I'm commenting late as heck on this but I somehow stumbled across this article. I must say that each version of…
I agree the Japanese sometimes do exaggerate ...But , I find that they only do that so as to give an Animé feel to a Manga-Based show !!! .... they seem like cartoons at times .... ....I don't like the 'cartoon-ish' feel , but I appreciate it for what it is ....
When the Taiwanese do it .... it just looks like Over-Acting .... very Fake ...... just as @pixelviking said : "Devil Beside You" is a perfect example , but both Mike & Rainie are very cute so it becomes acceptable ...
..... Ella does do the exaggerated fake-cartoon faces as part of her acting .... i.e. "Down w/ Love" ...imo , it's bad acting , not cute or fitting.
Ikuta Toma also did the exaggerated faces a few times in "H-K"... BUT ...he was Not the only one ! ....The entire cast participated to create the " Animé-feel " to the show ...
Whereas...several Taiwanese actors over-act as their attempt at acting - (i.e. Peter Ho did it early in his career , but he's come a long way and is a very good actor now.)
Plus , Ikuta Toma , imo , is super Adorable in "Hana Kimi" ... (well , he's super adorable anywhere XD) ... and is a very good actor .
Apologies for the rant ..... just that Ella annoys me as much as I love Ikuta Toma.
I am sorry to say ..... I still can't get over the Ella thing :((( ........ everything about her annoys the H*** out of me : .... her voice , her acting , her body , her face
It is difficult when I can't find anything attractive : NO Physical Beauty ...NO Charisma ...NO Talent ...No Charm ......
If only she had ONE of those attributes , I could learn to tolerate her ...
....... ....... Alas !!!... I cannot do that w/ Ella ....... .......
I love Jiro Wang and HanaKimi !!! ....... I am very tempted , b/c I am sure there are parts worth watching and unique to this version , as you said...
I commented before ...But , I didn't mention how Wonderful this Stalker's Guide is !!! ....After reading a few other ones ...I must say ... you did an Excellent job ! .....
.... it wasn't just fangirling and listing his dramas.... you really studied and analyzied his body of work and his talent and provided useful info...
It was a Perfect Introduction to those who want to know him ....and..... it had trivia info to those , like me , who are big fans and have already seen most of his work ...
Thank you !
I just can't help it. Sorry Ikuta's fans, but I usually avoid watching anything where men had their eyebrows plucked…
I agree.... thin eyebrows on men are not attractive...don't know why they go to that extreme !?!?
But , Toma's eyebrows are not too thin ! ... they are groomed , but not too thin...
Kamenashi Kazuya's eyebrows are way too thin ! ..... but he is still adorable and I like watching him ...
Too bad you cannot get over that pet pieve .... you are missing out on good shows and lots of good acting !
Ikuta must be real fun to hang out with !!! ....just as the magazine cover says : he is "The Life of the Party" !!!
.... just from the way he poses in photographs , his buoyant personality shines thru....
Unbelievably Adorable , cute , charismatic and very talented .... love him !!! <3<3<3
And how about 'The Seaside Motel'? It is crazy story, but Toma was awsome there as well. It was really hilarious…
"Seaside Motel"....crazy but good story.... All three male actors were Hot! ....
--- Ikuta is super Cute ! .....Yamada Takayuki is super Handsome!... and ......Tamayama Tetsuji is drop-dead Gorgeous !!! ....
I'm desperately in need of a new historical drama! :(
"Cuo Dian Yuan Yang" ..... It was a very Pleasant Surprise !!!
.....not much history but wonderful Romance ......
.... Loved the 1st season ep.1-25) ... 2nd season was just OK (ep.26-50)
"Empress Ki" was excellent ....."Bu Bu Jing Xin/Scarlet Heart" excellent ....
also : "Battle of Changsha" and "Legend of Concubine Zhen Huan" .....
and....nothing beats "The Princess' Man" .... it's the Best !!!
I really want to watch this as well but it's so disappointing that the Chinese drama I want to watch aren't english…
So very true !!! ... I have a long list of C-dramas - I am waiting for them to be subbed :(( .....
