Sanda vol. 1 by Paru Itagaki - Blog Tour

 

'In a future where youth is preserved as a means of survival, there is no time for trivial celebrations like Christmas - until Kazushige Sanda awakens the legendary power of Santa Claus. He teams up with Shiori Fuyumura and Hitoshi Amaya to find their missing classmate, but they must keep his powers and their investigation a secret, all while navigating the terrors of middle school.'

In the UK Santa is something that most of us would take for granted. He's been a part of the mythology of Christmas for so long that it would be hard to think about the Christmas season without him; he's become so central a figure to the holiday that losing him would destroy Christmas more than losing the religious side of it. And this seems to be one of the key plot points in Paru Itagaki's Sanda. 

Set in the year 2080, we meet a group of young teens at the Daikoku Welfare Academy, a huge boarding school in Japan. In this future something has happened to decimate the birth rate, and we learn that there are less than 50,000 children under the age of fifteen, and that as such kids are kept in huge educational facilities to be kept safe, and are treated with so much care and concern that adults will pretty much let them do whatever they want. The reasons for this change aren't revealed in the first volume, but based on some other facts we could perhaps make some theories.

Another unusual thing about this future is that despite it being the middle of December there are no Christmas decorations, that the weather is warm instead of cold, and that the kids are at school as normal on December 25th. Christmas seems to be a thing of the past, a long forgotten thing that some of the kids are only vaguely aware of as a story passed down over the years. 

In the middle of this we're introduced to Sanda, a teenage boy who's one of his class reps, and has a crush on Fuyumura, the slightly odd, very tall girl in his class with some pretty spooky looking eyes. We're introduced to the two of them as Fuyumura is chasing Sanda around their classroom with a kitchen knife, threatening to stab him. It seems that Fuyumura is a bit unstable, and perhaps her creepy exterior is a sign that there's something a bit darker to this girl. However, she has a valid reason to try and kill Sanda; you see, she's convinced that Sanda is a descendent of the legendary Santa Claus, and that she needs Santa's help to find her missing best friend, Ono.

Through some schenanigans, Fuyumura is able to prove her suspicions correct, and reveals to Sanda that he is indeed a descendent of Santa, and when the young teen wears something red it transforms him in the huge, buff, bearded form of Santa (or Santa by way of a fighting game character). With Sanda's new power to transform into Santa unlocked, Fuyumura must try to convince the freaked out boy that helping her is the right thing to do. This proves easier said than done as Sanda has to contend with figuring out all of his strange powers, a terrifying old principal who may be sucking life out of students, and a shadowy conspiracy to hunt Santa.

Sanda is a hard book to describe. It's part high school drama, part dark comedy, with a mystery story focus, and transformation shenanigans and bizarre super powers thrown into the mix, all with a Christmas theme. It's the kind of book that when you hear it described sounds like some kind of fever dream, or a plot created by throwing random words together; and this was a big part of why I wanted to pick up a copy of the book because I had to see just how it all actually works. And despite how weird it sounds, Sanda is an incredibly charming, funny, and enjoyable book.

One of the things that instantly stands out about Sanda is just how different it looks. There is a lot of variety in manga art, and different artists produce some varied and beautiful work, but there's something about Sanda that stood out as different to others I'd read almost straight away. The first thing that made me feel that way was the eyes. Itagaki has a way of drawing eyes that gives the characters a spooky, sometimes crazy look to them that feels different to other manga characters. This slightly off kilter quality is present in other ways too, such as the overly creepy school principal, and the way that Santa is always presented on the page, looking over everyone, drawn as if the reader is looking up at him, with proportions feeling skewed and off. Sanda has a vibe to it that I think could be described as 'manga by way of Tim Burton'.

The tone of the story works wonderfully with this strange art, and there's a very dark edge to the events in the book. There's a violent stabbing, a classroom gets blown up, someone's face gets slashed, and there's an almost constant feeling of danger and unease, yet the book never goes into horror territory, and thanks to its humour lands more as quirky. Things are dark, but not made to frighten, it's silly but not slapstick. To make another comparison to a piece of western media, Sanda has something of an Addams Family kind of flavour to it where it has those darker trappings, but designed in a way to delight rather than to offput. 

The books central characters definitely create this feeling too. Sanda himself is a pretty normal kid for the most part. He has a crush on a girl, he enjoys sweets, and he's just trying to navigate school the best he can. He's a nice kid who finds himself in a weird situation. Fuyumura on the other hand is absolutely weird. She's always intense, she's fairly withdrawn, and she's quick to violence. She's the complete opposite to Sanda, and the two of them make a wonderful double act because of this. Introduced a little later in the first volume is Hitoshi, one of the other boys in their class who comes into the narrative somewhat antagonistic, but ends up a part of the team as we learn he's not all that bad, and that actual villains are around too. I think it's a bit too early to really know what kind of character he is and what his dynamic with the other two is like, but he's a pretty enjoyable character too.

Volume one very much feels like set-up, of introducing us to this odd future and establishing the rules for the Santa transformation, as well as setting up the pieces of the the initial mystery. There are hints at a bigger narrative to come that makes it feel like things could get even weirder, and definitely make me interesting in seeing what comes next. I also love that despite Sanda having a crush on Fuyumura in the beginning the book doesn't make anything creepy with that, especially when Sanda transforms into an adult, but also heavily hints at a queer romance dynamic in the series too.

Sanda is a weird book. Half the time reading it I had to make sure I was actually seeing what I was seeing because it felt so bizarre, but there wasn't a single time when I was bored with it. Paru Itagaki has created something that feels pretty unique, with some artwork that I find genuinely delightful in how boldly different it is. I'm looking forward to seeing the series continue, and to seeing buff, shirtless Santa Clause fight some villains.

