Video Games: Games You Should Give a Second Chance

Screenshot of Noctis, Gladio, Ignis, and Prompto from ‘Final Fantasy XV’. Copyright goes to Square Enix.

Hey! Hallie here!

I haven’t done a video game post in quite a bit and I miss talking about gaming! For a lot of the past few months I’ve been struggling with my motivation to do much of anything really, but I’m starting to get some of that motivation back and that means I’m back to playing more games! As I’m revisiting some of my favorite games I’m starting to realize that a lot of the games I really love were either overlooked or poorly reviewed because of various circumstances. That doesn’t mean these games don’t have fan bases. Some of these games have very devoted fans. It’s more that these games, for some reason or another, wound up with a bad reputation that turned a lot of gamers away from them. So today I’m going to try to explain the situation and defend some of my favorite video games in the hopes that more people can discover them and enjoy them just as much as I do!

‘Detroit: Become Human’:

I’m starting out with probably the most popular game on this list. I still come across people talking about this game on social media despite the fact that it came out about three years ago. However, even when this game was released it was highly debated. The first reviews that came out praised it for its deep characters and choice-heavy gameplay. But it was also criticized for being tone deaf to the social issues it was trying to tackle. These social issues in particular drove a lot of gamers away. Why? Well, because this game is about androids who were created to serve humans. Except these androids realize they’re being treated like slaves and decide to start a revolution to fight for their rights. I wonder what real life scenario this is supposed to be commenting on? Between segregated cars on the back of buses that are specifically for androids, to using phrases like “We have a dream” for the android revolution, this game could get very heavy handed and controversial. I think it’s obvious to anyone that the treatment of the Black community can’t be compared to the treatment of androids in the game. As an analogy for our world, ‘Detroit: Become Human’ is a poor one. But the game has a lot more to offer than failed attempts at addressing society. Its characters are deeply thought out and well acted. I specifically recommend the game for the characters of Connor and Hank. Connor is an android who gets assigned to a police officer, Hank, on an android-related case. Hank and Connor’s relationship starts out rocky, but as the game goes on, depending on your choices, they develop a very strong and emotional bond. The game is at its strongest when the two are left to debate moralistic issues from their very opposite points of view and by the end of it, you really feel like Hank views Connor as a son. These extremely real feeling characters in horribly complex moral situations really make the game shine. Especially because your choices drive these conversations. Maybe this game isn’t a good analogy, but the way it connects you to the characters in a story-heavy way that you are very much in control of, is immersive in a way you won’t find in most other video games.

‘Final Fantasy XV’:

This game has a lot of fans, but not because it initially had good reviews. This game gained a following majorly because the main characters are, admittedly, very attractive and because this is a ‘Final Fantasy’ game. As for initial reviews, this is one of those games that most gamers could tell was released too early. It was extremely buggy, fighting gameplay was clunky, and the load screens were so long that, no matter what came after the screen, it wasn’t worth the wait. Many gamers put down this game after the first few weeks it was released and never looked back. But I really think its worth coming back to now that a few years have passed. A lot of it has been fixed. The fighting is now much smoother and I haven’t encountered any major glitches at all. (The load screens are still long but it’s still a good game despite it.) On top of all of that, various incredibly good story bits were added. For those who don’t know, this game follows Noctis, a prince who was sent away by his father to get married in the hopes of creating peace with an enemy kingdom. Noctis is accompanied on his journey by three friends: His bodyguard, Gladio, his royal advisor, Ignis, and his classmate, Prompto. After the four leave, however, they realize that Noctis can’t return to his home until he possesses the power to free it. The game dives deeply into these four characters. You spend all of your gameplay fighting with them, camping with them, trying to make enough money for the four of you to survive, and just bantering back and forth. The story drives home that these four would die for one another. And you see that nearly happen multiple times. I’ll highlight my favorite character here, Ignis, for making a major sacrifice halfway through the game. He also has a more recent DLC that is by far one of the best DLC’s I’ve ever played. It gives a major insight into his own thoughts and feelings. This game is more complex than most think and if you abandoned it, now is the time to return.

‘Ghostbusters: The Video Game’:

This game is definitely the least popular here. It isn’t an unpopular game necessarily. ‘Ghostbusters’, after all, has a pretty large and loyal fan base. It’s just that this game ended up being rejected by gamers right when it was announced. Video games that are based off of movies are almost never good. Who was to say that this game would be an exception? Apparently Harold Ramis and Dan Akroyd. Harold Ramis and Dan Akroyd famously played Egon and Ray in the original ‘Ghostbusters’ movies. They’re also the writers for the films. And they also wrote the story for the video game. Not only that, but all of the original Ghostbusters, plus Janine and Walter Peck, returned to reprise their roles in the video game. This game isn’t a quick cash grab. The writers of the original movies came up with an entirely new story containing their ideas on what a third movie might look like, and then pulled in a good chunk of the cast to return to bring it to life. In the game you play as a rookie, training under the Ghostbusters while they deal with yet another ghostly catastrophe. And Gozer is definitely involved again. It feels like a continuation of the movies. The humor is on point, the lore is rich, and the story is excellent. As for the gameplay, it’s a really fun shooter with a lot of interesting variation when you realize that the same tricks won’t work on every ghost. And if you’re looking at the game that was just remastered, it’s beautiful. The places you go to are taken almost exactly from the films. The screen accuracy of just the elevator in the Sedgewick Hotel is scarier than any of the ghosts you’ll encounter in the game. And it all looks real enough to touch. If you’re a ‘Ghostbusters’ fan, definitely give this a chance.

That’s my list for now! I have tons of other games like this I could talk about, so maybe you’ll see this become a series! As for now, I hope this post convinced you to look past some of the criticisms these games get. They all have really excellent stories and some really fun gameplay. I return to all three of these yearly. I hope you find something on this list that will make you return just as often as I do!

Don’t do anything fun until I get back!

Hallie

International Dramas: Her Private Life

Screenshot of Kim Jaewook and Park Minyoung in ‘Her Private Life’. Copyright goes to Studio Dragon and tvN.

Hi! It’s Annie!

I have been stuck in the wormhole of K-Drama binge watching for the past few weeks. I watched four dramas in a row and it was really difficult to get over any of them. I will somewhat space out my reviews of the dramas I watched (one of them is already posted), but we’ll see how much I hold off because I have so many thoughts about literally all of them. Today, I just finished this drama which I thought I would review so soon because it’s another drama about K-Pop. Though, this one is more about K-Pop fans. The show follows Sung Deokmi, a K-Pop fan who runs a fan-page for her favorite idol, Sian, and she’s also an art curator at an art museum. After an incident where she was accidentally photographed coming out of Sian’s apartment building, fans begin to assume that she is dating Sian. This leads to issues for both the idol himself and it calls into question her safety; which prompts her boss at the art museum to suggest that he pretend to be her boyfriend in the hopes that she’ll stop being attacked. This is actually a really good use of K-Pop in a show and an excellent try in getting people to better understand fans of idols and idol groups. While this show doesn’t actually follow idols and idol groups, it’s nice to get a show that focuses on K-Pop where I really liked the writing. For the most part. This review will have MAJOR SPOILERS, but in my personal opinion, there aren’t too many plot twists so there isn’t much to spoil. Let’s get into it!

The Good:

The Main Romance- I am not able to speak enough about the main romance in this. It’s the type of relationship that is so cute it will definitely make you feel lonely if you’re single. Ryan and Deokmi begin on semi-bad terms, though not completely. This isn’t really a hate to love story. There’s just a small misunderstanding that goes away very quickly after they start getting to know each other better. And then there’s a bigger misunderstanding that goes away a bit later. (He thinks she’s dating a woman, which he’s actually really supportive about.) He at first offers to pretend to be her boyfriend to hopefully make fans believe that she isn’t dating Sian, but then things get complicated when the two start falling for each other. They officially get together about half way through the show, but the show still never fails to focus on their relationship from there. They don’t throw in too much drama, they treat the relationship itself as an interesting enough plot point. Which is something I want to see more dramas do! You see them goof around with each other, develop a sense of humor all their own, develop inside jokes, support each other when they’re having a hard time, encourage the other to cry in front of them if they need to, etc. This relationship is so meaningful and emotional because the show takes all the time it possibly can to focus on them as a couple. It doesn’t just stop after they get together in order to try and add more drama. Speaking of which…

No Break Up- There is no weird misunderstanding that leads to a dramatic break up here! There are misunderstandings between the couple, but they actually talk them through. (Gasp!) And when Ryan finds out that Deokmi’s close friend Eungi has a crush on her, he doesn’t get super angry. In fact, he encourages Deokmi to try not to get too uncomfortable and not to give up the friendship over it. A boyfriend with healthy relationship practices? What??? Ryan also knows that Deokmi is a major fangirl even before they really start dating and he doesn’t let it bug him. In fact, he spends the final episode trying to get concert tickets with her. He recognizes it as a passion of hers and accepts it. And there’s also a point at the end of the show where the show teases you into thinking that he’ll have to move to New York and she’ll have to stay behind. But then they both go because they both find opportunities there. There’s no needless dramatic break-ups here! I promise you, you’re safe. Take a deep breath, I know we’ve all been burnt by K-Dramas before. (I’m looking at you ‘The King: Eternal Monarch’.)

