A Stalker's Guide to Joe Cheng

   
Joe Cheng is mostly known for his role in It Started with a Kiss as Zhi Shu. It Started With a Kiss was originally a manga Itazura na Kiss. They had made a Japanese version of the drama and a Korean version later on, but the best for me, with no second doubt, was the Taiwanese version. 
I'm not that big a fan of Taiwanese dramas in general, but I instantly fell for Joe Cheng in that one. 



 
The first drama I saw him in was It Started with a Kiss and it was wonderful. His character Zhi Shu plays a cold guy who doesn't care for love or anything else and he is a genius with a IQ of 200. 
 

He is handsome,so of course he is very popular. I fell for Joe's acting in this. He was very distant, cold, and not interested in anyone, but when he smiled to tease Xiang Qin your heart goes "OH TOO CUTE". Joe really shows the development of Zhi Shu's character, when he is becoming interested in what Xiang Qin has to say and how simple she is. The way his face turns when he looks at her, shows he pays attention to what she says. Not just because he remembers everything after listening to it, but because he is really interested in WHAT she is saying. 
She gets happy with the smallest things, like getting one question right when he was tutoring her. His expression shows when he gets surprised. There were some scenes that they added that weren't in the manga, but they were wonderfully written and acted. You will love the way Zhi Shu teases Xiang Qin. It will make you giggle. 


When I found out what Joe's actually personality was like, my face was O_O. In realty he is just a happy guy and he loves to laugh. In the show he is completely serious towards everybody, but he slowly grows softer to Xiang Qin and he shows his cute side when he picks on her. 


Joe Cheng's parents had divorced when he was a kid and he said he stopped believing in love in a way. So I'm guessing (not sure) that he used to those emotion initially when he was playing a cold guy.
 



This season gets even cuter! This season really shows you a different range on Joe Cheng's acting while he shows Zhi Shu learning emotions. Zhi Shu has never really been jealous of anyone. because he has it all: he is handsome, a genius, has a wealthy family that cares for him, a brother that admires him and a women who loves him.  So when he starts to get jealous at first you get mad at him, but you then you see that Zhi Shu didn't really understand that he was jealous himself. I will admit I did get mad sometimes, because of how he was acting. There were many fans who got really angry at him, but what some people forget, is that Zhi Shu never really felt jealous over anyone in his life. He was pretty much a "ideal" high school boy and it's the same when he got older. Zhi Shu literally had to have someone explain to him what he was feeling and why. When he does realize what it was, that bothered him so much, he got to be even more passionate. 
In college he shows how hard he is working and its not just for himself. Xiang Qin continues to inspire him. She influences him a lot, even if she doesn't realize it herself. 





  
This time Joe's character fell first for Ariel's - it was way too cute. Their romance was once again very adorable. The same as Ariel had her silly expressions in It Started with a Kiss as Xiang Qin, Joe had shown those in this drama - being silly and having his fantasy dreams. 
 




This drama wasn't bad, but it was pretty bland. Joe was wonderful in his role. His character has a desire to be a photographer. He was able to really take the role and convey the character's feelings properly through. Honestly it was a bit of a waste of his talent to me.  (Sorry if you're a fan of this drama.)


I don't remember this drama that much because I saw it a while ago. I dropped it at one point,because I got bored, then picked it up again. I did skim through bits of it I will admit. Overall I was expecting more out of it but didn't really get it. 


More about Joe Cheng

• He sang Xhong Yu Yuan Wei which is part of the OST in They Kiss Again.
• Joe Cheng has an older sister who lives with his mother. His parents had divorced when he was a child. This caused him to doubt love which he was able to utilize in It Started With a Kiss.  
• He began modeling with Catwalk Modeling agency and continues to work with them. He is not only popular in Taiwan but in Japan, China and Singapore as well. 

  
If there is an actor or an actress that is worthy of a Stalker's Guide in your opinion, and you have watched enough dramas of his/hers to prove it, please contact Elisabetta about it.