Kingyo Club

This was a short but really heartwarming Japanese drama. It included a lot of bullying. It was only ten episodes but absolutely adored it. Especially since the male character was very kind to the girl and helped defend and protect her whenever she got bullied. I really like how the main lead is actually a really caring and protective kind of person, especially since the girl lead is often bullied. I really enjoyed it and it was a very short but touching drama. Now just to make a note, these ten episodes are really, really short. I was a little shocked when I first watched the first episode because of how short it was. I think each episode was around 20 minutes or so (and compared to one hour episodes, this was a pretty fast watch). So this is a "drama" that you can finish really quickly.

Synopsis:

        Haru Hiiragi is a third year high school student. He is rather popular among peers. However, he isn't interested in anything in his life. He often skips classes despite the constant reminders from his friends to come to class. He goes to this abandoned club room and stays there by himself. He enjoys being alone in there and he drinks this drink that he gets from the vending machine in the school. One day, while in his own secret hideout, he hears the voices of very loud girls. He goes out to see a first year student named Harukawa Koto being bullied by three girls in her class. He defends her causing the three bullies to flee, temporarily. 

          Harukawa Koto is very quiet as she thanks her upperclassman for helping her and says that she is okay. He later on encountered her a few more times to see that she had been bullied some more. They had ruined her books writing a lot of hateful messages and they had also spilled red paint over her dress and shoes. To make things worse, the paint didn't come out. Slowly the two get closer to one another as she notices how he actually cares about whether she is living or not and he is always defending her. 

           They pass by a stand selling goldfish and they catch two. She asks him where and how she is going to raise it and so he introduces her to his secret hideout allowing her to come as much as she wants. It turned out that Koto had a lot of problems. The reason she was being bullied was because her mother had come to school drunk on the first day and she was a single mother. Her mother was often seen out with men. This resulted in the bullying. Her mother also did not pay attention to Koto and often said things about how she didn't need Koto in her life. Because of her mother, Koto had cut her feelings. 

          Haru Hiiragi had also cut his feelings due to an incident that had occurred to him before. He was accused of raping a girl when that was not the case. He was in the Basket Club (which was basically like a basketball team) and he had a small crush on the captain's girlfriend. However, he made no intention to approach her. Instead, she came up to him and basically asked if he liked her. There was a misunderstanding when the captain walked in. The captain got angry and pushed the girlfriend aside, causing her to get hurt and she ended up being sent to the hospital. Word traveled fast since she was sent to the hospital. Then the captain and his girlfriend, for their own convenience, lied. They said Haru Hiiragi approached and attacked the girl first. Because of this, he could no longer trust the people around him. 

            Because there was a mutual attraction and understanding, they got closer. They decided to form the Kingyo Club which is a secret club between the two. The Kingyo Club basically means the Goldfish Club.  They only talk and take care of the goldfish. The two begin to bond and the Kingyo Club became a place where they both ran to when they faced problems. As the two get closer and start dating, Harukawa faces more problems. The bullying gets severe and extreme. They locked in lockers and tied her in the shower and so forth. Motoi, the class representative had a crush on her. And let's just say, he was okay at the start but then became unbelievably creepy. However, the two lovers went through all the problems together. He loved her and cared for her and was the sweetest guy ever. He stood by her side no matter what and did everything to protect her in his own way. He was also only one to truly understand her and it was the cutest thing ever. It was deep in its own way in how they treated one another and accepted each other's pasts. I really liked it and it was a fast watch, so it won't take too much time. 

Asuko March

This was a Japanese drama with only 9 episodes. However, it was cute. I felt that in a way it felt unbelievable and it was similar to Gokusen in the way she brings the best out of the guys. It was still cute though and because it was unbelievable, it was interesting. 

Synopsis:

      The girl is called Yoshino Nao. When she took her entrance exam, she accidentally missed one answer and her answers all shifted. Because of this, she failed the entrance exam to the  high school she wanted to get in and had to enroll into a technical school called Kenritsu Asuka Kougyou Koukou. It is nicknamed "Asuko." The school is different from others as they mostly focus on making things and so forth. It is said that the graduation rate was very, very low as 90% of the students immediately start working. Some would go to  companies and their family's factories. 

