TV Drama Review #126 - Bara no nai Hanaya 没有玫瑰的花店

How long? 11 epis
When & which tv stn? 2008/FujiTV
Who's in?
Katori Shingo ~ Shiomi Eiji
Takeuchi Yuko ~ Shirato Mio
Shaku Yumiko ~ Ono Yuki
Matsuda Shota ~ Kudo Naoya
Yagi Yuki ~ Shiomi Shizuku
Miura Tomokazu ~ Anzai Teruo
What's it abt? (edited from Dramawiki)
Shiomi Eiji is forced to become a single father when his girlfriend passed away after giving birth to their daughter, Shizuku. Eiji opens his flower shop, but does not sell any roses. The only thing that gives meaning and joy to his life is Shizuku, but even that begins to trouble him when Shizuku begins acting strange, hiding her face by putting a mask over her head when she goes out.
One day, Eiji came across a blind woman standing by the door, taking shelter from the rain. He invites her into the shop, and soon later, they become intimate friends and she slowly grows to depend on Eiji's sincerity and goodheartedness. After rescuing her when she walks into the street and is nearly knocked down by car, Eiji discovers the cold of winter that has saddled his heart all these years slowly melting away...
Eiji also meets Naoya, who decided to depend on him and stays at their house after an incident. Unknown to Eiji and his close friends, Naoya & Mio have unknown motives for getting close to Eiji, and it turns out that they are both working for a person-Anzai, who's the father of Eiji's dead girlfriend.
Slowly, more unknown secrets began to reveal...
Love & Hates:
Plot-Nojima Shinji is back! Just in case you don't know how famous is Nojima, checked out his past works, such as "101 marriage proposal", "同在屋檐下", "高校教师", "Food Fight", "Strawberry on a short cake", "Pride", "Golden Bowl" etc..
Well, I haven't seen such a "classic" Jdrama like Bara for quite sometime. The characters stood out, the plot was rather "mysterious" though it wasn't packaged as a thriller. I won't classify it as a romance drama, coz' the romance was just part of the whole story. I loved how the plot unfolds more & more secrets...which surprised me. Bara has its touching moments, and Eiji is definitely the most yasashii (gentle,soft & kind) man in any drama I have ever seen.
Cast-Katori Shingo! Oh my...i was so impressed with him! Ok, he's well known for his comical roles, but his new image here was just so fantastic, though he has to restrict his expressions. When Eiji is happy, he won't have a very happy face-just a smile; when he's sad, he won't show a very sad expression,he tries to control it. I couldn't get used to such a gentle Shingo initially..haha! He spoke softly throughout, he's greatful for having Shizuku, greatful that Mio believes him...and can u imagine him forgiving Mio after he learnt that Mio isn't blind. (Alright...spoilers..haha!) His chemistry wtih Takeuchi was great, but I think his chemistry with his "daughther" was way better. Shizuku was such a clever & understanding daughter...lovely girl. (Yagi's acting was superb).
Takeuchi...best known for her role in "Pride", and recently, her divorce. Well, her image here was rather similar to her roles in the past, straight lengthy hair. However, her role here is definitely not the same la. "Mio" was the 1st part of mystery, (with Naoya)..so her screen time was more, but later on, other "secrets" became more impt, so Takeuchi somehow became the supporting character for Eiji. Actually, the drama already starts to drop hints abt Mio's blindness from the 1st few epis...so that part is rather expected la. I like how Mio calls Eiji.."Ohanaya-san".
Matsuda's performance here was alright, since his character is up to no good initially. I think he has the potential, but then his character somewhat limits his performance. Also, gotta mention Shaku Yumiko, she's Shizuku's teacher la..acting was gd enough, and she has gd looks. Won't be surprised to see her as permanent A lister in the future.
The final guy i gotta mention is the "baddie", Miura Tomokazu. If you don't know him, you will know or heard of his wife 山口百惠 before. Lucky man right? I really disliked him initially, plotting so much evil to destroy Eiji..and eventually, to realise that Eiji is not the person he shld be after. (Ah, another spoiler to the 2nd part of mystery..) Well luckily, he didn't ill-treat Shizuku, or else I wld really humptump him.
OST-A full instrumental soundtrack...nice melodies. Themesong "Zutto issho sa" is sang by Yamashita Tatsuro. (His song "ride on time" was used as the themsong for "Good Luck".)
Worth watching?
It's definitely a must-watch! Strongly recommend to everybody. I think I didn't reveal too much spoilers here.

