mio reviews

A movie, anime, kdrama, manga review and recommendation blog from a long-time otaku and kdrama nerd. No spoilers! (ﾉ´ヮ`)ﾉ*:*

[mioreviews]

Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu

Hollywood / Sci-fi Action

Rating: 7/10

If you've been around for my blog long enough, you'll know that I'm a long-time Star Wars fan. I've watched pretty much everything, including all the recent Disney+ series, so I was very excited when I heard a movie was coming out! For context, since I mention it often in this review, there are actually 3 seasons of a Disney+ series that came out before this movie. As a fan, you know I watched all three and enjoyed them thoroughly. Anyways, <Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu> is a new Star Wars movie about their newest, popular characters, the Mandalorian and Grogu (aka baby Yoda).

The movie doesn't assume you know everything but is still littered with older references, so it's a great watch for newbies and for long-time fans. A lot of reviews and articles online call it a "good popcorn movie", and I definitely agree with that. I actually watched it with a friend who didn't know much about Star Wars, and he ended up liking it more than I expected.

Fun, action-filled, thoughtful storyline with twists and turns. I love how there's a main quest the duo is working toward, but with mini stories scattered throughout. Some of the mini side stories come from who the Mandalorian is as a person, instead of being given like another side quest from an outsider. I really liked how, instead of spelling out his character, they show it through his actions and the story itself.

As a nerd, I liked how this movie gave the main characters some independence. It had a great balance of showing the duo together and the duo separately which wasn't shown as much in the Disney+ series. Although I'm not sure how this movie will fit into the larger lore, it did add this novel aspect to overall character development.

As for why I rated it a 7/10,

Jumpy story flow. To explain what that means, I thought that, at times, some parts of the story did not flow well together. It felt "jumpy" here and there, and a good transition or two could've made the movie flow better. There were times where I felt like they meshed 2 series episodes together. I could almost see exactly where 1 "episode" would end and the next one would begin.

Not the best action scenes and/or choreography. I feel like the action choreography was better in the series than it was in the movie. The choreography kind of felt like an afterthought. But, as a bounty hunter adventure story and as a literal sci-fi version of a Western movie, I think it would've benefitted a lot from a good "oh my god that's so cool" action scene or two. It would've made the story feel way more epic, more cowboy-y, and would've helped it gain more new fans.

Overall,

<Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu> was a great casual, popcorn movie that's great for newbies and good/not bad for long-time fans. Since I watched it with a friend who's totally new to Star Wars, I got a reference point for what the experience was like through fresh eyes. The vibes I got from him were that it was really intriguing and fun. He actually started watching the original Disney+ series right after, which was really fun for me to see him enjoy it. As a long-time fan myself, I thought it was a decent movie with some decent references. You could tell there was a real budget behind it, and I appreciated the high quality that came with that. I loved to see Grogu on the big screen (Grogu is sooo cute) and to be surrounded by the Star Wars community in the movie theater.

But one big concern I have though is whether this movie's story will actually evolve forwards, or if future entries will lowkey brush past it like it never happened. If you can't tell, I love it when everything flows together instead of feeling like a bunch of disconnected one-shots. If a movie's plot ends up not actually adding anything to the overall lore or character development, I start questioning why it even exists. Is it actually building the world, or is it just an attempt at a cash grab? I guess we won't really know until the next entry happens, which I'll for sure be looking foward to!

This is the way, my new and old-time friends!

[mioreviews]

Love Through a Prism

Anime / Coming-of-Age Romance

Rating: 8/10

I actually watched <Love Through a Prism> a while back and forgot to upload this review. So here we go with another late review like always I swear I do this all the time. <Love Through a Prism> is about a Japanese girl who moves to London to attend the art school of her dreams. At the school, she makes friends, runs into problems, and slowly begins to fall in love. It's a pretty cute story, and as someone who is recently addicted to historical series, I ate this up very well.

Slow build-up that pays off. This can have its ups (when it finally pays off) and downs (can feel slow or boring), but I personally liked how slow-burn this series was. It added to the world-building and letting the characters actually have a personality that you can connect with. The whole series felt very natural, which I liked.

Side characters were amazing. I loved the side characters' side stories that were sprinkled throughout the episodes. I would totally believe if someone's favorite character was one of the side characters, instead of the main characters. They had so much personality and added so much to the eventual end of the story.