Fangirling- This show is absolutely amazing to anybody who has ever called themselves a fan of any idol group. Because it doesn’t demonize fangirls or fanboys. The show also actually takes the time to explain the difference between healthy fangirls and unhealthy ones. Obviously, the ones that attack Deokmi because they think she’s dating Sian are not healthy. But the show takes time to recognize that groups need fangirls and there’s nothing wrong with fangirling. The few characters that view it as stupid realize that they’re wrong in the end. Because there’s nothing wrong with trying to support other people in the world that you’re passionate about. The show also acknowledges that Deokmi and her friend, Seonjoo, know that groups like this sell romance. They had an entire conversation about that, which I thought was both funny and reflected a lot of the conversations that fangirls are having now. We’ve all known for years that idol groups market themselves as datable people because that kind of thing sells. We aren’t stupid. But there’s nothing harmful about letting yourself fall into that trap but still knowing what’s realistic. Most fangirls (and boys too) balance both, and let’s be honest, we balance it well. This show is nothing but kind to K-Pop fans and the industry itself. I’m grateful to see a portrayal of fans that is so kind and so willing to promote a better understanding of us.

Sian- The K-Pop idol that everyone adores. He’s basically made to be Jungkook from BTS. What I liked about him was that he was humanized. When it comes to showing celebrities in shows that women specifically like, it either goes one of two ways usually. Either he’s the absolute perfect person and there’s nothing flawed about him, or he’s absolutely horrifically terrible and there’s some lesson thrown in there about how women should stop having crushes on people they don’t really know. Which I find ironic because most people, at least at first, develop crushes on people before they really know them. Celebrity or not. Anyways, this was not the portrayal of Sian. Sian was innocently adorable, but also often naive and overly willing to crash into places he shouldn’t be unexpectedly without asking. In other words, he was flawed. You fell in love with him, while also being able to tell that he had an annoying side. One of my favorite scenes of him was when he drunkenly swam across the floor after crashing Ryan’s apartment. It was so cute! The show also created a song from his group ‘White Ocean’. They only created the one song and they used it a few times in the show, but it was actually a pretty good song. It sounded like a signature idol group song and I enjoyed when and where it was used.

The Sub-Plot Romance- This is not your typical sub-plot romance. This actually depicts a young married couple who has to work through issues and falls in love all over again. It’s adorable and I couldn’t get enough of it. Deokmi’s best friend Seonjoo is married to her husband Seungmin and they have a young son together named Geonwoo. Seonjoo begins the drama a bit distracted from her married life because she wants go back to having more free time. Then Seungmin publishes an article depicting fangirls as insane in order to receive a promotion at work, and they almost divorce over this article. And you can see why, because Seonjoo is also a fan of Sian. By publishing this article, Seonjoo feels both betrayed and like her husband doesn’t actually understand her. Seungmin immediately notices his mistake and seeks to rectify the situation by showing her that he supports her passions. And Seonjoo remembers what it was like to fall in love with him and notes that he basically became her very own idol. The process of them falling back in love after so much time is adorable and feels very real. It is one of the most unique takes on drama sub-plot romances that I’ve ever seen, and it really did pay off.

Sindy- I was not prepared to like this character as much as I did by the end of the show. She starts out as a spoiled Sian fan. Her parents are rich and she’s more concerned with getting more followers than she is with the safety of idols or their fans. She later learns the error of her ways and makes a path for herself without her parents or their money. Her storyline takes place in the background and isn’t focused on entirely, because it really didn’t need to be. But it was focused on just enough to show her journey to becoming a more independent person and it was actually pretty inspiring.

The Kissing- I still can’t believe that this has become part of my review categories for shows. But the kissing in this show was romantic and reciprocated. There were no frozen lips to be seen here.

LGBTQ+ Representation- It isn’t much, but it’s there. Ryan and Deokmi go to persuade the friend of an artist who recently passed away to give them his last photography projects in order to honor him. They find out that this friend is actually the former lover of the artist who regrets not being comfortable enough with his identity to fully show his reciprocation of his feelings. I would love to see more of it in other dramas too, but considering this representation is only beginning to be fully explored in South Korean television, I’m glad that it was there.

The Bad:

The Orphan Story- This only is expanded on in the last few episodes, and it really makes me feel as though this show didn’t need the last few episodes. We knew that Ryan had been adopted by parents from the US when he was young, but I didn’t actually feel I needed more of this storyline. A lot of shows depict adopted kids as having these huge dramatic backstories where they eventually find their parents, but I’m a big believer in found family. Your family is who is there for you and who takes care of you when you need it the most. So, I’m never a huge fan of these storylines. And it was shoehorned so oddly in only the last few episodes that I couldn’t help but feel that it wasn’t needed. Ryan didn’t need to have a connection towards those paintings or suddenly figure out that Sian was his brother. I actually liked it a lot better when I thought they randomly became good friends. I didn’t need more than that. I would have been totally fine with just focusing on Ryan getting over his past trauma in painting and slowly learning how to paint again. I didn’t feel this drama needed the trope-y plot twists.

Past Connections- I always really dislike when a drama does this. The writers decide that the lead couple needs more of a reason to be together, so decides on a fate storyline where the couple doesn’t remember that they knew each other as kids. Most real-life couples did not know each other as kids, so I’m not sure why dramas feature so much of this trope. I would much rather have the main characters be drawn together entirely because of personality than part of it being because they had a previous connection. I just want to focus on their connection now.

Random Death- In the second to last episode it’s revealed that Deokmi had a little brother that died in a car accident when she was younger. This plot point (that is not at all focused on) is used to explain why Deokmi didn’t have any childhood memories of Ryan and to explain why Deokmi’s Mom couldn’t have taken care of Ryan when he was separated from his birth mother. They didn’t need this at all. Most people don’t have clear memories of their childhood and they could have easily said that Deokmi’s parents didn’t have the financial stability to take care of another child. Especially because they had already taken in a child that wasn’t their own. This plot point was shoehorned so badly into the story that it was almost nonsensical. I can’t see why this was added in. It was just further proof to me that the last few episodes of this show weren’t really needed.

The Second Leads- Both of the main characters get a potential second romantic interest, and I didn’t like either character. Eungi’s interest in Deokmi was kind of gross to me considering they were raised together by the same parents and Eungi even considers her parents his as well. It really did feel like incest. And every time the story focused on him, it was literally nothing but him moping over the fact that Deokmi wasn’t interested in him. He even gave away the fake relationship secret to an untrustworthy party because he was frustrated. To top all of this off, he was not supportive of her fangirling at all. Definitely, not my favorite. Dain, who was Ryan’s friend, was even more of a jerk when she had a romantic interest in Ryan. She tried to make it seem like Ryan wasn’t interested in Deokmi, which Ryan thankfully quickly settled. She never seems to learn from her mistakes either. I just wasn’t impressed with either of these characters. I suffer from second lead syndrome a lot (and I mean a lot), but this was not a drama where that applied.

‘White Ocean’- This is the group that Sian is a part of. I wish it would have focused on fans of members that weren’t just Sian, even if they didn’t appear. I just would have liked ‘White Ocean’ as a whole to be mentioned more. We don’t want to promote solo stan behavior.

I actually really loved this drama. There was so much that it did well and some of the things it covered were things that I’ve always wanted to see in a drama. Like the extremely understanding and healthy relationship and the portrayal of fans of idol groups. Maybe in a re-watch I would skip the last few episodes, but I don’t think that would take away from my over-all enjoyment of the series. I loved this so much and I highly recommend it to K-Pop idol group fans. This drama seeks to make fans feel validated and it definitely succeeds. Go watch it if you haven’t!

See you across the pond!

Sincerely, Annie

Sci-Fi/ Superheroes: ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’ Trailer Reaction

Screenshot of McKenna Grace in the ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’ trailer. Copyright goes to Columbia Pictures.

Hey! Hallie here!

If you’ve followed this blog for a bit you know that I’m a huge ‘Ghostbusters’ fan. Quotes from the movies fill my vocabulary, I gush about the video game as often as possible, and the comics and cartoons are extremely comforting to me. I’ve been anticipating this film since it was first announced and the waiting, as uncontrollable circumstances pushed this movie back further and further, has been insane. I was over the moon when we got both a full trailer and a release date yesterday. This movie is now being released November 11th! With some people speculating that circumstances could have pushed this movie back as far as summer of 2022, I’m ecstatic that we’ll be able to see this movie this year. And this trailer promises a lot to love once we get to finally sit down and watch the film. There’s so much I want to talk about, so let’s get into this!

