Best of J-drama
I watched this show because it's one of my boyfriends favorites and I promised him I would give it a try. I haven't watched all that many Japanese shows. I usually watch school romance movies, short and sweet. I have to say I was quite apprehensive going into this because the characters are more mature and I often think dramas that have things happen because "life is like this and when you experience it you'll get it" are too pretentious for my taste, and that's what I usually feel when I watch more mature shows. But I was surprised this show isn't like that at all. It does take some maturity to understand the dialogue and the complex situations the characters were in, as well as their flawed personalities and ever-changing mind.The characters and the acting made this show for me. I thought that Haru/Halu was just going to be the typical cold and cocky male lead but there was so much more to him. I know that when I rewatch this drama I will discover more layers to his character! So attractive, charming, flawed and sweet. And Aki is just lovely. She herself said she was a simple ordinary woman and that's what she was, and the most impressive thing is that she didn't need any exaggerate characteristics to be memorable. I could rant for hours about these two and their relationship. I loved the progression of all relationships in this drama (not just the romantic ones!). I cried at a few scenes and some just squeezed my heart so hard I had to pause the episode and turn my attention away for a while. All the dynamics in this show are so heartwarming and... sincere. It was like I was watching a real story on a screen, which I hadn't felt about a Japanese show before.
The soundtrack fit perfectly and got me in the mood every single episode! You can't really go wrong with Queen, can you?
Now, I have a confession to make. No one can fight me on this but... Everything about Kimura Takuya is 10000/10 stars but this man on hockey equipment is something else... out of this world... the most attractive thing in dramaland EVER... If I could only stare at one thing for the rest of my life it would be Kimura Takuya giving that side smile and winking his eye wearing that hockey equipment! I said what I said! Technically this show would be a 9.5 for me, because there were some things I felt were a bit rushed or just not talked about enough or weren't clear but I can't give it less than 10 stars because of Kimura Takuya on that hockey equipment. I can't. And if you decide to give this drama a try (please do yourself a favor and watch it) you'll understand what I mean.
Overall, this drama is insanely modest and straightforward, while being sensitive and emotional at the same time. It describes human feelings really well and it had me exercising my brain and heart to try to feel empathy for some characters whose actions I didn't understand. It throws things at you that you might get upset about and have to make an effort to put yourself in the characters' shoes BUT it will always give you answers, sometimes within the same episode, sometimes many episodes later, which seems pretty realistic to me.
This goes straight to my top 10 favorite dramas of all time list. I got too attached to it for someone who finished all 11 episodes in less than 48 hours.
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I love how the character of the leads progresses as well as the loveline. I love how they become friends at the start of their contract and then become so comfy until they realize they are falling in lvoe already. The chemistry is amazing. I guess they are comfortable with each other! They act so maturely!
The music is surprisingly great! Really going back to my teenaged years! It was so nostalgic to hear Queen's 8os song!
This is rewatchable, i actually re watch some of my fave scenes and episodes!
Overall this is something light to watch but it will surely entertain you.
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I KNOW ZERO ABOUT HOCKEY BUT IT WAS REALISTIC ENOUGH to make me cheer and it was very very entertaining !
I ENJOYED THE SIDE STORIES (it's a Hockey Team). I never skipped over any of them like I usually do :) Each tale/pairing had enough of a bite to hold my interest though I may have gently tapped the FF just to jog things along in places ;)
THE MAIN LOVE STORY was impressive. An Office Lady and A Pro-Hockey Star played out the angst and fear of falling in love at first sight when all the reasons why they can't and shouldn't have been a part of their personal circumstances for ages. If/When love happens, you really have no say in the matter right? This idea was portrayed very believably here.
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE
I would definitely give this an 8 if I hadn't found the ending to be a bit too crispy for my taste - Not saying crispy is bad - just saying too crispy makes it just that little bit stiffer, harder to bite into and takes away just that teeny bit from the overall enjoyment.
