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Featured image for I’m not dead, the quality just isn’t here (yet).Background image for I’m not dead, the quality just isn’t here (yet).

I’m not dead, the quality just isn’t here (yet).

So… I somehow failed to stick with my schedule. Granted this is a hobby blog, something I repeat to myself often, and have typed a lot recently so…

Phoenix Talks Pop Culture Japan

Featured image for Another Brief Foray into Ultraman, Another Brief Foray into Comics: A MishapBackground image for Another Brief Foray into Ultraman, Another Brief Foray into Comics: A Mishap

Another Brief Foray into Ultraman, Another Brief Foray into Comics: A Mishap

I have only recently, as in the past five years, really nurtured my love of Tokusatsu. You guys can probably tell from some of my posts and some…

Phoenix Talks Pop Culture Japan

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The Seventh Anniversary Post

I think this is the first time since I started these posts, that I’m a bit stumped on what to write.

Phoenix Talks Pop Culture Japan

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February 2025 Monthly Favorites

This month has been pretty intense in both good and bad ways. The intensity on concert going, which I’ve already recapped this month. I still catch myself replaying…

Phoenix Talks Pop Culture Japan

Featured image for Who was this actually for? Reviewing Osamu Tezuka’s “Don Dracula” AnimeBackground image for Who was this actually for? Reviewing Osamu Tezuka’s “Don Dracula” Anime

Who was this actually for? Reviewing Osamu Tezuka’s “Don Dracula” Anime

For folks whose been around here for awhile, this particular post will surprise no one. I’m a huge Tezuka-Sensei (Osamu Tezuka) fanatic. I have been for many years…

Phoenix Talks Pop Culture Japan

Featured image for Concluding Thoughts on Bakuage Sentai BoonBoomgerBackground image for Concluding Thoughts on Bakuage Sentai BoonBoomger

Concluding Thoughts on Bakuage Sentai BoonBoomger

Well there’s been a lot of up’s and down’s with me watching my very first super sentai show from beginning to end. It’s been quite the journey, and…

Phoenix Talks Pop Culture Japan

Featured image for Psychic Fever First U.S. Tour – Chicago Fan RepoBackground image for Psychic Fever First U.S. Tour – Chicago Fan Repo

Psychic Fever First U.S. Tour – Chicago Fan Repo

Disclaimer: All opinions expressed in this article are purely my own and should be interpreted as such. This is fan report, therefore it’s generally biased based off my…

Phoenix Talks Pop Culture Japan

Featured image for Phantom Siita – Moth to a Flame First World Tour Chicago Fan ReportBackground image for Phantom Siita – Moth to a Flame First World Tour Chicago Fan Report

Phantom Siita – Moth to a Flame First World Tour Chicago Fan Report

I think one or two folks anticipated this one! I’ve been following Phantom Siita since their debut. The era of successful soloists going on to produce female idol…

Phoenix Talks Pop Culture Japan

Featured image for Breif thoughts on my more ‘mindful’ manga reading journeyBackground image for Breif thoughts on my more ‘mindful’ manga reading journey

Breif thoughts on my more ‘mindful’ manga reading journey

Last year, I semi-promised myself that I wouldn’t start any on-going manga. When I refer to this as a semi-promise, I mean it more in the sense of…

Phoenix Talks Pop Culture Japan

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January 2025 + December 2024 Monthly Favorites

Well I got very ambitious thinking I could pull off a last minute end of the year monthly favorites coming right off a vacation (pictured above). That did…

Phoenix Talks Pop Culture Japan

Featured image for The Colors Within – Movie ReviewBackground image for The Colors Within – Movie Review

The Colors Within – Movie Review

I’ve been quietly anticipating this movie since GKids announced that they had acquired the rights to air it in the USA. Something between the whimsical imagery, softer palette…

Phoenix Talks Pop Culture Japan

Featured image for Natsume’s Book of Friends – Season Seven End of Season ThoughtsBackground image for Natsume’s Book of Friends – Season Seven End of Season Thoughts

