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Tokyo Subway for iPad
Travel and Navigation
App
Tokyo Subway for iPad application is a comprehensive guide to traveling through Tokyo in Japan. ...
Shonen Jump Manga Reader
Book and Magazines & Newspapers
App
The official English source to read Weekly Shonen Jump, the world's most popular manga magazine! You...
The Pillars of the Earth
5.0
Rate It
Tabletop Game
The Pillars of the Earth is based on the bestselling novel by Ken Follett and the 2006 game in the...
Boardgames WorkerPlacementGames BooksintoGames
Fresco
Tabletop Game
In Fresco, players are master painters working to restore a fresco in a Renaissance church. Each...
Boardgames ArtGames QueenGames
ClareR (5608 KP) rated Beautiful Shining People in Books
Aug 5, 2023
“”Beautiful, shining kami in the sky. All different. All unique. Just like us”…After that, whenever we went camping, I would always tell my parents I couldn’t wait until nightfall so I could see the beautiful shining people in the sky.”
I honestly didn’t know what to expect when I started reading this, but I quickly realised that I was loving what I was reading. I do like both speculative and science fiction, so I knew we’d be off to a good start.
This is so much more though. It’s about relationships, both with others and oneself. It’s about loneliness, feeling cut off from others and trying to make a connection.
Both John, a young American tech genius, and Neotnia, are loners. Neither of them want to be alone. John is trying to escape his past and his past self, and Neotnia wants to find her past. They’re both very caring, likeable characters, Neotnia in particular, especially in her interactions with the elderly residents of a home she volunteers at.
My particular favourite was the cafe owner and Neotnia’s guardian - Goeido. He has an interesting and sad past as a Sumo, and this is probably the reason why he is so protective towards Neotnia.
Some of the themes have their place in our society too. The rise of AI, tense relationships between superpowers, terrorist attacks, deep fakes, cyber attacks, fake news - all of these affect us today.
Tokyo as a setting was inspired. All of the AI and robots didn’t seem out of place. I mean, we expect them there, don’t we? Robots taking your order in a fast food restaurant and helping you with directions in the street seem not too far a reach of the imagination in Japan (you can probably tell I’ve never been there!).
The last chapter or so, was so powerful. It was sad and explained all of what had gone before. It was emotional, and the ending was perfect.
Many, many thanks to Orenda for sending me a copy as a part of their book club. I’m really glad I read it!
I honestly didn’t know what to expect when I started reading this, but I quickly realised that I was loving what I was reading. I do like both speculative and science fiction, so I knew we’d be off to a good start.
This is so much more though. It’s about relationships, both with others and oneself. It’s about loneliness, feeling cut off from others and trying to make a connection.
Both John, a young American tech genius, and Neotnia, are loners. Neither of them want to be alone. John is trying to escape his past and his past self, and Neotnia wants to find her past. They’re both very caring, likeable characters, Neotnia in particular, especially in her interactions with the elderly residents of a home she volunteers at.
My particular favourite was the cafe owner and Neotnia’s guardian - Goeido. He has an interesting and sad past as a Sumo, and this is probably the reason why he is so protective towards Neotnia.
Some of the themes have their place in our society too. The rise of AI, tense relationships between superpowers, terrorist attacks, deep fakes, cyber attacks, fake news - all of these affect us today.
Tokyo as a setting was inspired. All of the AI and robots didn’t seem out of place. I mean, we expect them there, don’t we? Robots taking your order in a fast food restaurant and helping you with directions in the street seem not too far a reach of the imagination in Japan (you can probably tell I’ve never been there!).
The last chapter or so, was so powerful. It was sad and explained all of what had gone before. It was emotional, and the ending was perfect.
Many, many thanks to Orenda for sending me a copy as a part of their book club. I’m really glad I read it!
Neon's Nerd Nexus (360 KP) rated Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) in Movies
May 29, 2019
Oh my God...
