbors.  Newly-infected Harper Grayson hopes that these rumors are true, if not for herself, than for her unborn child, who may yet be uninfected.

You may recognize Joe Hill from the movie Horns starring Daniel Radcliffe.  Or you may have read Locke and Key, a fantastic dark fantasy/horror graphic novel series.  My first exposure to Hill's work was through Locke and Key, and it wasn't until much later that I discovered that he was Stephen King's son.  (Although I guess if he'd kept his father's name, he'd be Joe King....)

The idea of a plague that not only kills you, but kills you in such a horrific and destructive fashion, was intriguing.  Sure, zombies are scary, but they are a threat that can be contained and dealt with given enough time.  Walking, contagious wildfires, however, are a different story.  I was fascinated by the level of detail and thought that had gone into the nature of the infection, its transmission, and its management.  If not for the whole possibly-ending-in-flaming-death-throes thing, Dragonscale sounds like a pretty cool thing to have.  Unfortunately, Dragonscale was about the only unique thing about this book.

When you get down to it, this book is just Lord of the Flies meets Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix while playing with matches.  People separate into tribes - infected/uninfected, those in the Bright/those outside of the Bright, with us/against us - and try to take over limited supplies for the good of their tribe.  Mother Carol, the eventual leader of Camp Wyndham, is basically Professor Umbridge without all of the pink, and Harper's plucky band of rebels is Dumbledore's Army - complete with its own traitor.

That wouldn't be so bad in itself if the author had just stopped trying to cram stuff into the book to compound the horribleness of the situation. And what would make things worse, you might ask?  Oh, a roadtrip from hell while pregnant and being pursued by your crazy ex-husband might qualify, I suppose.  Really, it's just absurd the amount of awfulness that happens to these people.  Even Lemony Snicket knew to spread the awful out across thirteen books.

Another complaint I had about this book is Hill's tendency to tell readers that a chance to discuss something would never come after all, or that a character was about to act really horribly toward another character instead of letting the action unfold on its own.  I seriously considered making a drinking game out of it.  Authors, for the sake of my liver, please don't do this.  Remember, show, don't tell.

Finally, there are the characters. The titular Fireman is actually only in about a third of the pages, and he spends almost all of his page-time recuperating from injuries or doing something that gets him injured.  I was kind of hoping for a cool superhero-like character, but instead I got an angsty Brit with broken ribs, so that was disappointing.  Harper is pretty bad-ass, but after a while her obsession with children's literature and movies got annoying. It seemed that she couldn't be on-page for a few paragraphs without making reference to Mary Poppins or some other sugary-sweet children's story.  The only characters I felt were even remotely believably written were Allie and Renee.  Everyone else, even the side characters and villains, felt like strawmen or caricatures rather than real people.

Fans of Stephen King may enjoy this book, if nothing else than for the shout-outs to King's works. I've only ever read It, so I couldn't tell you any specific references that I noticed, but I did feel like this book had a lot of the same pacing and ending issues that It had.  Around the second third of the book, everything slows to a crawl and it's really hard to keep up the desire to keep reading.  The action picks back up toward the final third, but then you get to the end and it sort of fizzles out like a wet match.  There is an afterword hidden in the author acknowledgements at the end that may be setting up for a second book, so if you do decide to read this one, make sure to read it all the way through.

Overall, I thought that the book had an interesting premise, but the execution was lacking.  It may just be that it was being executed in the wrong medium.  This story makes for a long and laborious read as a novel, but the visual language used to describe the ways the Fireman can manipulate fire, as well as the shoot-outs and car chases, make it ideal for making a graphic novel or t.v. series out of it.  I mean, with fire, it's more captivating to watch it than to read about it.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay - J.K. Rowling

One of the most anticipated films of 2016, at least in my circle of friends, was Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.  It was the first Harry Potter universe film to be set fully outside of Hogwarts and the English countryside, and it gave fans another glimpse into the fantastic world of magic that might exist right beside them on the subway platform, on the street, or even in line at the local deli.  For those of you who were unable to get to the theater, or who just want to relive the movie before its home video release, the screenplay was published and released in an attractively-bound book just in time for the holidays.

