Dorama of the Year 1991 -Taiheiki (1991)

Taiheiki (1991) was very informative and surprising by the end for me, but other translated doramas of the year weren't good enough.

1. Taiheiki (1991) [太平記] (Finished 49/49) Tags: Historical, Drama, War, Political The life story of Ashikaga Takauji, the founder and the first Sei-I-Tai-Shogun of Ashikaga Shogunate. He was born in the late Kamakura Period, during the time of discontentment with the Hojo clan's monopoly in the Shogunate administration. Emperor Go-Daigo took this opportunity to restore back Emperor's power. After some failed earlier attempts, he succeeded eventually with the help of a few independent Samurai Lords and Takauji's betrayal of the Hojo clan. However, it was not long before the Samurai class revolted due to unfair treatment and discontentment with the Nobles' domination in the new government. As the head of Minamoto descendants, Takauji took responsibility to confront Go-Daigo and establish Ashikaga Shogunate. I'm in mixed feelings. I was definitely enlightened to learn of how Kamakura bakufu became Ashikaga bakufu, and if there is no better dorama on the topic, I would still call this a minor masterpiece. But at the same time there is enough of disappointment, too. First of all, the lack of contents was felt, and  simple peasant-actor family storyline felts unnecessary or at least overextended. The main intrigue for me was the circumstances that made Takauji betray twice the people he was loyal to, and the answer was not satisfactory for me as each time it was just the same - circumstances people around him influenced his decision, all I can say without spoilers. But what surprised me a lot was the last third. When it's usually old man's worry of legacy and some family drama, here we have a full scale infighting with Shakespeare-like drama. The final part seems a bit rushed, but feels really great. Still, for the main runtime it did not feel like a firm masterpiece to me.   Overall Rating: 7/10

2. Tokyo Love Story (1991) [東京ラブストーリー] (Finished 1/11) Tags: Romance, Life, Drama When Kanchi first came to Tokyo to work, he is full of uncertainties. He is 'lost' in his work and his love relationship is in a mess. During those times, Rika, his colleague, always encourages and helps him. Though they fall for each other once, all this comes quick and ends fast. Rika is simply too 'energetic' and her love is simply too 'heavy' for Kanchi. As banal dosoukai romance as it can get. Simple and with random behavior, so just generic and can be watched only due to naivety of happening events.   Overall Rating: 5/10

3. Mamatte Kirei!? (1991) [ママって、きれい!?] (Finished 1/10) Tags: Drama Just after the New Year Hinata Yoko filed for divorce and became single. Deciding to live single modestly with her daughter Mizuki, she moves into an apartment and starts a new life. However, across the street from her apartment lives Asahi Susumu, next door to her is Kageyama Hajime and on the other side Hoshino Hikaru ; all single men with their own problems live there, and for some reason they interfere in Yoko's life. Yoko initially rebels against the men, but when she learns their shortcomings, she begins to become interested in them . Not translated.    Overall Rating: 6/10

4. The Breaking Point (1991) [今生無悔] (Finished 1/40) Tags: Thriller, Romance, Life, Drama Ching Long is a rebellious young man who moved from Hong Kong to Taiwan against his father's wishes, while his best friend Ko Tin Chun is a successful young architect. Ching Long returns to Hong Kong working manual labour jobs and also as a stunt double. The story revolves around Long and the misunderstanding with his father as well as his romantic relationships with a Vietnamnese refugee Chin Kiu and his sister's best friend, Sum Mun Yee. Ko Tin Chun is in love with Sum Mun Yee but he finds out that her heart is with Ching Long. Other events causes Ko Tin Chun to see Ching Long as an obstacle in his life. Their friendship was slowly approaching its breaking point. Not translated.   Overall Rating: 6/10

5. 101st Marriage Proposal (101回目のプロポーズ) [Romance] (Finished 1/12) Tags: Romance 101st Marriage Proposal is a "Beauty and the Beast" story starring Takeda Tetsuya (Virgin Road, 3-nen B-gumi Kinpachi Sensei) as a down-on-his-luck man who has gone through 99 omiai (arranged dates with the intention of marriage if the date goes well). Not particularly smart, nor handsome, nor rich, he is a man who cannot lie and of course, has a heart of pure gold. On the 100th omiai, he meets Kaoru (Asano Atsuko), an extremely beautiful and talented cellist who can't forget her dead fiancee. This actress ruins everything again.   Overall Rating: 5/10

