TAIWAN: Fall in Love With Me Review

After months of letting the drama's episodes pile up I finally finished it and just in time to wrap up 2014. It was quite an entertaining drama from beginning to end. Character development was natural, rivalries were fierce, and resolutions were happy. Overall I am glad that I watched it, I'm also glad that it was only 20 episodes, some of it was a bit too melodramatic for me.

What I Liked:
1. The Soundtrack. Sometimes the soundtrack gets really irritating because it's the same five songs played over and over again but this time I latched onto the soundtrack pretty quickly. It may be because most of the songs were sung by Aaron Yan, it could be that I just liked the sound of every song, either way I would recommend listening to the soundtrack outside of the show.

2. The male lead. I'm just a touch biased to Aaron Yan after watching him in Just You with Puff Guo. Like many fans, I feel in love with Puff and Aaron together, but I was very open minded about his pairing with Tia Li and after a while I found myself really liking that couple too. There are quite a few reasons why I like watching Aaron Yan, the first being that he's a amazingly good looking. Aside from that it's his queue of facial expressions that he doesn't mind busting out at any given moment. For a singer he's a pretty decent actor.

3. Lance. There's always a villain and Lance was a pretty good one, but in the beginning he didn't start out so bad. Part of the reason why I liked Lance is because it's not like he was wrong in his thinking. He may have been wrong in his actions but in all honesty he had some pretty valid points. From wanting Tian Xing to return back to the company he was supposed to be running to forcing his family to recognize that they're biased against him. To me he had the right to request those things and if people would have just listened to him he probably wouldn't have turned out to be such a bad guy. In the last few episodes, to many he might have been a complete jerk but for some reason I found the pettiness funny and a little bit enjoyable. I think it's because it was closer to real life than any other part of the drama.

4. Tao Le Si's Parents. So regular parents do exist in drama land! These parents were written perfectly. They knew when to stand up for their daughter and when to allow her to make her own decisions. They gave good practical advice and unlike some parents treated everybody with respect and kindness, even if they didn't exactly like them.

What I  Didn't Like:
I just thought about it and I can't think of anything I didn't like. When you get used to watching dramas you realize everything comes with a territory. I've watched so many forced kisses and wrists grabs, and secret plots that I think I've become immune to it. Though there were moments when I cringed and protested there was nothing that completely drove me up the wall so much that I have to complain about it.

There were too many enjoyable or at least understandable moments for me to have any big dislikes. There were things I disliked in the context of the show, but I found nothing wrong with the writing or cinematography. I just thought of one while writing this.

1. Lu Tian Xing's dandy clothes in the first half of the show. I am not a fan of dudes dressing overly eccentrically. His wardrobe in the beginning was just too much, it made me want to punch him the face. I know I should probably want to punch him in the face more over his attitude than his clothes, but seriously who dresses like that for EVERYTHING!

2. Thought of another one. Why did the writers have to write him to be such a jerk as Lu Tian Xing when he was capable of being nice as Xiao Lu and later as Lu Tian Xing. the bipolarity in all honesty didn't really need to happen. I know they were trying to establish two different characters within one person but they gave Lu Tian Xing no redeeming qualities in the beginning so of course Tao Zi wouldn't fall in love with him. But in the end it all worked out so I guess it wasn't that much of an thorn in my side.

Well, if you're used to Taiwanese dramas then I recommend you check this one out, however I would not recommend it to first time Taiwanese drama watchers. Part of the thing that made this drama enjoyable was recognizing the actors and seeing how the played these characters different from their other characters. If you aren't familiar with the actors then I would say that this drama should be put on hold. 

How to Fight K-Drama Boredom

Let's say you've been a fan of Korean Dramas for years and you've finally gotten to the point where the excitement has worn off. The recent set of dramas you've seen didn't take your breath away and you are considering giving it up but you really don't want to. What do you do? 

Even though I've only been a K-Drama fan for two years, I have hit a few slumps. The shows I wanted to watch didn't interest me as much as I thought they would, I am getting bored of the same story line, I hate the OSTs they choose, and the list goes on. However, I always find a way to renew my love for K-Dramas with these few tricks. 

1. Watch a drama from a country other than Korea. You can get dramas and movies from all over the world in subtitles for your language through multiple streaming sites. If Korea isn't holding your attention anymore then check out dramas from other countries. When I hit a K-Drama slump I usually turn to Taiwanese, Japanese, or American dramas. They are great at entertaining me until another K-Drama comes along that piques my interest. Also, it's fun to compare entertainment norms between countries.

