Sneha Jaiswal's Blog, page 64

Ruby Gillman: Teenage Kraken Review – Floats the Boat

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Reviewer: Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

Directors: Kirk DeMicco, Faryn Pearl

Writers: Pam Brady, Brian C. Brown, Elliott DiGuiseppi

If I were an 8 to 12-year-old kid, and “Ruby Gillman: Teenage Kraken” was one of the first animated movies I got to watch, it probably would have excited me a lot more. But given all the amazing animated titles already out there, this sea-themed fantasy about ’embracing your true self’ doesn’t make a big splash. The plot is a lot like Disney-Pixar’s “Turning Red”, but Ruby Gillman’s story is not as cute, comedic, or energetic.

The animated film opens with a scene of Ruby practicing a presentation to give to her mom, seeking permission to attend prom with her friends, which will be hosted on a fancy boat. Why all the effort? Well, the Gillmans have one strict rule to follow—no going into the ocean. Ruby, however, really wants to go to prom with her crush, Connor (Jaboukie Young-White). But before the prom can even happen, an accident forces Ruby to dive into the ocean, leading her to discover a shocking truth about herself, including that she belongs to an epic family of royal warrior sea krakens! And no, they aren’t wicked monsters who sink boats and kill humans.

Lana Condor of “To All The Boys…” fame voices protagonist Ruby Gillman, a cute blue teen Kraken, who loves math and lives on land with her family, pretending to be human. When questioned about their odd appearance, they have the simplest explanation – they’re from Canada. Toni Collette (‘Hereditary’/’Knives Out‘) lends her voice to Ruby’s strict mom Agatha, who is also a star real estate agent. Ruby also has a bunch of friends, who unfortunately get minimal screen-time, which is such a shame.

While the plot about a family of legendary Krakens is fresh off the boat, the rest of “Ruby Gillman: Teenage Kraken” is formulaic, and predictable. Both the pace and the dialogues are quite flat, they just work… as in everything about this movie is “all right”, you know, not great, not bad either. The animation lacks the magical charm of fantasy movies (think “Luca”,“Nimona”, “Encanto” or “Maya and the Three”) and some of the characters designs are awfully basic. For instance, there’s a mermaid character, whose design is a lot like the live-action Mystique from the early 2000s, but the mermaid’s colors are worse, and quite the eyesore.

Jane Fonda voices Ruby’s grandmother. Her kraken character design is somewhat unimpressive, resembling a cross between a sliced cucumber and an octopus, but Fonda’s personality as the feisty, powerful matriarch shines through. I laughed when she says “call me grand-mah-mah (with a mild French accent),” to Ruby, when Ruby calls her “grandmother.” But otherwise, the laughs are pretty thin in “Ruby Gillman: Teenage Kraken”.

The soundtrack in “Ruby Gillman: Teenage Kraken” is cute and playful, but at times, the background music didn’t quite align with what was happening on screen. The one track that really stood out was a brief snippet of “Hello” by indie band Calabasas, playing during Connor’s introduction as Ruby’s crush. As Ruby gazes at him with dreamy eyes, the lyrics “I really, really wanna get to know ya” play softly in the background, perfectly capturing her feelings for him.

All that said, the best thing about “Ruby Gillman: Teenage Kraken” is that, although it starts off centered on Ruby’s desire to attend prom with the boy she likes, the romance is only a minor subplot. The story delves into many other aspects of the protagonist’s life, like her legendary royal lineage, her hidden powers, and the complicated mother-daughter bonds that trouble their family tree. While Ruby’s mother hides a lot of things to ‘protect’ her, like most parents in teen dramas, the climax sees a heartwarming reconciliation between everybody. Better character designs, and wittier/dynamic dialogues would’ve made this film so much more memorable.

Rating: 6 on 10. Watch “Ruby Gillman” on Netflix/Zee5 or rent it on Prime Video.

