Best of Asian "Teen"/"School" Dramas
The recent success of Korea drama Answer 1997 has made me think of other recent (or not so recent) Asian (Korean, Japanese, even Taiwanese) dramas that had (mostly) teen/young 20s casts. It made me think of the dramas that were aimed more toward teenage/twenties crowds. Some of them are cracky or silly, but some, like Answer 1997 have deeper plots, character development, and are just brilliant. Their the types of dramas that everyone could enjoy. I thought I'd make a list of the brilliant (hidden gems) that are too often pushed aside for being "teen" dramas.
This list may have SPOILERS!
Japanese
Japan is the King of making heartfelt (sometimes sappy and emotionally manipulative)dramas that focus on high school. Or young college students. (Maybe because so many of their dramas come from manga?) When I think of a great high school/college drama, my mind goes straight to several different Japanese dramas.
Nobuta wo Produce is more or less the Japanese high school drama. Boasting a cast-list of (than) up-and-comers and (now) stars, the drama focused on the friendship of three students. Kiritani Shuji (Kamenashi Kazuya) is the popular guy, whose secretly bored with life. Nobuko Kotani (Maki Horikita) is shy and often bullied by her classmates. Kusano Akira (Yamashita Tomohisa) is weird and playful.
The overall plot of the series is fairly basic: "Shuji and Akira come to an accord that in order to make use of their youth they will produce Nobuko as the next popular girl. One of the conditions, however, is that nobody should find out that they are working together as a team to make this concept possible. Unveiled here is the story of true friendship between three unlikely candidates who would not have been friends if not given the special circumstances. But, it's so much more than that!
The drama shows the sweetness and the bitterness of being young. First loves, friendship, family issues, but all done in a realistic and non-preachy way. The real glue of the drama is the chemistry between the three leads and their characters interactions. The way Shuji wakes up and starts living. Nobuta's slow building self-esteem. Akira's love for Nobuta. Oh. . .you guys, it's so lovely.
Fair warning: this drama isn't for everyone. If you have never watched Japanese dramas, I wouldn't rec starting with this one first.
Q10 is another high school drama, that is in the same vain has Nobuta. (Which makes sense as the writer is the same for both shows, Kizara Izumi.) It's got some odd elements, but at its heart it's about the relationships of the teenagers. It stars Sato Takeru as Fukai Heita, an ordinary high school boy whose got a kind heart, but is not interested in romance. One day he turns on a robot called 'Kyuto' (Q10), whose played by Maeda Atsuko. Q10 has apparently been abandoned by her creators and needs some help in learning about the real world. (It reminds me a bit of a sweeter and younger version of CLAMP's Chobits)
The drama focuses a lot on Heita's relationship with Q10 (and his growing feelings for her), as well as the interpersonal relationships of a few of Heita's classmates. One of my favorite relationships is the one between Heita's rocker girl classmate and another classmate whose currently ill in the hospital. Heita and Q10's relationship is also very sweet. The overall plot of the drama really is discovering who Q10 is and why she was made and why she latched onto Heita the way she did.
Again fair warning: This is a bit weird at times, so it may not be the best for your first J-drama.
Kingyo Club is a hidden gem of a drama. It's a high school drama that has ten episodes of about fifteen minutes each. (I think it's got an ad thing going with a certain drink product, because these characters drink these special drinks twice an episode.) Anyway, the show stars Irie Jingi as Hiiragi Haru, a third year high schooler, whose living his life idly. Due to an accident that happened during his second year, he's more or less given up and is just waiting to get out of high school. Kariya Yuiko plays Harukawa Koto, a quiet first year student who is bullied. After seeing things go too far, Haru decides to help Koto.
The two start a "goldfish club" in an abandoned storage shack. Slowly the two form a comfortable friendship and fall in love; all while dealing with parent issues ad the hostile attitudes of some of their classmates. This drama is slow and quiet and so very good! The total running time of the ten episodes is about three hours, and yet so much happens! The love between Haru and Koto is so pure and sweet and makes me smile. Watch it!
GTO is more of a 'teacher helps students' type drama, but still captures the awesome feeling of these other dramas. It's a bit episodic with Onizuka Eikichi helping out the members of his classroom. The basic story is:
Onizuka Eikichi, a graduate of a third-rate University and the leader of a motorcycle gang, whose lifelong dream is to become a teacher. After being hired by a seemingly eccentric director, Onizuka begins his unconventional way of teaching a hopeless group of troublemakers. Although he meets much opposition from the students and teachers themselves, his passion for teaching, and more importantly, his students, eventually convinces everyone that Onizuka truly has the makings of a great teacher.
