Title
Women's Romance (Nu Ren Xiang)
How Long
About 30 episodes
Who
Yue Ling ....Shu Peichang
Yu Fang .....Lai Chouxiang
Zheng Chen Guang ....Chung Jiachiang
Other characters....Chung Yushiou,Auntie He,Li Guoping (played by Johnny Liu Zhihan),Shu Hao Ren,etc
What & Where
Modern Taiwanese serial about the love lives of three women from different backgrounds and who are friends.The main focus would be the character of Shu Pei Chang and the relationship between her and her father,and also her abusive husband,Li Guo Ping.
Remember
This is a modified version of my previous review on the same series.Now it's different because I had the privilege to watch from first episode onwards but some observation remains the same.I really do not care much for the other 2 women but my main concern would be Yue Ling's character,though everybody has a role to play in here.By the way,I could be biased you know,since I watched this solely for Yue Ling and Yue Ling only.If not,I wouldn't have gone through the torture of watching other people that I wouldn't care less about.
The storyline
Yue Ling is the only child of Shu Hao Ren,the super rich guy who so happen wanted to divorce his wife of 20 years to marry his "suffering" mistress,Auntie He who at the same time was having a sordid affair with a younger man.The wife killed herself and because of this one death,the relationship between Yue Ling and her father became strained and she almost hated her father,especially when just weeks after her mom's death,he brought home THAT woman,and Yue Ling has to be forced to sit in a table and pretend to have a nice family dinner.Wanting to make Yue Ling like her,Auntie He did all sorts of things that an evil stepmother would never do,but a greedy stepmother would.She cooked,she advised her but of course,Yue Ling gave her THE look of hatred.But after awhile,Yue Ling began to accept her as someone here to stay,but never a mother.Knowing that Yue Ling loves to draw,and has attempted to draw her mo,'s image to no success,she employed a poor but talented painter named Li Guo Ping to draw Yue Ling's mom,to disastrous results.Not only that this guy painted the mom's portrait,in the process he painted Yue Ling in the nude(her posing nude is like a sign of liberation,of freedom from all constraints imposed by her protective father),and she even gave him her first time,meaning she slept with him,not knowing what kind of trouble she has just landed herself in.She became pregnant,and against her father's wishes,she married this guy thinking this wa sher way to happiness,and she desperately wanted to make sense of her deep loss by having her own family.Unfortunately,this guy turns out to be a mega jerk of a guy.HE not only is poor(because he imposed himself that way,refusing to paint for anyone thinking that he is too high and mighty like he owns the world or something),egoistical,chauvinist(refusing to let her work even when they were starving),immature(he thinks that love means she listening to everything he has to say),heartless(he says he loves her but most of the time,I don't even think he is listeining to her),but worst of all,temperamental to the point that when he is unhappy or disatisfied with things,like thinking that Yue Ling's father looks down on him,when his self esteem is threatened and when his ego deflated,he would strike her.First a slap,that resulted her having a miscarriage..she forgives him ....then another bigger slap that caused her to fall against a statuette causing a big big bruise on her forehead...she forgives him..then punching her face and body ...she still forgives him.....then bigger punch and shaking her violentyly...she still forgives him but the last straw was when he started to punch hjer body after a misunderstanding..this time she left him for good,under the guidance of her father,her friends and her ex-boyfriend,Jia Chiang.This only after a period of 5 years of horrid marriage,but it does have its moments of happiness,which is why she tends to be forgiving towards Guo Ping.And then she went to work for her father,but not quite a s good a businesswoman as she was as a wife.But she was lucky because she had Jia Chiang's support,and when he confessed his love for her(again) after years of seperation,she accepted him but secretly because her father disapproved of his background(being the son of a restaurant's owner,but still not that rich) 5 years ago when she held on to him for emotional support after her mom's death.But when the father found out,he was happy since he got a good son in law but Yue Ling refuses to marry him because she thought of him as boring,and unromantic compared to Guo Ping.Yu Fang plays Lai Chou Xiang,a young servant of the Shu househodl who is also the best friend of Yue Ling.She is not smart,in fact she is a dim witted girl who seriously lacks logic.But she is nice and she is kind.Somehow she left the Shu household to find a better job,found it as a nurse in a small but successful clinic,and becamse great sisters with the doctor's dying wife.But one night,alas,she was drunk and she was raped by the oversexed husband of the woman who gave her her job,became pregnant and being approved as the future wife of the Doctor by the wife,she lived with that guy in teh same room,and later married him when wife died.She became a doctor's wife and ha sthe most comfortable living amongst the threee girls but frankly,she feels nothing for the husband and when she saw nurses running out of the clinic crying,and him giving them money(like her own situation years before),she begam to have doubts as to his feelings for this man.
