Dorama of the Year 2013-I Winter - Otome-san (2013)

The winner is an absolute grey horse - Otome-san (2013) 

1. Kasuka na Kanojo (2013)  [幽かな彼女] (Finished 1/11) Tags: Comedy, Youth, Supernatural Junior high school teacher Koyama Akira has the ability to sense ghosts, and his new school has a ghost named Akane who used to be a teacher. Strange comedy with mischievous ghost only seen by protagonist... for me just a waste of time.   Overall Rating: 5/10

2. Yae no Sakura (2013) [八重の桜] (Finished 10/50) Tags: Historical, Drama “Yae no Sakura” will tell the story of Niijima Yae, also known as Yamamoto Yaeko, who was born into the Aizu Domain during the late Edo period. Skilled in gunnery, she helped defend Aizu during the Boshin War, earning her the nickname of the “Bakumatsu Joan of Arc.” After the war, she married educator Joseph Hardy Neesima and became a Christian, and she helped Neesima found Doshisha University. Whenever taiga is about woman, it's usually a feisty child locked into powerlessness. It's just not really interesting, yet can be watched for Aizu clan of the 19th century.   Overall Rating: 5/10

3. Saki (2013) [サキ] (Finished 1/11) Tags: Thriller, Psychological From the 2011 drama, Utsukushi Rinjin, Nakama Yukie reprises the character Saki. This time round, as Saki Amihama, she will be targeting the men. With the facade of an angel, she draws the men to her, only to lead them to a destructive end. Like a moth to the flame... but where is the line drawn between the saint and the devil? Creepy revenge stuff.   Overall Rating: 5/10

4. Borrow Your Love (2013) [借用一下你的愛] (Finished 1/14) Tags: Business, Comedy, Romance Ping An, a blunt girl with a warm personality meets Ye Chen, a cold and reserved guy who has just been released from prison. Their chance encounter leads to misunderstanding and being kidnapped together. But the two pretend to be a couple in order for their friends Li Zi Wen and Xie Xi Le to get together without feeling guilty. However, the mismatch duo find themselves attracted to one another instead. In addition Ye Chen helps Ping An uncover her true identity and find her long loss mother.  Mediocre silly romance comedy.   Overall Rating: 5/10

5. The End of the World (2013) [세계의 끝] (Finished 1/12) Tags: Mystery, Drama, Medical An unidentified epidemic with a 100% fatality rate strikes Seoul. There is no guarantee who will be alive tomorrow. The Korea Center for Disease Control (KCDC) begins investigating the unknown so-called “M(Moon)” Virus. The KCDC tracks the origin of the “M” virus, uncovering that the carrier is, in fact, an ordinary student. Realizing he has the virus, the carrier student secretly runs off. Finding the fugitive becomes a top priority for the KCDC’s virus investigators. Joo Heon is the KCDC’s Sherlock Holmes with his sharp instincts. While the investigation is underway, Joo Heon gradually becomes infatuated with Na Hyun, his fellow investigator. After much hesitation, he eventually confesses his feelings for her. When they share their feelings, the M virus puts their romance in jeopardy, when Na Hyun is infected with the virus. It's closer to detective mystery investigation that I hoped it not to be.   Overall Rating: 5/10

6. Tonbi (2013) [とんび] (Finished 1/10) Tags: Life, Drama Ichikawa Yasuo, who goes by the nickname Yasu, is a ‘dumb’ man unequalled anywhere in the world. He has not had schooling, is boorish and would immediately let his fists fly if he loses his cool. But Yasu is different from the ordinary fool in that he is a “doting parent”. He grew up without parents and does not know what it is like to be close, but he and his wife love each other and live happily as they watch their son Akira grow up. However, when Akira is 3 years old, they are suddenly struck by tragedy. Yasu loses his wife in a freak accident. Although overcome with guilt and sorrow, Yasu puts it behind him and tries to raise his beloved son with the help of his friends. And one more childcare tearjerker alongside very irritating father. Seen one - seen all.   Overall Rating: 5/10

