*first published on 6october2010
For the record, the 3 main reasons why I watched this one is because 1st, I was feeling nostalgic at the thought of seeing Shan Cai again, yes I mean Barbie Hsu(Xu). 2nd, I like the 3 main characters, dark, devilish, cold,(what can I do, im a sucker for “dark” complicated characters) and yet there’s this feeling of sadness for them for what fate has brought these three people. and the 3rd, I have to admit that I looked at the ending first to see if the couple that I liked ended up together in the end.
Right from the beginning I wanted Xia Mo to end up with Ou Chen but doesn’t Luo Xi look sooo good when he and Xia Mo were saying their final goodbye outside the latter’s house. That haggard looking, not too perfect with an overnight stubble to boot look is sheer hotness …says a lot about my type of guys. Why did I have to write about that ..i guess it made an impression on me. I would say that this drama started very promising with what it set out to do but somewhere along the way, it lost some of its glitter. Was my expectations just too high? Maybe. Actually its “darkness” at the beginning was its charm, when it lost some of that “darkness” the excitement was no longer there. The actors are very able though, Barbie is looking sooo pretty still and her acting I must say has more depth. The guy that played Luo Xi(don’t know his name, sorry) also was also convincing specially in the earlier episodes when his smile would give you a hint of something evil within, very nicely done. Peter Ho as the aloof and the very lonely rich guy who is obsessed with Xia Mo also did a good job with his role. I understand that this is the first directorial job of Peter Ho(correct me if im wrong) and he also just happens to be the producer of this drama, was it a case of having too much on his plate? Hmmm, whatever it may be, to be fair, its pretty good for a first time. The confrontations between the 2 men and how they would compete for Xia Mo’s love would make you want to be in her shoes, who wouldn’t? The transformation of Ou Chen’s character is the central point of this drama and im satisfied with the ending. Im in love with the way Ou Chen’s love for XiaMo developed and matured, from obsession to unconditional, its my favorite thing in the entire drama. so, if the story is good and the actors are relatively competent, it is in the storytelling that they are found lacking. a good script and a competent director could have avoided those dragging and sometimes boring parts.
Why do I have to watch serious melodramas? Generally, I shun away from overly dramatic dramas(sorry for the redundancy) and with good reason. I should have have known I’ll only take note of every inconsistency, every impossible turn of events, every oversight, every mistake there is big or small…BUT I still did watch it, ‘coz I was hopeful, I saw the potential of the story and its 3 main characters. So I gambled and invested my time in watching it, all the while trying my best to be objective and critical when I need to be. You could say that im more forgiving when Im reviewing a rom-com, when it’s a melodrama specially if it hints of an artsy ambition like this one, its like a red flag challenging the bull(me) to look for flaws. To me if youre taking that road, you better do it right, otherwise, if there is something wrong there somewhere, no matter how minute it might be, I WILL SPOT IT.
Im thinking, should I issue a disclaimer before proceeding with this? I really do not want to create trouble here or stir a hornets nest with this but just as I respect the next person’s opinion, I also expect mine to be respected as well, so if any of you disagrees with me, I most certainly welcome it, sure prove me wrong ...peace people :) so here goes…
Why does it seem sooo fake whenever Luo Xi is suppose to be playing the piano? Why? Cant the director do something about that? My mind kept on going to the jdrama nodame cantabile and how the actors there were able to make me believe that they are great pianist! Ou Chen is suppose to be a young tycoon, why are some of his suits so ill-fitted therefore looking not too pricey? And while we are on the fashion topic, do heads of talent agencies in Taiwan really wear tuxedos and or 3piece suits for mere meetings or even to just visit their talents on the set. I don’t think ive ever seen Luo Xi’s manager in anything but a nicely fitted suit, sometimes even made from slightly metallic fabric but definitely oftentimes if not all the time makes him overdressed nevertheless. Half the time, the talent manager looks like he’s going to a wedding or he’s going to his own wedding! absurd or funny? I think BOTH! ..haha.. and the flashbacks? Way too often for my liking and repeating the same flashback over and over again …I guess you may also call it, a replay of a replay …of a replay…! Oh, and Ou Chen’s house is a hotel, I caught a glimpse of its name in one of the scenes …man, the director missed that one and it was bugging me everytime the scene was in the house, I just cant get over that glaring mistake. Miss OC was tortured Im telling you :) I guess the string of bad luck that befall on Xia Mo was in the novel, I will let that pass even if it is sooo OVER but the miraculous recovery of Xia Mo from pneumonia after, was it a day or two is just tooo much that I just have to point it out. Ok, ok, Lets end the bashing there ..im exhausted ..haha, way too mean of me I know.
Don’t be misled by my review, I did finish this drama in its entirety so its not bad at all, otherwise I wouldn’t have wasted my time watching it. Its just that im tooo much of an OC that i obsess about these things so, please pardon my rants. i would STILL recommend this to anybody who is looking for a drama for "grown ups". some parts are so-so but the story, the characters and the actors that played them are worth the watch. oh, and did i forget to mention that the ending is pretty good? well, it is :)