Another character would be Chung Yu Shiou,the sister of Jia Chiang and best friends with Yue Ling and Yu Fang.I do not knwo the actress' name.She plays the spunky girl,opinionated,independant and fiercely protective of her friends and her own principles.She became a reporter and fell for a very married older editor to disastrous results.She lost her reputation and credibilty as a trusted person,she lived in with that man but the wife kept haunting them day and night for her demands of money and her very public outcry of her husband's betrayal and at last,she was denied the opportunity to say goodbye to her beloved by this ver same woman.But she is strong and she lived on,happily.Basically,the above is the structure of the plot.
So What About The Others?Just Ke-Le-Fe? : Not many people in this series actually.
The Most Annoying Character
One,that is the wife of the editor that was having a very open affair with Yushiou.She practically hounded her ex-husband to death.It was her selfishness,by tearing a mafia's writings to be printed by the editor in his new magazine with yu Shiou that caused a big rift between that editor and that gangster.That guy sent his henchman to kill Yu Shiou,but the Editor gave his life to save her,and everybody balmed the woman,instead of the super annoying wife,who just can't quite shut her mouth in front of everybody,claiming how sad she is,how betrayed,how pitiful she is,wanting her husband back.Personally,if I were the husband,I would have killed her just to shut her up.
The Most Hated Character
It had to be the bully husband Li Guo Ping.If such a man exists,he will either die being killed by someone or he'll live his life as a lonely man,because that is what he deserves.He orders his wife around,is totally insensitive to everything around him and he likes to hit her when he is unhappy,and yet claims to love her.The thing is ,he does not understand the meaning of love.To him,it is I take I take you give you give.And so he takes and takes and takes,and Yue Ling gives and gives and gives.She tried hard to make this already wrong in the first place of a marriage to work,but he didn't try at all because he probably is too stupid to know how.A mega jerk.
The Nicest Character
For a man,Jia Chiang would have my vote.Sure he ain't good looking ,and he might his own ulterior motive when helping Pei Chang with her divorce but hey!This is one guy who knows how to love a woman,though he may not knwo how to sweet talk her.He is a businessman,so everything is strictly "I give you this deal you can't refuse,and if you accept,I'll make sure that it works,I will not indulge or waste my time in sweet nothings." So he may be boring after a while,he may not be passionate and Yue Ling may not feel for him like she did for Guo Ping like wanting to strip him or kiss him passionately,but this is one guy who will make a good husband and wife.
So my question to you is,will you marry for a passionate love or a practical love?Will you marry a man that you would want to strip his clothes off,and never stop kissing him though he may make a terrible husband but a great lover or would you marry a man who is simplistic and straightforward,no frills,etc and may not be a great lover but will make a great companion?Will you marry for love,or will you marry for companionship?
Pei Chang married for a desperate act of passionate love at first,made a grave mistake and then she married for practical love,for companionship.She certainly loves Jia CHiang but is she in love with him?I do not think so.
So ask youself if you ever want to be married at all,why are you marrying him?And hopefully you'll not make a mistake like Pei Chang did and wasted 5 years of her youth witha jerk.And people!If that guy hits you again and again,leave him!And why did Pei Chang not leave him at first?She was ashamed to go home whicb will mean she admits her mistake and her foolishness.And also she did not want that Auntie He to say.."See I told ya..".
