Summer 2021 Anime Awards

Hey guys! The Summer 2021 Anime Season has officially come to a close this week and I have to say that this season was definitely one of the weaker ones so unlike the previous ones where I struggled to choose from many good options, this season I struggled to choose from many poor choices.

(Original) Anime Of The Season

Tokyo Revengers is my pick for the anime of the season which is probs no surprise to anyone that watched this show. Technically this is a show that aired over two seasons but I think that since it finished airing in Summer 2021 that it fit into this season! Every week when I was watching the new episodes I was always left shocked when the 30 minutes flew by cause it never felt long enough and if that's not clearly evidence of how much I loved this show then I don't know what is! I loved the idea of this show being about a weakling who time travels to infiltrate a gang to save the love of his life and whereas from a distance it looks like he gets lucky every time he succeeds with a mission, if you look closer you can see how his kind nature and loyalty effects all those around him into doing what he wants them to do. I also think it's fun that he can jump back and forth through time so that he can make small changes and jump ahead to see how they worked out before going back again to fix whatever else he needs to. 

Runner Up - The Case Study Of Vanitas

Hidden Gem 

The Aquatope On White Sand is my pick for hidden gem of the season. I feel like people are both watching and not watching this show enough cause those who are see it's potential but I don't hear a lot about it. I think part of the thing is that it's such a quiet show that takes a look at dreams and how far a person should go to chase them rather than something with big action or a widespread world. I love the setting and the characters and I'm so excited to see where the show takes us from here cause the big thing that I thought the show was about seems to be fading away. 

Runner Up - Peach Boy Riverside

Best Sequel 

My Next Life As A Villainess: All Routes Lead To Doom Season 2 is definitely the best sequel of this season and honestly it had no competition with how poorly the other sequel this season did in my opinion. The funny thing about this show is the fact that I didn't realize how much I was going to enjoy this sequel until I was almost halfway through. I did really enjoy the first season of this show but I was a little confused about where this second season would go cause like most reverse harems I didn't expect Katarina to ever actually choose a person from her harem to love not to mention the fact that I thought that Katarina was too dumb to realize that any of her harem loved her in the first place which is why I was shocked as all hell to see that both Gerald and Keith confessed. The shipper in me that ships Katarine and Gerald was so fed and that might be part of the reason this season worked so hard for me! I also really liked all the storylines we got from Katarina's kidnapping to Nicol's possible future love interest to Keith's kidnapping and I can't wait for more!

Runner Up - My Hero Academia Season 5

Greatest Animation/Character Design

The Case Study Of Vanitas had the best animation this season. I absolutely adored the bright colors and the fantastical world the show built but I also adored the way it went from sweeping to chibi in moments that the show wanted to bring special attention to! I loved that there was a human world and a magical world and that the show very clearly showed us which one was which through color!

Runner Up - Tsukimichi Moonlit Fantasy

Best OP 

Merry Go Round by Man With A Mission from My Hero Academia Season 5 is definitely my favorite OP of the season. I swear I listened to it a million times even if part of me felt like it didn't really vibe with the second half of this season once the villain arc came around! 

Runner Up - Andante ni Koi wo Shite by Angela from My Next Life As A Villainess: All Routes Lead To Doom Season 2

Protagonist(s) Of The Season

Noé and Vanitas from The Story Of Vanitas are actually my protagonists of the season and maybe that's cheating cause I picked two but that's how I feel! Noé and Vanitas are close friends who respect and look out for each other but would die before saying anything other than they hate each other and honestly the show would not be the same without the two bouncing off of each other. They're almost direct opposites of one another on the surface but as the show slowly peels back layer after layer of our leads we learnt that they might be two sides of the same coin after all. Both seem to be goofy and laid back but hide dark sides and dark backstories. 

Runner Up - Kukuru Misakino from The Aquatope On White Sand

Antagonist(s) Of The Season

Tetta Kisaki from Tokyo Revengers is my antagonist of the season and there was no competition in my eyes. Kisaki was fascinating cause when this show started we didn't actually know who he was or how much he would be affecting the lives of every character we cared about but as the show went on we saw that not only did he have his hand in almost every pie but he was also the puppetmaster. Every horrible thing that happened in this show was connected back to him and once we got the whole picture I couldn't help but salute him for how well thought out and planned it was. Every piece fell into place perfectly even despite the fact that time travel was involved!

Runner Up - League Of Villains from My Hero Academia

Ship Of The Season

Katarina and Geordo from My Next Life As A Villainess: All Routes Lead To Doom Season 2 are my ship of the season and this second season really did keep us fed! I honestly do think if and when this show ends that these two will be endgame and that's not just my hope given that Geordo is my favorite of Katarina's harem! I mean beyond the fact that I'm just a sucker for tropes in which arranged marriages or fake dating leads to real love, I really love that Katarina was the one to bring light to Geordo's world and that he would literally give her the moon if she asked for it. They have kissed so many times now and I adore how flustered Katarina gets every time and yet she doesn't exactly pull away or is horrified by it like she was with Keith!

