So it's past midnight and I should be sleeping because I'm exhausted...but who needs beauty rest when there's concealer, right? Anyway, this is a list of the Japanese dramas and movies that I've seen so far and what I thought of them:
Dramas
- Hana Yori Dango (花より男子/ Boys Over Flowers）
This was the first drama I ever watched, so I'll probably always really love it. The story is basically about a poor girl who goes to a school full of rich kids that's ruled by this group of four guys. The group calls themselves Flower 4 (F4) and if they don't like you you're pretty much screwed and everyone bullies you. So the main girl is having a difficult time and going up against the whole school - and then it becomes even more complicated when a few members of F4 start falling in love with her. Hana Yori Dango is based on a manga and its one of the most popular dramas out there. I liked that it was both funny, dark, and had a really cute love story.
Japanese dramas
very rarely have second seasons, so the fact that this does really speaks to how popular it was. I was honestly kind of pissed when I started watching it and it took place a year later (opening in NY) and the main characters weren't together anymore, but it turned out well in the end. Also, I really liked the opening songs for both Hana Yori Dango 1 and 2 (they're both by Arashi, the band that Matsumoto Jun, the main guy, is in).
- Kimi wa Petto (君はペット/ You Are My Pet)
I watched this drama because MatsuJun was in it and I like him. It's really different from Hana Yori Dango in that it's not a school drama at all. I liked it, but not as much as Hana Yori Dango. Also, the whole idea of the drama is really strange: An icy, standoffish career woman finds this beat up guy in a box outside her house and takes care of him. He becomes enamored with her and wants to stay at her house but she'll only let him if he agrees to take on the role of a dog. So she names him Momo. Obviously, various issues both comical and serious ensue as people obviously aren't dogs. Duh.
- Itazura Na Kiss (イタズラなKiss / Teasing Kiss)
This drama is actually from the late '90s, but I liked it a lot (more than Kimi wa Petto). The plot is basically about a girl who runs into a guy on the first day of highschool and accidentally kisses him. He's in the same grade as her, but a different homeroom, and she has a huge crush on him all throughout highschool but he thinks she is an annoying idiot. He's even more unobtainable because he's the smartest and cutest and all around most coveted boy in the school. The girl finally gets her chance with him when her house burns down and she moves into his house because their parents were friends in highschool.
Another drama that I clearly watched for my love of MastsuJun. A half Philipino, half Japanese man has a troubled life because of the social stigma against him; he faces prejudice because he's not fully Japanese. He meets a girl who can't talk because of emotional trauma in her past, but she falls in love with him because of his beautiful smile and his optimistic viewpoint of life. They go through many serious problems before they are able to lead a happy, peaceful life. This ultimately has a happy ending, but there are many ups and downs throughout. It's pretty good.
- Hanazakari no Kimitachi e (or Hana Kimi) (花ざかりの君たちへ / For You In Full Blossom)
An absolutely hilarious school drama with a romantic plotline. A girl who had been raised in California (Maki Horikita) disguises herself as a boy and enters an exclusive all boys school in Japan to try to make a talented high jumper (Shun Oguri) who she idolizes, but who quit jumping, take up the sport again. They become roommates and she falls in love with him, which is an issue since she's pretending to be a boy. BUT she doesn't know that he actually knows she's a girl and he secretly falls in love with her as well...kind of confusing to explain. Watch it.
This drama is a classic coming-of-age tale with a lot of humor and embarrassing moments that all teens go through. It takes place the summer before 4 friends' senior year of highschool (if I recall correctly), when everyone around them seems to be dating or in a relationship or just having sex. The 4 friends want to get in on the action (pun intended) but their perspective changes over the course of the summer as they reconnect with a childhood friend who comes back to visit. There was a little bit of a love story, but mostly it was just funny and enjoyable to watch. Also has Ninomiya from the band Arashi and the movie Letters from Iwojima. Recommended.
- Nobuta wo Produce (野ブタをプロデュース / Producing Nobuta)
I would say that Nobuta wo Produce is definitely one of my favorite dramas; it's up there with Hanazakari no Kimitachi e and Hana Yori Dango. Two school enemies secretly unite to "produce" an unpopular girl and transform her into a popular girl. The unusual circumstances brings together people who wouldn't have been friends otherwise. Themes of friendship and happiness. It's also hilarious and it made me cry. Anyone who hasn't seen this drama is really really missing out. Okay maybe it's my favorite?
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Not the official pic for the drama (which is a cartoon of pigs),
but this has Yamashita and Kamenari in it. |
- Proposal Daisakusen (プロポーズ大作戦 / Operation Love)
Another drama with Tomohisa. The character he plays has been in love with his childhood friend all of his life but has never been able to confess his true feelings to her. Which sucks, because then she got engaged to another man. At the wedding ceremony, a fairy came up to the guy and started giving him chances to go back in time, fix his mistakes, and hopefully win her over. This was pretty cute, but not the best thing I've ever seen, as the episodes get pretty repetitive in structure and can be frustrating as Tomohisa repeatedly fails to confess his love to his friend. The ending made me happy though.
- Kurosagi (クロサギ / The Black Swindler)
I wrote an earlier post about this drama because I finished it recently. I liked it because I have a huge celebrity crush on Tomohisa Yamashita (pretty much just like every girl in Japan and tons of Americans too, sigh). I also think that Maki Horikita is such a sweetie...so anyway you can check out my other post for more info.
Movies- Densha Otoko (電車男 / Train Man)
I actually watched this movie about 2 years ago. It's about an awkward, nerdy guy who defends a woman on the train from some creepy man. He, of course, falls in love with her and enlists the help of a few of his nerdy internet friends in order to woo her. The movie has a lot in it about otaku (お宅) culture; an otaku is a type of person who stays in their house all the time and lives on their computer, video games, etc.
I watched this movie in school, oddly enough. It was absolutely amazing, and my teacher told me it was very popular in Japan as well. A movie about ping pong that is funny, entertaining, action-packed...also makes you think about friendship, dedication, sacrifice. That's all I'm going to say, but out of these few movies it was definitely the best, by far.
- Tada, Kimi wo Aishiteru (ただ、君を愛してる / Just Loving You)
Tada, Kimi wo Aishiteru was recommended to me by a friend. It's cute but has a pretty sad ending, which was disappointing at the time. Synopsis: Guy becomes friends with a weirdo girl in college who falls in love with him. She tries to convince him that she just looks childish because she hasn't fully matured yet. There's photography. There are nature scenes.
Honestly, this movie was a little disappointing. I didn't dislike it, but it just didn't capture my interest the way that some other dramas/movies have. Which sucks, since I love Oguri Shun and Kamenari Kazuya. Based on the true story of a guy with a very very rare disease where the bones surrounding his brain disintegrate. Not a happy ending, but inspiring nonetheless.
- Kurosagi (クロサギ / The Black Swindler)
This movie is just an elaboration of the Kurosagi drama, and kind of answers some questions about Kurosaki's future. As a hopeless romantic, however, the fact that the love story between Kurosaki and Tsurara was barely addressed really annoyed me. So beware if you're looking for some kind of conclusion to the love story.
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