mysecretsoul

Oh, definitely. In my opinion, actually, being able to watch these shows from a different perspective makes it all more fun. The otherness of the culture just serves to create an entirely new angle, whereas familiar archetypes keep it within the bounds of understanding~

Haha! I feel bad for your friend, having had to experience it firsthand. XD What's worse, there's a ridiculous reversal in the late game which is pretty much the epitome of: "are....are you joking?" The second lead was nice though. Half the time his reaction to their behaviors was just that: "Seriously?! What are you people even doing *now*..." XD

I've seen a good T-drama or two, but I think they're generally not the ones from SETTV. Which are...pretty much the only ones that ever get translated, probably. ;-;

Her pain, fear, and shame are understandable. It's just unfortunate she chose to take it all out on her loving mother, rather than find better ways to vent.

I feel like that theme was popular last year, with Kazoku Game and similar dramas (instabilities brought on by societal pressure, hidden emotions and pains, etc). A documentary a few years ago, perhaps "Freakonomics"? talked in depth about the "honne" and "tatamae". It's such a miserable standard to hold the people to, but it's been around for so long.... These feelings explain much of Yakou Kanransha, and in retrospect I wonder whether the drama was meant to denounce that standard in a meaningful way.

It does make me sad to watch Endou-san suffer at the hands of her neighbors. It's worse because it's part of spoiled expectations. She'd wanted to live in that beautiful town, but now it's more hell than heaven. The daughter's behavior on the other hand, seemed reminiscent of unusual domestic cases, where the parent is abused by the child. ->

Me either. It was surprising to hear so many people apparently had a second male lead syndrome going for that guy. The actor is cute, but the character, ugh....

Beyond the Clouds is a pleasant oddity; I came in expecting a revenge story but instead received more of a dark romance. It definitely doesn't look or act like typical Asian revenge spiels. Something has me lightly expectant of the series each week, too. Thanks for the good wishes~ I've no idea how the series might end at all, which is fun in of itself.

Mm! Yakou Kanransha is definitely complex and sometimes even frightfully honest about Japanese culture. It's also fun that the Ferris wheel is used to such a beautiful degree as imagery; one mostly sees things like that in film nowadays. I got shivers a few times when they used its clacking gears as sound effects over certain scenes @_@

Ding Dong! He was too cute. Though, am I wrong for finding it ironic you've re-watched a drama whose male lead has a troubled heart to calm your own? XD

One thing I must say, though: I cannot believe Yoon Kye Sang (TGL's second lead) is actually a pretty good actor. I'm watching him in Beyond the Clouds, and he's absolutely nothing like that sleepy doctor in the least. Explosive, more like, which was shocking at first.

Ugh! Someone mentioned being spoiled for Chuno on these pages, too. I've no idea why people can't spoiler tag things, since the box is literally right there. Luckily, I think the comment you saw won't affect you much. Almost all characters suffer from an inferiority complex in the drama, since I believe it was one of the themes. Feeling awful in front of the neighbors, not living up to expectation, etc.

Oh right? Did you ever notice a lot of them are played by actors good enough to play leads, but never seem to? Whenever I think Secretary, Kim Sung Oh comes to mind. He was even good in When a Man Loves, and that was...something else. XD

You disliked The Greatest Love initially? I've got a rather high score on it myself, but that's mostly due to nostalgia; it was perhaps my second? Korean drama, and one of the only romantic comedies where I've really enjoyed myself. Probably needs to be bumped down a score or two for my part, though. XD

That part of the show, I rather liked. It's rare that violent fan obsession is honestly addressed, since offense to fans is like career suicide. Some of those people do need a little wake-up call. >_<

Ah! You started Yakou Kanransha after all. :) I'm eager to hear your thoughts on it~

Ah, I see what you mean then. Yet with stories like Hope, it's probably difficult to know when to release a film or book or whichever. If too soon after, people might cry foul; if too long, the victims might suffer as you've said. It's a slippery slope either way, ne? I'd say we could be misanthropic together, but that seems against the spirit of misanthropy, haha.

A fun secretary relationship? I have such a soft spot for those, since they always seem to work well. XD

He does pop up often! I just checked out his listing, and realized I'd seen him more than once without realizing. Love these types of character actors, especially when they're pleasant more often than not. Jun Noh Min comes to mind. Sometimes I'd see him back-to-back between shows.

