Summer Drama Season Watch List
What am I thinking of watching this summer? Well, aside from my guilty pleasure, True Blood, I'm watching several Asian dramas. . .
Taiwanese:
Hayate Combat Butler - The drama based on a Japanese manga and staring a Korean actress. I've seen the trailer and it looks cheerful, slightly cheesy, and freakishly adorable. I need a nonsense drama in my life. (It starts June 19th and is 13 episodes long.)
Korean:
You've Fallen For Me - Selling as a "youth melodrama" and the "college Dream High", the show will tell the story of two college students (one the lead singer in a rock band and the other a traditional Korean instrument playing girl) who fall for one another. The preview makes it look like a dance teacher at the school is in love with a visiting director. So, two OTPs! (It starts June 29th and is 16 episodes long.)
Myung Wol the Spy - A romantic comedy about a North Korean spy sent to kidnap a big Hallyu star, in order to disrupt the Hallyu Wave. Sadly for her (but good for us) Myung Wol's one weakness is her uncontrollable curiosity. Something which leads her to falling for her supposed kidnap victim. This is Eric's come back drama, after being away for his two year military service. It also stars Han Ye Seul (doing what she does best), Lee Jin Wook (aka the guy that never gets the girl, expect in real life), and Jang Hee Jin. (It starts July 11th and the episode number has yet to be decided.)
The Princess' Man - A period drama about the daughter of Prince Suyang and grandson of Kim Jong Seo. They fall in love and have a "Romeo and Juliet" romance. It promises to be full of longing and ANGST as Se Ryung and Seung Yoo fight for a love that can never be. It stars Moon Chae Won and Park Shi Hoo as the star crossed lovers, so I'm very excited. (The drama starts July 20th and is 24 episodes.)
Deep Rooted Tree - Another period drama. Based on a novel, it tells the story of Kang Jae-Yoon, a low level guard for the King. He investigates a case involving the serial murders of Jiphyeonjeon scholars in the Gyeongbok Palace. It sounds a bit boring, but it stars Jang Hyuk and he is a favorite on mine. Shin Se-Gyeong will play his love interest. (It starts Sept 28th, so technically not in the summer season, but. . .yeah. The number of episodes is to be announced.)
Japanese:
Zenkai Girl - A romantic comedy staring Aragaki Yui as an international lawyer, who gets a job - caring for the boss's 5 year old daughter. She takes the little girl to school and meets single dad, Nishikido Ryo. I like the leads and the supporting cast is full of people I enjoy. It seems like it will be a sweet story, with a bit of angst here and there. (It starts sometime in July and episode number is to be announced.)
Arakawa Under the Bridge - A drama based on a manga (the manga was turned into an anime not long ago). It tells the story of Riku, who by accident, falls into the Arakawa River and almost drowns. He is saved by a strange girl named Nino. Not wanting to be in debt, he asks her how he can repay her. She tells him to love her. Riku ends up living with the homeless Nino, under the Arakawa Bridge. There he meets a strange group of people, all of whom are, uh. . .unusual. I wouldn't normally bother with this, but the cast list is wonderful and the story actually sounds rather sweet. (It starts sometime in July and episode number is to be announced.)
Ikemen Desu Ne - The You're Beautiful remake. Its Korean counterpart suffered because of having too many episodes and not enough plot. Maybe the Japanese version will solve that issue. I don't think I'll enjoy this, but I do plan on watching the first episode - just to compare. (It starts sometime in July and episode number is to be announced.)
Jiu - A crime drama. It's based on a series of suspense novels and follows two young female detectives; Motoko is a fierce, physically capable investigator with a strong battle instinct, while Misaki is more intellectual, kind-hearted, and naive. Together they try to track down a mysterious person called Jiu, someone who is responsible for a series of brutal crimes. I love a good crime drama. (It starts sometime in July and episode number is to be announced.)
