What live-action series are you watching or have you watched?

[*Trey98607]

One other thing I am also watching every morning about 8 am PDT, is the Power Ranger episodes that the old ABC Family used to have. Right now I am on the Dino Thunder marathon.

[*Jess♥]

that's cool, loved the old power rangers. tv nihon have been releasing juuranger and i think i quite like it.

last night I finished watching hanazakiri no kimitachi e. that i have been calling Ikemen Paradise.

It was really good and i definitely recommend it to you guys.

if i were to be brutal about it, I would say it's pretty formulaic with each episode containing some sort of task for the entire school. that could get tiresome but I enjoyed the development of their relationships so much that I didn't mind.

I'm looking forward to the second series that I believe is coming soon.

I think it would be nice to have a website like anidb except for j-drama. I have issues remembering which ones i've seen, who is in it and what sub group i watched.

there is dramawiki but the site is slow and is often quite sparse on informations.

and it doesn't allow us to record which ones we've seen.

I think i have to look back over this thread to remember what i watched.

so I still have hotaru no hikari. I'm wondering if i can be patient with the subs.

that first experience was a pretty bad one and got me quite stressed.

I realise that it was a rather fast and busy sequence though. it may be unavoidable to have that kind of things. maybe the series does not have many of those type of fast paced scenes.

I seem to have one episode of samurai high. I haven't seen that so maybe I will watch that., but for some reason i have not watched it. that seems odd. why would i be holding back on that...

ANYWAY.

I have found one new series that i am planning on watching.

abarenbo mama. it is about a girl who meets this guy and marries him then a 5 year old boy turns up and claims to be their child. she has to learn how to live in this neighbourhood as a mama. this has a different focus to what i'm accustomed to, housewives and a suburban neighbourhood and a child. it will be very interesting and maybe refreshing.

anyone got any recommendations?

what have you been watching recently?

[*Trey98607]

Not to long from now, one of our Nickelodeon stations is planning to play those older Power Rangers, by the way I am also DVDing all my Power Ranger episodes, I have completed the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and Alien Rangers series, and now in the middle of Zeo, however, in MMPR season 3, I am missing an episode A Brush With Destiny.

[*Jess♥]

wow, I just read through this entire topic.

hey Ryuu-oh, I need to apologise to you for seemingly ignoring your recommendations for Otomen and then later 'introducing it' as though you had not mentioned it at all.

not sure how that happened but it wasn't very fair on you at all.

here is my updated list -

keitai sousakan 7

mei-chan no shitsuji

binbo danshi

atashinchi no danshi

densha otoko

ohitorisama

zettai kareshi

yama onna kabe onna

Otomen

Nihonjin no Shiranai Nihongo

hanazakari no kimitachi e (ikemen paradise)

[*Jess♥]

just finished ep 2 of abarenbo mama.

i'm really enjoying it.

of course it is a different feel to a lot of the ones i've watched up til now.

there's no courting or romantic suggestions so far, as the main character is already married.

the focus is on hte relationship between her and the little boy.

the focus on a child is intriguing as it is sure to give us links to our own childhood and things that we remember about our relationship with our parents. i find myself with a very strong emotion towards the little boy, I really have a strong connection and want him to be happy. ( thinking about it now, it is similar to when i watched densha otoko)

this is a good series so far, I wish for you to give it a go. give it maybe 2 episodes to see where it goes. you might find it agreeable before that, but i feel that at this stage i have learned about the characters and am hooked.

[*Jess♥]

adding abarenbo mama to my watched list

great series, really enjoyed it.

gonna watch hotaru no hikari next.

what are you guys watching?

have i missed any series that you have recommended?

can you recommend any more?

[*Jess♥]

pah!

