^^ to see the list of asian dramas reviewed, scroll down this page and on the right side of your screen, go to "blog archive" and click the "arrow(triangle)" until the titles are revealed(the TRIANGLES should ALL be pointing DOWN) ^^
Pasta is a wonderful drama that TO ME deserves a 4.98 out of 5 rating. The .02 minus was to indulge my craving to see the “what might have been”. Just 2 scenes would have made it perfect and a quick flash on screen would have done it for me … would have satisfied me… one, I would have wanted to see Team La Sfera’s victorious win AND two, I would have wanted the “what and how” the future was/is like between our leads. BUT, lemme stress, they are just my unfulfilled imaginings and Pasta is already wonderful AS IT IS. That’s it, Period!
Period? A short and sweet review? From me??? Wishful thinking my friends..haha… oh come on, i promise this one will not be "too long". promise. at least let me tell you why I LOVE this drama INSPITE OF and DESPITE its obvious weakness in the eyes of SOME viewers. I have read other reviews of this drama lately and not all of them are glowing, but so what, that’s their opinion and THIS ONE IS MINE.
While revisiting this drama again this week, its charisma has and have consistently entertained me. A feat not easy to do as far as I AM concerned. Some dramas you enjoy watching only on your initial viewing, while others grow in you. There are also those that loose their charm after awhile that will get you thinking and asking yourself, “what happened, I use to like watching this over and over again???”. In Pasta’s case I liked it on my initial viewing and I continue to TREMENDOUSLY enjoy revisiting the scenes each time I re-watch it. Time and again, it reminds me why I love it in the first place. im amused and bemused each time I would hear the overly loud voice of the jerk ...i mean the head chef saying “do it again!” and the maknae chef’s “yes chef”, “thank you chef”, cant get enough of it …nom, nom, nom :)
Too many favorite lines and scenes that im afraid to write them all would strain your eyes too much. HONEST! Ok let me put it this way, almost every important scene here is A GEM. Don’t get me wrong, not every scene is explosively beautiful to watch and hear, BUT those that are not, are like a breather in preparation for something special. I like everything about this drama …simple story, production style and texture, script(superb dialogues), pacing, and most of all, excellent acting from all quarters.
From the “plain Jane” lead girl Gong Hyo Jin as Seo Yoo Kyung, to the eardrum beating voice of the Head Chef Lee Sun Gyun as Choi Hyun Wook, to the other head chef Lee Ha Nui as Oh Sae Young, to the very loyal but low key La Sfera owner and president Alex as Kim San, everybody is just awesome in their roles.
...I specially like the lead girl’s dad and his scenes with our Head Chef, witty, funny and swak, as in! the kitchen “cooking” scenes including the squabbles between the “Italian” chefs and the “Korean” chefs are real and captivates my attention.
...finally, the “what I did for love” drama of the leads, not melodrama but the choice they both made for love is …weee:) I love all that. ultimately, it’s a joy to watch the “love team” in this drama. There’s nothing at all typical in this 2 as far as kdrama is concerned. who would have thought that those 2 would have that elusive "chemistry"
What else can I say about this drama? …There’s NOTHING that I didn’t like about it, LOVE IT ALL, LOVE THEM ALL …nuff said.
