TV Drama Review #239 - The Gem of Life 珠光宝气

No.of Epis: 82
Year/TV Stn: 2008/TVB
Cast:
Louise Lee ~ Bai Xiao Rou
John Chiang ~ Kang Qing Yang
Maggie Siu ~ Kang Ya Yan
Gigi Lai ~ Kang Ya Tong
Ada Choi ~ Kang Ya Si
Elliot Yue ~ He Feng
Moses Chan ~ He Zhe Nan
Wong Hei ~ He Tai He
Bosco Wong ~ He Tai Chuan
Linda Chung ~ Song Zi Ling
Bowie Lam ~ Gao Chang Sheng
Kenny Wong ~ You Ri Dong
Eddie Kwan ~ Chen Qi Fa
Synopsis: (Edited from Dramawiki)
In Bai Xiao Rou’s eyes, her three daughters are just as perfect as diamonds. She believes that the greatest blessing for a woman is to marry a wealthy man. To guarantee a better life for her daughters, she started training the girls since they were young, hoping that they will marry into the richest families when they mature.
Rou's eldest daughter Ya Yan does not agree with her on her values. Yet when she sees that the man Yan is going out with is Gao Chang Sheng, who is very well-off, she decides to let Yan go with her choice. Rou’s second daughter Ya Tong is hopelessly romantic but does not seem to have much luck with men. To make it up to her, Yan seeks to match her up with He Zhe Nan, the son of Hong Kong’s most powerful business tycoon He Feng. Being the youngest in the family, Ya Si is well aware of Rou’s concerns. Having recovered from divorce, Si now decides to pin all her hopes on He Feng.
Rou’s persistence pays off and her daughters have all found a wealthy men. But money does not really bring them happiness and the sisters are gradually losing themselves in vanity.
Slacker's review:
I've not watched such a long TVB drama for a long time. I was skeptical about "TGOL", as the reviews & ratings were not good in HK. However, I thought the drama was quite interesting, as the plot was full of twists & turns, and we cld understand every character in depth. The drama was well paced, though some characters' transitions were kinda illogical.
The veterans were great in the show. Louise Lee was no longer the kind-hearted mum in "Moonlight Resonance". Rou is quite "scheming", but that's because she knew her daughters too well. If she did not do things behind, things wld not work smoothly. However, her ending was a little sad, as she started to lose her memory. In the end, she's just a loving mum who wanted her family to stay together. It must have pained her when her daughters were fighting against each other for their men. John Chiang was the nice & loving dad here, but he also committed mistakes which nearly caused trouble to his family. Elliot Yue was really great too. He Feng was such a gentleman, but after he got kidnapped, he changed to another person, who's so wary of everybody. His acting was very convincing and I cld not stand Feng in the end. Thank goodness, he was "get rid" by the scriptwriter..haha!
The three sisters all had their own flaws. None of them were angels, but I think Ya Tong was the most pathetic fella among them. She was constantly being sabotaged by Yan & Si, who were plotting & co-operating with each other at different times. Ya Tong might be naive, but she's not stupid. The only part I cld not stand her was how she treated Zhe Nan. This lady simply refused to believe him. I thought she must be blind to believe in her sisters after their bad "records". Haiz~ Gigi's performance was alright, as her character did not really stand out among others. Chemistry with Moses was alright too, maybe they had too little scenes together, compared to the other couples.
Ya Yan's change in character was not logical for me. She was the one who was the most clear-minded, but in the end, she did so many stupid & silly stuffs for Sheng. She became so unreasonable for that man, and she's willing to sacrifice her sisters. Maggie Siu's performance was not bad, and her chemistry with Bowie was terrific. This couple was the most "unfortunate" as they separated for silly reasons.
Ada Choi was really really good as Ya Si. I thought this was one of her best performance! Ya Si was another pathetic woman, as many ppl misunderstood her. Yes, she's definitely not innocent & naive, as she's always planning for herself & trying to play the games with others. Ya Si cld be a very loving wife, mum & daughter, but on the other hand, she cld be a very merciless businesswoman. I liked Ada's fierce glance, when Si was trying to get rid of her competitors, and her near insanity expressions/emotions after she lost her husband & child.
Linda Chung was a support lead here, and she got rid of her sweet & innocent image to portray Song Zi Ling. I really disliked Ling, as she kept on betraying those who chose to believe in her. However, I thought her acting was really great, as her bad girl image was so convincing.
The guys were fairly good, but this drama belonged to the women.
I really thought Moses's Zhe Nan was one of the weakest character in the drama. Not weak as in Moses's acting, but Zhe Nan was really such a pathetic guy who always kena aimed by the "bullies". Ya Tong chose to leave him and not to believe him, while Ya Si kept thinking Zhe Nan was working against her & killed her child. Chang Sheng always wanted to defeat Zhe Nan too. Everybody's targetting at him...haha! Of course, Zhe Nan was not that good either, but I thought he became weaker after his dad passed away. I did not like this change~
Bowie's Chang Sheng was annoying as well. Proud, arrogant, and pretty bad-mannered. I only loved the part when he fell in love with Ya Yan. However, things changed 180 degrees after Ya Yan married to Ri Dong. I cld feel Chang Sheng's pain la, that's why he took revenge on the couple after he found why they got married so suddenly.
Kenny Wong was great here. Ri Dong was an interesting character, because he loved Chang Sheng. However, for the sake of his business, he chose to give up and helped Ya Yan instead. This guy was really sacrificing. Kowtow to him~
Wong Hei's Tai He was boring, because he's the "da hao ren" in the drama. He's so nice to everyone and he did not mind getting hurt. As for Bosco who acted as Tai Chuan, his performance was ok. Tai Chuan was another scheming fella who did not want to be looked down by others. However, he's still very nice to his bro la. Thank goodness he did not sabo his bro like the sisters.
I bet nobody wld like Eddie Kwan's Qi Fa initially. He' such an ill-mannered uncle with a weird hairstyle. Cld not stand him at all!!! Well, things changed as he turned over a new leaf & worked hard for his career. Eddie looked so much better with the short haircut. That uncle image was just too devastating. Lolz! It's a pity that Qi Fa was "killed" by the scriptwriters too. I wld want to see him becoming a successful businessman.
Theme song is "Zhuang Xi" by Shirley Kwan. Insert songs are "Wu Qing You Ai" by Linda Chung; "Xiang Lian Liang Ge Zi" Bowie Lam and Gigi Lai & "W o Hai Zai Deng Shen Me" by Moses Cha.