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We Were Tomorrow Episode 1 Review

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In what looks like post-apocalyptic earth, twins Evelyn and Noah journey through a frozen wasteland, looking for something.  

“We’ve been hunted through each of our three lifetimes, as only our blood… can return to earth.”

Created by Madeleine Kennedy, the fantasy series “We Were Tomorrow” opens with a beautiful sequence of snow-covered mountains, before introducing primary protagonist Evelyn (Madeleine Kennedy) and Noah (Chai Hansen), who unlike most humans, have three lifetimes to live.

Plot overview: When Earth is on the verge of collapse, seven immortal Alchemists try to save humanity by moving a group of people to a parallel, earth-like world called Aerawyn. The first chosen ones, known as the “ancients,” and their descendants are given three lifetimes to rebuild this new world. However, one of the ancients, Cain Foster (Gyton Grantley), becomes corrupt and starts a vicious circle of violence in Aerawyn. And when he learns that twins Evelyn and Noah can travel to Earth—and have the potential to surpass him in power—he begins to hunt them down.

The cinematography in the first few minutes of “We Were Tomorrow” is reminiscent of dystopian shows like “The Walking Dead” and “Sweet Tooth”, but as the plot progresses, the story keeps changing its tone, and the second half of the first episode feels more like an old cowboy western. The visual elements of the series are stunning in some scenes, and underwhelming in others, especially when in terms of the costumes.

One of the strongest elements of episode one is the background music. The creators knew exactly which tracks to pick to enhance the dramatic effect of each scene. However, at times, the music overpowers and overshadows the characters and the events unfolding on the screen. The show’s theme of course stands out next —humans getting a second chance to rebuild a new world, only to mess it up all over again!

Running about 40 minutes, the pilot episode is well-paced, packing in plenty of action and conflict. However, Madeleine Kennedy and Chai Hansen don’t make a strong impression as lead protagonists Evelyn and Noah. Their characters’ objective on earth remains somewhat mysterious, sure, they are trying to both escape and stop Cain from achieving absolute power, but what exactly is the game-plan? On the plus side, this adds a suspenseful element to the story.

The character of Cain Foster in “We Were Tomorrow” cleverly echoes the biblical Cain, both being among the first chosen to shape a new world but ultimately falling to jealousy and corruption. Just as the biblical Cain’s envy of Abel led him to commit the first murder, Cain Foster’s resentment drives him to kill a fellow ancient and pursue more violence, even against the innocent twins Evelyn and Noah. Gyton Grantley brings plenty of angst to his portrayal of Cain, but his performance wavers between genuinely menacing and feeling like superficial theatrics, almost as if he’s in an amateur stage play. In fact, many of the supporting characters give similarly uneven performances.

Ultimately, the first episode of We Were Tomorrow offers a mildly intriguing start to an undeniably ambitious fantasy series, one that spans across timelines, worlds, and lifetimes.

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GhostBox Issue #1 Review

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

“Waking up late means grabbing an Uber to work, so my first hour’s pay is blown before I’ve even earned it. That gives me existential nausea.”

GhostBox, the comic book series by Mike Carey, Pablo Raimondi, and Jose Villarruba, follows protagonist Chloe, who is broke and constantly late to work, which eventually gets her fired, too. So, an unexpected inheritance from a dead uncle comes as a stroke of miraculous luck. However, the house Chloe inherits with her sister holds strange secrets that will land them in deadly trouble!

The creators set up the primary premise of GhostBox swiftly in issue 1, making this 25-page comic feel much more substantial than its itty bitty size! I recently complained about how some first issues struggle to give readers a coherent idea of what to expect, like in the comiXology series Groupies (which has fantastic artwork, by the way). That’s not the case with GhostBox; it establishes the main protagonist’s character and background almost immediately and soon reveals the primary twist in the tale—a magical, ancient music box lying around in the deceased uncle’s house that will change her life.

