- TeniPuri Live Action - Sunday, February 20, 2011

Okay~ Yeah I know this isn't a drama but I had to absolutely, positively do a review on the live action of one of the mangas I love. TeniPuri, short for Prince of Tennis is a manga, an anime, and also a live action. I have watched it and in particular, I really did like it, despite the small changes they had made. As a girl, I did drool over some of the guys, if not most haha. Even though the graphics are cheesy as hell, it's enjoyable to watch as a Prince of Tennis fan because if one had watched the anime, it's cheesy as well. Lol. But anyways, I used to be an avid tennis player and Prince of Tennis was a manga that interested me from the beginning. I followed the manga to the end and it certainly has been something that was enjoyed. 

It only goes through the first battle against Hyotei but it does show all the other schools in the end. It was interesting to see how each character were portrayed and I admit that Hiroki Aiba and Shirota Yuu were my favorites out of the live action. Seeing that Shirota Yuu, a Japanese/Spanish mix, he is quite a looker and caught my attention. XD But despite the fact that this has mainly boys in it, there's not much romance as well as it pretty much has the romance equivalence as the manga/anime. It really is something worth watching if you are or have been an avid Prince of Tennis fan. In fact, this is quite an old live action in my opinion. Lol. The main actor, Kanata Hongo has done many things aside from this.

One popular one that he has done in fact is Shin from the NANA live action. Shirota Yuu has also participated in the Sailor Moon musical, Prince of Tennis Musical, and Hana Kimi live action. Anyways, onwards to more things haha.


Twelve-year-old Ryoma Echizen is a tennis prodigy who has won four American Junior Tennis tournaments. His father, Nanjiro a famous tennis player, calls Ryoma back to Japan to attend the distinguished Seishun Academy. Ryoma, a first year, wants to be on the school team.

A girl watches Ryoma. Her name is Shioin Higaki, whose parents died in accident. She is mute. She first meets Ryoma when he protects her on a train from a loud group of boys.

Ryoma Echizen, a tennis prodigy, attends Seishun Academy (also known as Seishun Gakuen or Seigaku, for short), a school famous for its strong tennis club and talented players. Ryoma quickly defeats numerous upperclassmen shortly after entrance to secure himself a spot on the regulars team.

(Not a consistent plot but can't be told the entire thing or everything else is ruined haha.)

Seigaku Cast
 In the series, Ryoma is portrayed as a twelve-year-old tennis prodigy who won four consecutive Junior Tennis Tournaments in America. His father is Nanjiro Echizen, a former tennis pro nicknamed "Samurai Nanjiro". At his father's request, Ryoma returns to Japan in order to attend Seishun Academy ("Seigaku"), a private middle school famous for its tennis team. Due to his cocky attitude, he constantly butts heads with some of his upperclassmen as well as anger most of his opponents in tennis matches. 

In the story, he is introduced as the strict and serious captain of Seishun Academy's ("Seigaku" for short) tennis team who enforces order within his team, often making its members run laps. With his all-around tennis style and advanced techniques, Tezuka is considered to be a National-level tennis player by many of the other characters. He encourages the series' protagonist, Ryoma Echizen, to develop his own style of tennis, leading the latter to consider him to be both a mentor and a rival.

Shuichiro Oishi is the vice-captain of the club. Oishi and Kikumaru Eiji make up Seigaku's national level doubles team, known as the 'Golden Pair'. Oishi is known as the 'Mother Hen of Seigaku', because he constantly worries and frets for the team's well-being. He remains calm and rational in a match allowing him to form strategies quickly. He uses the "Moon Volley", a topspin lob that travels very high over the court and lands just in bounds. He can also use the "Drop Volley", a feint hit with the power of a drop shot, making the trajectory much closer to the net.

