In This Corner of the World
In This Corner of the World (directed by Sunao Katabuchi) is an anime movie masterpiece about World War II through the eyes of a Japanese woman, Suzu. It is full of sweet wonder and heart warming scenes, and I whole-heartedly recommend it to everyone.
The Great Believers
The Great Believers is a moving and tragic story about characters who are undergoing or have been affected by the AIDS crisis in Chicago. It makes AIDS feel even more real and devastating, as it ravages through the tight-knit communities and friendships of the characters in this story.
The Last Romantics
The Last Romantics is a story about a semi-dysfunctional family (as all families are), told mostly through the perspective of the youngest daughter Fiona, as she is recounting her life in old age. I did not find this story to be particularly impactful or memorable.
Failing Up
This book was an absolute breeze to read. It's really short and sweet, and if you are a big fan of Hamilton (which I assume most readers are), Leslie Odom Jr. will dedicate 2 chapters to recounting his Hamilton experience.
Terrace House: Tokyo 2019-2020 Part 3
Part 3 is definitely binge-worthy and more interesting than Part 1! I liked it just as much as Part 2, but having Tokui off the commentary panel really changes the dynamics.
The Overdue Life of Amy Byler
The Overdue Life of Amy Byler is a really sweet (and surprisingly funny) book about a semi-well-adjusted middle-aged mom who goes on a short adventure of self-discovery. While the main character, Amy, is often times filled with self-doubt and haunted by a troubled past, she is surrounded by people who all love her to pieces and would do anything for her.
The Gifted School
I didn't expect to like this book so much, but something about this story and its characters really resonated with me. The Gifted School is a book that deals with the modern day anxieties of parents wanting their kids to go to the best schools and be recognized for their high IQs and "genius."
Schitt’s Creek (Seasons 1-5)
Like with most sitcoms, it usually takes me a couple episodes (or seasons??) to fall in love with it, and this was the case for me with Schitt’s Creek. When I first started watching, I found all of the characters pretty despicable and annoying (especially Alexis LOL), but looking back on it now, the cringe of the first few episodes really makes the character development in the later episodes all the more endearing!
Everything I Never Told You
Everything I Never Told You is a book by Celeste Ng, who also wrote the bestselling book, Little Fires Everywhere. I liked the characters in Everything I Never Told You, and thought that the book was engaging.
All the Bright Places
All the Bright Places is a romcom that delves into some pretty dark themes about mental health issues in teenagers. It’s based on a book, which I read a while back, and did not find to be particularly memorable.
The Silence of the Girls
The Silence of the Girls is a novel about the legend of Achilles, but told through the perspective of Briseis, a Trojan woman who becomes Achilles’s slave. The reality is that when we reflect on “heroes” like Achilles, we think of his exploits in battle and tragic end, but no one really considers the collateral damage of his actions.
Crash Landing On You
The hype train for this k-drama was at full speed for some time, but it still took a few long weeks and mental convincing before I decided to see what it was all about. Crash Landing on You is a Korean drama about this rich, self-made South Korean woman who falls in love with a stiff and serious soldier from North Korea.
Onward
Onward is a fun adventure story about two brothers going on a quest. It does this balancing act of being both modern but also mythical. It reminds me of Zootopia, because Zootopia shows a world where the animal kingdom creates a humanized society, and Onward is essentially a world where mythical creatures creates a humanized society.
Queenie
Queenie is a young adult fiction novel by Candice Carty-Williams that mostly felt like a lot of words and no deep meaning. It tells a story of a young woman in her mid-20s in modern-day UK, and it is about her dealing with millennial traumas - a bad break-up, terrible online dating, etc.
Tokyo Vice: An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan
Tokyo Vice: An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan is a book written by Jake Adelstein, in which he recounts his experiences as an investigative journalist in one of the biggest newspaper companies in Japan, the Yomiuri Shinbun. I really liked the exposition of this book and getting a first-hand look into Adelstein’s experiences as a rookie reporter.
To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You
I went into this movie fully excited and expecting a fun rom com, but it was a cringe-fest…To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before: P.S. I Still Love You is the second movie in the To All the Boys series, and as much as I love Lana Condor and the Asian representation in popular culture (cheers to the author, Jenny Han!!), I have to admit that this second movie fell really flat.
Ronny Chieng: Asian Comedian Destroys America!
I rarely watch stand-up comedy specials, but the Netflix marketing promos really got me this time! Ronny Chieng’s stand-up was hilarious and relatable to me, and I have to admit that a lot of it was because I was really into his jokes about Asian culture. I wouldn’t say that it made me laugh as uncontrollably as Ali Wong’s stand-up (which is the gold standard for me), but I found myself smiling and giggling almost the entire way through.
Miss Americana
Something about this documentary feels very familiar…and my hunch is that because Taylor Swift has already shared so much BTS footage with her fans (and I think she’s released a concert tour documentary before..?), this doesn’t feel like anything profound or new. But what this documentary does give us is an intimate look into some of the most controversial moments of her career, and how she was able to come out stronger because of it.