Blkittykat

The show that proves lazy summers are not what they're made out to be

If this is what a summer romance is.. please don't sign me up because I do not think I will like it.
On paper, the setup for That Summer is limitless because where do you actually go with a prince who washed up ashore?

The rest of the story is kind of preposterous though because from the very beginning, they're doing this setup to try and con you into believing this island is a small spec in the larger scheme of things because we have a ton to cover! Darwin's a prince who's lost all his memories and he's been rescued by Lava, who seems to have lost all his manners, Tum whose entire identity seems to revolve around SNS and smoking.. stuff, and Kratae whose entire identity seems reduced to being Tum's crush.
But of course, we also have Peng and Dr. Wut, who have one of the better written plotlines in the series, revolving around the secrecy of their relationship and how it affects them and all the other people around them it shouldn't really affect, because the universe believes in balance and sometimes chooses to give us something comforting before absolutely pulling out the rug from under us.

This has obviously got a lot going on and should be enough to cover ten episodes generously. I'm also partial to a good beach setting and tend to accommodate a solid five minutes every episode just for the ocean cinematography because what is a summer romance without the beaches and blatant disregard of other people's romantic lives as the leads run in slow motion across them?
Clearly the universe and the writers hate us all because we got a whole lot of squat. I should have known better because why did I expect a series called "That Summer" to be about anything else? Lava says about fifty times that this is anything but a summer romance but come on.. this was either the world's worst tourism advert because not once did they mention the name of the island they're on or it's the world's most mediocre summer romance because other than the beach and the rushed romantic relationship, they didn't get much else right.

It's one thing to keep saying it's not a summer love story, but I draw the line at mediocre summer romance!! My lines are as stable as ones drawn on sand, but they're probably better than the writing of this series. Which is incredibly solid by the way! It did not move an inch for ten episodes. We started out the series as we ended it - take from that what you will but I'll give you a hint - the biggest plot point happened twice but created no impact whatsoever. The story was at a complete standstill for most of the ten episodes, all the characters spent them having the same conversations, the same arguments, just rinse and repeat.

The characters themselves were no gems, all of them had maybe one personality trait and a single facet of depth each. What you see is what you get. I genuinely do not think I cared about any of them at the end of thing because I refuse to believe that three months of the exact same conversations gets you nowhere. That amount of lacked communication when all they do is talk should be criminal.

No surprises, the relationships were equally bad. Before we know it, all the couples are dating and that's it. Slow burn romances.. still need to burn. These ones were like a bonfire that got doused in the rain. It was all just so.. meh. When your leads lack personality, so does their relationship and turns out I have a limit for the amount of beach shots I can tolerate. I was annoyed and bored because even the usual chemistry I expect from Winny and Satang decided to go on vacation at the island's beaches.

Through it all I just kept hoping they would reference the lost prince, just once, but no. They truly took to life on the island and said buh bye to his whole actual life like it was some side quest. Even towards the end, where usually the focus would shift to an actual story, they refused to let go of that island because again, this was a poorly executed tourism advert and the writers have some vengeance against a plot. The shift only came in the last episode (shocker), and when it did, it couldn't have made less sense because the plot twist they pulled in the penultimate episode basically sent the story and the love story back to square one, like a sandcastle in all it's glory - you know it's going to be ruined by the waves or some bratty kid (or adult) at some point, so you're just waiting for the when.

The second build-up was obviously worse than the first because it happened in the span of two episodes and if the first relationship arc was barely believable, you know I'm not in the market to buy the second one. We get a time jump, a rushed reconciliation to conflicts introduced in episode one and forgotten until now (because this IS a summer romance) and a really shallow attempt at creating chemistry, a relationship and ever after.. because Darwin is a prince after all.

That Summer is truly a great show - for sleepy time because I cannot count the amount of times I almost fell asleep watching it. Winny and Satang deserved a script better than this, and we deserved something much better from all of them. I am truly disappointed because unfortunately the only thing I'll carry forward on a positive note from this series will be the title track because Winny can sing. Otherwise, let's let THAT SUMMER be the LAST SUMMER.

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Definitely sponsored by the Japan National Tourism Organization

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh...........
How did I not see this coming, and why did I not steer clear..
Another eight episodes spent watching them travel around Japan, seeing places, eating food and making out, once again, unnecessarily.

