Red Riding Hood in Armchair Theatre- Cult TV Review

I do love an anthology series as you are never too far away from a new world and new ideas. By it's very nature, some episodes of an anthology series will stick with you more than others but that's the nature of the beast. I was born in 1981 so had never heard of Armchair Theatre, a series that ran from 1956 to 1974, but had heard that there were a few episodes that were still fondly remembered by those who had seen them. One of these was Red Riding Hood, written by John Peacock, which takes the old Grimm fairytale into a modern setting.

The tale is of Grace, played with wide eyes innocence by Rita Tushingham, who is a put upon librarian. She lives and cares for her elderly annoying father and travels to see her entitled ungrateful grandmother who lives further away. She dreams of escaping the financial pressures of her life and the rut that she finds herself in.

When Keith Barron, the killer/ wolf of this story, moves into Grace's nan's house after killing her, he has designs upon Grace. They bond over their love of books and their dreams of travel when he informs her that his nan has gone away to see family for a fortnight. Grace and the wolf connect and bond over the two weeks but her mental health starts to deteriorate as she reconcile the fact that this freedom and affection is built on the back of her nan's death and her father slowly dying from starvation.

I really quite enjoyed this 50 minute episode. The neat conceit shows that Riding Hood isn't a poor victim but actually a young who wanted to be free from the impositions put upon her by society. Even after finding out about her nan's murder she willingly decides to escape reality with the wolf, even if for a while. The denouement of Grace's fragile mental state and guilt over what may have been real or imagined overwhelms her she suffers a break whilst in the childrens' section if th library.

Overall, I really enjoyed this episode and commend the acting and barebones set design. It shows that with very little budget but a neat idea you can look at the familiar through a slight wonky lens and end up with something quite unique. Fairy tales were always cautionary tales that taught us lessons and morals to keep to the status quo and in this poor Grace tries to buck that but pays the price. This is a fascinating time capsule of 1970s fashion, gender politics and subversion of societal expectations. Women were wanting more autonomy and unfortunately much of society wasn't ready.

Parasite Eve- Book Review

Back in the mid to late 90s, I heard the hype surrounding a survival horror RPG game called Parasite Eve which was out on the PlayStation. I knew of the game as it was reviewed in various game magazines and the horror story angle from Hiranobu Sakaguchi, creator of the Final Fantasy series, had me intrigued. I never got a chance to play it as there was never a UK release due to rights reasons but weirdly enough did play the two sequels, Parasite Eve 2 and The Third Birthday which did get a release in these territories.

It's always been a regret that I never experienced the first game at the time and, whilst there are ways various to play the English translation now, I think it might be a tough hang to go back to it now, what with its tank controls and old skool pacing. That didn't stop me from buying a Japanese copy from Akihabara when I went to Japan in 2013 though- I just wanted a copy in any form!

So, all these years later, I've decided to give the book a try, as the game references events that happened in the acclaimed book by author Hideaki Sena. This 1995 horror story has many sci-fi elements in it and on release it won lots of plaudits and garnered critical acclaim. The 90s were an extraordinarily successful time for Japanese pop culture in the West as manga and anime broke into the mainstream and Japanese horror and psychological thrillers worked their way into Hollywood with remakes of Dark Water, The Ring, The Grudge etc all proving quite successful. Parasite Eve was a part of this wave but we had to wait until 2005 to get an English translation of the Parasite Eve novel- there has never a Hollywood movie however. Acquiring a physical copy of the book is expensive, often a few hundred pounds for a paperback, so I bought it on Kindle for £7.99. So, has it been worth the wait?

The story concerns Toshiaki Nagishima, a biology and pharmaceutical researcher and his wife, Kiyomi. When she wraps her car around a telephone pole after having a weirdly prescient dream, she is declared 'brain dead' but Nagishima can't let her go. He donates his wife's kidney to a young girl, Mariko, but keeps the liver to carry out his groundbreaking research on mitochondria. What follows is a tale of body possession as the ever evolving sentient mitochondria takes control of the new hosts body and seeks to become the dominant biological entity on Earth by reproducing and creating a child.

The first 2/3rds of the story is pretty straightforward with lots of medical and pharmaceutical technobable which talked about the beauracracy and systems in place when designating kidney transplantation. It's not so much flavour more than minutaia explaining the process in LOTS of detail, which have been painstakingly researched (as supported by the extensive bibliography).

Interspersed within this we get the stories of Toshiaki and Kiyomi, their childhoods and then their meeting at college and falling in love. However, the pace of the story sags here as whole chapters are dedicated to the scientific process without much else happening. Also, the burgeoning relationship between the pair felt dry as Toshiaki comes across as a boring nerd who fixate on mitochondria to the nth degree. He's not a likable protagonist either. I felt that a lot could have been cut from the first 200 pages without any adverse effect on the story. A short novella rather than the 300 page book is what was required here as the final third is actually very exciting and picks up somewhat as it goes hard into Lynchian weirdness and Chronenbergian body horror. It gets a bit gross and gruesome towards the final act but that is where the excitement is.

Overall, the book is a slow and languid read until the thrilling final third. I can't recommend the book though as it is great payoff from a very slow start.

Viy - Cult Film Review

I like to look out for quirky, strange, or cult films, as I find that there are often many fascinating ideas or unique themes that many mainstream films do not typically address or explore in depth; these unconventional movies can lead to intriguing conversations and allow for a deeper understanding of different perspectives within the realm of cinema. And so it was whilst looking through folk horror film lists that I first heard of the 1967 film Viy- a landmark of Soviet cinema apparently. With that kind of provenance it'd be rude not to watch it, so with the wood stove crackling away on a dark, cold and windy winter's night, I partook in this film.

Konstantin Yershov and Georgi Kropachyov created this chilling adaptation of Nikolai Gogol's short story, transporting viewers to 17th-century Kiev, Ukraine. The film follows Khoma Brut, a young seminary student (someone who studies scripture, theology and philosophy) who is more interested in revelry than piety, as he is tasked with performing a three-night vigil over the corpse of a suspected witch. This seemingly simple duty soon unravels into a terrifying ordeal that tests the boundaries between the living and the supernatural as he prays over the corpse of a woman who tried to seduce him in her crone form on one of his debauched nights. Over the course of the three nights, the test becomes sterner and the danger greater but will Khoma make it?

This visually arresting film, directed by Alexander Ptushko, delves into profound themes of temptation, sin, and the power of the supernatural and serves as a cautionary tale, reminding viewers of the dangers of straying from their faith and the importance of resisting worldly temptations.

Looking at the film now, with no nostalgia for it at all, I can say that I thought the story reminded me of Jim Henson’s The Storyteller series which also presented many European tales with a dark edge to them. Also, the section where the young men, freed from the seminary, go forth but get lost in the woods reminds me of Rudyard Kipling's The Way Through the Woods- another deceptively simple but incredibly creepy premise.

The film sets themselves are beautiful with vibrant colours and costumes that are lush and detailed. It looks like an expensive production and this lavishness extends to the special effects, which may look laughable now but at the time, and with I’d imagine a tight budget, were impressive. The film has little dialogue so the Russian vocal track shouldn’t detract non-Russian speakers as the visuals and simple story can be enjoyed by all. The actors, Khoma (wonderfully played with drunken indifference by Leonid Kuravlev) and young Pannochka (played by the beautifully feral Natalya Varley) are excellent in their role and are earnest in their portrayal of the respective characters. The soundtrack, by Karen Khachaturian, is wonderfully eerie in places and cheerful with the daytime countryside scenes or the rare moments of levity.

After nearly 60 years, I can see why Viy continues to captivate audiences with its chilling atmosphere and unforgettable imagery. It stands as a testament to the power of storytelling and the enduring appeal of classic horror.

LINK- Dead of Night: Cult TV Review

LINK- Children of the Stones: Cult TV Series Review

LINK- Tom’s Midnight Garden: Cult TV Review

LINK- Children of the Dogstar: Cult TV Series Review

Dark Season- Cult TV Series Review

Dark Season is a 6 part series that aired in 1991 on the BBC but I never saw it at the time, only finding it recently whilst falling down the YouTube rabbit hole of weird British children's programmes from the 70s to 90s.

The show is about a trio of teenagers in a secondary school who understand something strange is going on within their school. In the first three episodes, the story arc is about an apparent philanthropist who donates computers for each pupil. So far so sweet, but when an EMP wave hits the school the kids get together to thwart a plan to take control of their minds.

