INCEPTION [Mov]

Written by Funn Lim

"Whilst Inception is not the most important movie or best movie as it has its flaws and some questionable casting decisions, no doubt it is a very enjoyable movie that makes you think."




SPOILERS ... SPOILERS ... SPOILERS

Released in
2010

Language
English

Director
Christopher Nolan

Writer
Christopher Nolan

Cast-Character
Leonardo DiCaprio ... Cobb
Joseph Gordon-Levitt... Arthur
Ellen Page ... Ariadne
Tom Hardy ... Eames
Ken Watanabe ... Saito
Dileep Rao ... Yusuf
Cillian Murphy ... Robert Fischer
Tom Berenger ... Peter Browning
Marion Cotillard ... Mal
Pete Postlethwaite ... Maurice Fischer
Michael Caine ... Miles
Lukas Haas ... Nash
Tai-Li Lee ... Tadashi
Claire Geare ... Phillipa (3 years)
Magnus Nolan ... James (20 months)

Plot Summary
From imdb.com

In a world where technology exists to enter the human mind through dream invasion, a highly skilled thief is given a final chance at redemption which involves executing his toughest job till date, Inception.

Story Summary
Complete spoilers for those who can't understand the movie, check out imdb.com

Comments
I had to suspend my disbelief that you can actually kidnap someone, inject that someone with something, share a dream and find confidential information inside that subconcious mind in the dreamworld of this kidnapped person, in a world of corporate espisionage. Also that an "architect" can actually build layers upon sub layers of this dream world and convincing the dreamer that it is his dream and when it is somebody else's. Definitely a new cooler way of corporate espisionage and the movie doesn't bother in explaining the basics, just that they are and everybody seems to know there are such methods.

The reception for this movie is beyond critical success; some went further to say it is perhaps one of the most important movies of modern age, an instant classic, etc. Now this is a good movie but the most important in the sense of The Matrix that made you question your very existence? I doubt it.

What makes this a good movie it is a story well told, disguised in great special effects, some competent to good acting and set in a world that anything can happen and does and an ending that will be debated till the ends of earth that only the director can answer whether did Cobb really reunite with his children or was it a dream? My sister even went as far to say this is a story of the mind of a schizophrenic, nothing is real, nothing happened, just in his mind. Others would say earlier parts happened but the ending whether real or not depending on how you interprete the spinning top, some said it was still spinning meaning it is not real, some said it falters a bit and so it is real. Some noticed Cobb wears a ring in real world but not in the dream world, some said you never see the children's faces in dream world and they looked like they never grew up in even the ending thus it is fake. Some said the children wore different clothings so it must be real.

Whatever your opinion of the ending may be, the clever director who also gave us the puzzle movie, The Prestige achieved what he desired; this is one much talked about movie. My personal opinion? I like the idea that my sister proposed; he is a schizophrenic but no way the movie seems to point to that direction. I like to believe the ending is a happy one that he did reunite with his children, the spinning top did falter towards the end.

No doubt, such questions, probably will be answered in the 10th anniversary with the re-release of this movie is whatever format we will be using in future. The actors certainly didn't say anything. Argue away!

Back to the movie itself, like I said, it is full of great special effects. It looks good on screen and I can't fault the vision, the presentation.

However the narration and the story is a bit confusing. For one, it is difficult to accept the concept at fave value. If you could, then there's the question of very confusing "whose dream are we in now?" sort of way. Even if we ignore that, I was very bored with the reoccurence of Mal, Cobb's dead wife. She was intriguing at first but the ending scene of her arguing maybe he is in the real world and Cobb said no he knows he isn't because Mal in the real world killed herself so she is not real, she is just a representation of his guilt, therefore his totem (one item to remind the person whether they're in real or dream world), the entire scene felt like a fan fiction story come true, those sort you and I often write about as amateur. But there was nothing amateur about that scene, except it was very very long and became very very tedious. I was very bored with the character Mal and in the end I sorta realised I never knew the real Mal since she died. The Mal we knew was from his memories, from his guilty conscience and she was from the start a facade, nothing real. Even some flashback scenes on what happened to her and why she killed herself, and how Cobb said he could carry out the inception because he did it before seems rather forced. How did he actually did that? Putting an idea in a safe etc. That's what I mean when the story does not even explain the technically, just know that it is. And frankly, Marion Cotillard is beautiful no doubt, but I am not wowed by her acting. Since I am already irritated with the character of Mal and her irritating presence in the movie which breaks the narration rather than moving it along, Marion Cotillard didn't help matters with her how shall I put it? Her accent? I find it difficult to follow not because I could not understand her but because I could not stand the amount of time for her to finish her lines. And now I heard she may be catwoman. Why bother with the mask then? Since anyone can recognise her from the way she speaks. And Leonardo Di Caprio and Marion Cotillard shares zero chemistry; they could play complete strangers for all I know. Husband and wife is not believable at all. As to how she died, it wasn't such a big shocking mystery to me. I find it rather ridiculous anyway that her death was caused by her belief she is still in a dream, she needs to wake up by killing herself which she did. That is because frankly I couldn't buy the concept of a continous dream.

The movie presents to us the hypothesis that we can live our entire lives in a dream, from young to old for decades in a matter of minutes because in dreams world moves slower. And the deeper level of subconcious you go, the longer the time, to the point you can wake up losing your mind because in your dreams you would have probably lived a lifetime. It doesn't explain though do you or can you die in your dream from old age and what happens after? Another level of dream, deeper still? It does explain to wake up you need to kill yourself so imagine how many times Cobb did that. But by killing yourself when you're in a deep sleep means you will go to the deepest level of I suppose subconcious where it is like hell from the way it is described. In fact the levels of dreams felt like description of purgatory and hell whilst it may be heaven to some. You as the dreamer is the architect of your own dream, every character, every building, you subconciously placed them there. For most their dreams is based on reality although you can bend space, time, matter, etc. Sounds like The Matrix to me except Matrix is not a dream but a world created by machines to trick men into believing that's the real world. I can see where's the inspiration of Inception. But Inception itself presents this hypothesis as is; so I just watch it as is. But somehow in my mind I kept thinking are we capable of one continous dream as presented by the movie? Can our dreams be shared? Apparently it can be. When we wake up will we be so consumed by the perfect world in our dreams which in turn is based on reality that we will turn mad or in denial like Mal? Is it even possible? I haven't had a dream where it is one continous dream with consistent people in it. I wish I could do that.

This does make the movie an attractive one doesn't it? Strangely though since it is your dream so to speak, how come they can be attacked by guns etc? Can't they fight back by asking the architect to dream them a bigger gun or change the scenario or something? Or is the architect bound by her own creation; once in motion, she can't change it?

I have more questions but ignoring these technicalities, I find the movie very entertaining and nail biting because of the action stuff going on. Sort of like James Bond in a dream sort of action. However, one ridiculous moment had to be the moment(s) where we see 3 subconcious levels together; the van driver Yusuf and the van falling into the river which takes forever, Arthur gathering the sleeping ones in level 2 into an elevator where earlier I heard he has only minutes but it went on forever, the centre at the snow area for level 3 and in the end of course Cobb finding Saito in level 4. The scene of the van falling into the river was taking forever but the one that annoyed me was the level 2 elevator scene, it really felt like forever.

I must note the great special effect scene which is the one where Ariadne bending the streets as they fell on top of the other creating a perfect symmerty. Great scene.

In restrospect, we know so little of the characters don't we?

As for the performances, there seems to be a collection of Oscar winners, nominees and what nots. Doesn't make them all great.

Marion Cotillard is not my favourite so frankly I didn't enjoy her performance. Moreover, let me be petty; Mal isn't exactly a name that can elicit pity or any sort of emotion.

Ken Watanabe I never liked frankly but from the looks of it he is Hollywood's favourite Japanese actor, probably the only Japanese actor. I find him a bit too dramatic and his English is also a problem.

Leonardo Di Caprio is a good actor but I think he is a miscast in this movie. He can't do angst well and his character is full of it. Rumour has it Christian Bale was supposed to be in this movie but of course the director said Leo was his first choice. Christian Bale is all about angst and he will do great in the role as Cobb, on the condition he losses that breathy way he speaks ever since he plays Batman. Some viewers say the movie does not have an emotional connection, it felt cold, I disagree. I thought what more connection you want? Cobb is a tortured soul, he is angst and guilt and conscience all combined together and coupled with desperation and grief, what more? But rather it was Leo who didn't convey all these well. He sported that I don't know, that serious look throughout and nothing much. I just feel he was not Cobb and the fact that the movie felt cold was because he didn't deliver as he should.

