Released In
2006
Note
Apparently this series has yet to be released in HK officially. I really wonder why...
Chinese Title
Chin Fong Bak Kai which literally translates to thousands of ways, hundreds of tricks. Used usually in a sentence where you wish to describe the many attempts you try to do something. Maybe the chinese words may be different here since TVB loves to use play of words but quite literally that is what it means. And since this is a series about tricksters I suppose this is an apt title although when I first heard it I actually thought this is a comedy until I read "Price Of Greed". Now if there is a really serious dramatic title, this is it. And it does make you wonder; what price is greed? As this series shall explain, don't bother to question because even if the price is death, someone was laughing all the way to hell so what price is that?!
Cast-Character
Bosco Wong as Lui To
Sammul Chan as Tsui Fung
Shirley Yeung as Yan Yu Mui
Kate Tsui as Lam Ping
Kingdom Yeun as Lo Sei Leung
Vivien Yeo as Suen Wu Sang
Kwok Fung as Lam Sai Fung
Chan Hung Lit as Mao Chun
Sam Chan as Lam Wah
Mary Hon as Fong Miu Chi
Ben Wong as Ching Zi Hiem
Summary
Taken from wikipediawhich is accurate enough for me to save my breath of repeating the same thing
When Lui To (Bosco Wong) was just a child, he and another girl, Yan Yu Mui (Shirley Yeung), were kidnapped on the same day by an organization which kidnapped children in order to sell and exploit for labour. He and Yan Yu Mui were able to escape with the help of Lo Sei Leung, a woman who worked for the organization but had wanted to leave them for a long time.
On the run from the organization, the three become a family of sorts and live day to day on the money earned from Lo Sei Leung's cons, much to the displeasure of Lui To. Lui To's adamantly honest ways and naive sense of justice gets the better of them when Yan Yu Mui ends up with a fever; since Lui To had given the last of their money to a begger, they accept medicine from a seedy medicine seller which leaves Yan Yu Mui mute.
Many years later, Lui To becomes a police officer while Yan Yu Mui attends school and plays the violin. Lui To falls in love with a wealthy girl, Lam Ping (Kate Tsui), but is disappointed to discover she is in love with Tsui Fung (Sammul Chan), a con artist. He is unaware that Yan Yu Mui has a crush on him, seeing her only as a younger sister. In order to protect Lam Ping, Lui To investigates Tsui Fung and discovers his dark past. Though he is unable to stop Lam Ping from marrying Tsui Fung, he must try and save her from becoming another victim of Tsui Fung's cons.
The Whole Damn Plot
Let me confess first that I did not diligently follow this series because I was busy following the Olympics and sometimes too lazy to switch to Ch 311 to watch this series. But I did manage to see most of it and I was quite surprised to see Bosco Wong and Sammul Chan headlining this series, one as a good guy and the other a really bad guy. Interestingly Sammul is the really bad guy but I suppose it is apt; he does have this goody two shoes look and you know what Chinese love to say; gentleman always turns out to be the bad ones. In this series may I stress really bad one. So bad I am afraid Sammul's fans may be very upset with how bad his character is but good news is variety is good for the audience and to see him give a different take is a good thing at the end of the day. Moreover I don't think this is his first evil role anyway.
However before I can go on watching this series, I have to get through 3 women that each one of them has every potential to ruin this series for me; Kate Tsui (luckily minus her lip gloss), Shirley Yeung (she plays a mute in here!) and of course Malaysia's very own Vivien Yeo (unrecognisable- she looks so dark and thin but I recognise her accent anywhere). How did these 3 fare? More on that later. I really want to comment on the plot which thankfully this series has plenty of.
As you can read from the Summary, Bosco and Shirley were both kidnapped by Kingdom and gang to use as child beggars I suppose but Kingdom had a change of heart and decided to rescue them and raise them as her own. before you're confused and think this is a series about identity and soul searching, let me put it plainly to you; never in the entire series will you see Bosco or Shirley search for their family. In fact Shirley in the end explained that she had a family, that is Bosco and Kingdom. Bear in mind what happened to little Madeline, I find this part of the plot disturbing but hey this is TVB, so everything is a-ok.
Shirley likes Bosco, that we know from the outset, Bosco sees her as his sister, that we know from the outset, Bosco likes Kate who is a very rich girl, that we all also know and Kate is crazily in love with the at first missing Sammul, that we also know.
So what is the mystery then? Well this series isn't about mystery either. If you are frustrated by the lack of categorisation of this series, you should be because we all know from the outset the intentions of each and every person in this series, there is no mystery in that department. What this series has however is perhaps characterisation, the experience certain characters go through to change from A to B. Something like that. It is ultimately a drama about human nature. Which is why Sammul features heavily in here, because even before we met him, we already know him and his name, being repeated countless of times and when he appears and up until the end, his character dominates this series and everything that happens or didn't happen is simply because of this one singular character. You will get to know him quite well actually, and whether you like his Fung or not, in the end you kinda wondered what would have happened if he had taken a different route.
Anyway, Sammul has been missing for a year and for that 1 year Kate was looking for him every day, through ads on the papers much to the annoyance of her sich father, Kok Fung who suspected Sammul was not a good guy. Bosco a policeman decided to help her trace his whereabouts and in the end he found out that he may have been drowned during a ferry mishap a year ago. After begging the captain and authorities to look and look and running away from home, Kate found out Sammul may be dead and she was the one who claimed his body a year ago. So the mystery was did she or didn't she? Is she crazy because of grief or isn't she? Point is it doesn't matter because at the end of the day even the writers seem to lose track on this dramatic scene and I find myself asking my sister who watched every single episode "So since she didn't claim the body obviously as Sammul didn't die, who forged her signature and took his diary?" and she was like "Ermmm.... ermmmmm". Plothole aside, Kate went home to her loving father and life goes on until she bumped into Sammul again, same guy, same person, and he was alive. Can't remember his excuse, probably knocked unconcious, was seriously injured, couldn't come back to her but anyway she took him back with open arms. Bosco didn't like the look of Sammul and even Kingdom suspected if this man was a trickster he would be the best one there is because you can't find loophole in his lies. And in one amazing feat of all, despite her father's objections, she decided to go against her father's wishes and be with Sammul who promptly made her pregnant. Being pregnant meant he would have to marry her and her father, after all objections and all, had to say yes in the end. And so they married and they got a son.
4 years later, life went on, Bosco left with the family, business was under the control of Kate who is under control of Sammul and her father was slowly being poisoned, guess by who? Kate has a brother who ran into some trouble and despite everybody, absolutely everybody telling her Sammul has been taking money from the company, etc etc etc, she believed him unequivocally until her father was seriously sick and admitted to the hospital. Unable to speak and very weak, Sammul got bigger control over Kate and even proposed to sell the business to make a quick buck.
Joke is everybody knew this man had cheated another girl before. Cheated her heart, her body, her family and ultimately her life. Can't remember her name but again Kate didn't believe any of it. She even scolded Bosco (that was 4 years ago before she married him) and Shirley who tried to help uncover the truth about his true intentions. She didn't believe anyone but her love for him.
Sammul then met and kinda became infatuated with Vivien who he later found out was the wife of a doctor, Ben who used to woo Kate and Vivien's father is some ex-general with money and powerful connections. Sammul set her as his next target. Ben spent lots of time with Kok Fung and had the patience to slowly write down words he wanted to say one stroke at a time because Kok Fung became mute. He died and Kate knew what her father was trying to tell her. Together with Ben, she stopped the sale of the business and declared openly she wished to divorce Sammul. They left in Ben's car but Sammul was cool because next thing you know, accident happened and both of them seriously injured, leaving them in a coma. Sammul retrieved the money and company seal taken from Kate and now has complete control of the business but he didn't own it yet until she dies. Problem is she is still alive. Bosco in trying to ensure her safety tricked Sammul into agreeing to take Kate home by slashing his own hand, punched Sammul and claimed there was an assassin out to get Kate's life. With Kate at the house, at least if she is dead everyone will suspect Sammul so basically Sammul has to keep her alive. Ben woke up, didn't die but before he could reveal the truth, Sammul suffocated him at the hospital, with Shirley hiding and seeing everything. And then Sammul tricked Vivien into believing Ben and Kate were eloping and being a very angry wife, Vivien turned to Sammul for comfort and thus began their sexual affair.
