So before my exams, a friend of mine had been claiming that he was going to make a complete J-drama fangirl out of me once my exams got over. I kind of didn’t really believed in it but as it was something Japanese, I went along with it. Later on, he sent over some selected J-dramas and movies to me. And I started with Hana Kimi as it was the only one I had actually heard about as a manga.

Hana Kimi

And man, it totally got me hooked! It was your usual gender-bender storyline of girl posing like a boy and entering an all-boys high school to follow her idol, who was a former renowned high jumper, and whom she wanted to start high jumping again. The main story as such isn’t cute at all but some of the actors ( and their characters ) are really cool.

Nakatsu Shuichi

There’s an almost main character, Nakatsu Shuichi, played by Ikuta Toma, who’s just awesomely sweet! And his monologues will definitely leave you clutching your sides with laughter! He plays a self-acclaimed ‘hot blooded soccer player’ high school student, and I really don’t think anybody else could have done such justice to the Nakatsu character.

Kayashima Taiki

Then there’s the Kayashima guy who’s a psychic and Nakatsu’s best friend. He’s equally well-developed and the actor ( I forgot his name ) is really suited to him. And I love his glamorous look which is shown just once in one of the ending episodes.

Nanba Minami

Nanba Minami, the school playboy and a very responsible dorm leader, is another of my favourite characters. Played by Mizushima Hiro, who also plays Asamoto Soshi, another of my fav character from Zettai Kareshi J-drama, he’s loads of fun and really gorgeous, lol.

Kagurazaka ( Shirota Yuu )

There’s another hottie too – Kagurazaka, played by Shirota Yuu ( also played Tezuka in PoT live action movie ). He’s like… real hot with an awesome hairstyle. And the way he roams around with his hands in his tracksuit pants and looking about with a detached look – ooh, he’s definitely the oomph factor in Hana Kimi. The lead characters, Mizuki and Sano, didn’t really get to me much. Mizuki was still pretty good, just too cute for a boy, heh. But Sano totally disappointed me. He was just too… boring. I had a feeling that I won’t be able to hang out with him for even an hour, forget spend my high school days bunked in the same room ( like Mizuki ). While Nakatsu, Kayashima and Nanba would definitely guys I’d love to have as my friends! xD Anyway, that’s about it~ I’d definitely recommend it to anybody who just wants to have a bit of fun, and not watch something serious or thought-provoking.

Liar Game

Moving on, there were two really sensible dramas included as well : Liar Game and Galileo. The former one being based off a corporate company using people to play a money game. It deals with pretty much all of the possible human emotions involved and is one awesome piece, minus some boring repetitions. Still, gets a high recommendation from me because somehow, it gets you hooked once you’ve watched the first three-four episodes. And Matsuda Shota and Toda Erika have acted their parts pretty well.

Galileo

Galileo, on the other hand, deals with scientific crimes with a supernatural feel. The story revolves around a police detective and a physics professor who solve various seemingly unsolvable cases with a completely scientific approach. Their cases involve spontaneous combustion, soul floating, teleportation, foreseeing dreams to name a few. Each episode is a standalone except the last two. The ending was quite pathetic in my opinion, given the awesome flow of the series otherwise. Those people really knew how to deliver the plot but somehow, messed up the ending quite a bit. Still, I’d watch it for the all the other episodes definitely. Intriguing and detailed, it will surely catch your eye! The only drawback I’d like to mention would be Fukuyama Masaharu’s weird laughter. It’s seriously horrible, take my word for it! -shiver- xD

Hana Yori Dango

The others I caught up with were My Boss My Hero and Hana Yori Dango. The former one is a roller coaster ride of high school fun and feelings – an really good piece of work, while the latter is based off the manga by the same name. And doesn’t do any justice to the manga at all! And seriously, I just don’t get what the damn is the whole hype about Matsumoto Jun! Okay, so he’s kind of cute and sings wells, but that’s about it. He totally trashed Tsukasa, the brash and cute lead, and my recent fav character ( yeah, I just have too many favourite characters but the alltime favourite is the one and only Sanzo, from Saiyuki ). The actress who played Makino didn’t really feel like her either.

Matsuda Shota

If there were some actors I liked in this one, they were Makino’s family and Nishikado Soujiro, who was played by Matsuda Shota with a glamorous look, quite the opposite of what he had in Liar Game. I’ll be downloading HYD Returns but that’s just because I love Tsukasa too much to not watch it. Otherwise, I’d suggest you go read the manga or watch the anime but do not go for the drama. -sigh-

My Boss My Hero

Going back to My Boss My Hero, Tomoya Nagase and Kazuo are totally going to win your hearts! Nagase is a gangster’s older son who is forced to complete high school if he wants to inherit his father’s position. And thus begins the wonderful adventure of a 27-year old guy acting like a 17-year old school kid, and actually enjoying all the activities later on. He’s even the CR as that supposedly equals leading a corporation in his mind and so, the class strengthens and unites under his command. It’s a sweet and hilarious piece, which can get quite serious at times, and there can even be times when you can learn something from it. ;-)

Hachimitsu to Clover

The last one for now would be Honey and Clover ( Hachimitsu to Clover ). It’s based off the manga, of course, but has been quite changed from what I’ve heard ( no, I haven’t read the manga yet ). Many people I know found it repetitive and boring, but if you ask me, I really liked it. It revolves around five art college friends and their lives – personal, love, work, etc. Ikuta Toma played the lead as shy and hesistant Takemoto, a stark contrast from Nakatsu. The lead girl, Riko Narumi, didn’t really impress me much but the different stories were woven together quite beautifully. Hiroki Narimiya was okay-ish but his Shinobu Morita was a bit too… hyper. Osamu Mukai, who plays Mayama, totally bored me with his obsessed behaviour, while Natsuki Harada was quite a simple sweet girl ( who could also be really strict, accordingly her nickname ‘ Iron Lady ‘ ). But the guy who falls for her, Nomiya, played by Kashiwabara Takashi, is definitely the eye-candy of the drama. Just too cute, too practical and totally guy-ish. I could watch the whole thing over and over just for him – he’s that cute, hee.

So, that’s about it. Shortie short summaries of the dramas I’ve watched recently. There would be more coming up in manga/anime and movies. And then to some parts of my life these past months. Whoo, lot more to write about! Oh and, some poems and stories ( half-written, unfortunately ) as well. Later then!~