My Top 10 TWDramas/CDramas: a not-too-spoilery pusher post

[dangermousie]

Twdramas were my first drama loves (mars and Meteor Garden were my first and second drama, respectively) and you never forget your first love, do you?

That is why, much as I might love the slickness of kdrama and the understatedness of jdrama, few things will get me as giddy or emo as a well-done twdrama.

So, after I’ve done my Top Ten Jdramas and my Top 20 Kdramas, the next logical step is the Top 10 Twdramas/Cdramas, isn’t it?

Only I kept putting it off because I yet haven’t seen some which might very well make it into my Top 10: My Lucky Star (which seems to have been universally loved), Corner with Love, The Outsiders 2 (Chances of that one making into my Top 10? 95%). And I haven’t even gotten to At Dolphin Bay, Lavender, Delicious Relationship etc. It’s like a person who only started reading listing their favorite books.

But I finally got tired of waiting to watch them (am impatient), so here is my Top 10 twdrama/cdrama list. Once again, same thing applies: only finished ones (or nearly), as unspoilery as I can make it, blahblahblah.



1. MARS (2004) (20 episodes)



Starring: Vic Zhou, Barbie Hsu
Plot: Set in a college in Taipei, Mars is a story of two broken people: Qi Luo (my favorite, Barbie Hsu), an artist who is so shy as to be dysfunctional, walking through her days as a zombie, praying for no-one to speak to her, and Chen Ling (my fave drama actor ever, Vic Zhou), a seemingly well-adjusted slacker whose passion in life is to be a motorcycle racer, but who is arguably even more messed-up than Qi Luo. Their paths intersect and the story goes from there…
Why: This was my first ever drama, and for two+ years remained the favorite drama, period (Legend has since got to share the top spot). I have metaed enough about it to fill a book, so it seems redundant to reiterate it, but Mars is not just one of the most amazing love stories I’ve ever seen, but it’s such a complicated, nuanced story of two extremely broken people who heal each other (but never mawkishly). It can get incredibly dark (rape, child abuse, insanity, murder) but is somehow uplifting. Chen Ling is my favorite drama hero of all time, and Qi Luo one of the favorite heroines. There is so much in the delicate, crucial relationship between the two, that you could watch and analyze for ages, and the chemistry is through the roof and the story is just like a gorgeous Victorian novel.
Favorite Moment: The love-making scene. Oddly, not for pervy reasons at all (you don’t really see anything), but for how enormously important it is for the character progression (to say more would be to spoil it). Or maybe when he rides to find her at the metro, after their fight.
Vid:

2. THE OUTSIDERS (2004) (20 episodes)




Starring: Dylan Kuo, Ady An, Blue Lan, Michael Zhang
Plot: Ah Hao, Shan Zi, and Xiong Qi are delinquents from poor backgrounds. Ah Hao, the leader among the three, falls in love with Yu Yen, a total opposite of everything they are (a sheltered pianist from a good family) and, miracle of miracles, she falls back in love with him. In order to protect her, he ends up joining the Triads and the story goes from there…
Why: Probably the most ‘grown-up’ twdrama I’ve ever seen, and the most complex, this is both very dark and giddily romantic. This takes something that could be a rather cliched story of forbidden love (low-class gangster and sheltered pianist) but builds it into something entirely different and better: loss of soul (yes, really), and secrets and spaces between people, even those who love each other. Yu Yen and Ah Hao are one of the most fascinating couples I’ve ever seen on screen, because the story gets them together very quickly but what we follow are the cracks and unevennesses in the relationship, all the flaws and hurts. And both of them are flawed, lost individuals somehow, who lose so much through loving each other, and yet you cannot be sorry for it at all. But it is not just a love story, but also a Greek tragedy really, of a loss of innocence, and descent through good intentions, and inevitability of betrayal. It just kills me that more people don’t know about this drama.
Favorite Moment: Oh, so many. But probably (because yes, I am a glutton for punishment), Ah Hao sobbing over and over that he is sorry, in ep 15 (to say more would be to really spoiler it). Or in ep 14, when Yu Yen is repainting the piano and stages the concert for him. Or the scene after Ah Hao et al’s first murder.
Vid:

3. METEOR GARDEN (2001) (20 episodes)



Starring: Barbie Hsu, Jerry Yan, Vic Zhou, Ken Chu, Vanness Wu
Plot: Shan Cai (Barbie!!!) is a poor but strong-willed student at an exclusive, richy-rich college ruled by the offspring of the four richest families, known as F4. When something she does angers the tyrannical F4 leader, Daoming Si (Jerry Yan, showing off his yummy cheekbones), F4 declares she is persona non grata who must be bullied to be expelled. But Shan Cai, full of backbone and common sense, refuses to take it lying down and declares her own war on the F4. Parodoxically, her sheer nerve catches the attention of Daoming Si, and he ends up falling in love with her. One little problem: not only does she (justifiably) hate him, and is also crushing on his best friend, the quietly elegant Hua Ze Lei (Vic Zhou), but Daoming Si wouldn’t know how to woo a girl if his life depended on it…
Why: This is the daddy of all the current twdramas, really. It is ridiculously fun, with some hilarious bits and some incredibly emotional bits. There is a fantastically strong heroine, an amusingly dense hero, plenty of eye-candy, and a story that has been enthralling people for ages (there is a reason Hana Yori Dango, the manga this is based on, has been adopted seventeen billion different times). True, the F4 boys are learning their acting on the job, but the story is so good, it really doesn’t matter. And unlike the jdrama adaptation, this is very very faithful to the manga, which is a huge plus.
Favorite Moment: Daoming Si letting the goons beat him into unconsciousness because if he resists, they would hurt Shan Cai. It’s actually hands-down my favorite scene in any drama.
Vid:

4. WHY WHY LOVE (2007) (15 episodes)




Starring: Rainie Yang, Mike He, Kingone
Plot: Jia Di is a hard-working girl burdened with a family that goes through money like water. Her life could be different if she wasn’t too busy to find love, or so her best friend thinks. The perfect candidate to make Jia Di’s life brighter? The kind, clever manager, Huo Yan. Now only if she didn’t get stuck babysitting his bratty younger brother, Huo Da, instead…
Why: This was a totally unlikely favorite. I didn’t have much interest in it when it started, as it looked like a hang-over from Devil Beside You, a drama I am in a tiny minority in not caring for. I checked it out merely because I like Mike, Rainie, and Kingone, and it looked cute. And somehow, after the first few eps, I discovered I fell madly in love with it. This was a hilarious drama that made me cry, a romance that made me care about family issues, a story with one of my favorite OTPs which made me adore the Other Guy. It did everything right which DBY did wrong, and made no mistakes of its own. It was not draggy or repetitive, nor did it gallop too much. The hero was someone I ended up caring a great deal for: he both grew and was also ‘opened up’ to the viewer, and the heroine was a total darling, whom I loved and wanted to protect myself. The heroine was not a dishrag and the hero was not a mope. Plus, friends who become lovers? Yes please. Oh, whatever. Enough of my blathering, just go watch!
Favorite Moment: Huo Yan explaining himself to Jia Di (by the car) or Huo Da running looking for Jia Di when he is worried she was caught by loan sharks.
Vid:

5. IT STARTED WITH A KISS (2005-2006) (20 episodes)



Starring: Ariel Lin, Joe Cheng, Jiro Wang
Plot: Our heroine, Xiang Qin, might not be the brightest bulb out there, but she knows what she wants: the brainy, good-looking Zhi Shu, the pride of the school. A pity her love letter gets rejected out of hand, and Zhi Shu not only does not break his stride but asks her if she really has nothing better in life. This could be the end of it all, and just an embarassing teen memory (except Xiang Qin is too spunky to be embarassed) but a series of hilarious events conspires to have the ill-matched couple live together. Can the bubbly, not-too-bright Xiang Qin win over Zhi Shu, who is entirely unfamiliar with human emotions? What do you think?
Why: ISWAK is just wonderfully good fun. I watched it in the middle of moving, and remember giggling and sniffling surrounded by boxes. ISWAK makes you forget your daily troubles, it’s true! This is a rare drama with which I fell in love from the opening scene, one where I adored the chemistry, one which (even if the outcome is certain) is full of the wonderful ‘but how on earth will this happen…’ vibe. I love it.
Favorite Moment: Confession and kiss in the rain.
Vid:

(this is sort of a promo vid, so totally unspoilery)

6. SMILING PASTA (2007) (17 episodes)



Starring: Cyndi Wang, Nicholas Teo
Plot: Xiao Si, our heroine, is a college girl laboring under a love curse. She can't date anyone longer than three months as they all dump her. As a result of such latest break up, while walking down the street she bumps into out hero, He Qun, who is a famous young Taiwanese idol in an uber-bad mood, as not only is he being chased by paparazzi, but the love of his life just dumped him. For his leather-wearing, bad-boy younger brother, no less. Due to a series of accidents, the two get entangled, things get misuderstood and hilarity and cuteness follows.
Why: This is poppy fun at its best, which doesn’t take itself too seriously to boot. The hero is awesome and functional (usually the ‘well-behaved but a bit emotionally repressed’ is the type delegated to an ‘also run’ as far the the girl is concerned), the heroine hilarious, the secondaries amuse me, and the family members rock. Plus, very appropriately, an awesome soundtrack. As I wrote earlier: “It reminds me a little of Full House (famous guy and normal girl get stuck pretending they are in a relationship), but only a little. It's a lot more off-kilter, madcap and crazy. It throws in everything and the kitchen sink: famous singers, school rivalry, lost lurve, constraining parents, rebellious angsty students/rockers. Basically think of Full House+Meteor Garden+Mars+Gokusen with a few other doramas thrown in. And yet it works works works. The actors are all adorable (I just want to smoosh the lead guy and girl together), the antagonist is all angsty and leather wearing, and most importantly, the show mocks itself. At one point, when the heroine is dumped yet again, a cartoon cloud appears over her and starts raining just on her, in a great parody of all the angstoriffic in the rain scenes.”
Favorite Moment: I will be cliché and say the ending.
Vid:

7. SILENCE (2006) (19 episodes)



Starring: Vic Zhou, Park Eun Hye
Plot: The heroine of the story, Shen Shen, is a half-Korean girl who has been mute since a childhood accident. When she was in the hospital recuperating, she met and made friends with a boy who was on crutches, Wei Yi. Both of them felt alien so bonded with each other and even fell into a childhood sweethearts type thing, very Victorian. He didn't know she was mute, and he only knew her Korean name. Oh, and he left her his phone number but even if she could call, she's lost it. When the proper story starts, Shen Shen is a grown-up woman, living with her loving family, sunny and unretiring, and not cowed by her handicap. Her father figure gets fired by the young, icy CEO of a company he's worked at for years and ShenShen crosses the man's path as she tries to get him to rehire Uncle. And it goes from there. Of course, the CEO in question is the grown-up Wei Yi. But neither of them know of the fact.
Why: Silence is an amazingly shot and acted drama, and would normally be much higher, except I cannot bear to rewatch the angst again. The OTP is pitch-perfect, Vic Zhou gives a wonderful performance, Shen-Shen is a heroine who makes you love her, and the whole thing has these amazing moments, of either beauty or being punched in the gut and crying until you hurt. But I cannot take the misery a second time, I cannot.
Favorite Moment: Shoes. Oh my God.
Vid:

8. RETURN OF THE CONDOR HEROES (2006) (41 episodes)



Starring: Huang Xiaoming, Crystal Liu
Plot: HXM and CL play the star-crossed, sword-wielding lovers in this wuxia cdrama based on a famous novel. He is her martial arts disciple thus it can’t be, which would be enough plot right there, but throw in evil poisoners, mystical hermits, the most obnoxious character to ever exist, and a Mongolian invasion, and you got yourself a riproaring good time, plus my favorite wuxia ever.
Why: This is a fairy tale for grown-ups, full of magic, star-crossed lovers, gorgeous costumes, and wikedly cool fights. I love the hero but I love the love story even more, pushing every kink I have, and then some. And, a rarity in wuxias, a happy ending!
Favorite Moment: The night after the wedding, in the cave and with her fear of death. Or their fight against Valley Overlord.
Vid:

(Actually my fave MV can't be embedded but here it is:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mC-F5hkNsXQ)

9. LOVE CONTRACT (2004) (20 episodes)



Starring: Ariel Lin, Mike He
Plot: The story centers around Xiao Feng and Ken, college students. Xiao Feng is a tomboy (she wears loose, baggy clothing and even an unpretty short wig to school so as to get less attention) and is a president of the college kendo club. She runs it with a strict strict hand, and two of the members rebel and decide to join the swim team instead, only to find out too late that the swim team captain is just as strict and perfectionist as Xiao Feng herself. The captain in question is Ken, who is a quiet loner, the strong and silent type. Well, the friends decide to make life easier for themselves and offer Ken a deal. In exchange for finding a coach and swim team members (no one really want to join), he would have to take Xiao Feng out for a movie. That way (reason they) maybe both of them will mellow out. And it goes from there.
Why: This is a very flawed drama. The parts with the friends were designed for the fastforward button, and the ending literally makes no sense. And yet, and yet…This is put on the list because the relationship between Ariel and Mike (both playing completely against type) rings painfully true and is one of the most romantic and complicated relationships in twdramas.
Favorite Moment: The underwater kissing. Or the dance scene near the end.
Vid:

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10. ROMANTIC PRINCESS (2007) (13 episodes)



Starring: Angela Zhang, Wu Chun
Plot: Angela, an average girl, turns to be a long lost grand-daughter of an exxcentric rich gentleman and thus an heiress. Wu Zun is Angela's grandpa's previous successor who is all set to despise Angela but slowly begins falling for the feisty interloper. But is it the path to happiness or just heartbreak? Duh :)
Why: Abandon your brains, all ye who enter here! This is definitely no nuanced exploration of broken individuals finding themselves through love (Mars) or a Greek tragedy set among the Triads (The Outsiders), or even a look at class and feminism even if through a shoujo lens (Meteor Garden). No, this makes no bones about what this is: pure, delicious, sugar-sweet cotton-candy fluff. But I defy anyone not to get a sugar rush of glee just watching this yummy fairy-tale about the modern-day Cinderella. Cute boys, crazy fashion, spunky heroine, a smidgeon of angst. This is the closest I’ve seen to a distilation of shoujo on screen. The fact that Wu Chun (or Wu Zun, pick your spelling) is so smoking hot, doesn’t hurt.
Favorite Moment: When Wu Chun follows Angela when she runs away, and spends the whole night with her sleeping on his shoulder, wrapped in his jacket.
Vid:

In conclusion, yes, Vic Zhou is still my favorite drama actor, all these dramas later.

Comments

[shewhohashope.livejournal.com]

I watched the first ep of Romatic Princess and the fashion scared me away.

Why Why Love is my current favourite twdrama, and Romance of the Red Dust/ROCH have opened the door to cdramas to me fairly recently, but I think I'll enjoy them.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

If you think that is bad fashion you have never watched Magicians of Love. Something to be grateful for.

[angelajewell.livejournal.com]

haha, so true. The fashion and the hair-cuts scared me!

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Would you really want guys who look like that to cut your hair?

Mawang/The devil is one of my favorites and I haven't even finished watching it yet

[our-scars.livejournal.com]

I loved Mars, ISWAK, Silence and Love Contract (Despite the ending. The chemistry between Ariel Lin and Mike He in this drama was amazing -I enjoyed watching that pairing even more that when he acts with Rainie Yang). I started watching Romantic Princess because of Wu Zun and Angela Zhang (They're so pretty!!) but I haven't finished it yet...it's just too slow >.< I think I'll watch "Bump off lover" first.
Also, the story of Smiling Pasta sounds good, I might watch it later too.

Re: Mawang/The devil is one of my favorites and I haven't even finished watching it yet

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I can't wait to get my Mawang DCDs!

Ooooh, what is Bump Off Lover about?

chemistry between Ariel Lin and Mike He in this drama was amazing

Yes. I know Joe/Ariel and Mike/Rainie are more popular pairings, but I don't think I've seen more combustible chemistry in a twdrama than in LC, except for Vic abd Barbie in Mars and maybe Dylan/Ady in TO.