What they didn't count on was Kate waking up which she did. But she pretended to be still in coma because she knew she would be in danger. Meanwhile Bosco and gang tried to uncover Sammul and his master (who was once partner with Kingdom) were cheats to Vivien's father but to no avail. Vivien didn't believe all those lies. They lied they have a tape recording of Sammul's wrongdoings but that was a lie. Kate meanwhile tried everynight to knocked down the locked windows to no avail and one of the trickster working for Sammul's master began to suspect something was amiss. Sammul decided to test kate by crying emotionally about how sick their son was, etc etc etc but Kate remained unmoving and so Sammul was satisfied. Actually Kate took sleeping pills so he could have thrown the son out of the window also she wouldn't have made a move.
One night she managed to escape and Sammul knew he wouldn't keep up with her. Instead of going to the police, she taunted Sammul and Vivien and in the end decided to make a bargain; money in return for her son. Sammul and herself were in the church where they one had a romantic night out many years before and Kate found herself quite disgusted with Sammul. Sammul did not tell her where is her son and instead took the money and was about to run (because by now Vivien's father was convinced he was a trickster and had asked his men to track him down whilst he himself killed off every other member including his master if I am not mistaken) when Vivien suddenly appeared and told him to believe her because she is pregnant with his child. Super sperminator I tell you. Anyway he didn't believed that she had arranged for his escape and instead kicked, punched, dragged the obviously bleeding Vivien towards the door when Kate who was very angry slapped him for being inhuman. He saw the blood on the floor, for a moment flinched and then let Vivien go and opened the door to leave. Bosco and police were ready and shot him. He didn't die.
Before his execution, he cried to say his thanks to Kate who with Bosco came to say a final goodbye. He promised to tell her where their son was if she were to let him go (I suppose victim's family can forgive the killer and thus commute his sentence to life imprisonment?) but instead she walked away. Sammul laughed cruely and said "You acted so pious and kind, in the end you are just like me!" and he died, laughing.
Some time passed, Shirley and Kingdom left for Vienna for Shirley's musical education, Bosco stayed back to be with Kate who is busy running the business and opened an orphanage whilst looking for her missing son. Cut to a scene on the train a crying 5 year old and an elderly couple saying "We promise we will find your mommy" and cut back to Kate and Bosco at the train station where Kate told Bosco "Let's play a game. If the next train we see a child disembarking from the train, it means my son is alive and well" and so they waited for the train as we hear Shirley's voiceover "If I could wish for a wish on my birthday, I wish for all my wishes that I shall have in all my birthdays that Sister Peng shall have her wish come true" and we hear the chooo-chooo of the train with Bosco and Kate sitting at the train station smiling.
The end.
Questions Asked And Answered
So what happened to Vivien?
Don't know.
So what happened to the son?
Don't know.
Did they reunite?
Don't know.
Is there anything you know that I could get some conclusion from this series?
Don't know.
Summary of the ending
Don't know.
Which is true. But like all TVB series you can safely assume the next train the elderly couple would disembark with that young boy and that boy turns out to be her son. Hope you see, must hope.
Comments
The ending sucks. It sucks big time. Even my sister, an avid fan of this series up until that point felt it sucks and I told her "I know why it sucks" and she asked "Why?". "Two theories" I said "Either the writer wrote badly or Kate Tsui is one awful actress or better yet, both". Because there we were sitting there in our living room with total disbelief that the mother can be so zen when her son is still listed as missing. When Sammul asked to bargain, his life for the son's whereabouts, surprisingly Kate walked away. What should have been a better story would be Kate agreeing, reunited with her son and Sammul rotting in jail forever. To see her so zen about it all, seeing her so calm was disconcerting, more so when in episode 1-3, she was raving mad and that was because she lost her boyfriend. Now boyfriend and son, who is closer? That kinda spoilt the show for me. But there are more reasons to spoil it.
Frankly the story is engaging. Sammul's Tsui Fung is such a bastard you will be glued to the TV just to watch how he can manipulate his way around his women. He is manipulative. Some call it charming when it is positive but when it is negative it is manipulative. This was explored but not fully. I just wished he was all out manipulative but somehow the series seemed rather subdued in that point. I was also quite confused with some actions of some characters.
Take Vivien's character who slept with Sammul because she thought her husband, Ben cheated on her first. I kept thinking how would this woman feel when she slept with the man who wronged and killed her husband? Never got the answer because this Vivien was as dumb as the earlier Kate. She even went as far as helping him to escape and even when he punched, kicked and dragged her when she said she was pregnant and bleeding all over the place, she still begged him to "run, run now before they catch you, runnnnn". This woman gives all women a bad name. Poor Ben having married such a useless wife. So what happened to her? She died? Nice touch would be to have her visiting Sammul before he died, to find a final resolution only to have him laugh at her face and she walk away, used, unwanted, dejected, rubbished, garbaged, humiliated .. whatever to make her feel small that she is. I really hate this character because she is just so darn stupid.
Acting wise, Vivien Yeo is awful. But she is deservingly awful since she is new and this is like one of those major roles and so dramatic and emotional so being awful is expected. I expected better Cantonese though but then she could be playing a Shanghainese so that's ok. She has no best moment frankly and since I hated her character and disliked the actress I really have nothing positive to say about her except.. well except... she is slim?
Then there's Kate's character. Like I said son missing and she was like "I hope he is well, I hope he is well taken care of by kind people, I will see him one day and even if I don't I know he is well taken care of by people who loves him". I wonder what made her think that way? Compare to when she was looking for the supposedly dead Sammul "NOOOO, NOOOO, HE IS NOT DEADDDDDD!!! HE WILL NEVER LEAVE ME!!! HE PROMISED! HE PROMISED HE WILL COME BACK TO MEEEEEEEEEE! NOOOO! HE IS STILL ALIVE!!! PLEASE TRUST MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!". I tell you this woman would die for that man and not for her son.
Acting wise for Kate, it is to me bearable until towards the end with regards to the missing son. That just takes the cake as the worst acting in this series because her expressions is all wrong. Whilst what was the series where she had two tubes of lipgloss on her lips in every scene and so the discussion is on her lips and wet looking hair, in here is her amazingly big wide eyes which I feel she didn't need any special effects to do that, she is her own special effects. Her eyes seem wider and wider as the series went on and on to the point that her entire facial muscle is dedicated to making her eyes wide, wider and widest she kinda forgotten to use those very muscles towards other areas that can create some sort of human expressions on her face. Her face seems locked in a perpetual stillness, doll like, unemotional. Her voice was awful as well. I think when she overacts in the beginning (those screaming, crying, kicking when her Sammul was missing or those apologetic looks when her father scolded her for being crazy over a dead man) it was at least more human than what she displayed in the end which is so non-human to me. She is simply the worst because she could have done so much better. I know she is capable of doing better of course, I like to have that level of faith in new actresses if not I might as well switch off the TV. But somehow something was missing. Her performance was like 2 extremes; extremely upset, extremely zen like. I do think she will do well in crazy woman type of roles so she can go extreme at anytime. In fact the way she talks and acts expecially zen like was like a whimsical doll-child, almost spaced out type of eye and she just gives me an impression of this scary woman suddenly devoid of a soul. I know I am being too poetic here or perhaps too descriptive but do you know what I mean? From possessed with a malevolent hyper entity to suddenly devoid of a soul. That's her performance in this series and I really don't know how else to describe it.
