Pi Li MIT (Mysterious Incredible Terminator) (2008)

Rumors have spread throughout Sheng Ying High School about a team of students and teachers that once secretly protected the school from evil for many years.  This team, code name Pi Li MIT, was disbanded some years ago for unknown reasons.  But now they're back.  Ousted from her hiding place by crimes involving mysterious anonymous CDs from someone called Hei Gui (Black Ghost), Teacher Cherry, the only remaining member of the original team, gathers together the smartest students in the school to combat this new evil and put the students' minds at ease.  This new generation of Pi Li MIT must solve the crimes and discover the identity of this Hei Gui to protect their friends, their school, and ultimately themselves.

I have so many fond memories of watching this drama, mostly because my best friend loves it...a lot.  She even wrote a fan fiction about it (actually it's a prequel to the series itself...it's pretty good; here's the link: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6254488/1/Before-Shen-Yin-and-Pi-Li-MIT).  But before I get too far ahead of myself in my blabbering, let's take a look at the cast.

• Yan Ya Lun as Zhan Shi De/007
• Gui Gui as Li Xiao Xing/Tian Mo Xing
• Huang Hong Shen as Huang Hui Hong/747
• Lu Ting Wei as Qian Fu Hao/187
• Christine Fan as Tao Mei Ren/Teacher Cherry
• Tian Li as Lu Ya Qi/Teacher Angel
• Zhang Shan Jie as Lu Ke Ying/Game King

There are a good number of people on the cast list this time (that's a good thing...I don't like making up stuff to fill the page).  You may notice, however, that each character has a second name - a nickname - that they are known by in the show.  From here on out, once I introduce a character, I will be referring to the characters by their nicknames.  It's just easier that way.  Firstly, we have Yan Ya Lun as Zhan Shi De or 007 (Ling Ling Chi is how they say it).  Some of you may recognize him as Aaron Yan (or Arron, depending on who you ask) from the boy band Fahrenheit.  007 is a very interesting character.  He's definitely a young Sherlock Holmes type figure, and I don't think I need to point out how well Aaron does that.  Aaron is and has been good at moody or silent type characters for a long time.  This one fits right into that category.  Just one in a long line of performances I love from Aaron.

Next is someone I personally find kind of annoying (don't kill me for saying that...the only reason I don't particularly care for her is that she's really hyper and I'm just not that kind of person...though some people I know would beg to differ).  Gui Gui is playing Li Xiao Xing or Tian Mo Xing (which means Lucifer, by the way...I think), the token female character around whom the love triangle will inevitably form.  This girl really drives me up a wall (I'm referring to the character, not the person).  Sure, she's cute, and Gui Gui is a good actress (for some things), but...  I don't know.  She just always kind of struck me as that one girl in school everybody knows, but nobody talks to.  I'm not saying the performance wasn't good.  Don't get me wrong on that.  The moments in the latter half of the drama when Tian Mo Xing gets more serious and she becomes more of a fully developed character are played really well.  And I suppose for something like this, that's all that really counts.

Next is a celebrity that I honestly wish I could meet.  Huang Hong Shen, or Xiao Gui to anyone who watches Yu Le Bai Fen Bai (100% Entertainment), is playing Huang Hui Hong (man, that name is fun to say) or 747 (Chi Si Chi).  This is one of my favorite characters in the entire drama.  He's the courageous idiot type character who's always looking to be a hero, no matter what the circumstance.  He's so funny and goofy, but when it comes down to the heart of the character (because, you know, idiots have feelings too) Xiao Gui is an amazingly good actor.  He does a great job with the nuances (what few there are) to the character and he's good with making sure the character never gets boring...like he would anyways.  Thumbs up for his performance.

Lu Ting Wei is up next, playing Qian Fu Hao or 187 (Yi Ba Chi).  This is the ladies' man character.  He always has a girlfriend of some sort throughout the show, and when he's between ladies, he's always smooth talking another girl into his grasp.  I was kind of indifferent to this character because as far as crime drama shows go, I'm more interested in the actual crimes than the characters solving them.  But as the series goes on he gets more interesting.  His character becomes more fleshed out and developed, which obviously helps...a lot.  The acting was closer to the average line than it could've been, but it wasn't bad by any stretch of the imagination.  He did a decent job and that's that.

Now we move to the more supporting characters.  Christine Fan plays Teacher Cherry in the show.  I don't remember much of this character, except that she's a great team leader and she has a bit of a sense of humor.  She's also the one that comes up with the nicknames for all the characters (the ones involving numbers, that is).  As far as acting ability, I'd say Christine is good, but not terribly wonderful.  She does a good job with the whole cheery thing, as well as being a strong leader (which you don't see too many female strong leaders in...any type of media really).  Her character development is also played well, which makes for a good all-around performance from her.

Teacher Angel is next, played by Tian Li.  She's known as the teacher of death throughout the series for good reason.  She always wears black, has long straight black hair (think the Munsters or Wednesday Morning), and she's freaking creepy!  She's always sneaking around doing things (or just being creepy...who knows what she's doing).  As far as the acting goes, oh man, she's good at being creepy.  This character seriously gave me the shivers a couple of times in the series (okay, I may be exaggerating, but she is REALLY creepy!)  I think this character is not nearly as scary as she could've been, but that fits the tone of the show just right.  Good performance from her.

Last but definitely not least (that's kind of a spoiler and you don't know it yet!) is a character that just hangs out on the sidelines...or does he?  You'll have to watch the show to find out.  Zhang Shan Jie plays the character I speak of called Lu Ke Ying or the Game King (Quan Wang!).  He is the son of Teacher Angel and he's also pretty creepy, though he's not nearly as bad as his mother.  I won't say I think this guy was the best actor ever (in fact he's pretty average), but he gives a good performance in the last third of the drama (SPOILERS!).  This is a character that definitely gets better with age, and I definitely say Shan Jie did a good job with that element of it.

So, onto the writing.  This show is very episodic in nature.  I mentioned before that 007 is like a young Sherlock Holmes, and that's exactly how this drama is written.  Each episode has its own crime to be solved, and that crime is almost always solved before the end of the episode.  But of course, with this style of writing comes a very many characters that are only around for one episode or so.  There are some recurring characters, like the principal of the school, but these are few and far between.

I must say I did enjoy the way this drama was laid out though.  The overarching plot is still very much present, even within the episodic nature of the individual crimes.  Every crime is linked in some way to every other crime, and to me that is fascinating.  The way this style of writing is used is also very good.  The way the characters get developed through facets of every crime they solve is really interesting.  Also, there are little goofy things thrown in there, like the episode when 187 loses his girlfriend and he threatens to eat himself into despair...it's a lot funnier than it sounds.  Trust me.

As far as warnings go, this show is not really intended for young audiences.  Yes, the scary stuff is not that scary and the suspense is minimal (sometimes), but I still think younger kids wouldn't like it so much - especially not the later episodes (oh, my gosh, the panda voice still creeps me out).  Aside from that, don't watch this right before you go to bed.  Seriously.  Not because it's scary so much (other than what I just said...PANDA), but because you will want to watch the next episode...and the next episode...and the next episode...and before you know it...it's five in the morning and you have to be up in an hour (it's happened to me).