Sanda volume 1 is available now from Titan Manga.

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Yan: Vol 2 by Chang Sheng - Manga Review

 

'Winner of the prestigious Golden Comic Award, Yan Volume 2 cements its place as a standout title in Taiwan’s rapidly growing manga and graphic novel scene. Acclaimed creator Chang Sheng continues his genre-defying series with even higher stakes, transporting readers between modern-day Taiwan and a bleak dystopian future.

'What began as a personal vendetta has become a race to save the world from an A.I.-ruled apocalypse. As the group leaps through time, they must uncover buried secrets from Taiwan’s past to alter a chilling future that looms just ahead. The resurrected Peking Opera performer Tieh-Hua—as deadly as she is enigmatic—is joined by a disgraced detective, a missing Go prodigy with visions of the future, and a suspicious time-traveller, each playing a role in this tangled narrative.

'Chang Sheng masterfully fuses science fiction with Taiwanese cultural heritage and supernatural mystery, accompanied by his opulently detailed artwork and worlds. Yan Volume 2 is a bold, visually stunning exploration of identity, justice, and fate—blending high-octane action with philosophical intrigue. For fans of Baby and The Hidden Level, this is Chang Sheng at his most inventive yet.'

The first volume of Yan was easily one of the most impressive books that I've read this year, and my excitement for the second volume was pretty high; and I find that this can sometimes be a negative thing as your expectations for what comes next can become too high for the final product to meet. It's why we can see fans of things complain about the latest instalment of a franchise if they've had too long to build it up in their mind. Thankfully, I didn't have too long to wait for the second volume of Yan, and that there was no way my mind could have exceeded what Chang Sheng manages to deliver with this brilliant second part.

The first volume of Yan very much felt like a mystery story. A young woman accused of murdering her entire family gets locked away for twenty years, but the place she's being held is destroyed in a massive explosion with no survivors. She shows up a decade later, having not aged, and begins a quest of revenge to find out who really killed her family and why. A retired cop comes back to work to try and solve the case. It's fairly simple, even with the hints at something larger moving the pieces from the background, and even with the introduction of a teenage girl capable of seeing five minutes into the future. The sci-fi elements were definitely there, but the book felt fairly grounded whilst being fantastical.

This shifts quite dramatically in the second volume, which opens with Yan Tieh-Hua running into a fight with a huge laser beam shooting robot in the opening pages. Where the first volume slowly introduces you to the story this one throws you into the thick of it, and gives you some of the best choreographed comic book action I've seen in a long while. Sheng understands how to make the images on the page feel full of motion and power, and a sense of urgency that makes each panel flow into the next. The action scenes scattered throughout the book are fantastic, and as the story builds and we get new, powerful players enter the conflict it really sells the idea that even this volume is just a preview of even bigger things to come. 

The story also opens up in some pretty interesting ways, and shifts the narrative away from focusing purely on Yan Tieh-Hua, and gives us instead a story that spans time, universes, and possibly even leads to the apocalypse. The narrative doesn't abandon Yan Tieh-Hua's tale to bring these new elements in, however, and instead makes her past a more important piece in the overall puzzle, introducing a tech mogul whose own tragic past and motivations to creating a deadly weapon might be connected to our central heroine in terrible ways. 

We also get a new ally added to the rag-tag band of heroes in the form of Herlock, who was seen briefly in the first volume as a helmet wearing portal hopper who seemed to be travelling through time. Introduced fully here, we discover that his actual origin and abilities are much bigger than you could have theorised, and his addition brings some pretty cool new abilities to the team. All of this comes in handy as volume two seems to introduce the big bad for the story (at least I hope it is because it's already pretty scary and powerful) in the form of Thirteen, an AI that might just bring about the end of the world.

Thirteen makes for an amazing antagonist in the latter parts of this volume, posing a physical threat that's able to push our band of heroes to their limits, which considering the group consists of someone with super strength, someone who can teleport and has a gun that erases things from existence, and a girl who can see the future to predict all your moves, is a hell of a thing. This volume ups the ante in such a way that I have no idea how our protagonists are going to manage to come out on top; which makes things incredibly exciting.

Yan volume two answers a load of questions, it provides new pieces of the puzzle, and explains some big questions from the first book; but it also poses way more questions than it answers. The book ends in such a way that you're going to struggle to predict what comes next, where you feel no closer to solving the mystery, and you've got less of an understanding of our heroine than when it began. But, the experience is so damn good that none of that detracts from the quality, and just makes you want to see what comes next even more.

Yan has managed to not only keep its quality into this second volume, but has upped it. I gave the last book a five star rating, and this gets the same because that's the maximum I go to, but in truth this one is even better. If you're missing out on this series you're going to regret it some day, so do yourself a favour and jump on board now.

Yan: Vol 2 is out now from Titan Manga.

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Somnium - Film Review

 

Racheal Cain's directorial debut, Somnium, is an interesting piece that tries to blur the line between dream and reality, but one that pushes the science fiction and horror elements into the background far enough that those coming looking for something special might be left a little disappointed.

Somnium tells the story of Gemma (Chloë Levine), a young woman from a small town in Georgia who moves to LA to pursue her dream of becoming an actress. She moves her small pile of possessions into a run down apartment, and begins hunting for jobs, both acting and not. Her desperate need for work eventually leads her to Somnium, a building with a help wanted sign hanging out front. With no knowledge of what the place does, she walks inside and manages to sweettalk herself a job; she's desperate for money after all, so why be picky about where you're working?

