The Updated Monster Drama Post, Now with Plot Summary but Spoiler-free!
I typed this up for a classmate of mine, so I figured I might as well post it here while I'm at it.
A few preliminary notes for newbies
- J/K/TW
Here’s the thing about nationality: the kind of kdramas I’ve watched tend to start off cracktastic and devolve into utter angst before pulling back up in the final episode and slapping on a happy romantic ending, possibly after a timejump. Jdramas, on the other hand, have an inexplicable aversion to emotional resolution, while twdramas tend to be full of pointlessness and/or excessive weeping without the delicious cinematography of kdrama tears. However! There are exceptions in each category, which I will make sure to point out since those are often good starting points. Also, jdramas usually end ambiguously and then a year later or so throw in a special episode that wraps things up or fills in gaps or sometimes just recaps the series.
- Secondary Love Interest Syndrome
Here’s the other thing. Asian dramas in general, but especially kdramas, tend to feature jerky primary male love interests (Guy #1) and nice, sweet, adorable, devoted secondary love interests (Guy #2) who NEVER GET THE GIRL. EVER. You must know this going in or your heart will hurt even more. Sometimes characters resolve things like mature, responsible adults (My Girl, Buzzer Beat), but... usually not. (See Delightful Girl Choon-hyang for extreme secondary love interest crazy.) If you know Hana Yori Dango, you know what I’m talking about. (Damn you, Hanazawa Rui!)
- There’s also Girl #2, who is usually an ex-girlfriend determined to insinuate herself into Guy #1’s life despite the primary couple’s obvious OTPness. She’s usually bitchy and not as pretty as Girl #1, though always richer.
Often (and irrespective of whether there’s a Guy #2 or not) kdramas put the primary couple through so much hell that as a viewer, you really have to wonder whether Guy #1 is worth it. (See also: any version of Hana Yori Dango 2.)
- Also, in kdramas it’s standard practice for people to die, have terminal illnesses, be pseudoincestuous siblings, and generally ruin their lives through an inability to act rationally. (I try to avoid these, but it’s a tendency you should be aware of.)
We put up with it all, though, because (with a few exceptions) kdramas have the best makeout scenes.
Kdramas
Boys Before Flowers (2009, Lee Min-ho, Gu Hye-sun, Kim Bum, Kim Joon, Kim Hyun-joong): The Korean live-action version of Hana Yori Dango. It’s great for the first twelve episodes, after which there’s a time-jump and any awesomeness on the part of the heroine goes right out the window. Also, Guy #2 can’t act but makes up for it by being ridiculously pretty. On the plus side, Jun-pyo is the only Doumyouji to really rock the perm in a good way (sorry, Matsujun). And it really is pretty great up to the halfway point. Just pretend the rest of it doesn’t exist.
Coffee Prince, aka The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince (2007, Yoon Eun-hye, Gong Yoo): This is an excellent first kdrama! If you like genderbending, cross-dressing, and coffee, this is the drama for you. Nobody dies or even has a terminal disease! WATCH IT.
Delightful Girl Choon-hyang (2005, Han Chae-young, Jae Hee): Spunky heroine, doofy love interest who grows up to be inexplicably awesome, and historical parodies! Warning: Guy #2 goes completely overboard, and it’s kind of sad because he starts out so awesome. But that’s partly because it’s a re-imagining of a popular folk story, which gets remorselessly, lovingly parodied in brief historical-style snippets. Plus the soundtrack’s great. I write papers to it a lot. Also, the couple has a hilarious cameo in My Girl, so watch this one first.
Last Scandal (2008, Choi Jin-shil, Jung Jun-ho): When her husband goes to jail for debt, a mother moves in with a spoiled movie star as his housekeeper. But omg! twenty years ago, they were each other’s first love! Will she escape the shackles of an unrewarding, soul-killing marriage to an utter jerk and assert herself as an independent woman? Will he grow up and convince her their love can have a second chance? Sweet and emotionally rewarding.
Legend, aka The Four Gods (2007, Bae Yong-joon, Lee Ji-ah, Moon So-ri, Yoon Tae-young, and a Cast of Thousands): EPIC HISTORICAL FANTASY. DID I SAY EPIC? BECAUSE IT REALLY IS. Chock-full of badassness and pretty costumes and political scheming and flowing hair and love polygons. I’m a little fuzzy on what exactly happened at the end, but I know it was epic.
My Girl (2005, Lee Da-hae, Lee Dong-wook): From the writers of Choon-hyang comes a tale of swindling, impostors, and... nope, that’s pretty much it. Suffers a bit from Is He Really Worth It?, but everyone’s really pretty and the girl pwns everybody with her trickery and swindling skillz.
Triple (2009, Min Hyo-rin, Lee Jung-jae): From the writers of Coffee Prince. A high school girl moves in with her stepbrother and his doofy friends. She’s trying to chase her dream of becoming a professional figure skater. They’re trying to run their own ad company. Featuring the most hilarious cameo by a Twilight book EVER. Nothing much else happens, but it does so ADORABLY!
You’re Beautiful (2009, Jang Geun-seok, Park Shin-hye, Lee Hong-ki, Jung Yong-hwa): Also from the writers of Choon-hyang and My Girl. A novice nun poses as her twin brother as a popular band’s new vocalist. Hilarity, cross-dressing, fanfiction, and more eyeliner than you’ve ever seen in your life! Featuring not only a delicious Guy #2 but also an adorable Guy #3, but Guy #1 is so charismatic you can’t resent him or suspect he might not be worth it. (Caveat: written before the final two episodes have aired, so I might change my mind. But right now, I love it!) Also starring the cast doing their own singing and a totally addictive soundtrack! DELICIOUS.
TWdramas
Black and White (2009, Vic Zhou, Mark Chao, Ivy Chen, Janine Chang, Xiu Jie Kai): AWESOME. Not just my favorite twdrama but one of my favorite dramas, period. Someone described it as CSI: Taiwan. Where the police and the local triad princess team up to fight and/or commit crime and go head-to-head against secret government military conspiracies while negotiating epic love triangles. It’s glorious. All the acting is fantastic, but especially the two male leads. (This is especially hilarious since Vic Zhou is also Guy #1 and #2 in MARS and Meteor Garden, respectively. He’s fantastic here. And Mark Chao, a rookie actor, totally keeps up with him.) Also starring awesome, strong, badass female characters, which are something of a short commodity in Asian dramas.