In the second three episodes, an apparent archaeological dig on school grounds unearth a tomb of the Behemoth, a monster of lore. Ms. Pendragon and her blonde haired blue eyed crew of Neo-Nazis seek to revive the creature and create a New World Order. But, is the monster real and what are its abilities?

Dark Season is an very watchable series with a strange mix of inspirations: from the Dr. Whoesque opening credit scene, the Lovecraftian plot and a surreal sense of quirkiness in the vein of The Prisoner or Scooby Doo- Dark Season is quite creepy for a kids show.

Considering the limited budget that this show obviously had, it does well by create likable characters in an adventure story you can get behind. This is the first appearance of Kate Winslet and she does a good job of it as Reet, a tom-boyish character with a great sense of gallows humour. However, the standout is Marcie, excellently played by Victoria Lambert, the kooky teen who looks at life a little askew but is prescient in her thoughts. She carries a paddle in case, things go a bit ‘up creek.’ She doesn't always understand the world but does her bit to save it, making her a sympathetic individual who isn't all clean cut heroine material. The teacher, played by Brigit Forsyth is marvellous in her role as the unwitting supporter of the trio. She plays the role of Scully to Marie's Mulder well but becomes game each time when the truth is revealed.

I have no nostalgia for the show as I never saw it on release but I really enjoyed my time with it. It reminded me of early the revival of Dr. Who and it was upob looking further that I saw Russell T. Davis was the writer.

Also, whilst not an influence (as it came out several years later) Eldritch looks like Wesker from Resident Evil, with his sharply flat shock of blonde hair, black sunglasses and long trench coat. Grant Parsons does a great job of making Eldritch sinister and an almost anime-like villain. I wonder if Shinji Mikami was a fan of the series…

Recently, a 13 part radio show was created and the original crew returned, including Kate Winslet. It's an extraordinary victory lap for a cult show that not many people watched but those who did loved it intensely.

John Carpenter's Lost Themes- Music Review

John Carpenter is the legendary director and musician extraordinaire of such films as Halloween, The Thing, Escape from LA, Assault on Precinct 13, They Live and The Fog. He is a singular talent and his soundtracks are instantly recognisable with their mix of sinister cold synthy arpeggios and driving beats; his musical style, distinctly his own, has influenced much of pop culture.

His Lost Themes is not a collection of B-sides or left-over tracks from previous endeavours but new original tracks, created in his usual style. Listening to them may allow your mind to wander and imagine images from his ouvre that would suit or for as-yet-unmade films.

The tracks are all uniformly excellent and here is a breakdown of each. Please remember that I am not a music critic and neither do I know the correct terms for the different aspects of musicology but I'll give it a go with the vocab I do have.

From the first track Vortex the atmosphere sucks you in to the dark and gloomy atmospheres reminiscent of Halloween, The Fog, Prince of Darkness and Escape from New York. Vortex is all dark and gloomy with a heavy atmosphere. It has a simple repetitive arpeggio with a driving metronomic synth.

Obsidian feels quite prog rock as it starts with shimmering twinkles and then a gentle synth enters before a roar of electric guitar and heavy drums enter. It then goes a bit gentler before a warbling rhythm adds some much needed weirdness and wonk. This is a classy track all the way through.

Fallen has a driving rhythm which is undercut with a gentler arpeggio, combined with a light synth and a driving sound of a train-like beat. This piece is more airy and light; a flute wafts through the piece. Then, nearly 3 minutes in, it changes tack and goes all mysterious and more hair metalish (thankfully without the terrible singing).

Domain is a strange piece as it has Carpenter's distinct synthy sounds but also parts that make it seem like the credits of an 80s game show before going into 'Phantom of the Opera' church organ grandious pomposity and cheery Jingle Bells mode. Not one for me this track as it is tonally everywhere.

Mystery starts off with a quick organ piece before the cold synthy beats kick in followed by airy and, dare I say, a romantic feeling light sound follows before slowing for dramatic effect. Then, about 3 minutes in, it gets faster, more electric guitar and drums drop and the feel gets creepier and sinister.

Abyss is a lighter start with a more cheerful feel as the instruments don't seem so oppressive. The piano is the main instrument here and it is complimented by the synths, but they all play second fiddle to the piano. (Yes, I'm aware of my clever wordplay thanks!) At about 4 minutes a stacatto beat drops and the piano is complimented by more persistent pacing synths.

Wraith is a great track as it has droplets of sounds with a cool electric guitar wending it's way through the piece. Airy sounds and echoes make the track ethereal and otherworldly.

Purgatory is a slower, more meditative piece with lots of space for the notes to breathe. It is piano centres before a stacatto drum beat raises the tempo somewhat.

Night sounds like how you'd imagine a track named this by Carpenter to sound; it has a persistent dark synthy beat and echoing arpeggios that work their way from left to right and back again to create an unsettling yet cool mood, like Hammer' Crockett's Theme.

Overall, I loved this album as it really is great mood music. I was listening to it reading a dystopian sci-fi book and it worked well to create the atmosphere needed.

LINK: Japan: My Journey to the East

LINK- Blood, Sweat and Pixels- Book Review

LINK- The Offworld Collection- Book Review

LINK- Ico and SOTC: Reflections of a Gaming Life

LINK- The Rise of Retro Gaming During Covid

LINK- Japan: My Journey to the East

Shadow of the Stone- Cult TV Series Review

Whilst trawling through the internet, trying to find a series like Children of the Stones- a compelling sci-fi, mystery, PG/ suitable for kids after school-type folk horror show- I found out about Shadow of the Stones. My curiosity piqued by the term ‘stones’ I thought I’d give it a try.

The 6-part series follows the story of an unhappy teenager called Liz who befriends a sailor from America called Steve who sails upon a yacht called the Marie Lamont. The name of the boat is important as Liz feels that she is a kindred spirit with the person it is named after who lived over 300 years ago.

Liz wishes upon the ancient Granny Kempock stone and finds herself connecting with a 17th century girl, called Marie Lamont, who was tried as a witch. But what connects Steve's ancestor Marie Lamont with Liz

As her divorced mother's relationship with her teacher gets more serious, Liz is understandably upset and takes it out on the family. Will the spirit of Marie Lamont take over and wreak havok?

I recognised a lot of the cast including Shirley Henderson, who is now most famous for playing Moaning Myrtle in Harry Potter and being a friend of Bridget Jones, and Alan Cummings, who plays a jealous young man interested in Liz, who has starred in many shows and films including the original X Men film trilogy, Spice World and loads more. Both are solid in this early career role but Henderson in particular plays a headstrong and arrogant teenager with aplomb.

The series is interesting enough as the folk tale element is intriguing and the story of a connection to the land and ancestry is always ripe for storytelling. The scenery of Renfrewshire is gorgeous to look at and, being a series that was made in 1987, shows a different time in terms of fashion and technology.

The budget is obviously minuscule but the simple story of a young girl feeling isolated and alone in her community is a powerful one. The earnest acting makes this an intriguing watch and Henderson really goes for it, changing from a young precocious girl to angry vengeful timeslip witch seeking revenge on those who wronged her. The folk tale element of Marie Lamont and the Granny Kempock stone is compelling and draws you in as it looks at mental health and whether we do enough to support those at a younger age.

Okay, it no Children of the Stones but then, what is? This is a solid short series and we'll worth a couple of hours of your time.

LINK- Ms Marvel Can Change the World

LINK- The Rise of Retro Gaming During Covid

LINK- Japan: My Journey to the East

LINK- Children of the Stones: Cult TV Series Review

LINK: Manga Exhibition at the British Museum

LINK: The Midnight Library and the Idea That You Can’t Go Home Again

2001 Nights - Cult Manga Review

I have a strange connections to The Songs of Distant Earth as it has wend its way through my life. I read the book during my formative tween years and enjoyed Arthur X. Clark's vision of man's journey to the stars. Also, I loved Mike Oldfield's album and it is probably my most listened to album as it helped me with my sleep routine during my long bouts of insomnia. I also picked up Yukinobu Hoshino's 2001 Nights graphic novel series way back in the late 90s sometime from my local comic shop. I think it was one of their grab bags I picked up that contained a couple of the books so I collected the lot in one fell swoop. It was hard sci-fi and I loved the various tales of people travelling to the stars and finding a place to call their own.

I didn't know that there was an animation but discovered it by chance through falling down the YouTube rabbit hole. I thought I'd give it a go and was pleasantly surprised that it had been translated pretty well into an animation as Hoshino's work is very precise with lots of technobabble, both real and imagined.

