mysecretsoul

Hello again! How are you doing? I have finally managed to catch up to Miss Korea. Just today, even. It surprises me so much how different the show has evolved than I'd expected. Been enjoying the strong themes so much that it's hard to go back to the "regular" heroine. Are you excited for the end?

Oh! Basically, one would get sick and pass the germs on to the other right away, haha. The dangers of working closely together, right?

Even in recent interviews, you can kind of hear Bertie slipping into his tone. Talk about getting into the role!

I missed the accent in Valmont too, especially because half the cast *did* have it. Annette Benning was incredible in it, even so; it's too bad she didn't play mean girls like that sooner. The young cast probably comprises my favorite set playing those characters, too. Fairuza has such an incredibly innocent look about her, it's just wild.

I wish, haha! Most of my appearance came from my Russian grandmother, so aside from being short and dark-haired, I don't look as Japanese as I could. My eyes were inherited from her as well. Both of my brothers managed to resemble those tiny tourist Buddha statues, though. XD

Oh, I know right? People are too hard on him, try to place the whole feminist angle on the situation. I couldn't imagine living like Charlotte, starting off with close ties like that, writing stories all the time with your siblings, then losing each of them slowly over the years. Yikes.

Oh, I'd nearly forgotten The King's Speech! Glad to hear you got to see it. Did you know that Colin had some issues getting *rid* of that stammer in real life? He said it almost ruined his career, because it'd become so deeply ingrained in his psyche. ->

From this list, I've seen The Terror Live and A Better Tomorrow (though, never the original). Though The Terror Live was not to my taste whatsoever, A Better Tomorrow was quite nice. It fulfills the bromance need very well indeed.

And there's even a cute story from the set. Apparently, Joo Jin Mo and Song Seung Hun swapped the same cold back and forth while filming. One needed checking up at the hospital later, though. That's less cute. XD

Ah, I've been wondering about the next installment of this article. You've picked interesting shows once again!

Iwatobi Swimming Club would probably do best as an adaptation. Interestingly, there's a popular swimming drama from 2003 called Water Boys. It's unrelated to the listed anime, though.

Thank you for doing such a good job with this article. It was quite informative and easy to read as well. :)

Inspiring Generation caught my eye early on, mostly without bias as I only know the lead from SS501 (that makes me feel old, though). Kim Jae Wook leaving and the writers change does dishearten me a bit. After reading this, I might shirk my nervous instinct and give it a try closer to completion. It's my hope the drama improves rather than declines, too.

One genre I feel that I'm slowly turning away from would be school/teacher dramas. Kazoku Game had a different flavor, but there are too many "untraditional teacher comes in and changes the kids," types. After not particularly enjoying The Queen's Classroom, with Amami Yuki whom I love, it seemed near-time to throw in the towel on the whole thing.

Oh, it's similar? To be honest, I haven't seen Innocent Man either. I feel like such a newbie to Korean dramas of all shapes and sizes, playing catch-up on them more lately. Focusing more on Japanese dramas will do that, though, haha. I'm still in the wide-eyed and innocent stage of Korean drama XD

Wow, that many? It must have been something truly special! Would you recommend it then? At least they kept the same actress for the role, though~ Did they ever mention a reason for the new writer or is it a just because thing? :o

Oh my, yes, the corset was weird as heck. Because it was a strange period in Russian history, perhaps it was part of the typical male wardrobe. Men used to exclusively wear heels for instance. But I have absolutely no clue, and no matter how I justify it, the result is the same: what?! I feel guilty that I don't know more about Russian history anyway; the other half of my family is Russian, but my knowledge on Japan is twice as strong. @_@

There was that aspect to Nicholls. From what I've read (at least from the neutral side), was that he kept on lovingly preserving/organizing what was left of her works and such, long after her death. Even after remarrying. Even when no family was left to say a word. Such an intense story, ne? There are people that apparently blame him for her death, however, and the fact she wrote very little more. It was hard for to balance being wife and author both.

Same here! For me, not being able to skip might have something to do with being highly analytic. When I read or watch things, I feel an urge to take in every part as clearly as possible. Just in case there's something in those few minutes that could change my mind. That happens more often in books than television, unfortunately, haha.

Ah, Jang Dong Gun didn't work for you? I've yet to see him in a romantic lead capacity myself. It seems as though he's more suited for friendship/brotherhood roles. But, funnily enough, this is the second time I've heard the female lead is unappealing. Nothing is worse than an annoying lead. @_@

My taste seems to slowly be shifting that way also. At the moment, I mercifully seem to enjoy most of my choices (as long as I follow my gut instinct). Often, when I've trucked on based on the views of others, that's when the disappointment hits. I cannot imagine how painful some types of shows will become when I've seen twice as many as I have now. *_*

It does right? The trailers and stills look immaculate too. I still haven't seen Secret Love, but my gut said: "No!" and for once I listened. Beyond The Clouds appeals to me more, primarily because of the cast (they're a bit older, I've experience with most of them, etc). But Song Jong-Ho makes me laugh a bit. Nowadays if he's not in a sageuk, he's in a melodrama.

Jewel of the Palace has a sequel coming? o_o Did the first one allow for that? Or are they banking on its popularity?