It's a turbulent time in the 1920's magical community.  Notorious criminal Gellert Grindelwald has evaded authorities, Second Salemers roam the streets calling for the execution of witches and wizards, and Newt Scamander has accidentally unleashed a suitcase full of strange and fantastical creatures on the unsuspecting city.  With the aid of a No-Maj/Muggle named Jacob Kowalski, Newt must round up his wayward creatures before attracting more unwanted attention on the magical community and the ire of MACUSA (the American Ministry of Magic).  

The best part of this movie was the world-building.  J.K. Rowling has created a colorful world with its own culture and mythology, and I have wanted to ramble around in it ever since I read the first chapters set in Diagon Alley.   In this movie/screenplay, we get more exposure to different aspects of the wizarding world that Rowling didn't get a chance to explore in the Harry Potter series.  Sure, we know that magical creatures, mind-reading witches/wizards, and other magic schools exist, but this movie gives us more exposure to the magical-using world and culture outside of England.  

However, I felt like the darker part of the story involving the Obscurus wasn't developed very well.  There's this monster tearing apart parts of New York, but it's basically background noise for about two-thirds of the movie.  Gellert Grindelwald is mentioned at the beginning and in an argument later, but he doesn't seem to be too important until the very end, and even then it's unclear how Newt was able to figure out that he was there in the first place.  

I had hoped that the screenplay would have more detailed information, or even some "deleted scenes", that might help develop some of the characters and world a bit more.  I would have been happy if it had at least explained/developed Grindelwald's involvement a little better than the ending's "I would have gotten away with it if it hadn't been for you meddling kids" moment.  Sadly, this is pretty much a direct transcription of the finished film, so you really aren't missing anything if you don't read it.  

If you're a film student, you might benefit from reading this because it has some pretty detailed information about the types of angles and directions used in the film, as well as some cues for the timing and delivery of certain parts of the script, and there is nice glossary of terms to explain some of the specialized vocabulary.  If you're a collector of Harry Potter books and memorabilia, I think you might like to add this to your bookshelf for continuity and collection's sake.  However, if you were hoping for a novelization or fleshing-out of the movie's skeleton, you should skip this one.  

Rune Factory 4

For the last few weeks, I've been totally wrapped up in playing Rune Factory 4.  I love games that incorporate role-playing and making stuff, so games like the Alchemist series by Gust and the Harvest Moon series are a slam-dunk for me.

The basic premise of any Rune Factory game is that you have to farm and kill monsters to save the world.  In Rune Factory 4, you are trying to save the land of Selphia by replacing the Guardians with Rune Spheres so that the land won't shrivel up and die.  Like any Rune Factory or Harvest Moon game, you can interact with the townsfolk, participate in events and competitions, farm, create and upgrade items, and start a family.  In Rune Factory 4, you can play as either a male or female protagonist - a departure from previous games.

As in nearly every game, your protagonist starts out as a blank slate, unable to remember his/her past or name.  In this one, you're amnesiac because you were attacked while enroute with a mysterious package that you were taking to Selphia, and then to add insult to injury, you were pushed off of your airship to drop to your death.  Fortunately,  you were saved by a lucky landing on top of a dragon - yes, a dragon.  This dragon is the ruler of Selphia, and is called Ventuswill, or Venti for short.

Venti decides that you're the visiting prince/princess that they were expecting, and promptly puts you to work promoting Selphia and farming vegetables to nurture your Earthmate powers.  However, Venti has a darker secret.  For generations, she has been the force keeping Selphia vibrant and living, but the years have taken a toll on her. In the past, Guardians had sacrificed themselves to keep Venti alive, but even their sacrifices and powers have limits, and it soon becomes apparent that if you, the heroic protagonist, don't do something, Selphia is doomed.

The game itself is a good balance between farming/life simulator and role playing game. You fight monsters, complete mini-quests, and save the world by degrees.  If you are constantly being defeated by the same dungeon, you can increase your stats by sleeping, farming, creating and upgrading equipment, and even eating dishes with specific properties that give you resistance to ailments or elements. You also build relationships with the residents of Selphia Town, which allows you to invite them on quests or start a family.  Some relationships need to be built to a specific point before the game allows you to progress, so make sure that you talk to residents daily, complete their tasks, and give them their favorite items.

