Just the Ticket

Article by Sean Wilkinson, a.k.a. The Animeister. In 2024, even before the anime had finished airing its first season, The Apothecary Diaries was the first series I chose to review for the Month Of Love . So when I found out there was going to be a second season, it seemed obvious that I should keep that trend going this year. So, let's kick off Month Of Love 2026 by looking at The Apothecary Diaries : Season 2. The problem is, everything I said about the first season is still true, so that doesn't leave me with much new to say about it. The Apothecary Diaries is a long-running (fifteen years!) multimedia franchise written by Hyūganatsu (I think her name was originally rendered with a space, so in my first season review, I incorrectly identified her as Natsu Hyūga; she's an extremely private person and uses Hyūganatsu as a one-word pen name), including novels, a light-novel series, and now three manga (a spinoff from the perspective of Xiaolan—Mao Mao's gossiping b...

Content Calendar Announcement, Week of February 1, 2026 by Sean Wilkinson, a.k.a. The Ticketmaster. I may be getting scammed, Ticketholders! I was billed by BlogPros again this month even though I communicated that I wished to close my account with them. Their new/change campaign page says they are "revamping their business model" and have paused enrollment. If that's the case, why are they still billing existing clients for services that they haven't been providing for at least two months now, and not communicating with their clients about these circumstances and the progress of said changes? It's unusual behavior, to say the very least, but I hesitate to take action against a company that had been so reliable for several years until the end of last November. Your thoughts on the matter would be greatly appreciated. That said, February is the Month Of Love , so I'll be bringing the Anime Spotlight to some saccharine series and seasons, getting Omnibuste...

Article by Sean Wilkinson, Trying to think Happy Thoughts.... I can't fly, Ticketholders, especially not for today's in-flight fustercluck of an entry in the Twisted Childhood Universe . At least it's better than the first Blood & Honey ...but that's a low bar that doesn't require magic or stellar navigation to clear. Peter Pan's Neverland Nightmare  is one of those movies that, you can tell from some of the posters, needs all the deceptive marketing it can get: a title hastily designed and assembled in a Photoshop knockoff (I can say that because I used one to make my banner for this review, and aside from not being able to capture the distortion or shape of the fonts used, I did it fairly quickly), padding the poster with multiple versions of the same characters to make the cast look bigger, a sinister-looking villain with a cheap but creepy mask to invite speculation and curiosity,.... It screams " Full Moon meets The Asylum , but British," an...

Article by Sean Wilkinson, a.k.a. The Hooked Omnibuster. If I had more time, energy, and forethought, I would have queued up a LibriVox reading of  Peter Pan  and had a Cover Charge  review ready to release yesterday so I could end Hook  & Book  January with a truly Neverland-themed week (I'm still reviewing Peter Pan's Neverland Nightmare  on Friday). Like with The Second Jungle Book , I do  plan on giving it my time in March to coincide with my Neverland  Complete Omnibus review collection. But for now, I've seen the 1953 animated movie , the Mary Martin stage film , Hook , and  Once Upon A Time Season Three, so I'm content to not have the reading experience just yet, and I (mostly) enjoy this miniseries just fine without it. Neverland  Volume Two Hook It's kind of a shock to be coming back to a 2011 miniseries (the Trade Volume was published in 2012) after spending so much time with a trilogy that spanned several years (almost l...

Content Calendar Announcement, Week of January 25, 2026 by Sean Wilkinson, a.k.a. The Ticketmaster. This past week was rough , Ticketholders! Between the big changes at my paying job, the "Google doesn't recognize Blogger and won't let you switch platforms" scare, and giving myself too much content to produce for my resulting energy level, I ended up posting and/or promoting things later than I originally planned. Good news on the  Gachiakuta  front, though, because the dub season finally finished airing, so I'm confirming a March publication date as of now. Probably late in the month because I have four other series to catch up on for February reviews (see the SMART Plan Outline below for what they are), and I should probably get my ass on that right away because I don't have much time left. I also plan to read and review Rudyard Kipling's  Second Jungle Book  in March to coincide with my Jungle Book  Trilogy compilation and Holiday Special review for the...