The drama has a nice slow burning romance between Onizuka Eikichi and fellow teacher Fuyutsuki Azusa. It's a great story full of comedy and sweetness and awkward moments. But, the true focus of the drama is Onizuka Eikichi helping his students and the lives and difficult issues that teens face. The drama was made in 1998 and was maybe one of the first school dramas that really focused on normal teens and their hardships. It is a must watch.
Gokusen is another 'teacher helps students' school drama. The dramas has had three seasons, a couple of specials, and a film. Like GTO, it is episodic, but it still has some great episodes and characters.
The story of a young, idealistic teacher who enters Shirokin Gakuen with hopes of making a difference in the students' lives. However, Yamaguchi Kumiko (Nakama Yukie) is in for a rude awakening when she finds that she will be the homeroom teacher of 3-D, the hardest class to maintain in the school. The leader of the class, Sawada Shin is lazy but bright and shows some interest in Yamaguchi when he notices that she is very different from other teachers. The students try to bully her to make her quit, but their attempts don't get them very far.
What the class and the rest of the school does not know is that Yamaguchi Kumiko is actually the 4th generation heir to the Ooedo Group, a notorious yakuza clan. Even though her family would like her to take the title of Ojou when her grandfather dies, they have accepted the fact that Yamaguchi would rather be a teacher.
I think everybody and their cousin's best friend has seen this drama. It's really a must watch for any newcomers to the J-drama world.
Orange Days is a romance/college drama about five students who form their own club. Kai Yuuki (Satoshi Tsumabuki) is a senior and is studying social welfare psychology. He has two friends, Aida Shohei (Narimiya Hiroki), the cool photographer ladies man who has a secret family life and Yashima Keita (Eita), the nice guy who always ends up in the "friend zone" with women. Kai meets Sae Hagio (Kou Shibasaki), a musician whose done deaf. Sae comes across as a beauty waiting to be saved (from far away), but in reality she is somewhat impertinent. Sae's best friend is Ozawa Akane (Shiraishi Miho), whose mature and the one to look out for Sae.
The story focus on the relationships and romances between the group, as well as job-hunting issues and the family lives of Shohei and Sae. It has some really lovely scenes of the five friends hanging out; and, I love the way the boys slowly learn sign language from hanging around Sae. Kai and Sae is, perhaps, one of the best (college aged) OTPs ever. (The scene on the beach!)
The drama is written by Kitagawa Eriko (before she started writing cliche melodramas) whose known as the 'Queen of Romance' in Japanese dramas.
Tatta Hitotsu no Koi was written by Kitagawa two years after Orange Days. Like Orange Days it focuses on a group of five college-aged adults. However, it focuses more on the romances and friendships and family drama. Not so much on school. The main story is about a pure love between the son of a family who runs a ship repair factory beset with financial troubles and the well-bred daughter of a national jewelry chain store owner. (dramawiki)
Kazuya Kamenashi plays Hiroto Kanzaki, a young man who works at a ship repair factory. His father is dead and the repair factory has taken on a large amount of debt. He spends his days working hard to take care of his younger brother (whose ill) and his mother. At night Hiro hangs out with his friends Ko (Tanaka Koki), whose sweet and drives a truck and Ayuta (Hiraoka Yuta), who kind but forgettable. One day the three men have a run in (they accidently splash fish and water on Nao) Tsukioka Nao (Ayase Haruka) and Motomiya Yuko (Toda Erika). Nao is studying education, whole Yuko is pre-med. The five of them are so different, and yet they form friendships and romances.
Nao and Hiro as very different people. Hiro has walls built up and Nao is cheerful and loved. Nao is an innocent who says whatever she thinks and Hiro is closed minded and aloof. But, because of Nao. . .Hiro slowly becomes who he once was. Their love story is truly pure and beautiful and amazingly heartwarming. (side note: my younger sister, whose not a fan of romantic dramas, is in love with this drama.) Go watch it!
Honey and Clover is the drama based on the manga. (There's also the anime, the movie, and the Tw-drama (which is way closer to the manga than anything else.))It focuses on five students in art school. Like all the other college dramas, it focuses a lot on the 'What do I do now?' bits of college life, friendships, and the love triangles between the five friends and two outsiders.