Don Quixote - It stars Matsuda Shota, as a child welfare official working at a child consultation center in Tokyo. Takahashi Katsumi plays a charitable yakuza boss. One day, their souls are switched. (Crazy!) Narumi Riko (whom I love) will play a child at the center Matsuda's character works at. I will check it out for the cast. (It starts sometime in July and episode number is to be announced.)
Ouran High School Host Club - Based on the manga. It airs at 11:20(TBS's Friday Break slot) and each episode will be thirty minutes long. I'm not thrilled with the casting, and I still don't think it can be made into a decent show, but I adore the manga and the anime, so I'll give this a chance. (It starts in July and based on past shows in the time slot,it will most likely be between 8 and 11 episodes long.)
Tempest - A historical drama based on a novel. It stars Nakama Yukie, as a woman who wants to complete her studies despite her gender restrictions, so she takes advantage of the disappearance of her step brother and disguises herself as an Eunuch. She passes the exam to be a royal government's official. Tanihara Shosuke (whom I've had a bit of a crush on for years) will play her love interest. (It starts July 17, and the number of episodes has yet to be announced.)
Hana Kimi Season 2 - The "second season" of the first Hana Kimi, but with a new (and younger) cast. I will check it out to see how they explain the second season, as the SP sort of ended the storylines. I think a good thing about this "second season" is that, at least the rumored cast are all in their mid-teens to early 20s. The last cast had men in their mid-twenties to early thirties playing teens! (What was that, an American CW show?) (It starts in July, with a tba number of episodes.)
Soredemo Ikite Yuku - A family drama staring Eita as a man whose family was torn apart after the murder of his younger sister. His sister is killed by his best friend. 15 years later, he meets the younger sister of that friend. The two form a relationship. The show is going to show how both families deal with the tragic death and/or imprisonment of their child/sibling. This is a drama that just sounds like it will be heartfelt and full of angst. I hope it doesn't go over the top. (It starts in July, with a tba number of episodes.
This list isl tentative and will depend on if the shows are subtitled and if they are available for download. I'll probably watch the first and second episode of each show (again, if there are subs), but since this list is long, I'll drop anything that doesn't grab me from the go. Though, I may re-pick up the ones that don't grab me, after they finish airing.
Taiwanese:
Hayate Combat Butler - The drama based on a Japanese manga and staring a Korean actress. I've seen the trailer and it looks cheerful, slightly cheesy, and freakishly adorable. I need a nonsense drama in my life. (It starts June 19th and is 13 episodes long.)
Korean:
You've Fallen For Me - Selling as a "youth melodrama" and the "college Dream High", the show will tell the story of two college students (one the lead singer in a rock band and the other a traditional Korean instrument playing girl) who fall for one another. The preview makes it look like a dance teacher at the school is in love with a visiting director. So, two OTPs! (It starts June 29th and is 16 episodes long.)
Myung Wol the Spy - A romantic comedy about a North Korean spy sent to kidnap a big Hallyu star, in order to disrupt the Hallyu Wave. Sadly for her (but good for us) Myung Wol's one weakness is her uncontrollable curiosity. Something which leads her to falling for her supposed kidnap victim. This is Eric's come back drama, after being away for his two year military service. It also stars Han Ye Seul (doing what she does best), Lee Jin Wook (aka the guy that never gets the girl, expect in real life), and Jang Hee Jin. (It starts July 11th and the episode number has yet to be decided.)
The Princess' Man - A period drama about the daughter of Prince Suyang and grandson of Kim Jong Seo. They fall in love and have a "Romeo and Juliet" romance. It promises to be full of longing and ANGST as Se Ryung and Seung Yoo fight for a love that can never be. It stars Moon Chae Won and Park Shi Hoo as the star crossed lovers, so I'm very excited. (The drama starts July 20th and is 24 episodes.)
Deep Rooted Tree - Another period drama. Based on a novel, it tells the story of Kang Jae-Yoon, a low level guard for the King. He investigates a case involving the serial murders of Jiphyeonjeon scholars in the Gyeongbok Palace. It sounds a bit boring, but it stars Jang Hyuk and he is a favorite on mine. Shin Se-Gyeong will play his love interest. (It starts Sept 28th, so technically not in the summer season, but. . .yeah. The number of episodes is to be announced.)
