The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 has a larger scope than the previous season, focusing on developing the world’s backstory. The narrative centers around the imperial family’s history and the rear palace, unlike Season 1, which was focused more on Jinshi and Maomao themselves. The structure of most episodes remains the same: a mystery case that highlights Maomao’s intelligence or knowledge. It does not really work as a typical whodunit, as episodes are short, hints are a bit too on the nose, or the solution requires very specific knowledge....

I first read Maus in my teenage years as part of my school classes. After so many years, it is hard to remember my impressions in detail, but I remember being moved by the animalistic representations of people and the scale of the war. Maybe I was too young but I’m not sure I really grasped the scale of the systematic killing and suffering implemented by the Germans. After watching a video by Shaun, I decided to reread the book and it was way more impactful this time....

Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc remains as surreal, violent and funny as the anime was. The choice to present this arc as a movie was well made as the shorter arc naturally translates to the structure of a film and the format keeps the momentum without breaks. The highlight of the movie is its characters. Denji remains as naïve and silly as he always was, but it works for the narrative....

Season 3 of Jujutsu Kaisen is the series at its most intense version. Animations are the best the show has ever had, battles are visceral and impactful, and there is no shortage of epic moments. The overall momentum of the series has always been breakneck, and this season, like the previous ones, is not concerned with offering breathing room between the action. The problem with this relentless rhythm is that it trades character development for action, leaving no time for the cast outside of combat....

The final season of The Boys was disappointing. It concludes the story in a sensible manner but with lackluster execution. The series feels a bit lost on what this season should be other than the final confrontation with Homelander. More than ever, the series relies on satire for humor and gore for impact. These, however, have diminishing returns. The satire of political affairs feels very on the nose this time. Admittedly, The Boys never was subtle, but after four seasons, it really is tiring....