The chemistry between the five main actors (Narumi Riko, Narimiya Hiroki,Ikuta Toma,Harada Natsuki and Mukai Osamu) is amazing! I truly believe that the three boys have been friends for ages, that Ayumi has had love/hate friendships with Takemoto and Morita, while having an unrequited love for Mayama for years, and that Hagumi is the one they all look after. I loved the story with Takemoto/Hagumi/Morita, and the way that love triangle works itself out. Just brilliant stuff all around.
Korean Dramas:
Jungle Fish 2 is the second season of the Jungle Fish franchise, though it has nothing to do with the first season. A high school drama, it deals with current social issues: friendships, familiy problems, pregnancy and educational corruption. The cast was mostly newcomers and a few former child stars turned teen actors. (Side note: Shin So Yool of Answer Me 1997 is in this - it was her first drama role.)
The drama starts out with a high school girl dies mysteriously. Her friends decide to investigate the cause of her death. What I really love about the drama is that it lets all the characters have a time to shine. The chemistry between all the actors is great; I truly believe the friendships and romances.
Answer Me 1997 is the drama that started this list. It's a cable drama that is bursting all the ratings. It's cast has become house hold names. The story is realistic, reliable, and refreshing. I have yet to watch it, but I knew I had to put this on the list.
Shut Up! Flower Boy Band was another cable drama about a high school band - sort of. Though the band has a lot screen time (I've only watched one episode and will miss Byung Hee after episode two. Love him, but I understand the character is too big personality-wise for an ensemble drama. But. . .I would love to see MK from Mary Stayed Out All Night and BH hang out. Especially if MK is as drunk-like as he was in the first two episodes.), it's more about the personal stories of the boys.
According to dramawiki, Eye Candy is a six member underground rock band led by Byung Hee. When the group transfers into the prestigious Jungsang High School, they find their rival, Strawberry Fields. This is a story about the two rock bands and how they deal with friendship, relationships, and their passion for music.
However, from what I've seen the story is really about the friendships between the boys, music vs. friendship and being yourself, and some very lovely romances. I cannot wait to watch more.
Dream High is a high school drama that tells the story of six students at Kirin Art High School who work to achieve their dreams of becoming music stars in the Korean music industry. Staring a bunch of idols and former child actors, the drama took a look at the Korean music industry and its pitfalls (though not as much as I would have liked) and the hardships that befall the students. Plus, lots of nice friendships and romances and just working hard to achieve your dreams.
What's Up? is the older college sibling of Dream High. It takes place in a performing arts university, mostly in the musical theater department. Written by the fab Song Ji Na (Eye of Dawn, Sandglass, Legend, A Man's Story, and the currently airing Faith/The Great Doctor), the story focuses on seven students and their lives.
There's Jae Hun (Im Joo Hawn), whose running from a troubled past. He's more or less then main character of the ensemble and is responsible for several major plot points. He develops a close friendship with his roommate Do Sung (Kang Dae Sung), whose secretly an internet singing idol. Do Sung is looking to become himself and get away from the shadow of his internet personae. The two boys meet three other new comers to the school: Doo Ri (Im Joo Eun), whose trying to get away from her overprotective mother and trying to find herself; Tae Hee (Kim Ji Won), a country girl with a natural singing talent, whose recently lost her father; and Byung Gun (Jo Jung Suk), the youngest son of a dismissive family, whose learning to find his voice. Also in the cast are: Chae Young (Jang Hee Jin), a well known actress (more famous for beauty than talent), whose looking to prove herself and Soo Bin (Lee Soo Hyuk), an upper class man and piano prodigy.
The thing about this drama is the chemistry and the way the story flows. It's just so well done in all respects. Sadly, it's a hidden gem of a drama. More people should watch it.
Chinese and Taiwanese Dramas
Mars is a Taiwanese drama based on the Japanese manga of the same name. Basic story:
Han Qi Luo (Barbie Hsu),an extremely shy art student went to the same college as Chen Ling (Vic Zhou),a popular play boy. By chance one day they met at a park when CL asked HQL for direction to a hospital to visit his friend who was injured in a bike racing incident. Hurriedly HQL drew him a map, unknowing that she was drawing on the back of one of her sketches. She ran off before he could thank her. He then noticed the sketch of a mother holding a baby and was touched. In school HQL was sexually harrassed by a teacher and CL came to her rescue. They began to grow fond of each other but each of them had a secret past that needed to be addressed and overcome before they could accept and love one another freely.
Mars is basically the manga come to live. It's just a lovely little drama.