And then there's the pointlessness of Shirley's character. At first potential love interest/rival to Kate for Bosco's attention but somewhere along way the way the whole issue was unexplored and halfway through the write must have had enough and decided to disappear her for the next few episodes and finally she re-appeared, pointless as ever.
Shirley's performance is awful, almost the worst if not for Kate's strange and creepy performance. Shirley plays a mute here and for that one second I was so happy until I heard her voiceover and I was like "Where is the script integrity here huh? If she is mute, make sure she is mute. Use subtitles for god's sake!" but they adopted the Return Of The Cuckoo method; she sign language and she voiceovers and amazingly everybody knows what she is saying WITHOUT REALLY LOOKING AT HER HANDS. This family is telephatic. Anyway even when she was signing, she was awful. I have never seen anyone sign language as bad as she speaks her lines. Let's not talk about her performance; it was over the top and when she signs, she reminds me of the way she talks; awful. I won't say fake, I would say inadequate. Like her acting, even her sign language is like acting and I do not know sign language but something tells me she is a tad slow and a tad not quite right. Like her fingers are not so nimble and like her performance, her hand signing is as wooden as her performance is over the top bad. If you must know has she improved? How can I answer that when this is a different role and she is as awful as she was in her other roles? Deproved maybe not, improve hard to tell. All I can say is the moment I see her face, her sign language and hear her voiceover I was like groaning in pain from watching her. If she had been mute with subtitles, maybe I can take it but I just can't take Shirley Yeung who talks, and had to act with her face, body AND hands all at the same time. It just emphasise how bad she was. Her sign language is almost like the way she talks; very unconvincing and slow. She needs to loosen up a little and not be so hyper about everything. In fact she is like the direct opposite of the daze and confused looking Kate. And she was so bad, that the writer decided to remove her from the series when I am sure at first she was meant to be perhaps the third party in the relationship between Kate and Bosco which was what the early indication was. That is probably the smartest thing a writer/producer/writer can do to save this series from total doom but it would have been better if someone just memo-ed Kate to remind her that losing a son is as bad maybe even worse than losing a boyfriend so her expressions must at least equal that at the beginning.
And how did the guys fare? Also direct opposites. Not just in character but simply opposite.
Bosco Wong is a handsome young man, and here he looks really good, even if he was ever in one tweed jacket or whatever you call it. He has the looks that suit an olden day series which is great since there are far too many too modern looking actors with highlighted modern cut hair running around in a series set in such a time. So I appreciate the looks. Whilst I am not disgruntled with his performance, frankly I have nothing much to add. His performance is like one face show the entire series; same expressions, same dead eyes. I have a problem with his eyes; I can't see the passion, I can't see the fiery anger or love or whatever. I can see only dullness, like a fixed gaze. I suppose one of the biggest asset of an actor is his expressive eyes and my criticism of Bosco is not enough. The way he talks is the same in every series, and when he acts serious, he looks really serious, and when he acts silly, he still looks serious. He is one of those actors like Marco Ngai; same face, sound and mannerism throughout his entire career but the question is can he somehow make a difference between all characters he plays? Somehow Marco Ngai can and I can't explain why. In fact I was watching this AND watching what's the series called? Heart Of Greed? That one with the abalone story and I realise he has the same gravely serious look on his face. Not much distinction, might as well have been the same character in different era. That being said whilst I am not entirely excited by his performance, I find him having a certain maturity and appeal that most young actors or even most actors lack. He seems so very stable, very self assured, good ethics and has improved from his first performance, I believe given time he could make a difference in his performances. But for this series, I feel inadequate would be the right word I am looking for.
Sammul Chan is a shock. I mean he looks like a decent fellow, looks like he can't kill, maim or even shout at anyone but in here he did all those things and more. His most memorable scene was the one with him, Kate and Vivien in the church as he dragged Vivien on the floor by her hair. That was pure viciousness. I applaud his bravery in accepting this horrible devious terrible evil bastard and in some way he has come a long way from those smiling gentle-man man type of role. He didn't do great to tell you the truth but a change is refreshing. I suppose you need to be not THAT famous to take on a juicy role that could improve you. His character is appalling. Even till the end he was laughing to his death. I didn't quite pity his character as I should have given his sad unknown background. All I know is he starved, he begged, he had to be a trickster, he was raised by a fraud and he needed to survive. But interestingly his character is just plain dumb. I mean he met Kate who is obviously head over heels over him. He could have stopped and by defacto he could have been a somebody; like a phoenix rising after burning to the ground. That woman would have given her life to him and he could have had a very comfortable life. But perhaps he was greedy, maybe his brain was wired that way, somehow he felt restless and he just needed to cheat her! I was thinking why? Why waste time since you found youself a good place now. Then he met Vivien and I always had this impression he actually likes Vivien, he may be falling for her in fact, he seems fascinated with her and yet back to square one; he wanted to cheat her, he even dragged her. He didn't trust anyone except himself and he seems bent on destroying everything, even himself. In the end he is not a trickster or a fraud; he is a destroyer and he enjoys destroying people's life and he loves no one but himself; so he is a narcisstic evil bastard. Frankly I would have loved it if they show his character actually human; by falling for Vivien for real but then felt he could not have run away from his past and so he kill himself or gets caught. But none of those. Which is why this series is not satisfactory; good guys and bad guys are so easily and lazily compartmentalised that it is just very predictable. Why not make him an ambigous bad guy? Does he love her or does he not" Is there a conscience in there? This character could have been a complex one and would have lifted this series to a different level but unfortunately the writers lack either the imagination or the courage to give us such a character. And I always wonder what happened to Vivien's character at the end? If she loved him so much even when she was having a miscarriage because he dragged her, why wasn't she at his execution? Wouldn't it be more emotionally heart wrenching to see some sort of humanity in this man's eyes when he sees her or better yet when he cruelly laugh at his face and spurn her love even at his death? That he was playing them all along? Anyway, I was deviating from my point. Sammul Chan has improved as an actor. Nowhere near greatness, nowhere near phenomenal but overall watcheable as he was quite good at being such sleazy character whilst looking rather angelic and handsome. I feel he falters a bit during those really really serious scenes where he shows his angst. Well it is not easy acting dramatic without being dramatic I suppose so to give him credit, I thought he handled himself well in this villanous role. Problem is his character was not very well written as he should have been, if not I am sure Sammul may be able to shine more. He does look like he was having fun with this character though.
Everybody else was ok, not that I remember them at all. Maybe I remember Kingdom Yuen and frankly am I the only one who finds her a good actress but somehow in this character she is just not? That she was quite awful partly because her character was so weirdly written? I mean the way she stands, talks and walks as a trickster seems pretentios. Anyway what do I know eh? I have been out of reviewing series maybe my eyes is just deceiving me. How can Kingdom Yuen be inadequate?
I must comment on the issues in this series though. It is no laughing matter and I find it very very strange that the children as in Bosco and Shirley made no effort to look for their real parents. I kept speculating Shirley must be rich man's daughter, Bosco must be rich man's son. Or even other plot like Shirley may be the 3rd party between Bosco and Kate or Sammul will call for real for Vivien or Sammul will hurt Shirley to hurt Bosco, etc. I kinda got all that impression earlier on and suddenly halfway the whole series shifted gear into something... different and then became bland as in seen it, done it, forgotten about it. I wondered about that issue about Kate signing the documents to claim Sammul's body a year before she met him again but then this issue was not answered, maybe it did but I may have simply missed it. The whole police investigating the accident of Kate and Ben was strange. Everybody knows she screamed at the top of her lungs that she intends to divorce Sammul, and then the accident happen and Sammul took control of the company. Anybody with sense would have investigated Sammul but the police, knowing this fact was shown as bumbling, stupid, muddled minded idiots whose greatest contribution to this story is standing there, crossing their arms and speculating about things when the real clues were right before their eyes. Can I call that stupid storytelling or lazy storytelling or I am not bothered storytelling? Then the whole issue about Vivien not having any issue with how her husband actually died, how her father found out about Sammul's true intention, the way Bosco and Kingdom tried to convince the world Sammul and gang were trickster and even how Kate was so cool about her missing son but went bonkers when Sammul went missing ... all inadequacies and plot holes just point to how awful the storytelling was. In fact I think I have more issue with the story than the performances and the performances only made things worse.
