Dorama of the Year 2010-I Winter - RYOMADEN

I remember seeing some taiga raiting with RYOMADEN on top of the list, so of course it has to be season's winner. But besides that I see no masterpieces.

1. Keuy Ban Nok (2010)  [เขยบ้านนอก] (Finished 1/26) Tags: Comedy, Romance Chomsopa comes from a rich family. Her mom is always trying to set her up with guys who are from the same class as her. She doesn't like that her mom does that. She went on a get-away to their farm, where she runs into Kamnuam. They become friends. Somehow, they ended up getting stuck in a hut together and got rained in. People came and saw and thought they had did something. Her mom thought the same thing. It made Chomsopa very angry that her mom would think that so she said yes, she did have something with Kamnuan but really they didn't. She then asks Kamnuan to get married to her fakely until she can get her mom to leave her alone, but they eventually fall in love. Remake of ancient primitive rural story, and since it's comedy - it's double as bad .   Overall Rating: 5/10

2. Personal Taste  [개인의 취향] (Finished 1/16) Tags: Comedy, Romance Jeon Jin Ho is a straight guy who is mistaken as gay when he applies to become Park Gae In's roommate. His hobbies include organization and ironing, and he's known for his stoic poker face. He's a stickler for cleanliness, but he also has a talent for figuring out a woman's feelings. Gae In is very trusting even though she has a habit of being betrayed. However, that doesn't stop her from giving people the benefit of the doubt, and Jin Ho is no different. How will Gae In react when she finds out that her gay roommate is not actually gay at all and that he has fallen for her? Rather typical Korean romcom. And since it's Korean, it's full of pride, pretentiousness and hate...   Overall Rating: 5/10

3. Still, Marry Me  [아직도 결혼하고 싶은 여자] (Finished 1/16) Tags: Comedy, Romance, Melodrama Broadcast journalist Sin Yeong is 34 and wants to find love, but it's hard to stay positive when she's faced with high workplace pressure and a string of failed relationships. Just when it seems like her chances may have passed, she meets a musician ten years her junior, and her former fiancé comes back to rekindle the flame. Korean-English translator Da Jeong desperately wants to get married within a year. She won't settle for anything less than the perfect man. Restaurant consultant Bu Gi is done with the marriage game. She broke off her engagement, studied overseas, and is satisfied on her own terms as an efficient, sophisticated woman. Evident copypaste of trash called Sex and the city . For me it's enough to dump it early.   Overall Rating: 5/10

4. Oh! My Lady  [오! 마이 레이디] (Finished 1/16) Tags: Comedy, Romance A spunky 35-year-old housewife, Yoon Gae Hwa, takes on the job of manager to prickly top star Sung Min Woo in order to earn enough money to regain custody of her child from her ex-husband. Romantic hijinks and hilarity ensues when they find themselves in an awkward living situation as Min Woo pays Gae Hwa to take care of his daughter, Ye Eun. Anothery typical kind of Korean romcom when one of the leads is in power position (for some reason, always male). Only feeling cringe with this primitive abusive nonsense about nothing at all.   Overall Rating: 5/10

5. Dong Yi  [동이] (Finished 1/60) Tags: Adventure, Historical, Mystery, Romance Dong Yi worked in the royal palace as a lowly water maid. King Sok Jong then selected her as his concubine. She would then give birth to Yeong Jo, the second son of King Sok Jong and the future king of Joseon. After the birth of Yeong Jo, Dong Yi would become Suk Bin. The usual palace intrigues stuff.   Overall Rating: 5/10

6. Stars Falling from the Sky  [별을 따다 줘] (Finished 1/20) Tags: Romance, Drama, Family The drama draws a love story between two co-workers at an insurance company, with Kim Ji Hoon playing the company's smart-as-a-whip lawyer. Because he carries the hurt of having been abandoned by his birth mother, he doesn't easily open his heart to others. Jin Pal Kang is a 25-year-old employee of the company who becomes responsible for her five younger adopted siblings after her parents meet with sudden deaths. Koreans totally get childcare genre wrong as it's supposed to be cute and not irritating plus hateful.   Overall Rating: 5/10

