Here’s a quick breakdown of the doramas I am watching now:
Hana Yori Dango 2 (花より男子2)
This is a great dorama! The story continues seamlessly from the first series, and it is getting even more interesting. The relationships keep building, and the plot actually develops nicely. The acting is great, and the jokes (mainly around Domyoji’s attempt at puns) are funny. Can’t wait to see the next episode. It’s hard to know which girl to root for, in their attempts to win Domyoji, and the twist is that Domyoji is still a really big jerk most of the time, but can actually be kind of nice. I guess I would blame it on his twisted upbringing. Still, the girls in the show are cute!
Haken no Hinkaku (ハケンの品格)
I just started watching this one, and it looks pretty good. Basically, it’s the story of a Haken, or contract worker, who joins a small marketing team for a three month contract. But she is no ordinary Haken, but rather a “Super-Haken”. She can basically do it all, but she is really matter-of-fact and doesn’t take any crap from the full-time staff, who treat Haken like dirt. It’ll be interesting how her cold demeanor changes. At least I think it will change, and I guess there will be a love interest with the marketing team leader. Should be fun. Also, Super-Haken Shinohara Ryoko is cute.
Himitsu no Hanazono (ヒミツの花園)
Into episode two of this dorama, and it could be good, it could be bad. The story is of a young woman who is an editor for a magazine, and is assigned to one of the top manga artists. She thinks it is a woman who goes by the name of Hanazono Yuriko, but finds out that this mystery woman is actually four brothers. That’s the secret the title of the dorama is referring to, of course. Each of the brothers is very different, and that is where things might get interesting. It’s an pretty good idea for a dorama, and since the main character is really pretty, I can see myself watching the whole series. Also, it’s refreshing that there aren’t any boy-band stars, although maybe the youngest brother is in a boy-band? Oh, the main actress, Shaku Yumiko, is cute.
Erai Tokoro ni Totsuide Shimatta! (エラいところに嫁いでしまった!)
I am on episode three of this, and I don’t think it is very good. It is pretty much the same story: The husband tricks the wife to visit his parents’ house, and she is in for a frustrating time. I almost can’t watch this one, it is so maddening. The only saving grace is that I get to watch Nakama Yukie, who is cute.
Haikei, Chichiue-sama (拝啓、父上様)
This one looks more serious, although Mariko said that it was supposed to be a comedy. I just watched a few minutes, but it might be good. The plot centers around one young man who works at a Ryoten. Mariko wanted to see this because it stars Nino, who is a member of Arashi. He’s actually pretty good, and he must be cute, since girls seem to love him.