#Dragon Zakura 2

[dilebe06]

My Favorite Female Characters

[wolame-o-ccx]

Finished watching Dragon Zakura s2 it has everything I love

Polycule queers

Kento Hayashi

JOKE the show is actually really good I'm definitely gonna rewatch it in the future especially because there are studying tips that can help me with my academics because I suck ass.

I loved all the character stories and arcs I just wish netflix had season 1 so I could watch it before but whatever I'll watch it some other day!!!

9/10 overall because they didn't even get to gather at the tree WHICH IS LITERALLY THE NAME OF THE SERIES BTW when they graduated ACTUALLY WE DIDNT EVEN REALLY SEE THEM GRADUATE but it's okay whatever 👍 I loved it

Also Kento is so pretty I've said this like a thousand times now

+ his boyfriend

[jdramablr]

[moononmyfloor]

In the 1st Quarter of 2024 Cdramaland...

2nd Quarter, 3rd Quarter, 4th Quarter

1. The Hope

Nothing can be better than a Zhang Ruoyun drama to start the year with. One of the best High School shows I've seen in the recent years, it had an amazing balance of explosive emotions of youth and jaded realism. It would appeal to viewers of all age ranges and I felt so so much nostalgia and relatability from beginning to the end. It was funny, it was smart, it was beautifully acted down to every minor role. (I pretend that last 30 minutes didn't happen, though)

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2. Wang Qiang (as Li Ran from The Hope), Zheng Hehuizi as Yang Caiwei from In Blossom)

LOOK at that babie😭🥺. Don't you want to pinch his cheeks? One of the most darling characters I had pleasure of watching recently, I wish a bright, bright future career for Wang Qiang. He portrayed the classic outwardly-prickly, marshmallow-inside teenager archetype with amazing nuance.

And Yang Caiwei oh Yang Caiwei.... as one of the shows and characters that created quite the buzz recently, I don't have anything more to add to the discussion. I can only say: lady, thank you for taking up a role that is FINALLY convincingly scarred, unkempt, dirty and not strikingly goddess-y from the first glance, and playing her with such gusto the true, genuine beauty of the character was drawn out with no external effort at all.

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3. The Hope

This drama utilized music so beautifully than 99% idol romance dramas ever would. Atmospheric music that elevated the scenes with lyrics that fit, not to mention writing three whole songs to be FULLY performed in-drama for character purposes. It felt like a musical at times. Talk about dedication.

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4. Pan Yue's, from In Blossom, Legend of Shen Li (Only few)

I mean

How many costume drama wardrobes can top these embroidery and visibly high quality fabric? Not to mention they actually look wearable in daily life, and not just ornate for "main character's costumes" reasons. They are actually quite simple, if you think a bit- but immensely tasteful. AND

My FAVORITE thing about not just his, but all costumes in this show that I've rarely seen other dramas do is: They repeated the costumes! Many times! Almost all of them! And that added so much to the groundedness of the character. Rich young master having a runway-worthy wardrobe? Nothing new. Him wearing them again and again because that's what a normal, reasonable person does? I'm sold.

I loved the plain but in an elegant and carefree way styling of the two leads of Shen Li whenever they were having recluse times. *This* is exactly how I imagine immortals too- just vibing and not decked in gold from head-to-toe because they are simply beyond it. Whenever the show changed to the typical bejewelled guzhuang garb in heaven scenes, it immeadietely visually reduced the show to just another xianxia. First Till the End of the Moon and now this😭. Guys, pick a consistent style and rock it proudly! A signature look is very important especially if you are aiming to create an impactful all-powerful character! I see no reason the gods couldn't do all the grand court and fight scenes in these robes either, honestly that would've served drive home the nail that the gods function on a different wavelength than humans.

(Also Wtf was even that Shen Li in a Greek goddess like getup? [last image] Not that it's not pretty BUT *waves hands around helplessly..)

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5. In Blossom, Legend of Shen Li, The Hope, Baking Challenge

In Blossom posters had a perfect balance of traditional Chinese ethereal elegance mixed with gothic horror mystery vibes.

I LOVED the "how I imagine the peaceful cottagecore fairytale like life of my great-grandparents" vibe of Shen Li posters. It's giving lore.

Really liked the "hooligan teens on retro album cover" aesthetic of The Hope posters too.

The whimsical food posters of Baking Challenge were also fun.

