Love doesn’t always show up in a timely manner. When it eventually arrives, however, it might be right on schedule. That’s the premise of Better Late Than Single, a Korean dating/makeover show sure to warm your heart.
With a lovable cast and enchanting format, the series is already trending, having spent two weeks in the Netflix global Top 10. It’s a quick watch, so there’s a good chance you’ll fly through it over the course of a single weekend. Are there more episodes on the way?
Better Late Than Single Season 2 Release Date
Better Late Than Single premiered on Netflix in early July 2025. At the time of writing, eight episodes are available, with two more scheduled to drop on July 29.
Unfortunately, there’s no news on Better Late Than Single season 2 just yet. As long as the series gets renewed, it might arrive sometime in 2026.
Better Late Than Single Cast
The show features four hosts/dating coaches:
Kang Han-na
Seo In-guk
Car, the Garden
Lee Eun-ji
What Is Better Late Than SingleAbout?
Better Late Than Single stands out thanks to its refreshingly real approach to dating.
The show follows a diverse group of “eternal singles,” or “motae-solos” in Korean. In other words, adults who have never been in a relationship. They’re now ready to stumble into the world of modern romance, proving there’s no such thing as an expiration date when it comes to love.
Along the way, they receive expert dating coaching, so they become more comfortable as they pursue connection. The coaches aim to help them navigate their dates with style, and their reactions to the results greatly contribute to the show’s appeal.
The best thing about Better Late Than Single is that it doesn’t feel forced. As the participants navigate this new challenge, the show captures the rollercoaster of romance perfectly. The doubt, uncertainty, awkwardness, emotion. You’ll root for the couples, laugh out loud, and occasionally swoon.
The show is equal parts relatable and entertaining. It’s the main reason why we would love to see a potential Better Late Than Single season 2.
Are There Other Shows Like Better Late Than Single?
If you enjoy Better Late Than Single, you might also like Single’s Inferno, in which contestants are stranded on an island. They’re only way off is to couple up.
Crime shows will never fail to draw in viewers thanks to their appealing mix of thrills, stakes, and character drama. The Gringo Hunters is no exception. The fact that it’s set in Tijuana is the cherry on top.
The series premiered on Netflix in July 2025 and is currently among the top 10 shows in eight countries. Inspired by true events, it’s like catnip for fans of police procedurals. But are there additional episodes on the horizon?
The Gringo Hunters Season 2 Release Date
At the time of writing, there’s no news on The Gringo Hunters Season 2 just yet. Netflix hasn’t given an official update on the series. The service is probably still assessing viewership, so you might want to convince some friends to tune in.
Production began in spring 2024, so it only took a little over a year for the first season to make it to the streamer. Based on that timeline, a potential second season could arrive in summer or fall 2026.
The Gringo Hunters Cast
Harold Torres as Nico Bernal
Mayra Hermosillo as Gloria Carbajal
Gerardo Trejoluna as Gildardo Ortega
José María Yazpik as Joaquin Meyer-Rodríguez
Sebastian Roché as Father Elliot Murphy
Héctor Kotsifakis as Crisantos
Andrew Leland Rogers as Archi
What Could Happen in The Gringo Hunters Season 2?
The Gringo Hunters follows a Mexican special forces team that specialises in tracking down American fugitives hiding south of the border. They operate silently and efficiently, striving to locate bad guys before they disappear into Mexico’s underworld.
When one of their own is murdered, they need to work overtime to track down the killer. At the same time, they each face personal difficulties. The team also has to contend with corruption, which makes it trickier for them to do their jobs, especially under the radar.
Fun fact: The Gringo Hunters is inspired by a real story. The Mexican team first gained prominence following a 2022 report in The Washington Post.
While viewers get answers surrounding the main mystery by the end of the first season, there are still plenty of avenues the show could explore moving forward. The Gringo Hunters season 2 will likely follow the team as they continue their efforts to capture fugitives, with extra drama thrown in for good measure.
Are There Other Shows Like The Gringo Hunters?
Enjoyed The Gringo Hunters? You might like some of Netflix’s other international crime series as well.
A new three‑part docuseries has true crime fans buzzing. Amy Bradley Is Missing delves into one of the most puzzling disappearances in recent decades and unravels the many theories surrounding the case.
Soon after its release, the series gained more than 12 million views and claimed the second spot on Netflix’s global show charts. If you’re still left with questions by the time you finish watching, there’s plenty of speculation online to keep you busy. But is there a sequel on the way?
Amy Bradley Is Missing Season 2 Release Date
At the time of writing, Amy Bradley Is Missing season 2 seems unlikely. The docuseries already gave viewers a comprehensive look at the mysterious case and presented several theories as to what might have happened.
