mysecretsoul

Right? Worse yet, in some of his cutscenes they tend to overdo the "old" thing. Like his swimsuit? They apparently designed it after one of those antique, horizontal striped one-piece bathing suits. It's not quite as bad as the real thing, but.... I wonder whether the creators are ageist? XD Some of his events are still very classically romantic, though.

It would be great to get to experience an older main character! Unfortuantely, it seems like most of those are M-rated games. ;A;

Beyond the Clouds is pretty good. I'm finding Yoon Kye Sang a capable lead, who plays an out of control character beautifully. The story itself is somewhat shaky in places, particularly where the means for revenge originate. Otherwise, the romance is working as intended and the atmosphere is good.

Ah, Can We Love? What changed your mind? :o

If they do get around to making that HBO Monster and want to keep the lead Japanese, it's possible they'd choose Sanada-san. He's easily one of the most recognizable Japanese actors in the west, other than Ken Watanabe and Tadanobu Asano.

Unfortunately I still haven't gotten around to Monster. Every time I think to, I somehow get distracted by dramas or work. :,) I have easy access to the episodes though, so one of these days I'll probably end up sitting down with it. I'm very interested to see the character so I can place him together with Sanada-san.

That's a good idea. I still haven't seen most of the secret characters (other than handsome Mr. Author), for that very reason. It's always good to leave some surprises, haha. What drove me crazy about the Principal was that his personality wasn't all really bad. I remember seeing some screens some time ago where people "erased" his mustache. The impression was *much* better, and he actually looked more his age. I'd have had more fun with his route had he looked like that, I think.

Mm. I actually liked that the game doesn't go the super salacious route, but keeps it gentle until the end. It gives the guys extra points for being decent, as well as being pretty cute--waiting that long is pretty amazing.

Ah, so it's a darker take on Oz? Odd eyes can definitely add to the fantastical look of a person, so I can see why you'd say that. She's got the right air for a Dorothy, too. ->

That makes sense, though: not being wholly willing to prod and poke the teacher romantically. It always struck me as amusing the game encourages it. Here's this high school girl, aggressively pursuing her teacher in various ways, haha. In that way, she's more bold for you. xD

That guy WAS persistent, right? He often reached Tokimeki State, even when I left him angry for months. I always tried to utilize that system where you ask them for a date on a day they'll definitely not show up, keke. That way I could defuse the bomb and continue ignoring them.

Mm! I'm motivated to play them again too. It seems more likely I'll try some of the titles you suggested first, though. Have you seen the boys for Tokimeki 3 yet? I rather find the gray-haired piano prodigy appealing, too.

Matches and Matrimony! That's the game. I believe they even included Mr. Bingley (which is awesome; he was such a sweetie). Several characters appeaqr to be amalgamations of others, but that's fine. It must be difficult to incorporate so many iconic men, haha.

Oh! I love Alan Cumming. He's such a talented actor. Does Glitch retain many of the scarecrow's characteristics? It sounds like a good fit for him. They've got Tin Man on Netflix, so I'll be adding it to my queue. It seems Syfy this series called Helix recently (while we're on the subject of their programming). Hiroyuki Sanada plays an important character in it! I was so happy to see a Japanese actor land a decent role on American television. :,)

Right? I've never even gotten close to getting that first gift, either. The stat penalties are definitely to blame. Trying to get it marks one of the times it's super, super annoying ->

Speaking of the dress-up aspect, apparently that is more defined in Tokimeki Memorial 3 also. There are more styles, more clothing choices, and different combinations. Ah, I can't wait until the translation is completed. XD

Somehow I haven't heard of Tin Man, though. What network did it originate on or was it a film? :o

Oh my gosh. That hurt my brain, because the girl didn't even want to be "rescued." Another awful scene was the one on the bus, where they both started impromptu karaoke. I cringed so hard my skin almost peeled off, haha. It's enough to make me nervous about Behind The White Tower, even though it has Kim Myung Min as the lead.