Devil Beside You (2005, Mike He, Rainie Yang): Stepsiblings in love! ...nope, that’s seriously it. One of the weepier ones.
Fated to Love You (2008, Chen Quiao En, Ethan Ruan, Baron Chen, Bianca Bai): AUGH MY EYES DID THEY REALLY DO THAT IMAGERY IN THE FIRST EPISODE YES THEY DID. Plain Jane and Rich Boy accidentally have a one-night-stand. (Yeah, that should tell you everything you need to know about this drama.) She gets pregnant; chaos, heartbreak, and copious weeping ensues. Featuring the most annoying Girl #2 EVER, except maybe the one in My Girl.
MARS (2004 Vic Zhou, Barbie Xu, Xiu Jie Kai): The Rui and Makino actors from Meteor Garden get their own drama! They have epic motorcycle chemistry, plus really REALLY screwed-up personal histories. ANGST ANGST ANGST HELLO SEX SCENE ANGST ANGST ANGST ANGST MOTORCYCLE ANGST.
Meteor Garden (2001, Barbie Xu, Jerry Yan, Vic Zhou, Ken Zhu, Vanness Wu): The Taiwanese Hana Yori Dango. It was the first of the live-actions, and pretty obviously so. But while the girl’s unrelenting anger gets old, it’s refreshing in contrast to the second half of the Korean version. Also, Vic Zhou’s first drama. For the record. In case you wanted to know. For, um, science! (He gets better.)
Jdramas
1 Litre of Tears (2005, Sawajiri Erika, Nishikido Ryo): The slow and heartrending death of a high school girl with spinocerebral deterioration. The special is a good way to get all the highlights without watching the rest of the series. I compared it to What Katy Did once, but that’s not really fair. The girl doesn’t submit to illness and become an insufferable goody-goody; she fights her terminal disease every step of the way. She also has a hell of a tragic backbone: she sends away a beautifully angsty Ryo because they have no future together and she can’t bear to be in his presence because he reminds her that she HAS no future, period, and it's really sad and OOH LAB COATS. LAB COATS ARE AWESOME... right, back on track. It’s GOOD. But SO DEPRESSING.
Akihabara@Deep (2006, Kazama Shunsuke, Ikuta Toma): A bunch of misfits open a problem-solving agency. Has its moments, but not one of my favorites. Look, I watched it for Toma after I saw Hana Kimi, okay?
Anego (2005, Shinohara Ryoko, Akanishi Jin): She’s an office lady so experienced and competent that the entire office calls her “big sister,” and she kind of wants to get married and have a family now that she’s in her thirties. He’s a new recruit ten years her junior. She should be a good senpai to him! But he keeps wanting to kiss her! And everybody else is an ex, or having an affair with somebody else, or a dirty cheater! Their love is not as hilarious as Kimi wa Petto’s, but Jin’s prettier than Matsujun. I tend to forget how much I like this one, but counting the special it has one of the more satisfying endings I’ve seen in romantic jdramas. (Nota bene: this is not saying all that much!)
Atashinchi no Danshi (2009, Horikita Maki, Kaname Jun) One girl on the run from debt collectors. One crazy booby-trapped mansion. Too many ikemen to count (okay, four, plus the token unattractive one and the 10-year-old). And they’re all her stepchildren. Family secrets! Sauna scenes galore! And I’m still convinced the housemaid is a robot. Stupid, mindless fun with lots of eyecandy.
Attention Please (2006, Ueto Aya, Nishikido Ryo, Maya Miki): A girlrocker decides on a whim to become an airline stewardess. She’s ready to serve drinks in the sky, but is the JAL training facility ready for her? Fairly dumb, but I still enjoyed it. I have lots of appreciation for airplane safety now. My first Maya Miki drama, and she’s consistently awesome!
BOSS (2009, Amami Yuki, Toda Erika, Takenouchi Yutaka): She’s a criminal profiler. They’re her team of misfits. Together, mentorship and badass women!
Buzzer Beat (2009, Yamashita Tomohisa, Kitagawa Keiko, Maya Miki) Yamapi the struggling-to-bud basketball star meets Riiko the struggling violinist. What I really, really like about this drama is that it takes the trope of Nice Guys Lose and makes it possible for a Nice Guy to actually win. Eventually. Also it has the best kiss scene in the entire universe of jdrama makeouts. (Nota bene: this is a very, very small universe.) Also also, the secondary couple is adorable.
Dragon Zakura (2005, Abe Hiroshi, Nagasawa Masami, Yamashita Tomohisa): Ever wanted to know how to get into Japan’s top university? Now you can. Featuring Yamapi's crazy hair and the most addictive theme song ever.
Ganbatte Ikimasshoi! (2005, Suzuki Anne, Nishikido Ryo): A drama about crew! I skipped most of the middle, and got very confused when Uchi Hiroki’s character was suddenly played by Taguchi Junnosuke. I decided it must have been a different character, only to look it up, and behold, there was in fact an actor switch. There’s a lot of Johnny’s Entertainment history going on there.
Gokusen 1 (2002, Nakama Yukie, Matsumoto Jun) & 2 (2005, Nakama Yukie, Akanishi Jin, Kamenashi Kazuya): At last, Yamaguchi Kumiko lives her dream of being a high school teacher! Alas, she gets assigned to be homeroom teacher to the worst class in the worst school. All her students are delinquents and don’t trust teachers. But unfortunately for them, Yankumi is perfectly capable of keeping an iron grip on a bunch of tough guys. Just ask the local yakuza clan: her family. I haven’t been able to watch 3 (2008) yet-- there’s only so much of the exact same show a person can take in a given time span. 1 and 2 are very enjoyable individually; it's just that they're identical in almost every respect. 2 is slightly better done, perhaps, but 1 is hilarious if you recognize half of HYD’s F4 as Class 3-D delinquents.
Hana Yori Dango 1 (2005, Inoue Mao, Matsumoto Jun, Oguri Shun, Matsuda Shota, Abe Tsuyoshi), 2 (2007) & movie (2008): A shoujo manga-based classic. WATCH IT ALREADY.
