Carm's corner

This was the second season of this series and it was fine. It hasn't been among my favorites, not for any particular reason, but it didn't grab me as much, and well… sometimes that happens. Regardless, I enjoyed seeing the characters grow as they face challenges in their relationship and decisions they have to make regarding their careers. I think that's interesting, and I didn't dislike watching the protagonists live their domestic life and commit to the bond they built in the first season, but it didn't excite me, and I didn’t eagerly await each new episode. It might also be somewhat influenced by the fact that when I finished the first season, I read the manga and it's much spicier. It's not that I need adaptations to maintain the same level of explicit content to enjoy them, but sometimes I feel that does matter in how you understand the dynamics of the relationships between the characters, and in this case, I think there was a certain sexual tension that never quite culminated. And personally, I do like smut.

This might seem contradictory, but in the case of this series, I liked it much more than the previous one. I fell behind a couple of times, but that was more because I was watching it week by week and because I got busy doing other things (work or my WIP). I think this particular series works better if watched all at once, because it's short and because not much really happens, but this can also vary depending on personal preference. I don't care about MDL reviews, for example, and sometimes not even comments from acquaintances who watch the same things I do at the same time. In this case, many people commented that they found it slow and boring, but I found it calm, soothing, and soft.

The protagonists are two friends who met in high school and are united by their love of photography. They live as roommates in college, and as they grow up and become adults with their own goals and works, they discover that their bond is more than friendship, but one of them resists admitting it and insists that things shouldn't change, afraid of losing the friendship he values so much. There were moments when this attitude seemed a bit exasperating to me, but at the same time very logical and easy to understand, even if that sounds contradictory. I liked the pace and that it was basically watching them go on dates taking photos while exploring that internal conflict they have. The last episode was an "after story," which means the main story had already concluded, but I'm counting it because I still had to wait a week to mark it as finished.

Look, I don't have much explanation for this. It's basically censored soft porn. But I watched it because I saw several mutuals mention it and I got curious. The premise is even a little funny, and the fact that one of the characters always has the same clinical attitude and expressionless face, I don't know… I found it amusing but I don’t know if it’s intended to be arousing. I think one could easily use the premise to write PWP fanfiction about practically any couple, and I even think I've read something like that somewhere. Do I recommend it? Well, I’m not sure lol.

I watched this for First and Khaotung, of course. At first I thought talking cats would make me cringe a lot, but little by little I realized the story was about complicated family relationships, grief, learning to understand and forgive someone who's no longer here, and opening up to others even when it's hard. In the end, there were moments where I cried a lot. Of course, there were funny and nonsensical things, like Tiger's allergy. It's the mildest and least annoying/dangerous allergy I've ever seen, lol. I don't have a diagnosed cat allergy, but last Sunday when I went to see the final episode at a cat café, I was definitely much more affected than Tiger, lol. I had to take an antihistamine and only stopped having irritated eyes and nose after leaving the place. But anyway, it was a soft, easy-to-watch series. And it made me cry :)

I watched it over a couple of weeks. I started it one day simply because nothing on my list appealed to me and because there were already six episodes available thanks to iQIYI VIP, so I only had to wait for the last two to come out. I like the “time travel to save someone” premise, but personally I prefer to better understand what triggers the time travel, and in this series, not many things are explained. I was left with many questions, and I haven't found out if it's based on a novel or manhwa. If that's the case, it could be another example for my research on script problems in series. It happens a lot. I feel it happens less in Japanese series (from what I’ve seen), but it's a constant and I find it fascinating. Anyway, I'm going to find out, and if a source exists, maybe I'll read it to see if all those questions are resolved or not, which is also a possibility (like what happened with The Director Who Buys Me Dinner).

I watched this series only out of curiosity. First, someone on a Spanish-speaking Discord server mentioned it and talked about the rancid, uncomfortable humor of this series. Then I saw a TikTok content creator I like talk about it and mention that they liked it because it's not a carbon copy of The Office, but an adaptation. So, obviously (in case my fixation with adaptations isn't obvious at this point) I decided to watch it. The first two episodes didn't fully hook me, but… buuuuuut, the fact that the humor makes many references to Mexican culture (old internet memes, things that actually happen in real life workplaces) made me keep watching. There were uncomfortable moments, there were moments when I wasn't sure I understood the jokes (something that doesn't only happen to me with fiction, but in real life because of autism ._.) and there were moments when I thought maybe I wasn't enjoying it much because I was never a fan of The Office (I never saw the original and never finished the US version).

