Dorama of the Year 2012-III Summer - Beautiful Rain (2012)

Not liking anything this season, so it's a dreadful choice to make. Absolutely don't want to choose Boys on the Run despite finishing only it. Among other candidates there is a remake, a huge tearjerker, a procedural about tax collectors, a nonsense birth problem and a cinderella story. Tearjerker Beautiful Rain (2012) is probably the higher quality among these, but don't expect me to sit through it.

1. The Innocent Man (2012)  [세상 어디에도 없는 착한남자] (Finished 1/20) Tags: Romance, Drama, Melodrama The drama is a melodrama which depicts the story of a man, Kang Ma Roo who has been betrayed by the love of his life, Han Jae Hee. Years after the incident, Ma Roo begins to live a life of self-indulgence. He sacrificed his well being for his girlfriend only to discover that she never looked back and married another man for wealth. Thus, he sets off to take revenge. And in order to execute his revenge, he approaches Seo Eun Gi, the resilient and cold daughter of the man Jae Hee married.  Useless and worthless revenge.   Overall Rating: 5/10

2. Reply 1997 (2012) [응답하라] (Finished 1/16) Tags: Comedy, Romance, Life Set in the 1990s, the drama centers around a female high school student Shi Won, who idolizes boyband H.O.T, and her 5 high school friends in Busan. As the timeline moves back and forth between their past as 18-year-old high schoolers in 1997 and their present as 33-year-olds at their high school reunion dinner in 2012, where one couple will announce that they're getting married. So focus is on something as petty as nostalgia. Pop craze is alien to me, too.   Overall Rating: 5/10

3. The Queen of SOP (2012) [勝女的代價 ] (Finished 1/33) Tags: Business, Romance, Drama Lin Xiao Jie is a low level employee in the sales department of the mall. She has been working hard to achieve her dreams and met with Tom through the internet. The two of them, one in London and one in Taipei became close friends giving each other constant encouragement and support. Toms supported Lin Xiao Jie through the ups and downs she faced at work and with love. He was a perfect gentleman that kept supporting Xiao Jie silently. He never revealed his true identity as Tang Enterprise's Tang Jun. Xiao Jie only realized her feelings for Tang Jun when the Tang family faced a crisis and she decided that it was time for her to try her best to help the one she love win back his business and dignity... Ridiculously banal start of romance giving zero motivation.   Overall Rating: 5/10

4. Tawan Tor Saeng (2012) [ตะวันทอแสง] (Finished 1/15) Tags: Romance, Life, Drama Rasa is an interior designer at an interior design company in Bangkok. Her boss Petiya received an assignment from Pakaphong, a well-known rich playboy. Pakaphong was impressed by Petiya's past work in designing a hotel lobby, this job was assigned for Rasa. Rasa proceeded to meet her new boss Pakaphong and realized she had met him before, he had nearly killed her when he was water-skiing carelessly, his attitude annoyed Rasa and she didn't want to work for him but he refused to change her for someone else in the company.  Lakorns have not evolved yet even a bit.   Overall Rating: 5/10

5. Ma Boy (2012) [마보이] (Finished 1/3) Tags: Comedy, Romance, Youth Geu Rim is a student at an arts high school who dreams of becoming a pop singer. At school she gets a new roommate, Irene who’s actually a boy. Irene’s persona is a pretty Female CF star and his actual name is Hyun Woo. As if pop male idol craze not enough, it's also gender bender...   Overall Rating: 5/10

6. May Queen (2012) [메이퀸] (Finished 1/38) Tags: Romance, Drama, Melodrama The heroine Hae Joo begins life in utter poverty. But despite being burdened with the secret past of her parents, she navigates treacherous waters and overcomes obstacles to achieve her dreams. Her childhood sweetheart Park Chang Hee, son of the butler to a company chairman, also rises above his humble beginnings to become a successful prosecutor. Bright and playful Kang San, the boss's privileged son, returns to Korea after years abroad to find that he still carries a torch for Hae Joo. Banal melodrama with obligatory childhood period.   Overall Rating: 5/10