The 57 minute animation is split into three interconnected stories which each takes place over a different period of time.

The Seeds of Earth- An adult couple, the Robinson, make the difficult decision to  leave Earth and board a shuttle and that will use the power of a comet to take them outside the solar system. They will take with them a bank of sperm and eggs to create children that will seed their new home, whatever that may be. After 300 years they finally make landfall and settle on their new home, Ozma.

This is a prophetic tale of people truly looking outwards and looking to settle amongst the stars. The difficulties of keeping the spacecraft ship shape is shown and losing children due to fever and disease is shared but the spirit of human endeavour is shown with real passion here.

A Present From Earth- When a 10th planet is discovered, the scientists call it Lucifer. That's not foreshadowing anything right? Well, the planet is resource rich and contains dark matter that can be used to create wormhole that allows hyperspace travel. With the entire universe at its feet, man travels to new planets and starts to terraform apace including Planet Ozma which the Robinsons are headed to. This tale looks at how corporations have to consider the industrial and financial implications of such large scale projects and what they do when things don't go to plan.

Songs of a Distant Earth- The space age is in decline as Earth looks to protect and maintain it's own. Meanwhile, on Planet Ozma, the children of the Robinsons live in  harmony with each other and the planet. However, when people from Earth come along looking to settle after ruining their homeworld a tale of conflict starts.

I really enjoyed this OVA as it covers a lot of heady hard sci-fi ground in a intriguing way. Sure, the animation isn't of the quality of the manga but Yukinobu Hoshino is very precise and meticulous and reproducing this in animated form would require a much larger budget than I assume this production was given. Still, the vision and ideas flow through and, even with its issues, I can heartily recommend this slice of hard sci-fi. I hope more people discover this work as its very prescient of where we are headed with Space X, Virgin Galactic and whatnot.

Emma G. Wildford- Graphic Novel Review

Whilst scanning the sale section at Forbidden Planet, London, I picked up a hardback graphic novel for £2.99. It wasn't just the price but the beautiful cover art and a blurb promising a globetrotting adventure set within the roaring 20s that won me over. So, is it any good or do I have buyers remorse for a book that costs less than a cup of coffee?

In a time of flappers, jazz, and boundless optimism, Emma G. Wildford, a young woman with a thirst for adventure, embarks on a journey that will change her life forever. Fourteen months after her fiancé's mysterious disappearance on a National Geographic Society expedition to Lapland, Emma decides to take matters into her own hands. Ignoring the skepticism of the society's old guard, she ventures into the unknown, armed with courage, determination, and a notebook filled with her poetic musings.

As Emma traverses the harsh Arctic landscape, she confronts both physical and emotional challenges; she learns to navigate the wilderness, face her fears, and embrace her own strength. Along the way, she encounters a cast of intriguing characters, from eccentric scientists to enigmatic locals, each leaving an indelible mark on her journey.

This stunning graphic novel, brought to life by the talented team of Edith and Zidrou, is a captivating tale of love, loss, and self-discovery with one of the most compelling aspects of Emma's story being her exploration of selfloss. This concept, rooted in Slavic and Icelandic folklore, involves a liminal journey to confront one's soul. Emma's quest for her missing fiancé becomes a metaphorical journey of self-discovery, as she grapples with grief, uncertainty, and the complexities of love.

Edith's breathtaking artwork, with its vibrant colors, dynamic compositions, and attention to detail within the city contrasts wonderfully with the stark beauty of the Arctic landscape whilst Zidrou's sharp writing brings Emma's character to life, highlighting her intelligence, resilience, and unwavering spirit. The dialogue is witty and insightful balancing moments of introspection with thrilling adventure.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Emma G. Wildford as it's a universal tale of love, loss, and the power of human spirit, beautifully told through stunning artwork and insightful writing. It is highly recommended and worth well over the £2.99 I paid for it.

Tsundoku- My Book Addiction

My name is Anjum and I am an addict: I collect books. I'm a bookworm who just can’t get enough of that sweet, sweet bibliochor scent. I have tsundoku which is the Japanese term for the act of acquiring reading materials and letting them pile up without reading them. And let me tell you, my pile is massive. I've got books, comics, graphic novels and magazines stacked on my bedside table, dining room table and have a heaving pile on my bookshelf.

It's not that I don't want to read them, it's just that there are so many books I want to read there is so little time to do so. Every time I go to the bookshop, charity shop or newsagents, I come home with some new piece of reading material or two, convinced that I'll have plenty of time to read them later. But "later" never seems to come.

My wife often teases me about my book hoarding, calling me a collector of stuff and, to be honest, she may have a point. However, I do have a wide range of interests and I'm always eager to learn new things but sometimes it feels like I'm drowning in a sea of unread material.

Despite my tsundoku tendencies, I do manage to read a fair amount, especially during the summer holidays when I have more free time. But even then, I can't resist the urge to buy more books.

So, what's the solution to my tsundoku problem? I'm not sure. Perhaps I should try to be more selective about the books I buy. Or maybe I should set aside specific times for reading each day. Whatever the solution, I know that I need to do something to get a handle on my ever-growing book pile. Nah! Life’s short so do what you can to get through it and enjoy the simple pleasures in life.

To The Devil a Daughter- Cult Film Review

My love for old horror films started in my formative teen years. The BBC would show cult horror films late on Friday and Saturday nights in the early to mid-90s and, when we got Sky, late 90s/ early 2000s Bravo Channel. Some were the more salacious films of 60s and 70s European cinema, often in the horror genre but not always-  some were experimental pieces which had a deeply ethereal feel and long moments of quiet where the gorgeous scenery and silence would wash over you. It was here I first saw Circus of Horrors, Twins of Evil, The Pit and the Pendulum and many, many more.

One of the films I'd seen only in passing was the Hammer horror film 'To the Devil a Daughter.’ I'd read the book by Dennis Wheatley in my teens but couldn't remember much about it. The film I only partially remembered as it featured Christopher Lee and a young Natassja Kinski, daughter of the legendary (and later found to be highly problematic for many reasons) Klaus Kinski. I remember her being beguiling in the film but grew to know her later through Paris, Texas. With the dark nights coming in, I thought I'd give 'To the Devil a Daughter' another watch as it had been about 30 or so years since I'd last seen and read it.

The story involves a battle between good and evil, as an excommunicated priest who has turned to Satanism (Christopher Lee as the understated yet evil Father Michael) battles against those who wish to stop his nefarious plans (Richard Widmark playing it straight as occult author John Verney). They want to use a young nun (an ingenue Kinski playing as Catherine) to act as a vessel for Satan's return. There is a constant game of cat and mouse as the opposing forces battle it out during the course of the film for the control of Catherine.

I thought that the premise was interesting enough but it lacks something - a bit of personality maybe. The characters are played straight and there is no hammy acting as in some of the earlier Hammer horror films but it feels very straight-laced and uptight. However, with many great British actors from the time, including a glamorous Honour Blackman and a suitably sweaty Denholm Elliot, so there is still a benchmark of quality.

It's an effective story, feeding into the whole 'Satanic Panic' that emerged from the counter-culture movement in the 1970s but lacks the bite of 'The Exorcist' or 'Rosemary's Baby'. However, the stock footage of old London is quaint and gives me a feeling of nostalgia, even though I was born 5 years after the film was made, as there were many buildings and sights I recognised, even though modern skyscrapers now dominate the skyline.

Overall, it's a strange film and was to be Hammer horror's last before it went into hibernation for over 30 years. It’s an interesting curio and well worth your time.

LINK- Ico and SOTC: Reflections of a Gaming Life

LINK- Shadow of the Colossus (Boss Key): Book Review

LINK- The Last Guardian: Video Game Review

LINK- An Ico Retrospective

LINK- Let’s All Create a ‘New Normal’.

LINK- Ms Marvel Can Change the World

LINK- The Rise of Retro Gaming During Covid

LINK- Japan: My Journey to the East

LINK- Children of the Stones: Cult TV Series Review

Genocyber- Cult Manga Review

Genocyber is an enfant terrible of the manga world. I had never seen it before but knew of its reputation through the fact that it was part of the Cyberpunk Collection boxset, alongside AD Police and Cyber City Oedo 808. I thought I'd correct this oversight and give the series a watch. Woah boy, was it a strange 2 1/2 hour ride.