I know I've left off several Chinese/Taiwanese dramas that take place in schools, but they didn't fit this list for me. Either because I've never seen the whole series (Bump off Lover), it didn't fit the feel of finding yourself/friendships/first loves/youth to me (all the Hana Yori Dangos and their remakes (though they came close), Devil Beside You, ToGetHer(close, but didn't put on, as I forgot it.) or they focuses more on the forbidden love of student/teacher romance.
This list may have SPOILERS!
Japanese
Japan is the King of making heartfelt (sometimes sappy and emotionally manipulative)dramas that focus on high school. Or young college students. (Maybe because so many of their dramas come from manga?) When I think of a great high school/college drama, my mind goes straight to several different Japanese dramas.
Nobuta wo Produce is more or less the Japanese high school drama. Boasting a cast-list of (than) up-and-comers and (now) stars, the drama focused on the friendship of three students. Kiritani Shuji (Kamenashi Kazuya) is the popular guy, whose secretly bored with life. Nobuko Kotani (Maki Horikita) is shy and often bullied by her classmates. Kusano Akira (Yamashita Tomohisa) is weird and playful.
The overall plot of the series is fairly basic: "Shuji and Akira come to an accord that in order to make use of their youth they will produce Nobuko as the next popular girl. One of the conditions, however, is that nobody should find out that they are working together as a team to make this concept possible. Unveiled here is the story of true friendship between three unlikely candidates who would not have been friends if not given the special circumstances. But, it's so much more than that!
The drama shows the sweetness and the bitterness of being young. First loves, friendship, family issues, but all done in a realistic and non-preachy way. The real glue of the drama is the chemistry between the three leads and their characters interactions. The way Shuji wakes up and starts living. Nobuta's slow building self-esteem. Akira's love for Nobuta. Oh. . .you guys, it's so lovely.
Fair warning: this drama isn't for everyone. If you have never watched Japanese dramas, I wouldn't rec starting with this one first.
Q10 is another high school drama, that is in the same vain has Nobuta. (Which makes sense as the writer is the same for both shows, Kizara Izumi.) It's got some odd elements, but at its heart it's about the relationships of the teenagers. It stars Sato Takeru as Fukai Heita, an ordinary high school boy whose got a kind heart, but is not interested in romance. One day he turns on a robot called 'Kyuto' (Q10), whose played by Maeda Atsuko. Q10 has apparently been abandoned by her creators and needs some help in learning about the real world. (It reminds me a bit of a sweeter and younger version of CLAMP's Chobits)
The drama focuses a lot on Heita's relationship with Q10 (and his growing feelings for her), as well as the interpersonal relationships of a few of Heita's classmates. One of my favorite relationships is the one between Heita's rocker girl classmate and another classmate whose currently ill in the hospital. Heita and Q10's relationship is also very sweet. The overall plot of the drama really is discovering who Q10 is and why she was made and why she latched onto Heita the way she did.
Again fair warning: This is a bit weird at times, so it may not be the best for your first J-drama.
Kingyo Club is a hidden gem of a drama. It's a high school drama that has ten episodes of about fifteen minutes each. (I think it's got an ad thing going with a certain drink product, because these characters drink these special drinks twice an episode.) Anyway, the show stars Irie Jingi as Hiiragi Haru, a third year high schooler, whose living his life idly. Due to an accident that happened during his second year, he's more or less given up and is just waiting to get out of high school. Kariya Yuiko plays Harukawa Koto, a quiet first year student who is bullied. After seeing things go too far, Haru decides to help Koto.
The two start a "goldfish club" in an abandoned storage shack. Slowly the two form a comfortable friendship and fall in love; all while dealing with parent issues ad the hostile attitudes of some of their classmates. This drama is slow and quiet and so very good! The total running time of the ten episodes is about three hours, and yet so much happens! The love between Haru and Koto is so pure and sweet and makes me smile. Watch it!
GTO is more of a 'teacher helps students' type drama, but still captures the awesome feeling of these other dramas. It's a bit episodic with Onizuka Eikichi helping out the members of his classroom. The basic story is:
Onizuka Eikichi, a graduate of a third-rate University and the leader of a motorcycle gang, whose lifelong dream is to become a teacher. After being hired by a seemingly eccentric director, Onizuka begins his unconventional way of teaching a hopeless group of troublemakers. Although he meets much opposition from the students and teachers themselves, his passion for teaching, and more importantly, his students, eventually convinces everyone that Onizuka truly has the makings of a great teacher.
