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| Available on Netflix |
Two important things you need to know before you start watching: (1) This is a French show (I accidentally watched the first season dubbed in English!), and (2) Arsène Lupin is basically France's version of Sherlock Holmes except he's a "gentleman thief" rather than a detective.
Assane Diop has modeled himself after Lupin and uses his tactics to avenge his father, who's been framed for a crime he didn't commit by a wealthy family. Assane will stop at nothing and his methods are crazy, smart, and wildly entertaining. Even though he's a thief, he's someone I rooted for and I enjoyed how the show switched between past and present to show how this ordeal began and what led to the current circumstances. This particular arc spans two seasons (I hope there will be a third season with a new story!) and I can't recommend it enough. I actually want to read the Lupin books now!
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| Available on Netflix + Hulu |
I was looking for a horse show to watch and Heartland kept coming up. I actually tried watching it last year but the first episode felt so dated and didn't capture my attention. I randomly gave it another shot at the beginning of February and this time it stuck. And by stuck I mean I watched all 14 seasons because I completely fell in love with the show!
Heartland is actually Canada's longest running show and after having seen it all, it's easy to see why. It's a wholesome, family show that's centered around Amy, the series main protagonist who has a natural gift of horsemanship, and her coming-of-age story. We literally get to watch her grow up on screen, while surrounded by her close-knit family and we get to see their stories as well. While it tackles a lot of typical drama, it's their atypical themes that make the show stand out. I've learned so much about horses, rodeo, jumping, liberty, proper etiquette in caring for horses and animals, farm life, and more. I'm just so invested in their stories and the characters, as evidenced by the many times this show has made me cry and laugh out loud. I can't wait for the new season to start in October!
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| Available on Hulu + Crunchyroll |
I kept hearing about
Fruits Basket so I decided to see if it would live up to the hype. It's about Tohru Honda, whose rough family circumstances force her to live on her own. And when I say that I mean she pitches a tent on private land belonging to the mysterious Sohma clan and when they discover her secret, they invite her to live with them and she accepts. But soon, she discovers
their secret. When they're hugged by members of the opposite sex, they turn into the animals of the Chinese Zodiac. It's a curse that comes with a lot of baggage and history and a diverse cast of characters who all have struggles of their own. Through the three season series, Tohru becomes a beacon of light for the Zodiac members in different ways as she fills a different void for each of them -- familial, friendship, and love.
Looking back, the premise alone sounds pretty incredible right? But I actually struggled with it in the beginning. I think it had to do with Tohru and her overly-polite speech. Now I appreciate that it's part of her personality, but at first it honestly kind of bugged me. So after watching maybe 6 or 7 episodes of Season 1, I took a break from the show. Then one day, I didn't have anything else to watch so I picked up where I left off and.. I became hooked. Before I knew it, I had caught up and was eagerly awaiting a new episode every week. Tohru is probably one of the kindest anime characters you'll ever meet and Kyo Sohma might just be my ultimate anime boyfriend (sorry Tamahome!). The show has made me laugh out loud at their antics, swoon, and cry. There's amazing scenes of love, forgiveness, and friendship that I definitely wasn't expecting when I first started watching. The series just ended a couple weeks ago and I can't get the show out of my head. If you haven't watched, you have to start!
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Honorable mentions: Shadow and Bone, WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. These shows have a ton of coverage already (and I'm lazy) so that's why I'm not saying more on them. But the tl;dr version is: you should watch these shows because they're amazing and I loved them.
What have you been watching lately?
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