TV Drama Review #176 - Love or Bread 我的亿万面包

No.of Epis: 12
Year/TV Station: 2008-2009/CTV & GTV
Cast:
Joe Cheng ~ Frank Cai Jin Lai
Ariel Lin ~ Zeng Shan Mei
Bryant Chang ~ Jin En Hao
Zhang Yu Chen ~ Huang Ling Long
Huang Wen Xing ~ Wen Xing
Synopsis: (edited from cuteasian16.wordpress.com & Dramawiki)
Frank is a guy who lives his life in a facade, letting the world believe that he's a wealthy young gentlemen. But in fact, he's a lazy and in debt. Zeng Shan Mei has an ordinary family background, works 3 jobs to support her family and has to send money monthly to her boyfriend who’s studying in Hangzhou. Despite her parents' disapproval, Shan Mei resigns from her job and went to Hangzhou to find her boyfriend and to get married. Shan Mei finds out about her boyfriend's betrayal and returns to Taiwan without any money. Just then, she meets Frank when both are in need of housing, and they end up sharing a broke-down old house together. Their characters are poles apart, so they ultimately butt heads with each other, but they have something in common- the need for money and a new destiny.
Slacker's review:
LOB is a typical romance idol drama, and it depended alot on the best couple combi Joe & Ariel. (And that's the only reason why I watched this drama.) Joe & Ariel was really great in their previous collaborations, but they fail to sparkle here. Perhaps one of the reasons was...they have been working together for the 3rd time liao, can't create new sparks. I think the other reason was the plot. Seriously, the plot wasn't good. It was boring to me, and the characters were pretty one-dimensional. The support cast was not interesting too...and their acting didn't impressed me much. (Except for Shan Mei's parents.) As usual, the couple, who were at loggerheads with each other most of the time fall in love after sometime. Also, the usual love triangle was also included. Ending was a little disapponting? Actually I was fine with it, though I think there cld be a better one. Also, there's a jump of 6 mths at the last episode and Shan Mei decided to marry En Hao....I thought that was so un-Shan Mei...She wouldn't have married a rich guy she didn't love.
I didn't really have high expectations for the couple, coz' the plot seemed boring from the beginning. Joe's acting was alright, but he seemed to exaggerate with his expressions. He tried to act as a nasty, horrible guy....which was a total diff from his previous & most famous role - Zhi Shu. I didn't really like Frank la..but this character is quite close to reality. At least, we have a idol lead character who is not rich. Haha..
Ariel's performance was slightly better, though Shan Mei was actually not those adorable or sweet type of girls. I wished Shan Mei cld treat Frank better sometimes, but that guy ah...always did the wrong things at the wrong time. Haha. Chemistry with Joe was great, but not as good compared to "ISWAK" series. Chemistry with Bryant was alright....I thought they didn't look great together somehow.
Speaking of Bryant Chang...he didn't impress me much. This is probably the 1st time I thought the 2nd male lead didn't even seem "competitive" enough to get the female lead. Bryant is not very handsome, but he looked more like the boy next door. His character En Hao was kinda boring. If they have made En Hao more interesting, or more appealing..i think the drama might be more exciting. What a waste!
Zhang Yu Chen & Huang Wen Xing were the other couple in the drama...and they didn't get together until the last epi?? Anyway, I didn't like to watch their scenes also. Yu Chen's character was that kind of girl who wanna find a rich bf to depend on...and u cld understand how sianz she was when Shan Mei got to know the "guy of her dreams".
Wen Xing on the other hand, is a newbie in acting. I think he competed in a singing competition in TW...anyway, though his character was average in the drama, the themesong he sung for the drama was very nice.
Yes...I really like both the opening and ending theme alot. Opening theme is Wen Xing's "Yi Wan Ke La De Xing Fu", while ending theme is Ariel's "Mian Bao De Zi Wei".