On the other hand, I don't know about an overarching message so much as each episode has its own independent theme and message to deliver.  There is a focus on friendship throughout the drama, as the group comes closer together and they're forced to work with each other whether they want to or not.  But besides that, it would take too long to explain every message the show talks about.

In closing, I just want to say you need to watch this drama.  I don't care who you are, I don't care what your tastes are in media...  You need to watch this drama.  It's awesome.  The cases are fascinating, the characters are goofy and deep at the same time, and the ending was so good I wanted to start all over as soon as I was done.  One warning about the final couple of episodes though - you will never look at someone in a panda suit the same way again...creepy panda voice...creepy panda voice...AHHHHH!  Sorry, I had a quick flashback there.  Anyway, like I said, watch this drama.  Just please don't watch it before you go to bed.  You won't sleep until you're done.  Trust me on that one.

Snow White (aka Taste Sweet Love) (2004)

Ma Young Hee has a problem - a BIG problem.  She's been in love with her best friend Han Jin Woo since high school (8 years) and he doesn't have a clue.  He treats her like his little sister, carelessly going out with other women right in front of her.  Motivated by this problem, Young Hee decides to do something about it and takes off to Japan.  Of course, everything goes horribly wrong.  She ends up getting drunk and going home with a man she doesn't even know.  But upon returning to South Korea, she discovers the man she went home with that night in a drunken stupor is Jin Woo's little brother, Han Sun Woo.  Knowing that Sun Woo is trying to lay low and avoid their father, Jin Woo asks Young Hee to take Sun Woo in.  Throw in a conniving two-faced she-fox of a coworker/former schoolmate of Jin Woo's, and let the shenanigans begin!

I really don't know what to say going into this.  This drama is quite...hmm...special.  I don't mean that in a bad way necessarily, but...  We'll get there when we get there.  First, the cast.

• Kim Jung Hwa as Ma Young Hee
• Lee Wan as Han Sun Woo
• Yeon Jung Hoon as Han Jin Woo
• Oh Seung Hyun as Jang Hee Won
• Jo Yoon Hee as Tsukihara Minako

As I said before, I really don't know what to say.  So let's cut to the chase.  Kim Jung Hwa plays our leading lady, Ma Young Hee.  This character is a good example of what I might call "extreme makeover - drama edition".  By that, of course, I mean over the course of the drama she gets sort of "beautified" for various reasons (spoilers).  But this character has to be one that I think frustrates me more than any other leading lady I've ever encountered (okay, maybe there's one other that frustrated me more...but we don't speak of her).  This is no fault of the actress however.  Jung Hwa did a great job in my opinion.  She played the transitions (of which there are many) quite smoothly, making me feel like this character could be a real person - which is, of course, the point.  On top of all that though, she is a very beautiful actress who can also pull off being dorky and goofy.  Thumbs up to her.

Next is the "irresponsible" character, one Han Sun Woo, played by Lee Wan.  This character also really frustrates me because he seems to be easily thrown off balance, so to speak, when it comes to situations involving Young Hee and his brother.  Other than that though, I like this character.  He's interesting, and interesting characters are the bread and butter of good dramas.  The acting was pretty good.  Not super amazing, but good nonetheless.

Next...  Oh, dear.  Han Jin Woo.  This character, played by Yeon Jung Hoon, is...well, it's hard to describe.  He's almost a goody two-shoes type character, as he almost never gets angry, never does anything wrong, and he's always really upbeat and happy.  That in itself starts to get a little irritating after a while.  That plus the fact that for most of the drama he is SO dense.  As for the acting, well, he's not bad, but he's not particularly all that great either.  Granted, there are some twist-your-heart-out moments that have to do with him (*cough* spoilers), but aside from that, his acting is decently good.  He's sweet.  I'll give him that.

Jang Hee Won.  Never have I wanted to punch a girl so much in my life.  This...oh, how did I phrase it..."conniving two-faced she-fox"...yah, that's about right.  This oh so slippery character is played by Oh Seung Hyun, and my goodness, she's good with this kind of character.  She makes you want to reach through the screen and slap her...in the face...multiple times...with a chair.  This character wins second place for my most hated character in a drama (again, we don't speak of the only character I hate more than Jang Hee Won...bad things happen when we bring that up).  I think the fact that I hate her so much really speaks to how well Seung Hyun did her job though.  She's a character everybody loves to hate.

Now for another character that I don't exactly like, but I don't really hate her either.  Tsukihara Minako, played by Jo Yoon Hee.  This character is more just really annoying than actually worth disliking.  You do feel sorry for her as the story progresses though.  What with her past and various spoiler reasons, there are things that make you come over to her side a little - if only a very little.  Regarding the actress herself, I'd say she did a pretty good job.  At the very least it was believable and that's at least somewhat satisfactory for me.

Now, on to the writing.  This drama is definitely a good example of what the Korean version of an American soap opera would look like (minus the gratuitous sex and really bad acting).  Lots of crying, lots of difficult decisions, and a BOATLOAD of drama.  I have only a few comments to make on the writing.

First off, it was realistic - at least as much as can be expected for this type of show.  In this story one thing that stands out is that Sun Woo is six years younger than Young Hee.  Being that they are the main couple (of sorts), this in itself creates problems (I personally don't understand this though - if the girl was the one that was younger it wouldn't be a problem...or at least not as much of a problem).  This drama does, to the best of its ability, deal with those problems realistically.  It also deals with the problems associated with what happens when one partner wants to go off to another country to do what he (in this case) wants to do.  This drama deals with questions like: What happens to the other partner?  Is completely uprooting and reestablishing yourself for your lover really the right thing to do?  And so on and so forth.

My second comment is not so positive.  This might be a bit nit-picky, but I can't ignore it.  I can't help but feel that this drama is a bit...haphazard in its way of thinking.  The characters don't seem to know what they want most of the time, and while that could come off as part of the story, I think it just makes it feel a bit double-minded and indecisive.  Also, the ending few episodes were kinda rushed and the flow got a bit sticky.

As for warnings, the only thing I think warrants a warning is the excessive amounts of drama in this drama.  I know, that's kinda ridiculous to point that out, but seriously, I've seen dozens of dramas, and this is one of the most dramatic I've ever encountered.  I would only say in warning, be prepared to feel sorry for a couple of the characters...A LOT.

On the upside, however, as I mentioned before, this drama deals with some real issues that I think are well worth tackling.  The other huge focus along the way is the issue of dealing with unrequited love (does the word "friend-zoned" mean anything to you?).  This show looks at questions like: How long should you wait for someone you love to come around before you move on with your life?  How do you go about moving on once you've decided to do so?  Things like that.  These are questions I've never seen tackled in a drama like this before, and I highly commend the writers for handling it so well.

On a final note, I will say I have mixed feelings for this drama.  I liked it, but at the same time, I probably won't watch it again.  The characters were good, but a lot of times they frustrated me to no end with the choices they made.  The story was somewhat realistic in the issues it dealt with, and although the ending wasn't what I think people wanted (or what I wanted) it still worked.  Granted, this drama is a little bit older, but I think it's still worth watching (it is a little funny seeing all the characters with flip phones instead of iPhones and Smartphones though).  This show also has the character in it that wins my vote for best incidental character ever (you go, cake shop ahjussi!).  So I recommend this to any hardcore drama fans out there as well as fans of certain soap operas.  I think the rest can speak for itself.