SR Gang: Ah Ching's Belated Birthday Celebration

--Shokudo Japanese Food Bazaar--
Met up with the girls after my lecture at Raffles City. Japanese food lovers have one more choice to eat a wide range of food at one go. Well, heard abt this place from Tuan last time, lots of people there, lots of choices...but somehow, it's more wise to buy main dishes than to eat "little side dishes" like what I normally do in "Nihon Mura".
My dinner...Hamburg Omu Tomato rice..quite delicious and it's only 7.80.
Found one of my favourite drinks "Remune"...selling at 3.50...not very cheap, but I just bought it lo...
The "mischievous" gals gave me my birthday present...in a tissue box covered with tissue paper. Creative right? Hahaha...Thanks for the Nike shirt girls...and not to forget, your card.
Alright, my "dessert" was the cheese cake they bought for me. (I didn't anticipate this anyway...lolz!) U gals know I am not having any birthday cake huh...lolz!
Walked around City Link before we returned home...it's another long day tmr. Haiz...
Stepping into the month of April soon...haiz~

Happy Birthday to Ah Ching!

--Suntec--
Had my "big meal" at Tony Roma's with E.W, Tuan & Aunt Jo. It's my first visit there, and the stuff there was slightly more ex than other western food restaurants. Menu was limited too, so if you are not interestered in ribs or steak, then Tony Roma's is not the place for u. However, I think their combo meals are quite worthwhile...like what i had below...price is ard 26+++.
Aunt Jo reco this "onion ring" for us..forgot the name. It did not taste like the onion rings we knew of, it's really made of fresh onions lah...(preferred my BK onion rings though..lolz!)
Combo meal soup of the day: Cream Mushroom...it's very thick and tasted super yummy! Different from those normal type of cream mushroom...
Combo meal main set: Fire wings and baby back ribs. Basically, u can choose ur side dishes..i chose coleslaw and mashed potatoes. There are other choices such as corn, french fries, baked potatoes & roach style beans. U can also choose what type of ribs..
Also, u can get free flow of softdrinks...haha!
--Present--
We went to the foodcourt to accompany E.W for her lunch, bumped into SC & her pal at Pasta Mania...haha! Actually, I didn't really have a present in mind, though I am looking forward to get a new watch. Haha! So, passed by Fossil and I got a Ebony brown watch for my present. It's my first Fossil watch, and the strap material was unique..ebony wood plus stainless steel case. Hehe! Bought a Fossil belt for Mr Chean as well...hope he likes it. Ha!
--Sunset--
Wow! Nice sunset tdy! Shall share with u guys!

Even the clouds are "coloured" now..
In sunset mode.
Clouds turning red..
Near the end lo...

Sunset pics

--Yesterday--
With sunset mode...pic darkened alot..
The evening sky
--Thank You!--
Wanna thanks SH for her kawaii birthday card! Domo!!

TV Drama Review #125 - Shikaotoko Awoniyoshi 鹿男与美丽的奈良

How long? 10 epis
When & which tv stn? 2008/FujiTV
Who's in?
Tamaki Hiroshi ~ Ogawa Takanobu
Ayase Haruka ~ Fujiwara Michiko
Tabe Mikako ~ Hotta Ito
Kodama Kiyoshi ~ Oharida Fumiaki
What's it abt? (edited from Dramawiki)
Forced out of his research group after conflicts with his colleagues, Ogawa Takanobu takes up an offer to teach at a girls' high school in Nara. While taking roll call on the first day of school, one of his students, Hotta Ito, sneaks into class late, claiming a bogus excuse--that she got a ticket after trying to park her deer in front of the train station. He makes immediate enemies with Hotta when he tells his superiors about her tardiness and attitude. In the following days, he begins to notice something unusual about Hotta, but he can't seem to put his finger on it.
With an odd group of colleagues who live together with him, Ogawa slowly accustoms to life in the slow-paced Nara, where there seem to be as many deer as people. Walking through Nara Park one day, he begins to befriend the local deer population, feeding them rice wafers. After being confronted by a talking deer who commandeers him to prevent the destruction of Japan, he fails in his first mission and the talking deer exacts punishment--looking into the mirror the next day, he discovers he has turned into a deer from the shoulders up. Ogawa slowly begins to piece the puzzle together: the talking deer, the mysterious student, and a recent series of earthquakes that could spell doom for Japan...
Love & Hates:
Plot-I bet most of you won't be too interested in this drama after reading the synop. The 1st epi was slow paced, boring and weird. But for the sake of the 2 leads-Tamaki & Ayase, I persevered to see what this drama is really all about. Adopted from a novel, this drama is kinda unique...lots of things going on with the deer, mouse & fox's messengers. The drama's pace is not fast, and it took quite awhile to see the characters fixed the whole mystery of the case. Well, it's hard to comment if the storyline is gd or not, really gotta depend on indiv. Butta, I am quite glad that I continued to watch la...there's gd twists to the mystery. So in the end, it all turns out that the mystery deer wanna prevent Mount Fuji from erupting. Haha!
Cast-Rising hot after Nodame fame, Tamaki continued his gd performance here. He looked thinner than when he was in Nodame, need some fat to look better ne~ Haha! Ogawa can be quite a boring character, but thank goodness, Tamaki's exaggerating expressions made this character quite comical at times. Together with his 2 other "helpers"-Ayase & Tabe, they really made this drama watchable. Ayase shed her "wu gan nv" image (Hotaru no Hikari) and transformed into a pretty teacher. Her performance made Fujiwara quite an innocent character...
It's a pity that Tamaki-Ayase's chemistry was not very strong, shld have more scenes together, and I dunno why Ogawa suddenly found that he liked Fujiwara after she confessed her feelings to him...no clues at all leh. Ha! But still, I like the ending very much.
Tabe is eye-catching. Firstly, she's not pretty,but her looks is just unique..2ndly, her character Hotta is another weird fella. Well, I like the scenes when she's competing in the Kendo competition. Really stylo!
Veteran Kodama is not the gd guy this time round....a really sly fella.
OST-No themesong for this drama....instrumentals are so so...what a pity.
Worth watching?
Wld only recommend to Tamaki and Ayase's die hard fans. Though personally, I wld rec to u guys too...it's not that bad afterall.

