I Like…

I watch a lot of TV. Thus, I’ve seen a handful of dramas because that’s what happens when you watch a lot of TV. That being so, I’ve decided to start a list of (most of) the dramas that I’ve seen. Listing the dramas doesn’t necessarily mean that I’ll be recapping or reviewing them but my future goal would be to eventually have some kind of review database up. How cool would that be??

The list is still growing and so dramas are not ranked in any hierarchical ordering although I do try to keep the series within their respective country of origin. More will be added!

Fistful of Stances / 鐵馬尋橋 (TVB 2010)	The only reason I watched this is because Kenneth Ma and Selena Li were in it – and I’m glad I did! Although Kevin Cheung is portrayed as the main lead, Kenneth is the one who really steals the show (and I secretly think that HE was the male lead instead). Very little to no romance at all but a great story about family hardships. I do warn you though; you need tissues. A LOT of tissues. Rating: 8 out of 10
The Four / 少年四大名捕 (TVB 2008)	Four of the currently hottest male actors from TVB (Kenneth Ma, Raymond Lam, Samuel Chan and Ron Ng) all in one series AND the gorgeous Selena Li?! I suppose I should count Kate Tsui too although it’s painful to watch her try to act… This is a remake of the story of the fabled four constables and was TVB’s major hit drama for 2008. Although the romance is not the major draw (but the love between Kenneth and Selena is just too cute!), watching the brotherly bond grow between the four leads is just as enjoyable. Rating: 8 out of 10
My Lucky Star / 放羊的星星 (Taiwan 2007)	I believe this was Jimmy Lin’s debut lead role for a drama series after returning from his military training, and who would have thought that his cute boy face could carry off the “betrayed lover” role so well? Korea’s Yoo Ha Na is a newcomer here who shot to fame afterward for her portrayal of the “liar” Xia Zhi Xing and worked extremely well with Jimmy. Her dubbed voice was a mild annoyance at the beginning but then I ended up getting used to it. Rating: 9 out of 10
It Started with a Kiss & They Kiss Again/ 惡作劇之吻 / 惡作劇2吻 (Taiwan 2005 / 2007)	At first, I actually didn’t care for this series. Ariel Lin’s Xiang Qin drove me up the wall half of the time in the first series; I literally wanted to wring her neck off. However, she did become more endearing over time and really redeemed herself in the sequel. Joe Cheng’s Zhi Shu was vastly amusing as the genius and rational one and also had great chemistry with Ariel – it’s no wonder that there were so many dating rumors about these two co-stars afterward. Rating: 9 out of 10
Prince Turns to Frog / 王子變青蛙 (Taiwan 2005)	My love of Taiwanese dramas really started from watching this one; I had no idea who Ming Dao and Joe Chen were but ended up Googling them on everything possible afterward. Ming Dao is incredibly dreamy as Jun Hao while Joe Chen is the well-meaning and spirited Tian Yu, and the musical score is definitely very catchy. I still compare all T-dramas I watch to this one. Rating: 10 out of 10
Fated to Love You / 命中注定我愛你 (Taiwan 2008)	I chased this series like a crazy person every single week it was airing. The chemistry between Joe Chen and Ethan Ruan (first time as male lead) was at times unbelievably sweet and unbelievably sizzling. Joe does a great job transitioning from the clumsy girl at the beginning to the confident and assured woman at the end. Rating: 9.5 out of 10
Down with Love / 就想賴著妳 (Taiwan 2009)	Although Ella always plays to type (tomboy, ungraceful, kind of loud, etc), this was an extremely cute and sweet series. Jerry Yan is positively to drool for as he plays the hardass lawyer who ends up falling for the nanny of his young niece and nephew. Matters are made more entertaining by the fact that he thinks she’s a lesbian. Rating: 9 out of 10
Summer’s Desire / 泡沫之夏 (Taiwan 2010)	In case it wasn’t obvious enough already, I love this series. It has the strong men AND the strong woman, and the lead roles are played stunningly by the graceful Barbie Xu, the charismatic Huang Xiao Ming, and the devastatingly suave Peter Ho. The editing starts off a bit choppy but quickly improves and the musical score is simply amazing. Rating: ? out of 10
Autumn’s Concerto / Next Stop, Happiness / 下一站，幸福 (Taiwan 2009)	Touching and sweet but the plot did get kind of convoluted halfway through (misunderstandings abound!) the series. Ady An is incredible as always; her emotions just vibrate from her pores like no other. Van Ness Wu actually did a relatively decent job but tended to overact just a wee bit in some of the more angsty scenes. Rating: 8.5 out of 10
Hi, My Sweetheart / 海派甜心 (Taiwan 2009)	At times ridiculously silly and then heartwrenchingly sad, I honestly cannot remember the last time I laughed AND cried so much while watching the same series. Show Luo is awesome as the dorky Da Lang and then killer as the playboy Xue Hai. Rainie Yang plays the bullying and “rough around the edges” Chen Bao Zhu who steals both men’s hearts (although they’re the same person). Rating: 9.5 out of 10
Black and White / 痞子英雄 (Taiwan 2009)	Considered to be the best Taiwanese idol drama series of 2009 – and actually of the entire genre – Vic Zhou plays completely against type as the superficially carefree but complex Pi Zi. He was nominated for Best Male Actor alongside newcomer co-star Mark Zhao (who actually ended up winning). Beautiful editing and scenery, and wonderful musical score but the plot almost got a little too complicated for my tastes. The romance was a side factor in this series but it became so blurry across all parties that I was almost thankful that it hadn’t been the main draw for this series. Rating: 8 out of 10
Coffee House / 커피하우스 / 咖啡馆 (Korea 2010)	I got hooked on this drama because of Dramabeans’ recaps; Kang Ji Hwan is wonderful as the quirky author who slowly begins to fall (back into?) love with his close friend and publisher, played by Park Si Yeon. Rating: ? out of 10
Shining Inheritance / 찬란한 유산 / 灿烂的遗产 (Korea 2009)	I tried this one out because one of my friends gushed about it endlessly (I think it was Bae Soo Bin who did it for her), and it was a very heartwarming story about familial and romantic love. I also loved watching the growth of Lee Seung Ki’s character as he slowly fell for Han Hyo Joo’s Eun Sung. Rating: 9 out of 10
Story of a Man / Slingshot / 남자이야기 / 一个男人的故事 (Korea 2009)	Dark and yet sleek at the same time, this story of revenge was very well-written and the two male leads both gave incredible performances. Kim Kang Woo’s villainous turn as the riveting Do Woo was something to behold but it was his utter devotion to his sister that actually fascinated me the most. Rating: 9 out of 10
Tamra the Island / 탐나는 도다 / 令人垂涎之岛 (Korea 2009)	This is actually still sitting in my drive waiting to be watched but what little I’ve seen is relatively cute and uplifting. It ended up getting major raves from fans and was one of those “sleeper” dramas in that it didn’t make a gigantic splash in ratings (which is why MBC ended up cutting four episodes out, thus destroying the editing of the plot since filming had already been completed by then) but was a hit with the people who did end up watching it. Rating: ? out of 10