2. Watch a few episodes of a drama you loved. Sometimes when I can't think of anything else to watch I watch a couple of episodes of a drama that I've seen already. I've re-watched the first few episodes of shows like Boys Over Flowers and Nail Shop Paris because they reminded me why I fell in love with K-Dramas. If you're not interested in re-watching whole episodes then find some clips from your favorite shows and relive the magic.

3. Watch other forms of Korean entertainment. Variety shows and movies are a great way to escape the monotony that K-Dramas can have. Variety shows are, for the most part, unscripted and often show a different side to the actors that you've come to love. Movies give you all the drama that you love in K-Dramas but in a shorter amount of time. At one point I didn't watch any K-Dramas, but instead watched like 10 Korean movies. It was kind of therapeutic. I got all that bad K-Drama taste out of my mouth and when I returned to K-Dramas I was able to see certain actors in a better light and really appreciate their talents.

4. Marathon a popular drama you haven't seen yet. There are always those dramas that people constantly talk about even years after it released the last episode. If you want to get out of a slump then I suggest power watching one of the shows you're most curious about. For instance, I got really into simulcast K-Dramas around the time The Master's Sun came out. I didn't watch it when it was out, but about a year later I just told myself to watch it and I FELL IN LOVE! Now whenever something comes out with the actors in it I am confident about the quality. So far following those actors has not steered me wrong and the show definitely restored my love for K-Dramas.

5. Take a break. I know you don't really want to give it up but if you're seriously not feeling it anymore then take an extended break. The few breaks I have taken have only been for a few days at a time, at most a week and a half but I enjoyed dramas much more after taking a little hiatus. You can clear your mind of all the sucky dramas that got your hopes up and really define what you'd like to see out of a K-Drama. Once you know exactly what you'd like to see you can search for shows that fit those parameters and restore your love of K-Dramas.

Here is a list of shows/movies that helped me get back to loving K-Dramas:

Running Man (Variety), Bitter Blood (Japanese), Just You (Taiwanese), Grimm (American), The Face Reader (Movie), My Girlfriend's an Agent (Movie), Architecture 101 (Movie), Misaeng (K-Drama Marathon), Marriage, Not Dating (K-Drama Marathon), Empire (American), Attack on Titan (Anime), Tokyo Ghoul (Anime), Dream Knight (Mini-Drama)

All of these shows were entertaining, introduced me to new actors, and gave me a chance to see a different side to some of my favorite actors.

Here's hoping that your K-Drama boredom will end soon!

TAIWAN: It Started With A Kiss

This is my third time watching an adaptation of Itazura na Kiss. The funny thing about watching the same story unfold more than once is that each time it's entertaining. Despite this being my third time seeing pretty much the same events unfold I didn't get bored watching it and I became just as invested in the Taiwanese characters as I did with the Korean and Japanese characters.

Synopsis: Yuan Xiang Qin (Ariel Lin) is an intellectually challenged high school girl who is in love with Jiang Zhi Shu (Joe Cheng), a genius with an IQ of 200. After two years of having a crush on him, she confesses her love to him at school with a love letter. Zhi Shu is not impressed, and Xiang Qin is left humiliated publicly in front of their entire school. As fate would have it, Xiang Qin would have to move in with Zhi Shu and his family after her new house was destroyed by a meteor. Will love blossom now that they're living under the same roof?

Things I liked About the Taiwanese Version:

1. In every version, the male lead is a big old meany, but Zhi Shu seemed to be a bit softer with his insults and cold demeanor. I don't know if he was written to be softer or if Joe Cheung just downplayed the meanness in his acting, but to me he didn't seem as harsh as the Korean or Japanese male lead.

2. I also liked that the mom in this version didn't seem as obsessive as the moms in the other versions. For sure, the Korean mom was the most invasive when it came to setting up the male and female leads. The Taiwanese mom played by Cyndi Chaw was encouraging without being everywhere. I liked that because I think it made for more comfortable interactions between Xiang Qin and Zhi Shu. 

3. Although the second male lead, Ah Jin, was just as obsessive and delusional as the others, he was played by the handsome Jiro Wang making him my favorite version of Kinnosuke. 

4. For some reason I really enjoyed listening to the Mandarin Chinese in this show. I have no idea why but the language kind of hypnotized me. 

5. I loved the theme song. It's so melodic and catchy. "Say that you love me, say that you care..."

There wasn't much about this show that differentiated it from the other versions, so there isn't much that I can say about it that hasn't already been said about the other versions. Either way I highly recommend this drama to anyone who is a fan of the other versions of Itazura na Kiss.

