An avid reader and gamer who loves talking about underappreciated media.
Zath has published 85 media reviews and news articles for NostalgiaDepartment.com
Sports and a close family dynamic is a combination that had me picking up Puck Drills & Quick Thrills by Eden Finley and Saxon James. I was also curious about the dual authorship as I had not previously read a book that was written by two authors. With its catchy title and interesting relationship premise between a college professor and coach, I decided to dive in and see if this book lived up to my expectations.
While browsing through Reddit looking for a new m/m romance to read, I saw someone describe one of the main characters of Heat Stroke by Tessa Bailey as a “muscular himbo puppy who dotes on his love interest.” While I haven’t read anything from Tessa Bailey previously, I am 100% into the doting character trope. Because of this, I decided to take a chance and picked up this book to see if it lived up to this particular user’s description.
The meet cute is one of the most important parts of a story. It sets the tone for how two characters will interact throughout the rest. Whether they’re total strangers brought together by happenstance or they just happen to turn a specific way in a crowd and catch a special someone’s eye, the meet cute is the building block of any romance story.
But what happens when the meet cute builds a rocky emotional foundation for a relationship? For me, Beautiful Things by Nao Inui has one of the shakiest starts.
A new title was added to Shonen Jump’s lineup this past weekend. Joining its ranks is Embers by Kei Kurumazaki and Sotaro Nishii. While there are several exorcist, comedy, and action titles already in serialization, there is only one other sports manga which is the sports/romance series Blue Box.
Manga fans kick off February with several publishers including Yen Press, Viz Media, and even Dark Horse announcing new licenses. As always with these kinds of events, we get excited and hope that we’ll see something that we want to add to our reading list.
Here are the titles that caught my interest from the announcements.
We don’t see many stories (yet) set during the COVID pandemic. Home Office Romance puts this world event front and center. This manga really excels at showcasing those earlier days of lockdown when everyone had to readjust to working from home. From rearranging a home office to enjoying an extra hour of sleep without having to deal with a commute, I think everyone who lived through this experience will appreciate all the slice-of-life details shown in this manga. This background paired with a sweet romance piqued my interest.
2025 certainly has no shortage of games lined up for fans of all genres for those looking for something new to dive into. While Naughty Dog wants to shove yet another The Last of Us Part II Remastered edition down our throat, let's discuss titles that people actually want to play that will be releasing soon. Here are five games I’m particularly looking forward to this year!
It’s hard not to want to jump into Alan Wake 2 even if you haven’t played the first game. While I highly recommend playing Alan Wake and Control before jumping into Alan Wake 2, if you still decide you just can’t wait to play, I hope this video will help catch you up to speed so you don’t feel like you are spiraling out of control.
Alan Wake 2 is a unique masterpiece and my personal game of the year for 2023. This game sets a new standard for story based games. I loved this game so much and needed to have my thoughts organized into a proper review. I highly recommend it for anyone looking for a new game to sink their teeth into!
Boy Meets Maria by Peyo is a special, unique manga that took me on an emotional journey. For anyone looking for a heartfelt story, check it out!
It’s always nice to dream about titles that could be published in English someday so they can adorn our shelves. I wanted to make a video of my own wish list and introduce some of these titles to you all! Hope you enjoy the video!
Hype for the first chapter of a new series in Shonen Jump isn’t new. People get excited and look forward to the release of a manga all the time. However the excitement that surrounded Kagurabachi was staggering. Even though I found myself easily among those waiting until the chapters release with high hopes, the amount of people I saw voicing their own enthusiasm for the series debut.
With titles like Tenmaku Cinema sadly being canceled and Black Clover moving over to Jump GIGA magazine, it's no surprise we’ll see some new titles pop up in the pages of Shonen Jump. One such title is MamaYuYu by Yoshihiko Hayashi.
I always like recommendations for new titles to read, but I don’t think these are the ones for me. Am I missing something or do you agree?
Looking for some new manga to read? Here are five LGBT manga recommendations. These titles tell meaningful stories with LGBT themes which will make you laugh, cry, and root for these characters
While post apocalyptic manga are not my usual go-to, The Color of the End: Mission in the Apocalypse Volume 01 caught my eye with its beautiful cover. This is a deeply human, emotional, and moving story in a quiet, mundane way.
As the seasons change and temperatures cool, we still want to cling to the stories which remind us of the fun and enjoyable parts of summer. Combine summer romance with hockey and childhood friendship to lovers and you have my full attention. From the summary, Snapshots in San Diego by Wendy Hawthorne captured me with these elements and a title which reminded me of a classic 90s romcom.
Despite being an area of historical interest to me, I haven’t read many books set during the Great War. Much of my previous historical fiction experiences have involved World War II, so when I stumbled upon No Man’s Land by Sally Malcolm, I was intrigued by the premise and setting and eager to dive into this story.
Alan Wake 2 is a unique masterpiece and my personal game of the year for 2023. This game sets a new standard for story based games. I loved this game so much and needed to have my thoughts organized into a proper review. I highly recommend it for anyone looking for a new game to sink their teeth into!
Anyone who has ever been invested deeply into a story has thought about what they would do if they were in that same story. Whether you’d call the main character an idiot for trusting someone they shouldn’t, or tell your favorite side character not to do something because you already know it would lead to their demise. Would you change the story or let it play out as intended? The Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint answers those types of questions.
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