mysecretsoul

I have to agree about Jung Kyung Ho. His current face is almost indiscernible in those photos. Actually, he even worried me a bit with his most recent photoshoot; one was shirtless, but his body appeared entirely too thin. Because of his health issues during Cruel City, I really hope he's taking decent care of himself. Some celebrities work entirely too hard.

It's funny that you pinpoint Cha Seung Won though; every single time I see that person, he looks completely different. I'm not sure if it's because of his eyebrows or what, haha.

If someone had taken a picture of my face when I discovered the feeds, it would have been hilarious. I was just kind of like, "Oh-ho, what is this now?" Unfortunately, I can be a little shy, so my posts will probably be nothing special. It's fun to see what everyone else is up to, in any case; keeping up with reviews will be easier this way, too.

That's definitely true. It must be sad to finally make it, then realize the difficulties of the profession. People always think the famous and rich have no worries, but having those things probably makes it even worse. "Why am I not happy despite having all this?" Those thoughts must be awful.

You know, I wondered that too. It seems the older set tends to retain their natural features, including single lids. Were there any on that list that surprised you?

I would agree with that person; there are definitely similarities between it and Moulin Rouge. The actor you saw in the trailer was Takeshi Kaneshiro, I believe. If you like his performance there, definitely try out some of his other roles; you won't be disappointed.

Though I have few limitations on what I will/won't watch, I know that feeling. There are a couple of actors whose performances I enjoy, but their other projects just make me go, "What?" One of the foremost examples would be Lee Jin Wook; love his face, love his acting, confused about his role choices, haha.

I rather enjoyed that conflict also; Mishil remains one of my favorite characters to date, because she was just *too* good at what she did. Her final scenes were superbly acted, too.

Something else about Queen Seon Duk: it's referenced in other dramas frequently! For instance, the lead female in My Princess got drunk once and sang Mishil's theme (you know that creepy vocal?); she was trying to act like her to survive in the revived palace environment, so she studied the show. XD

Ah, so you studied acting also? It startled me a little to see talk of the different techniques, though in a good way. During my involvement with theater and stage performance (though probably not as depthy as yours), I learned a lot about these. Something I enjoy doing with actors, especially at live performances, is try to guess which they employ.

Whenever I acted in the past, beyond the character and script analysis, I often "winged" it. Somehow, the idea of performance as a "system" always bothered me. Even with that mindset I probably employed various aspects of them nonetheless. Or perhaps I was just awful. Who can say? XD

My problem with Ha in that film might actually have more to do with my recollection of her from other works. I can be a bit of a Darcy with acting: "Once my good opinion is lost, it is lost forever." That isn't to say I never give second chances, though.

Ah, sorry about that! Fell a little behind on responding to messages yesterday. Thank you for bringing that sequel to my attention though.

I noticed you'll be watching Perhaps Love in the future! That film had such beautiful music.

I tend to giggle about Bi Dam whenever I see a character behaving like him ("pulling a Bi Dam"), or even a mustachioed Kim Nam Gil. One example would be in the film Handphone, where KNG makes an appearance as antagonist to the lead (played by Uhm Tae Woong). There's an early scene where Tae Woong's character escapes a plot set up by KNG, but moments after the scene ends he returns to slap him on the head pettily. All I could think was, "Revenge!" haha.

Bi Dam was a character that made a big impression on me. But for some reason, as the series progressed, I liked him less and less... despite consistently enjoying the portrayal. Pairing Deokman with him bothered me somewhat, but it was understandable -- though in her shoes, I'd have just turned to Alcheon next. He was cute and they had to be together all the time anyway, ne? XD XD

You have good taste in anime! Gintama is really fun, ne? Though I have yet to catch up on all of the episodes, I try to return to it as often as possible. You enjoy the zany humor, then? The way the Shinsengumi are portrayed is a riot.

Ah, the Death Note films? I must admit I rather liked those, but take that with a grain of salt as I felt dissatisfied with the trajectory of the anime/manga. Japanese acting can also be a little hard to adjust to; it's understandable, especially if you find it somewhat exaggerated. Though, the actor playing L is usually good in most projects he undertakes.

You're fine! I recognized your icon, so any confusion was brief. This new username has a nice ring to it. :)

What an exhaustive list! Many of these stars actually do look the same before and after; often age, shifting weight, and a good stylist can account for improvements. As to the pictures themselves, these are often released on talk shows and other variety programs featuring a star. However, netizens also have insane investigative powers so it's likely at least a few were dug up.

That video made me most sad when they followed that young lady to the surgeon. She was already quite pretty, with an attractive dimple and all. Celebrities, especially in Korea, actually do have a lot of clout when it comes to affecting society too. In an incredibly sad example, the government actually noticed a massive upswing in suicides after the death (self-inflicted and otherwise) of a celebrity.

