Sneha Jaiswal's Blog, page 54

Carry-On Movie Review: Dangerous Baggage and an Overpacked Runtime

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

Ethan Kopek, an unambitious TSA agent, decides to turn his life around after learning his girlfriend is pregnant. However, on his very first day assigned to carry-on baggage scanning, a mysterious traveler blackmails him into allowing a dangerous bag to pass through undetected.

Created by Jaume Collet-Serra (director) and T.J. Fixman (writer), the 2024 thriller Carry-On stars Taron Egerton as protagonist Ethan Kopek, with Jason Bateman portraying an unnamed traveler who forces Ethan into committing a deadly security breach. Theo Rossi plays the traveler’s accomplice, with eyes on Ethan’s girlfriend Nora (Sofia Carson), their leverage against the TSA agent.

Set in Los Angeles Airport on Christmas Eve, Carry-On begins with a prologue scene where the traveler murders a Russian goon and sets fire to a massive greenhouse. Ethan Kopek and girlfriend Nora are then introduced as a young couple excited to have a baby. While Nora works in operations, Ethan is a tardy, low-level security officer with zero promotions in three years, so he practically begs his bosses to give him more responsibility to prove himself. The timing couldn’t be worse. At his new role at the baggage screening desk, someone hands him an earpiece, claiming it’s not theirs. Just as Ethan heads to put the earpiece in the ‘lost and found’ section, he receives ominous texts instructing him to put it on… and thus, the thriller begins.

Almost two hours long, Carry-On has a bloated runtime packed with several conversation-heavy exchanges between Ethan and the mysterious traveler who threatens him. In a thriller like this, you want to see more action and less verbiage. The creators should’ve trimmed some of the interactions between Ethan and the traveler, which come across as merely annoying attempts by a terrorist to familiarize himself with his target.

A minor subplot follows Danielle Deadwyler as police detective Elena Cole, who investigates the murder shown at the beginning of the film. How Elena Cole connects the dots between the murder and a possible security breach at Los Angeles Airport is quite intriguing. The writers manage to maintain tight suspense until the climactic moments of Carry-On regarding the real target and motive of the mysterious traveler.

Taron Egerton is all right as the observant TSA agent Ethan Kopek, who originally wanted to become a cop but couldn’t pass the test. Ethan does all he can to outwit the traveler and prevent him from carrying out his nefarious plan with the suspicious carry-on bag, so the movie largely remains an interesting race against time and resources. However, some ill-timed romantic moments between Ethan and Nora disrupt the film’s tense mood more than once. Sofia Carson was completely miscast in her role, she is wooden and feels more like a wealthy model ready to board her business class flight than a regular airport employee.

Overall, Carry-On is a decent enough one-time watch, with a very ’90s vibe. It’s larger than life, with some scenes and coincidences making little sense, but you’ll want to stick around until the end to see how things conclude.

Rating: 3 on 5. Watch Carry-On on Netflix.

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One Hundred Years of Solitude Series Review: Of Mothers, Memories, Monsters

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

Madly in love, cousins Jose Arcadio Buendía and Úrsula Iguarín get married against their parents wishes, who strongly fear their union would lead to the birth of iguanas or monsters. Well, that’s one way to spook people against inbreeding…! Scorned by his family, and mocked by some others, Arcadio decides to leave his village, and find a new place to settle by the sea. A large group of friends follow the newly wed couple, and after weeks of walking, camping, and living like nomads, they finally give up hopes of finding the sea, and settle for founding a village by the river. Arcadio names it Macondo, and thus begins an multi-generational saga of the Buendía family, their trials, triumphs, and tragedies.