The game has flaws, though.  The only way to learn most of the recipes for food or items is by consuming "breads", and after a certain level, you can't learn anything new from these breads.  You have to get access to the post-game activities to get full completion of your various recipe books.  Some of the recipes require rare item drops, or in some cases, oddly specific items (ex: medium size milk) to create.

Another flaw in this game is that you practically require a game guide in order to complete some of the main-line quests.  Some events don't trigger unless specific conditions are met, but it's not immediately obvious what sets them off.  There are three main story arcs, but the trigger for the third one seems to be especially difficult to set off.

It's also really challenging to find all of the fishing, mining, and drop items for some of the recipes.  You don't necessarily have to have those recipes to beat the game, but if you're a completionist, this game is going to be a bit of a grind-fest for you.  I still haven't managed to catch a sunsquid or a blowfish despite hours of fishing, and don't even get me started on trying to find light ore.  I beat the game, but I admit that the higher level equipment recipes and upgrades probably would have resulted  in less cussing and trips to the infirmary.

Some of the things I liked about this game is the adjustable level of difficulty.  If you're not sure about your coordination in the fights, or you are just tired of the same boss one-hit-k.o.'ing your party, you can easily bump your difficulty down to Easy, or you can set it higher if you want more of a challenge.  You also have a wide variety of weapons that you can master, and a ridiculous number of skills and spells you can use, so there's a weapon and skill-set for every gaming style.

The art and character designs are up to the usual standards of the Harvest Moon and Rune Factory games, making the game visually appealing as well as fun to play.  Finally, the characters in Selphia are fun to interact with.  I enjoyed going around town getting to know everyone and their favorite items, and the town events involving each character revealed a different side of everyone.

If you're new to Rune Factory series, I'd recommend this one as a starting point because of the adjustable difficulty level and more streamlined controls.  It's not a perfect game, but despite my complaints, I did enjoy my time in Selphia.  The three story arcs, and post-game Sharance Maze, give you hours of play-time and probably the most bang for your gaming buck.  Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some squids to catch.

Deadline - Mira Grant

Because this is a review of the second book in a series, this review contains spoilers.  If you have not read Feed, don't read this review.  I will also be spoiling this book, as there are some things I absolutely have to get off my chest about it.  So, you've been warned.

One year after the events of Feed, Shaun Mason is in charge of After the End Times.  One year after the events of Feed, Shaun is still deep in mourning over the loss of his sister, Georgia "George" Mason, and he's hell bent on discovering who really killed her and why.  He gets his first solid lead one day when a scientist from the CDC shows up on his doorstep with a gift-wrapped package of information and data - a scientist that's supposed to be dead.  And the implications of the data she's brought with her are too terrifying to contemplate.

This book is told entirely from the point of view of Shaun Mason.  Unfortunately, Shaun isn't a very good narrator.  He's a thrill-seeker turned investigative reporter, and he's not very good at making incisive observations or asking the questions that need to be asked.  To shore up his weaknesses, his dead sister has taken up residence in his skull to provide insight and prompt him to ask about things.  At first, this seemed like a normal coping mechanism, but after a while it just felt like the author was regretting her decision to kill George off in the first book and was looking for a way to bring her back into the action.

The other reason Shaun isn't a good narrator is because his emotions range from "brooding" to "angrily punching walls" without a lot of in-between.  Some of it, yes, can be related to grief, but in a world dominated by grief and loss on a daily basis, it seems unbelievable that someone can be so dysfunctionally grieving a year after a loss.  I'm actually surprised that his coworkers/friends have stuck around him for a year without holding an intervention meeting.  Even under non-zombie apocalypse circumstances, there's only so much that people will put up with.

The world-building is fleshed out a bit more in this book, and readers get their first glimpse at how the Rising was handled overseas.  The virus is also somewhat "fleshed" out as well, and we learn a little more about how it ticks and why it's so difficult to contain.  (The short answer is: because of government conspiracies...)

