Prince + Princess 2

Taiwanese title: 王子看見二公主

16 episodes

Aired on CTS
From 2008 December to April 2009

Main cast:

Annie Chen as Zhao Ke Rou

Dylan Kuo as Ning Huan Yu

Hong Zi Han as Zhao Mu Fan

Michael Zhang as Li Chen Xi

Ma Shi Li as Liu Xiao Yue

Miao Ke Li as Ning Sheng Nan

Zhu De Gang as Zhao De Qiang

Qian Yu An as Money

Ring Hsu as Zhao Xing An

Ken Hung as Xia Kuan

Peggy Tseng as Zhang Qi

Samuel Adam Whitman as James

Notes:
- That poster is terrible.
- I almost did not recognise Michael Zhang. I was wondering why I was attracted to that guy when I realised he was the Other boy in Down with love, with a different styling and attitude. I guess that makes him a very good actor.

Review: +

Title: There's a reason for this title but it has two problems. 1/ It makes it look like a sequel. 2/ It makes it look more cutesy than it is.

Girl: She's a tomboy who wants to be a fashion designer. She's humble but driven, loyal and hard-working. I really liked her. She's also the second of three sisters (hence the title).

Boy: He has no ambition, tends to whine, is immature, has no style... yes I still liked him. First, he is portrayed by Dylan Kuo who's so good-looking and charming that inflicting that hairstyle and clothes on him is criminal. Second, he is actually kind-hearted, quite smart and determined when he puts his mind to it.

Other girl: She could have been a cliché but I like her and felt for her. I wish her the best... yes, I know she's fictional.

Other boy: The nice guy who is in love with his girl friend. I'm starting to know why this drama is a plus because I really liked him too. He doesn't exhibit the traits I hate in this trope. He's not pushy and his life doesn't revolve around her loving him.

Other boy: Arrogant type A but you guessed it... I liked him too.

Relationships: It helps that Annie Chen has the right type and right amount of chemistry with each of her co-stars. The romantic entanglements are believable and the reflection of the characters' personalities. This is also true of their actions in general.

Family: Girl's family is crucial to the proceedings. I enjoy seeing a relationship between three sisters and the dynamics.

Funny factor? Yes. But some "jokes" are terrible. Please do not make a throaway joke about pretending to have been assaulted.

Music: I liked it.

What the...? He worked at Wall Street. Yeah, right. Everything related to how business works. There are a character and a set that disappear at some point, never to be heard of again. There is no excuse for the set, as for the character, it was caused by the illness of the actor/actress but still, they could have written some explanation in the drama.

Bottom line: I like the characters, even despite some questionable behaviour because it is ackowledged in the drama and because we tend to accept more from charming people. Everyone is charming, has an interesting personality, the plot doesn't make them act out of character, I was invested in their stories. + !

Drunken to love you

Taiwanese title: 醉後決定愛上你 (醉后决定爱上你)
Other title: Love you

18 episodes

Aired on TTV

From 2011 April to August

Main cast:

Rainie Yang as Lin Xiao Ru / Lulu

Joseph Chang as Song Jie Xiu

Tiffany Hsu as Tang Ai Wei / Ivy / Sandy

Huang Hong Sheng as Di Shuo Huai / Daniel

Tom Price as Xiang Ting Wei / Ricky

Kingone Wang as Ren Yi Xiang

Zhong Xin Ling as Cai Meng Jun

Renzo Liu as Li Da Fu

Di Zhi Jie as Tony

Bu Xue Liang as Paparazzi Jack

Jessica Song as Shen Hui Qin / Kelly

Wang Juan as Cai Mei Ling / Samantha

Lin Mei Xiu as A Sang

Deng Jiu Yun as Guan Pei Shan / Peggy

Note: I watched the very last episodes weeks after the first ones.

Review: -

Title: I'm not sure it's proper English but I like it. The premise is that Girl and Boy end up marrying each other despite being strangers, while drunk.

Girl: Rainie Yang chooses great roles. Girl is really great. She's selfless but still fun and strong-willed.

Boy: He's an interior designer with control-freak tendencies... at first. Like in Down with love, these just disappear. He's a very good boyfriend but I didn't really connect with him. He was a bit bland.

Other girl: The selfish actress, you know, like in Down with love (again) and other dramas, I'm sure. I didn't care for her at all. I really like the Other girl that Tiffany Hsu played in Autumn concerto but this character, nope. And the traumas that are thrown at her to make me care just worsen my dislike.

Other boy: He's a pilot and we don't see much of him. I guess I should see him as a good guy that made a mistake. But his motivations aren't so clear and he doesn't act consistently.

Other other boy: His backstory is interesting but again, don't care about him.

Other boy for Other Girl: He's too good for her. And he insta-loves her for the second laziest reason (the first one being no reason, and the third one, saving one's life) that is... she's the doppelganger of his previous great love. It's creepy and unhealthy. He doesn't love her for her but because she looks like someone else.

Plot/relationships: I talked about the secondary couple, let's talk about the main one. I liked how their relationship developped and the rapport between them. I believed they were suited to each other and that they were what they were looking for: a family. But I was less convinced by the obstacles between them and the very last act that depended on a series of big coincidences whereas it could have happened in a more logical way.

Other people: I liked Girl's loyal and funny best friend as well as Boy's coworkers.

Funny factor? Let's say yes.

 

Music: YES. Opening song and insert songs.

 

What the... ? I just remembered that the fat jokes at the expense of Girl's best friend are a bit too much.

Bottom line: I wasn't sure why I felt like it was a minus. Actually, for most of the drama, I couldn't decide between a + et a -/+. But then, I stopped watching before resuming for the last two which means it didn't hold my interest enough. Moreover, writing this review, I realised there were a lot of characters I didn't care for. And the last episodes sealed it: -