Runner Up - Sally and Mikoto from Peach Boy Riverside

And with that I'll see you all in the Fall 2021 Season!!

xoxo Allie

What Shows Am I Watching This Week?

 Hello everyone and welcome back! Let's dive right in shall we?

Stargirl Season 2 Episode 7

Okay so I seriously love that like the characters themself we the audience really can't tell if what's happening with Yolanda's headaches is Eclipso or Brainwave or Yolanda's guilt. Like it's been going on longer than Eclipso has been freed and I know a ton of people theorized that Brainwave really did put himself in Yolanda's brain but I think that if I had to make a guess I would say that it started out as Yolanda's guilt and now it's Eclipso expanding on that fear. It looks like he knows who to target one by one and it's clear that next is Beth. On that note it was interesting that Yolanda and Courtney finally told everyone what happened in the tunnels and it sucks that though Beth was the only one to not understand why Yolanda did what she did, one negative opinion was enough to convince Yolanda that she was a sinner. I hate that all this has just pushed Yolanda back into her terribly abusive family cause before this she was doing so well! She had friends and a job and was living her life! In other news I do have to say that maybe it's the Superman & Lois stan in me but I think my favorite part of this show might also be the family kicking ass part. I adored that final scene when the four were sitting around the dining table discussing JSA problems!

What If Season 1 Episode 7

In the midst of depressing episode after depressing episode it was nice to finally watch a low stakes episode that was actually funnier than expected! In this world Loki was not adopted by Odin so Thor grew up alone and spoiled and so never really grew out of his party stage. When Odin entered his Odinsleep, Frigga went off to visit her sister and Thor descended to Earth to party the planet away which SHIELD did not appreciate. I thought the whole thing was super fun and I liked seeing that Thor and Jane would fall for each other no matter who they were. I also thought that SHIELD was a little extreme in deciding that they needed to drop a nuke on Thor to get him to stop as if they wouldn't be bringing a whole ass alien race to war and really maybe it's my dislike of Captain Marvel but her whole vibe was really no fun. The end was absolutely hilarious though with Jane calling Frigga to tattle on Thor and that everyone was terrified of her enough to clean up Earth and pretend that they were all just studying. I'm not entirely sure what arrived at the end but it looked like Thanos with the Infinity Stones several years too early.

Titans Season 3 Episode 9

Truly I will never understand Titans both as a show and a concept. Like we spent all episode in the Afterlife where we followed Donna, Tim, and Hank as they attempted to return to the living and I don't understand what's happening for real. I thought this would be the perfect way to bring Hank back and then in turn negate whatever real evil Jason did so he could return to being a Titan but then Hank sacrificed himself to let Donna and Tim return and now I'm confused again. Maybe the fact that Hank chose to move on or let go or whatever will make the other Titans less inclined to hate Jason for killing him? I did like the idea that he found Donnie again though cause that made my heart soft. Also confusing is whatever mess Bruce is in. I have hated this show's version of Bruce Wayne since he was introduced but like now it's an even weirder. Like okay so apparently he wrote up his will and then killed Joker and then fled Gotham and tried to kill himself? And where in the hell did Donna appear from cause her body was definitely supposed to be on Themyscira? 

FINISHED My Hero Academia Season 5 Episode 25

We returned to what feels like the normal My Hero shenanigans and man was it a breath of fresh air. I'm truly so excited to see what I think will be the actual big arc that changes everything in this world next season! We've jumped forward 4 months to April in which our heroes have gone from first years to second years and at the same time Tomura will have completed whatever experiment is being run on him. The doctor did mention the fact that he's studying quirk singularities too and that got my attention given that's what Deku was told too. Like All Might said One For All had been slowly strengthened over time through the multiple quirk holders that wielded it and now it's reached peak performance inside Deku. Maybe he should have gone through Tomura's evil training too cause I'm starting to wonder if he's anywhere near the League in terms of strength!

xoxo Allie

What Shows Am I Watching This Week?

Hello everyone and welcome back! Let's dive right in shall we?

Stargirl Season 2 Episode 6

Well shit guys everything that happened this week was unexpected! So Eclipso is officially out of the black diamond and ready to paint the town red. His powers work by absorbing the souls of others especially children and I think we're meant to believe that he's actually from another dimension or parallel world or something given that he told Shade that Shade is weaker than him cause he only siphons powers from Eclipso's world while Eclipso is from that world. In one foul swoop he destroyed whatever was budding with the baby Injustice League by killing Isaac for sure and possibly Cindy though I can't imagine that a perfectly ripe nemesis for Courtney in Cindy is gone from this show forever! Like maybe Shade snuck in and took her into his shadows to protect her? I mean why else didn't Eclipso suck her soul in like he did with Isaac? Also I'm still waiting for poor dumb Cameron to be let in on the joke cause right now he's wandering around all angst ridden though I really shouldn't expect him to struggle with the idea of his dad being a bad man cause it's clear this show has no need for nuance. I mean just look at Artemis. Her parents are complex cause they did lots of horrible things but they did love her more than anything else and yet she is acting like they're the most innocent flowers who were trampled on so I imagine that Cameron will react similarly in ignoring the fact that his dad was ready to murder millions and focus on the fact that he loved him and his mom and Courtney and co killed him.