see, did'nt i say that it will not be too long ((*.~))
Broadcast period: 2005-Jun-05 to 2005-Oct-16 I just recently found a hardsubbed copy of this drama so don’t be surprised why this review is 6yrs late. I heard that at the time this was first aired, it had very high ratings and broke records of sorts, so let see…
As far as im concerned, good rom-com should always start with the harmonious marriage between a good storytelling and good characters. But since the story of PTIF(Prince Turns Into Frog) is nothing to get excited about, im hoping the characters can save it. Ye Tianyu is a poor happy natured girl that’s a con artist, oh ok, a low-life, BUT, she wouldn’t seriously hurt anybody, really! Our male lead play 2 characters. First is Shan Junmao, a young and handsome but cold no-nonsense businessman and the second character is Dang Ou, a kind hearted young man who forgot his past. If you know my history with drama watching and review, no need to tell you who I prefer between the 2, nice guys bore me to death! Anyway, they are classic drama/rom-com characters, right? Yes indeed. I have a question though …even if that part of a drama plot has been used and overused and abused over and over and over again, STILL, why does it work on some dramas and doesnt on others? some start out very promising, having very interesting characters and competent actors, and yet when the storytelling begins, everything falls out of place one by one. Why oh why??? Im happy to say that in THIS particular case , it is the opposite. It started in a “so-so” manner and turned quite interesting after a few episodes.
The acting honors for this drama goes to …Chen Qiao En as Ye Tianyu. She sure is one effective rom-com actress, she never fails to deliver in her roles. She is what one may call a natural. Her style of acting is sooo relaxed you wouldn’t think she’s acting, no effort at all. her style of comedy may sometimes border on the absurd and or trying-too-hard but it never goes over-the-top. And even if it did cross the line of good taste and lemme stress on the word “if”, im surprised at myself because I was never annoyed with her. I suspect its because of her fresh face that seems to be devoid of “fake’ness” . I found her facial expressions and her comedic skills on most scenes totally hilarious. Tianyu is sooo adorably pa-cute(trying to be cute) everytime she pushes her hair behind her ears, what a crazy funny girl. When she took the initiative to kiss Shan Junmao …HAAA, I was floored!!! I even liked her interaction with the second male lead …cuteness!!!
I have to say that a very close runner-up to Chen Qiao En’s acting skills is Ming Dao as Shan Junhao. Dear lord he is one h*ll of a cute guy that can actually act and he sure made me believe he is an arrogant rich bastard in the early episodes. The only edge our leading lady has over him is that she’s good at both comedy and drama while clearly, our leading man is not a comedian. BUT, my gawddd, here’s another leading man who is prettier than the leading lady! Ive never seen any of his other works before so im certainly going to check it out asap!
May I also say that the fresh faces of our 2 leads here is a refreshing change after all the contrived perfection of all the Korean actors/actresses that ive seen lately. Don’t get me wrong folks, im as shallow as the next fangirl. Who doesn’t like to see beautiful people onscreen? Not me, at least not unless the “perfection” is sooo obviously fake, then they get on my nerves. Actually, Chen Qiao En is not what one may call a beautiful leading lady, not even pretty really, cute maybe, but my point is, i luv, luv, luv it when the leads are not the “perfect beauties”. Seeing ordinary looking actors/actresses in lead roles and making a success of themselves puts less of a strain for other actors/actresses. In that scenario they can just concentrate on what matters most in their line of work, which is ACTING! …Oh lord, Miss OC keep saying this same thing over and over and over again like a stucked pirated cd. Sorry.
The worst thing about this drama …hmmm, lets put it this way, AT FIRST, i was dismayed when the hashed and reshashed plot of one of the leads having an amnesia came up very early in the story. Hate it actually, specially when that part of the story drags on and on and on. I know its an essential part of the story, still, HATE IT! a more creative way to address that twist in the story should have been given more thought instead of taking the easy route of picking among the usual “multiple choice” answers in every drama conflict, namely: A.) one of the leads will be temporarily unable to walk, B.) one of the leads will have temporary blindness, C.) one of the leads will be kidnapped/abducted, D.) one of the leads will be become seriously ill, E.) one of the leads will give up on his/her love for the good of the other, and of course the choice of the creators of THIS drama, F.) one of the leads will have a temporary amnesia! BUT, how the writers were able to get out of that very predictable storyline and made an interesting twist from that same bad “multiple choice” answer should be commended. Making a good thing from a bad situation is a stroke of you could say, “lesser degree” brilliance. I was about to say that the amnesia thing is NOT totally a bad thing after all, THEN, another silly twist happened and Junhao was knocked unconscious again and remembered who he was BUT now …has partial amnesia and forgot that he love Tianyu …WHAT THE H*LL !?#%?!!! An amnesia of the time when …he had an amnesia??? So, if he heaven forbid, knocks his head again, what would he forget next???