This one is somehow worse than season 1, solely because of the fact that someone watched the first season and went, "You know what? What this needs is a sequel!"
It did not need a sequel.

To be fair though, I did learn about some interesting places in Japan through it, so I can't really say it didn't serve it's purpose, but creating a series for tourism sake is just not an appealing concept to me. If this were a direct tourism ad, I would definitely feel differently, but all the camouflage they attempted couldn't help detach the story from the tourism and I was just not a fan.

The story is pretty much the same thing as season 1, the twins and two other new guys come to Japan, they live with the guy who lived in Japan in season 1, they travel, they eat and then do some NSFW stuff. It's like watching the world's worst travel vlog, where even something interesting can be turned into something incredibly boring.

Once again, it is a repeat cycle of eat/drink/play/travel/make out, with the added bonus of weird love square. Pointless drama in a drama that was pointless, they've completely forgotten that another character existed in the prequel (he is mentioned zero), and you're just begging the for a 10x speed to exist so you can get through it.

I had an incredibly hard time concentrating, not for lack of trying, but it was just not good enough to keep my attention. The characters only purpose in the plot seem to be delivering long, drawn out explanations for tourist sites, or to do NSFW stuff - which again, has no real connection to the actual plot?

I don't know, it's an actual mess. It was supposed to be a follow up to the first season - at least one of the couples, but it turned into a bad tourism advert.

The cherry on top? Each episode is around an hour long, so you can't even finish it quickly.

To sum up:
WORST. VACATION. EVER.

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How do you write your love?

I certainly hope better than Hiro and Natsuo did.

From the very beginning, this was such a unique set up. The idea of "I hate him, so I'll date him" is the stuff of my enemies - to - lovers dream plots, but wait! This execution of the trope has an additional clause because one of our leads Hiro decides, "I date him so I can dump him". A revenge plot.

However, once again, from the beginning it was very obvious that this was no revenge plot. He wanted it, but he just got sidetracked. Like when you play a video game and forget to do the main quest because you were too busy harvesting a special limited edition crop. The two of them begin dating, they go on dates and the story teeters between being a simple rom-com and a story about growth and self confidence. It did the rom-com better. Because while I was able to believe in their romantic connection, I didn't quite see much depth to either of their characters, which made it harder for me to connect to them.

We do get a lot of glimpses to their past as high schoolers, during which time so much happened that the entire present day plot is a repurcussion of those incidents. We had a ton of side quests that added no depth to the plot or the characters, it all felt very superficial, because with every scene, you can kind of see what they're trying to say, but emotions don't quite reach.

The finale was easily the best episode - we got a payoff to the romantic relationship they built up in the first seven episodes, there was reasonable closure for all other parts of the story, but it came a bit too late to create much impact.

Now I did read that the story is based on a two episode (?) manga, a very short iteration, and in hindsight, you can absolutely tell that they didn't have a lot of story to work with. Because eight episodes based on a short story is long ask, and in adapting it, they tried to fill in the gaps by repeating and recreating the same scenes over and over. Again, teetering between taking the story and expanding upon it, or keeping it as is and making a shorter version, they decided to keep it as is and make a long version.

I thought I would enjoy this more, the actors did a great job, and like I said, the premise was very interesting. It was a very rare instance where the misunderstanding didn't feel frustrating and this had potential, a lot of lost potential. I wouldn't wholly recommend it, but if you're in the mood for a rom-com with tiny glimpses of some emotional depth, sure, give this a try.

Also! Check ID before you date someone! This one was insane, like if you know someone's address but not their last name, that's red flags all around! Ask to see their ID!

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SO SWEET INDEED!!!!!!

My objective rating for this would probably be around an 8.. and that's still not quite objective, lol sorry about that!

I'm just going to outline what worked and what they could have improved upon before I go into my emotional rant on why this was so amazing, so that's some good news!

What worked:
1. Saint and Poom - the highest point in the series truly, was Saint and Poom. Whether it was the way they played Jom and Yo, or the chemistry between them, or just how charismatic they were on screen, it all just clicked. Their chemistry was adorable yet sizzling, their awkward trajectory somehow turning into a love story without them or us realizing it was just so cute to witness. And even individually, they were the strongest characters in the series, what being the leads and all, but sometimes side characters steal the show and I'm glad that wasn't the case here. Everything about Saint and Poom just worked, it was like magic to me.