What If Season 1 Episode 6

Honestly guys I'm not sure how I felt about this one! Like part of the struggle is in the fact that I was the dumb one and expected this to be a story of Killmonger being a good guy rather than a story of Erik playing 4D chess against everyone to get revenge on everyone! The thing is though that this episode felt a bit regressionary in terms of Erik's ideals when compared to Black Panther cause in that one his whole thing was that Wakanda had the ability to help but stood back while in this one he seemed more interested in conquering for fun. Like as dope as his plan was, what did he ultimately want? I did like the idea that unlike other worlds this one had a chance of surviving with Shuri and Pepper being clear that Erik was behind everything. I'd imagine that they'd expose his motivations and all the evidence of him doing terrible things but once again I'm left thinking of the future and the fact that if Iron Man wasn't there to do the ultimate snap and defeat Thanos maybe we'd be in a world with the population halved though still alive.

Titans Season 3 Episode 8

Honestly I believe Jason when he says he's sorry for everything he's done though it really brings up my problem with this show and it's beyond shitty writing. Like how in the actual hell does Jason go from ready to kill Dick to remorseful in one episode? Also how are we ever supposed to forgive Jason for killing Hank? I was right in guessing that Crane's drug was the thing that was causing Jason to go crazy but I feel like the show didn't push it far enough in terms of Jason's freewill. Gar brought up the fact that Jason's situation is like his with Cadmus but in that scenario Gar was really and truly mind controlled while Jason felt more like he lost impulse control and honestly besides the fact that I adore the Batfamily and the actor who plays Jason, I'm not entirely sure if this version of Jason can be forgiven. We saw more of Tim this week too and I loved how similar he was to the comics Tim Drake with his detective work and though I'm surprised that he was shot this week I'm sure he'll be fine cause unlike Barbara or Jason, Tim never actually gets hurt for real. We also really went from 0 to 60 with Blackfire and Connor and dudes the amount I hate it is so real. 

My Hero Academia Season 5 Episode 24

As the penultimate episode of the season it looks like we've pretty much wrapped up the My Villain Academia arc. I'm still not happy with this whole thing cause it really wasn't what I expected from the supposed arc that changes My Hero forever but at the same time I think I've finally figured out the timeline for this season despite the way it jumped around. I'm fairly certain that this fight went down and the Liberation Army became the Paranormal Liberation Front first followed by Hawks infiltrating the organization which happened at the same time as the Class A v Class B thing. After this the kids went on their work studies and Hawks warned Endeavor about the upcoming fight against the Liberation Army. I bet the fight is going to be next and will probs start season 6 and honestly I think that's the arc that I am more looking forward to. I mean yeah yeah it's great that the villains have all leveled up and whatever but I really didn't need a full arc to tell me that when the show could have just fit it into one episode or even told me they powered up while we were watching the heroes do the same.

xoxo Allie

What Dramas Did I Finish This Week?

Hello and welcome back! These are the dramas I finished this week. If you're interested in previous reviews, click here and if you want to see a list of my Favorite Asian OTPs and Ships, click here!

KDRAMA

FINISHED Hospital Playlist 2 (12/12): Everyday is extraordinary for five doctors and their patients inside a hospital, where birth, death and everything in between coexist.

The second season for this show came to an end this week and I'm a little torn about it cause the rumors say that this is the final season which is why the show tried to tie up everything with a bow unlike last season where a lot was left open-ended but I also can't help but feel unsatisfied. This is primarily cause the one ship that I was most interested in was Min Ha and Suk Hyung and while they are together now and we did see them kiss, I am left wondering how things work out with them! We set up a whole thing where Min Ha and Suk Hyung's mom had a fight in the cafeteria and then the show was like never mind everything works out anyway? It was smart of Suk Hyung though to play out this whole US thing knowing that his mom was going to hate literally any girl he brought home so he preemptively struck. In other news Ik Jun and Song Hwa finally got together as did Ik Sun and Jun Wan who ended up getting back together. Jung Won and Gyeo Wool were happy and they're heading off to the US though I was surprised that they didn't get engaged! All in all I thought this season was better than the first so I'd give it a 8 / 10!

Squid Game (9/9): "Squid Game" depicts a story of people who decide to become the players of a mysterious survival game that has a whopping 40-million-dollar prize at stake. Ki Hoon, seems defeated by life after being fired from his job. He decides to join the survival game to win prize money. Sang Woo, is Ki Hoon’s childhood friend and he also joins the game as he gets in trouble at work despite all the hard work he has done to be where he is at now. "Squid Game" is the name of a street game Ki Hoon and Sang Woo played together when they were young. It’s quite a physical game that only ends when there’s a final winner, much like the survival game they play now. It’s named as such because players are to draw different geometric shapes on the ground, which, as a whole, look like a squid.

