True Beauty

                                                   

Episodes: 16
Synopsis:
Based on the webtoon, True Beauty follows Lim Ju Kyung, a high school student who is often bullied and teased due to being perceived as "ugly." After Lim Ju Kyung discovers the power of make-up, she transforms herself into a "goddess" and attempts to hide her true appearance from all her new friends. Unfortunately, Ju Kyung's worst fear came true when Lee Suho runs into her when she is bare-faced. 

Suho, not realizing it was Ju Kyung at first, is interested in the girl who loves horror comic books and treats him like a normal human being. Soon, he realizes that the beautiful, popular girl at school is the same girl he sees bare-faced in the comic book store. As he deals with his own inner demons, he finds solace in Ju Kyung's company and attempts to keep her close while dangling the fact he knew her secret. 

As the two get closer, Suho's former best friend Han Seo Jun comes back to school. Han Seo Jun is the classic bad boy, and he has distanced from Suho after blaming him for not picking up their friend's phone call prior to their friend's suicide. As the two both become entranced by Ju Kyung's personality, the two learn to heal their relationship as well as themselves. 

Review:
What a cute, light-hearted drama! 
I am currently reading the webtoon right now which is fairly different in several scenes when compared to the drama. The casting is pretty well-done though I find it difficult to fully understand why Moon Ga Young made Lim Ju Kyung appear so childish. In the webtoon series, Lim Ju Kyung is a high schooler and has her funny moments (yes) but she also wasn't socially unaware to the point the drama made her out to be. Likewise, I have a hard time fully understanding Cha Eun Woo's acting role since he's often cast as the ice-cold prince, which fits Suho. However, in the webtoon series, I felt as though Suho's personality and charisma spilled through the pages and the drama just made Suho seem cold and block-ish for most of it. The actor for Han Seo Jun, on the other hand, brought a new side to the character making everyone suffer from second-lead syndrome. I'm not sure if this is a director's choice or if it was an attempt to highlight the contrast between the male leads but it was just something I wish could have been improved upon. 

This drama isn't very deep and I probably won't rewatch it again. However, it was cute and light-hearted. It was perfect for a simple and mindless watch. It made me laugh, it made me blush, and I loved the character growth throughout the show. It also had an amazing soundtrack, and it doesn't hurt that this entire cast is EYE CANDY :) 

The Wolf

Episodes: 49

Synopsis: A young boy was raised by wolves and befriends the kindhearted daughter of the city general/lord, Ma Zhai Xing. Every few days Ma Zhai Xing would come up to the mountains to spend time with her beloved Wolfie. They shared memories of watching butterflies and sharing treats with one another. As rumors spiraled of a wolf demon living in the woods, Wolfie is blamed for being the murderer of the emperor's godbrother. Wolfie was hunted down and eventually driven off a cliff where he is later found by the warlord Chu Kui. 

Chu Kui recognizes the young boy's amazing strength, speed, and skill. He decides to adopt Wolfie and renames him Chu You Wen. Wolfie, feeling hurt and furious as he believed Ma Zhai Xing betrayed his trust and blamed him as a murderer, gladly went along with Chu Kui to start his new life. Using Wolfie as a military tool, Chu Kui successfully launches a coup and usurps the monarchy. He names Wolfie as Prince Bo of his kingdom. 

Eight years later, Prince Bo finds himself face-to-face with Ma Zhai Xing as he leads a massacre, killing her father and everyone else in her manor. From there on out, Ma Zhai Xing is brought to his kingdom to maintain the family's reputation and to strengthen city ties. Refusing to acknowledge his past identity, he purposely butts heads with her and makes her life harder as he lashes out past grudges. However, he cannot run away from his feelings and he finds himself falling in love with her again, learning of her situation 8 years ago, and forgiving her. The two are able to rekindle their romance and friendship. 

Things go wrong as a war breaks out between the empire and Wolfie is forced to be cold to the love of his life to protect her. At the same time, Ma Zhai Xing finds herself being pushed closer to Ji Chong and build new alliances. 

Review: 

We all waited so long for this drama to come out...and it was so disappointing. While I felt as though Wolfie/Lord Bo's casting was very well done, the lack of chemistry and all-over-the-place plot ended up ruining the show. 

