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: -

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*

Down with love

Taiwanese title: 就想賴著妳 (就想赖着妳)

16 episodes
Aired on CTV
From 2010 January to May

Main cast:

Jerry Yan: Xiang Yu Ping 項羽平

Ella Chen: Yang Guo 楊果

Kelly Huang: Yang Duo 楊朵

Michael Zhang: Qi Ke Zhong 齊可中

Chen Zi Han: Ding Hui Fan 丁卉凡

Amanda Chou: Xu Yan Ling 徐雁玲

Gu Bao Ming: Yang Bo Tong 楊伯通

Yan Yi En: Liang Zhi Hao 梁志豪

Notes:
Many familiar faces: Hello Vicky Chen and Amanda Chou who I had seen in The legend of Brown sugar chivalries! Hey Renzo Liu who is always playing lawyers and the cutest little boy ever Xiao Xiao Bin... both of them were in Autumn's concerto.

Review: +

Title: Generic. Shared with a movie starring Ewan McGregor and Renee Zellweger. No relation, storywise.

Girl: You know the drift. Plain, not particularly smart or educated but nice and energetic. She's passive -but that can be explained by her always having been bossed around by her sister (passive!)- and insecure -but not in an annoying way.

Boy: I won't put Jerry Yan on that list but he would top a list of actors with the best facial expressions. Actually, he would BE this list. I could go to tumblr and find some gifs to illustrate my point but I'm afraid I'd fall into a rabbit's hole and come out tomorrow morning...

Ok, I just went and I'm already back because... there's nothing! How is it possible? Internet, you have failed me.

Um, let's go back to his character. I labelled him "Arrogant jerk" because that's what he's supposed to be but real quick, it's obvious that he's a marshmallow. He's a lawyer, if you care about his occupation.

Other boy: He's an interior designer. He's so charming and how can he be so perfect?

 

Other girl: Narcissistic actress. I didn't like her, in case you were wondering. It was intentional, I think, but why does he like her?

 

Other girl: The aforementioned Girl's older sister. At first, she was a caricature but in the end, I liked her the best. Though she's throughout a very funny character, her personality is straightforward and really strong. She would be terrifying in real life. As a non villain, she's an unusual character.

 

Plot/ Relationships: I was watching the 14th episode and thinking: "How can they be two more episodes?" I have no idea how they managed to make 16 episodes out of this story without ever boring me. So that's a good point. Another one is that the drama doesn't commit the two cardinal sins I've been complaining about recently: out of place parallel story and overstuffed finale. However, I wish the drama hadn't rush that much at the beginning, taking a very cliché narrative shortcut and dropping in a cavalier fashion what I thought was a promising premise.

Romantic, friendly, family connections are mostly well done. The characters don't evolve but they reveal more shades.

 

Other characters: They are everything: Girl's best friend, Other Girl's manager, coworkers, the kids... even one who grated on me at first turned out to be a good addition.

 

Music: WANT.

 

Funny factor? Yes. That may be a reason why this is a Plus. This drama is funny till the end, thanks to its characters.

 

Most egregious cliché: Kids scaring away nannies.

 

What the... ? People coming in and out at during work hours. Super busy lawyer not working at all.

Bottom line: I hesitated between a + or a +/-. In the end, it's a + because I didn't hate anything too much. The good weighted more that the bad. Faint praise, I know. I guess I'm tired of +/-.

The Legend of Brown Sugar Chivalries

Taiwanese title: 黑糖群俠傳 (黑糖群侠传)

Aired on StarTV
From 2008 June to October
13 episodes

Main cast:

Wang Zi as Linghu Cong

Albee Huang as Ren Ying Ying

Ah Wei as Guo Jing

Yako Chan as Lu Jian Ning

Wang Jing Qiao as Xiao Long Nu

Ah Ben as Wei Xiao Bao

Xiao Yu as Chu Liu Xiang

Xiao Ma as Yi He Cang Tai

Mei Mei as Guardian Sheng Nu

Zhang Ke Fan (張克帆) as Lu Da You

Wang De Sheng (王德生) as West Side principal

Amanda Chou as Tian Shan Tong Lao

Ao Quan as Hong Shi Ba

Christine Fan as Dong Fang Bu Bai

Notes:
- Like Brown Sugar Macchiato, it features members of music bands Lollipop, Hey Girl and Choc7 in the main cast and in cameos.
- It's a spoof of modern wuxia novels.
- Warning: Special effects are really bad. Since they are aware of it, they don't use them that much.
- Rewatching!

