My Top Asian Dramas List
These are Asian dramas that I have watched repeatedly and were just done perfectly (to me) and have special places in my heart. I actually watch Tdramas as well, but as cute and funny as some of them are, idk if I'd watch them again . . .
Manga adapted Live-Actions:
- Nodame Cantabile: an immensely popular 11 episode Jdrama, spawning an additional 2-part special, and a pair of movies. Genre: comedy, romance. Ueno Juri was just perfectly cast as the eccentric, crude, food stealing, talented Nodame (and the Fart Exercise is just epic X3); and I also loved Koide Keisuke as Okuyama Masumi (he was really great and I'd never seen him in a role like this before). Chiaki (Tamaki Hiroshi) is a young, good looking man with a talented, musical lineage (to sum it up, he's pretty much the BMOC); he's in the piano program, however, he actually wants to be a conductor, but there's a certain fear that prevents him from doing so. One day he hears piano playing, and though it's certainly not perfect, the person playing it is nonetheless talented . . . A tad crude, but also really cute and funny, there's much mayhem and plenty of fun characters (Mukai Osamu also has a small role in it). You'll never enjoy classical music more than this.
- MARS: 23 episode Tdrama. Genre: drama, romance, angst. The main characters are a girl (Barbie Hsu) who's a very introverted but talented artist and a boy (Vic Zhou) who's rebellious, loves motor racing but is charismatic. The two couldn't be anymore different, but both have had mental scars that only they can help each other through . . . The main couple had absolutely perfect chemistry, and the series was just as messed up as the manga series. Fun fact: I read that the main actress didn't want to dye her hair for the series (some people talk about how vain the actress is), but if you actually consider how the character is introverted and conservative, it actually wouldn't be ooc.
Both series just perfectly capture the characters and atmospheres/moods of the manga series. You might consider reading the manga series first (and they seriously would not spoil your enjoyment of the live-actions).
Jdramas:
- Kisarazu Cat's Eye: only 9 episodes, I was sort of sad when it ended (and from what I remember I watched it almost all in one sitting) . . . Though it also spawned an additional 2 movies (which were great fun but could also be watched without). Genre: comedy, friendship, crazy (is that a genre?). It's a crazy, fast paced drama with lovable characters and a good, tight, albeit again crazy script; there are many scenes at which you should relieve logic and yet the parts that make sense are spectacularly done so. There's Bussan (Okada Junichi) who finds out that he has cancer and will supposedly die in 6 months (?), Mister (Ryuta Sato), the owner of a bar and eatery with a wife and baby, Ani (Takashi Tsukamoto), whose younger brother is a popular local baseball player (thus, no one actually knows his name but he's just basically known as being his brother's brother), Bambi (Sho Sakurai), a college graduate who's always had a thing for Mouko (think of her as a dumb blonde without the blonde), and she's always had a thing for Bussan, and last but not least Ucchie (Yoshinori Okada), the mute one who tends to lag behind the others but tends to save the day. To sum it up (even though I've only basically talked about the characters but not the plot) . . . It's like Robin-Hood-and-his-Merrymen-on-crack.
Kdramas:
- My Lovely Sam-Soon/My Name is Kim Sam-Soon: 16 episodes, it was a huge hit when it aired in Korea. Genre: comedy, drama, romance (of the love/hate type). Sam-Soon (Kim Seon-Ah) just got dumped, fired, and is considered an old maid at age 30. Sort of frumpy looking, overweight, and crude of mouth, but thoroughly honest, she can be childish and whiny but also wise and sincere on her outlook. She gets off on the wrong foot with a cold, 27-year-old man but once he literally ends up with cake on his face, he hires the pastry chef on the spot. Fun facts: Kim Seon-Ah actually gained about 10 kg for the role; she was also raised in Japan, so the accent that she puts on is actually a part of her. A recommendation: If you love Sam-Soon, then you'll also love City Hall (which also stars the same actress). The feel is somewhat similar, but the romance was handled more maturely.
Manga adapted Live-Actions:
- Nodame Cantabile: an immensely popular 11 episode Jdrama, spawning an additional 2-part special, and a pair of movies. Genre: comedy, romance. Ueno Juri was just perfectly cast as the eccentric, crude, food stealing, talented Nodame (and the Fart Exercise is just epic X3); and I also loved Koide Keisuke as Okuyama Masumi (he was really great and I'd never seen him in a role like this before). Chiaki (Tamaki Hiroshi) is a young, good looking man with a talented, musical lineage (to sum it up, he's pretty much the BMOC); he's in the piano program, however, he actually wants to be a conductor, but there's a certain fear that prevents him from doing so. One day he hears piano playing, and though it's certainly not perfect, the person playing it is nonetheless talented . . . A tad crude, but also really cute and funny, there's much mayhem and plenty of fun characters (Mukai Osamu also has a small role in it). You'll never enjoy classical music more than this.
- MARS: 23 episode Tdrama. Genre: drama, romance, angst. The main characters are a girl (Barbie Hsu) who's a very introverted but talented artist and a boy (Vic Zhou) who's rebellious, loves motor racing but is charismatic. The two couldn't be anymore different, but both have had mental scars that only they can help each other through . . . The main couple had absolutely perfect chemistry, and the series was just as messed up as the manga series. Fun fact: I read that the main actress didn't want to dye her hair for the series (some people talk about how vain the actress is), but if you actually consider how the character is introverted and conservative, it actually wouldn't be ooc.
Both series just perfectly capture the characters and atmospheres/moods of the manga series. You might consider reading the manga series first (and they seriously would not spoil your enjoyment of the live-actions).
Jdramas:
- Kisarazu Cat's Eye: only 9 episodes, I was sort of sad when it ended (and from what I remember I watched it almost all in one sitting) . . . Though it also spawned an additional 2 movies (which were great fun but could also be watched without). Genre: comedy, friendship, crazy (is that a genre?). It's a crazy, fast paced drama with lovable characters and a good, tight, albeit again crazy script; there are many scenes at which you should relieve logic and yet the parts that make sense are spectacularly done so. There's Bussan (Okada Junichi) who finds out that he has cancer and will supposedly die in 6 months (?), Mister (Ryuta Sato), the owner of a bar and eatery with a wife and baby, Ani (Takashi Tsukamoto), whose younger brother is a popular local baseball player (thus, no one actually knows his name but he's just basically known as being his brother's brother), Bambi (Sho Sakurai), a college graduate who's always had a thing for Mouko (think of her as a dumb blonde without the blonde), and she's always had a thing for Bussan, and last but not least Ucchie (Yoshinori Okada), the mute one who tends to lag behind the others but tends to save the day. To sum it up (even though I've only basically talked about the characters but not the plot) . . . It's like Robin-Hood-and-his-Merrymen-on-crack.
Kdramas:
- My Lovely Sam-Soon/My Name is Kim Sam-Soon: 16 episodes, it was a huge hit when it aired in Korea. Genre: comedy, drama, romance (of the love/hate type). Sam-Soon (Kim Seon-Ah) just got dumped, fired, and is considered an old maid at age 30. Sort of frumpy looking, overweight, and crude of mouth, but thoroughly honest, she can be childish and whiny but also wise and sincere on her outlook. She gets off on the wrong foot with a cold, 27-year-old man but once he literally ends up with cake on his face, he hires the pastry chef on the spot. Fun facts: Kim Seon-Ah actually gained about 10 kg for the role; she was also raised in Japan, so the accent that she puts on is actually a part of her. A recommendation: If you love Sam-Soon, then you'll also love City Hall (which also stars the same actress). The feel is somewhat similar, but the romance was handled more maturely.