Beautiful backgrounds. I feel like they may have hand-painted a few of the backgrounds, or it was at least made to look like a painting. They are absolutely beautiful. I love how an anime on art committed to the "art" and went full out!

For what could've been done better

Felt a bit overly slow at times. I personally thought that some episodes could've been squeezed down to 1 episode instead of 2 separate ones. I won't spoil which episodes, but there were times where I got bored and had to push myself to finish the episode. Especially since the whole storyline is already so slow, I would've liked if it sped up a little here and there to have a better balance.

Main love story needed more. Perhaps because the anime put a lot of time and energy into building the world and all the characters, I felt that we could've used an episode or two more of the main character's love story. Even though it's slightly cliche, they could've had a shopping episode (where it's lowkey a date) or shown more of them missing each other in their day-to-day life. Although, yes, some parts were very romantic. I would've loved to see more of their relationship growth on screen.

Overall,

<Love Through a Prism> was a great anime with its own unique charms, particularly its amazing sceneries and character friendships. For a series on art, it definitely had amazing art backgrounds and the actual art pieces in the series, but, in my opinion, <Love Through a Prism> was more about the adorable friendships and romantic relationships. It was also pretty historically accurate, at least time-wise and culture-wise, where marriage was often the end goal of many women, even those who were very talented. Although it does have its flaws like all series do, I think it's still an amazing modern addition to the romance anime world, especially as an original anime (aka not based on a book or manga). A round of applause to <Love Through a Prism>. I'm definitely a fan and hope that we get more amazing, authentic original anime like this!

[mioreviews]

I know you review anime and manga, but have you thought of reviewing games too? What kinds of games do you like?

Sadly, I do not review video games or other media. I’m not planning to because I honestly stick to what I like. I don’t try new games often.

I like the Legend of Zelda the most. I played so much Breath of the Wild when it first came out. I also like Dragon Quest, Stardew Valley, Final Fantasy, and Honkai Star Rail! Thanks for the question (*'▽'*)

[mioreviews]

Yumi's Cells Season 3

K-drama / Romance Drama

Rating: 6.5/10

Fun fact about me, I actually read the full Webtoon for <Yumi's Cells> when it was getting released. I recently have been seeing lots of Tik Toks for <Yumi's Cells Season 3>, which was a pleasant surprise. I didn't know it was out. I remember Woong's and Babi's stories pretty well but barely remember Soonrok's story, so I decided to watch season 3! And now here we are! So keep in mind for this review that I know the Webtoon version well but did not watch Season 1 or 2 of the k-drama. Overall, <Yumi's Cells Season 3> is about Yumi's third relationship in a time of her life where she prioritized her career and her Love Cell was asleep.

A good chill watch. This series doesn't have huge ups and downs, so if you want a chill, relaxing watch, this is a great choice. It's also only 8 episode long, so it's a good length for a quick binge. With how long k-drama episodes are nowadays, I appreciated this k-drama for accepting its own identity, instead of trying to become the next huge, billion-dollar international hit.

Kim Goeun. I don't do this often, but Kim Goeun's performance as an actress was great in this series. Although her character kind of annoyed me at times, Kim Goeun is definitely an amazing actress, and I really liked seeing her in a cuter, slice-of-life series.

The cute scenes were very cute. A big reason why I started this series was to watch the cute, romance scenes. The balance between the real-life actors and the animated cells scenes were also done very well. I liked the cells, even though I didn't watch season 1 or 2. I liked the voice acting too - they were cast well and added good comedy to the series.

As for its downsides...

Felt slow then felt rushed. Because I started the series for the cute romance, I felt that the build-up to the relationship felt slow. It was almost 4-5 episodes (I didn't keep exact track, so that number might be wrong) for things to start moving towards a relationship. I feel that, especially for romance series, the romance or at least the tension, should've taken up more of the episodes. Then, when the romance finally happened, it was over in about 2 episodes, which made it feel super rushed. I wish there was a better balance between story, tension, side characters, and the final romance.

Not a huge deal but just FYI, the k-drama was very different from the Webtoon. As someone who read the full Webtoon, I thought this was an interesting choice and had its owns ups and downs (trying not to spoil anything by saying more). I actually reread Soonrok's story in the Webtoon to remind myself, and I get why they added new scenes. In the end though, I both liked and disliked what they added to the story.