Gemma learns that Somnium is a special sleep therapy centre where people pay to be put into sleep states for weeks at a time and to have the staff at Somnium pump their brans with specially crafted dreams. The aim is to shape their perception of reality and give them their desires, whether that's money, fame, or love. What does this mean, do these dreams become fake memories, does it drive their new waking life like hypnotic suggestion, does it alter reality? The film never really goes into this, nor does it explain how a small four person team in a kind of old looking private clinic in LA has such advanced, potentially world changing technology. All that Gemma, and the audience, need to worry about is her night shifts baby sitting the sleeping patients.

Whilst spending her nights alone in the clinic with the sleepers, Gemma focuses her days on her own dream, and attends auditions. From what we see of her she's a great actress, and her auditions go well, but ultimately don't seem to go anywhere, and she's soon running out of money, and losing out on hope. She finds potential help in the form of Brooks (Jonathon Schaech), an older man 'in the business' who says he can help her career. The initial reaction of expecting Brooks to be some kind of predator, either trying to pressure Gemma into sex or some other dark path, never really materialises, and the film instead leaves you to make up your own mind about whether or not he should be trusted.

During these scenes Gemma begins to notice strange noises in her apartment, and begins to see a monstrous, twisted figure in the dark rooms of Somnium in the deep of night. Sadly, these elements are mostly secondary for much of the film, and whilst Gemma's journey and experiences in LA are entertaining enough, and played wonderfully by Levine, they're not exactly what the film was selling itself on in trailers. I was honestly pretty surprised and disappointed at how few and far between the horror elements were in the actual film, and pretty much ever moment in the trailer is what you get in the final film. It feels like Somnium sold itself as a horror piece, only to pull the rug out and give viewers a drama instead. 

There are some great performances in Somnium, and the film is both competently written and shot, but when I spend the entire film thinking 'the horror stuff must be coming soon' only for the end credits to roll I can't help but feel somewhat disappointed. And maybe that's just me, and other people will get on much better with it than I do; especially if you know these elements are going to be light going in. Somnium labels itself as a science fiction film, but the sci-fi is more of a seasoning to the main course.

Somnium is available on digital download now.

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The Innkeepers - Limited Edition 4K UHD/Blu-ray Review

 

I've not seen many of Ti West's movies, and The Innkeepers was my first experience of his work when it was first released. At the time the film didn't really click with me, and I filed it away until I watched his truly horrifying The Sacrament, a film that's so realistic in its horror that it sent shivers down my spine. When Second Sight announced that they were releasing a new 4K UHD Limited Edition version of the film I thought that perhaps now might be a good time to give it another try, to see if perhaps my views on it have chanced in the near decade and a half since its release. 

The Innkeepers takes place in the real life Yankee Pedlar Inn, though in a dramatized version of it that sees the old building on the edge of going out of business. Despite having been around for decades, illustrated in a great opening sequence showing the building's evolution over the years, not many people are staying there, and the place is only a week away from closing for good. The place is operating with a skeleton crew of two, Claire (Sara Paxton) and Luke (Pat Healey).

The two of them have been largely bored at work, especially as there are only two guests in the building, and have been spending their time looking into the reported haunting inside the Inn. Years ago a bride took her own life in the hotel, and people have reported strange events ever since. Armed with an EVP recorder, a rather shoddy website, and the desire to catch something cool, they spend their shifts trying to contact the spirit walking the halls of the Yankee Pedlar. However, when spooky events begin to finally happen it sets them on a path that will put their lives in danger.

Horror is a broad genre, one that can do slow burn, that can be fast paced, it can have buckets of blood, or it can leave things to your imagination. You're never quite sure what you're going to get just from the label 'horror', and for much of the runtime of The Innkeepers I'd struggle to really consider it horror. Perhaps one of the best films to compare The Innkeepers to would be Kevin Smith's Clerks, a film with very little plot, that focuses on a handful of characters, and is mostly two people standing around chatting. The Innkeepers follows this mould, with the casual conversations between Claire and Luke being much of the focus of the movie. 

Whether you consider this comparison to be a good thing or not would depend on your tastes, as the person who I first watched the film with loved both of those films, and I didn't really like them much. For me, too much of The Innkeepers was given over to personal relationships, meandering moments, and humour that didn't quite land for me. Yes, the characters are nice enough, with Sara Paxton doing a wonderful job in the lead role, but when 80% of the film feels like a relationship drama rather than a horror it's not really enough to keep me fully invested.

When the horror does appear on screen it felt a little too late to really salvage the experience for me. Spooky dead people suddenly appearing on the screen to make Claire scream and run away and not much more, after an hour of build up, honestly left me feeling a little short changed. I don't know why I felt like this, as some of my favourite horror films feature their main antagonist or object of fear very little, films like Alien, Jaws, or Sinister. But where I think perhaps those work more for me than The Innkeepers is that those films felt tense throughout, they had atmosphere, and characters were engaging. The Innkeepers has almost no tension, the film isn't all that visually engaging, and none of the characters are really memorable or all that entertaining.

I really hoped that by giving the film another chance I'd finally click with it, that I'd see what made a lot of people give it high scores and praise; but I guess The Innkeepers just isn't a film that does what I need. That's not to say it's bad, there's a lot of decent moments, a strong cast, and good dialogue. It's a competently made film that it's absolutely possible to love, so don't let my bad experience with it stop you from giving it a watch.

