"When a young woman tells me that she wants to become an actor, I say, 'No, be a writer. Or go to business school and learn how to run a studio.' The only real change will come from behind the scenes." -- Halle Berry
My dear readers,
Here is my fourth list of recommendations for women's history month. Please take your time reading this blog post and remember to take note of the age ratings and to beware of spoilers.
The following media rightfully belong to their respective owners.
-A. Eleazar
"A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself." -- Joseph Campbell
Ever since she first appeared on October 21, 1941, Wonder Woman, aka Princess Diana of Themyscira and Diana Prince, has been a feminist icon. Originally created by William Moulton Marston and Harry G. Peter, Diana has appeared in a number of comics, TV series, and films, saving the day and empowering generations of strong women around the world.
Age Rating: All Ages
"Clay can be dirt in the wrong hands, but clay can be art in the right hands." -- Lupita Nyong'o
In this children's book written by Kirsten W. Larson and illustrated by Katy Wu, the history of the Wonder Woman franchise is revealed. From Alice Marble to Joye Hummel, from Lynda Carter to Patty Jenkins, read A True Wonder to meet Professor Marston and the real life superheroes who have made the DC Comics character the timeless icon she is.
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| Narrator: "For 80 years, Wonder Woman has changed people's minds. And in turn she's inspired us to change the world, making it a better place for all of us." |
Age Rating: 15+
"I've been locked up (for disturbing the peace in Detroit) and I know you got to disturb the peace when you can't get no peace. -- Aretha Franklin
Nubia Johnson's a black teenager who lives with her two mothers and best friends in an American neighbourhood full of double standards. Despite having superpowers similar to those of her idol Wonder Woman, Nubia is feared rather than celebrated.
One morning, Nubia meets Wonder Woman in person and learns a big surprise: they're biracial twin sisters.
Centuries ago, Queen Hippolyta of Themyscira became a mother when she formed two baby girls out of clay: the white-skinned Diana and the black-skinned Nubia. Shorty after being brought to life, however, the bloodthirsty Ares kidnapped Nubia and vanished without a trace.
Meanwhile, Diana grew up and became Wonder Woman, but it would be a long time before she found her long-lost twin, whom the war god had prevented from ageing.
To keep her sister safe, Diana placed Nubia with her adoptive family, observing her from time to time.
Armed with the knowledge of her origins and her own pair of bulletproof bracelets, Nubia stands up for herself and her loved ones to show the world what she has been all along: a superhero.
DC's first black superheroine, Nubia is the main protagonist of a YA graphic novel written by L.L. McKinney and illustrated by Robyn Smith. Tackling the topics of police brutality, white supremacy, and gun violence, Nubia: Real One is a timely book for people of all races to read.
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| Nubia: "Besides, if being a hero means protecting those you love... I can do that." |
Age Rating: 17+
"Women have to harness their power... And if you can't go straight ahead, you go around the corner." -- Cher
High on Mount Olympus, Hera, Queen of the Gods and Goddess of Women, leads a rebellion. Confronting their male counterparts, the Greek goddesses demand that all mortal men be punished for abusing women. But when Zeus, the King of the Gods and Hera's adulterous husband, dismisses their demand, the goddesses come up with a plan.
Reconvening at The Well of the Lost in the Underworld, the goddesses, except Hera, use forbidden magic to create an all new society of women: female beings free from the control of abusive men and the tyranny of male gods; warrior women called the Amazons.
Back in the Upper World, a midwife orders her widowed assistant, Hippolyta, to abandon an unwanted baby girl. Having a change of heart, Hippolyta races against the elements in search of the child and encounters the fearless sisters to whom she would one day be Queen.
Three years in the making, writer Kelly Sue DeConnick invites readers to Wonder Woman Historia: The Amazons, a new graphic novel trilogy chronicling the history of Diana's people.
Illustrated by Phil Jimenez, Book One is now available for purchase.
