Sunday, October 19, 2014

Apple In Your Eye (妹妹)Episode 7


Summary:

Zhou Ji Wei remembered that she came across a newspaper article about old style dating poem. That was the standard procedure of dating during the olden time. Interestingly, she imagined that her partner is Dai Yao Qi. Back to the present, Ji Wei was struck in the middle between Yuan Fang and Dai Yao Qi at the Family mart. Note: The love rivals met each other. 


Dai Yao Qi appeared to be very angry and left with the abandoned dog. Ji Wei left Yuan Fang at the Family mart and chased after Dai Yao Qi. However, he took a cab immediately and ignored Ji Wei. Soon, he was asked to alight because of the smell of the abandoned dog. Feeling depressed, Dai Yao Qi sighed deeply at the thought of being "abandoned". The next day, Ji Wei bathe the dog while Dai Yao Qi was looking at her. There was something weird about Dai Yao Qi behavior. Ji Wei suspect that he is jeolous because of the incident but she immediately brushes it off as thinking too much. 


Ji Wei return home for reunion dinner. Her father specially fetched her home. The family was concerned about her love life and kept asking her to share about her "engineer" boyfriend. Surprisingly, Ji Wei elder sister Ji Ru announced about her intention to get married by the end of the year. Everyone was shocked since none of them know that Ji Ru have a boyfriend all these while. After getting over the initial shocked, Ji Wei congratulate her sister Ji Ru. She revealed to Ji Wei that her boyfriend is a single parent, therefore she is certain that their parents will definitely object to their relationship. 


Ji Wei get ready to return to Taipei, her father shared with her about his concern about being a parent. He revealed a secret that he had been hiding for years. Dai Yao Qi had been sending her letters all these years but he had kept it from her all these while. He asked Ji Wei for understanding from a parent perspective and advice not to dwell on it since she has a boyfriend already. The reason for keeping Dai Yao Qi away from her is because he always gets into trouble. Indeed, at the eatery store Dai Yao Qi got into a fight and was send to the police station under detention. At night, Ji Wei heard a noise outside the room and went out to look for Dai Yao Qi. She was surprised to see the bruise on his forehead. He requested Ji Wei to keep this matter away from his grandmother. 


At the speed delivery shop, Mei Jie was very sensitive and paranoid of Zhou Ji Wei. She was wary of her every movements and kept observing her. Yuan Fang came by and passed a box of tangerines to Ji Wei. Mei Jie was looking suspiously at the both of them. She heaved a sigh of relief when she found out that Ji Wei and Yuan Fang are not lovers. However, she mistook Ji Wei when her mother called her and she said that her boyfriend is Yuan Fang. Feeling betrayed by Ji Wei, Mei Jie refused to listen to her explanation. 

It was raining, Yuan Fang and Ji Wei met at the building. Ji Wei felt guilty for lying and asked Yuan Fang for forgiveness. However, Ji Wei was surprised when Yuan Fang asked her," Am I handsome in your story?" Ji Wei hesitated and replied quite handsome. He nodded his head and smiled contentedly. 


Dai Yao Qi spend some time with his grandmother and dine with her at home. He was still clearly affected by Ji Wei "new boyfriend". Soon, Ji Wei came home and the three of them looked like a family dining together. Dai Yao Qi grandmother was so happy that she sang a small part of soap opera. After tucking grandmother to bed, Dai Yao Qi sat at the living room with Ji Wei. They thought about their childhood and those happy moments. Both of them hide their heartache since they know that they cannot be together. The next day, Yuan fang came to the speed delivery shop to look for Ji Wei for lunch. 


Yuan Fang and Ji Wei dated like the old style dating poem. I wondered how does this mysterious guy know about Zhou Ji Wei thoughts? Anyway, they spend a great time together watching movie DVD at Yuan Fang grandparents house. At the family restuarant, Ah Bing ge and Dai Yao Qi suddenly appeared. Apparently, they had followed the both of them all these while. Ah Bing ge interrogated Yuan Fang background and asked him why did he like Zhou Ji Wei while acting like a concerned brother. Dai Yao Qi listened attentively to Yuan Fang description about why he like Ji Wei. It seems like Yuan Fang really like Ji Wei but she still thought that they are just acting like a couple. 


