Recent purchases

Before the closing of Metro Video, I managed to snatch this last available set of To Catch The Uncatchable, which is one of my favorite post-millenium TVB drama. I even love its unconventional ending for such a comedic series.

Next is the boxset of K-drama Secret Garden, the one drama that gave me serious withdrawal symptoms earlier this year. I bought this set from Amazon and it was actually affordable, at least it cost me less than any True Blood boxset…:p

TVB 41st Anniversary Awards

Just finished this year's TVB awards show and it's entertaining compared to last year, at least everyone looked less zombie-ish and it's less messy and rushed...As expected, Moonlight Resonance (I still refuse to watch this drama for various reasons) swept everything!

My observations:
- The results are actually fair and satisfying, no WTH moments, so there should be no controversy post-show
- All the nominees get to say something at the beginning, which I think is cool but too bad a lot of artists didn't attend.
- Unexpected guest presenters; I mean you see Anthony Wong, Francis Ng, Athena Chu, Dicky Cheung and Karena Lam in TVB?!

- Strange to see Tavia Yeung nominated again for improvement award when she already won this ages ago (in 2003).

- When the top 5 best actresses were announced, shocked to see Susanna Kwan out and Linda Chung in.

Congrats to all winners!

Last One Standing

Last One Standing (21 episodes) is my fifth TVB drama that I finished this year...not bad as I only finished one last year...

Last One Standing Synopsis: (from DramaWiki)
Cheung Sing Hei was sent to prison for murdering his stepfather. The key witness of the case turns out to be his cousin Tong Lap Yeen. Ten years later, Sing Hei is released from prison. Lap Yeen is now one of the most influential people in the city while Sing Hei's reputation and future are in ruins. Feeling extremely frustrated and harboring suspicions about the case ten years ago, he is desperate to find out the truth behind his stepfather's death. After some investigation, Sing Hei realizes who the real killer is, but there appears to be no motive. More importantly, evidence is also lacking. This story is about how Sing Hei exposes the truth and ultimately proves his innocence.

Cast:
Kevin Cheng as Cheung Sing Hei
Roger Kwok as Tong Lap Yeen
Yoyo Mong as Lei Pui Ka (Carmen)
Kiki Sheung as Lau Kit Yee
Ellesmere Choi as Yeung Kin Yip
Yvonne Ho as Cheung Chung Si
Macy Chan as Ma Ngoi Lam (Kelly)


My comments:
I heard a lot of good things about Last One Standing so I was curious what it was all about. Boy, it was an intense drama! It was suspenseful but you know right from the beginning who is the true villain. It's the process of how to find the evidence that is exciting; it had a lot of moments where I was like "Oh no!". The drama was nicely built up in the beginning but watching the beginning can be very tiring as there are a lot shouting, yelling and kicking.

Seriously, I'm pretty impressed by Kevin Cheng's performance this time. I never considered him a good actor but he gave a more than fine performance. Hei is a psychologically complex character, very boiled up with lots of rage and anger and I felt his desperation. It's interesting to see him changing from a character full of rage to a calm 'actor' gathering evidences against Yin. I rooted for him all the way. Kevin's character is a great contrast to Roger's character. Roger Kwok is also very good as Mr. Nice Guy on the surface but deep down is a crazy monster. Once, you learn more and more about Yin, he becomes creepier. Everytime he gives that sinister smile, I have chills. What he did to his adoptive family is just beyond shocking! I believe that he really love his family and Carmen but when everyone turned against him, he becomes this psycho maniac. Sigh...money is evil! The actresses are a disappointment. Yoyo Mung didn't have much to do here and I didn't really care about her relationship with either Kevin or Roger and I'm glad that there isn't really a closure in their relationship because after all the things that happened, it's really hard for Hei and Carmen to be together. Yvonne Ho as Kevin's sister was almost unbearable, a very over the top performance and luckily she had less screentime toward the end. Macy Chan is still very raw in acting and is completely miscast as the mature accountant and as the woman who's deeply in love with Kevin.

