Sneha Jaiswal's Blog, page 16

‘The Summer Hikaru Died’ Episode 6 Review: Identity Doubts & Danger

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

More ghosts, shadows, and dangers lurk in The Summer Hikaru Died, where the growing friendship between Yoshiki and the entity inhabiting his childhood best friend’s body is evidently starting to potentially put more lives at risk. The sleepy Kubitachi village is now restless, haunted, and brimming with secrets….

Quick Recap of ‘The Summer Hikaru Died’ Episode 5: Yoshiki’s sister claims a “Wig Ghost” is haunting the Tsujinaka household, prompting Hikaru to investigate. In the bathroom, the boys search for the spirit as flashbacks reveal a childhood fight over the death of a pet bird they had agreed to raise together. A young Yoshiki is unfazed, telling little Hikaru that every living being is meant to die, it’s nothing to fuss about. The memory is striking, as present-day Yoshiki, once the more practical of the two, now struggles to cope with loss. The episode closes with a hint that Tanaka is drawing closer to uncovering the truth behind Kubitachi village’s supernatural events.

Episode 6 of ‘The Summer Hikaru Died’

This edition of ‘The Summer Hikaru Died’ wasn’t even that emotional, even though it gets some spook factor in, and yet, I felt like I might’ve cried. I didn’t. But you know that uncomfortable swelling of emotions in your chest? That happened.

Yoshiki’s confusion, angst, grief, should’ve become familiar, maybe even a little boring by now in the anime, but it still feels raw, relatable, and heart-breaking. And it seems, Yoshiki isn’t the only one who noticed almost immediately that something was amiss about the Hikaru that came back after going missing in the mountains for days.

Titled “Asako”, the episode opens at school, where Yoshiki and his classmates discuss a story assigned to them for reading, one that, to Yoshiki, eerily resonates with Hikaru’s situation. Even though he constantly spends time with the entity, his inner emotional turmoil persists over how to feel about someone who looks like Hikaru, talks like Hikaru, and even possesses his memories.

Most of the focus is on a sleepover a group of friends agree to have at Hikaru’s house. While it’s a fun night out, that’s where Asako, a classmate with heightened sensitivity to the supernatural world, voices her doubts about Hikaru’s identity. Her awareness of the world of the dead is briefly highlighted in an earlier episode of ‘The Summer Hikaru Died’, and now viewers get an interesting childhood flashback to shed more light on her abilities. But her sharp sense also puts her in harm’s way.

The episode explores youth, friendship, and the essence of being human. While the entity posing as Hikaru may appear harmless, Yoshiki is starting to grasp its darker, more malevolent side. Their fragile bond is tested once again, and it’s becoming clear that the entity is facing an identity crisis of its own.

Watch ‘The Summer Hikaru Died’ on Netflix.

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Revenged Love Episodes 19-21 Review: Tragedy, Tears, Trips, and Tricks

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Too much unfolds between Episodes 19–21 of ‘Revenged Love‘, from gut-wrenching tragedy to unexpected trips, Wei Wei (Zi Yu) goes on an emotional roller coaster. And thankfully, Chi Cheng (Tian Xu Ning) is soon back by his side.

Recap of ‘Revenged Love’ Episodes 17-18: Misunderstandings grow between Chi Cheng and Wei Wei thanks to ex-boyfriend Wang Shuo and Wei Wei’s mother, Li Ya. Diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, Li Ya allows Chi Cheng to accompany her to hospital visits and be her primary guardian, but forbids him from telling Wei Wei. With Chi Cheng spending much time with Li Ya and lying about his whereabouts, Wei Wei assumes he’s been with Wang Shuo.

Yue Yue meets Li Ya in secret, claiming he’s still in touch with Wei Wei and they plan to reconcile. Li Ya confides into Chi Cheng, who is shocked to learn Yue Yue is Wei Wei’s ex. But when the lead pair confront each other, Chi Cheng says he’ll move past it if Wei Wei confirms Yue Yue is lying, but Wei Wei, convinced Chi Cheng no longer loves him, falsely claims he only wanted revenge and that their relationship is a sham. Episode 18 of ‘Revenged Love’ ends with their breakup, and Wei Wei getting a call from the hospital about his mother being critical. They also tell him that her emergency contact (Chi Cheng) wasn’t picking up.

