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.

How to Fight K-Drama Boredom

Let's say you've been a fan of Korean Dramas for years and you've finally gotten to the point where the excitement has worn off. The recent set of dramas you've seen didn't take your breath away and you are considering giving it up but you really don't want to. What do you do? 

Even though I've only been a K-Drama fan for two years, I have hit a few slumps. The shows I wanted to watch didn't interest me as much as I thought they would, I am getting bored of the same story line, I hate the OSTs they choose, and the list goes on. However, I always find a way to renew my love for K-Dramas with these few tricks. 

1. Watch a drama from a country other than Korea. You can get dramas and movies from all over the world in subtitles for your language through multiple streaming sites. If Korea isn't holding your attention anymore then check out dramas from other countries. When I hit a K-Drama slump I usually turn to Taiwanese, Japanese, or American dramas. They are great at entertaining me until another K-Drama comes along that piques my interest. Also, it's fun to compare entertainment norms between countries.

2. Watch a few episodes of a drama you loved. Sometimes when I can't think of anything else to watch I watch a couple of episodes of a drama that I've seen already. I've re-watched the first few episodes of shows like Boys Over Flowers and Nail Shop Paris because they reminded me why I fell in love with K-Dramas. If you're not interested in re-watching whole episodes then find some clips from your favorite shows and relive the magic.

3. Watch other forms of Korean entertainment. Variety shows and movies are a great way to escape the monotony that K-Dramas can have. Variety shows are, for the most part, unscripted and often show a different side to the actors that you've come to love. Movies give you all the drama that you love in K-Dramas but in a shorter amount of time. At one point I didn't watch any K-Dramas, but instead watched like 10 Korean movies. It was kind of therapeutic. I got all that bad K-Drama taste out of my mouth and when I returned to K-Dramas I was able to see certain actors in a better light and really appreciate their talents.

4. Marathon a popular drama you haven't seen yet. There are always those dramas that people constantly talk about even years after it released the last episode. If you want to get out of a slump then I suggest power watching one of the shows you're most curious about. For instance, I got really into simulcast K-Dramas around the time The Master's Sun came out. I didn't watch it when it was out, but about a year later I just told myself to watch it and I FELL IN LOVE! Now whenever something comes out with the actors in it I am confident about the quality. So far following those actors has not steered me wrong and the show definitely restored my love for K-Dramas.

5. Take a break. I know you don't really want to give it up but if you're seriously not feeling it anymore then take an extended break. The few breaks I have taken have only been for a few days at a time, at most a week and a half but I enjoyed dramas much more after taking a little hiatus. You can clear your mind of all the sucky dramas that got your hopes up and really define what you'd like to see out of a K-Drama. Once you know exactly what you'd like to see you can search for shows that fit those parameters and restore your love of K-Dramas.

Here is a list of shows/movies that helped me get back to loving K-Dramas:

Running Man (Variety), Bitter Blood (Japanese), Just You (Taiwanese), Grimm (American), The Face Reader (Movie), My Girlfriend's an Agent (Movie), Architecture 101 (Movie), Misaeng (K-Drama Marathon), Marriage, Not Dating (K-Drama Marathon), Empire (American), Attack on Titan (Anime), Tokyo Ghoul (Anime), Dream Knight (Mini-Drama)

All of these shows were entertaining, introduced me to new actors, and gave me a chance to see a different side to some of my favorite actors.

Here's hoping that your K-Drama boredom will end soon!

Partners by Blood (Bitter Blood) - Japanese Drama Review

This show is by far my favorite Japanese Drama. It had everything one could ask for in an action/comedy. It was funny when it was supposed to be and packed with combat and explosions at just the right moments. And like all Japanese dramas it was short and sweet, which left me wanting more so I am hoping for a season two. 

Warning this review will contain a few spoilers. 

Overview: An estranged father and son become partners at the Ginza Police Station much to their dismay. They fight each other and their impending bond tooth and nail but they realize, case by case, that they care about each and need each other to survive the dangerous world of being a detective. I watched it on DramaFever.

What I Liked:
1. The actors were fantastic. I've noticed that in Japanese dramas, particularly comedies, things get really random but it didn't diminish the acting talents of the cast. Their comedic timing was just as great as their uncanny ability to cry over just about anything. I also liked that each character had a personality and a chance to show of their personality traits.

The cast included Takeru Sato (Natsuki Sahara aka Junior - Son), Atsuro Watabe (Akimura Shimao aka Gentle - Father), Shiori Kutsuna (Love Interest), Mitsuru Fukikoshi, Tetsushi Tanaka, Sarutoki Minagawa, Keiji, Suzu Hirose, Reiko Kusamura, Katsumi Takahashi (Chief), and Mitsuhiro Oikawa (Villain).

2. The main villain. You know dramas, mostly Korean dramas, have a way of making you empathize with the villain in some cases, not all but some. This wasn't one of those cases. Even when the villain was telling his story I still thought that he needed to go. Of course, I don't feel like he ever really got the chance to explain his story but even if he felt wronged he shouldn't have done the things he did.

3. The action. This comedy had a lot of action and though having action in every single episode can be pretty unrealistic, it also made for very entertaining scenarios.

4. The theme song. Probably one of the best theme songs I've ever heard. It added impact to the show before the show even started. It's called Do You Ever Shine by Mayday. It gets you pumped up for not only the show but just for the day.

5. They didn't overly force the father and son relationship between Sahara and Gentle. They let them naturally start caring for each other and understanding each other. At the end of the show they still weren't super close but they were on their way there which gives me hope for a second season.

What I Didn't Like:
1. I felt like the villain never actually got a chance to fully explain his side of the story. We got a brief glimpse into his pain but that didn't help us understand exactly where he was coming from.