The drama has a nice slow burning romance between Onizuka Eikichi and fellow teacher Fuyutsuki Azusa. It's a great story full of comedy and sweetness and awkward moments. But, the true focus of the drama is Onizuka Eikichi helping his students and the lives and difficult issues that teens face. The drama was made in 1998 and was maybe one of the first school dramas that really focused on normal teens and their hardships. It is a must watch.
Gokusen is another 'teacher helps students' school drama. The dramas has had three seasons, a couple of specials, and a film. Like GTO, it is episodic, but it still has some great episodes and characters.
The story of a young, idealistic teacher who enters Shirokin Gakuen with hopes of making a difference in the students' lives. However, Yamaguchi Kumiko (Nakama Yukie) is in for a rude awakening when she finds that she will be the homeroom teacher of 3-D, the hardest class to maintain in the school. The leader of the class, Sawada Shin is lazy but bright and shows some interest in Yamaguchi when he notices that she is very different from other teachers. The students try to bully her to make her quit, but their attempts don't get them very far.
What the class and the rest of the school does not know is that Yamaguchi Kumiko is actually the 4th generation heir to the Ooedo Group, a notorious yakuza clan. Even though her family would like her to take the title of Ojou when her grandfather dies, they have accepted the fact that Yamaguchi would rather be a teacher.
I think everybody and their cousin's best friend has seen this drama. It's really a must watch for any newcomers to the J-drama world.
Orange Days is a romance/college drama about five students who form their own club. Kai Yuuki (Satoshi Tsumabuki) is a senior and is studying social welfare psychology. He has two friends, Aida Shohei (Narimiya Hiroki), the cool photographer ladies man who has a secret family life and Yashima Keita (Eita), the nice guy who always ends up in the "friend zone" with women. Kai meets Sae Hagio (Kou Shibasaki), a musician whose done deaf. Sae comes across as a beauty waiting to be saved (from far away), but in reality she is somewhat impertinent. Sae's best friend is Ozawa Akane (Shiraishi Miho), whose mature and the one to look out for Sae.
The story focus on the relationships and romances between the group, as well as job-hunting issues and the family lives of Shohei and Sae. It has some really lovely scenes of the five friends hanging out; and, I love the way the boys slowly learn sign language from hanging around Sae. Kai and Sae is, perhaps, one of the best (college aged) OTPs ever. (The scene on the beach!)
The drama is written by Kitagawa Eriko (before she started writing cliche melodramas) whose known as the 'Queen of Romance' in Japanese dramas.
Tatta Hitotsu no Koi was written by Kitagawa two years after Orange Days. Like Orange Days it focuses on a group of five college-aged adults. However, it focuses more on the romances and friendships and family drama. Not so much on school. The main story is about a pure love between the son of a family who runs a ship repair factory beset with financial troubles and the well-bred daughter of a national jewelry chain store owner. (dramawiki)
Kazuya Kamenashi plays Hiroto Kanzaki, a young man who works at a ship repair factory. His father is dead and the repair factory has taken on a large amount of debt. He spends his days working hard to take care of his younger brother (whose ill) and his mother. At night Hiro hangs out with his friends Ko (Tanaka Koki), whose sweet and drives a truck and Ayuta (Hiraoka Yuta), who kind but forgettable. One day the three men have a run in (they accidently splash fish and water on Nao) Tsukioka Nao (Ayase Haruka) and Motomiya Yuko (Toda Erika). Nao is studying education, whole Yuko is pre-med. The five of them are so different, and yet they form friendships and romances.
Nao and Hiro as very different people. Hiro has walls built up and Nao is cheerful and loved. Nao is an innocent who says whatever she thinks and Hiro is closed minded and aloof. But, because of Nao. . .Hiro slowly becomes who he once was. Their love story is truly pure and beautiful and amazingly heartwarming. (side note: my younger sister, whose not a fan of romantic dramas, is in love with this drama.) Go watch it!
Honey and Clover is the drama based on the manga. (There's also the anime, the movie, and the Tw-drama (which is way closer to the manga than anything else.))It focuses on five students in art school. Like all the other college dramas, it focuses a lot on the 'What do I do now?' bits of college life, friendships, and the love triangles between the five friends and two outsiders.
The chemistry between the five main actors (Narumi Riko, Narimiya Hiroki,Ikuta Toma,Harada Natsuki and Mukai Osamu) is amazing! I truly believe that the three boys have been friends for ages, that Ayumi has had love/hate friendships with Takemoto and Morita, while having an unrequited love for Mayama for years, and that Hagumi is the one they all look after. I loved the story with Takemoto/Hagumi/Morita, and the way that love triangle works itself out. Just brilliant stuff all around.
