P.S. Man (2010)

This is the second Taiwanese drama I have watched. I'm totally hooked now. This drama was about romance and following your dreams and being true to yourself. It didn't take me long to watch it. For some reason it gave me the "I just have to watch the next episode" syndrome. It isn't perfect...the grandma is totally annoying and there are some draggy parts. Mostly though it is full of character development that I really enjoyed.

I think Sui Sonia was great as Ma Xiao Qian. She plays smart, strong, nieve, and vulnerable character that keeps her idealistic views while facing reality. She is some one I will look for in the future. Lan Blue and Wen James are also good playing hateful jerks that change due to their enteraction with Xiao Qian. I LOVE Zhong Xin Ling who plays Xiao Qian's best friend, Mary. She was daebak as a caring, funny, straight-forward, advise giving friend.

I enjoyed the theme song. The music is good.

I won't rewatch this.

If you like romance, then I think this is a drama to watch.

Lire davantage

OMG total DRAMATHON! Not sure y but I had to complete this drama all at once. I know I am giving it just good scores, but I thought it could have been shorter w/o a lot of b/s filler. I totally understand that they had to do a lot of character development, but y did I have to listen to the grandmother yell & get on my nerves whenever she opened her mouth for like 5 episodes? Couldn't have done the drama w/o her part, but did she rly have to be that loud & ignorant? They made her character out to be smart & dignified from her position as head of her family. Then she did the most annoying things & was tactless w/ every1 she came in contact w/ basically. Rly drove me crazy.

The 4 main characters were awesome. I loved each one and understood where they were coming from based on the past experiences we learn about in the drama. These characters were developed very well and they each kept me interested in the progression of the story. I thought each actor brought out the emotions of each character well. I thought the story was very well written & that the pace was alright except for the filler that was used to make the drama longer. The end was ok, but I knew what was going on the whole time. No guess work there.

Oh well! I liked the drama & feel that others will as well. ENJOY!

Lire davantage

When I read the summary of this drama, I found that the storyline was quite interesting and I also found that the cast was well chosen. The beginning of this drama made it look very promising. However, towards the middle, the story started to drag a little and then more and more. I couldn't quite understand what the point was and everything. The storyline also became more and more predictable. Nonsense stuff came out of nowhere and made the drama look a little bit ridiculous.

In other words, this drama is not bad but not good. I suggest you to watch it if you have a lot of free time but I wouldn't if you're trying to find a very attracting drama.

Lire davantage

I remember getting to somewhere around episode 8 or 10 of this drama and posting in the comments on Dramafever (miss you like a lung, Dramafever), ‘Normally, this would be the point when I'd say we were reaching the really difficult part of the drama, but let's be honest. That happened a while ago, lol.’

And it’s true. We get two or three episodes of real, lighthearted bickering and character development in this drama.

Then everything goes downhill.

I can't speak on the overarching plot, because I don't remember most of it, but the thing that made this drama fail so hard for me was the characters.

Xiao Qian was kickass the first few episodes, testifying against Jerry in court and playing that fabulous prank on him at the hotel. But then she started to have feelings for him, and grandma showed up with her terrible wig and controlling behavior, and suddenly, the only thing Xiao Qian had going for her anymore was she was cute.

Jerry was such an interesting character. He was the ultimate snake oil salesman, and it was honestly amazing just how good he was at making people fall all over themselves for him, and then in the same breath, making himself look like a total twat. His pride and arrogance was a double-edged sword, and I loved watching him fall on it.

Blue Lan also made some of the cutest facial expressions and funny little head tilts that I have ever seen. They looked like totally natural mannerisms that just extended out from his character, and I really loved that.

Sam was a very unusual secondary male lead. He was just as much of an arrogant, self-absorbed prick as our male lead, and in some ways, actually came off far worse then Jerry ever did. Jerry was arrogant and selfish and spoiled, but he was upfront about it. Sam was incredibly shady and underhanded and just way more subtle and sneaky about his arrogance.

