Story: The love triangle in this story will make you cry, sigh and smile. There is no evil man here. Both men are equally deserving of her. It is a story of sacrifices, of hardships, of courage and virtue. At first, I was doubtful about a romance drama being set in the Southern-Northern Dynasties period, knowing from history, that it was a bloody era to live in. Dynasties come and go. There was no stability in that period of chinese history. Furthermore, prince Lan Ling comes from a royal family that was slaughtered to extinction. Prince Lan Ling himself died at a young age (around 30s). So, how can there be a love story centred around this setting? Well... there is! And this drama told a wonderful love story involving Prince Lan Ling, Yang Xue Wu and King Yuwen Yong. I like that the writer stuck to the historical events to the end. There was never a boring moment, despite the length of the drama (46 episodes). Each episode ends with a cliffhanger that makes you want for more. Before you realise it, 46 episodes have come and gone! Highly addictive! My only warning before you start? You will need tissue - bucket loads of it! Truly a touching love story.

Acting/Cast: No complains on acting. Everyone did exceptionally well. Everyone's veteran actors and actresses; so they know what they are on about. The chemistry between the 3 leads in the love triangle was very good and believable. The only issue I noticed was a wardrobe malfunction with King Yuwen Yong... where you can see his 'fake hairline' in one of the later episode (forgot which one). They probably hurried the production of that episode. Other than that, all's fine and dandy!

Music: Beautiful songs that reflects the mood of the story. You will love the hauntingly sad vocals of Della Ding and Jia Jia. Each of the 3 leads have a song for them that pretty much sums up their love for each other.

Rewatch value: Time permits; I'll defintely re-watch this gem. In fact, I am out and about trying to get hold of the whole series in DVD.

Overall: I gave this drama a 10/10 simply because I can't give it 9.5/10 here. It is not really an 8/10 either. I made this decision by comparing this drama against Bu Bu Jing Xing (the perfect 10 ancient chinese romance drama for me) and against BBJX, this drama is around 80-90% at the level of BBJX. To me, BBJX is still No. 1 and this one here is a close No. 2. I hope this gives you an idea where this drama sits in terms of ranking. Lastly, just sit back and enjoy!

Leia Mais

Story: This drama explores the question "What happens if you meet your ex when you are in a steady relationship with another and your ex wants you back?" There is a lot of frustration as the audience is treated to the pendulum nature of the lead female's psyche. On one hand, she is tempted and on another she is committed to her current relationship. Shall she choose responsibility and commitment over passion and attraction? Who will she end up in the end? If you are curious, then watch this drama. This drama will leave you thinking about the reality of relationships and I am sure, for all of you who have been in relationships before (and ended it), you can relate to one or two things portrayed in this drama. I also like how between scenes, the main characters were filmed in an interview format to allow the audience to see the scenes and situations from the character's perspective; a bit of "she said" versus "he said" versus "they said" situation.

Acting/Cast: Mature and experienced actors and actresses. Side characters are very entertaining and they have their own little love stories to add into the story as well. I am not a fan of any of the actors or actresses in this drama, but I'll make a special mention for Eric (as Kang Tae Ha) and Yoon Hyun-Min (as Do Joon Ho). Eric showed a relaxed and natural form of acting. He had totally embraced and live the character he was given. One would even ask, is this his true character in real life that he is so comfortable and natural in portraying Kang Tae Ha? Yoon Hyun-Min as Dr. Do Joon Ho was hilarious, serious, smart and very much caught-in-between. Someone give this guy the main lead character in a romantic comedy already! I am sure he will do well in it!

Music: Nice but forget-able.

Rewatch value: This is a drama made to be watched once. You'll like it (but not adore it) and you'll move on from it. If you have nothing fantastic on your plate at the moment and do not mind watching romance drama depicting realistic struggles of dating relationships, you might want to make a time for this drama.

Leia Mais

Story: This series is a legend by itself. There are many movies and dramas out there on this classic story of the 'Three Kingdoms' but none had truly captured the entire novel, page by page, as this 2010 version. With 95 episodes, it is one of the lengthiest series I'd followed but also the most satisfying to complete. Admittedly, I watched this in 2010 when it was airing and has recently re-watched it to remind myself parts of the Three Kingdoms' story. This drama is like reading the novel itself. Each character is depicted accurately - from their behavior, aspirations, thoughts, speech patterns to looks. The director certainly selected the perfect cast to act in this series. Many would say 95 episodes is plenty but in actual fact, there are little side stories in the novel that were excluded. Otherwise, this would turn into a 100+ episode series.

Acting/Cast: If you want to know what is professional, solid, honest-to-goodness acting, watch this. The actors and actresses will make you feel as if you are watching history unfold before your screen. They will put all those idol actors to complete shame! Everything was to the dot - from settings, costumes, etiquette to speech...they all accurately depicted the correct era in Chinese history.

Music: If you are expecting great OSTs, you will be disappointed. But if you are expecting music that accurately reflects the music of the era in the 'Three Kingdoms', you will be delighted. During those days, ppl compose music to be sung as a poem with accompaniments from traditional Chinese musical instruments. The words sung are very meaningful. Even the OST at the start of each episode adequately summed the entire novel in eloquent words. This is a story about war, the end of a dynasty, ambitious men, heroism, political plots and personal struggles set in an era known as one of the bloodiest in Chinese history.

