Sneha Jaiswal's Blog, page 66

Uzumaki Series Review: Not As Hair-Raising as Ito’s Manga

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

‘Uzumaki’ begins with a rather plain scene of a beaten path with grass on the sides, but if you look closely, you’ll notice tiny spiral shaped plants hiding underneath the grass, one of the biggest motif of Junji Ito’s popular horror story. And even if you miss them in the opening second, soon, a close up shot ensures they are in your face. BTW – just in case you didn’t know – Uzumaki is Japanese for ‘swirl’ or ‘spiral’.

Directed by Hiroshi Nagahama and Yûji Moriyama, Uzumaki, the anime series, is just four episodes long and is based on Junji Ito’s horror manga of the same name. The first episode is damn good, setting an eerie tone for the story, which unfolds in the obscure seaside town of Kurozu. Just like in the manga, high school student Kirie Goshima narrates the twisted tale of a horrifying curse that begins to plague her hometown. It all starts when her boyfriend, Shuichi, tells Kirie about his father’s strange behavior and his obsession with anything spiral-shaped. Shuichi is convinced something is terribly wrong with their town and urges them to leave. While Kirie initially thinks Shuichi is overreacting, she will come to deeply regret not taking his concerns seriously.

Also Read: ‘Junji Ito Maniac’ Review – Bizarre and Brusque

The 2-D animation style in ‘Uzumaki’ is quite faithful to Junji Ito’s original illustrations, from the character designs, to the haunted town of Kurozu, the animators bring the horror manga to life. However, they should’ve played with colors in some scenes, it feels like they were scared to experiment with any other tines that weren’t variations of black. The black-and-white colors obviously lend a solidly dark, retro, depressing tone to the tale, but some color would’ve lent an added visual appeal to the anime. Despite some truly disturbing events, the anime rarely creeps under your skin like the manga did.

After the first episode, the plot’s pace and mood settle into a steady rhythm, lacking the ups and downs needed for tension. This may be due to the monotonous color scheme and the subdued music score, which fail to heighten the terror or inject excitement into the horror story. As more and more people become maddened or weirdly transformed by the sinister spirals in the town, Kirie becomes desperate to find a way to leave town with her family. But the spirals also make it impossible for any resident to leave Kurozu.

Overall, thanks to Junji Ito’s original twisted material, that features an entire town under the grips of a grotesque, unexplainable curse, which twists them, kills them, or turns them into ghastly creatures, ‘Uzumaki’ is quite unsettling and eerie. However, the anime creators don’t do a lot to elevate the source material. An AI capable of transforming manga panels into animated scenes might have done just as well.

Rating: 3 on 5.

Also Read: Nobody Wants This Review – The RomCom We Need (Short Audio Version below)

Yakuza Fiancé: Raise wa Tanin ga Ii Episode 4 Review

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“How about I become normal then?”

“Huh?”

“I will become your idea of a normal guy, Yoshino.”

Pretty much everything that comes out of Kirishima Miyama’s mouth further convinces Yoshino that he is completely off his rocker—a total psycho. Even his offer to become a “normal kinda guy” to woo Yoshino sounds like a crazy proposition.

Titled I Can’t Tell If You’re Smart or Stupid, episode 4 of the anime series Yakuza Fiancé: Raise wa Tanin ga Ii begins with the much-anticipated encounter between Kirishima and Shoma Toriashi. Non-manga readers learned in episode 3 that Shoma had been adopted into the Somei family by Yoshino’s grandfather, so the two are like family, even though they’re not related by blood. This latter fact fuels Kirishima’s jealousy when he sees the close relationship Yoshino shares with Shoma. Mistaking the envy for anger, Yoshino freaks out, wondering if he is bored and plotting to kill her. LOL.

A love-struck Kirishima is creepy and bad enough—imagine poor Yoshino having to deal with a jealous stalker now. Most of the episode focuses on the slowly changing dynamics between the two teens, and for the first time, Yoshino acknowledges the slight chance she might fall for Kirishima, while lover-boy already thinks they’re headed toward marriage!

