Authors Jacob & H.P. Holo
Last year’s dearth of conventions left us starving to get back to con life, and now, we’re pumped to announce our first convention appearances since The Before Times! đ
Scroll on to see if we’re coming to a con near you (and click their names for more info)!
When I’m not writing, my main responsibility is marketing our books, and a lot of that involves compiling Amazon Ad keywords – usually by researching books and authors that are similar to ours, and by seeing what kinds of books show up in our Also Boughts.
This often leads me down some interesting Kindle rabbit holes. For example, there was a period where, for some reason, a lot of the readers who bought mecha action-adventure Bane of the Dead were absolutely devouring … harem lit. đł
That said, here’s a collection of some of the stranger books I’ve come across. đ
I haven’t read any of these as of yet, but many are so weird that they’ll probably make their way onto my reading list at some point. 𤣠Enjoy!
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We’ve reached peak light novel, y’all.
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I don’t even care what this is about. I’m 100% reading for the dinosaur hands.
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I’m a huge fan of honest, straightforward, unashamed titles, and this is absolutely that.
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I can’t decide if science has gone too far…or not far enough.
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Bizarre light novel titles are my favorite thing in the world right now.
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Ok, given how much I love animals and adorable things, I’d actually read the heck out of this.
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You know, given how much time I spend cooking and eating in games, I’d actually read the heck out of this, too.
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Have you read any of these little oddities? đ Tell me what you thought in the comments!
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Note: Holo Writing is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program and, as such, may earn a small commission from any product purchased through an affiliate link on this blog.
If the tagline âCome for the waffles. Stay for the magic.â doesnât grab you by the throat and plunge your eyeballs straight into Terry Maggertâs Halfway Dead then you, my friend…well, probably havenât met the right waffle. Which is all the more reason to visit the good witch Carlie at the diner in Halfway.
Halfway is a town in the Adirondack Mountains âexactly halfway in the middle of something,â a liminal space thatâs equal parts âtourist destination, pit stop for travelers, and a repository of more things magical than I care to think aboutâ – which is why protagonist Carlie McEwan frequently finds herself occupied with the mysterious hidden world around this cozy town. Strange forces have begun to stir in Halfway Dead. When a dumb YouTuber gets himself lost in the unforgiving mountain terrain, he unwittingly stumbles upon one of the last surviving groves of American Chestnut trees, thus setting off a race to find the trees…which happen to be sitting upon an area rife with dark, dangerous magic, and home to an equally dark mystery in Carlieâs family history. Aided by a mysterious investigator and a vampire Viking hermit, she must venture into the woods to stop this magic – before it kills (again).
I knew I was going to like Halfway Dead the moment I picked it up – I mean, waffles and magic, what more could a girl ask for? – but I ended up surprised by the specific ways in which I liked it. Frankly, the plot was the least interesting thing about it – not because it wasnât interesting, but rather because the world and characters surrounding it were that much more interesting. More than the quirky magical adventure that the tagline led me to expect, Halfway Dead reads like a love letter to the beauties and dangers of the Adirondack Mountains. This is heightened by the fact that Carlieâs magic is nature-based, equally as beautiful and equally as dangerous as the natural world from which it derives. The book is also clear that Carlie is not a storybook witch or a stereotype (âIâm a witch. A real one, not some amateur who reads things on the Internet and likes to dress up.â), and while I donât know enough about the practices of modern witches to comment on the accuracy of the depiction, the practical, down-to-earth way in which her magic is presented has the depth of research-based writing. Maggertâs descriptions of Carlieâs magic are simply wonderful, with thoughtful attention to detail that ultimately builds to Carlieâs own evaluation of her skill (âFor now, I treat my magic like a new pair of shoes. Someday weâre going to love each other, but for now weâre just trying to fit together comfortablyâ) and her treatment of both nature and things in general (âI take care of my things, because they return the favorâ).
I could easily see a modern witch practicing in the same way that Carlie does (albeit without the same magical clout), and this is one of the hinges upon which the book rests.
