Growing Through Life

A pretty good cast but a boring and predictable plot. GTL is definitely "The Drive of Life" 2.0 but a little bit better and not as draggy.

Raymond Lam: I love Raymond but even my love for him couldn't make me watch this without fast forwarding. A sweet character but this character has been done many times before. 4****

Bosco Wong: The villain in here but I was not impressed. This shouldn't even be considered a villain role for Bosco. 3***

Damian Lau: 5*****

Zhao Ziqi: She was not bad in here: cute and a pretty good actress. 4****

Cecilia Yip: A little bit of exaggeration in here but she was great when she was "crazy". 4****

Toby Leung: A pretty pointless character; I didn't care for her role or acting. Toby needs to act in more versatile roles. 2**

Vionn Song: The worst actress in here; I thought Toby did better and that's not saying a lot. She's pretty but she's so stiff in all of her scenes. 1*

Raymond+Zhao Ziqi: 3***

Raymond+Vionn: 2**

Bosco+Toby: 1*

Bosco+Vionn: 2**

Bosco+Zhao Ziqi: 2**

Damian+Cecilia: 3***

Themesong by Raymond Lam: 5*****

Rating: 2**

Meteor Shower

A.K.A. Let’s Go Watch Meteor Shower. MS is the fourth adaptation of the popular manga "Hana Yori Dango". However, a lot of the plot and characters have changed so I see this more like an "indirect" version of "Hana Yori Dango". I didn't have a lot of expectations for this drama because it's not really talked about, but I decided to give this a chance due to good reviews from people who have actually seen it and the curiosity to watch all of the "Hana Yori Dango" adaptations. And to my surprise, this was a really good and enjoyable drama to watch. All of the changes made MS into a drama by itself because I could not predict what would happen next. This is also the most "realistic" adaptation of "Hana Yori Dango" I have seen. In addition, MS is the adaptation to show other versions/countries (like Korea's "Boys Over Flowers) that it's okay to deviate from the manga as long as you stay true to the premise of it.

However, there are some flaws in here. I love how they took the time to develop the characters and the love stories but it was a tad too slow for my liking. I didn't fast forward any scenes though so that was a good sign. The editing was not too smooth in here and it was obvious that this was not a very big production because the actors and actresses kept wearing the same clothes over and over again. Lastly, I wished the artists' voices weren't dubbed since I wanted to hear what they really sounded like.

Zheng Shuang: She's really cute and pretty; she reminds me of a mix between Angela Zhang and Ariel Lin. A lot of people also think she looks like Rainie Yang but I don't see it. For Zheng Shuang's first time acting, she was fabulous. Although her character was frustrating at times, she stayed true as Makino Tsukushi for the most part. 5*****

Zhang Han: I love his smile and undying love for Zheng Shuang. His looks grow on you since I didn't think he was all that good-looking in the beginning. His acting was also really good since he was expressive in all of his scenes. Zhang Han is my second favorite Doumyouji Tsukasa. 5*****

Yu Hao Ming: I feel so bad for Yu Hao Ming since he is the most hated Hanazawa Rui out of all the four versions so far. Although he wasn't the sweet and sacrificing best friend who couldn't get the main girl, I thought he was the most realistic Hanazawa Rui. His acting was also really good for his first time acting. 5*****

Zhu Zi Xiao: I love his expressions in here but he reminds me more of Mimasaka Akira than Nishikado Sojiro though. He was the comic relief in here and his acting was good for being a newbie. 5*****

Wei Chen: He's adorable and although he's supposed to be Mimasaka Akira, he got a lot of screen time and a story of his own. I like how he got equal screen time as the rest of the other actors and actresses, and his acting was also good for his first time. 5*****

Xiao Han: I like how Doumyouji Tsukasa's sister is changed so that she is a larger character in here. Xiao Han is a good actress. 4****

Peng Yang: An interesting twist to the Todo Shizuka character. Unfortunately, her character is not liked in her. Peng Yang was pretty good in here. 4****

Chen Yi Na: Her character is cute but not really developed. 4****

Zheng Shuang+Zhang Han: My new favorite couple! They are adorable together and I love their chemistry. They make me believe they are really in love with each other. I can't get enough of them since their cute love scenes in here were pretty limited. I hope they act together in another drama soon!

Zheng Shuang+Yu Hao Ming: They were okay but they don't have much chemistry with each other. 3***

Wei Chen+Xiao Han: I'm still kind of iffy on what I think of them as a couple but they're not too bad together. 3***

Zhu Zi Xiao+Chen Yi Na: They are cute in here and I'm glad they got their happy ending. 4****

Yu Hao Ming+Peng Yang: They actually look pretty good in here. 3***

Zhang Han+Ma Jian Qin: There weren't really any chemistry between them and they don't really fit in terms of looks either. 2**

Xiao Han+Zong Feng Yan: I thought they were a nice couple in here. 3***

OST: Initially, the songs were only okay but they grew on me as I listened to them throughout the drama. 5*****

Rating: 4**** Sadly, this is a pretty underrated adaptation of "Hana Yori Dango" and a drama by itself but the good news is, there will be a sequel since the ending was kind of unsatisfying.