Based on Gabriel García Márquez’s famous 1967 novel of the same name, Netflix series “One Hundred Years of Solitude” spans eight episodes, and is a slowburn show that flits between being an engaging cinematic treat and a mildly boring family drama. Marco González plays the young José Arcadio Buendía in the first few episodes, a passionate, ambitious young man, who is more of a dreamer than doer, much to the chagrin of his fierce wife Ursula (Susana Morales Cañas). For several years, Macondo is located in a maze-like swamp area, largely cut off from the world, except for an annual visit by a troupe of gypsies, thus the title – One Hundred Years of Solitude, more metaphorical, than literal.

Leisurely paced, the eight-episode series is a visually engaging offering that captures a forgotten slice of Colombia, a time when people lived in tightly knit communities and shared their food, beliefs, and superstitions. However, some of the set pieces depicting the idyllic town of Macondo appear overly neat and organized, as if it were a miniature diorama created by university students. Spanning several decades, the story remains rooted in Macondo, charting its transformation from a small community of mud houses to a bustling town adorned with beautiful Spanish villas.

While José Arcadio Buendía initially appears to be the primary protagonist, it is his wife, Úrsula, who emerges as the true matriarch of the family. She holds the family together, establishes a thriving candy business, and provides stability, all while her husband becomes consumed by his obsession with scientific knick-knacks, isolating himself in his private laboratory until he ultimately loses his sanity. In-fact, most Buendía men are lost to different obsessions, mostly women, usually cousins, sisters or someone equally ‘forbidden’. Ursula’s daughters too find themselves entangled in a bitter love-triangle, ironically complicated by the arrival of Christianity in Macondo. And even though religion isn’t a dominant theme, the subtle infiltration of Christianity in the otherwise secular community serves as an interesting reminder of how easy it is to sway non-believers with the fear of God.

Susana Morales Cañas as the young Ursula wears a perpetually disappointed look on her face through the early episodes, even in scenes where more facial variations would’ve been preferred. Marleyda Soto as the older Ursula is more memorable, and while she too looks angered or disappointed most of the runtime, at least her embittered experiences earn the weather-worn expressions. The only other female character that comes close to Ursula’s tempestuous personality is her adopted daughter Rebeca, who arrives as a wild little child (Nicole Montenegro Sánchez) at the Buendía household, a girl with a weird affliction – she eats mud when upset. Rebeca grows into a young, beautiful, amorous woman, whose impassioned screams shake the entire house, a loud protest against the delay in her marriage to her sweetheart. Loren Sofía plays Amaranta, Ursula’s youngest daughter, who unfortunately falls for the same man as Rebeca and schemes to keep the couple apart.

Ursuala’s middle-child Aureliano Buendía is the most colorful, complex, and problematic character of “One Hundred Years of Solitude” and the actors are aptly cast for the role. While a young Aureliano (Jerónimo Barón) is a shy, quiet, introvert who spends all his time in his father’s lab and under his older brother Arcadio’s shadow, the older Aureliano (Claudio Cataño) becomes a Colonel, leading a band of rebels against a violent political struggle for power in Macondo. Janer Villareal plays Arcadio, Ursula’s illegitimate grandson, born to her eldest son José Arcadio (yes, too many Arcadios in the show!), who is raised in the same house without knowing who his parents are.

In one of the stranger, comedic chapters of Netflix series “One Hundred Years of Solitude”, an odd plague engulfs the small town where the story is set in, one that turns all residents into insomniacs. While the first few nights are like one big town party, slowly, people start to lose their memories, and start labelling most things, ‘wall’, ‘anvil’, or the stove is labelled as “stove: all food must be heated”. But despite rigorous labeling of things, people lose a sense of their self and all their surroundings, leading to madness, rioting, until someone finds a cure. It takes a few seconds for the real significance of this insomnia plague to become apparent, perhaps it is Gabriel García Márquez’s way of displaying the fragility of human memory, the ease with which people can forget their roots and identity. The consequence? Chaos.

