If you like Dolphin Bay you may like Summer's Desire. Both story involve a love triangle between a rich 'first love', poor girl and charismatic guy in the entertainment industry. The trials and anguish that these three go through before a resolution in the end. While I liked the ending of DB I did not like it in SD, merely because I thought the wrong choice was made.
The Chinese drama is a remake of the Taiwanese drama that was also based on a novel.
Both dramas have essentially the same overall plot where the three leads are concerned and I really enjoyed both dramas.
I'd recommend you watch the Chinese version before watching the Taiwanese version, simply because the Taiwanese version was better and exceeded my expectations when I watched it after the remake.
Difference between the Chinese (remake) and Taiwanese version:
- The remake has a lot more characters and subplots that aren't in the original drama.
- The plot is really dragged, unnecessarily so, especially where the second lead was concerned. It focused too much on the second lead, whom I hated
- The remake has multiple couples, none of which were developed very well, or just didn't make sense.
- The ending, where all the characters get a redemption of sorts and become friends made no sense especially since they were never friendly, it made much more sense in the original version.
What the Taiwanese drama did better:
- The Taiwanese drama focuses it's entire plot on the three leads, not just their present selves, but also their much younger selves allowing more depth for all the characters.
- The drama was executed very differently to the remake. It starts off in the future (present) and shows flashbacks of the events that happened in the past between the three leads rather than showing the story in consecutive order. This gives it a sense of mystery and also allows it to be more from Ou Chen's perspective as we see the past whilst he regains his memories of this past.
- Ou Chen's character is explored much more, we got to understand why he is the way he is and he is shown to develop.
- It's made very obvious who the male lead is in this version since the beginning. A lot of the plot is seen from Ou Chen's prospective and also focuses a lot on his history.
- The acting of the female lead is much better In this version, she is far less cold and actually shows her emotions at all the right moments. She is also much more upfront and honest.
- I really liked Peter Ho's acting in this, not that the main lead in the remake was bad, it's just Peter Ho's character had more depth which he showed throughout the drama. In comparison, Ou Chen in the remake was just bland, like every other character in the remake was compared to the Taiwanese version.
Both dramas have essentially the same overall plot where the three leads are concerned and I really enjoyed both dramas.
I'd recommend you watch the Chinese version before watching the Taiwanese version, simply because the Taiwanese version was better and exceeded my expectations when I watched it after the remake.
Difference between the Chinese (remake) and Taiwanese version:
- The remake has a lot more characters and subplots that aren't in the original drama.
- The plot is really dragged, unnecessarily so, especially where the second lead was concerned. It focused too much on the second lead, whom I hated
- The remake has multiple couples, none of which were developed very well, or just didn't make sense.
- The ending, where all the characters get a redemption of sorts and become friends made no sense especially since they were never friendly, it made much more sense in the original version.
What the Taiwanese drama did better:
- The Taiwanese drama focuses it's entire plot on the three leads, not just their present selves, but also their much younger selves allowing more depth for all the characters.
- The drama was executed very differently to the remake. It starts off in the future (present) and shows flashbacks of the events that happened in the past between the three leads rather than showing the story in consecutive order. This gives it a sense of mystery and also allows it to be more from Ou Chen's perspective as we see the past whilst he regains his memories of this past.
- Ou Chen's character is explored much more, we got to understand why he is the way he is and he is shown to develop.
- It's made very obvious who the male lead is in this version since the beginning. A lot of the plot is seen from Ou Chen's prospective and also focuses a lot on his history.
- The acting of the female lead is much better In this version, she is far less cold and actually shows her emotions at all the right moments. She is also much more upfront and honest.
- I really liked Peter Ho's acting in this, not that the main lead in the remake was bad, it's just Peter Ho's character had more depth which he showed throughout the drama. In comparison, Ou Chen in the remake was just bland, like every other character in the remake was compared to the Taiwanese version.
Xia Mo and Luo Xi were both orphans adopted by the same family. Their closeness made Ou Chen, Xia Mo's rich boyfriend, increasingly jealous. He forced their separation by sending Luo Xi to study abroad. However, his overbearing behavior only pushed Xia Mo to breakup with him. Heartbroken, he got into a car accident and lost his memory. Five years later, Luo Xi returns as a super star. He reunites with Xia Mo and helps her succeed in the show biz. Just when their relationship seems rosy, it begins to crumple as Ou Chen regains his memory and does everything he can to get Xia Mo back.
~~ Adapted from the novel “Summer’s Desire” by Ming Xiao Xi.
~~ Adapted from the novel “Summer’s Desire” by Ming Xiao Xi.
Both are adapted from the same novel. So, for those who are
interested in the chinese remake, you can try the taiwanese one : it should give you an idea of the new one
interested in the chinese remake, you can try the taiwanese one : it should give you an idea of the new one
Zhou Shen Shen loses her voice after a bus accident and gets taken to the hospital by her friend, Zuo Jun, who blames himself for making her mute. There she meets Qi Wei Yi, a boy whose leg got broken by jealous peers. He finds a letter she had put in a bomb shelter wall. They leave each other letters and promise to come back in the Christmas of 2006. They become good friends and fall in love, but Wei Yi is unaware that Shen Shen is mute. When he has to leave before her, he gives her his phone number and tells her to call him.
