Surprise of the day - Kindaichi Hajime & Nanase Miyuki's happily-ever-after

This was definitely the surprise of the day.

Kindaichi Hajime & Nanase Miyuki already married? And expecting a baby??!

Seeing this screenshot making its rounds on social media was such a pleasant surprise. And as a longtime fan of the "Kindaichi Shonen no Jikenbo" series, this was really something that should have come a long time earlier than now.

I was still a teenager when I started reading the Kindaichi manga, albeit in Chinese since I was just starting out to learn Japanese. And in order to get the latest release as soon as possible, I had to buy the Taiwanese version instead of the local version so that was a huge investment considering my status as a student then. It was only until much later when I started collecting the Japanese version and had to wait months between each book's release. As for the real-life dramas and anime, I had watched most of them except for the 3rd generation and 5th generations' drama series. 

Honestly speaking, the series actually wasn't that suitable for teenagers. Since every case was about murders, sometimes serial murders and at times involved underaged people being the killers, the MOs and motives depicted certainly couldn't be considered wholesome and healthy for teenagers to read. However, what got me interested was not so much the gore or the motives spurring those killers to exact justice for themselves or their loved ones but rather the intricate plots and the MOs that the killers used to commit their crimes. The twists and turns in some of these stories were so engaging and the gratification of being able to guess them correctly was a huge plus as I got more familiar with the deduction process and became more alert to observe the clues left around by the authors.

However, by the time it came to the 37-year-old Kindaichi series, I started to feel the fatigue from the repetition of the story's format. Things were getting predictable although the MO and techniques used were mostly evolving with the times. Despite so, the motives of the killers and the "truth revelation" process were getting stale. It was also frustrating to have the carrot or rather mystery of what's up with Miyuki being dangled like forever because she never appeared in the new series other than the occasional mention. Given these reasons, I stopped purchasing the manga after Vol. 13.

So...with this new revelation, what does this mean next for me?

For a start, do I want to catch up on the volumes which I missed from the 37-year-old series? Will these feature the story of what happened between these childhood-friends-turned-husband-and-wife? Or will this part only be covered in the "Kindaichi Papa" series which will start in Jan 2025? Then again, the timing of this revelation just makes me wonder if it's a ruse to get old-time fans back for the new series but end up being taken for a ride again.

While it is probably not reasonable to expect too much from this series given that it has gone on for decades and there are limits to how much it can evolve, I certainly look forward to seeing some progression in the key characters' lives. And this is really, a very much anticipated outcome that most if not all fans have been waiting for.

【影后】/ "Born For The Spotlight" 观后感想：演技一流但故事稍显美中不足

如果没有期待，是不是会比较不受伤害?

会如此有感而发是有几个原因的。

首先，在这部剧集推出之前所看到的预告片非常精彩，演员卡司又强大，也就因为如此对它有了更多的期待。然而，期待越大却在发现结果不如预期时大失所望。如果没有期待，就算结果不尽完美，心理上的失落感就不会随之放大。相反的，若是结果比想象中的好，那种意外收获的幸福感和满足感有时会让人回味无穷的。

个人认为最主要的原因就在于预告片把这部剧的很多精华亮点都毫不吝啬地呈现出来，等到看剧集时就会发现好像没有什么新的东西和观点可言，就如底牌早已被人看穿般没了惊喜度和新鲜感。虽然各位女演员们的支线故事都有其精彩之处，个人觉得故事似乎少了一个可以吸引观众看下去的主轴，造成了一个各自精彩但大局沉闷的困境。里面所提及对女演员的刻板印象和偏见又有既视感，少了与众不同的观点或更精致的内心戏。这也就是为什么我在看完前面两集时一度有想弃剧的念头，直到隔了好几天才决定把剩下的集数追完。最后两集和描绘周凡与薛亚之的友情及决裂的那集不可否认很精彩，但就整体来说有种"too little, too late"的感觉，实属可惜。

在故事里，各位女演员们其实也因现实与想象之间的落差所苦，就算观众们不是演艺圈的人也应当可以体会她们的痛与挣扎。就她们各自的支线来说，每一位演员都有各自发挥的空间和亮点。

周凡认为自己对薛亚之付出了真心和诚意，为她好和打抱不平，认为薛与李子齐在一起的不快乐，委曲求全又一直分分合合实实在在委屈了好友，薛决定嫁给李子齐又放弃当演员从周凡的角度看来更是错上加错。然而，周凡的自以为是其实没有考虑到薛的意愿和心情，她所认为的”好”却不是薛所向往的“好”。周凡也错把自己的好意当成是自己可以任意妄为的理由，认为薛会无止境的包容她所谓的善意，丝毫没有考虑后果地破坏薛的婚礼，也难怪踩到了薛的底线让两人老死不相往来。

