Book Review: Skip Beat! Vol 19 by Yoshiki Nakamura

 

Skip Beat! Vol 19       

Author: Yoshiki Nakamura

Publisher: Viz Media

American release date:  May 5,  2009

Format/Genre/Length: Paperback/shojo manga/200 pages

Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★★

 

Lory and Koo’s scheming has paid off, but the results are coming sooner than expected, with Ren agreeing to go to the hotel where Koo is staying. While Koo is surprised, Lory isn’t. What else could happen when Kyoko showed up at the studio looking for clothes for a teenaged boy? Koo continues to mentor Kyoko, calling her her own worst enemy because she tends to only take roles she likes. He tells her she’ll never become a great actress unless she can overcome that weakness. She realizes she has a lot to think about.

When Ren arrives, he demands to know what Koo was thinking when he had Kyoko act like his son? Koo explains that wasn’t the case, he was training her and then compares her to Ren/Kuon, pointing out how well she played the part. Koo also has a favor to ask of his son. Ren has a lot to think about. To fulfill Koo’s request would also require the assistance of his personal hair/make-up assistant, who is currently on vacation.

Ren and Mr. Yashiro run into Kyoko, and she is in a very dark mood. Upset over what happened during their last meeting, she requests that she be allowed to finish shooting Dark Moon before she commits harakiri. Of course Ren reassures her there is no need for that.

Kyoko is dismayed that her time with Koo is ending, as she feels she has so much to learn. But as she talks to him, she unwittingly reveals information pertaining to Ren and his relationship to Koo that leaves the other man happily surprised. Kyoko goes to see Koo off and finds Ren there too.  She accepts his explanation of why he is there, and between the two of them, they manage to convey what each wants to say to Koo but can’t.

This is a very intense volume. We see so much about Ren’s relationship with his parents, and the circumstances under which he came to Japan. Sometimes I think we tend to forget that he is a young man still, he’s only twenty, so just out of his teens. He became famous at a young age and carries so much weight on his shoulders. Kyoko does too, and she is only 16. The conversation where Koo tells her that she’ll make a good mother shows just how deeply her own mother has scarred Kyoko. I have a deeper appreciation for Loy, for what he has done and for what he is trying to do. He has surprising insights into Ren and Kyoko both, although at other times he is quite oblivious and out-of-this world.

Kyoko’s growth from the beginning of the series is tremendous, both as an actress and as a person. Now she wants to be the best she can be at her craft, and revenge is no longer her motive for what she does. Sho never seems to enter her mind. Unless, of course, he is standing right in front of her. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen again, but I’m afraid it will. Looking forward to the next volume!

 

Wednesday Briefs: Bad Karma and the Family Plan #96 (20.5)

 Good morning and Happy Hump Day! If it's Wednesday, then it must be time for more flash fiction from the Wednesday Briefers! We're a group of authors who bring you our finest flash fiction every week, 500 to 1000 words, inspired by one of our prompts.

The conversation between Vinnie and Ethan and the Florida Mangler continues. See what's happening in this week's chapter of Bad Karma and the Family Plan. Don't forget to visit the other Briefers and see what's up with them. Their links follow my tale! Enjoy!

Bad Karma and the Family Plan #96 (20.5)

“You want to talk to me about your engagement? How sweet.” His eyebrows raised in an affectation of surprise even as he glanced back and forth between us. “So, I take it you’d like some advice? Color schemes? Menu choices? What font to use on your invitations? Ask away. Mayvbe you’d like me to give the bride away?” This was said with a wink at me.

As if.

Ethan’s response was to laugh, a deep, rich sound that showed me he wasn’t in the least intimidated by this lowlife scum sitting before us. I wish I could have said the same.

“If we wanted or needed that kind of assistance, Chip, you would be the last person we would ever turn to for advice.”

Did I imagine Chip faltered for just a second before he immediately came back with, “Oh darn, does that mean I won’t make the guest list either?”

“You got that right,” I managed to get out, which only produced a grin from him.

“Okay, enough of this, I’m going to get right to the point, Chip,” Ethan said in a no-nonsense voice. “This has got to stop. Now.”

I knew Ethan intended to question Chip about everything that had been happening to us, to Uncle Benny… to all of us. But I hadn’t expected this. I tried not to let my surprise show, but Chip wasn’t focused on me. He was intensely regarding Ethan, his bland expression revealing nothing.

“Whatever do you mean?” he asked in a voice filled with disdain. The flip side of the coin. From laughing prep boy to cynical narcissist at the speed of light. “To what this do you refer? I assume you don’t mean my current accomodations, which are temporary at best. Amazing what a good lawyer can do. And, of course, the right judge.” He winked at me agan. Shivers coursed down my spine.

