Love Bond [TVB]

Written by Bridget Au

"Passable"

SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS!

Year
2005

Chinese Title
"Sum Fa Fong" (Chinese proverb that translates to blooming heart, blossoming hearts but means something like happy and content)

No. of episodes
30

Cast
The Lam Family
Michael Tao Dai Yu as Lam Yat Kong (1st son)
So Jee Wai as Lam Yi Yeung (2nd son)
Moses Chan as Lam Sam Hor (Ah Sui, 3rd son) / Sik Sui
Leong Lit Wai as Lam Sei Hoi (4th son)
Natalie Tong Si Wing as Lam Siu Wu (youngest daughter)

The Kei Family
Kenix Kwok Hor Ying as Kei Hoi Sum (1st daughter)
Bernice Liu Bik Yee as Kei Mei Lai (2nd daughter)
Fred Cheng Chun Wan as Kei Chung Ming (youngest son)
Paul Chun Pui as Kei Tin Man

Others
Wong Ka Lok as Tong Yan (Yan Jai)
Anne Heung Hoi Lam as Bik Fun
June Chan Kei as Money
Carlos Ng Ka Lok as Nicky
Akina Hong Wah as Rachel

Plot
Chef Yat Kong has returned to Hong Kong after being dumped by long-time girlfriend Bik Fun. Upon his return, he discovers that the young siblings he dotes on has each managed to screw up their life somehow. The second son's company is in debt, the fourth son has quit his promising job at a hotel and instead works as a pots and pans salesman, and the youngest daughter narrowly escapes a shoplifting conviction. After doing his best to solve the family's many problems, a situation arises to threaten the entire family core: the return of the third son, Ah Sui (born Sam Hor). The problem is, the younger, more immature siblings hated this guy before knowing his identity as their brother, and misunderstandings emerge while romantic relationships further confuse the whole situation. Ah Sui begins by dating Hoi Sum, who actually first loved Yat Kong. Then they break up, Ah Sui begins to date Hoi Sum's younger sister Mei Lei, while Hoi Sum and Yat Kong finally get together (there is something inherently wrong here in my opinion - siblings dating siblings?!). Hoi Sum and Yat Kong's happiness is short-lived, with the return of Bik Fun and ... a baby! Yat Kong, responsible man that he is, leaves Hoi Sum to create a happy family facade with Bik Fun and their child, until Bik Fun realizes Yat Kong still loves Hoi Sum and lies to him, saying that the baby isn't his. So Yat Kong and Hoi Sum marry, as do Ah Sui and Mei Lei. The best part in this otherwise average series is that it showcases post-marriage life. Both couples have children, Bik Fun returns briefly, and everyone else gets together with someone. Woooooohoo.

What else… flowers. Plenty of flowers because of the brothers’ company, which specializes in creating flower decorations for buildings. So expect lots of flowers and ‘fa yu’, meaning speeches about flowers and their various meanings. Really, I could care less. I hate flowers, and yes, I’m a girl. My boyfriend is very lucky.

Evaluation of Cast and Characters
Michael Tao
This has been one of my favourite actors since he starred in the uber-popular Detective Investigation Files trilogy. Here he delivers a likeable, believable, and controlled performance as the responsible oldest Lam brother, but I can't help but notice that he's gradually losing his touch and fire, taking on more subdued roles. However, I especially enjoyed his scenes with Natalie Tong; you can really understand and feel how his character dotes on this youngest sibling. Unfortunately, he has zero chemistry with Anne Heung, who played his ex-love, although he fares much better with Kenix (obviously). As well, there was something missing in the portrayal of the relationship between his character and Moses'; the importance of family/brotherhood between these two brothers is more preached than showed at the beginning but improved towards the end. In general, however, the relationship between Kong and the other brothers appeared more realistic. Another credible performance for this great actor, though his character was really annoying when he kept preaching the importance of family throughout the series. Seriously, shut up already.

Kenix Kwok
A near-breakthrough role for Kenix. Gone are the days where she plays the chic professional super-independent woman. Here she plays a number-crunching, outspoken and even somewhat mean and rude woman and Kenix displays some surprising comic timing here. I like this Kenix; it's fun, tomboyish and great to watch. And this series is also the first time in many years where a role has actually required Kenix to really cry and show emotion. I'm so used to her playing the no-nonsense career woman that I was surprised when I found myself truly touched by some of her emotional scenes, especially the one where she is sitting alone crying in the dark greenhouse after breaking up with Yat Kong. Here she has zero romantic chemistry with Moses, which I found strange because they were a great couple in Take My Word for It. Maybe they can be couples in dramas but not comedies? Very strange indeed. As usual Kenix looks painfully thin and malnourished here, someone treat her to a steak! Minus the bad body image though, she looks very pretty (as in face-wise) in here. And she had a great wardrobe too.

Moses Chan
I've always maintained that Moses is destined for comedy and not drama. Unfortunately, TVB disagrees with me and has given him endless dramatic roles (Riches and Stitches, Where the Legend Begins, Healing Hands II, Take My Word For It, etc.), whereas Love Bond is only his second comedic role to date (The Family Man being the other one). Here Moses once again proves that he is surprisingly an excellent comedic actor; he is funny without trying to be, and even his mannerisms and ways of delivering lines as the poor, little-educated, 'bros before hos' Ah Sui are downright hilarious. Though he is not a romantic lead by far, he has improved in the dramatic scenes; for example in the scenes where he tears up when his father-in-law offers him money for his new office and during the fight on the beach between him and his two brothers near the end of the series. He really fails at the serious romantic scenes, but is an actor with a certain charisma on the screen.

Bernice Liu
I truly hated her in Survivor's Law, but here she is absolutely adorable. She is very expressive in here, yet has managed to tone down some of the overacting that made me want to kick her in Survivor's Law. However, she still has a long way to go in terms of dramatic acting. She doesn't have the raw talent for dramatic acting, although she does have potential for romantic comedy-type roles. She made a great couple with Moses Chan, which is strange because I wouldn't have pictured the two as a pair. They're even more fun to watch than Michael and Kenix. Though she had wonderful chemistry with Moses, with Carlos Ng she looked liked his older sister, which I found weird since I believe Carlos is actually a few years older than Bernice. As well, she isn't only pretty here, I find her absolutely stunning. She looked geeky in SL but here showed her true colours: I honestly think that she's a million times more beautiful than any other young TVB actress; she is tall, has a great figure, and an exotically beautiful face. Of course, she is one of the worst actresses among TVB starlets, but she could always go into modelling. Minus the over-plucked eyebrows.

Paul Chun
One word: excellent.

Natalie Wong
She bored me to tears in Hearts of Fencing, but manages to have an onscreen personality in this series. She has improved, but she is simply a young girl playing a young girl. A better actress would have taken this role and run with it. Siu Wu is a spoiled brat, immature, and kind of rebellious. She is actually a very well-written character (albeit a minor one): she is spoiled because she is the youngest girl with four older brothers who adore her. She is incredibly immature in her refusal to complete her education to respect her parents' wishes and in the way she idolizes Bik Fun and is unwilling to give any other woman a chance as her oldest brother's love. Someone like Leila Tong or a younger version of Tavia Yeung would have excelled in this role. Natalie, however, is missing that extra something, though in general she managed to convey the emotions of the spoiled, hot-tempered Siu Wu, and she's even cute in some parts. She looks chubbier in here too.