The other hinge is the town of Halfway itself, and the mountains surrounding. Halfway is unique among fictional mountain towns in that itâs not a Deliverance-inspired backwater, but a cozy town where everyone knows everyone, the locals are charming, where Carlieâs magic is known and appreciated (though not by all and not entirely fathomed even by those), and its only real limitation (or perhaps one of its greatest strengths) is its sheer distance from everything else.
Iâd go to the Hawthorn Diner to try Carlieâs waffles as much as I would to hear of Tammy Cincottiâs dating conquests, take tea with Carlieâs classy, fearsome Gran, or just to hear the servers talk their special brand of diner pidgin that names a half stack of pancakes after the shortest member of the staff and somehow makes raisin bread appealing by rechristening it âbug toast.â I would eat bug toast here until Carlie had to magic up a spell to roll me out. The town is a homey point of pleasantry buried deep in a mountain range that, despite its wondrous beauty, does not give a slice of bug toast whether the people hiking it live or die, and thatâs even before one considers the magical forces at work in it.
A side note: One canât fully appreciate this book without having some appreciation for the Adirondacks themselves – or really, any vast swath of wilderness largely untouched by human presence. To that effect, if you like to read books in themed clusters, Bill Brysonâs A Walk in the Woods pairs excellently with Halfway Dead, both because of its similarly reverent sense of wonder and terror toward the woods and because it provides historical context that enhances certain parts of this novel. Halfway Dead clearly establishes that the pivotal American Chestnuts are severely endangered, the species nearly wiped out during a blight in the early 1900s, but a later read of A Walk in the Woods took my reaction from âOk, so they found some chestnutsâ to âHOLY SH** THEY FOUND AMERICAN CHESTNUTS! đ đ :Dâ Plus itâs just a good read for people who like the idea of hiking but not the inconvenience of probably being eaten by bears in the isolated wilderness. But I digress.
If I were to fault Halfway Dead for anything, it would be how complicated the plot becomes at points. There are lots of characters and lots of different motivations circling around every facet of the conflict, from people who want to protect the pivotal American Chestnuts, to people who want to exploit the Chestnuts (both independently of the magical storyline), to Carlieâs family history surrounding that grove, to the aforementioned Viking vampire, who has his own complicated reasons for being in the woods in the first place, to the dark force at the center of it all, which has origins the reader never would have expected at the beginning of the novel. It all comes together nicely in the end, but until the reader reaches the end, it sometimes makes for a disjointed first read as one wonders why exactly the novel focuses on this new character or that new detail without a reason thatâs apparent in the moment. (On the flipside, though, it makes the second read-through that much more entertaining.)
That said, its plot pretzel can be a bit exhausting – but the world in which that pretzel was tangling was so appealing that, in the end, it barely diminished the reading experience. If youâre looking for a cozy contemporary fantasy with just a twist of darkness, and a waffle-slinging witch who wrangles it all with panache, Halfway Dead is a must-read.
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Note: Holo Writing is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program and, as such, may earn a small commission from any product purchased through an affiliate link on this blog.
While everyone else is social distancing from people, we’ll soon have to distance ourselves from…our cat. đ
Catboss Nova has been keeping things exciting this spring.
When H.P. took her to the vet for her regular checkup last month, we learned that she’s in the early stages of hyperthyroidism. đ Thankfully, though, there are a lot of options for treating it. With the right treatment, it’s fully curable, so needless to say, we’re going for that one.
This treatment, however, is radioactive iodine therapy, and while the vet’s going to send her home at safe levels, Nova’s going to be too radioactive for snuggles for two weeks after she returns. For a cat who thrives on snuggles, that’s going to be a big Do Not Like. đ
In the meantime, Nova’s taking medicine to bring her thyroid back under control, and she is ALL FOR IT. đ
See, whenever Nova has to take medicine, we sneak it into some fancy cat food to make it more appealing. This medicine has to be given twice a day, which means that she gets a little bit of fancy cat food twice a day, so I imagine her inner monologue goes something like:
“I have no idea what hyperthyroidism is, but IT IS AWESOME.” đ
But that’s not the end of it.
