This summer season of anime and Korean dramas wasn’t as jam packed as it has been in the past. Because of that I didn’t have an overwhelming number of things that I watched. So I decided I would share some of the different things I’ve been enjoying recently, from kdramas all the way to manga and webtoons.

Starting off with a Korean drama that I wasn’t expecting to really finish but had me hooked (and I’m so ready for the second season!) is Alchemy of Souls. A historical fantasy drama staring Lee Jae Wook and our male lead Jang Uk and Jung So Min as his costar female lead, Mu Deok-i. Alchemy of souls came out on Netflix and has already been picked up for a second season, however be careful when looking anything up about this drama because there will be spoilers for the first seasons ending in order to talk about the second season.

the Alchemy of Souls is set in the country of Daichi, which is based off of historical Korea, Jang Uk comes from a noble Jang family, a successful family of sorcerers. Jang Uk holds an unpleasant secret about his birth, which people around him and in the country like to talk about. Because of this and his father not being active in his life he rebels tremendously, avoiding having a master and studying sorcery. He happens to meet Mu Deok who is a skilled warrior and assassin trapped in the body of a weak blind girl. She becomes not only his servant but also the master he has been looking for.

This drama was so entertaining from start to finish. I personally am always hesitant of historical dramas, even though I love them, because a lot of the time I feel like the plot is lacking or it’s rushed. However, the pacing in this was amazing, it kept me hooked throughout the entire season. It’s a familiar fairy tale about friendship, love and the perils of human greed. I liked that the writers took the time to show each characters personality, their motives for doing things, and they never seemed to be there for unnecessary reasons. The storyline is not complex and doesn’t make you think constant as you are watching it. However, the authors choose to leave out certain details and drop them in at the perfect moments later on in order to keep you hooked. I also loved that this show was funny, even in darker episodes they included comedy that didn’t seem inappropriate.

Personally I think I really liked this show because it combined two of my favorite aspects in shows, historical and magic. I also loved the way this was also shot. From the historical outfits and scenery to the action shots with their magic. The entire show was beautifully done and I can’t wait to watch the upcoming season.

Moving on to the second Korean drama I watched called, Cafe Minamdang. To be honest I only really was interested in watching this because it stars Sero In Guk, and the fact it was easy to watch on Netflix is what kept me watching.

This drama is about Seo In Guks character Nam Han Joon, a former criminal profiler now working as a conman shaman. Disguising himself as a fortune telling shaman at his store called Cafe Minamdang, he is able to scam wealthy customers out of their money in order to support his hunt for a criminal that framed him. His plan is working out well until he is reunited with his best friends younger sister Detective Han Jae Hee who is trying to avenge her brother and catch his murderer.

Overall I thought this drama was pretty interesting, I’m not normally a fan of crime dramas. I thought this did a good job of staying on task and not using a lot of unrelated side cases to fill up the episodes. The mystery itself has an interesting plot twist that I wasn’t able to fully confirm until the authors did.

The thing I was most interested in that I’ve studied before, is the importance of shamans in the wealthy elite of South Korea. There is an extreme importance placed on shamans for their input in business deals, marriages amount the elite, political elections, networking and the purchasing of land. So to see that mentioned an portrayed in this drama was fascinating to me.

Overall this was a fun and refreshing drama to watch, it isn’t on my top tier list and I probably won’t rewatch it, but it was enjoyable if you’re looking for a drama, especially on Netflix.

Anime

My husband loves Ghibli movies and he convinced me to watch From Up on Poppy Hill. I wasn’t expecting to like this as much as I did, but it’s now up in my top five Ghibli movies. It’s set in 1963 in Yokohama Japan while the country is in the process of modernizing after WWII. The movie follows Umi (ocean) Matsuzaki, a young high school girl living in a boarding house while her mother is studying as a doctor and her fathers ship was lost during the war. Every morning she raises the flags outside of her house to wish ships a safe return home, the way her father had taught her. When the school newspaper publishes someone asking about the person putting up the flags she gets tangled into saving the building their clubhouse is in.

The story has twists and turns I wasn’t expecting, but really enjoyed. The details in the animation are absolutely stunning. As a history nerd I also loved seeing different cultural aspects of Japan as it came out of the war. I was glad I watched it with my husband, who is Japanese, because he was able to explain little details of things I didn’t understand. For example he explained every school has a school song that the students learn and sing at pep rally’s and other events. The song for the school Umi is at is sung a few times in the movie and he explained that was what the song was. I thought it was the national anthem or a popular song at the time.

The only anime I actually watched, and never actually finished was Lycoris recoil. It’s about a group called Direct Attack who work to keep terrorist attacks down in Japan. They raise orphaned girls as killers to carry out assassinations under their Lycoris program. Takina is one of our main characters who is incredibly strong. However during a hostage situation she disobeys orders and is sent to work with a remote group. There she meets her new partner, a Lycoris protege named Chinatown. Takina is shocked when she goes out with Chisato and sees she doesn’t kill anyone like they were trained.