That said, never say never. If new information comes to light in the future, a sequel isn’t out of the realm of possibility.
Amy Bradley Is Missing Cast
Iva Bradley
Ron Bradley
Brad Bradley
Erin Sheridan
Erin Cullather
Sarah Luck
What Is Amy Bradley Is Missing About?
On March 24, 1998, 23-year-old Amy Lynn Bradley, a recent college graduate from Virginia, vanished without a trace from her cabin aboard the Royal Caribbean ship Rhapsody of the Seas.
Bradley had spent the previous night dancing. She was last seen on her cabin balcony around 5:30 a.m. Half an hour later, she was gone. Her sandals and shirt remained behind, and a body was never found. This, despite an extensive search. All these years later, the case remains unsolved.
The three-part documentary reconstructs Amy’s final known hours. Additionally, it explores contrasting theories, from an accidental overboard fall to kidnapping and sex trafficking. At the same time, you can tune in for interviews with key participants, including family members, cruise staff, FBI agents, and alleged eyewitnesses.
The series also discusses the emotional and financial toll the tragedy had on the Bradley family. While multiple alleged sightings over the years are featured, there continues to be no confirmed evidence or resolution 27 years later.
Even so, the docuseries reignited interest and brought attention back to this cold case. If there are new developments, Amy Bradley Is Missing season 2 isn’t out of the question.
Are There Other Shows Like Amy Bradley Is Missing?
There’s so much music coming out all the time that it’s hard to keep track. On those days when the influx of new tracks is particularly overwhelming, we sift through the noise to bring you a curated list of the most interesting new releases (the best of which will be added to our Best New Songs playlist). Below, check out our track roundup for Thursday, July 24, 2025.
Wednesday – ‘Pick Up That Knife’
Remember that story about someone pooping in the moshpit at a Turnstile show? Well, here’s another one about Wednesday pedal steel player Xandy Chelmis throwing up in the pit at a Death Grips concert. The North Carolina band’s latest Bleeds single, ‘Pick Up That Knife’, isn’t about that incident, but it’s one of the song’s most notable examples of pushing your body to its limits. “’Pick Up That Knife’ is a song that revolves around feelings of helplessness, when every minor inconvenience hurts double cause you’re close to giving up,” bandleader Karly Hartzman explained. “It’s also about when our pedal steel player Xandy threw up in the moshpit during the Death Grips set at Primavera Sound in 2023.”
Anna Tivel – ‘White Goose’
Here’s a beautiful stream of lyrics: “Five semis in the darkness, the stars that map the night shift/ Driving back to oregon on the burned out path the fire took, I could cry
only chimneys left alive, is there a lonelier sight/ The ghost of everything we loved and everything we didn’t fight for.” Anna Tivel sings them with tender intimacy on her latest single ‘White Goose’, which she describes as being about “the way the natural world shapes our understanding – of life, death, truth and meaning.” It’s set to appear on her forthcoming album Animal Poem.
Sam Smith – ‘To Be Free’
Sam Smith is back with a new single, ‘To Be Free’, a stirring acoustic ballad they co-wrote and produced with longtime collaborator Simon Aldred. “I’ve never had a recording experience like I did making this song. It’s one vocal and guitar take from start to finish – one live performance of me and my friend Simon Aldred in a pure state of music and expression,” Smith explained. “I wrote it five years ago while writing my last album Gloria and then parked it because I knew it was not a song for that album. It was created during a time in my life where I became free within myself.”
White Reaper – ‘Blink’
White Reaper have delivered another bright, hooky single off their forthcoming LP Only Slightly Empty. ‘Blink’ follows lead cut ‘Honestly’.
Lace Manhattan – ‘ODDWADD’ and In the Sun She Lies’
Margaret Qualley plays the lead role in Ethan Coen’s upcoming film Honey Don’t, and while on set, she created a musical alter ego named Lace Manhattan. Today she’s releasing two songs for the film, ‘ODDWADD’ and In the Sun She Lies’, which were co-written with Coen and produced by her husband Jack Antonoff. One is a snappy dance track, while the other sounds like something the producer would’ve worked on with Lana Del Rey. You could guess from the titles which is which.
Patrick Shiroishi – ‘There is no moment in my life in which this is not happening’
‘There is no moment in my life in which this is not happening’ is the lead single from Japanese-American multi-instrumentalist and composer Patrick Shiroishi’s latest solo LP, Forgetting Is Violent. The ominous, elegiac track features Haining, China-raised, Berlin-based artist and vocalist otay::onii.