TV Drama Review #227 - When Easterly Showers Fall on the Sunny West 东山飘雨西关晴

No.of Epis: 30
Year/TV Stn: 2008/TVB
Cast:
Liza Wang ~ Zhuang Feng Yi
Joe Ma ~ Pan Zhuo Xing/Mu Xing
Charmaine Sheh ~ Ye Xiang Qing
Raymond Wong ~ Pan Zhuo Hua
Selena Li ~ Fang Bao Qi
Edwin Siu ~ Guan Hao Chang
Synopsis: (edited from Dramawiki)
Zhuang Feng Yi abandoned her eldest son immediately after he was born as she didn't want to be labelled as a woman who gave birth before she was even married. However, her son Mu Xing manages to find his way back to her. Due to Pan's reputation, Yi & her husband keep Xing's true identity a secret. Yi's younger son, Zhuo Hua falls in love with Xiang Qing, but because their different status and Yi's strong objection, they cannot be together. Pan old master finally recognises Xing's identity and name him the head of household before he passes away. Xing soon gains fame & power, and he confesses his feelings for Qing. On the other hand, things start to turn bad for the Pans...
Slacker's review:
Tuan told me this drama was average, and maybe I should have heeded her advice. Haha! I really could not tolerate the storyline towards the end, as Zhuo Xing became too ambitious and selfish, and he indirectly caused the deaths of his family members. (I really think Xing's character changed too drastically la). The drama's background was set during the new republic era, and the story focused a lot on how the older generation's mindset clashes with the new generation. While the youngsters fought for their freedom, they still could not escape their fates as the society has not caught up with their western mindset. I liked the ending, though I see it as an opened one. Maybe it's better to end it that way, or else it would be too unfair to Xiang Qing.
Liza has always portrayed a strong woman image, and Feng Yi was not an exception. But somehow, this character was quite different as well. Yi was not an arrogant woman, in fact, she's just an ordinary mother from the affluent upper class. It was a costly lesson for the lady to realise that her methods of teaching her children was wrong.
Joe Ma's acting was great, especially when Xing turned bad. Haha! (Joe has lots of experiences acting as baddie in the past). Like what I mentioned earlier on, Xing changed too much in a short time. Of course, anybody can be blinded by fame & power, but Xing was such a kind person who was willing to sacrifice himself for his family. Watching him using family as an excuse to do evil deeds was just so uncomfortable!
Charmaine, sadly, was underused. Xiang Qing seemed to be more of a supporting role towards the end. I could not feel much for Qing, though I liked her personality. (another strong lady~)
Raymond's performance was not too bad here, he's the righteous guy, and nearly married Qing. I liked how he work against Xing later on, but it's a pity that did not last long...
The funny couple has got to be Bao Qi & Hao Chang. Their story was not full of happiness either. Qi was force to marry Hua, while Chang was betrayed by his "brother" Xing. However, the couple finally got together in the end :) Selena's performance was great, while Edwin was new to me. (Just realised he's actually Xiao Zheng Nan...a pop singer before he joined TVB).
Opening theme is "Ai Zai Tian Bian" by Liza Wang while ending theme is "Pei Ni Ku Ye Zhi De Wo" by Charmaine & Joe.

TV Drama Review #221 - The Four 少年四大名捕

No. of Epis: 24
Year/TV Stn: 2008/TVB
Cast:
Raymond Lam ~ Cheng Ya Yu/Wu Qing
Kenneth Ma ~ Tie You Xia/Tie Shou
Sammul Chan ~ Cui Lue Shang/Zui Ming
Ron Ng ~ Leng Ling Qi/Leng Xie
Selena Li ~ Lan Ruo Fei
Kate Tsui ~ Sang Zhi Yan
Synopsis: (edited from Thoughts on TVB blog)
Hardhearted and smart Wu Qing became a cripple when he was young. Fortunately for him, he met Zhu Ge Zheng Wo (Dominic Lam), the Head of the Sheriff Bureau, and has learnt from him his unparalleled skills of using concealed weapons. Zhu Ge has once helped the Song Emperor recover an invaluable piece of article that the empire has long lost. To reward Zhu Ge, the Emperor reopens the Sheriff Bureau. In addition to Wu Qing, Zhu Ge recruits Zui Ming, a cunning swindler, Tie Shou, an honest guy who strongly believes in justice and a cold-blooded killer Leng Xie.
The Sheriff Bureau has cracked many difficult cases under the leadership of Zhu Ge. After having gone through thick and thin with the others, Wu Qing is less arrogant & starts to appreciate others. He has fallen in love with Song Zhi Yan, a rookie physician. On the other hand, Tie Shou promises to take care of Ruo Fei, after her father, Chief of Blue Sky sect, was killed in a contest. Soon, Tie Shou was suspected for murder, and someone intentionally wanted to sow discord among the Four. Tie Shou & Wu Qing's relationship deteriorates after their true identities were revealed, and the situation gets worse as Tie Show is convinced that Zhi Yan killed his older brother.
Prince Qi and the treacherous minister Cai Jing are plotting to revolt against the current emperor. Zhu Ge risks his life to ruin their plan but by doing this, he is also driving the bond between him and The Four to the verge of disintegration.
Slacker's review:
I was prepared to watch an average ancient drama, but "The Four" turns out to be slightly better than what I've thought. The storyline was pretty standard, it started out with the guys cracking various cases, but the main focus of the drama was actually how the constables dealt with the prime minister. The pace of the drama was not too bad, though they could have speed up some developments. For e.g. reveal Zhi Yan's real motive slightly earlier. Normally it's not good to reveal too early la, but because of this lady, the super smart Wu Qing looked like a fool as he was betrayed by this lady again & again. (It just doesn't make sense to me, though there's a saying 英雄难过美人关. Haha!) Romances b/w the characters were the weakest part of the plot. Ending was alright, though they rushed with the romance scenes as they wanna give an end to all the couples. There's seriously not much development b/w the couples, except for Tie Shou & Ruo Fei, so the ending for the rest was pretty understandable. The most crappy scene was the last scene, when the Four prepared to fight dunno how many thousands of enemy soldiers. (Shld give a reasonable number la~)
It's Raymond again, after watching his boring role in "Moonlight". His performance was much better this time round, thanks to the character development for Wu Qing. It's rare to see a hero who was confined to his wheelchair, but the guy was pretty mobile. Raymond looked damn smart & handsome in his ancient dressing, and I liked Wu Qing, except for his romance with Ms Sang. Hahaha! (And it's Kate Tsui again~)
It's obvious who are the lead guys in "The Four". Besides Raymond, Kenneth is the other guy. Tie Shou is the standard character in almost all ancient dramas. (There must be a super righteous guy right?) Tie Shou was pretty rash & nearly lost control of himself after so many incidents happened to him. I thought Kenneth did pretty well with those scenes, and I loved his chemistry with Selena! I only liked this couple....they were so funny together~!
Sammul's performance was not too bad here. I never thought that he could be comedic. Haha! Anyway, Zui Ming was the guy who provided comic relief la, but I only started to like him after he "grew up" a little. Ha! His romance line with You Dong, Tie Shou's sister was hardly touched on, and they did not end up together. (I wished Zui Ming stopps her from leaving...)
I never liked Ron. His acting was the same as before, very stiff. It's worse when his lines were limited (Leng Xie was a quiet fella~). I thought this character suited Ron perfectly, but he was underused la. Romance line with Xiao Dao was pathetic, there's no romance b/w them actually. Anyway, it would not be convincing for a cold-blooded ex killer to soften his heart so easily for a girl.
I loved Selena Li. Ruo Lan is not a difficult character to act, but Selena just shine with this character. I liked her bickering scenes with Tie Shou, and when they showed their feelings for each other. It's just so sweet to see the couple la~ XD.
Kate ah Kate....She's beautiful here, but kinda too modern for an ancient role? Anyway, Zhi Yan was quite an interesting character, coz' she did not appeared to be what we saw on the surface. Kate's expressions were quite extreme-lovely smile when she's the good physician, and expressionless when she's on her mission. I was surprised that TVB did not get rid of Zhi Yan in the end! (She shld have die la~hahaha!)
Theme song "Feng Bao" by the four guys. Sadly, the song was boring.

