Sneha Jaiswal's Blog, page 16

Sakamoto Days Episode 13 Review: Lu Powers Through (with Booze)

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

“Bad endings are only fun when they happen to other people”

OMG, the serial killers of ‘Sakamoto Days’ are all such drama kings and queens, it’s darkly hilarious. And as much as I enjoyed the action-packed, blood-laden episode, it also glaringly highlighted that the series could’ve been so much better with improved animation. But regardless, Episode 13 is climactic-level exciting.

Also Read: Sakamoto Days Season One Part One Review

Titled ‘Just Desserts’, the episode continues the battle between serial killer Saw and Shin at a convenience store. And while Shin might draw his newfound powers from his existing psychic abilities, Lu gains her strength from a more accessible source: alcohol! LOL! The opening of Sakamoto Days Episode 13 had me in splits, all thanks to Lu getting crazy drunk and then giving Saw the beating of his life.

As seen in Episode 12 of ‘Sakamoto Days’, the elite assassins from the ORDER are out to eliminate the death row serial killers released by Slur’s team. A parallel subplot focuses on Osaragi taking on a killer called “Dump.” Osaragi is the glum-looking assassin with the ‘Black Widow’ vibe, you know, dressed in a black gown, complete with a veil, as if she’s in mourning.

It’s easy to see why fans of Yuto Suzuki’s manga might feel let down by the anime adaptation, since the animation doesn’t quite match the intensity the action scenes deserve. But for viewers (like me) unfamiliar with the original, the story twists and quirky characters more than make up for the underwhelming visuals in ‘Sakamoto Days’. Besides, the background music this time around is a lot more energetic and engaging.

Surprisingly, main protagonist Taro Sakamoto barely appears in this episode, but with all the wild fights between the psychotic serial killers and familiar assassins, you hardly notice his absence. Overall, a totally fun edition, which ends with a sinister twist.

Watch Sakamoto Days on Netflix.

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Head Over Heels Episode 10 Review: Ghost in Love, Shaman in Trouble!

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

Everybody is warning us against the ‘bad boys’ and ‘bad girls’, and here we are in Korean drama Head Over Heels, warming up to the charms of a ‘bad ghost’! The mischievous spirit Bong-Su, in protagonist Bae Gyeon-woo’s (Choo Young-woo) body, is winning over new friends with his casual, laid-back demeanor. Everybody except Seong-ah (Cho Yi-hyun) and Ji-ho (Cha Kang-yoon) is falling for the new version, unaware it’s not even human.

Quick Recap of ‘Head Over Heels’ Episode 9

Evil Yeom-hwa (Chu Ja-hyeon) begins performing a dark ritual to gain control over Bong-Su, but teen shaman Seong-ah manages to neutralize it. However, unbeknownst to Seong-ah, Gyeon-woo can now see ghosts and is edging closer to death. Still, thanks to his human talisman, he’s able to win the archery competition. Despite warnings to avoid ghosts, the episode ends with the lead pair attempting to stop a classmate from self-harm, as an ominous suicide ghost looms over him. The intervention results in Gyeon-woo drawing blood, allowing Bong-Su to fully take over his body.

Episode 10 of ‘Head Over Heels’ begins with Seong-ah realizing that Bong-su has been pretending to be Gyeon-woo. The focus of this episode is her effort to find a way to help Bong-su’s spirit cross over so that he will leave Gyeon-woo’s body unharmed. But that’s easier said than done.

Most of this episode is light-hearted in tone, with Bong-su having the time of his life pretending to be Gyeon-woo. He is excited, childlike, energetic, surprisingly friendly, and shows little interest in becoming Yeom-hwa’s evil deity. Bong-su also hilariously has a huge crush on Seong-ah and keeps clinging to her, though never in a way that’s too creepy, weird, or scary. If anything, Seong-ah is worried that everyone likes the Bong-su version of the archer way more than the real deal.

Cho Yi-hyun continues to shine as the charming teen shaman, while Choo Young-woo is a delight as the mischievous Bong-su. His dual role as the brooding human Gyeon-woo and the playful ghost who possesses him, gives Young-woo a great opportunity to showcase his range in ‘Head Over Heels’.