All in all, this is an enjoyable series which could have been much better. If you just ignore the discrepencies and watch it to see how evil Sammul can be, I think you will enjoy this series. But if you're looking for total entertainment, something that entertains whilst questions, this is not the one for you. In fact no TVB series can take that claim except for those yesteryears series. I think I may have gone rusty in my reviewing skills. My critical eyes are also dusty, if not how could I have made the statement "something that entertains whilst questions" in the same breath as I say TVB series nowadays? I can't even convince myself how can I convince you? I need to write more reviews. Watch the series as I would have before. Now I am just like the writer of this series; lazy... so lazy I am not bothered with the details and consistencies and so it shows, this entire review shows how not being bothered with the details could cost what could have been a fantastic thought provoking entertaining critical analysis review into those one of the boys, bland, seen it, read it, ignored it type of reviews. The same analysis could be said of this series.
Verdict
Strictly for fans but I am sure fans of Sammul may be appalled at his character and yet overjoyed that at least he is taking on a different character. The rest can just watch this for the parade of eye candies. I mean Kate is pretty, Vivien too in her own ways, Bosco is pretty too. Ok, even Shirley in cute, sometimes. But if you're looking for good performances, best find something else because the performances in here are passable but nothing earth shattering or worth talking about.
Interesting Note
4 years on and this series is still in winter mode. They're probably experiencing the longest winter ever. How the actors can wear so many layers of clothes and yet not even sweat? HOW? TELL ME NOW! HOW???
29 August 2008
28 August 2008
THE SEVENTH DAY [HKTVB]
Year
2008
Chinese Title
"Jui Mei Lai Dik Dai Chut Teen" (translates to the most beautiful seventh day)
No of episodes
20
Cast
Kevin Cheng Ka Wing as Yau Chi Wing
Niki Chow Lai Kei as Ling Ka Yan
Bosco Wong Jung Jak as Don
Natalie Tong Si Wing as Sasa
Sam Chan Yu Sum as Dino
Eddie Lee Yu Yeung as Ken
Elaine Tong Si Wing as Jade
Charmaine Li as Jessie
Stephanie Che Yuen Yuen as Sasa's stepmother
Kiki Sheung as Yan's aunt
Foreword
This was one of my most anticipated series of 2008 as soon as I saw the trailer. Apart from starring my guilty-pleasure favourite couple, the good-looking but questionably talented Kevin Cheng and Niki Chow and the pretty cinematography in Japan, the description of the plot was more than intriguing. Not because it would offer anything new, but because I wanted to see TVB's interpretation of a tragic, terminal illness-related love story that has dominated mostly the world of Korean entertainment.
Review
History has shown that, somewhere out there in the universe, there is a solid fan base for the tragic, terminal illness love story because, well - if there weren't, Korean (and some other Asian) dramas would stop making these stories. So, would TVB, with its tradition of profession/corporate dramas partnered with a seemingly bottomless talent nosedive, fare well in its interpretation of this story archetype? Conventional wisdom suggests no. And in the case of The Seventh Day, conventional wisdom rings true.
The challenge with remaking a done-to-death storyline is that you have got to bring SOMETHING new to the game. Either have some new/refreshing/excellent acting or newcomers (hmm, for the life of me, I can't think of an example here), a new pairing, or an untraditional twist in the plot (Korea's ...ing). TSD has neither of these. The premise is interesting. Two guys with the same birthday (August 7th) encounter two girls and fall in love, though their relationships turn out dramatically differently.
Niki Chow is photogenic, bubbly, and has a likably tomboyish screen presence, but her acting needs some serious improvement. She tends to act with her eyebrows (as opposed to with her eyes), which distracts me from watching what her eyes reveal about her character's emotions. She also seems to be somewhat the same in every series she acts in. What I mean is, she injects a bit too much of her real-life personality in her performances, making each of them undistinguishable from each other. Crying is also definitely not her best asset as an actress. The voice she cries with is irritating and childish. However, she has great chemistry with Kevin Cheng (though she is a bit too tall for him). Her best moment was when near the end of the series when she seems to have given up on fighting her illness (before her second-last operation and after she has her baby).
Kevin is equally, if not more, charismatic and is still smoking hot (can you believe the man is approaching 40? He could pass for 25!), but his acting skills have only improved slightly since I last saw him (Hard Fate). There's something missing in this performance. He is a decent actor, but this was not an earth-shattering performance. Put it this way, I still remember Wong Hei's performance in Burning Flame I, Raymond Lam's performance in A Step Into the Past, and Julian Cheung's performance in Return of the Cuckoo, but I can assure you that I will forget about Kevin's performance next week. One exceptional scene, however, was when he confronts Yan about her illness. Kevin did a good job in that scene, with real tears and an emotional voice. But you see, one excellent scene can't make up for 18 episodes of so-so acting.
Natalie Wong is still as boring as ever. She can act, but she has no screen presence. I want to fall asleep whenever she's on the screen. And Bosco... what to say about Bosco. I might be shot for saying this, but this guy is not good-looking. He has a 'commoner' look and if I walked by him on the street, I probably wouldn't notice. Even though he showed acting potential back in War of In-Laws, he hasn't quite lived up to his potential yet. The problem with him is that he is an inadequate dramatic actor. His performance here is only saved by the fact that his character is a funny, comic one. Bosco does well in these characters. But put him in a character that requires a degree of dramatic acting (Heart of Greed) and he falls flat. Plus, of the four "siu sang" (Kevin Cheng, Raymond Lam, Ron Ng, and him), he is the least charismatic. It did not help that Don's plotline with Sasa was basically lifted from one of my favourite Hollywood movies, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. I felt like I was watching a parody of the story with a yawn-inducing female lead (Natalie Wong) and only a slightly better male lead (Bosco). Most of the 'funny' scenes of the DDMK and Don/Sasa plotlines were just forced. And that kissing scene in the car?! It looked like Bosco was eating Natalie's face! Not impressed.
The rest of the acting is inadequate beyond words. Eddie Leung, Elaine Yiu, Charmaine Li, and Sam Chan gave forgettable performances in one-dimensional characters. I basically fast-forwarded all the DDMK scenes. And what did Sam Chan do to himself?! I could barely recognize him. One exception is Stephanie Che, who is a breath of fresh air and damn funny as Sasa's stepmother. The veteran who plays Yan's father and Kiki Sheung were also dependably good.
Double Vision?
You will recognize many faces in this series - it seems the casting director ended up recruiting everyone from Under the Canopy of Love. In addition to Kevin Cheng and Niki Chow, Stephanie Che, Elaine Yiu, the actors who play June, Kevin's friends, and a bunch of ke-le-fes have reappeared in this series.
To Watch or Not To Watch, That is the Question
Ultimately bland and uninvolving, this is strictly for Niki, Kevin and Bosco fans. Stay far away if you're anti-terminal illness dramas.
