Sneha Jaiswal's Blog, page 56

Too Cool to Be Forgotten – Graphic Novel Review

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

When I first saw the cover of “Too Cool to Be Forgotten” by Alex Robinson, it didn’t look very exciting. But since Alex also created the pretty entertaining “Box Office Poison”, I decided to give it a shot. Only after reading the plot did I realize that the cover is supposed to look like a cigarette pack! A cool decision, since the story is about a man trying to quit smoking.

“Too Cool to Be Forgotten” opens with a scene of protagonist Andy Wicks, a father of two in his forties, smoking a cigarette outside a center where Dr. Alcola, a specialist, is supposed to help him kick his nicotine habit. Dr. Alcola attempts to hypnotize Andy, who is convinced it’s all mumbo-jumbo, however, he suddenly finds himself transported to the past – it’s 1985, and he’s back in high school, just days before trying his first cigarette. The experience feels disturbingly real, leaving him uncertain whether it’s part of the hypnosis to help him quit smoking or if he’ll be forced to relive life as an awkward teen all over again.

The best thing about “Too Cool to Be Forgotten” is Alex Robinson’s black-and-white artwork; it’s vivid, expressive, and very retro-cool. Some character designs look familiar to those who appeared in “Box Office Poison,” but it doesn’t matter much. Just like in his other works, I like the fact that it’s easy to recognize and differentiate the characters throughout the tale, especially since there are plenty of new teens in the high-school time-travel part of the story.

Alex Robinson doesn’t fully exploit the potential of the ’40-something dude back to being a teen’ trope. The story could have been hilarious, chaotic, or even traumatic, but it ends up as a tepid tale that manages to keep viewers engaged primarily due to the time-travel suspense. You obviously want to know what really happens to Andy: Is he stuck in the past forever? Is he simply having an elaborate dream? And the biggest question of all – will he really be able to quit smoking?

There are some interesting emotional scenes in the story, and Alex Robinson deftly displays how being young again isn’t all that exciting. Andy is mortified to be back in high-school, and has a hard time enduring boring classes. However, he is able to see his parents and siblings in a new light, and gains new appreciation for his future self. Unlike the title though, Andy isn’t all that cool, and can be a pretty annoying protagonist. Overall, this a decent one-time read, with a not so convincing ending.

Rating: 3 on 5. “Too Cool to Be Forgotten” is on Kindle Unlimited.

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Sakamoto Days Episode 1 Review

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Taro Sakamoto is the ultimate hitman, a mash of Jackie Chan, John Wick, and Rajinikanth (and Tom Cruise if you’re a Mission Impossible fan). Mr. Sakamoto can take down a building full of armed assassins with the ease of stealing candy from a baby. But after falling in love and leaving behind his violent past to run a quiet convenience store with his wife, his old bosses and former enemies are out for his blood.

Based on the Japanese manga series by Yuto Suzuki, the 2025 anime adaptation of Sakamoto Days is directed by Masaki Watanabe and produced by TMS Entertainment, the studio behind popular titles like Anpanman, Detective Conan, and Fruits Basket. Titled “The Legendary Hit Man,” episode one begins with an intense sequence of a younger Sakamoto effortlessly killing a horde of hitmen.

The first episode of Sakamoto Days quickly establishes the legend of Taro Sakamoto, even though the violence sequence wasn’t as dynamic as it could’ve been, the scene switches to hilariously introducing the present Sakamoto as a content, fat, convenience store owner, who looks like a retired grandpa living his best life. But a former colleague comes looking for him, and not with good intent!

The animation is pretty engaging, even though some secondary character movements were on the plainer side. Going just by the first episode days “Sakamoto Days” seems to be a mildly fun anime, with a few laughs here & there, but not so gritty fights. But the premise is definitely fun – a vicious retired hitman, who is now a fat, sweet-natured convenience store owner, must protect his family-man life from his brutal past.

Here’s hoping the next few episodes pick up pac

Watch the series on Netflix.

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Our Youth-Miseinen: Mijukuna Oretachi wa Bukiyo ni Shinkochu Review

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

“There are three types of people in the world, the perpetrators, the victims, and the bystanders. Each lives in their own sea, separately. And the waters will never mix.”

Minase Jin is a serious, intelligent high school student, almost always nose-deep in books, sticking to his small clique of three nerds and considering himself a bystander in the world. Nothing exciting happens in his life – there’s no romance, no drama, just a steady thrum of books, grades, homework, exams, and the occasional hangout with friends to discuss cram school and future academic goals. And then there’s Hirukawa Haruki, the class delinquent – rarely at school, often covered in bruises, assumed to be from street fights. The boys live in the same area, and even though Minase does his best to stay away from troublemakers like Hirukawa, their paths collide, and an unlikely deep bond grows between the two.

