5 Netflix shows to binge on this Valentine's weekend

As the month of love and romance is upon us, let us help you set the mood with our selection of binge-worthy Netflix shows

Our Beloved Summer

For those thinking about getting back with the exes: There is a reason why Our Beloved Summer is one of the hottest shows on Netflix Hong Kong right now. The Korean romcom series stars the talented Choi Woo-shik (Parasite) and Kim Da-mi (Itaewon Class) as Choi Ung and Kook Yeon-soo respectively, once high school sweethearts who fell for each other while shooting a documentary about youth. The show follows up with the pair as they are forced to reunite years after a disastrous breakup.

Beautifully shot (more than half of the scenes are bathed in soft, glowing natural light) with the original soundtrack featuring the chart-topping acoustic ballad “Christmas Tree” by none other than Choi Woo-shik’s bestie: V of BTS. Honestly, we couldn’t ask for more.

Single’s Inferno

For the chaotic serial dater: Single’s Inferno is a new Korean reality dating show perhaps most famous for giving Youtuber, influencer, and Blackpink Jennie lookalike Song Ji-a (Freezia on Youtube) an international cult following. But the show’s lesser-known contestants are equally endearing, each bringing in their own charms, quirks, and drama to the mix. The premise is simple: a group of young, attractive strangers are brought to a remote island where they are challenged to find love. So, basically, it’s Korean Love Island.

With only 8 episodes, it’s escapist, indulgent fun that’s perfect for a low-stakes, one-weekend binge.

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Pose Season 3

For the soppy romantic: History was made at the 2021 Emmys when MJ Rodriguez became the first trans actress to be nominated in a lead acting category for her powerful work in Pose. Created by Ryan Murphy (Glee and American Horror Story), Rodriguez stars alongside style icon Billy Porter and top model Indya Moore in this celebration of New York ballroom culture. As expected, the cast serves a handful of iconic looks, from donning Yves Saint Laurent and Chanel jewellery to gorgeous Azzedine Alaïa pieces.

The third and final season of the show was praised for its triumphant, glamorous, and tender depiction of queer and trans characters of colour. A fair warning, though – this season takes place in 1994 and gives us a sobering look into the impact of the HIV/Aids epidemic. However, in typical Pose fashion, moments of mourning and pain are equally met with ones of joy, love, and celebration – and we do, thankfully, get a pretty happy ending.

Tuca and Bertie Season 1

For the one celebrating Galentine’s Day: This animated series came out on Netflix in 2019 and garnered a niche, cult following for its rare, moving, and hilarious depiction of female friendship. Tuca and Bertie revolves around the two titular 30-year-old bird women played by comedians Tiffany Haddish and Ali Wong, as well as Bertie’s boyfriend Speckle, who is voiced by Minari’s Steven Yuen. The show was created by Bojack Horseman’s Lisa Hanawalt but you don’t need to be a BoJack fan, or even an animation fan, to get into this series.

Unfortunately, It has since been moved onto another streaming platform so only the first season is available for streaming on Netflix. While this may seem a little off-putting, it just goes to show that, despite all this, we still think it’s still worth the binge.

Light The Night Part 1

For the drama queen: If you regularly scroll through the “Top 10 in Hong Kong Today” section of Netflix as we do, you will notice that our February cover star Ruby Lin graces the list not once, but twice. First for the 2021 hit Taiwanese series Light The Night, and second for the 2011 period drama The Glamorous Imperial Concubine, which she also produced. The involvement of this incredible lead talent is probably convincing enough. But just in case, here’s the premise: neon-lit soap opera meets murder-mystery in Light The Night, where Lin and Cheryl Yang play two mama-sans who run a nightclub in 1988 Taipei. In the opening scene, a body is found. The victim? Unknown –  but she’s carrying matches from their club.

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