As you can see, the site has gone through a name change! We are no longer Spill the drama beans (SDB) but Lost In Paradise (LIP). Spill the drama beans was a temporarily name until I could think of a new one. I finally started planning on one last week. Lost in Paradise is named after a song by a Korean band, (but now its just the lead singer left) Rumble Fish, called Lost In Paradise from their album One Sweet Day.

School is almost in session for me which means cutting back on dramas. GASP! I’m trying to finish off Kekkon Dekinai Otoko and Hotaru no Hikari by next Wednesday. After I finish those I can do drama reviews on them, hopefully the game plan goes as I want it. Unless I get stacks of homework on the first week of school, that would be a bummer.

As for my forthcoming reviews/recapping, I’m still planning on recapping the last 5 episodes of the drama. Also, with Baker King having the possibility of going on hiatus I may just recap episode 16 and up. That’s if I have the time, of course! Also, my first impression of the Japanese drama, BOSS, will be up as soon as I can get some screencaps from episode 1. Oh, the best way to get information on my progress is checking out the Forthcoming Reviews page.

Over and out!~

School is almost in session, which means cutting back and finishing off dramas. Sigh! I know I have to bust my chops finishing my summer homework to have the sweet opportunity of watching the finished airing dramas. I’ll be reviewing dramas slowly, probably only watching two at a time, one Japanese and one Korean. Hopefully, I can find room in my schedule!

Rumble Fish (럼블 피쉬) – Toxic

CHUKUMA
SPOOFNICK

This Season —

Title(s): 제빵왕 김탁구 / Baker King, Kim Tak Gu / Bread, Love and Dreams
Broadcasting Period: June 9, 2010 – Sep. 30, 2010
Episodes: 30
Stars: Yoon Si Yoon, Joo Won, Eugene, Lee Young Ah
Brief Thoughts: On episode 22. I seriously cannot get enough of this show. As of now, I’m impatiently awaiting for more subs. Just a heads up Spoof is obsessed with this show.

On episode 19. Ok.. Well, I currently just started watching the English subbed of episode 18 of BL&D. Now I say “English subbed” because before this episode was subbed, I was too impatiant and watched the raw versions up until episodes 20-21. I have to say, that this drama has made me both extremely happy, as well as explode with anger. I have watched enough dramas to know that this particular drama is very good at pulling you in completely.  BL&D is a really stunning drama, both in visuals as well as the storyline and acting. In my opinion, this drama has to be one of my absolute favorites, because it has a story that continues to pull you in and keep you waiting for the next thing to happen (not to mention the very nice-looking Yoon Si Yoon is there to bake me many delicious pateries…..I’m a sucker for good looking men and food….). Simply put, BL&D is a drama that must be watched. I highly recommend.

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Title(s): 내 여자친구는 구미호 / My Girlfriend is a Gumiho / My Girlfriend is a Nine-Tailed Fox
Broadcasting Period: Aug. 11, 2010 – Sep. 30, 2010
Episodes: 16
Stars: Lee Seung Ki, Shin Min Ah
Brief Thoughts: On episode 6. I’m loving this series from the Hong sisters. It’s entertaining, cute, and hilarious.

Dramas Finished Airing—

Title(s): ホタルノヒカリ / Hotaru no Hikari / Glow of the Fireflies
Broadcasting Period: Jul. 11, 2007 – Sep. 12 – 2007
Episodes: 10
Stars: Ayase Haruka, Fujiki Naohito, Kuninaka Ryoko, Kato Kazuki
Brief Thoughts: On episode 4. I’m loving Ayase Haruka, she’s too cute here! Kato Kazuki and Fujiki Naohito are charming! ;D

Title(s): 結婚できない男 / Kekkon Dekinai Otoko / He Who Can’t Marry
Broadcasting Period: Jul. 4, 2006 – Sep. 19 – 2006
Episodes: 12
Stars: Abe Hiroshi, Natsukawa Yui, Kuinaka Ryoko, Tsukamoto Takashi, Takashima Reiko
Brief Thoughts: On episode 7. This drama is simple and fun with plenty of laugh out loud moments.

