I really don't whether to be pleased or not...
02/10/2010
09/27/2009
花より男子(?) - 一起来看流星雨 AKA METEOR SHOWER (PART 3)
My reaction to the announcement of a mainland China version of 花より男子 was typical of many 花より男子 fans: "Huh? Another one? Isn't it a little too soon?" At that time, the Korean version had just started being screened. And especially after the disappointment of the Korean version, I didn't have high expectations of Meteor Shower. After all, China had no history of producing what is known in the Chinese entertainment circle as idol dramas - fluffy, romantic dramas about young people.
Meteor Shower debuted on Hunan TV station on 8 August this year with two episodes screened everyday, except Fridays. Meteor Shower was held over on one of the days when Hunan TV decided to devote the timeslot to a fundraising program for the victims of the Typhoon Morakot in Taiwan. The last two episodes were screened on 29 August. By then, Meteor Shower enjoyed soaring ratings and largely silenced its detractors that mainland China could never produce a successful idol drama.
As a 花より男子 fan, I hugely enjoyed this drama. Kudos to the scriptwriters: they made the differences work, and work reasonably and logically.
I love how Yuxun is clearly a very intelligent and hardworking girl in this version. She topped her class in examinations and she is very motivated. In fact, motivation towards learning is one of the recurring subjects in this drama. Yunhai, on many occasions, and Shangguan, at one point or another, were being reprimanded for being lazy. Some people may find this a little too preachy but I personally think that it's a refreshing change from the other versions where the four guys blatantly flouted school rules and did not seem to attempt to go for classes.
I like how Ye Shuo has a much bigger presence in this drama. In the other versions, only the Nishikado role has a slightly bigger part if the scriptwriters chose to include the Nishikado-Yuuki arc. Otherwise, as seen in seasons one of both the Taiwanese and Japanese versions, both Nishikado and Mimasaka were largely relegated to the background of the F4. Ye Shuo, on the other hand, faced serious family relationship issues with his older brother, hacked into the account of the Murong enterprise and even fell in love with Yunhai’s older sister, Yunduo 云朵.
I like how the Kaede Doumyouji-equivalent in this drama, Shen Hanfeng 沈含枫, is not as cold and calculated as the other versions, at least in the earlier episodes when she opposed to Yunduo’s going out with a company subordinate (who was also an alumnus of Alistun College). I even agreed with her reasons why that guy, Lin Xiaoli 林晓黎, wasn’t suitable for her. And even in the later episodes when she opposed the relationship between Yunhai and Yuxun, she came across more as a concerned, albeit misguided mother, rather than an unfeeling career-minded woman with an eye only on the company’s growth and profits. Part of this reason can be attributed to the presence of her husband, Yunhai and Yunduo’s father, in this drama. Yes, the all-too-often-missing father is actually in-the-flesh here! Murong Zhongshi 慕容中石 is a very faithful husband, very understanding father, who is keen to see his children become good citizens of the country.
I love, love, love the chemistry of the five leads, in particular Yunhai and Yuxun; Shangguan and Ye Shuo.
The chemistry between Yunhai and Yuxun is, without doubt, very important. The whole storyline would fall apart (and ratings dip) if these two cannot convince viewers that they love each other deeply despite all the misunderstandings and obstacles. With that said, I’ve only seen chemistry of this level in two other dramas: Felix Wong and the late Barbara Yung in the 1982 Hong Kong TVB version of The Legend of the Condor Heroes; and Alec Su and Vicki Zhao in the Princess Returning Pearl. Their respective chemistries were so intense that they had viewers clamouring for them to be casted as lovers in future dramas. The late Barbara Yung totally refused to act opposite Felix Wong as lovers again for fear of being stereotyped. Alec Su and Vicki Zhao appeared as lovers again in the drama Cousin Ji Xiang and went on to reprise their roles for the second season of Princess Returning Pearl but it was not until both worked on separate projects for several years that the rumours of both of them as real-life couple died down. Rumours are now swirling in cyberspace that the chemistry exhibited by both Zhang Han and Zheng Shuang in the drama extends to real life. Netizens scrutinize their body language vigilantly for signs of affection whenever they appear on TV programs or public events. Zheng Shuang has been slated to star in another idol drama tentatively titled Love Jelly and already the netizens are up in arms about wanting Zhang Han to appear as the male lead. I know there are a lot of Jun and Mao shippers out there, but to me, not even Jun and Mao had chemistry of this level.
