(1) KOTW: I’m dully impressed as you are. just finished watching Episode 13 and I can’t wait for the next episode. All of the cast did an amazing job, especially Jang Jin Young, Song Il Gook and surprisingly Kim Hye Sung as prince Yeojin. Nothing more to say than WOW, AWESOME.
(but I felt really sad that you’re not capping it. I wish I could help, but I’m so clueless in korean language and I just wait for the subs to come out).

(2) POTW: it’s done beautifully, but I don’t know why I’m not into the story this much. Maybe because of Park Shin Yang who overreacts in his acting.

(3) BV: not so much into it. I skip 3 episodes and come back and find that nothing new happened. Kim Myung Min is as remarkable as always, and he’s the only one who’s carrying this drama on his shoulders. On the other hand, I can’t stand Lee Ji Ah. I know it’s still her second drama but please missy show more emotions.

(so I’m really sad that KOTW and POTW are competing at the same time slot, because both of them really deserves 20%+ in ratings. As for BV, I think it’s leading the ratings in its slot mostly because of Lee Ji Ah and Jang Geun Suk, who are adored by all the teenagers, but to me it’s not this great.)

(4) EOE: surprisingly I enjoyed the 1st few episodes before the grown up actors appear. I can’t believe that those teenagers actors can act better and affect my emotions more than the grown ups. The story is kinda predictable. I also skip many episodes and come back to find things are still the same. And Again, I think EOE is topping the ratings because of its hot actors and actresses, and not because of anything else. and I hope my opinion doesn’t offense any one.

(5) L&M: yes it’s typical and predictable but I’m enjoying it so much. It’s so fresh and makes me feel happy all the time.

EOE starts off slowly but it definitely picks up after eps 8, SSH is amazingly gorgeous and his acting has definitely improved but give EOE a chance i’m loving it, the only crap acting is Dennis Oh my god what were they thinking???

Javabeans,

I like your site a lot !

Thanks for all your effort in keeping it updated!!!

And I really admire your view that it is important to have recap written in good English! Support that 100% !

Keep up the excellent worK!

Cool, more jdrama talk!

Yeah, me too! Looking forward to Ryusei no Kizuna the most, followed by Bloody Monday, Innocent Love, Kaze no Garden, and Oh! My Girl!

re: “Ryusei no Kizuna”

“It looks like a edgy, complex revenge drama (like East of Eden, but meaningful), and it has Nino”

Yep, Nino should really act more. He’s the most sensitive actor in Arashi but I’ve never seen him play this type of ‘greyish’ character before. I wonder if Mika Nakashima can act? It really seems gimmicky to cast her (it’s like casting Boa in EoE). Ryo and Toda Erika suit their roles though. Higashino Keigo’s Byakubyaku was morbidly good, and Ryusei’s premise seems equally intriguing. Also with Kudo Kankuro as the scriptwriter, I think we can expect to see some dark humour. heh.

Narimiya Hiroki is a busy man this Fall season eh? Looking forward to seeing his performance in both Innocent Love and Bloody Monday. I’ve always liked Narimiya since Orange Days. Glad he’s getting more work these days, I was a bit sorry for him getting left behind by Tsumabuki and Eita.

“The synopsis for Innocent Love doesn’t grab me either, but the combination of talent looks like another sure winner.”

I think the key element to Last Friends’ success was the excellent casting and great performances by the cast (read: Juri and Eita), not so much the script by Asano Taeko. That said, they are really pulling out all the stops for this drama to recreate the ‘magic formula’, even getting Hikki to sing the OP song again. Maki is a hit and miss actress to me. She was lovable in Nobuta wo Produce but really disappointing in Hana Kimi. ‘Innocent Love’ is Maki’s chance to show that she can be more than an idol actress. Most of the time she depends on her leading men to carry her through.

re: “Kaze no Garden”

“If this gets subtitled, I might watch this one. It looks extremely sad. ”

Well, parent-child estrangement and forgiveness stories always are. If this is as well made as Yasashi Jikan, I know I’m gonna bawl.

With so many “heavy” hitting dramas coming this fall, I need to watch some lighthearted ones to balance things out. Mokomichi really grew on me after Zettai Kareshi, hehe. So I’m looking forward to some sweet loving between him and Kato Rosa in Oh! My Girl!

As for Painter of the Wind. I’m so excited even though I’ve only seen the raw eps. The score and cinematography are great but we’ll see how that will play out. I’m always skeptical of dramas that people say are good just ’cause some actors are in it. It’s rather the script, music, and scenery that draws me in.