Title(s): 오! 마이 레이디 / Oh! My Lady
Broadcasting Period: Mar. 11, 2010 – May 11, 2010
Episodes: 16
Stars: Chae Rim, Choi Si Won, Lee Hyun Woo, Park Han Byul, Moon Jung Hee
Brief Thoughts: Haven’t started yet.

Waiting List —

Chukuma

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What’s on your watch list?

<< The Month of August, 2010

It focuses on those who knew the victim. The main character, Kaga So-ichiro (Abe Hiroshi) is a police officer and also new to the town where he was transferred to. He wanders around the town to investigate the murder case, finding people that had met the victim. Each episode, he meets a seemingly random person, who carries a secret and doesn’t tell the entire truth to the police officer. Usually, it is because this hidden truth doesn’t seem to be relevant with the murder case. But these people cannot get away with lying to Officer Kaga and his extraordinary skill of identifying lies. With each episode, we get to know the people that the victim had met, and we also get to know more about the victim—what kind of person she was, why she moved to the town, and ultimately, why she was murdered.

Kaga roams from one corner of the town to another like a detective, curious about anything and everything. Like many of the other Japanese drama I’ve been watching, the subtle humor that pops up every once in a while is priceless.

Quote from episode 1:
「嘘ついて喜ばせるぐらいなら、正直言って嫌われるよ。。。嘘は美味いが、すぐしける。本音はマズイが、一生もんだ。」
I’d rather tell the truth and have them hate me than lie to make them happy… Lies are delicious, but get stale quickly. The truth isn’t tasty, but lasts forever.

The ultimate clue when watching episode 1: Takura’s Coat
Whenever he shows up—whether he’s walking around town or at work—observe if he’s carrying or wearing his coat.

1. Linda Linda Linda (Japan, 2005)

Salah satu film remaja Jepang yang cukup bagus dan menarik. Idenya sederhana, tentang sebuah band yang beranggotakan siswi-siswi SMU yang akan tampil dalam festival sekolah, namun menemui masalah yang menyebabkan dua personil band itu keluar (termasuk sang vokalis). Beberapa hari sebelum tampil, mereka pun mencari vokalis baru secara ‘asal’. Adalah  Son, siswi pindahan dari Korea Selatan, yang menjadi vokalis baru mereka. Lalu timbul berbagai kejadian sebelum mereka tampil, dan meskipun baru beberapa hari, karakter Son ini akhirnya menemukan kegembiraan dan semangat baru sejak bergabung dengan band tersebut. Film ini menarik dan cukup menghibur. Yang saya suka adalah ide cerita film ini sama sekali tidak muluk-muluk, namun tidak mengurangi daya tarik film ini. Akting Bae Doona sebagai orang Korea yang sekolah di Jepang sangat memikat. Begitu juga dengan Kashii Yuu. Terakhir, habis nonton film ini saya jadi terus terngiang-ngiang sama lagu Linda Linda dari The Blue Hearts yang mereka bawakan pada festival tersebut . 3,5 / 5

2. Kick-Ass (2010)

Sebenarnya saya tidak pernah tertarik  pada film-film bertema superhero. Bukan karena jelek, tapi memang bukan selera saya saja. Tapi begitu mendengar bahwa superhero-superhero dalam Kick-Ass bukanlah superhero beneran (maksudnya mereka tidak mempunyai kekuatan super), saya pun jadi pengen nonton film ini, dan ternyata saya menyukai filmnya. Film ini lucu dan segar. Humornya yang tergolong ke dalam humor-humor masa kini lumayan menghibur. Dan yang membuat film ini semakin menarik adalah karakter Hit Girl yang diperankan Chloe Moretz. Meskipun memancing banyak perdebatan, tapi saya cinta karakter ini. 4/5

