Ren can't act!! To be precise, he can't act in love scenes. While, this is expected since we were told about that a long time ago. What I can't understand is why he had to watch the old 'Tsukigomori' when the filming is still going on. As expected, that unconsciously affect his acting. Well, what's done cannot be undone. Given the predictability of Skip Beat!, I guess Kyoko will come to his 'rescue' and help him to overcome this hurdle. The only question is how?SummaryThrough Kyoko's stunning performance as Mio, Ogata is reminded that he wants to create a 'Dark Moon' which is different from the 'Tsukigomori' 20 years ago. In order to achieve that, changing the title and background is not enough, he must come up with a unique take on the characters as well. To surpass the original, he needs the support from all the characters to create an impact.Kyoko is relieved that Ogata has accepted her version of Mio. However, she thinks that Ren may not think likewise and is prepared for Ren to scold her. Surprisingly, he does not intend to. Instead, he says that her Mio is better than what he had expected. This makes Kyoko very happy.Meanwhile, Sho finds out about Kyoko's involvement in 'Dark Moon', in spite of his manager trying very hard to hide it from him. Sho appears very shocked.Despite difficulties in the beginning, Kyoko has continued on to prove that she deserves the role. Even the old actress is convinced that Kyoko's version of Mio has surpassed her own version.Other than Kyoko, Ren's performance is commendable too. So far, Ren is the only one in 'Dark Moon' who hasn't had to retake a scene. However, that record comes to an end when Ren is asked to retake a scene many times. The scene requires Katsuki (Ren) to show mixed emotions towards Mizuki (Itsumi). While acting, Ren finds himself unconsciously thinking about the same scene from the old 'Tsukigomori' he watched the previous night. This causes him to freeze in the middle of the take and he finds it difficult to continue acting.PicturesOgata: “To surpass the original, we need an impact that can overwhelm it.'Ren: 'You suddenly disappeared and made me worry. If you had come back with a bland, ordinary Mio.. I would have snapped so hard that you’d have cried enough tears to last you two or three years.'Ren finishes his shower and sees 'Tsukigomori' DVD on his table. He decides to watch it.Kyoko's acting has impressed everyone, including..the old actress.Kyoko: 'Tsugura is the only one in all of Dark Moon who hasn't had to reshoot a scene for Director Ogata.'Ogata has high expectations for Ren and believes Ren can easily surpass the original.However, the opposite is true and Ren is struggling.
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Skip Beat! 23 We’re now well into the Dark Moon arc, where Tsuruga and Kyoko get to work together on their first major TV drama. It’s a remake of an extraordinarily popular drama from 20 years earlier, and there is a lot of pressure to outdo the original. Kyoko, playing the villainous Mio, has already won over the director and entire cast with her radical new interpretation of the character - even dying her own hair black and cutting it to reveal Mio’s signature facial scar, instead of hiding behind a long wig as the previous Mio did 20 years earlier. This episode introduced the beginning of some serious problems for Tsuruga, as Kyoko surpasses even him in creating her character. We learned a few episodes back that Tsuruga took the role of Dark Moon’s hero Katsuki against the company president’s advice. Now the flaw in Tsuruga’s perfect acting that the president noticed before anyone else is starting to become apparent - he cannot play a romantic lead because he doesn’t understand what it feels like to be in love. This, of course, is pure bullshit, because he’s having dreams about his childhood with Kyoko on the riverbank every 5 minutes. The next few episodes are clearly going to play out as follows: Tsuruga fails miserably at playing Katsuki, is forced to emo out and dig deep inside his own soul, in doing so realizes his major boner for Kyoko, and finally sublimates that desire into an epic characterization of Katsuki for the ages. Can’t wait.
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