I was pretty excited to watch this show cause you all know how much I adore death game shows but after having watched this I have pretty much realized why Japan is the only country that can do them justice cause I really didn't enjoy this one as much as I would have hoped. The thing is that a death game show is fun cause it not only shows us how humanity is screwed but it's also fun to see players outwit others and use their brains to win challenges. This show definitely got the first one right but the second not so much. Part of me thought it was creative to have all the challenges take place using children's games but the rest of me felt like it took away from the puzzle part of the challenges. Since the games were made for children there really wasn't any brain power involved other than the one challenge up on the bridge! It also didn't help that I wasn't emotionally connected to any of our main characters. And seriously our main character only got lucky from start to finish cause he was not the smartest or the sneakist of the crew so it felt like he was mostly just carried from challenge to challenge. I did like the twist of the old man being the one behind the game and it was clear from the start that the cop's brother was the Front Man but I was really disappointed when the cop was killed at the end. There's obviously a second season being set up and honestly I'll probs be back here to watch it hoping that the show would have learned. 7.5 / 10

xoxo Allie

What Shows Am I Watching This Week?

 Hello everyone and welcome back! Let's dive right in shall we?

FINISHED Lucifer Season 6

I'm honestly so torn over what I feel about this season cause as much as I love this show and was ready for more at the start of this season I also couldn't help but feel like season 5 was the perfect end to this whole show. Having said that I do have to admit that after I watched this season I actually thought where Lucifer ended up fit better in terms of a character arc than where he ended up in season 5 though I also can't help but feel like this season pretty much negated the last and I'm left wondering why the showrunners bothered with the whole Lucifer as God arc if they ultimately wanted him to be a therapist in Hell? I also felt like most of this season was pointless and kinda meandered around with no real point except for the fact that we finally met Adam, Ella finally got to find out the truth about the celestials (and an amazing relationship with Carol who I adored more than I thought I would) and I liked seeing Dan's journey to Heaven. I do wonder if a major part of my distaste for this season was my distaste for Rory's appearance cause it gave me Arrow PTSD flashbacks. Like Oliver, Lucifer was gone for the entirety of his daughter's life and only met her for a bit to convince her that he loved her and then ended up with Chloe after she died. In this show it's a little less weird cause we know there's an afterlife and most of our characters are immortal or can be visited anytime which is why it's extra weird that Lucifer couldn't just pop up and down from Earth to Hell. On the whole I don't think this season was worth it but I'm a completist so here we are.

FINISHED Legends Of Tomorrow Season 6 Episode 15

Well the season 6 finale is officially here and I'm really just thankful that we only have to wait like a month for season 7! The finale wrapped everything up in a much nicer bow that I expected with every one of the Legends alive and well including Spooner and Constantine as well as Bishop stopped. I'm a bit disappointed with the way the whole thing with Constantine ended cause he did come back to life but Zari was so fed up with his nonsense that they just broke up. I would honestly have preferred a more tragic end cause I liked my original theory that his death would be the thing that turns Zari 2.0 closer to Zari 1.0 as she mourns but I guess this way it leaves the door open for Constantine to return and for Zari to get back together with him given that not only did he give her a key which I think opens his roving House Of Mystery but also cause Matt Ryan is still on this show so it wouldn't be that hard to have him pop up again. I was also surprised that both Mick and Spooner seem to be sticking around but it was nice to see Sara and Ava get married though I really wish that the show could have gotten Quentin or Laurel back cause I hate the idea that Sara got married without her family! I'm not sure who the villains will be next season but I'm looking forward to whatever we get!

Stargirl Season 2 Episode 5

Was I the only one that thought that not only did Cameron know that his dad had ice powers but also that he had them too? Cause based on the final scene from this week it looks more like he's coming into his ice powers for the first time and just in time for him to probs hate Courtney too. I have a feeling that his grandma who also has ice powers to my surprise will tell him the whole truth out of worry that he's getting too close to Courtney. I do wonder though what will happen when he finds out cause we know that he's a really sweet kid and he clearly wants no part in anything Cindy is doing and clearly hates her so he's not going to join the ISA but I also can't imagine that his hero worship of his dad will allow him to forgive Courtney and the others. If Rick wasn't such an ass then he would have been one of the best people to reach out to Cameron and bond over losing his parents too but c'est la vie. I do have to say that this whole children of the ISA learning about the JSA hurting/killing their parents really makes me uncomfortable in a way I know means that I'm connecting with this storyline even though I want things to be rosier cause it's better than how I watch The Flash all disconnected! I'm also still worried about Mike cause Cindy has not given up on him but also we know that the Star Staff can remove Eclipso's influence so I imagine that after he gets infected he can be cured. I'm also glad that Pat is finally trying to get Mike to be his sidekick knowing that Mike feels alone!