To start, I wasn't really into the idea of a wolf-boy who had no understanding of civilization yet was so human and childlike around Ma Zhai Xing. I know that a lot of Chinese dramas play into characters being abnormally strong or having unrealistic martial art skills. However, the whole concept of him being a wolf-boy and surviving cliff falls because of his wolf instincts felt lame. Just because you were raised with wolves doesn't mean your physical capabilities match them (not to mention, wolves wouldn't even be able to survive a cliff fall like the ones shown in this drama). But considering many dramas of this sort are not the most realistic, I looked past it thinking it was probably a matter of personal preference. 

I got through the first few episodes and when things started to pick up (romance, action), I was like "okay, I can get into this. This is what I was here for...the entertainment." But that didn't last long. :(
Here is where I had the biggest issue with this drama: inconsistency and abuse. 

1. INCONSISTENCY: After the supposed loss of Wolfie, Ma Zhai Xing grows up to be more stubborn and strong-headed. She's not the same naive girl as she was in the first few episodes. Great! I love that. Character development. 
But then she begins to oscillate as she gets to know Lord Bo, recognizes he is Wolfie, and as things continue to happen to her. She's constantly asking why they can't go back to the past when both her and Lord Bo have grown to be fairly different from what they were like in their youth. She's whining and she tries to push Lord Bo to be her wolf-boy without any grasp of reality. Her strong-headedness and character growth that they attempted to show in the beginning got lost in these scenes, and she felt more naive than she did as a young girl. She often felt weak, defenseless, and in need of someone to rescue her which didn't seem like what the directors wanted her to be portrayed as in the drama. She did not feel like a strong and consistent character. 

2. ABUSE: Lord Bo is abusive as hell. Physically, there are scenes that resemble sexual assault. Emotionally, he stonewalls her, gaslight her, and manipulates the environment and situations to make her lose her mind. And every time she has an emotional breakdown due to his betrayals or actions, he's like "I had to do that to make you stronger." 
BOIIII BYEEEE 
This relationship dynamic combined with Ma Zhai Xing's weak protagonist vibe was just so draining to watch and it was pitiful watching her constantly go back to him the moment he lets his "kindness" show. 

There are definitely other sins this drama committed, and I hated so many aspects of this drama despite watching the whole thing. I can't remember them well enough though since I have blocked out these scenes from my memory. I do feel sad about the drama turning out like this since I was waiting on this drama for so long and was fairly excited about the casting. The screenwriters did the actors dirty, and the lack of chemistry is probably more due to the script than the acting ability of the cast. 

Love O2O (Movie)

      

         Bei Weiwei is the prettiest girl in the computer science department who excels in her studies. She loves playing an online game called Dreaming of Jianghu and aspires to be a game designer one day in the future. Through the game, she is approached by the number one player who goes by the name of "Yixiao Naihe" who suggests that the two marry in the game so that they could join couple competitions and complete missions together. The newly formed pair begin to go on many adventures together in the game and are the envy of many.

        However, the virtual world slowly bleeds into the real world as Wei Wei and Xiao Nai begin to develop feelings for each other through the online game. When the two finally decide to meet in person, Wei Wei is shocked to find out that her virtual husband is actually the very attractive and successful college senior, Xiao Nai. Xiao Nai is the most sought after male in their school and he is also the CEO of a starting gaming company he started with his college roommates. The two end up falling for each other more in person, building on what they already had developed through the game. Together, the couple work together, as they do in the game, through many hurdles and obstacles.

         

I definitely enjoyed the drama a lot more than this movie. I think that the drama was able to flesh out the relationship a lot more. In general, Love O2O tells a very simple love story between two gamers. There is nothing too dramatic and the relationship is pretty linear. Hence, this movie made that process even shorter and more straight to the point. If you want to get an idea of the drama (which is 30 episodes), the movie would be a good option to dive into. 

I'm not sure if it because Love O2O is such a simple story. But the acting can be fairly underwhelming in both the movie and the drama. However, it is very cute and lighthearted though!! 

The Sound of Your Heart

Episodes: 20

Synopsis: A sitcom-like drama following the webtoon artist Cho Seok and his adventures with his family and his wife Aebong.