Leong Lit Wai
I didn't know this actor's name when I wrote my review on Shine On You (he played student Fun Bao) and I'm glad I know his name now. He has charisma, but is kind of a pre-version of Johnson Lee - moldable, great actor, but not an A-list/lead actor. I predict that he will become a very good supporting actor.

Anne Heung
I really like her as a person, but she can't act. End of story.

The rest range from likable (So Jee Wai who is agreeable but uncharismatic) to boring (Wong Ka Lok) to forgettable (Carlos Ng).

Worthy Scene
The single funniest scene I've watched in recent TVB is definitely found in this series. It happens between Mei Lai and Ah Sui (Bernice and Moses) at the bus stop when Nicky's mom and her friends refer to the two as "gaan fu yum fu" (translates to adulterers). It's absolutely hilarious because Mei Lai and Ah Sui hear this and begin to call each other "gaan fu" (male adulterer) and "yum fu" (mistress/female adulterer) and act like adulterers in front of Nicky's mom to irritate her. My explanation here does no justice to the scene but watch out for it because I was laughing so hard my stomach hurt! It's just the way Bernice and Moses were delivering the lines as well as the dialogue itself. Great performance by both of them.

Unworthy Characters
Plenty. Money, the second brother's girlfriend, was petty, annoying, and a gold-digger. I wish the second brother didn't have to end up with her because he deserved someone much, much better. The youngest Kei child, Chung Ming, was also a terrible character at the beginning. Though half of it was due to him being spoiled by his father, he was really immature and selfish to the point of absurdity when it came to doing things for others. His transformation at the end of the series did nearly nothing to redeem this character. Martin, Hoi Sum's ex-boyfriend, who deserves to rot in hell for the women he uses. Then there is the woman that Martin dumped Hoi Sum for, who deserved what she got when Martin left her after stealing all her money. Rachel, Hoi Sum's nemesis, is another character who was downright irritating and mean, acted to surprising comic perfection by Akina Hong who is actually known for playing nice, soft-spoken women. Topping the list is definitely Nicky's mother, who absolutely defines petty and bitchy. Horrible woman and even the worst girl in the world did not deserve her as a mother-in-law.

To Watch or Not to Watch, That is the Question
Passable. For Kenix, Bernice, Moses, and Michael fans. Others will possibly fall asleep at the mediocre plot.

Rating


Names
Leave it to TVB to come up with the most amusing names for family members ever. Do people still name their kids this way? The Kei family is a little more normal; their kids are named by personality/appearance descriptions, whereas the Lam family names are thoroughly bizarre - the parents must have been obsessed with bodies of water. Here I've translated all the names based on their literal meaning.

The Lam's
Yat Kong = "a river"
Yi Yeung = "two creeks"
Sam Hor = "three lakes"
Sei Hoi = "four oceans"
Siu Wu = "little river"

The Kei's
Kei Hoi Sum = "quite happy"
Kei Mei Lai = "quite beautiful"
Kei Chung Ming = "quite smart"

From the Grapevine
Rumours flew following this series that Bernice and Moses were romantically involved though both parties denied the allegations.

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Which Star Are You From? [Kr]

Written by Bridget Au

"If you can ignore the melodramatic storyline, you can probably find something to appreciate in here...somewhere."

SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS!

Alternate English Titles
"What Is Your Star", "What Planet Are You From"

Korean Title
"Neon Eoneu Byeoleseo Wassni" (translates to which star do you come from)

Year
2005

No. of episodes
16

Produced by
MBC

Producer
Kim Jong Hak

Director
Pyo Min Su

Cast
Kim Rae Won as Choi Seung Hui
Jung Ryeo Won as Kim Bok Sil (born Lee Hye Rim)
Park Si Hu as Han Jeong Hun
Park Ji Yoon as Yun Mi Hyeon
Lee Bo Hee as Ahn Jin Hee (mother to Hye Rim/Hye Su)
Im Ye Jin as Kim Soon Ok (adoptive mother to Bok Sil)
Lee Young Ha as Choi Seung Il (father to Seung Hi)
Ok Ji Young as Jung Sun Jung (friend to Bok Sil)
Jung Ryeo Won as Lee Hye Su (older twin sister to Hye Rim)

Note
As Jung Ryeo Won portrays two characters (a set of twin sisters, the younger sister with two names - adoptive name Bok Sil and birth name Hye Rim, and the older sister named Hye Su), to avoid confusion I will refer to her as Bok Sil in my summary/review, unless otherwise stated.

Quick Summary
The series begins by showing how young, promising film director Seung Hui meets Hye Su, a university student majoring in music. The two fall in love, to the vehement opposition of Hye Su's wealthy family, whose mother believes that Seung Hi is too selfish and cocky. As the two young lovers prepare to face Hye Su's family, Seung Hui proposes to Hye Su while driving. Tragedy strikes when Hye Su dies instantly following the car accident that results. Traumatized and racked with guilt, Seung Hui retreats into his own little bubble, becoming rude, depressed, introverted and scared to love again...

Flash forward three years. Seung Hui is still living in depression and guilt, but decides to return to the film-making industry. He decides to visit a rural village in the outskirts of Korea to gain some inspiration for his film-making. There he meets Bok Sil, a 'country bumpkin' who bears a remarkable resemblance to Hye Su, his dead love. They spend a few days together, only to part and meet again when Bok Sil comes to Seoul to pursue her screenwriting ambition, under the mentorship of Seung Hui himself.

The two begin to grow feelings for one another, but when it is revealed that Bok Sil is actually Hye Rim, younger sister to Hye Su, Seung Hui distances himself from her. Bok Sil is hurt, especially when (in one of the memorable scenes of the series) Seung Hui says "Leave. If your sister were still alive I would be your brother-in-law". The problem exacerbates when Bok Sil's birth mother discovers that her long-lost youngest daughter is in love with the man who was responsible for her other daughter's death and is furious, forbidding the two from seeing each other. She attempts to send Bok Sil to the US to study, to no avail. When she finally realizes that the two are deeply in love and that Seung Hui has redeemed his selfish, inconsiderate ways, she gives their relationship blessings.

Evaluation of Cast and Characters
Kim Rae Won / Choi Seung Hui
It is no secret that I love this actor. At the young age of 25, he already has a resume that is impressive in the sometimes narrow-minded world of Korean entertainment. He has portrayed the innocent, pure, untouched boy (Say You Love Me), the seemingly heartless, rude and rebellious jerk with a one-track mind when it comes to love (Wuri's Family), the optomistic, friendly guy (My Love Patzzi), the first juvenile-then-mature intelligent professional (Love Story in Harvard) and the inconsiderate and immature fellow (Attic Cat). This guy has done a lot, and done it well. Here he adds yet another complex character to his acting repertoire. Seung Hui is first a rather dark character; he is egotistical, determined, but somewhat selfish without any regard for others around him. However, when his one love dies, he is plunged into depression and darkness, and most of all loneliness in the absence of family or friends. Kim did well portraying the different facets of his character, and his transition from a juvenile, ambitious, cocky fellow to a more respectful, considerate, and mature man is very convincing. There is one flaw in Kim's work here, and that is the scenes in which he professes his love to Bok Sil, and yells. I had to turn down my volume in that scene - "Bok Sil, YOU ARE THE ONE I LOVE! DON'T LEAVE!" There is nothing romantic about yelling your confession of love, especially when that person is standing two feet away. This isn't only Kim's problem, plenty of actors and actresses in Korean series screech and shout love confessions (including Jung here). Another Kim flaw? His English. Dear God, please stop giving this guy roles in which he has to speak English until he takes some lessons. At least I only had to endure one English-speaking scene in here (compared to Love Story in Harvard where I just gave up and began to read the captions). Overall a good performance but I still think he was at his best in Wuri's Family.

