Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
This is how it starts. This drama has won me right after the first episode. It has been on my list since a long time ago but finally I decided to watch a few days ago. And then everything changed. I have never watched anything similar to this, maybe there are a little few Asian dramas in the whole world like this one but it's honestly really rare. Different from everything else, in so much more deeper and darker psychological level that every second I was truly in a state like the main characters, I felt every single emotion they felt, I smiled, cried, yelled, was so angry and crazy at times they I could kill like Chen Ling thought he could, I was in love, I felt so much passion, desire and true meaning of a strong real love, exactly like that I have never felt while watching any drama in my entire life.
What is it that makes this drama so different from others and that makes me to write and feel like this? Well, when you start to watch you see that there are some guy who is a popular playboy and very handsome, and you see some girl who is very shy, artistic and doesn't talk to anyone. So at first you think this is going to be some cliche romance drama with the plot you have seen so many times. But you're wrong. Sooo wrong. Because already in the second part of the first episode you see that it's different, that you've got some strange feeling inside your body which tells you this is going to be something amazing. There is no some twisted mystery plot, no birth secrets, no rich handsome boss and poor cute girl, no love triangles, no annoying people and yelling all the time. The attraction between the characters begins right away, and they are what make this drama.
And the story begins.
Of course I'm not going to tell the story 'cause you have that already in the description of the drama, but what I'm going to tell is that this is the most beautiful and the strongest love story ever. Literally. I mean two young people trying to face and struggle with their pasts, their fears, their tragic and sad experiences and finding solace in one another. And they succeed in that. Because they simply fell in love. Honestly. Truly. They helped one another to face with all difficulties and overcome everything with the strength and power of real love. Vic and Barbie have done amazing job,they had amazing intense chemistry all the time, I really admire them, they are really very talented and fantastic actors. I think it is very hard to play a role where your character is psychological damaged and where the character is in some hand a little bit crazy with many problems and issues in the head and in the heart. I don't need to say that Vic became my favourite actor, actually in my top 5. ;-) And his character is the best ever, I fell in love with his hair, his style, his bike, his attitude, I like it very much that he is not perfect, he has so many flaws and that's why he became my favourite character in the whole dramaland.
Also, the character of Tong Dao is such an amazing addition to the already dark, depressed and psycho feeling. Oh my God, do you know how I love his character? Not in some positive way, it's just I think that he perfectly fits in here with his twisted and creepy behavior and you'll see why. An Jun Can was a genius in this drama, I was so scared of him in some scenes, great really.
Music- no words, just listen. I still shiver and tremble and still in my mind are the songs from MARS. Especially the opening song, MASTERPIECE.
So, in the end only to say that YOU HAVE TO WATCH MARS, IT'S A MUST WATCH DRAMA and you'll definitely won't be the same after watching. At least you gonna fall in love with Vic (or Barbie) and you gonna enjoy in beautiful music if you don't like the drama. But honestly there's no way you not gonna like it.
All I know that I became a little obsessed with characters from MARS and literally played some scenes more times than once because the conversations between them are so precious and intelligent, I enjoyed in every detail. DRAMA MASTERPIECE. Oh yeah did I say that kiss scenes are so hot, sexy and so natural and real? I felt like I was with them in drama in their intimate moments and kissing them all the way. ;-)
Was this review helpful to you?
This drama is such a compelling watch. It delves into subjects such as mental illnesses, rape, and suicide, not usually shown in dramas. This drama pulls you in and makes you think about life and love. This is the story of Chen Ling (Vic Zhou) and Han Qi Luo (Barbie Xu). They meet and are instantly pulled towards each other, but before they can ever be together, they both must face their pasts.
I loved every piece of this drama. It was definitely one of the best I've seen in years. The depth with which character is played out really amazes me. They take a moment and bring it to a whole new level, a lot of the time without speaking a single word. On the surface, it may look like any other love story, but it is so much more than that. It digs into the very core of what it means to be a human. MARS touches your heart and makes you think.
I've watched this drama multiple times and each time it never failed to make me cry. There was something just about Mars that stayed with me and I don't think I'll ever forget it.
Was this review helpful to you?
