tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35587440832116627002012-02-18T23:28:20.279-05:00Asian Drama Queenblogs about Asian dramas & moviesRainnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2501100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-66241173147496184712011-12-24T19:14:00.000-05:002011-12-24T19:15:00.599-05:00L For Love, L For Lies / Ngor dik dzui oi
2008 Hong Kong movie starring Alex Fong Lik-Sun, Stephy Tang, and Alice Tzeng.
It's about what the title implies: love and betrayal.
The girl is cutesy and runs a small shop with her fiance, and then a snobby betch rolls into town, stealing the boyfriend quite effortlessly. The result is the 'she' ends up losing the shop and her fiance while her life continues to spiral downward.
She's Rainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-47440547172836908502011-09-10T21:07:00.000-04:002011-09-10T21:07:48.218-04:00Tadashi Shoji Spring / Summer 2012 Full Show | EXCLUSIVEI know this isn't about drama, movies, or even music ~ but, it's been awhile since anything out of the fashion industry has had this type of an impact on me.
The guy did an AMAZING job, and I wanted to share.
(2011) Mercedes Benz Fashion Week (New York) for the Spring 2012 Collections
Rainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-55210133483665498712011-08-26T21:43:00.000-04:002011-08-26T21:43:42.746-04:00드림하이 / Dream High
2011 Korean Drama about aspiring high school students that audition for and are then selected to attend Kirin Performing Arts.
The main characters in this interestingly REFRESHING K-doh were Suzy as Go Hye mi, Kim Soo hyun as Song Sam dong, Taecyeon as Jin gook / Hyun Shi hyuk, Ham Eun jung as Yoon Baek hee, Wooyoung as Jason, and IU as Kim Pil sook.
By interesting, I mean thatRainnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-2087074037274151512011-07-27T16:28:00.000-04:002011-07-27T16:28:29.360-04:00單身男女 / Daan gyun naam yuDon't Go Breaking My Heart
2011 Hong Kong movie that stars Daniel Wu and Louis Koo, who meet the same woman at about the same time.
Louis' character is a big-shot trader working in a glass building as the CEO of an exchange, and she happens to work in another, glass structure that overlooks his office.
She's recently been dumped by a third man (Terrence Yin), and on a crowded tram, she Rainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-35499189035524194512011-07-27T16:12:00.000-04:002011-07-27T16:12:13.365-04:00第36個故事 / Di 36 Ge Gu Shi
Taipei Exchange
2010 Taiwanese movie about sisters with opposite personalities, and neither of them have their mother's acerbic nature, who decide to open a 'Starbucks' type place.
The elder sister has brains and loves to bake, so she assumes the hot items on the menu will include her pastries and the coffee - making her wealthy.
The younger sister is no-nonsense and carefree, Rainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-5010331024087138032011-07-18T15:32:00.001-04:002011-07-18T15:33:02.429-04:00ギフト / GiftGIFT
1997 11-episode, Fuji-TV comedy/thriller of sorts that starred (drumroll please) Kimura Takuya as Yukio/Takehiro - a hot dude with long, sexy hair he wears back in a ponytail while delivering things to clients, and then when the job is done, he removes the band to let the glorious mane fly free ^^;
I couldn't find a decent image of this drama to post here, so I found a pic of him Rainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-73846611744194738322011-07-18T15:04:00.000-04:002011-07-18T15:04:06.650-04:0010年先も君に恋して / Juunen Saki mo Kimi ni Koishite
I'll Love You in 10 Years
2010 NHK, 6-episode rom/com drama that stars Ueto Aya as Onozawa Rika, a single editor who is good at her job but clueless about things like ai.
As an example, one of her clients is a popular romance novelist who has an obvious thing for her, yet she has no notion or even a hint of a vibe coming from across the cafe table they always share when discussing his Rainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-90621126542553125262011-07-18T14:35:00.000-04:002011-07-18T14:35:02.688-04:00오! 마이 레이디 / Oh! My Lady
2010 SBS comedy/romance drama that starred Choi Si won as Sung Min woo (a Super Junior dude) as a stuck-up, popular actor who can't act, but because he can sing and has a tight bod, the fans adore him even if no one else does.
I kept getting a Daniel Henney vibe for the first, few episodes, which made me laugh (and wonder if he was chuckling about it, too) - but, then things began to Rainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-50488635559702625602011-07-18T13:38:00.000-04:002011-07-18T13:38:30.221-04:00내 사랑 팥쥐 / Nae Sarang Patjwi
My Love Patzzi
2002 MBC Drama that starred Kim Rae won as Kim Hyun sung, a young zoologist hopeful working the summer at the American equivalent of a theme park that also has a zoo and banquet facilities.
He meets a girl who started work there after losing a teaching position at a local pre-school, and from there the sparks begin to fly.
Yes, it's an oldie, so you can expect there to be Rainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-25340813562503827482011-06-25T19:28:00.000-04:002011-06-25T19:28:32.936-04:00きみはペット / Kimi wa Petto
You Are My Pet
2003 JDorama that was first manga about a ToDai grad with an awesome job as a journalist who is reaching 29 when her life takes this amazing and drastic turn.
She's seen as a tough bitch with balls, but the reality is she has inferiority issues and a somewhat unrealistic fear of being discovered as a fake.
Being shy, it's difficult for her to express her true Rainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-36343615006459813182011-06-24T17:40:00.002-04:002011-06-24T17:52:21.755-04:00별을 따다 줘 / Byeoreul Ttada JwoWish Upon a Star
2010 Korean Drama about a reckless girl running about life on a whim, not caring for much else besides her one-sided crush on a hardened attorney who works at the same insurance company she does -
Until her parents, who have adopted four, younger siblings and a toddler, die in a car accident, and suddenly our hapless and carefree Jin Pal kang (Choi Jung won) is faced with the Rainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-56829388970428776302011-06-24T16:20:00.005-04:002011-06-24T16:30:47.969-04:00My Boss My Hero / マイボス マイヒーロー
2006 JDorama (sort of) that starred Nagase Tomoya as the 30-something son of a Yakuza boss whose father decides that before he'll promote Sakaki "Tornado" Makio to the 3rd 'something' in the clan, he must obtain a diploma, or said position will go to his younger brother.