Jung Ryeo Won / Bok Sil, Hye Rim, Hye Su
I had never heard of this actress before watching this series but I will keep an eye out for her from now on. The brilliance in her performance lies in her ability to play two totally different characters. So convincing is her performance as the loud, 'country bumpkin' Bok Sil vs. her performance as the classy, elegant Hye Su that one forgets that the two are portrayed by only one actress! There is only one performance-as-twins work that I can think of that tops Jung's here, and that is Esther Kwan's performance as Chow Yuet and Chow Heung in TVB's The Legendary Four Aces. Jung is feminine and mature as Hye Su but it is her breathlessly hilarious performance as Bok Sil that I fell in love with. There are moments where she overacts but she is so loveable as Bok Sil that I forgave them. She also has excellent chemistry with Kim Rae Won. Granted, Kim usually has fantastic chemistry with all his female co-stars. As for Jung: great performance. This actress speaks fluent English, by the way. Watch for the scene where she is ordering at a restaurant in Australia.

Other Characters and Performances
The Wooden Performance Award goes to Park Si Hu, who is boring as good fellow Jeong Hun. Lee Bo Hee is very good as the livid mother; she is perhaps the most pitiful character of the series. Park Ji Yoon is ok as My Hyeon, and Im Ye Jin and Lee Young Ha are funny as the awkward parents to Seung Hui and Bok Sil.

To Watch or Not to Watch, That is the Question
Mediocre plot, but some seriously funny scenes and dialogue and you will fall in love with Jung's Bok Sil. If you can ignore the melodramatic storyline, you can probably find something to appreciate in here...somewhere.

Rating


Korean Life
There are some interesting aspects to Korean life and society that I've noticed through watching Korean series over the years. Rank, for example, is extremely important in Korean society and dictates much of the language and behavior of people.

1. Much of social class is dictated by age, especially in the family. Younger children in the family must address their older siblings by their relationship (for example, a girl calls her older brother oppa and her older sister unnie - Bok Sil, for example, refers to Hye Su as unnie) while older children can address their younger siblings by name. *Note: In WSAYF, Bok Sil is encouraged to address both Jeong Hun and Seung Hui as oppa - sometimes Korean girls call their boyfriends or older male friends oppa. Even when two people are lovers, these social rules apply. Bok Sil, for example, continues to call Seung Hui 'Director' (kam dong-im) even after they start dating while Seung Hui calls her by name.

2. Rank also plays a huge role in dictating behavior. Younger Koreans are expected to bow upon greeting older Koreans, especially when greeting those whose social status is higher or when respect is of the utmost importance (usually greeting in-laws or future in-laws). Seung Hui does this numerous times with Bok Sil's birth mother. Direct eye contact is also frowned upon. You will notice that Seung Hui almost never looks directly at Bok Sil's birth mother when speaking to her.

3. There are also a few different language/speech forms that indicate rank. I'm not sure how many there are exactly but I'm led to believe that there are at least three and probably four in total. One that is the most formal (the way Seung Hui speaks to Bok Sil's birth mother and grandfather), one that is informal but polite (between people who know each other and more or less the same social status/age - the way Seung Hui speaks to Jeong Hun, for example), one which is intimate (between family members) and one which is the lowest form of speech. Bok Sil is reprimanded by Seung Hui, for example, when she speaks to him in the lowest form of speech - "How dare you speak to me like that? Do you know by how many years I'm older than you?"

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Hana Yori Dango [Jp]

Written by Bridget Au

"Why oh why did the casting team follow in the footsteps of its Taiwanese counterpart and cast a boyband member (Matsumoto Jun) to be F4 leader in HYD? Did they learn nothing from Metor Garden? "

SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS!

Title Translation
Boys Over Flowers / Boys Before Flowers (based on a Japanese pun meaning dumplings over flowers )

Year
2005

No. of episodes
9

Theme songs
"Wish" - Arashi (opening); "Planetarium" - Otsuka Ai (interlude)

Based On
T the Japanese shoujo manga of the same title, by Yoko Kamio

Cast
Matsumoto Jun as Doumyouji Tsukasa
Inoue Mao as Makino Tsukushi
Oguri Shun as Hanazawa Rui
Matsuda Shota as Nishikado Sojiro
Abe Tsuyoshi as Mimasaka Akira
Sato Megumi as Sanjou Sakurako
Kaga Mariko as Doumyouji Kaede (mother to Tsukasa)
Matsushima Nanako as Doumyouji Tsubaki (sister to Tsukasa)
Sada Mayumi as Toudou Shizuka (first love to Rui)
Nishihara Aki as Matsuoka Yuki (friend to Makino)
Sakai Ayana as Kurimaki Ayano (fiance to Tsukasa)

Since the plotline of this series is roughly the same as the Taiwanese version of this manga, Meteor Garden, which everyone under the sun has either watched or knows about, I will concentrate on the analysis of this series. I've watched MG 4 or 5 times, so I will do this review in a kind of comparison style.

On Acting
Why oh why did the casting team follow in the footsteps of its Taiwanese counterpart and cast a boyband member (Matsumoto Jun) to be F4 leader in HYD? Did they learn nothing from MG? Obviously not. I'd never thought I'd say this, but both Jerry Yan and Vic Zhou from MG surpass Matsumoto Jun and Oguri Shun in terms of acting ability. How sad. Why? First off, both Japanese actors are physically wrong for their roles. Matsumoto Jun is thin and short and looks like Inoue could crush him with her finger if she wanted to. I remained completely unconvinced that this Doumyouji could take on the dozens of people that he beats up in the manga. And don't get me started on Oguri Shun, who is much too pretty-boy to be Rui. And why on earth would Rui have an earring and dress in super-fashionable clothes? He is not supposed to be Mr. Trendy.

In terms of acting, Matsumoto Jun is okay but Jerry Yan was better. Jerry captured both the immaturity and bullheaded-ness of his character and he is really scary at the beginning when beating people up. As for Jun, I'm sorry, but I laughed during the scenes in which he was a bully, because he did not exude even half of the intimidation that Jerry was able to. There is one aspect in which Jun is better, and it is that he has better chemistry with Inoue than Jerry did with Barbie (despite the many kissing scenes of the latter).

Then comes Oguri Shun. At first I was thinking "This guy is supposed to be Rui?!". No. So darn wrong for the role and it doesn't help that the Japanese screenwriters made him talk so much. Rui is not supposed to be a chatterbox. He is supposed to be quiet and mysterious. So in this way, the script fails Shun but... well, his performance was nothing to write home about anyway. Three words describes him: plastic pretty boy. Ok, so Vic Zhou is not even a pretty boy (don't shoot me, fans, but I think the guy's ugly!) but at least he got the 'quiet expressionless' Rui-ness down.

