Bitten (2014)

Elena was a werewolf. she left behind her world of supernatural at Stonehaven, thinking that she could escape her fate by creating a new one as a photographer in Toronto. one day, she received a call from her pack leader, asking her to come back. she returned to Stonehaven, again meeting the other werewolves, protecting her pack, and facing the man that she tried so hard to get out of her system. to make matter worse, she was the only living female werewolf left.

taken from the Women of the Otherworld (2001-2012) book series written by Kelly Armstrong, Bitten (2001) was the book of the series. having been a huge fan of the book series, i had looked forward to seeing it being translated into a series. comparing to the Elena in my imagination from reading the book, the one in the television was far more feminine. while her tough girl attitude took quite a while to sink in, she wasn't a difficult character to love. Clay on the other hand, was surprisingly distasteful where else in the book, he was the pitiful ex that Elena discarded, also the one i rooted for since the very beginning. it was definitely interesting to see how things flow from there onward, not only with their relationship, but also with the werewolves.

Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica Movie 2: Eien no Monogatari (2012) 劇場版 魔法少女まどか☆マギカ 永遠の物語

the second movie was another recap for the last 4-episodes of the series. comparing to the first movie: Hajimari no Monogatari (2012), the second movie was even more impressive. it left an impression so huge that it easily overtook the prior. the reason being while the series had only 80 minutes for its 4-episodes, the movie had 120 minutes to tell the same story. this alone helped pace the story so much more better in return. more screen time were given to Madoka and Homura in this movie, which was excellent since the duo had the best teamwork among its characters. while Homura was rarely in the spotlight for the series, the movie tend to spend more time on her, making us like her even more. again compared to the series, the movie really outdone itself, making it so much more alluring to the already impressive series.

Witches Of East End: Season 1 (2013)

the story followed the lives of Joanna, a mother of two beautiful daughters, Freya and Ingrid. they were the bloodlines of the powerful and immortal witches. while Joanna had been alive for centuries, her daughters never lived past the age of 30. Freya was the spontaneous daughter, currently engaged to a doctor, Dash. to make things complicated, Freya had been dreaming about Dash's brother, Killian. Ingrid was the intelligent daughter, also a librarian who researched on witchcraft. one day, Wendy, Joanna's long lost sister appeared at their doorstep, indicating that she was here to protect her sister and her family.

the series was fast paced when it wasn't about romance. the triangle love story between Freya and the brothers, Dash and Killian, was somewhat typical. but when it came to reliving their past, or figuring out the shifter who was trying to kill them, it became so engaging. it was difficult to decide which sister was more favorable, because both of them were so different that they were impossible to compare with another. Freya was the wild child but still very good with potion making; where else Ingrid was the quiet child very good with spells. to be honest, Joanne and Wendy's characters were even more attractive compared to the children. they may still have their romance going for them at their age, but it never became a nuisance that hindered their witchcraft.

Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica Movie 1: Hajimari no Monogatari (2012) 劇場版 魔法少女まどか☆マギカ 始まりの物語

the first movie in the Madoka trilogy was a recap for the first 8-episodes of the series. however, it was still unfair to use the word recap since although the movie contained the same events, everything else was simply further enhanced. those who haven't watch the series would feel even more overwhelmed, compared to the already satisfying experience that we had with its originals. the pacing was increased since having 12 episodes squeezed into a 120 minutes movie was impossible without speeding up everything. the speed however, also improved its drama, giving even more personality to its characters. the darker themed used upon the cherry bright character remained impressive like its series, easily reached our expectations while overwhelming our visual experiences. it was impossible to not compare the movie to its series, but since we were already biased, loving and basking in every minute of the series, it was also impossible not to love the movie equally much.