Ask MDL: Myths, Legends and Imaginary Worlds

This month's topic came from lucy_lu:

a topic I would really like to read about is fantasy (like imaginary worlds, magical creatures, fairies etc.)

"Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction set in a fictional universe, often inspired by real-world myth and folklore. Fantasy is distinguished from the genres of science fiction and horror by the absence of scientific or macabre themes respectively, though these genres overlap. Most fantasy uses magic or other supernatural elements as the main plot element, theme, or setting. Magic and magical creatures are common in many of these worlds." [Source: Wikipedia]

Hello, dear MDL'ers!

Hope everyone is doing fine, enjoying spring (or autumn - I sure am happy to get rid of winter). Since Spring is that magical time of the year when all of nature comes back to life (tropical countries can't relate), this month's topic brings us along to the myths, legends and magical worlds of each country. Off you go to check our fantastical picks!

[Sidenote: Recently, people seemed to be confused regarding the 'Idol Pick'. Thus, to clear this up, we renamed it: 'Guilty Pleasure'. It's not the best, but we loved because 'x' actor was in it. 

We also have a new member:

'Hi I am betun (that’s my family nickname)! I am very excited to have just joined the ASK MDL team as the rare male member. I have been watching Hong Kong and Chinese movies since long ago, but since 2017, I really got into dramas. I particularly love watching action, historical, thriller, time travel and fully appreciate the romance that comes with all of them. :blush: I really like the character development and depth of Asians dramas though fluff is so cute, too, sometimes. Between classes and work, I watch across countries, but I will be contributing mainly to Hong Kong and Taiwanese content; I will probably write on Korean content as well since I watch such a lot of it.'

By the way, some of the recs came from this comment on last month's article.]

Destiny: Kamakura Monogatari A newly married couple moves back to his hometown.  It's a little different than what she's used to.	Paco and the Magical Picture Book The story of Scrooge or the Grinch but set in a sanatorium.	Death Note  The first set of Death note movies tell the now familiar and famous story of moral compasses and temptation.	Guilty Pleasure: Blade of the Immortal Manji the "immortal samurai."  protects Rin who vows revenge against the clan that killed her parents.

Bonus:

Drama: Sumika Sumire, Mob Psycho 100, Yamada kun to 7 nin no Majo, Yuusha Yoshihiko to Maou no Shiro, Don Quixote, Minami-kun no Koibito: My Little Lover, Minami-kun no Koibito Season 3, Minami-kun no Koibito Season 2, Kakegurui, Orthros no Inu, xxxHolic, Death Note, Shinigami-kun, Akumu-Chan, Nanase Futatabi, Seirei no Moribito, Kaibutsu kun, Shinigami no Ballad.

Movie: Shinobi: Heart Under Blade, Air Doll, Akko's Secret, Black Butler, Fullmetal Alchemist, Girl in the Sunny Place, Monsterz, Mushishi, Death Trance, Ugetsu Monogatari, Pastoral: To Die in the Country, House, After Life, Be with You,  Daimajin,  BLEACH.

Recommended but ran out of time: Ghost Friends, Mop Girl, Switched, Oniichan, Gacha, Tamiou, Jigoku Sensei Nube, 49, Nakuna, Hara-chan, Kasuka na Kanojo, Hari-kei, Gegege no Kitaro, Ame to Yume no Ato ni, Versus, Angel, Once in a Blue Moon, Woman of Water, A Honeymoon in Hell: Mr. and Mrs. Oki's Fabulous Trip, Horikawa Nakatachiuri, Milocrorze: A Love Story, Ashura, Tengoku ni Ichiban Chikai Otoko, All Esper Dayo!, The Kodai Family.

Encantadia A sister's ambition destroys the peace of the four kingdoms within the land of Encantadia.	Mulawin It tells the story of a half-mulawin/half-human hybird girl, and her Mulawin protector.	Majika A magical story of a girl and her quest to find her abducted family, her heritage and her true love.	Guilty Pleasure: Magic Temple Three teenage boys went on a journey, using their special abilities, to save their world "Samadhi".