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Good Weights
Plot: The plot revolves around a man’s Pride. Halu is a man who has had a tough life and has nothing but his pride to cling on. Hardships have hardened Halu so much that now he only aims for the best and despises anything that isn’t up to his standards. Throughout the show, Halu is shown to pick his pride over everything else. Even when he knows that he can stop the woman he loves from going to back to her boyfriend, he doesn’t do so because begging for love would amount to crushing his pride. He financially supports the coach’s family after his death only to keep his wife from marrying another man. He wants the coach’s wife to spend the rest of her life as a widow mourning the death of her husband since he knew how much the coach loved her.
I personally do not support such traditional thoughts. It is just that the dorama has beautifully depicted the importance of pride to a man.
Back-stories: Each of the important side-character has a back-story that explains his or her behaviour and choices in the show. For instance, Halu’s teammate Ikegawa Tomonori is a good-looking rich brat who lives life recklessly. He throws away money (literally too) on women and booze. People only know him as the rich playboy, who has no care in the world and will one day inherit his father’s business when in reality he is actually an illegitimate child of his father’s mistress and his father is ashamed of acknowledging his mother and him. To compensate for the lack of father’s love his mother gives him a lot of money to live a lavish life. He, however, is shattered by the reality of his birth and splurges money looking for happiness.
Every episode touches the life of one character and explains the reason why they are so passionate about ice hockey and how Halu plays an important role in their lives.
Bromance: Since this is a sports drama, there is plenty of bromance. You get to see the camaraderie that sportsmen share with their team. Actually, the one thing common in most sports drama is the bro code of ‘bros over hoes’. And it feels nice to watch men share such a bond with their friends.
Romance: Halu is the man with a painful past and Aki is a sweet naive woman looking for love. He brings love like a challenge in her monotonous life while she brings warmth in his life. They complete each other and even when they do not acknowledge it, people around them can clearly see how perfect they are for each other. Takuya’s chiselled face and a muscular body make him the perfect iceman. While Takeuchi’s innocent face and soft voice make her the very lovable Aki. They effortlessly bring their characters to life. Together they share great onscreen chemistry.
Bad Weights
Slow Paced: The story progresses slightly slowly. Some scenes are dragged unnecessarily. But that is just a handful of them. The show is otherwise quite engaging.
The show has enough of good weights to be called a good dorama. I wanted a good romantic drama to keep me entertained over a rather boring weekend and Pride had me involved a 100%. Its soundtracks, story and cast were all put beautifully together. I enjoyed every episode of this classic Japanese dorama.
If you want to start watching Japanese drama’s do start with this one as its video quality and dubbing is much better than most other J-dramas. If you are looking for a good sports/romantic drama then Pride should be your pick as it seamlessly combines the two and brings you an almost flawless drama.
Originally posted on ww.alphagirl.in
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This review may contain spoilers
Pride on the Ice and Within Yourself
OVERALLI don't watch many Japanese dramas as I have yet to find ones up my alley in terms of storyline. Pride was one of the few and is probably one of the top Japanese dramas on my list. I enjoyed the simple story that they presented to us. That is perhaps the reason why it is so short. It is more centered on their relationship and how they grew from it. Then there's the other side of the drama where they focus on Haru's career growth. So if you're looking for a drama that has a lot of depth, this probably isn't it. But it has a good beginning, middle, and end. The main characters have a good character development storyline that makes sense (in my opinion). I think that's all I can ask for nowadays.
STORY
One reason that made me enjoy this drama was that the writers didn't take that usual route of making the plot a young adult sport centered romance. The story was about two working adults whose characters. We have Haru, the star hockey player on his team, and Aki, the company worker. They both have their flaws when it comes to relationships. I liked the perspective that the story started at, where Haru came into Aki's life.
I feel like Haru's career, love life, and personal life was well mixed into the plot. I say that because we see how all the scenes that were incorporated made sense for his character to grow and develop. It did not feel like fillers to push the number of dramas to 11.
