Macy

Spread your wings

"Tsubasa" is the 30th asadora that I've watched [Trumpet sounds]. With "Tsubasa," I expected to really dislike it due to reviews and comments I've read on this website and other sites. When I started to watch, I was pleasantly surprised and I really liked it. However, the comments ultimately have some merit. The last half of the asadora isn't as good and I believe that's due to a strange tonal shift. Let me explain...

The first half is full of over-the-top comedy mixed with somewhat melodramatic emotional moments. I actually really liked this vibe, though I've noticed that a lot of people disliked it [lol]. In the second half, it switches to a complete melodrama with comedic moments few and far between. I think the melodrama and comedy only worked when they were both used equally. I'm not sure why it changed and I was pretty disappointed with the tonal shift. Aside from that, "Tsubasa" also has some issues with its plot. Let's get into that now.

I think the plot starts to go downhill FAST with the introduction of the character, Jonouchi Fusako (played by Fuji Manami), as a sort-of villain. Around the same time, the heroine Tsubasa (Tabe Mikako) and her boyfriend Shota (Koyanagi Yu) break up. This isn't necessarily a bad plot but contributes to the "meh"-ness of the last fifty or so episodes. So many bad things happen in the last of the drama that it feels too much and I honestly started to tune out. On top of that, Jonouchi is basically a cartoon villian until almost the end and they quickly tried to give her some actual character.

Despite the tone and plot issues, I was happy that I never grew to dislike Tsubasa played by the sweet Tabe Mikako. She's not the strongest asadora heroine, but her character stays consistent throughout. I kind of wished she had chosen Manase (Takuma Takayuki) at the end, though the age difference is a kinda creepy. I thought her leaving Kawagoe would've fit in with the "spread your wings" messaging of the drama, but her choice is not out of character so I can't hate it. Aside from Tsubasa, I really liked her mother Kanoko (Takahata Atsuko) and her grandmother Chiyo (Yoshiyuki Kazuko). The dynamic between these three is really interesting and I liked that it was resolved a little at a time. The friends and neighbors of the town are almost all fun and add to the humor of the series. Special shout-out to Issey Ogata, whom narrates the asadora and also plays "Radio Man", a figment of Tsubasa's imagination.

All-in-all, I'm not sure if I can recommend "Tsubasa" considering the majority opinion. I can only speak of my own experience and I had fun watching this asadora even if I myself don't think it was the best or anything.

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"Dance is life."

"Hitomi" is the 28th asadora that I've completed. I'm being generous with my rating because this is an asadora and I spent 156 episodes with it. However, like the comments below, I also thought "Hitomi" was boring....

My main problem with "Hitomi" is its obvious identity crisis. Does it want to be a story about hip hop dancing? Or does it want to be a story about being a foster parent in a sort-of old fashioned town? I would've been fine with either premise, but "Hitomi" tries to do both and doesn't succeed at doing either well. I believe that the asadora was hesitant to commit to hip hop because the target audience is usually middle-aged or older women. I personally think if it had really committed to hip hop it could've developed a cult audience like "Chiritotechin."

Eikura Nana is fine as the title character Hitomi. I particularly liked her delivery of "Shut up" in English [lol]. Sadly though, Hitomi's personality is not able to really shine in this asadora. At the end, I came away feeling that I only understood Hitomi maybe 50%. I wish the asadora had devoted more time to developing Hitomi as a character instead of focusing on random side stories. Also, this is the only asadora I've watched where the heroine doesn't have a love interest but I think this would have actually benefitted from her having one. It's not like she had a career or anything. She didn't really even know until near the end what she wanted to do with dancing. So, if she had a love interest, there would've been something else to invest in as an audience.