There was never a main plot or driving force. Mostly it seemed like the writers were just trying to find as many ways as possible for our leads to be miserable. Honestly, I've never seen so many psychotic antagonists in my life. Like everyone was LEGIT crazy. And they just kept coming out of nowhere, showing up randomly.
Character development was also incredibly flawed when it came to side characters. Their relationships had little to no foundation and often went unexplained. Somehow in a matter of minutes sworn-enemies began acting like life-long friends and the audience was just forced to accept it.
This drama's only strong point was its OTP and having actors like Barbie and Zhou be able to convincingly sell the characters. Even though I went throughout this entire drama scratching my head wondering how much worse it could become, I couldn't stop watching this drama for the sole reason that I loved seeing these two actors on screen together. Their chemistry is fabulous and it's easy to see how they began dating after the drama.
While Mars was definitely entertaining at times, and definitely solid when it came to romance, the script was a HOT MESS, and for that reason I gave it a low rating.
Was this review helpful to you?
There's something so true, every scene was so deep, so real, pure, overwhelming,.. I really can't describe it. I really FELT it. It was so intense.
It's an amazing drama that I would highly recommend. I think it's not for a young audience since the themes and mood are quite serious though (in the end I'm glad I watched it now and not when I was 15 or so).
I'm sure I'll rewatch it in a few years!
OST is amazing (especially the opening song just look for it I swear), acting is flawless, story is touching and real... beautiful leads is just a plus.
*Definitely a must-see drama!!*
Was this review helpful to you?
The storyline, acting and editing is so relatable that you see the everyday struggles of life within yourself and your partner without it bogging you down. Especially love how it subtly shows that good in people can come from many-a adversities, if one's willing to do so, all said and done without being preachy.
It's a big recommend if you're big into understanding different shades of life, the bright & flashy like his and the seemingly dull but peaceful like hers.
Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
The story was done really well. I didn't read the whole manga, but I started reading it after a couple of years starting this drama for the first time. So I can't compare the manga & I won't, Since it's this drama's turn to shine and be talked about. It dragged a tiny bit, but it didn't really affect the flow of the story.
The characters were really fleshed out to.me. Barbie Xsu & Vic Zhou had amazing chemistry. Well, they were dating at the time. I think this is Barbie Xsu best role she has gotten, I only watched a few of her works so. . yeah. She potrayed her character very well, to the point where I thought I was see her character, not the actress. I felt her emotions as I was watching her performance. It takes guts to take a role like this(watch this to find out why I say so if you haven't seen it yet). Vic Zhou was amazing as well. I think this is the 2nd best role he played. He's gotten a lot of mature roles, but this was when he was starting out with his mature role image(I think). I felt his anger, sadness, his fear and his love her Barbie's character. I couldn't stand Maghan Lai's character at all, she scared the living crap out of me sometimes in the beginning of the drama. But I'm glad that she didn't stay that way for too long. I could really care for Xie Kai's character, becuase he was overshadowed by the leads & the plot, but he also had less screen time than any of the leads in the drama.
The opening and ending themes were the best in the drama. There were a couple bgms where they set the mood, but it wasn't very memorable.
I the re-watch is low because I have watched it all the way through twice & it was so hard to watch a second time. It took me a while to actually finish this drama from beginning to end because I was so hard to watch some of the parts in the drama.
Overall, I recommmend it if you like mature themes & melodramas. Also if you want to watch how Taiwan takes on melodramas, then this drama is the start for you.
Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
The first episodes were very good and I enjoyed this drama, but then things just started getting too dark for my tastes. I thought the plot was very unique and it did combine elements of almost every genre of dramas, but some of the latter episodes in my opinion were a bit draggy and dark which kind of screwed this drama for me (like the ones with the psycho dude and her step-dad). The ending was pretty good as well, but there were some elements I felt could have used a little more closure (not much really just little details that would have made it better).
Acting was amazing by all parties in the drama, as like someone else metioned most taiwanese dramas lack genuine emotions but this one definately didn't. Chemistry between the main leads was perfect and especially more so in the middle episodes. Music I think, if I remember correctly was fine but nothing exceptional. The rewatch value is low because I just was not a fan of the drama, though I loved the acting, which makes it even stranger that I don't like it. Maybe there was just too much mish moshed in this drama for my taste -I really don't know?
Was this review helpful to you?