Visually, the artwork in GhostBox is engaging, glossy, and colorful, although I preferred the character design for Chloe’s sister Jan over her. In Gen-Z lingo, Jan has more “main character energy” than Chloe, who looks more like the supporting sidekick providing some comic relief. It’s probably her loud pink afro; it makes it hard to take Chloe a bit seriously!

Overall, GhostBox issue #1 is a fast-paced, fun edition that packs in a lot of events, including the magical main plot twist and an unexpected tragedy. Things end with an exciting cliffhanger, making readers eager to grab the next issue ASAP!

Rating: 4 out of 5. GhostBox is also available on Kindle Unlimited.

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Look Back Review – Bittersweet Yet Hurried

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

The beginning of this one-shot manga by Tatsuki Fujimoto is absolutely joyous – it begins with a happy, confident, energetic 9-year-old Fujino, who always draws a comedic 4-panel manga for the weekly school newspaper. All her classmates love her artwork and think she should be a manga artist when she grows up.  

“A manga artist? I don’t know… sitting at a desk and drawing all day sounds boring,” Fujino thinks out loud, after casually letting out that her latest comic strip took her only 5 minutes to draw. I love the cocky confidence displayed by Fujino, the kind only young budding artists can have, before they are tainted by the harsh realities of just how cutthroat the world of manga is. But Fujino’s confidence takes a severe hit when another classmate called Kyomoto, who rarely comes to school, sends in an almost professionally drawn comic strip for the newspaper. For the first time, Fujino thinks her work is not good enough and almost gives up on drawing. But a stroke of fate makes the two girls become friends, and they push each other to make great manga together.

“Look Back” poignantly depicts how two people perceive the same situations in a vastly different away. Tatsuki Fujimoto uses one of the oldest tropes in the friendship playbook – he pits the extroverted, self-assured, happy-go-lucky Fujino with the asocial, shy, nervous wreck Kyomoto, as the latter spends all her time shut in her house, drawing. But Fujino slowly becomes just as reclusive as Kyomoto, spending most of time drawing, to excel in her craft. Except that the two girls grow together, making an entire manga one-shot together, when they are all of thirteen.

“Look Back” is a touching look at how friends can push each other to grow together, even though Kyomoto largely remains under Fujino’s shadow, drawing backgrounds for the manga, while Kyomoto draws the characters and their actions. Their artwork also becomes symbolic of their friendship, Fujino is the lead, Kyomoto is the supporting character. Towards the climax, the friendship and collaboration between the girls ends on a bitter tone and the story takes an unexpected tragic turn.

For a story about manga, and art, the illustrations by Tatsuki Fujimoto aren’t exceptional, and some of the panels look like hurried second drafts. But I haven’t read any of the artist’s other works, including the hugely popular “Chainsaw Man” (which also has a popular anime adaptation), so I don’t know if the art for this one-shot is different from his other works. If it’s the creator’s way of showing what artwork by a young artist should look like, then maybe, that’s an interesting way to look at it. Doesn’t change the fact that the panels aren’t as visually appealing as I expected it to be.

In the second-half, the manga gets confusing for a bit, where a ‘what if…’ kind of an alternative reality is explored and I had to look back at a few panels to understand what was happening. Whether or not this was a deliberate ploy to make readers look back at the story, as a clever play on the title – I am not sure. Regardless, it’s a little annoying. Besides, the tragic turn of events felt unnecessary to me. Sure, it’s the creator’s way of showing how uncertain, pointless, and cataclysmic life can be, but oh well, I just didn’t like the ending! Maybe it needed 50 more pages to sink in, allowing readers to adapt to the fast-changing events in what starts as a slow, sweet world of two budding artists.

Rating: 3 on 5.

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Need a break from reality? Watch these 7 Funny Movies about U.S Elections!

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Looking for a good laugh as you dive into the quirky world of U.S. elections? Maybe the real thing gets a little too real, and you need a break. Well, you’re in luck! Hollywood has served up some hilariously exaggerated takes on American politics over the years, and these movies go all out—from laughable campaign antics to bumbling candidates to underhanded debates. So, grab your popcorn and settle in for a comedy binge that pokes fun at the crazy ride of U.S. elections!