I thought that the animation style for this was really beautiful and I was really getting into the characters, their backstories and how they connect to the villains in the show. At some point I’ll pick it up to finish, life just got me busy.

Manga

My happy marriage is a manga that will be turned into an anime soon. Despite being born into a family with unusual powers in its bloodline, Saimori Miyo did not inherited any special abilities. Moreover, she was treated like a lowly servant by her stepmother and stepsister, who in an ironic twist of fate had awakened an ability of her own. Unloved by her parents and shunned by all, Miyo was a forgotten daughter. Even her childhood friend, her one and only ally, chose to marry her stepsister in order to take over the estate. Seen as nothing more than a hindrance, Miyo is married off to the Kudou family. A powerful family with a son who is rumored to be cold and ruthless. He’s turned down all of his marriage prospects until now.

This manga is still ongoing but the art is absolutely gorgeous, the male lead reminds me of Thoma and Ayatos love child from Genshin impact. The female lead is so sweet and I can’t wait to see where this story goes.

Similarly to Alchemy of Souls, I was not expecting to like Nina the starry bride as much as I do. It is amazing! I truly thought Nina was going to be a defenseless damsel in distress but she definitely is not.

Nina had a rough start to life, stealing to survive—and eventually being sold into slavery by her own brother. But to her surprise, her captor, Prince Azure, ordained that she would live the life of a princess. specifically, that of the recently deceased princess-priestess, Alisha. But despite her changing fortune, Nina won't give up her old life without a fight, and Azure might just be the one to finally match her wits.

This manga is so good and every time I catch up I’m ready for more chapters. Nina is such a well developed character. I really am enjoying both of the male characters and seeing them develop. I also think that it would be really popular if it was turned into an anime.

Manhwas

Under the Oak tree is a little spicy Manhwa but it is so good! I personally don’t love historical manhwas that involve time travel or reincarnation, so when I find one’s like under the oak tree I get excited.

Under The Oak tree is about the daughter of a duke, the stuttering Maximilian, who is married off to a knight of lowly status at her father’s coercion. After their first night, her husband Riftan departs for an expedition without another word. He comes back three years later, this time as a famous knight in the whole continent. Her father warns her not to mess things up for a divorce to happen, since the kings daughter now wants to marry him. To Maxi’s surprise he is smitten and can’t leave her alone.

This manhwa is really cute, I love riftan and maxi is so sweet. I love watching her grow as a character and learn to defend herself. There is starting to be a hint of Magic in the series now, which I’m really enjoying!

Call me the devil is about a young woman who is interested in getting plastic surgery done on her breasts. When she goes in for a consultation the doctor says he’s not available then changes his mind and says if she works for him, he’ll fit her in. But why? He and his coworkers are all devils that feed off of blood and the different emotions of humans like lust or envy. The female lead is immune to all devils’ seduction powers. The resident demons are very interested in why she is unaffected and who she is.

This is an ongoing manhwa, but it has me hooked for more every week. I can’t wait to see where the story goes.

Webtoons

Reunion is a recently completed WEBTOON. This is a prequel to her bigger project about the male lead. Reunion follows Shiro and Rhea reuniting after Rhea moved away at a young age. When she moves back to their city the two rekindle their friendship and more while Shiro tries to hide his and his families secret. The next story of this series will focus more on Shiros family, but the author wanted to focus on Shiro and rheas backstory so going into the next story everyone could understand. This story was so amazing! I love all of the characters so much and I can’t wait to read the next series.

To Tame a Fire (once known as to tame a flame) was in WEBTOON canvas before getting moved up to originals. I’ve been following this series through its journey and have loved seeing what details the author has added as well as how far they have come. I adore both Ty and Ray as characters, and their designs are stunning!

The story follows Ray, the daughter of two war criminals. She has grown up ostracized and hated by many in the community. After a chance encounter with a famous commander, she is suddenly pulled in multiple directions, and her morals are put to the test. While she trains to sue her new powers, the phantoms of her parents past come to haunt her.

Purple Hyacinth is on its second season and the writing for this WEBTOON constantly blows my mind. Enter secret societies, vigilantes, a dark assassin love interest and a femal detective who can tell when people are lying! The music they out over these chapters is always amazing! The art is stunning and I love the characters designs. The writing is phenomenal! I’m left on the edge of my seat every week, ready for more!

It follows Lauren, who’s ability to detect lies have made her an incredible officer of the law, despite being haunted by her inability to save the ones she loves from gruesome deaths. Now she’s using her power to defend the innocent, even if it means teaming up with a deadly assassin.

Covenant follows Ezra, a powerful exorcist with no faith in god, who is tasked with protecting the seemingly normal human Sunny from rising demonic forces that follow him.

At first I didn’t think I would like this WEBTOON, because I’m not very religious and I didn’t think it would suit me. However! I am absolutely obsessed with this I adore sunny and Ezra and love seeing their friendship and relationship in general grow. Samson is my biggest crush! And I love the world that the author has built. I can’t wait to see where this story goes, because I feel like we are at the point where things are picking up!