A brief examination of love and romance.

Do you have a love-hate relationship with the wrist grab trope? Are toxic male leads the bane of your drama-watching existence, their every interaction making you want to shake them for having the emotional maturity of a toddler?

This web series subtly dissects the formula of a typical romance kdrama by having the male lead reflect on his behavior through the lens of each emotion he picks up along the way, applying what he learns to the relationship he cultivates with the female lead. In the process, he has to face the consequences of his actions and choose to do better instead of falling into the trap of many male leads who act solely on their emotions as though being aggressive is somehow romantic. As a result, many common tropes are subverted both for comedy and for character growth. I have a personal appreciation for the way the wrist grab is used twice as a form of commentary on the trope.

Overall, Kiss Goblin is a beautiful exploration of human emotions and a fantastically wholesome romance! We love to see honest depictions of emotional health! It's all about that accountability, baby!

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Is the rabbit god or a physical representation of guilt?

Above all else, everything about the production and the acting is superb. Major props to the direction and lighting department because the atmosphere and the cinematography are on point from start to finish. The strong Christian theming is consistent not only in the episode titles but in the sound design and the dialogue as well. At times, I felt as though I could hear the organ pass judgment on the characters as it sang its requiem. For a horror/thriller that wants you to know that there is never truly a moment of peace between you and your sins, these elements come together flawlessly... even if the music did seem to be a bit distracting in places.

The story itself is well-crafted, but it wound up being reliant on predictable twists - partly because it does a fantastic job of laying out clues for the audience to pick up on and partly because the tropes the plot settled on feel a bit underwhelming for the genre. Make no mistake: it is meant to be a messed up tale, but certain details in the execution just were not my cup of tea even for horror.

I have never read the manga this miniseries is adapting, but Nana's story is very reminiscent of the way people cope with religious trauma. Each time she talks about Ryo in religious terms instead of directly stating what he did to her gives off the strong impression that she struggles to frame what happened to her in a way that doesn't use Christianity as an explanation or justification. With that in mind, I am left with far more questions than answers.

All in all, I would recommend this series to anyone in search of a story that makes you think and maybe leaves you a bit confused.

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A fine first attempt at writing a relatable story!

I'm going to be completely honest here: the censor blur on the uniform's school patch was super distracting and, for a moment, I thought it was supposed to imply that something was wrong with their boobs.

Anyway, the pacing is painfully drawn out and all I'm getting from the "plot" is that Erol's boba tea brings all the girls to the yard. It's pretty clear that this story is meant to be a collection of little moments in the lives of queer teens and I can at least appreciate it for that. Plot would be nice, but there doesn't need to be one if you're just looking for vibes and characters to relate to.

One episode is about those moments where you catch a glimpse of someone, feel an instant attraction, and want to get as close to them as possible. The next is about wanting to pursue a relationship and not being sure how to go about it. (Here, I am very grateful for the way the "romance" non-con kiss trope is handled!) And the last is about the struggle to confess your feelings before you miss your chance.

For the most part, the characters are great, but Yi Qing makes me super uncomfortable. I get that she's supposed to be awkward and cute, but she is really out here inviting herself over to her crush's house without even asking. I really do not like her one bit and no amount of cutesy posing is going to make this okay.

Unfortunately for anyone hoping for a conclusion to the main love triangle, the third episode ends with a cliffhanger. In a way, it tries to satisfy the shippers with a "choose your fighter" style end card where the canon falls short, possibly with the intention of filming another season that never came - so it gets one point in my book for creativity!

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It ended just as it began.

I love the warm energy of the bartender. She always seems to know just what to say to make her guests - and perhaps even the viewers - feel like they're visiting an old friend. Her bar becomes the cozy backdrop for lesbians in various stages of love and romance to safely unload their feelings about their place in a society that very much doesn't want them to openly exist.

The addition of in-character interviews at the end of the first few episodes is a nice personal touch that gives the series a quirky home video vibe. It allows the audience an opportunity to learn more about the characters that are only seen onscreen for a handful of minutes at a time.

Sadly, the moment we really start to see these characters and their stories unfold, the series ends. But perhaps, in a way, that's a lot like the barhopping experience. You sit down with a comforting drink in a cozy atmosphere, chat with the understanding faces around you as you share your life's ups and downs, and maybe you learn something from the different perspectives you've encountered before you inevitably part ways. In the end, what really matters is the good times we had along the way.

