Sneha Jaiswal's Blog, page 12

My Girlfriend Is The Man! Episodes 5-6 Review: Joo Won Is Adorbs as Panicked Author

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‘My Girlfriend Is The Man’ is now all about love rivals, jealousies, confusion, and panic. Ji-Eun (Arin) seems to be in real danger of losing her boyfriend Yun Jae (Yoon San-Ha) to the cute, flirtatious Kang Min-Ju (Chuu), especially since she cannot assert her dominance while trapped as Ji-Hoon (Yoo Jung-hoo), a handsome man, due to a weird family curse. To add to her troubles, photos of the hot Ji-Hoon go viral on social media, bringing new problems.

Recap of ‘My Girlfriend Is The Man’ Episodes 3-4:

Episode 3 of the series started with Yun Jae punching Min Hyeok to stop him from discovering Ji-Hoon has turned back into Ji-Eun, only for her to quickly switch back to her tall, dashing male form. The new episodes also bring in Kang Min-Ju, a flirty junior whose interest in Yun Jae sparks jealous, awkward moments for Ji-Eun/Hoon.

Yu-ri (Park Joo Won), Ji-Eun’s writer best friends struggles to handle how attractive her bestie is as a man, while Min Hyeok’s (Hur Hyun Jun) clinginess with Ji-Hoon fuels more comic tension. A weaker subplot sees Yun-a chasing an old classmate, though it does lead to the sisters finally telling their parents about Ji-Eun turning into a man. Episode 4 ends with Yun Jae fainting at a college party, so both Ji-Hoon and Min-Ju are at the hospital with him, where Min-Ju lets Yun Jae’s parents falsely believe she is his girlfriend. This makes Ji-Hoon lose his temper.

Episodes 5-6 of ‘My Girlfriend is the Man’

Titled ‘Breaking Orbit’ and ‘Utter Chaos’, episodes 5–6 of the comedy focus on Ji-Hoon’s growing insecurity over Min-Ju’s blatant flirting with Yun Jae. The true star of these two episodes, however, is actor Park Joo Won, who is a total scene-stealer as the cute, confused Yu-Ri, completely crushing on Ji-Hoon despite knowing it’s her best friend Ji-Eun, only temporarily transformed into a man. Yu-Ri’s romantic panic over Ji-Hoon only worsens (funnily of course) when he decides to be her fake boyfriend to help her shut down some bitchy author peers.

On the other hand, Park San-ha’s Yun Jae gets a lot more comfortable around Yoo Jung-hoo’s Ji-Hoon, more at peace with the bizarre circumstances. Their onscreen chemistry is buddy-buddy cute, and the flashbacks to Arin as Ji-Eun are far and few in these two episodes. And in a slightly predictable twist, Hur Hyun Jun’s Min Hyeok develops mild romantic interest in Yu Ri, who he still hilariously calls ‘Yu Ri 4’. Because that’s how many Yu Ris he knows.

Actor Chuu is lovely to look at as the high-spirited, bold Min-Ju, intent on making Yun Jae her boyfriend, despite knowing he has a serious girlfriend. But ugh, the character isn’t the kind of comic-relief I enjoy, change the background music a little, and she would be the villain in the drama – the shameless snake trying to steal another person’s man. She literally laughs at Yun Jae’s face when he once again tells her “I have a girlfriend’. Definitely the least likable character in ‘My Girlfriend is the Man’. It would’ve been funnier if she pursued Ji-Hoon, since unlike Yu Ri, she isn’t even aware that he is a woman.

True (kinda) to its title ‘Utter Chaos’, episode 6 of ‘My Girlfriend is the Man’ delivers a bunch of funny twists, which includes photos of Ji-Hoon going viral as the ‘mystery doe-eyed’ hot guy on campus, from the incident where he carries Yun Jae. Yu Ri comes up with a hare-brained plan to solve the issue of Ji-Hoon’s near celebrity status. Meanwhile, Min-Ju ups her efforts to win over Yun Jae. This of course leads to a very crazy misunderstanding between all the characters.

Overall, these two episodes of ‘My Girlfriend is the Man’ are more entertaining than the last two, packing in some really funny moments between its characters.

Watch ‘My Girlfriend Is The Man’ on Viki.

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Minor Anger Issues Short Film Review

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‘Anger can turn humans into monsters’ – that seems to be the message of ‘Minor Anger Issues’ (Küçük Öfke Sorunları), a short twisty horror-thriller.