[thinking-lotus.livejournal.com]

I luv MARS and Why Why Love.

uh-oh, that was a bit "me TOO" I suppose.

I guess I should try a few others then, so I can turn into your drama-watching clone ;-) [now there's an aspiration!]

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Ooooh, I can have an army of clones! *cackles*

I highly recommend Silence if you don't mind depressing.

[boycottbananas.livejournal.com]

:3 Yay for Love Contract!rabu. A lot of people hated it but I was one of the rare ones who absolutely loved it. XD

Smiling Pasta, ftw. :DDDDDDDDD

I don't see Taiwanese!Hana-Kimi on here. :pokes: Never seen it, hate it, or indifferent? Or do you like the Japanese one?

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

LC was flowed but so good about the OTP. I loved it so much. But I cried for literally the entirety of the last episode.

I watched tw-HK and it was cute, but I liked it, didn't love it. It's sort of like Romantic Princess in its angstlessness and relative lack of strong narrative drive, but less romantic. Much better than j-HanaKimi though.

[prettierdanpink.livejournal.com]

Eeeee! I LOVE TWDRAMAS ♥♥♥ I enjoy watching jdramas because the leads are almost always young and I can relate but Twdramas have a special place in my heart <333 And like you, Mars and Meteor Garden are my very first dramas (except I've watched Meteor Garden first and then Mars after :D)

Mars- the love scene is also my favorite scene. because it is a LOVE SCENE not a sex scene whatsoever XD it looks so.. hmm. sacred? :D

MG- i also loved that scene! first time I liked Dao Ming Si for Shan Cai (because I very much like Lei for Shan Cai) so in that scene, awww. I also like the hot spring part, where Lei rescued Shan Cai and they slept in the room together, just holding hands :) The basketball thing was awesome too XD

WWL- it may be included in my top10 but I really do not like Rainie =/ But Kingone! and Mike He! Their brotherly love is just pure awesomeness that I cried ♥

ISWAK- Ariel Lin. Joe Cheng. LOVE. ♥ and Zhi Shu's family \:D/

Silence- I loved it too! But like you, I don't think I would rewatch T_T The shoes scene eeeeeeeee <33

I haven't watched the others because I do not know the actors. LOL. I've watched some eps of Love Contract but it was dubbed soo O____O And yeah, finish watching Corner with Love! :) Though I didn't like Alan Luo that much, Barbie Xu is still the cutest ♥

AND VIC ZHOU OH MY GOD ♥♥♥ HE IS ALSO MY FAVORITE DRAMA ACTOR. PERIOD. ♥

LOL this is like one full post XDDD

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I love your Vic and Barbie icon! One of the very few celebrity couples I totally rooted for :(

LOVE SCENE not a sex scene whatsoever XD it looks so.. hmm. sacred?

Exactly. And it's just so huge, her overcoming her rape trauma, really: such a huge step towards healing, to be able to see it as making love and not something filthy and abusive. And I love that she is the one who has to ask him, because she knows he would never lay a finger on her. And OMG, when she starts flashbacking and freaking out in the middle of it, and tells her 'Open your eyes, it's me.' GUUUUH. I sort of died.

I also like the hot spring part, where Lei rescued Shan Cai and they slept in the room together, just holding hands :)

I loved that so much. I didn't ship them in MG but I did adore their friendship. Another scene I love is the one where DMS is locked up in his house and is starving himself and SC barges in to see him and they talk through the door. OMG. Love.

The shoes scene eeeeeeeee <33

Viiiiic! Buy shoes for meeeeeee!

AND VIC ZHOU OH MY GOD ♥♥♥ HE IS ALSO MY FAVORITE DRAMA ACTOR. PERIOD. ♥

You wouldn't think someone that gorgeous could act but he is soooo good.

[prettierdanpink.livejournal.com]

This is my favorite icon ♥ It made me REALLY sad when Barbie and Vic broke up because they were like perfect for each other. *sighs*

Their love scene in Mars moved me, up to now, it is still my favorite scene. :D I really love how they made it so holy and sweet :)

'Open your eyes, it's me.'

