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Hugh Likes Video Games: Grindstone

December 15, 2025

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Grindstone

Developed by Capybara Games

Published by Apple

Played on Mac via Apple Arcade

The Skinny: Rise and grind in this monster-hunting, loot-collecting puzzle adventure!

For some people, hunting monsters is an adventure, but for Jorj, it’s a nine to five.
Grindstone is a delightful mix of puzzle and RPG with a whimsical hand-drawn art style. Think of Puyo-Puyo but with more barbarians. Jorj is a Stonegrinder. He mines precious, magical grindstones from the hordes of monsters infesting Grindstone Mountain, hoping to someday save up enough to take his family on vacation somewhere warm. Monsters appear in a grid, and Jorj can chain through monsters of the same color. Long-enough chains generate grindstones, which land on the map and allow Jorj to change colors, thus extending his chain and generating more grindstones. It’s a fun and addictive loop, and after each level, Jorj can return to the inn at the base of the mountain to refill his hearts, or use the grindstones and other loot that he gathers to upgrade gear such as swords, armor, and potions, which provide buffs or bonuses during levels.
The game is structured into well over 200 different levels, with side areas, and different sections of the mountain with their own unique enemies, hazards, and puzzle elements. There are also a variety of daily challenge modes. There’s plenty to do, and the loop of playing a few levels, returning to the inn to stock back up or unlock new gear, and head back out is effective and addicting. The game’s vapor-wave soundtrack is surprisingly relaxing, as well. I played the game on my Mac via Apple arcade and found that the touch controls using the trackpad were intuitive, and the game also had simple keyboard shortcuts. Grindstone also has controller support, but I found it to be less precise. Grindstone feels best with touch controls.
I played Grindstone on my Mac Pro as a part of Apple Arcade, and that version is also available for iPad and iPhone. The game is also available for purchase from the Steam and Epic stores, as well as consoles. This is one grind that is worth the time.

Hugh Likes Comics: What Did You Eat Yesterday?

April 28, 2025

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What Did You Eat Yesterday?

Written and Drawn by Fumi Yoshinaga

Published by Vertical, Inc.

The Skinny: A Gay slice-of-life cooking manga that has more romaine than romance.

Shiro and Kenji are a Gay couple in their 40s living together in Tokyo. Closeted lawyer Shiro fends off the questions about his girlfriend, while boisterous barber Kenji is much more relaxed and free-spirited. But every day Shiro cooks an amazing meal for his partner at the end of the day.

Equal parts slice-of-life and cooking manga, What Did You Eat Yesterday? has very little plot to speak of, just the day to day lives of the protagonists and their emotions. Shiro is a fussy and vain, but he demonstrates the depths of his emotions in his cooking for Kenji, who can be jealous. I wish the book were a bit more, well, it has all the spice level of a cup of milk, to be frank. But for as little physical affection as the characters show, the book is a look into the daily lives of people who usually don’t get a spotlight in either manga or western comics.

Yoshinaga’s art style is easy to read and balances a fashion plate-like style for the characters with gorgeous, detailed renderings for the food. It also includes clear recipes that, while being originally intended for the Japanese market, are easy to follow and recreate in the kitchen of a Western reader. The comic follows Shiro from the grocery store to plating and serving the dish for Kenji, often involving the math and planning stages, interwoven into the story. Do I wish that Shiro’s parents were more open and accepting of their son, yes. But did you see that amazing drawing of fried tofu?

What Did You Eat Yesterday? also received its own live-action television series, consisting of two seasons and a movie. It also has its own accompanying fan-fiction series, which includes all of the adult content the comic doesn’t cover. I am glad that the translation includes the frank discussion of everyday life of these characters and their relationships, something that we haven’t always gotten, particularly for queer characters in larger franchises. Stares in ‘They’re Cousins’ This is a serious manga for adults, but if you are looking for spice, you’re going to find more on the plate than in the sheets.

What Did You Eat Yesterday? is available in print and digital editions from the usual online retailers, or in print from your local bookstore or comics shop. You may be able to find it or ask for it at your local library!

Hugh Likes Comics: Godzilla Valentine’s Day Special

February 13, 2024

hughjodonnell Hugh Likes Comics, Review , , , , , , 1 Comment

Godzilla Valentine’s Day Special #1

Written by: Zoe Tunnel

Drawn by: Sebastian Piriz

Colored by: Rebecca Nalty

Lettered by: Johanna Nattalie

Published by IDW

The Skinny: Spoiler alert: Godzilla doesn’t find romance.

