Joker Yurusarezaru Sosakan - a different kind of police drama

 

 As I mentioned before, I believe Japanese are the best when it comes to mystery and police shows. They didn't disappoint me this time either. With a unique plot and an excellent cast, the recently completed dorama that aired this autumn, Joker, is definitely one of the few dramas that are worth watching this season.

 Plot:

Date Kazuyoshi is a detective known for his kind and calm personality. However, during the nighttime, he punishes the criminals who manage to escape being be prosecuted.

Cast: 

Along with Sakai Masato, who plays the main lead, there are many other topnotch actors who are starring in this drama, making it a real delight for the eyes and soul. Some worth mentioning are: Kaga Takeshi, Ryo (Miyada Yumiko), Osugi Ren, Nishikido Ryo, Anne. This names might sound alien, but once you see the actors' faces, you realize they are actors who have starred in numerous dramas and have received great love from the audience all throughout their careers.

Personal opinion:

The plot is actually a little more complicated in comparison to what I wrote previously, but it's something that shouldn't be spoiled by reviews so I won't be going into details. What I must tell is that this dorama is something typically Japanese. The whole plot is centered around the idea of justice and it makes people wonder: what is justice actually? What is truly right and what is truly wrong. I have stumbled upon this idea in many Japanese production. Lets take Death Note, for instance, which is a manga/anime/movie everyone has heard about. That was focused on the idea of justice.

Joker too, emphasizes the same concept: the idea of an Utopian world where all criminals are punished, the notion of idealistic Justice that no criminal can escape from. It is indeed, at least i my opinion, a typically Japanese line of thought. And, since I love Japanese and their mentality, I can honestly say I absolutely loved this drama as well.

As you can deduce from the storyline, this drama is quite unique, since it features policemen taking it upon themselves to clear the world of criminals even when law can't bring them to justice .Take this and add a memorable cast with perfect acting skills and you have a great police drama, to say the least. I wholeheartedly recommend it.

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Vanilla Lucy - my newest kpop addiction

  While I was watching The M Wave last Sunday, I saw an amazing group perform and I immediately fell in love with their sound.
   The band's name is Vanilla Lucy and it  has four members, all girls - a main vocalist, a saxophone player, a violin player and a cello player. They have a very catchy and unique style, unlike anything I've seen in the kpop industry thus far. I'm looking forward to their future releases.




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GOONG MANHWA REVIEW

Synopsis:

The action in this manhwa takes place in a fictional Korea where the country is ruled by the monarchy. The main character is a lively and innocent girl by the name of Shin Chae-Gyung, who lives a normal and careless life as a mediocre student coming form a common family. One day, she hers the handsome prince Lee Shin, who goes to the same school as her, propose to a girl and being coldly rejected.  That same day, Chae-Gyung receives a mind-boggling  news: she is to be married to the crown prince as a result of a promise between her grandfather and the former king, who had been best friends. In order to help her family's financial situation, Chae-Gyung decides to go along with the marriage.

Personal opinion:

        I was extremely excited to start reading this manhwa, especially due to the superb art that drew my attention immediately. the artist has an incredible talent, particularly concerning drawing of individuals and portraits, apparel, but also some very nice backgrounds.

        I was expecting a funny and light story and I wasn't really disappointed at the beginning and kept thinking it will get better the more I read it. 

Indeed, the story doesn't lack cute characters and a very well developed romance plot. Actually, in comparison to the Korean live-action inspired from it, the manhwa concentrates a lot on the developing feelings between the characters. The "change of heart" the main male character has by falling in love with another girl doesn't seem forced like it seemed in the drama. On the contrary, his feeling develop slowly and grow little by little until he realizes he is indeed in love. His confession also takes place much later after he discovers his own feelings making al seem more plausible, more life-like.

       However, while comparing the positive points with the negative ones, I realized that the negative aspects are far more numerous.

