I love this PV. <3 Every single frame is good enough to be a wallpaper. And I was pleasantly surprised by Jin, too. His odd behaviour lately made me think he had no motivation whatsoever left for anything related to KAT-TUN, but he’s really cool in the PV. =D

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I’ve started off the year with a K-drama month and decided to write a review for the latest one I watched. You’re Beautiful is one of the most famous K-dramas of 2009 and personally I was very impressed as well. It’s still only the third K-drama I’ve watched (after Boys over Flowers and Full House) and although I love all three of them, I can safely say this one will hold a special place in my heart.

Storyline

You’re Beautiful tells the story of a fictitious Korean boyband called A.N.JELL. They are quite likely the most popular group among young people in South Korea, and are slowly making a name for themselves in other countries as well. Initially A.N.JELL consists of drummer Jeremy, bassist Kang Shin Woo and vocalist/leader Hwang Tae Kyung.

The drama begins as a fourth member called Go Mi Nam is chosen to join A.N.JELL. Due to a flopped surgery, Mi Nam is unable to join and his twin sister Mi Nyu, who is planning to become a nun, is asked to stand in for her brother until he is able to return.

Initially reluctant, Mi Nyu eventually agrees to the identity switch in the hopes of finding her mother, whom she has never known, through becoming famous and attracting attention. However, since Mi Nyu’s personality seems to clash with lead singer Tae Kyung’s, things don’t work out too well. The task of keeping her true identity hidden from the rest of the band – who are not informed of the situation and therefore think she’s a boy – also proves to be more difficult than she had thought. And what part does model and actress Yoo He Yi, praised by the whole country as “Korea’s national fairy”, play in all of this?

Verdict

It’s probably becoming obvious that I like to review dramas I loved, as this one is no exception. I had an amazing time watching You’re Beautiful. It makes you laugh and cry, and drags you into the storyline completely. Mi Nyu and Tae Kyung got into so many hilarious arguments that I didn’t believe they could ever work it out. As generally happens in dramas, though, the situation slowly changes.

If I had to complain about something, it would be that I thought the love triangle that forms later on in the story starts to drag a bit after awhile. I don’t know how objective this is since I’m still more used to the 9-to-12-episodes J-drama recipe than the longer Korean ones, though.

All in all, it was refreshing to see a drama that follows the life of a popular band behind-the-scenes. Even though the band doesn’t exist in real life, you start to feel very close to them because you know what they’re like when the cameras are turned off. It’s an uncommon, but very successful setting for a drama. Highly recommended even to people who haven’t watched any K-drama before!

I have yet to watch the drama itself, but I’ve had the opening movie on repeat for awhile now. I’m still not sure about The D-Motion, but I do love the title song of KAT-TUN’s new single and this opening can stand in for a PV until there really is one just fine. Why do I feel like this is Seishun Amigo / Nobuta wo Produce v2?

It took me awhile to start liking this song, especially because I love Daite Senorita that much so I didn’t believe any other Yamapi solo would come close. However after seeing the PV in HD, I did end up liking it (and buying the single). Especially the scene where Yamapi is lying on a bed and turning towards the camera makes me die whenever I watch it. So, it’s time for another capspam. <3

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Every now and then, it happens that people start a conversation about the most recent American TV series and I have to admit that I haven’t even heard about it, let alone watched it. To deal with the confused look that then appears on their face, I explain that I mostly watch Japanese drama.

After this their face tends to brighten up as they start talking enthousiastically about anime, so I need to go about explaining that I’m talking about real serieses, with real actors. Once I’ve done that, the frown appears again and they ask me why I don’t simply watch American TV like everyone else.

For all the people who don’t understand, here is a little guide to know about & get started with JDrama.

Drama FAQ

1. What is JDrama?

JDrama is short for Japanese television drama and is the Japanese equivalent of a television series. This does mean a real TV series, with not necessarily any relation to manga or anime.

