Saturday's TV summary
Aug. 30th, 2025 09:51 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alchemicinkLord, y'all, I wrote this last night and then just straight up forgot to post it. Anyway: TV!
Some spoilers as usual, but especially for 10 Things this week
Gozyuger (episode 27)
That sure was an episode of television (derogatory).
Okay, firstly, the No One monster this week was downright offensive. I don't have anything else to say about it other than the episode could have been vastly improved without the monster at all.
I didn't completely hate the rest of the episode -- I think Kumade and amnesiac Bouquet were fun together, and the team visiting Kuon's company had potential -- but I think it would have been better to put these storylines in separate episodes. Together, it just felt rushed. Still, I'm interested to see what'll happen next. (Mostly so we can move past this episode and forget about it)
SSBC (episode 8)
We are getting close to the end of the series now 😭 but that also means things are ramping up!
Unlike previous episodes, I struggled a bit more with following the storyline this time. But basically, a former cop (who is also Igaki's senpai) gets shot by a guy with blue eyes. The gun turns out to be the same one that was stolen from him 22 years ago and nevered recovered after it was used to kill a homeless man. The team jumps into action like usual, but there are more twists ahead. It turns out that the homeless man wasn't homeless at all, but a subordinate who worked for Nanami's uncle (the politician who funded the SSBC in the first place). I think I got all that right, at least.
Even though I was a bit confused by the plot, I really enjoyed how this episode ratcheted up the tension, especially as they closed in on the suspect. Aoyagi decides to follow a different lead, and I have to admit I was on the edge of my proverbial seat by the end of the episode. It's been a while since I watched anything with a good cliffhanger. I'm really looking forward to seeing what happens in the final episode next week.
On a sidenote, it's funny that funky-colored eyes are a plot point in two different Japanese shows I'm currently watching. One is a primetime investigative procedural drama (SSBC) and the other is a Sunday morning children's superhero show (Gozyuger) 😂
Whale Store (episode 10) (final episode!)
This show and it's pacing issues, damn 😩
Anyway, the last episode was a rollercoaster. They neatly tied up some loose ends, such as the conflicts with Maewnam's mom, and the mean professor whose name I will just never remember. The resolution felt too neat, but that's what happens when a show feels rushed like this.
And then they added some unnecessary drama by making Wan spend half the episode considering a move to Japan. This was such a silly decision because you know the show is called Whale Store and it can't end with it shutting down! Not in this cute romcom!
Those issues aside, there was a lovely scene at the beginning of the episode where Maewnam is reminiscing about how kind and supportive Wan's dad always was. And it made me wish this series had been one about parental relationships, and the romances were secondary.
I will maybe write a full series review at some point, but tl;dr... this show has a lot of cute moments but everything ultimately felt shallow and rushed. Sigh.
10 Things... (episode 9)
As usual, I really enjoyed this episode! I've really grown to love this series a lot because I'm really just so fascinated by the two main characters.
This episode was a lovely mix of fluff and angst. It starts off with Tojo catching a cold. He plans on dealing with it himself but Keishi insists on coming to take care of him. It's a half episode of all the delightful sickfic tropes you might read in fanfic. Not only was it cute, but there's an important moment where Keishi reminds Tojo once again that he shouldn't be ashamed of the things he likes. (The thing in question here is his bear kigurumi that he wears occasionally) Remember this because I'm gonna circle back to it in a bit.
The second half of the episode was The Angst/The Breakup. While heading out to a date for parfaits, they run into Tanaka from the office, who -- in an astounding bit of guesswork on his part -- jumps to the conclusion that they're dating. His reaction is not really negative, but you can tell both Tojo and Keishi are terrified about being found out. Keishi quickly denies it, but in his panic, he says some very unkind things. Tojo responds as well, scolding Tanaka a bit for being so nosy about his private life all the time, and says he prefers being alone. Afterwards, Tojo decides that they probably shouldn't go out on the weekends together anymore.
It's sad to see their relationship suddenly in turmoil, but like I said earlier, they are so fascinating to me. Keishi's confession in episode 7 (which Tojo missed because he was asleep) mentioned that he would do anything to make sure their relationship isn't exposed. For all his talk earlier in the series of being comfortable with his sexuality, he's still just as closeted as Tojo. And when faced with the possibility of being outed, he just didn't know what to do. He's always telling Tojo not to be ashamed of what he likes, but he needs to take his own advice about it too.
And Tojo reacts by retreating back into his shell, one that's been built up over a decade. When you get used to being alone all the time, it really is hard to adjust to the idea that you can rely on others again. It's something he's struggled with since day one, and I'm very interested to see how things will play out over the last few episodes.
These were supposed to be short reviews but I just have so much to say about this show! They have such a complicated relationship, but I'm certain they'll work it all out in the end. I look forward to these episodes every week 🥰
Ultraman Omega was a special recap this week, so there's nothing to review this time!
Some spoilers as usual, but especially for 10 Things this week
Gozyuger (episode 27)
That sure was an episode of television (derogatory).
Okay, firstly, the No One monster this week was downright offensive. I don't have anything else to say about it other than the episode could have been vastly improved without the monster at all.