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6. Detective Chinatown 2

I didn't even know a Detective Chinatown S2 was even coming like...until it did and it was like a second new year because I LOVED that show and it was the most unexpected pleasant surprise of the year- especially when almost all the main cast members were returning. And the first few eps were amazing too and didn't do a disservice at all to the previous season and I got my hopes up thinking we'll get to see a continuation of the Roy Chiu-Janine Chang arc too... only for the show to pull the rug and did the exact same thing as the previous season- the main character withdrew from the story by midpoint. Oh my gods. I want to find this show's creators and give them a good shake. Have some Janine jiejie pics from first season though just for the nostalgia's sake.

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7. Baking Challenge

If you aren't deterred by barely-legible machine subs, give this one a try. It's a fun little food drama that doesn't take itself seriously yet has a lot of heart. And for The Untamed fans, there's our Lan Sizhui (Zheng Fanxing) in it, and he's still the same cutie pie!

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8. Pegasus

I watched five episodes, it's a solid show, fun too, it's just that I'm not very into racing AND Hu Xianxu is still a baby in my head😭😂 To convince me that he's a rich CEO with his own romance and adult problems will take at least 20 more years!

I see him parading like this and couldn't help but want to laugh hysterically lol. IT'S NOT HIS FAULT. He's an amazing actor! But still..

I hope he doesn't try to force-rush his shift to adult characters, either.

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More posts by me

[diversamenteintelligente]

(via DRAGON SAKURA S2)

Una storia motivante, che parla di amicizia, di spirito di coesione, di perseveranza e di speranza.

[ayamisc]

SUMMER 2010 J-dorama watchlist!

(c) Hiura Satoru, NTV

After that uneventful Spring 2010 j-dorama season (where only ONE series "passed" my criteria….)

I'm so HAPPY to know there are a lot of shows worth watching this season! :)

I've only been following 3 so far, and am about to watch the 4th one to see if it is "worth it" HAHAHA :P

Those 3 (and the reasons why I've decided to watch them) are:

Hotaru no Hikari 2

I've seen the first season of this romantic comedy. And comparing the korean to the japanese romcoms… I think this is the one that can be classified as closest to being Korean. This series is HILARIOUS. Starring Fujiki Naohito and Ayase Haruka… well. I just LOVE their chemistry on screen. Also, both are talented actors.. specially Fujiki Naohito (who I've seen play MANY roles..yet.. this one is DEFINITELY the MOST hilarious one!)

Aside from the continuation of the 1st series, the reason I've decided to watch this is because the "other" guy will be played by none other than Mukai Osamu… and he's portraying the role that REALLY suits him (kinda same role as the one in Atashinchi no Danshi and Bambino! ..though of course I don't mind him playing the bad/serious guy.. but still, this kind of role suits him BETTER).

I think I like season 2 better than season 1.. at least based on the first few episodes anyway. :) I'm not a fan of romcoms (that are not the shoujo manga type) much but.. I suppose this is an exception.

Moyashimon

THOSE MICROBES ARE SO CUTE! Hahaha.. I just fell in love with them that I even decided to watch the anime version (after YEARS of anime fandom hiatus). I'm also planning to read the manga chapters when I find time..

Anyhow, aside from the microbes… the series is just ridiculous. I hate to say it, but that's how I see it. It is.. OUTRAGEOUS… kinda in the same "feel" to it as Yukan Club, Mei-chan no Shitsuji, and Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge.

I'm not a fan of random storylines so maybe that's why I don't like this one as much. But the microbes are really oh so cute. >.>

HAMMER SESSION! You know how sometimes you get exposed to artists and you don't end up liking them right away? ..But in the end.. you DO (after months and years) ..kinda like saying "That artist grew up on me"

WELL. This happened. AGAIN. (The first occurence was.. my ichiban.. who I kinda ignored in Gokusen 3.. but anyway. back to the topic)

For the second time, it has happened. With Hayami Mokomichi. DUE TO THIS SERIES! LOL.

-Hammer Session is like……. Gokusen, Dragon Zakura, and Kurosagi COMBINED.

DO YOU KNOW HOW AWESOME THAT IS!!!!!! LOL.

-aside from Mokomichi Hayami (who I also kinda ignored in Gokusen 2 [I swear, Gokusen.. the starting point of all ikemen leading men]). Shida Mirai also stars in this series.

