A Quick Bittersweet Note to End 2024 + News on K-dramas, J-pop, and J-films!

Hello, there! 👋

How are you today? How was your Christmas?

Happy New Year! 🎊

We’ve reached December 31st with mixed feelings, haven’t we? 2024 has had its ups and downs but the last few weeks have brought with them many losses, especially in South Korea. From fighting to defend democracy to one of the worst aeroplane disasters in the country’s history, Koreans have had a tough 2024.

I guess it goes without saying that several other countries around the globe have found themselves in terribly difficult situations too.

So if you don’t feel like reading this newsletter today, that’s okay.

If you don’t really feel like celebrating the new year, that’s okay too.

Because sorrow, anger, confusion, and despair are normal and important emotions. For us to get to the other side of this dark tunnel, we need to go through these feelings. They remind us of what truly matters, help us mourn our losses, and prepare us to focus on the next step.

Humans are incredibly resilient beings: we resist, we endure, we persist.

I hope your sorrow pushes you forward.

I hope you find the strength to endure another day.

I hope you notice the light and love still around you — the light and love that our loved ones give us and that we can carry in our hearts forever.

And I hope your 2025 is a million times better than 2024.

Next week, I’ll come back with some 2025 releases we’re looking forward to. I’ll see you then, okay?

Stay safe! 🙏

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What You Should Know/Read This Week:

• The highly anticipated Squid Game 2 came out on December 26th to mixed critical reception, according to The Korea Times. Highlighting both positive and negative reviews, “'Squid Game' Season 2 dominates Netflix, but critical reception mixed” is a good article to read if you’re a fan. I might wait until Season 3 comes out to watch it all together. What are you doing? Have you watched the second season yet? If you already have, give this Variety interview with Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk a shot (it contains spoilers!): “‘Squid Game’ Creator Breaks Down ‘Heavy’ Season 2 Finale Death, Mid-Credits Scene Clues and When Season 3 Is Coming”.

• TIME Magazine released a list of their “Top 10 K-dramas of 2024”. Spoiler alert: Lovely Runner took first place, followed by Jeongnyeon: The Star is Born and Love In The Big City. If you’ve read our review of Lovely Runner, you might guess whether or not we agree with it. The Atypical Family, Mr. Plankton, and The Judge From Hell are also on the list. I find “Top 10s” quite difficult to compile but we have a lovely 2024 Year In Review, which you can check here.

• Since we’re talking about retrospectives, The Japan Times published a fantastic article on J-pop songs that defined the year: “Bling-Bang, baby: The J-pop soundtrack of 2024”. If you’re a fan of Japanese pop music, I’d urge you to give it a read!

• Another interesting article from The Japan Times is “‘Moving’: A profound, poetic coming-of-age masterpiece restored in 4K”. A master of his craft, Somai Shinji is one of the most important filmmakers in the history of Japanese cinema. Unfortunately, we lost him way too early but he left us with 13 extraordinary movies. One of them is 1993’s Moving, which was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 46th Cannes Film Festival. The story follows a remarkable teenage girl as she faces her parents’ divorce. A film of immense sensibility, Moving will hopefully benefit from this stunning 4K restoration and reach a wider international audience. Here’s the trailer for you:

• Another interesting Japanese film is Ema Ryan Yamazaki’s latest documentary, The Making of a Japanese. You haven’t heard of it? Why not give this Tokyo Weekender article a read, then: “The Making of a Japanese: A Moving, Heartfelt Exploration of Japanese Identity”?

As you probably know, an awful aeroplane crash at Muan International Airport claimed the lives of 179 people on Sunday. For that reason, Korea has decided to cancel New Year countdowns, concerts, and TV awards as the country is in a national period of mourning until Saturday.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the families who have lost their loved ones in this period that should’ve been a time of joy and confraternity.

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Meanwhile, on The Blossom Review:

• Last week, we shared our monthly calendar of new releases! You can click here to check new Korean dramas coming out in January or here for new Japanese dramas!

• We also reviewed two wonderful New Year-themed films, A Year-End Medley & New Year Blues. You can read our review here or watch our video essay here.

• This week, make sure to stop by The Blossom Review tomorrow for our thoughts on TBS’s marvellous Light of My Lion!

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Have a lovely and peaceful week ahead and I’ll see you next Tuesday! 😉