Rating
2 out of 5
THEY KISS AGAIN [Taiwan]
Chinese Title
E Zuo Ju Er Wen (literally, prank's second kiss)
Year
2008
No. of episodes
20
Theme song
Mavis Fan (ending song - Ni (You) by Ariel Lin and interlude by Joe Cheng)
Based on
The manga Itazarou Na Kiss ("prank's kiss")
This is
Sequel to the 2005 smash hit It Started With a Kiss
Cast
Ariel Lin as Xiang Qin
Joe Cheng as Zhi Shu
Jiro Wang as Ah Jin
Zhang Yong Zheng as Zhi Shu's father
Cyndi Chaw as Zhi Shu's mother
Tang Tsung Sheng as Xiang Qin's father
Zhang Bo Han as Yu Shu (brother to Zhi Shu)
Figaro Ceng as Qi Tai
Aaron Yan as Ah Bu
Supporting Cast
Guan Cong as Zhi Shu's grandfather
Jason as Hao Qian
Tiffany Xu as Zi Yu
Cai Yi Zhen as Luo Zhi Yi
Jiang Pei Zhen as Zhang Ni Na
Xiu Jie Kai as Zhou Chuan Jin
Candice Liu as Liu Nong
Petty Yang as Chun Mei
Rui Sha as Christine
Lin Jia Yu as childhood Hao Mei
Meng Geng Ru as teenage Hao Mei
Cong Yang as teenage Yu Shu
* thanks to Wikipedia for the full cast list
Foreword
At Wonderland (an amusement park in Canada), there is a roller-coaster called The Fly. It does not dive, it does not dip, and it has no upside-down tracks. The attraction of The Fly is that its track is built in 90-degree angles, so that the rider is constantly jerked from turn to turn throughout the entire ride. Why, do you ask, did I put a description of a roller-coaster in the review foreword? Because watching this series was like riding that roller-coaster. After watching Zhi Shu be cold and indifferent for 19 out of 20 episodes in ISWAK, watching him be lovey-dovey and sweet as he goes through his character development in the sequel was like being on that ride.
Other thoughts? There are too many people in this series. And the fact that the series is now over is, for me, a tragedy of Greek proportions.
Plot
A nightmare of mine comes true when we are re-introduced to Xiang Qin (XQ) and Zhi Shu (ZS), who are on a plane on the way to their honeymoon. As soon as this scene registers in my mind, I think "sh_t, they're married?!" Even though the ending scene ISWAK was a wedding, I was hoping that they had never gotten married.
No such luck. Let me quickly state a disclaimer before I continue with the summary. I love XQ and ZS as a couple, I really do. They are a great example of how love can transcend backgrounds, interests and even levels of intelligence. But let's face it, XQ is really too young to get married. She behaves like a lovesick 15-year-old and is clearly not prepared for the reality and commitment that a marriage demands. The same can be said of ZS. The guy doesn't even know how to properly communicate most of the time, and now he's married? At least he realizes his problem, which places him one step ahead (again) of not-the-brightest-egg-in-the-basket XQ. On with the story.
After returning from their honeymoon (at the end of which they consummate their relationship), XQ unsuccessfully tries her luck at the teaching profession (god help us all x1) before settling on becoming a nurse (god help us all x2). In nursing school, their relationship is severely tested when ZS is faced with a formidable competitor - Qi Tai, XQ's classmate. We get to see XQ suffer like nobody's business as ZS begins to treat her in a much more frosty way than he ever did in ISWAK. However, when Ah Jin finally shakes some sense into him, ZS realizes his jealousy and just how much he cares for XQ. Cue a bunch of quick, somewhat meaningless subplots involving (again) XQ's stupidity and ZS' growing openness and expressions of his love for XQ.
At the end, the series takes a super melodramatic-Korean drama turn when it is revealed that XQ suffers from a possibly blinding eye illness. No, she does not become pregnant at the end of the series, though it does end happily. Watch the end for yourself.
Many may disagree with me, but I have always felt that ISWAK and TKA are built on a disastrously unrealistic premise. Girl of IQ75 falls and melts the heart of a smoking hot, cold-as-ice, genius IQ of 200? Um, sorry, not buying it. Especially given the fact that XQ dresses like a 12-year-old and she marries ZS?! Who are we kidding? But this is based on a manga, and mangas as know, are unrealistic. As long as teens out there don't get the idea that this is what life is like, I'm good.
Performances
Ariel Lin
It is very easy (too easy) to hate and be annoyed with XQ. She's a bit like XYZ in Huan Zhu Ge Ge II, unreasonable, dumb, immature, and annoyingly stubborn. The worst part is, she's lazy. ISWAK alluded to this briefly, but didn't explore this point enough: XQ is not actually not that stupid. She just refuses to apply herself in the more important things in life (in ISWAK, her education; and in TKA, it's her career). Even her career choice is driven by ZS. Watching her daydream days on end about ZS was really irritating. The fact that he's her husband and she has to still daydream about the sweet, romantic things he could do for her is just sad. I maintain up to the end of the sequel that XQ is still too young to be married. I also didn't like that only ZS went through a major transformation and character development, becoming more open and expressive about his love and feelings, while XQ remained pretty much the same throughout (i.e. stupid, completely dependent on ZS, etc.). The one scene that sort of showed that XQ was becoming (for lack of a better word) smarter and more independent in her thoughts, was when she challenged ZS in the ER when ZS wanted to conduct an operation on a patient without the required approval of the main doctor. Otherwise, ZS basically remained the only thing she lived for, literally.
If not for Ariel's winning, thoughtful performance, I would have stopped watching this sequel. From the very first to the very last scene, she is engaging and entertaining. She looks much prettier in this sequel (with a better wardrobe) although her weight seems to fluctuate a lot throughout. Plus, she has one of the most genuinely happy smiles I've seen on TV, which is fitting for XQ. Here Ariel was given the chance to stretch her acting chops - a refreshing departure beyond the dumb face pulling that characterized most of her performance in ISWAK. Her XQ is fresh, vibrant, and heartbreakingly sincere. One of Ariel's best moments was in episode 11 when she was banging on the door, sobbing: "Why am I the only one crying? In reality, you've never loved me!" Unlike some actresses who do the ugly face fake crying (TVB's Gigi Lai) or the mouth closed, slow tearing (a lot of Korean actresses), Ariel gave an emotionally wrenching performance in that scene. I am sure that I'm not the only one who had tears streaming down my face. She is also a natural comedian with an adorably goofy charm - a lot of the funny scenes in this series were actually NG clips that made it into the final cut. I find her performance in here flawless. Many a TVB actress can learn from this young lady. I'm looking forward to seeing where she goes from here.
Joe Cheng
I was looking forward to seeing ZS really suffer and realize the depth of his love for XQ in this sequel and not taking her for granted, but alas! The part where ZS was jealous of Qi Tai, he took it out on XQ, so she suffered instead. However, his character development through the series is a joy to watch - from the scenes where ZS scolds her to the ones where he piggy-backs her while she's drunk, the scenes where ZS expresses his love and concern for XQ are very, very well done (who else believes Joe is head over heels in love with Ariel?). It is also funny to watch how ZS deals with XQ's emotional vibrancy - he understands it, but doesn't agree with it (which explains his cold treatment of her sometimes). This makes him frustrating and endearing at the same time. His relationship with his father-in-law is also very nicely portrayed, although I would have liked more scenes with them together.
Usually one actor in a pairing is weaker but I'm glad that Joe's performance measures up to Ariel's. They have electric chemistry and this series boasts some of the hottest and most tender kissing/romantic scenes committed to film. Boy, can these two kiss! It is surprising that they are both so convincing in what they call 'reverse personalities' in interviews. Joe says that he's actually the chatterbox in real life, and that Ariel is like a Scorpio (her sign) - quiet, subdued, and more reserved. And I have maintained since ISWAK, I really do think they're a couple in real life (the unscripted romantic scenes are too natural and sometimes out of character for ZS/XQ). After watching this series, I've become a shameless Arjoe shipper.
Back to Joe's performance. One of his best moments was also in episode 11, when ZS opens the door to a sobbing XQ and tells her: "Calm down". There were so many emotional layers on Joe's face: the pain of knowing how hurt XQ is mixed with the feelings of jealousy that he is unfamiliar with (and does not know how to deal with). Another was when ZS allows XQ to draw blood from his arm - the look on Joe's face, a mixture of love, encouragement, and trust, made his performance in that scene marvelous. And like Ariel, he looks much more handsome in the sequel. His hair looked like a some old lady's in ISWAK. A brilliant, brilliant performance. Come on, TVB - recruit and promote some talented actors, for god's sake!