A parallel subplot follows Yeom-hwa doubling down on her effort to break Bong-su, even as senior shamans Dongcheon (Kim Mi-kyung) and Do-ryeong (Yoon Byung-hee) try to keep her in check. This episode also delivers lots of colorful shamanic rituals, including an intense, dangerous summoning ceremony at the creepy haunted house where all the supernatural trouble began.

With only two episodes left, this edition of ‘Head Over Heels’ is very entertaining, delivering a lot of simple, funny high-school moments between the teen characters of the show. Things however get dark, and tragic in the climactic minutes, marking a major twist in the tale, which will wreck those who have been rooting for Seong-ha’s happiness.

Watch ‘Head Over Heels’ on Prime Video.

Find the writer on Twitter and Instagram for more pop culture chatter.

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‘Good Boy’ Review: Park Bo-gum Is All Punch, No Pause

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

‘Float Like a Butterfly, Sting Like a Bee’

Park Bo-Gum plays a Muhammad Ali quoting Gold Olympic winning boxer, who fights like the Punisher and heals like wolverine in the Korean-action comedy ‘Good Boy’.

Directed by Shim Na-yeon (The Good Bad Mother, Beyond Evil), the sixteen-episode series follows a group of Olympic medalists that joins the police force through a special recruitment program, only to find themselves mocked, sidelined, and stuck with bottom-rung duties. So when they get a shot at forming a special team led by Man-sik (Heo Sung-tae), it’s all about shedding blood, sweat, and tears to catch some big criminal sharks. It’s Park Bo-gum as the young, restless Yoon Dong-ju, the titular ‘Good Boy’, who is always pushing the team to take down the bad guys and clean up the corrupt city of Insung.

The show seesaws between fun, fury, and full-blown chaos, with fun first few episodes. The primary conflict revolves around the death of a customs officer in a hit-and-run case. Unfortunately for the killer, Yoon Dong-ju happens to witness the crime, so he is hellbent on nabbing those responsible. All clues point to senior customs officer Min Joo-yeong (Oh Jung-se), a seemingly ordinary government official who is, in reality, a nefarious crime boss with deep-rooted connections throughout the city’s power structures.

At its core, ‘Good Boy’ is a celebration of the underestimated, the underdogs. The athlete-cops, though exceptional in strength and spirit, are looked down upon by the rest of the Insung police force. From botched operations and comic mishaps to brutal street brawls and shocking betrayals, these underdogs earn their stripes, one busted ring at a time. The series is peppered with flashbacks to each of the primary character’s glory days as an Olympian and the cinematography is great in these scenes. Dong-ju’s boxing, Jong-hyeon’s fencing, and Han-na’s near celebrity status as the country’s best shooter are displayed with flair.

When not beating up criminals, Dong-ju is busy wooing colleague Han-na (Kim So-hyun), an ace shooter, but he faces competition from her ex-boyfriend Jong-hyeon. This love triangle is silly, sweet and offers romantic breaks in the otherwise violent laden tale. Kim So-hyun’s Han-na is a no-nonsense ace shooter with a sharp edge and a softer heart. While the romantic chemistry with Bo-gum isn’t sizzling, her character’s resolve and action sequences, especially in some of the later episodes of ‘Good Boy’, where she gets to rescue the men with her killer shooting, pack a punch.

Park Bo-gum carries the show with unmatched charisma, and emerges as the ‘Wolverine oppa’ in the show, always getting brutally beaten, but healing the next day like nothing happened. Whether he’s beaming like a golden retriever in a cop uniform or unleashing fury on the bad guys, Park Bo-gum as Dong-ju is endearing, intense, and thoroughly watchable. Lee Sang-yi as Jong-hyeon, the stoic ex-fencer, offers an entertaining foil to the cheery, sometimes childish Dong-ju. The fencer is grounded, mature, and consistently compelling. The bromance that slowly develops between them, full of respect and rivalry, ends up being one of the most fun dynamics in ‘Good Boy’.

