Joseph Mallozzi's Blog, page 177

January 3, 2020: Suji Sunday!

Strawberry Princess.

Close enough.

Beware!  She’s ready to pounce.

Not sure if this new cleaning service is going to work out.

She demands payment in ear rubs and turkey treats.

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January 2, 2021: Ringing in the New Year Japan-style!

This year, we celebrated a Japanese-style New Year.

New Year’s Eve, it was tosh-koshi soba.

And, as is the custom here, we were in bed by 10:00 p.m. and missed the countdown.

Then, on New Year’s Day, it was osechi (snapper, ozoni, marron rice, fish cakes, and mochi).

Then, for dessert, we picked up for different cream buns from Hattendo: marron (chestnut), umeboshi (salted plum), matcha (green tea), ichigo (strawberry).  Surprisingly, the umeboshi was my favorite for its sweet, salt, and slightly sour combination.

Speaking of sweet and salty, what say you to this?  Yes/No?

Mountain Dw Pie with Doritos Crust? Yes/No
Recipe for Mountain Dew Pie With Doritos Crust https://t.co/33hyfsLulg pic.twitter.com/c9ZcGLcAAo

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) January 2, 2021

The lurid green beckons me.

Ah, this takes me back to the good old Stargate days…

Finally, I leave you with this…

What I miss most about being in production is going down to the craft service truck first thing in the morning, stuffing two breakfast sausages into a grilled cheese sandwich, slathering it with sriracha, and having it for breakfast.
That and the art.

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) December 29, 2020

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The Top 20 K-Pop Songs of 2020!

Happy New Year!

I was going to write that it was an overall disappointing year in K-pop and, I suppose, in comparison to 2019 which was, in my opinion, a stellar year, there were far fewer home-runs.  And yet, as I was compiling this ranking, my initial list amounted to about 50 tracks which, really, makes it a pretty solid year after all.  Of course the tough task, as always, was narrowing it down.  My first pass identified a top 12.  A subsequent pass identified another 5 worthy additions.  And then, I spent much of the morning agonizing over the final 3.  It’s an imperfect system and I still waver, but I’m pressing “publish” now before I can change my mind yet again.  If your favorites have been left off the list, I’m sure you’ll find them on my K-Pop Ultimate playlist (link provided below).  If not, perhaps we have very different tastes in music.

Anyway, as always, your mileage may very – but these were MY Top 20 K-Pop Tracks of 2020!

#20. Make You Happy – NiziU

JYP’s 9-member Japanese girl group project kicks things off with this single off their pre-debut EP, a catchy, upbeat tune whose MV includes a cameo by company founder Park Jin-young as a hapless rollerblader.

#19. Eight – IU

IU is a powerhouse and she delivers a beautiful song here with an assist from BTS’s Suga.

#18. Initial S – SoRi

This was, surprisingly and sadly, SoRi’s last single before quitting the music industry to, presumably, focus on acting.  A damn shame because it’s an exceptional song. The MV was directed by film director Sohn Il-hyung

#17. Lalalilala – April

They’ve been around for five years, scoring big two years ago with Oh! My Mistake, but I didn’t really take notice until this song dropped back in (appropriately enough, I suppose) April.  And I wasn’t the only one judging by the fact the MV has garnered over 5 million views to date.

#16. Rocket Ride – Oh My Girl

I really enjoyed Non-Stop (much less so the other song with the dancing mascots), but I elected to go with this Keanu Silva collab.  Available in both English and Korean (You should get both!) but the official MV is in English – which is fine because it’s an equally rock solid version.

#15. Hmph – WJSN Chocome

The WJSN sub-unit delivers a bop with some major Orange Caramel vibes and I am here for it.

#14. Sahara – Dreamcatcher

Love Dreamcatcher and their atypical rock girl group concept.  There were quite a few 2020 releases that could have made the list (most notably Boca), but I went with Sahara.  My favorite Dreamcatcher song this year, and a fun self-made video presumably shot around the HappyFace Entertainment offices.

#13. Bazooka – GWSN

The Chocome sub-unit made the list at #15, and the main GWSN lands here at #13 with Bazooka, a song that really grew on me.