For the most part, the thing that irritates me the most about Hollywood adaptations of properties such as Godzilla or Transformers is the repeated attempts to force the narrative into a human story. I cared very little for the humans when the story should be about the transforming robots or giant monsters that have secured top billing. But as a one-off story, I really enjoyed this comic, which focuses on the relationship between a, for lack of a better term, dai kaiju chaser, and an EDF lieutenant trying to keep her out of harm’s way.
When Piper is caught up in a Godzilla attack while at work, she’s 1. critically injured, and 2. suddenly unemployed. But the sight of seeing the giant monster so close was exhilarating. She begins studying and chasing the giant monsters. When Sauveterre finds her running towards the danger instead of away from it, they try and stop her, through steadily escalating means, for her own safety. A cat-and-mouse game ensues, and this being a valentine’s day comic, I’m pretty sure you know where it’s heading.
The writing is light and sweet, with just enough kaiju action to feel like we see enough of the behemoths to justify their presence in the story. The characters work because they don’t come on too thick and feel appropriately small compared to the giant monsters they are chasing. 
The art is clean and engaging, with bright colors. It is a good match for the tone of the story, and a sunny, personal contrast for the usual Godzilla stories. The reader gets a good view of the monsters, but almost always at a remove, contrasting the personal conflict with global ones.
Godzilla:Valentine’s Day Special is a fun little one-shot comic, even if you aren’t a romance reader or a fan of giant monsters. You can pick up a copy digitally through Amazon, or in print at your Local Comics Shop!

Podcast: CCR32: Metropolis

February 4, 2017

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Hugh, Jurd, Opopinax and Rich the T T consider the groundbreaking silent classic “METROPOLIS.”

Click HERE to listen!

And HERE to watch on Youtube!

Chrononaut Cinema Reviews is presented by http://skinner.fm and Way of the Buffalo, and is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 Unported License.

This podcast originally appeared at Skinner.FM on February 1, 2017.

If you enjoyed this podcast, please share it. Or, support me on PATREON for more cool stuff!

Hugh Likes Comics: Saga # 1

January 22, 2013

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Hugh Likes Comics: Saga #1

Written by Brian K. Vaughan

Art by Fiona Staples

Lettering and Design by Fonographics

 

Saga is a great comic.

It is the story of a young couple who struggle to build a life for themselves in spite of being caught on opposite sides of a terrible war. Hardly a new idea, but Vaughan throws some big twists into the mix. This isn’t their love story. It starts with the birth of their daughter. And the parents are from two alien species that have been fighting an intergalactic war for as long as recorded history.

Marko is an escaped prisoner of war. Alana is the guard who helped him escape, and everyone on both sides wants them dead. Alana just gave birth to their daughter, and the only things they have to protect them is his magic, her gun, and a dubious treasure map. That’s an epic challenge that only a pair of extraordinary individuals could accomplish.

But Marko and Alana aren’t heroes by any stretch of the imagination. Much like his previous work, the epic “Y the Last Man,” Vaughan is telling a story of ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. The fact that this particular set of circumstances is on a fantastical world on the far side of a distant galaxy only goes to show his talent as a writer.

“Saga,” much like that other big-time SF series, (You know the one, also begins with an ‘S’ it’s on the tip of my tongue) is the kind of space fantasy that only comes around once in a generation, and rewrites all the rules. Space fiction is primarily divided by scope. Either it is sprawling Space Opera, with grand scale battles and political maneuverings, or it is more personal and sociological fiction focusing on single characters and personal events. Saga does both, and does it in a brilliant way that satisfies the need for personal drama in the new family’s bid for freedom, and the large canvas as we see the robots, wizards, spies and bounty hunters all line up their sights on the helpless couple and their newborn.

Staple’s gorgeous and provocative art seals the deal. The opening birth scene, while not quite as in-your-face as “Miracle-Man,” doesn’t shy away. Especially when two teams of police interrupt to apprehend the fugitives. Another fine point to the art is the hand-lettered narration, which is incorporated directly in the images.

I won’t spoil any more of the plot, but Vaughan and Staples have me firmly on board for more. Right now, Saga #1 is free on Comixology. I recommend you go take advantage of that.