And no, the chemistry between Shangguan and Ye Shuo is not of the Brokeback Mountain type. Both of them frequently appear together and it’s really enjoyable watching them banter with each other because they were just so natural. So it came as a real surprise to learn that this chemistry was part of a very steep learning curve between Zhu Zixiao and Wei Chen. Their timing was so bad during the initial filming period that Wei Chen actually suggested to Zhu Zixiao that, other than going to their own respective rooms to sleep, they spend all of their waking moments together to get to know each other. And the effort paid off. It’s just like watching Arashi - they are great friends and it shows so effortlessly.
I think it’s ingenious how the scriptwriters put Yuxun and Duanmu Lei as ex-kindergarten schoolmates and that Yuxun had stood up for Duanmu when he was bullied. This allowed Duanmu to feel indebted to and protective over Yuxun. It neatly explains why Duanmu felt compelled to help Yuxun even though she was challenged by Yunhai and was later being ostracized by the whole school. It also explains why Duanmu had to be with Yuxun and wanted to protect her even though his presence by her side would cause huge misunderstandings between Yunhai and Yuxun in the later episodes of the drama.
Yes, this drama far, far exceeds my expectations. I really feel it’s a pity a lot people thumbed it down (usually based on the looks of the four guys) and gave it a miss altogether without even watching the first episode.
This drama really deserves more fans.
09/21/2009
花より男子(?) - 一起来看流星雨 AKA METEOR SHOWER (PART 2)
How original is the Meteor Shower storyline? The main differences:
- Chu Yuxun lives with her mother and uncle. She is a very bright girl who won a scholarship to study international trade and finance in the prestigious Alistun College.
- Murong Yunhai is not childhood buddies with the other three guys. He had been sent to study in Australia when he was 15 but returned to treat his injuries from a car racing accident. His mother then decided to send him to Alistun College in order to keep an eye on him.
- The other three guys are childhood buddies. They do not want to remain in Alistun College and had been creating trouble to get expulsion. Shangguan Ruiqian is an extremely good basketball player ("If only he is 20cm taller, I guarantee Yao Ming would not be as famous."), Ye Shuo is an IT genius, Duanmu Lei is musically gifted.
- Everyone wears a uniform in Alistun College, the four guys included.
- Murong Yunhai's older sister, Murong Yunduo, is still single and is helping out with the family's enterprise.
- Toudou Shizuka's role has evolved to a relief piano teacher, Yu Xin, teaching at Alistun College.
- Chu Yuxun and Duanmu Lei were kindergarten schoolmates.
The rest of the storyline pretty much follows 花より男子: Chu Yuxun declared war on the four guys, Murong Yunhai got interested in Chu Yuxun and later fell head-over-heels in love with her, Chu Yuxun chose to be with Duanmu Lei while denying her feelings for Murong Yunhai, Chu Yuxun finally realizes that she loves Murong Yunhai. Of course, the premises these took place are different from the other versions. But the basic storyline is still 花より男子!
The main scenes which are undeniably similar:
- The accidental kiss between Chu Yuxun and Murong Yunhai.
- Duanmu Lei's role as Chu Yuxun's protector.
- The gifting of the Saturn necklace (yes, it's also a Saturn necklace, but in my opinion, a tacky one at that) from Murong Yunhai to Chu Yuxun.
- Chu Yuxun's stint as a maid in the Murong household.
- The breaking-up between Chu Yuxun and Murong Yunhai in the rain (this is the most heart-rending version; it far surpasses Jun and Mao's).
- Murong Yunhai's memory loss.
So original storyline? I beg to differ...
09/20/2009
花より男子(?) - 一起来看流星雨 AKA METEOR SHOWER (PART 1)
Why the question mark (?) after 花より男子?
This is because of the announcement on the Hunan TV's website:
I personally subscribe to the following saying: if it looks like a duck, sounds like a duck, walks like a duck...then it probably is a duck.
