Weekly Highlight: Sunrise on the Reaping I’ve finally finished reading this book. I took it really slow with this one. As The Hunger Games fan, I knew the ending so I wasn’t sure if I want to find out what led to that. But now I’m satisfied that I’ve finished the series. Not sure if Suzanne Collins is going to write any more in The Hunger Games universe. With what is going on in the world, maybe she doesn’t have to.
The Midnight Mood
The Soundtrack: Too Little Too Late by Jojo. It’s everywhere on my TikTok, people!
The Midnight Snack: I was drinking Hot Oat Milk Brown Sugar Bubble earlier. Yes, it’s unhealthy but look, I chose oat milk so that should be better, right?
The Sleep Thief: Idol I – I am so close to the end!
Drop/Keep/Add
Keeping: No Tail To Tell – So far, it looks good. I’ve heard of some people not liking it but so far, it looks okay to me.
Dropping: I’ve dropped Can This Love Be Translated?. You can read the reason why here.
Adding:The Name of the Game is a Kidnapping by Keigo Higashino. It’s my next read. I love Keigo Higashino so I don’t think I’ll be disappointed with this one.
The Premise: It’s the second prequel to The Hunger Games series. This time, we are following Haymitch Abernathy, the victor of the Quarter Quell, where the number of tributes were twice the usual. We knew he won, but at what price?
The “Sleepy Scale” Verdict: ☕ (Wide Awake)
Why it fits: This could have been ⚡(Electric) but I did slow down in the middle. I didn’t know the backstory but I knew the outcome. So, that could be the reason why I put it aside for weeks. But when I picked it up again, I did not want to put it down. I had to pace myself though. Since I’m also watching TV Series.
The Pace: If you have read The Hunger Games series, the pace is similar here. The moment we get into The Arena, it’s just fast-paced from that scene onwards. Prior to that, Suzanne Collins was building up the story – family in The Seam, relationships, friendships, etc. Something you may be familiar with in The Hunger Games with Katniss.
✨ What Kept Me Awake:
The Covey: If you read (or watch) The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, you know the story of Coriolanus Snow and Lucy Gray, the victor of the 10th Hunger Games. Lucy Gray was of the Covey family so we knew of them already. This book has more story of the Covey but now, years had passed since then and things changed a lot for them after Lucy Gray’s disappearance.
Haymitch Abernathy: We knew of him as that drunkard mentor, whom got lucky that Katniss (and Peeta) were both strong-willed and hard-headed. But what made him that way? He was a compelling character even in The Hunger Games series so having a book just for him made complete sense.
The Rebel: I’m revealing a bit here but if you think that the rebel started from Katniss, you can remove that thought with this book. The fire had been kindling, the districts had been in unrest. It just took a girl on fire to build that.
🌙 The “Deep Dive” (Spoilers!)
Inside The Arena: What we knew of the Quarter Quell was from the POV of Katniss and Peeta when they were watching it. There was more than meets the eye. The number of things we didn’t know, such as Haymitch being part of The Rebel. They had a plan to blow it all up. And how Plutarch, Beetee, Mags and Wiress were all there from the start.
The Ending: I was trying not to cry while finishing the book in a cafe. I can understand why Haymitch was the way he was. I would have broke too. He wasn’t able to live with himself for decades and decades. He wanted to off himself every single day. Until Katniss gave that hope that what he promised his loved one would eventually come true. And that’s when he was able to live with himself. Now that I finished it, I can see why Haymitch understood Peeta and what Peeta went through. It was similar.
The Week In Review: I didn’t watch much shows this week as I tried to finish Can This Love Be Translated? Well, it didn’t go so well.
The Highlights (What I Actually Watched)
Can This Love Be Translated? (Ep 3-8): 📉 – Quick thought: Dropped. I dropped it. You can find the reason why here.
Idol I (Ep 4-5): ☕ – Quick thought: Relatable to Maeng Se Na. Well, I’m no attorney but she is sure very relatable to me.
Our Dining Table (Ep 1-10.5): 🦋 – Quick thought: I was watching one episode each night. But after Ep 2, I watched all the way through. It’s such a comfy, healing show. I will review it later.
The Midnight Mood
The Snack: Does Milo, a chocolate malt drink, count? Lol
The Vibe: I don’t know why Beauty and a Beat by Justin Bieber and Nicki Minaj is in my head right now but oh well…
Looking Ahead
After dropping Can This Love Be Translated?, I can focus on finishing Idol I. After which, let’s see which one I will start next or get distracted by something else completely.