7. When Love Walked In (2012) [爱情闯进门] (Finished 1/32) Tags: Romance, Drama, Family Young, talented, and handsome Qing Yu Jiang receives orders to look for Chairman Yuan’s long lost granddaughter, Shen Ya Yin. Because of her parents’ death, Ya Yin is bitter towards her grandfather. Yu Jiang not only eases the tension between them, but he gradually enters Ya Yin’s heart. But when their love begins, Yu Jiang backs out because of his love for his childhood friend. Yu Jiang tries to find her, but fails to realize that she has been by his side all along. Heavy Chinese style typical romance that's a pain to watch for me.   Overall Rating: 5/10

8. Panda and Hedgehog (2012) [판다양과 고슴도치] (Finished 1/16) Tags: Food, Comedy, Romance, Drama Pan Da Yang is a bright young woman and the owner of a small neighborhood cake shop. She then becomes involved in a love triangle with Ko Seung Ji, a gifted pâtissier with a rough personality and troubled past, and Choi Won Il, a wealthy man who loves Pan Da Yang and also happens to be the owner of an elite local bakery. The competition heats up when the rival shops clash, and the families involved have to figure out where they all stand in connection to each other.  Gourmet with nothing out of the ordinary romance.   Overall Rating: 5/10

9. Cuo Dian Yuan Yang (2012) [错点鸳鸯] (Finished 1/25) Tags: Historical, Comedy, Romance, Drama Su Huan Er got a bad feeling when Shi Wu Ji agreed to marry her. He, his two brothers and his sister hated her father with a passion. But if they thought they can torture her to settle bad blood, they got another thing coming. Shi Wu Hen was only a stand-in groom at the wedding, yet he was charmed by the new bride's cheery disposition and unbeatable optimism. This created a problem because she was his brother's wife, not his. Shi Wu Xia only had eyes for Leng Gang. She didn't care that he was a servant's son. Yet, the difference in their social status was a gulf he was unwilling and unable to cross. She recruited the unconventional Su Huan Er to help change Leng Gang's thinking.  Flying swordsman in the very first scene makes it a huge red flag.   Overall Rating: 5/10

10. GTO: Remake (2012) [GTO リメイク版連続ドラマ (第1期)] (Finished 1/11) Tags: Comedy, Youth, Drama Former bike gang member Onizuka Eikichi, introduced by his friend Danma Ryuji, works part-time as a gardener at Meishu Academy. When he learns that Yoshikawa Noboru is being bullied, Onizuka befriends him and intervenes. Impressed by Onizuka’s unconventional problem-solving, the school’s president, Sakurai Yoshiko, appoints him as a teacher, despite opposition from Vice Principal Uchiyamada Hiroshi. Onizuka takes on the challenge of teaching the troubled Class 2/4. Original drama was down to earth and with genius actors. This remake has worse actors and is full of antics, flashy fluff, theatrics. Don't see anything that would be better here.   Overall Rating: 6/10

11. Five Fingers (2012) [다섯 손가락] (Finished 1/30) Tags: Music, Melodrama In Ha, the son of a talented pianist, dreams of inheriting his family’s business. However, when his father introduces an illegitimate son, Ji Ho, as the heir, In Ha’s world is upended. In Ha's mother seeks revenge, manipulating Ji Ho while pretending to be a caring figure. Ji Ho grows into a pianist prodigy and the heir, loving his stepmother and stepbrother more than himself. But when he uncovers the lies and betrayals, he vows revenge on those he once considered family. Revenge drama suck in general, but when done not properly like this one it's absolutely repulsive.   Overall Rating: 5/10