Unfortunately, as a sequel to Feed, this book falls pretty flat.  The pacing is far too slow, and too much time is spent having the characters argue with, distrust, and complain at each other.  In addition, like Feed, this is a zombie outbreak story without a lot of zombie action,.Unlike in Feed, it doesn't make sense that there are so few zombies showing up.  I mean, there are points where the characters are on long, deserted stretches of road that would be prime zombie hoard locations in any self-respecting survival horror game or horror movie, but the worst they encounter is lousy convenience store food and the odd zombie deer.  For a world overrun with zombies, it's pretty convenient that our intrepid heroes never actually have to deal with them.

Some of the "emotional impact" moments felt pretty hollow, too.  Characters die, but they don't have the same emotional punch as the deaths in Feed.  I think this is largely because the supporting cast doesn't get very much fleshing out due to Shaun's disconnectedness from them.  It makes sense that he's disconnected - after all, he's suffered a great loss and he's hesitant to let anyone else get that close again - but when you kill people off and lock readers into the point of view of someone who doesn't have strong connections to the people that were killed, it's hard to get the readers to care about the loss.  Sure, it's sad that someone died and left people behind, but there is nothing to give it that personal sense of impact.

The book also goes a long way to try to either undo what Feed was trying to accomplish, or create "edgy" complications that there isn't any need for.

First, there's the Targaryenesque relationship between George and Shaun that was never, ever mentioned in Feed.  I mean, I guess it isn't technically incest because they're not blood relatives, but if something like that was going on, you'd think that George, a trusted Newsie narrator who never shied away from divulging uncomfortable details before, would have dropped a few mentions of this relationship during her narration in Feed.

Next is the introduction of Shaun's plot-armor, er, I mean, strange immunity to the zombie virus.  Sure, he can still be killed in other ways, but taking away his infectability removes a lot of the tension and risk for him. Suddenly, the Big Bad's most dangerous weapon is rendered completely useless against him, so they'll have to try more conventional - and harder to cover - ways to get rid of him.

Finally, there's George's resurrection as a clone.  Even if I were willing to believe that they were able to create a complete clone - aged up to the proper age and everything - and memory transfer of a young adult in a year, I feel like it completely undoes the impact of George's death in Feed.  What was the point of killing her off if you were just going to bring her back at the end of the second book?  Did the author realize she'd written herself into a corner by removing her only good narrator?  Was she just checking "edgy" boxes?  How do they even manage to transfer George's memories, anyway?  No technology is ever indicated to exist that would allow human brain data to be transferred  between brains - I mean, they're still basically using technology similar to 2014-era technology.  It leaves a lot of questions to be answered in the next book, and I'm not sure that everything will be answered satisfactorily.

Overall, I'm really disappointed in this installment.  I'll probably still read the third one in order to complete the series and find out the answers to some of my questions, but it won't be for a little while.

Lego Batman - with pictures!

Lego Batman is everything you could want from a Batman movie, plus a few other movies.  Following closely on the success of The Lego Movie (who would have seen that coming?), Lego Batman tells the story of brick-ified Batman learning to move past his painful experiences and let people get past his cape and cowl again, all while kicking butt and laying down some sick tracks.

This was a great movie for families, though I think parents will probably enjoy it more.  There are a lot of references and jokes aimed at the older audiences, but everything stays child-friendly in terms of language, violence, and message.

For my part, I enjoyed the continued characterization of Batman as a self-centered narcissist, since it gave room for the character to grow and change, unlike the Batman I grew up with.  Plus, you get to have super mature moments like this one:

Batman is a super mature superhero, really.

Lego Robin/Dick Grayson was totally adorable, too.  I mean, look at this face!

I dare you to say no to this face.

Of course, adorableness is not just limited to orphan sidekicks.  Even The Joker, a self-actualized super-villain (think Doctor Phil in clown makeup), gets to look vulnerable and cute for the camera.  

I mean, you shouldn't make the clown cry, right?