#12. Riff Raff – Band 88

And now for something completely different, an under the radar indie synth band with a terrific song reminiscent of New Order.

#11. Ullaeli Kkollaeli – 1Team

I really dislike the MV (and can never spell or pronounce the name), but really do like this song from the boys who brought us the equally great Make This.

#10. End of Spring – ONEWE

It may surprise you to learn that ONEWE is not, in fact, a sub-unit of ONEUS despite the bewilderingly similar names and the fact that both groups are under the RBW umbrella.  The song is called End of Spring but it feels more like the perfect summer song to me.

#9. Hide and Seek – Loona

This was the year I discovered Loona, the Odd Eye Circle sub-unit, and the complex fan theories on the Loonaverse.  B-side darling Star just missed this list, but two songs in the Top 20 is a pretty good showing nevertheless.  No official MV released for this particular song so let’s go with the bass boosted version.

#8. Dingga – Mamamoo

I’m a big fan of Mammoo.  Their commitment to individual empowerment and fun is unparalleled.  The ladies were very busy this year, releasing an EP as well as various solo projects, but Dingga was my favorite single in that it (and the official MV) does such a good job of showcasing all four unique personalities, something HIP did equally well back in 2019.

#7. Alien – Suhyun

This is another one that really grew on me over time.  Love the bass intro, the vocals, and, of course, the kitschy sci-fi trappings of the MV.

#6. Pporappippam – Sunmi

Another unpronounceable and impossible to spell title, yet by far Sunmi’s best song.  Hey, I really liked  Gashina, but this one is tops.

#5. Teddy Bear – Natty

Well, this is a surprise.  The uber-cutesy Natty’s uber-cutesy song makes my top five.  It’s one of those tracks that I’ll never skip over so it rightly deserves its high ranking.  P.S. The MV is pretty uber-cutesy too.

#4. Why Not? – Loona

Some have criticized the decision to make this the lead single off the 12:00 EP and while I respect their opinion, they are, of course, wrong.  This is a terrific song that builds in impressive fashion, then pays off beautifully at the 3:04 mark.  After the first time I heard it, Why Not was on replay for a lot longer than I’d care to admit.

#3. Ready Or Not – Momoland

Momoland can do no wrong (although I do miss Daisy, Taeha, and Yeonwoo).  Baam remains my #1 favorite K-Pop bop, but Ready Or Not ranks right up there with Bboom Bboom, I’m So Hot, and Thumbs Up.

#2. More – Youra (featuring Giriboy)

Amid all of the flashier more polished entries in this Top 20, here’s the grossly under appreciated Youra sitting in the #2 spot with an assist from Giriboy.  This song, and her voice, are simply magical.  Absolutely love it.

#1. Wannabe – Itzy

Itzy made a huge splash in 2019 with their debut single Dalla Dalla followed by the even more popular Icy (although I’d argue B-side track It’z Summer is an overlooked gem and the best track on the EP).  In 2020, they’re back with not one but TWO EP’s.  I love Not Shy (having acquired an even greater appreciation after watching the ladies sing a live Christmas edition, in wacky costumes, while decorating a Christmas tree), but Wannabe is my favorite in their discography, and my favorite song of 2020.  I cannot get enough of that dance break at the 2:31 mark.

As I mentioned off the top, there were a lot of really solid tracks released in 2020 but I limited myself to my top 20.  Still, if you’re curious too see what made my wider list – or looking to expand your K-Pop horizons – might I suggest you check out my K-Pop Ultimate playlist over on spotify:

The post The Top 20 K-Pop Songs of 2020! appeared first on Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog.

The Best Anime I Watched in 2020!

A surprisingly solid year for anime-viewing.  I ended up watching an even mix of pre-2020 anime and new releases.  These were my Top 10 favorites…

#10. ID – Invaded (2020 release)

A trippy tech-driven thriller that spins a compelling world-within-a-world mystery.  As the body count rises the viewer descends down a rabbit hole of of mind-bending deceptions.

#9. Hinamatsui

A mid-level yakuza member has his life turned upside-down by an oblivious little girl from the future with destructive telekinetic powers.  Humor, heart, and a wonderful relationship at its core.