He was basically a male lead stuck in a secondary male lead's body, and I wish they had really gone with that concept. But as soon as he developed an interest in Xiao Qian, the character went from spoiled and arrogant to kind and respectful in the span of an episode, and I found myself missing the more sinister version of him.

Amanda was way better as a mother then as a romantic rival. Keeping her son a secret was a terrible idea, but I think the actress did a fantastic job of making her look like a loving, caring, giving mother despite the circumstances. I just can't stand it how the writers forced her character to fall for Jerry. She gave in so easily. And Jerry wasn't even being particularly romantic either. He was more like a flamboyant stalker. Doing a background check on her. (That should have raised some serious red flags.) Showing up to HER birthday party and turning it around so it was all about him. (Seriously! Who shows up to Someone Else's birthday party riding a horse with a clown as an entrance when they aren't getting paid to?!)

Of course, that’s part of what made Jerry such a great character. He was so full of himself that he didn’t even know he was an idiot.

But Xiao Qian’s family was, hands down, my least favorite part of this drama. And grandma was the worst. She needed to go.

Fall off a cliff.

Into the ocean.

Filled with sharks.

I hate her.

In terms of romance, it did some things I liked and a Lot I didn't.

I initially enjoyed the 'two rich, arrogant guys having a face off' bit in the beginning. It was hilarious watching these spoiled, self-absorbed, men fight with each other. But it quickly became boring and repetitive. I wanted one of them (preferably Jerry, seeing as he was the male lead) to grow up and stop acting like a petulant child.

And of course, Jerry had to go and do Everything!!!!! in the romance backwards. Like, how about shutting it down with Amanda before trying to start something with Xiao Qian?

I do like that we didn’t have an epiphany scene where Jerry suddenly realized he liked Xiao Qian. He just came to like her, and there wasn’t any ridiculous fanfare over it. The only problem I have with there not being an epiphany scene is that…I had no idea he liked her until he suddenly started sidling up to her and being all ‘Hey, let’s be more then friends.’ There were glances from him and a couple sexually tense moments, but nothing that made me think ‘He’s definitely fallen for her.’ That build up could have been better.

But what am I saying?

Everything about this drama could have been better.

Lire davantage

This is only the second drama I’ve dropped. I just couldn’t put up with how the female lead is portrayed. This is also the second Taiwanese drama on Netflix (and 3rd Chinese language) wherein racial incentive comments are made against black people. And you can’t make argument that Chinese just aren’t exposed to other cultures when they all have smart phones and profess to be tech savvy.

The female lead is so spineless she lets her grandma push her around despite approaching 30 years old. The male lead has no redeeming qualities. The writers attempt to portray him as tsundere but he is fricken dangerous. He puts the female lead’s life and happiness in danger along with kids at the kindergarten. The final straw was a big scene (melo) where we’re supposed to feel happy the guy is doing something a stand up guy should be doing in the first place. Even there the leads are lying to contrive a scene.

My last point is something that bugs me with lots of Asian dramas and why I know the writers probably will suck. It’s when they write the lead’s abilities as godlike. He’s supposed to have a PhD from Oxford, have won the Booker award (I think they mean Mann Booker), be an author of relationship books, and have a radio show. All this while having the maturity of a 14 year old.

Lire davantage

The main conflict in the story is realistic. However, certain details in the story that come out later on are not realistic. The story incorporates a lot of technology, and this allows the story to be relatable to modern times. There were plot twists I did not anticipate. The characters are multi-dimensional, and this reflects complexities among people in real life. This drama demonstrates that people are more than just "good" or "bad." The traditional Taiwanese grandmother expresses love in her own way, and I find this to be touching. Bianca Bai's acting skills are great in this, and her character Amanda demonstrates certain lovable qualities. A certain level of emotional maturity is demonstrated in this drama. The main characters are decently physically attractive.

Lire davantage