Drama Addict
***SPOILER ALERT - DON’T READ AHEAD IF YOU LIKE SURPRISES***
Sorry that I’ve been away for so long. I have been starting to catch up on the piles of dramas that have been thrown my way by different people. So far I’ve finished watching Hana Yori Dango 1 & 2, and Last Friends. Hana Yori Dango was a pretty big hit in Japan and with its cute characters and fairytale storyline, I’m not surprised as to why. It was a nice brainless drama to watch to get away from the stresses of life. There is a Korean version coming out in 2009 that will star Kin Hyun Joong (leader of Korean boyband, SS501) as the lead male role of Hanazawa Rui. My sister wasn’t sure if he could pull off the rich, arrogant, jerk character but I think it’s pretty close to his previous image (minus the rich part) that he shouldn’t have too much trouble. He is pretty hot so even if he can’t act or the drama sucks I will probably watch it for the eyecandy. I still need to watch the Taiwanese version.
Last Friends was an amazing drama. It’s like no other I have every seen (Japanese, Korean or Taiwanese). It dealt with many serious topics in a more realistic way than any other drama I’ve watched. For once domestic violence wasn’t portrayed as a result of the evils of alcohol, but rather it showed the underlying psychological issues of domestic abuse such as why women keep going back. It is not because they are stupid and don’t know any better! It shows the psychological manipulation and the difficulty in walking away from someone you love. I was impressed. I mean, sure it was a drama so it can’t be TOO realistic (otherwise the dramatic effect is lost), but for its limitations, it was pretty good. The other topics that were also dealt with were great as well - questioning gender identity, child molestation, extramarital affairs. The ending was another fairytale, but I’m still happy that the drama wasn’t cotton candy bullshit like so many others. The opening to the drama was great too as it showed the complexity of the characters’ lives and relationships. Oh! And I can’t forget how perfect the song Prisoner of Love by Utada was. I was so impressed.