The Joker isn't the only villain threatening Gotham City.  Every villain Batman ever faced (including obscure c-listers), and villains from other franchises come in to get a piece of the action.  It's like The Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny but without Mister Rogers coming out the victor.  However over-the-top the action gets, the movie doesn't lose its light-hearted tone, and there are plenty of jokes and visual gags for audiences.

As far as weaknesses go, there is so much going on in this movie that at times it feels overwhelming.  The action scenes are very, very active and it's easy to miss stuff.  There's also the odd inclusion of live-action video in the movie - as in clips of Jerry Maguire directly imported into the movie instead of being converted to Lego minfigs.  It's a little jarring, and feels kind of lazy compared to all the other complex stuff they did in this movie.

I would love to go see this movie again, as there were a lot of jokes and visual gags I'm sure I missed, but that's what home-video releases are for.  If you're trying to decide what to go see this weekend, I highly recommend Lego Batman.  

Uprooted - Naomi Novik

In her quiet, valley village on the edge of the dark and dangerous Wood full of shadows and corrupted things, Agniezka knows what her future holds.  She and the other girls of the valley will stand before The Dragon on the Choosing Day, he will choose one of them to live in his tower for the next ten years, and she will go on with her life in the valley, same as always.  Everyone knows that the local beauty, Kasia, will be Chosen, and Kasia has been training for the duty her whole life.  Agniezka's path may be boring and well-trod, but at least she knows what to expect from it.

Until she's the one that's chosen.  Until she shows magical aptitude.  Until she's the only one who can stop the Wood's sinister plans.  Until everything she thought she knew about her future is uprooted and tossed aside like so many weeds.  Now she's treading a path so overgrown that the last person that could have possibly walked it was Baba Jaga herself, and the Wood is closing in.

I picked this book up after a patron recommended it to me a few years ago.  I had been lamenting the lack of many fantasy novels built up around Russian and eastern European folklore and mythology.  Fantasy is full of stories based on the Grimm Brothers and Hans Christian Andersen, and more diverse folklores and mythologies are being introduced these days, but eastern Europe is only remembered for its vampires.  The patron, an English teacher and fantasy aficionado himself, recommended that I give this book a whirl, and I'm grateful for his recommendation.

The book uses Russian folklore as a trellis on which to hang the vines of the story.  The Dragon, Sarkan, immediately calls to mind the story of Koschei the Deathless (and if you haven't started listening to the Myths and Legends Podcast where this story is recited, you really should).  He is a powerful wizard-lord that takes young, beautiful women away with him, imprisons them in his tower and...well, no one really knows what he does with them, but they assume that they're not playing endless hands of euchre.  The heroine, Agniezka, sets herself to mirror Baba Yaga, although not the scary wicked witch Baba Yaga that I'm familiar with.  Her "Jaga" is more Granny Weatherwax than Wicked Witch of the West.  But it quickly develops a lore all its own that's both new and familiar at the same time.

I liked the pacing of this book.  Novik doesn't get bogged down in intricate world-building and political machinations, so she's able to keep the story chugging along at a regular pace that rises and falls in a natural rhythm.  I get the feeling that she is able to do this because she is locking the reader into the point of view of Agniezka, whose magic and experience of the world is more in tune with the natural rhythm of life and the world around her.  Had she chosen to tell the story through The Dragon's point of view, we probably would have been subjected to endless lectures of history and political affiliation, but that's just my own speculation.

I enjoyed the way that the characters grew and changed over the course of the story - Agniezka went from a self-doubting peasant girl out of her element to a confident witch-woman who fully embraces her magic and way of doing things, and The Dragon goes from an aloof, arrogant jerk of a wizard to the more approachable, fallible man Sarkan.  Even minor characters showed development, or the consequences of arrested development in the case of Prince Marek.

The only thing I didn't like about this book was the way that the romance, and I use that term hesitantly, was developed.  I didn't feel like it was really "love" so much as "magic-based lust" - mingling of magics creates a similar desire to mingle other things, so it wasn't so much that the characters were in love as it was that they were intertwined by other intimacies.  It wasn't bad writing, I just felt that there wasn't any necessity to include a sex scene.  It always feels voyeuristic to read them, and an exhaustive description of a sexual encounter rarely furthers the plot.  Still, it's only three pages you have to skip instead of half a chapter, so it's really just a minor complaint.

