Thursday, November 6, 2014

Taiwanese Drama 101: What to Watch Guide

The following is a list of all Taiwanese dramas that I have seen or am planning to see. It explains the plot, how good the story was, and whether you should watch it or not. 

Skip Beat
Story: This super nice but plain looking girl has been secretly living and dating this famous singer guy. They’ve been childhood best friends and ran away from their village together to pursue his singing dreams. But after she took care of him and provided for him all this time, she finds out he’s been playing her and using her. She is so heart-broken that she completely loses the ability to love and now only has the ability to hate. She joins an entertainment company to become a bigger celebrity than this guy and make him regret using her and calling her ugly and plain (which he said).
But in this company she now has a scary, strict, but super handsome famous actor guy as her mentor. Slowly she learns to love again, and the guy too has his own set of wounds that she helps heal one by one.
Other Versions: This show is based on a Japanese manga (comic book) of the same name. There is also a Japanese anime (animated drama) version of the story.
Rating: 10/10
Review: I’ve watched this show, the Japanese anime version, and I’ve read the manga upto a certain point. This story is so good. You should definitely watch it. But please keep in mind, the ending is a little bit incomplete for all versions, because the original manga that it is based on is still not complete (and might take many more years to be over). I’m hoping the manga ends soon so that they make a season 2 of the show.
Recommend: yes, yes, definitely yes (but remember their love story in this version is not complete yet, because the manga is ongoing)


Fall in Love with Me
Main actor: Aaron Yan
Main actress: Tia Lee
Story: Aaron is a stylish, arrogant, famous advertisement industry genius CEO. But he hates the money-minded, corporate business ethics of his business partner who is his bronemy (they were raised together like brothers when Aaron was orphaned, but is competitive, selfish and thus becomes an enemy). One day he takes a month long break from being CEO and takes an extended leave for soul searching, to find what inspired him to become an advertising genius in the first place. The guy who inspired him when he was young dies saving him. So he goes to his dead role model’s company which is now being run by his sister, Tia. Tia hates Aaron because he seems like a jerk from the outside (but that’s only his outer show) He disguises as someone else and starts working with her. He falls in love with her and wants her to love the real him. But she falls in love with the disguised version of him. But this side of him isn't real. So he has to figure out the problem of how to make her love both sides of him.
Rating: 9/10
Review: The show is amazing at first. Because this is one of the few shows where both guys in the love triangle is the same guy. Really cool plot. The show is amazing for the first 2-3rds of the show. But towards the end of the show (like many other dramas) it gets too depressing, and the bad guys of the show become too dramatic and manipulative. But there is a happy ending.



Just You
Main actor: Aaron Yan
Main actress: Puff Guo
Story: Aaron and Puff are double booked a house and end up temporarily living together even though they fight all the time, due to Aaron's OCD personality vs. Puff's free spirit personality. Later turns out he is her new boss too. He is a scary mean boss that does not allow office romance (in an office full of couples and couples to be). But then Puff and Aaron start getting close, and he might have to rethink his beliefs.
Rating: 10/10
Review: Awesome! Really good sweet love story. Only bad thing I can say about this entire drama is that I don't like girls with short hair and Puff has short hair in this drama. Thats the only thing negative I could think of about this drama.
Recommend: yes, definitely
Recommend: yes, definitely

Hi My Sweetheart:
Main actress: Rainie Yang
Main actor: Show Luo
Story: This story is divided into two halves. The first half is set in college. Rainie is a punky, sexy, bad girl and becomes friends with Show, an ugly, nerdy, nice guy. This part is so funny because they are such an odd and funny pair. Many funny things happen. At the end of the first half, they fall in love but due to a misunderstood situation, he thinks she deserted him.
The second half of the show is many years later when they are older and have jobs. Show wants revenge for his broken heart. He gets a full makeover and takes his family’s wealth and becomes a handsome badboy. On the other hand, she becomes a lot nicer and simpler, and is a radio DJ. So now the good one and the bad one is reversed. With his makeover, she can’t recognize him. He plans to take revenge by making her fall for him and dumping her. But he still loves her, so again its funny.
Themes that make the plot good: Ugly to handsome boy makeover, revenge turns to love.
Rating: 9/10
Recommend: yes
                                                

