Asian Series/Shows

[MarvelFan]

Figured I make a thread specifically for Asian series and shows.

Be that J-Drama, K-Drama, C-Drama, Taiwan Drama, Thai Drama, Indonesia Drama, India drama, etc...
here's to talk and discuss all that

Lets Go!

 

[MarvelFan]

The first show that I want to talk about is Glass Heart (Japan) that just stream on Netflix since end of July.




English sub trailer:


Review:
Sometimes music is the way to express ourselves and this show leans heavily into that. In this show, Music is the heartbeat of the story.
With every strum, beat, and verse, the show tries to convey things its characters can't say directly, and even when the writing looks sloppy at times, the music saves it all.

The story revolves around Saijo Akane, a drummer who her previous mates abandoned and gets a 2nd chance when she is invited to join the band "TENBLANK".

I love how music and friendship are the forefront for the show and the romance is on the back burner. We don't always get to see such amazing friendship in a show and it was a breath of fresh air.

Overall...despite the scratches, this was an entertaining and binge-worthy watch. To me, the ending didn't exactly stick the landing, maybe I had high expectations heading into the final episode but the journey and experience is worth it for the vibes, stellar casts, and amazing soundtracks.

8/10

 

[MarvelFan]

Next shows that I am most exciting for the next 2 months:

 

[Venom 1988]

I've been meaning to watch Alice in Borderland but haven't made the time to watch it.

 

[MarvelFan]

I've been meaning to watch Alice in Borderland but haven't made the time to watch it.

You should definitely check it...
Imo, Alice in Borderland is FAR better in many aspects than Squid Game. (Seriously, no one from SG characters would survive AIB games, lol)

I really wish the show gets more recognition in season 3.

 

[MarvelFan]

Kamen Rider Gavv (Japan, 2024-2025)




Review:
When Gavv was first announced and we got a look at his base suit, I didn't like how colorful it was. But after the first episode came out and showed us the first fight, I immediately fell in love with the show.

Imo, this is the best Reiwa Kamen Rider series had to offer. The quality is consistent throughout the show.

What made Gavv a great show is that I feel the show tackle a lot of social issues despite not being obvious due to its main target audience.

I think the biggest impact of Gavv is when the character talks, having fun, and just having heart to heart moment with each other especially when Hanty cried knowing he indirectly caused his mentor death, Hanty confessing his feeling to Umasho, every Lakian and Sachika moment, Umasho convincing Lakian to put down his revenge ambition to good cause fighting the stomach, and Lakian finally acknowledging Hanto in the finale and protect him.

I just feel that Naomi Takebe-shi (a long time Toei producer who is known for her previous credits like Kamen Rider Geats and Kamen Rider Gaim) seems to strive in making this show as a human drama first, and Kamen Rider second. That's why the biggest impact, imo was not the Kamen Rider parts, but the human drama parts. Also one of the reasons I think why she chose Nomura Junko (her previous works include Lupinranger vs Patranger, and Zenkaiger) as the main writer, who imo very strong in writing great character moments.

Overall...Gavv for me is the most consistent series in the Reiwa Kamen Rider series, and one of the best despite the finale was kinda felt like its a set up for the V-cinemas OVA instead of closing it as a whole story. Good character, Story, Music (the music and the BGM are up there with the best in the series).

9.5/10

 

[Deck Rickard]

It’s an American production, but I binged Butterfly the other day, which features a mostly Asian-American and Asian cast and is set in Seoul. Pretty cool spy thriller that I just found out is based on a comic book. Daniel Dae-Kim and Reina Hardesty are awesome in it.

 

[MarvelFan]

Romantics Anonymous / 匿名の恋人たち (J-Drama, October 16th on Netflix)


starring Shun Oguri (Crows Zero, Godzilla vs Kong) & Han Hyo-joo (Spring Waltz)...Han Hyo-joo's Japanese is sooo flawless, her accent is so perfect OMG

And its been a while since I see Akanishi Jin (ex- member of J-Pop popular boyband KAT-TUN) in any show, haha...idk, at age 41, I feel he's much more cooler than ever

 

[Kaleb]

'Through the Darkness' (2022)

Based on a novel, the story is set in a time where Criminal Profiling is still a novel concept in society. Kwon Il Yong, a police officer since the early 1990s becomes South Korea’s first criminal profiler in 2000. He gained public acknowledgment for his achievements in profiling several serial murderers under the criminal behaviour analysis team.

I cannot recommend this enough (esp if you miss Mindhunter)

Then there is another one I recently watched on Netflix about a professor who teaches criminology at a university while being unaware that his own daughter is a serial killer (It bugs me that I cannot remember the title of the series)