Figaro Cheng
He has one of the funnier English names for an Asian actor, it always reminds me of Mozart's opera, The Marriage of Figaro. Anyway, he has improved leaps and bounds, turning in a convincing performance as Qi Tai. Gone are the delayed reactions and occasional overracting from Devil Beside You, but will someone please cut his hair? His best scenes were the sparring moments between him and ZS and when he yells at XQ. I actually think Figaro's looks are better suited for ancient drama.
Petty Yang
I like to think of excellent acting as an equation of a lot of things: Right Casting + Looks + Charisma + Voice + Chemistry + Convincing Emotions/Acting. Add on versatility if the actor is an experienced one. Petty's look fits Chun Mei, she is a decent actress, she has chemistry with Arron but her voice completely killed the effect. Chun Mei is supposedly a shy, soft-hearted, gentle girl but Petty's voice is annoyingly high-pitched and whiny, making her Chun Mei seem like a spoiled brat. And she has much less screen presence than Candice Liu, who got the shorter end of the stick when it came to air time for XQ's friends.
Candice Liu
Underused as the feisty Liu Nong, but I will keep my eye out for this young actress.
Jiro Wang
An improvement from his performance in ISWAK and he is still likeably goofy as Ah Jin. He lacks chemistry with Rui Sha, though they do look nice together. As for his character, he has some interesting development here. What I like the most about Ah Jin is his commitment to XQ even after being rejected - for example, running to get ZS when it's clear that the XQ-ZS relationship is on the rocks. How sweet is this guy?
Rui Sha
I quite like her character here but Rui Sha as an actress was disappointing.
Arron Yan
Arron's look is completely pretty-boy-band - usually not a telling sign of good acting skills, so I was pleasantly surprised with his performance here. This guy has potential.
Cyndi Chaw
Her voice is irritatingly similar to the high-pitched Taiwanese accent that I'm averted to, but she gave a decent performance as the super wacky Jiang mom. And she sings one of the interludes.
Zhang Bo Han
Yu Shu is rude as hell. Aside from constantly calling his sister-in-law stupid, he is also unbelievably rude to her friends, which to him are basically strangers. If I were his mother, I'd slap him from here to eternity, but Zhang Bo Han turned in a fantastic performance as the rebellious but smart-as-a-button Yu Shu.
Cong Yan
At first I was furious that they re-cast Yu Shu, but I can understand that ZBH would not be physically convincing as a high school student. Cong Yan overacts at times, and I don't think he has the raw talent that ZBH has. And he severely lacks chemistry with Joe Cheng, which makes their brotherly scenes a lot less moving than Joe's with ZBH.
XQ's nurse school friends
Danson Tang, who played Gan Gan, had the guts to play a gay man, and quite convincingly (and humorously) so. His best moment was his recital of the nurse oath to XQ and when he tells her not to mess up at the nurse capping ceremony. Jiang Pei Zhen, who played Li Na, is pretty and has a certain something about her, but she had too little screen time. Xiu Jie Kai was hilarious as the oddball Chuang Ji, and Cai Yi Zhen was appropriately creepy as Zhi Yi.
Others
Both the young and teenage versions of Hao Mei were portrayed by very weak actresses. Much less air time was given to the two fathers, but Tang Tsung Sheng improved a lot from his awful, overacting turn as XQ's father in ISWAK. Guan Cong was great as ZS' grandfather.
Best Moments & Lines
- Episode 11 in its entirety
- When ZS is sitting by himself on the bench after his farewell to his family and XQ before departing for the military. The image of him, alone and looking/caressing XQ's picture on his cellphone was moving beyond words. I nearly bursted into tears.
- "I'm the king of the world! You jump, I jump!" - Ariel was damn funny in that scene.
- "She doesn't seem to understand just how much I love her" - Zhi Shu in a heart-to-heart with XQ's dad. I'm glad XQ overheard this.
- "Like a broken record, she kept telling me that she loved me...it was so annoying. But when this became a regular part of my life and I took it for granted, she suddenly told me she didn't love me anymore. I can still clearly remember the nauseating feeling I had [when she said that]...I can do 90% of the things in this world. The other 10%, she can do, in a way that no one else can." - ZS explaining to YS how he fell in love with XQ.
- "I can't imagine how you would live if I weren't by your side. That is probably why I'm so strict with you. I don't know how long I can be with you in this lifetime, so even if I'm not with you one day, you must live on bravely". - ZS' narration while leaving for the military.
- The episode where the past and personality of XQ's mom is revealed.
The Loot Bag
1) The love nest. The doped-up house is fantastic, I'd want to live there! And their blog actually exists in real life! A clever idea to market and promote this series.
2) The acting
3) There's at least one kiss in every episode, except the one when ZS treats XQ like dirt during their tension about Qi Tai.
4) A lot of funny scenes. The director is actually in a lot of them, plus he likes to include a lot of NG clips in the final cut.
5) Episode 11, which was an explosive episode in terms of emotions and character revelations. A lot of best moments were in this episode.
6) Incredibly creative connections to ISWAK without flashback overload. For example, in the finale, in the scene where ZS asks XQ if she's pregnant, he's wearing the same sweater he wore on their first unofficial date in ISWAK! I was also estatic with ZS' office decorations. I was praying that the bakery model that XQ made for his birthday would make a re-appearance and it did, along with the love letter and the good luck charm she gave him! Amazing! Finally something to show XQ that he was in love with her for almost as long as she was with him. And how frickin' cute was the button ring?!
The Barf Bag
1) Back in ISWAK, XQ was pretty uncomfortable whenever ZS teased her about physical intimacy (even though she was head over heels in love), so I found it shady that in TKA, they slept together on the last night of their honeymoon. I have to ask, would XQ have agreed to sleeping together if she knew they weren't legally married? The writers glided over this point and I can't shake the feeling that XQ might not have agreed to sleeping together if they weren't married.
2) How rude Yu Shu is. Terrible parenting skills displayed by the Jiangs.
3) The bastardization of the nursing profession. I understand that this is supposedly a romantic comedy, but is anyone going to trust a nurse after watching XQ and her antics in nursing school and the hospital? She cried in an operating room, for god's sake!
4) Too many soliloquies. I can't count how many times characters gave huge, long speeches as if they were about to die. One example was Ah Bu's speech about his love for Chun Mei at the hospital.
5) The brief but idiotic moment when ZS is introduced to Christine and says (in English) "Hi, I'm Joe. What's up?" and Christine replies "Good!". Who the hell replies 'good' to 'what's up'?!!? Who scripted this sad English? I almost died laughing.
6) How ZS still calls XQ 'idiot'. I find that verbally abusive and I cringed everytime.
7) People come in and out of the series way too quickly. I understand that the focus is on XQ and ZS, but the snippets of other people made other characters seem like caricatures, and didn't allow for some meaningful subplots. It's a good thing Ariel and Joe are such terrific actors, otherwise I would be begging for more subplots.
Eyes of a Hawk
In the episode where XQ goes to Ma Tzu to visit ZS and she falls down and he tends to her ankle - look - they're wearing matching shoes!
To Watch or Not to Watch, That is the Question
As I've said in my ISWAK review, TKA is a series with a demographic - the 14-25 age demographic. So if you're not part of that group, you may disagree with my passionate recommendation of this series.
Because I watched ISWAK literally right before watching TKA, I was able to observe a lot of plot gaps. However, because it's based on and is almost 100% faithful to the manga, I can't fault the scriptwriters for the odd pacing and meaningless subplots. You can also tell by the length of this review that I was able to catch a lot of details (and also flaws). Even so, I love this series way too much and find Ariel and Joe/XQ and ZS to be one of the most compelling and entertaining couples ever. This series brought me back to my teenybopper, I-live-to-watch-this-series days and I am experiencing major withdrawal symptoms now that it has ended. It will be some time before I'm so emotionally invested in an onscreen couple again.