2. The love story! - of course it did, I just raved about it. But I do love an enemies to lovers romance, and I wouldn't say this was a full fledged one, but watching the two of them going from butting heads to falling in love with each other without realizing it? So good. The best part is that even the audience might be just as confused as they were, but like them, we realize that the signs were there all along if we just think back to them. It was always in their eyes like was said in the finale, and their love story truly gave me the butterflies and made me so happy.
Jom and Yo were kind of perfect for each other, even through all the trouble and the drama, they (mostly) stood by each other, protected each other, literally ran into fires for each other.. how did neither I nor them see it sooner? Their love story will make you SWOON

3. The story - honestly, a solid plot! With the exception of one storyline, every other had its purpose for being a part of the series. I like how they connected all the storylines, starting with Yo coming to Pho Chai, and right down to a seemingly insignificant tussle for a contract, all of them had something to do with either Jom or Yo. All of them connected and converged quite well, and I always appreciate solid writing.

4. Good side characters - there were tons of side characters with both big and small parts to play that I loved. Their presence on screen not only added to the depth of the story by showcasing more of Jom and Yo's personalities and strengths, but also contributed to making the series more complex and interesting by virtue of being complex and interesting characters. Grandma Chan, Por, Kaew, Leung Yod - they added something positive to the series even if they weren't all protagonists.

5. Music!! - I loved the music. Oftentimes music makes the series extra wonderful, and no doubt about that here. Go listen to the OST, so whimsical and fun, just like the series.

What didn't work:
1. Filler - so many filler scenes, which were probably cut in the cut version, but still felt completely unnecessary. They sometimes did set up Jom or Yo to feature more, but I would have appreciated less.

2. Bad side characters - Earn? Tee? They added nothing to the plot. Except drama but eh. It's like they wanted to introduce these characters to create drama between Jom and Yo because they were getting desperate to add some sort of conflict but it didn't work.

3. The romance!! - I wanted more lol. Just that.

I just love this series - it made me incredibly happy, even when it was boring or kind of weird and sometimes you love what you love despite the glaring flaws and I say - YES! You love it!
And I love this!

My emotional mess rambling and rating aside, if you want something that's quirky and fun with a sweet romance, give this a try. I hope you like it :)

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It's three or none

This was one of the sweetest, funniest and heartwarming series I've watched about polyamory, because more often than not, it evolved into a love triangle that ends with heartbreak or tragedy.
Spoiler alert I guess: this one doesn't.

Throughout the drama, there was no indication that this was going to end in any other way but with all three of the leads, Mia, Takuzo and Shinpei being in a relationship. At least not for me, because despite the occasional ups and downs, it was always clear that it was going to be the three of them or none of them.

The writing was exceptional, the setting paired with endearing and likeable characters, it was a perfect balance. Watching the leads, episode by episode, navigate the complications of being in a three person marriage was refreshing, grappling with the idea themselves, and then having to deal with thoughts and inputs from those around them. This could've easily gone sideways, with having the supporting characters or the leads themselves becoming villainized as a result of their actions and reactions, but they were all written in a way where their sentiments were understandable, and their overreactions didn't come across as brash or annoying.

The leads themselves were quite the characters. Mia was a very interesting character, who I thought got the least focus out of the three. This wasn't an absurd difference in screentime, just a little less compared to the other two. Despite that, she grew into a character who went from being a people pleaser who was kind of selfish to someone who found happiness in what she wanted while also recognizing her flaws and growing from them.

Takuzo was a quintessential male lead, confused, chaotic and very cute. Along with that also came a whole lot of back and forth, and a whole lot of hesitation. His character was written as a timid person who has a hard time expressing himself, making choices. But towards the end it was so great to see him stand up for himself, be an active partner to Mia and Shinpei, growing as an individual and a partner.

My favourite was Shinpei though, he was an enigmatic presence on screen and brought the drama to life. His idea for the three person marriage, which started out kind of rocky for everyone involved, turned out to be exactly what they all needed. He was just this ever positive presence, and the perfect balance between Mia and Takuzo.