Through the experiences of the Buendía family, Macondo transforms into a microcosm of a shifting society. Initially isolated from the outside world, it gradually becomes entangled in the broader political struggles of the nation. Overall, “One Hundred Years of Solitude” is an easy to watch tale of family, love, secrets, desires, heartbreak, and violence. Episode eight, the final chapter, concludes with a gripping cliffhanger, setting the stage for a potential second season. However, for those seeking closure, the episode also brings the story full circle, culminating in Úrsula’s haunting realization that she truly gave birth to a monster.

Rating: 7 on 10. Watch the series on Netflix.

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Shubeik Lubeik Review: Fantastic Blend of Magical Quirks & Realities

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

Set in an alternate world where people can buy and make wishes – the kind of wishes genies/djinns grant in fantasy fiction – Shubeik Lubeik is a truly memorable graphic novel where creator Deena Mohamed wittily blends unpredictable magic and mundane realities. Shubeik Lubeik means ‘Your Wish is My Command’ in Arabic, a phrase made widely popular by Disney’s Aladdin.

Over 500 pages long, Shubeik Lubeik does justice the graphic novel genre, it’s a beautifully illustrated book that doesn’t get over in a blink. Divided into three parts, the book follows how three different protagonists make use of their ‘first class wishes’. The class divide among humans is subtly highlighted through the division of commercial wishes – third class wishes, known as delesseps, are very affordable, sold in cans, but are the trickiest, where the user rarely gets what they want and often ends up getting physically hurt. For instance, if you wish for a house, a third class wish could give a miniature house the size of a brick, that lands on your head and gives you a bruise. If you wish to be beautiful, it might just make a tattoo on your face which says ‘beautiful’. These events do not happen in the book (keeping this review as ‘spoiler-free’ as I can) and are just fun examples.

In-fact, ‘Shubeik Lubeik’ begins with a hilariously dark public service advertisement against ‘Delesseps’, the third class wishes, which are described as ‘dangerous’ and ‘a hazard to your health’ in the ad. A colorful prologue establishes the common thread between the three stories in the graphic novel, which is a small kiosk, where three first class wishes are up for sale. Who ends up using these first class wishes and what happens to them forms the story. The primary chapters are black-and-white, but vividly expressive, breathing life into an alternate chaotic Cairo, where genies are literally sold in a bottle!

The first chapter follows Aziza, a poor woman who works tirelessly to save enough money to buy a first-class wish, only to find herself trapped in a bureaucratic nightmare while trying to register it. Yes, the story is set in a world where wishes are heavily regulated. Conversely, the second story follows Nour, a wealthy college student who buys a first-class wish on a whim and then grapples with a moral dilemma over whether someone privileged like her should use it. Interestingly, the third story focuses on the kiosk owner’s journey – how he came to possess the three ‘first-class wishes’ and his plan to give his last remaining wish to a vibrant old granny who often buys smokes at his kiosk. In fact, the old lady, called ‘hagga’ (an Arabic term of endearment for older women) by the shop owner, has the most fascinating past, filled with feuding villages, dragons, and strife.

“While the Hagga was perhaps the ‘coolest’ character of Shubeik Lubeik, I love how Deena Mohammad illustrates the personal struggles of Nour, a regular, cheery college kid on the surface, but who is completely listless, unhappy, and perhaps even clinically depressed. Nour’s self-awareness of both her problems and privileges can be relatable to many readers. Besides, it’s comically refreshing how practically Nour tries to tackle her state of ‘unhappiness.’ From making mood graphs to seeing a mental health professional, Nour tries a bunch of things before giving in to the temptation of using her first-class wish.

The artwork by Deena Mohamed in ‘Shubeik Lubeik’ is expressive, and I was in love with the comic strips. In-fact, this is one of the rare graphic novels, where the black-and-white art stands out better than the colored panels, because the prologue chapter was in color, and the palette was far too loud and jarring. Instead, the bold monochrome chapters were much more fun to read. The reader won’t miss color in ‘Shubeik Lubeik’ since its twists, turns, and varied characters bring enough flavor to the tale!