       Firstly, the usual cliché: the love triangle. What is it with Koreans and love triangles? I admit, love triangles sometimes  add a "juicy" detail to the whole plot, but sometimes they just make it annoying and I think this is the case here. I really don't understand why in every manhwa there are always two people that want to get between the two main characters - a guy, usually nice and kind-hearted (in this case, his nice personality is mostly just a façade though) who is in love with the main female lead and a girl, who's usually very b****y, that madly and obsessively loves the main male character and does anything to attract his attention and to break him up with the one he loves. The main girl  never ends up with the nice guy, but chooses the cold, cool and tough guy. Always.Whilst the girl who wants the cool guy ends up meeting someone who understands her and woos her continuously until all of a sudden  she realized she has fallen in love with him.     

       Secondly, I really don't understand the humour. I am a huge fan of humour and Asian humour really is one of the best I've ever seen, but this manhwa is really not suited for humour, which is why every time I encounter a funny scene, instead of  making me laugh it just leaves me dumbfounded, because it has no place in the whole plot. Not to mention that most funny scenes are just grossing me out cause they're mostly if not entirely based on the character of a perverted eunuch. So, the humour didn't do it for me either.

        Last but not least, what really put me off was the tragedy. Honestly, I have nothing against realistic plots and this plot was quite realistic; yes, politic schemes are known to exist in every monarchy, and, truthfully, everyone knows nobles and the members of royalty have marriages of convenience, but were so many tearjerker scenes necessary?! If the author truly wanted to be realistic then she could have invented dozens of ways to get the main characters out of lamentable situations. But in truth, those occurrences were actually an excuse to torture the readers and prolong the plot, transforming it into an authentic soap-opera. In truth, this is also something typical for the Korean authors. Most tend to make tearjerker plots that remind me of the Spanish "telenovelas". And sadly, I have to admit that I can't stop reading it because I kept thinking "damn, I got so far! I can't give up now!". I feel so cheated! 

         In conclusion, I'd like to say that I'm a very strict and picky person. Although this review sounded like a total negative advertisement, I'm sure many of you would still like Goong very much. Don't get me wrong. I'm not trying to insult the author, nor am I trying to offend Goong fans. I'm just being honest and say my truthful opinion. It's a personal opinion, therefore it is also subjective.So, instead of wondering whether you should read it or not, at least try browsing through a few pages. It may turn out to be your type of story. 

       Enjoy your read, everyone!

       

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1/2 Prince Novel - a pleasant surprise

    Lately I've been busy reading manga and I've stumbled upon 1/2 Prince, a manhua (the Chinese equivalent of the Japanese manga) about computer gaming. The synopsis is mainly like this: in the year 2100, the creators of computer games have discovered a way to make gaming even more realistic then it already was. Thus, Second Life was born - a computer game with 99% realism rate. The main character of the story is a girl named Feng Lan who, after having a fight with her brother regarding her gaming methods (meaning, her brother accused her of using male players to level-up), decided to start playing Second Life and use her own power to level-up thus proving to her brother that she is capable of doing so without anyone's help. However, Feng Lan enters the game 5 minutes prior to its official release worldwide and the creators of the game decide to offer her anything she wants as a prize for being the first Second Life player ever. Instead of choosing a rare item or something else, Feng Lan requests to become a male in the game. She is given permission and so the adventure of the worrior elf Prince (Feng Lan's Second Life identity) begins.

     After struggling for quite a few times to read the first chapters of the manhua, I finally got into it and , eventually, I found out about the existence of a novel. The manhua was actually inspired by the novel, but I didn't expect much form it, thinking that the manhua was probably more interesting. No such thing! Just like in the manhua's case, the result was pleasantly surprising. The novel sucked me in from the very first chapter and, even though the manhua is 100% loyal to the novel's plot, I felt that the novel is 10 times better!

