Mischievous Kiss 2: Love in Tokyo

Episodes: 16

Synopsis (viki.com):

Will life be one of married bliss for Naoki and Kotoko? In one of the most-anticipated sequels, the unlikely couple of the average Kotoko (Honoka Miki) and the brilliant Naoki (Yuki Furukawa) from “Mischievous Kiss: Love in TOKYO” returns for a second season! After the original series ended with the wedding of Naoki and Kotoko, the special episode “Mischievous Kiss 2: Love in Okinawa” follows Naoki and Kotoko on their honeymoon, where a strange couple turns up and meddles in their romantic getaway. As they settle back in their new lives after the honeymoon, can Naoki and Kotoko handle the pressures of marriage and their careers? “Mischievous Kiss 2: Love in TOKYO” is the sequel to the popular “Mischievous Kiss: Love in TOKYO” (2013). It is the fifth live adaptation of the popular Japanese manga “Itazura na Kiss,” following the original in 1996, Taiwan’s “It Started With a Kiss” (2005) and “They Kiss Again (2007), and Korea’s “Playful Kiss” (2010).

Review: 

        Ever since I watched the Taiwanese version (It Started With a Kiss) and the second season of that (They Kiss Again), I fell in love with this show. I have to say that Mischievous Kiss 1 and 2 have not disappointed me. I fell in love with the dynamics of the show and the characters once again. I liked this version almost as much as I loved the Taiwanese and that says a lot. Watching this, it reminded me of why I liked the show in the first place. The first season is the light-hearted high school romance where things just fall perfectly into place for the characters. The second season is college life and the immediate confrontation of the future. It targets so many more issues and it allows the relationship to expand in ways that wouldn't be possible in the first season. They targeted issues as to how the high school love develops into one that thinks about sex, babies, jobs, what kind of future they want, and becoming codependent of one another while becoming more independent.
        However, I feel like Kotoko's character is just exaggerated. I don't think she's honestly slow in learning. She's motivated with a sense of independence. In It Started With A Kiss (Taiwanese version) and even in Playful  Kiss (Korean version), we were more worried about the development of our female protagonist because her goals were solely based on what our male protagonist's goals are. I see it in Kotoko as well but she seemed a little better off...just very incompetent in what she does. She was very ebullient throughout the entire drama and I really liked the scene where she fought with Irie. I loved when it happened in the Taiwanese drama and I still liked it in this version. The reason is that it truly showed that despite the infatuation Kotoko feels for Irie, the two are still very different. Love can be difficult when the people are on opposite ends of a spectrum. However, they worked it out and that little fight was a wake up call to all of us and the characters that they are different and will have to work together to make it work.
        In episode 9, when Irie's cousin visited and was totally open on confessing her love to Irie (which is kind of creepy but okay). My favorite quote of Kotoko from that episode when she said, "You might have loved him longer, but you'll never love him as much as I do." I liked this because it showed that love is not necessarily about the length of time you've been together but about how deep you love one another. In episode 10, it allowed us to see Yuki's mini romance start with a mini Kotoko. Their little romance continued on with an older version of Yuki and that was just very fascinating to watch. History truly repeated itself.
         I really enjoyed this drama. The Taiwanese version stopped at two seasons so I'm hoping that maybe the Japanese version will make up to three seasons? (Though I doubt it because both versions based it on the manga and this was how the manga ended because the author died). 

The Virtuous Queen of Han

Episodes: 47

Synopsis: 

Wei Zi Fu is a lowly servant's daughter. Wei Zi Fu and her brother work at Princess Pingyang's manor and as a songstress, she was recruited to entertain Princess Pingyang and her brother (the emperor). Zi Fu immediately captivates her audience including Emperor Wu Liu Che who brings him to the palace. She learns to get along with others and avoid the problems in the harem using her intellect. Over the years, she deals with all sorts of plots to bring her down and builds up the reputation of being virtuous. Can a simple-minded but virtuous girl survive in the palace filled with deceitful courtiers and malicious intentions? 