The Story:

As the synopsis of the movie describes, ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’ follows Callie, a single mother attempting to raise her two children, 15-year-old Trevor and 12-year-old Phoebe. Phoebe has been taking the spotlight for the majority of the content we’ve seen so far, and this trailer is no different. It starts with Callie speaking to Mr. Grooberson, a local teacher, about her struggles as a single mother. She notes that she can’t quite reach Phoebe in the same way she can connect to Trevor. As a response, Mr. Grooberson notes Phoebe’s awkwardness while the trailer shows us Phoebe getting bullied by some local kids, likely a result of her shown obsession with science. While Trevor goes to spend some time with friends at the site of a local mine, he explains that the family is broke and, because of this, has been forced to move into a rundown farmhouse his mother’s estranged father left their family. Then our first ‘Ghostbusters’ veteran appears! Janine is back and, given the way she’s speaking about Phoebe and Trevor’s mysterious grandfather, she seems to have spent a lot of time with him. She notes that he wasn’t the type to enjoy a relaxing home life and, as a result, left his daughter and her children with very little. Except, of course, a very familiar car. The Ecto-1 looks a bit run down, but it’s obviously been cared for to some extent because Trevor’s able to get the car functioning pretty well. After this Mr. Grooberson lays out our main problem. The entire town is shaking even though there’s no logical cause for earthquakes. And then ghosts erupt from the mine Trevor likes to hang around. We only get to see Phoebe suit up to fight these new ghosts in this trailer, but we know we’re going to see quite a few people suiting up in this movie. This set up is really interesting and I can’t wait to see how it plays out!

Nostalgia:

Jason Reitman has had his lips sealed about who this grandfather character is, but the trailers have already given it away. Our first teaser showed the family finding old Ghostbusters suits with the name “Spengler” across the front. In this full trailer, Phoebe says “Egon came out here for a reason” while the trailer shows her doing research on the Ghostbusters. Also, who else would keep such a close relationship with Janine? (Please don’t say Louis Tully. I’m trying to forget that happened.) In other words, Egon is obviously Callie’s estranged father and the grandfather of Phoebe and Trevor. That certainly explains why Phoebe looks so much like him. Because this family is moving into Egon’s house we get to see some memorabilia right away. Phoebe solves a puzzle in the floor and finds a ghost trap, and an old photograph of the four original Ghostbusters can be seen sitting amongst some books. Later on, Phoebe finds the original Ghostbusters ad, the one we see in the first movie, on YouTube. While the audio from the ad plays we get to see a P.K.E. Meter, the horrifyingly adorable mini Stay-Pufts we had the pleasure of watching cook each other a little while ago, and some doomsday supernatural occurrences that are very reminiscent of the first movie. Among the supernatural beings invading the town is what looks like a Terror Dog (Think Keymaster and Gatekeeper). At the very end of the trailer we finally get to see the Ecto-1 in action. The sound of the siren is easily recognizable, but the seat that swings out of the car is an undeniably awesome new addition. It’s also very satisfying to see Phoebe wrangle a ghost in a capture stream. But the best part of it all? Ray answering the phone at Ray’s Occult Books! He’s still in business and it seems he and the other guys are ready to step back in! I’m so excited!

The Pushback:

This trailer has generated a mostly positive response from fans, but I’ve seen a few concerns. The first is that this movie doesn’t look funny enough. I’ve even seen people go so far as to say that the epic light the trailer shines on references to the first film is an attempt to pay tribute to a movie that doesn’t exist. I think these concerns, to be blunt, are ignorant. Firstly, ‘Ghostbusters’ is a comedy, yes. But why does that mean ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’ has to be a comedy? I don’t doubt that this movie will have comedy in it. If it wasn’t going to, why hire Paul Rudd? But ‘Ghostbusters’ has proven time and time again that it’s perfectly comfortable leaning more into a thriller/adventure storyline. I’d argue that the video game leans further towards thriller/adventure for the majority of its story. And with the sheer amount of storylines ‘Ghostbusters’ has tackled in comics and cartoons alone, it’s become an extremely versatile franchise. ‘Ghostbusters’ isn’t just a light, fluffy comedy. It tackles multiple genres just in the first film and it has tons of lore to explore. I’ve also seen some say that this movie feels like it’s relying too much on nostalgia. Firstly, this is a trailer. A trailer is going to rely on nostalgia to reel in fans. That doesn’t mean that we won’t get plenty of new things to enjoy once the movie comes around. Secondly, ‘Ghostbusters’ has been trying to extend itself into a franchise for a very, very long time. This movie is obviously trying to connect itself to the past movies in order to set up a story that could continue developing in the future. And, as someone who would love to see ‘Ghostbusters’ extend into a franchise, I don’t see a problem with that. In other words, just let ‘Ghostbusters’ fans be happy. We’ve been excited for this movie for a long time now.

This trailer makes me so happy. I love seeing a movie build off of the original storyline of its predecessors and still give us new things to enjoy. I’m so excited to see more women picking up proton packs and facing off against ghosts. I’m also excited to see the original busters joining back in. And I love that this film is paying tribute to the late, great, Harold Ramis. The series is truly nothing without him and this film aims to include Egon as much as possible despite his absence. I don’t want to get my hopes up, but I have very good feelings about this movie. And if you were expecting me to talk about the 2016 ‘Ghostbusters’ in this post, this is all you’re getting. I’m not starting up that discourse here. Right now I’m just going to live in the good mood this trailer put me in.

Don’t do anything fun until I get back!

Hallie

K-Pop: K/DA

Promotional image of (from left) Kai’sa, Akali, Seraphine, Ahri, and Evelynn. Copyright goes to ‘League of Legends’ and ‘Riot Games’.

Hi! It’s Annie!

Of course, with my interest in K-Pop and animated franchises it was only a matter of time until I became acquainted with K/DA. Recently, I’ve been looking into supporting and becoming a fan of female gaming characters that aren’t from Overwatch. I’ve made a couple posts about D.Va in the past, and then recently all of the allegations about Blizzard Entertainment hit. And while it’s pretty clear that many of the things detailed in those allegations happen in many companies in the gaming industry, it still doesn’t excuse Blizzard’s reaction to all of this. Women have been treated awfully in gaming communities, both behind the scenes and for simply gaming in general, for ages. It’s simply atrocious and completely sexist. So, I decided to look at more female driven projects that gaming companies have done that have more women behind the scenes. And K/DA being a product of ‘League of Legends’ is a perfect example of a female driven gaming marketing with plenty of women also behind the scenes. What’s more, they are actually created to be a K-Pop group. Can you tell why I’m excited? This ticks off so many boxes of so many of the things that I love! So let’s get into what makes this particular group stand out.

Virtual Band:

A lot of people are hesitant when it comes to virtual bands or virtual musical groups. These all consist of animated and fictional characters that do not exist, but still put out music. I can see why people are a little afraid. If you take people out of music you take the soul out of it. I think that’s why I have personally always been hesitant to become a fan of things like Vocaloid, for example. But I have always been fully supportive of actual bands or groups using fictional characters to switch out people behind the scenes and switch out the sound of the music sometimes too. This is most famously done in the group ‘Gorillaz’, which consists of one or two major members who are in charge that switch out other members in the group and front as the same four animated characters the entire time. Because all of this is being handled and done by actual people, this is a concept that I’m all for. And I think being a previous fan of ‘Gorillaz’ is really what made me less hesitant to like K/DA.

The Making:

K/DA consists of four characters, two of which are usually voiced by two of the members of ‘G-Idle’ and two who are voiced by American singers and songwriters. In one of their most recent releases they also brought in a Chinese singer. While the company refers to this as K-Pop, this groups seems to have more international implications to it. But yes, their sound is definitely based in K-Pop. On a different occasion, some of the characters were voiced by the members of the girl group ‘Twice’. And most recently the American singers have changed. This allows a lot of people to participate in the group without having to actually switch out members. And all of the virtual members have personalities of their own. During interviews they hire actual voice actresses to voice the girls instead of celebrities, which is a move I love. With the voice acting industry starting to have less jobs for actual voice artists because of the mass hiring of A-list celebrities in those roles instead, it’s amazing that they are also including voice actresses in on this. There are so many women behind the scenes working on this group. Women were also consulted on which characters should be a part of the group and what their personalities should be. ‘League of Legends’ really did consult women every step of the way in this process since they were creating a girl group. And, to top all of this off, when you see the virtual avatars of the characters performing, they are also based off of the real performers. All of the performers voicing them singing-wise, also do the choreography for them using motion capture. All of this has a human hand in it, there’s nothing that they tried to skip over when it comes to quality.

The Members:

Here we go! Remember when I said all of the members have their own personalities despite being voiced by different people at different times? This is what I was talking about!