The best thing about this drama …the bad story or a very weak material that was turned into a very entertaining romantic comedy! SEE, it is possible! Prince that turns to Frog is a perfect example that no matter how bad and lame and stupid the material is, if it is a rom-com or a light drama, it can still be saved by a good chemistry by the leads, by a good pacing of the scenes and an entertaining way to tell the story or an exciting kind of storytelling. How the low-life con artist female and the cold arrogant male were able to influence and transform each other into better people is interesting and amusing watch :)
How shall I rate it when faced with this facts:
*one of my favorite things to see in any drama are the “jealousy scenes”. here ive seen some of the best!!!
*the “cute” and “sweet” scenes, and I mean those that makes your heart flutter are in abundance in this production,
*that im totally “in like” (as you can see, im still in denial that I love this guy^^) with Ming Dao as Mr. Mean Guy a.k.a. Shan Junmao,
*that I was 100% convinced that Junmao is in love with Tianyu(the hugs, the kisses, the stares and of course, when he is jealous of Zixian …they’re the best!),and
*Tianyu did manage to make me laugh that I was floored on quite a number of times.
*Values and life lessons were also learned in this drama …pride, callousness, arrogance …then there was retribution, a falling out, revenge ..and finally, reconciliation and forgiveness.
the ending just reminded me that I shouldn’t take romantic comedies too seriously that now I think it deserves, at the very least, a 4.5 out of 5 rating.
I vowed to do some sorta “marathon” of maybe 3 dramas in a row in lieu of the fact that I have not seen one in 3 or is it 4 months? So 1 down, 2 more to go…yay!
Next on the line for me is another typical rom-com. No worries, this drama will not get too much beating from me just because the chances of it happening in real life is zero, ‘coz really, im getting quite used to watching this kinda stuff by now. Truth be told, im usually more drawn to this types of dramas than your heavy tearjerkers that does nothing really to make me feel good. So I guess a long lost princess who turns out to be an ordinary college student with a bubbly personality and an interesting character may just be the right choice for me to see at this time. Im just looking for amusement, a good laugh and a large dose of eye candy and I think I just might find it in this drama. Oh, and did I forget to mention that Song Seung-Heon , the male lead here also starred in one of my favorite Korean movies entitled “He Was Cool”? so be warned, my judgement may be clouded with biases again…haha… no, no, I’ll be as objective as I could …promise. AND, I will restrain myself from too much fangirling, here goes…
As early as episode 1, I already like the female lead. Lee Seol is a girl who is passionately enthusiastic about anything and everything, lively and perky and petite and pretty. She can be a tinie winie bit manipulative, a bit mercenary and is a certified motor mouth! The male lead as Park Hae Young is just as I remembered him… he’s not really a bad boy here but his character is as cool as the one in the movie. Is he a friend or a foe to our princess ??? Even before SHE became the princess and HE her public servant teacher, from the very beginning their characters are honest and comfortable with each other and it didn’t change even when she basically became his boss …they act according to who they really are, without pretensions, more often than not, in a funny and amusing way. They can freely say what they want to each other no matter how rude or crude or hurtful or sweet those words maybe. This drama is certainly not lacking in a lot of cute and pa-cute(Filipino slang for trying to be cute) scenes. I will not state them one by one, instead I will leave that for you to discover:) oh ok, here’s some of them from the first few episodes, ‘coz really, there’s tons of them here, one after the other until the end of the series .
