Itazura na Kiss - Love in Tokyo: Episode 1 Recap

I'm kind of a masochist, I think. I got a job last week (yay!), but now I'm picking up a show to recap. One that's nearly done airing. Why? I dunno. I couldn't tell you. Probably because I hate having me time. -__-

Watch this episode at DramaFever!

Switch Girl!! Episode 2 Recap

Wow, talk about delays. Sorry this has taken so long, but the last semester of college really got in the way. Now, considering I'm unemployed, I have plenty of time to watch dramas and write recaps (hopefully), and the second episode of Switch Girl!! is not a bad way to start my (hopefully short) vacation.

This episode doesn't disappoint, and shows the format of the series pretty well--mostly episodic with a couple of larger arcs thrown in at the end. Today's dilemma involves saving Nika's innocent friend from the clutches of a playboy.

To the Beautiful You: Episode 16 Recap (FINAL)

Wooooooo. We did it! We made it to the end without tearing our eyes out! That probably had a lot to do with all the pretty boys, but To the Beautiful You certainly proved to be this year's token "Little Drama that Thought it Could but Really Couldn't." Not a great place to be, but at least it looked nice, right? And it didn't make me as angry as Big, which is definitely saying something.

Watch TTBY Episode 16 on DramaFever!

Switch Girl!!: Episode 1 Recap

I went back and forth about doing recaps for this show since it aired last year, but with To the Beautiful You having finished, I'm quickly running out of things to watch and write about. Hence, here we are. This was the J-dorama of 2011/12 for me, even though I watched it this summer. It's got the right amount of hilarity coupled with romance and was a great watch.

I'll treat the recaps as if this is my first time watching the show. They'll be fairly short, I'm sure, since the episodes are only ~30 minutes long. I'll probably post them once a week, the way the show aired, but not necessarily on Saturdays. I had this one written for a while and figured I should post it, so here it is!

To the Beautiful You: Episode 15 Recap

Last week, last week, last week!! We madeeeeee it. Today was a good episode (as it should be, since we're so close to the end), and it tugged my heartstrings in just the right way. People have thrown down their gauntlets and stepped up to face the challenges ahead of them (kind of...), so let's get on with it! Plus, there were TWO dates! Two. For a cardboard cutout of a character, this Jae-hee chick sure is lucky.

Watch TTBY Episode 15 on DramaFever!

To the Beautiful You: Episode 14 Recap

Secrets are uncovered, relationships are mended, and more hearts are broken. Just another day at Genie High School. This episode was better than the last, and while predictable in almost every respect, I still found myself giggling like a schoolgirl, which is never a bad thing, in my book. Tae-joon put it best when he said, "I know she's a girl, but it's getting harder and harder to treat her like a boy." My sentiments exactly!

Watch TTBY Episode 14 on DramaFever.

To the Beautiful You: Episode 13 Recap

Lots of underhandedness and teenage angst all around in this episode, but we get most of the answers we were looking for, which is a relief since we're getting down to the wire here. The question of will they or won't they? faces more obstacles, but I'd say we're making pretty good headway toward a satisfying conclusion. No big complaints from me for today! Isn't that a first?

Watch TTBY Episode 13 on DramaFever.

To the Beautiful You: Episode 12 Recap

This episode was a return to all the things I wanted to see more of: cute, heartwarming, and Puppy! Now, with Han-na sufficiently placed on the back burner and all parties involved in a certain love triangle at or nearly at the point of acting on their feelings, we can get back to what's important! And by God if that isn't the best feeling ever.

Watch TTBY Episode 12 on DramaFever.

To the Beautiful You: Episode 11 Recap

A frustrating but necessary episode. Not enough OTP time, but the plot progression made sense for once. Ironically, being sick the last couple of days hasn't slowed my schedule any and my drama watching is still on the back burner for now. It's lucky I got this recap out as quickly as I did--especially when I had it sitting, completed and ready to be screencapped for the last day and a half.

Watch TTBY Episode 11 on DramaFever!

To the Beautiful You: Episode 10 Recap

Oops. This recap was supposed to be up on Friday, but Tae-joon's face in the screencap above kind of sums up this episode for me, which made the recap a lot harder to write (plus real life got in the way)...

Gah, this show drives me nuts and gives me whiplash. If 9 was everything I was hoping for this series from Day 1, 10 encompassed all the tropes and cliches that usually make me want to immediately drop a show: near-misses and misunderstandings that go unclarified, plus heaps and heaps of Annoying Second Lead Syndrome. Why so bipolar, Show? WHY?