Ahri- She is the leader, main vocalist, and center of the group. A nine-tailed fox with blonde and pink hair who has a high interest in fashion. She enjoys tea and just about everything in the fashion design world, and is one of the more outspoken members in interviews. The singing voice for her is done by G-Idle’s Miyeon as well as members of ‘Twice’ and her voice actress is usually Laura Post.

Evelynn- A lead vocalist who is known for her rich vocals and creepy looks. She definitely has more of a bad attitude and she has been seen serially dating many celebrity men who are suddenly never heard from again. The reason why she hasn’t debuted before this is because she finds it difficult to get along with people. Her singing voice is usually Madison Beer, but she has also been taken over by Kim Petras and, most recently, Bea Miller. Her voice actress is Mara Junot.

Kai’sa- She is the main dancer and vocalist for the group with a more punk look. Seriously, her major role is dancing and choreography and she is passionate about those things. She’s also the quietest member of the group and more likely to keep to herself. She is a world traveller and can speak many languages as well. Her singing voices are Jaira Burns, Wolftyla, Aluna, and Bekuh BOOM. Her voice actress is Natasha Loring.

Akali- She is the main rapper, lead dancer, vocalist, and the wild-haired maknae. She is definitely most known for her rap. She’s the most popular member of the group and the most outspoken during interviews. She often mixes her experiences with martial arts and her experiences with rap to create her sounds and performances for MV’s. Akali is also a gamer. Her singing voice is Soyeon from G-Idle and her voice actress is either Laura Bailey or, more recently, Krizia Bajos.

Seraphine- This is the character that they seem to be bringing on if they need guests, and I love her so much. She most popularly appeared in “More”, and has done several covers of K/DA songs by herself. She’s an influencer with a sweet and cute personality and look, who wants to become a K-Pop star one day. Maybe K/DA could be her way in? I guess we’ll have to see if they bring her back. Her singing voice is done by Lexie Liu, a Chinese singer, in the single “More” and Jasmine Clarke on other occasions. Her voice actress is Michele Panu.

The Music:

They haven’t had many releases yet, but I’ve enjoyed a lot of what they have released. Their music videos in particular are super well done. My favorite song is “More” though I also highly recommend “POP/STARS”. They definitely have a more badass vibe than anything else and their songs really reflect that.

This group has performed live with the singers performing alongside images of their characters for events. And these characters are actually playable in “League of Legends’, though some of these characters are more controversial in gameplay than others. Each character has a unique personality that also ties into the game. So if you’re a gamer who likes the group as a K-Pop group, you can play as your favorite member in the game too. While there are some people who are unsure about this move from the company, I think it’s amazing. I love that they created a massively female driven project in an industry that is notoriously unkind to women. Women should not be asked useless questions to prove that they have actually played a game by men who assume that women couldn’t possibly understand. And women should not be treated like objects in the workplace of this same industry. I think having a female project done in conjunction with major gaming is a long time coming, and I hope to see more of it in the future.

See you across the pond!

Sincerely, Annie

K-Pop: MONSTA X Dropped “Kiss or Death”!

Promotional image of Chae Hyungwon, Yoo Kihyun, Im Changkyun, Lee Minhyuk, Lee Jooheon, and Sohn Hyunwoo. Copyright goes to MONSTA X and Starship Entertainment.

Hey! Hallie here!

MONSTA X just dropped “Kiss or Death” and its music video! And for those who are already missing Shownu, he’s absolutely in this song and rocking center in the choreography. This song is really good, but if you haven’t seen the MV yet I don’t exactly blame you. While a few previews of this music video were released on YouTube, the only place you can watch the full thing is on the Universe app. And this arrangement sparked a lot of confusion. If you’re not able to access the Universe app, I sympathize with you. It’s really frustrating that the MV is exclusive to only one app. (I’m also not telling you to find a fan upload of the music video on Youtube, so long as you support the song in other ways, but I’m not NOT telling you that.) In any case, I’ll be going over the song and the MV in detail, so if you want to be surprised, push off reading this until you’ve enjoyed “Kiss or Death” to the fullest extent. You ready? Let’s get into this.

The Song:

The first thing I want to commend this song for is line distribution. While MONSTA X isn’t the worst at giving everyone their time to shine in songs, Minhyuk and Hyungwon often feel like they’re being given slivers compared to some of the other members. I didn’t feel that in this song at all. Minhyuk and Hyungwon both get hard-hitting moments just before the chorus and their voices really shine. Minhyuk has a nice sweet sound that makes his piece addictive while Hyungwon has a surprisingly deep register that adds a lot of depth to his. Kihyun and Shownu team up for the extremely catchy chorus. Kihyun is always worth watching out for, for the strength of his voice alone. He’s honestly one of the best singers in the industry right now. Shownu always surprises me with how light his register is. The lightness is really well suited to balance out Kihyun. Lastly, Joohoney and I.M get several moments to stand out. The song starts out immediately with Joohoney. You know a song’s about to be good when you hear Joohoney right out of the gate. He’s very good at setting the tone, especially for higher energy songs. And, as usual, I.M’s deep voice suits his rap style so well that you can’t help but fall in love with him. As for the lyrics, they go well with the themes MONSTA X usually tackles. The song conveys a desperation for someone they find attractive, which can definitely be sensed by the strength of the chorus. The song overall has an incredible beat and energy that makes you want to listen to it over and over again. I can’t find anything to criticize. It’s a really solid MONSTA X song.

The MV:

This music video goes for some really fun story elements that I love seeing in anything, let alone MVs. The video starts out with an old fashioned opening credits sequence that leads right into a train. With the suits the guys are wearing, the constant shots to a grainy black and white look, and the dated look of the train, it really feels like ‘Murder on the Orient Express’. Joohoney’s up first, and while I really like the silhouette of his Sherlock-looking coat, I can’t get over the much more modern, form-fitting black outfit we see in other shots. I.M gets some really nice looking vests for both of his outfits during his part of the MV and he looks incredible in both of them. Between Joohoney’s camera and I.M tacking up various articles around his compartment, we already know by this point that the two are up to something. After this Minhyuk enters the scene with a plaid, button-down coat that makes him look very dapper. His cutaway shots aren’t to a compartment, but to a misty area where we get to see him dance in a silver-detailed vest and white dress shirt. Consider me deceased. Hyungwon gets a darker coat and some really interesting patterns on his vest that make him very striking in this music video. I have to tip my hat off to Hyungwon here. Seeing him dance in that vest definitely bias wrecked me a bit. Kihyun gets to stay in his secondary outfit for this sequence which means we get to stare at him in a black vest with various leather straps. Yeah. The choreography also kicks in with Kihyun and I really like the quick pace of this choreo. MONSTA X isn’t generally known for their choreography, but I really like what we got in this MV. Speaking of leather straps. You thought Kihyun had some? Well, Shownu is basically in a harness. MONSTA X knows what we want and they deliver every time.

After the chorus we start seeing some more futuristic elements introduced in the video. Minhyuk, and later Hyungwon, sits at the top of the train and we see what looks like Saturn and tons of stars behind him. From this imagery we discover the boys are from a future where time travel is possible. For the sterile Sci-Fi elements we see afterwards, we get more black, form-fitting outfits! A lot of members share similar elements in their outfits here. Shownu and Kihyun wear jackets with high necks and misplaced zippers that serve both the purpose of looking good and looking futuristic. Hyungwon and Minhyuk wear dress coats with extra jewelry to give them a modern look. As for the other two, I.M rocks extra black accessories that suit him very well while Joohoney gets a studded belt and collar. Here we also get clearer looks of the old fashioned suits Shownu and Kihyun wear. I like the look of the overlapping collar on Kihyun’s jacket and I don’t think much can beat seeing Shownu in an old-fashioned three-piece suit. It was nice to see a bit more of that here. The MV ends with all of the members being alerted of a time-warp that seems distressing to all of them, prompting them to escape from the train. This definitely felt like one of their most cinematic music videos and they pulled it off better than I could have ever imagined. I’d love to see more of this in the future!

That’s it! While the MV situation might have confused some, I’d still say look into watching this on the Universe app if you can. It supports the boys and gives you the best look at this MV. Trust me, it’s worth it. But either way, I think we can all agree that MONSTA X killed it with this release. It showcases MONSTA X at their best and gives us some Shownu so we don’t have to miss him too much yet. Between the vocals, the beat, and the incredible choreography, I can’t stop falling in love with “Kiss or Death”.

Don’t do anything fun until I get back!

Hallie

International Dramas: ‘Lovestruck in the City’

Promotional image of (left) Ji Changwook and (right) Kim Jiwon. Copyright goes to KakaoTV and Netflix.

Hi! It’s Annie!