The Quiz Show (2008)

People will do anything for easy money.  But does that include going on a game show where they are forced to reveal their deepest darkest secrets to the entire world?  Apparently it does.  Welcome to the Quiz Show, a game show where a series of seven questions and only seven will win you 10 million yen - if you answer correctly.  The catch is that each of these questions becomes more and more personal and uncomfortable to answer as the show goes on.  Yet it seems contestants keep lining up to participate - or do they?  As the series progresses it is revealed that each contestant seems to have a strange roundabout connection to the host and producer of the show.  It seems that the contestants being selected are there for a reason much darker and more sinister than just a chance at a life-changing amount of money.

Okay, before I go any further - oh, my gosh, this show is amazing.  Once again, I know I say something to that effect every week, but who cares?  I love this show.  I've already seen it twice and I'm planning to watch it again very soon.  But anywho.  Let's take a look at the cast, shall we?

• Katagiri Jin as Tazaki Toru (host)
• Totsugi Shigeyuki as Yamanobe Kengo (producer)
• Yamamoto Koji as Murase Ryuichiro (contestant ep 1)
• Takahashi Mai as Nitta Hitomi (contestant ep 2)
• Sato Jiro as Smiley Kitajima (contestant ep 3-4)
• Sato Eriko as Uchida Kiyomi (contestant ep 5-6)
• Okada Yoshinori as Manaka Noboru (contestant ep 7-8)
• Horiuchi Keiko as Makikura Ryoko (contestant ep 9-10)

So for this review I'm going to be doing things a little differently since the cast is a bit different from anything else I've ever reviewed.  I'm only going to talk about most of the contestants in passing, as I don't think some of them had quite as much impact on the plot as the others.  I mention the names of all of them, however, so that if I refer to one of them, the list is there to look at to see what I'm talking about (sort of).  Anywho, on with the show.

The first person to talk about that really (and I do mean REALLY) deserves every accolade he gets is Katagiri Jin playing the host of our game show, Tazaki Toru.  This character is fascinating.  He is something of a tortured soul with no memory of what happened to make his life fall apart two years prior to when the series begins.  Let me just cut to the chase: Jin is fantastic.  There were times during this show that I had to stop and remind myself that it wasn't real (this is the first time I've ever had to do that, mind you; I don't usually get so wrapped up in things) and that HE wasn't a real person.  The way this character was written and performed is awesome, and I give everyone props for that.  But I especially applaud Jin.

Next is our main antagonist Yamanobe Kengo, played by Totsugi Shigeyuki.  This is the character everybody loves to hate, and for good reason.  He's wicked, conniving, and just plain evil.  From the get-go he knows exactly what he wants (or so he thinks) and he knows how to go about getting it.  Amazingly, this performance was also very good, but there were a few moments when the over-the-top tone and attitude that was actually making the whole thing work, STOPPED making the whole thing work (if that makes any sense).  In other words, the performance was a little bit too over-the-top.  Aside from that, though...  This is one of the best "villains" I've ever seen in a drama (or anything for that matter).

Now comes the interesting part.  I do have a few things to say about the contestants and their performances, but for the most part I will be speaking in generalities.  I really liked the people that were cast as the contestants.  They all did amazing jobs at conveying what was supposed to be happening.  One of the biggest commonalities for all the contestants is the presence of a deep dark secret that they are all running away from or trying to hide from.  Hence as the questions get more and more uncomfortable, the contestants need to get more and more uncomfortable.  That was achieved very well here, I think.

Watching the contestants squirm is something that I think most people will find interesting, but one thing you will note as you watch is this: none of the acting feels fake or hokey (thank God).  This could have been a terrible ordeal to go through if the actors that had been cast had been bad or even slightly below average.  A lot of the contestants do seem to go through real traumatic breakdowns as they answer the questions, which was, of course, the whole point.

Now, on to the writing.  One thing that is really quite interesting about this show is that it is, in its own way, a murder mystery.  The whole premise is based around the host of the Quiz Show trying to regain his memory and understand why his life fell apart, along with making peace with the past and some nasty demons that want to follow him throughout the future.  As the story progresses, the audience is shown flashes that don't seem to bode well for the host, as he realizes he might be guilty of the worst crime he could've ever committed (in his mind): killing his girlfriend.  I won't say anymore for fear of spoilers.

But really, there is almost nothing wrong with the pacing or storytelling or writing in general here.  I say almost because no story is perfect.  There are little tweaks that could've been made to maybe make it flow better (that's a big MAYBE though).  But aside from that, this show is wonderfully well written beyond what I would've ever expected.

As for warnings, all you need to be warned about is an extreme amount of suspense.  Side effects of this may include: pacing back and forth uncontrollably; biting your fingernails; constantly sitting on the edge of your seat wherever you are; and not being able to sleep well.  You have been duly warned.

On the flipside, there is (as you may have guessed) a heavy emphasis on running away from the past and what that will do to a person.  Also there is a focus on bringing your secrets out into the open to be dealt with.  The ending will leave you pondering about your own secrets (seriously).

On the whole, I'd say this show is a must-see for any fan of suspense, mystery, drama, thriller...  The list goes on and on.  The story is incredibly well done, the characters are well cast, and overall this is one of my favorite non-romantic dramas I've ever seen.  I said before I've seen this show twice and I will see it again very soon, and I mean that.  I really enjoyed watching this, and by the way, even if you've seen it all the way through and know the end to the mystery, that doesn't matter.  The show still rocks.  So go watch it.  Right now.  Go.

Smiling Pasta (2006)

Cheng Xiao Shi is an ordinary girl - at least in most respects.  She's a bit ditsy, rather clumsy, and is quite average looking.  Her family owns and operates a small Italian pasta restaurant called Smiling Pasta and she is quite contented with her life at present.  There is one thing, however, that sets Xiao Shi apart from all the other third year students at Ding Feng University: her lack of ability to keep a boyfriend beyond three months.  Afflicted by a curse put on her in her first year of university, Xiao Shi struggles to find the man to help her break the spell that has been the end of seventeen relationships in the past two years.  After one such relationship ends tragically with her current boyfriend dumping her in the middle of the street, Xiao Shi is depressed enough to make it literally rain on her parade.  But alas, there is still hope.  Not far away a famous musician named He Qun is facing his own heartache, and is about to encounter the girl that will change his life - for better or for worse.

Ladies and gentlemen, drumroll please!  Today I present to you the very first drama I ever watched!  This holds a lot of nostalgia for me, and understandably so, as I first saw this four years ago when my best friend suggested that I watch it, just for kicks.  Well, four years and MANY dramas later, I think I've had my share of kicks.  But enough of my blathering.  On to the cast.  And it's quite a doozy.