7. Obstetrics and Gynecology Doctors  [산부인과 ] (Finished 1/16) Tags: Romance, Medical The drama depicts the difficult decisions and moving human stories that take place daily in the OB-GYN department, focusing in particular on Seo Hye Young, a talented and determined obstetrician who has just transferred from the prestigious Seoul base to the branch hospital. Her straightforward manner of handling her professional life is in contrast with her love life, which is marred by her relationship with a married man. This becomes even more entangled when she meets Lee Sang Shik, the chief of NICU, and her long-time friend Wang Jae Suk also shows his interest.  I've learned recently that I have no tolerance with medical shows unless those are also comedies. Should probably strike those out beforehand as it's impossible to enjoy Dr.House wannabe shows like this for me.   Overall Rating: 5/10

8. Cinderella's Sister  [신데렐라 언니] (Finished 1/20) Tags: Romance, Drama, Melodrama A modern day adaptation of Cinderella with a twist as our Cinderella, Goo Hyo Sun, is loved by everyone whereas her stepsister, Eun Jo, has a dark past and struggles with the fact that her mother starts to care more for Hyo Sun than her.  Pilot episode exists to present work from the best side. This pilot absolutely sucks. So cringy and irritating and slow and negative. It eludes me why it has right to exist at all.   Overall Rating: 5/10

9. Down with Love [就想賴著妳] (Finished 1/16) Tags: Comedy, Romance Xiang Yu Ping, a divorce and inheritance lawyer, is seen by others as cold, selfish, and ruthless. He had taken in his brother's orphans and was in need of a nanny. But after he exhausted his supply of nannies, he still couldn't find one who didn't fall in love with him or get scared off by the kids. Fed up, Yu Ping asks his secretary, Yang Duo, to find a nanny who meets his requirements. She recommends her younger sister, Yang Guo, for the job, assuring Yu Ping that her tomboyish sister will not fall in love with him by lying that she does not like men at all. Hopefully, Taiwanese comedies aren't excessively silly anymore in 2010s. Comedy is not excessively stupid here, but concept of abusive male lead to have everyone falling in love with him is borderline silly. What remains is generic love triangle with lead in power positoin, so-so characters and spikes of strange humor.   Overall Rating: 5/10

10. Precious Hearts Romances Presents: You're Mine, Only Mine  [-] (Finished 1/10) Tags: Romance, Drama, Family The story began when Roxanne found out that her late father used her to pay for his own debt with his boss, Alex. Alex forced Roxanne to be his wife. What seemed at first to be an obligation will ultimately lead to true love. Plots of selling relatives to marriage due to loan are too often in Thai drama, pity to see the same in Phillippino drama. Selling people is an unacceptable trope for me to watch.   Overall Rating: 5/10

11. The Slave Hunters  [추노] (Finished 1/24) Tags: Action, Historical, Romance, Drama Chuno follows the story of Lee Dae Gil, a man of high birth, whose family was ruined when Won Ki Yoon, a slave, burnt down his house and escaped with his sister, Un Nyun, who was in love with Dae Gil. Driven by his desire for revenge, he survived his harsh years on the street and made his name as a slave hunter, dedicated to his pursuit to find Un Nyun, his first and only love. Song Tae Ha is a General of the Army who became a slave after being falsely accused of a crime he did not commit and finds himself on the run from Dae Gil's relentless pursuit. Both men become entangled in a love triangle with Un Nyun, who is no longer a runaway slave, but Kim Hye Won, a nobleman's daughter. Slavery is despicable. Protecting slavery and enforcing it makes lead same despicable. Fights lack weight and feel like sport where need several touch downs to win. Antics finalize image of trash for this show.   Overall Rating: 5/10

12. P.S. Man  [偷心大聖 P.S. 男] (Finished 1/21) Tags: Comedy, Romance After the famous author Xia He Jie crashed the movie premiere that supermodel Amanda attended, he was sentenced to 158 hours of community service at a kindergarten. And thus, it began the most hellish 158 hours of his life. There, he met Ma Xiao Qian, a teacher who not only didn't fall for his charming personality like the rest of the female population, but she made him suffer for every minute of his community service. What he didn't know was that Xiao Qian was a former neighbor who he had bullied relentlessly as a child. Now, she is bent on revenging herself for the miserable childhood that she endured under his tyrannical reign. Excessive Taiwanese humor, male lead that has everyone fall in love with him, female lead obsessed with revenge... sincere or reasonable work can't be built on these tropes. Result is light and poor.   Overall Rating: 5/10