After everything that happened with ‘Imitation’, I knew that I wanted to start looking into K-Dramas that I might really like and that I could do positive reviews about. Because, as much as I loved watching ATEEZ members in their acting debuts, that show was a mess. After randomly looking up some K-Dramas, I came across this one and was kind of intrigued by its simple but lighthearted premise. It’s a drama that follows six Koreans and their dating lives in a part confessional-style and part third-person-drama sort of way. It helps connect the characters to each other. And one thing that I have to say about this drama right off the bat is that it had incredible balance. It knew which characters needed screen-time and when. And it was more focused with having one central plot that it focused on more than the others. But over all of that, it was just incredibly cute. Definitely the type of K-Drama that I want to be watching right now. That’s not to say that this drama won’t make you cry, because it definitely will, but it’s in the best way. That’s enough about that, I’m just going to get into it. Instead of focusing on good or bad, I’m going to share my thoughts on each storyline individually because there’s really not a lot of bad for me to talk about in this show. This show is impossible to talk about without MAJOR SPOILERS so that’s your warning.

Park Jaewon and Lee Euno (Yoon Seona):

General Premise- This is the heart of the show and the storyline that will steal your attention and your heart. At the very beginning it is revealed that Park Jaewon is hung up on a girl named Yoon Seona he met at the beach over vacation. They only dated for two months, but by the end of these two months it is clear that he is very much in love with her. They were supposed to meet up after he had to abruptly leave for his job, but she never showed up at the meeting place. Because he left her with his prized cameras, he has been drunkenly showing up at the police department declaring that she is a camera thief in an attempt to find her and soberly going to the meeting spot every week just in case she forgot the exact date. Lee Euno is struggling to start her own business after her life was turned upside down when her fiancee left her and she was fired from her job. As the show starts out with showing the beach romance, the audience knows that Lee Euno is actually Yoon Seona throughout the entirety of the show. She was also in love with Jaewon, but Yoon Seona was an alias she came up with in order to become someone else and be a less boring person as she believed that this was why she was dumped and fired. Euno knows that Jaewon actually knows some of her closest friends and spends much of the series trying to dodge him despite the fact that she’s still in love with him and knows he’s looking for her.

Flawed Characters- This show is never afraid to tackle flawed characters. Jaewon considers himself cool and collected and never views himself as the type to be clingy. But his obsession with finding Euno proves this wrong and leads him to becoming an alcoholic, which is something he struggles with throughout the show. Euno doesn’t believe she knows who she is as a person and, because of this, continuously tries to lie to the people closest to her about her personal life. She doesn’t want to be the old version of herself that she perceives as being boring, but she also acknowledges that she’s not the completely carefree version of herself that she showed Jaewon. These flaws are something that both of these characters have to overcome. The show never treats them as acceptable or healthy, they add them as part of their character development. Jaewon has to figure out how to let go of people and let them come to their own conclusions while Euno discovers that she’s been herself this entire time. Both are such important lessons and they are taught by the show so incredibly well. As a young person who is still not completely sure who I am, I absolutely sobbed during the scene where Euno finally opened up to Jaewon and Jaewon understood and said they’d find out who she was together. They never tried to fix each other at the end either. They just offered each other unwavering support, which is something that I haven’t seen done enough in television in general.

The Emotion- When these characters feel something strongly, you can bet that you as the audience will as well. There’s a scene where Jaewon is drunk and Euno visits him after she sees him waiting for her at the meeting spot. As soon as Euno sees the state that Jaewon is in she begins to sob, and Jaewon believes that Euno is a dream because of his drunken state but still begs her not to leave him. I don’t know if I’ll ever meet a person who didn’t sob while watching this scene. It is entirely gut-wrenching and pulls at your heart in all the best ways. Seriously, this drama is good for if you need a good cry.

The Romance- Because this drama convincingly shows you two different stages of this relationship, it already feels familiar and full of chemistry from the beginning of the entire series. And it’s not as lighthearted as some other romances you might see. There’s a certain amount of rawness and desperation in this that brings out both the best and the worst of both characters. And when they finally get together at the end, it is entirely deserved. They have both worked on themselves and the relationship enough to know that they can be comfortable together. These writers seriously knew that they needed enough relationship development as well as singular development to make this work. And the beach setting at the beginning of this drama is also everything you’ve ever wanted out of a vacation. Literally everything about this relationship is romantic because it feels earned.

Oh Seonyeong and Kang Geon:

General Premise- Oh Seonyeong is a gym teacher at a High School and a serial dater who often breaks up with her boyfriends to see if they love her enough and forcibly takes back everything she’s ever bought them. Kang Geon is purposefully single after his last messy break up, that you realize was with Seonyeong as the series goes on. They both discover that they still love each other and attempt to patch up the hurt feelings of their past break up.

Girl Friends- One of the major reasons why Seonyeong breaks up with Geon is because he has two close female friends from his early school days. One is Euno and the other is Rini (who I’ll talk about later). They all view each other as siblings, but that’s not how it looks on the outside to some people. Especially when it comes to Euno who is his roommate. While this is something that Seonyeong learns to accept, I did find it interesting how unacceptable it was to romantic partners for their partner to have a friend of the opposite sex. I live in California where having friends of all genders no matter how you identify is really common and generally not viewed as an issue. I’ve had several close guy friends throughout my life and I’ve never viewed any one of them romantically at any point in our friendship. I just found this part of the storyline interesting, because it definitely shows a cultural difference that I had no idea existed.

The Romance- To be honest, there’s not much of a romance here. You see their messy break up and then you see them patch things together as friends at first. The show leaves it up to the audience to decide whether or not Seonyeong takes Geon up on his offer to give them another shot as a couple. Though, let’s be honest, she probably does. But I think that lack of closure is ok. It showed to me that the characters wanted to take things more slowly, which I appreciated and was, personally, all of the closure I needed. Their form of romance is admitting the flaws in their relationship and trying to form some sort of footing again. Which was such a mature move for this show.

Seo Rini and Choi Kyeongjun:

General Premise- Kyeongjun is the colleague of Jaewon and is also his cousin who is continuously dealing with the pitfalls of his cousin’s alcoholism. He’s also in a long-term relationship with Rini who is always running low on cash and doesn’t seem to have any motivation to have anything other than a part-time job, which frustrates and worries Kyeongjun. Rini is a sweet and independent woman who doesn’t want Kyeongjun to spend any money on her and doesn’t want to get a job that isn’t part-time because she likes the freedom. Though their relationship seems very happy and wholesome, you spend the entire show watching it decline.

The Romance- Through the first half of the show it is clear that these two are in a happy relationship with each other. The only pitfall seems to be Kyeongjun’s slight annoyance at Rini’s determination to save as much money as possible. But this doesn’t last. Despite the utterly wholesome and comfortable nature of their relationship, more and more flaws are revealed as the series goes on.

The Break-Up- Yes, at the end of the series they break up. Rini reveals that she never wants to have a steady job and that her mother tells everyone she is her niece because she is ashamed of her. This comes out after Kyeongjun lies and tells his uncle that Rini is a teacher rather than a part-time worker. Rini is sick of people lying about her and breaks up with him. And what sucks about this break up is that they are both right. Rini is consistently refusing Kyongjun’s help with absolutely everything and doesn’t take his worries into consideration. Kyeonjun is lying about her job because he’s ashamed of it and doesn’t take her wants into consideration. At the end, it seems like their break up, at least at the time, is probably for the best. Though it is sad. I’ve seen a lot of people say that they want a second season so that these characters can get back together, but I can’t say that I agree. I think that this show was smartly trying to show that not every relationship ends happily.

Oh Dongsik and Haena:

This is not a fully developed relationship in the show and actually, most of this happens in the last episode. Firstly, Minho of Shinee plays Dongsik, who is a very sweet, but not always so bright, cop. Haena is a famous actress who we see in the last episode trying to escape a set where she is being forced to have her first kiss with an offensive actor on the show she’s filming. Throughout the series we see Dongsik stare longingly at photos of Haena that are on billboards in the city. We don’t know that he knows her until she escapes to his house and celebrates his birthday with him. He is very stern to her and treats her much like a little sister, and it is implied that they are possibly childhood friends. But it is clear that he doesn’t see her as a little sister and is attempting to mask his feelings for her. She is much more open about her feelings. When she has to return to set at the end of the night she requests a minute of his time and uses this minute to kiss him; getting her first kiss with someone she actually likes instead of the actor. While this is only in one episode, it’s an excellent set-up to what could be a second season (I hope). I would personally love to see a second season follow a storyline with these two and other characters that we haven’t met yet!

And that’s my review! Obviously, I really love this series and would love for there to be a second season. Though, as I said, I would prefer the next season to be about the couple that was just set up and other characters we haven’t met instead of the characters already focused on. I think continuously making seasons like this could make for an absolutely amazing and timeless show. And this first season was already written amazingly and already feels timeless. I highly highly recommend this show to literally anyone; it is cute and it is guaranteed to get you in your feelings. I know I’ll return to this show someday. It has to be one of my favorite dramas that I’ve ever watched!

See you across the pond!