I'm pretty satisfied with the ending, although the last scene can cause nightmares. I swear this drama has the horror/slasher movie feel! My biggest problem with the drama is how can Hei get sentenced 13 years for manslaughter but Yin, who committed more crimes get such a low jail sentence? Worse of all, viewers can see that he isn't remorseful. Potential sequel? No please!

Note: Seeing Kevin and Roger against each other in this drama reminds me that they worked together as buddies in that wacky drama Not Just A Pretty Face... :p

* Themesong of the drama

Before They Were Famous...

I always wanted to make a post about this topic, but digging clips is pretty time consuming but I had fun searching these treasures...Long live Youtube and Tudou!!!

TVB young talents:

Raymond Lam in At The Threshold of An Era (1999-2000). One of his well known 'extra' role...


Ron Ng in Golden Faith (2002). I really didn't remember him in that drama and you'll probably miss him in this clip since he didn't have a close-up...


Kenneth Ma in A Step Into The Past (2001). I wouldn't know that he appeared in this drama if I didn't wiki him...


Bosco Wong in The Awakening Story (2000). I actually remember his 'extra' role in this drama!


Prepare to spit water watching this:


Others:

Jay Chou in 1998, hard to imagine him with the Aaron Kwok hairstyle...


Dayo Wong in 1987...classic!


Khalil Fong in 2005, it wasn't that long ago but you'll see a long haired Khalil without his trademark huge frame glasses!

The Four

I think The Four (TVB, 23 episodes) is the 4th TVB drama I finished so far this year...

The Four Synopsis: (from DramaWiki)
Based on the novel by Wen Rui An, the drama is centered around four extremely skilled assassins/detectives who are hired by the Chinese Emperor to arrest and execute any criminals roaming through the country.

Cast:
Raymond Lam as Mo Ching
Kenneth Ma as Tit Sau
Sammul Chan as Jui Ming
Ron Ng as Lang Huet
Dominic Lam as Chu Kot Jing Ngor
Kate Tsui as Song Ji Yin
Selena Li as Nam Yeuk Fei
Vivi Lee as Tit Yau Dung
Cilia Kung as Ling Siu Do


My comments:
I watched The Four for the reunion of the four main actors and I'm pleasantly surprised that it's a highly watchable drama. Watching this drama is like watching a fusion of ancient Detective Investigation Files and Wesley Files. At least, I didn't expect to see a 'zombie' case in drama like this. The cases were quite interesting and complex although that in every case, the finding of evidences are overly coincidental. One thing to bash is the fighting; it looks really fake and cheap, overly computer animated but that was always a TVB problem. The scenery are breathtaking though.

A lot complained about the casting of the actresses since they are not really on par with the lead actors. True, the actresses are mostly inexperienced, especially Vivi Lee and Cilia Kung who play the love interests of Sammul Chan and Ron Ng respectively. That didn't really bother me that much because this is a drama focusing on the guys and the girls didn't have much to do, except to be saved. One thing that I like is that there are no messy triangle/square relationships. They only developed Mo Ching/Ji Yin and Tit Sau/Yeuk Fei's relationship. The other two pairs are underdeveloped but I'm a bit confused if there was even love involved for these two pairs; they seem more like siblings to me. Kate Tsui and Selena Li had more screentime and more meatier roles. I see improvements in Selena but I think that Kate is terrible here. She's not suitable for ancient dramas, she comes off as awkward most of the time and the way she delivered her lines is like she's reading straight from the script. I know that she has to have the heartless tone as an assassin but does she have to be that robotic as doctor Song as well. However, I have to admit that her farewell scene with Raymond Lam was very well done and that was the only time I had some feelings for her.

I find myself liking the character Tit Sau the most in the entire drama. I like the earlier part of Mo Ching when he's emotionless. It's cute to see him opening up to everyone and give a little smile later on but he really lost his coolness once he's in love with Ji Yin. I'm a bit disappointed at how Mo Ching is blinded by love, trusting and letting Ji Yin go after countless betrayals. Oh boy, she did a lot of awful things! Watching Mo Ching like that makes me want to throw stuffs at the TV (even if Raymond Lam looks really good in this drama :p) It's a pity that both Jui Ming and Lang Huet didn't have as much character development. I enjoy watching the four guys together, from how they despise each other to their bonding to finally becoming the best partners. The ending is rushed just like any drama, there wasn't really a closure...