So Tsumabuki-san is primarily a film actor then? I think I remember him from Dororo (?), which was strangely enjoyable despite its issues. Are there any works you would recommend from him? It's been a while since I've enjoyed a "new" Japanese actor.

Mm! Though the easiest to read are from blogs that compare the drama ending to the events which occur in the novel. They might have been posted after you completed Sealed With a Kiss; I didn't think to look at the date. Apparently the series shouldn't have ended with the scene at the police station, and I don't even know what was going on the miniseries. LOL

Ah, Keiji no Manazashi did? My friend was buzzing about it since she liked the lead. I'll have to let her know~ Still hoping for Link and Honey Trap myself. ;-;

Cosmetic surgery definitely bothers me, even more so if the procedure is obvious. Actors and actresses must be believable first and foremost; looking unreal and plastic to the nines only serves to distract viewers from the performance at hand.

Some of my favorites have more "natural" faces, such as Uhm Tae Woong (who looks great, scars and all). That said, I don't particularly mind small changes like the double lid surgery... as long as there was no pressure involved in the decision. It's terribly sad to hear an actor or actress say, "My friends kept telling me to do it, so I felt awkward..." in interviews.

Japanese seem to care less, right? I particularly love that it's cultural to enjoy imperfect teeth; they really do add character.

Looking at Ariel and her acting history, I think every project after Love Contract was subtitled. As subbing teams disappear and sites go defunct, older titles tend to become scarce though. Found that out the hard way with Boku no Aruku Michi. ;A;

Just keep me away from the Bi Dam jokes. I love Kim Nam Gil, but I'm still sore from the whole anti-Wolya/Yushin scheme in the last stretch. Is it because I liked the characters or because of Joo Sang Wook and Uhm Tae Woong? I still don't know. XD

Rewatch or revisit, either works for me. If we pinpoint what aspects are most likely to be similar in advance, it might help focus our effort. I think it'll be most fun to count up actors involved in both projects, though. Putting them side by side will be wild.

Princess of Lan Ling initially had me going "what?!" It was so surprising to see they'd be doing something else with the story. Has any information been released about it other than the recast?

While I'll probably try it, it may be hard to accept a new cast, haha. O_O

There aren't many currently airing that have my attention either, though I don't normally watch shows until they complete. The wait can be too frustrating! Empress Ki definitely has my attention too, though. When I saw they cast Ji Chang Wook and Joo Jin Mo, it was decided, haha. I'll likely start it closer to the halfway point.

Which anime are you into at the moment? For some reason, I can never focus on it and dramas at once, haha.

That would be fun! The friend I'll be watching with is the same person I collaborated on the Lan Ling article, so you'll have multiple people to chat with. :)

Sometimes I forget everything I've seen, too. There are times I'll be going through and be like "Oh, this show!" But I don't add those, since I'd have watched them several years ago and don't actually remember well. XD

You should! Ariel is such a likable actress; not only does she know how to choose projects, her co-stars are typically high quality too (such as Chen Bolin and Joe Cheng).

Comparison articles look like fun! If you'd like to do one, that would be perfect; we should actually do one for QSD/Empress Ki in the future, though that would be a long way off. It ends sometime in May (!), but even the character dynamics are said to be similar.

Do you have any particular shows in mind? If there's something I haven't seen, I can add it to my schedule. It might also be interesting to do remake comparisons; for example, there's The Devil and Maou, Suspicious Housekeeper and Kaseifu no Mita. Though, admittedly, I rarely watch multiple versions of a thing. XD Just something to consider.

That and MARS are both classics I've yet to see, though I'm not sure why. I should really get around to them. Older dramas usually don't bother me, unless they require massive amounts of special effects; one can always see the limitations in those. Romances should be fine though~

I am planning to watch Empress Ki, definitely. My friend and I are planning to watch it together once more episodes are out. The leads were incredibly well-chosen though! Too excited about the cast.

Ah, we messaged each other at the same time! XD

I just saw that too! And our article has crazy high views and user favorites on top of that. Our guide was an overwhelming success! We should do another some time for sure~

That would make an amazing thread, actually. If a good one was recommended, it would be something like getting a present.

For my 200th, I might go with an Uhm Tae Woong drama. Everything since his turn in Queen Seon Duk has impressed me, so my confidence is high for a good watch. Or I may just go crazy and watch a boy-filled romp like Bachelor's Vegetable Store. My mood has been dangerously all over the place lately. XD

I just found out that the 2011 television adaptation for The Painted Skin was subtitled too. China is trying to monopolize my time, haha.

That's part of what I like about Chinese and Japanese dramas. Many have super short episodes, so with a little free time (or moments slacking at work, but who would do such a thing? <.<), it's easy to burn through them.

What are you thinking of choosing for your 100th? I suggest lots of eye candy! XD