The biggest irony in this graphic novel is how despite having access to wishes, how rarely the characters resort to using these special powers. Deena Mohamed brilliantly displays how the world would only be far more chaotic if wish-granting djinns were real and that humans are better off without dragon granting genies. I absolutely loved this graphic novel!

Rating: 5 on 5 stars.

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La Palma Review: Family Vacay Drama Eclipses Volcanic Tension

Rating: 2.5 out of 5.

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

“Ever since 1949, the peaceful and quiet island of La Palma has been a ticking time bomb.”

La Palma is a disaster drama that begins with an intense prologue scene about a group of tourists who die on a boat. The title rolls in with a montage of volcanic eruptions, falling rocks, and violent waves, promising a dark rollercoaster ride of death and destruction. But what the creators deliver is an outdated drama that feels ridiculously contrived, complete with the kind of overly positive ending that even regular family dramas would envy.

The four-episode series follows the family of Frederik (Anders Baasmo) and Jennifer (Ingrid Bolsø Berdal), who arrive from Norway with their kids, Sara (Alma Günther) and Tobias (Bernard Storm Lager), at the beautiful island of La Palma to spend their Christmas vacation, unaware of the impending doom about to engulf the region. While the family is caught up in their holiday highs and lows, Marie Ekdal (Thea Sofie Loch Næss), a young researcher on another part of the island, discovers an alarming crack along a mountain that could signal an imminent volcanic eruption and a devastating tsunami. However, the administration demands 100% proof of disaster before issuing warnings, something the researchers cannot guarantee.

The short length of La Palma initially gave me the impression it would be a fast-paced, crisp, nail-biting show. Instead, it’s often frustratingly slow, weighed down by an unnecessary romantic subplot about teen Sara falling for a vacationer. Aside from some diversity, including a queer teen and a neurodivergent child, the primary family is fairly dull, even though the actors pull off their roles. The creators shouldn’t have focused so much on Sara’s family and should have given more screen time to Marie Ekdal and the other researchers monitoring the volcano. In fact, the only theme that truly stands out in La Palma is the moral and social dilemmas authorities face when dealing with uncertain natural disasters.

What makes La Palma a tolerable one-time watch is the exciting premise of an impending catastrophe and the scenic cinematography, which engagingly captures the island’s charms. The special effects were pretty impressive too, particularly during the volcanic eruption and tsunami sequences. Some drone shots through the episodes are very impressive in the series.

Story-wise, the climactic episode of La Palma turned out to be the most disappointing chapter, packed with far too many “too good to be true” coincidences, some of which practically qualify as miracles. For instance, early in the series, during a mild eruption, nearby campers struggle to breathe due to low oxygen levels. Yet, in the final episode, after a much larger eruption, a pair unable to evacuate decides to get up close to the volcanic activity, and nothing seems to affect them for quite some time, at least not until their part of the mountain completely explodes.

A little more attention to detail and more risks in the script would have made this series far more engaging. Overall, La Palma might prove to be a decent one-time watch for viewers looking for a short series with an easy-to-follow plot.

Rating: 2.5 on 5 stars. Watch ‘La Palma’ on Netflix.

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A Fire Story: Graphic Novel Review

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

‘ON MONDAY, MY HOUSE DISAPPEARED.’

That’s the first, big, bold line of A Fire Story, the graphic novel memoir where artist Brian Fies recollects losing his home to the devastating California wildfires in 2017 and the aftermath.

Brian Fies takes readers to 1 a.m. on October 9, 2017, when he and his wife woke up in their home to the smell of smoke and an ominously glowing sky. As panic set in, the couple quickly grabbed whatever they thought was necessary and rushed to safety, not knowing it would be the last time they would see the home they had planned to spend the rest of their lives in.

