Drama/Anime/Movies

So. Do I sort this by language or by title? Or by media type? Oh, choices.

Work-in-progress: I’ll start filling this page in slowly, but at the moment, it’ll just be a record of stuff I’ve watched.

Anime

• Loveless (12): Beautiful crisp visuals, incomprehensible plot. 9/10
• Ouran High Host Club (26): A great laugh in every episode, spot-on snark at fangirl service and very clean artistically. 10/10
• Prince of Tennis (178 + OVAs): Interesting concept of anti-shonen hero, physically impossible feats and lots of team spirit, a bit sloppy towards the end, though. 8/10

Drama

Chinese:

• 18 Springs/Half Life Fate (35): Beautifully done period drama, with perhaps a little too much hysterical shouting, but it’s okay in the context of the source material. The lead actress exceeded expectations on this one, though it’s her ‘older sister’ who steals the show. Warning to the faint-hearted - very realistic and mature portrayal of some issues may not end up with you being happy. 9/10
• Heavenly Sword and Dragon Sabre 2003 (40): Pretty girl A, B, C, D, and oooh, is that the plot flying by? Jin Yong’s material gets repetitive, and this truly stretched my patience. And the action sequences, something I usually enjoy, were actually boring. 6.5/10
• Hua Yang Shao Nian Shao Nu (15+1): A valiant transferring effort from manga to drama, but unfortunately ruined by Ella and Jiro’s overacting and Wu’s wooden-ness. 7/10
• It Started With a Kiss (20): I’m sorry. I didn’t like this. I wanted to, but I couldn’t. 6/10
• Legend of Condor Hero 2003 (40): Adventure. Love. Lots of heart-in-mouth martial arts sequences. (And the presence of a plot really didn’t hurt.) 9/10
• Marmalade Boy (30): Good effort but a bit whiney and stiff. 7/10
• My Own Swordsman (80): Oh my. Possibly the best Chinese comedy show ever. 12/10
• Return of Condor Hero 2006 (42): The sap, oh, it drowns. Otherwise very pretty and watchable - though it feels like Jin Yong is trying to fit all the people from the prequel in… 8/10
• Romance in the Rain (48 ): It works well, better than the original novel (given that it’s Qiong Yao, not terribly surprising). For one thing, all the elements balance. The leads work well together very well. I love Vicki Zhao, but her voice grates after a while - the soundtrack would have been better off without her. (Though Ruby Lin can’t even sing that well, so I guess I can’t complain.) The ending is a little bit too contrived and I dislike the premise of 两人爱的死去活来, so it’s not a favourite. Most people seem to have really loved it though. 8/10
• Romantic Princess (13): I have to confess, I have very little tolerance for clichés or overacting. This one had bits of both. 7/10
• Smiling Pasta (17): Please, someone hand me that turtle shell so I can shield myself. Clichéd and overacted, with hints of Full House. 7/10
• Xiao Ao Jiang Hu 2001 (40): Compelling story and gorgeous shooting. 9/10
• Why Why Love (15): I should have known from the title. Please, smart and capable Taiwanese people, start filming good, thoughtful dramas. I swear, it won’t kill you. 7/10

Japanese:

• Detective Conan Live Action I & II: I’m a sucker for whodunnits, I’m afraid. Plus Shun’s usually really good. 9/10
• Gokusen I & II (12 + 10): The first time around, it was funny and original. The second time, it got repetitive. Plus, hints of GTO abound. 7.5/10
• GTO (12): If you haven’t watched this, please do. Very zany take on the follies of youth and the bonds between teacher and student - and what they owe to each other. 9/10
• Hana Kimi (12): Err. I’m sure they used up a year’s worth of women’s dresses. It’s quirky and fast-paced, but it lacks a spark of life. 8/10
• Hana Yori Dango I & II (9+11): Can you say awesome?? The leads have amazing chemistry. Strike that. Everyone has amazing chemistry. 10/10
• Kimi wa Petto (10): Watched it because it was Matsujun and Koyuki. In retrospect, ehh. 7/10
• Kurosagi (12): The boy has a face of wood. Maki does better at emotional involvement. Kudos for the almost reverse detective vibe. 8.5/10
• Long Vacation (10): My favourite jdrama ever. Touching, funny and realistic in a way I never thought possible. 10/10
• Nobuta wo Produce (10): Thanks, neechan! I forgot about this one. Not because it is bad, just that I assume everyone has already seen it. Very cute story on the power of friendship and kindness, plus slash hints abounds and the actors are all accurate. 9.5/10
• Nodame Cantabile (10): Strange, cute and energetic. Just like Nodame. 8.5/10
• Sapuri (12): An interesting (and possibly sunny) portrayal of the advertising industry, and the acting is pretty good. 8.5/10
• Yukan Club (10): Its main function is to stop its viewers from thinking. 7/10

Korean:

• Coffee Prince (16 + 1): What can I say that hasn’t already been said? It sparked a wave of obsessed crazy on that has not quite yet subsided. I think it goes something like this: Girl A likes boy B, boy B likes girl C, boy D likes girl A but is gay? Lots of good, solid acting and despite the risk of clichés, carried its own momentum through. 10/10
• Dae Jang Geum/Jewel in the Palace (70): What an epic. If you have lots of time on your hands, it’s worth a look at - though the main character is too perfect to be real, it’s interesting, nonetheless. 8.5/10
• Delightful Girl Choon-Hyang (16): It was good, for a show its genre. My favourite parts were the little historical snatches at the end - very well-made and funny as anything. 8.5/10
• The Devil, or Mawang (20): I love this show. Love it, and I’m not even done watching!
• Exhibition of Fireworks (17): I forget why I watched. Oh yeah. Kang Ji Hwan. He’s almost the only thing worth watching in this show. The lead girl does a good job, but everyone else, zomg, the pastiches. 7.5/10
• Full House (24): I liked everything up until episode 20. Then the cause and effect train started to drag a bit. Still, very much worth a watch. 9/10
• Green Rose (22): This was a while ago. I liked it, but some bits made me want to fast forward. Its characters live and breathe, so that’s a plus. 8/10
• Goong (24): Ah. That one. Its problem is the same as Full House. Once we got to the last four episodes, they draaaaaaaaaaaaaagged on and on and on. (I just found out it was because it had been extended. No wonder.) I’d watch it for the pretty people, the Cinderella plot, and of course, for Prince Yul. 9/10
• Hwang Jin-yi (24): Have yet to finish. So far I really miss the little Jin Yi. She was very very good.
• My Girl (16): Everyone overacts, even when they’re not overacting (except for lead male Lee Dong Wook) in a good way. Still charming and funny. Please do watch. 9/10
• My Love Patzzi (10): Um. I wanted to like it. I really did. It just failed to catch me on so many levels. Sorry. 7/10
• Only You (16): Why did I watch this one? It will be a mystery for the ages. 6/10
• Sharp Blade Hong Gil Dong (24): Okay. I will be objective. It is a great show, containing a medley of genres, including but not restricted to comedy, romance, sageuk and goofball (this show owns goofball humour). It also attempts to transcend the usual lot of melodrama that we frequently see in kdrama, so plus points for it. Last of all, the characters (all of them- I’m serious) will make you fall in love with them, and the plot is tightly woven (with the odd bump, but the writers are human). A highly recommended watch. Eps 19 and onward not for the fainthearted. Personal dislikes: the toilet humour which disappears, thank goodness, and the ending. Still love it. 9.5/10
• Sweet Spy (16): Nam Sang Mi is soooooo pretty. Otherwise, whats-his-face’s lack of verbal skills killed it. 6.5/10
• Time Between Dog and Wolf (16): Loved it. Absolutely loved it. Prefect summer thing, with action, thriller, spy agencies, hot people all around and juicy fighting. Oh, and the angst hits like a derailed Tokyo bullet train. 9/10
• Vineyard Man (16): Gah. That is the sound of me washing this YEH vehicle out of my brain. 6/10
• Witch Yoo Hee/Witch Amusement (16): I think I stayed on only to see where the wacky went. If you don’t think, it’s perfect. Otherwise, a resounding WTF? 8/10

Movies

• 200 Pound Beauty: Funny, sad reflection on the pursuit of beauty. Watch for the quirky. 8.5/10
• The Banquet: I preferred Hamlet. Though the faux-art filming does grow on you. 7.5/10
• Hwang Jin-yi: Yum, a pretty female lead. Otherwise unremarkable comment on a very interesting figure in Korean history. The drama was better. 7/10
• The King and the Clown: Ow. Just ow. It was surprisingly good, with bits of random crazy, and I wasn’t too keen on the crude humour. 8.5/10
• My Sassy Girl: Um, this one, I think, you just have to watch, even if it’s not to your taste. 7/10
• Perhaps.Love: I didn’t like it at first, but Takeshi Kaneshiro and Zhou Xun are compelling reasons to watch. The emotion play in the movie grows on you and the soundtrack is great. (Minus points for being a little bit too highbrow with the complications at times.) 8.5/10
• xxxHolic: The Summer: Pure xxxHolic fare. I’d recommend a watch, if only for Yuuko’s delicious brand of being bossy and all-knowing. 10/10

Planning to watch:

• Que Sera Sera
• My Name is Kim Sam Soon
• Il Ji Mae
• Painter on the Wind
• Legend of Condor Heroes 2008
• Last Friends
• Attention Please
• Absolute Boyfriend
• Last Scandal of My Life
• Hana Yori Dango Korean version
• Kurosagi the movie
• Hanadan the movie
• Doremifasolatido (what a title!)
• Baby and Me
• The Grudge II
• and… possibly take a break for my own sanity.