Yuan Fang walk Ji Wei home while holding hands. On the other hand, Ah Bing ge had a drink with Dai Yao Qi and both of them had a heart to heart conversation. Ah Bing ge noticed that Dai Yao Qi does not only want to be Ji Wei "brother". He asked Dai Yao Qi to closed his eyes and imagine that Yuan Fang and Ji Wei kisses and what is his reaction. Dai Yao Qi could not stand it and sulk at the thought of them kissing. To hide his feeling, Dai Yao Qi immediately walked away. Ah Bing ge asked him why did he want to be Ji Wei brother, he replied because siblings can be forever. However, Ah Bing ge disagreed since he had lost his sister. He advice Dai Yao Qi to treasure the present. 


Both Dai Yao Qi and Zhou Ji Wei lie on the bed deep in thoughts. Dai Yao Qi contact Shao min for comfort and on the other hand, Yuan Fang asked for a date with Ji Wei. The next day, Ji Wei wore a pair of shorts for the date. Dai Yao Qi noticed and instructed her to change her shorts. He looked displeased that Zhou Ji Wei is going for a date. After Ji Wei left the house, Dai Yao Qi went to the market to purchase some groceries. His grandmother smiled happily at Dai Yao Qi as he closed that door. That was the final goodbye and the last that he saw of his grandmother. The seven sadness is - Forgotten to say Goodbye. 

My thoughts

That was the first time I have ever heard of old style dating poem. I think it was rather interesting to see how this method was used in this episode. Everybody have their own ideal date and how they wanted to execute this plan. It was dreamy to have a date exactly what we wanted. The old style dating method is a guideline for lovers with a few steps to follow. Everything sounds so pure, old school and innocent. In this modern society, do we still execute these methods? Mostly not. 

Dai Yao Qi was clearly affected by the incident at the family mart. Finally, he met his love rival Yuan Fang. This period of time, Dai Yao Qi do not seem to miss Shao Min and only looked for her to give him some comfort from his misery. His eyes only have Zhou Ji Wei and he hide his feelings inside his heart. Not even his grandmother seem to be aware of his feeling for Ji Wei. 

I like the rapport between Dai Yao Qi and his grandmother. I can feel his love for his grandmother and sadly anticipate what will happen soon. This taught us to treasure what we have and not to regret later on in life. Life is indeed fragile and once a person is gone, everything remains as memories for the people that are still living. Ah Bing Ge was right when he advice Dai Yao Qi to treasure the present. We never know what will happen the next second. 

It is understandable why Zhou Ji Wei parents object to Dai Yao Qi and their daughter relationship. As parents, they naturally does things that they think is the best for their child. They will go to the extra mile to protect their children from getting hurt. I know Ji Wei have good parents. They are traditional caring parents that have their children interest at heart. 

At the same time, I felt contradictive about this matter. If parents are over protective about their child to the extend of placing walls around the child to prevent harm, is that necessary? There are things which parents have to learn to let go and not to deprive their child from opportunities in life. Come what may, everybody have the right to make their own decision and chose their own path. Perhaps that is easier said than done. Parents will always be worried about their own children and letting go is also a learning process.






Monday, October 13, 2014

Apple in your eye (妹妹)Episode 6



Summary

Zhou Ji Wei thought that Dai Yao Qi came to find her. However, she was disappointed when she raised her head and saw Yuan Fang. On the other hand, Dai Yao Qi was worried about Zhou Ji Wei. He went to her house to find her and was relieved when he received the text messages from Ji Wei. Zhou Ji Wei asked Dai Yao Qi to play the truth or dare game. Either he tell the truth or exhaust 300cc of sweat. 



Dai Yao Qi choose to lose 300cc of sweat to Ji Wei disappointment. He rode the bicycle till he perspires so much. He laid down on the bed next to Zhang Shao Min and pulled her close for comfort. A flashback about Dai Yao Qi high school days showed that he love Ji Wei and because of the promise, he choose to stay away from Ji Wei. 



