Monsters

Japanese (Original) title: MONSTERS

8 episodes
Aired on TBS
From 2012 October to December

Main cast:

Katori Shingo as Hiratsuka Heihachi

Yamashita Tomohisa as Saionji Kousuke

Yanagihara Kanako as Takano Emi

Endo Kenichi as Kaneda Hajime

Notes:
- The official poster is so awful that I can't use it. So instead, you have this ->
- I'm more Without a trace/Criminal minds than CSI. And I don't like Detective Conan. So, if you do, don't listen to my opinion on detective series.

Review: -

Title: All murderers are monsters but this title implies more horror or disturbing whereas the drama is actually very clean. The voiceover says something about the ones who track murderers being also monsters...??? I didn't get it

Boy: He's a detective with mad deductive skills. He gathered all clues and in the third act, puts everything together. He has no consideration for anything or anyone. His only motivation seems to arrest murderers. His social behaviour is rude though he is extremely civil spoken.

Other boy: He's the Watson, the Hastings. He's an enthusiastic young policeman.

Plot: Every episode, a murder case is resolved. If the series wasn't only 8 episodes, I would have quit it because it's really repetitive. Except for the first and last episodes, there are always two suspects with one of them telegraphed as the murderer. The motive is established easily. The question is how it was done and the answer always revolve around manipulating the place or/and time of death.

Problem is I'm pretty sure the police can tell if it's a real crime scene and tell quite precisely the time of death when it happened a couple of hours ago. Especially if the victim has been stabbed... What about blood spilling?

So the structure of the episodes, the murder weapons, the motives (career advancement or preservation) are nearly identical episode after episode. Moreover, all victims are men, and only four suspects are women (including two in the first episode which have four suspects), an imbalance that I can't explain.

Other characters: Of course, the narrow minded police officer who's always wrong. Other boy's girlfriend that we only see in the first two episodes.

Most egregious cliché: Genius detective paired with naive sidekick.

Funny factor? It's trying.

Bottom line: This isn't my cup of tea. What I like in detective stories, it's being kept guessing, uncovering secrets and motivations. Focusing only on the how is intellectually interesting (superficially because it often requires suspension of disbelief) but doesn't get you as much emotionally invested as the who and why.

Nobuta wo Produce

Japanese title: 野ブタ。をプロデュース

Aired on NTV
From 2005 October to December
10 episodes

Main cast:

Kamenashi Kazuya: Kiritani Shuji

Yamashita Tomohisa: Kusano Akira

Horikita Maki: Kotani Nobuko

Toda Erika; Uehara Mariko

Ukaji Takashi: Kiritani Satoru

Nakajima Yuto: Kiritani Koji

Okada Yoshinori: Yokoyama Takeshi

Natsuki Mari: Catherine

Notes:
- Ignited my crush on you-know-who
- Seriously, everyone is in this drama!
- I rewatched it some months ago so review is from memories!

 

Review: Fav!

Title: Apt. Tells the premise.

Boy: He's popular, has a pretty and nice girlfriend but he's unsatisfied. Actually he forces himself to be nice so that people would like him.

Girl: Other people pick on her because she's weird. She always holds her head down, her face hidden by hair and talks with difficulty to people. But she really has a heart of gold.

Other boy: He doesn't care that people don't care for him. He's as weird as Girl though in a different way.

Plot / relationships: Though romantic feelings interfere as they're bound to, the main Relationship is the unlikely frienship between these three high school students. Each episode tells a self contained story that make the frienship grow.

What I really like about this drama is that under the weirdness, the emotional beats ring true, I was often moved. Also, it isn't predictable. It's confident, smart, doesn't hold back. It doesn't resort to easy magical fixes.

Other characters: It mostly take place at school though we follow Boy at home and sometimes Other Boy.

Funny factor? Yes but that's not what I liked best.

Music: I like the ending song.

Most egregious cliché: Friendship born from giving a makeover. Dream fakeout.

What the...? So many candidates for this category so let's stop at the first episode: a bookstore only allows good-looking people to read in.

Bottom line: Superficially, every character is weird but in the most important ways they behave like real people and I cared for them and their friendship. Do not watch in public.

