mysecretsoul

Absolutely! Though only four episodes have aired, In A Good Way has loads of potential (and Taiwan is going mad for it). I'd agree with those people; there's a decided difference in quality between it and those dramas preceding it this year.

How are you finding the second season of Galileo? I had worries about the partner switch, though both actresses are fine.

Oh, I thought you were going to skip Ando Lloyd? I actually pushed ahead to finish Dokushin Kizoku first, but there's one more week of that. I'll probably be starting Kimura-san's drama next; it makes me crazy to wait week to week for some shows.

Ah, was the sequel free or paid? If free, it strikes me as odd a company would care so much; after all, it's more like an expression of love than anything in that case. And I do think the game ends if there are no other Sims controlled by the user; though in my case, I did have others in the same household.

Ah, so it's another drama with a comforting feel? I think I've been watching too many with heavy themes lately. As to Taisetsu, I've never seen it. That kind of theme is chancy for me, though Haruma always impressed me as having lots of potential. Is it worth seeing?

When I checked the cast for Densha, I noticed Atsushi Ito (which also encouraged me). He's an actor I have a lot of affection for, though I've never been able to figure out why. The type of character he'd be playing really suits him, too.

No problem. Oddly enough, I've not seen either drama; most of his works I'm familiar with are more recent, though I plan on catching Resurrection someday. It'd be interesting to see whether he's experienced growth since.

I am! Gye Baek interested me since it takes place in the same era as other familiar historicals, with a different viewpoint. But I really am watching more than I would normally be comfortable with, that's for sure.

Which drama did you pick up, by the way?

Oh, is the fan-base very active in creating content? It's fun to see something spawning so much love. Every expansion for the Sims tends to add at least two new ways to die recently. For example, one method was added that a Sim could be struck by a meteor. The rate is very low, so of course it happened in my game.

My Bratty Princess will be going on the list as well. I do like the sound of it, especially the chemistry and good ending. Funnily enough, I don't think I've ever seen Jang Na Ra in Korean. It might be best to watch her dubbed first; that way it won't bother me, haha.

Initially, I didn't notice the dubbing either. It's true they do a great job with the process. Did Alec Su have a much different tone? Somehow William Feng looks fine with a super deep voice or his regular high one. XD

You all are making me want to watch Densha Otoko recently too, gah.

Lee Jin Wook has a pretty cute real-life persona too, haha. He apparently comes across as strange and won't stop talking once he starts; so his interviews are usually amazing. They had him on Star Date once, and they actually had to slice parts of his monologues to fit the time slot. XD

They totally do say "dood," all the time. Actually, the lead character here apparently instructs the penguins on behavior; if they don't say "dood," as they're told, they're sent to janitorial duties instead of minion-ing.

I've never played King's Quest, but it has lots of installments, wow. Were there any funny ways to die? I'm one of those that play The Sims 3, so I'm familiar with creative methods. XD

How was My Bratty Princess? Dubbing bothers me too; like in Lan Ling Wang, Feng Shao Feng is a native speaker and does just fine in similar period films. They only dubbed him for the drama though?! Such a weird practice. You should have seen my face when I heard his real voice for the first time.

They are planning to broadcast online. There may be regional restrictions, but I think they have branches through other networks (as in Europe). You may be able to get the service that way.

There is! It's called The Devil. While I watched the Korean version first, the Japanese version seemed to execute the story better. Though, perhaps it's just my bias, I found Uhm Tae Woong more believable than Ikuta Toma in the same role.

Oh, Ji Sung is the lead then? I've honestly never seen him in anything before. Lately I've been trying to round up the last actors that have escaped my notice; that might be a good start! Thanks so much for your words on it.

With that said about episode lengths, something shocked me recently; this new Taiwanese drama I started, "In A Good Way," stands at an hour and 35 minutes each. But it feels like so much less because the time passes so well. Just when I was going to give up on Taiwan too, no less! Watch me jinx it just by talking about it though XD

Every time I went to start Take Five, something else grabbed my attention. Perhaps after I work my way through Dokushin Kizoku I'll revisit it. This might be my month for SMAP-related dramas, haha.

Oh, I already finished Saikou no Rikon. Marathoned it a couple weeks ago. When people say that it isn't a conventional romantic comedy, they aren't lying. Sometimes it was quirky and funny, but emotional heaviness always felt more prevalent. There was a big disconnect between the two aspects for me. I also reviewed it, if you'd like my more in-depth opinion.

Absolutely! Actually, speaking of dead ends, I've been playing the fourth installment of Disgaea (this strange little strategy RPG series). Yesterday I got one of several bad endings, but it was utterly hysterical. Sometimes it's worth it, I guess.

Japanese has an almost musical quality to it; Chinese can be more rough, though I've noticed large differences between its sound from Taiwan to Hong Kong, and even Mainland. That kind of shift in dialect is so wild, haha.

Definitely will! My PS Partner? I've never heard of that title before, though I'm not well acquainted with films quite yet. It was a good comedy though?

