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May 2023 Media Round-up
Books
-The Monsters We Defy, Leslye Penelope - Urban fantasy in 1920s Washington DC! Amazing cultural and historical details! Magic system deeply rooted in Black culture but unique to this story (as far as I've ever seen, anyway). Highly recommended.
-Ocean's Echo, Everina Maxwell - I knew this one was going to be directly catering to my interests, so I waited to be able to really focus on reading so I could enjoy it to the fullest, and it was worth it. Sci-fi setting, reluctantly paired psychics, a mystery/conspiracy to unravel, truly what more could I want?
-The Midnight Bargain, CL Polk (audio) - I had to do all the seaming on my cardigan project (I successfully made something with sleeves! The curse is broken!) which meant I was finally doing something that required looking at my hands enough that I could actually listen to an audiobook. I've been meaning to read/listen to this one for over a year. The audio version was great, especially the voicing of the spirits, though I do wonder now if I habitually skim a lot of the social inequality parts of Regency romance marriage market novels, because that part felt more frustrating here. Although maybe it just felt extra unfair because of the magic element this time.
-The Keeper's Six, Kate Elliott - Fantasy starring a protagonist older than even middle-aged! Hopping through dimensions to rescue her adult son and bringing union organizing literature to the servants of dragons while she's at it! This was so clearly a book where Elliott got to play with all her favorite things, and the fact she managed to keep it to novella length is nothing short of a miracle for her. Extremely fun!
-Rose House, Arkady Martine - Creeping existential dread meets architectural theory and AI technology in the form of a murder mystery. This one was particularly odd for me right now, since we're having a lot of architectural conversations in real life. I will not be suggesting things similar to Rose House, that's for sure. Still, I couldn't put it down. I keep thinking about it. It does indeed invade your mind.
-Liar City, Allie Therin - More psychics! A new, modern setting book from Allie Therin, who has previously written a great historical fantasy series I enjoyed a lot (Magic in Manhattan). This one features an empath caught up in a murder investigation he really shouldn't be involved in, as his detective sister and the newly arrived empath expert desperately try to shield him. This one focused on the mystery plot and the worldbuilding, but the character interactions are clearly intended to continue to develop in future books. Sad I'm going to have to wait until next year for more!
-Unbreakable, Mira Grant - Magical girls through the mind of Seanan McGuire, so I got exactly what I expected. Similar vibes to the Velveteen vs. series. What happens when your magical teen heroes grow up?
TV/Movies
-Her Private Life (Korean, Viki/Netflix) - I had put off watching this one for a while because I wasn't sure how the show was going to treat the main character being a k-pop fangirl, but fortunately it was far less cringey than I anticipated. Other than giving her a secret she feels like she doesn't want advertised to the world, the main focus of the show is more on her work at an art museum and her new boss's art block, which is why he's now a museum director. The family backgrounds of all the main-ish characters turn out to be intertwined in very interesting ways and kept me hooked.
-Hitomonchaku nara Yorokonde! (Japanese, ...the internet) - I watched this one for the two lead actors, both people I recognized from other manga adaptations. They're both such expressive comedic actors! Inukai Atsuhiro many will recognize from half the recent Japanese BLs (Zettai BL, Kei x Yaku, Our Dining Table...), and I'm getting to the point where I'll just watch him in anything because he's such a fascinating chameleon of an actor. The female lead, Yahagi Honoka, I recognized as the best friend from Kabe Koji [...], in which she was delightful, so I was interested to see them in something together. Is this show a romance? Arguably. But mostly it's about character growth on both sides.
-The King: Eternal Monarch (rewatch, Korean, Netflix) - Rewatching for Woo Dohwan purposes, because I haven't worked up to a rewatch of My Country: The New Age yet. A great modern fairy tale with parallel universes. One of my most frequent kdrama recs for people who haven't watched many.
-Don't Call It Mystery (groupwatch, Japanese, Viki) - Rewatching this with my little weekend watch group. There is shockingly only one, very short, fic on AO3 for this. I might have to actually seek out the manga. I just enjoy the main character so much.
