mysecretsoul

Ah, hello again! I'm actually rather enjoying Lan Ling Wang, though it's slowed down considerably. The Zheng Er character drives me crazy, especially. Because it's my first lengthy wuxia drama, I'm impressed nonetheless.

I noticed you actually just finished the next two Chinese dramas I've taken an interest in. Did you enjoy Legend of Lu Zhen in particular?

Oh, thanks for finding me the article! Sometimes it's a little hard to find them with the way the archive works here. That article was pretty well done, and with the addition of the nice insert song, I'm really excited to start BBXJ. *_* The look of the drama is prettier than I expected, too.

My gosh, yes. While I enjoyed the scheming with Gao Wei a little, something is definitely off. Hopefully things pick up again soon; though I'm beginning to suspect that'll happen in the same episode His Majesty reappears. And ugh, it happened a few episodes ago, but did they need to bring back that scheming minister? I hated that guy so much already.

I would rather call it uplifting and inspirational, though there are some honestly sad moments.

Thanks so much! I can always count on you for solid opinions. :) Though unfortunately I missed the article on BBJX, it seems promising. It's good to hear the performances are strong and side stories work; so often they can be a mixed bag. My only worry is that I'll want to read the novel afterwards, haha.

Warrior Baek Dong Soo has lots of issues in my eyes; my rating stood at 7, though I eventually dropped it to 6. Most of the performances felt weak, including the majority of the leads; the actors playing side characters were more charismatic, such as Oh Man Suk and Choi Min Soo. Perhaps it was the quality of his character, but even Yoo Seung Ho seemed poorer than in say, Queen Seon Duk.

As for the story, it runs too long; the beginning and ending sections burst with potential, but the dragging in the middle is no joke. But try it yourself if you like; my tastes can run very erratic.

See, now I'm definitely interested in him. Nothing endears an actor to me more than immersion. Despite less Yuan Hong, would you recommend Bu Bu Jing Xin? I hear about it in passing occasionally, but rarely anything definitive.

My first encounter with Ji Chang Wook was in Warrior Baek Dong Soo, where I found him lukewarm and lacking. Somehow I managed to start Five Fingers right after, unaware he'd be playing second lead to Joo Ji Hoon. The sheer improvement was astounding, so I changed my mind right away. We'll be seeing a lot of him in Empress Ki too, so hopefully his sageuk bearings have sorted out, haha.

I wonder if the changes were made to keep the story fresh, then. Yet another version was slated recently if memory serves. But at least the villains have charisma this time around. You've piqued my interest in Yuan Hong; he seems to get more work than any actor I've ever seen, haha. Hope he takes care of his health with so much to do.

Have you ever found yourself warming up to an actor after several tries with his or her work? It never seems to happen for me, though Ji Chang Wook was a rare exception.

You could try something Japanese for short and sweet. Though most everything I've seen from Japan lately has made me cry, so perhaps not... :,)

It does seem as though Japanese subtitles have slowed significantly this season, right? I wonder whether it's because many of those working on them have returned to school and the like. Beside the obligatory turn with SMAP-centric dramas, I had interest in Honey Trap. However, mysteries make me nervous in terms of testing my language skills, so I'm reconsidering. Perhaps I'll look back at some of the ones I've missed in recent years instead.

China and Japan are amazing choices for film. And delightfully, many of their movies are actually available subtitled. Ah, now I want to raid Netflix for things I haven't seen. There's usually a surprising amount.

I'll probably pick up Secret Love closer to the end, then. Revenge is a genre favorite as well, and dark romances are always fun. After trudging through Love Around and Just You, I totally feel you on romantic comedies, haha.

Ah, thanks for your insight. Actually, that is a little strange; perhaps the production team enjoyed working with the actress though. Ashida Mana also really is an amazing young performer; if she can make the leap to adult roles in the future, it'll be interesting.

I wonder if each version of Legend of the Condor Heroes works that way; like, might certain versions of the character be better? My knowledge of the story is very limited, granted. Perhaps Hu Ge is always just super naive, haha.

While we're talking other dramas, because my plans altered in the afternoon, I attempted to make some headway on Scandal. When they called it makjang, they weren't joking. It is definitely the soapiest of soap operas. Positively wildly insane.

Oh. My. Gosh. That video! I don't know whether to laugh, cry, or drool. Somehow I totally missed the fact that So Ji Sub did music....

Virus was surprisingly solid and well-acted, though it might have worked just as well as a film. Certain unique elements were brought to the table, but ultimately it felt much like Deranged and other Asian epidemic films.

Another user recently recommended me God's Quiz, so it looks like I should probably hop on that, haha. How did you find the lead characters? That's probably the most important part of any "detective" drama for me. Personally, I've heard good things about Vampire Prosecutor as well; yet whenever I see the title, my immature side gets the best of me. A vampire AND a prosecutor? Giggling makes me feel guilty, but I do every time, haha.

I know right? The segment where he revealed asking first whether the character would be a manager was priceless. Have you seen Feast of the Gods? He played a sweeter, funnier character there -- but somehow was still a management type. XD

Ah, so you're enjoying Woman? How similar to Mother are you finding it? I had heard they were from the same writing team and share certain common themes.

Right now, I'm having a hard time deciding what to watch next. Many currently airing dramas seem interesting, but only Empress Ki has me sold. Basketball appears to be my taste as well, but I'll need to hear more about it first.

Perhaps it's best for me to just sit back and obsess over Prince of Lan Ling a little while longer, haha.

I might be slightly slower responding this weekend; it's been a little hectic so far! Also, I cannot even fathom So Ji Sub that way, so now I have to find that video. XD

Oh, jeesh, same. I'd much prefer they return Fifth Lord to us like Xiao Dong. When both reemerged, I forgot how much I missed them. George Hu was a busy bee this year, though, so my expectations are a little low on that front.

This is actually only the third time I've had second male lead syndrome. Almost forgot how painful it can be, haha! It must be horrible to have it all the time.

From what I can tell, Daniel Chan spends a good portion of his time singing. But there's at least one other drama subtitled he has a lead in: A Chinese Ghost Story (which he also performs the themes for, go figure). It's a little old, but a few people have mentioned it to me as decent once my icon changed. XD

Oh, certainly. The whole situation felt somewhat manipulative, as Zheng Er's last tragedy dried up sympathies long ago. It makes me wonder why they chose to keep her alive at all; a deathbed confession to Gao Wei would have worked. Perhaps Zheng Er is a historical figure too? But how awful would it be should they marry! If she ever got status over Xue Wu again...the horror.

Perhaps Fourth Lord will expand on his regret, and the relationship will strengthen in future episodes. I just hope Xue Wu regains some of her earlier pluck; she was at much less fault, so seeing her buckle definitely bothered me. Fourth Lord should be glad I'M not his wife; I would be on the road to Zhou so fast the title would spontaneously change to "Emperor Yu Wen Yong," haha.

Let's definitely watch Empress Ki together! This has been a great experience X3

Fascinating article. It's true the live-shoot system causes stress for all involved; many things can and do go wrong. Can you imagine all of the crazy stories we *never* hear? I bet there are several doozies, haha.

That was the character played by Phillip Lee, right? I recall reading his eye was badly injured, so he had to depart early.

That is so true. Japan loves variety to the point it's almost startling, though the number of detective and hospital-themed dramas rise each year. While that is not necessarily a bad thing, hopefully unique themes continue to be explored.

The description of Soratobu Kouhoushitsu throws me slightly, though. I can't quite pinpoint what it will be about, though it seems like a character builder + a unique setting and job-set. It makes me curious, and I'm not quite in the mood for comedy, so perhaps it's a better choice for the moment.

Are you enjoying your current run at movies? I see you've also started Secret Love; I can't seem to choose between that one and Mirae's Choice.... might just wait for both to end first, haha.

Thanks so much for reading them, too, then. It makes me happy that my insights are useful. Usually I wonder whether I'm being too critical, but my brain always enters into analyze mode with things like this, haha.

Are you enjoying the shows you're following currently?

Oh, and I have seen the Empress Ki trailer! I can't wait, though I will probably end up waiting a few weeks to start as well. Ran out of room gushing in the last comment. :,)

After the last few episodes, seeing Yu Wen Yong again feels like a breath of fresh air. Trying so hard not to gush about how sweet, selfless, and under-appreciated he was. Or that beautiful song Daniel Chan provided for the herb search ;A;. It was so suitable for the character.

I must agree 100% about Fourth Lord; his behavior was irritating me badly, and though it stopped in time for me to continue liking him, it doesn't seem enough. Perhaps I'm biased, but I also don't think this entire range of events would have ever happened with Yu Wen Yong -- he'd have thrown Zheng Er so far out of the palace she'd have flown into orbit. XD

Speaking of her, I feel terrible about what happened. Despite the fact she deserved punishment, no one should suffer that way. I just wish she'd try to be happy with a man that actually loves her now, than keep up this revenge spiel.