Matsuda Shota and Abe Tsuyoshi are just as forgettable as Ken Zhu and Vaness Wu were in MG, but better looking. As for the supporting performances, once again MG reigns supreme. Kaga Mariko does not even hold a candle to Zhen Xiu Shen as Tsukasa's mother. Yes, Mariko laughs evilly and smirks, but nowhere could she be compared to Zhen's performance, which absolutely breathed authority, coldness, and intimidation. Same goes for Matsushima Nanako and Mary Hsu as Tsukasa's sister. Nanako smiles way too much; I get that she is supposed to be nice to Makino but she is also supposed to be tomboyish and be able to push Tsukasa around. Nanako was way too ladylike to be who I imagined Tsubaki to be, especially around Tsukasa.

The one redeeming factor in the cast is Inoue Mao, who is a much more natural and consistent actress than Barbie Hsu. She does well with the role of Makino, giving her strength and tomboyishness. Too bad the rest of the cast wasn't paying as much attention as her.

Grab Bag: Miscellaneous Comments
Since HYD is so short, it is actually much more like a Japanese comic or cartoon (especially the opening credits - which I loved), whereas MG was... well, a Taiwanese series (more melodramatic, etc). Both do well portraying the elite university and its snobby students, with HYD doing better in terms of providing expensive props (Manolo Blahnik shoes, diamond watches) and MG doing better portraying the grandness of Eitoku. The storyline and its chronology are almost identical, with a few differences. In HYD, Sanjou kidnaps Makino and Doumyouji goes to save her and it is revealed that Sanjou had always loved Doumyouji and even had plastic surgery in an attempt to gain his attention. In MG, the character of Sanjou is Li Zhen, and Shan Cai (Makino) is actually kidnapped by a guy named Xiao Xun whose brother was once almost killed by Dao Ming Si (Doumyouji). HYD also features the little-shown Teen of Japan competition (which was absent in both the Taiwanese and anime remake of the manga). HYD is also closer to the manga by casting Makino's younger brother in the series (who was missing in MG). But HYD writers also put in that bit about Rui and his apples which was, to say the least, annoying and irrelevant. In general, MG has a better script with the benefit of length to flesh out plots, subplots, and characters.

So which is better? In my opinion, MG by a long shot. Maybe if HYD were longer and re-cast Doumyouji and Rui, it would be better. And if they took out the part after every episode where the cast tries to sell its DVDs or get the audience to enter in contests by having the cast speak directly to the camera. That killed any sentiment of credibility and reminded us that we were, yes, only watching TV.

Funniest Moment
When Makino visits Doumyouji's mansion for the first time and when trying to find her way out, she reaches the dining room that is as grand as the Grand Hall from the Harry Potter movies. Her eyes widen as she says in disbelief "What the heck is this - Harry Potter?".

To Watch or Not to Watch, That is the Question
Strictly for Meteor Garden fans or fans of the manga/anime for comparison purposes. Might not contain anything compelling for anyone else.

Rating


From the Grapevine
Inoue Mao and Matsushima Nanako belong to the same talent agency, Seventh Avenue. Inoue is a first-year student at Meiji University majoring in theatre and she's taking Chinese as her second language elective. Some might recognize Matsushima from the uber-scary Ringu, the Japanese TV horror series that was remade into the Hollywood movies The Ring and The Ring II.

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... ing [Mov] [Kr]

Written by Bridget Au

"Quietly engaging, unbelievably honest, and heartbreaking to the core, this affecting movie manages to be both funny and tragic."

SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS!

About the title
Couldn't find the Korean or Chinese title. I agree with those who believe that the odd title refers to the present continuous tense of the English language, as in "eat-ing", "liv-ing", "danc-ing", etc. and refers to living life day by day and life in its continuous nature

Year
2003

Director
Lee Eon-hee

Cast
Im Soo-jung as Kang Min-ah
Kim Rae Won as Young-jae
Lee Mi-sook as Mi-suk (Min-ah's mother)
Kim Ji-yeong
Lee Yoo-jeong

Review
Once in awhile a movie takes you by surprise. ...ing is one of those movies. Quietly engaging, unbelievably honest, and heartbreaking to the core, this affecting movie manages to be both funny and tragic.

Pretty young teen Min-ah is shy, quiet, and introverted, suffering from both a deformed hand and a terminal illness. She spent most of her childhood in the hospital, but her mother has ditched obsessive parental concern in favour of encouraging her daughter to live day by day like any normal teen by taking her out of hospital care and letting her go to school, accompany her grocery shopping, etc. In addition, her mother allows Min-ah to call her by her first name (unheard of in traditional, family-oriented Korea), virtually becoming her 'best friend' due to her daughter's lack of similarly-aged friends. This gives their relationship a heartfelt, humane aspect that becomes a pillar of the film.

Mother and daughter go about their lives until the arrival of Young-jae, an outgoing, charming, but somewhat juvenile photographer who moves into the apartment downstairs. Predictably, he falls in love with Min-ah, and after much prodding from her mother and the immature antics of Young-jae's persistence, the latter begins a quiet, sweet relationship with the young man. Min-ah's days are numbered, but the movie effortlessly showcases the everyday aspects of the two main relationships (romantic and mother-daughter) in their mundane beauty. This is what sets this movie apart from other tearjerker melodramas: there is only one very brief hospital scene, no deathbed hospital scene, no "Why didn't you tell me you had cancer?!" laments from the significant other, no emotional outbursts (until the very end, and justifiably so), just quietly affecting scenes (that range from hilarious to woeful to sentimental) that rely heavily on the three principal actors and characters.

Im Soo-jung carries the film beautifully as Min-ah, giving the film's protagonist great depth but also effectively conveying her timidness and understanding of her own plight. Lee Mi-sook is wonderful as her mother, balancing comedy and light-heartedness with drama. Kim Rae Won is equally important and surprises the audience with his sobbing scene at the end, a true 180-degree turn from the charming, sunny personality he gives Young-jae throughout most of the movie. Those of you who have read my reviews know that Kim Rae Won is my absolute favourite Korean actor. This guy knows how to choose his roles, knows his characters, and brings something different to the table every time, and this role adds to his already-versatile acting repertoire.

The most surprising thing about how good this movie is that it is Lee Eon-hee's directorial debut. She is confident enough to give her actors a lot of freedom and paces the movie extremely well, carefully balancing the funny parts with the inevitably tragic denouement. The journey is as beautiful, if not more so, than the sincerely poignant destination. A lovely movie that is highly recommended, especially for those who have damned melodramas in the past. A note to all Asian screenwriters: if you're going to use terminal illness as part of your series/movie, do it this way.

Rating

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Devil Beside You [Taiwan]

Written by Bridget Au

"I was really surprised as I expected another young-girl-playing-young girl (read: boring, annoying and horrible) performance, such as those by TVB Shirley Yeung and the like. Rainie is actually wonderful to watch."

SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS!

