Sneha Jaiswal's Blog, page 9

‘Our Bed Is Green’ Short Film Review

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Written and directed by Maggie Brennan, short animated film ‘Our Bed Is Green’ follows a lonely young woman called Cecily, seeking solace in virtual reality, even if the comfort it brings is far too fleeting.

The film opens with pulsing music and neon lights, as a girl dances with carefree energy. But it’s quickly revealed to be the protagonist Cecily scrolling through someone else’s social media video, captioned with the all-too-familiar line: “felt cute, might delete.” From there, Cecily visits a virtual reality facility where users can spend time with digitally crafted companions, avatars tailored to look like anyone they desire.

Cecily seems exhausted, lonely, and lays down with her digital companion for romantic comfort, it’s the same young woman from the video. The service allows her to live out her dreams, and the temporarily gratification she draws from it seems worth lying to her friends and delaying her real-life-plans.

The artwork in ‘Our Bed Is Green’ is colorful, it’s got a playful, retro touch to it, and reminded me of graphic novelist Daniel Clowes’ work, the creator of ‘Ghost World’, ‘Monica’, and ‘Patience’.

In the final moments, it’s revealed that Cecily personally knows the woman from the video, yet the film leaves it to the audience to speculate why she can’t pursue a relationship in real life. Is she closeted, was she rejected, or is the woman simply unavailable? The ambiguity is deliberate, and the answers remain anyone’s guess.

I am guessing the title ‘Our Bed Is Green’ is supposed to convey the idea that virtual reality can make ‘grass seem greener’ on our side too, since it allows users to achieve their desires. In under seven minutes, the short explores loneliness, queer longing, and fleeting escape found in virtual reality.

Watch ‘Our Bed Is Green’ on YouTube.

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The Red Envelope Review: As Hilarious As The Original

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

Down on his luck, police informant Menn (Billkin Putthipong Assaratanakul) picks up a red envelope from the ground, hoping it contains cash. Instead, he’s swarmed by a horde of grannies insisting he marry their dead grandson, Titi (PP Krit Amnuaydechkorn)! Menn refuses at first, but when more misfortune strikes, he reluctantly agrees to the ghost marriage, only to be haunted by Titi’s spirit. Together, the unlikely duo set out to discover what will finally let the flamboyant Titi rest in peace.

Directed by Moo Chayanop Boonprakob, ‘The Red Envelope’ (ซองแดงแต่งผี) is a remake of Taiwanese comedy ‘Marry My Dead Body’. The Thai version is 2-hour long and stays quite loyal to the original version, especially in terms of primary plot, comedy and themes.

‘The Red Envelope’ opens with a silly–steamy sequence of Menn attempting to seduce a suspected drug peddler at the gym, while police officers Goi (Arachaporn Pokinpakorn) and Matoom (Ballchon Tanawat Cheawaram) oversee the operation. The mission collapses in comic fashion, dashing Menn’s hopes of impressing his crush Goi and earning points toward becoming a cop. Instead, he ends up with a ghost husband, and a new case to crack, since Titi may have been murdered.

Billkin Putthipong Assaratanakul and PP Krit Amnuaydechkorn first won fans over with their undeniable chemistry in ‘I Told Sunset About You’, the coming-of-age romance. In ‘The Red Envelope’, the duo returns in a completely different register: hilarious as the “straight macho cop” paired with the “glam gay ghost,” bickering nonstop as they attempt to crack a case together. Make no mistake: this is a buddy comedy, not a RomCom, so adjust your expectations accordingly.

From competing with drag queens in a queer bar to squaring off against professional boxers in the ring, Menn embarks on a wild ride with Titi through the runtime. And in a (convenient) twist, the protagonists realize Titi’s murder is tied to the same drug ring Menn has been trying to expose.

While largely comedic in tone, ‘The Red Envelope’ also serves an emotional sub-plot about Titi’s fraught relationship with his father. The two have an ugly argument before Titi dies, stemming from a misunderstanding, so it’s only in death that he is able to understand his father’s ‘tough’ love.