*when mom first met Hae Yang and she sent the 2 of them Seol’s room and she fell on top of him, how funny and ackward is that:) *when Seol’s goodbye letter was mistakenly given by the mom in the offerings and the letter was read in the church, embarrassing:) *when she was in an accident and he gave her like a sponge bath and spoon fed her …sweet *when he piggy back the princess and that kissss ..haaaaaaaay… *the confrontation scene between Hae Young and Seol in ep8 is also a highlight of the drama. It shows what a woman’s tears can do to a man’s heart. Its like a weapon that we ladies can use to appeal to man’s sensitive side. *I don’t think I will ever tire seeing those scenes where you see the leads and the never ending love games that they play. You push the one you love away and then worries about them.
Much as I would like to say that everything is good in this drama, there are some scenes where the jokes are not too funny, some actually borders on the absurd and some …trying waaay too hard to be funny and did not succeed in doing so. Some of the jokes worked but im afraid the others didn’t. actually, im all for those lovey-dovey cheesyness in a rom-com, BUT, that too doesn’t work all the time. Im the type who would watch a cheesy romantic scene over and over and over again IF a particular scene works for me but if it doesn’t …there’s always the fast forward button. Im happy to say that in My Princess I didn’t have to use the FF button too often and those “lovey dovey” moments … wooo, Hae Yang can be the sweetest guy even if sometimes its in a brutal sort of way…luveeet :) BUT, the twist in the story about the ancient royal sachet(im totally clueless why it is called a sachet) in the possession of Seol's sister that’s supposed to put a question mark as to who is the real princess is really, and I mean reeeally, a story line that you cannot use at this day and age …hello, this is the 21st century for chrissakes, so all it will take is just 3 letters …DNA testing! Why do they have to let that twist in the story drag on and on and on as if we the viewer in the confines of our homes will not raise the DNA thing right away as we are watching it …why??? And when the DNA thing did FINALLY came up, guess who brought it up… the most naïve of them all… our Princess, that’s who! Even if this is a rom-com and im not suppose to take it too seriously, there are some things that I cannot swallow ….and that is when writers think that WE the viewing public, are a bunch of stupid morons. Hahaha… why do I always let myself get too engrossed in a drama, lolz, I swear there are times I wanted to punch Seol’s sister in her face and do the same thing to Yoon Joo’s “plastic” face specially when they mock Seol …hahaha, I really should put all this pent-up passion to better use instead of here :):):)
That being said, at the very least, this drama did manage to entertain me enough to even get a “slight” violent reaction from me, well it is still a reaction which means it did not bore me to death. On the contrary this drama did manage to convince me that the leads are in love, I saw and felt the warm tight hugs and loving stares and the kisses, lets not forget that:) I laughed at sometimes how silly the exchanges are of both our leads in an adorable sort of way. Its nice that they can oftentimes both find humor in the middle of a very serious situation. I thought the politics of democracy vs monarchy part of the story could have been a good addition that could have added a little bit of credence to an otherwise very weak material. BUT, that was not the direction the writers went. my guess is, they wanted this drama to be a light material. well, i dunno if its ok if it turns out to be too light, that in its "lightness", it just might be blown away from our sights. what saved it is the individual charisma of our leads onscreen, thank god for that! The pacing of the story is also pretty good that I wasn’t bored for long periods of time, which is quite important otherwise a viewer may just reach for that tv remote control and look and find another drama to watch. im happy that our 2 resident villians did not miraculously turn into angels overnight, Seol's sister and Yoon Joo remained villains until the very end, it makes more sense that way. isn’t there a saying that says, “a leopard does not change its spots”, at least this time the writers credited us with a bit of common sense and took us back to reality, Thank You Very Much.
