The Giant Monster Drama Post
Mar. 11th, 2009 10:53 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
timerippleMonths ago I promised ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
cadragongirl I'd post some comments on Delightful Girl Choon-Hyang. I never quite got around to it, but here's a (hopefully) complete history of my drama-viewing activities with comments. (The dates in parenthesis refer to the broadcast date, not the year in which I watched the show. It's been about a year since I started watching these, in case anybody wondered. The lists are organized by country, and then by approximate date of viewing.)
TWdramas (I don’t watch as many of these because they tend to be realllllllllly long and weepy, and frequently have no cinematographers.)
Meteor Garden (2001, Barbie Xu, Jerry Yan, Vic Zhou, Ken Zhu, Vanness Wu) (and the first and last episodes of Meteor Garden 2 (2002), although I’ve heard the middle is totally unnecessary, so I probably won’t be watching the rest): This is the Taiwanese version of the manga and anime Hana Yori Dango. It predates the Japanese adaptation by quite a few years; a Korean version is currently airing.
Devil Beside You (2005, Mike He, Rainie Yang): Loads of pseudosibling incest, if you’re into that kind of thing or have to write a paper about it or whatever. Has a really good theme song.
Fated to Love You (2008, Chen Quiao En, Ethan Ruan, Baron Chen, Bianca Bai): The first epidode is kind of... erm, graphic, with some really unsubtle imagery, and then the rest is a weepfest filled with stupidity.
Kdramas (Kdramas are notoriously weepy and filled with things like angst, terminal illnesses, and incest, but so far I seem to have mostly avoided those.)
Coffee Prince (2007, Yoon Eun Hye, Gong Yoo, Lee Sun Gyun, Chae Jung Ahn): Genderbending antics, with coffee!
Delightful Girl Choon Hyang (2005, Han Chae Young, Jae Hee, Uhm Tae Woong, Park Shi Eun): Sadly, ep 10 or so was malfunctioning, so I never saw the part where Choon-Hyang apparently admits her love for Mong-Ryong. But the end was awesome. Seriously, I sat up and said aloud, "WHAT?! When did Mong-Ryong get that awesome?! MORE PLZ."
The Legend (aka The Four Gods, aka several other things by all accounts) (2007, Bae Yong Joon, Lee Ji Ah, Moon So Ri, Yoon Tae Young, and a Cast of Thousands): EPIC. AND AWESOME. AND EPIC.
Jdramas (These tend to be shorter, so there’s less time for ridiculously drawn-out pointless angst, although you’d be amazed at what some of these manage.)
Hana Yori Dango (aka Hanadan or HYD) 1 (2005, Inoue Mao, Matsumoto Jun, Oguri Shun, Matsuda Shota, Abe Tsuyoshi), 2 (2007) & movie (2008): A classic.
Hanazakari no Kimitachi e (aka Hana Kimi) (2007, Horikita Maki, Oguri Shun, Ikuta Toma): CRACK. UTTER CRACK. And cross-dressing. My love for Nakatsu (and consequently for the actor portraying him) is true and undying.
Gokusen 1 (2002, Nakama Yukie, Matsumoto Jun) & 2 (2005, Nakama Yukie, Akanishi Jin, Kamenashi Kazuya): I haven’t been able to watch 3 (2008) yet-- there’s only so much of the exact same show a person can take in a given time span. 1 and 2 are very enjoyable individually; it's just that they're identical in almost every respect.
Honey and Clover (2008, Ikuta Toma, Narumi Riko): WOOBIEFACE TOMA. The first scene is stunningly gorgeous (see my icon); the rest of the drama is pretty good too. I cried fairly often.
Akihabara@Deep (2006, Kazama Shunsuke, Ikuta Toma): Has its moments, but not one of my favorites.
Attention Please (2006, Ueto Aya, Nishikido Ryo, Maya Miki): Fairly dumb, but I still enjoyed it. I have lots of appreciation for airplane safety now.
Nobuta wo Produce (2005, Horikita Maki, Kamenashi Kazuya, Yamashita Tomohisa): I tend to forget that I liked this one a lot. A LOT.
