mysecretsoul

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. *_*

It is my first, yup! If there are more this enjoyable, I'll be very happy. Mainland dramas are also starting to interest me, including Sealed With A Kiss (which I've just noted you've seen). It's exciting to experience another talented actor, though the violent character worries me slightly.

Mm, I've seen lots of Jet Li! Among his Hollywood works, I really found The One memorable; the sci-fi theme and superb action caught my attention when young. That might not be the best of his overseas filmography, but I remember watching it frequently back then, haha.

It's surprising right? Actually, from his listing, *I have* seen Ji Sub briefly in Sophie's Revenge. Otherwise, it's been a matter of missed timing. Ghost and Sorry, I Love You look great, but somehow similar or "shinier" shows keep grabbing me first....

Ah, I see! Thank you for clarifying that; I've heard that there were differences, but was unaware it could be so distinct. :o

Chinese dramas are so refreshing for me at the moment. Perhaps it's the new faces or differences in style, but the feeling is like discovering a whole new world (or rather, country). As for Legend of Lu Zhen, we learned the histories that form the basis of it and Lan Ling are closely related. So it's the perfect time to start it, almost like a continuation, haha.

Ah, which Jet Li films? Do you prefer his period/wuxia films or his more modern roles?

I also completely agree about So Ji Sub. His scenes are like green oases in that drama, hidden between the sandy dunes of lackluster. I really must see him in something decent soon; it's sort of a shame to experience him here first. @_@

Ah, thank you so much for the recommendations! I'll need to look these up now and add them, so as not to forget. Are there any actors or actresses to watch for? I like hearing the good and bad before trying out a new country, haha.

Ah, is that so? In my experience, it seemed as though the actors were using Mandarin and dubbed anyway. For instance, in Prince of Lan Ling, the main cast was forced to dub *themselves* over after the fact...so I had assumed it was an accent thing. I must agree though, it would be nicer to use a centralized language for the dramas; dubbing is just awful.

Over the weekend, I mostly researched and tried movies. My friend and I will be starting Legend of Lu Zhen soon as well.

It would have been time to start something Japanese, but a different friend convinced me to try The Master's Sun around Halloween. And I'll never forgive her, haha. It's so hard to sit through sometimes, I'm almost shocked. The ratings were so high o_o

Thank you for asking! I'm doing quite well, and you? How are the dramas you're following currently?

That is incredibly kind of you to say. I'm always trying to improve it, though my time can be somewhat limited. Thank you for inquiring after me, I'm quite well. I hope you are too?

I'm about to start The Legend of Lu Zhen, directly on the heels of Prince of Lan Ling. Otherwise, I'm following Empress Ki and Medical Top Team. And you?

And Feng Shao Feng makes an appearance in it as this adorably frazzled demon hunter. I've since decided him talented, because it performed totally different with all new mannerisms -- but I realized afterwards he might have been dubbed in Prince of Lan Ling, haha. His voice was so much lighter!

Apparently the shortened version of Love, Now is called the "International Version"; some places may have it for download, but it was mostly distributed on DVD and through official streaming sites.

I decided to step back from the Lan Ling final as well. While watching the penultimate episode, it struck me how incapable of objectivity about this show I've become. My original plan was to write something in-depth about it, but something has me shrugging off issues I would sneer at in other dramas. Perhaps it was the insanely likable main cast or the initial addictiveness? At any rate, I have no idea what I'm going to rate this. XD

I rather liked Painted Skin! Most striking was how thoroughly built and intoxicating its atmosphere was, as well as the vibrant cinematography and costumes. The story was a little "light," but as an original Asian fantasy, it was well worth the time.

I have never had the occasion to watch any Hong Kong productions before now. Perhaps that's why I'm finding them so refreshing after so many consecutive Korean and Japanese ones.

Do you have any suggestions? I have a few Mainland in mind, and of course Sealed with a Kiss. You really seem to have a lot more experience than me, haha.

Oh, definitely! Shall we try it together? It seems like a good follow-up to Prince of Lan Ling. And a strong female character surrounded by handsome men can only be promising, ne? XD

Isn't he terribly distracting?! Every time I go to Viki it's like: "George, darling! Wait, I'm here to watch your show, go away...."

Love, Now worries me a little bit, because there are apparently two versions. One is 36+ episodes, and the other is the full 72; I have no idea what they could have cut/which is a better watch/etc. Some people say that the 36+ slices out all the filler, while the 72 has lots of important couple scenes. He and Annie Chen have wonderful chemistry no matter what, though.

Ah, hello! Thank you so much for your friend request; it's nice to meet you!

It seems to be, though listed under the title "Female Prime Minister." Fully subbed as well, which is amazing; I couldn't imagine translating 50+ episodes over the course of a few months for free, haha.

Ah, so he was the previous emperor! It's cute they aired both of these this year. Watching both would be like one big continuation.

Imagine being so bad you destroy an entire nation! It's actually kind of interesting how they poised the Zheng Er character to become Xiao Lian. They were able to expand her motivations and soften her image, all while retaining the crazy. But wow! She and Gao Wei were a match made in hell, even in real life.

By the way, I noticed there was another series on Viki centering on members of the Gao family. It's called Legend of Lu Zhen; apparently, the male leads are in close generational proximity to this era.

I agree completely! Fourth Lord could be so naive; if I had been Xue Wu, there were several points I'd have dropped him for one of the other guys. There are only a few episodes left for me to watch now, but I feel kind of sad to part with it.

Ah! That's such a coincidence. Is the lead actor very good then? The Chinese seem to court the best for mainland productions, so that's usually a good indicator. :o

Gathering my thoughts on Lan Ling will be such a challenge! Something about it loosened my objectivity, so it has become one of those rare times my enjoyment of a series overrides its actual merits. That said, it's surprisingly good; the characters are very sympathetic indeed, which is part of the magic.

Ah, did you enjoy that incarnation of Condor Heroes? My friend actually mentioned it recently, as she is finally finishing it. Apparently yet another will be coming up in 2014, though which changes will be made this time remains to be seen.

I hope you can find something that will break that trend. Nothing is worse than a slump.