Rating
4.5 out of 5
Through the Grapevine
Forums are abuzz about the possible real-life relationship between Ariel and Joe. What we do know is (and they've said in interviews) that they call each other "lao gong" (husband) and "lao po" (wife) in real life. Ariel has said in an interview that while preparing for this series, she watched an American TV show on doctors and quickly called Joe and said "Lao gong, there's a show on TV about doctors! Quick! Watch and learn how to be a doctor!" I find this both telling and interesting given the fact that the two characters in the series don't even call each other that - they just call each other by name. Recent interviews also indicate that they may just come out and admit their relationship very soon.
Other interesting facts
- Joe is a talented artist and Ariel is a very good singer.
- Ariel recently published a book about her travels in New York.
- The ending was re-shot a few weeks before it aired.
- Because the manga's author died suddenly before finishing the story, the finale is actually written by the Taiwanese scriptwriters. Otherwise, the story (both ISWAK and TKA) remains 99% faithful to the manga. Winnie (the director) said that he thought of going to Japan to beg the author's family to let him write an ending with closure to the story, since he knew that this is what fans would want. However, he decided in the end that he was going to respect the author and leave the ending as it 'ended' in the manga - abruptly.
- Figaro Ceng is actually deaf in one ear as a result of antibiotic overdose as a child.
- There are rumours that Winnie, Ariel, and Joe are going to collaborate in another series in 2008-2009. This one will (again) be based on a manga, although the two actors will be portraying completely different characters.
- Cyndi Chaw divorced from her husband during the filming of this sequel. She has said that the cast and crew were incredibly supportive during the hard time.
OVER THE RAINBOW [Kr]
Korean Title
"Obeodeo Reinbou" (direct translation / Korean loan words)
Released In
2006
No of episodes
16
Produced by
MBC
Cast
Ji Hyun Woo as Kwon Hyuk-joo
Suh Ji Hye as Ma Sang-mi
Hwan Hee as Rex / Rae Woo
Kim Ok Bin as Jung Hee-soo
Supporting Cast
Im Ha Ryong as Kwon Sang-bok (Hyuk-joo's dad)
Kim Hye Ok as Lee Mi-ja (Hyuk-joo's mom)
Na Hye Mi as Kwon Ji-hye (Hyuk-joo's younger sister)
Shin Hyun Tak as Oh Young-dal (Hyuk-joo's friend)
* Thanks to koreanwiz.org for the full cast list
Plot
Hyuk-joo is a poor high school student not doing much with his life until he encounters Hee-soo, the only daughter of a wealthy widowed man who aspires to become a dancer/singer. Through Hee-soo's inspiration, Hyuk-joo and his friends learn to dance, and form a dance group called Gangsters. Predictably, Hee-soo and Hyuk-joo fall in love, only to have Hee-so's ambition for fame end their relationship.
Rae-woo becomes a famous pop icon known as Rex but suffers from a frosty relationship with the Director of his record company, who wants to dictate everything about his career including the artistic direction of his albums and private life. Rex and Hyuk-joo have some past beef that returns when Gangsters auditions to be Rex's back dancers and also when Rex becomes interested in Hee-soo. Pushed by her ambition, Hee-soo breaks up with Hyuk-joo and tells Rex that she has feelings for him. By that time, Rex sees right through Hee-soo for her ulterior motives and rejects her. She then becomes determined to become a singer known for her vocals, though her talent in the area leaves much to be desired. As a result, the Director of her record company (Pride, the same as Rex's) only allows her to keep a 'sexy style' image.
The second female lead of this series is Sang Mi, one of Rex's fans who has followed his career from his debut. Sang Mi is a poor girl who works in the market, and encounters Rex when he accidentally hits her with his car. Instead of taking compensation money, Sang Mi asks to be a dance trainee at Pride. There, she befriends Hyuk-joo and the other Gangsters members. She later becomes Rex's assistant and even wins his heart... but in true Asian series style, she obviously falls in love with Hyuk-joo and vice versa. So Hee Soo and Rex are both left alone, while Sang Mi and Hyuk-joo have their happy ending.
Review
I originally watched this series because the premise sounded interesting. There is one major problem with this series: I don't care about the characters. Even with the most fantastic plot and premise, if you have unsympathetic characters or characters that the audience can't identify with, you're pretty much stuck with a flop. And this series is a flop.
We can safely assume that Hyuk-joo is the main character, since the series starts and ends with him. However, in the middle, his story retreats into the background, as he becomes passive, uninvolving, and completely uncompelling as a hero. It is also hard to feel sorry for him when Hee-soo breaks up with him since I predicted that it would happen from the fourth episode. On the other hand, the series seems to introduce Rex as a secondary character, but his story is actually the most interesting of the four leads.
In addition to the unsympathetic characters, the acting is nothing to write home about. The actors who play Hyuk-joo's friends are funny, as are his parents. Ji Hyun Woo, who plays Hyuk-joo, is the strongest actor of the four leads and one of the few Korean male actors I've seen who is able to cry like a man. Suh Ji Hye is incredibly photogenic, but her performance here is mediocre. Kim Ok Bin is saved by her interesting character and storyline, but I'm not going to be running for her series anytime soon. The worst is Hwan Hee (from real-life boyband Fly to the Sky), who smirks more than he acts.
As for the dancing... let's just say it's uninspiring.
You'll do better to pass on this one.
Rating
2 out of 5
IT STARTED WITH A KISS [Taiwan]
E Zuo Ju Zhe Wen (translates to prank's kiss)
Year
2005
No. of episodes
20
Theme Song
"Say You Love Me"
Cast
Joe Cheng as Jiang Zhi Shu
Ariel Lin as Yuan Xiang Qin
Cyndi Chaw as Zhi Shu's mother
Zhang Yong Zheng as Zhi Shu's father
Tang Cong Sheng as Xiang Qin's father
Zhang Bo Han as Jiang Yu Shu (brother to Zhi Shu)
Jiro Wang as Ah Jin
Tiffany Xu as Pei Zi Yu
Supporting Cast
Liu Rong Jia as Ya Nong
Yang Pei Ting as Chun Mei
Jason as Wang Hao Qian
Bianca Bai as Bai Hui Lan
Qian De Men as Chairman Bai
(thanks to Wikipedia for the cast list)
Foreword
Let's just say that I was originally very, very wary (rhyme intended) of watching this series. I had been recently misled into watching way too many sub-par series from reading praise-heaping reviews (War of In-Laws, Heart of Greed, The Drive of Life, etc.). My fear of once again being ripped off with this series (and its obsessive fan-ship) coupled with my general disdain for the 'idol drama' genre (I watched 2 or 3 episodes each of Green Forest, My Home; Love Contract; and Prince Turns Into Frog before giving up on all three of them) put me off from watching this.
But - and there is always a "but" - I did remember my rather pleasant experience watching Devil Beside You last year. Hell, I even enjoyed Meteor Garden, the series that pioneered the genre. So I decided to give Taiwanese idol drama another chance to reel me in. The result? I have yet another series to add to my guilty pleasures list. Boy, that list is getting long.
Plotline
I won't bother with a summary. Funn Lim has written a great one and many other reviews on spcnet.tv have good summaries. So onto the actual review.
Evaluation of Cast & Characters
Xiang Qin / Ariel Lin
Yes, I know Xiang Qin is supposed to be not-that-bright but her stupidity in the first half of the series was exasperating to watch. I kept asking myself when her idiotic behavior was going to stop. Her fantasizing scenes were very funny, she comes off as dumb but very loveable (as opposed to ditsy - which would have really put me off), but her I-live-and-breathe-for-Zhi-Shu attitude really didn't do it for me. I was personally raised to believe that girls should not let guys have it so easily, and Xiang Qin's moronic behaviour in the early parts of her relationship with Zhi Shu irritated me to no end. I really wished she would have grown a stronger spine and just told him she's sick of him running hot and cold on her and had moved on.
