I have to admit, this movie surprised me. When it was announced I had thought without a doubt that it would bomb. The early trailer they showed with that abomination didn’t help build confidence either.

But then to the surprise of many they actually went back and reworked it and although that caused the movie to be delayed to this year it was well worth it. This movie wasn’t the train wreck I feared it would be.

The CGI Sonic in the movie looks fantastic especially in motion. The original design was horrendous with too human proportions and the face, oh god the face. Part of the delay was to redesign him and they did: changing his proportions so he’s more like a cartoon character than a man in a sonic costume, putting gloves on his hands and modifying the face to be a bit more faithful to the source material. Sonic’s animations in this movie are great and a lot of effort was put into making him as good as possible.

Another great part of the movie has to be Jim Carrey’s Robotnik, his over-the-top performance here really sells Robotnik as an incredibly intelligent and somewhat deranged mad scientist that no one really likes. He’s crazy, a little cooky and dangerous all the same.

It’s a fun enjoyable movie with some good production values, a solid story and good characters. If you were skeptic about watching it then you have nothing to fear, this movie is much better than what you would expect from a video game movie. I give the Sonic movie an 8 out of 10.

Wow talk about a tonal shift. At the end of the previous book Hajime and Yue managed to clear the Great Orcus Labyrinth and here they begin to venture out to find the other labyrinths in the hopes of finding an ancient magic that can send Hajime back to Earth. Along the way they meet a rabbit girl Shea who is unusual for a beastman in the fact that she can manipulate mana similar to monsters being chased by some monsters.

Whereas the previous volume was very dark and violent this one is far more comedic in tone and the violence has been considerably toned down. It almost feels like a completely different series after the first volume. There’s far more comedy and fanservice in this one and it can be a bit jarring for those who expected darker things like in the first volume. There are darker moments to be sure but its not as blatant as before and the characters themselves apart from comic relief Shea don’t really feel like they’re in any real danger especially Hajime and Yue.

Even the labyrinth featured in this one is not as life-threatening as the Great Orcus Labyrinth, though this one is far more mentally and emotionally draining, with a variety of booby traps and an ever-changing layout that prevents people from accurately tracking their progress. The trio’s adventure through the labyrinth reads more like something from a Saturday morning cartoon with the insane trolling the labyrinth and it’s creator Miledi Reisen inflict on the party.

One of the most memorable moments in the volume however is when Hajime transforms the peace-loving pacifistic rabbitmen into vicious bloodthirsty warriors that strike fear in even the strongest of the beastmen, the bearmen. The shift is both incredibly jarring and hilarious, especially seeing the change from one of the youngest rabbitmen and Shea’s sorrow knowing that her beloved kindhearted family had disappeared forever.

If you enjoyed the previous book for its dark nature and violence you might be a bit disappointed in this one. But if the first volume was too dark for you and you’re looking for a more light-hearted adventure then this is for you. Personally I’d give it a 5 out of 10. They’re some funny moments but it just feels so different from the first volume that I thought I was reading another series entirely.

One look at the title and you’re probably thinking something like, “Oh great, another one of those creepy anime weeboo incest shows.” However don’t let the title fool you, this is far different from its contemporaries like Eromanga-sensei or My Sister My Writer ( I really hate that one by the way, at least the anime).

A Sister’s All You Need tells the story of Itsuki Hashima, a full time light novel writer who had some success in the past but has recently had trouble with his recent works. He usually writes stories with main characters who have little sisters that act as the heroines of his work. The best word to describe him would be ‘sister-obsessed.’ He has a tendency to skimp out on deadlines, much to the ire of his editor Toji.

The novel is a more of slice of life than its contemporaries which are usually harem ecchi stories with the main character who writes while still in highschool. Each chapter is a day in the character’s life as they hang out together while thinking of ideas for their novel or trying to overcome a slump. Each character also has their own goals and desires, Itsuki wants to be a popular successful light novelist, Nayuta wants to marry Itsuki, Haruto wants to overcome the both of them and Miyako wants to find something she can be passionate about like Itsuki and the others.

However like its contemporaries it does have some fanservice, though here it fits with how the characters are portrayed and is part of their character and there’ s nothing in this volume (except that first part in the beginning though that was by intent) that was too offensive to some people. The characters in this work are above the age of consent (18 years and older) and thus one would feel less guilty about it compared to Eromanga-sensei where the characters are clearly too young to be depicted in a sexual manner.

One of the more notable parts of this volume is a depiction of tabletop RPG game the characters play together. It’s told quite well with the characters creating their characters similar to their personalities and I think it represents how a tabletop RPG is played among friends quite well (though I’m not sure about the highly sexual scene the game depicts).

