mysecretsoul

Ah, thank you for reading as always! It seems you're on the cusp of finishing Woman, or perhaps have already. I really need to find some time for Mother, but it seems like I should wait for the right time for it as always. If I'm not mistaken, I believe I have either seen or been interested in another Ashida Mana drama. Though I don't think it was anything nearly as serious, haha.

Maou is, as anticipated, already much better than The Devil. I prefer the Korean portrayal of the Detective, but very little of anything else.

Hm, I noticed you were watching The Daughter of the Emperor. It seems a bit lengthy right? How are you finding it so far?

Thank you for the recommendations. I'll be sure to try some of those out~! I do think you have a fine eye for dramas, primarily because your choices seem informed by what is perceived to be quality. So basically, you have good taste, haha.

Very true. Do you have a particular drama you can recommend with a satisfying lead couple by the way? You seem to have a good hook on dramas, haha.

The final episodes of The Devil raised my perspective on it somewhat. I'm a little late starting Maou, but here goes nothing.

Oddly enough, I find longer dramas difficult too. Any time I actually got to watching, I enjoyed them, but starting? It's like going to the gallows. It's such a strange reaction, since I know I'll probably like the series. Maybe it's commitment issues on my part, haha.

I feel as though I can watch a Japanese drama in an afternoon if I find the desire to though. That's always nice.

Ah, that must be exciting then. If things go well and budget allows, do you think you'll continue delving into the foreign acting pool? And for that matter, are there performers that you like working with time and time again? For some directors, I've heard, there are certain actors and actresses they think of as a muse.

It doesn't surprise me that both your works sound thoughtful and unique. Is there a particular theme you feel you would never want to tackle?

Honestly, I think tightly focused works are some of my favorite. But you're right, as you found with your own piece, the actor has to be just right for it to work. I'd go on and on, but I think I may be asking waaaaaaaay too many questions, haha. I'm sorry for any inconvenience.

I think my "home base" genre is historical, but lately I've been devouring revenge based pieces. What about you? Do you find yourself watching lots of things in a particular genre?

Haha, tell her to stop! I think I'm getting second male lead syndrome a lot lately. For every drama I enjoy the lead pairing, there are three others I'm yelling at the screen like "noooo, look at what you're missing!"

From what I can tell, Maou is an adaptation of The Devil. Or was it the other way around? It's one or the other, haha. I'll let you know which I preferred, definitely~

My knowledge of actors and actresses is pretty limited too, I feel. It seems as though every time I get very attached to one, during one of their dramas I see someone else of interest right away. XD

Ah, that sounds a lot different from what I pictured somehow. Though, the character dynamics sound about right. Actually, I had totally forgotten Jaejoong starred in Protect the Boss as well. The last time I saw him was pre-split TVXQ, so wow. It feels like a hundred years ago.

You may have already seen him in other things, but watch out for Lee Chun Hee in Cyrano. He made me giggle like a schoolgirl on sight, which is the only time I've encountered that with an actor. It's an unexplained phenomena which continued until the last episode, haha.

Oh, so The World That They Live In resembles a slice of life with the elements of drama producing? Lately, many of the onscreen romances I've encountered have been leaving me feeling a little "blah", so.... The fact that the relationship seems so realistic is definitely a draw.

That's actually good to hear. Nothing I've heard about The Devil has included much criticism, so that other people see the same issues makes me feel a bit better. Sometimes I feel as though my tastes run a bit too choosy and/or critical. Despite the issues, it really is worth finishing -- and I can't wait to start Maou to compare versions, haha.

Oh, do see Tae Woong someday. He didn't strike me as gorgeous right away, but his ability and expressive eyes totally won me over. I'm working my way slowly through his work, so if I see anything that might interest you, I'll definitely recommend it. :)

If you choose Ryomaden or Shinsengumi! for your first, feel free to chat at me about them. Both are pretty great, though especially Ryoma.

Taiwan does tend to, right? Most of those I've seen I enjoyed to some extent, but we're on the same boat as far as rom-coms. And the girls in them tend to pick the wrong guy more often than not, which doesn't help. At least the music is usually good, haha.

I'll be starting Maou tonight. At the moment, I'm most interested in the difference in pace and how the leading men perform. Though I expect an improvement with Ohno-san over Joo Ji Hoon, Uhm Tae Woong might give Ikuta Toma a run for his money, haha. What did you really like most about Maou? I noticed it's part of your favorites.

That is so true. Though I understand the language (passably, anyway), old Japanese can be difficult without subtitles. Historicals are my favorite too.... Thankfully several appear to be completely subtitled, such as Shinsengumi!, Ryomaden, and Atsuhime. Yae No Sakura is being worked through as well, so that may be something to look forward to.

Love Around conflicts me since I enjoyed the first half. Though it was never going to be a masterpiece, the easy chemistry between leads kept things fun. Despite the secondary couple becoming a possibility with the extension, I have to say that the melodramatic feel the series has taken on is... "ugh", at best, haha. Definitely a good example of a destructive extension.

The Devil has some serious pacing issues, but the plot remains interesting. Ah, and this love line... it does not work for me. I will share my comparison at that time, for sure.

Very well, thank you. Hopefully you're well? I noticed you're working through Protect the Boss. I haven't heard much about it, though some of my friends are fans of Ji Sung. How do you like it so far?

I do plan on seeing Mother, especially after my good experience with Woman. The writing team really is excellent; despite the heavy material, it was an easy watch.

The Devil has its moments, but undeniably drags. There might be too many episodes or perhaps the cast is a little clogged up. Though the mystery works and I rather like the imagery, the pacing just isn't working for me. I'm also having a lot of trouble enjoying interactions between Joo Ji Hoon (love him as I do) and the female lead, because their characters excel at being boring together.

Uhm Tae Woong though.... If I wasn't already convinced I enjoy him, I would be now. He's such a pleasure to watch, and his Oh Kang Soo is suitably dynamic.

I definitely am! Especially after a long spat of shorter shows, it's always nice to get ingrained with a story and set of characters for a long time. Giant has interested me for a long time, especially as a fan of Joo Sang Wook (and after so many great things said about Lee Bum Soo). Yellow Boots isn't one I've heard of, though; but as it's on your favorites, it must be rather satisfying as well.

It's interesting many of your favorites are somewhat older series. Actually, I wasn't even aware Takeshi Kaneshiro had done a Japanese drama.... It's too bad he doesn't work in them more often, honestly.

Japan does wonderful historical dramas, though (like sageuks) episode count often runs high. If you ever have time to check more out, the NHK taigas are always quality and star-studded. Unfortunately, subtitles seem to appear much less commonly for them (as was the case for the recent Taira no Kiyomori).

At the moment, my only airing dramas are Love Around and Good Doctor. It seems you're working at Love Around too; how is the extension treating you? I'm also watching The Devil, priming to start Maou once Ooku is through.

That happens to me all the time. Do you ever find rating a fight between your feelings for a drama and its technical merits? Occasionally when I really love one, it seems so hard to rate it below this or that. Sometimes even a different, better show in the same genre has the same effect.

Ooku is really fun and surprisingly...mature, I guess I'd call it. The theme is dark and somewhat sexual at times, as one would expect from the synopsis. It can be a little shaky here and there, but Sakai-san is riveting as Arikoto -- and rather attractive in period clothing, too. Though that may be my growing interest in him speaking, haha.

Ah, it's good to hear that. Though my review for Two Weeks seems to be quite controversial, I have to stand by my feeling it was rather flawed. If The Chaser avoids the same pitfalls, it does sound like it could be very good indeed (since the premise is great).

Ah, Sakai-san in a sassy role! Perhaps I will choose Legal High first as suggested, haha.