13. Schemes of a Beauty [美人心計] (Finished 1/40) Tags: Historical, Drama Set in Chang'an, China during the beginnings of the Han Dynasty, Meiren Xinji tells a dramatized account of Empress Dou and how her efforts and achievements in the royal court positively influenced the reign of her husband Emperor Wen, which paved the way for the creation of the Rule of Wen and Jing. Royal intrigues are always deadly boring, but some countries just have no better stories to tell.   Overall Rating: 5/10

14. Majisuka Gakuen [マジスカ学園] (Finished 1/12) Tags: Action, Youth, Drama Two transfer students, Atsuko Maeda and Onizuka Daruma, came at the all-girls school, Majisuka Gakuen. In this school, violence and fighting are common among the Yankee students. Noisy and troublemaker Daruma made a fuss as soon as she entered the school. She won her first fight but was beaten easily by another gang shortly after. Contrary to Daruma's bold but powerless attitude, Maeda, who is truthfully a strong girl despite her silent nature, finds Daruma, who was being beaten by Team Hormon right before her. The word "Majisuka?" (means are you serious?) instantly awakened her true nature and made her win the battle against Daruma's attackers easily, thus making a big fuss at the school. The news even reached the strongest fighting group, Rappapa. Afterwards, Daruma acknowledged Maeda as her boss and as a result, the friendship between the two girls began to grow along with their fights with fellow students at their school. AKB48 trying to act in a trashy concept like this is pure cringe. It can't be taken seriously, so why watch it at all is not clear to me.   Overall Rating: 5/10

15. Becoming a Billionaire  [부자의 탄생] (Finished 1/20) Tags: Business, Comedy, Romance, Drama The drama follows the story of a man, Choi Suk Bong, who believes that he is actually the son of a rich father and heir to a chaebol group. He meets Lee Shin Mi, who is actually a chaebol heir but acts nothing like one, with her scrimping and frugal ways. Although they get off to a rocky start, with her help, he struggles towards his goal of attaining wealth. This horrible idiotic concept left few chances for something decent were slim from the start. Miracle did not happen.   Overall Rating: 5/10

16. Taddao Bussaya [ทัดดาวบุษยา] (Finished 1/16) Tags: Comedy, Romance, Drama Jitree had lots of gambling debts, so she wanted her daughter, Taddao, to marry, for money, the much older Jao Yai Wattana (Jao Yai is royal title similar to Prince.) Jao Noi Yodkwan (Jao Noi is a Royal title), Jao Yai Wattana's son, just came back from studying abroad. When he found out that his father plans to marry a young girl, he was very upset. So, he left the palace to do farming, along with his attendant. Jitree told Taddao that her father left a will hidden somewhere in Bussaya House. Taddao decides to run away from this forced marriage to Jao Yai Wattana and go in search of the will. Since traveling alone is not safe for a young girl, Taddao's nanny, Tiang, helps her disguise herself as a boy named Sutad. They happen to run into Jao Noi Yodkwan, himself preparing to hit the road. When Taddao, disguised as the boy Sutad, discovers that Yodkwan is a friend of Witoon's, her relative, she asks him to take her along to Bussaya House. Jao Noi Yodkwan agrees to help, under the condition that Sutad obeys him and do everything as told, without troubling the bossy and uptight Jao Noi. Ancient drama remade for the 7th time. Primitive. Morally old. Crossdressing.   Overall Rating: 5/10

17. Life Is Beautiful  [인생은 아름다워] (Finished 1/63) Tags: Comedy, Romance, Drama Set in Jeju, the drama revolves around a loving, multi-generation family led by the parents, Yang Byung Tae and Kim Min Jae, and their four children Tae Sub, Ji Hye, Ho Sup, and Cho Rong, as well as assorted grandparents and uncles. The story follows the family's everyday lives and conflicts, including oldest daughter Ji Hye's marital problems with her husband Soo Il; younger son Ho Sup's pursuit of his mother's assistant, Yeon Joo; and oldest son Tae Sup's romantic pairing with divorced professor Kyung Soo, whose homosexual relationship their families react to while addressing issues of personal, social, and familial acceptance, leading to, finally, love and understanding. Big family for dozens of hours runtime again! If compare it with some dish, it would be... soap.   Overall Rating: 5/10