12. Seo Yeong, My Daughter (2012) [내 딸 서영이] (Finished 1/50) Tags: Comedy, Romance, Drama, Melodrama This drama will tell the story of a father who separates from his daughter, their love, hate and reconciliation. Seo Young is a tough woman who tries to escape the harsh life of poverty with a strong passion for gaining success, overcoming her lower status and rising in society. On the road to fulfilling her dream, she cuts ties with her poor family and incompetent father, who still loves his daughter despite her bitterness.  Only gave it a chance since it did not look like another big family story, but it's actually is, of course...   Overall Rating: 5/10

13. Sprout (2012) [スプラウト] (Finished 2/12) Tags: Romance, Youth, Drama Sprout is based on a popular manga by Nanba Atsuko that's been serialized in 'Bessatsu Friend'. The love story in 'Sprout' evolves when two high school students, named Souhei and Miku, start living under the same roof after Miku's parents turn their home into a boarding house. Seriously irritates. Feels like Beach boys №2 , just with younger and worse actors and love square this time. Too light and careless.   Overall Rating: 5/10

14. Sao Noi (2012) [สาวน้อย] (Finished 1/34) Tags: Historical, Romance, Drama San is the son of Prachan Chalasai the Ministry of Finance who has great talent in oil painting. After finishing his studies in the Philippines, San returns to Thailand to marry Suwalee. San then learns that his father remarried a night club singer Marasee. He argues with his father, and he despises Marasee, making her accuse him and making him angry. San runs away from home to stay with his friend Booma, but on the way he is attacked. When San wakes up, he finds himself in the harbor with no memory recollection. San wanders into an export company and the owner helps him and names him Siang. He works on the ship, and one day, it passes by Seechan Island. Siang hears beautiful singing and jumps off the boat. He swims toward the island and becomes exhausted. As Siang sinks to the seafloor, Nid, a lady in the island, saves him. Nid brings Siang to nurse in her home. Wow, beginning of 20th century Thai drama. As I seriously dislike this period, feels even worse than usual.   Overall Rating: 5/10

15. Family (2012) [패밀리] (Finished 1/120) Tags:  Comedy, Romance, Sitcom Shut Up Family is a sitcom dealing with the life and happenings of two families; the Woo family, lead by Woo Shin Hye and the Yeol family, lead by Yeol Suk Hwan Woo Shin Hye is divorced but she and her beautiful but unintelligent daughters remain filthy rich thanks to their beauty salon. Yeol Suk Hwan is a single dad to a poor but hard working family of two sons and a smart but ugly daughter. Things start to get out of hand when Woo Shin Hye and Yeol Suk Hwan decide to get married and their different families clash.  Giving it a chance since sitcoms are generally nice provided that humor is not primitive. And of course with kdrama humor can be only primitive, very few exceptions so far. Too much cringe.   Overall Rating: 5/10

16. Miss Rose (2012) [螺絲小姐要出嫁 ] (Finished 1/23) Tags: Business, Comedy, Romance When a fortune teller predicted that Luo Si Yi was doomed to be a spinster, Luo wagered that she can get herself married within the year or she will pay the fortune teller a million dollars. As she dressed up for her dates, she also found herself armored up to help her new boss. Her boss, Gao Cheng Kuan, is known to treat his employees like screws that should be tighten or thrown away if rusted. She must snare a man while keeping up with her ever demanding boss, unless she wants to end up a debt-ridden spinster. Stupid wager and unsatisfactory humor stop me from continuing.   Overall Rating: 5/10

17. Golden Time (2012) [골든타임] (Finished 1/23) Tags: Comedy, Romance, Medical After spending two years teaching in the country, Lee Min Woo returns to a city hospital to complete his residency and face his own uncertainties about being a doctor. Free-spirited and goofy, he is jaded about his job and just wants it easy. He is then jolted out of apathy when a traumatic incident forces him to rethink why he wanted to be a doctor in the first place. The first-year resident Kang Jae In comes from a rich family that owns hospitals, but she just simply wants to be a doctor who can support herself and help others. Both Min Woo and Jae In work in ER under the guidance of Choi In Hyuk, a famously astute workaholic surgeon who puts his patients before himself. Medical can only be watched if it goes alongside comedy. As usual, seeing zero comedy in kdrama, but heallalota medical depression.   Overall Rating: 5/10

