The Week In Review: I… forgot what I was watching this week. There are so many in my head – I didn’t know which ones I actually watched and which ones are just in my head.
The Highlights (What I Actually Watched)
Pro Bono (Ep 1-4): ☕ – Quick thought: It only gets interesting when the main character takes on the cases. Be patient.
Chef & My Fridge (Ep 21-30): ☁ – Quick thought: I put this as Wide Awake last week. But this week, I’m changing it to Cozy / Daydreaming. It’s now my comfort show. I will watch this in between any shows that I find heavy. Or, if I just needed a laugh after a hard day at work.
Taxi Driver 3 (Ep 15-16): ⚡- Quick thought: I just, like literally, finished this show. Review coming up soon!
Ball Boy Tactics (Ep 8): 🦋 – Quick thought: To write my review, I did a little re-watch. Jeong U is hot. Review here.
The Midnight Mood
The Snack: No snack but actual food, especially when I’m watching Chef & My Fridge. I’m not gonna not eat watching that show lol
The Vibe: After re-watching Ball Boy Tactics, you know that song by Tyla called Water. That’s all.
Looking Ahead
Review for Taxi Driver 3 and watching the rest of Pro Bono
So🔥I had to keep this under wraps! Click here to read the full review!
Season/Episodes Covered: Season 1, Episodes 1-8
The Hook: I’m going to be real honest here. Among the Korean BLs I’ve watched so far, this one is the spiciest. There’s a whole 5-min bed scene that I was so shocked I had to pause. And then I felt awkward about the pause because I felt like a third-wheel so I continued. And when I continued, I was kicking and giggling like the fujoshi that I am.
Character Chemistry: The main couple – Kwon Jeong U and Han Ji Won – are so dang cute.
They weren’t awkward (especially the spicy bed scene) though I do wish that the writers flesh their story out more. Not the spicy bed scene. That’s 5 whole minutes and it’s more than enough. There were some time/scene skips that I wish were added. These would keep the story of this couple a little more cohesive. It’s none of the two actors’ fault though. More of the writer’s – not sure if they were short of time. Now, I really wish for a second season of this show. Why? The second “couple” – Byeon Seung Jin and Yang Eun O.
They are, of course, besties. Yet, I really suspect that Eun O doesn’t feel that being a bestie is enough for him. He’s hinted that he likes Seung Jin as more than a friend. But Seung Jin is an idiot (Eun O said so, not me). So, dear writer of the show, please have a second season. And this time, make it 16 episodes. So much more can be written for Jeong U and Ji Won. Jeong U is a star player of a basketball team and Ji Won being a former national gymnast. The writer did touch the angsty part of their relationship around that topic of being in the public eye. But I really want the writer to dig deeper there. What if the hidden relationship is not enough? Particularly for Jeong U. I don’t think he likes being in the closet. Ji Won, though, knew how it feels like to be a former national athlete and the fallout of being one. And of course, our second “couple” – how Eun O is going to drop the bomb on Seung Jin? I feel like there can be some yearning and angst between these two. There’s a little hint of it in the last episode.
Pacing Check: It’s quite okay. But I do feel that some scenes were just too fast. Some time or scene skips that made me feel a little confused as a viewer. So, personally, while 8 episodes is okay, 16 episodes or slightly more than 8 episodes would have been best. So, Season 2, please.
Final Sleepy Rating: 🦋 (Heart-Flutter but also 🔥)
Status: Completed
Notable mention: The man acting as Jeong U is so damn HOT. And, I like my men in glasses so here’s a screenshot of him being in one.
Weekly Highlight: Pro Bono I went from watching 1 episode to 4 episodes in 3 days. So, you know it’s good when yours truly watched 4 episodes even when she’s busy. And I was supposed to start on Idol I, not this one lol
The Midnight Mood
The Soundtrack: A song that is stuck in my head but the show hasn’t even aired – Electric by Jane & The Boy. It was playing in the trailer for Wind Up that is coming out soon and I’m just floored. It was perfect!