The Princess gets the best in acting in this drama, sorry SSH, I love you more but she was better here. There were some scenes when I felt you wanted to cry but the tears are just not there, tried but failed ...sorry oppa I said I would be fair :) I guess you get more motivation and inspiration when youre doing a serious melodrama or movie huh? I still love you though :)
The worst thing that happened in this drama …the very nice and upright professor still in love with the very cold and sinister b*tch even after everything that has happened. Some girls are sooo lucky and some men are sooo dumb. The worst thing that could happen to any man is to fall seriously in love with the wrong chick! Those that will bring you nothing but trouble for the rest of your life. Really professor, youre suppose to be a smart guy, what are you thinking? Haizz…
The best thing that happened in this drama …THE LAST TWO EPISODES …2 whole episodes to tie up the loose ends and more importantly for our leads, more time to play and flirt and goof around and be sweety-sweety together minus the stresses AND a glimpse at the future for our diplomat and princess… uber cuteness overload! kdramas are notoriously known for their bad endings, so, yay for this one:):):)
As for this drama's rating, for the first 14 episodes 4 out of 5. and for episodes 15 and 16(final), i'll give it a 4.5 out of 5. AND for something rarely seen on kdramas, a solid 5 for the last "real" smooch.
because this is basically the premise of this drama, let me open this review by asking you to answer Mary's famous line in this drama, “what’s more important between Trust, Hope and Love? … No, not love, its LOYALTY!”.
Owww Kay…because of my prolonged hiatus from watching asian dramas lately, my sister saw ”Mary…” before I did and she gave this drama a “thumbs down”, WHAT?!?!?! Was it a case of too “high” expectations? We really shouldn’t do that, its like setting ourselves for a big disappointment more often than not. anyhoo, I have to admit, my excitement was quite dampened by that vote of no-confidence by my sister, BUT, how can I turn my back on JGS in all his cuteness and not even give this drama a chance. SO, on the strength of JGS’s good looks alone, I gave in to the shallow fangirl part of me(which I think, is the bigger part of me, haha) and ive decided to go ahead and at least feast my eyes on him. Welll, I didn’t have to wait long to satisfy my cravings, there he is on the 1st episode, looking oh sooo cool in his bohemian/rockstar character, I like, like, like :) MGY on the other hand, is the classic poor, coarse but with just the right amount of spunk in her character with a useless pain the neck father that you often find in a korean drama heroine. Mae Ri(sounds like Mary, hence the title) is poles apart from MGY’s last role in Cinderella Sister which I absolutely adore so how I will take her in this role is still a big question mark. Truth be told, because ive always liked JGS and MGY, no matter what roles they portray, I don’t think I’ll ever hate ‘em, that’s just how it is with me, welll, usually. So, lets see if this drama can hold my interest beyond the eye candy…
The story was made clear to me by episode 2. as far as im concerned, characterization wise, it is perfect, it has all the right ingredients ...welll, except for a major thrust in the story. and that is ...if there’s one thing so totally stupid in the plot it’s the 100 day and the “living together, one day here, one day there” deal, is it that simple??? Cant those “brilliant “ writers think of a more believable twist in the plot than that??? who in his/her right mind would agree to something like that when there are no sure guarantees for all parties involved??? What can I say, this could only happen in a drama. Ok, I’ll let it rest, I will let that slide ‘coz THIS, is a rom-com. If I want some literary piece, I’ll set my sights elsewhere. Anyway, I’d rather write about the leads now ‘coz im beginning to really like them and im only on ep5 as im writing this part of the review…
What i like about this drama … *the storyline that involves Moo Kyul and his young mother and that whole twisted mother and son dysfunctional connection in the drama fits in perfectly with the story. Im sooo digging the immature young mom and the sensible but sometimes cynical young son relationship, its actually beautiful to me even if the mom is more often than not a real pain. A parent acting like a dependent child and the child being responsible for the parent … well, it does happen sometimes even in real life. I just love, love, love that confrontation scene between the two of them, when the son finally lost his cool and said a mouthful to his mom after the she pawned Mary’s ring.
