Dorama of the Year 2013-IV Fall - No Con Kid (2013)

No Con Kid (2013) was one of the reasons to undertake dorama reviews, so of course it is masterpiece for me. 

1. Kanata no Ko (2013)  [かなたの子] (Finished 1/4) Tags: Psychological, Drama Miyako participates in a 1 night and 2 days hiking tour of Mount Fuji. Ryoichi Nozawa is the guide for the hiking tour team of Miyako, Shintaro Kondo, Someno Aoyama and Ai Mitsuke. While hiking through Mount Fuji, Someno looks back and sees Miyako is crouced down and has her hands covering her face. Ryoichi tries to talk to Miyako, but she is frozen. Miyako sees the faint shape of person. Miyako realizes that she has a daughter named Natsuki. For me it's a waste of time, because nothing really happens, there's lots of mystics and the way of shooting is arthouse with long shots of nothing etc.   Overall Rating: 5/10

2. No Con Kid (2013) [ノーコン・キッド　～ぼくらのゲーム史～] (Finished 12/12) Tags: Comedy, Drama 45-year-old Reiji Watanabe visits his parents' home. His parents used to run an arcade. While there, Reiji fondly yearns for his friends Kido and Takano. Back in 1983, their family's arcade "Game Center Watanabe" was always full of customers, including neighborhood kids and salarymen. Reiji's friend Kido would come over to their arcade every day. Kido would spend most of his allowance on the games there. Reiji wasn't interested in the video games at the time, but after he saw a pretty girl named Takano playing, he also began to play. Reiji and Kido would then compete all the time. From 1983, Reiji, Kido and Takano enjoyed playing games and experienced good and bad times together. It left a big impression on me back then, checked for remainder of episodes to be translated, but, alas. Dragon Quest 2 episode rocks. Good memories, definitely deserves a honorary masterpiece even despite under 30 mins episodes and lack of full translation.   Overall Rating: 7/10

3. Anko Kon Ruk Strawberry (2013) [อันโกะ กลรักสตรอว์เบอร์รี่] (Finished 1/14) Tags: Comedy, Romance Anya (Araya A.Hargate) or nicknamed Anko an outspoken girl working for Head Hunter which is a company that does everything to obtain valuable personnels from one company for its customer. Anya is assigned to make Dr. Saen Pueannadee (Theeradej Wongpuapan) quit his job at Piangpordee company. Dr.Saen is a charming PhD doctor that graduated in genetic engineering from the States. The other company needs him so badly but he insists on working for the non-profit company like Piangpordee. Anya applies to be Dr.Saen's secretary. There have been several people quit this position before her. Not only that his secretary had to tolerate a lot of outdoor works (in farms, etc), they also couldn't tolerate troubles caused by all the girls around Dr.Saen. From a member of a royal family, a superstar actress to a daughter of a village leader, these girls give Dr.Saen a headache every single day. He likes the fact that Anya can actually help him from these disturbing girls. In order to make Dr.Saen quit and move to her customer company and earn her a 200,000-baht commission and a vice manager position, Anya really wants to complete the mission. But when she meets and gets to work with Dr.Saen, she realizes why Dr.Saen wants to work with this small company and somehow her fondness of Dr.Saen increases everyday. Still, her mission has to be completed and finally she did it against of her wish. Anya goes to confess her false to Dr.Saen and due to the dissapointment, Saen leaves without telling. Anya decides to follow him to his strawberry farm and go after her taken-away heart. Ancient novel adaptation is no better than ancient lakorn remake - in addition to usual flaws it becomes morally old.   Overall Rating: 5/10

4. Your Neighbor's Wife (2013) [네 이웃의 아내] (Finished 1/22) Tags: Mystery, Comedy, Romance, Family A married couple, Song Ha and Sun Kyu, have grown distant after years together. Song Ha, a working mother, and Sun Kyu, an idealist, feel unfulfilled. When a new couple, Kyung Joo and Sang Shik, move in next door, they bring excitement and new emotions. Kyung Joo, a dedicated housewife, and her patriarchal husband, Sang Shik, are very different from Song Ha and Sun Kyu. As both couples are drawn to each other, they find themselves caught in a whirlwind of romance, comedy, mystery, and thrilling situations. Seeing only cringy Korean melodrama and same kind of "comedy".   Overall Rating: 5/10