Notice

I have removed my drama review lists under "Link". You guys can still read my drama reviews through search, either by country or by tv stations. Also, I have added another search for my overseas trips.

TV Drama Review #124 - Koshonin 交涉人

How long? 8 epis + 1 special
When & which tv stn? 2008/Tv-Asahi
Who's in?
Yonekura Ryoko - Usagi Reiko
Jinnai Takanori - Kirisawa Keigo
Takahashi Katsumi - Katayama Kazuyoshi
Shirota Yu - Mariya Kyosuke
Osugi Ren - Takabayashi Shizuo
What's it abt? (edited from Dramawiki)
In a modern society in which violent crimes are on the rise, there is a team that tries to resolve cases without bloodshed. It is the metropolitan police's special team, known by the abbreviation SIT (Special Investigation Team). The SIT doesn't get into action after a case but heads to the site just as a crime is being committed. They are on the front-line of risky missions, facing off against criminals; tenaciously conducting negotiations with criminals. As a result of the rigid police hierarchy that can curb the conduct of negotiators, the SIT is also a male-dominated society controlled with strict discipline. There is one female negotiator, Usagi Reiko, who bravely fights at the frontline. She is isolated in the male world of the SIT but courageously fights against crime as well as her organisation.
Reiko often viists Mariya, who was the culprit for her father's death. During a case, Reiko found out that the case was related to her father's death..and more secrets are revealed...
Love & Hates:
Plot-Storyline is quite refreshing for Jdramas. This drama reminded me of TVB's "Take My Word for IT". Profession is similar, but presentation is rather different. SIT seems to be somehow more professional, of coz' partly due to the Japanese culture. One main attraction is to see how Usagi works with her all male colleagues. She was kena slapped on her 1st day of work, but she performed well in the missions. The drama is rather fast paced, and don't expect anything else besides watching SIT working on their missions...(ya no romance factor at all..)
Cast-Most of the cast are veterans, like Jinnai Takanori, Takahashi and of coz..Yonekura. Well, actually the last drama I had watched starring Yonekura was "Love Revolution". She has some other good works with TV-Asahi, but the genre is kinda restricted to thrillers. (I may watch them if i have the time..) Her other dramas with other tv stns kinda flopped in ratings though, and I wasn't very impressed with her. Alright, she's really great in Koshonin. Her short bob hairstyle looked damn cool, and of coz..made her looked younger. She's wearing black most of the time (very cool), and her emotional scenes were done pretty well. She did a gd job in showing how Usagi struggled to work with her male colleagues, and I think they were rather impressed with her la. "Strange" chemistry with Shirota Yu (the ang moh looking guy in Hana Kimi). Why? Coz' their relationship in the drama was victim-murderer. Shirota's acting was quite good here...kinda physco and crazy fella. Though his screen time wasn't alot in the beginning, he wld steal the show towards the end (the last case).
OST- Only know the themesong "Ougon Soul" by Shonannokaze. A powerful themesong with masculine voices and strong beats.
Worth watching?
Wld recommend to those who like detective plots.

