Zettai Kareshi: "I'm just a love machine, and I won't work for nobody but y... your friend is hot."

[darkeyedwolf]

Zettai Kareshi

Comments

[dangermousie]

I wanted to like this drama so much! I liked the cast and I loved the manga it was based on.

But it ended up not working for me at all -- maybe because it deviated so much from the manga. Where are loads of sex and super-angst, dammit!

The reason why I have a much harder going with an average jdrama than an average kdrama is because I think a lot of jdramas aren't very good at being very romantic -- Bollywood movies are good at that, kdramas are good at that, twdramas (when not too wacky) are good at that. But jdramas often seem to have a problem with "swoony" and that's what I love. Now, when they do it, they do it very well (Forbidden Love, Kamisama Mou Sukoshi Dake, Tatta Hitotsu etc) but most of the time they don't and when you base something on Yuu Watase manga, ability to do romantic swooniness is essential. Nobody reads her for deep thoughts :) I am sure it might have worked fine for me if I didn't read and love the manga, but I did so...

Oddly, I think a faithful adaptation of the manga would have worked as a kdrama :)

I was quite happy to discover at least one tall Japanese actor though!

[darkeyedwolf]

I loved everything about ZK, but I do agree. One of my favorite things about kdrama is that they actually build up with the OTP with meltingly romantic moments. Japanese dramas... I don't know, maybe they're too innocent? Maybe it's a time crunch thing, that they can't spend long on pure romance when there's plot to squeeze in? But when I think of kdrama, I can immediately name the "date eps" (the beach scene in CS, the birthday dinner in ToH), whereas in ZK they didn't even have a picnic until the last episode.

I don't blame you for your bitterness though, I feel the same way about the Gokusen drama.

[dangermousie]

Yeah, it's one of those things where I can perfectly understand why people liked ZK, but it didn't work for me. If I get an Aibu Saki craving, I'll go for an Utahime rewatch, instead.

Speaking of meltingly romantic, have you ever watched the jdrama Kamisama Mou Sukoshi Dake? I love it to bits because it's like they made a kdrama! In Japan! Seriously. It's such such SUCH crack.

The heroine is a high-school girl who goes on a paid date to get money for a concert ticket and contracts AIDS. The hero is the musician to whose concert she wanted to go who is borderline suicidal and loves to angst in see-through white shirts and tight leather pants.

They have a one-night stand and then she finds out she is sick and then they end up having an oh-so-wrong and doomed romance that makes me melt 14 different ways.

There are suicide attempts, and angsty running, and a heck of a lot of kissing (it's the only jdrama with a lot of sexy kissing I've ever seen), and his wanting to make love with no protection as proof of his love (yes, really) and his being ostracized for dating her and everything. It's delicious..

Here is a MV (it's hard to find a nonspoilery one but this one is)

*pusher*

[darkeyedwolf]

That is actually on my list, because it's an Asano Taeko drama (Last Friends, Innocent Love) and I want to count the cliches I can spot. I already know the ending, so that's three down...

[nicocoer]

. . . And now the angst level doesn't shock me, knowing it's an Asano Taeko drama.

I'm going to bawl my eyes out, aren't I?

[darkeyedwolf]

Depends, I suppose! Knowing her trends has made me somewhat immune to her angst, because I'm laughing too hard or putting chips down on my mental AT bingo. XD

[dangermousie]

I ended up crying for a bit in the middle. Oddly, the ending didn't make me weep. It's awesome though and shameless in its cliches. The male lead is seriously in see-through shirts and leather pants throughout. And the credits are basically him rolling wet in the sand.

[nicocoer]

. . . Well, at least the wet shirt thing will moderate the agnst level.

I cried READING REVIEWS of Last Friends, so I'm guessing the need for tissues is affirmative.

[dangermousie]

I haven't seen LF but I am thoroughly spoiled for it and KMSD isn't nowhere as depressing. Plus, male lead weeps beautifully!

[dangermousie]

Hey, there is no incest or repressed homosexuality in this one. There is however, making out in the water.

[darkeyedwolf]

Ooh, tempting, so tempting.

[nicocoer]

. . . AIDs? REALLY? *bliiiink* and the unprotected part is after she tells him or?

THAT LOOKS LIKE GRADE A ANGST CRACK RIGHT THUR.

[dangermousie]

Yup. AIDS. Which she gets from a one night stand with an ugly salaryman, not with the sexy musician with tons of groupies :)

Yup, unprotected part is after she tells him, much after in fact (long story). As proof of his love. I was totally torn between going "you are insane, sexy musician!" and "OMG, most romantic thing evah!"

KMSD is total crack. Plus, the male lead is Takeshi Kaneshiro. YUM.

[nicocoer]

. . . I'm torn between the two reactions, too. Holy crap. Like lancelot walking across the sharp edge of a blade-bridge to get to gwenivere, only more death-indicing, less disfigurment inducing. On the other hand, didn't you say he WAS suicidal? 0_0

[dangermousie]

By that point he isn't suicidal because he wants to live for heeeeeeeeeeer.

Seriously, this drama appeals to my inner 12-year-old something fierce.

I love that Lancelot story!