No Joy – ‘My Crud Princess’
No Joy, the project of Jasamine White-Gluz, has unveiled a new track from their Fire-Toolz-produced LP Bugland. About the muddy yet radiant ‘My Crud Princess’, White-Gluzed shared: “This song is granular. Like you are sifting through deep soil and coming out just covered in crud but still feeling cute. Going a little feral while still trying to maintain composure because you’re in public. Lyrically, we are searching, waiting and hoping for something or someone – until we finally find it and start to build ourselves into the silt we’ve been digging through. This is for all my other Crud Princesses who like to get dirty!”
Atmosphere – ‘Velour’ and ‘Really’
Atmosphere, the hip-hop duo of Slug & Ant, have announced their new album Jestures, arriving September 19. Along with the news, they’ve dropped two new songs, ‘Velour’ and ‘Really’. “We were having fun,” Slug shared. “We didn’t want to stop. That’s how we ended up chasing this idea of making 26 songs, all the way from A to Z.” Ant added, “I was able to throw the kitchen sink at it more than I probably ever did, seriously every kind of style or anything I wanted. It was super fun to be able to do any kind of style of music.”
SPRINTS – ‘Rage’ and ‘Bet’
SPRINTS have unleashed two ferocious songs, ‘Rage’ and ‘Bet’. “I think in the world today, it’s a lot easier to be angry than it is to help facilitate change,” the band’s Karla Chubb reflected. “People are fatigued, disillusioned – it’s understandable, but we shouldn’t be pointing the finger at those already marginalised and making them shoulder the blame. The world is full of false prophets and false promises; it’s time we call them out. Don’t let the rage bait fuel the fire and burn us all in the process. Sonically, I was pretty consumed by Dandy Warhols and Viagra Boys during the writing of this album so I feel like that’s seeped its way into the subconscious of the song. The rumbling, desert, garage influence that almost feels like a tumbleweed of chaos blowing across the track in the guitars.”
“‘Beg’ is a track that represents a lot of the key motifs, themes and topics we explore across the album,” she added. “Sonically, it’s a sum of all of the parts, new and old, that make up the sound of All That Is Over. Inspired originally by a line in a Vladimir Holan poem, ‘Beg’ is written in part as a joke, a call and response to the question, ‘Is Karla Jesus?’ that was written atop a moodboard when we were brainstorming ideas for a music video. It’s tongue in cheek, it’s satirical, and it pokes fun at the idea that often it’s those in positions of power that preach their moral codes and judgments, while committing the most heinous crimes themselves. Meanwhile, the communities often under attack are just aiming to exist and to live. It’s an exploration of the self, sexuality, lust, ambition, but also my own shortcomings and the constant battle to be better.”
mark william lewis – ‘Seventeen’
Plenty of great songs about being seventeen. If you want to write a coming-of-age song, you might start with the title ‘Seventeen’. Contributing to that list is mark william lewis, the first artist to sign to A24 Music, with his harmonica-assisted new single. “To me it’s about the difficulty of that time but also the joy of finding creativity and music,” he commented. “There’s a few different characters and people who appear in the song from my life and imagination.”
Jouska – ‘Pierced.’
Jouska has announced a new album, How Did I Wind Up Here?, with ‘Pierced.’, which sublimates in various shades of dream-pop and shoegaze. “This one grew out of a shame tied to being seen at all,” Marit Othilie Thorvik explained. “I’ve always struggled with visibility. Part of me wants to be seen and heard; another part just wants to disappear. Artistry brings that tension to the surface. I often feel like I’m stepping into a role that doesn’t quite fit, exposing parts of myself I’d rather keep hidden. It feels too personal, too raw, and often uncomfortable.”
“This song captures that feeling,” she added. “I wrote it with my partner Hans Olav Settem, who also plays guitar, bass, and synths. The drums are a blend of live and programmed elements, performed by Elias Tafjord (Sassy 009, Why Kai), with Bård Kristian Kylland (Giddygang) on Rhodes. Sonically, the track moves through a darker, hypnotic space, drawing from the music I grew up with like Massive Attack, Portishead, layered with elements of shoegaze and noise rock. The arrangement is stripped back and repetitive, almost meditative. It’s heavy, but also strangely sensual.”
Robert Finley – ‘Helping Hand’
North Louisiana blues singer Robert Finley has shared a new song, ‘Helping Hand’, which was produced by longtime collaborator Dan Auerbach at his Easy Eye Sound Studios in Nashville. It features guitarist Barrie Cadogan (Little Barrie, Primal Scream, The The), drummer Malcolm Catto (The Heliocentrics, Madlib, DJ Shadow), bassist Tommy Brenneck, and keyboardist Ray Jacildo.