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| Antiope: "An Amazon is your sister. And your protector." |
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| "The message of Strength reminds you that you have more strength, power, and courage than you realize. Learn to live easily with these gifts and use them when appropriate." -- Barbara Moore, "Gilded Tarot Royale Guidebook" |
Book Three will be illustrated by Nicola Scott and published in the future.
For more information on the Amazons, watch this TED-Ed video on the real women behind the myths.
Age Rating: 9+
"These gods and goddesses-they seemed to have as many aliases as a modern criminal. Indeed they seemed to be definitely criminal types." -- Agatha Christie, "The Labours of Hercules"
DC Comics wouldn't have published Wonder Woman, nor would've the late Ray Harryhausen brought to life skeleton warriors and Medusa, nor would've Rick Riordan written about Percy Jackson's adventures if not for their common source: Greek mythology.
From 2010 to 2022, author and illustrator George O'Connor had published a twelve-volume graphic novel saga that faithfully retells the stories about the most powerful yet flawed family of Greek gods: the twelve Olympians.
Zeus, Athena, Hera, Demeter, Poseidon, Aphrodite, Ares, Apollo, Artemis, Hermes, Hephaistos, and Dionysos await you readers on Mount Olympus. Witness the Greek deities' clashes with family and foe alike, go on epic adventures with heroes, and learn about the mythology's contributions to popular culture.
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| Hestia: "All around me they gather, and old tales are told. New stories unfold. And I sit, and I watch. And I listen." |
Age Rating: All Ages
"Well-behaved women seldom make history." -- Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
At Miss Quinzella Thiskwin Penniquiqul Thistle Crumpet's Camp for Hardcore Lady Types, best friends Jo, April, Molly, Mal, and Ripley earn badges by performing the usual summer camp activities and by going on not-so-usual supernatural adventures. Whether it involves bickering deities, amazing cryptids, their long-suffering counselor Jen, a shapeshifting Bear Woman, bigots, swearing in the names of feminist icons, or their daring camp director Rosie, the girls of Roanoke Cabin can overcome any obstacle that comes in their way.
Written and illustrated from 2014 to 2020 by a number of talented authors and artists, Lumberjanes is a 76-issue fantasy comics series about the powers of friendship and being your true self.
Sweet Agatha Christie! What are you waiting for? If you have the money, good grades, or whatever, read the Lumberjanes!
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| Jo: "Just what the junk is going on here, anyway?" |
Age Rating: 9+
"Your mind is not a cage. It's a garden. And it requires cultivating." -- Libba Bray
After losing her neglectful parents to a cholera outbreak in India, the spoiled Mary Lennox is sent to England to live with her reclusive Uncle Craven.
With the help of friendly servants and animals, Mary changes her ways, just in time to meet her mysterious cousin and to discover a key that unlocks a secret garden and love.
Originally published in 1911 by A Little Princess author Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden has been adapted into a graphic novel by Mariah Marsden, with illustrations by Hanna Leuchtefeld.
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| Mary Lennox: "I found the door to the secret garden." |
Age Rating 9+
"Resolve to keep happy, and your joy and you shall form an invincible host against difficulties." -- Helen Keller
At four years old, Cece's just an ordinary child, until she gets diagnosed with meningitis. Although she recovers, Cece becomes deaf and is given her own Phonic Ear hearing aid to hear properly. Being deaf and wearing a hearing aid make Cece feel she's different from the other kids who can hear just fine. On the other hand, being different also gives Cece a chance to make friends and to be her own superhero: El Deafo.
Published in 2014, El Deafo is an autobiographical children's graphic novel based on author and illustrator Cece Bell's experiences in growing up deaf.
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| Cece: "Just call me El Deafo." |
This past January, El Deafo has been adapted into a three-part animated miniseries narrated by Bell herself and featuring the voices of Jane Lynch, Pamela Adlon, and Chuck Nice amongst others.
All three episodes of El Deafo can be viewed on Apple TV+.