"Tornado" because when he's pissed off, Makio-kun turns into a crazy fighting machine, with not even the toughest bad-ass Rainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-16216748321340549502011-06-24T15:43:00.005-04:002011-06-24T17:59:49.486-04:00Triangle / トライアングル
2009 JDorama that was meant to be suspence/thriller/murder mystery all rolled up into one, amazing story - and, it delivered & then some!
For starters, the star of the show was hunk-da-fied (even as he ages as fine as wine) Eguchi Yosuke from Lunch no Joou (my introduction to the gorgeous man).
Dude's got that '...not, really trying' attitude that works to draw a woman to him all the more, Rainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-41897868178436381772011-06-07T14:47:00.001-04:002011-06-24T14:39:43.549-04:00ラブシャッフル / Love Shuffle
2009 JDorama that is supposed to be about a young man who went from nothing to something after falling in love with and becoming engaged to the daughter of a prominent businessman.
He's got an office job at the in-law's corporation, but the fiance's aniki is constantly harassing him and threatening him with a lay-off if he doesn't get his act together.
He's Tamaki Hiroshi of Nodame Cantabile Rainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-58693354211786844862011-06-07T13:56:00.000-04:002011-06-07T13:56:29.680-04:00Egao no Hosoku / 笑顔の法則
Living Today for Tomorrow
2003 JDorama that stars Abe Hiroshi as an eccentric (kind of) anime artist and a young girl in search of a job.
She's late for an interview after attending a friend's wedding, and while still in a pretty, red kimono, she ends up getting the rented garment stuck inside the door of a van in front of the office tower where she's supposed to have the interview.
Abe Rainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-87589793789944512492011-06-07T13:40:00.000-04:002011-06-07T13:40:23.875-04:00Shiawase ni Naritai / 幸せになりたい！I Want to be Happy!
2005 JDorama about a young girl and her two, younger brothers whose once-prosperous otoosan is heavily in debt and ends up committing suicide, leaving their bed-ridden okaasan to shoulder the responsibility.
While she was still the daughter of an upstanding businessman, she was tutored by a handsome senpai who now works for UBS in the city, and after the funeral - when two Rainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-43755227117636926062011-05-30T18:31:00.000-04:002011-05-30T18:31:21.736-04:00Chichi no Umi, Boku no Sora / 父の海、僕の空My Father's Ocean, My Sky
2004, hour-and-a-half long movie from Japan that stars Takizawa Hideaki as the son of a retired restaurant owner, and Taki-kun's character is forced to have to give up on his dream of becoming a musician when he learns about his father's terminal illness.
The whole thing is about how the estranged pair reunite and then learn from each other, and as good as I thought Rainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-71368393855451683382011-05-30T18:21:00.000-04:002011-05-30T18:21:53.796-04:00Propose Kyoudai / プロポーズ兄弟
Brother Proposal
2011 JDorama that is short, sweet, and to-the-point for four, brief episodes (approx half-hour each) that tells us about the way in which four sons end up getting married.
Personally, I enjoyed the last story best.
I also wish they made more dramas like this in Japan AND Korea.Rainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-59957645908586910162011-05-30T18:10:00.000-04:002011-05-30T18:10:15.242-04:00マンハッタンラブストーリー / Manhattan Love Story
2003 JDorama that won a boatload of awards, and this comes as no surprise after watching, either.
It's about an unassuming but passionate man (Matsuoka Masahiro as Tencho) who runs a coffee shop near a television studio, and his patrons pop in regularly to conduct business dealing with affairs of the heart or the occasional business transaction - but to his utter dismay, NO ONE is there to Rainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-20686847343016817952011-05-30T17:55:00.000-04:002011-05-30T17:55:17.982-04:00Seigi no Mikata / 正義の味方Crime Avenger
2008 JDorama about a younger sister being bullied by her older sister, who happens to be drop-dead gorgeous, extremely intelligent, and who has no fear.
SHE is a high school dreamer who knows her older sister is annoying, yet in every episode, she lets the beauty push her around, tease her, and even chase away potential boyfriends by telling them secrets to include she can't come Rainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-22495148544795008702011-05-30T17:45:00.000-04:002011-05-30T17:45:57.876-04:00いいひと。 /. Ii Hito / Good ManGood Man
1997 JDorama about a guileless man (Kusanagi Tsuyoshi as Yuuji) who dreams of working for the sneaker company he is so fond of, and when that dream eventually comes true, he turns Tokyo upside down as well as shaking things up inside the mega conglomeration where he is relegated to the basement with the rest of the soon-to-be-fired employees the company deems useless.
Yuuji was Rainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-64032588060801701382011-05-30T17:24:00.000-04:002011-05-30T17:24:54.327-04:00めだか / Medaka
2004 Japanese drama about a woman slowly but surely going nowhere in life and still thinking that she'll find a man, get married, and settle into the life she was born to live.
Instead, she ends up teaching night school at a nearby high school, where she encounters a host of misfits, scholars, and drifters.
I figured after the first episode that each, subsequent episode would spotlight one of Rainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-5593685691782687172011-05-30T17:15:00.000-04:002011-05-30T17:15:24.899-04:00Anmitsu Hime / あんみつ姫2008 Fuji TV 'special twice' anime adaptation about a princess from a fake land who runs away from the castle to discover true love and ends up finding it in the form of a commoner with no parents who takes care of other orphans on the street.
It was gay, but in a fun, take-me-away kind of way that I didn't, actually feel offended by, so I guess it's up to you what you take away from it if you Rainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-39882817111545058222011-05-30T17:06:00.000-04:002011-05-30T17:06:46.699-04:00Que Sera, Sera / 케세라, 세라Que Sera Sera
2007, 17-episode Korean drama that starred Eric Moon (Shinhwa) as an average guy trying to make it in high-society Korea and thus loses his soul as a result of his efforts.
At the start, he's entangled with a rich chick who has given up on true love and uses her money, influence, and appearance to keep men at her side.
At the same time, he and the prerequisite mousy chick bump Rainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-17395376334706613162011-05-28T21:06:00.004-04:002011-05-28T21:38:23.173-04:00신입사원 / Shin-ip Sa-wonSuper Rookie
2005 Korean Drama that starred Eric Moon as Kang ho, the super rookie who lands a job at world-class LK Corporation despite his slacker mentality and the simple but complex fact that he scored a big, fat ZERO on the entrance exam.