Directed by Can Sagir (‘Ancient Voice’) and written by Erdeniz Tunç, the indie film opens with a seemingly ordinary scene: a teacher (Oğuzhan Altın) explaining to a student’s guardian (Ahmet Atakul) that his younger brother Mert (Aziz Efe Güven) is dealing with anger issues. Even as the older brother downplays Mert’s behavior, the teacher’s warning, that minor issues can spiral out of control, proves darkly prophetic.

The brothers return home, with Mert receiving a gentle but necessary lecture about controlling his temper. At bedtime, the younger boy appears innocent and harmless, snuggled under the covers with a worn-out teddy bear by his side, belying the hidden rage he holds within. But when armed intruders break in later that night, the calm gives way to blood, violence, and unforeseen consequences.

It’s child actor Aziz Efe Güven who delivers the most natural performance in ‘Minor Anger Issues’ as primary protagonist Mert. On the other hand, the other supporting actors, despite their brief screen time, come across as a bit stiff in their delivery.

The cinematography is simple, with a dull, broody atmosphere that complements the tone of ‘Minor Anger Issues’. Perhaps a cold-open showing Mert throwing a temper tantrum at school might’ve made the progress more gritty.

With a runtime of just under seven minutes, ‘Minor Anger Issues’ doesn’t have the space to fully explore the heavy theme of family trauma it hints at. Still, the abrupt tonal shift, from what begins as a psychological family drama to a burst of violent horror, comes as an intriguing surprise. The film ends with an open-ended climax, leaving viewers to draw their own conclusions.

You can watch the film on YouTube, it’s also embedded below.

War of the Worlds Review: So Un-Serious, H.G Wells Would Cackle

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

“Take your intergalactic asses back home!,” protagonist William Radford screams gleefully at his screen while watching ‘War of the Worlds’ unfold real time. If the term ‘keyboard warrior’ needed an exaggerated explainer, this would be it.

After twenty minutes, I just couldn’t believe the creators of the 2025 film chose the ‘screen life’ (think ‘Searching’, ‘Missing’ or ‘Logout’) format to retell H.G Wells classic apocalyptic science-fiction story. The audacity to limit such a larger than life epic tale to just computer screens! What the hell? Clearly a clever wait to cut down the budget by director Rich Lee and team, but ‘we not so dumb’ yo!

Ice Cube plays protagonist William Radford, a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officer whose primary job is surveillance. He can monitor nearly anyone on the planet, hack into any device, and essentially has access to the kind of high-tech systems villains chase in action movies.

But this is ‘War of the Worlds’, so we get super-villains – giant violent cyborg Aliens wrecking havoc on earth. And it is up to William Radford to figure out a way to stop them, with some help from brat son David (Henry Hunter Hall) and brilliant daughter Faith (Iman Benson). Yeah, convenient how the three people that can save the world are in the exact same family.

The special effects are so underwhelming, it often looks like William Radford is sitting in front of a green screen rather than a real office (and honestly, that might be true). For a post-apocalyptic film, he spends nearly the entire runtime glued to a chair, managing crises through Zoom, video calls, and Teams. ‘War of the Worlds’ ultimately feels like a film about a guy playing a post-apocalyptic video game (watch ‘Fallout’ instead).

“It’s not 0 percent rotten tomatoes bad, but it’s pretty bad. At least they do justice to the alien life creatures, their designs are sort of faithful to what H.G Wells had imagined,” I told a friend.

“You are just struggling to find points to defend the movie aren’t you?” friend laughed on the phone.

“Okay, fine, I take my words back, maybe it does deserve the rating, I didn’t even finish it in one sitting and left the last half hour to watch later in the evening.”

‘War of the Worlds’ Gets 0% Rotten Tomatoes Rating

Yeah, I’m not defending the film, I was supremely annoyed to realize the makers were going to stick to the screen-life format until the end. As if there’s a rule that if you tell your film through screens, you can’t break the pattern? Once the alien invasion begins, they should’ve switched to on-ground action, and maybe it wouldn’t have felt so boring.

Anyway, once I realized the makers were maybe just not that serious, with Ice Cube’s character acting like he’s playing a video game, I was able to laugh a little through the second half of ‘War of the Worlds’. The character interactions are dumb, and they definitely needed someone with better acting skills to play protagonist William Radford in order to sell the “world-ending” level tension. It never feels real or convincing.

