Review: Miss No Good

Jiang Xiao Hua is a jewelry store owner with no sense of style. When prince charming Jia Si Le comes back from Japan with intentions of dating her, she blackmails Tang Men, a poison-tongue style guru, into helping her become a lady worthy of Si Le.

I can't believe how quickly this series went. This has been one of the better dramas I've watched in a very, very long time, and I was genuinely sad when I clicked 'View Episode 12' and suddenly it said it was the series finale.

When I first started watching this, I really didn't like it much. I thought Rainie as Xiao Hua (usually my favourite ever!) was weak in this drama. I hated her cringey, squeaky voice (OTT Y____Y;) and come on! - let's be honest... - they could have made her wig a little more realistic. I don't know, I'm probably just used to seeing Rainie more refined and preened, in her usual roles. I was relieved when they got rid of the wig though!

Even after all this, MNG grew on me and I loved the plot! It was original and kept me guessing until the last episode. I actually really liked Rainie and Wilbur Pan as a couple: in the drama obviously. Who knows, maybe they'll even be the new Rainie Yang and Mike He for me...

Contributor: Dulce

Album Review: Rainie Yang - '半熟宣言'

半熟宣言 by 楊丞琳

Release Date: 07-11-08
Language: Mandarin
Song Count: 10

In case anyone hadn't already noticed from reading my posts on here, I'm a huge Rainie Yang fan xD I've been anticipating this album for so long, and Rainie usually releases albums annually, so this year was just one big build-up.

The theme for this album was maturity: Rainie is now onto her fourth album, and I guess people were just expecting her to grow up from some of her old material, since she's been in the entertainment industry from the age of 16. I absolutely love a ballad, so this was no problem for me, and I was pleasantly surprised by her new release. It isn't what I'd expected at all, and you can really see a shift in maturity and vocal range.

Overall, I'm happy if not a bit disappointed with this album. I really like the album art: Rainie looks so beautiful and classy in the photoshoot, but keeps the typical Rainie 'kawaii' look about her. And thank God she got rid of that jellyfish hairdo from earlier this year. Where the songs are good, they're very good, but when they're bad, they're awful.

The first song (太烦恼) was totally weak on the vocals, but most of the album does not dissappoint. Rainie's vocals are getting stronger, except for the first song ofc lol. I absolutely hate "爱我请 Shut Up" because she sounds like she's singing "shullup" instead of "shut up" aha. I'd say download the album, and skip to 带我走, 冷战 and 幸福的节拍.

Contributor: Michelle

Review: Miss No Good (不良笑花)

Sorry I've been gone from here for so long ): College work and uni applications have taken over my life lol. I've started watching Miss No Good at last, now that I have a few minutes to myself, so here's a quick pre-watch review, and I'll probably add more to this when I finish watching the series.

So far, MNG is really cute and light-hearted. I've only seen two episodes, and the themes have already gone from comedy, to a more serious theme. Obviously there is some romance ;) Rainie Yang plays the lead, Xiao Fa, a girl who is unfashionable and loud but runs a jewellery store. As a child, she made friends with a er, fat kid at school, who asked her to marry him. Aw. A couple years down the line, and he is back to win her over =OO He lost weight and is "good-looking" (note: why don't I see this?!) Xiao Fa realises she needs to change to make sure she doesn't embarass the wealthy Jia Si Le, and enlists the help of his friend (she doesn't know they're friends!) to change her image.

There's like a million and one things going on at the same time in this drama. So many twists and turns! Although the ending was a bit suckish... and they could have done so much more with it to make it better and not as typical. But I won't ruin any more of it for you - watch it =D

Watch here: Miss No Good drama.

Contributor: Michelle

Mini Review: Fated To Love You

I watched the first few episodes of this series ages ago but the characters sort of put me off so I left it at that. But weeks later I still wondered why it was one of the most viewed series on My Soju ever.

So I gave it another chance and I actually cant stop watching it now! I've gotten over the sometimes cringey acting from both the male and female leads and tbh the plot is actually really unique and that's what I love about it. Apparently, the producers spent a lot of money on the pilot episode (and the series on the whole) though I don't think it's an eye-catching of a series as say... Hana Yori Dango was.

I'm still on ep14 and after I finish the whole series, I'll do a post on it or I'll probably just update this one.

Contributor: Dulce

Top Drama Recommendations

I wanted to make a list of my recommended dramas for people who have no idea what to watch next or who have just discovered Asian dramas. I used to search for hours and hours (slight exaggeration) for a good drama to watch, only to get bored after 10 minutes of watching it, so here's a guide to help you avoid that!

Korean Dramas:

1. Goong (Princess Hours) - Yoon Eun Hye is in it... need I say more? S'all good :)
2. Coffee Prince - Again, I loved the cast. YEH is the female lead, plus a really hot guy that I always forget the name of...
3. My Girl - LEE DONG WOOK - yupp 'nuff said. Cute story + I loved the girl in it (Lee Da Hae).
4. Full House - Bi Rain and Song Hye Gyo... really funny although could be more romantic.
5. Autumn Tale - One of the older ones and it's completely different to the rest. If you like crying your eyes out then this one's for you.