The Most Disturbing Scenes
Not about the characters but rather the way the actors acted that scene.Initially,Yue Ling who was crazy about this painter was barred from seeing him.Anyway,after much persuausion,she was allowed to and it was supposed to be a passionate scene.She was with her friend but she just run to that man and started kissing him passionately,like a really long kiss.But the disturbing thing about the whole thing is it wasn't that passionate as it should be.They kissed with their lips sealed,moving their heads left and right and the sight of that was funny.I mean if you want to show a really passioante kiss,a kiss that you've wanted to give the man you so desired and the man desired you but was not allowed to do so,and when you were allowed to do soa nd you did it right before your friend who was actually asking you to stop,shouldn't that kiss be an opened mouth kiss,French and all of that?That scene spoilt that whole desperation of Yue Ling's character of trying to hold on to this man she lusted after.Yes,it was pure lust.
Another disturbing scene,this one about the character's actions.Yue Ling went to the other woman's house to beg his father to come home to see her mother.The disturbing thing was that she went there,actually like had to smile at the other woman and then had to endure looking at her father respectfully.I would've screamed at him right there and then and refused to talk to him for the way he treated my mother,like shit.So it was disturbing that Pei Chang acted so calmly.But her character is supposed to be calm.
When a man no longer loves his wife for the most obvious reasons(there being another woman),nobody blames the guy but it is the woman who bears the hatred of the public.WHY?!Poor Yu Shiou.I do not like the way her story goes.Everybody is begging her to leave the man,claming she has possessed him in every way,BUT hey!That guy kept repeating how much he hated his wife for Heaven's sakes!Why not blame him instead?It takes 2 to tango you know,and with the right rythm,the tango dance could be great.This tango dance between these two lonely people was fueled by the wife's seriously malicious acts.So why not blame the wife?There is only so much pity you can give to teh wife.But then,Yu Shiou whould ahev been more careful not to fall for him,so perhaps the wife's anger is understandable BUT not when she kept harping on this fact again and again and again for the rest of the episodes.
Yu Fang's predicament.This is the most disturbing of all scenes in this series.She was raped,and yet she felt no shame.Which is good.But later she felt shame not because she was a victim but because she felt that she does not have what it takes to be a Doctor's wife!She's not smart,not educated,etc!Everybody thought so and they were happy for her when she married that guy!I am sorry to say this but this is a degrading thing for a woman.I mean,she was raped for God's sakes and she felt she is not good enough for this rapist who so happens to be a doctor?Sure he was remorseful,he married her and genuinely fell for her but it is her thinking that is scary.It's like just because he is a doctor,and is well off that kinda negates his earlier act as a beast on Yu Fang!I hate this thinking and I hate the way her story goes.It is plot like this that gives people the wrong perception of how a woman feel after such a traumatic event.I mean she is not good enough for him because he's a doctor?Excuse me?!HE IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR HER BECAUSE HE IS A BEAST AND A JERK AND A HORNY OLD MAN!I really hate this story.
Yue Ling's mom just killed herself,and the father quickly married the other woman,and ordering the daughter to treat her civilly?I mean,what an insensitive father.For a father that loves his daughter so much he clearly exhibited little concern for her emotional being when his wife just killed herself!And another would be when he found out Guo Ping has been abusing his beloved only child.And what does he do?NOTHING!In fact,it was the friends that beat Guo Ping up,warned him,etc and the father?Nowhere to be seen!I eman shouldn't he like come and fetch the daughter home or at the very least,beat the guy up?It doesn't make sense.
The Best Scenes
Those scenes where that painter hit Yue Ling.very dramatic and very heart wrenching.The scene when after a very heavy beating by that Guo Ping,she sat alone in the garden crying and she could not understand what is wrong with this guy,who kept saying that he loves her and yet he hits her.She could not understand that this guy is not capable of loving anybody,he only loves himself.