5. Hakuba no Oujisama ~ Junai Tekireiki (2013) [ハクバノ王子サマ 純愛適齢期] (Finished 7/13) Tags: Romance High school teacher Hara Takako is 32 and has no boyfriend. She is desperate and insecure. One day, a new teacher Kotaro Ozu, seven years Takako’s junior is assigned to her school. Takako takes a romantic interest in Kotaro and the two of them grow attracted to each other. But in truth, Kotaro has a fiancee. Seeing the disconsolate Takako, reignites the love of Kurosawa Akio, a senior teacher whom she once had an affair with. Good. But I'm dropping it because just good is not enough for me. Concept is fine, but it needed shorter running time, like 9-10 episodes, because there's already too much of wasting time to misunderstandings and miscommunication and adding characters and going side stories. It's not special to remember with tenderness, so it can't be a masterpiece and best be dropped now.   Overall Rating: 6/10

6. Tokyo Bandwagon (2013) [東京バンドワゴン～下町大家族物語] (Finished 2/10) Tags: Mystery, Romance, Life, Drama The somewhat peculiar Hotta family runs Tokyo Bandwagon, a secondhand bookstore and cafe in the old part of Tokyo. They are a big four-generation family that is rare these days. The Hottas live by rather unusual family rules, and solve strange incidents that arise in the old town. 26-year-old Ao is the family’s second son, and a freelance tour guide. Although he is the child of his father’s mistress, he has been raised as the second son without prejudice. Ao is an irresistible playboy to females due to the gap between his frivolous behaviour and occasional melancholic expressions, but then he encounters university student Makino Suzumi and falls deeply in love with her. Hoped it would be decent and not about investigating cases, but, alas.   Overall Rating: 5/10

7. Otto no Kanojo (2013) [夫のカノジョ] (Finished 1/8) Tags: Comedy, Supernatural Yamagishi Hoshimi, an only child, lost her father at an young age and was raised only by her mother, who works as a temporary worker at a large company. Her boss Komatsubara Mugitaro supports her a lot with her goal to become a regular employee soon. Mugitaro's wife Hishiko believes that her husband is having an affair with his subordinate Hoshimi due to his high interest in her and decides to meet her personally. At this moment, Hoshimi and Hishiko collide and happen to swap bodies. After the first confusion, they decide to continue to live the lives of each other for the moment. Mugitaro doesn't know about this strange occurrence and is more than bewildered about the completely different reactions from his "girlfriend" and his wife. Body swap is cheesiest of the cheesy.   Overall Rating: 5/10

8. Dandarin Rodo Kijun Kantokukan (2013) [ダンダリン・労働基準監督官] (Finished 1/11) Tags: Comedy, Drama Labor Standards Inspectors… are you aware of their existence? For the sake of the 52 million actively employed people across the nation, the government had set up this body to help ensure that there is safety at workplaces. Danda Rin, is an example of a very diligent and strict inspector. She doesn’t compromise when it comes to the rules. The story opens with the transfer of Danda Rin to the new Labor Standards Inspector office. “She had caused her boss at her ex-office to go bald!!” is the rumor that accompanies her to her new office. Danda Rin is someone who doesn’t do things in half measures, which is totally unlike the laidback male colleagues in the office. “Unpaid overtime”, “Managers in name only”, “Power harassment by managers”; these are all the things she fights against! Not digging this humor, and there's very little besides.   Overall Rating: 5/10

9. Never Give Up, Dodo (2013) [钱多多炼爱记] (Finished 1/10) Tags: Comedy, Romance A raunchy romantic comedy about a couple, Duo Duo and Xu Fei, who decide to get married but face many obstacles to happiness. Dodo is engaged to her former co-worker Xu Fei, but she is afraid this engagement won't last since her previous two engagements ended in disaster, with her groom-to-be always leaving her for someone else just when they're about to get married. When Dodo was younger, she reported a fortune teller to law enforcement, saying the fortune teller was a fraud; the fortune teller was arrested and cursed that Dodo well never get married. Dodo and Xu Fei move in together before their marriage; each guest that stays over at their home is a test of their relationship. Will Dodo and Xu Fei make it to their wedding day? Guessed right that it's Chinese and not Taiwanese because it's silly stupid and not silly cheerful .   Overall Rating: 5/10