‘The Red Envelope’ is pure fun, mixing ghostly shenanigans, clumsy cops, and scene-stealing grannies with a murder mystery and a sting of betrayal. As funny as the Taiwanese original, maybe even funnier, it thrives on the crackling comedic energy between Billkin Putthipong Assaratanakul and PP Krit Amnuaydechkorn. Billkin, in-fact, steals the show whenever Menn gets possessed by Titi, flipping into “Queen mode” with razor-sharp sass that will leave audiences in stitches.

Watch ‘The Red Envelope’ on Netflix.

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Pop Monsters Review: 4 Mean Girls and a Pool Day Gone Wrong

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Short horror film ‘Pop Monsters’ opens with a bright, summery scene: a young woman lounging by the pool with a Popsicle while a friend paints her nails. At first glance, it feels like the beginning of a breezy teen spring-break movie, but the tone quickly shifts. The story instead follows a spoiled rich girl who shamelessly pits her best friends against each other for a coveted VIP ticket to a major pop concert. What starts as petty rivalry soon escalates into disturbingly intense power games.

Written and directed by Megan Brooks, ‘Pop Monsters’ runs just over 13 minutes, with Yasmin Fletcher playing Charlotte, the manipulative “queen bee” orchestrating the cruel contest. Her friends, portrayed by Avantika, Ally Ioannides, and Laurel Marsden, are drawn into the game, though one walks out early, unwilling to stoop to Charlotte’s schemes. The other two, however, dive headfirst into the competition, determined to win regardless of how twisted their friend’s challenges become. It’s a little like ‘Mean Girls’ for the horror genre, without the high school frills or ‘boy problems’.

The cinematography is visually engaging, capturing the glossy poolside world with bright colors, though the final act veers into a bit of chaotic frenzy. Some of Charlotte’s tests, like an old-school dance-off, feel lighthearted, but others spiral into darker territory. The gradual shift from sunny daylight to shadowy night mirrors the escalation perfectly, with the narrative sliding from playful to sinister before erupting into violence.

What begins as a story of pretty girls enjoying a carefree afternoon, marveling over butterflies and sipping Popsicles, slowly mutates, as the title suggests, into the rise of ‘Pop Monsters‘. Consumed by greed and desire, the friends are willing to go to absurd lengths for the chance to get closer to their favorite pop idol (a VIP ticket usually includes ‘meet and greet’). Greed, after all, has always been one of the oldest and ugliest villains.

The climactic moments throw in a larger-than-life, almost fantastical twist. While not strictly necessary, this flourish injects an extra jolt of spectacle, leaving the short film with a strangely heightened finale, one that might divide viewers, but undeniably adds zing to the tale.

You can watch ‘Pop Monsters’ on YouTube.

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Sakamoto Days Episode 17 Review: Delivers In-Flight Food, Carnage

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Ah, after that ‘Slice, Slice, Dance’ episode, ‘Sakamoto Days’ delivers yet another blood-laden edition, even though the bodies and gore is not at the same scale at Slur’s brutal massacre of the JAA HQ in Tokyo with Gaku by his side.

Titled ‘Have a Nice Flight’, episode 17 episode 17 shifts focus to Sakamoto’s plan to infiltrate his alma mater and gather intel on his foes, dragging Shin along for the undercover mission. The two board a flight to the assassin school, with the journey quickly turning into a deadly test for the students. The airplane, hilariously enough, is labeled “Kill Airlines.”

The episode, however, opens with Osaragi and Shishiba, members of the ORDER, surveying the damage at JAA HQ. It’s a brief scene that establishes the havoc Slur and Gaku unleashed on the organization, even though they failed to seize full control. Meanwhile, Slur regroups with his team to plot their next move, shocked that old man Takamura managed to foil what was supposed to be an easy mission to annihilate the JAA.

It’s amusing that Takamura, despite his frail appearance, stands out as the most mysterious and powerful figure in ‘Sakamoto Days’. Even the deviously cocky Slur instantly backed off upon seeing him, dubbing him the “ghost of JAA.” Though viewers get only fleeting glimpses into his character, the intrigue around Takamura leaves one excited to see how he fits into the bigger picture.