#8. Once Punch Man – season 1

Late to the party on this terrific series about a most unlikely hero capable of defeating any enemy he faces with a single punch.  What makes this anime particularly brilliant is the contrast between the over-the-top battles and One Punch Man’s blasé attitude throughout.

#7. The Promised Neverland

Oh, boy, don’t let the cutesy anime-style fool you.  It’s a shockingly dark tale of a group of young orphans who begin to question the reality of their secluded existence.  The truth is grimmer than you can imagine.

#6. Japan Sinks (2020 release)

The title says it all.  Japan is rocked by an earthquake that sends survivors scrambling.  It’s quite harrowing in its depiction of the aftermath, so much so that Akemi couldn’t make it past the first episode.  But if you do, you’ll be rewarded with an absolutely stunning work.

#5. Akame ga Kill

This one is one of the most entertaining battle anime in recent memory, but beneath the high-flying action are some truly wonderful personalities and colorful character dynamic relationships in a show that isn’t shy about killing off its regulars.

#4. A Silent Voice (movie)

A high school boy attempts to make amends for his past by reaching out to the deaf girl he bullied while in elementary school.  At turns heartbreaking and hopeful, but wholly memorable.

#3. Vinland Saga

A young boy is kidnapped from his peaceful Icelandic village by a band of Vikings.  We then follow his journey, growing up amongst his captors, a bunch of sea-faring mercenaries who eventually become his family.  This one is epic.

#2. Dorohedoro (2020 release)

Where to begin in attempting to describe this insane, ultra-violent comedy involving post-apocalyptic sorcerers, alternate dimensions, mushroom-themed magic, and an amnesiac lizard man with a love for gyoza?  Wild.

#1. Beastars (2020 release)

The murder of a young alpaca at Cherryton Academy creates a rift between its herbivore and carnivore student body, further complicating the already complicated love triangle involving Legoshi the wolf, Louis the deer, and Haru the dwarf rabbit.

Tomorrow (provided I can get my shit together), I’ll be dropping my Top 20 K-Pop Tracks of 2020!

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December 30, 2020: Amazing Comic Book Covers!

Here are a few that caught my eye…

The Amazing Spider-Man #55 (cover art by Patrick Gleason)

The Amazing Spider-Man #55 (cover art by Garbriele Dell’otto)

Detective Comics vol. 4: Cold Vengeance (cover art by Doug Mahnke)

Avengers #40 (cover art by Taurin Clarke)

Avengers #40 (cover art by Leinil Francis-Yu)

Batman Annual #5 (cover art by In-Hyuk Lee)

Robyn Hood 2020 Annual: Worlds Apart (cover art by Sun Khamunaki)

Punchline #11 (cover art by Matthew Weldon)

The Life and Death of Toyo Harada #1 (cover art by Doug Braithwaite)

And what were your favorites?

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December 29, 2020: Ringing in the New Year with Mr. Clean and dust pans!

In case you missed it, here’s my Dark Matter Episode 13 discussion with gang at Orville Nation and special guest star Marc Bendavid (ONE) as part of Virtual Trek Con.  But beware!  Spoilers abound for future episodes!

Well, my hopes of an upset victory fizzled last night.  Once again, the Patriots screw me – but by NOT winning for a change.

Sad monkey.

December 28, 2020: Marc Bendavid joins the chat! Snow Monkeys on the brink of defeat! Projects, the Legion, and Snow Globe Pie!

Join us later today for a Dark Matter post-episode 13 discussion with the Orville Nation panel and special guest star Marc Bendavid (ONE)!

DARK MATTER MONDAY is Honored to be part of @VirtualTrekCon Monday!

w/ Creator

December 27, 2020: Suji Sunday!

The happiest reindeer.

Keeping an eye on mom…

Savoring some banana…

Massage time…

The silent snoozer…

Bundled up!

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My Top 12 Reads of 2020!

Admittedly not one of my more prolific reading years.  When all is said and done, I’ll have read a little over 190 books, a good two-thirds of them graphic novels.  “Not bad,”you may think but, in comparison to other years, this one was a bit of a letdown.  Still, I did manage to discover a few gems.  And so here is a rundown of my Top 12 Reads of 2020 – Novel Edition.  General fiction, non-fiction, sci-fi, fantasy, horror, and humor – there’s something here for everyone.