See, Nova is what we like to call “selectively clever.” For example, she regularly tries to burrow under blankets…while still standing on top of them. đ
When it comes to food, however, she’s a GENIUS, and she has figured out how to manipulate us so that she gets MAXIMUM TREAT.
The first week or so of her medicine, she scarfed it down without thinking. Now, though, she’s getting sneaky.
Now she waits until H.P. has prepared the Fancy Cat Food Medicine. She then eats it tenderly, carefully tasting for the pill, and gradually eats everything but the medicine. At which point H.P. tries to fool her with her favorite crunchy treats…
…and she scarfs EVERYTHING down without hesitation, treats and medicine. đ
H.P. now has to vary her medicine strategy from morning to evening, solely to keep Nova on her toes.
We’re 100% certain that Nova knows what we’re doing, too, because when Jacob threatens to withhold her fancy food completely, she’ll eat the pill un-hidden.
Another strategy is to 1) hide her pill in a Greenie’s Feline Pill Pocket, 2) squish the pill pocket onto the back of a Greenie’s Dental Treat, then 3) offer the treat to her pill-side down so she can’t see the pill pocket.
For some reason, this one continually works without a snag…though it might be because Nova knows she won’t get fancy food until she eats the medicine snack, so the faster she snacks, the faster she gets fancy food.
Like we said, “selectively clever.” đ
The important thing, though, is that she’s in good spirits and on her way to recovery, and that’s not a bad place to be. đ
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Note: Holo Writing is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program and, as such, may earn a small commission from any product purchased through an affiliate link on this blog.
Rauch and Frank are two down-on-their-luck roommates who just want better lives – Rauch for the two of them, Frank for other people. Itâs why, when Frank isnât working at the local comic shop, he prowls the streets as the costumed hero Lambda Man, using homemade tools to do whatever small good he can around his rough Philadelphia neighborhood, whether chasing purse snatchers or driving pimps out of town. Itâs why Rauch runs small errands for the mob, using those desperate acts to pull himself out of an even more desperate situation – but when he accidentally bungles a hit, he finds himself desperate to escape that world, too.
Both get their chance when a mysterious woman named Keira shows up with an offer: Join Heroes2B, Inc. Train to become a real hero. Complete one job at Las Vegas Comic Con. After that, theyâll have all they need to get out. The offer may not be what it seems – Rauch suspects it, even if Frank doesnât – but itâs their one good chance to disappear, and neither wants to let it pass.
J.L. Delozierâs Con Me Once combines the fun of Marvel with the darkness of DC and the mafia drama of Scorsese. Itâs a strange, unexpected combination (especially in light of Scorseseâs recent comments), but Delozier pulls it off in a similarly unexpected manner.
First, one should know going in that itâs not a comic book story so much as a colorful drama set in the trappings of several different cons, comic and otherwise. Keira, we learn, has the financial resources to support a truly awesome training ground for her heroes, complete with her own tech guru and local convention celebrity, Pinball – a Samuel L. Jackson lookalike whose inventions are as wildly inspired as the comics that did inspire them. Keiraâs other recruits are similarly colorful. Ruletka, the unofficial leader of the group, is as serious a hero as the Russian Roulette from which his name derives, but is also really into baking and general hospitality, and the final member, Deliverance, is a hyperactive gunslinger on a mission from God who looks like a combination of Howdy Doody and Chucky.