Oh Jung-se as the villainous Min Joo-yeong is a chilling ‘bad boy’ of the series, giving this action-comedy a devious edge with his performance. Joo-yeong makes being evil seem effortless, bashing people to death like swatting flied, without flinching. His character also serves as a major source of suspense in ‘Good Boy’, making viewers wonder how does an ‘ordinary’ government employee become an unhinged, maniac crime-boss that isn’t afraid of any kind of consequences. His snide grins and sinister calm make him one of K-drama’s most memorable recent villains, even if the show doesn’t flesh out his backstory as much as it should’ve.

Lee Ho-jung plays ‘Drug Demon’, who works for Joo-yeong and is behind a new psychedelic drug simply called ‘candy’ spreading through the city’s streets. She is intriguingly wicked in the part, a lot more interesting than the perpetually ‘bored’ looking Han-na, although ‘Drug Demon’ doesn’t get enough screen time. Jeong Man-Sik plays another minor antagonist Oh Jong-gu, the former coach of Dong-ju. He is arrogant, corrupt, scheming, and one of the few characters in this action K-drama who can take on the gold-medalist boxer.

Heo Sung-tae, as team leader Man-sik, is the chaotic comic relief, though his character’s humor gets overused toward the end. Tae Won-Seok plays Jae-Hong, a former discuss player, whose part was the least entertaining and could’ve been trimmed down to give other sub-plots more space. For instance, viewers never get a clear understanding over why Han-na and Jong-hyeon break up and are made to fill up the blanks by themselves.

‘Good Boy’ starts strong but struggles with pacing in the second half. The core plot, a corrupt system being dismantled by a group of misfit heroes, is solid, and actions are served a generous dose of punches, bloodshed, car chases, and showdowns. But 16 episodes feel excessive, and the narrative begins to wobble under the weight of repetition: Dong-ju fights dozens of goons to near death, heals like Wolverine, returns for another beatdown. Rinse, repeat. Meanwhile, the evil Joo-Yeong always manages to give them the slip.

The action scenes, while exciting early on, lose their freshness. The final episodes feature long, drawn-out confrontations that echo earlier sequences, and the action choreography becomes predictable. The same can be said for the show’s emotional beats: Dong-ju’s health decline arc starts off powerful but is dragged too long, and is completely unrealistic. There’s also a tendency to over-glorify Dong-ju. Yes, he’s the titular ‘Good Boy’, but the constant halo-effect undermines the contributions of the rest of the team. Characters like Man-sik or even the brilliant Jong-hyeon often feel short-changed.

What Good Boy does get right, and keeps hammering home, is the central theme: perseverance in the face of institutional rot. The Insung police department is riddled with corruption, from commissioners to field agents, all puppeteered by Joo-yeong and his political cronies. The athlete squad, despite being mocked, isolated, and literally battered, refuses to back down. And every time they are successful in busting an illegal operation, the police commissioner (Kim Eung-soo in an amusing cameo) comically takes credit in the media for all the work, rarely giving them their due.  

The comedy mostly works, especially in the earlier episodes. Heo Sung-tae’s Man-sik is hilarious as the perpetually grumbling boss who indulges in funny antics. Even Dong-ju’s over-the-top optimism adds levity. But later, the humor feels forced, especially when juxtaposed with darker turns like brutal beatings, murders, and systemic collapse.

The final showdown between Dong-ju and Joo-yeong delivers on action and closure, albeit with some overindulgence. The constant glorification of Dong-ju and the decision to stretch tension over multiple false climaxes slightly undercut the impact. Still, the villain’s fall, the team’s vindication, and the city’s awakening to police corruption wrap the story with a satisfying full circle.

And yes, seeing Park Bo-gum flash that million-dollar smile in his cop uniform one last time? Worth it. If you’re looking for a K-drama that blends vigilante heroism, found-family feels, action-packed confrontations, and a solid redemption arc, ‘Good Boy’ makes for a fun, if uneven, binge.

Rating: 7 on 10. Watch ‘Good Boy’ on Prime Video.

Find the writer on Twitter and Instagram for more pop culture chatter.