Sincerely, Annie

Star Wars: ‘The Bad Batch’ So Far

Screenshot of Hunter, Echo, Omega, and Tech from ‘The Bad Batch’ on Disney+. Copyright goes to The Walt Disney Company.

Hey! Hallie here!

I’ve missed reviewing a few episodes from this series because of the weeks I was gone, so now I have quite a bit to talk about. And, to be honest, I think the things I have to say about the three most recent episodes pretty well reflect my feelings about this series overall. So SPOILERS if you haven’t caught up with this series. I’m about to dive into what we’ve seen recently and my biggest issues with the writing in this show.

Episodes 11 and 12:

These episodes were a two parter focusing on the Twi’leks of Ryloth after the Empire decided to focus their attention on the planet. Our main character focus here isn’t any of the members of the Bad Batch, but a young Hera Syndulla. Seeing Hera as a young girl is actually a lot of fun. Her instant inclination to resist what she believes is wrong, even occasionally against her parents wishes, is so reminiscent of the character ‘Rebels’ fans know and love that it’s impossible not to get sucked in by it. It’s also fun to see her early obsession with becoming a pilot and her subsequent attempts at piloting ships without much training. Additionally, I really enjoyed her relationship with Omega. The two meshed really well together and proved, once again, that they are just as competent as the adults around them. But that’s one thing I dislike about the episode, and the series in general, as well. All of the characters keep calling into question Omega and her judgement just because she’s a child. In these episodes this poor treatment is extended to Hera, who the Bad Batch accuse of lying about her parent’s predicament for no other reason than that she’s a kid. What? I’m really tired of these characters having to be retaught the same lessons about how to treat children. The Batch ranges from coddling Omega to blatantly disrespecting her after she constantly proves how capable she is, and apparently they do this to literally every child they come in contact with. It’s frustrating.

Another thing I really enjoyed about these episodes was Clone Captain Howzer. Howzer was such an interesting and complicated character. Despite the fact that he’s working for the Empire, it’s pretty evident early on that he isn’t 100% behind their methods and he genuinely cares for the Syndullas. When Hera manages to escape from the Empire and Crosshair is sent after her, he takes it upon himself to get to her first in the hopes of keeping her safe. And the final part of episode 12 is completely stolen by Howzer as well. Howzer reveals to the Bad Batch that Crosshair is aware of the escape route the Batch have planned to use while rescuing the Syndullas. So he directs them to a more safe route and faces the ambush Crosshair arranged by himself. He then implores all the troopers pointing blasters at him to realize that what they’re doing to the planet Ryloth is wrong. And the troopers agree with him and throw down their weapons. I have no idea what this indicates about the inhibitor chip. Does this mean that the chip can be fought against if it’s forcing you to go too far against your own morals? Does it mean the chip can wear off? That Crosshair could potentially eliminate the effect it has on him by himself? Or is it just bad writing? I can’t say. All I can say is that I really liked Howzer here. More than I’ve liked any of the other clones in this show. Howzer in only two episodes feels deeper and more developed than any of our main characters (Aside from Omega, of course). I desperately want more characterization for Hunter, Wrecker, Tech, and Echo, but we’re nearing the end of this series and we’ve seen nothing. So shout out to Tech I guess for standing out a little bit in episode 12 with some badass flying moments, but I’m still disappointed in this show.

Episode 13:

Aaaaand we’re back to the Cid one-offs. I thought that Omega paying off the Batch’s debt meant they wouldn’t have to hang around Cid much anymore. But this series seems content to stay in the same place for the rest of the episodes. Unfortunately. There isn’t much I liked about this episode to be honest. It was refreshing to see Cid join in during the action sequences, but I also can’t say I like her character enough for this to have amounted to a positive thing for me. The only development we’ve gotten for this character so far is her developing a more positive opinion of Omega. While it’s nice to have someone yell at the Batch for belittling Omega on occasion, that doesn’t make me suddenly love this character. This episode also failed to do anything interesting with any of the characters. In the episode the Bad Batch are tasked with pulling off a spice heist by going through a mine filled with bugs. They complete the task without any character moments to be seen. The closest we get to one is Wrecker screaming in terror while he’s being dangled into a large cave. Omega doesn’t even get much in this episode. She’s prevented from going through with the last part of the heist by the main villains. Which means she has to stay behind again. While she’s stuck as a captive with Roland Durand, the guy who caused the entire mess in the first place by trying to take over Cid’s bar, she demonstrates genuine care and concern for him. But that isn’t anything new for Omega. There wasn’t anything new here at all. Just the same blandness we’ve seen from countless episodes of this show.

The Show:

This show has managed to do so much and so little at the same time. It introduced its first woman clone and gave her a mysterious identity. It brought in Order 66 and even the trauma experienced by Kanan during these events. It saw the Bad Batch being shunned by their peers, betrayed by one of their own, and forced off of their base. It introduced the beginnings of Storm Troopers. It brought in Captain Rex as an incentive to get the inhibitor chips out of the heads of our main characters. It took two episodes to explore Hera’s past. But then it didn’t ever develop its title characters and made them learn the same lessons over and over again, as if their minds were wiped between episodes. Giving the audience new, crazy scenarios for these characters to interact with isn’t enough. The characters themselves have to be interesting. And this show doesn’t spend any time trying to make these characters deep or lovable. I can’t see this changing in any substantial way in the next three episodes. We’re nearing the end of this series and its characters are already its downfall.

Don’t do anything fun until I get back!

Hallie

International Dramas: ‘Imitation’ Finale and Series Review

Screenshot of Lee JunYoung as Ryok in ‘Imitation’. Copyright goes to KBS and Kakao Entertainment.

Hi! It’s Annie!

Sorry for the several ‘Imitation’ posts in one week, but today was the actual finale of ‘Imitation’! Yep, despite my confusion last week it was definitely the final episode that aired today. And it definitely does not look like they were gearing up for a second season after the ending of this show. I already thought that would be pretty impossible considering the schedules of the cast for this show. But after seeing the ending, I don’t think it’s likely we’ll see this cast together again, or at least not in the same way. With that aside, I found that the finale of this show only proved my fears correct. They started out so many plot points and were not able to satisfyingly end any of them. I think it’s pretty obvious that over-all, this series wasn’t my favorite. But let’s just get into the specifics of this finale and how the writers wrapped everything up. SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

The Good:

The Acting- As always, I have to commend this show for the actors. For a few of the major ones and many of the minor actors, this was their first time in front of the camera in this way. They all did amazingly despite their different levels of experience and everyone only got better as the series went on. I thought it was such a good idea to cast idols as idols for the show, and the choice to do so definitely payed off. I loved watching everyone improve as the show went on and it was clear that everyone put their heart and soul into their performances.

The Wholesomeness- Despite the extreme choppiness that I found in this episode; I loved how wholesome it was to see all the characters together. There were some moments that I found cute expressly because I just wanted to see a few of the characters spend time together for the last episode. Though things were not well-wrapped up, I still liked seeing the characters happy at the end. And, unfortunately, that all has to do with the actors and nothing to do with the writing. The actors are what made the characters lovable in the end.

The Bad:

CEO Wrap Up- In this episode we saw Ryok confront the CEO of Shax’s company a few times and then Shax confronted him all together and that was it. All of the scenes were only a couple minutes long and none of them were impactful. We got some trope-y set up for this mustache twirling villain and then he was taken down very easily. The entire storyline felt like it had very little impact on the story over-all. It was just solved easily towards the beginning of the episode and just never touched on again. At least Ryok got some moments to shine this episode.

Main Romance Wrap Up- For being a show that’s supposed to focus on the main romance, the ending of this show had very little screen time for it. Putting aside the fact that we saw very few scenes of the main two characters bonding in the entire series, this episode only saw them in about two scenes with time to themselves. In the end I didn’t even think I could call their relationship cute because I never even saw much of a relationship to begin with. It surprised me how neglectful this last episode was to the main characters of the entire show. Maha hasn’t really been focused on for a while either, but I at least did come out of the show liking Ryok. Though he still didn’t get enough character moments for me. But that goes for all of the characters.

Side Plot Romance One Wrap Up- For the first time since the most awkward date I’ve ever seen on a K-Drama, we actually got to see Yujin and Hyunji spend time with each other. There were a couple moments, albeit very brief, but they were moments all the same. Hyunji gifted Yujin some product placement and then Yujin met up with Tea Party at the big concert at the end of the show. Except, Yujin hasn’t changed. I thought one of the entire purposes of his character was that he was focusing on Maha too much and neglecting the people around him because he was so obsessed with her. But at the end of this episode he was only talking to and wishing luck to Hyunji while Riah and Maha looked at each other incredulously. So basically his focus has shifted to someone else but he still hasn’t learned his lesson. And Hyunji has been focused on so little that I can’t say she even had much of a character by the end of this. At least they actually got some screen time this episode which is a miracle in itself.