Directed by Shibata Keisuke and Makino Masaruthe, the Japanese drama Miseinen: Mijukuna Oretachi wa Bukiyo ni Shinkochu has been adapted from the Korean webtoon Our Youth (미성년) by Hi Noon. Spanning eleven episodes, the show stars Motojima Junsei as the highbrowed Minase, while Kamimura Kenshin plays problem-child Hirukawa. Seemingly from very different worlds, can their waters truly meet at the same shore to find lasting happiness?

The perceptive Minase often regards Hirukawa with disdain, largely indifferent to his presence. However, an unexpected incident reveals that Hirukawa is not the feared school rogue or troublemaker but rather a victim of a broken home, deserving pity rather than judgment. Initially, Minase helps Hirukawa out of a sense of pity – much like a child aiding a stray. As the series unfolds, it delicately charts the evolution of Minase’s feelings for Hirukawa. What begins as fear and indifference shifts to pity and empathy, only to leave Minase increasingly unsettled by Hirukawa’s bold advances, irresistible charm, and unapologetically direct seductions. Even as they grow closer, both acknowledge the need to keep an an arm’s length from each other at school.

‘Our Youth’ (Miseinen: Mijukuna Oretachi wa Bukiyo ni Shinkochu) poignantly captures the confusing exhilaration of first love with the bitter realities of growing up in broken homes. While Hirukawa’s parents are divorced, his father a raging, abusive alcoholic, Minase’s parents are never around, so he practically lives alone most of the time. Both Motojima Junsei and Kamimura Kenshin deliver standout performances as leads Minase and Hirukawa respectively. Motojima Junsei especially stands out in the first half of the show, gradually transforming from the class Ice King with no time for emotional entanglements, let alone romance, to becoming vulnerable, distracted, and helplessly in love. Kamimura Kenshin is consistently engaging as Hirukawa, deceptively portraying the ‘bad boy’ look at first, and then unraveling as a sensitive soul with an artistic heart. The onscreen chemistry is close to crackling, and the ‘serious nerd falls for slacker’ makes their dynamic more electric.

I wasn’t expecting the time jump in the second half of the series, which shifts focus to the protagonists’ lives through college and as working adults. A bit more screen time for the adult versions of Hirukawa and Minase would have been welcome. The creators could’ve considered tweaking the mood of the series along with the timeline shift too. While the leads as teens go through a turbulent and grim time in high school, they live pretty relaxed, albeit hectic, lives as university students, but viewers aren’t allowed to savor the more stable phase of their relationship.

Surprisingly, although Motojima Junsei seemed like the stronger performer of the two, he isn’t as convincing as an older working man, retaining a youthful, innocent vulnerability even in the latter half. Thankfully, this doesn’t feel too discordant, as his character evolves into someone slightly insecure and a bit petulant. Kamimura Kenshin continues to be charming and casually confident as adult Hirukawa. ‘Our Youth’ (Miseinen: Mijukuna Oretachi wa Bukiyo ni Shinkochu) flits between the perspectives of both protagonists, even though Minase tends to be the dominant narrator of the tale.

Overall, this is a well-executed, understated, angsty teen romance, which keeps a razor-sharp focus on its lead pair, rarely distracting viewers from the primary story. Blending poetic reflections with delicate oceanic imagery, Our Youth dives deep into the turbulence and tenderness of teenage love.

Rating: 8.5 on 10. Watch the series on TVer.

Umjolo: My Beginnings, My End! – Review

Rating: 1 out of 5.

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Nirvana Nokwe-Mseleku, as lead protagonist Mayi, is the only thing worth watching in the 2025 romantic comedy Umjolo: My Beginnings, My End!, largely because she is quite a stunner. The story, on the other hand, isn’t romantic and doesn’t have a single comedic moment that will make viewers laugh out loud. It’s worsened by the fact that there’s close to zero chemistry between the lead couple.

Plot overview: Third-wheeling on her own birthday despite having a wealthy fiancé, a lonely Mayi (Nirvana Nokwe-Mseleku) finds herself attracted to saxophonist Zwelethu (Yonda Thomas). The two start to see each other, but Mayi’s mom and best friend warn her against leaving her rich fiancé, Sizwe, who rarely has time for her. Will Mayi choose wealth and stability, or take a chance with the passionate but broke saxophonist?