If you were a fan of the Tiffany Aching books by (GNU) Terry Pratchett, you'll enjoy this one.  Agniezka and Tiffany have a lot of similarities, particularly in their intuitive understanding of magic.   For readers looking for a good fantasy read that are unwilling to commit to a long-running series that might not get finished anytime soon, Uprooted is a good choice because the whole thing is contained in a single book with no dangling threads to hint at a second or third volume.  For those of you who lamented, as I did, that eastern Europe is only known for vampires - check this out.  You'll be glad you did.

Livingstone vol 1 - Kataoka Tomohi

Have you ever wondered if life, the cosmos, or whatever you believe in, has a plan for you?  If you're conscious and over, say, 16, I'd say you probably have.

The central idea behind the Livingstone manga is that, yes, every soul has a plan.  This differs significantly from a "life" plan, as a soul plan can span across several lifetimes.  When you deviate from your soul's plan, your psycholithe, basically a stone that contains your soul, can shatter and leave behind wicked, evil feelings that can taint an area and affect the soul plans of others nearby.  The story's protagonists, Sakurai and Amano, exist to save psycholithes whenever possible, and if not, then to clean up the fragments of the psycholithes to prevent further damage.

This isn't really a new concept for supernatural/paranormal manga.  The idea that areas carry negative energy, and that things like murder, suicide, or sudden accidental death can compound that negative energy, is really common.  I haven't seen a lot of "clean-up crews" for this kind of energy, so that's why I picked this one up.

The characters of Sakurai and Amano are complete opposites of one another.  Sakurai is a straight-laced, professional whose job is to basically convince people not to go against their soul's plan.  Amano is a bit childish and impulsive, and he frequently pushes people in the opposite direction of Sakurai since it doesn't matter to him whether souls get to reincarnate or not.  This might be because Amano isn't even of human origin, whereas Sakurai is (though it's not really explained in the first volume). I didn't really find their "odd couple" dynamic to be endearing, but their out-of-syncness was different and unusual.  I did not get the feeling that Sakurai and Amano were ever going to come to a grudging understanding/respect for one another in the next two volumes.

The art for this manga wasn't very good. The artist, Kouji Seo, is known for hit series such as Suzuka and Fuuka, so I suspect that this three-volume manga was just a filler-project for him.  It wasn't bad art, just not especially good.  It could also be that, because the story itself is about things that aren't visually or psychologically appealing, neither is the art.

The stories were hard to read, too.  Sometimes they were funny, or the author tried to inject a little humor into the scenes to lighten them up, but more often than not, they were emotionally uncomfortable.  The things that cause a psycholithe to shatter are traumatic, horrible events, and part of the clean-up process involves Sakurai reading (and viewing) these events.  If you are even slightly the squeamish type, I strongly recommend avoiding this manga.

Overall, I can't really say that this was a great manga or one that I would recommend to a lot of people.  Clearly I wasn't the right audience for it, but I couldn't really get a sense of what the ideal audience would be.  This was only the first volume, too, so it's possible that the author hadn't really formed a clear idea of what the story was going to be when it was published, but it didn't show enough potential for me to want to continue the remaining two.

Tenchi Muyo!/Tenchi Universe

A long time ago, in the 1990s, there was a little harem anime called Tenchi Muyo!. It centered around the misadventures of young Tenchi Masaki, a typical high school student.  One day, he finds himself surrounded by alien women - somewhat terrifying alien women.  Suddenly, Tenchi's ordinary, boring life becomes a 24/7 carnival of weird, inter-space madness.

The Tenchi storylines are difficult to keep track of.  The creators apparently liked to tell the story over and over again with little twists in each "timeline", but the main idea is always the same: boy meets girl, girl, girl, girl.... you get the idea.  Also: space alien god-royalty bloodlines are Important and Mysterious.

