mysecretsoul

Most of the information I've found on him comes from Mitsubishi's website itself. Strange, ne?

I have seen Ooku, though not the film. Sakai-san does wonderfully, as does Omi Toshinori; the premise is very interesting too. My primary issues were with the rest of the cast, as well as the actual carriage of the plot. It felt too short and a little rushed. Afterwards I checked for a novel or manga version, and sure enough found one; peeking at it only illuminated the issues with the drama.

Kim Myung Min and Jung Ryeo Won are some of my favorites; interestingly, I found both of them through King of Dramas. Since then, I kind of stalk Myung Min's work in particular, haha.

Christmas has been devouring my time as well. Since my shifts are complete for the holidays, today we finally decorated our tree. Seems a shame to do it so late in the month, though!

Absolutely, he would! Though something tells me that Ryoma would face the challenge admirably nonetheless. He might be unhappy that the world still has many of the same problems -- but all the advances would likely delight him too. For instance, all the new ways to sail!
But that possible corruption of events always worried me about written history in general. Who knows what is totally accurate or not? "History is written by the victors," they say, and romance tends to trump accuracy when it comes to heroes.

As to Yataro, he befuddles me. What kind of man might he have actually been? Was he fully an opportunist or just a very shrewd business man? Despite his important status as founder ....(continued)

Definitely. As I get older, it seems like I appreciate pretty faces less; while handsome men are always a plus, the vapid love of them just doesn't happen for me like it might have done in the past.

Oh! By that, I meant more along the lines of super-stardom. Kimura Takuya is one of the only Japanese actors that comes to mind when I think "huge ratings! hotness!" haha. For instance, though I never really thought of Eita as particularly good looking, he really is a wonderful actor.

I definitely am! My friend and I have started one called Introduction of the Princess. How are movies treating you?

The imprisonment of Hanpeita (and to a degree, Izo) always had me rather emotional. I could not imagine facing death with such dignity, and his wife! Truly, a samurai couldn't ask for a better partner -- though it clearly hurt her deeply.

Thank you for your opinion on Neverending Story! I'm very glad to hear it isn't all doom and gloom. It's always exciting to see two favorites perform together, but recently I felt put off by it. Jung Ryeo Won, coincidentally, had little to no chemistry with Joo Ji Hoon in Medical Top Team. The prospect of them acting together was an exciting one, but.... It's good that a similar problem doesn't exist here.

Definitely not. In fact, his inability to lay low and do nothing produced the variables required to assassinate him successfully. Other attempts were made on his life (similar in circumstance and location to the final one) but each time Ryoma seemed to fight his way out. I always found it crazy that he died once his primary political wish was gained; it feels too much like a novel, right?

Many people actually said such things in the years after his death: "What would Ryoma have done?" I believe similar thinking reemerged in recent years, due to modern political difficulties in Japan. Sort of like how Americans occasionally wonder what George Washington might have thought, etc.

Oh, Hanpeita is a rich enough figure to warrant his own drama in my opinion There are many books on him as well, though his stories often intertwine with Ryoma's budding legacy.

Finally, I am free of the evil clutches of Lord Work-sama. XD I finally caught up to your place in Introduction of the Princess, in no small part to the short episode lengths. Between Chinese and Japanese dramas, I'm being spoiled to death with 40 minutes a pop -- how will I ever return to Korean shows?! haha.

Oh, Kame would be your choice? It took me a bit to piece where I've actually seen him; how could I forget he was in Mr. Brain? I took a little interest in Ore, Ore also, though that type of crime always frustrated me (especially since it gained precedence after the Tohoku incident). Apparently his Tokyo Bandwagon has an interesting feel, too, but eh. Flower boys. >.<

It would be wonderful if one of those guys could also be a fantastic actor: then we could slowly win the masses to the side of talent. We do have Kimura Takuya, but one isn't enough and his projects are not as consistent as I would like.

Thank you for the warning on Yae no Sakura; I'll be sure to give it more time then. Usually slow starts can really turn me off. We agree on Ayase -- though I've notices almost all recent taiga offerings that center on women have chosen actresses that are iffy for me.

By the way, I noticed you'd been picking through movies lately! How was Neverending Story? I'm a huge fan of both of the leads, but keep putting it off because of the seemingly morbid subject matter.

So you finally completed the journey with Ryoma. It was difficult for me to say goodbye as well, especially with the ending (so much tragedy on so many levels, sprouting from one death!). Honestly, watching him slowly die at the Omiya might be the most difficult scene I've ever encountered in a drama.

In the case of Oryo, even had she known how little time together they'd have, she would still marry Ryoma every time. In a situation like that, once you'd met and become close, there would be no helping it -- just as you said. Few romances really affect me in dramas, but this one was different; how many really meet their perfect match without the writing clearly forcing it?

Feel free to share any further thoughts you had about the drama. The same goes for when you begin the book; my memory on its details are still relatively fresh.

I know, right? Perhaps it airs late at night; apparently Japanese television is somewhat more lenient with such things around midnight or so.

We absolutely agree; I always forget the director can be responsible for acting choices. In that way, perhaps the director should be performing, ne? It can be frustrating when a popular actor or actress is more like a marionette than an artist in their own regard. Have you ever seen encountered anyone you thought was good only once btw?

They really are; no accounting for taste, but I never saw the appeal in utterly mindless idol romps. Like with Heirs, okay, sure the cast is young and beautiful -- but how fun can that be with that fact as its central draw? Argh. XD

Definitely! When I finally go on break this weekend, I plan to finally start Yae No Sakura. Watching it alongside other things should keep me occupied enough until it's fully subbed.