The second half of “Have a Nice Flight” introduces a slew of new characters aboard the Kill Airline. While most passengers are tense about the assassin exam, Sakamoto and Shin are hilariously preoccupied with devouring the in-flight food. While many of the new faces are likely just cameos, two young assassins seem poised to become recurring characters in ‘Sakamoto Days’, one of them a blue-haired girl who feels like a comical blend of Shin and Lu.

This chapter sees Shin sharpening his skills in battle, while the closing minutes descend into pure, no-holds-barred mayhem in the skies. Overall, this is a entertaining edition, which mixed comedy with carnage.

Watch Sakamoto Days on Netflix.

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Gachiakuta Episodes 5-6 Review: Cleaners vs. Raiders

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Based on the manga series written and illustrated by Kei Urana, ‘Gachiakuta’ (ガチアクタ) follows young protagonist Rudo’s (voiced by Aoi Ichikawa) quest for revenge, after he is falsely implicated for the murder of his beloved adoptive father Regto, and thrown to his death in ‘the pit’, a massive dumpsite below the city. However, Rudo survives the fall, finding himself in a ghastly world laden with trash heaps, monsters, and strange groups of people.

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Now that Rudo has gained his first on-the-job experience as a trainee with the Cleaners, fighting trash monsters alongside Riyo and her support crew, it’s time to party!

Titled Raiders, Episode 5 of Gachiakuta opens with a raucous party thrown in Rudo’s honor for joining the Cleaners, though as Enjin puts it, it’s really just an excuse for everyone to get drunk. Everyone is having a good time except Rudo himself, who sulks in the corner, frustrated that he wasn’t able to fully channel his powers during the battle. But there’s little time to mope, he’s quickly dispatched on another mission when the Cleaners are called to fight monsters and rescue a Sphereite.

The spotlight in Chapter 5 shifts to Zanka, the flamboyant, blue-eyed Cleaner who also happens to be Rudo’s assigned trainer. Still irritated by their disastrous first meeting, Zanka has no interest in mentoring the rookie, but as the title suggests, their mission is soon complicated by a run-in with a band of devious Raiders, making things far more dangerous than expected.

Episode 6, ‘One Good Strike‘, continues the clash between the Cleaners and the Raiders while formally introducing a new antagonist with his sights set on Rudo. He’s after him not only because Rudo is a rare Sphereite but also because he’s a Giver. The episode includes a poignant flashback of young Rudo and his foster father, Regto, highlighting Rudo’s deep sentimental attachment to discarded objects, explaining why he can wield more than one item as a “vital instrument.”

Together, Episodes 5 and 6 of ‘Gachiakuta’ deliver both violent face-offs and emotional depth. The introduction of new Raiders injects fresh conflict, while the exploration of Rudo’s past adds heart to the chaos. The climax of Episode 6 features a darkly amusing, violent showdown between Rudo and a powerful Raider. Admittedly, the battle leans a little too heavy on dialogue, more words and fewer punches, but it’s still entertaining, thanks to fantastical powers, flashy visuals, and an excellent soundtrack.

Watch Gachiakuta on Crunchyroll.

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What A Way to Go Book Review: Rich, Dead, and Detestable

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

A super-rich man dies at his outrageously lavish birthday party, impaled by a piece of party décor. But was it an accident, suicide, or murder? ‘What A Way to Go’ by Bella Mackie is a murder mystery that straddles both life and the afterlife, as billionaire Anthony Wistern wakes up in a bureaucratic facility for the newly dead. To ascend to his “forever after” stage, he must remember how he died, but all he recalls is having a bloody good time and doing drugs before dinner.

Bella Mackie tells ‘What A Way to Go’ through shifting POVs, mainly Anthony Wistern, his wife Olivia, and a nosy true-crime junkie known only as “The Sleuth,” who takes it upon themselves to crack Anthony’s murder. For nearly a hundred pages, I pictured the Sleuth as a young man, which shouldn’t matter, but it make me imagine some encounters in a very different light. Regardless of the gender, the character is a bit of a nutter.

