Completed: TVHana Kimi (J
Boom Vid. My first TV show! VERY funny! Live Manga is crazy insane!)
Nobuta wo Produce (J
Crunchy Roll. REALLY GOOD! Very nice themes and characters.)
Witch Yoo Hee (K
My Soju. My first Korean!! It reminded me of a bunch of different classical stories put together. I couldn't tell if the Johnny character had a Korean accent when speaking English or an English accent when speaking Korean. And the ending was a little cheesy - but what'dya expect?)
Kurosagi (J
My Soju. and
Drama Crazy. Pretty good! Not as dark as it pretends to be, and very detailed storyline. Costumes were great (And hilarious) and it was fun watching each swindle unfold. Defiantly worth watching!!)
Goong S (K
My Soju and
Youtube. The latest Korean drama. I have come to realize that it is the Korean norm to make very depressing storylines. The ending was pretty cool - to spoil it, they made the viewer think it wouldn't work out at all, then fixed it in the last minute(In an unconventional way). The story and culture was interesting, though, and thoroughly enjoyable.)
Gokusen: I (J
Crunchy Roll. Very good, I thought! It was kind of a feel-good story, but very funny at times (kind of Manga-style like Hana Kimi) and very inspirational, for lack of a better word. Nice ending, too. As soon as I realized Ken'ichi was there, it was hard to not look for him in all the group shots. I did this one in an episode-a-day style, since there are three seasons.)
Gokusen II (
Crunchy Roll. It was odd, getting used to the new characters and music, but it was pretty fun. I could tell that the writers' didn't want to take much time having the students hate Yankumi, but other than that, it was pretty enjoyable, and just as funny as season one.)
Sapuri (J
Crunchy Roll. It was pretty good - it didn't get good ratings, but it wasn't really cheesy, and the plot moved enough to be interesting. Much better than the synopsis implied.)
Bokura no Yuuki (J
Crunchy Roll. VERY FREAKING GOOD!! It had a very good storyline which changed periodically enough whenever we got new information. The characters were well developed, I thought, and the edning was actually really good (Though it was sad my favorite character died - I'd be just like that character, if this happened to me). Very recommended.)
Akihabara@DEEP (J
Crunchy Roll. One crazy drama. The character's were all really cool, and it was fun, some on the trouble they got into. Some of the Otaku lifestyle was a little over the top, though, but withstandable.)
My Girl (K
Drama Freak and
Watch Drama. It's impossible to find this on most websites, since it's liscenced, but I finally found it. Yet another depressing last episodes. There was a kind of production joke on the last episode, involving revealed characters' actors (They hadn't shown their faces previously), that isn't understandable unless you'd seen something else. The show tho' was, for the most part, pretty good. There were a few bad English lines, and seeing the one guy depressed all the time got annoying. Good comedy, along with some nice serious moment.)
Kimi wa Petto (J
My Soju. It was a little strange, and being a Josei it was more mature than others have been. The characters were well developed, though, and it was comical enough at times to be enjoyable. The ending was pretty nice, so it's forgivable.)
Proposal Daisakusen (J
Crunchy Roll. It as a little... too shojo - especially with the pose/catchphrase way of time traveling. It was kind of good, though - another Yamapi drama, and his character's are all pretty similar, I've noticed, weird and kinda comedic but serious in motivation. The last ending was horrible, because it didn't conclude, but the special made up for it. Also, I noted that the fansubers on the special, instead of saying 'don't upload on streaming websites' said 'Do anything you want with it'. Haha! Overall, it was okay.)
Delightful Girl Choon Hyang (K
YouTube. This one was HILARIOUS. I actually thought it was better than My Girl, because it wasn't so depressing. Definitely to see before My Girl, tho', as My Girl is it's remake. Very good acting, I thought, and the short legend-scenes at the end of each episode were a great touch.)
Yukan Club (J
Crunchy Roll. I found it pretty interesting - like a mix between the manga S.A. and the drama Akihabara@DEEP. Some cheesy parallel episodes, of course, but overall interesting to watch. The characters' personalities were fun, especially, and all the little parts they used to solve each case were great. Ending was nice, though not as dramatic as it could have been.)