If budget was the issue, the producers should’ve pitched War of the Worlds to the multiple brands that appear throughout the runtime, despite not being official sponsors. At one point, a self-driving Tesla comes to the rescue of a major character, and you can’t help but wonder if it’s a sponsored plug. Spoiler: it’s not.

Let’s just say this version of ‘War of the Worlds’ wouldn’t make H.G. Wells proud. He might’ve cackled, or like they say – ‘rolled’ in his grave… if he hadn’t been cremated.

Rating: 3 on 10. ‘War of the Worlds’ on Prime Video.

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The Poppy War Synopsis & Ending Recapped

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If you’ve taken too much time between book 1 and book 2 of ‘The Poppy War’ trilogy and find the memory of the story a little hazy… don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.

Synopsis (No Major Spoilers)

The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang follows Rin, a poor war orphan in the Nikara Empire who escapes an arranged marriage by acing an empire-wide test to get into Sinegard, the most elite military academy. Sounds like a fantasy underdog story. It is, but with a brutal twist.

Once at Sinegard, Rin faces classism, racism, and bullying from the rich kids. But she’s not one to back down. She discovers she has a strange connection to shamanic powers, specifically with the Phoenix, a chaotic and dangerous god. As war breaks out between Nikara and the invading Mugen Federation, Rin is thrown into a bloody conflict that challenges everything she thought she stood for.

It starts off like a coming-of-age story at magic school, but by the end, it’s full-on wartime horror. Magic here isn’t whimsical, it’s painful, volatile, and comes at a huge cost.

Main Characters of Poppy War

Rin (Fang Runin)

Our fierce, stubborn, and often reckless protagonist. She starts off as a war orphan with no power or privilege, but through sheer will (and a lot of rage), she earns a spot at the elite Sinegard academy. Rin’s journey takes her from being a bullied outsider to a powerful shaman who can commune with the Phoenix, though that power comes with terrifying consequences.

Jiang Ziya

Rin’s quirky and mysterious mentor at Sinegard. He’s known as a bit of a lunatic who teaches lore and likes to garden. But underneath the eccentric surface is someone deeply knowledgeable, and deeply scarred. He warns Rin against using shamanic power, having seen what it can do.

Altan Trengsin

A top student from Sinegard and a war hero from the Speerly tribe. He’s powerful, charismatic, and deeply traumatized by the genocide of his people. Altan becomes both a mentor and cautionary tale for Rin, he’s what she could become if consumed by vengeance.

Nezha (Yin Nezha)

At first, he’s Rin’s privileged, arrogant classmate and rival. Think Draco Malfoy, but with maybe more depth. Over time, their dynamic gets more complicated, especially when war levels the playing field and survival takes precedence over schoolyard grudges.

Kitay (Chen Kitay)

Rin’s best friend at Sinegard. Smart, loyal, and more thoughtful than most in the book, Kitay is a grounding force for Rin. He doesn’t have shamanic powers, but he’s a brilliant strategist and probably the only person who consistently challenges Rin’s more extreme impulses.

This trio – Rin, Altan, and Jiang – form the emotional core of the first book in the ‘Poppy War’ trilogy. Their conflicting beliefs about power, revenge, and morality drive much of the story’s tension and heartbreak.

Ending Explained (Spoilers Ahead)

By the end of The Poppy War, things take a seriously dark turn. After the brutal siege and destruction of the city of Golyn Niis, Rin and her allies are devastated. What they find there breaks them: bodies piled up, civilians massacred, and even children experimented on. It’s a horrifying reality check for Rin, pushing her further into her connection with the Phoenix.

Jiang, her eccentric mentor, warns Rin not to use the Phoenix’s power, it’s uncontrollable and addictive. But after everything she’s seen, Rin wants revenge. In the climactic moments, she unleashes the full force of the Phoenix against Mugen.

What does that mean? Basically, Rin wipes Mugen off the map. She calls down god-fire and annihilates an entire island nation. Millions die at the end of Poppy War.

It’s not a victory, it’s a genocide. And Rin knows it. She ends the book not as a hero, but as someone who chose destruction because she couldn’t see any other way. It’s a jaw-dropping, morally grey finale that sets the tone for the next book in the trilogy.

The Poppy War is bloody, and unflinching. The ending doesn’t offer easy answers, but it makes one thing clear: Rin’s journey is only getting darker from here.

The Trifecta & The Empress’s Betrayal Explained

What Is “The Trifecta”?