No problem at all. I felt we talked well, and decided it'd be fun to keep track of one another~ :)

Ah, you have trouble dropping things also? Whenever I'm tempted too strongly, I pretty much put the drama on hold. It happens rarely, because usually I force myself to truck through. I have no idea why, though; sometimes I envy others the ability to skip scenes and drop things. XD

You didn't like A Gentleman's Dignity? I've heard nothing but good things about it to this point, but haven't seen it myself. The *sound* of it worries me, even though I rather like "ajusshis." What about it isn't settling with you? :o

Onegin! Isn't it strange to see Ralph Fiennes with such voluminous hair? Seems to have been ages ago now, and it's even done up, haha. I must agree that Liv Tyler typically makes for a poor romantic lead; she's a lovely woman, but not an emotive one. Mr. Fiennes is definitely a perfect Eugene Onegin though, which makes it a double shame. The situation reminds me of the recent Jane Eyre with Michael Fassbender -- a wanting Jane paired with a potentially great Rochester. Argh.

Ah, that story is so sad (and rather reminiscent of their works, ne? <.< >.>). What makes everything stranger is that nobody can tell whether Nicholls was responsible for Charlotte's death...though he certainly seemed devoted after the fact.

Definitely! That's the same with me. Sometimes I'm watching something other people have panned and it's like, "What, this is fine." Others where it's more, "Why do you people like this? Am I watching the same thing?" This trend goes double for most things SBS produces, and I've never figured out why. XD

I'd say give Hanzawa a try, though only when your mood seems open to it. The business side is definitely important, but character interactions are more so. All I can think of as a problem is that the second "arc" is twice as fun, but the first is wildly good too.

Perhaps the issues aren't as bad as they sound; after all, people do seem to enjoy it very much regardless. Though public opinion can be a little hard to swallow at times, especially with dramas, haha. You're in a melodrama mood, then? I'm also eyeing up Beyond the Clouds; once Miss Korea and One Warm Word are out of the way, it's looking like that and Sly and Single Again.

Ah, that's the second time I've heard him linked to Jewel of the Palace. How was it? From what people say, JJH plays supportive while the women actually shine.

I hope that you enjoy Olympic no Minoshirokin when you get around to it! Business dramas do tend to have stronger writing, from what I can tell. Perhaps the intelligence it requires to write the business aspect capably also extends to character and plot~

Oh, I know right? It seems as if there isn't some misunderstanding or money trouble, there's always a secret wife. Think of what would happen if Asian romantic comedies suddenly adopted that cliche. "Oppa, why are your curtains on fire?! Why do you have curtain bedding anyway?" XD

It does seem so. Apparently, Charlotte based Jane Eyre on her actual experiences (including the Rochester character, minus the crazy wife). As one might imagine, the real story didn't end quite as happily either.

I definitely did try, haha. Something else that I'm a fan of would be Takarazuka stage plays; finding them, despite their relative easy availability in Japan, plus the import fees...ouchies. Living as a foreigner can be tough, haha.

I haven't been yet, but it's my grandmother's wish that I travel there someday. Our family has its basis in Kagoshima and it sounds utterly incredible based on her (and my father's) stories.

I'll likely be starting Iki mo Dekinai Natsu within the next few days. It might have been today, but I feel a little guilty letting Miss Korea and One Warm Word fall so far behind. Marathon on the horizon~

He does seem to play wildly different roles, ne? When I was scouting out Eguchi-san's profile here, it surprised me how many different genres and professions his career has covered. Teacher, doctor, chef, office-worker... Saito Hajime?! XD

But, I know right? Actually, I tried tracking down his poetry some time ago. My reading skills aren't exactly strong, but it would have still been fun to try. It seems to be a little difficult to find online. ;A;

Thank you very much for your insight on Iki mo Dekinai Natsu! You've given me a boost on wanting to see it sooner. So many people were expressing irritation at the way the relationships progressed, but I had hoped it was the summary building up more than was there. But eye candy and character growth? Count me in, haha.

I wish screenwriters were more like you, then. It kills me when they freak out and change scripts because of ratings...which seems to be happening more and more frequently, especially in Korea. Artists should have more faith in their work. @_@

Ah, I should give Parallel Life a look-over once I finish One Warm Word then. Jin Hee really does have an ahjussi appeal, but my first "meeting" with him makes me feel distant. I recently very much want to slap his character, haha.

You're probably good with Man From The Stars then. Most of the complaints seem to be about the leading men, more often than not. Fumo Chitai does sound interesting...and anniversary dramas are typically great. I look forward to see how you'll enjoy it to the end; lately I've been feeling cautious with new choices.

I actually downloaded Olympic no Minoshirokin from d-addicts. They have subs there also~

Ah, I think I described less clearly than intended. What I meant was that Stephen has a fiery quality about his eyes; when impassioned, his eyes are scorching, but they can also be soothing like firelight. Did you like the film? The cinematography sticks with me, because it's so unique to period pieces.

Miss Austen regrets does force you to loop back a bit and research her life, ne? Luckily for me, when watching it, we'd been made to research JA in school to some degree. Even so, I found myself needing refreshers during and after. It kind of sucks that all of the major female writers of that time period had such a hard time. The Bronte sisters absolutely pain me, for instance.

It would have been nice if all these ladies could have experienced the happy endings they so often wrote. x.x