Dorama of the Year 1994 - Kono yo no Hate (1994)

I rate both Kono yo no Hate (1994) and Kimi to Ita Natsu (1994) as small masterpieces, but the former definitely has more impact and plot development. 

1. Han Myung Hoe (1994)  [한명회] (Finished 1/105) Tags: Historical This biographical drama deals with the palace politics in the time of Han Myung Hoe, a tactician who was instrumental in Sejo's usurpation of young King Danjong's throne. The events detailed here are similar to those already presented in The Ume Tree in the Midst of the Snow, written by the same writer a decade earlier. Not translated.   Overall Rating: 6/10

2. Moshimo Negai ga Kanau Nara (1994)  [もしも願いが叶うなら] (Finished 1/12) Tags: Comedy, Romance, Crime, Drama FL got to orphanage after her mother died. Just when she was going to marry heir to a major trading company, her older brothers showed up to stay with her. Not translated.   Overall Rating: 6/10

3. Sweet Home (1994)  [スウィート・ホーム] (Finished 1/12) Tags: Drama, Family  When the Inoue family just moves into their new residence, they are shocked to see everyone there so anxious about getting their children into good schools. In order not to be the one left out, they also join in the crowd and train their child hard to score well in the primary school entrance exam. Interestingly, their next door neighbor has a kid same age as theirs and always likes to compete with them. This makes the whole exam process more exciting and stressful, of course. Wow, no plot at all... just some family affairs in exaggerated manner. No good characters spotted, too.   Overall Rating: 5/10

4. Kono yo no Hate (1994) [この世の果て] (Finished 12/12) Tags: Romance, Drama, Melodrama Maria, struggling financially, juggles a low-paying day job with nighttime shifts at a cabaret to fund her sister Nana's eye operation. Tragedy struck their family when a young Maria accidentally caused a fire, resulting in Nana's blindness and their father's death. Shiro, a discontented concert pianist, crosses paths with Maria in a traffic accident, leading to his hospitalization. Adopting a false identity and amnesia, Shiro seeks refuge at Maria's home, eventually becoming a cabaret pianist. Unbeknownst to them, fate weaves a complex web, revealing that their lives were never meant to intersect. I would not want to promote destructive behavior, but this piece is full of genuine sincere misery and - again - classic literature vibes, plus appearance of Sakurai Sachiko makes everything better. There are a lot of silly non-reasonable moves, so it's far from perfect or even great and thus does not deserve a higher score, especially with this much pain by the end.   Overall Rating: 7/10

5. Hito no Fukou wa Mitsu no Aji (1994) [ひとの不幸は蜜の味] (Finished 3/11) Tags: Romance Satoko is an ordinary bank teller with aspirations to someday become a manga-ka, or graphic novel artist. In her spare time, she draws and inks her own stories and submits them to publishers, who one after another reject her work because it's... missing something. (It's implied that she lacks credentials as an apprentice to an established manga-ka to pay her dues.) But quite by chance, Satoko stumbles onto a sudden vacancy to apprentice for her idol, Kurebayashi Mayuko. What is her idol-like? Satoko imagines her new boss must be like one of the angelic heroines in her own comics, but the reality is something different. Light comedy around extravagant mangaka. Sadly, rather foolish and aimless.   Overall Rating: 6/10

6. Natsuko no Sake (1994)  [夏子の酒] (Finished 3/11) Tags: Food, Life, Drama Natsuko lives her dream as a copy writer for an advertising company in Tokyo. But when she hits a slump in her career, she returns to her family's sake brewery in the countryside. There she discovers her older brother has been hunting down a phantom rice called tatsunishiki, believing it to be ideal for creating a new sake. He finds the rice seeds he needs to begin his new sake, but right after Natsuko returns to Tokyo with her spirits renewed, he passes away suddenly. Despite new success at her job, she decides to quit and return home to continue her brother's dream. What begins is a several years long journey, first to cultivate the notoriously difficult to grow tatsunishiki, and then to perfect the brewing process of her new sake. Rural farming for brewery is super boring for me, and nothing here strikes anything outside of banal.   Overall Rating: 5/10