TV Drama Review #219 - Last One Standing 与敌同行

No.of Epis: 22
Year/TV Station: 2008/TVB
Cast:
Kevin Cheng ~ Zhang Cheng Xi
Roger Kwok ~ Tang Li Yan
Yoyo Mung ~ Li Pei Jia Carmen
Elaine Yiu ~ Tang Kai Min Mandy
Synopsis: (edited from Dramawiki)
Cheng Xi was sent to prison for murdering his stepfather. The key witness of the case turns out to be his cousin Tang Li Yan. Ten years later, Xi is released from prison. Li Yan is now the boss of Honour Limited while Xi's reputation and future are in ruins. Feeling extremely frustrated and harboring suspicions about the case ten years ago, he is desperate to find out the truth behind his stepfather's death. After some investigation, Xi realises who the real killer is, but there appears to be no motive. More importantly, evidence is also lacking.
Li Yan starts to panic after Xi shows interest in Carmen, who is his fiancee. He deals with Xi by using various tricks. Li Yan starts to change drastically after his stepfather passed away. His granny, who dislikes him, tries to get evidence of his evil-doings, but dies in the end. Soon, Yan's younger sis, Min, his mum & Carmen finally see Yan's true colours....
Slacker's review:
"LOS" is one of the few TVB dramas which got a pretty dark theme. It's quite "stressful" to watch the drama as the developments b/w the cast became more & more depressing. Vengeance is the key theme here. We saw how Cheng Xi was framed for murder and suffered for 10 yrs of jail term, while the real murderer enjoyed his carefree life outside. The developments for the drama was pretty standard, but the ending was a little surprising. I thought Cheng Xi & Li Yan's character development were quite interesting too, you got to see them acting in front of each other and played their own games.
I would have to say the two male leads' performances were above my expectations, and thus, they made this drama watchable. Roger Kwok totally shed his nice good man image as he portrayed a very cunning & ruthless man in "LOS". I simply loved his expressions here, though I hate Li Yan to core. Lolz~ I cld never imagine Roger giving tt kind of cunning look & smile in the past, but now he creeps me out. Haha! Seriously, Li Yan was an actor. He covered his evil doings nicely, before Cheng Xi & Carmen found out. Just like what Carmen said, Li Yan was a scary fella as he did not even blink his eyes when he told his lies. The last scene in the final epi was a memorable one. I already suspected if Li Yan had turned over a new leaf. Anyway, it would be too fake if he really changed for the good la.
Kevin is one of the guys who could not really act, but I had to give him some credits this time round. Why? Our pretty lad shed his handsome image and went for a character which was full of hatred. Cheng Xi was a rash & impatient fella. So, finally he was convinced that he needed to be an "actor" as well in order to fool Yan. I thought that was a drastic change for Xi, as he was not that clear-minded beforehand. Some may find it a pity that Xi did not end up with Carmen, but I thought this arrangement made more sense, as Carmen was deeply hurt by Yan.
Yoyo was pretty underused in the drama. Well, this is a guys' show la, so it's not surprising that Carmen was more of a flower vase here.
Normally, siblings of the main characters were more of a support role. Elaine Yiu's Mandy was no exception, but her character was given lots of opportunity to work against her brother. Haha! I thought Elaine's performance was not too bad here. Lots of convincing acting from her.
The support cast was great as usual, though they did not provide much comic relief this time round.
Overall, if you don't like dark dramas, then this drama is not for you. However, Roger Kwok's performance was damn spectacular in the drama. So, "Last One Standing" is worth a try :)