Maybe this had been a mistake after all.

“I mean I know you’re the one who put Caroline St. Clair up to everything she did, thinking she was auditioning for some supposedly legitemate director. William Faulkner? Really? Maybe she didn’t catch on, but we certainly did.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Chip gave an overly loud yawn and patted his mouth to show his boredom, along with more than a touch of contempt. “You mean that lovely actress from the Civil War drama I’ve heard so much about?”

I was startled for a moment that he knew about a film that hadn’t even been released yet, but then I realized people were probably talking about it already. After all, it was also a Troy McGarrett film, and he did hold a certain place in the hearts of moviegoers. A deserved place. Plus he was a great guy offscreen. I could think of nothing nice to say about St. Clair other than she was safely locked up in a rich person’s mental health facility, at least for now.

“You know very well who I mean,” Ethan replied. Beneath the table, he squeezed my leg for reassurance. He knew how mention of that particular actress agitated me.

“I heard the two of you were once engaged,” Chip replied. “Was that before or after you became engaged to dear sweet Vinnie here?”

How did he even know about that?

 to be continued

Now go see what the other Briefers are up to!

Cia Nordwell

J Ray Lamb

 

Saturday is Horror Day #143 - Insidious: The Red Door

 Insidious: The Red Door

Josh Lambert (Patrick Wilson) and his family have been through a lot, especially Josh and his son Dalton, who both experience astral projection. They decide to put everything aside. Josh and Dalton are hypnotized into forgetting everything that took that year, and all knowledge of the Further.

Nine years go by, life goes on. Josh and Renai (Rose Byrne) are divorced, and there is a strain in the relationship between Josh and his kids. When Josh's mother dies, the family assembles for the funeral, just before Dalton is set to leave for college. Renai urges Josh to offer to drive Dalton, which he does, and Dalton reluctantly accepts. Upon arrival at the university, Josh tries to help Dalton be more social by giving him a flyer/invitation to a frat party, although Dalton insists that isn't his scene. They find his dorm room and then when his roommate enters, he finds it's a girl named Chris (Sinclair Daniel).  

Dalton is taking an art class, and the teacher tells the students to reach deep inside of them for a memory, but when he does, he doesn't understand what the red door means. But he is starting to see things he can't explain. He and Chris decide to get to the bottom of things, but at what cost?

I love the Insidious movies, especially Patrick Wilson, and I don't think this one disappoints. There is a definite creep factor, and the way the tension builds is wonderful. I think that beneath the surface story of the father and son getting back the time that was lost, it's about healing and letting go and moving on. Look for a surprise appearance at the end of the film! All in all a satisfactory watch. I believe this will be the last of the series.I'll give this film 4 Stars.

Wednesday Briefs: Bad Karma and the Family Plan #95 (20.4)

 Good morning and Happy Hump Day! If it's Wednesday, then it must be time for more flash fiction from the Wednesday Briefers! We're a group of authors who bring you our finest flash fiction every week, 500 to 1000 words, inspired by one of our prompts.

The moment has arrived. Vinnie comes face to face with his worst nightmare. Can this end well? Will they be able to learn anything from the Florida Mangler? See what's happening in this week's chapter of Bad Karma and the Family Plan. Enjoy!

Bad Karma and the Family Plan #95 (20.4)

I bit back the witty rejoinder that surely lurked on the tip of my tongue. No sense in antagonizing him right off the bat. As the saying goes, you can catch more flies with sugar. Or is it honey? Maybe once we’d gotten all the information we needed, I could tell Chip what I really thought of him. I forced a smile I was far from feeling.

“Not long enough,” Ethan quickly countered on my behalf.

“Aw, and here I thought maybe you missed me.”

“Don’t flatter yourself,” Ethan said. “It doesn’t become you.”

Without missing a beat, Chip turned his attention to me. “And what do you think does become me, Vinny, my friend?”

“I am not your friend and never will be.” So much for remaining calm, cool, and collected. He was already getting under my skin. I had to force myself to take a deep breath. And hide my actual feelings. Namely, that he scared the shit out of me. Especially at closer quarters than I had anticipated. Maybe some people appreciated the up-close-and-personal with their incarcerated loved ones, but I didn’t count myself among that number.

I was grateful to be sitting. Otherwise, my shaking knees might have given me away. Assuming my quivering voice hadn’t already done so.

“Oh say it isn’t so, Vinny, my sweet!” he exclaimed with an exaggerated look of sorrow directed at me. I swear if his hands were free, he’d have clasped them together against his chest for melodramatic effect. But then again, if they had gone that route, we could have been on the safe side of plexiglass instead of the somewhat precarious position we found ourselves in.