A Fire Story largely focuses on Brian’s personal experience of coming to terms with the fire and losing all his belongings. Fortunately, he and his wife had the option to immediately move in with their twin daughters, who hosted them throughout the crisis. Some of the other survivor stories, briefly mentioned in the graphic novel like news features, are even more interesting than Brian’s account. For instance, there’s Dottie Wilson, a senior citizen who lived in a mobile-home park for low-income seniors. Dottie faced a nightmarish ordeal trying to find alternative accommodation after the fire. Ironically, while the mobile-home park wasn’t destroyed, it was deemed unsafe to inhabit, and insurance companies refused to pay because the homes hadn’t been burned down. “It was a catch-22”, in Dottie’s words.

The artwork in A Fire Story is simple, and Brian Fies vividly illustrates his experiences, from the day of the fire to the following weeks as his family struggled to rebuild and restart. However, the color scheme in the graphic novel feels a little jarring and doesn’t fully complement the sombre tone of the story. One of the highlights of the book is the inclusion of real-life photos of the Fies family’s burned house and belongings within the panels, adding authenticity to the narrative. It would’ve been more engaging, though, if Brian had illustrated the other survivors’ stories instead of presenting their accounts in text-heavy sections.

Overall, A Fire Story is an engaging graphic memoir where the author neither embellishes details nor exaggerates his loss for emotional effect. While it’s evident that he comes from a place of privilege, with his primary concerns after the fire being materialistic, such as the loss of heirlooms and memories, it’s a reminder that, for many, their home represents their life and identity. Whether or not readers share Brian’s perspective, the story highlights the profound impact such a loss can have, and that’s something worth reflecting on.

A Fire Story is also on Kindle Unlimited.

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Ron Kamonohashi’s Forbidden Deductions Episode 25 Review

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“This is the first time Ron has shown no interest in a case. But it’s understandable…”

Genius detective Ron Kamonohashi is completely shaken after learning that his father was a member of the House of M (short for Moriarty), a truth that makes him feel unworthy of solving crimes. Equally devastated is his crime-solving partner Totomaru Isshiki, AKA Toto, who cannot believe Ron has lost the spark to crack murder cases as effortlessly as opening a packet of his favorite brown sugar syrup.

Episode 25 of Ron Kamonohashi’s Forbidden Deductions opens with Toto trying to calm the guests at the Auberge after they discover a third murder victim on the premises. Karen Lily, the lockpicker among the group, is extremely suspicious of Ron, adamant that he must be the serial killer—a claim she strongly made in episode 24 as well. Luckily for Ron, he has Toto as a solid alibi, so at least Toto and the viewers can be pretty sure the killings are not his doing. That still leaves four suspects: Karen Lily, the cook, Tiger Dan, and Mia Costa. The episode maintains solid suspense in the first half over who the culprit might be.

The Auberge serial murder case proves to be the most important of Ron’s detective career so far, potentially a big ‘make or break’ moment for him. Those who’ve been following the manga by Akira Amano obviously know where things are headed next, but for anime fans, this is a tense juncture in Ron Kamonohashi’s Forbidden Deductions. Ron, of course, makes some interesting deductions to zero in on the most likely suspect, and quite frankly, the deductions felt a wee bit contrived. However, it’s the emotional impact of the case that stands out best in this episode.

It’s already been established that the House of M is behind the elaborate murder spree. But what is it that they truly want? Do they simply want Ron to stop solving cases to keep their criminal activities free from his deductions, or do they want him to join their side, like his father? The House of M is yet to reveal their cards, and perhaps everything will become much clearer in the next episode.

Stream the series (Kamonohashi Ron no Kindan Suiri) on Netflix or CrunchyRoll.

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Yakuza Fiancé: Raise wa Tanin ga Ii Episode 12 Review

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It’s barely been a day since Yoshino and Kirishima became ‘boyfriend-girlfriend,’ and they are already locked in their first major fight. Sort of!

Episode 11 of Yakuza Fiancé: Raise wa Tanin ga Ii ended with Yoshino intervening between Kirishima and Shoma and asking her new boyfriend to leave her alone with her childhood friend. And who can forget how the chapter ended with Yoshino thinking out loud about how it would be a whole lot easier for her to date Shoma than Tokyo hothead Kirishima? That’s unlikely to happen, from the looks of it, but the ‘love triangle’ tension continues to loom in the horizon.

