1. Yukan Club - It's about six bigshot students from prominent families studying in a school for the ridiculously rich (like Hanadan). They head the school's student council but instead of doing their job, they just laze around in boredom. To ward off their boredom they form the Yukan Club (pun on You Can) and solve mysteries or get out of trouble that they got themselves into in the first place. There's a lot of kickin' butt, outrageous story lines, animé-like fx.ajennell wrote:Ok, I need some suggestions! I just watched two dramas in a row that just weren't what I was looking for and know you guys would have a better eye than I. I'm looking for something to watch either like Gokusen (I love the funny, kickin' butt, and secrecy) or something like Hana-Kimi, Hana Yori Dango, and Lunch Queen.
Any suggestions?
Thanks!!
Amber
2. Itazura na Kiss - This runs the gamut from manga to animé to 2 live action series (Japan and Taiwan). Kotoko is a Class F student who's been in love with Irie, a cold-hearted genius from Class A, since their first day in high school. In their senior year, Kotoko decides to confess her feelings to Irie in a letter which Irie publicly refuses to accept. That night, Kotoko and her father are rendered homeless (earthquake in animé, fire in jdrama). Her father's friends take them in. The friends turn out to be Irie's parents. Irie couldn't care less except he demands that she keeps their living arrangement a secret. Sooner than later the secret gets out. Kotoko gets Irie in all sorts of trouble but her "can do" spirit attracts him and cracks his cold heart. The jdrama is funny and ridiculous, compact but loses steam in the final episode. I think the animé is the best version.
3. Gakko ja Oshierarenai! - This is American Pie Japan version. Touai Academy used to be an all girls school but tough times forces it to accept male students. The first 5 male enrollees get into all sorts of trouble just by being typical teenage boys (translation: perverts). An optimistic, naive, Disney-obsessed teacher, Aida Mai, invites them to join the Social Dancing Club she is forming by promising to grant them one wish (the wish: she wear a sexy thong). She also invites 5 girls (school outcasts) to join the club. The super-strict vice principal and lesbian-stalker-kiss-stealing student council president oppose the SDC at every turn that's why they have to meet and practice in secret. Each episode unravels the emotional baggage of the members of the SDC. It's a hilarious comedy that tackles surprisingly serious issues like pregnancy, abortion, suicide and homosexuality with a comical and light-hearted twist.
4. Mukodono - Yuuichiro is a cool pop idol who falls in love with Sakura. They get married and live with Sakura's family -- father and 2 older sisters. Yuuichiro tries to fit into ordinary life while keeping his marriage a secret from the public.
5. My Boss, My Hero - Makio is a tough 27 year-old high school drop out. His father demands that he goes back to high school to get a diploma or else the position of being "Boss" will be given to Makio's younger brother. Makio is forced to go to a nearby school and pretend he is 17 years old. If his secret is found out, he can kiss being boss goodbye.
6. Hanayome wa Yakudoshi - Akiko, 32, gets fired from her job as a tv announcer in favor of a younger woman. In her new job, she is required to go undercover to experience life as a farmer's wife. She pretends to be engaged to her ex-boyfriend, Ichiro, and begins bride-training at his parents peach farm.
7. First Shop of Coffee Prince - Kdrama. Eun Chan is a responsible 24 year old woman with a flaky mom and a dependent younger sister. Her father died before she finished high school, so she had to drop out and earn a living for her family. She holds down several jobs all of them unglamorous and not at all feminine (one of them is being a tae-kwon-do instructor, so there's some butt kicking). Han Kyul is the irresponsible sole heir of a wealthy family. He's 29 years old and his sick grandmother is forcing him to settle down and get married. He crosses paths with Eun Chan whom he mistakes as a young boy. He pays Eun Chan to pretend to be his gay lover to fend off the marriage meetings arranged by his mother and grandmother. When cornered into taking responsibility of a failing coffee shop, Han Kyul revives the shop by renovation and hiring only men ("princes") to serve coffee. Still thinking Eun Chan is a boy, Han Kyul hires her. Needing the money, she couldn't tell him the truth. Han Kyul finds himself strangely attracted to the boy. He goes into a lot of trouble fighting off his feelings (like taking a pill to cure homosexuality). In the end he gives in to his feelings so Eun Chan had no choice but to tell the truth. This is funny and engaging. But I don't get the whole leaving-the-country thing Koreans are so fond of.
8. Ouran High Host Club - This is an animé. Again, ridiculously rich school, outrageously rich students, bored. Six boys form a Host Club (like escort service but platonic and only in the unused 3rd music room of the school). In comes Haruhi -- poor girl, school's charity scholar. Dressed in drab pullover and jeans, she stumbles into the 3rd music room while looking for a quiet place to study. The Host Club initially mistakes her as a boy. She accidentally breaks an 8-million-yen vase. They make her into a male host to pay for the vase. They keep her gender secret so she can go on entertaining female clients as a boy. Tamaki, the head host, finds himself attracted to her but fights the feeling because in his experience, love breaks bonds like family and friendship. He deludes himself into thinking he loves Haruhi as a daughter. This is funny and ridiculous, outrageous and unapologetically silly, especially Tamaki.
9. Young Americans - this is neither jdrama nor animé; it's not even from this continent. This is a short-lived American drama series initially touted as a spin off of Dawson's Creek. This is sort of like Hana Kimi. Again, ridiculously rich teenagers in a boarding school. Scout, a senator's son, attends Rawley -- Billionaire Boys Club but high school, situated in a middle class town with the same name. In town he meets Bella (Kate Bosworth - Lois Lane from the new Superman), daughter of the town mechanic. They fall in love quickly but Bella's dad drops the bomb -- they might be brother and sister. Scout's roommate, Will, is the school's charity case. He has all sorts of baggage like an alcoholic dad, the works. Hamilton (Ian Somerhalder from Lost), the dean's son, meets cool, motorcycle-riding, leather-jacket wearing, computer-hacking, rich kid Jake . Before the first episode is over, they KISS. Which leads Hamilton to think he's gay but Jake is hiding a secret -- she's Jacqueline (Kate Moennig from The L Word), posing as a guy to get her actress-mom's attention. This is a really old one - 1999; before Bosworth, Somerhalder and Moennig had careers.This includes a lot of other would-be big stars like Michelle Monaghan (M.I. 3, Made of Honor and Eagle Eye), Charline Hunnam (Nicholas Nickelby), Matt Czuchry (Gilmore Girls). I loved Hamilton and Jake's story which made me interested in First Shop of Coffee Prince and Hanazakari no Kimitachi e.