Dorama of the Year 2007-I Winter - Furin Kazan (2007)

Heard that 2007/2008 marks evolution of at least kdrama, so looking forward to it by the end of this year. But so far there's again no really interesting stories even though there are good actors and some nice quiet SOL. So among them Furin Kazan (2007) is probably the most exciting even though I can't forgive it feminine Shingen actor choice.

1. Que Sera Sera  [케 세라 세라] (Finished 1/17) Tags: Romance, Drama, Melodrama Kang Tae Ju is a player with charm and good looks who always dates rich women. One day, he finds a strange poor girl named Han Eun Su sleeping in front of his door. Although he initially despises her, he eventually finds himself falling for her. Cha Hye Lin is the daughter of a rich shopping mall CEO. Her first love, Sin Jun Hyeok, dumps her at her father's request. Hye Lin buys herself a new boyfriend to make her ex jealous. That man is Kang Tae Ju, and during their contract relationship, Hye Lin begins to fall in love again. However, Tae Ju already has a girlfriend, and he can't forget her as easily as he has forgotten all the women in his past. This story is basically about the redemption of Kang Tae Ju from a bastard into a human. Both leads are far from reasonable, so generated situations are very strange. It's not ok with me to watch constant outbursts of idiot characters.   Overall Rating: 5/10

2. Furin Kazan (2007) [風林火山] (Finished 30/50) Tags: Historical, Drama The 46th Historical Drama is a life story of Yamamoto Kansuke, a lonely genius of strategy in the Age of the Civil War in the 16th century. Kansuke works under Takeda Shingen and pursues his dream of unifying the whole country by aiding the warlord of Kai. At the same time, Kansuke supports Shingen's concubine Yu through his selfless affection for the woman who hates but eventually loves the warlord who killed her father and family. With the aid of Kansuke's strategies, Shingen expands his power northward, where he is destined to fight with Kenshin Uesugi, the warlord of Echigo. The drama portrays how those who fight for their dreams face their destinies in the turbulent age. I happened to have watched and loved later taiga about another strategist Gunshi Kanbei before, so my vision is clouded by its perfection. Beginning is super slow. There are some strange pace breaking side stories. But my biggest gripe with this drama is Takeda Shingen who is played by an actor with a rather silly face so he used to play mostly secondary and often foolish characters - it really feels like a spit in the face of original Takeda Shingen drama. He is the main warlord here taking up time equal to main character, and I hate his every apearance. Only Heizo appearance was even more irritating. How am I supposed to like it then ? I only rate as masterpieces must have stories that broaden our mindsets in some way. But 30 episodes in and I still see nothing of importance that would be missed by Takeda Shingen drama. I'm tired of it. Good, but easily skippable .   Overall Rating: 6/10

3. Haikei, Chichiue-sama [拝啓、父上様 ] (Finished 11/11) Tags: Drama, Family Set in an old prestigious Ryotei (Japanese-style restaurant) in a small town in the center of Tokyo, a young Itamae (cook for Japanese dishes) struggles his life, love and work while the long-lasted ryotei and the beloved old town face the change to survive the time. This heartwarming drama shows the intimate relationship of the community that has been lost nowadays, asks what the most important things in your life is, and tells how difficult it is to make a decision. The story is told in the form of a letter to his unknown father with lots of humor and love. It's indeed slow meditative SOL without any real aim. But Kuroki Meisa saves the day here and makes it watchable.   Overall Rating: 6/10

4. Warui Yatsura (2007) [わるいやつら] (Finished 1/8) Tags: Thriller, Mystery, Medical A nurse who turns into a stalker (and murderer). In a slight deviation from the original storyline, the drama starts off with a nurse in love with a doctor, and proceeds its depiction as her life spirals out of control. Reminds Kemonomichi a lot. Same crazy unreasonable actions material.   Overall Rating: 5/10

5. The Great Revival [卧薪尝胆 ] (Finished 2/41) Tags: Historical, Drama, War, Political This drama takes place during the turbulent Spring and Autumn Period and tells the well-known story of the downfall and revival of Gou Jian, King of Yue. After his defeat, Gou Jian was captured and enslaved by King Fu Chai of Wu. Faking submission and loyalty while secretly planning revenge during his imprisonment, Gou Jian is eventually allowed to return to his native Yue. Upon his return to rule, Gou Jian strengthens the kingdom with the help of talented advisors and politicians like Fan Li and Wen Zhong while weakening Wu internally through bribery and strategic diplomatic dealings. "Wo Xin Chang Dan" is a phrase coined to depict Gou Jian's perseverance and self-imposed hardships designed to constantly remind himself of the humiliations he withstood while serving Wu.  I don't ask for much - only for reasonable behavior and some respect of the viewer, but this drama has none as it's countless talk and illocical actions even if they were preceded by thorough discussion.   Overall Rating: 5/10