Ah yes, I died too. LOL.

I also remember that scene from MG! I actually cried in that scene. Haha. First time that Jerry Yan made me cry XD Also, I think Lei and SC are better as friends than lovers. Haha. (But in HanaDan, I think Rui and Makino looked so good together XD) Lei and SC's friendship is one of the best relationships in any drama, in my opinion :)

Waaah. If only Vic could really buy shoes for us. Gawd. HEAVEN. ♥♥ I want to watch Wish to See You Again just because Vic (and Kingone!!!!) is there. I miss seeing ZaiZai! :D :D

[miss-dian.livejournal.com]

Mars is of course my fave Taiwanese drama too, followed shortly by Meteor Garden and Silence. I liked Why Why Love and it was cute and all, but Rainie's character was a tad bit too whiny for me to consider it a Top 10 favourite. I don't watch that many Taiwanese dramas, though, so perhaps it could very well be in my Top 10 when I try to make a list :D

I think you're one of the very few who've watched The Outsiders. I have been looking for that one everywhere (in Indonesia that is), and still can't find it. Sounds and looks very, very good.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

The Outsiders was very popular in Taiwan but the subs are basically impossible to find unless you subscribe to lainemma. Can you dl? She subbed all of TO and TO2?

[miss-dian.livejournal.com]

I hardly ever download, but thanks for the rec :) I've seen your Outsiders post and have been meaning to check out that LJ site you referred.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

The first ten eps are available for watching on streaming at crunchyroll, too.

[miss-dian.livejournal.com]

Thanks! That sounds good, though I'd probably only be able to watch on Crunchyroll after office hours when all my colleagues have gone home, LOL. Btw. I just 'joined' the LJ site you mentioned previously. Do you know what's next? Do I have to send her an email or something and make a payment?

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Yes, you send her an email, and title it with the name of the drama in the title (I think she has instructions). Like 'I'd like The Outsiders'

And then she'll email you how much it is and how to pay (via paypal if I remember correctly). Let me know if it works.

[miss-dian.livejournal.com]

Thanks a bunch!!! *squishes* There were no instructions in her LJ I think, that's why I was a little confused :D I'll let you know how it works out.

[janlake83.livejournal.com]

i agree with everything on your list...... and i miss outsiders....

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

TO was so good. I need to watch TO2 asap.

[janlake83.livejournal.com]

hmm..... i think i saw to2 but stopped at a certain point....

[fivil.livejournal.com]

Yay twdrama!

Man, Vic Zhou. I kind of want to see everything he's ever been in but at the same time, twdrama are just that kind of "not so great" special that I would probably get very bored very fast. I didn't even manage to finish ep 1 of Sweet Relationship. I should try again, though, the thing didn't get to properly start before I got bored (I guess I just get bored easily).

And now he's in some drama with Ken & Kingone and I saw the opening credits on youtube and sort of LOL'ed because it looked daaaamn slashy.

I think you would really like Corner With Love. I haven't finished it yet - have like 6 eps to go - but it's very funny and fluffy at first and right now where I'm watching, it's entering a more angsty state which may continue til the happy ending. On the other hand, the male lead isn't hot (or traditionally handsome, I suppose I should say) - but he is very charming, so it works.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

He hasn't been in that many things (or at least things subbed(: Mars, Meteor Garden (both of which you've seen all or parts of, I think), Meteor Garden (which I would advise any but the biggest masochist to avoid), Silence (which is amazing, but seriously, it's almost too angsty for me, so I don't think it's your cup of tea), Love Storm, which is silly fun (and is in the process of being subbed), and Delicious Relationship which I haven't seen yet.

And now he's in some drama with Ken & Kingone and I saw the opening credits on youtube and sort of LOL'ed because it looked daaaamn slashy.

Plot, what plot? With eye candy, I think I am set :P

CwL: YES. I actually like Alan Luo, actually. He is one of the main leads in The Outsiders 2.