18. Rent a Girlfriend Home for New Year [租个女友回家过年] (Finished 1/24) Tags: Comedy, Romance Chu Xiao Xiao is an independent, liberal-thinking, wealthy college student raised by a single mother. When her family goes bankrupt, and her mother goes missing, Xiao Xiao is forced to find a job to pay off creditors. Sun Yi Wei is the serious and stubborn son of a prestigious ancestral family. He graduated from Qinghua University before studying abroad and returning to work at a prominent Beijing IT company. However, Yi Wei is now over 30 years old, and his family is starting to pressure him to get married by sending him off to matchmaking sessions. When Xiao Xiao and Yi Wei first meet, she beats him up over a misunderstanding. Needless to say, it was hate at first sight. To stop his family's meddling, Yi Wei tells them he already has a girlfriend. Thrilled, they demand he bring her home for the Chinese New Year. So, Yi Wei needs to find a girlfriend and fast. His best friend suggests he put out a personal ad online to rent a girlfriend. To his surprise, it is Xiao Xiao who responds to the ad. The pair make a contract, and Xiao Xiao becomes Yi Wei's fake girlfriend for two weeks of the New Year celebrations. But can the couple who can't stop bickering really convince his family they are in love? Or will playing house finally heal Yi Wei's broken heart? This adorable and touching romance is told with a unique blend of modern China and ancient tradition. Fake relations is such a miserable concept that even anime can't pull it off let alone these Chinese amateurs.   Overall Rating: 5/10

19. A Good Day for the Wind to Blow [바람 불어 좋은날] (Finished 1/173) Tags: Comedy, Romance, Melodrama Kwon Oh Bok is a 19-year-old young woman and an orphan who refuses to give up her dream of becoming a top illustrator. Because she grew up poor (and is still struggling), she is extremely frugal, and maintains an optimistic outlook on things. Kwon Oh Bok has nothing that she can call her own in her life-time, not even the little room that she stays in. However, her hot temper will flares whenever she witness any injustice. More like endless stale farting than any kind of wind.   Overall Rating: 5/10

20. Pink Lipstick  [분홍 립스틱] (Finished 1/149) Tags: Romance, Drama, Melodrama Yoo Ga Eun is a sweet-natured girl who dated and subsequently married her boyfriend, Park Jeong U. However, she later discovers that her husband had an affair with her best friend, Mi Ran, and that their adopted daughter is actually Jeong U and Mi Ran's lovechild. To get revenge on them, she marries Maeng Ho Geol, a wealthy clothing retailer, and carefully plots their downfall. At the same time, Ga Eun also meets Ha Jae Beom, the man who falls deeply in love with her and promises to support her by her side, no matter what she does. Love triangle revenge melodrama for 149 episodes is just mentally unhealthy.   Overall Rating: 5/10

21. Dandelion Family [민들레 가족] (Finished 1/50) Tags: Romance, Drama, Family A drama that depicts the lives of three sisters and their romances. The eldest sister boasts an outwardly perfect marriage, while the second sister ends up pregnant and moves out with her college boyfriend. The youngest sister, Hye Won, desires to avoid marriage after observing the heartache that her siblings experience. Finally some shorter format, just some 50 freaking hours. We've seen big family with three sons and a similar length already, so now need one with three daughters, because... it's enough difference to make a new show. Just as before, there's zero interesting elements to even consider watching seriously.   Overall Rating: 5/10

22. Leum Prai Lai Ruk [เลื่อมพรายลายรัก] (Finished 1/16) Tags: Mystery, Romance, Drama For most people, love is something fragrant, sweet, and pleasant; a source of strength that provides the will to live on. But for others, the love that comes into their lives is just a shiny shadow which appears beautiful and alluring. However, trying to capture it could be a mistake that will draw one into a whirlpool of darkness. An inescapable mistake in which innocent bystanders would end up getting dragged down as well. In the midst of the war between two prominent families, the Rungsariths and the Jakrawuts, a mystery that occurs one night in a luxury condo, with death as its clue, leads a young man and a young woman, who are as different as night and day, to take a path neither had ever imagined taking. These two young people are Yanin Jakrawut, the sole heiress to the Jakrawut family, a fearless half-American/half-Thai who has never allowed rules to constrict her life, and Sanyakorn Rungsarith, a young man who was raised under a strict code of conduct and who has always taken the clear-cut path in life. But in order to escape the whirlpool’s strong currents that had already claimed many others, the couple held onto and relied on each other to solve the mystery surrounding them… not realizing that their journey would bring to light the dark secrets hiding within everyone’s heart. Lakorns still hold the title of the worst of the worst drama among the whole eastern Asia beating even Hong Kong at it for a reason. Main reason for that is dreadful characters personalities shortly followed by abysmal acting and ridiculous plots. This lakorn tries to mend the plot with some thriller action elements, but without first two elements tended, it's still unwatchable and unbearable.   Overall Rating: 5/10