Review: 

    This drama is said to be historically accurate for the most part. 47 episodes did seem like a lot to watch for me but I finished this drama without too much thought. Many people that commented were saying that this drama was flowing nicely and really entertaining. Although this drama was entertaining in many aspects, I also found that a lot of scenes dragged. I always felt like they talked too much, explained the politics too much, or just dragged out a scene with too much dialogue. However, I think that it did help to show the issues in politics and show how the characters would solve many of those problems. It also showed depth in the story allowing me to understand what exactly was going on and why the characters were getting uptight. 

     I thought the most interesting scenes took place in the harem. A bunch of woman sharing one powerful husband and all vying for attention and power...sounds like a good place to start drama. The empress was this spoiled brat and was trying extremely hard to be able to conceive a child. Her jealousy got the best of her most of the time but she does improve as the drama progresses (not that you see her often as it goes on). It just shows how catty someone could get because of jealousy and the insecurity of losing power. Wei Zi Fu uses kindness and her virtuous personality to win over others and get along with as many people as she could. This drama really emphasized the concept of family and how during those times, serving the husband was a big aspect in a woman's life (even if she has such a high status).
       In terms of costume, I thought everything was beautiful. The dresses were extravagant with beautiful designs. The robes were amazing. The clothing shows the progression of one's character as she rises or falls. A lot of the makeup and hair reminded me of ancient drawings. This drama tried to stay historically accurate in the costume and makeup of the people and I thought that was really nice to see. However, a lot of the eyebrows cracked me up because though it did look like the people in ancient paintings, it was still interesting to see it in person.
        I really liked the amount of trust between the emperor and Wei Zi Fu in the beginning. In history, that trust deteriorates when the emperor begins to get swayed by some corrupt officials and begins turning on his own family with the idea of witchcraft. Thankfully, this drama never reached that gruesome point. Therefore the love and trust between the main characters was extremely strong and comforting to see. The Princess Pingyang was also a great and strong character. Her personality truly outshines in almost every episode she is in and I shipped her with Zi Fu's brother so hard. The characters were probably the main reason I stayed. Their character depth really made them palpable characters that are easily adored.My favorite scenes from this drama is when justice got served and when the plan of evil characters backfire. All in all, I enjoyed this drama though I did think some scenes were slow. 

First Time (Movie)

                                     

     This movie was very short but surprisingly beautiful and I was on the verge of tears at the very end. I did not have to doubt whether the love was real or not because I think that was the idea of the story. They wanted to convince you that despite the scenarios, the love was real. This story is kind of complicated in it's own way. It starts off convincing you that this man is the girl's high school crush and his name is Gong Ning. They form this relationship rekindling old feelings. However, this romance was not as innocent and fluffy as it appeared to be. 

       The girl is named Song Shi Qiao.  This girl has some sort of genetic problem that affected her respiratory system. Her father passed away because of this genetic disease (I think). So her mother is very loving and protective of her. You see a very strong bond between mother and daughter. That love the mother had for her daughter played a huge role. Song Shi Qiao likes to record her thoughts on these cassettes like it is a diary. Her mother listened in on the cassettes without her knowledge and finds out that her daughter's still talking about her high school crush Gong Ning who had passed away. Because of the medication Song Shi Qiao was taking, her memory was slowly fading. Using this to her advantage, Song Shi Qiao's mother hires a man named Lu Xia to play the part of Gong Ning and got his family and friends to play along. All the beautiful scenes of love were scripted. Then slowly things started to get unscripted as feeling begin to develop for the kindhearted girl. 

          In the process of all this, it showed family problems that Lu Xia faced. The touching moment in the rain with his father made me tear up. As it went on, Lu Xia's double identity was showing in many aspects even though he managed to hide everything pretty well. He enrolls Song Shi Qiao at a dance studio so that she can perform. It was a way to let her do something that doctors said she couldn't. Almost like a dying wish. However, upon her death, you find out that she was hiding the biggest secret of all and that just maybe their love was not as scripted as it seemed. Their love had been real. 

         I loved the dynamics of the characters, the character depths and background stories were great, and the scenes with family were extremely touching. The romance made me feel fluttery feels the entire way. The cinematography was also beautiful as the director used light tones strategically. Great film and I really enjoyed it. 