I'm thinking the first birthday gift. Apparently, he gives you a wearable one in the first year, but it's super hard to get stats high enough to appease him. When I pursued Himuro, I had some trouble with the green-haired kid too. Made the mistake of going to the library too often during exam time. <_< The mini-game also kicked my butt unless I totally zoned out while doing it. Focusing on the arrows made it harder somehow O_O

Why in the world would they want to kill Gil, haha? If I'm not wrong, most people really gravitated toward that relationship (as well as the setting and other characters). It's almost like the writers just started hating the series so they decided to wreck the whole thing o_o Just stinks because the cast *does* seem pretty good from what I can glean on Youtube. Argh, Lost in Austen. Colonel Brandon would be my choice too, or perhaps Captain Wentworth without all the past drama. Didn't they make an otome game about this recently? I might be crazy.

The last Three Musketeers story I enjoyed onscreen was probably The Man in the Iron Mask. It got a bit messy, but it brought up the right feelings and the cast was good (John Malkovich, Jeremy Irons, Gabriel Byrne, yes). Sometimes I think some retellings could work if they weren't obvious money runs (such as Kristen Stewart's Snow White) ->

There was a recent Pride and Prejudice "sequel," called Death Comes to Pemberley with a similar twist (though nothing as bad Gil, if that's the case). I can't bring myself to watch things like that, since those writers rarely follow the spirit of the source material. Ah, so they've even started tampering with the stories in full length adaptations? In the past, most long series could be trusted with accuracy (Zelah Clarke's Jane Eyre comes to mind), much more than films. How is the recent Musketeers? Still entertaining despite the changes?

That gangster was my type too, though it felt odd at first because it was Lee Sung Min. He was so creepy in Brain, haha! His scenes, especially the one you mentioned, brought me closer to flutters than anything Sun Gyun might have done. I've heard he was decent, but between his high school scenes and those, yeesh....

Right? What makes bombs slightly more annoying is they'd often come from a guy the player never really interacted with. Even if you don't get their number (from your brother or neighbor, no less!) it still happens. In that context, it feels a little like stalking. o_o Speaking of Himuro though, were you ever able to get his gift? Raising his affection high enough in time is such a pain ;A;

Oh, fanfiction? I wouldn't think there would be much for Tokimeki, but being one of the more high profile fan translations it makes sense. Is there a healthy-sized community? I've never seen God of Study, but that sounds amusing. Is it worth the watch? School dramas have been giving me trouble recently.

Whoa, it must have been that long ago for me too. o_o Now I feel old all of a sudden. They didn't kill Gilbert did they? Somehow I get the impression they killed him, which is a big "Wtf". ->

Haha! Twelve years is half of my life. O_O That feels so odd to say.

I'm just imagining Laura scoping out all the newcomers as they come into town. "Is he cute? No? How about the guy he came with?! I need cute to advance my plot-line!" Which to be fair, would probably be the type of character I would play...at least for a little while. XD

Oh Ji Ho and Jang Hyuk! After seeing them in Chuno, I'm lightly stalking both of them. They're both gorgeous, but in wildly different ways. It also seems to me that Oh Ji Ho is slightly better looking, while Jang Hyuk might be the better actor.

Oh my gosh, I definitely want to play that one too~ Though, I've never figured out whether I like Chichiri or Tasuki more; it would be strange to finally have that decided. There should just be an ending where I can take both, haha.

Chiriko might be difficult for me too; flower boys and "shouta" types have never really interested me. My sole exception remains in Sweet Fuse, because the writers worked the type well. They started him out with the stereotypical personality such characters tend to have, but over the course of the story he sincerely matures. It was a pleasant surprise, though I wasn't expecting much at first.

I've actually never seen them, but the books really captured something special for me. What did they change? :o Usually adaptations of classics are somewhat more careful, especially if they have more installments to play with.

Poor Hikami, haha. I understand though. But which teacher did you like better? That's the real question. XD

In the second, I felt the shadows worked out decently. Dusk made them plausible and pretty, and each guy had his own specific shape; but I'd have definitely welcomed more actual art instead. What particularly bothered me was the epilogue. Sometimes it didn't read as though the couple saw each other often or would stay even stay together, regardless of what the player did (like going to his college).