Fuji is a third year student at Seishun Academy. He is given the title "tensai", or genius, due to his tactical skill on the tennis court.
He is generally very relaxed and in control, whilst his opponent is pushing himself to the limit, giving many the impression that Fuji is either a genius who knows how to save his energy during play, or that he does not really care about tennis itself. There are a few people that can "wake" the true player in Fuji and force him to play seriously, and these few are either nationally-ranked or extremely talented tennis players. Seigaku teammates Kunimitsu Tezuka and Ryoma Echizen, Shitenhōji captain Kuranosuke Shiraishi, and Rikkaidai Fuzoku regular Akaya Kirihara have been acknowledged by Fuji to be actual challenges.

Eiji Kikumaru is part of Seigaku's "Golden Pair" along with Oishi. He uses "Acrobatic Play", which takes advantage of his flexible body. Eiji is also known to have the sharpest vision on the team, with an exceptional talent for seeing moving objects. His main weakness is his lack of stamina which he finally overcomes through hard work and training later in the series. Though the Golden Pair seldom play without each other, circumstances such as their temporary breakup when Oishi gives his spot to Ryoma, forces him to play in singles. Eiji is a friendly, sweet-tempered and outgoing character and the youngest of a large family.



Sadaharu Inui is a highly intelligent player, who uses "Data Tennis." He constantly collects and analyzes data of other players in order to determine weaknesses and habits. While he collects data pertaining to tennis, he also collects personal pieces of data, such as favorite things, personal habits, and where they have been, which makes others feel awkward. His style originates from his close friend, Renji of Rikkai, who played doubles with Inui before moving. He is temporarily removed from the regulars after losing to Ryoma and Kaido, and becomes the team manager. He uses his data to create exercise programs for the team and creates a series of disgusting "Inui Juice" health drinks that are able to knock a person out, which motivates the team to train.

Takashi Kawamura has a shy personality without his tennis racket, but becomes extremely aggressive and loud once he has a tennis racket in his hands. He often shouts "Burning!", "Great!", "Come on, baby!", "Shocking!", "Victory!" and "Delicious!" while playing. During his first year, he has a lot of power, though he doesn't have any other skills. He is made fun of by his peers, though his close friends stay by him and help him develop. During his third year, he becomes a regular and eventually meeting his goal of becoming the number one power player in Japan by beating Gin Ishida. He plans to quit playing tennis after the tournament and focus on working as a sushi chef under his father with the goal of being number one in the future.

Takeshi Momoshiro is known as Seigaku’s "number one rascal." As the player who is the most open and friendly with everyone, Momoshiro is connected to everyone on the team on some level. Momoshiro is the closest to a true friend Ryoma Echizen can claim, the two spend much time together eating hamburgers or playing street tennis. Momoshiro and Kaidoh Kaoru are eternal rivals, and constantly try to out-do each other. This makes them efficient as a doubles pair, because the two rivals know each other so well. Momoshiro develops an affinity for playing doubles and even masters it, despite expressing a preference for singles. 

Kaoru Kaidoh is known as "Viper" to his teammates for constantly making a "fshuuuu", sound, similar to a snake, while exhaling. Kaidoh trains rigorously, increasing the training program given to him by Inui to give him high endurance. He has a deep rivalry with Momoshiro, in which they constantly try to beat each other. He normally plays singles, though he eventually pairs with Inui, who helps Kaido train and develop new techniques. Kaido's stamina is used to let him play the other team alone, while Inui collects data.


I should also note that most of the cast has also participated in the musical if I remember correctly.


- Antique Bakery Review - Monday, February 7, 2011

So a few years back, I had read Antique Bakery. And then a while later, I learned that there was a live action. I figured that I should watch it and I must say that I was surprised. Despite the slight changes in details, very much like the fact that Ono and Chikage aren't as intimate as one should be, I find the way that they change it quite entertaining. Especially since the look that Ono gives is actually in fact called The Look of Supposed Seduction. I do find all of the character interactions rather interesting. The way it opened up was quite played well as well. It was quite entertaining to just watch how everything was going to be played honestly.