What If Season 1 Episode 5

Duuuuudes I don't even know what this was!!! It's so fascinating how every single What If that we've watched so far other than the Captain Carter one ended so tragically which makes it seem as though Kang low key might have been right in controlling what the correct timeline would be since it's clear that unless all of our Marvel heroes choose one specific path every time then the universe comes to an end! In this world Janet contracted some sort of quantum virus that Hank brought back with him and then spread to the rest of the world making them all into zombies. We watched every one of the Avengers be killed and even at the very end when it looks like our heroes can get to Wakanda to create a cure, it might be meaningless since we know that Thanos's army will breech Wakanda's forcefield therefore not only getting the Mind Stone to complete his Infinity Gauntlet but also letting the zombie virus in and infecting the last safe zone on Earth. What I am curious about is the fact that zombie Thanos still seemed to retain his goal of wanting to snap away half the population despite turning into a zombie making me wonder why the other Avengers like Steve weren't able to fight it. Would we imagine that Thor, the Guardians, and Captain Marvel could save the day given that they're still in space away from this zombie virus?

Titans Season 3 Episode 7

I love that it's sweet innocent Gar who's the only real one in this show to actually worry and care about Jason no matter how little they got along when they were together. I'm still not sure I buy the reasoning behind Jason's turn but I can chalk it up to Lazarus + weird Crane brainwashing drug so I still would like to hope that if the Titans detox Jason and Gar stays with him as moral support that we'll be able to get him back. We did manage to beat Scarecrow this week which was fun and Blackfire and Starfire took the first step into reconciling when Blackfire told Starfire why she had to kill their parents and then when Starfire gave her a costume. I'm not sure I'm into the romance that's being set up between Connor and Blackfire cause he's a literal child in his mind but whatever I'll go with it. On another note it's curious that we're so far into the season and yet we still haven't seen hide nor hair of Raven or Donna. I guess I'm now just expecting them to show back up to save the day when the Titans are down for the count.

My Hero Academia Season 5 Episode 23

Whereas we saw more of Twice last week this week was focused on Shimura. For some reason I was going around thinking that he was All Might's mentor's son when actually he's her grandson. Her actual son was a monster in his own way given that he abused Shimura for being too much like her. He despised the fact that his mother left him to be a hero and when Shimura told everyone that he wanted to be a hero it triggered anger in him. It's ironic how easily he could have been like any of the other kids in the hero academy if only he had better role models. I did hear a theory though last week that I can't get out of my head and the more I think about it the more it makes sense. What if this whole thing was part of All For One's plan? Like what if he gave Shimura the decomposing quirk knowing that he would hurt his family and sent all the heroes after something so that he could swoop in and save Shimura in order to prove to him that heroes are nothing and keep him in his back pocket as a trump card.

xoxo Allie

What Dramas Did I Finish This Week?

Hello and welcome back! These are the dramas I finished this week. If you're interested in previous reviews, click here and if you want to see a list of my Favorite Asian OTPs and Ships, click here!

KDRAMA

FINISHED Blue Birthday (16/16): A fantasy romance drama in which Oh Ha Rin will revisit the past through mysterious photos left by her first love, Ji Seo Jun, who died on her birthday 10 years ago. He had resolved to confess to his childhood friend since elementary school but he ended up taking his own life, much to her shock and horror. He was about to confess to her when he met his sudden death in the photography room.She currently works at an abandoned pet shelter, but on the 10th anniversary of the incident, she comes into possession of some photos that her first love left behind. Ha Rin, whose painful memories were relighted again, decides to burn all the pictures. When she was burning the pictures, she suddenly realized she was back to the day she took the picture 10 years ago. The camera only has 8 pictures, so Ha Rin only has 8 chances to go back in time.

This web drama had everything I would have wanted from a drama on paper but in actuality I think maybe it was a few episodes too long cause it felt like the story tread water in order to fill airtime towards the back half. I actually really liked the idea that Ha Rin went back to save the boy she loved from killing himself only to find out that it wasn't suicide but actually murder cause he still died after she fixed his emotional problems. The twist that it was his sister all along was even better but I have to save that once everyone started jumping around through time I was less on board with this show especially since it made the police in this show seem idiotic for how many times they lost Hye Min so that she could be a bigger and bigger threat. Despite all that I had fun with this show and it's cuteness so I'd give it a 7.5 / 10. 

 

FINISHED Check Out The Event (4/4): Cheerful and lovable Song Yi, who is frank about her feelings, believed in her mother’s words that the plants never betray you, unlike people, and became a botanical garden curator. However, as her boyfriend Do Kyum who was her everything dumps her, she couldn't live proudly anymore and becomes lethargic. Do Kyum who is feisty and self-respecting is a vocalist of an indie music band. As his crew was getting reputation, he suddenly announces its disband and asks song Yi for a breakup. When Song Yi continuously tries to win Do Kyum’s heart back but keeps failing, she wins a ticket to Jeju Island through a competitive rate 500:1 and decides to take Do Kyum with her. Will this trip make any difference between the two?