Alongside the film the new release comes with a slew of extra features. There are two audio commentary tracks for the movie. The first one features Ti West, who wrote, directed, and edited the film, along with Producers Larry Fessenden and Peter Phok, and Sound Designer Graham Reznick. The second commentary has West joined by actors Sarah Paxton and Pat Healey. The tracks are both decent, and offer different insights into the film. The second track has a bit more of a relaxed feel to it, with the cast reminiscing on what it felt like making the film, where as the other has more technical details and behind the scenes facts. There are also several new interviews, including Ti West, Pat Healey, Larry Fesenden, Director of Photography Eliot Rockett, Composer Jeff Grace, and Line Producer Jacob Jaffke. A behind the scenes featurette and a trailer round out the on disc features. As with other Second Sight Limited Editon's, The Innkeepers also comes with a slipcase featuring new artwork, 6 collectors art cards, and a 120-page book with essays and writing about the film.

The Innkeepers wasn't quite to my taste, but it's a competently made film that many will enjoy. The film has a strong fanbase and has been popular for well over a decade, and if you're one of those fans this new release makes for an excellent new edition packed with brand new extras.

The Innkeepers Limited Edition 4K UHD/Blu-ray is available now from Second Sight.

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40 Acres - Film Review

 

There's a big focus on post-apocalypse media lately (not a surprise when the world seems to be hellbent on getting to that point), and whilst a lot of these stories throw in some vaguely fantastical element, such as the undead, a rage virus, or fungus zombies, 40 Acres instead takes a much more subdued and realistic approach to the end of the world. The result of this is a film that might feel less overtly bleak or fatalistic than others, it's one where when the awful things do start to begin they hit all the harder because it's not monsters that these people need to fear, but very real, very familiar violence.

40 Acres tells the story of the Freeman family, headed up by Hailey (Danielle Deadwyler), and her husband Galen (Michael Greyeyes), who met whilst serving as soldiers years before. A number of years ago, a fungal spore spread across the world, affecting crops and plants the world over. This resulted in mass starvation, war, and civilisation falling apart as farmable land became the most valuable resource. Hailey and Galen have an isolated farm in Canada, where they live with their children, Emmanuel (Kateem O'Connor), and Raine (Leenah Robinson), who Hailey and Galen brought together from previous relationships respectively; and Danis (Jaeda LaBlanc) and Cookie (Haile Amare), who they had together. 

With their farmland a valuable resource, and their only means to survive, Hailey and Galen has used their military training to secure the farm, and to raise their four children to be fighters. Despite this ability to survive, demonstrated with a brutal opening sequence showing what happens when raiders come to call, their life leaves them isolated and alone. Whilst Hailey is content with this, needing only the infrequent interaction with a friend over the radio, her son Emmanuel has reached the age where he needs other people. 

When news hits the Freeman's that some of the surrounding farms inside their trading network have gone silent, and that a roving gang of cannibals might be to blame, the family must come together to defend what they have. But when Emmanuel discovers a beautiful young woman just outside their fence, asking for help, it sets the entire family on a dangerous path. 

As the name of the film implies, 40 Acres is slightly more than just a post apocalypse home invasion story. Following the American Civil War, freed Black slaves were promised 40 acres of land and a mule as a form of reparation for how they were treated. This promise was largely a lie, and is part of a larger system of failed promises, broken systems, and outright cruelty that have been used to target people of colour in the US. With the name of the film in mind, it's easy to also spot that the vast majority of the film's cast are people of colour, with the Freeman family being of both Black and Canadian Native descent. In contrast, every single one of the raiders and cannibals who appear in the film is white, with the only good white person being Hailey's friend.

The film isn't overtly about racism or colonisation, but the themes are very much there. The people we're watching are suffering at the hands of brutalist white people, who've come for their land and resources, and will literally use up these people's bodies to keep themselves going, treating them as little more than meat to be consumed. I think writer/director R.T. Thorne made a very deliberate choice in this, and to toss many of the racist stereotypes that were used against Black and brown people over the centuries back onto the white oppressors. The white man is the one that is violent, that eats humans, that doesn't want to build their own society but will come and invade yours. I can't help but feel that 40 Acres has a lot to say, and that much smarter people than myself will be able to watch the film and pick out all kind of nuance and clever details that I certainly missed.

Outside of the themes of the film, 40 Acres is a damn fine film. The Freeman family makes for interesting protagonists, and watching their dynamic and the cracks that form from that makes the film very engaging. You can't argue that Hailey and Galen have kept their family alive by raising them like soldiers, but you can also see how it's creating some divisions, such as Raine not being allowed to read a certain book because she wasn't told to read it, or Emmanuel being a young man with no chance of finding love because he's never allowed to leave. The family dynamics have no clear right or wrong, as you can see why the parents have done what they've done and approve of some of it, whilst also understanding why the children are pushing back. 

The cast present this wonderfully, particularly Danielle Deadwyler and Kateem O'Connor, whose mother son relationship is the central piece of the film. Each of them delivers strong performances, with Deadwyler being the stand out as an incredibly intense mother who you'd never want to cross. She brings intense grit and determination to the role, and you believe that she used to be a soldier; yet despite this you can also see a large amount of both love and guilt shining through. The film touches upon a troubled past between Hailey and her son, giving us a couple of flashbacks that informs a lot of their relationship with very little, and it makes you re-evaluate much of what you've seen between the two of them. 

40 Acres doesn't try to break the post-apocalypse mould, and a lot of what you get here you'll have experienced before; but I also feel that it's not trying to do this. Instead, it's telling a familiar story through a different lens. It has interesting themes and commentary that can be largely overlooked in favour of a fairly by the numbers movie that will still entertain, or it can be examined in greater depth to give viewers an experience that sets it aside from others in the genre. How much you get from the film will depend on you to a certain extent, but if you go in willing to see more, and to learn, 40 Acres becomes a wonderfully inventive and memorable addition to the genre.