You've made some pretty good choices! Maou is particularly good, and I daresay better paced than its Korean counterpart. If you like Japanese susspense, I would also recommend Yakou Kanransha; it has a mix of that genre and moving human elements as well.

No problem! Take your time with Nine; trust me, it's definitely worth accumulating all the details and letting them settle. With Christmas coming, I definitely understand that pain; my work hours are probably going to extend next week up until vacation. My yearly curse. XD

Oh, he's from ZE:A? I never knew that either! Just thought he was a talented young newcomer. Isn't the younger cast amazing? They sink up so well to the others.

I'll go with Cheer, then! Though I also just realized we each have "soul" in our full usernames, haha. Yours is cheerful, and mine is secretive. XD

Another nice thing about taigas is the short episode length; after the first long pilot, they tend to follow other Japanese dramas into 45 minute installments. Less time to dither = better pacing, haha.

I absolutely will! Wallace looks gorgeous on the cover too, so there's a plus already, haha.

How are you enjoying Take Five? I nearly started it, but got cold feet at the last moment. As to Soratobu Kouhoushitsu, I enjoyed the unique subject matter, final episodes, and ending very much; unfortunately, the majority failed to connect with me. I never got over the boring start, but I can see why others might enjoy it. Ayano Go was a bit more engaging to me in Saikou no Rikon too, but I confess I never loved either character.

Wow, you're really sweeping through Yoiko no Mikata! Have you noticed any differences between Japanese kindergartens and the ones you're used to? It's very good to hear that he's doing well in it.

I'm probably going to drown in J-dramas this week myself. There are a few more from this year I wanted to complete before I compiled a year-in-review article, haha.

It seems many people are turning to Japanese drama and film nowadays! I must confess, it makes me happy; there are so many incredible and varied stories being told there. Your review was well done and I rather enjoyed reading it as well. :)

There was a similar film (or was it a special?) about an actual singer some years ago. That person apparently had a rough, sort of troubled life, but wrote beautiful music. If I remember the title, I'll convey it to you -- perhaps it'd be something you find interesting.

That is exactly how I'd describe it: fascinating yet repellent. If you do end up playing Animamundi in its entirety, do find the fix patch first. There's a glitch that occurs mid-game which can block progress in getting a necessary item otherwise. I found out the hard way and wondered why my alchemy kept failing. XD

With Japanese, I like watching episodes raw unless they're difficult (like taiga and medical). Perhaps it's because I've been learning the language for a long time but I find the language easiest to decipher too. Chinese, on the other hand, nope. It may be beautiful and amazing, but I can't seem to make heads or tails of it.

There's also a rather neat aspect to collecting reagents. Whether or not you have certain ones has an effect on the story.

Ah, you occasionally watch shows raw then? I confess I do as well, though usually only Japanese; with my limited knowledge of the language, I can usually garner something from it, haha. For now, I'll go with the more recent series~

Some players may not find it disturbing as others; however, the English release saw many stills censored. It has a dark atmosphere, incorporating many images from classic works such as The Divine Comedy and Dr. Faust. Mysterious historical elements are worked in as well (such as Jack the Ripper and The Hellfire Club).

Most of the story follows Count Zaberisk, having sold his soul, as he seeks to create a new body for his sister via alchemy. This work utilizes the corpses of dead women, shown with relative frequency. One of the censored stills include a foray into The Hellfire Club, where nobles violently and explicitly torture peasants for pleasure. Though not everything is so intense, the game always has a heavy, near-frightening feeling.

Despite this propensity to gore and darkness, Animamundi remains one of the most beautiful stories I've encountered in visual novels.

My viewing style can definitely be a little too serious at times, haha. It usually takes me a while to adjust to certain things, even with my erratic tastes.

What I meant in regards to Ooku was less in the way of discrepancy, but more that it's a "What if?" fantasy set in a certain time period. Do you enjoy manga, by the way? There's a very involving one that Ooku is based off of, so if you enjoy it, there's more material to peruse. :)

How was the first episode of Yoiko no Mikata?

Glad to hear I'm not the only one with inconsistent taste, haha! Outside of Japanese history, I'd probably not recognize inaccuracies either. My viewing experience will likely comprise of enjoying the cuteness and bright colors, and some: "Hey, they didn't have that back then..."

After our last bout of chatting, I added the more recent version of Huan Zhu Ge Ge, but were you also referring to the earlier one?

That does sound crazy detailed. It must be difficult to write so many involving plot-lines and have them add up cohesively by the end. Our game was much simpler, with four self-contained routes and one common overarching goal (which would be completed in the "good ending" regardless of chosen path, albeit in different ways). Your optimism regarding the project is well-placed though; I suppose that even should the work never be used again, it made great practice.

Yo-Jin-Bo gave me trouble in that respect too, but I am notoriously bad at choosing the right responses. The unpredictability was nice for a challenge (as long as one kept good saving progress, haha). Forgive me if I've already mentioned or asked, but have you played Animamundi? It had fascinating mechanics and a dark, metaphorically rich (if slightly disturbing) story.