There’s just no end to the ever-increasing number of actresses swimming about in Asian media. Many are fluffer, some are passable, and few are the real deal. It was nearly impossible to whittle down, but based on standout performances of 2008, here is my list of the top three actresses, each representing China, Japan, and Korea.

1. VICKI ZHAO (趙薇)

As one of China’s “Big Four” talents, Zhao is clearly no stranger to pan-Asian audiences, and to some extent, the international audience. This year, she caught my attention with her portrayal of historical figure Sun Shangxiang in John Woo’s major epic Battle of Redcliff aka the Battle of Chibi. Historically, there was a real Sun Shangxiang living during the Three Kingdoms Era of China. However, any factual knowledge about her is inextricably bound to the romanticized Chinese epic Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and in popular media, she’s like the Chinese version of Artemis. A few things are true: her brother was Eastern Wu ruler Sun Quan, she was briefly married to Emperor Liu Bei, and she had a notable capacity and skill for combat.

Rather than play into any of the various myths surrounding Sun Shangxiang, Zhao pulled off a stunning performance as a spunky tomboy eager to prove her chops in battle, as well proving to be the real strength and brains behind her brother, a tepid ruler. But more than that, she did so whilst simultaneously expressing her character’s devil-may-care take on life. Yoking together contradictory character traits is one thing, but making them harmonize as a cohesive character is quite another, and Zhao did this superbly

In a film about ancient rulers and displays of testosterone, Zhao created a female character that razed traditional power plays. Although she could’ve easily called it a day by playing either the petulant brat or the scary ball buster, she managed to meld them both together into an accessible character of charm and girlish flair. Moreover, Zhao’s performance was an incredible capture of an individual torn between familial expectations and personal aspirations, something any person – man or woman – in any generation can identify with. Even with a supporting role within the ridiculously huge ensemble cast, Zhao managed to turn this period piece into a film for all the ages.

2. KARINA (香里奈)

Within the past two years, Karina has moved up from drama bit roles to supporting roles, and she’s finally stormed the stage as a lead actress and fashion icon. As a trendsetter, Karina is known for her sex appeal and ganguro style (mainstream ganguro, as in the sun kissed tans, bejeweled acrylic nails, and bleached locks of Koda Kumi and Amuro Namie). I have been following her work since her excellent performance in one of the Tsubasa no Oreta Tenshitachi shorts, which featured a line up of 2006-2007’s up-and-coming actresses, including Horikita Maki, Ueno Aya, Sato Erika, and Ueno Juri.

Every actress that appeared in one of these shorts has gone on to prove true as a leading young actress in Japan (and beyond Japanese shores, in many cases), and Karina joined the ranks this year with her performances in Daisuki! and Myu no Anyo Papa ni Ageru. For her role in Daisuki! as an autistic woman with the mental capacity of a pre-adolescent girl, Karina clearly had to shed both her celebrity and acting personae. I had my reservations with a drama about an autistic woman trying to raise a child; it was screaming all sorts of potential offensiveness and raising red flags. Luckily, it was only potential as Karina approached this role with an incredible sense of seriousness – never once did I think to myself that mentally disable people were ever being made fun of, and more than that, there was not a scene I which I felt viewers would laugh at the expensive of her character.

Towards the end of the year, Karina starred alongside Matsumoto Jun in NTV’s annual charity event in which high profile actors appear in televised specials for a good cause. In Myu no Anyo Papa ni Ageru, Matsumoto and Karina appeared as the real life Yamaguchi Hayato, a man afflicted with CIDP, and his wife. Again, Karina dropped her glamorous image and inhabited the skin of a young mother and wife struggling to keep a household together throughout her husband’s debilitating ailment. She may do trendy things like appear on fashion runways as a guest model, slink around in hot pants, and endorse Diet Pepsi, but she’s a solid talent that has a future beyond endorsement contracts.

3. CHA SOO YUN (차수연)

In terms of a filmography, this actress does not have much under her belt. However, I was absolutely stunned by her performance in this year’s Beautiful. The film stars Cha Soo Yun as—you guessed it—a beautiful woman. However, this film is not all fun, games and laddidah. In fact, it’s none of that. Wanting to be beautiful is something that crosses all cultural barriers, but this film focuses specifically on Korea’s obsession with beauty and turns its lead—a typical “winner”—into a victim of her own skin. I know what you’re probably thinking: oh really, that must suck, being gorgeous and all. The film addresses exactly this sentiment.

As Cha Soo Yun’s character experiences sexual harassment, abuse, and multiple rapes, every character in the film is thinking the same thing: “What’re you rambling on about? You’re crazy.” And crazy, she is. Cha Soo Yun does a brilliantly creepy job of clutching viewers by the arm and dragging them in on her descent into insanity. The film points out the fact that there is no virtue in her beauty itself, and Cha Soo Yun is well aware throughout her character’s progressive evolution into a terrifying case of Stockholm Syndrome. The easiest part of her job was to play a woman who could get by on her appearance alone, but that’s pretty much the first fifteen minutes of the film.

What is so remarkable about Cha Soo Yun’s performance is that despite her beauty, looking at her becomes harder and harder as the film develops. Let me clarify: I don’t dislike her character, I don’t think she becomes significantly unattractive, and I don’t think she is a particularly bad person to begin with. What is wince-worthy of Cha Yoo Sun’s performance is that she plays her character as a woman whose beauty is her only connection to sanity and society: when she can no longer register her own physical beauty, she goes absolutely bonkers. In an industry where many actresses are afraid of appearing ugly or immoral, Cha Soo Yun smashes this prissy norm to pieces.

Who were your favorites this year and why?