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The continuation that adds nothing to our understanding of the characters but is still sweet.

Contrary to where the previous season's credits left off, season 2 does not pick up right where the story ended.

The dynamic between Jung Ah and Manager Lee remains exactly the same as before, though the unaddressed cliffhanger leaves the situation feeling awkward now. To distract us from our lingering questions, the bare-bones plot of these four episodes tries to add some tension by introducing a challenger for Manager Lee's attention. And yet, somehow this season feels more disjointed than the previous one and I can't seem to place my finger on exactly why.

We are treated to some occasionally sweet moments between our main characters and a blink-and-you'll-miss-it throwback to the first season, which is nice for anyone who just wants to see more of the same! Unfortunately, the company office space has changed. It's a colder and more sterile environment than the warm and cozy office of the first season, so the characters feel less at home in that space.

Predictably, this season has an open ending, leaving us once again to ponder the same question we've been hearing from the very first episode. At least the title still tracks!

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These three episodes perfectly encapsulate the meaning of the title.

This first season is cute as a short standalone story with minimal plot to speak of and I think it's served best that way.

Jung Ah is just a girl trying to navigate her feelings as she starts her new job at a cosmetics and beauty company, which is really just the backdrop to her internal monologue rather than a character unto itself. And yet, it still feels cozy and comforting to see everyone there. The atmosphere has a warm glow to it that makes the characters seem at home in this space they spend so much of their time in.

Framing the story as a series of social media posts Jung Ah is making about her office life is also a nice touch for these bite-sized episodes, particularly when the final credits show the commenters speaking on behalf of the audience watching. It builds a kind of rapport between the viewers and the characters that is charming to see.

The final episode leaves us at a question - the same question that the title asks and that the main character ponders throughout each encounter with her manager - and it works surprisingly well. But as for the answer...

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A sweet music video with a lot of potential.

The light vs dark, enemies to lovers, and forbidden love tropes that are being set up with this short teaser promise a good time and the production value is impressive for what it is, but the short clips spliced together to create what is essentially a music video aren't strong enough on their own to present the full story. It's easy to follow along with what's happening and the concept definitely left me wanting more; it just didn't leave much of an impression behind other than "this would be great as a series."

In a lot of ways, it feels like a trailer for an upcoming series rather than a story in its own right, so if you're in the mood for bite-sized content to get you daydreaming, it's worth the 4 minutes it'll take to watch it.

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Ambiguously queer Phantom says be queer, do crime, join the revolution.

Song at Midnight takes Gaston Leroux's Phantom of the Opera and seamlessly adapts it into a movie about political unrest, the desire for revolution, and the need to fight for freedom.

This Phantom (like the original) is a victim of war and corrupt politics, in hiding from those who mean him harm, and continuously craving love he cannot hold onto, but Song Danping is depicted as a more tragic and innocent victim than the possessive and murderous Erik.

Where Erik decides to mold Christine into his eternal bride, Danping spies a young man (Sun Xiao Ou) struggling to perform and decides he has just the remedy for that - in exchange for a little comfort...for his ex-girlfriend. No strings attached, as it would turn out. Accepting no for an answer is the most chill thing I have ever seen a Phantom do and I will admit that this one has a very soft place in my heart for that reason alone. Also, it's hard not to notice that these two men have such intimate chemistry that their relationship can be contemplated further than what appears on the surface.

Rather than being raised as a murderer for hire, Danping left home to become a revolutionary fighter during the Second Chinese Revolution and later took up a new identity as a successful actor, all the while living in fear that his connections to the revolution would be discovered. Unfortunately, he is eventually caught and punished not for his connections but because he fell in love with a woman who was above his station. This poor man survived a whole revolution only to be tortured and burned with acid for the crime of falling in love.

This movie is often referred to as the first Chinese horror film and I can see why. The typical horror movie elements are definitely present here.

~ The eerie atmosphere of the rundown theater and the slow, suspenseful walk down the hallway leading up to it.

~ Women screaming in horror.

~ The overacted moment when Danping's bandages get removed and he sees his scarred face for the first time.

~ The equally overacted "woman succumbs to madness" trope.

~ The (accidentally? erotic) torture scene.

