Love in the rain transcends gender.

No matter which way it plays out, this scenario did not sit well with me.

This is a scene picked straight out of someone's trusty fanfic arsenal and yet, despite the actors trying to play the dynamics slightly differently for each couple, I felt like I didn't know enough about who they were or their relationships with each other to truly care about them as characters or want to see them kiss. Instead, I found myself recoiling from secondhand awkwardness and wishing Jimin could just escape already because anyone making those kinds of sudden advances raises all sorts of red flags in my book.

The dialogue exchange is incredibly awkward and the acoustics in that one stairwell must be wild because it sounds like the first two scenes were recorded inside a tin can. I guess it did accurately capture the feeling of being trapped while hiding from the rain with someone you aren't super close to, so I'll give it that!

To this short film's credit, I appreciate the intended message behind the juxtaposition of these scenes - love happens, regardless of gender - so in that way it's admittedly sweet. The first two scenes were practically the same right down to the "non-con is just a joke" bit, which combined with the echo to activate my fight or flight instinct, so the strikingly different way the third scene was played (despite following the same script) caught me off guard. I can't tell if I liked it a smidge better only because it subverted my expectations or if the slightly improved production for that segment contributed.

The sound quality makes a miraculous recovery here, so perhaps that's why the chemistry started to feel a bit more natural to me. The lack of an echo makes the characters seem closer, as though they're nervously feeling out the space between them while their curiosity and interest grows. I'm still not a huge fan of the setup for the aforementioned reasons, but at least it felt like I was watching something a little bit new happen.

All in all, this is a fine short to watch on a rainy day, but it's just not for me and that's okay!

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An interesting concept. Could have been explored a little more.

This short film got off to a solid start. We can assume the scholar's reason for crossdressing and the actor does a fantastic job of showing her nervousness as she tries to keep a safe distance from the courtesan's advances, lest her secret be discovered. The courtesan meanwhile exudes so much natural charm; she is able to convey every unspoken thought with a single look, making it easy to understand her motives. I think maybe the scholar did too good of a job keeping her feelings in check because I wasn't entirely convinced by the end that she reciprocated the clear attraction the courtesan was putting on full display.

The subtle way the courtesan learns of the scholar's secret and how she processes it is a nice touch for a delicate subject, the handling of which is something I personally appreciate. Admittedly, I wish there had been at least another scene or two between here and the ending to provide more context for the lead up to the reveal, especially because the ending kind of lost me. Instead of repeated shots of the characters running into each other's arms - which felt like unnecessary filler despite being pretty to look at - the story would have benefited from perhaps a little more tension between the two, a moment where the scholar realizes and accepts her own feelings, or even a scene showing how and why the scholar decides to entrust the truth to the courtesan.

As it stands, the final shot is gorgeous and it's a nice short story despite my nitpicks.

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Gorgeous visuals make up for everything.

If you read "set within the universe of the martial arts MMORPG Justice Online" in the description and worried that you were missing important context, fear not!

I have never played Justice Online - and I hear that it's a premium only game anyway - but if you've played one wuxia-themed MMORPG before you get the basic idea. It is an eye-catching world of fantasy and martial arts, where the characters belong to sects that compete in trials/competitions and train to be the very best so that they may one day be harbingers of justice.

Fortunately, you don't need to know anything about Justice Online or the novel it is based on to get swept up in the atmosphere of this short story. Instead, you can sit back and treat yourself to a collection of scenes where a student and her teacher bicker about anything and everything. The dialogue seems to hint at some kind of emotional love triangle with another character that isn't featured - perhaps a reference to an NPC or an in-game mechanic, but it didn't affect the narrative beyond piquing my curiosity a bit.

Overall, the hair and costumes are immaculate, making this non-story worth every second of screen time and honestly I would recommend it for that alone. The short film itself has the same energy as a fan project and I can't help the nostalgia it gives me for the days when I enjoyed playing games like this with my friends.

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There is an extremely cute rabbit. Need I say more?

