Dorama of the Year 2004-II Spring - At Home Dad

No favorite. And since don't want to choose anything, would follow formal criteria of what I could watch to the end - and that's At Home Dad .

1. Atarashii Kaze  [新しい風] (Finished 3/11) Tags: Political Niimi Takashi, an experienced political reporter for a Tokyo newspaper, is unexpectedly chosen by a parliamentary faction to run for a seat in the Japanese legislature. The compromises and sacrifices necessary to succeed in a political campaign are a shock to him, and more so to his recent bride, Mako, who is less familiar with the political world. Wow, earliest drama about politics. But it's such a boring topic that something extra is needed to make it shine... and this drama seems to be riding on novely alone as it's all deadly boring.   Overall Rating: 5/10

2. Hikari to Tomo ni... ~ Jiheishou-ji wo Kakaete ~ [光とともに... 〜自閉症児を抱〜] (Finished 1/11) Tags: Life, Family Sachiko and Masato Azuma, in their 4th year of marriage, had been so excited about the birth of their long-waited first child. They named their baby boy "Hikaru" (meaning light in Japanese). Nobody doubted that the birth of their precious son Hikaru would bring great happiness to the Azumas' family life. Until one day, Sachiko noticed that there was something different about Hikaru. This heartwarming drama is a story about family. Hikaru's mother goes through so many difficulties raising her autistic son, sometimes so overwhelmed that she doesn't know what to do. Then at Hikaru's school, with the help of one very special teacher, Rio-sensei, she learns to deal with her son's autism and think positive about her family life. Her story will touch the heart of all mothers with young children, mothers who have brought up young children, as well as a woman who will be mothers in the future. It takes special mindset to watch pieces about mentally challenged persons, and I'm not there.   Overall Rating: 5/10

3. Leh Ratree  [เล่ห์รตี] (Finished 1/12) Tags: Romance, Drama Kate’s father owed lots of money to some gamblers so he ripped off Seit 's company to pay them back. Seit catches him and in order to pay the debt, Kate's father sells Kate to Seit because he knew that Seit can take care of his daughter. Kate moves into Seit 's house and she begins taking care of Seit's family. Typical lakorn. Indeed, why even kidnap a girl when can just sell her...   Overall Rating: 5/10

4. Love Contract  [愛情合約] (Finished 8/23) Tags: Romance Outwardly, Xiao Feng is a stubborn tomboy and the captain of the Kendo Club at her college. In her group of friends, she is the leader with her demanding nature and abrupt ways. Inwardly, however, Xiao Feng is a girl scarred by her past and searching for what she wants most, love. Her friends, A Kai, Xiao Bai, Mu Tou, Xin Lei, and Xiao Xiao, don't know about that part of her past, but they are all loyal friends to Xiao Feng; that is until Xiao Bai and A Kai leave the Kendo Club for the Swim Team. Xiao Bai and A Kai are immediately regretful when the captain of the Swim Team, A Ken, turns out to be a captain as grueling as Xiao Feng. When one night, Xiao Feng announces to her friends she wants to love the most. Xiao Bai and A Ken devise a prank called the love contract. In exchange for finding swim team members to recruit, A Ken must court Xiao Feng. Directorship is pretty creative, but on a big picture it's just pack of youth fooling around and under pretext of love contract searching for love. There's very little direction, so would be water even in 10 episodes let alone 23.   Overall Rating: 6/10

5. Lovers in Paris [파리의 연인] (Finished 8/20) Tags: Romance Tae Young lives in Paris and is working on a screenplay, she meets Gi Ju while working at a friend's stall and Soo Hyuk, when her bicycle breaks down. Soo Hyuk and Tae Young become friends. Gi Ju asks her to act as his fiancée for work reasons. Things go badly and everyone returns to Korea. Back in Korea Tae Young, Gi Ju and Soo Hyuk begin to develop friendships with Tae Young and end up feeling more feelings towards her than they initially thought. However, Gi Ju is Soo Hyuk's uncle and they had grown up like best friends since they were only about 7 years apart. Their feelings towards her slowly begin to be revealed causing heartache for all the people around them. It's super awkward yet somewhat cozy. Surprisingly, it made me smile several times. I thought I'd keep going as long as I'm still entertained. Well, it lasted long enough, but it's super stretched and hits in the same spots over and over and over, and that's why I prefer much shorter Japanese formats.   Overall Rating: 6/10