A computer glitch no one at the prestigious corporation wants to admit to, much less take the blame for or let the secret be told for the whole world toRainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-89545024749044540842011-05-28T17:20:00.001-04:002011-05-28T17:21:57.381-04:00시크릿 가든 / Secret Garden
Secret Garden
#5 (last five-star review)
November 13, 2010 to January 16, 2011 KDorama that starred Hyun Bin and Ha Ji won as (here it comes again) star-crossed lovers who met years earlier but had no idea this was the case (at least she didn't, anyway).
She is a stunt actor working on a period drama and he (Kim Joo won) is a spoiled rich guy who wanders onto the set looking for a woman andRainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-8807275872004325532011-04-04T21:26:00.000-04:002011-04-04T21:27:49.994-04:00Chonmage Purin / ちょんまげぷりん #4 FIVE-STAR reviewSummer, 2010, Japanese movie that stars Ryo Nishikido-kun as Kijima Yasube, a samurai from the Edo period 180 years ago who ends up in modern-day Tokyo after praying for a better job before a Buddha statue in his country hamlet.Yes, its based on another Manga turned anime, but that's entirely beside the point as this happened to be one of them that I appreciated being Rainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-75170883242807610162011-04-04T18:13:00.017-04:002011-04-04T21:01:34.671-04:00My Girlfriend is a Gumiho / 내 여자친구는 구미호My Girlfriend is a Nine-Tailed Fox #3 in the FIVE-STAR categoryAugust to September of 2010 Korean drama that starred Lee Seung gi as Cha Dae woong, a hapless college student determined to become the next Bruce Lee action star (he's even got Bruce Lee posters on his wall).His Harabeoji owns a string of beauty salons (which means they're rich), and because Dae woong lost his parents Rainnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-85965109420499227712011-04-04T16:50:00.011-04:002011-04-04T17:59:35.910-04:00Hotaru no Hikari: Season 2 / ホタルノヒカリ 2Glow of Fireflies 2 #2 IN THE 5-STAR CATEGORY2010 JDorama that stars the same lead cast as the first drama ~ HURRAY!Three years have gone by since Amemiya Hotaru (Ayase Haruka) and Takano Seiichi (Fujiki Naohito) last saw each other (or since we last saw them for that matter).She is returned from Hong Kong when the story picks up where it left off in Season 1, only Seiichi is upset about Rainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-21263497525512376492011-04-03T19:40:00.021-04:002011-04-03T22:29:36.082-04:00Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge / ヤマトナデシコ七変化Perfect Girl Evolution This is the start of a slew of 5-star reviews.It was difficult for me to decide which of them I should even showcase first, so don't let that have any affect on your judgment since it wasn't that way for me, either ~ I simply decided it was best to just highlight them in the order that I watched them.And, you can blame it on aznv.tv for taking this long Rainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-2556150933642867582011-04-03T19:12:00.004-04:002011-04-03T19:32:37.457-04:00Shutter 2004 Thai movie billed as a thriller/horror flick that ended up being an error-of-his-ways docu-drama about a young couple who, on their way home from the bar, hit a woman standing in the road.Instead of going back to see if she's alright, the guy orders his girl to take off, and despite her obvious fears, she does as she's told.But, it's not what you're thinking.Their relationships is Rainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-82256652347621571922011-04-03T18:36:00.008-04:002011-07-18T17:52:26.679-04:00青と白で水色 / Ao to Shiro de Mizuiro
2001 after-school special from Japan that took less than two hours to tell the story of a high-school girl who is bullied by classmates (one of whom used to be her best friend), so she continues day after day to try and open a locked door to the roof, where she, of course, intends to jump to her death.
Meantime, she bumps into a bike thief and fellow classmate: Oguri Shun's Kishida Takumi.
Rainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-6327840830730631782011-04-03T18:17:00.009-04:002011-04-03T18:33:54.030-04:00Antique / アンティーク Despite the fact this had such a great (somewhat anyway) cast, I can't go any farther than 3 fairies for this one.This is the original, live-action version of the Korean hit movie that started out as Manga, turned Anime, and then became this ... an eleven-episode drama from back in 2001.The storyline was somewhat the same as that of the Korean version, but they did not play up the fact ofRainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-78335909928800078892011-04-03T17:54:00.004-04:002011-04-03T18:14:48.377-04:00Hatachi no Kekkon / ２０歳の結婚Married At 20 2000 JDorama that I watched because of Sakaguchi Kenji, and then when Oshio Manabu made the scene, I was like ... dayum!Course, this was back in the day, when Japanese men were hunkdafied and grass-grazing wasn't the thing to do just yet.Other than that, though, this was a rapid-paced, LOUD drama filled with eleven episodes of shouting, fighting, chasing, hating, head-bashing, Rainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-85345891211081762372011-04-03T17:12:00.004-04:002011-04-03T22:50:37.281-04:00僕だけのマドンナ / Boku Dake no MadonnaYou Are My Only Madonna 2004 JDorama that stars Hideaki Takizawa as Suzuki Kyouichi, a college-age boy anxious to leave his home & family and set out on his own.To Kyouichi, his father is a wimp who lets his wife and oldest daughter run the show; leaving our poor, defenseless Kyouichi to have to pick up the slack.The first day he moves into his own apartment, however, the strange but Rainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-10643787049215883252011-04-03T16:45:00.005-04:002011-04-03T17:11:29.128-04:00무림여대생 / Murim yeodaesaengMy Mighty Princess 2008 Korean movie that stars Shin Min a (So hwi), On Ju wan (Il young), and Yu geon (Jun mo) in a sort a sci/fi, fantasy type story about the daughter of highly gifted and quite secret-society martial arts parents.So hwi is as talented as her parents and has learned from her father the secrets of her late mother's sword-play.Her super-human strength turns off the boys her Rainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-42991043087698567302011-03-24T22:54:00.004-04:002011-03-24T23:28:55.445-04:00Katagoshi no Koibito / 肩ごしの恋人Over-the-Shoulder Lover Summer, 2007, JDorama that was a romantic comedy about two thirty-ish females with opposite personalities who, despite that fact, have been life-long friends.Hayasaka Moe (Yonekura Ryoko) was raped and now has this sub-conscious aversion to commitment, and with little faith in men.She's a working chick at a cross-roads in her life when a sixteen-year old runaway (Rainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-72112136954652506852011-03-24T22:26:00.005-04:002011-03-24T22:51:52.258-04:00Guilty / Akuma to Keiyakushita Onnaギルティ 悪魔と契約した女 Fall to Winter, 2010, Mystery/Suspense JDorama that starred Kanno Miho as Nogami Meiko and Tamaki Hiroshi as Mashima Takuro, with Meiko being a mild-mannered dog groomer with a curious past and Takuro being a detective on the hunt for a criminal.At age seventeen, and while still in high school, Meiko was accused of lacing some chocolates with poison that killed her Rainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-6200257343572111412011-03-24T20:45:00.006-04:002011-03-25T00:02:33.051-04:003-IronBin jip 2004 Korean movie that stars Lee Hyun kyoon as a drifter who posts circulars on doors and then returns to see which houses haven't touched them so he can break in, browse through their personal shit, eat their food, take some candid shots of him with the owners (via portraits he poses beside), and he maybe does some laundry for them before eventually leaving.Aside from a few run-in's Rainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-40084956819892423252011-03-06T19:14:00.002-05:002011-04-03T23:19:38.750-04:00Hana Kimi / 花ざかりの君たちへHanazakari no Kimi Tachi E2007 JDorama that starred Oguri Shun as Sano Izumi, Mizushima Hiro as Nanba Minami (2nd Dorm Leader), Ikuta Toma as Nakatsu Shuichi, Kimura Ryo as Senri Nakao, Okada Masaki as Sekime Kyogo, Yamamoto Yusuke as Kayashima Taiki, Igarashi Shunji as Noe Shinji, Mizobata Junpei as Saga Kazuma, Sakimoto Hiromi as Kyobashi Arata, Chiyo Shota as Yodoyabashi Taichi, Tajima Ryo as Rainnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-38658882291301365862011-03-03T23:06:00.011-05:002011-03-04T01:39:19.384-05:00식객 (食客) / ShikgaekGourmet Well-deserved 5 hearts for this 2008, 24-episode Korean drama that starred Kim Rae won as Lee Sung chan, the unassuming and reserved, young man who is the rightful heir of a famous, traditional Korean restaurant started by his great-grandfather; the last, royal chef of the Joseon Dynasty.He is born into poverty, though, and lives in the forest with his humble Rainnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-12967424731801531682011-03-03T22:35:00.005-05:002011-03-04T01:51:08.552-05:00Le Grand Chef 2: Kimchi Battle / Kim-chi-jeon-jaeng 2010 Korean movie that once-again pits our hero, Sung Chan, against a rival chef in another cook-off - this time, Kimchi.It's a new actor portraying the descendant of a royal chef, but strangely he somehow resembles Kim Rae won in that he could definitely pass for a younger brother.The guy from Le Grand Chef reminded me of Kwon Sang woo.Anyhow - in this version of the saga (based on Rainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-3884959221399097302011-03-03T22:09:00.007-05:002011-03-04T01:56:32.909-05:00Futari ~ Watashitachi ga Eranda Michi / ふたり ~私たちが選んだ道~ 2003 Japanese movie about a young couple who fall in love, get married, and start out their expectant lives together when tragedy strikes and they, along with their closest relatives, are left to face some interesting if not predictable and oft-times unrealistic decisions about the future.Futari stars Nagase Tomoya as Kamagata Yoshiyuki, the husband, and Fukada Kyoko as Kamagata Mutsumi,Rainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-79787939272228035242011-03-03T21:35:00.006-05:002011-03-03T22:09:02.726-05:00Mr. Socrates 2005 Korean movie that stars Kim Rae won as Ku Dong hyuk, a street dog with mad fight skills and no conscience who even has no issue with his begging money off his old man, a wastrel behind bars for a string of petty theft crimes.Oppa Kim is great, though, and despite the feral character he portrays, one can't help but smile and insist it can't be true of a guy like him - because he's gotRainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-84152216950128016152011-02-19T19:35:00.001-05:002011-02-19T19:38:25.048-05:00Dream High / 드림하이Kinda sorta looks like a winner to me!Have to wait for it to be uploaded, though ...Rainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-65319015655542413182011-02-18T18:51:00.005-05:002011-02-18T19:27:01.244-05:00ブラザー☆ビート / Brother Beat Even with Hayami Mokomichi as Sakurai Riku in this one, I couldn't, quite bring myself to give this 2005 JDorama a fourth flower.Tamayama Tetsuji as Sakurai Tatsuya became a bigger draw for me, too, and I think he's really fine, but still, no, fourth flower for Brother Beat.The story was great and believable, about a feisty widow of three, grown boys who happens to be a tad on the shiftless Rainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-89987713941441129572011-02-18T18:24:00.003-05:002011-02-18T18:51:08.686-05:00My Girl (JP) / マイガール 2009, 10-episode JDorama that stars Arashi's Aiba Masaki as 23 yr old Kazama Masamune, a guy who fell in love with an older woman while still in high school, and then she left the country and he folded.Six years later, and living in the upstairs room of a charming, European-style house outside Tokyo, but with oddball homeowners for his landlord, Masaki-kun finds out that his old flame isRainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-23720320215667205432011-02-18T18:08:00.003-05:002011-02-18T18:24:16.357-05:00Humming / 허밍 2007 Korean movie that starred Lee Chun hee and Han Ji hye; lovers gone complacent in their long relationship, and while she is anticipating a marriage proposal, he is contemplating an extended stay at the South Pole for work research - and, we're meant to believe that he likes the idea because he wants to get away from the relationship.He's irritable around her, and her quirky ways annoy himRainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-11142214342921530202011-02-17T18:32:00.017-05:002011-02-17T20:52:59.072-05:00매리는 외박중 / Maerineun OebakjoongMarry Me, Mary!That's right!FIVE stars for this one :-)Beyond awesome, interesting, believable, and entertaining was this 16-episode, Nov through Dec of 2010, Korean drama.Loved it to BITS!Especially ...Jang Geun suk as Kang Moo kyulAn added bonus, and the reason I tuned in to begin with ...Kim Jae wook as Byun Jung inBut, believe it or not, that isn't even HALF the story this time!I went into Rainnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-50107284870543076852011-02-16T21:50:00.010-05:002011-02-16T23:11:40.993-05:00就想賴著妳 / Jiu Xiang Lai Zhe NiDown With LoveJanuary to May, 2010 CTV drama (16 episodes) about a pitiful, young girl (Ella Chen as Yang Guo) at a crossroads in her life when she happens upon her Prince Charming in the form of a brash attorney (Jerry Yan as Xiang Yu Ping) with ice for a heart.She also bumps into his best buddy: a dashing designer (Michael Zhang as Qi Ke Zhong) with a big heart but who has spent the past, sevenRainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-82052468738233812042011-02-02T17:45:00.008-05:002011-04-03T23:45:38.378-04:00Tsuki no Koibito / 月の恋人Moon Lovers May to July, 2010, 8-episode JDorama starring Kimura Takuya as Hazuki Rensuke, a furniture designer with high standards, a somewhat low profile, and with not much to say other than he strives for perfection in his work.When I found this at aznv.tv, I was excited, to say the least, considering the date of its release and the leading man involved.But, then my shallow sensibilities Rainnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-11824521670418126142011-01-29T19:31:00.023-05:002011-01-29T22:11:09.677-05:00Happiness On the WindBaram Buleo Jongeun Nal February 1 to October 1, 2010 Korean drama with 173 episodes that aired every Saturday afternoon and starred a few, hot guys - JIN LEE HAN for starters ...Dude may be a tad on the short side, but he's smokin' in the face and voice departments.You'll note his name is spelled correct with Lee and incorrect with the pronunciation Yi - either way, he's a great actor Rainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-1255597471237465882011-01-13T18:55:00.009-05:002011-01-13T21:10:27.132-05:00Haven't Abandoned Ship!It isn't that I stopped blogging, and for awhile, I was actually juggling three dramas at once, which kept me busy compiling notes for my latest blogs when suddenly ... aznv.tv just went kaflooy on me.By kaflooy, I mean ... the site just, stopped working.There are certain files I am able to open, but even those tend to up & quit a few minutes in or sooner.aznv.tv is still there, they are still Rainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-52295842046970029172010-11-21T19:40:00.006-05:002010-11-21T20:59:31.125-05:00Karei-naru Ichizoku / 華麗なる一族The Grand Family 2007, 10-episode melodrama that stars Kimura Takuya AND Nakamura Toru and is loosely based on a novel about the real-life story of Manpyo Daisuke; a banker at the time of Japan's reorganization period in the late 1960s.The drama, however, delves into the life of Daisuke's son, Teppei - played by Kimura-san.Remember when I said I was getting bored with the Rainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-23090933713634303302010-11-21T19:09:00.007-05:002010-11-21T20:49:03.579-05:00エンジン / Engine 2005 JDorama that stars Kimura Takuya as a washed-up Formula-1 racer who returns from the European circuit and tries his best to start over again with his original team, though that doesn't go quite so well as Kanzaki Jiro would like.His widowed father now runs an orphanage for kids who are abandoned by their parents, and despite his aloof nature, Jiro uses his own brand of coping with Rainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-84117904705647259752010-11-21T18:26:00.009-05:002010-11-21T20:58:28.719-05:00グッドラック！！ / Good Luck!! Yes, I would get on this plane and fall asleep without worry knowing my pilot, Shinkai Hajime, is at the helm!If you can't tell, I have a fear of flying on aircraft, though I do it on occasion, and while watching this 10-episode, 2003 JDorama, it made me wonder if knowing that the pilot or co-pilot were handsome, that it might, somehow help me to relax.I doubt it, but then Rainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-26979709123731628302010-11-21T17:33:00.006-05:002010-11-21T18:24:30.467-05:00流星の絆 / Ryusei no KizunaTies of Shooting Stars This was a two-fer in that Kazunari Ninomiya AND Nishikido Ryo star in this 10-episode, 2008 JDorama about three siblings who sneak out of the house late at night in order to watch the Leonid meteor shower (despite the pouring rain and their father's stern warning to forget about it and go to bed), and when they return home, they discover the brutal Rainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-76615398244645742482010-11-21T17:05:00.006-05:002010-11-21T17:32:57.877-05:00그 남자의 책 198쪽 / Keu Namjaui Chak 198JjeukHeartbreak Librarywho is she? 2008 Korean movie that stars Lee Dong wook as Jun oh and Eugene as Cho Eun su.She is a librarian who catches the culprit who has been ripping out page 198 of most every book in the library.Jun oh is a tall, quiet man who is trying without success to find the answer to a riddle his late girlfriend, who loved to read and checked out more than 400 books at that, Rainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-62280072720277005312010-11-17T20:34:00.008-05:002010-11-21T10:42:45.634-05:00Beautiful Life / ビューティフルライフ 28,246 total views at aznv.tv, and not surprising that most viewers gave this a 5-star rating.2000 JDorama that stars Kimura Takuya as Okishima Shuji - a hair stylist at the inaptly named Hot Lip salon.Shuji-kun is from a wealthy family of doctors, but because he's baka, it became inevitable that he walk away from his past and carve out a new path of his own.Early in this 11-episode Rainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-6761317811379454342010-11-10T18:56:00.011-05:002010-11-10T22:52:56.917-05:00Love Generation / ラブジェネレーションRabu Jenerēshon KIMURA TAKUYA is 38 this week!Happy Birthday, hotty!(I wonder if he's still single - cause he's REALLY close to me in age - just kidding.I know, he's married with 2 kids.)This JDorama goes all the way back to 1997, and it stars one of my all-time favorite, Japanese actors, too.At the beginning, his character, Katagiri Teppei, has this glorious mane of long, thick, Rainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-77484393927050368132010-11-10T18:33:00.006-05:002010-11-10T18:55:24.608-05:00アテンションプリーズAttention Please! 2006 JDorama that stars Ueto Aya as Misaki YokoandNishikido Ryo (that dude from NEWS) as Nakahara Shota - an airline mechanic working for JAL, where Yoko hopes to become a flight attendant even after finding out that the guy from her 'punk band' days isn't, actually interested in girls who wear a uniform - which was the only reason she decided to apply for flight attendant Rainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-50135275421562390772010-11-10T18:10:00.003-05:002010-11-10T18:32:44.629-05:00崖っぷちのエリー / Gakeppuchi no EriErie Cliff July through September of 2010 JDorama that stars these people:The girl in the center is Eri, a girl from a seaside area of Japan with oddball parents who do wrong at every turn, but this has little affect on her psyche OR her interest in art in anime or comic fashion.All her life, she has had dreams of becoming a famous sketch artist, and despite a bad uncle who keeps stealing Rainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-80306947183604061402010-11-10T16:31:00.013-05:002010-11-10T18:03:55.920-05:00나쁜남자 / Na-bbeun-nam-jaBad Guy May through August of 2010 Korean drama that stars Kim Jae wook (one of my favorite, Korean actors) and Kim Nam gil (a guy a lot of people find interesting, if