Runnner – ‘Split’
Runnner has shared another track off his sophomore LP, A Welcome Kind of Weakness, the sprightly ‘Split’. “I think this is the fastest song I’ve ever written, which is ironic because I wrote it in the slowest times I’ve ever had,” Noah Weinman commented. “I started it years ago when I first moved back home from college. There was the feeling of stillness and defeat during that time that I felt again when I was stuck in bed with an achilles injury while writing this album.”
Indigo De Souza sings with the spirit of a child who has not yet learned to lie. Her lyrics abound with cosmic self-awareness. Precipice, released via Loma Vista Records, is De Souza’s fourth studio album since 2018. If I could predict the future, I might envision Indigo de Souza’s fans shaking their heads at Precipice. They may run to online message boards to voice their resentment of its new buoyant pop sound – much like the fans of Sharon Van Etten, who constantly bemoan any hint of a musical evolution. Yet fans of Indigo De Souza (like Sharon Van Etten) love her artistry for her lyrics, which remain a constant extraction of her deepest feelings. Only this time, De Souza shares her same vibrant, albeit somber, inner world over a new pop-inflected production background.
1. Be My Love
Children play audibly as a mother (who’s matronly raspiness sounds a bit like Rossie O’Donnel) yells something sweet like, “Come inside now,” over the sound of crickets in a dry suburban field. Their voices crackle like a forgotten lawn sprinkler while Indigo de Souza, in her voice that shines like the sun on a field of green, sings: “Be my love/ Tell me you won’t stop/ At anything.” The sound is familiar, in that we can all relate to that kind of summer ennui, the place where boredom begets imagination which then becomes magic. This opening song is a cinematic experience evocative of a Céline Sciamma film, an extended rumination on a single moment.
2. Crying Over Nothing
In ‘Crying Over Nothing’, first released as a single, a drum machine and synth serve a Hippie Sabotage crunch over the words, “I’m crying again/ Crying over nothing.” This is a pop song, certainly. The combination of catchy beats and self-deprecating lyrics will infatuate all pop music fans. About Precipice, De Souza said, “I wanted to make music that could fill your heart with euphoria while you dance along.” She must have been imagining the Charlie Brown Christmas dance, for the goofiest dance goes best with ‘Crying Over Nothing’.
3. Crush
Indigo De Souza’s lyrics have a sneaky tendency to induce a blush! ‘Crush’ is one long blush. The song’s subject: how to explain to a new lover how to pleasure you, or as the kids say, how to eat you out. It is possible to miss this theme because of the song’s pop tunes, but once awareness strikes, it is hard to ignore those boudoir flavors. “Come up to get some air…/ I missed you when you were down there,” De Souza sings before the chorus: “You’re doing it fine/ I’ll tell you when I get there.” Synth pop tunes and sentimental vocal runs give the song a sense of tangy subversion to make any listener blush, and maybe panic, in a nice way.
4. Not Afraid
‘Not Afraid’ exudes De Souza’s shift towards pop music, but she remains true to the themes that permeated her previous work. “I’m not afraid of dying/ I’m not afraid of living either,” she sings in the chorus. On her previous album All This Will End released in 2023 she sang, “I want to be a redwood tree/ Feel desert sand below my feet.” To explain this lyric, on her NPR Tiny Desk performance she said: “I think that when I die I want to be composted, and become soil, and for that soil to be used to plant a tree.” This thematic throughline proves De Souza at her core seeps through this different production’s fierce upbeatness.
5. Be Like the Water
De Souza extends credit for her new found pop sound to LA based composer and producer Elliott Kozel. His work with wildly successful artists like SZA and FINNEAS compounds radio popular sounds with De Souza’s intense emotional excavation. The lyric, “Be Like The Water/ Go where you’re going/ I won’t be sorry/ I won’t be silent,” is a mantra I have already been repeating, and perhaps nods to De Souza’s musical evolution.
6. Heartthrob
Under the electric tunes of ‘Heartthrob’ De Souza rebukes child abuse. The song performs from a child’s perspective (“God, when I grow up/ I wanna have a full cup/ A true heartthrob”) to the effect of healing an inner child. De Souza’s voice sounds forced, pushed out and tired, slightly apathetic, in a way that mocks the heartthrob cliché. As she chants the chorus “I really put my back into it,” you can almost hear her scoff. The haunting line, “He really tricked me/ I let him touch me where he wanted,” recalls a moment in Vladmir Nobokov’s novel Lolita: Humbert Humbert lists his apparently extensive attractive qualities, which, to him quantifies his heartthrob status, to the point of justifying his abuse of Lolita. This is the power of pop music, people! It sends subliminal messages submerged beneath powerful guitar riffs.