The supporting and side characters are also just fine. To be honest, no one really sticks out to me as being particularly great. There were a couple that annoyed me more often than not, such as Yuzo (played by Yasuda Ken). Hitomi's grandfather Katsutaro (Nishida Toshiyuki) was too stubborn at times. I was able to understand his emotions, but part of me still thought 'It's been like 18 years, get over it!' And worse, his arc with Hitomi's parents isn't even resolved until the very end. I also wasn't much of a fan of Hitomi's friends Yuka (Tano Asami) and Junko (Mitsushima Hikari). They're always fighting and take forever to commit to do anything. I honestly didn't think it was fair that they got to debut as dancers with their bad personalities. I really liked the foster children at first, but the asadora gradually focuses on them less and they then become generic good-tempered children.

So why watch "Hitomi?" At the end of the day, I really liked the atmosphere of this asadora. From the opening theme, it really gives off a relaxing vibe. It only covers about two years of Hitomi's life, giving it more of a slice-of-life feeling than other asadoras. And Hitomi is still a likeable heroine. Watching her did not make me miserable for a second, which I can't say for a certain other asadoras... So, I still liked "Hitomi" even for all of its boringness and problems, which is also why gave it a generous rating of 8. However, because of the aforementioned reasons, I can't really recommend this asadora unless you really like Eikura Nana.

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I liked it but...

This is the third asadora spin-off/special episode that I've watched after the ones for "Natsuzora" and "Mare." I'm grateful that fansubbers have translated these specials, but I can't say that any of these specials have been "must-sees." This "Massan" spin-off is probably feels the most skippable in my opinion. The "Natsuzora" was just pure fun and the "Mare" one wrapped up some storylines for major characters (though I didn't like it that much). This one, however, deals with some minor supporting characters but doesn't really do anything really...

The first episode focuses on Sumire (Hayami Akari), Massan's little sister. I was really looking forward to this actually, because I always felt that Sumire could've been a bigger character than she was. Sumire runs away to Osaka, but it takes too long for them to reveal why. It also tries too hard to avoid putting Massan and Ellie in too much of the story. Lastly, it ends with Sumire going home to become a teacher. Something we already know! I don't know. The story was nice, but ultimately does nothing for the bigger picture of the asadora.

The second episode focuses on Yoshiko (Eguchi Noriko), for some reason? You remember Massan's co-worker from the beginning part of the story, right?? Yoshiko and Ikeda elope to Hokkaido [This story is set in 1938 btw]. Massan and Ellie quickly exit the story, and it only gets worse from there. Yoshiko is married remember? So she's committing adultery. Honestly, couldn't get pass this part of the story. Hana's and Chie's husbands also use this opportunity to act like complete misogynists to their wives. This one I really don't know the point of it. The main character is a questionable choice and the messaging is just completely wrong [even if she does go back to her husband in the end].

I'd probably give Sumire's story at 7/10, and Yoshiko's a 4/10. This is yet another skippable asadora special. At the end of the day, I guess "Massan" really didn't need a "spin-off" since it's mostly perfect by itself anyway.

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Skip it.

This is only the second asadora special that I've seen after "Natsuzora"'s special. While that one was at least fun, this was borderline boring and useless. I do appreciate fansubbers subbing these specials since that's actually pretty rare, but I'm starting to think that the specials should mostly be skipped lol.

If you're interested in watching this, I'd recommend watching the first episode which is about Takashi and Minami. I thought this episode was mostly cute even if it's strange to choose a character that doesn't talk [much] as the main character. I do think the conclusion of the episode was rushed, but it at least resulted in something that I had hoped would happen since the main series.

The second episode is a waste of time. It's about Yoichiro's attempt to get over again Ichiko [yet again]. In my review for "Mare," I said that I really disliked Ichiko so you can guess how much I liked this episode. It felt like an exercise in futility watching Yoichiro, whom the writers seem to hate. [Just let him be happy.] The plot ended up being so convoluted that I didn't care who Yoichiro ended up with. Anyway, complete waste of time.

The 7 I'm giving this is for Takashi's story only by the way.

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"Thank you for the meal."