Heaven's Wedding Gown

Taiwanese title: 天國的嫁衣 (天国的嫁衣)

Other titles: La Robe de mariée des cieux / La Robe de mariage des cieux / Bride from Paradise / La Robe de mariage

19 episodes
Aired on CTS/SETTV
From 2004 September to 2005 January

Main cast:

Cyndi Wan: Tao Ai Qing

Leon Jay Williams: Lu Zi Hao / Aaron

Ming Dao: Chen Hai Nuo

Terri Kwan: Katrina

Zhang Hong: Pei Ya Xi

Wang Zhi Yu: Sun Xiang Zhen

Qu Zhong Heng: Freddie

Cai Li Qun: Ah Bu

Zhao Shun: Tao's grandpa

Tao Chuan Zheng: Lu Zheng Guo

Wang Yue: Liu Yu Hong

Liu Xu Hao: Ji Pu Sai

Notes:
- Hello Huang Yu Rong (In love with a rich girl and My Lucky star - reunion!)
- Trigger warning: implicit sexual assault
- It's incredible that Other Boy doesn't get to be on the poster.

Review: +/-

Title: There are talks and glimpses of that gown but it isn't at the foreground. Also, it has no relevance to half of the drama.
 

Girl: Typical Girl in that cute, bubbly way. She's confident and outspoken. (+)

Boy: He's a fashion designer who wants to be independant from his father's big company. At first, he's an arrogant jerk but Girl sees his potential and as it turns out, he's perfect.

Other Boy: He's a professional motocycle racer. He's loyal and a good guy... but I didn't like that he was so intrusive and possessive with Girl.

Other girl: She's crazy. It's sad but interesting.

Plot/ Relationships: I wasn't bored watching. However, this drama suffers from the case that killed Alice in Wonder city: it's two-in-one. If I wanted to watch a drama about a racer, his crew and his brushes with mobbish guys, I wouldn't be watching something titled Heaven's wedding gown. Anyway, it works better because at the very least, stuff happens and the two parts intersect regularly, because there is only one hospital and one hotel in that city. And because of Girl who's torn between the two guys and their world.

Here is my main source of dislike. I don't care for extended love triangles. Everyone is unlikeable:

- The guys because they fight over the girl: she's mine, no she's mine, I'm giving her to you, I'm not losing to you... you see the gist, it becomes less about her (an object) and more about male ego. It is adressed directly in the drama but it doesn't make it less annoying episode after episode.

- The girl because as a character, her wants become confusing and (this is real life talking) she ends up using a guy she doesn't like by giving him hope even if she has good intentions. Girls, boys, don't do that. If you say you aren't in love with someone but act like you are, you're giving mixed signals and the hopeful person in love won't move on. I think friendship between guys and girls is possible but if one starts developing feelings but doesn't have the courage to stop seeing the other one, the other one has to scale down the intimacy. /End of the PSA.

Other characters: They were good! I like Boy's mother, Other boy's friends (Xiang Zhen (fierce) and Ah Bu) and the villains. One of them is of the best/worst kind: they are able to seem like they're helping when actually they are undermining you.

Funny factor? I kept a character for this category: Boy's over-the-top assistant. He is funny.

Music: At first, I found it dated but I got used to it. There is an insert song that I really like.

What the...? I'm not sure they had to start the drama in Paris but hey, why not? Also, the fashion is... not very good. Girl has to wear a (tiny but not that tiny) wooden horse around her neck.

Most egregious clichés: Insta-love. Soulmates. Weddingus interruptus. Star-crossed lovers missing each other by a hair (it happened three times).

Bottom line: Characters are great (except for Other's boy pushiness) but the drama would have been better off with fewer episodes.

Borrow your Love

Taiwanese title: 借用一下你的愛 (借用一下你的爱)

14 episodes
Aired on CTV
From 2013 March to June

Main cast:

Amanda Chu: Xie Ping An 謝平安

Dylan Kuo: Ye Chen 葉晨

Shi Yi Nan: Li Zi Wen 黎子文

Cherry Hsia: Xie Xi Le 謝喜樂

Linda Liu: Bai Ming Li 白明俐

Allen Chao: Li Shi Cheng 季世城

Huang Ke Jing: Ji Li Sa 季麗莎

Chen Qiao Wei: Li Huo Ying 季霍英

Notes:
Hello Mother from Autumn's concerto!
And I totally didn't recognise Amanda Chu from the same drama.
Hey Cherry Hsia! I just watched you on Alice in Wonder city.

 

Review: +/-

Title: I'm glad I have this category so I can say how bad this title is. The title is misleading because it screams romance while romance is not a focus. As for the synopsis from Dramawiki: "Xie Ping An and Ye Chen pretended to be a couple in order to hook up their friends. However, the mismatch duo find themselves attracted to one another instead.", it's just false: this is not the premise of this drama.

Girls: They are two orphans who have grown up together and who share a sisterly bond. Girl is brash while Other girl is sweet and timid.

