dramafreak007
The story is unique and cute. Huang Chun Xiang(Tan Ai Zhen) has been waiting for the love of her life for 60 years, unaware that he played her from the start. Yet on a turn of events the chairman of Bao Bao Tang(who is strangely not listed on the cast list) becomes sick and Huang Chun Xiang's granddaughter Xie Fu An (Chen Joe) saves his life. Wanting to repent for the wrong he has done to Huang Chun Xiangs he vows to find her, yet in another twist of events she dies in a fire. The only way he could repent is to help the grandchildren of Huang Chun Xiang so he offers 80 million to whomever weds Xie Fu An. A love triangle spews as two guys chase after Xie Fu An one for money and one for love. I loved the story line. It keeps a steady pace throughout and had some surprises here and there.
The characters... were tolerable. The only reason I would not give this story past an 8 is because of this. I loved the grandpa. He was calculating from the start; he tried desperately to fix his broken family any way he could. Xie Fu An did come off as annoying, but she grew on me as the show progress. Han Dong Jie(Chiu Roy) was the sexy, caring second lead. I always hate these characters because in your heart you know they will not end up with this guy, but he is so sexy and sweet. It is a shame. Those are the only characters I really liked. I hated the first lead Ya Da Feng(Lan Cheng Long). He was a completely jerk until the last two episodes and the chemistry between him and Xi Fu An was forced. To me it felt like the main reason they were together was because the writers made it so.
The acting was great except for Lang Cheng Long. I can't blame his ability though because his character wasn't an easy one to work with. He did his best given the character he was given so in my opinion the acting gets a 9, but because I combine characters with acting the score is a 7. Music was okay, nothing special.
Overall, I loved the show and I would watch it again if I was in the mood for some dark romance. I wouldn't recommend it if you love the second lead more than the first lead. As drama lovers we have to face the inevitable, the first lead gets the girl no matter how much of a douche he is.
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I must admit that I got into this story because I thought it was a Taiwanese version to Coffee Prince. I am not the biggest Korean drama fan, but I love Coffee Prince. Besides the real Taiwanese version of Coffee Prince is horrible. The story starts off similar to Coffee Prince where Fang Jia Hua leaves the house because he hates his father and tries to buy a chocolate shop. Alas someone else wants it as well (Ge Jia Yi) so they have a contest to see who will get the shop. Jia Hua lose the contest and begins working in the chocolate shop. Hong XI En is a skilled worker who needed another job to help her family and decides to pretend to be a boy and work for the chocolate shop.
Once I started watching the story I felt there is no way the can make 80 episodes off of this alone, but I was proven wrong. Like I explained before this show seems similar to Coffee Prince, but it is not at all. To avoid spoiling the show I will just say things happen at a faster paste for the love interest of Jia Hua and Xi En, there is another romantic story between the Xi En younger sister and Zheng Ting, and the people who are trying to break the happy couple up are more cunning ( and crazy in the head). It is a different story all together and you grow to love the chocolate shop and its characters. The only problem I had with it is the fact that the love story between Xi En younger sister and Zheng Ting is more interesting then the main love story. At least in my opinion.
The characters are amazing! Xi En is very stubborn, headstrong, and independent. She is the ideal lead. Jia Hua is a guy who despite his background is not a spoiled brat and actually has compassion. Zheng Ting is the sexy bad boy and Xi En younger sister is the airhead (there is always an airhead in these shows). The only characters I struggled to like is Jia Rui (younger brother of Jia Hua) that is afraid to do anything to get the love of his life and Zheng Jun( younger sister of Zheng Ting) who would do anything(in a scary way) to get the love of her life.
The acting of course was awesome especially Vaness Wu and Dou Bobby. The music was repititive, but it played at appropriate times. Overall, I loved this show and I would watch it again.
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For starters the story was better. It did not drag out too long and the subplots were actually interesting. Only the certain scenes felt unnecessary, but as a whole all episodes played a role in telling the story. Also this one is not as melodramatic. Some similarities between the two stories are of course how two people who had significant others meet and fall in love. However the main lead guy is not such a jerk like Ethan plus he falls for the lead girl first.
Their is not one character I can't stand in this drama. It is shocking, but I even like Ai Wei the force in between the two leads. Once again though I wish Kingone and Raine can somehow end up together in at least one drama.
Probably the only problem I had was with the opening song. I just don't like it. Otherwise amazing drama.
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Story 6:
In episode one I was shocked to see the whole setting change to a prison setting,however the story was tolerable. Paru is the new girl in the prison whom lost her boyfriend and is accused of killing him. She does not remember whether or not she actually killed him and you are thrust into her story as she tries to find the truth. But this wouldn't be a Majisuka Gakuen without fighting so while trying to figure out her past she fights her way reluctantly to the top. In ways she is like Maeda in how she takes off her hair bow when she is serious or as defending her "real stuff." However the copying falls short. What could have been a good story is ruined as the writers mess up the script towards the end of the story. It tried to make things complex, but ruined it by adding an unnecessary plot to the story. Plus it left a side plot unanswered. It the story ending was an open ending.