--28/2/2009 Koshonin Special--
Synopsis: (from jdramas.wordpress.com)
Five men and women are abducted almost at the same time from five locations in Tokyo in a spate of simultaneous kidnaps. The criminal(s) demand a ransom of 11.55 billion yen and someone with experience to handover the money. The real objective of the audacious criminal(s) is beyond the imaginations of the SIT.
Slacker's review:
Plot wise, nothing new, though the person who turned out to be one of the criminals was quite surprising. The special was equally good, packed with actions scenes. Yonekura is still as "dashing" as ever...I really like her cool image. The last scene was a little puzzling...how come there's another "Usagi" dancing around with kids??? Eh...another SP coming? Hahaha!

Sunblock vs Sunscreen

--The story--
Met up with Ann & SC yday at Hg Mall. The gals were looking at Sunscreens at Watsons when I mentioned that it's different from Sunblock...So, basically many ppl thought they are the same. Actually, that's not the case.

Check out some info from the web.
The main differences between sunblock vs. sunscreen is in how they work. According to the EPA, sunscreens are chemicals that 'protect your skin by absorbing and/or reflecting UVA and UVB rays.' Sunblock, on the other hand, is made of physical or inorganic ingredients, such as zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, that physically deflect harmful UV rays, daily exposure of which could cause wrinkles, premature aging, and skin cancer.

So generally, which is gd? I dun really know, since I have only used sunblock before. Check the ingredients also, as they are quite different too.

YR's birthday celebration

--Minds Cafe @ Purvis St--
Met up with Val & Tuan to attend YR's party. So, just like what i had expected....the place was flooded with YR's and another birthday girl's pals. Hahaha..and I didn't play any board games again. What a waste huh? Anyway, the food was not bad, though the mango juice was kinda sweet. Didn't stayed for too long....walked over to Yi Qun for dinner with E.W and Aunt Jo. Yummy dinner!!!

云朵排排站

傍晚6点35分的天空。

Big Project

--TV Drama Reviews--
Will be adding labels/tags to all my reviews for easy searching. I can also save some space for my ever growing review list. Haha! Though I am not quite sure if it is better for me to list the individual dramas out like what i did now, or shld i just classified them under common headings. (Nvm la..I think hardly anyone read my reviews...haha!)

KBOX!

--AMK--
Long time didnt sing k le..went to their AMK branch with ML and PF. Their new 2-7pm student plan is quite worthwhile. 14 plus nett and the package includes 2 drinks+snacks+side-dish. Not bad right? Don't have to smuggle food in liao. Hahaha! I had squid legs and potato chips..
Not alot of new songs to sing ne..haha! Anyway, had a great time with the gals.
Met Cindy & her bf also...so qiao ah.
Dinner at AMK central's S11...nice beef steak...thanks for ur rec lo ML.