Episode 4 of Yakuza Fiancé: Raise wa Tanin ga Ii is well-paced and reveals a few new sides to Kirishima, whose character is just too exaggerated to be a high-school kid. But, well, that’s the point of this comedic-violent-romance show. Yoshino’s ability to handle his bipolar moods and statements is truly impressive, and for the first time, Kirishima displays a genuinely caring attitude towards her. It’s going to be interesting to see if Yoshino warms up to him in the coming episodes.

You can watch the series on Crunchyroll.

Also Read: Nobody Wants This Review – The RomCom We Need (Short Audio Version below)

Fragile Review: Strong Friendships, Weak Romances

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

One of the most comically sweet moments in the Korean drama Fragile is a scene where five teen girlfriends turn up at a gynaecologist’s office because one of them fears she might be pregnant. “Don’t they look like high school students?” a man visiting with his wife comments on their appearance, but the girls reassure their friend not to care about anybody else.

Directed by Kim Ji Hoon, Fragile primarily follows Park Ji Yu (Kim So Hui), a high-school girl who spends most of her free time sneaking her boyfriend No Chan Seong (Kim Eo Jin) into her home. With no friends, Ji Yu is practically obsessed with her boyfriend and pays little attention to her grades. But when the new girl Seo Ara (Kwon Hui Song) befriends Ji Yu, the latter soon becomes part of a new fun girl group, discovering a new social life while still navigating the treacherous waters of love, jealousy, and boyfriend problems.

Also Read: Love in the Big City Review: Nam Yoon Su Dazzles in Seoul Hues

The most enjoyable bits about Fragile are the teen girl gang hanging out and having fun, like kids their age should—going bowling, playing board games, having a pajama party, or simply studying together with lots of snacks. Ji Yu and Seo Ara become close friends with the cute Mi Na (Moon Ji Won), the laid-back, cheery, food enthusiast Yeo Eun-soo, and the cynical but smart Kim Ye Ri. The classmates’ personality clashes and differing opinions lead them to reexamine various aspects of their own lives, giving them fresh perspectives they might not have considered otherwise. For instance, Kim Ye Ri is constantly reminding the girls there’s more to life than dating boys.

Large chunks of Fragile focus on how Park Ji Yu’s romance with Chan Seong gets complicated when a senior, Nam Do Ha (Cha Se Jin), starts hitting on her. Chan Seong’s best friend, Kang San (Kong Ju Han), is quite supportive of Ji Yu; however, there are ample hints throughout the episodes that he either has a crush on Ji Yu or Chan Seong. In fact, even Park Ji Yu seems to have more than platonic feelings for Kang San too, displaying a streak of jealousy when he shows interest in someone else. Her constant confusion between men becomes annoying, and her personality is boringly one-dimensional. Supporting characters Seo Ara, Kim Ye Ri, and Yeo Eun-soo are a lot more entertaining. Actor Moon Ji Won is adorable as Mi Na, her character a prettier, dumber, and more emotional version of Ji Yu.

While Fragile is a well-shot teen drama with many relatable teen characters, each going through their own problems. The background score is understated, in a good way – it doesn’t stand out, but subtly complements the story. One wishes the creators had split the screen time between some of the actors more evenly. Yes, Kim So Hui is convincing as the doe-eyed Ji Yu, but she is also the least interesting character in the series.

First love, confusing crushes, secret relationships, eating disorders, cyberbullying—Fragile covers a lot of issues affecting its teen protagonists. Much of the show is engaging and a gorgeous cast is added bonus; however, its biggest pitfall is the disparate amount of time given to secondary characters, who could have used more screen time.

Episode eight, the final edition of the series, ends with a big cliffhanger, which is bound to make viewers feel a little cheated. Perhaps two more episodes, and this season could have ended more conclusively, but in its current form, Fragile feels unevenly broken. That said, I would watch a season two.

Rating: 6.5 on 10. Watch ‘Fragile’ on Kocowa.

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Dan Da Dan: First Encounter Review – Like JJK, But Sillier, Madder

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

If you’re looking to fill the Jujutsu Kaisen-sized hole in your heart, ‘Dan Da Dan’ is a great answer – an anime that just a wee bit sillier, lighter, with a dash of romance and fewer characters, so you don’t scratch your head over who is who. It’s a genre-bending anime, that mixes humor, horror, and the horrifying embarrassment of teen love.

