Sneha Jaiswal's Blog, page 7

August 29, 2025

‘Karna’s Wife’ Book Review: Info Dump Kills Potential

⭐

Rating: 1 out of 5.

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

Between starting ‘Karna’s Wife’ by Kavita Kané and finally finishing this re-imagination of mythological hero Karna’s life through a fictional wife’s eye, I read about 12 other books. Granted, some of them were short comics, but the list also includes the entire ‘Poppy War’ trilogy by R.F Kuang, each of which is over 600 pages long, twice the length of ‘Karna’s Wife’. And that’s how disappointingly boring this novel is.

The story follows Uruvi, a princess born to King Vahusha and Queen Shubra of the fictional Pukeya Kingdom, who falls in love at first sight with Karna when she sees him at a public combat exhibition in Hastinapura, where warriors display their skills. Defying expectations, she dares to choose Karna, the Sutaputra, son of a charioteer, over the legendary archer Arjuna. For a young princess raised in the lap of luxury, the social and political implications of becoming Karna’s wife are staggering.

What Kavita Kané does is take the best of Mahabharata’s heroes, rehashes their story just as we know it, and makes it insanely mundane to read by populating the book with annoyingly long, repetitive dialogues. I love it when novels focus more on action, dialogues, and not descriptions, and even though ‘Karna’s Wife’ is heavily dialogue based, the exchanges are blandly verbose. If a good editor had edited this book, it would’ve been cut down by a 100 pages, and then surely, it would’ve been a lot more readable.

Uruvi, the central character, is first introduced as a love-struck young woman, who is slightly charming and cute in the first few pages, but quickly becomes a whiny, privileged brat as the story progresses. Her romance with Karna feels fairly generic, and their conversations are dominated by clashes over Uruvi’s disapproval of his friendship with Duryodhana. Her interactions with Karna’s first wife and mother-in-law are barely explored, surprisingly thin for a story centered on “the wife”. And even the descriptions in the book are rarely to help readers visualize the surroundings, instead, they are long info dumps about what Uruvi might be thinking. Sample the following para:

“It wasn’t really in Uruvi’s nature to look down on people, but she often caught herself thinking the royal ladies were abominably dull, without any intellectual interests that made life so fulfilling. Most were smug about their wealth and status, but capable only of mediocre thoughts. Though they were mothers, their intellectual level remained unfailingly stupid. They read nothing that was worthwhile. They liked to talk more often about themselves or the latest piece of jewellery they had got for themselves. These pitiable women were devoured by petty jealousies and obsessed by pettier rivalries. They were malicious. Cushioned by wealth and power, they were pathetic in the smallness of their minds.”

Ironically, Uruvi’s own interest rarely extends beyond her husband, despite being described as a “healer”, a skill we hardly ever see in action. Essentially, this book is about Karna’s wife bitching about everyone else, particularly the Kauravas, while simmering with jealousy over Draupadi on the suspicion that Karna harbors feelings for the Pandavas’ wife, a theme already explored in countless other reimaginings of the Mahabharata.

There’s very little originality in ‘Karna’s Wife’. The only time the storytelling shines is when the author writes about material that is already considered canon in the world of the Mahabharata. I couldn’t get myself to read beyond 3–4 pages a day, until I reached the last few chapters. The last 20 percent was gritty and exciting, and that’s because it focuses on the 18-day Kurukshetra War between the Kauravas and Pandavas, not Uruvi.

If you’re looking for modern reimaginings of epic Indian tales, I’d recommend ‘The Mahabharata: A Modern Rendering’ by Ramesh Menon, an excellent retelling of the epic war (for 18+ readers), and ‘The Palace of Illusions’ by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, which is written from Draupadi’s perspective. Both of these books were five-star reads for me.

Rating for Karna’s Wife: 1 star on 5. The book is also on Kindle Unlimited.