Hanazakari no Kimitachi e, aka Hana Kimi (2007, Horikita Maki, Oguri Shun, Ikuta Toma): Another shoujo manga-based classic. CRACK. UTTER CRACK. And cross-dressing. My love for Nakatsu (the heartbreaking Guy #2 to end all Guy #2s) is true and undying. Mizuki disguises herself as a boy to get close to Sano and push him into returning to the world of competitive high-jump. But that’s not really the point. The point is, UTTER INSANITY at the girliest boys’ boarding school ever. IT’S GLORIOUS. You really, really don’t watch for the plot. You watch for the cross-dressing beauty contests, the cross-dressing maid cafe, the sabotage, the okonomiyaki mishaps, the beach shenanigans, and Nakatsu. Jerk Nakatsu! Sexually confused Nakatsu! Scheming Nakatsu! Hilarious Nakatsu! Woobie Nakatsu! And then you watch everything else Ikuta Toma has ever been in. And then you go back and watch Nakatsu some more.
Himitsu no Hanazono (2007, Shaku Yumiko, Sakai Masato, Kaname Jun, Maya Miki) She’s a fashion editor reassigned to babysit the country’s top-selling shoujo manga artist. The twist? The manga artist is actually four brothers with enough personal angst to fill a small lake. Together, shenanigans!
Honey and Clover (2008, Ikuta Toma, Narumi Riko): A group of art school students undergoes friendship, heartbreak, and personal growth against a background of stunning cinematography and marathon woobiefacing by Toma. (See icon.)
Katagoshi no Koibito (2007, Yonekura Ryoko, Takaoka Saki, Kaname Jun): Yet another thirtysomething office lady has a life crisis. Moe quits her job and goes on a voyage of self-discovery, accompanied by her serial-wedding best friend, the sparkly denizens of a gay bar, Kaname Jun (when he feels like it), and a shirtless teenaged jailbait runaway.
Kimi wa Petto (2003, Koyuki, Matsumoto Jun): She’s a career journalist who adopts him as her pet. This is a bold, nuanced exploration of gender politics and power dynamics in a changing cultural climate-- masquerading as utter crack. No, really! I can’t comment on its relationship to the novel, but as a drama it’s awfully good.
Koishite Akuma (2009, Kato Rosa, Nakayama Yuma): A teenaged vampire, brought to Japan for his initiation i.e. first independent bloodsucking, is in love with his homeroom teacher. And he looks exactly like her ten-years-dead first love. HMMMM I WONDER WHY THAT COULD POSSIBLY BE. It takes them way too long to figure it out. Also, vampirism will never not be a metaphor for sex. NEVER. Which makes it really hilarious every time he feels up his mouth to see if his fangs have grown in yet.
Kurosagi (2006, Horikita Maki, Yamashita Tomohisa): Yamapi the angsty swindler! He swindles money back from other swindlers... for a fee. She’s studying to become a public prosecutor. Together, debates over the effectiveness and purpose of the legal system! One of my favorites, although the first episode is probably the best.
Liar Game 1 (2007, Toda Erika, Matsuda Shota): She’s a naive, trusting college student tricked into participating in the Liar Game. He’s a swindler just released from prison. Matsuda Shota’s hair gets them through a twisted competition of gambling and deception, until she thinks up another way to beat the odds.
Long Love Letter (2002, Tokiwa Takako, Kubozuka Yosuke): He’s a high school teacher. She’s an ex-teacher turned florist. Their love is a story of fateful meetings and missed opportunities until, one day, they are transported to a post-apocalyptic future with his homeroom class. Now they have to survive-- and try to warn the past to recycle for heaven’s sake. Not so much full of crack as full of Bad Science and failed Robinsonades. But cute, poignant, and ambiguously hopeful.
Love Shuffle (2009, Tamaki Hiroshi, Karina, Matsuda Shota): It’s exactly what it sounds like. A bunch of couples and singles switch it around and play mind games with each other, sometimes hilariously. Actually pretty good, and not too serious or angsty. Worth it for Tamaki Hiroshi the everyday-Joe-turned-budding-politician, and for Matsuda Shota’s hair.
Majo Saiban (2009, Ikuta Toma) Japan has instituted a brand-new trial-by-jury-of-peers system, and somebody’s manipulating it and threatening the jurors. Meanwhile, Toma just wants to make it in the world of fashion t-shirts.
Maou (2008, Ohno Satoshi, Ikuta Toma): INTENSE ANGST. It’s kinda complicated. "Angel Lawyer" Naruse Ryo is secretly out to avenge his younger brother's tragic death ten years ago. Mostly he does this by sending people mysterious tarot cards and hanging around his darkroom staring intently at photos of Serizawa Naoto. (Oh, and also by getting people systematically killed off in a spiraling trainwreck of tragedy and angst.) Naoto (Tomaaaa!) is a police detective suffering from selective amnesia about the events of ten years ago. Shiori is a true angelic figure, who offers psychic help with the tarot cards and spiritual redemption all round. (She's actually kind of awesome.) Together, they are embroiled in a tangle of murder, revenge, redemption, and creepy picturebooks! (The Tunnel by Anthony Browne, if you want to know.)
My Boss My Hero (2006, Nagase Tomoya, Tegoshi Yuya, Aragaki Yui, Tanaka Koki): A yakuza heir is forced to re-attend high school in order to inherit the clan leadership. No-one must learn his true identity! It’s almost so bad it’s good, and somehow compelling. If only Tegoshi could act. (He’s one of the few Johnny’s idols who can actually sing, and if he were good at acting too, the world would probably explode, so there’s also that to consider.) You’ll never look at pudding the same way again.
Nobuta wo Produce (2005, Horikita Maki, Kamenashi Kazuya, Yamashita Tomohisa): She’s the misfit new girl. They’re the bored popular boy and the quirky rich boy who decide to “produce” her into popularity. The plot meanders, but the relationship between the trio is what makes it all worthwhile. Yamapi should have stuck to weird, quirky roles, but then we would be denied the locker-room scenes of Buzzer Beat and the world would be a sadder place.