2. The unstated relationship between Sahara's sister, Shinobu, and Kota. Kota is the chief's son and after Sahara saved him he all of a sudden was in some sort of relationship with the sister which was never fully explained. Sahara and Gentle still don't even know that they're dating or friends or whatever they are.

In all honesty there wasn't much I disliked. It was so entertaining and just the right amount of endearing that I really have no complaints. I would totally watch it again and I suggest that if you're new to dramas you give it a try. A short drama like this is a great attention keeper.

Monday Marathon: Last Cinderella

This Monday's Marathon is for Japanese drama Last Cinderella. 

Overview: It is about a woman who is a bit unkempt, but has a passion for her job and is always good to people. Despite her positive attributes she's 40 and single. Soon she finds herself in a love triangle with a much younger man and her boss. There are 11 episodes, each about 45 minutes or so.

Why it's Worth Marathon-ing:
1. This Japanese drama is for those looking for a more mature drama. If you're tired of the PG Korean love scenes then this show will shock and please you.
2. It's fun to root for which good looking man you want to win most. Both of the male leads are attractive and have good qualities so it's very enjoyable watching them fall for the female lead.
3. Miura Haruma! If you just so happened to watch Hours of My Life (I haven't yet) and want to see him in something light then this is the show for you.
4. It's funny and touching. The show has plenty of comedic moments particularly between the female lead and her boss, however there are a lot of endearing moments for all the characters.

Hope everyone has an awesome Monday!

JAPAN: Mischievous Kiss

Every once and a while I have to stray away from Korean shows and watch a show from another country. For some reason I couldn't shake the feeling that I should be watching Mischievous Kiss: Love in Tokyo, so I watched all 16 episodes on DramaFever despite the fact that I really wasn't planning on it. I had watched the Korean version and figured I'd seen it all so it'd be okay to skip this one, I was happily mistaken.

Overview: It is Japan's 2nd television adaptation of the manga  Itazura na Kiss by Kaoru Tada, the first was released in 1996. Some of you may be familiar with the Korean version Playful Kiss starring Kim Hyun Joong (Ji Hoo in Boys Over Flowers). The show is about a girl who is hopelessly in love with a cold, genius classmate. She musters up the courage to give him a confession letter in front of the whole school, but gets harshly turned down. However, through a very unfortunate event she ends up living with her crush. This inevitably causes them to get closer, which is not always a good thing in her case. Though she tries her hardest to win him over, events keep arising that seem to drive them further apart. Will her persistence help her prevail in the end? The answer is YES.

What I liked:
The Korean Version, Playful Kiss, was actually the third Korean drama that I watched. So, I think of it fondly (sort of, I have mixed feelings). Anyway, I actually like this version better, but I will admit that I find the Korean cast as a whole more attractive (but that's just me).

I liked the pace of this show. It felt much shorter than the Korean version, probably because it was. Each episode was only about 45 minutes long whereas the Korean episodes were about an hour long. Also in the Japanese version a lot of the unnecessary events that weighed down the story line, like the field day or the bet between Seung Jo and Ha Ni, were taken out. This definitely helped lighten the show.

The thing I liked the most is that the main character, Kotoko Aihara, though similar to Oh Ha Ni in the fact that she gets completely hung up on a dude that doesn't even like her, manages to build her own life rather than just build her life around the guy she likes. In many ways she does give up her own self for her crush Naoki Irie, but it's not to the extent that Oh Ha Ni does. And though Kotoko never really establishes her own dreams outside of Irie I feel like she has the potential to. The fact that she didn't instantly say she wanted to be a nurse after hearing Irie say he wanted to be a doctor gives me hope. 

I also loved Irie's mom in this version. I loved Seung Jo's mom too, but this lady didn't come off as desperate to make Kotoko apart of her family. The moms were the best part of both series. The one thing that Naoki's mom did in this version that made me love her (SPOILER ALERT) was try to ruin the meeting between Irie and Sahoko Oizumi who Irie will be engaged to later. It was totally rude, but hilarious.

I thought the hugs, that's right HUGS, looked really comfortable. After Irie finally confessed his feelings to Kotoko, he hugged her and for some reason it just looked like one of the best hugs ever. The second hug in the house looked really comfortable too. There is just something about a simple hug between two people that love each that looks so great.

I really enjoyed Yuki Yamada as Kinnosuke Ikezawa. Yuki Yamada is so handsome, but he also has some great acting skills. Kin-chan was so sweet and genuine with Kotoko. and I loved his numerous face offs with Irie. I really like the character because he had ambition, which in all honesty was something that neither Kotoko nor Irie really seemed to have. Irie was good at everything so he kind of just went with the flow and Kotoko did the same. However, Kin-chan was serious about becoming a chef and was really working hard to see that through even if the girl he liked wasn't next to him.

What I didn't like:

I didn't like how mean Irie was to Kotoko. I expected him to be cold because that's just the character, but it still bothered me how harshly he treated her sometimes. However, because he treated her that way the whole time the character never seemed to develop. It was so frustrating how stagnate he was. Even Kotoko changed, maybe she didn't mature, but she wasn't the same Kotoko from the beginning of the series. 

I didn't like that he broke his engagement. I don't remember Seung Jo going that far. To me he should have not gotten engaged or not broken the engagement.

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This isn't a drama that needs much analyzing because in all honesty not much thinking is required to watch it. Overall I found the drama to be quite enjoyable. It was cute and that's all I needed at the time. I am anxiously awaiting the supposed second season of the show. I'll have to take some time before I watch the Taiwanese version, but after watching the Japanese version I am kind of looking forward to it. 

Share with your thoughts in the comment section below. 

Thanks for reading!