40 Acres is in UK cinemas now, and available to download digitally today.

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Lilly Wachowski Producing All Trans Cast Movie 'Dolls'

 

Lilly Wachowski, one of the famous Wachowski sisters who created the hit franchise The Matrix, is producing a new short movie, Dolls, that features and entirely trans cast. 

The short movie is set to be the directorial debut of Geena Rocero, a trans filmmaker, and is a sci-fi thriller take on the 70's cult classic The Stepford Wives. The film will feature Yên Sen, Arewà Basit, Macy Rodman, and several other trans actresses, as well as director Geena Rocero, and producer Lilly Wachowski.

The new film tells the story of a private investigator who is looking into the mystery of a missing girl that has a connection to a dating workshop for trans women that may actually be a front for some kind of cult. Gene, the head of the workshop, claims to only be trying to help and empower trans women in processing their relationship problems. 

Geena Rocero said that 'Dolls is my attempt to birth the internal chatter that ruminates in my head. All those years admiring directors like Claire Denis, Lucrecia Martel and Park Chan-wook, I told myself to give it a shot, it’s the only way to find out.'

Producer Lilly Wachowski is no stranger to films depicting the trans experience, with the film she made with her sister Lana, who is also a trans woman, The Matrix being long discussed as a trans allegory. Despite numerous pushbacks to this interpretation by fans who dislike trans people, both directors have stated that The Matrix is indeed a trans movie, and wouldn't exist without those elements. Lilly Wachowski has been working to help other transgender filmmakers break their way into the industry over the last several years.

'Dolls a fever dream reflecting on assimilation and the investigation of trans identity,' Wachowski said. So proud to be part of this beautiful, weird, striking debut!'

The film's title is an overt reference to the term 'dolls', which has been used within the trans community to refer to trans women for decades, and is believed to have originated in the 1980's ballroom community. The term has moved back into the spot recently after queer fashion designer Connor Ives released a range of 'Protect the Dolls' shirts that received attention after being worn by celebrities such as Pedro Pascal, Tilda Swinton, Alan Cumming, and Laverne Cox.

There is currently no release date confirmed for Dolls, though the film has been submitted to a number of upcoming festivals. 

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A Palace Near the Wind by Ai Jiang - Book Review

 

'Sometimes called Wind Walkers for their ability to command the wind, unlike their human rulers, the Feng people have bark faces, carved limbs, arms of braided branches, and hair of needle threads. Bound by duty and tradition, Liu Lufeng, the eldest princess of the Feng royalty, is the next bride to the human king. The negotiation of bridewealth is the only way to stop the expansion of the humans so that the Feng can keep their lands, people, and culture intact. As the eldest, Lufeng should be the next in line to lead the people of Feng, and in the past, that made her sisters disposable. Thankful that her youngest sister, Chuiliu, is too young for a sacrificial marriage, she steps in with plans to kill the king to finally stop the marriages.

'But when she starts to uncover the truth about her peoples' origins and realizes Chuiliu will never be safe from the humans, she must learn to let go of duty and tradition, choose her allies carefully, and risk the unknown in order to free her family and shape her own fate.'

A Palace Near the Wind is the first novella in a duology that takes readers to a fantastical world filled with interesting characters, imaginative races, unique locations, and plot intrigue that manages to pack a surprising amount into just 200 pages that will have you wondering just how author Ai Jiang was able to make it all work as well as she does.

The narrative follows Princess Liu Lufeng, a member of the Feng people, a race of people with wooden skin, hair made of thorns, and a deep attachment to nature. The Feng people are ruled over harshly by the humans, whose king takes Feng royalty as brides. With Lufeng having been chosen to be the next sacrificial bride she decides not to stick with tradition, not to become a willing sexual slave, but instead chooses to free her people from future oppression by murdering the king. However, upon arriving at the castle Lufeng learns that many of her preconceptions about the people she finds there are wrong, and she becomes faced with some difficult decisions. 

There's part of my that wonders why this book is a novella duology, as 200 pages really doesn't feel like enough, despite just how much Jiang gives us here. Doubling that to a complete 400 page book would feel absolutely fine to me, but that could also be down to me having gotten to the end of the book and immediately wanting to read more, so my complaint isn't really justified as I was just going through story withdrawal.

Despite the short length, a lot of attention is given over to the world-building in A Palace Near the Wind and you come away thinking that Jiang has some very clear, very cleverly thought out ideas for her setting that if you're anything like me you'll want to see played out over several more books. 

It does feel like Jiang is exploring some very clear themes at times too. There seems to be a nature vs technology/modernisation narrative that could be subtle enough that people only take at a surface, fantasy level, but there were times where it felt like the book was also looking at these themes through the lens of colonialism and the erasure of indigenous peoples, which isn't something that I've seen all too often and was very happy to see here. 

The book also has a very anti-meat stance too, with descriptions of eating meat that are written in very grotesque ways, and it does come across as very skewed towards being pro-veganism or vegetarian. I will acknowledge that veganism is probably the most moral stance when it comes to food, but I do also find when people try to push it in such ways, trying to villainise meat consumption, or attempts to make those who eat meat feel guilty it can just strengthen opposition to veganism, and further animosity.

A Palace Near the Wind is a wonderfully imaginative blending of fantasy and science fiction, one with some great ideas and an often wonderful way of exploring the world its creating.

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Trans Darts Player Noa-Lynn van Leuven Targeted by Transphobic Protest at Match

 

Dutch darts player Noa-Lynn van Leuven was on the receiving end of harassment at her latest match (Saturday 27th July), as transphobic protestors waved a banner and wore t-shirts with slogans designed to cause distress, and threw items at the stage, possibly in an attempt to harm or physically prevent van Leuven from being able to compete. 

