On the Verge of Lunacy

A troublemaker with seemingly extraordinary physical abilities named Okumura Rin finds the source of his unusual gifts. He and his twin, Okumura Yukio are the spawn of Satan and a human woman. This discovery came at a price when Satan possessed their foster father, Shiro Fujimoto, a priest, exorcist, and to Rin's surprise a paladin. Shiro's death made him decide to train as an exorcist to defeat Satan. His twin already knew about their parentage and this caused a misunderstanding between the brothers. Nonetheless they both have the same goal in mind: to protect the people they care about, and decided to work together. Rin and Yukio The pace accelerates near the end of the story and the mystery behind their parents, how they were conceived and why thy ended up in the care of a priest were explained. The supporting cast helped in Rin's training and the refining of his character as well. His short temper and recklessness was complemented by Ryuji Suguro's and S...

Dean Koontz's take on the aftermath of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus novel takes the reader into the darkest corners of one man's insane and grand design to rid the world of humanity. Two hundred years after Victor Frankenstein's death, his first creation who now calls himself Deucalion, sensed that Victor was still alive somewhere and that he must stop him. His worst fears were confirmed when he finds out that Victor has been working secretly for many years refining his techniques and perhaps had achieved immortality. Prodigal Son introduces Deucalion who has changed profoundly through the years. Calmer and wiser now he nevertheless feels that he is still the monster Victor created him to be. But he learned that he has gifts which made him question the purpose of his existence. His discovery of Victor's whereabouts strengthened his conviction that he survived because his mission is unfinished. He is not alone in this quest. Ca...

Instead of just focusing on the narration of events, this classic horror highlighted instead the emotional and psychological trauma of the characters. Victor Frankenstein went on a frenzied creative episode and lived to regret it. His creation (he didn't have any name) was so hideous that even the hands that created him found him so repulsive. The creature left. Since then Victor wallowed in misery and found nothing joyful in life although he came from a loving family and had good friends. After a while he forgot about his creation but every time he felt happy, he is reminded of what he did. He could not tell anyone about it too because it would be like admitting a crime and he did not want to put his loved ones in danger or reject him when he confessed. He felt like the victim of what he did. The creature, according to his version of the story in the later part of the book, does not seem like he is the monster that Victor made him up to be. Yes, he had reflexes and streng...

This volume presents the history and mythology of the Aztecs, Maya and the surrounding communities and their predecessors in writing that is easy to understand. Even within just a few pages the author was able to explain the records and artifacts existing at the time of the book's publication very clearly. He begins by providing the common cultural traits of the peoples occupying the areas in what is now Mexico to the Nicoya peninsula of Costa Rica. He also gives brief accounts of the Olmecs and Zapotecs and an outline of the different periods of Mesoamerican history. There is a separate chapter about calendrics which is important in religion and sciences. Then he provides and compares the various sources of what we currently know of the customs and religion of those people. Finally, the two separate sections for Aztec and Maya mythology. The similarities and differences in the myths are provided early in the last two chapters before the recounting the stories. I didn...

Ryuji Takasu and Taiga Aisaka ended up helping each other win their love interests when Taiga made a mistake by leaving an empty love letter in Ryuji's bag. Ryuji is in love with Taiga's energetic friend Kushieda Minori, while Taiga likes the student council vice president who loves to parade his body, Kitamura Yusaku. The situation is further complicated by Minori's dodgy attitude, Kitamura's other love interest, and the arrival of Kitamura's childhood friend Kawashima Ami who likes Ryuji. Ryuji and Taiga got used to having each other so often they don't notice their feelings have started to change. It seems like chasing Minori and Kitamura has become a habit; but having each other seems to have become a habit that is hard to break.This romantic comedy shows that falling in love with your closest friend and sacrificing your feelings for someone else's happiness still isn't out of style. This 25-episode series did seem like all the others of t...

This is a collection of 17 epics each of which is condensed into its simplest form making them accessible to readers who do not have enough time or resources (or have difficulty reading some of the translations)reading or finding the epics. Each epic is introduced by providing the background of the author and the story and why it is included in this volume. The following is the list of the epics included: THE RAMÂYÂNA THE MAHÂ-BHÂRATA of Krishna Dwaipayana Vyasa THE ILIAD of Homer THE ODYSSEY of Homer THE KALEVALA, collected by Zacharias Topelius and Elias Lonnrot THE AENEID by Vergil BEOWULF THE NIBELUNGEN LIED THE SONG OF ROLAND THE SHAH-NAMEH of Firdusi THE POEM OF THE CID THE DIVINE COMEDY of Dante Alighieri THE ORLANDO FURIOSO of Ludovico Ariosto THE LUSIAD of Luis de Camoens THE JERUSALEM DELIVERED of Torquato Tasso PARADISE LOST of John Milton PARADISE REGAINED of John Milton The epics are contracted and the author left only the narration...

The series is set in the events that followed the aftermath of Ryoma Sakamoto's assassination. The hero of the series, Akizuki Yujiro, carries a sword which glows when it is near its supernatural quarry. The target which is known by the name of the "Lord's Head" apparently has something to do with the conflicts at the close of the Bakumatsu era. It is Akizuki's task to seal this head using the sword. Along the way he meets a theatre group led by Yuyama Kakunojo. The group's quest for revenge against one man inevitably ties up their destiny with Akizuki. Their playwright, Ibaragi Soutetsu, plays a key role in the series when he reveals his true motives. The series is riddled with historical events that might confuse viewers who are not knowledgeable about this period in Japanese history. Granted, there is a narrator and the events don't weigh heavily on the outcome of Akizuki's quest. The building up of the tension is slow (for me at least...