Review: Fav!

Title: "Brown Sugar" is a callback to "Brown Sugar Macchiato"

Boy: He's an orphan who was brought up by the principal of a magical martial arts school. Naturally gifted and hard-working, he is the strongest of his generation. Besides that, he's also a great leader.

Girl: She's an outcast because her father worked for the big bad. Moreover, she's quite shy so she seems cold and stand-offish.

Boy: He's a particularly clumsy and selfless guy. I didn't really care.

Girl: She's the only daughter of a teacher. She acts like a spoiled kid but she is not annoying as she is prompt to recognise her faults.

Plot: So there is a big bad who is threatening the balance of the land. He's currently ill so he needs a magical thingie in order to restore his powers. There is also a traitor inside the school.

Relationships: We follow three couples and there is no insta-love. Everyone has his agenda, his personnality with qualities and flaws. I was invested in the romantic relationships, but also in the friendships and the family bonds.

Other characters: I will single out the bad guys and especially The bad guy who is really scary. We don't see him much but these scenes are effective at conveying his evilness.

Funny factor? Yes, silly but funny.

Music: Good.

What the... ? One might say "the entire drama". But I give a pass to a lot of things (beggars society?) because I suppose it comes with the genre. However, I don't think a character's deafness being played for laugh can be excused. It only happens at the beginning or it would have ruined everything.

Bottom line: Under the silliness and bad special effects, I like the characters and care about what happened to them. Though its resolution was lacking, the plot was interesting, progressing steadily. Fab!

Heaven's Wedding Gown

Taiwanese title: 天國的嫁衣 (天国的嫁衣)

Other titles: La Robe de mariée des cieux / La Robe de mariage des cieux / Bride from Paradise / La Robe de mariage

19 episodes
Aired on CTS/SETTV
From 2004 September to 2005 January

Main cast:

Cyndi Wan: Tao Ai Qing

Leon Jay Williams: Lu Zi Hao / Aaron

Ming Dao: Chen Hai Nuo

Terri Kwan: Katrina

Zhang Hong: Pei Ya Xi

Wang Zhi Yu: Sun Xiang Zhen

Qu Zhong Heng: Freddie

Cai Li Qun: Ah Bu

Zhao Shun: Tao's grandpa

Tao Chuan Zheng: Lu Zheng Guo

Wang Yue: Liu Yu Hong

Liu Xu Hao: Ji Pu Sai

Notes:
- Hello Huang Yu Rong (In love with a rich girl and My Lucky star - reunion!)
- Trigger warning: implicit sexual assault
- It's incredible that Other Boy doesn't get to be on the poster.

Review: +/-

Title: There are talks and glimpses of that gown but it isn't at the foreground. Also, it has no relevance to half of the drama.
 

Girl: Typical Girl in that cute, bubbly way. She's confident and outspoken. (+)

Boy: He's a fashion designer who wants to be independant from his father's big company. At first, he's an arrogant jerk but Girl sees his potential and as it turns out, he's perfect.

Other Boy: He's a professional motocycle racer. He's loyal and a good guy... but I didn't like that he was so intrusive and possessive with Girl.

Other girl: She's crazy. It's sad but interesting.

Plot/ Relationships: I wasn't bored watching. However, this drama suffers from the case that killed Alice in Wonder city: it's two-in-one. If I wanted to watch a drama about a racer, his crew and his brushes with mobbish guys, I wouldn't be watching something titled Heaven's wedding gown. Anyway, it works better because at the very least, stuff happens and the two parts intersect regularly, because there is only one hospital and one hotel in that city. And because of Girl who's torn between the two guys and their world.