Side Plot Romance Two Wrap Up- What we all wanted to see was Riah and LeeHyun get more screen time and become the cutest couple on the show as they were meant to be. Instead we got a brief scene in this episode where Riah kissed LeeHyun on the cheek and that was about it. It was cute, I’ll give you that. But it felt like basically nothing. If they had more screen time they would have been amazing, but they just never got the time. And so we’re reduced to the bare minimum, just like with every other storyline on this show. I just wanted more from them.

Sparkling Wrap Up- We never saw any of the guys talk out their problems. Everyone was just having fun with HyunOh. Still nothing from any of them. There was really no plot here at all. It just makes me wonder why they wrote in the animosity that HyunOh had for Yujin in the first place. Because it seriously never led to anything.

Shax Wrap Up- We saw them band together to go against that CEO, but we still haven’t had much character development from any of these characters. I just wanted more of Hyuk, was that too much to ask? The leader showed regret for his actions, but that had been focused on so little in the series that sometimes I forgot that was even a plot point. And the estranged member of Shax came back at the very end when he was lifted into a song in the memory of Annie which made me cringe so hard. I wanted to see more of these characters too, but they didn’t get screen time either.

Annie Wrap Up- She receives no real justice. A journalist threatens the CEO with a picture that’s supposed to solve everything, which just left me confused. And she gets a song at the end. As if that’s enough for what the show said happened to her.

The Concert- I’ve been writing in so many of these that the characters or plot line didn’t get screen time. So what was the entire episode then? Well, it was the choppy wrap ups of all of the story lines they continuously left out to dry and then a giant concert at the end where all of the characters performed every song they had ever performed in the show over again. This took up about half of the episode. I’m still baffled by this decision. The point of a final episode is to tie everything up, not create a best hits version of your series. But for all the writers could do about wrapping up storylines, I guess this is just as good as anything else. Because they wrote so many beginnings without middles that endings just wouldn’t have made sense no matter how they had done it.

Useless Plots- You could argue that almost all of the plots in this show were useless. None of them felt like they came to anything. Yujin and HyunOh had an intense rivalry for a while and they never confronted each other. Maha and Ryok had the beginnings of an adorable relationship but they never spent any time together. Annie was revealed to have had horrible crimes committed against her by several different company owners which was solved in a minute long confrontation. The sub-plot romances never had any time to develop beyond showing the audience that they had interest in each other. The brotherly and sisterly bonds of the different groups were never focused on because this show is apparently allergic to side-characters. I still don’t know what the point of La Lima was. The ‘Imitation’ part of this show was dropped a couple episodes in. There was a lot of drama over the fact that Maha and Ryok might be found out as a couple by fans that also never got properly addressed. This show is absolutely full of unfinished plots. I literally just sat there for a moment after this finale and wondered what the point of this show even was.

I don’t like being so negative about shows. I’ve been negative about dramas before, but I’m not sure I ever have been to this extent. And I think part of that is disappointment. I thought the idea of this show was really interesting, I thought the casting was amazing, and many of the actors drew me in from the get-go. As I have said in almost every review post I’ve made for this show, the actors were amazing. They never let me down, it was always the writing. I would have loved to see all of the same actors in a much better version of this show. One that wasn’t so messy, one that narrowed down plots to a few that the writers would actually commit to, and one that gave characters the screen time that they deserved. But instead, the writers started a bunch of different plots and never developed any of them. They just wrote filler and then the beginnings to more plots that would never get solved. What was the point of Ryok beating up HyunOh in that one episode when they had barely even met each other? What was the point of Maha and Ryok breaking up? What was the point of most of this? This is one of the messiest shows I have ever seen in my life and I hate saying it. Because there are so many elements of this show that I want to support and I feel a little bad for posting an honest review because I feel those elements deserve my unwavering support. And they do. But I have to be honest. I wouldn’t recommend this show to anyone. Unless you want to see ATEEZ act (and they are amazing in this), or some of your other favorite idols act. There are cute scenes you can look up on YouTube, but I still wouldn’t recommend the entire series. And that isn’t to say that this show never had any good moments, because it did. There were some moments that I thought were cute and had potential. But in the end the show felt like it was written episode by episode with no clear ending in mind. (Very much like the most recent ‘Star Wars’ trilogy.)

Ok, that’s the end of my rant. I am so so sorry for this being so much of a downer. It wasn’t as bad watching this episode as it probably came off! I always love watching ATEEZ do literally anything. But I couldn’t turn a blind eye to everything this show was besides just what ATEEZ did. And even then, there were times where I was frustrated because the boys barely got any screen time. I swear, there will be more positive K-Drama reviews coming up! I just watched two that I absolutely love and I just started another one that I’m already really liking. So there will be positive reviews and recommendations coming up soon if that’s what you’re looking for! I’m really looking forward to writing about something that I just genuinely loved too! But if anything, I can at least say I will probably return to some Yujin and Hyuk scenes on YouTube so that I can see the boys acting again. I at least looked forward to that part every week! Hopefully the members of ATEEZ will act in more projects in the future!

See you across the pond!

Sincerely, Annie

Books: The Difference Between ‘The Mysterious Benedict Society’ on Disney + and the Book

Screenshot of Seth Carr, Emmy DeOliveira, Marta Kessler, and Mystic Inscho in ‘The Mysterious Benedict Society’ on Disney+. Copyright goes to the Walt Disney Company and Trenton Lee Stewart.

Hey! Hallie here!

Now that we’re on a bit of a hiatus while we wait for the next Marvel shows to come to Disney+, I’ve been looking at what else the streaming service has to offer. And I was very surprised to find an adaptation of one of my go-to books as a kid. That is, of course, the new ‘The Mysterious Benedict Society’ series releasing episodes every Friday. Before I decided to jump into this one though, I decided to reread the first book both for nostalgia and to get a good feel of the story after years of letting the book collect dust on my shelf. So far the series has stayed pretty close to the events of the first book. But there are several large changes the series made that have definitely surprised me. So before I forget about the details of the book again, lets go through some of the major differences between the series and the book. SPOILERS ahead!

The Adults:

This change is so obvious that the creators of the show were talking about it before the series even came out. In the book, Mr. Benedict, Number Two, Rhonda, and Milligan disappear from the plot almost entirely after the kids are sent off on their top secret mission. The only time we hear from these characters comes in the form of their Morse code messages to the kids while they’re on the island. We don’t even know where they’re hiding out on the mainland or how they have such a good view of the school the kids are attending. They do appear at the end of the book, however, to help the children complete their mission. Still, they’re very much background characters in the book. In the series they’ve all become major characters. We see them struggle to live together in a cabin across from the island, and we also see them struggle with their own guilt over sending the children on such a dangerous mission. We get to see Milligan trying to remember who he is, Number Two struggling with her overprotectiveness, Rhonda attempting to fight back against the Emergency in her own way, and Mr. Benedict grappling with the discovery that his brother is Mr. Curtain. Even Ms. Perumal gets a bigger role. In the book, Mr. Benedict does contact her about Reynie’s whereabouts so she doesn’t wind up frantically looking for him. But in the series Ms. Perumal isn’t given enough information to be put at ease, and she shows extreme intelligence in the way she winds up tracking down Mr. Benedict as a result. I honestly love seeing more of these characters. I count this as an excellent move on the writers part.

Mr. Curtain:

This is another major change the creators addressed. In the book, Mr. Curtain is simply evil. He doesn’t have much more to him than that. He tries to be nice to the children, but he hates kids and it’s obvious to everyone around him. He only warms to Reynie because Reynie uses his massive ego against him. In the series this isn’t the case. Reynie and Sticky find themselves genuinely liking Mr. Curtain at points, despite the fact that they know his true motives. And Mr. Curtain doesn’t seem to hate kids. In fact, Mr. Curtain has a child of his own. Mr. Curtain also seems to have a bit of lessened genius in the series. In the book, Mr. Curtain designs all of his machines himself. He prides himself on his brain and tries not to work with anyone else simply because he finds most other people unintelligent by comparison. In the series, Mr. Curtain has an entire team of scientists designing his machines. He doesn’t look at all like he resents having to work with adults or kids. Overall, the series makes Mr. Curtain appear like more of a normal guy. It makes me wonder how much the last few episodes will reveal about his true personality. Finally, the relationship between Mr. Curtain and Mr. Benedict is very different in the series. In the book, Mr. Benedict doesn’t even know he has a twin brother. The coded phrase “Beware the Gemini” is actually sent from Mr. Benedict to Reynie, not the other way around, to warn Reynie that Mr. Benedict has a twin brother he didn’t know about. In the series, Mr. Benedict knows he has a twin brother and is deeply concerned for him. Which means we’ll likely see a very interesting altercation between these two later in the series.