This isn't something that you need to read the manga to understand what is going in the live action since they describe everything itself in the drama. The two have differences but that's what makes the fun of dramas right?All characters really were portrayed well and in fact, I was a bit surprised at a few things however. Such as Kim Jae Wook playing as Ono haha. In my mind, any straight man that plays as a gay character and can pull it off well is a good thing in my book. It was certainly more then interesting watch with every little plot turns that this drama had.


I personally love the manga and anime but the live action definitely took the cake. No pun intended of course. Another thing to mention is that while I watched these episodes, I felt I was getting fat. Everytime I watched, I always wanted to crave something and this usually put me and my friends going out a lot haha. Cakes, sweets, and all that were on my menu for eating and I think I had gained a few pounds. XD But in particular, I did regulate my diet after a while. This drama is good for those that love a bit of comedy in their dramas. It has a slight dark side but I think that this heads towards those that like a bit of comedy in their life. :3


Also please note that this is a review on the Korean version. I will get on to the Japanese version after watching and reviewing Secret Garden :3 I have gotten sucked into it haha.


(Taken from MySoju description)

As an heir to the family fortune, Jin-hyuk has money, the looks, the charm, everything except finding the love of his life. So he sets up a cake shop where women are sure to come. He hires Sun-woo, a talented patissier who had a crush on Jin-hyuk back in high school. Along with an ex-boxing champion Gi-beom and a clueless bodyguard Su-young, the four unique and handsome young men stir up the quiet neighborhood at their cake shop, Antique. Although seemingly careless and happy, each of the four men have unforgettable past that they are afraid to face, but their secrets slowly begin to unravel...


(From left to right)
Chikage Kobayakawa, Eiji Kanda, Keiichiro Tachibana, Yusuke Ono

Keiichiro Tachibana (Kim Jin Hyeok)

Owner of the bakery "Antique". Grandson of the wealthy director of a major financial group. Formerly a top-class businessman at a trading company, he suddenly quits his job to start up the bakery "Antique". Cryptically, he cares not one ounce for any sort of pastry, and his only opinion of sweets is "tastes like sugar". Although he was the victim of a kidnapping at the of nine, he retains no memory of the exact events of the ordeal. The perpetual stubble on his face is something he was not allowed in his days as a corporate businessman, and he treasures its presence as a symbol of "a man's aesthetic".

Yusuke Ono (Min Seon Woo)


Pastry chef at the bakery "Antique". Former high school classmates with Tachibana. Tachibana was the object of Ono's first confession of love, as well as his first rejection. When the two next meet again, Ono has overcome this painful past and blossomed into a "gay of demonic charm" who is able to seduce any man he wants. Although he possesses impeccable taste and technique as a pastry chef of genius, his personal allure is always the cause of romantic trouble in the workplace, and he is fired from store after store until he finally settles in at the bakery "Antique".

Chikage Kobayakawa (Nam Soo Yeong)
Because his mother was a live-in housekeeper at the Tachibana residence, Chikage has known Tachibana since childhood. Clumsy and a little slow on the uptake, he is something of a burden. At the request of Tachibana's concerned parents, he arrives at the bakery "Antique" to look after Tachibana. Because of his weak eyesight and nervousness, he is never without his sunglasses. Once his glasses are removed, his handsome looks captive Ono, and although nearly overpowered by the notorious "demonic charm", Chikage manages to remain innocent and oblivious - for the time being!


Eiji Kanda (Yang Ki Beom)
Assistant pastry chef at the bakery "Antique". Formerly a middle straw-weight world champion boxer of genius, he is forced to give up the ring when he is diagnosed as having detached retinas. Shortly thereafter, he encounters Ono's deviushly delicious "cake of all cakes" and becomes an apprentice patisser. Dating back to his days as a boxer, he possesses an insatiable love of pastries. An abandoned child as well as a former member of a biker gang. He has the most colorful past out of the four men, despite his young age of 21.