Here is my main source of dislike. I don't care for extended love triangles. Everyone is unlikeable:

- The guys because they fight over the girl: she's mine, no she's mine, I'm giving her to you, I'm not losing to you... you see the gist, it becomes less about her (an object) and more about male ego. It is adressed directly in the drama but it doesn't make it less annoying episode after episode.

- The girl because as a character, her wants become confusing and (this is real life talking) she ends up using a guy she doesn't like by giving him hope even if she has good intentions. Girls, boys, don't do that. If you say you aren't in love with someone but act like you are, you're giving mixed signals and the hopeful person in love won't move on. I think friendship between guys and girls is possible but if one starts developing feelings but doesn't have the courage to stop seeing the other one, the other one has to scale down the intimacy. /End of the PSA.

Other characters: They were good! I like Boy's mother, Other boy's friends (Xiang Zhen (fierce) and Ah Bu) and the villains. One of them is of the best/worst kind: they are able to seem like they're helping when actually they are undermining you.

Funny factor? I kept a character for this category: Boy's over-the-top assistant. He is funny.

Music: At first, I found it dated but I got used to it. There is an insert song that I really like.

What the...? I'm not sure they had to start the drama in Paris but hey, why not? Also, the fashion is... not very good. Girl has to wear a (tiny but not that tiny) wooden horse around her neck.

Most egregious clichés: Insta-love. Soulmates. Weddingus interruptus. Star-crossed lovers missing each other by a hair (it happened three times).

Bottom line: Characters are great (except for Other's boy pushiness) but the drama would have been better off with fewer episodes.

Borrow your Love

Taiwanese title: 借用一下你的愛 (借用一下你的爱)

14 episodes
Aired on CTV
From 2013 March to June

Main cast:

Amanda Chu: Xie Ping An 謝平安

Dylan Kuo: Ye Chen 葉晨

Shi Yi Nan: Li Zi Wen 黎子文

Cherry Hsia: Xie Xi Le 謝喜樂

Linda Liu: Bai Ming Li 白明俐

Allen Chao: Li Shi Cheng 季世城

Huang Ke Jing: Ji Li Sa 季麗莎

Chen Qiao Wei: Li Huo Ying 季霍英

Notes:
Hello Mother from Autumn's concerto!
And I totally didn't recognise Amanda Chu from the same drama.
Hey Cherry Hsia! I just watched you on Alice in Wonder city.

 

Review: +/-

Title: I'm glad I have this category so I can say how bad this title is. The title is misleading because it screams romance while romance is not a focus. As for the synopsis from Dramawiki: "Xie Ping An and Ye Chen pretended to be a couple in order to hook up their friends. However, the mismatch duo find themselves attracted to one another instead.", it's just false: this is not the premise of this drama.

Girls: They are two orphans who have grown up together and who share a sisterly bond. Girl is brash while Other girl is sweet and timid.

Boys: Full disclosure, this is the first time I thought that I'd like to have a boyfriend like a Boy. And Dylan Kuo totally deserves a spot on this list. I'm just not sure who to kick out. (Edit: now, I know who to kick out, so he's on it.)

All four main characters are interesting and I cared about them. (++++)

Relationships: I'm going to talk about the relationships first. The drama starts with hallmarks of romance: multiple coincidental meetings, initial dislike, forced interaction... however, it becomes quickly apparent that the focus will be on Girls' relationship. I didn't mind. (+)

Plot: The plot is character-based. It advances briskly (which allows for Boy to figure things out and be smart). One piece of information I thought would last episodes before being revealed turned out to be the premise of the drama. (++)

However, the drama suffers from a fatal case of last episode syndrome. It should be obvious but apparently, it's not (see also Heartstrings). A finale is supposed to wrap up the threads, and possibly give us an epilogue. It SHOULD NOT introduce lame cliché pointless new threads that are resolved in ten minutes. There was something else I disliked but it's more subjective. (--)

Other characters: The villain is after my heart, complex with clear motivations, though crazy in execution.