Overall,

If you want my final opinion, I would say <Yumi's Cells> Webtoon > Season 3 of the k-drama. I did form a new actor crush though on the male lead, Kim Jaewon, so I'm not completely against season 3 lol. If you are bored and want a quick binge, <Yumi's Cells Season 3> could be a decent choice. The biggest downside of this series was the development of the romance where I wished that the pay-off hit harder, started sooner, and lingered longer. It makes me think that making season 3 an office romance season would've been an interesting choice. I wonder if that idea was ever pitched I'm a genius for thinking of that lol. <Yumi's Cells> as a franchise is very fun. Even though I know exactly how season 2 ends (unless they changed it from the Webtoon), it makes me want to check out season 2 to get more <Yumi's Cells> content and see more of Kim Goeun. Maybe it's time to watch the rest of the kdrama (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧

[mioreviews]

Made in Abyss: The Golden City of the Scorching Sun

Anime / Fantasy Adventure

Rating: 8.5/10

(FYI this is pretty much Made in Abyss Season 2.) If you haven’t read my season 1 post yet, I already reviewed Season 1 and the movie as well. <Made in Abyss Season 2> is about Riko, Reg, and Nanachi reaching the sixth layer of the Abyss, also known as the “Golden City”. I will say this season felt a little confusing but I still liked it, especially as a big Made in Abyss fan.

Warning: A lot of blood.

World-building everywhere. I love how they dedicated one whole season to the sixth layer, personally. This layer is a whole arc on its own and adds so much to the lore of the Abyss. I loved the lore and the way the story and world in that sixth layer was explained.

Story goes one layer deeper. One thing I love about the series is how it goes one layer deeper each season (literally and figuratively). It’s the way the plot is built since the Abyss has a whole new world in each different layer, but I still liked how the series switches it up here and there to keep it exciting. It slightly assumes that you know the Abyss from the earlier seasons, so instead of just repeating the same story-telling, it builds on what was already told. I personally liked that touch.

New well-built characters. The strongest point of this season, I think, was the new characters. I enjoyed them and liked how their individual stories were used to explain what the sixth layer was, instead of just straight-up explaining it via narration or another journal. In this layer, the journal wasn't as useful. So I liked how it depended on the people in the layer to use their memories instead.

As for what was missing...

Lack of main character growth. Season 2 definitely was driven by the new environment and the new characters, instead of the main characters. It almost gets to a point where the main characters feel like the side characters. Even though I did enjoy it, this season didn't add much to the larger storylines of finding Riko's mom and unlocking Reg's missing memories. When watching this season, I think it's a good choice to know and expect this season to not expand on the main characters and, instead, focus more on the Golden City.

Overall,

<Made in Abyss: The Golden City of the Scorching Sun> was a great addition to the Made in Abyss franchise, even though the main overarching storyline was put on pause. Even though this season 2 story was mainly about the sixth layer of the Abyss and the Golden City, I still really liked the lore of the Abyss. Since the Abyss is such a mystery, I liked learning more about the world and its past. There's a lot of commentary on morality and ethics tied to survival, value, and revenge. It made me think a lot about what I would've done and how many of us would likely do the same thing, even though you may disagree with it as an outsider. I like series that make me think and expand the way I view everything.

I got really hooked to the series and picked up the manga after I finished the anime. I can't wait for the studio to keep making new episodes or movies!

[mioreviews]

ESSAY 2: Yona of the Dawn

<Yona of the Dawn> is one of my all-time favorite shoujo mangas, and it recently was fully completed with its last chapter coming out on December 19, 2025. I posted a manga review on my blog, so read that if you want to know more about the manga as a whole. Since it finally ended, I wanted to take a moment to really go in on why I appreciated the manga so much as a long-time fan. Welcome to my second ESSAY post (๑>◡<๑)

Although, yes, <Yona of the Dawn> has an amazing story full of revenge and romance, which is often what readers like the most…

I liked this manga for a slightly different reason, for its strength, passion, and perseverance.

You may think that this comes from all the characters, which it does. But much of this strength and passion comes from the main female character, Yona. The girl is where the story's strength and passion comes from, and her strength is then given, accepted by, and inspires others to find their own meaning.

Throughout the entire manga, Yona runs into issues that keeps trying to take her strength and passion, but she finds ways to maintain it over and over. In the beginning, she has power through her royal blood, then through loyalty, her bow, her red hair, and eventually through the people she surrounds herself with. It all comes from her choices and her will to not give up, which I truly respected. She was never the loudest, flashiest, or most muscular, but she emanated steady, unbreakable strength constantly through who she truly was and stood for.