#godzillakingofthemonsters is overlong, overstuffed, bland & lacks the one thing that at bare minimum I expected from a movie about big #monsters #fighting, EXCITEMENT. Now I quite liked the first #godzilla movie & yes it was to focused on the human element but visually it was really sticking & I found its slow build up to the reveal of Godzilla intense & exciting so that when he's finally introduced fully his presence became that more intimidating & thrilling. Sadly although in this sequel the monsters are given way more screen time at around 2hours the human element is still far to overpowering. That would be fine but its all so #boring & only serves as exposition to move the plot along. Dialog is sloppy/bellow basic & repetitive, acting is average at best & no one is likeable. Story wise its incredibly weak/bare bones which makes me wonder why it takes so long to play out considering we are only all here really to see monsters #fight. Cgi is really dodgy in places & I'm not sure if this is a throwback to past films but it feels odd & disjointed because at times its also impressive like it suddenly found its budget again. For an hour & a half I found this movie terrible with nothing setting it apart from stuff like #sanandreas or #geostorm. There are big set pieces upping the pace but like those movies they are a hollow mess of washed out cgi/badly framed fights that just weren't exciting at all. Why a 3? something changes in the last half hour & things do get a little cool for a bit, the score becomes epic, cgi looks great, theres some nice visual touches, #animation has weight & #action invokes some thrill but by then its all a just a bit to late. Theres also some #beautiful artsy establishing shots at times too throughout the movie & the subtle metaphors about the effects of #nuclear #weapons/war & looking after our #planet are well implemented too but thats about it. Im still #excited for #GodzillavsKong but just hoping this is a case of middle film itis but for now there are way better monster movies out there as i cant recomend seeing this one at all to be honest which is such a shame. #shingodzilla #godzillamovie #kong #japan #anime #gojira #kaiju
Louise (64 KP) rated Flame in the Mist in Books
Jul 2, 2018
*I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review*
This was my first time reading anything by Renee Ahdieh, as usual I do things back to front. Her Wrath and the Dawn duology has got nothing but praise so when I saw she had another book coming out I jumped at the chance to read it.I was really intrigued as I heard it was a Mulan retelling and plus the cover is absolutely stunning.
Flame in the Mist follows Mariko, she is 17 years old and is destined to marry, she has had a sheltered life and brought up for the sole purpose to marry to support his social standing. She is on her way to marry a prince from another part of Japan when her litter and convoy are attacked by the Black Clan. Mariko manages to make it out alive, instead of returning home to her family she decides to disguise herself as a boy to find out who tried to kill her and why.
I found this story hard to get into at the beginning, I wasn't totally gripped and didn't have the inclination to carry on reading. I didn't know what to expect with Renee Ahdieh's writing style but I was pleasantly surprised and she had this knack for creating an atmosphere and world building. The downfall to this book was that Mariko was a very boring character. We were told how smart she was several times but we wasn't shown. She was headstrong and knew that she was born the wrong gender to be perceived as anything other than marriage material.
I liked the romance and loved the buildup of tension between the love birds even if it did have some problems. I didn't see the twist at the end coming. This is supposed to be a fantasy but there were no fantastical creatures and very little magic involved. The Mulan retelling is 'loosely based'.
I think for me I am going to have reread this book at a later date - it didn't hold my attention enough to take a lot of it in. I still would like to read her Wrath and the Dawn duology.
I rated this 3 out of 5 stars
This was my first time reading anything by Renee Ahdieh, as usual I do things back to front. Her Wrath and the Dawn duology has got nothing but praise so when I saw she had another book coming out I jumped at the chance to read it.I was really intrigued as I heard it was a Mulan retelling and plus the cover is absolutely stunning.
Flame in the Mist follows Mariko, she is 17 years old and is destined to marry, she has had a sheltered life and brought up for the sole purpose to marry to support his social standing. She is on her way to marry a prince from another part of Japan when her litter and convoy are attacked by the Black Clan. Mariko manages to make it out alive, instead of returning home to her family she decides to disguise herself as a boy to find out who tried to kill her and why.