But I don't know, I kept watching until I finished it and I have to admit I did have fun, and largely it's precisely because it's really not a copy of The Office, but an adaptation of the premise (mockumentary, a work team with "the worst boss in the world") to the particular context of Mexico and what that implies. Also, it doesn't normalize the situations and it does make you squirm with cringe. God, so much, so much cringe. And to sum it up, I'll use a meme: It's horrible, I love it. Also, now I'm a fan of 3SIMM, iykyk :P

This was fun, I liked the premise and the story. I liked the idea of a stranger from our world who is such a workaholic that, upon arriving in a universe where he had no need to work, he asked for a job anyway, and how that helped solve problems in that universe, ha. But I also admit that the basis of the relationship between the protagonists is one of my favorite tropes (fuck or die~). Oops. I'm curious about the novel or manga, but I need to look for them and I don't know if they're translated.

• English version - 4/8 chapters (6914 words)
  
• Spanish version - 3/8 chapters (4690 words)
  

I have a lot of thoughts about the act of writing, the relationship with beta readers (especially given my professional background), and about how hard it is for me to self-promote (and how I avoid it as much as I can because anxiety and avoidance, I guess). I'm really enjoying the process of shaping this story that, on a normal workday, in some random week almost four months ago, assaulted me, possessed me, and made me write it.

It's been very fun to see how it transforms from my first chaotic scribbles in a notebook to the countless drafts I have in my folder (there are sooo many drafts). Also all the time I've spent reading about details of Thai culture and daily life just to have a better context for my story, even though in the end very few of what I've read appears in the final text. At one point I compared this process to academic work, where you review dozens of sources and learn a lot, but often your final reference list doesn't reflect all that time invested.

I also want to mention the importance beta readers have for me. Maybe I'll go deeper into this in another specific post about it. But here I'll just mention my relationship with the text revision process, given my profession (I've been an editor and I'm a copy editor… partially, because now my main role is as an instructional designer and I only do editing as part of a bigger process), and how at first I was very anxious about asking for the things I wanted the beta reader to do, what I wanted them to focus on, because in my profession I'm very, very picky and a horrible perfectionist (and also a pain in the ass, I have… a reputation). But at the same time I understand that a beta reader won't always have the experience or training, and that, regardless, their help is still extremely valuable because an extra pair of eyes can always see something that as an author we might take for granted, or ask questions that help clarify certain passages of the story that one understands because one conceived it, but that might not make sense to a reader. Or things like that. I got lucky and, fortunately, I found very kind and thoughtful beta readers.

I don't know when I'm going to finish working on this WIP, but I confess I started publishing it because I wanted to do it before the Khemjira special episode came out, lol.

Another thought I have about this is that all my fics are restricted access on AO3 and that maybe limits their reach, but I've never actually written for kudos or popularity. It's strange, I suppose. Thinking about readers' expectations gives me anxiety, and once I finish (or abandon, lol, sorry, it's happened many times) a fic, it's like I've written a letter to vent and put it in a bottle and thrown it into the sea. The difference is that if someone finds it and likes what they read, and if they leave me kudos or comments, it's nice, but I don't live with the expectation of having hundreds and hundreds of readers. If someone appreciates it and lets me know, it's very welcome, but nothing happens if no one likes it or leaves kudos or comments (that's also happened). And that's it… I'll come back to this later, in another post. Maybe.

It's from China. It caused quite a stir. It's 24 episodes and I had a lot of fun with them. However, there's something that happened in one of the first episodes that almost made me drop it and that still bothers me when I remember it… The thing is, the story is about characters of questionable morality who do dubious things to get what they want, and then there’s chaos, so much. I enjoyed it a lot because the characters are completely unhinged and the actors are very beautiful. Plus, the entanglements between all the characters were delicious to me.

I started this series out of curiosity because a lot of people liked it. It's about an actor who is murdered and, after dying, wakes up in his body from 20 years ago (I think it’s 25 but I don’t remember and I’m too lazy to check). This gives him the chance to relive his life and correct past mistakes. I found it hilarious that when he woke up in his young body, he was very agitated and would confront people who would harm him in the future as if those things had already happened. I ended up getting hooked because I wanted to know what would happen next, but also because of Pond Ponlawit's precious little face (yes, I’m shallow). I thought it was a pretty entertaining series and I couldn't stop watching it. I finished it in eight days.

I watched this series because I wanted to see Tian Xuning (Chi Cheng in Revenged Love) in another role. The series isn't very good, but I found it entertaining enough to finish. It's about a pair of immortals who face a nine-tailed fox demon. They die in the battle and reincarnate: one as a famous mortal doctor and the other as a matchmaking immortal (I don’t know if I’m making a mistake about the categories of these beings, it’s still a bit confusing). The premise seemed interesting to me, though maybe it could have been a better production. Tian Xuning is very cute in it and he wears a wig… The upside is that its episodes are only about 10 minutes long, so watching it wasn't a huge commitment. I finished it in 10 days.

