Shows I watched in 2024

Completely unrelated photo but, yeah.

I had this list of shows waiting for a longish time now, and even tho it's been a while since I've watched some of these shows, I wanted to share them before it gets any longe. Plus, if I want to make other show recommendations posts, I want to share shows that are recent or at least, that I recently watched. 

This time they are only Asian shows. I've been really into Japanese dramas so, I included a couple in here.

Since I am not good at writing synopsis, the ones you'll find here will be from different websites plus, my personal opinion.

Let's do this!

Anime

☆ Neon Genesis Evangelion

Neon Genesis Evangelion is an anime from the 90's, to be more specific 1995. I assume most of you have at least heard of it before. But just in case:

"When violent monsters descend upon Earth to destroy humanity, a reluctant young man joins a small squad of pilots under the command of his cold and dictatorial father to drive back the menace using giant machines that seem to have minds of their own."

I watched it a long, long time ago and I've rewatched it a couple of times and I think, as I grow older, I understand the characters a lot better. Yes, the story is complex and so are the characters but, some of their emotions, trauma and issues can be very relatable.

Evangelion is a classic, in my opinion one of the best anime from the 90's and also, one of my all time favs. Until now, I'm caught up with the show and the movies that came after it. I still want to rewatch the newer ones even if they were not exactly my favorites.

☆ Bleach Thousand Year Blood War Cour 3: The Conflict.

This is the 3rd part of the TYBW. It has 14 episodes and here we'll see the continuation of the Quincy vs. Shinigami's war. I am obsessed with Bleach and I can't recommend it enough guys. But if you haven't watched it, you'd have to at least watch the TYBW first parts to understand it. 

This year Cour 4 will be released and I.Can't.Freaking.Wait!!

Dramas

☆ Would you like a cup of coffee?

"Kang Go Bi learns about coffee and people while working as a barista." Love how short and simple this synopsis is. Haha.

This is one of those easy-to-watch dramas that have a nice story without too much drama or action going on. Don't get me wrong, it is not boring but, is one of those shows you can watch when you don't want something too emotional. It only has 11 episodes and they go by fast. I just wish it could've had a better ending. I felt it left some things a bit incomplete.  

☆ Love next door

"A woman attempting to reboot her life returns to Korea and becomes entangled with her childhood friend with whom she shares a complicated history."

Ah! This has to be my favorite k-drama in 2024. I started watching it because Jung So Min was there but I ended up loving it. It only has 16 episodes so the story develops pretty fast. It has a bit of everything, drama, comedy, romance~ It made me cry a couple of times. 

Something I liked about it is that it doesn't only focus on the relationship between the main characters, we also get to see the stories and relationships of the other characters around them. I kinda felt like watching it again but I got distracted with other dramas. 

☆ Dear Sa-chan

This j-drama was completely different from what I was expecting, not in a bad way tho. I don't usually read synopsis and sometimes I forget to watch trailers. Idk why I thought it was going to be this bubbly romantic comedy... hehehe.

Anyway~ let me share the actual synopsis of this drama:

"Kyosuke relocates to Tokyo to study, leaving his hometown girlfriend. He becomes involved in an affair with a married woman living nearby, leading to an immoral love triangle as he battles to choose between the two relationships."

It's only 12 episodes long and it's very dramatic, but really good! I finished watching it in a couple of days. 

☆ I Will be your Bloom

"After suffering a gutting failure, Asuka was forced to give up her dreams and set aside her career as a teacher. Withdrawing from the world around her, Asuka found herself wandering through her days, aimless and alone. Without any real purpose to her life, Asuka eventually wanders her way into a job working as a live-in housemother for a dormitory in which a struggling boy band resides. Unfamiliar with the group, Asuka is shocked to find that one of her former students, Dan Sagami, is the group’s leader."

This one has to be the cheesiest one I've watched so far. I enjoyed it but I wouldn't say it's one of my favs, I think the younger me would've enjoyed it a lot more. Some of the band members were cute (you can feel free to guess who was my fav), Asuka was fun and she kinda took me back to when I used to smile even when I wasn't feeling my best. 

This drama is pretty short, it only has 10 episodes so, I decided to finish it. It has this super strong friendship and team work message, "fight for your dreams", all that fun stuff. 

Reality

☆ Love is blind Japan

"In Japan, marriage-minded singles meet, date and get engaged -- before ever setting eyes on each other."