Directed by Fūga Yamashiro and written by Hiroshi Seko, ‘Dan Da Dan: First Encounter’ (Dandadan: Fâsuto Enkauntâ) the movie follows high school student Momo Ayase who rescues a nerdy classmate from bullies, only to start a crazy new friendship which entails fighting aliens and grotesque ghosts. The movie is essentially the first three episodes of the anime series, which is available to stream on Netflix and CrunchyRoll.

Shion Wakayama voices the sassy Momo, a feisty teen with a soft spot for hunky boys, while Natsuki Hanae, known for voicing Tanjiro Kamado from ‘Demon Slayer’, lends his pipes to Momo’s new friend Ken ‘Okarun’ Tanakura, an otaku with a fierce passion for aliens. Momo doesn’t believe in aliens but thinks ghosts are real, as her beloved grandmother, Seiko Ayase, is a spirit medium. Seiko Ayase is very Satoru Gojo-coded—tall, confident, powerful, with white hair—though her way of dealing with spirits will remind viewers of Nobara Kugisaki. Not much is revealed about Okarun’s family in Dan Da Dan: First Encounter, although he is a lonely boy whose friendship with Momo completely changes his life. From a monstrous old ghost that consumes humans to unhinged aliens that want Momo’s banana (watch the anime to find out what that means—and yes, Momo’s banana, not the boy’s), these two teens face terrifying challenges together!

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 or mecha anime. 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.

Between fighting each other, and fighting together against others, Momo and Okarun make a hilarious duo. Momo’s stunningly fit, ageless spirit-medium grandmother just adds to their mad dynamic. These two kids are the new ghost-busters in town, and can sometimes be scarier than demons. Just watch ‘Dan Da Dan’ if you’re looking for a new teen horror comedy.

‘Dan Da Dan’ is on Netflix and CrunchyRoll.

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Killer Heat: Sun, Suspense, and a PI With Baggage

Rating: 2.5 out of 5.

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

Oh no, not another twin movie where the siblings fall for the same person! Sure, Killer Heat was out a good month before the Bollywood thriller Do Patti, but they’re both about twins who don’t get along and are further divided over love. I’ll give half an extra point to Killer Heat for being a proper murder mystery, with someone mysteriously dying right at the beginning, unlike Netflix’s Do Patti, which is about an “attempted murder” case.

Directed by Philippe Lacôte and written by Matt Charman, Roberto Bentivegna, and Jo Nesbø, Killer Heat is based on a short story called “The Jealousy Man.” Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays PI (private investigator) Nick Bali, who is hired by Penelope Vardakis (Shailene Woodley) to investigate the death of her wealthy husband’s twin brother, Leo Vardakis (Richard Madden). However, it’s not easy to gather clues because the Vardakises virtually own the Greek island they live on, and nobody would dare go against them. Was Leo murdered by Elias over a possible secret affair with Penelope, over a financial misdealing, or did he just fall to his death during a free solo climb? Nick Bali finds the truth.

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Nick Bali narrates the events in Killer Heat, beginning by recalling the Greek myth of Icarus, the boy who flew too close to the sun, paralleling the themes with the lives of the high-flying Vardakis family. I just couldn’t warm up to the narration style; Nick narrates in the tone of a pretentious tragic hero, as if he’s some all-knowing god who has fallen. Besides, his own personal life often takes center stage in the narration, and he reveals his familiarity with jealousy due to his past. Even though his personal issues affect the investigation, they only slow down the tale.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s portrayal of Nick Bali is like a middle-aged Hercule Poirot with drinking issues and baggage from a failed marriage. He knows how to get people to talk, yet isn’t as charming as Monsieur Poirot from Belgium. Richard Madden plays twins Leo and Elias: Leo is the awkward, reserved one, while Elias is the flirty, passionate, ambitious brother. There are very few scenes of Leo in Killer Heat, who appears only in flashbacks since he dies at the very beginning, so I couldn’t spot any differences between the brothers’ personalities—Richard Madden makes the twins feel like one person. Shailene Woodley doesn’t have much to do in the film except take occasional updates from Nick Bali on his investigation, and of course, there are some love-triangle flashbacks between her and the twins that don’t stand out.