Despite the motley setup, lighthearted comedy this is not. Comic trappings aside, the novel takes an unexpectedly down-to-earth approach to the heroism, motivations, and psychology of its heroes-to-be and the woman who assembles them. One of Frankâs formative traumas, for example, gave him a perpetual terror of movie theaters that borders on PTSD – which becomes a problem when a spontaneous movie theater crisis requires his heroism. For Ruletka, costumed heroism is a way to overcome the darkness of his past, but in the specific case of Heroes2B – and its incentives – itâs also a way for him to complete his physical transition to male. Frank is gay and Rauch is bi, but in addition to the typical stresses of working for the mafia, Rauch in particular has to put up with harassment about his sexuality from the soldiers above him – this in addition to worrying about Frank, who is not as cautious as Rauch himself, and is so eager to join up with Keira and do some good through Heroes2B that he doesnât even consider the possibility that the opportunity might not be what he thinks it is. Then thereâs Deliverance, who might actually be insane, though as yet untreated, and when one considers that Keira is a psychologist pitching Heroes2B as a study for her doctoral degree – and thus, you know, someone who should be concerned about that – suddenly her offer looks a lot less like the stuff of comic conâŚ.and much more the stuff of an actual con.
Itâs still more comic book action than psychological thriller, though. The book starts with a wrenching murder and, though it takes short breaks to set up its vivid characters and setting, its momentum carries right through to a blockbuster ending that wouldnât be out of place in any comic shop offerings. Even so, itâs more likely to be enjoyed by thriller fans who like comics, as opposed to comics fans in general. The novel name-drops a lot of fan-favorite references, and comic culture is central to the novelâs characters and conflicts, but itâs not a novel about comics culture, which means that if you go in expecting a love letter to comic cons, youâre going to be disappointed. (Even the climactic comic con is only a small part of the climax.)
References aside, the bookâs true comic book spirit is found in its fast pacing, colorful characters and scenarios, and high action. That it was able to fit all this into a mostly believable situation and balance it with realistic drama makes it that much more entertaining.
If I were to fault it for anything, it would be that it doesnât lean hard enough into its psychological aspects. Granted, the book wasnât meant to be a hard-hitting psychoanalysis of its characters, but the story sets up the potential for truly intriguing backstories and then only goes into a few of them. I would have particularly liked to see what shaped Ruletka and Deliverance into the people they became before the story started – but then again, this was Frank and Rauchâs story, not theirs. And when it comes down to it, Keiraâs own psychology background is just a door she opens to reach a different, completely unrelated goal. My only other complaint is that the actual conclusion comes so quickly relative to the action-packed climax that reading it feels like whiplash, and because of that speed, certain elements of the end (avoiding spoilers) donât really have time to settle in.
Overall, though, Con Me Once is a fun, fast-paced, and unexpected blend of comic book mayhem and criminal drama.
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Note: Holo Writing is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program and, as such, may earn a small commission from any product purchased through an affiliate link on this blog.
Also Note: I received an ARC copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Ingredients:
Instructions:
Babble:
This variation of the Mark I came about because every time I made the Mark I, we basically ended up eating a whole block of cheese in one sitting – and while our taste buds very much enjoyed that, our guts did not. Also, when I cook, I generally like to use complete packages of whatever I ingredients buy just so I donât have to store them (i.e. forget about them and find them moldy and mutating in the back of the fridge months later).Â
Thus, to make a less overwhelming soup, I significantly cut the amount of cheese involved and then restored the soupâs heft with added bacon and vegetables. Itâs far from a healthy soup – after all, we went from eating a whole block of cheese in one sitting to a whole pack of bacon in one sitting – but itâs certainly yummy as heck.
Ingredients:Â
Instructions:
Babble:
If you follow me on Instagram, you know I love to cook. You know I also HATE SCROLLING DOWN THROUGH A MILLION ADS AND LIFE STORIES JUST TO GET TO THE GOTDANG RECIPE. đ¤đ¤đ¤ Pro Tip If Youâre Writing For Hungry People: NOBODY cares about your life when thereâs the potential of food in the near future. Just sayinâ.
That said, welcome to our newest blog feature, Recipes on Top, wherein I share my favorite recipes – at the top of the post, âcause ainât nobody got time for the alternative. đ
However, if you would like something to read in those small minutes when youâre waiting for your food to finish, Iâll include some thoughts on the recipe below the content itself. Sometimes itâll be a cute story, sometimes a look into the process of developing the recipe – but always, itâll come after the good stuff. âşď¸
Now, for this first recipe, I have to give credit where credit is due:Â
This one actually belongs to Jacobâs best friend, Joe, who gave it to us as part of a wedding gift – a cookbook composed of handy recipes hand-chosen by the man himself. By day Joe is a music teacher, but by night heâs the foodiest of foodies and much of the cookbook is the result of years of love and experimentation.
