Not everything needs to be serious for you to be able to enjoy it
Sometimes, what you really need is a good laugh and a “cringe-y” show to binge-watch
Spoiler Alert! May contain specific details about the show.
Netflix’s newest show XO, Kitty quite literally broke the Internet as soon as it got released last May 18 on the streaming giant. The show, which is a spin-off of Jenny Han’s To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before trilogy, follows the story of the youngest Song-Covey sister Kitty, as she navigates her high school life and relationship as she moves to Seoul, South Korea to study at KISS, which both her late mother and boyfriend Dae, attend.
However, what Kitty aimed to be a surprise for her long-term long-distance boyfriend, ended up being a bigger surprise for her as she discovers that Dae has another girlfriend. From then on, Kitty’s journey takes a turn as she now uses the time for self-discovery as well as to find a new connection with her late mother.
Of course with XO, Kitty being one of the hottest shows as of late, our team watched it, and here’s what we think: yes, the show was basic, but sometimes, that is a good guilty pleasure to have. Sometimes, we need to enjoy the fun and silly stuff for what it is.
And frankly, it wasn’t all that bad. Sure enough, there were cringe-y scenes that were hard to get through like the presence of a Koreaboo in the show through Madison’s character, the white-washing of the Korean holiday Chuseok through the ‘chingu-seok’ episode among other things they white-washed, or even the random K-pop songs used for scenes they had no absolute relation to, it was an enjoyable show to binge-watch.
@dumest_kpopstan im sorry, but the random K-pop songs were not it for me🥹#xokitty #minhoxokitty #fyp#foryoupage ♬ original sound – Moonlight
It was just the right mix of both K-Drama and Hollywood elements that made it work well enough for fans of both genres.
There were also good things about the series, too. Like Kitty standing up for Yuri when a guy was badmouthing her.
For fans of Jenny Han and her books and series, it is quite known that it is common for her main characters to display a bit of internal misogyny. Like Lara Jean, Kitty’s own sister who was too “I’m not like other girls” in her own series, and even Belly from The Summer I Turned Pretty who pretty much had internal beef with her own best friend Taylor as Taylor was the more “popular” one. But Kitty is different. She is a girl’s girl, which was refreshing for a Jenny Han main character.
@netflixph This Kitty Song Covey mic drop 🎤👏 #XOKitty #AnnaCathcart #GiaKim ♬ original sound – Netflix Philippines
It was also good to see how education systems differ per country, and how the Korean education system, as it is often portrayed in K-Dramas, is much more intense. In the series, we were able to catch a tiny glimpse of the difference between the American and Korean education systems through Kitty. She openly mentions not just once how she was one of the top students in her former school having high grades, being the one that tutors other kids but in Korea, she was the one that needed tutoring and was failing her classes.
@ayylabyouall Infairness kay Kitty, bagay cya e-ship sa tatlo- Dae, Min-ho & Quincy😁 #XOKitty #Netflix #AnnaCathcart #ChoiMinYoung #ToAllTheBoysIveLovedBefore #Korean #Hangul #KorEng #Kdramafan #CebuCity #cebujoyzquad #joyzquad ♬ original sound – ayylabyouall💎
And of course, the reason many can’t get enough of the new Netflix show is that it has almost all the common rom-com tropes that are both nostalgic and refreshing to see these days. It may be predictable, typical, and maybe even overused, but it worked out for the betterment of the series.
@lisa_hiser What’s your favorite #romcom trope? #XOKitty delivered. Who do you ship Kitty with? #netflix #tv #fyp #shineonmedia ♬ Pink Venom – BLACKPINK
Lastly, who can get enough of this man? Many even claim that Min Ho is the plot of the show, and honestly, we don’t blame them. The moment he appeared on screen, we simply couldn’t get enough!
@netflixph Stan Min Ho for clear skin (literally) ✨ #XOKitty #SangHeonLee #AnnaCathcart ♬ original sound – Netflix Philippines
So, yes, the show wasn’t perfect. In fact, it was very far from it. But, it did well enough to create Kitty’s own story and adventure, while still sticking pretty closely to its source material. Albeit inaccurate, many also appreciated how the show was a representation of mixed-race children who, like Kitty, sometimes feel they aren’t too representative of both their cultures.
True enough, the show needs some more work, but it was refreshing to just watch a fun show.
banner: (L/R) xokittynetflix / instagram