Nodame Cantabile (2006, Ueno Juri, Tamaki Hiroshi): They’re musical geniuses with vastly different styles and ideas about music. Together, they “flail, fly and faceplant their way into the formation of a new orchestra at their music school. ... It’s a very... special... orchestra.” (rainscene) By the time I got around to watching this, I was really fed up with jdramas’ fear of emotional commitment. But. This is AWESOME and full of crack and rock violin and classical music and did I mention the satisfying ending? BOTH OF THEM?! The series ending was so satisfying that I couldn't bring myself to watch the two specials for a few days. But they ended well too. I KNOW. I CAN'T BELIEVE IT EITHER. It’s really fun to see what else the actors have ended up in--Voice, Love Shuffle, Orthros no Inu for starters. You’ll never look at Voice the same way again when you realize that the main character once ran around with sparkly rainbow barrettes in his bleached hair wielding an electric violin.
One Pound no Fukuin (2008, Kamenashi Kazuya, Kuroki Meisa): In which Kame is surprisingly likeable as a Takahashi Rumiko sports manga hero. (Usually I find him kind of repellent, but he’s pretty adorable here as a gluttonous boxer.) He falls for her as she hovers over his exhausted, featherweight body offering him water. The problem dooming their love to a frantic series of ridiculous boxing matches and attempts to starve Kame into nothingness? She’s a novice nun. Luckily, the drama is full of people Unclear On The Concept of nunnery, including her.
Orthros no Inu (2009, Takizawa Hideaki, Nishikido Ryo, Mizukawa Asami): My most recent jdrama favorite! A suspense drama about the mysterious connection between two idols regular if unusually attractive short dudes...with opposite and equal supernatural powers. Ryo can kill with a single touch; Takki can heal. Their meeting sparks a twisted game of government manipulation and psychological power plays. Meanwhile, the lady cop who introduces them is just trying to catch bad guys and make sure her daughter doesn’t die of asthma. The first few episodes are entertaining in that specific way idol dramas tend to be, and then it gets good FOR REAL. I was in shock for weeks. Lots of interesting ideas, though subtle it ain’t, with cool plotting and surprisingly good acting from a pair of Johnny’s. At last, a Ryo drama that’s not profoundly stupid, about someone else’s sports career, tear-jerkingly tragic, or completely insane in all the wrong ways!
Proposal Daisakusen aka Operation: Proposal (2007, Nagasawa Masami, Yamashita Tomohisa): Yamapi is given the chance to travel back in time in a series of last-ditch attempts to make his childhood friend love him. I’ll be honest, it’s incredibly stupid. I can’t believe I watched it. I can’t believe I’m admitting I watched it.
Ryuusei no Kizuna (2008, Toda Erika, Ninomiya Kazunari, Nishikido Ryo, Kaname Jun): Three siblings are determined to take justice for the murder of their parents into their own hands. The statute of limitations is about to expire, and the police are useless. Then one of them gets swindled, and they figure three can play at that game… This show is a failed attempt to combine tear-jerker murder mystery drama with comical swindling antics. It should've stuck with one or the other. Featuring halfhearted but hilarious pseudosibling incest (I mention this as a point of academic curiosity. No, really). Highlights of glorious cracktasticity include episodes 1, 6 and 8. Seriously, watch episode 1, even if you skip the rest of it.
SP aka Security Police (2007, Okada Junichi, Tsutsumi Shinichi): An elite squad of police bodyguards attempts to do their job in the face of uncooperative charges, understaffing, and lack of funds. One of them has a mysterious past and Special Powers of observation, which are great for business but tend to upset his blind dates.
Sailor Fuku to Kikanjuu (2006, Nagasawa Masami, Tsutsumi Shinichi): The head of a yakuza clan dies, and it’s up to his faithful henchdudes (all five of them) to find his heir. Who turns out to be... a sixteen-year-old schoolgirl. Antics ensue. It’s good, but it starts out awesomely hilarious and spirals into angst and tragedy, so be warned.
Uta no Oniisan (2009, Ohno Satoshi): After Maou, Ohno plays a side character on a children’s television program after his (drama) band ditches him so they can get hired by a fancy agency. Everyone enjoys his pain far too much.
Voice (2009, Eita, Ikuta Toma, Ishihara Satomi): Kind of a cross between a medical drama and Ghost Whisperer, only with less Jennifer Love Hewitt and more Toma running around helping investigate things. Lab coats + Toma = WIN.
Zettai Kareshi (2008, Aibu Saki, Hayami Mokomichi, Mizushima Hiro, Maya Miki): She’s a nice girl trying to make it as a pastry chef. He’s a love robot prototype. In which there are robot boyfriend shenanigans and cream puffs! Some of the antics are hilarious, but I sobbed my way through the entire finale.
Jdramas I Haven’t Seen All Of, And Probably Won’t, To Be Honest
Tatta Hitotsu no Koi (2006, Kamenashi Kazuya, Ayase Haruka, Tanaka Koki, Toda Erika): He’s a hardworking poor boy trying to keep food on his family’s table. She’s a naive rich girl. Their love is forbidden by class boundaries, and also by her hot older brother played by Kaname Jun. Their friends are doofy and kind of cute. Also, I think somebody is a big fan of Baz Luhrman’s Romeo + Juliet fish tank scene.
Code Blue (2008, Yamashita Tomohisa, Aragaki Yui, Toda Erika, Asari Yosuke): Hospital drama! Introducing the revolutionary new “Doctor Heli,” a medical helicopter that transports doctors to emergency sites. Four newbies compete to be on that helicopter. I watched the first ep, and it didn’t really appeal to me. Neither did Yamapi’s perm. Seriously, some people were just not meant to have perms, ever. Even the lab coats couldn't keep me interested.
Scrap Teacher (2008, Nakajima Yuto, Yamada Ryosuke, Chinen Yuri, Arioka Daiki): It’s like Gokusen in reverse. Three tiny but badass students are sent to a sub-par middle school to smarten things up, with some help from a bumbling new teacher and a cup ramen-slurping veteran. I lost interest after a few episodes, although those were pretty cracktastic and I liked the pseudo-Irish-jig theme music o’ triumph. The fight scene in 3 is great and full of hilarity, and contains a reference to Gokusen.
Last Friends (2008, Nagasawa Masami, Nishikido Ryo, Ueno Juri): ANGST ANGST AAAAAAANGST. I watched the first episode and decided I couldn’t/didn't want to take the angst. Of which there is a lot. AAAAAANGST.