Killer Heat is slow, pretentious, but has some beautiful shots of the Greek islands it’s set in. While some twists are predictable, there’s a climactic twist I didn’t see coming, and it was pretty good. Not sure how “short” the short story this is based on was, but Killer Heat feels boringly slow. Thanks to a talented cast, though, it’s still a watchable thriller.

Rating: 5 on 10. Stream ‘Killer Heat’ on Prime Video.

Also Read: Nobody Wants This Review – The RomCom We Need (Short Audio Version below)

Do Patti Movie Recapped & Ending Explained

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Plot Overview: Police officer Vidya Jyothi, or VJ, responds to a domestic violence report at a house and meets Saumya, a young woman with a head wound who insists she’s fine and was injured accidentally. However, scenes reveal her husband Dhruv’s repeated abuse, which she never reports. Saumya’s guardian, Maaji, tells VJ that Saumya would never appear vulnerable to her twin sister, Shailee, hinting at a deep-seated sibling rivalry.

Also Read: Do Patti Review: Cop Kajol Unravels Kriti Sanon’s Seeta-Geeta Act

Twin Rivalry: Flashbacks show Saumya and Shailee lost their mother as children, with Saumya always expected to bow to her sister, as Shailee was seen as stronger. Their constant conflicts lead to Shailee’s placement in boarding school, leaving the sisters distant. Saumya grows into a shy, traditional woman, while Shailee is bold and ambitious. Saumya falls for a wealthy businessman, Dhruv, and they start a friendship, but Shailee’s return and captivating personality catch Dhruv’s interest. With Shailee’s impulsive nature causing him issues, Dhruv ultimately chooses Saumya to satisfy his family’s expectations. After their marriage, Dhruv’s true nature surfaces as he begins physically abusing Saumya. VJ asks Maaji to gather evidence, but Maaji struggles to capture anything incriminating. During one attack, Dhruv asserts he can frame Saumya as mentally unstable, threatening to use her antidepressant prescriptions against her. Dhruv’s refusal to have children, despite Saumya’s desire for motherhood, intensifies their conflicts, and Saumya suspects Dhruv may be rekindling his interest in Shailee. Desperate, she proposes going paragliding to reconnect with him.

The Climax: During their paragliding trip, Saumya’s screams for help draw witnesses who capture footage of what appears to be Dhruv attempting to push her. The two crash-land and hang from a bridge, where police intervene, and Dhruv is arrested. Saumya tells the cops he was trying to murder her. In court, Dhruv claims Saumya unbuckled her harness intentionally to stage the scene. However, it’s proven Saumya, terrified of heights, would not attempt such a move, leading to Dhruv’s conviction and a 14 year sentence.

The Truth: When Shailee notices her sister’s bruises, she urges her to leave Dhruv, only to discover Saumya’s worsening mental health. Saumya insists she has “two little daughters” to care for, so she cannot leave her husband, showing Shailee a childhood photo of themselves and revealing her fragile state. Realizing Saumya’s need for help, Shailee devises a plan. During the paragliding trip, the sisters switch places, with Shailee unbuckling her harness to frame Dhruv for attempted murder. VJ later uncovers the sisters’ scheme, contemplating reopening the case. However, Shailee confesses how their family covered up the true cause of their mother’s death, who also suffered from domestic violence, leaving a lasting impact in Saumya’s psyche. Traumatized by witnessing their father’s abuse, Saumya grew up mentally scarred, compounding her response to Dhruv’s violence. Shailee argues that Dhruv’s wealth and influence would have shielded him from consequences without drastic measures.

In the end, VJ decides against reopening the case, Dhruv remains in jail, and the sisters reconcile. Do Patti is now streaming on Netflix.

Kabul Disco: Graphic Novel Review

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

This graphic novel by French artist Nicolas Wild has a clickbait tagline: “How I Managed Not to Be Abducted in Afghanistan.” I’ll admit I felt slightly cheated at the end, since as a reader, you keep waiting for something explosive to happen—where the author is “almost abducted” but manages to hoodwink the villains through his wit… oh tosh, maybe I’ve been watching too many films! But purely as a travelogue about a French illustrator taking on a temporary job in conflict-stricken Afghanistan, Kabul Disco is highly entertaining.