6. Himitsu no Hanazono [ヒミツの花園] (Finished 2/11) Tags: Comedy, Romance, Life A 28-year old female magazine editor who is tired of work and feels she doesn't have a life is assigned to be in charge of a very popular cartoonist with a most lovely name, Yuriko Hanazono. But as she goes to Hanazono's residence/office, she is met by four men who seem to be her assistants. Then it turns out those four men are brothers who form a team named Yuriko Hanazono by taking roles to create popular comics. In this heartwarming comedy, the exhausted editor may find out the key to be happy while she is being driven crazy by this unique gang of brothers. I remember dropping it after couple episodes, because it was fine, but not particularly interesting or funny or exciting for me.   Overall Rating: 6/10

7. My Prince [莱卡青蛙王子] (Finished 1/16) Tags: Romance, Drama My Prince tells the story of an ordinary family, a mother who loves money and her four handsome sons. Li Xiu Yun's biggest wish is to see her sons marry rich girls. She's lazy and spends most of her time gambling or talking with the neighbours while letting her sons run the household and their small flower shop. Her oldest son, Zhi Kai, works as a team leader in a company. He's very serious about work and is a responsible family man. The second son, Zhi Wen, is an unknown model. He's popular with the ladies and likes spending his spare time flirting in bars and clubs. Of course, his big brother has to then help him pick up the tabs. Zhi Chen, the third son, is a man of few words. He works in a wine bar as a bartender. The youngest of them all, Zhi Xiao, is good-natured and helps his mother run the flower shop as well as take care of the handiwork around the house. When he was little, he ran a very high fever which rendered him both deaf and mute. But still, he keeps smiling as if nothing has happened. Everyone likes him, and his brothers are all very protective of him.  Japanese version Brother Beat was really cool and nice and touching. This imitation has much worse actors and pales in comparison in general.   Overall Rating: 5/10

8. Ming Dynasty in 1566 [大明王朝1566] (Finished 1/46) Tags: Historical, Political Based on the events in the reign of the Jiajing Emperor of the Ming dynasty. Well done, but the choice of topic is subpar. The whole pilot episode is about discussing what to spend money on, deadly boring.   Overall Rating: 6/10

9. Erai Tokoro ni Totsuide Shimatta! [エラいところに嫁いでしまった!] (Finished 2/9) Tags: Comedy Makimura Kimiko, freelance journalist and city-girl extraordinaire, marries into a traditional Japanese family. Most overbearing of the Yamamoto Family members is Isojiro's mother, Shimako, who seems to think Kimiko is the perfect wife whose knowledge of the traditional Japanese arts knows no bounds. Kimiko on the other hand is sloppy, a bad cook unless it happens to be microwavable, and couldn't tell a shamisen from a bagpipe if her life depended on it. Bombarded by customs, Kimiko's only desire is to never step foot in the Main House again. But with the interference of her husband, Isojiro, who can't seem to say no to his mother, Kimiko finds herself back in a place she calls Hell and smack in the midst of some crazy tradition her in-laws want her to participate in. Good actors, but with concept like this it's hardly mendable. Conflicts of old and new family are so predictable and mundane.   Overall Rating: 6/10

10. The Pride of the Temp [ハケンの品格] (Finished 1/10) Tags: Business, Comedy Oomae Haruko, a no-nonsense A+ temp worker, hides a painful secret behind her cynical exterior. Satonaka Kensuke, recently promoted to head the Marketing Division at S&F, struggles to get his rag-tag team off the ground. When Oomae is assigned to his department, she finds herself working harder than ever. This drama explores the challenges between temp workers and regular employees and the friction in workplace relationships, inspired by a Labor Ministry report on labor conditions. Shinohara Ryoko always has a role of a grumpy willful woman, and it's just never fun. Again.   Overall Rating: 5/10