Another when she asked him for a divorce,with a man beside her for extra protection.Anyway,that man looked like he would grab her anytime and refused the divorce.The man just asked her,"Do you still love me?",and al she could say,very tearfully that she used to but not after what he did to her.She was afraid of him and so she stopped loving him.When he signed,and she gave him back the wedding ring,he just left and the ring fell to the floor and Per Chang cried.That was a very good scene.Because I do feel she still want that man,but this is what happens to relationship where you're governed too much by your heart and you do not use you sense to really look at that man and what he is capable of.Good for this girl to just leave that jerk.
The almost ending scenes,where she left that jerk,and began seeing Jia Chiang again.When Jia Chiang proposed,she said no because hse thought of him as unromantic.Not like her dearest Guo Ping.Which was funny because,yaaa!That guy is so romantic until he hits her!Anyway,Jia Chiang became so angry after what she told him and he scolded her,very softly of course,saying,
"I may not be as good looking as Li Guo Ping,or as talented as him ,I may not be the most sweet talking man or the most romantic man,but Pei Chang,you can never find a man that loves you as much like I do,and you'll never find such happiness with another man."
and then he walked away,and after a mega long flash back(and if you really feel that you hate going through all the episodes,rent the last episode and you will know everything),she went to his house and said yes.Good for her.
The scene where Jia Chiang thought the father disapproved of him again after 5 years and having worked extra hard for him,he told the father.."I love your daughter,and I could be a good husband to her.And I could be agood son for you.You not only gain a good employee,you'll gain a son as well.Per Chang is not good in business,which is why you have used her to make me stay.But if you still refused to let her marry me,I'll go.I'll take away the clients,I'll take Pei Chang along and I'll create an empire to crush yours.Either that,or you let me marry Pei Chang and I swear you'll have me as a son and I'll run yoru company for you".Classic scene.
Most Favourite Pair
First of all,the husband was very good looking but no chemistry between them.Secondly,that same man that played that evil lawyer in Burning Sun,Zheng Chen Guang.No chemistry also.I mean,she can only act next to Lin Rui Yang I guess.Absolutely lack of chemistry .
Best Performances
Yue Ling was very good as the innocent,soft spoken Pei Chang.But I can't help but feel that she is a bit old for that role.I mean look at the way her character behaves and dresses.Her movements connote a very young girl(20 years of age),ruled too much by her heart which was why she made the mistake of marrying a man who hits her again and again.She is afraid of her father,even when she should not be and she married a man who dominated her,who ruled over her and subsequently beat her up.So she must have been a young idealistic girl,and Yue Ling is way too grown up for this role.She is not old but she is not that suitable for this role of Pei Chang.But she did an excellent job in conveying the desperation of pei Chang being stuck in a nightmare of a marriage and then she conveyed very excellently how much of a survivor is her Pei Chang,and she rose against pain and bad memories to live on.But if it had been a younger actress,it would have been better but i doubt that young actress would have the maturity to act as a battered wife.So I guess,Yue Ling deserves to be praised for her fine effort which could almost had been a mistake because like I said above,Pei Chang is supposed to be young.But as Pei Chang grew up to be a 30 year old woman,at almost the end,she was perfect for thsi role.Only a mature actress like liek her could convey Pei Chang's desperation.
Yu Fang was very good as the dim witted girl,though I hated how her story goes.
Zheng Chenguang was also very good,and very old!
Worst Peformances
That guy who played her bully husband.That guy is very good looking and I was so glad that for once,a good looking man for Yue Ling but the moment he spoke,I'd rather it was Shi Yu then.I mean,HE CAN'T ACT!!!!!!He is the worst actor I've seen so far,and anything more emotional and he looked like an amatuer.He does not convey successfully of a very domineering husband,and I wasn't even scared of him.But the reason why it went on fine was because Yue Ling conveyed very successfully a woman in fear of her husband.This man should take acting lessons and stop torturing us with his very amateur acting skills.Such a pity. That kissing scene deserves a mention in here for reasons I've adquately explained above.
