Salam Ramadan to all Muslims......I am now back after (almost) a year on hiatus and have been missing blogging so freaking much. So, figuring what my next post personally means a lot that i've decided to blog on my all-time obsession ~drama~. To commemorate (or shall i say to cure my so-called withdrawal syndrome) on the not-so recently ended, 'School 2015: Who Are You?' on KBS WORLD and the ongoing Kdrama `Orange Marmalade', i'm sharing my dramalist (in no particular order along with my rating) of personal favourite High school-Themed Drama watched so far. The eligibility of such dramas that have made into this list satisfied BELOW conditions:
1) There are mainly J/KDRAMA as i've mostly watched high school drama that are produced by these two countries.
2) These dramas are set majorly in HIGH SCHOOL or directly/indirectly involved with ISSUES FACED BY 'HIGH SCHOOLERS'
3) It can and may include ANY GENRE - Rom com, slice of life, thriller, etc.
So, feel free to browse the list!
Nobuta Wo Produce is one of my earliest watched Jdrama. Starring top J-Idols 'Yamashita Tomohisa (YamaPi) from NEWS and KAT-TUN's Kamenashi Kazuya as the two leads, this jdrama remains my MOST ENTERTAINING (and warm) High-school drama. Why? It's touching and fun at the same time without having toooooo much of slapstick jokes & it covers issues like bully, popularity, first love, friendship, chasing dream in an enjoyable and lighter tone. Hence, what could be clichés (these two male students transforming an outcast played by Maki Horikita to be the next popular girl) turn out to be fresh moments of fun and laughter without being overdose.
MY RATING: ★★★★
It is typical for idols to be cast in a high school drama. Similarly, this kdrama, too, follows the same formula by casting T-ARA's Jiyeon & former MBLAQ's Lee Joon along with other teen stars, Hong Jong Hyun, Shin Soyul, Kim Bo Ra as a group of friends who are investigating the cause of their best friend - Baek Hyo An's sudden death. I've read somewhere that this second season actually follows similar focus to the first one (which starred top stars like the younger Kim Soo Hyun and Park Boyoung). I won't be able to comment on that though (haven't get the chance to watch yet!) However, Jungle Fish 2 was my 1st revelation to the dark side of Korea's education - the parental/societal pressure to ensure their children attain wondrous academic achievement...as well as other social issues like teen pregnancy, school dropout, etc. Definitely a darker tone of a not-so typical high school/teenage angst drama.
MY RATING: ★★★ 1/2
Another typical characteristics of a high school drama - it is usually a manga adaptation and has been turned into live action for a few versions (Taiwanese or China)... Same goes for Hanazakari no Kimitachi e or easily known as Hana Kimi - a story of a girl who dresses up as a boy to go to the exclusively for hot boys school that her idol, Sano, a high jumper attends, which is also loosely based on popular manga that has earlier been adapted into a Taiwanese ver. I've watched that version & ditched it halfway (quite a phenomenal at that time and yet, i was not-so into it!). So when i heard that it gonna get a Japanese adaptation (the original creator's country) i slightly wish it'll better. How right i was! It was THE FUNNIEST HIGH SCHOOL DRAMA EVER!!!! the actors are perfectly cast in their roles though the acting is a little over-the-top, but that's the uniqueness of this drama...i can still digest their exaggeration attempt at humour. All in all, this J-ver of Hana Kimi make me feels more like "watching" a manga or an anime, except with real live actors...and i'm loving it!
MY RATING: ★★★★
I've remembered how suffering i was withdrawing from this Kdrama after it ended....i was so attached to it. Though i got attracted of watching it as my kpop bias was selected to play the lead role *cough* Suzy *cough* and being a huge supporter of JYP Nation, i can't help but look forward to it when it airs! Nevertheless, viewer can never not feel so (kpop vibe) as this kdrama has the maximum influence of Kpop all over it! Dream High is basically a high school drama + musical + kpop. Despite heavily bombarded with idols as the lead (excluding Kim Soo Hyun) all of them have done surprisingly well although lack of acting experience. I liked it a lot actually that i cried, i laugh and i smile watching all 16 episodes. The drama was very well written that it never felt like it was getting draggy. Backed with a GREAT (personally my all-time favourite) soundtrack, Dream High is fresh, fun and truly an inspiring one... .Heck, it’s one of my favourite Kdramas, period.