Devil Beside You
Main actress: Rainie Yang
Main actor: Mike He
Story: Rainie is a sweet, good girl. Mike is a bad boy. They fight at first. But, surprise! Their parents get married to each other. So now they are suddenly step-siblings. They start hating each other but end up falling in love. But of course, there is a lot of drama because they are step-siblings, very taboo.
Themes that make the plot good: Hate to love relationship, taboo step-sibling love
Rating: 9/10
Recommend: yes, definitely


When love Walked In
Story: Girl finds out she's the granddaughter of the wealthiest man in the country. Grandpa’s company is being run by 3 flower boys (good-looking boys).
Themes that make the plot good: poor girl to rich girl, fate of falling in love with a childhood friend and not even realizing it
Rating: 7/10
Recommend: maybe

Sunny girl/Sunshine Angel
Main actress: Rainie Yang
Story: Rainie becomes a maid of a rich family to find out that her boss is the guy she had previously met and fought with. Sparks fly between them as she works for him and they see each other every day.
Themes that make the plot good: Hate to love relationship. Poor girl, rich boy. Guy uses girl as slave and they play tricks on each other.
Rating: 8/10
Recommend: yes

Drunken to Love You:
Main actress: Rainie Yang
Story: Rainie and guy get married while drunk. They end up making a one-month contract to stay married even though they dislike each other due to certain reasons. Then sparks fly.
Themes that make the plot good: Contract marriage, hate to love relationship.
Rating: 8/10
Recommend: yes

Why Why Love:
Main actress: Rainie Yang
Main actor: Mike He
Story: hard-working but unlucky girl has love triangle with 2 rich brothers. Mike He the bad boy brother makes her his servant when she loses a bet or money or something (can’t remember what) to him. Mike He is such a handsome, perfect bad boy. And they have a lot of chemistry as they go from hate to love.
Themes that make the plot good: hate to love relationship
Rating: 8/10
Recommend: yes

Sunny Happiness:
Main actor: Mike He
Story: orphan girl is maid for Mike’s hotel. Mike is rich businessman and tyrannical boss, mean since his divorce with his first love years ago. Love blossoms between girl and Mike when she helps him meet his secret son that he didn't know he had.
Themes that make the plot good: Perfectionist boy girl always making mistakes, rich boy poor girl, surprise son suddenly appearing
Rating: 7.5/10
Recommend: yes

Miss no Good:
Main actress: Rainie Yang
Story: rainie yang: cute honest sweet girl. She is super weird and funny looking, but she doesn’t care (adds to funniness). 2 guys are best friends both fall for her. Everyone thinks she's after the rich boy for his money, but she’s not.
Themes that make the plot good: funny looking girl
Rating: 7/10
Recommend: maybe

ToGetHer:
Main actress: Rainie Yang
Story: Rainie Yang is a nerdy manga fan but a good girl. The main guy is a hallyu idol who loses fame because he is too fake and unlucky. He loses his rich home and rents a room in Rainie’s house. They are opposites but end up in love
Themes that make the plot good: super famous celebrity boy meets only girl that hasn’t heard of him, funny looking girl, opposites attract, girl helps guy get through a tough time in life
Rating: 8.5/10
Recommend: yes

Romantic Princess:
Story: poor girl finds out she is granddaughter of really rich guy, but he is strict and tries to control her life. he also has flower boys (handsome capable boys) as prospective successors for his business
Review: I think I watched a few episodes of it then forgot about it. I think I did like how the story was going, but it was not captivating enough so I got distracted and ended up never watching it.
Recommend: (only saw a few episodes but I would say- ) maybe not

Bull Fighting:
Main actor: Mike He
Story: Mike’s dad needs to buy a street to make a construction project to save his company. Girl’s dad owns land but won’t sell because it is home and livelihood of many people. Mike decides to seduce girl to get her to sell the land. He struggles with dilemma, save dad’s company by using girl, or save the street that is home and family to the girl he starts to love.
Themes that make the plot good: Hate to love relationship, guy that is awesome at sports, girl that has guts, girl that fights like a boy, mafia girl, Romeo and Juliet style being at opposite sides of a battle.
Review: I did not love this show and lost interest in the middle because I didn’t like the main dilemma for Mike, to make him choose his family or her and her family. And the story was getting a little bit too dark for my tastes (I hate stories like Romeo and Juliet where there is no hope for light at the end of the tunnel)
Rating: 6.5/10
Recommend: no

Fated to love you/You're My Destiny/Sticky Note Girl/Destiny Love
Haven’t watched this one yet, but plan to

I want to become a hard persimmon
Haven’t watched this one yet, but plan to



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