ACTING/CAST/CHARACTERS
Aki is a timid lady who is in a "long-distance" relationship with her boyfriend, or you can say that she is waiting for her ex-boyfriend. Their relationship was weird. I feel like they aren't necessarily in a long term relationship since they don't communicate or act like they are in love. She seems to be waiting for him but never know when he would return. I guess their relationship has already gone downhill, and they're holding onto it in hopes that it would work out. I think many people would not like that she agreed to be in a relationship with Haru despite already being in one. Some would say this is cheating, and others would say that she's in an open relationship.
Haru seems like a womanizer but isn't a bad guy. He's mature about wanting a relationship with Aki and wanting to make it work. Some could say that he was using her as entertainment since she is like a "new quest". He treats everyone well and has a good relationship with his coach. Haru's character is written to encourage and change Aki into a woman with more character. Haru said in episode 8, "We bonded to each other only with the truth." Maybe that was why their relationship didn't feel wrong even though she was already in a relationship. It felt like two people coming together to support each other and not for the physical aspects of a relationship.
I like Haru despite his flaws. We know he is passionate about his career and his team. I enjoyed this aspect of the drama and how they tied it all back to the theme of "pride". How he would connect it back to himself and each moment he goes through. If they were to re-write or add on to the plot and made hockey the show's main focus, I would probably enjoy it even more.
This was my first drama of Kimura Takuya, and I am indeed in love with his acting. I had plans to check out his works but never pushed myself to. Anyone who feels like certain works of his stands out more than others, do let me know. I know he has an extensive list of top dramas and movies, so it makes narrowing it down even harder.
MUSIC
QUEENS is legendary, and it made the scenes even more epic and memorable to me. I think it adds a great flavor to the drama.
RE-WATCH VALUE
I would love to re-watch this sometime soon. It has been a moment since I have last seen this drama. The show left me with a lingering feel-good effect on me and made me ponder the term "pride" for a while.
NOTE
While deciding to write this review, I found out that the lead actress, Takeuchi Yuko, has passed away. My heart goes out to her family and those who have loved her in some way or another. It's never easy to see someone leave, even those who you are not quite fond of. Every time we see someone passes, we hope that it would awaken this stigma and open the eyes to mental health. 2020 was indeed a tough year; let's all help each other out in any way possible. To those that need anyone to talk to, feel free to message me to chat about anything. It does not have to be personal. If you want to start meaningless conversations, hit me up!
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A Classic!
This drama is so good that I dont even know where to start raving about it! The Characters are all so good and characteristic that you can't but love them all! The ML Halu is a star! Loved his personality, its so attractive! And FL truely is, as Halu put it, 'someone from the last century'. Such poise and elegance its rare in Charactersnowadays. I loved the passion they had for hockey and also how everyonehad each other's back's. It was beautiful to watch such a strong camaraderie. This drama was such a heart warming drama and so perfectin every aspect.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
[WARNING: the rating and review I give have the possibility to be subjective due to my preference for the genres, scenes or casts]This is indeed an old dorama, but I still melted with KimuTaku's acting no matter how many times I've watched this ヽ(♡‿♡)ノ For me, this is the best dorama of him (^_^) MUST BE! ヽ(*⌒▽⌒*)ﾉ
The story is mostly about the ice hockey. I never familiar with that sport, so this dorama really interesting for me. The romance part tell how jerk (at first) Haru is and how naïve Aki is. Although they start their relationship in a weird and wrong way, but in the middle Haru is so sweet to Aki and open up himself to her.
The conflict came from Haru and Aki side, and quite complicated in my opinion. The solution, on the other hand, made complicated by themselves. But don’t you worry, in the end they all feel the happiness.
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With every single beat of my heart
Yes, I was born to take care of you
Every single day...
Freddie Mercury's song I Was Born to Love You was my favourite song from this drama and I believe it was the perfect opening song.
This was the first KimuTaku drama I watched, and since then, I've seen several KimuTaku dramas. I must say, he is great in every one of them.
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This review may contain spoilers
"Então, eu vou jurar pelo meu orgulho. Você é a única pra mim."
