This review contains spoilers for Trese (2021). “There are monsters among us, and some of them are human,” remarks Alexandra Trese, after cracking yet another case in the Philippine metropolitan of Manila, where the supernatural stalk its streets. Following in the footsteps of her father and coming from a significant lineage, Alexandra works as a…
REVIEW: Wika Empowers Its Visuals But Not Its Worldbuilding
As the last survivor in a line of a once-powerful fairy kingdom, Wika had to live her life toughening things out in the streets. While dodging suspicious characters, she tries to keep her identity a secret in a world where fairies are scrutinized and persecuted. But thanks to magical tattoos that visibly change on her…
REVIEW: WandaVision Has a Wonderfully Weird Start
Wanda Maximoff and Vision are no ordinary couple, so how long can they keep up an act before their neighbors find out? WandaVision is the latest byproduct emerging from the Marvel Cinematic Universe timeline that follows the lives of Wanda Maximoff and Vision living in a suburban American neighborhood after the events of Avengers: Endgame.
A Platform for Philippine Komiks: An Interview With Penlab
Filipino komiks (“comics”) have long had a commercial industry that goes far back as the 1920s, but it has been only until recently that interest in these works has grown outside of the Philippines. With social isolation restrictions still in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many artists have been turning to ways to expand…
REVIEW: Folktales and Family Collide in The Magic Fish
I’ve been enchanted by Trung Le Nguyen’s art since I saw his travel journal comics on Twitter in February of 2019 so I was really excited to see the announcement for his debut graphic novel, The Magic Fish.
REVIEW: The Magic of Mooncakes Is Its Respectful Representation
Unlike many other witches-in-training, Nova Huang has taken comfort in staying in her hometown and working at her grandmothers’ bookstore. Nova ends up running into Tam Lang, her childhood friend and werewolf, caught in a confrontation with a demon in the woods. Following the encounter, Tam reveals they have been without a place they can…
A24’s Entrance Into Animation Should Be Exciting, But Instead, It’s Exhausting
Content warning: mentions of sexual abuse and rape. While much of the entertainment industry seems to be at a pause, animators everywhere continue to work behind their screens and working stations without interruption. Live-action productions — endeavors that require physical contact and varying degrees of intimacy — are mostly at a standstill due to an…
REVIEW: Gudetama: Adulting for the Lazy Is Not Entirely What It’s Cracked Up To Be
If one thing is for certain, I personally would not trust life advice from a famously lazy, talking egg. Although Gudetama seems like it never says much, it has a few words to say in Gudetama: Adulting for the Lazy. Gudetama has advice to give for all young adults struggling out there, from dealing with office…
The Savage Beard of She Dwarf Is a Colorful Adventure
Believing herself to be the last dwarf in existence, She Dwarf is determined to find the lost dwarven city of Dammerung. Many obstacles will interrupt this arduous journey, but She Dwarf is inspired by thoughts of her late mother’s heroism. Gaining both allies and enemies along the way, will finding Dammerung bring the answers she…
The Artemis Fowl Movie Is What No One Wanted and More
This review contains spoilers for Artemis Fowl (2020). Fifteen years ago, if I was told that an Artemis Fowl movie adaptation was definitely going to happen, I would have been incredibly excited. But after seeing what I just saw, in this holy year of 2020, I’m not sure I would have wanted this.
Rick and Morty Go to Hell Is Exactly What It Says On the Bill
Rick and Morty somehow landed themselves in what literally looks like to be Hell. All signs point to Morty that this might actually be the real deal while Rick continues to vehemently deny it. As the two find themselves stuck in another hairy place, what sort of shenanigans will Rick drag Morty into again in…
She Kills Barely Started and It’s Already Awful
Content warning: This work contains depictions of violence and suggestions of sexual violence. A Tongva Native American woman who goes by the name of She Kills lives within the lawless, dangerous territory of Los Angeles, where only mobs and violence rule. She Kills struggles to fend off many evils while having to protect her young…