Titled “When She’s Upset the Rain Falls and the Dark Night Descends,” episode 12 of Yakuza Fiancé: Raise wa Tanin ga Ii is set in Tokyo, with the lead couple back to attending their high school. However, in a little twist, Yoshino ignores Kirishima so badly that he begins to wonder if she has developed a neurological condition where she cannot see some people. L-O-L.

Fun and relaxed in tone, episode 12 explores the changing dynamics between the teens, who are officially a couple now. Yoshino’s cousin Tsubaki is emerging as a confidante for both sides, so just like she belted out some advice to Kirishima about dating, she once again gives a few tips on how to navigate his new situation. The second half of the episode is surprisingly romantic in tone (depending on how you view it) and once again cements how obsessively serious Kirishima is about being in love with Yoshino. Meanwhile, new trouble seems to be brewing in the Yakuza ranks in Osaka, which might mean bad news for the protagonists.

Yakuza Fiancé: Raise wa Tanin ga Ii is available to stream on Crunchyroll.

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Exhuma Review: Shamans, Spirits & a Grave Mistake

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

When a wealthy Korean American’s baby is on the brink of death, the family flies a renowned shamanic duo all the way from Seoul to help them. What follows is a series of terrifying events after the shamans dig up a suspiciously eerie grave in an attempt to end a family curse and save the baby.

Written and directed by Jang Jae-hyun, the Korean horror film Exhuma (Original title: Pamyo) stars Kim Go-eun and Lee Do-hyun as shamans Lee Hwa-rim and Yoon Bong-gil, who team up with experienced geomancers Kim Sang-deok (Choi Min-sik) and Go Yeong-geun (Yoo Hae-jin) to perform an exhumation ritual that goes horribly wrong.

Exhuma begins with a casual scene of Lee Hwa-rim and Yoon Bong-gil flying business class to the U.S. for their latest supernatural case. When the flight attendant speaks to Hwa-rim in Japanese while asking if she would like a refill, the shaman responds in the same language but asserts that she is Korean, not Japanese. This scene subtly establishes Hwa-rim’s pride in her national roots, which becomes a significant theme in the latter half of the movie.

The core suspense of the story, at least in the first half of Exhuma, revolves around the strange location of the grave and the exact identity of the corpse. To make matters worse, the family who hires the shamans is either unwilling to reveal more details about their past or weirdly unaware as to why their ancestor is buried in a strangely remote property with bad feng shui.

The shamanic rituals performed by Kim Go-eun and Lee Do-hyun, along with a host of other people hired for the exhumation ceremony, are among the most visually engaging sequences in the film. These scenes include live music, traditional drumming, ritualistic dancing, and some animal mutilation. For those averse to gore, it’s worth noting that these moments aren’t excessively violent or bloody.

What proves most irksome about Exhuma is that the story keeps building expectations that viewers will receive flashbacks explaining why the spirit is so malevolent it won’t even spare an infant descendant. However, apart from a brief glimpse of old images, the film never provides a solid backstory. While it’s possible to fill in the blanks, it just doesn’t feel very satisfactory. Instead, a new supernatural twist, albeit an intriguing one, pivots the focus of Exhuma towards the climax. Unfortunately, its execution feels a little off, and the special effects are foggily weak. The supernatural antagonist who hounds the protagonists looks like it was inspired from old 1990s horror flicks, so its presence might be unwittingly comical for older horror fans.

Overall, Exhuma delivers few spine-chilling scares, but it remains a well-acted thriller about old ghosts with a few new tricks.

Rating: 3 stars on 5. You can watch Exhuma on Prime Video.

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Dan Da Dan Season One Review – Wildly Fun, Ends With A Criminal Cliffhanger

Rating: 4 out of 5.