"Gochisosan" is amazingly the 16th asadora that I've watched. (Honestly, I'm just so grateful that so many of dramas are subbed :)) I'd describe this asadora as very solid, referring to the writing and acting. It's also a foodie's dream with all of the different types of food. For someone like me, I kind of think of eating as a chore lol but this asadora gave a newfound appreciation for the sustenance and joy food can bring. I now want to try cooking more.

Watanabe Anne (playing Meiko) and Higashide Masahiro (playing Yutaro) serve as the co-leads. I've seen two of what I call "couple asadoras" (meaning the couple is the focus instead of just the female lead). The mistake with couple asadoras is that sometimes the wife turns into a "yes dear" type and the husband just does whatever he pleases. This was especially apparent in "Manpuku", but not as bad in "Dondo Hare." "Gochisosan", unlike both of those asadoras, was able to strike a perfect balance. Meiko is supportive of Yutaro's dream but doesn't live to help him. We also get to Yutaro on his own pretty often so his whole character isn't defined by his wife either. I do think the story suffers a bit in the last few weeks due to Yutaro's absence. Watanabe and Higashide have great chemistry, which explains why they married in real life. (Though he did turn out to be a cheating bastard and they divorced *shrugs*)

More on Meiko. She's an interesting asadora heroine since she doesn't necessarily have an ambition. What she lives for is eating/cooking and her family. I think it's important to show that housewives can live just as fulfilling lives as career women. However, I won't lie... I feel like this also makes her somewhat boring at times lol. Thankfully, these times are few and far between. As a character, I really like her honest and giving nature though she's willing to fight when it comes to it. And I do really feel that she has solid character development, which is apparent when you get to the final week of episodes.

Like all asadoras, "Gochisosan" has a wonderful cast of side characters. I particularly liked Takahata Mitsuki as Yutaro's younger sister. She has some of the best character development of the cast. Suda Masaki and Nishihata Daigo as Meiko's and Yutaro's sons were also some of favorites along with Kondo Masaomi and Miyazaki Yoshiko as Yutaro's father and stepmother. The latter two in particular had some outright hilarious moments. Matsuura Miyabi as Meiko's and Yutaro's daughter wasn't my favorite but I appreciate the level of care put into writing someone "different." I'm guessing she's supposed to be autism spectrum disorder-coded. Lastly, I wish they had showed more of Meiko's family and friends in Tokyo after she left for Osaka. At some point, it was like they just didn't exist anymore lol.

Now for what I didn't like. 1) Kimura Midoriko gave a surprisingly good performance as Yutaro's overbearing elder sister Kazue. However, despite the nuance given to the character, I could never quite forgive her for bullying Meiko in the first place. Her final appearance, being as spiteful as ever, was actually hilarious. 2) There's one storyline with Yutaro and his childhood friend Akiko (Kato Ai) that's just not satisfactorily concluded. It seems like Yutaro's going to cheat, but Akiko decides against it?? And Meiko isn't given the space to feel how she feels by either of these two people. Like Akiko, I don't care how hard your life is, why are you spending so much "alone time" with my husband?? Storyline could've been realistic, but was just written badly. 3) The ending felt kind of underwhelming for me. I knew Yutaro was going to come back because if he had died they would've given at least a week's worth of episodes to process that. And for them to throw Gen-chan's almost love confession in there at the end. Ugh for that one.

Anyway, three things that I didn't like isn't really that bad. For the most part, I was quite happy while watching this asadora. I only found the weeks where Kazue was bullying Meiko unbearable. The lead couple, the side characters, writing, acting, and the food were all solid aspects of this asadora.

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"I'm back."

"Okaeri Mone" is the 13th asadora I've watched. I had this one downloaded on my computer for a while, but I wanted to watch some older ones before watching the [currently] latest completely subbed asadora. An interesting note: "Okaeri Mone" is 120 episodes which, yeah is long, but feels short since asadoras used to be 150-156 episodes. I feel like this asadora would've benefited from being maybe two weeks longer (10 episodes). I have some issues with the pacing and making it slightly longer might've helped.