6. Ms. Kim's Million Dollar Quest [파란만장 미스 김 10억 만들기] (Finished 3/16) Tags: Comedy, Romance Kim Eun Jae is abandoned at the altar by Yoo Young Hoon for wealthy Suh Woo Kyung. To save her from embarrassment, her wedding photographer, Park Moo Yeol, pretends to be her husband. Soon after, Moo Yeol's family goes bankrupt, and Eun Jae believes wealth will win back Young Hoon. Teaming up, they chase money-making schemes but struggle to succeed. As obstacles mount, they realize they may be unlucky in money but fortunate in love. Concept is so-so, and the rest is decent at best. So they try to ride on actors interactions and play mostly which is exaggerated with many antics and not entirely satisfactory.   Overall Rating: 6/10

7. Nouka no Yome ni Naritai [農家のヨメになりたい] (Finished 1/5) Tags: Comedy, Romance, Life About a city girl who falls in love and wants to become the wife of a farmer. All this rural propaganda with a beaten love triangle trope is repulsive, and even Fukada Kyoko can't make me watch it to the end.   Overall Rating: 6/10

8. Orange Days [オレンジデイズ] (Finished 3/11) Tags: Romance, Life, Youth Yuuki Kai is in his senior year at university studying social welfare psychology. At present, he is in the middle of job-hunting season. He is finding it difficult with no job offers so far. One day, he meets a girl who is playing the violin on campus. She is Hagio Sae. In marked contrast to her beautiful tone and attractive looks, her personality is somewhat impertinent. And to top it off, she communicates through very vulgar sign language. Four years ago, she lost the most important thing for a violinist - her hearing. As a result, Sae closed off her inner self from the outside world. Kai finds himself on a date with Sae in place of his best friend. Unexpectedly, he comes into contact with Sae's private side. Love, job-hunting, friendship.. Despite hearing deficiency it's better than expected as FL is rather cool and even rude from the start which contrasts with usual victim behavior. But by the end of third episodes it gets back to victim spontaneous behavior blaming everything and everyone. For me personally first episodes weren't enough to stick to the end with the change of tide, and I prefer less childish attitude.   Overall Rating: 6/10

9. Phoenix [불새] (Finished 1/26) Tags: Romance, Drama Love is timing. Love needs just the "right time". It's not because you loved him or her less that you parted. Heaven brings you your soul mate when the time is just "right". Phoenix shows you this heaven's work. There is a young couple who desperately fell in love but who couldn't be together because the time wasn't just right for them. Years pass by and these two meet again. And the trick of fortune switches their situation and environments. A daughter of a millionaire (Lee Eun Joo) has now become an helper suffering from the grim realities of life. On the other hand, an orphan self-supporting student (Lee Seo Jin) is now an accomplished wealthy businessman. Now these two people are looking at the world with different eyes. The childlike girl has finally learned the harshness of the world and the guy with once twisted mind has learned to enjoy the latitude of mind. In the end, these two start to understand each other, thus arriving at the "right time". Typical kdrama with psychotic female and sour male. It's supposed to ride on charm alone, that just won't do.   Overall Rating: 5/10

10. Prince's First Love [황태자의 첫사랑] (Finished 2/18) Tags: Comedy, Romance, Drama, Family Gun Hee, the Prince of a Hotel chain, lives an irresponsible jet setting existence. That is cut short when he meets Yu Bin. She ends up getting him in trouble with his family and he is forced to work in the hotel chain as a guide. Yu Bin also gets a job at the same company and Gun Hee proceeds to try to make her life miserable. Eventually, revenge turns to love, but Yu Bin only has eyes for hard-working Sung Hyun, Gun Hee's chief rival in the company as well as in love. Wow, start is so similar with lovers in Paris, but it already feels weaker and I'm enjoying it substantially less.   Overall Rating: 6/10

11. The Outsiders [鬥魚] (Finished 1/20) Tags: Action, Romance, Crime The story revolves around three sworn brothers namely Yu Hao, Shan Zi, and Yang Xiong Qi. They are delinquents, fighting to gain what they want, though they have never officially joined any triads yet. Their leader Yu Hao falls for Xiao Yan Zi, who is the opposite of everything that the boys are. She is from a family with a very good background and has a bright future as a budding pianist. An ambush on Yu Hao by a rival gang brings them together when Yan Zi saves Yu Hao. This is a story about how they fall in love and how Yu Hao, in a bid to protect Yan Zi, ends up joining the triads in order to get protection. Serious delinquent gangs story is not something I can appreciate. It fails even to create a proper first impression.   Overall Rating: 5/10

