I recently started watching Chinese historical dramas, and I'm hooked. I can't believe it took me this long to finally get into them, and the costume design is my favourite thing about them after the story, of course. Why didn't anyone tell me there is so much elegance and style in historical C-dramas? At this point, I'm watching them just for the outfits; the ladies are gorgeous in their flashy outfits, and the men look amazing.

I've been watching Japanese dramas for so long that I used to think the beauty standard for men in Asian countries was to be thin and somewhat effeminate, but Korean and Chinese men in dramas look manly, with broad shoulders and muscles. That's not to say Japanese men aren't manly; they just look thinner and tend to have more facial hair than the others. I don't think I've ever seen a Chinese or Korean man with a beard, even in a drama. I love a man with a beard, it's so sexy!

As I was saying, I finally started watching C dramas, and I can't get enough of them. The first drama I watched was The Double 墨雨云间, a revenge and romance drama adapted from a webtoon. This is one of the most beautiful and tragic love stories I've ever watched, and this drama had me crying like a baby from the beginning. Despite the rollercoaster of emotions it put me through, I've already watched it twice, and Duke Su (Wang Xing Yue) is fantastic!

Wang Xing Yue as Duke Su

Revenge Drama Done Right

Bai Lu as Pei Yi

Unveil Jadewind: A Historical Crime Drama

Yang Mi as Hai Shi & William Chan as Fang Zhu

Is There A C-Drama With A Happy Ending

In the summer of 2024, I was looking for a new drama series to watch while working from home when I came across Koizora (Sky of Love).  I have been watching J-dramas for years, but I've never heard of it, even though the movie starring Hurama Miura and Yui Aragaki came out in 2007, and the drama series a year later.

When I started watching the series, I thought it was another sweet and innocent high school romance. Boy meets girl, and girl falls head over heels for the boy, but I had no idea of what I was getting myself into when I started this beautiful yet painful love story. I didn't experience my first love in high school; in fact, I didn't date until university. However, as a teenager, I had an unrealistic idea of what love was.

Most girls tend to think that their first love will be the man they'll get married to and have children with, at least I did. A breakup or death never came up in any of the scenarios I came up with when I started thinking about love, and Koizora (Sky of Love) shows that love isn't any easier for teenagers and sometimes, it isn't enough to be with the person you love.

Koizora (Sky Of Love): Hiro And Mika

The Koizora (Sky of Love) drama series and movie are based on a mobile novel written by Mika. Mika was a new writer when she submitted a story based on her own experience, which was then published as a book in 2007. A movie adaptation was released in the same year, followed by a drama series in 2008 starring Koji Seto as Hiro and Erena Mizusawa as Mika. 

The story follows Mika Tahara, an easygoing high school student who loves taking photos of the sky and has yet to encounter true love. One day, she bumps into a rebellious kid in school, Hiro, who stands out due to his bleached hair and piercings. Hiro leaves a bad impression on Mika, who is put off by his appearance. A few days later, Mika loses her mobile phone while hanging out with her friends, only to find it later on with all her contacts deleted.

From that day on, she received calls from the mysterious boy who deleted her contacts. As they spoke daily on the phone, Mika became interested in the boy, and one day he asked her if they could meet on the first day back to school after summer break. Mika is shocked to find out that the person on the other end of the phone is Hiro Sakurai, the rebellious boy with silver hair. As Mika gets to know Hiro, they fall in love. Little does she know that their love would be beautiful, painful and tragic.

Hiro (Koji Seto) and Mika (Erena Mizusawa) in Koizora, Sky of Love drama

Hiro, Mika And The Other Girl

Hiro had an ex-girlfriend, whom he broke up with before dating Mika. She didn't take it well, as expected and decided to torment Mika for being with Hiro. Mika had nothing to do with their breakup, but she was blinded by jealousy and hired some guys to rape Mika. What happened to her was horrible, and Hiro blamed himself for not being able to protect her. Despite the pain and anger, this awful experience will bring them closer and strengthen their love.

It seemed like nothing could tear them apart, but strategy struck soon after, more than once. I believe I've said enough to make you want to watch the drama or movie; it's worth it, and there is so much to learn from Hiro and Mika's story. Their love was intense for their age, and it is the type of love that can easily go wrong. Hiro was a gentle soul despite his rebellious look. His feelings for Mika were genuine, and he stayed true to himself until the end, even though I don't agree with some of the decisions he made.

Hiro was Mika's first love, and she loved him with all her heart. She didn't blame him or walk away when his ex-girlfriend was tormenting her. She was always there for him, and later on would come back to be by his side after he pushed her away. It brought her so much pain to love him, yet she never had any regrets. She seemed sweet and delicate, but Mika is an amazing girl who was able to recover from a horrible experience and grief.

The Boy Who Became The Sky

Mika's impression of Hiro is that he was like a river, looking ahead without ever stopping! This was reaffirmed when Hiro took her to his favourite place, and she told him. You really are like a river, to which Hiro replied, I would rather be like the sky so that I can always find you wherever you go. It's one of the most beautiful and emotional scenes in Koizora. When I was halfway through the drama in 2024, I remember saying to myself, May this type of love never find me.

Falling in love with Hiro felt like a punishment for Mika; they had happy moments, but she went through so much just for loving him, and it was heartbreaking to watch. I cried my eyes out the entire time, and after watching the movie the other night, I now think their story has some valuable life lessons I didn't want to acknowledge at the time.