What made her story so meaningful to me was that her strength never felt handed to her. It was all earned. Sometimes, as a game, I like to think about where the story would fall apart if something wasn't there. In every scenario, it's always Yona. If Yona never played a role in whatever arc was happening, the story would never have worked out. Every story and setback would circle back to shape her resolve, and every bond she formed became a part of her purpose to keep pushing on. By the end, we see that her greatest weapon was never her royal blood or the prophecy, it was her heart, her perseverance, and her refusal to let the world decide who she was meant to be.

Overall, <Yona of the Dawn> was incredibly inspiring and was one of the best journeys I have been on through the art of storytelling. 20/10 forever and always. So sad to see it end, but so happy to finally read Yona’s full story.

Essay #2 done!

[mioreviews]

The Invisible Man and His Soon-to-Be Wife

Anime / Romance Comedy Slice-of-life

Rating: 6.5/10

Randomly saw this on a post somewhere online when I really wanted a casual, cute anime to watch. So I binged it and here we are (o´▽`o) <The Invisible Man and His Soon-to-Be Wife> is a story about an invisible man that falls in love with a blind girl in a cute city where human-like species work and live together.

Simple yet cute story. The story is honestly very simple with a few absolutely adorable scenes sprinkled in here and there. I feel like it might've possibly started or was an idea for a one-shot manga, then got expanded as it grew in popularity. I definitely liked its intentional choice of simplicity.

Cute, lovable characters. Since the story is so simple, the characters and settings are also simple. But they're still built well and have their own unique stone-alone stories. With some series, sometimes they depend a lot on looks or handsomeness/prettiness, but I think this series leaned a lot into their personalities to get you to like them, which I really liked! Good commentary on how you can grow to love a character, even if you can't see their physical appearance.

The biggest downside of this series is

The double-edged sword of simplicity. If you come into this not expecting much, the series is a great one-time casual binge. So I'm warning you now, take and accept what the series gives you, if you are considering watching this. This one is not for those who like deep backstories, multi-layered characters, and broad world-building.

Overall,

<The Invisible Man and His Soon-to-Be Wife> was a short and sweet series and not much more. If all you want is a short series to relax with, this is a great choice. Not too much tension, not too much conflict, and everything works out in the end. I have no complaints for what it set out to be and what it ended up being. Although I can see why some people say this is a "cop out" for properly displaying disabilities in an anime, I still liked it for what it was - a cute series talking about disabilities, confidence, and finding comfortability in who you are with a tiny fantasy twist.

Now will this get a season 2? Probably not, and if it did, it would probably be low on my watch list. But for season 1, I still found myself waiting for the weekly episodes and enjoyed the pleasant watch ♡( ◡‿◡ )

[mioreviews]

ESSAY 1: The Thing (1982)

<The Thing> is probably one of the most famous thriller movies out there. As someone who is really into thriller and horror movies, I had to give it a watch. After watching it, I desperately need somewhere to talk about it! So here I am. Since this movie is already a classic, I wanted to do more than give it another review, so I'm doing my best to create my first ESSAY post (o_ _)ﾉ彡☆

<The Thing> was created in 1982, so don't expect the best props or the best effects. But...

One thing this movie did amazingly was the paranoia.

Throughout the movie, I honestly felt iffy here and there. But after finishing the movie, I had an epiphany. That epiphany being - the setting stayed the same for most of the movie and the characters stayed the same. That’s when I was absolutely mind blown.

The paranoia of <The Thing> builds slowly yet surely. I think it’s amazing how subtly the paranoia grew in the story. It was so subtle that I honestly got a little bored. But then I’d suddenly catch myself feeling on the edge of my seat or that “oh no please don’t open that door” feeling. Small scares would strangely make me jump, and I’d start to make predictions in my head while watching. Subtle yet deadly paranoia got me instantly hooked without even realizing.

Now that you get a feel for the paranoia, I want to mention the setting. Most thriller movies move settings and locations fairly often. We start in one house, move onto another house, back to the original house, and so on. To me, I interpret those changes as giving the audience something new to hook onto, or a "change of scenery" if you will. It essentially is built in to keep the story's momentum going without seeming too meaningless towards the plot.