The Campaign (2012)
Starring Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis, The Campaign takes election antics to a new level of absurdity. It follows two clueless candidates duking it out in a small-town congressional race where morals are questionable, but laughs are guaranteed. The mudslinging in this one is both figurative and literal! Where to watch: Prime Video Wag the Dog (1997)
When a fictional scandal threatens a president’s re-election chances, a political fixer and a Hollywood producer cook up a fake war to distract the public. With a satire as sharp as its cast (Dustin Hoffman and Robert De Niro), Wag the Dog is both hilariously funny and a bit too close for comfort. Where to watch: Prime Video Primary Colors (1998)
Based on the novel about a thinly veiled Bill Clinton-like candidate, Primary Colors has John Travolta giving us all a crash course in the art of charming the pants off voters (and not always metaphorically!). It’s an over-the-top but surprisingly insightful look at campaigning, loyalty, and all the other “virtues” of politics. Where to watch: It’s on YouTube!Election (1999)
Taking things down to high school but keeping the stakes absurdly high, Election is a cult classic starring Reese Witherspoon as the infamous Tracy Flick. She’s relentless, she’s ruthless, and she’s ready to take on her high school class election with all the fervor of a seasoned politician. This one’s painfully hilarious and way too relatable. Where to watch: Prime Video Swing Vote (2008)
In Swing Vote, Kevin Costner plays an apathetic everyman whose single vote will determine the entire presidential election after a voting error. Suddenly, both parties are tripping over themselves to win him over, leading to all sorts of political shenanigans. Where to watch: Rent on Apple TV Dick (1999)
Mixing U.S. history with absurd humor, Dick reimagines the Watergate scandal through the eyes of two clueless teens (Kirsten Dunst and Michelle Williams). It’s not exactly an election movie, but the political mischief is priceless as they accidentally become whistleblowers against Nixon himself. Where to watch: Prime Video Head of State (2003)
Chris Rock plays a Washington, D.C., city councilman who’s randomly chosen to run for president. Naturally, chaos ensues as he injects his own brand of humor into the stiff world of politics, challenging both the system and his opponents with plenty of laughs along the way. Where to watch: Prime Video or rent it on Apple TV

There you have it—a lineup of some of the wackiest election comedies out there! These films offer a perfect antidote to the seriousness of real-world politics and are a reminder that sometimes, even the most intense campaigns deserve a laugh. So, vote with your remote, and enjoy a hilarious escape from the usual political hoopla. After all, in the world of comedy, every candidate is a winner!

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Achtsam Morden – Murder Mindfully Review

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

“I dismembered my boss. I am finally free. Ha ha ha!”

As if regular toxic bosses aren’t enough, imagine being a lawyer at a reputed firm, but working for a mafia boss with anger issues, the kinds who burns a man to death in front of a bus full of children. Yeah, most of us would definitely want to either quit or murder the man. So that’s exactly what the protagonist of Netflix’s German series “Achtsam Morden” (English title: Murder Mindfully) does – he murders his mafia boss and but doesn’t exactly secure the freedom he hoped for, because now, he has to manage the mob!

Tom Schilling plays lead Björn Diemel, a lawyer who is always neck deep in work, running around getting his mafia boss’ cronies evade arrest. He has little time for his wife Katharina (Emily Cox) and adorable daughter Emily (Pamuk Pilavci) and his marriage is on the verge of breaking. To make amends, he signs up for a ‘mindfulness’ course on Katharina’s advice, which changes his life completely – he is calmer, more in control of his emotions, is able to spend quality time with his daughter, but he also becomes a murderer. Which of-course brings a whole range of new problems in his life, but thanks to his new mindful attitude towards like, he is able to navigate through them smoothly. Sort of.

