I Confess. I Have Strayed...

In the last couple of weeks, I have watched 5 dramas from Taiwan and haven't recapped anything.

After the ending of Marriage Not Dating, I ended up taking a break. While I love recapping, sometimes just experiencing a drama -- without having to stop and recap it -- is what I feel like doing. So I got on Netflix and found Princess's Stand In (aka Jin Da Hua De Hua Li Mao Xian or Jin Da Hua's Extravagant Adventure or Substitute Princess or King Flower).

Substitute Princess


Substitute Princess tells the story of Jin Da Hua (Nikki Hsieh), a woman desperately in need of plastic surgery. Everyone who doesn't know her calls her ugly because of the huge wart on her face and her horrible buck-teeth.  (It's bad, so bad.) Since childhood, she has been in love with Lin Guan Jun (James Wen), but he only looks at her like a sister, even though it's obvious to everyone how she feels (she's not subtle). Right after it's revealed that her father owes over NT $2 million in gambling debts, she meets Ouyang Tai (aka Terry) (Chris Wu). His fiance, Du Liang Yan (also played Nikki Hsieh), has been badly injured in a mountain-climbing accident and it will take her a year to recover. In order to keep Liang Yan's condition secret and to retain his position as General Manager of the corporation Liang Yan's father runs, Terry offers to pay Da Hua's family's debt and give her the opportunity to get plastic surgery. All Da Hua has to do is fill in for Liang Yan until she recovers. To save her family and to try and catch the eye of Guan Jun, Da Hua says yes.

  
The romantic triangle starts after Liang Yan passes away and Da Hua is there for Terry as he grieves. Even though he tells her to go home, she won't leave him to face everything alone. He ends up falling for Da Hua, not because she looks like his lost fiancee but because of who she is. Even though Terry is just so awesome (really, it's NO contest), she's torn because of that crush on Guan Jun (who, as the show went on, I found myself increasingly not liking because of what a jerk he was). It became really obvious that Da Hua's feelings were childhood crush versus adult love.

  
A lot of the time, this drama made no logical sense. I still don't know...

• why Jin Mom didn't kick her ne'er-do-well, gambling husband to the curb... 
• how a guy (Guan Jun) who barely graduated high school suddenly got the acumen and savvy to be a real estate high roller... 
• what Da Hua ever saw in Guan Jun that earned her level of devotion... 
• how it was even a contest between Guan Jun and Terry, since Guan Jun went from being her brother to being a self-righteous, possessive, jealous jerk and Terry was always supportive, non-pressuring, considerate, kind (and the adjectives could keep on coming). 

From what I've read, Terry was supposed to be the second lead, but from the beginning, Chris Wu always played him with such charisma that *he* seemed like the main lead and James Wen was just the nuisance in their love affair. (I'm not the only one who felt this way.) A vast majority of the audience was on Team Terry and actually influenced the outcome so that they got the ending they were clamoring for. (

Zhong Wu Yen

Zhong Wu Yen is the story of a woman who is very beautiful (inside and out) except for one flaw: a large red birthmark on the left side of her face. Since childhood she has been ridiculed for it, but Wu Yan (Cheryl Yang) has been able to shake it off because a little boy, Qi Xuan, told her that she was beautiful because of her birthmark. Qi Xuan (Ming Dao) grew up to be famous and popular because of his looks and charm. While still kind-hearted, he also has become quite shallow. Fate brings them back together, so that Qi Xuan can rectify the wrong he did Wu Yan back in the Qi dynasty.

Back then, Zhong Wu Yan was the ugliest woman alive. She was also a brilliant strategist who lead King Xuan's army to defeat his enemies in exchange for marrying her. Even though he promised, Xuan, instead, decides to make his courtesan, Xia Ying Chun, his queen. Wu Yan got her heart broken after all her faithful service. Because of how he wronged her, all the key players are reincarnated in the present, so that this time around, they can get things right. Wu Yan and Qi Xuan are brought together again by his father and she's kind-hearted enough to see past all his childish behavior (he really reminds me of a little, pouty kid about half the time).

