Sneha Jaiswal's Blog, page 129

Migi to Dali Episode 11 Review

Story so far – Based on a manga by Nami Sano, this mystery-thriller series follows orphaned identical twins, Migi and Dali, who pretend to be one child called Hitori to their adoptive parents Sonoyama Osamu and Sonoyama Youko. Migi and Dali take turns to play Sonoyama Hitori, while they try to find out their biological mother’s murderer in Origon village. The twins decide Eiji Ichijo is the culprit but invite more danger into their lives by meddling with the Ichijo family.

“This is the story of Metry, that is, the story of the devil” – Reiko Ichijo.

As thunder and lightning crackle over the Ichijo mansion, the evil Reiko finally decides to reveal what happened in the past with her maid Metry, who is the deceased mother of twins Migi and Dali. Episode 11 of “Migi to Dali” starts off like a gothic horror show, and considering how creepy and twisted Reiko’s character has proven to be so far, she is the perfect malevolent antagonist for the series.

So far, viewers have only gotten to see Metry in sad flashback scenes where brother Migi and Dali remember her. Her character design is a lot like the brothers and even the animators make her personality comically similar to her sons – from facial expressions to demeanor. Although, Metry is a lot more like Migi, she seems simple, goofy and sweet, which makes her backstory all the more tragically dark.

The big secret that Micchan died without being able tell in episode 9 of “Migi to Dali” is finally revealed, which leaves the twins shocked. The nemesis, Eiji, is the first to realize the truth and aptly exclaims, “This family is messed up,” which is honestly putting things mildly. Episode 11 is packed with lots of twists, and the events are dramatized by melancholy music in the background. You are left wondering how things will finally unfold for the twins. Additionally, there is a post-credit scene at the end, so be sure to watch it; it has the biggest cliffhanger yet.

You can watch “Migi to Dali” on Crunchyroll.

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Ron Kamonohashi’s Forbidden Deductions Episode 11 Review

Totomaru Isshiki might have gained a fan in crime reporter Chicory Monki, but he is still considered the most “useless” employee in the team by his boss Amamiya, who leads the Metropolitan Police Department’s First Investigative Division. In Episode 11 of “Ron Kamonohashi’s Forbidden Deductions,” Amamiya sends Toto on a business trip to Aichi, citing, “We are too busy right now to send any of my top men,” she also instructs him to check in on her rival, Eagle Eye Kawasemi, who was introduced in Episode 5. As usual, Ron Kamonohashi accompanies Toto on the trip, hoping that he could solve some of Kawasemi’s cases, as the officer is rumored to be undergoing a slump.

For plot overview, read – Ron Kamonohashi’s Forbidden Deductions Episode 1 Review

Titled “The Case of the Mad Chameleon Murder”, episode eleven begins with a brief glimpse of Ron Kamonohashi visiting a doctor to find out about his weird condition, the one where he asks murderers to kill themselves. Oh and by the way, it’s the same clumsy neurosurgeon from episode 6 who challenges a self-proclaimed psychic in the live broadcast murder case. So, it was fun to see familiar faces in this edition, which goes back to the swift exaggerated pace of the earlier episodes – a murder takes place and Ron solve it all within minutes. But this episode also focused a little on detective Kawasemi, who has been struggling at work and in a pleasant surprise – Ron helps him get back into shape.

Again, one wishes there was a little more variation in the character designs of Kawasemi and Ron; they practically look like twins. However, the animation otherwise continues to be simple and engaging. Besides, it’s the comical interactions between the characters that make this anime entertaining and Ron-Toto are practically best-friends at this stage of the show.

You can stream the series (Kamonohashi Ron no Kindan Suiri) on Netflix.

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Aikane Short Film Review – Quietly Magical

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Aikāne is a Hawaiian term meaning intimate friend of the same sex. Legendary figures, ruling chiefs, and commoners alike had aikāne as trusted partners.

The 2023 short animated film “Aikane” by Dean Hamer, Daniel Sousa, and Joe Wilson begins by providing an explanation of the title for viewers who may be unfamiliar with its meaning. What ensues is a beautifully shot, silent animated story set a few centuries ago in Hawaii, depicting its indigenous tribes facing an attack by colonizers. When an injured warrior falls off a cliff, he is rescued by a mystical being, leading to an immediate bond between them. However, the threat from colonizers persists, and they must unite to face this common adversary.