       1/2 Prince novel is written by Yu Wo, an author that was unknown to me until now. Yu Wo's style is absolutely breathtakingly humorous and fresh, her characters seem to have a life of their own and the reader slowly starts understanding them and loving them  more and more as the story progresses.
      The best part is that, in comparison to the manhua, the novel is, undoubtedly, more complex, the humour has a unique feeling to it and is far more developed then in the manhua, where you miss many of the hinted funny moments. And, let me add, if you haven't already figured it out, humour is an extremely important part of the series. It may actually be the fundamental part.
      Another plus of this great novel is the way the main character was built. Unlike the majority of female characters we see in manga, Feng Lan is a very strong character with a unique personality. Though not a tomboy, she appears to be very kin on fighting in the virtual life and she is so passionate about it that she even ends up earning the title of Blood Elf. In real life, Feng Lan is a girl like any other and she never resorts to physical violence (the most she can do is threaten her brother with not feeding him) and her love for blood in the gaming world derives form a very simplistic thing: her passion for cooking. Every time Prince sees a game monster he (she) imagines chopping him like she does when cooking dinner. As a result, Prince is never afraid of monsters. All he has to do is chop them, after all. Interesting person, right?
     And last but not least, because I kept the best part for the end, is the romance. Yes, incredible, but true: this story not only has fighting, adventure and virtual reality involved, but also a steamy romance plot. Since Prince is the most handsome player in Second Life, romance would actually be unavoidable, but what is he to do when Wicked, a talented elf warrior, turns out to be Feng Lan childhood friend who has loved her for 8 years and finds out Prince's true identity? Moreover, Prince's greatest admirer, the demon bard Gui, who tricked Prince into thinking he was gay, ends up falling in love with him, but he turns out to be Feng Lan's literature professor. In the end, Prince suffers a "terrible fate" as more and more people who know "him" in real life, find out who he really is and he's forced to beg them all to keep the secret. The question that keeps nagging me though is: will Feng Lan be forced to choose between Wicked and Gui? Well, I think we'll have to keep on reading to find that out, though I have my suspicions...      
      In conclusion, I wholeheartedly recommend this very original and funny novel. You can read the novel online for free, translated with the author's permission by the team Prince Revolution!, who are doing a wonderful job translating this project. Go to their website
     The team also translates the novel "The Legend of Sun Knight" written by the same author, which is an exceptional read as well and I'll probably write about it in the future.
      I look forward to this group's future projects.

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My "MUST WATCH dramas" list - PART II

In part 1 I posted 5 of my most favourite dramas. However, I must state that those were not set in any particular order. And neither the ones that will be following from now on.

6. GALILEO

Synopsis: 

Galileo follows the story of a detective who solves various difficult cases with the help of a renowned university professor.

Personal opinion: 

Plot:
Though it seems uninteresting at first sight, the plot is certain to captivate you. The viewer will be faced with a great deal of extremely interesting mysteries and it's quite fun discovering the solutions together with the protagonists. Yes, the mystery cases will definitely incite anyone's imagination!
Acting:
If you're looking for bishies, this is not the place to go, though I'm sure no one can deny that 
Masaharu Fukuyama is a very attractive man. However, the acting is impeccable, the actors will fascinate you for sure. Maybe you won't love them, maybe you won't scream like a fan girl in front of the screen, but you will certainly like them enough to want more.

Overall:

I'd give it an A+ for the mystery cases and, at least for me, a certain must watch!

Download link(scroll down): Click


And now, from "mystery" genre, let's pass to a more light topic : humour, which happens to be my favourite.