23. Chaloey Sak (2010) [เชลยศักดิ์] (Finished 1/16) Tags: Romance, Drama Lieutenant Yothin Warat is a war hero from WWII, he was recognized for his involvement in the Free Thai movement during the war. Lieutenant Yothin has a bright future ahead of him and is engaged to Piromya, the daughter of a minister. Things turn bad for Lieutenant Youthin when his father Phraya Sawamipak Warat encounter financial problems in his shipping business. When Phraya Sawamipak’s company was in turmoil, Atisak,a businessman, took the opportunity to buy stock from the company. He offered Phraya Sawamipak money to fund the company in lieu of Lieutenant Yothin being his prisoner for one year at his home in Mon Pha Luang to take revenge on his family for slandering their family name years back. Atisak's sister Alisa is in love with Jao Kwan Fah, a womanising prince from a neighboring county and is in charge of supervising Yothin, their prisoner. Typical lakorn.   Overall Rating: 5/10

24. More Charming By The Day [볼수록 애교만점] (Finished 2/138) Tags: Comedy, Romance, Family, Sitcom Song Ok Sook's husband walked out their family after his business went bankrupt. For the past 15 years she has raised her three daughters up to the best of her abilities. Her husband comes back into their lives and acts as if nothing's happened. To make matters worst, her eldest daughter, Ji Won, who is a doctor, tells her that she wants to marry Sung Soo, a man who she doesn't like. For a sitcom there's not enough funny stuff and abundance of physical primitive humor and just cringe instead. But, surprisingly, characters actually don't feel unrealistic and even act reasonable within their logic. Plus, some of parody can actually be fun. Did not expect to be pushing play of second episode even though it received less attention, so it's already above average.   Overall Rating: 6/10

25. Jejoongwon  [제중원] (Finished 1/36) Tags: Historical, Romance, Drama, Medical Jejoongwon is the first modern hospital in Korea established in the Joseon era in 1885. Baek Do Yang is a nobleman who gives up his status to enter its ranks. Hwang Jung is a butcher's son who becomes a physician, while Seok Ran enters Jejoongwon as an interpreter but takes on medical training to become a doctor.  After so many Great merchant stories we're getting... Great physician... and I'm still not aware why it may be considered interesting unless it has something outstanding, which it does not have.   Overall Rating: 5/10

26. Because of You (2010)  [星光下的童話] (Finished 1/14) Tags: Romance Sun Fan, a hopeful stunt double with aspirations for stardom, becomes embroiled in a whirlwind of drama when he suspects famous singer Fang Zi Hao of trying to steal his girlfriend. In a fit of rage, Sun unleashes his fury on Fang, sparking the ire of Yu You Tong, an avid Fang fan. She rallies fellow fans to launch a cyber onslaught against Sun. However, to her chagrin, the internet catapults Sun to overnight fame, lauding his impressive fighting skills. With one altercation, the lives of four strangers become intricately intertwined in unexpected ways. It definitely has comedy traits, but overall prodaction quality is mediocre.   Overall Rating: 5/10

27. The Great Merchant  [거상 김만덕] (Finished 1/30) Tags: Historical, Romance, Drama This drama depicts the life of Kim Man Deok, a woman born on Jeju Island who transcended her lowly status as a gisaeng as well as the restraints of her birthplace, considered at the time to be a remote place of exile, to become a successful female merchant in the Joseon Era. She later became a famous model of virtue and nobility when she donated all her assets to aid the residents of Jeju during a famine, saving countless lives. After some three versions of great male merchants it's high time for something entirely different - female merchant ! And of course it has to start with childhood for who knows how many episodes of total boredom .   Overall Rating: 5/10

