I'd love more Jdrama centric articles like this. I've either watched or PTW most of the ones mentioned here (Quartet is a new find I'm looking forward to). I hope it gets more MDL-ers interested in Jdramas, so we can see more than introductory Jdrama recs.
EDIT: I wanted to mention that the acting of our 4 leads really carried the show. I'm also rather impressed by Mayu's versatility as an actress despite her youth.
One of those dramas for which the popularity and high rating just completely goes over my head... At least Train to Busan had a nice father-daughter relationship going for it.
What an absolutely WONDERFUL story! So full of heart and humour in just the right amounts!
I cannot emphasise how much I loved, and was moved by, the family and friendship themes - not just between the kids but their parents too! There was so much warmth and realism in the way relationships were portrayed and explored. Character writing and the atmospheric storytelling were the shining points of success in this drama.
Oh and the portrayal of life during that bygone decade... It was so relatable, so nostalgic, so beautifully done! For many like me (despite not being from Korea, or even close) I imagine it was like looking at a highlight reel from the past filled with fond memories - and our own precious youth.
Okay but seriously, leaving my bias aside - this was a fantastic production, on par with some of the actual Chinese ones I've seen. I rarely get hyped (on the contrary tbh) about live adaptations of animanga because of how awkward they tend to be. Kingdom didn't just succeeded in pulling off an excellent cinematic experience, it did so while faithfully following the source, as well as in the acting department (another aspect live actions don't often do well imo).
I was only familiar with a couple of the older actors, so the main cast's character portrayals came as a very pleasant surprise. Like many others, I was particularly impressed with Yoshizawa Ryo, whose performance as both Sei and Hyou was on point! Same goes for Hongo as Seikyou and Osawa as Ouki (well he IS veteran actor but I only saw him in a starkly different role in Jin). And while I can understand some of the criticism regarding Kento's Shin, I am quite satisfied with the way he looked the part.
This is, without a doubt, one of best and my favourite live actions. Thank you to the Kingdom movie team for adapting my beloved manga so well! Dare I hope for a (or many!) sequel?
"Could it be like that because women in real life just come second" you probably should have chosen better wording here because it comes across as rather sexist.
But yes, it IS because female characters tend to be poorly written way more often than not. So my criteria for great dramas is quite simple: they just need to have well-written female characters.
Whatever else, I am forever grateful to this movie trilogy for giving Chihayafuru more well-deserved attention. I hope this absolutely amazing manga will gain more and more readers from now on! <3
(Can't wait till the 3rd season of the anime next month!)
This was such a massive waste of time, I've rarely seen dramas of such terrible quality, from plot to romance to acting. I'd rather this was a 12 episode-long Kyoto documentary with special focus on Japanese sweets.
OMG I didn't know that KazeTsuyo had a live action movie and a stage play before! So the original source is /that/…
Hi, I too just found out from a comment on tumblr and rushed here to check haha ^^ I can only hope this means there's a possibility for sequels to cover the whole story, since the original novel is completed. *fingers crossed*
I'd be lying if I didn't admit to being SHOCKED at someone struggling to watch (not even like but *watch*) Nirvana…
If it's cinematography alone, I expect many big-production dramas might indeed be better. The difference is that hardly any of them can compete with NiF on any other aspect, much less on all. Which is why countless dramas end up being known for 'looks' but not 'substance'.
Is Nirvana in Fire 2 better than the first one? I've been trying to finish NiF for three years now. I can't seem…
I'd be lying if I didn't admit to being SHOCKED at someone struggling to watch (not even like but *watch*) Nirvana in Fire! Ever since I watched it myself, it has remained in my Top 3 among all Asian dramas.
I've come across a couple of amazing C-dramas since but have yet to see one that excels in EVERY aspect from plot to cinematography and everything in between like NiF did. The sequel is from the very same team so although it varied somewhat in tone and theme, it was inevitably a great and equally enjoyable production (if not as tightly written as its predecessor).
I never hesitate to recommend the second series to those who enjoyed the first....this is my first time in the opposite situation! Actually, I'd rec NiF 2 anyway. But might I suggest giving NiF another try? Hope 4th time's the charm :)
***I actually found ML being out of the loop in the final Grand Scheme to be quite dissatisfying, for several…
@Jordan tbh I actually addressed all of this previously but I'll still clarify a couple of things.
1) I agree completely! ML *would* have acted differently - by not being frantic, getting ill, and resorting to extreme measures. Yet she'd still be capable of *acting* the part.
2) It's rather ironic to say "Her refusal was him respecting her wishes" when her first and foremost wish would've been to be confided in to begin with....as well as "he was confident in Ming Lan to weather through this because she is strong"...why not involve her in the plan then? It saves her heaps of trouble while truly exerting strength. Also, going by the rules of society the drama took pains to explore, there was no way ML as the wife could've escaped punishment without being actually divorced, even less their child Tuan'er who is blood related to GTY.
3) "I don't think her significance as the leading lady diminished" vs "The last episode was mainly for GTY" these 2 statements directly contradict one another.