7. Dinner
‘Dinner’, the shortest song on the album, is more of a snack than a meal, but everybody loves snacks. Long live girl dinner. Such and such. The sonic waves of the synth expand like the senseless expanse of a suburban parking lot where, I gather, De Souza spends lots of time. Parking lots recur in her lyrical repertoire, i.e ‘Parking Lot’ and ‘The Water’ via All of This Will End.
8. Clean It Up
Indigo De Souza’s music revolves around the depressive without dwelling on the downtrodden. Her musical accompaniment uplifts the tears that may splash on a stage monitor. There are moments in the album like ‘Clean It Up’, where the pop overlays and autotune dominate De Souza’s lyrical prowess. But if Indigo is happy, then I can be happy too. This is where she wants her music to be.
9. Heartbreaker
The greatest part of being an artist is the power to express pain through art, to create from destruction, which is exactly what ‘Heartbreaker’ sought to do. De Souza flew to LA right after a relationship ended to churn out music through her heartbreak. Although De Souza sings, “I just can’t shake it,” the song marches forward as if she already has.
10. Pass It By
A cacophony of sound, a jangly sound that oozes 80s dance beats, opens ‘Pass It By’. The song rings with happiness and genuine fun, but, like the title suggests, the song passes by quite quickly. “I know I’m just passing by/ Day into night/ All of my life” confirms that De Souza finds comfort in human transience.
11. Precipice
‘Precipice’ walks to the edge and pauses to look at the view. Her voice retains purity and wonder that seems untouched by the heartbreak and trauma about which she sings: “I feel constantly on the precipice of something horrible, or something beautiful – something that will change my life for better or for worse,” De Souza explained. Strange playback and vocal reverb elevates the song to a point, then drops us off with a delightfully ambiguous end. This choice, to jump or rise, perhaps belongs to the listener.
Jouska – the moniker of Marit Othilie Thorvik – has announced a new album, How Did I Wind Up Here?, which will be released October 18 via Koke Plate. The follow-up to 2023’s Suddenly My Mind Is Blank is led by the new song ‘Pierced.’, a raw and tender piece of dream-pop that digs beneath the surface. Check it out below.
“This one grew out of a shame tied to being seen at all,” Thorvik said of the new song in a statement. “I’ve always struggled with visibility. Part of me wants to be seen and heard; another part just wants to disappear. Artistry brings that tension to the surface. I often feel like I’m stepping into a role that doesn’t quite fit, exposing parts of myself I’d rather keep hidden. It feels too personal, too raw, and often uncomfortable.
She added: “This song captures that feeling. I wrote it with my partner Hans Olav Settem, who also plays guitar, bass, and synths. The drums are a blend of live and programmed elements, performed by Elias Tafjord (Sassy 009, Why Kai), with Bård Kristian Kylland (Giddygang) on Rhodes. Sonically, the track moves through a darker, hypnotic space, drawing from the music I grew up with like Massive Attack, Portishead, layered with elements of shoegaze and noise rock. The arrangement is stripped back and repetitive, almost meditative. It’s heavy, but also strangely sensual.”
How Did I Wind Up Here? Cover Artwork:
How Did I Wind Up Here? Tracklist:
1. Courageous : Shy
2. Pierced.
3. Flower Moon
4. Why Won’t You Talk To Me?
5. Liquid Red
6. Season Of Dread
7. California
8. 2003
9. I Let It Happen
10. Should Have Seen It Coming
For about two thirds of its page count, Rick Wallach’s In Search of Godzilla: Myth, Stagecraft and Politics in Ishiro Honda’s Masterpiece fares as a surprisingly pensive study on one of the landmarks of Japanese cinema. I must confess I opened this book—which is now available from McFarland & Company—with a degree of skepticism. What could be said about the original 1954 Godzilla film that hasn’t been sufficiently tackled after decades of books, essays, audio commentaries, and magazine issues? (There’s no shortage today of material describing the picture’s making or director Honda’s intent to personify war and nuclear proliferation via a monster.) Still, I clung to hope: that, at the very least, I’d leaf through a readable assemblage of previously printed data. Hence my surprise when In Search of Godzilla began with thoughtful discourse—and my dismay with the text’s eventual devolution into unpersuasive ramblings.
On the surface, Wallach is an unorthodox and—in my view—welcome author on his chosen subject. In contrast to earlier Godzilla writers (Steve Ryfle, Ed Godziszewski, David Kalat, etc.), he admits to not holding the franchise that Honda’s film begat dear to his heart. Despite admiring the ‘54 classic—as well as Hideaki Anno’s Shin Godzilla (2016) and Takashi Yamazaki’s Godzilla Minus One (2023), both of which receive appendix chapters in his book—Wallach acknowledges lukewarm feelings for intervening entries and their “knockdown-dragout matches between Godzilla and other monsters.” I highlight this for a reason: a study by someone with pockets of interest in a franchise they’re not overly fond of might offer a fresh perspective and new (or at least less-discussed) information.
