---> NODAME CANTABILE

*for the 11eps Series, Broadcast period: 2006-Oct-16 to 2006-Dec-25
*for the 2 Specials, Broadcast period: 2008-Jan-04 and 2008-Jan-05
*for the 1st Movie, Theatrical release: 2009 December
*for the 2nd Movie, Theatrical release: 2010 April


To write a review OR not to write a review, that is the question…

I believe that the best time to write a drama review is immediately after watching or in the course of watching it. but since the series started way back in 2006, and with the manga just ending late last year and the final addition to the live action drama coming out only this year, I’ll do my best to give you an idea of what NODAME CANTABILE is all about, IN ITS ENTIRETY.

NC is one of the three doramas that I absolutely adore and needless to say watched countless times, the other two are HYD and Pride. Im watching it again today for the nth time to create more excitement within my asiandrama infested brain in preparation for the much awaited NODAME CANTABILE THE FINAL SCORE 1 & 2(i waited more than a year for this), whose hardsubbed video links fell into my lap, brought by an angel that doesn’t need much harrassment but just needs to be reminded by loud screaming hints. Thank you *beep*, I owe you one, AGAIN !

…it is the journey of 2 gifted musicians, Megumi “Nodame” Noda and Chiaki “Senpai” Shinichi. SHE is from humble beginnings and has a natural and exceptional talent. She could have been a child prodigy in piano but unfortunate events that happened in her childhood prevented that natural course from taking place. BUT, as fate would have it, her soul found its way back to her love for piano and music again. HE on the other hand has been born to a “cultured” background and has been trained in various disciplines in music even at an early age. An unfortunate event also in his childhood now prevents him from pursuing his dreams of becoming a world renowned conductor of a symphony orchestra. When the paths of this 2 fascinating characters crossed …their destiny was put back on its right track.

…it is a romantic comedy. What sets it apart from the others that are of the same league, and, what makes it a cut-above-the-rest is that, it was created/produced/executed in the most picturesque, the most musically satisfying AND in the craziest, wackiest possible manner :) The style of storytelling here(specially evident in the series) is like literally ripping a page of the manga/anime and putting real actors to act and move onscreen in exactly the same manner. I would always refer to it as an “anime‘ish” style. First time I saw glimpses of that style was in HYD, but on a much smaller scale. So, to say that its different is a huge understatement!

The NC manga and anime have a cult following. I am not one of them. I have never heard of NC before this, therefore, it is safe to say that I watched it without any expectations. On the other hand, the expectations of its loyal followers are super mega high, cant blame them, I would be too if I were in their place. BUT, lo and behold, I have often heard it described by these NC crazed fanatics as “more anime than the anime” AND “even better than the anime”. You know how it is when you read a really good book and it was adapted into a movie, more often than not, the movie pales in comparison to the book. No matter how much budget the director is given, the screen adaptation could not rise up to the level of how you have imagined the whole thing in the confines of your mind …for some reason, THAT is pretty difficult to do. BUT somehow in this case, with the production that they have presented to the public, the creators of this drama has gained the highest respect of the most avid and rabid of NC fans.

…true enough, NC is ONE CLASS ACT. The story, the musical scoring, the cinematography, from the production set to the fashion styling to the lighting, it is simply …amazing :) From my experience from watching doramas, aesthetics and mere visuals is NOT a priority in japanese drama productions, so to see something like this(eye candy) from them is …oooh la la. Nodame’s “look” is rural and perky, Chiaki Senpai is rich, sleek and sophisticated, Masumi in that afro is retro, Ryuu with those clothes and hair is punk rock, Tanya(from the specials and movie) is slutty, and Maestro Franz Strezeman is, is, is …loud and tacky like a pimp! …haha…love those characters :) the kimonos, the tuxedos, the costumes, the music school, the concert halls of Paris, Prague and Tokyo, the chateau in France, the church …all visually attractive and pleasing to the eyes. And the music …aaahhh… it is heavenly !!! Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 is STILL beautifully ringing in my ears for days each time i re-visit this drama, not to mention masterpieces by Tchaikovsky, Mozart, Brahms, Strauss, Chopin, Bach …love it to the max! every musical piece that they played was grand, crisp, passionately performed …I am awestruck most of the time. If you’ve seen the drama and you saw Nodame’s reaction each time Shinichi conducts an orchestra, the way she is brought to tears at the mere beauty of the music, I HAVE THE SAME REACTION, i swear, no kidding :)

finally, the LOVE angle, *woot, woot* its kinda similar to how the Itazura na Kiss/ISWAK/PK couple are. SHE is obsessed and focused on him and He is indifferent and coy but oftentimes nice and caring towards her. the romance between the leads is an important part of this drama and it makes you feel sooo d*mn good just to see and witness how love developed in the middle of all that wonderful music. When a man cooks for you, bathes you, worries about your well-being, lets a messy person stay and gives you a key to his squeeky-clean apartment, & gets jealous when another guy shows interest in you ...if that is not love, then i dont know what else to call it. Men in denial are absolutely bad for my fangirling, it sets it up to dangerous levels ..haha.. Just love it to pieces when Chiaki Senpai would look for Nodame among the sea of people in the audience after each important performance, and Nodame cheering him on in her “girlfriend seat”, mukya!!! Sooo sweeet! what's in a hug? watch and see how Chiaki Senpai gave Nodame a back hug in her hometown ...now that's what i call a passionate/heartfelt hug that says L O V E. So much for Chiaki Senpai’s hesitance to join Nodame’s “Weirdo’s Forest”, he did eventually take that step before the second of the 2 specials ended …GYABO!!!

Who ever said the Final Score is not as good as the series and special? On the contrary, the movies are a continuation of all that craziness and brilliance combined. All the superlatives that ive written above, including the ooohhhs and aaahhhs, the gyabo! and mukya!, and the over-the-top fangirling about the lovestory of the leads are the same for the movie so, i see fit not to write a separate review for the 2 movies. If there’s a difference at all, the movies tackled a different set of issues in addition to what is already presented previously. This time the plight of the struggling musicians was highlighted, Nodame’s fear that her Chiaki Senpai’s career is moving so fast she was being left behind is creating havoc on her sanity, making her even more insecure, irrational and depressed. And, the question of whether Nodame would have been happier if Chiaki Senpai just let her be a kindergarten teacher in Japan as she had initially intended to be before he came into her life was in the center of Chiaki's mind in the Final Score.

If I have one complaint at all, it’s the marked and significant loss-of-weight by Chiaki in the 2 specials and in the 2 movies. Why??? Did he or somebody in the production really think he looked better with that weight loss??? NOT!!! Minus Pogi(handsome, in my native tongue) points Senpai!

The acting honors for this drama goes to …Ueno Juri who plays Nodame. She has displayed a wide range of emotions and acting skills that is not easy to do in this kind of production. She played innocent, absurd, sensitive, eccentric, amusing, irrational …and yet, totally and absolutely believable as a gifted pianist. Two thumbs up :)

Plastic Alert …Maestro Strezeman’s nose is plastic! In fairness to the actor, I don’t think it was a surgery but merely prosthetic makeup because he is playing a German conductor who also happens to be a shameless pervert. Still I was distracted, they could have done better than that, although I have to admit, getting a Japanese actor to play that part made the character funnier.

Finally, the ending. Should I say …MORE, MORE, MORE, and ask for an encore? Sure, I wanna see more of see Nodame and Chiaki Senpai’s love and struggles in their lovelife and musical careers together BUT, they have gone thru all the possible conficts in the more or less 20hrs of live action drama. What more was not addressed??? What possible twist in the story could have made it more beautiful??? ACTUALLY, I couldn’t think of anything more to add except perhaps what’s in the hearts and mind of every Nodame Cantabile fan …a piano concerto that will be conducted by Chiaki Shinichi featuring Megumi Noda on the piano.