TV Drama Review #123 - Robbers 不汗党

How long? 16 epis
When & which tv stn? 2008/SBS
Who's in?
Jang Hyuk ~ Kwon Oh Joon
Lee Da Hae ~ Jin Dal Rae
Kim Jung Tae ~ Kim Jin Gu
What's it abt?
Kwon Oh Joon is a man whose only talent is to scam women of their money. Jin Dal Rae is a bright and innocent single mother who lives with her daughter and mother-in-law. The two met by an incident where Oh Joon heard that Dal Rae has 30 million won and decided to get close to her. Dal Rae never thought that she would ever fall in love with a scoundrel like Oh Joon, while Oh Joon never thought that he would fall in love with his intended prey.
Kim Jin Gu is a fund manager who graduated from a foreign university. He's inconsiderate towards others; but on the other hand he is a filial son who serves his elderly senile father who lives with him politely. He's been divorced once but even now he still doesn't understand women.
However ever since the day he met Dal Rae, the woman who is lacking in requirements, he often feels discomfort in his heart. This woman really has no foundation. On the contrary she even dares to teach Jin Gu how to calculate. Also, he has learnt how to cope with kids, all thanks to Dal Rae's daughter, Soon Dae.
Things didnt go well for the two when Dal Rae finds out about Oh Joon's motives, and later, Oh Joon's illness.
Love & Hates:
Plot-Idea was refreshing, by having a not-so-ideal character as the lead. But overall, "Robbers" still gave a rather standard storyline, especially with expected twists as the drama went on. Now the hottest topic in Kdrama-Single mum...we have it here, down with illness..we got it too! So, i bet nobody will like Oh Joon from the start...he's not a gd character to start with..full of imperfections etc. He's kinda horrible to some extent...butta, this kind of character will guarantee an interesting development later on. I am fine with the ideal that he became good in the end, that's the miracle of love. The other imperfect character is Jin Gu. Honestly, this character kinda shines in his own way...i thought he's really a pathetic fella man!
Hints abt Oh Joon's sickness actually gave away quite early-horrible nose bleeding. I hoped they cld have come out with something better than that...Ending was really great. Many ppl were anticipating Oh Joon's death, but the PD decided not to show us that...the ending was an open one...no death...dun worry. Haha!
Cast-I watched this for Jang Hyuk and Lee Dal Hae. Seriously, if not for them, I wldnt stayed on watching. Jang Hyuk shed his handsome image in "Thank You", and chose to be Oh Joon...slight long and untidy hair, exaggerated expressions, a liar etc...Quite alot of fighting scenes from him too. He did a pretty good job, portraying the crafty image of Oh Joon, and showing his true emotions when he felt terrible.
Lee Dal Hae shed her usual carefree image and portrayed the life of a single mum and her kinda spoilt child. I loved her interactions with Soon Dae, and I like how she taught Jin Gu to face his ex-wife. Sometimes, her expressions tend to exaggerate, but as she fell into Oh Joon's trap, I got to see fewer cheerful expressions from her. Her character started to suffer with Oh Joon, emotions steered up, because of love, she hated him for lying to her..but because of love, she forgave him, and stood beside him when he's sick. She's tough on the outside, but weak deep inside. (Somehow, Oh Joon is quite similar too..). Honestly, because of Jang Hyuk's image, I didnt find them really matching, but chemistry grew as their relationship got more intense.
Kim Jung Tae...surprised to find such a not handsome guy as support lead initially. But with his character Jin Gu, i sort of understand why. He's perfect for this role. Can u imagine a handsome guy acting as Jin Gu??? haha! His expressions were kinda "blur" intially, because Jin Gu didn't know many things..he's really "dead" (si ban). I had a great laugh when he interacted with Soon Dae! So cute! Btw, I think Pucca will be famous again as it became Jin Gu's soft toy. Haha!
Last but not least...gotta mention Soon dae la...she's adorable, but very spoilt in some ways..like lying on the floor crying...haha! I cld feel the lack of father's love as she's very attached to both Oh Joon and Jin Gu.
OST-Hmm...themesong "Shinhodeng" (Light signals) by Bay, other instrumentals are not bad too.
Worth watching?
Robbers can be classified as a typical k melodrama, but with a different feel. I wld recommend to those who like melodramas la, and those who are Jang Hyuk & Lee Dal Hae's fans. It can be a little boring here and there...but do bear with it..coz' the storyline wld unfold and end in a nice way.

Into the 4th year

Just realised that it's MARCH!
Ah Ching has started blogging since March 2004.
4 years just passed by!
Wow...
Hope that my blog has accompanied most of you...
I will continue to "work hard"-maintaining my blog.
Hehe!

and btw, just wanna let my pals know that if ur wanna ask me out during Mar/Apr, please let me know asap coz' most of my wkends are taken up by lessons. (Yes...the crazy revision classes..) Even on Gd Friday i have to go to sch! Haiz...

IT Fair + The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep

--IT Fair--
Decided to go last min with Mr Chean. Bought 2 micro SD cards and checked out the digi cams from various brand. Sony's new T300 looks good, but price kinda steep. Shall see how it goes in the future, may be will buy one if i am going on a trip later this yr. This quater's IT Fair is quite big..2 storeys, plus Sony's own fair @ 3rd storey...hoho!
--The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep--
Went to catch the movie with E.W and Aunt Jo. It's a heartwarming movie la...about the Celtic legend of Loch Ness. So this lil' boy Angus found an egg one day...and it popped out to be the baby water horse. Storyline went on to tell how the water horse grew up, and got into trouble with the boy...reminded me of "Free Willy". It's a simple movie with rather good visual effects. However, I couldn't get used to the actors' Scottish accent. I thought they speak English like the folks in England...lolz!
--Dinner--
Met Tuan @ PS...and had my meal at Pizza Hut. It has been ages since i last went there la. My curry chicken pizza tasted different leh, may be due the thin crust..i preferred the regular one.

Returned home, while E.W went to buy a new coffee maker. My folks can't survive without it..haha!

I'm back

--Today--
Cleared my last paper la...no eyes to see. Well, end of prelims marks the beginning of the crazy revision classes. But at least i got a week to rest before returning to sch. Haiz....getting closer and closer to exams liao...

Happy Birthday!!

--To the March folks--

3/3-Mel
7/3-LL
8/3-RL
16/3-Sharon
19/3-YR
22/3-Sherry
24/3-Iris
28/3-Pearly
31/3-WT
and of coz....myself. Lolz...