While it helps to watch the prequel first for the extra bit of context it provides, the opening line is meant to fill the audience in on how the characters ended up working together, so you can follow along just fine without it. Regardless, I would still highly recommend it for the beautiful cinematography and strong meet-cute vibes.

As far as character dynamics go, the rabbit spirit is cutesy and the doctor is cool as a cucumber. The story starts in media res with the rabbit spirit apprenticing under the doctor, treating the audience to a sweet collection of scenes that establish how much she cares for humans. Over time, we see her grapple with her own heart as she learns how humans feel about spirits bringing tragedy to their mortal lives. As the doctor steadily puts the pieces together, she is able to offer her own perspective as a human and a physician who is tasked with protecting human life.

In the limited runtime this short film has, it is able to use these character interactions and limited exposition to effectively weave a story about the importance of trust in a relationship and how love breeds the desire to keep our loved ones safe.

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Cringey and very sexist, but occasionally cute.

The gimmick of the series is bizarre to grab the audience's attention, but it immediately lets you know that sexism is very much a baked in part of this world and you're just going to have to make peace with that if you want to watch it. I have never read and hadn't previously heard of the manga - I just know that the show didn't make me want to pick it up despite leaving so many unanswered questions in an attempt to pique my curiosity - so don't let my observations color that experience for you.

Unfortunately, the poster is much cooler than the actual show itself. At first, I appreciated that Hina has a backbone and is more than willing to stick up for herself, but then the writing decided that it was more important for the guys to pass her around like she has no autonomy. Even her younger brother (for what it's worth, they call him a siscon) is possessive of her and treats her like she can't make her own decisions just because she suddenly forgot her backbone and acts naive in clearly dangerous situations!

Despite trying to enjoy it for what it is, I kept getting the feeling that the show was trying to help itself to some of Ouran's pie. The plot does a really half-hearted job of showing a "reverse harem", instead focusing on what is very clearly the endgame relationship and occasionally reminding the audience that there is "third wheel" pining from the sidelines. That being said, the hate ships between the Student Council and main 5 + Hina bred such complex ship geometry that I struggled to keep up. There was so much potential in the budding friendship storyline that I wish more opportunities had been taken to really flesh it out, but I suppose there weren't enough episodes to focus on that.

Like Ouran, the finale tries to be big and raise the stakes to get the audience interested in the manga. It's admittedly a fun episode to watch and some of the character interactions from earlier in the season come full circle, but it just left me wishing that more of the season had been like that or that the story had been built up better to earn the emotional payoff it was hoping for. I think the actors did the best they could with the script they were given and it looked like they were at least having fun, so after a while I was able to feel like I was having a nice time with them.

If you can suspend your disbelief for the plot, easily ignore the overt sexism, not get caught up on unanswered questions and open endings, and reign supreme against secondhand awkwardness... this show is a pretty good way to spend your free time!

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Coming out can be hard to do.

Poor Yu Bin just can't catch a break. I don't know if this is meant to be the same Yu Bin as from "She Makes My Heart Flutter", but she is played by the same actor, which makes it true in my heart!

For a short form piece of media, the progression of the plot and character dynamics really doesn't feel rushed at all. Rather than explicitly being a fluffy romance story, the narrative does a fantastic job of unpacking queer issues in a sympathetic way (that is never preachy!) with characters who aren't unreasonably mean just to create drama for the audience. There are no antagonists here, only humans trying their best to cope within a society that still judges them for existing.

It is so refreshingly nice to see queer people understanding each other's struggles and not punching down when they feel hurt. No one ever said that a breakup had to come with hatred for your partner, and this series goes out of its way to be so thoughtful and kind about it. The writing does such a good job of normalizing not vilifying someone for not yet feeling safe or comfortable enough to come out in public, or for not being comfortable hiding for the sake of their partner.

Finding someone who is at the same stage of life as you and has the same needs in a relationship is so important and so good. Never compromise someone else's safety or comfort for your own. Whatever life may bring, however you choose to live it, what matters most is that you like the way you're living right now.

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A found family can be so powerful.