Someone on Twitter recommended me this one, I honestly didn't think it'd catch my attention but, I gave it a chance anyway and...OMG it became my guilty pleasure for a while.😅 This is just your regular reality TV show and I'm sure some of you might have already watched Love is Blind from other countries. I think, and from what I've read, that this one isn't as dramatic as others but, I have't watched them yet. I don't feel like it for some reason but, if you have, let me know if they are worth watching!

Movies

☆ Chihiro-san

"The plot revolves around Chihiro, a former prostitute who works at a small bento shop in a seaside town. There, she interacts with people whose emotional scars, inner conflicts, and other problems prevent them from living happily, and her words and actions influence each person's way of life. Chihiro herself suffers from loneliness, which began with her family when she was little. By meeting her customers, she also faces her loneliness and slowly overcomes it."

I chose this movie because of Arimura Kasumi, who played Tomoe in the Rurouni Kenshin Live Action Movies and ended up really liking it. Even tho the story has some dramatic stuff, it's also very heartwarming and easy to watch. 

All the dramas, movie & reality show I shared here are on Netflix, in case you're intereseted. And, that'll be it for this shows post. Next one will include shows that are actually more recent to me, I just needed to get these out of the way, hehe.

Let me know if you have watched some of the shows in this list and, feel free to share some recommendations too!!

See you next time~!💋

🕷 What I've been watching lately 2024 #3 | Halloween Edition | 🕸

I love horror all year round but I know for some, October is the perfect month to watch horror movies and spooky shows so, I decided to share a list of some of the horror movies and shows I've watched in the last couple of months. I'm gonna share them even if I didn't looooove some of them, just because I think we all have different tastes. And I also want to add a couple of not so scary things because I know some people don't love scary stuff but still want to enjoy something Halloweeny.

Let's start with some movies:

🕸 Howling Village

"After her brother goes missing, a young psychologist visits an infamous haunted and cursed location known as ‘Howling Village’ to investigate his disappearance and uncover her family’s dark history."

This is a 2019 mystery and horror Japanese movie. The story is good, there were some things that just ruined the mood for me but, I wouldn't say it's a bad movie but, it isn't scary either.

🕸 La abuela

"Susana has to leave her life in Paris working as a model to return to Madrid because her grandmother Pilar has just suffered a stroke. What should have been just a few days with her grandmother will end up turning into a terrifying nightmare."

La abuela is a 2022 Spanish horror and drama movie. Honestly, this one is not scary but, it is good! At the beginning it felt a little slow for me but I never lost interest. I defo recommend it if you want this kind of thriller that keeps you wanting  to see what will happen next.

🕸 The telling

"The story revolves around three girls who pledge the most popular and cruelest sorority on campus."

Ok, I knew this was not going to be a good one but, I was a Girls Next Door fan and I always wanted to watch this movie when I was younger. I randomly remembered it and decided to watch it. It is a 2009 movie that feels as if Scream and Mean girls had a baby with some bad acting, haha. I don't know, the concept of the story is not bad, we have this sorority making 3 girls tell scary stories to see who will get the change to join them so, what we see in the movie are the 3 different stories told by the girls and a plot twist at the end of the movie. It's entertaining but, it could've been better for sure.

🕸 The possession of Hannah Grace

"A demon seeks refuge in a young girl's body when she dies due to an unruly exorcism. Later, her corpse is moved to a morgue guarded by a former officer who experiences unnatural events."

I think a possession movie can be pretty good if it's well made and this one had potential. It is a 2018 thriller that looked good at the beginning but felt veeeery slow. I think they could've explained the possession a lot better and show more from it. Idk, there were so many things missing here.

Moving on, we have 2 Netflix series~

🕸 Terror Tuesday Extreme

Terror Tuesday is a Netflix show that shares 8 different stories based on experiences shared on a Thai radio show called  "Angkhan Khlumpong."

It aired in August, 2024. Some stories are good, others, not so much. Special effects were not the best tho. What I liked about it is that every episode shares a different story so it doesn't feel boring. The idea is good tho, I liked it.

🕸 Daydreams and nightmares

"Tales of supernatural sci-fi phenomena unfold in this collection of seven mind-bending stories imagined by writer-director Joko Anwar."

Very similar to Terror Tuesday, this Indonesian SciFi, mystery show shares 7 different stories that are connected in a way (I missed the connection in some of them tho). Honestly, I liked Terror Tuesday a little more. The effects on this one make some stories funny instead of creepy but it's still entertaining.

And lastly, non-scary but still Halloweeny shows and movies

🕸 Beetlejuice

"The spirits of a deceased couple are harassed by an unbearable family that has moved into their home, and hire a malicious spirit to drive them out."

After watching Beetlejuice Beetlejuice I felt like rewatching the 1988 movie. I've been a Beetlejuice fan since I was a young girl so yeah, I love this movie. I feel like most people know it so, there's not much I can say about it. I feel like it's a good dark comedy with spooky vibes, perfect for those who don't like horror but want to watch a Halloween classic.

🕸 Good Witch Movie

"Cassandra Nightingale is a stranger in the small town community of Middletown. Multiple occurrences believed as magic cause some of the town folks to think she's a witch."

I think I wrote about Good Witch before, like years ago when I was watching the show. But before the TV show, there was a movie. (Well, a couple of movies actually).

This is a 2008 Hallmark movie and, same as the show, it's super family friendly, cozy and has all the Fall vibes. Of course I like the show a lot more but it eas nice to see some of the characters I met on the show there and see how this story originally started. 

🕸 Are you afraid of the Dark?

"Young members of the Midnight Society meet weekly and narrate horror tales. However, their world turns upside down when some of the ghostly stories start occurring in real life."

As a 90's kid, I grew up watching this show on Nickelodeon even a little more often than Goosebumps. After watching Beetlejuice I had a bit of childhood nostalgia and started randomly watching some of the episodes. I have to admit I still enjoy them a lot. Even tho I think some episodes could be scary only for children, it is something you can enjoy if you want a little spookiness this season.

And, there you go. Something with a spooky halloweeny touch to watch now that we're getting super close to Halloween. I'm sure I'm missing other movies I've watched but, oh well. 

Hope you enjoy them! Let me know if you have seen some of these and, feel free to give me some recommendations too!!

What I've been watching lately 2024 #2

I finally watched enough non-Asian TV shows and movies to make a post sharing them. I think the genres are little random but, yeah. We are doing this, haha.

✩ The L Word Season 1

A while ago I was watching this YouTube video that talked about different shows and they mentioned something about The L Word. This is a show I watched years ago but I didn't remember much of it so, I decided to rewatch it.

It came out back in 2004! (where did time go!?). It's about the live of a group of lesbians and bisexuals in L.A, most of them are friends so, their stories are connected in a way. I mainly decided to watch it because of Kate Moennig, who is my woman crush. But the show in general is pretty good. There's a lot of drama but, there are some funny moments too.

Season 1 has 13 episodes and I believe the whole show has 6 seasons and even a sequel series called The L word generation Q. I haven't started watching season 2 yet and I don't think I'll watch the sequel after finishing the original show.

✩ Plus one at an Amish wedding

Ok, I am not a big fan of romantic comedies or Amish movies but, I do like Galadriel Stineman ever since I watched her in the Ben 10 Alien Swarm movie many years ago. Thing is, she mostly makes Amish romantic movies and I always end up watching them. So, here it is! This movie is about a successful doctor who lives in NY and is super in love with her voybriend, a vet who also works in NY. Thing is, she doesn't know anything about his family. One day he receives an invitation to his brother's wedding and asks her to come with him. That's when she finds out about his Amish past. 

I wouldn't say this is the best movie ever but, it's entertaining if you wanna watch something to pass the time.

✩ Chicago Party Aunt

This adult animation follows the life of Diane (the party Aunt) a divorced woman who likes to drink and party and her nephew, who ends up being his roommate. 

I randomly started watching this show since it was a Netflix suggestion but, I ended up enjoying it, it's really funny. 

It has 2 short seasons so far, it'd be cool to get a 3rd one but, nothing is confirmed yet.

My last 2 shows are true crime docuseries cuz, we all know I love that stuff.

✩ Worst Roommate Ever

This docuseries show different creepy roommate stories that turned people's lives into real nightmares. Each episode shows a different story with real testimonies along with some animation. 

The show has 2 short seasons that are defo worth watching. Season 1 has 5 episodes and season 2 has only 4.

✩ Caso Asunta

This drama is based on a real life murder case that happened in Spain back in 2013. It shows the timeline of the murder, evidence and part of the trials. The show is pretty good but I feel like it doesn't answer many questions. Guess it makes sense tho, because this case is still unsolved in a way.

It's is also a short show with only 6 episodes. 

And, there you go guys! Some of the things I've watched. As always, feel free to send me some recommendations or, let me know if you've watched some of them or plan to do it.

See you next time~! ♡

What I've been watching lately 2024 #1

I'm back with another show recommendation post. As usual, you'll find mostly anime, Japanese & Korean shows. I'm trying to accumulate a good amount of non-asian shows or movies to make another post. 

So, in no particular order, let's start!

ANIME

☆ A sign of affection

This one was a recommendation from the bestie and it was defo worth watching. It's the story of Yuki Itose, a deaf college student. She randomly meets Itsuomi Nagi and they start a very cute relationship. They are very different and want to learn more about each other's world. 

The anime has 12 episodes and it's just... beautiful! Plus, all the characters have good fashion and hairstyles, hehe. It is pretty recent and I really hope they release a second season cuz, there are still so many things I'd like to see!!

☆ From up on Poppy Hill

This movie is set in 1963 Yokohama, Japan and I just loooove movies that show old Japan. The story is about Umi Matsuzaki, a 16-year-old girl, whose life changes after meeting Shun. Together they work hard to save their school's club, located in a very old house. 

At first I thought I was not going to be that interested in the movie but, as I continued watching, the story caught my attention. In a way, it is a bit of a love sotry with some emotional moments as well as funny ones.

DRAMAS & SHOWS

☆ Fishbowl Wives

I was not expecting to finish watching this show but, I did and, I actually liked it. Fishbowl wives follows the story of Hiraga Sakura and the stories of six different women in unhappy marriages, they all live in the same fancy building. In a way, some of this stories connect at some point. This show has a lot of drama, nudity and a cute yet sad love story between Sakura and Haruto. 

It's a good show.

☆ My husband won't fit

After watching Fishbowl Wives, Netflix recommended this one. For some reason, I thought it was going to be a funny show  but, it really wasn't. Kumiko and Kenichi meet in college, they fall in love and even get married. They seem to have a happy marriage but, they have a small problem, as the title says, he won't fit. This brings some drama to the story and makes the couple face some problems. I wouldn't say this is one of my favorite shows ever but, it's a good one.

☆ House of Ninjas

House of Ninjas is about a retired Ninja family, trying to live a normal life but, eventually, they'll be "forced" to return to some missions. Very bad summary, I know, hehe. I do have to say it is a good show, I binge watched in one weekend (it's only 8 episodes long). Even tho it is an action show, it also has some drama and even a little comedy. I really enjoyed it. Really looking forward to a second season.

☆ An incurable case of love

I only watched this drama because of Take-chan, I love him way too much and I'd watch anything he does but, this one wasn't my favorite. Not that I didn't like it, I just didn't love it. It's a romantic comedy in which Sakura, a young girl, falls in love with a doctor after seeing him saving a life on the street. She decides to become a nurse in order to meet him again. When they finally start working together, she realizes he is not what she expected. In the end, the end up falling in love but you know, she has to face a lot before getting there.

The story kinda reminded me of Playful Kiss (one of my all-time favs) a little, especially because of the super cold, perfectionist male and the clumsy but sweet and caring female characters. It is the classic romantic comedy.

I did love to see Take-chan playing this cold, serious type of guy. I have a thing for this personality, hehehe.

☆ Morimoto's sushi master

This might be a little random but, we have a cooking competition! I do enjoy them but rarely follow them til the end. But, for some reason, I binge watched this one. This one was, as the name says, a sushi competition. Most of the food looked SO GOOD it made me hungry everytime I watched. 

And, that is it for this recommendations post. As usual, let me know if you have watched some of these or, if you'd like to. Also, feel free to send me some recommendations too!

See you next time~! ♡

Playboy Docuseries + Story Time~!

 

This is going to be one of those recommendations /story time kind of post so it might be a little all over the place. Thing is, as I was planning this blog post, some memories came back and I just felt like sharing them in here because of the nostalgia.

Where to begin? I think I've randomly mentioned it a couple of times but, back in the early 2000's I was obsessed with Playboy. And that was thanks to my cousin who introduced us (me & my sister) to E's reality show The Girls Next Door, which showed Hugh Hefner's life at the Playboy Mansion with his 3 girlfriends at the time, Holly, Bridget and Kendra. It was cool cuz each of us could relate to one of them so, it was perfect! We all choose our favorite and obsessed over the way they lived. Reality TV was super entertaining back then. I remember we even used to call my uncle "Hef" cuz, in our minds, he looked a little like him.

We would try to find Playboy merch everywhere and buy as much as we could, we even got some of our friends to watch the show so we could have a "bigger" Playboy world, haha. I'm gonna be sharing some of the pics I found from that Playboy era, it's crazy to think this was SO long ago!

