amrita828

I am very partial to the writer, Eriko Kitagawa, so I will be as bold as to suggest you also give Tatta Hitotsu no Koi a try. The story is quite different from OD, but I'm sure you will recognize the same delicate and poetic writing. She has the ability to tell a very ordinary story in such a beautiful, suave way, her characters becomes unforgettable.
Sunao Ni Narenakute (another one by her) is a good drama too, but lacks a little substance, for my taste. It is wonderfully acted too, though, and charming Eita's in it.
Hope to read your review of Orange Days (it needs more fans!), and please keep me posted on your next drama choice. :D

I'm so glad you loved Orange Days!! I too gave it a 10 - although at the time of writing my review I think I opted for a 9, but soon after changed my mind and raised it to a very deserved 10.
I am with you completely: this drama is a collection of moments everyone can easily relate to. I graduated... long ago (lol), but I still have that urge to cherish every instant with the people I love, knowing how soon they will be over and things will inevitably change.
Sure, there was no Kai during my uni time, lol. He's the dearest and most charming of heroes, isn't he? I will never forget his little speech to Sae, when he asks her to open her left hand and see if he is there: magic.

I'm so glad you loved Orange Days!! I too gave it a 10 - although at the time of writing my review I think I opted for a 9, but soon after changed my mind and raised it to a very deserved 10.
I am with you completely: this drama is a collection of moments everyone can easily relate to. I graduated... long ago (lol), but I still have that urge to cherish every instant with the people I love, knowing how soon they will be over and things will inevitably change.
Sure, there was no Kai during my uni time, lol. He's the dearest and most charming of heroes, isn't he? I will never forget his little speech to Sae, when he asks her to open her left hand and see if he is there: magic.

This said, it is my intention to watch Akumu-chan as soon as it is over and I can marathon through it. It's a sci-fi, fantasy drama with Gackt (yummy) and it sounds very promising. I love the genre and the cast, and most of all I want to stay well away from anything even remotely related to korean melo! :P
It would be great to watch again something at the same time with you and be able to discuss, what do you think? :D

My dearest!
I've been fine, and incredibly relaxed after my holiday, so that the arrival of an urgent translation, due for the end of this month, took me a little by surprise and now I have to re-think my whole agenda, lol. Organization is not my forte, whenever I try to write down a sort of plan of the week I end up doing the exact opposite, so I've decided to just act by the spur of the moment and see where it leads me. ;)
Dramas... if you could see me now, you'd see my embarrassment: I haven't watched anything asian at all! I am doing a marathon through an american show called Fringe - which I adore - and a British one called "Downton Abbey": fabulous! This is why I haven't had neither the time nor, I confess, the urge to watch anything asian.

Hello my dearest!
Thank you so much for your lovely b-day wishes: it's truly nice of you to remember, I've got such a terrible memory in this regard, I almost forgot my b-day myself, hahaha. :D
I had a magic little holiday in the "north", despite the awful weather: I had the chance to see a couple of friends who live in Belgium and The Nederlands respectively and it was wonderful.
I hope your computer is back in full force and that you have some moments of respite from your very busy schedule. Are you going home for the Christmas holidays?
Whatever the case, I wish you a wonderful festive time, with lots of warmth, good food, good company and a ton of presents! ;);)
A huge hug. :D

Loved your review of Rich Man Poor Woman! Actually, our tastes may at times differ, but it's always a pleasure to read your reviews. I hope you'll keep them coming. :D

Thank you for your friend request!
My name's Rita, by the way, and it's nice to meet you. :D

Hi RF, thank you for commenting here. :D The IM one was a rant before it ever became a review, lol. I am to blame for suffering, since I realized it was not my thing from the first 4 or 5 episodes, but I persisted for a mixture of masochism and curiosity. I was... prepared to hate it and I did. And yes, I can easily see why SJK's face would save the little there was to save. ;);)
That blasted IM is to blame for my dropping Five Fingers without even giving it a try. No cell of my body would survive another melo. Pity, because the premise, mostly the piano playing, attracted me from the moment the drama was announced, and Joo Ji Hoon is a favourite of mine. I may pick it up one day, after a strong dose of comedies, crime or fantasy, LOL.
Thanks for your feed-up, I always appreciate it! :D

Thank you. :D
Now and then I need to laugh a little at the dramas and at myself. ;)

Hello Addy! :D
I think you will like MG. It has neither the good music and good acting of HYD, nor does it have the shine and the photography of BBF, but it has a charm of its own, mainy due to the great chemistry between the leads. Unless you find Dao Min Si insufferable, or have a dislike for Barbi Hsu (I've read many stating they hate her), you will fall in love with those two. Vic is a true eye candy in this one and yes, he's a perfect brooding, poetic/decadent sort of character.
Undeniable as it is that this version (the first), is quite naive at times and lacks the polished look of modern dramas, I did get hooked and rushed to watch MG2, which is a totaly different take of the story's continuation.
HYD is a Classic, one I could re-watch any time, but MG has a little special place in my heart for romance.
Let me know what you think! :D