And in many sections, In Search of Godzilla delivers. Besides saluting now-familiar stories about the movie’s production, Wallach devotes page space to historical anecdotes that paint a broader picture of the age in which Godzilla was made. He calls attention, for example, to a 1947 hoax wherein American GIs stationed in Japan took inspiration from Orson Welles’s The War of the Worlds radio drama and aired a phony broadcast about a sea serpent emerging from Tokyo Bay and attacking U.S. troops. In another fine section, the author recounts how, in 1952, a Japanese research vessel, the Kaiyo Maru No. 5, was obliterated by the oceanic volcano Myojin-sho. Wallach doesn’t outright claim the moviemakers were influenced by this tragedy, but he compellingly suggests they might’ve been due to the timing and specific imagery in the film. (Early in Godzilla’s story, ships are set aflame amid glowing patches of water, and a headline in a newspaper montage inquires if an “undersea volcano” is responsible.)
Wallach also submits cogent observations about the film’s dramatis personae. After discussing how the postwar American Occupation of Japan—which ended two years before Godzilla—attempted to institutionalize liberal ideas in the island nation, the author interprets generational gaps in thinking between the human characters. He sees, for instance, lingering nationalism in a paleontologist who lists his country as a reason for keeping Godzilla alive. (“[H]e makes clear his nationalism wasn’t killed off by the war. ‘No scientist in the world has ever seen anything like [Godzilla],’ he protests, describing it as ‘a priceless specimen found only in Japan.’”) In the younger characters, by contrast, Wallach discovers a generation influenced by the Occupation’s western values: the hero and heroine violate the feudal tradition of arranged marriage to be with the person of their choosing.
No discourse on Godzilla (1954) is complete without mention of how it first came to U.S. cinemas, and Wallach appropriately makes room for the movie’s redacted American version, Godzilla, King of the Monsters! This cut, which spliced new scenes featuring actor Raymond Burr into the story, is granted a thoughtful comparison to—funny enough—Japanese filmgoing traditions. When Occidental movies first reached the Land of the Rising Sun in the late 1800s, they often played in the company of benshi: live performers who stood near the screen to explain scenes and translate dialogue. Wallach’s book stimulates thought by comparing the role of the benshi to that of the protagonist in King of the Monsters! Burr’s character, a foreign correspondent, diegetically carries out his Japanese forerunners’ responsibilities: narrating events and spelling out details, this time for an American audience. In that (rather amusing) sense, Godzilla, King of the Monsters! embodies an old Japanese entertainment custom that wasn’t even present in its Japanese counterpart.
As indicated, there is much good within In Search of Godzilla. (The Stagecraft of the title refers to an interesting if not always accurate chapter comparing sequences and even movements of the monster to Japanese theater.) Unfortunately, even some of these worthy sections contain problematic passages. Wallach attempts early on to compare Godzilla to Herman Melville’s Moby Dick. While a beginning detail—that Honda worked on a film authored by Moby Dick’s Japanese translator—is a fine place to start, a later conclusion—that the director “likely” took influence from Melville because a puppet used to depict Godzilla seems, in one shot, to have a crooked jaw (something the whale in Moby Dick is plainly stated to have)—proves flimsy. Worse yet is later on, when Wallach devotes a speculative chapter to Godzilla’s ecology. I understand—and in fact share—the fascination with animals both past and present, but writing that attempts to explain nature’s construction of Godzilla is the sort of detritus expected of fourth-rate convention panels. The beast’s atomic breath, we’re advised to consider, began as a means of self-defense and crippling prey—because a lack of webbed fingers (apparently) makes him a poor swimmer. And his dorsal fins, says Wallach, might’ve evolved as a “sexual attractant” to impress female Godzillas….
Sadly, the book bounces back only somewhat with its appendix chapters on Shin Godzilla and Godzilla Minus One. The author makes a few decent comparisons to earlier observations (recalling the 1954 monster’s apparent shapeshifting—caused by the staff toggling between shots of different props—to make a connection to the constantly evolving beast in Shin; mentioning that Minus One, a period piece, takes place in the same year as the earlier mentioned radio hoax), though both essays stop rather than end. My impression remains that they’d been added primarily to inflate the word count.
