So far, I have seen at least four older woman-younger guy romance Asian dramas. Three are J-doramas–Maho no Jouken (Forbidden Love), Kimi wa Petto and Anego;  and one Korean –My name is Kim Sam Soon.  The J-doramas really played up the age difference since the gap is really wide, as in 8-10 years.  In KSS,  the woman was just four years older.  Kimi wa Petto is light comedy drama, where the women are tall, beautiful, successful career women, graduate of so-called “elite” universities, but unskilful or lacking in love, and they usually become obsessed (or desperate) about getting married when they reach the age of around 32 years.  

In Maho, the woman was only 26, but the guy, her student, was only 17 yrs, a minor,  so there is a deeper societal abberration here than in Anego and KWP, where the guys are in their early 20s, and have finished  compulsory schooling already.  In Anego,  Jin Akanishi is  the young guy in love with his older officemate.  Jin is a famous Johnny’s Entertainment talent  and also a member of the boy band KAT TUN. In KWP, the young guy was played by Matsumoto Jun, also with Johnny’s and member of the popular boy band ARASHI.

I have yet to see a May-December romance where the guy would be older than the woman, except for one Korean drama-Sweet Eighteen; but this didn’t play on the older guy’s weakenesses but rather focused on the younger girl’s immaturity.  Looking at it both ways,  the Asian dramas I have seen so far played on the women’s limitations rather than the guy’s.  Is this a reflection of these countries current society’s thinking?

 In the Philippines, although I am not updated on the movie-drama scene,  I would think that there are more May-December movies where the guys are older than the women.

February 2007 marked my first year of watching Asian dramas.  The very first one was “My Girl” (SBS 2005), a Korean drama, comedy romance.  I received a DVD copy as a going away gift from my officemate, Mitch. Fortunately, the DVD copy she gave me had good subs and quality picture so I had the incentive to watch.  From the first episode, after seeing Lee Dong-Wook as Gong Chan, the grandson heir to a hotel chain) , I was hooked.  I found him really attractive and quite handsome, compared to other Korean actors.  I couldn’t stop watching the video.  I thought Lee Da Hae (as Joo Yoo Rin, the interpreter/tourist guide whom Gong Chan asked to pose as his long missing cousin for the benefit of his ailing grandfather) was reallly pretty,  I found the clothes she wore here cute,  I also found the fashion style of the lead guys here, one of them Lee Dong Wook to be really “interesting”. (You know, hot pink tie, waist suit, etc). The OST was also superb.  To top it all, there were so many internet sites dedicated to it that I was able to download for the first time the whole OST, including the lyrics, plus the scripts.  I had watched the drama twice; but I try to avoid the scene with the con-dad of Yoo Rin.  I also found out that Lee Dong Wook had visited Manila and guested in the noontime variety show Wowowee in February 2007, but I didn’t know it because I don’t really watch local free TV  (Was his coming ever covered in the news?)  I also learned thru internet sites that among Lee Dong Wook’s dream is to go on a honeymoon to Boracay Island (but he added that this won’t happen until ten years later).   

After My Girl, I watched Full House (which I didn’t quite like because of verbal abuse of lead star Rain to his beautiful Korean  co-star).   My third DVD was Goong or Princess Hours, which was really good except for the bad subs of the DVD , which was also a gift from Mitch.  I can’t remember if my next K drama was Kim Sam Soon.  This is also one of my all time favorites, and although the lead star Hyun Bin isn’t handsome, he was so good here that I found him really “hot”.  I also watched Winter Sonata (2002) starring Bae Hyoon Jun, even though it wasn’t a comedy, when I found out this was THE K drama that started the interest in K dramas worldwide, even in Japan.

I have been writing about recent Tv dramas that I have watched-mostly Japanese and some Taiwan dramas.  However, I have not written about my favorite drama–a Korean soap–Goong or Princess Hours (2006).  I saw it in March 2007-the third drama I have watched since i became a Korean, Taiwan and Japanese drama addict in February 2007- but I have started to watch it (Goong) again.  Moreover, I have successfully downloaded additional songs from the soundtrack–one of my favorite OSTs too.  BTW, this is the only TV drama I have watched that is not based on a Japanese manga; it is based on a Korean manwa.

The plot is simple–a handsome, intelligent but detached prince (Lee Shin played by Joo Ji Hoon) at age 19 years and in his senior year has to marry a doe-eyed spunky girl (Chaeyong played by Yoon Eun-Hye) about his age with whom he has been bethrothed from childhood by his king grandfather and the girl’s grandfather. The prince and his wife-to-be are from the same elite art high school in Seoul.  (Note: There is no monarchy in Korea now since it is said that the Japanese destroyed the Korean monarchy when it colonized the country).  Now, adding more texture to the simple plot are the previous relationship (first love) of the prince with another schoolmate (Hyo Rin) an aspiring and talented ballerina, who dumped him when he proposed marraige, and the undying love of the second prince Yul for the prince’s wife.

Simple as the plot may be, I love the acting and the storyline.  It is one of the most romantic dramas I have ever watched.  Also, the setting and costumes are great; moreover, the what-if-Korea-was-under-a-constitutional monarchy-storyline is really great.  It showed some traditional Korean sports, the Korean monarchy way of life, although I have not verified these with actual Korean history.   I heard that this is a big budget production, despite the appearance of newcomers Joo Jee Hoon and Park Eun-Hye.  I also think that  the kissing scene in Episode 23 is the best I have seen so far, in terms of the chemistry between the two lead stars and the effect the scene has on me.

It is too bad the two lead stars are not really prolific in making dramas–Joo Jee Hoon has “The Devil” which I have started but have stopped watching and I have seen Park Eun-Hye’s “First Shop of Coffee Prince” which I also enjoyed. Other than that, I have not seen these two stars again, although I have to see if Joo Jee Hoon has finished making the movie “Antique.”

*photo from kristabelle16 on Flickr