mysecretsoul

Our issues are similar, though (at first) I had trouble accepting the story as-is; thoughts like, "Why haven't they called the police yet?" kept popping up. As I slowly became accustomed to the conceit, it became easier to take as fantasy. Combined with the disturbing, paranoid air and the powerful message of the series, Kazoku Game won me by being memorable.

It's surprising to hear people thought Sakurai-san overacted. Perhaps they weren't able to grasp the uncanny nature of the series? Subtlety can be wonderful, but would be lost on Yoshimoto-sensei.

Ooku has very little in the way of historical accuracy. As speculative fiction, it excels in being unique. There actually are some difficult scenes and more than one trigger; the atmosphere was much darker than I expected. Most technical elements were fine -- though more episodes would have helped flesh out the story better. :)

Glad to see you enjoyed Kazoku Game to the end! We seem to have rated it the same; what issues docked the final point for you? I'm curious to see if our reasons were also similar.

It makes me a little sad that I even figured such fears play a major part in the lack of male instructors. While it's important people are informed about sad instances like that, I can't help but feel that they don't pay as much attention when a female teacher does the same. It would be much better to shine a light on more inspiring stories also, you're right.

Ah, you added Ooku today! It's such a unique series, one of the view speculative historicals around. Despite the fact it has issues (which don't seem to be addressed in the present reviews, sadly), I'd say it's certainly worth your time.

That's wonderful! I can't wait to see your perspective on it. :)

The written version of Neverwhere was a novelization, you're right; though, honestly, the television program wasn't that good either. It felt much like a Doctor Who episode without the charm or whimsy. If you wish to sample some Gaiman short stories before taking the trouble to find an anthology, several were uploaded on his website.

As to Fushugi Yuugi, the expanded stories were released as manga (and I've just found out, a video game). It follows the Genbu priestess and her senshi, which I believe were also briefly featured in the series proper.

Very sorry to hear about your injury; I read about it in the feeds a moment ago. Even so, I'd like to wish you a happy birthday and a speedy recovery.

Equator Man is a revenge drama, yes; but as you may have heard, the acting is stronger than the script. There are some amazing moments, but certain elements (including the romance) are wobbly or borderline unnecessary. It's worth watching, I think.

Mm! Historicals seem to be calling my name. I started Gye Baek on my own, and a friend wanted to try Introduction of the Princess together. I'm a little excited about that one, as it includes Wallace Huo.

Definitely! As a sci-fi nerd, I actually loved the mechanics for the time travel as well. It has some of the best logic I've ever seen in the genre. Can't wait to hear your final thoughts on it :)

Yes, Zettai Kareshi is a Watase work. I've never seen Ayashi no Ceres, but Fushigi Yuugi remains somewhat special to me as well. Have you seen the more recent expansions on the series? I believe they follow other priestesses and their warriors.

Works dealing with cultural gaps often have those instances of unfamiliarity, but part of the fun is adjusting to them. I haven't often read about those time periods or the differences in culture, which makes that even more fascinating. If you ever wish to recommend novels to me, please feel free; I love expanding my reading list.

Neil Gaiman has great creativity, but I personally enjoy him best with short stories. His style works more beautifully in brief bursts; Fragile Things is a wonderful example of this. Stardust was quite the fun movie right? If memory serves, even Gaiman admits it worked much better than his novel.

Shoujo Cosette! Definitely, thought it initially shocked me to see it adapted. The accuracy isn't bad either, which is more than can be said for many of Les Miserables film adaptations (excluding one very long French version from long ago).

Oh, I know right? It was pretty funny when Guan Yu first got Red Hare too; he was like, "Oh, dude, I can keep him? *RUNS OVER TO IT*" At least Cao Cao has some honor; he won't kill a man he respects. Apparently he even hesitated with killing Lu Bu at first, but Liu Bei and others convinced him in the head. Or it might just be that he wants the best of everything for himself. XD

Love to hear you're enjoying it! You'll only get more addicted as the episodes roll by; Nine really finds its footing near the middle. Just talking about it makes me miss Lee Jin Wook a little. His voice is so cool, haha.

If you'd like, let's start Princess first. Something about the look of the characters and the description is really calling to me. *_*

No problem whatsoever! I may start watching it soon as well, if you'd like to talk about it back and forth. :) It would be interesting to hear your take on the story, especially with your experience.

So the gender discrepancy is similar all over? I also agree children benefit from meaningful interactions with male mentors; actually, as a kid, the first time I had a male teacher it made me somewhat nervous. I never adjusted to it until high school, where they were much more numerous.