I was debating whether I should deduct some points for not giving me the exact ending that I want BUT I cant, IT IS A BEAUTIFUL PRODUCTION AS IT IS. I was going to give it a 10 out of 5(REALLY!) had they given me THAT concerto, so I guess Nodame Cantabile should just settle for…

*rating: 5 out of 5 (BRAVO!)

*credit to the uploader "jiyenpoi13

---> ENGINE

*Broadcast period: 2005-Apr-18 to 2005-Jun-27



*short synopsis of ENGINE* Jiro Kanzaki is a daredevil racecar driver who feels no fear driving at speeds that even top racers dare not attempt. An unexpected trouble forces him to return home to Japan for the first time in years and until he finds a new job as a racer he has no choice but to stay with his hardheaded father, his nagging sister, the 12 children of the foster home his father runs, a snobbish male teacher, and a stubborn female teacher. Jiro's return home brings a breath of fresh air that influences the people around him. However, he is still unaware that he too will eventually be influenced to change the way he thinks and lives.

OMG! And I mean, O M G !!! this drama is simply …beautiful ! I don’t know how else to describe it …ok I’ll try. It’s the kind of drama that will simultaneously make you laugh and cry. The story is amazing and the storytelling is what I may describe as, exquisite and the cast …holy cow, too d*mn good! To think that this one has been on my hardrive for quite some time now and I was hesitant to watch it ‘coz when I read the story is doesn’t seem interesting enough even if it is a Kimutaku starrer. I guess, that’s precisely the reason why I delayed watching it, im afraid to be disappointed with a drama that starred him. D*mn, I should have known better, he sure knows how to always pick a winner! (please excuse the excessive use of expletives people, I cant help myself :D)

I have a weakness for simple dramas with no frills. In their plainness and simplicity, I have no other distractions and am more focused on what a particular drama has to offer, aside from the elaborate set and the fashion styling that is. In this drama, every episode takes you on a journey from a starting point of watching something good that turns into something better until it eventually turns out that, it could get even better. That is exactly the case in this one. It is rare for a good drama to sustain a certain level of excellence until the very end, in ENGINE it definitely succeeded in doing just that.

Kimura Takuya as Jiro is excellent as usual, no need to expound on that, no surprise there, at least not from me. The eyes, the body language, the rawness in his acting is classic Kimutaku. He’s the type that exudes COOLNESS PERSONIFIED without any effort at all, unlike some actors whose self image is way bigger than it actually is. And please don’t ask me who these people are, to me they have always been a big joke …haha, gomennasai. Back to The Man, he seems to excel in this kind of “sensitive guy” roles, even if the “sensitivity” is paired with brashness, immatureness, irresponsibleness, rudeness …whatever …‘ness …haha… Here, inspite his not-too-refined nature, and for somebody who once uttered the words “I hate kids”, Jiro finds himself the “accidental” hero of the children in his father’s foster home. How THAT unfolded is the brilliance of the writer and the director and where the beauty of this drama lies.

I was not too happy with the character of the female lead here on the first few episodes. How can I like her when she herself says “ I am logical, very ordinary and too uptight”. Precisely, her being too uptight is what drove me off the wall in the early episodes, BUT, I began to warm up to her by episode 5 because of her sensitive acting before that episode ended and by episode6, when she played “Do Re Mi” on the piano, she totally won me over :)

Im so used to seeing Kimura Takuya dominate a drama with his presence and he may be the star in this one, BUT, while he may have done his part in stamping his seal here, im afraid he would have to share equal billing and share the glory with the ensemble cast of kids in this particular project. They are the best group of kids that I have seen in any of the asian dramas that I have clapped eyes on. Each one has a story to tell and how heartwarming those stories are. Each one, was given their moment to shine and boy …shine, they certainly did! the tears, the laughter, the struggles, the pain of these poor young souls are so real, one cant help but be totally affected by them. They are capable of making you cry without even trying too hard, I would describe it as sensitive acting loaded with innocence. Watching them onscreen is like being taken on an odd mixture of emotions, one moment youre smiling and laughing and the next moment, there are tears in your eyes. Some of them so tiny and yet so good at their craft, my hats off to these kids :)

There’s the overweight kid who puts mayonnaise on everything that he eats, there’s the misunderstood violent kid who needs some anger management, there’s a smart teenager who’s afraid to dream because she’s certain it will never bear fruit, there’s another smart kid who is a first class cynic, there's the chronic liar who thinks the truth is so boring, there's the wannabe starlet, there's the cutest toddler, Nanae, and so on. There are so many wonderful scenes here but Aoi’s goodbye to Jiro is the cutest exchange ever and Shunta’s scene where he ran after Jiro and the minibus is one of the best scenes and exchange of dialogue in the entire drama.

I would have wanted to write about the result of the race but that would be a major spoiler for the others who may be thinking of watching this drama. How he finished the race though was wonderfully cheesy, but still …wonderful. Suffice it to say, there are lessons and reasons why the results are such and it is something we can all reflect upon. I admire dreamers mainly because it is someone ive aways hoped to become but not yet succeeded in being one. Here, Jiro is the dreamer, the optimist and his opposite is Genii sensei, not exactly a pessimist, more of a pragmatist, a control freak who wants to be prepared for every eventuality. To tell you honestly, more often than not, in real life, I have a feeling, the latter is always envious of the former.

Before rating this drama, lest I be accused of favoring this drama because i am fan of F1, lemme just say for the record that im not as gung-ho about F1 as I used to be …well because to begin with, my team Ferrari is not winning the constructors trophy these days and, I never liked their choice of Fernando Alonzo as their #1 driver. Besides, don’t be misled by the title of this drama, it is not at all about racing and sports. To me the ENGINE being referred to here is the one that runs the human body. Its what drives us to get up when were down ...its what drives us to go on after a failure ...its what makes us see the brighter side of things when everything else is so dark and gloomy. this engine runs not on fuel but thrives by believing in "never giving up against all odds" ...this engine is called, The Human Spirit.

what's not to love in this drama ...thought provoking, entertaining, heartwarming, optimistic, etc, etc, etc …Love the story …love the script …love the casting …love the music …love ENGINE, the drama :) :) :)

*rating: 4.99 out of 5



...the theme song from this drama...
I can see clearly now, the rain is gone,
I can see all obstacles in my way
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind
It’s gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)
Sun-Shiny day.

I think I can make it now, the pain is gone
All of the bad feelings have disappeared
Here is the rainbow I’ve been prayin’ for
It’s gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)
Sun-Shiny day.

Look all around, there’s nothin’ but blue skies
Look straight ahead, nothin’ but blue skies

I can see clearly now, the rain is gone,
I can see all obstacles in my way
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind
It’s gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)
Sun-Shiny day…

---> HOTARU NO HIKARI part 2

*Broadcast period: 2010-Jul-07 to 2010-Sept-15


*short synopsis of Hotaru no Hikari part1(2007)* Hotaru Amemiya has a glamorous job working for a famous interior design firm. She lives alone, and when she isn't working she's mostly lazing about in her rented house in her outdated jogging pants. She's not interested in men. In fact, she isn't interested in anything. "I'd rather lay around than fool around," is her motto. Her landlord is a bar owner, and one day his son, who has just separated from his wife, comes to inspect the rental property, not knowing that someone is living there. He is shocked at the mess, but not as shocked as Hotaru. He turns out to be her boss, Takano.

