My Little Bride

Okay, this is not your usual romantic movie.  Especially since the girl is getting married at 15.  You have to rely a lot on aspects of Korean culture that we do not understand.  Nevertheless, I enjoyed this playful, cute story for its uniqueness.

So sweet!  7/10

Romantic Island

This Korean movie starred several actors I have seen in other shows (i.e. Eugene and Min-gi Lee from I Really Really Like You), so it was easy to decide to watch it.  The story is actually a whirlwind of three different couples that end up vacationing in the Philipines at the same time.  My favorite couple was Kang and Choi (or should I say Joseph and Alice!  hee!).
Very much a romance film, I was left happy and satisfied at the end.  There are some fun tricks made with chronology and flashback that simply improved the emotional value there at the end.

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie.  7/10

The Clean Up

Currently in the process of making this blog a little more polished.  I'm fixing reviews, adding pictures, adjusting ratings, and so on.  Eventually I hope to present something I could share with my friends instead of a blog simply for my own enjoyment.  Here goes!

Completion Progress: 1%

labeling system (K Drama, T Drama, J Drama)
ratings (10/10 favorite!, 8/10 great, 6/10 fun, 4/10 worth something, 2/10 wasted time)
pictures

Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge

So... you've probably heard this enough if you've been reading this blog, but... KAMENASHI KAZUYA! Yah, he's in this one.

Really, this drama is really fun, a little out of this world at points, but fun.  It's a Japanese Drama, based on the manga Wallflower. I am not a fan of the manga, mostly because of the crazy heroine, but she is much more likeable in the drama adaptation.
My favorite things:
I love the characters who have individuality despite being based on popular stereotypes: Ranmaru=playboy, Yuki=Prettyboy, etc.
The repeating themes (i.e. "Ugly Sunako, Ugly Sunako") aren't too repetitive and tie the series together.
The romance was so cute. To name a few favorite scenes: the comfort hug and that last kiss. Whoooo! Liked that.
And Takeru! What a cutie!
Do I need to mention Kazuya again?

I give it a 910!

Nobuto Wo Produce

I totally should have seen this one earlier. It has some of my favorite Japanese actors in it. Kamenashi Kazuya, Yamashita Tomohisa, and Horikita Maki. Its a fun school story, made even better with the dynamic duo that KK and YT as Akira and Shuji become.

This story made me laugh and smile and worry, but romance is sparse and not really that important.

kon kon!!

It gets a 9/10 for fun, and hotties!

Innocent Love

I have been avoiding this J drama simply because it looked to be too depressing. So, I'm not a real drama drama fan. I like happy endings and laughter instead of suffering and such. Thats why some dramas make me mad, and some I avoid. However, I was finally in the mood to give this one a try, and I am so glad I did.

The best thing about this drama is the story. I was riveted, had to keep watching. Or, as I said before, maybe I was just in the mood for it. Sometimes thats all the difference for a good or bad review.

I felt for the heroine and although I at first thought the hero was bland, he proved himself to be a strong character. Anyway, the drama swept me along so that I didn't even notice that romance had taken a side role. That is, until the last episode where I really got emotionally involved.  Luckily, the ending was great.

However, because I liked the story so much, its re-watch-ability suffers. I will not want to watch this again for some time now that I know all that happens.

8/10

Boys Este

Okay, Boys Este is a Japanese Drama about a beauty salon run by a full male staff especially for women. Hibiki is a down in his luck poor boy suffering from inferiority and the lack of money. He answers an add for the Salon, and is hired because of his 'God Hand'. Shizuka just got dumped by a super jerk of a boyfriend because she had a tubby tummy. So she is invited to the Salon, and Hibiki is assigned to work with her.

Shizuka is not my kind of heroine, which is sad because I should relate with her weight problem. She has a crazy imagination and is overly emotional, but throughout the show I couldn't help but like her. And Hibiki is a typical stupid boy, but lovable as well.

I really enjoyed this show, despite the fact that the subtitles were really wonky on the last several episodes. Nevertheless, it wasn't too hard to figure out what was going on.

8/10

Over Time

Okay, I'm ticked. Another one of those lousy endings. Gah, and I was really into this one.

Over Time is another more mature drama, with older characters and a more serious storyline complete with a huge range of emotions. The friendship between Natsuki and Soichiro is so well depicted, and that kind of friendship is what I like to see in the couple. But Kuga... no. I did not feel that he was developed in the way that would make us (spoiler alert) happy to see him with Natsuki in the end. I mean Soichiro was always open with her and Kuga kept her at arms length because of his own issues that, if he really did want to marry her, should be shared in a relationship. UGH!!

It's somewhat the same as the feelings I got at the end of Boys over Flowers. Except in that one I knew she would choose the side of the love triangle that I didn't want her to pick. In this one, I was hopeful to the very last second. DANG!

Well, if you couldn't tell, I am not happy so the rating will obviously be lower. I'm sorry, but I like a happy ending. A truly happy ending. Not one where the girl dies, but at least they loved each other (can't stand A Walk to Remember, which makes me the enemy of all). Maybe I will change the rating after I calm down, but right now I already feel that I am being generous.

4/10

Virgin Road

Out of all the dramas I have watched, this has been the deepest, most mature, and most beautiful. Even though, or maybe because it is an older drama. I can't say much. I always watch these things too late and then I am so tired. However, the depth of emotion in this series is breathtaking.

Maybe they are just good actors. Maybe the ending was so good that it shed a good light on every episode. Anyway, I feel warm and happy. The characters were dynamic, having faults and making mistakes, but ever true to themselves. I can imagine a happy life for them.

This is a Japanese drama. I may change the rating later, but right now it is 10/10.

P.S. I totally saw Namie (appears in and sings the opening theme) in an old recording that my Rowley cousins had. I was so happily surprised. I think I also saw the leading man in a commercial, but I can't be sure.