The graphic novel opens with Nicolas Wild being broke, struggling to pay his rent, so he applies to a job in Kabul on a whim, drawn by perks like accommodation, food, and even transport. The job is with a communications agency called Zendagui Media, owned by a bunch of white dudes who love to ski. Nicolas’s temporary role is to help illustrate comics explaining the Afghan constitution to children, alongside another illustrator. But before he can even get to Kabul from Paris, he ends up stuck for days at Baku Airport in Azerbaijan, his stopover, due to canceled flights to Kabul. Once he finally arrives, Nicolas has to adjust to Kabul’s harsh winter in his poorly heated staff quarters while trying to get along with his new colleagues and bosses.

Nicolas Wild and his colleagues live in a special expat bubble in Kabul, which he humorously illustrates through the pages. Some of his biggest setbacks in the country include rising cigarette prices, repetitive local food (at least he doesn’t have to cook), and dealing with a perpetually broken toilet. Sure, he gets lost on a trip once, and things get tense for a hot minute, but it all ends quite comfortably for our narrator. One of the more random assignments he takes on is photographing Afghan soldiers for an army recruitment campaign run by Zendagui Media.

“Colonel Shapur is asking if you’re a trained war photographer?” someone asks him during the shoot. “Not really. I’m a trained children’s-book illustrator,” Nicolas replies. This low-key hilarious moment in Kabul Disco made me think of startup culture and those long-winded LinkedIn job posts where candidates are expected to do 100 things that shouldn’t be part of their role. Nicolas also inserts several pages from the comic book he’s creating for Zendagui, which cleverly conveys the political climate in Afghanistan through his cartoonish illustrations.

I didn’t particularly enjoy Nicolas’s simple doodle-art style and feel that a more detailed approach might have made Kabul Disco visually compelling. However, it’s a super fun travelogue, and Nicolas injects comedy into the most mundane interactions. What began as a short-term gig taken out of financial necessity becomes a memorable rollercoaster for Nicolas Wild. Although he initially says he’s only there for a few months, he soon finds himself hoping for a contract renewal so he can continue his great Kabul adventure.

Rating: 4 on 5. ‘Kabul Disco’ is also on Kindle Unlimited.

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Longlegs Review: Nicholas Cage is Creepily Grotesque in Slow-Burn Horror

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

“Longlegs” begins with a shot reminiscent of 1970s home videos, featuring a creepy, snake-like man with flaky skin that looks ready to shed as he ominously approaches a little girl. Nicolas Cage plays the serial killer “Longlegs,” a hybrid of “if Nagini from Harry Potter had a child with Count Dracula, and the kid grew up to be a Satanist murderer.” Cage has already portrayed the latter (Dracula) with finesse in the horror-comedy Renfield.

I couldn’t watch this 2024 slow-burn horror movie during its opening week because it wasn’t even playing in any of the movie halls in the city I live in. So, I had to wait for it to come to an online platform. Now that it’s on Prime Video, Friday night at 11 p.m. was a date with Longlegs, which follows FBI agent Lee Harker (Maika Monroe) as she tries to track down a nefarious serial killer who slaughters innocent families. The only clue the FBI has is cryptic, coded notes signed “Longlegs.”

What confounds the FBI about the Longlegs murders is the fact that there seem to be no signs of forced entry at the crime scenes, which leads Lee Harker to suspect an occult or supernatural connection to the deaths. Maika Monroe’s Lee Harker is a highly intuitive, perhaps even partially psychic protagonist, with an impressively sharp sixth sense. This suspense—whether the movie is a typical serial killer story or a supernatural one—is maintained tightly over the runtime.

