2006 Taiwanese drama about an average girl (Cyndi Wang as Cheng Xiao Shi) running a losing streak in the love department ever since the guy of her dreams cursed her, stating she would never get anywhere past three months with any, particular guy.
The guy of her dreams (Gino as Ah Zhe) doesn't, even like her, but despite her klutzy and totally immature ways, she is a determined girl who vows to always smile even in the face of certain adversity.
On the day her seventeenth boyfriend decides to dump her for a hot chick, a black cloud descends upon Xiao Shi, and as she is running from it, she bumps smack into a teen pop idol (Nicholas Teo as He Qun) on the lam from his overbearing and anal publicist (Di Zhi Jie as Vincent Ge).
As luck (or fate - or Taiwanese teen-bop dramas) would have it, she falls on top of disguised teen idol, thereby initiating the unforced and unanticipated lip lock that is supposed to signify their ~ destiny ~.
Now, despite He Qun being a super-star, he attends a normal college with normal students, and yet it doesn't seem like his billions of sighing and screaming fans care that he is among them, unlike Korea or Japan, where they would no-doubt line-up every day to watch him walk a red carpet whilst screaming to near fainting at the mere sight of said idol.
Not only is our He Qun a pop idol, he is also the son of a prominent Parliament official, so natch, he's from very good stock as well as rich beyond his or anyone else' wildest dreams.
And, here's a twist ... of sorts ... Ah Zhe, the thug, rebel, bad-ass who treats Xiao Shi like sh*t is also He Qun's big bro.
Before I continue with my smart-ass, err, sarcastic ... I mean REVIEW, let me show you how fine this dude is:
Guy's def got it goin' on in the looks, bod, hair, eyes, face ... what HAVE you departments!
Ok, so Ah Zhe is the black sheep of the respectable family, so naturally his old man hates his guts while he also hates He Qun for whatever reason.
Well, actually there is a reason, but it's like this total misunderstanding that no one can seem to come to terms with or agree upon, much less get out in the open and apologize for ... so it goes on and on for a few episodes (like, maybe 10 out of 17 or something like that).
Add to this dilemma the fact that Ah Zhe hates He Qun, too.
See, when they were younger, they formed this band, and then the stupid lead singer whom both brothers adored ended up dying, and while He Qun felt personally responsible and sad, Ah Zhe blamed him and thus a rift grew into a proverbial chasm until alas, the band broke up and the brothers bid one another a nasty adieu.
Anyway, for all seventeen episodes, our unlikely heroine proceeds to do and say one stupid thing after another, yet despite her openly embarrassing ways, hunny-hunk-idol dude He Qun falls slowly and deeply in love.
With this ...
I'm sure every thirteen to seventeen-year-old fan will dis this - so mea culpa and let's get on with the show, shall we?
By now I'm sure a lot of you have come to recognize the 'secret' formula to a so-called successful Taiwanese drama, which is to pit a poor, lonely girl who is straight-lace, prim, loving, and pure against a mega-rich, super-popular, total hunk dude who at first can't stand the sight of her (for obvious reasons) but who slowly and hypothetically comes to realize just how great someone of her caliber actually turns out to be.
This is probably done so that the millions of twelve to seventeen-year-old bubble gum chewers who watch and adore this sh*t can cling to their pie-in-the-sky dreams of having the same thing happen to them in real life.
So, Xiao Shi comes from humble stock, where her parents, grandfather, older brother and his wife work and live at a Pasta restaurant (hence the title).
Since discovering her encounter with the teen idol, they root for her on a daily basis to succeed in love while dollar signs continue to appear in the eyes of her money-grubbing parents who are also virtuous, don't forget that!
Grandpa is silly but wise, Papa is doting but cautious, and Mama is ... well, Mama is Mama through and through.
Xiao Shi doesn't like He Qun at first, but the more she gets to know him and finds out more about his dark past, the more her loving inclinations tend to make her want to help him until he starts to see how virtuous and pure she really is while he continues to struggle against the 'desire' creeping up on him against his will.
I give this one high marks for Gino and Nicholas Teo since they were both nice to look at for seventeen episodes, and I must admit, there were a few highlights or memorable moments as well.
Nicholas reminds me a ton of Rain, don't he?
Ok, well, maybe not a LOT like him, but I'll bet he's got some Korean blood floating around inside him!
Then there was this guy ... who just made me laugh, but he's still really cool, and I love his hair.
Lastly, here are some pretty things I want for myself:
This drama was viewed approximately 162,979 times at aznv.tv, with more than 714 five-star ratings being given as well, and naturally, a majority of the reviews there gave it two thumbs-up while also gloriously singing its praises.
Personally, I don't get it, but I can imagine the age-group of the fan base, and this comes as no surprise whatsoever.
I've said it before, and I'll continue to say it as long as Taiwan continues to produce this caliber of entertainment, too - for a country comprised of a myriad of awesome, aged like fine wine stars, you'd think there would be more to offer in the mature story category at least.
In Korea, you have two choices at least ... sappy sweet romance with the ubiquitous tragic ending or soft-core porn action.
In Japan, there are basically three categories to choose from: high-school twit stuff, coming-of-age romance, and serious action-packed drama.
Taiwan, however, seems like a one-way street that only offers the viewer a chance to look through the eyes of a dopey thirteen-year-old girl and watch as her inner desires come to fruition on screen.
I, for one, am not interested.
Case in point: the annoying tri-moves, and the unnecessary, intense music:
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