But, strangely, <The Thing> stayed in 1 location for almost 90% of the movie, with the other locations being the Norwegian Antarctica base and the original location of “The Thing”. For me, the fact that I forgot about this was mind blowing. I remember being so intrigued that I couldn't wait to go back to the main base for more. I think this is a great example of using what you have to the max - you don't need modernized VFX, a huge cast, or multiple million-dollar locations to tell a good, fulfilling story.

<The Thing> kept the momentum without a change of scenery, without a new character or two, and without even explaining the backstory of the characters (if you know me, you know that I loveee backstory, so it's crazy I'm saying this). That, in my opinion, is amazing.

In short, <The Thing> is still amazing.

Thanks for reading my first movie essay rant. Hoping to improve my writing style as I post more (*´▽`*)

[mioreviews]

Tune in for Love

K-drama / Romance Drama

Rating: 7.5/10

Out of boredom, I decided to watch this movie just to learn that I already watched it? It was marked as "finished" on my list which is weird because I don't remember watching it. So I decided to re-watch this movie to post a full review. <Tune in for Love> is about a couple who keep running into each other and separating because their timing never matches.

Meaningful characters with a deep connection. The best part of this movie, in my opinion, was the characters and their different backstories. I really liked the three main characters and how they stayed connected to each other, one way or another.

Not-forced romance. The progression of the romance felt quiet and natural where you don't fall in love in a day or even a week. I liked seeing the characters nonverbally work their way through their feelings then show their feelings through action. It fit the vibes of the movie very well.

The motifs and radio! One thing that definitely stood out to me was that this story was more on the artistic side. It almost felt like an adaptation of a creative novel which maybe that is the case with the deliberate inclusion of symbolism and reoccurring items, like the radio, locations, doughnuts, and each having a journey through some sort of loss. I liked how artsy and symbolic it felt.

As for the downsides,

Not enough backstory or explanation. The problems the characters ran into were very realistic problems. They did not feel fake or weirdly timed, but one complaint I have is how nothing is explained well. For a movie that was very much action > words for the romance, I wish there were more flashbacks built into the plot, instead of verbally explaining what happened. Even when they did explain it though, it was never in the depth I would have wanted.

Less time jumps. Similarly to the above point on wanting to see more, I also wish we could've seen the characters working through their problems or reminiscing their past. The audience has to make an assumption that the main characters yearned and missed each other when they were apart or maybe they didn't. I wish we could've seen a little bit of that happen on screen, instead of the instant jumps through multiple years.

Overall,

<Tune in for Love> was a great comfort movie with just enough tension and reality mixed into a warm experience. Although some plot points were weaker than others, like their backstories and some weird side characters, I still enjoyed what the movie had to offer and enjoyed the way they offered it. Although it felt fairly realistic, it was definitely more on the artistic, creative, nostalgic side of storytelling - almost like if you were listening to a friend tell a romantic story about their long lost past lover. So don't expect any romcom or overly dramatic plot points or moments, as the movie was more on the quieter, softer side. It was, overall, a good reminder that even the most "boring" daily events will become a story to be told and reminisced in the future.

[mioreviews]

Witch Hat Atelier

Do you like fantasy, witches, or magic, like me? Time for the mysterious and magical world of <Witch Hat Atelier>!

First four manga covers ↑

I recently got back into <Witch Hat Atelier> after a few years & was surprised to see that the fandom grew a lot exciting! There's actually an anime adaptation coming out soon too, so it's a great time to write up a review. <Witch Hat Atelier> takes place in a world where magic is only used by special witches. A young girl, Coco, who joins a witch academy, though she was never supposed to as a "commoner".

What I like about this series is that Coco isn't a child genius. She doesn't have the innate, natural ability to use magic, so you see her grow overtime and become more and more creative with how she uses basic spells. It's a cool commentary on how perseverance, kindness, and being different can become your biggest strength. The world-building slowly builds up as you read, and the side characters are built well too.

For some downsides, it's 1) unfinished, 2) sometimes becomes very wordy, and 3) is still at its beginning stages. I took a few breaks here and there, and it was mainly because there were some not-as-fun parts of the story. For such a strong foundation, sometimes the stories or solutions fall short. I'm hoping that the manga eventually grows into the amazing manga that people wish it to be including me.

