My writing binge continues unabashed! Now that I am back from Japan, I’m taking even more time to just relax, write nonsensical things and take time for myself. I’m still catching up on my watch/read lists from this year, but once I’m done, I’m off to write some video essays!
Anyway, this is how I rate things!
- No redeeming qualities whatsoever, visually, aesthetically, or as a story.
- It was so boring I could barely pay attention, or it frustrated me SO much I couldn’t finish.
- I had a headache, but I somehow made it through. This category is also for when I absolutely DESPISE something I’ve watched or read.
- I could make fun of it because of how bad it is or because it lacks any real merit.
- It’s not good, it’s not bad. It’s just blah.
- There were various interesting aspects, but nothing to really gush about.
- A solid story. Good characters, plot, and visuals. However, it’s not amazing.
- I genuinely enjoyed watching/reading it. I could see/read it again with friends.
- A great experience! As a film/show, it is visually stunning and has an incredible story that I could go back to multiple times. As a book, I could do the same.
- Near Perfect (nothing is perfect.) It has become one of my favorites. I could also write entire articles on it.
Books
The Hedgewitch of Foxhall (2024) 8.5/10
Ffion is the last hedgewitch in Foxhall. To work her magic, she takes only what nature can spare, unlike the witches of the powerful Foxhall coven, who sacrifice whole forests to fuel their spells. But across the warring kingdoms of Wales, all magic is fading. Even the dragons have vanished.
Prince Taliesin would love nothing more than to watch magic die. But when his father charges Tal and his brother, Dafydd, with destroying King Offa’s dyke—the massive earthen wall raised by their Mercian enemies to the east, which may be the cause of magic’s disappearance—he begrudgingly seeks aid from a witch.
Because whichever prince succeeds in destroying the dyke will win the throne, and Tal is willing to do whatever it takes to become king. Even if the Foxhall coven refuses to help him. Even if he’s forced to team up with a spitfire hedgewitch who hates him almost as much as he hates her magic. And even if Dafydd proves to be a worthier rival than he anticipated…for the crown, and for Ffion’s heart.
Synopsis via Goodreads
I don’t have too much more to say about this series! I just wanted to re-listen to it during the winter season. Although it isn’t the BEST written fantasy I’ve ever read, I do love the narrators for this story for the audiobook. Their Welsh accents are like candy for my ears.
Casters and Crowns (2024), 8/10
When Crown Princess Aria sees her kingdom on the brink of war with the magic-wielding Casters, she takes it upon herself to speak with the Widow Morton, the most dangerous Caster in the realm. If successful, Aria will not only ensure peace but also prove to her father that she is a worthy heir. But when her negotiations fail, Aria is dealt a terrible curse: Over the course of one hundred days, she will be unable to sleep, her body and mind doomed to waste away. And then the curse will pass to her sister, until every member of the king’s line is dead.
Aria’s best hope for breaking her curse is to seek help from another Caster—the handsome and charming Baron Reeves. He may be entitled to a place at the court, but as a magic user, can he truly be trusted? She vows not to be fooled by his dimpled smiles or his devotion to his brothers, but as she spends more time with him, she discovers that her heart has other ideas.
Baron has no desire to see the princess suffer—especially since she might be the key to changing the king’s opinion on Casters—but he has secrets to protect and ghosts of his own. The last person he tried to save using his magic died, and he’s not willing to risk harming someone he loves again.
As the curse continues its deadly countdown, both Aria and Baron must risk their lives and their hearts to save each other and unite a kingdom.
Synopsis via Goodreads
I liked this book. That is a bit. . . bland of me to say, but I didn’t have an overly emotional or life-changing experience with the story. The hero and heroine were open and honest with each other, their romance flows naturally and doesn’t feel forced, and eventually they overcome their obstacles in a non-violent way. It is a titular cozy read. What I appreciated the most was how genuinely humble the male lead, Baron, was, despite his circumstances. The underlying prejudice within this society also didn’t come off as preachy, which is always a win for me!
Which Witch (1979), 8/10
Arriman the Awful, feared Wizard of the North, has decided to marry. But his wife must be a witch of the darkest powers…
A sorcery competition is held to discover which witch is the most potent and fiendish, and glamorous Madame Olympia conjures up a thousand plague-bearing rats! Belladonna, the white witch, desperately wants to be a wicked enchantress, but her magic produces flowers instead of snakes. How can she become more devilish than all the other witches?
Synopsis via Goodreads
I’ve read this book quite a few times. I like quirky fantasies like this one and Howl’s Moving Castle (1986) and enjoy sarcastic writing in children’s literature. Reading it this last time, I found Ariman’s utter disdain for marrying any of the witches and his commentary about their looks equal parts charming and hilarious.
Dial a Ghost (1995) 8/10
The Dial-a-Ghost Agency finds good homes for ghosts. And Fulton and Frieda Snodde-Brittle are looking for a few frightening ghosts to “accidentally” scare their young cousin and heir, Oliver, to death. The ladies at the Dial-a-Ghost Agency have the perfect match: the Shriekers, two bloodstained and bickering horrors. But thanks to a mix-up at the agency, the Wilkinsons, a kind family of ghosts, arrive instead. Can they put a stop to the Snodde-Brittles’ schemes before it’s too late?
Synopsis via Goodreads
Much like the last book, I love reading this for nostalgia’s sake. The humor is still there, but this time the focus was more on building and keeping together families. I had a lot of questions about growing and changing as a ghost, versus as a living person, and wondered how much of our view of ourselves is self-generated rather than genuine.
Comics
The Rebellious Villainess Doesn’t Want To Be Swayed By The Obsessive Prince! (2025), 7/10
How many more times do I have to be a “villainess” before I can escape this life? I have lived as a villainess in many different Otome games. In all of them, the villainess’s fiancée is captured by the heroine, the villainess is punished, and so on. No matter how hard I tried, that future would never change. “Villainess? A broken marriage? I’m sick of all of them!!!! At the end of my last episode, I shouted out my complaints to the heavens. I was then reincarnated and began my life as “Catherine the Villainess’s daughter,” and it was somehow different from before! My fiancée, who was supposed to abandon me, says he loves me…Catherine!?
Synopsis via ezmanga.org
Behold yet another boringish, generic story about a woman isekai’d into an otome game as a villainess. This time, her story keeps repeating on a loop, and there is a guy who reincarnates with her as different characters in the story. I enjoyed this one on a surface level, but I can’t see myself ever going back to it again. Here I ask myself, why do I keep reading these?
Nemu the Corpse Bearer (2025), 8/10
To be an adventurer means facing dangerous monsters for riches and rewards. But not every mission is a successful one, and not every adventurer makes it out. That’s where Nemu comes in. As a corpse bearer, Nemu is tasked with finding fallen fighters and slaughtered supports in the very dungeon that killed them. It’s a dangerous job with a bad reputation, but to Nemu, it’s just a paycheck. One day while on a job, she runs into Garensis, an injured explorer who seems fascinated by her. Suddenly, her usually solitary run becomes far noisier.
Searching for his sister, Garensis is sure that he’ll be successful if he sticks with Nemu and tags along, despite her indifference. But he’ll find that there’s much more to the role of corpse bearer than just fetching the dead… if Nemu lets him.
Synopsis via Myanimelist
I would love to see where this story goes! It gave off a combination of Delicious in Dungeon, Frieren, and Kino’s Journey vibes. I pondered deeply on what it means to find and bury our loved ones who are lost to us, and whether it is worth it to risk our lives for power, money, and glory if it means becoming lost beyond our family’s reach.
Anyway, this is an ongoing story that I look forward to following.
I Hired a Villain as a Housekeeper (2025), 6/10
If you could get your dream house for a bargain under the sole condition that you keep it spotless, would you sign the deed? I sure did! I didn’t expect it to come with a clean-freak ghost, but I figured I could just hire house staff. Except that’s when the problems started… Why did a revolutionary leader, the master of the Magic Tower, a swordmaster, and a literal demon answer my job post?! I do need the extra pairs of hands, though… Oh well, what’s the worst that could happen?
Synopsis via Mangaupdates
This was also rather boring, mostly because it felt RUSHED and contrived. I don’t remember much about it. . . beyond something something lost lovers reincarnated to find each other again. . . crazy king. . . magic necklace.
Movies
The Enchanted Cottage (1945), 6/10
A homely maid and a scarred ex-GI meet at the cottage where she works and where he was to spend his honeymoon prior to his accident. The two develop a bond and agree to marry, more out of loneliness than love. The romantic spirit of the cottage, however, overtakes them. They soon begin to look beautiful to each other, but no one else.
Synopsis Daniel Bubbeo <dbubbeo@cmp.com> on IMBD
I wanted to love this movie. The idea of two lonely people finding love and belonging despite appearances and physical limitations seemed like a great idea. But, its execution was too. . . floaty. . . I would have loved to see the couple spend MORE time together before marrying, that way their sudden love for each other could feel more stable beyond “the cottage made you forget they aren’t perfect looking”.
TV Shows
Odd Taxi (2021), 9.5/10
Eccentric and blunt, the walrus Hiroshi Odokawa lives a relatively normal life. He drives a taxi for a living, and there he meets several unique individuals: the jobless Taichi Kabasawa who is dead-set on going viral, the mysterious nurse Miho Shirakawa, the struggling comedic duo “Homo Sapiens,” and Dobu, a well-known delinquent.
But Odokawa’s simple way of life is about to be turned upside down. The case of a missing girl the police have been tracking leads back to him, and now both the yakuza and a duo of corrupt cops are on his tail.
Synopsis via Myanimelist
What a sleeping giant of a story! I can’t believe I missed this when it came out several years ago. I love a good mystery, and this certainly delivered in so many ways! I didn’t expect it to be this philosophical crime thriller tying multiple characters and their psychological issues together in one taxi.
The Dangers in My Heart (2023), 10/10
Kyoutarou Ichikawa may look like a shy and reserved middle school student, but deep within his heart is a bloodthirsty killer. His ultimate desire is to see his classmate Anna Yamada’s beautiful face writhing in pain before he ends her life. But this fantasy may never come to fruition, as Ichikawa starts to see an entirely different side to Yamada.
Often seeking refuge in the library, Ichikawa frequently runs into Yamada. It is during these encounters that Ichikawa realizes his model classmate is actually an airhead who can never read the room. As they spend more time together, the boy cannot help but feel not only a sense of endearment toward the very girl he wishes to murder but also a desire to protect her at all costs. Is it possible that this sudden change in Ichikawa’s perspective could lead to something more?
Synopsis via Myanimelist
If I was shocked when I watched Odd Taxi, you can imagine how I felt when watching this anime. I wanted to drop it after the first TEN MINUTES (horny teenagers make me cringe) but decided I should wait until the second episode. Boy am I glad I did! I have probably watched this all the way through. . . three times now. I wouldn’t be shocked if it is in my top ten for the year!
What I truly appreciated was how the story didn’t shy away from how boys in middle school experience puberty. The story never made it gross or weird, but it was open and honest about how they go through changes and start thinking and feeling differently about the opposite sex. This may be strange for me to say, but I’ve never read or watched a story that did it in a way that didn’t make me think all boys/guys are pigs.
You and I Are Polar Opposites (2026), 8/10
Miyu Suzuki is a high school girl whose cheerful outlook on life is tempered by her need to fit in. Coincidentally, beside her in the classroom sits Yuusuke Tani, a boy unconcerned with others’ expectations. Their exchanges rarely extend beyond brief discourse, yet the polarity of their demeanors unexpectedly draws them to one another.
As their mutual interest grows, the newfound feelings are no longer easy to ignore. Eventually, Suzuki voices what is inside her heart, forcing both of them to confront the unspoken affection between them. With each passing moment, their relationship evolves, and they gradually come to better understand themselves and the person who is their polar opposite.
Synopsis via Myanimelist
Behold one of the warmest romance anime I’ve seen in a while! Here is yet another romcom I’ve witnessed in the past six months that doesn’t have stupid miscommunication or “will they, won’t they” tension. It is an open and honest story about two teenagers in a healthy, normal relationship. Good for you! I look forward to future seasons.
And there you have it! March was a sparse month for me, so I finished this post rather fast. See you next time!
From the Perspective of an Old Soul 