While the cops immediately declare Anthony’s death an ‘accident’, the sleuth and a few others think otherwise. The suspect list is long: his wife Olivia, his mistress Lainey, a disgruntled business partner, and several bitter rivals who had reason to want him gone. Then there are the Wistern children, three daughters and a son, each one vile, selfish, and happily living off daddy’s fortune, making them just as likely culprits. Like many murder mysteries, Olivia, the wife, emerges as the prime suspect, though she seems furious at the fact that he “ruined” the lavish party she had so carefully planned, stealing the spotlight in death. So to the reader, it doesn’t sound like she could’ve finished him off.

The Sleuth’s POV is both annoying and slightly entertaining, as it’s clear she’s a total amateur relying only on her “gut feeling” about who might have killed Anthony. She even starts to vlog and live-stream her “investigation,” gradually gaining a steady following for her channel and conspiracy theories. The Sleuth embodies the ever-growing community of true-crime enthusiasts who believe they can take it upon themselves to solve murders.

‘What A Way to Go’ is one of those novels where practically nobody is likable, not even the investigator (the sleuth). Or at least I couldn’t care much about anybody, least of all Anthony himself, who is such a huge prick, his POV shouldn’t have gotten the kind of space the author gives him. The only thing truly interesting in the novel is how Anthony is forced to figure out how he died in the afterlife. This supernatural element reminded me of ‘The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida‘ by Shehan Karunatilaka, which follows a journalist’s ghost investigating his own murder case after he gets stuck in a similar afterlife facility.

The afterlife facility in ‘What A Way to Go’ becomes a humbling experience for Anthony, where for the first time his wealth is worthless and he’s forced to play by the rules. Detestable as he is, there’s a certain satisfaction in watching him flail after death, trapped in what feels like a dreary boarding school for the dead. Here, residents can only progress once they piece together how they died, a process meant to grant closure before being shipped off to their forever-after. Unfortunately, Anthony cannot remember a thing, and constantly makes the wrong guess as to who killed him, which makes for a comical element in the tale.

While not ‘unputdownable’, ‘What A Way to Go’ ties its mystery together with a sensible, satisfying revelation about Anthony’s death, finally putting to the mystery to rest under comical circumstances. I didn’t feel cheated as a reader, like ‘Everyone in my Family Has Killed Someone’, which is a very entertaining mystery told through the POV of a crime writer, but ends with a vibe-killing reveal.

Rating: 3 on 5 stars.

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‘The Summer Hikaru Died’ Episode 7 Review: As Tense as a Climactic Chapter

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

“Sometime, somehow, winter melts into spring. That night sky will become dawn tomorrow. Pour all your wishes onto a flock of clouds. And send it away to an unknown future. Without a sound… keep dreaming that dream. And secretly… keep seeking what you seek…”

There are five more episodes left in ‘The Summer Hikaru Died’, yet episode 7 feels like an emotionally charged climax. It features a beautiful choir performance by Yoshiki’s class, while he skips school with Hikaru, clearly intending it as a final goodbye. You’re not sure what his plan is, but the moment he suggests they skip school together, there’s a sense of foreboding, a premonition that he wants to bid farewell to the entity pretending to be his best friend.

Quick Recap of ‘The Summer Hikaru Died’ Episode 6: Hikaru invites a few classmates over for a sleepover, Yoshiki among them. Things take a dark turn when he steps out with Asako to buy something, and she voices doubts about his identity. Flashbacks show Asako’s sensitivity to the supernatural, so she voices her suspicion that Hikaru returned from the mountains changed.

Fearing its secret might be exposed, the entity tries to kill her, only to be stopped just in time by Yoshiki, who had followed them. Asako faints and later apologizes for asking a “weird” question, unaware that her instincts were right or that she could’ve been dead. Yoshiki, however, begins to grasp the full danger of the entity, especially after it casually admits it sees little difference between the living and the dead.