The sequel(part2) takes off on the premise that its 3 years since Hotaru Amemiya and Seichi Takano got together but Hotaru was sent by their company to Hongkong also immediately after and now she’s back and this time there’s now talk of marriage…

It rarely happens BUT it does happen nevertheless. I mean, the sequel of a drama turning out to be more entertaining than the original. I saw Hotaru No Hikari 1 ages ago and I saw it without expecting anything. The decision to watch it then was based alone on the fact that it was one of the few romantic comedy dorama(Japanese drama) on Mysoju that got a 4 out of 5 star ratings. You see, doramas(Japanese dramas) are like …something of an acquired taste. Either one loves it or one hates it, and there are those who just plainly doesn’t...get it. Since I have seen the first and enjoyed watching it, it is safe to say that I am not watching the sequel on a clean slate. I didn’t think then that it was a great rom-com but it was interesting enough and was entertained enough by it. So, whether I admit it or not, I will at least acknowledge that there is no way that im totally not expecting anything from it, that would be impossible. The very fact that a sequel was produced means that the first did pretty well. So … lets see :)…

Welll, what do you know, for a drama that i watched on an online streaming site(which means, NOT the most ideal way to see it, if you know what i mean:p) …it was off to a good start with episode 1. I expected to be a bit disappointed at the very least but im glad I was wrong, I actually enjoyed it. Haruka Ayase as Hotaru Amemiya and Naohito Fujiki as Takano Seichi are still this drama’s adorable resident couple. This time, the “other man” in Amemiya’s life is even more kawaii than Teshima(whom im not too crazy about in the first place) from part1, the “other” man for part2 is called Seno played by actor Osamu Mukai and he also works in the same office as our leads ..yeees, he is kawaii indeed! And there is also “another woman” in the picture, the chief’s ex-girlfriend which makes for a more interesting storyline. The story progressed with talks of marriage between Aho-miya(wordplay on the word aho which means idiot and miya her shortened name) and her Buchou(chief), endearments that they call each other. Who would have thought that a japanese tv drama with a romantic comedy genre would make me stop for a moment to reflect on some of the lines there, for example, “We need to open our eyes wide before the marriage, and, close one eye after the marriage…” and so on, it was so funny and yet, so true. Actually, underneath all that uncomparable Japanese style of comedy is a very well written script that evokes/provokes a certain amount of critical thought and analysis, at the same time make you laugh at the UNIQUE brand of comedy of the japanese.

For our “PLASTIC ALERT” …hmmm, not very common in Japanese celebs. For some reason, Japanese actors are like Taiwanese actors, in general, they are not obsessed with going under the knife, thank God(or, could it be that they just have better cosmetic surgeons? JOKE!)

The acting award for this drama goes to the main girl Haruka Ayase who plays the role of Hotaru Amemiya. i think i should mention that when i saw the korean drama Personal Taste, i instantly thought that the character of the female lead there was interestingly VERY SIMILAR to Hotaru's character and "look". the creator of that drama may deny that they copied or at least based their character on Hotaru BUT, its a little bit too close for comfort if you ask me. Ayase as Hotaru is quirky in a funny sort of way, she’s innocent in a funny sort of way, she’s ignorant in a funny sort of way, she’s annoying in a funny sort of way …I guess she’s just, adorable in a funny sort of way :)

I was asked to give a rating on my reviews, so, for a Romantic Comedy(more of a comedy than a love story really), if the highest score is 5, i will give…
*Hotaru No Hikari part 1 ---> 3 out of 5
*Hotaru No Hikari part 2 ---> 3.5 out of 5

---> finally ...PLAYFUL KISS

*Broadcast period: 2010-Sep-01 to 2010-Oct-21

FIRST, it was a japanese manga that was produced into an anime ...ITAZURA NA KISS(japan1991)from there, it was adapted into several tvdramas...


...the 1st TVdrama franchise ...ITAZURA NA KISS(japan1996)


...the 2nd TVdrama franchise ...IT STARTED WITH A KISS a.k.a ISWAK(taiwan2005)

...and then the sequel to ISWAK ...THEY KISS AGAIN(taiwan2007)


...and now the latest franchise ...PLAYFUL KISS(korea2010)


Did you think I wasn’t going to finish this drama? I only do that if a drama is sooo bad there’s a very real chance that I may loose my sanity and/or commit murder because of frustration and/or its like a freaking tranquilizer that it immediately puts me to sleep when I attempt to watch it :D. When I resumed watching this drama after a pretty long while and after writing that not-too-rosy Episode 1 review ages ago, I was praying to high heavens that it will redeem itself and make me fall in love with it. Really, I don’t mind eating my own words. Although, it doesn’t help when someone tells me the leads have zero chemistry and another one described ep1 to me as an epic failure. BUT, id like to think that im not that shallow as to just go with the flow and join the bandwagon. You will be pleased to know that I HAVE A MIND OF MY OWN and what I write is based ON MY OWN OPINION ALONE.

For the record, there was a marked and significant improvement from ep2 onwards, AND, i did finish this 16 episode drama including the YouTube episodes :)

Lets get to know our drama love team first:

Oh Ha Ni …Hmmm, her character is what one may describe as a warm person and one who’s not afraid to show and acknowledge her own feelings. Normally, you’d really feel sorry and/or want to beat the crap out of a character like Oh Ha Ni because she has practically no pride where Sueng Jo is concerned and she’s also not-so-bright in school, ok, she’s dumb, but the writers of this manga are so brilliant that they gave her character a saving grace in the person of Joon Gu who absolutely adores her, who always comes to her rescue and defence and lifts her spirits when it takes a beating from Seung Jo. Actually, this korean version of this character has been given a little more “pride” than its taiwanese counterpart(who acts and looks even more stupid but way more funny), doesn’t Ha Ni always “try” to stand-up to Seung Jo when he was being mean, which I don’t mind really its just that it took some of the desperation and intensity of her admiration for Seung Jo therefore it also lessened or took something from the prize of her truimph in the end. You know how it is when you work so hard to achieve or obtain something, so each step that leads you to the direction of finally achieving or getting it, makes it all the more sweeter when you do finally get it, that’s what I mean :)

Baek Seung Jo …Hmmm, his character is what one may describe as “cold”, hard to figure out because he hides his true feelings behind the cold exterior. A pure genius academically, not too shabby to look at(ok, he’s a cutee), oh, should I add quite good in sports and knows how to cook too. is there anything that our male lead cannot do? If the character of the female lead in the korean version was given a little more “pride”, the male lead was made to be a little “friendlier” and “warmer” than its taiwanese counterpart. Joe Cheng a.k.a. ZhiShu, the taiwanese Seung Jo hardly ever smile and was a man of few words and I mean very few words and hardly ever made any small talk with practically everybody including his own family much less with Oh Ha Ni’s counterpart Ariel Lin a.k.a. Xiang Qin , nor played around with her like this one did on the beach, unless, he absolutely has to. of course, in They Kiss Again the sequel to ISWAK, its a different story as far as skinship is concerned. That’s why when he lets his guard down and forgets to be his aloof snobbish self, its even more sweet and funny. Again, because this version of the character is “nicer”, it takes away something from the eventual getting together of the two.

Ok, here’s what I like in this version:

^.^ the attempts to give a different take on some of the key scenes that I kinda approve of, ‘coz, it would have been a major disaster if they were to copy everything from a very successful franchise like the taiwan production. So for attempting to be different, 2 thumbs up :)

^.^ Seung Jo’s brother is so adorably cute, good choice:)

^.^ that twist in the story when Ha Ni invited Seung Jo to go to Parang University where she is going, if he wants to make his life more interesting. As early as the first few episodes its clear that he is beginning to notice and like her, don’t they say opposites attract?

^.^ if there was one character that I think was better casted than his taiwanese counterpart, it’s the actor that portrayed Gi Tae, Ha Ni’s 2nd admirer. With his looks and bearing, he is quite believable as a challenge to Seung Jo’s hold on Ha Ni’s affection.