Coming hot off the heels of Akira, Genocyber offers a pretty similar dystopian vision of the future with mega corporations, kids with psionic powers and violence brought to the fore. The 5 part series looks at how scientific research and corporate espionage leads to the creation of powers beyond human kinds control- yup, it's the old 'man's hubris brings down society' tale.

The first, and most well known episode concerns two sisters who have been scientifically altered. They develop psionic powers and, together, they can form a killing machine called the Genocyber. Their military use is obvious but rather than be blunt tools for violence, the younger girl Elaine fights back with grizzly and gorey results against the older Diane. The story is a pretty straightforward tale of sibling rivalry, revenge and a quest for freedom of choice.

The second and third episodes continue the story arc with Elaine rescued by a navy ship. Onboard, she is befriended by a nurse who lost her own daughter in a tragic accident. However, when a scientist is experimenting on a bio weapon he realises that Elaine has powers and wants to utilise it for his own means. He creates an amalgamation of the Genocyber with is own reaseach but it gets out of control and Elaine uses her powers to become a protective hero to the nurse.

The final story arc of episodes 4 and 5 moved the story forward a few years and we see that society has risen up after the devastation of the previous episodes. The new city looks to be a modern paradise but is beset by an authoritarian leader, a religious cult and a poor, repressed working class. Underground, Elaine's Genocyber is worshipped as an angel of redemption but when a young couple discover the corruption of the city, they awaken Elaine and chaos ensues.

Overall, the premise of a man-made creature losing control and wreaking havok is interesting but the execution is uneven; it is no Akira. Episode 1 is the most consistently animated of the three arcs with use of live action and early CGI but the quality can be varying in quality, even within the same episode. Arc three has the worst animation of the series, which is a shame as its Beneath the Planet of the Apes premise of an underground religious resistance had great potential for artistry but, alas, it's all just dark and murky with no real flair in animation or scene setting shown.

The other issue I had was that the characterisation was paper thin; you don't know who you should root for. When you also factor in a wonky and stilted English dub, the lack of empathy or sympathy for the characters means you don't feel invested in their fate.

Genocyber is rightly remembered as an early example of ‘Japanimation’ hyperviolence and excess but it doesn't move beyond that into something profound. I'm no prude but violence just for the sake of violence seems to me pretty pointless. Overall, Genocyber is not fondly remembered or highly regarded within the anime community and, having watched it, I can see why. I do not recommend this series at all.

LINK: Japan: My Journey to the East

LINK- Blood, Sweat and Pixels- Book Review

LINK- The Offworld Collection- Book Review

LINK- Ico and SOTC: Reflections of a Gaming Life

LINK- The Rise of Retro Gaming During Covid

LINK- Japan: My Journey to the East

LINK- Children of the Stones: Cult TV Series Review

The Works of Fumito Ueda: A Different Perspective on Video Games - Book Review (and some thoughts)

I have a deep love for the trilogy of videogames made by Fumito Ueda. Over the course of two decades, he has made just three games but they are all unique and have pushed forward the argument that videogames can be art. I have read the novelisation behind his first work Ico: Castle in the Mist by Miyuki Miyabe (which I've reviewed here) and the deep dive Boss Fight book about his second game Shadow of the Colossus (reviewed here) but I still do not know much about the artist himself. Author Damien Mecheri looks into the early life, inspiration and creation of this most illusive of auteurs in his book The works of Fumito Ueda: A Different Perspective on Video Games. He does this through trawling through interviews, video footage and research rather than access to the great man himself but what is revealed is fascinating stuff indeed.

We get a brief biography including the fact that he wasn't a keen student but rather more interested in manga and videogames. He became as Art Student and was inspired by the works of Giorgio de Chirico, Gérard Trignac, Giovanni Battista Piranesi and Hiyao Miyazaki. When he got his first job it was with a local television company and then a computer graphics company who used Light Wave 3D. He made his first games with Warp (best know for the cult games D and Enemy Zero) before being given an opportunity to pitch to Sony.

The first section of the book is about 50 pages and is entitled Creation. It looks at the making of the three games Ueda is known for: Ico, Shadow of the Colossus and The Last Guardian.

Ico
Mecheri breaks down the inspiration for Ico and it makes for a fascinating drop down the Google rabbit hole. He discusses the well known games Prince of Persia and Another World (both of which I'd played and completed many year ago) but there were more obscure inspiration that I looked into as I watched the animation The King and the Mockingbird and Galaxy Express 999.

Some facts that I found particularly fascinating were:
- The economy of means and design by subtraction, both Ueda's calling cards, meant the game was created by a maximum of 23 people.
- Rather than photorealism he was looking for emotional realism, the way characters acted and interacted had to have that universality of human connection. I believe it is due to these reasons that Ico is still well regarded and remembered today.
- The lack of lore in the game imbues the architecture, the third character in the game of you will, with a mixture of awe and wonder and some level of menace. The strangely cohesive whole, which starts off looking like many non-Euclidian spaces from gaming back in that era, actually does work as a cohesive space. If you can see it, you will probably go there sometime in the game.

When I played Ico, over 20 years ago now, it was full of intrigue and mystery. Why was there a boy with horns? Why was he being taken to the temple? Why was he placed in the sarcophagus? What had happened to the people of this land? The wonderful thing about this game was that very little is revealed to you, even when you finished the game. The world seemed rich and immersed in a history which I didn't know, no lore was presented in Ico but you could create your own narrative through events and the structures within the castle. A lot you had to interpret and guess and, for someone who likes media that makes you think and question, that suited me just fine.

Playing the game I fell in love with the simple but powerful mechanic of not understanding my partner Yorda, but knowing that I had to help her escape the castle. The game itself is an escort mission but not annoying; you develop a protective bond with this ethereal girl who you can't communicate with. The bond of holding hands is powerful and later on when you are without her it feels terrible, not many escort missions can achieve that.

Shadow of the Colossus
For his next game, Ueda wanted an adventure and action game that did away with superfluous low level minions but concentrated on the boss battles. His idea was that the player should have all the tools required from the beginning of the game and that it would be a matter of skill rather than inventory that would win the day.

When I bought the game on release day I loved the opening. We were given some narrative but events felt bigger than us and the world seemed to have existed before our character even comes into play, it seems like a lived in world yet so very little is told; Why was there a dead girl dead? Who was Wander and what was his relationship to the girl? What was this desolate place and how did Wander know of the prophecy to cheat death and bring people back from the other side? Who were the Colossi and who was the voice guiding you to destroy such beautiful creatures?

There seemed to be a connection and it felt that if you worked hard enough you could understand, but with the economy of design and lack of voice over work and cut scenes explaining the story, you could create your own narrative based on what you saw and felt. There is no ludonarrative dissonance; the world was free to explore and it was only by holding the sword aloft that you were directed where to go. Meeting the different colossi for the first time was such a thrill, very few games have matched the sheer awe of meeting these mysterious creatures for the first time. As you fulfilled your dreaded destiny and killed these mighty beasts there was a feeling of remorse and regret. After each killings there was a sense of futile interactivity as the black tendrils enveloped you and left their mark on our slowly decaying body.

Both Ico and SoTC still resonates with me and this is in no small part due to their phenomenal soundtracks. The SotC score in particular resonates with me still and was created by Kou Ootani, who also soundtracked the wonderful Haibane Renmei (one of my favourite anime).

The Ico OST is scarce but perfectly pitched for key events, like the original Prince of Persia game. SotC has an emotive score full of sadness but also adventure, it suits the mood perfectly and both soundtracks are masterclasses on scoring for a game and how much a score can lend to an overall games impact.

The Last Guardian
Ueda planned his next game to be about the relationship between a boy and an animal, as he noticed a lot of people had reacted very emotionally to the Wander-Agro dynamic.

Some facts that I found particularly fascinating were:
- He wanted Trico to behave like an adolescent, not always reacting to instructions immediately or positively.
- He wanted a quicker turnaround time on the game so pushed for R and D first before going into the planning stage.
- With the game falling behind schedule Ueda left Sony but worked with them through his newly formed company Gen Design.
- Other Sony studios pooled together to get the game back on track and PS4 ready.
- The game did okay but well below expectations. However, it did recoup it's production costs as it wasn't that expensive, especially when compared to Western development costs at the time.

I bought the PS4 and The Last Guardian on the same day. In fact, I got the PS4 specifically to play the game. Now, there were a few other games of interest but this was the one for me.
I found the game to be full of interesting ideas and the art style was beautiful but I did find it lacking. It was a singular game and I appreciated it for trying something very different at a time when games had become a bit safe and less adventurous. The soundtrack was good but it didn't get into my soul like the precious two games. I think it missed the Outani score from the second game in particular.