I went into this show thinking it'd be an Emergency Couple type of situation in which we'd see two people who broke up horribly in the past fall in love once again but instead we got this weird awkward situation in which we watched the couple break up in the first episode and then kinda stay broken the rest of the time until the last moments of the finale in which they magically got back together. It didn't help that the main lead reminded me of the second lead from Another Miss Oh and that one piece of dialogue from that show comes back to me. A guy will always want to protect his pride and convince the woman he loves that he's the bad guy rather than be vulnerable and there be a chance that he would be pitied. Like look there are plenty of girls out there that would dump a guy after he hits rock bottom but there are plenty who wouldn't and it's unfair of the guy to pick for them. I spent the show hoping that Song Yi would chose the second male lead but then I was content with the idea that at least she dumped Do Kyum only for the show to be like sike never mind which kinda ruined the whole thing for me. I also didn't care for the side couples of the show but what this show did was make me want to rewatch The Package which is a much much better version of this show. 7 / 10.

FINISHED DP (6/6): Private soldier Jun Ho is a confused youth who served in the military normally like other Koreans. One day, he suddenly becomes a member of the military defector arrest team. As such, he is tasked with capturing deserters and must grapple with the more troubling cases of why some soldiers feel they have no other choice but go absent without official leave.

I decided to check out this show mainly cause of Jung Hae In but also cause I've got a bit of a soft spot for military men but I have to say that I had no idea what this show would be going in and was smacked in the face so hard with how dark and horrible everything was! Like of course I know that bullying occurs and horrible people exist who live to showcase their seniority over others but this show seemed to want to relay the message that the military brought out the worst in people and like part of me applauds them for this unique take on the broken system but the rest of me truly can't even believe that a show like this would be allowed to air in Korea! Having said all that I did really enjoy this show and the dark tone of it. I loved the weekly cases that we saw our leads investigate and I loved the dark spiral of Seok Bong from this sweet patient man to an unhinged killer though the ending was abrupt enough that I wonder if a second season is coming. The acting was incredible as was the writing and the directing and everything else. Watch this show if you are like dark thrillers and aren't afraid to really dig into the slow cycle of failure on a systematic level that shows no sign of being fixed. 9.5 / 10

When The Camellia Blooms (40/40): Dong Baek is a single mother living in the small town of Ongsan. She runs the bar-restaurant Camellia, while also taking care of her son Pil Gu. The people of Ongsan frequently gossip about Dong Baek. She grew up as an orphan, is a single mother and runs a bar where many of the men in Ongsan frequent. Regardless of what the locals may whisper about Dong Baek, local police officer Hwang Yong Shik is deeply in love with her. Meanwhile, Dong Baek's ex-boyfriend Kang Jong Ryeol suddenly reappears in her life. He is a famous baseball player, that hid their relationship when they dated. While Dong Baek tries to find happiness, something truly sinister lurks in the background. A serial killer roams Ongsan and Dong Baek may be a target.

When this show first aired two years ago I read the description for it and judged it based on the whole concept of a single mom cause I've seen enough kdramas in my life to know exactly where that was going to go and I really didn't feel the need to watch like 40 episodes of the poor woman being shit on by everyone around her. It also didn't help that at the time I was obsessed with Kim Ji Suk and was worried I'd get SLS but recently I've been watching Hometown Cha Cha Cha and though not loving all of it, there was enough in that show that made me curious about this one having heard how similar the two were. I also just saw Kim Ji Suk in Monthly Magazine Home which heavily cooled my love for him so I was less afraid of SLS and thank goodness I finally got around to this show cause it really is a gem. I love the world it built in this small town which really did remind me a giant family in the way that you can fight with your family all the time but when an outsider steps in, you close ranks! The whole show had the loveliest story to tell about mothers and I enjoyed the detective side too cause it kept things fresh and unlike in something like You Are My Spring, the sweet romance and the killer actually connected. Speaking of I absolutely lived for the main romance cause I loved loved loved the way Yong Sik was so unapologetically in love with Dong Baek. 9.5 / 10

xoxo Allie

What Shows Am I Watching This Week?

Hello everyone and welcome back! Let's dive right in shall we?

Legends Of Tomorrow Season 6 Episode 14

This week was the penultimate episode and I have to say that I was a bit disappointed in it. I mean Bishop's plan was pretty solid and I enjoyed watching him low key win but John's death felt kinda meh and I'm really not thrilled that his final moments weren't even with Zari! I bet though that there's a way to say the Fountain given the fact that with it (and John) dead Spooner dies too and I can't imagine that is how this season will end cause I still think that Spooner will end up moving back with her mom in the past and spending the rest of her life there given that's what she always wanted. If this does happen it's possible that John comes back too and maybe he's done enough terrible things to warrant Zari dumping him and him leaving the ship to repent or whatever. Or maybe he'll return as a new person after spending so much time with the Fountain and it's goodness and that's why Matt Ryan will be playing a new character. I do think it's kinda funny that Bishop's current evil plan is just to give up on Earth given that his original plan to save humanity kept being spoiled and I liked the idea that the Fountain (and mushrooms apparently lol) is an alien species meant to protect the Earth.