Chinese Title
"Er Mo Zai Shen Bian"/"Ngok Mor Joi Sun Bin" (Mandarin/Cantonese; translates to devil by one's side)

No. of episodes
14

Year
2005

Based On
The Japanese manga "Akuma de Sourou" (translates to Devil Does Exist) by Takanashi Mitsuba
Theme Songs
1. Opening: "Chou Nan Ren" (Jerk/Bad Man) - Huang Yida

2. Closing: "Ai Mei" (Ambiguous) - Rainie Yang *also an interlude

3. Interludes: "Li Xiang Qing Ren" (Ideal Lover) - Rainie Yang, "Yi Miao de An Wei" (A Moment's Consolation) - Huang Yida, "Set Me Free" - Huang Yida

Cast
Rainie Yang Chen Ling as Qi Yue
Mike He Jun Xiang as Jiang Meng (Ah Meng)
Kingone Wang Chuanyi as Yuan Yi
Tsai Pei Lin as Qing Zhi
Ivy Fan Xiao as Li Xiang
Masuyama Yuki as Yang Ping
He Du Lin as Jiang You Hui (father to Ah Meng)
Ge Wei Ru as Huang Xue Wei (mother to Qi Yue)
Wu Zhong Tian as Ah Shen
Tang Qi as Grandma Jiang
Katherine Wang Kai Di as Mei Di

Plotline
The series begins with second-year university student Qi Yue finally accumulating the courage to confess her crush on Yuan Yi, the captain of the school's basketball team. Unfortunately, her efforts backfire when she accidentally hands her confession letter to Ah Meng, a first-year student who is the son of the school's president. Ah Meng, who has secretly had feelings for Qi Yue for some time, uses this to his advantage to blackmail Qi Yue into becoming his slave. Terrified of Ah Meng's reputation as a bully and of the possibility of her secret crush being revealed, Qi Yue agrees. As they get to know each other, however, Ah Meng and Qi Yue become involved in a relationship, though it is far away from smooth sailing. The real nail in the coffin arises from the fact that Ah Meng's father is set to marry Qi Yue's mother i.e. our perfect little couple has found itself in the taboo situation of becoming step-siblings.

They are supported by friends who are privy to their little secret but the appearance of Ah Meng’s grandmother (who sees right through the young couple) and the upcoming wedding of the parents forces Qi Yue and Ah Meng to come clean.

Review
Many have compared this series to the hypnotically popular Meteor Garden, which is also based on a Japanese manga and has the familiar archetype of good-poor girl/bad-rich boy. However, I'd argue that there are some important differences between the two series. First, though both series are adapted from Japanese manga, the overall feel of Devil Beside You resembles that of a comic book much more than that of Meteor Garden. It is fast-paced, the opening credits and a few scenes are animation-heavy, and some of the acting is almost cartoonish.

As well, though both series exploit the good girl/bad boy coupling, if one looks more carefully, the characterization is actually very different. Shan Cai is the good girl from MG; she loves her friends and family but she is very undecisive when it comes to love, though when she finally decides on who she wants, she is determined to make it work. She has a strong personality, and is sometimes even annoyingly bull-headed. Qi Yue from DBY, is also strong (probably more so in her own subdued way) but at the same time she is a sweet soul. She has a heart of gold, loves her friends and especially her mother. She is fundamentally different from Shan Cai in that she knows from the beginning (and more importantly, is willing to admit) that she loves Ah Meng after acknowledging that her crush on Yuan Yi was simply infatuation. In this sense I find Qi Yue a more level-headed, believable character, as I found it really annoying that Shan Cai couldn't decide on whether she wanted Lei or Dao Ming Si until almost the end of the series.

Speaking of Dao Ming Si, he may seem identical to Ah Meng on the surface but in reality they couldn't be more different. They both play basketball, both are idolized by the girls in their schools, and both have a tough guy exterior, but the similarities stop there. Whereas Dao Ming Si is immature beyond belief, Ah Meng has a kind of wisdom and maturity that goes far beyond his young 19 years. Yuan Yi mentions this in the series, and this is due to Ah Meng's painful past of being neglected as a child. One could say that Dao Ming Si and Ah Meng have similar backgrounds, but both have dealt with their past in extremely different ways. Ah Meng has adopted a determined, devil-may-care (no pun intended) attitude but he evidently cares very much for his family, friends, and especially Qi Yue. Dao Ming Si, on the other hand, has become a selfish jerk who only learns how to really love Shan Cai after some time, while his friendships really aren't that compelling. Ah Meng is also much more willing to both confront and admit his emotions.

Another important difference? Qi Yue and Ah Meng sleep together at the end of the series (finally, something realistic – teen sex!), where Dao Ming Si was constantly mocked by F4 for how he was destined to remain a virgin due to Shan Cai’s views on sex (i.e. sex after marriage).

Though DBY is shorter than MG and also plays more like a comic book, the actual content of DBY is actually more intriguing, especially when one considers the relationships. Whereas MG only had two relationships that were actually interesting (mainly the Dao Ming Si-Shan Cai pairing and the relationship between Dao Ming Si and his mother and sister), DBY boasts some very compelling relationships (besides the Qi Yue - Ah Meng relationship) that could have been explored more.

1. Qi Yue and her mother: They are friends first and mother and daughter second, which makes their interaction both heartfelt and funny.

2. Ah Meng and Ah Rang: The two brothers with a troubling relationship that is mended at the end. Ah Rang does everything to try to destroy Ah Meng, but in reality he just wanted his older brother's attention, whereas Ah Meng has always been deeply envious of Ah Rang for his mother's apparent favouritism, and in the end, they each learned where the other one was coming from.

3. Qi Yue and Li Xiang: Although there is a petty the-boy-is-mine hatred between the two, there is also a kind of grudging respect, especially on behalf of Li Xiang. Li Xiang sums up her feelings about Qi Yue in a very honest scene with Yang Ping. She says "I've always thought that nice, innocent, caring people like Qi Yue were the dumbest people in the world...When she yelled at me, I thought, how could someone who barely knew me so honestly care about me? When I look at her, I suddenly feel so ugly. I'm not angry at her because Ah Meng is attracted to her innocence and friendliness, I'm angry at how she can so honestly face others and herself. On the surface, I just hate her, but in reality I envy her..."

4. Qing Zhi and Yuan Yi: A very realistic portrayal of teen/young adult relationships. The character of Qing Zhi is especially reflective of how girls behave and think in relationships, for example when she forces Yuan Yi to choose between her and his love for basketball.

5. Ah Meng and Yuan Yi: From fighting over the same girl to building a friendship from being teammates, they understand each other in a very subtle way, and also get along though they bicker often. I felt this relationship wasn't explored enough. .

On Acting
Mike He/Ah Meng
I'm probably the only girl who doesn't think Mike He is handsome. In this series he has too much hair, whether it was styled as an 'updo' or just hung down. Half the time I couldn't even see his face. Anyways, his acting was really shaky at first - sometimes he was expressionless, and sometimes he overacted. I didn't like him at all at the beginning. His smug 'devil' look was too over-the-top and exaggerated, but gradually he improved and grew into the role of Ah Meng and gave it a certain kind of intensity and emotional angst. He has phenomenal chemistry with Rainie Yang and they make a very believable, bickering, but sweet couple.

Rainie Yang/Qi Yue
I was really surprised as I expected another young-girl-playing-young girl (read: boring, annoying and horrible) performance, such as those by TVB's Shirley Yeung and the like. Rainie is actually wonderful to watch. Physically she is perfect for the role: cute, pretty, and tiny and thin as a ragdoll. At the beginning she's just cute and funny (with her cartoonish expressions), but as the series moves along there is a certain depth, consistency, and even honesty in her performance as the compassionate and genuine Qi Yue. I love her performance in here as she managed to bring out the maturity and selflessness of her character very well. She definitely has potential as an actress in terms of acting ability, though her appearance will probably prove to be a barrier since she is much too girlish to take on a more mature or sexy role.

