Summer's Desire (2010)

I'd like to quote Wuthering Heights before anything else:
“I have not broken your heart - you have broken it; and in breaking it, you have broken mine.” I think this quote fits the whole story perfectly.

The reason that I love fiction is due to stories like Summer's Desire. I haven't read the manga, but as a story/plot for a drama this one is one of the best- especially among Taiwanese productions.

Ironically I had dropped this drama quite some time back. I had been in a slump then and I realized it had been a wrong time to start watching it. I finished it now and I did love it as much as I originally thought I would. It has to be one of the best written love triangles in dramas till date.

The story makes you think of all the been-there-done-that elements from Asian dramas. In fact, the whole plot was filled with cliches which otherwise make me gag but I surprisingly didn't mind them in this drama! The whole plot is AMAZING. It was close to perfection minus some melodrama which bored me towards the end which makes me dock off a point.

The characterizations are solid. The main three leads are all crazy and screwed up. Had it been real, all the three characters would have been in therapy. Well, since this is an Asian drama the only therapy one gets here is love or friendship. Luckily love came to the rescue here.

I loved both guys but Ou Chen really hit me hard. He was a borderline psycho with stalkerish tendencies who would probably get a restraining order in real life. In spite of his shortcomings, I LOVED the guy. His character was three dimensional with real depth. He seemed like he felt truck loads of emotions. His possessiveness and the ability to self-destruct reminded me of tragic literary heroes.

Xia Mao is the most complicated heroine I've encountered in any drama yet. She's an almost anti-heroine with very little likable things about her. I loved the fact that she was not moping around just because her life sucked. She was a person who never revealed her emotions and that is so rare in dramas! It gave me a good break from annoying drama females who sit and cry in every episode. She is selfish, manipulative and thinks about herself and what she wants first. I think a great deal of analysis can be done on her character. Her character also grew in good ways but I wish Barbie Hsu's acting had been better.

Luo Xi was also good. He kind of paled in comparison to the other two but I thought he was good enough. His many sides were good and I thought his character was quite unpredictable. I love it when characters make me think.

Now- as for the ending. They incorporated some cheesy cliches but it was all good. I love the fact that many situations and the heroine's decisions were written in such a way that we could second guess her true intentions. A lots of things which happened were debatable. Or I think it was due to Barbie Hsu's lack of acting skills. I suppose we were supposed to see a difference in Xia Mao when she was with both guys but I saw next to none. The other acts were all fine.

I think the OST was pretty great. I loved all the songs they played in the beginning, end or in between.

I recommend this drama to melodrama lovers or those who love mature dramas and like analyzing stuff.

Read More

I remember adding this drama to my list awhile ago and then I forgot about it. After stumbling across Peter Ho in Three Kingdoms [which I am watching at the moment, too], I rediscovered this drama again and decided to watch it. This drama starts off confusing, not more than 5 minutes into the drama you have a 5 year time jump. After the first few episodes things start to get a little less confusing - I found myself falling into the story and the characters and more things began to get revealed in the later episodes. The story is a little dark, and it's also unclear for most of the drama who the main male lead is - as they both have a lot of screen time and it's hard to figure out who exactly is the lead in the drama until later on. Both of them are some nice eye candy as well :p [for those that are interested]



The acting was done well for the most part. Barbie Hsu is an alright actress, I've seen her in Meteor Garden [she really doesn't look much different in the 1O years since that drama aired], and her acting is honestly just about the same as it was then. Not horrible but not the best. I mentioned above that I noticed Peter Ho in Three Kingdoms - so to see his contrast in characters makes me think that he is a good actor, as he played his part well and convincing. This is the first drama I've seen Huang Xiao Ming in and I think he's another great actor! I really felt for his character. Both of the guys - you could feel that they both loved Xia Mo [Barbie].



The music was really nice, I loved almost all of it! From Peter Ho's "Wo Ji De Wo Ai Guo" to Barbie Hsu's "Bubble Mermaid" were all nice songs. And the instrumentals were also nice and added emotion to the drama.



I'm not sure if I'll rewatch this drama anytime soon, or if I'll rewatch it again in the future. While I enjoyed it, it's not something I can see rewatching again.



Overall I think this drama is a little underrated, and it's a drama filled with romance and angst.



One thing I wanna add is Barbie's character, Xia Mo, is a character that I had a hard time liking. She's a character that's hard to related to, and she isn't open about her feelings.



And I'd also like to mention as a side note: I found out that this drama was based off a novel trilogy, which someone also translated online [all three books - dedicated!]. I plan on reading their translation and will post the link to those interested below in the comments box (:

It was also made into a manhua before being made into this drama series.