not handsome - except for me).Kim Nam gilWhen I first heard about this drama, it intrigued me for a couple of reasons: namely, Kim Jae wook, but also the storyline, which described in a totally convoluted manner Rainnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-84125994211037350312010-10-29T18:44:00.037-04:002010-10-29T23:09:01.430-04:00장난스런 키스 / Jangnanseureon KissMischievous Kiss Sixteen episode, September through October of 2010 Korean drama that stars Kim Hyun joong and Jung So min as opposing figures who play cat & mouse until the bitter end, when love seemingly conquers all.This is what HanCinema had to say:Drama based off (on, actually) the comic series "Itazurana Kiss" is Filled with episodes that reflect Korea's sentiment, and has a stable Rainnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-23785436613857086962010-10-27T16:22:00.019-04:002010-10-28T18:00:52.605-04:00サムライ・ハイスクール / Samurai High SchoolSamurai High 2009, nine-episode JDorama that stars Miura Haruma as Mochizuki Kotaro, the distant relative of a samurai warrior who died in battle at age seventeen and who is a polar opposite of his modern-day ancestor with the same name.Modern Day KotaroModern-day Kotaro is an idiot with no guts or ambition who can't, seem to get anyone to like him; though he does have a girl 'friend' Rainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-15425702935192965212010-10-21T17:22:00.011-04:002010-10-21T20:31:54.929-04:00소울메이트 / Soulmate Season 1 2006 Korean drama that stars Shin Dong wookas Shin Dong wook - a playa with a bad attitude toward things like fate, destiny, and love.Dude's got a really SEXY voice to go with his really SEXY face, bod, & hairstyle.He's spent much of his budding, adult life flitting from one relationship to another without fear of commitment or responsibility because women tend to fall at his feetRainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-79393226390149307872010-10-20T17:27:00.013-04:002010-10-20T18:27:08.264-04:00魔女裁判 / Majo SaibanThe Witch Trial April to July of 2009 JDorama that stars Ikuta Toma as Yoshioka Toru, a budding 'designer' (of t-shirts) who is selected as a 'lay-judge' in a trial that involves murder, money, and strange brew.Toma-chan is cute!But, his ability as an actor stunned and amazed me since I've never seen him before, so I had no idea what to expect.Like every, other 'grass eater' from Rainnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-2696070334347846952010-10-20T16:20:00.012-04:002010-10-20T18:45:32.769-04:00Code Blue / コード・ブルー / Code Blue 2ドクターヘリ緊急救命 /Doctor Heli Kinkyuu Kyumei / Dr. Heli Emergency Lifesaving Code Blue was broadcast from July to September of 2008, and it starred Yamashita Tomohisa as Aizawa Kosaku, a flight doctor-in-training at a University hospital that was first to create a program whereby the helicopter is used in emergencies to deliver patients quicker than by ambulance.Each episode brings a new case Rainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-65991069752401606812010-10-16T20:09:00.002-04:002010-10-16T20:34:13.174-04:00Aftershock / Tangshan dadizhen 2010 release from China that recounts the horrific events of the 1976 earthquake that killed 240,000 people living in Tangshan at the time.The first, few minutes of this film take you directly into the danger zone, it poignantly introduces you to the people and lifestyle of the times, and then bam! Amazing f/x show you just what happened on that fateful, hot night over thirty years Rainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-61117156314148449922010-10-16T17:41:00.016-04:002010-10-17T16:20:35.022-04:00제빵왕 김탁구 / Jeppangwang Kim Tak GooBaker King, Kim Tak goo June to September, 2010, Korean drama that stars no one in particular, but I did become fond of both main male characters by the end of this thirty episode deal.Ju won and Yoon Shi yoonThirty episodes because for the first ten, we have to watch as young Takku goes through hell after hell after hell until he is eventually ripped completely from his mother's earnest Rainnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-75380952984207425882010-10-16T15:11:00.021-04:002010-10-16T17:22:53.746-04:00ランチの女王 / Lunch no JoouLunch Queen 2002, 12-episode, Fuji TV drama that stars Tomohisa Yamashita - but, not as the leading fella - he's just in this one, and that's why I chose to watch. Lunch no Joou is about a girl with nothing much going for her other than the strange (but viable) love she has for the noonday repast known in some parts of the world as 'lunch'.Mugita Natsumi (Rainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-83167944974893514432010-10-03T18:53:00.020-04:002010-10-20T19:23:44.723-04:00プロポーズ大作戦 / Proposal DaisakusenOperation Love 2007, eleven-episode Japanese drama that stars Yamashita Tomohisa as Iwase Ken, a shy-guy who has had a crush on a girl since the third grade, but who is too aloof to actually let her know, much less go out of his way to prove it to her.Opening Scene of Episode 7Boy and girl make other friends, and the five hang out together much of the time,and then in their senior Rainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-87731341535697509232010-10-03T18:43:00.005-04:002010-10-03T21:29:19.495-04:00Friend / Chingoo 2001 Korean movie that is based on the real life of the author, who hung out with three, other boys growing up in Pusan, and while he and another boy ended up on the 'right' side of life, two others didn't, quite make it according to what society dictates as good or meaningful existence.Later, Hyun bin starred in a drama based on the same story, (Friend, Our Legend), and I've tried a few Rainnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-59250685695458172352010-10-03T18:11:00.006-04:002010-10-03T21:37:43.882-04:00ロング・ラブレター / Long Love Letter漂流教室 / Drifting Classroom As strange as this 2002 Japanese drama turned out to be, I still found it captivating enough to watch clean through and not go to bed until after midnight.Lately, a lot of the stuff Yamapi-kun has starred is has begun to show up in the 'what people are watching' category at aznv.tv, and I can never resist checking out the choices to see if it might be something Rainnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-52415614941248498002010-10-03T15:39:00.019-04:002010-10-16T17:39:53.763-04:00추노 / ChunoSlave Hunters 2010 Korean drama (period piece) about slaves, slave hunters, and those caught in the middle of it all.Jang Hyuk as Lee Dae gil, Han Jung soo as General Choi, and Kim Ji suk as Wang Son are slave hunters; paid by the government to track down and return runaway slaves to their wealthy owners.Lee Dae gil came from a wealthy family and fell in love with a 'slave' working forRainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-30902236380256241092010-09-28T16:48:00.004-04:002010-09-28T18:30:31.792-04:00상두야,학교가자! / Sang Doo Ya, Hak Kyo Ka Ja!Let's Go to School, Sang-doo! SANG DOO YA!!!This puppy goes ALL the way back to 2003, but who cares, and it stars Rain bi as Sang Doo, too.I'm not sure if I ever mentioned this before, but my nick-name is Rain (Lorain), and my last name starts with a B - but since I'm older than the above-mentioned mega-star from Korea, it means I got there first, so I have no qualms about nor shame in Rainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-10292586615024428452010-09-28T16:24:00.005-04:002010-09-28T18:41:31.306-04:00야수와 미녀 / Ya-soo-wa Mi-nyeoBeast and the Beauty 2006 Korean movie about a guy not so gorgeous who semi-stalks and then ends up befriending a blind girl who just happens to be really pretty.It's a funny movie as Korean standards dictate, but it also had a few moments that lagged, which in no way detracted from this film.While she's still unable to see, Shin Mi na's character falls in love with the homely but doting Rainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-81334688892125991822010-09-28T16:02:00.006-04:002010-09-28T16:22:24.543-04:00아빠가 여자를 좋아해 / Abbaga Yeojareul JongahhaeLady Daddy January, 2010, Korean movie about a young boy searching for his real father, who turns out to be a woman (now).Lee Pil mo stars in this one as an uppity reconstructive surgeon who once mentally and physically tortured the lead actress, (Lee Na yong as Ji hyeon) when he was a guy studying to become a physician but who ends up changing professions as well as his gender.Pil mo's Rainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-42818197320654408142010-09-07T13:06:00.015-04:002010-09-07T14:19:18.141-04:00Tatta Hitotsu no Koi / Love of My Life Honestly, I don't understand why this 2006, 10-episode Japanese drama didn't do better with viewers than it did with me.I absolutely loved this !It was one of the most pure, unconvoluted, and simple-yet-charming stories I've come across in a long time, if ever, and I, for one, had a terrific time watching start to finish.Tatta is about a young boy and girl from opposing sides of life Rainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-52155369854944296072010-09-07T12:16:00.008-04:002010-09-28T18:56:31.025-04:00Miracle of Giving Fool / 바보 / Ba:Bo BA:BO was released in South Korea on February 28, 2008, and was ranked third at the box office on its opening weekend, grossing $2,302,058. By April 6 the film had grossed a total of $6,377,089, and as of March 23 the total number of tickets sold was 951,573.2008 Korean movie based on a comic book about a young boy from a poor family who suffers brain damage after a gas leak that Rainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-76741319826115538642010-09-07T11:30:00.009-04:002010-09-07T12:14:03.757-04:00Our School E.T. / 울학교 이티 2008 Korean movie about an aging, ex-boxer turned gym teacher who pulls a lot of Onizuka and Yankumi moves to help keep his students in line, but then it is decided that gym isn't so important anymore, and English is king.The school is (again) run by a bunch of idiots who cave to the unrealistic demands of the parents (especially those with a lot of $$), and the staff are left to pick upRainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-57088533868967695352010-09-02T18:36:00.025-04:002010-10-20T20:47:32.032-04:00연인 / Lovers 2006, 20-episode Korean drama that stars Lee Seo jin and Kim Jung eun as star-crossed 'lovers' from opposite sides of the track who meet quite by accident and end up bumping into one another throughout the first half of the show; eventually succumbing to the destined side of their fate.Italicized 'lovers' because, to me, they weren't, exactly lovers in the American (or my) sense of the Rainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-3543563491072540732010-08-30T15:21:00.010-04:002010-08-30T16:01:45.349-04:00HotelierYes, I finally did it ~I watched a Bae Yong jun drama from Korea that goes waaay back to 2001!For those of you not in the know, it's about a guy who works at a hotel in Seoul when he scandalizes everyone by ending up inside a female guest's room in his bath robe.He gets fired and ends up working in Las Vegas for a few years when the Seoul Hotel owner dies of a heart attack and his wife begs the Rainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-46707817618669109232010-08-30T14:00:00.010-04:002010-09-03T11:07:57.797-04:00Crush and Blush / Misseu Hongdangmu 2008 Korean movie that stars Kong Hyo jin, Bang Eun jin, Hwangwoo Seul hye, Lee Jong hyeok, and Seo woo.Winning Best Actress at the 7th Korean Film Awards and the 11th Director's Cut Awards, Kong Hyo Jin (Dachimawa Lee, M) transforms into a homely teacher in the quirky dramedy Crush and Blush (a.k.a. Miss Carrot). Lighting up the screen with her spunky, idiosyncratic charm, Kong Rainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-64970486198333875172010-08-30T13:21:00.009-04:002010-08-30T14:00:36.394-04:00사막의 샘 / Sa mak ui SaemOasis / Desert SpringThis is a 2003 Korean extended movie that stars SONG IL GOOK as Ki Hyun, a motherless boy who witnesses his saxaphone-playing father being gunned down in cold blood by a ruthless mercinary on the side of the Japanese in post-war Korea.NOT nice.Anyway Ki Hyun grows up to be a gorgeous, young man (big surprise) who is now a terrific musician and (bigger surprise) loved by all Rainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-55935113305606251532010-08-30T13:00:00.005-04:002010-08-30T13:20:26.834-04:00Oishii Proposal / おいしいプロポーズ2006, ten-episode Japanese drama that stars Hasegawa Kyoko as Shiraishi Suzuko and Koide Keisuke as Katsuragi Haruki, opposites that do not attract right away.Suzuko is an Italian cuisine chef working at a tiny bistro somewhere in the city, and Haruki is a spoiled, rich kid wavering between living large or growing up.Haruki works for his father, who is a philanderer but also a shrewd business manRainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-42997648599243367422010-08-01T15:24:00.008-04:002010-08-01T16:08:37.910-04:00Once A Gangster飞沙风中转 (Fei Sha Feng Zhong Zhuan) May, 2010, Hong Kong release that stars Jordan Chan and Ekin Cheng as warring ex-gang members who are supposedly vying for the head-dragon spot left open by Chan's gang boss who is so heavily in debt that he can't think of any, other way out but to have someone else appointed to take his place.Roast Pork (Chan) was once a gang member who wanted to Rainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-69631644421654772812010-08-01T15:09:00.006-04:002010-08-01T16:20:27.633-04:00Sweet Lie / 달콤한 거짓말 2008 Korean movie about a girl who always gets drunk, ends up losing her PD job (I guess that's the to-die-for position over there, eh?), and