The Trifecta in ‘Poppy War’ refers to the three legendary heroes who supposedly saved the Nikara Empire during the last war. They were once allies, powerful individuals who tapped into godly powers through shamanism and led Nikara to victory. The trio included:

The Vipress (Daji) – the current Empress of NikaraThe Dragon Emperor (Rigan Shen) – the first ruler of the unified empireThe Gatekeeper (Jiang Ziya) – yes, Rin’s weird mentor at Sinegard

Together, they were nearly unstoppable. Each of them communed with a different god and could channel terrifying amounts of power. But like most “legendary” stories, it all fell apart.

Why It Matters to Rin

Rin idolizes power and believes in the myth of the Trifecta, until she learns the truth. When she realizes that Jiang and the Empress were both part of this now-broken system, it shakes her worldview.

Even worse: the Empress betrays everyone. During the war with Mugen, she secretly negotiates peace with the enemy and hands over cities to avoid more fighting, without telling her own generals or soldiers. It’s not just political maneuvering; it’s a betrayal of her own people. For Rin, who’s just witnessed mass genocide in Golyn Niis, it’s unforgivable. But what’s even worse, the Empress also gives away the whereabouts of Rin and Altan to the Federation, so they can capture them and experiment upon their bodies to understand their shamanic powers.

This betrayal is what ultimately drives Rin to reject the Empress’s authority and embrace the Phoenix’s power, leading to her cataclysmic decision at the end.

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Reset Review: It’s Raging Beauty Pond Ponlawit’s World!

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

A lot of actors would’ve made Armin, the protagonist of ‘Reset’, feel like a raging annoying nutcase, but Pond Ponlawit Ketprapakorn makes you cringe, laugh, and LOVE his character anyway. It’s hilarious how severely he suffers from ‘Main Character’ syndrome, although, ironically, of course he really is the MC. Because Armin travels back in time after dying (suspected murder) and is a wrecking ball, constantly talking about the future and going short-fused on people who have no freaking clue what he’s on about.

Directed by A Natthaphong Wongkaweepairod, ‘Reset’ spans 10 episodes, starring Pond Ponlawit Ketprapakorn as successful super star Armin, who wins a big award, finds out his longtime partner is cheating on him, getting into a fight with the rival, and dying due to the scuffle. But he is actually poisoned. Instead of going to the afterlife, Armin wakes up in the past, when he was still a single struggling nobody in his early 20s. Almost everything is the same, except he runs into the mysterious handsome Thada (Peterpan Tadsapon Wiwitawan), a fan who helps him rise to superstardom faster than his previous life.

If you don’t take into account the bad haircut he wakes up with, Armin is a gorgeous train-wreck in ‘Reset’. He is suspicious of everybody, making aggressive remarks against people over incidents that are yet to happen, confusing everybody into thinking he is off his rocker. “His melodramatic acting is so passe,” a rival actor says after Armin has an emotional breakdown during a photo-shoot. This comment is hilariously meta, indicating that the creators are well aware how ridiculously neurotic they make Armin out to be.

‘Reset’ is an overtly theatrical, Lakorn-style (soap opera) romantic-drama, with laughably caricatured antagonists and a lead who is almost always seconds away from an emotional breakdown. At first, Armin’s sole focus is to ensure he doesn’t repeat the mistakes that will lead to his doom in the future, which includes steering clear from his cheating future-boyfriend Charlie (Shell Thakrit Chaiwut), and Sam (NJ Dangpan Thomsen), a friend who betrays him. But as he gets closer to the charming Thada, Armin starts to treat his second shot at life as a second shot at having love.

Despite its flaws, ‘Reset’ works as a series due to the electric chemistry between the wealthy, handsome, overprotective Thada and the beautiful Armin. While Pond Ponlawit Ketprapakorn seemed lost in his last show ‘Fourever You’, he stands out in this series, becoming increasingly likable through the episodes. From expressing maniacal paranoia to being a soft heartthrob, Pond captures all shades of Armin entertainingly, and the camera sure loves him.

Peterpan Tadsapon Wiwitawan’s Thada is the ‘over the top’ romantic hero, constantly making grand gestures to woo Armin. There are points when Thada feels excessively obsessed with Armin, but since Armin doesn’t seem to mind the attention at all, it makes their romance click. Their relationship growth is cheesy cute, sweet, and steamy. Although Armin’s rising fame, increased media scrutiny, and rivals intent on bringing Armin down, complicate their love story.