I am now hooked on C-dramas b/c they have a good combination of idealism and realism lacking in the K and J dramas.
---- A bit too much slapstick and cartoonish acting for my taste ....
---- imo , the show needed a bit more Depth ..... and a bit less of the 2-dimensional characters...
---- I wish , at the end , there was more character growth for Nodame and less of the pouting, the pitter-patter walk and the childish love/obsession...
---- I did Enjoy everything else ... I Liked the Music , the Story , the Actors and the Characters .....
---- Everything about Chiaki is Great !! ....both the actor and the character !!!
... and ....btw, Eita is wonderful also ....
I agree with the last comment. The music is good, but the drama seems like anime to me. I didn't like the slapstick…
I agree w/ you ... slapstick and cartoonish acting are not my thing either ...just my personal taste about humor ...
--- I don't mind the lack of romance ..... although hers was silly ... But , I liked His romantic views b/c he truly admired her talent , her freedom and joy in music .... and he liked the attention she gave him....
---- it gave the show some depth ; which I think , is what it's lacking !!!
Me Too !!!! .... after watching Jang Hyuk in "Slave Hunters" on Netflix ... I was awed by his performance ! .... wanted to see everything he was in .... and thus.... the Kdrama Addiction !!!
I really like this drama, even if it's full of the usual stereotypes of a KDrama. For me, JH's acting is very…
You'll see the stereotypes b/c it is a remake of an old drama.... But... I think the writers for this show changed as much as possible to add freshness !
as for Jang Hyuk.... you are missing out if you haven't seen his dramas .... his very early films he played quirky characters (like Gun)... ....He is best in Action shows...and... his Innate Sense-of-Humor still comes out , even in the melodramas.... ...JH can do it ALL : Comedy/Action/Melodrama !!!
"Slave Hunters" is a Must-Watch for any K-drama fan or Jang Hyuk fan !!! ....he was nominated for an International Emmy for his acting in that role !
P.S. I would add a Warning addendum to the MDV (Mandarin Drama) Section ....
as I believe it will be spreading at a much faster rate and to larger # of hosts than ever before !!!
---->>> ...In the last couple of years , C-dramas have Improved Tremendously !! ... the most anticipated are for 2014-2015 ...and ..... although they are longer , ... they do have REFRESHING plots !!! ...
---->>> ...a Wonderful combination of Japanese Realism (w/out the pessimism) and Korean Romantic Idealization (w/out the cliches)
---->>>... story subjects are more daring than K or J dramas - (i.e. Le Jun Kai...Sealed w/ a Kiss...Summer's Desire...etc...)
---->>>... Much improved Dubbing ...
---->>>... some have beautiful edgy cinematography... (and Less or NO CGI in the newer ones)
---->>>... Better Kiss scenes than K or J dramas
---->>>... Great acting (forget the Taiwanese over acting from before)... i.e. Wallace Chung...Lau Hawick...etc....
---->>>... Eye-Candy : ...Peter Ho ....Chen Bo-Lin... Wallace Huo....Hu Ge....etc...
---->>>... some of the best Historical dramas and historic subjects w/ lots of high-cost productions ...
**** after a few years of K-dramas , I have Growing IMMUNITY to the virus and bored w/ many of the new ones (same formula ... stale at this point) ....
**** I avoided them for a long time : didn't know what I was missing ..... I suspect there will be others who also turn to J-dramas and C-dramas for the refreshing subject matter and the layered or deeper meanings (less shallow) ...... (nonetheless , to me, Korean humor is still the best)
**** I have become Totally Hooked and Desperately search for them w/ Eng subs as they are difficult to find .... I have even resorted to watching one Raw and considered learning mandarin !....
I stopped Shut Up Flower Boy Band because of that. NEVER have I been so shocked during a Kdrama. I cried for hours…
add me to the 'All hail Byung hee' fanclub! ..... he remains an Unforgettable character ! .... I could not believe the actor was not an actual musician ... so now Lee Min-Ki is a fave ...
... so glad you included him.