She's definitely grown. In a positive way. I'd like to see her become kinda like Toda Erika. XD

Higa Manami is also a part of this, and having seen her in Code Blue, Code Blue 2, and Majo Saiban.. I'm confident she'll bring a different flavor into the mix that is HAMMER SESSION. :D :D :D

As for the others I have YET to check out, here are a few info on them (also I'll only include the artists I've encountered before):

Unubore Deka - detective story, comedy starring Nagase Tomoya of TOKIO, Ikuta Toma, Kaname Jun, and Nakashima Mika

Tetsu no Hone - moral dilemma story starring Koike Teppei (aaaw.. he's starting to go for mature roles..)

JOKER Yurusarezaru Sosakan - hero by day, fugitive by night kind of story (Anne and Nishikido Ryo are co-starring too)

Natsu no Koi wa Nijiiro ni Kagayaku - romance.. Matsujun stars (well, Matsujun and romance.. not his fan but.. Matsujun and romance? All too good to pass up)

Gakeppuchi no Eri - self-determination story starring Yamada Yu (probably won't watch this, but we'll see)

Already 3 episodes a week, and 5 other tentative follows.

I'm SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO gonna enjoy this season!!!! YEAH!! :]

PS. This blog was originally posted on LiveJournal.

[dayseternal-blog]

Hi Days! I just watched the Kabuki documentary with Ikuta Toma the other day and it was really interesting! I was surprised (and happy) to see Shun Oguri there too! I'm curious though if you've watched/followed other shows of any other Japanese celebrity? I also just finished watching "First Love" with Takeru Sato and Hikari Mitsushima the other day, it was a lovely series ❤️

Hello born!!! The Kabuki documentary was really, really interesting, right???? Finding out about how he was just coasting through being a trainee and realizing one day that everyone (Arashi ahhhh) was debuting except for him, it's like 💔 But he really found his own path!!! And I was also surprised to see Oguri Shun there! Just, like a surprise treat for all the fans??? I had no idea that they were such close friends.

*big sighs* I don't have the time to invest in regularly watching dramas. I do really, really want to watch First Love! Mostly because I want to support Netflix in carrying more Japanese dramas. Also who doesn't love Utada Hikaru.

I'm not sure if you're asking about current or in the past, but when I was a teenager, I watched

Hana Yori Dango starring MatsuJun, Inoue Mao, and Oguri Shun

Nobuto wo Produce starring Kamenashi Kazuya, Horikita Maki, and Yamapi

Kurosagi (2006) starring Yamapi - they've remade this recently starring Hirano Sho (King & Prince)

Gokusen 1, 2, and 3 starring Nakama Yukie

Kisarazu Cat's Eye starring Okada Junichi (ok did you watch him in The Fable on Netflix because if not, you absolutely must!!!)

Dragon Zakura starring Abe Hiroshi

Hana Kimi starring Horikita Maki, Ikuta Toma, and Oguri Shun

1 Litre no Namida starring Nishikido Ryo and Sawajiri Erika

Liar Game 1 and 2 starring Matsuda Shota and Toda Erika

Densha Otoko starring Ito Atsushi and Ito Misaki

Koizora (film) starring Miura Haruma and Aragaki Yui

Tantei Gakuen Q (film & drama) starring Kamiki Ryunosuke, Shida Mirai, and Yamada Ryosuke

Seigi no Mikata starring Shida Mirai and Yamada Yu

My Boss My Hero starring Nagase Tomoya

Ryuusei no Kizuna starring Ninomiya Kazunari, Toda Erika, and Nishikido Ryo

Chekaraccho!! (Check It Out Yo!!) (film) starring Ichihara Hayato, Inoue Mao, and Hiraoka Yuta

Hero SP starring Kimura Takuya

I am certain that there's others that I don't have listed here, but basically I mostly watched dramas that starred Johnny's idols in the mid-2000s. I was a big Toda Erika, Aragaki Yui, and Shida Mirai fan. By 2008, I was moving onto Taiwanese and Korean fandoms, so like Takeru Satoh? I didn't watch anything with him in it even though he's a big name actor now, he was only just starting to get name recognition in 2008.

I have watched a few current films!! So actually I recently watched Mitsushima Hikari in Tang and Me starring Ninomiya Kazunari. She was so good. The plot of Tang was awful, but everyone's acting was SO HIGH TIER that the film was worth watching. I have high expectations for her in First Love. Also I watched The Fable film series on Netflix starring Okada Junichi, and yes. Yes. One of the best movies I've watched this year.

