KDrama: Heartstrings/You've Fallen For Me (2011)

Jung Yong-Hwa and Park Shin-Hye

I've yet to finish my last drama. I will get around to it, or so I keep saying without conviction. I'm a bit of a sucker for school romances in drama as well as manga format so this one just couldn't be passed over. I tried to follow by reading recaps but it just doesn't scratch the itch and I caved.

It's a sweet drama full of school-life fresh innocence. The conflict is trivial and while I love watching Shin and Gyu-Won's moments together (and that's plenty good enough for me) we need to have some kind of plot. I've conveniently overlooked that little essential requirement and will just keep focusing on the cuteness.

Jung Yong-Hwa has improved since his supporting role in You're Beautiful. I think his acting is better than Kim Hyun Joong in Playful Kiss. Unlike Kim Hyun Joong's blindingly perfect chompers (nothing wrong with them except they're just too perfect), Jung Yong-Hwa has awesome, real-world crooked teeth.

After episode 11, we're getting into mediocre territory. The threats and consequences are too unrealistic and I find I'm having a hard time staying engaged. Will update as it progresses.


Dayum, when didja get so fine Shin Woo Hyung?

Anime: Saint Seiya - The Lost Canvas (2009)

I started watching this title based on my recent revival of interest in astrology. If you wiki Saint Seiya, you will discover it's a shonen series from the 80's with a franchise that still continues via various incarnations of manga, anime and merchandise. This story is a prequel and spun-off by another author with permission from the original creator.

This anime falls under the "fighting" genre where power and moves are announced before being unleashed upon the enemy. While this type of anime is not among my favorite, the announcements are minimal. The story has been interesting enough that I want to finish the series. Love these two Gold Saints:

Pisces Albafica



Virgo Asmita

KDrama: Secret Garden (2011)

This is only the biggest Korean drama hit in 2011 (only). Hyun Bin can do no wrong. He's great in this and what's even more awesome is his version of one of the drama OST singles. *Swoon*

Only two words will suffice describing this one: body swapping. Go watch it forthwith.

Anime: Saiunkoku Monogatari (2006)

Currently watching this reverse harem of lucky gal, Kou Shuurei with friendship/affection from all of the above. Need I say more?

*Update 11-16-10* I'm working through Season 2 and it's driven by more political conflict which is part of the reason why I haven't been extremely anxious to marathon. The reverse-harem romance is sprinkled throughout and definitely not the main focus, another reason for my lack of enthusiasm. The bishounens do look nice, that counts for something right? The only real interesting character of the bunch for me is Seiran. Since he looks like my long-time anime lover, Lancer from Robotech, I had expected him to be similar but Seiran has a dark side which was unexpected and intriguing.

KDrama: Playful Kiss (2010)

Another manga adaptation? There seems to be a serious shortage in imagination. While that may be the case, I was pretty excited about this title since I had previously enjoyed the anime adaptation.

Jung So Min (Bad Guy) and Kim Hyun Joong (Boys Before Flowers) are our leads and they are cute together! So far the drama is following the manga pretty closely. I am most interested to see if they progress the timeline all the way into adulthood as originally intended by the manga author. And I'm relieved that this drama was condensed to 16 episodes from the initial plan of 20. I hope the writers pace themselves and not rush at the end.

*Update 11-16-10* The network broadcast ended with 16 episodes and in an unprecedented move in Korean drama history, the series is continuing on YouTube with 10-minute clips airing in the upcoming weeks. Overall, I enjoyed the series, it was better than I expected and stayed true to the manga. It wasn't quite as popular with the South Korean audience as it was with other Asian countries. Kim Hyun Joong was watchable but I am hopeful he will continue to improve. 4 out of 5 stars.

Anime: Kaichou wa Maid-sama! (2010)

What a breathe of fresh air! While I love a good shoujo title with extraordinary guy falling for ordinary girl, the girls are often times dim-witted and completely clueless. Finally, a female heroine worth admiring and unquestionably deserving of her prince charming.

Ayuzawa Misaki is a hard-working student body president and moonlights part-time as a waitress at a maid-cosplay-themed cafe. She doesn't want to jeopardize her tough-minded president reputation so she keeps her part-time job a secret. Usui Takumi discovers her secret and rather than outing her, he starts frequenting the cafe. He also works there on occassion as the pastry chef. Usui doesn't hide his feelings for her while Misaki is in denial of hers. They are so cute together!

The anime is mainly comedic with chibi faces and cute text captions. Supporting characters are fun. For once it's nice to see an enigmatic, calm male interested in our female lead rather than a short-tempered, complex-ridden guy. Overall very cute and enjoyable. Not sure if there are plans for season 2 but would definitely continue to watch it. Highly recommended with an enthusiastic 5 out of 5 stars.

J-Drama: Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge aka "The Wallflower" (2010)

Short marathon this past weekend with the live-action version of The Wallflower. I started reading the manga before it was licensed and watched the anime a couple of years back. During my research for the next drama to watch, this title ranked high on the DramaCrazy.net site. After watching the first episode, with its cheesy horror set-up (lightning flashes, creepy music) and Johnny-boy fest (3 of the actors are Johnny's Entertainment minions) I felt it was completely silly and ridiculous. Manga and anime antics generally don't translate well in live-action. However, I didn't give up and continued watching despite my skepticism.

Our heroine, Nakahara Sunako is a morbid, horror-loving, recluse. She rooms in a house with four gorgeous bishounen. We discover what makes her this way and watch her life change as she cohabits with these four men. What's different about the drama in comparison to the manga/anime is that the story is mainly centered around Takano Kyohei less on Sunako. Kamenashi Kazuya as Kyohei gets a lot of screen time, A LOT! (which is totally fine with me). The other notable difference is character development for all five of the main characters. We get a glimpse into each character's history which really connects the viewer.

The most interesting aspects of this drama were the mother/son relationships. The one between the land lady and her son Takeru (new character for the drama) as well as Kyohei's relationship with his own estranged mother. This particular facet really resonated with me and I found myself crying through many episodes even though the general feel of the drama is comedic and fantastical. The final episode was absurdly predictable. I understand they had to find a way to end it given that the manga is still ongoing but come on, this method was pretty scary and illogical.

Overall, this one is fun and if you can overlook the silly stuff, there are touching moments that make it worth watching. 3 out of 5 stars.