Reviews

A drama about a teenager who moves in with the father she didn't know existed until after her mother passed away.

This is a Japanese drama from 2003 but it looks a lot older because of the poor cinematography quality, which is very grainy and faded.

Ueto Aya is cute as the sassy teenager who has to deal with a father who is reckless and very childish. Kitamura Kazuki plays the father, a private investigator who seems a bit seedy. The two have good chemistry.

The plot was decent but my complaint: not enough father and daughter interaction. There was a lot of time spent on the side characters and it got annoying after a while.

Also, I didn't find the subbed last episode so lack of closure for me.

Leia Mais

I watched this drama because it had Fukuda Saki leading, one of my favorite actresses in Japan.

An interesting drama that looks at intersexuals in Japan. In that sense, this drama is quite informative as it teaches the viewers about IS and it allows viewers to see life through their eyes.

The story line regarding the other IS girl was a bit exaggerated for me, with her mother acting all oppressive and psychotic and the resolution was a bit of a letdown.

I would have liked more interactions between Haru and her senpai. But Haru's family was quite lovely and heartwarming.

A good drama that is socially relevant and interesting.

Leia Mais

Watched this drama because I am a Tanaka Misako fan. And she was her usual lovely and bubbly self in this family drama about a family in which the mother, a recent widow, realizes that she is pregnant despite being 50 years old.

Overall, the drama was interesting and informative, especially regarding pregnancies that occur when the women is 40+. I did feel that the drama came off as a bit pro-choice at first, which makes sense in a country like Japan, with such a slow and low birth rate.

Some shoddy acting here and there made me slightly annoyed but it was all forgiven once the super adorable baby was born.

A good drama. Not the best but it addresses a socially relevant issue: older age mothers in society and the issues that come along with them.

Leia Mais

The Princess’s Man was one of my picks for best dramas of 2011. It checked off all the boxes: Great acting. Great plot. Great cinematography. Great chemistry.

The drama’s greatest strengths are its cast and well-written characters.

Moon Chae Won was utter gorgeousness in hanbok. Her character, SeRyung, was inspiring as a woman in Joseon Korea full of integrity, strength, and grace.
Park Shi Hoo demonstrated his acting has improved leaps and bounds but I do wonder what a better actor would have done with his role of Seung Yoo.

The secondary love story between the ex-Princess and her arranged husband was predictable yet so tender and lovely. Hong Soo Hyun is someone that I will be looking out for.
Also, Prince Soo Yang, Se Ryung's father was my favorite character. Terrific acting from him as well, in fact, the highlight of the show. He was not a black and white villain but an intricately written one with many shades of gray that made him stand high above the other characters, who are great in their own right.

Highly recommended period drama that is a great love story and that realistically depicts family life, friendship and the loss of innocence in Joseon Korea.

Leia Mais

A houswife whose life revolves around her not-so-interested husband, has the chance to grow and blossom as she becomes a private detective.

I adore this drama. Serina, Jinnai and all the other characters are 3 dimensional people with a lot of heart. The mysteries themselves aren't mind blowing but the character growth and interactions are.

It's also amusing to watch. And Fukada Kyoko is fabulous as the obsessive and clingy Serina who likes to don disguises while she does her undercover work.

The highlight of the show was the interactions between Serina and Jinnai, her boss at the detective agency. They were so cute and funny together.

A good drama. Recommended.

Leia Mais

Fukada Saki looked amazing in this drama. Tattoos, cropped blonde hair and a permanent glare. She was also the most compelling character in the drama.

The plot revolved around illegal Chinese residents in Japan and the drug trade that occurs in the Chinese ghettos of Japan. It would have been nice to hear some dialogue about the social issues behind the illegal residents of Japan but the drama doesn't go that deep.

Interesting plot lines and characters but the execution came off as lacking. Some more depth to the characters, both lead and supporting would have made this drama a better watch.

The side characters did not experience as much character growth as I would have liked and the ending was too abrupt for me.

A good drama with interesting plot and characters but lacks depth.

Leia Mais

Fluffy fun. But not my cup of tea.

Kim Tae Hee had uber good chemistry with the attractive Song Seung Heon. Wow. What a good looking pair, with tons of chemistry.

The plot was fun and cheesy and cute. Nothing too meaningful or extraordinary. And highly predictable.But that's fine, because what is done in terms of the romantic comedy aspects, is done well.

The whole monarchy of Korea story line could have been handled in a much more sensible and engaging manner. Many times, throughout the series, I had to ask myself "Why should I care about this whole monarchy story line?". And then I fast forward-ed my way through to the next scene.

Recommended for those who want to watch a lighthearted rom-com with lots of pretty couple chemistry.

Leia Mais

I found Drunken to Love You hilarious as heck and refreshing.

What really worked for this drama was the peppy chemistry between Joseph Chang and Rainie Yang.

Also, side-note: Rainie totally rocked her short hair after having long tresses for years! Some good acting from Rainie : her crying scenes are absolutely wonderful.

