Hongaje's Review Notes
Casual reviews of the things I buy and read in everyday life — mostly books, gadgets and movies. Hope you find something useful.
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A daily roundup of sales and point-back campaigns at the Kindle Store and Rakuten Kobo in Japan, focused on mystery novels and manga.
"Bought It, Read It, Loved It" is a personal review site written under the pen name Hongaje. It covers three things: gadgets, mystery novels, and credit cards. Everything featured is something I actually bought, used, or read.
Rather than reciting specs or plot summaries, I write what I learned after living with something (or reading it) for a while — honestly, including the points that bothered me or didn't suit me. I hope it helps someone else find their own "glad I bought it."
A spoiler-free review of Magi Inoue's mystery about rescuing a woman who cannot see, hear, or speak — using a single drone. On its clean, uncluttered readability, its pace, a memorable heroine, and how seriously it takes its drones.
A review after years of loving the first-generation ScanWatch. Its biggest strengths are the overwhelming battery life and a look just like an ordinary analog watch. I also write honestly about its deliberate feature trade-offs and the one app sync problem I had.
The first credit card article. Why the simple appeal of up to 2% total rewards drew me in, and the drawbacks I found after starting to use it — such as the designated Mizuho Bank account and the exclusion from SBI Securities' installment investing.
A review after about two years with this color E Ink reader. The convenience of reading books from multiple stores — ebookjapan, Kindle and more — on one device, the muted look of color, and the fun of tweaking settings, all written honestly.
Years ago I stopped at volume 1, having heard the author had died and the series was unfinished. This time I re-read it through book 4, and wrote — without spoilers — why I felt the series is being properly carried on.
A review of the AR glasses "XREAL 1S," which I actually bought and use to watch streaming dramas and movies. I summarize the viewing style it enables and who it does and doesn't suit.