Dorama of the Year 1992 - Sono Toki, Heart wa Nusumareta

Sono Toki, Heart wa Nusumareta (1992) jumped out of the blue and totally nailed it this year. 

1. Nobunaga (1992) [信長] (Finished 49/49) Tags: Historical, Drama The 30th NHK Taiga Drama is Nobunaga: King of Zipangu. On March 23, 1585, Japanese Christian envoys visited Pope Gregory XIII at the Papal Court in Rome, Italy. The drama begins 45 years earlier - in 1540 outside Lisbon, Portugal. Well, it's a shame. The most unusual historical actor of Japan is shown as just very lucky and stubborn. There are also so many minuses. First of all, main actors look very much alike which never happened in all the previous taiga I watched. Narration is done by European missionary, so there's a huge long storyline of Christianity issues. Protagonist looks a bit juvenile, but most importantly emotionless with the same stone face all the time. Even really exciting events are show in habitual way. Ending is ruined. Compared to other taiga, can't call it even decent.   Overall Rating: 5/10

2. Ai to Iu Na no Moto ni (1992) [愛という名のもとに] (Finished 3/12) Tags: Romance, Life, Drama Seven good buddies left school and stepped into society. Each then finds life out there not as carefree as it used to be. Their courage, optimism and confidence are also worn off slowly by the cunning reality. After a series of hurdles, they get a deeper understanding of their friendship and treasure it even more. As you see on the poster, love triangle is in the center here while other former club members have own separate love/family/work problems. It's too naive and too schematic in personalities for me to enjoy now with all my luggage as consumer, but in 90s I'd totally love it. Oh, and scene of fooling around in the fountain in 2nd episode looks very similar to that in American "Friends" running from 1994. So for me it's again the problem of comparison as I know much better drama coming from the 1990s.   Overall Rating: 6/10

3. Tokyo Elevator Girl (1992) [東京エレベーターガール] (Finished 3/11) Tags: Romance, Life Tsukasa leaves her hometown to work in Tokyo. While there, she is on her own facing the fascination and challenges of the working world. Her experiences gained, together with what she sees in others, gradually lead her to grow up. She is no longer in the midst of illusions and misconceptions. Typical old workplace drama with slow pace, some naive romance and lots of beating around the bush. Felt boring, to be honest.   Overall Rating: 5/10

4. Anata Dake Mienai (1992) [あなただけ見えない] (Finished 1/11) Tags: Thriller, Psychological, Supernatural One day, university student Kawashima Megumi is mistaken for her older sister, Maiko. She is given a key to a coin locker, and finds inside the diary of Maiko's real father, a zaibatsu leader. Using her sister's name, Megumi gets close to the widow of the zaibatsu leader. Not translated.   Overall Rating: 6/10

5. Green Grass by the River (1992) [青青河邊草] (Finished 1/42) Tags: Historical, Romance, Drama Hsiao Tsao is a young orphan living with her cruel aunt and uncle. She has a sisterly bond with her neighbour, Ching Ching, who is being forced into a marriage with a much older man by her older brother. Desperate to escape their unfortunate circumstances, the two girls manage to run away together on the day of Ching Ching's wedding. During their escape, they coincidentally meet Ho Shih Wei, a young university student who is also running away from his family due to an arranged marriage. After a few initial misunderstandings, the three decide to travel together. However, things become complicated when they encounter the Fu family, and the family matriarch mistakes He Shiwei for her son, Fu Yuan Kai, who died 10 years ago. Not translated.   Overall Rating: 6/10

6. Sugao no Mama de (1992)  [素顔のままで] (Finished 2/12) Tags: Romance, Life, Drama The story is about an unlikely friendship between two women. This intimate look at two lives chronicles their struggle with love, loyalty, and fulfillment. Two women with seemingly different outlooks on life come together against all odds in a fragile attempt to seek out the best of what they have to offer each other and themselves. Can their unexpected friendship survive affairs of the heart? An honest tale of two women unfolds with an end as uncertain as the friendship which drew them together. Sadly, everything feels super artificial - concept, actors play, circumstances, motivation... you name it.   Overall Rating: 5/10

7. Tokugawa Buraicho (1992) [徳川無頼帳] (Finished 1/24) Tags: Action, Historical, Drama Set in Edo and Yoshiwara, the two Furaibo confront a huge conspiracy! An unusual historical drama where you can enjoy flashy sword fighting and action. Historical detective samurai action is the most banal and repulsive drama concept for me.   Overall Rating: 5/10