Same! My favorites probably parent/child bonds and powerful friendships. There's just something touching about such closeness. :,)

I find it most fun to imagine all CEOs like any character in Golden Empire. If they're going to sit around and talk, at least let it be about business. And maybe a little bit of betrayal, haha. Have you seen information about the new drama coming to TV Chosun? It's called Into the Fire, and will be another business-oriented series.

We do have Comrades fever, haha! Glad to hear you're interested in it, even should it take a long time to actually get around to watching. Both of us are adamant about spreading the Choi Soo Jong "virus," as well; he's such an impressive actor.

Isn't Yoon Kye Sang dynamic? I confess to being shocked he had that much power in him, after the sleepy performance in The Greatest Love. The atmosphere is definitely the best part, though.

Which shows are you planning on? :o There's so much interesting stuff coming up, I'm a little overwhelmed myself.

Ah, looks like you're on the more enjoyable time shift. Ours has me waking up in the sparkling sunlight, which would be great...if just a little later in the morning, haha.

Right? It seems like no matter how I work at it, I can't chop my PTW list down to size. It just sits at 160+ and laughs at me. Many of the ones you're watching right now are interesting though. Ooku had such a unique plot and Sakai Masato...well, he's Sakai-san, after all. XD

I'm happy to hear it! Never actually seen either of those myself. Classics are fun, though, because they often deserve the status and praise. At the moment, I'm liking Beyond the Clouds and God's Gift best. I'm a little worried about that second one, though, because though it's started strong... Some parts are losing that strength, if that makes sense.

I love Kwon Sang Woo! Something about him is super pleasant. Unfortunately, I've never gotten around to any of his other dramas after Medical Top Team. Daemul looks likely to be my next experience with him, though Cinderella Man sounds interesting as you've described it. Love me some Prince and Pauper themes. XD

Oh, the father! He seems like such a gentle soul. The actor makes me miss President, though; he plays Jang Il Joon's right hand man, and their bond was pretty touching. :,) The "Will they, won't they?" bit started with the Uncle and the Teacher also. It's too cute, haha. Secondary couples can be more fun than main ones.

Right? Sometimes I'm not sure whether it's the eccentric who become famous in Hollywood, or if fame just generates eccentricity. Figure if I had half as much money though, I'd be strange as they come. XD

Yeah, can't handle that right now. Sounds exactly what I experienced with Kore-eda's "Nobody Knows." Was Hope also a true story? That always deepens the impact.... But films such as these are definitely important entries into cinema. If anything like that film and The Crucible, legislation will likely see a shift. Thankfully, these have power in Asia; I don't remember the last time a film helped do the same in my country. It's just sad the laws have to be so messed up in the first place.

Seems like I should let Fermentation Family continue healing my heart though, haha. ->

Oh! Certainly. What I meant was just that; because you work in the medical field for your profession, of course you'd be well-versed enough to spot all the mistakes. I can't imagine how frustrating that would be, especially when they try to pull off crazy maneuvers for the sake of drama. Sometimes it's even obvious to the uninitiated. But it does make me wonder if other professions suffer a similar fate on screen...other than the obviously glitzed up ones, like designers and CEOs. XD

Right? Actually I find Ha Kyun relatively cute, but talent usually helps decide that, so.... At least most people grow into more mature tastes, ne?

Pretty well! I've run into many decent shows these days. For instance, Sandrose and I both devoured the series Comrades recently. It was such a pleasant surprise, totally underrated and just...ugh, sorry, I get emotional whenever I start talking about it. XD

Divorcing now? Oh, what to do with Hollywood. Both of them are somewhat odd, though. If memory serves, some time ago Douglass mentioned some off-color things about what caused him to fall ill. Well, what he *felt* caused it, anyway. Good actor though.

Already liking Song Il Gook a lot~ The only problem is that they've messed up his pretty face a bit with an odd stubble-mustache. Otherwise, the character is a lot of fun, and he seems to be a very physical actor indeed. I respect that.