      To make matters worse for Yoshino Nao, she finds out of all the students enrolled there were only 3 girls accepted. She was the only girl in her class. Afterwards, one of the girls dropped out of the school and so it was only Yoshino Nao and Momo-chan (who hates her and wants her to leave). Momo-chan is in another class. At first, the whole class thinks that Yoshino Nao is looking down on them and she really wanted to leave. She wasn't used to it all.

         They got into a lot of fights and they all seemed fascinated with the only girl in the class. When the teacher asked them to change into "work clothes" for the certain class, they all started stripping right there in front of her, not really caring. The school really wasn't designed for girls. You have to do all that hard work and also while they all got to change in the classroom, she had to go all the way to the fourth floor and walk a lot till she reaches the locker room. She didn't participate when they were making things and she didn't want to be there. Not to mention, someone has heard her say that she didn't want to be there to her friend. She was also starting to drift away from her friend who attends a better high school because her friend made new friends that made her feel uncomfortable of what they thought of her behind her back. 

        Tamaki, a boy in the class, was annoyed that she looked down on them. And one day, she met his younger siblings who were talking about eating an imaginary burger. So she takes them to eat hamburgers which makes Tamaki angry asking if she's doing this to show him that he can't provide his siblings. She accidentally threw out one of his tools and bought him a new one, but he was annoyed that he thought of his tool as trash to throw it out. So in the end, she went through the trash to find it for him and she also defended his family when one of her friend's friend was insulting them. Because of this, Tamaki was touched and finally accepted her as a friend and slowly began to have a crush on her. Then slowly, the rest of the class did also. She became part of the class and she helped them overcome a lot of their own problems. She let them know that they were needed, protected them when they got beat up, helped them, and she brought the class together as one. They got along really well but she still was set on transferring schools. They knew that it was what she wanted and so they supported her and let her have a lot of happy memories. She began to get used to the work and began helping and they even built an eco-car together. However, afterwards, she realized that she made true friends in Asuko and decided to stay in that school because they taught her things that others wouldn't have.

        While in the school, she had a crush on Aruto. Tamaki had a crush on her. I personally really liked Tamaki because his personality was amazing and he always helped her even though he knew she liked someone else. I wish the ending was a bit better and more developed. But other than that, I thought it was kind of cute. I mean come on, a class with a bunch of guys and you're the only girl? And also Momo-chan was really mean in the beginning because she dislikes girls (she got bullied before) but after Yoshino defended her, they were on good terms. I liked this drama because it is so unbelievable but interesting. 

       This was just a very good drama and I would totally recommend it because its just so cute and funny it's own way. Not to mention, the boys all had different personalities that kind of suited each other. There were funny ones, bad ones, the fighter types, smart ones, and so forth. It was just a very interesting drama and I personally enjoyed it because of its simplicity and the fact that it is so unbelievable that she's like one girl in an entire class of guys who are always willing to help her. 

I think this was one of those times where I'm disappointed with who the main lead ends up with. I'm sorry this has so many spoilers, but I really liked Tamaki more than Aruto. 

                    

Mischievous Kiss: Love in Tokyo

Episodes: 16

There are already so many versions of Itazura Na Kiss. There is a Taiwanese version that has two seasons based on the love story (It Started with a Kiss and They Kiss Again). And of course there is the Korean version, Playful Kiss. The version is the modern Japanese version based on the manga. I liked this a lot and I really enjoyed the actor who played the male lead, he had such a cold face but he actually opened up once in a while and he conveyed a lot through his eyes. So it made it seem like he's struggling emotionally while having this ice block face. Other than that, it had the same story line since its based on the same manga. However, like It Started With a Kiss, they followed the manga more. 

Synopsis:

       Kotoko Aihara is a bubbly and kind girl. However, she isn't very smart academically. At the high school entrance ceremony, she notices the handsome Naoki Irie. She falls in love with him immediately and begins this one-sided love. She didn't express her feelings to him for many years.Finally she got the courage to confess her feelings and he rejected her with a cold face and said, "I don't like dumb women." She was crushed but thankfully her friends and Kin-chan (her admirer) were there for her. Her father was a single parent who has a Japanese restaurant. Her mother had passed away and he had promised her mother that he would buy a house for her. So he builds his own house. 

       Kotoko Aihara even invites her friends over who marvel at how beautiful the house was.  However, while they were staring at it, Kotoko noticed a noise. It turned out a shooting star was zooming over their heads and it hit their house. It caused the house to go down in ruins. They were offered to stay at his father's friend's home. They agree for the time being and they move over. However, to her surprise, it was the home of Naoki Irie. The guy she had confessed to and got rejected by. Isn't that lovely? 