Rewatch value: I set the re-watch value as low because of the 95 episodes. However, most ppl I know who had watched this series would usually re-watch the parts they like; eg: Diaochan's plot to bring down Dong Zhuo through Lu Bu, the appearance of Zhuge Liang (Kongming), the battle of the Red Cliff, Liu Bei's marriage to Sun XiaoMei and the ensuing struggle to establish his own hegemony at the south, Zhuge Liang vs. Zhou Yu, Zhuge Liang vs. Sima Yi etc. It also helps that wikipedia breaks down the series' episode based on the book chapters it covers - making selective re-watching easier.

Overall: A perfect series with perfect actors and actresses. A must watch for lovers of chinese history and literature. The only complain I have is the length but then again, it cannot be helped considering how this series follows the novel closely.

Leia Mais

Story: This is a story of a smart aristrocrat and his fate with a free-spirited woman who is a good fighter but a lousy investigator. The story starts with Jing Yuan Bao engaged to be married to Jiang Xiao Xue - a refined woman from an aristrocratic background like his. The marriage between these two families is determined by the Grand Empress, which mean neither have a say in it and neither could refuse it. However, Xiao Xue already has a man she loves and on the night before the wedding, she escaped in search of the man she loves. Through fate, another woman - Yu Qi Ling, got misunderstood as the intended bride and married Jing Yuan Bao instead. The story of the Perfect Couple begins. There are ups and downs, plots and sub-plots involving some palace power struggle between those who supported the Crown Prince and those who supported the Second Prince. In the middle of it all, the romance between Jing Yuan Bao and his originally unwanted bride - Yu Qi Ling, blossomed. This drama has a pretty straight forward storyline and easily predicted ending. The baddies are all revealed from the get go -so, there are no surprises. The story revolves heavily on how the baddies get caught in the end and how Yuan Bao and Qi Ling resolve their misunderstandings and differences to become the 'Perfect Couple'.

Acting/Cast: It is no secret that I enjoy watching Wallace act in historical dramas. Acting-wise, he's a veteran. Tang Yan is also another seasoned actress. Both Wallace and Tang Yan managed to pull off a believable chemistry. I mean.... who could resist Wallace's mysterious and sexy stare... you know, the kind that makes you wonder what he's thinking but feel as if he is devouring you whole! With that kind of look, it is not too hard to pull off a chemistry that can melt the hearts of females everywhere! The rest of the cast are all good as well. No complains in the acting department. The costumes are colourful and excellent (though I doubt ppl of that time actually wear such fashionable clothes)!

Music: The ending theme song is my favourite. It has a rather sad tone to it and the lyrics are meaningful. It's stuck in my head and I suspect it will be there for a while unti I find another new song to replace it. Some might find the light OST by Della Ding and Wallace Huo something they might like but me being me... I like the darker melodies over the light-hearted ones. It's all personal preference.

Rewatch value: There are 45 episodes and unless you have lots of time at hand, you might not be wanting to re-watch this anytime soon. That said... there are many scenes in this drama; mostly those involving the main couple, that you would like to forward to.

Overall: This is a worth-while entertainment. True to Tong Hua's (the author of the novel where this drama gets its storyline from) style of writing, the main story focuses on the romance between the two main characters. There are some palace conflict going on but that part of the story did not overwhelm the main love story between the leads. So, if you are a romantic at heart, you might want to check this historical romance out.

Leia Mais

Story: Long long ago, there lived two clans of humans - those who can fly and those who can't. The winged clan was considered more superior to the earth humans due to their flying ability and possession of flight technology. For centuries, earth humans and the winged humans battled for supremacy. After centuries of animosity, a fragile peace existed between these two clans in order to end all the deaths and losses both sides suffered during the wars. What is the reason for the winged clan's ability to fly? It is the existence of a goddess who is reincarnated every 100 years. This goddess possesses the power to grant wings to the winged clan and the aura emitted from her powers all the flight technology. Envious of the winged clan's ability to fly, the queen of the earth humans started to plot for the re-incarnation of the goddess. The queen wished to have the reincarnated goddess under her control and to provide the power to fuel her grand plan for a sky kingdom in preparation for a war against the winged clan. As predicted, a baby girl was born and she was the reincarnation of the goddess. However, the queen missed her opportunity to kidnap the baby girl and the child grew up peacefully in anonymity, not knowing that she's the goddess reincarnate. To the humans and the winged clan, the goddess was born to grant the winged clan the ability to fly, but in reality the goddess is born every 100 years to reunite with her lover and even in this reincarnation, she was fated to meet and separate from him. What is the fate of this pair of star-crossed lovers? Can they consummate their relationship in this reincarnation after so many centuries of missed opportunities and what of the impending war between the two clans?

This is an original fantasy, wuxia drama featuring many new faces in the entertainment world. The CGI is wonderfully done. In fact, I will go so far as to say that the CGI in this drama exceeds those of Ice Fantasy. It is not overly done and the scenes moved fluidly without any odd pauses when CGI was used; lending it a more believable air for a fantasy drama. The story is wonderful and it keeps you wanting more at the end of every episode. My congratulations to the author!

Acting/Cast: The hero in the acting cast is Zhang Ruo Yun who acted as the male lead, Feng Tian Yi. He's relatively new to the entertainment world but those of you who had watched Wuxin: The monster killer, Legend of Green Hill Fox and Fifteen Years to Wait for Migratory Birds would have noticed him. In Novoland, his acting is considered the best amongst the leading cast. His leading lady, Guan Xiao Tong (as Yi Fu Ling) may have acted in more dramas than him, but her acting left much to be desired. She's not very good in expressing herself and often have a rather stiff face; giving her acting an air of immaturity. The second male lead, Liu Chang as Bai Ting Jun was equally bad with expressions and together, they form what I called "The Frozen Faced Couple" in this drama. Ju Jing Yi from SNH48 surprisingly acted well in her role as the jealous rival of the female lead. Despite her first time acting in a notable role in a drama, her acting surpassed that of the female lead. Chen Ruo Xuan as the bumbling genius inventor Yu Huan Zheng is another good actor, providing the much needed supporting role and the unexpected heroism for the drama. The mature actor who acted as the Regent uncle to Feng Tian Yi is also another actor deserving kudos for his acting.

Music: Good enough but I'll go out in a limb here by saying that I am not a fan of TFBoys and their songs.

Rewatch value: I find myself absolutely sucked in by Zhang Ruo Yun's strong, obsessive, brilliant and assertive character in this drama. His love for Yi Fu LIng/goddess is so all encompassing. The way he looked at her, the way his lips briefly lifted at the sides as he considered her, the way he 'tortured' her, the way he literally inhaled her and wish to possess her.....Zhang Ruo Yun had created a very sensual and possessive chemistry based on his acting alone! Thanks to his acting, it made the sub-par acting of the female lead more tolerable. I would re-watch all the parts in this drama where he interacted with the female lead.

Overall: In summary, this drama would have scored a higher rating if the role of the female lead and second male lead were given to more experienced actress and actor who can actually act. However, the unique story keeps you wanting for more and managed to grab the audience's attention until the end. A good production that deserves more recognition than the other bigger budgeted fantasy-themed drama featuring big names such as Ice Fantasy, Legend of Chusen and Demon Girl that were airing at the same time this drama was aired. If you are hesitating which one to go for, I recommend that you give Novoland a go!

Leia Mais

Story: This is a very basic and often-told story of a rich man falling for a poor woman. In this case, the poor woman is also a single mother with an adolescent son. And of course, this rich man comes with a rich woman who has secretly loved him since childhood but is 'evil' and a mother who thinks any woman not belonging to a wealthy family is out to get her son for his inheritance. There is nothing that stands out in the story line. It has all the expected twists and turns of a Chinese melodrama - family conflicts, angst, poverty, joblessness, love triangles, unexpected revelations re. family ties etc. It has the realistic feeling (from the common dressing of the female lead to the very logic decisions the characters make) of most Chinese family romance melodrama. What makes this drama a little different from the rest is how the heroine doesn't really fall for the hero until much much later (like the last 10 episodes later!). In fact, she was very adverse to the hero and being a practical person, turned the hero down many times. She even encouraged and helped her best friend to be with the hero. In other words, we get a very reluctant heroine and a hero who is relentless (and shameless to some point!) in his pursue. I personally am very traditional in this sense. I love it when men are very active, creative and persistent in pursuing the woman....of course, there's a fine line between romantic and criminal and the hero in this drama kinda hover in the middle of this line. Thank goodness he didn't quite cross over to criminal! But then again.....he did ruthlessly tricked our heroine into marrying him (and she wasn't in love with him then!).....you be the judge of whether it's ethical or love in this matter. I just love it when the man's crazy over the woman while the woman's lukewarm over him! In other words, I like it when the power of the relationship is in the woman's hand and not the man's. If you are like me in this sense, you'll love this drama. What I also really love is the very touching story between the heroine and her best friend. It brought tears to my eyes. There are also no draggy scenes with very minimal repetitive or recalls - which I think, is the strength of this drama. The story progression is good.

Acting/Cast: Acting is good enough, including the kid actor who acted as the teenage son. Park Hae Jin's acting is okay though I can tell he needs more experience working on his facial expressions while working with foreign actors & actresses...or it could be his portrayal of the hero who is 'numb' to feelings- a character who was hurt by love and views marriage as a practical arrangement for his career. He's also a brilliant businessman, often able to overcome whatever tricks his mother (the CEO) and her cohorts planned to keep him in line. In the end, the entire board was supporting him and his ideas, which made his mom admire his ingenuity but also frustrated that she could no longer control him. There are parts where you can see the glint of playfulness and genius behind the hero when he plotted to trick our heroine into accepting him. The heroine is well selected - she's cute (not beautiful per se) and has an air of 'common-ness' in her. She is assertive but kind and often would rather avoid conflict than to explain herself to others. To her, the hero is the biggest conflict she wanted to avoid as she knew he would complicate her simple life. Hence, she did all her best to avoid him - switching jobs and place of residence and even went into hiding!...but our hero's tenacity and persistence finally won him the woman! :)

Music: Nothing that stands out.

Rewatch value: Not too bad, considering there are some scenes I would like re-watch. Those are the ones where the hero pulls out every trick in his book to get the heroine. Pure fun.

Overall: To those of you who are used to the 'polished' look of Korean dramas and the brevity of Japanese dramas, you might find this drama (and any melo Chinese dramas) hard to swallow. The Chinese excel in making 'real' dramas, depicting as close to possible, the reality of life and relationships. There will be no fashion show, ridiculously good looking (and heavily make up) actors and actresses here. Even the so-called HD quality is no HD quality. Extremely 'rustic'. Equal weight is given to addressing family relationships and friendships and work life besides the romance story. For a Chinese melodrama, this is not a bad one to be watching. Overall rating: 7.5/10.

Leia Mais

Story: In a pool side accident, a playboy (Zhang Peng) fell into the pool, got knocked unconscious and ended up in ancient times in the body of a woman. Where time traveling and soul switching stories are concerned, this is a nice and fresh twist where a man's soul ended up in a woman's body. And not just any woman's body but the crown princess'! The crown princess, Zhang Peng Peng was married to the crown prince of the kingdom who hated her with vengeance as the old Zhang Peng Peng was supposedly a manipulative spoilt brat. The crown prince was in love with a concubine of his older brother while the handsome Ninth Prince was in love with Zhang Peng Peng - creating two triangle relationships....or should I say, pentagonal relationship since there were 5 people involved in it??? Through hilarious misadventures and palace politics (put in a light manner), the crown prince slowly fell in love with his wife after discovering that Zhang Peng Peng had changed into a funny, quirky, 'boyish', rude, bossy and somewhat innocent woman! This change in character attracted and intrigued the crown prince. But Zhang Peng Peng refused to admit that she's also falling in love with her husband - a man! - when she's actually Zhang Peng (the soul of a man)! Therefore, she set up various plots to avoid having to deal with an interested husband - some funny while others were downright dangerous and challenging the authority of her husband who eventually became king. In the middle of it all, the Ninth prince who was in love with Zhang Peng Peng and wanted nothing but her happiness was caught in the power struggle for the throne. Throw in racy and suggestive scenes where Zhang Peng Peng molested the concubines and female servants and sex scenes between her and her unwanted hubby (lots of alcohol was involved!), and you'll get a provocative, quirky, silly and entertaining drama! How will this unlikely romance between a woman/man and a man end? Watch it to find out! A word of warning before you start: be prepared to marathon this drama as once you start, you can't stop. It is very addictive!

Acting/Cast: Mostly new faces but boy did they acted well! Kudos to the female lead and male leads of this drama, including the supporting characters of female servants, eunuchs and princes. They can act serious at one point and turn to quirky and funny at another then to a touching and tear-inducing, heart-jerking scenes the next! Amazing! I hope they will all go on to bigger and better roles! And the costumes were scandalous to say the least! Scandalous and unthinkable for the period in question but they added to the fun of the drama! Big pat on the back to everyone- from cast to production and directing teams! A job well done!

Music: Love the haunting OSTs and how it's played throughout in 3 different variations depending on the mood of the drama. I am looking around to download it now.

Rewatch vaue: High rewatch value. I do not mind rewatching this drama again very soon. Each episode's only 30 minutes since it's made for web viewing. I enjoyed all of the weird antics and the more serious parts of this drama. Very entertaining!

Overall: Highly recommended! You'll laugh, fall in love and cry. This is chinese quirky humor mixed with romance in the ancient times at its best!

Leia Mais

Story: The question this story aims to answer is this: "Who will you choose if both men loves you and you love both of them too?" Arrgh! The headache and heartache of choosing! Let's start with Man 1 and the female lead. The love story between Man 1 and the female lead started through a series of accidents. Originally, Man 1 did not like the female lead and vice versa. Man 1 was in love with another woman. Due to fated incidences with the female lead, Man 1 was cornered into making decisions that sees the female lead ending up as his fiancee. At first, he did not realise that he had actually fallen for the female lead. He will only realise that he loves her after she had left him. Let's move on to Man 2. The female lead and Man 2 are great friends and Man 2 was very supportive of her through the ups and downs. Man 2 has always love the female lead but the female lead has only thought of him as a friend. The climax is when both men pursue the female lead. Punches were thrown, of course! LOL Throw in office and business politics and you'll get The Queen of SOP. Who will she end up with in the end? Watch to find out!

Acting/Cast: Loooove the cast. Godfrey Gao is hot but his acting is not as matured as the rest of the cast. The chemistries between Godfrey and Joe and between Joe and Zhang Han were VERY good. I honestly believe that this drama is as successful as it is now mostly due to the chemistry between the leads. Will you be in team Godfrey or team Zhang Han? Which man will you cheer on?

Music: Good enough but not something I will get excited over.

Rewatch value: Minus the boring and draggy bits in between where the office and business politics kind of took over, there are parts of the drama that I would gladly rewatch anytime simply for watching the chemistry between the leads. This drama makes me a Zhang Han fan. I never thought much of him from "Let's go watch meteor shower" which was the chinese version of Hana Yori Dango. It was a complete flop. But in The Queen of SOP, he shone! Now, I want to watch more dramas with him in it! And Godfrey Gao... even though there is much he needs to learn about acting, the man is a walking hunk of yumminess. I seriously do not know how Joe Chen could ever choose between the two of them!

Overall: Good entertainment and eye-candy value but most importantly for a romance drama, the chemistry between the leads are oh-so-yummy!

Conclusion: Yes, I am raving like a young fool over some good looking blokes....but anyone who knows me know that I do not give looks that much credit in a drama anyways. My brownie points go to the chemistry between the leads. Being yummy is a bonus! Which team am I in? I'm in team Zhang Han. I always like to champion the guy who is your best friend and who had always supported you all the way. I reckon the best relationships stem from such invaluable friendship.

My advice: Watch it, but feel free to fast forward the middle parts with all the office and business politics. Enjoy!

Leia Mais

I'd watched My Amazing Boyfriend Season 1 when it was airing and followed My Amazing Boyfriend Season 2 as it aired and here is my review:

Story: Although you can watch Season 2 without watching Season 1, you'll get a much better understanding of what's happening if you'd watched Season 1. The story continues with where it ended in Season 1 with Tian Jingzhi finding herself pregnant with Xue Ling Qiao's baby. You'll still get the quirky interactions and conversations between Tiang Jingzhi and the people around her, though in Season 2, you'll get to better understand Tian Jingzhi and her motivations. On the outside, she may come across as a happy-go-lucky, devil-may-care character, but in many circumstances, she'd thought deeply on matters and like any other woman, had her reservations and worries about her relationship with Xue Ling Qiao. On another hand, while Xue Ling Qiao was portrayed as being somewhat detached in Season 1 because he didn't want to involve Tiang Jingzhi overly much in his matters in order to keep her safe, in Season 2, you'll get to see a more involved Xue Ling Qiao as he finally realised he could not live apart from Tiang Jingzhi. In Season 2, you'll get introduced to a few more characters and side-couples. I am sure you'll ship at least one of the side-couples. Overall, the story maintained its fidelity from Season 1 and ended nicely. Though we can now close the chapter to the story of Xue Ling Qiao and Tian Jingzhi, I will not say no if the producer and director decide to further this franchise and tell the story of their son in Season 3.

Acting/Cast: Initially, the change in lead actress threw me off a bit. Esther Yu as Tian Jingzhi has big shoes to fill as her predecessor, Janice Wu, did an excellent job in portraying the quirky, sometimes annoying but surprisingly lovable Tian Jingzhi. In fact, Janice Wu pretty much carried most of the weight of the drama from Season 1 on her shoulders as her acting shone in it. It took me somewhere around 10 episodes before I could watch Season 2 without the bias of comparing Esther Yu's Tian Jingzhi to Janice Wu's Tian Jingzhi. All things considered, Esther did a good job but I couldn't shake the feeling that she's simply emulating Janice Wu on the character. She was a good copycat, and that is in no way something bad because it takes good fundamental acting skills to perfectly emulate another person's acting. For a relatively newish actress, she did well. Hopefully as she grows in her acting career, she'll one day be able to interpret and act out a character entirely based on her own acting style.

As for the male lead, I wasn't very keen on Kim Tae Hwan in Season 1. In my opinion, the man cannot act to save his life (apologies to his fans!) and his only selling point was because he's Korean and nowadays, anything Korean pretty much sells ("The Oppa Trend"). I was actually glad they changed the lead actor to Mike Angelo who is better looking and can act (at least he's a better actor than Kim Tae Hwan!). Also, Mike can speak Mandarin pretty well and although his voice was dubbed, you can tell that he'd spoken his script in Mandarin throughout from how his mouthing of the words matched the dubbing. This is a great improvement from watching Kim Tae Hwan act in Korean but dubbed into Mandarin. I 'll award Mike an extra star for his extra effort in learning Mandarin so he could act in Mandarin dramas. At the back of my mind, I cannot help thinking...if only Mike Angelo was in Season 1 with Janice Wu and they maintain this pairing to Season 2, that would be perfect! Both Mike and Janice are more seasoned actors and I am sure the chemistry would be better too.

Casting for the supporting characters was spot on. Young newbie actor Li Ge Yang as the playful but loyal Zhen Yi Jiao was a lovable character. Mature actor Liu Guang Xiang was perfect as the well-meaning but ambitious and highly principled Qiu Yue Bai/ Lion. Kudos to the ladies too - Yang Zhi Ying as Bai Lu and Tian Yi Tong as Ye Mei Xiao. Of course, we must not forget returning actors from Season 1 - Fu Jia as Li Yan Zhi and Yang Yi Fei as Feng Dong Dong reprised their roles to perfection.

Music: Initially, I wasn't keen on the OST but after a while, it grew on me.

Re watch value: Decent re-watch value as it's an easy and relaxing watch with minimal repetitions and good story pacing.

Overall: A good drama to fill your time, but do not expect this to be a 10/10 or a phenomenal hit. It's light on the viewing and if you'd watched Season 1 and wondered how Tiang Jingzhi and Xue Ling Qiao's romance progresses from Season 1, watching Season 2 will answer your curiosity and give a nice end to their story. Enjoy!

Leia Mais

Story: This is a typical love story between two people with two vastly different beliefs, character and background. Anything that can go wrong did went wrong with the relationship. There are many cliches in the story and if it's not for the brilliant writing, dialogue and chemistry between the leads, it would have gone terribly wrong. What I love about the story is the fact that although it has cliche setting and scenes, the character development and the rationale for the growth of the relationships were excellent. Unlike typical Asian drama setting where revelations would bring about catastrophic turn of events, our leads dealt with all of the challenges thrown at them maturely, logically and calmly. I can totally see how this sort of relationship can be found in reality. The underlying philosophy of ending things well and moving on in life is also a mature take on how what's in the past should stay in the past. Both the leads have their personal issues that they need to deal with as they move forward in their relationship and this is how we see the character growth. I love the interactions between the leads and the people around them. They are a very sweet couple. I love the naughtiness and 'smartie pants' kind of things the male lead gets into in order to get the female lead to fall for him. There's plenty of skinship (forced, planned and natural) between the leads that reminds me why men are such devious creatures! There is no sudden deviation of character because of the challenges faced, rather the characters remained true to their natures while learning how to grow in relationships. There wasn't a single moment in the drama that felt rushed or dragged. Each scene and episode is vital to the natural pace of the story. If you are expecting 'drama', you will be disappointed, but if you are expecting a beautiful story that flows naturally, you will be delighted. The ending makes sense and was not rushed. In fact, I find myself wishing the couple all the best! Fans of mature story-telling would love this drama.

Acting/Cast: I was glad to see that Danson Tang came back to the TDrama scene with a bang. His depiction of the main character was brilliant. I love how Danson was able to act out such a wide range of emotions on his face from sombre, mad, in love, sad, naughty, teasing to just being plain cold and arrogant. His was my favourite character in the drama. This brings me to my least favourite character in the drama - coincidentally, the female lead! Do not get me wrong here. Ivelyn Lee acted brilliantly and delivered an excellent performance. It is her character that I disliked. What I disliked about Ivelyn's character of Guan Xiao Tong was Xiao Tong's cowardice and indecision when it comes to love relationships. She tends to over-analyse everything (like the psychologist she is) and tries to predict how the relationship will end. She failed to just enjoy being in a relationship and just let things develop naturally. She's always putting one foot in the relationship and another foot out (just in case things go wrong!). Therefore, she would always take the first step to end the relationship before she would really get hurt beyond repair. It did not matter what the man did for her or how much he had expressed his love for her...she has her own agenda and has already decided how she will end things with him. And once she had ended things with him, she started to over-analyse and regret her decisions in her past relationships.....the indecisiveness of her character totally makes me angry. Hers is like a pendulum, always swinging back and forth, always trying to take the middle ground but failed. Personally, I dislike ppl who are indecisive and have insecurity issues. I am glad that towards the end, she learns from this flaw of her character and grows more mature in her relationship with the male lead. It is because of my personal dislike of indecisive characters that I rated this drama 8.5/10 instead of the 9/10 I gave for its story. A stronger female lead character would be more to my liking.

Music: Lovely music but I've heard better ones before.

Rewatch value: I love all the lovey dovey scenes and the scenes where Danson acted the jealous and naughty man going after the girl he likes. I am a traditional person when it comes to love and appreciate it when the man is the one who goes all out after a girl and makes it so very apparent to all and sundry! To me, that is very flattering to the woman and very romantic as well. Therefore, this drama has a high rewatch value for me because of all of the romantic scenes between the leads.

Overall: It has been a while since I'd watched a TDrama. The industry has experienced a slump of late but once in a while, you'll find a gem and as of July 2015, this drama is the gem of 2015 TDrama for me. If you like romance dramas with mature story lines with a hint of mature comedy such as 'In Time With You', 'I want romance', 'Gentleman's Dignity' etc - you'll most likely like this drama as well.

Leia Mais

There, I've done it! I never give 10/10 to the best of romance dramas but when it comes to wuxia, this one is my favourite (next only to the 2003 Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils aka Tian Long Ba Bu). I guess this means that despite how varied my love of drama is, I am inadvertably and irreversibly a die-hard wuxia fan first and foremost!

This is the best adaptation of the Legend of the Condor Heroes. Many may disagree because the storyline did not follow exactly as what was written by Louis in his novels. However, this is a modern interpretation of his novels with depth added into it.

I like it that more focus is given to the evil character and explains why he became evil. I like it that more depth was given to the main character's struggles. I am a personal fan of Hu Ge. Anyone who is a lover of wuxia knows Hu Ge. In this drama, he fully and successfully depicted the character and feelings of the often honest and naive Guo Jing. I am also a fan of Yuan Hong who did a brilliant job playing the evil character. Traditionally, viewers and readers will curse Yang Kang (the evil character) for his betrayal but in this version, it actually shows why Yang Kang betrayed his family and friends and you actually will get to sympathise with him. At the end when he dies, you will feel sorry for him. In this aspect, Legend of the Condor Heroes 2003 has successfully engaged the viewers.


I love the OSTs and the meaning of the words in the OSTs. Life is full of struggles and you are often pushed to make decisions you do not want to make. Both Guo Jing and Yang Kang experience this but the difference between both is the choice they make and the strength/integrity of their characters. Who would have thought that wuxia will not only provide you action, entertainment and romance, but life's lessons as well?? Watch this. You will not be disappointed!