- Smiling Pasta Review - Friday, February 4, 2011

So a while back, I was watching a drama that I found interesting. It was called Smiling Pasta and I have to admit, it was one of the choices that I am glad that I made. It's an absolutely adorable drama and comedic. It is practically a Taiwanese remake of the Korean drama, Full House. I was just browsing the drama list on mysoju and when I read this description, I just had to read it. All in all, I find the acting good but the songs in it was what got me. Especially Little Turtle and Tears from Polaris. I found the backstory behind Nicholas Teo's character, He Qun, quite depressing but I was glad to what happened in the end. Especially since Cyndi Wang's character, Cheng Xiao Shi, has quite a curse on herself. 

The way that they all portrayed their characters is something that I admire very much. All the characters seem to have their own flair as well which made it enjoyable to watch. While I watched this, I hardly slept because I really did want to see how the whole thing ended and I'm glad that I did! Despite having to go to school the next day, I really just wanted to keep watching it till the end and when I did, I absolutely loved it. The whole thing can be lighthearted but at the same time, it has a heavy, dark kind of feeling. 

As for the OST, I absolutely LOVE it. There are those that have the happy go lucky songs, very much like Rainbow Smile and Just Smile. There are also the ones that reflect on the romance involved in the drama such as Little Turtle, and I do. Though, the ones that I really do like are the heartfelt ones much like Tears From Polaris. It pretty much brings in the dark side of the drama but that is what is lovely about dramas correct? 

In truth, Smiling Pasta is definitely something I want to watch over and over. It contains main elements that I like which are comedy, drama, romance, and tragedy. All in the places that you wouldn't think. Haha. But this is all my opinion. It may all differ but if you would like to see it yourself, just look it up! 


Xiao Shi is a girl who has gone through many short relationships, 17 to be exact, not one lasting more than 3 months hence, she was cursed with a three-month curse. After being dumped by her 17th boyfriend, the world looks grimmer than ever. At that time, a famous idol, He Qun runs past, bumps into Xiao Shi, and they end up "kissing" on the street. Paparazzi swarmed by and to avoid a bad reputation, He Qun's manager declared Xiao Shi as He Qun's girlfriend of one year and fiancée. Thus, a love contract was made. This story is about how the couple learns to like each other after having disagreements in the beginning, as well as fighting the injustices the media throw at them. Will Xiao Shi finally break her 3 month curse? 

- Skip Beat Live Action? - Thursday, February 3, 2011


So I know that probably many of you have heard of this but actually a few of my friends have NOT heard about this. I remember there was a rumor circulating that there was going to be a Skip Beat live action but it was scrapped after a while. However, it seems the interest has been renewed and the two male leads have been changed. This was what actually surprised me however since the new actors were Korean! Please note that the live action is being created by a Taiwanese crew. However, it seems that the female lead, Lin Yichen has already worked with the two! So what's the suspense? 

For all the SuJu fans out there, the two leads for Shou and Ren are in fact Super Junior's Siwon and Donghae! Another thing that should be mentioned is that the name is not going to be Skip Beat like the manga and anime, but Glamorous Hearts. For those wondering who has what role, Lin is of course our favored and wonderful girl Kyoko. Siwon in fact is going to be playing the part that would be Shou and Donghae as Ren. I have to admit that the two do look quite the part if Siwon were to dye his hair blond like Shou but since it's an adaptation, I wonder if it'll be true haha.

But now I wonder how far they're going to go with this. Either be like the Wallflower live action in which they make their own ending or stray a bit from the path. If it were to happen however, straying from the path that is, I would love for the female lead to go towards Donghae. I shamelessly admit that I am a RenxKyoko lover haha. Or KuonxKyoko lover in this case. However, I feel that this is a drama worth waiting for for any Skip Beat lovers!

What I can't wait for is how this drama is going to go. After all, everyone's view on it is different and the director can have a different view then everyone else. What I hope is it doesn't end as an open ending without Kyoko falling in love with anyone. Rather prefer that she does go with Ren however. Haha. Now I'm rambling but I do hope that the production goes well and they can come out with this soon.