从薛看来，周凡一直自由自在我行我素，看似好像什么都不在乎，却不费吹灰之力拥有让薛羡慕的东西，包括被评价为天才型演员的赞誉。周凡就算从来没有得过演技奖项却会被大众视为遗珠。反观正牌奖项得主的薛却被批评为不够格的影后又抢了周凡的奖项。可是薛自己一定会觉得自己付出努力应该有资格得到相应的回报，却一直苦于被自己最好的朋友兼最大的竞争者无形中也无意中抹杀掉自己的成就。这时候选择转换跑道往幕后发展的薛其实不一定是放弃竞争或害怕继续被比较，可能就是很单纯的有一个可以转念的契机和机会让她决定息影。但很多人可能就认为没有一个正常的人会放下女艺人的光鲜亮丽而愿意退居幕后支持一个岌岌无名又看似不会成功的导演老公。

讽刺的是，周凡从来都不觉得自己是天才，也常常会对自己的能力有所怀疑。如果她真的是演技一流的演员，为什么专业评审却从来不愿意把演技奖项颁给她呢？事后才说她是遗珠又有何意义？为什么她的努力又要一次又一次被别人评价为好或不好？可能周围的人认定天才不需要努力，但休息3年后回来演戏的时候，周凡总认为自己不能胜任，很努力克服空窗期，练舞练到受伤，可是别人不一定能体会和了解她也需要努力来呈现别人所看到的美好。

黎芯妮曾经一脱成名又因为其性感又有点傻傻的荧幕形象，一直被别人看轻和占便宜。实际上，她只是单纯地渴望被人爱和接受，想的比别人以为的透彻，也没有如外界想象的想极力摆脱这些负面标签，因为她比别人似乎更能接受自己的过去。毫不犹豫地为爱抛下明星身份之所以会让别人意外，可能就在于她真正在乎的并不是别人认为她应该在乎的。

柯丽芬身为单亲妈妈要养活自己的独生女，成为八点档演员，却因此被别人看不起，认为她只会演烂戏又或者不会演戏。但要长时间拍摄这些长篇剧需要多少心力和体力，别人看不到，就算是自己的女儿也不欣赏她，即便她曾经得过演技奖项。其实要拍几百集的八点档长篇剧又要上山下海，虽然剧情有时的确有点莫名其妙又充斥满满的激烈情绪，但没有两把刷子的演员应该也很难胜任吧！

潘茵茵为了维持自己的美貌和体态，付出的努力和心力同样不被别人看见和了解，只会把她当成花瓶。可是若她让自己真的展现出岁月的痕迹的话，别人又会期许她保持永远青春美丽，所以她一直逼自己活成别人期许自己的样子。她的执着可能会让人觉得她很难搞又搞不清楚自己的现状，但她自己应该比谁都还明白自己的局限。当她真的示弱和放自己一马，她才真的活得怡然自得。

游燕芳贵为资历很深又得奖无数的演员，在外界看来可能会无欲无求，应该可以随时放下一切走人。但她其实还是对于当演员有一定的留恋，所以迟迟不肯动手术，也与儿子一家分隔两地。正因为如此，当她终于想开又决定离开工作时，别人才会对她的果断而感到惊讶吧！

至于史艾玛，虽然她的角色到了后期不讨喜，但她的心路历程不难让人理解。因为她想成功，所以她不顾一切牺牲其他在别人看来比较重要的东西，例如友情，爱情和恩情。可是在别人看来相较重要的东西，对史艾玛来说其实并没比当一个知名演员来的重要。每个人所重视的东西不同，虽然她的成功有让人不胜唏嘘的部分，但这只是每个人的价值观不同所导致的落差罢了。

除了女演员们的戏很精彩，经理人的部分其实也很好看。虽然薛，胖姐和壁虎有各自的风格和处事待人之道，他们其实都有一个共同点。他们很了解自己的艺人需要什么，做什么对艺人本身最好，什么是艺人们的强项，也懂得如处理艺人的负面情绪与问题。这些台前的成功其实有一大部分的功劳应该归功于大家所看不到的经理人。

对于跳槽和换经纪人的情节，虽然说从一而终或注重人情义理是很多人歌颂的美德，但在工作上有时又不能太感情用事。就像史艾玛如果为了讲义气而继续跟着胖姐，她能成功吗？相反的，潘茵茵和芳姐如果没了壁虎，她们还能够专心和开心的当女演员吗？可惜的是，对的事跟应该做的事应为相抵触而让结果有所遗憾。

关于女演员们的恋爱，其实各个支线都有挺细腻的描述和呈现。就如柯丽芬跟丈夫那种爱恨交织的深厚情感，很有真实感又笑中带泪的窝心。个人比较喜欢薛跟李子齐在外遇被发现后的发展，冲突中加上满满的压抑和痛快的宣泄，到后来的无奈和释怀，比起其他剧中的恋情和婚姻关系的描写更加有感染力和共鸣。

虽然对此剧不至于百分百满意，但总的来说还算是水准之上，演员们都表现的很不错。只不过剪预告片时如何要达到可以吸引目光，但又要留一手给观众自己在作品中发掘亮点，这的确是一件不容易办到的事。要不然看完之后的感觉大概就会是“只有这样而已？”吧！

Thoughts about Iron Girls / 무쇠소녀단 (Korean)

Watching "Iron Girls" was not a planned decision at all. I wasn't even aware of this show prior to its launch and by the time I saw it on Viu, there were already 3 episodes released. After reading about the synopsis and knowing the cast lineup, I decided to give this a shot.