It's not a bad drama afterall...

* Themesong of the drama

When a Dog Loves a Cat

I remember having interest in watching When a Dog Loves a Cat (20 episodes) when I saw the little preview during the sales presentation but oh boy...

When a Dog Loves a Cat Synopsis: (from DramaWiki)
Chow Chi Yu runs a pound. Her whole family knows a lot about the animals and loves to take care of them. One day, she brings home a dog that was abandoned on the street. Unfortunately, the dog is ill and infects the other dogs in the pound, almost destroying her business. At the same time she meets Miu Jun, the man whom she realizes had left the sickly dog on the street. Of course this makes her despise him and so the two of them are always fighting with each other.

Cast:
Gallen Lo as Miu Jun (MC)
Myolie Wu as Chow Tze Yu (Chow Chow)
David Lui as Chow Tze Tsim
Margie Tsang as Sui Tin Lan (Tina)
Benice Liu as Man Chi Kei (Kit)
Raymond Wong as Ying Hoi Leung (Carson)
Tracy Yip as Cheung Ka Ka

My comments:
I thought that When a Dog Loves a Cat is only average. Being a 'comeback' drama of Gallen Lo, it's a bit disappointing. It's only of those dramas that you saw but wouldn't remember much next year. Anyway, the message is good about how pets can change and cure people and how people should not abandon them, etc. The interactions between the pets are cute to watch although I thought that the voice dubbing of the pets a little too cutesy. I find myself liking Can Can, the cat more than Siu Ba, the dog, ha! The drama title references when Siu Ba loves Can Can and when MC loves Chow Chow...

The beginning was okay but after 15 episodes, the drama drags and doesn't have much story, which mostly revolves around how MC pushes away those around him after he learned his illness. It turned out to be manipulative at the end and I wasn't as moved as they want us to be although the final episode was a sobber. I also had problems characters development. Some characters just changes a little too fast, it's like they realized what they did was not right and then just have this 180 degrees change in a snap, so fast that I cannot digest it. A lot of people were complaining about the ending but I'm actually fine with it. Not all romantic comedies have to end happily ever after.

The acting of the cast is also average. I felt that this time they are mostly reprising roles that they previously acted. I didn't have much surprise in terms of acting. Maybe because it was filmed during the summer, you can clearly see everyone looking tired and worn out. The Gallen and Myolie pairing is very odd, not because of their actual age difference but because of their memorable siblings relationship in Golden Faith. Whenever I see them together, I have images of them in Golden Faith, so it distracted me a bit watching them in romantic scenes. Therefore, I wouldn't mind if Chow Chow ends with Carson although he's a playboy and a bad boyfriend at first. Carson was more interesting to watch than MC. I like the arrogant MC who shouts "Wrong! All wrong!" at the beginning more than the selfless MC at the end, which become a boring character.

If you really want to watch cute dogs and cats, go ahead. If not, you're not really missing anything.

* Themesong of the drama

Forensic Heroes II

I saw Forensic Heroes back then and I remember liking and enjoying it. So, how is Forensic Heroes II (TVB, 30 episodes)?

Forensic Heroes II Synopsis: (from Wikipedia)
Every contact leaves a trace
Every clue serves as a silent witness against crime

Bomb disposal expert Yeung Yat Sing (Kevin Cheng Ka Wing) returns from England to visit relatives and he comes across a grenade case by accident. With his tactful and level-headed approach, Sing is highly appraised by Senior Chemist Ko Yin Pok (Bobby Au-Yeung Chun Wah) and is being invited to join the Forensic Division. In a little while, Sing becomes the division’s rising star. By work, Sing gets back in touch with his long-lost best friend Koo Chak Sam (Frankie Lam Man Lung). Sam serves as a forensic writer and he is going to get married soon.