~ The tragic/forbidden love story through lines.

~ The attempted assault and subsequent murder.

~ The angry, terrified villagers wielding torches and pitchforks as they chase the "monster" through the night with intent to kill.

Parts of this movie are dark and hard to make out in its current state and the editing is noticeably choppy in places, but I have to say I can't recall ever seeing a horror movie open with a shadowy figure singing a long-winded and poetic serenade to a stone-faced lady who looks possessed before now, so I was immediately intrigued.

The opening is very slow-paced and focuses more on building the atmosphere than introducing the audience to its plot. The aforementioned artsy serenade, featuring a lot of beautiful nature shots, takes up the majority of the first 13 minutes. So, when the Angel Theatre Troupe finally shows up, the story unexpectedly continues to drag for a short time while the performers wait out in the rain, knocking on doors until they find a place to stay. Most likely in an attempt to build suspense, they eventually take a drawn out walk down the eerie theater hallway to reveal the rundown mess inside. Thankfully, the plot picks up from there and it becomes easier to follow.

The music is beautiful and Song Danping's makeup puts certain other sunburned Phantoms to shame, especially during the initial reveal where his skin almost looks like it's melting off his face.

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An early gem worth checking out at least once.

A damsel in distress grows up into a strong independent warrior who slaughters sexist war-hungry pigs for breakfast.

Unfortunately, that metamorphosis happens off screen, but it is pretty funny to watch her aimlessly fly and teleport (preceded by a puff of smoke) back into the plot while her mentor scrambles around on foot behind her in a desperate attempt to catch up. There were many occasions where I couldn't help thinking that it would have been incredible to see back when this technology was still new and surprising.

The version I watched included the original score performed by Devil Music Ensemble that was premiered in 2008 and let me tell you it greatly heightened the experience. The surviving copy of this film is cropped strangely, cutting off important pieces of the characters and the intertitles, and the video seems to constantly dance like it's being viewed through the steam of a summer heatwave.

As with most old film, I'm surprised that more of it isn't washed out by now, but perhaps the fuzzy quality has spared us from having to think too hard about the unsavory details that would be frowned upon today. I'm no expert on some of these character choices (the most obvious one being the fake teeth), so I really can't say.

The limitations of the medium do require modern audiences to suspend their disbelief on quite a few occasions:

~ Terrified villagers run back and forth along one stretch of road like chickens with their heads newly liberated from their bodies.

~ Warlords, henchmen, and concubines painfully slouch their way up and down that same palace staircase countless times and absolutely no one looks like they know where they're going while doing it.

~ Subtlety rarely comes through in silent film, so the characters either act with exaggerated full body emotions or look like they aren't acting at all as they amble along following orders they don't appear to understand.

~ Escaping characters waste time walking in useless circles around a room before leaving the frame.

This last nitpick is just a personal thing, but I'm not a fan of actors running up to the camera and putting it in their mouths (or near enough to it). It thankfully only happens twice and may be a cool shot for some effect, but I don't need to see that and would prefer not to.

All that being said, the ending gave me strong "since I can't marry her, my cousin will have to do it for me" vibes and I will take that to my grave.

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Staring Contest: The MiniSeries

If you've seen one Japanese story about passionate dessert-makers, you know the tropes. It's cute, it's sweet, and it follows the same formula as all the others, but the twist is that Amai is entirely self-motivated and his effort is brushed off rather than revered. And then things escalated SO QUICKLY.

The content may be a little dry for some people's taste, given how short each episode is, and the humor is a bit hit or miss. The 8.2 second rule is a silly concept to begin with, but I'm personally not a fan of the joke in episode 4 where the coach comes along and starts staring at him after his latest failure to seduce cute boys with delicious food. I kept sitting there asking myself, "Buddy, why are you not looking away? WHY DID YOU START COUNTING?"

Regardless, this miniseries gave me a good chuckle just as often as it made me recoil, so I can't help appreciating it for what it is. There are no real surprises here... unless you get jumpscared by those daydream scenarios like I did. Amai's sister only plays a comedic bit part, but she is hands down the best character and I love her. That alone is worth the rating.

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A TikTok bus romance compilation.