^.^ the small talk about “dreams” between Ha Ni and Seung Jo in ep12. it was an entirely different approach from the same scene on the taiwan version which is 100% hilarious and crazy, this one is serious and more “matter-of-fact”. Nicely done :)

^.^ I like how Joon Gu proposed to HaNi, for once he forgot the exaggerated intonation and delivered some pretty good lines.

^.^ the YT specials are better than the 16eps drama. The episodes are short and sweet, the acting seems more relaxed, the storytelling is more fluid and the storylines are funnier and more exciting.

Now here’s what I don’t like(please indulge me, some are pretty shallow):

:-( I was disappointed at Seung Jo’s reaction to their first kiss. That is one thing they did differently that I didn’t like. ‘coz the realization of who she is to him was suppose to start in that first kiss. I just wished there was a tinie winnie bit of surprise at his own actions in his expression after the deed was done.

:-( What’s up with the naked guy? He was grabbing the headlines in the first few eps then he suddenly just disappears from the story. So what’s the point in putting an annoying character like him in the first place? To simply annoy us? well, you certainly succeeded in doing just that as far as im concerned ;(

:-( Seung Jo’s mom looks way too young when she has her hair down. What kind of casting is that???

:-( how in the world can a mere university student who works as a part time waiter afford a nicely furnished apartment like the one SJ was staying in when he moved out of the house??? Was there a mention of his parents subsidizing his expenses? NO. they don’t even know the location of his apartment.

:-( I was right, Joon Gu did eventually get into my nerves with his over-the-top impersonation of Jiro Wang’s portrayal of the same role, aaaaaaaaahhhhhhh, stop it already. His style, from the hair to the clothes is …ugh… And did you have to throw in a bit of The Fonz in that character too, ugh, annoying. Im not even gonna go in that gas/bike explosion scene, I will let that one slide and pretend that it’s a scene from a typical manga live action comedy. Although, he kinda redeemed himself during the wedding, I thought he looks cool and sleek there, the man sure knows how to work ‘em in that suit.

:-( Seung Jo’s hideous hair transformation. Ahhh, the first hairstyle was already fine, what’s up with the stupid curls. I have not seen the anime nor read the manga, so to make me feel better, I will assume that its written in the story ‘coz there was also a change in the hairdo in the taiwan version. He did loose the horrendous hair in the latter part but why oh why did they have to torture us with a couple of episodes of that???

:-( KHJ really needs some acting workshop. there are some scenes when his facial expressions are flat and or blank , for example, his yawn in the “yawning method” is sooo fake, its honestly painful to watch. Fangirls …and boys, calm down, let us not be blinded by our attraction to the guy. You saw the yawn, did that look anything close to a real yawning to you? KHJ of all people should learn to accept every constructive criticism of his work, otherwise, how can he improve in his craft when he is always told(mostly by us fangirls) what a fine job he’s doing even when it’s a mess, just because we are blinded by his looks.

:-( is Ha Ni really that stupid and or super tired(didn’t she just woke up in that scene) that she wouldn’t even know if she was being kissed specially in that awkward sitting position? Totally unbelievable ! Why didn’t the director just made her lie down on that bench for chrissakes or at least made her lean on the backrest, it would have been more feasible to mistake the kiss as a mere dream if she was deep in sleep in a more relaxed position. That whole twist on the all-important 2nd kiss would have been a complete success if only the director didn’t mess up in that minor detail that could have been solved by a very minor change in Ha Ni’s sleeping/napping position.

:-( when they did finally get together in the middle of that heavy downpour, it was disappointing that the lines and the acting was a bit flat. Her acting was enough BUT I was expecting at least a minor violent reaction from Him and not just that ever sooo slight raising of His voice and some very subtle glaring of his eyes. The way he delivered those all important lines was like soo detached from any kind of strong feelings that made me ask, with that reaction was he really that affected by the whole Joon Gu proposal thing? Man, at least grab her by the shoulders and show some passion for a change. it wouldn’t hurt if he shook her a bit to emphasize what he is saying. Oh and the kiss that followed was like *yawn, ooaahh* and not at all what the whole situation and circumstance called for. Some may argue that it is out-of-character for Him to react in anything but a cold manner but, hello, He is in a desperate situation that calls for drastic measures, so yeah act out-of-character pleeease. A pretty tight hug would have worked wonders for that scene, to capture the intensity of the moment but, what we got instead was a regular friendly hug. I never felt the love between the leads in any of their “hug” scenes. Haaay, who directed this drama again? Isnt it the same director from Princess Hours ? So, what happened here Mr. Director???

The acting award for this drama goes to Oh Ha Ni. Her portrayal of this character sometimes kinda reminds me of the lead girl from Princess Hours, minus the heavy dramatic scenes of course. Im not giving this to her because of her excellent acting prowess, rather, considering the limitations of the role she had to play and the performances of the other leads here, her acting I would say is the best.

And because I just cant escape mentioning bad cosmetic surgery among korean celebs in my every drama review and for my own peace of mind …well, what can I do when they disrupt my viewing pleasure each time they appear onscreen? So please, just let me get it out of my chest :) let me introduce another FIRST in this review. I think from now on, I would call it the, “PLASTIC ALERT”. Celebs that drove me crazy with their glaring(100% sure) and badly done plastic surgery AND those whom I suspect had “something” done along those same lines. Let me limit the scope to only those who are playing important roles in the drama ‘coz there was one there who I couldn’t stop staring at because of the botched nosejob, thank god he’s only on a few times …if you must know, its one of the boys from the tennis club! Well, im quite relieved to report that aside from that one guy, no other member of the cast gave me any major distructions from watching this drama. BUT, I would like to say though that I very much SUSPECT that 1 of the main cast had at the very least, a nosejob. I will let you take a guess who im referring to…haha… AND I will tell you if your guess is as good as mine :) …haha…

And now the question of whether it is worth the watch. Considering that this is from a very popular manga/anime and an even more popular live action production from taiwan, how a viewer may appreciate it may also differ from those who have seen the earlier productions to those who have not. BUT since this is MY review, i’ll tell you what I think. I would recommend it specially to those who have not seen the first 2 versions. WHY? It is entertaining enough specially if you have nothing to compare it with and all that eye-candy is not bad to see at all(love those mini cooper). To those who have seen the taiwan production and loved it, I would caution you NOT to expect to see another ARJOE, the leads here are poles apart from that love team! Ok … hmmm… im not stalling …im going to say it …if you have become a big fan of Baek Seung Jo and Oh Ha Ni the love team, I beg you, please DO NOT proceed with reading this, I don’t want to hurt your feelings. Stop here please.

Here goes …I always judge a romantic comedy on how hard I laughed and how hard ive fallen in love with the love team. With PK, It did manage to make me laugh BUT it made me scowl quite a number of times too. With those very cute and adorable faces of the leads, its also good to see them together here in some of their scenes BUT im afraid, I did not fall in love with them as I should. I just cannot feel their love for each other, the kind of love that would make me forget that it was just a drama I was watching. Its just not quite there. I appreciate the entire production as entertaining enough except for ONE VERY IMPORTANT INGREDIENT, its what you may call "chemistry" …A good heartfelt hug, a loving stare, a slight caress would have made all the difference in this drama and it just never happened. most of time it just felt that they were just going through the motions, way too cold. where' s the passion???

here's hoping that i have not made a lot of enemies with this review. like always, i just call it as it is.
PEACE people <3

*fyi, in case you're wondering because i dont know if ive ever mentioned this in my previous posts but i have seen ALL the tvdrama adaptation of this manga.