It seems everyone is watching Hope recently. You're all much more brave than I. Much as The Crucible touched me, it's very difficult for me to watch films concerning children in that way these days. Far too upsetting >_<

That's the one! I'd heard he was a decent actor, but I've yet to see him in anything. Everyone says wonderful things about King's Daughter recently. I'm thinking of picking it up, because I learned the episodes are 30 minutes rather than an hour. So in that case, it's a more manageable sageuk length. Now had it been an hour per episode, that might not have been doable at all >.>

Ah, so you've finally returned to Asian dramas? Welcome baaaaack~

Haha, sounds like your man won. It's good to hear that the romance doesn't fully define it. That, and well, having the second lead be well-written enough for people to get mad, that's pretty impressive too. Cunning Single Lady could learn from that, argh.

Mm, that's the one! I started a little while ago and find it charming so far. If you recall the young girl in the first episodes, I've witnessed firsthand that Song Il Gook really does come off as a family man. :,) So cute! The food is interesting, too, very colorful and pretty.

Right? Coincidentally, I noticed War of the Roses playing on the classic movie channel last night. So I DVRed it, though things often rot there for ages before I ever see them >.> Yikes, though. Why would CZJ think that? O_o She's a beautiful lady, but that's an odd thing to say about your husband and the public in general o_o

Thank you for the review! I plan to start this one in the future, too. :)

Oh, the Reply series! Those are the ones with the major shipping wars, right? I genuinely have no idea how I'd react to the couples, since I usually like "the nice guy"/whomever is older. It'd be funny to get angry enough to drop a score, though. XD I've never actually done it out of anger before, though good feelings can bump up a score easily.

I forget if I've asked, but did you find yourself angry at the outcome?

Funnily enough, I'd have answered this message sooner, but I went off in search of food. Between chatting about food and looking at food-related dramas, it was too much. My next K-drama is looking to either be Kimchi Family or Gourmet... so the tread mill and I shall be reacquainted for the next week or so. XD

Haha! So they're divorcing, but each is trying to keep the house? Did they remake that recently? I think they tried it with Jennifer Aniston, for some reason.

That sounds intriguing. Controversial endings are usually my favorite, since I find myself enjoying those that have others dropping their overall score. Soredemo's looking good after Ashita; my next Korean drama will likely be a food or family oriented one, so I'll have ample "heart padding." XD Just dry those eyes with kimchi.

Right? It's a great title. Ah! You've finally gotten me on a classic film. I've never seen The War of the Roses. Is it a divorce-centric story? Because that's an incredible title, too. XD

Ashida Mana is incredible. Like, I'm sincerely blown away. There are veterans actresses way older than her that are much, much worse. If she continues working, I've got a feeling she'll be some kind of mega-actress. I'll keep you posted on the drama itself; apparently, some changes were made in the middle, so....

That would be the one with Yoon Sang Hyun right? I believe there was a very similar one called "The Sasaki Couple's Merciless Battle," with Inagaki Goro. Watched that one many years ago, but never added it to my list (as I barely remember it XD). Those type of dramas really do require a certain mind set.

Oh, right? Dramas like Moteki probably make more sense than most romances, though I wouldn't mind having a moteki myself. XD

Yup! I decided to go with Ashita, Mama Ga Inai. It's a little different than what I expected; with all the controversy, I'd expected something darker and more realistic. But it's only the first episode, so who knows what will happen.

Ah! Soredemo Ikite Yuku... I confess I planned to watch it soon, but had heard it's quite sad. I'm not sure I can handle that level of sad again just yet. With the cast involved, I've no doubt it's as good as everyone says, though.

It does seem like the majority of K-dramas can't find a happy medium between fish kisses and crazy aggressive ones. I must agree about Lee Sung Min, though after Brain, it was difficult to adjust to him being a romantic character anyway. When he went for the kiss, my mind went back to the attempted smooch on Shin Ha Kyun (which was hilarious, haha).

In two cases (Bad Guy, Incarnation of Money), I'm waiting for a time I'm more patient to complete them. If my viewer's conscience allowed it, these are two that would have been dropped. With Saengchori and Fabulous Boys, the mood wasn't right just yet, but they're fine.

As to White Tower and Three Kingdoms, both are completely to my taste, but I'm waiting to complete them with a friend. She went off on a British drama binge some time ago, haha. I might go forward on White Tower soon, though. Nothing can keep me from my Myung Min fixes. XD