#12. Hi-Five by Joe Ide (Published January 28th, 2020)

Cristiana is the daughter of the biggest arms dealer on the West Coast, Angus Byrne. She’s also the sole witness and number one suspect in the murder of her boyfriend, found dead in her Newport Beach boutique. Isaiah Quintabe is coerced into taking the case to prove her innocence. If he can’t, Angus will harm the brilliant PI’s new girlfriend, ending her career.

The catch: Christiana has multiple personalities. Among them, a naïve, beautiful shopkeeper, an obnoxious drummer in a rock band, and a wanton seductress.

Isaiah’s dilemma: no one personality saw the entire incident. To find out what really happened the night of the murder, Isaiah must piece together clues from each of the personalities . . . before the cops close in on him.

#11. Walking to Aldebaran by Adrian Tchaikovsky (Published May 28th, 2019)

My name is Gary Rendell. I’m an astronaut. When they asked me as a kid what I wanted to be when I grew up, I said, “astronaut, please!” I dreamed astronaut, I worked astronaut, I studied astronaut.

I got lucky; when a probe sent out to explore the Oort Cloud found a strange alien rock and an international team of scientists was put together to go and look at it, I made the draw.

I got even luckier. When disaster hit and our team was split up, scattered through the endless cold tunnels, I somehow survived.

Now I’m lost, and alone, and scared, and there’s something horrible in here.

Lucky me.

Lucky, lucky, lucky.

#10. Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong by James W. Loewen (Published September 3rd, 1996)

Americans have lost touch with their history, and in Lies My Teacher Told Me Professor James Loewen shows why. After surveying eighteen leading high school American history texts, he has concluded that not one does a decent job of making history interesting or memorable. Marred by an embarrassing combination of blind patriotism, mindless optimism, sheer misinformation, and outright lies, these books omit almost all the ambiguity, passion, conflict, and drama from our past.

In this revised edition, packed with updated material, Loewen explores how historical myths continue to be perpetuated in today’s climate and adds an eye-opening chapter on the lies surrounding 9/11 and the Iraq War. From the truth about Columbus’s historic voyages to an honest evaluation of our national leaders, Loewen revives our history, restoring the vitality and relevance it truly possesses.

#9. Petra’s Ghost by C.S. O’Cinneide (Published July 20th, 2019)

A woman has vanished on the Camino de Santiago, the ancient five-hundred-mile pilgrimage that crosses northern Spain. Daniel, an Irish expat, walks the lonely trail carrying his wife, Petra’s, ashes, along with the damning secret of how she really died.

When he teams up to walk with sporty California girl Ginny, she seems like the perfect antidote for his grieving heart. But a nightmare figure begins to stalk them, and his mind starts to unravel from the horror of things he cannot explain.

#8. The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix (Published April 7th, 2020)

Fried Green Tomatoes and Steel Magnolias meet Dracula in this Southern-flavored supernatural thriller set in the ’90s about a women’s book club that must protect its suburban community from a mysterious and handsome stranger who turns out to be a blood-sucking fiend.

Patricia Campbell had always planned for a big life, but after giving up her career as a nurse to marry an ambitious doctor and become a mother, Patricia’s life has never felt smaller. The days are long, her kids are ungrateful, her husband is distant, and her to-do list is never really done. The one thing she has to look forward to is her book club, a group of Charleston mothers united only by their love for true-crime and suspenseful fiction. In these meetings, they’re more likely to discuss the FBI’s recent siege of Waco as much as the ups and downs of marriage and motherhood.

But when an artistic and sensitive stranger moves into the neighborhood, the book club’s meetings turn into speculation about the newcomer. Patricia is initially attracted to him, but when some local children go missing, she starts to suspect the newcomer is involved. She begins her own investigation, assuming that he’s a Jeffrey Dahmer or Ted Bundy. What she uncovers is far more terrifying, and soon she–and her book club–are the only people standing between the monster they’ve invited into their homes and their unsuspecting community.

#7. The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon (Published February 26th, 2019)

The House of Berethnet has ruled Inys for a thousand years. Still unwed, Queen Sabran the Ninth must conceive a daughter to protect her realm from destruction – but assassins are getting closer to her door.