Approximately 14 minutes in duration, “Aikane” unravels as an epic fantasy romance, galloping at a brisk pace, encapsulating themes of colonial aggression, community harmony, gender fluidity, queer love, and the conflicts between humanity and nature within its short runtime. The animation bears a resemblance to Disney’s style, although the color palette isn’t overly bright and colorful, aligning with the somber themes explored in the story.

For international viewers unfamiliar with Hawaiian culture, history, and folklore, “Aikane” serves as a poignant reminder of how colonizers often impose their beliefs and religious values upon the regions they invade. Watching this film reminded me of a line I had recently bookmarked in a graphic novel by Paco Roca – “Don’t you think you should settle down?” Sometimes, we coupled-up folks catch ourselves saying things like this. We’re like missionaries trying to bring their stale moral teachings to happy, lustful indigenous peoples.

Even though there are no dialogues in “Aikane,” the storytelling is enhanced by its gripping background music, often peppered with ambient sounds such as the rhythmic waves, the clinking of swords and spears, gunshots, and the battle cries and grunts of warriors fighting against colonizers.

You can watch “Aikane” on YouTube, it’s also embedded below.

The Ruins Book Review – Vine-tastic Horrors

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram) Click here for the audio version or scroll down.

“The Ruins” by Scott Smith follows a group of young friends holidaying on the beaches of Cancun. However, their vacation takes a dark turn when they get trapped in a Mexican jungle after stepping into a forbidden enclosure. The local Mayans surround them with guns, ensuring they can’t leave.

I found out about “The Ruins” only recently while reading a horror comic called “Evil Cast” and decided to order it online because Stephen King has some great things to say about it. “Better than any suspense novel since The Silence of the Lambs” reads the cover of the edition, quoting King’s praise for the work.

All the primary protagonists of the story are young people, four of whom are Americans, looking to have some fun before they start college. There’s Jeff and Amy, both medical students who are dating each other, as well as Amy’s best friend Stacy and her boyfriend Eric, who plans to become a teacher. These four befriend a young German tourist called Mathias, and they decide to go with him to the site of a remote Mayan ruins to look for Mathias’ brother, who left a girl to go there and hasn’t come back. A young cheery Greek called Pablo, who doesn’t even speak English, but often hangs out with them, also joins them on their quest.

So, “The Ruins” is about a holiday gone deadly wrong for six youngsters who set out in the morning for a Mexican jungle, hoping to have a fun day hiking, reuniting their friend with his brother, and returning to the beaches by night. In-fact, the novel is like an elaborate survival story version of H.G. Wells’s short horror story ‘The Flowering of the Strange Orchid’. That story was about carnivorous plants that attack humans and Scott Smith takes that concept to another level.  

The author spins a tense tale, with easy-to-read language, with an omniscient narrator who takes us through the journey of these youngsters trying to survive under the harsh Mexican sun with little food and water, hoping that a search party would eventually save them from the jungle and the hostile Mayans. The character Jeff is sort of the lead protagonist of the story, who keeps coming up with plans and ideas to find out a way to survive as long as possible and maybe find their way out of the horrifying situation they’ve got themselves into. But despite his leadership qualities, Jeff seems to suffer from the ‘saviour complex’ and his actions are often driven by the need to keep himself occupied and sane, rather than the benefit of his friends. Matthias is probably the only likable character in the six-people group, and it’s mostly because he is the quiet one, who keeps to himself, is practical in his outlook and supports Jeff in most of his decisions.

The girls, Amy, and Stacy, often seem like two mildly different versions of the same person. The only major difference between the two girls (if you don’t count their physical appearance) is the fact that Amy often complains about things. The only reason Stacy isn’t as whiny is that she spaces out easily and, as a result, doesn’t care too much about what is happening around her. So, Stacy is like Amy on feel-good drugs.

For a book titled “The Ruins”, the author cleverly manages to not give readers any historical background about the place at all, unless you count a few conversations between the friends who only have theories about what is happening to them. For readers who like the freedom to imagine and draw their own conclusions, this aspect could be a plus point, but for others who expect a cohesive explanation, things get disappointing.