Each episode features Sakamaki ("Mackey") and Kenta solving a new case together as Mackey's hidden past steadily catches up to them. For a mini series that started out lighthearted before dipping into darker elements, it does a good job of balancing humor with seriousness and gradually revealing every piece of information that is needed to understand the conclusion to the story.

The dynamic between the leads is adorable. Mackey is the more serious and level-headed one of the duo, determined to help others and complete a task no matter the legwork that goes into it, though his stoicism and practicality can sometimes blind him to what is directly in front of him. Kenta's more energetic and lax nature, preferring to take the quickest and most comfortable route to his destination, may make him seem more immature in comparison, but he is a much-needed ray of sunshine when he provides just the right touch of humanity to a case or digs up information that would have been difficult to acquire otherwise. Their individual strengths perfectly fill in for each other's personal weaknesses and the companionable familiarity they exude while bantering is so charming I couldn't help but smile.

While I'm not a huge fan of the "you have to return to your family" messaging in episode 2 because it doesn't really address the nuance of such situations, the sentiment was delivered with good intentions and it tied in surprisingly well with both of the main characters' personal backstories. I feel like that at least helps to apply the message to very specific circumstances, especially when put into context alongside such a significant found family narrative.

The soundtrack has an unexpected J-pop idol vibe to it, so I was pleasantly surprised that the main leads sing in an OP shot like a music video. For a project that was created so King Records could promote them and their song, this makes a lot of sense and does a fantastic job of showcasing their chemistry!

Overall, this series is a valuable nugget of stress relief that is definitely worth watching if you like a good mystery that doesn't keep you guessing too long.

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A soft exploration of feelings, how they form, and why.

It isn't perfect, but it's sweet and the characters have a lot of charm. Yoon Ah steadily unravels the feelings of her classmates and inevitably comes face to face with the complicated question of how she herself feels - about their confessions, about them as people, and about liking someone in general. Overall, this is a story that lets its characters (and audience by proxy) know that it's okay to not have your feelings figured out and to want to just explore what it's like, slow and steady, without getting in too far over your head with promises you might not be able to keep.

The acting is convincing, but the low budget doesn't do them many favors. The sound quality isn't great - at points, it sounds like certain actors were speaking from across the room without a mic - though at least it isn't as distracting as the editing. Episode 3 was where it started to become a bit confusing for me. Flashbacks happen in the middle of conversations and sometimes it's hard to immediately discern the difference between past and present because they cut so seamlessly, especially when the characters are in the same position for both scenarios. It isn't impossible to understand the story being told, but it did throw me for a loop when the back and forth became more constant.

Regardless of those nitpicks, this miniseries is worth the watch.

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Charming and self-aware fun.

Another witch goes to school and assembles a crack team of high schoolers Avengers-style to save her store. Except this one is actually paying the child she blackmailed into a contract!

The cast is quirky and fun, the characters are endearing, and their relationships with each other can be unexpectedly sweet at times. Each member of the team gets a character arc that is explored in their episodes, which plays with the genre and leads to some very funny meta moments. If that brand of humor tickles your fancy and you're in the mood to enjoy a series of lighthearted mysteries that don't take themselves too seriously, you'll probably have a good time.

Also a plus, there is slightly more magic to go around and a few noteworthy cameos from the first season and Phantom School that may please fans, but the real underappreciated star is the antique aesthetic of the shop. It's so cool it stole my heart from the first glimpse! Honestly, I refuse to believe there isn't a market for this with the teen/young adult demographic and I wish we had been allowed to see more of it!

If I had to nitpick one thing, it would once again be the pairing of a much older immortal witch with a teenager. The high school setting at least makes more sense in the story, but the finale really made it harder to ignore this time around.

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A well-intentioned story with a troubling execution.

Being a caretaker for a loved one and requiring loved ones to be caretakers is often a complicated situation for everyone involved, and "Shakespeare In Tokyo" does its best to approach this situation from both sides. The goal of this short film is to promote understanding and a different perspective on life, and it does largely succeed despite some clunky moralizing along the way.

A lot of Ben's interactions with the people he meets in Tokyo are very wholesome and offer several sweet demonstrations that art and literature connect people around the world, but two scenes in particular pulled me out of the sentimental bonding moment they were setting up.