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Story: What will you do if the woman you had loved all this while re-appear in your life after 10 years and she is a famous cat burglar while you are a dedicated detective at the verge of that big promotion you have been waiting for? Will you save your love or your career? This film explores these questions in a light-hearted and comical way. This is one movie you can sit back and relax to.

Acting/Cast: Superb and mature acting.

Music: Nothing that stood out, but hey... it's a movie, not a drama.

Rewatch value: This is an easy watch and certainly with good acting and a sufficient storyline to grab the audience's attention for 2 hours, it has a very high re-watch value. Great for weekend movies!

Overall: If you haven't watch this, I recommend this movie for your weekend watch. If you are Joo Won's fan, be prepared to fall in love with him all over again. If you do not know who he is, no worries.... just enjoy the movie. :)

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Story: This is a modern re-take on the famous historical figure - Wu Ze Tian. Empress Wu is renown as the only female emperor in China but most importantly, she is also famous for her cruelty with historical records of infanticide (she murdered her own baby), murder, amputation, torture etc. Although an intelligent and educated woman, her rule was marred by reports of her cruelty against her own children, relatives, ministers and servants. However, scholars have also praised her for her brilliance in administration. She made wise decisions in selecting capable ministers though she was quick to punish any mistakes - often cruelly. During her rule, the Tang dynasty expanded rapidly and became the biggest empire - extending to beyond the west of Turkey and with Japan and the Korean peninsula firmly under Chinese rule. If we are to re-interprete the life of Wu Ze Tian in the context of her life in early China, we might arrive at a conclusion of a perfectionist feminist with a tendency to punish incompetence and perceived betrayals. After all, Wu Ze Tian lived in a purely patriarchal society where a female ruler is a taboo that has to be taken down regardless of consequences. Women as leaders is bad luck - a curse or even can be viewed as Satan himself. Yin can never dominate Yang - the very essence of Taoist teaching; which was the main teaching during the Tang dynasty. Under such circumstances and having lived all her life under the rule of incompetent males - what is a brilliant woman to do? She had no choice but to defy traditions and society - killing anyone who stood in her way (these are ppl who cannot accept a female ruler) and resorting to lies and murders to frame others so she could rise to position. It is true then, that when women fight, they don't fight fair!

Now, that is what history remembers Wu Ze Tian as - brilliant, perfectionist, strategist & murderer. But is this the personal Wu Ze Tian? This series acted and produced by Fan Bing Bing give viewers a different take on the cruel empress - one that colours We Ze Tian as a kind woman who fell victim to broken relationships, lies and plots of others around her. A helpless and vengeful Wu Ze Tian??? Hmmm....I know many who are skeptical of this! At least I know my aging mum who's a bit of a Chinese history buff cursed this portrayal of Wu Ze Tian. All Chinese knew this empress as a cruel person - why is she suddenly a nice, innocent and victim-of-circumstance person? Perhaps, this is just another perspective - albeit a more feminist perspective of Wu Ze Tian. We all know that Fan Bing Bing's a consummate feminist and this is her attempt to give the world a different portrayal of powerful Chinese female historical figures. Her next project is a drama on Empress Dowager Cixi. The Chinese hated Cixi even to this day. There is a tradition in China where ppl spit at her grave and curse her even to this day - that is how hated this woman is. Like Wu Ze Tian, she murdered many - including her own children and relatives. She's also the woman who signed away HK, Macau and many important Chinese ports to the Brits so she could continue with her opium addiction. Unlike Wu Ze Tian who at least ruled the country wisely and contributed to the expansion of the Chinese empire, Cixi actually almost destroyed it. The Chinese saw the last of the Chinese emperors, partially thanks to her. So, how will Fan Bing Bing portray Cixi as a heroine in her next project? Let's wait and see...

Acting/Cast: Acting is good as all actors and actresses are very experienced. No problems in this department. The costumes are brilliant. Although the cleavages are common to the Tang dynasty's fashion, the elaborated designs, bright multi-colours and accessories may be a little too modern (and fanciful) to the time. There are also many instances when Wu Ze Tian has a more elaborate costume compared to the other women who were higher ranked than her. She even out-shone the emperor's costumes.. which is a no-no. It is obvious that the best costumes are reserved for Fan Bing Bing's main character of Wu Ze Tian which kind of created an unrealistic atmosphere. She should have gone with less elaborate costumes as befitting her station in the palace instead of insisting on being the 'peacock' of the lot.

Music: The OSTs are ok but not the main feature of this drama.

Overall: It's a good enough entertainment but let's be honest here, with 96 episodes... I don't know anyone who is crazy enough to re-watch this again. It is not the 'WOW!' kind of drama that would cause you to re-watch it. It's a once-off drama that is good enough to keep you entertained.

Leia Mais

Cubic is not your usual crime-action-romance. It is a story about a romance between a high school student and an adult and powerful mafia boss. Talk about robbing the cradle! Or the fact that this high school girl is a genius who helped the mafia and international arms dealer to cheat the police........If you can get pass these little 'glitches' in the storyline and the illegality of it all, the rest is a fascinating and amusing journey of mafia politics mingled with poor make-belief Chinese props and customs. Let me elaborate....