The concept of two strangers meeting on a bus and falling in love at first sight is cute and doesn't really need the hours-long investment that would come with a full-length drama, but this collection of bus ride romance fantasies wasn't for me. There isn't much of a plot to be found and the characters don't have a chance to grow or establish themselves as individuals during the 1 minute or less that they're on screen for each scenario, so by the end I felt like I knew less about them than when I started watching.

It's great short form content for people who really enjoy the TikTok style. The production value is impressive for what it is, the actors are good in their own right, and the behind the scenes video adds a lot of charm. As it is, this miniseries doesn't offer much to grab onto aside from the scenario and the aesthetic of a whirlwind romance. Still, I appreciate that it wasn't left open-ended even if most of the scenarios were very samey!

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A short but sweet queer story that makes an effort to show the diversity of love.

I'm not sure how common this type of class project is, but it sure is an interesting setup for a romance. I'm a sucker for a well-executed fake dating to real dating love story even if these first four episodes are far too short to deliver on the idea. Even the occasional continuity error didn't distract me too much.

The acting is surprisingly natural, and I personally related to a lot of the awkward and wholesome moments. Hee Ram and Ga In are so different from each other in every way, yet they are drawn to each other like magnets. Hee Ram's struggle to figure out what to do with herself, how to act and what to say, from the beginning of their partnership right up until her embarrassed confession about wanting to spend time together really captured the nervous energy of someone who is new to taking these steps and I appreciate feeling seen.

My one complaint is that Ga In should not have kissed Hee Ram back while she was intoxicated, particularly since she knew that Hee Ram doesn't drink heavily very often - but technically they had both been drinking, so what do I know. At least they were both in control of their faculties (albeit Ga In more so than Hee Ram) and it didn't go farther than that, but it did make me recoil a bit because that's a messy situation waiting to happen.

Despite the open ending leaving us to wonder what happens next, I'd say this is a worthwhile 30 minutes of your time if you're looking for something cute.

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A bit of magical fluff to relax to.

A high school student becomes some kind of indentured servant to a witch, who then decides to go to school and create a love triangle for fun. Sounds about right!

I am a sucker for the pastel aesthetic of the series - especially the cute card deck we see during the title card and credits! - although I somehow wasn't expecting to get slapped with it in the form of slime ASMR halfway through the plot.

Speaking of which, I only have one nitpick.

I'm not a huge fan of pairing the much older immortal witch with a teenager. Honestly, I would have preferred if the main cast were at least college students or the witch was just a teen herself to make that feel less uncomfortable. But the slice-of-school-life romance story is still cute, so I just tried to put that thought out of my mind for most of it. It's a shame that there wasn't much room to develop the witch's character, so we are mostly left to wonder about who she is and how the witch society she comes from works.

Unanswered questions aside, the cast of characters we do get to meet are fun to watch and root for.

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Fight or Flight: Cooking Edition!

We have returned to the kitchen for more cooking inspiration, but the chefs are gone and Fabien has taken us hostage in a desperate attempt to convince us that he is our friend.

His adorable charisma and "in your face" energy is carefully cultivated to appeal to a young adult audience, whether they are short on time for meal prep or in need of a quick fix for a party, and put us at ease in his care. The close ups on his face when we should be looking at the food and the spots where the sound quality drops make the experience feel surreal enough, but his skill at carrying on one-sided conversations with his unwitting viewers - casually commenting on their drinking habits and making cheeky "I know you" jabs at how much they eat - won't lure everyone into his trap.

"Now, who's going to share this with me? Maybe... [points to the camera] you. [winks] Meet me in Korea."

No! I did not come here to be acknowledged! Do not pretend to perceive me! You don't know my life!

Survive all 12 episodes and reemerge into the world a stronger, better, more knowledgeable cook than when you first entered the kitchen. It is a rite of passage.

...or maybe it's just a silly cooking show with a quirky host. You decide!

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A bite-sized introduction to cooking Korean meals.

Overall, it's a cute show with a homecooked feel - basically a more condensed version of other straightforward recipe/cooking shows you may have seen before. There isn't much fluff padding out the runtime, which makes it easy to binge and a useful reference when you're in the mood to spice up your food prep routine.

Watching these chefs in their element while they prepare and plate their dishes is enjoyable and relaxing, but sometimes the editing work doesn't do them justice. The off-center close ups on someone's face when we are supposed to be looking at what they just did with the food items are a bit of an odd choice, to say the least.

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