Hi My Sweetheart

Taiwanese title: 海派甜心


14 episodes
Aired on CTS / GTV
From 2009 Nov to 2010 Jan

Main cast:

Show Lo as Xue Hai 薛海 / Lin Da Lang 林逹浪

Rainie Yang as Chen Bao Zhu 陳寳茱

Lee Wei as He Yan Feng 何言風

Maggie Wu as Mo Li 莫莉

Nikki Deng as Wang Ye Qian 王野倩

Fang Fang as Xue Bo 薛波

Xiang Yu Jie as Xue Pei 薛沛

Notes:
Hi, third Wheel dude from My Lucky star!
The drama starts in Hangzhou; its sights look interesting.

 

Review: +/-

Title: Sounds generic but the use of "sweetheart" has a significance in this drama so pass.

 

Girl: I think I usually start the reviews with Boy but Girl makes the drama. She's badass, she's loyal and Rainie Yang portrays her perfectly. The character is too good for this drama and for this Boy.

 

Boy: As I said, he doesn't deserve Girl. The potential to be refreshingly different was there with a meek Boy, whose appealing traits were not his wealth nor his coolness nor his good looks but his good heart.

 

Other Boy: The take-a-hint guy, the perma friend. Not a fan of him.

 

Other girl: Girls are the most interesting in this drama.

 

Plot/ Relationship: My opinion: bad pacing killed this drama by emphasising the wrong sides of Boy. I liked the beginning. It's very important to establish the connection between the couple and I wish the part after they got together has been more developed so as to deepen their relationship. But then, so much time is spent on unfunny shenanigans that show Boy as a stalker committing moral harassment, using his position as a boss. Girl says no. And I say with her: no, no, no. Just stop. But he won't stop. I still believe in their connection, but that's thanks to the commitment of the actors.

 

Another issue I have with the plot: over-reliance on clichés to advance the plot. I don't mind near-death experiences in my drama but not when it's used as a cheap trick to get oneself out of a narrative corner.

 

Other characters: Boy's family is really prominent. I didn't really connect with his sisters. His friends from uni are quite funny. But friendship is not this drama's strong suit. I actually mind that Girl has no friends after uni except for Other boy. I don't see why she wouldn't have been able to make friends.

 

Music: I like it, especially the closing theme song.

 

Funny factor? Mixed. At first, yes, due to Boy's cluelessness and his friends. And the Pink Panther, where does it come from? Hahaha. Then, no due to Boy's harassing not being as funny as the drama thinks it is.

 

Clichés: Rich person pretending to be poor + Near-death experience. Spoilerish: (like in My Lucky star but less effective) + Revenge makeover + Spoiler (and please retire this one): Amnesia.
Yeah, there are a lot.

What the...? : Again, drama writers seem to not care at all about a somewhat realistic depiction of running a company. I don't ask for 100% accurate but I'm not running a company and I haven't studied business. Still, I can tell some stuff is stupid.

 

Bottom line: I will need to vent in the spoiler space after the jump because: waste of potential.
- Girl is great, never compromised
- An awkward Boy who is not as off-putting as in The Accidental couple.
- at some points it seems that the drama was trying to say something interesting with this Relationship But: whatever unconventional point it may have had, it didn't come through to me, with added malus of overused twists.
Rainie Yang and Show Lo's performances are the only things I'll remember. -/+

After the jump, *Spoiler* *Spoiler* *Spoiler* *Spoiler*

My Lucky Star

Taiwanese title: 放羊的星星

Aired on TTV / SETTV
From 2007 March to July
20 episodes

Main cast:

Jimmy Lin: Zhong Tian Qi 仲天騏

Yoo Ha Na: Xia Zhi Xing 夏之星

Jennifer Hong: Ou Ya Ruo 歐雅若

Leon Jay Williams: Zhong Tian Jun 仲天駿

Lee Wei: Han Zhi Yin 韓志胤

Wang Dao: Zhong Wei 仲威

Dong Zhi Cheng: Guang Ming 光明

Liang Xiu Zhi: Board director Zheng 鄭董事

Notes:
- Hello Lawyer from Autumn's concerto!
- This is my second time watching after years and it's a Fav again!

- 2020 October 16th update: Third time watching and I still agree with myself. Fav!

Review: Fav!

Title: Meaningful. Girl's symbol is a star and she's Boy's lucky star.

 

Girl: She has a talent for designing jewellery but she uses her skills to counterfeit and is convicted for fraud. She's amazing, being strong to support others and also standing for herself when she's treated unfairly. (+)

Sidenote: The actress is obviously dubbed, something I find dumb, seriously, there wasn't any Taiwanese actress who could have played the role? However, though it's jarring at the beginning, I got used to it and Yoo Ha Na is perfect. She's very expressive and hits all the notes.

 

Boy: He's the second master (i.e. second son of the president) of a jewellery company but he doesn't want any part of it and goes to become a car racer. He's cocky and passionnate, willing to do anything to protect those he loves, but also willful and impulsive. And he's played by Jimmy Lin who is on this list. (+)

 

Other girl: She's a designer at the jewellery company who has worked hard to overcome her secret past. She's also a villain but one with motivations and you can almost find her pitiful. (+)

 

Relationship: Yeah! So much chemistry beween Boy and Girl. Their relationship is epic but at the most basic, they complement each other and challenge each other to become better persons. Moreover, though their social status are really different, their relationship is well-balanced. (+)

 

Plot: The pacing is really good, the obstacles and stakes aren't repetitive. I never got bored and it never stopped being addictive. Also, no weird last act. (+) Despite my enthusiasm, I have to note that the drama relies a lot on convenient accidental overhearing of key conversations, sometimes combined with unnatural speech. If I had to drink each time it happens, I wouldn't be able to write this review.

Funny factor? YES! YES! then less... then NOO!!!

Music: I wouldn't buy the OST but i like the songs and they compliment the drama.

What the...? I kind of feel bad for the Taiwanese villagers for how they are depicted.

Bottom line: Fav are subjective but while this drama uses cheap tricks, it controls them very well, avoids some clichés and benefits from great actors (I didn't say great acting). It also deals with almost deep issues. To conclude, be prepared to be invested in these characters' stories and to embark on a rollercoaster of emotions! Fav!!