  
There is, of course, a love quadrangle. Qi Xuan initially likes Ying Chun (Wang Si Ping). Wu Yan has captured the heart of Huo Hua (Chris Wu) (which the subtitles call "Howard") by ignoring his crochety-ness as the village's resident blind recluse. There's really no suspense as to who they're going to end up with once Qi Xuan falls in love with Wu Yan, even though Huo Hua puts up a good fight and Qi Xuan hits rock bottom and kicks her to the curb.

Qi Xuan is character the only character in this drama that evolves in any way: he goes from man-boy to adult. It's kind of ironic that, like Substitute Princess, I was rooting for the second lead - Chris Wu - to get the girl. In some ways, he really reminded me of of Ji Hoo from Boys Over Flowers, what with all his noble self-sacrifice for Wu Yan's happiness, even if it does push her into the other guy's arms.) There's plenty of drama and backstabbing -- don't all corporation dramas have those? -- and an honest-to-goodness stabbing. Unlike a lot of dramas, I wasn't really moved. I didn't cry very much. But Chris Wu (Huo Hua/Qin Chu) made me cry.

    
There's one thing that these two dramas have in common: Chris Wu. I have to say, he made both dramas for me. The thing that struck me about his acting is how authentic it is. He plays his characters with such accessibility that when he's hurting, it hits you, too. Not to bag on James Wen but his Guan Jun is almost a caricature with his stiff over-acting. Chris Wu, on the other hand, says so much without saying anything and genuinely reacts to situations. In Zhong Wu Yen, I still remember the moment he realized that he lost, that Wu Yan was never going to be his, despite all his attempts to win his heart... it was so painful to watch the pain on his face as he walked away from her. Again, it was understated and not played for attention, just an honest reaction to the moment that happened as he walked out of frame.

Since I had become a fan of Chris Wu, I decided to see what other dramas he'd been in (check out his DramaWiki page). According to it, he's only been acting since 2009, so his list is slimmer, but I spotted What is Love and Rock 'n' Road. Neither of these series are offered on Hulu, so I ended up signing up for Viki's Premium Pass so I could watch them in HD with no commercials (definitely worth it! and cheaper than Hulu, too!).

What is Love?


In What is Love?, Chris Wu stars as Bai Zong You, a player who makes a habit of wooing women and then dumping them after they've slept with him. Jade Chou stars as Li Yi Hua, a 32-old forever-bouquet-catching single who can't seem to find the right guy (not for lack of trying either). Zong You notices her when they pass on the street, carrying yet another bouquet. He decides to make her his latest conquest. Fortunately, his ruse gets exposed in the second episode. (I was especially grateful since his speech delivery was really getting on my nerves.) Then the 'game' is on, with Zong You deciding to make Yi Hua to fall in love with him in spite of herself, as revenge for scalding his manly parts with spicy chicken stew. Instead, he ends up falling for her. Can he change his playboy ways and convince her that he's sincere, especially after a man who seems to be her perfect match (Zhang Shao Qian) comes into the picture?

  
This was a perfect drama to show Chris Wu's range (he's smooth, charming... he cries, struggles) and Jade Chou really matches him well. Both of them make their characters so accessible; Jade Chou really made Yi Hua someone I could totally relate to, like Renee Zellweger in Bridget Jones's Diary.  Even though she can be a total doof, Yi Hua's someone you *want* to be friends with and to cheer on. Zong You starts out as a total cad, but he's still a nice guy and a charmer, so as he goes from player to one-woman man, you just like him and feel for him.

    
One of the best things about this drama is that both the hero and heroine grow as a result of knowing each other. Those are the kind of dramas that I like the best, where it's not just the hero who becomes nicer, but it's the heroine who learns things in the relationship, too. Another thing I like about this drama is that they are on equal standing, economically, rather than it being the rich, arrogant guy and the poor, candy girl. That way it's not that he's rescuing her from all her problems but rather that they're rescuing each other. It also has a nice epilogue as part of the series, which is always a pleaser for me, because I like to see them living that happily-ever-after. There are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments and this is one I will watch again. (And probably recap.)