7. Itsuka Hi no Ataru Basho de (2013) [いつか陽のあたる場所で] (Finished 2/10) Tags: Drama Hako was sentenced to 7 years in prison on a robbery charge for the host she loved. Ayaka killed her husband to protect their son from domestic violence. These two women became acquainted in prison and forged strong bonds. After they are released from prison, they stay together and begin new lives in the old district of Yanaka in Tokyo while carrying pasts that no one must suspect. Boring concept with slow pace and mostly about coming in terms with themselves and their families. But it's not particularly interesting, and I don't need more moral lessons or whatever it tries to teach.   Overall Rating: 6/10

8. Big Red Riding Hood (2013) [大紅帽與小野狼] (Finished 1/16) Tags: Comedy, Romance, Drama A woman with strong sense of justice meets a man with questionable moral compass. Will the big red riding hood fall into the man's trap? Or, will their meeting be the beginning of the little bad wolf's life of misery? Taiwanese comedy is again synonym to barely bearable silliness.   Overall Rating: 5/10

9. Ip Man (2013) [叶问 ] (Finished 1/50) Tags: Historical, Martial Arts Kevin Cheng’s Ip Man is the first television adaptation on Ip Man’s life struggles during the early 1900s in southern China. Crazy flights - check.   Overall Rating: 5/10

10. Otome-san (2013) [オトメさん] (Finished 9/9) Tags: Thriller Otome-san vs. Kowai! Otome-san is a term for mother-in-law, while Kowai, which means scary in Japanese, stands for the daughter-in-law. Mizusawa Asako has been living under the constant nagging and criticism from her mother-in-law, up till the old woman's death two years ago. Just when she can start to relax and enjoy being the mistress of the house, her only son informs her that he is marrying a girl named Ririka. Both Asako and her husband, Hiroyuki, are against the marriage, but to no avail. Thinking of scaring Ririka, Asako tells her that they will accept her as their daughter-in-law, on the condition that the newlyweds move in with them. Ririka smilingly agrees to it, and thus they are married. Asako is determined to be a good mother-in-law, but feels apprehensive about it all. On the first night the newlyweds return from their honeymoon, Asako finds herself alone with Ririka, with both her son and husband staying out late. They started drinking together, and soon Asako and Ririka are hitting it off! The next day, waking up with a hangover, Asako finds that the breakfast has been made, and the cleaning all done. Ririka seems like the perfect daughter-in-law. Or is she? Strange disappearances start happening in their neighborhood, and Asako starts to distrust Ririka more and more... Well, it's amazing how it keeps up tension and reverts the table all the time. If ending was more mature, I could give an even better score.   Overall Rating: 7/10

11. Share House no Koibito (2013) [シェアハウスの恋人] (Finished 1/9) Tags: Comedy, Romance In an attempt to change her life, Tsuyama Shio, a 30-year-old plain-looking office lady at a conservative company, makes up her mind to get started by living in a shared house. Through a strange turn of events she meets two intriguing men and falls in love for the first time in a long while with one of them, Sakurai Yukiya. Sakurai is a salaryman in his 40s, has a wife and child but his life has ceased to matter because of something and he abandons work as well as family to come to the shared house. However, Sakurai is gradually drawn to the simple, gawky and mysterious Kawaki Tatsuhei, an alien being from outer space who came to the house attracted to Shio. And so a curious love triangle begins. Crazy and stupid. No time for stupidity.   Overall Rating: 5/10

12. Queen of Ambition (2013) [야왕] (Finished 1/24) Tags: Romance, Drama, Melodrama When you grow up in extreme poverty, the experience can instill a steely resolve to succeed at all costs. Joo Da Hae is determined to leave her life of poverty behind and will stop at nothing until she achieves the wealth and lifestyle she so desires. Ha Ryu, who loved Da Hae and would have done anything for her, is used and betrayed by her in her greedy quest. He later becomes a public prosecutor who must bring her down. But the heartless Da Hae, who rises to become First Lady, has plenty of others who will sacrifice themselves at her whim, including the smitten Baek Do Hoon. Can the ruthless Da Hae be stopped before she goes too far? Ugh, after so many intelligent intricate jdrama, blunt revenge kdrama feels like crap.   Overall Rating: 5/10