Ellen Page plays the architect and frankly how she actually creates the dream world is skipped altogether so she spends time walking around in the movie looking like she is doing something. Then action kicks in and she is doing something and she is one character that connects with Cobb and found out his secret which I shall not reveal here. Not a secret really but how he spends his time in his dreamworld with his captive wife. And yet she manages to escape each time. Anyway Ellen Page is wasted in here.

I enjoyed Tom Hardy's role, probably one of the two "funny" ones in here that provides the lighter moments. Again exactly what he does I am not sure.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt is so grown up! I remember him as the smart aleck kid from 3rd Rock From The Sun. How time flies. He has a huge role as Cobb's assistant, even if he has very little dialogue. I enjoyed his performance. Even if he looks skinny and all, his fighting scenes, and only one that fights against gravity in this movie was very entertaining.

Pete Postlethwaite and Michael Caine both have very small roles in this movie but both did what they are paid to do effectively in the few minutes of appearance. And that was Tom Berenger? The one looking oily and sneaky? Haven't seen him in a long time, could hardly recognise him!

The one actor and one character that I was absolutely fascinated with is to me the rarely seen strange looking actor, Cillian Murphy. I didn't detect any accent at all! Anyway he has I must admit a very cold sort of face with even chilly eyes but gorgeous eye colour if you ask me. Frankly I didn't follow his career much but am glad to see him having an important role in this movie. In fact his portion of the story is the most fascinating one. The entire story is built on his character and how Cobb and gang had to plant an idea in his mind and I like his relationshiop with his father and how Cobb and gang reasoned the best way to plant the idea is to effect a reconciliation with the father in the dream when in actual fact his father couldn't care less about him. He did the dramatic bits well and his scene of reconciliation with his father was definitely the highlight of this movie with some exceptional performance from this strange looking actor. He also handled the action scenes well.

I must admit Christopher Nolan is a very good director. He brings to us fascinating stories that is not some boring rehashed stuff from other boring rehashed stuff and he always make good use in his actors and prefers casting those he has worked with. I may have my grouses with this one, calling it confusing and at times boring or rather too long on one focus until I became restless but it is nevertheless a refreshing sort of movie which emphasise on storytelling as well as presentation. Whilst Inception is not the most important movie or best movie as it has its flaws and some questionable casting decisions, no doubt it is a very enjoyable movie that makes you think. Ignore the technicalities and just go with the flow and join the debate as to whether in the end is Cobb still in his dream?

Verdict
A must see. The name Christopher Nolan itself deserves at least a view at the trailer and with such a cast, whatever I may say about them, one of them must intrigue you somehow. The story (not the technical stuff) to me is the true star of this movie. Clever stuff I must say.

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YOU'RE HIRED [TVB]

Written by Funn Lim


"Dayo Wong rarely acts in TV series but when he does, somehow it is a guarantee he will be great."





SPOILERS ... SPOILERS ... SPOILERS

Released In
2009

Cast-Character
Too long. You can check them out here

No. of Episodes
22

Official Synopsis
Taken from Wikipedia

A previous successful entrepreneur, Mak Tai Song (Dayo Wong) searches for his mentor's wife, Sheh Mo Lin (Theresa Lee)and helps pay off her debt because he feels guilty for his mentor's death. On the other hand, Tong Kat (Benz Hung) pleads Mak Tai Song to mentor him, hoping to accomplish something for his father's billionaire company. Song ends up mentoring Tong Kat on a part-time basis and take shelves of good wine as payments. Song then gets chase down on making payments for She Mo Lin's debt by Lam Miu Miu (Charmaine Sheh), the debt collection agent of Sheh Mo Lin. The conflicting personalities of Lam Miu Miu, a wild spender and Mak Tai Song, a free-loader, causes many laughing moments of the drama and in the end, both fall in love with each other. When Lam Miu Miu thinks things are finally turning out the way she wants, she gets confused by Song's sudden changes and evil-tactics against Ngon Jo Lin (Michael Tse), Song's step-brother. Perhaps Song's long-lost childhood will change him entirely and make him more distant to Lam Miu Miu...

The Real Synopsis
How can the official synopsis get so many things wrong??

First of, Johnny is not a stepbrother, he is (SPOILERS! AHHH WHO CARES?!) half brother. Same mother, different father. Song is not a previous successful entrepreneur. He could be successful if he wants but he doesn't want to be. So technically he is a successful entrepreneur. Tong Kat didn't plead Song to mentor him, his father did. And Song didn't mentor Tong Kat, he became his advisor in getting out of sticky situations. He did mentor in a way Johnny. Debt collection agent? Same as debt collector. Miu Miu is not really a wild spender, she is technically a shopaholic. Ok, Song is a free loader. But the falling in love part was AFTER the problem with Johnny is solved, not before or during. The whole "make him distant to Lam Miu Miu" is pure nonsense. During that time or anywhere after there wasn't such a crisis. Who wrote this wildly inaccurate synopsis?

On The Names
You might wonder why Song calls Miu Miu "Sam Sui Mui" as in "The girl with 3 "water" in her name" because 淼淼, that is Miu Miu, and I am talking about one Miu is made up of 3 words individually; that is water in chinese! Therefore, her name as 3 water in it. Her brother, 林木森 , each individual word is made of the word "wood" in chinese! All are Wood! Clever play of words I tell you!

Did you notice anything else in this series such as clever play of words in names? If yes, do use Post A Comment!

Comments
I anticipated this series because I haven't seen Dayo Wong for a long time and he is a funny guy so I anticipate this series to be funny, except I was dreading Charmaine Sheh since comedy is not her forte. However I find my fears somewhat unfounded.

This is clearly a vehicle for Dayo Wong. Without him, this series will never work. Even with him, sometimes there are just so many plot holes and last minute changes and what nots but thankfully, or rather I didn't care. I watch it for Dayo Wong and I shall suspend my disbelief for 22 episodes. About halfway through the series, I realise everybody else is a supporting cast to the clear leading actor and character that is Dayo Wong. And yet also halfway through this series, the stories seemed stretched out, like it was losing steam because it was going nowhere with Mo Lin and Tong Kat's stories which I believe it was then Michael Tse's Johnny was introduced to great effect. His part of the story let everybody else shine, instead of just Dayo's Song. In fact I personally believe Episode 14 (if I remember correctly) as the best and funniest episode and that was because of the character Lam Muk Sang and the brilliance of Power Chan who showed his power, all puns intended. That one single episode lifted this series to quality comedy, simple comedic moments coupled with some good acting and great comic timing by everyone, even the rather shunted aside Charmaine Sheh gave this series a certain pedigree in good writing and also defines what is good comedy. But seriously, if Michael Tse didn't enter this series, frankly even Dayo Wong can't carry this series any longer with the out of steam storyline. I will explain why.

You can say this series is divided into 3 segments in the story. First which takes out a whole chunk is primarily Mo Lin's story. Then the second is Johnny's story. And the briefest is Song and Miu Miu's story, which is their relationship. Throughout we have a bit of Tong Kat, a bit of Miu Miu, a bit of Muk Sang, the noodle shop, Miu Miu's father as well as the father's disciple, Choi Kei. Song comes in in every part of the story as at first the problem solver to every problem comes his way and later his story takes the central story, his childhood, his relationship with his mentor and at last his fear of commitment and his relationship with Miu Miu. It feels like an episodic story you know, and before Johnny came into the picture, the story seems to be fizzling out.

Johnny in a way saved the series. His appearance was funny, dynamic and really pushed the story along by introducing to us Song's mysterious and very sad past. Before long we know Johnny who is really a very nice guy even if he seems like a slacker who loves the limelight and act and sing rather than do business, which is the rice business. I like how Johnny and Song interract and whilst Song seems to be the villain in here, the lessons learnt by Johnny is something that will shape him later on.

Episode 14 (or was it episode 15?) as I have mentioned is the funniest because in this episode, we have Johnny being a failed singer (failed spectacularly, all engineered by Song who perhaps wanted him to return back to Earth rather than day dream about fame all the time) and his business plan or promoting rice together with his musical career also failed spectacularly was demoted and became Muk Sang's assistant. Now Muk Sang is the assistant to the CEO, before this was Johnny, then Johnny made the error and was demoted and so his twin sister, the strict and always by the book/time Bowie took over as CEO. Muk Sang himself is assisted by Miu Miu herself. So when Muk Sang learned that he has 2 assistants, and one of them the former CEO who will probably become CEO again one day since he is the only son, and yet the current CEO is warring with the ex CEO, he is stuck in a situation where he can't be nice to Johnny for fear of getting the wrong side of Bowie and yet can't be that bad to Johnny that when Johnny regains power he will benefit from that as well! To see him running back and forth between them and to see Miu Miu too stuck in the middle was the funniest of the entire series. Here Power Chan really showed his comedic timing, his big fake smiling face to both siblings whilst trying to please them both without annoying either of them was simply the classic moment of this series!