       The two butt heads a lot but  Kotoko still liked him. He began tutoring her for the exam. They got closer with one another and Naoki Irie began to develop feelings for her that he didn't understand himself. Kin continued to chase after Kotoko. They go to college and Kotoko makes all her decisions revolving around Irie-kun. He notices but keeps quiet and he does start getting to know her and like her. The two share a lot of memories and both felt jealous at one point.

         He felt jealous when he always saw Kin with her. She definitely got worried a few times when gorgeous and smart girls at the school began to like him. However, it was very clear that his feelings were only for her as he was only friends with the other girls.

        They face more problems and almost got married to people that they didn't love. However, they come to realize their true feelings and who they belong with. And once Naoki Irie noticed this, he reciprocated her love and it was really sweet (especially the ending). But to be honest, in all versions, I don't know how the girl leads deal with a "cold" guy not really expressing his feelings, humiliating her and teasing her sometimes, and also often giving her the cold shoulder. But I guess it just showed that even though he did all those things, he was just in the process of discovering his feelings. 

Personally, I felt that I still enjoyed the Taiwanese version the best. But this was also very enjoyable and I really liked it. 

I Give My First Love to You (Movie)

This was a Japanese film that truly was amazing. To put things out there this movie was a bit of everything and it flowed so perfectly. It had love, cute scenes, funny scenes, sad moments, and everything that made a couple interesting to watch. However this was not a typical love story that is just all mushy. This is a tearjerker and I would recommend it for everyone to watch because its an amazing movie. 

Synopsis:

        The start of this movie starts with two children named Mayu and Takuma. Mayu is the daughter of a cardiologist. Takuma has a heart disease and coincidentally is being treated by Mayu's father. At the hospital, the two begin to become friends and they bonded. They had a cute friendship between one another and both had small crushes on one another. One day, as they stood on the roof of the hospital watching the fireworks, Takuma decides to go call his parents. He goes to find his parents to see them talking to the doctor. He opens the door to call for them but is shocked to hear the doctor say that he will not live past the age of twenty due to his condition. His parents are distressed and Takuma is shocked to know his fate as such a young age. When he turned around, he was surprised to see Mayu standing there. She must have went to go check on him and heard the news also. She was staring at him with wide eyes and a startled expression upon hearing the news. 

          She was upset with her father for a short while as he was the one who had delivered the news. However, Mayu continued to be friends with Takuma and Takuma eventually became her first love. While they were playing in the fields, in search of a four leaf clover to make a wish, Takuma says that he wants to marry Mayu when he grows up. When they did find a four leaf clover,  Mayu grabbed the clover and screamed and begged for the clover to let Takuma live and to let them get married. They made a promise with one another to marry when they reach the age of twenty. 

        After a few years later, the two have grown up and are attending junior high school. They are now dating. Takuma is not allowed to play sports and he most certainly is not allowed to run. His grades are very good though and he's very smart. Mayu, meanwhile, didn't have good grades and she didn't do that well in school.  However, she was athletic. The two still share a cute relationship with one another and it was truly enjoyable to see how they interacted. Like in one scene, a couple of teenage boys poured water on Mayu's white shirt to see her bra. Takuma was upset and got into a fight with them. Later, in the nurse's office, he was a bit sulky that the teenage boys saw her bra before he did and that he was her boyfriend. So she teased him and said that she'll show him. Just as she grabbed the ends of her shirt, he said that his heart hurt and it wasn't anything like a heart attack. She immediately puts on his coat over t-shirt and said, "I'm never showing you my body. The excitement might kill you," which resulted in a small chase around the nurse's office, a hug, and a kiss. 

          Takuma loves her and they are both crazy about one another. However, knowing his days are numbered and not wanting Mayu to be hurt, he wants to push her away. He thought that one way to naturally distance her was to go to a high school that she would have trouble getting into. He didn't want her to cry and be hurt because of him. He made a promise to himself to leave after the last day of junior high. He gets accepted into one of the top high schools which also makes the students stay in boarding houses. However, to his shock, Mayu was there on the first day of school. She was the representative for the freshman as she had the highest scores. It was shocking considering how bad her grades were before. She made herself look like a love-crazed girl as she said things like, "Takuma, I  hired ten tutors! Don't you try to dump me!" 