Review: 

I really enjoyed this light-hearted drama. It was super easy to watch. The scenes were all different stories (very similar to a sitcom drama or a webcomic) while still telling a fairly coherent story of life. This was so funny as it highlighted the funny stories between family members and the awkward love story Cho Seok tries to build with Ae Bong. It felt real and comedic at the same time. I love how our main lead is this awkward and aspiring comic artist. He's a bit silly at times but is also very genuine. 

I highly recommend this. Kwangsoo did an amazing job in this role. I think this was definitely a role made for his awkward, lanky persona that he has constantly shown on Running Man. He played this role so well that I have a hard time even trying to watch season 2 of "The Sound of Your Heart" because they changed up the entire cast. Therefore, at least for now, I refuse to watch The Sound of Your Heart 2 because this was so good. The 2nd one from what I have seen has Sung Hoon playing the role of Cho Seok. That just doesn't feel right to me because Sung Hoon is very conventionally attractive, and has always played as the attractive male lead in other dramas. However, the awkward character of Cho Seok just seems more befitting for an actor like Kwangsoo who can really bring out the comedic effect of the character. Likewise, it was hard to invest myself into the other actors as the mom, dad, brother, and girlfriend as well. They tried to do the whole: "I made it big as a webtoon actor so they made this drama with Kwangsoo acting as me. But this is the real me" kind of story. It was a good attempt but I just couldn't get into it the way I got into this drama. 

Memories of the Alhambra

Episodes: 16 

Synopsis: 

Yoo Jin Woo, the CEO of an investment company that specializes in optical devices, travels to Granada, Spain to meet the developer of this supposed new AR game that many companies are trying to obtain. When he begins to play this game, he realizes that the game makes him feel as though he is completely immersed in the real world. He is able to feel the sword in his hand and the cuts given to him as he is slain by virtual warriors. However, as he continues to play the game, he soon realizes that it is becoming harder and harder to separate game from reality -- and it may only end with the death of it's players. 

Review:

I enjoyed the premise of this drama. It reminded me a lot of the artificial reality version of the drama "W." In fact, it was pretty entertaining to see the actor Kim Ui Seong playing in this drama as well as "W"--especially since it gave off similar vibes: when something that was supposed to remain in the fictional world comes and affects real life. The artificial reality shown through video games definitely was an interesting touch, and I can see the appeal it can have to many audiences who watch this drama. There is a lot of action made in a video game style, mystery, thrill, and so forth. I really enjoyed this drama especially as things began to pick up and be explained better. The beginning was a bit slow and the ending was really anticlimactic for my taste. However, the process of watching this was very intriguing and it definitely kept me engaged. 

     I have seen many posts online comparing the chemistry between Hyun Bin and Park Shin Hye with Hyun Bin and Son Ye Jin. Everyone was acting as though Hyun Bin was more interested and had more chemistry with Son Ye Jin. However, to put things into perspective, "Crash Landing On You" is a more romance-based melodrama. This is more geared toward action-filled thriller. The romance is not one in which you really can invest in as they never truly dive into the relationship as much as I wish they did. It is very easy to not be engaged with this couple considering they spent most of their time away from each other, and we often just watch our male lead fight off video game characters and fulfill quests through most of the drama. The romance is a subplot--which is refreshing to watch after something more cliche like "Crash Landing on You" or "Boys Over Flowers." Likewise, I definitely have some qualms about Park Shin Hye's acting. I find I have a hard time resonating with her acting in every drama I have watched her in, and I do not know why. I just don't vibe with it as much as I would like to, because I really like her as a person (at least from what I've seen of her). But the acting really isn't my cup of tea. However, I do have to say she's really good at crying very watery tears (if that even makes sense lol). 

        As mentioned in the first paragraph, I wish the ending was a bit better. I think it had a lot of potential to be continued further and expanded on. I think the ending could have been filled with more resolution to the entire story rather than on this cliffhanger (almost). I even think they could have had Seju explain how his game works, how he managed to come back from his game, and how he will be able to bring Yoo Jin Woo back. I wish they expanded on it more. I think if the ending was more fleshed out, this would definitely be more enjoyable. 

