The Magicians of Love (愛情魔髮師) August 6, 2008
Posted by mxm1295 in Dramas, Taiwanese Dramas.Tags: 183 club, adriene lin, huang yu rong, jacky zhu, joanne zeng, ming dao, romance, sam wang, sonia sui, sun ai hui, the magicians of love, twdrama, 愛情魔髮師
2 comments
The Magicians of Love is a Taiwanese drama starring Ming Dao (Du Ya Si or Artz), Joanne Zeng (Bei Ruo Yi or Xiao Bei), as well as Sam Wang and Jacky Zhu. It aired from February to July 2006. This drama was a very big hit in Taiwan so they extended it to 22 episodes, being originally 18 episodes.
Main Cast:
Ming Dao as Du Ya Si aka Artz
Joanne Zeng as Bei Ruo Yi aka Xiao Bei
Sam Wang as Lin Er Qi aka Richie
Jacky Zhu as Fei Nan Du aka Fernando
Huang Yu Rong as Xiao Zhe Ming
Sonia Sui as Ye Ke Lan
Sun Ai Hui as Emma
Adriene Lin as Qing Kong
Synopsis: World-wide famous hair salon Neo-Image has just opened. The beautiful hairstyles of the three popular hairstylists (Artz, Richie and Fernando) attract huge crowds. At this time, an external official came to them for help. There was an event called “The Chinese Hairstyle Competition” and they have found a part-time working young female hair-dresser, Xiao Bei, to compete against the French stylist to help advertise the French Hair Products. As this competition will greatly affect the country’s status, the three guys decided to help.
Later, they find talent in Xiao Bei and trick her into working for Neo-Image, since she refused to cooperate without a fight. One day, Xiao Bei is about to be hit by a car when Artz pushes her away and saves her life. He was wearing a jacket with the number 23 on it. When Xiao Bei saw Richie wearing the jacket and assumed that he was her savior, and she fell for him. However, Richie leads a dangerous life and he lives without knowing if he will have a “tomorrow” or not. Xiao Bei volunteers at a retirement home. A coincidence occurs involving Xiao Bei and Artz visiting his grandma Li Lian at the same time. Grandma Li Lian realizes that they are the perfect couple and convinces Artz into admitting his true feelings for her before it’s too late.
(credit: http://wiki.d-addicts.com/The_Magicians_of_Love)
Review: Well, what can I say about this drama? Not much really. It was a very played up story for people who were hair dressers. I mean some of the last parts where they are trapped in a room and they don’t know if they will make it out alive was a little unnecessary. I think the only really reason this was popular was because of the members from 183 Club being in it. And to tell you the truth, I personally do not think that Ming Dao is that attractive. Either you like him or you don’t, that’s it. Personally, I don’t think he is that cute or hot at all. I mean you get used to it as the story goes on and I thought that the two of them were cute together by the end.
Some parts I thought were heart warming. I did like when Xiao Bei was having the hair styling competition with Qing Kong. And the part I still remember from watching it two years ago was when Qing Kong’s hand slips and accidentally cuts the bangs on her model’s hair wrong. Then Xiao Bei snips her model’s bangs funky to match, trying to let Qing Kong win. I thought that was really great and showed that she had class. I would’ve liked it better if Xiao Bei won, but whatever. I mean, the drama was cute. I think that since it started out like that, some of the heavier moments seemed almost out of place. So, if they had started the drama out a litter edgier, instead of so light and fun, they would’ve seemed more appropriate.
Overall, I thought it was a little up-played, but then again most soap operas are. It reminded me a bit of Meteor Garden with the group of supposedly gorgeous guys that kind of control the place they are at. But I think Meteor Garden is much better than this. The other thing that bothered me a bit is that they kept showing pictures of Xiao Bei in edgy clothes; a whole new makeover, and they didn’t give her that look until the end. It just irked me because I thought it suited her and they should have done that earlier.
Well, here are the links to the drama if you want to watch it. Here ya go, and enjoy!!
YouTube-http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=C58F1E1ABB2BF637
aznV.TV-http://aznv.tv/?p=d153
MARS (戰神 MARS) July 7, 2008
Posted by mxm1295 in Dramas, Taiwanese Dramas.Tags: action, an jun can, barbie xu, mars, megan lai, romance, suspense, twdrama, vic zhou, war god mars, xiao xiao, xiu jie kai, zai zai, zhan shen, 戰神 MARS
2 comments
War-God Mars (or commonly known as Mars) is a Taiwanese drama starring Vic Zhou (Ling/Sheng) and Barbie Xu (Qi Luo). It was based on the Japanese shoujo manga, Mars, by Fuyumi Soryo and it also won the Favorite Drama of the Year Golden Bell Award in 2005.
Main Cast:
Vic Zhou as Chen Ling & Sheng
Barbie Xu as Han Qi Luo
Xiu Jie Kai as Da Ye
Megan Lai as Qing Mei
An Jun Can as Tong Dao
Xiao Xiao as Sha Zhi
Synopsis: A shy artistic girl, Qi Luo, is approached by a the care-free and play-boy Chen Ling, who asked Qi Luo for directions to a hospital. In a split-second Ling forgets what the hospital name was.