7. Romance of the Three Kingdoms (1994)  [三国演义] (Finished 3/84) Tags: Historical, Drama In an age of turmoil, heroes will rise... It is the end of the 2nd Century, and China is in a state of turmoil. The land is divided by warlords, and the country is facing famine, droughts, and invasion from bordering tribes. On top of the problems the country is facing, Zhang Jiao and his brothers begin to rebel against the Han while advocating the arrival of a new era, the era of the "Yellow Dragon," implying that if people followed him, they would lead prosperous lives. Thousands of desperate villagers flocked to follow Zhang Jiao as they raided government offices and plundered towns and villages alike in protest of heavy taxation, wearing only a "yellow turban" on their heads. As their strengths and numbers grew, the "Yellow Turbans" overthrew some of the Imperial Court's best generals and strongest forces. Concerned for their capital in Luo Yang and for the Han empire, the Imperial Court immediately constructed an "alliance" by requesting volunteers across the country to settle the rebellion. Three distinct generals were recruited - Liu Bei, Cao Cao, and Sun Jian. Together with their own officers, the Yellow Turban rebellion was quickly laid to rest, and each of the men involved immediately gained popularity and power with the people. As their powers grew, however, each continued to seek more control of their territories and unite all of China under one rule. One fought for hegemony. One fought for ambition. One fought for righteousness. Veteran officers and generals who shared the same visions swarmed under each leader. These stalwart souls waged war across the vast expanse of the land and, like bloodthirsty demons, cut down any and all that stood in their way. Thus, the romance of the Three Kingdoms begins. I'm rather disappointed as it looses in everything compared to anime - actors choice, tempo, action scenes. There are also some silly antics and many events and talks with little meaning.   Overall Rating: 6/10

8. Hana no Ran (1994) [花の乱] (Finished 1/37) Tags: Historical, Drama, War The story takes place during the Muromachi period of Ancient Japan, in the midst of the Onin War. The main character in the series is Tomiko Hino, a historical figure with a bad reputation because of her actions to rebuild Kyoto after the Onin War. Not translated.   Overall Rating: 6/10

9. Scent of Love (1994)  [사랑의 향기] (Finished 1/52) Tags: Drama Aromatic love that overcomes the hardships of youth. True love is learned through each couple of three generations and the love of a family that has lost the father in a car accident. Yong Jin works at an animation production company and Jae Jin is a university student. The two sisters are bright and cheerful despite not having a father. Yong Jin meets a guy and regardless of her mom's disapproval, continue with her love for him. Not only love but the waiting, hatred, and disappointments are well projected. Not translated.   Overall Rating: 6/10

10. Fate of the Last Empire (1994)  [清宮氣數錄] (Finished 1/20) Tags: Historical, Romance, Drama - Not translated.   Overall Rating: 6/10

11. Kono Ai ni Ikite (1994)  [この愛に生きて] (Finished 1/12) Tags: Thriller, Romance, Drama This story focuses on a married couple and their search for happiness as a family. Akemi becomes pregnant, Seiichi eventually divorces his wife and marries her. Despite their passionate romance before marriage, now Seiichi does not look at or think of Akemi as "a woman". Part of Seiichi's reason has to do with the fact that he again goes out with his former wife Ritsuko, cheating on Akemi. When Akemi notices what Seiichi is thinking, she meets Yusaku Shirube, a police detective. Akemi and Yusaku eventually have a love affair that night, comforting their wounded hearts. This one-night love affair is to be a start for perfect love. Not translated.   Overall Rating: 6/10

12. Ie Naki Ko (1994)  [家なき子] (Finished 1/12) Tags: Life, Drama "Don't pity me, just give me money." A smart little girl, Suzu, for the sake of her beloved sick mother, has no choice but to attempt all ways to fork up the money required for the operation. It includes stealing, cheating and almost anything that could yield cash. However, deep within her is a sadness unseen by many. Not translated.   Overall Rating: 6/10

13. General Hospital (1994)  [종합병원] (Finished 1/92) Tags: Drama, Medical This drama depicts the sorrows, hardships, relationships and ambitions of doctors at a General Hospital, particularly the senior resident 'Venomous Snake' Park Jin Won, playboy Park Hyun Joon and nurse Kim So Yi. Not translated.   Overall Rating: 6/10

14. 17-sai - At Seventeen - (1994)  [17才-at seventeen-] (Finished 1/14) Tags: Comedy, Youth The peaceful everyday lives of a group of classmates are disrupted by the sudden return of their childhood friend, Takumi. Not translated.   Overall Rating: 6/10

15. Kimi to Ita Natsu (1994) [君といた夏] (Finished 12/12) Tags: Romance, Drama Three young people, Irie, Sugiya and Asami, decide to share a room together one summer. All three of them experience sadness, love and friendship as they fall in and out of love. They all become a vital part of each other's life, but at the end of summer vacation, they go their separate ways. Sugiya returns home, Asami leaves Tokyo and returns to the country, and Irie remains in the room they had shared as if nothing had happened over the last 40 days of summer. Story is simple and kinda of melodramatic, but actors are great as well as non-repulsive. Plus, ending is surprising, so it's well worth a masterpice status even though after first several episodes it was kind of empty till the very end.   Overall Rating: 7/10

