MDL 2013 Jdrama Awards
If you've been watching dramas for any amount of time then you've probably noticed that each show has a certain feel and/or magic to it. One of the things responsible for this is the music in the show. Original Sound Tracks, better known as OST's, are the heartbeat of any drama. Without them how would any of us know when the murderer was just around the corner, or that the second lead is experiencing extreme soul crushing agony, or that the protagonist is experiencing the ecstasy of falling in love? OK well, maybe we could perceive some of those things from the context of the show, but still, our hearts wouldn't soar, ache, and melt quite so fervently if the music wasn't bringing the story to life. Not only does the music vivify the story and expound upon the most exciting parts of a drama, but it carries the entire show from start to finish even in the more mundane parts.
And when I say music, not only do I mean OST's, but I am also including the opening and ending theme songs. We can't forget about those. With catchy hooks and creative rhythms they'll have any drama fan walking around the house singing, only God knows what, in a foreign language while your family stares at you. Opening themes have the ability to give us the stamina to sit in front of the computer screen for the next 45 minutes to an hour, and ending themes have the ability to either make us more excited over all the awesomeness we just seen, or to cause us to wallow in all the emotional drama that just touched us.
Good music in a drama, whether it be the OST or the opening/ending theme song, is infectious. It gets under your skin. It gets stuck in your head. Like an unbearable craving for your favorite food, it calls you back to watch the drama of its origin. They say the scent is the sense most tied to memory, but for drama addicts, it's hearing. One tune or line from a song evokes fond memories from our favorite dramas and instantly we relive the moments of joy we had while watching said drama. I don't know about you but when I want to get in the mood to watch a show, all I have to do is hear a little of the music and it's go time. I hear that "mood music" and I'm like, "Let's get it on!" lol.
So anyway, here's a few OSTs and theme songs from some Jdramas that got my blood flowing the most. (There are Kdramas that have excellent music too, but I'll leave the Kdrama music list up to someone who has more Kdrama love than me.)
I could write an entire article on Hana Kimi's soundtrack alone. It's my favorite. I never have actually yearned to watch a show until a while after I had seen Hana Kimi and I heard the Hana Kimi's music and I missed Hana Kimi sooo bad.
Ikemen Boogie
Peach - Ending Theme
Ending Theme
God knows I wallowed in the emotion of Proposal Daisakusen while listening to this at the end of every show.
Rising Road OST
Opening Theme - Born to Love you - My favorite Opening Theme song. Got laughed at for singing this the other day.
H-A OST
Has one of the best OST's out there. It made the drama a lot more enjoyable. It's hard to pick just one song from this OST.
Game Over
Split Personality
Liar Game
Garden of Eden
What about you? What are your top Jdrama songs?