Many of the scares in “The Ruins” hinge on body horror, so there are plenty of graphic and gory descriptions of mangled body parts. The psychological manifestation of the experience is much milder than you’d expect. While the novel wasn’t exactly unputdownable for me, it did keep me invested until the end, and I took my own time reading it, although the book surprisingly isn’t divided into chapters. Towards the end, the evil foliage gets ridiculously malevolent, in ways that were unintentionally hilarious instead of being creepy. I mean, sure, reading supernatural horror fiction demands that readers suspend logic and reasoning, but even after doing that, some things are too far-fetched – for example, the way they are eventually portrayed, the creepy plants could easily embody a character from “Mean Girls”. That’s as far as I would go to spoil the novel for you.

Overall, it’s a gripping book for horror-thriller fans, if you haven’t already read too many stories in the same genre. Because “The Ruins” came out in 2006 and can seem a little outdated in its character development and depictions.

Rating: 3.5 on 5.

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Spy x Family Season 2 Episode 10 Review

What a sweet filler episode! Titled ‘Enjoy The Resort to the Fullest/Bragging About Your Vacation,’ episode 10 of ‘Spy x Family’ season two focuses on the Forger family having fun on an island during their luxury cruise break. Split into two parts, the first half shows spy dad Loid Forger and daughter Anya finally reuniting with Yor to have a fun outing, which includes cycling, snorkeling, surfing, and more.

Read: Spy x Family Episode 1 Review for plot overview

After the intense fights, Yor Forger definitely deserved a break, even though Loid immediately notices the bruises on her face and asks her about them. Yor manages to cook up a fake story and spends the day with little Anya, who is extremely happy to be able to have fun with her mom and dad. The second half of the episode shifts to the family getting back home, and Anya tries to brag about her epic ship adventure to her friends. When she realizes her super-rich friends aren’t all that impressed with her vacation, she concocts ridiculous lies and ends up getting mocked by her classmates. Loid and Yor attempt to teach Anya that lying is wrong, with hilarious results.

The first half, featuring the Forgers enjoying their vacation, was highly entertaining. Accompanied by a pleasant and melodious English song, along with bright and engaging animation, the segment added a lively touch. The Forgers, usually seen in the same clothes, sported casual holiday attire for this segment, a fun touch; Anya’s summer shorts were an adorable and beach-worthy outfit. In-comparison, Yor’s regular red-dress is becoming an eyesore!

Anyway, like mentioned in the beginning, this was a light, breezy “family fun” filler episode. So, there’s no progress in “Operation Strix”, even though Anya does attempt to charm Damian at school and becoming his new best-friend.

You can stream Spy x Family on Netflix.

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Cherry Magic Thai Series Episode 1 Review

When GMMTV announced they were going to release a Thai adaptation of the hit Japanese series ‘Cherry Magic,’ based on the manga of the same name by Yuu Toyota, fans had mixed reactions. As someone who loved the Japanese live-action version starring the charming Eiji Akaso & Keita Machida, I was both apprehensive and excited to see how Tay Tawan Vihokratana and New Thitipoom Techa-apaikhun would portray the lead characters in the Thai remake.

Directed by X Nuttapong Mongkolsawas, who is behind titles like “Vice Versa” & “Theory of Love”, the first episode of ‘Cherry Magic’ is pretty loyal to the source material, with Thai cultural elements interwoven into the plot to give it a more local flavor, which definitely works in favor of the show. The episode begins by introducing Achi (New Thitipoom Techa-apaikhun) a day before his 30th birthday, he live alone, is single, with major self-esteem issues and looks up to his colleague Karan (Tay Tawan Vihokratana) with a tinge of jealousy as both of them started their careers the same time, but while Karan is the office star, Achi is the wallflower. Achi’s mundane life takes a drastic turn when he develops the power to read minds by touching people on his 30th birthday and he is shocked to find that the dashing Karan has a crush on him.