The match was part of the Betfred Women's World Matchplay, which took place in Blackpool, saw van Leuven competing against Lorraine Winstanley. During the match three women in the audience began to cause a disturbance. One wore a t-shirt saying 'Save Women's Sports', whilst another tried to unfurl a banner, and a third filmed. 

Security quickly intervened, and tried to remove the women from the event due to their disruption; however, the three protestors can be seen on video refusing to leave, struggling against the security guards and screaming 'He's a man', as they're made to leave.

One of the transphobic protestors, a woman named Jean Hatchet, claims that her fighting against the security left her with 'bruises and scratches', and she accuses the security personnel of being 'very violent' towards her despite the video clearly showing that she was pushing back against them and refusing to leave peacefully.

Hatchet, a writer who has supported other transphobes on social media, including racist Sandie Peggie, complained that she 'didn't even get a chance to say 'he's a man' before being dragged out', as if she has some kind of right to verbally assault members of a minority group that she hates. Following the event Hatchet has continued to insult, denigrate, and villainise van Leuven on social media, misgendering her, and calling for her to be thrown out of the sport. A quick scroll through her social media shows that this kind of dehumanising rhetoric is acceptable to her, as she has multiple posts from herself and shared from other accounts that try to equate the queer community with paedophiles and violent offenders.

Despite the disruption to her match, van Leuven went on to win her first round against Winstanley, before losing in the second round against Fallon Sherrock; another example of how the transphobic claim that trans women are 'dominating' women's sports are clearly not based in reality.

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Iranian Trans Woman Sogand Pakdel Murdered in 'Honour Killing'

 

News broke last week that 26-year-old Sogand Pakdel, a trans woman living in Iran, was murdered by members of her family as part of an 'honour killing' in June.

According to information released by the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), Sogand chose to attend the wedding of her cousin in Kavar, part of the Fars Province in Iran, despite being told not to by family who did not respect her identity. Upon arriving at the event she was threatened by an uncle, who produced a gun and fired a shot into the air, before he turned the weapon on her, killing her with a bullet to the head. 

Prior to her murder, Sogand had been living in in a hostel in Shiraz, alongside other trans people, after receiving abuse and ostracization from her family. It has been reported that Sogand received beatings and assaults from family members, as well as abductions, and multiple threats of death. According to one source 'Male relatives would repeatedly take her out to the desert and beat her. The last time this happened, she recorded a video and shared it, saying ‘Let us live.’'

The Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, an independent organisation who monitor human rights violations in Kurdistan and Iran, spoke about Sogand, having talked to people close to her. They said that she was 'never silent' on issues of trans liberation and equality both in her life and on social media. A friend of her told them that 'She was always defiant, and she paid for it with her life.'

Hengaw also said that an ongoing, silent massacre of queer people is currently taking place across Iran, and that Sogand is just the latest in a long line of victims. Currently in Iran trans people, despite official claims of being recognised and respected, suffer persecution under the state's laws, binary gender definitions, and pathologizing medical practices; same-sex relationships are also punishable by flogging, and even death, in Iran. 

Based on current law in Iran, transgender people are only granted legal recognition if they undergo coercive treatments that violate bodily autonomy. Trans people are forced to undergo virginity tests, psychological testing, chromosome testing, and physical examinations before they're able to receive treatment. They must also have parental permission, even as adults, and must appeal to family courts. Because of Iran's strict gender binary, trans people are deemed as 'curable' and must undergo gender reassignment procedures to be granted rights. 

This all exists alongside state propaganda that enforces strict cis-heteronormative ideologies, and the promotion of honour killings of those who violate these 'norms'. In many ways the Iranian state encourages family of transgender people to enact violence for them, which results in brutalisation and murder, as seen with Sogand.

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Record Breaking 100,000 People Attend Trans+ Pride London

 

Trans+ Pride London began in 2019, created by a collective of transgender people and groups that decided to start an event to combat the rising transphobia in the UK, and the rest of the world. That first event saw an attendance of around 1500 people. This year, in the face of the biggest rollbacks on trans rights, and vicious attacks on the transgender community, that crowd rose to an amazing 100,000 people, as the trans community and its allies gathered to tell the rest of the country that they will not go unheard and unseen.

2025 has seen some of the worst attacks on the trans community that the country has seen in the last 30 years or more, with the current Labour government enacting legislation that would make the most vehement transphobic extremist happy. We have daily media reports that demonise trans people in all walks of life, with anti-trans voices given centre stage. Government bodies are pushing for the segregation of trans people from public spaces, or our complete removal from them. Trans youth have lost access to healthcare, and many health providers across the country are even refusing to provide services to trans adults. Anti-trans hate crimes and violence is on the rise. We are seeing a concerted attempt to erase trans people from British life. And over the weekend the UK saw the biggest pro-trans protest and celebration in the world in response to that hate.

The even route went through multiple landmark sites across the nation's capital, including Trafalga Square, Regent Street, and Piccadilly Circus, before finishing at Parliament Square, where a number of speakers gave speeches across the day. BBC presenter Dr Ronx, actress Yasmin Finney, artist Lewis G Burton, were just some of the people who spoke at the event.

Lewis G Burton, who is one of the event's organisers, said 'This year’s London Trans+ Pride made history once again, with over 100,000 trans+ people and allies marching through central London – smashing our own world record of 60,000 and continuing our legacy as the biggest trans+ pride event in history.

'It was an emotional and powerful day. At a time when the supreme court is making sweeping decisions about trans people without consulting a single trans person or organisation, and when a small, well-funded lobby of anti-trans campaigners continues to dominate headlines and waste public resources, our community came together to show what real strength, solidarity and care looks like.