7. SEIGI NO MIKATA

Synopsis(from Wikipedia, because it was too long and I got lazy):

15-year-old Yoko is constantly tormented by her self-centered and fiendish older sister Makiko, who works for a government office after having graduated from a famous university. But despite her ill nature, Makiko's actions tend to somehow make things better for those around her, causing others to praise her as an "ally of justice."
Because of her sister's attitude, Yoko longs to be free. She decides to get her sister married so she will move out. However her plan backfires. There is also a boy called Riku who always teases her because he has a major crush on her. He becomes one of her closest confidants.
Makiko eventually reveals her true nature to her husband, Naoki, who decides to get a divorce. Meanwhile a close friend of Riku's, Chika, tells Yoko that he is about to move away. Her friends attempt to get Yoko to confess through a live T.V. program, but her sister storms in and starts yelling at her, right before she is arrested.
A few days after Makiko's release from prison, Naoki and his parents arrive to talk with Makiko. As the divorce is about to be finalized, Makiko tells everyone that she is pregnant. The series ends with Yoko finally talking to Riku, and Makiko giving birth to a baby. Yoko is the one left caring for it.
Personal opinion:
Plot:
I copied the plot synopsis from Wikipedia because I really wanted people to realize how awesome this series is. I don't know how many of you have watched this 'cause, since it isn't romance genre, many might tend to think it's boring. Well, I personally loved it with capital L! It was an extremely cute and funny story about the "horror" of having older siblings, but with heart-touching subtle messages about the complexity of  family connections. This drama teaches us that probably everyone has problems with their families, that we have to learn to accept those dear to us as what they are, with their good and their bad parts too. All in all, a really nice plot which I recommend for viewers of all ages.

Acting: 

Remember that cute girl I talked about when I presented Tantei Gakuen Q to you? Well, that's her, the main lead actress herself! Like I said before: an extremely talented young actress! Her main co-lead as well, whose name is Yu Yamada, is a very talented actress indeed.I wish to see more of them in the future.

Overall:

I think I praised this drama enough to attract your attention so I'll just limit myself at saying "go watch it now!" :))
Download link: Click

 And now, my friends, into the world of romance we go. Comedy/ romance, 'cause that's the only one I cotton with.

8.NODAME CANTABILE

Synopsis:

Shinichi Chiaki is an extremely hard-working and talented music student whose dream is to become a conductor, but he's afraid of studying abroad because he has plane phobia. His life changes dramatically when he meets Noda Megumi, a very talented piano student who also suffers from a childhood phobia that holds her from following her true dreams.

Personal opinion:

Plot:

I really thought the plot was a bit silly. There is so much comedy involved, even from the first episode, that I didn't thin k much about it. Turns out, by the end of the drama I realized there were much heavier topics involved, such as childhood traumas and pent-up feelings, clad in a humours scenario, true, but still complex in their essence.Nevertheless, a very fun and lovely drama.

Acting:

The extremely attractive Tamaki Hiroshi plays the main male lead with an elegance worthy of praise.
As for the main female lead, she is none other then the adorable Ueno Juri.
They both make a very cute and funny couple. One word: KAWAII!!!

Overall:

I'm sure anyone has heard by now of Nodame Cantabile and probably there are best-suited person to praise it then me, so I can only say one thing: watch it and you won't regret it.It's a good, relaxing, fun, enjoyable etc way to spend your time.
Download link: Click

9.  MY GIRL

Synopsis:

Gong Chan meets Yoo Rin through a series of  quizzically hilarious circumstances and ends up asking her to pretend to be his long lost cousin in order to appease his very sick grandfather, who he thought was nearing his end. She accepts, but the feelings they start developing for one another soon start getting in the way.

Personal opinion:

Plot:

I usually hate Korean dramas because they tend to to be over dramatic and.. well, exaggeratedly sappy. So a Korean drama must be really good for me to watch it. Just like this one: a cute, loveable story with a good dose of healthy humour and just the perfect amount of tear-jerker scenes, all spiced up with the typical Korean dramas' love triangles.What does it is the humour though! You'll definitely like it! In addition, it had a good OST as well.

Acting:

The acting was absolutely terrific! The one who impressed me the most is the leading actress Lee Da Hea. This role seems to suit her to a T. She performs the comedy scenes with an unequalled skill and the romantic sad ones with such grace that she makes you really feel them as if you were the character yourself. Thumbs up!