13. Maya See Mook (2013) [มายาสีมุก] (Finished 1/23) Tags: Drama A struggling performer, Kaimook, working as a stunt woman finds herself taking the identity of her employer's daughter and being married off to a playboy hotel heir, Keerin. Typically primitive lakorn now supported by a funny sound at every physical action and even half of emotions for an even more horrible outcome.   Overall Rating: 5/10

14. Raeng Pradtanaha (2013) [แรงปรารถนา] (Finished 1/15) Tags: Romance, Drama A twist, where our lead girl is the mean girl. Thae is a spoiled rich girl and very demanding to Pittiya who works at her father’s company. He also happens to be an adopted son, therefore lowly status in Thae’s eyes and worthy of bullying. She feels she can tell him to do anything and he must obey. Pitt on the other hand, despite inevitably obeying her orders, he doesn’t do so without a fight. He never gives in to her emotional, flighty ways, which pisses her off to no end. Pit gives in to her out of respect for his adopted father, but he would much rather dance attendance to Ravee, his girlfriend. Because of his girlfriend, Pittiya rejects the offer of marriage from Thae's father. Thae can't believe he refused her and plans her revenge. She tries to break up Pit's romance by pretending she and Pit have a closer relationship. But why all the hostility towards Pitt? Constant bickering and fights make it unwatchable.   Overall Rating: 5/10

15. Nakuna, Hara-chan (2013) [泣くな、はらちゃん] (Finished 1/10) Tags: Comedy, Romance, Supernatural Hara-chan is drunk at a cheap pub and blabbering. It is a daily occurrence. He is always vexed, but has neither the wisdom nor the courage to break it up. This is Hara-chan, the main character of the manga ‘Nakuna, Hara-chan’. The illustrator of this manga is Echizen-san, a plain-looking lady who works at a fish paste factory. In place of a diary, she draws this comic strip in a notebook with all the pent-up resentment within her. This is the only outlet for Echizen-san who seems to have lost her passion for life. Then one day, a miracle happens. Hara-chan comes to the sudden realization that he is looking at the world for the first time. The sun’s warmth, the rustle of wind, the twinkle of the stars. He has sprung out of the manga world and into the “real” world. In the “real” world, Hara-chan is in love with Echizen-san. Even if he is not a human in this “reality”. Remember dumping it before. Supernatural stuff, naivety and fooling around just aren't interesting, and since they take majority of time, not sure I can endure it to get to something better .   Overall Rating: 6/10

16. Mischievous Kiss: Love in Tokyo (2013) [イタズラなKiss〜Love in TOKYO] (Finished 1/16) Tags: Comedy, Romance, Life, Youth At a high school entrance ceremony, high school student Aihara Kotoko, who isn't that smart, notices the pretty boy Irie Naoki. She falls in love with him immediately. Kotoko initially doesn't express her feelings to him but finally has a chance to tell him how she feels. Unfortunately, Naoki turns Kotoko down, saying, "I don't like dumb women." One day, Aihara Kotoko's house is severely damaged by a meteorite. Then, Kotoko and her father decide to live with her father's friend. When Kotoko moves to her new temporary house, she is surprised to learn that Naoki lives there as well. Fed up with ItaKiss anime, so not going to watch further live version of this shoujo.   Overall Rating: 6/10