Accidentally, Sum’s fiancée Lam Ding Ding (Linda Chung Ka Yan) is killed in an explosion and Pok’s police girlfriend Leung Siu Yau (Yoyo Mung Ka Wai) also loses the ability of holding a gun in the incident. Yau’s duties are passed to Ma Kwok Ying (Charmaine Sheh Sze Man) from the Narcotics Bureau. Both Sam and Sing find Ying extremely charming with her smart and unfathomable characteristics in case handling.

Integrating laboratory techniques, logical reasoning, and forensic knowledge, the trio strive to fight against crimes tremendously. As they get to know each other more and more, the entangled triangle of love also starts to hinder their working relationships…

Cast:
Bobby Au Yeung as Ko Yin Bok (Timothy)
Yoyo Mung as Leung Siu Yau
Kevin Cheng as Yeung Yat Sing (Ivan)
Frankie Lam as Koo Chak Sum (Sam)
Charmaine Sheh as Ma Kwok Ying (Isabella)
Linda Chung as Lam Ding Ding
Raymond Cho as Shum Hung
Florence Kwok as Mok Suk Nuen (Yvonne)

My comments:
I still remember bits and pieces of the first installment and if you didn’t watch the first, watching sequel is not a big problem. In Forensic Heroes II, it’s the same cast with Charmaine Sheh and Kevin Cheng joining. The leading actress is actually Charmaine rather than Yoyo since Yoyo leaves at episode 17 and comes back at episode 27…Furthermore, I have the impression that Charmaine is the real lead in this drama, more lead than Bobby, which I’m a bit bothered…

I’m not a fan of sequels because from past experiences, sequels normally kill the original. The one and only sequels I liked were Files of Justice II and III. Forensic Heroes II unfortunately is not a good as the first one. I learned something from watching these TVB detective series. When someone who is not from the regular cast appears, that person is either the victim or the one who commits the crime. When there are a few suspects at the same time for viewers to guess, that’s fun but that didn’t apply here. Maybe because it’s a drama concentrating on forensics processes rather police mystery therefore, the cases are predictable; you can easily guess who did it and sometimes, the motives of the crime as well. Only the last case was unpredictable. So what do we get here? A show-off of forensic labs and a bunch of technical terms that we hear now and then forget a minute later…

Is it only me? I feel a total lack of chemistry between the cast as couple or buddy. Bobby and Frankie had better brotherhood chemistry last time but this time, I didn’t feel it and even more so with Kevin joining. Same thing with Bobby and Yoyo, they had more chemistry last time while this time, I didn’t feel anything probably because they are not together a lot in this drama. But one thing I like is that they didn’t add a third party in their relationship. Charmaine, Kevin and Frankie have a very interesting relationship because Kevin and Charmaine seems to be fated but Charmaine and Frankie have more in common however, once again, no sparks between them. I have to complain about the lousy ending. It’s not the ambiguity of it, it’s more Charmaine’s surprising pregnancy that doesn’t fit how her character went all along and call me cold-blooded, I wasn’t touched by the end. I really didn’t care much for Charmaine and Kevin’s characters…they are uninteresting.

So, overall, I’m a bit disappointed by this drama and I guess that there’s a high chance of a Forensic Heroes III in the future…please don't...!

* Themesong of the drama

Under The Canopy of Love …the novel

Yup, you read it right this is the novel version of the TVB drama 天幕下的戀人!

For the book summary, click here

My comments:
This novel version has a total of 330 pages and it’s written by Canny Leung (梁芷珊). Since I saw the drama 2 years ago, why am I reading the novel? Good question, I have no idea why but I’m bored when I’m taking the bus/metro so yeah…I finished it in 7 days though.

