Fall In Love Review

Title: Fall In Love
AKA: Fall in Love with me
Genre: Romance, Comedy, Family
Episode: 20
Broadcast period: 2014-Apr to 2014-Aug
Cast: Aaron Yan, Tia Li, Jack Li, Katherine Wang, Chen Bo Zheng, Jian Chang, Kao Ying Hsuan

Tian Ji Advertisement CEO Lu Tian Xing (Aaron Yan) suddenly announces his hiatus, to rediscover inspiration and his passion for making ads. During his escape he runs into a film set which are filming for an ad produced by another advertisement company, OZ. He finds out that OZ is the company where his passion for ads started, and since the company were having many financial problems he decided to help them undercover as Xiao Lu. 
Tao Le Si (Tia Li) is the boss for the company OZ that her brother left behind; she encounters both, the arrogant Lu Tian Xing and the warm-hearted Xiao Lu, thinking they are two different people.

Wiii Aaron Yan! For every drama, he make I fall more and more for him, he has a real charm that not many actors possess. I liked this drama, and no, not only because of Aaron Yan, but the whole concept and everything were nice. It is a relaxing drama, as if you are not tense or wanting more or less of it. You get satisfied for what there is, the romance are sweet and so typical with that twist that Xiao Lu and Tian Xing are in fact the same person. The acting of the others were silly, but that is just Taiwanese, and it has its own charms. All in all, well done! 

☆☆☆ / 3 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥½ / 3½ out of 5 hearts

Just You Review

Title: Just You

Genre: Romance, Comedy

Episodes: 21

Broadcast period: 2013-Jun to 2013-Nov

Cast: Aaron Yan, Guo Xue Fu, Katherine Wang, Tang Zhen Gang and Dean Fujioka.

Cheng Liang Liang (Guo Xue Fu) is a happy girl with a good job and a nice house. Her being independent made her strong willed and honest, as well as having a thirst for justice. One day though, Qi Yi (Aaron Yan) shows up in her house asking her to leave it, since he had bought it. At first she just blows him off, but when he arrives at her company, telling everyone he is the new CEO and bans all office romance - leading Liang Liangs best friend to be dumped - Liang Liang becomes infuriated.

Qi Yi a neat freak by nature buys Liang Liangs house because of his past and the house used to be his. Realizing that he can’t get Liang Liang to move, he makes the rules clear to her, and lets her stay for the remaining three months she had paid for.

Still upset with him though, and angry for having her best friend fired, Liang Liang and her neighbor decide on a plan of revenge: to make Qi Yi feel his own medicine, by making him fall for Liang Liang.

I tried making it sound good, but it somehow went wrong along the way. But I think you get part of the point. The reason I watched this was because of Aaron Yan, the only male C-Idol I like, and I probably always will. I didn’t really know what to think of him being the ‘mean’/’cold’ boss and all especially since he has such a baby face, but besides the first few episodes, he pulls it of pretty well, and manages to give me a good laugh. The storyline was quite good and entertaining, but it just gets ongoing for quite some time, which some people like due to the entire make-out sessions and the cuteness, but I wasn’t really sure what to make of it.

The rest of the cast were good, some should get better acting training, but else pretty good.

☆☆☆½ / 3½ out of 5 stars

♥♥♥½ / 3½ out of 5 hearts

Alice in Wonder City Review

Title: Alice in Wonder City

AKA: Give Alice A Miracle

Genre: Romance

Episode: 15

Broadcast period: 2012 May to 2012 Sept

Cast: Aaron Yan, Xie Jie Kai, Lara, Yang Gui Mei and Tracy Chou

This story is about 5 people connected by love, dreams and music.

He Ting Yu (Aaron Yan) is a concertmaster, and is known for being a genius. Growing up as a child prodigy, he has constantly been put under pressure and has never known anything besides his violin. Due to the pressure, Ting Yu stopped sleeping and started getting paranoid. At the verge of madness he was saved by Kang Lisa (Yang Gui Mei), a café lady who helped him get over his insomnia and became a stand in mother.

Lan Die Fei (Lara) is a huge fan of Ting Yu’s and when her sister offers her a job interview in the same concert hall; she is more than happy to participate. There she meets her idol, but is shocked to find out that his personality is completely different than expected.

When a violinist is needed, Die Fei recommends Chen Hai Jie (Xiu Jie Kai) whom she had befriended, and started to be fond of, but even though Hai Jie has a happy personality, he has a history with a woman called ‘Alice’ (Tracy Chou). Even if he only spent few days with her, he isn’t able to forget her. Hai Jie manages to get the job, surprisingly directly from the moody concertmaster Ting Yu, and the two become close.

Everything becomes hectic when Lisa gets a visitor claiming to be her long lost daughter called Ito Seiko - who happens to look exactly like Alice…

So I started this, even though I love Aaron Yan, without any expectation of it being good. After watching 15 min, I realized that I really might just not be able to finish 15 episodes, mainly because the storyline sort of gave me a weird “what the hell is this about” vibe. But once I really watched it, I noticed how good it actually is. It is a very mature drama, which is rare (might also be the reason for the vibe), and the usual clichés are there, but made ‘realistic’ in that sense that they are too ridiculous like we are used to in other dramas.

I had a hard time seeing Aaron playing the tough guy, though I believe he managed to pull it off. Also, Lara is great, not the typical pretty girl, but most definatly an amazing singer!

All in all, serious drama, with great actors, and great story :)

☆☆☆☆ / 4 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥½ / 4½ out of 5 hearts

Gloomy Salad Days Review

Title: Gloomy Salad Days
Tagline: Dear death, please take away my misfortune, even if the price is for me to turn into a stone...
AKA: Death Girl
Genre: Human drama, supernatural
Episodes: 20
Broadcast period: 2010-Oct to 2010-Dec
Cast: Aaron Yan and Serena Fang (and many many others...)