Kurosagi (2006, Horikita Maki, Yamashita Tomohisa): One of my favorites, although the first episode is probably the best. I felt that the movie wasn't as good, sadly.
Anego (2005, Shinohara Ryoko, Akanishi Jin): Another one that I tend to forget how much I liked it at the time. It has one of the more satisfying endings.
Dragon Zakura (2005, Abe Hiroshi, Nagasawa Masami): Featuring Yamapi's crazy hair and the most addictive theme song ever.
Proposal Daisakusen (2007, Nagasawa Masami, Yamashita Tomohisa): Incredibly stupid. I ffwded through most of it.
Ganbatte Ikimasshoi! (2005, Suzuki Anne, Nishikido Ryo): A drama about crew! I skipped most of the middle, and got very confused when Uchi Hiroki’s character was suddenly played by Taguchi Junnosuke. I decided it must have been a different character, only to look it up, and behold, there was in fact an actor switch.
Ryuusei no Kizuna (2008, Toda Erika, Ninomiya Kazunari, Nishikido Ryo): This show is a failed attempt to combine tear-jerker murder mystery drama with comical swindling antics. It should've stuck with one or the other. Featuring halfhearted but hilarious pseudosibling incest (I mention this as a point of academic curiosity. No, really). I have a pet theory that somebody had Ikuta Toma in mind for the role played by Nishikido Ryo, but he'd already agreed to do Maou for that season. Highlights of glorious cracktasticity include episodes 1, 6 and 8.
Kimi wa Petto (2003, Koyuki, Matsumoto Jun): Very good. I felt the need to write an essay on the power politics and cultural climates.
Zettai Kareshi (2008, Aibu Saki, Hayami Mokomichi, Mizushima Hiro): In which there are robot boyfriend shenanigans and cream puffs! I sobbed my way through the entire finale, though.
Long Love Letter (2002, Tokiwa Takako, Kubozuka Yosuke): Not so much full of crack as full of Bad Science. But cute, and I think I spied some environmentalism in there somewhere.
Sailor Fuku to Kikanjuu (2006, Nagasawa Masami, Tsutsumi Shinichi): Starts out awesomely hilarious and spirals into angst and tragedy.
1 Litre of Tears (2005, Sawajiri Erika, Nishikido Ryo): I started this one last year, couldn’t take the utter depressingness, and finished recently by skipping through the rest of the episodes. XD I’ll say this much: Ryo really plays to his strengths here. (Meaning, he spends a lot of time looking angsty and heartbroken. I think he cries more than anybody else in the entire show.) The special is a good way to get all the highlights without watching the rest of the series. I compared it to What Katy Did a while ago, but that’s not really fair. The girl doesn’t submit and become an insufferable goody-goody; she fights her terminal disease every step of the way, and has a hell of a tragic backbone: she sends away a beautifully angsty Ryo because they have no future together and she can’t bear to be in his presence because he reminds her that she has no future, and it's really sad and OOH LAB COATS. LAB COATS ARE HOT.
...
Where was I? Oh yes.
One Pound no Fukuin (2008, Kamenashi Kazuya, Kuroki Meisa): In which Kame is surprisingly likeable as a Rumiko Takahashi sports manga hero. (Usually I find him kind of repellent.) Full of people Unclear On The Concept of nunnery. Thanks to this drama I now have a Comparative Theory of Attractiveness based on Kame, Ryo, and D.G. Rosetti's "Proserpina".
No, really, I do.
Nodame Cantabile (2006, Ueno Juri, Tamaki Hiroshi): Most Recently Watched. It is AWESOME and full of crack and rock violin and classical music and did I mention the satisfying ending? BOTH OF THEM?! The series ending was so satisfying that I couldn't bring myself to watch the two specials for a few days. But they ended well too. I KNOW. I CAN'T BELIEVE IT EITHER.
Unfinished (all jdramas)
My Boss My Hero
Byakkotai
Shissou
Hanayome to Papa
Kamen Rider Kiva
Neverland
Tatta Hitotsu no Koi (2006, Kamenashi Kazuya, Ayase Haruka): I downloaded the first few episodes to watch over Christmas, and lost interest pretty fast. Although I think somebody is a big fan of Baz Luhrman’s Romeo + Juliet fish tank scene.