This one had a peculiar premise. A grandfather and his grandson die at the same time, but the grandfather's soul is transferred into the grandson's body. Finding himself resurrected in his grandson's body, the grandfather is forced to adopt his identity and, in the process, becomes very close to a guy that the grandson liked (but who didn't like him back). However, it seems the grandson wasn't very well-liked among his peers, and the grandfather has to face many challenges upon realizing this, on top of having to be a university student. The age difference between the leads put a lot of people off. It kept me entertained, though I must admit the last four episodes almost lost me. I ended up enjoying it, but I wouldn't say it will be one of my favorites. I watched this one week to week.

A period romance set in the first decade of the 20th century. Rati, the adopted son of a French ambassador, arrives in Siam and stays to teach French to the officials of the time and to the king. He falls in love with one of them, Count Theerathon Wisut. Prejudices against same gender relationships, as well as class prejudices, make the relationship difficult. We also see the story of Mek, a Muay fighter and rickshaw puller, and Baronet Dech. Their story highlights that class difference that complicates everything even more. The series is very visually beautiful, and both GreatInn and AouBoom looked gorgeous in it; but in the end, I felt the story lacked impact (in my opinion). Maybe that's just my perception because I like tragic and sad stories. I enjoyed it while it was airing. It was cute and sweet, but I think the conflicts were resolved in a way that was too simple, but oh well…

In the early 20th century, San is saved by Wat and falls in love with her. They are in love with each other, but because of her status, she must marry someone else, but she doesn’t want to. On her wedding day, she escapes with San, whom she truly loves, only to end up dead after stepping between Trai (her fiancé) and San. San can't save her, but he performs a ritual in front of the goddess Nuwa using the five-colored rock, a magical object that grants immortality. This ritual allows him to live for a hundred years, provided he can find the reincarnation of Wat, his beloved. In exchange for not dying, every night he will suffer intense pain caused by the poison of the five-colored rock. Furthermore, every new moon, his body will completely regenerate to endure the torment each month, and the way it does this is by turning him into a small child. Just as he is about to lose hope of finding his beloved, since the time limit is approaching, with the help of Ton (the helper and guardian of the goddess's temple) they find the person Wat reincarnated into, only to realize that this time the soul was reborn in a man: Vee. From this point, many things happen before our couple can find a little peace. I ended up enjoying it quite a bit, but I must admit the fact that Pond Ponlawit appeared made it a little hard not to get distracted during the episodes and scenes he was in, because he is very, very beautiful. Daou also made me not look at the subtitles and having to rewind the episode to see what I had missed.

I’m enjoying the toxicity, though I feel like it’s a bit slow at times. I don’t really have an issue with that, but I know some people do. I loved seeing Hua Yong being the fakest bitch ever and now that the truth is out, I’m enjoying that too… he’s just so unhinged. And like every week, I feel the need to protect Gao Tu, but I’m also starting to be fond of Mister Shen “Chronic Foot in Mouth” Wenlang. He cares about Gao Tu; he is just very very very emotionally stunted that he cannot show it in a normal way. I also love Hua Yong and Shen Wenlang’s weird friendship.

The past two episodes have been my least favorite, but I understand their purpose in the narrative. I am looking forward to the resolution, and I need to read the manga because I’ve heard there are differences. And you all know I love 1) checking the differences between the source material and its adaptations, 2) el chisme.

It's quite cute, but there's also sadness and angst. What I like the most is the dynamic between the protagonists. I know it’s going to have a happy ending, so there’s no need to stress about it.

It's a very fun series that sometimes makes my heart hurt when it touches on themes of unjust laws and oppression. I am really liking Nut Supanut. I know there’s a lot of controversy about the adaptation and that Thai fans are not happy with it. I read some context, but I am still gonna finish it. I’m totally invested.

Gods, this show has been really good; every single episode has managed to leave me breathless and speechless. It’s beautifully filmed, and the story is compelling (for me). Also, the beauty of Apo Nattawin has me hooked. I am almost tempted to watch KinnPorsche just for him one of these days, but he looks very baby there and I kinda prefer how he looks as Trin. There are only two episodes left of this one, and I’m looking forward to them. I admit I don’t want a happy ending for this one, but as a person who tries to never set any kind of expectation, I hope it keeps surprising me. I’ve heard some people don’t like BOC because they think their stories are pretentious, and only having seen Man Suang, I could agree, but I’m genuinely liking Shine a lot. A LOT.