Let's start with a rapid fire of the things I liked. 1) Mone (played by Kiyohara Kaya) is a great heroine. I love her. She's breaks the typical mold of an asadora heroine since she has more of a moody air to her. Her character development is slow, but ultimately very satisfying. 2) The way 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami was shown through flashbacks was a brilliant move on the writer's part. It doesn't dwell on the horror of the event, but instead focuses on the way everyone was affected afterwards. 3) Mone's love interest Suganami Sensei (Sakaguchi Kentaro) was *chef's kiss.* They are very much a slow burn romance. I love how they are not depended on each other and are even just content to support each other from afar. Mone says to him "To us, distance and time doesn't matter." Awwww. 4) The supporting cast as per usual with asadora was great. My personal favorite being Imada Mio as Riko-chan.

Now on to my very few problems with this asadora. I really (regrettably) disliked Mone's sister Michi (Makita Aju). It's not the actress's fault. The blame lies squarely with the writing. She acts out in very small ways, but honestly I thought she was just being a brat lol. The reasoning behind her character is not revealed to the very last week of episodes. And really, the third act is the weakest and is completely dominated by Michi's character. I would've preferred the reveal be more towards the middle of asadora. That way, I could've been more invested in Michi and her romance with Ryo (Nagase Ren). But because I already disliked her, I couldn't give a crap for the couple at all. Besides Michi, the third act is also unsuccessful with Mone. She never does quite find her new place in her hometown as a weather forecaster and it's kind of just shrugged off.

Despite the lackluster pacing of the third act, I would still recommend "Okaeri Mone." The first two acts in Tome and Tokyo are amazing. I loved learning about forestry and weather forecasting. The earthquake storyline is handled with care and grace. The finale is satisfying as Mone realizes that she has "come back" as a stronger person. Her friends then say "Welcome back, Mone" (Okaeri Mone) and she answers "I'm back." Cue tears. Honestly, this whole asadora is bit a tear-jerker lol. "Okaeri Mone" was well worth watching even if it's not my favorite asadora.

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Kind-of boring

Every once in a while I come across a "classic" that I just can't bring myself to like. "In the Realm of the Senses" comes to mind since it's also a classic Japanese film. However, while that one made me very uncomfortable, "Woman in the Dunes" just kinda bored me. I can appreciate the story, the acting, the message, etc. But, at the end of the day, it put me to sleep literally.

"Woman in the Dunes" follows Niki Junpei (played by Okada Eiji), a substitute teacher and bug enthusiast, who comes to a remote village surrounded by sand. The villagers trap Junpei with a recently widowed woman (Kishida Kyoko). Every night, the woman shovels sand and the villagers take it away. Junpei tries in vain to escape the sand pit throughout the movie. An obvious allegory to Sisyphus.

Like I said, I can appreciate this plot. I felt that it did its job as it made me feel anxious and claustrophobic. But still, I fell asleep and I practically couldn't wait for it to end. To conclude, I didn't like it but I see it's artistic merit.

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An easy but forgettable watch

I recently finished "Rich Man, Poor Woman" in order to watch this drama, but honestly the two dramas are so different... It's hard to even think of "Faceless Love" as a remake of RMPW if we're being honest.

First, the story is fine. It's a really easy watch, so I was able to finish it within a couple days which is sometimes hard for me to do, personally. However, I also get the feeling that I will probably forget within a few months. Second, the actors all do a fine job as well but no one really stands out in my mind. Dew is a little wooden and Luke is overacting a tad during his angry scenes. They're both super good-looking though so I didn't really mind that much. Kao is a good actress but can't really rise above the kind-of meh script.

Now let's address the changes from the source material I liked and disliked as well as just some general likes and dislikes:
Likes: The series is more of a straight-up romance compared to the original, which desperately needed more romance scenes (Thank God for the follow-up movie); The motivations of Luke's character make more sense than in the original; The family scenes with the FL and later the ML's family were very heartwarming.
Dislikes: Dew's character isn't presented as a "genius like in the original, which makes him seem like just a spoiled brat. Like, why is even the CEO of the company in the first place; June's mean girl is entertaining but her motivations are weak; Kao's character doesn't become her own person like the original.