Another great moment was when Miu Miu realised she was in love with Song, her family knew and decided to test Song on how he felt for Miu Miu. And what better way than to hold a banquet thanking Song for his help for the family but the entire thing felt more like a wedding reception than a thank you banquet! Very funny stuff as Song realised the entire thing was to force him to confess his love for Miu Miu. So Miu Miu got rejected in the end and of course tried her best to ignore him. But these 2 are peculiar pair. When Song said "Let's try to fake dating first, just a try", she agreed. Then of course there's the "Let's try to fake propose marriage first" and she agreed. In fact he gave her a wedding ring box, in it was a coupon to redeem a wedding ring when she wants to! Then of course the last straw was "Let's try to practice our separation scene, just in case" and Miu Miu got so pissed off, she said why not just break up. Of course she really really liked him. If there is one rather romantic scene, it has to be the one where he kissed her as she complained "I don't know what you're thinking, I don't know what you want, I don't know anything about how you feel, you bottle up everything inside and refuse to let me know anything at all!" and suddenly, her face really red and blushing and as he tried to explain how he feels, she in turn just shut him up and just say "Go, go, you have more important things to do, what soup you want to drink? I will make it!". Very funny and a lovely kiss.

And throughout, there are gems of scenes thanks to Song with his wisdom in dealing certain situations until the series turned deadly serious with the return of his supposedly dead mentor, Martin and we see a sombre Song trapped between his guilt for causing the downfall of Martin (and his crippled leg) and not wanting to help Martin to regain his wealth by hurting the people he care about, like Miu Miu whom he is dating at that point and also his good friend Tong Kat and his aged father, old Mr Tong who trusts Song implicitly and without question. He felt terrible for betraying their trusts and yet couldn't bring himself to hurt Martin again. In fact at this point this series just became way too serious. Frankly I didn't quite enjoy the Martin story, I find it such a ridiculous part of the story and what a stupid man to throw away the trust by the Tong company and for what I wonder? In the end we found out Martin planned everything from the beginning, and push the blame on Song. If you're wondering, Song became obssessed with success and money and sold off Martin's company for a high profit. Supposedly Martin was so upset he drove over the sea or something and died. Of course he didn't die and some years later came back a crippled. But in the end he turned out to be perfectly normal, that he actually invested in something called accumulator and lost heavily and so engineered everything, faked his death and all. Song knew because he said he paid off Martin's debt. Now this was when I was like "Huh? Where did that come from?". Never had Song indicated anything about knowing Martin lost heavily in investment. Just one of those storyline that got changed as the series went along.

But the characters are pretty consistent except for some inconsistent issues. Like Song. How he has got the money to pay off the HKD5 million debt of Muk Sang? He borrowed from an old ally perhaps? When he started dating Miu Miu, she bought a whole lot of clothes and bags and told him to pay which he did. How did he pay? He didn't have money and I assume no credit cards at all. At the final proposal scene (which they terms as Redeem The Wedding Ring Banquet), the wedding ring was at least sponsored by Tong family. How did Miu Miu's ex boyfriend who was just earning some money from his recycling business could get such a fantastic apaertment and all those furniture? And how can they just close down the business when so many people's livelihood is at stake? So does it mean all those ex homeless people goes back to being homeless? And why wasn't Johnny at the engagement banquet? Because Michael Tse's contract for this series is over by that time? And when did Miu Miu quit her job as debt collector anyway? And what's the deal with that Hunter guy?

And the ending was pretty terrible. Of course it must involve love and toilet joke but I felt the ending brought down the entire series where it succeeds in balancing drama and comedy and frankly I will just ignore the ending. If you must know, it is a happy one where a couple who retrieves an engagement ring from a pile of you know what will of course be a successful couple in my opinion.

Performance wise, generally I must say very satisfactory, especially never expected one of them to be entertaining at all.

Michael Tse I believe was brought into the production to move the story along because he came out of nowhere and in the end went out of sight quite as suddenly. His character is the sort like all of us; dreaming of stardom and not doing anything else. I find him funny and engagingly gullible when he was gullible and a very likeable character. I never thought I would say this of Michael Tse who has this look of pure disdain whenever I see him on TV being interviewed. I am sure he is a cold but not rude sort of guy but he never gave me the impression that he is affectionate or friendly sort. In this character however he is everybody's friend and I find his performance excellent for the few short episode. A pity his character is not given a proper ending in the end. Would have love to see him at the wedding cheering on his brother/good friend, Song.

Benz Hui as Tong Kat is a rather strange sort of casting decision. Benz Hui, a rich middle aged playboy sort of guy? Would never have believed that and I didn't when the story in the beginning highlighted him. Then he disappeared from screen for a good number of episodes when Michael Tse appeared and when Michael Tse disappeared, Benz Hui reappeared and I liked him better when his character was kicked out of his father's house and the screentime is dominated by Benz and Dayo as 2 best friends. Tong Kat turned out to be a pretty great character and playboy as he is, he believed Song when Song was accused of working for rival company by Martin. Their friendship is believable and after a while I find Tong Kat lovable and also understandable why he is such a successful womaniser. So kudos to Benz Hui.

Cheung Kwok Keung is someone I haven't see for some time and that man, since time immemorial has always looked that way so I will conclude he hardly aged. His Martin is strange. I wonder was he a good guy turned villain because of what Song did? Or he became a villain because he himself lost a whole lot of money and pretended to die to mark up the share prices or was it mark down? Frankly I am absolutely confused over the business part. However he was despicable when it turns out he wasn't walking with a limp at all. I find this character confusing, probably because the writing is confusing. However Cheung Kwok Keung did very well in this very serious role where the comedy at this segment of the series seem to have been totally annihilated. Not that I am complaining since it deals with Song's guilt over what happened to his master. I just don't understand why Martin would continue to betray the Tong family who entrusted him such trust and gave him so much perks if money is his no. 1 agenda because the Tongs would probably reward him well. Is it jealousy over Song and to revenge against Song for selling his company? All of a sudden we are told Song actually paid off his huge debt and Martin knew and didn't feel grateful at all. At some point I think the whole storyline of why Martin hated Song so much just got thrown out of window.

Teresa Lee as Martin's wife is also someone I haven't seen for some time. Again she hardly aged and yes, she is no comedian but her role does not require her to be funny. Her cantonese is still choppy but then Mo Lin is supposed to be a girl born and bred in US so that is understandable to me. My problem with her character is after a while there wasn't much for her to do. She suffered, Song helped her, she avoided Song thinking Song liked her, then Song explained he didn't, she in turn fell for him and then he avoided her and then she realised it wasn't love, just a misunderstanding and so she left for US. Then Michael Tse came into the picture and when he left, she returned, having found Martin (or sly Martin found her but pretended he couldn't look for her for max pity points?), found out her husband is a scum and took Song's side and the left again and then returned again when he is in prison with the promise to wait for him and hoping he would change for the better. She comes, she goes, she comes back, goes again and comes back again. To me she is a Extra Special Guest Star. Her story is short and at some point absolutely done with, which is why Michael Tse came into the picture and she out of the picture. Acting wise, she displays the right amount of confusion, determination but frankly and thankfully she does not need to be funny at all because she falls flat in that. To watch her deliver her lines is a struggle. She is someone who can act pretty well but hindered by language. If in English, I am sure it will be more natural for her. Her best scene was when she thought her mother in law didn't recognise her and her anguish as she poured out her frustration to Dayo's Song that her life sucks is one of the best moments of this series.

Mandy Cho is a surprise. First, she looks sort of like Charmaine, and I think it is deliberate, since they play in laws and she being the older sister in law but probably close in age to Charmaine's Miu Miu, they have the same hair and the same obssession with handbags. I haven't seen much of Mandy Cho to tell you how she is in her performance since I have nothing much to compare with. Again she is not funny, Power Chan is but I like how they cling to one another. The fact that they play a "power" couple and a loving one at that with similar personalities is I thought brilliant. I like how Power Chan kept holding her and she in turn cling to him. I find their relationship believable. She wasn't horrible at all, since the focus is not on her and when the focus is on her, thankfully Power Chan is there to shift the focus. So frankly not much to comment at all. Ok, one comment. A bit too much make up.

Oscar Leung is funny when it comes to expression. Again his character doesn't seem to fit into the first half of the story, with his seduction of Mo Lin which frankly isn't really funny but as the story progresses to him as the successor of the noodle shop, he displayed his ability in handling the lighter side of the story as well as the dramatic bits. I think he is a competent actor.