Bonus:

Dramas: Amaya, Indio, Kampanerang Kuba, Encantadia (remake), Adarna, Darna (2005), Daig Kayo ng Lola Ko 

Movies:  Moments of Love,  Blusang Itim, Miss Granny, Magic Kingdom: Ang Alamat ng Damortis

Green Door Wei Song Yan comes back from the U.S. to open up a psychology clinic in Taiwan called Green Door. His meticulous ways and principles get in the way of the success of Green Door despite his girlfriend, Hong Yu Mei, referring clients in his direction. The first clients he gets without the help of Yu Mei, however, turn out to be ghosts: the spirit of a young girl from the future that only appears in mirrors, the spirit of a gangster who is currently trapped in the body of Yu Xiu Qi , and a ghost who can't move on from her memory of the past.	I Am Sorry, I Love You When the man you love dies in a tragic accident, is it possible to go on with your life? Han Si Yi was happy with her life with her boyfriend Ling Hong Pei , but Hong Pei dies tragically in a car accident one day. Unable to move on to the other world, Hong Pei lingers around his ex-girlfriend after becoming a ghost and tries to help her recover from her devastating loss. Can Hong Pei help Si Yi find happiness again with the nerdy Wang Shu Hai?	Angel 'N' Devil A group of high school girls is Copper Dimension's last defense against the dark forces. They signed a contract with Xiong Ya, a guardian of light, to protect the innocent with their lives in exchange for having one wish come true. When one of their own is killed in school, their hunt for the devils in human skin brings them face to face with their own inner demon. They soon discover they are not above the influence of evil.	Guilty Pleasure: KO One KO One is a class designed especially for the delinquents and rejects that other high schools would not accept. Even so, everyone in the class is loyal to the leader, Da Dong (KO.3), and would die for friends. Tied for #3, Ya Se, and #4, Xiao Yu soon joins the class. Out of some fortuitous events, their lives become tied together and they become best buddies. At the same time, incidents start to occur and the culprit always leads to Ya Se. Is Ya Se wrongly accused? Will the class be able to stand the politics or will it be driven apart?

Bonus:

Dramas: The X-Family, KO One Re-call, KO One Re-act, KO One Re-member, The X- Dormitory, The King of Romance, Wind and Cloud, Fairy of the Chalice, Magic 18, The M Riders, Running Man, N Generations, 

Movies: The Shoe Fairy, The Treasure Hunter, Didi's Dreams 

My Name is Love A boy who doesn't believe in love ends up falling for the girl next door that he once scorned, only to find out he cannot love and that he is Cupid, in order to love he must help 3 people successfully fall in love.	Queens of Langkasuka As sea pirates threaten to invade their kingdoms, three queens of Langkasuka must band together to defend their lands and people.	Leh Nangfah Teepob and Lallalit "Beauty" grew up together, but he hates her because she is a spoiled, bratty and selfish heiress. So when she comes to him for help to regain power over her family's company, he pranks her by sending her to do the lowest jobs. Looking down from heaven, two angels decide to teach her a lesson by acting as her fairy godmothers and casting a spell on her. Only she doesn't receive a reward but the curse of living her life as a human at day and as a bird at night.	Guilty Pleasure: Tiend Narng Mai  Vana is a nymph whose forest is invaded by a black sorcerer, who wants to get the nymph’s heart for his evil doings. Vana’s tree, where the heart is located, is cut down and made into a bed. Vana has to flee the forest and has to stay where the bed is being used as part of the furniture for a rented room. Nobody has been able to stay in that room for long as it is claimed to be haunted.

Bonus:

Dramas: Pachara Montra, Paragit Likhit Huajai, Manee Dan Suaang, Mermaid's Love, Ngao, Mr Merman, Chuamong Tong Mon, Majurat Holiday, He's Coming to Me, Our Skyy (only 1 ep)

Movies: Pee Mak, Homestay, Wing Na Tang Gor Yang Ruk Ter, Triage, Garuda

The Exorcist's Meter Night-shift taxi driver Ma Gwai lost his parents at a young age. After narrowly escaping death multiple times, he has seen through the vanity of the world and has adopted a "need no achievements, make no mistakes" attitude towards life. But inside his heart, there is one name - Chong Chi Yeuk. Every day, he drives this doctor to and from work, cherishing the time that belongs to only the two of them. Little does he know that he will become her guardian in the future. One night, he urinates on a public highway and releases the curse of the hundred-year-old spirit Shek Gam Dong. He experiences a series of inconceivable events and sees things that other people cannot see.	The Monkey King Sun Wukong, (The Monkey King) is a monkey born from a heavenly stone who acquires supernatural powers. After rebelling against heaven and being imprisoned under a mountain for 500 years, he later accompanies the monk Xuanzang on a journey to India. Thus, according to legend, Buddhism is brought to ancient China. This much-beloved story is as much a part of Asian culture as The Iliad and The Odyssey or The Wizard of Oz are to the West. The first movie is the origins story - beginning with the birth of Sun Wukong and ending with his imprisonment for his crimes under the Five-Peaked Mountain. Along the way, he acquires incredible powers.	CJ7 Featuring the trademark Chow slapstick humour, CJ7 is a comedy about a poor labourer father, Ti, played by Stephen Chow, and his young son, Dicky. When a fascinating and strange new pet enters their lives, Dicky, an elementary school student, sees a chance to overcome his poor background and shabby clothes and impress his fellow students for the first time in his life. The "pet" however has other ideas and when Dicky brings it to class, comedic chaos erupts including a showdown with the terrifying school bully, Storm Dragon!	Guilty Pleasure  Love in Time A 224-year-old man guarded himself for 200 years due to a damaged romance. Growing up in a village, the man goes through enormous changes, including experiencing the murder of his lover by a demon. He survives because a vampire rescued him. He is heartbroken, but can't get the tears out until he meets the energetic female lead. His heart unconsciously melts by her heartwarming love. The guy has an immortal body, while the girl only lives until age 80. Is it Heaven that's playing games with them or are they a match from Heaven?

Bonus:

Dramas:  Journey to the West (1996), Ghost Writer, Ghost of Relativity, 

Movies: A Chinese Ghost Story, The Eagle Shooting Heroes, Green Snake, Mr. Vampire, Rouge, Blood: The Last Vampire, Lavender, 

Ashes of Love In ancient times, the Flower Goddess dies after giving birth to a daughter. Before she passed, she fed her daughter the Unfeeling Pill, ordered her subordinates to keep the girl’s birth story a secret and to imprison her within Shui Jing for 10,000 years. The girl’s name is Jin Mi. 4,000 years later, the Heavenly Emperor’s second son, Xu Feng, was entrapped by someone and mistakenly entered Shui Jing. He was saved by the ignorant Jin Mi. After living together for 100 years, Xu Feng gradually developed feelings for Jin Mi.	Guardian A world beyond scientific understanding with a group of passionate adults trying to solve cases done by such forces. Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei are tasked with upholding peace between deities, demons, and humans, and the story will focus on their friendship that transcends past and present lifetimes.	Eternal Love When the deities Bai Qian and Ye Hua fall in love, it is a romance of epic proportions that stands the test of three lifetimes.	Guilty Pleasure:  Journey to the West (1986)   Based on the actual pilgrimage of the monk Xuanzang to India in the Tang Dynasty (618-907), the story had already become a favourite of the Chinese people when Wu Cheng'en shaped it into a romantic novel which describes the Monkey King, also known as Sun Wukong, and his entourage protecting Xuanzang against all kinds of demons on an adventurous journey westward.

Bonus:

Dramas: The Destiny of The White Snake, An Oriental Odyssey, The Love Knot: His Excellency's First Love, Sword of Legends, Tribes and Empires: Storm of Prophecy, Fighter of The Destiny, Ice Fantasy, The Starry Night, The Starry Sea, Demon Girl, Demon Girl 2

Movies: Monster Hunt, Monster Hunt 2, Once Upon A Time, Mermaid

My Girlfriend is a Gumiho Cha Dae Woong accidentally frees a nine-tailed fox who takes a human form of a beautiful woman and saves his life. Indebted, and threatened that she might eat him, he agrees to help her become human and teaches her the way around.	Postman to Heaven Starring Han Hyo Joo and Jae Joong, this is a beautiful movie about a postman who delivers letters to the deceased in heaven from people left behind. Ha Na finds out about his identity and starts working with him. It leaves you thinking about those you lost and reminds you to cherish those you have. Do not leave things unsaid, or you might not have a chance to say them again.	Goblin Kim Shin was once an unbeatable general in war who died a sad death. He now possesses immortality but is tired of living whilst everyone else around him dies. For 900 years, Kim Shin has searched for his bride, a mortal who can pull out the sword that binds him to the living. One day, he encounters Ji Eun Tak, a positive, upbeat high school student who can see the dead.	Guilty Pleasure: A Witch's Love It's a story about a family of witches running a restaurant while hiding their identity. The building owner, who is a young man, starts living in the building, and thus begins a day to day struggle of concealing their powers from him.

Bonus:

Dramas: A Korean Odyssey, A Mirror of the Witch, W, Gu Family Book, The Legend of the Blue Sea, Memories of the Alhambra, Spring turns to Spring, Secret Love, Bride of Haebak

Movies: Along with the Gods - The Last 49 days, Be with You, Wonderful Nightmare, Il Mare, Lucid Dream, Project Makeover

Did you enjoy our article? Please leave a comment below!

• Have you seen any of our recommendations? Which ones did you love... Or not? 
• Is there any that you are looking forward to watching? 
• Do you have other recommendations that we missed? 
• Do you have any feedback (suggestions, constructive criticism, a topic you would like to see, etc.)?

Until next time! (^_<)～☆