Spanning eight episodes, “Achtsam Morden”/”Murder Mindfully” opens with a scene at a beautiful, peaceful lake, that’s witness to savage scenes of Björn Diemel making mince-meat out of a body he is trying to get rid of. “I’m not a violent person. Quite the opposite. I’ve never been in a fight in my whole life,” Diemel says, while moving his boss’ hacked body parts in a wheelbarrow. Diemel, who also serves as the narrator for the series, then takes back viewers to the past, to show how he became a first-time murderer at the age of 42. Sascha Alexander Gersak plays Dragan, Diemel’s volatile mafia boss, whose go-to response is violence. The plot unfolds as Diemel murders Dragan and hides the truth, claiming Dragan has gone into hiding to evade the police.

One of the funniest sub-plots in “Achtsam Morden”/”Murder Mindfully” is how almost every major character in the series is looking for a daycare for their kid(s). Diemel’s wife in-fact gives him an ultimatum to find a daycare for their daughter Emily soon or she’d move to her mother’s place. Context for foreign viewers – Germany has a huge daycare deficit problem, so much so that German language-learning books also have sections dedicated to it as a topic. How Diemel uses his mafia connections to get his kid into a day care is darkly comedic. And of course, in each episode, Diemel uses the new ‘mindful breathing’ techniques he learns, to deal with highly stressful situations.

Tom Schilling is highly entertaining as Diemel, and he smoothly breaks the fourth wall (like Deadpool) in many scenes, to talk to the viewers about what’s going on in his head. Not everybody can pull off talking to the screen, but Schilling does it with effortless ease. Ironically, the only scenes that slow down “Achtsam Morden”/”Murder Mindfully”, are the flashbacks where Diemel is talking to his mindfulness instructor. However, episode 4 features a brilliant sequence, where Diemel “takes a walk with his problems”, a suggestion from the instructor, so the scene features Schilling walking through the woods with different characters, discussing what they want. It’s ingenious and amusingly entertaining.

One of my biggest complaints with the show is that the title sets up higher expectations for a stylishly violent series, something like Guy Ritchie’s The Gentlemen, which cleverly displays both “refined aggression” (one of the episodic titles) and unhinged brutality. However, the body count and bloodied scenes in Achtsam Morden are surprisingly thin. The writers do not take any serious risks, and safely try to portray Tom Schilling’s Diemel as the “good guy caught in wrong circumstances”. Sure, his character is morally grey, makes questionable decisions, but never descends into the kind of chaos or madness that would’ve made the show outstanding. Regardless, it’s a pretty entertaining watch for the weekend!

Rating: 7 on 10. You can watch ‘Murder Mindfully’ on Netflix.

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Thoughts on ‘The Two Towers’ – The Lord of the Rings Part 2

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien ends with Frodo fleeing with the ring, after Boromir tries to forcefully take it from him. Luckily, Frodo’s ever faithful companion – Sam – follows him, refusing to let Frodo be alone in his perilous journey to Mordor, to destroy the ring.

There is not a chance in hell that I’d have enjoyed reading the book as much as I did if I hadn’t seen the movies (Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy that came out between 2001-2003). I said this in my review of ‘The Fellowship of the Ring’ too, but I will say it again—my brother and I were school kids back then, and we absolutely LOVED watching the movies in theatres. One summer vacation, we made our parents rent the DVDs so we could watch all the movies together. That was the last time we did such a long movie marathon as siblings. Good times.

Okay, back to the books—they are soooooo slow. It took me a month to read this one, but I was able to enjoy a few pages every day before going to bed because there was no anxiety over “what’s going to happen next.” Since I already knew the whole story.