Song For My Dog by Leslie Mosier🐶
Age Rating: All Ages
"If conversation was the lyrics, laughter was the music, making time spent together a melody that could be replayed over and over without getting stale." -- Nicholas Sparks, "The Choice"
Born in May 2012 and living in Nashville, Tennessee, Doug the Pug is an international celebrity. With his verified Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube accounts, Doug's mission is to spread messages of love and kindness to people of all shapes, sizes, and lifestyles. When he isn't posing for photos or making videos, Doug spends time with his human, Leslie Mosier, and two cat siblings, Fiona and Teddy.
In 2021, Doug made his film debut as the voice of Monchi in the Oscar-nominated animated comedy film The Mitchells vs. The Machines.
A month before Doug's eighth birthday, Leslie released Song for My Dog, a heartwarming tribute to dogs and dog-lovers alike.
Please prepare tissues.
Age Rating: 17+
"It is not your business to determine how good (your passion) is, nor how valuable it is. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly." -- Martha Graham
In the Kingdom of Dumnonia, King Cador has converted to Christianity, severing ties to the magical land. Amidst the citizens' clashes with the hypocritical parish priest and rumours of a Saxon invasion, Cador's three children struggle to be themselves.
Dark-haired Riva, who can heal others, tries to cure the internal scars caused by a mysterious fire that nearly claimed her life.
Rebellious Keyne, who identifies as male, practices magic instead of conforming to society's expectations.
Golden-haired Sinne, a talented singer, prefers the old ways to mass and desires to venture beyond her homeland's borders.
When a handsome stranger enters Dumnonia, two sisters become rivals, a boy becomes a man, and a ballad involving a harp of bones is retold in Sistersong, a historical fantasy novel written by author Lucy Holland and narrated by actor Robyn Holdaway.
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| He made a harp of her breastbone A hey ho and me bonny-o And straight it began to play alone The swans swim so bonny-o --Loreena McKennitt, "The Bonny Swans" |
The Soloists by GOBELINS♀️
Age Rating: 13+
"Do what you feel in your heart to be right -- for you'll be criticized anyway." -- Eleanor Roosevelt
In the French animated short film The Soloists, three singing sisters have been invited to perform at a festival. The trio live in a country with misogynist laws, two of which forbid women from singing in groups with less than three members and from owning dogs. When one of the sisters dies during rehearsal, the other two hold auditions for a third member to avoid persecution. But when all the auditionees die suddenly, the two surviving sisters resort to desperate measures.
Starring Persepolis author Marjane Satrapi as one of the sisters, The Soloists is an allegory of women's ongoing fight for their rights.
Disney's Encanto🦋
Age Rating: 9+
"The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away." -- Pablo Picasso
In the country of Colombia live 15-year-old Mirabel and her fantastical and magical family, La Familia Madrigal.
Years ago, an enchanted candle blessed the widowed Abuela Alma and her triplet children with their magical house, the Casita.
Since then, whenever a Madrigal child turns five, the townsfolk gather at the Casita to celebrate and to witness the candle bless that particular Madrigal with a magical gift which they'd use to help the community.
Tia Pepa controls the weather with her emotions. She's married to Tio Félix with whom she has three children: Dolores, who knows what's what via her ultra hearing, the shapeshifting Camilo, and little Antonio who can talk to animals.
Tio Bruno can see into the future... we don't talk about him.
Julieta is the town doctor, healing her patients with her cooking. She's married to Augustín with whom she has three daughters: "Señorita Perfecta" Isabela who can make flowers bloom everywhere, the super-strong Luisa, and Mirabel, the only Madrigal child without a gift.
When the magic comes under threat and her family starts losing its powers, Mirabel Madrigal discovers that, with or without a gift, she just might be the only person who can solve the problem.
Directed by Zootopia's Jared Bush and Byron Howard and featuring songs by Broadway star Lin-Manuel Miranda, Disney's Encanto is a Golden Globe and Oscar winning film about the one gift we often take for granted: family.
The 60th Walt Disney Animation Studios film, Encanto is now available on Disney+, DVD, and Blu-ray.