28. The Reputable Family [명가 (名家)] (Finished 1/16) Tags: Historical, Drama "The Reputable Family" revolves around the Choi family as they perform nobleness oblige. Main character played by Cha In Pyo has a spiritual supporter played by Han Go Eun, who is also his love interest. Kim Sung Min will play the evil character and rival to Cha In Pyo.  Wow, it manages to be even worse than palace intrigues and all these great laborers. Why not make a series about honest peasants next since material does not matter anymore?   Overall Rating: 5/10

29. RYOMADEN  [龍馬伝] (Finished 48/48) Tags: Historical, Drama, War, Political The 49th NHK Taiga drama is Ryoma den, set back in the Bakumatsu period. The story focuses on the life of Sakamoto Ryoma, who lived from 1835 to 1867. He was an important leader in the movement to overthrow the Tokugawa Bakufu, eventually bringing about the Meiji Restoration. He was also one of the founders of modern day Japanese navy through incorporation of western technology, which proved to be a force to be reckoned with during the revolution. Very nice, intelligent and inspirational taiga which is especially valuable because of the not so interesting history period of 19th century. Watched it before and remember relatively well, so not going to rewatch.   Overall Rating: 9/10

30. Naka nai to Kimeta Hi [泣かないと決めた日] (Finished 8/8) Tags: Drama Tsunoda Miki is a graduate of a second-rate university who manages to find a job at a top-notch company. But after a minor mistake, she becomes the subject of serious bullying by her superiors and other co-workers. Ultimately, she chooses to endure the harassment, not wanting to simply run away from it. Don't get me wrong - it's watchable. But the problem that it's just about the workplace bullying, so I render it next to useless.   Overall Rating: 5/10

31. Angel Bank [エンゼルバンク] (Finished 3/8) Tags: Life Ino Mamako is an English teacher at one of Japan's roughest schools, Ryuzan High School. After nine years of teaching, Ino decides to "reset" her life and meets with Ebisawa Yasuo, a charismatic "occupational change agent" who advises people on switching jobs. However, Ebisawa ends up hiring Ino as an occupational change agent herself. Together with her work partner Taguchi Ryota, Ino helps others switch gears in their livelihoods and transform the rest of their lives. Fine, just not particularly interesting. Maybe it's just that employment is a troublesome theme.   Overall Rating: 6/10

32. Tokujo Kabachi!! [特上カバチ!!] (Finished 1/10) Tags: Comedy, Law The story centers around the employees of a legal document firm. Tamura Katsuhiro is a young man with a strong sense of justice. Although he believes that the law isn't always right, he becomes an administrative scrivener with the goal of manipulating the law in order to protect the weak. On the other hand, Sumiyoshi Misuzu, a former delinquent who hates to lose and who is now a capable scrivener. Katsuhiro and Misuzu are always at odds, but they gradually come to understand each other. r.   Overall Rating: 0/10

33. Magerarenai Onna [曲げられない女] (Finished 2/10) Tags: Comedy, Life, Drama Ogiwara Saki, 33, rejects societal norms, refusing to flatter men or conform to expectations. Despite failing the bar exam ten times, she pursues her dream of becoming a lawyer while working as a clerk. Her friend, Hasumi Riko, 35, lives a life of lies, pretending to be younger, married to a wealthy man, and blessed with children. The contrast between Riko's deceptions and Saki's uncompromising nature highlights their differing approaches to life. Both elements of lawyer battles and the quiz are stupid and artificial.   Overall Rating: 5/10

34. Harvest Villa  [위기일발 풍년빌라] (Finished 4/20) Tags: Thriller, Comedy A mysterious suicide occurs in an old villa located in the center of Seoul, soon to be demolished. A huge legacy is left to Bok Gyu, a man who is completely unaware of his inheritance. The appearance of such a large sum of money sets in motion a chain of events involving the residents, who are all connected in a web of deceit motivated by their secret desire to take the money for themselves through any means possible.  The amount of silliness here is excessive. Development is so chaotic and slow that it feels it's not moving anywhere. Tried to sample further, but it's not getting better and not moving in coherent direction, so the result is far from a reasonable show, and I definitely don't like the flow.   Overall Rating: 6/10