Japanese:
Zenkai Girl - A romantic comedy staring Aragaki Yui as an international lawyer, who gets a job - caring for the boss's 5 year old daughter. She takes the little girl to school and meets single dad, Nishikido Ryo. I like the leads and the supporting cast is full of people I enjoy. It seems like it will be a sweet story, with a bit of angst here and there. (It starts sometime in July and episode number is to be announced.)
Arakawa Under the Bridge - A drama based on a manga (the manga was turned into an anime not long ago). It tells the story of Riku, who by accident, falls into the Arakawa River and almost drowns. He is saved by a strange girl named Nino. Not wanting to be in debt, he asks her how he can repay her. She tells him to love her. Riku ends up living with the homeless Nino, under the Arakawa Bridge. There he meets a strange group of people, all of whom are, uh. . .unusual. I wouldn't normally bother with this, but the cast list is wonderful and the story actually sounds rather sweet. (It starts sometime in July and episode number is to be announced.)
Ikemen Desu Ne - The You're Beautiful remake. Its Korean counterpart suffered because of having too many episodes and not enough plot. Maybe the Japanese version will solve that issue. I don't think I'll enjoy this, but I do plan on watching the first episode - just to compare. (It starts sometime in July and episode number is to be announced.)
Jiu - A crime drama. It's based on a series of suspense novels and follows two young female detectives; Motoko is a fierce, physically capable investigator with a strong battle instinct, while Misaki is more intellectual, kind-hearted, and naive. Together they try to track down a mysterious person called Jiu, someone who is responsible for a series of brutal crimes. I love a good crime drama. (It starts sometime in July and episode number is to be announced.)
Don Quixote - It stars Matsuda Shota, as a child welfare official working at a child consultation center in Tokyo. Takahashi Katsumi plays a charitable yakuza boss. One day, their souls are switched. (Crazy!) Narumi Riko (whom I love) will play a child at the center Matsuda's character works at. I will check it out for the cast. (It starts sometime in July and episode number is to be announced.)
Ouran High School Host Club - Based on the manga. It airs at 11:20(TBS's Friday Break slot) and each episode will be thirty minutes long. I'm not thrilled with the casting, and I still don't think it can be made into a decent show, but I adore the manga and the anime, so I'll give this a chance. (It starts in July and based on past shows in the time slot,it will most likely be between 8 and 11 episodes long.)
Tempest - A historical drama based on a novel. It stars Nakama Yukie, as a woman who wants to complete her studies despite her gender restrictions, so she takes advantage of the disappearance of her step brother and disguises herself as an Eunuch. She passes the exam to be a royal government's official. Tanihara Shosuke (whom I've had a bit of a crush on for years) will play her love interest. (It starts July 17, and the number of episodes has yet to be announced.)
Hana Kimi Season 2 - The "second season" of the first Hana Kimi, but with a new (and younger) cast. I will check it out to see how they explain the second season, as the SP sort of ended the storylines. I think a good thing about this "second season" is that, at least the rumored cast are all in their mid-teens to early 20s. The last cast had men in their mid-twenties to early thirties playing teens! (What was that, an American CW show?) (It starts in July, with a tba number of episodes.)
Soredemo Ikite Yuku - A family drama staring Eita as a man whose family was torn apart after the murder of his younger sister. His sister is killed by his best friend. 15 years later, he meets the younger sister of that friend. The two form a relationship. The show is going to show how both families deal with the tragic death and/or imprisonment of their child/sibling. This is a drama that just sounds like it will be heartfelt and full of angst. I hope it doesn't go over the top. (It starts in July, with a tba number of episodes.
This list isl tentative and will depend on if the shows are subtitled and if they are available for download. I'll probably watch the first and second episode of each show (again, if there are subs), but since this list is long, I'll drop anything that doesn't grab me from the go. Though, I may re-pick up the ones that don't grab me, after they finish airing.