I find this experience quite interesting because I usually read the novel and then watch the movie/drama adaptation but rarely the other way around. Obviously, there are more things happening in the drama that wasn’t included in the novel (eg. Natalie Tong and Charles Szeto’s part, the elder sister and her boyfriend’s part and how she was toying with Bosco, etc.) It mainly focused on Kevin and Niki’s romance part and even Bosco seemed like a minor character. The whole novel is exactly like the drama, with the only exception on how the triangular relationship was resolved at the end. There are parts that I completely forgot it happened in the drama but reading it again, all the images came back. There are some parts that I had teary eyes in the novel but not so from the drama so does it mean that it was badly acted or is it too well written…hmmm…

The Seventh Day

Wow, I can’t believe that I didn’t watch any drama during the last months…I decided that I would watch The Seventh Day when I saw the preview clip in the TVB sales presentation and since I saw Under The Canopy of Love with exactly the same cast so yeah…

The Seventh Day Synopsis (from Wikipedia):
Different people have different attitudes to love - even those born on the same day in the same year do not necessarily share the same views. YAU CHI-WING (Cheng, Kevin) and HUI WAI-YAN (Wong Chung Chak,Bosco) were both born on the seventh day of August, but one takes relationships seriously while the other is so money-minded and sees love as a tool to get higher up the social ladder.

The tale begins on the seventh of August, when WING and YAN first encounter their own dream girl on the same island. WING works as a lifeguard on the outlying island. He gets to know pet shop assistant LING KA-YAN (Chow Lai Ki, Niki) by chance and is soon mesmerized by her endearing personality. YAN who works at a coffee shop meets a romance comic artist called WONG CHI-KWAN (Tong Sze Wing, Natalie). Being misled into believing that the girl is from a rich family, YAN decides to chase her. He would never have thought that someone as calculating as himself would end up falling into a love trap.

Cast:
Kevin Cheng as Yau Zi Wing 游志穎 (Wayne)
Niki Chow as Ling Ka Yan 凌加恩 (Niki)
Bosco Wong as Hui Wai Yan 許懷仁 (Don)
Natalie Tong as Wong Chi Gwun 王芷君 (Sa Sa)
Ken Wong as Ching Yat Long 程逸朗
Charmaine Li as Wong Wai 王慧 (Jessie)
Elaine Yiu as Yeung Hau Yee 楊巧兒 (Jade)
Joel Chan as Ma Teen Fook 馬天福 (Martin)
Yvonne Ho as Chu Lei Lei 朱莉莉 (Julie)
Eddie Lee as Lee Geen Kwok 李建國 (KK)
Sam Chan as Shek Ka Wing 石家榮 (Dino)

My comments:
It’s similar to Under The Canopy of Love, meaning it’s still shot in blurry style and still a fairytale-ish trendy city drama. The whole feel and atmosphere actually reminds me of Korean dramas because of the snowy scenery and mainly because of the forever evil terminal disease element.

First, I’ll talk about the bad. It was trying to highlight two men born on the same day but facing different fate but I think that part was not too deeply and well developed. The story can get draggy at times and I felt that the part with Kevin and Niki in Japan was totally pointless and unimportant for the drama. Yes, it’s beautifully shot there but I had my good share of snow this year, so the scenes didn’t amaze me that much. Initially, I thought that I would enjoy the Kevin-Niki pairing more because I found the Bosco-Natalie pairing loud, childish and silly but it turns out later that I enjoy the latter pairing more. Lots of familiar moment and let’s do a recap…The first scene with Kevin and Niki involving the drink…where I did see something similar? A Moment To Remember (Korean movie)! Kevin’s special and odd car…where did I see something similar? A Moment To Remember again! The scene with Kevin covering Niki’s mouth after the fight in the alley…where did I see something similar? Dalja’s Spring (Korean drama)! The antics that Natalie uses in hope to dump Bosco…probably inspired by How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days (Hollywood movie) and possibly My Sassy Girl (Korean movie)!

So is it a total failure? Not really. As predictable and cheesy as it can get (those I have a disease and I don’t want to be your burden blabs…), I was actually moved and I did get teary at some scenes. One thing that is worth to praise is that this story is actually not a love square involving the 4 main characters. Kevin and Niki have their own storyline so did Bosco and Natalie and these stories are not really interconnected. Only Kevin and Bosco have scenes together and their relationship in this drama was nothing more than coworkers. Therefore, Kevin didn’t have scenes with Natalie (okay, maybe one scene), Niki didn’t have scenes with Bosco (maybe one scene as well) and Niki and Natalie didn’t as well. The pairings had good chemistry and the friendship of DDMK and 3J + Sasa is also a pleasure to watch. The best acting goes to Jack, Niki’s dog in the drama. Once you watch the drama, you’ll know what I mean, a true scene-stealer. It’s too bad that he had fewer scenes toward the end. I like the ending, although a bit sad but not overly melodramatic and it’s satisfying this way.