This particular recipe is one he based on the Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup he tried at Le Cellier Restaurant in Epcot at Disney World.
We pondered trying the original when we went to Le Cellier several years ago, but then reasoned that this version was so yummy, nothing could possibly be better (so we gorged ourselves on poutine instead. And then got sick from Too Much Poutine. But it was worth it). đĽ°
Whew! It’s been a busy month already! We just returned from Electric City ComiCon in Anderson, SC, and before that, we were at A.A.R.C. – Asheville Anime Regional Convention in Asheville, NC.
While we were there, Blue Ridge Public Radio reporter Davin Eldridge took some time to chat with us and used a bit of the interview in his feature on A.A.R.C.
HERE IT IS if you’d like to give it a listen (or read)! đ
Last month at Liberty Con, I received so many compliments and questions about my table display in the Authorâs Alley that it seemed prudent to compile all my answers in a blog post. So, without further ado, hereâs my basic display:
And here are my answers to the oft-repeated question:
1) Bookrack?
I did not expect my bookrack to be the belle of the ball (er, Authorâs Alley), but when one displays at a convention that is approximately 1000% authors, many of them indie, I guess thatâs bound to happen.
Like most everything I own, this sweet baby came from Amazon: 4-Tiered 18â Wire Rack for Tabletop Use, 2.5â Open Shelves, with Header – Black 119362 (ASIN B018V6XAYM)*.
Iâve been using it for a little under a year and have been quite pleased with it. Itâs sturdier than it looks, quick and easy to set up, and holds our 6â x 9â x 1.25ishâ books well. At roughly $30, itâs not a bad price, either. My one complaint against it is that, for us, the length-wise fit is a little snug. Itâs not tight enough to cause easy damage to the books, but enough to make one slightly nervous when a customer tries to put one back on their own. Youâll also want to keep the box it comes in for transport; though the legs are sturdy once set up, they flail like a muppet before set up.
*Unfortunately at the time of this post, the 4-Tiered version is unavailable, but then brief unavailability is almost a marketing strategy at Amazon. Itâll come back. However, if youâre looking for the 6-Tiered version, youâre in luck! (I have no experience with this one, though, so comment below if you have.)
2) Lollipops?
Now that we have 6 books out, these lovelies have been wonderful for expressing the gist of each title, and if the bookrack was the belle of the ball, the lollipops were its date.
I canât take credit for the name; that brilliance goes to Dave Schroeder, but thatâs absolutely what Iâm calling them now.
As for where I got them: ME. I just whipped them up in Adobe InDesign, printed them out on cardstock, laminated them, and cut them out myself. If youâd like to make some for yourself, Iâve attached various files for your use below.
Blank PDF: Lollipops PDF
Blank PNG: 
3) Banner?
I design our banner displays myself and have www.858graphics.com produce the finished banner. We paid a not-insubstantial sum for our 3â by 8â roll-up display (roughly $350 plus tax and shipping), but considering the attention it draws to our table, itâs more than paid for itself. The banner is huge but rolls up fairly easily and comes with its own carrying case. (I say fairly easily because you have to be extra careful about holding the banner straight when you lower it down into its base, lest it brush against the side and potentially damage itself. But that mostly comes down to user error, not production quality.)
858 Graphics also earns a special Customer Service mention:
We rush-ordered our banner for The Wizardâs Way close to Anime Weekend Atlanta last year, but a few days before the con, the box arrived at our local UPS center…empty, with absolutely no record or idea of where the banner inside had gone. I called 858 Graphics to check in about that, and theyâd literally been on the case before I even called, printed and rushed a new banner at shipping cost only, all in less than 2 days, and such that it arrived literally 2 hours before we were set to leave for AWA. Now thatâs service!
4) Bookmarks, Business Cards, Postcards, etc.?