I tried to watch that hotaru no hikari again. I like the series intro, it's got nice pacing and good atmosphere.

but these subtitles are bloody awful.

it's not just the speed and placement of the subs, although that is bad enough in itself...

my japanese is not too bad, I can gain a good impression of the themes of conversations and in some places i understand the basic meaning of what they are saying and some parts i simply understand completely.

i'm not kidding these subtitles are just getting things wrong. not completely wrong, but there are sentence changes that are totally unnecessary. some parts they are inflating the dialogue needlessly and it's not even in good english. the sentence structure they end up with is so bloody awkward that it makes it a chore to read it.

i think i need to do some more japanese study and then come back to this series and watch it raw.

[Aether]

I finished watching Ninpu Sentai Hurricanger yesterday and overall i quite enjoyed it. it does seem less corny for some reason in japanese than the translation to power rangers where the gung ho attitude seems so forced

Theres just something that keeps this and probably all super sentai/power rangers from being super awesome and its those episodes that just seem to be -meh- where the monster/ villian is a bit lame and you think come on really?? because they kind of detract from those episodes that have flashes of brilliance. i found it stepped up a notch once spear 7 arrived.

is it me or was this series inspired by Naruto?? Yousuke was like Naruto in some parts and some of the ninja techniques like kagebunshin no jutsu were in there???

anyway overall i enjoyed it so i am wondering what to watch next? i have Gekiranger, Dekaranger, Dairanger 1-35 and Garo to watch...

anyone any opinion?

[*Jess♥]

it's tough.. a lot of people thought gekiranger had a powerful story, but personally i felt it was a pretty lame arms race. (IMO it even put dragonball Z to shame)

dekaranger has had some good reviews.

dairanger... not sure about.

garo is meant to be very good, but i didn't like it because it was a bit too dark for my tastes.

if you want something that is quality like hurricanger, my recommendation would be the series that came next. abaranger.

I'm currently watching samurai high school. brilliant series, really enjoying it.

can't say much about it because of spoilers but i love his attitude and the way he moves.

[Aether]

ok, thanks for the input.

To be honest im looking forward to see how Gekiranger goes as i was well impressed by the first 2 eps - i was sold by the kung fu and in paticula the giant cat master!!!

i thought about it and i might watch Garo next to get away from the Super Sentai, and then come back to Sentai afterwards so that im not going from one Sentai straight into another.

i wonder how dark is dark ? i am up for some, for want of a better word , less 'kidified' armoured warrior stuff ...

i'll see how i go with the other Sentai before looking for Abaranger . i might have had enough by then ???

Edited September 5, 2011 by Eether

[*Jess♥]

I don't know, I don't have the same concept as other I guess. I don't see bright colours as being for children. I see bright colours as being for positive people. I see dark colours as being for promoting feelings of depression and sadness and fear. I don't really see colour scheme in this way, I suspect it is because of the western habit of using bright colours for kids shows and drab colours for adult shows, but in japan ,this disctintion is not made.

personally I hate this concept. for example, I hated how they got rid of the colourful suits in the x-men movies for black leather.

for whatever reason, to be 'cool' something has to be dark and have spikes on it.

ehm, ok so when i say it was too dark for my tastes, I mean it made me feel gloomy or depressed.

[Aether]

ah, i see

I fully understand what you are saying about colours and them evoking certain feelings ( everythings energy remember! ) however i dont think im as sensitive to them when watching stuff , dark may promote negativity but you dont always have to recieve it.

i dont think i would let the palette of a show put me off as like you said that distinction doent really exsist in japanese entertainment, i dont know about Garo as obviously i havent seen it yet, but something would have to be along the lines of Horror to put me off actually watching it (unless its a Zombie style flick - for some reason i like zombie fims specifically Romeros and RE), not because id be scared per se , but for the fact that putting those kinds of overtly violent terrible images into your psyche is in my opinion not healthy. i guess what i mean is the overall tone of a show is more important than the colour tones

if a show has some depressive or challenging themes within a certain context i dont mind as long as they are resolved in some way. anyway i'll give it a chance

Edited September 5, 2011 by Eether

[durendal]

I'm currently watching "Smiling in the wind" or "Xiao Au Jiang Hu" sometimes also referred to as "Smiling Proud Wanderee". This series is based on the novel of Jin Yong. And it is a Wuxia drama that chronicles the adventures of Ling Hu Chong. This is a 2001 Chinese Drama. I've read the novel and this is the only series that is very close to the original material.