But even though Longlegs is suspenseful, unsettling, and solidly eerie, it’s also slow—so slow that it could compete with a group of sloths in a race and lose. I had a hard time keeping sleep at bay and was tempted to hit the fast-forward button a few times, but it’s also the kind of film where you cannot afford to skip any scenes, as something crucial or catastrophic could happen at any second! In fact, it’s the deliberately haunting sluggish pace that makes the sudden bursts of violence truly daunting and horrifying—or even exciting—in the film. Yet, Longlegs somehow plays it safe when it comes to blood, murder, and gore. It’s a little like The First Omen, which was also slow and atmospheric, but I found it more engaging due to its stunning gothic imagery and a protagonist who establishes relatable human connections around her.

Agent Lee Harker on the other hand is like a ghost in her own right, a ‘hard to place’ kind of character, with whom it’s difficult to connect as a viewer. She’s even painfully awkward with her mom, Ruth Harker, a religious nut who resembles a hippie groupie. The creators silently differentiate between the mother and daughter through the differences in their living spaces. While Lee lives in a stylish wooden house, which exudes minimalism, Ruth’s place is grossly overflowing with clutter, a nightmarish horror for neatness enthusiasts. So, once you see the mom, you sort of understand why the daughter is a special kind of weirdo. The sorts who stares blankly at kids when asked a question, like they are hiding a knife behind their back.  

Nicolas Cage as the grotesque serial killer “Longlegs” will crawl under your skin, despite his limited screen time. The makeup team has transformed him into an otherworldly entity who looks more demon than man. Cage’s gnarly, heavy-set voice excellently complements his creepy scenes and violent outbursts, making him even creepier than the clown from Stephen King’s IT. Kiernan Shipka (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina/Totally Killer) has a small, eerie cameo as one of the rare victims who survived a massacre perpetrated by Longlegs, though her testimony provides no real breakthroughs for the FBI in the case.

Some parts of Longlegs reminded me of the horror movie The Black Phone, which is about a serial killer targeting children. However, The Black Phone maintains sustained energy throughout most of its runtime, offering both hope and despair in the story as its young hero actively fights to escape a locked basement. In Longlegs, there’s only dread, stretched over a few yawns, until the tense climax finally reveals the strange modus operandi of the creepy titular antagonist (you know, how he’s been murdering people without leaving any traces). The twist is wicked, not wholly unexpected, amply foreshadowed, and somehow feels rewarding after you’ve managed to stay awake through the first half! I don’t mean this sarcastically—I really did enjoy the ending, as it finally resolves the conundrum over what kind of horror movie Longlegs truly is. Let me just say—traditional horror fans are going to be delighted.

Rating: 3 stars on 5. Watch the film on Prime Video.

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Love in the Big City Review: Nam Yoon Su Dazzles in Seoul Hues

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

Actor Nam Yoon Su could probably be paired with a rusty electric pole and still make you believe he’s a lovesick Romeo, ready to die for the pole—his Juliet or, fittingly, his Romeo, as his character is gay in the 2024 Korean series Love in the Big City.

Directed by Hur Jin Ho, Hong Ji Young, Son Tae Gyum, and Kim Se In, Love in the Big City is based on Sang Young Park’s novel of the same name, which was longlisted for the 2022 International Booker Prize. Nam Yoon Su plays protagonist Go Young, introduced as a sassy college student in a hilariously entertaining pilot episode that begins with a breakup.

“I truly loved you in the week we shared together!” Young’s cheating content-creator boyfriend tells him, storming off after Young realizes he was just “the other guy” in their short-lived romance. Ever the optimist, Go Young hits the club with his posse of close gay friends and soon meets his next boyfriend, Kim Nam Gyu, a sincere photographer played by Kwon Hyuk. Itaewon is introduced as the hub for gay-friendly clubs and a breeding ground for spicy queer stories. My favourite bit in the series was perhaps a scene where Go Young and his friends jump on the stage of a club to dance in sync to a girly pop song. Yas queens!