---> SUNGKYUNKWAN SCANDAL

*Broadcast period: 2010-Aug-30 to 2010-Nov-02
*first published on 12november2010


… when I saw the first few episodes of this drama, I don’t know why but at first glance, SScandal to me is like the period version of the japanese drama production of HanaKimi, with more drama, less comedy and none of the crazy antics of the HK boys of course. I guess its because of the gender bender plot, the school setting and that “thing” that happened in episode 4 when “something” was revealed to the school doctor/professor, now that one is definitely verrry HanaKimi. At second glance, specially in the love story angle, it looks very much like another Kdrama, Coffee Prince. BUT later on, I realized that those similarities ends there. SScandal deals with some very serious issues that involves gender inequality and the so-called “public servants” which I found still relevant to the present day setting on how government officials behave and how the bureaucracy works.

I particulary like the characters of the male lead and the second male lead. Both are idealistic and principled reformist with the same goal, but took different paths to try and reach them. One seems more calm in nature, open to work for change within the system, the other, extremely passionate and took the more revolutionary approach. There’s something about men with strong principles that I find extremely attractive. The relationship between these two started by being wary and suspicious of each other, then progressed into mutual respect.

Haaay, I don’t envy the lead girl here, if I were in her shoes I wouldn’t know who to pick between these two, even if on the get-go i can tell who will end up with whom. Each has his own unique charm …why do I feel like breaking into a song, “torn between two lovers feeling like a fool, loving both of you is breaking all the rules” …hahaha… I don’t think I have ever liked 2 leading men equally in any of the asians dramas that I have seen, ever! no kidding, I reallly dunno who I like best, I love them both ..aaah, what is a girl to do :p OMG, when the bad boy Geol Oh, after discovering the true gender of his other roomate ran out of their room because of the hiccups, at that point, in my book, he certainly was ahead of the noron …too cute. and those times he would come to her defence when there is trouble, always looking out for her, always watchful and protective, acting like her knight in shining armour …man oh man, cheers for our self-appointed vigilante, our bad boy, Moon Jae Shin a.k.a Geol Oh :p but of course, not to be outdone is our reluctant Noron, the very upright Lee Sun Joon. each time he would beat his chest or put his hand over where his heart is because of this strange feelings he is having for his supposedly “male” roomate and the scene where despite thinking that she is a he, he confesses his feelings for her …aaahhh… I can feel his pain …poor guy… it reminds me sooo much of the same struggles of the male lead in the drama Coffee Prince and what he went through in a similar situation … when he displayed his brilliance at that student hearing, or was it a trial and became the hero of that day, going against his own principles and lied all because of love …aaahhh. He even gained the highest respect of his rival(for Kim Yoon Shik’s affection), for each time Geol Oh realizes what a decent man his rival Lee Sun Joon is, you can see the resigned expression on his face that seems to say “I’ll leave her in your care because youre better than me”.

There are two other boys in this drama that is also worth mentioning. First is the resident villain of Sungkyunkwan, the student body president. The actor that portrayed this mean character is I understand the brother of actress Ha Ji Won and he is the spitting image of his sister with the same actings skills to boot. the second is the flambouyant and vain 4th member of the Jalgeum Quartet, Gu Yong Ha a.k.a Yeorim. I found this scheming, gay’ish character quite interesting and the actor that portrayed him was pretty good too. and can his skin be anymore flawless? If there was an award for best skin and best dressed, Yeorim will be the hands down winner ..haha.. :p

If there are 2 other boys worth mentioning, aside from the female lead, there are also 2 girls worth mentioning. First is the daughter of the Minister of War, the pampered if somewhat silly Ha Hyo Eun. The second is the giseang Cho Sun, alluring and mysterious. I sometimes feel sorry for her and her “impossible” love for a woman whom she thought was a sensitive man.
The ensemble cast of this drama provided the excellent support for the leads and their characters are interesting and well defined, not to mention perfectly casted.

Yes, yes, yes, I know I have not discussed the lead girl yet. People , please don’t hate me for saying this but I just cant deny it. The actress that portrayed Kim Yoon Hee a.k.a. Kim Yoon Shik has not endeared herself to me. Is it because I saw this drama right after watching Shin Mi Ah’s portrayal of a gumiho, which I absolutely love and adore? Hmmm, probably not because those are 2 entirely different characters that they portrayed. Could her physical inadequacies like her height(the 2 male leads are towering over her and she is suppose to be a guy!) and her glaring plastic surgery(there I go again) contributed in her lack of credibility in my eyes? Maybe, I kept wishing her character was more charismatic and feisty so it could justify the attraction of the 2 male leads. Don’t get me wrong though, I don’t hate her nor am I repulsed by her, its just that a better more worthy actress should have been casted for that role AND could have given it “something” to make it more exciting. Imagine being the object of desire and affection of those 2 outstanding young men. She just doesn’t shine beside those 2 guys, she was completely overshadowed by the 2 which is a shame. I found her and her portrayal of that role lackluster, uninspired …ok I will try not to be too mean so I would say at most it was a mediocre characterization and performance. Although, she kinda redeemed herself in that scene in ep18 where she and her brother were talking about their father, with those tears I felt the agony, longingness and love from her.

If I am to give an acting award in every review that I write(I should have done this before), for Sungkyunkwan Scandal I’ll give the first runner-up to Song Joong Ki who plays Yeorim. What can I say, he made me think as to the meat of his character. Is he gay, is he straight, is he a foe or a friend, but I like his playful take on this character. the best actor(in this case it’s a man) goes to Yoo Ah In, who plays the rough-around-the-edges but principled man, Geol Oh. I understand that he studied film and is just an honest-to-goodness actor and no “idol” boy band background and it shows in his acting. his character may sometimes remind me of HongGilDong but his acting is not as good as Kang Ji Hwan’s brilliant portrayal in that drama but still, here in Sscandal I rarely saw flat expressions on any of his scenes, just pure sensitive acting that you can feel from within and that is inspite his oftentimes untidy, unkempt and disheveled appearance.

There are just some things that im not too happy with(so what else is new you may ask :D). that scene in ep18 where Lee Sun Joon was suppose to be beaten-up really badly in that gambling den and in his next scene he seems to have not suffered at all, in fact he can still sit and walk comfortably. I know this is just a drama and he is really not hurt in real life BUT I wish the director would credit us with a modicum amount of brain and make it appear that he was a “bit” hurt in that scene. Letting the viewers see a couple of small/tiny bruises doesn’t constitute a beating, which is what he was subjected to. AND, how many times can Geol Oh escape when a dozen or so guards are just a few meters chasing him … haay… sometimes, these directors really get on my nerves for ignoring their viewer’s intelligence.

Finally, the ending. I think im more than satisfied with the ending. All the loose ends were tied, i meant all but one(whatever happened to the student body president and the object of his desire Cho Sun), no over melodramatic turn of events, no blood was shed and everybody was happy. On top of that …a glimpse of the future to see whatever happened to the leads. What more can I ask for?

BTW, sorry, i just realized that this review is way too long, again ;)

---> MY GIRLFRIEND IS A GUMIHO

*Broadcast period: 2010-Aug-11 to 2010-Sep-30
*first published on 25october2010


Ok, so I didn’t think much of this drama’s plot to begin with. A love story between a man and a nine tailed fox, duh, come on admit it, most of you if not all of you thought its preeetty lame if not downright …nevermind. If none of you will admit to that, then I would, it is a lame plot! But what do you know, so what if its lame, I kinda forgot that it’s a romantic comedy so I shouldnt take the plot tooo seriously. Serves me right for judging the entertainment value of a particular drama based on the plot alone. I should have known better, didn’t I learn anything from watching the jdrama Zettai Kareshi where a woman fell in love with a robot? I guess not. for starters, none of you should expect this drama to be a literary piece, it is a romantic comedy so the aim is to fall in love with the love team and to have a few laughs along the way. Its success will be based on how hard we fall in love with the leads and how often and how hard we laughed at the jokes. Did it succeed it doing that?