as she's leaving the station, her purse gets ripped off her shoulder by a thief.As she is chasing after the guy while shouting profanities in broad daylight, she runs into a fancy car, and the minute she sees who it is that is driving, she Rainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-28167156123698140522010-08-01T14:40:00.005-04:002010-08-01T15:07:55.605-04:00Saigo no Yakusoku / 最後の約束 January, 2010, Japanese movie starring the Arashi Five as various insiders or outsiders who converge along with about two-hundred others inside a glass tower office building when three o'clock strikes and all hell suddenly breaks loose.Ohno Satoshi as Mashiko Satoru is a maintenance worker who ends up inside the absent president's office with a new employee who ends up being an ex-con whoRainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-72776575176920192922010-08-01T14:15:00.008-04:002010-09-28T19:36:33.226-04:00Tengoku no Daisuke e / 天国のダイスケへTo Daisuke in Heaven ~ Hakone Ekiden ga Musunda Kizuna ~ 2003 Japanese movie based on the real-life dilemma of a college student on a relay track team whose promising future is cut short by leukemia.The movie, however, is based on the personal life of an arrogant reporter who covered his sports career and who ended up changing his outlook on life as a result of his having met the Rainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-32219887578122600782010-08-01T13:35:00.004-04:002010-08-01T14:14:53.133-04:00Crows Zero / Kurozu zero 2007 Japanese movie that stars Shun Oguri as Takiya Genji - a guy who enrolls at Suzuran All-Boys High School with the sole intention of taking it over so as to accomplish the feat his Yakuza father could not back in his time.Tamao Serizawa (Yamada Takayuki) is the current head or 'king' of the crows, but they have a mutual friend in Kenta Kiritani as Tokio Tatsukawa, an unseemingly Rainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-3299610991527332062010-08-01T12:59:00.011-04:002010-08-01T16:27:54.913-04:00Crows Zero 2 / クローズ ZERO 2 Spring, 2009, Japanese movie that stars Shun Ogiri and Takayuki Yamada in their same, nemisis roles from the same school, along with a few of the other, original cast as well.This time, "The Army of Killers" from rival high school Hosen Academy threaten Suzuran High aka the School of Crows.Genji Takiya (Shun) isn't aware of some things and walks in on a potential gang murder attempt on a Rainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-44209474819343493712010-07-27T14:45:00.010-04:002010-07-27T15:34:39.692-04:00Bambino! / バンビーノ! 2007, 11-episode drama from Japan that is based on a Manga by the same name about a young, brash college student named Ban (Matsumoto Jun) who lives in Fukuoka Prefecture and works at an Italian restaurant.This means he thinks he's the greatest chef alive, so when his boss gives him a chance to spend spring break working at a high-class Italian restaurant in Tokyo, he jumps at Rainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-26143133678293678312010-07-27T13:27:00.014-04:002010-08-01T12:44:20.778-04:00Smiling Pasta / 微笑 Pasta / Wei Xiao Pasta 2006 Taiwanese drama about an average girl (Cyndi Wang as Cheng Xiao Shi) running a losing streak in the love department ever since the guy of her dreams cursed her, stating she would never get anywhere past three months with any, particular guy.The guy of her dreams (Gino as Ah Zhe) doesn't, even like her, but despite her klutzy and totally immature ways, she is a determined girl who vows Rainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-85048976154858958112010-07-27T11:34:00.003-04:002010-07-27T11:53:36.130-04:00Hero (the series) 2001 JDorama that stars Kimura Takuya as Kuryu Kohei, an off-beat defense attorney working for the city (prefecture).I watched the 'special' before I found this (the original, eleven episode series) at aznv.tv, so at first I was a little confused.Also, the DVD cover above has the number 5 after the title, and that confuses me as well, but it was the biggest picture I could find, so ...Rainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-53383801989511241582010-07-27T11:04:00.006-04:002010-07-27T11:33:55.927-04:00Kekkon Dekinai Otoko / 結婚できない男He Who Can't Marry To be honest, I wish I had watched this version first and not the Korean re-make.Verbatim from start to finish, but because I really, REALLY enjoy watching Hiroshi Abe star in anything, the tedium was a bit, more bearable.Korean dramas tend to take a long time to tell a story by including every aspect of life (including watching people walk in silence, ride on a bus Rainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-58460781754514098212010-07-20T15:11:00.017-04:002010-07-20T18:58:07.338-04:00Gokusen / ごくせん / ごくせん２ / ごくせん 3Season 1 Never in my life could I have anticipated nor even hoped to derive as much pleasure from an overly popularized Manga turned Anime turned JDorama about high school life as I did when I decided to give Gokusen a try.I mean, I ended up spending an entire WEEKEND hooked on this sh*t, and I even tolerated constant buffering and shut-downs at aznv.tv in order to watch every, Rainnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-36885852187278203192010-07-20T14:29:00.006-04:002010-07-20T15:10:56.024-04:00HOTMAN 2 / ホットマン2 2004 sequel to Hotman with about the same cast except the oldest sister is different, and because Enzo has to leave Yokohama for the sake of his dermatitis inflicted child, the leading lady is also someone new.One, annoying fact about Asian sequels is that they sometimes fail to follow through with the original plot - and in this case - the end of Part 1 had Enzo proposing to the girl ofRainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-35749914883756292912010-07-20T13:59:00.006-04:002010-07-20T14:29:27.781-04:00HOTMAN / ホットマン 2003 jdorama that stars another of my favorite OLDER actors, Sorimachi Takashi as Furiya Enzo, a guy with a rowdy past who ends up taking care of his four, younger siblings (all from different fathers but the same, late actress mother) after an infant left on his doorstep compels him to want to grow up, become responsible, and create a family for his illegit daughter whose Rainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558744083211662700.post-89763941981092248942010-07-20T13:10:00.004-04:002010-07-20T13:52:21.744-04:00Ningen no Shoumei / 人間の証明Proof of the Man 2004 summer mystery from Japan that stars Yutaka Takenouchi as a grizzled detective assigned to a murder case that leads him against his will through the harrowing steps of his past.The only thing about this awesome story that confused as much as it made me laugh was the fact that they chose to use a Japanese actor as the murder victim - thus imposing 'black face' on Rainnoreply@blogger.com3