I didn't completely hate the rest of the episode -- I think Kumade and amnesiac Bouquet were fun together, and the team visiting Kuon's company had potential -- but I think it would have been better to put these storylines in separate episodes. Together, it just felt rushed. Still, I'm interested to see what'll happen next. (Mostly so we can move past this episode and forget about it)
SSBC (episode 8)
We are getting close to the end of the series now 😭 but that also means things are ramping up!
Unlike previous episodes, I struggled a bit more with following the storyline this time. But basically, a former cop (who is also Igaki's senpai) gets shot by a guy with blue eyes. The gun turns out to be the same one that was stolen from him 22 years ago and nevered recovered after it was used to kill a homeless man. The team jumps into action like usual, but there are more twists ahead. It turns out that the homeless man wasn't homeless at all, but a subordinate who worked for Nanami's uncle (the politician who funded the SSBC in the first place). I think I got all that right, at least.
Even though I was a bit confused by the plot, I really enjoyed how this episode ratcheted up the tension, especially as they closed in on the suspect. Aoyagi decides to follow a different lead, and I have to admit I was on the edge of my proverbial seat by the end of the episode. It's been a while since I watched anything with a good cliffhanger. I'm really looking forward to seeing what happens in the final episode next week.
On a sidenote, it's funny that funky-colored eyes are a plot point in two different Japanese shows I'm currently watching. One is a primetime investigative procedural drama (SSBC) and the other is a Sunday morning children's superhero show (Gozyuger) 😂
Whale Store (episode 10) (final episode!)
This show and it's pacing issues, damn 😩
Anyway, the last episode was a rollercoaster. They neatly tied up some loose ends, such as the conflicts with Maewnam's mom, and the mean professor whose name I will just never remember. The resolution felt too neat, but that's what happens when a show feels rushed like this.
And then they added some unnecessary drama by making Wan spend half the episode considering a move to Japan. This was such a silly decision because you know the show is called Whale Store and it can't end with it shutting down! Not in this cute romcom!
Those issues aside, there was a lovely scene at the beginning of the episode where Maewnam is reminiscing about how kind and supportive Wan's dad always was. And it made me wish this series had been one about parental relationships, and the romances were secondary.
I will maybe write a full series review at some point, but tl;dr... this show has a lot of cute moments but everything ultimately felt shallow and rushed. Sigh.
10 Things... (episode 9)
As usual, I really enjoyed this episode! I've really grown to love this series a lot because I'm really just so fascinated by the two main characters.
This episode was a lovely mix of fluff and angst. It starts off with Tojo catching a cold. He plans on dealing with it himself but Keishi insists on coming to take care of him. It's a half episode of all the delightful sickfic tropes you might read in fanfic. Not only was it cute, but there's an important moment where Keishi reminds Tojo once again that he shouldn't be ashamed of the things he likes. (The thing in question here is his bear kigurumi that he wears occasionally) Remember this because I'm gonna circle back to it in a bit.
The second half of the episode was The Angst/The Breakup. While heading out to a date for parfaits, they run into Tanaka from the office, who -- in an astounding bit of guesswork on his part -- jumps to the conclusion that they're dating. His reaction is not really negative, but you can tell both Tojo and Keishi are terrified about being found out. Keishi quickly denies it, but in his panic, he says some very unkind things. Tojo responds as well, scolding Tanaka a bit for being so nosy about his private life all the time, and says he prefers being alone. Afterwards, Tojo decides that they probably shouldn't go out on the weekends together anymore.
It's sad to see their relationship suddenly in turmoil, but like I said earlier, they are so fascinating to me. Keishi's confession in episode 7 (which Tojo missed because he was asleep) mentioned that he would do anything to make sure their relationship isn't exposed. For all his talk earlier in the series of being comfortable with his sexuality, he's still just as closeted as Tojo. And when faced with the possibility of being outed, he just didn't know what to do. He's always telling Tojo not to be ashamed of what he likes, but he needs to take his own advice about it too.
And Tojo reacts by retreating back into his shell, one that's been built up over a decade. When you get used to being alone all the time, it really is hard to adjust to the idea that you can rely on others again. It's something he's struggled with since day one, and I'm very interested to see how things will play out over the last few episodes.
These were supposed to be short reviews but I just have so much to say about this show! They have such a complicated relationship, but I'm certain they'll work it all out in the end. I look forward to these episodes every week 🥰
Ultraman Omega was a special recap this week, so there's nothing to review this time!
no subject
Date: 2025-10-05 09:14 pm (UTC)I think maybe this was a platform/channel problem. GMMTV doesn't produce the really long series with longer episodes (more "classic lakorn" style, like maybe One or Channel 3?) and those tend to be more family-focused, more characters, etc. So your comment made me think this would have been so so good as a lakorn, where the two romance lines were two subplots, and the real focus was on parental relationships and family, like you said. Ahhhh that would have been so good! (And, I mean, they do exist, like "Miracle of Teddy Bear" had a romance plotline but it was about the MC's family overall and his struggles, etc. I don't know if I'd recommend that one exactly, but it was really good especially because it was so broad.)
Edit: almost forgot! You mentioned in one of these that you're not sure what to call these; you could always go with a funny or memorable line from one of the shows as a title, with something like "tv updates" or something as the subtitle? Just a thought :D
no subject
Date: 2025-10-06 02:59 am (UTC)Also, I love your suggestion to use a memorable line from an episode as the title each week. I think I'm gonna try it out with the next post! I think it'll be fun 😁