Saturday, March 21, 2009

It Started With a Kiss (恶作剧之吻)

It Started With a Kiss
恶作剧之吻 (E Zuo Ju Zhi Wen)


The main character of the story, Xiang Qin (Ariel Lin) is a clumsy and naive high school teenager who is in love with the genius of an IQ of 200 in Taiwan, who also happens to be in Class A of her high school. Sadly, Xiang Qin is very stupid and is in the lowest class in her school, so when she gives Jiang Zhi Shu (Joe Cheng) a letter proclaiming her love, she is ignored and even made fun of by her school mates. An earthquake in Taiwan causes Xiang Qin's newly built house (by her father) to collapse and the two have nowhere else to go. When their sad story appears on the news, Xiang Qin's father's childhood friend lends a hand and offers his house. They accept, but Xiang Qin finds out after she proudly proclaims at school that she will never accept Zhi Shu's help, that her father's friend is actually Zhi Shu's father!

As the two live together under the same roof, Zhi Shu sees Xiang Qin's constant determination of proving her worth to him, eventually softening him up. Her constant honesty and good will, despite showing many times how stupid and without thought she acts, is something he learns to treasure later on. Zhi Shu refuses to admit to his feelings until the better end of the show though people around them have constanly noticed his affections for Xiang Qin (of which she is entirely ignorant). Ah Jin (Jiro Wang), who is also deeply in love with Xiang Qin, refuses to give up and constantly seeks out her feelings, which she does not reciprocate. Zhi Shu of course is the eye of interest of many women on campus and off campus, despite his cool personality, which he only drops when he is around Xiang Qin, which many people consider to be his true self.

Throughout the episodes, many different situations test the affections that each of them have for each other, making it a very amusing drama to watch. One of my favorite dramas of all time, It Started With A Kiss is a drama that I recommend whole-heartedly, because I believe it brings out the best in people, and sometimes even the sides which we may sometimes refuse to see.

Episodes: 30

Drama Wiki version.


Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Fated to Love You (命中注定我爱你)


Fated to Love You
sometimes known as
Sticky Note Girl
命中注定我爱你 (Ming Zhong Zhu Ding Wo Ai Ni)


A Taiwanese drama about a very wealthy guy (Ethan Ruan) who accidentally sleeps with (and eventually impregnates) a total stranger (Joe Chen) while on a cruise ship. In both their drunken stupors, they didn’t realize that they had accidentally slept with the wrong person. It should have ended there, but fate has a weird way of dealing destiny. The girl’s pregnancy leads them both to get married for the sake of their future. The thing is, the guy has a girlfriend (Bianca Bai) who’s a ballet dancer on tour. When she unexpectedly comes back, it leads to a lot of confusion. Also, the guy starts falling for the girl, though he doesn’t seem to realize it.

There’s a lot of hullaballoo when a miscarriage happens and the girl goes to Shanghai through the recommendation and insistence of her good friend Dylan (Baron Chen) and eventually changes herself, leaving the guy behind without a word. 2 years later, fate deals another hand and the two unexpectedly meet again, because of the girl’s artistic talent. It leads to more confusion and more drama as lies and truths unfold.

A hilarious Taiwanese drama that incorporates both of course, dramatic, but also comedic parts into the story. Many parts of the story are so obvious that it's frustrating when the characters don't do the obvious, but many parts also remain mysterious to the audience, giving it that interesting flair that makes one come back for more.

One of the more recent Taiwanese dramas that I have been addicted to. I have just recently finished watching the entire season, and I wholly recommend this to everyone. Many times, I almost fell off my chair laughing at the really cheesy and funny scenes presented throughout the series. A must-watch, either alone or in the company of friends.

Episodes: 24

Drama Wiki version





Sunday, March 8, 2009

Meteor Garden (流行花园)


Meteor Garden
流行花园 (Liu Xing Hua Yuan)


Meteor Garden is a well-known Taiwanese drama that was based on a Japanese Manga called Hana Yori Dango (Boys Before Flowers). The story includes 2 sets of characters, Shan Cai and the group called F4. Shan Cai (Barbie Xu) comes from a not-so wealthy lower middle-class family. Because of her parents dreams for her to marry someone rich, she is sent to Ying De University, a private school for the wealthy and rich. Many of the students at Ying De University are sons and daughters of CEO's, large company owners and investors, and the like. There is a group of students who basically run the school, they are called the Flower 4(F4), composed of Dao Ming Si (Jerry Yan), Hua Ze Lei (Vic Zhou), Xi Men (Ken Zhu), and Mei Zuo (Vanness Wu). Their parents are the founders of the Ying De University, which is why they are able to bully teachers and students alike, into doing whatever they want.

One day, while defending a childhood friend of hers from some pranks, Shan Cai meets the F4. Instead of cowering to them, and especially to their leader Dao Ming Si, Shan Cai stands up to them and this catches the group's attention. A few days after, Shan Cai receives a red note in her locker, which is a sign that everyone must begin bullying poor Shan Cai. Despite everything that is done to her however, Shan Cai does not give up and continues to fight till the very end. Eventually, Dao Ming Si's interest begins to change into love, at the same time that Shan Cai begins to fall in love with Hua Ze Lei.

The story basically talks about the struggles Shan Cai becomes involved in, as she involves herself more with the group F4. It includes how people around Shan Cai and F4 react to their friendship, the jealousies involved, the plots, schemes, struggles, confusions and such. The clashing of the wealthy and the less privileged, together with the clashing of friendships over love and over family. In the end, will love and friendship and trust triumph over social pressures?


One of the first Taiwanese dramas that I had the pleasure of watching, and eventually falling in love with. Despite the many cheesy lines and parts with obvious turn-of-events, Meteor Garden was one of the factors that pushed me into taking my Chinese seriously in my youth.

Episodes: 20

Drama Wiki version.