Koizora (Sky of Love) is a tale of a beautiful and tragic love story between two high schoolers. It perfectly captures the realities of life, and love isn't easy for teenagers. Jealousy can turn a cute high school girl into a crazy ex-girlfriend, and your first love might not have a happy ending. If you haven't watched Koizora, I highly recommend picking up the drama or movie and why not both? Have your tissue box ready, you'll need it!

When I opened YouTube one day, I was suggested the trailer to an upcoming Korean film called Good News on Netflix. I started watching K-dramas/movies this year, and I'm enjoying their crime TV shows. So I clicked on the video and a few seconds in, my boy Sato from Tokyo Vice, aka Sho Kasamatsu, appeared on the screen. Isn’t this supposed to be a Korean film?! And who do I see next, the one and only Serizawa (Takayuki Yamada).

Tamao Serizawa is a character in the Crows Zero movies, based on the popular delinquent manga Crows by Hiroshi Takahashi. This is what got me into delinquent manga ( yes, I love delinquent manga). Crows is a classic, and for those who watched the High & Low movies, especially the crossover with Crows, you've heard of Suzuran and Housen. So Tamao Serizawa is Suzuran’s boss in the first Crows Zero movie.

I'm team Housen and don't care about Suzuran, but I like Genji Takiya (Shun Oguri) more than Serizawa. Now, back to Good News. I was initially confused to see Japanese actors in a Korean film, and since I didn't know what it was about, I did some research and found out the film is based on true events. I've been into Japanese media for decades, and I can't tell you how happy I was to see a Japanese cast I'm familiar with in a foreign movie.

Takayuki Yamada as Shinichi Ishida

Japanese Dramas In The West

I started watching Japanese dramas in 2008, and the very first drama I watched was Hanakimi, also known as Ikkemen Paradise, which is now available on Netflix. I loved it so much I started looking for something similar, and that's how my interest shifted from anime to Japanese dramas and movies.

Although many J-dramas are based on popular manga, they have never reached the same level of popularity as anime, especially here in Europe. It wasn't easy to come across people who loved J-dramas in the late 2000s, as the fandom is very niche. When K-dramas exploded in the West, I wondered why it hadn’t happened with J-dramas.

I finally understood when I started watching K-dramas this year. Korean filmmakers knew how to appeal to an international audience by making K-dramas accessible to the West. It's easy to find J-dramas on streaming services these days, but it wasn't the case a few years ago. Japan is well-known for its strict copyright laws, and I believe it's one of the reasons J-dramas are only starting to gain popularity in Europe. Last Samurai Standing was in the UK Top 10 TV shows for a couple of weeks.

Storytelling tailored only for a Japanese audience is also another factor; if that's the case, why did I get into J-dramas in the first place? As I mentioned, I've been watching anime since childhood, so I'm familiar with Japanese storytelling, which is why it was easy to transition from anime to dramas. Their storytelling might be "shocking" by its realness to someone who is just getting into manga or dramas.

And finally, Japanese actors' lack of interest in working outside Japan. Shun Oguri has been my favourite Japanese actor since Hana Yori Dango, and I wish I had seen him in international projects. The same goes for Kento Yamazaki; he's doing well and reminds me of Shun Oguri, then. Like him, his work is limited to Japan. That’s why I have a soft spot for Mackenyu and Sho Kasamatsu; these guys are bold and going for international roles.

Hong Kyung as Lieutenant Seo Go-Myung

Good News: The Crossover We Needed

Good News is a 2025 Thriller - Comedy based on true events and directed by Byun Sung-Hyun. The story follows a group of Japanese communists who hijack a domestic flight and change its course to Pyongyang. Things don't go as planned when someone diverts the plane to Seoul. The movie features an international cast including Hong Kyung, Sho Kasamatsu, Takayuki Yamada and Ryoo Seung-bum.

I was excited about the movie because the trailer was hilarious, and it was amazing to see such a crossover between Japanese and South Korean cinema. As I mentioned earlier, many Japanese actors tend to limit themselves to Japan, and you can't help but feel excited when you see such an assembly of actors. At the same time, I also didn't know what to expect as I had never seen such a crossover before. Can Korean and Japanese acting and humour go well together?

Good News is one of the best films I watched this year; it's a satire with witty humour, and I laughed my head off. They knew how to capture Japanese humour and stereotypes as well as the complex relations between Koreans and the Japanese. My favourite scene is when they see a black guy eating a burger in Pyongyang. I'm still laughing as I'm writing this post. I felt bad for Seo Go-myung, the guy was trying so hard, while no one seemed to care. It shows how disconnected from reality people in high positions really are.

What Happened To Joe Yabuki

The highlight of the movie for me was when one of the hijackers quoted Joe Yabuki, for context, Joe Yabuki is the protagonist in the sports manga series Ashita no Joe, written by Asao Takamori and illustrated by Tetsuya Chiba. The story follows a young drifter who discovers a passion for boxing and makes a name for himself on the global boxing scene.

I watched Ashita no Joe as a child with my dad in the early 90s; it was his favourite anime, and I didn't understand back then why he loved it so much. In the first few episodes, Joe Yabuki was a scum, so why did he love it so much? It all made sense when I watched it again as an adult to remember my dad, and it's only then that I realised its social impact.

This movie raised an interesting question: what happened to Joe? Did he really die? I'm glad I finally got into K-dramas this year because if I didn't, I would've missed out on such a gem. There are only two words to describe Good News: fantastic and ridiculous, and I recommend it enough.

Thank you for reading!