3. Rainbow Song (Japan, 2006)

Nama Shunji Iwai yang berperan sebagai produser dan co-writer film ini lah yang membuat saya menonton film ini. Belum lagi ada Hayato Ichihara, Ueno Juri, dan Yu Aoi. Dan saya gak nyesel nontonnya! Ceritanya termasuk klise, tentang persahabatan yang menjadi cinta *ceileh*. Cewek dan cowok bersahabat, lalu si cewek mulai jatuh cinta pada si cowok. Tapi sebelum si cowok menyadari perasaannya pada si cewek, si cewek keburu meninggal (tenang ini bukan spoiler karena dari awal kita sudah diberitahu kalo ceweknya meninggal). Cerita seklise apapun kalau dikemas dengan baik, pasti akan jadi film yang bagus. Begitu juga dengan film ini. Saya sangat menikmati film ini dari awal sampai akhir. Ueno Juri berakting sangat bagus di film ini sebagai karakter cewek yang meninggal itu. Dan Hayato Ichihara, ini kali kedua saya melihat dia setelah melihatnya di Lily Chou-chou, dan penampilan fisiknya udah jauh berubah dari pas di Lily Chou-chou. Yu Aoi, meskipun kemunculannya tidak begitu banyak  tapi tetap menampilkan akting yang memikat. Sebenarnya film ini memiliki beberapa kekurangan, tapi tidak begitu mengganggu. Yang jelas, ini tipe film yang akan saya tonton berkali-kali. 3,75/5.

4. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (Japan, 2006)

Akhir-akhir ini lagi ketagihan nonton anime yang berbentuk movie. Dan film ini adalah salah satu anime movie yang sangat saya rekomendasikan untuk ditonton! Tentang seorang siswi SMU yang tiba-tiba memiliki kemampuan untuk meloncati waktu. Dan kemampuannya ini digunakannya untuk mengubah hal-hal yang bisa dibilang sederhana, namun nantinya akan menimbulkan masalah. Film ini lucu dan menghibur, animasinya juga bagus. Selain itu film ini menampilkan kejutan yang tidak saya duga. Review panjangnya menyusul ya. 4/5.

5. The Notebook (2004)

Karena saya ini termasuk orang yang menyukai film-film cinta yang mengharu biru, awalnya saya kira film ini akan berhasil membuat saya termehek-mehek. Tapi nyatanya, dari awal sampai akhir, ekspresi saya tetap datar. Ya ya ya, mungkin ada yang salah pada diri saya karena sebagian besar orang yang menonton film ini mengatakan film ini mengharukan dan sebagainya. Tapi entahlah, saya tidak bisa merasakan kedalaman hubungan antara Noah dan Allie. Karakter Noah yang begitu hidup di bagian awal, setelah berpacaran dengan Allie kok rasanya jadi melempem dan tidak terasa semangatnya. Tapi di luar itu saya suka aktingnya Rachel McAdams. 2,75/5

6. Perfect Blue (Japan, 1998)

Anime movie juga, disutradarai oleh Satoshi Kon. Ceritanya tergolong berat dan sama sekali bukan konsumsi anak-anak karena menampilkan sedikit nudity dan kekerasan. Tentang seorang pop idol yang memutuskan ganti haluan menjadi seorang aktris. Dan hal ini menimbulkan masalah karena ada fans yang tidak setuju dan sebagai aktris ia dituntut untuk melakukan hal-hal yang sebenarnya tidak dia inginkan. Belum lagi setelah itu muncul persona/kepribadian lain yang terus menghantuinya. Sebuah thriller psychology yang lumayan mencekam. Endingnya juga mengejutkan dan gak ketebak. Sebenernya saya ngerasa kalo film ini dibikin jadi live action, pasti filmnya akan semakin bagus. Tapi okelah anime juga, meskipun saya agak kurang suka desain karakternya. 4,5/5