Back to Episode 7 of ‘The Summer Hikaru Died’

This edition was such an emotional punch to the gut! It starts off with Hikaru drowning in anxiety over Yoshiki hating him for what he tried to pull with Asako. The entity realizes it cannot grasp the value of human life, but also understands that Yoshiki might be upset with its lack of empathy. However, Yoshiki turns outside his house as usual before school and then suggests they play hooky.

I wish I could write a longer critique about the animation style of ‘The Summer Hikaru Died‘, but I find myself so emotionally absorbed in the protagonists’ psychological struggles that I rarely notice the artistic details. That said, the visuals are engaging enough to complement the intensity of the plot and its eerie supernatural atmosphere.

What stood out most in episode 7 was the class song sung at school, a nostalgic piece, intercut with Yoshiki’s day out with Hikaru. The two catch a train to watch a movie, spend the day together, and later return to Yoshiki’s home, where an unsettling confrontation unfolds between the two of them. “Confrontation” isn’t quite the right word, but I’ll leave it at that to avoid spoilers for anyone reading before watching the episode.

From sunlit summer moments that capture carefree youth, like Hikaru and Yoshiki riding the train, to the shadow of their darker encounters, this chapter of ‘The Summer Hikaru Died’ carries the weight of a climactic finale. Each time I watch this anime, I find myself thinking, “I hope this show never ends,” because its world-building is that gripping. Rather than growing repetitive or overbearing, Yoshiki’s grief over the absence of the “real” Hikaru only deepens, keeping the story profoundly moving. On the other hand, his growing bond with the entity (I feel like maybe it should be referred to as ‘Hikaru E’ or something?) only complicates things further.

Watch ‘The Summer Hikaru Died’ on Netflix.

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‘Momo Deal’ Short Film Review: Closure, Lightly Steamed

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Would you come back to haunt your best friend over a plate of momos? In the short film ‘Momo Deal’, Mahima does exactly that. As a ghost, she wants to devour one last plate of her favorite momos with BFF Naman, except he isn’t too keen on honoring her whim, even if she is a spirit now.

Directed by Dheeraj Jindal and written by Palak Shah, ‘Momo Deal’ is a quirky fare, opening with a paradoxical comedic start: Anushka Kaushik who plays Mahima, a dead young woman, expresses a few wishes for her funeral, none of which are followed by her family. Worst of all, her best-friend Naman (Akashdeep Arora) won’t even shed a single tear for her. So she is back to haunt him!

Set against the streets of Jaipur, ‘Momo Deal’ unfolds as a supernatural tale about friendship, loss, and letting go. But instead of being spooky, the 13-minute short delivers a breezy reunion, where two friends meet under unusual circumstances, 13 days after Mahima’s death, for one final conversation and a chance at closure. Their banter is a blend of comedy, drama, and the casual randomness of two old friends catching up. That said, Naman’s whimpered scream at first seeing her ghost feels underplayed, one loud scream could’ve landed a bigger comic payoff.

Actors Anushka Kaushik and Akashdeep Arora bring to life the classic introvert–extrovert pairing as Mahima and Naman. Mahima is boisterous, mischievous, energetic, expressive, slightly reminiscent of ‘Geet’ from ‘Jab We Met‘ (a film the short cheekily alludes to). Naman, meanwhile, is her quiet foil: introverted, brooding, and the sorts who bottle up their feelings. So, it’s fun to watch Mahima’s ghost boss Naman around, nudging him to spill what’s on his mind while their chat drifts from neighborhood gossip to personal regrets.

Just when it seems ‘Momo Deal’ might slip into predictable sentimentality about death, it swerves with a cheeky twist involving ghostly antics. In under 14 minutes, it turns grief into something unexpectedly lighthearted, leaving viewers with a smile.

Watch ‘Momo Deal’ on YouTube.

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Wednesday Season 2 Part 1 Review: Gothic, Fantastical, and Still Biting

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

Teen psychic Wednesday Addams (Jenna Ortega) is back for another school term at Nevermore, the Hogwarts equivalent for magical ‘outcasts’. This time around, her younger brother Pugsley (Isaac Ordonez), who loves blowing things up, is joining too. So it’s twice the macabre mayhem at school.