TV Drama Review #163 - Miss No Good 不良笑花

No.of Epis: 14
Year/TV Station: 2008/CTS
Cast:
Rainie Yang ~ Jiang Xiao Hua
Will Pan ~ Tang Men
Dean Fujioka ~ Jia Si Le
Michelle Chen ~ Jiang Mi
Synopsis:
Jiang Xiao Hua is a jewelry store owner with no sense of style. When prince charming Jia Si Le comes back from Japan with intentions of dating her, she blackmails Tang Men, a poison-tongue style guru, into helping her become a lady worthy of Si Le. Jiang Mi, who's Si Le's fiancee, wants Tang Men to get close to Xiao Hua, so that Xiao Hua will fall for him instead of Si Le. As time passes by, Tang Men find himself liking Xiao Hua, while Xiao Hua realises that she didn't like Si Le. Jiang Mi, on the other hand, is upset that both guys like Xiao Hua, and nobody appreciates her love.
Slacker's review:
When i first knew tt Rainie's gg to have a new drama with Will Pan, I thought it's just gg to be another typical Rainie drama. I saw her new image and I didn't get interested. I also doubt Will's acting. Butta, after reading the synopsis again, I decided to give it a try. Xiao Hua is a super duper exaggerating and unreal character. I can't stand those wig, neither can i stand her "taiwanese mandarin", and her act cute expressions. She's the typical character I hate to see, but then, it's just TOO funny to see her interacting with other people, especially with Tang Men. Lolz..I can't help laughing throughout, and that lasted for the first few epis. Well, I didn't expect myself to get so entertained, so that's quite a miracle. (Of coz, the "behind the scenes" also entertained me quite alot...lolz!)
Actually MNG's plot is too typical, we got a rich boy who falls for his childhood sweetheart, and was torn b/w her and his best friend. We got another "evil" girl who plotted so many things...butta, she got her guy in the end! (I thot WTH?! They just wanna Si Le to end up with someone what? How can he fell for Jiang Mi so suddenly?? Finally touched by her actions ah....faints!) And then, the rich boy and his sweetheart turned out to be siblings by law. Aiyo...when can they stop giving us this kind of twist?
Rainie's acting was good, not everybody can act such an exaggerating and "ugly" character. I used "ugly" becoz Xiao Hua is not a rich princess and she's not pretty & refined. Rainie might seemed abit fake during her emotional scenes though. I like how Xiao Hua named all her stuffs, from her motorbike to Tang Men's hair dryer. Haha! Also, I was laughing like crazy when I saw how Xiao Hua faked Korean with her customer. Omg..I don't think anyone cld understand that. (Maybe Koreans who saw it will be fuming ah..lolz!)
Actually the person who surprised me the most is Will. Hey! He can act leh! Maybe not as good as other actors la, but he brought out Tang Men's characteristics. He had the most NGs among the cast, but I can understand how difficult it was for him to memorise those dialogues. Haha! Actually I thought Will and Rainie had excellent chemistry leh! Lolz..
Alot of ppl like Dean more than Will, but I am the exact opposite. I didn't find Dean handsome, neither do I think he can act. He looked too stiff most of the time, and his accented mandarin didnt sound too smooth for me. Ha! Hmm...I didn't watched his previous dramas, butta I think he still needs to do quite abit of work to impress me in the future. Lolz!
Michelle was Rainie's gd pal in "Why why love", but she turned bad in MNG. Hmm...actually she's not bad in portraying her character, Jiang Mi was not those super bad gal. Though she ended up with Si Le, I really think they were 硬凑在一起. She didn't have much chance to build up her chemistry with both Dean and Will too. I rather Si Le ended up alone lo.
The other cast was not bad, got subplot b/w Si Le's mum and Xiao Hua's dad. Haha! Xiao Hua's two good pals were alright though, coz' they were too noisy most of the time. Lolz!
Themesong "Xia Ri Feng" is by Will and ending song "Dai Wo Zou" is by Rainie. Both are quite nice..especially Rainie's ending theme. Hehe!
Currently, Channel U is also airing this drama, so if u have the time, do catch it. Lolz! And finally, I have no regrets watching this drama, though the last two epis seemed quite rush. It wld be better if there's more Tang Men & Xiao Hua moments.

TV Drama Review #159 - Hot Shot 篮球火

No.of Epis: 16
Year/TV Station: 2008/CTV & GTV
Cast:
Jerry Yan ~ Dong Fang Xiang
Show Lo ~ Yuan Da Ying
Zhou Cai Shi ~ Zhan Jie Er
Coco Jiang ~ Li Ying
Wu Chun ~ Wu Ji Zun
Michael Zhang ~ Can
Synopsis: (edited from Dramawiki)
At Pi Li University, where academic reigns supreme and sports are relegated to a dusty corner of the campus, Li Ying, a NBA coach, vows to revive the basketball team by volunteering to be the head coach. Her first member is Yuan Da Ying, a country boy who is passionate for basketball but has no skill. Their recruitment goes into high gear when Dong Fang Xiang, a legendary basketball player, transfers to their school.
Yuan Da Ying falls for Zhan Jie Er, a scholarship student who reminds him of his childhood friend. Her father works for Dong Fang Xiang, whom she also grew up with, and Dong Fang Xiang likes her.
After conquering the uni basketball competitions, the team has to face their ultimate competitor, "Tian Sheng Wu Ji" team, created by Dong Fang Xiang's grandfather.
Slacker's review:
I've expected this drama to be exaggerating in terms of how they play basketball, from street bb to standard bb, the way they presented was "manga style"....unrealistic to me. I am watching this for Jerry, so I just try to bear with the bb scenes. Lolz! This is one idol drama where romance is not a big factor here, there's more focus on bonding b/w the team members, rivalry b/w the characters and of course, bb competitions. I wld say the plot was alright, nothing too spectacular or surprising, but the romance scenes were handled well. Though personally i think the drama didn't have enough scenes for Jerry and Cai Shi to build up their chemistry. Scenes b/w Cai Shi and Show are alright, I think Show handled his emotional scenes well enough. However, Show is more like a joker most of the time, which I didn't quite like it. I think his character is in contrast with the more serious Jerry la, so no choice, you can't expect Jerry to be Joker right? Lolz! Jerry's character Xiang has some shades of "Dao Ming Si", but sometimes he act cute. Ha! Well, I think it's time Jerry stop acting such characters, coz' he's not that young anymore. He shld go for more sophisicated characters la. Sadly, Wu Chun is only a support cast, with his major scenes in the last few epis. Wu Ji Zun is not an interesting character, not much expressions, and not much depth. Well, Wu Chun's performance was alright la, but I think Michael Zhang outshined him. Maybe because Can is a more striking character. However, I don't understand why they allowed Can to play in standard bb, he has hidden weapons, is that fair? As for Coco, she's looking good, though it seemed abit far fetched for her to be a NBA coach. (Not convincing enough ba.) Well, it's quite clear tt Li Ying likes Da Ying, but too bad there's no furter developments b/w them, as we know what wld happen to her. I like how the director handled Li Ying's last scene. The last ep was a little surprise for me, coz' I thought the ending wld tie up all the lose ends. I like how the drama ends, but i think most of us wld wanna know who win in the end, and if Xiang ends up with Jie Er.
Themesong is "Hot Shot" by Show, and ending theme "Yi Ban" by Jerry.
Overall, it's still a watchable drama, just that they shldn't have extended it, coz' it seemed to drag in the middle of the drama, thus making me bored.