New Vic drama-Wishing To See You Again

[(Anonymous)]

Hi all,
I'm sytwo (yet to register) and have been following many of your posts, blogs and discussion, but never joined in. Just wanna drop by to say that I'm currently watching "Wishing To See You Again" and it is an amazingly brilliant drama. It's intelligently written, well-directed, full of memorable yet real characters, sweet romance, brotherhood love (Vic, Ken, Kingone)....one of the best dramas I've ever watched. And Vic's character will catch you by surprise - very quirky, yet lovable and endearing. It's my favourite Vic character so far. And his acting has improved leaps and bounds. (oops, I think I've posted too long)

Re: New Vic drama-Wishing To See You Again

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Hi! *waves*

It does sound awesome.

Question: are there English subs available anywhere, do you know? I have in the past been desperate enough to watch raws (Silence :P) but it's so much better if I can actually comprehend what they are saying :)

Re: New Vic drama-Wishing To See You Again

[(Anonymous)]

Hello! sytwo again :D
Yeah, it's an awesome drama!(at least to me)

Well, Eternal Fansub is subbing it now, but no episodes posted yet :( But you can drop by the drama thread at AsianFanatics where a number of fans do recaps and translations of key scenes (but be prepared for lots of fangirling and you'll need some patience to sieve through the posts).

Here's the link :
http://asianfanatics.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=392307

P.S. Btw, quite a number of fans in the thread watch without subs :D

Re: New Vic drama-Wishing To See You Again

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Ooooh, thanks for the link!

*off to peruse*

[joonni.livejournal.com]

1. You know how I feel about Mars. God, what a drama. The OTP! And Vic!
2. It's unfortunate we can't find more TWdramas in HD like Korean ones. I would love to see Vic Zhou's face in HD
3. I loved Why Why Love but not so much anymore..hmmm.
4. It started with a kiss. I heard so much rave about it and started watching it but I just couldn't finish. And Joe Cheng just doesn't appeal to me.
5. I have yet to finish Silence but so far so good. But for some reason, I don't get the same amount of angst that you seemed to get. I wonder why. Maybe I need to focus more.
6. Love Contract. As much as I love Mike and Ariel, I just couldn't get past the friends and the slow pace. I sense that their is deeper meaning to this drama but I'll never know now.
7. I'll finish Romantic Princess. It's fun but it's not a favorite for me.

OMG, the vid for Love Contract you posted has the song "hug" from TVXQ(DBSK). That is just so hilarious. It is the last possible pairing that I would have expected. LOL.

The MV for Silence is one of the best fanvids I have seen. Seriously, made me love the song and drama more.


I must watch the others that you listed. Yey for the recs!

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

1. Mars is just...I go nonverbal when I think about it (or not, seeing the amount of stuff I wrote about it :)

2. YES.

3. I haven't rewatched WWL, except for bits, but I still find it adorable. Now, don't get me started on DBY!

4. ISWAK is very OTT in some ways, and it either works for you or it doesn't. I just love the story trope entirely too much. I find Joe Cheng adorable, but not hot, if it makes sense ;)

5. I think the reason Silence got me so much is because Vic's character comes across as so normal, you know? A bit reserved and a bit of a workaholic, and not with the world's best Dad, but rather normal. And the drama is also about him letting go of his shields and letting himself care and enjoy. Only...he is also going to die. I don't know why it got me so, but it did. Last ep, I was a total mess.

6. I loved LC (obviously) but ff-ed ruthlessly.

7. I find it very relaxing after a hard day, so thay's why it is on the list.

Re: vid for LC. LOL

[kittykatz.livejournal.com]

Ah taiwan dramas, how I love you for the pretty boys. Looks like I'll have quite a list of shows to pick up when I go for my holidays.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Heeee. Taiwan does have an inordinate amount of pretty :)

[hope-fuleigh.livejournal.com]

Oh, so much to say, so little time... : )

- I get a little fluttery whenever I think of Mars. Even in it's non-perfect moments, it's just so perfect. It's one of the series where, even after it's over and you see the ending, it still kinda haunts you, because you've been through so much with those characters and you don't get to see the rest of their lives (I feel like we DESERVE to see it, you know?)