The Breakup Moment: If you have read my Weekly Watchlist post, I gave this show a 🦋 rating. I had to pull the plug at Episode 8 when I felt that the mental health issue of the female lead was taken too lightly for me to continue.
💤 Why I’m Choosing Sleep Over This:
The “Wait, What?” Factor: The use of dissociative identity disorder (DID) as a plot device for a romantic story or even a rom-com is incredibly insensitive. What happened in Episode 8 really made zero sense to me!
Character Chemistry: I don’t have a problem with the two main characters – Joo Ho Jin and Cha Mu Hee. They actually look good together. It’s the usage of Do Ra Mi appearing for no reason at most times is what pissing me off.
The Pace: Okay, it is way too slow. When you see the main couple about to get it together, plot twists – it’s either Shin Ji Sun, Hiro or Do Ra Mi. There’s only so much that I can take as a viewer.
📉 The “Sleepy Scale” at the Time of Death:
Rating: 🦋 Heart-Flutter (Well, it was heart-fluttering until it was absolutely not. Instead, it became 😠)
Verdict: Not worth my blood pressure going up.
🌙 The Deep Dive (Why it went wrong)
Spoiler Alert: This section contains details up to Episode 8.
The Do Ra Mi Problem: I understand that Cha Mu Hee had a traumatic experience that led her to have DID. Do Ra Mi is her alter. I get it. Do Ra Mi appearing to protect her during overwhelming experiences like the event with her horrible family. Understandable. But why did she just appear when Cha Mu Hee ask into the mirror? “What will Do Ra Mi do now when I close my eyes?” or something along those lines. What? And Do Ra Mi proceeded to strut her way to Hiro and kiss him? Look, I don’t have DID but what is traumatic or overwhelming about the so-called date with Hiro? Cha Mu Hee already apologized for not remembering and partly not being able to understand him. Maybe it is overwhelming for Cha Mu Hee. But as a viewer of a drama, it is too light-hearted of a situation for an alter to come out. In this case, I felt that Do Ra Mi is just being used as a plot device to make a romance story between her and Hiro. That makes no sense!
Plot Twists: I am okay with slow burn. And most people who like this show commented about the slow burn. Sure, totally understandable. But the amount of twists and turns of this show is like that road that Joo Ho Jin drove in Canada in one of the episodes. Everytime the two main characters looked like they were about to get it together, someone or something would just come up and spoil the plans. And then it’s back to these two just staring teary-eyed at each other. Like really? I signed up for a rom-com and not driving down the winding roads of the relationship of these two.
🔄️ The “Watch This Instead” Recommendation
Since we’re not watching this anymore, here is what you should put on your screen instead:
If you want to watch a show that treat DID in a less light-hearted way:United States of Tara (though do note that it is more on the extreme side and realistically, such extreme cases are rare) or It’s Okay, That’s Love (one of the side characters have DID and the show did do a little more justice to people struggling with mental health).
If you want to watch Kim Seon Ho: The Childe. I know it’s a not a drama but a movie. But he really surprised me here.
If you want to watch Go Youn Jung:Moving or Sweet Home.
💬 What do you think?
Am I being too hard? Does it make sense after Episode 8 or was I right to save my sleep? Let me know!
Weekly Highlight: Pro Bono If you want a good show with little to no romance, just a man against the powerful, watch this one. Just watching the pro bono team proving the powerful wrong is so satisfying to watch.
The Midnight Mood
The Soundtrack: I’m not sure what the title of the song is but Wind Up by Jeno and Jaemin for Wind Up. I need this duo to debut ASAP.
The Midnight Snack: Earlier I was munching on youtiao. Now, if you are not in Asia, you probably don’t know what this is. It’s also known as yau char kway. It’s basically deep-fried wheat flour. It’s delicious just like that. But some people might like to eat it with chilli sauce. Some like it with porridge. Some like it with soy milk even. Some even put fish cake in it and it’s nice that way too.
The Sleep Thief: Honestly? The book that I’m currently reading, which is Sunrise on the Reaping. I’m close to the end. I’ve read The Hunger Games so I have an idea what happens at the end 😭
Drop/Keep/Add
Keeping: Can This Love Be Translated? – It’s kinda funny at the moment. Also, second-hand embarrassment.
Dropping: I’ve already dropped Moon River. I’m not continuing with it now definitely.
Adding: I might watch another reality show called Noona Is A Woman To Me or another drama called No Tail To Tell. One of it.
The Week In Review: I am usually a slow watcher so I’m impressed with myself this week.