Read More

this has just become my top favorite stories why....i said story and acting. my main reason is the direction and twist of the drama is unlike any other; what you see is not what you get. there are three main casts instead of two. the heroine is cold blooded, heartless, different, beautiful, emotionless. she has two main guys who have fallen for her deeply from the get go and she doesnt really show or initiate affection so its anybodys game. the first 4 episodes are confusing coz theres alot of flashbacks by we start getting the hang of it and understand why it something happened. the orphan kid is with her the first half and the second half its with the rich kid but both scenarios shes with both and till the last episode we dont know who she will choose. i liked it because just when you think you can predict shit happens. its like watching a drama where the girl ends up choosing the nice guy instead of the asshole but in this case they both were main and whoever she ended up with was fine. i loved loved the ending unlike most people and couldnt ask for more. the writer did not follow drama rules when concluding the show like some secrets were never revealed to the host. (whos your daddy)
the negatives are theres soo much fabrication in the story to fit the actors like cliche. some scenes and moods were too unreal like the actors in acting. luo xi smiled too much it was getting unfunny. coincidences were just too much of a coincidence.....

Read More

I remember the 14 year old me watching this drama in 2010. I loved it, because it´s so intense - I fell in love with the story and Ou Chen. I found myself getting obsessed with him after this drama. I think that the story is very exciting as you don't know who the girl will end up with. And also, all of the characters are very closed, and sometimes I had a hard time knowing if their feelings were real or fake (for example Luo Xi). This drama made the 14 year old me cry and it still made the current me cry.

I think the cast was OK, I like Peter Ho and Barbie Tsu but I´m not the biggest fan of Huang Xiao Ming. I think that Peter did an excellence acting as Ou Chen.

One thing that I really love is the music - and the fact that the actors are singing. It really brings a lot of feeling to the episodes. I love Diamond and I remember I loved.

Watching this series again makes me want to go to taiwan. I really love this drama and I´m kinda sad about the fact that I´m not living in Asia.

If you´re searching for a drama filled with excitement, mystique and romance, this is IT!

Read More

I just finished rewatching this drama again... it took my 24hours when I almost didn't sleep nor eat. I watched hundreds of dramas but this one is my all time favorite. The story is very deep and interesting, there is no 'parasite characters' that just push you to skip forward the movie. Every single scene is worth it. Although the main character Xia Mo, is not your typical sweet, lovely and innocent girl - she is deep, troubled and wise.
The music of the drama - especially the song 'Diamond' haunts me since I first watched it two years ago... the lyrics are just perfect.
Many people don't like the ending, as it is not the usual thing you get in dramas. But for me it was a very happy and deep ending, which made watch this over and over again.
If you love intense love triangles, and you hate loosing time with stupid side stories this drama is for your! It is short (I would love it to be longer!!!) but intense, and immensily beautiful.

Read More

I have this love for dark dramas and that's when i stumbled upon this drama and i jumped around in glee..:D
The plotline sounds very unusual because love is supposed to change you in a good way and not to consume you like it does in this drama.I liked the plot and didnt find it draggy at all and it was pretty addicting since i finished it in 2 days.i love cliches if they are not overdone and too over the top and this felt right.It does become mellow in between but thats okay.Offcourse you wont find any laughs here.Its intense,dark,twisted and full of drama.
Much of the story in the starting episodes is given in flashbacks and therefore was interesting to watch as the writer gave few links at a time letting us form our own theories.

Xia Mo is unlike other heroines and you would have a hard time liking her.She's the perfect sister,perfect friend but when it comes to love she is the most cruelest person you'l come across.I can hardly believe that the novelist from whose novel this drama is adapted could come up with such a twisted heroine.She was the perfect heroine with whom i had Love\Hate relationship throughout the drama.I can sympathize with many decisions she makes throughout the drama but that doesnt mean i agree with her.She's a complicated heroine and probably the coldest of them all.As Luo Xi constantly says her heart is made of ice and i agree.Wherever love for a man is concerned she has no heart and that is why it is so frustating to see 2 awesome guys fighting over this girl.For her the most important of them all is her brother Yin Cheng and she sees nothing else beside this guy.Frustrating and irritating because i know family is important but that doesnt mean you have to hurt and almost kill others for the sake of just one person.I understand her obsessional love for her brother but it was just too much for me.Barbie was wonderful in the acting department here because she could be kind hearted to her friends when the next moment she could coldly reject any of the guys.