I design all of our promo materials, too, but all of our printing is done through www.gotprint.com, usually on paper type â14 pt. Gloss Coated Cover (C2S) with High Gloss UVâ for that shiny flair. They offer a huge variety of print products (and downloadable templates) at very reasonable prices, especially for the quality. Weâve never been disappointed with them.
5) Bookmark, Business Card, Postcard, etc. Holders?
Literally just went to Office Depot and grabbed something cheap-but-professional-looking and probably on sale. I couldnât find the particular ones I bought on their website, but any business card holder without sides should do the trick. They hold all of our paper promo materials equally well.
6) Buttons?
I design our buttons, too, and have www.purebuttons.com produce them. Weâve always been pleased with them as well. Like Got Print, they offer detailed downloadable templates for you to use when designing your buttons, and they also print runs as small as 50 1.5â square buttons for approximately 55 cents a button (one of our previous orders). Cost, of course, will vary widely by button size, type, print run size, etc., but for author purposes, thatâs a very reasonable price.
They also offer a number of other products – magnets, key chains, coasters, etc. – but we havenât tried any of these yet. Again, if you have, comment below with your thoughts!
7) Book Easels?
Also Amazon: Gibson Holders Two Wire Display Stand, Set of 2, Black (6A-B) (ASIN B000RO6CEC)! Theyâre pretty simple and durable, so thereâs not much to say about them except that they get the job done and fold up well.
8) Tablecloth?
Ok, no one actually asked about this at Liberty Con since I never had reason to use it, but I have been asked about it at other cons before. Hereâs a pic of it in action at A.A.R.C. this past weekend:
Itâs listed rather clunkily on Amazon as LinenTablecloth 90 X 132-Inch Rectangular Polyester Tablecloth Black (ASIN B008TLJZXK) and prices vary widely by the seller, but generally fall in the under-$20 range.
We bought it in 2014, and itâs held up through every convention weâve done since without any visible wear. Folding can be a little awkward because of its rounded edges – and I do recommend folding, because just tossing it in a box results in a lot of wrinkles. The wrinkles do smooth out with relative ease, but the less wrinkles you have to smooth to begin with, the better your display will look.
Honorable Mention: T-Shirt?
Finally, itâs not part of my display per se, but I frequently wear it at cons and author appearances, and every time someone asks where I got it because, letâs be real, why wouldnât you want a T-Shirt featuring a space cat shooting laser beams at the earth while farting a rainbow?
Fortunately for everyone, this beauty is also on Amazon as Laser Eyes Space Cat T-Shirt (ASIN B00C1KAX0Y), though youâll want to be careful which seller you buy from, as some are selling janky bootlegs, according to the reviews.
Whew! That said, I hope you curious minds find this mound of info helpful. If you have any further questions, feel free to ask away in the comments! đ
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Note: Holo Writing is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program and, as such, may earn a small commission from any product purchased through an affiliate link on this blog.
Whew! Liberty Con 30 ended a week ago, but itâs taken me this long to recover from it – which is a sign of a great con, if I say so myself. (Also a sign that my hotel room had some of the worst soundproofing in the world. To my next door neighbors, congratulations on the child you will inevitably have in nine months.)
Liberty Con in Chattanooga, TN is a unique sci-fi and fantasy convention in that it limits attendance to 700 or so members and nearly half of those members are authors, which means that the fan half has a pretty significant chance of, oh, just running into John Ringo or David Weber or Kevin Hearne or [Insert Other Bestselling Sci-Fi/Fantasy Author Here]. Thereâs even an event on Sunday (the Kaffeeklatsch) that literally boils down to âSit Down and Have Coffee With Your Favorite Author.â (I didnât have coffee with Kevin Hearne, but I totally picked up every Iron Druid Chronicles book I didnât already own and now have signed copies of EVERYTHING YESSSS.)