- Why Why Love was exactly like ISWAK for me - it was a little rough at first, but once you got hooked, MAN, you were HOOKED. Although, I still prefer ISWAK, and while it's wildly popular, I think it's popular for all the wrong reasons - there's a lot of awesomness there beyond the fluff that a lot of people don't quite recognize...

- Silence!! Is it strange that it would be in my top ten, even though I couldn't bear to make it past episode 11? The OTP was so amazing, that I just couldn't bear to go on... Awesome heroine, though.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Yes, Mars is one of those dramas where I hate to part with the characters and just want more and more glimpses into their continuing life. They made even mundane things interesting.

ISWAK is a wonderful drama, but I love that in all the madcapness and funniness it sneaks in quite interesting things about growing up, and family, and even the relationship is rather more complicated than it appears.

And I skipped bits of Silence too. If I didn't, I'd be slitting my wrists.

[kitkat-cat.livejournal.com]

I've watched 6 of them...Romantic Princess i'm not to sure of... Silence I'm too wimpy for, and I must be one of a handful of women out there who just doesnt get Mike He... Why Why Love is on list to watch ASAP!!!

My top 2 are Mars and It Started with a Kiss... The Outsiders got a wee bit depressing in the middle...

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

WWL is awesome, even if you don't like Mike He. I find his 'cool for school' schtick usually annoying, but when he plays against type (Love Contract) or when the drama is actually good (WWL), I love him. I do find him very physically appealing though.

[angelajewell.livejournal.com]

Wow... for once, I've actually seen all of these (except The Outsiders) and my list looks a lot like yours. Meteor Garden was the first drama I ever watched so I've always had a soft-spot for Barbie, Jerry, and Vic, not to mention TW-dramas in general (for the record, I totally agree with you on Devil Beside You--though the only one I disliked more, oddly enough, was Lavender--something, again, I'm completely in the minority for, lol). The only other dramas that made mine, were Prince Turns To Frog (my #1 drama), At The Dolphin Bay, Hana Kimi (I completely ignore the final episode, and pretend it ended just like the manga), and My Lucky Star. I'm currently finishing Corner With Love, so I'll find out soon whether or not it made it.

But you should definitely add Prince Turns to Frog to your "must watch" list! It's basically Save The Last Dance For Me, but funnier, lighter, and less angsty--I actually ended up liking it much more than the K-drama, and Ming Dao and Qiao En became one of my favorite OTPs (along with Vic and Barbie). There are some awesome mvs on youtube if you need some motivation. ^_^

Anyway, awesome list. I really need to see The Outsiders!

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

TO is really wonderful, if quite dark.

I am shallow and don't find Ming Dao very hot, but so many people loved Frog, I might try it anyway.

I have Lavender somewhere but never got to it. As to DBY, I only liked the secondary couple.

[lovrgirl.livejournal.com]

agree with all ur choices i think i would have said the same thing except smiling pasta, ive never seen it. is it good?

[lovrgirl.livejournal.com]

well i guess i should say, does it grab your attention at the begining (duh its good u put it up there. im dumb) im very impatient when it comes to dramas to get going.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I thought it was really fast paced and started really well!

[lovrgirl.livejournal.com]

oo ok thnnx il prolly start watching it now lol

[village.livejournal.com]

I have always, always wanted to see Mars but something has always stopped me. Maybe fear of getting too involved and being broken by it? I'm not exactly sure. I don't mind dark as long as it's balanced with light. Mars always seemed to me, like the kind of show that could be remarkably overwhelming.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Oh, do watch Mars. It's wonderful. It's not too dark, honest. Not only does it have a happy ending, but it's very hopeful and even (to use a corny word) uplifting, and all the heavy-duty moments are balanced with light ones.

[village.livejournal.com]

Okay, I'm sold. I will add it to the top of my TW dramas to watch list.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Yay!

[yukinonamida.livejournal.com]

Ohh yay someone else who is a MARS addict! I've seen it twice and I'm planning on watching it again soon. I love Vic soo much. Silence looks good but I tend to stray away from heartwrenching dramas. I'm not sure if I should watch it or not.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Silence is really really depressing (if excellent)