11. Xenos [クセノス] (Finished 1/12) Tags: Thriller, Mystery, Drama Ishibashi Naoto is a successful reporter who has just gotten married to his girlfriend, Saki, whom he met one month earlier. However, as Naoto begins to live a new life as a married man, strange things start to happen. Saki disappears without a trace and as Naoto begins searching for her, he finds out Saki's identity doesn't exist. When Naoto starts to dig deeper into the mystery, he begins to receive anonymous threats. Frustrated, Naoto meets a Yoshino Mariko, detective who thinks she might hold the answers to Naoto's questions.  So few normal mysteries. General level is like this - trash.   Overall Rating: 5/10

12. Queen's [至尊玻璃鞋] (Finished 1/13) Tags: Comedy, Romance, Youth Who says a man has to have big muscle? I will make myself more manly. My name is Tie Xiong. Who says a woman has to be cute and soft spoken? I will do whatever I want. My name is Lin Fu Nan. Tie Xiong is in love with a girl named Ke Er, who is an anime/manga cosplay fanatic. To get closer to her, he learned handicraft, joined cosplay club, and cross-dressed as Saber. He didn't get the girl. What he got for his beautiful face and feminine-ish new hobbies was being her new best friend, a nickname of "Teddy Bear," and an unwanted rumor that he is gay. And the most depressing of all, he ended up helping her chase after school basketball player Yong Jun. That was when he realized, he had went about the wrong way for her heart. She wanted a sweaty-smelling manly man and not a little sweet teddy bear. Just when all the setbacks made him want to give up, he found light in a manga called, "The Real Man." A chance encounter with the artist Lin Fu Nan confirmed that this manly author would be his savior. Wanted to give it a chance despite crossdressing, but Taiwanese drama is still low quality , cringy and silly.   Overall Rating: 5/10

13. The Family [華麗なる一族] (Finished 2/10) Tags: Business, Drama, Family Set in the 1960s, it depicts the inside story between bureaucrats, politicians and big businesses over a bank merger revolving around the family discord between Manpyo Daisuke, the owner and president of Hanshin Bank, and his eldest son, Teppei. It's profound and detailed, quite interesting to see how Japan miracle was forged in the 60s, but I still dropped it in the past, because it's not interesting enough.   Overall Rating: 6/10

14. When Spring Comes [꽃피는 봄이 오면] (Finished 2/16) Tags: Comedy, Romance, Family Lee Jung Do's father is a swindler and intends to resume his old habits as soon as he gets out of prison, even though he has promised his son to go straight. Because of his father's record, LJD had a hard time finding jobs, but overcomes these obstacles, passes the law exams, and becomes a prosecutor. Oh Young Joo is a detective, and her precinct is in LJD's neighborhood. Kim Joon Ki, who comes from a well-off family, is also keen to become a prosecutor. He meets OYJ on a blind date and continues to pursue her even though she isn't interested. Moon Chae Ri is a small time swindler who hooks up with LJD's dad on a last heist plan, before fulfilling his promise to his son to stay out of trouble Just when I forgot about kdrama existence all this yelling and toxicity strikes twice harder again. Can't wait for the time when kdrama evolves already.   Overall Rating: 5/10

15. Corner With Love [轉角*遇到愛] (Finished 1/16) Tags: Comedy, Romance Xin Lei, a wealthy girl, and Qin Lang, an aspiring artist, meet when her car collides with his bike. Their paths cross again when she visits the restaurant where he works, and they bond over learning to make oyster pancakes. When Xin Lei’s parents' company collapses and they disappear, she faces a broken engagement. Left with only her best friend and Qin Lang, she learns he’s leaving for Taiwan. Upon arriving there, she discovers Qin Lang’s family has been living in her parents' house for years, sparking a magical love story despite their differences. Taiwanese drama are the silliest and there's no signs of growing up still.   Overall Rating: 5/10

16. Summer X Summer [熱情仲夏 (热情仲夏)] (Finished 1/12) Tags: Comedy, Romance Because of one dollar, Xia Ya (Cai Yi Zhen) befallen many unfortunate events. When she feels like all hope has lost, an angel comes and gives her one dollar which saves her life. She falls in love with that angel, who is a model dressed in an angel outfit. But he is no angel - he is the devil in disguise, Ouyang Lei (Joe Cheng), the younger brother of her best friend, Ouyang Yu Yan. Being the youngest of the family as well as a famous model, Lei is very spoiled and everyone let him have his way, until Xia Ya came along. Xia Ya did what nobody else would do, and Lei starts to develop an interest in her, but he seems very devilish in his ways. What will become of them? Argh. Another silliest Taiwanese drama.   Overall Rating: 5/10