6. Who is the Winner (1991) [勝者為王] (Finished 1/22) Tags: Action, Romance, Drama, Supernatural Shek Chi Hong is an honest and kind person. To earn a living, Chi Hong aspires to be a chef in Man Long’s casino but he ends up becoming a dealer instead. After witnessing his teacher's death, he is more determined not to take up gambling. But somehow, he has no choice but to learn the gambling skills as it is part of the nature of his work. He goes through many turbulence in his life, losing many friends and comrades as well as love. Not translated.   Overall Rating: 6/10

7. On the Edge (1991)  [灰網] (Finished 1/25) Tags: Business, Romance, Crime, Life, Drama It tells the story of how a kind-hearted young man who under the oppression of the social environment went astray and became a drug lord. Not translated.   Overall Rating: 6/10

8. Aitai Toki ni Anata wa Inai (1991)  [逢いたい時にあなたはいない・・・] (Finished 1/11) Tags: Romance, Drama Miyoko and Yusuke love each other. But Yusuke is told to work in Hokkaido where is far from Tokyo for a year. They cannot meet often. There appear another woman and man in front of each of them. They almost lose confidence to keep their relationship but finally they make sure of their love. Not translated.   Overall Rating: 6/10

9. Shabon Dama (1991)  [しゃぼん玉] (Finished 1/11) Tags: Business, Drama, Medical, Political Yajima Teppei known also as "Dr.Po", creates a small clinic in Nishi-Shinjuku.Soon, however, the land on which the clinic is built, becomes the subject of a political dispute. Redevelopment from a political origin, practically prevents the functioning of the facility. "Dr.Po", decides to fight for this small piece of land, at all costs. Not translated.   Overall Rating: 6/10

10. Ashita ga Aru Kara (1991)  [あしたがあるから] (Finished 10/10) Tags: Drama  Reiko, a 28 year-old office girl, wants to marry her boyfriend, 35 year-old Kenta who works in the same office. However, the situation becomes quite complicated when the young woman is promoted to manage a major project. Reiko is left feeling lost and helpless before this unexpected move by the company president. Did her father have a secret agreement with the president? Will the future hold any happiness for her? Male lead is pretty cool and female lead is not repulsive, that's already a lot. It's pretty mundane and unexciting, but can call it solid enough compared to contemporaries.   Overall Rating: 6/10

11. A.D Boogie (1991)  [AD ブギ] (Finished 1/10) Tags: Romance, Life Without assistant directors (A.D.s), there would be no television programs, yet this demanding job pays little and allows almost no private time. and having a girlfriend is next to impossible. Nevertheless, the dream of one day becoming a director drives the young men of this series to take on more hardship, and risk more at love, than most other people their age. Not translated.   Overall Rating: 6/10

12. One Step Beyond (1991)  [老友鬼鬼] (Finished 1/20) Tags: Comedy, Drama, Supernatural Newlyweds Lam Kim Long and Lai Bo Chu were on their honeymoon when their plane was hijacked, killing them and everyone else on board. Heaven took pity on the young couple and promised them another chance to be together in the next life. He was reincarnated as Chai Leung Seng, while she became a poor orphan named Lam Kam Mui. As fate would have it, the hijackers were also reborn to be traffic cop Seung Tin Tong and doctor Cheuk Yeuk Nan. They continued to be obstacles for Leung Seng and Kam Mui. Tin Tong was so obsessed with Kam Mui that not even death could prevent him from pursuing the girl he loved. Ghostly happenings and chaos ensued as he tried to keep Kam Mui from reuniting with the man she was destined to be with. Not translated.   Overall Rating: 6/10

13. Ocean With Love (1991)  [碧海情天] (Finished 1/53) Tags: Drama The play tells a story about people in the underworld. Not translated.   Overall Rating: 6/10

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