But, there is another very important character who is introduced as ruthless, not only by other people but we also see them in action. Then, at the end of the drama, they're practically a saint. I mean, I can believe that they're not just a monster but I wish their greyer parts were still acknowledged just so I know I've been watching the same events as the characters. Unfortunately, some secondary characters who had potential are also inconsistent.

Most egregious clichés: Everyone is an orphan. Anyone can be CEO.

Funny factor? A scene made me laugh out loud for minutes. I kind of felt bad about it because it's really really really embarrassing.

As often, it gradually becomes darker, though there are still comedic moments.

Music: Serviceable

What the... ? Boy has the weirdest phobia.

Bottom line: While watching, I couldn't decide between a + or a +/-. I don't know why because the characters, the plot, the relationships, everything was compelling. Maybe it was some details, maybe I miss romance... Anyway, the ending sealed it for me: +/-

Alice in Wonder City

Taiwanese title: 給愛麗絲的奇蹟 (给爱丽丝的奇迹)
Other title: Give Alice a miracle

15 episodes
Aired on CTS
From 2012 May to September

Main cast:

Aaron Yan: He Ting Yu 賀霆宇

Xiu Jie Kai: Chen Hai Jie 陳海傑

Lara Veronin: Lan Die Fei 藍蝶菲

Tracy Chou: Alice

Yang Gui Mei: Jin Li Sha 金莉莎

Lin Li Yang: Tang Jin Cang 唐晉滄

Cherry Hsia: Lan Yu Shu 藍語書

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. (-)

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!!

Autumn's Concerto

Taiwanese title: 下一站，幸福
Other title: Next Stop, Happiness

21 episodes
Aired on TTV/SETTV
From 2009 October to 2010 February

Main cast:

Ady An: Liang Mu Cheng 梁慕橙

Van Ness Wu: Ren Guang Xi 任光晞

Chris Wu: Hua Tuo Ye 花拓也

Tiffany Hsu: He Yi Qian 何以茜

Zheng You Jie: Xu Fang Guo 許方國

Linda Liu: Fang De Rong 方德容

Renzo Liu: Lawyer Lin 林律師

Tao Chuan Zheng: He Zhen Tang 何振堂

Xiao Xiao Bin: Liang Xiao Le 梁曉樂

Lin Mei Xiu: Hua Tian Xi Shi 花田喜氏

Amanda Chu: Hua Ci Xin 花癡心

Note: I want to issue a trigger warning: sexual harassment and violence on woman. My memories of this drama were so grim that it's only my second viewing though I was remembering quite liking it.

Review: +

Title: That's what I'm talking about! This title sounds good but makes no sense. I have no idea if this drama takes place in autumn and yes, a piece of music plays a role but I don't think it's a concerto (Wiki tells me it's the second movement in an orchestral suite).

 

Boy: See the label "Arrogant jerk". However, Girl comes to love his sense of right and his passion. He's straightforward, brave and smart (though it's more tell than show, at least we see him at work). (+)

 

Girl: At first, she's kind of perfect and you understand why guys like her. She's kind-hearted, smart hardworking and she never complains. She goes through so much that you just admire her. Moreover, she's not naïve nor dripping with optimism. She is a caring person who has a sense of self. (+)

 

Other boy: Typical I-pine-for-years-for-my-girl-friend-even-though-she's-clearly-shown-me-that-she's-not-interested guy. I didn't like this character because he's too good to have been "friend-zoned" so early, he feels a bit too much like a plot device and that much devotion makes me uncomfortable.

 

Other girl: Her love is not as built as Girl's love but she's so nice and her feelings are so sincere that you feel for her.

 

Plot/Relationship: The plot consists in obstacles thrown the way of the main characters. But it's okay since their relationship is believable and compelling. Unfortunately, there is a mob subplot which is intertwined with the main story but which is too violent for my taste. Also, the ending was totally rushed for no apparent reason. It seemed like they realised at the last minute that they only had one episode left. But good chemistry and building so (+).