Ead Duryan is an outsider at court. Though she has risen to the position of lady-in-waiting, she is loyal to a hidden society of mages. Ead keeps a watchful eye on Sabran, secretly protecting her with forbidden magic.

Across the dark sea, Tané has trained to be a dragonrider since she was a child, but is forced to make a choice that could see her life unravel.

Meanwhile, the divided East and West refuse to parley, and forces of chaos are rising from their sleep

#6. Fleishman is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner (Published June 18th, 2019)

Recently separated Toby Fleishman is suddenly, somehow–and at age forty-one, short as ever–surrounded by women who want him: women who are self-actualized, women who are smart and interesting, women who don’t mind his height, women who are eager to take him for a test drive with just the swipe of an app. Toby doesn’t mind being used in this way; it’s a welcome change from the thirteen years he spent as a married man, the thirteen years of emotional neglect and contempt he’s just endured. Anthropologically speaking, it’s like nothing he ever experienced before, particularly back in the 1990s, when he first began dating and became used to swimming in the murky waters of rejection.

But Toby’s new life–liver specialist by day, kids every other weekend, rabid somewhat anonymous sex at night–is interrupted when his ex-wife suddenly disappears. Either on a vision quest or a nervous breakdown, Toby doesn’t know–she won’t answer his texts or calls.

Is Toby’s ex just angry, like always? Is she punishing him, yet again, for not being the bread winner she was? As he desperately searches for her while juggling his job and parenting their two unraveling children, Toby is forced to reckon with the real reasons his marriage fell apart, and to ask if the story he has been telling himself all this time is true.

#5. Long Man by Amy Greene (Published February 25th, 2014)

A river called Long Man has coursed through East Tennessee from time immemorial, bringing sustenance to the people who farm along its banks and who trade between its small towns. But as Long Man opens, the Tennessee Valley Authority’s plans to dam the river and flood the town of Yuneetah for the sake of progress-to bring electricity and jobs to the hardscrabble region-are about to take effect. Just one day remains before the river will rise, and most of the town has been evacuated. Among the holdouts is a young mother, Annie Clyde Dodson, whose ancestors have lived for generations on her mountaintop farm; she’ll do anything to ensure that her three-year-old daughter, Gracie, will inherit the family’s land. But her husband wants to make a fresh start in Michigan, where he has found work that will secure the family’s future. As the deadline looms, a storm as powerful as the emotions between them rages outside their door. Suddenly, they realize that Gracie has gone missing. Has she simply wandered off into the rain? Or has she been taken by Amos, the mysterious drifter who has come back to town, perhaps to save it in a last, desperate act of violence? Suspenseful, visceral, gorgeously told, Long Man is a searing portrait of a tight-knit community brought together by change and crisis, and of one family facing a terrifying ticking clock. It is a dazzling and unforgettable tour de force.

#4. Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips (Published May 14th, 2019)

One August afternoon, on the shoreline of the north-eastern edge of Russia, two sisters are abducted. In the ensuing weeks, then months, the police investigation turns up nothing. Echoes of the disappearance reverberate across a tightly woven community, with the fear and loss felt most deeply among its women.

Set on the remote Siberian peninsula of Kamchatka, Disappearing Earth draws us into the world of an astonishing cast of characters, all connected by an unfathomable crime. We are transported to vistas of rugged beauty – densely wooded forests, open expanses of tundra, soaring volcanoes and the glassy seas that border Japan and Alaska – and into a region as complex as it is alluring, where social and ethnic tensions have long simmered, and where outsiders are often the first to be accused.

#3. Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe (Published February 26th, 2019)

In December 1972, Jean McConville, a thirty-eight-year-old mother of ten, was dragged from her Belfast home by masked intruders, her children clinging to her legs. They never saw her again. Her abduction was one of the most notorious episodes of the vicious conflict known as The Troubles. Everyone in the neighborhood knew the I.R.A. was responsible. But in a climate of fear and paranoia, no one would speak of it. In 2003, five years after an accord brought an uneasy peace to Northern Ireland, a set of human bones was discovered on a beach. McConville’s children knew it was their mother when they were told a blue safety pin was attached to the dress–with so many kids, she had always kept it handy for diapers or ripped clothes.