The bond between these three was genuinely wonderful, no one felt left out, they had great communication skills and brought out the best in each other. I will admit that the chemistry between Mia and Shinpei was a bit lacking, especially considering they were the "established couple", and there were a few moments where the chemistry between Takuzo and Shinpei was overflowing for some reason, but when it was the three of them on screen, it all just clicked.

I would highly recommend this drama if you're looking for a happy and lighthearted take on polyamory, that still brings up some relevant details and issues that could crop up in a three person relationship. And it has a happy ending, with exactly what we were promised, a Sannin Fufu :)

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Cosmetics and Crushes

What a surprisingly wonderful series this turned out to be!

The story follows Natsume and Sahashi, who work for a cosmetics company as BAs (beauty assistants), and bring in considerable sales to their branch on account of talent and charisma. Starting off as senior and junior, Natsume immediately recognises Sahashi's potential and takes it upon himself to mentor him as best as he can, but Sahashi finds Natsume meddlesome.
They eventually have a run in with each other after certain events transpire at the store, but that is the catalyst that kickstarts their relationship. When Natsume accuses Sahashi of never taking anything seriously, Sahashi instead proclaims that Natsume will be the thing he takes seriously henceforth.

Their relationship was actually fast forwarded enough for me to be confused about when it even started, but once they started, it continued on incredibly. They brought out the best in each other, constantly challenged each other, grew as individuals and made each other more vulnerable and approachable.
Although it was frustrating to see Natsume get into his head as often as he did (almost every episode), they eventually communicated much better than I expected them to. It wasn't really a compromise that is usually done to move past an argument, but an honest conversation involving them both.

I also loved that they showed professional growth right alongside personal and romantic growth. Seeing them get better at their jobs, gaining more opportunities and experience had me grinning. And the fact that they integrated their relationship into this narrative without it feeling forced or taking away too much attention from their strengths as a couple was great.
They also had several supporting characters along the way help them out with their connection, establishing it as something stronger than it would seem on the surface level. I especially need a spin off of Nanjo, the man was an enigmatic presence who needed more screentime.

This was a very enjoyable short series with a good story, acting and cinematography that I'd recommend.

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What-

If a drama was a question mark, this would be it.

I still don't quite comprehend what I just saw, a bunch of trainees who signed up to be actors, but are being trained to be idols instead, a lot of interpersonal drama, around five couples, a sabotage plot.. I haven't even covered half the things in the series.

Every storyline was started up, had minimal movement and didn't conclude. So many characters disappear for episodes on end and pop back up like nothing ever happened, but even then it was completely filled because there are 20+ characters who all have around the same screentime.

There was no investment in anything as far as I was concerned, from my side as well as theirs. The only couple I actually cared about didn't have much going on, and like all the other characters, had nothing going on as individuals. There was no distinction between who they wanted us to like and who they didn't, because not one of them had the depth to give us something to care about. It's all a blur in my mind, plots come and go, characters come and go and no one seems to bother.

Finally, let's talk about that finale-
Wow. I have never seen a worse one. I've seen shows worse than this, but even there, the finale was something that served as a tie up. This did nothing of the sort. Not one single arc was concluded. Not a single one.
They also chose the last episode to try and talk about something important and serious, and didn't. It was concluded in a horrible manner, might I add.
Everything was left up in the air, and I was left with my hands up in the air in frustration.

So save yourself the torment, this isn't it.

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Could have been better

The fact that every apocalypse/disaster series seems more and more similar to one previous is nothing new, it may as well be one of the reasons I'm quickly losing interest in the genre.

Surprisingly enough, they managed to keep it fresh while still maintaining the same formula. They accomplished this by incorporating small details, establishing the story and workings early on, and focusing on the subsequent aftermath.

But even subverting the usual "everything is going to hell" trope, the story is bogged down by clichés you would usually witness in the genre, from the act first, think later characteristic that runs amok amongst all the characters, to the one - dimensional characterisation. There's the usual "who's the real villain?", and the darkness of human nature, everything you would usually see in the genre.

What seemed to be innovative started to take the usual, cliched route the minute it hit the halfway mark and just like that I began losing what little interest I had.