'I feel honoured to have platformed some of the most inspiring activists, organisers and trans people from across the globe. London Trans+ Pride was a vital act of resistance and joy – a reminder to trans+ people that they are not alone, that they are celebrated, and that they belong.

'The message was clear: we will not be erased. Our existence is natural, historic and enduring. You can try to take away our rights, but you will never remove us from society. We are a part of humanity – and the public will not stand by while harm is done to our community.'

Speaking to Attitude magazine about the event author Caroline Litman, whose trans daughter Alice lost her life in 2022, said, 'I feel safe here. I feel at home in the trans community. A lot of my cis, heteronormative friends just don’t get me anymore. In my loss, I understand the feeling of being outside and otherness. That helps me identify more with the struggle.

'We want trans people to live full realised lives in their true selves – but we have to protest. This is about getting the cisgender-conforming majority to see what is happening, what they’re doing to this vulnerable minority.

Speaking on concerns parents might have about their children coming out as transgender she said, 'Listen to your child and trust them and believe them and put them at the centre. You may have concerns and anxieties, I had them too. But your child knows themselves better than you do and you are being lied to by the government and the mass media who don’t have your child or your best interests at heart. So please: love them, support them, listen to them and get some help.'

A major theme of this years protest was 'Existence and Resistance. Those in attendance described the event as having an atmosphere that was a mixture of hope, joy, and community, as well as feelings of rage and anger towards those who have made eradicating trans people their lives. As well as calls against the actions being taken against the trans community there were people across the protest waving Palestinian flags, as well as signs and chants with anti-genocide messages.

Trans+ Solidarity Alliance member Alex Parmar-Yee said, 'It’s important to turn up en masse to make sure that it’s very clear what the feelings are in terms of the rights which we’re fighting for, but also in protest of some of the harmful proposals that are currently being considered.'

She went on to speak about the recent UK Supreme Court Ruling on the definition of sex under the Equality Act 2010, which has been used as a springboard to push for further attacks on trans rights and protections, saying 'This guidance has not provided any additional clarity, and actually is going to devastate the lives of trans people (who) will lose access to essential services and spaces.

'The main concern really here is that it feels like there’s not been a consideration of trans members of the community, and that this guidance will pass behind closed doors, without the scrutiny, and without visibility, and without democracy. You look at the bathroom ban that’s being proposed, and you sort of realise that, although we may consider the UK quite different from a country like America, it’s a bathroom ban that would make someone like Donald Trump proud. There is a lack of transparency and I think we cannot be a nation that accepts a bathroom ban becoming law behind closed doors.' 

2025 has been one of the most violent and terrifying years in a long while for trans people in the UK, and the current attacks on our community are not going away anytime soon, even when so openly pushed back against as with this march. The current government are pushing through even more anti-trans policies, including education reforms that mirror the much demonised Section 28 of Thatcher's Britain. But giving up against such open hate isn't the answer, and it's only be continuing to be loud, proud, and defiant against a regime that wants us erased will we ever find the equality and respect that we deserve. 

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Bloody Legend: The Complete Cliff Twemlow Collection - Film Review

 

Who is Cliff Twemlow? I'm not really expecting you to know the answer to that question; I myself didn't know who Cliff Twemlow was until the release of the documentary film Mancunian Man, but having learned more about him through that documentary and the other films currently on offer from Severin Films I can't help but feel he's a man that people should be aware of. Perhaps the most shocking part of learning about Twemlow is finding out how prolific the man was, something explored in the documentary Mancunian Man, which is definitely the best place to start with this substantial collection. Due to the collection not having a physical release here in the UK, I have only had access to some of the films in the set, and so unfortunately, cannot comment on all of them, or their special features.

Mancunian Man tells the life story of Twemlow, beginning with his humble background as a working class child in Manchester, growing up in a city where men were taught to be tough and that violence was a part of life. This was something that had an effect on Twemlow, driving him towards bodybuilding and boxing, and eventually working as a bouncer in the city's night clubs. However, it seems that Cliff retained something of a gentle, caring heart, and despite his physical prowess was a much liked member of his local community. Writing about his life as a bouncer, Twemlow released the book Tuxedo Warrior, which was optioned as a film.

Despite the book being about his time as a bouncer in Manchester, the film that was produced shifted the setting to Africa, and focused on diamond smuggling. It was a huge departure from the source material, but Twemlow was offered a small role in the film and the opportunity to travel to Africa to see the film being made. Thus began a new obsession in Twemlow's life, movie making. Inspired by his time on the Tuxedo Warrior movie Twemlow tried to have another of his books made into a film, an animal themed horror story called The Pike, which was close to being produced with big names attached, but fell through when investors became nervous about the quality of the huge animatronic fish created for the production.

With the desire to make movies, but no way to get a bigger budget production made, Twemlow took a chance when VHS camcorders hit the market and VHS sales were sweeping Britain. Together with some friends, Twemlow created the film G.B.H. Grievous Bodily Harm, which told the story of a bouncer in Manchester who's dragged into a world of crime and murder. Filmed across the city, often without permission, and released quickly and cheaply, the movie ended up being a huge success, in part for being on the Video Nasty list, and Twemlow's career as a director began.

Over the next decade Twemlow would produce several more films, often with Twemlow in the role of writer, director, composer, and actor. With a staple group of actors, some of whom began their careers under Twemlow, Cliff Twemlow had a tumultuous career, with most of his films being made at a loss, not being released, or falling apart mid production. Despite this, the passion to make movies never left him, and you can see that in his work collected here. This new collection not only offers an amazing insight into a man whose life feels too fantastical to be truly real, but brings many of his films to audiences for the first time. 

