就想賴著妳 / Jiu Xiang Lai Zhe Ni

Down With Love

January to May, 2010 CTV drama (16 episodes) about a pitiful, young girl (Ella Chen as Yang Guo) at a crossroads in her life when she happens upon her Prince Charming in the form of a brash attorney (Jerry Yan as Xiang Yu Ping) with ice for a heart.

She also bumps into his best buddy: a dashing designer (Michael Zhang as Qi Ke Zhong) with a big heart but who has spent the past, seven years pining away for the attorney's estranged girlfriend (Chen Zi Han as Ding Hui Fan) - a famous movie star in Taiwan.

To keep these guys well-connected throughout the show, the writers placed Yang Guo's sister (Kelly Huang as Yang Duo) in the attorney's office as his secretary.

Michael Zhang isn't bad looking, and whenever he wasn't wearing specs, his eyes were rather sexy - but ...



I had a REALLY hard time with the scab underneath his chin.

Seriously, when I was a little girl, there was a boy who came to school one day with this dastardly-looking scab under his chin, and he tried really hard not to cry as he explained to us curious onlookers about the fact that he fell off his bike, sliding his face across a tree trunk - and when I first saw Michael in this drama, that was exactly what it looked like to me.

NOT a big fan of facial hair any more than I can appreciate super-short hairstyles on hot guys - they just, don't go together imho.

Anyway ...

Yang Guo isn't meant to be sexy, attractive, or even appealing to the opposite sex, and her stupid hairstyle (a prominent cowlick growing from the side of her head) makes matters worse (for me at least).



She tends to make stupid faces that don't seem to embarrass her, along with some weird noises at inappropriate times that were downright annoying (to me at least), and the best she can think to do in the wardrobe department are t-shirts and baggy overalls.

STILL!

She managed to grab the attention of the two, male leads, both of whom are far, more desirable, sexy, and appealing than ten Ella's (I mean Guo's) combined.

Yes, Ella is pretty, funny, and a good actress - just not in this drama.

I'm not the only 'fan' of these things who has commented about the fact that when it comes to Taiwanese dramas/movies, the stars tend to over-do it in every aspect of their profession, and Down With Love proved that point time & again.

ie: The distorted facial expressions, the rapid speech in a loud tone, and the so-called comedic instances that are neither believable nor laughable a majority of the time.

ALTHOUGH I must admit, they did manage to tame (or at least tone down) the sickeningly sappy, pre-teen crapola this time.

I don't know what it is about their crew (behind the scenes), either, but I've yet to watch a Chinese drama where the sound isn't messed up in almost every scene - like, one minute the actors voices are drowned out by cicadas, pouring rain, or heavy traffic, and then suddenly it disappears and we hear clearly the dialogue - or they are inside, yet it is obvious the outside or background noise isn't being suppressed for some, unknown reason.

A great example of this comes in episode 15, when they are entering the restaurant to meet with Qi Ke Zhong's mother - it sounds like a herd of stampeding buffalo heading toward her when the actors are only walking across a wooden floor.

That aside, this wasn't as bad or obnoxious a Taiwanese drama as I'm used to seeing.

The storyline was interesting, but the Cinderella theme is getting really old, and I'd like to see something more mature, more captivating, and a bit, more believable from these guys now.

Maybe they hire all the hot actors for these stories, and since that's all I'm really in it for, it is all I ever see?

Speaking of HOT ...









then, there's just his royal hottness:







Honestly, if he wasn't starring in this one, I doubt I'd have given it a go.

EVERY time the dude entered the picture, I got that thrilling stir in the pit of my stomach, and every time they zoomed in on his crotch, it sent me over the edge.

Guy is smokin' from head to toe, and though he most-often appeared in black pants and a white button-down, it never became monotonous or stale.

Tight bod, amazing bone structure, and gawd, how I want to run my fingers through his hair!!!!













He cuts it off the way Choi Minho did, and I'll probably cry.

Hey, is Aiyo a new, Mandarin word meant as a play on the Korean eye goo (aiygu)?

If I rated this strictly for the eye-candy content, it'd have received the coveted 5-hearts, but since I'm trying harder not to be so shallow, I am sticking more to the content of the story, which forced me to rate this a 3 out of 5.

I STILL LOVE YOU, THOUGH, JERRY!

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Smiling Pasta / 微笑 Pasta / Wei Xiao Pasta

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 ...


Cyndi Wang and her weird eye


Cyndi Wang and her not so attractive face


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?


gee, how lucky am I?





sweater over the shoulders is still in style?





smokin' hot Nicholas Teo



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.