Of course, despite the ‘second chance’ theme of ‘Reset’, Armin continues to face hurdles in his fresh start, beginning with a shady manager named Lily (Namyard Yardpirun Poolun), who, instead of promoting him, tries to sabotage his career. First, Chalongrat Novsamrong plays Ren, a snooty, jealous rising star who actively tries to derail Armin. However, the biggest antagonist in the show is Thiwthit (Bom Tanawat Uthaikitwanit), Thada’s younger brother – a scheming, greedy, envious brat. Kicked out of their entertainment company, Thiwthit begins to plot against Thada and Armin, and instead of being menacingly evil, he is comically exaggerated in his tantrums.

The finale of ‘Reset’ was unintentionally comedic gold, built around a dramatic face-off between Thiwthit and our lead couple. Thiwthit goes full meltdown mode, flanked by a squad of goons, and I couldn’t stop laughing. But then the camera would land on Peterpan’s Thada and Pond’s Armin, and I’d go from belly laughs to soft smiles, they just look that good together and pretty much drown out all the noise in the series. Honestly, their on-screen spark is reason enough to tune in. If you’re drawn to the posters and have liked shows such as ‘My Stand-In‘ or ‘Top Form‘, you’ll fall for Pond and Peterpan here too.

Watch ‘Reset’ on iQIYI.

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Rachel Rising Volume 5 Review: The Witch and The Serial Killer

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

It’s volume 5 of Terry Moore’s ‘Rachel Rising’ and protagonist Rachel seems to be done dying. She is now on a serious mission to find out who killed her the first time, leaving those ghastly indentation marks on her neck. Her strongest ally? The freaky little serial-killer girl: Zoey.

If you remember, Zoey murdered the Satanic entity called Malus in Rachel Rising Volume 4. Malus was inhabiting the body of a priest, and his goal was to keep an eye on Zoey, watch her grow, and then impregnate her so that she could give birth to Satan’s spawn. Zoey, of course, would have none of it and killed him at the first opportunity. Unfortunately, there was a witness…

Titled ‘Night Cometh’, volume 5 collects Issues 25-30 of ‘Rachel Rising’ and opens with Rachel brewing a magical herbal concoction to treat Aunt Johnny’s wounds. Soon after, the group examines a dying note left by Aunt Carol, the woman who had poisoned Jet, Rachel, Johnny, and herself. Johnny is convinced the letter doesn’t sound like Carol at all. Later, when a suicide victim arrives at the morgue where she works, Johnny is shocked to find that his final note is identical, word for word, to Carol’s. This confirms her suspicion that a serial killer may be on the loose in their small town Manson, and now, they need to track this person down.

One of the more surprising (and oddly funny) developments in this volume of Rachel Rising is the budding friendship between Rachel and pint-sized psychopath Zoey, they’re like a dark, twisted Batman and Robin. They even go for haircuts together, and Terry Moore gives Rachel bangs, making her look uncannily like Sabrina the Teenage Witch… if Sabrina dabbled in murder and resurrection.

There’s a beautifully drawn rooftop scene where Rachel stands atop a high-rise like a vigilante, while Zoey quietly sits on the ledge, both thinking about catching the new killer in Manson. In her own way, Rachel is becoming the town’s silent protector. Gotham has Batman, Manson has Rachel.

But it is Zoey, who is turning out to be the most entertaining character in ‘Rachel Rising’. With pigtails and an innocent schoolgirl facade, she’s a brutal serial killer, always ready to crush someone to death. But when she’s not busy bludgeoning her next victim, she’s weirdly likable. Issue #29 puts Zoey in the spotlight, unfolding across rain-soaked panels and culminating in a violent clash with a human she believes is under Malus’s control.

Terry Moore’s artwork is stunning throughout this volume, and for once, it’s not snowing nonstop like in earlier issues. While the plot doesn’t deliver any big shakeups, the town of Manson is still knee-deep in mysterious deaths. And in a not-so-shocking twist, Rachel seems dead again… but let’s be real, rising is kind of her thing.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars. ‘Rachel Rising‘ is also on Kindle Unlimited.

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4 Reasons to Watch ‘Fantastic Four: First Steps’ (and 4 Not To)

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Hello, hello, hello. If, like many Marvel fans, you’re suffering from MCU fatigue and cannot decide whether to watch Fantastic Four: First Steps, starring Pedro Pascal (Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic), Vanessa Kirby (Sue Storm/Invisible Woman), Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Ben Grimm/The Thing), and Joseph Quinn (Johnny Storm/Human Torch), here’s a quick, casual list of pros and cons to help you make a decision.

