Mangas & Dramas
Asian Dramas, I watch them. Not as much as I used to. Maybe it’s because this season’s dramas aren’t catching my eye? Dunno. As a creature of habit, I’m sure I will catch up the next time I get sick.
But, the reason for writing this is because I was thinking of how many dramas I had watched that I had also read the manga/manhwa. It’s quite a few. So I’d thought I’d do a little list.
The first drama I watched was “Full House”. I found it on eBay while I was searching for the next book (which never came out) . I just wanted to know what happened next, so I bought the DVDs instead. It was pretty good. It kind of followed the story of the first three books. The show was much better than the somewhat strange feeling translation of the books. The female lead Song Hye Gyo & pop-star Rain suit the parts pretty well.
The next Korean show I watched was “Prince’s First Love” (not sure if this one was a manhwa), it was pretty much the same show as “Full House”. People gush over “Full House” & I think it is only because of the fame of the leads. Because, my conclusion was “Full House” however cute, didn’t bring anything original. It was more of the same. Don’t get me wrong, it’s fun to watch and you’ll stay engaged.
While looking through the other shows I noticed that there was a drama of “Remote”. This one I really liked. I thought the handling/changing of some sensitive topics went very smoothly. Shingo’s character is slightly less jerky, which I thought was a plus. The only real issue I had was Domoto Koichi/Himuro Kosaburo had uncomfortable hair. If that makes sense? But, that’s not much of an issue. Since I mentioned the boys… To be fair- Fukada Kyoko, playing Ayaki Kurumi, was really cute.
Now I know that there a places to get dramas without the use of eBay. So, I smack my own hands for not finding it sooner.
“HanaKimi” is a pretty good manga series. It’s probably going to be the only one like it I read. A girl pretending to be a boy in an all boy’s school. It’s pretty far fetched but the characters are pretty compelling. The last book comes out soon, I’m a little sad, but oh well. As for the dramas made from this, I’m not so sure about. The Taiwanese version followed the books pretty closely. I find the Taiwanese acting in general a little over the top and slightly uncomfortable for this type of show. It is actually a really decent version. But, as I watched I hoped the Japanese would do the show as well. They did. Although there was much larger budget and had tons of ‘pretty’ boys, it was WTF, for sure, like totally. I didn’t get it. It almost hung on the the plot. Maybe it got better after the 3rd episode, I couldn’t keep watching. So I dunno. If you REALLY feel the need to watch one, go Taiwan. If REALLY want to enjoy the story, reread the entire series next month when the last book comes out, vol. 23!
“Nodame Cantabile”, a surprisingly fun manga to me. I really wasn’t sure when I got it as a present. But, it’s excellent. So is the Drama. All the actors suit their parts very well. The smacking around of people is done with a very cartoon way without looking lame. The actors pull off ‘playing’ their instruments well, lol. I don’t think many of them actually play instruments. The soundtrack is fantastic, hearing the music makes a lot of difference and the opening credits says it all. (two of the guys from “Remote” are in this. Tamaki Hiroshi & Eita). Overall I would rate this as *Fantastic.* Eventually I will get around to watching it over again & finally get around to watching the Special as well. Noda is so much fun in the books and on the screen. Should I try the anime? I’m a little worried about it for some reason. I’ll probably skip it…?
Okay, so the count is 4. There is more. I’ll keep going later. Who likes to read crazy long messages on the computer anyway. I know I can’t. But it’s usually that one person in a forum going on and on and on forever without getting too a point. I can read the news just fine though.
toygirl–unicorns forever!