Story: Storyline is the strength of this lakorn - hands down. Perhaps this has to do with how the lakorn is based on a best selling novel; so it does come with twists and turns, plots and sub-plots and a love story between a high school girl with an IQ of a genius and a cold and calculative mafia boss. There are many shootings, killings and people running and hiding in this lakorn. The props are poorly done like in a low budget film/drama but if you can look past that, the story is quite addictive. I will not elaborate more on the story without giving it away. It's the sort that makes you stay up just to find out what is going to happen next despite the poor acting, directing and props! Serious!

Acting/Cast: The best actor in here is the main female lead - the high school girl! I find the main male lead too stiff in his acting to appeal to my taste. Sure, his role is that of a cold and calculating mafia boss, but that does not mean his body language should come across awkward as well! Add to that the fact that I have to fast forward too many unneccessary scenes where ppl pretty much just stare at each other for long periods of time, the acting and directing of this lakorn is really its downfall. The use of poor "Chinese" props and customs (such as the fist to palm greeting that no modern Chinese alive will be caught using!) and a few other boo-hoos provide either comical relief or a frown of annoyance.

Music: Obviously they did not invest much on the OSTs. Nothing worth mentioning here.

Rewatch value: This is one of those lakorns where once you had watched it and know the twists, you will not want to watch it again... at least not in the near future! The value of this lakorn lies on its interesting and addictive storyline but once that storyline is known, all the other weaknesses of this lakorn puts you off re-watching it again.

Overall: I give it a 7.5/10 thanks to the saving grace of its rather unique and addictive storyline. I can see why the novel sells well. What I would like to see is either Taiwan or China adopting this into a T or C Drama. The storyline is certainly worth investing in. Put to it the better filming technologies, use of props and funding in Taiwan and China, this story may be given the essential life for it to be a highly rated drama since most of the characters in this story are supposed to be Chinese! I would also like to see Korea adapt this storyline to apply to Korean gangsters and filmed in Korean contexts. In summary, I feel that some Chinese, Taiwanese or Korean director or producer out there should be alerted to this novel and the potential it can bring if produced properly!

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Story: Ling Hu Chong (played by Wallace) is a carefree and honourable man. He was the eldest disciple of the Hua Mt Sect and a favourite amongst his juniors and teacher. However, Ling Hu Chong's teacher is an ambitous man with ulterior motives masquerading as a virtous person. As Ling Hu Chong ventures through wulin (the martial arts world), his easy and honest personality garnered him many friends from the 5 mountain sects and the Sun Moon Holy Cult. Eventually, his teacher turned Ling Hu Chong into a scapegoat for all of his evil deeds, including heaping blame of the murder of one of his student on Ling Hu Chong. Lin Hu Chong got kicked out of the Mt Hua Sect. That is when his true adventures begin. The love story in this 2013 version has a good ending, unlike the original story from the novel where all the women Ling Hu Chong loves dies and he is left alone as a wanderer. The most notable change in the storyline comes in the form of Dongfang Bu Bai (played by Joe Chen). In the original story, Dongfang Bu Bai is a man who became the powerful leader of the Sun Moon Holy Sect. He mastered the Kuai Fa Manual. However, in order to master this manual, which is very "Ying" (feminine) in nature, he must castrate himself. The more he learned from the manual, the more feminine he became. Eventually, he regarded himself as a woman and developed romantic feelings for Ling Hu Chong. It was this hint of homosexuality that did not sit well with audiences of the previous versions and readers of the novel. Therefore, in this 2013 version, Dongfang Bu Bai has a new story - one that begins with Dongfang Bu Bai being an actual woman, but in order to succeed in the wulin and not to be bullied ever again, she lives her life as a man. When she meet Ling Hu Chong, she developed feelings for him, but Ling Hu Chong is conflicted as Dongfang Bu Bai is a cold hearted killer. How could an honourable man loves a monster??? Watch and find out.

Acting/Cast: The chemistry between Wallace's Ling Hu Chong and Joe's Dongfang Bu Bai is siiizzzzzling! This is the only version so far when most ppl who had watched it wanted Ling Hu Chong to end up with Dongfang Bu Bai! It is because of this that I give the acting 9/10. It is 1 mark away from perfect because the chemistry between Ling Hu Chong and Ren Ying Ying is neutral at best and yet, it is Ying Ying that Ling Hu Chong ended up marrying at the end. Imagine the frustration of fans of Wallace-Joe! LOL (btw, I do not consider this a spoiler as it is widely known knowledge amongst fans of wuxia series and readers of Louis Cha's novels. There are many versions of this story made in the past. Me thinks the 1996 version is the closest to the novel).

Music: I love the opening OST, "Carefree". Am listening to it as I am writing this review. :)

Rewatch value: It is 42 episodes if you watch from the DVD version and 56 episodes from the tv version. I might re-watch this a few years later when I have the time. I am quite impartial to Swordsman aka The Smiling,Proud Wanderer. I still think that the best novel of Loius Cha comes in the form of Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils and the Condor Heroes Trilogy. I am waiting with abaited breath now for the 2013 version of Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils. Rumour has it that it is due to be released mid this year. Fingers crossed!

Overall: It was entertaining while it lasted. I love the scenes between Wallace and Joe... they are the best features of this drama. Joe Cheng makes the most beautiful and coldly powerful Dongfang Bu Bai ever! The other parts are passable. I give this an 8/10. Not bad but not the best wuxia around.

Leia Mais