4) Sorry, I don't find it particularly heartwarming that, as someone said below, "female leads need to become muddled to prove that they are really in love." It's stereotypical to the extreme and I'm not on board with it. Also see: grandmother poisoning arc as a reference for a ML that is both capable and emotional. (Btw she didn't "want justice immediately" without consideration - even while grief stricken she evaluated the situation shrewdly.)
**Saw your comment on Viki and don't have an account there, but luckily you are active on here too so I can rant/respond…
(thanks for making the effort lol, I love discussions!)
"I felt like undermined the whole point of the series...I was so impressed with this series for it's meticulous attention to detail and it's logical plot sequence" THIS.
"Papa Sheng couldn't have said it better during that last sense. " THIS. (imagine the most idiotic character knowing what's up at the end)
"I just hate the idea that female leads need to become muddled to prove that they are really in love" T H I S.
All of it comes down to my absolute aversion to female characters being undermined in dramas and my shock that the one drama that strongly subverted that to finally do it themselves.
I hope it gets more MDL-ers interested in Jdramas, so we can see more than introductory Jdrama recs.
RIP hope you have found a better place.
EDIT: I wanted to mention that the acting of our 4 leads really carried the show. I'm also rather impressed by Mayu's versatility as an actress despite her youth.
I cannot emphasise how much I loved, and was moved by, the family and friendship themes - not just between the kids but their parents too! There was so much warmth and realism in the way relationships were portrayed and explored. Character writing and the atmospheric storytelling were the shining points of success in this drama.
Oh and the portrayal of life during that bygone decade... It was so relatable, so nostalgic, so beautifully done! For many like me (despite not being from Korea, or even close) I imagine it was like looking at a highlight reel from the past filled with fond memories - and our own precious youth.
Okay but seriously, leaving my bias aside - this was a fantastic production, on par with some of the actual Chinese ones I've seen. I rarely get hyped (on the contrary tbh) about live adaptations of animanga because of how awkward they tend to be. Kingdom didn't just succeeded in pulling off an excellent cinematic experience, it did so while faithfully following the source, as well as in the acting department (another aspect live actions don't often do well imo).
I was only familiar with a couple of the older actors, so the main cast's character portrayals came as a very pleasant surprise. Like many others, I was particularly impressed with Yoshizawa Ryo, whose performance as both Sei and Hyou was on point! Same goes for Hongo as Seikyou and Osawa as Ouki (well he IS veteran actor but I only saw him in a starkly different role in Jin). And while I can understand some of the criticism regarding Kento's Shin, I am quite satisfied with the way he looked the part.
This is, without a doubt, one of best and my favourite live actions. Thank you to the Kingdom movie team for adapting my beloved manga so well! Dare I hope for a (or many!) sequel?
But yes, it IS because female characters tend to be poorly written way more often than not.
So my criteria for great dramas is quite simple: they just need to have well-written female characters.
An excellent one not mentioned is Kounodori - I've rarely seen sole focus on obstetrics in Asian dramas.
(Can't wait till the 3rd season of the anime next month!)
I can only hope this means there's a possibility for sequels to cover the whole story, since the original novel is completed. *fingers crossed*
I've come across a couple of amazing C-dramas since but have yet to see one that excels in EVERY aspect from plot to cinematography and everything in between like NiF did. The sequel is from the very same team so although it varied somewhat in tone and theme, it was inevitably a great and equally enjoyable production (if not as tightly written as its predecessor).
I never hesitate to recommend the second series to those who enjoyed the first....this is my first time in the opposite situation! Actually, I'd rec NiF 2 anyway. But might I suggest giving NiF another try? Hope 4th time's the charm :)
1) I agree completely! ML *would* have acted differently - by not being frantic, getting ill, and resorting to extreme measures. Yet she'd still be capable of *acting* the part.
2) It's rather ironic to say "Her refusal was him respecting her wishes" when her first and foremost wish would've been to be confided in to begin with....as well as "he was confident in Ming Lan to weather through this because she is strong"...why not involve her in the plan then? It saves her heaps of trouble while truly exerting strength. Also, going by the rules of society the drama took pains to explore, there was no way ML as the wife could've escaped punishment without being actually divorced, even less their child Tuan'er who is blood related to GTY.
3) "I don't think her significance as the leading lady diminished" vs "The last episode was mainly for GTY" these 2 statements directly contradict one another.
4) Sorry, I don't find it particularly heartwarming that, as someone said below, "female leads need to become muddled to prove that they are really in love." It's stereotypical to the extreme and I'm not on board with it. Also see: grandmother poisoning arc as a reference for a ML that is both capable and emotional. (Btw she didn't "want justice immediately" without consideration - even while grief stricken she evaluated the situation shrewdly.)
"I felt like undermined the whole point of the series...I was so impressed with this series for it's meticulous attention to detail and it's logical plot sequence" THIS.
"Papa Sheng couldn't have said it better during that last sense. " THIS. (imagine the most idiotic character knowing what's up at the end)
"I just hate the idea that female leads need to become muddled to prove that they are really in love" T H I S.
All of it comes down to my absolute aversion to female characters being undermined in dramas and my shock that the one drama that strongly subverted that to finally do it themselves.