mysecretsoul

Oh wow, I haven't heard of Alone in Love before. :o The cast looks pretty great, too. What kind of feeling does it give? Does it have humor or is it one of those sweeping romances?

What a pretty cast. His voice may ultimately change my opinion, but "Domyouji" is particularly handsome.

My only question is whether this story can work without Asian quirkiness and charm. Western entertainment lacks a certain something in this department but.... I'm willing to withhold judgement. Bring on the boys (before flowers, naturally).

I'm so excited that you're enjoying it! Go Soo has some excellent scenes, and they only get better. As to Padam, Padam, that's one that I have yet to start, but it looks right up my alley.

Haha, I'm glad you enjoyed that review. It felt necessary to write something elegant, since Golden Empire is, so... XD

Lee Bum Soo has a lot of talent and a unique look, from what I've heard. That, and somehow he always ends up in shows I'm interested in, haha.

That sounds like something I'd definitely like then, haha. So few of the dramas I like have been popular recently....

No problem! He is, with my mother providing the other half. Unfortunately, we don't keep in good contact with either side of the family (aside from grandparents and some cousins on my part).

That is such a relief to hear, you have no idea. While Joo Won appears to be a lovely kid from what I've seen of 2 Days & 1 Night, his acting never hits the right notes for me. Typically that means it never will, as it's rare for me to ever "warm up to" an actor.

Ah, thank you so much for reading that review! Golden Empire struck me in so many different ways, and honestly it was somewhat refreshing to be pulled out of romance oriented stories for a while. I should probably stop myself before I start gushing about the dialogue and how great the performances were though, haha.

Ah, aren't there various adaptations of Heaven's Coin as well? I remember reading about an upcoming or recent one, but....

This may be totally off mark, but I remember learning that Mandarin, Japanese, and Korean all have a common language origin. Several words between them, as you pointed out, sound quite identical and have similar meaning (ie. yueshu/yakusoku/yaksok, etc). How this sort of thing happens fascinates me, because even between Taiwan and the mainland, there are already audible differences.

Unfortunately, I've never been to Japan. My father lived with his parents for a time near Kagoshima, which is too fun since a lot of history occurred in and around that area.

How disappointing though. Performance mistakes like that would jolt me right out of the story. Though, Brain and The Princess' Man won all of the acting awards that year despite that drama's popularity, so...haha.

Oh, Woman? I've heard only good things about that one. Did it conclude recently as well? Sometimes it gets so overwhelming keeping track of airing schedules.

I rarely marathon either. It might take me like two weeks at a time to take down a short J-drama for instance. But when I get around to doing so, I seem to go wild with it, haha.

Ah! Salaryman is on my list to watch. Just realized Lee Bum Soo headlines several other dramas I'm interested in too. Must be fate~

Thank you so much for reading it! If you do give it a try, I'd love to chat with you about it. The actor shared between Golden Empire and The Chaser would be Son Hyun Joo right? I recall chatting together about that drama some time ago and putting it on my own PTW. After seeing his performance in GE, I'm twice as excited to see The Chaser. He's seriously incredible.

I'm about to start several Japanese dramas, including Hanzawa Naoki and Aishiteiru to Ittekure. Otherwise I'm following Two Weeks, Good Doctor, and Love Around. Lately I've been really packing in episodes, though it isn't usually my style, haha. Anything catching your eye these days?

It was right? I'll regret all of the missed sleep sooner or later, but it was fun to marathon something for the first time in a while. Thank you for reading my review! I had to stop myself from gushing about the Min Jae character, but I don't think I succeeded, haha.

Oh, I've heard really good things about Can You Hear My Heart; if I remember correctly, it was one of several really solid offerings in 2011. It should go well with Golden Empire, since the tone will be so different.

Thank you for the recommendation. I like many of the actors in Itoshi, but I think after my latest experience another strong series is in order. Chemistry is a must.

It does! Dramas with unfamiliar terms usually kick my butt though. A medical drama might stump me, but slice of life is peachy.

Now that you mention it, I wonder why so many writers feel trapped by such cliches. With some shows, I suppose I can understand; viewers may watch for total escapism, hoping for this or that. But it's definitely true some of these things occur even outside of the "appropriate" genre. How laughable, though; can't you just imagine a bible for writers detailing every benchmark their work must pass? "Horror and business.... High body count, check. Tons of money, check. Manager loses everything, check. Including his head, check."

Wait, that kind of sounds fun, haha.

I'm a little exhausted after an unprecedented assault on Golden Empire, but I finally found Aishiteiru. I believe I flirted with starting this in the past, now that I see it more closely. It was one of two I felt drawn toward, the other being Itoshi Kimi E. My next binge may be this sort of romance, eep....

Sorry for the long wait on the reply. I've been a little busy binging on Golden Empire and reviewing my recap for this week. If I'm fully honest, I'm not sold on Joo Won myself (though his performance really impresses). Somehow I continually feel like the odd woman out with favorites, but it's good to know someone else understands, haha.

Don't you just love broody male types? Sometimes a drama just needs an intense performance, haha.

Feel free to talk to me about Golden Empire whenever you start! I have an unexpected day off, so I may just take your lead and marathon the rest soon. As to Good Doctor, Moon Chae Won has a pretty good role...though I love her on sight after The Princess' Man. Her chemistry with co-stars Joo Sang Wook and Joo Won is palpable, too.

You have me pegged. Though I do become incredibly emotional, even while watching dramas (an episode of Queen Seon Duk had me blubbering recently, for instance), I do tend to pull back ultimately. I like to analyze things, usually to understand perspectives from the creator all the way down to fans and detractors. This can serve to alter my own slightly, though often the visceral reaction is too strong.

You're particularly selling me on Aishiteru to Ikketure, since age gaps and mature story lines really appeal to me. May I ask where you found it? Take Five might take a backseat soon; I'm just not in the mood for it at the moment.

Television must be a difficult medium to work on. I couldn't imagine giving up any control of creative vision. But it's heartening to see many women doing so well in Asian film production. Many of the best screenwriters there seem to be women there nowadays.

Ah, I have some familiarity with Tatta Hitotsu no Koi. Some time ago I kept skirting the idea of trying it, but kept being put off by ...well, the young love, haha. Somehow I've missed every drama by this author, so perhaps I need to get cracking. Were those more mature elements normalized in the drama, by the way? It drives me crazy when characters act like some major scandal dropped when a serious couple stays alone, never mind sleeps together. My head can't even wrap around the idea, but it sounds refreshing indeed.

I always wonder why some good writers have problems with endings. Perhaps it has to do with producers or the network?

Two Weeks has many uneven elements. Chief among these, the cast feels crowded, widely varying in talent (good to "wow, how did you get this job?"). I will continue, to verify, but the story just feels...messy... and the child alone grabbed my interest.

Oh, definitely. It always seems to happen with more popular dramas in particular, since I tell myself "Well, there must be a reason people like it, right?" Isn't Go Soo interesting? He has a unique appearance and makes informed acting choices. Unfortunately I haven't seen him in much, but I think you'll enjoy him again in Golden Empire; Tae Joo is a really meaty role. A marathon of it would probably be pretty incredible.

I recap Good Doctor with a friend, so my opinion might be skewed. Because I need to deconstruct and study the episodes to offer insight, flaws often become more apparent. There are times I find it overly sentimental and lacking in subtlety, but it has a stellar cast and soundtrack.

Love Around.... It was light fun before the extension. The next five episodes will likely bump the score down big time.

That is impressive for a Japanese drama. It leads me to wonder whether the year their dramas were filmed in (or even just the physical maturity of the actors) affects the romance. Each time I've seen older pairings there, love lines were at worst passable. Though your review did mention the presence of a strong writing team as it was.

I may skip Master's Sun. Each time I follow buzz instead of my instincts, I end up saddled with a drama I can't stand. Have you tried Two Weeks? Something there just won't click for me, Lee Jun Ki or no.

Go Soo is wonderful! I saw him before in a film called The Front Line; he stole the spotlight from Shin Ha Kyun at times, something difficult to accomplish. Golden Empire already impresses. As they say, even the business talk is riveting. I've been most drawn in by scenes between Lee Yo Won and Son Hyun Joo, so far. One can tell the cast is a powerhouse.

You are too kind, but thank you. Writing is something I enjoy, though much of what I produce exists merely for fun. As of late, I suppose that includes tossing around my opinions shamelessly. I once dabbled in prose, but found the process daunting enough to plug up my words for weeks. Perhaps my talents rest more in analysis than building?

Who Are You sorely disappointed me. Aside from an actor mentioned in my review, very little about it felt worth the time. Hopefully other 'ghost' dramas fare better, but who can say?

Coincidentally, I picked up Golden Empire earlier. My expectations begin somewhat high though, due to impressive encounters with Go Soo and Lee Yo Won. I also grabbed another Japanese series, Take Five.

I saw and enjoyed your review of Aishiteiru to Ittekuru~ Despite those problems though, it still ranks around 9? The initial offerings must have been fantastic.

Though decidedly not perfect, Good Doctor seems worth seeing. If I took a preliminary score of this drama from my own experience, my rating for cast and soundtrack would flicker between nine and ten. So far the story is emotionally rousing at best, maudlin and formulaic at worst. Those who dislike medical dramas may have trouble with the overall atmosphere.

But the best recommendations are made after a series concludes. Perhaps it may be best to wait until then to make a final choice. :)

Interesting concept; I particularly loved that you used a Roy Chiu example. Another Taiwanese actor, Blue Lan, came to mind instantly when reading. He plays this type of character so well and often that his face could be next to the definition in the drama dictionary. All while being a really nice person in real life, haha.