Sue Storm is pregnant, and the Fantastic Four are gearing up to welcome a new member to their superhero squad. But Reed Richards is anxious over the baby’s DNA, worried their powers might affect it. Things go from stressful to apocalyptic when the Silver Surfer crashes into Earth with a dire warning: her cosmic overlord, Galactus, is coming to devour the planet. Evacuate or die, those are the only two options. So a pregnant Sue Storm, and the others, go on a mission to stop Galactus.

Now, let’s talk about four reasons (we’re not including the fact that some of the cast is great in their parts!) that some fans might really enjoy watching this 2025 superhero flick, and if that sounds like you, maybe you should give it a shot.

The Retro Sci-fi Cinematography is cool: Yes, it sounds like a superficial reason, but Fantastic Four: First Steps has a very retro-futuristic look, making it feel like a science-fiction action hero film made in the 1970s or 80s. It might remind you of The Jetsons or the retro-futuristic Fallout (mostly because the vault people wear blue uniforms, much like the blue costumes of the Four). Those who enjoy retro visual styles will have a good time.Galactus is the fantastic villain: Forget villains who want to take over your home, or town, or city, or country. Galactus, the primary antagonist of Fantastic Four, is a planet devourer that wants to eat up Earth. How do you even fight that kind of enemy? Galactus elevates the film, even if the finale doesn’t do him justice.The Special Effects Are Great: Except for some fleeting small scenes with clunky effects, the CGI in this superhero world is epic. When the antagonist Galactus appears for the first time, it’s a sight to behold; he is awe-inspiringly larger than life. The introductory sequence makes you think, “Damn, the Fantastic Four are screwed.” From the Silver Surfer menacingly gliding through the air to Johnny going up in flames as the Human Torch, all of it looks smooth.The pop-culture references & jokes are limited: Most Marvel movies tend to go overboard with easter eggs and pop-culture references, and it can get annoying for viewers who haven’t seen every movie in the MCU. But Fantastic Four keeps it cool. There are very few references to other Marvel stuff, and what a welcome change it is. The writers also don’t overdo the jokes or silly banter between characters.And now, four reasons why’Fantastic Four might feel like a bummer: Feels like it needed a prequel: The film opens with clever exposition, a TV broadcast celebrating four years since the Fantastic Four gained their superpowers after a space mission and became guardians of Earth. This special broadcast quickly helps new viewers understand their backstory, but at the same time, you can’t help but feel that the cast needed a movie two years ago, establishing their origin story. Since First Steps focuses on Mr. Fantastic and the Invisible Woman having a baby, whose existence is threatened by Galactus’ act of adding Earth to his menu, you’re expected to root for them as a family without having established enough connection with their characters. Some viewers find it hard to do that.Mr. Fantastic Doesn’t Stretch Enough: It might sound funny, but Reed Richards rarely uses his superpower in the film. Sure, he does brainstorm battle strategies, and it is his intellect that ultimately helps save the planet. But excuse me, some of us came to see the Fantastic Four exercise their fantastic powers. For that matter, even the Invisible Woman rarely goes invisible unless the whole team needs to go incognito.The action is limited: Since Galactus is a Titan-sized antagonist, watching the superheroes fight him in the climax looks like they are just trying to break down a building. That’s not exciting. For those who love combat scenes and violent faceoffs, Fantastic Four can feel quite underwhelming.A general lack of energy/suspense: The first half of Fantastic Four: First Steps has a slow, steady pace that lacks the kind of excitement viewers would expect from a superhero flick. Not just that, the writers do not throw any fun twists or surprises the viewer’s way. You’ll keep hoping something cool or epic is about to happen… but it doesn’t.

Although everything said, given how most ‘Fantastic Four’ movie adaptations have been mediocre or plain forgettable so far, this reboot might just be the best one out there. Might be.

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Revenged Love Episodes 17-18 Review: Chi Cheng Grows Up, Wei Wei Misses the Memo

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Arrgh! At this point in ‘Revenged Love’, Wei Wei’s mom Li Ya (Qin Yue) seems like the villain in the story, since she is source of some serious misunderstandings between the lead pair. She won’t tell her son (Zi Yu) she has cancer, but thinks it’s perfectly okay to rely on his ‘friend’ Chi Cheng (Tian Xu Ning) to ferry her to the hospital and take care of her, when her son should be doing those things. But well, turns out Wei Wei is the biggest hurdle in his own relationship. Convinced Chi Cheng is going to dump him, he is willing to be the villain to ‘make their break-up easy’.