“Knock it off!” Ethan growled, clearly annoyed. “There’s no time for this nonsense. I have a few questions for you, and I’d like you to answer them.”

Chip laughed. “Ah, my dear detective, I wish I had a lover who was as protective of me as you are of our sweet Vinny.” He glanced back and forth between us, before adding, “I hear congratulations are in order. Have you set the date yet?”

“How did you know?” I blurted out without thinking. I knew our engagement wasn’t exactly public knowledge, and we certainly hadn’t placed an announcement of it in any newspapers. I wasn’t sure if people still did that anymore. Then I glanced at my hand and spied my engagement ring, the mate to which sat on Ethan’s finger. That explained that.

As if reading my mind, Chip said,” The rings are a giveaway, I admit, but I already knew about the two of you planning to get hitched.” He gave us a lascivious wink. “I have my sources.” Could he get any more smarmy?

“Interestingly enough, that’s what I want to talk to you about,” Ethan said in a rather level tone of voice. He seemed to have shaken off his previous annoyance. I wasn’t surprised. Ethan really wasn’t the type to fly off the handle. That would be me.

 to be continued

 

 

 

 

Book Review: Love Mode, Vol 5 by Yuki Shimizu

 

Love Mode, Vol 5      

Author: Yuki Shimizu

Publisher: Blu

American release date:  May 8, 2007

Format/Genre/Length: Paperback/Yaoi Manga/216 pages

Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★★

 

After moving in with Reiji, Naoya’s life has changed for the better, including a new school. On the first day of school, Reiji and his brother Kiichi pick up Naoya to celebrate. As usual, Reiji seems irritated by the close relationship between Kiichi and Naoya, and his brother accuses him of being jealous. Naoya keeps his part-time job, intending to reimburse Reiji for at least some of the money the man has spent on him.

The relationship between Naoya and Reiji is beginning to subtly shift, with each man thinking of the other a lot, even if neither one admits to it. However, forces are at work that threaten to tear them apart. On his way to school, Naoya is stopped by a man who asks if he is Shirakawa Naoya. Upon learning that he is, the man says he has orders to bring him to the mansion where his grandfather awaits. Grandfather? Seriously? Meanwhile, Reiji learns that one of his clients is being blackmailed.

Naoya opts to live with his grandfather, but for altruistic reasons, believing himself to be a burden to Reiji. Reiji accepts his decision, although he leaves him with something to remember him by before he goes. Life with his grandfather isn’t always easy either. All of Naoya’s stuff is disposed of, anything which connected him to his former life, including the keys to Reiji’s apartment, which is thrown out into the enormous garden. Try though he might, Naoya can’t locate them. On top of that, young Wataru, who was supposed to be the heir to Naoya’s grandfather, is angry at Naoya’s arrival and jealous that he has been supplanted in his adopted father’s affections.

Reiji pretends to be unaffected by Naoya’s absence, but even Kiichi can see the truth about Reji’s feelings for Naoya. He and Naoya reconcile, but an unexpected crisis threatens to tear them apart permanently.

This volume of Love Mode brings the love story of Naoya and Reiji to a dramatic climax – literally and figuratively. Naoya does a lot of maturing, and learns to be his own man and make his own decisions. The scene we’ve all been waiting for between Naoya and Reiji finally happens, so yay for that! There’s a lot of drama between Naoya and Wataru, who not surpriisingly feels abandoned in favor of the “true” heir. Reiji is forced to examine his own feelings for once and not hide everything away beneath his oh so cool exterior. Things should be smoother from here on out.

Another great volume, look forward to the next!

 

Saturday is Horror Day #141 - I Spit On Your Grave (1978), Violent Night

 I Spit on Your Grave (1978)

Jennifer (Camille Keaton) heads to the Connecticut woods in order to write her first novel, having previously only written short stories. Fresh air, solitude, and country living should do it, right? But she quickly learns that all things in the country aren't good or healthy.

On arrival in town, Jennifer gets gas at the local station, where she shares her excitement over the coming summer with the owner/attendant, Johnny (Eron Tabor). Later she meets Stanley (Anthony Nichols), who delivers her groceries. He is friendly and sweet, if a little slow. Seems like a good place. But she learns otherwise when she is laying out in her bikini in a boat and Johnny and a couple of his friends come upon her and decide to have some fun, in a brutal attack which they continue even after she thinks she has escaped from them. When they send Stanley in to finish the job, he can't do it, and lets them think he has. So now it's time for revenge.