Ji Wei and Dai Qi adopted an abandoned puppy when they were kids. However, as time passes by the little puppy became a big dog. Gradually, the dog grew up and passed away years later. Ji Wei used to be a Mayday fan but she missed out on their concert. She lamented that time passes by so fast and nothing can be kept.

She met Yuan Fang at a family mart. They had a conversation about time and memories. she ask Yuan Fang is it true that nothing will be left after time is gone? Yuan Fang used a famous artist art work as an illustration. No matter how beautiful are the black inn ice blocks, after ten days everything will disappear. He stated that it is a waste of time to keep looking back at the past. 


Ji Wei decided to move forward and face everything bravely. She intended to stay in Taipei and not dwell in the past. Eventually, she temporary moved into Dai Yao Qi apartment and choose not to probe into the answer that she wanted to know. She decided to be contended as his younger sister. 

Soon, Ji Wei had found a job at a shipping and delivering company. She met Mei Jie (Sister Mei) , the senior employee in the company. She was wary of Ji Wei beauty and was curious about her intention in joining this company. The male employees in the company treated her well, especially Ah Bing Ge (brother Bing) who treated her like a younger sister. 

Ji Wei first assignment was to collect some parcels from her previous company that fired her. She met a irritating ex-colleague and was criticized by him. Ji Wei turned around and gave him a lecture about having the right attitude towards everything. She stated that even doing well in small little things are important too.



Shao Min was offered an assignment to flim some documentary overseas for a few months. She was insecure about Ji Wei presence, therefore she was hesitant to commit to this assignment. 

After Ji Wei moved into Dai Yao Qi apartment, his grandmother became much happier. She also revealed to Ji Wei that she is a little afraid of Shao Min. They prepared some snacks (Tofu Wrap) for Dai Yao Qi and his staffs. 

Shao Min decided to talk to Ji Wei after she shared about her problems to her close friend Xiao Mi. She frankly told Ji Wei about her feelings. In order to clear the misunderstanding and to encourage Shao Min to pursue her dreams, she lied about having a boyfriend. 



Ji Wei ex-colleague came to visit her and thanked her for the great advices. He specially treat her for lunch with some discount coupons. Ironically, the eatery store they are going to belonged to Dai Yao Qi. He assumed that her ex-colleague is Ji Wei boyfriend and examined him from head to toe. 

After he left, Dai Yao Qi reprimanded Ji Wei for having poor judgement on man. Ji Wei insisted that he is just an ex-colleague and not her boyfriend. In the end, they rode on the bicycle home. While they reminiscing about the past, Shao Min suddenly appeared from the bedroom and they have to end their conversation. 



It was Mei Jie (sister Mei) birthday, Ji Wei organized a surprise for her. They brought a tiny birthday cake for her and invited her to Dai Yao Qi eatery store. Mei Jie was delighted to see the handsome boys working here. 

Ah Bing ge met Dai Yao Qi and they had a conversation over drinks. Initially, Dai Yao Qi was wary of him and thought that he is Ji Wei boyfriend. It turned out that Brother bing had a younger sister that had passed away due to an accident. Therefore, he treated Ji Wei like his younger sister. The next day, Shao Min decided to take on the overseas assignment and left for work. 



Prior to leaving for work assignment, Shao Min felt a lack of security in love, therefore she asked Xiao Mi for help. Xiao Mi hinted to Dai Yao Qi to purchase a discounted ring to propose to Shao Min. Coincidentally, Ji Wei met Yuan Fang at the building where they work. In order to repay Yuan Fang for his help and advices, she offered to help Yuan Fang in his work. 

 

They worked together till night time and even went to the family mart for supper. At the eatery store, Dai Yao Qi was busy attending to customers and he suddenly remembered about the ring. He realized that he lost the ring box and was panicky. After anxiously searching high and low for the ring box, the recieved a call from his employee informing him that he left ring box on his bicycle. 