I mean, c’mon, we all know who is going to get the girl if the rich, busy guy is pitted against the poor musician in a romantic comedy. So Umjolo: My Beginnings, My End! is extremely predictable, and except for shedding light on some archaic practices still in place in South Africa for foreign viewers, there’s nothing fresh about the script. Pretty much everything is forgettable about this film, and the only silver lining is that its runtime is less than 90 minutes.

Rating: 1 on 5.

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Happyish Book Review – Work, Stress, Travel, Repeat

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

Happyish by Jeanette Escudero starts off with Alex Martinez, the protagonist, in a joyful mood, ready to celebrate her first divorce anniversary with her best friends. But before she can party, she bombs an office presentation, learns she might have a brain tumor, and maybe even lose her job. With both her personal and professional life in jeopardy, Alex goes on an impromptu trip to process everything and reflect on all that’s going wrong in her life.

Alex, the lead protagonist, can often be hard to like, as her dominant trait is overthinking everything and acting like the world revolves around her, even though she is a total people-pleaser. Alex proclaims herself to be the “bra-burning” kind of feminist but is whiny about men in general for no real personal reason. Author Jeanette Escudero often addresses gender discrimination in the book through Alex’s opinions, although, ironically, practically nothing detrimental happens to Alex in the story due to sexist men or gender divides. In one annoying scene, Alex and her friends burn a note from Alex’s ex-husband at a bar, practically setting the table on fire and inviting the manager’s wrath. When Alex tells him he wouldn’t have called a man “crazy,” he snaps back with something along the lines of, “If a man set a table on fire, I would call him crazy too,” to which Alex has no response.

Despite not being very likable, Alex does have moments where she is relatable, especially in not wanting to burden anybody else with her problems or needing some “alone time” to process life-changing developments. She has a fun relationship with her best friends, who always try to have her back. And Alex’s overbearing moms are quite sweet.

Happyish is most fun in the second half, when Alex flies off to Arizona on a whim, embarks on a multi-day trek along the Grand Canyon, and meets some interesting new people. A potential movie-like romance blooms between her and a hunky man, which, despite its clichés, is entertaining to read. She then takes off to Costa Rica, meets two hilarious girl cousins who are travel influencers, and has a riotous time.

Overall, Happyish is an easy read, even though many descriptions are repetitive; tighter editing could have made it sharper. Despite its flaws, the novel is a decent one-time read with a timeless message: love yourself. For someone who had never taken vacations, Alex finally realizes that taking time off can be transformative and that prioritizing her own happiness isn’t selfish but necessary.

Rating: 3 on 5. Happyish is also on Kindle Unlimited.

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Yo Yo Honey Singh: Famous – Scattered Look At Rapper’s Life

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In 2014, we went to pick up a cousin from his boarding school, and he was bursting with excitement to talk about his favorite singer and rapper – Yo Yo Honey Singh.

“Didi, he’s the only Indian rapper who has won a Grammy award!”. He then argued defiantly when I said he had his facts wrong. I remember it was 2014 because none of us had smartphones yet. We had to wait until we got home to look up the internet and fact-check. My excited, teenage cousin was disappointed to learn his rap god hadn’t actually won a Grammy. But that’s a testament to how Honey Singh’s young fans put him on a high pedestal, creating their own legends around the singer.

The 2024 Netflix documentary Yo Yo Honey Singh: Famous charts the rise, fall, and comeback of the music star, with Singh granting cameras access to his home, memories, and family. It features numerous clips from packed concerts, familiar hit songs, home videos, and exclusive glimpses into Honey Singh’s Noida studio, home, and upcoming projects.

The documentary is primarily narrated through interviews with Honey Singh and his sister, Sneha Singh, interspersed with the voices of other interviewees, including Singh’s parents, friends, contemporaries, music producers, and a music journalist. With an 80-minute runtime, it best captures the story of how excessive fame, overwork, and drinking took a toll on Singh’s mental and physical health, forcing him to take a break from the music scene. Singh recalls doing back-to-back shows without breaks, which led to severe anxiety and paranoia.

At its best, Yo Yo Honey Singh: Famous feels like a polished PR exercise. However, it tries to tackle too many subjects, leaving some woefully underexplored. For instance, it briefly addresses the controversies surrounding Singh’s music- accusations of misogyny, regressive lyrics, and sexism – but doesn’t dive deep. It also touches on his divorce from childhood sweetheart Shalini Talwar, who accused him of domestic abuse. “We signed an MOU, so I cannot talk about it,” Singh says in the documentary. Why bring up an issue if you’re not going to provide any insight?