* I also like it that the “other man” and the “other woman” in this drama are not hateful evil characters. They actually portrayed their roles well and are pretty likeable. Mary described the second male lead as “exasperatingly polite”. An apt description. He is handsomely refined and classy and of course, rich. And yet, the girl fell for the free-spirited struggling musician who doesn’t live by the rules and who spells “trouble” from all sides…haay, don’t I always say, the “bad boys” always get the ladies in the end no matter how difficult it is to be with one, what with their erratic behaviour and all that. I have seen the second female in previous productions and have always liked her cool relaxed acting style. I can smell a pro when I see one. I dunno if I should commiserate with her character here …the poor girl who cant let go of somebody who doesn’t love her back …between a man/woman relationship, is there anything more pitiful than that? actually, in this drama, her unrequitted love is sometimes more pathetic than pitiful.
* how the two men got to hang out and be buddy-buddy in a crooked sorta way in the last maybe 15 minutes of the last episode is nice and pretty amusing despite it being quite impossible to happen in real life, but what the heck, this is a tv drama after all.
Much as I love both leads here, I cannot close my eyes to the weakness of the material that they had to work with. The first few episodes are ok but by episode 7, my brains are blurring whatever eye candy is in there to attract me in this drama in the first place. it is indeed true that physical beauty is only skin deep, its what’s inside that could hold my interest in the long run. Even if there are some pretty absurd twists in this drama, it could have been saved by a good storytelling. Unfortunately, there was no consistency here. There are parts in the middle of the drama where it became stale, boring, dragging …i, i, i couldn’t write a thing to add to the review at some point. Just to give you an idea as to how I gauge how bad or how good a drama is, usually, if what im seeing on screen is sooo good, I couldn’t wait to write it down, in the same manner that when its sooo bad, I also couldn’t wait to write about it. Here, I was maybe excited to write until about episode 6 after that I realize it is already episode 9 and I have nothing left to say. So I guess you can say, its not that good and its also not that bad, which is also …NOT a good thing. Anyway, it happily picked up a notch by ep10, and I now know the reason behind the slack in the previous episodes …it veered away from its original intent, ‘coz in ep10, it went backto its roots … to being a light rom-com! The story was cruising along just fine until that whole kidnapping fiasco that came out of nowhere. Why oh why do writers resort to this kind of cheap sub plots before a drama ends? Did they think we will be looking forward to it that’s why its reserved for the latter part of a drama, like some sort of a highlight? NOT!!!
*The best thing about this drama ...THE LAST 15 MINUTES OF THE LAST EPISODE of this drama should have been how the entire production should have been styled …romantic, quirky, unconventional, funny …haaay, if only this was the direction taken on the entire 16 episode production …if only…
*The worst thing about this drama ...the total lack of coherence on the storytelling. no clear direction, you dont know where the h*ll the director is taking it next! there are some pretty good scenes and yet they were not put together is a way that makes it more exciting, hence a finished product with a lack of connection, illogical, inconsistent, sabog(scattered). just when you think the are on to something, it falls short ...and i guess next worst thing is the waste of talent(MGY & JGS) specially when their characters seems pretty interesting.
Welll … was my sister right when she gave this drama a thumbs down? yes and no. were my expectations met? thumbs down. but, I was after all STILL in most parts, entertained by it so, i would STILL recommend it with the warning ...dont expect too much from this drama. lemme go back to how I would rate the success of a rom-com as far as “i” am concerned:
*MGY is the hands down best in acting in this drama ...sorry JGSsshi, please be comforted by the fact that youre still by far, prettier than MGY. a statement that im sure she will not disagree with :)
*did this drama make me laugh? …again I’ll be generous and give it a 3 out of 5.
*Did I fall in love with the love team? …I already love them individually before this drama even surfaced in the writer’s imagination, but together as a screen couple I’d be generous because IM OPENLY BIASED(just so everybody knows..haha)and give them a 4 out of 5.
…so please do the math to get the average, Thank You Very Much ^^
*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…
*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…
*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
