Ti Amo Chocolate Review

Title: Ti Amo Chocolate

AKA: Set chocolate

Genre: Romance

Episodes: 80

Broadcast period: 2012-Apr to 2012-Jul

Theme song: Undefeatable by Van Ness Wu and Lee Jun Ho from 2PM

Cast: Van Ness Wu, Joanne Tseng, Michael Zhang, Ah Ben, Dou Zhi Kong, Guo Shu Yao and Wang Zi.

Fang Jia Hua (Van Ness Wu) is a stubborn and sometimes rude heir of Taiwan’s most famous food company. His mother left him when he was younger in order to follow her dream of making chocolate. This has made Jia Hua’s father hate chocolate, and even refuse to sell it as a product. One day Jia Hua has enough of his father’s tyranny and decides to follow his dream, which he has in common with his mother: to open up a chocolate store. So he leaves his father’s house and wealth, and leaves the house with only one bag of things. While driving, he bumps into a car that belongs to Hong Xi En (Joanne Tseng), who wants to sue him for the damages, but is also mistook for a boy by Jia Hua. Promising to pay back, he takes her family and her to dinner, only to find out that his cards are blocked, infuriating Xi En, who now has to pay for an extremely expensive dinner.

Adding it to his debt, she commands him to stay at his house, in order to make sure he doesn’t run away, but also makes him pay rent - expensive one at that.

As she and her family get a low income, Xi En is forced to work. As the local chocolate store is looking for workers she lies about her gender to get the job, and as fate has it she meets Jia Hua again who wants to buy the store, but when Jia Hua loses a bet he reluctantly has to work at the shop.

The two start working together, and slowly get attracted to one another, but Xi En cannot tell anyone about her secret or she’ll lose her job, and Jia Hua cannot tell anyone about his real identity since it might get people biased… What is going to happen?

Okay, so decided to watch this drama some time back, for one reason only: Van Ness Wu. I love this dude, yet I finished it because of Dou Zhi Kong who I remembered from Love Around. To be honest the main love story is nice and sweet, even envious but it kind dragged on for the last 20 episodes. The other love stories were okay, but my favorite was Lu Zheng Ting (Dou Zhi Kong) and Hong Xi Hui (Guo Shu Yao), just because the made me: 1 blush, 2 excited when they had screen time, and 2 they are so great together! Besides that their storyline was much newer and thrilling than the typical guilt-ridden story.

As a general the family stories and the love stories are very well though through and they are quite detailed. But somehow this one doesn’t become what I wanted it to be, and just kept on dragging on. Yes the actors are pretty good, and yes it is funny at times, but after the 60-point in the main story, it just gets LONG. So yeah, I seriously only watched the rest because of the second leads.

I don’t want to spoil anything, but I think I would recommend it to rom-com lovers, as it isn’t your typical ‘girl-dressed-as-boy’ story. It has MORE heart…

☆☆☆½ / 3½ out of 5 stars

♥♥♥½ / 3½ out of 5 hearts

Material Queen Review

Title: Material Queen
Genre: Romance
Episodes: 22
Broadcast period: 2011-Jun to 2011-Nov
Opening theme song: Is This All by Van Ness Wu
Cast: Van Ness Wu and Lynn Hung

Abandoned as a child Lin Chu Man (Lynn Hung) grew up to be a materialistic and selfish gold digger who believes that she does not need love in order to be happy, she needs jewelry and brand bags. When her old, weird and rich boyfriend finally proposes to her, she can’t help but to agree. On the other hand, due to a ‘curse’ saying that only if she really loves the person she’s saying it to, she will not be able to say the three words I love you. When an opportunity arises; the rich and young heir William is in Paris. She decides to give it a shot, and starts her plan to woes him. She succeeds, only to find out that the man she thought was William is actually a poor student, working as a duplet for the real heir, which makes her dump him in an instant. Cai Jia Hao (Van Ness Wu) goes to school in Paris, learning how to master violin. In order to make extra cash, he pretends to be William. When Chu Man’s fiancé finds out, he makes sure that both Chu Man and Jia Hao pay, making both of them leave Paris.
Back in Taiwan Chu Man loses everything, so she has to find a new place to live. In an ad she finds a cheap room for rent with beautiful view. It turns out to fake, and the room is not what she’d expected. But due to her in need of money she agrees to live there. Jia Hao also returns home, devastated, because he has been thrown out of the school his sister worked so hard in getting him in to, and not being able to make his father’s death wish of him becoming a known violinist, come true, due to a woman that doesn’t even love him. Arriving home the neighbors think he graduated, and due to the celebration, Jia Hao is not able to break their hearts, so he lies.
In the evening, Chu Man learns the feeling of being poor, when the shower only releases cold water and the lights go out. Walking out she literately bumps into Jia Hao: it turns out that the room is part of Jia Hao’s house, and that he’s the landlord!
When a golden opportunity arises again, Yan Kai Ming (Daniel Chan), a rich entrepreneur is looking for models to work for him; Chu Man decides to give it a shot. But living with Jia Hao and his family, as well as loving neighbors, makes Chu Man wonder of whether or not she really just wants material stuff…