10. Unemployed Romance (2013) [실업급여 로맨스] (Finished 1/10) Tags: Comedy, Romance, Life, Youth "Unemployed Romance" is about the reunion between Seung Hee and her first love Jong Dae. Seung Hee, who dreams of being a star writer but is only a salary writer for a third-class program, and Jong Dae, a temporary public worker in the department of unemployment benefits. Impotent kdrama writers make kdrama about impotent kdrama writers. Meta trash ! Pure waste of time.   Overall Rating: 5/10

11. Honey Trap (2013) [ハニー・トラップ] (Finished 2/10) Tags: Drama Yuichi works for a large corporation as a leading-edge materials researcher. He has a good reputation, but he has many enemies who are jealous of his talents. His wife, Natsumi, works in the accounting department for the same company. Natsumi cooks well and supports her husband. Yuichi is then assigned to lead a new big project which other rival companies all plan to bid on. His boss orders Yuichi to work with Yuichi's father, who is a researcher and professor at a university. When Yuichi was young, his mother died from a disease. His father was so absorbed with his studies that he was not there when she passed away. Since then, Yuichi has held resentment towards his father. One day, Yuichi's wealth, reputation and beautiful wife... all disappear. Information for the new project is stolen and Yuichi is suspected as the thief. He is suspended from his job by his boss. Yuichi's father disappears from the university, and his father's house is trashed. Suddenly, Yuichi has lost everything. He now has to stand up for what he has lost. Yuichi makes an astonishing discovery, and a mysterious figure appears. It's sort of action mystery thriller, and as such was of little interest to me.   Overall Rating: 5/10

12. A Word from Warm Heart (2013) [따뜻한 말 한마디] (Finished 1/20) Tags: Life, Drama, Family, Melodrama The story of two married couples in danger of unraveling as the husband and wife find themselves attracted to other people. Na Eun Jin is a hardworking, positive, and bright woman who encounters feelings of disappointment because of her cheating husband and other events, which makes her find a new side of herself. Meanwhile, Yoo Jae Hak is a successful CEO, a respectable father of two sons, and a husband to his devoted wife. He thought he was happy in his life until he found himself attracted to Eun Jin, and then he began to reflect on his life and the conflicts between his responsibility to his family and his feelings for Eun Jin. Ugh, these ever-useless and stupid dialogues drive me mad. Professional wasters of time.   Overall Rating: 5/10

13. Dokushin Kizoku (2013) [独身貴族] (Finished 11/11) Tags: Comedy, Romance, Drama Hoshino Mamoru, known as the "Noble Bachelor," is the creative and professional president of a filmmaking company founded by his father. His younger brother, Hoshino Sumoru, dubbed the "Divorce Warrior," is a sharp negotiator going through a divorce while juggling a busy dating life. Haruno Yuki, called the "Marriage Refugee," once dreamed of becoming a screenwriter but now works part-time doing housework, disillusioned with love and marriage. When their paths cross, unexpected changes begin to reshape their lives. It felt like a masterpiece till the stolen kiss. Afterwards characters as if changed personalities, a huge chunk of wasting time began with sidetracking, cycling, illogical actions within personalities and cringe. It never recovered from that.   Overall Rating: 6/10

14. Golden Rainbow (2013) [황금 무지개] (Finished 1/41) Tags: Romance, Drama, Melodrama Seven orphaned brothers and sisters who have closer ties than blood family are compared to a blood-tied family that is being broken by its own greed to think about the true meaning of family and happiness. The story mainly revolves around Jang Ha Bin/Kim Baek Won, a girl who grows up to be a police woman and Do Young, a boy who grows up to be a prosecutor. He falls in love with her again after she broke his heart in the past. Such a crude artificial bs tearjerker trash.   Overall Rating: 5/10

