At Dolphin Bay (2003)

This is one of my favourite taiwanese dramas, perhaps because it is one my first and what made me love drama series. I have to be honest to say that it was a long time ago I saw this drama. I believe that as the world and people's taste changes, what made a drama good earlier may not be applicable any more.
So I'll give my review based on what made me love this drama:

1. Story. It's very sweet and kind of sad too. As so many other drama's storylines to come, there is a love triangle, in this case with five people involved though and each relationship between the characters is special in it's own way. The characters have their own story which tell you the reason behind their actions. Furthermore there's so much beyond romance. It's about striving to achieve your dream, meeting or countering other's expectations, follow your heart or doing what is expected of you.

2. Casting. Among one of the most professional castings in any drama series. Only the names say a lot: Angela Zhang, Wallace Huo, Penny Lin! They simply are the role they are acting.

3. Music. Basically the whole series is about music; searching for the voice that can reach people's heart, achieving the music dream. This is behind the scenes of the music industry. The music is perfectly fitted to the story, from opening, each scene to the ending.

4. Rewatch value. I've stopped counting how many times I've re-watched this drama. Even directly after watch it the first time, I was eager to watch it again, and not only some scenes, it's the whole story. It gives one hope, encourage you not to stop hopping for your dream to come true as long as you try your best, it applies to true love and career.

I didn't expect I would write so much but I simply have a lot of reasons to put down, recommending you to watch this drama! Enjoy!

Leggi di Più

This drama came highly recommended but it is quite dated. The production quality is poor, the scenes don't fade into the next, and the music is sometimes loud and other times low. ISometimes the sound disappears and in one scene you can hear a dog barking in the next room! The story is predictable and revolves around a fairy tale about a dolphin. Even though Angela Chang sings her own music, here she clearly mouths it with a full orchestra, which is so hilarious to hear accompaniment when she is solo singing on the beach. During the concert, the singers were badly off pitch.

However, the biggest hurdle to watching this drama is the messed up subtitles. There are no complete sentences and the words are all mixed up.

Despite all these criticisms, the drama is cute with an incredibly good looking cast. I mean, who would not want to watch Wallace Huo and Abrose Hsu in a drama with 3 beautiful women! The romance is sweet, albeit corny at times. It's not often that you get to see a grown man cuddle a stuffed dolphin! This was not supposed to be a rom com but at times seems so. And the music is quite good and varied, however, some of the music is played too often and others, not enough.

If you like t drama romance as I do, try to find the drama with better subtitles than on Good Drama and you may enjoy At Dolphin Bay.

Leggi di Più

I loved this drama. I first watched it when I was in high school and rewatched it again with my mom. I liked the story.

This drama is about Xiao Ping and Tah-Tah, two orphans, who meet at a orphanage. They become really good friends there. One day Tah-Tah gets adopted by someone. Before he leaves he promises Xiao Ping that he would come back for her. When he does return he finds out that she also has been adopted. How will they cross each other's paths again? Will they every meet? (watch the drama to find out)

This drama not only portrays love between lovers it also portrays love with family, etc. This story is about unconditional love. It also shows the struggle of someone who wishes to become a star.

I really liked the choice of actors for the this drama. I loved Angela Zhang, Ambrose Hsu, and Wallace Huo in this drama. I liked the acting...it wasn't perfect but I really enjoyed it. It was filled with emotions. There were some parts that made me laugh and cry.

There were some flaws but which drama doesn't have that? I had bought this drama on a DVD and it kinda irritated at the English subs.

However, Music was excellent! I love the tracks by Angela Zhang, Ambrose Hsu, Kokia, Wax, R.E.F.! This drama had one of the best OST! I still listen to it till this day esp. the song Journey by Anglea. It had really memorable songs such as I Catch a Cold and White Snow by Kokia! I was amazed that a Taiwanese drama had Japanese and Korean songs included as the OST! I totally loved that combination!

Leggi di Più

This show got so many positive reviews that I decided to watch it all the way through. Even giving it plenty of latitude for being dated, this is dreadful -- trite, repetitive, slogging along for most of the show, mediocre acting, unintentional overacting, wild overuse of fake tears and pensive gazes into the distance... Stock stereotype characters, really low budget music, of which 3 songs are played over and over and over and over, crummy costumes, cheesy emotional scenes and caricature level tragedies.

You have your dimwitted, angelic hayseed ingenue, your handsome, emotionally damaged, indecisive male lead, TWO vindictive B*tches trying to undermine the hayseed, and a narcissistic, violent 2nd male. Add in an authority figure wedded to toxic traditionalism, and an evildoer, and I'm pretty sure you can write the script yourself, if you get a little drunk and morose.

I have to give a sincere warning if you are still considering watching it -- it goes downhill after the first episode and never gets better.

Leggi di Più

If you’re into the long lost/abandoned child type dramas you might enjoy this one. Also if you enjoy those unrequited love series or the series that drags everything out until the very end you’ll absolutely love this one. I personally did not. I have watch miniseries and somewhere bad and some are good. Somehow good endings in somewhere bad endings beer. This is my first time watching a series and feeling disappointed. The series was short and very sentimental however it just kept going back and forth with on again, off again love interest. They set you up on relationship only to shut you down. This series was pleasant and a little tearjerker but it was too much of “not the great” stuff. The wrap up was unrealistic. Who gets rejected and thanks them for being awesome. They series played with my need to match characters. I have no idea how many times I thought this is it, they’re going to be together and then and then they are not. This went on and on and on.

Leggi di Più