 

Other characters: Terrible mother and stepmother, wise aviser, over-the-top villagers, over-ambitious rival...

 

Funny factor? Not really (except Boy's assistant, I <3 you), the Melo factor is high.

 

Music: Yes!

 

Bottom line: This is a very good drama with a convincing couple, generally successful characterisations. The pace is excellent (except towards the end and the mob stuff). (+)

 

P.S.: I advise you not to give up if you're annoyed by the flashbacks in the first episodes. It stops later. But seriously, note to whoever is responsible: flashbacks to an entire scene that happened in the same episode IS NOT necessary (and is not a good way to pad an episode if that was the intent).

Absolute Boyfriend

Taiwanese title:  絕對達令 / Jue Dui Darling
Aired on FTV/GTV - April/July 2012
13 episodes

Main cast:

• Goo Hye Sun (dubbed): Guan Xiao Fei 官筱菲
• Jiro Wang: Wan Ni Te 萬奈特
• Kun Da: Yan Zong Shi 嚴宗史
• Cherry Hsia: Luo Mei Jia 羅美佳
• Na Wei Xun: Lei Wu Wu 雷霧霧

Notes:
- Still haven't read the manga.
- I will compare to the Japanese version.
- I DID NOT watch this drama entirely, I stopped at episode 4. So I'll review up to this point. I don't know if it gets better but this drama didn't hook me.

Review: DNF (episode 4 included)

Girl: Typical Taiwanese drama main character. She's earnest but dense when it comes to relationships (a bit too much in her case). She's likable but boringly standard: she doesn't have anything that stands out.

Boy: He's a robot. It's not as obvious as in the Japanese drama in which Night's moves are mechanical, we see him recharge, we see through his electronic eyes. However, Nai Te is socially awkward and too upfront about his love for Girl and it creates problems for her, more serious than in Zettai Kareshi in which they were mostly embarrassing. This Nai Te is more handsome than cute.

Other Boy: One of the biggest difference with ZK, he's actually closer to his manga counterpart, from what I've heard. He's a childhood friend of Girl and has a crush on her which he tries to hide by making fun of her. It's so obvious that I wanted to scream at Girl to get it already. I didn't really care for him at first because he was too serious and not fun at all but he grew on me by being good at his job and assertive.

Plot/Relationship: True triangle. But since Other Boy is in love with Girl from the start and Girl is more accepting of Boy than in ZK, I feel that there is less building to it. (When I stopped, I still didn't know what were Girl's feelings).

Subplots include how to earn money to pay for the robot (that leads to Jiro Wang cross dressing if you're into that kind of things ;) )and shenanigans at work (different from the manga in which they are in high school). Contrary to ZK, I'm not sure what their firm is into. Girl wants to be part of the pool of Secretaries but I really didn't care about this plot since it came out of nowhere and the actual secretaries were a cliché trio of meangirls.

Compared to ZK, I actually prefer the best friend storyline in this drama.

Other characters: I liked Other boy's brother and a random co-worker who played almost no role but who stood out because she seemed like a cynical person who walked into the craziness of a drama. I should also note that the inventor of the robot is more ostensibly extravagant.

Music: I remember that the opening theme song is quite good and I like the closing one which is... intense.


Bottom line: I haven't spend enough time on this drama to feel strongly about it (in a good or bad way) so this review must be boring. But there wasn't any character or story I care enough about. SO DNF.

Skip-beat!

Other title: Extravagant Challenge
Taiwanese title: 華麗的挑戰

Aired on FTV, GTV
December 2011 - April 2012
15 episodes


Main cast:

• Ivy Chen as Gong Xi 宮囍
• Choi Si Won as Dun He Lian 敦賀蓮 (dubbed by Xie Kun Da ep.1-2, Nylon Chen ep.3-)
• Lee Dong Hae as Bu Puo Shang 不破尚 (dubbed by Darren from 浪花兄弟The Drifters)
• Bianca Bai as Jiang Nan Qin 江南琴
• Jin Qin as Du Jin 杜金
• Ada Pan (潘慧如) as Yuan Yang 鴦鴦
• Allen Chao as Luo Li 羅

Notes:
1) I haven't read the manga this drama is based on and I haven't seen its anime adaptation.
2) Both male leads are from the boy band Super Junior.

