Starter Kit: Thailand
In recent years, from the martial arts IP drama to the Taiwanese idol drama, remaking dramas have emerged as the second spring in China. Following the releases of "Summer’s Desire", "Meteor Garden", and “Forget You Remember Love”, the “You Are My Destiny” remake has completed their production and was ready to air on the 6th of June. Taiwanese dramas that have also been announced for a Chinese remake are "Lavender", "Corner With Love", “ My Lucky Star”, "Heaven's wedding dress", "Green Forest, My Home" and so on.
It seems that there is less original content coming out of China recently. China has been adapting books, IPs, anime, manga and remaking dramas that have already established fan bases. This is understandable as investors know that with an already established fan base they will have a certain amount of guaranteed viewership.
The characteristics of the old idol Taiwanese drama are different and inconsistent with the needs of the current Chinese drama market. Classic Taiwanese dramas were filled with cliches and could be melodramatic. It was such a vibe, prime example, Prince Turns Into Frog, while current Chinese Dramas are often very light and sweet, for example, Skate Into Love, Go Go Squid. In any of these remakes, I am worried about how they change these dramas to reflect current Chinese dramaland, but still, be able to pay homage to the original works.
Reflecting On Released Remakes
Forgetting you, Remembering Love
Compared to the OG (original) Prince Turns Into Frog, I don't really understand what the producers were trying to do with Forget You Remember Love. Some similarities were just too striking to not come from the remake for its own story. If you have watched Prince Turns Into Frog, you would understand that what made the drama a hit was the charismatic cast, including all the side characters. In FYFL, I personally found Qian Yu to be unrelatable, and even though she is very poor, she somehow decorates her car and room with countless quirky trinkets... Tian Yu in PTIF was a character with many flaws, but you couldn't help but root for her happiness. Jun Hao in PTIF is considered the staple of the arrogant CEO in the Taiwan Dramaland, charismatic and unwavering in himself. When he loses his memory, he becomes thoughtful, kind and gullible, but still carries his confidence and unwavering heart. It is understandable that Jun Hao in FYRL cannot outshine Ming Dao in PTIF, but after losing his memory, it seems like he turned into a naive boy instead of just having amnesia. FYRL was attempting to be different while also trying to be the same... They reversed roles in some exchanges, for example, Qian Yu saving Jun Hao from drowning instead. These little actions changed the dynamic of their relationship that people cherished in the OG.
This just turned into a rant on the FYRL rant... I also didn’t finish it… The take away is instead of changing minor aspects to “reflect” the current culture, they should've taken creative liberties, while still faithful original works.
I don't want to get too much into this, anyone can debate over Meteor Garden and their many adaptations for a looong while. This is for many people, as many of the other adaptations, their introduction to dramas. China has been releasing many youth dramas in recent years, and they have been hitting their mark, and Meteor Garden did this for international audiences. The themes of Meteor Gardens is a bit dated now, though during that time it was good, a reason why some of these remakes may not hit their mark today. Although, I could see they tried to make an attempt to reduce this bullying and change it up, so that's commendable... I personally didn't think much of this remake, but I'm happy it introduced more people into Chinese dramaland. The cast did a good job and was faithful to their characters, Meteor Garden remakes have always used fresh face so spectacular acting should never be an expectation.
You Are My Destiny (currently aired)
Starring Xing Zhao Lin and Liang Jie, who we know have outstanding chemistry from their roles in The Eternal Love, which also spawned a season 2. After watching Standing In The Time, I don't really trust XZL in a strongly emotionally driven scene. Seeing they have made it lighter, will mean less heavy scenes, moving more to sweet fluff, adapting to the current Chinese dramaland. After watching the trailer, I believe there is actually hope for this remake. While the original is melodramatic and will crumble your heart, it seems that they have gone for an alternative route to try and make this lighter, and I respect them for trying to make it their own.
From the trailer: the cruise incident, leading to them getting married and then Jia Xin finding out she is pregnant. I am assuming the cruise led to a scandal and they covered it up with a fake marriage, and then her finding out she is pregnant. I will not spoiler the rest of the differences I spotted, for anyone who doesn't actually know this story. These changes in dynamic excite me, and I believe that the cast can pull it off.
IN THE WORKS
The stars of "Corner With Love" have been confirmed as Shen Yue and Song Wei Long. I am sure everyone is familiar with Shen Yue from Meteor Garden and A Love So Beautiful. I haven't seen her tackle any roles similar to this, although there is a doubt after her role in Another Me. While Song Wei Long became very popular after his role in Find Yourself and his anticipated release Go Ahead, I do think he will do well in this role. I actually didn't think much of the originals, but starred the very popular Show Luo and Barbie Hsu, with a passable story, people flocked to this drama anyway. From here, the story can only get better, so there is potential, hope they don't make it stupendously longer than it needs to be...
Now, this drama is one of a kind, I don't know how they would even attempt this remake. I have would like them to at least remaster this drama at least, to allow more people turned off by "pixels" to give it a go. I believe it would be very hard to make a faithful remake without offending many of its fans. The original director is returning for this remake, with this in his good hands, I can relax a little. The cast has not been announced, as of yet, this can be the make or the break. Hopefully, they can change the drama according to the current Chinese drama landscape but keep the essence of the relationship dynamic and core story and not just copy and paste.
Rumoured that Deng Lun is set to be Male Lead, but nothing has been officially announced.
Not much information in this remake has been released. This drama was actually quite a low key but attained a loyal following during its run. I personally found it dragged a bit, but still enjoyed the melodramatic relationship dynamics and story. I believe with a good director and cast this remake can be good, as the original concept is interesting for a melodrama.
I have not watched any of these dramas, but they are also set for a remake, maybe someone can help in the comments below for more information.
The story begins when the four main characters are just children. Luo Shan's father is chauffeur to the Su's who have a daughter, Sophie. Luo Shan is envious of Sophie, believing that if given the same opportunities as her, she could be as happy. Then, Luo Shan's father dies in an accident, and the Su's take her in, renaming her Susan. Being kind-hearted and easy-going by nature, Sophie is easily taken advantage of by Susan, who decides that everything Sophie has, she must have too. Her jealousy also extends to Sophie's close friendship with Yuan Fang. | Starry Starry Night revolves around a love triangle among Peter Ho, Tammy Chen and Qiu Ze. Tammy Chen coincidentally runs into Peter Ho and both sense that they share a kind of connection. Their love affair lights up after their mobile phones are inadvertently exchanged. Things get increasingly complicated as the viewer discovers that Qiu Ze (playing the stepbrother of Tammy Chen), has always had a hidden affection for Tammy Chen. After finding out that Peter Ho is suffering from cancer, he is unwilling to accept that Tammy Chen's happiness should be affected and tries to change her fate. | Since her birth, Ah Xun has been suffering from heart disease which makes one unable to run or do a lot of activities that other kids do. Her only friend is a boy named Qing Chuan. Always together, Ah Xun is saddened when Qing Chuan tells her that he and his family are moving to America. Unwilling to never see each other again, Qing Chuan gives her a glass bottle filled with a piece of lavender as a token that he will never forget her and promises her that he will meet back up with her 10 years later on Ah Xun's 20th birthday. |
Thank You for Reading |:-)
- What are your thoughts and concerns on China remaking these dramas?
- Do you look forward to any of these remakes?
- What drama do you wish they would remake or did not remake?
- Who do you think they should cast for “ My lucky star”, “Lavender”, “Heaven’s Wedding dress” or “Green Forest, My Home”?
- What do you think are some must-haves for these remakes?
Edited by: Cookie (1st editor)