MY RATING: ★★★★★
FYI, the 1st drama that popped into my mind when i think of a high school drama is LIFE. In short, this Japanese drama mainly focus on School bully, yet issues like selfharm, rapes, suicide, depression, manipulation, corruption, etc are slowly unfold as each character and the story line are develop. This was probably among the darkest Jdrama i have seen so far (which includes Byakuyakou, Last Friends, etc). Before 'LIFE' i've never seen a drama about bullying in school this intense....this Jdrama really delves into human nature and shows the emotions/mind of those involved - the bully, victims and those around them. Not to promote bullying, LIFE has such an important message. It really was my eye-opener on bullying and Japanese delivers what it does best through this drama - showing the reality, realistically! Kudos to the drama team! and for the actors (Kitano Kii, Saki Fukuda, Megumi Seki, etc) - all of you did an amazing job
MY RATING: ★★★★★
White Christmas is a visually stunning, psychological thriller that premiered in 2011 as an eight-episode under KBS’s drama special series. Despite it's title, White Christmas isn't any romantic melo....or a christmas tale of any sort....this Kdrama explore one of the biggest question in life, are 'monsters' born, or are they made? Are we, humans, merely what we were born to be, or are we the consequences of our own choices? The story was so brilliantly engaging, yet was able to fit into ONLY 8 episodes! White Christmas tells a story of 7 students and a teacher who remain at school for the winter break. Joining them is a psychiatrist who was forced to take shelter as he was involved in a car accident nearby. As horror awaits them, these students realize that the anonymous letters they each received in prior were not the result of a harmless prank. White Christmas is the debut for most leading stars of today's drama (Kim Woo Bin, Sung Joon, etc). Even though they were very much new at that time, all of them did an amazing job in this horror suspense thriller. Plot wise, FANTASTIC! Thank you for keeping me guessing in every episode....
MY RATING: ★★★★★
Just like Hana Kimi, the popular shoujo manga Itazura na Kiss has repeatedly being adapted or shall i say 'reincarnated'. The first live-action was 1996 Jdrama of the same name (have never watch it..) followed by Taiwanese version - It Started with a Kiss (and the sequel They Kiss Again) - that i've watch and learn to love, then came the Kdrama version 'Playful Kiss' (watched only a few episodes before ditching it half-way) and finally the most recent incarnation, the Jdrama 2.0, 'Itazura na Kiss: Love in Tokyo'. As a big fan of the Taiwanese version I was a bit reluctant on watching this. However I am glad I gave it a chance.....this is indeed a really good remake. Both leads (Honoka Miki and Furukawa Yuki) are doing justice to each of their characters as well as their believable chemistry. Viewers can't help but feel empathize with the characters as though they’re real. The production team has successfully creates an effective feel-good atmosphere throughout the drama despite all the risks of it being too cliché. Heck..I’m happy that I spent some time on this Jdrama, period.
MY RATING: ★★★1/2
I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS KDRAMA!!!! It is my MOST 'RELATABLE' DRAMA...and I'm sure that any fangirl would feel the same way as i do. Growing up in the late 90s to Mid 2000s, i've experienced what Sung Shi Won did (except that i was not much of the fan of Kpop 1st generation....) i was, too, a huge fan of boy bands in that era- Backstreet Boys, N SYNC, WESTLIFE, BLUE, BOYZ II MEN.....and still am right till this moment (but now majorly a Kpop fangirl - the transition that i've gone through was further explained
here). I just loved how believable characters were portrayed - All the actors were so natural....every scene that they are together really brought back memories of having THAT small group of friends who you spent a lot of time together, and who were more special than any of your regular friends....missing it so much! Seo In Guk and Apink's Jung Eun-ji (both are my bias!!!!!) had fantastic (*sizzling*) chemistry in this Kdrama...and also Kudos to Shin Soyul, Infinite's Hoya, Lee Sieon and Eun Ji Won, who surprisingly blended well with these much younger cast.... all the meta references about his idol days were totally funny.... FYI, It was the first time that I liked the parents as much as the leading cast, bravo Sung Dong-Il & Lee Il-Hwa!!! In Short, Answer Me 1997 is truly a masterpiece....The story is both genuinely funny and heartwarming....you will REGRET NOT WATCHING IT, period.