It should be a crime to end season one of any show on such a cliffhanger! It almost makes me want to drop my rating for Dan Da Dan. That said, the abrupt climax didn’t erase the memory of its wickedly wild, unhinged, and thoroughly entertaining early episodes. But ugh, those last two episodes—what a drag. Slow and patience-testing (yes, that should definitely be a phrase), with episode 11 standing out as especially random, uneventful, and downright annoying. We really didn’t need a creepy dude running through the streets to meet his lover to trigger Okarun into realizing his true feelings for Momo.

Phew. Sorry, that first para was a bit of a rant and totally assumed that you already know all about the plot and main characters of the 2024 anime series “Dan Da Dan”. So, if you don’t know anything about it, I’ll repeat what I wrote in my “Dan Da Dan: First Encounter Review” – If you’re looking to fill the Jujutsu Kaisen-sized hole in your heart, this show is a great answer – it is a lot sillier, lighter, with a dash of romance and fewer characters, so you don’t scratch your head over who is who. Spanning 12 episodes, season one of Dan Da Dan follows high school student Momo Ayase who rescues a nerdy classmate from bullies, only to start a crazy new friendship which entails fighting monstrous aliens and grotesque ghosts. The genre-bending anime mixes humor, horror, fantasy, and the horrifying embarrassment of teen love.

Momo Ayase is the popular girl at school who might look like a teen delinquent on the outside but is a dreamy romantic at heart. She nicknames her new nerdy friend Okarun because his real name is the same as her longtime celebrity crush (Ken Takakura), a fact she finds way too embarrassing, so she gives him a different name altogether. L-O-L. Ken AKA Okarun, on the other hand, is a shy, introverted boy obsessed with aliens and looks like a Japanese version of Harry Potter.

The first half of the season hilariously contrasts their clashing personalities as they get tangled up with monstrous aliens and a dangerously powerful spirit called Turbo Granny. Okarun ends up cursed by Turbo Granny, gaining the ability to transform into a powerful being who can channel the spirit’s unique abilities. Meanwhile, Momo discovers she has psychokinesis powers of her own that activate when she fights aliens. Momo’s grandmother Seiko helps the teens understand their newfound abilities and trains them into becoming the newest ghost-hunters in town. Sort of. From aliens who want to operate on private parts to deadly spirits with aspirations of motherhood, Dan Da Dan is packed with bizarre antics that will leave you in splits.

The animation style in ‘Dan Da Dan: First Encounter’ is colorful, dynamic, and two-dimensional in nature, and the creators often play with color, depending on the mood of a given scene. For instance, when Momo first encounters creepy aliens, the color palette shifts to become bright, neon, and is trippy in tone, as if you’re watching a cyber-punk show. Or there’s a significant chunk where Momo and Okarun face-off a demonic, sumo-like alien entity, and those scenes are animated in black-and-white shades, adding a lot of theatrical effect to the violence, to convey the hopelessness and bleakness of their situation. Basically, the anime style is fun, and fittingly complemented by a spunky soundtrack, some sections of which are like remixed versions of retro arcade games music.

Two of the major supporting characters introduced in Dan Da Dan season one include the beautiful but vain Aira Shiratori, who initially mistakes Momo for a demon and hilariously tries to exorcise her. Aira makes her debut in episode 5, but her importance becomes clearer in the following episodes. She serves as both a romantic rival and a professional ally to Momo, if you count all the alien and ghost-fighting as a serious side hustle! At the end of episode 10, viewers get to meet Jin Enjoji, Momo’s childhood friend and also her ‘first love’, so Okarun immediately gets jealous of this new character. Jin is a little like Aira on acid, he is extremely energetic, flirtatious, and annoying! I didn’t find his bits funny at all.

In the second half of Dan Da Dan, the romantic love triangles and the characters’ complicated feelings take center stage, making all the teen crushes and confusion pretty fun to watch. However, some of the alien battles and a bizarre new love story between two ghostly mannequins was very lackluster. The show begins to lose its groove in the last mile, even though, on second thoughts, it’s really a case of the plot not being able to match its own initial craziness.