I really didn't like the way Ben inserts himself into situations with women who very politely tell him that they would prefer to be alone, ignores their requests, and uses Shakespeare's words to explain their careers, their problems, and their lives to them. The seemingly well-intentioned writing frames this as charming because of his Down Syndrome, focusing on the way people transcend cultural and personal barriers to relate to each other, but the fact that I have been in situations like this with strangers who made me feel unsafe when they crossed my boundaries (especially with physical touch) made it hard for me to relax or find it as sweet as others have.

Overall, this movie asks us to live our lives to the fullest and be more understanding of each other - so if you're searching for media about people with disabilities just living their lives, you may want to consider adding this to your watchlist.

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An attempt was made, but unfortunately falls flat.

Imagine if, after Rosaline scorned Romeo, she suddenly decided that she was jealous of Romeo's new love affair with Juliet and went out of her way to pick on the poor girl instead of just talking about her feelings... You still wouldn't have the plot of this movie, but it's the closest you're going to get!

Instead, this is a collection of melancholy moments that use Romeo & Juliet as set dressing to convey a high school story about love and loneliness. Typically with media centered on high school kids putting on a Shakespeare play, I end up wishing that the entire story could have just been the play because the final act production tends to be far more interesting than the character interactions leading up to it - and, while the version presented in this movie is no great shakes, it brought forth a lot more entertainment than anything else the writing had to offer.

The pacing is deader than Romeo and Juliet, but at least I can appreciate that the characters are allowed to be awkward kids. There were more than a few moments that didn't feel properly explained either through subtext or exposition, but the second the movie suddenly broke into a stop-motion segment it officially lost me.

Admittedly, the story clearly tries to take Shakespeare's dialogue and juxtapose it with the feelings of present day teenagers in an effort to show that the more things change the more they stay the same. It's unfortunate that the movie doesn't seem to show any deep understanding of the play's themes, but evidently that wasn't the point. Just like Seon Hwa, the audience is expected to float along in a haze for the nearly two-hour runtime as the characters contemplate what it means to be in love.

Whether a tragedy or a comedy, I just wish I had been allowed to see an interesting love story unfold, but there was so little romantic chemistry anywhere to be found. The main friend group had the most believable chemistry and were more enjoyable to watch whenever they were casually hanging out.

Overall, the cinematography tries its best to be pretty and sometimes succeeds. It just couldn't make up for the rest of the elements not coming together despite everyone's best efforts.

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Great concept, but questionable execution.

As of 2023, it looks like the subtitles have only marginally improved, but the audio is a disaster. If you're watching on the Mango TV Youtube channel, the three part compilation videos are the best quality the channel has to offer. I have to wonder if someone forgot to pay for their music because the sound sporadically cuts out for the entire length of a song in what appears to be a desperate bid to appease the Youtube copyright claim police. If I had to guess, I'd say the hidden episodes were unsalvageable. The compilation "fixed" that problem by just omitting the offending music tracks, so what we're left with is bouts of sudden silence interspersed with audio dissonance. The series loses out on a lot of ambience as a result.

If you're lucky enough to be able to experience the series in its originally intended form, it's significantly more bearable, but overall I still found myself feeling that a lot of the comedy was just a bit too forced. And yet, for a while, I was along for the ride as the story focused on the romcom shenanigans of the main couple... until the plot shifted into a secondary romance and I started picking up some uncomfortable implications.

The way Bao'er is treated like a child who can't take care of herself is presented as sweet, but it comes across as extremely patronizing to people who are blind. Sure, Wen Fang is an awkward himbo, but every choice he makes is horrendously wrong. His stalker-like behavior would unsettle anyone in real life and likely just make them feel afraid. Paying a busy street to suddenly be completely silent when just a second ago they were bustling around her feels more like a horrible prank than a romantic gesture. She can still see the blurred shape of humans nearby quietly watching her every move just outside of reach! I won't even get into how Bao'er's blindness is of the "plot convenience" variety because that's a whole other can of worms.

