JAPAN: First impressions -- Heat & Death Note (2015)

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Heat is about a real estate agent who wants to use an entire town for one of his clients. In order to buy up the town he becomes a volunteer firefighter so that he can become close to the residents and buy them out. I thought of this as a second coming of a Bitter Blood and started it right away. There are many similarities between this show and Bitter Blood (Partners by Blood) - action packed, funny, and a full cast of characters that are just as important as the main lead. So far, the main lead, Tatsuya Ikegami, is a self-centered workaholic and it's clear that he does not care about actually doing the job of a volunteer firefighter correctly. However, as episodes go on and hi-jinks ensue you can see him start to understand the importance of being a firefighter and hopefully as time goes on he will start to act more like one before someone really gets hurt. The only thing I am unsure of at this point is if there will be a romance in the show. Right now there are two potential matches for Tatsuya: Sakura Azumi and Eri Yuki. Even though it seems that he has a relationship with Eri Yuki, there seems to also be room for him to care about Sakura Azumi too. Right now, that is not the focus of the show but there's always that underlying plot, isn't there? I've only seen two episodes of the show so far but it's very entertaining and endearing. I am looking forward to watching the remaining episodes of Viki.com.

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I can't even remember how I stumbled upon the information for this show, but once I did I had to watch it. I have not read the manga, seen the anime, or watched the movies, but I was not going to pass up a chance to watch the live action television version of the show. [I'm sure I can watch the anime in no time if I really want to and catch up on the movies.] Since I have no real reference for the show I can't say if it's just as good or better than any of the others, but I can say that it is pretty interesting to me as someone who is experiencing it for the first time. As of now I am both fascinated, entertained and freaked out by the show, but I am sure that's the feeling you generally get when dealing with any version of Death Note. If I were to just talk about this version I'd have to say that the acting is good and the actors are definitely keeping my attention. In that regard I guess it may be worth watching to someone who's already a veteran of Death Note.

First Impressions: High Society & Hidden Identity

When I saw the announcements for these shows I was really really excited. I honestly haven't seen Kim Bum in anything since I watched Boys Over Flowers (my fault for not being attentive). Also, I've become a fan of Uee since watching her in Hogu's Love and Park Hyungsik since watching him in The Heirs. I don't even need to talk about my excitement at seeing Sung Joon in something new. I was just all around ready for these two dramas and thankfully they have finally come to me. 

Cue my happy face. 

Anyway, I've watched the first two episodes of both shows and indeed I was not disappointed. For more specific details on how I felt upon first watching please continue reading. 

High Society (aka The Privileged)

So, I am not going to lie, I am getting serious Heirs vibes, but like a more adult version of The Heirs. Uee is playing a character very similar to her Hogu's Love character. She's blunt and not afraid of saying what she's thinking. It's always a bit refreshing to get female characters like this, but I think the thing that is going to make this drama special is that none of the characters are actually what they seem to be. At first glance Sung Joon's character (Choi Joon Ki) seems like a nice, poor guy who has to work his way up the ranks to get any recognition. However, he also seems to be calculative and cold in some ways. I am looking forward to seeing the future interactions between the characters and how they develop as they get what they want or lose what they wanted. So far the double life that Uee is living also seems to be on verge of unraveling and it's only been two episodes. As of now I know that 5 or 6 of the episodes have been released, so I need to catch up and see if any of my original feelings and thoughts will stick. I definitely recommend this show though, if nothing else you can at least count on some Grade A acting.

Hidden Identity

I had to take a pause and absorb the greatness that is this show after watching the first two episodes. I really didn't know what to expect from this show. So far, tVN nor Kim Bum have disappointed me but I wasn't expecting a show this good. Pretty boy Kim Bum, who has never been shy of using his fists in dramas, slimmed down for the role of a disgruntled cop. Even though the change was drastic and shocking, he now fits in perfectly with the darkness of the show. The show is well cast and at the moment it is well written. Every episode is like a mini movie full of action and suspense. I think the suspense is really killing me. It's only been two episodes and so many unimaginable events have occurred, waiting to see how they'll turn out has me on the edge of my seat. If you're a fan of the action dramas then you will love this show.

These were must-watch dramas for me so I am very happy that they are finally out. If you're pondering watching either then do not hesitate any longer. I definitely recommend both. I am watching High Society on Viki and Hidden Identity on DramaFever.