Shocking Stuff
I have got to mention this one in here,right after the best and worst performances,because these scenes are neither here nor there.I would never believed it,since Yue Ling is such a private person,so kissing scenes itself would be like a bit difficult for her to do.BUT in this series,you got to see her doing something beyond my most greatest of expectation,and therefore I like to applaude her professionalism as an actress and her bravery as a very private person.
The whole thing that I am talking about are those love scenes,but that's a nicer word that just sex scenes,that would make it sound so porno.Which was why I've said what I've said earlier in the unammended review,that I was and astill is a bit surpised that at prime time,Malaysian TV allowed for scees such as kissing scenes,back naked scenes,very suggestive looks on a bed,under the sheets,over the sheets,roll here and there and everywhere,courtesy of Yue Ling and that guy who can't act.Sure,I may have complained those supposedly passionate kissing scene wasn't that passionate but when it comes to scenes like the others mentioned above,My GOD! would be my reaction.In this series,you got to see a very naked (at the back,above waist of course) Yue Ling,seeing her making love to the man she so desperately wanted.
But as a professional actress,these scenes are a must.Because it illustrates how lost our Pei Chang is.The romance started with sexual attraction,on the part of the guy,further strengthened by sex on the part of Pei Chang as a sign of rebel against her father,much more sex on the part of that guy to hold on to his estranged and abused wife and at last,that woman realised that that guy knows nothing about love,except being great in bed,he amounts to nothing.In fact,I see this series as a very suggestive series,about love for all the wrong reasons,which makes this series so enjoyable,especially the story of Pei Chang.
Don't be fooled by me.Those scenes aren't much,and there isn't many such scenes but for the very few,they were rather made very suggectively and yet very conservative.But you do get the point of thsoe scenes.They aren't just there to make this series sell,would be my opinion.It's just to illustrate that Pei Chang and Guo Ping's relationship is just all about sex.
Anyway,nice back profile Yue Ling!!
The " I Don't Get It" Factor
Just one,except for those minor fews that I've mentioned above under a different heading.
You see,Guo Ping is supposed to be a gifted painter.Which was what Pei Chang told us again and again,and she said she fell for his talent as a painter.As I have concluded above,she fell for him for the other reason,his talent in bed.Anyway,my point isn't this.It's the paintings that I am talking about.Supposedly so much talent but I wouldn't pay a single penny for his paintings,because they are just so ordinary!I eman,that's talent?Perhaps they should find another real painter to paint better paintings,because those paintings aren't great to me.Not even those with a naked Yue Ling painted in them.Not great at all.
And one more I Don't Get It Factor.Why all of a sudden that it is an in thing to be painted naked?I emane,on screen,not real life?Ever since Titanic,everybody has scenes with painter painting naked women,as a sign of liberation.Sure,Kate Winslet looked voluptous in Titanic,BUT Gwyneth Paltro in Great Expectations,my God!All bones!Nothing attractive at all.In fcat,some even laughed at that scene.Now for this one with yue Ling in it,it's a bit more conservative.Though supposedly he painted her au naturale,BUT when he was using her as a model,she was either fully dressed or covered with a big piece of colthe.So don't expect to see her reveal anything other than her back profile,and in the paintings,do not expect to see a naked picture,it was either covered withan arm or with something else.Anyway,it was almost embarrassing to see such a scene since I just remembered Titanic and all the hype about being painted naked AND standing at the edge of the front of a really big ship,with your guy stading behind you and holding you tight.It's just funny to see it,until I remembered that such a scene is vital to show Pei Chang's escape from her misery and also must have a painter as the bad guy here because not that I am being mean or anything,the one profession today that can still have people being really poor but with great talent would be to be an artist,specifically a painter.And it is a well known fact,usually only when a painter dies,his works will be sell out,just like Vincent Van Gogh that died really poor.But then there's always Rembrandt and Pablo Picasso,so you might never know.