Two more days, then I have time off until the second week in January. Drama marathons, truffles, and present opening, woo~

And now the curly haired Wallace happened in my mind. Why, onee-chan, why?! XD

Thank you! Good luck with your last day as well.

Knowing that makes it difficult right? What makes the event more sad is that Ryoma knew it would happen someday; in his letters to Otome, he once said that while he didn't expect to live long -- but hoped to make a big difference nonetheless. Oryo always made me sad too, especially because that they were a perfect match; how do you replace a man like him, in any capacity?

Oh, I definitely have recommendations! There are Marius B. Jensen's "Sakamoto Ryoma and the Meiji Restoration," and "The Making of Modern Japan." Romulus Hillsborough has "Shinsengumi: The Shogun's Last Samurai Corps," and the delightful "Samurai Tales." That last one has stories about Takasugi Shinsaku and Katsu Kaishu, among others.

The Ryoma book about Jensen though, that one is positively lovely. The letters and expanded stories are shared there, with a nice style.

Awesome! Since it's pretty much through, I think I can start Kurokochi soon then. My stomach can be a little weak, especially with particularly disturbing scenes, so that was a concern. And I realized how long it's been since I've seen Nagase Tomoya, wow.

As for Gouriki, she might belong to that set of actresses that works well only when the character does. Some actors and actresses are good no matter what they do, whereas others are good in spite of or because of a script. It's a weird business, acting.

So happy to hear that! I knew you would appreciate YK. It drives me crazy how underrated it is, because I think that it has universal appeal. Comparing it to Kazoku Game can be fun, because they are similar in that they are both genre fusions. You can only find such creative mixes in Japan, haha.

Unfortunately, yes; work was something else today, but I pulled through and bought myself a box of truffles to soothe my pain. XD

I started Princess as well, but forgot to update my list in the hullabaloo. We totally agree on all parts, especially the interest in the bad guy. As a lover of fantasy, I typically *love* fur cloaks and the like....

But now all I can see is Jun Pyo LOL. Ruined forever XD

Sorry for the long wait between replies; life got a little hectic with the holidays fast approaching, especially with work.

With Kusanagi, there are so many of his roles I still need to watch. One of them would be Ninkyo Helper, though Boku no Aruku Michi (where he played autistic) keeps calling to me too. It's a little difficult to find nowadays, though.

Oh, so Ando Lloyd watches more like bright fan service then? Much as I love Kimura-san, it seems he's a little more prone to taking such projects than his SMAP-peers.

Those polls were a little disappointing to me. In many cases, dramas I wanted to vote for weren't represented, and when they were, popular opinion dominated. The Japanese one was tremendously guilty of that: I mean, Last Cinderella and Mischievous Kiss dominating? Eep, no way.

Galileo without Galileo? That reminds me of the time with the Death Note anime/manga franchise; there was a novel centering on a female detective, with a little support from the L character. It was fine mystery, but ultimately felt quite strange because of the focus.

Admittedly, I haven't formed a strong opinion on Gouriki one way or another. She's one of those strange cases where you see the person once and you like them, then the next they're annoying, back and forth. So people are mistaking the acting for bad writing? Here she even kind of looks like that tacked on female that so many detective stories fall prey to, so I can see it.

I took a tiny peek at Kurokochi and noticed it had visual elements similar to TEN (naked corpses, dark lighting, etc). Is that something that continues throughout?

How do you like the imagery in Yakou Kanransha by the way? Such as the Ferris wheel cuts.

Yes! The one with the sweet bean paste, tucked inside a fish-shaped pastry. If you've never eaten anything like it, I hope you can some day; the paste alone is heavenly.

Same! Like Father, Like Son doubly attracts me because it deals with what it means to be a father. Something about that theme always fascinated me, as well as the family exploration.

There are times I rewatch, yes. Beethoven Virus is one that I revisit at times, especially orchestra scenes; out of my entire list, my most re-watched drama is Fuyu no Sakura (coincidentally, where Kusanagi headlines). It can be very sad, but also warm -- probably my pick for a perfect winter watch. And Kusanagi's character really affected me, since he was so understated, gentle and sweet.

Ando Lloyd keeps repelling me too, despite Kimura-san. I like androids but have a bad feeling about it for some reason. Glad I've avoided it until now.

And the closure case should always be bombastic. That's too bad, though it makes me happy the partner switch isn't that bad. I'll probably pick up the second season eventually. Can't stay away from Fukuyama after all, haha.

So happy to hear you're enjoying Yakou Kanransha so far. It kind of felt like the ultimate fusion between Japan's two strongest genres, suspense and family/human.

Holy cow, Kurokochi is ending that soon? It seems like just yesterday that it started being subbed. Has it been good up until the end as well? I've heard bad things about Gouriki-san. <_<

Oh, that was fast! I had considered writing one of these further down the line myself, after my opinion had started to solidify. But good work! It's awesome to see people enjoying and spreading the love for such a promising show. And Lego Li? He's really attractive in this role, for just the reasons you mentioned.

Much as I like Galileo, he's better portraying characters with wider emotional range. At the moment I'm eagerly awaiting the release and subbing of his film, "Like Father, Like Son." Heard that he's absolutely brilliant there.

Both Ryoma and the Shinsengumi were prominent about the same time, yes. The drama mostly covers the Bakumatsu, with a bit more on either side (beginning and end). Most adaptations prefer to leave Kondo mysterious, but this one primarily follows him and his second-in-command, Hijikata Toshiro.

By the way, the cast is wild: Sakai Masato and Joe Odagiri are *supporting* actors here. Totally wild, haha. They have SMAP-member Katori Shingo playing Kondo but... he's pretty good. I always thought Kimura and Kusanagi were better actors though.