TV Drama Review #218 - Moonlight Resonance 溏心风暴之家好月圆

No.of Epis: 40
Year/TV Station: 2008/TVB
Cast:
Louise Lee ~ Zhong Xiao He
Ha Yu ~ Gan Tai Zu
Susanna Kwan ~ Zhong Xiao Sha
Michelle Yim ~ Yin Hong
Moses Chan ~ Gan Yong Jia
Ryamond Lam ~ Gan Yong Hao
Tavia Yeung ~ Sun Hao Yue
Chris Lai ~ Gan Yong Yuan
Fala Chen ~ Gan Yong Qing
Vincent Wan ~ Gan Yong Zhong
Linda Chung ~ Yu Su Qiu (Su Xin)
Lee Heung Kam ~ She Li Jun
Bosco Wong ~ Ling Zhi Xin
Kate Tsui ~ Lu Jia Mei
Synopsis: (edited from tvb.com.au)
Zhong Xiao He and her husband Gan Tai Zu have been working hard for many years to establish a famous reputation for the Moonlight Cake Shop. However, He discovers that Zu has an affair with her best friend Yin Hong and she divorces Zu. He brings along her children Yong Hao, Yong Qing and her adopted daughter Hao Yue to set up another cake shop for a living. Hong moves in to live with Zu and starts playing tricks in the family. She try to please her mother-in-law in every way while disuniting her stepsons and Zu. Outside the family, Hong starts expanding their business rapidly and He's younger sister Xiao Sha is displeased. Sha decides to fight for the ownership of their cake shop's brand name in court with Hong and their relationship with Hong further deteriorates.
Apart from the cake shop business, He also spends a lot of efforts on her children. Her oldest son Yong Jia is not interested in managing the cake shop and he indulges himself in stock trading. He also develops a relationship with his cousin Jia Mei, while Hao Yue is secretly in love with him. On the other hand, Yong Hao takes up the role of a father in the family and he works hard to earn a living. Hao loves his childhood friend Yu Su Qiu whole-heartedly but Qiu is in love with the doctor Ling Zhi Xin.
Zu is caught between the two women all the time and he feels helpless. One day, a disaster happens at the cake shop. Here comes a time when human nature, family bonds and love are brought to a trail...
Slacker's review:
After watching "Heart of Greed", "Moonlight" became one of my highly anticipated dramas in 2008 and the scriptwriters did not disappoint me. I thought "Moonlight" was more intense in terms of developments and there were more baddies this time round. (Very shiok to see the women quarrelling all the time...lolz!) "Heart" was abt a family which broken up, while "Moonlight" was the opposite. I enjoyed the moments of Zu & his children; singing, playing & joking with each other. They got so many "theme songs" & interesting terms to describe people and events. The ending was a happy one, but I thought Hong's punishments were too "easy" on her. I guessed the only part I did not like was the relationship between Hao, Qiu & Xin. It's really boring & draggy....and I hate to see Qiu crying for her indecisiveness.
The veteran's performance was great as usual. Michelle Yim was damn good in her evil role. Seriously, I thought her expressions and acting was better than Susanna Kwan in "Heart". Susanna's character continued to annoy me in "Moonlight". Hahaha! I really cursed her from Day 1, and Sha Sha's husband was another kns fella. (They made a perfect couple~)
I thought Ha Yu's performance was much better in "Moonlight" too. Gan Tai Zu's character was rather similar to Bao Bao in "Heart". Another indecisive man who let women controlled his family. But well, I thought Zu had more interactions with his children, and he was more decisive after Hong showed her true colours. Louise Lee was alright, not much difference from her previous role. I thought Lee Heung Kam was a good addition to the cast, and I only started to like her when she worked against Hong. Haha!
As for the kids...Moses's character stood out from the crowd, though I still missed "Hai Ke Yi". Xiao Jia seemed to be a bo chap guy, but he actually cared a lot for his family. Moses's acting was great as he acted nonchalant to the family issues with great expressions. I liked his flirty behaviour towards the ladies too. Compared to Moses, Raymond Lam's Xiao Hao was too boring. A plain good guy could not stand out la. Furthermore, I did not like his relationship development with Su Qiu. I wished TVB gave Xiao Hao another girl..haha! Raymond's performance was average as his character was plain boring. What a pity~ Tavia's Xiao Yue was another woman with character. I liked how she worked against Sha Sha la...damn funny. Of course, Yue also shed lots of tears in the drama because of the adopted daughter issue. Thank goodness, they let Yue end up with Jia, or else I would curse TVB. Fala's Yong Qing was another character which was quite different from the rest. She's not a weak woman and did not succumb to her disability. It's a pity that they did not focus much on her relationship with Jia Le. (Their development was just way too fast~)
I liked Linda's role in "Heart", but I disliked Qiu so much here. This woman is what I called a weak character. I hated her for using Hao as a spare tyre, and I disliked her fickle mindedness. I disliked her on & off relationship with Xin...and she has no chemistry with Bosco. Ha! Finally, our lady ended up with Hao, but I was too bored with their draggy developments, so I could not feel anything for this couple. Bosco's role was minor here, so I did not have much comments for his character Xin. Xin was another fella who's fickle minded as he could not cut off his relationship with his gf.
I never liked Kate Tsui, be it her roles or her acting. She did reasonably well this time, as another evil woman Jia Mei. Haha! It's kinda funny to see Jia Mei sabotaging Hong in the last min. Jia Mei could not convince me that she had finally realised her mistakes.
Last but not least, Chris Lai was so underused in "Moonlight"! Xiao Yuan was the only son who was "disconnected" with the family until he saw the true colours of his stepmum. I could not feel his chemistry with Kate too, as their relationship just took off from nowhere.
Theme song is "Wu Xin Hai Ni" by Susanna Kwan, while insert song is "Ai Bu Jiu" by Raymond. Loved Raymond's ballads...