8. Waru (1992) [悪女] (Finished 1/11) Tags: Business, Comedy, Romance, Life After graduating third-rate university, Marilyn manages to get a job at an established trading company through a family connection. But she is assigned to a trivial department where her colleagues have already been dropped out of promotional competition. Despite the circumstances, she cheerfully devotes herself to even less rewarding duties. One day, Marilyn falls in love with a man at first sight when he passes by her in the office. In such a big company she doesn't know who he is, but she resolves to get promoted to such a high position so she can identify her prince. Encouraged by her boss Sawa but opposed by her rivals, the beautiful and intelligent Misako, and corporate elite Tadashi, she survives the fierce competition in a male-dominated world. Not translated.   Overall Rating: 6/10

9. Shinai Naru Mono e (1992)  [親愛なる者へ] (Finished 3/12) Tags: Romance Even after marriage, Nagiko and Nozomu still spend time dating each other. They seem to be a happy couple, but right behind their backs, each has his/her own secret meetings with his/her ex-lover. Such secrets don't hold long, and get exposed soon. But, it's only then that they realise they in fact love each other very much and are real partners. Well... theme is pretty weird and it just does not ring any bells or look particularly interesting. At the same time, actors feel quite natural and it all is watchable which is already notworthy in comparison with some rivals. The same pattern repeats over and over even within first three episodes, so not sure I want to go on.   Overall Rating: 6/10

10. Zutto Anata ga Sukidatta (1992)  [ずっとあなたが好きだった] (Finished 1/13) Tags: Romance, Drama Ten years back, Miwa's friend committed suicide because she couldn't stand that Yosuke, the one she loved, got along so well with Miwa instead of her. The suicide caused the entire town to put the blame on the couple, thus forcing them to break off. Ten years later, Miwa and Yosuke happen to meet again. Though the love between them still exists, the reality makes their being together impossible. Miwa is getting married soon, and Yosuke has then established a new relationship with another girl, Ritsuko. Unfortunately, Miwa's marriage is a failure, and yet she couldn't turn back till one day ... but it ends up hurting somebody again. Not translated.   Overall Rating: 6/10

11. Kimi no Tame ni Dekiru Koto (1992) [君のためにできること] (Finished 2/13) Tags: Romance, Life, Drama, Fantasy Tatsuya was killed in a car accident and his spirit lives in Hikata - the one who killed him in the accident. Since then, he had a hard time trying to change his girlfriend's perception of "him" or "Hikata" while still trying to protect her. I'm afraid I'm greately prejudiced against it just because of this supernatural theme that makes everything unbearable for me in the end.   Overall Rating: 5/10

12. Ai wa Doda (1992)  [愛はどうだ] (Finished 2/11) Tags: Romance, Drama, Family Although Shuichi has lost his wife, there is no lack of female influence in his life. He has three daughters who are eligible for marriage, and an assortment of women friends and lovers that has earned him the reputation of being a playboy. But the real love interest in his life is his female boss. How he and his daughters work out their romantic adventures provides both entertainment and enlightenment in the challenges of finding true love.  Father is rather repulsive, daughters are nothing special. Just lots of people doing awkwards steps in relations and talking about that all the time. Lacks interest and feels like a chore to watch further.   Overall Rating: 5/10

13. Mokuyoubi no Shokutaku (1992)  [木曜日の食卓] (Finished 3/11) Tags: Drama, Historical, War The tight housing situation in major cities has caused a dramatic increase in the number of duplex houses. What happens to family life when several generations share this kind of environment? This engaging drama shows one glimpse into a new style of family. The husband and wife have built a duplex to accommodate their eldest daughter and her husband-to-be. But this peaceful arrangement is thrown into chaos when the eldest son, a university student, "rescues" his girlfriend from another man in the midst of their wedding ceremony, just as in the movie "The Graduate." What does the future hold? Can a new and more lasting balance be attained in the lives of the family members? Each episode is filled with the tears and laughter of the changing family in this unsettling time. It's quite cringy as it means cohabitation of typical conservative stubborn parents and impulsive youth who don't know what they really want. So there are lots of such interactions between generations, and none of that is particularly interesting. As time goes, the cringe finally ends and it becomes more cozy, but there aren't outstanding personalities or anything exciting to linger for. And since there's not much going on, we instead have to follow an unusually huge number of characters and lines in their relationships.   Overall Rating: 6/10

14. The Key Man (1992) [巨人] (Finished 1/30) Tags: Crime, Drama When Lok Yin furthers his study in U.S.A., he is jailed for 7 years because of manslaughter. His girlfriend, Ching Jan then get married with his best friend, Ling Fung. After going back to Hong Kong, Yin determined to modernize hi family's department store business. But the luck is not at his side, first, his elder brother Lok Man and sister-in-law are killed in a traffic accident. Then his father is died because of heart attack. Not translated.   Overall Rating: 6/10

