this is not a review. it is a gush.

[idiosyncreant]

I spent the bulk of yesterday trying to detangle a laceweight skein of yarn while watching Hana Kimi.

laceweight: any yarn obscenely skinny for creating lace-pattern knits. Think .5/.7 size pencil lead thickness.


the cheerleading sequences... omg, especially since I know Japan has a very manly traditional cheer tradition

I started with a rewatch of the J-Drama, after having read the rainscene review of it and remembering it's crack-filled glory... then realized I really needed to get back into the Taiwanese one.


...I'm back into it.

T-version Dr. Umeda? Somehow the best thing in supporting characters since Han Solo

And MAN, it blindsided me with Jiro Wang.

I actually looked him up the other day for my suitdistracted Tumblr, and realized he's a total Sean Bean* to me, a man-crush that isn't about being attracted to him, but just admiring his abilities.

The way he plays adorably earnest, self-confusing and yet jock-arrogant Nakatsu is just awesome. Even with the over-the-top comic acting. He can play the exact type of character that usually annoys me most and carry it off with charm. He did this in It Started With a Kiss, too.



In fact, if you pitted either drama-Nakatsu against manga Izumi, I'd be off the canon ship like shipwreck. He has the fairly common shojo-hero's problem of doing nothing to deserve the heroine's love, while second-lead labors for it...
But Oguri Shun's Izumi has a voice, omigosh I'd forgotten Rui's voice, and Wu Chun's has a playful, teasing personality that actually has real interaction with the heroine and is actually more aware of her and her needs than ----> that.




*Sean Bean: fabricalchemist and my still-developing term for a platonic-or-not on a guy who you want to BE, as opposed to wanting to be with

Comments

[fabricalchemist.livejournal.com]

You may need an entire post on the Guy Categorization Terms...??

[idiosyncreant.livejournal.com]

if anyone else shows signs of caring about it, I TOTALLY will XD

[jade-sabre-301.livejournal.com]

*SIGNS OF CARING SIGNS OF CARING*

[idiosyncreant.livejournal.com]

You're weird.
Heh.

Okay, I'll try and figure something out... ;)

[jennifergale.livejournal.com]

I have nothing to say except...

HANA KIMI!!!!

The Taiwanese version was my gateway drama to the whole world of Asian dramas...because I loved the manga so much. :) My first J-drama was this one. And then I watched Coffee Prince and...heh. :)

If you haven't read the manga, though...YOU SHOULD.

[jennifergale.livejournal.com]

(nvm. I see that you have :) )

[idiosyncreant.livejournal.com]

(s'okay. I didn't make it that obvious: I think I must have posted about the manga itself long ago or something or I would have recommended it, too...)

[idiosyncreant.livejournal.com]

Oh, I have! It's one of the ones I reread, even.

See comment about drama Nakatsu vs. manga Izumi...in the context of the manga, Izumi is king, and Nakatsu is a little more annoying than anything, but I love a good girl-undercover-as-boy story, and that's how I found the dramas...

I'm hoping they haven't given up on doing one in Korea, and I hope they cast it decently, I like this story that much...

[jennifergale.livejournal.com]

I hope so as well. When it comes to manga remakes, I tend to prefer the Korean versions. They seem to (more consistently) get the emotional pitch right. Plots can be all over the place, but...they seem to get it. And I bet they'd include some of the cheesy scenes that the other versions omitted (that I WANT TO SEE!!!!).

[idiosyncreant.livejournal.com]

In a way I like that the Taiwanese shows seem to have enough time to borrow more of the actual plot material from manga (when they do that) but the Korean treatment certainly is always evocative, you're right.

I kind of like getting the Triad effect of watching the three different versions... Xp It is a horrible waste of my lifespan, I'm sure, but seeing stories altered just slightly and feeling so different intrigues me a lot!