Recap of ‘Revenged Love’ Episodes 15-16: Chi Cheng’s ex, Wang Shuo (Liu Jun), starts to mess with Wei Wei by inviting him to decorate his place. He deliberately leaves his laptop open with old videos of him and Chi Cheng for Wei Wei to see. While it’s uncomfortable to watch their old intimate videos, Wei Wei is most shocked to see Chi Cheng kiss Guo Cheng Yu (Zhan Xuan) while they’re drunk, even though it’s because Wang Shuo dares him to. Dr. Xiao Shuai (Liu Xuan Cheng) had already theorized that Cheng Yu might be in love with Chi Cheng, and now Wei Wei wonders if it’s actually the other way around, or maybe even mutual.

More misunderstandings brew between the couple when Chi Cheng secretly starts taking care of Wei Wei’s mother Li Ya, including taking her to the hospital, while Wei Wei assumes he’s out cavorting with ex Wang Shuo. A jealous Wei Wei starts to take boxing lessons from Wang Shuo’s brother, hoping to provoke his lover’s possessive streak. The episode ends with yet another misunderstanding: Chi Cheng arrives at Xiao Shuai’s clinic to see Wei Wei but ends up leaving with Wang Shuo instead. Wei Wei sees them drive off and is heartbroken, unaware that Chi Cheng later kicks Wang Shuo out of the car after receiving an emergency call from the hospital about Li Ya.

Episodes 17-18 of ‘Revenged Love’

Titled “If The Hate is Too Deep, There Can Be No More Love”, episode 17 of ‘Revenged Love’ starts on a melancholic note, with Wei Wei in tears over his belief that Chi Cheng might get back together with Wang Shuo. Although Wang Shuo, too, is left feeling like an abandoned pet as Chi Cheng kicks him out in the middle of the road.

The bulk of the episode focuses on the growing communication gap between the lead pair, especially as Li Ya piles on the pressure for Chi Cheng to keep her deteriorating health a secret from her son. Meanwhile, Wei Wei teams up with Xiao Shuai to uncover Wang Shuo’s motives. Luckily for the friends, Guo Cheng Yu agrees to help.

Despite entering ‘Revenged Love’ late, Liu Jun as Wang Shuo has proven to be an entertaining character, the unpredictable, emotionally unstable, scheming ex-boyfriend. In the few scenes he shares with Tian Xu Ning’s Chi Cheng, the tension is palpable. There’s a love-hate gaze they exchange that makes their shared history as lovers believable.

That said, Tian Xu Ning remains the beating heart of ‘Revenged Love’, his onscreen chemistry sizzles with almost all the primary characters. The unresolved tension between him and Zhan Xuan’s Cheng Yu is so strong, you can’t really blame Wang Shuo, Xiao Shuai, or even Wei Wei for wondering if they’re really “just friends.” Zi Yu on the other hand is increasing endearing as the ever-cute, confused Wei Wei, even though his character is becoming frustratingly self-deprecating.

While the first 14 episodes of ‘Revenged Love’ were predominantly comedic, it’s heartbreak time in the series for the main pair. Yue Yue (Sun Qian Yu), who has been missing in action in the last few chapters, re-appears to cause some drama herself, even though it’s not over the top. Both Episodes 17 and 18 focus on relationship troubles, with few laughs and lots of angst, carried with the requisite intensity by lead actors Zi Yu and Tian Xu Ning.

Episode 18 ends with a much-needed closure talk between the erratic Wang Shuo and Chi Cheng, who shows surprising maturity in dealing with his ex’s antics. Chi Cheng even gives Wei Wei the space and trust to clear up the growing misunderstandings in their relationship. But consumed by insecurity, Wei Wei takes the immature route: lying and shutting down instead of voicing his concerns. But well, what’s a good ‘love story’ without some drama?

It’ll be interesting to see how the coming episodes mend the growing rift between the lead pair.

You can watch ‘Revenged Love’ on YouTube or Viki.

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Sakamoto Days Episode 15 Review: The Long Awaited Slur Reveal Is Here!

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

Titled ‘Round and Round The Tower’, episode 15 of action-comedy ‘Sakamoto Days’ starts off from where the last edition ended – the mid-air fight between protagonist Taro Sakamoto and serial killer Apart at the Tokyo tower. And we all obviously know that Taro is going to beat the shit out of the punk, who, by the way, gets a grim flashback story about how he started his serial-killing career by ripping an animal to shreds. What a psycho…!

