Covid-19 made us either hustle harder to find work or chill at home as we’re told to self-isolate. And if you’re doing the latter, that means you’re watching Netflix (or any other streaming platform). So here are some shows on Netflix that I’ve been watching and my thoughts on it.

Love is Blind

The last time I watched reality TV was around 2011. Since then, I wasn’t a fan anymore due to how fake it is or how everything feels cliche. But this show was on my recommendations feed and I liked the premise. Is it possible for a couple to fall in love without knowing how they look physically?

In my opinion, this show is much better than watching The Bachelor, Love Island, or any other cheesy reality TV show seen on mainstream media. It felt somewhat genuine. There is some drama, yes. But I really and absolutely enjoy it. We got to witness different types of couples and their family all lived in very unique situations.

The only critique though is that I wish there were people who wasn’t that very attractive cuz they all still look like the same cookie-cutter types we’d see on TV. Cuz anyone can have wild and quirky personalities, but if that person is attractive, it kinda ruins the point of “love being blind”.

The Expanding Universe of Ashley Garcia

Imagine The Big Bang Theory merging with Two and a half men and a teen comedy you’d see on the Disney Channel. Mix the mall together and you have this show. Literally the set of this show reminds me of Charlie’s house in Two in a Half Men and CAL Tech in Big Bang Theory.

But the show itself, it’s good. It’s about a really gifted teenager who’s working in a university in California. While she’s there, she asks her friend to teach her how to be an ACTUAL teenager as she lived her life being a genius. It’s quite enjoyable and somewhat relatable to teenagers. The plot is good, there are still some cliches you’d witness on Disney, but it’s alright. I look forward to season 2 (if it does come out).

PS: Season 2 is out on Netflix but I chose not to continue watching the show. I don’t know why. I guess Season 2’s first few episodes didn’t give as a lasting impression on me.

13 Reasons Why – Season 4

I will just say this – 13 Reasons why should have ended in Season 2 Episode 12. The moment Season 3 started, it no longer felt like I was watching the same show.

But other than that, I… didn’t really enjoy it that much. It was alright but it no longer felt like I was watching the same show. The show starts off with Winston transferring to Liberty and Clay and his friend trying to hide the fact they killed Bryce and blamed it on Monty.

I remember when Season 1 ended, there were talks that the next season would be another character, another school, another 13 reasons why someone took their life away. I WISH THEY JUST STUCK WITH THAT!!! That would have been soo much better. I’d like to believe that this season expanded their universe a little but they didn’t.

Mr Ingelsias – Season 2

Season 1 was really funny. So I was looking forward to season 2 and…. it’s ok. The show continues off months later after the scholastic decathlon in season 1 and Carlos is now the drama teacher. My fave episode was when they featured Jokoy and the final episode where it involved Romeo and Juliet (which reminds me, Sex Education also did Romeo and Juliet… so why that play in Netflix?).

But I want to punch Marisol in the face because they can try to be “woke” in this show but at the same time, it kinda kills the vibe on what the show’s going for.

As I’m writing this, Netflix just released Season 3 and I’m still watching the first few episodes. So I won’t give out my thoughts just yet.

A Whisker Away

First impressions – strong Studio Ghilbi and Weathering with You vibes.

The movie is about a girl named Miyo, who transforms into a cat to get closer to the guy she likes. Miyo suffers emotionally and mentally due to the separation of her parents and the bullying of her peers that she puts on a brave face to hide the fact she’s suffering. Miyo transforms into a cat through wearing a cat mask she got from the “Mask Seller” tabby cat and he just tries to convince her to be a cat permanently. And looking how miserable she is in real life, is being a cat all that bad?

The art and plot is so beautiful and I did cry in some parts. It’s worth watching.

365 Days

Imagine watching 50 Shades of Grey and Beauty and the Beast. That is this movie. 365 Dni (365 Days) is about a girl named Laura, who got kidnapped by Massimo (a mafia boss). She has 1 year to fall in love with him.

A lot of critics are saying this is worse than 50 Shades, that this movie promotes abuse, and I can agree. Laura, first seen as a powerful executive but instantly becomes helpless once she’s kidnapped. This film feels like if all 50 Shades movies were mashed up into one but the sex scenes doesn’t feel forced.

Also, I will agree with everyone and say this movie feels like something you’d see on Wattpad. And I used to write on Wattpad so this says something.

Eurovision Song Contest – The Story of Fire Saga

I’ve given my thoughts on this film already and I will admit, I did watch it multiple times. It’s still cheesy yet the songs are still good. The portrayal of Eurovision and Songvakeppnin are close to accurate despite some inaccuracies.

Japan Sinks 2020

What if 2020 got even worse? This anime is for you. Japan Sinks 2020 showcases what if a huge natural disaster hits Japan. It also showcases how to survive if a disaster this large does occur. It’s really dark and I had to skip some parts because it made me uncomfortable. You do wish for the people in the story to win and survive.

Start-Up

There have been so many K-Dramas that I chose not to watch due to the number of cliches or the first episode didn’t click. But this one did. Start-up is a comedic K-Drama about young people running their own tech companies. The show isn’t tech-heavy and it also has some romance side story in it. It’s dramatic and comedic and I love it. And the best part, not a lot of cliches.

I’ve watched a lot of Asian dramas when I was younger and this kinda reminded me of that but if it evolved with the times.

Conclusion – was the shows on Netflix good?

The shows I watched on Netflix really did entertain me. Some were good, some were not, and some were worth rewatching. It did help make time fly during the mess that is 2020.

I’d say I’d rank everything I’ve watched 4 out of five. I guess I’m still keeping my Netflix subscription, even if it did increased the price.