The next section then looks at Universe, this is the interconnected worlds that can be seen within the game--dependent upon the interpretation of the player. The Castle in the Mist, the Forbidden Lands and the ancient structures with the evil eye of the Nest all seem to be a interconnected world, this was well before Marvel movies popularised this idea

Universe looks at how Ueda's themes are open to interpretation by each player, he doesn't provide definite answers. Like the abstract art he so loves, Ueda has intentionality in his works but how people react and experience the games are all valid. However, there are certain motiffs that cover Ueda's games including horns, Chiaroscuro, fatality and sacrifice,

The chapter, 'In the Shadow of Tales' was fascinating to me as an an old Anthropology student. When Bruno Battelheim and Joseph Campbell are mentioned my eyebrows shot up with interest- this was my bag and what I was looking for within this book.

I like the authors description of the difference between a tale, myth and legend:
'A tale is, first and foremost, an account that only exists for itself. While it has the power to pass on morals or values, it nevertheless doesn’t explain anything. A legend, on the other hand, has a more general basis on actual historical elements, but mostly transforms them to embellish or intensify the reality. As for a myth, it has a superior element: belief. A myth is a symbolic explanation of how the world, or nature, functions and has served as social, philosophical and ethical bases for numerous civilizations.'

The rough gist is stories predate the printing press, libraries and even writing itself. Myths and legends, Fables and folklore are passed down from generation to generation, across the years. We create and share them, and in turn, they create us as well, by becoming the building blocks of our cultures. They teach us our values and what we believe, and they hold us together, across diaspora and against the ticking of the clock. We remember our Ancestors, they world they lived in, and the things they believed through the stories they left behind.

There are myths that millions of people are familiar with-the ones that are shared across an entire culture or religion, that tell us how our world wad created, the origins of life, of gods and Goddesses and spirits. Even though they are written in books now these originated from the oral tradition, stories told around campfires or sung in ballads.
Even though in much of the West, faith in religious institutions has massively declined, the interest in myths has remained steadfast as their power lie not in their truthfulness, but rather what they make us feel and what they inspire.

Chapter 3 looks at the music and the sound design. For Ico, Mecheri discusses the sound spatialisation that compliments the colossal castle structure and cavernous rooms, creating a sense of isolation and foreboding in the echoey spaces. The soundtrack was composed by Michiru Ōshima and Pentagon with a couple of tracks created by Masaaki Kaneko.

The author then looks at the majestic Kou Ootani score for SotC, which is glorious with orchestral swells and contemplative moments.

I own the CD of Ico and Shadow of the Colossus and the vinyl for Colossus too so these are formative videogame scores for me. Mecheri also looks at Takeshi Furukawa's The Last Guardian soundtrack which was performed by the London Symphony Orchestra.

Chapter 4, Decryption, looks at how the games were received amongst different communities, the reviewers, gamers and the public. Mecheri looks at how many fans of Ico and Shadow of the Colossus spoke about "poetic intuition–the impression of experiencing an elegant, magical, touching and inspiring work." And he's not wrong. When I experienced the games I was going through an existential crisis, as many late teens go through, and the games were a salve of sorts for my anxieties. There was the usual heated debate about 'art games' but in a world of Journey, Dear Esther and Gone Home, what constitutes a game isn't set in stone.

He then does a deep dive into art vs Art and it is a thoughtful and considered discussion. He asserts that Ernst Hans Gombrich was correct in his 1959s book The Story of Art, when he says, “There really is no such thing as Art. There are only artists. [...] There is no harm in calling all these activities art as long as we keep in mind that such a word may mean very different things in different times and places, and as long as we realize that Art with a capital A has no existence. For Art with a capital A has come to be something of a bogey and a fetish.”

The focus of art history and how it was thr preserve of the elite, until pretty recently, is fascinating and well presented. We travel through the Greek mimises to Kandinsky, to Cubism to Nouveau Roman. For anyone interested in the whole 'Are Video games art?' debate, this is the book you've been waiting for as both sides are presented is a fairly balanced way respectfully. For me, art is any medium where a unique piece has been created which elicit an emotion, be it deeply moving or introspection inducing. Art can exist in many mediums but can be unique in the specificities of the medium it is presented in be it paint, sculpture, collage, digital imaging or video games.

Mecheri looks at auteur theory and the power of an individual with a stylistic and thematic consistency.

Approaching the end of the book, Mecheri discusses the impact that the games of Ueda have had on the industry. He discusses numerous video games and creatives who cite it as an inspiration including Hideo Kojima, Peter Molyneaux, Neil Druckman, Yoko Taro and many more.

Conclusion
I love Ueda's trilogy of games as they stood apart from what was the prevailing gaming theory and design of the time. In think I prefer his use of narrative through gameplay rather than having an audio log/ diary pages/ weird graffiti on walls as I always find it feels like the need of the authors to assert themselves in games. This can be oppressive at times. Don't get me wrong, I don't think all games need to have stories or benefit from not having stories but there should be careful editing and curation of the information shared.
The influence of his games has been keenly felt across the medium and I am glad that I had a chance to read this deep dive into this enigmatic creatic and true genius.

LINK- Ico and SOTC: Reflections of a Gaming Life

LINK- Shadow of the Colossus (Boss Key): Book Review

LINK- The Last Guardian: Video Game Review

LINK- An Ico Retrospective

LINK- Let’s All Create a ‘New Normal’.

LINK- Ms Marvel Can Change the World

LINK- The Rise of Retro Gaming During Covid

LINK- Japan: My Journey to the East

LINK- Children of the Stones: Cult TV Series Review

Ico: Castle in the Mist- Book Review

The book, Ico: Castle in the Mist is written by Miyuki Miyabe in 2004 and, when it was written, was her first novelisation. In her foreword she states that this book is her interpretation and extrapolation of the story within the game. It is not a walkthrough or explanation according to the game: it is her own narrative which uses the game as a stimulus. I love this idea as it means she can be creative and not ruin the mystique of this singular game that is open to interpretation.

The handholding mechanic was a groundbreaking moment in gaming history, transcending the usual tropes and expectations of the time. The simple act of holding Yorda's hand was not just a gameplay mechanic but a powerful emotional connection that resonated deeply with players. The lack of heavy exposition and reliance on environmental storytelling was also a bold choice that paid off. The mysterious and haunting atmosphere of the castle, combined with the subtle hints of lore, created a sense of wonder and unease that perfectly complemented the emotional journey of Ico and Yorda.

The novel reads like a prequel to the game that gradually flows into the Ico game we know and love. It then continues the game's narrative adding extra detail and dimensions onto those original story beats with more characterisation and detail.

The tale starts with the birth of a horned child, meaning there will be a sacrifice to the castle in the mist when he comes of age at 13 years. It is a terrible sacrifice and the high priest of Toksa Village does not want to do it but the divity of the Lord of Light is contained within and there have been dreadful repercussions beforehand so it is a cost that must be paid.  
Inside the castle, Ico meets Yorda, a waifish pale young girl who is kept in an iron cage. Together the young victims of circumstance plan their escape, all the while trying to understand why the castle demands a blood sacrifice.
Ico keeps having visions of a horned knight who calls him 'my son' and sees glimpses of Yorda's life but what can it all mean?

I haven't really read many novelisations since the 80s and early 90s, when they were a huge deal, but this is a solid retelling and enhancement of the game's narrative. We get the story told from Ico's point of view for the first third of the book, followed by Yorda's story and then the final part of the book is the ending with the great escape.

Overall, I liked the novel as it made me reflect on the obscure lore presented within the game but also it is a pretty solid novelisation in and of itself. However, I felt it was overlong in places and the story didn't really need over 350 pages to be told. I enjoyed the book then but, with a greater appreciation of literature and time being more squeezed, it's not one I'd recommend to every reader, just fans of the game.

Lifeforce - Cult Movie Review

A couple of years ago, I watched a documentary about Cannon Films called Electric Boogaloo: The Wild Untold Story of Cannon Films. I watched it as I recognised the logo from the trailer and it tickled something in my memory about a few films I had watched back in the 80s and early 90s. Watching it, I heard about the maverick and unusual lifestyles of Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus.

One of the films that was mentioned was 1985s Lifeforce, their biggest, most ambitious and expensively financed film. Unfortunately, it was not a success and contributed to the studios downfall however it has been reappraised and is considered by some as a bit of a failed folly but also a bit of a throwback gem. With this in mind, I thought I'd dive in a see what all/ lack of fuss (dependent upon your thoughts on the film) was about.