Watch it if you have free time and if you don't mind occasional stiff acting. Really, Kevin is still the same Kevin, Niki still the same Niki (I hope that she can improve her crying though), Bosco still the same Bosco. Only Natalie improved…

* Themesong of the drama

TVB Dramas 2008

I got this thing called TVB Corporate and Programme Information 2008 today so why not scan it and put it here?...

There are only 2 dramas that I want to watch from the list:

- The Seventh Day
Reasons: I enjoyed Under The Canopy of Love last year and I already know that The Seventh Day borrowed some ideas from the Korean movie A Moment To Remember therefore I want to see how many Korean references I can spot this time. Haha...

- The Four (what an original title, TVB!)
Reasons: The reunion of the Raymond Lam, Ron Ng, Sammul Chan and Kenneth Ma.

Looks like there will be lots of sequels, which I generally think it's a bad idea...I would watch The Gentle Crackdown II if it was acted by the original cast and also Forensic Heroes II if Charmaine Sheh was not included...Oh well...

TVB 40th Anniversary Awards

Although I don’t watch TVB series that often now, however I will watch the annual award show. I’m not going to talk about the winners or if they deserve or not since I didn’t watch much this year and it’s expected to see Heart of Greed sweep the major awards anyway. I just want to talk about the show itself. Before, TVB anniversary celebration had their artists performing and stuff with the awards in one show and it was actually more entertaining and more “alive”. Now with the award show on its own, it’s really boring and the atmosphere is “dead” as everyone looked bored and unattached. This year as usual, it’s messy, it’s rushed (the presenters didn’t have time to finish what they want to say and the winners were rushed to finish their speeches). Bah...

Congratulations to all winners!

The most touching moment of the show...

Men Don't Cry

Men Don’t Cry (TVB, 21 episodes) is the first and (probably will be the only) TVB drama that I watched in full in 2007…

Men Don’t Cry Synopsis (from Wikipedia)
With the support of the head of the Police Authority, Guangzhou’s top villain Ho Kei-Kin (Dayo Wong) has been riding roughshod over everyone around him. He is so manipulative that he has explored every possible means in his fight for a house with the buck-toothed owner Ling Yuk Tsui (Cecilia Yip). Tsui is happy to have met the upright and honorable Wong Fei Hung (Lam Kar Wah). The pair quickly falls in love and even feels ready for marriage. Interested in stirring up trouble, Kin tries to recruit more students for his kung-fu school by portraying himself as the hero who has defeated one of the Ten Tigers of Guangdong Wong Kei-Ying. For the sake of fairness, Hung is resolved to have a contest with Kin. Unfortunately, Kin manages to make Hung give in with the help of the ancestral tablet of his late father. Thinking that he is a hopeless coward, Tsui decides to break off her engagement to Hung. Kin quickly grabs the chance and begins to woo Tsui. Tsui agrees to transfer her house to Kin after much persuasion from him. Kin shows his true colors as soon as he has secured the property. Tsui is left homeless and has to put up at Po Chi Lam, the martial arts club set up by Hung. Kin has lost his power and soon becomes an object of contempt and hatred. With nowhere else to go, he decides to turn to Hung and asks to be his apprentice. Hung has tried his best to bring out the human side of Kin, for which he has received a lot of criticism from others. Despite Hung’s support, Kin does not repent and behaves even worse than before, leaving Po Chi Lam in a state of total chaos…

Cast:
Dayo Wong as Ho Kei Kin
Lam Ka Wah as Wong Fei Hung
Cecilia Yip as Ling Yuk Tsui
Hui Siu Hung as So Fei
Charmaine Li as Jenny
Vivien Yeo as Ling Yuk Bek