Review: +

Title: I'm not sure what Skip-beat! is about. I can get Extravagant challenge since the Girl sets out to succeed in the entertainment.

Girl: Kick-a. She's kind and selfless. She's also really determined in achieving her goal. She's a naturally gifted actress and we can see it instead of only being told she is. Kudos to Ivy Chen because she nailed the bubliness of Gong Xi and her seriousness when she's acting. (+) At first, I was annoyed but then I got used to and she was developed so I ended up not caring that she is the kind of character that is totally unrealistic. She acts crazy. Mini CGI Gong Xi ghosts actually materialise when she gets in angry/want something mode!

Boy: We don't know much about him. We just know he's a great actor, he's very serious about his work and slams whoever he thinks is not. He's cool and keeps things for himself. However, when he opens up, he's quite cute. (+)

Relationship: Believable and cute. You know when in the review of Heartstrings, I said that the falling in love was too sudden and unearned? Here, it's really gradual, progressing touch by touch. (+)

Plot: The relationship isn't the main story: Gong Xi's journey is. I must say that you can see that it was adapted from a manga because you notice the big arcs and the transitions in between. As such, the journey consists mainly but not exclusively of challenges that Gong Xi takes up one after another. Likewise, secondary characters appear for an arc and then either are never heard of again or just randomly pop up at one point. This is more a remark than a criticism. Besides, the arcs are really interesting. I'm not sure it depicts accurately the way it is in real life but it makes acting as suspenseful as a life or death situation. It even makes want to see the imaginary final product (movie or music video). Finally, each acting challenge feels different form the one before. (+)

But a real problem stems in part from the fact that it is adapted from an ongoing manga and doesn't cover all of it. Though the end is okay as for the state of the relationship between the leads, there is a revelation near the end of the drama that is quite important but hasn't been developed or resolved by the end. I wonder if they could have avoided introducing it because it was frustrating.

I have another beef with the drama, it may be the one that made me give it a + and not a Fav: a great deal is made about characters not being able to LOVE. I could bear it but it was a bit annoying because it didn't make much sense to me. Actually, I can understand it in Gong Xi's case, because it was given a reason (though she's capable of love but not of the romantic kind, which is kind of weird). But other characters are also deemed unable to love which comes out of nowhere and is not properly explained. It could have interesting to explore why they didn't want to love but being unable to love? And for these other characters, it seem that it's not only romantic love... Confused? Well, it was confusing. (-)

Other characters: Most of them were great. I will only talk about the main ones.
1) The other boy. Gong Xi's ex-boyfriend who exploited her. He's the one who is the origin of the whole premise. His main characteristic is that he is self-absorbed and so is a douche. But in the end, they managed making him a little likeable. (+)
2) (Slight spoiler. Underline to see) The rival who slowly becomes the best friend. Her transformation from confident, no-nonsense, every-actress-for-herself to reluctant companion then BFF is well handled. She just has one pointless storyline. (+)
3) Boy's MANAGER!!! Sorry for the all-caps but he stole the scenes he was in. He was cute, funny, kind. (+)
4) The President of the entertainment company. He can afford every excentricity and believe me, he doesn't hold back! He doesn't know what too much means. It's amazing, you have to see it. However, I didn't like this character at all. I don't know if it is bad translation but I didn't get the meaning of most of what he says, maybe it's linked to the fact that he has to do with the whole "unable to love" thing. (-)

Funny factor: Pretty good. I will need to watch it again to be more precise.

Music: Two words. Love. Want.

Bottom line: Writing this review, I realise that I may want to watch it again. Perhaps, I will then bump the mark up to Fav. I would recommend it. The actors are all great (though the dubbing is annoying), the plot is exciting and suspenseful and it's cute.
If there is a second season, I will update this post and I could change the mark too.


Spoilers after the jump! I actually don't have much to add.

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.