Dai Yao Qi was relieved after hearing the good news. Just when he was about to leave, he saw an abandoned puppy. He carried the puppy to the family mart to buy foods and he saw Ji Wei with Yuan Fang. 

My thoughts

Dai Yao Qi obviously did not love Shao Min that much. In my opinion, he is just using Shao Min as a replacement for Ji Wei. I knew the story will develop towards this direction. Afterall, Dai Yao Qi had gave himself away so many times. He tried so hard to conceal his feeling and escape from facing this problem. He said Fang Shao Min is his girlfriend and Ji Wei is his sister that will never change. 

However, I think Dai Yao Qi is just trying to convince himself and deceive others. He knows very well who he love but he dare not love Ji Wei. He rather be a coward in love and divert his romantic love into siblings love. Unfortunately, he can never lie to his own heart. The same goes for Ji Wei, she should not use Yuan Fang as an excuse too. Love is not a replacement for somebody else position, neither can it be used as a lie.

Xiao Mi acted as a love advisor to Dai Yao Qi and Fang Shao Min. His words of wisdom and advices were great. I agreed with what he said to the both of them. Sometimes, a third party is able to assess a situation better than the involved parties.  On the other hand, Mei Jie seem to be jealous of Ji Wei. She is always observing her every movement. I think maybe she was desperate for love and attention? 

I can understand why Ah bing ge wanted to be Ji Wei's brother. She is like a replacement for a little sister that he lost in an accident. In my opinion, not everything can be replaced in life. However, a replacement can be used to fill up the void space in one's heart and provide some comfort. Even if time passes by, things that had happened in the past will be like a residue ( memories ) that will always etched in our heart. 

We can never deny things that had happened in the past but we have to move on in life too. Overall, I appreciate the topic behind this episode  - Things could coincide in an untimely moment. Yes, time is such an unpredictable factor in our life. 




















Saturday, October 11, 2014

Takashi Kashiwabara Weibo Update: Gift from a fan



プレゼントは洋服でした。しっかり受け取りましたよ。 せっかくなので知り合いのカメラマンに1枚撮ってもらいました。 -柏原崇-

翻译: 原来是衣服。收到了哦。 为了表达谢意特意找了认识的摄影师帮我拍了一张。 -柏原崇-

Translation: I have received a shirt. In order to show my appreciation, I specially requested a photographer that I know to take a photo of me. 


Translation: There is a fan from Shanghai who send this parcel to a production agency company in Gangzhou. I have received the present. Thank you. It took a lot of effort and time for the parcel to be delivered to me. Please do not spend money on  gifts for me. Looking at the Weibo comments, I am very grateful. The support from fans is the greatest present for me. Occasionally I will post some updates, but I am thankful that everybody have been coming to view my Weibo. 

Drama Queen thoughts 

Some netizens commented that Takashi Kashiwabara look old and haggard now. There are people who criticize his beard and mustache. In fact, there are a number of people who could not accept his changes in appearance. I could only state that everyone have their own opinion and different definition about beauty. Since beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder. 

In my opinion, Takashi Kashiwabara looked like a beautiful flower when he was young. Remember those years when he was like a "blooming flower" that charmed the girls with his handsome prince image onscreen?Now that he had grown older, he executed another charm. That is the charm of a matured and sophisticated man. It is all a phrase of life which everybody have to go through. We cannot stay young forever. 

It is impractical to expect someone to look the same way after twenty years. The Naoki Irie and Itsuki Fujii that we knew in the past remained as a beautiful memory. In fact, Takashi Kashiwabara had been changing all these years if you have been following his Japanese drama. There is nothing really shocking that the prince that we once knew had aged gracefully. 

Despite all the criticism, there are still many fans who embraced his current image. Some of them gushed about Takshi Kashiwabara handsome appearance. I personally think that Takashi Kashiwabra still look good despite his age. At least, there were no major changes from his younger days. I noticed that he has grown thinner and that could be the reason why he look different. However, Takashi Kashiwabara delicate facial features and charisma is still prominent. 