-Our Blooming Youth (Korean, Viki) - A historical murder mystery/political conspiracy drama & romance. Extremely strong female lead, who I actually still think should have ended up with the guy she was originally betrothed to, but they did manage to pull off the end resolution to all the various relationships in a way I didn't hate. Plus solved all the mysteries very satisfactorily, so hooray! Cross-dressing identity shenanigans for both her and her best friend/maid as a bonus.
-Black Knight (Korean, Netflix) - A 6-episode post-apocalyptic action adventure to take down a corrupt megacorp. Extremely satisfying. I forced myself to watch it two episodes at a time over the course of a week just to enjoy it more.
-Rokuhoudou Colorful Days (Japanese, Viki) - An extremely cute live-action manga adaptation about a traditional teahouse/cafe/restaurant run by a group of four friends who all felt like misfits elsewhere. They all live together above the cafe. Extremely found family + idyllic job situation, with some unresolved homoerotic overtones for flavor. I enjoyed all of its pushing back against workaholic culture. (I am absolutely convinced if more people watched this, fandom would have a field day with the super serene pottery master/cook's authoritarian streak.)
-Happy Merry Ending (Korean, GagaOOLala) - A former idol trainee with severe PTSD, now working as a wedding singer, meets a fill-in accompanist at work who is immediately smitten and determined to woo him. Everything is handled well, but I wish it had been longer or had full-length episodes instead of the ~20-minute ones so they could have developed both characters more. The ideas were all there, they just could have been meatier.
-Call Me Chihiro (movie, Japanese, Netflix) - One of those very atmospheric Japanese movies that are more about an ensemble of loosely connected characters than about an actual plot. The titular Chihiro is constantly creating connections amongst people in the community, despite feeling like a perpetual outsider herself. Moody, slow, thoughtful.
-My Hot Sexless Lover (Japanese, Viki) - The title is an accurate indication of the tone of the show, yes. Lots of fourth-wall-breaking talking to the camera, etc., but Japanese shows have been doing some interesting things with asexual characters recently and this was very short, so I figured why not. In this case, the asexuality of the male lead is less directly addressed than it could have been because the POV character is the allosexual partner, but they both do a lot of work on rejecting societal expectations for relationships, which was nice to see. However, I will also say, her work situation with colleagues who constantly wanted to discuss sex life details is straight out of my nightmares.
-The Monsters We Defy, Leslye Penelope - Urban fantasy in 1920s Washington DC! Amazing cultural and historical details! Magic system deeply rooted in Black culture but unique to this story (as far as I've ever seen, anyway). Highly recommended.
-Ocean's Echo, Everina Maxwell - I knew this one was going to be directly catering to my interests, so I waited to be able to really focus on reading so I could enjoy it to the fullest, and it was worth it. Sci-fi setting, reluctantly paired psychics, a mystery/conspiracy to unravel, truly what more could I want?
-The Midnight Bargain, CL Polk (audio) - I had to do all the seaming on my cardigan project (I successfully made something with sleeves! The curse is broken!) which meant I was finally doing something that required looking at my hands enough that I could actually listen to an audiobook. I've been meaning to read/listen to this one for over a year. The audio version was great, especially the voicing of the spirits, though I do wonder now if I habitually skim a lot of the social inequality parts of Regency romance marriage market novels, because that part felt more frustrating here. Although maybe it just felt extra unfair because of the magic element this time.
-The Keeper's Six, Kate Elliott - Fantasy starring a protagonist older than even middle-aged! Hopping through dimensions to rescue her adult son and bringing union organizing literature to the servants of dragons while she's at it! This was so clearly a book where Elliott got to play with all her favorite things, and the fact she managed to keep it to novella length is nothing short of a miracle for her. Extremely fun!
-Rose House, Arkady Martine - Creeping existential dread meets architectural theory and AI technology in the form of a murder mystery. This one was particularly odd for me right now, since we're having a lot of architectural conversations in real life. I will not be suggesting things similar to Rose House, that's for sure. Still, I couldn't put it down. I keep thinking about it. It does indeed invade your mind.
-Liar City, Allie Therin - More psychics! A new, modern setting book from Allie Therin, who has previously written a great historical fantasy series I enjoyed a lot (Magic in Manhattan). This one features an empath caught up in a murder investigation he really shouldn't be involved in, as his detective sister and the newly arrived empath expert desperately try to shield him. This one focused on the mystery plot and the worldbuilding, but the character interactions are clearly intended to continue to develop in future books. Sad I'm going to have to wait until next year for more!