Characters 6 :
The characters are in some similar to the characters of the first two season of Majisuka Gakuen, however overall they are inferior. Yagi is a fail as another Gekikara considering we never see her actually fight and Paru is not like Maeda as she fights as if she is superior to everyone, but does not act cocky. It is not understandable. The only person who tops a character from the previous season is the guard who is way more perverted then the school doctor.
Acting 5:
It's bad enough that the characters are bad, but what makes it worse is the acting. Some of the members from the idol group should really stick to singing because their acting sucks. Probably the worst was Shimazaki Haruka. She made Paru character worse than it actually is by how she portrayed her. It was as if Paru had no emotion at all even when she was supposed to. NOt all the members were bad at acting, but they weren't spectacular either. It was mediocre at best.
Music 8:
What saved this show was it's catchy music. Unlike the first two seasons this season theme actually matched with the concept of bad ass girls fighting. I wish there was a full version. The ost's were typically played at the right moments and the fighting music was catchy.
Overall it was an okay drama. Nothing good, but it is not horrible. It's the type of drama you would watch if you were bored.
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The Story: 8
The story had a strong lead in as we are thrust into the world of poor Mu Cheng and how she falls in love with the seemingly sweet Guang Xi. Alas their love is met with tragedy as Guang Xi goes through major brain surgery making him lose his memory. It pulls you in to this nice dilemma with of course love interest for the new Guang Xi and Tuo Ye whom has liked Mu Cheng since the beginning; then lets you fall into a messy script.
My first problem is with the six year gap. It just skips straight to six years. No story or even narration, just,"BAM!!! We know the characters changed and even Mu Cheng had a baby, but instead of showing you there lives let's just have the characters briefly explain it. Plus we will throw in flashbacks that have no relevance to what's going on!," the writers basically said. Seriously? Seriously?
Then some of the subplots also dragged out too long. They started out okay, but was stretched to make the show longer. With slow pacing and unnecessary moments this show's story suffered.
The Characters: 8
The main characters in this show are basically Mu Cheng, Guang Xi, Tuo Ye, and Xiao Le. Mu Cheng starts off as this innocent girl in love for the first time then transforms to this depressing chick that over analyzes the whole Xiao Le and Guang Xi situation. While I can understand where she is coming from with her fear, it hurts way too many people at times. PLus she cried too much. Then Guang Xi, well it was a love-hate situation. He was a jackass after the six episodes and quite frankly I was wishing she ended up with Tuo Ye because... he was in her life!!!!! That six year void Tuo Ye took care of Mu Cheng and Xiao Le and Guang Xi has the nerve to be angry at him. Xiao Le was my favorite character because he was adorable and to me was an amazing eccentric five year old. The minor characters did their support really well and saved the story in the end with their personalities.
The acting:9
To me all of the actors did a nice job considering this was a horrible script especially Liu Linda. She was the exceptional step mom from hell with a soft side.
The Music:7
The music wasn't bad in fact I liked some of the piano pieces and the main theme was a nice song too. Sometimes the music just wasn't played at the right moment, plus the main theme was overused. Other than that great job.
Overall I loved this show, but I just can't rewatch it. It's hard for me to rewatch shows like these because I am a comedy fan plus a big crybaby. Hope you guys who are thinking about checking this out will like it. Sorry for the long review, I'll try to shorten it next time.
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In the beginning you are introduced to a school falling apart with low morale after the news of it's closing down in 3 months. Then enters Mizuki a girl that admired a guy named Sano so much that she transferred into an all boys school to protect him and encourage him after he helped her when she was depressed.
This is where people typically start comparing the two series with the actors. Annchan in my opinion played Mizuki perfectly. She did not act girly or suspicious, but appearance wise it was obvious she was a girl. Sano which was played by Nakamura in the beginning left you with the impression that he was a tsundere(mean on the outside sweet in the inside). Their friendship/love relationship grew at a steady pace and never seemed fake. Shohei will never be as sexy as Toma, but he did play Nakatsu well. the pacing of this show is moderate and overall great acting. I enjoyed this show.
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You are introduced to a lady with zero fashion sense whatsoever named Kinue and a fashion icon named Miki who goes to a department store in Japan to bring it back up. Miki asks for Kinue with no experience in clothing to suddenly work in the Women clothing department forming a story of discovering one's true self.
The story basically is how Kinue becomes a fashionista and discovers passion working in fashion. Work is first priority in this drama and love doesn't even come second as the schedule is hetic for the everyday employee. People interested in fashion or have high strong work ethic will enjoy this story to the fullest and with it's occasionally funny moments laugh their ass off.
The cast is great especially the main actress Karina and Kuroki Hitomi who blend perfectly together. Their acting is fantastic and supports each other full heartily.The supporting cast doesn't falter and give this show it's stronghold.
Background music matches this drama perfectly. It's very up beat and sounds like something you wold hear off a runway. Overall, I enjoyed this drama and I feel most people will too.
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