Sadly, many people only remembered him for his stunning appearance. An idol will always be an idol that is what many people will say. There was a period of time when Takashi Kashiwabara refused to be just an idol and been labelled as the pretty boy of the last century. Some people say it is a curse and because of that people only noticed his face and not his talent in acting. Takashi Kashiwabara acting skills have been improving throughout the years too.

Not getting the recognition that one's deserved is rather disheartening. Takashi Kashiwabara (Kassy) is a low profile person and he has a strong character. He wanted to be known as an actor rather than an idol. After going through some experiences in life, Kassy has matured a lot. Hope he will continue to live happily. 

It is nice and sweet of Kassy to post a picture of him wearing a shirt that someone gave. The fan that gave him the shirt must be happy to be appreciated. What do you think of Kassy current image? Are you able to accept?  

Monday, October 06, 2014

Apple in your eye (妹妹) Episode 5



Summary

The animation at the beginning of this episode narrated about Zhou Ji Wei and Dai Yao Qi past. Dai Yao Qi had fallen down and broke his leg and a tooth, while imitating a slam dunk move from a comic book. Zhou Ji Wei stated those memories were irreplaceable. 

During high school days, Zhou Ji Wei mentioned to Dai Yao Qi about the sports shoes that Fang Shao Min wears. She wanted to have a pair of sports shoes like hers too. However, Dai Yao Qi does not seem to be paying attention to her. 

Back to present days, Zhou Ji Wei was upset to find out that her mother had objected Dai Yao Qi and herself from seeing each other. She stormed out of the house in a fit of anger. Her parents were worried, but her mother stated that she did not do anything wrong as she had her daughter best interest at heart. 

On the other hand, Dai Yao Qi and Fang Shao Min were seen cuddling with each other. Shao Min long time friend Xiao Mi was right in analyzing Dai Yao Qi personality. He is always avoiding problems and is afraid of being misunderstood. 



Zhou Ji Wei elder sisters know where to find her. They planned to pass her the luggage and to find Dai Yao Qi. However, their plan was intercepted by their mother. She went to the secret place to look for Zhou Ji Wei and revealed her side of the story to Zhou Ji Wei. At that time, she discovered Dai Yao Qi brought a present for her and thought that Dai Yao Qi had stolen the pair of shoes. 

Zhou Ji Wei mother knows that Dai Yao Qi like her daughter but she is worried about her daughter well-being. Thus, he make Dai Yao Qi promise to stay away from Zhou Ji Wei. On the other hand, Dai Yao Qi revealed to Shao Min that he did not steal money to buy the gift. In fact, he sold his personal belongings from his mother in exchange to purchase a gift for Ji Wei. 



A flashback reveals Dai Yao Qi eyes was always on Zhou Ji Wei. He even looked for her in class to pass her the present. In the end, he planned to hide her gift at Zhou Ji Wei bedroom. Zhou Ji Wei mother leave her to decide what to do. Zhou Ji Wei firmly believed that Dai Yao Qi did not steal money and blamed her mother for accusing Dai Yao Qi. 



The next day, Zhou Ji Wei family was having reunion breakfast but Ji Wei was absent. Suddenly, Ji Wei appeared and sat down with her family. Her elder sister urged Ji Wei to go to Taipei personally to ask Dai Yao Qi for an answer. However, she was hesistant to know who is Dai Yao Qi first girlfriend. Ji Wei mentioned her fear of knowing the truth and she is unable to handle the feeling of being replaced. The sisters discuss and track their memories through the diary that Zhoh Ji Wei kept. According to her elder sister analysis, she told Ji wei that Dai Yao Qi did love her. To help her sister clarify this matter, she purposely stop the delivery truck from sending Zhou Ji Wei belongings back home. 



Zhou Ji Wei was "force" to face this matter when she returned to Taipei to collect her belongs. At the counter, she met Yuan Fang who happened to be there. He told her about this parcel that was found in his grandparents house. Dai Yao Qi was working at his eatery store, while Fang Shao Min was helping Dai Yao Qi grandmother with the household chores. Zhou Ji Wei tried to contact Dai Yao Qi to ask for the mailing address. 