Skip Beat (Manga)


 Skip Beat! follows the story of Kyoko Mogami, a sixteen year-old girl who loves her childhood friend, Sho Fuwa (Shotaro), but is betrayed by him. Having spent a large part of her childhood at Shotaro's parents' inn, she learned a great deal about hostelry and other such jobs. Shotaro, not wishing to take over his parents' business, moves to Tokyo to pursue a career in music. Sho, as he is called by his fans, asks Kyoko to leave high school and her life in Kyoto Prefecture behind to help him. Upon arrival in Tokyo, Kyoko lives an unreasonably frugal life, spending nothing on herself and doing whatever she can for Sho, who eventually becomes ranked seventh of the top twenty most popular entertainers of Japan. One day, she overhears Shotaro complaining about her to his manager, saying that she is a boring and plain girl. He proceeds to sweet-talk and flirt with his manager, in stark contrast to the cold and demanding attitude he usually exhibits towards Kyoko. Kyoko doesn't shed many tears when she learns that Sho thinks she's only good for housekeeping. Instead, her "Pandora's box" opens and she vows vengeance on Sho. As she is carried away by security, Sho mockingly tells her that if she wants revenge, she had better become a bigger star than him. And so, Kyoko changes her appearance and enters the entertainment industry, facing many challenges along the way. Skip Beat! follows Kyoko's journey to climb the showbiz ladder as she meets interesting people, troublemakers and friends alike, with hopes of getting revenge on Shotaro, as well as regaining the sense of compassion that she had lost when her heart was broken by him. As Kyoko cultivates her acting and friendships, she soon discovers a sense of self separate from her initial plans for revenge.

Mogami Kyōko

Kyoko is a bright, intelligent girl bent on revenge against the boy that used her feelings of love and devotion for his own selfish gain. More vengeful than depressed, she swears to get even. Shōtaro, the one who used her, tells her that the only way to do this would be to beat him in show business. She changes her hair style and her attitude and begins the task of applying to Shō's rival company, L.M.E. While her audition stood out, the president of the company realized that she lacked the key component needed to become an idol: love, as without genuine love for this profession and for the audience, she could not succeed. However, despite her failure, she had such an interesting audition (she did katsuramuki as her talent portion) that Kyoko was given a second chance. Thus, L.M.E.'s "Love Me" section was founded. Lory made a deal with Kyoko that if she completed all the jobs given to her as a Love-Me employee to the client's satisfaction (determined by points stamped into her record book), by the end of a certain period of time, having accumulated enough points, she would be given a grand debut. Having entered show business, Kyoko found a genuine love for acting and a rare talent for performing a great range of emotions and characters. Her professionalism, raw talent and willingness to give her all for her act eventually earn her the respect of those around her, including Tsuruga Ren and Kotonami Kanae. As a result of her box being opened, her personality is slightly twisted and it is a recurring joke during the series that she uses voodoo dolls of Ren and Sho, though less for actual harm and more for purposes of impersonating what they would say in a situation.

 Tsuruga Ren

Ren has an extremely kind and gentle persona. He takes his acting very seriously and expects professionalism from those around him. While he maintains a perfect public image, he has frequently shown his true face to Kyoko, failing to keep his polite facade in front of her. He was originally unhappy with Kyoko, and frequently found ways to annoy and tease her because of her impure reasons for joining show business. However, once he realized that her acting was more than a tool for revenge, he began to support her growth as a budding idol. Although at first in denial, he eventually came to terms with his love for Kyoko and grew as an actor as a result of the realization. He makes many attempts to express his love, but Kyoko is continuously blind to all romantic overtures. Ren was voted top male celebrity in Japan on the same poll ranking Shotaro seventh, causing the latter to have strong feelings of jealousy and rivalry towards him. Ren tends to become jealous whenever anything happens between Sho Fuwa and Kyoko due to their former relationship and now their frequent coincidental, and un-coincidental meetings, giving Sho multiple openings to cause him emotional distress. Despite the obvious obstruction of Sho's closeness to her, Ren has no intention of giving Kyoko over to him. Ren's hidden past is another obstruction to his romantic feelings towards Kyoko yet to be fully explored in the manga.