I'm also not a huge fan of the way that Bao'er starts touching and sniffing Wen Fang without permission. The show wants it to come across as romantic and frames her actions as okay just because she's blind, but real people understand that consent needs to be given! The show does briefly address her rashness and Wen Fang's stalker tendencies when she confronts him about creeping around, but it's still undeniably clear that the series treats Bao'er like a prop. She started out as such a cool and capable character, and then she was quickly stripped of her autonomy for the sake of a forced "romance." The writing tries to cover for itself by having her claim to be aware of his silent actions the entire time, even going so far as to consider it romantic, but this wasn't handled with proper respect at all.

Unfortunately, not even the "Chinese Spy x Family" plot can save this one for me in its current state. I love the concept, but the execution is underwhelming. Among other things, Xiao Nian is written as someone way too fond of wine because they needed to give her a flaw to contrast the expected "ladylike" image she tries to uphold as her cover, but there's a difference between liking wine and being an alcoholic. She is clearly the latter and those shots of her haphazardly pouring wine all over herself isn't as sexy as they think it is.

Maybe more accurate subtitles (and less headaches with the audio) would alter my impression of the series. As it is, I'm left wishing for so much more. If my gripes and nitpicks don't deter you and the plot sounds like your cup of tea, you may come away with a vastly different opinion!

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The sparknotes version of a drama.

The fight scenes that bookend this miniseries are pretty cool despite the effects being a little distracting in places, but that has nothing on the absurd number of times the main couple swoons and falls into each other's arms while gasping in the span of just 5 minutes. After a point, I started to wonder if this had originally been filmed scene by scene for upload throughout production and then later compiled into 3 episodes for binge-watching.

Due to the short runtime, some transitions of minor importance are skipped in order to speed run directly into the next piece of plot exposition, which was a little confusing even for a web series like this. The romantic turnaround from "get away from me" to "actually I love you now" was way too rushed, but it's at least easy to understand the progression they were trying to set up. It would have been far more effective in a longer series where the plot could have been properly developed and their relationship properly established.

Overall, the costumes and set are nice to look at, and the story is an interesting watch if you're looking for something to whet your palate. While the ending doesn't exactly feel abrupt, it does feel like it's missing something. Usually with a scene like that, it doesn't end in the middle of the shot; it tends to linger a bit longer and we get to see the aftermath. So, if anything, it feels unsatisfying.

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If you can survive the painful sound mixing, you may enjoy this one.

Right away, it's clear that the sound mixing isn't great and that makes it hard to sit back and enjoy the ride. The music is louder than the dialogue, yet somehow the cutesy Xiaoshimei's screams were more piercing than the music. Combined with the dissonant sound effects, it just made my head hurt, which is a real shame.

That being said, it's still a cute story with a fun concept. We have seen the stoic/serious character partnered with the childish/cutesy character many times before, so it's at least nice to see a hint or two that the childish/cutesy act is being played up more than usual to gain sympathy and affection. By the end, I found myself wishing that this short film had been given a slightly longer runtime so that aspect of the plot could have been fleshed out even just a little bit more. Maybe then there would have been a bit more chemistry between the characters, although the actors both made a very commendable effort with the limited time they were given.

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Great visuals for a cute teaser.

Have you ever crushed on someone so hard that the only way you could think to end the pining and get their attention was to be as dramatic as possible?

This extremely short film is a sweet music video with some light fanfiction romance vibes. The titular Tea-Picking Girl saves the Young Master's life, they grow closer as the Young Master recovers, and then eventually the Young Master must leave. There isn't much to grab onto, but the subtle framing of certain scenes - a look here and there - leaves behind fascinating implications (intentional or not) about what might have led up to their first meeting on the road.

Unfortunately, the whole story is left up to the viewers' imagination, but for a quick online project this is pretty fun! It is written and feels like a teaser for a longer project (or like a fan trailer for a well-loved work of fiction), though it can be appreciated on its own humble merits. For one thing, even though the characters barely speak, their mutual attraction is undoubtedly clear and the ending does have a slight bit of closure. For that, I think we can be grateful.

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