16. Okane ga nai! (1994)  [お金がない！] (Finished 12/12) Tags: Business, Comedy, Drama Kentaro lives in the suburbs with his two little brothers. They are poor, but they are happy. The factory Kentaro works for, though, goes bankrupt on pay day and Kentaro finds himself out of a job and with even less money. The brothers are thrown out of their apartment and Kentaro, a born optimistic until then, decides that he must aggressively pursue "money". This drama depicts the success story of Kentaro in his search for money and a better life. Managed to finish it even though I feel uneasy with money and luck/unluck focus. MC role is basically antics. What saves the day a bit is some side characters, some unexpected situations solutions, some comedy... and that's probably it. There's nothing to recommend it for, especially because it's mostly just a streak of lucky turns of events.   Overall Rating: 6/10

17. Kindan no Kajitsu (1994) [禁断の果実] (Finished 1/13) Tags: Romance, Life The intense love affair of a man and a woman who later discover that they are actually brother and sister. Not translated.   Overall Rating: 6/10

18. Ningen Shikkaku (1994) [人間・失格〜たとえばぼくが死んだら] (Finished 1/12) Tags: Thriller, Psychological, Youth, Drama Three tales raise unsettling questions about the central qualities of being human. In one, a father is torn between love for his son and the desire for revenge, while a second examines the twisted love of a teacher for his female colleague. The third story delves into the complex affections hidden within a bully. Not translated.   Overall Rating: 6/10

19. Good Mourning (1994)  [グッドモーニング] (Finished 1/11) Tags: Business, Comedy, Family A comedy-touch drama set in a funeral business. The English spelling of "morning" is "mourning" , so title translation, went that way. Minori Amano becomes a widow on her honeymoon. Still, she becomes part of the Amano family's funeral home business. From now on, the woman not only has to fight with eccentric clients, but the rest of the Amano family who have a lot to say about running the business. Not translated.   Overall Rating: 6/10

20. Eternity (1994)  [千歲情人] (Finished 1/20) Tags: Romance, Fantasy The play tells the story of Bu Jinghong and Ying Zhan, who were searching for the elixir of immortality during the Qin Dynasty. Not translated.   Overall Rating: 6/10

21. Feelings (1994) [느낌] (Finished 3/16) Tags: Romance, Drama Three brothers Bin, Hyun and Joon become drawn to the very pretty and sweet Yuri, a family friend. Yuri arrives from France to live with them for the summer while attending classes at their university, causing each brother to be attracted to her in a different way.  As the first subbed Korean dorama it does provide a curious look at the glamourless Korea of 1990s, but overall it's pretty terrible in every element .   Overall Rating: 5/10

22. Heroic Legend of the Yang's Family (1994) [碧血青天楊家將] (Finished 1/30) Tags: Historical In a fierce battle against the invading army of its neighboring country Liao, Song's main force, the famous Yeung's Troop, suffers a complete defeat due to failure of prompt backup from its General in Chief Pong Loong, who is jealous of the Yeung's military honors. Later, in the investigation over the defeat, the Justice Bao finds solid evidence against Loong of his fraternization with Liao, which leads to the execution of Loong, and thus arouses hatred between the Yeung family and Loong's father, the Grand Tutor Pong. Realizing his identity as a Yeung's offspring after being out of contact with the Yeung family for ages, Liao General Yollig Jung-Yuan returns to the land of Song for a reunion with his own birth parents. Seeing it as a chance to maliciously revenge on the Yeungs, Pong strives for the execution of Jung-Yuan. After his evil plan is destroyed by Justice Bao, Pong decides to vent his hatred on another Yeung's member Jung-Bo by framing him as a rebel, aiming to have the whole Yeung family executed as traitors. As the war between Song and Liao becomes more intense, the female warriors of the Yeung family put aside their personal hatred and set out for safeguard against the invaders. Unknowing that the Grand Tutor Pong has fraternized with Liao, the Yeung's Army gets trapped and surrounded by the enemy and is facing a life-and-death situation.... Not translated.   Overall Rating: 6/10

23. Princess Xinyue (1994) [新月格格] (Finished 1/26) Tags: Historical, Romance ~ Adapted from the novel "Princess Xinyue" (新月格格) by Chiung Yao (瓊瑤) Not translated.   Overall Rating: 6/10