I do have to say I was hesitant to share some pics and didn't include many because most of the people in those pics are no longer part of my life and it'd be a little weird~ The ones I'm sharing with other people are because there was no other way to show you certain things. 

Very bad quality photos but, I did wear a bunny costume once, and I was more than happy! I wore it to a small anime event. I actually made the costume when I was studying fashion design. It wasn't perfect but, it worked. Sadly, I no longer have it but I know I would gladly wear it again if I had the chance!

Bunny ears beacause, there was nothing more Playboy than that, haha. 
Extra note: My cousin & I aka Holly and Bridget, haha.

Playboy clothes! They were kinda hard to find tho. I wore the grey one on the left A LOT!

I even had my nails done with a small, cute PB bunny on both thumbs.

Left: My uncle had this painting of him and he thought that was so Hef!
Right: Wearing my sister's bunny necklace.

Even TinkerBell wore a bunny tee ♡
It makes me so happy to see these pics, I miss her so much.

I had 2 or 3 bunny necklaces, including a playboy club key, but I couldn't find a decent pic of them and I don't have them anymore. I still have some PB related things tho, like this necklace that, I know was a gift, I just don't remember from whom.

Pic 1: Our family van had a playboy sticker! I'm sure my dad wasn't the happiest about it.
Pic 2: Of course we went to watch The House Bunny. I think my outfit wasn't the best choice for it, hehe.
Pic 3: I totally forgot about this but, when I turned 21, my friend decorated the classroom with playboy bunnies. I only have that pic but he randomly put bunnies around the place.
Pic 4: Mys sister & I decided to make a small graveyard on halloween because they did something like that on the PB mansion. My tombstone says: "Playmate of every year... Died sexy and beautiful" Love it, hahaha.

Left: Pic of bunny Mon & Kenny, South Park style by my sister.
Right: Random pic of me at this car event. I saved this pic as "A little piece of home, everywhere we go" 😂

When each of the girlfriends left the mansion I stopped watching the show. I think I watched until season 5, it was just not the same without them. And even tho my obsession wasn't as big anymore, I always kept this love for the Playboy world I saw on that reality show. I never stopped follwing Bridget Marquardt tho, she was my favorite and I had so much in common with her that I always liked the things she did after Playboy. I especially enjoy her Ghost Magnet and Girls Next Level podcast with Holly Madison.

Back then I saw Playboy as a magazine that showed how beautiful and sexy women were, never thought of it as a bad thing, and even tho I never owned an actual magazine, I loved the covers and always felt happy to see some in stores. I know that now, and especially after Hef's passing, the whole Playboy life wasn't as glam as it looked. And that leads us to my recommendations, hehe.

Some of you already know but, I'm into morbid stuff so, when I found out about these 2 shows, I was super excited. I was not planning to talk about the first one cuz it's not that new and I briefly mentioned it in a show recommendation post but I will include it because it's still related. 

So, the first show is Secrets of Playboy, which is an A&E 2 season documentary that exposes everything that happened "behind the scenes" in the playboy world. It features former playmates, bunnies, ex girlfriends and even staff memmbers who share their not-so-good experiences with Hugh Hefner and other people involved with him throughout the years. It also shares how the brand ruined many women's lives by just being associated with it. This docuseries is defo dark and eye opening. 

Season 1 has 12 episodes, while season 2 only has 8. Honestly, I liked the first season a lot more but both are worth watching.

And now, being the true crime fan that I am, I couldn't miss this next show, The Playboy Murders. It is another 2 season docuseries that covers murder cases involving people from Playboy, especially models and bunnies. This show is hosted by Holly Madison and also features people who knew the victims. It's pretty good. 

Both seasons are 6 episodes long.

After watching both shows, I do see things differently but, the love I have for the "Playboy" I knew is still there in way. Is it weird? I rewatched the GND 5 seasons not long ago and I enjoyed it as much as I did years ago. It's just funny to see how much has changed since then. Hehe.

That was a fun blast from the past! Let me know if you like this kind of posts where I share some obsessions I had in a story time kind of style cuz, I do have many and I love remembering and finding things to share in here! LOL.

Here are other walks down memory lane if you feel like reading more:

Blast from the past! My old "Skins" inspired look + podcast recommendation

Once upon a time, I was a Shinigami...

I'll see you next time~! ♡

xx Bunny Mon 🐰