The Midnight Snack: While watching Pro Bono, I’ve been munching on tapioca chips. By the way, that is also my dinner. No, I’m not on a diet. It’s nice, okay!
The Sleep Thief: Ball Boy Tactics. See now, I’ve completed it but have yet to review it. Will do soon. Promise! I think…
Drop/Keep/Add
Keeping:Pro Bono – Definitely. Though the Pro Bono team annoys me sometimes, especially Gi-ppeum. But Da-wit, I wanna know what’s up with this man.
Pausing:Moon River – I’m usually all for Joseon era kinda drama but this one just makes me not wanna continue and I don’t know why. Someone needs to convince me to continue it.
Adding:Wind Up – The trailer is intriguing enough that fans are speculating all over X. Myself included. By the way, the director for this short drama is… the same one for Move To Heaven and Bad Prosecutor. It’s either going to be heartwarming or heartbreaking. Or both.
The Premise: Chef & My Fridge (also known as Please Take Care of my Refrigerator) is a South Korean variety show that invites 8 well-known chefs and 2 celebrity guests. In each episode, a pair of chefs will compete against each other to cook ingredients that come from the fridges of the guests within 15 minutes, in accordance to their orders (and tastebuds). Every episode, chaos usually ensues in the kitchen with the help of the equally chaotic hosts. It’s a long-running cooking variety show since 2014. It stopped in 2019 but rebooted on both JTBC and Netflix.
The Sleepy Scale Verdict: ☕I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so hard for every single episode. In fact, I used this show as my comfort show in between watching TV series, documentaries or movies. You would usually think Michelin-starred chefs are uppity. But no, these chefs are super hilarious. It truly increases their likeability. Chefs who participated in Culinary Class Wars even find this show to be more difficult. I can understand. Who would think you can cook some fine-dining food in 15 minutes? Not them either. The hilarity usually comes from that time limit and the name of the dish that the chefs come up with – like Su-Su-Su-Su-Super Udon with the Supernova dance from aespa.
The Standout Episode: I think the Su-su-su-su-Super Udon episode is Episode 7 on Netflix. Chef Hoyoung is usually the one coming up with these hilarious names for dishes and dancing to it. So, any episode that he’s in is entertaining. Anytime Chef Kim Poong comes on, just know that it’s going to be wild. And if you want some eye-candy, Chef Son Jong Won will provide you just that. So, it really depends on your mood for the day.
Watchability: You can just watch any episode. You don’t actually have to start from the very first season. If you like a certain celebrity like J-Hope, then you can just skip to those specific episodes.
⚠️ Spoiler Alert! Too much feels! Click below to reveal the full review and my fave moments!
Season/Episodes Covered: Season 1, Episodes 1-8
The Hook: I’m a sucker for yearning. And it’s not just on the main character’s side, Daon. But also on Seong Hyun’s side. His desperation when Daon pushed him away just tears me up. Boy was desperately wanting to be by Daon’s side 😭 Even if it meant he could die (he almost did). There are also yearning from the other two characters, Jae Min and Su Hyeon, but more psychotic. Imagine Daon as Cinderella, Seong Hyun is the Prince Charming and Jae Min and Su Hyeon are the stepsisters who were trying to get in their way.
Character Chemistry: Jun Seo (who played Daon) has chemistry with all three guys. Even if one of them acted as a psychopath and the other is a red flag who needs anger management therapy. Jun Seo and Sun Hyung (who played Seon Hyeong) are just so cutieful. It’s the enemies-to-lovers trope. Daon and Seon Hyung hated each other’s guts and then care and love started to form later. Seon Hyung fell first but Daon? Daon fell later but harder.
Pacing Check: It’s just 8 episodes and each episode is about 30 minutes. Of course, there’s the whole: “Wouldn’t it feel like Seon Hyung fall too fast in love with Daon?” Honestly? Daon is so pretty I’d be surprised if Seon Hyung took ages to fall for this man. Hello… he even cried prettily.