The films starts with an opening crawl about a joint American-British space mission to investigate Halley's Comet. We see the spacecraft approach the comet but an alien spaceship, which looks like a huge nerve cell, appears. The crew decide to investigate and find some giant dead bat-like creatures as well as two naked bodies, two make and one female. The astronauts decide to take the bodies back to Earth but all hell breaks loose as the female alien (played by the beautiful Mathilda May) escapes and seeks to revive her species by taking the life force of Earth's population. She starts off with London and as the apocalyptic events unfold a scientist and remaining astronaut from the initial voyage try to take her down.

I have to say, having watched the film I can see why it is considered a cult classic; it very nearly gets there but it just feels a little off in places to be considered truly great or a genre classic. The story of vampires in SPAAAACE is fun but is let down by wooden lead performances. It tries for John Carpenter but feels so much less so as the cast just can't pull it off- there is no actor of the calibre of Kurt Russell, Rowdy Roddie Piper or Keith David. Sure, we have May, who plays the ethereal alien woman and is naked all the time for sound plot purposes (I’m sure) or for the usual Cannon exploitative element, but there is no gravitas - even when an early Patrick Stewart steps in. What we have is a confusing film which mixes the usual sci-fi tropes with some lightly restrained titilation.

Mathilda May is a beguiling presence in this film.

However, I do have to say that the soundtrack by Henry Mancini is excellent and the VFX, which were supervised by John Dykstra, are amazing. The set design in the first 20 minutes is immaculate and still stands the test of time. The matte painting and miniatures skills of the artists is amazing and makes the alien ship interior look like a cohesive whole. The animatronic zombie husks are pretty effective but the scenes where there are riots and crowd scenes in London look pretty awful though. The background actors flail around and newspaper remnants are whipped up by the wind machine which looks cheap and tacky after the exciting introduction.

Overall, Lifeforce is still pretty watchable and quite entertaining. It hits the same spot as some of Hammer Studios’ lesser works in that you need to see it, at least once.

The Curse of Kazuo Umezu- Cult Manga Review

Kazuo Umezu is a legendary figure in the world of horror manga, with a career spanning decades. His influence on subsequent generations of horror creators, including Junji Ito, is undeniable. I had heard of Umezu but never read or seen any of his work. Seeking to right this wrong, I thought I’d go check out the work of this respected creative and watchedThe Curse of Kazuo Umezu, an OVA that delves into the disturbing and grotesque world of Umezu's imagination by retelling two of his tales.

The first tale is What Will the Video Camera Reveal? and introduces us to Rina, a new student who joins our protagonist Masami's class. Rina seems to have a strange effect on people, and Masami becomes increasingly frightened of her. In her dreams, Masami sees a horrifying creature that seems to be attached to Rina. She uses the videocamera to record herself sleeping, hoping to capture evidence of the creature but the the video reveals a horrifying truth.

The second tale is The Haunted Mansion and is a classic tale of youthful curiosity leading to terrifying consequences. During a sleepover, a couple of horror fans visit the local haunted mansion before it is torn down but they encounter a terrifying force that threatens to destroy them.

I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed my time with The Curse of Kazuo Umezu as it is a disturbing and unforgettable horror story that beautifully showcases the dark and twisted imagination of its creator. The animation is beautiful and detailed as Umezu’s experience with shoujo illustrations shines through; the girls have fine, frilly almost gothic lolita like-designs and eyelashes aplenty. The delicate shoujo art style and body horror is a great contrasting combination. The beautiful art and creepy storyline is complimented by the music which is eerie, creating a truly unsettling atmosphere. The stories are both thought-provoking and disturbing, and they will stay with you long after you've finished watching. This feels like an anime version of Tales from the Crypt or Tales from the Dark Side and both stories are thoroughly spooky and engaging

LINK- Japan: My Journey to the East

LINK- Blood, Sweat and Pixels- Book Review

LINK- The Offworld Collection- Book Review

LINK- Shadow of the Colossus- Book Review

LINK: Manga Exhibition at the British Museum

LINK- The Midnight Library and the Idea That You Can’t Go Home Again

LINK- The Transportive Nature of Objects (And the Power of Mini Consoles)

LINK- My One True Gaming Constant in Life- Nintendo

The King in Yellow - Book Review

The King in Yellow is the 1895 weird tales book by Robert Chambers that has been hugely influential across media including TV (True Detective), books (inspiring the weird horror, cosmology and Cthulhu mythos of H.P. Lovecraft and the like, as well as videogames (Deadly Premonition, Signalis, Dark Souls and many more).

The book is comprised of 10 short tales and poems, some of which feature The King in Yellow that mysterious book within a book. This collection about a malevolent entity of otherworldly origins and the alien world of Corcosa has captivated readers for over a century however in this collection are tales are more romantic in nature which do not feature this cosmological entity that brings madness and chaos wherever it goes.

The stories are:
The Repairer of Reputations
The Mask
In the Court of the Dragon
The Yellow Sign
The Demoiselle d'Ys
The Prophets' Paradise
The Street of the Four Winds
The Street of the First Shell
The Street of Our Lady of the Fields
Rue Barrée

The Repairer of Reputations
This story involves a man of some means who has delusions of grandeur as he has read The King in Yellow. He dreams of being anointed as The Last King of The Imperial Dynasty of America. However, his cousin, who is a military man, stands in his way.
This is a good opening story as we are introduced to the dreaded tome and the warped effects it has on the human mind. It builds towards a dramatic denouement and is suitably sinister in its descriptions of the unsavoury parts of early 20th century Paris.

The Mask
A sculptor uncovers a scientific means of turning matter into stone, a useful tool for his trade to be sure. However, when a love triangle with his partner and his best friend threatens the tightly connected group, revenge seems on the cards.
This is a romantic story about unrequited love and the curse of the creator when the muse no longer inspires. It builds to a tragic climax but ends quite hopefully.

In the Court of the Dragon
A man reflects upon his life in a church but the organist plays some terrifying music. On his way home the man feels a presence and, through a time loop, ends up back at the church and then at Corcosa where he meets the King in Yellow.
This is a terrifying tale of the eerieness of liminal spaces; a usually knowable space that becomes malevolent within a different context. It features the iconic line, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God!”

The Yellow Sign
When an artist and his model muse keep seeing a strange man, who they had dreamt about beforehand,  they wonder who he is. When they find The King in Yellow book in the library they know that their fate is sealed.
The story is wonderful as the love that grows between the artist and his model is slowly revealed and quite sweetly done. When they are consumed by the book their downfall is assured.

The Demoiselle D'ys
When an American tourist on a hunting tour gets lost in the moors of Britanny, France, he hunkers down for the night. However, before night falls he meets a beautiful and skilled huntress, a young woman who invited him to join her for the night at her castle. The castle seems to be a place out of time and the oddities continue.
This is an intriguing timeslip/ isekai story and, as the American hunter becomes aware of the unusual dialect, lifestyle and conversation, the differences between the time periods becomes more scarily stark.

The Prophets' Paradise
This is a collection of 8 poems based on various themes with different titles: The Studio, The Phantom, The Sacrifice, Destiny, The Throng, The Jester, The Green Room, and The Love Test.

The next three stories, which are not about the King in Yellow mythos, I call the Street Trilogy and I found to be less interesting overall. The Street of the Four Winds is about an artist in Paris who welcomes a stray cat into his home. While philosophising with his new found furry friend, he sees the name tag of the owner and decides to return it. He enters the ornate house and enters the bedroom. This is a strange story and is a bit of a weird tale in the style of Haruki Murakami or Katsuhito Otomo's Memories.

The Street of the First Shell
This concerns the citizens of a besieged city in the Franco-Prussian war. It's a tale of survival and community but also suspicion. It's slow paced and a pretty tough read as there are a lot of characters and political intrigue that I just couldn't get into.

The Street of Our Lady of the Field concerns the travails of love amongst the student art community. It's all quite gentle, playful and freewheeling like the work of Fellini- all vibes and rizz.

Rue Barre
This is quite a sweet love story as boy sees girl, falls in love with girl, buys tonnes of flowers for the girl without her knowing and sends them to her place. So far so stalker but rather than staying in the shadows he goes to speak to her face to face but is politely rejected. The story ends with the pair being awkward and unable to express themselves when the protagonist gets drunk one night and climbs up to her window on the second floor.

Overall, The King in Yellow is a captivating read and it’s a testament to Chambers' skill that his work continues to resonate with readers over a century later. The way he weaves together themes of cosmic horror, madness, and the uncanny is truly masterful. The mysterious play within the book serves as a powerful symbol of the unknown and the terrifying and -with the world in the situation it currently is- completely relatable.

Gyo by Jinji Ito- Graphic Novel Review

Junji Ito is known for creating a  sense of unease and creeping dread that is often mixed with body horror. He often bases this in everyday life and the malignant force happens to people, rarely is there a hero who escapes... It's a bit of a downer really but that's what people like about his work. There's often no deus ex machina or hard reset; the world is messed up and that's it -fade to black.

In Gyo, a manga from the early 2000s, we are introduced to Tadashi and Kaori, a young couple who go to the coast of Okinawa. Whilst there they discover a new breed of animal: a walking fish. However, when these creatures and other sea beasts that have evolved start to take over the land the novel's premise, while initially seemingly absurd, quickly spirals into a terrifying exploration of humanity's impact on the natural world.

Sure, the characters are archetypes but Ito uses them effectively to highlight the chaos and desperation of the situation. Kaori's demands and Tadashi's reluctant heroism add a layer of dark comedy to the horror. Kaori is the stereotypical shrill demanding girlfriend who is pretty unreasonable to her boyfriend, at one point asking him to get rid of a walking Great White Shark! Meanwhile, Tadashi is the put upon boyfriend who tries to be the hero but is just an everyman who is overwhelmed by what is happening. Tadashi's uncle is an eccentric scientist who wants to investigate these strange creatures as, after years of early promise with his inventions, he has not been able to fulfill his potential.

What follows is a tale involving World War II, biological weapons and a force that is hard to control. Ito's signature grotesque style is on full display here, with the walking fish and other monstrous creatures becoming nightmarish symbols of ecological disaster. The way he blends elements of horror, science fiction, and historical fiction creates a truly unsettling atmosphere.

The inclusion of the Enigma of Amigara Fault is a nice touch, providing a stark contrast to the sprawling narrative of Gyo. It's a testament to Ito's versatility as a storyteller. Overall, Gyo is a must-read for fans of horror and fans of Ito's work. It's a disturbing, thought-provoking, and visually stunning masterpiece.

LINK: Japan: My Journey to the East

LINK: Blood, Sweat and Pixels- Book Review

LINK: The Offworld Collection- Book Review

LINK: Shadow of the Colossus- Book Review

LINK: Manga Exhibition at the British Museum

LINK: The Midnight Library and the Idea That You Can’t Go Home Again

LINK: The Transportive Nature of Objects (And the Power of Mini Consoles)

LINK: My One True Gaming Constant in Life- Nintendo

Play Nice: The Rise, Fall, and Future of Blizzard Entertainment- Book Review (and Some Thoughts)

As a gamer I know of Blizzard. I know of their huge games like World of Warcraft, Starcraft and Overwatch but, to be honest, the only game I've played of theirs is The Lost Vikings on the Megadrive. However, I knew of Rock and Roll Racing on the SNES from friends who had it at the time back in the day. Our paths have never really crossed but I was interested in the story as their rise, fall and whatever happens next has been interesting to follow on social media and on the gaming pages.

Play Nice: The Rise, Fall and Future of Blizzard Entertainment by Jason Schreier does the deep dive into the company that is so sorely needed. It starts at the 2023 Blizzcon but goes through its origins in 1991 when it was called Silicon and Synapse. We then get a potted history of its founders, Allan Adham, Michael Morhaime, and Frank Pearce, and their evolution from a studio for hire - making conversions for other platforms - to Blizzard where it made Warcraft in 1994.  We then go through the various acquisitions, such as the purchase of Condor who were making Diablo, to the wild success of StarCraft. More interestingly though, we gain an understanding of the financial mismanagement and self-enrichment that led to tensions within the studio and the frat boy bro culture that persisted. This created a toxic environment that grew over time to be off-kilter with the changing accepted norms of society.

There are nuggets of facts that make this an interesting read including:

- Andy Weir, the author of The Martian (which was famously turned into a Matt Damon led film and was bizarrely put into the Comedy nominations for the 2016 Golden Globes) worked at Blizzard for about a year as a programmer but left after some staff bullied him as the code he did was not absolutely spot on.

- Battlenet was proposed by some at the company as a potential digital storefront that could house other company's products but this was shot down by the higher ups. This could have been Steam wayyy before Steam became a thing.

- World of Warcraft was the biggest games release at the time, selling over 1.5 million copies within a few months and peaking at 12.5 millions users just a few years later.

- Bobby Kotick bought Mediagenic and then reverted to its original name: Activision.

- Kotick turned the company's fortune around by repackaging and selling its old games and then merged with Blizzard.

- In the early 2000s, World of Warcraft was making over half a billion dollars a year.

- As World of Warcraft became a cash cow a hierarchy emerged with the developers of that game being top of the pile. This led to resentment across the company as their contributions felt ignored or overshadowed.

- When Kotick took over the majority shares of Blizzard from Vivendi, he pushed for annualisation in a line goes up mentality. This let to an annual glut of games that lacked innovation and lightly iterated on previous releases. Inevitably, these games were reviewed lower with each successive game and exhausted many gamers. Game series that burned bright for this short time included Guitar Hero and Tony Hawk.

- Overwatch was a much needed boost in finances and was a hugely successful release. Unfortunately, new corporate overlords just looked at finances rather than brand recognition. This led to a huge rise in micro transactions and loot boxes.

- When Morhaime left Blizzard in 2018, after sensing the direction of travel from Kotick, J. Allen Brack took over but Activision had already started to mooch in. They put a trailer for Call of Duty in Blizzcon which was out of step with much of the core audience.

- Diablo Immortal, the micro-transaction filled mobile game, was poorly received by fans. It allowed the more toxic elements of the 'gamers' (tm) to target and abuse many Blizzard staff, many who had no control over what decisions were being made above their pay grade.

- In 2019, Kotick announced record earnings in 2018 but not quite where he had projected so there would be changes. This is when 800 staff members were let go... this carried on the trend that the video game industry is still dealing with: release a product and get rid of lots of staff afterwards as a cost cutting measure to show inflated profits.

- Blitzchung spoke against China's influence over Hong Kong but Blizzard banned him. Brack did a mealy-mouthed apology without mentioning China, Hong Kong or Blitzchug

- When Warcraft 3 Reforged was given a release date before even being started on, the game became a crunched release and was Blizzard's lowest rating game at 51% on Metacritic. The company offered quibble free refunds and was humiliated.

- Covid happened and the stacked ranking system, where staff were ranked in accordance to a managers opinions on those individuals, was introduced. It did not go well as there is no fair system to rate individuals.

- During Covid, videogame companies made record profits as people were stuck at home with lots of time, but the people within the industry struggled with going online, childcare and all the other stresses that Covid exacerbated.

- There was a Blizzard Tax: you worked for a respected company but we're paid less than your industry peers. Many left for other studios and then were wooed back with higher pay, this was the ‘Blizzard Boomerang’.

- In 2021, a Sexual Misconduct and Descrimination lawsuit was filed and was settled for $51 million dollars outside of court.

- Rumours of swinger parties reached mainstream media and the disparity in power between the people involved raised many questions.

- The infamous Cosby Suite was less to do with the comedians rape allegation charges and more to do with the colour of his jumpers matching the carpet in the hotel room, apparently. However, in light of the sexual misconduct allegations that had surfaced, the optics did not look good.

- The ABK board were mostly friends and close associates of Kotick and did not remove him, even when allegations that he knew about the various sexual misconduct charges but did nothing came to light.

- Microsoft bought the studio for $69 billion dollars (nice) and the future of the company is uncertain as there have been mass layoffs within the industry and Blizzard is no exception.

The book covers a lot of the same issues that have led to many problems across the video games industry; crunch, lack of financial compensation for those who make the games, unreasonable deadlines, staff burnout, a toxic workspace environment and an executive class whose push for a consistent revenue stream through games as a service a model, even when it does not suite the game or genre, against infrequent but polished hits has played havok with the industry. The Sword of Damocles hangs over the industry as a whole and Jason Schreier has been instrumental in bringing to light the issues that have plagued what was one of the most revered and respected studios. 