Let me start with the pilot episode, hmmm, now that’s what I call getting one’s attention from the get-go. All the scenes after our lead actors met are very good. The flow of the story was successful in delivering the scenes that defines the plot without leaving the viewers scratching their heads asking, Who? What? Where? When? How? It was a case of not expecting much but was rewarded by a very pleasant surprise. did I forget to mention that they are perfectly casted for their roles. it was an exciting first episode, no scene was wasted and it was very well crafted. The music that was used, most notably the love theme(the one sung by a girl) sounds wonderful, it has an ethereal sound to it that fits the plot of the story to a T. that’s how a first episode should be, making you want to look forward to the next. Nicely done :)

That last scene on ep3 and the start of ep4, when he attempted to abandon MiHo was so tastefully done that you cant help but feel sorry for the poor girl as she gazed at the sight of the man she trusted, running away obviously abandoning her. And when despite his selfish nature he had a change of heart and realized what he has done …didn’t we just cheer deep inside our hearts with the triumph of human compassion …or was it a budding …affection …then, he became oh so protective of her when her secret was threatened to be revealed as she stepped out of that cruise ship covered by a blanket, or was it a table cover, whatev ..hahahaay.

I know that SHE was good from the movies that I’ve seen of hers but HE was a revelation. He is not exactly cute and handsome by korean actors standards but HE continues to impress me, I didn’t think I would like him in Shinning Inheritance but boy was he good there too. He seems very relaxed and at ease with his role here, I even like how he portrayed this sometimes dorky character. I did notice that he bulked-up a bit compared to his last drama appearance. No complaints from me on that score. See, men don’t need to bare their torso all the time for us girls to notice that you have nice bodies. We can tell, so swallow some of that overly over-confidence sometimes, button up those shirts ‘coz seriously, it could be a little annoying when someone always finds an excuse to display their well-defined abs. to me its not a sign of self-confidence but … it hints of insecurity :) anyhoo, HIS often “in denial” attitude toward HIS burgeoning feelings for HER is pretty amusing. HE would often talk to himself over and over and over again that SHE is not human but a mystical fox. And HE is right, who in his right mind would fall in love with a gumiho? Haha, that’s why this is a drama and not real life, capisce?

Can MiHo be more adorable than when she swallowed the water she was suppose to spit out when being taught how to brush her teeth, too cute im telling you. Some of my favorites scenes here are when HE gets confused about his feelings for HER specially when she innocently flungs herself in his arms and when SHE tells HIM “I miss you so, so, so, so, so, so much” and “I really, really, really, really, really like you” ..sweeet . and when SHE wants or talks about mating with HIM ..super funny . I think its one of the most if not the most adorable female character that ive seen in a korean production AND im saying that largely because actress Shin Min Ah portrayed it excellently! Ive seen 2 of her movies, Beauty and the Beast and My Mighty Princess but I thought she looked her best in this drama and she hardly wore any make-up, nor any fancy clothes not even sport a trendy hairstyle and yet she was perfect. I have a strong feeling that I have been bewitched by that nine tailed fox! …haha… SHE is just perfectly cute and lovable, it only goes to show that there is nothing at all wrong with the classic korean look so to the ladies and gentlemen of the korean entertainment industry, please lay off those cosmetic surgeries already.

There are of course some things that I don’t like here, well, you know me. Some are more often than not, pretty shallow because of my obvious OCness about “some things” like glaring plastic surgery. But what can I do, im bothered by those kinda things. 1st, there’s the vet’s hair. haaaaa, it is ALWAYS sooo perfectly coiffed, not a single hair out of place its driving me nuts! Ok, so the hairstyle is trendy these days but ive always been bothered by hair the wouldn’t move, it doesn’t seem real , its like a freakin' helmet! Did I forget to mention that I also noticed that he was wearing colorless nailpolish? Can anything be more DOM’ish(dirty old man) than that? The guy is an attractive young man for crying out loud. If he is a fine example of a metrosexual, I don’t think I would want some of that for me …no thanks. 2nd, Hae In noona’s nose job. Ive seen this girl in BOF and I was bothered by her brief appearance on that drama. I was thinking then, could she breathe without difficulty when her nostrils are barely open, specially the left one. Here’s a close up of her nose and tell me im wrong.


3rd, it’s the older couple love team, ugh, they are sooo annoying. The action director and the aunt are trying way too hard to be the cute and funny love team, yuck !!! they should be penalized for doing half the things that they did on this drama, sooo over, OVER ACTING, specially the director! Thank goodness for the fastforward/jump button. 4th, in the last few episodes, in HIS attempts to make HER leave HIM, the story became very predictable if not downright pathetic. Havent I seen that often enough in all dramas, HIM pretending not to care and acting beastly to push HER away for her own good or vice versa. Later I was a bit lost as to who was pushing whom ‘coz HE ended up following HER around. Their attempts to protect each other from being hurt with the inevitable parting is sooo passe, let that style rest pleeease. Ok I’ll stop there, didn’t I say that im more forgiving of rom-coms and generally don’t take it tooo seriously.

Finally, the ending …its typical korean. in the “pinoy lingo”(filipino slang or language), its …”bitin”(lacking or leaves you hanging or wanting for more). Am I disappointed with the ending, hmmm …no. I have learned not to expect too much so im not disappointed. Besides, it’s a happy ending so I should’nt complain.

Ok, so, was it successful in making me fall in love with the leads and did I laugh often enough and hard enough at the comedic scenes …HOI, HOI, HOI… you betcha:D definitely highly recommended for its entertainment value <3 <3 <3

---> CINDERELLA's SISTER

*Broadcast period: 2010-Mar-31 to 2010-Jun-03
*first published on 24june2010


WHAT I LIKE ABOUT THIS DRAMA:

...Numero uno, im in love with Eun Jo, the character. if i come across a male version of that character in real life, i will seriously forget my resolve not to get hitched and i will get down on my knees and do the proposal myself! i just dont like Eun Jo, i LOVE the character, ice cold but sensitive, mean but is actually nice, and fiercely loyal. in real life, its hard to fall for somebody with that kind of attitude, you'll always be on edge. its like going on a roller coaster ride. the high's will be so high and the low's will be so low. half the time you wouldnt know what the other is thinking, it'll drive you nuts. BUT you couldnt help yourself and love him/her just the same. MGY was perfectly casted for this part.

...Ki Hoon is the perfect partner for our heroine, idealistic, reliable, understanding and faithful. i just... love it when he affectionately calls his beloved "my awful girl" or "my horrible girl". and when he convinces his father to just let go and he will take care of him, how can you not love him. CJM was also perfectly casted for this part.

...Eun Jo's mom is also a character that i like, very consistent until the end. the writer did not insult the viewers intellect by making her the ideal mom before the drama ended but i certainly appreciate the effort to not make her a hated villain here. may i also mention the dad's character being the opposite of the mom. she was scheming and he was righteous.

...i love the scene when Eun Jo tried to run away from Ki Hoon and he ran after her in slow motion and how her locks were freed from a stick that was holding it together, love how that scene was executed by the director, there is something artsy about it, nicely done :)

...i also like how in the first half, there was an obvious reference to a fairy tale with some scenes. some may hate it but like it and was looking for the same in the second half.