15. Ruk Sutrit (2013) [รักสุดฤทธิ์] (Finished 1/16) Tags: Comedy, Romance The story centers around a spoiled rich kid who falls in love with his tutor. Childishness.   Overall Rating: 5/10

16. Reply 1994 (2013) [응답하라] (Finished 1/21) Tags: Comedy, Romance, Drama, Sports Set in 1994, six university students from various provincial areas live together at a boarding house in Sinchon, Seoul, which is run by a couple with a daughter named Na Jung. The timeline moves back and forth between the past in 1994 and the present in 2013, making the viewers guess who will become Na Jung's husband among the male characters. Again milking stupid nostalgy and again female fan pursuing male star. Impotent idiocy.   Overall Rating: 5/10

17. Return of the Heiress (2013) [千金归来] (Finished 1/50) Tags: Romance, Life, Drama The drama tells the story of a simple and kind girl, that has experienced family tragedies and gradually grows into a mature and self-reliant women. Breaking obstacles to achieve her grandfather's wish, and harvesting a love story. In Shen Shen's enterprise, Chang Qing is the heir. Since her mother died young, the business was handed to Pan Wei Sen, her mother's husband also her father, until Chang Qing was old enough to receive it. Meanwhile the stepmother Ding Ya Qin and her daughter Ding Jia Hui make things difficult for Chang Qing. She finds comfort and help from Lin Hao, but becomes afraid of his safety by being with her. After much disputing, Chang Qing is sent away by her father to live and work somewhere else. But through overcoming many obstacles, Chang Qing returns for the company that belongs to her grandfather, hiding her true intentions from her evil father, step-mother, and step-sister. Sun Jin Rui assist her in her vengeance, but has questionable motives. Lin Hao and Jin Rui soon become love rivals, while Chang Qing wants to walk alone on this road. Chinese longshot revenge melodrama is absolutely miserable.   Overall Rating: 5/10

18. Best Time (2013) [最美的时光] (Finished 1/47) Tags: Business, Romance A 'leftover lady' (referring to unmarried women over the age of 30) nicknamed the White-Boned Demon Su Man, met Song Yi, a talented man for whom she had had a crush on years. To get closer to Song Yi, Su Man gives up her own promising future, just to work together with Song Yi. Despite her efforts, Lu Li Cheng, a man she has had several conflicts with, became her superior. Su Man treats him as a thorn in her side, yet he developed feelings for Su Man due to his interactions with her. Just when Su Man and Song Yi's relationship went back on the right track, unforseen accidents and mistakes happened on Su Man and Song Yi's past romances slowly surfaced. Su Man, Song Yi and Lu Li Cheng's romance are tested in every way. Horrible like every single SOL longshot so far.   Overall Rating: 5/10

19. Kazoku no Urajijo (2013) [家族の裏事情] (Finished 5/8) Tags: Drama, Family The Isawas are the average, ordinary Japanese family. Husband Yasuhiko and wife Yukari are the owners of Isawaya, a restaurant that serves set meals in the old downtown district of Tokyo. They are a happy couple despite their contrasting characters. But the sudden appearance of Takagi Rui, the girlfriend their eldest son Haruhiko, and Yukari’s mother Mimatsu Hanae, who has been out of touch since she divorce her husband, expose a secret of this three-generation family and family ties are tested. Well, big family concept is not a lukrative one for me. After five episode all the mystery is revealed, and I don't care much about what is going to be done for settlement. Kinda tired of it, so don't mind dropping it even at a later stage as it's not masterpiece material.   Overall Rating: 6/10

20. Tokyo Toy Box (2013) [東京トイボックス] (Finished 12/12) Tags: Life Tsukiyama Hoshino, an office lady at a major bank, ends up seconded to a small game company called Studio G3 in Akihabara because of her superior’s harassment. What awaits her is a team of individualistic game creators led by company president Tenkawa Taiyo who thinks about nothing but creating interesting games. Meanwhile, Sensui Izuru of Solid Works, the industry’s largest company which Taiyo previously worked at, reaches out for Studio G3 and Taiyo but... I remember liking it, but not excessively. Very nice, but also has some tropes and antics that feel artificial, plus it's only 20 mins format.   Overall Rating: 6/10