Natsume’s Book of Friends – Season Seven End of Season Thoughts

So this post is coming out a bit later then I initially anticipated. I had faithfully followed Natsume on a weekly basis when it first started airing last…

Phoenix Talks Pop Culture Japan

Featured image for Oshi no Ko’s Live Action: my take as a super fanBackground image for Oshi no Ko’s Live Action: my take as a super fan

Oshi no Ko’s Live Action: my take as a super fan

Last year was a pretty insane year for Oshi no Ko. The second season of the anime finished airing. The third season of anime was annouced already. The…

Phoenix Talks Pop Culture Japan

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A New Blogger Milestone

This just happened within the week, and honestly both startled me a bit along with stroking my very small blogger ego so I figured I would share. Not…

Phoenix Talks Pop Culture Japan

Library Loot: My Androgynous Boyfriend – Concluding Thoughts

Welcome back to Library Loot! It feels like it’s been ages since I’ve properly done a dedicated entry. Maybe because I’m finishing up a series I first reviewed…

Phoenix Talks Pop Culture Japan

Reviewing 2024 to start 2025

Welcome back to another mainstay of my blog: the beginning of the year review. I can’t believe I started doing this in 2021 on a whim and now……

Phoenix Talks Pop Culture Japan

Manifesting more Tezuka licenses in English for 2025

To be transparent, I’m actually away from my computer when this goes up. I had some travel planned so… I did prep some posts just to keep the…

Phoenix Talks Pop Culture Japan

Rise’s Anime Awards 2024

Welcome back to the most important anime awards blog post you will read all year. Or ever for that matter because we know my super-special-didn’t-even-let-readers-vote blog means to…

Phoenix Talks Pop Culture Japan

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Rise’s JMovie Awards

Welcome back to the most creatively named, super serious I have rules for this, awards post on the blog o’sphere! Unlike JDramas where I was scraping together a…

Phoenix Talks Pop Culture Japan

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Rise’s JDramas Awards 2024

Welcome back to one of my assorted, super original and crazily clever titled mini-awards ceremony for the end of the year. Admittedly though this year is a bit…

Phoenix Talks Pop Culture Japan

Featured image for Chicago Japan Film Collective – Virtual Screenings ThoughtsBackground image for Chicago Japan Film Collective – Virtual Screenings Thoughts

Chicago Japan Film Collective – Virtual Screenings Thoughts

I don’t think that the Chicago Japan Film Collective needs too much introduction on my blog. I’ve covered the two in person screening for Sayuri, and Qualia with…

Phoenix Talks Pop Culture Japan

Featured image for November 2024 Monthly FavoritesBackground image for November 2024 Monthly Favorites

November 2024 Monthly Favorites

Welcome back one and all to my little monthly round-up. Keeping with the spirit of the past month, I just want to say I’m incredibly thankful for all…

Phoenix Talks Pop Culture Japan

Featured image for Chicago Japan Film Collective – QualiaBackground image for Chicago Japan Film Collective – Qualia

Chicago Japan Film Collective – Qualia

This happened to be the closing night feature film for the fourth annual Chicago Japan Film Collective (CJFC). I had managed to snag a ticket, but couldn’t drag…

Phoenix Talks Pop Culture Japan

Featured image for Natsume November – Manga ReviewBackground image for Natsume November – Manga Review

Natsume November – Manga Review

Beginning Note: This review covers Natsume’s Book of Friends to volume thirty, specifically up to chapter 123. While I intend to keep this review spoiler free, I will…

Phoenix Talks Pop Culture Japan

Featured image for Chicago Japan Film Collective – House of SayuriBackground image for Chicago Japan Film Collective – House of Sayuri

Chicago Japan Film Collective – House of Sayuri

I actually stumbled upon knowledge about the Chicago Japan Film Collective (CJFC) back in 2023. Due to moving and timing though I wasn’t able to attend the screenings,…

Phoenix Talks Pop Culture Japan

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Library Loot Round-Up: What Would have been the Halloween Special