Most Stupidest Scene
Yes,the most stupidest scene I have ever scene in recent TV memory,if there is such a word as Stupidest would be almost final scene,where Auntie He's bad BF came out of prison,and the first thing he did,after years in prison was to go to Shu's office,point a gun at him,in front of Pei Chang and also Jia Chiang and demanded for money.I mean the front door wasn't closed and there were like a few security guards there,and he was very simply and easily caught with a policeman pointing a gun to his head when he was busy pointing HIS gun at Uncle Shu.I mean,is that stupid or what?!Came out of prison,walk into an office full of people,and in front of everybody,he demands for money which he will never get,and does not deserve to get.I mean criminals like him deserves to be caught,and punished all over again.really stupid scene.And I just hate to be so blunt but it was THAT stupid!
If I Were The Writers I would ...
I wouldn't be bothered with other characters.I'll cut them all out and make this into a full fledge story about a battered wife and how she survived at the end,meaning make Pei Chang the central and only character in this serial.It would have been better,rather than giving us the usual love relationships that is so boring i wouldn't even be bothered writing with.They had a golden opportunity to address a grave and serious issue in the world today,like battered wives,survival,life after leaving the husband and yet they preferred to make it into a silly little long winded with complete nonsense of a love story.A great pity indeed.
And the ending scene,it should show to us Pei Chang meeting her bully husband again after years of seperation,she being a contented woman now and him suffering like he should.And that Yu Fang's storyline.Please,be practical,and yet be more educational.If you ever get raped,do not feel sorry for yourself like she did.Do not keep quiet.Do not shower in fact.Go straight to the hospital and report the incident.Why let him get away with a crime when he violated your trust?it is never your fault for being raped.I mean even if I were to walk naked on the street that does not give him the right to violate me.Never be a victim after rape,be strong to live on.Do not feel like you lacked something for your future husband.If he feels the same way,he could be your Li Guo Ping,so why marry a man that is not even understanding of your past?How then can you build your future with this man who prefers to question you rather than comfort you?So please people,when a woman says no,they mean no.And people,if you say no,please do mean no.I mean,don't be naked on the couch and then say,Nooooo!That gives us women a bad name.Never be like Yu Fang and feel like she is blessed because she married a doctor.I feel a woman's own integrity as a person,and her own respect for herself is much much more important than this silly little thing called money.I really hate her story.
Is it worth Renting/Buying
For Yue Ling,yes,because this serial has a twist.For years I have been watching Taiwan TV series and all I ever saw in modern love stories are love stories,100%,how boy meets and fell in love with the gril,hoe they overcame objectios and married and lived happily ever after.This story offered something different with respect of Pei Chang's story,it offers a story of how girl meets boy,lusted after him,married him and then she didn't live happily ever after with him,which was indeed refreshing and different.But it was spoilt with the other stories and the ultra long stories,especially those about her scumbag father.Other than that,any Yue Ling fans would want to watch this just to see something different.And also like I ahve commented above,it could be quite educational,for all the wrong reasons.Basically,and I have to admit this,I enjoyed this series much more than I thought I would,because Yue Ling was superb in here.
Interesting Facts
I don't think this series was a success in Taiwan.
Anyway,Yue Ling had long hair for this one,and often clipped with a cute clip by the side,to make her look young and to let us know that her character is young.Her mannerisms and all were young,though her voice betrayed her,because it was way too deep to be the ultra soft spoken,weak and feminine Pei Chang.So now I know why they dubbed her voice for Ghost Husband.Anyway,she is very pretty here,very feminine looking. And very vulnerable.That I credit it to her excellent performance.Forget about those Chung yao story.This Pei Chang of hers is real acting.I really do feel for her,though I can't help but say,
" better wear your glasses next time...and I pity you but you should have listened to your father".
Interesting Observation
The title.The English title describes the whole series's objectives perfectly.But it should've been Women's Uphill Task in Finding the Perfect Romance.Anyway,the chinese title,Lui Yan Heong,or Nu Ren Xiang.The English title then should have been Women's Scent or Scent of a Woman.
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