I put this on my list for Koo Kyo Hwan but also because despite my recent disinterest in the genre, I wanted to give the drama a try, and while I can't say I'm dissapointed, I can't say I'm impressed either. The short duration meant a perfect binge watch, but ultimately I didn't rate it as high as I thought I would after the first couple of episodes.

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The Sun and the Star

The most unrealistic part about the eight episodes was not the ghosts - it was Arthit's dad being extremely cool with him just quitting med school. Yeah, that's not how it works!

But factual accuracy aside, this was a genuinely sweet and innovative addition to the Four Directions universe, certainly my favourite of the parts until now. Who knew that actual plot could help build a good series? (I'm not saying anything, but we know plot is always good)

Dao and Thit are one of my favourite couples - there's no faking of anything in their relationship, what you see is literal what you get and I'm glad we got to see exactly how they figured each other out. During that time, we got an actual story with Dao and his spirit - seeing abilities helping not only Arthit with his mom, but also several ghosts he lives with (this is also a neighbour/proximity love story, which YES)
In that period of five or so episodes, we see a lot of both the leads and their respective personalities. And for once, there was no terrible parent or insane trauma on our screens. Thit and Dao are both flawed individuals but their struggles don't feel ramped up for drama. I liked how they each had things to deal with, but none of it had to with physical, mental or emotional torture or manipulation.

And then, once we and they get to know each other well, that's when we get the romance. I will admit, once it switched to just romance, the pacing became dismal (as with the rest of the other parts) but I was just so charmed by Arthit and Dao that I didn't really mind.

I suppose this is not much of an informative review as I'd like it to be, but honestly, I have no real complaints except for the pace and some questionable behaviour by Arthit at times. Ngern and Oat did a wonderful job, they had so much chemistry and I really enjoyed their dynamics.

Honestly, if anyone very badly wants to watch any of the Fourever You stories, this is the one I'd recommend. Every character feels more fleshed out, familiar and new alike, the main couple is amazing and the story is really good.

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Khon - of Ramakien, in the past and to the future

I really liked this - and I'm genuinely excited to be telling everyone why. The Masked Hearts was a perfect blend of story, romance and culture, and the perfect way for a drama to find a place in my heart.

The series was produced along with the Thai Ministry of Culture and is about Khon, a traditional dance from Thailand, based on the Ramakien and is part of the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage (let me be, I'm nerding out a little). And though the story doesn't focus on the intricacies of Khon itself, the narrative is beautifully weaved between past and present, situating the importance of Khon in each landscape.

In the past, we witness the struggle of the leads Saen and Rak as they attempt to establish themselves as part of the Royal troupe, amongst the very few people who could practice the art. But besides being artists who dance together, Saen works for Rak's family, and ever since their first meeting, they've quickly and quietly been falling in love. Unfortunately, the time they live in does not reward love, passion or dreams - making them face all kinds of obstacles to protect their love - both Khon and each other.

In the present, we're introduced to Sandy and Lucky, two students who love Khon but have very opposing views on how it should be performed. One of them argues that the tradition must be kept in all aspects, while the other wants to modernize the performance for newer audiences. When one such argument is filmed and posted on the internet, they have to work together to create content and ensure the Khon club is not shut down.

I adored both the timelines, not only because I'm a nerd who enjoyed situating a traditional art form in ancient and modern societies, but because the story was very well executed. All throughout, we get the sense that both timelines are very connected - it's an apparent reincarnation story, and the past is full of angst and tragedy, while the present is more light hearted. And immediately it works because it's a reincarnation plot done right.

Every aspect of the series felt grounded, all of them got equal importance in the flow of the story. The romance wasn't forgone to give us a history lesson, the story wasn't ignored just to give us a happy ending. It was beautifully done and you constantly want to figure out how the past is connected to the present, what exactly happened, and you look forward to it, even if it may be the most predictable plot ever.

I will say, I wanted to see more of them in the present (because I love enemies to lovers, and this was a genuine enemies to lovers setup) and towards the end of the series, I would've liked a lot more answers than we got. But for the most part, this short series was a very enjoyable watch that I'm quite impressed with.

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A sequel that messed up a non-existent story

I watched this literally immediately after watching the first movie, and if you've read my review for that one, you may recall that I'm watching them to scare myself more. And that I wasn't quite satisfied with the story aspect of the movie. Well let me pivot! Because I didn't know having a story could disappoint me this much.

