The New York Times has high praise for the Japan Society‘s new exhibit, “Graphic Heroes, Magic Monsters: Japanese Prints by Utagawa Kuniyoshi from the Arthur R. Miller Collection,” on display through June 13th. Click here for exhibit hours… cosplayers, mark your calendar: the Japan Society will be its second annual cosplay party on Saturday, May [...]

If, like me, you’re in MangaBlog withdrawal, take comfort: Brigid will be back at her post on Monday. Until then, here are a few links to tide you over. Vertical, Inc. has just posted a 30-page preview of their forthcoming Twin Spica manga… artist Akino Kondoh will be making an appearance at The Center for [...]

The American Library Association (ALA) has just published its annual list of most-challenged books as well as a list of the 100 most challenged books of the decade (2000 – 2009). It’s a fascinating — and, frankly, depressing — look into American reading habits and mores, and says a lot about our near-Platonic belief that [...]

Sorry for the infrequent posts! Life got in the way of blogging this week, but never fear — I’ve made a big dent in my reading pile and am itching to talk about the books I just finished. Stay tuned! A few quick links this morning… First, the folks at Flashlight Worthy Books just posted [...]

The Brattle Theater is one of Cambridge, MA’s most treasured institutions, a small, independent movie house that screens a little bit of everything: classics, foreign films, documentaries, shorts, and cult faves. Beginning tomorrow, March 24th, the Brattle kicks off The Warrior’s Camera: An Akira Kurosawa Centennial, a month-long retrospective of the seminal director’s films. All [...]

Discovered via the comment thread at our Banana Fish roundtable: Manga Musings, an awesome new blog! There isn’t much content yet, but the first three reviews — of not simple, Silver Diamond, and Utahime: The Songstress — are elegantly written and insightful, offering fresh perspectives on all three books. Go, read, and add Manga Musings [...]

Pink Tentacle continues its urban legend series with a look at human pillars — that is, people who were allegedly buried alive inside shrines, tunnels, bridges, and other structures. And while you’re reading up on human pillars, be sure to check out this groovy photo-essay on the 1970 Osaka World’s Fair… email David Welsh the [...]

We’ve been reviewing up a storm at Good Comics for Kids, with Brigid Alverson critiquing The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary, Esther Keller reading Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451: The Authorized Adaptation, and me evaluating Self-Made Hero’s latest Sherlock Holmes Graphic Novel, A Study in Scarlet. Go, read! Thanks to Deb Aoki’s Twitter feed (@debaoki), I’ve been [...]

Budget-conscious otakus, listen up: Right Stuf is running a promotion on all Bandai DVDs and books from now until midnight tomorrow (3/15). Just type the word lucky when checking out to get a 33 – 40% discount on your favorite anime and manga titles. Click here for details. Elsewhere on the web, Lori Henderson lists [...]

For the last few months, Pink Tentacle has been running a fascinating weekly feature on Japanese urban legends. A new installment just went up today, examining rumors that the severed head of rebellious samurai Tairo no Masakado (903 – 940 AD) has been haunting Tokyo for over 1,000 years. Other recent entries include a look [...]