MY RATING: ★★★★★
The Gokusen series (season 1, 2 & 3) is a REALLY ENJOYABLE AND ADDICTIVE Jdrama!. This manga-turnaed Jdrama is a story on Yamaguchi Kumiko (Nakama Yukie), better known as Yankumi a new teacher at a male high school in Japan where she is assign on class with the most rebellious group of students. She is full of hope and determination to teach them well much to their annoyance and hostility.Unknowing to these students, Yankumi is actually the grand daughter of the head of a powerful Yakuza clan and could easily threaten them. So, in each episode, she will helps a new and different student with their problems by either kicking ass or talking her way out of it (sound typical right?!...'multiply' that three times and you will get a formulaic drama. However, the stories are still entertaining, and often hilarious, not to mention all the gorgeous cast (Yankumi's Students are either play by Idol-actors or good-looking boys). To summarize, this drama was good. not perfect, but worth watching, although a little formulaic.
MY RATING: ★★★ 1/2
You cannot skip the 'School' series when talking about high school drama. School 2013 is the fifth installment of KBS's "School" series which aired from 1999 through 2002 (never got the chance of watching any of them....but i do know this series has a good reputation of debuting today's top Kstars). I have no expectation but from the first episode I got hooked straight away! It was just fantastic from the first episode. If the rest of high school dramas deal with more with student's problem, in School 2013 viewers don't only see how the students are having it, but also the problems teachers are facing and how they struggle in making big decisions as a teacher. The lack of romance is definitely one of it's strengths. By not adding romance to the overall flow, it allowed this drama to reach another level of friendship that isn't typically seen in any other dramas. The relationship between Go Nam Soon (Lee Jong Suk) and Park Heung Soo (Kim Woo Bin) was phenomenal!!!! and one of best reasons to watch 'School 2013'. Their bromance kept me going, making me laugh, cry, and mad when things didn't go right ..In overall, 'School 2013' was a drama where the story really came on strong and tugged our heartstrings at it's best!
MY RATING: ★★★★★
Finally the 'Hanadan/BOF' Combo.....adapted from the best-selling Manga of the same name - Hana Yori Dango. Both dramas are actually the Japanese and Korean versions of this manga's live action drama. Although the stories are virtually identical, there are enough differences to make each drama a worthy viewing even if one is already familiar with the basic plot line. The Korean version is more glamorous, with beautiful sets, exotic locations, incredible fashion style, and the actors are more physically beautiful, which enhances their aura as a group of super-cool, privileged young men. Nevertheless, the Japanese version stands out because of the acting. Here, our OTP is much more demonstrative and direct with their feelings. I first became a fan of the Japanese version (i've even introduced it to my clique back in high school and they all ended loving it too) and I was sooooooooooooo looking forward for the Korean version just right after it was announced..... 'dedicatedly' followed the pre-production till it finally being broadcast. What else should i say....I loved, loved, loved both versions (including the Japanese's FINAL movie). I am now a fan of it's manga. You just can't help but fall for the usual-poor-simple-girl-who-has-to-work-hard-with-family-struggles-but-still-triumphs-persevering-with-a-smile-and-has-a-extremely-rich-famous-guys-falls-in-love-with-her plot...whew~ I feel the heartache and confusion all the characters feel as they deal with this love triangle... It was such an entertaining ride to the very end.
MY RATING: ★★★★★
*All images belong to this blog, unless otherwise stated.
Based on a extremely popular best-selling novel, 'Khu Kam’ or ‘Sunset At Chaophraya (2013)' is basically a love story that took place during the World War II between a Japanese Officer, Kobori and a local Thai girl named Angsumalin (to whom he refer as Hideko). I had no idea how big this novel was until i began spazzing it right after the movie ended. And to my surprise, it was HUGELY SUCCESSFUL - well, the book is, sadly not the movie....In short, Khu Kam is one of the greatest Thai romance novels by Thommayanti and due to its overwhelming popularity, it has been continuously adapted to both smaller and larger screens AKA dramas & movies since 1973 (for movie version) and 1990 (for lakorn)....That's very much explain why the movie was not that successful and highly criticized comparable to its predecessors (when one watch too much of the same story in different version, sorta unavoidable to compare, right?).