Hurriedly Qi Luo draws a map for him, unknowing that she was drawing on the back of one her drawings. Ling thanked her but she ran off before she could hear him, he then noticed the picture and was touched.
The next time they had seen each other, Ling told her about the picture but Qi Luo ignored him and said he could keep the picture. Ling was very touched by the picture and that drew him closer and closer towards Qi Luo.
But his past comes back to haunt him when a new student arrives as well as Qi Luo’s past comes back. Feelings will collide when you have a jealous ex come to stand up and fight for Ling against Qi Luo and a known admirer confesses his feelings to Qi Luo.
(credit: http://www.crunchyroll.com/group/CRSeries_-_Zhan_Shen_-_MARS)
Review: Hands down, this is my favorite Taiwanese drama. Hands down. No question. Great story line, great acting. Great all around. For those who haven’t seen it, I would definitely recommend this drama. However, this is, what I call, a “heavy” drama. It is “heavy” in that it deals with many major issues. Like rape, suicide, mental illness, and others. But, to me, this drama doesn’t over excentuate these and sugar coat it. You can see right from the beginning the insecurities of Qi Luo and Ling, it’s not something that just happens. And for this you need actors that are on top of it. They have to feel what the character is feeling, and etc.
This drama is kinda long; 21 episodes, but it really doesn’t matter. Each episode is great to watch. I loved it and the chemistry between Barbie Xu and Vic Zhou was great. Maybe it’s because at the time they did really like each other and a little while after filming they were dating.
Well I don’t have much else to say other than this drama is excellent. Different from the normal Taiwanese drama. Definitely worth it to watch. So, here are the links and happy watching! My YouTube playlist is not complete. It is missing episodes 6-10 with English subtitles. So, if someone knows where those videos are on YouTube, please email me about them. Thanks in advance.
YouTube-http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=AC90ED4B0EAC7BC8
Crunchyroll-http://www.crunchyroll.com/group/CRSeries_-_Zhan_Shen_-_MARS
aznV.TV-http://aznv.tv/en/drama/p.iD-MTc0/
Love Contract (愛情合約) June 23, 2008
Posted by mxm1295 in Dramas, Taiwanese Dramas.Tags: ariel lin, lai zhi wei, lin yi hong, love contract, mike he, romance, tragedy, twdrama, zhang ru jia, zhong xin yu, 愛情合約
1 comment so far
Love Contract is a Taiwanese drama starring Ariel Lin, who played Xiao Feng, and Mike He, who played Liu Jian Dong also known as Ah Ken. This drama aired from June 2004 to August 2004 with 20 episdoes.
Main Cast:
Ariel Lin as Cheng Xiao Feng
Mike He as Ah Ken
Zhang Rui Jia as Ah Kai
Zhong Xin Yu as Li Xin Lei
Lai Zhi Wei as Xiao Bai
Lin Yi Hong as Mu Tou
Synopsis: Outwardly, Xiao Feng (Ariel Lin) is a stubborn tomboy and the captain of the Kendo Club at her college. In her group of friends, she is the leader with her demanding nature and abrupt ways. Inwardly however, Xiao Feng is a girl scarred by her past and searching for what she wants most, love. Her friends, Ah Kai (Zhang Rui Jia), Xiao Bai (Lai Zhi Wei ), Mu Tou (Lin Yi Hong), Xin Lei (Zhong Xin Yu, and, Xiao Xiao (Yang Pei Ting) don’t know about that part of her past but they are all loyal friends to Xiao Feng; that is, until Xiao Bai and Ah Kai leave the Kendo Club for the Swim Team. Xiao Bai and Ah Kai are immediately regretful when the captain of the Swim Team, Ah Ken, turns out to be a captain as grueling as Xiao Feng. When one night Xiao Feng announces to her friends she wants love the most, Xiao Bai and Ah Ken devise a prank called the love contract. In exchange for finding swim team members to recruit, Ah Ken must court Xiao Feng.
(credit: http://wiki.d-addicts.com/Love_Contract)
Review: Well, since I did one post on Mike He, I might as well do another. I thought he was good in this one as well, probably better than in Devil Beside You. Doesn’t matter what drama he will star in, he will always be a bad ass of some kind. Here he kinda plays an emotionally closed person, meaning the only emotion he shows in the beginning is anger. Of course, as the story progress he begins to have feelings for Xiao Feng, but anyone could’ve guessed that. Ariel Lin was also very good in this too. I saw her in Tokyo Juliet also, and I still think that this was her shining moment. She acted very well and it wasn’t too sickeningly sweet. I thought it was genuine for her character and I think she would be good in other roles such as this one.