This one is so good, too!! I didn’t hesitate to start it even though it said it was going to be spooky, but so far it’s been fine for a scaredy cat like me. I’m enjoying it, and I would like to know more about the magic and rituals it integrates into the story. I’ve read some of the chats Pheem uses are actual rituals from Thai folklore. The mains are cute, and the side couple is cute, too. And the ghosts are mostly sad, except the evil lady ghost. She creeps me out.

I almost dropped it and I'm not caught up anymore, but I'm feeling curious to see what has happened. Is it FOMO or my obsession with finishing things? It's just that at some point it started to bore me, but if I watch a couple of episodes and it grabs my attention again, I'll consider giving it a second chance.

The week before last, I binge watched episodes 2 through 16 of Revenged Love, and I caught up just in time to watch episodes 17 and 18 on Monday and Tuesday. I was fully prepared to wait weekly for the remaining episodes… until Gaga announced that episodes 19 and 20 would drop on Friday (august 8), followed by daily releases starting on Saturday, all the way through tomorrow (august 12).

On one hand, the news was thrilling: no more weekly waits! On the other hand, it completely wrecked my carefully balanced viewing schedule. Still, I think I chose a good time to start watching, since it meant I wouldn’t have to wait long to finish the series. That said, I’ll admit there’s a certain charm to weekly anticipation: more time to theorize about what’s coming next and dissect the characters’ motivations and shenanigans.

But honestly, given all the bizarre behavior from certain fans (I only hear about it secondhand… I don’t even have a xitter or weibo accounts, or whatever other platforms host these “controversies”) and the looming threat of censorship derailing the show, I think we all breathed a sigh of relief when the full series’ release was confirmed.

I started this show out of curiosity, and before I knew it, I was completely hooked. It’s got everything that keeps me interested in a story: toxicity, comedy, angst, morally questionable characters… what can I say? It even made me curious enough to start reading the novel it’s based on, and… well, that’s a whole other beast. Sometimes I have to put my phone down and question my life choices, wondering, what the hell am I even reading?

I have so many thoughts about the novel, and not just about the dubcon or the rampant manipulation between characters, nope. From what I’ve heard, even the author has warned people not to read it, and I totally get why. But between my morbid curiosity and wanting to see how much they changed for the adaptation, I’ll probably finish it… eventually. Maybe I’ll take a break first and finally finish reading SVSSS to appease my conscience.

Then there’s Desire, another show keeping me on the edge of my seat week after week. It still feels surreal that we’re getting a live action omegaverse series… and a deliciously toxic one at that (at least for me). Every week, I’m impressed by Hua Yong’s masterclass in manipulation, and every week, my heart breaks a little more for Gao Tu (this week’s episode revealed we share our birthday, so now I have even more reason to root for this poor omega pretending to be a beta)...

And can we talk about the non-con body modification? The fact that an alpha pregnancy is central to the plot (in a world where alphas dominate) is fascinating. The implications are ripe for deep analysis, maybe even a serious essay… but not from me. I’m no academic, and while dissecting these themes sounds really tempting, the idea of actually writing something like that is overwhelming. Still, I’d absolutely read it if someone else did it.

EpAnother series that’s completely charmed me is 10 Things I Want to Do Before I Turn 40. At first, the premise’s similarity to Old Fashioned Cupcake threw me off, but by the second episode, I was sold. Office romance? Age gap? A nearly 40 year old protagonist wrestling with insecurities and emotional repression, embarking on a journey of self discovery alongside a handsome younger man? Yes, please. And no, it has nothing to do with the fact that I, too, am nearing 40 with my own set of insecurities. Nope.

Then there’s Shine. SHINE. Only two episodes in (and they’re an hour each!), but it’s SO good. The historical and sociopolitical context is fascinating, and reading about it to better understand the story is one of my favorite parts of watching dramas and movies from other countries.

This week’s episode started intensely, with the terror of a forbidden relationship (defying an oppressive system) and the loss of it, followed by the constant (if futile) threat of never being able to break free. I love how each character’s backstory unfolds and connects to the bigger narrative. Also, it’s visually stunning, and the soundtrack? Chef’s kiss.

I didn’t have any kind of expectations like some fans that are more informed and have been following the news about it (I just learned about it when they released the teaser, and this is, in fact, the first BOC series I watch), but I’m so glad I started it. There’ll be only eight episodes, but I’m eager to see where it goes. And of course, obligatory mention of Apo… because good lord, that man is unbelievably handsome.