This is probably the most controversial version: Chinese netizens poured vitriol on virtually every aspect - from the announcement of drama, to the cast, to the director/s, to the stylists, to how the cast was styled, etc. I'm pretty surprised that Hunan TV attempted this drama at all; afterall Meteor Garden was nearly banned in China due to the blatant materialism aspect in the drama. I was very curious how Hunan TV would handle this materialism aspect. I mean, you couldn't just portray the four male leads as coming from mediocre backgrounds - the love story between Makino and Doumyouji would lost some, if not, a lot, of its edge.
As with the Korean version, the names were changed totally:
Makino Tsukushi = Chu Yuxun 楚雨荨 - played by Zheng Shuang 郑爽
Doumyouji Tsukasa = Murong Yunhai 慕容云海 - played by Zhang Han 张翰
Hanazawa Rui = Duanmu Lei 端木磊 - played by Yu Haoming 俞灏明
Nishikado Soujirou = Shangguan Ruiqian 上官瑞谦 - played by Zhu Zixiao 朱梓骁
Mimasaka Akira = Ye Shuo 叶烁 - played by Wei Chen 魏晨
I really like how the scriptwriters came up with the Chinese names. The 荨 in Yuxun's name comes from a weed 荨麻草 - so her name already reflected the weed-like qualities she's supposed to have. The surnames of Murong 慕容, Duanmu 端木 and Shangguan 上官 have royal, if not, historical lineages - so the guys' surnames already reflected their lofty backgrounds.
Out of the five leads, only Zhang Han, a relatively recent graduate of the very prestigious Central Drama Academy, had any formal acting experience. Zheng Shuang and Zhu Zixiao are total newbies to the scene: Zheng Shuang is still an undergraduate at the less prestigious Beijing Film Academy while Zhu Zixiao was a model. Both Yu Haoming and Wei Chen are alumni of the Super Boys, a reality singing contest for guys in the same vein as the various Idol franchises. Super Boys, in fact, was also produced by Hunan TV. Thus, only Yu Haoming and Wei Chen had established fan bases through Super Boys. Zhang Han, Zheng Shuang and Zhu Zixiao were unknowns. The earlier promotion pictures tried to capitalize on the popularity of Yu Haoming and Wei Chen, much to the confusion of other netizens who had no clue who's who:
Most people assumed that the guy in the centre of the photo would be the one playing Murong Yunhai. Actually he is Yu Haoming, the one playing Duanmu Lei. It didn't help at all that he had the hair more in keeping with Doumyouji's image.
Zhang Han, playing Murong Yunhai, is the one with purple stripes on his jacket. Zhu Zixiao is the guy with the blue tie. Wei Chen is the one with the white shirt.
Again, Yu Haoming is in the centre of the photo. Zhang Han is relegated all the way to the back.
Even the official picture which is on the banner of the official website is misleading:
Notice how Zheng Shuang had her hand on Yu Haoming's shoulder? Perhaps this was done in a bid to further dissociate from the poses familiar to 花より男子...
花より男子 - 꽃보다 남자 AKA BOYS OVER FLOWERS
Let me state from the onset that I hardly watch Korean dramas. I'm not one of those who got swept up in the Hallyu wave. The number of Korean dramas I've watched so far can be counted on one hand: Jewel in the Palace/Great Jang Geum (aka 대장금 or 大长今), Goong (궁 or 宫), My Lovely Sam-Soon (내 이름은 김삼순 or 我叫金三顺)...and Boys over Flowers (꽃보다 남자 or 花样男子). The reason why I watched the first three dramas at all was because there was so much hype surrounding them. The reason why I watched Boys over Flowers was because I'm a 花より男子 fan. I've read the manga countless times, I've watched the anime, I've watched season one of the Taiwanese version, I've watched both seasons of the Japanese versions and movie final. I've even watched the cheesy-until-can-die live-action movie which came out in 1995.
Kamio Sensei hit on a winner when she came up with the storyline in 1992. All versions of 花より男子 became hits, with the exception of Meteor Garden 2. Meteor Garden 2 failed largely because the scriptwriters did not have a full grasp of the characters' personality; the characters' behaviour in the sequel were not in keeping with season one, and the scriptwriters failed to develop a convincing plot. Boys over Flowers (BOF), also, became a runaway success in Korea and the rest of Asia. However, as a 花より男子 fan, I do not enjoy BOF at all, and perhaps this can be due to the way Korean dramas string out.
