What Dorama Are You Watching?

swollenlymphnodes · Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2012 7:13 pm Post subject:

One of the most popular one's out now. Just decided to jump in to drama watching again - I'm impulsive like that - and was interested in this because of Hana Yori Dango. It only recently finished serialization.

Flower Boy Ramyun Shop - KDrama. Looked like a F4 clone (Flower 4 = Hana Yori Dango in Korean), but it's definitely different. You can watch these streamed, although I still prefer to DL. Kdramas are improving in that this one doesn't seem to draaaaaaaaaaaaaag. Always appreciated how Jdramas were efficient in usage of time. But this is still distinctly KDrama with those dramatic moments.

GrinfilledCelt · Posted: Sat Jan 07, 2012 3:10 am Post subject:

That sounds good.

Let's see... The last Asian drama I saw was 1911 starring Jackie Chan. It's about the Chinese Revolution that year. Since it's a Chinese film, it's very pro-commie but they mostly manage to keep their screwy politics out of it so the story isn't bad.
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teknoketa · AG Refugee Joined: 09 Apr 2006 Posts: 37 Location: Online

I'm just getting in to the dramas (to the chagrin of my friends, who hate it when I find something new to obsess over).

I picked up a crunchyroll yearly subscription for under $50 during the holiday sale and it came with full site access, so I figured I'd watch one. Then I watched another, and another... I've watched 4 complete series since the first of the year.

So far I've watched:

Coffee Prince (which I LOVED)
Greatest Love
Princess Hours
Boys Over Flowers

Any suggestions on what to watch next would be awesome.
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GrinfilledCelt · Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2012 8:16 am Post subject:

Let's see... jjjynx got me into IP Man a couple of years ago. There are three movies in the series now, It's about a Chinese guy who runs a dojo in a town famous for dojos during the Japanese occupation during WWII. It's another Chinese Martial Arts film, but a good one. It has a good story and there is hardly any flying.

Almost all the doramas I have seen are martial arts films and not really doramas since they are not Japanese. There was a Korean one nodes recommended a long time ago (when we were still at AG). It took me two years to find and download the whole series and I still have it burned to disk somewhere. Trouble is I can't remember the name of the thing. It was about a street con man/gambler who falls in love with a rich girl. It followed both of their lives for decades as they get torn apart and find each other again. Very dramatic stuff. Maybe nodes will remember. He's going to be upset he missed you Keta, so you'd better come back. Blue_PDT_01_06

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swollenlymphnodes · Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2012 7:12 pm Post subject:

GrinfilledCelt · Posted: Sun Jan 22, 2012 3:17 am Post subject:

Terrific. That's all I need - more good stuff to watch. With all this out there why does anyone watch anything on network TV?

teknoketa · AG Refugee Joined: 09 Apr 2006 Posts: 37 Location: Online

Well, first, a confession. I watched the Korean version of Boys Over Flowers rather than the Japanese. I think because all the other ones I watched were Korean and I didn't really want to break the trend. Also...

Erm. Yes, that would be a good reason why.

I can't say enough good things about Coffee Prince. It was so good that I'm contemplating buying it. It's got Yoon Eun-hye in it, who I think is adorable. The storyline has some surprising depth, with a fun side of genderbending hijinks. It's also got one of the most amazing soundtracks ever. Between the two OSTs and other miscellaneous songs that appear in the series, there are about 120 different tracks used, which is just immense.

Yoon Eun-hye is also the reason I went and watched Princess Hours. It's "commoner tossed in the Royal Household" in alternate Korea where they have a constitutional monarchy. It's basically entitled people being assholes to the poor innocent overwhelmed fish out of water. I dropped it and picked it back up a couple times because they really go heavy on the constant crisis situations.

Greatest Love is nothing short of corny. It is hilarious though, and I more or less laughed my way through the constant bickering and 1-upmanship. It's "most beloved male superstar" vs "fallen and disgraced musical starlet".

Now, I don't know how well I'll like the Gokusen drama. I say that because I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE the manga (it's one of my favorites) and the anime (which I like but hated the story deviations). I heard that it doesn't really go with the manga at all (which is one of the best josei manga, imo), which I think would disappoint me too much.

GTO sounds like something I'd check out, because I love the manga there too. I hated the anime though, because it was just... I dunno, it lacked the sheer over-the-top f%k of the manga.

This is my primary source for stuff right now because I can stream it in 720/1080. http://www.crunchyroll.com/drama/alpha

I don't know why people watch tv, tbh. I think one of the things that appeals to me about anime in general and (now also) dramas are that they actually END. I got to thinking about how here in the states things just go on for season after season and there's really rarely an actual overarching plot to them. They don't end until the ratings stop, and by that point things are usually so terrible they're not worth watching.
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swollenlymphnodes · Posted: Mon Jan 23, 2012 9:12 pm Post subject:

Keta, I realized you meant the Korean version, and thus edited my previous post, er... made an addendum. I did see "Princess Hours," never realized it because I never addressed it in it's English form. I recognize it as "Goong."