Joseph's Song Jie Xiu really won my heart. Because he was not just another self-absorbed pretty-boy (I find Joseph to be more manly in appearance/vibe than most Taiwanese actors) . He was interesting and perceptive. He was actually aware of the feelings of the people around him. He fell in love with Lin Xiao Ru (female lead played by Rainie) FIRST (refreshing!) and pursued her kindly and patiently.

The side characters were also tons of fun. Samantha (Song Jie Xiu's mother), Xiao Ru's pregnant best friend, Jie Xu's assistant ... were all quite funny.
The story lines with the secondary romantic interests were unbelievable and unnecessary and the drama would have been better without it.

Not a perfect drama ... some of the plot faltered in the second half but still good, funny, sweet stuff.

Leia Mais

Much appreciation to Korean cable companies for not playing it safe.

STORY AND ACTING/CAST -
Want to see a heroine in a Korean drama who can kick butt and take names? Watch this drama.

Han Groo is impressive and charismatic as the female lead who was trained as an assassin once her mother is killed in front of her very eyes. She never acts cute or pretty or stupid (It's freaking refreshing).

The drama stands out to me because it is 3 episodes of slick fight sequences and good cinematography and devilish villains played to perfection.

LAST THOUGHTS
A great watch for those craving a short and gritty drama with tons of action.
And a word of caution: the drama does have a lot of violent and sexual sequences as well.

Leia Mais

STORY-
The plot from Asuko March reminded me of a harem manga/ anime.
A girl (Takei Emi) enters an all-boys technical high school. Even though there were the designated male lead and the secondary male characters, I felt like Takei could have been paired up with any guy at her school and it would have made some sort of sense.

In terms of plot, the drama is quite generic and predictable. Some unexpected twists and turns would have been appreciated.

ACTING/CAST-
Takei Emi, who played the main character, is quite pretty. But her acting seems to be a bit lacking (flat) but I will forgive her since she is just a newbie at acting.

The male lead wasn't my cup of tea. Yes, he was charming and handsome but I wasn't interested. So by the end of the drama, I was a bit disgruntled that Kaku Kento (the secondary male) wasn't going to get much love, as I found him more engaging and fun. I was seriously rooting for his character throughout the entire drama. Sigh.

Overall, an okay drama. It is quite watchable but it is nothing brilliant or groundbreaking either.

Leia Mais

This movie was amazing! You grow to become attached to all of the characters, and the ending is sad but empowering. It's an excellent mix of comedy,realism and an after taste of the darker side of society, tearful moments. A little girl looking for a father she has never known, a petty criminal who never knew he had a daughter, and an orphanage worker dealing with her own pain by helping children. Each finds something they never dreamed of, and fill an emptiness in each other. Filled with odd twists, some heart warming moments and tragedy at a moment of triumph, yet again things are destined to come together do comes together at the end. If you take aside the bittersweet ending, this film can show to anyone who wants to see the goodness in people come out despite having been forgotten it's a really good choice to watch it .The little girl is adorable, with her acting his so real that it makes you tear up even more when come the moment to part. It a good movie for a coming of age, it's well thought, cute, funny and suspenseful, but definitely a tear jerker.

Leia Mais

To be honest, it seemed like this drama was a vehicle for Kim Tae Hee in Japan, after her success in "My Princess". The plot was nothing unique neither was it executed amazingly. The plot is quite simple: A Hallyu actress falls in love with her bodyguard while in Japan.

Nishijima Hidetoshi is a lovely actor but there wasn't that much that he could really do with his role. Kim Tae Hee was adorable but her Japanese dialogue did seem to be a bit repetitive after a while.

For me the highlight of the drama was Sasaki Kuranosuke's character. He was hilarious as the actor with a hidden complex who views Nishijima as both his rival and his friend. The bromancey scenes were my favorite ones.

Also, I really loved "Superman" by Crystal Kay ... it's such a sweet song and totally fits the drama.

Honestly, this drama played it quite safe. It didn't really look at the social issues (and tensions) between South Korea and Japan. It would have been nice to see some dialogue about the Hallyu wave as well.

"Boku to Star ..." may be a predictable drama but it is still fluffy and cute.

Leia Mais

Drama was really close to the manga, including the [hilarious] moments that were acted out very well. I thoroughly enjoyed this drama, though I've partly read the manga and watched the anime. Usually with manga adaptations, the director/producer/screenwriter end up ruining a [usually] already not-that-great manga. This didn't happen here and I was very impressed and pleased.

It's very silly, but it has a solid, original storyline that's worth following. I'd recommend this drama if you're looking to have a good laugh but don't want to feel your IQ draining out of your ears watching cheese crack dramas.

[Edit, I've already written a (different) review of this on my blog (linked below). If you want a little more of my thoughts than this review here, feel free to check. But the review here on MDL should be enough otherwise. :)]

http://moosea.blogspot.com/2012/01/review-ouran-high-school-host-club-live.html

Leia Mais