In short,

I don't like comparing but As someone who likes witchy fantasy series, I liked the new take on magic academies and students that <Witch Hat Atelier> had. As a manga fan who has read a little bit of everything, the world-building is very important in fantasy worlds. It rather has to be cliche or expertly designed. In this case, the fantasy of <Witch Hat Atelier> was designed very well to not only build its world but to also support the story-telling. I especially like the world-building and Coco, the main character.

Although I like to keep manga reviews mostly positive, one worry I have is that the more I wait for new chapters, the more I get distracted by other mangas, which shows how the manga still needs to unlock its potential. I'm hoping it actually grows and doesn't plateau.

[mioreviews]

Marry My Husband

K-drama / Romance Drama

Rating: 6/10

Biased rating: 8/10

<Marry My Husband> was a Korean manhwa I read a while ago, but I noticed that it became a k-drama in 2024. If you know me well, you know I'm seriously addicted to isekai, time travel, second chance, revenge stories, and this is exactly that! If you want some isekai/time travel recommendations, read my Beyond the Best posts :) In short, <Marry My Husband> is about a girl who unfairly dies but then gets a second chance to seek revenge on her husband who cheated on her with her best friend.

Amazing cast. Although I'm aware of some of the scandals that came out of this cast, the actors and actresses did a great job. Not only did this movie have Park Minyoung, which was a surprise, but the villains did such a great job at making you hate them. Even though it can be a bit on the nose, sometimes it's good to clearly know who is good and bad. They don't even have to say anything. Their actions are loud and clear.

Thrilling, intriguing, addicting revenge. Although she doesn't destroy them, the revenge is fun, full of thrills, and interesting to watch. I liked how everything went down and how she took advantage of her lover and friend's greed and selfishness.

As for why my unbiased rating is only a 6,

With all these time travel, revenge stories, the biggest downside is how convenient and easy everything is. It is a "drama" but it's a very different kind of drama. The plot moves in one and only one direction, which makes the revenge storyline "easy" by default. It, like many other time travel series, isn't meant to be a 2 season k-drama with loose ends and what if's. It wraps up the entire story in 1 season, which can be good and bad.

Yes, it's an over-used storyline and you can probably find another series exactly like this. But I personally don't mind it. If you approach it with a "trash TV" mindset, I think it's very fun (not an insult. I mean "trash TV" as in over-used, over-played, but still very satisfying)!

Overall,

<Marry My Husband> is undoubtedly an over-used, over-played story, but still has its own intriguing, addicting charm. Usually these types of series don't get adapted, doesn't get adapted well (is cringey or bad storytelling) or doesn't have a good cast, so this was a really refreshing way to get these series into mainstream! From my memory (sorry if this is wrong), the k-drama adapted the original manhwa's story pretty accurately, which I appreciated.

To add some of my bias back in since I'm addicted to these stories, I loved the twists included to spice up a stereotypical storyline and how the male lead didn't steal the female lead's spotlight. The male lead, although not entirely necessary, was a good touch. I liked to see the female lead's life turn around as you saw the others' lives fall apart. Satisfying and fun! If you like these kinds of stories, I have so so so many manhwa recommendations for you!

[mioreviews]

Yona of the Dawn

I’m going to be very busy this week, so here’s an early post.

↑The first 4 manga covers

More manga time! Let’s do thissss.

‘Yona of the Dawn’ is a manga I remember reading and loving in like 2015. I recently reread the entire manga to refresh my memory lol, so here we are! ‘Yona of the Dawn’ is about a princess, Yona, who is forced out of the sheltered castle she lived in after her father (the king) gets murdered and usurped. Desperate, she searches the kingdom for the mythical Dragon Gods for help. 

‘Yona of the Dawn’ was exactly what I remembered it to be. I get why I liked it a lot as a teenager (I’m in university now). It has great pacing and is a great drama / fantasy (+ some romance) with a very powerful main female character. Perfect for my doki doki teenage heart in the past lol. Strong main and side characters with plenty of backstory. I got so attached to all of them, even the antagonist. It’s still on-going so when I hit the end of the updates, I was so sad. But at least we get more! It’s not the end of the series yet!

The downside to manga is that I think it appeals more to teenage girls for sure. I read it out of nostalgia so I throughly enjoyed it, but if it was read by an adult, I can imagine some boredom maybe.

TL;DR

‘Yona of the Dawn’ is a great read for anyone who wants a strong female main character with dragons that overcome the world! I did find some parts more boring than I remembered. But the good parts were very satisfying and made me love this manga all over again. I especially love Yona! She’s a very powerful, great main character.