Hotel Del Luna

Episodes: 16

Synopsis: 

Hotel Del Luna is a fancy hotel located in Myeongdong, Seoul. However, despite being open, no guests seem to reside there. This is because all of their clients are ghosts. In fact, Hotel Del Luna acts as a resting stop for ghosts before they move on to the afterlife. Jang Man Wol is the CEO of the hotel, and she is tethered to Hotel Del Luna and forced to cater to the dead due to a huge sin she committed a millennium ago when she was still human. Her grudge toward those who harmed her then and her bitterness toward life force her to live a life tied to the hotel. With the help of the deities, Jang Man Wol meets Gu Chan Sung's father and makes a deal with him. He is allowed to safely return home to his son but his child would have to come work for her after 20 years. This child, Gu Chan Sung, grew up to be a righteous, sincere young man who works as a hotelier. He comes back to South Korea after his father's death to be an assistant manager at a well-known hotel corporation, only to find Jang Man Wol is awaiting his arrival to come work as the manager of Hotel Del Luna. As Gu Chan Sung gets used to the strange line of work he is engaged in, he also teaches Jang Man Wol to do more good for those who have passed away and to also face her fears and grudges. 

Review: 

        I loved this drama so much! This is by far one of my top favorite dramas that I watched in 2019. This drama reminded me of Goblin in many ways as it deals with the same questions of what life is like after death, the same concept of a character tethered to the mortal world for thousands of years due to a grudge/sin, and the ways in which we can learn how to let go and find peace in ourselves. I also cried so much at the ending (so much more than I expected to).

Some things I liked:
- IU's acting as Jang Man Wol was so impressive. She was sassy, emotional, deeply sad, cold, hilarious, serious, etc all at once. I was very pleased with the wide range and depth she provided with this role. I have also read many reports that she enjoyed this drama a lot more than some previous drama roles she had.
- I think Yeo Jin Goo is great at recognizing how much he needs to act and how he has to act. In fact, his crying scenes really hit differently. It's crazy how I watched him when he was a child actor in dramas like "Iljimae" and "The Moon Embraces the Sun" to him now acting in mature lead roles as such.
- The ghost stories were very entertaining to watch as each told a story. It definitely feels less scary when you have Jang Man Wol explaining things or assisting along the way. I definitely was more invested in the three main ghosts that worked at Hotel Del Luna. Most of my tears were for them.
- I do question how Gu Chan Sung resumed normal life after Jang Man Wol. I know he is a mature, reasonable, and strong-willed character in this drama. But it seems close to impossible to move on from a connection he shared with Jang Man Wol.
- I feel like Jang Man Wol and Gu Chan Sung had great chemistry as friends but it did feel a bit awkward when they turned romantic. I can't quite put my finger on it...but their chemistry and compatibility were amazing in scenes when they're engaged in deep conversation or are joking together.
- I loved the ways in which it showed different soulmate connections and also the ill-fated ones. I loved the way it depicted life, death, and so forth. It was very comforting.
- Cried so much during the last two episodes

The Legend of the White Snake

Episodes: 36
Synopsis: This drama is basically another retelling of the mythical story of the white snake and her romance with a mortal. It tells the story of Xu Xian, a virtuous medicine apprentice, and Bai Su Zhen, a 1000 year old white snake spirit. After transforming into a woman, the two fall in love. However, they face many challenges.

Review:
        The only thing I really liked about this drama was their OST. It was very beautiful, mysterious, and upbeat all at the same time. I think that is the only redeeming quality of this drama. This drama definitely has many weak points, and it was pretty easy to deem as not up to par.
         The cinematography of this drama is extremely overexposed. The characters were blindingly white...basically like you're looking at a blank Word document for most of the drama. In some scenes, the brightness did enhance the viewing experience because you can see things clearly. However, more often than not, it just resulted in a very monotonous viewing experience. The plotline was also fairly weak. A big part of it may have to do with the fact that this story has been told and retold in so many formats that it is hard to really spice things up/give it it's own identity. All in all, I found myself very bored with the plot for most of the drama as it was fairly repetitive. I was annoyed at the monk because I felt like he was causing more problems than good to begin with. I was also annoyed with Ruyi. She was just so obnoxious in her pursuit for Xu Xian despite knowing that she wouldn't get him. Hence, the character shift toward the very end where she became "good" seemed so abrupt and inconsistent with her irrational her character is. There were also many things I did not find necessary for the plot either. I felt like there were a lot of loose endings and no comforting resolution to any of their issues...especially those tied to the monk and Ruyi. There was never a clear cut answer and they seemed to continue to be a hindrance.
          Other than poorly written plots and characters, the acting was so bland. I felt like all actors and actresses were trying to make their faces as stiff and perfect as possible. There were no expressive emotions throughout the entire drama. Every emotion these characters felt seemed to have the same expression. There was no depth in the acting. I found myself getting annoyed with how boring the acting was. Our main character, Bai Su Zhen, was played by a beautiful woman. I think she would have been a great lead actress to have if her character allowed her to have more depth. I wish the director allowed her to be more expressive rather than just sit there and look pretty/dainty. A good example of good acting despite acting as a spirit/deity would be Yang Zi's performance in "Ashes of Love." I became more invested in the green snake despite her acting being fairly shallow as well.  I did find the green snake's story more interesting, and I wish the plot focused on her a bit more. I was so glad when they let go of her human lover because the moment he appeared and started interacting with her, I got bored so fast. I loved her more as an independent because she was just so much more quirky and impulsive than when she started to fall in love.