Code Blue (2008, Yamashita Tomohisa, Aragaki Yui, Toda Erika, Asari Yosuke): I watched the first ep, and it didn’t really appeal to me. Neither did Yamapi’s perm. Seriously, some people were just not meant to have perms, ever. Even the lab coats couldn't keep me interested.
Scrap Teacher (2008, Nakajima Yuto, Yamada Ryosuke, Chinen Yuri, Arioka Daiki): I lost interest after a few episodes, although those were pretty cracktastic and I liked the pseudo-Irish-jig theme music o’ triumph. The fight scene in 3 is great and full of hilarity, and contains a reference to Gokusen.
Last Friends (2008, Nagasawa Masami, Nishikido Ryo, Ueno Juri): I watched the first episode and decided I couldn’t/didn't want to take the angst.
Maou (2008, Ohno Satoshi, Ikuta Toma): I love Toma, as you may have noticed, but I got tired of his shouty angst after a few episodes. I'll probably finish it at some point, though.
Currently Watching
MARS (2004, Barbie Xu, Vic Zhou): Oncadragongirl's recommendation. I'm only a few episodes in, so I haven't really formed an opinion yet.
Boys Before Flowers (2009, Koo Hye Sun, Lee Min Ho, Kim Hyun Joong, Kim Bum, Kim Joon) (aka Hanadan-K): I've watched bits of this one but kind of lost interest, really. There’s only so many interpretations of HYD a person can take. Mostly I've been reading other people's recaps.
Uta no Oniisan (2009, Ohno Satoshi): In progress. Because everyone enjoys Ohno’s pain far too much.
Voice (2009, Eita, Ikuta Toma, Ishihara Satomi) In progress. Lab coats again. Kind of a cross between a medical drama and Ghost Whisperer, only with less Jennifer Love Hewitt and more Toma running around helping investigate things. Lab coats + Toma = WIN.
I apologize for not including summaries, but that would take days to put together! If you'd like me to elaborate on plot/actors/opinions for any of these dramas, I'd be happy to do so in the comments.
cadragongirl I'd post some comments on Delightful Girl Choon-Hyang. I never quite got around to it, but here's a (hopefully) complete history of my drama-viewing activities with comments. (The dates in parenthesis refer to the broadcast date, not the year in which I watched the show. It's been about a year since I started watching these, in case anybody wondered. The lists are organized by country, and then by approximate date of viewing.)TWdramas (I don’t watch as many of these because they tend to be realllllllllly long and weepy, and frequently have no cinematographers.)
Meteor Garden (2001, Barbie Xu, Jerry Yan, Vic Zhou, Ken Zhu, Vanness Wu) (and the first and last episodes of Meteor Garden 2 (2002), although I’ve heard the middle is totally unnecessary, so I probably won’t be watching the rest): This is the Taiwanese version of the manga and anime Hana Yori Dango. It predates the Japanese adaptation by quite a few years; a Korean version is currently airing.
Devil Beside You (2005, Mike He, Rainie Yang): Loads of pseudosibling incest, if you’re into that kind of thing or have to write a paper about it or whatever. Has a really good theme song.
Fated to Love You (2008, Chen Quiao En, Ethan Ruan, Baron Chen, Bianca Bai): The first epidode is kind of... erm, graphic, with some really unsubtle imagery, and then the rest is a weepfest filled with stupidity.
Kdramas (Kdramas are notoriously weepy and filled with things like angst, terminal illnesses, and incest, but so far I seem to have mostly avoided those.)
Coffee Prince (2007, Yoon Eun Hye, Gong Yoo, Lee Sun Gyun, Chae Jung Ahn): Genderbending antics, with coffee!
Delightful Girl Choon Hyang (2005, Han Chae Young, Jae Hee, Uhm Tae Woong, Park Shi Eun): Sadly, ep 10 or so was malfunctioning, so I never saw the part where Choon-Hyang apparently admits her love for Mong-Ryong. But the end was awesome. Seriously, I sat up and said aloud, "WHAT?! When did Mong-Ryong get that awesome?! MORE PLZ."