TV Drama Review #204 - When A Dog Loves A Cat 当狗爱上猫

No.of Epis: 20
Year/TV Station: 2008/TVB
Cast:
Gallen Lo ~ Miao Zhun (MC)
Myolie Wu ~ Zhou Zi Yu (Chow Chow)
David Lui ~ Zhou Zi Zhan
Margie Tsang ~ Sui Tian Lan
Bernice Liu ~ Wen Zi Qi
Raymond Wong ~ Ying Hai Liang (Carson)
Synopsis: (edited from Wikipedia)
Miao Zhun was once diagnosed with cancer, and his girlfriend was killed in an accident, when she attempted to save a mutt, Big Bus. From that day onwards, Zhun hated dogs and abandoned Big Bus. Zi Yu found Big Bus wandering on the streets and brought him back to her father's kennel. However, Big Bus carried a deadly virus and killed all the German Shepherds in the kennel. Since then, Yu's father became employed with the pound to catch abandoned dogs. Her brother, Zhan & his wife Lan opened a pet shop to earn money for the family.
Yu starts her first day of work at Raptor Advertising Company alongside her boyfriend, Carson & Zhun. Later, Yu finds Small Bus (the younger brother of Big Bus) on the street, and brings him back to the company and promotes him as their advertising icon. Zhun is forced to take Small Bus home and discovers that dogs are not as bad as he thought.
Carson is caught cheating with one of his clients Gloria, and soon Yu and Zhun develop a relationship. Zi Qi, the boss's daughter, returns from the States and is given full responsibility of Raptor. Qi is always finding ways to disturb and annoy Zhun. Later, Qi confesses to Zhun that she has a crush on him for years. Just as Zhun prepares to confess his feelings for Yu, he learns that his cancer has relapsed...
Slacker's review:
Gallen Lo is back! He is one of my fav. TVB actors & I was kinda sad that he left TVB some years ago. Well, I'm glad that he has returned, but his comeback drama "WADLAC" was not very impressive, in terms of plot. I thought the development of the storyline was alright initially, though it's annoying to see how MC treated Small Bus, and the endless quarrels b/w MC & Chow Chow. The storyline got a little better when Chow Chow broke up with Carson, and how MC helped Chow during her difficult times. But, the storyline went downhill as MC refused to admit his feelings for Chow Chow, and went back to his old-self. Ending was kinda rush, and it's kinda ridiculous as MC faked his death. (Well, the real ending was not too bad, though MC really have to die for the 2nd time...) I found some characters contradicting too. For example, Lan, is not a dog lover, but she opened the pet shop & she could not care less for the dogs' well-being, only bothered with her profits & expansion plans. Chow Chow's dad only loved German Shepherds, as they are top breeds, and he hated mutts like crazy just because of that incident. I thought dog lovers are supposed to be fair to all kinds of dogs? Haha..maybe I should not generalise.
Our Gallen seemed to be a little tired here. MC was quite a refreshing character from Gallen as he used to be either a good or bad guy in his past dramas. I liked how MC changed his attitude & behaviour, from a snobbish guy who everybody disliked, to someone who's caring & understanding, and to someone who refused to let ppl beside him from getting hurt. Chemistry b/w Gallen & Myolie was not too bad, though Gallen seemed a little too old for our lady.
Personally, I liked Myolie's characters most of the time, but Chow Chow was too typical for Myolie la, nothing new and kinda boring. (Sometimes, I could not stand characters who are too righteous.) Chow Chow seemed to be too anxious for MC's confession and she kept wanting MC to admit his feelings for her. I was just hoping that Chow Chow would not be so desperate la. Well, though I was not impressed with Myolie's character this time round, I liked her image & hairstyle. (make up was kinda thick though..hehe!)
The most impt couple after MC-Chow is Zhan & Lan. Seriously, their side plot took up a lot of screen time too, and I did not like that. Zhan & Lan were quarrelling most of the time, and I found Lan very ridiculous. Sorry Margie, I just hated your character here. I rather the drama focused more on Bernice & Raymond.
I wondered why Bernice is still a minor support lead up till now. Obviously, TVB does not plan to promote her any time soon. I thought her performance was alright here, though Qi was not a likable character most of the time.
I think Raymond Wong started to act in TVB dramas in 2007, but this is the first time I saw him. (I did not watched his ATV dramas before.) Anyway, he has lots of dramas this year, so do check him out. Well, Carson was a jerk in the drama, though he finally "turned over a new leaf" and became Chow Chow's guardian angel. Raymond's acting was alright, lacked expressions though.
Theme song is "When A Dog Loves A Cat" by Gallen & Myolie. Gallen is a great singer ^_^

TV Drama Review #202 - Forensic Heroes II 法政先锋 II

No.of Epis: 30
Year/TV Drama: 2008/TVB
Cast:
Bobby Au Yeung ~ Gao Yan Bo
Frankie Lam ~ Gu Ze Chen
Charmaine Sheh ~ Ma Guo Ying
Kevin Cheng ~ Yang Yi Sheng
Yoyo Mung ~ Liang Xiao Rou
Synopsis: (edited from Wikipedia)
Bomb disposal expert Yang Yi Sheng returns from England to visit relatives and he come across a grenade case by accident. Sheng's skills are highly appreciated by Senior Chemist Yan Bo and he is invited to join the Forensic Division. Sheng soon becomes the division's rising star and he gets back in touch with his long-lost best friend Chen, who is marrying Ding Ding.
During an incident, Ding Ding and Yan Bo's police girlfriend Xiao Rou are caught in an explosion which is meant to kill two drug dealers. Ding Ding dies of her injuries, while Xiao Rou loses movement of her right hand and goes half-deaf. Rou's duties are passed to Guo Ying, who's from the Narcotics Bureau. Both Chen & Sheng find Ying extremely charming with her smart and unfathomable characteristics in case handling. Soon, Sheng falls for Ying & goes all out to win her heart.
Slacker's review:
Forensic Heroes's sequel is back. Though I was anticipating this drama, there were some parts which I did not really liked. First of all, Charmaine replaced Yoyo as the main female lead. (Rumours said Yoyo offended top mgt, so as some sort of punishment, Xiao Rou became support lead instead.) After watching the drama, I thought Charmaine did pretty well, but it's a pity that Xiao Rou's scenes were pathetically few towards the end. Second, there seemed to be loopholes here & there in the plot. I wondered if TVB thought that the viewers were fools. There's a scene where Ding's sister was talking on the phone when she's on the plane. (Hello? Can use hp in plane ah?) Another scene was when Sheng suffered a 40% burnt on his body & face, but very soon, there's only one plaster on his forehead. (40% lo! Shld have continued to cover the whole head ma! Ha!) But overall, "FH2" is still watchable la, the cases were generally interesting, but perhaps only the last case had some twists & turns.
I won't say too much on Bobby, Frankie & Yoyo's performance. They were doing great in the drama, Yan Bo seemed to be more cheerful & cheeky in this sequel. Loved his scenes with Rou. As for Frankie, I thought his emotional scenes were not too bad, it's really sad when Chen lost Ding Ding.
Seriously, Charmaine stole the show. Her character was given developments for us to see another side of Ying. I thought Charmaine did pretty well as Ying switched from a demanding superior, to a nice daughter, to a woman whose fiance was killed, to a woman who found a new love. Her scenes with Kevin & Frankie were good. I thought it would be nice for her to end up with Frankie, but ppl wld start blaming Chen for forgetting Ding so fast. Hehe!
I am always skeptical over Kevin's acting. He's still quite the same, but I did enjoyed his performance in "FH2".
The other funny couple in the drama was Raymond Cho & Florence Kwok. Raymond's Shen Xiong was really damn funny in the show. Haha!
Theme song is "Yi Liu" by Edmond Leung, while insert song "Deng Ni" is sung by Charmaine Sheh.