As far as the scare factor goes - this was okay. A few good jumpscares, if you watch it with the volume up, definitely very scary. And once again, too much gore for me (why?), but not the scariest thing out there.

The story - too bad because there's too much and not enough at the same time! All I wanted was an ounce of explanation, but this was absolutely nothing. It was like watching two different movies and I only liked one.

The first half of the movie is a cross between horror and adventure with Yak venturing into a haunted forest to battle his ghosts, and I mean that literally. It felt like a way for them to just inflict a bunch of on-screen hauntings and killings for the sake of the shock factor but.. it didn't do the intended job. Because to be shocking, you need some emotional connection to the characters and all of the new characters were people who were on-screen for a combined screentime of maybe half an hour. This was the backstory that I so desperately wanted after the first movie, but it went off on an unknown tangent, introducing new characters and not providing context for old ones. And the worst part? It had almost no connection to the second half.

The second half was much better. I would've preferred this be the entire movie because it focused on the family and their struggle not only with the evil spirit but their past experience. It had great flow, the characterization actually felt on point, too bad it lasted around 45 minutes in total. Because again, I know this is based on a novel, based on real events, but I think when you're making a movie you can tell those events in a more coherent manner? It was such a strange and fragmented experience, going from a really almost unnecessary and boring first half to a good second half.

This was okay. I think the first one was much better and I don't know what the story will be in movie three, but this was just okay.

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The bet of healing

Therapy Game is what you get when you try to elevate a classic JBL plot and choose to give up halfway, and attempt to execute something else that only makes sense once you've finished the series. The show is so aptly titled that it took me nine episodes to actually understand the depth of it, and I am shook.

The episodes begin with Minato, a man with an extreme bro-complex (which in this context just meant he's someone who is very protective of his brother lol) meeting Shizuma, who's just been broken up with. They meet at Minato's regular bar and spend the night together, but in the morning Shizuma says he doesn't remember a thing.
After having his feelings hurt by this turn of events, Minato decides to get revenge by seducing Shizuma and breaking up with him once he confesses his love. He also makes a bet with his friends at the bar that he will make Shizuma fall in love with him, and that he will break his heart.

If we go based off of the usual formula, this is the point where things would either get super dark or super cute, and instead it just kind of meandered in between, never really going anywhere for a couple of episodes before going full throttle on the sweet and sunshine path.
Minato swears revenge, he vows to never fall in love, falls in love shortly after - and the big conflict which should be the fallout from the bet, comes as quickly as it goes.

We get a second couple, Itsuki ànd Shoheli, who's only purpose in the story is to be supportive siblings - because they are the elder brother and younger brother of Minato and Shizuma respectively. The big conflict is resolved by them, and while I'm all for swift resolution, I think I would've preferred a dragged out misunderstanding to having them talk it out in the park like two ten year olds who fought a couple of days ago about their legos.

Instead we got multiple other problems that were solved within the episode - like the ex-girlfriend, a childhood trauma, but all of them were unnecessary and underdeveloped.

That's when you need to ask yourself, what do you want to experience more? The intent behind the scenes or the execution of a scene? I'm a confused individual and could not decide, just like them - but my analysis is that focusing on the intent behind the story is bound to help you fall more in love with the series.

Because you get the point. It's easy to identify that the bet, the distance, the jealousy were all a bid to help Minato slowly heal from his trauma and discover what love is. That having their siblings and their friends to give advice did not only that, but showed them they had way more love than they thought they did.
That the conflicts up until the finale were leading up to them realising all that. And then it's easy to piece together that they had a great idea, but kind of messed up on the execution.

I did love the chemistry between the leads, they had the perfect amount of fiery passion and slow realisation, and honestly, their dynamic as a couple was really sweet. The way the conflicts were immediately de-escalated did one great thing, make their relationship seem more real and grounded. The adorable factor was also amazing, literally all of the characters were sweet and cute and wholesome.

I loved all the characters as well, for the reasons mentioned above, but also because all of them were so cool and charming and well written.