The Legend (aka The Four Gods, aka several other things by all accounts) (2007, Bae Yong Joon, Lee Ji Ah, Moon So Ri, Yoon Tae Young, and a Cast of Thousands): EPIC. AND AWESOME. AND EPIC.
Jdramas (These tend to be shorter, so there’s less time for ridiculously drawn-out pointless angst, although you’d be amazed at what some of these manage.)
Hana Yori Dango (aka Hanadan or HYD) 1 (2005, Inoue Mao, Matsumoto Jun, Oguri Shun, Matsuda Shota, Abe Tsuyoshi), 2 (2007) & movie (2008): A classic.
Hanazakari no Kimitachi e (aka Hana Kimi) (2007, Horikita Maki, Oguri Shun, Ikuta Toma): CRACK. UTTER CRACK. And cross-dressing. My love for Nakatsu (and consequently for the actor portraying him) is true and undying.
Gokusen 1 (2002, Nakama Yukie, Matsumoto Jun) & 2 (2005, Nakama Yukie, Akanishi Jin, Kamenashi Kazuya): I haven’t been able to watch 3 (2008) yet-- there’s only so much of the exact same show a person can take in a given time span. 1 and 2 are very enjoyable individually; it's just that they're identical in almost every respect.
Honey and Clover (2008, Ikuta Toma, Narumi Riko): WOOBIEFACE TOMA. The first scene is stunningly gorgeous (see my icon); the rest of the drama is pretty good too. I cried fairly often.
Akihabara@Deep (2006, Kazama Shunsuke, Ikuta Toma): Has its moments, but not one of my favorites.
Attention Please (2006, Ueto Aya, Nishikido Ryo, Maya Miki): Fairly dumb, but I still enjoyed it. I have lots of appreciation for airplane safety now.
Nobuta wo Produce (2005, Horikita Maki, Kamenashi Kazuya, Yamashita Tomohisa): I tend to forget that I liked this one a lot. A LOT.
Kurosagi (2006, Horikita Maki, Yamashita Tomohisa): One of my favorites, although the first episode is probably the best. I felt that the movie wasn't as good, sadly.
Anego (2005, Shinohara Ryoko, Akanishi Jin): Another one that I tend to forget how much I liked it at the time. It has one of the more satisfying endings.
Dragon Zakura (2005, Abe Hiroshi, Nagasawa Masami): Featuring Yamapi's crazy hair and the most addictive theme song ever.
Proposal Daisakusen (2007, Nagasawa Masami, Yamashita Tomohisa): Incredibly stupid. I ffwded through most of it.
Ganbatte Ikimasshoi! (2005, Suzuki Anne, Nishikido Ryo): A drama about crew! I skipped most of the middle, and got very confused when Uchi Hiroki’s character was suddenly played by Taguchi Junnosuke. I decided it must have been a different character, only to look it up, and behold, there was in fact an actor switch.
Ryuusei no Kizuna (2008, Toda Erika, Ninomiya Kazunari, Nishikido Ryo): This show is a failed attempt to combine tear-jerker murder mystery drama with comical swindling antics. It should've stuck with one or the other. Featuring halfhearted but hilarious pseudosibling incest (I mention this as a point of academic curiosity. No, really). I have a pet theory that somebody had Ikuta Toma in mind for the role played by Nishikido Ryo, but he'd already agreed to do Maou for that season. Highlights of glorious cracktasticity include episodes 1, 6 and 8.
Kimi wa Petto (2003, Koyuki, Matsumoto Jun): Very good. I felt the need to write an essay on the power politics and cultural climates.
Zettai Kareshi (2008, Aibu Saki, Hayami Mokomichi, Mizushima Hiro): In which there are robot boyfriend shenanigans and cream puffs! I sobbed my way through the entire finale, though.
Long Love Letter (2002, Tokiwa Takako, Kubozuka Yosuke): Not so much full of crack as full of Bad Science. But cute, and I think I spied some environmentalism in there somewhere.
Sailor Fuku to Kikanjuu (2006, Nagasawa Masami, Tsutsumi Shinichi): Starts out awesomely hilarious and spirals into angst and tragedy.