Joel Chan finally has a role where he isn't some jerk or some sniggering villain. Even if his character is totally unbelievable and you have to suspend disbelief, I think his over idealistic and environment loving character who actually is afraid of failure so decided not to try at all rather well, ok. He is just one of the cases for Song to solve. However his ending bit with Charmaine where Miu Miu confesses she doesn't love him anymore and he was heartbroken was gentlemanly enough to understand things have indeed changed was one of the better acted moments in this series that does not involve Dayo Wong. A good performance.

Queenie Chu is tall. She is also perfectly cast as the "time is everything" sort of strict boss. I think she is a good actress, again not a comedian and therefore she does not provide the laughs but she does provide for some good acting chops even if one moment sort of killed that credibility that was when she found out Song is her half brother and frankly the reaction as in non-reaction was all wrong. That is one of those inconsistencies I talked about. Other than that she is actually a competent actress.

The older actors did competently in the dramatic department, except for Chow Chung with his over the top expression was rather funny even if he didn't mean to be funny although his acting is much better here than his previous offerings. Suet Nei for one is a far better actress than she was when I first saw her even if I find her character despicable. Of course the justification for her abandoning Song was that her current husband was not the third party, he was actually her husband from the start and Song's father was the third party sort of like exonorated her actions of abandoning Song but I don't think so. Of course she tried looking for him, half heartedly in my opinion because he is there! And when she thought he was jeapordising the relationship between Michael and Queenie as brother and sister, she said "I wished I have never given birth to you". That would sting I tell you. What an awful thing to say. To see Song in the end accepting her because he found out his father was the 3rd party was such an easy excuse isn't it to explain for the awful things she said?

Power Chan is one half of the 2 reasons why this series is so funny. In one episode alone which is the one focusing on Michael, Queenie and with him in the middle has got to be the best in the entire series. His exasperated expressions, his desperation to serve two bosses and not offend either of them and his antics in going about that as well as teaching Miu Miu and Johnny on how to prepare a company proposal in one night certainly made this series even funnier than it was! Earlier scenes where he os often introduced as if he is such a busy person, very important, no time at all were funny too as with his role in the thank you banquet held for Song where he was the big brother ushering in Song when it looked more like the brother of the bride escorting the groom to his wedding! Power Chan's performance is energetic, he has got the comic timing, and he has always been a very good actor, except sometimes languishing in villanous role. I always thought he and Wayne Lai are similar and since Wayne Lai is now super famous, I am hoping someday Power Chan will receive similar kudos for his talent in both drama and comedy.

Charmaine Sheh is an anomaly. I have been saying the same thing over and over and over about her inconsistency, whether in performance, in a scene, in a series, in everything. No doubt she is I believe TVB's no. 1 actress now, and this series was made I suppose before you can surely say she is no. 1 actress in TVB? Dayo Wong has the unique ability, like Bobby Au Yeung to have chemistry with all their female leads, well at least a majority of them and Charmaine is no difference. Her chemistry with Dayo is wonderful, and I really thought that one kiss they shared was one of the most beautiful kisses on screen and believable kiss as well. It was not disgusting, it was not inappropriate but rather just beautiful. There are a few things Charmaine excels in , that is crying (but silently not those loud ones) and a kissing scene. Their kiss gave off a sense of intimacy and it was lovely to watch. I love her clothes in this series, especially the bright red blouse and I think she looks very pretty and thankfully she plays someone sort of like her own age so it didn't feel unbelievable. And mind you, she is in a lot of boots and mini skirts. Her best scenes are with Dayo as always and I can pinpoint which is her funniest and which is her best. Her funniest was when she returned breathless from I suppose having ran to buy Johnny's breakfast on the orders of her brother whilst Johnny was running to buy breakfast for someone else. Her inability to talk as she swung her arm around was a genuinely funny part even if it was a mere seconds. Her best scenes were during which she had to play nice to Dayo's Song such as cooking for him, going to the market together like a mother leading her son and when she found out he thought of her like his mother, her performance there was funny and effective. Another good one was during the thank you banquet, she was like practically the shy beaming bride and her Miu Miu's sudden love for Song didn't look that sudden and I find it all believable and effective. Overall I think her performance generally was entertaining, cute sometimes and competent. Those are the good parts. And what made her cute is of course herself, Charmaine is likeable as long as she doesn't shout or talk loudly. But her entertaining and competence came from Dayo which she shares most of her screentime and Power Chan, who both took away much notice from her. Frankly I wasn't paying attention to her most of the time because Dayo's delivery of his lines demands full attention and Power Chan is just too hyper for me to look elsewhere. She is funny because they are funny. She alone is not funny. I find her having no comic timing. It is unfair to compare her to Dayo who is a comedian for a start whose every delivery is a punch line and every punch line delivered with perfect timing and with the right sense of irony or sarcasm which other characters often failed to detect. She however succeeds as the one next to him, the one trailing along with him. Let me be blunt; put anyone save for the most annoying ones or those who absolutely can't act, and they would do well. This Lam Miu Miu to me is without much personality on her own. I find her bland and frankly not very interesting if there is no Mak Tai Song next to her. And frankly, when she appeared, I kept thinking Ada Choi would be a better casting decision because Ada can play someone calculative, materialistic and such even if my opinion of her dramatic acting isn't very high. But Ada had played a similar role next to Dayo of course. But somehow I feel casting of Charmaine is not the worst decision but it did nothing at all to make Lam Miu Miu special at all. How should I articulate my thoughts to explain what I mean if you don't understand what I meant? Quite simply, Lam Miu Miu in this series is supposed to be the leading female character but after a while I find her blend into the back as just one of the characters. With or without her, the series will do well. Of course every hero needs a heroine but frankly for Lam Miu Miu's character, anyone can play this role. Charmaine did nothing to bring anything special or unique to this role, except maybe that beautiful kiss and her lovely wardrobe.


Dayo Wong rarely acts in TV series but when he does, somehow it is a guarantee he will be great. After all being funny is his life's work. But this series proves he can be more than funny. It is indeed like a great shame on all those so called veterans or siu sangs or fa dans or those who works on TV regularly churning out performance after performance because if you watch Dayo in here, even during dramatic bits, he was excellent. Of course he is funny. His delivery of every punchline was perfect, subtle but darn funny. Like Stephen Chow, he mastered the art of comic timing and punchlines. What I am impressed with him is the dramatic bits. I know he can act but I never knew he can act that well. The scenes of him looking at Michael Tse's Johnny who obviously had a better easier life and a mother's love and care, were they curiosity? Jealousy? Such contemplative expression! His best was when his mother confronted him, and in an emotionally charged scene as he kept denying his identity, he finally broke down and his voice shaking, his eyes sort of brimming with tears as he told off his mother, that scene or scenes as there were several was amazing to watch. He was like a guy trying to hold back pouring out his anger, his anguish, and it took him a lot of effort. Fantastic performance. One of the funniest scene was when his mother called him and trying to make him admit who he is, and he kept denying her questions, this one single scene show a classic comedy moment that haven't been seen much. The set up is so simple, the execution flawless and we have seen such a funny scene in the past and it is nice to see such classic scene again, and that was when he kept saying he wasn't who he is, suddenly old neighbourhood friends turned up and said hi! Even the shop owner suddenly appeared and recognised his mother as mrs so and so and he was so and so. Exceedingly funny scene! I like such old school stuff instead of the put on over the top comedy and Dayo's performance as Mak Tai Song does bring back good old memories of when comedy isn't that much just about slapstick as we see now but delivery, delivery, delivery! Excellent performance and the only reason to watch this series, without him, it will never work at all.

Verdict
This series has its brilliance that reminds me of when comedy is about subtlety, isn't about a whole lot of people in one scene doing something cute or funny but sitting down, delivering a line with perfection. Dayo Wong makes this series and Dayo Wong is a class act. And a great thing is he alone isn't the one best thing of this series; he ably supported by the others even if I may criticise the usefulness of their characters or even the relevance of their performances. Afer all You're Hired has only one leading actor and that is Dayo Wong and the rest are supporting actors. If you see it as that or unless you're the biggest fan of anyone in this series other than Dayo Wong and therefore will delude yourself into thinking such and such stands parri passu with the great Dayo Wong, this is a must watch. I see it as a compliment that everybody else is a supporting cast since he can't do everything by himself, and at some point without the likes of such supporting cast even Dayo seems to be running out of steam. Why he is so funny and so great is because of such support. So in the end for whatever reason you watch this series and even if this series is inconsistent and with more plot holes than a cheese, it is still to me a must watch because it is just so funny.

Interesting Fact
Dayo Wong is mainly in one costume throughout but somehow when he wore the tuxedo, I find him so very handsome. Indeed, a good tailored suit makes a man I tell you.

