Taiwanese title: 給愛麗絲的奇蹟 (给爱丽丝的奇迹)
Other title: Give Alice a miracle15 episodes
Aired on CTS
From 2012 May to September
Main cast:
Review: -
Title: A character is named Alice but she is no more prominent than the other three main characters so I don't know why she gets to be in the title. There are references to Alice in Wonderland but it doesn't amount to much.
Boy: He's kind of a manic dream guy.
Boy: He's a famous violonist who has been groomed by his overbearing mother to be the best. I think he was the character I was the most interested in.
Girl: She's the most ordinary. Later, there is something about her that comes from nowhere but I wish it could have given her some agency.
Girl: The aforementioned Alice. She's an interesting character trapped in a storyline that doesn't deserve her. See below.
Plot: I'm going to cover plot before relationships because here lies the explanation for the minus review. For once, the problem is easy to pinpoint: half of this drama is a terribad Lifetime movie in which nothing substantial happens but that still manages to take up so much screentime. Moreover, the gist of it is basic (McGuffin! Suspicious men in black!) but one part (Alice's identity) is needlessly confusing. Moreover (yes, that's the second one, I'm piling on it), the two "halves" don't feel organically or tonally or thematically related. It's like watching two dramas smashed together. By the way, the better half is about music, having talent and succeeding in the industry.
Also, some subplots just end abrubtly (no mention of Boy's sister's drama and barely any mention of Siren) and the ending drag.
Relationships: This is the drama's strongest suit. Friendship between three characters, family relationships, romance... I like how they were handled, people reacted like normal people. There are also some unusual reversals. If only the drama had kept focusing on these!
Funny factor: Not really.
Music: I love the theme songs by Lara Veronin. But I disagree with stripping this song from its powerful message. Finally, though I was not enamoured by the classical music pièces performed, I still appreciate hearing something different.
What the...: I could mention a lot of things but, to avoid spoilers, I'll just say that the timeline makes no sense, in a way that is distracting.
Most egregious cliché: Japanese baddies
Bottom line: Excising the storyline that sidelines Alice and thus making the drama more consistent, the drama could have taken advantage of the potential of its setting, of his characters and their relationships. Alas, it was not to be. (-)
I really liked the drama. Though, I agreed with pretty much everything you said. I have watched it like five times straight through, and really enjoyed it. However, I would have loved it if they cut out the weird Japanese bad guy plot (and possibly shortened the sister-stepdad-daughter story line, even though it served to flesh out Lisa's character). It really did seem as if I were watching two separate shows. I found the overall tone to be absolutely fantastic, and the relationships were really good. I wished they had just told the story of the orchestra and the people's lives that centered around it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment! I wanted to add that I didn't mention the tone and atmosphere in my review but I agree with you, they are really good, kind of dark and dreamy.
DeleteYou made me want to rewatch it, to see if I like it more now that I know what to expect.