1 Litre of Tears (2005, Sawajiri Erika, Nishikido Ryo): I started this one last year, couldn’t take the utter depressingness, and finished recently by skipping through the rest of the episodes. XD I’ll say this much: Ryo really plays to his strengths here. (Meaning, he spends a lot of time looking angsty and heartbroken. I think he cries more than anybody else in the entire show.) The special is a good way to get all the highlights without watching the rest of the series. I compared it to What Katy Did a while ago, but that’s not really fair. The girl doesn’t submit and become an insufferable goody-goody; she fights her terminal disease every step of the way, and has a hell of a tragic backbone: she sends away a beautifully angsty Ryo because they have no future together and she can’t bear to be in his presence because he reminds her that she has no future, and it's really sad and OOH LAB COATS. LAB COATS ARE HOT.
...
Where was I? Oh yes.
One Pound no Fukuin (2008, Kamenashi Kazuya, Kuroki Meisa): In which Kame is surprisingly likeable as a Rumiko Takahashi sports manga hero. (Usually I find him kind of repellent.) Full of people Unclear On The Concept of nunnery. Thanks to this drama I now have a Comparative Theory of Attractiveness based on Kame, Ryo, and D.G. Rosetti's "Proserpina".
No, really, I do.
Nodame Cantabile (2006, Ueno Juri, Tamaki Hiroshi): Most Recently Watched. It is AWESOME and full of crack and rock violin and classical music and did I mention the satisfying ending? BOTH OF THEM?! The series ending was so satisfying that I couldn't bring myself to watch the two specials for a few days. But they ended well too. I KNOW. I CAN'T BELIEVE IT EITHER.
Unfinished (all jdramas)
My Boss My Hero
Byakkotai
Shissou
Hanayome to Papa
Kamen Rider Kiva
Neverland
Tatta Hitotsu no Koi (2006, Kamenashi Kazuya, Ayase Haruka): I downloaded the first few episodes to watch over Christmas, and lost interest pretty fast. Although I think somebody is a big fan of Baz Luhrman’s Romeo + Juliet fish tank scene.
Code Blue (2008, Yamashita Tomohisa, Aragaki Yui, Toda Erika, Asari Yosuke): I watched the first ep, and it didn’t really appeal to me. Neither did Yamapi’s perm. Seriously, some people were just not meant to have perms, ever. Even the lab coats couldn't keep me interested.
Scrap Teacher (2008, Nakajima Yuto, Yamada Ryosuke, Chinen Yuri, Arioka Daiki): I lost interest after a few episodes, although those were pretty cracktastic and I liked the pseudo-Irish-jig theme music o’ triumph. The fight scene in 3 is great and full of hilarity, and contains a reference to Gokusen.
Last Friends (2008, Nagasawa Masami, Nishikido Ryo, Ueno Juri): I watched the first episode and decided I couldn’t/didn't want to take the angst.
Maou (2008, Ohno Satoshi, Ikuta Toma): I love Toma, as you may have noticed, but I got tired of his shouty angst after a few episodes. I'll probably finish it at some point, though.
Currently Watching
MARS (2004, Barbie Xu, Vic Zhou): On
cadragongirl's recommendation. I'm only a few episodes in, so I haven't really formed an opinion yet.Boys Before Flowers (2009, Koo Hye Sun, Lee Min Ho, Kim Hyun Joong, Kim Bum, Kim Joon) (aka Hanadan-K): I've watched bits of this one but kind of lost interest, really. There’s only so many interpretations of HYD a person can take. Mostly I've been reading other people's recaps.
Uta no Oniisan (2009, Ohno Satoshi): In progress. Because everyone enjoys Ohno’s pain far too much.
Voice (2009, Eita, Ikuta Toma, Ishihara Satomi) In progress. Lab coats again. Kind of a cross between a medical drama and Ghost Whisperer, only with less Jennifer Love Hewitt and more Toma running around helping investigate things. Lab coats + Toma = WIN.
I apologize for not including summaries, but that would take days to put together! If you'd like me to elaborate on plot/actors/opinions for any of these dramas, I'd be happy to do so in the comments.
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Date: 2009-03-18 02:29 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-03-18 03:00 am (UTC)