I make secret plans for the blog. They just don’t quite always come to full fruition. I found a good stash of manga at my library, as always…

Phoenix Talks Pop Culture Japan

Featured image for Natsume November – Talking About Natsume’s Soundtrack over the yearsBackground image for Natsume November – Talking About Natsume’s Soundtrack over the years

Natsume November – Talking About Natsume’s Soundtrack over the years

I’m not going to pretend for a second that I know much about anime soundtracks. I have a higher then average understanding of how to read music, what…

Phoenix Talks Pop Culture Japan

Featured image for Natsume November – Season Seven Mid-series MusingsBackground image for Natsume November – Season Seven Mid-series Musings

Natsume November – Season Seven Mid-series Musings

Fair warning: this does contain light spoilers – comparison from manga to anime in this post. It does not spoil any actual narrative or character developments in the…

Phoenix Talks Pop Culture Japan

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Chicago International Film Festival – Cloud

When I was getting in line for this film, I was genuinely surprised at how long the line was. This particular film probably had the biggest turn out…

Phoenix Talks Pop Culture Japan

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Chicago International Film Festival – My Sunshine

Another beautiful day in Chicago, and it was another film in theaters due to the Chicago International Film Festival. I was really lucky that I snagged a ticket,…

Phoenix Talks Pop Culture Japan

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October 2024 Monthly Favorites

Welcome one and all, to the least creepy blog post of them all. I’m trying to be creative here folks, and I am floundering. Still, you guys know…

Phoenix Talks Pop Culture Japan

Featured image for Chicago International Film Festival – Super Happy ForeverBackground image for Chicago International Film Festival – Super Happy Forever

Chicago International Film Festival – Super Happy Forever

I headed out once again to Chicago, for the Chicago International Film Festival. With the Kore-eda retrospective finished, there were still three other Japanese films in the lineup…

Phoenix Talks Pop Culture Japan

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OVA October: Ariel Visual and Deluxe

Somewhere along the lines of my internet browsing I saw a visual for the series Ariel. Which is a the light novel series from 1986 that only finished…

Phoenix Talks Pop Culture Japan

Featured image for Nobody Knows with post-screening Question and Answer Commentary at the Chicago International Film FestivalBackground image for Nobody Knows with post-screening Question and Answer Commentary at the Chicago International Film Festival

Nobody Knows with post-screening Question and Answer Commentary at the Chicago International Film Festival

Having just watched After the Storm, I had a bit of time to kill before attempting to rush for Nobody Knows. I got real food for dinner, puttered…

Phoenix Talks Pop Culture Japan

Featured image for After the Storm Movie and Question and Answer Synopsis at the Chicago International Film FestivalBackground image for After the Storm Movie and Question and Answer Synopsis at the Chicago International Film Festival

After the Storm Movie and Question and Answer Synopsis at the Chicago International Film Festival

I’m not someone who pays too much attention to big movie festivals, despite be relatively local to many. My twin was nice enough to tip me off that…

Phoenix Talks Pop Culture Japan

Featured image for Library Loot: ClaudineBackground image for Library Loot: Claudine

Library Loot: Claudine

In purusing the shelves of various bookstores, I come across series that slipped past my radar over the years. In particular, this being the rather slim volume of…

Phoenix Talks Pop Culture Japan

Featured image for Did they learn finally learn how to adapt Ito Junji? Uzumaki (2024)Background image for Did they learn finally learn how to adapt Ito Junji? Uzumaki (2024)

Did they learn finally learn how to adapt Ito Junji? Uzumaki (2024)

After having posted about this series over a year ago in “Animation studios have learned nothing – regarding Ito Junji adaptations”. I can’t NOT follow up on Uzumaki…

Phoenix Talks Pop Culture Japan

Featured image for OVA October – Twilight QBackground image for OVA October – Twilight Q

OVA October – Twilight Q

Many moons ago, I mentioned in passing that my favorite American TV program was The Twilight Zone. It was part of a post where I was recommending things…