17. Apoyan (2013) [あぽやん] (Finished 1/10) Tags: Business Based on the serialised novel by Shinno Takeshi, Apoyan tells the story of the people behind every overseas trip. From the travel agents to the people working at the airport. Endo Keita works for JALPAK, and was based at the Head Office, in charge of the overseas packages' projects. One day, he was suddenly ordered to transfer to Narita Airport. It was a well-known fact within the company that the non-performers were sent to work the counters at Narita, where the duties of one were just to serve the incoming and outgoing travelers. This made Endo realise that the management probably sees him as useless, unable to contribute to the sales increase for the company. As he had joined the company with the sole desire to create tour packages, Endo became really depressed and started entertaining thoughts of leaving the company. On his first day at work in Narita, Endo is shocked by the persona of his manager, Imaizumi Toshio, who seems like a totally useless guy, smiling foolishly all the time. His staff are mostly women, and one of them, Morio Haruko is downright hostile to him. The only one who seems to show any kindness to him is Baba Hanae. Endo tries his best at his new role, hoping that he will soon be transferred back to his old job at the Head Office. From 「as long as the customers depart」 to 「let the customers depart with a smile」, Endo slowly learns to be passionate about his new job, through helping all the customers resolve their troubles prior to their departure. Learned to hate all these series around airport security... can't even finish first episode due to irritation.   Overall Rating: 5/10

18. Incarnation of Money (2013) [돈의 화신] (Finished 1/24) Tags: Business, Comedy, Romance, Drama A drama based on law about money, love and passion. It is about lobbying, rebating, connecting and corruption of the Korean society through Lee Cha Don, who loses everything because of money. Lee Cha Don is a man who rises to the seat of a special branch prosecutor with the money of a loan shark, while Bok Jae In is the daughter of the loan shark who raised Lee Cha Don. Really dislike stories with money in the center. Here money is main protagonist, so best leave early.   Overall Rating: 5/10

19. K Song Lover (2013) [K歌·情人·夢] (Finished 1/13) Tags: Romance, Drama A passionate youth, Hao Zi signed a contract with a record company because of his unique creative style and walked into the enviable entertainment world. Because he insisted on his own idea, he left the record company to join a boy group called "Super 131". When Hao Zi feels that its the end of his music world, the riffraff music producer Du Fei looks for him and said to him that he got some talents. If he wants to strive to his music dream, he must work hard. He also invites him to join his newly created group called "Super Seed", together they join the "Asia's Top Music Competition" to give some colours to the group "Super 131". Hao Zi also helps Du Fei to find new members. The adventure of the new group "Super Seed" starts right here. Ugh, it's hardly about performances. Sour rivalry and conflicts so far in the pilot.   Overall Rating: 5/10

20. Mahoro Ekimae Bangaichi (2013) [まほろ駅前番外地] (Finished 1/12) Tags: Comedy, Life Set within the fictional city of Mahoro, Keisuke Tada and Haruhiko Gyoten are two thirty something divorced men who run a “benriya” (odd jobs for hire) business. The drama series depicts their interactions with clients in their agency, which is located across the street from a station. Not fond of odd jobs for hire as it's always case format which is overall waste of time.   Overall Rating: 5/10

21. King Flower (2013) [金大花的華麗冒險] (Finished 1/21) Tags: Comedy, Romance, Drama The ugly Jin Da Hua daydreams that if she is as beautiful as Du Liang Yan, maybe her best friend Lin Guan Jun will fall in love with her. Then one day, she is given this chance to change her life.  Ridiculously silly and cringy plastic surgery cinderella story.   Overall Rating: 5/10

22. Karamazov no Kyodai (2013) [カラマーゾフの兄弟] (Finished 11/11) Tags: Thriller, Mystery, Psychological, Drama ‘Karamazov no Kyodai’ is a psychological suspense drama based on Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s last novel ‘The Brothers Karamazov’. Set in present-day Japan, three brothers are being suspected of having killed their father, Kurosawa Bunzo. Before his death, Bunzo ordered his three sons back home in order to have an important family council. The police is convinced that the three brothers must have been tormented by their greedy father and that this family council must have been the reason for the murder. However, the second son Isao declares that the origin of the murder could be the Kurosawa family itself. The whole truth is gradually coming to light as the three brothers are being driven into a corner. Aside from exploring the psychology of the three brothers, the whole story is also set within the context of a political chaos and a disparate society, similar to Dostoyevsky’s original. Well... I'm fond of original, so not considering live action superb. In the end it's just detective mystery drown in countless flashbacks. Can't say I enjoyed it.   Overall Rating: 6/10

