February Wrap-Up

what I read and watched last month

Mar 07, 2025

This is my Monthly Wrap-Up series, where I share quick reviews for the things I read and watched during the previous month. If you are a new reader (welcome!), here’s the January post:

January Wrap-Up

maria

Feb 2

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February was a really busy and stressful month for me, so this is going to be the shortest Wrap-Up I’ve ever done. I tried to balance my job, my uni assignments, and some semblance of a social life, so I had almost no time to read or watch anything. I didn’t even finish a single book! Hopefully next month will be better, but for now, let’s just put the longest February of my life behind.

What I Read.

Junji Ito: Fragments of Horror.

A Junji Ito anthology containing the stories: “Futon”, “Haunted Wood Mansion”, “Tomio - Red Turtleneck”, “Lingering Farewell”, “Dissection Girl”, “Blackbird”, “Magami Nanakuse”, and “Whispering Woman”. The collection was Junji Ito’s return to writing horror manga after 8 years of working on other genres.

This is my first time reading Junji Ito, and I think it was worth the hype, even if it didn’t “wow” me. These are very fun short stories, there’s a nice balance between horror and comedy and even a couple emotional moments. Ito’s art is what really brings everything together and makes even the most simple story memorable, and it’s a shame that his style has yet to be properly adapted to animation. My favorite stories were “Lingering Farewell” and “Whispering Woman”, I think hauntings and ghosts are more interesting than the Lovecraftian horrors that Ito seems to prefer. That doesn’t mean the others aren’t good, just not my particular brand of horror. I like it when Ito leans into the bizarre and absurd, but sometimes it can come across as cringe or too silly. Still, I had a good time with this collection. 3.5/5

The Summer Hikaru Died (Vol. 5) by Mokumokuren.

After an encounter with a hostile spirit, “Hikaru” and Yoshiki have to run away from the stranger that almost killed “Hikaru”. The boys look for refuge with Ms. Kurebayashi, and they start making progress at uncovering the truth behind their town. The past sins of the Indoh family come to light.

I finally got to catch up with this series, and I’m so glad I did because these chapters were amazing. While the main appeal of the series has always been the mystery, finally getting some answers and lore drops didn’t make the horror any less compelling. If anything, finding out more about the Indohs only brought a new layer of horror to the story, and things are still vague enough to keep you hooked and looking for clues. I wonder if we are going to get more information on the “company” that Tanaka works for, but I think it’s unlikely. These chapters also advanced Yoshiki’s character development and his relationship with “Hikaru”—now that he’s made peace with Hikaru’s death and was able to admit that he cares about “Hikaru” for itself rather than as a placeholder, they can start exploring their relationship and perhaps Yoshiki’s sexuality will become a bigger part of the story. That is, if Tanaka doesn’t kill “Hikaru”, of course. The cliffhanger at the end of chapter 26 was insane, and I can’t wait to get my hands on the next volume. 5/5

I also loved the extra chapter about “Hikaru” trying to understand human fairy tales and Yoshiki saying he also wants to understand “Hikaru”. Using a version of “The Beauty and the Beast” may be a little on the nose, but it was cute.

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What I Watched.

Conclave dir. by Edward Berger

The Pope has died, and Cardinal Lawrence is given the responsibility to organize the Conclave that will decide who the next Pope is going to be. As the candidates arrive at the Vatican, surprising new faces and underhand plots make animosity boil over between the members of the Conclave, and the fate of the Church resides on the shoulder of a man going through his own crisis of faith.

First of all, Ralph Fiennes should have won Best Lead Actor. I really enjoyed his performance, and it’s incredible how he manages to have a somewhat subdued presence and also dominate every scene he’s in, even when he’s paired with other charismatic actors. Lawrence was a very compelling character, specially for someone like me that isn’t religious but deeply respects people who stand by their beliefs. It’s always nice when a story about religion engages with the characters’ faith in a genuine and open manner, without cynicism. I think it’s refreshing to see religious characters that truly commit to their faith and believe in what they preach (criticisms of the Catholic Church aside). That’s really the main theme of the movie, a return to faith—so many of the cardinals get caught up in their political intrigue and their prejudice, and they lead the church astray, they need someone who truly believes and who isn’t guided by earthly desires.

I thought the final twist regarding Cardinal Benitez was very clever commentary on the church’s relationship with sex and gender, and it tied in perfectly with the movie’s portrayal of the female members of the church. I love the focus on the silent and often thankless labor the sisters perform to keep the Vatican running, and I liked the subtle characterization provided by the way in which each Cardinal interacts with them. Sister Agnes had an interesting dynamic with Lawrence, and even if she didn’t get many scenes she was still one of the most charming characters in the movie. Conclave is also surprisingly funny, it’s both a profound exploration of faith and a high school drama about old men that hate each other, and they are all so petty. It was fun, I had a great time. 4.5/5

Perfect Days dir. by Wim Wenders

An intimate and quiet look into the daily life of Hirayama, a middle-aged toilet cleaner in Tokyo.

I watched this on March 1st, but I’ll count it, sue me. This is essentially a collection of vignettes looking into the life of an old man that cleans toilets, there isn’t a lot going on. Despite the movie centering about his daily routine and therefore on his job, the point (in my opinion) isn’t that Hirayama loves working. Hirayama’s job is simply another part of his life, it doesn’t define him, and I think that’s what the movie is trying to say. Work shouldn’t be the center of your life, living is more than turning labor into profits, and you can find fulfillment in other things. Hirayama’s perfect day is waking up to water his plants, have a nice shift at work, drinking at his regular bar, taking a bath and then going home to read. He takes pictures of trees while eating his lunch, he goes to second hand bookstores, he listens to old cassettes, and he’s happy. I think this is a very important message for people who are worried about being a failure, because the movie is telling you that it’s okay if you aren’t successful according to other people’s expectations of what “success” means. Just enjoying each day is enough. 4/5 This is the perfect comfort movie.

Substack Highlights:

(Sorry that this is such a short list, I feel so bad seeing all the really interesting posts on my inbox that I haven’t read yet)

As I said at the start, February was a rough month. I was so busy and stressed out that I couldn’t make time to read anything, and now I’m fighting a reading slump. To get back in the mood I’ll probably stick with fantasy for now, I’m going to continue Bodoc’s Saga de los Confines and try to read some stand alone novels. Plus, I’ll finally start my Song of Ice and Fire reread, which I’ve been meaning to do for a while.

If you have read or watched any of the things on this list, let me know what you thought about them in the comments! Also, I’m running a survey to get to know my audience more, so I would appreciate it if you could answer some quick questions. Thanks!

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January Wrap-Up

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