The Mancunian Man documentary is perhaps the most fascinating part of this collection, and in some ways learning about Twemlow and his life were more entertaining than the films he made. Learning how these films came to be is often interesting than the films, as Twemlow's scripts tend to have meandering, sometimes confusing plots, but hearing the actors in the movies talk about how they got to be present for the US invasion of Grenada whilst making one of the films and just incorporated it into the movie, or how Twemlow had a supernatural hitman driving a bright orange rental van because the company let him keep it for a year if he put it in the film make for more entertaining stories.

After watching Mancunian Man it's best to make your way through the other films in order as you do get to see an evolution of Twemlow's style, and a general upward swing in quality amongst all those involved. There are some actors in his first film who are literally just people he knew who he gives a few lines to that are pretty shakily delivered, but these same actors manage to do decently a few films later, having honed their craft by working with Cliff for so long. 

G.B.H. Grievous Bodily Harm is a cheap movie. It's made with a very basic camera, filmed by people who don't really know what they're doing, just trying their best; and this does show through in much of the movie. The acting is pretty wooden at times, or very arch at others, with the actors trying their best but doing nothing new or interesting. Whilst there are some confusing choices in the script, scenes that probably shouldn't have been included, the basic story structure isn't terrible, and it's clear that Twemlow has been inspired by other crime stories, as well as the world he's seen from his time as a bouncer. Whilst the film isn't going to become anyone's favourite thing by a long margin, as a historic piece it does make for some entertaining viewing, seeing how a group of fairly ordinary people decided one day to make a film, and how despite the flaws and the obvious seams, created something that, thanks largely in part to the Video Nasties scare, ended up becoming a piece of British film history. 

After the relative low budget and guerrilla style filmmaking of G.B.H. Grievous Bodily Harm it's surprising to see something a big leap in Twemlow's next two films, Target Eve Island, and The Ibiza Connection. Both filmed on location outside of the UK, and made with much higher quality equipment, these two films still have the feel of a low budget movie, but they at least don't come across as something made on a home camcorder down the local park. Target Eve Island is Twemlow's attempt at a spy movie, one that thanks to reshoots, scenes where Russian agents forgot their accents, script re-writes, and additional scenes being made years later, never quite makes complete sense. The basic story is decent enough, but it's definitely a film that begins to fall apart when you stop to think about it. The film is made more entertaining after watching the documentary thanks to the background influencing the production (being there during a military operation), and this really does feel like the point where Twemlow's films become a little more watchable.

One of the films that I found most surprising was The Hitman, sometimes called the delightfully more ridiculous The Assassinator, a film that felt like quite a step up compared to the earlier ones. Yes, there were some moments in the story that felt a little bit silly, such as the lead character assassinating a man with a very convoluted device that still needed him to be there are use instead of setting up and leaving, or some bad dubbing that sounded so off at times, but the story is pretty solid, and the acting from the lead is perhaps the best in all of his Twemlow appearances. Whilst the story is very similar to something like Commando, there are still some delightful twists in the narrative that I think shows Twemlow putting more thought into the scripting process; and a final scene that leaves the film with a 'what the fuck?!' moment.

Firestar: First Contact takes Cliff Twemlow to space, and feels a little like the real world equivalent of when a long running franchise decides to make a space sequel. With the most expense on a Twemlow film being travelling to the Carribbean (something the documentary makes out as being a disaster), it's a little shocking to see so much money spent on sets, models, and alien costumes, for a science fiction movie. Twemlow has tended to keep his films fairly grounded, with even those with fantastical ideas being kept in relatively recognisable settings, so seeing his attempt at something more akin to Alien is a genuine delight, even if the film itself isn't the greatest.

There are a few extra films included in the collection that aren't really Twemlow projects, though they do involve him. There's the hour long Fitness Over 40, an exercise self help video for those over 40 looking to keep fit. Twemlow is not the focus of this film at all, and is just one of several people who are used to demonstrate various exercises, weightlifting, and workouts that viewers can emulate. It's not a particularly interesting or engaging piece, other than to see it in the context of where Twemlow was in his life and career at that point, and perhaps as an insight into early 90's keep fit videos. Similarly, there's The Art of Nude Massage, another home video release, this time designed to show people how to engage in some basic sensual massage techniques. Twemlow appears in the first segment as one of the two people taking part in the massage, and consists mainly of him laying on a bed whilst a naked woman rubs his back. Like the other film, it's an interesting look at instructional videos at the time, and it does feature Twemlow, but it's not really anything that involves him a great deal.

Whilst I only had access to digital screeners for some of the films, the physical release does come with some extra features, such as promo reels, deleted scenes, gag reels, and some behind the scenes pieces that add some extra insight into the movies. For those who are interested in the physical version, the blu-ray set is region free, and so imported versions of the set will work on UK devices. For those that are unable to access the physical edition, however, the digital versions of Twemlow's work will be available in the UK.

Is the set worth it? I can't say. I found the documentary hugely interesting, and watching the movies after having that context made them feel like interesting, niche parts of British film history that were sometimes entertaining, but other times a little boring. The quality on each film varies, and whilst I wouldn't rate any of them particularly high, they proved to be entertaining ways to pass the time even at their worst. I'm glad I took the time to learn about Cliff Twemlow, to watch some of his work, and I'd definitely be interested in seeing the ones that I wasn't sent preview copies of. 

For those with an interest in film history, with a love of low budget movies, or even those who know about Twemlow thanks to having seen one of his films when it was first released into corner shop VHS rentals, read one of his novels, or simply heard the legend, this set makes for a fantastic way to discover a man whose life should probably end up as a movie.

Bloody Legend: The Complete Cliff Twemlow Collection is available on Blu-ray in the US, and select films from the collection on Amazon Prime UK from 28th July.

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