TV Drama Review #197 - The Silver Chamber of Sorrows 银楼金粉

No.of Epis: 21
Year/TV Station: 2008/TVB
Cast:
Paul Chun ~ Shang Keng
Lawrence Ng ~ Shang Yun
Nancy Sit ~ Sai Xiao Die
Rebecca Chan ~ Lian Nian Wang
Christine Ng ~ Cheng Xiu Xing
Nancy Wu ~ Xia Fei Fei
Winnie Yeung ~ Shen Yong Tong
Shirley Yeung ~ Qiu Ju
Charmaine Li ~ Shang Ke Yi
Jack Wu ~ Zhou Zhi Cheng
Synopsis: (edited from Wikipedia)
Shang's Silver Chamber, the largest jewel company in Foshan, is facing serious financial difficulties. In order to obtain a loan from Shen family, Shang Keng, owner of the Chamber, together with his primary wife, Xiao Die, plot to arrange marriage between Keng's younger brother Yun, and Yong Tong, daughter of Shen’s family. Fueled by hatred, Xiu Xing, Yun’s lover, marries Keng and ironically becomes Yun’s sister-in-law. Yun falls out with Keng, and opts to live abroad and disconnects from his family. After leaving home for years, Yun does not return home until the occasion to celebrate his father’s birthday. Tension between the two brothers comes to a head when Keng is reluctant to pay ransom to save Yun's son.
Since Yun’s return, Xiu Xing suffers from her husband’s neglect and gets framed for causing the fourth concubine Fei Fei’s miscarriage. Filled with hatred, Xing starts to take revenge and wants to take over Xiao Die's position in the family. Intentionally, she unveils tt her personal maid Qiu Jiu is Keng’s illegitimate daughter. The dark age of a once-prominent family begins.
Slacker's review:
If you can't get enough of scheming women in dramas such as "War & Beauty", then this drama is for you. Haha! "Silver Chamber" had one of the most solid plots I've ever seen from TVB. The hatred of the women was built up by many tensions, which also led to other characters' misfortune. Besides the women, the most impt man in the drama, Shang Keng, is also a very scheming man. If you think this drama was just about women fighting for positions etc, then you're wrong. I think the drama wanted to bring out a bigger picture about the problems of the old Chinese society, and how those old and inflexible traditions bound & blinded people. The drama was in a good pace, and the development of the plot was intensifying. There was no big twists in the drama, though Qiu Ju's real identity was quite an interesting twist. Ending episode was nicely done, though there's still a lot of actions in the 1st 20 min or so.
The cast consisted of many veteran actors & actresses. You can't find fault in their acting & performances. I have watched Paul Chun's acting since young, but this is the first time I felt impressed by his performance, though I hate Keng like hell. Lolz! Keng was one classic character who lived with the old traditions, thus he thought he could control everybody in his household, like his own property. Keng wld just get rid of those who was a threat to him, or betrayed him. He's smart too, coz' he did not need to use his own hands to do those dirty jobs. Keng did not feel remorseful for what he did even till the last min of his life.
I rmbed how much I disliked Lawrence Ng when he's in "The Drive of Life". Now, he's the super good guy in the drama, but I thought there's not much kick from him. Compared to his brother, Yun was much more of a coward. If he was steadfast in his love for Xing, he could just ignored the arranged marriage and elope with Xing. On the surface, Yun seemed to be very westernised with his lifestyle and mindset, but deep down, he's still very much a traditional guy who could not forsake his family. There were many scenes b/w Lawrence & Christine, and I thought their chemistry was good. But sadly, most of their scenes were filled with too much sorrow & hatred.
Nancy Wu's character Xiao Die was very much a good person in the drama too. Her only mistake was probably lying to Xing. Nancy had the aura of the mistress-in-charge of the household, and I liked how Die realised that old traditions had actually harmed ppl ard her, and history would continue to repeat itself, so she tried to change it and defied Keng.
Christine Ng's character Xiu Xing had the most drastic change in terms of development. She was a quiet woman who hardly stepped out of her room. But after Yun returned with his family, things started to change. Her world started to tear apart when she learnt that Keng & Die lied about Yun forsaking her. She was also constantly bullied by Wang & got framed by Fei Fei. Finally, the volcano inside her erupted, and she wanted to destroy the Shang household. Xing became very scheming, and she even made use of innocent ppl like Ke Yi & Qiu Ju, who were dragged into the whole misery.
Other supporting cast were great too; Rebecca's Wang was a super big-mouth, and her son died later on. Quite a pathetic character as she became insane & lost all her memories of her husband & son. Shirley's Qiu Ju was a very nice girl, but life became harder when she learnt about her mother & her identity. Glad that Qiu Ju & Zhi Cheng had a good ending.
Theme song is "Ren Ming" by Ivana Wong, a very nice but sad song.

TV Drama Review #190 - Catch Me Now 原来爱上贼

No.of Epis: 20
Year/TV Station: 2008/TVB
Cast:
Damian Lau ~ Gao Zhe Jack
Joe Ma ~ Jiang Yang
Idy Chan ~ Bao Rong Rong
Fala Chen ~ Hong Mei Li Minnie
Johnson Lee ~ Tan Bin (BT)
Sharon Chan ~ Jiang Qiao
Synopsis: (edited from K for TVB)
A sum of drug money triggers a battle of wits between Jiang Yang and Gao Zhe, a thief. Yang gradually discovers the true identity of Zhe as a mob chief who uses the restaurant business to cover his illegal activities. Despite all efforts, Yang lacks sufficient evidence to support allegations against Zhe. Nevertheless Yang keeps a close eye on Zhe and believes in the ultimate triumph of good over evil. Yang’s devotion to his work sours his relationship with his wife Mei Li. Fortunately, Li is given support and encouragement by her best friend Rong Rong. Zhe is deeply attracted to Rong’s kind-hearted personality. He even risks exposing his secret identity to save her life. On the other hand, Zhe's cousin BT falls for Yang's sister, Qiao.
Slacker's review:
"Catch Me Now" is not the typical type of detective drama. Throughout the whole drama, it's about Jiang Yang vs Gao Zhe, and their common enemy-the baddie Zhao Jun Hao (Evergreen Mak). It might seem boring as the whole drama was just about them, but the developments of the drama was not too bad. The drama had some minor problems, like the scenes didn't flow very well. I wondered if it's a technical prob or the storyline problem. It's kinda sudden to see scene A jumped into scene B without any connections. But well, I liked both the original and alternate endings. It's rare for me to say that, since TVB drama's endings were crap most of the time. The ending was quite action-packed in the first half of the drama, but it didn't seemed rush to me. Well, I preferred the original ending, but I guessed many wld preferred the 2nd one (not so sad mah~).
Damian Lau's acting was great...he looked so different from "The Drive of Life". He's more youthful & energetic here. I liked how Gao Zhe showed his arrogance and confidence when he's against Jiang Yang. I liked the chemistry b/w Zhe & his team (Racer, BT, Keyman & Long-legged crab). His romance with Rong Rong was bittersweet la, and Damian got nice chemistry with Idy wor.
Joe was Damian's top enemy in"TDOL", but in "CMW", they're more like co-operating and competing with each other at the same time. Interesting ne! Chemistry with Fala was not too bad, but not the best. Jiang Yang's character was full of contradictions, but that's what made his character more "alive". I think Joe handled his scenes well, but his expressions didn't improve much. May be this type of character is nothing new for him...need some change lo.
"CMW" was Idy's comeback drama. Most ppl wld knew her most famous drama to date, and tt is "The Return of the Condor Heroes" with Andy Lau. Honestly, Idy looked very shi nai (cantonese for housewife) to me. Hahaha! I thought Idy portrayed her character well. There's lots of developments for Rong Rong, from a blur queen shi nai, to a working woman, and later she found her new love, and lastly, how she handled her life in the end.
Fala finally got a meaty role in a drama. Minnie was a character with developments too. She's a typical woman who had to balance her life between family and work. Later, she found out that she had difficulties getting pregnant and Yang thought she had an affair with Zhao. And she went to steal in order to get Yang's attention.
The second person to grab my attention here was BT!!! Dunno why, but I really enjoyed Johnson's performance! First of all, BT's image was pleasing, perhaps it's Johnson's most handsome roles ever? Lolz! Secondly, BT was such a funny guy. I liked how he interact with everybody! He's quite "naughty" with the way he talked or behaved, but that's towards his team mates. Haha! BT's romance with Qiao was interesting too, though I didn't like how it developed towards the end. The sad thing was....the screenwriter let BT die....sobbbzzz! Why no 2nd ending for him? Hahaha!
Nice to see Sharon again. Jiang Qiao was an alright character, nothing much besides her romance with BT. But too bad, the couple was unable to rekindle their romance before BT died.
There's no theme song for this drama.

TV Drama Review #189 - D.I.E. 古灵精探

No.of Epis: 25
Year/TV Station: 2008/TVB
Cast:
Roger Kwok ~ Yu Zi Lang
Sonija Kwok ~ Xing Jing Jing
Margie Tsang ~ Yu Zi Qing
Kenneth Ma ~ Cheng Jia Jun
Derek Kwok ~ Zhang Zheng Yi
Synopsis: (edited from tvb.com.au)
The “Death Investigation Extension (D.I.E.)” in the police force was established to accommodate those who have been sent away by their supervisors. As everybody knows, members of the Extension are to investigate unsolved cold cases. Yu Zi Lang, who has cracked a large number of difficult cases by extrasensory means, is assigned to the D.I.E. believing that he will get promoted soon. New appointee Xing Jing Jing is a good-looking girl but she acts tough and sassy in front of others. She takes an uncompromising stand over every case she deals with, which leads her into constant quarrels with Lang. The relationship between the pair is deteriorating day after day.
Lang's sister Zi Qing has been living with him. While investigating an old case, Lang gets to find his long-lost father Yu Da Hai. Through close collaboration with Lang, Jing Jing has gradually developed affection for him. While she is still torn between Lang and her two-timing boyfriend Jia Jun, Lang starts to avoid her for no reason. Feeling so confused about what is happening, Jing Jing decides to do some probing and is shocked to discover that Lang has been dogged by a female ghost...
Slacker's review:
"D.I.E." tried to stand out from the typical police/mystery dramas. The concept of "cracking cases through some non-mainstream method" was not new, but it's still quite interesting to see how the little clues helped the police to nail down the criminals. Plot was not bad, though the cases seemed to drag compared to the norm. I wld prefer them to add more cases or create more twists and turns, rather than dragging one case, while trying to focus on other aspects like romance etc. The last case turned out to be exceptionally long, but I thought the development was good. Ending was an unexpected one for me, but the 2nd ending was total crap, though Bobby Au Yeung made a cameo. (I seriously don't understand why they want to show Jing Jing having a child in the end, it's just too sudden.)
Roger Kwok was good as usual, though sometimes he wld still remind me of "Ah Wang". Haha! Zi Lang was not a one-dimensional character. He bore a grudge against his father; was an overprotective brother (so his sis still not married~); he had his own way of solving crimes (thus he clashed with Jing Jing); and he was willing to sacrifice his love when he knew that Jing Jing wld be in danger. Zi Lang was also a detective-manga fan too, I think he spent more of his time reading his manga..lolz! I thought Roger handled his role well, and I liked his chemistry with the cast, though somehow he didn't seemed to match Sonija. Haha! I liked the scenes when he talked to Pierre, the pathologist in the drama.
I hardly watched Sonija's drama, and was neither impressed by her acting. Jing Jing was not an adorable character, she's quite tomboy-ish and rashed. Just count the number of times she wanted to catch "Ma Ying" (a criminal) and landed herself in trouble. (However, it was funny when to see Ying kena chased by Jing all the time..haha!) Sonija handled her emotional scenes well when Jia Jun broke up with her. Her scenes with Roger were not too bad, but they lacked some kind of chemistry. Well, I wld not mind Sonija trying out other "unglam" roles in the future. Hehe!
I'm kinda sad to see Kenneth Ma as the 2nd lead here. He had lots of dramas in 2008, but I think I won't be sick of seeing him yet. Haha! Kenneth's role Jia Jun was quite ordinary, so there's nothing special la. Most ppl wld hate him for breaking Jing Jing's heart, but Jing neglected him too much la, so she's partly responsible for the outcome too. Well, perhaps tvb shld let Jia Jun end up with someone too...
Margie Tsang & Derek Kwok's combi was cute & funny. Derek looked really young here, and there's some focus on Derek's role Zheng Yi towards the end of the drama. It's sad to see how his real mum treated him. As for Margie, this drama marked her long come-back after n years.
Other support cast was great...and I wondered how Mei Yun ended up with Pierre??!!! They didn't even show how they knew each other and the next second, they were a couple! Aiyo~
Theme song: "Hua Yang Qi An" by Roger Kwok.