If you’re looking for a slice-of-life light novel that focuses more on its characters, their relationships and goals then I highly recommend A Sister’s All You Need. There’s also an anime adaptation that came out in 2015 (the same time Eromanga-sensei’s did)

The final movie of the sequel trilogy Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker ends it not with a bang, but a whimper. This movie might as well be subtitled The Fall Of Star Wars.

Before I start complaining let’s discuss about the positives of the movie. The production values are quite high, with excellent sound design and special effects. The acting is quite good as well, all the actors do their very best to do the series justice. There’s also a lot of callbacks to previous movies and a bit of the defunct Expanded Universe that hardcore fans might recognise.

But now let’s talk about the negatives, and there are a lot of negatives. First of all, the return of Palpatine. The movie doesn’t explain how Palpatine survived the events of Return of The Jedi, where he was thrown down the shaft of the second Death Star by a redeemed Darth Vader. He apparently shows up and broadcasts his return to the galaxy (which isn’t in the movie proper but rather in an event in Fortnite of all things) for no reason when it would’ve made sense to keep his survival a secret. He could’ve have called Kylo alone to come to him without telling the whole galaxy since he reveals he was the voice Kylo heard as Palpatine mimics Darth Vader’s voice.

The second problem is the fights. None of the fights have any tension, there were times where I thought that Rey could get injured or lose badly but then I remembered Rey is the perfect Jedi, able to do things previous Jedi couldn’t. The fights she have against Kylo Ren don’t really add to anything, none of them get hurt and most of the time the fights are just used for exposition for Kylo to explain stuff to Rey and retcon the big parent reveal from the previous film and the fight choreography was just bad. Even the space battle near the end wasn’t nearly as exciting as the opening battle of The Last Jedi.

Speaking of The Last Jedi the movie tries it best to rectify the mistakes made in that film. Luke (as a Force Ghost) admits it was a mistake to exile himself to Ach-to, Snoke was revealed to have been nothing more than a puppet and that they’re multiple copies of himself and the Holdo Maneuver (the lightspeed suicide technique) is hand waved away as having a one in a million chance of success. But Rise of Skywalker also has its own logic problems, the first one occurring in the first few hours. Apparently there’s something called lightspeed skipping where ships like the Millennium Falcon quickly go in and out of lightspeed, which makes no sense since we know from previous films that ships need to make to precise calculations in order to go to lightspeed in the first place. In addition we see Tie Fighters catching up to the Falcon easily through lightspeed. I didn’t even think it was possible for those small ships to even go to lightspeed considering their size. Then there’s Ghost Luke interacting with physical objects like his father’s lightsaber and his old X-Wing, which somehow still works despite being submerged in water for God knows how long. And then there’s the question of how Palpatine managed to gather the resources needed to create the Final Order without anyone finding out in the remote planet of Exagol.

Kylo’s redemption arc just feels tacked in. During their final battle, Kylo gets some kind of message from his mother Leia whom he thought he killed and after getting stabbed (then healed) by Rey he gets a vision of his father Han Solo, which makes no sense since Han’s not Force sensitive thus never became one with the Force. Maybe Leia had something to do with it but she was already dead by then. It ends with Kylo sacrificing his life to save Rey after she managed to defeat the Emperor single-handedly by redirecting his Force Lightning… with two lightsabers, and no I have no idea how that worked. The Knights Of Ren are just mooks that end up killed by the redeemed Ben Solo.

Out of all the characters in the movie I felt Finn should have been developed more. In this film he even meets with another stormtrooper that defected from the First Order and he starts about how it was a feeling that caused him to defect, like the Force brought him together with his friends at that moment. There were some moments in the film especially near the end where I thought that Finn was Force sensitive, when he was able to tell which ship was giving out the navigation signal. Personally a former stormtropper who awakens the latent power of the Force within and fights for peace in the galaxy would’ve made for a far better movie.

Finally that ending, my god that ending. At the end she buries Luke and Leia’s lightsabers in Tatooine and its revealed she has a new lightsaber with a golden blade, to show how special she is. The film makes a big deal about how blood didn’t matter and that Rey shouldn’t be ashamed of her lineage but instead of embracing her identity as Palpatine’s grand daughter she instead elects to take the Skywalker name for herself and calls herself Rey Skywalker

I can only recommend this movie to Star Wars fans interested in seeing how the trainwreck of a trilogy ends. For any casual movie-goer your time and money is best spent elsewhere. I give Rise of Skywalker a 3 out of 10.