• Cyndi Wang as Cheng Xiao Shi
• Nicholas Teo as He Qun
• Gino Tsai as He Rui Zhe (Ah Zhe) (He Qun's brother)
• Joyce Chao as Rita (He Qun's ex-girlfriend)
• Zhao Shun as Cheng Jin (Xiao Shi's grandfather)
• Jian Chang as Cheng Gang (Xiao Shi's father)
• Wang Juan as Cheng Lin Ma Li (Xiao Shi's mother)
• Hu Kang Xing as Cheng Ming (Xiao Shi's brother)
• Song Zhi Ai as Huang Qian Hui (Xiao Shi's sister-in-law)
• Di Zhi Jie as Vincent (He Qun's agent)

Whew, boy.  This is the longest cast list I think I've ever had in a review.  This review is going to take a while.  But let's get started.  First off is our leading lady, Cheng Xiao Shi, played by Cyndi Wang.  As this was the first drama I ever saw, you already know what I'm going to say.  At the time of my first viewing I had not heard of Cyndi Wang (or any of these people - and understandably so).  However, as I have expanded my repertoire of dramas that I have seen, I have seen Cyndi in a couple of other things.  Nothing comes close thus far to my favorite performance by her in this drama though.  She plays a very good clumsy girl who in someone else's hands might have been very annoying (as it is there are still sometimes when she's annoying as heck).  She's also very good at making the emotion that she's portraying feel real, which is not an easy task.  There are moments in this show when I genuinely felt sorry for Xiao Shi as a character that her life was going so badly.  That right there, I believe, is an earmark of great acting.

Next is the other side of the coin, our main male lead, He Qun (teehee...I love saying his name, because if you say it fast enough and with the right inflection, it sounds like you're sneezing).  He is played by Nicholas Teo, who was a fitting choice for this role, as he is playing a solo artist and he is a solo artist himself.  I can't say he was the PERFECT choice for this role, but it works.  This was the member of the lead couple that I frequently wanted to slap up the side of his head.  He is SO whiny and so spineless for part of the story (I won't say which part - SPOILERS!!).  He gets really annoying during those parts, but aside from that, it's a decent performance.  I won't say it's the best I've ever seen, but it was good.

Gino Tsai is next up playing He Rui Zhe (that is one of the hardest names to pronounce that I've ever come across) also known as Ah Zhe.  As mentioned above, Ah Zhe is the younger, very bitter brother of He Qun.  I can't say that I liked this character when he first appeared, or even that I liked him for most of the series.  But he is the character that I pinpoint as having one of the most developed and wide-ranging character arcs that I have ever seen.  He goes from being totally nasty and bitter to being NOT totally nasty and bitter (SPOILERS!!).  I can't say much more for obvious reasons.  Suffice it to say that Gino's acting is amazing.  He is really good at his job.  For being a character that people are supposed to dislike (not hate...he's not that bad) throughout the show, Ah Zhe is one of my favorites.  Great performance for a great character.

Okay, now comes the girl that I've wanted to reach through the screen and strangle on numerous occasions (she's not NEARLY as bad as Hui Fan...but she's annoying as heck).  Rita, played by Joyce Chao.  I don't have much to say about this character, other than that for reasons I cannot go into (spoilers) pretty much everybody comes to hate her by about episode ten.  I know I did.  It gets better in about episode fourteen-ish, but until then, oh, boy.  Anyway, the acting.  That's what I'm here for.  Once again, I can't say this is the best acting I've ever seen, especially for the part, but aside from the fact that one key plot point revolving around Rita is rather poorly written, Joyce is not too terribly bad.  She's pretty average, but she's rather memorable.  That has to count for something.

All right, now we can speed up a bit with the character analysis.  This next bunch of characters is mostly comprised of Xiao Shi's family, immediate and extended.  First is her grandfather, whom I didn't even know the name of until I saw it on the cast list (Cheng Jin).  Zhao Shun has got to be one of my favorite older actors ever.  Cheng Jin is probably my favorite old man character in any drama that I've seen, ever.  He's so goofy, but yet kind and supportive of Xiao Shi, just like he should be.  As for the acting, it's pretty great.  He does a good job of making the character feel like a real person, which is important, especially for the situations involved here.

Next are Xiao Shi's parents, Cheng Gang and Cheng Lin Ma Li, played by Jian Chang and Wang Juan respectively.  These two are quite interesting characters.  It is rather evident in this show that Xiao Shi's parents are in fact polar opposites in most ways.  Her father is more conservative and traditional, especially on the subject of premarital...anything.  Her mother, on the other hand, is way at the other end of the spectrum, even going so far as to get excited when rumors are going around that Xiao Shi is pregnant.  This dynamic makes for some of the best humor in the show, as well as some of the major conflicts in the middle of the story.  The acting from these two is not great, but it's real, and that's what's more important in this situation.  They feel like they could be a real married couple at certain points in the show, even at sometimes making it seem as though Xiao Shi is really their daughter.  And THAT I like.

Another married couple is up next, but this time it's Xiao Shi's brother and sister-in-law.  Cheng Ming and Huang Qian Hui, played by Hu Kang Xing and Song Zhi Ai respectively.  These are two characters that definitely mostly around for comic relief (ESPECIALLY Qian Hui).  These two are a little closer to the average line in terms of acting than previously mentioned, as the acting is more cartoony and goofy than the others, but it still works given the context of the show.  And Qian Hui is one of the most memorable parts about this drama.  You learn how to say her name pretty early on (it's complicated).

And last (FINALLY) but most certainly not least, a character that I really love no matter how many times I've seen this show (I'm up to about four now).  That character is Vincent, played by Di Zhi Jie.  This guy is one actor that I'm sorry I haven't seen in more things.  He's really good, at least in my opinion.  Vincent is a character that I think a lot of people get attached to because he's not the heartless Hollywood backstabber that we've come to expect from people in "the industry".  He's a genuinely nice guy who really cares about He Qun and making sure that the press don't tear him to shreds.  The acting here is great, as I said.  But I can't go on without mentioning one thing: Vincent's clothes.  He has some of the brightest and most colorful shirts that I've ever seen, and I thought he looked really good in them too.

Whew.  Let me take a breath real quick.  Okay, back to the grind.  Next up, the writing.  Now, from my perspective, this show encapsulates a lot of what a Taiwanese drama is and should be.  Where this is most obvious and clear is, I believe, in the writing.  The tone of this drama is very much goofy and a bit soap opera-ish (not really in a bad way, just kind of like, yes, this is important, but only for those that choose to buy into it).  It tries to never take itself too seriously, which I liked.  Just when there's a bit of actual drama going on or something bad has just happened, something goofy will happen to lighten up the tone a little.  Granted, sometimes it takes a few episodes for that to happen, but it always does happen.

This was also one of the first instances I'd ever seen of adding cartoon images on top of live action footage.  I don't mean integrating it either.  I mean adding it to make a point or to do something like they might do in an anime (particularly the crow coming across the screen whenever a majorly awkward moment was happening...as they often did).  I really liked this use of animation as well as the jokes that it brought along with it.

About warnings, I don't think there's really anything worth mentioning.  There is a little innuendo in episode seventeen, but it's mostly played for laughs and thus is not really a problem.  There's also some gang-related violence that some people may notice, but it's only in the first few episodes and it's not really that intense compared to some *other* shows.

On the flipside, this drama definitely has heart.  The key themes in this show range from how you treat your family to how your family should treat you to how you should treat someone you're involved with romantically...on and on and on.  The strongest focus is definitely on family though, and I think that was the best theme of the bunch to really focus in on.  A secondary theme that I think is worth mentioning, however, is the theme of accepting the past and moving on with your life.  This, along with the others, was woven quite well into the overall grand scheme of things.