This story revolves around several students’ lives and how they come across Du He also known as Death Girl (Serena Fang) guardian of the ‘Bridge of Helplessness’. Every student has something part of their lives that they hate to the point of helplessness: that is where Death Girl comes in.

They can only see her with the black stone, and with that they are also able to summon her. They can request something from her, but if they still don’t overcome their helplessness they will become a part of her bridge as a rock.

Shen Qi (Aaron Yan) has the ability so see Death Girl even without the black rock, and tries to warn every student he sees talking to her, but the matter of the fact is that everyone thinks him as weird because of it. He eventually starts to fall in love with her, and beings to understand the meaning of life and death…

This is a very different kind of drama, with the entire dark setup, and it isn’t really my type of drama. I watched the first two episodes and really didn’t like it, but suddenly this grew on me, and I guess my mind became wicked as well. It deals with crazy stories, not those weak ones like Romeo and Juliet, but hardcore ones if you ask me, the ones that our society doesn’t agree on. Anyhow, all scenarios are unpredictable which is nice, also the endings of every story, as well as the last story. 
One thing was bothering me though: the students really don't give any f*** for their classmate, like he said that he has a braintumor, they laugh at him.. what's with that!?
So: good drama, but not really a happy one.

☆☆☆½ / 3½ out of 5 stars

♥♥♥½ / 3½ out of 5 hearts

Love Buffet Review

Title: Love Buffet
Genre: Romance, comedy
Episodes: 13
Broadcast period: 2010-Dec-19 to 2011-Mar-13
Cast: Aaron Yan, Calvin Chen, Yu Hong Yuan and Chen De Xiu.

The story revolves around college freshman Xiao Feng (Yu Hong Yuan), a bubbly girl with a love for kids, and how her life is turned upside down, both in love life and school life, as two new guys move into the same apartment complex as hers. They are cousins, both very attractive and rich. Yi Cheng ‘Ah Yi’ (Aaron Yan) is quiet and basically a genius. Da Ye (Calvin Chen) on the other hand is a very sporty and charming guy, also known as a player.
It circles around whether she should choose Da Ye or Ah Yi, going back and forth, till she finally in the ending decides whom she loves.

I haven’t read the manga, but if it’s like the drama, I’m not reading it. I don’t know why people are so keen on watching these CRAZINGLY boring triangular love stories.. They are NOT good……!
This drama even brings it to the second or third level, I’m not even know which level it’s on to begin with, but she falls for one, he doesn’t love her back, she goes to the other, same thing except he doesn’t reject her, only doesn’t prioritize her, which gets her back to the first! WTF?! GET OVER THEM WOMAN! URGH! I love Aaron Yan, insanely, but seriously, I don’t like this drama, even with him in it! Anyhow, it’s slow passed and basically it goes πr2 = in one freaking circle!
But if you love Aaron Yan (better be the biggest crush in history), and you are able to deal with a badly written and executed story, you won’t die watching this (maybe a bit inside). Just wasn’t worth my precious time *regret*

☆☆ / 2 out of 5 stars

♥♥ / 2 out of 5 hearts

They Kiss Again Review

Title: They Kiss Again
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Episodes: 20
Broadcast period: 2007-Dec to 2008-Apr
Cast: Joe Cheng, Ariel Lin, Jiro Wang, Danson Tang, Cai Yi Zhen, Aaron Yan and Wang Zi.

The sequel of ‘It started with a kiss’, where the story begins after the wedding of Jiang Zhi Shu (Joe Cheng) and Yuan Xiang Qin (Ariel Lin) and they are on their way to their honeymoon. Xiang Qin hopes for romance, but their honeymoon is interrupted by a couple, who just can’t seem to leave them alone. Even after that harmony doesn’t last long; not alone is Zhi Shu busy with school and Xiang Qin simply can’t find anything, other than being the wife of Zhi Shu, to do with her life, for some reason Zhi Shu doesn’t want to register them as a married couple in the family register, which makes Xiang Qin wonder if he hasn’t regretted marrying her.

I gotta admit, I really liked the second season. Actually way more than the first one, though to say I’m not a “It started with a kiss / Itazura Na Kiss”- fan. I remember watching the Japanese ISWAK some years back and I remember thinking that the story was so silly and pretty dull.
‘They Kiss Again’ is different, mainly because the opportunities to part are very slim in this one since they are married. So it becomes a story about a newly wedded couple, their difficulties and struggles.
This ‘season’ is for ALL ISWAK lovers, even if you only liked a little bit of the first season, you’ll definitively want to watch this one. I mean it’s what everybody wants, when they watch a drama, and it ends with them getting married, and then you go: “what’s gonna happen next” but the screen says THE END. And if you missed kissing scenes in ISWAK they surely make up for it in TKA.
The script seems a little looser this time, or is it that the actors are so amazing that the dialogues seem to be written at that EXACT moment, because it doesn’t seem staged, most of it.
About the starcast, like there aren’t MANY actors, there are gazillion: Joe Cheng, Ariel Lin, Jiro Wang, Danson Tang, Cai Yi Zhen, Aaron Yan, Wang Zi (never imagend to write Aaron Yan and Wang Zi in the same sentence), Larisa to name a few.
Okay, Ill come down from my pedestal and admit that Joe Cheng is a good actor (OMG! Never thought I’d write that!), usually I hate his acting, and to be honest his face, but seriously, he’s brilliant when it comes to sad scenes. I get sad when he’s sad!
There was one thing I didn’t like, the fact that there wasn’t a main story, like in the fist one.
ANYHOW, I’ll give this drama this rating, with a smile on my face :D

☆☆☆☆ / 4 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥ / 4 out of 5 hearts