Read Next: The Village of Eight Graves Review: Wickedly Rich (Audio Version Below)

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Published on August 29, 2025 03:38

‘Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari’ Teaser Is Big on Bollywood RomCom Vibes

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“Quick intro de deta hu, mera naam hai Sunny Sanskari…”

Bhai yeh kaisa naam hai? Chalo, thik hai…!

The 50 second teaser for ‘Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari’ opens with Varun Dhawan dressed as budget Bahubali, as he promises a ‘quick intro’, but only reveals his name. Meanwhile, Sonu Nigam’s familiar melodious voice croons the his 1999 song ‘Bijuria’ in the background. And that might be the best thing about the teaser!

The teaser doesn’t give away much clue as to what the story might be, but promises to be a wedding themed romantic comedy, packed with lots of songs, ‘heartbreakers’, and mayhem. Janhvi Kapoor plays Tulsi Kumari, while Sanya Malhotra, & Rohit Saraf play the secondary lead couple of ‘Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari’.

Directed by Shashank Khaitan (‘Dhadak’, ‘Ajeeb Daastaans’), produced by Hiroo Yash Johar, Karan Johar, Adar Poonawalla, Apoorva Mehta & Shashank Khaitan, one can see several glimpses of Karan Johan films in the teaser. The film is set to release on October 2.

Watch the teaser on YouTube, it’s also embedded below.

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Published on August 29, 2025 01:57

August 28, 2025

Dan Da Dan Season 2 Episode 9 Review: Epic Flashy Fights and House Repairs

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

It’s K.O. time in ‘Dan Da Dan’, with a leveled up Okarun ready to annihilate Evil Eye Yokai. Okay, well… the plan is to bring it under control and not wipe it out of existence, since Jiji wants to be the Yokai’s friend and all that. But still…!

Quick Recap of Dan Da Dan Season 2 Episode 8: Aira and Okarun take on the bizarre musical spirits haunting their school, a battle that helps Okarun find his rhythm and unlock a faster, stronger side of himself. Elsewhere, Bootuber priest Manjiro urges Granny Seiko and Jiji to exorcise Evil Eye, warning that the Yokai is far too dangerous to keep around. The episode closes with Okarun returning to Momo’s place, vowing to help Jiji protect Evil Eye, and challenging the Yokai to a fight.

Dan Da Dan Season 2 Episode 9

Titled “I Want to Rebuild the House”, this edition wastes no time diving straight into the thrilling battle between Turbo Okarun and Evil Eye. The color scheme switches to a dizzying neon red-blue-purple palette, with Dan Da Dan’s signature fight music playing in the background, while the animators deliver an epic face-off that’s over within a few minutes. All the while, kitty Turbo Granny quietly sits on Okarun’s shoulder, which is hilariously cute, since she’s usually screaming expletives at everybody.

Evil Eye Vs Okarun Dan Da Dan

The whole Evil Eye mess gets wrapped up not with brute force, but through some crafty scheming by Turbo Granny and Okarun. Does it make sense? Not really. Is it funny? Absolutely – and let’s be honest, no one’s watching this anime for logic anyway.

Like the title suggests, the rest of this ‘Dan Da Dan’ episode focuses on everyone helping Granny Seiko rebuild her house, which was destroyed by the Evil Eye Yokai. So even though everyone packs their bags to head back to their own homes, all the primary characters pitch in on the rebuilding effort. The chapter also delivers some funny, jealous interactions between Momo and Aira.

The last few minutes shift to some school drama, with Jiji going back to attending classes, but the threat of Evil Eye replacing him always looms, leading to a riotous school day. Rampaging demons, flashy fights, a weird new alien, heart-warming teamwork, friendly banter, romantic rivalry… there is a sprinkling of many elements in the chapter.

This was a bloody-fun episode, and the animators did a fantastic job with the ‘Evil Eye versus Turbo Okarun’ fight sequence. I wish it had been longer, but then it could’ve run the risk of becoming repetitive, so perhaps the length is perfectly timed.

Stream Dan Da Dan on Netflix or Crunchyroll.