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| Mirabel Madrigal: "Because the truth is, Gift or no Gift, I am just as special as the rest of my family." |
Age Rating: All Ages
"When I was a young girl, my family used to drive up to Manhattan to see all the big musicals. And I remember levitating off my seat, amazed that there were these people, arm's length away, singing and dancing. It's always been magic to me." -- Debra Messing
In this follow up to A is for Audra and B is for Ballet, John Robert Allman has written B is for Broadway, his third abecedarian rhyme and tribute to hit Broadway musicals and performers. Illustrated by Peter Emmerich, B is for Broadway is proof that-no matter what happens-the show must go on.
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| Narrator: "From A to Z, you know the showbiz slang you've got to know. So, as Ethel Merman belted out, let's go on with the show!" |
The Girl in the Hallway or The Kidnapping of Xiana Fairchild by Jamie DeWolf🐺
Age Rating: 15+
"When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one that has opened for us." -- Alexander Graham Bell
In 1999, a neglected Indigenous girl named Xiana Fairchild was kidnapped and murdered at the age of 7. Even after the cruel being responsible for Xiana's death was brought to justice, the story is far from over.
In 2014, Jamie DeWolf, a neighbour of Xiana's, told her story in front of a live audience. Four years later, DeWolf's narration was adapted into The Girl in the Hallway, a stop-motion animated short film directed by Valerie Barnhart.
The CDC says that homicide's the third leading cause of death for women aged 10-24 and is the fifth leading cause of death for Indigenous women aged 25-34.
Sadly, when Indigenous and black people-especially women-vanish, they receive less media coverage than missing white people like Natalee Holloway and Gabby Petito. With domestic violence made worse by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the discovery of human remains at the sites of Canadian residential schools, and the cry for justice against police brutality, watching Xiana Fairchild's story should serve as a wakeup call.
My readers, if you or someone you know needs help, please contact your local help hotlines; one phone call could make a big difference.
Regardless of race, gender, or beliefs, we're all human beings.
Age Rating: 9+
"Feet, what do I need you for when I have wings to fly?" -- Frida Kahlo
Since premiering in 1877, Swan Lake has been one of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's famous compositions and one of the most performed ballets in history.
This year, the timeless story returns with a whole new twist.
For years, war has been occurring between the Kingdoms of Bloom, Rotbart, and Montrose.
Princess Odette of Bloom Kingdom wishes to study ballet, but can't because she's cursed to be a white swan every day from sunrise to sundown. Princess Odile of Rotbart Kingdom wishes to go on an adventure, but is forbidden due to her disability. Prince Siegfried of Montrose Kingdom wishes to prove himself worthy of the crown despite being described as too sensitive to rule.
When Odette and Dillie meet at Swan Lake, they become good friends. Upon discovering that Dillie's father has been accused of cursing Odette, the two princesses team up with Siegfried and embark on a quest to break the spell, prove Dillie's family innocent, and restore peace between the realms.
Written by Rey Terciero and illustrated by Megan Kearney, Swan Lake: Quest for the Kingdoms is a graphic novel retelling of the world-famous ballet that had inspired The Swan Princess, Princess Tutu, and Black Swan.
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| Odette: "I guess flying is pretty awesome..." |
Sidewalk by Celia Bullwinkel⌛
Age Rating: 12+
"My mother always used to say, "The older you get, the better you get. Unless you're a banana." -- Betty White
In Celia Bullwinkel's 2013 short film Sidewalk, we watch a woman as she grows from a child to an adult, experiencing body changes, unwanted attention, romance, motherhood, old age, and self acceptance.
Age Rating: 9+
"I have learned over the years that when one's mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does away with fear." -- Rosa Parks
Neil Gaiman is an author whose best-known works include DC's The Sandman comics, Stardust, Neverwhere, American Gods, Good Omens, a comedy novel he had co-written with the late Terry Pratchett, and the children's fantasy novella Coraline.
A girl named Coraline Jones and her workaholic parents have just moved to a big house that has been converted to flats.