And wow, this was such an unexpectedly good decision.

Shows featuring celebrities or non-athletes training for a major sporting event or some challenging sports aren't exactly new though. In fairly recent times, I remembered watching another tvN show i.e. "Run" featuring Ji Sung, Kang Ki Young, Hwang Hee and Lee Tae-sun in 2020 where they trained for the Florence Marathon with just one month to spare. Considering the short time frame, the show lasted a mere 4 episodes and to be honest, featured quite a bit of sightseeing in both South Korea and Italy than the physical training or actual marathon itself. And the whole atmosphere was kinda laidback and more of like, "we'll try our best but there is no guarantee that we will succeed". In a way, that was a realistic take on the situation because one month of training along with juggling acting jobs is honestly too much of a stretch. As such, even though one of the four did not complete the marathon, that show was still pretty enjoyable to watch and the outcome of some not making it was expected to a certain extent.

"Iron Girls" is an entirely different ball game. To begin with, training for a full marathon is already quite adventurous. To train for a triathlon in just 120 days and they are not athletes to begin with, I really thought that the idea itself was quite outrageous. Then again, when you consider that the producer is Bang Geul-yi, a former producer of "2 Days 1 Night", I think it does make sense to set such a tough challenge because she had done a lot of these "crazy" things back then so I wasn't that surprised after knowing the PD behind this show. Of the training sessions throughout the season, the top 3 which were especially memorable would have to be the vertical marathon, the swim across Han River and the uphill cycling training. Although I wasn't doing it myself, the sheer torture and physical demands of these challenges really came across strongly on screen.

Among the four actresses featured, I have watched Jin Seo-yeon, Park Ju-hyun and Uie in action before while I only know Seol In-ah from some of the clips I saw before from the drama "Business Proposal". Jin was super eye-catching in the movie "Believer" and I really liked Park's performance in the drama "Mouse" opposite Lee Seung-gi. In addition, I have been following Jin's Instagram for a while so I do remember seeing her doing a fair bit of gym work in her posts. As for their captain Kim Dong-hyun, I've seen him a lot in Korean variety shows such as "Physical 100 Season 2" and "The Great Escape" so it makes sense for him to "lead" them in the physical training along with other experts who joined as guests or Heo Min-ho, a former triathlete who became the regular coach focusing more on the triathlon itself in the second half of the show.

Since I would say that my knowledge of the actresses is still considered quite basic, there were some surprising things which I found out along the way with each episode. Biggest surprise for me has got to be finding out that Park is actually older than Seol - nothing to do with their looks but more of their screen images because I recall seeing Park in more student roles so that sort of gave me the impression that she's very young. Imagine my surprise to hear Seol call Park "eon-ni"! And that Uie was a former swimmer but cannot cycle - I only knew that she used to be in an idol group After School and seemed to have a reputation for being athletic. Or that Jin actually has a phobia related to swimming despite her sporty and fearless image.

What I thought was really relatable and very engaging about this show was how these actresses all had their weaknesses and were not "super-beings" who realistically had a chance at clearing the triathlon from the beginning. And precisely because of this, the show delivered a clear message of how you and I as ordinary folks could also have a chance at doing something very challenging and seemingly impossible by taking baby steps over time. These actresses certainly did not become physically fit for the triathlon overnight as seen during the entire season. Moreover, completion is one thing. Completing within the cut-off time for each round was an added degree of difficulty they needed to factor in when taking on this challenge.

Jin's issue with swimming meant that if she couldn't clear the first part of the triathlon, there was no way she could continue with the other rounds of the event despite being good at cycling and running. Likewise, Uie is a fantastic swimmer but if she fails to make the cut in the cycling round, she also won't be able to take on the running aspect of the triathlon. Seol who is regarded as the sporting genius, has to deal with her weakness in running and as the show progressed, she picked up a number of injuries as well which further affects her ability to complete the entire event. Park started off as being the weakest in terms of stamina and sporting ability but made up for this with her strong will, refusal to give up and sheer hard work. 

To be honest, it was so motivational and inspiring to see them overcome their individual weaknesses and strive towards the collective goal of completing the triathlon together despite the odds against them. From a viewer's perspective, seeing their hard work pan out over the span of 11 weeks and how they managed to achieve something that seemed so impossible at first, that was not just entertainment but a really inspirational tale to watch. 

While I don't think I'll ever be ready to do something as physically hardcore like this, I think the Iron Girls' never-give-up attitudes, the support of everyone around them and their hard work are very memorable takeaways for me as I wrapped up watching this show. Getting started, taking small and steady steps and being consistent - these are very important life lessons to keep in mind.