On a side note, I feel like this series misrepresents prosopagnosia (face blindness) and Alzheimer's (dementia) in some ways. However, since I'm not well versed in either illness, I will make no further comment. It just bothered me a bit.

If you like any of these actors, I would recommend the series. If you're a fan of the original drama, I probably would not recommend because it's too different.

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I swear they turned Sarah into Jesus....

I first came to know about this film around 2016/17 when I first read the novel "A Little Princess." Like other classics ("Pride and Prejudice," "Wuthering Heights," "Anne of Green Gables," etc.), I like watching all the different adaptations to see how the story can be interpreted differently. For "A Little Princess," I watched the 1917 silent film, the 1939 Shirley Temple movie, the 1985 anime, the 1986 British miniseries (the most faithful), the 1995 American film (my personal favorite), and the J-drama "Shokojo Seira" (interesting and I would recommend it). Yes, there's a lot. The Filipino version alluded me. I was unable to find anywhere, let alone with subtitles. Well, I finally found it but....

Unfortunately, I feel like I set up this movie to fail. I had built it up in my mind over the last several years. I believe I would've had the same complaints, but it feels like I was let down personally... Anyway, with that out of the way, let's get on to the issues.

The movie is set in 1890 England with the school being a castle in the countryside instead of a modest home on the streets of London. It being a Filipino movie, this seems strange at first but you get used to it quickly. The first forty minutes is dedicated to Sarah's school life, which I feel takes too long and focuses too much on her schoolmates. Besides Sarah, the other child actors aren't very good and it's sometimes painful to watch. The movie picks up slightly with Sarah's fall from grace, but soon becomes crazy with the last twenty or so minutes.

My main issue with the movie is Miss Minchin. Not the acting, but the writing. She has no proper motivations for hating Sarah at all, which would be fine if she doesn't have a "redemption" at the end. I mean redemption very loosely because all she does is thank Sarah for not sending her to jail... And this is what I mean by them turning Sarah into Jesus. The movie has a distinct religious undertone. I believe Filipinos are very heavily Catholic so this makes sense. However, the religion becomes a problem at the end of the film. Sarah grants forgiveness to those who wronged her without anyone receiving punishment. It's fine to teach children to forgive like Jesus, but that should come hand-in-hand with justice (if possible).

The movie makes several other changes to the source material. It takes inspiration from the anime (which was very popular in the Philippines). If you've seen the anime, you'll be able to spot the references in the movie. These changes and other small cultural changes didn't bother me as adaptations need changes. To conclude, I mostly enjoyed this movie until the end. The ending just annoyed me too much!

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"Death is a sad thing."

"Why didn't I tell you a million times?" has a great cast who bring their best performances. The premise is familiar (and kind-of a retread of the movie "Ghost"). Despite that, I enjoyed the drama for the emotional performances of the cast of the mystery aspect of the main character's death. I will say that 10 episodes feels a bit too long. They could've shortened it to 6-8 episodes. I do appreciate that the mystery wraps up in the ninth episode and the final is dedicated to finishing up the character's storylines.

I recommend the drama for those who like emotional stories and are ready to cry. It is a bit slow going so keep that in mind.

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A Bit Disappointing

While "Boys Over Flowers" will always be considered Yoko Kamio's signature work, I think "Cat Street" is her masterpiece. Strong words, but that's really how strong I feel about the series. Now it's not perfect and I could nitpick it, but we're here to nitpick the drama not the manga.

First, "Cat Street" is entirely too short at 6 episodes. If they only would've increased it to 10 or 11 episodes, I think they could've told a story closer to the original "Cat Street." They could've included Rei instead of mashing him with Koichi (which totally doesn't work), but maybe not make him a love interest for Keito to allow for time. And there would've been more time for the main couple to develop. Their relationship (though expected by me) felt like it came out of nowhere.