15. The Peak of Passion (1992)  [沖天小子] (Finished 1/20) Tags: Romance, Life, Youth The drama tells the story of Gao Wenjian, who, after being released from prison, reforms himself with the help of a welfare officer. He actively prepares to conquer Mount Everest with his teammates. Despite unexpectedly discovering that he has leukemia, he does not give in, but actively pursues his dream. Not translated.   Overall Rating: 6/10

16. The Greed of Man (1992) [大時代] (Finished 1/40) Tags: Business, Crime, Drama Ting Hai accidentally killed his long-time friend Fong Tsun Sun and left Sun's four children to Sun's fiancee Law Wai Ling. Fong Chin Pok, the eldest son of Sun, vowed revenge for his father. Years later, Ting Hao Hai and Ting Lei Hai managed to grow powerful in triads. Stifled by feuds, the three sisters, Fong Fong, Fong Ting and Fong Man, were forced to pay the high price in the battle. Meanwhile, Hai became wealthier and wealthier. He was busy grabbing money in the stock market. On the other hand, Pok, by working with veteran drug dealer Chow Chai Sun and retired inspector Lung Bon, his intimate Yuen Mui, Bon's daughter Lung Kei Man and Ting's best friend Chan To To, intended to turn the arena into the killing field...  Hong Kong used to specialize in martial arts and criminal drama, and I happen to dislike both. At least it's not on a high enough level.   Overall Rating: 5/10

17. Hatachi no Yakusoku (1992) [二十歳の約束] (Finished 3/11) Tags: Romance, Drama, Family On approaching her 20th birthday, Yuki happily returns to Japan to see her penpal, Junpei. However, Junpei doesn't want to see her as he is the one who had caused her brother's death three years ago. Though the truth reveals one day, Yuki still loves him. The couple finally decides to get married despite the strong objection from Yuki's father and aunt. And just two days before their wedding bells ring, Junpei gets stabbed by his ex-accomplice. To keep his promise, Junpei bears the pain and completes the wedding ceremony with Yuki. As for me, this is a too naive melodrama with a delingquent male and clingy female.   Overall Rating: 5/10

18. Houkago (1992)  [放課後] (Finished 1/5) Tags: Youth, Supernatural The story begins with a girl, Azusa, talking about old photos she has on her wall. She talks about a moment in her life when she and a boy, Kouhei, exchanged their personality and body. And so the story begins. Personality swap is such a banal worthless setting that I don't even remember good examples of it, and this one is pretty ordinary, too.   Overall Rating: 5/10

19. Homework (1992) ホームワーク [ホームワーク] (Finished 2/11) Tags: Romance A drama about two young couples, both of them having problem keeping their relationship together. First couple is typical shy one, another one with a psychopatic male, so far from intersting again.   Overall Rating: 5/10

20. Sono Toki, Heart wa Nusumareta (1992)  [その時、ハートは盗まれた] (Finished 5/5) Tags: Romance, Youth, Drama It's a drama about a high school girl's growing pains. The heroine is painfully aware of her own childishness and finds it difficult to approach the boy she has a crush on, who is two years her senior at school. One of her classmates is a girl who seems far more grown-up and experienced. The heroine first resents her, then gradually falls in love with her, but then she finds out that the boy she has fancied had always been in love with this girl, too. As the more mature girl's antics get wilder, a strange kind of pax develops between the heroine and the boy through a shared concern for the other girl. It has plenty of good qualities - memorable main characters, unusual setup, reasonable attitude, logical shoujo narration, lots of unexpected or surprising turns, overall cuteness. Initially it looked like only a decent drama, but after so much praise should really consider it a masterpiece, especially because can't spot real negatives apart of somewhat simplistic approach, some filler scenes and focus on emotions. Never thought I'd call shoujo ai masterpiece, but here we are.   Overall Rating: 7/10

21. New Legend of White Snake (1992)  [新白娘子傳奇] (Finished 1/50) Tags: Music, Historical, Romance, Fantasy Aa forbidden love between a scholar and a white snake. ~~ Based on the Legend of White Snake. Not translated.   Overall Rating: 6/10

22. Mo Dai Huang Sun (1992)  [末代皇孙] (Finished 1/55) Tags: Music, Historical, Romance, Fantasy The play tells the story of a Manchu bannerman struggling to survive during the turbulent times of the fall of the Qing Dynasty and the establishment of the Republic of China. Not translated.   Overall Rating: 6/10

23. Chronicle of the Three Kingdoms (1992)  [三國記] (Finished 1/50) Tags: Drama, Historical, War The story of the Three Kingdoms of Korea (Silla, Goguryeo, Baekje) and their eventual unification. Not translated.   Overall Rating: 6/10

Share this: