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Book Review: The Way of the Househusband, Vol 10 by Kousuke Oono

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The Way of the Househusband, Vol 10     

Author: Kousuke Oono

Publisher: Viz Media

American release date: August 15, 2023

Format/Genre/Length: Paperback/Manga/Comedy/168 pages

Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★★

Reviewer: Julie Lynn Hayes

Tatsu is enlisted by a local grocery to look out for shoplifters because they are causing the business to bleed cash due to the number of thefts. But Tatsu’s methods are not quite what the owner expected. And when a shoplifter is actually caught, Tatsu and the others becomes too engrossed in what the man planned to use his stolen ingredients for.

One of the ladies in Tatsu’s group has a weight problem, and Tatsu is quick with solutions! He warns her of enemies who will try to lay her low, but he knows a group who will be perfect to help her in her fight against the battle of the bulge!

Tatsu meets up with his old boss in the park, who is babysitting his granddaughter An. When An announces she is hungry, the boss asks Tatsu if he can help, since he lives close by. Tatsu is happy to oblige, of course. But cooking for a child with a discriminating palate is more of a challenge than he realized!

Tatsu has finally broken his bad habit! He quit smoking and it’s been a week now! But, as his friends and acquaintances learn to their chagrin, reformed smokers can be the worst and the quickest to give unasked-for advice and lectures!

Tatsu is excited for Christmas! But when Miku comes down with an unexpected bug on Christmas Eve, Tatsu has to temper his enthusiasm with Miku’s needs.

A member of Tatsu’s group arrives late to their meeting, and he is startled to see her dry, cracked lips. He attempts to discuss skin care with her, but she seems oblivious to her problem. Can Tatsu tell her in a diplomatic way? Or will her stubborn refusal to listen to what he is saying only lead to more pain for her?

Tatsu is the proud owner of an electric bicycle he won in a drawing! When he runs into Masa on the street, he is more than happy to show off his new ride. But their old boss shows up in his new ride, a huge SUV, and Tatsu lets him know just how bad for the environment that gas guzzler is.

Tatsu and the gang are searching for a missing feline, but when the cat is returned by an unexpected source, Tatsu becomes defensive and accuses them of catnapping!

It’s granddaughter An’s birthday, which is stressful not knowing what to get her for a gift that will be pleasing to her and the boss. She receives a new game called Boss in a Barrel and wants to play it with the guys. The goal is to kill the boss in the barrel. But they have to fight their instincts to never harm their boss, and this isn’t going to be easy for them!

Bonus story 1: An and her friend play a game called Guess the Face.

Bonus story 2: Animal Bossing (think Animal Crossing, Tatsu-style!)

I don’t even know which Tatsu story I loved the most! I never get tired of reading about Tatsu and his exploits. Another great volume, looking forward to the next one!

Wednesday Briefs: September 13, 2023

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Here is a list of all the authors flashing this week, along with a brief snippet from their latest free work. Click the link after the snippet to be taken to the complete story on the author’s home page.

Bad Karma and the Family Plan #86 (18.2) by Julie Lynn Hayes

By mutual accord, no mention was made of our visit with the actress during the remainder of our drive to Atlanta. Instead, Troy talked about some of the scripts he’d received lately, including one for a Sci Fi film, something he’d never tried before. His agent felt it was important for Troy to spread his wings so he wouldn’t be typecast, which made sense to me. I found myself interested in the premise of the story, as well as Troy’s character, and thus engrossed was surprised when I looked up to see we’dwe arrived at the Atlanta airport already. We bade farewell to Troy and Brendan, with promises to keep them apprised of what was going on. They said they would let us know if anything happened on their end as well, although short of St. Clair playing true confessions and spilling the beans to her bestie Troy, I couldn’t imagine what that might entail.

C’est la vie. Or should that be C’est la guerre. Right now, I wasn’t exactly sure.

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Saturday is Horror Day #130 – The Tomb of Ligeia

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Reviewer: Julie Lynn Hayes

The Tomb of Ligeia

Marriage is supposed to be till death do us part…but Verden Fell (Vincent Price) can’t get over the death of his beloved wife Ligeia. He becomes a recluse, living in the ruined abbey where she is buried. He wears strange glasses because of a peculiar sensitivity to light, and shuns the company of all. However, chance in the form of a hunt throws The Lady Rowena Trevanion (Elizabeth Shepherd into his path). Separating from her hunting companions, she comes upon the ruins and the isolated grave, but a black cat spooks her horse as well as the sudden appearance of Fell, and she is injured.

Rowena’s friend and hunting companion Christopher Gough (John Westbrook) rushes to her side at the sound of her scream, and recognizes Fell as an old friend of his, much changed. Fell carries the injured Rowena into the house and cares for her. She becomes instantly taken with him, and can’t get him out of her mind, even after she is returned to the home of her father, Lord Trevanion (Derek Francis).