Below live retired actresses Miss Spink and Miss Forcible and their pet dogs. Then there's the Crazy Old Man Upstairs training a mouse circus. Also inhabiting the premises is a stray black cat that comes and goes when he pleases. In the Jones family's own flat is a door that can only be unlocked with a particular key, revealing nothing but a brick wall.
At her new home, Coraline's bored and dislikes her neighbours calling her "Caroline".
One day when both her parents are out doing errands, Coraline unlocks the door to discover that the bricks have been replaced with a hallway.
Following the passage, Coraline enters a parallel world inhabited by button-eyed look-alikes of her parents and neighbours. In this fantastic place, she is given what she wants, including attention and being called by her real name. The Other Mother then offers the price to stay forever: two black buttons to be sewn into Coraline's eyes...
Published back in 2002 and illustrated by Dave McKean, Coraline has been one of Neil Gaiman's bestselling and popular books.
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| Coraline Jones: "It's Coraline. Not Caroline. Coraline." |
In 2008, Coraline was adapted into a graphic novel by American artist P. Craig Russell.
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| Coraline Jones: "Because when you're scared but you still do it anyway, that's brave." |
In 2009, the book was adapted into an Oscar-nominated stop-motion animated film directed by Henry Selick of The Nightmare Before Christmas fame and produced by LAIKA Studios. The film's a critically-acclaimed box office hit, featuring an all star-cast which includes Dakota Fanning (Charlotte's Web) as Coraline, Teri Hatcher (Desperate Housewives) as Mrs. Jones and the Other Mother, Keith David (Gargoyles) as the Cat, Ian McShane (If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium) as the Crazy Old Man Upstairs, and former comedy duo Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders as Miss Spink and Miss Forcible.
As if Coraline couldn't get any scarier, the book had also been adapted into a musical and an opera.
In 2012, Gaiman and eleven of his celebrity friends commemorated the tenth anniversary of Coraline by narrating all thirteen chapters of the novella.
Twenty years on, Coraline Jones remains one of Neil Gaiman's strong female characters, a child whose adventures warn audiences to be careful what they wish for.
Age Rating: 9+
"The scariest monster in the world is human beings and what we are capable of, especially when we get together." -- Jordan Peele
When writing Coraline, Neil Gaiman was influenced by The New Mother, a horror short story written in 1882 by English novelist Lucy Clifford.
One day, the two sisters meet a strange girl who claims to have a tiny dancing man and woman inside a box attached to her peardrum. The stranger offers to show the sisters the tiny dancers on one condition: they must be very naughty. Tempted by such a wonder, Blue Eyes and the Turkey start misbehaving at home.
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| The Girl: "I only show them to naughty children." |
Shocked by the girls' sudden change in behaviour, their mother threatens to leave them for the New Mother, a woman with two glass eyes and a long wooden tail. However, Blue-Eyes and the Turkey ignore their mother's warning and become naughtier every day to see the contents of the stranger's peardrum. Saddened by her eldest children's selfishness, the mother takes the baby and leaves them forever.
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| The Mother: "Good-bye, my Blue-Eyes; good-bye my Turkey; the new mother will be home presently. Oh, my poor children!" |
Only after being naughty do Blue-Eyes and the Turkey realise that the stranger with the peardrum has been messing with them, and suffer the consequences...
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| The New Mother: "I must break open the door with my tail." |
Published during the Victorian era, The New Mother is guaranteed to send chills down readers' spines. In the late 20th century, the story was retold by children's book authors Alvin Schwartz and Robert D. San Souci.
Since the early 2010s, people can now read The New Mother on Weird Fiction Review and listen to an unabridged narration uploaded on YouTube by Chilling Tales for Dark Nights.
Age Rating: All Ages
"Never attempt to win by force what can be won by deception." -- Niccolò Machiavelli, "The Prince"
With Neil Gaiman's Anansi Boys being adapted into a fantasy TV series, I remembered not only the novel but also a children's book by American author Gail E. Haley.
A white woman, Haley grew up in the segregated southern States. She witnessed how racism denied African Americans their human rights, including access to the library.