Overall:

This drama is in my top ten for sure! Lovely comedy and really nice romantic scenes. The perfect ingredients if you ask me! 
Download link: Click ; Click

10. YOU'RE BEAUTIFUL

Synopsis:

The idol group A.N.JELL is looking for a second lead singer and they want Go Mi Nam, who's said to have the voice of an angel. Mi Nam though is in the States so his agent finds his twin sister, Go Mi Nyu, and asks her to pretend to be Go Mi Nam until he comes back.

Personal opinion:

Plot:

This plot reminds me a lot of a shoujo manga plot and that's mainly the reason I started watching it. Good gender-bender induced humour scenes, good music, cute romantic scenes and to top it all, a cast so gorgeous you could drool over. What more can a fan girl like me ask for!? Tell me a reason, just a single reason this shouldn't be the perfect romantic comedy? Hmm? Yeah, I thought so too! :)
Acting: Oh, the horror of bishies! You never know who to choose. They are all perfect, undeniably hot, they make us hyperventilate even before they open their mouths to say their lines! I'll have to admit though that the main male lead seems to be quite talented. As for the female lead, I'm not sure about her yet. Don't shoot me!The actors were just too dazzling! Blame them!

Overall:

If you love humongous dozes of fluff, this is your kind of drama!:)
Download link: Click ; Click

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My MUST WATCH asian dramas list - PART I

So I thought I should start my blogging experience with something meaningful. As a result, I will post my drama recommendations. Anime, manga and music lists will follow.

1. LIAR GAME

Synopsis :

Kanzaki Nao is a naive collage student who, one day, finds a suit case containing 100 milion yen outside her apartment door, along with a card saying she's been chosen to take part in the "Liar Game", a game which consisted in gaining money by stealing them from your opponent. Desperate, she asks the recently releaseed from prison genius swindler Akiyama Shinichi for help.

Note: Show has two seasons.

Personal opinion:

Plot:

 Ever since watching the first episode of this series, I thought "OMG! This Japanese guys are geniuses!". So, truth be told, I think that said it all. A true masterpiece!

Acting:

Honestly, I wasn't very impressed with Toda Erika's acting. If you ask me, the poor girl has always received the most annoying roles possible ( see Death Note live action). Her character is portrayed as being an exageratedly stupid girl.Definitely a turn off.

However, Matsuda Shota is incredible. This seems the perfect role for him. I really wouldn't have seen anyone else playing it better then him. It somehow compensates for the ridiculous impression that the main female character gives off.

Overall : 

This, of course, it's a subjective opinion, but I recommend this series whole-heartedly. I promise it won't be a waste of time! So, if you haven't seen it yet, hurry up and watch it! :) 

A download link: Click

2. KUROSAGI

Synopsis:

There are three types of swindlers in this world: red swindlers, white swindlers and the one who feeds off of them - the black swindler. This are, more or less, the opening words of every episode of the series.

Kurosagi is a young man whose family was destroyed by a swindler (more precisely, after being swindled, his father killed his whole family and then killed himself; Kurosagi managed to survive due to pure luck). After the tragic events, he swore to take revenge on all swindlers, especially on the white swindlers who take advantage of people's emotions and are far more cunning then the red swindlers.

Personal opinion:

Plot:

The plot was, of course, what attracted my attention and persuaded me to watch this. Just as Liar Game, Kurosagi too is inspired by the manga with the same title, which, by the way, I recommend and, though it isn't very faithful to the original manga plot, it still carries the same air about it, an air of mystery and excitement. I really enjoyed watching the swindlers get tricked and the main character changing his appearance so often. I actually found myself cheering for him quite some numerous times: "Go, go, Kurosagi! You rock!"

Acting:

I admit that for some reason Horikita Maki annoys me too. Don't shoot me! Unlike Erika Toda, who I adore as a person, but whose most roles I hate, I love Horikita Maki's roles, but I dislike her as a person. Don't ask me why... So, yeah, I can't say much about her role because I dindn't really py attention to it. All there is to know is that she portrays a Law student who hates Kurosagi's methods of making justice. A true idealist, indeed.