The conâs also a smorgasbord of smaller-name-but-equally-awesome authors, like Terry Maggert, whose Banshee I reviewed earlier this year and whose series starters I picked up in the Authorâs Alley; Lydia Sherrer, who wrote the other wizard-with-a-talking-animal series at the con – Love, Lies, and Hocus Pocus – which I picked up in full; Dave Schroder, who wrote the Xenotech Support series, which I basically picture as âOffice Space In Space With More Tech Supportâ and so of course picked up the first book in that as well; and Edward F. McKeown, whose Maauro Chronicles I started solely because of that cool anime-styled character on the cover DON’T JUDGE ME.
This was also the first con where I had the opportunity to be an active participant as well as an active nerd, so I did my first reading ever with Beth W. Patterson (author of The Wild Harmonic, which is about shapeshifting were musicians. SHAPESHIFTING WERE MUSICIANS, GUYS). I also shared a panel on âYA SF & F Literature – How to Keep The Young Mindâs Attention in the Age of Videoâ with Michael J. Allen, Taylor S. Hoch, Nan Monroe, and S. Andrew Swann, wherein I mostly said âYes!â and âI agree!â because it was Sunday at 1 and I was zonked, yâall. I apologize to all who came to that panel to see me, but I promise, find me at any other convention and I will talk your ears off and probably the ears of your neighbor, too, so bring extras.
I also somehow got lured into scoring the final round of the Killer Cutthroat Spades Tournament at 10:30pm on Saturday night, despite only learning how to play Spades three weeks ago, but such is the surreal experience that is Liberty Con.
If you ever get a chance to go to Liberty Con, whether as author or fan, I highly recommend it. Itâs that rare convention that feels less like a hyperactive mob, more like a family reunion where everyone is a nerd, some are authors, and some are literally rocket scientists or nuclear physicists – so, the best and smartest family reunion ever.
Also, if all the questions I got about my Authorâs Alley display are any indication, I can apparently hook you up with some sweet goods that will make your author table pop at a con – so many questions, in fact, that I promised a blog post compiling all my answers. If youâre one of those inquisitive authors, keep your eyes on our feed. Part 2, or âFAQ: Whereâd you get thatâŚ?â is coming soon!
Note: Holo Writing is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program and, as such, may earn a small commission from any product purchased through an affiliate link on this blog.
One of my favorite emerging genres in anime is Cute Boys Doing Stupid Things, so you can imagine my delight when I came across this commercial:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPPAyNY0DeA&w=560&h=315]
At this point, despite an uncharacteristically serious ending, Ouran High School Host Club is my gold standard for this genre, as it was not only entertaining but a truly intelligent play on the conventions of the genre (that is, an unexpectedly adroit combination of smart and ridiculous).
Cute High Earth Defense Club Love! is no Ouran, but it is a short, sweet confection that has the added appeal of being a glorious, glittery train wreck.
The showâs setup is a strange combination of ideas weâve already seen and weird twists on those ideas. First, it fills all the bishounen slots â Yumoto Hakone is the cute little one with a big brother, Ryuu Zaou is the ladiesâ man, En Yufuin is the handsome slacker, Io Naruko is rich and financially-obsessed, and Iâm not sure what slot Atsushi Kinugawa is meant to fill except maybe the average guy with glasses.
The showâs “cute mascot” is actually an absurd pink alien wombat with a heart-shaped cutie mark who blends in by posing as the pet of the reanimated corpse of a teacher he accidentally killed. Also he has come to earth to protect it and fill it with love. Since the boys are already members of the âEarth Defense Club (lol)ââa.k.a. their BSed name for a BSed school clubâhe figures they fit the bill. And so, color-coded magical boys happen, complete with the best transformation sequence ever (or worst, depending upon how much pandering you can take).
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2sk-XfiyOc&w=560&h=315]
Also Yumotoâs family owns a bathhouse, so literally every episode is a hot springs episode.
By this point, you already know if youâre part of the audience for this show.
As pure ridiculous fun, Cute High succeeds, primarily when it makes fun of itself. Episode 1 of the show clearly establishes that most of the group is not into this magical boy thing AT ALL, least of all because they transform into froofy costumes, shout âLove Making!â before each transformation, and as a group are known as the Battle Lovers. Yumoto becomes the leader by default since heâs the only one remotely excited about the power, and the others go along with him against the episodeâs monster not out of a sense of love and duty, but because they literally just want to get it over with and get out of costume.