After moving north, Haley started her own family and lived in the Caribbean for some years. There, she overheard the native women talk of Anansi, the shapeshifting spider-man who tricks people and animals to get what he wants. When Haley and her family returned to the United States, she researched on the trickster and immersed herself and her daughter into African Life. Two weeks before her son was born, Haley wrote and illustrated A Story, A Story, a children's book that retells the African tale of how Anansi came to own all stories.
Long ago, the Sky God Nyame owns all the stories in the world, keeping them in a golden box. One day, Ananse climbs up to the sky to buy the stories. Not believing that a small creature like Ananse could pay the price, the Sky God demands a few dangerous creatures in exchange for the golden box. To Nyame's surprise, however, Ananse uses trickery to successfully purchase the stories and share them with the people on Earth.
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| African Storyteller: "A story, a story; let it come, let it go." |
A best-selling classic, A Story, A Story won Gail E. Haley the Caldecott Medal and was adapted into an animated short film narrated by Dr. John Akar, the Sierra Leonean ambassador to the United States.
Anansi may be a trickster but his stories show that having a brain is better than having brawn. To this day, the enslaved Africans' descendants remind children the powers that come from opposing racism and telling "spider stories."
Courtesy of TED-ED, here's a variant of the African folktale:
Feathers and Fools by Mem Fox🦚🦢
Age Rating: All Ages
"When we see others as the enemy, we risk becoming what we hate. When we oppress others, we end up oppressing ourselves. All of our humanity is dependent upon recognizing the humanity in others." -- Desmond Tutu
In 1989, Mem Fox wrote Feathers and Fools, a children's book first illustrated by Helen Semmler and then by Nicholas Wilton.
A pride of peacocks and a flock of swans live side by side.
Instead of respecting the swans, the peacocks fear them due to their different appearances and behaviours. Fear then evolves into paranoia as the two species sharpen their feathers into arrows and wage war on one another.
When all hope seems lost, two lives start in respect and harmony.
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| "I grew up in a pacifist household. In fact my father was such a pacifist that we were not allowed to use the word 'hate'. He said hatred got us nowhere." -- Mem Fox |
Feathers and Fools is a fable with a powerful timely moral on the consequences of unfounded fear and discrimination.
If you're unable to buy or borrow a copy, you can watch the whole plot in this YouTube video created and narrated by Ashley Paladini.
Age Rating: Adults Only
"Heav'n has no rage, like love to hatred turn'd,
Nor hell a fury, like a woman scorn'd."
-- William Congreve, "The Mourning Bride"
Thirty-one years before "The Bride" slashed her way in a mission of revenge, a fictional Japanese woman wielded her own sword to show how double-edged she can be: as beautiful and as cold as the snow she is named after.
From 1972 to 1973, Kazuo Koike and Kazuo Kamimura wrote and illustrated Lady Snowblood, an adults-only manga about a woman's hunt for those who had done her mother wrong.
After four con artists get away with murdering her husband and son and sexually assaulting her, a woman named Sayo wishes for revenge. Imprisoned for murdering one of the four perpetrators, Sayo sleeps with various men until she conceives a child who will carry out her retribution. On a cold, snowy winter night, Sayo dies after giving birth to a baby girl whom the other women prisoners name Oyuki, after the snow.
Raised by the midwife who delivered her, and trained brutally by a priest and a pickpocket, Oyuki becomes the assassin known as Syura Yuki or Lady Snowblood. Her mission? Deliver her late mother's vengeance on the three remaining scammers.
Armed with her umbrella sword, Syura Yuki travels around 19th century Japan to grant her mother's wish. Along the way, Oyuki does contract killing, theft, seduction, disguises, and recruits a fighting of beggars and a writer to help her accomplish her mission.
Published in two volumes (four in the official English translation by Dark Horse Comics), Lady Snowblood is a revenge story for classic manga and anime fans.
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| Oyuki: "I am a child of Syura. I am Syura Yuki..." |
In 1973, Lady Snowblood was adapted into a Japanese live action period drama film directed by Toshiro Fujita, with actress and singer Meiko Kaji playing Oyuki and performing the film's theme song.
