Sean Akizuki's East Asian Drama and Movie Blog

Previously, I wrote about Plot vs. Pretty . There are no questions asked that I tend to watch a show "just for the girl," such as The Female General and currently Everyone Loves Me (ongoing). I can't deny that I watched Blossoming Love because Sun Zhenni (who I first saw as a secondary character in Till the End of the Moon as a gumiho) was just super pretty. I thought about watching legal dramas, whether they're from China, Taiwan, Japan, or South Korea. South Korean legal dramas tend to be one of my favorite things to watch, even if eye candy is NON-EXISTENT FOR ME . Sure, I can get drawn by the eye candy, but a good plot automatically covers every appearance. Recalling the early phase in my college days I remember the premiere of Chinovelas (mostly from Taiwan), and it started with Meteor Garden . I didn't find the late Barbie Xu all that pretty (but I used to like a girl who resembled her) compared to Mao Inoue. However, I found Meteor Garden (2001) better t...

Chinoys are usually Hokkien speakers, descended from Fujian, China. As always, may Filipinos remember that the Chinese people aren't their enemy but the Chinese Communist Empire (a mockery I made for the Chinese Communist Party). Back then, I remember there was a NICHE MARKET where Betamax rentals in the 1990s had a few Chinese shows WITHOUT translation. There was the Chinese Sunday Theater . If I'm not wrong, ABS-CBN called it the Chinese Variety Show, which once aired Fu Peimei's cooking show (undubbed), and it was later dubbed. Meteor Garden became the revival of the Chinese Sunday Theater. It was Chinese Sunday Theater with the DUB. GMA-7 competed with My MVP Valentine . Both shows introduced me to F4 and 5566. However, the regular Chinese-language drama (hence my tags here are Chinese Drama, whether they came from China, Hong Kong, or Taiwan) began diversifying. It wasn't enough for  Meteor Garden's subtitles to unintentionally trick my mind, "That's w...

There are times when Wuxia/Xianxia are often put under the Hokkien word Ko Cha or 古早 (Gǔzǎo) in Mandarin. This time, I checked out Veil of Shadows,  which becomes a complex battle against fate. I have had the bad habit of actually checking out shows by the lovely Ju Jingyu, such as Madam White Snake . This time, Veil of Shadows focuses on the complex battle against fate. Thankfully, it's only 29 episodes, but it's got a LONG PLOT within the show's context. The show can get confusing because it's a complex battle against fate. The story involves Jingyi's character as a Gumiho named Lu Wuyi. Her co-protagonist is Wu Shiguang (played by Joseph Zeng / Zeng Shunxi) as a mysterious demon hunter. There's a deep, dark secret with Shiguang that the series slowly reveals. Wu Wangyan (played by Chen Duling) is Wuyi's older sister. Li Jie (played by Yan An) is the commander of the Shilin Sect. The antagonists tend to be more in the background. It gets difficult to talk ...

I just finished another Korean legal drama. This time, I watched Pro Bono on Netflix . This is a legal drama with 12 episodes that features a "Thor-like" judge Kang Da-Wit (Jung Kyung-Ho). Da-Wit was trying to operate based on pure logic, the hammer of the law, but he failed to anticipate a frame-up. Instead, a fake bribery accusation (led by Yoo Jae-Bum, acted by Yun Je-wook) causes Da-Wit to hit rock bottom and find out the REAL WORLD that law isn't purely about algorithms. It also requires fresh human emotions. That's what happens during the series.  The whole course has Da-Wit become part of the Pro Bono team, aka the public service team. This is where he meets the secondary lead, Park Gi-Ppeum (acted by So Ju-Yeon, born in 1993, while the lead actor is in his 40s), Jang Yeong-Sil (Yoon Na-Moo), Yoo Nan-Hui (Seo Hye-Won), and Hwang Jun-U (Kang Hyoung-Suk). This is where Da-Wit learns through various law cases, like Kaya, a foreign bride from Myanmar; an...

Crime dramas can be rather addictive. I remember watching Copycat Killer ,  Victim's Game , and Regeneration . This time, I felt like watching Million Follower Detective -- a crime drama that explores the generation gaps. Ekin Cheng, who's currently 58 YEARS OLD, plays a father (named Chen Chia-jen) with an estranged daughter named Chen Chia-jen (played by Buffy Chen). This one presents generational gaps given that Buffy is born in 2000 and Ekin is 58 years old -- playing the father/daughter team. Buffy is estranged from her father. The series involves the mysterious character Witch Baba. Witch Baba is a mysterious influencer who could apparently foretell the future. However, behind Witch Baba's predictions is actually a series of deceptions. The recurring villain is Kuo Ta-fu, a doctor who is bitter about life. Ta-fu is someone who forces Witch Baba to read the predictions. Ta-fu is also an insane vigilante. Why does Ta-fu hate influencers so much? However, behind i...

Bloodhound Season 1 was an interesting lesson on loans . I didn't expect a sequel three years later and decided to watch it. Season 1 was practically where the main cast Woo Doo-Hwan (as Kim Gun-Woo) and Lee Sang-Yi (as Hong Woo-Jin). The dirty old man Kim Myeong-Gil (played by Park Sung-Woong) isn't mentioned (thankfully). Instead, we make a new room for the new lead villain Im Baek-Jung (played by Rain). Seeing Rain play as a villain was indeed fresh. I had mixed issues with Vanness Wu as the bad guy in Princess Weiyoung . However, part of me still gives Vanness praise for filling what need to be filled. Rain just feels stronger though -- showing a 44 year old guy can still beat up the younger cast! This is where someone's business senses could get tingling. Season 1 tells you, "Don't live beyond your means or you could face off against loan sharks. Season 2's villain Baek-Jung runs a gambling ring that fits today's society. The gambling ring is ran on th...

Sorry that I'm "out of date" with the Kamen Rider reviews. Yep, I'm probably still in hangover mode or that there's so much that Netflix has to offer. I decided to check out this fantasy series called The Seven Relics of Ill Omen . This series is a live adaptation by the female web novelist Wei Yu. This writing revolves around Chinese exorcism drama and science fiction. These relics contain a dangerous parasitic lifeform in each and every one of them. They crashed at the Fengzi Ridge where they found them. The Phoenix Squad was formed as a five-man squad (think of it like Super Sentai ). We have our important characters, namely: Mu Dai (Liu Haocun), who is the main character. She is a capable young woman who does the puzzle-solving. Much of her life is a Walking Spoiler, so please watch the film first. She has her schizophrenia going on. Luo Ren (Song Weilong) is the leading man and the male protagonist. He's the field leader but Mu Dai is the overall focus. H...