Seizing a chance opportunity to visit Fell on her own, Rowena boldly puts the moves on him, and they are soon married. Everything seems well with them, he has even removed his glasses as they leave for their honeymoon. But that all changes on their return, when he falls back into his old habits, and she finds herself isolated from her new husband, who is clearly obsessed with his late wife. What secrets is he keeping from her? Rowena begins to wonder if Ligeia is really dead at all…

This is another of Roger Corman’s Poe-derived films starring Vincent Price, with a clearly padded story. Vincent Price is awesome, as usual, although the lady’s sudden fascination with his character doesn’t really make a lot of sense. Also, what is the point of the black cat? A familiar, perhaps? I have no idea. Some of the tropes of that time period are insulting, such as the weak woman who is always either hurt or frightened, such as the scene in the bell tower where she is paralyzed with fright over a cat and a tolling bell. Although Poe liked to play with the idea of a thin line between life and death, here it just becomes absurd.

Frankly, I would watch anything Vincent Price is in, but that doesn’t make them all great movies. This was not one of the better ones, I’m afraid. I’ll give this film 2 Stars.

Wednesday Briefs: September 6, 2023

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Here is a list of all the authors flashing this week, along with a brief snippet from their latest free work. Click the link after the snippet to be taken to the complete story on the author’s home page.

Broken Path, Starless Tail: Chapter Twenty-four by Cia Nordwell
 

“Okay, it’s fine. You’re fine.” He wasn’t fine. Beckett hadn’t realized how quickly he’d come to rely on the guides that had found him wandering down the path after he’d been sent without a fucking clue through that weird ass portal thing by his best friend’s cat. Or mostly all powerful galactic being thing. Whatever he was.  

He’d gone from wilderness to a city after days, possibly weeks of travel as everything blurred together. Beckett was exhausted and despite everyone’s assurance that he’d somehow just know what to do when he needed to do it, he didn’t have a fucking

 

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Saturday is Horror Day #129 – Outcast

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Reviewer: Julie Lynn Hayes

Outcast

Mary (Kate Dickie) is determined to protect her son Fergal (Niall Bruton) at any cost. Constantly on the run, they end up in a run-down tenement where hopefully they will be safe. But she warns him that he must listen to her and avoid other people, especially girls.

Petronella (Hanna Stanbridge) lives with her drunken mother and her special needs brother Tomatsk (Josh

Whitelaw). There isn’t much to do other than watch out for her brother and hang out with her friend Ally (Karen Gillan). She can’t help but notice Fergal, her new neighbor, and she’s drawn to him.

Cathal (James Nesbitt) is a magic user on a mission, but to succeed he needs permission from Laird (James Cosmo). Cathal seeks a certain power, and to do that he must confront another magic user, who is equally determined not to be found. Liam (Ciaran McMenamin) is helping him achieve his goal, but Cathal grows impatient and doesn’t want to listen or do what he is told.

Also, there is a beast that is striking havoc in the neighborhood, luring and killing unsuspecting victims. Can it be stopped?

I wasn’t sure what to make of this at first, as it seems a little slow at first and a little disjointed. Frankly, I got it because of James Nesbitt. But as the story progresses, little by little it begins to make sense as we watch the plot unfold and you find yourself wondering how is this going to work out? And how does everything fit together? It’s an interesting urban legend sort of story, with magic and beasts and horror, worth watching. I’ll give this film 4 Stars.

Wednesday Briefs: August 30, 2023

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Here is a list of all the authors flashing this week, along with a brief snippet from their latest free work. Click the link after the snippet to be taken to the complete story on the author’s home page.

Broken Path, Starless Tail: Chapter Twenty-four by Cia Nordwell
 

“Okay, it’s fine. You’re fine.” He wasn’t fine. Beckett hadn’t realized how quickly he’d come to rely on the guides that had found him wandering down the path after he’d been sent without a fucking clue through that weird ass portal thing by his best friend’s cat. Or mostly all powerful galactic being thing. Whatever he was.  

He’d gone from wilderness to a city after days, possibly weeks of travel as everything blurred together. Beckett was exhausted and despite everyone’s assurance that he’d somehow just know what to do when he needed to do it, he didn’t have a fucking

 
 

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Saturday is Horror Day #128 – Saw, Tales of Terror

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Reviewer: Julie Lynn Hayes

Saw

Two men, Lawrence (Cary Elwes) and Adam( Leigh Wannell) awaken on opposite sides of a disgusting filthy bathroom with no recollection of how they got they or any idea of why they are there. To make matters worse, each man is chained and unable to escape. But if they want to survive, they are going to have to rely on one another…and time is running out.