The cast was at least well casted. Mitsuki Tanimura and Tomoka Kurokawa have a great dynamic and portray their characters well. I only wish that Mitsuki's hair and clothing had been styled better. Ryo Kimura as a new character Gota was cute. Ryo Katsuji as Koichi fits the part physically but the writing kind of ruins him. Taiyo's (Hideo Ishiguro) arc with Keito is cut short and is not as satisfying. And also, I liked that the headmaster and Keito's parents are shown more than in the manga.

My final complaint is that they included the worst, most ridiculous arc of the manga, in which Keito gets kidnapped. However, here they make the perpetrator Nako (Ai Takabe) instead of the admittedly more random character in the manga. In the process, it ruins Nako's and Masanobu's (Kei Tanaka) characters. It just completely rubs me the wrong way.

I don't picture "Cat Street" getting another adaptation (all of the love goes to "Boys Over Flowers"), but I hope it gets a proper adaptation someday.

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An average rom-com but nice for one viewing

I was looking forward to "Mr. Lipstick" since Aom starred in it and I loved her in "Girl2K" (which you should definitely watch). The first few episodes were really nice and fluffy, but as a fellow reviewer said the plot went "all over the place" from there. It seems the writers weren't really sure who they wanted to be the villain and the supporting cast motivations were just inconsistent. That being said, I still liked all the characters though probably because there were a lot of familiar faces (Aom, Fiat, Nicky, Vince, Jan, June).

The drama's greatest strength was the main couple, Mod and Kao. They were so adorably innocent together. Their wasn't much skinship so I wouldn't recommend to those who liked more "mature" dramas. I also enjoyed the secondary couples Muek&Pipi, Than&Dao, and Tul&Wi. I wish their was more plot dedicated to them, especially Muek and Pipi. Their interactions were so funny! Now onto the villains, Wi and Kaew. I thought Kaew was written slightly better, though her motivations for disliking Mod were stupid. As for Wi, her storyline towards the end was ridiculous and her motivations flimsy.

Overall, I recommend to those who enjoy a light, fluffy rom-com. I really felt relaxed while watching, even with all the drama and the shenanigans of Mod's brothers lol. I'm not sure I'll rewatch but I'm happy I watched it once. Also, I loved the theme song. It's "Love Score" by Sizzy and Nanon; definitely check out the video on YouTube.

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Personal favorite of this series

I have yet to watch "Boys Paradise" (I may update this after I watch it), but "Don't" is definitely my favorite of the "Ugly Duckling" series. I think seven episodes was the perfect amount for this series, while "Perfect Match" (9) was too long and "Pity Girl" (5) too short. The plot for "Don't" is strangely the most reasonable of the aforementioned series'. Yes, it's kind of extreme for Maewnam (Mild) to wear a box on head after being called ugly once. But, I think a lot of people can relate to wanting to shut themselves away from the world.

On to the love interests, I liked both Zero (Mek) and Minton (Victor). I think they both suited Maewnam, though I'm happy my favorite was picked in the end ;) I thought Mek played Zero well, making him a bad boy with morals whose also willing to change. Victor's Minton is funny and sweet as well as ready to protect those he loves. I also loved Maewnam's brother and father. They provided great comedy relief and I loved how supporting they were of Maewnam.

Lastly, I would like to add a trigger warning to those who have been bullied. Though I never have been bullied, the scene where Vivien and her friends nearly drown Maewnam was quite intense. Overall, I really liked this series. The plot is probably the most relatable to me personally as I've often shut myself off from others. As Maewnam learns, the outside world is both scary and wonderful and I would like to thank this drama for reminding me of this.

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"Invisible, yet it exists"

"GeGeGe no Nyobo" is the 35th asadora that I've watched. I wisely kept this one to watch towards the end of my asadora journey, though I'm hopeful that more asadoras will receive subtitles in the coming years. I thoroughly enjoyed watching "GeGeGe no Nyobo" so I'm happy I watched this asadora when I did, instead of leaving only iffy asadoras to the end.