17. The Person I Love [사랑하는 사람아 ] (Finished 1/20) Tags: Romance, Family, Melodrama Yoon Seok Joo is a producer who abandons his common law wife, Seo Young, to attain success. They have a daughter together but he later betrays Seo Young when he marries a rich man's daughter, Lee Jung Min. Lee Sang Min is an owner of a film company and is a new film director. He is also Jung Min's half brother. Sang Min will be a rival to Seok Joo in work and in love for Seo Young. Yoon Hyun Joo lost her dad at a young age and went through serious hardships and became a successful architect and is Seok Joo's sister. This drama is also about the lives of five siblings. Artificial feeling melodrama full of cliche.   Overall Rating: 5/10

18. My Lucky Star [放羊的星星] (Finished 2/20) Tags: Business, Comedy, Romance, Drama Like the boy who cried wolf, Xia Zhi Xing had lied one too many times. So when she did tell the truth, nobody believed her except for the most unlikely person, Zhong Tian Qi, a runaway young master of a jewelry empire. His belief in her inspired her to become a real jewelry designer instead of a lying, scheming jewelry con artist. In the process, she taught him the real value of jewels that he is destined to inherit.  It can be considered above average only by very low Taiwanese standards. Feels like kdrama parody, same empty and still lingering.   Overall Rating: 6/10

19. Hello! Miss [헬로 애기씨 ] (Finished 1/16) Tags: Comedy, Romance Lee Soo Ha, 38th granddaughter of the Jae Ahn Lee clan and owner of the clan manor Hwa Ahn Dang, is trying to save the place from going bankrupt. Hwang Dong Gyu, oldest grandson of the president of TOP Group, is trying to buy Hwa Ahn Dang because his grandfather, who was once a servant at the manor, cannot rest in peace unless he spends his last days in Hwa Ahn Dang's master suite. Hwang Chan Min, Dong Gyu's playboy cousin, is his rival in business and love. Enter Seo Hwa Ran, a model who has a secret history with and a secret plan for Hwa Ahn Dang (and Chan Min), and Lee Joon Yong, Soo Ha's brother and Chan Min's friend who can't forget a girl from Hwa Ahn Dang he knew when he was a kid... Typical drama with Lee Da Hae and made specifically with her in mind. Liked nothing with her, so can't help.   Overall Rating: 5/10

20. Crazy for You  [사랑에 미치다 ] (Finished 2/16) Tags: Romance, Drama, Melodrama Suh Jin Young is an aviation maintenance technician. Her fiance Jae Hoon passed away in a horrible traffic accident. Kim Chae Joon dreams of becoming an aviation maintenance technician, but he encounters prejudice because he is an ex-convict. He killed someone with his car. Suh Jin Young gives him a chance to work under her, and they fall in love. However, that love is severely tested when they both discover that Chae Joon's victim is Suh Jin Young's fiance, Jae Hoon. So regret trying 2nd episode of this useless aimless tasteless melodrama.   Overall Rating: 5/10

21. Thank You [고맙습니다] (Finished 1/16) Tags: Comedy, Romance, Family, Medical Dr. Min Ki Seo went to Blue Island to fulfill his deceased girlfriend's last wish to find the single mother and her little girl who was infected by HIV and to apologize to them on her behalf as she had unknowingly given the girl tainted blood when she was being treated at the hospital. Lee Young Shin, the single mom, was having a hard time caring for her grandfather, who has Alzheimer's and keeping her daughter's HIV condition a secret while teaching her how to live with it. Min Ki Seo was an arrogant person who looked down on people, and in meeting Lee Young Shin, who accepted her fate and tried to make the best of it despite all odds, he slowly changed for the better and became a warm and caring person. Terminal condition alongside Alzheimer is not what I can enjoy in any way.   Overall Rating: 5/10