TV Drama Review #187 - The Gentle Crackdown 2 秀才爱上兵

No.of Epis: 20
Year/TV Station: 2008/TVB
Cast:
Steven Ma ~ Xie Huang Shang
Yumiko Cheng ~ Chen Xi Mei
Wayne Lai ~ Dai Chong Wen/Dai Chong Wu
Johnson Lee ~ Zhu Qing Ting
Elaine Yiu ~ Tang Shui
Synopsis: (edited from Wikipedia)
Having lost her father at an early age, farm security guard Chen Xi Mei grew to be an outspoken and determined woman who would do her utmost to protect her home village. It is her sincerity that has won her respect from all villagers of theLiang Cai County. Sometimes she would get too enthusiastic and impulsive that she could bring about a lot of misunderstandings. Amusingly, she has mistaken the newly appointed agricultural magistrate Xie Huang Shang for a thief and the two of them have been bitter enemies ever since.
For the benefit of his son's future, Shang's father Xie Cang Tian has not only invited the intelligent Dai Chong Wen to be Shang's assistant, but also found him five special bodyguards- the head constable Mai Shuai, Zhou (Congee), Fen (Rice Noodle), Mian (Wheat Noodle), and Fan (Rice). Despite the best arrangements, Shang, Mei, Ting, and Cang Tian were framed respectively by the corrupted officials. In an attempt to save Mei, Shang has no choice but to marry Mei, though he does not love her. And later on, Chong Wen's brother, Dai Chong Wu, a high-ranked official came to Liang Cai County for a case and Chong Wen mysteriously disappeared...
Slacker's review:
"TGC 2" was an indirect sequel of "TGC". The main cast was brand new, except for Wayne Lai & the five actors who acted as the constables. The plot was a new one, but the comedy factor was still there. As usual, the first few epis didn't impress me much. Slowly, the developments of the storyline built up and I finally could enjoy this drama.
It's nice to see Steven Ma again, though I thought his comedic expressions were not as good as Moses Chan in"TGC". Steven's character Shang was more of a serious character, though he could be funny as well. I liked his interactions with veterans such as Xia Yu, who acted as Shang's dad; Wayne Lai & of coz, the five super lame constables. Chemistry with Yumiko was not bad too, and luckily the drama gave more focus on their romance, so it didn't seem to be too superficial on surface.
Wayne Lai definitely stole the limelight. Dai Chong Wen was a character full of developments. For the start, he chose not to speak, later he finally realised why his wife left him and he began to talk, and later, the twist was he acted as his brother. It was a challenging role for Wayne and he won the "best supporting actor" in the TVB Anniversay Awards last yr. I really liked how Wen transformed into Wu, the two characters were very different, and Wayne's acting skills were good.
Yumiko Cheng was a first-timer in acting, but I thought her performance was not bad. The only problem I had with her role Xi Mei was her hair. It was too "stylish" for an ancient character. The costumes she wore were also not from that era, but luckily she changed to the "standard ones" after Mei got married. Haha!
The supporting cast was great as usual, providing lots of comedic relief. There's romance plot given to Johnson's character Qing Ting, and I thought that was great, as the storyline wouldn't be that boring, but Ting-Shui's story did dragged a little as Ting was linked to the death of Shui's father.
Theme song "Wolf and Sheep" by Steven Ma and Yumiko Cheng.

TV Drama Review #174 - War of In-Laws II 野蛮奶奶大战戈师奶

No.of Epis: 20
Year/TV Station: 2008/TVB
Cast:
Liza Wang ~ Ophelia Ge Bi
Myolie Wu ~ Zhou Li Min
Bosco Wong ~ Kyle Ge De
Benz Hui ~ Bi Ping Fan
Joyce Tang ~ Coco Gao Jia Bao
Vivien Yeo ~ Athena Song Zhi Qiao
Synopsis: (edited from Wikipedia)
Ophelia is the chief editor of women magazine Elva. She never save faces for her superiors, nor will she come to the defence of her subordinates. She shows no mercy to her enemies and does everything she can to keep her son Kyle under her thumb. She is an iron lady who can't afford to lose anything. As she is still full of confidence that she can determine her son's future life, a plain, geeky-looking girl Zhou Li Min has already managed to become Kyle's wife. Later Min resigns from the police force and chooses to work as Ophelia's assistant, thus leading to even more conflicts between her and Ophelia.
Ophelia is later dragged into a scandal, which she turns out to be Fiona-the woman who made Bi Ping Fan jailed for 27 years, and she gets framed by her assistant Coco, which causes her to lose her place all of a sudden. Facing a dramatic career slump and her deteriorating relationship with her son and daughter-in-law, Ophelia moves to her Lamma Island villa. She meets Fan who lives in Lamma Island too. From Fan, Ophelia learns how to reflect on herself and let go of the past. As everything seems to be going fine, Min discovers that there is a conspiracy going on and that Elva is in danger of falling apart.
Slacker's review:
WOIL2 is the modern version of WOIL in 2005. Well, I had read negative reviews of the drama before watching it. Butta, as a fan of WOIL, I decided to watch the sequel, with a not-so-high expectation of the drama. Well, the plot was alright as it follows the main theme, that is mum-in-law vs daughter-in-law. The storyline flowed quite well, but the ending was crap as usual. It's too rush and unlogical.
Liza Wang didn't fail to impress us with her acting. Ophelia is not a nice person, and she's damn arrogant. I like how Liza portrayed her, and she got to change new clothes throughout the drama. I like her chemistry with Myolie, but chemistry with Bosco seemed weak. Perhaps they didn't have too many scenes together. I like her transition from an arrogant woman to a more understanding one. At least, the transition was not as sudden as the 2005 version.
Personally I thought Li Min was quite a dumb girl as she's rather naive and she had been used by ppl like Coco and Mark. She helped outsiders instead of her own mum-in-law. Ya...this is just another example of how justice backfired. I liked Myolie's character in WOIL, but not really so in WOIL 2. Maybe it's because Li Min seemed to be like a loser, who gave up easily. I preferred to see Min in her tomboyish clothes, rather then seeing her in nice & girly dresses later on. Somehow, Li Min just didn't match herself with her dressing. I think Myolie tried hard, but somehow her acting was not up-to-mark this time. Her chemistry with Bosco was not as good as WOIL.
And saying abt Bosco...he's alright, but I definitely prefer his character in WOIL as well. I didn't feel the excitement b/w him and Myolie. Kyle was a mummy's boy, who quits his job quite oftenly, and he's indecisive. I didn't really like Kyle's curly fringe hairstyle in the drama, but his hair didn't bother me too much la. At least in the 2005 version, Bosco's character was a hero in disguised, but here...he's pretty one-dimensional.
Vivien Yeo was quite striking here as the 3rd party who came in b/w Kyle & Min. Actually I thought she's quite pretty, and her acting was not too bad. Hopefully I wld get to see her in bigger roles next time.
Joyce Tang's Coco was quite annoying throughout the show. I really disliked Coco! Coco's storyline had a little twist towards the end, but the twist was overused la. Not surprising at all. Well, Coco and CC's scenes were quite funny, though I really can't stand the ah-gua-but-not-gay CC (Derek Kwok).
Benz Hui and other support cast were great. The employees of Elva were quite funny.
Themesong "Zai Jian" is a super nice song by Fama & Liza Wang. Insert Songs include "Gan Ji Yu Dao Ni" by Myolie and Bosco and "Zui Nan Guo Jin Tian" by Myolie and Vincent Wong.
Well, this sequel is not that bad, but I think overall I still prefer the guzhuang version of WOIL.