From Yuan Fang description of the parcel, Ji Wei deduced that the present is the sports shoes that she wanted years ago. Indeed, she found the shoes and was devastated. She went to the eatery store to demand an answer from the busy Dai Yao Qi. He passed to her his IPhone and asked her to ask Seri. She foolishly tried to ask the phone which could not give her an answer. She looked at Dai Yao Qi and wailed loudly. After she left, Dai Yao Qi friend passed the phone back to him. It was late at night and Dai Yao Qi was worried about Ji Wei. She called her phone and a stranger answered the phone. It turns out that Ji Wei had left her bag at the counter and Yuan Fang took it back for safe keeping. In end, Yuan Fang found Ji Wei at the road side.

My thoughts

Finally, we know that Dai Yao Qi love Zhou Ji Wei all these while. I supposed this is the twist of the story. Yes, Zhou Ji Wei was determined to find out the truth that was hidden from her years ago. We all know that Zhou Ji Wei parents have her interest at heart. They were worried that Zhou Ji Wei will be hurted like Dai Yao Qi mother. From a mother's point of view, it is a natural instinct to protect her children. Sadly, she did not give a chance to Dai Yao Qi to explain about the gift.

I always do not like Amber An crying scene and her high school days. There is something about her expressions which I personally don't fancy. Yes, she had became more tolerable as an actress but she is far from excellent in my opinion. So far, I am very impressed with Zhou Ji Wei parents acting skills. 

I like Ji Wei elder sisters and I can feel their bonding as siblings. Actually, Zhou Ji Wei is very fortunate to have a warm family that she can always count on. On the other hand, Dai Yao Qi was misunderstood from time to time. Actually, he is a sensitive person that keeps everything in his heart. 

Zhang Shao Min seem to love Dai Yao Qi a lot. I think she is pretty and her acting skills is moderately good. She seem to only want to be around Dai Yao Qi and she does not like to be around his grandmother. That is one of the difference between Zhou Ji Wei and Fang Shao Min. While Ji Wei love Dai Yao Qi grandmother, Fang Shao Min does not. 

This episode we have the closest people around the main characters to analyze the situation. One of them is Fang Shao Min close friend Xiao Mi, who is spot on about Dai Yao Qi character. On the other hand, Zhou Ji Wei eldest sister is able to analyze the situation about the past events through her views. Xiao Mi and Zhou Ji Wei eldest sister could be a perfect match. 

Last but not least, I wondered why is the plot so silly to make Zhou Ji Wei look so foolish. The scriptwriter make her cry infront of the eatery store with many customers around. Besides, she does not know what is Seri? She was even foolish enough to ask this type of question? That was ridiculous and if the intend is use this scene to move the hearts of the viewers, I would say that i personally do not feel sympathetic at all. Anyway, this episode summed up the topic: It was sad when you harboured a hope and it became a disappointment. 










Sunday, October 05, 2014

DramaQueen favorite Jdorama Part 2



Title: Hakusen Nagashi

Also known as White line

Starring: Takashi Kashiwabra, Nagase Tomoya, Sakai Miki

Theme song: Sora Mo Toberu Haza -Spitz

Year of Boardcasting: 1996 

Storyline: Sonoko (Sakai Miki) a rural high school student notice stars drawn on her desk. It seems that sitting on the same desk at night is Wataru ( Nagase Tomoya), a poor teenage night class student. He is forced to work in the daylight and study at night. 

One day, Sonoko and Wataru crushed into each other on the street. She leave a book about stars behind and Wataru picks it up. They begin to develop feeling for each other. Sonoko's friends Madoka (Kyono) and Fuyumi (Mabuchi) are very good supporting characters. Yusuke (Takashi Kashiwabara) plays sonoko studious classmate that has a major crush on her. 

My thoughts:

This is an old school drama that left a great impression on me. When I first watch this jdrama, I was very young then. The only cast that I know is Takashi Kashiwabara and Sakai Miki from the hit movie - Love Letter. I actually hope that this onscreen couple will finally be reunited and have a happy ending. Sadly, that did not come true. 