Currently Watching
You're Beautiful
Kamen Rider Kabuto
Phew, that was a really long list.
A few preliminary notes for newbies
- J/K/TW
Here’s the thing about nationality: the kind of kdramas I’ve watched tend to start off cracktastic and devolve into utter angst before pulling back up in the final episode and slapping on a happy romantic ending, possibly after a timejump. Jdramas, on the other hand, have an inexplicable aversion to emotional resolution, while twdramas tend to be full of pointlessness and/or excessive weeping without the delicious cinematography of kdrama tears. However! There are exceptions in each category, which I will make sure to point out since those are often good starting points. Also, jdramas usually end ambiguously and then a year later or so throw in a special episode that wraps things up or fills in gaps or sometimes just recaps the series.
- Secondary Love Interest Syndrome
Here’s the other thing. Asian dramas in general, but especially kdramas, tend to feature jerky primary male love interests (Guy #1) and nice, sweet, adorable, devoted secondary love interests (Guy #2) who NEVER GET THE GIRL. EVER. You must know this going in or your heart will hurt even more. Sometimes characters resolve things like mature, responsible adults (My Girl, Buzzer Beat), but... usually not. (See Delightful Girl Choon-hyang for extreme secondary love interest crazy.) If you know Hana Yori Dango, you know what I’m talking about. (Damn you, Hanazawa Rui!)
- There’s also Girl #2, who is usually an ex-girlfriend determined to insinuate herself into Guy #1’s life despite the primary couple’s obvious OTPness. She’s usually bitchy and not as pretty as Girl #1, though always richer.
Often (and irrespective of whether there’s a Guy #2 or not) kdramas put the primary couple through so much hell that as a viewer, you really have to wonder whether Guy #1 is worth it. (See also: any version of Hana Yori Dango 2.)
- Also, in kdramas it’s standard practice for people to die, have terminal illnesses, be pseudoincestuous siblings, and generally ruin their lives through an inability to act rationally. (I try to avoid these, but it’s a tendency you should be aware of.)
We put up with it all, though, because (with a few exceptions) kdramas have the best makeout scenes.
Kdramas
Boys Before Flowers (2009, Lee Min-ho, Gu Hye-sun, Kim Bum, Kim Joon, Kim Hyun-joong): The Korean live-action version of Hana Yori Dango. It’s great for the first twelve episodes, after which there’s a time-jump and any awesomeness on the part of the heroine goes right out the window. Also, Guy #2 can’t act but makes up for it by being ridiculously pretty. On the plus side, Jun-pyo is the only Doumyouji to really rock the perm in a good way (sorry, Matsujun). And it really is pretty great up to the halfway point. Just pretend the rest of it doesn’t exist.
Coffee Prince, aka The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince (2007, Yoon Eun-hye, Gong Yoo): This is an excellent first kdrama! If you like genderbending, cross-dressing, and coffee, this is the drama for you. Nobody dies or even has a terminal disease! WATCH IT.
Delightful Girl Choon-hyang (2005, Han Chae-young, Jae Hee): Spunky heroine, doofy love interest who grows up to be inexplicably awesome, and historical parodies! Warning: Guy #2 goes completely overboard, and it’s kind of sad because he starts out so awesome. But that’s partly because it’s a re-imagining of a popular folk story, which gets remorselessly, lovingly parodied in brief historical-style snippets. Plus the soundtrack’s great. I write papers to it a lot. Also, the couple has a hilarious cameo in My Girl, so watch this one first.
Last Scandal (2008, Choi Jin-shil, Jung Jun-ho): When her husband goes to jail for debt, a mother moves in with a spoiled movie star as his housekeeper. But omg! twenty years ago, they were each other’s first love! Will she escape the shackles of an unrewarding, soul-killing marriage to an utter jerk and assert herself as an independent woman? Will he grow up and convince her their love can have a second chance? Sweet and emotionally rewarding.
Legend, aka The Four Gods (2007, Bae Yong-joon, Lee Ji-ah, Moon So-ri, Yoon Tae-young, and a Cast of Thousands): EPIC HISTORICAL FANTASY. DID I SAY EPIC? BECAUSE IT REALLY IS. Chock-full of badassness and pretty costumes and political scheming and flowing hair and love polygons. I’m a little fuzzy on what exactly happened at the end, but I know it was epic.
My Girl (2005, Lee Da-hae, Lee Dong-wook): From the writers of Choon-hyang comes a tale of swindling, impostors, and... nope, that’s pretty much it. Suffers a bit from Is He Really Worth It?, but everyone’s really pretty and the girl pwns everybody with her trickery and swindling skillz.
Triple (2009, Min Hyo-rin, Lee Jung-jae): From the writers of Coffee Prince. A high school girl moves in with her stepbrother and his doofy friends. She’s trying to chase her dream of becoming a professional figure skater. They’re trying to run their own ad company. Featuring the most hilarious cameo by a Twilight book EVER. Nothing much else happens, but it does so ADORABLY!
You’re Beautiful (2009, Jang Geun-seok, Park Shin-hye, Lee Hong-ki, Jung Yong-hwa): Also from the writers of Choon-hyang and My Girl. A novice nun poses as her twin brother as a popular band’s new vocalist. Hilarity, cross-dressing, fanfiction, and more eyeliner than you’ve ever seen in your life! Featuring not only a delicious Guy #2 but also an adorable Guy #3, but Guy #1 is so charismatic you can’t resent him or suspect he might not be worth it. (Caveat: written before the final two episodes have aired, so I might change my mind. But right now, I love it!) Also starring the cast doing their own singing and a totally addictive soundtrack! DELICIOUS.
TWdramas
Black and White (2009, Vic Zhou, Mark Chao, Ivy Chen, Janine Chang, Xiu Jie Kai): AWESOME. Not just my favorite twdrama but one of my favorite dramas, period. Someone described it as CSI: Taiwan. Where the police and the local triad princess team up to fight and/or commit crime and go head-to-head against secret government military conspiracies while negotiating epic love triangles. It’s glorious. All the acting is fantastic, but especially the two male leads. (This is especially hilarious since Vic Zhou is also Guy #1 and #2 in MARS and Meteor Garden, respectively. He’s fantastic here. And Mark Chao, a rookie actor, totally keeps up with him.) Also starring awesome, strong, badass female characters, which are something of a short commodity in Asian dramas.