So, by way of wrapping up this tremendously long review, I shall say this and only this: I liked this drama.  I thought it was rather well done, had compelling characters and interesting situations, and made for some really good inside jokes.  Overall, I'd recommend this to just about anybody that likes slice-of-life drama pieces that are full of goofy humor and a lot of heart.  Also, fans of certain soap operas may enjoy this just as well...I don't know what that says about the drama or those particular people, but let's leave it at that, shall we?

Romantic Princess (2007)

Xiao Mai is a poor girl who lives in a small rundown apartment with her loving parents.  Life is not good, but manageable as Xiao Mai works to earn enough money for a down payment on a house.  One day, however, a very polite but adamant butler arrives to tell Xiao Mai she is actually the long lost granddaughter of the richest man in Taiwan, Huang Fu Xiong.  Xiao Mai doesn't believe him at first, but as time goes on and she's introduced to the old man, she begins to accept it.  Upon being ripped away from her adopted parents, however, Xiao Mai discovers it's not quite as great as she imagined being a rich girl if it means she can't be with her family.  Along the way she also learns that she must marry the successor to the Huang Fu company, which will be one of four boys from the Nan Feng family who were brought to the house to study in hopes of becoming said successor.  Not all of the Nan Feng boys are happy about this arrangement, however, and soon pull Xiao Mai into the whirlwind of complicated business transactions that make up the life of a Huang Fu heiress.

Now before I get into the meat of this review, I must preface it with this comment: this is one of the first dramas I ever saw.  When I first saw it I thought it was great, but that was four years ago.  Now coming back to it and seeing it again, I see a few things that I missed the first time around that I shall address as I come to them.  Now, on to the cast.

• Angela Zhang as Mai Qiu Sui/Huang Fu Shan (Xiao Mai)
• Wu Chun as Nan Feng Jin
• Calvin Chen as Nan Feng Cai
• George Hu as Nan Feng Lin
• Lee Ang Lin as Nan Feng Ying
• Gu Bao Ming as Huang Fu Xiong
• Genie Zhuo as Gong Mo Li

Let's start with our leading lady, the "romantic princess" herself, Xiao Mai (aka Huang Fu Shan, aka Shan Shan, aka Mai Qiu Sui...you get the picture; she has a lot of names).  Angela Zhang is an actress I had never heard of then because I had just been introduced to Taiwanese dramas (or Asian dramas in general), but strangely enough I still haven't seen anything else with her in it.  I don't know if I'm just not watching the "right" things or whatever...I digress.  Anywho, overall her acting is pretty good in this show.  She has moments where she's really annoying and just plain irritating, but she brings out the emotion of the whole affair in a credible way that makes the audience sympathize with her plight.  I can't say hers was a stellar performance, but it wasn't at all bad either.

Moving on to the brothers.  The Nan Feng boys are arguably the most memorable characters, mostly for their widely varying personalities and opinions about what Huang Fu Xiong (whom they call "Emp") is putting them through.  First of these is Nan Feng Jin, played by Wu Chun (or Zun, depending on the translation).  He is a very interesting character, mostly because he's the only one who's willing to stand up to Emp and fight back against a future that he doesn't want for himself.  Wu Chun is, for the most part, a very talented actor and singer, and I think that's pretty obvious in this drama.  He has his great moments and his moments that are just good, but he does have moments when it feels like he might have been trying too hard.  Overall, still a good performance with no particularly bad moments to mention.

Next is Nan Feng Cai, played by Calvin Chen.  Now, I have no doubt that Calvin is at least a good actor.  Also, having become familiar with his actual personality and habits, I can say I have no doubt he's a good playboy as well (playboy is a general term here; I don't mean that in a derogatory way AT ALL).  He's probably the one that gives the most solid performance throughout in this drama, having no real changes to his character or personality overall (that's not counting the second half of the drama; SPOILERS).  He gives a good performance as the polite playboy that's not only interested in bedding women (if you know what I mean).  He actually seems truly interested in getting to know them as people first, women second.  This also goes for Xiao Mai, but I'll get to that later.

The third member of the Nan Feng foursome is Nan Feng Lin, played by George Hu.  Now, I am a pretty decent fan of George Hu; I've seen him in a couple of other things since I watched this drama, and I'm fairly certain in this assertion: he's capable of better acting than this.  Before anybody gets mad at me for saying that, let me say I do understand that this character is supposed to be childish and immature.  I get that; however, there are some scenes in which the acting from this dude is just a bit...how shall we say...over the top?  I don't have anything against this character or his acting in this drama, but I just think some of it is a little bit overacted and just the slightest bit annoying for that very reason.  Overall, good performance and I still really liked the character.

The last one to round out the group is Nan Feng Ying, played by Lee Ang Lin.  Okay, people who have already seen this will understand me when I say, I don't really know what to say about this guy because he's hardly in this at all.  He's really only there to pad out the cast (that's my opinion; he does have a pretty good running gag though; ANGELA!!!).  He doesn't do anything in the story that I know of and I don't really know why he's in this in the first place.  But from what I do recall of his acting, it's good.  He's a decent actor (I've seen him in another series where his role was far bigger).  Nothing bad to say about him.

Another key character in this story (in fact, he's the driving force of the whole plot pretty much) is Huang Fu Xiong, played by Gu Bao Ming.  This is one of the few older actors that I can actually recognize because he's been in a few other things I've seen (like Down with Love).  Huang Fu Xiong, whom I shall call Emp from here on out, is one of those characters that you don't really know if he's good or bad.  He just is.  One minute he's doing something to make Xiao Mai hate him, the next you find out that he did that for her own good.  He simply exists to please his granddaughter and run his business.  With a character like this, I'm convinced Bao Ming is a really good actor.  He can make you hate his character and feel sorry for his character AT THE SAME TIME!  That, my friends, is one of the marks of a great actor.  Great performance from him.

The last character that's really worth calling out is a really annoying pipsqueak named Gong Mo Li.  She's played by Genie Zhuo (or Zhou, or Cho...I can't keep track anymore).  Her acting in this is good, but I've gotta at least mention I've seen her in far better roles than this.  She plays wonderfully in a serious drama.  She's good at being REALLY irritating as well, but I think the fact that she pops up at the least opportune moment and causes such a fuss (again, spoilers) is most of the reason why I didn't like her in this drama.

Okay, moving on.  Writing.  Oh, my word.  I mentioned before that I saw this drama four years ago.  I was in a different frame of mind and not quite used to what to expect from a Taiwanese drama.  Thus I did not see all of the flaws I am about to point out in annoying detail.  This series is, on the whole, decently written.  The dialogue isn't ridiculous or recycled or at all stupid (like it could be; OH DEAR it could be SO much worse).  The situation, while a bit spontaneous in the light of the circumstances of the first episode, is somewhat believable and I gotta give it credit for that.

I do have some serious bones to pick with this series, however.  Firstly, about the whole long-lost-granddaughter thing.  I know it must have been difficult to come up with a reason for Xiao Mai to have been lost in the first place that wouldn't be so ridiculous as to be laughable, but really, people.  Try a LITTLE harder.  The scenario is that she was kidnapped when she was three years old by the "mortal enemies" of the Huang Fu family and abandoned on the side of the road to be found by the person that delivered her to the Mai family.  Okay, I can buy that...I suppose.  I'm just asking for a little more creativity on the writers' part.