In Search of Godzilla is in significant need of editing. Although Wallach is a capable wordsmith with an impressive vocabulary (I paused to look up “askance,” “fin de siècle,” etc.), his text is littered with typos. (The name of Japan’s Showa emperor is misspelled “Hirahito”; one sentence begins, “Aws [sic] Takashi Shimura’s face…”; another features a period in place of a comma: “The name of his boat, the Glory Maru. was also the name of the first ship sunk…”) Of further hindrance are numerous factual errors. Three times it’s claimed that Godzilla composer Akira Ifukube was the son of a Shinto priest—a mistake that furthermore negates Wallach’s attempt to draw a religion-based connection between Ifukube and director Honda, whose father was a Buddhist monk. (Ifukube’s father, incidentally, was an imperial soldier and, later on, a policeman and bureaucrat.) The author repeats the disproven myth that Honda directed a sequence in Akira Kurosawa’s Dreams (1990). And while he dedicates a decent chapter to comparing Honda to Kurosawa, he flubs in claiming that Kurosawa worked as an assistant on Honda’s later films, when in fact the reverse was true. (In Wallach’s defense, this was probably a Freudian slip.)
At the end of the day, In Search of Godzilla: Myth, Stagecraft and Politics in Ishiro Honda’s Masterpiece is one of those books with enough strong parts to leave me wishing I could give it a wholehearted recommendation. Individual sections are rife with data and arguments that, to my memory, aren’t widespread in studies about the ‘54 movie—thereby rendering said parts valuable to casual consumers and well-read enthusiasts alike. However, the weaker sections deflate under the pressure of unconvincing arguments and diatribes that drone on past their welcome. Perhaps this text would’ve fared better, as a friend of mine suggested, in essay form. But as a book, Rick Wallach’s Godzilla tome is a genuine mixed bag, featuring doses of genuine interest and crippled by nonsense.
The enduring debate between Book of Dead and Gonzo’s Quest centers on which slot game offers players better long‑term value. While both titles have achieved iconic status among online casino enthusiasts, they cater to slightly different playstyles and risk tolerances. This comparison is intended to highlight the nuances of each game, though individual outcomes will inevitably vary and further investigation into your chosen casino’s specific settings is recommended.
Key Metrics Overview
Below is a side‑by‑side comparison of the most critical metrics. Keep in mind that volatility ratings and RTP (Return to Player) percentages can differ slightly depending on casino operator, jurisdiction, and game version.
Slot Game
RTP Range
Volatility
Maximum Payout
Paylines
Distinctive Mechanic
Book of Dead
84.0% – 96.21%
Very High
~5,000× stake
10
Expanding Symbol in Free Spins
Gonzo’s Quest
~95.97%
Medium–High
~2,500× stake
20
Avalanche Reels + Multiplier
At first glance, Book of Dead may appear to offer a marginally higher theoretical return, assuming you’re playing the 96.21% version, yet its extreme volatility suggests that wins will be less frequent but potentially very large. Gonzo’s Quest, by contrast, seems to trade off a small portion of RTP for more consistent, cascading wins driven by its Avalanche mechanic.
Book of Dead employs a classic 5×3 reel setup with ten fixed paylines. The central attraction is its free spins round: when three or more scatter symbols land, you receive ten free spins, and a single symbol is randomly chosen to expand whenever it appears. The expanding symbol can cover entire reels, which might lead to dramatic payouts, though many spins outside the bonus feature can pass without significant wins. Some players find this high‑risk, high‑reward structure exhilarating, while others feel it requires sizeable bankroll buffers to weather prolonged dry spells.
In contrast, Gonzo’s Quest introduces a more modern 5×3 grid with 20 fixed paylines but replaces traditional spins with Avalanche reels. Each winning combination removes the winning symbols, allowing new ones to tumble down. With each consecutive Avalanche in a single spin, the win multiplier increases (up to a maximum of 5× in the base game and up to 15× during Free Falls). This mechanism tends to produce more frequent small‑to‑medium wins, which some experts suggest can make your session bankroll last longer and feel more engaging. The Free Falls bonus, triggered by three or more bonus symbols, awards ten free avalanches with higher multipliers, yet it rarely matches the single‑spin jackpot potential seen in Book of Dead.
Feature
Book of Dead
Gonzo’s Quest
Free Spins
10 spins, retriggerable
10 Free Falls (tumbling reels)
Bonus Mechanic
One expanding symbol per spin
Multiplying Avalanches
Maximum Multi‑spin Win
Up to full‑reel expansions
Up to 15× multiplier in Free Falls
Session Dynamics
Fast pace, sporadic big wins
Steady rhythm, frequent small wins
Some players prefer the narrative immersion of Gonzo’s Quest, with its animated conquistador and jungle backdrop, whereas others gravitate toward the Egyptian-themed drama and simplicity of Book of Dead. It’s likely that your aesthetic preference will influence how satisfying the gameplay feels, even before considering raw math metrics.