Regarding criticism of his lyrics, Singh defends himself by saying he only serves what his fans want. “Is he an artist or a supplier?” the music journalist in the documentary sarcastically wonders. Perhaps he’s a bit of both.

This documentary will likely resonate most with fans of the rapper, who, despite the setbacks in his career, remains confident about topping charts and breaking records. A Grammy award? Singh doesn’t mention aiming for awards or accolades, but in the climactic moments of Yo Yo Honey Singh: Famous, he talks about a potential collaboration with Dr. Dre – a seven-time Grammy winner.

You can watch Yo Yo Honey Singh: Famous on Netflix.

Kabul Disco 2: Graphic Novel Review

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

French artist Nicolas Wild randomly applies for a job in Kabul when he is unable to pay his bills in Paris and ends up illustrating comics aimed at explaining democracy and the constitution to Afghanistan’s children. That was the focus of his first graphic novel memoir, Kabul Disco. In its sequel, titled Kabul Disco 2 (obviously), Nicolas Wild returns to Kabul with his team to work on a more ambitious project – educating Afghan adults about the dangers of opium consumption and production.

Based on Nicolas Wild’s real-life experiences, the artist makes Kabul Disco 2 an enjoyable and engaging read. The only reason this isn’t a 5-star read for me is that I’m still not the biggest fan of Wild’s simple doodle-style artwork. Compared to some of the more vibrantly illustrated graphic novels out there, the panels in Kabul Disco 2 feel like second drafts.

The sequel begins with a quick recap of Book 1, hilariously captioned as the “incomprehensible summary of Book 1,” followed by Wild’s return to Kabul and his job at the media company Zendagui. He and his team are tasked with a new communications campaign for the American embassy’s war against opium. Supposedly “super secret,” Wild humorously promises to keep the details confidential – and then proceeds to offer readers a front-row look at how the campaign was developed.

From hunting opium fields and partying with rival companies to escaping violent riots against expats, Nicolas Wild recounts an exciting stint in Kabul. Despite the dangers, he portrays the expat experience as cuttingly disconnected from the ground realities of local life. Wild wittily juxtaposes Kabul’s grim transformation with the insulated bubble that expats like him inhabit. One of the most memorable scenes for me in the graphic novel is when Wild and his colleagues are evacuated to an army camp for safety. While the streets of Kabul burn, the expats play cards, drink wine, and essentially enjoy an extended picnic at the camp. The ‘white-privilege’ stands out, but then again, what’s the point of being scared, and miserable, when you can drink and party?

If you’re curious about what life was like for expats in Afghanistan after the Taliban’s fall in the early 2000s, Kabul Disco is a highly entertaining read.

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Kinda Pregnant Trailer: Amy Schuler Film Looks Kinda Funny

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Pregnancy comes with its fair share of complications, emotions, and struggles – but also a few perks. People tend to be extra nice, give up their seat on public transport, or let you have the last cookie. Amy Schumer’s 2025 Netflix comedy Kinda Pregnant explores what happens when a woman straps on a fake belly and pretends to be pregnant – maybe for the perks, or perhaps to avoid feeling left out as her friends all seem to be expecting babies at the same time.

Directed by Tyler Spindel and written by Amy Schumer and Julie Paiva, the trailer for Kinda Pregnant opens with a shopkeeper complimenting Lainy Newton (Amy Schumer) and handing her a free apple, saying, “Looking good, Mommy.” Lainy revels in the compliments about her glow and energy, but how long can she keep up the act?

The comedy also stars Jillian Bell, Brianne Howey, Lizze Broadway, and Urzila Carlson as Lainy’s friends – most of whom are genuinely pregnant. Only one of them knows she’s lying. From attending prenatal classes and yoga sessions to even going on dates, Lainy fully commits to her fake pregnancy, but the lies soon begin to catch up with her.

Based on the trailer, Kinda Pregnant doesn’t appear to be riotously funny, but it does pack a few laughs. If the creators haven’t crammed all the best bits into the trailer, it might make for a fun weekend watch with friends.

Kinda Pregnant premieres on Netflix on February 5th. You can check out the trailer on YouTube, or watch it embedded below.

Sorgavaasal Review: A Riot of Missed Opportunities

Rating: 1.5 out of 5.

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

Parthi is a regular lower-middle class working man running a food stall with his mother, while they aspire to open a small hotel in the market. However, he is falsely arrested for murdering an IAS officer, and finds himself deeper in trouble when he becomes involved in a deadly prison riot that leads to the death of over 40 men.