Also Read: Sakamoto Days Season One Part One Review

As I mentioned in my review of episode 14 of Sakamoto Days, the anime is starting to shine more when it shifts focus to the supporting cast, like Shin, Lu, or the intriguing members of the ORDER. That’s why the first half of ‘Round and Round The Tower’, which centers on the Taro vs. Apart fight, felt a bit bland. Maybe watching it right after ‘Gachiakuta‘ made it seem underwhelming. Yes, that’s a shameless plug for ‘Gachiakuta’, a show that, weirdly enough, isn’t doing as well as expected in terms of viewership. I might not be a dark-dystopian fantasy expert, but it’s definitely way more engaging than the overhyped ‘Lord of Mysteries’.

Okay, I’ve digressed too much, back to ‘Sakamoto Days’ episode 15. The first half moves slowly, but then we finally get the show’s most anticipated twist: a full face-and-body reveal of the legendary antagonist, Slur. And oof, he looks like a romance hero straight out of a fantasy manga. Silver (or maybe white?) hair, striking blue eyes, and the cold, calculating aura of a brooding lead… except, he’s the villain.

Slur doesn’t burst onto the scene with dramatic flourish, instead, he casually rolls in on a bicycle with his red-eyed aide Gaku, tall and spiky-haired in grey. But what the moment lacks in theatrics, the duo’s personalities more than make up for. Meanwhile, Sakamoto and crew learn what Slur’s ultimate game-plan is, and they might be too late to stop him!

Watch Sakamoto Days on Netflix.

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Gachiakuta Episodes 3-4 Review: The Cleaners Want Rudo

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Based on the manga series written and illustrated by Kei Urana, ‘Gachiakuta’ (ガチアクタ) follows young protagonist Rudo’s (voiced by Aoi Ichikawa) quest for revenge, after he is falsely implicated for the murder of his beloved adoptive father Regto, and thrown to his death in ‘the pit’, a massive dumpsite below the city. However, Rudo survives the fall, finding himself in a ghastly world laden with trash heaps, monsters, and strange groups of people.

Also Read: Gachiakuta Episodes 1-2 Review: ‘Trash-Filled’ in the best way!

Titled “Ground,” Episode 3 of the anime kicks off with a new character, Enjin, trying to convince Rudo to join his crew, known as The Cleaners. Enjin quickly explains that the group is made up of Givers, individuals who can channel power through ‘vital instruments’ to defeat trash beasts. Rudo, of course, has only one thing on his mind: vengeance. He wants to return to the surface (known as the ‘Sphere‘) to punish Regto’s killers. But until then, stuck in the Ground with little understanding of how his powers work, he might just have to join Enjin’s organization.

Dusty, gritty, and fast-paced, Episodes 3 and 4 of ‘Gachiakuta’ give viewers a swift lowdown on the strange new world Rudo now inhabits. The Cleaners are eager to have him on their side, as Enjin identifies him as a ‘natural’ Giver, someone with the rare ability to turn anything into his vital instrument, even if he doesn’t yet know what triggers his powers. Although, it seems to be a mix of rage, angst, and desperation.

These new chapters introduce and tease a bunch of fresh characters in ‘Gachiakuta’, the most entertaining of the lot being Zanka and Riyo, powerful Givers closely tied to Enjin. Zanka’s first encounter with Rudo is ridiculously hilarious, with the two clashing in a combat that ends with embarrassment-induced tears. The second-half of episode 3 is funny as hell, even though it relies on childish potty humor to get laughs out of the viewer.

The blue-eyed Zanka and red-haired Riyo’s character designs are flashy and slightly flamboyant, more fitting for a bright magical fantasy series than a dark dystopian action anime. But the dash of color they bring to the bleak, dying, trash-filled world of the ‘Ground‘ is a welcome contrast. Their weapons are pretty cool too, especially Riyo’s, but if you haven’t read the manga, I’ll keep the details under wraps to preserve the surprise.

Packed with funny face-offs, and nail-biting fights with trash beasts, episodes 3-4 of ‘Gachiakuta’ are engaging, with killer music, and vivid animation that perfectly complements its dystopian-action-fantasy themes. Rudo already experiences some character growth in these chapters, leveling up emotionally, as he actually tries to understand people and cool it with the angry outbursts for once.

Episode 4 ends with a mysterious cliffhanger, where a new sinister character makes inquiries about the new kid in town.

Watch Gachiakuta on Crunchyroll.

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