Firstly, "GeGeGe" is another "couple" asadora, meaning one that focuses on a couple equally instead of mostly on the heroine. This one feels like it the model for all the couple asadoras of the past decade. It particularly reminded me of 2018's "Manpuku", which also features Matsushita Nao and Matsuzaka Keiko. There were also some similarities with 2013's Gochisosan and 2020's Yell. One of the things most often complained about with couple asadoras is that there's not enough focus on the heroine or that she's just there to support her husband. "GeGeGe" definitely falls into this, but I don't really see this as a negative. This is more of a matter of taste, which differs per viewer.

Unlike most couple asadoras, Fumie (Matsushita) and Shigeru (Mukai Osamu) are a couple brought together through an arranged marriage. Because of that, a large part of the drama focuses on how a couple a) gets to know each other and b) learn to get along despite their contrasting personalities. For the most part, Fumie has a very laidback personality and above all she seems to be someone always striving for harmony. Shigeru is very strange in comparison as someone who is a workaholic with single-minded focus on manga. Sometimes he ignores Fumie's feelings but their conflicts ultimately lead to a better understanding of each other. I will say that the conflicts don't always end in the most satisfying way and Shigeru's tendency to act like a tyrant towards the end is annoying. However, this is my sole complaint for the entire asadora.

My favorite part of "GeGeGe no Nyobo" was learning more about manga and yokai. I had never heard of rental manga or kamishibai before, and I found it all very fascinating. As suggested by the title, the asadora is about the beginnings of famous manga artist Mizuki Shigeru whom created works such "GeGeGe no Kitaro," "Akuma-kun," and "Kappa no Sanpei." Many of his manga are about yokai, which are featured heavily throughout the asadora. My favorite being "Betobeto-san." Other than that, the asadora is full of the usual things I love. The wonderful supporting cast, particularly the family members of Fumie and Shigeru, the cozy vibes, and a lovely theme song. There's also some pretty animation of characters from "Kitaro" and Mizuki's other works.

I'm cutting this review a bit short, mostly because I find it hard to describe dramas I love. Just know that I had a lot of fun with this asadora. My only complaint really is Shigeru's occasional tyrant behavior. I thought Fumie was a lovely heroine and I kind of love that she's a homemaker. Not every woman's dream is to have a career. And, above all, I truly believe Shigeru wouldn't have made it as far in his career had Fumie not been there to support him. So while not the most romantic couple, they are one of the sweetest I've seen in an asadora. (And, for once, I really loved their children and I didn't think they were annoying at all unlike most asadora children haha.)

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Not Bad, But Not My Kind of Drama

I was sucked into this drama by the title. My exact reaction: "Korean drama of Little Women? I can't wait!!" I'm not a purist when it comes to book to TV/movie adaptations. So while this drama did not follow my expectations at all, I still found all the changes they did to the source material interesting. Anyway, you can't really top either 1993 or 2019 "Little Women" in my mind. I see that a lot of people have already posted reviews so I'll just include some of my thoughts.

Interestingly, In-joo (Meg) is treated more like the main character than In-kyung (Jo). Sadly like most versions of "Little Women" In-hye (Amy) is given little character development. Her character really seems to be shoved to the side by the end of the drama. In-joo and In-kyung are both clearly outlined characters, but I can't say the same for In-hye. I really enjoyed the two love interests, Do-il (John Brooke) and Jung-ho (Laurie). Neither resemble their book counterpart in my opinion, but I still like them. The great-aunt was also wonderful and a good nod to the book. All I have to say about the villain characters are that I found them both disappointing and forgettable after the first few episodes.

From the comments, I learned this is a "makjang" drama. In all my years of drama watching, I've never heard this term before and will probably avoid any future dramas attached to it. While I enjoyed "Little Women", I never felt really that connected to it. I think that is in part because it is a makjang, meaning it just has some ridiculous/over-the-top moments that I could just not ignore. I also feel the ridiculousness ruined some character development. I will praise the actors who all brought their a-game. This drama was good, but not for me. Had it not been titled "Little Women", I never would have picked it up.

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