Love Contract

Taiwanese title: 愛情合約 (爱情合约)

Aired on TVBS-G
Summer 2004
20 episodes

Main cast:

Ariel Lin as Cheng Xiao Feng

Mike He as Ah Ken aka Liu Jian Dong

Bryant Chang as Ah Kai aka Lin Kai

Sa Sa as Li Xin Lei

Lai Zhi Wei as Xiao Bai aka Zhang Yuan Bao

Lin Yi Hong as Mu Tou aka Lin Song Bo

Phyllis Quek as Cheng Xiao Yun

Review (from memory): -

Title: "Love contract" makes sense, there is a love contract in this drama. I don't know about the Chinese title.

Girl: Xiao Feng is definitely strong. She's also very complex and sometimes, it's hard to understand her. She's hard on people and though deep down she cares about them, she is so bossy that I wondered how she still has friends.

Boy: I think Mike He is one of the most handsome drama actors. His character Ah Ken is the dreamy silent, taciturn type.

Relationship: Believable and interesting. They both are people that are hurt and don't open much to others and it's beautiful to see their love blossom despite her efforts.

Friends: He doesn't have many friends but she has. I liked all of them except the one who pined for her. I wish he didn't. It made him pathetic.

Family: Her family is a mess and that's one of the explanations for how she is. His family, well, is a tragic story.

Music: I forgot about it. It doesn't mean it was bad since I watched it a long time ago.
Funny factor: Some of her friends are an occasional comical relief but it's not a comedy.

Bottom line: Most of the things I said are positive because it's mostly a GOOD drama. But it's a drama that is permeated by sadness and melancholia. You have a sense that most of the characters are unhappy. They live because that's how it is.

After the jump, I explain more what I disliked. Don't look if you don't want to be spoiled.

Heartstrings

Other title: You've fallen for me

Korean title: 넌 내게 반했어

Aired on MBC - Summer 2011- 15 episodes

Main cast:

Jung Yong Hwa as Lee Shin

Park Shin Hye as Lee Kyu Won

Song Chang Ui as Kim Suk Hyun

So Yi Hyun as Jung Yoon Soo

Woo Ri as Han Hee Joo

Kang Min Hyuk as Yeo Joon Hee

Lee Hyun Jun as Hyun Ki Young

Im Se Mi as Cha Bo Woon

Review:  -/+

Title: Makes sense :"You've fallen for me" is the name of a song featured and "Heartstrings", well, there are romance and music.

Girl: She's kind, talented. She starts "amazing"(+) then unfortunately becomes "annoying"(-). It's ironic because the main supporting female character starts "annoying" then becomes great.

Boy(s): I want him! Them. The male leads are handsome (yes, I know it's not a surprise) and have a pretty voice. Despite some inconsistency in how Lee Shin is portrayed, he is basically perfect. And Kim Suk Hyun is just awesome. Awesome.

Relationship: The falling in/out of love wasn't very well-handled (-) but some very common cliches were avoided which was great and original (+).

Other characters: There are A LOT of other characters. Most of them are interesting (+) but they get backstories in a way that made me keep waiting for when this will get important in the plot and it never happens. So it feels like a waste of time (-).

Also (-) for the bad guy. He has a backstory and is good at hindering the main characters but something doesn't work with him. In the end, he's just not compelling. He's pathetic and it's not even tragic.

Music: Gimme the OST. (+) Bonus: Korean traditional instruments. Their sound is beautiful.

Funny factor? It's funnier than most "comedy/romance" dramas. I actually laugh several times. There are many good comical characters and also some recurring jokes that work. (+)

Bottom line: This drama had so much potential: The characters are interesting and mostly cleverly developed, it's funny, it's original and I love the musical set-up storyline BUT besides the issues I already mentioned, there is a late development that is so unnecessary that it feels like it was a blatant way to fill another episode (so annoying) and I wish the set-up of the musical was more prominent.

It's not a drama I couldn't stop watching but at least I finished it. Also episode 7 is a drag. If you watch this drama, I think you'll like it and laugh and swoon but don't expect too much and be prepared to be mildly annoyed by the plot and the characters.

 

After the jump, there is a review for people who have watched it.

How I review

The titles, cast and other general information are from DramaWiki.

How I will rate:

DNF: Did Not Finish. Could be because I got busy but if I didn't bother to finish it, it was probably because I didn't like it very much anyway. However, it does not mean that it's worse than a Minus.
- Minus: I did not like it.
-/+ Minus/Plus: It was okay. I liked it but it had issues.
+ Plus: I liked it.
++ Plus Plus or Fav: One of my all-stars. A favourite of mine. I love it. It was great. Do I need to go on? I could! However, it does not mean that it's perfect and that everyone will love it. It won't be a masterpiece. But, in the end, it works.

Criteria:

Title: just for fun, it does not bear on the rating but sometimes I just don't get it.
Girl: Annoying (weak and whiny) or Amazing (kickass)? and Other Girl (if relevant)
Boy: Why does she like him? or I want him! and Other Boy (if relevant)
Relationship and/or Plot: Credible? Interesting? Bad clichés?
Other characters: Awful/great family? Friends? Bad guy?
Music: Forgettable or OMG what's the name of that song and where can I find it, I want to listen to it all day for the rest of my life??
Funny factor? Coz I like funny.
Bottom line: Random stuff I haven't mentioned and a conclusion.

And of course, after the jump, a more detailed review with spoilers for people who did watch the drama.


You will notice that I don't provide a synopsis. One of the reasons are that official synopsis are often bad (my opinion) and don't help to make a decision about watching it or not. Second, it can make you have some prejudice. For example, I didn't want to watch Buzzer Beat because I have no interest in basketball (yes, it was stupid!). Ultimately, I think I don't care about what are these people's jobs or what's the premise as long as the execution is good, the plot well done, the main characters likable, well, you know the criteria...


I also have to say that I will review dramas that I watched some time ago therefore these ones won't be as precise as the "new" ones. I will always mention when I review from memory.

How do I choose a drama?

This is often hard. What I usually do:

First, I look at the most watched or the best rated or the suggestions on Asian dramas sites.
Then, I look at the genre and at the synopsis (which is often quite bad and doesn't give you any idea at all but whatever).

At one point, I got obsessed with an actor (maybe you'll guess which one from my drama list ;) ) and started watching dramas because he was in them. That's another technique.

Welcome! Some infos!

Hello! Welcome to My Reviews of Asian Dramas!!

As the name makes it clear, I will be writing reviews of Asian dramas.
They will be my personal opinion so I can dislike things you like or like things you dislike but I will always try to explain why I like something or not.

I always read reviews before going to a movie because I don't like spending time and money on something that's not worth it and I like reading reviews after to see if I agree with the reviewer :).

Therefore, when relevant, a review will consist of two parts:
- One that is spoiler-free for people who'd like to know if they should watch it. Again, my personal opinion but if I say I don't like it because it's too sad and you like melodramas then you know you should watch it! ;)
- Another one (after the jump) that takes the same points but is heavy on spoilers for people who have already watched the drama.

I watch and enjoy Japanese, Korean and Taiwanese dramas. Actually, at some point, I even consciously alternated: first, a Japanese one, then a Korean, then a Taiwanese and again a Japanese etc. But I think that they have different styles and I will make a post about it at some point.

My favourite genre is Romance/Comedy so most of the dramas I'll review are from this genre.

I will review some dramas I've watched a long time ago so it won't be much detailed, unlike the new ones.

Finally, a disclaimer: I don't pretend to be an expert (I'm so not!), this is for fun!

That's it! Hope you enjoy this site as much as I enjoy watching these dramas!