The Tests:

There are a few small but meaningful changes made throughout the first episode that alter the tests the kids take in order to get into Mr. Benedict’s society. Firstly, there isn’t a scholarship attached to the tests in the book. The ad Mr. Benedict puts out only promises “special opportunities”. Which makes Ms. Perumal appear a bit irresponsible for letting Reynie participate in something so vague. This is a change I definitely feel was necessary. As for changes made to the tests themselves, the first major one is that Kate is allowed to use her bucket in the checkered room without having to retake the test multiple times. In the book, Milligan makes Kate repeat the task several times to see if she is just as capable without her bucket as she is with it. She proves herself by walking across the floor on her hands. The next major change is the appearance of two other children during the last two tests. In the books, only Reynie, Kate, Sticky, and Constance make it far enough to attempt these tasks. The maze task changes the most of all of these tests. As I said before, the extra test taker during this sequence, who somehow does end up solving the maze, isn’t present in the book. Constance is though, and she has a picnic just like the one we see in the show. In the book, the maze is much more difficult. It’s pitch black and far larger than what we see in the series. In fact, it’s so difficult to solve that Mr. Benedict uses it as a means of protecting his house. Of course, all but Constance solve the maze. But, unlike the series, all of the children solve the maze and ring the bell at different times. There’s no extra rule where all the children have to ring the bell together. Simply solving it is enough for Mr. Benedict in the books.

Getting Kicked off the Island:

This is a really interesting addition to the plot that adds a sense of urgency to the series. In the books, there’s never any fear of any of the children being kicked off of the island and brainwashed. Kate and Constance are never even questioned about their struggling grades. In the series, there’s an entire ranking system for the students of the school that nearly gets Kate brainwashed. But she ends up on a tetherball team that buys her safety from this possible outcome. Fortunately.

The Waiting Room:

The waiting room in the series seems to be nothing more than a distressing optical illusion. In the books, however, it’s left mysterious and horrible. All Sticky manages to say about it after the time he spends in the waiting room is that it’s basically like a swamp. It’s muddy, smelly, and there are creatures crawling around in the mud that can’t be seen in the complete darkness the room is in. Obviously complete darkness doesn’t work so well on screen, but I could have gone for something more frightening here.

The Tunnels:

In the books, the children discover early on while they’re snooping around the school that there are various traps on the school grounds that are covered by specific plants. These traps lead to their discovery of the tunnels running underneath them. In the series, Mr. Benedict discovers the tunnels and Constance and Kate have to solve a puzzle in order to enter the tunnels. After this, Constance and Kate explore the tunnels while Reynie and Sticky are busy. Except, this is yet another major change. In the books, only Kate ventures into the tunnels without the rest of the society. Which leads me to my next point.

Constance:

Constance is much more active in the series. In the book, she misses out on various events simply because she’s asleep. Other times it’s because she’s actively ignoring the rest of the society. In the series, Constance does take every chance she can get to insult the other children, but she also actively helps with their mission. She even manages to get her own grades up by simply applying herself, which is something that never occurs to her in the books. I will say I miss her frequent poetry in the series, though. We’ve only gotten one poem from Constance so far, compared to her plethora of insulting poems in the books.

These are the major differences that come to mind so far! We have a few more episodes left until this series is done and I’m looking forward to seeing what else they do with the story. I’m enjoying all of the changes they’ve made up to this point, which is really surprising to me! Except for the waiting room. Hopefully we get a bit of that scariness somewhere else in the series as it keeps going.

Don’t do anything fun until I get back!

Hallie

K-Pop: Recent ATEEZ and Monsta X News

Promotional shot of Song Mingi. Copyright goes to ATEEZ and KQ Entertainment.

Hi! It’s Annie!

So, there’s a lot that I missed and a lot to talk about when it comes to ATEEZ. And most of it is so wholesome that I may or may not have cried. But, that aside, though I will mostly talk about the wholesome stuff, there is some other news I at least want to touch on briefly in this post. But let me just say, the ATEEZ content that has been coming out recently has made me so incredibly happy. With the world still dealing with the pandemic, I find this to be one of my biggest serotonin boosters throughout the entirely of quarantine. And when ATEEZ returns they always make it big in some way or another. There’s also the fact that we know that they have filmed more stuff that hasn’t even come out yet. On top of all that, some recent news has also come out about Monsta X that I also want to immediately address. While there aren’t as many new releases that I missed here, that doesn’t mean there isn’t some major news. So, now that I have thoroughly geeked out about all of this, let’s get into the actual stuff I missed!

MINGI!!!:

Obviously, the first and most important order of business. On San’s birthday a little while ago, several members of ATEEZ posted on their official Twitter for the event which is very normal. What stuck out, however, was one of the posts was from Mingi. And I think that was our first true sign that Mingi was coming back. We did see that he was at Jeju Island at the same time the rest of the members were there, but I wasn’t entirely convinced we should expect a soon comeback for him at that point. And then a few days ago Jongho did a Vlive where he said to expect good news the following day. And, of course, the day after we got the news from KQ Entertainment that Mingi would be officially rejoining the group. I definitely cried. They did confirm that Mingi has been working with ATEEZ for a while, basically trying to get used to things again and making sure he was healed enough to rejoin. Mingi did a Vlive not long after this where he confirmed that they did film things on Jeju Island that will be coming out soon. This Vlive was also incredibly emotional. ATEEZ has gotten a lot of new fans since ‘Kingdom: Legendary War’ came out. (Because, let’s be honest, their stages slayed.) And those fans aren’t too familiar with Mingi in real time. I became a fan of ATEEZ right before Mingi left, so though I got some of him in real time, I didn’t get much either. Mingi formally introduced himself to the new ATEEZ fans and I would honestly be surprised if someone watched that and didn’t cry. Mingi is amazing and sweet and I’m so glad he’s back. I really can’t wait to get to know him better!

San’s Hiatus:

Even though we have Mingi back, we still aren’t seeing all eight of them together. This is because San was recently diagnosed with Covid 19 and is taking a break for his health and to make sure he doesn’t spread it to any of the other members of ATEEZ. Hopefully he will recover soon and be back sooner than we think, but I can’t help but feel KQ Entertainment is doing ATEEZ a disservice. But this goes beyond KQ. Several companies have all-cleared fansigns and other public events for idols using only barriers and no masking for the idols. This includes ATEEZ. This is not sufficient protection for anyone. And every time an idol ends up with Covid, my first reaction is to go back and look at how many public events their company has been forcing them to do. South Korea is still severely lacking vaccines, and I do not feel comfortable with companies beginning to act as if things are ok again. I want to see them back to their regular activities as much as the next person, but I would prefer for them to stay safe. I hope San gets well soon!

Dreamers:

ATEEZ’s new Japanese single is adorable and definitely a mood booster. The music video adds an entirely different level to it, but even listening to it brings comfort. The song is about ATEEZ being together with their fans and feeling what their fans feel. It promotes this insane amount of connection between them and all of Atinys as well as telling all of us that we aren’t alone. And the song doesn’t feel sad either. It has a fun summer-y vibe to it that just makes you feel happy. And the music video shows all of them playing on the beach and in calming scenarios, just giving you the feel that you are not alone and that having fun again is just around the corner. The behind the scenes photos from the music video only added to the more cute and fresh vibe. So many of the pictures depict the members uncontrollably smiling and laughing on the ocean-side. They either are candid or feel very candid and just looking at them makes you happy. This is definitely one of my favorite songs to come out of quarantine and it gave me so much comfort.

Shownu’s Enlistment:

As of today, Shownu of Monsta X has officially enlisted for his mandatory service. I know we’ll all be sad to see him go. Especially because he will most likely miss Monsta X’s upcoming tour in 2022 and that means we’ll have to wait even longer to see him in person. But he’ll be back before we know it! And Shownu doesn’t seem too upset about having to go, which is definitely more comforting. I just can’t wait for him to come back and hope that he stays safe and healthy until we see him again!

Kiss or Death:

Next week we’re getting new Monsta X music and I still haven’t been able to comprehend it. The Sherlock style outfits and the teaser that came out today only made me more excited. I love the train and vintage feel of this one. I just know this is going to be one of their most memorable MVs! And we know by pictures that Shownu is a part of the song and the music video even though he won’t be able to promote it with the rest of the members. It’ll be nice to see more of Shownu! There’s not much to talk about until the music video releases, but I am so excited for this!

I was originally only going to talk about ATEEZ in this post, but with Shownu leaving today and the teaser for the MV dropping, I figured I might as well just make this a dedicated news post for both groups. I really can’t wait to see the new stuff that both groups will be releasing soon from ATEEZ’s unreleased footage on Jeju Island to Monsta X’s brand new music video. Seriously, I missed so much when I was on vacation. I felt like every day I opened Twitter and there was something new happening. And while that was always a mood booster for me, it definitely means I have a lot more posts lined up than I usually do! With all this stuff coming out I can only hope that I’ll be able to keep up! I have never been more happy to have so much to write about, I seriously can’t wait!

See you across the pond!

Sincerely, Annie