In a direct nod to its source material, there’s a scene where Achi searches online about 30-year-old virgins gaining mind-reading powers, and the manga series by Yuu Toyota shows up as the top result. The first episode wastes no time in setting the primary plot about the magical twist and quickly introduces all major characters who will be seen through the next eleven episodes. Junior Panachai Sriariyarungruang plays Achi’s best-friend Jinta, a successful author who lives by himself, while Jan Ployshompoo Supasap and Sing Harit Cheewagaroon play Achi’s co-workers Pai and Rock. New Thitipoom is quite endearing as the clumsy Achi, who has no faith in himself, while Tay Tawan as Karan does a solid job at being the calm-cool corporate super-star with a gigantic crush on his colleague.

The first episode might not seem as comedic to those who’ve seen the Japanese series and some of it is because of the choice of background music, that doesn’t do a great job at enhancing the funnier moments. But regardless of whether you’ve seen the original Japanese series or not, the Thai series “Cherry Magic” promises to be an entertaining show for those looking for a whimsical romantic-comedy.

You can watch Cherry Magic on YouTube.

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Crafting Tales Across Gothic, Paranormal, and Mystery Realms

David John Griffin (Twitter | Facebook| Website)

Hello, I am an author of fiction books, writing under my full name of David John Griffin. I’m also a graphic designer and an occasional electronic music composer. Born and bred in Gravesend, Kent, UK, I live there with my wife Susan.

My novels, novellas and short stories cover a range of genres including gothic, literary, paranormal, mystery, science fiction, soft horror and urban fantasy. Some of my short stories have been published in at least eight anthologies and magazines, including The HG Wells Story 2012 anthology, Born of the Island and Other Stories anthology, Beyond Words magazine, Secret Attic anthology, The Reach magazine, and Stories for Homes book 2, amongst others.

I have a writing desk in my shed at the bottom of the garden – I love to write there during the summer, otherwise I tap away on a computer in my office. Many of my creative ideas just pop into my head but if not, I can be inspired by dreams, TV programmes, web browsing, paintings and photographs, or reading novels by other authors. I admire so many writers (too many to list) but a few to mention would be Philip K. Dick, Daphne Du Maurier, Angela Carter, Stephen King, Haruki Murakami, William Golding, Charles Dickens, J.G. Ballard, and Mervyn Peake.

My ongoing mission as an author is to produce absorbing, page-turning novels. When writing short stories, I aim for that surprising “twist in the tail” at the end of them. My interest in writing started when I was six-years-old; my primary school teacher inspired me and gave much encouragement. I started my first serious piece of fiction at the age of thirteen. It was a novella – 100 pages written in longhand – its genre science fiction, inspired by authors such as Isaac Asimov, J.G. Ballard and Robert Heinlein.

I started writing my first novel, ‘The Unusual Possession of Alastair Stubb’, while attending the Medway College of Art and Design in the early 1970s. After many revisions over the years, it was finally professionally published in 2015 – over 40 years later! Its genre is gothic and paranormal. Set in an English village called Muchmarsh, populated by quirky characters at the turn of the last century, this gothic tale is full of mystery, suspense and intrigue.

I wrote my second book, Infinite Rooms (literary and psychological), in 1984. It is quietly experimental in nature. The novel involves a young man called Donald Clement whose fragile mind is tortured by unrequited love, his thoughts related to a remembered psychiatrist called Dr. Leibkov. 

My third book is a novella with short stories called Two Dogs at the One Dog Inn and Other Stories. The novella is magical realism, science fiction and paranormal, based on extraordinary emails sent by a woman called Audrey Ackerman to her work colleague Stella Bridgeport at an animal rescue centre. The twelve short stories included are in genres such as science fiction, paranormal and literary, amongst others.

The fourth book that I published is a time travel adventure called Abbie and the Portal. It starts with a mysterious note that reads, “Please help”, found inside a 19th century book by a reporter called Terry Bridge. He takes up the challenge to save the writer of the note, a young woman called Abbie Concordia who is trapped in an asylum in Victorian England.

My novel called Turquoise Traveller is a strange and surreal urban fantasy involving dreams in reality. A young man wakes up on a bus, not knowing where he is going or where he has been… He comes to realise that reality has been overlaid with dream and nightmare elements by the evil agents of Tremelon Zandar.     