BUT , the worst Nightmare for me would be the 'Existence of Jan-Di' !!!..... I found her entirely annoying !!! .... the character and the actress !!!
.... all her mannerisms...ugghhh ! ...and No Chemistry w/ Jun-Pyo ! .... All those terrible 'Make-Over clothes' ...made her look worse ! ..... I still can't watch anything w/ that actress !!!
... I am so glad I later saw "HYD" and "Meteor Garden" and read the Manga -:) .... (they redeemed HYD as a classic)
Btw ...I do NOT MIND Domyoji's amnesia ....... after all , HYD Manga is so old ---->>> I consider it the predecessor of most "Drama Cliches"
--->>>> so amnesia is acceptable to me Only in "HYD"/ "Meteor Garden" .... they just added another cliche to the manga -:)
P.S. you should write another article on more 'Worst Nightmares' ... love your style.
I have not seen the movie yet .... But , You make me want to see it !
.... NOT just for my love of Ikuta Toma and wonderful imagery ....BUT for the historical background you provided ....
--- Thank You for saying that this literary masterpiece "was considered unfilmable" ... I will take that into consideration while assessing the storytelling in the film ....
--- Also Thank You for the historical background and insight , as I am ignorant of Japanese history , especially cultural influences ....
1 
When the Taiwanese do it .... it just looks like Over-Acting .... very Fake ...... just as @pixelviking said : "Devil Beside You" is a perfect example , but both Mike & Rainie are very cute so it becomes acceptable ...
..... Ella does do the exaggerated fake-cartoon faces as part of her acting .... i.e. "Down w/ Love" ...imo , it's bad acting , not cute or fitting.
Ikuta Toma also did the exaggerated faces a few times in "H-K"... BUT ...he was Not the only one ! ....The entire cast participated to create the " Animé-feel " to the show ...
Whereas...several Taiwanese actors over-act as their attempt at acting - (i.e. Peter Ho did it early in his career , but he's come a long way and is a very good actor now.)
Plus , Ikuta Toma , imo , is super Adorable in "Hana Kimi" ... (well , he's super adorable anywhere XD) ... and is a very good actor .
Apologies for the rant ..... just that Ella annoys me as much as I love Ikuta Toma.
It is difficult when I can't find anything attractive : NO Physical Beauty ...NO Charisma ...NO Talent ...No Charm ......
If only she had ONE of those attributes , I could learn to tolerate her ...
....... ....... Alas !!!... I cannot do that w/ Ella ....... .......
I love Jiro Wang and HanaKimi !!! ....... I am very tempted , b/c I am sure there are parts worth watching and unique to this version , as you said...
.... it wasn't just fangirling and listing his dramas.... you really studied and analyzied his body of work and his talent and provided useful info...
It was a Perfect Introduction to those who want to know him ....and..... it had trivia info to those , like me , who are big fans and have already seen most of his work ...
Thank you !
But , Toma's eyebrows are not too thin ! ... they are groomed , but not too thin...
Kamenashi Kazuya's eyebrows are way too thin ! ..... but he is still adorable and I like watching him ...
Too bad you cannot get over that pet pieve .... you are missing out on good shows and lots of good acting !
.... just from the way he poses in photographs , his buoyant personality shines thru....
Unbelievably Adorable , cute , charismatic and very talented .... love him !!! <3<3<3
thanks for the article !
--- Ikuta is super Cute ! .....Yamada Takayuki is super Handsome!... and ......Tamayama Tetsuji is drop-dead Gorgeous !!! ....
.....not much history but wonderful Romance ......
.... Loved the 1st season ep.1-25) ... 2nd season was just OK (ep.26-50)
"Empress Ki" was excellent ....."Bu Bu Jing Xin/Scarlet Heart" excellent ....
also : "Battle of Changsha" and "Legend of Concubine Zhen Huan" .....
and....nothing beats "The Princess' Man" .... it's the Best !!!
I am now hooked on C-dramas b/c they have a good combination of idealism and realism lacking in the K and J dramas.
