Just finished Ama-chan. A very apealing drama but many episodes were thin, padded ot with repitition of previous events. The way certain characters were portayed, notably the Station Master and his Assistant and the head of The Diving School, was excruciating! Overacting gone mad. The theme tune and views of the region were nice to begin with but not for 156 episodes I has to FF through them. Oh and there were two episodes missing. Hiyokko I just loved it! I am still working through Churasan and loving it too though the Narafamilly can be very anoying at times. Gochisousan is my next watch. To date Mare is my all-time favourite, followed by Asa ga Kita.
Just want to flag up that episode 8 is not the end there is two episodes set a year later Black Cinderella: Graduation Episode. I have downloaded the raws, now that Viki have bought the rights I do hope they will sub it!
Where do you find decent Japanese content ? I have trouble finding a place to watch good jdramas
I use Kissasian but there are lots of others like drama cool. When I find an actor I like, I look up everything they have done and watch it. I watched a number of things Yoshida Erica has done but they didn't really appeal. When I am stuck I follow asadoras (typically 150 episodes) like Churasan.
I just completed this on Viki and see many comments that it feels unfinished. It is so find Black Cinderella: Sotsugyo-hen ep 1 and 2 to get the happy endo! Just blown away by the acting in all the characters and Riko is only eighteen in her second main lead.
Not finished watching yet but I am enthralled. The cast are well chosen and the plot has me hooked even though I don't generally find Sci-Fi to my taste. I love the opening and closing MV and the music (the piano piece was a favourite of my mother's who would play it for me, beautiful but somehow also sad) I whish there was a recap for this somewhere online as, even with the captions I don't follow the plot too well.
Every development of this drama is becoming such a chliche it is simply amazing that those who have already watched it can pass over the terrible flaws. I keep most dramas to watch again but this one:no. And please for pity sake get someone to give Qi Yi a shot haircut his mannered qif is nauseating - almost crazilly apropriate!
So, episode 18 now and I am having seroius issues with The main male lead and the female second lead. They each make me want to vomit and sream by turn. Thos os good drama? WTF!
@Antonin I so agre about Boss's ex ! I'm afraid I find Aaron Yan's hair "style" so replusive and stupid it has made his character lack any sincerity or authenticity.( As an actor I worry he is completely talentless.) Why does he need Dean to motivate him to do the right thing?
Most of the main characters are self-indulgent and the plot and sentiments are drawn out to being wafer-thin. However, in mitigation what this drama does have (like all serials) is that it hooks us in and (no matter the plot holes and failings) we just have to know the outcome (for our private hero/heroin). I watched this because I had run out of Japanese dramas or got so close to feeling suicididal because they (dorama) are so upfront and uncompromising about how harsh life can sometimes be. This could be some half dozen episodes shorter and just as powerful and impressive if it were not for the conventions it employs to pad out the time slot in each episode. This is so dire, its worse than watching some important item of news, for it to be interrupted by a commercial break.
