1
L13
The Dude in Me and Brave Citizen are both about high school, bullying and fighting. I found these films to be fun and fast-paced, albeit not particularly deep, and liked both endings. As a fan of the martial arts genre, I liked the fight choreo in both.
Some more minor similarities between the two films are the hidden identity elements—there is a body swap in The Dude in Me and a disguised vigilante in Brave Citizen—and some slightly disturbing relationship dynamics—in The Dude in Me, a girl unknowingly asks out her father, who is possessing another person's body, and her father tries to romance the girl's mother, who is his first love, while in the body of a student, whereas in Brave Citizen, a school bully sexually harasses his teacher—but nothing weird actually happens, so don't let this stop you from watching.
The Dude in Me juggles more subplots/narrative threads and themes than Brave Citizen, which is more straightforward. The Dude in Me is about two different people, their separate lives and most important relationships, and the challenges they face, so it spends less time in high school. Brave Citizen, on the other hand, is about the protagonist's quest to take down a school bully, so it's really all about the dysfunctional social environment in one particular school.
I thought The Dude in Me was a slightly better film than Brave Citizen because the story was more complex and emotionally impactful, but as I said, they're both pretty fun.
Some more minor similarities between the two films are the hidden identity elements—there is a body swap in The Dude in Me and a disguised vigilante in Brave Citizen—and some slightly disturbing relationship dynamics—in The Dude in Me, a girl unknowingly asks out her father, who is possessing another person's body, and her father tries to romance the girl's mother, who is his first love, while in the body of a student, whereas in Brave Citizen, a school bully sexually harasses his teacher—but nothing weird actually happens, so don't let this stop you from watching.
The Dude in Me juggles more subplots/narrative threads and themes than Brave Citizen, which is more straightforward. The Dude in Me is about two different people, their separate lives and most important relationships, and the challenges they face, so it spends less time in high school. Brave Citizen, on the other hand, is about the protagonist's quest to take down a school bully, so it's really all about the dysfunctional social environment in one particular school.
I thought The Dude in Me was a slightly better film than Brave Citizen because the story was more complex and emotionally impactful, but as I said, they're both pretty fun.
Haechi and Under the Queen's Umbrella are both Korean historical dramas whose plot revolves around the fight for succession among the king's sons and an overlooked prince's unlikely climb to the position of crown prince.
That said, in Haechi the person who eventually becomes the crown prince is the protagonist of the drama, whereas in Under the Queen's Umbrella the main character is actually his mother. For that reason, the dramas emphasise different aspects of the selection process. Also, in Haechi the crown prince arc is only one part of the story, which follows the protagonist into his reign as king, whereas in UQU I think the crown prince selection will take up the majority of the narrative.
That said, if you like the intrigues and plotting in either drama, you may enjoy that aspect of the other.
That said, in Haechi the person who eventually becomes the crown prince is the protagonist of the drama, whereas in Under the Queen's Umbrella the main character is actually his mother. For that reason, the dramas emphasise different aspects of the selection process. Also, in Haechi the crown prince arc is only one part of the story, which follows the protagonist into his reign as king, whereas in UQU I think the crown prince selection will take up the majority of the narrative.
That said, if you like the intrigues and plotting in either drama, you may enjoy that aspect of the other.
In both dramas, a man in his 30s and a slightly younger woman who is down on her luck enter into a marriage of convenience, start living together... and of course, end up falling in love. In Nigeru wa Haji da ga Yaku ni Tatsu, the man hires the woman to work as a live-in housekeeper and marries her to give their arrangement a respectable cover, while in Nagareboshi he pays her to donate liver tissue to his sister and they get married to make the organ transplantation possible.
In Nigeru wa Haji da ga Yaku ni Tatsu, the male lead has a withdrawn and timid personality and views social obligations as a hassle, whereas in Nagareboshi he is a man whose quiet conformity to social and professional norms belies his deep emotions and strong moral conviction. The female lead in Nigeru wa Haji da ga Yaku ni Tatsu is sensible and energetic in her pursuit of her goals, while in Nagareboshi she has been worn down by life to the point of desperation but has a rough, streetwise sort of charm. Overall, I think the characters in Nagareboshi are more mature and complex, but they make more questionable decisions.
(Tsuzaki Hiramasa's characterisation as a 'herbivore,' a new breed of man who actively rejects the trappings of traditional Japanese masculinity—sexual conquest, a single-income family and white-collar machismo—is actually an interesting counterpoint to Okada Kendo's muted and almost melancholic attachment to values like family, loyalty and honour. That said, while his personality does not illustrate millennial Japanese social dynamics quite as well as Hiramasa's, Kendo is a far better romantic lead for me because it's exhilarating to watch him silently set his heart on a woman like Makihara Risa, who is his social inferior and an unworthy romantic prospect by patriarchal standards but possesses such rare charisma she cannot be denied. Anyway, sorry. I love old-school romance, what can I say!)
Tonally, Nigeru wa Haji da ga Yaku ni Tatsu is a slice-of-life romcom that leans into the artifice of its premise (contract marriage) to explore the unspoken rules and expectations that govern all relationships. Not a lot happens; the main characters' cautious progress toward mutual vulnerability and the negotiation of their relationship in all its heartwarming awkwardness *are* the plot. Nagareboshi, by contrast, is both more melodramatic and more realistic; there is more external conflict that comes in the form of an ill sister, a leeching brother, class difference, societal prejudice, etc., but the characters themselves behave more like real people with their own flaws and pride.