Chivalry of a Failed Knight tells the story of Ikki Kurogane, a young man who comes from a line of Magic Knights aspires to be a Magic Knight despite his status as a Rank F Blazer and lacks the magic power most of the students at the Hagun Academy. As a result of discrimination and bullying, orchestrated by his own family Ikki has had to repeat a year but even so he continues to grow stronger in order to prove his family wrong and achieve his dream.

One day he meets a young woman named Stella Vermillion, a princess from a small kingdom and a talented Rank A Blazer. After a slight misunderstanding the two have a duel to settle their differences. And soon after the two start to get closer as they learn about each other.

One might be forgiven for thinking that this sounds like a setup for your typical harem light novel with a super dense protagonist impressing all the girls with his godly powers. But this is not that story, though there are some things that may turn off some readers. This book has quite a few fanservice scenes but they’re not here for the sake of fanservice, rather they’re used to show the growing attraction between our two leads as they grow closer with one another. In one chapter 5 pages are dedicated to showing Ikki being taken in by Stella’s beauty and Stella marvelling Ikki’s body sculpted by training and dedication which is something she can relate to as she trained hard to control her power.

There’s also a little incest subtext that may understandably turn off many of you, but it doesn’t really go anywhere and the instigator Shizuku has (in her mind) a valid reason for doing so, as she wants to shower her brother Ikki who had been denied of love from his own family and was basically treated as a non-person. She and Stella develop a strong rivalry with each other when they first met, though perhaps their magic being the opposite of each other played a role in that.

The most interesting character introduced in this book is the mysterious Nagi Alisuin, or Alice to her friends. A trans man Alice is usually referred to as a woman and the book represents quite well surprisingly. She acts a voice of reason and offers advice to Ikki and comfort and support to Shizuku.

The fights are quite enjoyable to read and the unique powers each character complements their personalities. Stella is a fiery and powerful Blazer who can overcome opponents with her fire magic and skillful swordplay. The cool (except when her brother is involved) Shizuku has incredible magic control able to utilise powerful water and ice magic. Alice as befitting of her mysterious personality has the ability to manipulate shadows and use them to travel or immobilise enemies. Finally Ikki to compensate for his lack of magic power has trained his body rigorously and has developed the ability to look at someone and take in their personality, attack methods and more to basically steal their techniques and even surpass them. But his trump card is a technique called Ittou Shura that pushes his physical power to its limits for minute, but it can only be used once a day.

Overall if you’re looking for a good solid action light novel with a strong romance without any of the usual harem hijinks then I recommend Chivalry of a Failed Knight. Currently 3 volumes have been translated in English. In addition there is a 12 episode anime that aired back in 2015.

After the disastrous first trailer, the Sonic movie was pushed back to February 2020 with Paramount Pictures promising to redesign the titular character. And just recently a new trailer was unveiled showing the new design.

From the thumbnail alone, Sonic looks far better than he did in the initial trailer with a cartoony look that closely resembles his looks in the games (though his arms still blue much like how he looks in Sonic Boom).

For comparison here is the old design:

I was originally dreading the movie but seeing the reworked design has me feeling a bit excited. I don’t think it’ll be a great movie per say but judging from the trailer it looks to be an entertaining one at the very least.

The Sonic The Hedgehog movie is slated to be in theatres February 14 2020.

Stop me if you’ve heard this before: An ordinary Japanese person is summoned to a fantasy world and told to kill the Demon Lord. He gets an overpowered tool or gift and with his harem of attractive women he brings peace to the land and lives happily ever after.

While that first part and the harem part may be true, How A Realist Hero Rebuilt The Kingdom is a radically different isekai story. Our main character Souma Kazuya is summoned from Japan by the Elfrieden Kingdom. But contrary to what you might think the Kingdom merely summoned Souma because of pressure from the powerful Gran Chaos Empire as a replacement for being unable to pay subsidies for the war effort against the Demons. However when hearing about the Kingdom’s plights and offering his ideas based on his modern world knowledge the king of the Kingdom decides to abdicate the throne and put Souma in charge. And thus Souma’s story to rebuild the kingdom begins.

This volume is full of world-building and focuses on Souma’s efforts in revitalizing the kingdom’s economy and presents him as a kind-hearted revolutionary king who has the citizens’ best interests at heart. One of the ways he does this is to gather a group of capable individuals with a variety of abilities of gifts. regardless of their standing or appearance. For example Poncho who is depicted as a disgusting overweight man but is welcomed with open arms by King Souma when he reveals his gift is having eaten various foods from all over the world

However not everything goes smoothly. There’s another faction in the Kingdom that’s mostly responsible for the military the Three Dukedoms. Dissatisfied with Souma as king the Three Dukedoms refuse to aid him in his rule. In addition there’s tension with a neighbouring faction that threatens the peace and stability of the kingdom. Furthermore, the Demons may not be savage unreasonable monsters everyone believes them to be, as some can be communicated with. Though these tensions don’t break out in this volume they do set the stage for future conflicts in the next volumes to come.