Directed by Sidharth Vishwanath, the 2024 Tamil prison drama ‘Sorgavaasal’ stars RJ Balaji as protagonist Parthi, while Natty Subramaniam plays Retired Justice Ismail, who leads the inquiry commission into the prison riots. Kattabomman (Karunas), a prison officer gives the first testimony, recalling the events that led to the violence, beginning the tale with the reign of Sigamanni AKA Siga (Selvaraghavan), a powerful gang leader who held power within the prison walls despite being a prisoner. How Parthi’s fate is entwined with Siga’s activities, and who really triggers the prison riot, forms the crux of the tale.

For the first fifteen-twenty minutes of ‘Sorgavaasal’, it’s hard to establish who the hero or the primary protagonist of the movie is, because nobody in the cast has the star power or screen presence to hold viewer’s attention. Selvaraghavan as Siga, the big bad wolf of the prison, only looks the part of a ghastly villain, however, his acting prowess is limited to a two-toned expression. Sharaf U Dheen as SP Sunil Kumar, who transfers to the Chennai Jail from Tihar, is one of the few people in the cast who deliver their parts with conviction.

Except for the ‘poor man trapped in a false case’, the film follows the usual beaten path of prison dramas, dwelling into theatrical representation of two criminal gangs running the shits in the prison. Parthi is accused of being Siga’s henchman, so he tries to clear his name in the murder case, but only finds himself sinking further into the crime cesspool during his imprisonment. RJ Balaji’s performance as Parthi, whose character transforms from a helpless bystander to a frustrated, shrewd prisoner, is adequate in terms of acting, but doesn’t elevate the role to an emotional sucker punch. The lack of punch in Parthi’s character is also due to the weak script, it teeters awkwardly between realistic and theatrics – it’s not realistic enough to be poignant, neither over-the-top enough to woo action fans who’d whistle as films like Rajinikant’s “Jailer” or Shah Rukh Khan’s “Jawan”.

Four of us started watching the movie, only two of us survived until the end, and that’s all you really need to know about how entertaining this is.

Rating: 1.5 on 5. Watch ‘Sorgavaasal’ on Netflix.

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Dream Productions Season 1 Review

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

If you’ve seen the popular animated movie Inside Out, you know it imagines emotions as tiny beings living in the human brain and controlling our actions. The protagonist is Riley, a fun, sporty little girl who has trouble adjusting to her new home and school but soon finds her feet.

The animated mini-series Dream Productions acts as a bridge between the first film and Inside Out 2, focusing on Riley’s dreams and the beings inside her head that direct them – hence the title, Dream Productions. Riley’s head is home to a bustling crew of directors and elaborate teams working to create all kinds of dreams, from spooky nightmares to glitter-filled fantasies with unicorns.

Spanning just four episodes, the mini-series kicks off with a funny little dream about toddler Riley saying goodbye to her pacifier. It’s a “hit” dream by Paula (voiced by Paula Pell), a chatty, self-centered, not-too-imaginative director who relies heavily on her assistant Janelle (Ally Maki). But Riley is no longer a toddler, and Paula’s Dream Productions are getting repetitive and outdated for an ever-growing Riley who is hurtling toward teenage-dom. When Janelle is promoted to director, Paula must come up with a new big-hit dream if she wants to stay relevant.

For viewers hoping to see more of Riley, Dream Productions doesn’t have much to offer. The focus is largely on new dream realm characters – chiefly Paula, Janelle, and an artsy aspiring director named Xeni (Richard Ayoade), Paula’s new assistant. Most of the comedic moments in the series stem from Paula’s creative clashes with Xeni. While Paula is old-school and traditional, Xeni is avant-garde and experimental.

Dream Productions offers an interesting perspective on how dreams can influence a person’s mood – or, in rare cases, even help them make behavioral decisions. Paula and the other directors function as facets of Riley’s conscience, projecting dreams they believe will help her sleep better. With Riley going through puberty, one of the primary themes of the series is the challenge of navigating change. For instance, Riley is unsure about what to wear to a school dance and who to ask as her date.

As with Inside Out, the animation in the series is colorful and cute, but the new character designs are underwhelming. Paula and some of the other characters resemble blobs of colored clay. Janelle, depicted as a young, hard-working, and imaginative creator, looks like a blue M&M candy with bad purple hair.

While the series has its fun bits, its uninspired visual design and limited focus on Riley leave it feeling more like an interlude than an essential addition to the Inside Out universe. Overall, this mini-series a fun one-time-watch for fans of the movies.