There was also a movie called "Swordsman" and "Swordsman II" produced by Tsui Hark, both movies were very good in their own right, uses elements from the novel. Swordsman II also happen to star Jet Li as Ling Hu Chong. If you're into Wuxia, this is one title you should not miss. By the way, if you're familiar "Legend of the Condor Heroes", it's from the same author.

[Aether]

I have both swordsman and swordsman 2. i also like the old shaw brothers wu xia movies. btw Donnie Yens latest film is called wu xia isnt it?

i have a tv series from 2003 called Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils / tian long ba bu which i believe is based on a Jin Yong novel but i havent watched it yet. i got that because it was by Jin Yong but not part of the 'Condors' material . i am interested in seeing all the tv series like heaven sword and dragon sabre and legend of the condor heroes and return of the condor heores but due to their length and sourcing them i'll probably only ever see the shaws adaptations of them.

[*Jess♥]

I think I remember another series that I enjoyed. Nodame Cantabile. It was originally a manga, then there was an anime series for this, then a drama. The Drama recently concluded with the second theatrical version which was released just last april. The series is about Nodame, a girl who is really good at playing piano using widow, but terrible in reading notes. The Male protagonist is Chiaki, a genius pianist that aspires to be a famous conductor. The show highlights the meeting of Nodame and Chiaki and their funny antics of reaching their goal. I would recommend the first season simply because it has a light hearted tone to the series as well as funny as hell. This series made me appreciate more my love for classical music, with pieces from Bach and Rachmaninoff.

I'm thinking this may be my next series after samurai high.

I also noticed one of the producers is a producer for densha otoko.

I think that when classical music is used well it can create a very magical quality.

I gathered a list of series I am going to try.

nodame cantabile

proposal daisakusen

kimi wa petto

[*Jess♥]

hmm... it seems nodame cantabile has not been fully subbed.

seems odd that it has been out for 3 years and not yet subbed.

especially considering how well recommended it is.

edit:

strike that, it seems d-addicts has poorly documented it.

[odin]

so far these are the series I have watched and are watching with a very brief summary of what i think :

Watched in order:

Kamen Rider

Dragon Knight (first kamen rider i started watching, and got me curious to watch the japanese kamen riders to see how different they are. I give it a B )

Decade ( my first japanese Rider series, watched it first since I thought that it would give me a good look on the background of the past riders...oh i was way off but it was still an interesting series although it left me scratching my head on a few things I give it a C )

Faiz ( when i saw the rider on decade and saw the costume i was instantly interested in his series, Love the hero, Love the concept, good support cast, intimidating villains, HATE the rival rider more than any other , the ending is the only thing that got me disappointed

so much so that i was thinking that it would actually get a sequel or at least a movie to end the story properly

,and was the still one of my favorite series of all time I give it a A-)

Den-O (a very fun ride, lovable characters, great comedy but a very confusing story although it is understandable considering the theme of the series, but is one of those that i will only watch 1 time. I give it a B- )

Kabuto ( this one is hard to talk about, I like it a lot but again is one of those that i will watch once, the villains where not that interesting and it did not felt that there was a lot at stake, the heroes are awesome and the costume designs are one of the best in the franchise, i give it a solid B )

W ( I'm very biased on this one, I'm a sucker on detective related stuff no matter how minimal it is and double certainly had that feel plus the theme is pure goodness, all the characters are great, you love the heroes, you love hating the villains, it left me wanting for more, I give it a solid A )

OOO (my favorite series thus far, great costume design for primary and secondary riders, comedy that is just right, great supporting cast, superb protagonists and interesting villains, plus the stories theme left me wanting for more cause it has so many possibilities and the ending was just right I give it also a solid A )