Fuwa Shō  

His real name is Shōtarō. He keeps it a secret because he finds it very old-fashioned. He is an extremely egotistical, extremely talented music star. Shō had no qualms about asking Kyoko to give up her life in Kyoto to become his unpaid servant, fully cognizant of her misconceptions of the nature of their relationship. After Kyoko's transformation, he is shocked and soon discovers he had more feelings for her than he originally thought. He has disliked seeing Kyoko's tears since childhood, knows her preferences in food, and of her love for fairy tales and things romantic in nature (even buying her an ornate, whimsical bouquet of blossoms and pearls to her specific tastes). Shō holds a great animosity towards Ren because he is hailed as the coolest, number one guy in Show Biz. Shō declared that he'd steal all of Ren's fans and the title of "The Coolest Male Celebrity" from him. He does not like Ren's closeness to Kyoko and he challenges Ren as he makes it known that he would not willingly give up his place in Kyoko's heart as the one she thinks of the most.

 Back to self

Now you're probably wondering what I mean by this haha. It means I'm going back to speaking after I'm done with something that I might have forgotten to say or maybe something to say afterwards. 

Anyways, so that's how it's going to be. I think it suits them a bit to be these characters but that's my opinion. I wonder how they are going to portray the characters. Hopefully they are done justice. Haha. What are your thoughts on this whole production and ordeal? Are the characters up to your standards? Well, I mean the people that are portraying them haha. Everyone has their own opinion and are welcome to it really.

- A Bit about Me -

So hello everyone! My name is Kiyoko and you must be wondering what this blog is about. Here I'll be talking about dramas, whether it be Chinese, Korean, Japanese, or Taiwanese. I really like asian dramas really and I'll just write summaries and reviews. I'm a cosplayer so there are times when I can't watch them but it's definitely a lot of fun to do so. But anyways a bit about me!

Yes. I hardly have any normal pictures at the moment haha. XD But that is me as Jirachi from Pokemon. Anyways, here's a list of about me~ :D

• I like to cosplay like I mentioned before. It's fun and a great hobby that I have gotten into! :3
• Sweets are one of my favorite things and I usually eat a lot of them instead of one or two XD
•I am really small. ._. I stand at 5'2 and weigh at 100 lbs. A lot of my friends worry that one day I'll be carried off. Haha.
• I am 100% Korean but I choose my stage name to be Kiyoko. Why you ask? Just because. Haha.
• I'm usually on the computer for long periods of time. What else am I supposed to do when I have nothing to do?
• I absolutely love RPGs. Whether it's on a game system or as an MMO. I have too much fun on them and for those curious, the first MMO I played was Ragnarok Online.
•I used to be a Starcraft nerd haha.
• I ramble on occasion and I tend to be talkative. So pretty much I'm an outgoing person, friendly and all that. 
• I originally was born in Northridge, California and I moved to Vegas as I got older.
• I like to keep my age a secret! :3
• I don't necessarily follow fashions despite my family's opposition of the decision. I just don't like it. Though, I do tend to have random spouts of wants to do a bit of Japanese fashion like lolita, VK, and hime gyaru haha.
•I'm still quite the tomboy I was when I was in elementary school.
• I love fruits and vegetables. Strange right?
• Currently looking into getting a pastry arts degree, fashion, and some sort of animal studies degree :3

So that's pretty much all I can think about putting down so if you have any questions or anything, just comment below and I'd love to answer in any blog I can. :3

WHO ARE YOU

Name: Kiyoko
Age: That is a secret :3
Nationality: 100% Full blooded Korean!
Hobbies: Cosplaying, singing, dancing, watching dramas, playing MMOs, drawing, designing, swimming, playing the piano and more. Lol
Likes: Sweets, chocolate, strawberry, cherries, strawberry milk, apples, fruits in general, animals.
Dislikes: Seafood ._.

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PREVIOUS POSTS

TeniPuri Live Action
Antique Bakery Review
Smiling Pasta Review
Skip Beat Live Action?
A Bit about Me


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February 2011


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