Overall, this was an enjoyable series. Just masquerading around as something toxic, so if you go into it expecting that? You may be a bit disappointed. But! I can say with some confidence that you'll keep watching because it's fun and cute. Atleast that's what happened to me lol

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Very impressive, a little long

Now, I watched this a long time ago. A very long time ago. I still remember it clearly, I was in a terrible mood, decided to watch this on a whim because Netflix recommended it to me. But I remember it very clearly. I do, the kind of impact it left for me to remember the entire plot after so long.. some plots really do get better the more you let them sit, don't they?

This was genuinely very impressive, even when I watched it for the first time. It was thrilling, had the right amount of mystery without it feeling like they were trying too hard or making the audience extremely confused, and I was genuinely impressed.

The story follows eight former friends who were all part of the mountain climbing club when they were in school. They drift apart after a scandal and the events of the series take place when they are all invited to a mountain cabin by one of the members. They arrive, stuff goes down and big by bit, we discover that there was much more to their friendship than we or even they thought. You know, the classic slow reveals.

And they do them right. Not one of the reveals felt like they were out of left field, or just some random plot thrown in to create conflict, they were all extremely relevant to the plot and how it flowed. It was a scary at times, very mysterious and it keeps you invested.

I will admit, I don't remember much about the characters, but I do remember that I loved Jake Hsu's character, I remember rooting heavily for him and I think that may be because he had very little to do with the mess? He's an important character definitely, but I always find myself rooting for the characters who are unwillingly trapped in someone else's mess, because come on! It's not their mess!

The only thing that could have been better was the pace, sometimes it just dragged on for so long, I had to take frequent pauses because it did get a bit boring at times.

I will recommend this though, it is a solid murder mystery, and it's got so much else going on as well, and I hope this review convinced you to give it a try!

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A good sequel

This was.. this was good but I think I expected it to be a bit better.

The third movie in the franchise follows the characters from the second movie, First, Balloon, Min Jun, Novice Monk Noht, Aod and Kiddie, as they travel to the Mekong region along with new character Bam Bam to discover the reason for Aod's sudden illness and the history of a cursed anklet.

As far a world building goes, this movie did perfect. They had already established this storyline in the prequel and bit by bit, we see the continuation of that final scene from the second movie play out here. This movie was also very connected to the Naga mythology, more so than the first two I'd say, and they explained it much better as well.

The horror.. was actually not bad. Still not scary, but as far as the franchise goes, might be the best until now.

So why am I a bit disappointed? The comedy. I expected a bit more and better comedy after the first two movies, and with this good story, I think they could have definitely better on the humor front. It was still funny, but I didn't find myself laughing as much as I did during the other two. I still loved the chaotic and absurd comedy style though.

This was a good sequel, I do think watching the other parts would help, especially since they make a ton of references to them, the storylines and the characters, and it is quite literally a continuation of the second movie, so I would definitely recommend watching them all.

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A better executed sequel

I don't usually hold much expectations of sequels, because they either mess up the plot of the prequel or feel like an attempt to capitalize on a story that doesn't require a sequel. This was one of the instances where a sequel, although not really necessary, surpassed the quality in all aspects of the original.

The second movie in the Pee Nak franchise follows the leads from the prequel, Nong, First and Balloon, haunted by yet another spirit in the same temple they were all ordained, but this time, the spirit seems to be even more vengeful than the last, and seems to hold a special grudge towards First and Balloon. They are joined by K-Pop idol Min Jun, who is to be ordained at the temple, and several novice monks and people who live at the temple to solve the new mystery.

The story flowed much more seamlessly this time around, the plot was still rooted in mythology and could have been explained better because I had a hard time connecting it to the actual story, but the main narrative itself was written without being too fragmented.

The horror.. it was still not quite scary but I'll forgive them because I don't come for the scary, I'm not a huge fan of the scary.

What I do come for is the comedy, which was also better in this movie. The same absurdist, dark comedy, but a bit more well written and enhanced by the fact that we had some established characters and could read into how they would behave during certain situations.

The sequel does have connections to the first movie, so be sure to give that one a watch before this. It's actually alright if you don't as well, there a few details that may be confusing if you haven't watched the prequel, but this is a brand new plot and the biggest connections to the first movie are the characters. I would recommend this over the first one, but I would also recommend watching that one if you want continuity.

Overall, this was a decent horror comedy, nothing too brilliant but it gets the job done, much like Pee Nak.

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