Super Sentai

Shinkenger ( very biased here, love anything samurai related and was great that the series was awesome even if i wasn't, I was sympathetic with the characters and the villains where actually very intimidating and gave me the feeling that it actually needed a team to take them down I give this series an A )

Gekiranger (biased here as well, I'm a sucker for kung fu stuff but even so this series held well on its own, interesting story and great villains oh and one more thing...... SHAKIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I give this series an A )

Ultraman

Ultraman Zero Movies (it got me interested in watching more Ultraman series, cool heroe , amazing villain, Super awesome fight scenes)

Daikaiju

all godzilla movies to date (either you hate it or you love it, I love it even tho they still use rubber suits I prefer the feeling that there is something that is actually there in the screen instead of being computer generated,

Other

Currently Watching:

Kuuga (i heard that he was similar to Ozu so he got my attention, plus his forms look sweet so I decided to watch him)

Black (always wanted to see this one liking it so far)

Fourze (only in first episode but looks promising)

Gokaiger ( series is so-so for me, a bit of hit or miss, the rangers are great their theme is awesome but the enemies are not very intimidating)

Garo (can't seem to get passed the first episode, don't know why...I guess it is one of those episodes that i have to watch in a certain mood)

[*Jess♥]

Durendal, I have a strong feeling you will like Bara no nai Hanaya.

I wanted to have a peek at the style of it, I got hooked and could not stop watching for at least ten minutes.

it reminded me of densha otoko in some way.

[durendal]

I'll keep that in mind. Will take a peek at it at soon as I finish with my current wuxia. Already down to the last episode (out of 40).

[LordSpleach]

Watching Hetalia as of this post. Only Japan would satire WW2 with silly stereotypes. Definitely recommend this series!

[Aether]

i just watched the penultimate episode of 'Real Kung Fu' starring Yeun Biao, this episode was good and im looking forward to the finale.

i have really enjoyed the series. I think Yuen Biao is great and his potential of stardom was somewhat overshadowed by Jackie and Sammo, but anyway apart from him Real Kung Fu features some other old kung fu film faces like 'Gordon' Liu, Yuen Wah, Leung Kar Yan and Lo Meng - really great stuff if you like Chinese kung fu drama.

also ive watched 3 eps of GARO and so far and i like it.

the main dude kicks ass, he's better than the armour! but its probably due to the one thing that is bugging me about the series and that is that it switches to CGI when he transforms - WHY???????????????????????????????????

i get it for maybe some of the moves, but it seems whenever he moves Garo is in flippin CGI.

[*Jess♥]

I want to ask this,

I realise this thread was introduced as korean, taiwanese and chinese drama as well as japanese and toku,

but i was thinking that since this is in the toku and live action area, it isn't specifically said, but it is meant for japanese shows.

I'm not got anything against chinese or korean, but it seems a little out of place.

i mean, would it be better to have a thread for other asian drama in the general section?

I had not noticed it before as i had not noticed a lot of other asian drama being listed but recently i';ve noticed a few and i feel that it does seem to fit.

what do you think?

[Aether]

well blame Durendal for my recent posts on the past 2 pages regarding chinese kung fu dramas ordinarily i wouldnt post anything here as i dont watch J drama, its only because i had watched Hurricanger and have started watching Garo that i did, so i apologise if im the culprit

i suggest if you really want it to be strictly Japanese in here then 'make it so' and have a general asian drama / asian entertainment (films, tv series etc.) thread elsewhere.

Edited September 17, 2011 by Eether

[durendal]

Ahaha, sorry about that. You know me, I'd rather use old thread if possible, and since this thread doesn't specifically mention any limitation on series, thought I'd put it here. And as Picard would say: "number 1, make it so".

[*Jess♥]

no no, you have nothing to excuse yourself for, you have done everything right, since the opening post of this thread quite clearly specifies chinese, korean and taiwanese drama.

you guys are absolutely on the ball, I was simply asking if you feel it would be better to limit it, considering that this mainly is the toku and j-live action subforum.