Now, this particular incarnation of Tenchi Muyo is 26 episodes long, and you would think that this would give them enough time to build something resembling a plot.  You would be wrong.  The first six episodes are devoted to introducing each of Tenchi's potential girlfriends.  So, you have:

Ryoko - hot-headed sexy space pirate who likes booze, guns, and committing crimes.

Mihoshi - ditzy galaxy police officer who likes....well, pretty much anything, but especially karaoke and slacking off.

Ayeka - haughty space princess who wanted to take a vacation from the duties of being princess of the entire universe.

Sasami - Ayeka's adorable little sister, who came looking for Ayeka and got stranded on Earth

Washu - Mad scientist with a huge ego.

Kiyone - Mihoshi's long-suffering partner. All she wants is a normal life as far away from Mihoshi as possible.

Now, of the cast of potential girlfriends, only two of them actually express clear interest in Tenchi, the world's most bland and boring male protagonist.  I mean, entire episodes can go by where he barely makes an appearance.  I guess this is why the show's (and manga's) title was also called No Need for Tenchi.  Despite that, the whole reason for the girls to be on Earth in the first place is some tie to Tenchi.

After the introductory episodes, all of the characters have to start interacting, so they go on wa-ha-ha-cky space adventures until suddenly (Dun-dun-duuuuun) a Wild Plot Appears!

Apparently, Ayeka's royal family, the Jurai family, has some unresolved issues regarding succession to the throne.  In order to secure the order and restore normalcy to the royal family, and the universe, Ayeka had been sent to meet potential suitors when she decided that she was fed up with princessing and wanted to give loafing around a try.  In the mean time, one of the lost Emperors of Jurai decided to show up and declare the members of the AWOL royal family criminals, so everyone has to go to Jurai to clear Sasami and Ayeka's names and figure out who this usurper actually is.  More wacky space adventures ensue until finally, ta-da, they arrive to find out that Evil Usurper is actually Legitimate Heir to the Throne who Caught the Evil and is now hellbent on RULING THE KNOWN UNIVERSE.... unless his long-lost brother who was the only one who ever matched him in power makes a sudden reappearance.

What does this have to do with Tenchi, you  may find yourself asking? Well, (spoiler-alert) it turns out that our bland, boring hero is actually a direct descendant of the Long Lost Prince, and somehow, mysteriously has awakened his own ability to manipulate Jurai energy and must carry out a Fight To The Death against his Crazy Evil Uncle (Great Uncle? I'm not even really sure at this point).

Honestly, this show was a lot better when I was in middle school.  I mean, the plot is kind of...non-existent.  But, it does have some good elements.  I was particularly impressed with the space ships.  Jurai space ships are grown like trees, so they can crash land on an alien planet and still repair themselves by (eventually) growing a new sapling space ship.  Another space ship design is the Ryo-ohki space ship.  When not being used to fly through space, the space ship runs around in this cute meowing rabbit form that likes carrots.

The character designs were pretty distinct, too.  I loved Sasami and Ayeka's clothes, and if I had a better figure, I'd totally cosplay the bounty hunter Nagi.  This show had a lot of characters, so it was nice to be able to easily pick one out based on a silhouette or color palette.

I did enjoy some of the humor of the show, but mostly this was all about nostalgia for a simpler time.  I suppose exposure to this show did kick off the whole harem-anime craze in the States, whether current fans are aware of it or not.  It wasn't the first show to feature a boring male protagonist that pretty, somewhat odd women are mysteriously attracted to, but it was the first one to really gain a strong foothold in the States because it was broadcast on the Toonami block back in the 90's.

Unless you're totally into retro anime and have a high tolerance for fillers, I really can't recommend this anime to most people.  They really could have done a lot more with the pacing and world-building than they did, but I suppose they were trying to play up the fan service and fun of the series.  Tenchi Muyo can be a really fun series, but it doesn't handle plot/drama very well.

Podcast round-up

In case you were wondering, I'm not dead.  To make up for my absence, let me give you a podcast round-up.  These are the podcasts I've been listening to:

Limetown
Limetown, population 300 0.