Anyway, I think this drama was a little more emotionally involved than Devil Beside You was. (I could be wrong because I saw both of these dramas exactly a year ago, so I can’t remember EVERYTHING.) It dealt with bigger issues with Xiao Feng’s insecurity because of her burns, the death of Ah Ken’s mother, and of course near the end when Xiao Feng basically becomes a vegetable and Ah Ken has like a mental breakdown because of this. There are other moments not between Ah Ken and Xiao Feng that were heavy as well. Like when Ah Kai pushes his girlfriend down the stairs or something to that affect. Also, Xiao Feng’s sister becoming pregnant and then having a miscarriage. So, it was definitely a little more heavy than most dramas, in that it dealt with intense things. Although it did have its light, happy moments.
So, the ending. I won’t ruin it for the people who haven’t seen this. But I will say that it was strange, and confusing at first. I had to re-watch it to really understand what happened. Then I thought it was sweet, the meaning behind it. It was sad, but I totally got it. I gave this one a 10/10. Everything was great, a really touching story.
Okay, so I do have links for this one as well. So, here they are and I really hope you enjoy the drama as much as I did. Feel free to comment on it as well!! Enjoy!
YouTube-http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=93B0E961F140F01A
aznV.TV-http://aznv.tv/?p=d174
Devil Beside You (惡魔在身邊) April 24, 2008
Posted by mxm1295 in Dramas, Taiwanese Dramas.Tags: akuma de souro, comedy, devil beside you, figaro ceng shao zong, fu xiao yun, ge wei ru, he du lin, ivy fan xiao, kingone, masuyama yuki, mike he, rainie yang, romance, takanashi mitsuba, tsai pei, twdrama, 惡魔在身邊
10 comments
Devil Beside You is a taiwanese drama starring Mike He, who played Jiang Meng also known as Ah Meng, and Rainie Yang, who played Qi Yue. It was based on the popular Japanese manga “Akuma de Souro” (Devils Do Exist) by Takanashi Mitsuba. This drama aired from June 2005 to September 2005.
Main Cast:
Mike He as Jiang Meng 
Rainie Yang as Qi Yue
Kingone as Sang Yuan Yi
Ivy Fan Xiao Fan as Xin Li Xiang
He Du Lin as Jiang You Hui (Jiang Meng’s father)
Ge Wei Ru as Huang Xue Wei (Qi Yue’s mother)
Masuyama Yuki as Yu Yang Ping
Tsai Pei Lin as Qing Zi
Fu Xiao Yun as Xiao Cai (Qi Yue’s friend)
Figaro Ceng Shao Zong as Yuan Chuan Rang (Jiang Meng’s younger brother)
Synopsis: After finally getting the courage to confess her feelings, Qi Yue (Rainie Yang) was handing her love letter to Yuan Yi (Kingone), but by a stroke of bad luck, he did not see and walked passed her. The person standing in front of her was the troublemaker of the school, infamously known for his devilish ways, Jiang Meng (Mike He). The devil will get what he wants, and the object of his desire was Qi Yue. Although having a cruel exterior, Ah Meng’s heart is kind and caring, which truly touched Qi Yue. The big problem remained: Ah Meng is the son of the man Qi Yue’s mother is going to marry. Even though they were not related by blood, who will accept this step brother-sister relationship? What is to become of their relationship when other lovers come into the picture?
(credit: http://wiki.d-addicts.com/Devil_Beside_You)
Review: I was kinda debating which drama to post next and this one really jumped out at me, mainly because I love this drama and I am watching another drama with the same three actors/actresses in this one (Mike He, Rainie Yang, and Kigone). Yeah, this one is great…it’s probably the first drama I have watched. I thought that this couple was so cute and apparently everyone else does too, because they have been in a couple other dramas together.
The acting by Mike and Rainie was really well and not too much overdone like in some dramas. Kigone was good, but I really favored Mike in this one not only because I thought he was smokin’ hot (hehe) but also because of his acting. I thought he was great. Rainie, of course, was Rainie; cute as ever with her awesome ability to make her chipmunk face!! (side note: I really wish I could do that!!! =D) Anyway, they were a really cute couple and I know many people think they should be a couple in real life, but if you watch the behind the scene takes of them together, they bicker like brother and sister!!! It’s actually pretty funny.
Okay, got a little side tracted…back to the drama. Overall, I thought it was cute and a real fun drama to watch. It definitely had its somewhat dark, soap-opera-ish moments, especially when Ah Meng’s brother came into the picture. He still kinda freaks me out…and that hair… Also, the whole thing that they are step-siblings, really tore them apart in this drama and I like what they decide to do at that end, it really shows that the characters are selfless. I definitely recommend this one, I give it a 10/10.
And, unlike the last drama I did, I have links! YAY!! One is for youtube on my accout. However, I have put my playlists on private for certain reasons and if you want to view them you have to add me as a friend, or I can add you, it doesn’t really matter. It is really good and anyone who wants to get into dramas, this is the first one that I would watch. Enjoy!
YouTube-http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=77F9923858E2C3FC
aznV.TV-http://aznv.tv/?p=d128