7. Being John Malkovich (1999)

Edan film ini bagus banget! Jenius! Ceritanya termasuk orisinil dan menampilkan kejutan-kejutan yang tak terduga. Skenarionya ditulis oleh orang yang menulis skenario Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind yang sama-sama sangat orisinil, yaitu Charlie Kaufman. Dan, menurut saya film ini lebih mudah dimengerti daripada Eternal Sunshine. Setidaknya saya tidak perlu mengulang-ngulang beberapa adegannya agar bisa mengerti sepenuhnya seperti pada saat saya nonton Eternal Sunshine. Selain ceritanya yang jenius, film ini juga menurut saya termasuk menghibur dan sudah pasti film ini masuk ke daftar my all time favorite movies. Review panjangnya tunggu saja ya 5/5

8. Aoi Tori / The Blue Bird (Japan, 2008)

Nonton film ini karena faktor Kanata Hongo, dan agak nyesel nontonnya. Mengangkat tema school bullying, sebenarnya film ini berpotensi jadi bagus. Tapi saya malah kebosanan mengikutinya. Karakter guru gagap yang dimainkan Abe Hiroshi sebenarnya unik, tapi entah kenapa saya tidak bisa bersimpati padanya, dan tanggapan saya padanya sama seperti tanggapan murid-murid di sini. Latar belakang anak yang pindah sekolah karena dibully itu pun kurang kuat, mungkin kalo ditampilkan potongan adegan-adegan yang menampilkan karakter ini ketika bersekolah di sekolah itu, film ini akan jadi lebih menarik. Dan Kanata Hongo, kerjanya cemberut aja sik, tapi tetep cakep *alah*. 2,5/5

9. Despicable Me (2010)

Filmnya lucu dan mengharukan, dan tentunya sangat menghibur. Lelucon-leluconnya sebenarnya banyak yang slapstick, tapi tidak begitu mengganggu kok. Dan sejak karakter Gru ini mengadopsi tiga anak yatim piatu tersebut, ceritanya jadi mudah ketebak, tapi meskipun begitu film ini tetap menghibur. Dan yang menonton film ini pasti jatuh cinta pada karakter minion-minion yang menggemaskan itu. Ihik. Pengen cari merchandise-nya. 3,75/5

Synopsis:

Leo and Tiger are two brothers on a mission to search for their sister, Hana, who has been adopted by evil painter Uji-san (played by Abe Hiroshi). On their way, they meet Curry-san (Kusanagi Tsuyoshi) who makes reindeer curry, a pair of brothers not unlike them (played by Kimura Takuya and Katori Shingo), and the funniest, coolest policeman ever (Nakai Masahiro). Inagaki Goro’s character, some rich owner of a department store, doesn’t really seem to tie in with the main story but he plays his part (:

It’s the sweetest show ever! Put a smile on my face the whole night (: Christmas stories are always uplifting and this one was particularly nice (it’s like an early SMAP X’mas gift )The show tells a simple story that reminds audiences to believe in family, dreams and Santa Claus! The script is perfect and really tugs at your heartstrings at times – the first line already had me hooked. But it’s not all sweet and serious stuff! There’s also lots of the typical crazy Japanese humour, but somehow it actually all makes sense. O.o

Won’t spoil the drama here (cos’ you should just really watch it!) but after I watched this, I felt that each of their characters are so… them. Nakai is the one who secretly cares for everyone but covers it with his flippancy, but sometimes making the most brilliant comments; KimuTaku is the big brother character with the brains and that makes him a tad grumpy at times; Goro cares but doesn’t really know how to express it; Tsuyoshi’s forever the nicest guy ever who doesn’t probe into others’ affairs unless they want to talk; and Shingo’s the happy, bubbly guy (: Did I say it already? I love this show (:

Thank you nijifansubs for subbing and sharing <3 <3! You can find the subbed version here! I wish I understood enough Japanese >.< Japanese lessons here I come!