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Head Over Heels Episode 9 Review: Ghosts and Deaths Loom!

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

Oh no! Teen shaman Seong-ah (Cho Yi-hyun) has been trying so hard to protect her first love – the handsome, talented archer Bae Gyeon-woo (Choo Young-woo) – from ghosts, spirits, and trouble, but the dark world of deadly forces always finds him.

Recap of ‘Head Over Heels’ Episode 8

Despite being under the watch of senior shaman Dongcheon (Kim Mi-kyung), the evil Yeom-hwa (Chu Ja-hyeon) plots to turn the mischievous spirit Bong-su, currently possessing Gyeon-woo, into her deity. While the ‘good’ shamans worry about the spirit’s danger, Bong-su mostly comes off as a prankster. Seong-ah and Gyeon-woo’s blooming romance is complicated by Ji-ho (Cha Kang-yoon) finally convincing his feelings for Seong-ah too. Surprised, she promises to solve their love triangle after the exorcism of Bong-su from Gyeon-woo’s body. The chapter ends with Yeom-hwa doing a nefarious ritual to bind herself with Bong-su, putting Seong-ah crush in serious danger.

Episode 9 of ‘Head Over Heels’

This episode opens with Gyeon-woo realizing he can now see ghosts, a chilling sign that he’s drifting closer to becoming something supernatural, trapped between life and death. But with an archery tournament to win, he tries to carry on as normal, while Seong-ah, unaware of the full extent of his condition, does everything she can to keep him safe. Ji-ho also takes part in the competition, still peeved at the proximity between his friends.

Chu Ja-hyeon delivers a standout performance as Yeom-hwa in this episode of ‘Head Over Heels’, portraying a grieving mother turned antagonist after her seniors prevented her from reviving her deceased child through supernatural means in the past. While the emotional angle is effective, the “tragic mom turned villain” trope feels a bit recycled, especially since the series already explored similar territory with a baby ghost storyline earlier on.

The romance is thin in this chapter of ‘Head Over Heels’, although viewers do get a few cute moments between the lead pair. Most of the drama is focused on the battle of wills and shamanic powers between Yeom-hwa and the young, bright Seong-ah. The teen shaman starts falling ill, and with more evil spirits lurking around the school, her powers might not prove enough to keep things under control.

At this point, the show is beginning to feel just a teeny bit overstretched, but there are only three more episodes left to go. So hopefully the plot will have to pick up pace soon. Besides, episode 9 ends with a solid game-changing cliffhanger, a supernatural, spooky one!

Watch ‘Head Over Heels’ on Prime Video.

Find the writer on Twitter and Instagram for more pop culture chatter.

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The Village of Eight Graves Review: Wickedly Rich and Worth Every Minute

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

This is my first time reading a novel by Japanese author Seishi Yokomizo, but halfway through ‘The Village of Eight Graves‘, I was already recommending it to my mother, grandfather, basically anyone who loves a good murder mystery! I think I’ve found my next guilty pleasure author. Bye bye, Agatha Christie, the few of your books I haven’t read yet will have to wait while I devour more of Mr. Yokomizo’s work.

Translated by Bryan Karetnyk, Seishi Yokomizo’s novel is set in a mystifying rural village brimming with historical lore, tragedy, hidden treasures, multiple murders, superstitions, poisonings, and fear-mongering, a newcomer to ‘The Village of Eight Graves’ becomes the unsuspecting person of interest when an unknown serial killer goes on a murdering spree.

The village gets its name from a legend about eight samurai who, after being betrayed and murdered by the locals for their hidden treasure, cursed the land. Ever since, the remote mountain hamlet has seen periodic bloodbaths, believed to be part of the curse’s legacy. The story follows Tatsuya, a young city man who learns he’s the heir to the powerful Taijimi family, the wealthiest in the village of Eight Graves. But his return is shadowed by a string of murders, and suspicion quickly turns toward him, especially since his father was a killer too. The co-incidental visit of brilliant detective Kosuke Kindaichi helps Tatsuya solve the tragic murders before he becomes a victim of violence too.

