completed《2025》

The Japanese version of Nevertheless tells the story more in the male lead’s point-of-view, so character growth and understanding are very much present. Aesthetic-wise, absolutely poetic. It heavily relies on mood and symbolism (particularly butterflies and art) and their monologues give that emphasis on emotional depth and quiet introspection. The drama should have been longer, though.

Intensely fun and sexy while it lasted. Unfortunately, turned into Jumanji-style levels of WTF-ery at the end.

A Place Called Silence is about a mother and her mute daughter getting involved in the disappearances of four female students. It deals with school violence, domestic violence, and sexual assault. Just like its title, the core of the film shows how every character is a witness to these abuses but chose to remain silent.

This is a haunting and brutal tale of bystander effect, a father’s love, and a mother’s protection.

watched as《daddy’s kisses? no thanks!》on shortmax

finished 01/20

watched as《shine for the departed》on shortmax

finished 1/26

A dark sexy romance with an obsessive male lead. It was bad, redundant, and infuriating even—but it’s a dark sexy romance. Do I need more explanation?

second chance project: continued 02/05, episodes 22–24

A dark social commentary underneath the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry—with a 10 year old revenge in the making.

A smart, popular, but unmotivated high school student discovers his passion for arts, finding emotional fulfillment in his seemingly dull life.

Blue Period tackles a lot of themes: starting art later in life (and comparing one’s progress to others), pursuing passion over practicality, expressing one’s self, and proving that hard work is just as valuable as talent. This story is definitely for the artists, for those who love arts, or for those who are going through their own blue period in life.

watched as 《trapped in deadly love》

finished 04/09

A sweeter, softer, and more straightforward adaptation of Master Devil Do Not Kiss Me.

City of Romance tells the story of a girl who lies a lot and a guy who hates lies. What sets it apart from other college-setting romantic dramas is how the female lead is such a complex and flawed character with self-image and self-esteem issues. Her compulsive lying is honestly a difficult watch but the story becomes more compelling when you realize that it’s her own way of protecting herself after years of verbal and physical bullying—that she’s lying for self-preservation.

Since the recurring theme is lying and the moral tension it creates (especially if the other person hates lies), the romance is all about their quiet and intimate moments of growing, learning to trust, and being honest with each other. To quote her father, what matters the most is how partners communicate, understand, and accept each other in a relationship—and they did.

City of Romance isn’t simply their love story, it’s also about her healing and journey towards self-love.

04/24

A beautiful and heartwarming (but sometimes, bittersweet) story of youth, family, and friendships.

Always Home is a realistic coming-of-age drama that captures the emotional turbulence of growing up. It's realistic in the sense that not every character achieves greatness in a cinematic, triumphant way. Instead, it focuses on the grace of acceptance: of one's limitations (or rather, one's ordinariness), and of life's unpredictability. Not everyone ends up where they thought they would be and that's fine. Some dreams are let go, some friendships drift apart, some loves are unreturned, and some passions are redirected.

The story of loss isn't also romanticized. The grief of losing a parent, having a disability, and getting an illness—these moments are treated with honesty and respect and not merely as dramatic plot devices. It shows the aftermath: the silence, the detachment, and the slow healing. It's heartbreaking and unfortunately, the natural cycle of life.

Fortunately, the characters are lovely and grounded with a solid support system, making this an easy and comforting watch. No matter how much things change, they will always have a home to come back to.

Our Youth captures the way trauma lingers and how the simplest acts of kindness create the biggest ripples: finding each other, discovering one's self, and healing from scars of abuse. It's all kinds of beautiful and heartbreaking.

It’s technically a happy ending, but that harsh hit of realism hurt so bad.

rewatch 07/04 

+ re-rated from 8.0 to 8.5

rewatch 09/07 

in preparation for Kingdom 4

A seemingly unnecessary season, yet one that is very much welcomed.

Alice in Borderland Season 3 delivers exactly what made the first two seasons so compelling: its solid, cohesive, and consistent storytelling. Unlike many shows that lose steam after multiple seasons, this series knows how to start with a bang and end with an even bigger one.

I personally find it hard to review later seasons without giving away spoilers since the groundwork has already been set. What comes now are the new little details that expand that world—and Season 3 does that. I especially liked the visualization of how time moves differently in the real world compared to the Borderlands, the reminder that Citizens are still present and just as easily eliminated as in Season 2, and the portrayal of survivors carrying trauma (e.g. obsession with the afterlife) and slowly finding ways to heal (e.g. seeking professional help).

Alice in Borderland isn’t simply about outlasting in the games, it’s about choosing to survive with purpose; not only for one’s self, but also for the people they love and want to live for.