Phoenix Talks Pop Culture Japan

Featured image for SHY the Second Season – Anime ReviewBackground image for SHY the Second Season – Anime Review

SHY the Second Season – Anime Review

Once again, it appears that Shy now having finished it’s second season has slipped past many folks’ radar for new anime to watch. To be honest while I…

Phoenix Talks Pop Culture Japan

Featured image for Look Back – Anime Movie ReviewBackground image for Look Back – Anime Movie Review

Look Back – Anime Movie Review

If I hadn’t gotten so many targeted ads for this film via social media and my online friend circle I don’t think I would have gone to it.…

Phoenix Talks Pop Culture Japan

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OVA October – Kimera

Welcome one and all, back to a little feature I call OVA October. It’s pretty straightfoward but I feel like doing my tiny introduction spiel. OVA stands for…

Phoenix Talks Pop Culture Japan

Featured image for September 2024 Monthly FavoritesBackground image for September 2024 Monthly Favorites

September 2024 Monthly Favorites

Welcome one, and welcome all to the best blog feature of them all – my monthly favorites. It’s a jam packed entry this time around. So I’m not…

Phoenix Talks Pop Culture Japan

Featured image for There’s a Time for Everything – Time of EVE Movie (Review)Background image for There’s a Time for Everything – Time of EVE Movie (Review)

There’s a Time for Everything – Time of EVE Movie (Review)

This is another anime film that has been on my plan to watch list for nearly a decade. A really good friend recommended it to me, and thanks…

Phoenix Talks Pop Culture Japan

Featured image for The End of Summer Film – It’s a Summer Film!Background image for The End of Summer Film – It’s a Summer Film!

The End of Summer Film – It’s a Summer Film!

I’m only a touch late regarding talking about JFF Theater films. They’ve only been up for over a month, with two of them leaving streaming by the end…

Phoenix Talks Pop Culture Japan

Featured image for Library Loot: Jellyfish EyesBackground image for Library Loot: Jellyfish Eyes

Library Loot: Jellyfish Eyes

SURPRISE! You thought that Library Loot was only going to be anime and manga didn’t you? Being 100% real, I thought so too. I had some serious disconnect…

Phoenix Talks Pop Culture Japan

Featured image for The Half-Way Mark with Bakuage Sentai BoomboongerBackground image for The Half-Way Mark with Bakuage Sentai Boomboonger

The Half-Way Mark with Bakuage Sentai Boomboonger

To open this, I’d like to make it clear that this is my first time ever watching a Super Sentai series. I’ve been interested in the franchise for…

Phoenix Talks Pop Culture Japan

Featured image for A Fresh Take on Coming of Age – Confetti (movie review)Background image for A Fresh Take on Coming of Age – Confetti (movie review)

A Fresh Take on Coming of Age – Confetti (movie review)

Every once in awhile, I unintentionally put myself in a position where I need to drag other people into my hobbies. It sounds convoluted because it is. I…

Phoenix Talks Pop Culture Japan

Featured image for I Know You Rider – Kamen Rider Gavv First ImpressionsBackground image for I Know You Rider – Kamen Rider Gavv First Impressions

I Know You Rider – Kamen Rider Gavv First Impressions

Before even getting into Kamen Rider Gavv (Gavv), I do want to add a bit of context to my commentary. I’m 100% new to the world of Kamen…

Phoenix Talks Pop Culture Japan

Featured image for August 2024 Monthly FavoritesBackground image for August 2024 Monthly Favorites

August 2024 Monthly Favorites

Welcome back to your favorite monthly featurette – my Monthly Favorites of course! I have a lot to get into so let’s dive into it.

Phoenix Talks Pop Culture Japan

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Animated Movie August: Like the Clouds, Like the Wind

Welcome to the third, and for this year, final installation of Animated Movie August. This particular film is… technically not a film. Whoops. Like the Clouds, Like the…

Phoenix Talks Pop Culture Japan