We’re also looking for a translator for Odagiri Joe’s upcoming summer drama Atami no Sousakan. If you’re interested in helping please send a mail to staff [at] harorangers.com or join our irc channel (#HaroRangers @ irc.rizon.net.)

Download it here

Download it here

Download it here

Download it here

Download it here

Download it here

I didn’t watch a whole lot of Japanese dramas last year, as I found most uninteresting. To me, 2009 was not a good year for Japanese TV. Here are three that I enjoyed.

Akai Ito (赤い糸)

Before starting this drama, I was a bit skeptical. I wondered if I could still enjoy content that dealt with junior high/high school drama. I have to say that I was immediately drawn by Akai Ito’s cinematography. This drama is beautifully filmed, which was surprising as I was constantly reminding myself that this is a drama, not a film (there is a film with the same cast and production crew!). The music is beautiful and the main theme is fitting and gives a feeling of nostalgia. Actually, the whole drama gave me the feeling of nostalgia throughout. Acting is sub-par at best, which was disappointing. Both of the main actors played their parts well, but most of the time they were flat. I guess their flatness could be attributed to the characters personalities themselves, but to me it was very noticeable that they are amateur actors.

The story of Akai Ito is very depressing, dealing with suicide, drug addiction, death, and general teen drama. The romance is sweet, but frustrating. These kids seem to have so many problems to deal with; you’re supposed to cry for them, but sometimes I was at the point where I thought to myself how ridiculous everything was…their lives suck! Side point: I’ve heard that the book is even more depressing, dealing with many more mature problems. But besides an ambiguous ending, I thought the drama was well done and had a certain draw to it. If you don’t want to watch the drama, but are interested, check out the movie. It is basically the drama condensed into movie size.

Shiroi Haru (白い春)

In contrast to Akai Ito, Shiroi Haru had great overall acting, but poor directing. Abe Hiroshi is an outstanding drama actor, my favorite performance in a drama of 2009. The supporting cast was good as well, complementing Abe Hiroshi perfectly. Yoshitaka Yuriko is one of my favorite young actresses (I have to admit, I was first drawn to Shiroi Haru because of her) and she was so charismatic in her role. The story was heartwarming, and so was Ohashi Nozomi (better known as the girl who sings the Ponyo song!), who played a young girl mysteriously drawn to Abe Hiroshi’s character. At times a bit too weepy when it didn’t need to be, the story line remained strong throughout the drama.

Something that irked me about the drama was its sub-par cinematography (which is to be expected in a drama, but there are exceptions). Too many awkwardly angled views of Abe Hiroshi’s face, and some strangely lit shots. I don’t remember the music as being spectacular, but it complemented the drama quite well. This drama deserves to be watched.

Love Shuffle (ラブシャッフル)

Okay, I was pleasantly surprised by this drama. After finishing the first episode (my trial run) I wasn’t too impressed, but I am glad that I continued because Love Shuffle took me on an incredibly entertaining ride. With an ensemble cast of well-known entertainers, Love Shuffle was well-acted, well-executed, and super fun to watch. I especially enjoyed the chemistry between all of the cast members, specifically that between Tamaki Hiroshi and Karina. It also didn’t hurt that Yoshitaka Yuriko was a part of the cast (playing a very different character)! The story line was pretty much all over the place, but I actually enjoyed it. Every episode was fresh and new, exploring the relationships (or lack of) between the various characters.

Sometimes over-the-top, sometimes mellow, and sometimes sad, this drama impressed me. Love Shuffle was not only a fun time, it gave perspective on how chance encounters can shape lives. Imagine, one malfunctioning elevator ride can bring four complete strangers (who live on the same floor!) together and ultimately form tight bonds. Definitely recommended.