Read Next: Lord of Mysteries Review: Beyonders & a ‘Beyond-My-Brain’ Pace (Audio Version Below)

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Published on August 28, 2025 12:18

My Girlfriend Is The Man! Episodes 11-12 Review: Happy Ever After, Kind Of

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Arrgh, okay, for the series finale of ‘My Girlfriend Is The Man!’, the writers serve us lukewarm tea, when they could’ve given us a rollercoaster ride packed with comedic highs and emotional lows. Everything is a little mid (Gen Z slang for average) in the closing leg, except for some really cutesy cozy moments between Ji-Eun (Arin) and Ji-Hoon (Yoon San-Ha) in the opening few minutes.

Recap of ‘My Girlfriend Is The Man! Episodes 9-10’

Ji-Hoon (Yoo Jung-hoo), Yun Jae, Min-Ju, Yu-Ri (Park Joo-won), and Min Hyeon (Hur Hyun-jun) take a short trip to visit Ji-Hoon’s grandfather on a picturesque fishing island. Throughout the day, Min-Ju keeps flirting with Yun Jae and even sneaks a kiss on his cheek. Instead of lashing out, Ji-Hoon admits that he may never turn back into Ji-Eun and suggests they break up. But in a twist, that very night Ji-Hoon does transform back into Ji-Eun, who immediately stakes her claim on Yun Jae and tells Min-Ju to back the hell off. The couple spends some happy moments on cute dates, while everybody else who doesn’t know about Ji-Eun’s gender-shifting secret starts to wonder where Ji-Hoon disappeared.

Meanwhile, the love triangle between Kim Ji-Hye (Choi Yoon-ra) and Jeong Ha (Jeon Soo-jin) fizzles out when the bespectacled Hong Yeong-seok (Kim Jong-hoon) rejects them both.

Back to Episodes 11-12 of ‘My Girlfriend Is The Man!’

Episode 11 of ‘My Girlfriend is the Man!’ opens with Ji-Eun getting cornered by her rival Min-Ju (Chhu), who finally pieces together that Ji-Eun and Ji-Hoon (Yoo Jung-hoo) might actually be the same person. Min-Ju lashes out, accusing Ji-Eun and Yun Jae of making a fool of her. And how does Ji-Eun respond? With an apology. To the same Min-Ju who spent the entire series scheming to steal her boyfriend. Seriously? Our girl deserved a biting comeback, not a lame “sorry.”

Leads of My Girlfriend Is The Man

The episode packs some serious drama, with Ji-Eun reverting back into Ji-Hoon and finally breaking up with Yun-Jae. But then comes an unnecessary twist: Yun-Jae’s mother discovers he’s dating Ji-Hoon and nearly has a heart attack. Aside from outing her as a homophobe, this subplot adds nothing, it’s not funny, not tragic, just out of place. Sure, it technically triggers the couple’s breakup, but the writing already had them drifting apart, especially once Min-Ju reveals that Yun-Jae has won a scholarship to study in the U.S.

Episode 12 of ‘My Girlfriend Is The Man’ is all about the post-breakup developments in the lives of the primary protagonists. While Yun-Jae is busy studying in the U.S. and avoiding the ever-flirty Min-Ju, Ji-Hoon, back home, is working hard for a writing competition and forging his career as a budding author. Writer best-friend Yu-Ri of course mentors Ji-Hoon, while secretly dating Min Hyeon. It’s kinda comedic how Yu-Ri tries to hide her romantic relationship for no reason at all. Yu-Ri and Min Hyeon’s romantic side story could’ve used more screen space than the triangle Kim Ji-Hye is entangled in.

Oh, and even though it looked like Ji-Hye’s “first love” story was over with Hong Yeong-seok, she continues to send him gifts and pursue him romantically. Even though I didn’t think this subplot was interesting, actor Choi Yoon-ra is endearing as Ji-Hye, especially when she is trying to cheer up Ji-Hoon as the elder sister. The playful sibling relationship between the sisters is a lot more fun to watch than her romantic troubles.