Limetown was a small, prosperous community nestled near the limestone caves of Tennessee.  It was made up of a collection of brilliant minds, and was entirely self-sufficient.  Everyone there had a purpose, a role.  Although no one outside of town knew exactly what was going on in Limetown, it appeared to be humming along quite happily - a model community.  Then, 10 years ago, 300 men, women, and children disappeared following a panicked 9-1-1 call.  How can 300 people just disappear without a trace - no bodies, no notes, no...nothing?  American Public Radio journalist Lia Haddock is determined to find out just what happened in Limetown all those years ago.  But, perhaps some mysteries are best left undisturbed.

This is a short podcast audio drama that is good for newbies to the genre.  It's paced well, and the story keeps you riveted.

Uncanny County
Uncanny County is a collection of short audio drama stories similar to The Twilight Zone.  The stories are funny, touching, disturbing, and of course, uncanny.  The stories are loosely connected, but each chapter can stand alone on its own.  I listened to this while I was waiting for the next installment of King Falls A.M., and in fact, Sammy and Ben make a guest appearance in one of the episodes.

The Box
Addison Gilmore is a college drop-out working in a book shop when she discovers a huge, heavy box hidden behind dummy books on the shelf.  When she finally gets it open, she finds that it's crammed full of journals kept by people called "Operatives".  These Operatives investigated strange phenomena across the country, and some of the journals date back to as far as the 1800s.  If they're real, that is... The tales inside are so unbelievable - strange, horrifying, and unexplainable.  Like a good journalism student, Addison decides to try to verify the contents of these journals before dismissing them as some strange, elaborate, long-running fiction project.  But the closer she gets to the truth, the closer something seems to be getting to her.

I thought that The Box had some good stories, but it falls short in a few areas.  One of the biggest is the poor sound balance.  The sound quality of the readings is great, but you have to really crank the volume up to hear the parts where Addison is talking about the stories and her research.  You end up with an effect similar to the late-night infomercial: quiet t.v. show that you have to crank up to hear followed by "BILLY MAYS HERE....!".  My other gripe with this show is that it doesn't spend enough time actually focusing on the journals and the entries within.  The latter half of the show is mostly about Addison trying to get away from whomever or whatever is trying to get the journals back while she tries to track down some of the people related to the journals.  I was hoping for more stories like Stretch and Bridget.

Wolf 359
My latest obsession.  If you liked Red Dwarf and Mystery Science Theater 3000, you will love Wolf 359.  The crew of the Hephaestus is orbiting a distant red dwarf known as Wolf 359 seeking signs of alien life.  Communications Officer Doug Eiffel is our main point of contact, and through him we get to know Dr. Hillbert (crazy Russian mad scientist), Hera (sarcastic A.I. autopilot), Minkowski (gung-ho scary commanding officer with a soft spot for musicals) as they try to stay sane for their two year mission.  This might be difficult, considering the mandatory weekly chess tournaments, a killer plant monster lurking in the air vent system, and the fact that their only entertainment is one VHS copy of Home Alone 2.  Not to mention there's something....off about the whole mission in the first place.

This series balances humor, action, and drama really well.  It starts out funny and light, but it sets up darker story elements early in the series and, even when things start taking a serious turn, it never goes completely grimdark.  I highly recommend this one.

The Bright Sessions
What do you do if you're a young adult and you suddenly start feeling other people's emotions, hearing voices in your head, or time-travelling whenever you have a panic attack?  Well, if you know how to use Craigslist, you seek out Dr. Bright: Psychotherapist to the Talented.  She specializes in helping young people deal with their emerging Talents, no matter how strange and unexpected they may be.  She's part of a larger network of an underground network dedicated to seeking out Talented people, but the network....might not have the Talented's best interests at heart.  Dr. Bright certainly doesn't seem to think so.

The Bright Sessions follows several of Dr. Bright's patients.  The best part of this series is that you get to watch everyone grow and learn to accept their Talents and who/what they are in more ways than one.  If you've ever felt different and/or hoped that you had superpowers, you will like The Bright Sessions.

And that's all for now.  I hope you find a new favorite podcast to listen to through this post.  Hopefully I'll be back on track with some other reviews here soon.