J-Dorama:

1. Hana Yori Dango 1+2 - I cannot recommend this enough. JUST GO WATCH IT OK?!
2. A Litre of Tears - I actually did cry a litre of tears. not so much a romance drama but it got me so .. ;]
3. Nodame Cantabile - "gyaboooo" o___0 no i am not psycho.. you'll get it when you watch the drama
4. Hotaru no Hikari - stars Ayase Haruka
5. Gokusen 1-3 - It's not exactly a "must watch" but watching a comic drama about a school of boys doesn't hurt a bit.

Taiwanese Drama:

1. Meteor Garden - the drama that started it all... watch it if you haven't (Barbie + Zaizai).
2. Mars - the drama after the drama that started it all ;P hahah same leads.
3. Devil Beside You - Mike He and Kingone anyone? Dont forget Rainie Yang too :)
4. Why Why love - the trio again but completely different story. I prefered this one though.
5. It Started With A Kiss - Cuteee girl-loves-guy-who-doesn't-care-but-then-falls-for-thegirl-but-doesn't- admit-it-till-the-end story.

These are my top recommendations... I've only inculded the ones I consider are "must watch" and 7/10 chances, people who look at this will probably have seen them because these are literally the most popular series.

PS. I know posts have been so irregular for the past month or so... I've just been on holiday so i haven't updated the blog for ageess (thanks Michelle for keeping it up though ^^ ). Things are starting to fall back into place though and I will be posting more soon :)

Contributor: Dulce

Review: Rolling Love

I'm still watching this drama xD So I may repost this when I'm done. I just realised I hadn't posted here for about a month - eek! Main reason for watching this series in the first place was that Jiro Wang plays the lead *swoons*

The story revolves around two storylines so far: one where Xiao Shu (played by Genie Zhuo) is blinded by a car accident caused by her then-kind of-boyfriend, Leng Lie. LL then spends his life regretting the accident and trying to make up for it with his world-famous dishes. (He's a top chef!)

By chance, Xiao Shu meets Mi Xi Lin (played by Jiro Wang) who charms her with his random and quirky ways. MXL is also a chef, who excels only in one dish - egg fried rice. Obviously, MXL falls in love with Xiao Shu, but disaster keeps striking.

edit:// finished the series! I cried about three times in the last 5 episodes. It was so emotional. This is definitely worth watching if you like idol-dramas.

Contributor: Michelle

Review: Hana Yori Dango (Korean)

Such a late post! omg.But i just couldn't help it...this news came out earlier this year (around april i think) but i've only been able to find out about it recently (this morning actually =/) hahhaI practically read the whole article with my mouth open! I can't believe they're re-making it =D
Both the Taiwanese and the Japanese versions were very popular all over asia. Even though i saw the Taiwanese version first... i fell in love with the Japanese version (highly due to Matsujun playing Domyouji ;)


Korean Version (Poster)

Hana Yori Dango (Jdorama)

Meteor Garden (Tdrama)

I hope the Korean version stays true to the manga just as the two other versions did! I think this was one of the factors that made the previous versions extremely popular and changing the storyline in anyway would upset fans who've gotten to know and love the characters.

The production team in charge of the remake will be Group Eight (as selected by the orginial writer of the manga, Kamio Yoko). Group Eight were also responsible for producing other popular dramas such as Goong S and Fantasy Couple.
Group Eight have have said that “rather than casting based on popularity alone, we’re going for actors in the Korean F4 who fit the original characters best". I agree with what they've said and i think choosing actors based just on popularity would be a big mistake... i think they would certainly have to have that "ooompf" xD and deliver the personality and charisma that each F4 character oooozes (namely hanawa rui! loll)
Currently, the favourite to play Makino Tsukushi is Yoon Eun Hye but it's still not final so this could still change... i 'd also like to see Lee Dong Wook play a part in the series (I loved him in my girl ^^ )
Howeverr,. i've read that Kim Hyun Jung has been chosen to play Rui. I haven't really seen him in a drama so i can't say if i like him or not..
i've seen a couple of his pictures and yeahh he's pretty cute but i hope it's not just his face he'll bring to the table ^^

Kim Hyun Jung

PS : when is HYD movie actually coming out? or is it out?? someone get back to me on this please! :)

Contributor: Dulce

Review: Why Why Love

Tong Jia Di needs a life besides work, paying down family debt, and more work. So her best friend Jiang Xiao Nan sneaks in a “Love” coupon in Jia Di’s raffle box praying that the lucky guy who draws it will sweep Jia Di off her feet. As it so happens, Huo Yan, the compassionate manager Jia Di has secret crush on, is the lucky guy. But, though the prince can exchange the coupon for Cinderella’s love, it doesn’t mean he will, especially when his devilish younger brother is determined to exchange his “Master/Angel” coupon for her servitude.

I originally started watching this because everyone was likening it to be Devil Beside You's sequel. Which it wasn't xD It has the same cast as DBY, so the chemistry between Rainie and Mike were still there. The same love triangle is in this series, which really confused me o___O' but it was still really cute. I'd say this series was much more dramatic than DBY, which was mostly cute. There's still some pretty shabby acting from the parents all round (the same woman plays Tong Jia Di's mum as Qi Yue in DBY) but this is one of my favourite dramas ^_^ I cried so much when I watched this ahahhaha - you'll find that when I post more.

Definitely worth watching!

Contributor: Michelle