The Highlights (What I Actually Watched)
Pro Bono (Ep 5-12): ☕ – Quick thought: The cases that the pro bono team took on are interesting. Review is up!
Chef & My Fridge (Ep 31-33): ☁️️ – Quick thought: Still my comfort show. I watched this in between Ep 9 and 10 for Pro Bono when I knew the show would get quite heavy.
Wind Up (Ep 1-50): ☕🦋 – Quick thought: The quickest I completed a show but it’s 100 minutes put together. Easy to consume. Review is up!
Idol I (Ep 1-3): ☕ – Quick thought: I feel like I’m looking at myself in this drama. The female lead character is relatable.
The Midnight Mood
The Snack: It’s between real lunch and dinner and also tapioca chips. Tapioca chips is now my staple snack lol
The Vibe: For today, I decide to rec a new song by Charlie Puth called Beat Yourself Up. It’s actually quite hard for me to listen to a new song and like it. But I like this one at first listen. It has an old vibe.
Looking Ahead
I don’t think Idol I would finish soon so either I will also watch Can This Love Be Translated? so I can review it next week. Or complete Light On Me and review that next week. Let’s see.
Quick Spark: A promising high school baseball player struggled with yips, putting his sports career in jeopardy. A mysterious transfer student appeared to help.
The Hook: It’s an almost 2-min duration for each episode. There are 50 episodes, which makes the whole drama to be 100 mins. Not even 2 hours. Very easy to consume with it’s TikTok/YouTube Shorts/Instagram Story format. The only problem? You have to pay to watch all 50 episodes or you will wait. Fortunately, for those who are reading this, yours truly paid to watch all 50 episodes. That’s the hook. If you set your settings to the default, the next episode will just play automatically. This format works for me. Though, I wish it’s longer. The director is the same one for Move To Heaven. That might clue you in on what to expect for this bromantic drama. I will not spoil it.
Character Chemistry: Both Jeno and Jaemin are members from the K-pop group, NCT or the sub-unit, NCT Dream. And they have both been known by fans as best friends and even twins. So, there is no doubt about their chemistry. But how’s their acting as their characters? They are not Jeno and Jaemin here. But Woo Jin and Tae Hee. It’s Jeno’s first time as an actor. On the other hand, it’s not Jaemin’s first foray in the acting world. For Jaemin, he’s also been known as the doppelganger of Nam Goong Min. And he does prove that he should be getting more acting offers. Jeno, for a first-timer, does quite well portraying his character. As fans would know, this man does not have an angry bone in his body. But Woo Jin is almost always angry. For good reasons. He does well in acting with his eyes. On stage, he has been known to be quite expressive. And he does the same here. And both of them together? Heartbreakingly sweet. This is supposed to be a bromance drama. Honestly speaking, as a BL watcher, this is toeing the line between bromance and BL. It’s a very thin line.
Pacing Check: It’s 2 mins each episode for 50 episodes. It’s not slow and it’s definitely very quick. I really wish it’s longer. If it’s a full-fledged drama – 12 or 16 episodes – I think the director would be able to flesh out each character more. Delve a little deeper with their back-story. But even with this short drama, the director did manage to touch a little bit of it without it being awkward. Each one makes sense. The flow is actually quite okay as well. I hope that if it does really well in Kitz app, the director would consider doing a full-fledged drama of it. It is a good coming-of-age youth sports drama that is worth to be shown outside of the Kitz app.
Final Sleepy Rating: ☕🦋 Wide Awake and Heart-Flutter (It’s a bittersweet drama that’s good for a late-night binge)
Status: Completed
Notable mention: The director mentioned that this work comes full circle for him working with SM Entertainment. He was the director for EXO’s music video, For Life. And worked with D.O. from EXO for Bad Prosecutor.Wind Up is his third work with SM’s artistes.
Quick Spark: A beloved judge was framed and demoted to work with a pro bono team, fighting for the voiceless.
The Hook: At the very beginning, it is kinda slow. But once it hits Episode 2, it gets interesting. Kang Da Wit was at the top as a beloved judge. Now, he has to lead a team of pro bono attorneys. Pro bono, if you don’t know, is voluntary and free. So, essentially, he was doing free work after earning a lot possibly as a judge. Each case the team takes on is intriguing. Initially, the cases seem simple. But the moment Da Wit digs deep into each case, simple is not it. And most times, they are fighting against the powerful people in the society. From having a stray dog as a client, to a child that’s trying to fight against God. From a pretty foreign wife who wants a divorce to a K-pop idol. Each case looks silly on paper and not worth Da Wit’s time. But once he and his team get into each case, it’s more complex than it looks. And with all of that, he is also trying to figure out who frames him. So, you just want to keep clicking on that “Next episode”.