22. Dal Ja's Spring [달자의 봄] (Finished 1/22) Tags: Business, Comedy, Romance, Drama The drama aims to comically and candidly portray the reality and undying pursuit of the romance of a thirty-something single woman. It also highlights the life and work of women in their thirties through Dal Ja, a 33-year-old talented managing director at a home shopping channel, who finds herself at a crossroads of whether to remain single or get married before she gets older. Tae Bong, a hunk six years younger than Dal Ja, works as a substitute date and becomes Dal Ja's fake boyfriend. Gi Jung is the type who dreams of an ideal and rational courtship. The love triangle of Dal Ja, Tae Bong, and Gi Jung brews conflicts over love versus marriage Fake relations never make up a great story, and this one is not particularly good either.   Overall Rating: 6/10

23. Witch Yoo Hee  [마녀유희 ] (Finished 1/16) Tags: Comedy, Romance, Drama As the director of her father's advertising company, Ma Yoo Hee is known as a witch for her ruthless, no-nonsense character. After a string of failed attempts to hire a housekeeper, she (literally) runs into Chae Moo Ryong, an ex-medical student turned aspiring chef. As a way to work off his debt for crashing into her car, he agrees to become her housekeeper and personal love affairs coach for one month. Gladly, he gives her a makeover that attracts both her old friend, Johnny Kruger and her first love, Joon Ha. Despite having a girlfriend, Sung Mi, Moo Ryong eventually finds himself falling for Yoo Hee. Female lead makes it watchable, but there's little essence, only dependent relations.   Overall Rating: 6/10

24. Best Bet [迎妻接福] (Finished 1/20) Tags: Comedy, Romance, Drama A young master gambler, Hor Yi was very lucky since he was young. Hor Yi was gambling since he was 3, his parents did not bother to teach him to stop gambling. Hor Yi's childhood friend Tsang Duk Sing is a casino owner. When Hor Yi and Sing were young, Sing backstabbed Hor Yi for taking a beautiful drawing from their teacher, after that they were enemies. Hor Yi meets a girl named Do Lai Ying. Lai Ying hated gamblers because her father was a gambler but she didn't know Hor Yi was one when she first met him. Hor Yi really wanted Lai Ying as her wife. When Hor Yi was in a coma, Lai Ying married him to save his father. When Hor Yi awoke, Lai Ying wanted a divorce. Lai Ying promised to stay, under one condition, to stop gambling. Will he lose his wife or will Hor Yi be able to quit gambling? Hong Kong trash around gambling and luck and superstition.   Overall Rating: 5/10

25. Konshu Tsuma ga Uwaki Shimasu  [今週、妻が浮気します] (Finished 8/11) Tags: Comedy A man who is content with his life - decent job and wonderful wife - suddenly faces the crisis of marriage when he finds out his wife is about to have an affair. As he's too embarrassed to turn to people around him, he starts posting questions on a message board on internet asking for advice. My wife is going to have an affair this week. What should I do? Based on a true event, this heartwarming comedy follows his path to try to find the meaning of marriage and the way to rebuild his family. Life is not always as it seems like. You always have to look what is underneath, otherwise you'll miss some important thing... It's not that great of a story, but the Japanese make it interesting. Had to skip some episodes by the end, because the middle is just making errors to prolong screentime. The result is very capable, but nothing close to masterpiece, too.   Overall Rating: 6/10

26. Heavenly In-Laws [我外母唔係人] (Finished 1/20) Tags: Comedy, Romance, Fantasy The Flower Goddess from heaven wishes to find true love, but one isn't allowed to fall in love in heaven. Her mother, the Flower Queen, realized she was missing for one day, so the queen went to Earth (one day in Heaven = 10 years on Earth). Can she really find her true love? Will the King of Heaven allow her? Just including to show how silly Hong Kong concepts usually are. Realization is even worse.   Overall Rating: 5/10

27. The Story of Zhen Guan  [贞观长歌] (Finished 1/82) Tags: Historical, Drama After the showdown at Xuan Wu Gate against his brothers Li Jian Cheng and Li Yuan Ji, Li Shi Min officially became the second Tang dynasty emperor, establishing the era name Zhen Guan. Although not without challenges and internal conflicts, his reign brought much-needed peace and prosperity to the country and its people. Super boring, next to zero events in pilot episode.   Overall Rating: 5/10

28. Tokyo Tower 2007 [東京タワー] (Finished 1/11) Tags: Life, Drama Based on the autobiographical book by Lily Franky. The novel is about Franky's family and the time he spent with his mother. Autobiographies generally suck. And this is the one where MC boy is a real coward and weakling, no fun seeing how mother protects him.   Overall Rating: 5/10

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