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Directed by Tim Burton, ‘Wednesday‘ Season 2 Part 1 spans just four episodes, but once again offers fans the best of both worlds: teen fantasy and gothic horror. The season opens with Wednesday spending her summer vacation digging into a cold case, tracking a serial killer, and delivering justice, her way. Back at Nevermore, she returns as the school’s celebrated savior (to her utter disgust), and attracts an unsettling new stalker. Fresh murders in town and a disturbing vision of best-friend Enid Sinclair (Emma Myers) in mortal danger pulls Wednesday straight back into sleuth mode, with Thing (Victor Dorobantu) as her assistant.

A whole bunch of new exciting characters are added to the Wednesday universe for season 2, including new Principal Barry Dort (Steve Buscemi), new music teacher Isadora Capri (Billie Piper), Dr Fairburn (Thandiwe Newton) who looks after inmates at the Willow Hill Psychiatric Hospital, and Joanna Lumley as Wednesday’s grandmama. However, the standout new cast member is teen actor Evie Templeton as Agnes Demille, a new student who leads the Wednesday fan club at school.

Luis Guzmán and Catherine Zeta-Jones reprise their roles as Gomez and Morticia Addams, with much more screen time in Season 2. Principal Barry invites Morticia to chair a charity gala for Nevermore and asks the couple to stay on campus, putting a spotlight on Wednesday’s strained relationship with her mother. The two frequently clash over how Wednesday uses her psychic abilities.

While I wasn’t entirely convinced by Guzmán and Zeta-Jones as the iconic Addams couple in Season 1, this time they won me over with their wonderfully offbeat chemistry, bringing back fond memories of the animated series I loved as a kid. Fred Armisen too is fantastic as Uncle Fester, who returns to Nevermore to help out his favorite niece in her latest investigation.

While the first episode of ‘Wednesday’ Season 2 Part 1 was slightly slow, I started enjoying it so much more because Tim Burton introduces one of my favorite horror elements in the story: an unhinged zombie! The special-effects for the zombie are over the top, but it’s a nice macabre edition to the story, causing quite a few gruesome deaths in just these four episodes.

As ‘Wednesday‘, Jenna Ortega once again steals the show, her teen gothic charm as sharp as ever. She’s so convincing as the stoic, death-obsessed heroine that one of the season’s funniest moments is her breaking into a sly smile after a minor psychological triumph over her mother.

While some viewers online complain that Jenna appears “too perfect” or “airbrushed” in the show, but I couldn’t care less, this is gothic horror fantasy, where realism isn’t the point. If anything, I’m impressed by how convincingly childlike she appears in certain moments, reminding us that the character is still just a teenager.

Friendship, family, and supernatural mayhem are the main themes in this season, with Wednesday’s need to protect Enid from a grisly death serving as the driving force in the tale. A lot of clues point Wednesday to the Willow Hill Psychiatric Hospital, where several dangerous ‘outcasts’ are patients.

Fans will be happy to see familiar monsters, including Hunter Doohan as Tyler Galphin, kept imprisoned in the psychiatric facility. However, there’s a new mysterious shadowy antagonist in the tale, someone whose identity is kept under wraps until an unexpected reveal in episode 4.

From lavish camping trips to grisly deaths, murderous crows, electric shock therapy, psychological duels, and sword fights, Wednesday Season 2 Part 1 dials up the gothic violence. The soundtrack soars, with a standout scene where the new music teacher delivers a haunting piano rendition of “Zombie” by The Cranberries, underscoring bloody chaos in intercut sequences.

If you loved season 1 of ‘Wednesday’ and its world-building, do not miss out on season 2.

Watch ‘Wednesday’ on Netflix.

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My Girlfriend Is The Man! Episodes 7-8 Review: Neighborly Nightmare

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Romantic jealousies, rivalries, and comedic chaos peak in the latest chapters of ‘My Girlfriend Is The Man‘. Protagonist Ji-Eun (Arin) remains stuck in her male form as the dashing Ji-Hoon (Yoo Jung-hoo), all while worrying about boyfriend Yun Jae (Yoon San-Ha) as his cute junior Min-Ju (Chuu) relentlessly pursues him. Min-Ju even resorts to donning a fake wig and new clothes to mimic Ji-Eun, hoping to confuse, charm, and steal Yun Jae away. To top it off, Min-Ju and Ji-Hoon are now neighbors!

