February 2022 Wrap-Up & Favorites

Source: personal collection

Hi fellow readers! I'm late on the game again. I know it's already April but I still want to share what I read & watched in February. In February I watched a lot of Japanese films because of Japanese Film Festival Indonesia. I actually binge-watched those films and end up watching 16 out of 20 films. Almost all of them are good. Only 2 out of 16 are just meh, but even one of them is alright because I like the lead actor. Two films in particular stay with me even after I finished watching it which I mention in February's favorite.

Books read in February

Demigods & Magicians: Percy and Annabeth Meet the Kanes - Rick Riordan (★★★)

This book includes three crossover stories between Percy Jackson and the Kanes. The stories are connected to one another which build a story arc involving a certain character from the third book in the Kane Chronicles trilogy. They're set after the end of the Kane Chronicles trilogy though. Before reading this book, I suggest reading both series first since there are a lot of references from them. The stories are fun and since I enjoy both series, it's exciting to see Percy and the Kanes meet and join forces in an attempt to save the world. The idea of combining Greek and Egyptian magic is also exciting. If you've read Riordan's PJO and the Kanes, you might want to read this one also. This book is a nice addition to the series.

February Favorites

Movies

Under the Open Sky

Of all the films I watched during the film festival, Under the Open Sky is definitely the one that stays with me. It's about an ex-convict named Mikami who's trying to find his mother whom he separated as a child while trying to rebuild his life but keep getting stigmatized by the society. Mikami is also an ex-yakuza and has spent most of his life in prison. Because of that, he doesn't have much skill to get a legitimate job. Moreover, his status as an ex-convict often causing employer to not hire him. Despite that and being a middle-aged man, he still has hope and doesn't give up easily. His spirit touches me and the ending truly breaks me. I didn't expect to like this film this much. I highly recommend this film to watch.

Until the Break of Dawn

This film is the second film I watched during the film festival. I started the film not knowing what it's really about. I picked it because the lead actor is familiar. I didn't expect the film to be a tear-jerker. It's a drama fantasy film which follow a person who has the ability to set up a meeting between the living and the dead. Usually the request comes from people with regrets, people who miss their loved ones, and people with unfinished business. The film itself tells several stories from different people who wishes to meet the deceased with the main one revolves around a high school student who will inherit the power. If that premise interests you, you might want to check this one out.

There you have it. I spent my February watching a lot of films and I recommend Under the Open Sky for you to watch. Really. It's like when I feel tired and feel like giving up, this film reminds me that there are people out there who have it harder than me but still have high determination to live. I think that's all for February. Since I still have March to wrap-up and April is almost over, I have two months on my backlog to catch up. Have a nice day, fellow readers!