The eight episodes of Love in the Big City are split into four chapters. The first two focus on Go Young’s college life and his newfound friendship with Mi Ae (Lee Soo Kyung), a straight classmate who, like him, enjoys a good party, falls in love too easily, and has a complex relationship with her mother. “We learned a lot from each other. Through me, she learned that it sucks being a gay man. Through her, I learned that being a woman equally sucks,” Go Young quips. These episodes are comedic, setting Go Young up as an energetic, sassy, hopeless romantic who falls in and out of love at breakneck speed. Nam Yoon Su is unexpectedly diva-like in his playful scenes, embodying the role of a young gay man who, in Gen-Z slang, totally ‘slays.’ Kwon Hyuk’s (The New Employee) photographer Nam Gyu, who is completely out of touch with current pop trends and loves the word “splendid,” pairs endearingly with Young. Their chemistry is electric, besides, the way Nam Yoon Su’s Young smiles and looks into other characters’ eyes – it’s always like the fresh exciting pangs of first love.

The next two episodes dive into Go Young’s tumultuous affair with activist Noh Young So (Na Hyun-woo), whom he meets in a philosophy class. Go Young quickly falls for Young So, but the latter is deep in the closet, often leaving Go Young feeling invisible and miserable. Although Young So eventually reveals himself to be a certified jerk, the chemistry between the actors is palpable, possibly the best among all of Go Young’s romances. However, his longest-lasting relationship comes next—with Sim Gyu-ho (Jin Ho-eun), an adorable part-time bartender and nurse he meets in episode 5. Their initial meeting is cinematic: Go Young impulsively kisses Gyu-ho out of the blue at a club, sparking an instant connection. Jin Ho-eun’s Gyu-ho, with his endearing, labrador-like eagerness, adds charm to their dynamic, but their relationship’s stability brings out Go Young’s cynicism, as he finds himself increasingly frustrated with the monotony of dependable love.

The story-line then shifts to their romantic getaway in Bangkok (might remind Thai fans of ‘I Told Sunset About You’), hoping to reignite their spark. Although it works for a while, once back in Seoul, they quickly return to the same routines. It’s around the middle of the season that the series introduces a debatable plotline: Go Young discloses to Gyu-ho that he’s HIV positive, mentioning that he’s never told anyone else (news to the viewers as well). A flashback shows a doctor explaining that his chances of transmission are zero yet Go Young’s HIV status doesn’t impact his relationships significantly, leaving its inclusion feeling somewhat misplaced, as it could perpetuate misconceptions about HIV being a gay man’s disease without adequately addressing them. The biggest plot twist stemming from this revelation is Go Young’s inability to pursue a job abroad due to the medical checks required, a narrative choice that could have been achieved simply by him failing an interview.

While each episode runs nearly an hour, the eight episodes don’t quite cover every facet of Go Young’s life. His strained relationship with his homophobic mother deserved more space, and longer flashbacks to their teen years would have deepened the story of their broken bond. Unexpectedly, Love in the Big City simply glosses over a significant traumatic event in his teen life, something that’s simply conveyed through a blink-and-miss flashback. Actor Oh Hyun Kyung shines as Go Young’s mother, who is diagnosed with cancer, so it takes another life-threatening disease for them to finally reconnect. Thankfully, this healing arc avoids overt sentimentality (remember the disappointing cancer twist in Netflix’s ‘Love Next Door’?), and instead is even comedic in parts. For instance, Go Young often ditches his mother in the hospital for a hot date and in typical Go Young fashion, hours after his mother’s funeral, he hits a club with his friends and grabs his next hot man.

Go Young’s one-room Seoul apartment serves as a constant throughout his decade-long journey, first shared with Mi Ae and then retained as his place for almost a decade. The series starts as a light-hearted, sexy coming-of-age story about queer life in Seoul but gradually becomes more serious, exploring the unpredictable nature of adult relationships. It celebrates those who love hard, who face heartbreak after heartbreak, and who sometimes can’t see what’s best for them. For a show of this caliber, the background score was surprisingly unremarkable, and the few songs featured were equally forgettable—even the hilariously off-key song Go Young belts out at his friend’s wedding.

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Nam Yoon Su is captivating as the volatile lead of Love in the Big City, with his charm and killer dimples sure to win over viewers, flaws and all. In the final episodes, he meets Habibi (Kim Won Joong), a wealthy Japanese businessman. Their playful exchanges in broken English add a refreshing layer to Go Young’s love life as they flirt across language barriers. It’s interesting how a scene featuring them running up and down the stairs at a luxury hotel, sweating, panting, was just as sexy as the other steamy scenes in the series. Definitely appreciating the fact that the creators didn’t deliver fake fish kisses and had the protagonists snog like real world adults (okay, maybe a little more photo-friendly than usual).  