My latest novel, a psychological mystery called When The Lover Lies, is currently being represented by my literary agent who is chasing publishers for it. I’m now busy writing the manuscript of my seventh novel, a psychological thriller called Five Alive.

For me, creative writing is an all-absorbing passion, something I’ll endeavour to pursue for as long as I can.

“Creativity takes courage.” – Henri Matisse

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Leave The World Behind Review – Striking, with a ‘WTF Why?’ Ending

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

“Then I remembered what the world is actually like. And I came to a more accurate realization – I fucking hate people.”

The camera pans to a close-up shot of Julia Roberts in the opening scene of the 2023 Netflix film “Leave The World Behind” as she delivers that line and you believe her. Julia is Amanda Sandford, a cynical working mom of two, who plans an impromptu family vacation at a fancy pool property on the outskirts of the city. However their stay is disrupted when two strangers show up in the middle of the night, claiming to be the homeowners & the Sandfords have no way to verify their identities because both cellular and internet networks are jammed in the region.

Based on a book by Rumaan Alam and directed by Sam Esmail, the 2023 Netflix film “Leave The World Behind” has a fantastic first-half, it’s suspenseful, slowly drumming dread into the viewer, making them anxious over what’s going to happen next. The cinematography is stunning, dominated by blue tones, the Sandfords’ bedroom is blue, their car is blue, even their rented property’s room is blue, with interiors made to look like the ocean, so when they collapse into the bed for the night, it almost feel like they are dipping into water. Some of the camera angles however made me dizzy, especially when the camera moves around in slow circles in certain scenes. The film is often shot like it’s done from the point-of-view of a predator or stalker, so, maybe the creators deliberately try to unsettle viewers with the camera work and dizzying shots.

The film brilliantly mocks people’s reliance on the internet and phones, with a cyberattack knocking off all connections and making it seem like the end of the world. Ethan Hawke plays Amanda’s laidback, friendly husband Clay Sandfords, who is more than welcoming to the strangers who come knocking at their rental in the middle of the night. Mahershala Ali is G. H. Scott, who arrives with his daughter Ruth Scott (Myha’la) at the place and they are African-American. Not only do they seem like scheming intruders to Amanda, but their presence also sets off hostile racial tension between the families. Julia Roberts’ portrayal of Amanda is full of angst and rage, almost resembling a stereotypical White Karen with prejudices against people of color as she is extremely rude to the Scotts. Myha’la is fiery as Ruth, who matches Amanda’s cynical negativity with cutting snark; she instantly hates Amanda’s condescending attitude and wonders if the Sandfords will have them do their laundry. If it weren’t for Amanda’s sweeping “I hate people” dialogue at the beginning of the film, you might think she’s a white supremacist. However, as the plot progresses, she does warm up to the mysterious G. H. Scott, who is full of conspiracy theories about a war against America. While the adults try to understand what is happening around them, Amanda’s younger daughter Rose (Farrah Mackenzie) is hilariously focused on the fact that she might never get to finish watching FRIENDS, the sitcom.

The movie gets too wordy in the second half, with long conversations between the characters that gets tedious. Even the suspense sort of slackens, even though there are some plot twists that keep the viewers confused over what exactly is happening. With a distinctly dystopian tone, “Leave The World Behind” unfolds at a pace which makes you feel like it would’ve made a great mini-series, because the climax comes too soon, and even though it’s a pretty witty-fun ending, it makes you go “WTF? Why did they end it so quickly?”. You are left with a far too simple conclusion, even though it’s only a conspiracy theory.

Rating: 7 on 10.

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Boys Like Boys Review – Six Days of Sun, Smiles, Tears

According to some religions, God took six days to build the world, so maybe finding love in six days shouldn’t be that hard for humans? The 2023 Taiwanese gay dating reality series “Boys Like Boys” (Original title – 男生男生配) brings together eight different men from different walks of life to spend six days together going on romantic dates to see if they fall in love on the show.

The series is a little like the Korean show “His Man” in format, where only six contestants arrive on the first day of the series and two other men join them later. However, the two people who join the show later in “Boys Like Boys” are at a complete disadvantage because the six others have already developed major crushes by then and don’t really give them too much thought.