18. The Great King's Dream (2012) [대왕의 꿈] (Finished 1/70) Tags: Historical, Drama Story about Kim Choon Choo, who led the unification of three ancient kingdoms - Goguryeo, Baekjae and Shilla - and achieved the restoration of Shilla Kingdom. This drama has interpreted the historical records of United Shilla founders, King Taejong Mooyeol and King Moon Moo, with dramatic imaginations. It, also, highlights the leadership of Kim Choon Choo who achieved the most glorious cultural heyday in nation’s history. It is the drama that will give you the lessons about the great cause, vision, loyalty, success and failure by looking into the lives of the politicians and the heroes of that era. It will present the virtues needed in this age of limitless competition. Overdramatic artificial action with little to none realism or interest.   Overall Rating: 5/10

19. Glass Mask (2012) [유리가면] (Finished 1/122) Tags: Psychological, Drama, Melodrama The series follows Kang Yi Kyung, a woman whose father is a murderer. She must deal with tough times and also plot her revenge. To fulfill her revenge, she assumes another woman's identity and comes back as Seo Jung Ha. Revenge flick blown to some nonsense volume.   Overall Rating: 5/10

20. What Is Love (2012) [花是愛] (Finished 2/16) Tags: Romance, Drama A woman, who is a stickler for pure love and in hope of monogamous married life, meets a philanderer who brings out the love/hate feelings in every woman. In a battle for the heart, will she surrender her principle and be one of his conquest? Or will she succeed in making him a loyal husband? For a Taiwanese drama definitely a step forward. Characters are rather infantile and lightweight, but within the scope of their personalities they behave rationally and logically, so drama has very little of usual silliness. But if we compare it with Japanese drama, pretty much every Japanese drama has these minimal standards while advancing deeper and deeper in variety of themes. For me all this first date heat here looks rather cringy.   Overall Rating: 6/10

21. Love Actually (2012)  [爱的蜜方] (Finished 1/34) Tags: Food, Comedy, Romance Lee Da Hae is Wang Xiao Xia, a naturally talented chef who works part-time jobs to scrape by as she supports her nephew Yang Guang. Due to a mistake by the real estate agent Chen Hao Jie, Xiao Xia gets swindled by her landlord, leaving her homeless. With nowhere to go, Hao Jie takes Xiao Xia back to his house for the time being. Turns out the Chen family owns a very prominent restaurant chain. Through a series of misunderstandings, Xiao Xia is mistaken as Hao Jie’s girlfriend. But their odd behavior leaves the other Chen son Hao Feng suspicious of the real relationship. Gourmet, fake relations, focus on money - three red flags means strikeout.   Overall Rating: 5/10

22. Tan Chai Nai Sai Mok (2012) [ท่านชายในสายหมอก] (Finished 1/15) Tags: Comedy, Romance The Crown Prince of the kingdom "Newlands" falls in love with a commoner while traveling incognito as a backpacking tourist. But soon his real identity is revealed and obstacles of status and court protocol threaten their love. Focus on money, con artist, fake personality... sigh.   Overall Rating: 5/10

23. Haeundae Lovers (2012) [해운대 연인들] (Finished 2/16) Tags: Comedy, Romance Haeundae Lovers is about a prosecutor who goes undercover to infiltrate a crime family in Haeundae, Busan, then gets into an accident and loses his memory. Thinking he's a gangster, he falls in love with the mob boss's daughter. There's a concept, but no plot or direction - just countless fooling around. Loads of water, and we're supposed to watch senseless stuff just for actors, as usual. Can't promote that..   Overall Rating: 5/10