21. The Heirs (2013) [상속자들] (Finished 1/20) Tags: Comedy, Romance, Drama, Melodrama Kim Tan is the heir to Empire Group who has been sent to study abroad in the U.S. In reality it's a form of exile, as his elder half-brother back home schemes to take over the family business. While in the States, Kim Tan meets Cha Eun Sang, who arrived from Korea in search of her older sister. He feels himself falling for her, never realizing that she's the daughter of his family's housekeeper. When his fiancée Rachel Yoo arrives to bring him back to Korea, his heart is torn between love and duty. Concept is another cinderella, actors are again horrible.   Overall Rating: 5/10

22. Empress Ki (2013) [기황후] (Finished 1/51) Tags: Historical, Romance, Melodrama, Political Genghis Khan built an empire that spanned vast regions in East Asia and East Europe. And there was one woman who held immense power in the Yuan Dynasty, which Genghis Khan founded, for 37 years. She was neither of Mongol descent nor from the Han Chinese. She came from Goryeo, a small kingdom in the Far East. She was taken to Mongol against her will as a Gungnyeo (palace women) but somehow overcame her lowly status to become the last empress in another land. Her name was Empress Ki. Don't know how to watch a "historical" show when it right away says it's fiction. And there's a load of such imaginary bs including the whole trap youth.   Overall Rating: 5/10

23. Luk Ni Thi Rak (2013) [ลูกหนี้ที่รัก] (Finished 1/11) Tags: Comedy, Romance Aom's a shopaholic who has gotten herself into debt for 400k dollars, one day she decides to runaway fearing that debt collectors might try to hunt her down and harm her. Her boss Lek and her are always fighting and have never gotten along but he offers to help pay her debt if she will pretend to be his girlfriend so his mother will stop trying to set him up. Still primitive as if frozen in time.   Overall Rating: 5/10

24. The Pursuit of Happiness (2013) [愛的生存之道] (Finished 1/13) Tags: Romance, Drama Just when everything seemed to go well for Ji An Lei series of unfortunate events happened. Her promotion got stolen by an outside hire, her boyfriend cheated on her, and she got an unwanted roommate. When she discovers her new roommate had come all the way from Japan to win the love of his dream girl, who happens to be her boss' daughter and her ex's new girlfriend, she joins forces with him on an "Operation Fighting for Love." Taiwanese cheerful silliness and nothing to stand out again.   Overall Rating: 0/10

25. In a Good Way (2013) [我的自由年代] (Finished 1/26) Tags: Romance, Life, Youth, Drama In the summer of 1995, childhood friends Zheng Ren Wei and Lin Jia En took their college entrance exam. Zheng got into a college in Taipei and was ready to start an exciting life in the big city. Lin, unfortunately, failed the test and was stuck in the countryside. Bored out of her mind, Lin decided to go find Zheng and spend her 4th year of high school in Taipei as well. Typical trap trash.   Overall Rating: 5/10

26. Umi no Ue no Shinryoujo (2013) [海の上の診療所] (Finished 1/11) Tags: Comedy, Drama, Medical Doctor Kouta Sezaki works on a clinic ship, which sails around the Seto Inland Sea. He's talented as a doctor, but possesses a weakness to fall easily in love with women. When he lands at an island, Kouta falls in love with a woman from that island. He tries to solve a medical problem which that woman has and makes other people get involved in her situation. Nevertheless, Doctor Kouta Sezaki is rejected by that woman and, with tearing eyes, moves on to the next island. Can't really call it comedy, and there's no lack of blood that's uncomfortable for me, so no incentive to continue.   Overall Rating: 5/10

27. Miss Pilot (2013) [ミス・パイロット] (Finished 1/11) Tags: Life, Youth A young aspiring female pilot named Tezuka Haru has been desperately hunting for a job for a while now, but nothing seems to come about. Without thinking about the consequences, she takes and barely passes the necessary exam to enter the world of aviation. From then on, she begins to walk the path towards becoming a female pilot. Of course she struggles a lot, especially since the training is more severe than she expected before taking the exam. She bonds with her fellow cadets, has to deal with some very strict teachers, and meets various people while going through the pilot training.  Pilots are dull, so is main heroine.   Overall Rating: 5/10

28. Marry Him If You Dare (2013) [미래의 선택] (Finished 1/16) Tags: Comedy, Romance, Supernatural Set in the world of television broadcasting, Na Mi Rae travels back in time to prevent her 32-year-old self from marrying news anchor, Kim Shin, thus sending her past self down a different path and enabling her to pursue the things she really wanted in life. Time travel is too cheesy, sorry.   Overall Rating: 5/10

29. Fiancee (2013) [未婚妻] (Finished 1/20) Tags: Romance, Drama, Family, Melodrama Lan Xiao Yi left her job in Nanjing to follow her boyfriend Tian Fei to Shanghai. In Shanghai, Xiao Yi struggles with her low-paying job but is happy to be with Tian Fei. At the same time, Tian Fei's colleague Xiao Lu, a new college graduate, has fallen in love with Tian Fei and is determined to snatch him. As emotions become more tangled, Xiao Lu fakes a pregnancy to force Tian Fei to marry her. Tian Fei makes a promise to Xiao Yi that he will sort out the situation and return after 2 years. Xiao Yi believes in him and waits for the 2 years to pass. Meanwhile, she finds out about the pregnancy. After half a year, Xiao Yi has had enough of waiting for Tian Fei and goes back into the working field. Horrible sloppy banal abusive Chinese artificial romance without any spark.   Overall Rating: 5/10

30. Prime Minister and I (2013) [총리와 나] (Finished 1/17) Tags: Comedy, Romance, Drama Prime Minister Kwon Yool works well at his office, but he struggles to raise his three children alone. Nam Da Jung is a reporter full of enthusiasm at work, but she always ends up missing big scoops. When Nam Da Jung chases Prime Minister Kwon for a lucrative exposé, she ends up scooping a whole lot more than she bargained for. Kwon Yool's three kids receive a mother as a Christmas present, and that mother is Nam Da Jung. Fake relations are as fake as always.   Overall Rating: 5/10

31. Bel Ami (2013) [예쁜남자] (Finished 1/16) Tags: Comedy, Romance, Drama, Family Dokgo Ma Te is an ambitious man, who wants to make a lot of money using his beautiful appearance. He sets out to date ten of the most successful women in Korea. A strange woman then appears in front of Dokgo Ma Te. Her name is Kim Bo Tong, an ordinary girl from a poor background, who’s been in love with him for ten years. Can she make Dokgo Ma Te love her? It always has to be male idol and his ordinary female fan. Zero use comes out of this.   Overall Rating: 5/10

32. Ando Lloyd - A.I. Knows Love ? (2013) [安堂ロイド～A.I. knows LOVE ?～] (Finished 2/10) Tags: Action, Mystery, Romance, Sci-Fi Reiji Matsushima is a genius physicist. He realizes that he and his fiancée, Asahi Ando, will be killed because of the theory he advanced. One day, in the year 2013, Reiji dies in an airplane explosion. He was a handsome and world-famous professor who studied wormhole theories. It is a mystery whether his research on wormhole theory caused his death or not. His fiancée, Asahi, is a capable career woman working at a large IT company. She is beautiful and smart, but she met Reiji and fell in love with him. Her days with Reiji were happy, but one day, he dies, and somebody tries to kill her. Asahi doesn't know why someone wants to end her life. Lloyd, who looks exactly like her dead fiancé Reiji, suddenly appears in front of her. Lloyd came from the year 2113. His mission is to protect Asahi from any risky situations. Without Asahi's knowledge, Lloyd fights to protect her. Lloyd doesn't know what "love" is and doesn't understand human anger or sadness. At first, Asahi doesn't like Lloyd, but slowly her feelings change. Lloyd also begins to develop feelings for her. Terminator lover - seriously ?! Amount of cringe is truly suffocating. Will try to tolerate it as long as I can. Watched 2nd episode to see what kind of flow is offered, and it's just one more android killer per episode... very disappointing.   Overall Rating: 5/10

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