...i like the on screen chemistry of the male and female lead, i like them individually but i love them together. i love it when he seems just content and happy just to watch her every move lovingly and when she pretends not to care.haay, he's too sweet and loving, is there really such a man in real life? ...is it just me and am i just indulging too much on fangirling when i swear CJM made me believe that he likes GYM even in real life? its the "look" people, he was giving her the same "in love" look on screen and off screen in the behind-the scenes clips that i saw on YT. ok, ok, maybe he has a crush on her? ...haha, sorry i cant help it, im now a certified fan of their love team :)

WHAT I DISLIKE:

...the actress that portrayed Hyo Seon almost drove me up the wall with that, that, that...i dunno how to describe her face without sounding too mean. it seems that a cosmetic surgeon had a field day with her face, is there anything there that was not touched by surgery? everything seems...fake. i wouldnt be surprised if the boobs are fake too. its more noticeable in the first part when she didnt wear much makeup portraying a school girl. i was too distracted by the work done on her i couldnt pay attention to what she was saying half the time. her character is too clingy, a weakling, a wimp. i guess its intentional to show how drastically different she is from Eun Jo. im ok with that, but i have to admit, most of the time i want to slap some sense to her specially when she does nothing but cry every 2 minutes. there's a limit to how much crying i can take, even if its just acting. i wonder, did the director tell her to act that way to drive us the viewers mad or is it all hers?

...the second half of this drama seem weak compared to the first half. its not bad, its just that the first half is better. i dont know if it has something to do with Eun Jo's icy character thawing or is it the script that was unable to sustain the drama to the level it has in the beginning?

...i didnt like it when Eun Jo's character decided to run away and give way to her sister. this time, is the writer is trying to insult our intelligence? is it that easy? just because she left, the man that loved and remained faithful to that love will now forget about her and just take care of her sister? duh!

about the ending...its a pretty good ending. i hope none of you expect me to say its a great ending coz i dont think ive ever said that of korean dramas. for me to say that an ending is great, i would have to produce the said drama myself!

i generally like this drama and thoroughly enjoyed watching it because it is not your usuall melodrama, it takes something new and fresh on the table that appeals to me but i have to admit that my liking it depends largely on my loving the lead actors here. there, i just wrote a review that is as long as a novel here...

---> TSUKI NO KOIBITO "Moon Lovers"

*Broadcast period: 2010-May-10 to 2010-July-05
*first published on 7october2010


To say that im a big fan of Kimura Takuya a.k.a. Kimutaku is an understatement. Why not, when the guy has given me no reason to change my mind. I love love love everything that I have seen of his work so far, even those stories/dramas that ended in tragedy. How can I not take my hats off to him when he becomes the character that he’s playing …raw, no frills, no effort at all, pure talent baby! He doesn’t need the over-the-top wardrobe and more importantly for me, he doesn’t pile up on the foundation/makeup/lip tint as most male actors in their neighbor country does, thank goodness !!! NO to aesthetics and all gloss alone, but YES to substance and content.

I may be a big fan of Kimutaku but im not one to say that every material he has done and worked on is excellent BUT his portrayal of his role is ALWAYS topnotch, there was never a question about it in that score. Pride, A Million Stars Falling Down from the Sky, Love Generation, Change, and Kirei Naru Ichizoku are among his most noteworthy works as far as im concerned. I heard that Hero is a real gem too BUT I have not seen a hardsubbed copy of it anywhere so that is one that I have yet to see(jeez, why didn’t I request that when Q was asking for requests? Too late!)

When Tsuki No Koibito, his latest drama came out, again, I got into my overly excited/giddy mode. Wanting to watch it and yet afraid to ‘coz that means as soon as im done, I no longer have anything to look forward to watching again. Sounds stupid? Yeah, I am stupid …about these things…FYI, im the same way with books … haha. Anyway, as soon as I saw the first episode, I knew I would dread watching the succeeding episodes ‘coz that means a step closer to the end. It is after all only 8 episodes. Can you blame me, Kimutaku looks his best here, how old is the guy for chrissakes, he is sooo freakin’ HOT in this drama and his entire “look” was just my “thing”! from his hairstyle to those short suit jackets that he often wears here, the man totally Rocks with a capital R specially when those jackets are paired with those funky shoes, just the perfect look for a designer/tycoon, wooot! oh and his eyebags are still there which means only one thing ...he has not gone under the knife, YES! who says actors have to look physically perfect to be appreciated, hello, too shallow. And his character …OMG, a bad boy who uses people to further his interests but in reality very lonely inside that’s why you just cant hate him ..hello, can the succession of good news for me never end? Of course not, there are 3 actresses here and he ended up with the one that I liked! oh my dear drama gods, what have I ever done to deserve this gift of a drama?

Tsuki No Koibito is simple, its real …nothing overly melodramatic, just as I like ‘em. No evil villain, nobody was in a terrible accident that could either maim or result in the main character having an amnesia, no dangerous other woman …you just wont find the usual stuff here. To me, it is one man’s journey where he started doing something that he loved until it became a demanding job that became too big and somewhere along the way you loose yourself until eventually he found himself back to the place where it all started. You know how it is when you think you want something badly only to find out later on, after all that has been said and done, that your happiness doesn’t lie in the direction you thought it would. The main character Rensuke is a ruthless control freak driven by ambition and who will have no qualms about using anybody to reach his goals. Ive always thought that the brilliance of Kimutaku’s acting skills are in his eyes and in them lies the message and the emotions the he wants to send across to his viewers, and in this drama, the guy still has it. The girls whose lives will be entangled with his are not-too-shabby in their performances too. 1st is Yuzuki, a simple-minded girl, the only child of his chief competitor. She would give anything to have Rensuke. my favorite scene of hers was when she told Ren the she will be his little sister and she motioning him to carry her like a kid would, while others may hate it, i thought Kitagawa Keiko looked adorable here :)The 2nd girl is, Xui Mei, a nice and innocent but poor Chinese girl whom he made as the image model of his company and he found himself attracted to. if i may classify that attraction, i guess its more like feeling sorry for her and the life she has led and him having that "knight and shining armour" complex that would save her from all that gloom. And the 3rd girl is Maemi(who appeared as the lead in Anego), an old friend from his school days who was always there and in her company, Rensuke can be himself, weakness and all. Don’t I always say that the bad boys always end up with the leading ladies in real and reel life so, inspite of and despite Rensuke’s mean character, all 3 girls are in love with him. Who he will eventually choose to remain by his side is the question. oh, and i have to remind you to please take note of Kazami, Rensuke's assitant, he is also a character to watch in this drama. I will not give away too many details of this drama ‘coz it may spoil the viewing pleasure of those who may want to see it, just in case. Of course, im also aware that most of my friends in this account does not appreciate Jdramas, that’s ok too, to each his own.

The final episode was pretty amazing, all the loose ends tied and very nicely executed. although, if i were the producer of this drama i would have added maybe 2 more episodes which is just enough to add more scenes of Rensuke and the girl he ended up with, 'coz he spent most of his time with another girl in most of this 8episode drama(if i had any complaint about this drama, this is it!) and maybe a add a twist on the storyline and make a conflict between Ren, Maemi, Kazami and Xui Mei BUT producing a Kimutaku drama is just one of my wildest dream that will never happen so im already quite happy with this one. Suffice it to say, I could not find any major flaw in this one. And yes I did look but I just couldn’t fault the creators of this drama for what it set out to do, even the uniquely Japanese “quirkiness” is present in this drama, some people don’t get it but im sooo ok with it. in the love story genre you may ask, is it as good as Pride ...hmmm... not really. is the story as strong as that of Kirei Naru Ichizoku ...again, not. but it is still d*mn good. Of course, again, this is just my opinion, if anybody has a contrary opinion, bring it on and put me in place please ..haha :)

Now, after thoroughly enjoying that drama, the problem of what to watch next is a BIG question mark. Another benchmark has been set for me and I may have to opt not to watch anything for now ‘coz whatever I’ll see next will pale in comparison to this one. Haaay …I knew it…

---> SUMMER'S DESIRE

*Broadcast period: 2010-May-30 to 2010-Aug-29
*first published on 6october2010


For the record, the 3 main reasons why I watched this one is because 1st, I was feeling nostalgic at the thought of seeing Shan Cai again, yes I mean Barbie Hsu(Xu). 2nd, I like the 3 main characters, dark, devilish, cold,(what can I do, im a sucker for “dark” complicated characters) and yet there’s this feeling of sadness for them for what fate has brought these three people. and the 3rd, I have to admit that I looked at the ending first to see if the couple that I liked ended up together in the end.