Revenged Love Episodes 19-21

Titled “This Path Might Be Very Difficult”, episode 19 of the series focuses on the immediate aftermath of Chi Cheng and Wei Wei’s break-up. Although the bulk of the focus is on Wei Wei coming to terms with his mother’s worsening condition and the fact that she chose to hide it from him. It’s a slow-paced, emotional edition, where some scenes focusing on Wang Shuo (Liu Jun) and his brother felt unnecessary. The subtle hints that Wang Shuo’s brother might have a crush on Wei Wei didn’t mesh well with the overall tone of the show.

While Wei Wei’s scenes are sad, Chi Cheng copes with the break-up by practically moving into Guo Cheng Yu’s (Zhan Xuan) house. Which of-course doesn’t go down to well will Yu’s boyfriend Dr. Xiao Shuai (Liu Xuan Cheng), since he suspects they might have been more than friends in the past. So the scenes of this unlikely trio offer some comic-relief in an otherwise sombre chapter.

Episode 20 of ‘Revenged Love’ is hilariously titled “Men Are Like Menstruation: You Think About It When It Doesn’t Arrive on Time, but It’s Annoying When It’s Here.” Although, the edition opens on a tragic tone, with Wei Wei devastated by Li Ya’s death. Chi Cheng finally drops his ego to stand by a broken Wei Wei, unable to watch him grieve alone.

Zi Yu portrays Wei Wei as a lost child, utterly shattered by his mother’s death, bawling his big eyes out like a little boy – a performance that tugs hard at the viewer’s heartstrings. Tian Xu Ning as Chi Cheng is dashing as Wei Wei’s knight in shining armor, there to pick him up, hold him, hug him, and drive all his insecurities away. Unfortunately, ‘Revenged Love’ no longer capitalizes on their chemistry the way the earlier episodes did, it’s the actors carrying the show at this point. Because, despite the promising plot points at this juncture, these two episodes lack the tension they should have had.

Since Chi Cheng and Wei Wei resolve their problems by early half of episode 20, they return to scheming, this time together, to help Guo Cheng Yu get laid. The lead pair plans to deceive Dr. Xiao Shuai, however, their meddling into the secondary couple’s relationship is more awful than chuckle-worthy. Their manipulative tricks aimed at the unsuspecting Xiao Shuai could have been hilarious, but given the doctor’s past baggage, some of their tactics felt unnecessarily cruel and in poor taste. Luckily for them, the soft-hearted Xiao Shuai forgives them rather quickly.

Titled ‘Father-in-Law’, episode 21 of ‘Revenged Love’ sees Wei Wei land in hot water with Chi Cheng’s mercurial father, Chi Yuan Duan (Cheng Shi Yu). Remember when the man stole all of Chi Cheng’s beloved pet snakes, sending the playboy brat into a frenzy? This time, Dad ups the ante by stealing his son’s boyfriend! Yep, Chi Yuan Duan has Wei Wei kidnapped by his henchmen, once again pushing Chi Cheng to the brink.

But before all the ‘Father-in-Law’ drama begins, the episode sees both couples go on a fun camping trip and share some light moments of romance. It’s kinda cute and brings back the comedic tone that made the half of ‘Revenged Love’ such an entertaining watch. In-fact, even the kidnapping part of the chapter is mostly light in tone, packing in some comedic little twists.

Well, overall, these three episode were all right, wavering in pace, mood, but the lead actors continue to keep viewers engaged with their onscreen charm.

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

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Inked Review: When Grief Gets Under Your Skin, Literally

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

Everybody has their own way of coping with grief and honoring the dead, so in ‘Inked’, Dylan decides to get a tattoo with her dad’s ashes mixed in the ink. The experience takes a terrifying turn when something sinister awakens in her skin right after she gets inked!

Written and directed by Kelsey Bollig, the short horror film stars Kaikane as Dylan, a young woman mourning her father, who died in prison.

At under 15 minutes, ‘Inked’ opens with a chilling news broadcast about a serial killer before cutting to Dylan, and of course, you can’t help but wonder if the killer was her father. The clues, however, suggest otherwise.

Soon, we see Dylan downing swigs of alcohol while her tattooist friend Bruno (Chris Cortez) fulfills her unusual request: blending the ink with ashes. Bathed in eerie red-toned lighting, her home radiates a creeping unease even before the paranormal activity begins.

Eerie shadows, ghostly entities, body horror, creepy crawlies… director Kelsey Bollig packs a variety of horror elements into this short film, engagingly shouldered by the stunning Kaikane as the tormented Dylan.

‘Inked’ might not spine-chilling horrifying or disturbingly scary, but delivers some disturbing moments, with an interesting climactic twist. Haunted by her own body, under her own roof, Dylan begins to understand what goes wrong, but a little too late!