In terms of current dramas... I saw the first episode of Koi Nante, Honki De Yatte Dousuru No? (Who Needs True Love?) which stars Matsumura Hokuto and Hirose Alice. I really want to watch the rest of this because I think it will help me finish writing my fic "Genghis Khan." But. The Japanese is slightly too difficult for me to understand :( I heard from my friend that Hokuto's sex appeal is to-die-for in this drama. If I can't watch him in Koi Nante, I know that I'll at least get to hear him voice act in Shinkai's Suzume no Tojimari once it hits American theaters.

I also watched the first episode of Silent, which stars Meguro Ren and Kawaguchi Haruna. It comes highly recommended by my friends. It took a ton of brainpower for me to understand the first episode, though. My friends have way better Japanese comprehension than me. It really seems like Matsumura Hokuto and Meguro Ren are names to keep an eye on in Japanese entertainment these days.

My friends also really want me to watch Cherry Magic starring Akaso Eiji and Machida Keita. I feel like I've watched it already because I've seen so many clips of it here on Tumblr haha.

I'm sorry this was a huge response 😓 for a simple check-in. I guess I just summarized and relived several years of Japanese pop culture obsession in the past two hours of writing this out. Thoughts on anything I've written here? :D

[maenimalist]

[marx48]

[onceuponajdrama]

Dragon Zakura 2

TBS, 2021

[aramajapan]

"Dragon Zakura 2" final episode earns 20.4%; Aragaki Yui, Yamapi, Koike Teppei and other former cast appear

The final episode of “Dragon Zakura 2″ starring Abe Hiroshi and Nagasawa Masami aired on Sunday and earned a rating of 20.4% (13.1% individual rating)! The drama is based on the manga series of the same name by Mita Norifusa published in 2018 and is a sequel set 15 years after the highly popular drama […]

Read more on aramajapan.com

[dilebe06]

My Favorite Male Characters

[idleminds]

What were your fav jdramas from 2021? Your recs are always good and I am looking for something new to watch so I thought I would ask. Thanks!

- Konto ga Hajimaru (my jdrama of the year) - Kodoku no Gurume 9 (should I even include this lol, it’s just my all-time fave) - Dragon Zakura 2 (you don’t really need to watch the first season, I watched it not long after it aired over a decade ago and have never had a rewatch since so I even forget what happened lol) - Pension Metsa - Ikiru Toka, Shinu Toka, Chichioya Toka - Hankei 5 Metoru - Kakenai - Ore no Ie no Hanashi - Saiai - Nao-chan wa Shogakusannensei - Zenkamono - Nijiiro Karute - Ojisama to Neko - Boku no Neechan - Solo Katsu Joshi no Susume The last two aren’t fully subbed yet but I can already tell they’re going on the list.

[jdramablr]

[luna-rainbow]

J-drama 2021 overview

It felt like a very long year (like I was surprised some of the titles were from this year and not last year). There was still a lot of uncertainty about TV shows this year, but pretty much every season has put out solid stuff. Production is still frequently interrupted by actors getting diagnosed with Covid and ratings have also been impacted by Olympics, although looking at the numbers, you wouldn't think that was the case, which might indicate the quality of the shows during the Olympics season (July) were better than usual.

Top rated dramas (*asterisk for personal recommendation)

Doctor X (season 7) - 16.47

Nihon Chinbotsu - 15.77

Tengoku to Jigoku (*) - 15.47

Dragon Zakura (season 2) - 14.95

Tokyo MER - 13.6

Ichikei no Karasu (*) - 12.59

Kinkyu Torishirabeshitsu (season 4) (*) - 12.18

Kansatsui Asagao (season 2) - 11.96

Oh My Boss! Koi wa bessatsu de - 11.63

Hakozume (*) - 11.39

The top 5 dramas are all big productions with fantastic cast, who acted the heck out of some real dubious plotlines.

This is a year where medical dramas dominated more than crime dramas (the two tentpoles of Japanese TV), although interestingly none of them (AFAIK) focused on the Covid situation. Apart from the three in the top ten (Doctor X, Tokyo MER, Kansatsui Asagao), three medical dramas just missed out - Night Doctor (11.19), Niji-iro Karute (11.03), and Radiation House (10.71).

Interestingly, romances did poorly this year: only Oh My Boss (plot was bleh but gosh the cinematography was pretty) scraped into the top 10. Despite trotting out big names, romances - whether dramatic or comedy - all rated under 10%, even though the premise and production came across as decent. For those interested in checking them out: Kon'intodoke ni han wo oshita dake desu ga (Seino Nana), Koi wa Deep ni (Ishihara Satomi), RikoKatsu (Kitagawa Keiko), Koi desu (Sugisaki Hana), Sai'ai (Yoshitaka Yuriko), and UchiKare (Hamabe Minami).