          Afterwards, the two share a series of teasing one another in front of the other students outside. They were clearly still very loving and happy. After a while, Takuma was worried about Mayu getting hurt. They break up and then get back together again. A kid named Kou who had repeatedly flirted with Mayu and had just become friends with Takuma was worried that Mayu would get hurt also. He gave off the image of a player. However, he got hit by a train accidentally and became brain dead and the doctors all said that he would not wake up again. The family decide that they would allow Kou to donate his heart since they found an organ donation card in his pocket. Takuma was happy about it until he found out it was from his friend. He refused it despite causing his parents and Mayu pain. Then they were left without a choice when Kou's family took back their consent. They said that Kou was crying and that his finger moved. The doctors had explained it was reflexes but the family took it as a strand of hope and refused to give the heart away. 

         Takuma was fine with it as he didn't want to accept it in the first place.  However, shortly afterwards, Takuma began to have problems with his heart and his life was on a line. Mayu went to go beg for Kou's heart though they still didn't consent and they understood her pain and cried with her.When Takuma passed away, Mayu was devastated. But she kept true to the promise they made as children, as she dressed up in a bridal dress with Takuma's ashes and went to the church. She spoke to him, hugging the jar of ashes tight to her body, and said that even if she knew how much pain was going to await her, she would still want to meet him and she would still fall in love with him.

Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge

This is a Japanese drama and it was based on the manga called The Wallflower. I'll jump to the synopsis first and then tell you my feelings on the drama itself. 

Synopsis: 

         The girl is called Sunako. She confessed to her high school crush and he replied, "I don't like ugly girls." Upon that, she was scarred and heartbroken. She began to shun all forms of beauty including within herself. She begins to become obsessed with things like vampires, torture devices, skeletons, horror films, and so forth. While, Sunako was living like this, there are other characters to talk about that are also important as to how this story plays. 

         Takano Kyohei is blessed with good looks and is
a college student. He gets fired from his part-time job and he also looks at personality instead of looks. This is because many girls fangirl over him but they don't like him for who he is but what he looks like. He also has a hot temper and is good at fighting. He was renting a mansion with three other good looking guys. They had a lot of fangirls but they lived in that mansion together. With his job gone, Kyohei wasn't sure how he was going to pay rent. Then the owner of the mansion, offers the guys free rent in her mansion if they can turn her niece Sunako into a "perfect lady." Her son was living with these four good-looking students and would help them get used to Sunako (that little boy is so cute and cheerful.) 

     The first meeting was scary as they did not expect Sunako to look so scary. Sunako was scared of "bright creatures" and kept head butting these guys whenever they had this light shining around them. She preferred dark places and avoids all of them except for her cousin (the little boy). In this drama, you see the girl slowly start coming out of her shell. You also see the friendship of the other guys form. They also had a lot of different problems throughout this drama and it was really interesting as to how they dealt with it. It was comedic and entertaining to watch them as they tried to turn Sunako into a perfect lady. Little did Kyohei expect to slowly fall in love with Sunako. The other guys all began to form close friendships with one another and also Sunako. You also see how they become moral support for one another and help one another with all the problems that they faced.

Sunako also gets amazing fighting skills when they call her ugly because it triggers past memories, makes her angry, and she just rages. So whenever they face trouble and need backup, they all call her: "Ugly Sunako" and she immediately starts fighting alongside them.

The ending was very cute and throughout the entire drama, you get the message: You are who you are and that makes you beautiful. And the reason why Kyohei liked Sunako was because she was who she was...loving her figurines, skeletons, skulls, blood, vampires, and her horror. 

Opinions: 

This was very entertaining. I personally thought that it was entertaining. They did a good job in acting and it was often very comedic. However, I loved the opening song because all the main actors in this drama were dancing together to the song. They had a lot of cute moments and you can see how isolated the girl is from the real world. She loves vampires so much, she sleeps in a coffin.  Her best friends are these science models of the human body that she found in someone's trash. You also see that the pretty boys have their problems. Like on Valentine's Day, they had to have curtains up and stay inside in fear of getting attacked by their fan girls. 

This is not entirely realistic. There are a lot of interesting moments. The way the two main characters fight is kind of interesting because the girl always pushes him around and they yell at one another. They faced a ghost in their mansion, wicked fangirls, and so forth. I would recommend this to all my friends.