The themesong is as usual sung by Dayo Wong. He is a far better actor than a singer but I enjoyed the song and its lyrics.

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THE MYSTERIES OF LOVE [TVB]

Written by Bridget Au

"The Mysteries of Love began badly. Very badly… so badly, in fact, that I thought at first that I was watching the wrong series."



SPOILERS ... SPOILERS ... SPOILERS

Chinese Title
“Tam Ching Suet On” (roughly translates to Of Love And Cases)

Theme song
Until You Stop Looking For Me by Raymond Lam

Released In
2010

No. of episodes
25

Cast
Raymond Lam as Kingsley
Tavia Yeung as Sai Lei Mui
Kenneth Ma as Gordon
Bernice Liu as Nickole
Evergreen Mak
Mary Hon
Lee Kwok Lun

Foreword
Not as bad as its title, but still pretty bad. Starring some guy named Raymond Lam.

Review
I am one of the many who watched Japan’s Galileo before this series and I can tell you without a doubt that no matter what TVB says, The Mysteries of Love definitely copied / loosely based / is inspired by its Japanese counterpart. I can also tell you without a doubt that TVB butchered everything that was great about Galileo and put its own horrendous spin on the plot and characters.

The Mysteries of Love began badly. Very badly… so badly, in fact, that I thought at first that I was watching the wrong series. You have to watch the beginning for yourself but I am fairly confident in saying that it is probably the cheesiest introduction of a family feud between two lovers in recent history. What a dumb plot gimmick.

And so we think – it’s only uphill from here, right?

Wrong.

The cases were boring and predictable. I watched this series only a few weeks ago and if you ask me about the cases, I can tell you I don’t remember a single one. Give me Detective Investigation Files over this any day. I’m also tired of how the villains always get a long confessional soliloquy in TVB series. Isn’t there a more refreshing way to explain how cases got solved?

The ending was one of the worst anti-climax endings I’ve ever watched. First off, Sai Lei Mui tells Kingsley she tried to commit suicide after he broke up with her. If the subject wasn’t so serious I think I would have laughed at how anti-climax this revelation was. This was so out of character for Sai Lei Mui and a lame attempt at last-minute drama. After that, she forgives him after watching him declare his love on national television, followed by a proposal scene where everyone and their mother encourages her to forgive him and accept his proposal. I don’t know about you, but I won’t go accepting an ex’ proposal days after I tell him I attempted suicide because of him. This was lazy writing to the core.

I am a shameless Raymond Lam fan so it pains me to tell you that I did not like his performance here. For one thing, the casting is all wrong. Ray is too young for the role. While he looks intelligent in that very academic way, he is not convincing age-wise as an assistant professor even though he’s supposed to be an accomplished genius.

And what’s with the vests? Can’t he just hang out in a lab coat, please? And the name - Kingsley King?! I thought they were joking. Why does TVB insist on giving Ray’s characters horrible English names? Alfred in Heart of Greed, for one… but seriously, Kingsley? The name was so bad and laughable that my friends and I started referring to this series as “Kingsley”. We would ask each other things like “What episode of Kingsley are you on?” or “Have you finished watching Kingsley yet?” TVB, please give the poor guy a decent English name next time. Hell, just call him Raymond Lam.

The absolute worst part of his character was that he was pretentious – as – hell. TVB has got to stop thinking it’s portraying a realistic professional just because he has a ridiculous English name, texts his girlfriend in English (and she doesn’t speak English, btw), and is referred to by his English name by his blue-blood parents. And while it may not be Ray’s fault, I was annoyed out of my mind by the constant English phrases he uses in his dialogue. At least Ray speaks decent English, unlike the other actors TVB forces to speak the language in so-called ‘profession series’…like here, where they kept calling Nickole “Nickel”.

Casting and pretentiousness aside (which is mostly the scriptwriters’ fault), I didn’t quite like Ray’s interpretation of his character either. Kingsley is supposed to be a genius driven by logic and scientific explanations. These people are usually a) loners or social outcasts b) not very in tune with their emotions c) not very expressive or a combination of the three. While again, most of this is the writers’ fault for giving him a best friend in Gordon and a quick girlfriend in Sai Lei Mui, Ray was not deadpan enough in the role. He smiles, his eyes sparkle, he’s polite and even charming in the role. The one exception would be the confession scene in the restaurant when he tried to explain how he fell in love with Sai Lai Mui. So formulaic, so logical, and very in character for Kingsley. I was laughing! Ray actually looked deadpan in that scene, which was good. Overall though, Ray fans won’t be too well served with The Mysteries of Love.

If Ray’s performance was a surprise, so was Kenneth Ma’s, but in a good way. In series, Kenneth usually bores me to tears but in interviews he seems chatty, interesting and even silly at times. I think with this series as well as his performance in Survivor’s Law II, Kenneth has found his “golden character” - the ones who are bright but goofy, not very polished, even a bit crass. He’s got chemistry with Bernice Liu and their friends-with-benefits relationship was more interesting to watch than the Ray-Tavia overused storyline. Kenneth’s performance is both entertaining and brave here, what with his very intimate scenes with several actresses.

Bernice Liu was reduced to a cameo here, so I don’t have much comment on her performance other than the fact that she has improved in the dramatic scenes. A decent performance.

Tavia Yeung was a question mark for me. She looks a lot like the actress in the Japanese version, and though her character is kind of annoying in here (she is all over Kingsley all the time), Tavia can act. Her best scene was the scene with her father, when she broke down in tears after breaking up with Kingsley. It reminded me of a similar scene in Love Bond with Kenix Kwok and Paul Chun. I also liked Tavia’s bantering scenes with her co-workers here and the scenes with the actor who plays her nephew. I felt nothing for her scenes with Ray, though. Anyone feeling overexposed to these two actors may need alcohol and/or a fast-forward button to get through their scenes. In fact, they behave almost like siblings. While I have no complaints about Tavia’s acting in this series, I have to say she lacks charisma. I really think she should stick to the secondary characters. However, I will take her as a female lead any day over Charmaine or Shirley.

With the exception of the veteran who portrayed Sai Lai Mui’s father, no supporting cast member was especially memorable. Casting missed the mark again with Mary Hon and Lee Kwok Lun as Kingsley’s parents. They were almost cartoon versions of snobby old-money people, and from the way they behaved and talked, were beyond pretentious – the antithesis of class. I was happy to see Evergreen Mak again, although this role didn’t make much of his acting skills.

To Watch or Not to Watch, That is the Question
Strictly for Kenneth, Bernice, Raymond, and Tavia fans… and even then, I make no promises. A miss.

Ratings
2/5

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GALILEO [TV][Jap]

Written by Bridget Au

"Clever, entertaining and fast-paced, Galileo is a refreshing departure from your usual Asian idol drama or romcom"



SPOILERS ... SPOILERS ... SPOILERS

Year
2007

Japanese Title
“Garireo” (Japanese loan words)

No. of episodes
10

Cast
Kou Shibasaki as Kaoru Utsumi
Masaharu Fukuyama as Manabu Yukawa
Kazuki Kitamura as Shunpei Kusanagi
Hiroshi Shinagawa as Shiro Yuge
Ikkei Watanabe as Hiromi Kuribayashi
Miki Maya as Sakurako Jonouchi

*Based on the mystery novel Tantei Garireo (“Detective Galileo”) by Keigo Higashino

Foreword
Clever, entertaining and fast-paced, Galileo is a refreshing departure from your usual Asian idol drama or romcom. What Taiwan’s Pi Li MIT should have been.

Review
As anyone can tell from scanning my review list, I don’t watch many Japanese series. However, this series came highly recommended by a fellow reviewer who tends to share my tastes (most of the time). After Googling the series and seeing the poster, my first thought was “What the – is that Ekin Cheng? And Emme Wong?” Can you tell I’m from Hong Kong?

Before I get stabbed by the, er, enthusiastic Fukuyama fans, let me say that he only looks like Ekin Cheng in the poster i.e. when he’s not moving. Same with Shibasaki. Moving on.

I was not disappointed with this series, unlike all the other times I’ve been duped into watching overhyped series (I’m still recovering from War of In-Laws). The basic formula for Galileo is similar to the detective-style series of 90s TVB, but of course with striking differences:

1. The cases are creative, clever, and some are borderline creepy in that very Japanese way. Case in point (pun intended) is the fake suicide one with the hanging contraption. Some of my favourite cases were the very first one with the laser beam, and the one involving the mirage in the factory.

2. The romance between the two leads is subtle and doesn’t really end in a “Ashiteru!!!” (I love you in Japanese) nor is it the main focus, thankfully.