Okay, so maybe that was a little nitpicky, but my next point is DEFINITELY not.  In the first few episodes we are led to believe that Xiao Mai is romantically interested in Cai, if only a little bit.  Yah, I don't think so.  That vibe is totally not there.  My personal opinion is that this is because the two actors, while good in and of themselves, have little to absolutely no chemistry together.  I'm not faulting either of them.  I'm just pointing out something that I'm pretty sure could have been avoided, but given the circumstances is difficult to get around.  It really takes away from the "love triangle" element that could've been there if only the two of them had had more chemistry together (or any at all for that matter).

Lastly, I have to point out something about the flow of the story.  This is kind of more of a general observation than anything else, but it really annoyed me through the course of watching this series again.  There are some MAJOR plot points that feel really contrived and the flow of the events is just kinda...sticky.  I don't know if that's the writers' fault or the editors' fault or whatever, but whoever is to blame for that, it really bugged me for most of the show.

All right, enough of my ranting.  There's not much to say as far as warning people.  There is a TINY bit of innuendo in some parts, but it's mostly played for laughs or played up so much as to be ridiculous.  There are some parts that are obviously meant for adults in terms of complicated business stuffs or grumpy grandpas doing things to make life difficult for young people (again, spoilers).  There's nothing really noteworthy, in other words.

On the upside, the message of this drama is mostly focused on being who you are regardless of your situation and living your life the way YOU want to.  A lot of it is focusing on a couple of the characters getting out from under Emp and making their own way in life.  There is a little bit of a focus on family and who qualifies as family, but that's mostly in the early episodes.

On the whole, I have to say that after watching this through a second time with a different point-of-view and a bit more perspective, I still like this drama.  It's not great, but it's not bad either.  I'd have to recommend this to people that like big businessy type stuff and romantic melodramas (it's a soap opera, basically, but without most of the ridiculous crying and bad acting).  I also really like this drama's view of the whole "I wish I could wake up one day and suddenly be rich" sort of thinking that a lot of people seem to have.  This drama shows that, no, it wouldn't be that great because you'd be taken out of your old life (family, neighborhood, etc) and thrust into a new one that might not be so great as you imagine.  Anywho, if none of that appeals to you, watch it for Wu Chun and George Hu.  That's a good reason to like a drama, isn't it?

Meitantei no Okite (Conditions of a Great Detective) (2009)

Tenkaichi Daigoro is a great detective - or so he thinks.  He spends most of his time going around solving cases with the help of police captain Ogawara Banzo and rookie female cop Fujii Mana.  In this series of episodic cases, we get to know the characters very well as we see how they interact with one another and the other players in this very strange, very interesting world.


Oh, boy, am I totally looking forward to this.  I love this show.  But before I start gushing as I will later on, let's see the cast.

• Matsuda Shota as Tenkaichi Daigoro
• Kashii Yu as Fujii Mana
• Kimura Yuichi as Ogawara Banzo
• Chisun as Moriyama Mizuki
• Irie Jingi as Uematsu Keita

So without further ado, let's dive right in.  The acting in this show was pretty good.  Not stellar in some roles, but really good nonetheless.  First up is Matsuda Shota as Tenkaichi Daigoro, the main "great detective".  I'd only heard of Shota in passing before I watched this show, so I didn't know anything about his acting and such.  After watching this, though, I have to say, as a whiny, clingy, comedic detective Shota was wonderful.  He does a really good job of being that right mixture of annoying, whiny, and just a little bit manly (just a little tiny bit, but it is there).  Despite everything else, he does play the character as a well-rounded doofy guy that just happens to be an "amateur" detective.

Kashii Yu is next playing Fujii Mana.  This is the character that we as an audience enter the show through.  She's the one that asks all the questions the audience is probably asking from beginning to end.  In this role, I will mention that the acting was mostly good, but there were a few places where she could've done better.  It's hardly noticeable until you hit the episodes where she is more of the focus of the action rather than Tenkaichi and the others.  Once she gets more of a main role, the acting, while it is good, it's not the best I've ever seen.  She's good as a supporting character, just not in the spotlight.

Now a character I absolutely loved in the show.  Ogawara Banzo, played by Kimura Yuichi.  This police captain is not like any you've ever seen.  He's just as doofy as Tenkaichi.  As far as the acting goes, Yuichi did a really good job at portraying emotion as well as being silly and lighthearted.  There are a couple of moments in which the story does get serious, and Yuichi can definitely take you there.  There's a fair amount of emotional back story to Ogawara as well, and that's definitely portrayed well.  Looking back on this series, I can say Ogawara Banzo is probably my favorite character (besides Tenkaichi).

Now our major supporting characters.  I only really mention these two characters because they have some of the best jokes in the show.  They don't do much and they're really only there to be plot devices most of the time, but that's okay as far as I'm concerned.  First is Moriyama Mizuki played Chisun.  This character is a female police officer that mostly serves as the mouthpiece for explaining the setup for the various mysteries.  She brings in suspects sometimes and does a few other things, but overall she doesn't do much.  The acting from this actress is good given what she was told to work with.  But the second character has a bit more of an emotional foundation.  Uematsu Keita played by Irie Jingi is a worker at a local cafe as well as a good friend of Tenkaichi's.  Keita actually does do some things in the show, like being the one that Tenkaichi talks things over with when he's stuck on a case and being the one that checks into things when Tenkaichi has a hunch about something.  But despite the obvious use of this character as a plot device, Keita does actually have a bit of an emotional foundation.  The acting from Jingi on this character definitely reflects that.  Though you don't see much of this character, you do sort of get attached to him, and that can only be a reflection of the quality of the acting.

Now comes my favorite part of this review.  The writing.  This show is so unique in many ways, but mostly it is unique in how the story is handled.  This series is a definite parody of typical whodunnit mystery shows with every stereotype and cliched twist thrown in.  Every type of mystery is addressed in this show.  But aside from that, this show does something in the story that I've never seen before.  In this series there is a room which the characters cannot enter unless they understand their role in the story.  In essence this allows them to step outside the story and see "what has to happen for the plot to move forward".  And of course this whole idea is totally played from the standpoint of hilarity.  It's really quite funny since there are remarks sprinkled throughout the show that stem along the lines of "I can't do that.  If I do that the plot can't move forward" and so on.  Most of these remarks come from the captain by the way (you can start to see why I like him so much).

Something else along those same lines is the treatment of the fourth wall in this show.  I know all of what I just explained kind of deals with this already, but I have to call this out.  Whoever wrote this or had the idea for this is an absolute genius.  Throughout the show with the addition of the room and everything, it's almost like the writer(s) of the show said, "The fourth wall?  Pshh, what's that?"

Of course, there's really nothing to warn anybody about.  The only thing I have to point out is that none of this show is meant to be taken seriously.  NONE OF IT.  Even in the dramatic moments (which are few and FAR between) just when the show seems to be getting serious, it pulls you right back out of that mood and throws in some more comedic goofiness.

As far as a message of any sort, there really isn't one.  It's basically a straight up parody of mystery shows.  Of course, if I HAD to parse a message out of this show, I'd have to say it would be a focus on friendship and what your friends mean to you.  I think this is a very subtle theme in this show and I think if you want to get something out of it, that's what you're going to take home.