Right from the beginning I wanted Xia Mo to end up with Ou Chen but doesn’t Luo Xi look sooo good when he and Xia Mo were saying their final goodbye outside the latter’s house. That haggard looking, not too perfect with an overnight stubble to boot look is sheer hotness …says a lot about my type of guys. Why did I have to write about that ..i guess it made an impression on me. I would say that this drama started very promising with what it set out to do but somewhere along the way, it lost some of its glitter. Was my expectations just too high? Maybe. Actually its “darkness” at the beginning was its charm, when it lost some of that “darkness” the excitement was no longer there. The actors are very able though, Barbie is looking sooo pretty still and her acting I must say has more depth. The guy that played Luo Xi(don’t know his name, sorry) also was also convincing specially in the earlier episodes when his smile would give you a hint of something evil within, very nicely done. Peter Ho as the aloof and the very lonely rich guy who is obsessed with Xia Mo also did a good job with his role. I understand that this is the first directorial job of Peter Ho(correct me if im wrong) and he also just happens to be the producer of this drama, was it a case of having too much on his plate? Hmmm, whatever it may be, to be fair, its pretty good for a first time. The confrontations between the 2 men and how they would compete for Xia Mo’s love would make you want to be in her shoes, who wouldn’t? The transformation of Ou Chen’s character is the central point of this drama and im satisfied with the ending. Im in love with the way Ou Chen’s love for XiaMo developed and matured, from obsession to unconditional, its my favorite thing in the entire drama. so, if the story is good and the actors are relatively competent, it is in the storytelling that they are found lacking. a good script and a competent director could have avoided those dragging and sometimes boring parts.

Why do I have to watch serious melodramas? Generally, I shun away from overly dramatic dramas(sorry for the redundancy) and with good reason. I should have have known I’ll only take note of every inconsistency, every impossible turn of events, every oversight, every mistake there is big or small…BUT I still did watch it, ‘coz I was hopeful, I saw the potential of the story and its 3 main characters. So I gambled and invested my time in watching it, all the while trying my best to be objective and critical when I need to be. You could say that im more forgiving when Im reviewing a rom-com, when it’s a melodrama specially if it hints of an artsy ambition like this one, its like a red flag challenging the bull(me) to look for flaws. To me if youre taking that road, you better do it right, otherwise, if there is something wrong there somewhere, no matter how minute it might be, I WILL SPOT IT.

Im thinking, should I issue a disclaimer before proceeding with this? I really do not want to create trouble here or stir a hornets nest with this but just as I respect the next person’s opinion, I also expect mine to be respected as well, so if any of you disagrees with me, I most certainly welcome it, sure prove me wrong ...peace people :) so here goes…

Why does it seem sooo fake whenever Luo Xi is suppose to be playing the piano? Why? Cant the director do something about that? My mind kept on going to the jdrama nodame cantabile and how the actors there were able to make me believe that they are great pianist! Ou Chen is suppose to be a young tycoon, why are some of his suits so ill-fitted therefore looking not too pricey? And while we are on the fashion topic, do heads of talent agencies in Taiwan really wear tuxedos and or 3piece suits for mere meetings or even to just visit their talents on the set. I don’t think ive ever seen Luo Xi’s manager in anything but a nicely fitted suit, sometimes even made from slightly metallic fabric but definitely oftentimes if not all the time makes him overdressed nevertheless. Half the time, the talent manager looks like he’s going to a wedding or he’s going to his own wedding! absurd or funny? I think BOTH! ..haha.. and the flashbacks? Way too often for my liking and repeating the same flashback over and over again …I guess you may also call it, a replay of a replay …of a replay…! Oh, and Ou Chen’s house is a hotel, I caught a glimpse of its name in one of the scenes …man, the director missed that one and it was bugging me everytime the scene was in the house, I just cant get over that glaring mistake. Miss OC was tortured Im telling you :) I guess the string of bad luck that befall on Xia Mo was in the novel, I will let that pass even if it is sooo OVER but the miraculous recovery of Xia Mo from pneumonia after, was it a day or two is just tooo much that I just have to point it out. Ok, ok, Lets end the bashing there ..im exhausted ..haha, way too mean of me I know.

Don’t be misled by my review, I did finish this drama in its entirety so its not bad at all, otherwise I wouldn’t have wasted my time watching it. Its just that im tooo much of an OC that i obsess about these things so, please pardon my rants. i would STILL recommend this to anybody who is looking for a drama for "grown ups". some parts are so-so but the story, the characters and the actors that played them are worth the watch. oh, and did i forget to mention that the ending is pretty good? well, it is :)

---> the much awaited EPISODE 1 of PK

*first published on 10september2010


And because I labored over this single episode for 2 days…im going to allow myself to be tortured and watch this first episode regardless of not knowing when the entire english hardsubbed episodes of this series will be done. Because to tell you honestly, I thought it was a lost cause and I was ready to give up, it was a small miracle that i was able to stop myself from doing the merry dance after my successful DL. And at the risk of getting the ire of some people here, I would still give my unsolicited review of the first episode of this drama.

HERE'S THE VERDICT: As expected, the Korean franchise of the Japanese manga is typical of Korean productions. Topnotch production value and I mean the music, the set and cinematography, all eye candy and a feast for the senses. the Chinese resto of Ariel Lin’s dad looks, well … cheap next to the noodles resto of Oh Ha Ni’s dad, I think that’s proof that the Taiwan production budget is only a fraction of the Korean production budget! Im not going to say anything about the script yet, its way tooo early for that. For now im going to focus on the actors. Surprisingly, I did not hate the main leads, I don’t love them yet BUT, that’s a good start since I was preparing myself to hate them because I love Arjoe as a team. I find her cute and fit for the role and him, well you all know he’s not too shabby : ) whether they will have the chemistry that Arjoe had in ISWAK, that remains to be seen in the episodes to come. One actor wo has disappointed me so far is the actor that played Joon Gu, who seems to me like he was trying way too hard to copy Jiro Wang’s portrayal of this role. he better tone down on the overacting ‘coz he’s seriously starting to get on my nerves.

For now, im kinda keeping a watchful eye on the actress that plays Seung Jo’s mom. Its such a crucial role in the story that if she fails to deliver, then I don’t see how that would help the ratings. It doesn’t help that she’s got a pair of huge shoes to fill since Joe’s mom in the Taiwan production is hilarious and her chemistry with Ariel Lin is so real, you would think they’re not even acting! Im also a bit concerned with the dream sequences, hmmm…well… I want to add more about this but since its not too nice, I’ll put it on hold and see if there’s any improvement in the coming episodes. Suffice it to say, I was already breaking into a yawn before the punchline finally arrived, yikes, there ive said it.

In a nutshell I would say, the first half was so-so bordering on the ridiculous and the second half was ... promising. that's all for now.

*update: just saw some parts of the 2nd episode, as far as the main leads are concerned, i think the word "promising" could now be replaced with, "definitely getting better" :)