Di Zhi Jie as Vincent Ge





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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這裡發現愛 / Zhe Li Fa Xian Ai

                
2008 Drama from Taiwan that stars Vic Zhou as an orphan, a shy-guy, a recluse, and a famous Romance Novelist who uses himself as the protagonist in his stories.

I thought that was hilarious, but maybe I'm alone in thinking it's weird to do such a thing.

Anyway, Wish to See You Again was AWESOME!

It's a 17-episode drama about a lot of different stories rolled into one, and yes, it did drag a bit in some places, but that's entirely beside the point, trust me.

There are too many characters to mention them all here, and I'm sure millions have already seen this one, so I won't go into detail.

Vic plays Xu Le in real life and his alter ego or pen name is Ye Zi.

Like I said, he's a famous romance novelist who, at the beginning of the show, is suffering from writer's block. He's holed up inside The Sherwood, a 5-star hotel co-owned by his buddy from high school, and for weeks on end, the maids have not been able to get inside the room to clean.

Xu Le also refuses to answer his cell phone, which prompts his eager agent to tell a lie to a girl working at the hotel that his client might be suicidal, so she naturally becomes worried, breaking a house rule and letting the agent into the room w/out permission.

Xu Le has a knife in his hand thinking that if he cuts an apple he has an ingrain aversion to, and by pouring ketchup over said apple, that it might bring on the inspiration he is so desperate to obtain.

Michelle Chen portrays Pan Neng Xian or Nancy, (though every time her mother said her name, I heard Sinead, but whatever), the eager-to-please hotel clerk who thinks the suicide attempt is now eminent, so she hurries to Xu Le and tries encouraging him to drop the knife, naming some landmark places in Taiwan he might not have visited yet and would not get to see if he ended his life too soon.

The minute Zu Le touches her hand, words begin to float around him, and the story takes off from there.

Since watching Mars five years ago and Meteor Garden a year later, it's been VERY difficult to find anything from Taiwan that can compare, much less break free of the shadow of two, such fabulous pieces of dramatic art, and though I've tried in vain to find something even mediocre to come out of that country - nothing has impressed me as much until now.

Vic isn't what I would consider to be my idol, but like his counterpart, Takeshi Kaneshiro, the man has got a lot going for him to include a terrific voice, interesting eyes, and the ability to morph with ease into whatever character he portrays.

In short, the dude's got mega-talent!

There were a few issues, and since that's generally what I write about here anyway, mentioning them in this, particular blog should in no way reflect my five-heart review.

First of all, the hair styles of the guys were disappointing. Too short, too lopsided, and not the least, bit flattering to their faces, either.

Case in point -


Ken Zhu
It was really short on his right side and too long on the left, making for a fatter face than usual and a lot of unnecessary bang tossing throughout the drama.

Same, too, for the guy I waited, waited, and WAITED to show up -


Van Ness Wu NO


same guy - YES
In the drama, he had a Chen Xiao Chun vibe going on that made me all the more interested in him, which was a good thing, and then to see Eric Tsang as the cab company owner made it even better, bringing back that good-ol-days appeal when Hong Kong cinema reigned supreme and I got hopelessly sucked in and fell so desperately in love with Asian pop idols.

Sigh -

Then there was the star of the show (in a strange sort of way since about 3/4 of the drama revolved around Kingone, but I'm not up to him yet) -





This isn't how I remember Vic, and that's not to say he was a total disappointment either, but long hair will always hold mass appeal for me, so what can I say.

Never noticed his lazy eye before, either.


Ok, so finally we come to the somewhat main character of this drama - and I say that in an odd way because, well, it was odd!

The story is supposed to be about a reclusive author in need of a life change in order to regain his writing ability, yet a majority of the show centered around this guy and his desperate attempt to make a skinny chick with a hair piece fall for him as deeply and as fervently as he has fallen for her.



Kingone
btw - is it King-one, Kin-gone, or maybe Kin-gon-e??

I guess he's all the rage over there, and while I can see it - I can't, quite feel it.

Too Ken doll for my taste, and I don't know about anyone else, but I kept getting this tranny/mannequin thing in my head every time I saw him on screen.

Too much make-up, perhaps?

Anyway, he's diggin' on this chick here -



she had short hair when she was living with Ken's character back in the States, and her 10-year-later self has longer hair. You can see the faux piece clearly in the scene where she finally gets to confront Ken's character and she has her back to him.

It's funny stuff.

I didn't like her character or her, but what bugged me the most was the frosting lips.

This is somehow attractive?





sorry, but me no likey. too pale and too shiny.

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