Other Characters
Tsang Pei Lin gave a very good performance, giving Qing Zhi extra spice and oomph, though her voice gets pretty irritating after awhile. Wuang Chuanyi is really, really ugly and gives an average performance as decent fellow Yuan Yi. Ivy Fan was very good too as Li Xiang, her best scene is the one when she confesses her true feelings in the scene mentioned above with Yang Ping. Speaking of Yang Ping, I had no idea that the actor was Japanese, maybe he was raised in Taiwan? Anyway, he was incredibly likable as well. Other notable performances go to Tang Qi (who played Yu Sao in MG), whose role is small but the impact is definitely there; and Wu Zhong Tian who was dreamily gentlemanly as Ah Shen. He Du Lin and Ge Wei Ru are funny but get cartoonish sometimes as the lovey-dovey parents.

Music
Like Korean dramas and Meteor Garden, the background music for this series is excellent and appropriate. Special mention to the closing theme and interlude "Ai Mei" (Ambigious), sung with much girly emotion from Rainie, who manages to sound sweet but strong, kind of like Vicki Zhao actually. And the lyrics are perfect for the relationship between Qi Yue and Ah Meng.

To Watch or Not to Watch, That is the Question
As I mentioned, many interesting facets could have been explored more, but as a short, comic-based series it does the job and even exceeds some expectations. A must-watch for Meteor Garden fans, and also recommended for others who need an entertaining quick-fix.

Rating


From the Grapevine
Rainie Yang is most known for her membership in the now-disbanded Taiwanese girl group 4 in Love. Her original English name was Lily until she joined the group, whose manager named the four girls Rainie, Cloudie, Sunnie and Windie. She is the only 4 in Love member still involved in the entertainment business, and has been romantically linked to Hong Kong teen singer-actor Shawn Yue (with whom she denies any romantic involvement, past or present). She has said that Mike He is the best kisser out of all her male co-stars, although they have never dated but are good friends.

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CIB Files [TVB]

Written by Joanne Lee

"I thought this series was unique. Not so much on the storyline, but the way that it was presented."

SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS!

Cantonese Name
Ying See Ching Bo Fo

Number of Episodes
20

Released In
2006

Cast
Bowie Lam Bo Yee – Tony (Chung Shun)
Wong He – Mark (Chung Jing)
Maggie Shiu Mei Kei – Samantha (Hui Sum Yin)
Christine Ng Wing Mei – Emily (Ching Mei Lai)
Supporting Cast
Wai Ka Hung – Daniel (Kwok Ming Wah)
Kenny Wong Dak Bun – William (Hung Hou Cheung)
Chan Hung Lit – Albert (Chung Gam Yuen)
Catherine Chow Ka Yi – May (Ching Mei Mei)
Rachel Kan Muk Wah - Joey
Joey Chan Jou Yee – Michael Chung
Joe Junior – Mo Sir
Yue Yeung – Jim (Jim Yan Keung)
Queenie Chu Wai Man – Rachel Yu

Summary
I'll use actor/actress names to avoid confusion) – (may contain spoilers)

Bowie and Wong He are brothers who are both policemen. At the start of the series, Bowie is already working in the CIB (Criminal Intelligence Bureau). Wong He has just finished his undercover assignment and is transferred over to work in CIB. Bowie is married to Christine, and they have a teenage son, Joey.

Christine works at a magazine company, along with her sister Catherine Chow. Maggie has just changed jobs, along with her assistants Rachel Kan and Ken, and they start to work at the same company as Christine. Both Maggie and Christine pretend to get along at the start, but in actual fact they are constantly trying to undermine each other.

In the first few episodes, you discover that Maggie's mum has alzheimers/dementia, but throughout the series, you also see that there are two other women who she calls 'mum'. Catherine discovers the real reason and spreads it through the company. This increases the warring between Christine and Maggie, and they stop pretending to get along at all.

Bowie and Wong He's father, Chan Hung Lit, returns to Hong Kong and we find that his sons do not have a good relationship with him. He feigns illness, and Wong He takes him in.

There are also many minor storylines evolving around the supporting cast, and there are also many more supporting cast members than what I've listed above – as well as numerous recurring characters (like the OCTB). The co-workers at the CIB headquarters have large roles, as well as the boss of the magazine company and his wife (played by Bel Lau Hiu Tung).

There are various CIB cases throughout the series, not many of them lasting more than an episode. Despite the series being called 'CIB Files', the main focus of the series seems to be the relationships and communication of the characters, as opposed to the police cases.

Evaluation of leading characters and performances
Tony (Chung Shun)
Tony is happily married to Emily, and they live in a nice apartment with their son Michael. He is relatively high ranked in his department, and it seems as if he has it all set out for him in terms of his career and family. He doesn't get along with his father because he blames his father for leaving his mother (and the family) when he was younger. His work at CIB clashes with Emily's work at the magazine, because his police cases are supposed to be very much confidential. For the years that they have been married, Emily knows to step out of the room when Tony is talking about his cases, or else he will leave the room. This system seems to work for them, but it may also have affected their communication – resulting in problems further down the track.

Bowie Lam as Tony
Bowie wasn't bad as Tony, but he wasn't fantastic in any way either. I don't think it was Bowie's fault, because the character is hardly very in-depth for any kind of breakthrough performance. It's similar to many of his previous roles – an amicable professional, who has underlying communication issues with those around him. His rapport with the other actors and actresses was pretty good though, especially considering his character came into contact with so many others.

Mark (Chung Jing)
Mark has worked undercover for a couple of years, and when the series starts, he goes to testify in court – but not before you see him leaving the house…ironing his tie, making sure the taps are off, windows are shut, lights are off, stove is off, etc. He is an extremely cautious individual, but towards the end of the series, you stop noticing it – either because they stopped emphasizing it or because you get used to it (I thought it was the former). He is stubborn and professional, but a tiny bit naïve at the same time. He starts off with a girlfriend, but he only started going out with her because he wanted his undercover to seem truly believable. He starts a relationship with Bonnie, but she actually has several guys who she has stringing along.

Wong He as Mark
I'll start by saying I never liked Wong He. I have seen several of his older series, and I've since tried to avoid his series altogether. The fact that he was in this series almost made me not watch it, but the rest of the cast and the story encouraged me to. I can't say that I really really like him after this, but he has certainly risen in my impression of him. He suited the character fantastically, and he added so many subtle expressions and motions that made his character just that little bit more special and in-depth. He had the advantage of playing a really nice character, but either way, he did a great job. He managed to make you see, but overlook all of Mark's annoying traits by covering it with his good ones.

Samantha (Hui Sum Yin)
Samantha is a headstrong and smart. She has had a string of failed relationships, for one reason or another, and made a decision to concentrate on being a strong professional female. She treats her three mothers very well, and has a great heart – but is wary of others to begin with, and quite suspicious as well. When it comes to people who she truly cares about, she is unwavering in her loyalty to them, but sometimes she jumps to conclusions about people without hearing them out.

