mysecretsoul

Ah, I live in the Pittsburgh region; that would be on the western side of Pennsylvania. Though my town can be somewhat dull, the access to the city balances it out -- especially for shopping, haha.

Oh, not at all; I meant simpler in that they may be less involving than a very complex one (such as Golden Empire). Though from what you've told me, they sound positively wild. Would the lakorns be comparable to western soap operas then?

I might have seen one Thai film, if memory serves. It was about a man that lost an elephant to poachers (?) and went on a rampage to get him back. The plot was probably more complex than that, but.... The horror movies sound intriguing; I wish I could handle them better! I'm a terrible coward, haha.

I gave White Vengeance a go and must agree. The character William played was fascinating, yet something always drew the eye to Leon. This marks one of the first times I've seen him in a role knowing him; the subtle strength in his expression was particularly impressive. I also enjoyed the Go references and chess imagery; it suited the story quite well.

Mm, you should try to make it then! There are lots of wonderful places, though I wouldn't recommend some of the cities for more than short visits. I've been to New York in the past, and while it was certainly incredible, living there would be too overwhelming.

Your English is very good, by the way! I wish you luck in continuing to improve. :)

Ah, I do read manga! Though the amount has gone down dramatically in recent years, haha. Most of the time I'd read romanticized histories or fantasy series, though I must admit CLAMP as a guilty pleasure, haha. Kaichou wa Maid-sama has such a cute art style though!

You sold me at "serious eye-candy," haha. Though honestly, from what you've said, lakorns might be good for a simpler viewing experience. Are there any you particularly enjoyed? I confess myself totally lost when it comes to Thai cinema.

I can believe that. William Feng has charm and skill with historical roles, but lacks a certain maturity of talent. Hopefully he at least held his ground; it would make me sad to hear that he became a weak link.

Ah, I'm not sure if you've got the time now, but I'm looking through the outline~ Like the addition of the sidekicks as well!

Ah, do you plan on studying here? There are plenty of fine schools, though honestly they're a mite expensive, haha.

How lucky! That time-frame will work well with my shift for the foreseeable future, though it may open or close on certain days.

As for the article itself, we could do small sections as often seen in character sheets or similar forms. For instance, Name/Age/Status/Traits, and then beneath these perhaps other categories such as: [Leadership Rating]: X Stars, [Prettiness]: X Stars, etc. Then, naturally, the paragraph description could follow. If my explanation is somewhat lacking, I can demonstrate in the piratepad as well~

Wow, there are so many! That's exciting to hear; I sometimes feel as though I get stuck on a group of performers, with so few new ones to refresh the experience. Isn't it fun when an actor or actress has a comeback after so long? Sometimes it can be so difficult to regain popularity.

Ah, so he is a character that has that element of fatal attraction? If he was more a dangerous, vicious type, that would be refreshing (though doubtlessly, a little hard to watch). I have been hearing a lot about Harwick Lau, and more than one drama I've taken interest in has included him. Thai lakorns... I've never had the occasion to try any, but have heard they lack a little in quality at times. Are they worth a second look?

Ah, you recently watched White Vengeance! I added it to my list yesterday for whenever I start to miss William Feng, and noticed Leon Lai also in the casting. Some of what I've read about it calls it a watered down Red Cliff, but how did you find it?

Ji Sub is versatile then! I think I'll have to try him as an action star next; Rough Cut looks to my taste, haha.

Oh, this site! This will be just fine; I remember successfully using a similar thing for class projects in the past. All we need to figure out now is time zones; mine is actually EST, but I tend to keep strange hours because of work. Just let me know when is best or we can make a schedule, and it'll be golden~

As for the BBJX format, that's also good. There are certain sections it might be fun to expand, such as the character profiles. I've seen these done where the writers add personality traits or little star ratings on the date-worthiness of the characters. XD

That makes me feel so bad for LLW, and clarifies a little why drama-Gao Wei wouldn't allow him just to retire. No matter what he chose to do, the man really had it out for him. It's such a shame the dance died in China though! I wonder why the Japanese decided to adopt it and whether it has since made its way home again.

Once one has lived here for some time, it becomes rather ordinary. Your profile mentions that you live in Germany; now that must be fascinating. There's even Bavaria in the south, with all those lovely castles. Europe seems very exciting, so you're the lucky one~

Let's do it then! How shall we undertake the work, though? Should we each take a section, sending it back and forth, or use an instant messenger? This will mark my first collaboration so I'll defer to whatever has worked best in the past~

That would have added delicious dramatic irony to the story too, since Xiaolan started as a palace maid and ended as one. People might have also enjoyed the payback and added Yuwen Yong.

What happened with Gao Wei's dad *does* sound like A Frozen Flower; perhaps that film was based on it, since the time period is rather famous? Either way, I think this story will stick in my mind for Legend of Lu Zhen. XD

Doid you find whether or not Gao Changgong was as "loose" as his family members? The drama sets him up as a major hero, but they often romanticize things (like Bi Dam in Queen Seon Deok, for instance). And his wiki is so threadbare ;A;

And I agree 100% with you on Yu Wen Yong, my gosh. Even Fourth Lord at least got a flashback sequence, and he didn't even actually die! I can only comfort myself that his airtime increased dramatically in the final stretch, but still....

Ah, so that's who that was! That's a really clever addition, though I'm sorry to have missed it at first. It says Yang Jian completely executed the rest of the old dynasty too -- talk about securing a legacy.

I'm laughing so hard right now. Perhaps they should have paired Gao Changgong with Yuwen Yong or Xiao Dong instead of Xue Wu? The imagery is just too much. XD

If I were rating it as in a review, the story portion would sit around 7/8 so I can definitely relate. We both noticed the wonky pacing and sudden tonal shift in the 20's right? Apparently, that was the product of an extension (from 35 to 46). Both Zheng Er scheming in-house and the Mask of Justice came from that. They originally planned to go forward with it as in history (with Fourth Lord actually dying from poison with Zhou invading soon after), but the series was making too much money. Never met an extension I liked.

That would be interesting! We could even just go ahead with the article on LLW, if you'd like. Informing people a little about the history would be fun, but I can never tell whether something is a spoiler if it actually happened... XD

Most of the dramas this season I've felt like that with, that I should wait until they've aired. Sometimes it's just too hard to wait~

I'm from the United States, by the way.

Ah, Mural was another part to the series? When I was researching it, I found there were also several TV adaptations. Feel free to share your thoughts about the movies upon completion! I still need to track down the first.

So we finished Prince of Lan Ling! My rating ended up around 9, mostly for the overall experience (watching together/learning/etc.), music, and cast. My biggest problem with the finale was the death of Xue Wu; her character had no historical precedence, and Fourth Lord surviving was already a step into fiction. There was no reason they couldn't live happily ever after.

Yu Wen Yong was such a bright mark all the way, thanks to Daniel Chan. Most of his recent scenes were dynamic, but when he ordered the soldiers to turn away so he might mourn? So good. I just wish he'd gotten better death scene. Despite historical accuracy with the timing/aftermath, it was too soulless.

Oh, that's no fun! I hope your exams go smoothly so you can return to drama watching soon. Which manga is it?

Ah, you're following The Heirs? I admit I've not seen any of it, though I've read a recap or two. Out of the currently airing set, I'm only following Medical Top Team, though there's a good chance Empress Ki and Golden Rainbow will join soon. I may also be picking up a few Chinese language shows in the near future.

I know, right? Because we've pretty much concluded, I've started digging through the history myself. What you've shared and what I've read actually boosted my enjoyment, so certain plot points seem less annoying. And this era was so fascinating! With Gao Wei's vices and foolishness, it's almost like reading about certain Roman emperors. I cannot begin to fathom allowing a city to fall at a person's merest whim though. How insane! @_@

For Painted Skin, I wouldn't say so. While the fox demon is shared between both and her state/motivations are made clearer by the first, it's not a necessity. Other cast members also appear in both, but these play wholly new characters.

That makes me so happy to hear! Perhaps he put more force into his voice while playing LLW; it would make sense given the huge difference in their natures, haha. I want to see his interviews now, eep. *_*