So final thoughts.  While this isn't a drama I'd watch again anytime soon, I will say I did thoroughly enjoy it.  The humor is goofy, the characters are silly and lovable, and the cases are fascinating (most of the time).  Sometimes the mystery really isn't the point of the episode, but I still like to try and figure it out before Tenkaichi announces who did it at the end of the episode.  All in all, a really fun watch.  I'd recommend it to any hardcore fans of mystery shows and fans of silly nonsensical humor everywhere.

Ouran High School Host Club Live Action (2011)

Fujioka Haruhi is an honor student at Ouran Academy, a very prestigious and expensive high school attended only by those with money and social status.  The middle-class Haruhi is attending the school on a full-ride scholarship and she doesn't really fit in.  One day, as she is looking for a quiet place to study, she happens upon the Third Music Room where the Ouran Academy Host Club, a group of six of the most attractive male students at the school, gathers to entertain female "clients".  During her first encounter with the club, Haruhi stumbles and knocks over a vase valued at 8 million yen.  Unable to pay back the debt, it is decided that Haruhi must work off her debt with service in the club.

Right off the bat this sounds like it's going to get weird, and oh, boy, does it ever.  I have many comments to make about the acting in this drama, but first, let's see the cast.

• Kawaguchi Haruna as Fujioka Haruhi
• Yamamoto Yusuke as Suou Tamaki (the leader of the host club)
• Daito Shunsuke as Ootori Kyoya (second-in-command of the host club)
• Takagi Shinpei as Hitachiin Hikaru
• Takagi Manpei as Hitachiin Kaoru
• Chiba Yudai as Haninozuka "Honey" Mitsukuni
• Nakamura Masaya as Morinozuka "Mori" Takashi
• Ryo Ryusei as Nekozawa Umehito

Most of these people did a pretty good job, but as you will see, there a couple of people that didn't do so well.  First on this list is Kawaguchi Haruna playing Haruhi.  I saw most of the anime version of this story long before the live action version came out, so I knew what Haruhi was supposed to be like.  Haruna I'm sure did her best, but in the end, the acting was a bit lackluster.  Haruhi is a bold character.  She has a relaxed attitude about life, so much so that she even says she doesn't care whether people see her as a girl or a boy.  She's very snarky in some ways, as well as being rather sarcastic and level-headed when Tamaki goes off on one of his "speeches".  Some of those characteristics came through in Haruna's acting, but she needed to be more up front and relaxed and far more sarcastic than she was.  She came across as sort of a sweet girl who's always a bit whiny when the boys in the club do something stupid (which is quite often, believe you me).  Not really what the character was meant to be.

Switching gears now, we have Yamamoto Yusuke as Suou Tamaki, the ring leader of the host club.  Tamaki is the most obnoxious, goofy, silly, arrogant-in-a-funny-way boy I've ever seen.  He was that way in the anime, and Yusuke did a fantastic job at bringing that across.  His "speeches" are some of the funniest parts in the drama.  Yusuke also has a knack for pulling some of the most interesting facial expressions I've ever seen, which works wonderfully well with the character.  He's supposed to have a bit of a romance with Haruhi (that's not really a spoiler; it's kinda obvious from the very first episode) and Yusuke did a good job with making it awkward and silly, which was definitely what this drama called for.

Daito Shunsuke plays Ootori Kyoya, the second-in-command, as well as PR man for the club.  Kyoya is a calm, level-headed guy with an ever-watchful eye on the club's finances.  Shunsuke did a great job in portraying the character accurately, even with a few twists they through into the live action that weren't in the anime (maybe they were in the manga, but I wouldn't know since I've never read it).  He keeps the character calm and plays the polar opposite of Tamaki quite well, while still managing to be suave and sexy all at the same time.

Takagi Shinpei and Takagi Manpei play the Hitachiin twins, Hikaru and Kaoru, respectively.  I must make a comment up front about these characters: they are supposed to be the homosexual "token" characters, if you will.  Granted, they're brothers, but that supposedly makes them more attractive to "clients" of the club.  In the anime, the relationship is taken to gag-inducing levels, but THANKFULLY they toned it way down in the drama, which I will be eternally grateful for.  As for the acting from the Takagi brothers, I commend them for being so good at portraying these characters accurately.  They did a very good job at putting the right amount of goofiness and drama into the relationship, and I say kudos to them.

Next is Chiba Yudai playing Haninozuka Mitsukuni (say that three times fast), otherwise known as "Honey". He is the cute one in the club (fuzzy-bunny cute).  This character must have been difficult to translate to live action because of the things he's supposed to do (he jumps into Haruhi's arms at one point; he's supposed to be the size of an elementary school boy).  Yudai's acting in this role is pretty good.  He did well at bringing the cuteness in the enormous quantities required for the character, but when he does eventually have a serious moment, it's done well.  It doesn't feel forced or overly ridiculous like it could've been.

The sixth and final member of the club is Morinozuka Takashi (another tongue twister), known as "Mori", and he's played by Nakamura Masaya.  Mori is the stoic "man of few words", yet somehow he's one of my favorite characters.  I must say, kudos to Masaya, because he got simultaneously the easiest and the hardest parts in the whole drama.  Easiest because he doesn't have to say or do much, but hardest because he has to convey emotion and give the character believability with little to no dialogue or action.  That means it's pretty much all in facial expressions and body language, which are appropriately subdued and well communicated.  I was mostly indifferent to this character in the anime (mostly because I don't remember seeing much of him in the anime), but in the live action, I really like him.  Overall, Masaya did a very good job with what little he had to work with.

The last character really worth mentioning is Nekozawa Umehito (yet again, difficult to pronounce quickly) played by Ryo Ryusei.  Nekozawa isn't a member of the host club, but he gets enough attention in the drama that I can't not talk about him.  He's the creepy dude.  Nekozawa is the leader of the black-magic-ish club at Ouran, and thus is always dressed in a black cloak.  He's supposed to be rather intimidating and "scary", but mostly creepy.  Ryusei did a really good job with the whole creepy thing.  His voice was perfect and he had the right look to him to make people stare (as well they should).  All in all, well done and not too freaky for this drama.

Now, on to the writing.  This drama is a little different because the original writing is known as one of the better mangas ever written (at least in my opinion).  Of course the writing's good.  Even through an anime adaptation and a live action adaptation, it's still really good.  There are some things I didn't particularly jive with in the pacing of the story in the live action, but I can understand why they had to do what they had to do.  The anime had been cut down to 26 half-hour episodes from 83 volumes of the manga, and from that the live action was cut down to 11 half-hour episodes.  Thus a few issues in pacing are perfectly understandable.

Of course, now comes the obligatory warning section.  The only thing I feel I must mention before sending people to out to watch this is this; as I said before, Hikaru and Kaoru are homosexual.  They are incestuous homosexuals, which is even more uncomfortable for some people.  However, most people already know about the Hitachiin brothers and how...er...uncomfortable scenes with them can be.  If you don't already know, just be warned (it is FAR worse in the anime than the live action though; just saying).

On the flip side, if you don't already know, this drama has wonderfully goofy comedic moments and focuses heavily on the importance of family ties.  In the few serious moments this drama has, the message about family being the most important thing (along with a few other things...thank you, Tamaki) comes through loud and clear.