23. Agent X (2013) [X女特工] (Finished 1/42) Tags: Action, Romance, Drama During a mission, Zhong Li and her superior, an elite agent by the name of He Jun Feng accidentally met. Two wholly different people are seemingly pulled together by fate, and sparks of love result. They are quarrelsome lovers, and often argue;yet they are a couple whether in life or death,will help each other without reason at critical moments, and risk their lives to finish one mission after the other. Yet...dangerous fights, suffocating betrayals, a fated love story and the dazzling society....everything will be ready soon. Super agent concept just should not exist...   Overall Rating: 5/10

24. Happy 300 Days (2013) [遇見幸福300天] (Finished 1/15) Tags: Comedy, Romance, Drama When a woman discovers she's pregnant with her ex-boyfriend's child, she decides to return to her hometown to have the baby. There, she meets three men who, each for their own reasons, are also escaping to this town to avoid dealing with their personal problems. Although they are meeting at the worst time in their lives, they help one another learn to be selfless, brave, and trustworthy in love. Comedy in this reverse harem is better than usual low, but there's nothing exceptional here.   Overall Rating: 6/10

25. Porn Prom Onlaweng (2013) [พรพรหมอลเวง] (Finished 1/15) Tags: Romance, Drama, Medical, Supernatural A young woman swaps bodies with a little girl whose uncle is a doctor. The woman in the child’s body starts to fall in love with the uncle. Body swap cheese.   Overall Rating: 5/10

26. AD Genius Lee Tae Baek (2013) [광고천재 이태백] (Finished 1/16) Tags: Business, Comedy, Romance, Drama It depicts the lives and loves of people working in the advertising industry. Lee Tae Baek is extremely talented, but due to his poor resume goes through difficulties as he attempts to succeed in the advertising world. Baek Ji Yun is an intern at Keumsan Ad Company. She tries to do her best regardless of the task. Ji Yun is full of passion and becomes involved with Lee Tae Baek. Ko A Ri is an AD planner at Keumsan Ad Company. She's confident and a sexy woman. In order to achieve her dream, she throws away her past and her love. Advertisement is only slightly better than fashion for me. Only finding irritating stuff here.   Overall Rating: 5/10

27. Phaen Rai Phai Rak (2013) [แผนร้ายพ่ายรัก] (Finished 1/16) Tags: Comedy, Romance Kemmik is an air hostess. She gets hurt after experiencing a one night stand with Seua. She believes that he’s a jerk who dumps girls after he gets their body. As a result, Kemmik doesn’t believe in love. She starts taking weird jobs, which is to make plans in order to prove real love. She gets hired by Saengsuda. Her job is to destroy the love of Phisaeng, Saengsuda’s only son who has gone to work in a farm, and to bring him back to manage the airline company. This is the beginning of the fun because of course, Phisaeng and Seua, the one guy whom Kemmik never wants to meet again in this life, are the same person. Lots of fighting and shouting in this nonsense don't leave room for entertainment.   Overall Rating: 5/10

28. Cruel Palace - War of Flowers (2013) [궁중잔혹사 - 꽃들의 전쟁] (Finished 1/50) Tags: Historical, Romance, Drama, Political A legendary femme fatale, So Yong uses her natural beauty, sensuality, and wit to win the King’s love and become part of his royal concubine. King In Jo indulges himself in So Yong and neglects his sovereign duties. Taking advantage of King In Jo’s impotence, So Yong snatches his power and exercises absolute control over the entire country. She even joins a rebellion along with her stepfather. Crown Prince So Hyeon, upon returning home after seven years in captivity, tries to develop his country by adopting advanced scientific practices and culture. However, the young Prince is a threat to So Yong, and she decides to manipulate the King into poisoning his own son. After Prince So Hyeon’s death, Kang Bin, the Crown Princess, finds out that So Yong is the culprit. In league with the courtiers, Kang Bin tries to defeat So Yong and win the country back. But So Yong is conniving and not about to roll over. The vicious story of the Bloodied Palace begins. Palace intrigues in ancient Choson are still boring.   Overall Rating: 5/10