Fifty years after being made, the Lady Snowblood franchise remains a classic inside and outside of Japan. The Kindle editions of Dark Horse's English translation can currently be purchased within the United States or by customers using VPNs, while the film can now be watched on DVD and Blu-ray, courtesy of the Criterion Collection.
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| Oyuki: "Even before we enter this world, we are marked by karma." |
The Sister Act Franchise by Touchstone Pictures⛪👩🏿🎤🏫
Age Rating: 12+
"When I sing, trouble can sit right on my shoulder and I don't even notice." -- Sarah Vaughan
In 1992, EGOT winner Whoopi Goldberg starred in Sister Act, a musical comedy film that brings new meaning to the term sisterhood.
Deloris Van Cartier (Goldberg) is a lounge singer at a casino in Reno, Nevada. When she witnesses her married lover, Vince LaRocca, executing his chauffeur, Deloris enters the witness protection program. Lt. Souther places Deloris in St. Katherine's Parish's convent of nuns where the stern Mother Superior (Dame Maggie Smith) gives her the alias "Sister Mary Clarence."
Until she can testify against LaRocca, Deloris must pretend to be a nun and listen to the convent's choir which is notorious throughout the neighbourhood for singing off-key.
After Deloris breaks one rule too many, Mother Superior has her join the choir, the members of which include the cheerful Sister Mary Patrick (Kathy Najimy), the humble Sister Mary Robert (Wendy Makkena), and the melancholic Sister Mary Lazarus (Mary Wickes).
Then one Sunday morning, Mother Superior, the Monsignor, and the neighbourhood get a big surprise: Sister Mary Clarence has transformed the nuns into beautiful singers by combining Gospel music with Rock and Roll, and later inspiring them to help the community.
When Deloris gets kidnapped by LaRocca, Mother Superior reveals the truth and she and the nuns of St. Katherine's fly to Las Vegas to get Deloris out of trouble.
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| Deloris Van Cartier: "Sister. We could. We could rock this place." |
A box office hit, Sister Act was followed in 1993 by a sequel, Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit.
A year after becoming the unlikeliest of friends, Deloris reunites with the nuns of St. Katherine's Parish. This time, the sisters teach at a San Francisco Catholic high school where Deloris is hired as the new music teacher.
Once more, Deloris masquerades as Sister Mary Clarence to train a class of rambunctious teens into becoming a choir and compete in a choral singing contest to save their school from shutting down.
Although not as successful as the previous film, Sister Act 2 is loved by fans and is the film debut of Deedee Magno Hall, an American actress and singer who would go on to star in various musicals and voice Pearl in Cartoon Network's Steven Universe franchise.
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| Deloris Van Cartier: "If you wanna be somebody, if you wanna go somewhere... you better wake up and pay attention." |
Since premiering thirty years ago, the Sister Act films will have you laughing at loud and singing along, regardless of your beliefs.
Wolf Children by Mamoru Hosoda❄️🐺🌧️
Age Rating: 12+
"Life provides losses and heartbreak for all of us -- but the greatest tragedy is to have the experience and miss the meaning." -- Robin Roberts, "Everybody's Got Something"
In 2012, Mamoru Hosoda, best known for Summer Wars, Mirai, and Belle, directed the anime drama film Wolf Children.
In a Japanese city, a university student named Hana and a wolf man fall in love and have two children: a girl named Yuki (snow) and a boy named Ame (rain).
Sadly, the family's fairy tale life gets shattered when the wolf man dies while hunting for food. Afraid of how her neighbours will react to her children's inherited ability to transform from human to wolf and vice versa, Hana moves with Ame and Yuki to the countryside to keep their shapeshifting a secret.
As they grow older, Ame and Yuki face challenges while Hana works hard to support them in memory of their late patriarch.
Released in 2012, Wolf Children is a beautiful story about the lengths a single mother goes to show how much she loves her unique progeny.