If you’re looking for an isekai story with rich world-building and believable characters without any of the usual (so far anyway) cliches like an overpowered main character that can do no wrong other isekai stories have then I recommend How A Realist Hero Rebuilt The Kingdom. Currently there are 10 volumes of the light novel translated in English and there’s also a manga adaptation with 3 volumes. There’s no word on an anime adaptation as of this writing.

In this isekai story a young man is reincarnated into a fantasy world after God accidentally kills him in a lightning strike. To aid him in achieving happiness in this new world the God grants our main character increased physical abilities, the ability to use any kind of magic along with a near limitless amount of mana and most important of all his smartphone, hence the title.

Mochizuki Touya is our protagonist, and he’s unfortunately the worst part of this light novel. He is so overpowered nothing is a threat to him and he’s always able to solve everyone’s problems without asking anything in return earning him the admiration of various females. He has some kind of sadistic streak in him that he only shows in one part of the light novel and I wished that was his default personality. In short, he’s your super generic light novel protagonist whose only fault is his lack of understanding of what should be common things in the fantasy world.

Most of what happens in the book basically involves Touya getting involved in something and using his god-given powers to solve the problem and earns the admiration and respect of the people and makes the female characters fall in love with me. It’s hard to feel attached to the characters or get invested in their problems when Touya fixes their problem with no issues without any effort on his part or even with him intending to.

This light novel is just an escapist fantasy with an overpowered main character getting loved and praised by everyone around him and while that in itself isn’t bad, if you’re looking for a story with well-developed characters, interesting dynamics or good world-building this is not for you. If you are still interested however, you can buy the first volume at Bookwalker. Currently there are 17 volumes in the light novel and there is also a manga adaptation also available in Bookwalker as well as an anime adaptation that you can stream in Netflix.

Our Last Crusade Or The Rise Of A New World is a action romance light novel series centered around a couple who come from 2 different kingdoms at war with each other.

In this world there are two main powers: the technologically advanced Empire and the nation of astral mages the Sovereignity. Many years ago there was a strange new power discovered beneath the planet called astral energy that could affect humans and grant them amazing powers. One of these humans became the Empire’s hated enemy, the Grand Witch Nebulis. After setting fire to the Empire she establishes the Sovereignity for the safety of her fellow mages. And ever since the two powers have been at odds with each other.

Our main male lead is Iska, a soldier of the Empire who was once imprisoned after freeing a mage from captivity. The leading power of the Empire, the Eight Great Apostles gave him a pardon in exchange for capturing a powerful purebred mage called the Ice Calamity Witch. Iska has one simple desire, to end the long-standing war and bring peace between the Empire and the Sovereignity

The female lead is Alice, a princess of the Sovereignty and the dreaded Ice Calamity Witch. A powerful astral mage, Alice is a free spirit preferring to spend time at the free city over her political studies. She too desires peace between the two kingdoms but she is held back by her mother the Queen.

The best moments of the book are when the two main leads bond with each other in the free city of Aer. Whether its enjoying an opera, finding out they have similar tastes in food, enjoying the works of an Imperial painter or even not able to sleep without thinking about the other after their first encounter in combat.

It’s incredibly heartwarming to read and it makes you wonder if the two’s relationship is proof that the two kingdoms could make peace with each other. However due to their positions they are forced to fight against each other and keep their relationship a secret.

The action scenes are pretty good as well. Both characters are exceptionally powerful in their own kingdom. Iska is the successor of the Black Steel and wields two astral swords with special abilities. He was taught by the Empire’s strongest swordsman and thus he can even overwhelm the astral mages with his speed and swordsmanship.

Alice, as befitting of her title as the Ice Calamity Witch displays incredible ice magic able to create ice spears, conjure up powerful ice blasts that can freeze a wide area and even produce a barrier not even Iska’s swords can’t cut. She is backed up by her loyal attendant an earth mage named Rin.

Overall the book is a solid action romance story with good characters and it also sets up plenty of plot threads that may come to pass in later volumes. If you’re looking for a good action romance light novel that isn’t an isekai or a harem (so far anyway) then this is a good recommendation.

Currently the light novel only has one volume translated but there’s also a manga adaptation in English coming out in November, available on Bookwalker.