Lust, Caution

I watched this because it received good reviews from the critics and because I liked Ang Lee's "Brokeback Mountain". I'm pretty speechless about this movie and it's not in a good way... Honestly speaking, I wondered what Ang Lee was "smoking" when he decided to adapt this. The author was pretty "crazy" for writing this plot for her book too. The movie itself was extremely boring since the "fight for our country" plot has been done many times in pretty much any country that has ever produced movies. The ending was ridiculous and stupid and the graphic sex scenes were not really necessary, other than providing nudity, of course.

Tony Leung: I think Tony is a good actor so I thought his talents were wasted in here since his character was a traitor to his country, a cheating husband, and a sick man who likes to beat up women during sex. I also absolutely detest the writer for trying to show a "nicer" side to him near the end by making him "gentler" during intercourse and for purchasing a rare, pink diamond ring to "confess" his "true love" for Tang Wei. Oh, come on! A selfish man like him will never ever truly know what "true love" really is so I hated the pitiful crap. Although, I give props for Tony for acting out different kind of roles, he should have declined this role even if he won an award for it... 3***

Tang Wei: I think she has potential to be a good actress so it's sad to hear that she's pretty much banned in China. This is such double standards since it's okay for Tony to act in graphic sex scenes but Tang Wei can't?! I liked her character in the beginning but she became so stupid and naive in believing that she can help her country by sleeping with the traitor but I can forgive that since she was trying to be a "patriot". However, when she felt "love" towards Tony when he gave her a rare, pink diamond ring, it was the last straw for me. She betrayed her country and got herself and her friends executed because of a diamond ring so everything she has done is for nothing. What's even worse is that it shows that women are easily manipulated by such superficial things. 3***

Wang Lee Hom: He's not a bad actor but his role was a cowardly one since he pretty much let Tang Wei do all the dirty work and would try to "comfort" her by saying he will "protect" her when she wants to give up. LC pretty much had all the worst characters in the history of movies. 3***

Tony+Tang Wei: 1*

Tang Wei+Wang Lee Hom: 2**

Rating: 1* Don't even bother to watch it since the sex scenes weren't even that great. I also don't recommend this for people under 18 years of old since I'm 19 and I still found the sex scenes disturbing.

Sound of Colors

I only watched this because of Wallace Huo so I had no expectations for this drama at all since the plot has been done before and the cast is pretty much unknown besides Wallace Huo and Ruby Lin. It was an okay watch but I pretty much only watched the Wallace Huo and Ruby Lin's scenes so I can't really comment on the overall drama since I fast forwarded the other scenes.

Wallace Huo: He doesn't look really good here but there's a reason why. 5*****

Ruby Lin: She was actually pretty good in here since she was convincing as a blind woman. 4****

Wallace+Ruby: I really enjoyed watching their romantic scenes together. 4****

Themesong by Van Fan: 2**

Rating: 2**

Hero

A.K.A World's Finest. I watched this because of Michelle Yip and because of good reviews. I was only interested in Michelle Yip and Wallace Huo's storyline since the other characters were okay or boring.

Roger Kwok: He's funny in here but I was bored with his and Tammy Chen's plot since they were just a normal, bickering couple. 5*****

Wallace Huo: He's so hot in here and I love how his character was so devoted to Michelle Yip. 5*****

Michelle Yip: Another role where she dresses up as a man but I guess it's because she's good at it? It was irritating to watch her when she liked Li Ya Peng though since I felt so bad for Wallace. 5*****

Li Ya Peng: I only liked him when he was with Eva Huang. 4****

Tammy Chen: She was okay; I was annoyed with her character most of the time though. 3***

Gao Yuan Yuan: I find her really pretty but her role wasn't too important until near the end. 4****

Roger+Tammy: 3***

Wallace+Michelle: 5*****

Li Ya Peng+Gao Yuan Yuan: 2**

Li Ya Peng+Eva Huang: 3***

Li Ya Peng+Michelle Yip: 1*

Themesong by Wallace Huo: 5*****

Rating: 2.5** It should have been shorter.

Princess Returning Pearl

A.K.A. Huan Zhu Ge Ge. After hearing rave reviews on how great this drama was, I decided to give this a try. My parents watched both Part I and Part II when they first came out, but I was never really interested in watching them after watching a couple of scenes. I didn't like them initially and I definitely don't like them now after watching Part I as a whole. The plot was extremely draggy and boring. Although there were funny scenes, they didn't keep my attention enough. I was constantly watching the episodes just to see when the scenes that made people love this drama would appear, but sadly, they never did. PRP has got to be one of the most overrated dramas in history.

Vicki Zhao: I was annoyed with her character, she's not all that pretty (her eyes are too big that it's abnormal), and her acting was at best mediocre (widening your eyes constantly is not acting). 2**

Ruby Lin: She's stiff in here but she fits the role as a weak girl. I don't like either of the main actresses but if I have to choose, I'll choose to watch Ruby in a drama (which I did in Sound of Colors) since at least Ruby is prettier. 2**

Alec Su: He's not that good-looking. 2**

Zhou Jie: 2**

Fan Bing Bing: I actually thought she was the prettiest actress in here. 2**

Vicki+Alec: They actually sort of made a cute couple. 3***

Ruby+Zhou Jie: Their "forbidden" love was annoying. 2**

Themesong by Power Station: The only good thing about this drama. 5*****

Rating: 2** I know I'm not going to even bother to watch Part II or Part III.