24. Say that You Love Me (2012) [爱情是从告白开始的] (Finished 1/32) Tags: Comedy, Romance, Youth, Drama It is the story of four young people in the university, building up their of friendship and love. Chi Zao Zao and two high school friends have finally got into their ideal university in their three years of effort. First day of school, because of a lucky coincidence, Zao Zao and his crush - Ou Hao Chens' outstanding student confession became the object of discussion by the school students on campus. But the cool Ou Hao Chen is very disgusted with this stubborn girl, which makes Zao Zao very distressed. At the same time, Hao Chen's friend Han Fei appears, who resolves embarrassing situations for Zao Zao several times that progressively pull the relations closer between the two. But the perfect girl, Shang Guan Yi, is trying to get closer to Hao Chen and break the relation between Zao Zao and Hao Chen. One more cold male idol and reckless female fan. Banal habitual silly flow that I'm fed up with.   Overall Rating: 5/10

25. Rascal Sons (2012) [아들녀석들] (Finished 2/50) Tags: Comedy, Romance A married man decides to move out of his house to get away from his wife. Meanwhile, his eldest son is widowed and has vowed to never marry again. His second eldest son is disinterested in getting married while harboring a secret crush on his friend’s girlfriend. Then there is his youngest son who has been once divorced but pretends that he has never been married before so that he could enhance his attractiveness among women. Somehow, all the male members of the family have had relationship problems and through their personal stories, this TV series will try to enlighten viewers on how marriage is a constant work in progress. Zero comedy, just as expected.   Overall Rating: 5/10

26. Manee Dan Suaang (2012) [มณีแดนสรวง] (Finished 1/18) Tags: Romance, Drama, Fantasy Chilo is an angel from heaven who likes to go down to Earth and sightsee. Her curious and playful nature soon gets her and her friend, Oosoam in trouble with her father. They are stripped of their heavenly powers and sent to Earth for punishment for breaking up a couple who was about to get married. The reason Chilo did that was because she opened the matchmaking book in heaven and saw that they were not meant for each other. In order to save them from grief after marriage, Chilo and Oosoam, decided to ruin the wedding. They were successful, but later brought havoc upon Sam, the groom's best friend. In order to amend things, Chilo and Oosoam must bring the couple back together. If they are successful, they will be allowed to return to heaven. However, things aren't as simple as they seem.  Silly nonsense.   Overall Rating: 5/10

27. Sweet Sweet Bodyguard (2012) [剩女保鏢] (Finished 1/82) Tags: Comedy, Romance, Drama Raised up in a military family and trained to become a bodyguard, Zhen Ai Jia is all about responsibility, loyalty and honor. But at heart, she is an ordinary young girl who is eager to fall in love. In order to prevent herself from becoming a "leftover girl" at too early of an age, she decided that her next mission will also be her last one. However, what she did not expect was that her new client, CEO of a famous vehicle company He Zhong Qi, would be such a difficult person to get along with. Given the length, either comedy or story must stand out, but, alas.   Overall Rating: 5/10

28. Fairytale (2012) [童话二分之一] (Finished 1/33) Tags: Business, Romance Zhao Ting Yu and Zhao Ting Yuan are twins who were separated at a young age. With their grandfather getting older and older sister Ting Yuan having contracted a serious illness, Ting Yu was brought back to protect the household and take charge of the family business. To stabilize the Zhao family business, the two sisters must overcome their initial estrangement and work together to withstand the scheming Jing Qing Yu. Fighting alongside them are Ting Yuan's fiancé Du Yu Feng and Jing Qing Yu's own son, Jing Wei. In the process, Ting Yu and Ting Yuan realize their own strengths as they taste both the sweetness and bitterness of maturation, but most importantly, they finally experience the true meaning of "family." Twins, terminal condition, long family format make three red flags.   Overall Rating: 5/10

