Xo Kitty - Netflix Pop Up Cafe

Joseph Lloyd
19th May 2023

A growing mainstream love for K-Pop music, Korean food and culture saw a warm reception to the trilogy of movies in the To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before franchise.  Its films touch on themes of sisterhood, family and self discovery adapted from best selling novels by Jenny Han. 

The new 10 episode Netflix spin-off, now streaming, shifts the focus of the story to the younger sister, Kitty, of its main character, Lara Jane. The antics of Nickolodeon and Disney are taken for a spin with Korean flavour reminiscent of the popular characters of the films in which it sets the stage for the comedy drama. Designed for easy watching, each half hour arc is jam packed with predominantly two dimensional character development and plenty of hijinx. Unlike the investment in the classic triangles of the movies, the series takes on more of a web with its main characters potentially in cahoots with multiple suitors. The humour is in the culture clash with the script finding laughs in social attitudes and contrasting perspectives of east and west. The adolescent story should resonate with its audience.

To commemorate the launch of Netflix, a pop-up cafe in Chippendale saw scores of people lining up at Kensington Street for a taste of the iced tea, mochi rice cakes and peach / strawberry bingsu.