The atmospheric world-building by Seishi Yokomizo in ‘The Village of Eight Graves’ is excellent, you’re transported to another era, a far-off land where the rural working class, solitary monks, mad murderers, and petty rumor-mongers co-exist awkwardly. The characters Tatsuya meets through his newfound identity as the Tajimi heir are all curiously interesting, starting with Miyako Mori, a beautiful and helpful young woman, and the first resident he becomes acquainted with.

His great-aunts, identical twins Koume and Kotake, eerie old women in charge of the family’s affairs and wealth, are total “weirdos,” whom Tatsuya describes as “monkeys,” though he clarifies they aren’t ugly, just small and shifty. Then there are Tatsuya’s two half-siblings, Hisaya and Haruko, both considered physically too frail to carry on the family name. He also has two first cousins, Noriko and Shuntaro, the children of his father’s brother, but the twins aren’t fond of them, choosing instead to favor the illegitimate Tatsuya. So if there’s somebody trying to frame the new man in town for murders, all those cut out from their inheritance serve as suspects in ‘The Village of Eight Graves’, well, at least those who don’t die.

Seishi Yokomizo, of course, also introduces some village politics and rivalries to add a few more suspects to the serial murders in the region, keeping readers guessing until the end. The novel is so engagingly written that halfway through the book, I was almost certain the ending wouldn’t disappoint, and well, it didn’t. Interestingly, the detective Kosuke Kindaichi doesn’t take too much space through the chapters, and some of the women characters are a lot more memorable. And that’s not a complaint at all.

Time slipped away as I read “The Village of Eight Graves”, and before I knew it, the clock struck 5:10 a.m. I finished the final page just as birds began chirping and a faint stream of sunlight filtered through my heavy curtains. Any book that keeps you up through the night and into dawn deserves a perfect score.

Rating: 5 stars on 5.

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‘The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity’ Episode 2 Review

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Hypocrisy is an accidental mistake all of us can’t help but commit now and then. Which is why Rintaro Tsumugi (voiced by Yoshinori Nakayama), the protagonist of ‘The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity’, immediately assumes Kaoruku Waguri (voiced by Honoka Inoue) might not want anything to do with him when he finds out she’s a student at Kikyo, the fancy school next door. This, despite the fact that Rintaro himself hates people who judge others based on looks or other superficial markers.

Episode 1 of ‘The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity’ ended with Rintaro reaching his class early. When he looks out the window, he sees Ms. Waguri opening the curtains at the neighboring school, Kikyo. Titled Chidori and Kikyo, episode 2 of the anime focuses on Rintaro’s mixed feelings about the fact that his potential new friend is from the rival girls’ school that all his friends spiritedly hate.

The animosity between the two schools turns out to be far more serious than one might assume, with even glancing at the other side considered taboo. But can the kind, cute, cheery, and optimistic Waguri, who loves eating pastries at Rintaro’s family-run café really care about her school’s long-standing rivalry and the snobbery other Kikyo girls show toward the boys from Chidori?

For a teen romantic drama, ‘The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity’ has been entertaining so far, with the expected exaggerated flair of the manga world, of course. Rintaro is a chronic over-thinker, the classic broody tsundere hero who looks rough and tough on the outside but is a softie who deeply cares for his friends and family. Waguri, on the other hand, is comically cute, I love everything about her, except the high-pitched voice-over, which is honestly quite annoying. She is surprisingly bold, straightforward, and speaks her mind, even if some of her thoughts are painfully embarrassing.

Episode 2 of the anime ends with Rintaro and Waguri have an awkward little chat where they open up what each is thinking about the other, marking a decisive beginning of their friendship. So the romance is around the corner.

‘The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity’ is streaming on Netflix.

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‘Good Boy’ Episode 16 Review: Villains Fall, ‘Good’ Cops Rise

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

Finally, it’s time for the KO match between baddie Joo-yeong (Oh Jung-se) and ‘Good Boy’ Dong-ju (Park Bo-gum), who’s been relentless in his pursuit of justice. Each time the gold-medalist boxer turned cop takes a brutal beatdown in this action-comedy, he rises back like a demi-god out for vengeance.