In conclusion, I do not recommend this drama.

Parasite (Movie)

This movie was absolutely insane. If you haven't watched it, I would highly recommend it. I think it is best to go in blind (which was what I did), and so if you haven't watched it yet please do not read further!

          I am still not sure how I feel about this movie but I did enjoy it. The beginning started off feeling one type of way only to end on a fairly disturbing note. The entire movie had dark undertones throughout but it wasn't toward the end that this unsettling feeling started to take over. This movie is kind of a social commentary on class and class discrimination. The parallels and contrasts between a low socioeconomic family and a high socioeconomic family were hauntingly apparent, and it really made you question a lot of the things that were happening. I really enjoyed the metaphorical and symbolic aspects of this movie, and how they really played into the movie title of Parasite.

This is the one movie where I don't want to go in-depth as I believe it will spoil the experience for many. At the same time, I am still having trouble putting into words how I feel about this movie or what parts struck me greatly.
All in all, this was an intense watch. I enjoyed it. This definitely is living up to the hype.

Ashes of Love aka Heavy Sweetness, Ash-Like Frost 香蜜沉沉烬如霜

Episodes: 63

Synopsis: 
        This historical-fantasy series is based on the novel called Heavy Sweetness, Ash-Like Frost by Dian Xian. The story starts off with the birth of our main character, Jinmi. Her mother, the Flower Deity, predicts that Jinmi would suffer a great love trial in the future and will die from it. Thus, before the Flower Deity passes away, she gives Jinmi an "unfeeling pill" to prevent her daughter from feeling and expressing romantic love. At the same time, she also requests the head leaders of the Flower World to hide Jinmi's identity as the Flower Deity and raise her instead as a little Grape spirit. 

         As a result, Jinmi grows up happily and naively. Unaware of her true identity, she believes that she is a little grape spirit with limited powers. She constantly wants to improve her powers so that she could bring her childhood friend, who died in an accident, back to life. Her constant search for prowess from stronger deities leads her to become entangled in a love triangle with the Fire Deity Xufeng and the Night Deity Runyu. Xufeng (aka phoenix) and Runyu (aka dragon/ or as Jinmi likes to call him: "xiao yu xian guan/little fish fairy) are both the sons of the Heavenly Emperor and both treat Jinmi exceptionally well. As Jinmi matures, learns about her identity, and also begins to learn to love as the unfeeling pill's effects fade, she finds herself stuck in difficult situations and making hard decisions in the name of love. 

Review: 