Nigeru wa Haji da ga Yaku ni Tatsu is a good representative of the new wave of minimalist meta-romance in jdrama; in every episode, the main characters discourse on the idea of romance itself and analyse how their own actions hinder or contribute to the pursuit of self-actualisation, domesticity and companionship. Nagareboshi is also a quiet drama about two people making a stilted and tentative connection, but it's less self-reflexive and more passionate and romantic under the surface.
Nigeru wa Haji da ga Yaku ni Tatsu is more lighthearted and relatable in terms of the themes it explores, but Nagareboshi is the better, more compelling drama in my view.
In Nigeru wa Haji da ga Yaku ni Tatsu, the male lead has a withdrawn and timid personality and views social obligations as a hassle, whereas in Nagareboshi he is a man whose quiet conformity to social and professional norms belies his deep emotions and strong moral conviction. The female lead in Nigeru wa Haji da ga Yaku ni Tatsu is sensible and energetic in her pursuit of her goals, while in Nagareboshi she has been worn down by life to the point of desperation but has a rough, streetwise sort of charm. Overall, I think the characters in Nagareboshi are more mature and complex, but they make more questionable decisions.
(Tsuzaki Hiramasa's characterisation as a 'herbivore,' a new breed of man who actively rejects the trappings of traditional Japanese masculinity—sexual conquest, a single-income family and white-collar machismo—is actually an interesting counterpoint to Okada Kendo's muted and almost melancholic attachment to values like family, loyalty and honour. That said, while his personality does not illustrate millennial Japanese social dynamics quite as well as Hiramasa's, Kendo is a far better romantic lead for me because it's exhilarating to watch him silently set his heart on a woman like Makihara Risa, who is his social inferior and an unworthy romantic prospect by patriarchal standards but possesses such rare charisma she cannot be denied. Anyway, sorry. I love old-school romance, what can I say!)
Tonally, Nigeru wa Haji da ga Yaku ni Tatsu is a slice-of-life romcom that leans into the artifice of its premise (contract marriage) to explore the unspoken rules and expectations that govern all relationships. Not a lot happens; the main characters' cautious progress toward mutual vulnerability and the negotiation of their relationship in all its heartwarming awkwardness *are* the plot. Nagareboshi, by contrast, is both more melodramatic and more realistic; there is more external conflict that comes in the form of an ill sister, a leeching brother, class difference, societal prejudice, etc., but the characters themselves behave more like real people with their own flaws and pride.
Nigeru wa Haji da ga Yaku ni Tatsu is a good representative of the new wave of minimalist meta-romance in jdrama; in every episode, the main characters discourse on the idea of romance itself and analyse how their own actions hinder or contribute to the pursuit of self-actualisation, domesticity and companionship. Nagareboshi is also a quiet drama about two people making a stilted and tentative connection, but it's less self-reflexive and more passionate and romantic under the surface.
Nigeru wa Haji da ga Yaku ni Tatsu is more lighthearted and relatable in terms of the themes it explores, but Nagareboshi is the better, more compelling drama in my view.
In both dramas, the protagonist is a man who loses his way in life and messes up his marriage/relationship. One day, he gets a chance for a do-over via supernatural means and is transported to an alternate timeline (by changing the past in Familiar Wife and by having a near-death experience in Welcome 2 Life) where he becomes aware of his past mistakes and the fact he's still in love with his wife/ex. Both protagonists experience remorse and personal growth and ultimately win back their first loves.
Familiar Wife has a melodramatic (and in my opinion excellent) office romance at its core and boasts a rich cast of well-developed secondary characters, whereas Welcome 2 Life is a more action-packed story about crime, corruption and the law.
Familiar Wife has a melodramatic (and in my opinion excellent) office romance at its core and boasts a rich cast of well-developed secondary characters, whereas Welcome 2 Life is a more action-packed story about crime, corruption and the law.
These are both slice-of-life office dramas that deal with mastering a new career, adapting to your bad coworkers and learning from the good, coming to identify with your job, and the social and existential struggles of a temporary worker in a workplace full of full-time employees.
Both dramas are good at dramatising mundane aspects of office life, feature important mentor-mentee relationships and explore camaraderie and competition in the workplace.
In my opinion Misaeng has better developed characters, a larger and more interesting secondary cast, more humour and less schlock/sentimentality. That said, the two dramas' positions on individualism vs teamwork and the virtue of dedicating oneself to one's workplace despite unfair treatment from higher-ups are largely the same. Black Dog starts out a little bit more political/critical of the exploitative system it describes but actually ends up justifying it more strongly, probably because it's easier to moralise about teaching than about importing natural resources. Both dramas conclude that it's up to exploited workers to find meaning and fulfilment in their work.
Both dramas are good at dramatising mundane aspects of office life, feature important mentor-mentee relationships and explore camaraderie and competition in the workplace.
In my opinion Misaeng has better developed characters, a larger and more interesting secondary cast, more humour and less schlock/sentimentality. That said, the two dramas' positions on individualism vs teamwork and the virtue of dedicating oneself to one's workplace despite unfair treatment from higher-ups are largely the same. Black Dog starts out a little bit more political/critical of the exploitative system it describes but actually ends up justifying it more strongly, probably because it's easier to moralise about teaching than about importing natural resources. Both dramas conclude that it's up to exploited workers to find meaning and fulfilment in their work.