Personal favourites (in no particular order)

Tengoku to Jigoku (thriller) - well acted, unusual premise and plot even if not always logical, great chemistry between the two leads

Kinkyu Torishirabeshitsu (police procedural) - a very well put together season compared to some other seasonal procedurals

Hakozume (slice of life) - cute and heartfelt, but what stood out was the great relationship between two lead women

Ore no ie no hanashi (slice of life) - a well-written sensitive but humorous portrayal of family, illness and death

[thedumbguywithaheart43]

Boomlords weird adventure

Chapter 47 war! what is it good for!

1 Boom walked out of the throne room and paced the Halls for what felt like hours upon hours. Every minute started to feel like an eternity. In all his life time never seem to slow as much as this even after 500 years this was the only time he can truly remember the seconds feeling this slow. Then he heard the horn from outside of the castle. Boom knew what this meant what he dread was happening now he had to face them. He just hopes can put on a good show enough for them to back way.

2 boom made his way to what he could only assume to be celestia's room however notable changes were made. The changes being the big ass hole Deadpool made. Still it was more than cinematic enough for what had to be done. He walked up to the platform crudely put together with dry wood and other random bits leading out like a stage. Deadpool was also there notably standing on the actual floor where he hadn't built anything. "All yours boss the possible future cause to a tetanus shot is ready."Deadpool then passed him a microphone connected to dozens of speakers hidden around the castle and outer areas."for the record I think we should have spent more time preparing the actual speech then blowing up a hole in the castle."Deadpool only responded with."noted now get out there and ruin your life I'm rooting for you!"despite the cruelness of the joke in a way it did make Bloom feel better. Reminder of a simpler time.

3 But simpler times would have to wait. Outside of the castle stood Twilight and her friends and every pony that they could muster behind them were the various friends from the Omniverse each ready to take up the fight. With the exception of courage who likely stayed back in ponyville. Most surprising of all however would be the large group of dragons along with ember and Spike all dressed in armor. They all waited as twilight took a step forward an the air went silent."boom Lord by the laws of Equestria an it's people! By the the words of the elements of harmony I beg of you please stand down and return the princess. Do this and we can all just head back to ponyville an forget this please." Twilight's voice was firm there was no trace of fear to be found yet boom could still feel the desperateness of it. It wasn't the voice of an angry mare it was the pleading voice of someone who loves him. But boom nearly swallowed his sorrow he could not allow emotion to blind him. If he had to be the bad guy he would do it no matter how much it hurt.

3 "Twilight your laws mean nothing in the grand scheme of it. I told you once that I was evil you should have listened to me."Twilight gritted her teeth."boom you know you're not-"but Bloom interrupted her."did you think I was lying I told you I was evil without even trying."he then lifted his hands as the ground started to rumble."I've already faced death I'm not scared of dying an you come with your armies thinking that I'll fall an whittle. I'm a bad little boy yes bad but not little."as he finish speaking spikes began to rise from the ground around castle. Twilight couldn't help but notice that the words he spoke all rhymed it was sort of like zakura but in a more rap way."leave or face my wrath I will not warm a second time."

4 Twilight didn't have the chance to speak because Rainbow Dash decided to speak for her with her actions. With lightning speed far past anything boom could have predicted she struck him in the chest with her two daggers. The force was enough to send them both into the air high above the platform. Once they were about 40 to 50 ft in the air the world seemed to freeze for rainbow as blood started to ooze down her hooves. But was worse was the light chuckle."I gotta say rainbow I wasn't expecting that. I'm so glad to see you remembered the first rule don't lead with your head."his voice almost seemed amused as he gasped for breath."but you don't know the second rule."rainbow felt her heart filled with fear but she kept a strong face twisting the daggers in his chest. But he showed little emotion to it."you chose the wrong person to stab."with that said he grabbed rainbow by her mane and forced his forehead into hers with enough Force to send her flying back into the ground along with him. But you went tumbling down and crashed into the ground and once again there was silence. And as they waited to figure started to stand. It was boom standing over the unconscious body of rainbow Dash and pulling the daggers out from his chest."ok so who's feeling lucky!"

(lastly points to anyone who got the reference that rap was to I did change up the lyrics but I do hope people recognize it)