Profitability and Playing Strategy
Determining which slot is “more profitable” depends heavily on your personal goals and risk profile. If you are drawn to high‑variance experiences and are comfortable accepting long stretches without notable wins, Book of Dead might be more aligned with your playstyle. This game is designed to deliver rare but potentially life‑changing hits; however, you might require a substantial bankroll to avoid early depletion.
Conversely, if you value a more consistent stream of smaller payouts that can keep your balance afloat and potentially extend your play session, Gonzo’s Quest may be better suited. Its Avalanche mechanic subtly rewards perseverance and often produces a sense of momentum as multipliers climb. Some players report that the steady cadence of avalanches makes losses feel less abrupt and more manageable, suggesting that psychological endurance factors into perceived profitability.
Regardless of choice, sensible bankroll management is essential. It might help to set loss limits and win‑target thresholds in advance. For Book of Dead, consider smaller bet sizes to prolong play through dry spells. For Gonzo’s Quest, slightly larger bets can amplify the benefit of chained multipliers without overwhelming variance.
Final Thoughts
There is no definitive “better” slot between Book of Dead and Gonzo’s Quest, each serves a distinct niche:
Book of Dead suits players seeking adrenaline‑charged, high‑risk gameplay, with the potential for spectacular single‑spin payouts. It likely offers a marginal RTP edge in its highest‑paying versions but demands tolerance for roller‑coaster bankroll swings.
Gonzo’s Quest appeals to those who prefer a smoother, cascade‑driven experience, with frequent small wins and a steady rising multiplier gauge that can create memorable bonus rounds. Its slightly lower RTP may be offset by a more engaging play rhythm and extended session longevity.
Ultimately, your ideal choice will depend on whether you favor big, rare hits or consistent, incremental rewards. It may be worthwhile to trial both games with modest wagers to gauge which mechanics and volatility align best with your gaming philosophy. As always, because payout rates and game settings can vary by casino, further research into your specific operator’s version of each slot is recommended before committing significant funds.
Japanese-American multi-instrumentalist and composer Patrick Shiroishi has announced a new solo album, Forgetting Is Violent, which arrives September 19 via American Dreams. Leading the LP is the achingly elegiac ‘There is no moment in my life in which this is not happening’, which features Haining, China-raised, Berlin-based artist and vocalist otay::onii. Check it out below.
Forgetting Is Violent also features contributions from Aaron Turner (SUMAC, ISIS), Gemma Thompson (Savages), Faith Coloccia (Mamiffer), and Mat Ball (BIG|BRAVE). “I think it stems from my love for collaboration,” Shiroishi commented. “I’ve been a part of a lot of ensembles, a lot of different free improvised stuff. And a lot of that playing is where I gain new insight into what I can develop further in my solo practice.” In addition to his involvement in groups like The Armed and Fuubutsushi, Shiroishi has collaborated with Chelsea Wolfe, Algiers, Xiu Xiu, Dirty Projectors, Che Chen, and Claire Rousay.
“Stemming back to my ancestors, and the stolen land that we live on—there’s just so much of this racism that is so alive and well, and so apparent, and continues to be apparent in our country and around the world,” Shiroishi said, reflecting on the album’s meditations on racism and colonialism. “Something that cannot be forgotten.”
“That act of sharing and bringing it up, even though it’s difficult,” he continued, “it makes us feel like we’re not alone. And I think that’s important, especially in a time where it’s just so fucking grim, that we can support each other and be together, that there is hope in the future….”
Forgetting Is Violent Cover Artwork:
Forgetting Is Violent Tracklist:
1. “To protect our family names [feat. Aaron Turner]
2. “Mountains that take wing” [feat. Gemma Thompson, Aaron Turner]
3. “…what does anyone want but to feel a little more free?” [feat. Aaron Turner, Faith Coloccia]
4. There is no moment in my life in which this is not happening” [feat. otay::onii]
5. One last walk with the wind of my past
6. Prayer for a trembling body
7. To become another being there has to be some kind of death
8. Trying to get to heaven before they close the door [feat. Mat Ball]
Margaret Qualley has a new musical alter ego, Lace Manhattan, and today she’s released two new songs: ‘ODDWADD’ and ‘In the Sun She Lies’. The songs are set to appear in Ethan Coen’s upcoming film Honey Don’t!, and Coen co-wrote them, with Qualley’s husband Jack Antonoff on production. ‘ODDWADD’, unlike most of the music Antonoff has produced, is a hard-hitting dance track, while ‘In the Sun She Lies’ hews much closer to his work with Lana Del Rey. Check them out below.
Qualley created the Lace Manhattan persona while on the set of Honey Don’t!, in which she stars as a private investigator. Both songs are accompanied by music videos directed by her co-star Dixie Normus under the moniker Talia Ryder. The film arrives in theaters August 22.