2. What is the difference with western TV?

Japanese drama is similar to western TV, with a few exceptions. The biggest one would be that dramas are much shorter than most western serieses. Japanese ones count about 9 to 12 episodes (Korean and Chinese dramas can be slightly longer). Often, JDramas also have interesting storylines which are different from what you would find in the west.

3. How do you watch it if it’s not on TV here?

There are many places online where you can either stream or download drama, for example D-Addicts (torrents) and chautanh.info (direct download). Dramas are mostly available in DVD quality, but the more recent ones can be downloaded in HD quality as well.

4. How can you understand what is being said?

That’s where the magic of fansubbing kicks in. For many dramas, bilingual fans will create subtitles so that everyone can enjoy them, even if their own Japanese is not good enough to understand what is going on otherwise. A few examples of fansubbing groups are SARS and TimeLesSub. A full overview of fansubbing groups can be found here.

5. Is there any relation with anime/manga?

Most of the time, dramas have nothing to do with anime/manga. However, sometimes the storyline is based on a manga. A few famous jdramas that are inspired by manga are Hana Yori Dango, GTO, Hana Kimi, Gokusen, Ace wo Nerae! and Kurosagi.

6. Are drama fansubs legal?

This is what Wikipedia says regarding fansubbing of JDrama:

“…However, since fansubbing is not limited to anime, the legal status of other fansubs, such as Tokusatsu or other live action Japanese series, is far less clear. It could be reasoned that since these shows will never be licensed outside of Japan, due to their nature, that these series are ethically fine to fansub.”

More information can be found at Wikipedia and the DramaWiki.

Examples of JDrama

Here are some descriptions of a few dramas. I kept it really short, just to give people new to dramas a quick idea. If anything catches your attention, a more complete description can be found on other websites such as DramaWiki.

1 Litre of Tears (１リットルの涙) [drama]

Based on a true story, this drama depicts the life of 15-year-old Ikeuchi Aya. Aya suffers from an incurable disease where the cerebellum of the brain gradually deteriorates to the point where the victim cannot walk, speak, write, or eat. 1 Litre of Tears aims to deliver her simple but strong message: “Just being alive is such a lovely and wonderful thing.”

My Boss, My Hero (マイ★ボス マイ★ヒーロー) [comedy]

Sakaki Makio is the son of a maffia boss who controls the entire Kanto area. Being the heir, the future of the organization has been promised to Makio, but there’s one problem – he’s too stupid! So Makio gets sent to high school to get his diploma, and he has to adjust to his new life as a high school student.

Nobuta wo Produce (野ブタ。をプロデュース) [school drama]

Kiritani Shuuji is the most popular guy in his school, but deep down he is quiet and doesn’t open up to others. When Kotani Nobuko, a shy girl with gloomy looks transfers to Shuuji’s school, it doesn’t take long for her to be bullied.  Shuuji decides to team up with an eccentric classmate called Akira to “produce” Nobuko into the most popular girl in their school.

Orthros no Inu (オルトロスの犬) [mystery]

Ryuuzaki Shinji possesses the power to heal people by the touch of his hand, but he is in fact a dark introvert who does not reveal his true self to others. Aoi Ryosuke is able to kill a person just by touching him, but he is as kind and pure as an angel. When the two of them meet, a fatal battle begins…

Taiyou no Uta (タイヨウのうた) [romance, music]

Kaoru Amane is a street musician suffering from an incurable disease because of which she can’t be exposed to the sun. Fujishiro Kouji, a guy working at a nearby seaside inn, meets Kaoru and by seeing her making positive efforts to become a singer, he regains his long-forgotten passion for music.

Zettai Kareshi (絶対彼氏。) [romance]

Izawa Riko is a temp worker in search of a boyfriend, and she ends up in possession of a “robot” known as Night Tenjo, who is programmed to be the perfect boyfriend. However, this creates a love triangle with a distinguished young man at her company who has feelings for her.