Years pass and in the year of 2006 ,they met again but is unaware of who each other is until Wei Yi finds out he has liver cancer and is dying. So he decides to go back to the hospital he went to as a child and he finds out that Shen Shen is his childhood love but not wanting to hurt her when he dies, he hides his identity and eventually pushes her away.
Years pass and in the year of 2006 ,they met again but is unaware of who each other is until Wei Yi finds out he has liver cancer and is dying. So he decides to go back to the hospital he went to as a child and he finds out that Shen Shen is his childhood love but not wanting to hurt her when he dies, he hides his identity and eventually pushes her away.
Xia Mo and Luo Xi were both orphans adopted by the same family. Their closeness made Ou Chen, Xia Mo's rich boyfriend, increasingly jealous. He forced their separation by sending Luo Xi to study abroad. However, his overbearing behavior only pushed Xia Mo to breakup with him. Heartbroken, he got into a car accident and lost his memory. Five years later, Luo Xi returns as a super star. He reunites with Xia Mo and helps her succeed in the show biz. Just when their relationship seems rosy, it begins to crumple as Ou Chen regains his memory and does everything he can to get Xia Mo back.
Xia Mo and Luo Xi were both orphans adopted by the same family. Their closeness made Ou Chen, Xia Mo's rich boyfriend, increasingly jealous. He forced their separation by sending Luo Xi to study abroad. However, his overbearing behavior only pushed Xia Mo to breakup with him. Heartbroken, he got into a car accident and lost his memory. Five years later, Luo Xi returns as a super star. He reunites with Xia Mo and helps her succeed in the show biz. Just when their relationship seems rosy, it begins to crumple as Ou Chen regains his memory and does everything he can to get Xia Mo back.
Summer is a driven HK career woman, who’s dumped by her boyfriend and fired from her job. With little left, she discovers that the Malaysian beach she co-owns with her cousin is desired by a developer for upwards of 4 million US dollars. She travels to Malaysia to sell but discovers that the new co-owner is a beach bum named Mor Mor Cha. Mor Mor Cha refuses to sell, so Summer decides to stay and persuade him into selling the beach.
- Main leads were romantically together at the start (SD does not have a chronological time line but the flashbacks show the leads as a couple).
- ML comes from a rich family and is in a high position (in SD he is an orphan therefore there is no family drama about arranged marriage but in SaB there is).
- ML starts off as really toxic, his love for the FL seems more like an obsession, this is one of the reasons they break up at the start.
- SD focuses a lot on the ML's character development, but in SaB the ML stops being toxic almost out of nowhere.
- SML and FL are close in both dramas (in SD they were a couple in SaB they were only good friends in the past).
- The ML stops being toxic and tries everything to get back with the FL. Once they finally get back together, they stay together through thick and thin.
- ML comes from a rich family and is in a high position (in SD he is an orphan therefore there is no family drama about arranged marriage but in SaB there is).
- ML starts off as really toxic, his love for the FL seems more like an obsession, this is one of the reasons they break up at the start.
- SD focuses a lot on the ML's character development, but in SaB the ML stops being toxic almost out of nowhere.
- SML and FL are close in both dramas (in SD they were a couple in SaB they were only good friends in the past).
- The ML stops being toxic and tries everything to get back with the FL. Once they finally get back together, they stay together through thick and thin.
An orphan girl and two successful men. She is willing to sacrifice love to get out of poverty. Her love interests both have their own sad pasts. All the leads are dysfunctional and in a very messed up love triangle despite the main girl's efforts to clear up the situation. It's not quite clear who is the one destined for her in these unpredictable shows.
- Rich ML and poor FL (technically rich in L&L but she was poor almost throughout the drama because she didn't remember her rich family)
- ML is obsessed with the FL and does everything he can to get her to be with him despite her being in a romantic relationship with the SML.
- In L&L the FL loses her memories and forgets the ML (and SML) and in SD the ML forgets the FL both due to accidents.
- The ML genuinely loves and cares for the FL and would sacrifice anything and everything for them and the FL is (on many instances) cold to the ML and disregards his feeling for her.
- Cast full of visuals and great acting.
- L&L is a lot more dragged (46 episodes) in comparison to SD (14 episodes) and the plot does get very repetitive and annoying.
- L&L is a historical drama, and like any historical Chinese drama, there is a lot of death.
SPOILER:
They both have a happy endings after all the characters go through a lot, in L&L the character go through a LOT more in comparison to SD.
- ML is obsessed with the FL and does everything he can to get her to be with him despite her being in a romantic relationship with the SML.
- In L&L the FL loses her memories and forgets the ML (and SML) and in SD the ML forgets the FL both due to accidents.
- The ML genuinely loves and cares for the FL and would sacrifice anything and everything for them and the FL is (on many instances) cold to the ML and disregards his feeling for her.
- Cast full of visuals and great acting.
- L&L is a lot more dragged (46 episodes) in comparison to SD (14 episodes) and the plot does get very repetitive and annoying.
- L&L is a historical drama, and like any historical Chinese drama, there is a lot of death.
SPOILER:
They both have a happy endings after all the characters go through a lot, in L&L the character go through a LOT more in comparison to SD.