This being Tiwanese is superior (for a Western audience) to a Korean Tv drama but not quite 'there' compared to a Dorama - Japanese Drama. Don't misunderstand where I am coming from. I am an absolute target for South Asian anything drama but especially romantic comedy. Can I just say at the outset, for someone who is so far unable to fully understand either Korean or Japanese, that subers have two main areas on which they need to work. I say this in all humility since their English is far better than my Korean/Japanese but your grasp of English is very faulty in grammar and grammar to educated English is very important. Secondly, but perhaps of even grater importance, the time when the eng subs appear on screen (for any complex dialogue) is too short. It is simply too much to read and comprehend in the time. - This is one of many reasons I am so in awe of the fact that Chinese (Mandarin) and Japanese scripts can convey so much "comprehensible thought" is so few characters. Moving on: Tiwanese Tv drama in multi episode form has a certain format. It is much less stiff and 'artificial' than the Korean Tv drama trope, but much less effective and polished than its Japanese equivalent. Tradition is all very well but surely the virtuous message of these drama generas is that times change and we enjoy the old with the new, and thereby realise that some values are unchanging. And here I make a plea. Please, please stop showing utterly obvious "unreal" kissing moments: they are so fake and so far removed from our ( imagined) scenes they are extreemly painful! Yes, I know there are censors and 'no' I do not want any graphic sex scenes (always beter left to immagination) but surely in 21C none of us can live with this nonsence. I find it more pornographic than pornography! These characters and the main narative are really intriguing and (mostly) loveable. Some are easy to 'hate' but that means life rich tapestry unfolds befor us in a realistic way. However, why do all the actors have their natural dark hair colour masked by fake hair colour? Why does our adorable heroine, Chen Liang Lian have such an orthodentist's road accident of a mouth? She is sweetnes itself and has a character to die for, but along with most of the rest of the cast she just replicates all that is worst about rich, consumerist Western Capatilisum. I have watched this back-to-back all 21 episodes streaming from a mac on airplay to a large tv, so I can replay and skip. The episode format has cute but utterly boaring repeted intros and 'audio moments'. Once seen a few times they become excruciating and block the narative development, which is very, very slow by the way. Certain characters are wonderful. My most favoured after Liang, are Kate and Mie Mie (who could be even more deployed to tantalise us and break our hearts than she is) Qi Yi is a sad and lacking human for our heroine despite his several positive qualities. He is OCD, insensitive and mildly egotistical. In contrast, his oldest and dearest friend, Fujioka Dean is a towering model of male adoration (for a female) and a male friend. He is as selfless and loveable as Liang Liang. Truly he deserves to be with her the most but, sadly, (of course) he is not the object of her affection. Lin Lyla manages the role of Ding Jia Yu very well. She is screen candy but also very cold and selfish. I don't know if I am meant to find the portrayal of her character as singularly unpleasant. Or if I am meant not to feel any true emotion of compassion for her. But I do know that it is as well I was not there, on set, witnessing her performance: for I should surely have throttled the life out of her for her casual though intentional manipulation of Qi Yi and slighting of Liang Liang.
I think this is a seriously good drama. I don't think there were any unnecessary romance subplots. I was more than half suspecting one to break out between Kishi and Miyazaki, but I'm glad it didn't because it would have negated the high moral ground the department of Pathology occupies. All the actors did great and were well cast. The subtitles became annoying in that, for me, they made a cardinal mistake. In attempting to translate both the dialogue and the song (which was great) they failed to diferentiate the two. Given they were on screen so briefly ( I had many times to halt, or back-track just to be able to read them) had a diffent colour been used for the song it would have been very helpful. Also in episode 9 (I think) the word "affective" is used to describe the drug therapy. That is wrong. Affective describes something that has been influenced by emotions, is a result of emotions, or expresses emotion. The correct word is effective: Effective describes something that produces a desired result. Effective comes from the noun effect, which means result.
Episodes 38/39 were very special and an original twist. I loved the harmony between the otherwise competing factions. I find the male lead lacks conviction. I am not entirely sold on why any female would want to be his, even though he he moderately good looking and rich. The second lead females are each lovely in their own way and much too nice to be real. Full marks to this drama for breaking the mould. I don't know how authentic it is to the manga but it is certainly worth the ride. I watching a dram several times over consecutively (although different versions) this is a personal first. Why, now that is a good question, I 've no idea what the answer is. Try it yourself.
The father means well but is cluless. This is a subtle and nuanced version of the drama with very fair and respecting female rivals. I don't feel it represents real life romance though it is refreshingly different. I find it harder to dislike or fault the male lead than Itazura Na Kiss. Never-the-less he seems to take a pleasure in not divulging his inner feelings: he is a curious mixture of narcisist and caring thoughtful respecting male. I don't fault his acting only his characterization. The Japanese version is the most compelling and the most economical version for me.