24. Wakamono no Subete (1994)  [若者のすべて] (Finished 2/10) Tags: Youth, Drama This series depicts a group of young people searching for their own directions in life. 22 year-old Tetsuo repairs cars and looks after his little sister after the death of their parents. Around him is a circle of close childhood friends, all with different dreams and different realities. Takeshi used to be Tetsuo's closest friend but they fell out after an accident. One day, Tetsuo and the others come across Takeshi again... Partially translated. It's pretty hard to follow or get interested in lives of six friends that don't intersect much. Guess it's realistic enough and maybe going somewhere more meaningful later, but without full subs shikata ga nai.   Overall Rating: 6/10

25. Yoru ni Dakarete (1994)  [夜に抱かれて] (Finished 1/10) Tags: Romance, Drama A woman living in the night city and a host trying to shake off the dark past. And another man who loves him while rivalry him. While peeping at the backside of the Mizu shoubai​ (the night entertainment (nightlife) business) draw a human-like pattern of the primary colors that breathe in there. Not translated.   Overall Rating: 6/10

26. Shizukanaru Don (1994) [静かなるドン] (Finished 1/19) Tags: Crime - Not translated.   Overall Rating: 6/10

27. Class of Distinction (1994) [阿Sir早晨] (Finished 1/20) Tags: Comedy, Romance, Drama A drama about a man who worked in the advertising industry that is forced into becoming a substitute teacher. Not translated.   Overall Rating: 6/10

28. Instinct (1994) [笑看風雲] (Finished 1/40) Tags: Business, Crime, Drama Wong Tin is an all-powerful tycoon in town. While he is the one who stirs things up, he is also the only one who can settle them. Bao Man Lung sees Tin as his mentor as well as his friend. He is truthful with and loyal to Tin, yet he is bruised all over in the end! Poon Long Ching worships Tin. His is determined to get rich and famous, by fair means or foul. Nevertheless, he ends up being used by Tin's enemy to fight against Tin. Not translated.   Overall Rating: 6/10

29. Yan Suo Chong Lou (1994) [煙鎖重樓] (Finished 1/24) Tags: Historical, Drama, Family Set in the early Republican Era (the 1920s) in a small town in Anhui Province called White Sand, which was famed for its Chastity Archway of Widowhood. The Chastity Archway of Widowhood honored women who remained staunchly faithful to their dead husbands and devoted their remaining life to serving the family. The spoiled son of the Zeng clan, a prominent family in White Sand Town, is married to Xia Meng Han, a young woman from a distinguished family. Unfortunately, their marriage proves to be unhappy as the son wastes away his time in entertainment, drinking, and womanizing. One day he gets himself in a brawl and gets killed. The adopted son, Yu Hang, sees these tragedies unfold before his eyes and sympathizes greatly with Meng Han. His sympathy eventually grows into love. Not translated.   Overall Rating: 6/10

30. Filthy Rich (1994) [豪門插班生] (Finished 1/20) Tags: Comedy, Romance - Not translated.   Overall Rating: 6/10

31. 29-sai no Christmas (1994) [29歳のクリスマス] (Finished 2/10) Tags: Romance, Drama Noriko is approaching 30 and is still unmarried. She is a fashion designer, dreaming of success and a Paris Collection. On her 29th birthday her world falls apart. Her boss transfers her from design to managing a bar. Her boyfriend betrays her for another woman. Shocked, Noriko decides to leave home and to move in with her best friend, Aya. The story of one woman's struggle to find happiness and love. Don't see it going anywhere as it contains mostly random events and not trying to evolve.   Overall Rating: 5/10

32. A Cruel Lover (1994) [郎心如鐵] (Finished 1/30) Tags: Drama, Romance MC ruthlessly throws the women who love him one after another into the abyss of eternal destruction for the sake of fame and fortune... Not translated   Overall Rating: 6/10

33. The Chevaliers (1994) [侠义见青天] (Finished 1/38) Tags: Drama The drama is adapted from the Qing Dynasty classic "Three Heroes and Five Gallants" Not translated.   Overall Rating: 6/10

34. Emperor of Taizong, Li Shi Min (1994) [唐太宗李世民] (Finished 1/54) Tags: Historical, Romance The play spans from the end of the Sui Dynasty to the 23rd year of the Zhenguan Period, telling the story of Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, who met and accompanied his friends and lovers from his youth as a prince, and gradually grew into a qualified emperor in the process, showing Li Shimin's life's great achievements and emotional entanglements one by one. Not translated.   Overall Rating: 6/10

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