Suddenly Lawrence thinks he knows what is going on, as he was recently a suspect in a serial killer investigation being conducted by two policemen, Detective Tapp (Danny Glover) and Detective Sing (Ken Leung). This killer has left a trail of grisly crime scenes and victims who died horrible deaths in gruesome traps. The only known survivor of his blood lust – at least so far – is Amanda (Shawnee Smith), and the tale she tells is a horrifying one.

The clock is ticking and Lawrence’s family is at risk. He must do something before they’ll die…even if it includes killing Adam.

This is the film that started it all – the first Saw movie, directed by James Wan and written by him and Leigh Whannell. This film is not for the faint-hearted, although it doesn’t show the same degree of callousness as Terrifier. Much like its namesake, Jigsaw, the story is a puzzle with many layers, and the truth lies somewhere in the middle. I first saw it years ago, before I ever saw Lost, so I wasn’t familiar with either Michael Emerson (who plays an orderly) or Ken Leung, but I recognize them now.

I intend to rewatch the entire series, probably not in time for the new one next month. Even so, it will be fun. This one is almost 20 years old and it holds up well, setting the tone for what is to come. Except I already know the traps are going to get worse…far worse. Great beginning to one of my favorite horror series. I give this film 4 Stars.


Tales of Terror

Morella: Lenora (Maggie Pierce) returns to a home she has never known and a father, Locke (Vincent Price) who turned his back on her after her birth because of the death of his wife/her mother, Morella (Leona Gage). At first, he is less than thrilled to see her, until he learns that she is dying. But there is another who rejoices in this news and tends to make use of it – none other than the long-dead Morella, who has been kept uninterred in an upstairs bedroom.

The Case of Monsieur Valdemar – Valdemar (Vincent Price) is an older man who is dying, to the

chagrin of his young wife Helene (Debra Paget). To make matters worse, he has agreed to allow mesmerist Carmichael (Basil Rathbone) to attend to him, and to be on hand for the moment of his demise in order to carry out his “experiment” regarding what happens at the time of death. Helene is opposed and so is Valdemar’s physician, Dr. James (David Frankham). But Valdemark cannot be dissuaded. He also tells his wife that after his demise, she should be with the handsome doctor. But Carmichael isn’t all he appears to be, and he has plans both for the dying man and his wife.

The Black Cat: Montresor Herringbone (Peter Lorre) is an unemployed drunk who abuses his long-suffering wife Annabel (Joyce Jameson) in order to get money with which to continue drinking. One day, by accident, he stumbles into a wine tasting contest, and decides to challenge a connoisseur of fine wines, Fortunate Luchresi (Vincent Price). Afterward, Fortunato takes the drunken Montresor home and meets the lovely Annabel. The attraction is immediate and an affair begins. Suddenly, Montresor has no problem getting the money he needs to go drinking and stay away from the house. But when he learns the truth, what revenge will he exact on the lovers?

This is one of Roger Corman’s Poe-derived film, and is a favorite of mine, especially the Black Cat segment, which is based on the Cask of Amontillado. Peter Lorre does comedy very well. Also see Comedy of Terrors, which features the same cast, and which I’ll probably review at some time. Basil Rathbone does his usual inimitable job as the villain in Valdemar, and Joyce Jameson is stellar as Annabel in the Black Cat. You can never go wrong with Vincent Price. I’ve seen it a number of times and will watch it again undoubtedly. I give this film 4 Stars.

Wednesday Briefs: August 23, 2023

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Here is a list of all the authors flashing this week, along with a brief snippet from their latest free work. Click the link after the snippet to be taken to the complete story on the author’s home page.

Broken Path, Starless Tail: Chapter Twenty-three by Cia Nordwell
 

“I don’t know, it’s your mission.”  

He was too tired and too frustrated to be indignant. Well, too indignant. “What do you mean, you don’t know? Aren’t you supposed to be my guide?” He’d taken that to mean that Parallax was sending him someone that would know where to find the star that had been taken from him, but he was getting more and more of an idea that Valrinda was more along for the ride.  

Not that he wasn’t a wealth of knowledge about the world that Beckett found himself in. He’d have had no idea where to go

 
 

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Saturday is Horror Day #127 – Twice-Told Tales, Wrong Turn 5

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Reviewer: Julie Lynn Hayes

Twice-Told Tales

Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment concerns a man, Dr. Carl Heidegger (Sebastian Cabot)  determined to not only restore youth to himself but to his best friend Alex (Vincent Price) and to restore the long-dead body of his fiance Sylvia (Mari Blanchard). Alex tries to talk him out of his well-meant intention, arguing that it cannot be done. But then Heidegger does the seemingly impossible…however not without a price.

Rappaccini’s Daughter is about a man named Rappaccini (Vincent Price) so scarred by his wife leaving

him that he is determined to never lose his daughter Beatrice (Joyce Taylor) in the same way. He inoculates his daughter with a deadly poison that ensures she can never leave the garden which contains the deadly plants, and makes her touch deadly to everyone else. A young man, Giovanni Guasconti (Brett Halsey) happens to see her looking out her window and is instantly smitten. However, she tries to dissuade him from visiting her. True love cannot be thwarted, even though she can never go out with him…until her father discovers what’s up and determines to sever that connection for good.

In The House of the Seven Gables, Gerald Pyncheon (Vincent Price) returns to his ancestral home with his new wife Alice (Beverly Garland) after a very long absence, in order to claim what he believes is rightfully his.  His sister Hannah (Jacqueline deWit) attempts to persuade him to let the matter go, but to no avail. Alice seems inordinately sensitive to the presence of something or someone. When Jonathan Maulle (Richard Denning),  a descendant of Mathew Maulle, arrives to right an old wrong, things go horribly awry.

These are three stories told by Nathaniel Hawthorne, but they are not quite as he told him. The writer and director have conspired to give them somewhat of a Poe-esque twist. So be warned if you read the book, this isn’t really it. Especially House of the Seven Gables, which is a novel, not a short story. At any rate, it’s worth watching for Vincent Price alone, even if it’s rather dated now. You may remember Sebastian Cabot from Family Affair as the gentleman’s gentleman, Mr. French. Beverly Garland was quite the femme fatale in her day but I remember her from My Three Sons as Fred McMurray’s second wife. Richard Denning is probably best known for Creature From the Black Lagoon. All in all, still worth watching. I give this film 3 Stars.

Wrong Turn 5: Bloodlines

A group of college students decide to attend the Mountain Man Festival in West Virginia, on Halloween, and they meet you know who. Because of course they do.

I’ll make this short and sweet. I didn’t finish this one either, which apparently is the sequel to Wrong Turn 4 that I also turned off. I think I didn’t even last as long with 5 because it was that bad. The sad thing is that I didn’t even realize Doug Bradley was in it, and I always liked him as Pinhead. Oh well, can’t win them all. I’ll give this .5 just for Doug, but I recommend avoiding it like the plague. Guess we’ll see what the sixth one brings. Will that be the charm?

Book Review: Love Mode, Vol 4 by Yuzi Shimuzu

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Love Mode, Vol 4       

Author: Yuki Shimizu

Publisher: Blu

American release date:  October 31, 2006

Format/Genre/Length: Paperback/Yaoi Manga/192 pages

Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★★

Reviewer: Julie Lynn Hayes

Naoya’s life is finally becoming more settled. He is back in school, working part-time, and living with Reiji, who is determined to teach the young man basic civilities. Reiji’s doctor brother, Kiichi, organizes a dinner with Naoya’s guardian, Kajiwara. The idea is to show him how well Naoya is doing, and to persuade him to allow Naoya to remain in Reiji’s household. A chance meeting with the man who took over Naoya’s father’s company, Aizawa, leads to hard feelings when the man displays his true colors in front of a businessman he is trying to impress. Unfortunately for Aizawa, the man is a friend of Reiji and Kiichi and is appalled with Aizawa, saying he will not do business with him. Afterward, in private, a shocking revelation is made.

Naoya has a bad dream that night, one he’s had before, about the accident that took the lives of his family. Reiji comforts him. After work the next day, Naoya runs into Kajiwara, who invites him back to his home. Naoya wants to know why he is against his staying with Aoe, and Kajiwara reveals all. Afterward, Reiji find Naoya in a horrible state, and cares for him. Together, Reiji and Kiichi confront Kajiwara and finally lay certain demons to rest.

Bonus story: Takamiya is not shy about telling Izumi that he loves him, but so far, Izumi has never reciprocated those words. Takamiya proposes they get together in two days and have a date playing billiards. Why that paticular day? It’s a special anniversary for them! Thanks to a chance encounter, they end up spending time with Reiji and Naoya, like a double date! Izumi is incredulous that anyone could live with grumpy old Reiji, but Naoya defends him as a good man. Meanwhile, Takamiya is needling Reiji for bringing home a stray when he supposedly hates cats. Izumi, tired of Reiji’s patronizing attitude, begs Takamiya to play a game of pool with him and clean his clock for him. He promises that if he does that, Takamiya can have anything he wants from Izumi. Yes, anything! Challenge on!

In a second bonus story, a young man is living with a foster family for certain reasons, and he realizes he cares about his foster brother a little too much. A sinister man seems to be stalking him, but can he save him?

Naoya’s past is out in the open now, and the truth has finally been revealed. Now he can let go of the ghosts that haunted him and move on with his life, whatever that may bring.  Will his relationship with Reiji heat up? Does he want it to? Only time will tell. I enjoyed the bonus story very much. I think Izumi and Takamiya are a cute couple! The second bonus story was more bittersweet than sweet. Another great volume, looking forward to the next one!