Arin and Sanha in My Girlfriend Is The Man

Anyway, after a very small time-skip, episode 12 of ‘My Girlfriend is the Man!’ serves a happy ending for the lead couple. The climactic moments are light-hearted and sweet, bringing the gender-bender chaos full circle at the café where Ji-Eun first met Yun Jae as Ji-Hoon. Although, you do feel like actor Yoo Jung-hoo, who was the standout star of this series, was robbed of a proper climactic closure.

Overall, ‘My Girlfriend Is the Man!’ is a silly, fluffy, one-time watch for K-drama fans, with a beautiful lead cast. Korean drama ‘A Good Day to be a Dog’, where the lady protagonist turns into a dog every night is another show you might enjoy, if you’re looking for silly comedic romances.

Watch ‘My Girlfriend Is The Man’ on Viki.

Read Next: Lord of Mysteries Review: Beyonders & a ‘Beyond-My-Brain’ Pace (Audio Version Below)

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Published on August 28, 2025 10:04

August 27, 2025

‘Mononoke Chapter II – The Ashes of Rage’ Ending Explained

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The enigmatic Medicine Seller returns in ‘Mononoke’ Chapter II, once again to the ornate chambers of the Ōoku, where politics, desire, and spirits intertwine. The film shifts its lens to the power struggles among the Shōgun’s concubines, each scheming for influence and a place in the ruler’s bed.

Court Politics and Lady Fuki’s Rise

With the former head of the Ōoku dead, Botan Otomo is appointed as her successor. To curb favoritism, Botan enforces a new rule: the Shōgun’s nightly visits will rotate among the women, ensuring no one monopolizes his attention. She justifies this by claiming it will improve the chances of producing a fertile heir.

A scene from Mononoke

The decision enrages Lady Fuki, a proud, ambitious beauty from a humble merchant background, who had been enjoying the Shōgun’s repeated summons. Her advantage is stripped away, but fortune soon smiles on her: she becomes pregnant. If she carries a son, he could be the next heir.

But palace intrigue is merciless. Influential courtiers, fearing Fuki’s rise, pressure the Ōoku’s doctor to administer an abortive medicine to Lady Fuki.

A Mononoke Awakens

Before the plot can unfold, terror strikes. A vengeful Mononoke manifests, killing its first victims in bursts of fire. The Medicine Seller, armed with his enchanted dragon blade, begins his investigation. If you remember, he needs to know the ‘truth’ about the spirits nature to be able to subdue it.

The spirit’s fiery nature leads him to the tale of Lady Suzu, a concubine from two decades past, who is known to some as the ‘ghost of the grand chamber’. Suzu had perished in a blaze while pregnant with the Shōgun’s child. At first, the Medicine Seller suspects she was murdered to prevent her child from inheriting the crown. Both he and Lady Fuki condemn the palace’s cruel system, where women deemed “unfit” to bear heirs are forced into abortions.

Also Read: Mononoke Movie Review: Mad, Mad, Visuals

The revelation is darker still. Lady Suzu was not killed; she chose to abort her pregnancy after being warned her child would destabilize the royal family, by her own father. However, she isn’t able to live with her action. Consumed by guilt and grief, she transformed into a Mononoke, a spirit of regret, endlessly bound to the Ōoku. Her violent haunting is not mere vengeance; it is also an attempt to protect Lady Fuki from suffering the same fate.

The Medicine Seller confronts Suzu’s Mononoke, unveiling the truth behind her torment. In the process, Lady Botan’s father, the mastermind behind Fuki’s intended abortion, is also killed.

In the end, the Medicine Seller exorcises Suzu’s anguished spirit, releasing her from regret. Lady Fuki, unlike Suzu, keeps her child, breaking free from the cycle of forced loss. The Ōoku survives, scarred but changed, while the Medicine Seller departs, his duty complete until the next Mononoke stirs.