12. The Woman Who Wants to Marry [결혼하고 싶은 여자] (Finished 2/18) Tags: Comedy, Romance, Life, Drama These days, there seem to be just too many single working women in their 30s. These women have spent all their years accomplishing their dream and now stand all alone. They turn to men now, hoping to settle down, but all the fine guys have been snatched away by young girls who were only concerned about getting married. Now they try to fall into self-hypnotism that they are better off than being trapped in an unhappy marriage, but they can't help feeling all alone and lonely. "Marry Me" is a story of how women in their thirties come to face life and discover something new about their lives. 30-year-old spinster reporter Sin Young was once called a "troublemaker reporter", but she clenched her teeth and kept digging into her work. Soon Ae, a 30-year-old stewardess, is the breadwinner of her family who supports her ailing father, an utterly hopeless widow aunt and another hopeless cousin. Seung Ri is renowned for her numerous love affairs. Kekkon dekinai otoko with a similar concept is probably my favorite romance dorama, so it feels terrible to see such concept butchered here. Story about three different women also becomes too eclectic.   Overall Rating: 5/10

13. Wonderful Life (2004) [ワンダフルライフ] (Finished 1/12) Tags: Sports Kirishima is the most famous baseball player in Japan. However, an unfortunate injury forces him to retire. His family abandons him, and all that's left is a vacant coaching position at a local baseball team for young boys. This club is on the verge of being disbanded, and, so far, they have never won a single game. Will Kirishima be able to help the club? Through the television screen, popular baseball player Kirishima tells the kids, "dreams come true." His baseball techniques are so fantastic that he is called the "miracle man." But in reality, Kirishima is an arrogant and selfish flirt who spends money like there's no tomorrow. Mizuki is a girl who wants to become a lawyer. Her brother plays on Kirishima's team but can't stand the sight of Kirishima. She hates men who fool around, and especially those who deceive children. Will Mizuki and Kirishima be able to come to a mutual understanding? Spokon.   Overall Rating: 5/10

14. Vampire Host [ヴァンパイアホスト] (Finished 1/12) Tags: Comedy, Romance, Drama, Supernatural It focuses on a naive, loudmouthed teenager named Rion, who investigates a host club full of vampires when she suspects they must be related to the disappearance of a lot of people in the neighborhood, including her best friend. In the process she begins to befriend them, especially the leader Suou, with whom she develops a romantic relationship. Ultimately, she figures out the vampires are not the cause of the disappearances, but her adventures with the vampires are only beginning. Hating any vampires as concept, but this is total trash.   Overall Rating: 5/10

15. Love of the Aegean Sea [情定愛琴海] (Finished 5/40) Tags: Romance Beautifully filmed at Aegean Sea with lovely music, this romantic drama series with an all star-cast from Taiwan and Korea is a must-watch. Guan Xiao Tong is a talented music student who hails from Shanghai. On a visit to Greece on the Aegean Sea, she got to know two guys. One is web-friend and free-spirited traveler Li Yao Xiang and the other is Li En Qi, the son of a rich businessman. En Qi lives a sheltered, controlled and lonely life under the watchful eyes of his parents. To the dismay of En Qi, his parents want to matchmake him with a rich man's daughter. Xiao Tong's friendship with the two men blossoms. But there can only be one love for her...who will she choose? Well, I don't like these characters and concept is usual love triangle. Not sure what to like here.   Overall Rating: 6/10

16. Itoshi Kimi e [愛し君へ] (Finished 1/11) Tags: Romance, Life, Drama What if the one you love were destined to lose his eyesight in three months? What would you like him to see last? If you were him, what would you want to see last? Shiki Tomokawa is a new pediatrician who is enjoying her life. She falls in love with Shunsuke, a cameraman, who is destined to lose his eyesight in a couple of months. How will Shiki react when she finds out Shunsuke's destiny? "To the One I Love" takes place in two contrasting cities, in the hustle and bustle of Tokyo and in the peaceful city of Nagasaki, and depicts both the joys and sadness of life and the interaction with family and friends. It's variation of terminal condition for me, and pilot did not motivate me to explore further - just another stupid tearjerker.   Overall Rating: 5/10