Fuma no Kojiro (J
My Soju. I loved it!! OK, so it was a little cheesy - it's fantasy Ninja, after all. And the character development for anyone who ended up dead was kind of... non-existent. The only characters we really knew much about were the ones alive by the last episode (and that one kid). But other than that, the drama was AMAZING! I thought. The ending was insane - I loved it for the ending, especially!
Super Rookie (K
My Soju. Very good! Not nearly as depressing as Korean dramas usually are, especially since the romance came behind the lifestyle drive of the drama. A lot of hilarious scenes, but never too cheesy (though sometimes a little creepy). I really liked how the characters were brought out, though it was a little confusing. I also noticed the poster on the wall behind the characters... was always there. You'll see it. Somehow while watching this, I kept thinking of it as a game - like "oh, he's got a new card he can play!" or "if she plays this card, it could backfire against her." But that's not a bad thing - it actually made it seem a little more realistic to me! Anyway, I liked it a lot.)
Liar Game (J
My Soju and [url=www.crunchyroll.com[/url]Crunchy Roll[/url]. I was hesitant to start this for a while, because I thought it might be too dark, but it was actually very good. Visually, the first few episodes WERE dark, but the rest I watched at night-time so they were easier to see. A few parts got kind of annoying, mostly when I knew something would happen a certain way but they wanted to act like they'd tricked us. Also, The guy's laughter got annoying when I knew he hadn't won. But otherwise, I really liked it. There was a clear theme and message, and the different 'arcs' each had elaborate schemes and plans that were awesome to see play out. Definitely recommended.)
Three Dads and a Mom (K
My Soju and
YouTube. The idea of this was pretty interesting, and I really liked it. Definitely awkward at times, and I'm not really a baby person, so... but the theme was really nice, and the execution was well done. Not overly funny or depressing, though there were some pretty sad scenes and a few hilarious ones too.)
Hana Yori Dango: I and II (J
My Soju. In some respects, this drama was just like any cheesy romance drama - a Korean drama, actually, it reminded me of the depressing Korean dramas. But at the same time, it was so much better. It had a realistic set of problems, especially in the second season, or at least I thought. The character development was good, though there was a lot of parallel story which could become too much at times. The ending... was crazy. Not in a bad way, of course, but... if it happened to me in real life, I'd be freaked out.)
Full House (K
Drama Crazy and
My Soju. A cute romance - I think her being a writer made my like it more, but as it was, it was pretty funny and not too depressing at the end. I think the characters were done pretty realistically, and the situational setting was fun.... Looking back, there was nothing strikingly amazing with it, but I really did like it, so it must be something I can't remember.)
Densha Otoko (J
My Soju. I've been meaning to watch this for a while. It's a wonderful story, and I'd already read the manga so.... Anyway, I'm not sure if it's true or not, but it is one of those "too poetic to not be true" kind of stories, so I believe it. Just because I want to say it; the Super Secret Spy Lab of ASCII Genius was awesome. Technically, it's Shift-JIS, but whatever. That part was awesome. Also, the story kind of reminded me of the Truman Show, especially how, after the 1000th post, everyone kind of went back to what they were doing. HA! But an amazing story, even if Densha's wimpiness was annoying.)
Zeni Geba (J
My Soju. One amazing show. Darker than Kurosagi and the first I watched as it aired. The camera angles were very stylized, and the plot development was pretty good, too. I figured out early on how it might end, but even so, it managed to trick me several times with very well devised distractions. The ending was insane - definitely recommended.)
The World that They Live in (K
My Soju. Actually I finished this a while ago, but completely forgot to write the report. This was primarily a romance, but I liked how it just focused on the normal-ness of love, instead of being a girly 'maybe, maybe not' story. Recommended especially for mature people who want a love story that's not too cheesy. Or for anyone interested in the filming business.)
Atashinchi no Danshi (J
Drama Crazy. Very silly. Reminded me a lot of Hana Kimi, but it wasn't quite as bad. And it had a good moral at the end, with the family. There was a little bit of romance, but it didn't come off strong at all. Recommended if you have time to kill.)