Ariel Lin is very cute but I don't find her pretty - her facial features look odd when she's standing still (she looks like a Teletubby from certain angles in the beginning). However, later on in the series - and on in-person interviews, she looks much better (lighting? camera angles?), and in the scene where she tries on her wedding dress, she looks beautiful. As for her acting, an excellent performance. She can do comedy and she perfectly embodies everything Xiang Qin is supposed to be. Maybe I should give Love Contract another chance.
Zhi Shu / Joe Cheng
One of the more intriguing characters written for an idol drama. We know he is the smartest, the most good-looking, the most skilled at everything, blah blah blah. But we also know that he is unhappy. He doesn't like his parents (his dad, specifically) telling him what to do with his life, which is why he keeps pushing Xiang Qin away though he has feelings for her too. Though he has everything anyone would want in a guy and can get anything he wants with his brains and looks, the truly sad thing about him is that he doesn't care about anything in particular. What I mean is, he has no ambition, no dream - at the beginning of the series, he simply goes about life aimlessly as he has nothing that drives him to work passionately for. This changes when Xiang Qing enters his life and proposes that he become a doctor. This is when Zhi Shu starts to really care about working for something in his life. He is also more emotional around Xiang Qin - he has a temper, he teases her, he laughs at her. These are all emotions that Zhi Shu never showed before Xiang Qin appeared. I like his character development in the series.
The mega-tall Joe Cheng is physically perfect for this role (except his somewhat scary resemblance to Edison Chen from some angles). His cold, distant look could kill. Some may interpret it as a performance without expression, but in no way was Joe wooden. Quite the contrary - he's perfected the arrogant indifferent stare but Joe also manages to show that there is much, much more under Zhi Shu's icy exterior. For example, his scenes with his younger brother are excellent. You can really tell he dotes on Yu Shu and the two brothers get along very well (especially when insulting Xiang Qin) despite their age difference. Joe did a fantastic job showing the gradual change that Zhi Shu undergoes with Xiang Qin's influence, especially in the brief-but-telling moments where he looks at Xiang Qin (without her knowing). He's also very funny in the fantasy sequences and his chemistry with Ariel is terrific. The main reason he was so good was because Zhi Shu is a complete 180 from Joe's personality in real life, and when you can be convincing in a character that is so completely different - that, my friends, is what is called good acting. A great performance.
Tiffany Xu
Very pretty actress who does the cold side of Zhi Yu well, but her emotional scenes look a bit forced.
Jiro Wang
Likeable as the silly, devoted Ah Jin but he doesn't quite have the charisma or raw talent that Joe has. However, Jiro has very good chemistry with Ariel.
Cyndi Chaw
A totally cartoonish performance with some dramatic moments done well, but this actress is a bit too wacky for my taste. Because the series is based on a Japanese manga, however, I think I can forgive the wacky humour.
Tang Cong Sheng
Bad. Bad. Bad. I think it's because this actor is way too young for the role.
Zhang Yong Zheng
Very good performance.
Zhang Bo Han
A super cute kid who is one of the strongest child actors I've seen. Great chemistry with Joe and Ariel and he is one of the main reasons to watch this series.
Bianca Bai
Pretty and gentle-looking, but a bit bland in terms of acting.
In general, the supporting cast (with the exception of Ye Shu) was mediocre but the general acting was saved by the two lead performances.
Deja Vu?
There are so many scenes in here that make this series seem like just another Taiwanese idol drama. And in a way, it is. Examples include:
- Rain scene: Taiwanese idol dramas seem to love using one dramatic scene that takes place in the rain. In ISWAK, it's the scene where Zhe Shu kisses Xiang Qin and they finally get together. In DBY, it's the scene where Ah Meng and Yang Ping are punching each other's lights out. In Meteor Garden, it's the scene where Shan Cai and Dao Ming Si break up. In Why Why Love, it's the scene where Huo Da gives Jia Di a ride on his wheelchair. Yes, rain scenes are definitely a pattern.
- First scene: The first scene in this series was identical to the first scene in DBY. In DBY, Qi Yue is also holding a love letter out, facedown, to her crush, and he just walks by.
- Cartoon parents: What's with the silly parents in Taiwanese idol drama? The worst has got to be Shan Cai's parents in Meteor Garden.
Memorable Scenes
A lot of fans like the aforementioned rain scene where Zhe Shu finally realizes it's Xiang Qin he wants and kisses her as well as the first time he kisses her when they get into an argument, but personally I like three other scenes that, for me, are turning points in their relationship:
1) Date scene: I find this scene very cute and very real. I love that it's actually Zhe Shu who takes the initiative and suggests they go out, and I also love how Xiang Qin just chatters away while they're in the paddle boat while Zhe Shu remains silent. The scene is also very representative of how Zhe Shu behaves when he's around Xiang Qin. As Xiang Qin notices, it's the first time Zhe Shu actually lets down his guard around her.
2) Bed scene: No, not that way. Halfway through the series Xiang Qin ends up staying at Zhe Shu's place and they end up sleeping on the same bed. Zhe Shu then tells her that he can't let anything happen between them because then he'd be falling in his mother's trap. This is when Xiang Qin realizes that he's not cold to her because he doesn't like her, but because he doesn't want to be falling for someone that his mother approves of.
3) Hospital scene(s): This is personally my favourite scene. I'm referring to the part when Xiang Qin brings Yu Shu to the hospital and Zhe Shu arrives. There is a brief 3-second scene where Zhe Shu basically puts Yu Shu in Xiang Qin's hands during a phone call when Yu Shu falls sick. The fact that Zhe Shu is willing to place the health of his beloved yonger brother completely in Xiang Qin's hands proves that he doesn't really think of her as dumb. He trusts her and knows that she will do anything to keep Yu Shu safe. The scene where Xiang Qin breaks down in tears when Zhe Shu bends down and says softly "Thank you" and hugs her - I was near tears during that scene. Not because the pair finally had some kind of physical contact after the early kisses, but because this was one brief moment where Zhe Shu actually thought of Xiang Qin not as a stupid girl who idolized him, but as an equal and where he actually expresses his gratitude for Xiang Qin's very existence. A poignant scene and very well-acted.
4) Career suicide scene: Yes, for every good memorable scene there is another memorable scene that's memorable for one reason and one reason only: it was a complete nightmare. The wedding scene where the bride/groom roles were reversed in terms of clothes was this close to completely killing this series for me. Many people found it funny, but I was in utter disbelief that the writers chose to end this series with something so completely ridiculous. Up until then I remained pretty entertained with this series... until the ending scene where the guys started coming out in wedding drag, that is. And where were Xiang Qin's friends? Why were her love enemies in her bridal party? What the hell?! I was praying that this was just another one of Xiang Qin's fantasies, but nope, no such luck. I am going to try to forget completely that this scene ever happened, but lord knows it won't be easy. I still can't believe this is how it ended. At least there's a sequel to correct this crap.
Through the Grapevine
I've watched several interviews of Ariel and Joe, and yes, I believe they are together in real life (especially after watching their performances in the sequel to this series). Just check out the ISWAK2 thread in the Asian Fanatics forum for in-depth analysis of their promotional pics, interviews, and unscripted kisses to know that it is only a matter of time before they make their relationship public. Ariel seems to be the more private, subdued one but Joe has been dropping hints about their relationship/feelings ever since the sequel's promotions began. And no, I don't think it's a publicity stunt.
Yes, there's a sequel, affectionately known as ISWAK 2 or by its actual name, They Kiss Again. Although, from what I've seen so far (only 7 episodes have been aired to date), it should be called "They Kiss Again, Again, and Again". So far there has been at least one kiss in every episode.
To Watch or Not to Watch, That is the Question
Highly entertaining and amusing, though with an unfathomable ending, this series is saved by the performances of the two leads. Recommended for the 14-25 age demographic, but anyone older than that may not appreciate this one.