My comments
Right, it’s TVB’s 40th anniversary this year and they chose Men Don’t Cry as one of their anniversary series. It had lots of promotion and buzz before airing but once it aired, it failed in rating and even earned a lot of criticisms/complaints for being bad, offensive and crude (anyways HK viewers complain about everything so it’s no big deal…). Is it really that bad? I have to admit that I watched it for the sake of Dayo Wong since I worship him like God (ha!). Compared to his previous dramas with TVB between Justice Sung II, War of Genders and To Catch The Uncatchable, Men Don’t Cry is indeed the weakest. It’s still funny and entertaining but not as witty as the others maybe because the producer is different this time. To fully enjoy the drama, you have to be very fluent in Cantonese and aware of what they are parodying/referencing/making fun of (Ong Bak, Mission Impossible, Prison Break comes to mind).

Villain Kin is indeed very evil in the beginning. When I have a little sympathy for him when he shows a little human side, he will then do something bad to make me fume. When he turns good, he becomes too sacrificial and too good to be true. Wong Fei Hung is humorous with his straight face telling long stories to bore people...haha! The love relationship between the main characters is really not deep. Kin and Chui did not have any intimate moment at all after Kin scammed Chui and since then carry this love-hate relationship. But I really wonder when Kin started to love Chui. Wong Fei Hung and Chui didn’t have anything at all; it was one-sided from Wong Fei Hung. It is somewhat unexpected at how this triangular love relationship ended. I think the ending is original but it is disappointing if you’re a sucker for happy conclusions. But the fortuneteller said that Kin and Chui are a fated couple for 3 lives so…Also, there are a lot of characters that are left out at the ending that makes you wonder what happen to them…

Performance wise, everyone is doing a fair job. I didn’t find anyone spectacular. Overall, this series is entertaining to watch, just don’t have high expectations…

* Themesong of the drama (haha...Dayo changed the Wong Fei Hung theme with his wacky lyrics!)

A post about TVB

A friend of mine who knows me for a long time commented that my blog is mostly about Korean stuffs, calling me a "traitor" of TVB and HK stuff...hehe...right, I admit that I am! While I still listen to Chinese songs, I'm just not as enthusiastic about HK dramas and movies as I used to be.

Speaking of TVB, it was really my ultimate favorite station for HK dramas back then but end up being a station that I boycott now. Seriously, I was such a fan of TVB, watching almost every single released drama in the 90s to completing only 3 last year and not even finishing one from this year! Yup, I did not even watch Heart of Greed despite the hype.

Why I can’t stand watching TVB now?

- The actresses => I think I have low tolerance of the actresses of the station. Forget about the newer ones, even the first rate leading actresses’ acting is ‘scary’. Watch them cry and you’ll see what I mean. As you can see, TVB tends to favor actresses with weak voices nowadays, which put me off.

- The ‘freshness’ of the combination of the cast => I understand that TVB is one station but c’mon putting the same 2 actors/actresses in like 6-7 dramas together within 4 years is soooooo refreshing (roll eyes…)! Want example? Here you go:

Moses Chan + Gigi Lai appeared in:
Riches and Stitches
War and Beauty
Healing Hands 3
The Charm Beneath
Dance of Passion
Super Cops
Jewel’s Splendor

How about the Bowie Lam and Moses Chan combo:
Healing Hands 2
War and Beauty
Healing Hands 3
Dance of Passion
Jewel’s Splendor

- The music/themesongs => TVB likes to recycle their background music, fine. But can they be more considerate of their viewers when it comes to themesongs? By pushing its own artists to sing the themesongs is just so annoying. No wonder you cannot find memorable themesongs these days. If they are actors, let them focus on acting instead of “trying” to make them multi-tasked. What’s the point of pushing them to be singers, giving them awards at JSG and then getting booed on stage?!

P.S. Some people think that I’m nitpicking TVB productions. Maybe it’s true since I’m too spoiled by the detailed and beautifully packaged Korean productions that I can’t help it. No matter how bad the Korean drama is, at least the scenery of the drama or the OST can be a redeeming factor. I cannot say the same about TVB. However, I know it’s unfair to compare TVB (that’s one station) and Korean television (they have multiple channels producing dramas). Okay, enough blabbing now....