Devil Beside You (2005, Mike He, Rainie Yang): Stepsiblings in love! ...nope, that’s seriously it. One of the weepier ones.
Fated to Love You (2008, Chen Quiao En, Ethan Ruan, Baron Chen, Bianca Bai): AUGH MY EYES DID THEY REALLY DO THAT IMAGERY IN THE FIRST EPISODE YES THEY DID. Plain Jane and Rich Boy accidentally have a one-night-stand. (Yeah, that should tell you everything you need to know about this drama.) She gets pregnant; chaos, heartbreak, and copious weeping ensues. Featuring the most annoying Girl #2 EVER, except maybe the one in My Girl.
MARS (2004 Vic Zhou, Barbie Xu, Xiu Jie Kai): The Rui and Makino actors from Meteor Garden get their own drama! They have epic motorcycle chemistry, plus really REALLY screwed-up personal histories. ANGST ANGST ANGST HELLO SEX SCENE ANGST ANGST ANGST ANGST MOTORCYCLE ANGST.
Meteor Garden (2001, Barbie Xu, Jerry Yan, Vic Zhou, Ken Zhu, Vanness Wu): The Taiwanese Hana Yori Dango. It was the first of the live-actions, and pretty obviously so. But while the girl’s unrelenting anger gets old, it’s refreshing in contrast to the second half of the Korean version. Also, Vic Zhou’s first drama. For the record. In case you wanted to know. For, um, science! (He gets better.)
Jdramas
1 Litre of Tears (2005, Sawajiri Erika, Nishikido Ryo): The slow and heartrending death of a high school girl with spinocerebral deterioration. The special is a good way to get all the highlights without watching the rest of the series. I compared it to What Katy Did once, but that’s not really fair. The girl doesn’t submit to illness and become an insufferable goody-goody; she fights her terminal disease every step of the way. She also has a hell of a tragic backbone: she sends away a beautifully angsty Ryo because they have no future together and she can’t bear to be in his presence because he reminds her that she HAS no future, period, and it's really sad and OOH LAB COATS. LAB COATS ARE AWESOME... right, back on track. It’s GOOD. But SO DEPRESSING.
Akihabara@Deep (2006, Kazama Shunsuke, Ikuta Toma): A bunch of misfits open a problem-solving agency. Has its moments, but not one of my favorites. Look, I watched it for Toma after I saw Hana Kimi, okay?
Anego (2005, Shinohara Ryoko, Akanishi Jin): She’s an office lady so experienced and competent that the entire office calls her “big sister,” and she kind of wants to get married and have a family now that she’s in her thirties. He’s a new recruit ten years her junior. She should be a good senpai to him! But he keeps wanting to kiss her! And everybody else is an ex, or having an affair with somebody else, or a dirty cheater! Their love is not as hilarious as Kimi wa Petto’s, but Jin’s prettier than Matsujun. I tend to forget how much I like this one, but counting the special it has one of the more satisfying endings I’ve seen in romantic jdramas. (Nota bene: this is not saying all that much!)
Atashinchi no Danshi (2009, Horikita Maki, Kaname Jun) One girl on the run from debt collectors. One crazy booby-trapped mansion. Too many ikemen to count (okay, four, plus the token unattractive one and the 10-year-old). And they’re all her stepchildren. Family secrets! Sauna scenes galore! And I’m still convinced the housemaid is a robot. Stupid, mindless fun with lots of eyecandy.
Attention Please (2006, Ueto Aya, Nishikido Ryo, Maya Miki): A girlrocker decides on a whim to become an airline stewardess. She’s ready to serve drinks in the sky, but is the JAL training facility ready for her? Fairly dumb, but I still enjoyed it. I have lots of appreciation for airplane safety now. My first Maya Miki drama, and she’s consistently awesome!
BOSS (2009, Amami Yuki, Toda Erika, Takenouchi Yutaka): She’s a criminal profiler. They’re her team of misfits. Together, mentorship and badass women!
Buzzer Beat (2009, Yamashita Tomohisa, Kitagawa Keiko, Maya Miki) Yamapi the struggling-to-bud basketball star meets Riiko the struggling violinist. What I really, really like about this drama is that it takes the trope of Nice Guys Lose and makes it possible for a Nice Guy to actually win. Eventually. Also it has the best kiss scene in the entire universe of jdrama makeouts. (Nota bene: this is a very, very small universe.) Also also, the secondary couple is adorable.
Dragon Zakura (2005, Abe Hiroshi, Nagasawa Masami, Yamashita Tomohisa): Ever wanted to know how to get into Japan’s top university? Now you can. Featuring Yamapi's crazy hair and the most addictive theme song ever.
Ganbatte Ikimasshoi! (2005, Suzuki Anne, Nishikido Ryo): A drama about crew! I skipped most of the middle, and got very confused when Uchi Hiroki’s character was suddenly played by Taguchi Junnosuke. I decided it must have been a different character, only to look it up, and behold, there was in fact an actor switch. There’s a lot of Johnny’s Entertainment history going on there.
Gokusen 1 (2002, Nakama Yukie, Matsumoto Jun) & 2 (2005, Nakama Yukie, Akanishi Jin, Kamenashi Kazuya): At last, Yamaguchi Kumiko lives her dream of being a high school teacher! Alas, she gets assigned to be homeroom teacher to the worst class in the worst school. All her students are delinquents and don’t trust teachers. But unfortunately for them, Yankumi is perfectly capable of keeping an iron grip on a bunch of tough guys. Just ask the local yakuza clan: her family. I haven’t been able to watch 3 (2008) yet-- there’s only so much of the exact same show a person can take in a given time span. 1 and 2 are very enjoyable individually; it's just that they're identical in almost every respect. 2 is slightly better done, perhaps, but 1 is hilarious if you recognize half of HYD’s F4 as Class 3-D delinquents.
Hana Yori Dango 1 (2005, Inoue Mao, Matsumoto Jun, Oguri Shun, Matsuda Shota, Abe Tsuyoshi), 2 (2007) & movie (2008): A shoujo manga-based classic. WATCH IT ALREADY.