The Two Towers essentially follows three different journeys:

1. Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli looking for Merry and Pippin, who get kidnapped by Orcs

2. Merry and Pippin’s misadventures with the Orcs, their eventual escape, and meeting with an Ent called Treebeard

3. Frodo and Sam trying to get to Mordor to destroy the ring

There are also several battles and skirmishes through the chapters, with Sauron, the villain, unleashing his army to defeat those standing in his quest for absolute power. But mostly, The Two Towers is once again about a lot of walking, hiking, walking, and some more walking. If I hadn’t seen the movies, this would’ve definitely been a little more frustrating to go through for readers like me who prefer minimal descriptions and more action in their stories. Especially since the second book doesn’t give readers an account of what is happening with Frodo until the very end. WHAT THE HELL???

Book 2 begins with a chapter called “The Departure of Boromir”, which starts with the unexpected death of Boromir – a character most readers probably care the least about. It’s been so long since I saw the movies, that I was surprised at how early on he dies in the book. And even though it is revealed how his heart is easily corrupted by the ring, which fair to say, is one of the many factors that lead to the breaking up of the fellowship of the ring, he proves to be a worthy hero in his last moments. I really didn’t care much for Boromir’s character, and it’s easy to despise him a lot more once he gets corrupted due to the ring, so I was surprised at how his death managed to make me feel a tiny bit emotional. It’s largely due to the fitting farewell he receives from Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas, who give him a hero’s funeral, even singing an ode to his valour, courage, and sacrifice.

But soon after this chapter, ‘The Two Towers’ is a long-winding book about the characters trying to get somewhere. But again, it’s not like it was completely boring, or that I was struggling to finish it, it’s super slow, yes, but it’s the kind of novel that you can peacefully enjoy a few chapters of, and leisurely read it over how many ever days you want. But I really missed all the songs from the first book, which were most charming literary ingredient in ‘The Fellowship of the Ring”. Unfortunately, the are few songs in book two, this is of-course owing to the fact that the characters are in a more treacherous stage of their quest, but still, some more of those poetic verses would’ve been welcome.

Very obviously, Tolkien saves the best parts for last – Frodo and Sam’s scary journey through the dark, dangerous path towards Mordor. Their expedition is written very vividly, and we finally meet Gollum, aka Smeagol, the creature who was in possession of the ring before Frodo’s uncle had it. As far as The Two Towers is concerned, Gollum is undoubtedly the most interesting, comical, creepy character. The way Tolkien differentiates between Gollum’s split personality—the cowardly, subservient one versus the conniving evil one—is fantastic.

After Gollum, it’s the tree-character Treebeard that fascinated me the most. As a child, when I saw the movies, I was absolutely blown away by the twist—that there was an ancient breed of sentient trees that walked upon the earth and had feelings. The subtle nature versus evil, exploitative humans’ theme is well-executed through the POV of the Ents. And as far the more human-like characters are concerned – the every-faithful Sam is undoubtedly the most likable. His unwavering support, devotion towards Frodo is bound to win readers in book 2, if they weren’t already on ‘Team Sam’.

In one of the last chapters of the book, there’s a point where both Frodo and Sam aren’t too sure of their mission succeeding, their situation is desperate, their cause seems lost, and in their darkest hours, Sam wonders if their epic journey would make it to songs. The following is a fan favorite quote, which of course, struck a chord with me too –

Sam: I wonder if people will ever say, ‘Let’s hear about Frodo and the Ring.’ And they’ll say ‘Yes, that’s one of my favorite stories. Frodo was really courageous, wasn’t he, Dad?’ ‘Yes, my boy, the most famousest of hobbits. And that’s saying a lot.’

Frodo: You’ve left out one of the chief characters – Samwise the Brave. I want to hear more about Sam. Frodo wouldn’t have got far without Sam.

Sam: Now Mr. Frodo, you shouldn’t make fun; I was being serious.

Frodo: So was I.

The last part of The Two Towers is quite exciting and slightly better-paced, especially when compared to the rest of the book that moves at a challenging speed. The cliffhanger with which ‘The Two Towers’ end is one of the best cliffhangers ever – totally anxiety inducing, and will make you want to grab the next book almost immediately.