Honorable mention:

Konkatsu! ( 婚カツ！) – I don’t fully recommend this drama because it started out brilliantly but died out about halfway through. The first few episodes of Konkatsu! were unique, funny, and interesting. After these, the drama changed course and became mediocre and boring. I almost didn’t finish it. I loved the filming, the random cuts, the unique transitions, and the quirkiness that the drama began with but didn’t end with. Even though Ueto Aya is charming, she couldn’t save Konkatsu! from its failures. It tried romance, but didn’t really follow through. Overall, it was still a uniquely edited and filmed drama but it disappointed me.

I just finished watching the Japanese drama Kekkon Dekinai Otoko (The Man Who Can’t Get Married). The main character was a socially awkward man named Kuwano, played by Abe Hiroshi. I first watched Abe Hiroshi in Trick, Season 1, and always wanted to see a good drama with him in the main lead. I enjoyed watching him in Change and Hero, but he wasn’t the main character. I tried watching him in Shiroi Haru, but slow subtitles and a bad ending put me off the drama. I finally got to see him in this drama as the main character and confirmed that my first opinion of him as being a good actor hadn’t been wrong.

In this drama, we see a man who, at first glance, seems to be rude and obnoxious to everyone around him It is only as we, the audience, get to know him along with the other characters in the drama do we see that he just doesn’t know how to act in social situations, BUT he is willing to learn. He’s not a bad person … he doesn’t try to be mean … and when he hurts someone, he apologizes because he’s genuinely sorry. The drama was a good watch and I would highly recommend it. I especially like the little quirky things the drama throws in … like the character of Kaneda that Kuwano is obsessed with or the video store guy/food mart girl and their relationship.

The only reason I watched this drama was that I heard about it after watching the Korean He Who Can’t Get Married. The Japanese version was much better, only because you come away feeling that the main character in the Korean version is just plain mean and even if he apologizes it’s just not enough when he deliberately hurts the other characters.

Watch it if you have the time.

Overall it’s just a way better release. We’re also going to be finishing the series for sure this time as most of the translation work has been done already.

And since I haven’t announced it properly on the site yet. We’re doing subs for the spring drama Keibuho Yabe Kenzo. Which is a Trick spinoff with Yabe Kenzo as the main character.

Download it here

For more details check out the Dramawiki page here.

Down on his luck former-biker-gang-member-turned-lawyer Sakuragi Kenji is given the job of rescuing the almost bankrupt Ryuzan Highschool. He embarks upon an ambitious plan to return the school to its former glory by getting 5 of the senior students accepted into the prestigious Tokyo University by the end of the year. There’s only one problem: the average score of a Ryuzan student is 36 (that’s really low)! Undetered Kenji collects six of the most promising students and conducts them through a unique and exhaustive crash course to prepare them for the entrance exams. At first the students are easily distracted by various family problems and love triangles. But as they learn maths and English they also learn about themselves, friendship, love and life. They begin to re-evaluate their lives and aim for the top. Perhaps they can get into Todai afterall…

Loved: Abe Hiroshi is excellent in this role (it was the first I saw him in and probably still my favourite) – he maintains the balance of strictness, understanding and self-interest well and the students develop a real rapport with him. While the students were all quite young when Dragon Zakura was filmed most of them are now big names (Yamashita Tomohisa, Koike Teppei, Nagasawa Masami, Aragaki Yui) and it’s interesting to see where they started out (although the acting of some has definitely improved with time!).

Didn’t Love: The student’s homeroom teacher (played by Hasegawa Kyoko) can be annoying at times but she always has the student’s best interests at heart. Like most high school doramas there is a whole bunch of anti-change teachers to irritate the viewer and an incompetent but well-meaning principal with a penchant for hats tops it off.

Dragon Zakura isn’t just another high school dorama – it’s unique, funny and focuses on encouraging the students to want to improve themselves and their lives, rather than just mass-producing exam bots who can’t think for themselves. A feel good show with some wacky characters and teaching methods thrown in for good measure.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ 8.5/10 Hearts

Seen it? Have something to add? – Leave a comment…