Makino Tsukushi need not be a pretty girl; in fact, she shouldn't be exceedingly pretty. She is poor and she is spunky but nowhere in the manga is she ever uncouth. I absolutely cannot stand Koo Hye Sun's Geum Jan Di and for that I totally lay the blame on the scriptwriters and the director. Why did they make Jan Di shove huge spoonfuls of food into her mouth and then talk with her mouth full? Why did they make Jan Di so dumb that she was in danger of failing medical school and even her juniors looked down on her? Why did Jan Di wear such ugly clothes when her friend Ga Eul could wear something similar but so much better looking? And why was Jan Di wearing Dr. Martens when she's supposed to be poor?
KBS poured money into the shooting and this was obvious in the luxurious sets and props. The cast even had filming done in New Caledonia in the South Pacific, on Waiheke Island, in Macau and on Jeju Island. All these filming resulted in heavily prolonged scenes which showed the cast eating/playing/shopping/wandering on the locations. But these prolonged scenes had nothing to do with the storyline! However, I was assured that this is the standard treatment for any of the Korean dramas which had out-of-location filming; I was probably the only one rolling my eyes in frustration over such scenes.
The main reason why I've not watched more Korean dramas is because I cannot stand the s---l---o---w pace. The three dramas I had watched (before BOF) were very much hyped-up by people around me ("OOH!!! Goong/My Lovely Sam-Soon is SO NICE!!! You M-U-S-T watch!!!"). I reasoned to myself: if I couldn't even stand the pace of these highly hyped-up dramas, I should not even consider the rest. But I made an exception for BOF because it was a remake of 花より男子 and I naively thought that the great storyline would be able to make up for any slow pace. But I was beaten. I also could not take the pace: by the time the Macau arc started around episode 14, I had lost all patience and gave up watching. I only finished the remaining episodes when I was in Saluggia and I had nothing to do in the evenings. And even so, I watched the remaining episodes with clenched teeth, rolled-up eyes and going "Come on! Come on!" ever so often. Some people are telling me to watch "Coffee Prince" ("IT'S VERY GOOD!!! NOT DRAGGY AT ALL!!!") and seriously, I'm really apprehensive.
I think that Lee Min Ho was the best thing to happen to this drama. He is tall, easy on the eye: looks-wise, he was already totally convincing as Gu Jun Pyo (unlike Jun who faced a huge backlash that he did not look like Doumyouji at all). The other advantage Lee Min Ho had, which Jun didn't, was that he had more episodes and more scenes to endear himself to the audience. Jun had much fewer episodes (season one had only nine episodes) to leave an impact as Doumyouji (which he succeeded). And endear himself to me, at least, Lee Min Ho did. He was the reason which I watched the drama; he was the reason I put up with Jan Di's hysterics and idiosyncrasies. But sadly, even Lee Min Ho couldn't sustain my interest when the Macau arc started - the drama had become too long-drawn by then and I lost all interest to continue.
It was with great relief when I finished this drama - there was no lingering effect which I had with the other versions where I would re-watch certain memorable scenes or go online to search for the behind-the-scenes or the programs which the cast would appear during promotions. I was not touched by BOF. Certainly BOF has its fans and I notice that they tend to be very young girls who are very much smitten by the four male leads (they are very vocal about putting down the Japanese version because "the guys are so ugly!"). And I notice that people who are fans of the 花より男子 manga generally do not like BOF, so I'm not an anomaly after all...
After the disappointment of BOF, it was with much trepidation when I started watching the mainland China version, 一起来看流星雨 aka Let's Watch the Meteor Shower Together, later abbreviated to just "Meteor Shower"...
09/19/2009
09/07/2008
WHO LIKES HYDF?
Depends on who you ask...
09/04/2008
REVIEW OF HYDF - THE STRAITS TIME
I just don't agree with the one and a half star rating. The overall review sounded OK though - just what I would expect if the writer is a guy...which I think he is...
09/03/2008
REVIEW OF HYDF - 我报
I personally think it's a pretty fair review from 我报...one cannot expect an effusively good review about fluff...
There was one from yesterday's Straits Times; I'll scan it when I get my hands on it.
09/01/2008
NEW PAPER, WHEN CAN YOU GET IT RIGHT???
I'm not surprised Jun didn't want to answer your questions...