TAIWAN: "Fall in Love With Me" First Impressions

(photo credit to owner)

I spent a week watching nothing but Just You just so I could watch this show. When news of Fall in Love With Me broke, there was some backlash from fans because Aaron Yan's love interest wouldn't be Puff Guo. The pair played opposites in the show Just You and fans couldn't stand to see another pair in romantic situations. This is what sparked my interest in Just You and consequently in Fall in Love With Me. First, I wanted to know what was so great about Just You and then I wanted to know who Aaron Yan was. I achieved those goals well before the show aired so I'm proud.

Anyway, when I saw the teasers for the show I have to say I was worried. It reminded me so much of Just You. A hardworking sweet girl juxtaposed to a staunch boss of an advertising/marketing firm. The similarities are hard to ignore but I didn't want to count the show out because of that.

After watching the show I am happy to say that it seems to be doing a decent job of separating itself from Just You. It's just as funny and endearing as the other show but the concept is a bit different.

Overview:
There's a snobby CEO, Lu Tian Xing, of a popular advertising firm in Taiwan who has a short temper and there's a spunky girl, Tan Le Si, who is working hard to take care of her brother's advertising company after his death. They bump into each other and are instantly at odds. Though Lu Tian Xing owns a very successful company he's lost his spark and creativity and declares that he's taking a vacation in order to get his mojo back. While on his vacation he becomes Xioa Lu who helps Tan Le Si and her company in their advertising efforts. Though Tan Le Si can see that he looks exactly like Lu Tian Xing she believes that he is Xiao Lu. From there all kinds of stuff starts to happen. I don't want to give away anything.

My Thoughts:
I've only watched the first two episode but I think I may enjoy the show. It was funny, sweet, and has a touch of mystery that gives the show a bit more depth. I'm most interested to see the development of the characters. Right now they are the typical Asian drama archetypes so I am hoping that they surpass that in interesting and fun ways.

If you're watching you're in for a long ride. The show is 30 episodes and since it's only 1 episode a week it'll take quite a while before we get to the meat of the show. However, being accustomed to Taiwanese dramas now I am ready for the ride and really excited to see Aaron Yan in something else.

TAIWAN: In a Good Way

This increasingly popular show has definitely earned its great ratings. The show is well written and the lead couple is all sorts of adorable, even if they aren't a couple yet. 

Synopsis:
In a Good Way is about Lin Jia En and her life as a college student in Taipei. Though Jia En is a smart and friendly person, at the time when she was finishing high school she wasn't very independent. She relied on her best friend Zheng Ren Wei for a lot and though she saw no problem with it, it bothered him. In order to gain some much wanted freedom not just from Jia En but also from his parents he enrolled in a university in Taipei. To his father's shock he gets in and sets his sights on freedom. Unfortunately Jia En doesn't get into any college that year and is forced to wait a year before reapplying. Ren Wei gets his freedom but little did he know, Jia En follows him to Taipei, where her parents live, to study and to be with her friend. Her plan ultimately hits a few bumps and she ends up meeting Liu Shan Feng or Liu Chuan, who becomes one of her closest friends in college. From there more interesting events and mishaps occur including Liu Chuan falling for Jia En. 

My Thoughts:
So far the show has 9 episodes out and so far it has been very enjoyable. When the release of the series was first advertised on DramaFever I didn't think much about it, but after some time, I gave it a look. The first 5 episodes were already out by the time I had decided to watch it. I instantly liked the show. It's funny, but not slapstick funny, it's the type funny life is (if that makes sense). It is the type of funny that occurs naturally when friends are together. The chemistry of the entire cast is great and it creates for a very realistic and easy going show. However, that doesn't mean the show lacks drama or tension. It has been planned well. 

The main character Jia En is noted for being very smart and inquisitive but she isn't always the sharpest tool in the shed. Sometimes she is slow to catch on to things like Ren Wei wanting to put some space between them, or the fact that Liu Chaun likes her (not that he's completely obvious about it). Though that trait can sometimes gets annoying it really just notes how innocent and sweet she is. 

Also, the friendships that have formed on the show have been enjoyable to watch. Jia En, Liu Chuan, Ren Wei and a few other characters have formed this cute group on campus and it is fun to watch them become closer friends as the series continues. 

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I would recommend this series to anyone that is thinking about trying a Taiwanese drama. Since the drama isn't trying too hard to be funny or romantic or melodramatic, I enjoy it.

If you've seen this drama and have opinions leave them in the comment section below or comment about any other Taiwanese dramas you think are worth watching.

Thanks for reading!