I watched the Itazura na Kiss version first and loved it.I have not read the manga but think it follows it quite closely. However I then discovered the first version was Tiwanese so watche it immediately after as I wanted to see how it covered the tale. My verdict is that it does develop certain areas better and gives more believable reasons for characters actions than the Japanese version but overall I find the chemistry of the main couple to be similar. It's also true that the male leads characterization is altered to me more empathetic.( I'm on ep35 -so that could change but I love how Xiang Yue Qin and Wu Zi Yu support each other not follow the usual *itch trope!) The OSTs of both versions are very catchy and add to the overall feel, though with more episodes this version could have added some more. I may watch the Korean version later but I find their dramas and their adherence to certain formulaic tropes anoying, so as others I may not like it. Just founfd the 2005 version on Kissasian.ch so I'm going to compare that next.
I initially watched only episodes 1-3 but loved it. However, I felt I was missing some of the nuances and drew a blank on finding episode recaps for help. Then I discovered that this is based on a manga of which an excellent anime also exists.The anime version has clearly influenced the POV drama and every episode is recapped on AnimeNesNetwork. So I put this version on hold while I watched the anime and read the episode recaps. I am very impressed with how seriously, and for the most part realistically the emotions and motivations of the characters is explored. I think the sexual content scenes are very much about explaining the emotions not titillation. The psychology of the characters and how that is explored makes this fascinating and unusual.Sanae, Noriko and Ecchan are critical to understanding the thought processes of our leads and their emotional development.I'm going to recommend this to my 19 yr old who's doing an English degree.
EmanResu Thank you, you have described her physical attraction well, but you didn't mention her voice or singing, nor her Mandarin. For me she has made such a positive impression after watching all 178 episodes of You Are My Destiny that I am downloading everything I can find since 2007. Intoxicating appeal: exactly!
Hiyokko I just loved it! I am still working through Churasan and loving it too though the Narafamilly can be very anoying at times.
Gochisousan is my next watch. To date Mare is my all-time favourite, followed by Asa ga Kita.
And here I make a plea. Please, please stop showing utterly obvious "unreal" kissing moments: they are so fake and so far removed from our ( imagined) scenes they are extreemly painful! Yes, I know there are censors and 'no' I do not want any graphic sex scenes (always beter left to immagination) but surely in 21C none of us can live with this nonsence. I find it more pornographic than pornography!
These characters and the main narative are really intriguing and (mostly) loveable. Some are easy to 'hate' but that means life rich tapestry unfolds befor us in a realistic way. However, why do all the actors have their natural dark hair colour masked by fake hair colour? Why does our adorable heroine, Chen Liang Lian have such an orthodentist's road accident of a mouth? She is sweetnes itself and has a character to die for, but along with most of the rest of the cast she just replicates all that is worst about rich, consumerist Western Capatilisum.
I have watched this back-to-back all 21 episodes streaming from a mac on airplay to a large tv, so I can replay and skip. The episode format has cute but utterly boaring repeted intros and 'audio moments'. Once seen a few times they become excruciating and block the narative development, which is very, very slow by the way. Certain characters are wonderful. My most favoured after Liang, are Kate and Mie Mie (who could be even more deployed to tantalise us and break our hearts than she is) Qi Yi is a sad and lacking human for our heroine despite his several positive qualities. He is OCD, insensitive and mildly egotistical. In contrast, his oldest and dearest friend, Fujioka Dean is a towering model of male adoration (for a female) and a male friend. He is as selfless and loveable as Liang Liang. Truly he deserves to be with her the most but, sadly, (of course) he is not the object of her affection.
Lin Lyla manages the role of Ding Jia Yu very well. She is screen candy but also very cold and selfish. I don't know if I am meant to find the portrayal of her character as singularly unpleasant. Or if I am meant not to feel any true emotion of compassion for her. But I do know that it is as well I was not there, on set, witnessing her performance: for I should surely have throttled the life out of her for her casual though intentional manipulation of Qi Yi and slighting of Liang Liang.