Love Cheque Charge


After What is Love?, Viki pulled up Love Cheque Charge and I decided to check it out. It's currently airing, so the subs aren't quite finished, so I've only gotten through Episode 6. Usually at this point, I'm really digging a drama, but I'm feeling rather apathetic towards it. I mean, they only just introduced the dead boyfriend's ghost, which says that things are dragging. Things also really feel artificial. I'm not quite sure what it is...

  
It's like there isn't a real genuine connection between any of the characters, even though we're dealing with a man / his brother / his father / his cousin / his aunt and uncle. There's also no chemistry between any of the couples. This doesn't usually bother me, but with how stilted everyone is, it really sticks out. The heroine's voice also can get on my nerves with how she talks (it didn't bother me in Substitute Princess).

  
Don't know if I'll stick it out. George Hu (the hero) sings to theme song and I'm not really crazy about his character yet, which says something, because usually at least at this point I like the arrogant male lead. Again, apathetic. I can't think of one character in the drama that I really *like.* [Note: I watched the next two episodes since this post was first written and I am even less enthusiastic about it. Everything I said still applies.]

Rock 'n' Road


I switched to Rock 'n' Road and it turned out to be a great drama. Chris Wu plays Zhou Shu Yu, a musical genius working as a producer for BS Entertainment. (It always struck me as odd that they would make the name *BS* Entertainment, but maybe they don't realize how 'BS' is used in the English-speaking world.) He's temperamental, demanding and often times surly, but he's also kind (if you catch him at the right moment). He's secretly dating a megastar singer at his label, Yang Jia Xin (Nita Lei), so the only time we see him smile in the beginning is in a few tender moments between them. Kimi Hsia plays Lin Wei Zhen, a former child A-lister (or A-ka in Mandarin) who lost the spotlight when Shu Yu's band stole her big moment and has struggled in her musical career for the last 8 years. Her problem? She never lost the child star cutesy-ness and positivity, so it comes across as being completely without talent.

  
Shu Yu and Wei Zhen's paths cross when she auditions for a talent contest he's judging and then even more so after his A-ka girlfriend, Jia Xin, steals Wei Zhen's dead father's song and passes it off as something she'd written for her new album and Shu Yu is forced to compromise his convictions to keep the secret. Mike Lee rounds out the love quadrangle as Xu Li Da, Shu Yu's blood-brother who has been his sidekick for years. All his jealousy over the lack of attention and being in love with Jia Xin all that time has finally gotten the better of him, so there's plenty of conflict there.

  
Being about the music industry, I have to say, I loved the music in this show. I also loved the progression of the relationship between Wei Zhen and Shu Yu. Again, both sides grew to be better people for knowing and loving each other. Parts of this drama also made me cry (but that's a good thing). Another one I will watch again (and recap).

  
Future Plans...

I have to wait until next month for Chris Wu's next project to start: Any Lie Can Become Truth (aka The Game of Lies). He'll be starring with Ella Chen, playing her reporter boyfriend who is flummoxed by her more recent behavior. I read this description of the story, "The lead character must decide: Will she be a liar everyone loves, or the real her – a nobody? Will she choose to reveal the truth? Or will someone else expose her? How will she face her real life relationship? Does she remember the real her? Or has she become that famous writer?" Watching the previews, I really hope that it's not too melodramatic, because that's not really my favorite, but I'll probably stick it because of Chris Wu.

Just Had to Throw This One In..

This picture is from a really funny moment in Rock 'N' Road. Because of Jia Xin, the heroine, Wei Zhen, is being hounded by angry fans who think that Wei Zhen has come between the couple.  This has forced Wei Zhen into hiding out at Shu Yu's house. Since she arrived at his house with no changes of clothes, he heads out to a department store to pick up some ladies' delicates for her. He's so uncomfortable that he can't even look in the lingerie section. He just points and asks for a bunch of different sizes. Because his character is always so confident and decisive, it's funny to see him so uncomfortable.