The 2nd Canada Japanese Video Contest

First Prize

My name is Ifrah. Me and my friend Alan are both huge fans of Japanese Dramas so for the category, “Things of Japan I love” I wanted to pay homage to Japanese Dramas with their arrogant male leads and unrealistic love stories. I also wanted the viewer to experience that ache you get when you need to watch the next episode and know what happens next. Did we make you want to watch the next “episode”? In the video, I tried incorporating various tropes like the contract marriage, time-travelling and crossdressing. Were you able to catch all the references to famous Japanese Dramas like “Hanazakari no Kimitachi e” (For You in Full Bloom), “Proposal Daisakusen” (Operation Proposal) and “Nigeru wa Haji da ga, Yaku ni Tatsu” (Running away is Shameful, but it’s Useful too)? I hope our video made you consider giving Japanese Dramas a try!

A Love Like the Dramas Episode 03, Ifrah Saeed, Alan Bui, University of Toronto

Second Prize

My name is Renee Qin, a grade 11 student from Sentinel Secondary School. I initially got to know about Japan when I was 6 years old as I started to watch anime on TV during dinner time with my family every day. In elementary, I started self-learning Japanese with a deep interest and curiosity of Japan. In 2017, I joined an international exchange trip to Japan organized by my school, and some of the clips in my video were filmed during my tour in Japan. I love Japanese food - both the flavour and the beautiful design. It is an art worth exploring. I am grateful for the opportunity to present and share with everyone!

Flavours of Japan, Renee Qin, Sentinel Secondary School