If you are a horror fan with 15 minutes to spare, check this indie film out on your next break

‘Inked’ is available on Alter’s YouTube. It’s also embedded below.

The Bad Guys Review: Over-the-Top and Super Fun!

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

Damn, my throat practically went hoarse from laughing out loud while watching ‘The Bad Guys’, what a hoot this film is! I really have nothing negative to say about it, except that the animation could’ve been a little better, but that’s about it.

Directed by Pierre Perifel (he has worked on the ‘Kung Fu Panda’ movies), the story centers on a crew of notorious criminals who choose to reform, or at least fake it, to avoid prison time. The titular “Bad Guys” include the cunning Wolf (voiced by Sam Rockwell), grumpy loner Snake (Marc Maron), goofy troublemaker Piranha (Anthony Ramos), master of disguise Shark (Craig Robinson), and tech-savvy hacker Tarantula (Awkwafina).

This film is pure, exaggerated fun, packed with quirky characters voiced to perfection. It kicks off with the crew robbing a bank in broad daylight, followed by a wild chase with an army of cops, during which most of the stolen cash ends up flying into the air. The whole thing feels less like a serious heist and more like a thrill-seeking joyride. The ‘Bad Guys’ crew is all about having a laugh, and their friendship is adorable.

The new mayor in town, a fox named Diane Foxington (Zazie Beetz), downplays their infamy in a TV interview, bruising Wolf’s ego. Determined to prove her wrong, he hatches a plan to pull off a heist no one has ever succeeded at. But when “The Bad Guys” fail and face serious jail time, they launch a sham transformation into “good guys” to save themselves. But what if these villains find out that being heroes is its own kind of thrill? Wolf might be game to change for real, but best friend Snake isn’t buying it.

The animation is colorful and cutesy, though not as glossy or detailed as animation enthusiasts might hope, but for a kids’ film, it’s more than engaging enough. Add to that, the background music is great! I especially enjoyed the over-the-top, nonsensical moments, like the snake regurgitating a clock to check the time or a character whipping out a bike from their pocket to join a chase. They make absolutely no sense, but they’re hilarious. That’s how whimsically fun animated films for kids should be.

Besides, ‘The Bad Guys’ does pack a message: that being a criminal might be fun, but helping people out and being the ‘good guy’ feels better!

Rating: 9 on 10!

‘The Bad Guys’ is on JioHotstar/Zee5 or rent it on Prime.

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Dan Da Dan Season 2 Episode 6 Review: A Bangin’ Excorcism!

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

Ahahahaha…. ‘Dan Da Dan’ continues to surprise fans in the wackiest ways. when granny Seiko said they needed something called the ‘Hayashi’ performers for the excorcism of Jiji, I thought she meant some traditional musicians dabbling in the supernatural arts. But instead, we’re served a headbanging rock-show exorcism!

Quick recap of ‘Dan Da Dan’ Episode 5: After failing to exorcise Jiji by herself, Seiko starts looking at other alternatives. Meanwhile, they realize that throwing warm water on Jiji subdues the ‘Evil Eye’ Yokai, but if he comes in contact with cold water, he quickly changes into the menacingly muscle-y destructive demon. So Seiko instructs all the teens to always carry a hot thermos with them, as a precautionary measure. Unfortunately the episode ends with Jiji turning into the Yokai, going berserk and destroying Seiko’s house!

Titled ‘We Became A Family’, episode 6 of ‘Dan Da Dan‘ sees the Hayashi musicians arrive at Seiko’s house for the exorcism performance aimed at driving the ‘Evil Eye’ out of Jiji. While Granny Seiko leads the intense ritual; Momo, Okarun, and Aira hilariously watch and cheer the Hayashi performers, who electrify the scene with their “kick the devil out” music. The performance is hilariously entertaining! But Jiji makes a surprising request that complicates everything.

Both the animation style and music are in top form in this edition of ‘Dan Da Dan’. The character designs of the ‘Hayashi’ is amusing to say the least. They looks like a slightly tame Japanese version of ‘Kiss’, you know, the American Rock band.

The creators offer a mix of both worlds: while the first half tackles the exorcism tension, the second half shifts gear to focus on some school fun. Momo decides to get a part-time job to help rebuild the house, while everybody else also sticks around to help out with the ‘Evil Eye’ mess: hence the title ‘We Became A Family’.

The ridiculous sparring between Momo and Aira, set against the heartwarming friendship developing between Okarun and Jiji, are easily some of Dan Da Dan’s strongest threads right now. The last few minutes may have been pure filler, but I loved every second of it.

Stream Dan Da Dan on Netflix or Crunchyroll.

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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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