[mioreviews]

The manga for <Yona of the Dawn> finally ended! °˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖°

I'll definitely be catching up with the rest of the manga now! So excited!

[mioreviews]

Are you going to watch the second Mononoke movie? A third one comeing soon in 2026.

The second Mononoke movie is definitely on my list of things to watch! I'm planning to watch all the movies, even the third one, since I liked the art style and story of the first movie. A post will be coming soon!

[mioreviews]

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery

Hollywood / Mystery Crime

Rating: 8.5/10

As a huge fan of the Knives Out series, you know I had to watch the latest movie <Wake Up Dead Man>! In short, this is the third movie of the series where a genius detective solves unique, "impossible" cases. In this movie, the case is about a priest that mysteriously dies.

Fun, captivating mystery. The mystery is such a classic detective mystery case - in a charming, small town where everything is so quiet yet everyone knows everything. I liked how different the setting was from the other Knives Out movies & how the series didn't lose its unique storylines.

Like every <Knives Out> movie, I love the over-exaggeration or dramatization of some parts of the story. I like how the movie pokes fun at itself and is aware that it's playing into the trope of a "genius detective". One of the main characters, Detective Blanc, is perfect comedic relief in such a serious story.

Meaningful characters that all play a part. Although there were a lot of popular actors in this movie, I liked how they all got lost in their roles. I liked the characters more than I expected, and they all played an important role to the plot. No cardboard characters here. Except for the police woman, who annoyed me. Still, I take that as a sign of a good actress.

As for the downsides,

A little too "convenient". At times, I thought how some parts of the mystery unraveled as a little too convenient. Since the movie was kind of self-aware, that may have been an intentional choice of how genius detectives just magically solves everything in 2 seconds. I personally preferred how the cases were explained, executed, and solved in the other two movies. It definitely still stuck to its charm though, which I appreciate.

Overall,

<Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery> does it again with a cool, new setting, storyline, and approach to classic detective movies. It has a great touch of comedy to make the movie not too serious, and I unexpectedly really liked the characters from the little town, even though they're all messed up in their own way. It seems like <Knives Out> is taking a step in a different direction, compared to the other movies, and I think it was a good decision to spice things up.

If they make another movie, I'd love to see a newer twist on things, whether that's Detective Blanc's character development or the type of case. I'm also slightly confused on how all the movies tie together, because right now they all seem like independent events. Looking at this from a world-building perspective, I hope everything eventually makes more sense.

[mioreviews]

Good News

K-drama / Black Comedy Drama

Rating: 7/10

As a fan of the actor, Hong Kyung, I watched his newest movie! I went in knowing nothing about the movie, so it was a nice surprise to walk into it with high hopes and excitement. <Good News> is a satirical film adaptation inspired by a real Japanese plane hijacking event that happened in 1970 and how the Korean CIA assisted.

(Photo from Netflixkr)

Creativity with a witty, comedic twist. Although the movie is a historically-based, drama movie, I prioritized "black comedy" as the genre because the comedy aspect made the story stand out a lot and much more entertaining. It was satire from beginning to end, but in a good, entertaining, almost over-the-top way.

Engaging storytelling paired with great acting. Since I didn't know anything about the actual event, it was fun to see everything unfold. They had a really good cast too. It felt like a lot of good things falling into place one by one to make it worth the watch. Almost too good to be true!

Special side note: I also liked how they hired Japanese actors to play the Japanese roles, instead of having an all-Korean cast.

As for the downsides,

Too long. To put it simply, I don't think it had to be a 2 hour movie. I think it could've been shorter than 2 hours and still got its message across. The movie dragged a little around halfway through, and I think losing that momentum made the movie a little boring here and there. This is why I thought it had "a lot of good things fell into place", like good storytelling, narrative, and cast, because if 1 thing went wrong, the movie’s pacing would've fallen apart.

My boy, Hong Kyung ↑

Overall,

For a quick watch, <Good News> was a pleasant, comedic surprise that was full of wit and talent. If you're not looking for a perfect movie, it's one of the better new movie releases on Netflix. In a way, its roughness around the edges made the movie feel enjoyable and real. I almost forgot that this wasn't based on a real story (it's just a fictionalized version of real-life event) because the movie felt so authentic. I was also happy to see Hong Kyung doing so well in his role!

