That’s Lin Chi-Ling, the Chinese co-star of the newest Kimura Takuya vehicle, Tsuki no Koibito (Moon Lovers). KimuTaku, as his fans call him, is a huge star in Japan and Asia and stars in one huge drama a year, along with performing with his boy band (er, middle-aged man band by now) SMAP and appearing in, like, hair spray commercials. He’s big. He’s everywhere. He’s gorgeous still at almost 40. I love him and think he has loads of charisma. He’s just not…a very good actor. Or at least, his dramas never really keep my interest for very long. But Tsuki no Koibito is different - I’m enthralled, and it’s not because of anything KimuTaku is doing (if anything, he’s playing more of a creep than anything). Lin Chi-ling lights up the screen and I literally can’t take my eyes off her.

She plays a Chinese factory worker that gets hired by KimuTaku’s character to PR for his interior design firm (or something, I can’t really make heads or tails of it). He rescues her from a life of squalor in Shanghai, and in return she has to be a model for his company. At first she is rightfully caught up in the glamor and miracle of it all, and starts to fall a bit for him, but then she realize he hasn’t kept any of his promises to her fellow factory workers and one night she basically gets relegated to “entertaining” a fat, gross male client of the firm (and he’s an American that’s terrible at Japanese to boot). The way she stared at KimuTaku when she realized what was going on was just sort of brilliant, I think. It’s just amazing that this girl who’s not quite fluent at Japanese managed to act in circles around all the rest of the experienced Japanese actors around her. Shinohara Ryoko even ends up playing the same old tired character (big sister!), which is a shame, because I do love her.

I’m just happy that this show that’s destined to be a big hit on the basis of its stars will allow recognition of a really talented foreigner. Sure it’s a silly drama, and it’s only two episodes in, but I really think the heart of it will be Lin Chi-ling. And what’s shocking is seeing how KimuTaku, who everyone lurrrves, treats this poor woman because she is Chinese, because her lack of Japanese skill and non-Japaneseness somehow gives him a pass to think of her as an object. And because she plays such a real human being, you realize that it is definitely Not Okay for him to use her and then turn around and be bewitched by her beauty and grit out, “I want you.” Because you realize this kind of lopsided relationship, where the power is almost always with a richer, more influential man, is kind of…creepy. At least, I did. Who knows if anyone else got that impression. I just know I’ll be watching to find out (especially since the latest previews show her using his weakness to her beauty to her advantage, and not in a demure, stereotypical Japanese/Asian way either).

Hey, it could be worse, I could be watching The Hills. That is acting on a whole different scale, right there!