The series’ conclusion sees Go Young reflecting on his journey, moving into a new phase, and embracing a life focused on writing, supported by his friends and ready for new loves. While Love in the Big City would have benefited from a couple more episodes, it’s a beautifully layered story and sets a new bar for future Korean creatives looking to represent queer love on television screens.

Rating: 8/10. Stream Love in the Big City on Viki and TVING.

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Do Patti Review: Cop Kajol Unravels Kriti Sanon’s Seeta-Geeta Act

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

Dressed in a cop’s uniform, with a woolen beanie covering her head, and a muffler wrapped around the neck, Kajol is introduced as a honest cop, who is so law abiding that it’s been jeopardizing her career. And yet, she rides a bike on a cold winter evening to check on a domestic abuse case without a helmet. Guess sometimes low tolerance for cold, and law abiding ethics take a backseat for screenplay aesthetics. In-fact, a lot of little things about Netflix thriller ‘Do Patti’ don’t line up.

Directed by Shashanka Chaturvedi and written by Kanika Dhillon, Netflix thriller Do Patti stars Kriti Sanon in a double role as twins Saumya and Shailee, while Kajol plays Vidya Jyothi, aka VJ, the cop trying to solve a case involving the twins, who are hiding more secrets than she can uncover. Shaheer Sheikh plays Dhruv Sood, a brash businessman both twins are in love with. However, he chooses to marry Saumya, the more “homely” one, despite having a passionate affair with Shailee. This choice stirs plenty of drama between the sisters, with sustained sexual tension between Shailee and Dhruv even after marriage. So, when Saumya accuses Dhruv of attempting to murder her in broad daylight—after repeatedly refusing to file a case against him for domestic violence in the past—it raises significant questions.

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Kriti Sanon is entertainingly good as the twins, but the clichéd portrayal of the sisters feels jarring. Saumya is the nervous, simple, modestly dressed sister, while Shailee is the hot, wild, adventurous go-getter. It’s the typical Seeta-Geeta personality clash, or, for a more Western comparison, think Rachel Weisz’s twin characters in Dead Ringers, the psychological thriller about twin gynecologists. However, despite growing up together, Shailee and Saumya aren’t close like most twins; instead, they act as competitive rivals. Kriti makes it easy to distinguish between the two, playing Saumya as a jittery wreck and Shailee as a sexy devil-child. Childhood flashbacks help explain why the two don’t get along, but unfortunately, the child actors are lifeless in their depiction of the feuding siblings.

The whole setup of two beautiful twins fighting over one bratty Haryanvi guy with anger issues feels outdated, and the story could have been built in a more intriguing way. For instance, Tanvi Azmi plays “Maaji,” the twins’ guardian, who, in one scene, offers Dhruv two drinks and asks, “Are you sure you’re picking the right one?” Though the subtext is evident—she’s referring to the sisters, treating them as commodities. Maaji’s loyalties clearly lie with one twin, but wouldn’t you advise someone to dump a man dividing siblings rather than encourage him to choose one over the other? Ugh.

Kajol, who previously shared screen with Tanvi Azmi in Tribhanga, never fully convinces as the stubborn, law-abiding cop VJ. Despite Do Patti’s posters prominently featuring her as if she might be a principal protagonist, she is relegated to a routine, supporting cop role that’s not meaty enough. Nimrat Kaur took on a similar cop role in the Netflix thriller Sajini Shinde Ka Viral Video, where her character was more substantial, and the suspense held strong throughout. That said, it’s refreshing to see VJ’s dedication to helping DV victims by going out of her —though DV is the central theme, Do Patti struggles to address it with the same clarity and intent as a film like Thappad, which masterfully exposes patriarchal oppression.

The climax is emotional, if predictable, bringing the characters to morally gray crossroads and delivering an ending that “feels right.” Overall, Do Patti is a decent one-time watch with a talented cast that deserved a sharper script.

Rating: 5.5/10. Do Patti is now streaming on Netflix.

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