Overall, I really like this drama.  I've seen it several times and I'd watch it again in a heartbeat.  The goofiness, the ridiculousness, the quirkiness of it all is totally what draws me in.  Personally, I think if you're looking for a TV representation of the manga, go with the anime; but if you always wanted to see what the story would be like if it was live action, this drama is for you.

Down with Love (2010)

A/N: So here's how this is gonna work.  When I do a review of a drama, I will evaluate it on a number of criteria that I deem important to the success of a story.  These criteria will include: actors/acting quality; story quality; content of particular note (again, depending on the drama); and my overall rating of the drama.  Rest assured I will never straight up spoil a drama.  I know how annoying spoilers are and I know how much I want to strangle people that insist on spoiling things for me.  That being said, let's dive right in.

Xiang Yu Ping is a big shot lawyer with a seemingly wonderful life: he's got a great job running his own law firm and he almost never loses a case.  His only problem seems to be his kids - or rather, his brother's kids, Yu Fei and Yu Ting.  They are troublemakers, so much so that nearly every nanny Yu Ping has ever hired has either quit or been sent to the hospital - and those that survive the kids always seem to fall in love with Yu Ping.  Finally, after running out of nannies he can hire, Yu Ping asks his secretary, a hardworking exceedingly money-conscious woman named Yang Duo, to find him a nanny that can both survive the kids and not fall in love with him.  After much deliberation Yang Duo ropes her sister, the goofy simple-minded Yang Guo, into taking the job.  Yu Ping agrees only after the false assertion has been made that there's no way Yang Guo could fall for him: she's a lesbian!

The acting in this drama is absolutely wonderful.  First off, you've got the main cast:

• Jerry Yan as Xiang Yu Ping
• Ella Chen as Yang Guo
• Michael Zhang as Qi Ke Zhong (Yu Ping's best friend)
• Chen Zi Han as Ding Hui Fan (Yu Ping's girlfriend of seven years)

And the more major supporting cast:

• Kelly Huang as Yang Duo
• Ji Xin Ling as Xiang Yu Fei
• Xiao Xiao Bin as Xiang Yu Ting
• Amanda Chou as Xu Yan Ling (Yang Guo's best friend)

All of these people did a fantastic job playing their roles for the most part.  Jerry Yan did an excellent job of making Yu Ping come off as heartless in the beginning, but as he softens toward Yang Guo, Jerry comes across with just enough awkwardness and goofiness to make the character lovable.  On a side note, it is so funny watching Jerry Yan, who can be so very intimidating (and downright sexy) at times, getting nervous and having to psych himself up just to call Yang Guo and ask her to go with him to the airport (that really happens, no joke; it's hilarious).

Ella Chen also does a wonderful job of making Yang Guo that perfect mix of likable, goofy, heartwarming, and just the tiniest bit dense.  She's not stupid really; just a bit naive about certain things.  Though she can be a bit annoying at times, it's only very briefly that this happens and she always ends up coming back around to being completely lovable by the end of the episode.

Next, we have Michael Zhang.  Qi Ke Zhong is not a character I remember with fondness (because [spoilers]), but I do remember some things about his performance that really impressed me.  There are times in the drama where he has to come off as being despicable (again, because [spoilers]), yet we as the audience still can see that he's not really a bad guy.  He's just doing horrible things because he's in love with the wrong person and he's willing to do anything to please her.  There are times where we have to see that his conscience is twisting inside him and making him feel increasingly bad about what he's doing, and Michael Zhang does an excellent job at that.

Now we come to the person I do not look forward to discussing.  I hate, hate, HATE Hui Fan with everything in me.  She is the most annoying, clingy, desperate, emotionally dependent woman I have ever seen, in a drama or otherwise.  Still, there are some things I suppose I should mention.  The actress playing Miss I-Don't-Know-What-I-Want-But-Give-It-To-Me-Anyway is Chen Zi Han.  I don't know much about this actress, but I do know that she's good at portraying a character the audience loves to hate.  Yes, at times her performance seems pretty over-the-top, sometimes even approaching soap opera levels of dramatic-ness (that's NOT a good thing), but I really think that's pretty on par with what the character is supposed to be.  She's supposed to annoy the Dickens out of the audience - and she does just that.

There are a few other performances that merit some attention.  Most notable is Kelly Huang as Yang Duo, a woman who is so ridiculously concerned with saving money that she steals condiment packets from a corner market (I'm not kidding).  Kelly Huang does a wonderful job of making Yang Duo's character a very tough woman on the outside, but she has her vulnerable moments too.  The best part of that is it's not too hammy.  Next is Amanda Chou as Yan Ling, Yang Guo's slightly air-headed "romantically inclined" best friend.  Yan Ling can be rather annoying, but she is cute and she acts the part of best friend/shoulder-to-cry-on very well.  She does manage to get some pretty good comic relief lines throughout the drama as well.

But, of course, I can't write a review of this drama without mentioning the little devils themselves, Yu Fei and Yu Ting.  Yu Fei is played by Ji Xin Ling and I don't know how old she was in real life when she did this, but she's supposed to be around ten in this story and she definitely acts like a ten-year-old.  Take that for what you will.  Yu Ting on the other hand is the cutest thing on two legs.  He's played by child star Xiao Xiao Bin, who is the go-to kid for child roles in dramas.  Once again, I don't know for sure how old he was when he did this, but he's supposed to be four-ish in the drama and he does a pretty good job for being so young.  His role, aside from causing trouble, is mostly that of eliciting a whole chorus of "Awwwww"s from the audience.

But enough about that.  What about the writing?  In my opinion, this story was very well-written.  I don't claim to be the best judge of story quality in the world, but I do know a thing or two about good writing versus crappy writing, and this definitely falls under the former.  The pacing is really good except for a couple of minor issues that come up in later episodes.  The dialogue is well-written, bringing just the right amount of goofiness into the mix along with the heartwarming (or heart-wrenching, depending on the scene).

But by far what blows me away the most about the writing in this drama is the way the characters all figure together in what transpires throughout the story.  Believe you me, I have attempted time and time again to write something along this line of storytelling and I can tell you, it is SO much harder than it looks.  The fact that it all flows together so smoothly along with incorporating some trademark Taiwanese silliness into it all just amazes me.

Now comes the part where I warn you.  There is only one thing in this drama that I feel I must mention before I recommend this to people.  There is quite a lot of talk about homosexuality in this drama.  It's pretty well contained to the first half, but still, there is quite a bit of it.  Now, my personal opinion about this sort of thing has no bearing on the situation; therefore I shall not state my opinion.  I just feel I should state this right up front before the recommendations and closing comments (we're getting there, I promise).

On the upside, however, this drama does have a strong emphasis on family relationships, as well as being able to press through hardship and come out on the other side.  There's also a more subtle focus on being who you are and not changing because someone else says you should.  This story has a big heart behind it, and I definitely see that coming through the screen.

So, final comments.  I just have to say one thing: I love this drama so much.  I recommend it to just about anybody.  It's so cute and goofy; the characters are wonderfully written and well-played; the story is excellent; and above all, this story definitely has heart to it.  If any of that sounds like your cup of tea (heck, even if it doesn't), go watch this drama.  You won't be disappointed.