3. Unexpectedly funny moments. My favourite was when Yukawa is trying to dismantle the bomb in the last case to save Utsumi, and at first she talks about pink and blue chords and Yukawa dryly says “You watch too many cartoons”. Then when he gets to the last dismantling task, he sees a pink and blue chord and then mutters “I should have watched more cartoons”.

4. Case-solving is based on actual logical explanations topped by physics theories. Whereas you get half-assed, not very scientific resolutions in TVB cases (the NOT MATCH flashing screen in Forensic Heroes is my example of choice here), the cases in this series seem impossible at first – with a touch of paranormal – but after the revelations by Yukawa, everything makes sense. Unfortunately, similar to TVB’s detective series, every case ends in a confession. Boooooooring.

5. Great characterization. Though the character of Utsumi is nothing new, Yukawa sensei was very well-written and Fukuyama’s performance nailed the character to a T.

My complaints about the series are minor. Whereas the plot and cases are fast-moving, fun, stylish, the character development stays flat. For someone used to character arcs and/or linear development, Galileo won’t quite float your boat. The way Yukawa always scrambles to find something to write with when he gets the AHA moment to solve a case also gets somewhat tiring. Aside from Fukuyama’s and Shinagawa’s spot-on performances, the acting was pretty much a bore. All that aside, though, Galileo sticks to its purpose and pretty much delivers.

To Watch or Not to Watch, That is the Question
Highly recommended for mystery fans or for anyone who is getting bored with the same-old formula for Asian series.

Rating
4.5/5

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CINDERELLA'S STEPSISTER [TV][Kr]

Written by Funn Lim


"I was really hoping one of them just drop dead with some incurable disease which was the trend in Korean love stories before with which I am happy is no longer the trend but at least just for this one, just one time"





SPOILERS ... SPOILERS ... SPOILERS

NOTE
This is not a full review but an opinion

RELEASED IN

2010

Except for the first few episodes, Cinderella's Stepsister turns out to be possibly one of the most hyped and worst Korean series of all time. I am trying to write a review, in fact trying to articulate my words but all I can remember is their meandering melancholy, anger, tears and seeing those 2 in love that went nowhere but staying stuck and rooted in their longing for one another when a simple "Eun Joo ya, saranghae" will probably solve every problem faced by these 2 except for the supposed killing the father part. The entire series was 20 episodes and I double checked the number of episodes to be sure and indeed 20 episodes but at least 10 is devoted to doing nothing but cry, cry and cry. I was hoping someone will get blinded or struck down with cancer which I have a feeling the writer was tempted to do so to Hyo Sun's character but except for the father, no one else dies at all. The business part is childishly written and characters exciting at first when introduced in the end turns out to be just another ke-le-fe because nothing ever happens. Even the character of Jungwoo ended up doing nothing but aimlessly and endlessly supporting Eun Joo, except of course with some nice romantic moments like he carried her and ran all the way up a hill. And that was a complete waste of time because the story stopped developing when the rival teenagers grew into rival adults. The fashion was terrible. The settings never move beyond the big old house or office or forest. I'll be damned if I see some scenery in this series. Even the special effects seem to dry up when they all grew up, the very few things that is unique about this series, Eun Joo's constant dream and imagination. The original story posted by KBS seems to change beyond recognition and in the end we are left with a sappy underdeveloped non moving love story that isn't even a love story. Many times I just wish they know there's something called handphones. 

The acting however saved the series from total annihilation and that is largely thanks to the 2 veteran actors, the super weird but charismatic Kim Gab Soo who plays the father and whose death caused the final demise of this series and Lee Mi Sook the mother who was excellent but in the end given little to do except for conniving and then regretting. 

The younger ones fared worse quite simply because their characters never went anywhere. 

Moon Geun Young perfected the angry stare look and in fact she did little except looking that way although occasionally you will see a small smile or some big tears. She shouts a lot, push people away a lot and basically just death stare many people a lot. I find her character tiring after a while and her performance stagnant and uninteresting when her character grew up still sullen and sulky although her best scenes were always with Kim Gab Soo as she was less angry but darn rude and Lee Mi Sook where her anger moves away from just pure anger and unhappiness and moves into regret and a certain fear. I wasn't wowed by her performance to tell you the truth because the character sucks. 

I was however mighty impressed with Seo Woo (yes, she looks weird, yes, her face is plastic, yes, she has obviously done work to her entire face but you must admit, she can act) who played a young spoilt teenager very convincingly and despite there were moments she may turn bad or whatever, I wasn't convinced she would be. I knew Hyo Sun deep down still yearns for acceptance, she is a nice girl through and through. Unfortunately her character may have developed a little, especially her confrontation with her stepmother and frankly Hyo Sun seems to be the only character that changes or rather has something else to do than meandering suffering, I just thought if only the entire series were better written, Hyo Sun would have been wonderful to watch. The guys didn't fare any better. Chun Jung Myung has dazzling smile and after a while, his entire back story about his mother, his half siblings, his father, I never understood any of that. He just seem to serve Eun Joo's suffering and nothing more. Taecyeon had it worse. He didn't even get the girl in the end even if Eun Joo in real life may be in love with Jung Woo without realising it since she seems to ease up when with him. Performance wise, Taecyeon whom I know is a famous pop star in a boyband and is extremely popular is the worst of the 4, but to be fair to him that is because his character had little to do.

I must however applaud the best performance in this series, and that is Moon Geun Young's hair extensions in the beginning of the series, quite simply because they have a life of their own in her performance of the sullen character. That extends to the wind (I suspect the big huge fans) and a lot of running by Moon Geun Young who could really really run.

I was thinking what went wrong with this series? And I am convinced it is the writing. It just began spectacularly and then went kaput. All we are left with is a series that had such a great beginning that the fans felt compelled to follow through and I suspect many are disappointed to have wasted precious hours on this junk. Yes, a junk. First half great, second half junk and unfortunately a series must know how to begin well and end even better. I gave up watching half way through, began reading the recaps instead and then picked up a bit and then just felt I have wasted enough time on this. It is nowehere near the greatness of some very memorable Korean love stories and eventhough it was suffering to watch Winter Sonata, I can't believe there is one series whose love story is worse than Winter Sonata and that is Cinderella's Stepsister. And funny thing is it didn't start as a love story. It started with a tale of 2 sisters but in the end became no more than a love story with the sisters concept being pushed away. What a total waste of a great idea.

Give it a miss. Save yourself some time and just watch something else, anything else which I know may be worse than this but seriously why watch a series with a foregone conclusion? I was really hoping one of them just drop dead with some incurable disease which was the trend in Korean love stories before with which I am happy is no longer the trend but at least just for this one, just one time. I was hoping Eun Joo will be the one to die because frankly I grew tired of her "I am angry! I am so so so angry! I hate everyone! I hate my life! I don't belong here!" cue the death stare and her rudeness.

WAIT! That's it! The review, as above! Ok, now I don't even need to write it! I will just post this as an opinion. Great! Now I can just stop thinking how to write this review!


SOME GOOD LINKS
- The official summary
- The series' entire full recap, read this and you don't even need to watch the series. I applaud the passion of the writer in all the details, knowing how suffering it was to watch this series.

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BIJO KA YAJUU [BEAUTY OR BEAST][TV][Japan]

Written by Funn Lim



"He (Fukuyama Masaharu) is charismatic no doubt, very handsome of course, he can act dead serious very well but in here, in this series after watching it in full I realise this may be his best performance todate."







SPOILERS ... SPOILERS ... SPOILERS

Japanese title
美女か野獣

Interestingly I used a rather reliable online translator which translated the title as "It is a beautiful woman or it is a brute" which I suppose does mean Beaty Or Beast. Alternate title is Kiss Or Fight? which I was hoping for KISS KISS KISS. Spoiler alert; there is ONE kiss at the almost very end. But plenty of fight.

Released in
Way back in 2003

By
FujiTV

No. of Episodes
11

Language
Japanese with English subtitles thanks to MediaCorp as the version I watched was a TV rip from MediaCorp

Average Ratings
Pretty high, 18.5%

Cast-Character
To those unfamiliar with Asian way of names, family name comes first, then family name. But as demonstrated in this series, Japanese does seem to favour calling a person by their surname than their given name.