35. Youkame no Semi [八日目の蝉] (Finished 2/6) Tags: Drama Kiwako Nonomiya is heartbroken after Takehiro Akiyama, the married man she has been having an affair with, manipulates her into having an abortion with promises of marriage, only to refuse to divorce his wife. She later discovers that Takehiro's wife, Etsuko, is pregnant. One morning, while Takehiro and Etsuko are away, Kiwako sneaks into their home and takes their six-month-old child. She raises the baby as her own while evading the law. Well... melodrama trope is focus here as main concept. Very boring, tbh.   Overall Rating: 5/10

36. Massugu na Otoko  [まっすぐな男] (Finished 5/10) Tags: Business, Comedy Matsushima Kenichiro is basically a straight guy because he hates dishonesty. He is an employee at a medium-sized building firm and works in design. However, he is inept when it comes to love. Kenichiro's destiny changes after he meets Kurita Narumi, an audacious, self-centred, impish female. He becomes serious about leading her back to the right path, which she finds interesting. While getting pushed around by Narumi, who is the exact opposite of him, Kenichiro learns about her way of doing things and way of life. He is stimulated by her and gradually gets attracted to her... Before long, he starts to look at a new self and at the things he had believed were correct, maturing into a more upright man. Rubicon is quite enough here especially because Fukada Kyoko plays an naive yet mischievos spontaneous idiot, very sad since she plays great in serious roles. So far she constantly ruins things, he has to mend after her, not great.   Overall Rating: 6/10

37. Pandamen [熊貓人] (Finished 1/20) Tags: Action, Romance, Sci-Fi, Fantasy Year 2030, in a dark corner of Bright City, lies a powerful evil force: Violent Group, headed by Wang Hu. Burning, killing, looting, they begin destroying the whole city, and also begin brewing a terrible secret plan: to control the human brain. At such a critical time, Bright City's two super heroes 'Panda Superman' and 'Panda Hero' take up the responsibility of protecting the citizens and restoring justice. Panda Superman's father was previously a very kind-hearted philanthropist, and organised many charity events. One day, someone kidnapped Li Li A and her mother so Panda Superman's father rushed to save her. Unfortunately, he lost his own life. After this incident, his son would wear a panda outfit, and restore justice in the community. Chi Nan Jie is a cleaner in the local zoo. He became Panda Hero so he can help as much people as he can before he dies from a brain tumour. Basically, Taiwanese tokusatsu detective. Just had to look at this insanity with own eyes instead of blocking right away.   Overall Rating: 5/10

38. Shukumei 1969-2010 [宿命 1969-2010 -ワンス・アポン・ア・タイム・イン・東京-] (Finished 8/8) Tags: Drama, Political Elite financial bureaucrat Arikawa Takashi hopes to one day become the Prime Minister. Takashi comes from an elite family, responsible for running hospitals all throughout Japan. He then becomes engaged to Shirai Naoko, the daughter of a powerful government official whose family is in financial straits and seeks marriage to strengthen her family's financial base. Their engagement forces Takashi to end his 10 year relationship with Sasayama Nobuko, a woman who works as a currency dealer in a foreign bank and a woman who hoped to marry Takashi one day. Watchable as usual, but with lots of intrigues and no outstanding actors unlike in CHANGE. Finished it only since it's shorter than usual and was only half left when wanted to drop.   Overall Rating: 5/10

39. Autumn Destiny [ใต้ฟ้าตะวันเดียว] (Finished 1/24) Tags: Romance, Drama, Melodrama Ji Joon, a young woman from a wealthy family, is introduced to Jun Su, the man her aunt wants her to marry. However, Ji Joon meets and falls in love with Kim Min Ho, a man from a poor family who would never be approved of by her family. To be with him, she must betray both her family and fiance. Thai drama in South Korea about Koreans... wtf. Whatever it is, it's horrible.   Overall Rating: 5/10

40. Happy & Love Forever [幸福一定强] (Finished 1/30) Tags: Comedy, Romance, Drama Yin Ding Qiang and Qiao Yu Bei are a pair of sweethearts. But when Ding Qiang throws his heart into work, Yu Bei decides to give up this relationship and travel far away. Many years later, Ding Qiang can’t bear his workload and arranges to take an extended vacation. He wants to find love. One day, Ding Qiang is pursued by a wealthy young woman. To get away from her, he pretends to be in love with a total stranger, Pan Xiao Nuo. As Ding Qiang makes his getaway, Xiao Nuo is dragged along in a daze and enters Ding Qiang’s life. Xiao Nuo discovers that beneath Ding Qiang 's cold demeanor, he has a kind heart. She decides to help him get together with Yu Bei. But Yu Bei is in love with young designer Lu Sen. Lu Sen has feelings for Yu Bei as well. However, he has a secret, so he hides his feelings from her. Will Ding Qiang find true love? And will Lu Sen be able to face Yu Bei? Four young people courageously face life to pursue their own happiness. Happy and love forever! Another Taiwanese comedy and moreover romance with Ming Dao as lead who inevitably brings cringe whenever goes. Ridiculous and repulsive imitation of already primitive kdrama.   Overall Rating: 5/10