Watch the ‘Mononoke’ movies on Netflix.

Read Next: Lord of Mysteries Review: Beyonders & a ‘Beyond-My-Brain’ Pace (Audio Version Below)

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Published on August 27, 2025 13:54

Friends of Sophia Review: Love, Sex, Robots

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

Sci-fi short film ‘Friends of Sophia’ kicks off with the arrest of a young woman for “propositioning robosexual conduct” with a humanoid AI, setting the tone for its core theme: forbidden love.

Written and directed by Alden Peters, the short film unfolds in a dystopian, war-torn future where millions of bots are built to fight on the front lines, while humans live under a rigid regime that outlaws nearly every vice, including romantic relationships between humans and androids.

Wesley Han stars as Conor, a young man secretly in love with his bot, Dosso (Vishaal Reddy). Their relationship breaks multiple rules, putting them at constant risk of imprisonment. Opposing them is Max (Nana Visitor of Star Trek fame), the ruthless head of the Vice Department, who leads an unrelenting crackdown on anyone who dares to defy the system.

At the heart of the story is “Friends of Sophia”, the code name for a rebel group that champions forbidden “vices” and offers safe spaces for humans who want to live freely. Conor and Dosso turn to this underground network for help, hoping to outwit the suffocating regime. The title itself carries deeper meaning, an allusion to “Friends of Dorothy,” a coded term rooted in America’s queer history.

Scene from Friends of Sophia

Despite the short runtime, Wesley Han and Vishaal Reddy quickly establish an easy onscreen chemistry as Conor and Dosso. At the same time, Nana Visitor delivers an intimidating turn as Max, her stern video messages plastered across this fictional world, warning humans against indulging in vices and urging them to report violators.

Except for a few fleeting seconds, where the green screen filter seems evident, the special effects are flashily good. The twenty-five-minute-long ‘Friends of Sophia’ is a neon-lit, fast-paced, entertaining short film, with a vivid atmospheric sci-fi mood. Had Alden Peters decided to animate the film, it would’ve perfectly fit into Netflix anthology ‘Love, Death, & Robots’, which I accidentally keep calling ‘Love, Sex, Robots’, and that would’ve been a perfect alternative title for this flick.

You can watch ‘Friends of Sophia’ on YouTube.

Read Next: Lord of Mysteries Review: Beyonders & a ‘Beyond-My-Brain’ Pace (Audio Version Below)

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Published on August 27, 2025 13:02

Budding Crisis Issue #5 Review: Boring End to Volume 1

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

I am not even going to rate this issue of ‘Budding Crisis’ by MK Reed, Jonathan Hill, and Allie Drake, because the plot-line continues to be random. Although, it is definitely the most boring edition of the comic-book series so far.

Titled ‘The Observer’, it follows two travelers, Drea and Cadeo, both carrying the magical Onamanthe seeds, which have become a rarity in the world. Cadeo is on a mission to deliver his seeds somewhere, and he doesn’t really trust Drea. Except for the fact that the first town they stay in is famed for talking animals, nothing interesting or fun happens.

Issue #5 is supposed to be the final chapter of ‘Budding Crisis’, so in that light, this was exceptionally bland. I could go on and ramble a little more about what happens, but really, I am not going to do that just to score some points with the algorithm (articles with larger word counts have better reach).

You should simply steer clear of this fantasy series, even though I’ve been pretty generous in my reviews of the previous issues. But if you still want to find out for yourself, ‘Budding Crisis’ is on Kindle Unlimited.

Read Next: The Village of Eight Graves Review: Wickedly Rich (Audio Version Below)

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Published on August 27, 2025 11:19

Burning God (The Poppy War #3) Review: War, Vengeance, and a Bloody Good End

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

‘The Burning God’ might be the best of the ‘Poppy War Trilogy’ by RF Kuang, who displays rare courage as an author and finally falls out of love with her protagonist. And I have hated Rin since the second-half of the first book in the series. She is an unbearable whiny genocidal megalomaniac. But RF Kuang is a fantastic storyteller and I re-calibrated my expectations at the very beginning of this book, telling myself: this is a villain’s story.