Maggie Shiu as Samantha
Maggie has often played headstrong characters but they're usually more 'cool' than Samantha. Maggie perhaps overdid some of the fake nice-ness in the early parts of the series, but that was probably the point. Anyway, she was fabulous as it went on. She delivered her lines naturally and really made the character of Samantha into a three-dimensional person. She was suitably cool and direct if she needed to be, but also very deep and thoughtful in other situations. Despite some comments about her new hairstyle, I thought it was very cute and fashionable.

Emily (Ching Mei Lai)
Emily was always a smart, career orientated woman. She put down her career to raise Michael, and only resumed working after Michael was going to school and relatively grown up. She always wanted to be what she thought was the perfect housewife – the ones who would have dinner on the table for her family when they arrived home. However, because of her high position in her job, she never had time to cook – therefore she would buy take-out and put it in dishes, pretending that she had cooked it. She is quite stubborn as well as suspicious and towards the end of the series, it really shows…but at the very end, she redeems herself.

Christine Ng as Emily
I didn't like the character of Emily towards the middle-end, and Christine did a really good job to make me so passionate in my dislike. The superficial niceness at the beginning was perfect, she captured it so well. It's nice to see her playing a smart character too, instead of the ditzy characters that she seems to have been playing a bit of lately.

Evaluation of the supporting characters and performances
Wai Ka Hung – Daniel (Kwok Ming Wah)
I'll start by saying I saw him in the opening credits, and already disliked him. I remember the actor from Healing Hands III and the character was so irritating that it put me off the actor completely. He is equally as annoying in CIB, but as the series went on, you realize that it just wouldn't be the same without him. He added a bit of a comical element, and as annoying as it was, you had to laugh.

Kenny Wong Dak Bun – William (Hung Hou Cheung)
It was a relatively small role. He didn't really seem necessary at all, and it was such a small character that there wasn't much characterization. You saw that he was trying to get promoted by doing all the wrong things, and his superior disliked him for a pointless reason which you discover in the last episode. Nothing wrong with Kenny, just the character was a little pointless. And he's also called William Hung, which is no doubt a send-up of a certain other William Hung.

Chan Hung Lit – Albert (Chung Gam Yuen)
A role that's different from most others that I've seen him in. More flirtatious, more fun-loving, but I must admit that sometimes I still struggle to understand what he's saying if I don't look at the subtitles. He wasn't bad, and he had good chemistry with the other characters.

Catherine Chow Ka Yi – May (Ching Mei Mei)
Catherine Chow was good. She really made me dislike May. May is Emily's sister, and constantly tries to do little things to mess around with Samantha. She strays from doing horrible pranks on a professional level, to personal attacks. She doesn't really get any better in the end, but she cools down a little and has her redeeming moments.

Rachel Kan Muk Wah – Joey
Joey is Samantha's faithful assistant, and is similar to May in that purpose. She isn't quite as scheming as May is, except for the one time when she framed May for putting a virus on the computer network – but at that stage, I hated May so much that I figured it was her come-uppance. Rachel looks quite pretty in this series, and Joey does a good job in providing Samantha with a confidante of sorts.

Joey Chan Jou Yee – Michael Chung
He really impressed me as a teenage actor. He delivered his lines quite naturally, and had great chemistry with the actors/actresses who he had scenes with. The character of Michael was quite nice; he is overall a good boy. And the young actor really was great.

Joe Junior – Mo Sir
Not too much to say other than his hair. His comb-over to be exact. It really stood out. Apparently it's a send-up of a real high ranked policeman, which is great, because I'd hate to think that they did that to Joe Junior's hair because they thought it looked good.

Queenie Chu Wai Man – Rachel Yu
For her first series, she wasn't bad. Quite unnatural when saying her lines, but at least she did have a little expression. She definitely has room for improvement, but for a first series, I thought it was acceptable. The character seemed naïve and young, and I don't think it really suited Queenie – she looks a little older and a little classier.

Chemistry
Tony and Mark (Bowie and Wong He)
Physically, they really do look like brothers. And their chemistry was good too – you really did believe that they had known each other for years and years, and were family and familiar. Tony and Mark have similar personalities, whilst being different enough to lead the different lives that they ended up with.

Tony and Emily (Bowie and Christine)
They sometimes look like they're really comfortable with each other, and at times they look like they're being terribly superficial. However, that was the point of the characters – they had a communication problem. I thought Bowie and Christine had much more chemistry in this than they did in Misleading Track, but it's hard to create any sparks when you're playing a long-married couple.

Mark and Samantha (Wong He and Maggie)
There was SO much chemistry here. Maggie and Wong He aren't two people who I would have picked as a suitable couple, but once you saw them together on screen, it just worked so well. They really created sparks, and they seemed so comfortable with each other the whole time. As friends, they were nice and chatty, when Samantha was angry at him, it was hilarious, and as a couple, they were just so cute. This is the second time that they've co-operated, and I really wouldn't mind at all if they went for a third.

Samantha and Emily (Maggie and Christine)
Emily and Samantha are similar in many ways. The both of them are smart, suspicious, and cautious. They often predict the moves and motives of the other, and are both just as direct and cold, or suitably fake when needed. They worked really well together when they were feuding, and seemed natural enough when they were almost friends. I suppose it seemed very rushed that they were fighting and then suddenly seemed close, but it didn't seem too out of place – women are fickle, and if the both of them have good hearts, usually you can learn to be civil. And if there are common interests, which there are in this case, then a friendship isn't out of the question.

Overall
I thought this series was unique. Not so much on the storyline, but the way that it was presented. The first episode was a little confusing because it kept skipping around locations and times, but it reveals things part by part and by the end of the episode, you understand what just happened and you've also found out most of the character's relationships.

There are many inside jokes in this as well – the comb-over of Joe Junior, the fact that Kenny's character is 'William Hung', an imitation PTU scene, two imitation Infernal Affairs scenes, the fact that OCTB were terribly intense, and more. It does seem a little lame, but it makes you laugh, even if only for a second or two.

I also like how the previews are always misleading – you watch it and think that you've been completely spoilt because you know what's going to happen, but then when you watch the episode, you find out that it's not like that at all. The series in general is quite misleading, they try to make you think that somebody did something or that something will happen, and then you find that it was all wrong. I think this would have something to do with Chik Kei Yi and his atypical filming styles – although the ending was a little typical. The very ending was nice, but unexciting.

I definitely recommend it, but probably only if you're watching it in Cantonese – it is rather colloquial. I really enjoyed it, and it is a modern series so you feel like you can relate to. I wanted to give it 5/5, but I can't say it was perfect, but it was close. And the clothes and accessories worn by the ladies were just gorgeous.

Rating

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La Femme Desperado [TVB]

Written by Black Eyed Susan

"Although it is a light-hearted series, there is a deeper meaning behind it. It will make you reflect on your own life and not only the women, but the men as well."

SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS!