29. Ching Nang (2012) [ชิงนาง] (Finished 1/18) Tags: Romance, Drama Four brothers: Preuk, Pupah, Meka, and Aroon all love Wong Deuan and try to win her heart. Preuk, the eldest of the brothers, is the most understanding and of course, most mature. He becomes the next owner of the Saen Samut, who was founded by his grandparents. Meka, who takes after his father, is a doctor. Aroon, who is the youngest, is the weakest and has an illness. He is also self-centered because he knows all of his brothers like Wong Deuan but he wants her to himself. Pupah, on the other hand, our pra'ek, is the playful and outgoing one. He feels useless around his family because everyone has their own occupation but he doesn't. One day after an incident, Pupah gets kicked out of the house by his father and goes to live far out in the country, which is the land secretly given to him by his grandmother. Right before he leaves, he asks Wong Deaun to run away with him but Aroon fakes a sickness to prevent Deuan from going. The competition for Wong Deuan continues as more people are entangled in their story. Wow, reverse harem competition trash.   Overall Rating: 5/10

30. Allure Snow (2012) [倾城雪] (Finished 1/50) Tags: Historical, Romance In Allure Snow, the beautiful Suzhou-style embroidery stitches together the lives of a group of youths – the playful and kind only child of the Jiang family, the country boy who always trusts her without knowing he’s the child of the rivaling Heng family, his half-brother the official son and her betrothed , and his secret admirer and her faithful servant. Feels like typical palace intrigues stuff in wuxia style, so definitely not sitting through 50 eps of this bore.   Overall Rating: 5/10

31. Omo ni Naitemasu (2012) [主に泣いてます] (Finished 3/8) Tags: Comedy, Romance A woman of unequaled beauty, Konno Izumi's looks cannot be described by words. With a perfectly balanced body and a lovable face, she turns the heads of all men that she passes by, and not only do the men turn around, but they are struck by a cupid and his arrow, who will most definitely come chasing after Izumi to ask her out. No is not an answer for these men, and they will risk anything to obtain the chance to be Izumi's significant other. For this reason, Izumi is unable to live an ordinary life, having to hide away from society, spending her days in solitude. Akamatsu Keisuke is a student at a university of the arts who ends up substituting a painting class under art professor Aoyama Jin in exchange for credits. He is rather shy and reserved, and like all other men who meet Izumi, falls victim to her beauty. He tries to keep his feelings to himself but is unsuccessful. Izumi, on the other hand, is having an affair with Jin the professor, but her feelings for him are unrequited. Messy concept did not suggest anything good, but it actually got even crazier and sillier.   Overall Rating: 5/10

32. Prik Gub Klur (2012) [พริกกับเกลือ] (Finished 1/19) Tags: Comedy, Romance Siam runs away from home after his stepmother tried to seduce him while he was drunk. Jeed relieves the stress by driving her car very fast. Jeed's car stops for no apparent reason and Siam fixes it for her. He ends up having dinner at her house and, after getting shot while saving her family from a robbery, Siam is hired as their gardener and later as a mechanic at the family's car company. Soon, he becomes the person who listens to all her problems. This way, Siam and Jeed start developping feeling for each other. Remakes of ancient lakorns never go right.   Overall Rating: 5/10

33. Boys on the Run (2012) [ボーイズ・オン・ザ・ラン] (Finished 9/9) Tags: Comedy, Drama Toshiyuki Tanishi, a 27-year-old loner who has never had a girlfriend, works at a small toy company and is seen as a hopeless case. Secretly in love with his co-worker Chiharu, he's too timid to act, until a friendly rival salesman helps him take a chance, leading to an unexpected night with Chiharu after they miss the last train. First of all, it's manga adaptation, so it has arcs and not repeating material which is always nice, so at one point in the beginning it looked almost like a small masterpiece. But at the same time for me it's full of red flags - sports, debts, deaf person. It's also full of silliness and love squares. But since it kept changing just wanted to figure what it was all about in the end. Basically, love squares theme lingered till the end, so nothing to write home about overall.   Overall Rating: 6/10