-Unbreakable, Mira Grant - Magical girls through the mind of Seanan McGuire, so I got exactly what I expected. Similar vibes to the Velveteen vs. series. What happens when your magical teen heroes grow up?
TV/Movies
-Her Private Life (Korean, Viki/Netflix) - I had put off watching this one for a while because I wasn't sure how the show was going to treat the main character being a k-pop fangirl, but fortunately it was far less cringey than I anticipated. Other than giving her a secret she feels like she doesn't want advertised to the world, the main focus of the show is more on her work at an art museum and her new boss's art block, which is why he's now a museum director. The family backgrounds of all the main-ish characters turn out to be intertwined in very interesting ways and kept me hooked.
-Hitomonchaku nara Yorokonde! (Japanese, ...the internet) - I watched this one for the two lead actors, both people I recognized from other manga adaptations. They're both such expressive comedic actors! Inukai Atsuhiro many will recognize from half the recent Japanese BLs (Zettai BL, Kei x Yaku, Our Dining Table...), and I'm getting to the point where I'll just watch him in anything because he's such a fascinating chameleon of an actor. The female lead, Yahagi Honoka, I recognized as the best friend from Kabe Koji [...], in which she was delightful, so I was interested to see them in something together. Is this show a romance? Arguably. But mostly it's about character growth on both sides.
-The King: Eternal Monarch (rewatch, Korean, Netflix) - Rewatching for Woo Dohwan purposes, because I haven't worked up to a rewatch of My Country: The New Age yet. A great modern fairy tale with parallel universes. One of my most frequent kdrama recs for people who haven't watched many.
-Don't Call It Mystery (groupwatch, Japanese, Viki) - Rewatching this with my little weekend watch group. There is shockingly only one, very short, fic on AO3 for this. I might have to actually seek out the manga. I just enjoy the main character so much.
-Our Blooming Youth (Korean, Viki) - A historical murder mystery/political conspiracy drama & romance. Extremely strong female lead, who I actually still think should have ended up with the guy she was originally betrothed to, but they did manage to pull off the end resolution to all the various relationships in a way I didn't hate. Plus solved all the mysteries very satisfactorily, so hooray! Cross-dressing identity shenanigans for both her and her best friend/maid as a bonus.
-Black Knight (Korean, Netflix) - A 6-episode post-apocalyptic action adventure to take down a corrupt megacorp. Extremely satisfying. I forced myself to watch it two episodes at a time over the course of a week just to enjoy it more.
-Rokuhoudou Colorful Days (Japanese, Viki) - An extremely cute live-action manga adaptation about a traditional teahouse/cafe/restaurant run by a group of four friends who all felt like misfits elsewhere. They all live together above the cafe. Extremely found family + idyllic job situation, with some unresolved homoerotic overtones for flavor. I enjoyed all of its pushing back against workaholic culture. (I am absolutely convinced if more people watched this, fandom would have a field day with the super serene pottery master/cook's authoritarian streak.)
-Happy Merry Ending (Korean, GagaOOLala) - A former idol trainee with severe PTSD, now working as a wedding singer, meets a fill-in accompanist at work who is immediately smitten and determined to woo him. Everything is handled well, but I wish it had been longer or had full-length episodes instead of the ~20-minute ones so they could have developed both characters more. The ideas were all there, they just could have been meatier.
-Call Me Chihiro (movie, Japanese, Netflix) - One of those very atmospheric Japanese movies that are more about an ensemble of loosely connected characters than about an actual plot. The titular Chihiro is constantly creating connections amongst people in the community, despite feeling like a perpetual outsider herself. Moody, slow, thoughtful.
-My Hot Sexless Lover (Japanese, Viki) - The title is an accurate indication of the tone of the show, yes. Lots of fourth-wall-breaking talking to the camera, etc., but Japanese shows have been doing some interesting things with asexual characters recently and this was very short, so I figured why not. In this case, the asexuality of the male lead is less directly addressed than it could have been because the POV character is the allosexual partner, but they both do a lot of work on rejecting societal expectations for relationships, which was nice to see. However, I will also say, her work situation with colleagues who constantly wanted to discuss sex life details is straight out of my nightmares.