“She is a God, She is a Monster” – R.F. Kuang uses these very words, spoken by another character in ‘The Burning God’, to describe Rin. And a monster she is.

In case you don’t remember how ‘The Dragon Republic’ (The Poppy War #2) ended: Rin helps the Dragon Warlord Vaisra lead a grueling, drawn-out, blood-soaked but ultimately successful rebellion against the Empress in the north of Nikara, only to be thrown into prison. She is betrayed by Vaisra’s son Yin Nezha so that their allies, the Hesperians, can perform experiments on her to study her shamanic powers. Best friend Kitay, who has also become her anchor (after a ritual binds them and allows Rin to channel the Phoenix without losing her shit), rescues her by cutting off her hand. ‘The Burning God’ thus follows the duo’s mission to unite the south of Nikara to defeat Vaisra and Nezha.

This third book by RF Kuang suffers from the same flaws I complained about in the review for ‘The Dragon Republic’: a lack of character development for the supporting faces in the tale. Almost EVERYBODY in ‘The Burning God’ is more interesting than Rin, the one-dimensional protagonist, whose default setting is ‘I am so angry, I want to burn the world’. While her best-friend Kitay and master Jiang obviously have vastly better personalities… even Su Daji, the empress of Nikara, the evil shaman who betrays her best-friends to grab power, then sacrifices half her kingdom to hold on to power, is more captivating. Hell, even the bratty Nezha, who can control water, and is tortured by a dragon, emerges as a worthier rival.

That said, RF Kuang’s writing shines best in showing the ravages of war… the deaths, disease, despair, horrors that follow. In Book 2, Rin was largely incapacitated by Daji’s poison, unable to wield the fire, but ‘In The Burning God’, she gets a free rein, helping her conquer south of Nikara with relative ease. Some interesting new characters and war generals are introduced, the most intriguing being Yang Souji, a rebel leader in the South with expertise in guerilla warfare.

One of the best things in the third book was that the legendary ‘Trifecta’ (Su Daji, Jiang, and Riga) finally get their backstory. Again, they deserved a lot more space in the tale. The author hypes up the Trifecta incredibly, especially Riga, who was the Dragon emperor of Nikan, before Su Daji took over the reins, but their stories end on a frustratingly disappointing note. It’s like waiting to watch fireworks and then getting to see only a handful of floating lanterns.

Rin goes completely off her rocker towards the end ‘The Burning God’, which of course was expected, since shamans and insanity are supposed to go hand in hand. There’s lots of repetitive shit in the book, mostly about her wanting to incinerate everything. Kuang tries to redeem Rin a few times by making it seem like she might have a conscience, and those moments are laughable. Readers have to reconcile with the fact that Rin is a power-hungry, genocidal maniac. Any indication otherwise, is only pretense.

But well, despite all the frustrations you experience as a reader while reading ‘The Burning God’, R.F. Kuang sustains steady suspense and excitement until the end. Half of Nikara is burnt, starving, impoverished by the last few chapters, and Rin is faced with old foes, spies, and new betrayals. There are only a limited ways a war story like this can end, and luckily for me, it ended just how I wanted it to!

And that’s why, I am going with 4 stars on 5 for ‘The Burning God’.

Read Next: Lord of Mysteries Review: Beyonders & a ‘Beyond-My-Brain’ Pace (Audio Version Below)

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Published on August 27, 2025 03:01

August 26, 2025

Fall for Me Review: Sun, Sand, and Shady Scammers

⭐ ⭐

Rating: 2 out of 5.

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

Watching Netflix’s ‘Fall for Me’ a day after Prime Video’s ‘The Map That Leads to You’ might’ve worked in the former’s favor, because it certainly seemed more scenic than the English film. Both stories are about the lead lady protagonist falling for a hot guy on vacation, but the German film is a ‘thriller’, while the other is a dreamy romance.