Recap of ‘Good Boy’ Episode 15

Dong-ju is violently attacked by his former coach Jong-gu, who flees the scene after helping his crime boss Joo-yeong escape. Jong-hyeon rushes Dong-ju to the hospital, realizing his punch-drunk syndrome is getting serious, though they all keep it a secret from Han-na. Meanwhile, the squad continues their mission to capture Joo-yeong and track down the mole within the Insung police department leaking intel to the criminals. The team also gets a lead on Jong-gu, and Dong-ju finally defeats his former coach in a brutal showdown. The episode ends with Joo-yeong planting a bomb on a truck loaded with his candy-drugs. It dangerously blows up right when the primary cop characters are close at hand!

Episode 16 of ‘Good Boy’

Titled We Are The Champions, episode 16 focuses on Dong-ju, Han-na (Kim So-hyun), Jong-hyeon (Lee Sang-yi), Man-sik (Heo Sung-tae), and Jae-hong (Tae Won-seok) working together to figure out where Joo-yeong might be. Luckily, thanks to Dong-ju’s charm, Drug Demon (Lee Ho-jung) gives him a crucial clue that helps them understand what the villain might be planning. What follows is a tense race against time to catch the criminal mastermind who is hellbent on causing serious damage to the city of Insung, before he can make his escape.

Honestly, ‘Good Boy’ would’ve been stronger with just 10 or 12 episodes. The finale felt stretched, weighed down by an over-the-top celebration of Dong-ju’s greatness. While the other characters do get their moments of glory, they’re somewhat overshadowed by the constant glorification of Dong-ju’s character. Even Heo Sung-tae, who plays senior cop Man-sik, simply seems annoying in this episode, even though he was one of the most entertaining characters in the first few episodes, providing crucial comic relief.

In the second half of the final, Dong-ju and Jong-hyeon get cornered by armed Yakuza, who are also chasing Joo-yeong, though he manages to give them the slip. Oddly, Jong-hyeon tells Dong-ju to go after Joo-yeong while he stays behind to take on a gang by himself. Considering Dong-ju’s whole “I can fight the world” vibe, shouldn’t he have been the one to stay and brawl? Or, honestly, they both should’ve just run for it. Also, like established in the previous episodic reviews for the show, Park Bo-Gum’s Dong-ju is like a Korean Wolverine Oppa, healing at a miraculous rate each time he is close to death.

The action choreography felt repetitive and lack-luster for most parts. Han-na is the only character apart from Dong-ju who gets a standout action scene in this edition: she comes to the rescue of her male colleagues just in time, which was pretty damn cool. Kim So-hyun’s romantic chemistry with Park Bo-gum isn’t sizzling, but she makes a perfect straight-faced badass as Han-na, the ace shooter who rarely misses her shot.

‘Good Boy’ Dong-ju naturally gets his well-earned victory over the nefarious Joo-yeong in the end. But it’s Oh Jung-se who truly steals the show with his chilling ‘Bad Boy’ performance, even if the menace starts to wear thin in the final episodes, thanks to the slightly overextended storyline.

Overall, the finale of Good Boy was a bit of a mixed bag, but I’ll give the creators credit for delivering a happy ending, fitting for a series that leaned heavily into comedy. A tragic climax would’ve felt jarringly out of place. And oof, Park Bo-gum in a cop uniform, flashing that million-dollar smile, does leave you with a warm, satisfied feeling in the final moments.

Watch ‘Good Boy‘ on Prime Video.

Find the writer on Twitter and Instagram for more pop culture chatter.

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Rachel Rising Volume 4 Review: Flashbacks, and Freakouts

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

Guess what? Guess what?! Rachel doesn’t die in this volume of ‘Rachel Rising’ by Terry Moore! Instead, she is busy with her attempts to ensure aunt Johnny can be brought back to life and evil Lilith can perhaps be sent back to hell.