Once again, I get why fans say the movies are better than the novels! But if it weren’t for Tolkien’s elaborate world-building, we would never have the films, would we! That said, I plan to watch the movies once again, having gained a newfound awe for Peter Jackson and team, they really breathed a special kind of life to Tolkien’s vision.

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Ron Kamonohashi’s Forbidden Deductions Episode 18 Review

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Ron, Toto, and Dr. Mofu are still at the beach, faced with a new murder mystery involving a surfer who appears to have died from accidental drowning. However, episode 17 of Ron Kamonohashi’s Forbidden Deductions ended with our genius detective, Ron Kamonohashi, suspecting that the man was killed.

Titled “The Case of the Midsummer Beach Hut Drowning Part 2,” episode 18 opens with the obnoxious beachside food shack owner bullying his worker, who is one of the primary suspects in the case. The victim is believed to have had a conflict with him after experiencing a stomachache from the food served at the shack.

This beachside murder is one of the more mundane and predictable episodes of Ron Kamonohashi’s Forbidden Deductions, especially since there seems to be only one obvious suspect. Nonetheless, the method of killing is the real puzzle, as everyone who could be the potential murderer has a strong alibi. Still, we were hoping for a little more drama, intrigue, and comedy.

The beach murder case wraps up quickly, and the final minutes focus on Ron’s peculiar condition—his tendency to order murderers to kill themselves. We also learn more about the effects of Dr. Mofu’s medications on Ron. The episode ends with a warm exchange between Ron and Toto about their commitment to battling the nefarious M group together.

Don’t miss the post-credits scene; it includes a significant preview of the next murder case our detective duo will tackle.

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

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Yakuza Fiancé: Raise wa Tanin ga Ii Episode 5 Review

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Well, there’s very little doubt about it now—almost every protagonist and supporting character in Yakuza Fiancé: Raise wa Tanin ga Ii is either a total psycho or a partial nutcase.

If you remember, episode 4 of the anime series ended with Kirishima taking care of Yoshino after she falls sick. He displays doting affection and care, driving away any doubts in the viewer’s mind about his genuine love for the feisty Yoshino.

Episode 5 of Yakuza Fiancé: Raise wa Tanin ga Ii takes a domestic turn, devoid of Yakuza shenanigans and violence. Instead, it opens with the protagonists spending time together and worrying about their upcoming exams. The primary focus, however, is on Yoshino meeting a cousin who is moving from Kyoto to Yokohama, with the lovestruck Kirishima tagging along. For foreign viewers, Yokohama is about 48 minutes away from Tokyo by train.

“She’s totally your type!” Yoshino hilariously tells Kirishima on their way to meet her cousin. Not only that, Yoshino thinks their personalities are quite similar in their dating styles—they’re both players who keep juggling or changing partners. Last episode left some of us thinking Yoshino might be warming up to Kirishima, but she’s still completely wary of him, far from falling in love, and even looks like she’d rather push him toward her cousin than consider dating him herself. The lovestruck Kirishima still has a long way to go in winning her over.

It’s kind of odd that we’re already five episodes into Yakuza Fiancé, and even though it’s Yoshino who moved from Osaka to Tokyo to live with Kirishima’s family, we’ve met two very close confidantes of Yoshino, while Kirishima seems to be close to nobody. He’s got the “lone wolf” vibe but come on—he’s still a high school student! Shouldn’t he have at least one close friend or a bunch of cronies/minions he relies on?

Overall, this edition of Yakuza Fiancé: Raise wa Tanin ga Ii is mildly comedic, mostly conversation-heavy, introducing yet another character who is highly protective of Yoshino. The second half finally reveals the truth behind Yoshino’s shocking kidney surgery, accompanied by some intriguing revelations. How the new character fits into the ongoing Yakuza romance between the two teens will be interesting to see.

You can watch the series on Crunchyroll.