Patrick Radden Keefe’s mesmerizing book on the bitter conflict in Northern Ireland and its aftermath uses the McConville case as a starting point for the tale of a society wracked by a violent guerrilla war, a war whose consequences have never been reckoned with. The brutal violence seared not only people like the McConville children, but also I.R.A. members embittered by a peace that fell far short of the goal of a united Ireland, and left them wondering whether the killings they committed were not justified acts of war, but simple murders.

#2. Dead Astronauts by Jeff Vandermeer (Published December 3, 2019)

Under the watchful eye of The Company, three characters — Grayson, Moss and Chen — shapeshifters, amorphous, part human, part extensions of the landscape, make their way through forces that would consume them. A blue fox, a giant fish and language stretched to the limit.

A messianic blue fox who slips through warrens of time and space on a mysterious mission. A homeless woman haunted by a demon who finds the key to all things in a strange journal. A giant leviathan of a fish, centuries old, who hides a secret, remembering a past that may not be its own. Three ragtag rebels waging an endless war for the fate of the world against an all-powerful corporation. A raving madman who wanders the desert lost in the past, haunted by his own creation: an invisible monster whose name he has forgotten and whose purpose remains hidden.

 

#1. Biloxi by Mary Miller (Published May 21st, 2019)

Building on her critically acclaimed novel, The Last Days of California, and her biting collection, Always Happy Hour, Miller slyly transports readers to her unapologetic corner of the South—this time, Biloxi, Mississippi, home to sixty-three-year-old Louis McDonald Jr. His wife of thirty-seven years left him, his father has passed—and he has impulsively retired from his job in anticipation of an inheritance check that may not come. In the meantime, he watches reality television, sips beer, and avoids his ex-wife and daughter. One day, he stops at a house advertising free dogs and meets overweight mixed-breed Layla. Unexpectedly, Louis takes her, and, newly invigorated, begins investigating local dog parks and buying extra bologna.

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December 25, 2020: Merry Christmas!

Months deep into this pandemic, I decided to effectively adopt a local small business to help it weather the tough times.  Beast is a great Toronto restaurant, known for its fantastic brunches.  Given the staggered lockdowns however, it has had to shut down indoor dining and shifted to a bodega-style set-up that has seen it offering bottle and artisan grocery shop service in addition to a take-out menu.  I’m a huge fan of its cheeseburgers, fried chicken sandwiches, and bone barrow french toast and always make it a point to drop by for everything from tinned octopus to spicy Liuzhou noodles.   Beast also offers “whole animal” meals reminiscent of the dinners served up by Chef Robert Belcham back when I was a regular at Vancouver’s (much missed) Fuel ad ReFuel restaurants.  Just choose your meat and place your order a week in advance.  Then, on the appointed day, pick up your order and prepare to be wowed.

We elected to do a duck dinner for Christmas Eve.  Our order came with a handy menu and an easy to follow instruction sheet for heating the various courses.

The liver parfait was spectacular and the duck gizzards, served in a kaffir lime sauce, were the best I’ve ever had.

Speaking of best ever, I’ve had duck wings before but never like this.  Outstanding – and Akemi’s favorite course.

On the other hand, the crispy confit legs with the rosemary roasted potatoes were my favorite course.

The seared duck breast a l’orange was also excellent and reminded me of one of my father’s preferred preparations.

The flourless chocolate cake was the perfect end to the meal – decadent and delicious.  In fact, every course was a home run and so impressed that Akemi wondered whether the chef had actually researched my blog to find out exactly what we loved.

Another small local business we’ve been supporting throughout this pandemic has been SOMA Chocolates.  Another tremendous flourless chocolate cake, this one served with Akemi’s vanilla and bourbon cream.

A more sedate Christmas all in all.  In addition to some amazing pistachio and almond desserts sent my way via sis, Daisy, and mom….

A couple of Evangelion (Asuka and Rei!) t-shirts from Inked in Culture.

And some of my favorite chicken ramen –

Akemi scored chocolate, a two-weeks’ supply of seaweed, and this flashy little number she’d had her eye on –

When she wears this in Japan, the locals will refer to her as “yankii”.

Hope everyone else is having a good holiday even if you weren’t able to spend it with family.

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