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Titled ‘Winter Graves’, Volume 4 opens with a centuries-old flashback to Rachel’s past life as a young girl named Bryn Erin, raised by strict religious parents who were unhappy with Lilith’s attempts to play mentor to their daughter. Ultimately, Bryn and several other women were accused of witchcraft and murdered. In the present timeline, Rachel finally remembers some snippets of her past life too. And in a weird twist, someone she knew from back then, wakes up in her friend Jet’s body.

Like the past few issues, this volume of ‘Rachel Rising‘ also unfolds in a snowstorm, the chilly weather brought on by Lilith, not nature. The atmospheric eeriness of a deadly winter is fantastically depicted through Terry Moore’s artwork. The characters are constantly wading through thick snow, going about their strange adventures to understand their undead experience and stop Lilith from destroying their town. But one of Rachel’s offbeat missions now includes “find the dog and revive Aunt Johnny,” because she captures her aunt’s soul inside a dog when she dies.

While slightly slow in parts, at least these issues of ‘Rachel Rising’ offers some new sub-plots, courtesy of the centuries-old flashback showing what happened to Rachel in her past life. As the young Bryn Erin, she experiences hardships, heartbreak, and untold tragedy. As these memories of an old life come back to the protagonist, she also remembers where to find a mystery box full of supernatural tricks to help her.

Rachel once again crosses paths with the evil little Zoey, who’s trying to escape in a vehicle that won’t start. In possibly the most hilarious exchange in ‘Rachel Rising’, Zoey threatens to murder Rachel and her friends, but freaks out when she realizes they’re already dead and starts screaming, “Help! I’m being carjacked by zombies!” Actually, that’s easily my favorite panel in the entire comic book series so far, seeing the serial-killer brat scream in anxiety.

The last few pages of volume 4 feature a violent, supernatural face-off between Lilith and Rachel, so expect some blood, surprises, and deaths. Overall, this was definitely an entertaining edition, despite a choppy pace.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars. ‘Rachel Rising‘ is also on Kindle Unlimited.

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Revenged Love Episodes 11-12 Review: Panic at the Clinic

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After an unexpected one-week hiatus of Revenged Love (逆爱) that left fans upset, the production team made up for it by announcing they’ll release four chapters almost back-to-back. The original plan was to review episodes 11–14 together, but episodes 11 and 12 deserve their own space, the romance and comedy is peaking. Wu Suo Wei (Zi Yu) and Chi Cheng (Tian Xu Ning) crank up the romance, and yep, it’s official… these two are fully in couple mode now.

Quick Recap of Episode 9-10 of ‘Revenged Love’: Chi Cheng and Yue Yue (Sun Qian Yu) are a thing of the past. Chi Cheng kills one of his favorite snakes to save Suo Wei from its deathly grip, proving his love for the scheming protagonist is stronger than his affection for the pets. Suo Wei moves on from denial mode and admits his feelings for Chi Cheng to his mentor Jiang Xiao Shuai (Liu Xuan Cheng), but he also struggles to come to terms with his sexuality and thinks it would be best if he calls things off with Chi Cheng.

Chi Cheng, fully aware of Suo Wei’s emotional confusion, throws a classic chaotic threat at Xiao Shuai, either get Suo Wei to sleep with him, or he’s going back to his old hobby of chasing the same guys Guo Cheng Yu (Zhan Xuan) wants… starting with Xiao Shuai himself. Chi Cheng of course isn’t serious about the threat, but Xiao Shuai takes his word, panics, and begins his scheming.

Episode 11-12 of ‘Revenged Love’

Titled ‘Let’s Go Home and Get Registered‘, Episode 11 kicks off with chaos at Xiao Shuai’s clinic, where future boyfriend Cheng Yu comes to visit. This secondary couple’s romance is progressing at a leisurely pace, which is fine, since lead pair Suo Wei and Chi Cheng get all the screen time they need.

The real drama unfolds when jealousy enters the chat. With Xiao Shuai stirring the pot and Suo Wei spiraling, the episode delivers a hilarious and heartfelt turning point in the lead couple’s relationship. Zi Yu is adorable as the jealous, insecure, and teary Suo Wei, so much so, you don’t know whether to laugh or cry at his plight. Tian Xu Ning’s cool, grounded Chi Cheng balances out the storm, their chemistry keeps everything glued together.