Fall In Love With Me

Episodes: 20

Synopsis (viki.com): 

A man at the peak of his career and fame suddenly walks away from it all. Lu Tian Xing/Xiao Lu (Aaron Yan) is a renowned prodigy in the advertising industry who makes a surprise announcement that he is taking three months off and goes off the grid. Going by the name Xiao Lu, he re-surfaces with his new persona at the ad agency of Tao Le Si (Tia Li), a young woman who is struggling to keep her deceased brother’s agency afloat and away from sharks trying to take it over like the former Tian Xing. What could Tian Xing have in mind and will he ever return to his former high-profile life? “Fall in Love With Me” is a 2014 Taiwanese drama series.

Review: 

        It was really interesting to see Aaron Yan act with Tia Li after acting with her bandmate Guo Puff in the drama Just You. It was nice to see the change in partner and how the chemistry shifted into a different form. It was also interesting to see that one of Puff's friends from Just You also appeared here. However, I did not like this drama as much as I liked Just You. I felt that Tao Le Si was a very weak female character despite her ability to maintain her brother's advertising company. She wasn't witty or bubbly but rather serious and awkward for the majority of the drama. I felt the chemistry that Aaron Yan was trying to project through his eyes and kissing but I couldn't see the two together as a couple. It felt awkward for the most part. 

       However, I would recommend this drama for anyone that wants something fluffy filled with romance and friendship and conspiring, dramatic evil people. It was still a cute drama with all the things required for a fun watch. It had second leads, company issues, love, and also the big issue that Lu Tian Xing had to make Tao Le Si see that he is the same person as Xiao Lu (who he pretends is another person). I still don't understand how she was unable to see how similar Xiao Lu and Tian Xing were to each other considering they were one person. Everyone was too trusting on the idea that Xiao Lu was a different person that looks similar to Lu Tian Xing and I found it odd that no one suspected that the dude was lying about looking similar to Lu Tian Xing and is actually Lu Tian Xing until the very end. Surely nobody can be that blind, right? But to my dismay, they kind of were. And it was interesting to see how Lu Tian Xing's worst love rival was himself while Tao Le Si had to realize her true feelings for two people that looked identical as well as recognize that they are the same person. On the bright side, because of the two characters Aaron Yan had to project, we saw two sides of him. One was the cold, business-like Lu Tian  Xing and the other was the cute, dorky Xiao Lu who got close to Tao Le Si. 

      I had frustrations throughout this drama though. I mean, why couldn't Lu Tian Xing just tell her the truth? Yeah, it's probably a big deal and it can lead to complications considering Tao Le Si despises Lu Tian Xing. But if he explained his motives and why this was happening, I' m sure that she'll come to understand. Again, it was my high expectations for drama land. I also felt that Tao Le  Si's character was not attractive when Xiao Lu left her life. It showed how weak and delusional and crazy the girl can get. She was depressed and dramatic. I considered understanding her because it was heartbreak but it got to a point where she went crazy and she wasn't listening and she was running in the rain and not trying to be open to new ideas. It frustrated me and her character had no emotion throughout the whole freaking drama. Her face was the same the whole freaking drama.  I was constantly torn between the emotional and expressive Aaron Yyan and the expressionless Tia Li. Big difference. I also despised the whole conspiracy part to get Lu Tian Xing to marry Huan Huan. Huan Huan is the girl that grew up with Lu Tian  Xing and has this mindset that she is destined to be with him and that it is meant to be. I was hopeful that she would not be the bitch of the drama because she started off giving us this impression that she's spoiled, young, immature, very little sister-like, and someone that only knows how to whine. I was hoping that she'd be like the cousin from the drama Perfect  Couple and that she would not pose a threat. But after a ridiculous accident upon a cliff, the girl is injured for a while and she ends up faking the injury because her brother thought it was best for her to do so until the very end. She got increasingly bitter, angry, and had to constantly remind everyone that she was the only one for Lu Tian Xing when it was evident that marrying her was going to be torture and forced on his side. I personally hate when dramas have those kind of storylines because it's manipulative and ridiculous at how helpless everyone is. Like I just wanted to shake Huan Huan and get her brother's words out of her head and tell her that that is not the way to find love by manipulating them to stay with you.
      Even though, the unrealistic aspects and scenarios frustrated me. There were parts that I did enjoy. In episode 8, I thought it was a very hauntingly sad scene that was extremely similar to the scene that appeared in Tiny Times 3 (movie). Strangely, that is one scene that I will never get over because in both this drama and that movie, it was portrayed hauntingly beautiful. Basically, you have Tao Le Si confiding in Xiao Lu that she fell in love with him while Lu Tian Xing's mindset was for her to forget the fake character he made and fall in love with him. So he disappears while she's making a wish resulting in her crying for him to come out while he's crying and hiding from her behind this wall. The funniest unrealistic scenario that I ever saw was in episode 11. You have Lu Tian Xing holding on to both Tao Le Si and Huan Huan as they dangle off of a cliff. It was the funniest thing because it wasn't really a cliff. It was like a grassy hill that led to these rocks in the ocean. It was the hypothetical "If I was hanging off a cliff with this person, who would you save?" It was hilarious. And I was so shocked at how stupid they were in dealing with the situation. Considering that Lu Tian Xing already was holding on to them, the girls could have easily curled up so that their foot gets a grip on the grass and slowly make their way up. They didn't. And Huan Huan's injury did not seem realistic to me because she was already in a vertical position. With the grass and her shoes and her position, I saw no reason why she couldn't stop herself from falling on to the rocks. Also if Lu Tian Xing can walk down the freaking hill to go get Huan Huan, it is not that bad. But I mean, it was a good laugh. I also loved that part where Lu Tian Xing and Tao Le Si were outdoors just having this make out session. That was a beautiful scene.
       As for the ending, I felt it was kind of abrupt in a way because of all the drama that happened before the end. It was very typical that everyone got their happy endings in the end and everyone's happy. So I can't say I hated the ending nor can I say I liked it. I'll just leave it at that.
       

Tiny Times 3 (Movie)

      This movie was probably my least favorite of the Tiny Times movies. It just was so weird and unrealistic and because the scenes were choppy, I was confused many times.

        This movie starts off with the girls going on a business trip together.  The girls had fun, they took weird pictures, and they played around. They even bumped into Lily's "little brother." And then, Lin Xiao is on the airplane crying and immediately we're introduced that Zhou Chong Guang is dead. And from the last movie, we basically kind of get the idea that the two are dating. So it was confusing for me because the movie just started and you know five minutes ago, we saw a scene of him with Lily's boyfriend and they both looked perfectly fine. Not to mention, his cancer was taken care of in the second movie. At the funeral, Lin Xiao goes to the casket to see him one last time but Gong Ming wouldn't let her. I was very upset to know that the actor for Gong Ming changed. I really liked the previous actor and I just couldn't get into this new one. 

       Lin Xiao then is depressed and acts half dead. Lily tries to get Lin Xiao to do daily tasks like taking a shower and tells her to get her act together but Lin Xiao blows Lily off saying that she can't be as cold as Lily is. Offended, Lily leaves the shower with the water running on the fully clothed Lin Xiao. This is when the relationship flashbacks are shown. It was a really cute and simple way to show how great the relationship was and depicting how much she hurt without dragging these scenes out. Nan Xiang then comes into the shower to turn off the water and to comfort her while Lin Xiao says that no one would love her as much as he had. Following that, Lin Xiao had one of those New Moon depression scenes (Yes, I'm talking about one of the Twilight movies). Lin Xiao did the Bella thing where she sat in front of a window expressionless and watched the seasons pass and life move on. 

