dangermousie: (MatsuJun: close-up by allbloomedout)
[personal profile] dangermousie
Mmmmm. Because I don’t have enough unfinished dramas already, I just started a new one: Brand. It’s a jdrama, as I’ve been craving a jdrama for a while (if I spend too much time without watching a tw/k/jdrama but watching the other ones, I end up developing a craving). It’s an older drama (2000) and I don’t think anyone on my flist has seen it, except for the awesome [livejournal.com profile] tatterpunk who recommended it (I owe you).

It’s also something that is rarer than a fat JE boy: an office drama with a younger man/older woman that I love..

The story revolves around Midori (Imai Miki) and Koichiro (Ichikawa Somegoro, the attractive womanizer from Pride).

Midori is a very successful 35 year old manager at an expensive fashion line. She is a workaholic, happy with her work, well-balanced (none of that annoying ‘having to fight uphill battle for your career, look at discrimination blah blah’ stuff), who lives with her elderly father. However, something is missing in her life and she is wondering if it isn’t husband and kids. After all, she is a bit lonely being single.

And then one day, her paths cross with Koichiro, the 25 year old, rebellious heir to a prominent tea family. Koichiro is sarcastic, eccentric, and he throws Midori off-kilter in her ordered life. He has also just decided to apply (and has been hired) as an assistant in the department Midori manages.

If Midori, who is successful and well-adjusted (not one of those tedious ‘I am a repressed wreck’ OL characters) is a major reason for why I love this, Koichiro is the other. His character actually (tatterpunk was right) fixes a lot of the problems I have with OL romances. For one thing, he is actually taller than Midori! (:P). Koichiro is not an aimless weakling who either (a)needs to grow up or (b)is inferior to the girl and will just be rolling over for her. If I love my heroines alpha, I want my heroes to be alpha too. He is not flustered or dominated by Midori in the slightest, though he is certainly interested by her. Their interaction is total give-and-take. Plus, I find his background/story also very interesting: he is the heir to a traditional tea family, but it’s clear he feels he’s been forced into a straightjacket. The fact that his path (from his job, to his arranged fiancée) is predetermined for him drives him up the wall. He has made an agreement with his distant, unemotional father that will allow him to have freedom until a certain time, and only a year is left. I love the scene when he walks into the traditional ceremony wearing jeans and a jacket. He is home for his Mother’s annual death day rites, only to find out they happened last week because his father had something else scheduled on the day they were supposed to happen. The relationship between him and his father couldn’t be more different from the friendly, almost sibling-like relationship Midori has with her awesome Dad.

We’ll see how it goes, but first ep was awesome.

Date: 2007-07-26 03:30 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] kitsune714.livejournal.com
This sounds terribly interesting, and I don't think I'd ever heard of it before. Did you find it on d-addicts or jdramas?

Date: 2007-07-26 03:44 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dangermousie.livejournal.com
I know Brand is on d-addicts, but I actually got it from one of those disc-burning places. Let me know if you are having problems with seeding for Brand (as it's old, drama-wise) and I'll upload the eps for you onto MU or gigashare or similar.

Date: 2007-07-26 08:00 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] scottishlass.livejournal.com
I got so interested in this that I have requested it on [livejournal.com profile] jdramas right now. D-Addicts doesn't have any seeds :(

Date: 2007-07-26 08:12 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dangermousie.livejournal.com
Do you want me to upload this for you? My dvds are just burned copies, so they are not protected. Hmmm, maybe I should do it for jdramas...

Date: 2007-07-26 08:21 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] scottishlass.livejournal.com
If you upload then do it for jdramas :) I will get it from there then :) Atm I'm downloading Akihabara@Deep so it is not urgent or anything :)
But I would love to see it :)

Date: 2007-07-28 03:54 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dangermousie.livejournal.com
I didn't ul it to jdramas after all (because my files don't break down by ep but by ep + 1/5 of next ep) but I did ul it to my lj, so enjoy!

Date: 2007-07-28 04:15 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] scottishlass.livejournal.com
Strangely, a lot of HK or Chinese VCDs do that ... have the same prob with Jinsei wo jojo da and Wakamono no subete, which come in strange increments too :)
No problem :) I'll head over to your LJ soon :)

Date: 2007-07-29 02:43 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dangermousie.livejournal.com
Yeah, it's bizarre. It works fine in my dvd player break wise, but if I watch on computer, the increments don't line up as neatly. No idea...

Date: 2007-07-27 03:23 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dragonmaster-x.livejournal.com
Is the video good quality? A lot of older drama avi files are very fuzzy/grainy.

Date: 2007-07-27 03:39 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dangermousie.livejournal.com
It's a bit on the fuzzy side but not bad. Sorta mediocre.

Date: 2007-07-28 08:12 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] lilithiasonata.livejournal.com
I haven't heard of this before. I NEED TO FIND IT & WATCH IT.

Date: 2007-07-28 03:53 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dangermousie.livejournal.com
I just uled it. Also, it's available streaming, as listed in comments to the uling post.

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