My dearest Shika!!! Ohh, you've been engrossed with my two favourite dramas, I wish I could insert here that emoticon with huge, shiny eyes (I know I sound like a 12 year old, but emoticons have the ability to be so much more self-explanatory than words!).
So, while reading imagine me with my chin resting on my hands, batting my eyelashes and hearing about Binnie His Gorgeousness finally coming back. ;)
It's great to read your enthusiasm, and again you have two wonderful profile pictures. I think YOU should post those beautiful kids on the Pretties' photo section, among the hotties! ;)
You should come by anyway, since I have posted some more picture of my holiday in the pretties' journal. :D
Needless to say, you can keep on rambling about Hyun Bin, Secret Garden and King 2 Hearts alla you want: you get a most attentive reader here! ;)
Hugs. :D

Yes, I think Summer Desire is a good choice. I have watched the first 4 episodes (or maybe 3), and I kept it on hold for ages, until I decided my on hold list needed to be tidied up. Therefore, my opinion of it is incomplete. I may pick it up again, because the characters in there are really messed-up. For what I saw, there you get your perfect Heathcliff and Catherine. ;)
Mars is a whole different planet though. It's harsh, and realistic, but beautiful. As for Autumn Concerto, you're right again. Very melo, but truly romantic. I've watched it twice. :D
Did you see it? Did you like it? :)

I used to have nothing against melodrama, and although not my favourite genre, I watched my share of those in the past - albeit with some eyes rolling now and then.
But this one... my review may be a little hyperbolic (lol), but the gist is such a review is THE ONLY funny moment of the whole drama. Mix gloom with some more gloom, sprinkle with gloom and season with gloom and you have IM. And not yet happy, the plot is made of hours of brooding while every actual event is left to the imagination or guessing. Unpleasant characters are sold as good, to the point I almost rooted for the "bad" ones. As I see it, this drama is a complete mess, and the reason why it was such a success a mystery.
As I said, I've watched other similar dramas - Bad Guy in primis, which has a similar premise but is much better done; Shining Inheritance, which is The Makjang with capital letters; Beethoven Virus, which I loved; MARS, a brilliant drama. Geez, even King 2 Hearts, my favourite drama ever has got some elements of melodrama.
Therefore, my reply to your question is: I used to like melo enough to approach it. After IM I want to stay away from anything even remotely related to the genre. :P

I've always loved the discussion forums myself, it's the main reason why I decided to become a member of DC first and then MDL. However, it's difficult to find people who truly want to discuss. More often then not, the discussion threads become fanclubs, where every critic is seen as a... threat to a peaceful haven full of ohh, hot, gorgeous, I can't wait!. Sorry, I don't want to sound polemical now, but it's a fact it has very much dulled my enthusiasm.

Profile comments, on the other hand, often spring from a review after the show has finished, and so it happens that people discuss it here in a more relaxed manner.

I would never want to be involved in the comments section under each drama though, LOL. The lastest I took a look at smelled of blood, brrrrrr...

Hahahaha, all right, let's say I'll have my perfect page in another 1,5 years then. ;)
And you're right about the stalking too. At times it's better here than on discussion threads. It's like a secret net of its own, where people gather to 'gossip' about those dramas everybody loved and you think you're the only one who didn't. ;);)

I see you have quite a few of my favourites on your ptw list. I'd recommend some J-classics:
1. Tatta Hitotsu No Koi - it's simple, it's not new in conception and yet it's still one of my favourites out there, somehow timeless and flawlessly told. Mind you, there's always some angst, but it's consistent with the story and I'm sure you'll fall in love with Nao and Hiroto. :)
2. Orange Days - same author as above. Great story of friendship and romance, modern, real and with some of the best quotes I can remember.
3. Love Shuffle - it's not on your ptw list, but if you want a true breath of fresh and modern air with awesome acting, wit and lots of fun, this is the drama which can lift everybody's mood, on a romantic level too. :)
I also see you haven't got Secret Garden on your list. Perhaps you are deterred by the cast, or its popularity? If so, you could be surprised.;)
Let me know! :D

I love you profile page. It's simple, well written, intriguing and informative. I wish I had the same talent at enveloping all I wish to say in a few yet effective words, but every time I find myself confronted with that blank page all I could think of is... that I need to do something else first. :P

P.S. Addicted will think I'm stalking her on your page too. If this goes on, she's going to send me a restraining order. :S

They are quite scary, aren't they? They range from unintelligible to any human eye to downright menacing, which gives us the measure of this drama and the reason why it's beloved. From the very beginning, IM reminded me of Bad Guy (you surely see the first reference in the title). However, as melo and at times unbelievably cruel as Bad Guy may be, that was a well written, well acted and very solid drama, with a consistent ending. However, it's also a very criticized drama because of the ending, which didn't please and would never please the almost pshycotic fangirls of IM.
I don't want to sound pretentious here, taste is not disputable and I myself am prone to like things for no apparent reason, but in mere terms of quality, plot consistency, acting, lines and everything else related to a drama production, Innocent Man is sadly overrated.
I kindly suggest you stay away from it. ;)

Hi Addy, I happened to stalk you profile and read all your conversation with Shelley (Prettycareye). I have a good excuse since I was invited by her, but I have to apologize nonetheless: this is your wall after all! ;)
So I came upon your comment of The Bridal Mask and had to secretly laugh. My experience with it went as follows: I watched 20 minutes of the 1st ep. and all I could think was: Zorro... zorro... zorro!
LOL
The thought was so distracting (I hate the zorro saga, btw), I left it on hold and never picked it up again. I may do so in a... distant future, but I'm certainly not anxious to. One never knows, a meteor could fall on me, or I could be biten by a radioactive bug, or kidnapped by an alien from Alpha Centauri who loves Korean Dramas...
:P