TV Drama Review #148 - Fated to Love You 命中注定我爱你

No.of Epis: 24
Year/TV Station: 2008/TTV & SETTV
Cast:
Joe Chen Qiao En ~ Chen Xin Yi
Ethan Ruan Jing Tian ~ Ji Cun Xi
Baron Chen Chu He ~ Dylan Dai Jian Ren
Bianca Bai Xin Hui ~ Anna Shi An Na/Dai Xin Yi
Synopsis:(edited from Dramawiki)
Chen Xin Yi is known as a "sticky note" girl in her office, as her colleagues wld write down their requests on the sticky notes for her to do. One day, Xin Yi's boyfriend Gu Chi brought her to a love cruise and she started to ponder on how to lose her virginity to tie down Gu Chi. Xin Yi ended up taking cold medicine which made her drowsy and went into Ji Cun Xi's room. Cun Xi is the sole male heir of his family's company Mo Fa Lin and has been in love with his girlfriend, Anna, for a long time. He planned to propose to Anna on the cruise but she didn't turn up. Xin Yi's bro-in-law added drugs into Cun Xi's drink, made him disorientated and returned to his own room. Xin Yi and Cun Xi ended up having a one night stand. Xin Yi later finds out that she's pregnant and Cun Xi's grandmother forced them to get married.
Just as the couple started to have feelings for each other, Anna suddenly returned and later Xin Yi lost her child. Xin Yi went to Shanghai with Dylan to start afresh. 2 yrs later, fate brought Cun Xi to Shanghai and he happened to buy the artifect which was made by Xin Yi.
Both of them finally met again, but would they end up together?
Slacker's review:
FTLY broke the ratings record and it's the hottest idol drama in tw history liao. Sometimes i'm wondering why so many ppl watched it? The storyline is kinda predictable, or rather..a little old-fashioned. But i guessed we all love such storyline la..won't get tired of it. Thumbs up for Qiao En..her performance was really good. I think Xin Yi is a rather unique character in idol drama, and i like her transformation to become a confident Elaine. Ethan is not the 1st choice for the role Cun Xi. (Ming Dao rejected this role..why??)Initially I didnt like Ethan's acting, especially his emotional scenes. I couldnt' see the difference b/w Cun Xi being angry, or sad etc. Ethan tends to give the same expression. He can be quite exaggerating at various times, but thank goodness his chemistry with QE made up for it. Compared to Ming Dao, Ethan's acting still need to brush up, but i think he's quite suitable for his role. There were many memorable moments b/w Xin Yi & Cun Xi...it's really quite touching if u recall them now.
Baron Chen...think this is his 1st drama. Not much expressions from him, but i think his acting is quite ok. Bianca Bai is definitely nt a newbie anymore, but her acting still invites lots of criticisms in forums. Initially I didn't quite like her too (mainly becoz of her role Anna). I didn't expect too much from her acting la, since she started out as a model. I think she got better when Anna was in the hosp and let Cun Xi go.
The other support cast is great. Like Anson, Cun Xi's grandma, Xin Yi's super lame family etc. They really made this drama enjoyable. The only thing i disliked....was the ending..super holy crap...why can't they end properly ah? 3 pregnant wives all gave birth at the same time?? Bengz..
Nice opening by Shorty Yuen & ending theme song by Quack Wu & Shorty Yuen.
It's definitely the best idol drama this yr.