As for the main lead, how could I have any bad comments? He's Yamapi for God's sake!!! The absolutely adorable and hot Yamapi! Yes, yes, this are the screams of a rabid fan girl. His acting is superb though so i have an excuse :))

Overall:

I only have one complaint: I really wish it was longer. Really, watch it and you'll agree with me.

A download link: Click

3. MAJO SAIBAN

Synopsis:

Toru is chosen to be a part of the jurymen in a murder trial. The woman who is trialed is nicknamed "the witch" and she's charged for the murder of her old wealthy husband. Though she appears to be guilty, one by one, all the jurymen seem to change their opinions about it and vote "unguilty". Toru realizes there's something very odd about the whole situation and decides to find out what.

Personal opinion:

Plot:

I'l say it straight away, Majo Saiban is one of the most profound and smart j-doramas I've seen. Not only does it approach a very touchy subject : corruption in the legal system, but also it is constructed in such a way that one only realizes at the end that all along, there was a much deeper meaning to the whole story, that the main problem was not the corruption, but the actual human principles, the idea of Justice, the psychology of the righteous type of people. What can I say more? You have to watch it to understand.

Acting:

Ikuta Toma is by far one of my favourite actors. He's charming, talented and he really did a good job in this show.

Overall:

If you give this a chance, you will be surprised by the actual depth of the whole plot and you'll definitely love it.
A download link: Click

4.RYUSEI NO KIZUNA

Synopsis:
Ryusei no Kizuna is the story of three siblings whose parents have been murdered when they were very little. At that time the 3 kids had secretly escaped to go watch the meteor shower and when they came back they found their parents bodies in a pool of blood. The three vowed to catch the murderer and kill them by their own hands. 14 years later, coincidentally just when the meteor shower is about to appear again and when their parents murder is about to prescribe, they seem to finally have a lead on who the killer is.
Personal opinion:
Plot:
The plot is quite heartbreaking, but very realistic. The 3 siblings are not described as mental wrecks, but their lives are not really sunny either. The older sibling is, surprisingly, the most emotional out of the three of them, but all of them have turned into skeptics that have no more trust in the authorities. In fact, they start swindling people for money and they've become lonely and insecure people with only one hope in mind, that of avanging their parents. It's a heart-warming story, but not tragic enough to make you spill tears everywhere.
Acting:
With a 5 starts cast, Ryusei no Kizuna was guaranteed to have instant succes and I'm pretty sure it had. This is actually the first role of Erika Toda's that I liked!
Not to mention Ninomiya Kazunari and Nishikido Ryo who are total eye-candies and super good actors.
Overall:
A touching story about brotherly love and how to survive hardship with quite a happy ending. I, personally, loved it. Give it a try.
A download link (scroll down): Click

5. TANTEI GAKUEN Q

Synopsis:
The story revolves around a team of genius teenagers who study in a detective academy run by a famous detective. They solve complicated murder cases seem to all be planned by an evil syndicate called "Meiosei".
Personal opinion:
Plot:
Yes, I know, I know! The kids are... well, kids. But if you are willing to overlook this aspect, trust me, this drama is quite addicting. And it makes your brain work! What more can one ask for? I also recommend the manga, though the art is not really my type.
Acting:
They are indeed kids, but they have great acting skills. I especially love Shida Mirai, a very talented young actress who has grown quite a bit since this dorama aired.
Overall:
Fun, suspenseful, addicting and a touching message about the importance of friendship. I truly recommend it.
A download link: Click

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My name's Ayame and I have an Asia addiction, thus the title for this blog. This is my first blog ever because I now have a lot of time to spare :D

If you like manga, anime, asian TV shows, asian pop and rock, asian celebrities, asian culture in general, then i suppose you will also like my blog, where I'll review manga and shows, talk about entertainment stars and other similar stuff.

Let the adventure begin! :)

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