YAY! I’m in love!!! (again!?) ^_________^ But before we get into that, let’s briefly review some terebi doramas I’ve seen recently… ne?
First on the list is the 2004 korean drama series LOVE STORY IN HARVARD starring Kim Rae Won (Attic Cat) and the angelic Kim Tae Hee (Staiway To Heaven).
SYNOPSIS:
This drama revolves around two intelligent Harvard law students (Kim Rae Won and Lee Jung Jin) fighting for the love of one beautiful and kind-hearted med student from the same prestigious university (Kim Tae Hee). The three characters became separated but eventually meet once again in Korea after many years and their lives get entangled in a more complex web which puts their personal beliefs and relationships to the test.
COMMENTS:
I think I first read about this series in the web last year, and I was even able to download a small TV ad, and it made me really excited, because hey, it’s KIM RAE WON! Even though he’s not exactly on my list of most favorite bishies, still I have a soft spot for this charming guy with tousled hair and boyish grin. Hehehe And since Ate Yeyen loves him a lot, then I should also support him, ne??? (so that Ate Yeyen will keep letting me borrow her CDs, nyahahaha J/K). Anyway, storywise, I found the first half of the series quite entertaining but lost much interest in the latter half. The first half was kilig with a bit of a new concept, but I found the plot in the latter half a bit dragging and typical of korean TV dramas. But perhaps I didn’t really pay much attention to it that’s why I’m not so positive about it. I definitely do not discourage anyone from watching this, because each one of us are affected by dramas in our own ways, and for my mom and cousin, they absolutely love Love Story In Harvard! My mom is even clamoring that I should get a copy for myself too. Maybe.
Anyway, I am impressed with Kim Rae Won’s acting here. Although he still has his mischievous traits and is often loud and boisterous which is just so typical of him, yet he also shows a bit of his serious side now, and I like this. I don’t know though if this is anything new, because I think I’ve heard somewhere that his acting skills here really didn’t improve much from his former series, since he plays roles which are basically similar. I would agree though that maybe he should expand his horizons more, so that he’ll further develop his talents. For Kim Tae Hee, if you’ve her in seen Stairway to Heaven where she played this really wicked and spoiled stepsister wearing a mask of plasticity, then her character here is quite a sharp contrast to that previous role. She’s so pure-hearted and sweet-faced here you’d think she was an angel sent from heaven above. I like that transition. I won’t comment on the OST because I wasn’t able to get a copy yet. Anyway, if anyone has seen this drama, please feel free to share what you think.
RATING:
8 / 10
UPDATES:
Kim Rae Won also appears with Ha Ji Won (Memories of Bali) in Beautiful Life. I think this is the drama Syivee told me about quite a few years back.
Kim Tae Hee is in Forbidden Love (aka Tale of the Nine-tailed Fox) with actor Jo Hyun Jae and Shinhwa member Junjin. This series was released last year and was said to have been immensely popular. I still have yet to watch both series! ^______^
Now we move on to two japanese doramas…
1.) GREAT TEACHER ONIZUKA (GTO) is a 12-episode J-dorama starring Sorimachi Takashi (Hotman) and Matsushima Nanako (too many TV series to mention). It is based on the immensely popular manga/anime of the same title.
SYNOPSIS:
Onizuka Eikichi, a graduate from a third-grade university who used to be a member of a bike gang, has always wanted to be a great teacher. So when an opportunity came for him to be employed in a high school, he was very excited about it! The catch: He is homeroom teacher to a class of delinquent students who seem to enjoy terrifying their teachers to the point of insanity. However, as the story unfolds, the students realize that they may have met their match, for Onizuka is no ordinary sensei, and his love for teaching and sincere concern for his students eventually breaks down their walls of rebellion and hatred.
COMMENTS:
GTO is a hugely popular manga/anime that a drama series has also been made based on it, not only in Japan, but in other countries like Taiwan (Ma La Xian Shi) and I believe, Hongkong as well. I think even if they probably cropped off many characters or parts from the manga, the series probably still stayed true to the original GTO concept and kept the important details and characters. I’m sad that I’m still not able to watch the anime (where my most fave L’arc~en~ciel’s song, Driver’s High, is an OP Theme), much more read the manga (oh c’mon, it’s not available here! T__T), so I really can’t compare. Sorry! The flow of the story is cleverly done, such that Onizuka-sensei always seems to impart something significant from his (mis)adventures, making the GTO concept widely accepted and well-loved by many. I can’t describe this series as “wholesome” though since there’s a bit of toilet humor and some violence (depicted even more in the anime version, I think!), but how Onizuka affects each of his students brings about life-changing realizations and fulfillments that leave many viewers delighted. No wonder it is voted as the number one favorite among many J-dorama lovers!
On the characters, first of all, in contrast to the unattractive Onizuka from the anime version, Sorimachi Takashi is way good-looking! He fits nicely into Onizuka-sensei’s character though. He doesn’t look too boyish, partly giving him that I-used-to-be-a-bad-boy image, but his charming features also gives him the I-am-always-up-to-no-good look. He can be very serious, but often times, he’s just full of mischief! I like him when he makes this certain kind of goofy smile. Anyway, I think he played the role well. Matsushima Nanako is a very well-known TV drama actress (perhaps, Japan’s drama queen?) and she’s also a fine choice as Fuyutsuki-sensei, Onizuka’s love interest. I’m delighted that Kubozuka Yosuke (S.O.S.), Oguri Shun (Azumi) and Ikeuchi Hiroyuki (Heaven Cannot Wait) are also part of the series since I like them from previous dramas. I don’t know the rest of the cast but they were quite OK. The girl who played Aizawa Miyabi is pretty. Ah, I did notice one inconsistency though. Shouldn’t the character of Tomoko be played by someone who’s not flat-chested? Because as far as I know, her voluptuousness was one of her great assets. But I guess, that’s a little tricky to portray in a live action drama, hehehe
RATING:
This drama ranks high among my favorite J-doramas. Lots of fun and tears and feel-good realizations, plus a cast of yummy bishies, plus Sorimachi Takashi singing Poison as the opening song, plus the fact that this is anime/manga-based (and I’m biased, LOL) equals 10/10.