Character Chemistry: I love the growth of each character. Each member of the team has a presumption of Da Wit being an attention seeker. But once they work with and learn from him, he’s not what he is made out to be. And what they learn from him is what helps him in the end. Despite their presumption, they use what they learn from him to help him dig the truth. Which is honestly cute. At the same time, working with them, Da Wit remembers the reason why he wants to be an attorney – to help with the less powerful and the voiceless. The part of society he was from. You can clearly see the teamwork and how Da Wit brings out the best from each of them. What I’m actually really glad of is that there’s no romance. There are some moments between Da Wit and Jung In but that was due to their past relationship. I’m also glad they didn’t make Da Wit and Gi Ppeum into a romantic couple and just keep it as a team leader and the smart right hand woman.
Pacing Check: Was it slow in the beginning? Yes. Did it pick up after Episode 1? Yes. So, you just have to endure one episode before things get interesting to watch. There are only 12 episodes and each case, aside from Da Wit’s own, takes about two episodes max. So, each case does get enough time for you to get into it emotionally. The one about the child who was suing God was quite heartbreaking. I was sobbing.
Final Sleepy Rating: ☕ Wide Awake (Just makes you click that “Next episode”)
Status: Completed
Notable mention: Someone said this somewhere and I agree. Jung Kyung Ho does not have your typical leading man looks but he sure can carry off male lead roles well.
Weekly Highlight: Taxi Driver 3 This show is truly a blast to watch. It is definitely in my list of fave TV shows. Whether or not it will come back with Season 4, we shall see.
The Midnight Mood
The Soundtrack:Driver from Taxi Driver 3. I think it will take me a while to get over the end of Taxi Driver 3. What will I be waiting patiently for each week?
The Midnight Snack: I’ve been eating waffles to tapioca chips to just good ol’ dinner while watching the shows on my watchlist.
The Sleep Thief:Pro Bono. The fact that I got to Ep 9 now is kinda amazing for myself. The show has now ended so I will watch the rest of it soon. The thing is, it’s at the part where I think will break my heart. So, I paused for a while and distracted myself with Chef & My Fridge.
Drop/Keep/Add
Keeping: Light On Me – It is at the second-hand embarrassment part of the show. But I think I will continue. Young love, y’know. You did stupid things when you had a crush. So, relatable.
Dropping: Moon River – I might drop this. I’m not sure if I will continue. I would like to watch The Judge Returns and Idol I. So, might drop this, unfortunately.
Adding: Can This Love Be Translated? – I don’t know how I’m gonna keep up with the shows already in my list. But this one looks interesting. And I do like Kim Seon Ho.
Quick Spark: Our Rainbow Taxi gang is back again to save the world. One cosplay at a time.
The Hook: This is the one TV show which I watched while it was still ongoing. I’m the usual gal who likes to binge a show. But this one? This one I can’t binge. I had to watch it as it airs because it is that good and deserves all my patience. The show really knows how to grab the audience’s attention. The cases are interesting and some are inspired by true crimes. The way they resolve these cases are creative as well. In one episode, Kim Do Gi pretended to be a manager of a K-pop idol girl group and danced during the rehearsal for a music show. This famously happened before with Apink when one of their members had another schedule and their manager replaced her during rehearsal.
Character Chemistry: The characters and the cast members are like a family. The cast said so themselves. As a viewer, their chemistry can be seen through the screen as well. You can’t think of anyone else acting as their characters. You wouldn’t want to replace Lee Je Hoon as Kim Do Gi. You probably can’t think of anyone else fitting to play Mr. Jang other than Kim Eui Sang. And I know someone else was supposed to be playing Ahn Go Eun. But Pyo Ye Jin fit that role so much now that I don’t think viewers can see anyone else playing her. If there’s another season (which I felt there will be), it will always be these 5 cast members.
Pacing Check: Each of the cases that the gang took on has 2 episodes each with the exception of one the cases. That one had 3 episodes. And it’s enough for me. The writer did a good job in ensuring that the cases are resolved as quickly as possible. As a viewer, our attention span and interest is quite short. If it drags on longer, we can get bored.
Final Sleepy Rating: ⚡Electric (Keep the binge going!)
Status: Completed (or waiting for Season 4)
Notable mention: The cast members won awards recently while the show was still ongoing. Not only them. Even the guest actor won an award. That’s how good this show is.
This Siti Never Sleeps At Night 