The finale is next week and it looks like we'll end up getting a spur of the moment wedding between Sara and Ava before aliens invade to destroy the Earth. I'm more curious to see where Bishop will fit in and how Zari will react to what happened with John. By the way Behrad better be back cause it makes no sense that he has just been missing these last two episodes!

Stargirl Season 2 Episode 4

I am fascinated by what's going on with the Shade cause I can't tell what level of evil he is! Like all of the ISA is bad but to varying degrees and that's really evident when seeing the Crocks. They really do love Artemis and want what's best for her and I pity her for how she's going to be used by Cindy. It kinda weirds me out that Cindy is about to mind control everyone into joining her version of the ISA using Eclipso cause it feels cheap to me. Like wouldn't it be better if she somehow gaslighted them into believing in her? I suppose though that this way it's easier for the JSA to beat her cause the second they take away Eclipso she'll lose her team too and maybe that's why we're going this way? I also guess it's important to note that it was Eclipso who killed Dr Midnite's daughter in the premiere like we saw and that actually Dr Midnite is alive in Shade's shadows though for what I'm not sure. Going full circle with the whole varying level of evils thing, Shade seemed genuinely horrified at the thought of Eclipso killing a ten year old girl and he seemed to struggle with the fact that Courtney is just a kid making me wonder if he also had a child that he lost so part of him yearns to protect other children.

What If Season 1 Episode 4

This was an interesting what if scenario if a bit meh cause I personally think Dr Strange is at his most interesting when he's interacting with other Marvel characters rather than in a standalone situation but it also probs didn't help that this episode followed last week's which was defs a high bar. I do also have to say that I haven't watched Dr Strange since it first came out in theaters so I really did forget that Dr Strange had a love interest but it was creative to say that he lost his heart in that accident rather than his hands. I liked the idea that the Ancient one split Steven into two pieces and in a way separated his conscience from his impulses and that in the end it didn't matter cause evil Dr Strange went through with his plan even though everyone and everything warned him that it wouldn't work. I kinda like how it ended with him destroying his universe and being alone forever to wallow cause it felt like karmic justice.

Titans Season 3 Episode 6

I'm not entirely sure that I understood what the plan was with Jason and him stealing some of the fear gas in order to sell on the streets cause it looks like he gave it to some thugs who shot up Tim Drake's noodle house while he watched. Normally I would have guessed that he targeted Tim cause Tim's a future Robin except according to Bruce's Robin files Tim wasn't on it cause Tim had a happy life so he didn't fit Bruce's MO. It also doesn't exactly look like the thug killed any of Tim's family so maybe it won't matter anyway? In other news we saw flashbacks of Dick and Barbara and I'm going to be really interested to see which girl this show thinks Dick belongs with cause in the comics it's usually Barbara but I've always have a soft spot for Starfire given that my first outing into the DC world was probs Teen Titans! I mean not that this Kory has time for romance in between juggling being Team Mom and Blackfire. I still can't read Blackfire but I did like her conversation with Connor about wanting a place to belong. Connor and Gar are truly the softest bois and deserve to be protected at all cost. I'm also curious about the fact that we still haven't seen Raven this season and I wonder if the show cut her out like Dawn and Hank cause people didn't like them as much as the others?

My Hero Academia Season 5 Episode 22

I'm struggling with this arc guys and it's a hundred percent entirely my fault. Like on one level I can understand why others enjoyed it but I'm kinda the worst person to impress when shows or movies do the thing where they put aside their main characters to give attention to others. I don't need more backstory on the League cause honestly I'm not the kind of person who needs their villains to be sympathetic and before this I felt like we had plenty over the course of a few minutes during these past five seasons. I mean yeah it's cool that they're all getting past their mental traumas and upgrading like we've seen a lot of our heroes do but unless this whole thing culminates in a big fight with the heroes I'm just meh.

xoxo Allie

Fall 2021 TV Schedule

Hey everyone!! It's finally September which means that the Fall 2021 TV Schedule is about to start!! As per usual I'm going to be posting what shows I will be watching!! I'll be posting the air dates for all the shows I will be watching. These all air from September to the end of November! This time around I'm going to be listing the Asian dramas I'm watching (and keeping it up to date) and meanwhile if you're interested in my reviews for the American shows and Japanese anime I watch, check out my What Shows Am I Watching This Week list. Those in pink are the ones I'm reviewing weekly.