Spread over ten hour-long episodes, the series is pretty breezy and made fun by some of the participants, with the chief entertainer being the extroverted singer/hairstylist Eri, who wears his heart on his sleeves and is always around to make a little joke and liven up the atmosphere. Ironically, Eri is roommates with the quiet introvert civil servant Bobo, who is dubbed Bo-bo-boring by one of the participants. Still, Eri and Bobo strike a heartwarming platonic friendship on the show and have each other’s back through the runtime. Eri has a consistent crush on singer Nio, who is of mixed-race and does stand out a bit due to his different (but good) looks. But it’s the oldest contestant, Gino, who is the boldest of the lot, he takes a liking to fitness instructor Guan-Yu and doesn’t hold back from handsy to show his affection.

The creators should have had all contestants come in from the first day because latecomers Susu and Jia-Hang lose out on establishing a decent connection with the others. But most them are keen on having a good time, so all of them walk away with new meaningful friendships and experience from the show. But despite only six days, there’s a lot of love, laughter, tears and cathartic moments on the show for the boys. Episode 5 featured a special guest, popular Taiwanese singer Abao, who is known for her vocal support for the LGBTQ+ community. Abao’s appearance on the show was an emotional surprise for all the members, and they all opened up about their personal journeys and coming out experiences with her.

From picking fruits, making jams, going on horse ride, most of the dates are set in scenic places, so aesthetically the series is bright and nice to look at. Everybody seems to develop significant feelings in the show and despite some being aware that they might like the same person, there’s no heightened drama or negativity. The creators however could’ve added some more fun segments or games in the show to make it more structured, because often, the contestants are just loitering around, unsure of what they should do when they aren’t on designated dates. Overall, it’s a good one time watch for those who like dating reality shows sans negativity and over-the-top drama.

Rating: 7 on 10. You can stream it on GagaOolala.

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Memoirs of a Man in Pajamas – Book Review

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Sneha Jaiswal (X | Insta | FB | GoodReads)

“Random Ramblings of a Cartoonist” should’ve probably been the title of this graphic novel, but you’ve got to admit – “Memoirs of a Man in Pajamas” sounds more fun. Written and illustrated by Paco Roca, the memoir is jammed with anecdotal tidbits, travel stories, jokes, opinions that range from extremely hilarious to kinda tedious. If like me, you didn’t know that Paco Roca is a pretty celebrated Spanish cartoonist (which becomes pretty evident in the book), you should read some of his other works before this. Because, “Memoirs of a Man in Pajamas” (original title – Trilogía de un hombre en pijama) seems to be the kind of book that would be more enjoyable to those who are already fans of Paco’s works.

“Memoirs of a Man in Pajamas” starts with Paco Roca humorously portraying his doormat personality. He struggles to say no to anyone, prefers staying at home and avoiding people, and yet is an unabashed people-pleaser. He readily shares his number with random strangers, accepts invitations from anyone who asks him out, and fully embraces the personality of the woman he is dating in a bid to endear himself to them. Paco works from home and stays in his pajamas the whole day, unless he needs to step out for a drink with friends or groceries.

The artwork in the book is lively, cartoonish, and Paco Roca keeps changing the color tones of the panels as the memoir is divided into several little sections, each about a different theme. So from jet-setting around the world for book tours to sitting at home struggling to draw his next comic the whole day, having an argument with his partner over movies, or offering solutions on how to end global poverty, “Memoirs of a Man in Pajamas” offers a vastly divergent set of scenarios. And to protect the identities of his friends features in fun anecdotal snippets, the artist refers to them by their sun-signs. So you’d find out how “Aquarius is a magnet for men who are going through midlife crises” or how his friend “Aries” has an astonishing talent for scoring with women.

While the graphic novel is only 232 pages long, it felt infinitely longer, largely due to the disconnected anecdotes. After a very funny first half, the book begins to slow down and even gets a bit boring towards the end. Yet, because of some quirky and even heartfelt moments in the novel, I didn’t really want “Memoirs of a Man in Pajamas” to end. Besides, the climax felt too abrupt, like being thrown off a movie before the last chapter concludes. Overall, it was a fun book that makes me want to read Paco Roca’s other fiction works.

Rating: 3.5 on 5.

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