41. Rak Son Rot [รักซ่อนรส] (Finished 1/15) Tags: Romance, Drama Fahsai grew up in a family of five, which consisted of her father, paternal grandmother, younger sister and younger brother. Her life was easygoing and no one had any inkling of her father’s financial woes. Fahsai’s true goal and desire is to be a Thai chef. Since she was a child, she grew up around the aromatic spices and has a keen nose and talent for recognizing them. However, her dream came to a screeching halt when her father committed suicide and learned that poverty was knocking at her door. At only 17 years of age she was trying to put the pieces of her life back together. Tum studied abroad for the majority of his life and was sent back to Thailand to handle the family restaurant chain. Tum was the son of Fahsai's father's friend. So when the opportunity presented itself, that she owed him money, he gave her work in his restaurant to pay off the debt. These stupid situations made me facepalm which is a rare achievement.   Overall Rating: 5/10

42. A Man Called God [신이라 불리운 사나이] (Finished 1/24) Tags: Action, Adventure, Romance, Crime Michael King vows to avenge his parents' deaths. He believes that he can use his power as head of an underground drug kingpin to punish those who hurt him. However, his beliefs are shaken when he falls in love with a reporter named Jin Bo Bae.  With there was revenge tag so I could block it right away. What a petty showoff with circus pirouettes.   Overall Rating: 5/10

43. In the Eye of the Beholder  [秋香怒點唐伯虎] (Finished 1/20) Tags: Historical, Comedy, Romance Multi-talented scholar Tong Bak Fu is traveling around the country with his good friend Wat Gei. Tong Bak Fu is trying to find the last beauty to complete his 'Nine Beauties Painting'. During his journey he falls in love with Chau Heung, a maid from the Wah family, and decides to paint her to complete his painting. In order to get close to her, he becomes a servant of the Wah family. In the beginning Tong Bak Fu is regarded as a talentless person by Chau Heung. Things get messier as several difficulties arise that only Tong Bak Fu can solve. With different views about life, Tong Bak Fu and Chau Heung seem to be incompatible. Spoilt Princess Tin Yuk makes things harder as she bullies Tong Bak Fu and others constantly, but falls in love with Tong Bak Fu later. To complicate things, Tong Bak Fu gets involved in a power struggle between the Emperor, Prince Ling and others. I keep trying Hong Kong historical comedies, because still can't believe how they can be so bad even in 2010s. I'm out of adjectives to describle all this lousiness.   Overall Rating: 5/10

44. Daring Women  [당돌한 여자] (Finished 1/105) Tags: Romance, Drama Ji Soon Young loses her husband, Wang Se Joon, in a tragic accident. She is left alone to take care of their adopted daughter. She meets and falls in love with Han Kyu Jin, who just happens to be the father-in-law to her former sister-in law, Wang Se Bin. Their lives changes when Soon Young marries Kyu Jin and becomes Se Bin's mother-in-law. They have to adjust to their new roles in their family and at the same time try to get along with each other. Another hundred episode drag to drop. Long kdrama so far manage to be of even lower quality than already low quality standart length kdrama.   Overall Rating: 5/10

45. Tomehane! [とめはねっ!] (Finished 1/6) Tags: Life, Drama A story about a high school calligraphy club on the verge of breaking up that enters in a major competition while overcoming problems. Yuki, a promising female judoist, and Yukari, a quiet Canadian-raised boy who just returned to Japan, end up joining the club for the sake of maintaining the membership required to keep the club. Together with the old club members with unique characters, they gradually discover the fun of calligraphy and work together to win in the competition.  The fun of calligraphy... no matter how they try, it's an impossible task from the start, especially for those who never wrote kanji.   Overall Rating: 5/10

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