UPDATES:
There is also a GTO Special and a GTO Movie. I have both copies but still wasn’t able to watch them so the reviews for them will just be made on another separate occasion. And if I get hold of the anime, I’ll try to write about it as well.
2.) MUKODONO (aka MY HUSBAND) is a 2001 J-dorama starring Nagase Tomoya (from the popular music group, Tokio) and Takeuchi Yuko (Pride).
SYNOPSIS:
It tells the story of Sakuraba Yuichiro (Nagase Tomoya), a famous musician with a very cool and sexy image. But unknown to his fans and most people, he’s actually very loud and klutzy off-camera. And he has another secret: he just got married into a big family! As he tries to balance his glamorous career as a rising pop star with his new-found responsibilities as member of the Arai family, Yu-chan does his best to prove to his in-laws and without realizing it, even to himself, how much he truly and deeply loves his wife, Arai Sakura (Takeuchi Yuko).
COMMENTS:
At first, I wasn’t interested at all to buy this series because I thought it was probably serious drama stuffs and the very blurry picture with the summary online made me think that the cast were a bunch of old people. I think Pchan only bought Mukodono because she realized that Takeuchi Yuko was in it, and we all love her in Pride. So it was quite a surprise when Pchan was highly recommending it to me and saying that I really should watch it. When I asked her why, she just said, “Basta, I can’t explain it… You just have to watch it.” Ah… OK. So I did. And I just didn't know what to expect!
First of all, the character Sakuraba Yuichiro is just so damn hilarious! His image changes from super goofy nobody to this really bishie-licious hot star is so sudden that it’s just freakingly funny! And you’d just have to gag when Yu-chan and Sakura go into their uber-mushy, lovey-dovey newlyweds mode. I was really feeling a mix of emotions watching this dorama. One minute I was laughing my heart out at Yu-chan’s escapades, then at the next moment I was shedding streams of tears at their realizations in life. I must’ve cried in all episodes (such a crybaby ne!? ^o^). I like the flow of the story because it partly shows a side to big time celebrities, and also depicts the lifestyle of a typical(?) Japanese family. I like stories that stresses on family values. The concept of the story is just fantastic.
On the actors, well, this is the first time I have seen Nagase Tomoya act. In fact, I didn’t even know he was a member of Tokio until I searched for him in the net. He’s quite good, although I must say sometimes he may get too overly carried away with his cute-sy role. But it’s OK, because he is definitely totally adorable!! I love him already!! Hehehe And when I learned he’s a member of Tokio, my love for him quadrupled! LOLz The thought of him being a member of a Jpop boyband is just so cute! And I was impressed that he was really the one singing the Sakuraba Yuichiro hit song in the series, “Hitoribocchi no Haburashi" (The Lonely Toothbrush). It’s such a nice song, by the way. I was able to download it (lucky!) and just can’t stop listening to it over and over. I think I can rant on and on about Nagase Tomoya but I will just spare the readers this time and just save my ranting for Pchan, whose cellphone inbox I flood almost every day with Nagase Tomoya news (gomen ne, Pchan! LOL love man gud nako sya! ^o^). Anyway, Takeuchi Yuko was also nice here. She’s still a bit chubbier here, and she is just so so cute! I like her so much in Pride, and still like her in Mukodono. She’s definitely one of my favorite Japanese actresses. Also, one of the really nice things I appreciate about J-doramas is the very good supporting characters which helps develop the main characters and the story. Mukodono definitely has this. Oh yah, I forgot his name, but the young actor who played the role of Ryo here is a member of Arashi. Isn’t this info just so cute!? ^____^
RATING:
This drama instantly shoots up to my TOP 5 LIST OF MOST FAVORITE J-DORAMAS. It’s definitely a 10/10 with very high recommendation from me! ^___^
UPDATES:
Well, this isn’t really an update because it’s old news already, but there’s another Mukodono remake (2003) also starring Nagase Tomoya as Sakuraba Yuichiro and a set of new casts. It’s not a sequel but a totally different story with the same concept. Most reviews said that the 2001 version is better though, and I have a feeling that it probably is, although I really can’t say anything yet since I haven’t watched it. In the 2003 version, Sakuraba Yuichiro’s sensational song is "Omae Yanai to Akannen" (It’s Got To Be You, which is today’s blog entry title ^____^). I’m lucky again, because I was actually able to record the PV around 2 years ago. I didn’t know him then, and didn’t know that I’d like him so much now, so it must have been destiny at work for me to have recorded that PV ne? LOLz
Nagase Tomoya is currently rumored to be the boyfriend of Japan's pop icon, Hamasaki Ayumi. I was shocked at the news. I mean, I like Ayu, I’m a fan of hers too. But it’s a little difficult to accept that MY Nagase Tomoya is now attached. **sigh** Why izzit that we only met last week!?! T___T
Anyway, here’s pabaon for me and you… Well, actually I put up these bishie pix mainly for my own consumption, LOLz Nevertheless, meet my new love, NAGASE TOMOYA…
Two words: VERY HOT.
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