Hanazakari no Kimitachi e, aka Hana Kimi (2007, Horikita Maki, Oguri Shun, Ikuta Toma): Another shoujo manga-based classic. CRACK. UTTER CRACK. And cross-dressing. My love for Nakatsu (the heartbreaking Guy #2 to end all Guy #2s) is true and undying. Mizuki disguises herself as a boy to get close to Sano and push him into returning to the world of competitive high-jump. But that’s not really the point. The point is, UTTER INSANITY at the girliest boys’ boarding school ever. IT’S GLORIOUS. You really, really don’t watch for the plot. You watch for the cross-dressing beauty contests, the cross-dressing maid cafe, the sabotage, the okonomiyaki mishaps, the beach shenanigans, and Nakatsu. Jerk Nakatsu! Sexually confused Nakatsu! Scheming Nakatsu! Hilarious Nakatsu! Woobie Nakatsu! And then you watch everything else Ikuta Toma has ever been in. And then you go back and watch Nakatsu some more.
Himitsu no Hanazono (2007, Shaku Yumiko, Sakai Masato, Kaname Jun, Maya Miki) She’s a fashion editor reassigned to babysit the country’s top-selling shoujo manga artist. The twist? The manga artist is actually four brothers with enough personal angst to fill a small lake. Together, shenanigans!
Honey and Clover (2008, Ikuta Toma, Narumi Riko): A group of art school students undergoes friendship, heartbreak, and personal growth against a background of stunning cinematography and marathon woobiefacing by Toma. (See icon.)
Katagoshi no Koibito (2007, Yonekura Ryoko, Takaoka Saki, Kaname Jun): Yet another thirtysomething office lady has a life crisis. Moe quits her job and goes on a voyage of self-discovery, accompanied by her serial-wedding best friend, the sparkly denizens of a gay bar, Kaname Jun (when he feels like it), and a shirtless teenaged jailbait runaway.
Kimi wa Petto (2003, Koyuki, Matsumoto Jun): She’s a career journalist who adopts him as her pet. This is a bold, nuanced exploration of gender politics and power dynamics in a changing cultural climate-- masquerading as utter crack. No, really! I can’t comment on its relationship to the novel, but as a drama it’s awfully good.
Koishite Akuma (2009, Kato Rosa, Nakayama Yuma): A teenaged vampire, brought to Japan for his initiation i.e. first independent bloodsucking, is in love with his homeroom teacher. And he looks exactly like her ten-years-dead first love. HMMMM I WONDER WHY THAT COULD POSSIBLY BE. It takes them way too long to figure it out. Also, vampirism will never not be a metaphor for sex. NEVER. Which makes it really hilarious every time he feels up his mouth to see if his fangs have grown in yet.
Kurosagi (2006, Horikita Maki, Yamashita Tomohisa): Yamapi the angsty swindler! He swindles money back from other swindlers... for a fee. She’s studying to become a public prosecutor. Together, debates over the effectiveness and purpose of the legal system! One of my favorites, although the first episode is probably the best.
Liar Game 1 (2007, Toda Erika, Matsuda Shota): She’s a naive, trusting college student tricked into participating in the Liar Game. He’s a swindler just released from prison. Matsuda Shota’s hair gets them through a twisted competition of gambling and deception, until she thinks up another way to beat the odds.
Long Love Letter (2002, Tokiwa Takako, Kubozuka Yosuke): He’s a high school teacher. She’s an ex-teacher turned florist. Their love is a story of fateful meetings and missed opportunities until, one day, they are transported to a post-apocalyptic future with his homeroom class. Now they have to survive-- and try to warn the past to recycle for heaven’s sake. Not so much full of crack as full of Bad Science and failed Robinsonades. But cute, poignant, and ambiguously hopeful.
Love Shuffle (2009, Tamaki Hiroshi, Karina, Matsuda Shota): It’s exactly what it sounds like. A bunch of couples and singles switch it around and play mind games with each other, sometimes hilariously. Actually pretty good, and not too serious or angsty. Worth it for Tamaki Hiroshi the everyday-Joe-turned-budding-politician, and for Matsuda Shota’s hair.
Majo Saiban (2009, Ikuta Toma) Japan has instituted a brand-new trial-by-jury-of-peers system, and somebody’s manipulating it and threatening the jurors. Meanwhile, Toma just wants to make it in the world of fashion t-shirts.
Maou (2008, Ohno Satoshi, Ikuta Toma): INTENSE ANGST. It’s kinda complicated. "Angel Lawyer" Naruse Ryo is secretly out to avenge his younger brother's tragic death ten years ago. Mostly he does this by sending people mysterious tarot cards and hanging around his darkroom staring intently at photos of Serizawa Naoto. (Oh, and also by getting people systematically killed off in a spiraling trainwreck of tragedy and angst.) Naoto (Tomaaaa!) is a police detective suffering from selective amnesia about the events of ten years ago. Shiori is a true angelic figure, who offers psychic help with the tarot cards and spiritual redemption all round. (She's actually kind of awesome.) Together, they are embroiled in a tangle of murder, revenge, redemption, and creepy picturebooks! (The Tunnel by Anthony Browne, if you want to know.)
My Boss My Hero (2006, Nagase Tomoya, Tegoshi Yuya, Aragaki Yui, Tanaka Koki): A yakuza heir is forced to re-attend high school in order to inherit the clan leadership. No-one must learn his true identity! It’s almost so bad it’s good, and somehow compelling. If only Tegoshi could act. (He’s one of the few Johnny’s idols who can actually sing, and if he were good at acting too, the world would probably explode, so there’s also that to consider.) You’ll never look at pudding the same way again.
Nobuta wo Produce (2005, Horikita Maki, Kamenashi Kazuya, Yamashita Tomohisa): She’s the misfit new girl. They’re the bored popular boy and the quirky rich boy who decide to “produce” her into popularity. The plot meanders, but the relationship between the trio is what makes it all worthwhile. Yamapi should have stuck to weird, quirky roles, but then we would be denied the locker-room scenes of Buzzer Beat and the world would be a sadder place.