---- imo , the show needed a bit more Depth ..... and a bit less of the 2-dimensional characters...
---- I wish , at the end , there was more character growth for Nodame and less of the pouting, the pitter-patter walk and the childish love/obsession...
---- I did Enjoy everything else ... I Liked the Music , the Story , the Actors and the Characters .....
---- Everything about Chiaki is Great !! ....both the actor and the character !!!
... and ....btw, Eita is wonderful also ....
--- I don't mind the lack of romance ..... although hers was silly ... But , I liked His romantic views b/c he truly admired her talent , her freedom and joy in music .... and he liked the attention she gave him....
---- it gave the show some depth ; which I think , is what it's lacking !!!
as for Jang Hyuk.... you are missing out if you haven't seen his dramas .... his very early films he played quirky characters (like Gun)... ....He is best in Action shows...and... his Innate Sense-of-Humor still comes out , even in the melodramas.... ...JH can do it ALL : Comedy/Action/Melodrama !!!
"Slave Hunters" is a Must-Watch for any K-drama fan or Jang Hyuk fan !!! ....he was nominated for an International Emmy for his acting in that role !
as I believe it will be spreading at a much faster rate and to larger # of hosts than ever before !!!
---->>> ...In the last couple of years , C-dramas have Improved Tremendously !! ... the most anticipated are for 2014-2015 ...and ..... although they are longer , ... they do have REFRESHING plots !!! ...
---->>> ...a Wonderful combination of Japanese Realism (w/out the pessimism) and Korean Romantic Idealization (w/out the cliches)
---->>>... story subjects are more daring than K or J dramas - (i.e. Le Jun Kai...Sealed w/ a Kiss...Summer's Desire...etc...)
---->>>... Much improved Dubbing ...
---->>>... some have beautiful edgy cinematography... (and Less or NO CGI in the newer ones)
---->>>... Better Kiss scenes than K or J dramas
---->>>... Great acting (forget the Taiwanese over acting from before)... i.e. Wallace Chung...Lau Hawick...etc....
---->>>... Eye-Candy : ...Peter Ho ....Chen Bo-Lin... Wallace Huo....Hu Ge....etc...
---->>>... some of the best Historical dramas and historic subjects w/ lots of high-cost productions ...
**** after a few years of K-dramas , I have Growing IMMUNITY to the virus and bored w/ many of the new ones (same formula ... stale at this point) ....
**** I avoided them for a long time : didn't know what I was missing ..... I suspect there will be others who also turn to J-dramas and C-dramas for the refreshing subject matter and the layered or deeper meanings (less shallow) ...... (nonetheless , to me, Korean humor is still the best)
**** I have become Totally Hooked and Desperately search for them w/ Eng subs as they are difficult to find .... I have even resorted to watching one Raw and considered learning mandarin !....
... and so very True !!! ...
Please write more articles !
... so glad you included him.
BUT , the worst Nightmare for me would be the 'Existence of Jan-Di' !!!..... I found her entirely annoying !!! .... the character and the actress !!!
.... all her mannerisms...ugghhh ! ...and No Chemistry w/ Jun-Pyo ! .... All those terrible 'Make-Over clothes' ...made her look worse ! ..... I still can't watch anything w/ that actress !!!
... I am so glad I later saw "HYD" and "Meteor Garden" and read the Manga -:) .... (they redeemed HYD as a classic)
Btw ...I do NOT MIND Domyoji's amnesia ....... after all , HYD Manga is so old ---->>> I consider it the predecessor of most "Drama Cliches"
--->>>> so amnesia is acceptable to me Only in "HYD"/ "Meteor Garden" .... they just added another cliche to the manga -:)
P.S. you should write another article on more 'Worst Nightmares' ... love your style.
.... NOT just for my love of Ikuta Toma and wonderful imagery ....BUT for the historical background you provided ....
--- Thank You for saying that this literary masterpiece "was considered unfilmable" ... I will take that into consideration while assessing the storytelling in the film ....
--- Also Thank You for the historical background and insight , as I am ignorant of Japanese history , especially cultural influences ....