In terms of the plot twists, I was not surprised by Jae Min’s actual character. I was able to guess that something was wrong with that man from the first episode. But the one that got me surprised was the relationship between Su Hyeon and Daon. I didn’t expect that. Some people might say that the last episode is kind of weird but Jae Min is a psycho. Am I surprised that took a turn? No.
Okay, I’m just going to come up and say I was lazy, alright? Maybe lazy is not the right word. Work got to me and I forgot what I truly love to do – writing. Life of a Certified Corporate Girlie 😔
But I’m back now. It’s not because I’m unemployed. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen soon. Reality check: Retrenchment is starting to be common in this part of the world. So, anxiety is there. I just missed writing. I missed yapping to whoever who reads my blog – whether one agrees with my reviews or not. I was craving for some good yearning dramas or movies and Japanese BL came up tops in this category. I need some place to share them. Then I remembered: This blog (lol)
I wanted something that’s a little more “me” rather than the usual template that this site offers. Thus, the aesthetic shift. I will also write casually. I mean, I have been doing so. But rather than the “professional, writing-for-a-news-outlet” style, I will be leaning towards “chatting-with-friends-over-a-bucket-of-popcorn” style.
No one pointed this out. I noticed myself lol. I find that the past “design” (if you can even say that lol) and structure was a little messy. So, I decided that it’s time to organize this. Make everything flow and in theme. And with that, let me introduce to you: The Sleepy Scale!
I will be rating my reviews using the below icons
⚡ Electric
☕ Wide Awake
🦋 Heart-Flutter
☁️ Cozy / Daydreaming
🥱 Drowsy
😴 Snooze
🕯️ The Midnight Oil
I explained it in detail here. Aside from being in theme, it hopefully answers the ultimate question: Is it worth staying up for?
I will still be reviewing movies, TV shows, books and music. That is still the same. You will see some other icons like trigger warning and such just so you know what you’re in for. And with that, I will also be reviewing more BL movies and shows. I have got to admit this: I’ve been watching BL movies and shows but not writing about them. But, let’s be honest, some of the BL movies and shows out there are quite good. Some of the actors branch out further into non-BL movies and shows. One won an award recently as well – Choo Young Woo from You Make Me Dance. But if you are a little sensitive about this part of content, I will be putting a rainbow icon.
I have also added a little touch on the sidebar – Siti’s Midnight List! This is a list that I’m currently watching, reading or listening. I also added those that are in my radar.
If you have any recommendations, feel free to comment and I’ll add to the list.
If you like what you see and you can’t wait to see what’s in store in this humble blog of mine, please subscribe!
Stay awake with me, Siti
P.S.: I’m a slow and steady reviewer! I focus on finishing a story completely before giving it a final Sleepy Scale rating so you can always expect an honest, full-picture review here
Disney+‘s The Judge from Hell was released on 21 September 2024 and yours truly just completed it. Yes, it took me a long while. There is a reason for it, which I will delve in in the review. Click further for possible spoilers and review…
Another Sunday and another day for me to watch a movie on Netflix. Every year and especially at this time of the year, Hollywood would bring out a bunch of Christmas movies. This year, one of them is Our Little Secret, starring Lindsay Lohan and Ian Harding. It is No. 2 in the chart for movies in Singapore. The first one is a horror movie. I am not a fan of that genre. So, the feel-good Christmas movie it is.
On a lovely Sunday, I decided to scroll through Netflix to see what movie I can watch for the day. I chanced upon this movie that was tagged as “Leaving Soon”. As a true crime addict, I did heard of it before from Rotten Mango, hosted by Stephanie Soo. You can watch the episode below on YouTube on the real case of Inhwa Boarding School.
Or if you can’t stomach watching it, you can also listen to the podcast episode below on Spotify.
While the movie was based on a novel called The Crucible written by Gong Ji Young, it was inspired by the above horrific true story.
Before you go any further, a little warning that there’s mentions of child abuse.
This Siti Never Sleeps At Night 