Chinese Title (Cantonese)
Nui Yan Mm Yee Tsow aka It’s Hard Being a Woman

Released in
2006

Cast
Sheren Tang – Hoi Kiu aka Hilda
Melissa Ng – Ko Chi Ling aka Ko Ling
Michael Tse – Man King Loong aka ah Man
Raymond Lam – Chai Fun aka Siu Chai
Kenneth Ma – Ko Chi Lik aka ah Lik
Kate Tsui – Hoi Suen aka Ida
Leung Ka Yan – Ko Wing Tim aka Tim Sok
Cindy Au – Kong Ching Ching aka Crystal
Jacqueline Law – Huen Bo Ting aka Venus
Savio Tsang – Ma Sai Hing aka Pluto
Lee Ka Sing – Ko Chi Lan
Nathalie Wong – Kwan Ka Jung
Mary Hon – Tong Lai Chu aka Chu Jie
Ching Ho Wai – Lau Wai Sin

Summary
It isn’t easy being a woman in modern society. Some women live for their career, other for their family. In the end, they all want to combine both in their life. Let’s introduce Ko Chi Ling. She is a woman who grew up in a traditional, chauvinistic and patriarchal family. Since she was little, she has been taught to never disobey her father (or her husband), that a woman’s place in the family is lower than that of a man and that every woman should find herself a safe haven. However, when Ko Ling discovered that her haven wasn’t really that idyllic and her husband was cheating on her, she summoned all her courage and stood up against a man for the first time. In the meantime, enter Hilda. She is totally the opposite of Ko Ling. An independent, strong and successful career woman as well as Ko Ling’s new boss. Despite their contrasting personalities, they became close friends and even ‘sister’. Ko Ling is the only person who knows that under the hard business woman image, Hilda is actually longing for her own family. More specifically, she wants to have her own child without having to deal with the father as she has lost faith in all men. Soon Ko Ling is pursued by Siu Chan, who is 7 years her junior, her subordinate as well as her former tutoring pupil. And after a one-night-stand with Ko Ling’s ex-husband, Hilda got pregnant. Can Ko Ling accept a toyboy and work out the many problems that such an age difference brings? Will Hilda ever tell ah Man that he is actually the father and involve him in his daughter’s life?

Performances
Sheren Tang
Throughout the entire series Sheren gave a very strong performance. She was solid and consistent. I don’t think I have detected a weak spot in her acting. Her feelings were conveyed very realistically and at the right time. One of the few actresses who knows how to use her eyes to subtly express her emotions. She really nailed down this portrayal of a modern and independent woman who lives for her career. This character reminds me of ‘Yu Fei’ in “War and Beauty”.

Melissa Ng
Melissa’s portrayals have always been consistent. Her character resembles closely to Yung Ka Man in “Fantasy Hotel”. I actually had a feeling of déjà-vu. Even though it is a similar character, you can’t deny that she did deliver a good performance. I especially like her in emotional scenes where she manages to convey the right emotions. There’s nothing more to add, but I am still waiting for her breakthrough role.

Michael Tse
His portrayal of Man King Loong was on par with that of Sheren Tang’s Hilda. Only the fact that everyone hated his character at the beginning, yet loved him by the end of the series shows how realistic and true his performance was. His facial expressions range from tenderness when he is holding Hayley to shrewdness like in the beginning. He really stood out and grabbed my attention. Great performance!

Raymond Lam
What a difference with Fung Hang Lit in “Lethal Weapons of Love and Passion”! His current character is totally the opposite from the mature, calm and intelligent Fung Hang Lit. He knows how to use his facial expressions to bring out Chai Fun’s immaturity and impatience. Examples are widening the eyes, a bright childish smile, but at times also a quite exaggerated display of enthusiasm and excitement. Raymond has shown with this character that he is more than able to handle various roles.

Kenneth Ma
I was actually quite surprised that they have cast Kenneth in the role of the chauvinistic ah Lik. Her certainly doesn’t look like one, but he pulled it off nicely. Although he is still a bit stiff in some scenes, his voice does lack some authority and his face is often pulled in a big frown, but he does exude some chauvinism through his positioning and big gestures-attitude. His performance was OK, but like I have said before I don’t think he is leading material.

Kate Tsui
It was rather a pleasant surprise to discover that her performance wasn’t too bad as I believe this is her first series. There is something natural about her, although her facial expressions seems to be lacking. She tends to crumple her face a lot in emotional scenes without conveying a particular emotion. She also often talks in a shouting manner as well as regularly overacts her feelings. However, her overall performance is tolerable and I am looking forward to her future roles.

My favourite scenes
• Hilda wanted to test Chai Fun to see if he was really the perfect guy to conceive a baby with. As they know, he was very loyal to the girl of his dreams, so Hilda ordered Ko Ling to seduce Chai Fun and thus test his loyalty. Ko Ling was extremely nice and flirty to Chai Fun, she even wore a sexy dress to seduce him. However, both women didn’t know that Chai Fun’s dream girl was actually Ko Ling, so he was really trying his best to resist her which lead to quite some funny scenes.

• When ah Man found out that Hilda was pregnant, he offered her to be the ‘father’ of her unborn child. He continued to tell Hilda how he has became the man he was now and why he longed to have his own child. Very touching and emotional scene with a great performance from Michael Tse.

• After Hilda quit her job, she took her belongings and left the building. On her way out, she saw ah Man and Ko Ling having an argument. There she discovered that it was actually Ko Ling who has betrayed her. Her facial expression was priceless as ah Man told her almost triumphantly that it really wasn’t him who has betrayed him. He then said: “It is even more horrifying when good people do bad things compared to bad people.” This quote really depicts reality.

• When ah Man and Hilda found out that ah Lik had a crush on Hilda’s sister, Ida, ah Lik told them that he didn’t know how he should pursue her. Hilda and ah Man showed ah Lik how he should act when he goes out with a girl to a restaurant. The contrast between how ah Lik behaved and how Hilda and ah Man did, was just so funny. And I was thinking by myself how come I never have had such a date the way ah Man and Hilda showed it.

Comments
• I have always been quit wary about relationships between older women and younger men. Knowing that this series will have such a relationship initially turned me off. However, curiosity and Raymond Lam convinced me to give this series a chance. Although it hasn’t changed my opinion about these kind of relationships, but I have enjoyed this series a lot. Besides Melissa Ng and Raymond Lam pulled it off really well as the chemistry between them was really sweet.

• Frankly, from the three female characters I disliked Ko Ling the most as the series progressed. I wouldn’t like to have a friend like her. The reasons for betraying Hilda were only mere excuses, especially when she claims that they are ‘sisters’. I know that gullibleness is part of someone’s personality and you can’t really change that, but she should have had more faith and trust in her ‘sister’.

• This is one of the rare series where the TVB scriptwriters did their best to create three-dimensional characters. Every character is flawed and like in reality, their personality will undergo changes in reaction of certain events that will occur in their lives. For example, Chai Fun was a carefree person in the beginning, but since his marriage he felt pressure for the first time. Or Hilda, who is a straightforward and cunning career woman, but mellowed down considerably by motherhood. Very real and true to the life that we all know.

• I thought the second version of the ending was a bit unnecessary. Is it really that important for Ko Ling and Chai Fun to get married again? Does ah Man really need to know that Hayley is in fact his real daughter? In my eyes, life can be even more blissful when one is a bit ignorant. The fact that in the second version Ko Ling and Chai Fun are getting married again gives me the impression of too perfect and too happy. It gives me the feeling that all women crave for marriage. Seems to be a bit too traditional for my liking.

The verdict
With a quite refreshing and good flowing plot as well as a great cast, I can’t not recommend this series. Although it’s a light-hearted series, there is a deeper meaning behind it. It will make you reflect on your own life and not only the women, but the men as well.

Rating

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