2009-03-31 My Asian Dramas Journey Part I

It has almost been two years since I started watching dramas (not counting the snips of ancient Chinese dramas I had seen when I was small). Within these two years, this journey of dramas was not only enjoyable, but also very rewarding. Life is series of events that will lead to something greater, and I believe this journey is one of those events. If I didn’t watch drama, I would probably not even know how to use my mp4. I wouldn’t download movies and my blogs wouldn’t even appear! However, because new dramas are constantly coming out, for me this journey is never ending. That’s why I believe it is time for me to take a little break. This does not mean I am going to give up watching dramas. Of course I will still do! But I will definitely slow down the pace, so no more all-nighters for me! ^.^



It was in early 2007 that I realized teens my age actually watch dramas! *shock shock* I had always thought only mothers and grandparents watch it ^^ How did I came to this sudden realization? “Prince to turned to a Frog (王子变青蛙)”! (*note Prince to turned to a Frog (王子变青蛙) = Prince Frog^^ )The first time I had seen "Prince Frog" was when it was airing on TV…and as usual, my mom was watching it. I had often caught a glimpse of the episodes and I realized that I really liked the plot and I grew fond of all the actors and actresses. The drama itself wasn’t as serious and was really funny! So I started surfing the net and realized: O_O there are so many other dramas for people like me and there are so many people who are like me who watches dramas. Yup yup, that was mine sudden epiphany. Sadly, in the end I missed out on a lot of episodes in "Prince Frog". So I never finished watching it =( and that made me very sad.






It was that fateful day when Ashlee lent me “Smiling Pasta” that marked the beginning of my watching drama journey. Here is a list of all the dramas I had finished watching completely!

Smiling Pasta (微笑Pasta)

For me, this drama holds a very special place…because this was the very first drama I had watched from the very first episode to the very last!! I was sooo excited to watch the last episode because I had never felt so complete when it comes to dramas! Often I had started watching dramas on TV but never watched the last few episodes. So when I finished watching "Smiling Pasta", I felt so so good!

The drama itself was also pretty good; in fact, all my friends had seen it as well! Now I think back to it, it was probably one of the few good Taiwanese dramas I had seen. The plot may sounds a little dumb but there are scenes that are truly touching and overall, it was humourous.

I remember I didn’t like Nicholas Teo in the beginning. *shocking?* Well, it was after he sang "Polaris Tears" that I realized I really likes his voice!…and I still do. I think Nicholas gives off a white princely vibe and his voice is gentle and calming.


My Girl (마이걸)

"My Girl" is also very special to me because of several reasons:

1. It is my very first Korean drama that I had watched
2. It is the second drama I had finished
3. My very first drama I had finished in two days.
4. My very first time knowing Lee Jun Ki

It was during winter break that I watched "My Girl". I remember my mom telling me all Korean dramas has Kleenex worthy scenes. It was true. Even though "My Girl" was very humorous in the beginning, it had gotten more drama and more emotions towards the end.

My first time seeing Lee Jun Ki was in "My Girl". Truthfully, I didn’t pay much attention to him in the drama. It was after watching "My Girl", and after I surfed the net, that I realized how cool he is ^.^

Prince to turned to a Frog (王子变青蛙)

This drama is my favorite Taiwanese drama ever. Perhaps it’s because I had seen it so many times but I really do love this drama. However, finishing this drama wasn’t easy. When I went back to China in the summer of 2007, I watched "Prince Frog" again on TV. However, once again, I didn’t finished watching it. Even though I had a basic idea on the plot and I watched first few episodes at least 3 times already, I was frustrated that I couldn’t watch it from the beginning to the end.

Finally, one fateful day I had gotten my hands on the DVD of "Prince Frog" !! *hooray!!* (thanks Christine + Cindy!!) And I finally finished watching it at five o’clock in the morning with Christine. By then I had watched some episode 4 times already!!! But the more I watch it, the more I like it.

The main reason I love this drama so much is because of its plot. It is so funny but also serious and most importantly, it is more complex and less random. Well some may say that the losing memory parts are random but it’s because of those memory losses that I like the drama. I got to see the many sides of Ming Dao. I really like the actors and actresses because they portrayed the many aspects of the characters very well. Losing memory, then gaining it back does require acting to portray it. Another bonus that the plot appears to me is the hotel. Yes, I want to be like 单均昊 and be the CEO of a hotel.

For me, this is the best Taiwanese drama I had ever seen!

Devil Beside You (恶魔在身边)

Compared with "Prince Frog", this is not that special. The plot and overall drama is average. Hmm...now I thought about it, I really don't have much to say about this drama. It wasn't very memorable for me at all.

Liar Game (ライアーゲーム )

"Liar Game" was my very first Japanese drama that I had watched. I love it! The plot is mind bending. It is definitely a good change from all the love dramas I had seen. After watching "Liar Game", I had another sudden realization: not all dramas need to have long episodes! XD

Corner With Love (转角*遇到爱)

The process of finishing this drama is a prompt for me to step into the world of movie downloads. As a birthday present, Ashlee bought me the drama "Corner with Love". However, being the Asian quality that they are, the DVD set was incomplete. So in order for me to finish watching "Corner with Love", it meant searching and downloading the episodes from the Internet. By the time I finished watching "Corner with Love", I also became more educated in downloading movies and I could actually watch videos on my mp4!! How exciting was that!

The drama itself was meaningful. It’s telling viewers to “never give up on your dreams” and “if you really put your mind into doing something, you will accomplish it and do a good job of it”. I really love the art shown in the drama.