Ask MDL: Computers and the Internet

This edition of Ask MDL is theme-based: the theme is of computers and information technology. The advent of computers has turned our world upside down in every way, and every story that takes place in a modern setting shows the impact of technology. Just think about how commonly internet searches crop up in a typical drama. Communication is virtually instantaneous, stardom can be gained or lost in a manner of minutes, billions can be transferred virtually instantly and even anonymously (think crypto), all personal data can be stolen remotely within seconds, people can complete fun quests with gamers across the world… the list is long and is fertile ground for a lot of great plots. It is telling that even the early days of the internet had directors making some epic content with computers and the internet as a central theme. Some of their works seemed futuristic and but proved quite prophetic in time. 

In this article, we are going for any dramas and movies that needed the invention of computers and the internet to happen. We have only chosen stories that just could not have existed before the days of cyberspace and needed its unique nature to unfold. We excluded sci-fi for the most part and stories on robots because those deserve their own articles. So, enter into the world of computer hackers, computer games, websites, and social media and... prepare to be entertained.

Kaitou Yamaneko Yamaneko is an eccentric and mysterious 'Phantom Thief' who steals from the corrupted rich while exposing their misdeeds. Along for the ride is Katsumura Hideo, a magazine reporter who, at Yamaneko's request, is writing a feature on the 'Phantom Thief', and Takasugi Mao, a bullied schoolgirl who is secretly a genius hacker.	Dele Freelance programmer Sakagami Keiji is paralyzed in the lower half of his body because of an unknown illness and confined to a wheelchair. He sets up a company called dele.LIFE in partnership with the law firm established by his late father. At the request of clients, Sakagami works together with the freelance jack-of-all-trades Mashiba Yutaro to delete all unfavorable digital records left in the clients' computers and smartphones after they die.	Bloody Monday  A high school student and genius hacker, Fujimaru a.k.a. “Falcon”, uses his sophisticated hacking techniques to indict the fraudulent acts of evil villains. In order to save his family, friends, and the entire world, he fights against “Bloody Monday”, the worst and most evil form of viral terrorism. As spies of the terrorist institution infiltrate into schools and police organizations, and the terrorist threat grows through a chain of treacherous acts, how will Falcon outsmart them in their intellectual battles?	Crisis: Kouan Kidou Sousatai Tokusou-han The Special Investigation Unit is a secret force of specialists in various fields under the direct control of the head of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department’s Security Bureau. Its members all have pasts they are trying to put behind them.

Dramas:  Bloody Monday 2, Final Cut,  3 Nen A Gumi: Ima kara Mina-san wa, Hitojichi Desu, Follow Saretara Owari, Rich Man, Poor Woman

Movies: Lupin III,  Platinum Data, Stolen Identity 

My app Boyfie	Rounin	Tech Trip	Batang X
Anika is a young woman who has never had a boyfriend. However, Anika’s life begins to change when her "dream boy," Jowa a.k.a. Joe, whom she created through an application in her magical tablet computer, comes to life. Will Anika finally feel how it is to love and be loved through Joe? What will she do once the tablet that created her "app boyfriend" is taken away from her? (Source: Jadine Lustreid Fandom)	Rounin is the story of an elite group of warriors who live in a place called Lumeria. It also happens to take place on a totally different planet. The Rounin(s) are tasked to protect the city and its inhabitants against the threats of Helion, the City of Death. Each Rounin specializes in a martial arts discipline and is commanded by the master Rounin, the leader of Lumeria. While battling their enemies, the Rounin strive to adhere to their tenets - one that they cannot fall in love with each other. The show centers around the quest of a young Rounin warrior, Mythos, as he tries to piece together his past to unlock his true identity. (Source: Wikipedia)	Techtrip is a show that talks about the wonders of technology, many people call it a gadget show.  It is also a travel show in which the hosts travel from places around the Philippines.	Batang X is a group of five children with superhuman potential kidnapped by Dr. Axis, an alien stranded on earth with her spaceship. Trivia: This is the first film done in the Philippines to utilize digital effects and 3D animation for a feature film.

Silent Code A reporter is tasked to find out information about the world's most popular internet forum, BBS.  As she explores the internet world, she finds the danger and power these forums hold.	Honey Pupu Overwhelmed by loss after her boyfriend mysteriously vanishes, overnight radio DJ, Vicky (Tseng Peiyu), drifts through her life like it's a dream, fixated on stories of the missing and the lost-stories she shares with her audience between moody selections of classical music. Stories like: "On Earth, a lot of bees have disappeared. The strange thing is we can't find the bodies of the dead bees, not even one." As she attempts to solve the mystery of her boyfriend's disappearance, she stumbles across an online community where her boyfriend, going by the handle "Dog," was a regular participant. The site is a digital sanctuary where users contribute lyrical evidence about all the things that have gone missing, from buildings to people. The conspiracy theory that binds them together is the belief that all these missing objects are slipping over into a parallel world.	Futmalls.com The investigation into a series of strange cases leads police Zhao Xu Zhen to a mysterious website called "Futmalls.com," which claims to be from the future. Customers can buy anything from the site, including future love, fame, or beauty. The product is non-refundable. And the price is unimaginable.	Be Famous for 15 Minutes Andy Warhol once said, "In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes." Former child prodigy Ah Ke (Sean Hung) is sick of acting like an innocent kid in front of other people, but at the same time, he rejects growing up. After getting cheated on by her boyfriend, An Qi (Sylvia Hsieh) becomes famous online when a clip of her dancing goes viral. When he encounters true love, jokester clubber Tie Nan (Toby Lee) suddenly realizes that he only knows how to flirt and has forgotten how to love. Diet queen Bei Bei (Rabbit Yang) doesn't have the guts to pursue a relationship, but she shoots a daring erotic music video. Otaku Lao Ban (Hsiao Hung Jen) becomes the target of a netizen manhunt due to a prank video. Five youths from different backgrounds cross paths in the same apartment building in a crucial period of their lives in the PTS youth idol drama Be Famous For 15 Minutes. In this internet era of information overload, nothing is sacred and anyone can become famous and forgotten overnight. All five of them are currently experiencing their 15 minutes of fame, but how will the changes affect them and where will they go next?

Dramas:  Love SOS 

Movies: The Last Thieves, Sen Sen, Love of May

The Gifted  Ritdha High School, a school with a "Gifted Program" that holds a special class for a handful of "special" students that were chosen by the school administrator.	The Gifted: Graduation  Two years have passed and the new school year begins again. With it comes the resurrection of the Gifted program,  and a hidden threat from the Ministry led by Darin, a new teacher. Time, a promising new student and member of the newest gifted generation, seek change within the school while upholding its hierarchical structure. Filled with danger and more complications than it seems, what will the final battle be like? Who will be victorious? Will Pang and his companions be able to maintain their friendship and ideals? Can they defeat Director Supot?	Blacklist  Akeanan is an outstanding school in all aspects: education, sports… and secrets. Traffic comes to Akeanan to look for his sister Fah, who disappeared months prior and with neither the police nor the school finding any trace of her. In the course of his investigation, Traffic finds himself in Room 4/6 and meets the class outsiders: bad boy Andrew, quiet lad Highlight, strong and powerful Title, friendly and playful Jim Bae, and academic genius Buntad. Traffic gets an invitation from their teacher to join this group of boys in the secret shadow society known as Blacklist, which is said to be dedicated to investigating the mysterious occurrences in their school. Unified in Blacklist, the school outsiders will find out not just what happened to Fah but will also uncover the deep dark secrets of Akeanan School.	My Husband in Law  The smart and multi-talented Muey lives with her crush, Thien, for over seven years. During that time her crush deepens into love but Thien only notices her as someone to tease and bully. He is completely oblivious to her feelings. So she resigns herself to loving him from a distance. After all, Thien is smart, wealthy, hard-working, and good looking. His only “flaw” is being a bit of a player. Unfortunately, that leads to major trouble when he sleeps with the wife of a dangerous mobster. In the aftermath, Thien’s life is in danger. To protect him, Thien’s mother forces him to marry Muey. Muey only agrees for Thien’s safety, but it is also a chance for her to be closer to him. While Thien reluctantly concedes and marries Muey, he wants to keep the relationship secret. How will their relationship fare when Muey begins working at the same company? Is love even possible for them in these circumstances?

So Close Lynn and Sue are two stunningly attractive sisters with a profession unlike any other. They are smart, sexy, and downright dangerous. These two are the coolest "hit women" in town and it seems nothing can get in their way until a tough and beautiful detective, Hong, gets dangerously close to their trail. Non-stop martial arts action ensues when Lynn and Sue get up close and personal with the law.	Net Deception Having fallen in love with the same woman who has been in a coma for over 10 years, Yiu Sing Tin (Wong Hei) and Chong Chin Pang (Eddie Kwan) are like rivals, one is a computer game programmer while the other is a cop. Tong Ka Ming (Jack Wu) was initially a police-in-training, but due to trying to help his friend cheat for a test, he was discovered and kicked out of the training campus. Chin Pang takes this chance to tell Ka Ming that if he wants to become a cop again, then he will need to secretly go undercover and find evidence on the computer hacking crimes that Yiu Sing Tin may be apart of. Things become even more complicated when Kong Kin Yee (Myolie Wu) enters the scene. The more Ka Ming gets involved with these two's disputes, the more unbelievable truths come to light. Things aren't always what they seem to be.	Romance Beyond To fulfill his dream as a great computer game designer, Chung refused to inherit his father's antique business. Chung, along with his younger half brother, Chi, works for a Japanese game company. To enter an internal design contest, Chung created a storyboard and programmed parts of a computer game. The game involves a girl named Jora being chased by an evil sorceress, Salomi, while another character called Siu Lo Tau is supposed to give Jora directions to defeat Salomi. One stormy night, lightning strikes Chung's computer and Jora and Siu Lo Tau run out of the game and enter the real world. Unaware of Jora's true identity, Chung mistakes her for an illegal immigrant from mainland China.	2000 AD In this Hong Kong box office hit, dreamboat Aaron Kwok plays a computer game whiz who gets dragged into a conspiracy involving the Y2K bug after witnessing the murder of his brother. Desperate to bring the killers to justice -- and to save the world from financial meltdown -- the young man sets out to find the truth in this film helmed and choreographed by acclaimed action director Gordon Chan.

Dramas: Face to Face, Wife Interrupted

Movies: Armageddon, Stranger in Hong Kong, Hope, Black Cat 2: The Assassination of President Yeltsen, Princess D

Love O2O Xiao Nai is a gaming expert who, courtesy of his basketball skills, academic excellence, swimming talent, and game company presidency, also happens to be the most popular student on campus. When he first comes across the gorgeous computer science major Bei Wei Wei, the infinitely talented wunderkind immediately falls in love. But it’s not Wei Wei’s looks that he notices; it’s the ridiculous mastery with which she is commanding her guild and owning everyone in an online multiplayer game that makes her impossible to forget. Now, Xiao Nai must use his skills both in real life and online to capture the adorable but dorky Wei Wei’s heart. But does their love have the XP to succeed, or will this relationship never level up?	The King's Avatar An elite gamer who was once thrown out of his team returns to the world of online gaming to claim the top spot.	Go Go Squid A famous online singer and computer expert Tong Nian falls in love at first sight with Hang Shang Yan, a cold and introverted cybersecurity genius, and decides to actively pursue him.	One Smile is Very Alluring Two computer geniuses meet in an online game, and then eventually seek out each other in the real world and fall in love.

Dramas:  Only Side by Side With You, Hi, I'm Saori, CrossFire, Gank Your Heart

Search: WWW This is a story of three women who work towards establishing themselves in the competitive web industry.  Bae Ta Mi and Song Ka Kyung work for the top web portal firms and are always competing against each other.	Memories of the Alhambra Yoo Jin-Woo, the CEO of an investment company goes to Spain to look for the inventor of an Augmented reality video game. He meets a hostel owner. Hee Joo and mysterious events start taking place.	Ghost Kim Woo Hyun joins the Cyber Investigations Unit and starts hunting a famous hacker.	My Holo Love It's a story about a lonely woman who has trouble recognizing faces becoming a tester for an AI hologram that has the same appearance as its developer.

Dramas: Healer, Rich Man, City Hunter, Player, Circle

Movies: The Con Artist, Fabricated City, Search Out

This will be the Last ASK MDL unless another team would like to take it over.  We are going to do a different format under a different title.  Please let us know if you are interested.

_{Editors: BrightestStar (2nd editor)}