Okay first of all, the lead actress’ character is superb, best Taiwanese character ever made. This is the first time some as snobbish and arrogant is the lead; it’s actually extremely rare that the lead isn’t all goody-goody and miss-liked-by-everyone. And what I love most about her, and also why I rated as I did, was because of the changes she goes through. That itself was worth a lot of stars..
Second of, this drama was bound to be brilliant with Van Ness Wu in the lead. I mean, no matter in what position you put him in, he does it with wholeheartedly. Act as a romantic geek? Check! Act as a heartbroken millionaire with a vengeful soul? Double check! Lol, guess that’s what he’s best at..
On the other hand it can be draggy, I mean it took her 9 episodes to fall in love with him, and it took 9 episodes for him to forgive her… That’s the definition of draggy! But I really liked it. Very real, mature and makes you think : ) I recommend..

☆☆☆☆ / 4 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥ / 4 out of 5 hearts

Autumn's Concerto Review

Title: Autumn's Concerto
AKA: Next stop, happiness
Episodes: 21
Genre: Romance, Melodrama
Broadcast period: 2009-Oct to 2010-Feb
Opening theme song: I love him by Della Ding Cast: Ady An, Van Ness Wu, Chris Wu and Tiffany Xu.

Ren Guang Xi(Van Ness Wu) is rude, spoilt and pretty mean, on the outside. He doesnt believe that woman have hearts, expecially strong women like his mother, whom he blames his fathers suicide on. Liang Mu Cheng (Ady An) lost her mother short after she was born, but has always seen her step-mom as her mother. One day her father dies and leaves the family with huge debth. She and her auntie(step-mom), leave and meets her current uncle. At the age of 22, she meets Guang Xi for the first time, as he parks his car and the bus she is on, trying to break up with his current girlfriend. Mu Cheng, feeling rightous, starts to argue with Guang Xi, but he wont budge. Matters escalate, and they end up at the police station, where, mainly by the given idea of Mu Cheng, Guang Xi ends up doing community servis. Feeling humiliated, Guang Xi promises revenge, and makes a deal with his friends; to woo Mu Cheng, and get a picture with them kissing the next day. Guang Xi forces Mu Cheng on a date, since she had borrowed a book of her friend Hua Tuo Ye (Chris Wu), which is not allowed, and the book is the possesion of Guang Xi. In order to get it back, she agrees to go on a date...

I did not like it, I LOVED, with a capital L, it. Everything about it was great. From the storyline to the acting. Okay, I agree that Van Ness Wu needs to learn how to run, but either way, I never judge on appearance.. I loved the couple, the on-screen chemistry, the dialogs and even the mixed relationships. Eventough the ending was a bit draggy, it did not ruin the overall expe rience of it. Xiao Xiao Bin, the son of those two, was adorable, and probably the cutest and smartest child-actor currently in the movie industry. Mother-son relationsship was fabulous, and the family plot was worth looking at. There were actually no things, except one, that I didn't realise, like, you could guess by watching it. But that was also somewhere in the ending, again, not ruining it. Reasons to watch? Everything! A most definate watch!

☆☆☆☆☆ / 5 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥♥ / 5 out of 5 hearts

Jenji's verdict
OH MY GOD! okay guys u seriously gotta watch this, when Bunji says a drama is good, then its REAAALLLYY goood! U see this drama got 21ep''s right? well i watched like 3th ep the morning i had an exam and i felt so bad that i could barely walk to school, seriously my heart hurt because of how sad it is!!!!! well dont get me wrong its not just sadness,, its like,, like,, heartbreaking romance.. One of those that make u feel soooo... like flying on the clouds but while there's a thunderstorm. _U get me?? like flying on the skies.. i mean its really nice romance but still its so sad .. And the actors are actually really great, like when u watch the behind the scenes thing, they could laugh one moment and the other, tears would just flow .. ayaaaa,, and the little kid is soooo ke ai! His faces when he smiles.. it could even melt the old hag's heart.. and he's so smart and so cute ... and yeah Mu Cheng is such a good mother,, awwww :'(
anyway guys.. this is a must!! Its one of those dramas u cant miss !!!!!!

☆☆☆☆☆ / 5 stars out of 5

♥♥♥♥♥ / 5 out of 5 hearts