17. Home Drama [ホームドラマ!] (Finished 1/11) Tags: Life, Drama, Family In a house in the outskirts of Tokyo, there lives a family of eight. Such a large family is rare these days; however, not one is related by blood. They all lost a loved one in the same holiday accident. Moved by Shogo's suggestion that they all move in together, they have gathered in this house. Each of them has their own issues, making for the start of a tumultuous home life. Tsuyoshi Domoto stars as the passionate yet sentimental lead, Shogo. Diametrically opposed in character and thinking is Tomohiko (Yusuke Santamaria). The story centres on these two as they butt heads at every turn, and the eight grow closer together as a family. This is a human drama full of heart and mixed with laughs and tears depicting a group of deeply wounded people beginning to believe in tomorrow and live life more positively. It's again Domoto Tsuyoshi takes care of younger children, just with more glorified setting rather than usual parrents remarry trope. Nine persons inevitably means focus on different character story each episode. It's not that it's bad, but it's definitely beaten way and just not particularly interesting for me.   Overall Rating: 6/10

18. Rikon Bengoshi [離婚弁護士] (Finished 1/11) Tags: Mystery, Law Takako Mamiya is a lawyer who quits her job at a prestigious law firm and establishes her own office. She confidently sets out to build her business, but soon her former firm is putting up obstacles and interfering, causing Takako's employees and clients to drift away. She finally puts together a new staff consisting of a college student who knows little about the law, a girl who applied for the job in hopes of meeting a rich guy, a hard-nosed lawyer, and a paralegal who hasn't passed the bar exam yet. Takako reluctantly handles divorce cases with her incompetent crew. For an elite lawyer like her, divorce cases are the most boring and unrewarding cases that exist. Through clashing with her employees and clients, Takako soon becomes a very mature and tough lawyer. "Divorce Lawyer" also tells the story of how difficult it is to judge love and relationships in legal terms. Strong woman helps abused women to sort out their family issues. I believe I'm not target audience.   Overall Rating: 6/10

19. At Home Dad  [アットホーム・ダッド] (Finished 12/12) Tags: Comedy, Family Kazuyuki Yamamura, a successful advertising executive, takes pride in supporting his family, which includes his wife, Miki, and daughter, Rie. After buying a house, he sees himself at the peak of his career. In contrast, his neighbor, Yusuke Sugio, is a stay-at-home dad while his wife, Shoko, runs a company. Kazuyuki looks down on Yusuke, viewing him as helpless. However, Kazuyuki's life turns upside down when he is forced to leave his job, and Miki is invited back to her old workplace. With no other choice, Kazuyuki becomes a reluctant stay-at-home husband, a role he never wanted. Abe Hiroshi is my favorite actor, but even I'm not sure why continue watching it. Setup was done in first two episodes, but after that there's nothing noticable happening - just slow SOL as characters linger in current state. Finished it my intertia, but did not enjoy it.   Overall Rating: 6/10

20. Genghis Khan (2004)  [成吉思汗] (Finished 2/30) Tags: Historical, Drama This drama is about the life and battles of the historical warrior Genghis Khan. So far still only tribal squabbles, basic stuff.   Overall Rating: 5/10

21. Koinu no Waltz [仔犬のワルツ] (Finished 2/11] Tags: Music, Mystery, Life, Drama Haoto is a blind girl who loves to play the piano, and even she's blind, she's brilliant at playing the piano. She gets adopted by a rich family who is going to find out a replacement for their dead son, who was a genius at playing the piano. They need the best one, so everyone is going to face hard competitions. I've grown weary of piano competitions, not much better than spokons. Deficiency condition like blindness is always an additional minus for me. The result is not suitable for me even though series does not look bad.   Overall Rating: 5/10

22. Beijing My Love [북경 내사랑] (Finished 1/20) Tags: Romance Na Min Kook was a spoiled brat and was sent by his father to his company branch office in China to learn the business. He ran away and befriended a Chinese student Yang Xue and her family. Friendship blossomed into love and Na Min Kook gradually learned to be a responsible person worthy of his father's expectations. Pilot felt stupid and artificial while failing to impress in any way.   Overall Rating: 5/10

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