          This drama is absolutely beautiful and it definitely became one of my favorite historical fantasy dramas very quickly. I love dramas that spin-off of mythical stories, fantasy characters, superpowers, and so forth--as long as it is not done in a cheesy way. While some parts of this drama can feel a bit corny, the cinematography, acting, and character developments made it very pleasurable to watch. I watched this back in the winter but to this day I still listen to the official soundtrack on repeat and feel some type of way. I've also gone back and rewatched some of the emotional, aesthetic scenes to relive the feelings I had when I watched this drama initially. This is one of those dramas that has very intense, memorable scenes that stick with you long after the drama has finished. While I really enjoyed this drama, I still want to put out there that this drama may not be for everyone. It is a long series filled with multiple plots, characters with magical powers, and numerous worlds and realms (human world, demon realm, heavens, etc). If you enjoy dramas like Three Lives Three Worlds, this would fit your taste.
             The one thing that I really loved about this drama was that the casting for all the characters was so perfect and the acting was top-notch. I didn't expect anything less from Deng Lun and Yang Zi, but I was very surprised at the male second lead actor, Luo Yun Xi. Luo Yun Xi plays the role of Runyu, who is the first son of the heavenly emperor. His incarnation is a dragon and he has a gruesomely depressing backstory. His character is soft-spoken but with an ambition to rise higher and achieve more than what fate determined for him. The way Luo Yun Xi played this character--with softness and sadness in his eyes, confused brows from not understanding love, and eagerness and desire that consumed his spirit to take what should be his--it was absolutely stunning. He really showed how multi-layered Runyu is as a character and instead of antagonizing him, the audience learned to empathize and understand him while not fully agreeing with the decisions he was making.
              I also thought Deng Lun was an appropriate cast for the role of Phoenix (the second son of the heavenly emperor). The way Deng Lun's eyes are shaped give off the soft, sad look that one would imagine a phoenix would have, and his facial expressions and mannerisms give off the fire of one that would be able to rise from death. His acting was also extremely enjoyable and he made it so easy to love his character and root for him throughout the drama. He does play a more headstrong and impulsive character compared to the character of Runyu. However, it is that contrast that makes you recognize the pros and cons of each character and who is more compatible with Jin Mi. Now for Yang Zi playing Jin Mi: Yang Zi looked absolutely stunning with her long hair and costume attire. I think this was the drama where her outfit and aesthetic matched her beauty the best. Jin Mi is a very complex character that shows a lot of growth emotionally in the drama and Yang Zi did amazing portraying that. I have to say that she has to be the queen of crying scenes because every time she cried my heart would hurt.
              The chemistry between the characters was also all-around amazing. Friendships felt genuine and the romance felt passionate.  There are a lot of side characters so I won't dive deep into that, but they did an amazing job as well. I really enjoyed the side romances and friendships that developed throughout the drama. It was also interesting to see how good the chemistry was in the beginning of the drama because Jin Mi cannot feel romantic love because of this "unfeeling pill" inside her. However, that chemistry was undeniable and as the pill's effects wore off, that chemistry and passion only grew. I also loved to see the romance take on different stories such as the first meeting in the flower world/heavenly world, then experiencing a human trial in the mortal world, and then coming back to the heavenly world. It was just funny how many twists and turns there were, and they kept coming back to each other. At the same time, I really enjoyed the ending of both characters individually working to save the other one as fate forces them apart in the cruelest ways possible. This drama definitely gets sadder as it goes but it's so addicting!
             It is a very complex drama so this review could go on and on. Instead, I'll just list some favorite scenes and see if it matches any of your favorite scenes from this drama. This drama definitely has a special place in my heart, and I highly recommend this for anyone who wants their imagination to run wild. Also, it is currently up on Netflix under the title: Ashes of Love -- and you can find it on Youtube and other drama streaming sites as well. Check it out! 

Some of my favorite scenes: 
Episode 11: Drunk bed kiss scene

Starting from Episode 20-21: the mortal realm scenes are so cute such as:
- when she finds out the emperor is YaYa
- When she sees Runyu and says the exact same thing she said when she first met him in the heavens
- Ep 25: Phoneix pretending to be sick
- Ep 26: Asking her to be his queen
- Ep 28: The phoenix lanterns he set up for her; when Pu Chi and the Moon God uses the puppet curse on Sui He so that she would stop ruining things
- Ep 31: The puppet show and kiss -- so aesthetic!
- Ep 33: JinMi's mortal death
-Ep 34: The mortal realm wedding

Ep 32: The demon princess and Mu Ci's scenes
Ep 36: Phoenix and Jin Mi falling in love
Ep 38: "Are you not scared of going to hell?"
            "I am a god. I am not scared of hell. Just what you think." --- Phoenix, you have my heart!
Ep 57: Mu Ci and demon princess scenes are so cute and sad
Ep 58: Run Yu and Jin Mi's argument
Ep 59:  "你何必为了一只鸟，放弃天下所有的蛇，而投入一只龙的怀抱呢？"LOLOL Yan You (snake god) got me weak! [Translation: Why would you give up on the snakes for a bird and then go into a dragon's embrace?]
Also when Yun Xi acts as Yan You, very good and on-point acting
Ep 60: Wedding... FINALLY
Ep 61: Epic war