SUNDAY

Blue Period - Anime (September 26) (Season Finale December 11)
Fena: The Pirate Princess - Anime (Series Finale October 24)

Kimetsu no Yaiba Season 2 - Anime (October 10)

Mieruko-Chan - Anime (October 3) (Season Finale December 19)

Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation Part 2 - Anime (October 2) (Season Finale December 19)

Bulgasal: Immortal Souls - Kdrama (December 18)
Chimera - Kdrama (October 30) (Series Finale December 19)

Fall In Love - Cdrama (November 9) (Series Finale December 8)

Let Me Be Your Knight - Kdrama (November 7)

Lost - Kdrama (September 4) (Series Finale October 24)

Snowdrop - Kdrama (December 18)

MONDAY

Battle Game In 5 Seconds - Anime (Series Finale September 27)

Seirei Gensouki: Spirit Chronicles - Anime (Series Finale September 20)

The Fruit of Evolution: Before I Knew It, My Life Had It Made - Anime (October 4) (Series Finale December 20)
The Vampire Dies In No Time - Anime (October 4) (Series Finale December 20)

TUESDAY

takt.op.Destiny - Anime (October 5) (Season Finale December 21)

FBI - 8 PM on CBS (September 21)
FBI: International - 9 PM on CBS (September 21)

Stargirl Season 2 - 8 PM on CW (Season Finale November 2)

The Flash Season 8 - 8 PM on CW (November 16)

Idol: The Coup - Kdrama (November 8) (Series Finale December 14)

Moonshine - Kdrama (December 20)

Our Beloved Summer - Kdrama (December 6) 

Police University - Kdrama (Series Finale October 5)

Promise Cinderella - Jdrama (Series Finale September 21)

The One And Only - Kdrama (December 20)

Tsumari Suki tte iitai n Dakedo - Jdrama (September 29) (Series Finale December 8)

WEDNESDAY

Banished from the Hero’s Party, I Decided to Live a Quiet Life in the Countryside - Anime (October 6) (Series Finale December 22)
Drug Store In Another World: The Slow Life Of A Cheat Pharmacist - Anime (Series Finale September 22)

The World's Finest Assassin Gets Reincarnated In Another World As An Aristocrat - Anime (October 6)  (Series Finale December 22)

Tsukimchi: Moonlight Fantasy - Anime (Series Finale September 22)

Hawkeye - Disney+ (November 24) (Series Finale December 22)

Legends Of Tomorrow - 8 PM on CW (October 13)

What If? - Disney+ (August 11) (Season Finale October 6)

Douse Mou Nigerarenai - Jdrama (September 16) (Series Finale November 11)

THURSDAY

Peach Boy Riverside - Anime (Series Finale September 16)

Platinum End - Anime (October 7)

The Aquatope Of White Sand - Anime (Series Finale December 16)

Brooklyn Nine Nine - 8 PM on NBC (Series Finale September 16)

Doom Patrol Season 3 - HBO Max (September 23) (Series Finale November 11)

Star Trek Discovery Season 4 - CBS (November 18)

Titans Season 3 - HBO Max (Season Finale October 21)

Young Justice Season 4 - HBO Max (October 16)

Dali And The Cocky Prince - Kdrama (September 22) (Series Finale November 11)

Hospital Playlist Season 2 - Kdrama (Series Finale September 16)

School 2021 - Kdrama (November 24)

FRIDAY

I'm Standing On A Million Lives Season 2 - Anime (Season Finale September 17)

My Next Life Is A Villainess: All Routes Lead To Doom Season 2 - Anime (Season Finale September 17)

Taisho Otome Fairy Tale - Anime (September 8) (Series Finale December 24)
The Case Study Of Vanitas - Anime (Series Finale September 17)

Wheel Of Time - Amazon (November 19) (Season Finale December 24)

Work Later, Drink Now - Kdrama (October 22) (Series Finale November 26)

SATURDAY

86 - Anime (October 2)

My Hero Academia Season 5 - Anime (Season Finale September 25)

Remake Our Life! - Anime (Series Finale September 25)

The Faraway Paladin - Anime (October 9) (Season Finale December 18)

Tokyo Revengers - Anime (Season Finale September 25)

Welcome To Demon School Season 2 - Anime (Season Finale September 11)

Bad & Crazy - Kdrama (December 17)

Blue Birthday - Kdrama (Series Finale September 11)

Check Out The Event - Kdrama (Series Finale September 4)

F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flowers - THDrama (December 18)

Happiness - Kdrama (November 5) (Series Finale December 12)

Kotodamsou - Jdrama (October 9)

One The Woman - Kdrama (September 17) (Series Finale November 6)

Shadow Beauty - Kdrama (November 20) (Series Finale December 29)

The Veil - Kdrama (September 17) (Series Finale October 23)

User Not Found - Kdrama (December 3)

We At That Time - Cdrama (December 1) (Series Finale December 25)

Yumi's Cells - Kdrama (September 17) (Season Finale October 30)

STREAMING

Cowboy Bebop - Netflix (November 19)

Dear White People Season 4 - Netflix (September 22)

Leverage: Redemption Season 1B - IMDb TV (October 8)

Lucifer Season 6 - Netflix (September 10)

Pretty Smart - Netflix (October 7)

Silent Sea - Netflix (December 24)

Star Wars: Visions - Disney+ (September 22)

Squid Game - Netflix (September 17)

xoxo Allie