Attention, Please (J
My Soju. I felt like I needed to watch another comedy after finishing AnoD, and I'd just flown home so this one called me (it's been on my list for a while). It was a good story about growing up, seriously. Romantic level was a good low. I noticed there were a few things they left a bit hanging, but it wasn't distracting or even necessary to fill them in. The characters were fun to watch as the story played out.)
The First Shop of Coffee Prince (K
Crunchy Roll. This was pretty good for a romance, I believe. I think I was trying to look for the good things, since I knew going in it would be cheesy, and it wasn't nearly as bad as I would have thought. It definitely pushed the envelope on a few morals, but I liked how it also emphasized how conservative Koreans tend to be. I noticed at the very end they left one plot point hanging, but that's not the worst they could have done.)
Majo Saiban (J
Live Journal's Tomalicious Subbing Group. EPIC. WATCH. I'm not to fond of the stingy subbing groups, but this drama was definitely worth having to download every week. There are plenty of twists and surprises, but not enough to disinterest you. The situation is very appealing, and the end is completely unexpected. There were a few points along where I kind of figured out what was going on, but I think the characters caught on soon enough after I did, so that wasn't annoying much. But, I digress - watch. I'm wondering if maybe watch all at one time would take away from the epic-ness...)
Maou (J
My Soju. *Dies* No, I did not see the original yet, but I'm thinking I wont, for a while, just to get this out of my system. Is this the first drama that made me cry? Good thing I watched most of it late at night. Not for the ignorant, or faint of spirit. I watched it right after Majo Saiban because I was impressed that Toma had been cast into two good murder mysteries back-to-back, and wanted to see if this was just as good. Maybe even better, but they're so different you an't really compare. Recommend you watch alone, especially the end, so no one sees you cry.)
Nodame Canatbile (J
Drama Crazy. I've been thinking about this for a while, but since I'm not very musically-inclined, I didn't start it until I needed a safe romance to tide me over after the previous dramas. It was surprisingly comprehensive, tho' I still think someone who likes classical (or good) music would get more out of it. This was done kind of manga-style, and the romance was downplayed to the point where it seemed like a one-sided joke. Cute, but not to watch if you want anything really serious.)
Tokyo Dogs (J
Drama Crazy. One of the Fall 2009 shows I watched as-aired. A comedy with serious moments, light on the romance and heavy on the culture differences between America and Japan. There was a continuous main plot line, but each episode had it's own sub-plot as well. Enjoyable to watch, though probably moreso in the weekly style. Familiar actors, and the characters were a delight to watch.)
My Girl (J
GiriGiri Fansubs via LiveJournal. The only romance airing Fall 2009 that looked good enough to watch, and so happy I did. Though it has the same name as the Korean drama, it's not a remake, or even similar at all. A young would-be photographer finds out his ex-girlfriend has died and left him a daughter he never knew about. The story is sweet, with a couple of the episodes cry-worthy even for someone who doesn't really cry. The actress for the daughter is SO CUTE which is a plus, and the ending was very good too, though for a while there I thought they were going to ruin it.)
Liar Game: Season 2 (J
Furransu and Shrimpy I definitely recommend this story-line, including both seasons and the, currently upcoming, movie. the style changed a bit with the second season - they're doing more double takes and manga-style acting, which I think distracts a bit from the heavy tension, the the story is still, overall, a great find. Can't wait for the movie!)
Sunao ni Narenkute (J
Drama Crazy. Started this late because I hadn't decided yet whether I wanted to keep up with Spring 2010 or not. Wasn't really what I expected, from the synopsis - I expected it to be a bit sillier, but it really attempted to show something like true life problems and friendships and whatnot. The romance was kind of highlighted, but so were the personal issues in everyone's lives. I found the Korean character a bit annoying because he was so nervous all the time, but also amusing because he seemed to understand the whole time what drama he was in, and what role he was playing. The ending was kind of... unsatisfactory, especially for anyone who likes romance, but the journey was OK.)