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Meiyazhagan Review: An Introvert and Extrovert Walk into a Wedding…

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

When you’re born and raised in a place that’s truly feels like home in your heart, a place you imagine spending the rest of your life in, then having to move away due to unexpected change in circumstances can be gut-wrenching. The opening minutes of the 2024 Tamil movie ‘Meiyazhagan’ poignantly captures that pain – a young boy, who’s just finished high-school, wistfully visits his favourite temple, before heading to his ancestral home, to leave it forever. A property dispute and betrayal lead to his family being ousted from their home.

Written and directed by C. Prem Kumar, ‘Meiyazhagan’ stars Arvind Swamy as Arulmozhi, who reluctantly returns to his hometown after over two decades to attend the wedding of a first cousin—a hometown once inseparable from his identity. At the wedding, Arulmozhi encounters an energetic younger man (played by Karthi), who claims the two spent a very happy childhood summer at his house. Arulmozhi cannot remember the man and is too embarrassed to admit it. As the two men spend more time together, Arul rediscovers a forgotten part of his lost, cheery younger self.

The first forty minutes of ‘Meiyazhagan’ are nostalgically engaging, especially for viewers who’ve traded small town lives for bigger cities or those who’ve simply have had to move away from the village/town/city they were raised in. Even though he is headed to a wedding, Arulmozhi cannot help but stop by the house that once belonged to his family. And once he is at the wedding venue, close relatives, who haven’t seen him for years, are overjoyed by his presence. The accompanying musical score by composer Govind Vasantha adds to the evocative charm of the story.

Actor Raj Kiran has a small cameo as Arulmozhi’s maternal uncle, but the way he is emotionally overwhelmed to see his sister’s son after so long, strikes a strong chord. Happy, the uncle plants a few kisses on Arul’s face, like a father does to a small child, an exceptionally touching scene since we rarely get to see such familial display of affection between grown men in Indian cinema. A refreshing departure from the scheming, evil mama (mom’s brother) that’s usually up to no good.

The middle chunk of ‘Meiyazhagan’ is where the film begins to falter, getting woefully slow, and dragged out. A scene where Arul goes on stage to wish the bride and groom, is extended for far too long, only for emotional points. Arul’s cousin is shown to be extremely attached to him, especially due to their shared childhood, yet the two don’t meet in all those years. Sure, Arul is bitter about the past, so he never goes back to his hometown, but what was stopping the cousin and everybody else from visiting him in Chennai? A city that’s only one bus and a train away? The story takes place in 2018, so it’s not like connectivity was an issue. A lot of things in the plot would’ve made better sense if the story took place in the 1990s.

The bloated three-hour runtime (2 hr 57 minutes to be exact) will begin to test the viewer’s patience. Actor Karthi as the un-named enthusiastic relative who tails Arul like a loyal pet, flits between likable and annoying in ‘Meiyazhagan’. Although, his character is supposed to be the annoyingly intrusive extrovert to Arvind Swamy’s asocial, quiet, introverted Arul. The story relies on the classic trope of pitting an introvert against an impossibly vibrant extrovert who brings them out of their shell. It’s only in the last hour, that the story becomes heart-warming again, when Karthi’s character finally reveals why he is so thrilled to see Arul after to so many years. To avoid spoilers, let’s not mention the reason, however, it’s a touching connection between the men, an unwitting act of kindness on Arul’s part, that seals his status as a benevolent relative in his younger acquaintance’s heart.

From a distant, uninterested relative who reluctantly heads to his hometown to attend a wedding only out of obligation, Arvind Swamy’s Arul joyfully transforms into a man happy to be back to his roots, singing and dancing his heart out with a near-stranger. Bonding over beers and childhood memories, the two men’s camaraderie shines in ‘Meiyazhagan’ towards its climactic moments. Arvind Swamy is the heart of this film, which should’ve been at least 20 minutes shorter, if not more. In the end, the film celebrates the spirit of small towns, friendships, positivity and the relationships we forge through little acts of kindness.  

You can watch ‘Meiyazhagan’ on Netflix.

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