Directed by Sherry Hormann, ‘Fall for Me’ stars Svenja Jung (‘Palace’/‘Empress’) as Lilli, an auditor visiting her little sister Valeria (Tijan Marei) in Mallorca, where she starts getting suspicious of Valeria’s boyfriend Manu (Victor Meutelet), who seems to good to be true. But before she can uncover anything damning, Lilli finds herself distracted by the handsome Tom (Theo Trebs), a club manager she meets during a night of dancing.

The central conflict is rooted in Valeria’s desire to sell their sprawling beachside property in order to fund a bed-and-breakfast venture with Manu. Lilli, however, resists letting go of the house for emotional reasons, all the while growing increasingly suspicious that her sister is throwing away her inheritance on a man she barely knows. Actors Svenja Jung and Tijan Marei have a cutesy sibling chemistry as sisters who share a love-hate relationship.

Scene from Fall for Me

The film even opens with a cold prologue in which Lilli states, “A good scammer knows exactly what you desire.” So it’s obvious from the start that Manu is a fraud, the only real question is how many others are complicit. But by revealing its hand so early, ‘Fall for Me’ weakens its suspense.

The first half remains engaging, although the romantic chemistry between Svenja Jung’s Lilli and Theo Trebs’s Tom is only about decent, despite generous steamy-explicit scenes featuring them. The story takes a nosedive the moment the script strips Lilli of basic common sense. The most glaring example? Lilli is an auditor by profession, yet she blindly accepts a property valuation from a surveyor recommended by a man she just met, without even seeking a second opinion. Really?

For a while, I thought “Fall for Me” might at least work as a cautionary tale about organized scammers targeting women. But of course, the climax chickens out, absolves one of the crooks, and trots out the old cliché that “some men can be saved.”

Rating: 4 on 10. Watch ‘Fall for Me’ on Netflix.

Read Next: Lord of Mysteries Review: Beyonders & a ‘Beyond-My-Brain’ Pace (Audio Version Below)

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Published on August 26, 2025 10:58

Sakamoto Days Episode 18 Review: Murder Films and More Mid-Air Mayhem

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‘Sakamoto Days’ is flying high, quite literally, since Shin and Taro are still onboard ‘Kill Airline‘, where a bloody carnage is unfolding as part of the first test for JCC Academy, the assassin school they’re trying to infiltrate.

Episode 17 had ended with Shin locking horns with masked germaphobe Mafuyu, the latter leading a no-holds barred attack, intent on killing off his opponents. Episode 18 however shifts attention to a new character. Titled ‘Kanaguri’, the chapter introduces legendary filmmaker Kanaguri, founder of ‘Murder Films’, who is also onboard the flight as a test administrator.

Kanaguri in Sakamoto Days

Instead of playing the role of an invigilator, Kanaguri records the mid-air mayhem and murders. The most fun detail of his character design is the long, flowing scarf he wears around his neck, which looks like a film roll. In keeping with Kanaguri’s character, the animation momentarily adopts a grainy texture as he records footage for his upcoming film.

Meanwhile, Shin continues to fight it out with clean-freak Mafuyu, and Sakomoto teaches the blue-haired Akira to wield a gun. Things keep getting progressively violent, especially in the second-half, where the test gets crazier than ‘students brutally killing each other’ on a flight.

Unlike the last few episodes of ‘Sakamoto Days’, where viewers got to see a little bit of what antagonist Slur or members of the ORDER were up to, this chapter sticks to the assassin school drama and deaths.

Overall, it’s a lively edition that mixes in comedy with a few flashbacks, offering more background on Akira. The new character is already in awe of Sakamoto, even though she still believes both him and Shin are just rookies like her.

Watch Sakamoto Days on Netflix.

Read Next: Lord of Mysteries Review: Beyonders & a ‘Beyond-My-Brain’ Pace (Audio Version Below)

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Published on August 26, 2025 04:54