I found this story hard to get into at the beginning, I wasn't totally gripped and didn't have the inclination to carry on reading. I didn't know what to expect with Renee Ahdieh's writing style but I was pleasantly surprised and she had this knack for creating an atmosphere and world building. The downfall to this book was that Mariko was a very boring character. We were told how smart she was several times but we wasn't shown. She was headstrong and knew that she was born the wrong gender to be perceived as anything other than marriage material.
I liked the romance and loved the buildup of tension between the love birds even if it did have some problems. I didn't see the twist at the end coming. This is supposed to be a fantasy but there were no fantastical creatures and very little magic involved. The Mulan retelling is 'loosely based'.
I think for me I am going to have reread this book at a later date - it didn't hold my attention enough to take a lot of it in. I still would like to read her Wrath and the Dawn duology.
I rated this 3 out of 5 stars
Gareth von Kallenbach (971 KP) rated Cars 2 (2011) in Movies
Aug 7, 2019
Producer Brad Lewis (Ratatouille)steps into the director’s chair for this sequel that follows racing legend Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) and his trusty sidekick, Mater (Larry the Cable Guy).
Passports are secured and ready to take part in the biggest race on the planet, Lightning and his freinds prepare to take on the best racers in the world. As the first-ever World Grand Prix approaches, cars from every continent prepare for the ultimate competition. But who will have what it takes to become the fastest car on the planet? Just as Lightning McQueen edges up to the starting line, however, his old pal Mater gets sidetracked on a top-secret spy mission that takes him from Japan to Europe. Thankfully Mater’s friends are always willing to lend a helping wheel, and as the race gets under way, everyone shifts into high gear to help out an old friend.
“Cars 2” It’s James Bond meets “Fast and the Furious” and Full of ACTION! None of the characters from the first film are forgotten Of course Tow Mater stands out the most for his hilarious ways of a small town country tow truck who isn’t afraid to do or say anything! Mater is as FUNNY as can be and shares a range of emotions with Lightning . The bond between Lightning McQueen and Tow mater “Mater” are classic as for Mater he encounters a reality check when he’s able to understand how others view him for the first time out of Radiator Springs. When Mater is mistaken for someone else a whole new world of adventure is opened up for him which causes him to grow.
I saw the film with an all ages group in the theater and I observed that everybody was enjoying it as well.
Watching this movie in 3D really made you feel like you were there! It’s funny when computer graphics of animation are realistic enough to make you become part of the story. It is amazing how much technology has changed from when I first encountered Disney animation in the 1970’s.
If you enjoyed the first Cars movie your sure to enjoy this one too! It is a must see! Never a dull moment. A Wonderful start to the Summer of family Movies.
Passports are secured and ready to take part in the biggest race on the planet, Lightning and his freinds prepare to take on the best racers in the world. As the first-ever World Grand Prix approaches, cars from every continent prepare for the ultimate competition. But who will have what it takes to become the fastest car on the planet? Just as Lightning McQueen edges up to the starting line, however, his old pal Mater gets sidetracked on a top-secret spy mission that takes him from Japan to Europe. Thankfully Mater’s friends are always willing to lend a helping wheel, and as the race gets under way, everyone shifts into high gear to help out an old friend.
“Cars 2” It’s James Bond meets “Fast and the Furious” and Full of ACTION! None of the characters from the first film are forgotten Of course Tow Mater stands out the most for his hilarious ways of a small town country tow truck who isn’t afraid to do or say anything! Mater is as FUNNY as can be and shares a range of emotions with Lightning . The bond between Lightning McQueen and Tow mater “Mater” are classic as for Mater he encounters a reality check when he’s able to understand how others view him for the first time out of Radiator Springs. When Mater is mistaken for someone else a whole new world of adventure is opened up for him which causes him to grow.
I saw the film with an all ages group in the theater and I observed that everybody was enjoying it as well.
Watching this movie in 3D really made you feel like you were there! It’s funny when computer graphics of animation are realistic enough to make you become part of the story. It is amazing how much technology has changed from when I first encountered Disney animation in the 1970’s.
If you enjoyed the first Cars movie your sure to enjoy this one too! It is a must see! Never a dull moment. A Wonderful start to the Summer of family Movies.