       Nan Xiang's ex boyfriend is extremely annoying and keeps bothering her while she has to deal with her mom's problematic gambling problems. Her ex boyfriend shows his abusive side once again by hitting her simply because she said that she didn't want to get back with him. While Nan Xiang cries, Wei Hai appears and recognizes her. Meanwhile, Gu Yuan is buying a ring and getting ready to propose to Lily. Ruby and Lin Xiao tease him as they fantasize the whole situation.
       Moving forward, there is that weird appearance of another one of Lily's little brothers. That was weird. There are just so many little brothers popping out in this movie. Then we see this weird blond version of Zhou Chong Guang walking around the company as the new model. His name is Shaun. Lin Xiao spots him and starts stalking him because of the uncanny resemblance to her dead boyfriend. After this, I was very confused. It was a jumble of thoughts. Like: what's up with Chong Guang? That is Chong Guang right? What is happening?  Did Gu Yuan just take Lily's position? What is this weird spy mission?
        Lin Xiao finds out that Shaun is Chong Guang which led to a very sad scene of her screaming into the streets for him to come out and face her while he hides behind a tree. Both were crying. It was painful to watch but it was confusing. His motives were so weird. Lin Xiao then finds out that Lily had suspicions about  Chong Guang's death and felt hurt that this information was withheld from her. Ruby sees Wei Hai kissing Nan Xiang and is infuriated because she had a crush on him for so long. Nan Xiang tries to clear up the misunderstanding to no avail and then told Wei Hai that she had no feelings for him. Lin Xiao's crying in the snow. Lily had a failed proposal. Gu Yuan's trying to get the ring out of the sewer. Ruby's crying in front of their high school picture while crossing out Nan Xiang. She then packs and leaves the home. Chong Guang tells his brother that he's old and is ready to be independent and that his brother doesn't have to worry about him anymore. That was a depressing birthday for Gong Min but it was a progressive step for Chong Guang. Ruby and Nan Xiang then fight and then Lily and Lin Xiao fight. However, both end up making up with one another especially when Nan Xiang's debtors get involved in the fight. Ruby defends Nan Xiang like how Nan  Xiang used to defend her back in high school and Ruby ends up getting hit in the face with a brick.
         I thought it was hilarious when Ruby woke up at the hospital and faked amnesia just to scare Lin Xiao. Everything was okay by the end of the movie. Gu Yuan and Lily are still cute as ever.The movie ends with Lin  Xiao getting encountered by someone in a bear costume. The person in the costume did the secret handshake that belonged to Chong Guang. This movie is leading up to the fourth. The trailer for the next movie seems to be very dramatic and I am actually looking forward to that one because I didn't like this movie that much. 

Tiny Times 2 (Movie)

Review: 

       This is the movie following Tiny Times. It's very similar to the first movie but with new issues popping up. To start things off, the movie ended on a rather good note and Lin Xiao worked things out with her boyfriend. However, we come to see that Jian Xi might not be all that devoted to the relationship as he makes it seem he is. To start things off, Lin Xiao witnesses a girl kiss her boyfriend who then said that he was very busy when she called him. Then I begin to feel this horrible feeling as I watched Zhou Chong Guang throw up blood. This is when you realize that the boy is actually suffering from gastric cancer and not some publicity stunt that Kitty claims he uses. Then we get introduced to the fact that Lily may have had an affair with Nan Xiang's manipulative and abusive ex boyfriend (Xi Cheng). After a rather ill-tempered encounter between Lily and Xi Cheng, Lily said a quote that I thought was really raw. 

Lily: "Everyone, including myself, has a time when they are completely stupid. Because of that, everyone deserves the right to be forgiven once." 

      It shows that the cold perfectionist also makes mistakes and is also just as vulnerable no matter how tough she appears. Lin Xiao decides that since Lily is someone she cherishes, she would not reveal this affair. Lily immediately regains her composure and begins planning for her royal birthday. It's all about the money and how fancy the party is for Lily while everyone begins to worry about what to do for the Queen's Birthday. However, after all the planning and all the ordering of what to wear and what not to wear, the birthday ended up just like Christmas in the first movie. It was the Birthday of Tears. 

       First of all, Lily did something that was rather harsh and uncalled for. Believing that she never makes mistakes, she went and invited Wei Hai for Ruby. Wei Hai is Ruby's crush but he has a girlfriend. Upon inviting Wei Hai, it forced Ruby to relive humiliation. Because of that, Ruby's outburst led to many more outbursts. And secrets were revealed. Nan Xiang reveals that Lily had sex with Xi Cheng to everyone and pours wine all over Lily. She then proceeds to coldly walk off breaking off a friendship that was once so strong. It was really dramatic. 