Oh well, even though episode 11 was a drag, episode 12, the season finale, opens on a very promising note. It shows Momo, Okarun, and Jin Enjoji traveling to Jin’s hometown to help him deal with the evil spirits haunting his house. But just when Momo finds herself in a dangerously deadly situation, the show abruptly ends! Instead of wrapping up the chapter and teasing a new problem, the creators leave Dan Da Dan hanging in the middle of a new town mystery.

Anyway, from its quirky characters, creepy aliens, colorful animation, and a fantastic intro song, ‘Dan Da Dan’ is a very entertaining anime if you’re looking for an offbeat teen horror comedy.

You can stream Dan Da Dan on Netflix and CrunchyRoll.

Dokukoi: Doku mo Sugireba Koi to Naru – Love Is A Poison Review

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

Some might find uptight, asocial, nerdy lawyers who chat with their succulents a bit eccentric, maybe even a little offbeat, but for others, that’s the perfect romantic bait. Enter Shiba Ryoma (Hama Shogo), a top-notch lawyer with zero social life, who crosses paths with Haruto (Hyodo Katsumi), a mysteriously charming con artist. What starts as an unconventional partnership on legal cases soon teeters into uncharted territory. Haruto’s motives are shady at best, but Shiba lets him stick around just to see what happens. Spoiler: romance wasn’t on his agenda.

Based on Makino Keisuk’s novel Doku Koi: Doku mo Sugireba Koi to Naru (Love Is A Poison), the 2024 series follows the well-worn trope of ‘opposites attract’, with wealthy, awkward genius Shiba Ryoma falling for rogue hustler Haruto. Over 12 episodes long, the show is a genre cocktail of legal drama and rom-com antics with mixed results.

Hama Shogo’s portrayal of Shiba Ryoma takes some warming up to, his asocial ‘genius’ shtick feels more caricatured than convincing initially. In contrast, Hyodo Katsumi brings immediate charisma to Haruto, blending charm, mischief, and emotional depth. Haruto smoothly transforms from a shady conman to a golden retriever-like partner. He often reminded me of Kusakawa Takuya, who played the titular lead in Minato Shouji Coin Laundry. While the leads’ chemistry is inconsistent, there’s enough romantic tension to keep things engaging.

Shiba Ryoma, for all his lawyerly seriousness, is unintentionally hilarious as he navigates the poison that is love – an emotion that threatens to upend his career and principles. However, the cases they tackle together aren’t very thrilling, often coming off as “constructed” for the screen. The show’s last few episodes are centered on corruption and major revelations, which weren’t consistent with the rest of the tone of Doku Koi: Doku mo Sugireba Koi to Naru (Love Is A Poison).

One can easily spot the budget constraints of the show, with most scenes unfolding in a pub or Shiba’s apartment. Although, some of the court scenes aren’t all that bad. Yet, the real issue lies in the show’s genre juggling. The first half leans into goofy romantic comedy, only to veer into tragic melodrama and heavy backstory territory by the end. Haruto gets a richer character arc, while Shiba’s past remains a mystery, leaving his character feeling half-baked in comparison. His most serious relationship is with the succulents that talk back to him in screechy, cartoonish voices.

Despite the execution hiccups, the show gets some things right. Shiba and Haruto make a compelling team, whether they’re tackling fraud cases or fending off corporate villains, hired goons, and homophobic saboteurs. Their ability to communicate openly and avoiding the typical rom-com misunderstandings, is a breath of fresh air, despite significant suspense over Haruto’s past in the first-half of the show. If only the script had steered clear of some unnecessary tragic twists, this could have been a lot more entertaining.

Final verdict? This Japanese series is a flawed but fun one-time watch.

Rating: 6/10. “Love is a Poison” is on Netflix.

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