Matsushima Nanako as Takamiya Makoto
Fukuyama Masaharu as Nagase Hiromi
Watanabe Ikkei as Kuze Teruhiko
Yashima Norito as Towatari Kantaro
Sasaki Kuranosuke as Kote Hiroshi
Shiraishi Miho as Shirai Yukino
Nagai Masaru as Yamamoto Takeshi
Papaya Suzuki as Kacchin
Fukaura Kanako as Akiyama Fujiko
Kodama Kiyoshi as Sakuragi Kyoichiro
Shimizu Shogo as Tamaru Reishi
Shiga Kotaro as Tsurumaki Yukio
Yamamoto Ryuuji as Sakamoto Daisuke
Morishita Tetsuo as Todo Seichi
Okada Tadashi

For those unfamiliar with Japanese stars as in acting point of view, some of the names above are familiar names. You know who is Fukuyama Masaharu. No? He was the lead in Galileo and also was in the mega hit, Under The Same Roof. Watanabe Ikkei, his frequent co-star was the assistant in Galileo as well as in Ryoma-Den and To Daisuke In Heaven. Kodama Kiyoshi looked so familiar until I checked and realised he was Ryoma's father in Ryoma-Den. I have no idea who is Papaya Suzuki but his name is very cool! Imagine that, Papaya! He's the guy with the afro in the series. As for Matsushima Nanako, she was the lady lead where she I believe she met her future husband, Sorimachi Takashi in the hit series, GTO (Great Teacher Onizuka). For international audiences, you might recognise her from The Ring (Japanese version) movies. The rest I may have seen them before but frankly I do not know.

Plot Summary
Taken from Wiki

After graduating from the Tokyo University School of Law, Takamiya Makoto (Matsushima Nanako) goes on to Harvard University where she earns an MBA. She later works at one of the "big three" networks in the United States as a news reporter. While covering a story on an international symposium in Paris, Makoto is scouted to work for JBC Television in Japan. The news producer at JBC wants to use Makoto to help raise low viewer ratings. He persuades her to work for him for an absurdly high salary, and also gives her the right to hire who she needs.

While Makoto is being brought in to be the savior of the News Department, one man gets transferred from the Variety Department. His name is Nagase Hiromi (Fukuyama Masaharu). Since joining JBC Television, all he has done is variety programs. Although Hiromi has done everything he possibly could to ensure his programs are a success, his boss just could not take anymore of Hiromi's behavior which ranged from getting caught up in scandals with female television personalities, punching-out assistant directors, to taking kickbacks from production companies. His boss finally tells Hiromi to make a fresh start in the "hard nosed" News Department.

So now the News Department has Makoto who thinks high ratings are the meaning of life, and Hiromi who values the success of a program as just a tool for the full enjoyment of life. These two totally different personalities mix it up and somehow reach a mutual understanding, creating a delightful "light comedy" for adults.

For More Info
Like the themesong, screencaps and download links, click here.

Comments
It took me quite a long time to finish watching this series because it took me a long time to download the only known subtitled copy in the internet and then remembering I haven't watched it yet, I finished the entire series in about 2 days. It is not difficult to finish even in one day since it is only 11 episodes, and each episode isn't exactly a full hour. The synopsis above is pretty accurate except for one point,  that both main protaganists of the story knew and were lovers 9 years 3 months before the meeting at the beginning of the series where the series will slowly reveal the nature of their relationship and why and how they parted. The past does explain why the present they is a bit playful and serious (for the man and the woman) respectively.

First thing first, may I proclaim my undying love for this series for several reasons, first and foremost is of course it stars my favourite singer/actor or rather my current obsession, Fukuyama Masaharu, henceforth Masha. But those who knows me by my reviews will know I don't always favour a series simply because I favour the actor(s) in it. So the other reason for my proclamation is because I really do like the story. If you read the synopsis, it does remind you a bit of Korea's All About Eve but it stops at the similarity being news. Nothing else is similar. Whilst All About Eve which was excellent in performance and story wise was after a while meandering and slow, Beauty Or Beast is not as meandering or wishy washy when it comes to love. It isn't even about love, but centres on a department of JBC (Japan Broadcasting Channel - should have been Corporation) that broadcasts the Evening News. Just the Evening News mind you. And with 11 episodes and if unfamiliar with the Japanese way of storytelling, I won't blame you for thinking "Isn't it a little short?". It is, but what the Japanese are good act which Koreans and especially HKTVB aren't is brevity. In 11 episodes, they can tell the entire backstory of this small TV crew, with each episode dedicated to one character of the crew whilst managing to relate it back to the 2 leading protaganists and also put forward a moral of the story, even if the moral is somewhat shoddy. In 11 episodes, I knew the back story of the characters without being shown a flashback scene and the ending is pretty definite in my opinion. These are reasons why I really like this series. It is just 11 episodes, and complete and done with compared to TVB's Gem Of Life which took more than 80 episodes to tell a story worth 20 episodes and even that the characters were poorly written and sometimes poorly portrayed. The actors were well chosen, each just right for their role even if you at first may think "No way! Not suitable at all!". I will talk more on this later.

First, the story. It is by no means perfect. As stated earlier, it is about the Evening News department of JBC whose ratings were falling so badly that the management decided to hire a hotshot young news reporter, Makoto as the new chief who paid her dues in credentials in America with news on terrorists, riots, etc so you know she's good at what she does. And she will be highly paid as well. Once she returned to Japan, she found herself working alongside a shady character that is Hiromi who was transferred from variety channel to the news channel for reasons we shall find out later. This series explains being in variety channel which is ratings driven and news channel which is news driven is very different but Hiromi, however much he flirts or jokes his way around does know his job as a producer generally. And for 11 episodes, we get to see how Makoto tried to win ratings at all cost whilst it was Hiromi who acts as her conscience but towards the end Makoto herself helped Hiromi gained his integrity by dealing a bit with his mysterious transfer to the news department whilst at the same time having to choose between her principles and her father which is the big finale. In the middle of it all we see stories of retrenchment, the battle between 2 rival stations where Makoto realises sometimes ratings isn't everything, the worth of her colleagues and the value of integrity when it comes to news reporting.

Of all the episodes, I really enjoyed the story about Sakuragi the aging but legendary anchor of Evening News and one more whose name I didn't catch, the small sized reporter with glasses who instead of capturing news actually dropped the camera to held save a construction worker's life. These 2 stood out because the stories are touching. In just simply less than 1 hour each, the entire story of these 2 men were told in straightforward manner. Sakuragi was about to be replaced by a much popular, handsomer and younger anchor hired from another station to boost ratings, as usual by the management whose meddling often harms the department rather than helps. Sakuragi was given no choice but to leave for cable TV which has less audience but needed his expertise. And in that episode we will find out why Sakuragi is a legend and how he calmly reported on a bank heist with coolness and ease, and why Evening News isn't the same without him. In fact somewhere towards the end Evening News was in the danger of becoming less about news and more about variety show! There was one very good scene where the cocky new anchor said the success of a show is the anchor so every details must centre on the anchor that is him and him alone. But in the end when faced with the same question by Makoto who feels the way that the cocky anchor does, Hiromi simply said the success of a show is teamwork. No man can operate alone, it is all about team work and again another lesson for Makoto who strives at nothing but ratings.

The other story of the bespectacled colleague who was also on the verge of being fired and questioned his own self worth as a reporter taught Makoto a lesson in life; sometimes news reporting isn't everything and winning awards certainly isn't. She was slightly ashamed of her crew when she saw how efficient the Diamond News Channel crew was and was often told the obstacle to her success are her crew but in the end she told the bespectacaled subordinate to do as he deems fit in future, that she trusts his judgment and that gave him a confident boost and tells us Makoto isn't such an ice queen after all. These 2 stood out for their performances and storytelling.

Another stand out episode was the one dealing with a snowstorm and the Morning News crew couldn't report back in time and Makoto is tasked with doing the Morning show as well, something she didn't expect to do. She pushes her fellow subordinates who complain to no end but did try their best to work under dangerous and tiring circumstances. I love the scene where Makoto, Hiromi and gang thought everything was in place for the morning show until they realise the anchor that is Sakuragi is missing. They ran to find him, and found out he was stuck in a lift. But when they pry open the lift, to their astonishment there stood the old Sakuragi, cool as a cucumber, fixing his time, and cooly running several floors up to make it to the front of the camera in time. They were amazed at his age, he could run that fast. That was a genuinely funny scene and did opened their eyes to their fellow colleagues, who each have their own weaknesses and in the end strengths and thus each contribute to the Evening News in their own way.

There was an episode which deals with Hiromi's transfer from Variety dept to News dept and how he dealt with one of his long time friend's silence when one of the assistant was badly beaten up by the hotshot host. I really believe that could really happen, more so in Japan and even in Korea. The scene between Hiromi and his friend and their heartfelt talk with his friend asking "Are you bitter Nagase?" because he thought Hiromi revealed the news and is pushing him to admit the news out of spite when Hiromi said something which kinda admits he is bitter because he always felt his friend was more talented than he is, without this show, there will always be new ideas from him to form another show where his friend can be the top producer. I find that scene and Hiromi's honesty heartfelt and that opened his friend's eyes how foolish it is to protect such a host who treats them like dogs.