29. Love Is the Best (2013) [戀了愛了] (Finished 1/33) Tags: Romance, Drama This is a heart-grabbing story of a contemporary sadomasochistic love that takes place in Yulin, Shanxi province of China. The female lead is an extremely good-natured woman who falls in love with the returning investor male lead from abroad. His personality can be described as being stubborn, overly sensitive, suspicious, and worrisome. During his school days, he had a regrettable encounter with the female lead’s older sister. He mistakenly believes that the female lead approached him because of his affluent background, and thus mistreats her. The female lead's pure and innocent love eventually wins over his heart, and her sister, as well, begins to walk towards a better path... Mediocre Chinese revenge drama.   Overall Rating: 5/10

30. You Are the Best! (2013) [최고다 이순신 ] (Finished 1/50) Tags: Comedy, Romance, Drama, Family Lee Sun Sin goes through hardships after her father's death. Sun Sin and her mother struggle to find happiness. Her love story continues in the midst of the ups and downs of her life. Lee Sun Sin is the youngest member of a successful family. Despite her family′s successes, however, she seems to have failed to inherit any talent, and is marked as an oddball, though she remains a bright, lively and courageous girl. She then meets the head of an agency named Sin Jun Ho, and he turns her life around. Sin Jun Ho is a confident, cold and competitive man, who changes later after he begins to understand the real meaning of success through Lee Sun Sin. Deadly boring as all Korean longshots so far.   Overall Rating: 5/10

31. That Winter, the Wind Blows (2013) [그 겨울, 바람이 분다] (Finished 1/16) Tags: Romance, Crime, Melodrama Abandoned by his mother as a child and raised by the Park family, Oh Soo is a notorious gambler in the neighborhood of Cheongdam. After the death of his first love, he is left heartbroken and cold, not caring about anybody else. Soo is then thrown into prison following the unexpected death of his friend who shares his name. A year later, Soo meets lawyer Jang Sung, who came looking for the deceased Oh Soo, the heir of PL Group. When he is given 3 months to pay or die, Soo uses this opportunity to con the last remaining heir of the PL Group, Oh Young, to pay his debt. While pretending to be the deceased brother who was separated from his sister after their parents' divorce, Soo starts falling in love with the blind Oh Young. Disability and con artist melodrama is quite habitual Korean romance. Seeing zero spark in here.   Overall Rating: 5/10

32. Flower Boy Next Door (2013) [이웃집 꽃미남] (Finished 1/16) Tags: Comedy, Romance, Drama This is a drama about a girl, Ko Dok Mi, who is a shut-in Miss Lonelyhearts type, who spends her days spying on the man living in the next building. She is caught spying by her other neighbor, Enrique Geum. Meanwhile, O Jin Rok is the man who notices her from long ago, and knows everything about her and will fall in love with her. Ko Dok Mi is a ′city Rapunzel′ who never ventures outdoors, yet has her own set of charms that makes men go weak. O Jin Rok is a scruffy manhwa artist. Enrique Geum is a genius creative director who is good-looking, stylish and bohemian and can′t get enough of soccer. He will form a love line with Ko Dok Mi. Another full of tropes Korean strange artificial romance.   Overall Rating: 5/10

33. Saikou no Rikon (2013)  [最高の離婚] (Finished 2/11) Tags: Comedy, Romance, Drama A romantic home comedy about 30-year-olds with an immature view on marriage that focuses on themes related to married couples and families in general. The protagonists of ‘Saikou no Rikon’ are two couples – Mitsuo and Yuka as well as Ryo and Akari. Mitsuo and Yuka have been married for two years, but their ways of thinking and living are completely different and they keep on quarreling with each other most of the time. Kosei is already regretting his marriage every day, yet his grandmother finally wants to see a great-grandchild. One day, he happens to meet Akari, his old girlfriend from his student days, which brings back pleasant memories. Right after he finds out Akari is already married, Yuka eventually asks him for a divorce but Mitsuo still ends up living with Yuka under the same roof due to some reason Indeed, light comedy around infantile outlook to marriage. But this lack of seriousness does not let me enjoy it.   Overall Rating: 6/10

Share this: