While I realize that you aren't a dog... take a look at the Navy Protocol. I came across this when looking for a friend - it might be worth trying a people version: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Angiogenesis_Foundation

I hope it all goes well!

@ Wag_a_Muffin

I agree with @ KDaddict?JCW. My mum-in-law had cancer and the treatment was debilitating. She counteracted it with Chinese/herbal medicine. She seems fully recovered now (it's been over 6 years).

No growth is good news!!! Yes, the positive mental attitude keeps us healthier and helps our cure better than the opposite.

Villains??? You want to get the 'cute' looking ones to be villains?

I pick my latest 'crush', Lee Won Keun (Sassy Go Go)
and Infinite's L.

Wag_a_muffin -

I'm glad you've decided to be happy about the medical news. It's good news indeed and your attitude is the best!

Sending positive thoughts and good wishes your way. :)

No growth is good news Wag_a_Muffin. :) I know it may be hard sometimes to 'always' do this, but try your best at focusing your energy on the positive and being hopeful.

Wag_a_muffin:
No growth is definitively a good thing, *coming from someone with a family history of cancer*. Hope things will improve and that you and your family can keep up the courage!

..So I've decided to be happy about it..

I'll be praying and cheering you from afar, dearest..
Be happy, dear.. Always be happy. Whenever you need hugs and cheers, just remember that you're loved by many there, wherever you are, and here too.. *hugs*

Thank you for all the well wishes. (I didn't realize I was first. I just looked and saw "Open Thread" and posted.)

Wag_a_muffin ~
Just stopping in to say hi, love the "Everybody Loves Ramen" title to your toon~ As far as villains, the one in I Can Hear Your Voice was up there (or down there, more accurately) as far as they go.
I'm cheering you on looking at that half full glass!

@Wag_a_Muffin - I'm glad to hear that your cancer hasn't grown, and I hope things get better.

If you want villain suggestions, how about Lee Joon from Gap-dong? I think an attractive young man makes quite a different style of villain, probably because their looks might initially mean they get seen as non-threatening .....until it's too late.

Hi Wag_a_Muffin, I get a MRI next week to see if my Metastatic Breast cancer (stage iv) is under control. I have mets in my spine from the BC. I think you should be happy about no progression. Cancer really messes with your head doesn't it? All the pink this month is getting to me. The sexualization of BC-stuff about saving tatas, etc is so messed up. You can die of MBC with two boobs intact, Men get it too. Thank god for kdrama because it is such a great escape. Good luck with the toon.

No growth is definitely good news! Keep fighting & Good Luck!

I'm not sure what kind of villain you're looking for but by going from Kim Soo Hyun why not add Kim Woo Bin to the villain group?

Wag_A_Muffin,

I'm sending my best thoughts and wishes your way.

Though I work with cancer patients, and had my own scare plus surgery this year, I would never assume I know what you should do, or how you may feel. But I do know the value of choosing to be happy, and oh yes, the sarcasm! Sometimes it's your best weapon in dealing with doctors. Doctors are told in med school, "When you hear hoofbeats, think horses not zebras." Essentially, you felt like you had a zebra, and your GP said, "No, that's just a horse." Gaah! I'm glad you got some follow up. So for you, I'm going to imagine lassoing that zebra, tying it up and sending it far, far away. Be good to yourself, and let others be good to you. :)

redfox -

A cameo by Ji Sung anywhere is always a good idea.

hi superfox,

Siwon is absolutely fantastic as Shin Hyuk, our "goof with depth." I love how he takes a bird's ye view of the big picture and is proactive in helping to set things straight (since the players have such a hard time doing so themselves). He is straightforward and makes me wonder why the truth is so hard to live out? I love that Shin Hyuk is there to face Ha Ri's physical manifestations of guilt and bad choices with her when she collapses. He can read everyone's mail and is the type of person who you (the one whose mail he reads) don't dislike for doing so. He'd make a pretty darn good boyfriend, too !

AH I forgot to say: my dad is in China with Estonian National mens´ Choir, they have concerts in Shanghai and ...not Beijing. i can´t remember. Anyway, first impression is taxi fare is cheaper than a cup of coffee? true? and big contrasts everywhere. But gorgeous town, they say.
hope he won´t losemy camera I lent him

I did!! *raises hand*

Okay so I'm a sucker for makjang's and I was fully aware getting into this show that it's going to be a horrible messy roller coaster that'll probably make me pull my hair out - and yeah, it sort of has been thus far....haha....I do have to give it to them though, the OST is absolutely beautiful, I love the way it's also being filmed and I can't say I'm not intrigued by the plot...there was a lot of stuff going on in the four episodes that kept me hooked even though our lead female had problem after problem....reminded me of Secret sort of...anyway I'm going to keep watching!

Alessar ~

I watched the first three episodes, waiting on number four to be fully subbed.

Sure the melo is at overdose level, but I'll probably continue watching. At 50 eps, no telling what will happen.

Hello @growingbeautifully - I am not always able to keep up with db content - so much good stuff - and I enjoy your questions. I don't know if I missed it in earlier threads (if so, maybe you could direct me) but I would like a discussion about how subtitles affect ELO (English language only) watchers. It's my understanding that Korean sentences can be said multiple ways in English. I am watching a drama now where I have loved some of the dialogue - and how much of that is the script writer vs. the subtitler?? On a site like Viki where fans do the subs I can imagine the latitude. Do drama writers ever cooperate/collaborate with professional subbers? (Is there a technical title for that job?) I see this question as having an effect on perception of acting too... because an ELO watcher has to read while watching and a poorly delivered line of great dialogue is going to get the writer's/subber's credit. That works vice-versa too. (That said, some of my discernment changes on second watchings because since I already know the words I can give my attention to the acting.) Would love open discussion - maybe next open thread? Cheers.

How would you 'measure' how good an actor is and who will you name for each category?

Would it be ridiculous for me to admit that I can't tell the difference between excellent actor and fine actor? Because there haven't been (m)any actors and actresses who hit the mark ALL the time (for me). It's like spot-acting, because I like to see even miniscule and unconsious reactions in characters. I can only tell when someone is terrible for the role because, man, I get oddly disgusted.

But I can tell who the charismatic ones are: Suzy and WooBin. They're likable even when they really miss the mark sometimes.

The meaning of A and B listers was all about popularity for me and how many people and income the actor will bring to the film. Someone can be an A lister and have a lot of talent or have zero of it but tons of charisma. :)

The examples are easier to find in the Western culture for me because being honest almost nobody impresses me much as an incredible actor in Kdramas. I think most of them are unconsciously divided into different categories for me.
Charismatic and awful
Charismatic and decent
Just decent
Someday will be good
Fine actor

Growingbeautifully -

While I can't come up with a comprehensive list for all the categories, I will share that, for me, two examples of extremely good actors that come to mind are Yoo Seung-ho and Song Joong-ki. I'd also add Park Bo-gum in this category. ........ These actors simply "inhabit" a role, if that makes any sense.

There are other worthy contenders for sure, which I would certainly include on this list, but these 3 are standouts.

For me one of the best actors working anywhere right now is Cha Seung-won because he is just so versatile and has an amazing range. He really can cross genres with ease and completely inhabits every role he plays. He's capable of not acting but being on screen and only a very few actors have this ability. He can do goofball comedy as in Ghost House, Kick the Moon and Best Love. He's completely convincing as a pre-op male to female transexual in High Heels. That performance was personally one of the best I've ever seen although the movie itself wasn't particularly good. He wasn't a man acting as a woman but a woman trapped inside a manly-man's very foreign body. He's a detective trying to rescue his estranged wife while dealing with his own guilt in Secret. And so on. My favourite Cha Seung-won role still is Jo Guk in The City Hall.

An actor on the other end of the spectrum in that he couldn't act his way out of a paper bag but I just love and will watch anything he's in is Oh Ji-ho. He's always the same, has absolutely no range and often his fellow actors seem to be working very hard to make up for his limitations. But he has a warmth, decency and like-ability about him which the camera picks up in spades. He makes me smile every time I watch him.

Personally I am not sure I could find examples to put into these categories. However, I think that an extremely good actor is someone who can move between roles, independently of it being a lead or not. And not being afraid to try something new, even if its a small role.

Only being able to play the lead role, or only one type of characters (evil and good), is a limitation for me. Like you can have some who is great at playing chaebols turning good guys, but they are still limited in that that is the only thing he can do. Same with only playing villain characters. You can be great at it, but if that is the only thing you can do, it's still a limitation even if you are great.

In that way, there is a lot of different ways to be a great actor. What is important for me as well is that they have a wish to imporove or take on roles that they think is interesting. Sure, take lead roles if they want (and stick to it) but don't be afraid to take a role that is NOT a lead simply because of your status.

Immortal actors and actresses
Korean - Kim Hae-Sook, Kim Sang-Joong
World - Toshiro Mifune, Humphey, Charles Chaplin, Marilyn Monroe, Clara Bow, Geraldine McEwan
Estonian I would say Jüri Järvet (Insanity).

Quite unforgettable by at least one performance:
Korean - Kim Chang-Wan (Lawyer Jang!), Oska (um..he has a real name, I know he does...), Jeon Ji-Hyun, Lee Min ho
World - Johnny Depp, James Dean, Marlon Brando... countless women... but I mostly like french actresses. Quite a number of french actresses have impressed me by at least one role.
Estonian: Lembit Ulfsak (Tangerines)

Charismatic:
I think most actors have charisma.
But in Korea, actors with the greatest charisma are Song Joong Ki (he has charisma like a snake, completely paralyzing!), Jung Il Woo (who has more sensual charisma), and Kim Mi-Kyung (oh boy she is a charisma ball)
In the world, depends... on the director and stuff. Alan Rickman! probably. some unexpected types, and comedy ones...

Popular, but bland: Kim Soo-Hyun, Han ga in

Not a GREAT actor, but their sincerity will make you bleed: Lee Jong Seuk, park se-Young

First of all, I just have to stress that this is just my personal opinion so don't read this thinking I am an authority in anything related to acting. lol

Great actors/actresses who headline dramas/movies:
(They have acting chops foremost with looks to boot, true A-listers)

Ji Sung
Kim Soo Hyun
Lee Jun Ki
Lee Byung Hyun
Hyun Bin
Gong Yoo
Joo Won
Cha Tae Hyun
Cha Seung Won
Kim Rae Won

Gong Hyo Jin
Park Bo Young
Ha Ji Won
Lee Bo Young
Kim Hee Sun
Choi Ji Woo
Moon Geun Young
Shim Eun Kyung

Honorable mentions:
(They are recognized more for their looks than their acting, they are A-list celebrities)

Lee Min Ho
Won Bin
Song Joong Ki
Lee Jung Suk
Jo In Sung
Lee Dong Wook

Song Hye Kyo
Kim Tae Hee
Han Ga in
Lee Min Jung
Suzy
Park Shin Hye
Shin Min Ah

My personal favorites who I can't seem to fit on either of the list:

Yoon Eun Hye
Kim Sun Ah
Jang Na Ra
Hwang Jung Eum
Hwang Jung Min
Lee Sung Kyun
Kim So Hyun
Kim Yoo Jung
Yeo Jin Goo
Seo In Guk
Lee Seung Gi
Ji Chang Wook

Best character actor/actress:

Lee Sung Min
Kim Seul Gi

My favorite starlets:

Han Groo
Jung Eun Ji
Yang Jin Sung
Park Min Young

I laughed, that was so illogical.
Episode 9 was dopey for me but it doesn't stop me from being really annoyed that I have to wait a week for 10! Curse you, baseball!

She is either making tons of money, or has not idea at all what a modern printing press actually costs.

The makeover felt like a last minute decision. There was no real reason why it had to happen other than the production thinking it's about time to get it done. I wish they would have done it more gradually like wearing makeup one episode then did her hair the next, then the clothes. I am not even sure if the makeover route is even necessary. I kinda miss the old Jackson. She was very cute.

Hi Korfan!

Wanna lead me some of that heath? I'm tempted to light up the fire in the fireplace and huddle under my blanket. It's rainy at 3 degrees celsius here and because of the rain it just feels extra freezing.

Also the pumpkin being everywhere and representing autumn made me giggle. Mostly because here the norwegian winter apples are starting to appear in the stores, and winter is around the corner (snow int he mountains! and people changing over to winter tires to be safe)

Hi August,
Daniel Choi, love him and will miss him. reminds me how Yoon Shi Yoon quietly enlisted (btw way, YSY should be done with his 2 years in the spring, I think). Take good care, DC, we await your return to kdramaland!