Pride é perfeito. Um dorama tão bom, mas tão bom, que com certeza tem seus pontos ruins, mas os bons ofuscam tanto que eu nem consigo lembrar no momento. Juro. Esse tá entre os melhores J dramas que já assisti em toda a minha vida. Vou listar minhas coisas preferidas nesse dorama:1. QUEEN
Quando abriu a abertura e tocou os primeiros acordes I Was Born To Love You do Queen eu pensei "não pode ser", mas era gente kkk. E essa não é a única musica que toca ao longo do dorama. E o que torna tudo ainda mais perfeito é o quanto as músicas combinam com os momentos do dorama. Sério. A abertura ficou perfeita com essa música e eu não consigo imaginar outra no lugar que ficasse melhor.
2. O Casal Principal
Química? Temos! Bom desenvolvimento? Temos também. Os dois são incrivelmente perfeitos juntos, a química é enorme desde o momento que eles se conhecem e o desenvolvimento da história deles é ótima. Não existem brigas e términos atoa, os dois gostam da companhia um do outro, viram amigos e começam a sair juntos. É simples e perfeito, claro... tem o namorado da Aki que pode voltar a qualquer momento... Mas isso não impede de você shippar demais a história dos dois. Como cada coisa entre eles acontece no tempo certo. É incrível!
3. Blue Scorpions
Esse é o nome do time de Hockey do qual o Halu é o Capitão e meu Deus, eu amei o quanto eles se apoiam. Gosto de doramas que foquem um pouco nesse lado de esportes e companheirismo entre os colegas de time e nisso, Pride não pecou nenhum pouco. É tão bom ver como eles se apoiam não importando as circunstâncias e fazem o melhor pra cuidar um do outro. Até mesmo o treinador que é meio linha dura, podemos ver o quanto ele se importa com seus jogadores conforme os capítulos passam.
4. Atores e a Trama
A atuação de todos aqui foi espetacular. Era tão natural o modo como eles conversavam entre si, sabe? Não parecia que estavam lendo um texto. Não só os principais, mas os secundários também. Vou querer ver outros doramas de muito deles porque fiquei impressionada de verdade. A trama é impecável e desenvolve não só a história dos principais muito bem, como também a dos outros personagens. Muitas vezes o casal secundário mal tem tanto destaque, mas não aqui. Posso não ter concordado com as atitudes de alguns deles, mas o legal é que cada um deles foi desenvolvido bem o suficiente para eu conseguir entender porque agiram assim.
5. As Lições.
E são muitas que esse dorama passa. Dois anos podem ser tempo suficiente para o coração de uma pessoa não mudar, tanto quanto pode ser para a da outra mudar. Não devemos desistir fácil daquilo que queremos e muito menos achar que o amor do outro é garantido. Ensina o valor das amizades e fala sobre a solidão também, tanto daqueles que sempre tem alguém do lado quanto dos que estão sozinhos. É maravilhoso.
Algumas pessoas podem ficar com um pé atrás por ser um dorama antigo ou por ter um pouco de foco no hockey, mas deem uma chance. Vocês não vão se arrepender.
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Me encanto!
Realmente comencé a ver doramas Japoneses porque estaba aburrida de los coreanos , busque y busque y no pude encontrar alguno que me convenciera , termine por elegir este pero pensando que lo iba a quitar al primer capitulo y vaya que me he equivocado . Fue tan bueno de ver , me sentí realmente emocionada capitulo tras capitulo , sentía una conexión con los personajes , como si no fuera una actuación , como si realmente estuviera viendo la historia de amor de un jugador de hockey . Las actuaciones enormes de los protas y la química que mantenían realmente me impresiono , sentí como si realmente se gustaran ,como si ni siquiera tuvieran que fingir la atracción .Estoy cautivada por este dorama ,y oh! ,su música mas que estupenda (escuchar ice man me encanta). Justo acababa de verla cuando a los 4 días apareció la noticia de que había muerto la actriz principal ,quede con un vacío porque era la primera actriz de la que me había enamorado por su sonrisa , espero y descanse en paz . Solo me falta decir que pasara mucho tiempo para que pueda superar este dorama . Gracias .Was this review helpful to you?