Watch TTBY Episode 10 on DramaFever.

To the Beautiful You: Episode 9 Recap

Finally, finally we get the kind of episode that I was waiting for from this drama for five weeks. The stakes are raised and our protagonists finally have a conflict that I can get behind, as a viewer. And, as an added bonus, cuteness abound!

Watch TTBY Episode 9 on DramaFever.

To the Beautiful You: Episode 8 Recap

This episode was not as much fun as the last, with Han-na finally losing it and Tae-joon trying to play diplomatic. It was an episode in which people can randomly wander into a remote training camp in high heels and no provisions, where one guy can take down an entire team of high school athletes in paintball, and during which we find out... really not too much, other than the fact that sustained  pressure on one's breasts can have adverse effects (no pun intended!) on one's health. On with the recap!

Watch TTBY Episode 8 on DramaFever.

To the Beautiful You: Episode 7 Recap

So, this week, our love square gets going in earnest, leaving some out to dry and others as clear leaders at this point in the game. Our OTP gets cuter and cuter and our second leads get more and more tragic, but episode 7 was a clear upswing in both tone and pace, which was a welcome relief from the sluggish forward movement we've had so far.

Watch TTBY Episode 7 on DramaFever!

To the Beautiful You: Episode 6 Recap

This week rekindled my affection for this show. Episode 5 started the upturn, but episode 6 totally solidified it. At this point, it's apparent that logic is not something the PD or the writer are focusing on, and I'm watching with that notion in mind. It's a lot easier and a lot more entertaining when you don't try to make sense of everything... especially because nothing really makes sense. Some super cute moments for our leads, but also some a little movement in the plot to get us to next week.

Watch TTBY Episode 6 on DramaFever!

To the Beautiful You: Episode 5 Recap

So, the cute comes back in full swing (thank goodness), but we have some plot regression that's starting to wear on my nerves a bit. This episode really made me wonder what the hell we're going to fill the next eleven episodes with, and whether we'll even make it or not. Still, we're leaving emo Tae-joon behind (albeit slowly) and he's starting to get back on his horse, which is good to see.

Watch TTBY Episode 5 on DramaFever!

To the Beautiful You: Episode 4 Recap

We get a little more of the initial setup in this episode, so that by next week we can get into the real meat of the plot. I'm okay with that, because there were still things happening in this episode that needed to happen in order for us to move along, but beyond that, there was a lot of filler material as well.

Watch TTBY Episode 4 on DramaFever!

To the Beautiful You: Episode 3 Recap

So, I was right in assuming that things would likely fall into place for BY after the initial introductions and world-building in the first week. I'm glad they did, because the drama has honestly started to get much more fun and even funnier to watch now.

Watch TTBY Episode 3 on DramaFever.

Love Shuffle: Episode 1 Recap

Love Shuffle was one of those dramas that I avoided for a long time because everyone raved about it. I didn't want to get my expectations up and then be utterly disappointed when I watched the show for myself. In the end, I ran out of dramas I was willing to watch, so it jumped to the top of my list, and here I am. I'm mainly watching it now because of an embarrassing fascination with Matsuda Shota and his wiry, attractive self. Tamaki Hiroshi is another favorite of mine, after Nodame Cantabile, so I decided to just bite the bullet and watch this sucker. The premise is part of the pull, and also part of the reason I was initially put off--swingers are so not my thing. It's about four adults, each of them dealing with love problems in their own right, who decide to play a game that involves "shuffling" their partners. Kind of like… speed dating, without the speed part.

Protect the Boss: Episode 1 Recap

This show sparks my interest in a way very different from Myung-wol, which is weird, because I got a very similar vibe from it, watching the previews. Not to say that's a bad thing, because I know just from Episode 1 that I'm going to love it. I'm drawn to flawed chaebol heroes like bees are to honey, and kick-ass heroines are never a bad thing, so put them both in one show? You couldn't possibly go wrong. I hope.

Watch Protect the Boss on DramaFever!

Heartstrings: Episode 1 Recap

 
The premiere of Heartstrings offered mostly light-hearted fare, with a bit of tension and angst sprinkled throughout. Hopefully, this first episode is indicative of the tone of the rest of the series, because it was enjoyable enough. It started out a bit hodge podgey, but found itself by the end of the hour and I didn't have much to complain about.

Watch Episode 1 on DramaFever.