Each episodeâs monster is amusing, too, if not very complex. Each is a student with some negative trait amplified by the seriesâ antagonists, the all-powerful student council (a.k.a. Earth Conquest Club), led by Lord Zundar, a green alien hedgehog from Planet Evil who seeks to conquer earth. Often the traits translate in ridiculous waysâa shut-in turns into a giant kotatsu, a rejected ballerino turns into a giant swan with the ability to shoot love feathers, etc.
Underneath the flashy absurdities, though, the series is a little lackluster. Each episode is basically a Monster of the Week story and the climaxes generally follow the exact same formulaâThe whole group transforms to fight; only Yumoto actually does anything; the monster is hit with a Love Attack and Love Shower and all is solved without any real meaning at all. The characters also have only one defining trait each, and though they play off of each other well, this only works for one particular character, whose personality is literally a joke making fun of one-dimensional characters. Unfortunately, in a show full of one-dimensional characters, the joke doesnât play as well as it could, and though some do gain some complexity later on, itâs not even enough to round them up to two complete dimensions.
Itâs good that this show was only twelve episodes long because I didnât think it could have sustained anything longer. (Yet somehow it got a second season, so maybe I missed something?)
Really, the only thing this show does better than Ouran is its ending, which is much more tonally appropriate. Its twistâyes, thereâs a twistâcomes totally out of left field, but really this whole show comes out of left field, so thatâs not out of place. And while I wouldnât call it a completely satisfactory ending, it definitely takes the series to new heights. The last three episodes are easily the most fun in the series, though ultimately I canât think of an episode I didnât like.
All this said, if you enjoy colorful, flamboyant, absolutely absurd anime, Cute High Earth Defense Club Love! is a fun watch. Itâs nothing more than that, but really, it isnât meant to be.
Welcome to the last entry in The Wizard’s Way Playlist series!
If you’re late to the party, you can find Part 1 and Part 2 here, and, of course, the YouTube playlist below.
Now, without further ado, read on for Part 3!
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqPPaxDp0Wc?list=PLo3lKhIPo_aTUVVxNmjCM-KIROSf5dYqt&w=560&h=315]
When Milon Artur’s not being a whimsical sociopath, he’s actually a pretty fun guy who, I imagine, would listen to a lot of electro swing in his hot air balloon. So, Milon’s theme in Chapter 26. xP
The lyrics have little to do with anything in Chapter 26, but the spirit of the song is definitely in keeping with how Milon handles diplomatic relations – or at least his negotiations with Chaucey in this scene. xD
If a whole street of inventors is going to equip for a disaster (in Chapter 28), this is the kind of music it does so to.
Or rather, “Chaucey Tries to Save Everything But Ends Up Crashing Spectacularly Again,” as he does in Chapter 29.
The grace and ethereal wonder of this song provided perfect inspiration for for scenes in Chapters 29-30 where the characters are exploring the mysterious Ambrist.
I have no idea why this song lodged itself in my head as the “craziness is happening on Ambrist” theme for Chapter 31, but there it is.
If “Lights” is the “Ambrist is Sorta Awesome” theme, this is the “Ambrist Sucks and We’re All Going to Die” theme for Chapters 32-33.
Also, pug. Pentalion’s theme, for reasons I assume are obvious if you’ve seen Kingsman: The Secret Service and read Chapter 33.
For Chapter 35. No mothers involved, but the funereal sound and raw emotion is perfect for a chapter titled One and a Half Funerals.
Basically, Chaucey’s theme song for the series as a whole. While not all of the lyrics suit him, most of them highlight the themes and struggles that follow him through The Wizard’s Quartet. Plus there’s the lion motif. (BTW, though I think the original version’s more relevant to the character, I’ve included the clean version on the YouTube list so you can listen without getting a scandalized glare from your mom.)