I'm not going to lie, the rape scenes are brutal and hard to watch.  The poor actress also spends most of the film naked. I read that the actors asked to be naked as well in order to help make her feel more comfortable. This is a revenge film, pure and simple, and as such it succeeds, although certainly not a great film in any way. But the brutality of the rape makes the revenge that much more satisfying. I am going to watch the sequel, which was made like 40 years later, and hope it's a better film. There is also a remake of the series, which I may or may not watch. But for now, I'll give this film 3 Stars for succeeding in its primary goal.

Violent Night

Santa Claus (David Harbour) is jaded and weary, tired of the commercialism and cynicism of the modern world. He feels as if the spirit of Christmas has been lost, and he drinks to dull the pain. Trudy (Leah Brady) is a very bright little girl with only one wish for Christmas - that Dad (Alex Hassell) and Mom (Alexis Louder) make up and get back together again. They are all meeting at her Grandma Gertrude's (Beverly D'Angelo) house, along with her aunt and uncle and their brat, Bertrude. The latter are all in a tizzy to make sure they stay in good with the wealthy grandma. But a criminal who calls himself Scrooge (John Leguizamo) has other ideas. This is a Christmas they won't soon forget.

You'd think with a cast like this, and an interesting premise, this movie would be a shoe-in. I like David Harbour from Stranger Things and Hell Boy, and I have loved John Leguizamo for a long time, both for his stand-up and for such movie roles as Toulouse Lautrec in Moulin Rouge (we can forget his Mario Brothers Stint). But if you believe this, you will be sadly disappointed. The film doesn't lack of looks, and it clearly had a decent budget. But there is nothing interesting or original about it. As my son son, it's bland. It reminds me of a wanna-be copy of Die Hard. I was not just disappointed, I was bored, and I could imagine how everything was going to play out. I gave up after about thirty minutes. I suggest you just pass on this one.

Wednesday Briefs: Bad Karma and the Family Plan #94 (20.3)

 Good morning and Happy Hump Day! If it's Wednesday, then it must be time for more flash fiction from the Wednesday Briefers! We're a group of authors who bring you our finest flash fiction every week, 500 to 1000 words, inspired by one of our prompts.

The moment you've been waiting for (but not Vinny) - face to face with the Florida Mangler once again! See what's happening in this week's chapter of Bad Karma and the Family Plan. Don't forget to visit the other Briefers and see what's up with them. Their links follow my tale! Enjoy!

Bad Karma and the Family Plan #94 (20.3)

We were shown into a private room off the main hallway. The only furniture in the room was a table and three chairs. And in the single chair across from us, sitting there with the smuggest expression on his smarmy face, was… you know who.

The Florida Mangler himself. The man who’d killed our late partner, Eva June, among others. The man who’s kidnapped me and held me hostage for reasons I still didn’t comprehend. I won’t add injury to insult by referring to him as the alleged Florida Mangler, even though he hadn’t been to trial yet and wasn’t everyone innocent until proven guilty, because we knew without a shadow of a doubt that he was the Mangler. Despite whatever his lawyer might or might not plead when the time came, up to and including insanity. But I didn’t believe for one moment that Chip was crazy, just very evil.

If I’d expected Chip to look the worse for being incarcerated all this time, I was sadly mistaken. Apparently jail agreed with him as he retained his frat boy looks. If anything, his reddish-brown hair had grown longer, giving him a somewhat more feminine appearance, and his pale green eyes wore a look of amusement that definitely did reach his lips in the form a smirk.

I came to an abrupt halt in the middle of the doorway, having followed after Ethan and the policeman, my feet having refused to cooperate and enter the room. I could clearly see that Chip was manacled in place, and even if we sat directly across fom him at the table, he would not be able to reach either of us. That didn’t keep me from worrying that he might try.

I barely heard the recitation of the rules given by our escort, until he said he would be right outside the door, which I was still standing inside. Ethan turned to face me, a concerned look on his handsome face.

“C’mon in, Vinny,” Chip beckoned me with a wolfish grin. “Let me see that pretty face.” He chuckled at his own warped wit.

Ethan stepped closer to me, lowering his voice so only I could hear. “We can leave if you want. We don’t have to do this.”

But I knew we did if we were ever to get closure. I didn’t trust the court system to provide that. I’d seen too many cases where killers were sentenced but never had to explain why they had done what they’d done.

“I’ll be okay, Ethan,” I assured him, even though I wasn’t so sure myself. I took a step inside the room, and then another. Ethan nodded at the officer and he left, closing the door behind him and locking us in with our archenemy.

Straighten your spine, DelaRosa. You can do this.

I took a deep breath and nodded to Ethan. We covered the short distance between us and the table and took our seats.

“Long time no see, guys,” Chip remarked.

 to be continued

Now see what the other Briefers are up to!

Cia Nordwell

J Ray Lamb