Besides, what is better than watching a drama with four good looking guys? 

Absolute Boyfriend

I watched the Japanese version of this and I really liked it, even shedding a few tears towards the end. Wouldn't it be great if all girls in this world could have a boyfriend that is exactly what you would like him to be? This is about a girl who gets a robot boyfriend that matches her ideal type in looks and personality and what he does for her. There is now a Taiwanese version of this too but I didn't really like it because Goo Hye Sun's (the girl from BOF) voice was dubbed since she's Korean. I actually wanted to hear her actual voice and hear her try speaking Chinese. I mean, they could've just made her a person who came to a different country for a job but it was dubbed and it sounded totally off...
I also didn't like how the robot acted at times in the Taiwanese version but it was still basically the same story.
Personally,  I preferred the Japanese version. So I'll be writing on the Japanese version:

Synopsis:
Our main character Riiko is not very lucky with love. Thus, when she receives a business card for a website that sells "love figures," she goes there and orders one without knowing the problems this may bring. She chooses her ideal look for her boyfriend and also what she wishes that he would do for her. This was then programmed into this robot and it was sent to the house for a 3-day free trial. Yet, when she couldn't return him before the deadline, she has to find a way to return a one million debt that she now owes.
        During this time, her robot boyfriend does whatever he can to please her and do what she wants. For example, she had said that she would like to see her boyfriend exercising. However, since robots can't sweat, he was spraying water on himself the entire time. Her boyfriend was also doing a lot of romantic things for her and was doing really cool things like using his extreme strength and speed. He did whatever he could to protect her from harm and even went working to help her return the debt. He loved her so much that he even said things like "Her smile is my happiness."
       However, the weird thing that took over the robot, was love. As a love robot, he was only supposed to do what was programmed with him. It was programmed for him to love her. However, he began to think and feel on his own and he began to truly fall in love with Riiko. In the end, for Riiko to have a happiness with a man that also likes her, he decides to end ties with her. He decides to let her go on with life without having a robot by her side. When she leaves, crying, he found himself also crying. This is also weird as a robot couldn't produce fluids. It showed that he was becoming more and more human-like. Then he closed down on his own. It was a really touching and sweet drama that will leave you falling in love with this silly, love-stricken robot and a girl who was freaked out by this absolute boyfriend that she had ordered.

This robot boyfriend truly makes you wish that you had one seeing how much he is willing to do for you and how far he'd go to make you smile and to protect you...even if it means sacrificing himself.

Hana Yori Dango

This was the second version out of Boys Over  Flowers and it aired in 2005. This drama had a lot of really sweet moments in which the guy always was there for her, protecting her and loving her. I felt like this drama was really sweet and it really makes you fantasize about what it would feel like to have such a caring boyfriend.
       

         Our main character is Makino  Tsukushi who is poor and doesn't understand why the rich girls in the school Eitoku Gakeun all had brand names. The school was rich and the four people that ruled the school are Domyouji Tsukasa, Hanazawa Rui, Nishikado Sojiro, and Mimasaka Akira. They are known as the F4 and all are to be future heirs of different businesses. Tsukasa is to be the heir of Domyouji World Finance Group, Hanazawa Rui is also going to be inheriting a large company, Sojiro is a player but the heir of a tea ceremony school (so he always woos the girls by saying things like how their skin is soft like tea leaves or whatever), and Akira is a player with older women and is linked with underground business. Either way, these four people are not to messed with at the school. If they are, that person becomes the victim of the entire school once they receive a red card/notice from F4. In the end, that person, to avoid the bullying, will leave the school.
         Makino, knowing about this, doesn't want to draw attention and wants to attend school quietly. It has been her family's pride to know that she attends a school for rich people even though the family is poor. They literally brag about it to everyone (they show it in the drama). However, one day, her friend got up to throw out her lunch and accidentally bumped into Domyouji when she turned, dirtying his shirt. He asks her how she is going to pay and Makino, upset, stands up for her friend. With that, she becomes the one who is bullied. However, she refuses to back down and continues to go to the school. She also meets Hanazawa Rui a few times and falls for him. One day, she had had enough and punches Domyouji in the face and declares war on F4. For some odd reason, it reminds Domyouji of his older sister and he starts falling for Makino. The two become an odd couple and he protects her and also the two have to face his evil mother who keeps trying to separate them. And it also turned out her friend was evil but either way, the couple was adorable together.