34. Beautiful Rain (2012) [ビューティフルレイン] (Finished 1/12) Tags: Life, Drama, Family A young daughter supports her father, who is diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Kinoshita Keisuke and his only daughter Miu live in the housing unit for Nakamura Factory, where Keisuke works. Keisuke's wife died 8 years ago after giving birth to Miu. Back then, Keisuke worked for a large construction company. In order to raise Miu full of love, he quit his job at the large construction company and began to work at Nakamura Factory. Every morning, Keisuke is busy preparing Miu for school. One day, Keisuke realizes that she forgot to take her jump rope. Keisuke then goes to school with her jump rope and promises to buy her a new water bottle for the next day's school picnic. The President of Nakamura Factory, Nakamura Tomio, his wife Chieko and colleague Katsuta Akio all tease Keisuke that he overprotects Miu, but they also look at them with a warm heart. An accident then takes place. Akio carries a large item and loses his balance. The large item falls on Keisuke's head, and he becomes unconscious. At the hospital Keisuke receives a CT scan and returns home, but... I don't want to watch it as it's too realistic and depressive since we all faced Alzheimer in our elderly relatives and the fear of it lies within. And first episode is still rather innocent according to synopsis. No strength to go on .   Overall Rating: 6/10

35. Tokkan (2012) [トッカン 特別国税徴収官] (Finished 1/10) Tags: Life, Drama 25-year-old Suzumiya Miki, seeking stable employment, becomes a public servant and is assigned to the Tokyo Regional Taxation Bureau as a tax officer. There, she works under the cold and ruthless Kagami Masachika, known as the “god of death.” Miki assists him in collecting taxes from the most notorious defaulters, facing the most dreaded job in the field. Can be called Legal High, just with taxes and less charm. Same case routine, so not sure I can enjoy it.   Overall Rating: 6/10

36. Iki mo Dekinai Natsu (2012) [息もできない夏] (Finished 2/11) Tags: Drama, Family A 19-year-old girl burdened by a cruel destiny, a mother tormented by a tragic past, and a 41-year-old man living in atonement, and a relationship that brings strength in dark times. ‘Iki mo Dekinai Natsu’ is as much a social drama as it is a story about friendship, parents and children, and about what makes a family. I remember this story of absence in family registry, so should have watched and dropped this. Not seeing it as a masterpiece, to be honest, so probably best to drop early.   Overall Rating: 6/10

37. Rich Man, Poor Woman (2012) [リッチマン、プアウーマン] (Finished 2/11) Tags: Business, Comedy, Romance, Drama 29-year-old Hyuga Toru is a wealthy man. He first started to run an internet website in his small room, and his hobby began to make a lot of money. Nowadays, he doesn't like to socialize, and if somebody comes to him, he suspects that they may want his money. Sawaki Chihiro attends a job fair and, by an unexpected occurrence, begins to work for Toru. Chihiro soon realizes that Toru isn't so bad. There's a pureness in him and also a good deal of loneliness. She then begins to have feelings for him.  Cold man in power position is one of the most banal and commonplace concepts, so I tried to find some novelty that the Japanese could bring here, and the novelty here is that girl is smart. It's probably the best among its kind, but it's not enough for me.   Overall Rating: 6/10

38. Mu Gui Ying Takes Command (2012) [穆桂英挂帅] (Finished 1/39) Tags: Action, Historical, Romance, War The famous story of a young girl known as the genius strategist from Ancient China's Northern Song Dynasty who will fall in a love of the heir of the Generals of the Yang family, Yang Zong Bao, and who will fight for her country. It is the story of the rise of a girl who will take the command of the Emperor's army, in a society where women had no right to be anything other than a daughter, a sister, a wife and a mother.  It lost me with the first pirouettes and flights...   Overall Rating: 5/10

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