Oh, another HBO series? They seem to be working with popular novels frequently these days (what with Game of Thrones excelling and American Gods planned). It's too bad you won't be able to see it, though it seems that the channel is looking to expand its availability beyond television. Perhaps you'll get to see it after all.

The Taiwanese adaptation of Zettai Kareshi apparently keeps more faith with the manga, but I'm still hesitant. It would make me happy if there would be an anime of it someday; it's one of Watase Yuu's better works, though her adult offerings are getting better by the year.

Thank you so much for the information! I'd love to read it some time; That subject always fascinated me. It also makes me happy to hear you don't mind my long-windedness; once I get chatting with someone fun, I have trouble stopping. XD

Same. I actually want to start Giant sometime in the future; I figure that if there's any way to grab my attention, it would be to see something with good acting (and Joo Sang Wook XD).

I thought you might take interest in it. :) Apparently it takes an unique angle in that it's rare for men to be Kindergarten teachers.

I laughed a little during Cao Cao's courtship of Guan Yu; it was more intense and involving than how Sun Ce and Zhou Yu met/married their wives! But he definitely deserved what he got in the end. It was a little scary to see Zhang Fei lording over a place though, yeesh.

You started Nine! How are you finding it so far?

By the way, if you'd like to start Palace or Princess, let me know! I don't mind watching it alongside Three Kingdoms. :)

Thank you very much for the friend request! I'm happy to accept. :) Seems we both like George Hu~

Admittedly, my last few K-dramas have been lackluster too. It seems like every time I enjoy one, the next three do nothing for me. Chinese and Japanese feel so fresh in comparison, especially with the wide variety that Japan seems to have. I'm currently having trouble choosing my next watch, though it's looking wuxia right now.

Glad to hear it. Sakurai-san actually had me shaking after a particular scene in The Quiz Show. All I'm waiting for from him now is a more diverse role; interestingly, he has an older series called Yoiko no Mikata where he plays a gentle kindergarten teacher. It seems a little hard to imagine now though, haha. XD

Nee-chan! I was checking and realized my last response to you never posted. How are you doing lately?

I recently came across another Chinese historical/romance fusion; it's called Introduction of the Princess. Everyone raves about the leading man (Wallace Huo), so I was excited to see it subbed.

Work can be such a pain sometimes. Hopefully, he'll cut you some slack soon. Though there's one bright spot to your situation: enough will be waiting to ensure something to watch :)

Besides the ongoing shows I already follow, I'm close to finishing The Equator Man. It's pretty standard revenge fare, though Uhm Tae Woong and Lee Joon Hyuk do wonderfully. Apparently it's from the same director as Sword and Flower; you can really tell, too. The cinematographic choices bear strong similarity and for the first couple episodes I had no idea what they were thinking with the music. XD

Seinaru Kaibutsutachi or Introduction of the Princess might come next. It depends on where my mood swings after completing The Equator Man.

As to that memoir, which country did the person originate from? That sounds like an interesting read. Sorry to keep sending double comments; I'm pretty long-winded it seems, haha.

Wow, Guillermo del Toro? That sounds wonderful; between his talent and love for the series, one can probably expect something in the proper spirit of Monster. Has there been any headway with the project? I would much rather hear about this happening than the chronic looming threat that is live action Akira.

The stage plays sound insane, right? Somehow they make it work by focusing on the strategy/politics/character building; when a battle can't happen "off-screen," innovative projectors and screens are used. Theatre is pretty amazing these days, though I prefer my fleets animated, haha.

We wholly agree on cutesy live action. I've started avoiding anime/manga adaptations for the very reasons you listed. There are also several I tried and became irritated with for other reasons; for instance, in most adaptations of Zettai Kareshi, they skip the silliness but tread on the story.

Absolutely. Though I can't deny snappy art and bright colors do attract me (as in, say, Gankutsuou), even stick figures are okay if the story is good. It surprises me to hear the style of Monster is a problem with viewers; despite its natural tones, it looks rather clean and suitable.

Would you enjoy it if Monster were made into a full-length live action? With things like this, I think it'd be hard to manage good casting. Forgive me for using it as an example again, but Galactic Heroes had a series of stage plays aviailable -- it was somewhat difficult to accept some performers.

Though it's hard to find positive body images in the mainstream media anywhere, I wager Asian men and women have it bad indeed. From idols to games to dramas and even legislation, there's constant bombardment. What's worse, the "fat" size isn't even really all that big. I couldn't living through it.