If I'm not wrong, the newest Tokimeki installment did away with the bombs. The female characters instead take on the "little brother" role, and help you win your guy (not murder you for liking theirs XD). I hope the group finishes soon, since it looks much improved. And there's a secret character who is an attractive older man/writer type, haha. ->

Oh, certainly! Besides Kimura-san, there's Nagase Tomoya, Hideaki Takizawa, Kusanagi Tsuyoshi, Sakurai Sho, Ohno Satoshi.... Yasuda Shota impressed me in Yakou Kanransha too. I guess in the Idol Battle Royale they'd be finalists. They can all leave together alive, haha.

Figure that would happen to me too. While looking at the cast list, I noticed pretty much every supporting actor I've ever loved (from Kim Sung Oh to Han Jung Soo). What would that even be called? Supporting Lead Syndrome? XD

I hate it when people do that. Especially since it tends to mean the ending was pretty interesting otherwise.

Glad to hear you'll be starting! Everything other than God's Gift and Beyond the Clouds is about the same. My next move is to vent my post-Chuno Oh Ji Ho addiction with The Third Ward, and start finishing up Shin Ha Kyun's films to possibly start a Stalker's Guide. Love that guy.

This is the first I've heard about Ihara-san landing a leading role. Good for him! I hope it'll be subbed consistently. Of the others, I'm also pretty stoked about Roosevelt Game and Black President; love Sawamura Ikki, plus business dramas are just working for me lately.

Basically, those characters that aren't tortured heroes and are more quiet, upright types. XD

By the way, do you often find yourself not completing other routes as in Frozen Essence? Sometimes I've ended up doing so too, so lately I try to save the character I figure I'll like best for last. It's quite the gamble.

That would make sense. I've noticed that films and shows I liked even five years ago seem totally different to me now. It's too bad time travel isn't possible in that case. XD It'd be wild to see the changes. At least now, it's still possible to go back and watch things that perhaps one wasn't ready for in the past. There are many things I think I wouldn't have enjoyed younger that I do now.

Ah, Tokimeki? In the first one, I went for Himuro like you (though Kazuma, Madoka, and Shiki appealed to me also). In the second, I gravitated toward Hikami instantly. What makes that hilarious is that Himuro and Hikami are related in-universe; basically, I hopped from one family member to the next. Of the other candidates, Masaki got my attention. My preference swings older too. XD

I felt the main routes kind of spoil the rest of the experience. Feels too much like the only "right" route in those games, since they're so much more complete. Skinship in the second game could be funny, though. If you do it too much, the guys tend to freak out a bit. Actually tapping the screen did feel odd though, even for me, haha.

The General does sound terribly appealing. I love characters like that. That typically accounts for why I tend to adore the "boring" characters in historicals ->

That does seem odd. None of those things really has anything in common. Had I been a student there, I might have had a lot of trouble; physical education and home economics used to kick my butt. So the switch was recent then? In schools in my area, they made recent changes also; however, it's more to the hours and days classes run on than any actual curriculum.

That's why I preferred Dorcas' on the whole; they were interesting if not perfect, but she's comfortable enough in her own skin to stay alone. It's a strange type of character, since in those days they'd pressure the heck out of the women to marry.

Haha, it's that time of year again, ne? I hope the closing party is fun and goes smoothly~

By the way, when you get back into the swing with Asian dramas, I've recently seen two hunks that I think you might like. XD

When put that way, I wonder if the reasoning might be that ikemen are short-lived anyway. Why put much work into someone that'll be replaced by younger, handsomer faces? Actually, now I'm thinking of the entire industry as though it were Battle Royale. Fight to become the next Kimura Takuya XD

I'm glad to hear your opinion on IG. Most buzz is "omg it's daebak!" which usually means I won't like it, haha. Is her acting poor, or is it the character? I originally thought it was about freedom fighters also, but it sounds more like shounen manga sometimes.

I'm sorry that happened. What kind of person would spoil that?! It surprised me a bit, so being spoiled definitely sucks. I think you'd still enjoy it though...there are lots of great characters.

Yoon Kye Sang is crazy good in Beyond the Clouds. Atmosphere is good too, but it's a very classic/intimate type of revenge do. I rather like it.

I think I'll pick up all of those games. Frozen Essence intrigues me, especially being emotionally heavy. Heartstring Bugs seems like a good fit also, because I'm very used to that sort of game. I love complex systems, so figuring it out should be a lot of fun. Are there any routes you preferred to others? :o