Having read the book, I've been thinking of the Moloch Trap: the race to the bottom where there is no eventual winner but, because everyone else is doing it, you feel that you must too to keep up and have parity with your peers. The videogame industry has this idea that constant growth is possible but it isn't, so to look like there is there has been a push to get rid of staff before yearly earnings announcements. 

Also, this got me thinking about the Rot Economy-this is the idea that when a business has reached its top most threshold it purposely makes what it has on offer worse for the captive audience it has so it can squeeze the last bit of money from them, either by asking them to upgrade to a higher tier out of the basic version or making the basic version worse via ads etc. This is similar in principle to adversarial design or futilitarianism where you see your audience as marks and charge them for the convenience you purposely removed from your product - solution selling for a problem you intentionally created. You see it a lot in free online games with cool downs which can be made quicker with 'in game currency' which is actually real world money or the Online Gaming Subscription Services where your selection of games gets worse unless you pay up. This does not fly when people have paid upwards of £70 for a product! 

Hmmm, I'm not some right-on loony lefty who hates business and money but this late state capitalism which worship goods, products and money more than people and devalue humans is not on. The whole meaning of god punishing people for the idolatry of worshipping a statue is not just a silly story: it's about something deeply human and important -  in the end, the only thing we have is each other. There is very little happiness that can be had without other people involved (I mean, some fun for sure but maybe not a lot of happiness). Sure, hell is other people but hell is also no people at all and a world without videogames to unite and bond people is a sad world indeed. 

So, overall, my opinion is read the book as it will provide insight into the industry and the tech philistines who lose sight of the fact that this electronic product of binary code is a means for connection not just cold, hard utilitarianism. 

LINK: Manga Exhibition at the British Museum

LINK: The Midnight Library and the Idea That You Can’t Go Home Again

LINK: The Transportive Nature of Objects (And the Power of Mini Consoles)

LINK: The Offworld Collection- Book Review

LINK: Uncharted 4- Video Games As Art

LINK: Japan: My Journey to the East

Oats Studios - Cult Series Review

I do love a good anthology series. The idea of many little stories, based on an overarching theme, always appealed to me as if you didn't really like a story another one would soon be up and it might be more your cup of tea. I've watched many series including much of The Outer Limits, The Twilight Zone, Goosebumps, Are You Afraid of the Dark? as well as the BBC series such as Ghost Stories for Christmas amongst many other 70s horror anthologies and I can never get enough.

When I first heard of Oats Studios I was excited as it was be started by Neill Blomkamp, writer and director of District 9 as well as a few other cult films. The aim of the studio was to distribute short experimental films with the aim of seeing which would be viable for fuller projects. It's a great conceit and I like the idea of an amuse bouche with the possibility of more if there was interest.

So, over the course of a couple of days, I watched the entire run of 10 episodes. Here's my synopsis of each episode and my opinions.

Rakka
When an alien invasion by telepathic anthropomorphic reptiles destroys most the Earth and it's population, a small rag tag team fights back. They find Amir, a human who has been experimented on by the aliens. He gets a chance to help the resistance and does so in the inevitable showdown with his new abilities. Will it be enough though?
This is a down and dirty resistance sci-fi film with a lived in world presented. The story is engaging and the potential for lore and backstory is huge - a lot is achieved in just 22 minutes. Sigourney Weaver is riveting in this and adds some gravitas and pathos to proceedings. The setting is well realised and the potential to see where the story would go is intriguing.

Firebase
Set during the Vietnam war, a lone American soldier lost from his party, heads into the jungle where, rather than fighting the Vietcong, he battles against an alien that take the form of humans. When he is found by a military superior he is airlifted into an area of interest where he is told he must battles the River God, a Viet farmer who the CIA consider the embodiment of the Devil.
The short film starts off like a found footage film from the time, all shaky cameras and overaaturated colour from film negatives yellowing with age and popping and fizzing with time. It then turns into a more modern slick production but set in the 70s. The story reaches a crescendo as the unit gears up to do battle. The story is very videogamey and intriguing.

Cooking With Bill: Damasu/ Prestoveg/ Smoothie/ Sushi
Looking like a late 80s/ early 90s shopping channel bit, Bill and Karen try out new gadgets but it all seems to go terribly wrong.
This is darkly humourous as they catch the time period just right and the jargon used to shill the products like 'thermo capacitor' is spot on. The gadgets are crap and Bill comes a cropper each time. The cartoon interstitial between each product is unnecessarily bright and cheerful on purpose to contrast with the darkness of the consumerism theme.

God: Serengeti/ Chicago
This shows a cruel God who watches us from above. He has a butler and is bored so he creates issues like starting fires to see what the people on Earth will do.
This is a good episode as it shows humans are just the playthings of a cruel and unknowable god. The butler Geoffrey listens to his master but he doesn't always want to carry out the psychotic orders he is given.

Zygote
A couple of survivors at an Arctic base try to make it to Alpha base but are stalked by a mysterious creature. One of the survivors, a female synthetic, leads her blind human superior but struggles as her programming dictates her protocols.
This starts off quickly and sets the mood straightaway. The premise of getting from A to B is film 101 but the moody setting and atmosphere is very The Thing or Alien. The premise of a mining company cracking open a rock and unleashing a dangerous force is very Dead Space and very effective. The creature reveal of a hulking mass that amalgamates various bodies into one whole is impressive. It's all very effective as the claustrophic atmosphere of the place, with its red lights flashing and the shadows, is well realised.

Bad President: Oil Spill/ All My Sh*t
These two shorts show an incompetent American President as he tries to reassure the people of his country about some sad news but really he can't be arsed and wants to just party.
This is definitely a political episode as it shows a terribly incompetent man being in charge of the country and using it for his own gain.

Adam: Episode 2
A prophet of sorts leads a robot exodus out from The Consortium's hands as he reveals that their brains have been taken as their bodies are all that is needed to serve in the subservient role.
Starting at episode 2 makes this intriguing as you have to piece together what you think might have  happened. When the history of one of the robots is revealed, it sets up the rest of the story. The CGI animation is very good and you can see Blomkamp's skills as a director.

Adam: Episode 3
A fake-prophet figure asks a woman to destroy a robot, her once human brother, whose soul has been taken. In return, she is blessed and able to remove her mask and breathe the usually toxic air without any repercussions.
The reveal of the machine inside the prophet is surpsiring and well animated. I love the dramatic music as it swells in its denouement.

Gdansk
A group of mech knights in white attacks villages, killing men, women and children. We see the leader and the existential crisis he seems to be suffering.
This episode has a gorgeous design and the attention to detail on the landscape is stunning. As it is very brief, this was the story I couldn't get a handle of properly but it feels a bit Star Wars-y.

Kapture Locust
This starts off like a handy cam proof of military concept design video and shows the dystopian future that can happen when scientists are given unchecked resources and power.
I like the style of the film as it plays like a cutscene in a game just before something goes wrong, very Half Life. They seen amiable enough but they commit horrible violence upon their test subjects - prisoners who want their sentences commuted.

I loved this series as there were a veritable smorgasbord of ideas. Not every episode connected with me but I'm sure every viewer will have their own opinion on what is the best and isn't that the best thing about anthologies?

Paper House- Cult Film Review

I had heard of Paper House through the recommendations on my Amazon but also through several articles on old British TV serials that petrified kids in the 70s and 80. I had never seen the film but had seen the older 70s show Escape into Night several years ago when I went down a ‘Creepy British TV Shows’ YouTube rabbit hole a few years ago. The show was inspired by the same source material as the later film, Marianne Dreams by Catherine Storr, and tells the tale of a young girl whose drawings come to life in her dreams. So far so Penny Crayon, but when she draws a creepy house with a creepy kid inside, things take a slightly more sinister turn.

The Paper House film adapts Storr's novel further by adding a further layer that is similar to The Company of Wolves in that a young girl, on the onset of tweendom and puberty, is going through an emotional time and, whilst going through a lot of emotional turmoil, enters a dreamlike world which may or may not be real.

The film is more cinematic than the series, obviously, and the economy of design of the house, as well as the rugged landscape, made it more surreal and strange. Faure's Requeim is used effectively to bring this fantasy thriller film alive. The lead actress, Charlotte Burke, plays the role of the confused Anna very well. She starts the film a bit of a naughty pickle but shows growth and depth so that the audience is fully behind her as she tries to get to the bottom of what is going on and support the boy in the house.

I thoroughly enjoyed the film as it was a throwback in terms of fashion and sensibilities, but also because it is a good character study on what an adult’s alcohol abuse does to the child. If you’ve got a spare hour and a half you could do worse than watch this movie.