         Following that, Lily's dad dies in a car accident because Lily had rushed him to be at the party faster. At the hospital, as they awaited the news of her father's condition, we see Lin Xiao's stoic boss suffer quietly from whatever he faced. Turns out that Zhou Chong Guang was Gong Ming's (the boss) step brother that he took responsibility for. Zhou Cong Guang was so childishly cute as Lin Xiao expressed her concern and disbelief that he actually had cancer. Lin Xiao's boyfriend, witnessing it, immediately begins suspecting her for the worst even though he was the one that was actually cheating. 

         Lily's dad dies and I thought it was really cold that Nan Xiang didn't go to the funeral. I understand that she feels betrayed that her best friend did this to her but Xi Cheng was an abusive creep. Come on! And when Lily looked down at the will, her mother blames her for the death of her husband and also saying that she was born from an affair the dad had and that she raised a monster. It turns out, the mother that Lily thought she had wasn't even her real mother. 

      I love it when the OST: "Time Boils Rain" comes on. It makes everything so beautifully sad. 

      Then the three girls, Lily, Lin Xiao, and Ruby move to a  new place together. I thought it was hilarious when Lily had to use three moving trucks to bring her things over whereas the other girls all had suitcases. It just shows how strong Lily is to move on and how capable of work she is. It's something that I aspire to be. Lily then has to deal with the fact that Gong Min is trying to buy her Dad's company away using all sorts of methods. However, this ends on such a bitter note for Lin Xiao's relationship with her boyfriend. He's the one that is cheating on her yet had the nerve to say that she's also guilty of cheating and that she's dirty as well because she stayed the night in the author's (Zhou Chong Guang) hospital room the day Lily's dad died. It was totally a way to make his actions justified. And in the end, he didn't even come back to Lin Xiao. However, after a moody fight that Lin Xiao and Lily had, they made up after dealing with Jian Xi's "I'm the victim" ways. 

        Gu Yuan and Lily are so cute and it was nice to see them get back together. They planned a nice revenge to secure the company and also to get revenge on the arranged marriage Gu Yuan's mother had planned. The ending was really beautiful when they had a snowball fight. Ruby went crazy during the snowball fight so it was hilarious. I loved this movie and I thought it was so sad when it ended on Jian Xi's video message back in high school saying that no matter who is by Lin Xiao's side in the future, even if it isn't him, that she'd be happy....and I believe that Lin Xiao and Zhou Chong Guang might just end up together (especially since he's fine after the surgery). 

Tiny Times (movie)

Review:

     This movie is about four high school friends facing college and internships together. They are all very different. Lily is from a wealthy family and is often considered the cold queen in her group of friends. Though she appears to be cold, she has a soft heart. Nan Xiang aspires to be a fashion designer. Ruby is the athlete among their group of friends and is always training in badminton. Then there is Lin Xiao, in which this story is narrated from, who aspires to work at M.E. and considers herself to be the most ordinary one among her distinct friends. This movie depicts their friendship, struggles in work, and their adversities in love. 

         I absolutely adored this movie. It was straight to the point and beautifully done. The cinematography was absolutely beautiful. I found that this movie was sad, beautiful, and touching. The four girls all had such unique personalities and different forms of beauty. They also faced different problems. There was a nostalgic feel with this concept of moving bravery into the future.

        I felt a very devil wears prada feel in the beginning for Lin Xiao. I thought that there are a lot of beautiful faces in this movie. I also thought that the break up scenes were hauntingly beautiful and that the friendship dates the girls went on were really cute. You watch the different struggles the girls go through in love. Nan Xiang deals with an abusive ex-boyfriend that seems to cling on to her like a leech. Ruby has a crush on a boy who has a girlfriend. Lily is more practical in terms of wealth than her boyfriend who believes that everything would still be the same even if both of them were poor. Lily also had to deal with the fact that her boyfriend's mother is trying to arrange a marriage for her son with some other girl. Lin Xiao had to balance work and love which didn't work too well for her. 

          This had a bitter sweet ending and I'm looking forward to watching Tiny Times 2.