Sean Akizuki's East Asian Drama and Movie Blog

Kung Hei Fat Choi!  Considering today is the first day of the Lunar New Year (and too bad we never got to see Noynoy and Pabaya get run over when the clock struck 12), I want to write a recollection of how I got into Chinovelas whether it was from Taiwan, China or Hong Kong. I have the guilty pleasure of lumping them as "Chinese entertainment" and in a sense, Taiwan is called the Republic of China while China is called the People's Republic of China. I showed little or no interest with Chinovelas (combination of Chinese and telenovelas) before the craze started. Amazing Twins showed up but I wasn't all too interested in it. I was more interested with some Japanese entertainment with dubs or that there was a time I was more into American entertainment. I was trying to live the American dream  and I wanted to detach from everything Asian and become American. I didn't care too much about Jackie Chan or Jet Li. Although I watched a few Chinese movies but mo

With the event that Rain and Kim Tae Hee tied the knot today (and I guess I smell despair everywhere now), I want to do a bit of a Thursday Throwback post. I remembered in College I didn't immediately like Korean drama. I could remember how I was hesitant to watch Autumn in My Heart because of too many tears. Watching Taiwanese drama helped me connect to my Chinese ancestry even if I wasn't born in China or Taiwan. When I thought of Korean drama, I decided that I wouldn't be so easy to click on it. I once said, "Only idiots like Korean shows." which I soon became that idiot for watching it later. When I watched Autumn in My Heart and Full House in Tagalog, I could only care about the beauty of the protagonist. I could remember how Song Hye Kyo's character was dubbed as Jenny in Autumn in My Heart and as Jessie in Full House. Yup, I can't forget that really stupid crush I had on Song Hye Kyo. Then I watched Love Story in Harvard and Forbidden Love for Ki

Just right now, I feel like I want to go haywire like Dr. Kuroto Dan and Dr. Mikoto Nakadai. I'm stuck in a game of juggling between preferences. Whether it'd be within the realm of Tokusatsu (since I prefer mostly new school Kamen Rider and mostly old school Super Sentai) or with other passions. That's why I never call myself a die-hard fan of just anything. I can't forget how I had a taste fatigue with Super Sentai last 2013 yet I find myself watching new school Super Sentai this 2016 and I'm looking forward to Kyuranger this 2017 and to Zyuohger's finale on the first Sunday of February.  I can't forget how there were a few times that I wasn't watching Tokusatsu earlier last decade. It was because I got caught with what I consider as "better stuff" like some Taiwanese, Japanese or Korean drama. Taiwanese drama helped me get in touch with my ancestral roots though I speak very little Chinese. Korean drama gave me a different cultural i

There's always some odd looking couples but the emphasis has been more on chemistry than appearance. I think Full House did the same but it unintentionally becomes a parody of Beauty and the Beast. I can't help but call Rain the "beast" not only because of his face but because he's got a huge body build to accompany it. Song Hye Kyo's a petite beauty. I thought about how it becomes a comedy version of Beauty and the Beast. It's pretty much Belle trying to recover her castle from Beast who bought out of a questionable transaction. Like how in the world could the Beast even, I mean buy Belle's castle so quick? It sounds more like a fairy tale than a real life scenario. This creates a dilemma when Beast forces Belle to marry him. Beast wants to spite a girl he liked so much but discovers he's in love with Belle. Belle just wants her castle back but finds out she's falling for Beast. It's pretty much a reverse of Belle being in Beast's c

I remembered the time I was around 18-19 years old and I got into the Chinovela craze. I started watching Meteor Garden without expecting myself to get sucked into it. At first, I thought Meteor Garden was a Japanese TV series and I thought the F4 were Japanese the first time I heard of them. Then it happened that I simply got hooked with Meteor Garden as my first Taiwanese TV series . I didn't care too much about Hana Yori Dango starring Mao Inoue because Barbie Xu-Wang made the best Makino Tsukushi but I absolutely disliked the Korean version of Hana Yori Dango. Then there was the Korean craze which I had pre-conceived biases and I could talk about it.   The first one that got me into K-Drama was Autumn in My Heart. Oh, I can't forget the really bad crush I had on Song Hye Kyo and how I cried a river of tears (exaggeration) in her dying scene. I just saw the Tagalog dub back then and due to my academic requirements I had to ask my elders what happened next. I couldn