Episode 12 of ‘Revenged Love’, Why Doesn’t He Play By the Rules?, opens on a steamy note. While the editing choices may be questionable (yes, the lighting and transitions are weird), the emotional beats land well, thanks to strong performances and a swoon-worthy background score. If you weren’t already invested in these two, you definitely will be now. Just when Suo Wei starts enjoying his romantic bubble with Chi Cheng, Guo Cheng Yu cooks up a plan to stir trouble, payback for the way his buddy rattled poor Xiao Shuai.

The way the primary love story keeps going hot-and-cold in ‘Revenged Love‘ is super fun, and apart from all the scheming leads, this chapter sees new conflict. Suo Wei, now head-over-heels for his snake-dad-boyfriend, debates whether to confess that Yue Yue was once his ex-girlfriend, before it comes back to bite him in the back. But with Chi Cheng’s intense, intimidating personality, coming clean won’t be easy.

Unlike the last few episodes, where the dubbing was occasionally distracting, these new chapters didn’t have the same problem. Now that ‘Revenged Love‘ has reached its halfway mark, I expected things to slow down or get heavy with angst, but Chi Cheng’s intense passion for Suo Wei continues to be balanced with a great dose of humor and laughs.

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

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‘The Summer Hikaru Died’ Episode 3 Review: Memories and Tears

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

‘The Summer Hikaru Died’ is just getting better and better! I mean, I’d rate the first episode a 5 out of 5, but Episode 3 is where the show overflows with memories, confusion, frustration, and a piercing grief that spreads from Yoshiki, to Hikaru, to the viewers.

Quick recap of ‘The Summer Hikaru Died’ Episode 2

Yoshiki and the not-quite-Hikaru on a tense forest hike with their classmates where they encounter something spooky, while a hunter named Tanaka arrives in Kubitachi Village to investigate a strange death. Flashbacks reveal a chilling family belief about forest entities claiming loved ones, deepening the eerie atmosphere. As unsettling intimacy builds between the boys, a mysterious woman named Rie warns Yoshiki he’s getting too close to danger. Grief, longing, and supernatural dread continue to blur together, leaving Yoshiki torn between holding on and letting go.

Back to Episode 3

Titled ‘Denial’, this episode of ‘The Summer Hikaru Died’ opens with a sweet summer memory of best friends Yoshiki and Hikaru as little boys, eating watermelon together and hilariously crying over accidentally swallowing a seed, scared they’d turn into the fruit themselves. It reminded me of how adults used to spook us as kids, saying we’d turn into a tree if we swallowed seeds or chewing gum.

As the title suggests, this chapter focuses on Yoshiki’s conflicted feelings about the entity that has taken over Hikaru’s body. He is torn between seeking help from Rie and leaving things as they are. Set on an oppressive, sweaty summer day, the first half of the episode sees Yoshiki visit Hikaru’s house with a watermelon, triggering painful flashes of the past, when the boys were happy and carefree. What makes Yoshiki’s ordeal even more heartbreaking is the entity’s eerie ability to imitate Hikaru with haunting precision, drawing from the boy’s own memories.

In an unexpected turn of events, Hikaru displays a chilling ‘human’ side for the first time, one capable of emotional intelligence and feelings like the need for validation, love, affection, friendship, and companionship. He picks up on the subtlest changes in Yoshiki’s behavior toward him, devastated to realize that ‘his version’ of the human boy might not be enough.

Who would’ve thought a grotesque, otherworldly entity could make you tear up? Because wow, this episode of ‘The Summer Hikaru Died’ hit hard, and I didn’t want it to end. One standout moment is a supernatural horror sequence in the second half, where the animation shifts to gloomy, grey tones, perfectly capturing the storm of emotions brewing inside the protagonist.

While watching the episode, I couldn’t help but think that maybe I should’ve waited for the full season, because there’s no way I’m emotionally equipped to wait a whole week for the next one!

Watch ‘The Summer Hikaru Died’ on Netflix.

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