Korean Dramas:
Jungle Fish 2 is the second season of the Jungle Fish franchise, though it has nothing to do with the first season. A high school drama, it deals with current social issues: friendships, familiy problems, pregnancy and educational corruption. The cast was mostly newcomers and a few former child stars turned teen actors. (Side note: Shin So Yool of Answer Me 1997 is in this - it was her first drama role.)
The drama starts out with a high school girl dies mysteriously. Her friends decide to investigate the cause of her death. What I really love about the drama is that it lets all the characters have a time to shine. The chemistry between all the actors is great; I truly believe the friendships and romances.
Answer Me 1997 is the drama that started this list. It's a cable drama that is bursting all the ratings. It's cast has become house hold names. The story is realistic, reliable, and refreshing. I have yet to watch it, but I knew I had to put this on the list.
Shut Up! Flower Boy Band was another cable drama about a high school band - sort of. Though the band has a lot screen time (I've only watched one episode and will miss Byung Hee after episode two. Love him, but I understand the character is too big personality-wise for an ensemble drama. But. . .I would love to see MK from Mary Stayed Out All Night and BH hang out. Especially if MK is as drunk-like as he was in the first two episodes.), it's more about the personal stories of the boys.
According to dramawiki, Eye Candy is a six member underground rock band led by Byung Hee. When the group transfers into the prestigious Jungsang High School, they find their rival, Strawberry Fields. This is a story about the two rock bands and how they deal with friendship, relationships, and their passion for music.
However, from what I've seen the story is really about the friendships between the boys, music vs. friendship and being yourself, and some very lovely romances. I cannot wait to watch more.
Dream High is a high school drama that tells the story of six students at Kirin Art High School who work to achieve their dreams of becoming music stars in the Korean music industry. Staring a bunch of idols and former child actors, the drama took a look at the Korean music industry and its pitfalls (though not as much as I would have liked) and the hardships that befall the students. Plus, lots of nice friendships and romances and just working hard to achieve your dreams.
What's Up? is the older college sibling of Dream High. It takes place in a performing arts university, mostly in the musical theater department. Written by the fab Song Ji Na (Eye of Dawn, Sandglass, Legend, A Man's Story, and the currently airing Faith/The Great Doctor), the story focuses on seven students and their lives.
There's Jae Hun (Im Joo Hawn), whose running from a troubled past. He's more or less then main character of the ensemble and is responsible for several major plot points. He develops a close friendship with his roommate Do Sung (Kang Dae Sung), whose secretly an internet singing idol. Do Sung is looking to become himself and get away from the shadow of his internet personae. The two boys meet three other new comers to the school: Doo Ri (Im Joo Eun), whose trying to get away from her overprotective mother and trying to find herself; Tae Hee (Kim Ji Won), a country girl with a natural singing talent, whose recently lost her father; and Byung Gun (Jo Jung Suk), the youngest son of a dismissive family, whose learning to find his voice. Also in the cast are: Chae Young (Jang Hee Jin), a well known actress (more famous for beauty than talent), whose looking to prove herself and Soo Bin (Lee Soo Hyuk), an upper class man and piano prodigy.
The thing about this drama is the chemistry and the way the story flows. It's just so well done in all respects. Sadly, it's a hidden gem of a drama. More people should watch it.
Chinese and Taiwanese Dramas
Mars is a Taiwanese drama based on the Japanese manga of the same name. Basic story:
Han Qi Luo (Barbie Hsu),an extremely shy art student went to the same college as Chen Ling (Vic Zhou),a popular play boy. By chance one day they met at a park when CL asked HQL for direction to a hospital to visit his friend who was injured in a bike racing incident. Hurriedly HQL drew him a map, unknowing that she was drawing on the back of one of her sketches. She ran off before he could thank her. He then noticed the sketch of a mother holding a baby and was touched. In school HQL was sexually harrassed by a teacher and CL came to her rescue. They began to grow fond of each other but each of them had a secret past that needed to be addressed and overcome before they could accept and love one another freely.
Mars is basically the manga come to live. It's just a lovely little drama.
I know I've left off several Chinese/Taiwanese dramas that take place in schools, but they didn't fit this list for me. Either because I've never seen the whole series (Bump off Lover), it didn't fit the feel of finding yourself/friendships/first loves/youth to me (all the Hana Yori Dangos and their remakes (though they came close), Devil Beside You, ToGetHer(close, but didn't put on, as I forgot it.) or they focuses more on the forbidden love of student/teacher romance.