Luo Xi is the perfect flirt in the starting but as the story unfolds we see he has much substance if we care to look beneath the surface.He's warm,caring and kind but he does have a cruel streak to himself too which i heartily ignore becuase this guy has so much tendency to love.hwang Xiao Ming as Luo Xi was a treat to watch.His acting is marvellous becuse most of the time he's smiling but when you look close that smile is sometimes sad,sarcastic,happy or simply heartbreaking
Ou Chen is the type of guy we should be beware of.He's powerful,controlling and slightly cruel but when it comes to love he isnt much better than the others.Peter Ho does justice to his role because whatever Ou Chen feels the viewer can too.He's not complicated because when it comes down to it he really does love Xia Mo to the depths of the world and does much in the drama to convince us that he does

I never switched ships in my life as much as i did in this drama.One second i was shoutning Ou Chen and the next it would be Luo Xi and again il switch back to Ou Chen and there my ship kept on floating hither tither.Till the last second of the last episode i still wondered who she should end up with becuase frankly whichever guy she chose i would have loved it anyway because both of them loved her unconditionally and wholeheartedly but i guess the best man wins so i was happy with the ending.Though il never be convinced of the fact that Xia Mo actually loved any of the guys.She was too selfish for me and i wished she was more kind and loving becuase really those 2 guys yearn for so much love.I think she doesnt deserve these 2 guys love because she never reciprocated it to the extent the 2 guys did but still they did make for an unforgettable love triangle

You'l see abandonment issues,daddy issues and mommy issues flying around and trust me you haven't seen such heart breaking characters as this one.all the three protagonists are so broken and so screwed up you will be glad you are not them.What the 2 guys feel for the girl is so intense that i was blown away.Barbie has awesome chemistry with both the leads.Equal sreentime is given to both of them that its hard to understand who's the main guy.Stay away from spoilers because its rare when we don't know who the heroine will end up with..:D

The music was nothing special but didnt get irritating to listen too.set the tone right and was good enough

watch it if you love dark dramas or guys whose love for the heroine is unforgettable or simply for the good chemistry.. ;)

Read More

Summer's Desire is almost an archetypal asian drama. It's far from perfect and totally not realistic - but it hits all the plot points.

Spunky yet cheerful poor orphan falls in with rich lonely boy. Romance ensues. Like-a-brother-but-not-really second lead (also a orphan) interferes and tragedy ensures. Lots of birth secrets and hidden motives. Amnesia. Revenge. Organ donation. Contract marriage. Noble idiocy. Dramatic ending.

The main adult characters are either wealthy business people or entertainment stars on the way up or down. Beautiful clothes, houses, cars and careers.

What makes it a memorable watch, however, is the acting. Heroine Barbie Hsu (as Xia Mo) has some great chemistry with her male co-stars. It is totally believable that both Peter Ho (as Ou Chen, Xia Mo's rich boyfriend) and Huang Xiao Ming (as fellow orphan Luo Xi) would fall for her. Real emotional change does occur over the episodes if you can stick it out.

Xia Mo's girlfriends and acting co-workers also develop complex love-hate relationships with her in their search for fame. I really love her fellow trainee who goes on to become her manager - she is so positive.

However, there is also the usual emotional tug of war between heroine and heroes so - if that isn't your thing, this won't be for you. I thought I was pretty hardened to all this emotion in dramas but I confess that I cried more than once!

Probably not a rewatch drama for me - but it was certainly sweet in places and I enjoyed getting to know the characters. The music was fine and not overwhelming - but oddly country-and-western in places. I think the music directer was trying for childlike simplicity but most of the music came off as simply childish.

I think this drama will appeal to fans of the main three actors as well as those who like dramas set in the entertainment world.

Read More

This drama just became one of my favorite taiwanese drama. I am in tears while writing this review. This drama is just so beautiful. I can't believe I never heard of it until one day, when I stumbled upon it on dramafever.com. The first episode captured my attention because it was so intriguing. I completed this drama because it wasn't your typical taiwanese drama even though the plot summary adds in memory loss.

The cast was splendid and the music touched my soul. I can't believe how gorgeous the main characters were. My favorite character was Yin Xia Mo played by Hus Barbie. She was so strong, blunt, (something you don't see in most female leads in T- dramas) amazingly talented and she looks like a life size doll. She's so cute. I loved the two main guys and their awesome (Looks), charisma even though they had some serious insecurity issues, but who can blame them they both had a lonely and loveless life.

While, watching this drama I felt like I was thrown into this fantasy realm of love and true desirement. It is a love story, but not your average one. You experience the best of both world by seeing how this love theory is played out through various emotions and events. It's a must watch!

Read More

Romance spoof is the best description. Every cliche possible is crowded into this drama: memory loss, orphaned children, revenge, love triangles, suicide, family mystery. Then there are the constant rescue scenes, faintings and emotional breakdowns with Xia Mo. Nearly every main character ends up comatose in the hospital but recovers miraculously. I wish modern medicine were this good.

However, it's the sound track that turns this drama into a comedy. Half the scenes are accompanied by a mournful violin. Others are accentuated by loud symphonic music or fast beating drums as though it were a daring car race or exciting fight scene. It's hard to believe this was produced in 2012. It seems more like a home video. At times you can even hear dogs barking in the background.

What kept me watching was the gorgeous cast. It's true that Barbie Xsu is so beautiful that she could mezzmorize two handsome studs. But that's where any credibility ends. I love melodramas, but the sound track killed this one.

Read More