Boys: Full disclosure, this is the first time I thought that I'd like to have a boyfriend like a Boy. And Dylan Kuo totally deserves a spot on this list. I'm just not sure who to kick out. (Edit: now, I know who to kick out, so he's on it.)

All four main characters are interesting and I cared about them. (++++)

Relationships: I'm going to talk about the relationships first. The drama starts with hallmarks of romance: multiple coincidental meetings, initial dislike, forced interaction... however, it becomes quickly apparent that the focus will be on Girls' relationship. I didn't mind. (+)

Plot: The plot is character-based. It advances briskly (which allows for Boy to figure things out and be smart). One piece of information I thought would last episodes before being revealed turned out to be the premise of the drama. (++)

However, the drama suffers from a fatal case of last episode syndrome. It should be obvious but apparently, it's not (see also Heartstrings). A finale is supposed to wrap up the threads, and possibly give us an epilogue. It SHOULD NOT introduce lame cliché pointless new threads that are resolved in ten minutes. There was something else I disliked but it's more subjective. (--)

Other characters: The villain is after my heart, complex with clear motivations, though crazy in execution.

But, there is another very important character who is introduced as ruthless, not only by other people but we also see them in action. Then, at the end of the drama, they're practically a saint. I mean, I can believe that they're not just a monster but I wish their greyer parts were still acknowledged just so I know I've been watching the same events as the characters. Unfortunately, some secondary characters who had potential are also inconsistent.

Most egregious clichés: Everyone is an orphan. Anyone can be CEO.

Funny factor? A scene made me laugh out loud for minutes. I kind of felt bad about it because it's really really really embarrassing.

As often, it gradually becomes darker, though there are still comedic moments.

Music: Serviceable

What the... ? Boy has the weirdest phobia.

Bottom line: While watching, I couldn't decide between a + or a +/-. I don't know why because the characters, the plot, the relationships, everything was compelling. Maybe it was some details, maybe I miss romance... Anyway, the ending sealed it for me: +/-

Alice in Wonder City

Taiwanese title: 給愛麗絲的奇蹟 (给爱丽丝的奇迹)
Other title: Give Alice a miracle

15 episodes
Aired on CTS
From 2012 May to September

Main cast:

Aaron Yan: He Ting Yu 賀霆宇

Xiu Jie Kai: Chen Hai Jie 陳海傑

Lara Veronin: Lan Die Fei 藍蝶菲

Tracy Chou: Alice

Yang Gui Mei: Jin Li Sha 金莉莎

Lin Li Yang: Tang Jin Cang 唐晉滄

Cherry Hsia: Lan Yu Shu 藍語書

Review: -

Title: A character is named Alice but she is no more prominent than the other three main characters so I don't know why she gets to be in the title. There are references to Alice in Wonderland but it doesn't amount to much.

Boy: He's kind of a manic dream guy.

Boy: He's a famous violonist who has been groomed by his overbearing mother to be the best. I think he was the character I was the most interested in.

Girl: She's the most ordinary. Later, there is something about her that comes from nowhere but I wish it could have given her some agency.

Girl: The aforementioned Alice. She's an interesting character trapped in a storyline that doesn't deserve her. See below.

Plot: I'm going to cover plot before relationships because here lies the explanation for the minus review. For once, the problem is easy to pinpoint: half of this drama is a terribad Lifetime movie in which nothing substantial happens but that still manages to take up so much screentime. Moreover, the gist of it is basic (McGuffin! Suspicious men in black!) but one part (Alice's identity) is needlessly confusing. Moreover (yes, that's the second one, I'm piling on it), the two "halves" don't feel organically or tonally or thematically related. It's like watching two dramas smashed together. By the way, the better half is about music, having talent and succeeding in the industry.

Also, some subplots just end abrubtly (no mention of Boy's sister's drama and barely any mention of Siren) and the ending drag.

Relationships: This is the drama's strongest suit. Friendship between three characters, family relationships, romance... I like how they were handled, people reacted like normal people. There are also some unusual reversals. If only the drama had kept focusing on these!

Funny factor: Not really.

Music: I love the theme songs by Lara Veronin. But I disagree with stripping this song from its powerful message. Finally, though I was not enamoured by the classical music pièces performed, I still appreciate hearing something different.

What the...: I could mention a lot of things but, to avoid spoilers, I'll just say that the timeline makes no sense, in a way that is distracting.

Most egregious cliché: Japanese baddies

Bottom line: Excising the storyline that sidelines Alice and thus making the drama more consistent, the drama could have taken advantage of the potential of its setting, of his characters and their relationships. Alas, it was not to be. (-)