Nodame Cantabile (2006, Ueno Juri, Tamaki Hiroshi): They’re musical geniuses with vastly different styles and ideas about music. Together, they “flail, fly and faceplant their way into the formation of a new orchestra at their music school. ... It’s a very... special... orchestra.” (rainscene) By the time I got around to watching this, I was really fed up with jdramas’ fear of emotional commitment. But. This is AWESOME and full of crack and rock violin and classical music and did I mention the satisfying ending? BOTH OF THEM?! The series ending was so satisfying that I couldn't bring myself to watch the two specials for a few days. But they ended well too. I KNOW. I CAN'T BELIEVE IT EITHER. It’s really fun to see what else the actors have ended up in--Voice, Love Shuffle, Orthros no Inu for starters. You’ll never look at Voice the same way again when you realize that the main character once ran around with sparkly rainbow barrettes in his bleached hair wielding an electric violin.
One Pound no Fukuin (2008, Kamenashi Kazuya, Kuroki Meisa): In which Kame is surprisingly likeable as a Takahashi Rumiko sports manga hero. (Usually I find him kind of repellent, but he’s pretty adorable here as a gluttonous boxer.) He falls for her as she hovers over his exhausted, featherweight body offering him water. The problem dooming their love to a frantic series of ridiculous boxing matches and attempts to starve Kame into nothingness? She’s a novice nun. Luckily, the drama is full of people Unclear On The Concept of nunnery, including her.
Orthros no Inu (2009, Takizawa Hideaki, Nishikido Ryo, Mizukawa Asami): My most recent jdrama favorite! A suspense drama about the mysterious connection between two idols regular if unusually attractive short dudes...with opposite and equal supernatural powers. Ryo can kill with a single touch; Takki can heal. Their meeting sparks a twisted game of government manipulation and psychological power plays. Meanwhile, the lady cop who introduces them is just trying to catch bad guys and make sure her daughter doesn’t die of asthma. The first few episodes are entertaining in that specific way idol dramas tend to be, and then it gets good FOR REAL. I was in shock for weeks. Lots of interesting ideas, though subtle it ain’t, with cool plotting and surprisingly good acting from a pair of Johnny’s. At last, a Ryo drama that’s not profoundly stupid, about someone else’s sports career, tear-jerkingly tragic, or completely insane in all the wrong ways!
Proposal Daisakusen aka Operation: Proposal (2007, Nagasawa Masami, Yamashita Tomohisa): Yamapi is given the chance to travel back in time in a series of last-ditch attempts to make his childhood friend love him. I’ll be honest, it’s incredibly stupid. I can’t believe I watched it. I can’t believe I’m admitting I watched it.
Ryuusei no Kizuna (2008, Toda Erika, Ninomiya Kazunari, Nishikido Ryo, Kaname Jun): Three siblings are determined to take justice for the murder of their parents into their own hands. The statute of limitations is about to expire, and the police are useless. Then one of them gets swindled, and they figure three can play at that game… This show is a failed attempt to combine tear-jerker murder mystery drama with comical swindling antics. It should've stuck with one or the other. Featuring halfhearted but hilarious pseudosibling incest (I mention this as a point of academic curiosity. No, really). Highlights of glorious cracktasticity include episodes 1, 6 and 8. Seriously, watch episode 1, even if you skip the rest of it.
SP aka Security Police (2007, Okada Junichi, Tsutsumi Shinichi): An elite squad of police bodyguards attempts to do their job in the face of uncooperative charges, understaffing, and lack of funds. One of them has a mysterious past and Special Powers of observation, which are great for business but tend to upset his blind dates.
Sailor Fuku to Kikanjuu (2006, Nagasawa Masami, Tsutsumi Shinichi): The head of a yakuza clan dies, and it’s up to his faithful henchdudes (all five of them) to find his heir. Who turns out to be... a sixteen-year-old schoolgirl. Antics ensue. It’s good, but it starts out awesomely hilarious and spirals into angst and tragedy, so be warned.
Uta no Oniisan (2009, Ohno Satoshi): After Maou, Ohno plays a side character on a children’s television program after his (drama) band ditches him so they can get hired by a fancy agency. Everyone enjoys his pain far too much.
Voice (2009, Eita, Ikuta Toma, Ishihara Satomi): Kind of a cross between a medical drama and Ghost Whisperer, only with less Jennifer Love Hewitt and more Toma running around helping investigate things. Lab coats + Toma = WIN.
Zettai Kareshi (2008, Aibu Saki, Hayami Mokomichi, Mizushima Hiro, Maya Miki): She’s a nice girl trying to make it as a pastry chef. He’s a love robot prototype. In which there are robot boyfriend shenanigans and cream puffs! Some of the antics are hilarious, but I sobbed my way through the entire finale.
Jdramas I Haven’t Seen All Of, And Probably Won’t, To Be Honest
Tatta Hitotsu no Koi (2006, Kamenashi Kazuya, Ayase Haruka, Tanaka Koki, Toda Erika): He’s a hardworking poor boy trying to keep food on his family’s table. She’s a naive rich girl. Their love is forbidden by class boundaries, and also by her hot older brother played by Kaname Jun. Their friends are doofy and kind of cute. Also, I think somebody is a big fan of Baz Luhrman’s Romeo + Juliet fish tank scene.
Code Blue (2008, Yamashita Tomohisa, Aragaki Yui, Toda Erika, Asari Yosuke): Hospital drama! Introducing the revolutionary new “Doctor Heli,” a medical helicopter that transports doctors to emergency sites. Four newbies compete to be on that helicopter. I watched the first ep, and it didn’t really appeal to me. Neither did Yamapi’s perm. Seriously, some people were just not meant to have perms, ever. Even the lab coats couldn't keep me interested.
Scrap Teacher (2008, Nakajima Yuto, Yamada Ryosuke, Chinen Yuri, Arioka Daiki): It’s like Gokusen in reverse. Three tiny but badass students are sent to a sub-par middle school to smarten things up, with some help from a bumbling new teacher and a cup ramen-slurping veteran. I lost interest after a few episodes, although those were pretty cracktastic and I liked the pseudo-Irish-jig theme music o’ triumph. The fight scene in 3 is great and full of hilarity, and contains a reference to Gokusen.
Last Friends (2008, Nagasawa Masami, Nishikido Ryo, Ueno Juri): ANGST ANGST AAAAAAANGST. I watched the first episode and decided I couldn’t/didn't want to take the angst. Of which there is a lot. AAAAAANGST.
Currently Watching
You're Beautiful
Kamen Rider Kabuto
Phew, that was a really long list.