We will see also personal lives of very few characters but the major one has to be of course the showdown between Makoto and her father whom she respects and love deeply. When she found out he may be doing some dirty job for his employer (his father is a high ranking secretary to a high ranking minister) which involves bribing witnesses and hurting the credibility of not just the Evening News but the entire crew, she thought for a while and then didn't hesitate to expose her father who probably ends up in jail or as a star witness in the end. Why did she do it? As she said; "Principles". She was hurt her father ignored his principles and he taught her well, she stood by her principles even if it meant hurting her father, which is something Hiromi didn't understand. In the end her father was rather pleased it was her and no one else who exposed him and he stood before her, prouder of his daughter than he has ever been. That scene was rather touching even if a bit dramatic. But then news can sometimes be very dramatic, even more dramatic in real life than in fiction so there is a believable aspect in all those drama.

I also like the slow reveal of the relationship between Makoto and Hiromi. I thought at first what they had 9 years before during their university days were just a fling. But as the series went on, it was quite possibly Makoto's first love and a serious enough relationship where Makoto once knitted him a scarf, he was concerned enough about her to say he didn't like handmade stuff, that she liked him enough to want to introduce him to her father and he liked her enough to have rushed to the airport to try to stop her from leaving Tokyo for Harvard University. The way they met again in the beginning were like strangers but there was more, with the way she stole glances at him, he stole glances at her but 9 years is a pretty long separation although we all know they still have feelings for each other.

What surprises me was for such a playful character Hiromi actually graduated from Tokyo University! You would think he is academically poor but he is just playful.

Which brings me to the point why this series isn't perfect.

Some parts are downright sexist and ridiculous. I know it is supposed to illustrate some cultural thing or perhaps Hiromi's character but the audition for a weather girl with young girls wearing 3 piece bikinis to audition is of course a very sexist scene. But Hiromi's reaction was funny. Then the weather girl who was hired not because of her bikini body but because she does have cute factor was for most part relegated to making coffee for her seniors and in the beginning so afraid of losing her job she herself proposed to wear shorter skirts. That is very telling on what sort of society we are dealing with. Then there's Hiromi visiting an all girls' school and how he oggled at teenaged girls who may I remind is younger than 18? We all know Makoto is one power woman because she had to deal with an all male management team but I wonder to what purpose does it serve to show her bottom being pinched even if playfully and then to show her willing to sleep with a minister to get his exclusive interview. She may be intelligent but she can be stupid sometimes.

And what is even more ridiculous is that that horny minister dared ask her to sleep with him! Why? As we know later, her father is high ranking guy working for an even higher ranking guy, she knows a lot of high ranking people, one high ranking guy working for the PM wanted to date her, she has her connections and here this horny corrupt minister dared ask her to sleep with him for a scoop. I mean she is no ordinary woman. I find that part utterly ridiculous. She should have just said "Touch me one more time and I will have your credentials stripped" not because as a newswoman she can do that but because of her family connections. The fact she didn't say that was disappointing.

And some may be quite offended by the fact that such an intelligent women need saving by a brute like Hiromi again and again, like a damsel in distress. But I will disagree on this. It just shows Hiromi may be capable but sometimes even a capable person makes wrong choices. You learn from your mistake. Hiromi's mistake was not listening to her subordinates and Hiromi, a crowd pleaser teaches her the value of teamwork. She in turn teaches Hiromi certain things as well.

The ridiculous part is sometimes I wonder is Evening News a news show or a talk show or a discussion forum show? Because towards the end with the Top 50 Ramen and what nots, it was dangerously becoming a variety show. I thought it was a news reporting like Bulletin News or CNN so I was very confused as to what is Evening News and I suspect so were the characters towards the end.

Which brings me to the characters. Well written and well performed, each character contributes to the story and I don't believe there was a moment wasted in storytelling even if some parts do drag on a bit, like the relationship between Hiromi and Makoto itself. Other than that I find the story well paced and the characters serves the story rather than the other way around. Which of course means the actors did a great job.

Fukuyama Masaharu is in no doubt my current obsession and he is a mighty fine singer/songwriter but as an actor? I loved him in all of his works I have seen, even if he was sometimes criticised in Suspect X the movie, I could explain why I love him so. But having seen some of his works fully and a few with a bit here and there, and him being less an actor and more a singer, I could lament the fact that if only he concentrated on acting more. He is charismatic no doubt, very handsome of course, he can act dead serious very well but in here, in this series after watching it in full I realise this may be his best performance todate. Hiromi can be quite a disgusting character with his flirtatious and sometimes sexist nature but Masha made him adorable, and with a bit of heart and integrity. After all Hiromi was the first to see the worth of his fellow colleagues when Makoto failed miserably. Masha played him very animatedly, in fact his most animated performance todate. I love his interaction with his fellow co-stars and the way he portrayed his character with his exagerated hand movements, body language and some rather signature greeting styles. And during the more serious moments, he toned down and showed us a serious or mournful looking Hiromi who has more on his thoughts than he lets it out. He plays Hiromi as a more relaxed and warm person rather than Makoto who is dead serious and cold. I was quite amazed by his performance and some part of me suspects this may be the real Masha at that time. He may have been Hiromi, except I suppose he won't wolf whistle the young girls in bikini. An excellent performance by Masha.

Matsushima Nanako whom I quite like but rarely watch isn't some stunning beauty but her hair in this series fits her perfectly. I am thankful she wasn't wearing an apron in this series but she does speak in an infuriatingly soft spoken small voice which much later I realise is her real voice. She is very soft spoken in real life and in this series she was also soft spoken. She can't even shout and so I wondered how can she be some fearless iron lady but she proved she can with her steely eyes and her body language which means no funny business. She always stand with authority and exerted a certain how shall I put it, authority and control in the scene she is in. Yes she did raised her voice a bit but not shouting. However I find her effective as an iron lady, even if her English sucks. A great performance in my opinon and her chemistry with Masha is one of the best of all Masha's pairing with other actresses, and sometimes quite intimate without a single hug or kiss. They're always several feet apart and yet you feel the closeness between them. However that being said, why is it Hiromi is always out of breath when speaking with Makoto? Why was he always running after her?

I will not elaborate on the other cast but I could very well say all performances are excellent. The acting animated and the voices just right even for some girls again that kittenish voice which is the staple of Japanese culture. I can't fault their performances really, and a special mention goes to Watanabe Ikkei who can play serious and comic characters. All versatile actors that elevated this series from good to excellent.

I keep forgetting about this aspect which is understandable because when done well, it is not to be noticed, and I am talking about consistency in scenes. I wasn't paying much attention to this aspect until one scene Motoko was in her house wearing a shiny looking straight skirt. Few scenes later she is in office and the same skirt. Now that is consistency, she woke up in morning getting dressed for work and at work same dress. And we are talking about 2 different scenes.

A note on the subtitles of this series. I know they're hardcoded into the TV rip, probably provided by MediaCorp themselves but I am curious why they kept getting Makoto's name wrong. It is always Tamiya instead of Takamiya and then it is never Sakamoto but something else. One part I couldn't believe "Yamete, kudasai" could translate to "Please respect me ..." which is longer than I remember because the original words should be "No, please" or "Stop, please" which makes me wonder did they translate from Chinese subtitles? How can 2 words can become a full sentence? But apart from that I am just happy there is a subtitled version. It does seem credible to that of the story so I will take the essence of the translation rather than the literal meaning.

Verdict
I know it is suffering to download the entire series because it is slow but if you're a fan of Japanese series or Masha or Nanako, this is the series to watch. I absolutely enjoyed the story and I believe even if Masha is not in it, I will still enjoy it. It is fun, funny, touching and serious, all at the same time and since it is only 11 episodes, what can you lose?

Interesting Themesong
I love the opening sequence and I love the themesong called Ginga to Meiro which translates as The Galaxy and Maze (some may translate it as The Milky Way and Maze) sung by a band with an even cooler name, Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra. You can find the opening/ending sequence, the original MV, the MP3 and Romaji lyrics here. If you know where I can find the English translation for the lyrics, do tell!!

Interesting Download
Can you still buy this series? Fear not! You can download this series. Quality is bad but at least subtitled. All here.

Interesting Screencaps
You will see the exact same sets in my other posts about this series and is reposting here because I really like them!

P/S THE ENDING
Spoilers.

Evening News is not cancelled. Makoto leaves for America, starts her own production company and goes full time into news reporting like she did before. But she maintained contact with Hiromi although we are not told if they're an item but can safely deduce they will be since their parting scene was a hug, a kiss and a smile from Makoto. Life goes on in the JBC Evening News dept with Kuze as acting Chief and they continue to put news integrity first, management wishes last.

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