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| Hana: "What do you want to do? Be humans or be wolves? I think we should move. So you can choose." |
Evil Angels, or A Cry in the Dark, by Fred Schepisi🌏
Age Rating: 13+
"People say the truth hurts. ... It hurts even more if you do a whole bunch of foolishness to try and avoid it." -- Tyler Perry, "Don't Make a Black Woman Take Off Her Earrings"
2022 marked the tenth anniversary of Coroner Elizabeth Morris's delivery of findings that proved-once and for all-the real cause of one child's death.
It all began on the night of August 17, 1980, when a Seventh-day Adventist family's camping trip to Uluru, Australia became a living nightmare. In that unforgettable event, Michael and Lindy Chamberlain's nine-week-old daughter, Azaria, was stolen by a wild dingo.
Rather than comfort them, the masses falsely accused the baby's grieving parents of killing her. Bias against against the Chamberlain family's religious beliefs, gossip, a botched police investigation, and the media frenzy surrounding the case all portrayed Lindy as a cold heartless being. On October 29, 1982, Mr. and Mrs. Chamberlain were falsely convicted of murdering their own child and sentenced to life behind bars.
In 1985, author John Bryson wrote Evil Angels, a non-fiction book about the case.
In 1986, Azaria's jacket was discovered in an area with dingo lairs.
In 1988, Fred Schepisi directed a drama film based on Bryson's book, starring Oscar winner Meryl Streep as Lindy and Sam Neill as Michael. Evil Angels, also known as A Cry in the Dark outside of Australia and New Zealand, premiered in November 1988, less than two months after the real Chamberlains were exonerated of all charges filed against them.
On June 12, 2012, more than thirty years after the whole thing started, it was finally proven that a dingo was responsible for Azaria Chamberlain's death.
Even though Azaria's body was never found, her death is a cautionary tale about the consequences of believing in fake news and of the delicate balance between humanity and nature.
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| Lindy Chamberlain: "I'd like to know more than anyone else... what happened to my... my baby daughter." |
Age Rating: 9+
"You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough." -- Mae West
Last year, I had recommended Russell Quinn's precious two-part video game, Linda & Joan.
Here's a recap: Russell was born in England, raised and loved by his mum Linda Quinn and his maternal nan Joan Bevis.
After he had grown up and lived in different countries, Russell kept in touch with his family, even taking his mum to see popular tourist spots.
However, like all other people, the Quinns had experienced both positive and negative events throughout the years they were together.
A few months before Russell was born, his dad died from leukaemia. In 2013, Linda's breast cancer had recurred and metastasised after being cured of it back in the 1990s, and Joan's other daughter died from bowel cancer.
One winter, Russell had his heart broken twice. In December 2017, Linda died from breast cancer, and then in January 2018, Joan died while undergoing surgery to repair her broken hip.
In memory of his loved ones, Russell Quinn has been making Linda & Joan, a two-part video game set in "the worst year of his life".
The first part, Prologue: Four Months Earlier, was released in 2020.
The second part and main game, Linda & Joan, is still being made, so people must follow its official social media accounts for updates.
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| Linda Quinn: "I wanted you to have your own life." |
Human and Divine, a Song by Lynda Carter
Age Rating: All Ages
"To be deeply loved by someone gives you strength, but to love someone deeply gives you courage." -- Esther Huertas
For my final recommendation this year, here's Human and Divine, a love song by the one and only Lynda Carter.
I fell just like a Stone
From heaven to the fire below
And into your arms
You held me out of Time
Showed me paradise
An island in the storm
I know you know
we know our love will go on
Human and Divine
Love is Human and Divine
Until the end of Time
Our Love is Human and Divine
Love is Human and Divine
Love is Human and Divine
I found that love is still a Gift
A rainbow in the mist
Human and divine
We're bound together in desire
The ice inside the Fire
Until the end of time
I know you know
We know that love will go ON
Human and Divine
Love is Human and Divine
Until the end of Time
Our Love is Human and Divine
Love is Human and Divine
Love is Human and Divine
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