Recap of My Girlfriend Is The Man! Episodes 5-6:

Ji-Hoon grows increasingly insecure over Min-Ju’s relentless flirting with Yun Jae, while Yu-Ri steals the spotlight with her confused, hopeless crush on Ji-Hoon, despite knowing he’s really her best friend Ji-Eun in temporary male form. Her romantic panic only intensifies when Ji-Hoon, now going viral as the “mystery doe-eyed” campus heartthrob, agrees to pose as her fake boyfriend to deflect attention from both gossiping peers and his sudden online fame.

Meanwhile, Yun Jae becomes more relaxed around Ji-Hoon, their buddy chemistry taking center stage, while Min Hyeok develops a mild (and funny) interest in Yu-Ri, still calling her “Yu Ri 4.” Min-Ju, however, remains the show’s most shameless schemer, persistently chasing Yun Jae despite his repeated reminders that he’s taken. The episode ends with Min-ju arriving to move into the same building as Ji-Hoon.

Episodes 7-8 of ‘My Girlfriend is the Man’

Comically titled ‘Sleeping With the Enemy‘ Part 1 & 2, these new chapters focus on an increasingly jealous Ji-Hoon as Min-Ju moves in next door. She, of course, asks Yun Jae for help, and Ji-Hoon agrees to assist as well, unwilling to leave his boyfriend alone with a rival. After all, he can’t exactly reveal that he’s actually Yun Jae’s girlfriend, Ji-Eun, magically transformed into a man by a family curse.

Episode 7 of ‘My Girlfriend is the Man’ leans heavily on Ji-Hoon’s comedic run-ins with Min-Ju, whose slight character growth makes her far less irritating than in previous installments. Still oblivious to Ji-Hoon’s true identity, she even lends him a hand with an offbeat part-time job, no small gesture, considering he’s been struggling to find work without identity papers. Which is why Yun Jae gets him to be his sister Yun A’s (Lee So Won) sister.

Some surprisingly emotional revelations are made about the generational curse plaguing Ji-Eun/Ji-Hoon’s family in Episode 8 of ‘My Girlfriend is the Man’ through a new family member. The twist promises to shake up the central romance, even though Yun Jae has grown more accepting of Ji-Eun’s transformation into a handsome man. He even invites Ji-Hoon over for a cozy movie date at home, one that hilariously goes south. Arin only appears as Ji-Eun in fleeting flashbacks and dream sequence in these chapters.

I’m still not sold on the subplot involving Ji-Eun’s sister, Kim Ji Hye (Choi Yoon Ra), who unexpectedly reconnects with her high school crush, Hong Yeong Seok (Kim Jong Hoon). The coincidence of Yeong Seok also being the man Yun Jae sets up on a blind date with his café owner, Jeong Ha (Jeon Soo Jin), feels far too contrived. And in an even more forced twist, Jeong Ha ends up as a client at the matchmaking agency where Ji Hye works, her profile handled by none other than Ji Hye herself.

I’ll admit, Jeon Soo Jin’s portrayal of the cool, wealthy, and confident Jeong Ha is starting to grow on me. She felt like such a random addition to ‘My Girlfriend is the Man’ at first, but her attitude and fondness for the nerdy Yeong Seok are genuinely amusing. That said, the show really didn’t need two love triangles, one with the main trio and now another involving Jeong Ha, Ji Hye, and Yeong Seok, even though the studious Yeong Seok remains completely clueless that two women are in love with him.

Episodes 7 & 8 are arguably the most entertaining editions of the show, packing in some big ‘laugh out loud’ moments, including a ridiculous cat-fight between Ji-Hoon and Min-Ju. It will be interesting to see if Yun Jae will be able to put their bitter rivalry to an end.

Watch ‘My Girlfriend Is The Man’ on Viki.

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