And this plot of handsome A-hole prick, meets underprivileged heroin seems like a standard template for a lot of K-dramas. I guess because it is very entertaining. Flower Boy Ramyun Shop adopts part of this in it's plot, but it incorporates another character for a fun love triangle.

That being said, I highly highly recommend "A Millionaire's First Love." Although it is a movie, nobody does this plot better. Everyone I show this movie to, even non-K-drama fans, loves this movie.

As far as the Jdramas you are having reservations about:

Gokusen: I checked out the manga after the drama, and I guess was disappointed in the art. But Gokusen the drama was helped by an all-star cast of excellent Japanese actors and actresses. Nakama Yukie is a perfect fit for the lead: lovable dork in her gym suit and elegant yakuza queen in her kimono, and the other famous actors and actresses like Oguri Shun, Ito Misaki and Matsumoto Jun bring their weight to the first series. I agree with you though that manga is the ultimate version of multi-format adaptations. Probably because manga is the original form. Especially so with GTO

GTO: GTO is forever my favorite manga of all time, and just like you, I hate hate hate the anime. Most disappointing adaptation of a manga along with I"s and Ichigo 100%. But the dorama rivals the manga believe it or not because one of the greatest actors ever in Sorimachi Takashi truly captures Onizuka's character in live action form. He's so hilarious and so inspirational that I think this is one of the few forms of media that can be life changing. There's also a legitimate romance with Azusa in the drama as opposed to there being multiple love interests alluded to in the manga, students included. I also love Matsushima Nanako's Azusa in the drama much more than the the manga Azusa.

Re: Coffee Prince, when it comes to gender-bending it can either be well done and funny, or a turn off for me... guess when I find the time to watch this, I can decide. But since it comes so highly recommended, it goes on the list.

Also very very true about giving these stories closure. I think this discussion came up at one time or another, and the sad thing is that Japan is starting to follow the pattern of serializing something and killing it when the ratings die - this happens with manga and anime. Thankfully dramas still stick to a script and end with a meaningful conclusion, not an abrupt truncation because the ratings went south. GTO is a great example of wanting the series never to end, but they gave it a proper conclusion, and therefore preserving it's epic greatness.
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teknoketa · AG Refugee Joined: 09 Apr 2006 Posts: 37 Location: Online

OMG Nodes...

You're a jerk for making me watch that. How'm I supposed to maintain my reputation if you make my eyeballs leak?
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swollenlymphnodes · Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2012 8:54 am Post subject:

teknoketa · AG Refugee Joined: 09 Apr 2006 Posts: 37 Location: Online

Yus. It was only two hours. Then I started watching "I really really like you."
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teknoketa · AG Refugee Joined: 09 Apr 2006 Posts: 37 Location: Online

So, I've watched a couple episodes of "I really, really like you" and it's not bad so far.

I'm trying to track down a reliable source for the ramen shop, so I can watch that. Know any place that's streaming it that doesn't have it chopped up in to 10 minute chunks?
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swollenlymphnodes · Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2012 1:05 am Post subject:

This is why I still download whole episodes. (http://d-addicts.com) Quality video, better translation and no annoying ads.

You can watch it on youtube if you don't mind degraded quality.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiLfltN6bn8

They are broken down into sections, but at least you don't have to wait for annoying commercial ads.
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eh?
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teknoketa · AG Refugee Joined: 09 Apr 2006 Posts: 37 Location: Online

Thanks for pointing me to the site. Grabbing the first episode now and should have it in 10 minutes.

I freaking love being on a 20 meg connection.

Ohhhh, look what I just found!

http://www.dramafever.com/

They have it streaming online, full episodes. Oi, holy crap! They have oodles of stuff. If you subscribe before the 31st you can get a year for $40, no commercials and lock the price in until the website goes tits up. So between that and CR, my whole year's entertainment is set!
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swollenlymphnodes · Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2012 8:46 am Post subject:

keta... I mentioned dramafever earlier. I thought that's what you were talking about when you said it being chopped up into segments. Free version is chock full of ads.

oh well, either you're not attentive or I talk too much. Yeah, I probably write too much. Hmmm now that you found dramafever, we've probably lost you to drama-rama. Was nice knowing ya!

Oh and here's me being an enabler telling you to check out http://www.dramacrazy.net/

enjoy!

p.s. one more recommendation: I never finished this since i got busy while the season was still going: Playful Kiss (since you love Kdramas so much)
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eh?
*Eternally Lurking*