I wondered why is Takashi Kashiwabara a second male lead? Initially, I was frustrated with the love triangle between Wataru, Sonoko and Yusuke. Like many fans, I thought Sonoko is literally blind when she did not choose Yusuke. 

This drama was well received in Japan and they continued to flim a few special seasons. I wonder why the Japanese did not do so with the other popular idol drama - Itazura Na Kiss? Anyway, Takashi Kashiwabara got me hooked to this drama with his gentle demeanor and handsome face.

I like the side story of Sonoko friends too. This is a story about these youth and their story at different stages of life. I am able to connect to each character in the drama. The storyline was good, although I struggled through the entire series because of my poor Prince Charming Yusuke. The scriptwriter "tortured" him for many years and I felt sorry for him.

Subsequently, they flimed a few drama special and seasons till 2005. The cast had grew more matured and I felt like I grew up with them too. This drama became part of my memories and is no doubt one of my favorite drama. 


Title: Pride 

Starring: Takuya Kimura, Yuko Takeuchi, Kenji Sakaguchi

Theme Song: I was born to love you - Queen 

Year of broadcasting: 2004

Storyline: The story revolves a corporate ice hockey team, the blue scorpions. Haru Satonaka (Takuya Kimura) is the captain of the team. Haru treat his relationship as a game. He begin a contract relationship with Aki Murase (Yuko Takeuchi). At the same time, Haru Satonaka had to deal with the inner conflict within the ice hockey team. How is the iceman Haru going to deal with the obstacles? 

My thoughts:

How to miss out this great drama from Japanese King of drama Takuya Kimura? I am glad to be able to watch these jdrama during my younger days. Both Takuya Kimura and Takashi Kashiwabara were such suave men. I love Takuya Kimura in other jdrama such as Love generation, Hero and Good luck! In my opinion, Takuya Kimura has a strong charisma and acting skills. He is really good in protraying every character that was given to him. 

The reason why I love this drama so much is because I am totally impressed with the storyline and our main character Takuya Kimura. I was actively engaged with the 11 episodes drama and there was never a dull moment. The theme songs matches the drama perfectly well too. 


Title: GTO Great Teacher Onizuka

Starring: Takashi Sorimachi, Nanako Matsushima 

Year of broadcasting: 1998

Storyline: This is a high school comedy adapted from a manga. Onizuka ( Takashi Sorimachi) is an ex-delinquent- turned high school teacher. He used his unique ways to motivate and change the young minds. 

My Thoughts:

This is a great drama that have a few seasons later on in the years. Despite all the remake of this drama throughout these years, the one that left a great impression on me is the first live action drama. 

The chemistry between the two leads Takashi and Nanako is fantastic. Anyway, we know that they became a couple after this drama. The storyline was motivating and I like Takashi Sorimachi performance in this drama. There were some light-hearted moments and some touching moments within the story. It is definitely one of the best Jdorama I have ever watched.


Title: Gokusen

Starring: Yukie Nakama 

Year of Broadcasting: 2002

Storyline: This is a manga turned life action drama series which was highly successful in Japan. Kumiko Yamaguchi ( Yukie Nakama) is the granddaughter of a Yakuza boss. Her parents died when she was seven years old. She is next in line to head the family business. However, Kumiko lifelong dream is to become a teacher. She becomes a teacher in an all boys high school. Her class is full of delinquents, but she tried her hardest to teach them not only academic but also lessons in life.

My Thoughts:

Initially, I am not particularly interested in this drama until I watched one of the epsiode and was immediately hooked. I like Yukie Nakama protrayal of a strong headed high school teacher. 

This story is similar to Great teacher Onizuka. Both Yukie Nakama and Takashi Sorimuchi were excellent in their role. Although sometimes their expressions were exergerated, I still can accept it since the drama was adapted from a well-known manga. 

At the same time, I realized that the Japanese really like to film this type of motivational comedy about high school students. Jdrama had once upon a time impacted the whole Asia with their drama series. Gokusen is definitely one of the must watch jdrama.