Episode 9 of Star Trek Picard delves into the past trauma of one of Starfleet’s most celebrated figures, while also literally plumbing the depths of Chateau Picard itself. As Picard and Tallinn flee deeper into the catacombs beneath the Admiral’s ancestral home, Picard makes a comment about the Chateau’s wartime past that doesn’t make a …
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In the first two episodes of the second season of Star Trek: Picard, Admiral Picard and his companions find themselves in a dark alternate timeline where a militaristic and xenophobic Confederacy of Earth has ventured into the galaxy on a mission of conquest instead of peaceful exploration. The change is reflected in the clothing worn …
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One of the most memorable images from The Ring (1998) is that of Sadako crawling out from a well. The story of a ghost girl and a well has roots in Japanese folklore in the form of the tale of Banchō Sarayashiki (番町皿屋敷, The Dish Mansion at Banchō). Given the nature and popularity of legends …
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Spoiler warnings for Chapter 6 of The Book of Boba Fett and for Lone Wolf and Cub. Early in the first season of The Mandalorian comparisons were made to the classic Japanese manga and later movie series Lone Wolf and Cub. The themes and motifs of the two collided as the Star Wars series has …
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<warning: mild to moderate spoilers for episodes 1-4 of The Book of Boba Fett follow> Early in episode 1 of The Book of Boba Fett, the titular character receives emissaries from the various factions on Tatooine after taking over as criminal overboss. One, a Trandoshan, addresses Fett with the Japanese title “daimyo” (大名) Daimyo is …
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In Japan, Kentucky Fried Chicken has been the traditional Christmas dinner since the 1970s. The popularity of KFC for Christmas means signups for the holiday meal special start in early December, with long lines for those who miss the presale and big profits for the fried chicken chain. The usual KFC holiday meal comes with …
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With the imminent release of Resident Evil Village on the horizon at the time of the writing of this post, I decided to look back on the Resident Evil collaborations and promotional events I encountered during my stays in Japan. Resident Evil, or Biohazard (バイオハザード) as it is known in Japan, has been an enduring …
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The Curse of Colonel Sanders (カーネルサンダースの呪い, Kāneru Sandāsu no Noroi) is a popular Japanese urban legend that claims the Hanshin Tigers baseball team has been under a curse inflicted upon them by the white suited symbol of the Kentucky Fried Chicken chain in revenge for a slight committed by Tigers fans. In October of 1985 the …
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Higurashi When They Cry (ひぐらしのなく頃に) is a horror/mystery media franchise encompassing a series of visual novels, a 2006 anime, live action films and television series, a virtual reality experience in Tokyo in 2018. and now a new 2020 anime remake.
Alone in the dark but you’re not alone. It’s a now-familiar theme in gaming, yet in 1982 the Atari 2600 game Haunted House brought the broadest themes of what is now the survival horror genre to homes.