Would I watch it again? Maybe with a friend, but not on my own. For me, the rewatchability is very iffy simply because knowing the plot would remove a lot of the suspense.

[mioreviews]

20th Century Girl

K-drama / Romance Comedy

Rating: 7/10

Time for another movie review! <20th Century Girl> was a movie that came out in 2022. I've heard that it's a nice movie, so I decided to finally watch it without any background on the movie. In short, the movie is a nostalgic high school first love movie that takes place in 1999, but with a bunch of plot twists!

Good storytelling with a very unexpected plot twist. The story, although lacking a bit, flowed very nicely. I think the events of the story ran well and controlled the pacing of the movie very well. Right when you start to think "what's going to happen now", it's able to bring something new, keep you curious, and keep you hooked. I was definitely hooked.

Lovable friend group. One of the best parts of this movie for me was the nostalgic vibes of a high school friend group. Getting a little messy because of "boys", loving each other, and crying with each other. I liked the friendship the two girls had and how genuine it felt.

As for a major downside,

Lack of explanation. A lot of the movie, like the friend's surgery, character backstories (and futures), and reasons behind certain events, were not explained at all. Although I understand the art of an open end, it was a bit disappointing to have so many loose ends. I would've appreciated an explanation or two or at least some kind of hint, so the audience doesn't feel as lost by the end. I took off 0.5 points from my rating just because of this to be honest^

I didn't count this towards my review score, but I also thought that some of the color over saturation was an interesting choice. You can see it in the gifs I added to this review. I think it was supposed to make it similar to a real 1990s film camera, but I had mixed feelings because it was obviously a high-tech digital camera with a filter on it.

Overall,

Though it isn't the movie of the century (ha ha nice pun), it's a great one-time watch to make an eventless night much more fun. Did I enjoy the movie? In simple terms, yes! In the moment, I really enjoyed it. But especially because the plot twist hit so hard, I don't think it would ever hit the same again, which could ruin its rewatchability. I will admit that the ending did hit me hard, and it was built-up pretty well for a movie on the shorter side (less than 2 hours). This movie felt kind of like a gateway movie or a side quest for some of these actors to build their repertoire. It made me think about the possibility that they get cast into a romcom k-drama because of the traction on this movie. If that's the case, I'd totally watch an 8-episode k-drama of something similar to this, if that ever happened. I think a k-drama series format could solve a lot of the iffy elements I ran into and develop the characters more.

[mioreviews]

Dept Q - Season 1

Western series / Crime thriller drama

Rating: 7.5/10

Warning: Blood, death, torture

<Dept. Q> is a 2025 British TV series about a group of pretty much "leftover" detectives that solve cold cases. I randomly watched this series with no background information, and it was a pleasant binge!

Unique approach to crime series. Crime series is one of the most overdone series and shows, so it was nice to see something slightly new. Of course, a crime show is still a crime show (aka there's still a killer, a detective, and an eventual solution), but I liked the main crime case and the overall themes.

Great mix of stories. The part I liked the most was the main crime case and the characters’ inner turmoils. It had a good balance of characters living their current life while still dealing with their past. It helps make them feel real.

Great back and forth in the story. The story-telling is probably the best part of this series with how well it keeps you engaged and how well it jumps between settings and even time (aka time jumps). Definitely helped with the pacing and flow.

A few downsides of the series...

A crime show is still a crime show. There's only so much "new" you can make with crime shows. The eventual expectation that the case, no matter how complicated, will be solved can be good and bad.

Kind of vague characters. Although watching the main crime story unfold was fun, the characters still need more development. I liked how you could see a little growth by the end, but the first season definitely focused more on the crime story. I'm hoping the characters show more growth in season 2 because the characters were probably one of the newer, memorable parts of this series.

Overall,

If you like crime TV shows, <Dept. Q> could be a fun, new take on crime series. With only 9 episodes, it's a great short series to binge and a good break from the popular, mainstream crime shows. I also liked how it's British as well! The story-telling was fun, creative, and interesting, as were the character backgrounds and settings. I'm looking forward to season 2 and look forward to how much this series might grow. I'm really hoping it'll be worth it.

For season 2, I'm most interested in what the new cold case will be. The cold case was very cool and unique. I haven't seen a crime story that confused me and intrigued me as much as this. If they can keep up this creativity, I think season 2 has a lot of potential.